#his rainbow hair long in the front... pushed back... roots showing

[catra-writes]

the witch's routine

It's was a lovely sunny morning. The birds were chirping just outside the morning dew covered windowpane, singing their hood morning's to any who could hear. It had rained the night before, the sun's light shining through the droplets still on the glass and casting a beautiful rainbow light show all throughout the lady's cozy bedroom.

The sun shone brighter as it rose like the visual representation of a siren's raising volume. The birds adding to the natural morning alarm, making the lady turn to her side to face the window as her dark brown eyes slowly blinked open and adjusted.

She had one chocolate coloured arm tucked under the fluffy pillow pinned under her head. Her legs were tangled in the bed sheets, blankets tossed aside, all evidence she had been tossing and turning during the night.

Her phone, sitting on her night stand beside her bed plugged in and charging, began to go off on vibrate and shake itself close to the edge. With a sigh, the lady grabbed the phone and slid the button to off, canceling her now pointless alarm.

She then pushed herself up into a sitting position, dangling her legs off the edge of her bed while still facing the window. She must have forgotten to shut the curtains last night because they were wide open.

Placing a hand in her long, messy, gold-tipped-black curly hair and sighing once more, Amity stood up from her bed and slipped on her soft morning slippers before walking to her bathroom to start the day.

It was the weekend, but for a witch like Amity there was always work to do. This girl loved to keep herself busy-not that she was afraid of being bored, she just very much preferred having something to do than sitting around doing next to nothing at all.

It was hardly even 9:30 am when she grabbed her now fully charged phone and left her bedroom in a casual yet 'okay-to-get-dirty' kind of outfit. She tucked her phone into her pocket, humming a tune that seemed to be stuck in her head since she woke up.

Walking into the kitchen, Amity said good morning to her puppy as he barked up at her happily, wagging his little tail excitedly. "Morning to you too, Basil." She chuckled, bending down to give the golden-Lab mix a head-pat before grabbing him some breakfast from the low cupboard and refilling his water dish. The puppy ate eagerly, as energetic as a puppy could be in the morning.

Amity smiled at Basil and continued on with her day rather routinely. She quickly made herself a blueberry bagel, popping it in the toaster while she brewed a fresh pot of coffee, setting a mug in front of it so she could pour herself a cup when it was ready.

With her breakfast made, Amity sat at her small table with her phone, unlocking it and checking over her lists. "Feed the dog: Check, next we go for a walk and-" her checking was interrupted by a small 'yip' near her feet.

Basil had quickly caught on to Amity's weekend routines and knew when he was going on walks. What dog didn't love walks? The little guy already had the leash in front of him, looking up at his human partner expectantly. "You little rascal, I need to eat before we can go!" she chuckled. Basil only tilted his head before barking again, not quite getting why she hadn't moved from the table yet. He's pretty impatient.

Soon the two had gone for their walk and Amity came home, ready to get on with the rest of her day as planned. "Okay. Dog fed, I had breakfast, Basil was walked, now time to water and repot." She instructed herself while going through the list on her phone again.

The lady went to a hallway closet and grabbed an empty spray bottle, then heading to the kitchen to fill it. She filled it near the base of the bottle's neck and twisted the lid back on before walking to a very leafy plant and spraying it. The water came out as a mist and fell on the leaves, being soaked up by the plant once landing.

She continued doing this around the house until she moved on to actually watering the soil in the pots for the roots to soak up and grow. She made sure all the plants in her cottage-like house were all watered, minus the few that were to be repotted.

She repotted a few succulents and herbs before watering them and cleaning everything up after brushing of her hands. "Plants repotted and watered." She told herself proudly. The knees on her jeans had patches of dirt, indicating how big a mess she had made. "I'll fix that later" she sighed, glancing down at her outfit.

She went into a cupboard and picked out a pair of scissors meant for plants. "Now time to trip them before lunch" Amity Muttered to herself, going back around the house collecting leaves and stems off some of the plants. She had collected leaves to use for tea, for baking and other uses. She always tried to save trimming the plants for the weekend when she could. Sometimes she'd have to trim one early if it was quickly over growing or starting to die.

Amity put them leaves on the windowsill to dry, Basil prancing around her feet waiting for lunch. The puppy had hardly finished the bowl of kibble from earlier, too excited for a walk, so Amity didn't add very much to the dish. While he was eating, she changed out his water so it was fresh once more.

Quickly grabbing a small Round glass shaker from the cupboard, Amity moved to the bathroom in her bedroom and to the sink where a small fishbowl sat. A lone female Beta fish swam around in the clear water. Amity popped open the container, shaking a tiny bit into her hand before carefully sprinkling that into the fishbowl. "Eat up, pepper." Amity smiles as Pepper ate her daily meal.

Amity thought about what she would do next today. She could work on a spell like protection for a friend or family member, good health for her pets or plants or she could work on a painting to hang up on her wall, maybe set up an offering on her alter for her pantheon. There were plenty of things she could do! Any one of these things wouldn't brake away from the daily routine of a witch, as witched do many a variety of things each day. This is just how it is for a witch like Amity.

#writing blog #personal writing blog #original character #descriptive writing #catra writes #creative writing #original story #short story #my short stories #my story #original fiction #original works #witch story #witch oc #witch character #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #slice of life

[randombubblegum]

I’m near death from the pictures so I would also pass away if he grew out the rainbow hair and pushed it back. SO PRETTY AND FOR WHAT???

HE REALLY IS SO PRETTY........ the prettiest boy....... i think about his too-long shaggy warped tour hair like every day it makes me feel crazy in love

#his rainbow hair long in the front... pushed back... roots showing??!!!??!? id DIE #mail time!

[mcga-resources]

All of Alex Fierro's Canon Outfits

HAMMER OF THOR:

"Battered rose high-tops, skinny lime green corduroy pants, a pink-and-green argyle sweater-vest over a white tee, and another pink cashmere sweater wrapped around the waist like a kilt. The outfit reminded me of a jester’s motley, or the coloration of a venomous animal warning the whole world: Try me and you die."

"His wardrobe wasn’t gender specific. He wore his usual rose high-tops with skinny green jeans and a pink long-sleeved T-shirt. His hair, if anything, seemed a little longer, still green with black roots, now combed to one side in the shape of a wave."

"She was wearing pink-and-green flannel today over regular blue jeans. Her hiking boots were boringly practical, except the laces glittered pink metallic."

"Utgard-Loki had insisted we trade our regular footwear for bowling shoes—all of which were too big and Day-Glo orange and pink[...] Alex [...] seemed to like them."

"Alex’s white silk gown glowed with gold embroidery, from the tassels on her sleeves to the serpentine curls along the hem that swept her feet. A necklace of golden arcs curved at the base of her neck like an inverted rainbow. Pinned to her black-and-green ringlets was a white veil, pushed back to show her face: her two-toned eyes lined with delicate mascara, her lips colored a warm shade of red."

SHIP OF THE DEAD:

"He was wearing pink and green today, as usual, though I'd never seen this particular outfit before: lace-up leather boots, ultra-skinny rose jeans, an untucked lime dress shirt, and a checkered skinny tie as loose as a necklace. With his thick black Ray-Bans and his choppy green hair, he looked like he'd stepped off a New Wave album cover circa 1979."

"She wore green skinny jeans with a pink tank top, the front stitched in with an inappropriate hand gesture in glittery sequins. Her hair had started to grow out, the black roots making her look even more imposing, like a lion with a healthy mane."

“[A] mauve skirt hung to her knees over black leggings. Her green sleeveless top had given her no protection from the pavement… Her hair was longer than I’d ever seen it, a green ponytail sprouting from her black roots like a flame from Aegir’s hearth fire” (Thanks to @bakedbananners for this update.

"Alex Fierro stood over me— today's Alex, wearing a raincoat of such bright yellow I wondered if our ship [the Big Banana] had begun to assimilate her."

"She’d tied her yellow raincoat around her waist, revealing the plaid pink-and-green sweater-vest I thought of as her combat uniform."

"The first person to emerge from belowdecks was Alex Fierro, dressed like a 1950s greaser—her green-black hair slicked back, her white T-shirt tucked into lime-colored jeans." NOTE: she also takes back from Magnus a pair of pink-framed "Buddy Holly" sunglasses she had lent him for his trip to Alfheim.

"My friends were all dressed like me, in white wool [tunics and breeches], so we looked like a secret society of very clean monks—the Fellowship of the Bleach."

"As for Alex, she sat by an open window putting on a pair of hot-pink ski boots. Had she brought them with her? Had she tipped a servant a few kroner to find her a pair in Skadi’s supply closet? I had no idea, but she wouldn’t be skiing off to her death in bland white and gray. She wore a green fur cloak—Skadi must have skinned a few Grinches to make it—over her mauve jeans and green-and-pink sweater vest. To top off the look, she wore an Amelia Earhart–style aviator’s cap with her pink sunglasses."

A checkered "a cuadros" chainmail sweater-vest, which she herself made with Blitz's instruction (pg. 385-386).

A day later: "Alex leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chain mail sweater vest, his pink glasses low on his nose." (pg. 404).

If anything was omitted, please comment below or send a DM and this post will be altered.

#Inspired by a post the other day by BB I think #mcga #magnus chase #magnus chase and the gods of asgard #mcatgoa #alex fierro #send requests to the ask box!

[goldenraeofsun]

PO Box 8921

“What is that?” Dean demands as Sam dumps a duffel bag full of mail out on the war table.

Cas looks up from his tome on Babylonian chaos magic or Shang dynasty dragon taming or whatever he’s moved onto now. All Dean knows is that the book smells like rotting flowers and mouse shit, so he banished Cas to the other end of the war table.

“Fan mail,” Sam says.

Cas sets down his book and walks closer.

Dean throws Sam a baffled look. “Why the hell are we getting fan mail?”

“It’s more like we’re getting Chuck’s fan mail,” Sam says sheepishly.

“Explain. Now.”

Cas picks up a letter curiously.

Sam sighs. “The last time Charlie was here, we hacked Flying Wiccan Press - Chuck’s old publisher - and we redirected his mail and royalty checks to a local PO box. I figured if anyone deserves money off those books, it’s us.”

“I thought his books tanked,” Dean says flatly.

Sam scowls. “It had a resurgence after the angels came into the picture,” he says with a sidelong look at Cas, who’s apparently absorbed in reading a note from Vancouver, British Columbia.

“Seriously?”

Sam shrugs. “They’re very compelling, apparently. I’ve been checking it every very few months, but two days ago I got a call saying they were running out of space.”

“Why?” Dean picks up a large flat envelope and rips it open. “What the…?” he murmurs. He slides out a matte illustration of the Impala driving down a nameless highway, golden swaying wheat fields bracketing both sides of the road, a fading sunset illuminating the horizon. His mouth falls open.

Sam takes a seat and pulls Dean’s laptop towards him.

“I was doing research,” Dean says quickly as Sam flips it open.

Sam takes one look at the screen, grimacing, before he clicks the mouse forcefully. “Really, Dean?” he gripes. “Cas was right there.”

Dean raises his eyebrows, smirking. “Exactly. I needed to know if he thought-”

“No,” Sam says, horrified. “I do not want to know.”

“You asked about the research.”

Sam’s does a full-body recoil. “That was not what I meant and you know it.”

Dean chuckles. He sets aside the beautiful painting of his baby (that one’s going in the Dean Cave for sure) and picks up the next package of similar size and weight. He eagerly tears off the top and pulls out the contents. It takes him a second, but the trenchcoat slipping off the figure’s shoulders is a dead giveaway.

“Hey!” Dean says, spinning it around to show to Cas. “I think it’s supposed to be you.”

Cas looks up from another letter - this one from Wellington, OH - and tilts his head. “My wings aren’t rainbow colored. They’re actually a color not perceptible by human eyes - maybe by some genetically mutant shrimp -”

Dean laughs. “You don’t have an eight pack either. It’s all artistic license, baby.”

“Aha!” Sam says, spinning the computer around, the porn tabs banished to the void of Dean’s browser history. “The fans reached a milestone last week.”

“What mile-” Dean cuts himself off as another illustration slips out behind the one of Cas. It flutters to the table.

“Is that of us?” Cas asks curiously, reaching for it. He holds it up.

“No way,” Dean says vehemently as he shuffles around to stare at it over Cas’s shoulder.

“Probably,” Sam pipes up.

Dean glares over at him. “How do you know that, Samantha?”

“That milestone?” Sam says, his face an odd mix of smug and constipated. “There are a hundred thousand fan fiction stories, as of last Monday.”

Dean blinks. “Fan fiction?”

“Yeah, a lot of it.” Sam sets aside the laptop and reaches for a nearby letter in a robin’s egg blue envelope.

Dean takes a large step away from the pile of half-opened mail like it just started emitting Sam’s toxic post-Chipotle farts.

“Are we - are they - is it more Sam slash Dean?” Dean asks in a faint voice.

Sam smirks. “Not this time. Like I said,” he says as he scans his letter, “the readers really liked the angels.”

Dean makes a choked noise in the back of his throat. Do all these letters wax poetic about Cas? That’s a lot of people that have thought about his angel naked. And that doesn’t sit right with Dean. “Why?” he demands.

Sam throws him a sharp look. “Why not? Cas is our best friend. He’s a good dude.”

Dean glances to Cas for reassurance, who shrugs as if to say he doesn’t understand it any more than he does.

“So they, like, have a thing for angels?” Dean asks haltingly. “An angel kink?”

Cas scowls.

“Not all angels, just Cas,” Sam confirms. “Plus love interest.”

Dean shifts his weight to his other foot. “Right… you and Cas?” Dean ventures as Cas sighs loudly next to him.

Sam rolls his eyes and pushes a letter towards Dean. “No, not me and Cas, jerk.”

Dean picks it up tentatively. He really can’t handle reading about a fictional version of himself banging Cas, but before he can flip the letter open, Cas nudges him with his elbow. “Sam’s right. This one is obviously of us,” he says, tilting the drawing so Dean can get a full view.

It takes a moment for Dean to get what he’s seeing. Everyone in the illustration is fully clothed, first of all. It shows a darkened, windowless room. An outsized television illuminates the three figures watching an episode of Scooby Doo. One of the men is sprawled out on a recliner, Sam’s long, hippie hair a dead giveaway. Another man is asleep in the second recliner, covered in a draped trenchcoat - Cas? No, there's a third guy standing above the second, his elbows braced on the back of the recliner, his fingers tangled in Dean’s hair as Dean sleeps on.

“This is very sweet,” Cas rumbles.

Dean picks up the letter Sam handed him, his face flaming. “Unrealistic,” he grunts.

“Really,” Sam says flatly as he reaches for the illustration. He whistles as he takes it in. “Nice light composition. And what are you talking about? We watched Scooby Doo like three days ago in the Dean Cave.”

“I’d never fall asleep in front of the TV,” Dean says scornfully. “That’s a disgrace to Scoob.”

Cas makes a noise that Dean hopes is a cough, but judging by Sam’s smirk was probably more of a snort.

Dean flips open the letter, and, to his surprise, it doesn’t start with contrived porn dialogue.

Dear Mr. Edlund,

I’ve been a follower of your work for many years, and I have admired and rooted for Team Free Will, especially for Dean and Castiel’s relationship. Despite all the pain, despite destiny itself working against them, they found each other and created something that resonated with thousands of people. They truly have a profound bond that transcends every barrier imaginable, and it gives me hope.

Dumbfounded, Dean reads on, shutting out Sam and Cas completely.

He swallows thickly as he sets the letter down.

“Dean?” Cas asks, concerned. “Are you alright?”

Sam drops his joking expression. “You good?”

Dean nods.

“No matter how your story started out,” Sam says slowly, “you won. And it seems like you did a lot of good along the way.” He gestures to the pile. “More than just saving people from monsters.”

Cas lays a hand on Dean’s shoulder and squeezes. “Apparently I am a gay icon now,” he says, his face completely serious.

Dean cracks up. Wiping at his eyes, he grabs another letter at random. “We’d better get going on the rest of these. The faster we read ’em, the faster Sam can reply.”

Sam’s face falls. “Wait, no-”

#destiel #destiel fanfic #fanfic #rae writes fic #post series #established relationship #deancas100k #profoundnet #canon divergence

[manchesterau]

Your Gay Uncle Harry

Okay so I have been really hung up with all those photos of Harry in Italy recently and one thing came to mind when looking at all the photos: Gay Uncle. I even made a post about it! So now I present to you a small fic about your gay Uncle Harry. It’s written in 2nd person pov because I don’t like the feel of 1st person. I...have no idea why I wrote this, and who would even enjoy this but here it is! This is...diffrent from anything I’ve ever written before but I sorta fell in love with this, so I hope you do too.

My own prompt: harry is giving gay rich uncle who you don’t really know too much about because he’s always traveling around with his boyfriend but always invites you and your cousins to his villa in the south of italy for the summer where he plays host

Your family never really talks about him, and when you were younger you never really understood why. The way they all talked about him seemed like he had passed, always in past tense, never spoken about with happiness, always in hushed whispers. Always when the children were away, out of sight out of mind.

When you were younger you pictured him as a ghost, a white sheet with curly hair, bunny teeth, and dimples. You pictured him living hundreds of years ago, in the city somewhere if you were itching to get out of the country, and sometimes in the country herding sheep when you were in the city missing home. 

It took a while, but then you finally understood why no one really talks about Uncle Harry. You grew up on a vineyard in California. Uncle Harry was born in a small village in the UK. There is one picture of you and him together, and it’s when you were a baby. His mum, his sister (your Aunt Gemma), and Uncle Harry all traveled to the United States for the first time to see you.

Your mother holds up the picture, she doesn’t understand your curiosity about your Uncle, and quite frankly you can tell that it annoys her, but she tries not to show it for your sake.

You hold the picture up with shaky hands. You’re nervous because you’ve never really seen a picture of him before, it’s like he had been erased from history. Or your family tried very hard to make sure that he was. So when you see his big bright smile, wild curls, and steady arms holding you almost nineteen years ago you want to cry. You don’t, because then you would have to explain to your mom why you’re crying but you sniffling some here and there. He’s holding you with so much pride, so much love, like your his baby, and this is a photo taken right after he’s given birth.

“Why...I mean I guess I don’t understand why you all never really talk about him.” You say.

Your mom pauses, she turns away from you for a second. “I...honestly I think there was a falling out years ago and...and we all know Harry can hold a mean grunge like nobodies business. All of us can really. But, I mean he still comes around sometimes when he’s not busy traveling the world, to say hi and he always asks for updates on you kids.”

You nod, the photo in your hand weighs heavy in between your finger tips. Then your mom pulls out her phone, goes to Facebook, and pulls up Uncle Harry’s page. It’s like an explosion of rainbows, of the likes you’ve never really seen before. Only on the internet, communities you guard with all of your heart, a safe space for your eyes only. And then you start to understand why it’s all hushed voices when talking about Uncle Harry. You scroll for hours through his page, later on, watch video after video, smile at every picture he puts up. 

A random dish from a random country he visited last month. Funny old people memes that make you snort. Him all wrapped up in the pride flag, and what you assume is his lover right beside him. A picture from a few weeks ago of them embracing, his name starts with an L and that’s all Uncle Harry says about him regarding his name. Post after post after post about how he had found the one, how in love he was, how his boyfriend was pushing him to reconnect with his family, his love for his smile, the way his eyes crinkle, the barely-there freckles that dot his cheeks. The moments they’ve shared, the heartache they’ve endured, the sweet bliss and utter happiness and love they have for each other.

You cry. Not because you’re upset, but because of how robbed you were of knowing your Uncle. So you friend him on the Facebook you created an hour ago. When you get a message from him two days later asking if your family or a friend of the family you yell and thank whoever is above that no one is home. You reply that he’s your Uncle, go over the semantics on who your dad is, your mom, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandma, papa. By the end he sends you a video, saying how he doesn’t understand all the texting and emojis and you call him an old man and he says he doesn’t take offense to that.

“I like to think of myself as an old soul. Also I’m only thirty-seven, that’s hardly old.”

You laugh at his accent, and he laughs at your lack of one. 

You never talk about what happened that made him estranged from the family, but deep down you understand. And when he says he can see a little of himself in you, you cry.

It’s summer, you're at home miserable because of the sweltering heat. The past few days you’ve been to a lot of family gatherings, and it annoys you that the hushed whispers about Uncle Harry never stop. You want to yell at them, to scream and sing his praises but you don’t. And then your mother walks through the side glass doors, her white cowboy hat sling low on her head. Yours sits on the ground below you, an ant crawls by slowly. She looks over at you, once, then again, and then she smiles and nods to herself, hangs up, and walks over.

“Your Uncle Harry is inviting you and your cousins to his villa in Italy if you want to go.” She says it so nonchalantly that you think she’s joking around and you roll your eyes. She shrugs and crosses her arms, stares you down. That’s how you know she’s not joking.

The next thing you know you're on a long flight to Italy. Five of your cousins are on the same flight, the rest of them declined. And then you’re getting off the plane, taking a car, and now you’re standing in front of a house. The stone feels warm under your fingertips as you slide your hand across the side of the house. You’re welcomed by Uncle Harry’s boyfriend, his smile friendly and inviting. His fringe gets in his eyes a lot, and he complains about it, says your Uncle loves his hair like this. You smile, something deep inside you settling. 

He takes you all on a small tour, shows you your rooms, tells you your Uncle went on a shopping trip, and should be back very soon. He leaves you to unpack, and you leave your suitcase on the twin-sized bed, wandering around amazed at everything. It feels like home, in a way where you know you won’t get homesick from being here for the summer. It feels like love, like taking a bit out of a warm cookie, like a cuddle with your mom while it rains outside, like curling up next to the fire with a good book. You haven’t felt this way in a long time.

And if there’s one thing no one tells told you about Uncle Harry, is that he sure does know how to make an entrance. You’re looking at the view of the sea beside the pool, you can hear the sound of children playing on the beach below, people moving around in the house behind you, the gentle sway of the leaves as a light breeze blows through.

“How’s the view?”

He startles you, bright big smile on his face and his bunny teeth on display. His hair is shorter than the pictures he’s uploaded before, and he’s actually been able to grow a mustache. He laughs when you tell him this before pulling you into a big hug. You don’t cry like you thought you would, but you do tear up a little.

“I can’t believe you’re actually real.” You say. You still think of him sometimes as a ghost, but without the paper sheet and more real, a little translucent at times. 

He pulls back, an arm slung around your shoulder as he hip checks you, his sunburnt nose moves a little as he says, “In the flesh, love.”

You don’t tell him this, but later on as the summer winds down, as the gentle breeze that brought a little moment of peace between the unrelenting day's of heat starts to pick up more, and as classes are due to start again you think about how this was the best summer ever. You hug him extra tight before you and your cousins head off home. And just before you get in the cab he pulls you aside and gives you a rainbow pin.

He tells you, “Your never alone. I know how it feels, but know that you’ve got someone in your corner rooting for you.”

You cry, waving goodbye to Uncle Harry and his boyfriend as they wave back embracing. You take the pin and stick it to your shirt, you get a smile from one of your cousins at the airport and the weight on your shoulder lift a little.

#* #when I say I have no idea what this is yall #but I wrote it and it's the most ive wrote in literal WEEKKKKSSS ijuhygtf anyways embarrassed look away!!! #format of the pictures suck bc you can't add read more on the app and on the app is the only way you want put two pics #in a text post together side by side anyways look away!! #my writing

[writingismyhappytime]

Escaping Grace (Part 3)

Warnings: Angst, Language

The city is pretty crowded tonight, and whoever made the decision to walk all the way to this restaurant is in the dog house with me tonight. It wasn't supposed to be too far away from the club, but whichever one of the guys made this decision has obviously never had to walk a long distance in heels --- to be fair, these are my favorite boots with just enough heel to make me a decent height, but they still hurt after a while.

I sigh, shoving my hands into my jacket pockets, glad I'd decided to wear one after all. I'd just barely thought to grab it last minute as we'd headed out the door, and Vale had sent me such a look --- well, I bet she's cold now in her sleeveless shirt!

Clarke keeps an easy pace with me, looking down at his phone as he goes. I'm fairly certain he has a girlfriend, or at least someone who likes to blow up his phone pretty frequently. He's a very private person, and he especially likes to keep everything from Vale, who in turn pries incessantly until she knows everything. It must just be a thing betweens siblings.

"Hey, Vale, right?" I hear CC ask a few paces ahead of us, and my eyes focus on the back of his head. He's walking with Vale, her long legs easily keeping pace with his.

"Yeah. It's really Valerie, but no one calls me that." She shrugs.

"Well, I go by CC, but it's Christian."

"You definitely look more like a CC." Vale glances up at him, cutting her eyes beneath her fake lashes; how she manages to always get them to stay on is beyond me, I've tried and mine always fall off or I feel like I'm trying to take flight with them.

Vale hugs herself as we continue down the street, rubbing her bare arms against the cold. "How long are we going to keep walking? I thought this place wasn't too far."

"It's just a few more streets down. We usually walk it from the studio to there, the food is totally worth it." CC replies, and I stare as he suddenly shrugs out of his black jacket, draping it around her shoulders. "Here, I know it's getting cold."

Did he for real ---?

Vale's fingers curl around the jacket, and she gives him an appreciative look. "Oh, thank you! I was just wishing that I'd brought my own."

She planned this, didn't she? I told her to bring a jacket, but --- there's no way. I can't believe he gave her his jacket, that's such a gentlemanly thing to do and I just can't believe I witnessed it with my own eyes.

"Why don't either one of you ever offer me your jacket?" I grumble at Clarke and Nate where we walk, both of them sticking close to me. "I get cold sometimes too."

"We don't control the weather," Clarke retorts, shooting me a look. I roll my eyes at him, pushing my hands deeper into my pockets. CC and Vale are talking a few feet in front of us, but otherwise our bands are staying separate as we walk.

I'm kind of... bummed, actually, that Andy is so quiet tonight. I thought, since he wanted to meet us, that he would be nice, even if he was faking it. Chat us up, have casual conversation, etc., but he doesn't exactly seem to be in the best of moods. He just went right to business, as if he didn't already know what we were going to play to open for his band.

I sigh as we come to a stop at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change so we can keep going.

"So, where are you guys originally from?" CC is asking Vale, standing rather close to her.

"Small town down south," she replies, checking her phone. "Even if I told you the name, you wouldn't know where it was."

"Doesn't sound so bad," he says as we start to cross. His hand slips to her lower back, guiding her forward, and I'm surprised Vale doesn't shirk away from him. She hates it when guys do that, she feels like she's being manipulated. "This is kinda cool, isn't it?" Nate murmurs after a few minutes, bumping me with his shoulder. He's smoking as we walk, so there's a haze around him that makes my nose curl. I hate the way the smoke smells, and he knows I don't like it, he just doesn't care.  "None of the other bands we've opened for have ever taken any interest in us."

"Well, maybe this means we're doing something right?" I offer, unsure really what this meeting was about. We could have just met at the show, or even right beforehand, if they wanted to get a feel for us. Obviously we're an up and comer, but our live performances have always been good --- Vale likes to put on a show, and all the women seem to like Clarke's stoic attitude and Nate's... very welcoming one.

"We're here!" Ashley announces proudly as we finally stop in front of a diner on the corner. I glance up at the red neon sign, the large windows displaying a fifties-looking diner with the red booths and the jukebox in the corner. There's even oldies music playing as we walk inside, being seated at a large table near the back so we can all fit.

Somehow I get seated between Andy and Ashley, with Vale and CC across from me, CC conveniently sandwiched between the siblings. I'm not sure if he's aware that Clarke is Vale's brother, but if he keeps trying to flirt with her I'm sure it's going to become fairly obvious.

I press my hands into my lap, glancing around. I'm sure we look a strange group, dressed in various shades of black, my hair the most colorful part of all of us. I know it's kind of lame, the streaks of red and blue layered beneath the top half of my blonde hair, but I thought it was so cool; I was never allowed to dye my hair when I lived at home, so I took full advantage of the rainbow of colors once I was free.

Now at least I can afford to have it professionally done so it looks nice.

"They have some great food here," Ashley tells as as he twirls a laminated meu on the table. "When we first came here, Andy ordered the whole menu to go."

Andy glances up from his phone where he'd been furiously typing, shrugging his shoulders. He's been pretty focused on it the entire night, instead of the company he keeps; I'm honestly a little annoyed.  "What can I say? The food is good."

I try not to watch his fingers move across the screen, which he was mostly holding under the table for privacy, I guess. I keep my focus on where Vale sits across from me, her chin propped on her hand as she listens to something Clarke says. Nate is on his other side, chatting up the other members of the band. He's our drummer, and yet he's more focused on the guitarists and their techniques; what, does he want to trade with Clarke to Vale now?

I thought he liked doing the bang bang thing. I gingerly lift up the menu, but I already know what I'm going to order. I order the same thing everywhere I go, it's a safety thing, plus I really like chicken tenders. It doesn't look like there's a ton of variety either, just what you'd expect from diner food. I wonder if the milkshakes are good.

"Hi, I'm your waitress Camilla. What would you guys like to drink?" A waitress pops up at the end of the table with a tired smile, and we all rattle off our drink orders. She has no trouble scratching it on her notepad, but she also doesn't have an accent and looks like she knows what she's doing. She just nods her head before turning on her heel. "I don't know why you're looking at the menu," Vale grumbles at me after a moment, eyeing me over the one she holds when she sees me looking; I notice her and CC's chairs are pretty close together, despite she's at the end of the table where I wish I was. I'm squished. "You already know what you're going to order."

"Don't food shame me, if they mess up chicken tenders, there's no hope for the rest of the food." I reply, leaning back in the chair. The table is big enough there's at least room for us not to be right on top of each other, so I'm not bumping elbows with either of the men I'm between but I still feel like we're too close. I have a thing about personal space. The chair however is a little uncomfortable, the cushion is worn and the metal cold. I can feel it pressing through my back even with my jacket. "So, are you guys excited for the show?" Ashley offers up some conversation when it starts to lull, there's only so much to talk about. "It's going to be a nice sized venue." He leans back in his chair casually, and I notice his arm slips along the back of mine. Is he trying to be smooth or he just needs somewhere to put his arm? I mean, he's cute, and talented as hell and I like his outfit choices, but I've also heard he's quite the ladies man, and I don't date.

He'd have a better chance of hooking up with Nate.

"Oh, we've played there before. I love the Stoles Arena, the dressing rooms are the cleanest." Vale says, absently twirling the ends of her dark hair. "I almost thought Nate was going to get us banned though. He managed to smooch with the stage managers girlfriend before the show."

I stare at her over my menu, trying with my eyes to convey how much she did not need to reveal that we could be troublesome; well, that Nate could be, anyway. He's usually the one that's causing chaos. He doesn't mean too, he just can't seem to help himself. Maybe it's the whole acting before thinking thing... also could be the fact he doesn't have much to think with either.

"What!? You mean little Sarah with an H?" Ashley looks impressed, tapping his fingers on the table, his attention suddenly riveted on our drummer. I shift in my chair again and his arm suddenly leaves to prop along the table.

Nate grins from a few seats down, looking smug. "Yep. She has a thing for blondes," he gestures at his very dyed hair with dark roots.  "But to be fair she conned me into jello shots for the before party and let me tell you, that girl can handle her alcohol."

"Craig was so mad," Vale chuckles, steepling her fingers in front of her. She's glancing at the long table we're all sharing, not at all phased that all eyes are on her. Sometimes I really wish she was the singer, so we could switch and I could be out of the limelight. Ironic, isn't it? I want to be famous but also be invisible at the same time; I really should have chose a different profession.  "He gets us a gig there and Nate almost goes and blows it within a few hours."

"Craig?"

"Our manager."

"Ah okay."

I tap my nails against my thighs, growing impatient. I wish the waitress would come back with the drinks so I could at least have something to do while everyone else forces casual conversation. Do we seem settled enough? Out of control? What kind of impression are they hoping to get off of us tonight?

Are we failing? Passing? What's the verdict?

Finally the waitress appears, but she has a waiter with her, helping her carry all of our drinks. I notice he keeps staring at us, his eyes flicking back and forth between all of our faces. His eyebrow piercings glints beneath the buzzing lights above, and the tattoos peeking out from under his shirt sleeve gives me the hint he might be someone who listens to our genre of music.

He helps pass the drinks around, lets the waitress take all of our orders while hovering obviously in the background before rather meekly asking if he could have an autograph. "I'm so sorry to bother you, I know you're trying to eat, but I could I please get an autograph from you guys?" He asks nervously, clutching a napkin in his hand.

"Really, Ryan? We bring pretty girls here and you ask for their autograph?" Ashley says, but his tone lets us know he's teasing, so they must know the waiter fairly well. The waiter has the decency to look embarassed, but Vale takes charge, putting her hand out.

"Sure. One of these days you can sell this on eBay and make a ton of money," she says as she scribbles her signature on it, the V of her name a lot larger than the rest. "Tell the world you met Escape from Grace when they were ordering chicken tenders."

I try not to smile at the comment, adding a hasty scribble of my name before sliding the napkin down the table towards him. He snatches it quickly, beaming at all of us before making a beeline for the front of the diner where the other waitress is standing.

"He doesn't meet many famous people, forgive his manners." CC apologizes for him, bumping Vale with his shoulder lightly. "We come here enough he's used to us, but when you guys come back, expect the same reaction."

"Oh, so we're coming back here?" Vale looks at him, her lips curving.

"Oh, I, uh, I just meant if you come back here. I mean, the food is great," CC shifts suddenly, Vale is making him nervous. It's the way she looks at people, so directly, it makes them squirm. I aspire to have that level of confidence one day.

I brush my hair behind my ears, reaching for my soda and sliding it towards me. The others had all finished their drinks off before we'd left the club, so some greasy food would do them wonders.

"So what are you guys planning for your first show?" Clarke asks, drawing the attention back to business. He glances around, always the one to get to the point. "Are you going for a big performance initally or saving it until the last show?"

"We haven't decided," Andy replies, clicking his phone screen black and slipping it into his pocket, apparently done with the conversation that's been taking up his attention all night. "We still have a little time to decide what we're going to do, it's one of the reasons we wanted to meet with you guys. We want to keep the crowd entertained."

Entertained? So long as he's talking, who cares about the rest?

What is it with me and guys with voices like him? I gaze at him as he speaks, watching the light bounce off his black lip ring, his dark hair falling into his eyes slightly. He's tall, and incredibly warm where he sits beside me. I can smell just a hint of his cologne, he doesn't shower in it like Nate does, and it suits him well enough. He's covered in tattoos, from his neck down, and especially on his arms. "You guys have been together for a year or two, right?"

Huh?

I blink, realizing I'd zoned out and lost some of the conversation. Andy was looking at me expectantly, and I hastily straightened in my chair, feeling my face flush.

"What? Oh, yeah. Two years coming up. We had our big debut last year at Stoles, actually."

"Cool. Bandmates are hard to find that stick around. You all seem to get along." He comments, and I notice Ashley glances at him.

"We've always been together," I reply, shifting so my butt doesn't go numb. I hope it doesn't take too long for our food, I'm genuinely starting to get hungry and something is smelling amazing. Sure, initially the place had smelled like cheap coffee and french fries, but there's also something comforting and familiar about it too. "I couldn't imagine anyone else being with us. It would be too crowded."

I leave it at that, deciding that I was not going to rattle on tonight and find a way to embarrass myself. I'm going to play it cool, keep my comments fairly short but still friendly enough. I seem to be doing okay, being social and all that, although it's mostly Ashley who tries to keep conversation with me. I kind of didn't like his arm along the back of my chair, mainly because I can't lean back properly, but I don't want to say anything about it, either.

Vale would have literally shoved it off and not cared about his reaction, but her attention has been focused on CC solely. They seem to have hit it off pretty well, he's even slightly leaning in her direction as they talk.

The waiter suddenly reappers, carrying all of our food on platters. I perk up as my chicken tenders slide in front of me, and a full ketchup bottle with it! How nice! I hate having to hit the bottom of the glass to get any out, or if the water just runs out all gross.

I dip one of my fries through the ketchup, watching CC use so much mustard on his burger I could smell it from across the table. I almost cringe as he bites into the burger almost oozing the yellow slime, and I realize I'm outright staring at him in horror when Ashley nudges my elbow with his.

"CC puts mustard on everything, you get used to the sight," he tells me, pretending he's whispering but loud enough I know his friend hears him. "He keeps an array of mustard flavors on the tour bus. Takes up way too much room in the fridge."

"Hey, different flavors make the food," CC defends himself, pointing with a napkin as he wipes at his stained fingers. "And you're the one who stocks the fridge full of rabbit food all the time. Can't get anything else in there for all your lettuce!"

"Well one of us has to be healthy when we eat!"

I relax a little more as the night goes on, and Andy starts talking a little more, that black cloud above his head starting to lift. He seems to get over whatever it is bothering him, him and Clarke getting into a detailed conversation about the technicalities of performing on stage. I'm just glad that we haven't embarrassed ourselves just yet.

My back is starting to ache from sitting so straight in this chair, though, and the boys on either side of me are starting to feel like individual furnaces. I don't suppose it would be very polite of me to start fanning myself with the menu.

"Hey," I grab a spoon, thoughtlessly whacking Nate's hand as he tries to reach for one of my fries. He's always such a jerk, ordering something cheap and trying to pick out of someone else's plate if he thinks they're not looking; or honestly if he just wants something he goes for it. "Hands off."

He gives me a wounded expression, rubbing his fingers. "You're not even going to eat it all, Leah!"

"If you wanted fries, order them. And I might." I defend myself. I mean, typically I just end up taking my food home with me and eating the rest within fifteen minutes of being there, but that's beside the point. Fries are like my favorite food, and I'm not sharing. Nate eyes me warily, but I threaten him again with the spoon, so he decides to keep his hands to himself. Good enough for him to not always get what he wants.

We all sit and chat for a while, listening to oldies tunes and enjoying the food which actually is pretty good. Everyone starts passing around show stories, and Andy tells us how he managed to break three ribs performing at one of his earliest shows.

"Oh, I remember that. We were at that show," I say thoughtlessly, having a vague recollection of cringing when he'd started to fall.

"You were?" he looks surprised.

"Yeah. It was when we decided to become a band, it was one of the first concerts we went too." I motioned at the table in general. "It was kind of like a celebratory type thing."

"Yeah, the whole climbing on the wall and jumping down thing, really should have given that more thought," Vale adds, stirring her straw in her drink. "It was a good show though, despite the fact you tried to end it early."

"Well, I like to make my shows memorable." Andy replies, his arm brushing mine as he leans back.

"That you did." My guitarist agrees. "Leah is afraid of heights, so at least I don't have to worry about her getting some big brain idea to climb something. Plus she's clumsy, and I don't think it looks very cool to roll her out on stage in bubblewrap."

Yes, thank you, Vale, let's tell the cute guy about my irrational fear of heights and that I'm unable to stand up without falling.

"I would end up popping all the bubbles during the song, so it might be distracting." I say lightly, earning a grin out of her. My eyes flick to the clock on the wall behind her, noticing that it was getting late. We have an early morning in the studio tomorrow, and staying out all night isn't going to help me focus on recording.

Besides, socializing so long is starting to wear on me, and I can only grit my teeth so much more before I need to see a dentist. I'm normally getting ready for bed at this point anyway, I'm old and like to get plenty of sleep. Plus, well, the medication I take makes me sleepy and I don't like to fight it.

I make an off comment about heading off, and Nate immediately starts whining that it's not late at all, the night is still young and there's so much to do.

"I said that I was going to head off, not that you have too."

"Actually, I should get going too." Andy says, looking at something on his phone. "We have to finish some stuff up in the studio before tour, we still have to get that organized."

"Seriously, I thought they said we could finish that on Monday." Ashley complains, looking annoyed.

"We're supposed to premier it for the show," Andy reminds him, shrugging. "So we need to get some practice in."

Everyone starts shuffling to their feet, and the waiter miraculously appears before us, handing us all our separate bills. Nate, of course, isn't able to pay for his, and so I sigh as I end up swiping my card for both of us like usual. Vale tells me I shouldn't buy his way all the time, but I feel bad if I don't, he gives me those puppy dog eyes.

Vale and CC step outside with some of the others, and I notice that her hand is on his arm as they talk and laugh. I'm a little irritated when Nate and Clarke suddenly head off down the street with Jinxx and Jake without even a word, like where are they even going this time of night? Sure, the city is still awake, but it's late!

Again, we have an early morning!

The waiter hands me a receipt, his fingers lingering against the white paper for a moment. "Hey, um, Miss Kabinov, would it be okay if I got a picture with you?"

"With me?" I blinkat him in surprise, hesitating. Someone wants a photo with me?

"If you don't mind."

"I mean, yeah, that's fine." I fold up the receipt, slipping it into the tiny backpocket of my jeans that are basically useless; why do jeans never have decent pockets? We step out of the way so Andy can pay for his meal, and I quickly let the waiter take a photo with me so he can prove to his friends he met the singer from Escape from Grace.

I'm sure I don't look very cool, my makeup is barely done and I'm in civilian clothing, as Craig calls it when we're not dressed in stage attire. The waiter thanks me profusely before hurrying behind the counter, and I turn, expecting to head out the glass doors where my friends are waiting.

Oh.

I hesitate, staring at the empty street as I suddenly realize everyone has disappeared. Did I just get ditched by my entire band for another band?

#bvb #black veil brides #blackveilbridesfanfiction #black veil brides fan fiction #andy biersack #andy black x oc #andy biersack bvb #andy biersack x oc

[vvirgils]

Chronicles of Straith #2-The Witch’s Dragon:Chapter 17

Chronicles of Straith #1-Fate’s Door///Chapter 16/Chapter 18//Masterpost

It was still dark when Virgil woke up. She couldn’t remember why, the traces of her dream taking flight the second her eyes opened. The idea of getting up was far off in her mind, not when she was this warm, what must be Laurus nudged against her side.

How had she fallen asleep, anyways? The last thing Virgil remembered was insomnia, racing thoughts. So she’d gotten out of bed, and come into…Roman’s room. Where she’d talked with them for a while before falling asleep and… 

Oh. That was definitely Roman’s head. Virgil reconsidered her stance on staying in bed. The last thing she wanted was somebody to come in here to wake Roman up and find her. She was certain that that would be mortifying. Taking care not to disturb her sleeping friend, Virgil got out of the bed and tiptoed back to her room.

Well, at least she’d gotten some sleep. Still half-awake, Virgil went back to sleep—in her bed, this time. Laurus had taken over the middle of her bed, so she pushed him to the side and settled in.

***

Jessie woke her up in the morning, throwing the room into light, and she got up in record time. For the first time since the dragon had showed up in Straith, she had a good night of sleep, and most of it was due to Roman. Somehow, around them, she had just…calmed down. She supposed that talking about her problems (for once in her life) helped, but maybe there was something else.

It was ridiculously early when she woke up, and Jessie appeared to have slept well. Their rainbow-haired chaperone rambled about how excited she was to go on this adventure, and how much she missed her family. Having nothing better to do than awkwardly interact with Roman, Virgil joined in, surprised to find herself with enough energy to match the bounce in Jessie’s step. Laurus was much more tired, opting for Roman’s shoulder over hers.

Their bags were already packed and taken away to the ship, which meant that they were going to get to do “all sorts of team-building activities!” in Jessie’s words when they all met the captain of the ship. As much as Virgil found Jessie to be endearing, the thought of talking to Roman in front of other people was enough to make her hurl herself off the side of the ship. She focused on carrying Gray’s case down the path to the docks first.

Fortunately, their captain, who introduced himself as Mac, was not interested in team-building activities.

“I have places to be, and I don’t have the time to play games when it is still nighttime and I have stuff to do,” he said when Jessie suggested it, hands on his hips and eyebrows fully raised. “You can go hang out in the cabin, unless you want to freeze out here.”

Before Roman or Jessie could suggest anything, Virgil was down the hatch and making a beeline for the cargo. Setting down her magical dragon carrier on the wooden floor, she cast all the spells she could think of to keep the dragon asleep and the case in place. Once it was all done, Virgil sat behind a box marked FRAGILE and stared at the countless packages in front of her like they were going to tell her the answers she hadn’t even asked herself.

Well, Virgil supposed a good start to getting answers from something other than clearly non-sentient boxes would be asking herself questions. She started with the obvious— why was she being so weird about last night? It wasn’t like she’d never shared a bed with anyone before, as Missy and Jest could attest, and though she wasn’t unfamiliar to paranoia over simple social situations, this was ridiculous.

Roman was her best friend, and Virgil couldn’t even look them in the eye. Had something crazy happened last night that her very subconscious was protecting her from? No, it couldn’t be. All she remembered was asking Roman if she could come in, then settling herself in next to them, how she’d felt like she was intruding, but they had assured her she wasn’t. It had been so nice, holding their hand, and not feeling alone in her struggles. She remembered smiling at their stories and laughing even when it wasn’t funny, just because she loved them.

Hold up. She loved Roman? Well, certainly as a friend. But just thinking about the many ways that the sticky word “love” was used made her contemplate if her feelings for Roman were anything other than platonic. The more she rolled the thought around her head, the more Virgil realized that she wasn’t opposed to the idea of kissing them, or holding their hand. In fact, she’d be okay with a date, maybe a nice restaurant. She wouldn’t mind a long walk with just the two of them either.

Virgil widened her eyes, staring down the boxes in front of her as if to silently impart the one thought running through her head. I have a crush on Roman. It was a relief to figure it out, but it also created a new batch of problems. Which she would rather talk to Roman again than think about, which was saying something. Before anxiety could take root in her head, she got up from the hard floor of the ship and moved back towards where she’d came in, seeking a distraction.

She made her way back easily enough—this wasn’t a very big ship—and saw Roman and Jessie sitting on chairs in the cabin of the boat, talking. They stopped when she walked in.

“Hey guys,” Virgil said, trying to remember how words worked. “Um, are we going to eat breakfast soon?”

“Yeah, in an hour. There’s a tiny kitchen around here somewhere, but we’re not supposed to use it. Jessie and I were just talking about it, actually,” Roman said, giving Virgil one of their easy smiles.

“Sounds good, I don’t know if I can wait much longer, it feels like I’ve got a miniature dragon clawing at my insides,” Virgil said, noting that her purple dragon was curled up in Roman’s lap. 

Roman laughed, and Virgil felt the flutter in her chest. Noticing it startled her—usually, she didn’t notice the quickening of her heart around Roman— but not anymore. “How’s the dragon, by the way? Is it safe? I don’t want it getting out on the boat.”

“I worked some sorcery so that it won’t roll around in the hold, and I gave it another sleep spell. It’s fine, there’s nothing to worry about,” Virgil said, trying to comfort them the best she could.

Something in her tone must have been off, though, because then Roman asked, “Are you okay?” Their eyes spoke volumes, referencing the night before.

Virgil looked at them, at her friend who had stuck with her through everything, who had been the first to hear the secrets she kept closest. She could see the concern for her woven into their face, feel how much they cared. There was no way that Virgil would let her crush create a divide between her and them.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little out of it.” She had to tell them about her feelings.

#ts roman #ts virgil #ts patton #ts logan #prinxiety #sanders sides #starredwrites #snaders sides fanfiction #logicality #teen!sides #fantasy au #bisexual #bi #pan #pansexaul #nonbinary #enby #nonbinary!roman #transguy!patton #fem!vir #gay #transisbeautiful #trans guy #roman sanders #virgil sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #my writing

[cloudbattrolls]

Gratuitous Monster Fight

Claire’s Forest | Near Future | Two Supernatural Weirdos

The wind rustles the leaves on the forest’s branches, and small animals skitter unseen in the underbrush. Moonlight filters down between the trees, dappling the grass in green and pink. The distant lights of hives glow, signaling the presence of the few trolls who live among the greenery.

“This is INCREDIBLY stupid!”

The voice of someone both annoyed and for whatever reason, mightily offended, drifts up from some distance between the lights of the hives.

It belongs to Epsilo Volant, scientist and violetblood. Broad of body and face with wavy hair, his scowl could curdle milk and probably some cheese as well. His fins flick in agitation as he struggles with a piece of technology, pointing it and its long antennae in a dozen different directions.

“Why won’t it pick up the signal? I had everything calibrated properly.”

“Well, I’m no expert, but perhaps you made a mistake somewhere.”

The man bares his sharp teeth, both startled and annoyed by the sudden voice that belongs to someone he can’t see and had no idea was even there.

“Who are you? Show yourself.”

“What a forthright sort of fellow you are. You’re that BP chap who mods the server, if I’m not mistaken.”

“My name is Epsilo Volant.” He replies, less on guard but just as irate, putting the remote control away in his sylladex and getting out his harpoon. “I think I deserve yours in return. Come out where I can see you.”

He feels a breath on the back of his neck, but what troll has breath so chill and dry? A fellow seadweller’s would have more moisture in it. And why can’t he hear their breathing? How did they sneak up on him?

He steps forward and turns around, greeted by a wide grin of fangs sharper than his, all tapered to needle points without even any molars, and bright green pupils.

Then he blinks, annoyed at himself for how his hands tightened around his weapon. It’s just the jade from Claire’s party, and their teeth can’t really be that sharp. He must be seeing things.

Yet their eyes are undoubtedly odd.

“Just call me Tuuya.” They say, examining their claws as if bored by him. “Everyone else does.”

“Well, mix Tuuya - ” He says, not bothering to hide his disdain. “ - why are you hanging around offering unwanted commentary on my work?”

“Oh, I was just coming over to visit Claire, but I saw you puttering about and I was curious! What were you up to, I asked myself? Something devious, or something helpful?”

“I’m testing the range of a tracker for the Enkeli child. I need to focus on that. Good night.”

As they shrug and turn to go, the wind blows especially hard and the jade’s lean frame is pushed forward just enough to tip them over a protruding tree root and into a low hanging branch.

They pop back up again almost immediately, clicking their tongue, then notice the seadweller staring at them.

Their face, which as they run a hand over it, realize is cut open and showing the tips of white, gleaming worms. They quickly cover them with a palm.

“It’s none of your business?”

They try, tone far more hopeful than it is forceful.

“What is that?” The seadweller says, attention now fully focused on them.

“Absolutely nothing.” They go on in the same halfhearted tone of denial.

“It was white. It didn’t move like blood, either. Are you a mutant?”

They snort.

“If only. Look, I know you’re a science lad, but trust me when I say you’ll be happier not knowing.”

There’s a light of curiosity in the violet’s eyes, in the arch of his fins, his posture as he holds the harpoon. Tuuya’s seen that look on countless faces throughout the sweeps, and they sigh again.

“You’re not going to let this go, are you. You do realize Claire knows me, she won’t be happy if you attack me.”

“I just need a sample.” He replies, all superior confidence. “If you give it to me, we can end this peacefully.”

“Well, at least you ask. That puts you a rung above the medic, I suppose. Answer’s still no.”

They leap out of the way from where the harpoon would’ve taken the rainbow drinker in the chest, and it impales itself halfway through their arm instead. They rip it out with their other one and shove it in the ground hard enough to send dirt flying in a geyser.

Worms drop from the wound, and Tuuya leaps for the boy -

The animal, silvery gray with pinkish violet fins growing from its body, snaps at them with slavering jaws. They skid, narrowly avoiding the chomping teeth, and laugh as they leap up and land on a tree branch.

“Aren’t you something! I wasn’t sure the were-kind still walked Alternia. I’m surprised no one’s taken a sample from you.”

The huge hyena - much bigger than any non lusus kind they’ve ever seen - rears up on its hind legs and puts its front paws against their tree, glaring up at them with violet eyes.

“In the spirit of fairness, I’ll admit I am a rainbow drinker. And I’m far more trouble than you’re worth. I’d rather not get a hangnail whacking you for being naughty, so change back and walk away now. Last chance.”

The wound in their arm is annoying, as was losing some worms, but it’s already closing - they drank blood before they came.

Epsilo responds by jumping up and breaking their branch with a swat of his paws, and both fall with a mighty thud.

Tuuya gets whacked in the face by the broken branch as they land, allowing the werebeast to pin them in the chest with a heavy paw. Epsilo puts his other one on their wounded arm as he bares his teeth, breath smelling of fish as the disoriented drinker blinks and shakes their head.

“Get some mints, dear.”

Then they focus, smiling as worms swarm from the half-healed harpoon gash and chew through the furry leg, swarming over to the other, as the feliform chitters in pain and confusion. He shakes his legs in a vain attempt to get the parasites off -

Tuuya shoves their wounded arm down his throat, rearranging the worms inside them to narrow its form to fit, choking the creature. 

“Bad kitty. Stop, and I won’t put them inside you.”

He bites off their arm in response, chews it up, and tosses it away. Then he retches.

The drinker jumps to their feet and hisses, flaring their glow on blindingly bright. As he retches and whines, eyes shut tightly, they tackle him. With one arm, it’s not so effective - but his front legs weaken as the worms relentlessly chew through skin and muscle, almost down to the bone now.

The striped beast falls back into the grass, and the drinker plants a foot on him.

“You’re going to stop now, before I start ripping parts out of you, and unlike me, you don’t grow them back. I can stop eating into your flesh any time. Just give me some sort of sign you surrender.”

A silence passes in which he opens his eyes to glare at them hatefully, and violet blood soaks his fur, running into his chest and onto the grass.

Finally he looks away, huffing softly.

The drinker’s worms flow back into them in a squirming mass. The ones wriggling at their damaged clavicle reproduce rapidly - more and more worms split off, weaving around each other to form facsimiles of muscles and joints. Bone regrows from the spot, rebuilding in rapid rows of cells. Once those form, dark gray skin begins to coalesce over them. A cover for the parasites, protection from the elements. 

A semblance of trollhood.

The werehyena changes back, arms still bleeding and clothes ripped. Tuuya takes some bandages out of their sylladex and holds them out.

Epsilo flinches back at the gesture, then looks annoyed and sullen.

“You do not frighten me.”

They give him a sardonic smile, laying the bandages down on the grass and stepping back.

He takes out his own, and they raise a finger.

“Are yours specially treated to stop and disinfect drinker-inflicted blood flow? Use mine, boy. I keep them for idiots like you.”

“Why are you helping me? To cover your tracks? This could be a trick.”

He reaches for them anyway with careful movements, clearly trying to not let on how much it hurts.

“It could.” The drinker agrees. “But it’s not. I don’t care if you tell Claire anyway - she knows what I am. I wonder, does she know what you are?”

The flattening of his fins is all the answer they need.

“Ah, so you don’t trust her. Cheer up - at least you’re a real troll some of the time. I can only do a fabulous impression.”

“What are you?” He asks, applying the bandages to his wounds and immediately giving a soft sigh in relief. Tuuya has to admire his stubbornness, cursing it at the same time.

“A drinker parasite swarm that acts like a troll.” They reply, examining their newly-formed claws again. Good, everything grew back properly. 

They’re thirsty, though. Volant’s beast blood was just barely usable, given he’s a shapeshifter, but not as good as if he’d been in troll form.

“That’s all you get, I’m afraid. I’m very bored of being studied these nights. I could be playing lusus passing instead, which is so much more fun.”

His look of blank befuddlement makes the worm monster laugh.

“What? It’s a grand old time. Give it a go!”

“You make no sense.” He mutters, wrapping more bandages around himself.

“I don’t have to.” They retort breezily. “I’m almost two hundred, I got a pardon for it.”

“You don’t need to keep up a troll facade. Why bother now?”

“Blood’s not the only thing I think about, goodness. You do smell delicious, though.”

He shudders but bares his teeth.

“Don’t even try it.”

They walk over, arms crossed, needle teeth showing in a wide grin, and look down at the sitting troll, wounded.

They lower themself, crouching, only a foot from him. His fins are pinned against his head even as he keeps his fangs bared.

“I could rip open your throat and drink you until there was nothing left but a shriveled carcass to feed the roots.” They say, voice soft and almost gentle, if it weren’t for the edge of it; a sharpness that could slice through solid rock. 

“I could eat you from the inside out, have you watch your own body wither before your very eyes, helpless to do anything but bleed.”

Their voice switches to a more normal speaking tone.

“But I’m not going to do that, because you’re just a stupid boy, and hopefully this was a valuable learning experience, hmm?”

He only nods.

“Good! I’m glad we’re on the same page. Get yourself cleaned up, you’re lucky there’s no native predators in these woods.”

The big seadweller mutters something about invasive species, and the drinker has to laugh.

#epsilo will do anything For Science #and tuuya is horrible #epsilo after this: i want that thing but also that thing gives me the heebie jeebies #cloud writes #etuuya vannyn #epsilo volant #cw body horror #cw worms #i did love writing the details of how tuuya regrows though

[elmaxheadquaters]

It was 1984... 15

January 3, 1989: The sun had finally slipped past the sky, leaving it’s orphaned hues of orange and violet to be overcasted by the materialized moon's strong shades of lavender and blue. It’s beautifully dark reign casting a shadow across everything it touched, including the small apartment of two employees to a forever standing film store that went, and still goes by the name of Family Video.

This apartment, which had stood idle for countless minutes was now being disrupted. By the opening of a white door of the opposite end. From the now agape hole into the tiny living space came a red headed girl, wearing a uniform shirt with three white stripes that had been stitched into the top sides of it’s dark blue fabric.

The girl had bags under her eyes amongst her abundance of freckles. She had been forced by her coworker -and roommate- to take the night off, by the woman’s words, “you’ve never half-assed so hard… I’ll cover your shift, you go home and relax or whatever you do to not look as dead.” this of course was retaliated by the redhead’s born with stubbornness, but was shot down quite quickly by the previous woman’s debateful attitude.

She kicked the door closed while pulling out the old and faintly colored yellow scrunchie that once held up her burnt orange locks into a high ponytail. She wrapped it around her left forearm as she walked on the creaky wooden floorboards to what presumably would be her room.

This room that sat amongst others, kept the contents of the inside hidden by the absence of luminous energy had this effect stripped away as fast as the speed of light in the girl’s act of flipping the even tinier area’s neutrally tan hued switch.

The room had now been bathed in yellow, showing a bed as the eyesore inside. On top of the mattress sat old and worn rainbow sheets, with many pillows, all covered by white pillowcases. With the acception of one, instead of a pillowcase covering, the one sitting in front of the others’ was covered by an old flannel shirt. Above the bed were pictures illustrating mainly another girl, a few pieces of paper stained by vibrant colored crayon wax to show crude illustrations surrounding the word “MAXIE” or simply “MAX”, and many thin keepsakes that had been collected over the years.

The girl who’s hair that now was draped over her shoulders and back stumbled to the other side of the room, to a dresser. The top had been repurposed into a shelf, holding a frame with the words “Love you Max! -Dad” carved into the wood, inside of it was a picture of a man and a little redheaded girl. The frame held two strips of photos in between the glass and wood, all picturing the girl in most of the photos above the bed acting doltish with the girl that stood before it, the older strip had a piece of tape holding it together across the center and the other that was made much closer to the present day seemed to still be in perfect condition.

She busted the first drawer open before immediately shoving her hand into the contents inside. When she took her hand it had a tight grip on a white tank made of thin fabric. The girl threw it behind her with the intent of it to fall atop the bed covered in rainbow. She closed it with force while advancing to the third drawer. Inside were what seemed to be an abundance of many things from pajama pants to tee-shirts all crammed into the compartment. The redhead pulled out a pair of worn down sweatpants and flung it behind her, the same way as the tank top while forcefully shutting the overstuffed drawer with a push.

The girl quickly stripped herself from the dark blue uniform, revealing to no one, a dark bra covering a plethora of the many scars that dared stain her freckled skin, they came from faint to clear. She paid no mind to them, it wasn’t as if she wasn’t familiar with her own body.

The blue uniform fell to the floor, among many other clothes and items while it was being replaced by the thin tank top. The black skinny jeans she wore -and hated- met the same fate was soon substituted by the sweat pants. The girl looked down, finding her equally thin jacket. Without a second thought, the redhead grabbed it swiftly and wrapped it around her hips.

She flopped onto the mattress of her bed, with her head falling onto the flannel pillow. Letting out a low and stress filled sigh, she grabbed it from under her head and stared at the fibers that held it together, she swore each one held a story from where it came from, each one full of happiness and heartbreak.

Her thoughts trained themselves onto the yellow telephone that had been stained by colorful inks, all coming together to create small illustrations of almost illiterate symbols and small creatures like frogs and lizards. She let the synthetic fabric of the miss purposed pillowcase fall onto her chest as a idea formed in her head..

Her left arm grazed over the flannel patterned pillow before grabbing it whilst she stretched her torso towards the phone. Her reach hit it’s limit as she grabbed the phone. While retracting herself back into the groove she had made into her color filled sheets so long ago. The redhead dialed in a series of numbers that had been pushed so many times that the numbers it included had started to fade.

The familiar hum from the ringer inside the yellow casing made the girl’s smile grow wider, her heart quickened as the thoughts of the one she loves filled her head.

“Hello?” The voice was crackly and hinted with exhaustion, yet it was soft, silky, and sweet as it filled the redhead’s ears.

“Hi El.” The girl sat up in her bed, whilst she visioned the girl on the other end in front of her. Her honey colored eyes that the redhead could swear would be the death of her, her rose colored lips forming into it’s naturally sweet smile, her darkened but golden brown locks of hair that was just long enough to hit her shoulders.

“Maxie!” The voice from the receiver crackled through into the girl’s ear. She felt as if it had body melted. More than anything the redhead wanted the girl she heard to be more than just a vision in her head.

She grabbed the pillow from behind her, wrapping her arms around it as tight as she could. Maybe her wish couldn’t be fulfilled, but it could be compromised.

“Max,” the whisper like sounds of a breath flooded out the speaker of the telephone. Max followed with a curiosity filled hum just before an all to quick response came through, “Nothing, it’s nothing. I just really miss you.”

“I miss you too El,” Max’s heart seemed to have cynical flip with El’s words. She had told Max before, many times, that she missed her. But now it was different, everything was different after the week prior, “But, don’t forget it’s O-“

“Only 42 days,” El cut off the redhead, surprising her in the process. Max had been counting down the days until she could see the brunette again, she didn’t expect her to be doing the same, “I know Max, it still doesn’t stop me from missing you.”

“Well it doesn’t stop me either. But there is not much I can really do about it.” Max’s heart felt as if it sunk deeper than it has in a long time, she loved El. And she would do almost anything if it meant she could see her right then, and right now that anything was to just wait for the days to go by.

She heard a small and crackled, “I know.” Before the redhead let in a sharp yet soundless breath. Max went back to her roots, “Let’s not dwell on such things my girl,” El giggled slightly at the mediocre mix of accents Max had pulled into as she spoke those words.

it was always a joke when things got even slightly heavy. And it always has been, that’s how Max coped with things. Even in others’ darkest moments. As long as she could get a smile on their face, it was a win in her book, “How was your day?”

“Same as always, find a few things in the woods like always.” El loved the woods. Maybe because it was the thing she escaped into on that night, or maybe it was because she had spent so long living in it after everyone thought she died almost 5 years ago.

“Oh yeah? Like what?” Max sat up, the bed creaking with the sheets shuffling before going back down on the opposite end. With her elbows resting against the end of her mattress, one lifting her head and the other holding the phone.

“A lot of things. Little things, big things, weird things, rocks.” Max had rocks, some from her own collection she created when she was smaller. But most of the little treasures were from El. Some had been painted, some were left plain, some were covered in dirt and rugged, while others were clean and smooth. El liked rocks. To the brunette they were more than just a thing you kicked on a road while walking.

One thing is something Max will never forget was the day El showed her collection to Max, saying how some of the rocks reminded her of her friends. How Mike was like a long, skinny, cold, black and white colored slag. Will was like a small pebble, warm, colorful, more than meets the eye. Lucas was dark, strong, rugged, easy to throw and hard to the hit, a good candidate for any rock fight. Dustin was like a boulder large, soft, and warm. Max noticed how she had a lot of one type of rock, before asking why there were so many. Her answer was, “Because they remind me of you, you are not supposed to find them here, but I found one, and bought the others,” El had reached over Max, grabbing one of the biggest out of all of the little pile that sat outside the window. Showing it to Max, letting her hold it in her hands, “They are strong, and yeah they may not be the prettiest on the outside,” She took it back as she started to telekinetically crack into halves of it, holding the two pieces in her hand. On the inside the rock was full of sharp diamonds, they reflected the light from outside the window right next to them. Casting a beautiful sight of light all around them, “But they’re really pretty on the inside.”

She looks at the half El had given her afterwards, the diamonds on the inside of the rugged exterior seem stare back at her, she remembers how her heart fluttered the whole time. How the thoughts of kissing her almost got the best of her that day.

“Oh! Did you get it yet?” El asked, her words clear and curious.

“Get what?” Max asked back, she hadn’t gotten anything besides bigger eye bags since El had left a week ago to go back home.

“You’ll see,” Max visioned the smile on El’s face with those words. She then heard almost a yell through the phone that sounded like a whisper to her, “I gotta go. I’ll call you back, okay Maxie?”

“Okay, Ellie. Bye.”

“Bye bye.” with that, El hung up.

Now silence fills the empty room. It wasn’t unhappy but it still had lingering sense of loneliness. She couldn’t wait until until she could hug El again, she could see her again, she could kiss her again.

Max crawled to the opposite end of the bed, putting the phone back into it’s forever resting place on the bedside table next to the decorated lamp. Whilst through the wall the white door opened once more, with the women who made Max come home in the first place coming through.

“Hi.”

“Hi Robin.”

“You got a package, from El a presume.” The woman threw the small package that originally sat cradled in her hand onto the bed.

Wrapped in a tan orange colored paper, with a string in a small bow holding it together. The insides were of two pieces of paper and a rock. Max smiled as she held the rock in her hand. The first piece of paper was a color filled page with the word “MAXIE!” written in soft shades of pink and yellow, with butterflies and hearts drawn around it. The second was a letter in scribbled words, as she read it her heart melted...

“Max,

I love you…

I love how you always know what to say…

I love how you only let me and now one else play with your hair…

I love how you can always see the good in everything, even when you’re sad you can always find it. Always…

I love how you keep everything I have ever gave you…

I love when you don’t question the words I ask you the meaning of. Yes, the others don’t either, but I love it when you do it…

I love how you listen to my “ramblings”...

And there is so much more I love about you, like your hair, your eyes, and your smile. But this paper is too short to list it all, I can’t wait to see you again.

Love, El”

///

(10-21-19 / 11-2-19)

Colors for Max’s Sheets: (here)

Pixelated 80’s Poster: (here)

Background Reference: (here)

Inspiration: (here)

#stranger things #elmax #elmax rights #fanart #stranger things max #el hopper #artist #el x max #max x el #max x eleven #elmax fic #stranger things 3 #stranger things fic #maxine mayfield #max mayfeild

[ununniliad]

Burst Beetle Tweseveny #4: "2007: The Limits of Infinity and the Time on One's Hands!"

With a PWEEYOOM! a pair of burning tire tracks blasts across the asphalt, and in a stream of flashing colors, Burst Beetle Tweseveny appears!

"Aha! Back to action, and... um..." Tweseveny is alone in a back alley, her only companions a garbage can, a recycling bin, a soiled, broken bottle of Mister Paprika Code Indigo that was clearly supposed to have gone in the recycling bin, and a poster for a slam poetry event. "Hm."

She looks around carefully, and pushes the little red gem below the clock face on her belt, armor disappearing in a burst of amber light. "Well, I suppose one should explore before jumping into a situation."

Burst Beetle Tweseveny takes two confident steps out of the alleyway! And a newspaper flies thru the air and smacks her in the face! "Ackpth!"

She flails around blindly, trips on a banana peel (left there by fellow time-traveler Comedic Banana Peel Man, visiting from the 1940s), and falls backwards into a pile of trash bags.

She peels the newspaper carefully off her face. "Oh... ow." She stares up at the sky for a while. "...ow."

...she stares up at the sky for another while. "...didn't think this sort of thing happened to net.heroes."

Burst Beetle Tweseveny heaves a big sigh, gives a crooked little smile, and stands up. "But I'm still here, and still free." The fingers of her left hand stroke softly over her belt buckle and the phone inside. With her right, she holds up the newspaper and squints at it. "April... 272nd? Wh-- Oh! Of course, this is 2007! It's the Infinite April!"

<<<*>>>

Every day, the Legion has a new leader! Every night, at the stroke of midnight-- they disappear!! Over the days and weeks of an unending April, the Legion struggles to uncover the mysterious force causing them to disappear one by one! Will the dwindling forces of net.heroism be able to overcome this Infinite Leadership Crisis--

                        --before the last Legionnaire vanishes?!  

<<<*>>>

She hops to her feet, tossing the newspaper aside and running her hands thru her hair. "Well, well! It makes sense that if I traveled to 2007, I'd hit April - it was over a year long! What an event!" She looks around, limbs filling with enthusiasm. "So! First off, I'm going to need a shower. But where will I find  some good samaritans who will be open to helping out some random person?"

She turns, looking across the street, and her gaze falls on a building that takes up a whole city block, a building shaped like a cross between a grand hotel and an upside-down computer monitor, a building radiant with the spirit of heroism - the headquarters of the Legion of Net.Heroes, literally right there in front of her!

"Ah!" She grins, striding confidently forward through the revolving door! Within, an expansive, sunny foyer, studded with friendly succulents and the Spectacular Spider-Plant, and featuring a large, round desk in the middle, with an "INFORMATION" sign hanging above it!

And there, sitting behind said desk - a friendly-faced young Hispanic man! His hair, a faded pink with dark roots and a shaggy, uneven cut! His T-shirt, white, with doodles all over it in various colors of marker, continuing onto his skin as temporary tattoos in pen and ink! Two of the nails on his left hand are painted neon green, and three on the right are ebon black, all ten with gold sparklies on top! On his shirt, a handmade button that says "LEADER" in purple sharpie!

He looks down at his phone, brow furrowed in concentration! "C'mon, c'mon, daddy needs a Fanficuno..."

"Ah, excuse me?" says Tweseveny, stepping forward.

"Bvwmeep!" The young man slams! the phone on the desk, sitting up straight. "Hello, nice to meet you, my name is Time-Waster Lad, interim leader of the Legion of Net.Heroes, how can I assist with your emergency?"

"Er..." Tweseveny blinks in momentary startlement, and then a return to solid purpose! "I was wondering if I could take a shower here!"

"Oh!" Time-Waster Lad sags in relief. "Sure, definitely. We have some community showers in the Non-Peril Gym that Weight-Lifting Lady had built when she was leader. C'mon, I'll show you down!"

Time-Waster Lad guides Tweseveny through a door at the back of the foyer, leading to a long hallway. So long, indeed, that Tweseveny can barely see the other end - it seems a football field away, far far too far for the building she'd seen on the outside, and she thrills! The transcendent, ever-changing architecture of LNHQ! She gets to experience it, in person, as a person!

Today, the carpets are lush and thick, in bright colors speckled with triangular patterns, like a bowling alley. The walls are a cheerful sky blue, but in the distance, seem to shift towards a soft pink. Dozens of doors line the hallway, labeled as leading into various rooms; "Monitor Room", "Plot Device Room", "Peril Room", and many others. Dozens of other hallways intersect with it, often at strange and improbable angles. It is lit with warm LEDs, and occasionally, a geographically improbable window to let in the sunlight.

"There certainly don't seem to be many LNHers around today," says Tweseveny,  admiring a framed portrait of Tsar Chasm in a Napoleonic pose.

"Ah, well, they're all out on missions," says Time-Waster Lad, twirling a lock of hair. "It's been a while, but remember that press release we put out back when April didn't end?"

"Oh," says Tweseveny, a slight blush of social mistakery coloring her cheeks, "actually, I'm a time traveler - I just landed today. But I'd heard about the Infinite April before."

"Oh, okay, neat," says Time-Waster Lad, as used as any veteran net.hero to temporal shenanigans. "Well, we've been having a lot of trouble keeping up on missions as our team keeps disappearing. We've got those robot duplicates Dr. Stomper made before he disappeared, but they're..." He bites his lip, clearly trying to come up with a diplomatic description! "They're not exactly 100% on the acting right. So we keep them for the small stuff. But most of the team is out doing one net.hero thing or another."

"Gotcha gotcha. It makes sense that the leader would hold down the fort!"

"...haha, yeah, it sure does..." Time-Waster Lad gives a little cough and walks thru an open doorway, into a locker room tiled in warm, bright colors, with birdsong piped in in the background.

"Super swanky!" comments Tweseveny, picking out a particularly bright shower with a rainbow mosaic, stepping in and closing the door behind her.

"Yeah, Sing-Along Lass said that even exercise can be cheerful and nice." Time-Waster Lad takes Tweseveny's clothes as she passes them over, and puts them into the super-speed washer-dryer Domestic Lad had installed when he was leader. "No use putting dirty clothes on a clean body, that's what he told us."

"Excellent advice! You certainly seem to be a good listener!" The warm water cascades over Tweseveny's tired muscles, and she feels her body relaxing, invigorating, mmm!

Time-Waster Lad smiles, leaning against the wall. "Thank you! But it seems like I only listen to the stuff that isn't important. If someone's giving me an order, it slips right out..." He stares off into space, humming musically for a couple minutes. "...oh!" He starts, straightening up. "Sorry, I started just... talkin' about myself!" He rubs the back of his head ruefully.

"Hah! That's all right," says Tweseveny, soaping herself off - gosh, you get sweaty fighting net.villains! "People say I'm a good listener too, and I gotta tell you, I don't mind lending a helpful ear."

"Aw, you're super sweet!" He runs his hands thru his hair, relaxing. "Still, I didn't ask - what's going on with you?"

She works shampoo into her hair, her scalp luxuriating in the stimulation. "I've been bopping around thru time a bit, and just kind of landed in this month."

"Oh man!" Time-Waster Lad shakes his head. "That's not surprising, it's so friggin' long! Like, I was supposed to go for my ADHD screening at the beginning of May, but..."

Tweseveny smiles, filling her voice with encouragement! "Well, I'm from the future, so I know it'll end eventually!"

"Sure," says Time-Waster Lad, with the tones of someone who is trying to be positive but has heard this all before. "But is it our future? Contraption Man said this never happened in his timeline, and Kid Kirby poked at a bunch of alternate timelines before he vanished and couldn't see an end to this."

Tweseveny hums in thought. She's actually read this story, so she knows how it will turn out, but-- actually, come to think, could this be some kind of Elsewhirl, an alternate-universe story? She hasn't considered the metafictional implications of her visit - and there's the lingering suspicion that, sometime soon, she will wake from this sweet dream of being powerful and fighting for good...

She shakes herself out. Dream or not, she's in the story now! "That's fair. So, as today's leader, how are you dealing with it?"

"Heh, well, everybody who can do work right now on the disappearing leaders problem already is, it seems like? So I'm just manning the des... ohhhhh biscuits I forgot I was running the desk! Frick frick frick..." Despite the cuteness of his euphemistic swearing, Time-Waster Lad is clearly freaking out!

"Oop!" Tweseveny turns off the water and does a quick pass with the towel! "Time-Waster Lad, before you continue freaking out, could you please pass me my clothes?"

"Frick frick frick sure..." Time-Waster Lad pulls open the dryer and tosses the clothes underhand to Tweseveny, then starts pulling on his hair. "Daaaaah..."

"Thank you!" Tweseveny gets dressed in a right hurry. She needs to get something more suited to a net.hero than beige skirts and sensible blouses, but there's no time for that now! Boldly, she steps out of the shower, takes Time-Waster Lad by the shoulders, and shakes him a bit! "Snap out of it, man!" Gosh, she's always wanted to say that!

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, I just, I just, I just--"

"Snap out of it more than that, please!" Tweseveny grabs a bucket, sets the shower to Breathtakingly Cold, fills the bucket, rears back, and--

"Okay no I think I snapped out of it now!!" Time-Waster Lad throws his hands up in front of his face.

"Oh, good." Tweseveny puts down the bucket and sweeps Time-Waster Lad into a hug! "It's okay! We shall go back to the desk together and Hang Out and Talk and Relax."

"mmberf" After Tweseveny lets go, Time-Waster Lad draws a deep breath into his body, spreads his hands, and lets the cloud of panic disperse. "Okay. Cool." He shakes out his head. "Thanks."

She takes his hand, and together, the two of them walk back down the corridors of the LNHQ. Tweseveny stays quiet, giving Time-Waster Lad time and space to breathe, to consider, in the sunlight of the nice day, in the warm breezes of the architecturally improbable windows.

As they pass the Plot Device Room, without preamble, Time-Waster Lad speaks. "I miss Miss Translation."

"Miss Translation..." Tweseveny pokes at her memories, of reading the older LNH series, scrolling through her news feed in delighted glee... "She was the alien who had a hard time speaking English, right?"

"Right. Once you learned her dialect, though, she was really easy to talk to. Together, we headed up a whole subgroup, one of the smaller teams within the LNH. She was the one who leapt forward and made things happen, and I was the one who took his time and made the plans and make sure things would work out." A great sigh heaves its way out of Time-Waster Lad's lungs. "And then... we lost a teammate. And the whole team got kicked out. Except for me." He runs his hands through his mop of pink hair. "Because, I guess, the Ultimate Ninja... didn't think I was one of them."

"Ohhh..." Tweseveny feels the weight in Time-Waster Lad's belly. The casual dismissal of the leadership he had been proud of... "I'm sorry."

"Yeah." The corridor ends, and the two of them are back in the foyer. "And then, just to kick everything in the pants?" Time-Waster Lad vaults the back of the reception desk and turns to face her. "They all got lost in space."

"Gosh," says Tweseveny, and means it, leaning her elbows on the desk, putting her face in her hands, and looking up at him. "That's painful."

"Right?" he says, and sighs, flopping into the rolly chair. "Starts-Arguments-For-No-Reason Kid and Sleeps-With-Anything-Alive Girl are back now. Not sure what the story is there... I think they might not remember it, but they definitely don't want to talk about it. When Limp-Asparagus Lad was leader, he sent out invitations for them to come back, along with a lot of other inactive former LNHers, and they did." Time-Waster Lad leans his head back and kicks his feet up, pressing them into the edge of the desktop. "But Ultimate Ninja might just kick them out again when he comes back. If he comes back." He blows a breath out loose lips. "And that was my last experience being a leader, sort of."

"Time-Waster Lad..." Tweseveny reaches for him... but her hand curls in a fist. She doesn't know what to say...

A throat is cleared on the other side of the room. "I'm sorry..."

Tweseveny and Time-Waster lad look up, roused from the depressing discussion! There, having just come in the door - two figures!

One, a tall woman in her early twenties, in a glittering silver dress, pale silver hair with a deep purple streak, an amethyst nose piercing, and high heels. She holds up an hourglass full of silvery sand and grins in manic confidence!

The other, a figure in a hooded robe, his face cast in constant shadow no matter how he moves! His body is hidden by the rich brown fabric, its texture sumptuous and expensive, yet continually exuding a noxious smell; starting off subtle, yet getting stronger by the moment!

"...but is this a bad... time?" the woman finishes, a maniacal glint in her eye!

"You're..." says Time-Waster Lad, eyes widening in recognition...

"That's right," says the hooded figure, working enthusiasm into his voice. "The devilish duo of trans-temporal terror!"

The woman raises her hourglass! "Mother Time and the Time Crapper!"

<<<*>>>

Author's Notes: Finally, Tweseveny returns!

There's a lot of reasons it took me almost two years to come back to this. A two-part storyline ended up ballooning to six parts, as I found more things I wanted to do with it, in terms of emotions, continuity, and cool shit. The continuity required a lot of research, and the emotions required a lot of heavy lifting. But it's done now, and I'm proud of it - I hope you will be too!

In re: Contraption Man: In the first Infinite Leadership Crisis issue, Contraption Man shows up yelling "No future!" and then goes into a coma, but he shows up perfectly okay later. I thought about commenting on that situation, but frankly, I'm going to be doing a lot of continuity-stitching in this storyline, so I'll save that for some other ILC insert.

"berf" as a sound effect of something mildly discomfiting happening is stolen from Questionable Content.

Time-Waster Lad created by Raythrax, Not Reserved.

The Time Crapper created by Jef Kolodziej, Free For Use.

Mother Time created by... shoot, it's not on the wiki. It's Arthur, right? In LNHCP #43? And I'm pretty sure she's Not Reserved and/or Free For Use??

#Original Fiction #Superheroes #Adventure #Silliness #Legion of Net.Heroes #Classic LNH #Burst Beetle Tweseveny

[gleefail]

Glee Memories: 1x10 Ballad

A long, long time ago, as Glee was approaching graduation in Season 3, I found myself nostalgic with some rare free time on my hands. So I decided to rewatch the series from the beginning and jot down some memories, discrepancies that have arisen since, fave quotes, tally solos - all that good stuff, strictly for shits and giggles.

8 years later (eek!) and once more I find myself with an unexpected abundance of free time. With so many revisiting or being newly introduced to the show between binge watching during Quarantine and all the tragedy that has surrounded the show since it went off the air, I figured I’d finish what I started. And by finish, I mean go through the end of S3. Cause I truly cannot acknowledge what happened after that. Except for 5B.

Kicking this off by reposting the first 15 episodes I already went through. Enjoy!

1x10 Ballad “Ok, who can tell me what a ballad is?” “It’s a male duck”

ok, I disagree with Schue’s definition of a ballad. “Stories set to music” – um…isn’t that every song? Or is it just in musicals that it’s supposed to be, lol?

“Looks like my weekly letter to the Ohio showchoir committee FINALLY paid off” and the look she gives Puck. Haha. This Rachel Berry is funny. Cause they’re letting us laugh at her right along with her. Not asking us to put her on a pedestal and/or take her seriously all the damn time. I’m not even gonna get started. I’m watching this post Props/Nationals, and though I didn’t think it could, my hate has grown. In abundance. Trying to keep it in check. Moving on…

“I bet that duck’s in the hat”

“Matt’s out sick today. He had to go to the hospital cause they found a spider in his ear” Um, ew. Also terrifying. However, humorous nonetheless. And an effort to explain a random absence of a Glee club member. Remember how they used to do that?

Aw, Artie drew Quinn’s name out of the hat. :) 2 seasons later and they’ll get 2 duets (both of which I loooove). Shame they didn’t do it this ep. Romantic or just friends, I ADORE the chemistry with Diana and Kevin. I really wanted to see more of that. :(

omg. Kurt’s face when Finn pulls his name. Adorable. Also, I love that Finn is not cool with it but a year later Sam is totes fine. Maybe that’s just cause I love dudes that are comfortable enough in their sexuality to do things that d-bags in high school might tease them about being gay for. Or maybe that’s just cause I love Sam Evans. Couldn’t tell ya. Except yeah, I totes could. It’s cause I wants a Trouty Mouth to call my very own. *lesigh*

“other asian” Ha!

Brittana!

“The fates talked, Mr. Schue” #BlessFinnsHeart

I love the voice-overs during Endless Love: “Screw him if he thinks he’s taking the Diana Ross part from me” “I love the days when I wear no underwear” “I never noticed how nice Rachel’s butt is…oh crap! I think Quinn knows I’m staring at it!”

I also love the facial expressions of Rachel and Mr. Schue here. Hilarious.

Haha – Brad’s like “wtf is happening?”

“Crap – she looks crazy right now!” hahahahahaha

Because of Rachel’s realization through this song, it means Lea Michele can’t squint nearly as much. Wow. It’s like a whole new Rachel with her eyes open while she’s singing.

Artie’s face after the duet. It’s like someone stepped in dog poop.

Ok, Charlotte Ross was in a show in the 90’s I used to watch that, if I recall, failed miserably but nonetheless had a brief stint as my guilty pleasure show. And I can’t remember what it is for the life of me and keep forgetting to look when I have access to google it. Anyone?

“I don’t want you to lift a finger for me. I’m your wife!” Oh wow. So unhealthy. So republican. Soooooo some parts of Ohio. These are the folks that voted for Bush. :/ Yep, I’m still ashamed to be from Ohio when I think of that election.

Suzy. Pepper. Yes. I love this actress. Bright and Hannah were my OTP on Everwood. I miss them.

“You knew it was me just by the sound of my breath. That’s so romantic.”

“Listen, you little psycho, this is Will’s wife, and if I don’t get enough sleep my anti-depressants won’t work, and then I’ll go crazy and I’ll kill you.” Oh Terri. So maternal and loving.

Suzy Pepper is sobbing to More Than Words. That was my jam back in the day!

“Your lashing out at me is fantastically compelling…and….inappropriate.”

“Thank God I never missed a piano lesson” – really Kurt? Is this the first and only time we’re to believe Kurt can play piano well enough to accompany someone from memory?

Finn singing I’ll Stand By You to a sonogram dvd on his laptop. I have no words. I don’t think I thought it was this weird the first time I watched it.

So Finn’s mom busts him singing to said laptop sonogram dvd…and he doesn’t close the laptop…or stop the dvd…or try to hide the screen. He sits up next to it as she approaches him, almost begging her to see it. I felt the same way then as I do now – it was an opportunity for him to not tell her necessarily but for her to find out anyways and I think he really wanted her to know so he could go to her for help and comfort and to relieve everything he couldn’t deal with about the situation. I’m just sayin’.

Oh old school Carol with her denim and that hair…she’s still such a great mom though. And this actress. My God. She’s amazing.

“You’re wrong, I’m right. I’m smart, you’re dumb.”

“Dude. Impulse control!” haha

“I dunno why I find his stupidity charming. I mean, he’s cheating off a girl who thinks the square root of 4 is rainbows.” #BlessFinnsHeart

Oh Young Girl/Don’t Stand So Close to Me mash-up. I fell in lust with you from the first moment I laid eyes on you.

Seriously. Matthew Morrison is so hot in this mash-up. Yowzah.

“So, Rachel, do you think you understood the message I was trying to get across with that ballad?” “Yes! It means I’m very young and it’s hard for you to stand close to me.”

“You’re a very good performer. He’s very good.”

Finn and Kurt bonding over their lost parents. This is a sweet scene.

“You think I should bring a gun?” #BlessFinnsHeart

“Casserole’s almost ready. Hope you like venison!” Ok. TERRIFYING to come home and find Rachel Berry in an apron, cooking you dinner, in your home.

Hey, remember that time that Rachel literally sang 3 lines of Crush and they released it in its entirety as a single from this episode? Ridonk.

“I found out today that my hamster was pregnant in biology class and I just started weeping!”

Aw, Mercedes and Puck are paired up for duet ballads.

haha. Babygate.

“Finn’s not the father! I am.” People be spilling out their truths to Mercedes y’all.

“Alright, look, you need to get something through your Mohawk real quick: you’re the baby’s daddy. It takes a hell of a lot more to be a father and that role’s already been cast because Quinn chose Finn. You need to accept that and move on cause you have no business messin’ up that girl’s life more than you already have. You need to back off. You owe her at least that much. ”Aw, Mercedes. Laying down tough love. And looking out for Quinn before they were even friends. Man. I love Mercedes.

Oh that’s right – Quinn has an older sister! Why did we never meet her?

“He wears a helmet when he plays, right?” – THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYIN’! #BlessFinnsHeart

“I have to go, they’ll think I’m pooping.” Hehehehe.

omg. So I love this still. Finn is doing karate moves in the bathroom mirror to pump himself up to sing to the Fabrays that Quinn’s pregnant. That is so effing funny. What happened to this Finn?

You’re Having My Baby. Haha. This song is so cheesy. This scene is so uncomfortable.

So Quinn’s parents, unlike Finn, are NOT simple-minded and have figured it out. And it’s terrifying.

“We didn’t even have sex” #BlessFinnsHeart

Quinn’s parents are kicking her out. Well, her dad is and her mom isn’t standing up to him. This is rough. Especially when you realize they’re supposed to be 15. So wrong. Poor Quinn. And her dad just screamed at her that she was a disappointment. Yeah…she’s had to deal with some shit. And in the end, they don’t acknowledge that she did and try to make her out to be the bad guy, and selfish… Way to go, RIB.

Oh good ole Carol, without a moment of hesitationlets Quinn stay with them.

“Honey, you can stay here as long as you want.” Carol’s the best. So glad she found Burt.

“We’re not so different, you and me. We’re both mildly attractive and extremely grating. Love is hard for us. We look for boys we know we can never have. Mr. Schue is a perfect target for our self-esteem issues. He can never reciprocate our feelings which only reinforces the conviction that we’re not worthy of being loved. Trust me. I’m a cautionary tale. You need to find some self-respect, Rachel. Get that mildly attractive groove back.” Suzy Pepper, ladies and gentlemen. Dropping truth bombs.

“There’s some boy out there who’s gonna like you for everything you are, including those parts of you that even you don’t like. Those are gonna be the things about you that he likes the most.” Hmm…might be true. Never thought about this, but I’d say that describes Jesse. But not Finn so much. Maybe recently. But…he has made several comments about her being annoying or controlling as they were dating. And not in a ‘those are my favorite things about her’ kinda way. Just sayin’.

Aw. Kurt seems like he feels really bad about Quinn getting kicked out.

“Open your eyes! I didn’t tell you to close your eyes.” “Is there a cake?” No, there’s no cake!” #BlessFinnsHeart

Lean On Me. Watching this now, with one ep left and it’s graduation…yeah, I’m crying. Dammit, Glee.

haha, Mercedes just kinda pushed past Rachel who was front and center to sing her solo. Probably not intentional but still funny.

Damn, Kevin McHale.

Damn, Amber Riley.

SOLOS: Rachel (1), Will (2), Finn (2), Artie (1), Mercedes (1)

#Glee Memories #Glee #lol Glee #Glee Ballad

[zach-the-fox]

Tribal Furs Episode 2: Growing Issues

Next episode’s done. Starring: @emmy-the-absolute-goof​ and @rainbow-strike​, and my boyfriend, Nate

The glowing ball rises above the ground, spreading rays of light across the land. Light stretches among the trees, touching them and everything below their canopies. The orange fox emerges from another room, separated by a thin layer of leather curtain. He stretches as he stands in the middle of the doorway. He looks around to see he’s the only one in the main room of the hut. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zach sneaks over to the entryway, where it is divided from the outside with a leather curtain. Just as he’s inches away from the divider, he’s interrupted when a paw grasps at his arm. The blue-painted fox turns around to see behind him is the owner of the hut, the leader of the tribe, who shoots him a mean look; dipped eyebrows and gritted teeth. “Where do you think you’re off to, Boy?” Zach keeps his gaze on the older fox, not moving his lips in anyway. “Well?!” The tone of his voice is raised, showing agitation and impatience.

“I’m going out,” Zach responds, breaking his silence. “Into the jungle to gather food.”

“You plan on running away and crying again?” his father remarks. “You’re just an embarrassment to the family. A mistake made by your mother, that’s all.”

“I never asked for your comments. I’m just picking fruit and collecting nuts.”

“Whatever you say, Wimp. The more time you’re away from me and this village, the better.”

Zach exits the hut and steps out into the open air of the village. He treks his way across the village center and makes it toward the gate. Before he reaches the defenses, he bumps into another fox; the blue and orange one.

“Oh, I’m very sorry!” says the other fox. “I-I didn’t mean to hit you in any way! P-please don’t get me in trouble!”

“What?” Zach utters. “Why would you think I would do such a thing?”

“Y-your father is the chief… I did a bad thing hurting you…”

“Relax, I’m not going to do anything… It was only an accident. I just have to be more careful next time. Good day.”

As Zach wanders off, the blue fox says, “I’m sorry for you.” Zach pauses for a second. His ears twitched with the sentence of his counterpart. Without hesitation, he presses on, passing the opening of the village guarded by foxes armed with spears.

 ***

 The orange fox runs across the branches, jumping to the next to stay above the jungle floor. He makes it across eighteen branches before using the vines to slide down. As his feet touch the mossy surface of the flora ground, he walks forward ten paces before stopping in front of the lavender-dressed warthog, who rests under a small tree, enjoying the hard-shelled fruits hanging above her. “Morning, Emmy.”

Emmy ceases her beak and looks up at the fox. “Oh, morning, Zach! You’re just in time for some breakfast. Care for some cocoanapples?”

“Uh, sure.” Zach sits next to her and receives the fresh drupe from her hooves. “Thanks.” The fox picks up a rock from his side and bashes the fruit open, revealing the red core and chocolate milk that surrounds it. He takes a bite out of the core and drinks the chocolatey liquid from within the shell. “Mmm, this is pretty good.”

Emmy turns to her friend. “So, what have you been up to lately?”

Zach swallows his food before facing her. “Huh? Nothing really…”

“Did your father yell at you for being out?”

“Not really. I mean, he did yell at me and insult me, yet he doesn’t care. We don’t really talk or do anything together. Ever since my mother disappeared, I’ve had to deal with his ways for a very long time. I’ve been trying for so long to win his attention, aiming to get better at things, only to be knocked down by his criticisms and pushed away.”

“We’re two of a kind.” Emmy takes another bite out of the apple part. “Do you think fate brought us together? Or could it be just coincidence that we happen to stumble upon each other at the right moment? All because of our dads?”

“It’s hard to tell. Either way, I’m actually happy we’re friends now. I’ve been struggling my whole life to try and win my father’s love and attention. When that didn’t work, I sought the attention of others, but my father has told everyone that I’m a bad influence, further distancing me from everyone.” He looks toward his ally. “You’re a good girl, Emmy.”

Emmy’s cheeks turn red. “Why, Zach, I’m flattered. Your kind words really know how to make a woman blush.” She stands and tosses her breakfast aside. “So, what should we do now, “friend”? Have some adventures in mind for us?”

Zach gets up and meets her eyeline. “Beats me.”  His ears twitch, causing him to turn his head to the side. “Hey, did you hear that?” Emmy faces the direction he looks in, asking what’s wrong. “Somebody’s coming!” He drops the fruit to the ground, grabs the warthog by the hoove, and pulls her out of the area. As they vacate and seek safety from nearby thickets, a blue wolf with a male build, rainbow hair, and a blue loincloth comes into view. He holds a long spear in his paw, walking through the grass. Noticing the cocoanapples on the ground, he kneels to the ground and examines them.

Lifting one of the cocoanapples in his paw, the wolf holds it close to his snout and sniffs it. “Fox Faction,” he utters, straightening himself as he drops the fruit and readies his spear. The blue wolf scans his surroundings while pointing the spear tip around. “Where are you? I know you’re hiding somewhere! Come out now!” As he searches around, ruffles in the bushes catch his attention. With ease, the wolf sneaks over to the shrubs, then parts it with his weapon. “Aha!” To his surprise, nothing is there. “What?! Hm… I’ll find you Fox Farts, wherever you may be!”

From afar high in the trees, the warthog and fox watch as he disappears from the area.

“Phew, that was close,” Zach spurts. “Imagine if he actually caught us.”

“What do we do now, Zach?” Emmy asks. “This isn’t very safe, and we can’t hide from the other tribes forever. We need to-” She jumps as the spear lands beside her, lodging herself into the trunk next to her. “Yeek!”

“Found you!” shouts the wolf, running toward the tree. The two friends head across the branches to avoid him. Zach runs along the tops while Emmy rides on his back. “Come back here now!” The warthog and fox continue to across in an effort to get away, but the rainbow-haired wolf is far from giving up. “You can’t outrun me! I will- Whoa!” The blue canine trips over some roots and slams his entire body face-first into a fresh mud puddle. As he picks himself up, he continues along the path of his two prey. After some time running, he stops to catch his breath. “You can’t… You won’t… I will… find you…”

Zach and Emmy continue onward down the jungle. Zach looks back at his chaser, who is nowhere to be seen. They stop inside the cave where they had previously been.

“Did we lose him?” Emmy questions.

“I-I think so.” Zach kneels down to allow the warthog off, then stands. “That could’ve been bad…”

“You don’t think that wolf will be trouble, do you?”

“Perhaps… But, as long as we remain hidden, he can’t find us.”

“Well, yes, but I was mostly referring to our secret friendship… I have a bad feeling he’ll inform other his tribe about us…”

“Oh, yeah, that… We should be fine. Like I said, if we remain out of sight, no one will notice.”

Emmy lets out a sigh. “I just hope you’re right, Zach.”

#zach the fox #zach #fursona #tribal furs #tribal #emmy #warthog #Fox

[the-lost-girl-in-the-tardis]

Hand in Hand

Pairing: 10th doctor x reader

Song: Mumford and son's- Beloved.

Warnings: Angst then fluff. F bomb is dropped twice. I am absolutely sorry if this makes no sense.

AN: Enjoy!

Fear will take ahold in many ways. That body shaking kinda fear that leaves you feeling drained and exhausted. The one that roots itself deeply into the pit of your stomach. It makes you feel ill and wishing that you were anywhere else.

Then there's the one that makes your blood run cold. The one where your body loses all warmth and makes it feel as if you've been eating cotton balls. It makes your mind run rampant and go blank at the same time.

It's the one where you don't know wether to scream or cry. Maybe you should run? Would that work? Or should you curl up and into a ball and hope that whatever has a deep rooted hold onto your heart will go away.

But that's never the case.

It never goes away.

It's always there at the back of your mind even if the thing your scared of is light-years away and flung deeply into the past.

But. You know.

Time travel and aliens have a way of throwing the wrench into that one.

So. Here you where. At some unknown point in the future. Standing on a foreign planet with your greatest fear standing before you. Behind you. Whispering honeyed words in your ears.

They travel around you. Trail up your sides and tangle within your hair. Trying to poison every crack and crevice they can get ahold of.

So. You fall back onto what you knew as a little kid. Little tricks you learned when having your parents check the closet and under the bed wasn't quite enough.

You close your eyes and pretend that you can't see them.

Because if you can't see them they can't see you.

You try to think of happy thoughts. Puppy's and kittens and

Fuck.

So they can do that know.

It's face was directly in front of yours. Grinning like a mad man set free. Laughter rings in your ears as you open your eyes.

Screaming you fall back.

Happy thoughts happy thoughts.

Fucking happy thoughts!

That's what The Doctor had told you before you got separated.

These beings fed on fear. Thrived in it. And the only way they could get it was by trapping unsuspecting travelers.

They made the planet to look enticing. To draw you in like a siren's song and down you in a sea of gut wrenching terror.

The planet was washed in seas of blue and draped with blankets of deep green. When you land on it the first thing you notice is the sweet smell of flowers. Maybe even the fresh scent of baked bread. The floor was carpeted on the softest moss you could ever hope to see.

It made you feel at home. It drew you in. You wanted to go in deeper. To explore and see more of the beauty it has to offer.

And we fell for it. Both me and the Doctor. He grabbed ahold of my hand and off we went. Seeing new sights I've never seen before. Finding new soft looking animals the Doctor is just now learning of.

The first howl should have sent us back running to the Tardis. And we would have to. If the Doctor hadn't insisted on staying just a touch longer. I'm not blaming him. Lord no. I wanted to see the waterfall to. I trusted that he would keep me safe. So off we went. Hand in hand to see the world as we always did.

Except this time letting go wasn't something we had planned together. The rocks were slick with wet moss. Little pebbles would scatter with every step we took. The bank to the river was a rainbow of colors. The water the deepest shade of blue.

We went towards the water fall that fed the river. It's great roaring sound as it sailed to the ground deafens us the closer we got. Having to shout at one another to be heard.

And down we went. Laughing to one another as we pointed out some great unseen sight. Birds colored with every fiery hue nauture could create. Fish the same scaley green as the oceans back home.

Oh it's was absolutely stunning!

But. All good things must come to an end.

The howling from earlier had gotten louder. Had gotten closer. We could see them in the corners of our eyes. Heads peering over huge boulders as we swiftly made out way back to the Tardis.

My heart pounded deeply with in my chest as a hollowed filling made itself home in the base of my throat. I gripped tightly onto the Doctors hand. He squeezed back just as tightly.

It was him who figured it out first. Of course. He payed attention to how swiftly they moved. Watched as our breathing became erratic and our hearts drummed out a hurried tune.

"Think happy things y/n" He told me. "Tell me about the happiest thing you can remember. Maybe we can call down." So I did. I told him about the time me and my parents went to the coast for the first time. About the way the salty hair clung to every inch of skin. The way the briney air would fill your lungs. About the tide pools I showed my siblings once they came into the world.

And it worked! Both me and him were calm and it was a few more miles back to the Tardis.

Aliens have a way of ruinning things. Remember that if you ever have the chance to travel with this man.

A glob of mud sailed through the air and landed squarely on the Doctors suit jacket. We both spun on heel as another hit the side of my face.

They had us surrounded from the back. Hands filled with mud balls and rocks.

We took of in a blind sprint. Hand in hand as the forest blurred around us. The Doctor lost his footing as the ground suddenly slanted downwards. We lost each other as we tumbled to the bottom of the large hill.

Which led me to where I was now. In pain. Dazed and confused with monsters surrounding me.

One shuffled closer to me. Snuffling it's way around my neck and into my ear. I breathed in deeply trying to distance myself away. Trying to think clearly.

Trying to think about what the Doctor would tell me.

Help me figure out on my own.

With every ounce of strength I had I pushed the creature back. Yelling and screaming.

"You have no power over me!" I whirled around in my spot. Hair whipping wildly as tears welled up behind my lashes.

"Do you hear me! You'll starve with me here! You are just and insignificant little aspect of my life!" The creatures sunk back. On tried to bravely run towards me. I grabbed a broken branch and waved wildly at it. Breaking the branch in two as it came into contact with a burley arm.

"You don't scare me! The demons I face within my own head have told me scarier lies than you could ever hope to whisper." I walked towards the shrinking group hot tears spilling down my face.

"Don't you see! There are scarier things in this universe. And believe me I've seen them all. But you. Your just the monster under the bed. No one's going to remember you." My chest heaved as I breathed in deeply. The monsters shrunk and skittered away. Leaving me alone in the middle of the woods with nothing but my thoughts for company.

I dropped the branch that was still clutched within my grasp. Tears spilled thickly down the sides of my face. My nose ran an my head began to throb in tune with my rapidly beating heart.

I folded in on myself wrapping my arms around my stomach. I gasped for air as my legs trembled before giving out.

I was alone.

Oh God I was alone.

"Y/N!" I jerked up and off of the ground at the sound of my name. The Doctor was sprinting towards me. His suit jacket torn and dirty a deep purple bruise cradled the side of his face.

"Doctor!" We clashed against one another trembling as we pulled each other as close as we could. The Doctor's hand rested against the back of my head his long fingers weaving through my hair. I grabbed fistfulls of tattered fabric while resting my head against his chest.

"It's ok." He whispered. "We're safe now. They're gone." He pressed a kiss to the top of my head swaying side to side. I sniffled and wiped away still falling tears.

"Are you okay?" It came out in a ragged whisper. The Doctor smiled softly. His deep brown eyes shimmering with unshed tears. He pressed another kiss to my forehead and grabbed ahold of my hand.

"I'll be okay when once we get into the Tardis and away from this planet." We began the slow trek forward. His hand held mine tightly and deep down I knew that he needed this more than I did.

I looked down when the ground suddenly felt a little more wet and a lite more squishy.

"Y/n?" He turned to look at me one brow curved towards the sky.

"I... I lost my shoe." We met each other's gaze and burst out laughing heads resting on each other's shoulders. Hands held together in a gentle embrace.

We began laughing even harder when the Tardis whirred a little ways away from us.

Hand in hand we would take on the world. Heaven forbid we were one without the other.

#doctor who #tenxreader #tenth doctor x reader #doctorwhofanfiction #doctor who one shot #how to tag?

[blackleatherjacketz]

My Brother’s Keeper: Chapter 12

Negan x Reader

Featuring: Laura, Morgan Jones

Summary: Your brother runs away from the Sanctuary and you pay the price. This Chapter: You start your journey to the Kingdom to keep the rest of your family safe.

Word Count: 2009

Author’s Note: I’m taking some creative license with Morgan in assuming (for this story) that Carol stayed with Rick in Alexandria.

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Zombies, Grief, Mirages, Self-Doubt, A Reference to Glenn, Lying

Read the rest of the story HERE!

The road ahead was long, heat rising off the pavement in waves before disappearing into a lush green border of trees that stood on each side. It went on like that forever, dipping down into rolling hills as the translucent waves turned into mirages of puddles in each valley that disappeared as soon as you reached them. The sudden image of water reminded you of just how thirsty you were, the summer sun sucking all the moisture from your body into tiny droplets of sweat on your forehead.

You wiped your brow with the back of your hand, running it through hair that Laura had cut short for you earlier this morning. She’d told you that you needed to be unrecognizable from before, just in case anyone at the Kingdom remembered who you were.

She took the clothes off your back and replaced them with bigger ones, giving you the look of someone who had been starving on the road for a considerable amount of time. She took the polish off your toes, the earrings from your ears and the metal Rolex off your wrist. Instead she replaced them with a worn-down watch, a knife, a lighter, and a canteen full of water. She did all this before going over your backstory and fake name, making sure you remembered what Negan told you to do.

“The Kingdom’s six miles down that road,” she’d said before slowing the car to a complete stop. “Take a right at Glenn Avenue and you’ll see the ghost town a few yards in.” She paused, squinting as the sunlight blurred her vision through the windshield. “Look, I know this sucks, but I’ll keep an eye on your dad and sis for you, make sure they stay out of trouble.” She kept her eyes forward as you visibly saw her cut ties with you emotionally.

You wondered for a second what she did before all this, regretting not asking her when tensions weren’t so high. You could see her as someone like a prison guard or maybe even a soldier in one of the military branches, but you decided it was better not to know. If she was distancing herself from you, well, then, you could do the same thing back.

“Yeah,” you answered, leaning down in the passenger seat to grab your backpack. “I appreciate that.” You tried not to show how disappointed you were that Negan couldn’t drive you all the way out here himself. If it had to be anyone else, though, you guessed Laura was the next best choice.

You came back to the present and let your hand fall down to your canteen, unlatching it from its container on your belt. You kept walking forward as you slowly unscrewed the top, keeping your eyes peeled for a street sign named Glenn. Even though you were pissed at Negan, it didn’t change the fact that he still had your family at his disposal, or that you secretly still wanted to please him.

When Laura dropped you off, you felt like a wounded animal being brought out to pasture, a useless creature sent away before your master shopped around for a newer better version of you. That dark feeling started to take root in your chest, but you didn’t let it take hold. You kept your head up and refused to be that gimpy dog kicked out on the side of the road. This journey was going to make you stronger, sharpen your fighting skills and survival tactics while your master was away. You had to reach your destination no matter what; if not for him, then you definitely had to do it for your family.

You brought the canteen up to your mouth, taking the first swig in an hour since you’d hit the road. It was still cool as it hit your coffee-stained lips, washing over your teeth and tongue as you swished it around and swallowed it down. You never regretted taking the running water in the Sanctuary for granted until now; all those times you used the toilet, washed your hands, took a shower or even drank several glasses of water without even thinking about it… what a selfish bitch you used to be.

The sticky Virginia heat brushed past you in a long-awaited breeze, moving the leaves on their branches to the left in a calm and soothing wave, almost as if the sky itself were an ocean full of currents and undertows. You took another sip to cool yourself down, closing your eyes as the breeze brought fresh air around you. Ahh, you thought, spreading your arms out wide like a scarecrow, this is the good stuff.

The sound of the leaves rustling up above was interrupted by hoarse wheezes down below, forcing your eyes to open. You saw what you hadn’t seen in years, what Negan had ‘saved’ you from all those years ago when he brought your family to the Sanctuary. Half-dead bodies crept out of the green forest, their limbs dangling by sinews and tendons as they attempted to climb up the small hill onto the road. Their wheezes got louder as they saw you, mouths opening wide in anticipation of a fresh meal that they hadn’t had since God knows when.

“Oh, shit,” you whispered, putting your canteen back in its container. You hadn’t killed a deadbeat in gosh, three years… had it really been that long? You remembered celebrating three Christmases with your family behind concrete walls, so, yeah, it had to have been that long.

You pulled the knife that Laura gave you out of its holster, the handle a little different than the one you had before, and tightened your grip. “Go for the head,” you coached yourself, “Go for the head.”

You spread your legs to broaden your center of gravity as the first one approached you. Its guts were spilling out of its abdomen, dangling down below its knees as it came toward you with a hungry yawn. Arms outstretched in a coarse and desperate scream, it tried to grab hold of you, but you dodged its grasp. You ducked to the right and rammed your blade into the side of its skull, destroying what little brain it had left. You heard the last of its screams as it stopped moving and finally fell to the ground. Phew! So that’s what that felt like; you’d almost forgotten!

You felt your heart begin to race as you took out the next one, feeling good as you ended the ‘lives’ of the undead. One, two, three fell down on the pavement as you got quicker with your technique, getting used to the weight and feel of your new knife. You wasted a few more as you pushed through them on your path to the Kingdom, stopping as you saw one in particular that looked familiar.

This deadbeat happened to be a woman of middle age, her eyes gray and blue as the veins surrounding them burned jet black. She was slower than the rest, waddling toward you with caution as she wore the face of your mother. Her hands grasped at the air in front of her; your mother’s wedding band glistening in the sunlight on her finger. Oh no, no, no, no. No, it couldn’t be. Your brother would have… wouldn’t he? Alex had to have taken her down when she turned, he couldn’t risk her turning and then… Wait a minute, did he just leave her here to die by herself? Was she all alone in her final moments?

The sound of hissing screams tore you out of your hypothetical list of ‘what if’s. Your mother, or what was left of her anyways, had a giant staff lanced through her head. You blinked dumbly as her blood splattered across your face, those blue eyes closing forever before the staff caused her body to slump onto the floor.

You stared at the blank space in front of you, where she stood before any questions of your mother’s fate were left unanswered. You wanted to say thank you like a normal person, but felt yourself unable to speak. You turned to find that the man who saved your life was just around your father’s age, pulling his staff up and out of your mother as he brought it to his side.

“You know her?” He pulled a rag out of his pocket and began wiping off his weapon.

“She was m...mmm...mmmy...mmmmy,” you stammered, looking back down at her. “She was my mom.” A tear fell down your cheek, and for the first time in your life you weren’t afraid to show such emotion.

“I’m sorry.” The man spun his stick in a skillful circle and planted it firmly between his feet. “I know how hard it can be to put down a loved one.” He placed both hands on top of the staff and leaned slightly forward.

You forced a smile and bent down next to your mother’s corpse, looking at her one last time. You noted the bedazzled shirt she had on, the loosely sewn-in sequins shining a colorful rainbow onto your skin as you leaned in closer. She always loved to be flashy, even when the deadbeats were chasing her down the road.

You laughed to yourself and took the ring off her finger, necrotic flesh and blood coming off the bone. The smell of her rotting body finally got to you once the adrenaline of the kill had worn off; gastric contents and mucus mixing together in a sickening stench that only worsened in the rising heat. You swallowed down your breakfast as it threatened to travel up your throat and into your mouth, wiping the remnants of your mother’s jewelry onto your shoe before placing it in your pocket.

“I’m Morgan, by the way.” He offered, waiting patiently as you took your time to stand up.

“I’m Maria,” you muttered, the first of many lies you’d have to tell on this journey. The name sounded extremely foreign coming out of your mouth. Maria, Maria, Maria, you chanted in your head. My name is Maria.

“Where you headed, Maria?” His squinted eyes widened as he turned to you, the scalding afternoon sun beating down on his nearly bald head.

“Nowhere in particular,” you lied again. “You?”

Morgan laughed under his breath, picking his staff up off the ground before stepping forward. “Nowhere in particular. You part of a group?” He cocked an eyebrow upward, his suspicions rising with it.

“I was… well, she was and my brother was…we were...” The fear that this man may have been planted by Negan overruled your innate desire to trust him.

“Just them?” he prodded.

“Just them.” You looked at your boots as you continued to walk, each stride getting wider with each step. “How about you? You part of a group?”

“I was.” He stared off into the distance. “Didn’t work out.”

The two of you walked alone together in respective silence after that. You kept your hands on your weapons, offering each other food and water every hour or so until you finally reached Glenn Avenue. You stared at the placard as it drew closer, white letters on green looming over you like a warning sign as you thought of a reasonable excuse to turn right.

Morgan signaled to you as the sound of hooves interrupted your paranoid thoughts. He twirled his staff around himself in a protective barrier, readying himself for action as the sound grew louder. Luckily for you and your lying quota for the day, the sound was coming from down Glenn Avenue. You let out a sigh of relief and took out your weapon, feigning surprise and readiness as the sound of screams quickly accompanied the sound of hooves on the road.

“You hear that?” He whispered, glancing at you. “Someone’s in trouble.” Without a second thought Morgan sprinted off down the road, approaching two men on horses as a small group of deadbeats started to attack.

-------------------------

Tags: @irrelevantwriter @genevievedarcygranger @chamberofsloths @letsby @negans-network @annablack1102 @negansdirtygirl22 @rasa1945 @bodhi-black @flames-bring-a-ton-of-ash @namelesslosers @collette04 @mblaqgi @bishsposts @haleyea @ptite-shit @jamiekingofmen @ibelongtonegan @marriedtonegan @chloejanedecker1 @divadinag @dxloverpunk @tylersblurrylittleface

#negan x reader #the walking dead #negan fan fiction #the walking dead fan fiction #morgan jones #morgan jones x reader #negan #twd #twd fan fiction

[luxexhomines]

Can I request some headcanon of Ouma as a childhood friend?

Hello, you sure can! Thanks for the request ♡ I love Kokichi, but I feel like this came out a little differently than my usual headcanons do… They’re also kind of long. Oh well, take it anyway! Here you go~ Icon credit to drkinmemories!

Childhood Friend! Kokichi Ouma Headcanons

The two of you know each other inside out. He’s probably the person who understands you the most deeply, and the same goes for you understanding him. That’s why the two of you rely on each other a lot, to the point that sometimes past significant others have been suspicious of the special relationship the two of you share.

He likes to make full advantage of his understanding of you–to tease you, get you to do what he wants, and he gets up to all kinds of mischief around you. He knows exactly how to pull your strings or push your buttons, and while it can get incredibly frustrating and irritating, you appreciate his presence in your life nonetheless.

If you’re his childhood friend, there’s no way you went through your entire childhood without pulling at least one prank, whether willingly or not. If you’re a playful person, you probably pulled pranks with him all the time, and if you’re more a nervous type, you probably looked on worriedly as he selected his next unsuspecting victim and planned out his entire prank right in front of your eyes.

If you’re a nervous type, you probably have some leftover anxiety from watching him play pranks on other people and grandly escaping–or not escaping and being caught red-handed.

He has a special nickname for you and/or he likes to call you pet names in a teasing fashion. He thinks it’s funny when your s/o thinks that the relationship you and Kokichi share are not as innocent as it appears. You, on the other hand, don’t find it quite as amusing when your s/o confronts you about it and you have to reassure them for the tenth time that yes, the two of you are just childhood friends, and yes, Kokichi is just jerking their chain.

Even if the two of you fall out of touch for a while–whether it be weeks or years, the two of you reconnect rather effortlessly and your interaction is as smooth as if you just saw each other yesterday. There’s no awkwardness or transitioning involved.

When you need a shoulder to cry on, you can always rely on him. It’s easy, and he intuitively understands without you having to do extensive explaining or such, which would only drain you further when you’re already stressed or strained enough as-is.

However, Kokichi isn’t much for expressing his true emotions, even around you as his childhood friend. There are the rare occasions, but he doesn’t like to show himself in a vulnerable state, especially at his worst times so he won’t call you over for anything too big. He usually relies on you to get through more minorly tough patches and when he’s just feeling like he’s got a lot on his plate.

That’s why being his childhood friend has trained you well to read emotions through a variety of things–facial expression, body language, tone of voice, and your empathy is now also close to the level of a therapist, which allows you to analyze behaviors and better understand him. You’re determined to help him and let him rely on you, even if he is reluctant to do so because you know it’s toxic to keep all your emotions inside and much healthier to have good support.

He will support you in all your endeavors full-heartedly, even though he might not outwardly show it most of the time. He’ll tease you about it and prank you with nice things like rainbow glitter instead of a mysterious pink goop, although both aren’t easy to wash out of your hair and clothes.

If you’re engaging in something he determines to be toxic for you or a fruitless venture, then he will oppose you with subtleties; making comments that slide under your skin and vaguely, casually references it. If you continue along that path instead of stopping, he will confront you about it, and because you’re his dumb childhood friend, he will tell you the truth–and it won’t come out pretty at all. In fact, it’ll probably sound like the very last thing you’d like to hear. But it’s exactly what you need.

He’s rather protective of you, actually. Having spent this much time with you, he’s been able to assess your impact on him and the world around him, as well as your true, full worth. Although he recognizes your competence, he also recognizes the flawed nature of humans. If you stray from what is good for you, he will help you back to what’s right for you. Not that he thinks he knows better than you, necessarily, but he knows you can become blind to matters concerning yourself despite your hyper-awareness of anything involving himself.

The two of you might have your rough patches here and there, but it’s only expected of friends who have gone through so much together through thick and thin. In the end, the two of you always reconcile–albeit, 99.99% of the time you have to make the first step.

Honestly, having Kokichi as your childhood friend has prepared you for so much of the real world. The arbitrary nature of the world, seeing through lies, understanding the truth, and being tough enough to adapt and interact with people of all kinds. You’ve had to grow up a little faster with him around, even with how childish he tends to act even when the two of you are no longer children. That childishness does bring you back to your roots, though, and reminds you of what is truly important to you at heart.

#danganronpa imagines #ndrv3 imagines #drv3 imagines #kokichi ouma #ndrv3 #drv3 #ouma kokichi #imagines #danganronpa #dr imagines #dr #x reader #lux writes #luxexhomines #writing #Anonymous #anon #request

[angelspigeon]

Sun of Corona - Chapter 05

Another chapter, woot woot!!!

You still can read it on AO3!!  > |  °| <

Words: 3074

Corona was a beautiful world.

As beautiful as Radiant Garden… or maybe more beautiful because the nature was calling you. You could run everywhere and never stop being amazed by the beauty of what the World could give to you.

Obviously, letting two children in such atmosphere promised you to see them running all over, trying to climb a mountain because they had seen flowers on a little sill above a tree, or coming on their kness to see what was in this hole. Just roots or animals? Xion, more than Roxas, was still obsessed with her collection of sea shells and it would only grow but maybe she could get interested with something else here. Honestly, the stones were just beautiful.

Isa had showed doubt, still having the rules deeply indocrinate within him… Wasn’t it bad to arrive late at Rapunzel’s Birthday? You could guess, if Lea was invited, she knew he was her cousin and so wantes to see him? But Lea said it was okay… they had time, Rapunzel expected people to have fun and the most important pat was for tonight? What Isa could do except believing him and walking next to him.

He must admit it was quite strange to see Lea like that. He kept an eye over Xion and Roxas like a father and he seemed a bit more… mature.

Isa wished he could talk with him and ask him a million of different things, know what he felt, taking care of teenagers as children and not as friends. And how did he managed to pursue while one year? Did he really cried because of him? What was his job? What was his routine? What was his dreams now? Was he sure he still loved him?

He watched him in silence as they walked, approaching a large area of calm water.

If only he could break the ice, he did nothing since he had put on those clothes he had already when he was seventeen years old. He felt just a little too tight in this designer jacket  and pant but it was okay. He just wished he could find the words and make everything become like before… but before… what?

What should he try to reach? The only thing he managed to do was to press Lea to come around the big town, hence the reason they ended not so far away from the Feast thought it was still the nature and the children could play. But the teenagers seemed to want big adventure, without any risks as before. Maybe, he should have try to just fit? Say nothing, smile and comply… He was good for that.

Suddenly, Xion yelled.

Lea, who was looking Isa’s face under the warm light, and Isa himself both turned their head toward Xion. Her pink dress was now wet, drop shining over the petals of the fake flower adorning the chest in a Heart shape and in the off-shoulders thin strap holding everything in place.

“You’re gonna pay for it!” she screamed, happily, at Roxas.

And the second after, water splat in every sense, the two children laughing as their face, hairs and clothes got sprayed.

“Uh… Their clothes…” Isa said. “Don’t you think they should stop?” he asked to Lea.

Which walked toward them. “Come on, Xion, Roxas!” He approached the water as they looked toward them. A huge amount of water bounced in the air and fell over the teenager in a harsh and dense rain. “That’s how you do!”

Isa pressed his hand over his face while, in an unique and quick glance, Roxas and Xion switched their target. Water flew and hit Lea’s, making him as wet as them, if not even more.

The three of them laughed, splashing sound accompanying them as strange but soft echoes.

“Isa!”

On the shore, the freshly reconstructed Human got a little jump, not expecting to be called like that.

“Come help me!”

“Help you?” Isa repeated, lost.

A wave splashed on Lea, making him spat water. On the teenagers. Who replied with even more water.

“They’re trying to murder me! Do something!” Lea said. “Aaaaaaah!!” he added tragically.

And fell in the water.

Isa slid down the zipper of his jacket, knowing how much it was expensive and habits died hard, and fold it, putting it on a rock not really dirty before coming toward them.

“Ya wanna take your revenge?” Roxas asked with a smirk.

“That was the plan,” he said, walking toward them.

Lea raised up in the water, just in case. He loved Isa and wanted to believe he wouldn’t hurt those he loved, even if he had ressent against them. But who knows. He didn’t want the children to lose the little confidence he managed to gave them as the days passed. Three Hundred fifty and eight days exactly, in fact…

But suddenly, water splashed him and he hiccuped it.

Just there, in front of him, he had his two kiddos and the love of his life teaming up to splash him.

“Oh! Oh! I see!! I SEE!!! It’s going to be war then!!” he warned.

And has he said this, he sprayed water on them, forcing them to reply to it. They were three against one but he wasn’t the kind to let the situation split out his hands. He dodged a spray of water and counterattacked.

Only a few minutes was necessary for all of their clothes being completely and totally wet. Not talking about Lea’s hair being more straight than he would never be or Isa’s one. Especially because while the reconstruction of his body, they seemed to have take even more length.

In fact, Lea was able to know when he was launching himself in a lost battle.

This was a really lost battle.

But he could switch the tendency.

He jumped on them and hrabbed them to make them fell in the water, the biggest of the splash casting a soft rain over them.

As they were all in the water, Roxas jumped on his feet and pushed Lea over Isa. When the man fell on his lover, he let out a little laugh, blushing as Isa was trying to smile to him. He moved his hands, caressing his cheeks but Lea was the one who kissed him tenderly, not taking care about the water soaking them all.

Having this blessing feeling while they were kissing, having their Heart beating the same harmony, it was what they craved for since so long…

They lips couldn’t do anything than finding each other, finding their skin though there was a salty taste. Lea loved eating sweet-salt treats but there wa snothing better than the feeling to kiss this skin sparkled with sea water. And so, he didn’t miss the occasion to kiss the X-scar as if he could made him disappear. Isa looked him, caressing softly his nape, his fingers being  catch by the red locks. But he didn’t care, landing a kiss on his skin, his throat, as soon as he had the occasion.

“I’ve a bit of munnies left, do you want me to reserve you an inn?!”

Isa blushed when he heard Roxas’ voice and he pushed back Lea, clearing his throat. Lea got up and grabbed his hands to help him got up so they could go to the shore. Xion throw a shy smile to them. Especially to Isa.

“Let’s dry those clothes!” Lea said. “I saw a field up there, could be nice to be there while the clothes dry?” he offered.

“Yeah!! Xion! The last up there pay ice cream for everybody!” Roxas shouted before running.

Or did he started to run before the end of his sentence because…

“You’re cheating!” Xion yelled as she ran after him, water sprinkling around.

Isa looked at them, wringing his hairs, then to Lea. Steam was moving from him and Isa could easilu guess he was raising his own heat to dry faster.

“You’re doing good with them.”

“Ah? Thank you! I didn’t have the choice. It was like… adapt or they’ll die so, oops, I adapted.”

Isa smiled very slightly.

“They look happy.”

“I think they are,” he said before ajusting Isa’s hairpin in his still wet mane. Though, he hugged him to disperse more steam in the air. “I hope you’ll be happy soon too.”

Isa pressed his hand on his, brushing his finger. “I’m happy with you.”

Lea smiled and pressed a kiss on his lips.

“I’m happy with you too. Thank you for coming back!”

Isa kissed the inside of Lea’s palm with a tender smile. Lea passed his other arm around him and he lead him with the others. He needed to be sure everything was okay with them. Honestly, he believed if something had to happen, the one wanting to annoy them would be the one in trouble but… he had to be sure his babies would be okay.

He walked up with Isa and if the hill was really steep, it wasn’t that difficult, especially with such company. And, suddenly, it was easier to talk. Not necesseraly to important things but just talking… discovering what Lea did with the children, talking about what future can hold for them… talking as they did for years because being with the other and never running off subject of discussion was a soft part of the love…

When they arrived, Xion and Roxas were already playing, running after each other, trying to catch the other and if it was absolutely adorable to see, this beautiful scenery was helped by the landscape. It was as if a rainbow had rained its colors on this endless flower field. Wherever you looked, it was an eruption of pastels colors wore by flowers in every shape. The Sun was beaming in the petals sparkled by the droplets of water coming from the children and a million of rainbows were appearing for them.

“You’re here!”

Xion dashed toward Lea and jumped at his waist, hugging him. He smiled and ruffled her hairs.

“You’re here too!” he said, bumping his finger on her nose. “I’ve something for you!”

“For me?”

Isa moved away from Lea, letting them room.

“Look!”

Lea slid his hand in his pocket and took out a bunch of shiny seashells.

“Ooooooooh!!!” Xion let out with a little squeak.

She looked them with stars in her eyes, loving the shape and the colors. She certainly could have pick them up by herself but they were even more precious now that it was coming from Lea.

“Thank you, daddy!!!!” she said, before hugging him.

Isa almost chocked out. While it was normal he didn’t expect that but… Lea seemed so happy. He could only smile.

“Roxas, look!”

Xion didn’t let go on Lea, just moving her hand to her brother so he could come see the shiny seashells.

“That’s so neat! They will look great for your collection.”

“They will!! I need the best place for them!”

“Sure you need it! But every of your seashells got the best place until now,” Lea laughed.

“True! It’s thank to you!” she smiled.

Lea tried to be a good  father, to be strict when it was needed but joyful and supportive most of the time, offering treat and saying ‘congratulation’ each time they come back with neat grades but he couldn’t prevent himself to pamper them with presents. He had the money for it and he didn’t want them to crave too much. So Roxas had skateboard and struggle’s staff and Xion had boxes and boxes for her seashells. She had tried to have a poney, though, and still hadn’t got the chance to make him yield. Even when her and Roxas found one abandonned poney. Strangely, that day, he almost accepted them to have a kitten if that could let them forget the poney they loved already so much.

Fortunately, Lea didn’t have to adopt a poney, though he agreed of the fact if he could travel on a horse, that would be awesome.

Eh, maybe he would ask his cousine if the children could play with Maximus? They were her kind of nephews after all! And they get along with her the day of the wedding.

That was one of those things he wanted to tell Isa. He would love to hear those stories. But if they were meant to pass the eternity together, and of course they will, he had time for it.

Glancing on the side, Roxas saw Isa looking the flowers, his fingers brushing the petals, and while Xion was talking to Lea, who helped her to dry a little faster, he approached him. A smile appeared in his lips when he saw the man pick up a red flower and roll the stem around his fingers.

Not any finger…

The one that didn’t have any ring since the day he died as a Nobody… The ghost feeling on the ring around his finger was awful because if he knew Lea loved him, it was as if he had broken the most important promise of his life.

“How many time do you plan to stay with us?” Roxas asked, landing next to him.

Isa turned his face toward him.

“As long as possible…”

Isa stopped himself from saying ‘if you agree’ because he was afraid Roxas push him back. He would be in his right, thought… This was possibly wrong of doing that but if he didn’t let the possibility to Roxas, he could stay with Lea? Lea accepted him and he was so glad for that but if he was pushed away from him…

“I see,” Roxas replied with a smile. “I know what you did for us, for Xion and I, I mean, and maybe even for Axel? I’m gonna say you something…”

“I know,” Isa cut short thought it was out of politess. “If I hurt Xion or Lea, I will regret it.”

“Obviously,” Roxas said back.

A sound echoed and both looked to the side and saw Lea, Xion on his back, who just took a picture with his Gummiphone.

“Oops! I didn’t want to disturb you! But you were so cute!”

“I think he heard absolutely nothing,” Roxas let out in a low voice.

Isa replied with a slight smile, because honestly that was what he preferred, and heard another sound.

“Are you done?” he asked.

“Noooo!!! It’s the perfect light and the perfect subject!”

With his phone he took a picture of him and Xion.

“With a s!!” he added. “This place is absolutely beautiful!!! Let me take a lot of pics please! I want to have y’all just with me as soon as I want it!” he said.

This soft statement looked quite bittersweet to Isa but he did his best to just smile so Lea could have a lot of pictures and keep his Heart warm.

“Wait! I can turn the pics even more awesome!” Xion said.

She jumped on the floor and let herself roll in the flowers before picking them up. As Lea was taking more and more pictures, and Isa swore it was the same again and again because he didn’t move, Xion started to do beautiful crown. A red for Isa, a blue for Lea and a pink for Roxas while she was going for something whiter for her.

While she was doing it, Lea had a lot of occasion to do awesome pictures. Either when Roxas asked Isa what kind of flowers was one or else or when Isa picked up the flowers Xion asked him. But his favorite one where just Isa. Every little things he could do what a blessing for his Gummiphone.

Xion just had put the red crown flower on Isa’s head, who was quite stiff when she did but let her do anyway, when he grabbed Lea’s wrist.

“Come,” he said. “I’ve an idea for a good photo for you,” he said. And he sealed those words with a kiss.

It would have been a beautiful photography, of course, but Lea was too busy enjoying the kiss to take it.

“Hmmm… we will have to kiss again if we want to succeed this pic’!” he smiled.

“I’m sure you did it on purpose,” Isa snickered.

“I swear I’m innocent!! Buuut I’m always up for more kisses!” he laughed.

Isa kissed him quickly, still a bit uneasy in public, even if it was his boyfriend… children.

“Give me that!” Roxas said.

He got up and grabbed the Gummiphone to take the pic himself. Isa was grateful but he didn’t say it, mostly because he received another tender kiss and just a few second, he allowed himself to enjoy it. Just a few second before pushing him back, though offering him a slight smile.

“So… uh… you wanted to know what was that?” he asked to Roxas, moving his finger toward a steem covered by tiny fluffy seed.

Roxas let out a laugh. “Yay, I totally know that’s a dandelion but if ya wanna breath you can also just hit him in the calf!” he snickered.

He picked up the dandelion to give it to Isa. Which mechanically thanked him.

The area was filled with so different flower you wouldn’t even expect next to each other. In fact, the dandelions all came from a little slope, just next to them and this one was a little one trying to reach this field so colored. When the dandelions were still yellow, it must be absolutely pretty to see them but… Isa blew on the little seed, making them fly in the so colored field.

A smile appeared in his lips.

“It’s beautiful…” he whispered in front of this freedom flying in the breeze.

“It is!” Xion said as she placed Roxas’ crown on his head.

Roxas who just nodded and accepted the present.

Lea jumped on his feet and summoned his Keyblade.

“Lea?”

The second after, he casted a spell and seeds flew around, spreading in the air in all directions like a floral constellation.

Xion let out a laugh and looked them all, blowing on the seed trying to fall on them, Roxas himself had to move so back but was clearly pleased too. And Isa was wearing the most beautiful smile Lea had seen on his face since way too long.

He would never thank enough the magic of the Keyblade. Wielding it was worth it.

Just for that.

#It's on ao3 #Fanfiction #Akusai #Leaisa #Kingdom Hearts #KH #Corona #Lea #Isa #Roxas #Xion #Flowers #Tenderness #Sea salt family #Sea salt fam #Lea KH #Isa KH