#i had dominos the other day and nearly cried from happiness

[etchedstars]

words cannot describe how much i want to just. make my own food

#i need to scramble an egg i need to put paprika on salmon and bake it i need to put a tray of cookies in the oven #this food is ass and i hate eating it bro this SUCKS #goddamn. #i miss food #i had dominos the other day and nearly cried from happiness #not bc it was good just bc it wasnt caf food #the overdue asteroid strikes again #overdue's [redacted writing program] shenanigans

[simplee-dreaming]

It's Been a Bad Week

A/N: This was requested by an anon. Sorry it's not the longest but I really hope it's okay.

Word count: 1201

Summary: The reader has a bad week so Yelena tries cheering her up.

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

“Left, right, left, right, left, right, left, right, left, right,” Yelena directed as you hit the punchbag with your gloved hands.

“And again, left, right…” she continued. Yelena had been your mentor for nearly 6 months and she had watched your skills develop greatly over time. But you had fallen a bit behind in the past week, your mind wasn’t elsewhere when you were trying to train. It was like a domino effect of bad things happening to you during the week and you didn’t have time to concentrate on anything else. Your mind went wandering again to everything that had made you mad and you punched harder and harder.

“Y/N. Y/N. Y/N!” Yelena almost yelled, snapping you back to reality.

“You cannot punch the life out of a punchbag,” she said. You dropped your head and sighed.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Nothing, it’s nothing.” You replied.

“Well it’s clearly something, you’ve hardly talked today and you normally can’t shut up,” she said.

“Like I said, it’s nothing. I think I’m done for the day.” You said, but before she could protest, you had already made your way out of the gym.

The next day you arrived early at the gym, a good couple of hours before you were meant to train with Yelena. You wrapped up your hands and started punching the bag again. Your mind wandered once more as you punched harder and harder. You didn’t realise how hard you were punching until you swung a right hook onto the bag and felt a sharp pain in your hand.

“Ah! Shit!” You cried. You took off the wrap and inspected your hand, it was clearly bruised but nothing serious.

“Motherfucker,” you grunted, giving the punchbag a kick. You let out a yell of annoyance and paced around the room.

“Whoa whoa whoa what’s wrong?” said Yelena, walking into the room.

“Nothing,” you grunted, still pacing and shaking your hand.

“What the hell have you done?” She asked, approaching you.

“I said, nothing,” you replied. She went to grab your hand and you pulled away.

“Let me look,” she demanded.

“No, it’s fine,” you said.

“Let me look,” she repeated, a more serious tone in her voice. She went to grab your hand again and you pulled back more violently.

“I said it’s fine!” You yelled.

“Clearly it’s not. Let me help,” she said.

“No.”

“It’ll just get worse if I don’t see to it.”

“Whatever,” you replied. You turned on your heel to leave but she grabbed you by the arm.

“Let me go!” You protested.

“Show me your hand,” she demanded. You let out a loud sigh and held your hand out. She took it gently and inspected the bruise. She felt around for any other injuries.

“You’ve just bruised the surface. It’s fine, but maybe don’t use this hand for the next day or two.” She said, you sighed again.

“I can’t do anything right,” you mumbled.

“What are you talking about?” She asked.

“Nothing,” you replied.

“If you say nothing one more time I will put your head through the window,” she said.

“Might as well,” you scoffed. Yelena huffed and dragged you down to the mat.

“We’re going to sit here until you tell me what’s wrong.” She said, sternly.

“I’ve just had a bad week, that’s all.” You mumbled.

“What’s happened?” she asked. You sighed.

“My sister is in hospital, my partner broke up with me, my parents are on the brink of divorce and I am fully ready to throw myself out of the window if you won’t.” You said.

“Y/N...are you okay?” She asked. You stayed silent.

“Y/N?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just needed to get my anger out.”

“By trying to break my punch bag and instead breaking yourself?” She said. You tilted your head at her.

“I didn’t mean to,” you huffed.

“Yes I know, it’s called being humorous. Are you okay though?” She repeated.

“I’m fine.” You whispered, hanging your head again.

Yelena sighed then suddenly jumped to her feet.

“Right, no time for moping anymore, I’m going to show you some self-defense moves to take your mind off it all,” she said. You nodded slowly and stood up next to her.

She taught you a couple of moves, each time she would demonstrate and you would copy. She was so good at teaching that you were able to finally concentrate again.

“Okay, let’s go over it one more time,” she said. She stood behind you and pinned both of your arms to your chest. “Now, how would you get out of this?”

Ou twisted under yourself and tripped her leg so she fell and you were freed.

“Very good. Now let’s try that same move again, but this time I’ll make it a bit harder,”

She moved behind you again and held a tighter grip on your arms, pinning them to your chest.

“Now, what would you do if your attack did this?” She asked. She then moved her free hand up and started squeezing your side. You instantly squealed and tried to twist but she held you firmly.

“Hehehey, stop that!” You giggled, but she just squeezed more rapidly. You tried to twist and turn but eventually your knees gave way and you sank to the floor. Yelena quickly sat on your waist and squeezed both of your sides. You tried to push her hands away but you were too weak.

“YEHEHELENA PLEASE!” You cried.

“You need a good laugh,” she said before spidering her fingers all over your stomach. You tried to bat her hands away but she just pinned them to your chest with one hand and used her free hand to attack your tummy.

“NO!” You screamed, you fought so much that you finally got your hands free from her grip...but she only took that as an opportunity to shove her hands under your arms.

“AHAHAHAHA NOHOT THERE!” You cried, your laughter now a lot louder than before.

“Oh, did I find your weak spot? God forbid an enemy finding out about this, however would you cope?” She teased, picking up the speed in your armpits.

“NOHO ONE WILL KNOHOHOW!” You shrieked.

“Oh is that so? They better not, otherwise we can’t send someone as ticklish as you out on the field, can we?”

“I SWEHEAR!”

“Aww, this is the Y/N I know. The ever so ticklish Y/N, all happy and laughing,” She teased again, you went bright red.

“PLEHEASE AHAHAHAHA STOHOHOP!” You screamed. She was still tickling deep into your armpits and decided to bend down and blow raspberry after raspberry on your tummy until you fell into silent laughter.

She laughed with you then stopped. You breathed quickly to catch your breath, she was still sat on your waist.

“Are you okay now?” She asked. You breathed out a yes.

“Good, I think we’re done for today anyway, you deserve a break. Let’s go and watch Nat attempt her “fighting pose”. She is such a poser.” Yelena said, getting off of you and giving you a hand up. She gently squeezed your shoulder and you smiled at her as you both left the room.

#tickle fic #ler!yelena belova #lee!reader

[snothing]

Request: Drabble in which Jake looks through some old stuff and finds a rather odd yet captivating item: a red tunic with a green scaly leotard, a black-yellow on its right side, a black domino mask, green gloves and finally green pixie boots. he decides to try the suit on

I want to apologize for how long this took! I’ve been so busy with school, and I made this way longer and convoluted than necessary. It’s definitely not a drabble anymore, and I added a lot of sibling banter, lol, I can’t resist. This was so much fun to make, I had so many ideas. Thank you so much for being patient, and I hope you enjoy! 

I decided to deviate from my universe, while keeping some old things. Mar’i and Jake are still twins, and Mar’i can turn invisible.

"Go away, Jaki! This is my hiding spot!" Mar'i whispered-hissed at her brother. She glared at him through a jungle of coats and umbrellas in the armoire, her mouth in a tight frown.

"Oh, come on, Mar'i!" Jake cried. With a flair for the dramatic, he threw his hands up in the air. Of course, his annoying sister would take his favorite, top-secret hiding spot!

"Shhh!" she snapped, finger to her lips. Pink eyes flashed brightly at him. "Would you be quiet? Do you want Dad to find us?"

He pursed his lips and looked down the hall. Pretty soon, his dad would be done counting and be searching for them. Still, a great wrong had been committed in the eyes of Jake. "You took my hiding spot! Get out!" he seethed, just a decibel lower.

"Nuh-uh, it's not your hiding spot!" Mar'i shot back. "You don't own it!"

Jake smirked cockily and pointed a finger past her. "Uh, yeah, Mar'i, I do." 

A deep, unamused frown settled on Mar'i's face as she noticed— in bright cerulean blue crayon— the word "Jake" hastily scribbled on the panel. "That means nothing! You don't own everything you put your name on."

He silently raged. "How am I not surprised a heathen like you-"

"-Heathen?! I watched you squirt an entire can of Easy Cheese in your mouth!"

"That was a long time ago. I’m a different man now."

"It was last week!"

"As I said, a long time ago," he retorted drolly. "Anyway, as I was saying— only heathens don't respect the sacred rules of hide-and-seek!"

"You're so ridiculous," she sighed, exhausted. "You act like I broke the law."

"Well, you might as well have. I'm hurt, Mar'i, really I am. I never thought you'd betray me like this. My own flesh and blood— my wombmate--"

"Ew, don't call me that!"

He clasped his hands together. "I think the only way to solve this and mend our broken relationship is for you to leave and find a new hiding spot."

Mar'i stared blankly at him. Jake was her favorite person in the entire universe, but there were times where she wanted to slap him. "I'm not leaving, Jaki."

"By the love of X'hal, you can turn invisible!" he argued.

"So? Dad's using heat-sensing goggles this time."

"Mar'i!"

"Hey, babe," their father's voice filtered in from downstairs. They stilled, eyes wide and locked on each other. 

"Hello, my love. Are you looking for something?" they heard their mother ask him. 

"Oh you know, just for two half-human, half-alien eight-year-olds? Have you seen them? They're like yay-high, black hair with orange skin? Got glowing green eyes?"

"Oh," Kory chuckled. "I think I know the two. Say, are they dangerous?"

"Very. The little rascals will eat all your cereal and blame it on an innocent larva."

"My, they sound like quite the dastardly duo," she mused. "I believe I saw them go upstairs. Please, proceed with caution."

Dick let out a laugh. "Don't worry, babe. I think I'm well-equipped to handle them; Batman raised me after all."

Mar'i snapped back her attention to Jake, panicked. "Go away, Jaki!" she nearly growled. 

"But-" he tried to argue, but her hand shot out and closed the armoire door, effectively ending their discussion. 

Frantic, Jake looked around for a new hiding spot. Under his bed? No, there was a monster. Behind the house plants? Nope, too obvious. In the air vent? Nah, he'd get stuck again. Finally, his eyes found the inconspicuous attic door. 

He was like 90% sure it was haunted. Uncle Jay showed him and Mar'i a horror movie once, and he learned that attics were prime real estate for ghosts and couldn't be trusted. 

But...

It would probably be a great hiding spot. His dad wouldn't expect it. 

The creaking of the stairs interrupted his thoughts and effectively ended his inner turmoil. He dashed to the attic door and braved the darkroom. 

"Oh wow," he said, looking around. The room was cramped, littered with boxes and other knickknacks. Moonlight filtered in through the port window. "Okay, ghosts, listen. I don't mean to trespass or anything. I just need a place to hide from my dad, alright? So no possessing me, okay? I'll only be here for a couple of minutes."

Slowly, he made his way through the clutter, hoping to find a nice nook to squeeze in. A thick layer of dust coated everything in the room, and it was not long before he started hacking. It was then that his left foot hit a meddlesome snag in the carpet, causing him to plummet down on a pile of boxes. 

He let out a rather undignified squeak when his knee slammed into the ground. A flurry of Tamaranean curse words left his mouth; thank heavens, his mom was not around to hear him. "Stupid ghosts!" Jake spat. The crash was loud. His dad knew where he was now. "And stupid Mar'i for making me hide in this stupid, haunted attic!"

He went to glare at the confounding boxes, but he halted when he saw something interesting. His ire vanished, his head cocked slightly. He pulled himself up from the ground and went to analyze the contents of the fallen box closer, his hand alit with a low-energy starbolt.

Inside the unsuspecting box was a brightly colored uniform. Jake's eyes widened the size of saucers. Could this be? There was no way. But sure enough, he found the iconic scaly leotard and black domino mask. Yep, this was his father's old Robin uniform. 

He stared at the red tunic with the utmost reverence; his thumb traced the R. Jake was so absorbed in the costume he failed to notice his sister hovering over him. 

"Whatcha got there, Jaki?" she asked curiously, face inches from his.

He let out a squeal and jumped several feet in the air. He snarled, eyes ablaze in a blue fury. "Mar'i! Don't do that!"

She snickered, an eyebrow raised. "It's not my fault you're not observant."

"I was in stealth mode," he said defensively. He crossed his arms. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be hiding in my hiding spot?"

She shrugged. "Dad found me pretty quick, so I decided to come to bother you."

Jake was surprised. "Wait, do you mean he didn't hear me fall?"

"Nah, I told him you were being a cheater and hiding outside. Thankfully, you decided to be a klutz after he left," she informed him. She frowned when she noticed the betrayed look on his face. "What? I thought you'd be happy I saved you!"

"I think it's funny you pick and choose when to be a loyal sister."

She smiled. "Gotta keep you on your toes, Jaki. Now, what's that?"

Jake followed her pointed look at the costume. He showed her excitedly. "I think it's Dad's old Robin costume!"

Green eyes rounded. "What? No way!"

"Yes, way!" he dazzled. "Look at the insignia!"

"Whoa," she breathed. She fingered the black-yellow cape gingerly. Her head snapped up. "Come on, put it on!"

"W-what?" He gave her a bemused look. 

"I know you want to," she said wryly. She held up the tunic and pushed it towards her brother. "I bet you'd look just like dad."

"Yeah, but..." he trailed off. Honestly, he did not need much convincing. Jake had seen pictures of his dad in his early crimefighting days, but a thought stopped him. "I don't know, Mar'i..."

"Why not?"

"Well, Damian's Robin."

"And?"

"And I don't want to-- I don't know. I guess I don't want to send the wrong message," Jake answered. He sighed somberly. "Besides, it's not like I could ever be Robin anyway. I'm weird."

"What the heck?" Mar'i spluttered. "You think you can't be Robin because you have powers?"

"Robins don't have powers, Mar'i," he said, dejected. "They don't fly or shoot starbolts."

She snorted. She scooted closer to her twin, looking at him intently. "And? Anyone with a brave heart can be Robin, and as I can see, you have one."

"But-"

"No buts, Jaki," she cut him off. Mar'i was not going to allow her brother to put himself down. "I like you just the way you are. I think shooting starbolts and flying is super neat!"

"You're biased," he chuckled. Mar'i's words instantly made him feel better, though. 

Her mouth blossomed into a silly grin. "Well, yeah, duh. I know if I'm awesome, you have to be. Now, put it on!"

"Okay, but turn around. I need privacy!"

"Yay!" she piped before spinning around. Her arms and legs tingled with excitement.  

"Okay, I think I'm ready now," he told her, a bit apprehensive.

Mar'i whipped around, nearly knocking Jake down in the process. She almost burst out in awe when she saw him there, proudly donning their father's uniform. "Wow, Jaki! It looks so good on you!"

He flushed. His eyes, now concealed by a domino mask, peeked down at his body. It had been a bit awkward in some places; Jake did not care for his legs being so exposed, but otherwise, it fit like a glove. "Really?" he asked, swooshing his cape back and forth.

Her head bobbed up and down. "You look just like Dad when he was young!"

"What do you mean by that, Mar'i? I'm still young!" 

Jake and Mar'i were startled by the voice. They spun around in the direction of the attic door and spotted their dad: the first-ever Boy Wonder and best pancake-maker-this-side-of-the-galaxy-- Dick Grayson. 

"Dad!" the siblings exclaimed in perfect unison. 

Dick chuckled. "And what are you two glowsticks doing in the attic? I thought we were playing hide and-"

He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Jake. His eyes widened as they absorbed, his mouth agape.

Jake panicked, and shame surged through him. "I'm sorry, Dad!" he said hastily. "I-I was just hiding upstairs a-and I fell a-and I found your old costume!"

"Jake-"

"A-and I knew I shouldn't have, b-but Mar'i said I should-"

Jake paused when he felt his father's hand on his shoulders. He looked up and met his father's loving gaze. "Jake, calm down," Dick comforted. "It's okay."

Jake swallowed. "You're not mad?"

"No, of course not, son," he responded, genuine. 

"Doesn't he look cool, Dad?" Mar'i piped up, a goofy grin on her face. 

Dick smiled tenderly and moved his hand to caress Jake's face. He could not have predicted what seeing his son wear his old Robin uniform would do to him. His heart soared with love and pride. 

"Yes, Mar'i, he looks pretty cool," he agreed. 

Jake beamed and matched his sister's goofy grin. He thought his dad would be mad at him, but thankfully, he was the furthest from mad. 

"But don't think this means you can go out crimefighting," Dick added quickly.

"Aww, Dad!" Jake whined.

Dick wagged his finger at him. "Don't 'aww, Dad' me! You may have the look, but you're not old enough."

Jake pouted. "I'm not a baby anymore, Dad!"

"Aww, but you're still my baby.” He gave Jake a quick kiss to the temple. “Now, come on, you two. Mom made dinner, and I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she sees you."

"Did she burn the food again?" Mar'i grimaced. She loved her mother dearly, but she was not the most adept in the kitchen.

"Yeah, I don't know if I can eat burnt lasagna again, Dad."

"Now, now, glowsticks. Mom spent all day working on this meal!" Dick assured them. He escorted them out of the attic. "It's a dish from Tamaran. I'm sure it'll be wonderful."

Mar'i whispered to her brother, "I like when Mom cooks. We always get McDonald's afterward."

"Or food poisoning."

#dick grayson #DickKory #mar’i grayson #fanfic #drabble #Headcanon #Teen Titans #starfire #koriand'r #fanfiction #jake grayson #jake and mar'i are twins

[eyayah-oya]

To Hold You Close Again

Clone Ship Week | Day 5 | Reunion | @cloneshipweek

Fives/Echo

Rating: G

Warnings: none

Ao3 link

           Fives wasn’t sure what to think when Healer Knight Eerin (as she demanded she be called instead of General since he refused to call her Bant) told him that he was needed in the hangar by mid-morning. When he’d asked about it, Knight Eerin just shrugged her shoulders and blinked her big, luminous eyes at him.

           “It’s the will of the Force,” she’d said, much to Fives’s annoyance.

           “Karking Force osik,” he grumbled as he made his way through the mess and clutter of the hangar.  Far too many ships needed repairs after the toll the war had taken on the Temple’s fleet.  He swore extra loud when he stubbed his toe on a stray metal part, only stuttering to a halt when he noticed the youngling (Initiate??  Small child.) standing nearby, staring at him with wide eyes. He apologized and shuffled awkwardly over to the landing pad.  Maybe this was where he was supposed to go?

           Fives was still on light duty, otherwise he would gladly be out there helping his brothers clean up after the war.  But he’d taken a blaster bolt to his chest and actually died on the warehouse floor before General Skywalker had done something with the Force and restarted his heart.  He’d been taken to the Halls of Healing and placed in a healing trance for two weeks in the same room as Tup.  But Tup had been discharged two days ago, free from the fear of the Kaminoans trying to dissect him, leaving Fives alone in his recuperation.  Fives had only been released from constant bed-rest last week, and he was not going to push his luck with the Jedi Healers by pushing himself past his limits.

           Still, Fives had absolutely no idea why Knight Eerin had decided to send him on a wild-wampa chase in the hangar of all places.  Maybe some brothers wanted to talk to him?  Or a group of padawans or younglings?  Or maybe he needed to brief a commander from the far fronts of the war on the chips and help them implement a schedule to remove all of them from his troopers’ heads.

           A ship swooped down dangerously and landed on the pad it was directed to.  If Fives wasn’t absolutely positive that General Skywalker wasn’t off playing house with Senator Amidala all day, he’d say that the ship was some hunk of junk the General had found and decided to fly to the Temple.  When a team of Healers practically flew past him towards the incoming ship, only then did Fives wander over to observe.  He was curious who had returned and what kind of injuries would require the presence of half the Temple’s Healers.

           Knight Eerin waved at him as she readied a stretcher. Her smile was tight with worry, but no less genuine towards Fives.  She was nice like that.  (And she told the best stories about Generals Kenobi, Vos, Unduli, Fisto, and a few other Jedi.)

           Making sure to stay out of the way, Fives leaned against the wall as the ramp lowered.  Rex, Jesse, and another vod Fives didn’t know (at least, he assumed they were vod’e since they wore clone armor) rushed out with Commander Cody laid out on a stretcher between them.  Rex talked quietly with Master Che, likely explaining what injured Cody to the point that he’d need to stay in the Jedi Temple to heal.

           Fives pushed off from the wall and walked towards the group, ready to ask how he could help.  He was nearly to Rex, when Kix started walking down the ramp, his arm around a vod who had three missing limbs and far too much metal attached to their body. Fives froze mid-stride, eyes wide and unbelieving as he stared at the vod.

           It had been nearly a year since he’d last seen Echo, but he knew his riduur’s body better than his own.  The old scar slashed across their ribs was from Kamino when Cutup fell off his pod and took Echo down with him.  The blaster wound on their hip bone was from their first mission with the 501st on Felucia.  More than the scars, however, Fives recognized Echo’s eyes, a warm brown that always seemed to be glinting with joy or love or mischief.

           “Echo?”

           The name tore from Fives’s lips like a prayer to the Force. It was barely loud enough for Fives to hear, let alone anyone else in the loud hangar, but something must have alerted the vod, because their head jerked up to look directly at Fives.

           “Wha—Echo!  What are you—oh,” Kix stuttered when Echo pushed away from him to hobble down the ramp towards Fives.

           Oh Ka’ra, it really was them.  Fives stumbled forward until he stood at the bottom of the ramp, staring as his riduur stumbled awkwardly towards him.  As desperately as Fives wanted to tackle Echo in a hug right there, the pale skin, sunken stomach, prostheses, and other bits of metal stopped him.  Instead, he waited for Echo to come to him.

           “Fives!” Echo sobbed and threw themself at Fives, who gladly caught them and pulled them close.

Every thought and worry about Echo’s condition flew out of Fives’s mind and was replaced by the euphoria of being able to actually hold them in his arms again. He’d never expected to see his riduur, his sweet cyare, again in this life, but they were alive!  Echo was alive!

           “Echo!” Fives sobbed, pressing his face tight against his riduur’s shoulder.  “I thought you were gone!  I thought you died!  How are you here?”

           Echo only gave a shuddering cry against Fives’s shoulder. Their legs crumpled beneath them, and Fives carefully lowered them to the floor, terrified that he’d somehow hurt his riduur more by moving too fast or gripping too hard.  It was only once he was seated on the cold hangar floor with Echo in his lap, did Five realize that he was crying too.

           “Echo—Echo—Echo—Echo!” He chanted his cyare’s name, unable to fully express everything he was feeling.  Fives was horrified to realize that he’d left his riduur—his living riduur—on Lola Sayu to the mercy of the Separatists. They’d been captured, Fives had no doubt, and forced to endure unimaginable horrors.  And he hadn’t even thought to look for Echo.  He just assumed they were dead.  But Echo was alive!  Fives actually got to hold his riduur in his arms again, could feel the way their chest expanded with every breath and the beat of their heart.  Echo was alive and Fives didn’t have to live without them again.

           He was thoroughly content enough to just sit on the floor of the hangar and never let Echo go, but Echo had different plans.  They pulled back just enough to slot their lips together in a wet, desperate kiss.  Their tears mingled, and Fives could taste the salt with every shift of his lips against theirs.  His nose was running—it always did when he cried—and Echo’s metal implants were digging into some very uncomfortable bits, which was sure to leave some interesting bruises.  Echo’s skin was cold to the touch, and he could feel every bone in their body instead of the gorgeous expanse of muscle they used to have.  Fives was struggling to breath steadily, still not entirely healed from his run-in with the Coruscant Guard and he kept having to break away to breathe deeply.

           He wouldn’t change a single thing about it.

           It was the perfect kiss.  It said “hello” and “I missed you” and “I love you, never leave me again”.  Every desperate press of their lips and hitched sob told tales of heartache and aching loneliness they’d both suffered while apart.  Every caress and tight squeeze spoke volumes of how they needed each other, how happy they were to see each other again.

           Eventually, the kisses shifted from open-mouthed, desperation to soft brushes of their lips.  Fives held Echo close, their foreheads pressing together and their noses brushing with ever minute shift of their bodies.

           “I’m so sorry,” Fives whispered.  “I should have gone back for you.  I should have looked for you.”

           Echo shook their head.  “No, it’s not your fault.  You couldn’t have known I was still alive.  I didn’t even think I was still alive when they took me.  You are not allowed to blame yourself for what happened to me, just like I can’t blame myself for not being there to protect you.”

           Fives laughed quietly and desperately, though there wasn’t anything funny about what Echo said.  The pure relief, the horrors of the last year of the war, his own close brush with death all bubbled out of him in the only way it could since he’d already sobbed most of his tears onto Echo’s shoulder.  It took far too long for him to compose himself, helped by Echo’s soothing promises and words of comfort.  They carded their fingers through his hair while their other limb pulled Fives closer. The laughter turned to hitching dry sobs, and then tiny whimpers.

           With a sniff, Fives drew back and looked Echo in the eye, holding their hand and prosthetic gently.

           “I love you,” Fives said with the same kind of unshakeable certainty he’d had the very first time he’d admitted his feelings for Echo. “I love you so much, Eyayah.  Don’t leave me ever again.  You’re not allowed to leave me ever again.”

           Echo chuckled wetly and leaned against Fives’s shoulder again.  They looked exhausted and pained.  They also looked content for the first time since they’d been pulled out of the cryogenic chamber.  Echo pressed a kiss to Fives’s collarbone and vowed, “I’m not planning on it. Darasuum.”

           “Darasuum,” Fives echoed.

           A throat cleared, and Fives jerked his head up to see Rex standing in front of them, smiling fondly down at the two (Two! Not one!) Dominos.  “We need to take Echo to the Halls of Healing, and Knight Eerin says you need to get back to your bed, too.  Master Che also wanted me to inform you that Echo will be put in your room, since you “won’t realize he has karking limits now and will injure himself by being an idiot and trying to sneak into the other one’s room”.  That’s a direct quote, if you’re wondering.”

           Fives laughed.  “Sounds about right,” he readily admitted.  Rex and Kix helped Fives and Echo climb to their feet and walk over to a hoverchair that would take Echo to the Halls of Healing.  Fives refused to let go of his riduur’s hand for one second (which might have made things a little more difficult for Kix since Echo only had one hand ((What the hell happened to Echo?)) and half an arm).

           Before Kix could start herding them off to get checked over, Rex pulled both Fives and Echo into a soft keldabe each.  “I’m really happy for you both,” he murmured, clapped them both on their shoulders, and then went back to talk to those strange vod’e.

           Master Che and Knight Eerin figured that Echo would need several surgeries to remove all the apparatuses in their body, as well as new prostheses.  It would be a long recovery, but Fives didn’t mind in the slightest.  He would support Echo in every way he could, through rough physical therapy, countless surgeries, and awful PTSD.  He would gladly help them with it all with a simple joy that Echo was alive.

           Over the coming months, the Separatists officially surrendered and the treaties all signed, the clones were given their rights, and they now had a planet they could colonize themselves.  As amazing as each of those things were, none of them filled Fives with the exquisite joy of being able to hold his riduur again. They’d get to live a happy life together and that was all that truly mattered.

#clone/clone #clone shipping #fives/echo #echo5 #they all live #no one dies #arc trooper echo #arc trooper fives #clone trooper echo #clone trooper fives #cloneshipweek2021 #day 5 | reunion

[animedaddymilkers]

Kinkmas 2020: Day 22

Prompt: Clones w/ Naruto

Genre: Smut/18+ || Tags: Gangbang, Oral(G&R), Double Penetration, Thigh Fucking, Boob Job || Characters: Naruto Uzumaki x4, Female Reader || read it on ao3 here

"Man, I wish had more of me to eat this with."

"I wish I had more of you to eat me with, too."

Your blond boyfriend looked up from the plethora of full bowls in front of him, a look of utter confusion on his face, "Huh?"

How a man could be so perverted yet so innocently naive was beyond anything you could fathom, "Nothing, don't worry about it."

Naruto nodded and went about eating again, though the silence that fell over you two told you he was deep in thought about the comment you made. It didn't bother you, simply eating your own dish and letting him mull it over. After a few minutes of the gears turning in his head, you wondered if he'd have to go ask Kakashi what you meant later. You were in the middle of taking another bite when his hand slammed down and he gasped in recognition. Ah, there it is. He looked at you, finally understanding before his cheeks reddened quickly after.

"You- You really want that, (Y/N)?" His voice was more of a whisper, even though you two were alone, in your shared house.

"I'm not entirely opposed to the idea."

"Oh man, I can so make that happen, believe it, babe!"

Now, he was horny pervert mode, already producing three shadow clones to surround him. You put your chopsticks down at the sight, more than ready to get rawed by your dumb boyfriend and his clones. They were on you instantly, one kissing your neck, one playing with your chest, another kneeling in front of you, and the real Naruto claiming your lips. A soft moan left your mouth as you kissed him, all the hands on your body a bit overwhelming. Before you knew it your bottom half was bare and an over-eager clone was licking at your folds like it was his job. And considering the way he was eating you out, you thought maybe he just did deserve to be paid for this. Your top was soon bare as well, leaving you completely naked at the kitchen table, a clone attached to each one of your tits.

Before you could come on the clone's mouth you felt yourself be plucked into the air by several hands. They carried you into the bedroom, barely able to stop groping you and then you were tossed gently onto the bed. Another clone had you straddling his face while the other two reattached to your tits. Naruto stood in front of you and your mouth watered, quickly pushing his pants down past his knees. The thick cock that popped out of his boxers was begging to be sucked and you were more than happy to oblige. You took his length into your mouth, teasing the underside with your tongue. Already he muttered out a cuss word, holding the back of your head gently. The mouth underneath you thrust their tongue into you, fingers rubbing your clit roughly. Being so close in the kitchen left you worked up and it was no surprise that you were cumming on his face in no time. Meanwhile, you were pushing your nose into the slight gathering of hair at the base of his cock.

With a groan, he pulled out of your mouth, quickly being replaced by another cock. Naruto moved the clone from under you away and he pushed his dick into your pussy from behind. You sucked the cock in your mouth, moaning as your hole was stretched and another cock appeared by your hand, prompting you to wrap around it. From your point of view, you weren't exactly sure how the last clone did it, but he maneuvered his way around the others so he could fuck your tits. A little bit of lube later and the cocks were sliding around easily. The cock inside of you pushed in and out, the pace slow yet effective as it hit the deepest parts of you. Your mouth bobbed on the one in front of you as your hand pumped another. Without much warning, the clone pulled out and your face was covered in cum, leaving you open-mouthed and moaning for more. It didn't take long for the one your hand was wrapped around to also cum, coating your hand and more of your face.

The two of them sat back on the bed panting, trying desperately to catch their breath as the two men left continued to ravage you. Naruto finally picked up the pace, pounding into your pussy as the other fucked your tits and made you suck his fingers. You cried out around the fingers in your mouth as you came again, juices dripping down the cock fucking you. The clone fucking your tits came hard, laying a pretty necklace of pearls across your chest. You moaned at the warmth on your chest, clenching your pussy around Naruto, silently begging him to cum for you. Not long after he groaned out your name, filling you with his cum before pulling out slowly. You took in a deep breath, basking in the pleasure and waiting for the post-sex cuddles to ensue, but they never did.

Instead, you felt yourself being lifted up and off of the bed. You opened your eyes again to find yourself sandwiched between two Naruto's, now unsure of which one was the real one. They kissed your neck in unison before their cocks proved at your two entrances. The thought of what they were about to do made you moan and wiggle your hips slightly. A cock easily pushed into your pussy as the other lubed up and slowly began to push into your ass. Your nails dug into the back of the blond in front of you and ran down as they sunk in. The two on the bed were lazily stroking themselves, watching the show being put on in front of them. Slow thrusts already had you seeing stars, the synchronized paces making it hard to catch your breath. Both of them fucked into you hard, taking turns pushing in as the other pulled out, leaving you always full of at least one cock.

Hands were suddenly playing with your tits, pulling on them a bit roughly and you realized one of the men from the bed was now standing beside you. You cried out when he tugged on them and another hand belonging to the last blond was playing with your clit, their cocks rubbing against your thighs. They began to hump your soft thighs slowly, desperate for more friction against their hard cocks. A whine left your mouth and your head leaned back against the chest behind you, another wave of pleasure creeping up on you. Your holes tightened around the cocks fucking you and you nearly screamed as your body shook in orgasm. Even as you came down you felt aftershocks course through you, your legs shaking while you kept getting fucked. All four cock were thrusting into you or on you, desperate to get themselves off again. You whined and tried to bounce as much as you could, begging for them to fill you up with more cum.

One of the cock's humping your thigh came first, covering your skin in his cum. After that, it was a domino effect, your pussy being filled, then your other thigh, and finally your ass. Now, it would be appropriate to say you had cum nearly everywhere and you shook once more in orgasm as a burst of smoke filled the room, the three clones vanishing and leaving you in the arms of Naruto, still holding you from when he was fucking your ass. He kissed your neck as he tentatively put you down, ready to catch you if your legs were unstable.

"Fuck, do you think the ramen's cold now?"

hope you enjoyed! remember likes & reblogs help me reach more people! :D

#naruto #naruto x reader #naruto uzumaki #naruto x you #reader insert #smut #naruto smut #kinkmas 2020 #imagine #fic #he's so dumb i lobe him

[starlocked01]

I’ll Stay Awake (because the dark’s not taking prisoners tonight)

AO3

Masterpost- Previous- Next

Summary: Virgil doesn't get to meet his soulmates each night. No, he has nightmares. His roommate decides to stage an intervention.

A/N: I’m not even going to pretend I was close to representing actual therapy. I really probably should have done more research and I’m sorry v-v

Content Warnings: Cussing, Nightmares, Self-harm, Depictions of drowning, Panic, Paralysis, Anxiety Medications

Day 12 Anxceitmus (background Logicality)- You meet your soulmates each night in your dreams

"You can run, but you can't hide, bitch!"

Virgil tore through the broken landscape, avoiding holes in the floor and checking around every corner. The demon with glowing green eyes pursued relentlessly, cackling laughter peeling off the rusted metal surfaces and echoing so that he couldn’t tell where the source was coming from. All Virgil could do was keep running.

He rounded a corner and found himself face to face with a half-man half-snake, the face grotesquely split between each form. The human hand raised up toward him. Virgil backpedaled to escape its grasp.

"Sssstop!" the creature hissed. Virgil pulled his hoodie around his face and screamed.

He bolted upright in bed, still screaming. His roommate groaned and rolled over, turning on a lamp on his nightstand.

"Another nightmare, kiddo?" Patton looked a lot less caring than he sounded.

"Sorry," Virgil whimpered, fidgeting with his bed covers.

"Logan and I are pretty used to being interrupted by now. I just wish you could meet your soulmate instead of having these awful, scary nightmares," Patton yawned, "I'll leave the light on for you, maybe that will help." Patton rolled back over and was snoring in minutes.

Virgil sat in bed, unable and unwilling to fall back asleep. To keep himself awake he blasted music through his headphones and scratched at his skin. 

When the morning alarm rang out, Patton yawned and stretched out of the bed only to find Virgil up and working on homework. The dark bags under his eyes gave him away. Patton frowned and walked over, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder. Virgil jerked back, breathing hard, shaking off Patton's hand and tipping the chair dangerously close to falling back.

"Hey kiddo, how'd you sleep?" Patton smiled but Virgil only growled in response, flipping up his hood to hide his face. "Aww, I'm sorry."

"I'll be fine," Virgil glared at Patton and opened his desk drawer. Inside was filled with energy drinks. He grabbed three, stuffing two in his backpack and cracking open the third.

"Virgil, I'm worried about you."

"Well, don't."

Patton sighed and started getting ready for his day.

Virgil finished his drink before his 8 am calc class. By 8:15 he was already cracking open the second one.

Virgil sat with Logan and Patton during his lunch break, picking at a bowl of soup that was nearly unidentifiable.

"Virgil, Patton told me you didn't sleep again last night," Logan stated matter-of-factly.

"What do you care, wonder nerd?" Virgil bit back.

"We're your friends and we're worried about you, Virge," Patton smiled sadly.

"Honestly you might need professional help. You should look into a therapist to talk with about the nightmares. You can't live on sugary caffeinated drinks forever," Logan reprimanded him. Virgil glared at Logan.

"I know a guy who's really easy to talk to. At least try?" Patton tried to make eye contact but Virgil emphatically ignored him. Patton sighed, "whatever, we just want you to be able to take care of yourself and not scratch yourself raw every night. If you decide to try, here's Dr. Picani's number." Patton slid a slip of paper across the table to a stunned Virgil.

"How did you know?" he asked quietly.

"I just know what I'm looking for when it comes to that kind of stuff," Patton looked uncomfortable and Logan placed a comforting hand on his back.

"Okay.. thanks," Virgil didn’t look up as he gathered his stuff to leave the cafeteria.

Virgil felt locked in his car. All he had to do was get out and walk inside the office building, but he felt paralyzed in the driver's seat. This was such a bad idea. There was no way this would help. He needed to get out of there go home and pack up and get on the next flight out of the country and hope that no one ever tried to talk to him agai-

His phone rang. He didn't recognize the number but answered on autopilot.

"Hello, Virgil Strike speaking."   

"Hello, Virgil! This is Dr. Picani. I'm just calling because our session was scheduled to start at 4 but you're still sitting out in your car-" Virgil looked up and could see a man in the building window on the phone waving to him, "-are you okay? Do you need to reschedule?"

"No, I'm sorry, I-. I'll be in in a minute," Virgil waved back and disconnected the call. After a herculean effort, he made his way inside and was greeted by Dr. Picani who led him back to his office.

"Now, Virgil, I think I'll spare you my normal introduction," Picani grinned at the inside joke with himself, "this is a safe place for you to say anything. Nothing you tell me leaves this room unless you talk with someone else about it. Understand?" Virgil nodded. His pulse was spiking but Picani's calm demeanor helped immensely. 

"Alright, so let's get to know each other a little bit! What's your favorite cartoon?" the doctor grinned widely as though this were a completely normal question to ask.

"Uhhh does anime count? If not I'd have to say 'Happy Tree Friends'," Virgil stared the doctor in the eye as he jotted down the answer.

"Edgy! What about Spongebob?" The smile on his face never broke. They continued to talk until Dr. Picani worked the conversation around to why Virgil decided to come to therapy.

"My roommate and his soulmate think my lifestyle is pretty unhealthy, and it only really got bad when I started having nightmares instead of dreams after my birthday," Virgil scratched the back of his neck. It was hard to admit that he hadn't had a soulmate dream like everyone else did after their 18th birthday. To his surprise, the therapist didn't laugh or scoff.

"And how are the nightmares affecting you?"

"Well, I usually wake up screaming in the middle of the night and can't let myself go back to sleep. I'm lucky if I get 3 hours a night. Which means I'm falling asleep in Calc almost every day, not that I'm behind in class, and I drink a lot of coffee and energy drinks," Virgil paused and took a huge breath, "and this has become kinda a problem." He pulled up the sleeve of his hoodie to show the therapist the scratches and scars on his arm. "It's not like cutting! I just kinda scratch to keep myself from falling back asleep after the nightmares."

"Oh my, your friends were right, Virgil. This is very unhealthy. I'm glad you took their advice and came in," Dr. Picani smiled warmly to reassure Virgil. They spoke for the rest of the hour and just before Virgil left the doctor spoke up again, "Virgil, I'd like you to try an over the counter anxiety medication. We may need to get you a prescription for something that's stronger but I'd like you to try something over the counter first to see if you feel better. I think your anxieties are affecting your dreams. Maybe we can take that edge off so you can get some more sleep, which will have a domino effect on everything else. Maybe with better sleep, you can work on using less caffeine, which will help you feel calmer. Let me know how it works when you come in next week."

Virgil nodded hesitantly but stopped at a pharmacy on the way home anyway. He was ready to try anything at this point. 

Patton was waiting when he got back to the dorm. 

"How'd it go?" he asked with a bright smile.

"Doc's weird… but I think it's going to help," Virgil smiled back, setting his bottle of pills on his desk. 

Virgil popped two of the pills. Patton had gone to sleep already and was happily dreaming. Probably talking with Logan too.  Virgil settled into bed, uncertain of what the night would bring.

Virgil’s legs and feet were bound together with a thick tentacle that pulled him beneath the water before he could cry for help. Dragged underneath, Virgil found his lungs filling with water, but then discovered he could breathe the water without his body screaming for air. The tentacle dragged him deeper and deeper into the murky water.

After what felt like an eternity, Virgil could see a giant pair of green eyes reflecting in the formless dark. He kicked and struggled against the creature.

"I've got you now! Stop struggling, you emo nightmare!" a voice growled from the darkness.

"Let me GO!" Virgil cried out, tearing at the tentacle with his hands. The grip on his legs loosened and he kicked free, swimming towards the surface.

Rising to the surface, Virgil was tossed by the waves onto a sandy beach. He coughed up the seawater and laid on his back, sun burning down on him. Too hot. He couldn't move as the sand baked around him. 

A cool, smooth sensation crept up his foot and leg. Virgil couldn't move to see what it was as it moved up his torso. He heard a soft hissing and opened his eyes to find a yellow snake staring back at him. He tried to scream but had no voice, tried to throw the snake off but couldn't move. 

The snake… shook its head?

"Honessstly, why do you keep avoiding usss?" the snake spoke with a lisping voice.

Virgil found his and replied, "what the hell do you want with me?" His eyes were wide with fear.

"You haven't figured it out? We're your sssoulmatesss."

Virgil sat up in bed in a cold sweat. The bedside clock showed it was much later than he normally woke up in terror. Patton slept undisturbed. Virgil felt almost calm enough to go back to sleep. Not that he wanted to if his soulmates were monsters.

Over the next few weeks, Virgil used over the counter anxiety medication regularly. He felt a lot calmer in class and the nightmares were a lot less terrifying. 

After a few sessions with Dr. Picani, Virgil picked up prescription medication and felt immensely more relaxed.

The landscape was still hellish and broken. Virgil didn’t feel like running. Instead of a demon, a boy his age with gorgeous green eyes and a streak of silver in his brown hair rounded the corner, ready for the chase.

"Alright let's fucking do- wait you aren't running," the boy looked confused and a little disappointed.

"You aren't a demon so why would I run?" Virgil shrugged.

"Oh my god, finally! Let's go find Double D," the boy grabbed Virgil by the wrist and started dragging him down the hall.

"What's your name?" Virgil asked, catching up to the other and twisting his hand so they were holding hands.

"Ooh you're fresh!" he chuckled, "just wait until we find Double D."

"Who's Double D?"

"Our other soulmate."

"Woah two soulmates?"

"Yeah, neat huh?"

"Sure, why 'Double D'?"

The boy stopped walking and turned to face Virgil, "we were waiting for you to tell each other our names and you took your sweet time so we gave each other nicknames. That's why you're Emo Nightmare and he's Double D."

"So what are you called?"

The boy grinned manically, "Fucker."

They continued walking through the twisted halls until they found another boy with one golden brown eye and one dark brown eye smiling at them as they rounded the corner.

"There you are. Did you finally catch him?" He asked in a silky smooth voice.

"Nah, for once the emo didn't want to run," the green-eyed boy grinned.

"Well maybe you two shouldn't have acted like monsters," Virgil smirked, "so, who are you guys?"

The green-eyed boy was practically bouncing out of his shoes, "I'm Remus!" he blurted out.

"My name is Janus," Janus held out a hand to Virgil, "and you are?"

"Not telling you," Virgil laughed at the scowls each of them gave them, "I'm kidding. My name is Virgil. It's good to meet you guys."

"Likewise," Janus grinned as Virgil took his hand.   

Remus picked them both up in a strong vise-like hug and twirled them around. They continued to talk the rest of the night, agreeing just before they woke up to not exchange direct addresses or phone numbers until they all met in person.

Virgil woke up more refreshed than ever, excited to find his soulmates in real life. Occasionally the dreams still started as nightmares but he was able to recognize Janus and Remus in the terrors and they could help talk him down from the fear. Each night they got to know each other better, talking about school and work and hobbies and everything else they could think of.

One day when a stranger with two different colored eyes sat down across from Virgil in the cafeteria, it felt as though Virgil had known him his whole life. 

Tag List: @stoicpanther @ifrickenhatedeverythingaboutthis @tsshipmonth2020

#tsshipmonth2020 #Soulmate September 2020 #dream sharing #soulmate au #nightmares #drowning tw #tw drowning #paralysis tw #tw paralysis #self harm tw #tw self harm #cursing #anxcietmus #logicality

[wordsfromthesol]

Run To You

Author: @wordsfromthesol Pairing: Tim Drake x Reader Summary: Things with Tim get complicated. You finally learn about his other life. Warnings: Sad start but happy ending, injuries and such Word Count: 1.0k A/N: Requested by @buchanangaby based on the song Run To You by Ocie Elliott.

You couldn’t do this anymore. It had all gotten too much. You felt like in the year you had been together, Tim had missed more dates than he kept. It seemed like he was leading a whole other life and you were being left behind. Tonight was the final straw, you called him and unshockingly it went to voicemail.

“Hey Tim,” your voice cracked out. “I don’t think I can do this anymore.” You sucked back tears. “You are always the first person I run to, yet it seems like I’m always your last choice.” You sat on the phone in silence for several moments before adding, “If your priorities change, let me know.”

That night only grew worse, as you in sat in bed and cried yourself to sleep. What have I done?

**

Nearly a week had gone by and you still hadn’t heard from Tim. You kept trying to call him, text him, you even got desperate and asked his brothers. All of whom said he was fine. Of course he’s fine, it seemed he already moved on before you even broke up with him. Still…it wasn’t like Tim to just NEVER respond. The response was just usually late. You were reasoning out the situation in your mind on the walk home from happy hour. Your sister just had to get a drink after work and you just had to go with her. Though you knew it was her secret tactic to help you forget about Tim and just move on. When you looked up from your feet you watched a caped vigilante run towards you. Before you could gather what was happening his arm was wrapped around your waist and the two of you soared through the sky towards a nearby rooftop. Suddenly your ears were ringing and the ground you just left exploded with heat. As the vigilante placed you on the rooftop your eyes went wide as you searched through the destruction below.

“Those…those people.” You stuttered out, unable to move. You felt two gloved hands cradle your face. Blinking viciously to clear your vision, you stared into the domino mask of your rescuer, Red Robin.

“Y/N, Y/N are you alright?” You couldn’t manage words, it was taking all you had to not break down here and now. I mean, why did he choose to save you? “Y/N, please…”

Finally, you managed to nod in response.

“Oh thank god.” Red robin mumbled before pressing a quick kiss to your lips and leaping back down towards the destruction.

**

As the days passed you replayed the sequence of events in your head, and something seemed more and more familiar about Red Robin each time you recalled it. His voice…his face…even the way he moved. Did you know him?

You were going over that night in your head once more, when the phone rang. Your brow furrowed as you glanced towards the clock…3:26 in the morning. Your eyes widen as Tim’s contact photo was strewn across the screen.

“Tim? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Y/N” His breath sounded short.

“It’s me, Tim. Where are you?”

“I’m coming.” You could hear the hitch in his voice.

“What do you mean? Just let me come get you.”

You didn’t hear a response, but instead knocking on the door. You shot up from the bed an raced to open it. Not even bothering to make sure it was Tim, you flung open the door. Your eyes sunk to the ground where Red Robin lay, bloodied and battered. You pulled him inside and quickly shut the door, praying no one saw him.

“Tim…” you whispered in his ear. “Can you stand?”

He nodded, and you helped him to the bed before gathering your medical supplies and sitting on the bed beside him.

“Tim, what happened?” You watched as he attempted to inhale deeply, but the pain in his ribs was too much.

“Things got messy.”

“What does that even mean Timothy Jackson Drake?” Your tone was firm and harsh. The Tim you knew…not that apparently you knew him very well considering…would never go half cocked into a fight.

“I wasn’t expecting so many people guarding the shipment at the docks.”

You inhaled sharply through your nose, trying to relieve your angry. It wouldn’t help anything now and you needed to get him patched up.

As you finished repairing the damage the best you could, you moved to get up.

“No.” The word that escaped Tim’s mouth somehow seemed both firm and desperate. You glanced down at this man you were still in love with. You settled back into the bed and chuckled as he attempted to pull you closer with his hampered strength. Your mind was running, trying to make sense of everything that had happened the past year. The mysterious injuries, the missed dates, the intense research on who knows what. It was all because he was Red Robin. You were both mad at him for not telling you, but at the same time you understood why he didn’t.

You woke up about an hour later to sounds in your living room. Grabbing your handy ‘intruder bat’ you cautiously stalked into the living room, stopping short when you saw the black and blue vigilante.

“I’m going to take a guess and say Dick Grayson.” You whispered in the direction of Nightwing.

“Heh, so he’s here then? Knew he would be…he always comes here.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty banged up…wait what do you mean?”

“Oh. He would just always sneak over here, on patrol, or even just during late night research.” Dick chuckled to himself, “I even watched him sew up a bullet hole on your fire escape one time.” You looked at him dumbfounded. “Guess he didn’t tell you that…can I check on him?”

You shook your head no. “He’s fine. I’ll bring him by in the morning.”

Dick opened his mouth to argue but could see that there was no point. He let out a sigh and turned back towards the window.

As you crawled back into bed, Tim pulled you in close and mumbled “I’ll always go to you.”

#tim drake x reader #tim drake imagine #tim drake #tim drake x you #red robin x reader #red robin imagine #red robin #red robin x you #dc comics reader insert #dc comics x reader #batboys #batboys imagine #batboys x reader #batfam #batfamily #batfam x reader #tim drake fanfic #red robin fanfic

[darling-archeron]

evermore ranking

I think I finally listened to evermore enough that I can definitively rank songs!

1) tis the damn season: Love that this is vaguely a christmas song but not actually. This is the perfect combo of heartbreaking and an absolute vibe and I am constantly listening to it on repeat.

fav lyric: the heart i know i’m breaking is my own/to leave the warmest bed i’ve ever known/so we can call it even/even though i’m leaving

2) tolerate it: This is such a heartbreaking song, and I can relate to feeling like the other person in a relationship doesn't care like you do.

Fav lyric: I made you my temple, my mural, my sky, now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life.

3) champagne problems: The bridge absolutely destroys me! This is literally All Too Well tier heartbreak. This was definitely a favorite when I first listened to the album.

fav lyric: the whole fucking bridge is there another answer

4) evermore: a lot of people don’t seem to like this nearly as much as exile which surprises me. Overall I think I prefer the music of exile but the lyrics of evermore. This is the only song on the album I’ve cried to so far soooo there’s that.

fav lyric: i rewind the tape but all it does is pause/on the very moment all was lost

5) marjorie: this was my initial favorite and I’m still in love with it. This is such a sweet tribute to her grandmother and to anyone who is wishing they had more time.

fav lyric: watched as you signed your name marjorie, cause every scrap of you would be taken from me.

6) gold rush: I really didn’t like this one at first but it’s grown on me so much!  love how it feels like the whole song feels like 30 seconds long, just like getting lost in thought.

fav lyric: what would it be like to grow up that beautiful? with your hair falling into place like dominos?

7) no body no crime: This belongs in the same group as Goodbye Earl and Two Black Cadillacs. An absolute banger. I do wish that when TS collabs with female artists she would give them more than backing vocals though? I love the contrast between her and Bon Iver for example, but I think there would be a great blend with her and Haim if they were featured more heavily.

fav lyric: este wasn’t there, tuesday night at olive garden at her job or anywhere

8) closure: Not an initial fav but it’s grown on me so much! I’m not the biggest fan of the synthesized drums at the beginning but I love the lyrics. This feels like the “it’s nice to have a friend” of evermore.

fav lyric: i know i’m just a wrinkle in your life, staying friends would iron it out so nice.

9) ivy: This song gives me the gayest vibes off the whole album tbh. I love the visuals of ivy covering you like someone’s love.

fav lyric: my house of stone, your ivy grows, and now i’m covered in you

10) happiness: Such strong little women vibes with this one.

fav lyric: no one teaches you what to do when a good man hurts you and you know you hurt him too

11) willow: Will taylor’s lyricism even in her major singles ever cease to amaze?

fav lyric: every bait and switch was a work of art

12) coney island: I really like how her voice blends with the nationals, my favorite part is def the bridge

fav lyric: did i paint your bluest skies the darkest gray/a universe away/ and when I got into the accident the sight that flashed before me was your face

13) long story short: 1989 vibes! such a fun bop, but overall the more heartbreaking ballads top this one for me.

fav lyric: clung to the nearest lips/long story short it was the wrong guy

14) dorothea : This is a cute song and i love how it ties into the lore in so many different ways but overall it’s not my favorite. I love the idea of wondering if someone you think about every day even remembers you. However, so many of the other songs on evermore are even more powerful.

Fav lyric: you’re a queen, selling dreams, selling makeup and magazines/from you I’d buy anything

15) cowboy like me: I get vaguely tim mcgraw vibes from some of the guitar parts in here! It's grown on me a lot but at the end of the day it's just not a favorite. Some of the lyrics and metaphors just feel a bit clunky and slow down the album.The only skip for me.

Fav lyric: And all the old men that I've swindled really did believe I was the one

#taylor swift #evermore #evermore ranking #ts #willow #kate talks #mine #kate procrastinates so so much

[thecatboyfriend-moved]

Friends on the Other Side

Chapter 1: Schedules and Kisses

Next Chapter (Updated weekly!)

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Pairings (in this chapter): Anaroyality (Virgil/Roman/Patton)

Warnings (please tell me if there’s anything I should add!): Angst, swearing, mentions of insomnia, inability to sleep, crying, mentions of/implied panic attack, kissing, implied jealousy, Deceit, sympathetic Deceit, Roman is rude at one point in this and I can assure you that will continue

Word Count: 1,962

Betas: @saroobadoop @dragon-hair @existential-extrovert

Logan has a very simple sleep schedule. He wakes up at 5:30, so he can take a shower and be out and ready for the day by 6:00. He starts getting ready for bed at 8:30 and makes sure to be in bed by 9:00. Not necessarily asleep by 9:00. He can almost never do that, only managing it when he’s had a very long and very exhausting day. He usually tucks himself into bed and lays there, staring at the dark ceiling for an hour or two, then passes out.

It may not be the best schedule or the most “fun”, as Roman and Patton have told him on several occasions, but it’s his. It makes sense to him and he likes it. That’s what counts. It makes him feel in control.

It was a Friday when it all began. Well, really, it began quite a while ago. There was no real way for Logan to tell where it all began. But this day is what set it off. It’s almost like everything else was a domino being placed and this day was what pushed down the first domino, sending them all toppling.

The day started off bad. Apparently, the power went out at some point, so Logan’s alarm clock got reset. He didn’t notice until he was woken up at 3:30 instead of 5:30. This led him to be grumpy and tired all day. He had tried to go back to sleep, but it was no use. So he laid in bed, very unhappy, until it was actually time for him to get up.

Then he got up and started his normal routine, gathering his clothes and going into the bathroom to take a shower. That went fine, but when he attempted to go downstairs for breakfast, he almost fell down the stairs.

The day seemed to just get worse and worse. Logan tried to eat his usual breakfast (Crofter’s and toast) but they were out of Crofter’s and Roman “wasn’t in the mood” to summon more, so he had to settle for cereal. Then they had to record a video, which took up most of the day. He thought that the others might start to listen to him more after what happened with Remus, but this was not the case. They continued to ignore the logical side, making him feel...no. Irritating him. It was irritating when the others refused to take him seriously and ignore him.

After this, Logan really wanted to go back to his room and read until bedtime. Unfortunately for him, Friday's are, as Patton calls them, ”FamILY Fun Night”. So Logan was stuck downstairs. He was forced to eat food he wasn't really up for eating and had to sit with the others watching a movie he didn't want to watch.

He's been keeping an eye on his watch since the movie started, subtly checking it at least every three minutes. When the big hand of the small clock finally met the six, he got up and started to head upstairs without a word to the others. He only got a few feet away from his seat.

”Where ya goin' Lolo?” Patton asks, making Logan freeze in his spot. He turns to the three, who are staring at him. Roman is in the corner of the couch with Patton cuddled into him, Virgil's back pressed against his side.

”Bed,” Logan says simply, trying to ignore the way something deep in his chest seems to ache and cry at the sight in front of him. Roman groans loudly at this, annoyed.

”It's not even 9 yet, Nerd!” he scoffs. “What, is your silly sleep schedule more important than us?” Patton gently swats at Roman's shoulder.

”Be nice, Ro!” Patton scolds. ”If Logan wants to go to bed he can.” Then all eyes are back on him as if expecting an answer to the statement.

”Thank you,” he says quietly. ”Goodnight.” He turns back towards the staircase, carefully heading up as he hears a chorus of ”goodnight”s behind him.

Logan goes upstairs and into his room, locating and putting on his pajamas slowly. He's quite tired, so moving around so much is a bit of a hassle. Once he's finished his nightly routine, Logan turns off the lights, smiling softly at the blue glow stars of the ceiling, and climbs into bed.

Only a couple minutes after getting into bed, he can tell it's going to be a reading night. Sometimes, when the day has been long and draining, his mind will refuse to turn off and he can't get to sleep. So, after asking how Virgil deals with his insomnia, he's started borrowing Virgil's copy of Swann's Way to help him sleep.

Virgil claimed that it's a very boring book and really helps him sleep. So Logan borrows it from him when he's facing the same problem. It usually gets him to sleep in just a few minutes.

Sighing, he gets out of bed and grabs his glasses, heading out of his room. As he gets closer to the staircase, the talking and laughter from downstairs grow louder. He goes down the stairs, able to make out the conversation now.

”Ew, you guys are gross,” Virgil laughs, obviously teasing. Patton giggles.

”C'mere, you can have one too, my jealous little storm cloud,” Roman says with a soft laugh. As Logan questions the nickname and what Roman is referring to, he reaches the bottom of the stairs and walks into the Commons, ready to announce his presence. But everything stops, including Logan, when he sees the others.

Patton is still snuggled up to Roman, who has his arm around him, with Virgil on the other side of him. But Virgil has stretched over Patton, with his hands on Roman, along with his lips.

They're kissing, slow and sweet, as Patton watches, amused and happy. The pair part moments later, both blushing, smiling messes. And Patton grabs onto Virgil, practically pulling him into his lap to kiss him in between giggles. As they kiss, Roman tucks his head into Patton's neck, most likely placing kisses there as well.

He hears Patton say something, but he can't really hear it. Everything's a little muffled, Logan's vision going blurry as his eyes refuse to focus and liquid gathers in the corners. Tears. Shit, he's crying.

Why the hell is he crying? That's stupid. There's no reason to cry over this, none at all. If they would like to date and leave Logan all alone, that's fine. This is fine. Then why is he crying? Why can he feel his throat closing up and his chest ache as the tears threaten to fall? Why is this happening? Why now?

Through all his thoughts, Logan didn't notice himself backing up, hands in his hair and tugging furiously. Not until he trips backward onto the stairs, his hands flying out to try to catch himself. He probably would've screamed, if not for almost being unable to speak due to crying.

Instead of screaming he gasps loudly as he falls. A sob rips through him after he lands, the emotional and physical pain becoming overwhelming. He wants to leave. He needs to get out of there and get to his room, his soundproof room where no one will hear him sob and he can keep up his feelingless facade. But he really can't bring himself to move.

Logan's knees come up to his chest as he settles onto a single stair. One hand holds his legs while the other tries to muffle the idiotic noises, allowing himself to curl up into a ball on the stair and cry.

Thoughts race through his head, screaming at him. He shouldn't be here. They're going to hear him cry. They're going to see him cry. He's going to ruin their date night. Is it their date night? Do they wait until Logan sleeps to do these kinds of things? How often do they do this? How long have they been doing this? When did Patton get right in front of him?

”Logan, what's wrong?” His soft voice just barely rings through the screaming. No no no no no. He's ruining their night. He's ruining everything. Why is he here? They have each other, they don't need him.

Then Patton tries to grab onto him and he jerks away. He scrambles up into a sitting position, trying to get away from the others, who are now all crowded around where he sits. Is this a panic attack? Is this what Virgil goes through? Why is he overreacting to such a small, stupid thing? What the hell is going on?

”Breathe for me, Logan,” a voice says. Logan jerks his head up (when the hell did he put it down?) and looks at Virgil. The emo is crouched in front of him, looking so worried. Is he really worried though? Why would he be worried about him? That's not necessary. Him crying isn't necessary. Is he even necessary?

Tears still running down his face and breath still coming out heavily in sobs and gasps, Logan uses the railing of the staircase to push himself up. He nearly falls down, several hands coming to try and catch him.

All the voices around him and in his head are so loud but so quiet and it's overwhelming. Logan shut his eyes as tight as he can, his grip on the rail very similar, and tried to concentrate. He needs out. He needs to get out. He needs to get to his room. His room. He needs to be in his room. Now. Room, now.

Logan gasps, collapsing onto the floor. His floor. He's safe.

Knowing he's safe and that no one can hear him, Logan sobs. He cries and sobs and shakes, practically becoming part of the carpet as he sinks into it. The thoughts spin around him, engulfing him in the fear and the panic.

There's no telling how long he stays there, the flood of never ending tears forming dark splotches on his jeans where his eyes press into his knees. His throat hurts so bad and he's shaking and everything hurts. God, why does it hurt so bad? This isn't fair. Or maybe it is. He doesn't get to contemplate this, as a knock on his door slices through the shaking and the hurt and the sobs.

”Hey Logan,” a voice says. Whoa, who's voice is that? ”May I come in?”

That voice. He can't pin it to a person but wow. It's like heaven. It's like light flooding the dark room of his thoughts he's been suffocating in. It sends warmth and calm through him in a beautiful flood. It's like the wonderful feeling of fresh notebook paper. Or the way he feels during calm, good nights where he can go to sleep happy and wake up refreshed. It's like the taste of a brand new jar of Crofters. How the hell can a voice make him feel the way something tastes? Whatever it is, it's beautiful.

”Yes, ” he just barely manages to croak out. His voice is nothing like the other. It's quiet and hoarse from crying and it sounds so pathetic and sad.

The door gently creaks open. Someone walks inside. It's very dark in the room, Logan notices. He never turned the lights on. The door shuts just as quick as it opened.

Logan manages to just barely crack his eyes open, though it’s hard to see through the tears and the fact that his glasses are now on the floor beside him. But, seeing the black and yellow, he knows exactly who it is, though it doesn’t make any sense.

Deceit.

Taglist (send an ask if you’d like to be added or removed!): @rollingaroundin-bread @dragon-hair

#it’s here!!!! #thomas sanders #thatsthat24 #sanders sides #virgil sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #roman sanders #anaroyality #friends on the other side #fotos au #deceit sanders #tw deceit #sympathetic deceit #tw angst

[moonlightreal]

Winx Club season 8/25

In which it all goes down.

25 The White Fox

Underwater! Subnautica Below Zero!  Crystal Sirenix!

We’re searching for Sky, who is… in a cave!  With air!  But he’s hurt his leg and will certainly freeze before long.  The water is rising!  “Time to face the truth Sky, you’re in trouble!”

The girls swim, dodge some underwater falling rocks.  Flora sees a passage and the girls swim down it.

Water rises!  Sky is done for!  But the girls are here just in time!  Bloom surrounds Sky in a bubble of fire and they all blast up into the air.

On land, Bloom uses her Dragonfire to warm Sky up and he’s ok.  Bloom says, “I couldn’t live without you.”  “Neither could I.  Literally.” heh.  I wonder if these eps had a different writer or Sky’s voice actor was having a good day or something.

Oh wait, spoke too soon.

Bloom: “what are you doing here?  You weren’t supposed to follow us to Dyamond.”

Sky: “I wanted to be with you, Bloom.”

Bloom; “But that is not a reason to-”

Sky: “come on Bloom, we never get to spend any time together,”

Bloom: “You’re right, Sky.  But… there’s no time to talk now.  Tell us what happened.”

If this season wasn’t about to end, I suspect I’d end up shouting at Bloom and Sky to discuss their relationship like adults, just like I was with Musa and Riven.  Sky is passionate about being a Specialist going on missions, so he should understand Bloom has the same feelings about her missions with the Winx.  They have that in common.

Sky tells them about the fox and getting attacked by Icy and then Bloom tells Sky to go stay safe and let the Winx handle the Trix.  Sky is so not happy about being left behind because he’s injured.  Tecna repairs his suit--  ‘Thanks Tecna!  that’s the second time already!  I’m starting to like it!”

Tec: “Don’t get used to it.”  Heh.  I wonder if any of the boys has enough magic to learn the suit-fix trick.  Helia can do a little magic, can’t he? Maybe I’m misremembering.

So Sky can come along, “But you have to stay at a safe distance, all right?”

Sky: “Prince’s honor.”  And he does a little salute.

Elsewhere, Icy and the fox have come to the crystal-flower tree, now frozen in a thick layer of ice.  Icy puts her hand to the trunk and smiles, then sits down with the fox beside her.  “Remember this place?  I’m… just happy to be with you again, Sapphire.”

Return to flashback!  The two girls playing under the tree.  The older one says, “We could stay here forever.  It’s our own special place.” The little girl in funny shorts twirls and says, ‘But why?  The magic universe is full of wonderful places!”

“But on Dyamond we have everything we need.  We never have to leave.”

“Don’t be so sure about that, Icy!  Life is full of surprises!  One moment the sun is out, the next--”

Doom approaches, but we just learned that Icy is the timid, frizzy blonde older sister.  Well, I knew but the unspoilered would have assumed Icy was the silver-haired girl.  So, Icy and Sapphire.  So somewhere, parents named their firstborn “Heart of Ice”?  That is supposed to be Icy’s real name from season one.  Don’t quote me on where I read it, but it was canon at least 4kids canon which was the only one we had before canons started popping up like weeds in springtime.  I think the other two are “Lady of Darkness” and “Mistress of Storms” or similar, they’re not terribly inspired.  

Also: is it really a retcon when Icy had no backstory before?  Hmm.

Back to doom?  Back to doom.  The foxes flee!  Wind blows and darkness falls as purple stormclouds cover the sky!  The two girls cling to each other in panic.

The lightning strikes, and there appears… well the first thing you see is the skull helmet.  Red hair, purple lipstick, very pale skin.  Antlered skull helmet and feathers.  Necklace of claws.  Staff that’s a branch with things hanging off it.  Tattered dress.  Four ice golems behind her.  I think she looks like a hagraven from Skyrim but  she’s called the “Shaman Witch.”

Little Sapphire asks what we’re all thinking: “Who are they?”

The Shaman Witch lands and thwomps the end of her staff into the ground.  Ice spreads over everything.  There are a whole lot more ice golems now as this person advances upon the cowering girls.  Ice spreads from her feet.

Shaman Witch: “Good day little ones, I hope you can help me.  I’m looking for the castle where the queen of Dyamond lives.”

Ok those words, and her posh British voice, do not match her image at all!

Icy grabs her sister, shushing her.  Don’t move, don’t say a word.

Little Sapphire’s having none of it.  She pops out, “What do you want with my mother? The queen doesn’t talk to witches!  Because you ARE a witch!  I see it!”

Icy grabs her sister, ‘Stop, Sapphire!”

Shaman Witch: “Sapphire.  What a beautiful name.  Strong and fierce like a wild beast!  Go and join the other cubs!”  And she lightnings Sapphire into a fox.

Then she comes for Icy, “What’s your name, princess?… I hope you’ll be more more obedient, Icy.  Today Dyamond will have a new queen.  I expect you to obey.”  and she asks the way to the castle.

Icy points.

Shaman Witch and her golems go wreck the city.

Icy cries.  She picks up a last crystal flower.  She walks to the overlook-- the same one the Trix were watching from last episode, and the mountain the Winx were on is the remains of the royal city.

Icy: “Shaman witch, you have conquered my kingdom and transformed my sister, but I promise I’ll break that curse!  Hear that, Sapphire?  I’ll be as brave as you were!  And I’ll become a stronger witch than she is. And when I’m the strongest witch of all I’ll come back, and I’ll save you.”

Back in the present Icy magics the fox and creates a hologram of little Sapphire.  But it’s just a hologram, they can’t touch.  “The truth is, I’m still not strong enough to break the spell of the Shaman witch.  I didn’t want to come here, I didn’t mean to get your hopes up. Forgive me Sapphire.  I was forced to come back to Dyamond but I’m not ready yet.”

The fox cries.

Icy: “But I’ll catch up with you soon.  And you’ll be returned to normal, sister.”

Aaaand here’s Darcy and Stormy with the question we’re all asking: ‘I thought WE were your sisters!’

Icy: “Companions, allies, friends maybe.  We call ourselves sisters, but we’re not. She’s the only real sister I have, Sapphire.”

Icy’s voice actor nails this line.

That answers something I’ve been wondering about since season one: were they biological sisters?  Back when 4kids canon was the only canon there were mentions of which of them was oldest and youngest suggesting they are bio-sisters, but was that 4kids or straight from Rainbow?  Who knows.  I only know season one as I saw it and what i saw was suggestions that they are biological sisters but no confirmation.

Stormy: “I thought there were no secrets between us.”  

Icy takes to the air for a mini tour.

Icy: “This was my kingdom a long time ago, but a merciless witch conquered it.  My family, the people of Dyamond, everything has been turned into ice. These totems are the work of the witch, they’re symbols of her dark power, eternal and unbreakable.  The guardians of her frigid spell!”

Darcy gets why Icy didn’t want to come, too many bad memories.  Stormy: “too much pain… bleck!  All this sadness is making me sick!”  Heh.

Icy’s plan is to get the new powers Valtor has promised them and maybe then she’ll be strong enough to bring life back to Dyamond-- and if Valtor double crosses them they’ll defeat him.  “The most important battle is here.  The reason I became the witch you know, I did it for her.”

Or you could get the stars yourself and use your wish, Icy.  That’d probably work.  

Sapphire tugs at Icy’s cape.  She knows where the prime star is!  Off go the Trix! It’s down a crevasse, across a bridge into this crystal cavern with an iced over building in it.  And there’s the star, floating in its hamster ball.  But when Icy grabs for it, it zaps her and flies away down a small tunnel.  With Icy down, Stormy sees her chance.  She tries to zap the tunnel wider and ends up destabilizing the whole cavern!  

Ok, what-all do we have to talk about?  Icy sure changed personality fast, exactly like Tinx at the end of Wow from evil to wimp in one quick move!  Also, Icy is sad about her kingdom being buried in ice but was unbothered by the same thing happening to Domino.  And in eight seasons of watching the Winx help people, Icy hasn’t once thought to ask Boom—who helped reverse the exact same spell on her own planet—for help?  My head’s spinning here.

I sense there will be followup posts deconstructing Icy’s brand new backstory further.

But we’ve got more episode to go!  Topside the winx and Sky are flying when snow blasts up from the crevasse.  Sky notices and now the girls know where the action is.

Down below Icy’s yelling at Stormy for nearly bringing the mountain down on their heads, but her zapping hasn’t widened the tunnel.  Icy realizes that the building is filled with the Shaman Witch’s magic.  So this is her lair?  And where IS the Shaman Witch?  She wanted to be queen of Dyamond but instead she wrecked the place and vanished.  Maybe the people of Dyamond put up a good fight and the realm got so busted up that the Shaman Witch realized there was nothing left worth being queen of and she went off to conquer someplace else?  I mean, a queen of a destroyed city and zero subjects isn’t worth much.

Also: Is the Shaman Witch the ice witch of the Three Ancestors, before she met the other two?

Sapphire runs off down the tunnel to get the star.

Winx arrive, not knowing any of this!  Battle is joined!  Crystal Sirenix powers are strong, but this cavern is not real stable!  Rocks fall, threatening to trap Sapphire in the tunnel.

Darcy and Stormy seem to have gotten used to this “sister” thing real fast once Sapphire became useful.

Everyone else flees the crumbling cavern, leaving Icy to get her fox sister out of the tunnel.  Icy calls Sapphire to come out, but Sapphire wants to get the star.  Icy calls, ‘Forget the star!  it’s not that important!” and uses magic to pull Sapphire back.  They fly up into the air.

Stormy: ‘tell me you got the star!”

Icy: ‘No, but I saved what really matters.”

Bloom gapes.

The star rises out of the crevasse.  Stella’s happy, but I think the Trix may have a better claim.  The star case appears for more poetry.  “Behold the seventh and final prime star revealed, holding a greater power than all the others, the star of the bond that lasts forever, the love of two sisters who stand together.”  the star flies to Icy and Sapphire.

The Trix gloat. The Winx are confused.  Icy gets all evil-eyes again.  She and the Trix, and Sapphire and the prime star, leave through a portal.

Stella is confused! “What do those three know about sisterly love?”  but Bloom says it’s not all over yet.

Team Trix appears still on Dyamond.  Stormy asks why they haven’t gone back to Valtor yet.  Icy tries the prime star’s magic, and it erases Valtor’s mark from their hands.  Darcy and Stormy hug and chant, ‘Freedom, freedom, freedom!”  heh.

Icy tries to use the prime star to change Sapphire back—and it works!  They hug, but Sapphire changes back into a fox.  The prime star wasn’t strong enough.  Icy breaks down crying.  But she promises again, her voice getting eviler as she gets her determination on, to become the most powerful witch and come back to save her sister.

Nighttime Alfea with a big moon!  The star case is pontificating, the last star has been found but the winner has not yet been decided.

Stella: ‘Four to three to Valtor!  The star case may be magical but it can’t do math!”

But the other girls realize Valtor only has three stars, it’s Icy who has the tiebreaker.  Bloom feels that icy won’t give the star to Valtor. “It’s what I’m hoping.  Because today I saw a spark of love in Icy’s heart!  Winx, we’re not just going to stand here and wait. we’re going to attack Valtor’s palace and take his prime stars. I have a plan.’

Episode end!  What a ride!

...hang on, they can just go to Valtor’s asteroid?  Why haven’t they done that already?

Also with the whole “secret of sisters” thing it seems like Icy was the only person who COULD have gotten this star.  Or Bloom, if Daphne existed in this timeline but she maybe doesn’t.  So… the Wishing Star set this up.  The Wishing Star wants good things for Icy/Sapphire/Dyamond’s people if they’re frozen instead of dead, and set this up.  But with one episode to go I’m pretty sure Dyamond doesn’t get saved yet.  Hmm.

Also, did Icy start out as a fairy?  If Sapphire said “our mom the queen doesn’t talk to witches” that suggests that they’re fairies or nonmagical girls.  It also suggests that Dyamond is a pretty magically bigoted place.  

This sudden batch of backstory just came out of nowhere with no foreshadowing and no conclusion.  My first thought was that the writers were setting up for season 9: Icy finally realizes the Winx like to help people and asks Bloom to help her save her sister.  The Winx and Trix have to work together defeating the Shaman Witch and her minions while Darcy and Stormy try to mess up the alliance because they’re jerks, and in the end Icy restores her kingdom and family and settles down to be a princess.  Except Icy is a jerk too, but that’s a different subject.  But they never foreshadow future seasons…

No.  Wait.

This isn’t setup for season nine, it’s setup for MOVIE FOUR!  Just like Politea’s story kind of appeared out of nowhere in season 5.  Whaddaya think, does that make sense to you?  We haven’t heard anything solid about movie 4, and with how things are in Italy now who knows what the future holds for Rainbow, but maybe that was the plan.

#winx season 8 #winx club

[darkpoisonouslove]

I’d love a winx drabble with #4 or #49! Thanks, your writing’s so good :)

Omg, thank you so much, anon! If you ever feel like it, you can come off anon and we can chat. And even if you don’t want to do that, I hope you will continue to enjoy my content!

Sorry this took some time. Uni is hell for my sleeping schedule and my brain refuses to cooperate without enough sleep so I’m kinda at a loss here. Here are your prompts:

49 – shake

Some Griffin and Faragonda friendship with a healthy dose of angsting over Valtor.

Griffin rubbed her hands over her arms as she stood on the Alfea rooftop, trying to warm herself up. Last time she’d checked, it was supposed to be late spring. However, nature seemed to have forgotten about that if the temperature was anything to judge by. If she’d known it would be so cold, she would’ve declined Faragonda’s proposition to stay after the celebration and do some stargazing now that the threat was eliminated.

“Are you okay?” Faragonda’s voice behind her back startled her–she hadn’t expected the question–even though she’d known she was there. The fairy hadn’t let her out of her sight for a moment and, frankly, she was starting to feel a little suffocated. She knew Faragonda was just being protective but it was over. Everything was over. They had no reason to fear anything anymore.

“Peachy,” she snipped. “You should have included a warning for extreme weather conditions in your invitation.” She started pacing, hoping to chase away the chills that were having a field day running through her entire being.

“Griffin,” Faragonda’s hand on her shoulder nearly had her jump, for she’d left her at the other end of the rooftop with her casual stroll. And it felt more like she’d just gripped at her throat, the restless energy inside her piling up by the second now that she was forced to stop. “I remember seeing you shake this hard only once before.” Faragonda was thoughtful enough to at least remove her hand now that the words were weighing her down and holding her in place. “Seventeen years ago.”

Griffin shut her eyes as a sob left her mouth. It was as much a sound of despair as it was of relief. At least she didn’t have to hold it in and pretend everything was okay now that Faragonda knew. Yet, that in no way changed the truth. And the truth was she should have never felt like that. Not seventeen years ago, and not now. And she didn’t know how to handle any of that so she turned to Faragonda for help.

“You knew he was still out there?” Faragonda asked and even though the curtain of tears blocked her vision, Griffin knew the gentleness that would meet her from Faragonda’s gaze if she could see. She’d never judged her before and no matter what the irrational fear whispered in her ears, she wouldn’t start now. Griffin knew that as surely as she knew her own thoughts.

“I hoped that…” Another sob got in the way of her words and she took a deep breath because she needed to finish that sentence. Left like that it insinuated something so wrong, something insane. “I hoped that he was gone and I wouldn’t feel anything this time.” She hiccuped, and she had to hate him just for that, for she couldn’t remember when was the last time she’d cried so hard. “After everything he’s done…” She couldn’t finish that thought. Couldn’t admit out loud that he still had a place in her heart. Not after what he’d done to her friends and students.

“Shh,” Faragonda soothed as she pulled her in her embrace, wrapping her arms around her and cradling her head with her hand just like she’d done seventeen years ago. And after all this time, it still worked. The warmth of their friendship was enough even against the cold of his absence and she held on to Faragonda like her life depended on it. Because it felt like it did. “He was filled with hatred and look where it got him.” Well, neither of them knew exactly what had happened to him. Only that he was gone. She could feel it in her soul, and it was more than weird, for he wasn’t any more lost to her now than he’d been when he’d been standing in front of her, and yet, the thought of his demise hurt. More than it was supposed to. Though, that wasn’t really a good measure since she shouldn’t have felt anything for him from the moment she’d learned what kind of demon she was dealing with. “Love is never a mistake in itself,” Faragonda whispered with such conviction that it was hard not to believe it.

Love. She’d made the biggest mistakes in her life in its name. And she’d also done the right thing in spite of her feelings. So Faragonda had a point there. She always did, and Griffin could count on her to show her the truth that had her muscles relax and the shaking subside.

4 – numb

More Griffin and Faragonda friendship and warnings for post-war background and heavy angst.

There was a knock on the door. She wasn’t expecting anyone but she didn’t startle like she’d used to do when she’d been sleep deprived and constantly on edge from the endless planning and the enormous stakes of the war. But not anymore. She couldn’t feel much these days. In fact, she only felt numb, and she told herself it was better that way even when she knew it was a lie.

“Come in,” she said, for she figured that if it was anyone she didn’t want to see, they would’ve walked in already without bothering to request permission from her.

And indeed, when the door opened, she was met with Faragonda’s face. She didn’t seem exactly happy–Griffin doubted anyone could be after what they’d witnessed in the final battle–but she was still much more cheerful than Griffin could deal with. “Hey,” Faragonda greeted as she walked in, her voice nowhere near its usual joyful sound but it would get there, Griffin knew. The fairy always found a way to pick up the broken pieces, and even if she sometimes joked it was a pixie thing, she knew better. It was a Faragonda thing. And she admired her for the beautiful display of quiet strength.

“Hey.” She forced herself to smile for Faragonda’s sake. Her friend was making steady steps towards recovery and she didn’t want her own lack of progress to set her back. She didn’t want to drag her back to that pit of despair that their memories of the war were. They had to move on. And just because she couldn’t, didn’t mean she had to get in the way of everyone else.

“Packing?” Faragonda asked as she sat down on her bed, eying her suitcase that was nearly empty, and not just by fairy standards.

“Yeah,” Griffin said as she moved her gaze through the room, pretending she was looking for things she needed to grab and throw in the suitcase when the truth was that she’d already packed everything that she wouldn’t need until her departure the next day. She hadn’t had much to begin with after she’d left the Coven, and most of what she’d had, had been destroyed along with the entire planet of Domino. The only personal belongings she had–the only ones she’d cared about–were gone. Even the flower hairpin from Faragonda was lost since she hadn’t taken it with her into battle. She only had the clothes she’d been wearing, those she’d been provided with in the Fortress of Light and a few books that had been recovered from one of their safe houses. And most of her friends were alive. It was more than she could have hoped for.

“Where to now?” Faragonda asked and if the upbeat tone sounded somewhat forced and her eyes seemed to glimmer with tears, Griffin pretended not to notice. If she were any less selfish, she would ask Faragonda what was torturing her. (She knew. It was the same thing that tormented all of them.) But she couldn’t witness her friend break down. It would be too much.

“Home,” she said, all of her resolve going into making the word louder than a whisper and forcing herself not to choke on its acrid taste so she couldn’t make herself seem even remotely excited. There was no home for her anymore. She’d lost the right to call her realm home when she’d passed its secrets into Valtor’s hands. And she didn’t even dare think about how much being in his arms had felt like home.

Faragonda nodded, cutting her gaze from hers. “Start anew,” she said but the bitter chuckle that followed was something Griffin had never expected to hear from her. It set off all kinds of alarms in her head. “As if it’s that easy,” Faragonda shook her head, the tears streaming down her face and Griffin could swear they would both drown in them if she didn’t do something to stop them. “After what we’ve been through…” Faragonda’s voice broke and morphed into a sob.

��Hey, hey, I’ve got you,” Griffin soothed as she rushed to her and sat down on the bed as well, taking Faragonda’s hand in hers and wiping away the tears from her cheeks with her free hand, only to feel the sorrow soaking up into her skin and leaving her frozen, unable to help her friend.

“I don’t know what to do,” Faragonda cried, the words hitting far too close to home and if her vision wasn’t blurred by the tears, she would’ve noticed the pain crossing Griffin’s face which would’ve led to a whole new cause for crying. “Everyone expects me to just go on and return to being a guardian fairy for my realm but how am I supposed to do that when I was there to watch an entire planet perish and all I could do was… nothing?” the words kept spilling from her mouth just like the tears were streaming from her eyes and all of it threw Griffin in agony because she understood too well. She felt so lost herself. “How are we supposed to move on after everything we saw?” her voice was so loud and unstable that it was scary, for Griffin had never heard her like that, but she understood. She’d asked herself the same. And she hadn’t been able to come up with an answer. Until now.

“Together,” she said as she gripped tightly at Faragonda’s shoulders to draw her attention. “We’ll get through this together,” she promised as she held her gaze before drawing her into a hug and feeling Faragonda sink into it helped her relax as well. She hadn’t known what to do with herself before that moment. But now she had a direction. She had nowhere to be. So she’d stand by her friend and help her pick up the pieces. And hopefully, she would find some peace for herself as well.

#winx club #winx griffin #winx faragonda #griffin and faragonda #drabbles #fanfiction #my fanfiction #my writing #heaven or hell #ask #anon

[oneofyatosfollowers]

One Of A Kind Chapter 3

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20191861/chapters/49790405

Fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13360973/1/One-of-a-Kind

After a week, the pretty human girl had scanned about 20 square miles. Followed- in somewhat secret- every step of the way by Yato. She now found herself in what was once a park, shifting through piles and piles of trash. What ever she was searching for much be important, her search had slowed down here so she could scan every inch. Maybe if she saw how fun it was here, with him, she would give up on whatever she was searching for.

"Now, remember the plan." Yato whispered to the cockroach on his shoulder. Nora squeaked in acknowledgement, her antennas twitching. They hid inside an empty store, on the second floor of the mall. Below, the young woman was scanning the check out area.

Yato and Nora nodded to each other before she leaped off his shoulder and scurried down the escalator. Yato watched as Nora made her way across the large tile floor, and came a couple feet behind the alien. Nora's chirp echoed throughout, signaling the young woman to whip out her gun and fire at the noise.

Yato swallowed a shriek, fingers coming to cover his mouth. He nearly cried in relief when Nora crawled out of the smoking hole in the floor and hissed at the taller girl. The latter blinked at the small insect, slowly putting down her gun. At this, Yato let out a sigh of relief, the plan working.

Nora took a step back to shake herself out and chirping again at the newcomer. The girl's eyes widened at the sight and she put her gun away with a cute gasp.

"A periplaneta americana!" she gently reached out a hand and let Nora inspect it before climbing on. The brown-haired woman then brought the insect closer to her face, holding her palm at eye-level.

"This was one of the few species suspected to still be surviving! But I haven't seen yet so I assumed it wasn't true!" she rubbed a finger along Nora's spine just the way she liked it, causing her to buzz. Yato melted at the sight, then resumed the plan with renewed vigor. He patted behind a collom and took a deep breath, cupping his hands around his filter.

"Nora!" Yato called. More often then not this was met with a blue hyper beam of destruction. This was one of those times.

"Ack! No! Wait- its- wah- its me! Stop!" Yato scrambled behind one column at a time, each one blasted his wake by the trigger-happy girl below.

She stopped shooting at the sound of his cries. "Ugh. Yato!"

"Why hello! Fancy meeting you here!" Yato leaned back against a pile of shopping carts that wobbled before falling on him.

"I told you to stop following me around! I'm on a mission!" her shout carried over his groans of pain. He quickly got up and shook it off, pausing to desperately unhook the wires tangled on his compactor.

Yato hopped over the railing to the first floor. "Don't be like that! Besides, I'm not here for you! I'm here for Nora."

At this she gave him another funny look- one that had increasingly more annoyance in it each time- and put her gun down.

"And what, is a Nora?" she put her fingers to her head. Yato noted with slight hurt that she still didn't put the gun away. He crossed his arms and cocked his hips.

"Not a 'what', a 'who'." Yato pointed down at her feet.

She looked down at the cockroach, then glowered back at the Wall-E, thorughly done with his nonsense. But before she could tell him off again- or better yet, blast him- Yato began quickly tapping his shoulder and made clicking noises. To her surprise, the cockroach perked up, then scuttled over to him and up his leg. Planting herself happily on his shoulder, facing the young woman to chirp.

"This is Nora. Cockroaches weren't perticulally liked a long time ago but they're actually quite smart." Yato said. He booped Nora's face with his fore finger, then froze, and turned to look at the only other person besides him.

"You're not here for her are you?" He sounded reserved, almost scared or hostile.

The girl in white blinked at the tone. After a brief pause, she sighed.

"No. No I'm not."

Yato watched her with a small frown as she leaned back against a bench.

"Why can't you just tell me what it is you're looking for? Maybe I can help you!"

"I told you it's classified!" Her voice rose back to it's annoyed state, "It means it's none of your business!"

"Come on! Who am I going to tell? There's no one here! And I don't have contact with the mother ship! Or any ship for that matter! You're not going to find someone who knows this planet better than me!"

"I already told you, it's not really something you can carry around or keep on a shelf! I can work so much faster by myself instead of you holding up item by item and having me scan each one! "

"Well I wouldn't do that if you told me what it is!"

They both huffed at each other, glaring as Nora looked between them. This common argument ended with her whispering how the information was classified. As awful as it sounded, Yato relished even these interactions. At the very least, his speech was starting to be more 'up to date'.

"Can I at least get your name?" Yato spoke softly, pleading. The young woman squeezed the nozzle of her gun and pressed her lips together.

"Just stop following me around. Leave me alone." She spoke to the floor. Yato watched with slumped shoulders as she stepped quickly out the store, glass doors sliding shut behind her.

Nora hummed against his neck, trying to snap Yato out of it. The silence seemed to stretch on as Yato's systems did a check on what was putting stress on his heart. He held up his finger to nudge Nora away from tickling his neck.

"I think I've been away from work long enough, Nora." Yato said.

The sun was starting to go down, officially making it one month since the space ship brought the brown-haired beauty to Earth. It proved to Yato, at the very least, that people still existed far beyond the Milky Way. There was still a chance for them to return. And when they did, he would be ready and waiting, with a cleaned-up world behind him.

Yato and Nora found themselves self working on the piles near the ocean port two days after his fight with the girl in white. He still watched her on the television, at first doing everything in his power to ignore her, but finding he simply couldn't. He spent yesterday charging, then compressing the shopping carts he jumbled up.

Now most of his squares consisted of old fishing nets and discarded glasses from cruises. His body jumped when he heard the sound of an object flying through the air at break-neck speed. It was a noise that found it's way into his dreams recently. He looked around to see her flying from behind skyscrapers, her eyes and scanner pointing toward the ground.

When she landed on one of the ships, Yato found that he was moving towards her. He didn't want to give up. Maybe he should get her something nice, the people who left to live on Heaven's Sun were said to be very materialistic. Yato didn't realize he was running till he slowed to a jog when she rose up out of the ship. The wind was strong today, and it whipped though her pigtails. Her white suit practically glowed in the sunlight. She was defiantly something not of this world, someone from Heaven.

She flew to the next boat. A large cargo ship made for transporting large hunks of metal or cars. He picked up the pace when her boots caught the attention of the crane magnet. The large disc swayed towards her, she seemed to freeze for a moment before she flew in reverse. The exhaust pipes of her boots hit first, she let out a yelp of alarm.

Yato knew how to turn those things off, but he couldn't fly. She would have to dangle there while he figured out a way on the ship.

"Aarggh! Take this!" Her body twisted and she fired a series of shots at the magnet and flew free. She then turned to fire at the ship. The outside of it cracked open as heat borrowed through it. It couldn't handle the destruction, the ship fell onto the one next to it. Then the next one, and the next one. The boats fell like dominos, each erupting in a ball of fire.

The woman drifted back towards shore, landing softly on the ground between the boats and Yato. She plopped down with her back to him, and pulled her knees to chest. As Yato got closer- seeing the light dance across her face- he found himself feeling the same awe as when she first stepped out of her pod. He then remembered the look she often gives him, and decided to take a slow approach. By the time she noticed him there, and pointed her gun at him, Yato already had the compactor in front of his face.

"It's just me," he said above the roar of the fire. She didn't say anything, but he heard the gun clack on the hard dirt. The Wall-E sat on the ground a little more than three feet away, his compactor on the ground next to him. Yato found himself glancing at her now and again. Her gaze was unfocused, her eyebrows knitted together.

Ceasing his chance, Yato scooched a couple inches closer to her. And again when she didn't look up. The third time he moved closer, he let out a sneeze. Scaring her, her head whipped to face him.

"Gesundheit," she squeaked. Yato yelped at being addressed, the dragged his compactor a little closer. They held each other's wide-eyes before relaxing slightly. Yato kept his eyes on her, even when she turned to look at the fire again. Always on her.

"So, find it yet?" Yato said after some time. She looked at him with tired eyes.

"No," she replied.

"Is it really that important?"

She turned on him with fury he knew wasn't anger, but determination.

"Yes! I can't tell you exactly why- that's classified, you know that- but I would be revered! Someone my family could be proud of, even though it's a job they didn't want for me!"

"I see. Good for you, it's important to do what you want. Even if it's not the same as what your mom or dad want." Yato murmured.

Hiyori rarely shared anything about her life before she landed here on Earth. Whenever she did, she would immediately kick him, or try to shoot him. This time, to Yato's shock, her scanner turned on him again, buzzing when he came up negative. Yato turned to face the fire, not wanting to push his luck.

"So, um," she sounded unsure, "Does that thing you carry on your back, help with your- uh- work?" Her words sounded more confident at the patient, reassuring look Yato tried to convey. He perked up at her question.

"My compactor? Yeah! See, this big square is actually two. The one on the end opens up to be a hallow cube, with one wall missing. This is where the garbage and the second square go." Yato stood and made his way to the closest pile of waste, just enough for once trash cube.

He swung his handle, the empty cube just scraping the ground and scooping up all the trash, with practiced ease. Yato covered the trash with the second iron square and pushed the handle down. It slipped down the cut-out slat on the opposite wall a little farther than normal, but it got the job done. Yato then pulled the handle up, letting the compressed trash roll out.

The woman let out a noise of understanding, even as the trash collapsed sightly. Yato sat back down, this time much closer to her. She didn't move away, instead watching him re-flatten the compactor and fasten it to his back.

"Tada!" Yato pointed at the squished cube with jazz hands. His mouth opened when she actually laughed. How he missed that noise. Yato gave a toothy smile back. After her breath evened out,  her brown eyes flickered down to the ground. He long legs stretched out a bit and her fingers twirled together. They looked at the fire together again, the air lighter as it whipped around them.

"Hiyori Iki." she said. Yato turned to look at her with same smile.

"Huh?"

"My name. You-you asked remember? It's Hiyori Iki."

Yato flipped on his knees to face her, eyes wide and shining.

"Oh? Oh! Hiyoriiki! What a nice name!"

"No, no!" She waved her hands in font of her face and Yato immediately backed off.

"Not 'Hiyoriiki' it's Hiyori. Iki is my family name."

Yato copied her position, holding his own hand over his knees. He had heard of 'family names'. They were something old-money humans had. Yato hummed in acknowledgement and thought of his own name. The one that was miss-read on the application his Father filled out. Yato covered up whatever his expression was with another smile. He then remembered that his mouth was always covered by the filtration mask. No wonder she thought he looked 'creepy', as she put it, he hoped one day she could see his smile for real.

"It's still a beautiful name."

"Th-thank you!" Hiyori's face turned into a nice pink color. Yato felt warm, his body heat had increased. It made it a little harder to breathe. Yato straitened up. No it wasn't him, it really was harder to pull oxygen through the mask. Yato looked around, his sensors buzzing.

"What wrong?" She fell away from him when his speaker started to blare an alarm. The word 'Warning' filled his vision as the wind picked up rapidly. A dust storm. Coming across what used to be the ocean, from behind Hiyori. Yato lunged at her with his hand outstretched, only for his forehead to be met with the nozzle of her gun.

"Hiyori!" Yato looked again behind her wide wide eyes. There was no time to make her understand. The natural disator program in his mainframe kicked in, his body moving almost without thought. Yato whipped off the compactor and dug the handle into the ground, holding onto it with both hands. He pressed his forehead to the squares- effectively covering his face- and shut his eyes.

"Yato? What is it- What's going on?" The ground trembled as Hiyori stood up, turning around just in time to see the storm take her. Her feet left the ground and she tumbled backward, Hiyori could barely see her hand in front of her face.

"Yato? Yato!" The wind tore apart her call, but he heard her anyway.

"Hiyori!" Yato looked around, eyes much more suited for this type of weather. The glowing blue lines of her suit flickered a couple meters behind him. Yato stood on got his ground, putting away the compactor, he made his way towards her. She was looking away from him when he called to her again.

"Yato?" Hiyori looked at him through her helmet, feeling his hand wrap around her wrist. It was large and calloused, warm and slightly damp.

"Come on! This way!" Yato tugged her towards his home, his gps pointing the way on a small map to his lower left. He couldn't stay in these conditions long, so he pulled her to go faster. They ran, her confusion and protests drowned out by the wind in his ears.

"Do you have night vision?"

"Wha-?"

"Do you have night vision? Can you see?"

"No! I can't see a thing!" As if to prove the point, Hiyori stumbled on something Yato served around. At her cry of pain and alarm Yato halted and faced her. The glass of her helmet hit his chest hard, they met eyes for a second before he bent down and gathered her in his arms.

Now he was sprinting, every thud of his legs jostling the girl he carried bridal-style. Hiyori eyes were wild and her mouth worked uselessly. She tried to tell the Wall-E of piles and objects appearing out of nowhere, but he leaped and ran around without a second thought.

Yato came to a stop at some looming structure. He put Hiyori down, but kept a tight hold on her arm. The whirling of a mechanism sounded piercing against the wind. She was then pulled forward, her booting hitting metal. Yato closed the door, and the storm abruptly cut out.

"Yato?" she tried again.

"It's okay. We're safe here."

Hiyori blinked for a moment as unnatural light illuminated the space. Christmas lights and other funny bulbs showed that she was in a rectangle cuboid made of metal. The side lined with rotating shelves, covered in things he collected over the years. He had told her about the cooler of treasures he carried, but she hadn't given it much thought.  

"Welcome to my home! I'm sorry I don't have a place to sit, or a drink to offer, but there's my bed! So make yourself comfortable!" Yato waved his arms around and gestured to everything. He didn't know if she had heard him, if she did she didn't show it. Her wide eyes scanned the shelfs, she brought a hand to cover her open lips.

Yato stayed silent with a smile as she picked up things off the shelfs, throughly inspected it, then gently put it back. She scanned things once and a while but eventually made her way to the back of the trailer.

"We could be in here a while, so I thought we'd watch a movie! It's my favorite, a love story between a- No wait! Don't shoot Mr.Fish!" Yato scrambled to his feet and ran to hit the button on the singing wall fish. The trailer went quiet again as the plastic bass went still. Yato then turned to look at the girl pointing her gun at it.

"It's just a toy. No need to get worked up." Yato tapped the barrel of the gun with his finger. Hiyori glanced at the gun then back at Yato with narrowed eyes. When she let the gun fall to her waist, the man tsked at her.

"Ah-uhn. My house, my rules. That thing goes away. Can't have any holes in the walls." Yato stared with his hands on his hips till she took the hint and re-clipped the gun above her tail-bone. Both their attentions were stolen by the magical noise of the Capybara Movie's musical intro.

"A Capybara Movie? I've never seen this one."

"You know Capybaras?" Yato shouted with glee, "I love Capybaras! This is my all time favorite movie! Aren't they just the cutest thing! There's an amusement park across town but Wall-Es are only suppose to work, so I never got to go. But once I was alone I learned to hack into the coasters! I know which ones are safe so we can go together!" At some point during his speech, Yato started dancing with a silver trash lid on his head. Hiyori let out a chuckle at the sight, his childlike excitement, ignoring the pity in her heart. He sometimes slipped bits and pieces about his life during their conversations. Those pieces did not show a happy picture. Hiyori wished-in these moments- she could take him back with her.

"You know we have a Capybara Land on Heaven's Sun. It's a bit smaller than the old one, but still." Hiyori offered. She had to shield her eyes from the dazzling happiness the Wall-E radiated.

"For real? You do! That's amazing! You have to take me!" Yato pulled her into a hug. Hiyori fought her way out of it.

"Take you? Uh, oh, well I don't know. The ship is really for trained Eve-scouters."

Yato's stomach plummeted. She couldn't take him back with her? She was just here to get something then leave? Was she not just the first one here?  Humanity wasn't coming back?At his pained expression, Hiyori quickly backtracked, palms held up to try and pacify him.

"What I mean is, um, I have to get a ship for the two of us. You know? So I can come. Pick. You. Up?" Hiyori's voice trailed off at the end. Yato's face morphed into something unreadable. No goofy smile. No whining or teasing. He wasn't even blinking, his vivid blue eyes stoping her breath.

"Sure, Hiyori. That sounds nice." Yato quirked the corner of his mouth up. Hiyori tried his name again, but it came out as a whisper.

"But hey, nothing we can do now, right? Let's just watch the movie." Yato made his way to the television, showing the capybaras struggling through a famine. Hiyori squeezed her fist above her heart, then made her way to sit cris-cross next to him on the flat mattress. He pulled her up to dance for every song, spinning her around while she clumsilly stepped on his iron-toed boots. When he talked though the entire movie, pausing only to sing along to the songs, Hiyori only smiled.

previous: https://oneofyatosfollowers.tumblr.com/post/187701265234/one-of-a-kind-chapter-2

next: 

[frecklystars]

I’m home from work and before I unpack all of that lemme just say WOW THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who sent me messages regarding my last post??? I had no idea people would actually read it sdslkdfsdf that was just me rambling about how I’m anxious to write a thank-you message to nick blaemire!! that was incredibly nice of you to reach out to me and say “you can do it!!” that was really really cute and I’m so lucky I’m surrounded by such good and kindhearted friends ;w;

these last two days at work were really!! really!! hard!!! today was better than yesterday though!! Yesterday I had a lot of trouble with my coworkers being in a bad mood, one of the new managers getting mad at me for something I didn’t do (twice ;-; it happened today too) and I was just generally in a very negative mindset yesterday bc my mind kept spiraling back to the past few months and I was just. so angry at everything that happened and so angry that i let it happen for so long and so angry that i never got any closure for the pain. and it was really hard for me to stop thinking about it

a lot of rules have changed and there’s a bigger workload to complete, especially if you open the store (which i did both yesterday and today) but today I worked with some MUCH nicer coworkers that I’m always happy to see! one of the OTHER managers thought I’d done something wrong and I was too anxious to correct them but they were at least really nice about it like “just know for next time okay? thank you” hopefully one day if it happens again ill try to speak up and be like “oh actually that was a misunderstanding-” but yikes im so bad at Talking. it’s so important to me that my managers/coworkers have a good perception of me but like,,, i gotta wake up and realize that i just can’t please everyone. and that’s okay!! 

a REALLY GOOD THING that happened today: I PET A DOG!!!!!! IT WAS A BIG CURLY-HAIRED DOG I don’t know what kind he was but his name is Domino!!! And he gave me a kiss and he was SO EXCITED to meet me and he was so gentle when he was jumping up on me to reach me so I squatted down to pet him and he looked SO HAPPY and hhh I nearly cried. God bless the customers who let me pet their dogs. no matter how horrible a day is, if i get to pet a dog, i’ll know that it’s gonna be alright

#woof #AND NOW IM OFF FOR TWO DAYS!!!!! #i didnt get a lunch break today so i took a ten minute break #and i sat in my car and just BLASTED the song She's You to get me in a better mood #and it worked!!! it's sung by Nick Blaemire and guest stars some of the spongebob musical cast #so every time I listen to the song I imagine it's Plankton and everyone in bikini bottom singing about me #'she isn't anyone ordinary she isn't anyone new / she isn't just anyone!! she's YOU!! YOU!! YOUUUU' #its so wholesome and its my FAVORITE SONG it always gets me PUMPED #im going to make the song a fully colored self insert animatic one day #i just... need to plan it mostly #GOD THE WAY THAT NICK LOOKS AT HIS WIFE IN THE VIDEO ITS SO SWEET #its so wholesome to see a celebrity who just LOVES his WIFE and mentions it ALL the time #anyway that song made me feel better #and i was able to get through the next two hours!! #BUT GOSH THE CUSTOMERS TODAY WERE RUTHLESS #I had a lady buy a chicken. okay? she bought fried chicken #and the entire time i was packing her groceries she was sO MEAN SHE WAS SO SO MEAN TO ME AND THE CASHIER #telling us 'oh your donuts are a SCAM it says buy one get one FREE RIGHT HERE' #and the cashier was like 'ma'am this isnt... its... where did you see that' #and she was like THERES A SIGN. so i had to check for the sign but it wasnt there by the donuts #and she was yelling 'YOU MUST HAVE REMOVED THE SIGN YOU BITCH YOU'RE TRYING TO SCAM ME' #then after like 5 minutes of her yelling and me internally screaming she went to her car #and she forgot her fried chicken! so i went outside and brought her the chicken and she took it. okay? #yeah? she TOOK the chicken. the deed was done. it should be over now right? right? absolutely not #she comes back 10 minutes later and yells 'THAT BITCH HID MY CHICKEN FROM ME AND SHE NEVER GAVE IT BACK TO ME' #and i was like 'ma'am i.. i brought you your chicken... i was just outside with you. i handed it to you personally' #and she spent SO LONG trying to convince one of the customer service clerks that i was The Worst but luckily #the person running the customer service counter was one of my homies. absolute legend. love that guy. he didnt believe anything she said #and after she left with ANOTHER chicken she got for free... he came up to me and was like 'i could tell she was lying' #and then a cashier standing by said 'dont even worry about it Keri you're good' and i was just sighing 'man today is a DAY...'

[ificouldhelpyouforget]

NOEASY TRACKLIST: MY FAVORITES (IN ORDER FROM MOST TO LEAST)

When the NOEASY album came out last month, I posted my initial list of favorites and said that is was subject to change. Well, it's changed pretty drastically, so here I am again to update that list based on how often I actually listen to it, whether or not I skip it or manage to listen to it when doing a task, how often each song gets stuck in my head, and how much I love my bias' part in the song. I know, a totally legit rating system.

1. SSICK: Initially, I had this at the bottom of my list. It didn't catch my attention nearly as well as most of the other songs. I felt it was a little boring until I started to hear it more often. This is the song that some part of it is stuck in my head for days. I'm not talking just a few hours. It could be "me so sick (sick, sick)" or "me so sick and legendary" or the outro, but some part of that song is constantly in my head. And let me tell you, the moment I found out that Felix freaking sings not in his lower register, ya girl put this song at the top. I'm obsessed. His voice sounds so full and round and just so good. I've been dying for more mid-register Felix and he delivered!

2. DOMINO: Surprise, surprise, a song with an incredible part of just Felix singing in his deep voice is at the top. I think this only moved down a rank from the last list I made. The song itself is a bop. I also jam to it hard and act goofy. It gets me hyped and I love that in music. I also just love saying "aye, domino," and letting Jisung go do his thing. It always makes me laugh. I often just get the repeated "domino, domino" part stuck in my head. Sometimes Felix's bit at the end hangs around, but it's my alarm sound (great way to wake up btw) and doesn't get stuck as often. The dance break before it is honestly my favorite part though. Especially now that we have the performances where Hyunjin leads the charge. Ah! It's so great! Oh, and Hyunjin's line where his voice starts high and stair steps down to his normal rap voice is another favorite part.

3. Thunderous: I really thought I was going to get sick of this one with how many performances they did and how it showed up everywhere (and got stuck in my head constantly), but I still love it. It always gets me moving even though I don't know any of the choreo except the ptui part. And the "I'm not sorry I'm dirty" parts from both Felix and Chan are just 💜. I seriously can't get over it.

4. CHEESE: "HA! CHEESE!" is already getting me and then "why'd you say it like that?"... the video at the part is just... my mind blanks. The fact the song is a freaking diss track is the greatest because I've been frustrated as a fan by the craziness and hate sent their way, but they straight up said, "you can't get to us," and I love that. Hate on them or their music, but they are still vibing. It's embarrassing how often I get I.N's 1, 2, 3 stuck in my head AND Felix naming cheeses. Like, someone says "cheese" and I immediately start singing some part in the song.

5. Sorry, I Love You: I can hardly sing a single word in this song not knowing any Korean, but it's so catchy. I try to sing what I hear, but I'm always listening in my car (for now as my ears are still healing from piercings and I don't use earbuds), so I get words wrong often. It's such a beautiful song and all of their voices sound so good. This doesn't get stuck in my head nearly as often as some of the songs ranked lower, but I can't get over this song. I don't even skip it when I'm not in the mood for slower songs and that says a lot.

6. Star Lost: This might have been higher or in the same place (these next few are pretty interchangeable), but it's gotten a lot of love from me. I like the sound, the upbeat feeling to it, and my goodness the cute thing Felix does with his voice at the end of his part (kinda toward the beginning of the song), I can't ignore how much I like this song. It's so adorable. Haha. This gets me driving a little too fast when I'm going places though because it's just another hype song for me. Feels kinda like spring for me. Not quite summer, but definitely a windows down warm day kind of vibe.

7. The View: This shouldn't be this low because I adore this song and I'm constantly singing it, but there are so many others I like a little bit more, so that's why it's here. I also feel like since I don't actually like the view of where I live, it's harder for me to really vibe with it. The music video is so cute, too. I've actually been obsessed with the neon sign that says "dreams come true to those who truly want them" or whatever it is because I think it's a great cover photo for social media, but no one screenshot the scene of just the sign (my internet sucks too much for it to be clear for me). Then Felix posted a photo of it on its own, so we're all good. By the way, did I mention Felix is my bias? 😂

8. Surfin': I rarely get this song stuck in my head only because the only part I ever really sing is, well, Felix's part in the chorus. The other parts I can pick out and sing don't stick in my head as well. I'm not a summer girl, but the vibe of this song is so cute along with the music video. The little lizard on Felix's outfit, the soft moment of Minho singing in front of that sunset sheet, Changbin being cute af... it's a great video (and song).

9. Mixtape: OH: This also should be higher because I love it so much, but alas, here it sits. I do consistently listen to it when I comes on. It's technically my first song with OT8. I wasn't a fan (didn't know of SKZ) when they released their other songs before this one. I mean, I was there for the stuff on Kingdom, but that wasn't OT8. And then this came out and I was so happy they were a complete group again. The story of this song hits so hard for (although different than what they were probably intending) and I totally cried watching it (it definitely wasn't a Felix moment that made me cry). I loved it so much that I bought the song as soon as it came out and did nail art to celebrate.

10. Red Lights: Okay, so this gets stuck in my head just as much as some of the songs at the top of this list BUT I'm so sick of the constant sexualizing of it that it's all the way down here. I get it, that was the vibe Chan and Hyunjin were going for and I respect that, but the way Stays are drooling and acting like, well, horn dogs is turning me off of the song. They did amazing with the lyrics and putting it to the track and the music video is visually striking, albeit more horror-esque to me than sexy. I don't skip it often if at all because the beat is catchy. But as soon as I remember how inappropriate some fans are being about it, I just can't listen. Mind you, we all think that way sometimes (I am no different when Felix does certain things or wears certain things or when another member does something that completely throws me off), but it's a bit much.

11. Silent Cry: I hate to say it because I do enjoy this song, but it's a bit forgettable for me. I skip it a lot because I have 10 other songs I'd rather listen to than this one. It's not at all a bad song and the lyrics are so sad. It just doesn't hit the same as other songs on the album. I honestly can't recall a single part in this song because the other songs are overpowering it. I do think it resonates with a ton of fans and it's much higher on their list, which is awesome, it just isn't the song for me.

12. Secret, Secret: This is another one, as beautiful as it is, that doesn't stick out to me. I'm also not in a slow song mood, so I skip almost every time it comes on. I can remember the intro the song though unlike "Silent Cry" where I can't think of any part of it. Maybe it should go higher because of that... It's just not the mood I'm looking for right now. But again, gorgeous song. I think more people should listen to it than "Red Lights" to be honest.

13. WOLFGANG: Ugh, I didn't want to put this down so low because I've been in love with it since Kingdom and even more so with OT8, but I think I got tired of it too fast because I listened to it so often and played the performance video a ton. It's fun to listen to and I don't skip it as often as the slower songs, but I have skipped it too much to put it much higher on this list. Sorry, y'all. I enjoy it, but I overplayed it. It's on me.

14. Gone Away: I hate that this song is so low because Jisung, Seungmin, and I.N's voices are amazing together in this. They wrote beautiful lyrics and the emotion in the music video is so heartbreaking to see... I just am not into slow songs right now. My friend would definitely disagree with me though. She loves it. Not a single song on this album is bad and it being the last on my list doesn't say that I think it's bad in any sense of the word, it just doesn't hit my vibe right now. But gosh is it beautiful.

#stray kids #skz #noeasy #stray kids noeasy #skz noeasy #noeasy tracklist #noeasy rankings #my rankings #this will most likely change again #my ranking never last long tbh

[ifwegettherebysunset]

Synchroshipping: comfort, please :))

Finally answering a prompt! It’s a miracle lol

This one is called Velut Luna. Reincarnation, angst with a happy ending :D

Also under the cut, ALTHOUGH i would recommend clicking the Ao3 link, if only because I put some notes in the beginning that aren’t posted here!

O Fortuna, (O Fortune,)velut Luna, (like the moon,)statu variabilis. (you are changeable.)

Carmina Burana, Carl Orff

Although Memory World is based on truth, it isn’t accurate. Not just in Atem’s ability to bring modern knowledge, but the omission of vitally important people to create a narrative that focuses solely on the Pharaoh.

But now, as Atem stands in his newly-illuminated soul, he remembers the night of his coronation celebration as it really happened.

Visitors, six in all, striding into the palace. Their hoods are pulled back, revealing different ethnicities as their bared arms reveal the same shade of red. They bow. They name themselves as individuals, and then as one:

“We are the Signers, Pharaoh. We are here to help.”

Signers.

A dragon head adorns the speaker’s arm. The taut muscle is almost identical to the one Atem had seen not nearly as long ago. The tone and appearance couldn’t be more different, but those eyes. The look in those eyes are the same.

The Guardians sense old souls residing in these Signers. Old and powerful. But Isis and Mahaad also sense benevolence. Though skeptical, Atem allows them to join the celebrations. He calls the Dragon Head Signer from his fellows, that he may speak with him quietly during the proceedings.

The Signer remains quiet and polite. He allows Set’s not-so-subtle interrogation, replying that “Akakiryu” harbors their children from life to life, replacing them in the world when the time comes.

“We bear different names than those of our first lives,” he says, “and perhaps every previous name will be forgotten one day. But our purpose never changes. As your Guardians protect you, Pharaoh, so do we protect the world.”

That is the first sign of darkness brewing. The Thief King does not attack that night, but the Dragon Head Signer relates the premonition that the Crimson Dragon brings. If the Signers are here, their enemies are not far behind.

“You bring danger to our land?” Set hisses.

“No,” the Signer replies with perpetual calm, “The danger would have come regardless.”

He eyes the Sennen Items with a foreboding sorrow that Atem will remember when the truth comes. He must have sensed the gilded bloodshed the instant he arrived. Atem wonders what first impression the Signers had.

The Thief King does ambush the palace a week after the ceremony. In that time, Atem remembers watching the Signers roaming in the night, holding hands and whispering prayers. He remembers thinking time and again of what were then brown eyes, surrounded by young skin yet old at their core. Atem had always felt terribly inexperienced around the Signers.

Atem’s father is not brought to this ambush, as Bakura originally did not plan to immediately take over the kingdom, but erode the Pharaoh’s authority overtime to cause as much suffering as possible. But he is still vengeful, his anger still untamed, and his soul tries to aim directly at Atem.

The stars themselves protect him, bathing the darkened room in millions of gorgeous lights. Standing before it all is the Dragon Head Signer, holding his mark as the Guardians would a diadhank.

The other Signers gather around him. The sand splits on strangling vines. The fires in the braziers break into two streams, one roaring red, the other gentle gold. Stones break from the floor to form armor. The air whips feathers of all colors into one black whole.

Bakura is repelled with a surprised yell. The world rights itself, from replaced stones to reformed constellations.

Among the cheers, the Signers are horrified.

“Impossible,” one Claw Signer whispers.

“How?” the Tail Signer asks.

“What is it?” Mahaad says.

The Dragon Head Signer swallows. “That man…he has taken every Earthbound Immortal into his soul.”

“What kind of hatred does he harbor that can swallow all of them?” the Wing Signer cries.

Aknadin is incredibly still.

Atem remembers falling in love.

It’s a steady affection, reliable as stars at night. He’s not sure when it starts, but he knows when he figures it out.

Once again, he has called the Dragon Head Signer to his side. They walk by the pond, admiring the moonlight against the water.

The Signer says, “I think of stars as the hearts of those who watch over us. Friends, guardians, mothers, fathers. When one falls, that simply means they are ready to rest.”

“We have stories made of stars,” Atem replies.

The Signer smiles in his quiet way. “Yes. They provide inspiration. They provide our own beings.” He raises his mark. “Because of my dragon, I can sense their glow. I see it in everyone. Even the Thief King has a speck of stardust left, faint as it is.”

Atem’s eyes narrow. “Do you pity him?”

“No. But it’s strange.”

“What is?”

The Signer looks him in the eye. Atem should punish him for it. He never does.

“When I look at the stardust that makes you, Pharaoh, I see the same stardust in me. Whatever it is that makes us who we are, our souls are of the same constellation.”

Comparing himself to the Pharaoh, especially as an equal, is doubly deserving of punishment. In that moment, however, Atem breathes out and actually feels as if he breathes from human lungs. It’s the first time it’s happened since his father died.

He is not divine when the Dragon Head Signer stands with him. He is fallible. He is human. Yet he is still beloved.

Atem’s heart doesn’t so much as tell him as remind him that he’s in love. It doesn’t feel new, though the realization is. It’s recognition. As if the Signer’s talk of having the same stardust is true, and they’re finally seeing each other as they are.

“I don’t know what it means,” the Signer says, “but I am proud to stand at your side. Not just as a Signer, but as a person. I never thought that could be possible.”

“No,” Atem murmurs, “me neither.”

They have a month of evading attacks. A month of little smiles and starlit kisses, of the Guardians’ suspicious side-eyes and the Signers’ teasing glances.

Atem remembers dying.

The Signers fall one by one, using every ounce of their power to weaken Zorc. They play an integral role in Atem’s fight, paving the way for a killing blow.

The Dragon Head survives the longest. He is there when Atem makes his final oath.

He takes him in his arms, cradling Atem’s face.

“I’m terrified,” Atem whispers.

The Signer touches their foreheads. “There is always hope, Atem. Always.”

The final image Atem has of his life is the Signer pleading to the sky. “Akakiryu! Your beloved child begs one final wish.” Then of tearful brown eyes looking down on him. “Though he casts himself into darkness, let there be stars to guide his way. May he not wallow forever lost. No matter how long it takes, let us meet again in the light!”

The Crimson Dragon curls through the air. It creates a circle. Stardust Dragon dives through it, straight for the dying.

“Victim’s Sanctuary!”

The Dragon Head touches the Sennen Puzzle.

It had been his power that called Sugoroku. His starlight that glittered gold on the Puzzle’s box.

Yet when he and Atem met, they didn’t recognize each other.

Now Atem stands before the Door and wonders if that old soul will continue to wander in the Crimson Dragon’s heart. They did meet again in the light. There had certainly been a connection, but was that all they were allowed?

Something resonates through the chamber, making everyone sway. There’s no voice, no feeling, but a pressure that conveys a message. Atem’s not sure if there are any human words to capture it.

Choose.

Atem looks at his hands, not knowing why until he sees his fingers glittering.

“Atem?” Yugi’s tearful voice calls.

Atem remembers love and says, “Where he travels, I travel with him.”

The lights rise from his skin.

Names are important. They are keys. Atem knows this too well.

When he opens his eyes and sees a changed city, then, his first word is a name.

“Quyllur.”

Across the city, Fudou Yusei drops his wrench.

Crow and Jack pause over cleaning their own D-Wheels. “Yusei?” Crow calls.

As the Signers’ marks gather on his back, Yusei laughs. Laughs and laughs, until tears are streaming down his face and he’s snatching his helmet.

“I’ll be back!” he shouts jubilantly.

“Yusei, what’s going on?”

“I’ll be back!”

He speeds off, as fast as his engine can go. Stardust Dragon shimmers in his mind’s eye, cork-screwing like a happy hatchling. Confused and more than a little concerned, Jack and Crow follow.

What the other Signers see is this:

Yusei braking at a harbor overlooking Neo Domino’s highways. His throwing off his helmet with a carelessness he’s never shown, running recklessly to a stranger. A stranger that looks eerily similar to Mutou Yugi.

They watch as Yusei and this stranger collide, Yusei swinging him around until they’re both dizzy with laughter and tears.

When they kiss, the onlookers naturally utter incoherent “eh?” noises.

In their own corner, though, Yusei’s whispering, “Atem?” and Atem’s replying, “Yes, it’s me, I’m here.”

Their words jumble, then smooth into conversation. Yusei apologizes for not remembering. Atem soothes him, reminds him that he hadn’t either.

“It must have been my merging with Yugi’s soul. And my time locked away. I don’t know if that stardust is still with me.”

Yusei takes his hands and steps back. He glances over Atem’s face and shoulders, then smiles the same way he had by the pond thousands of years before.

“No. It’s still there.”

Atem kisses him again. “I don’t know how to repay you. Or the others. What the Signers did…what you did…”

“I’d do it again,” Yusei replies earnestly. Steadfast as ever. “But―how are you here?”

“When I stood at the Door to the Afterlife, your prayer gave me one last gift. Instead of pass on, I chose to come to you. In this life, at least, I will be with you.”

Yusei’s eyes widen. “You…chose me?”

Atem tilts his head. “Of course I did.”

Yusei snatches him close. “Thank you.”

“I’d do it again.”

After a moment of just holding each other, Yusei murmurs, “The chain was broken. This is the last life the Signers have.”

“The Puzzle is gone too,” Atem replies, “At least its power is.” He smiles, tugging lightly at a strand of Yusei’s hair. “It seems we’ll pass on together.”

Yusei catches his fingers and kisses them. “We’ll live together.”

The sun has set. They kiss under the stars.

(Neither Crow nor Jack has stopped yelling.)

#synchroshipping #writing by sunset

[appalachianwiine]

Swim - Chapter 4 - Glass Houses

There was an earthquake There was an avalanche of change We were so afraid We cried ourselves a hurricane

There were floods Tidal waves over us So we folded our hands and prayed Like a domino These wildfires grow and grow Until a brand new world takes shape

-”Earth” by Sleeping At Last

“Carol!” Ezekiel’s booming voice cuts across the cafeteria, causing her and Daryl to both jump. 

“Ezekiel.” Carol forces a smile across her face and stands to hug him, his broad arms pulling her into a tight hug. Her heart is beating heavily in her chest. “How’s Henry?” 

“Good, he’s meeting with the tutor for a half hour before his infusion today.” Ezekiel kisses her cheek and extends a hand down to Daryl. “You and your daughter came in last night didn’t you?” 

“Yeah.” Daryl says, his gruff voice muttering out a few more words Carol doesn’t pick up. 

“I -I’m going to the bathroom you two uh - get acquainted.” She doesn’t wait to pay attention to the response given to her, she hurries across the cafeteria and into the ladies room. She goes immediately to the sink, splashing some cool water on her face and looking up into the mirror. 

‘Bruises. ...i thought maybe someone was hurtin’ her’ 

It sends a shiver down her spine. Had it really only been 4 years since she’d had those same thoughts? 

Closing her eyes her mind drifts back to that day, in the little house in southern Georgia. 

She leaned close to the mirror, carefully covering the latest of Ed’s marks with concealer. Sophia wasn’t up yet, she was always careful to keep the bruises covered in front of Sophia. She’s just putting the cap on the concealer and putting it back in her purse when she hears the tiny knock at the door, reaching over she opens it. 

“Mornin’ baby girl.” She smiles. “Need the potty?”

“No.” Sophia mutters sleepily. “I’m hungry and couldn’t find you.”

“Go get dressed and I’ll make you some breakfast.” Carol offers, kissing her daughter’s soft blonde hair. 

“You didn’t lay out my uniform last night.” Sophia whimpered. “You and daddy were fighting.” 

“Oh.” Carol breathes. She’d hoped Sophia hadn’t heard that, and she hoped now she didn’t know about the beating Carol had received last night. “Okay, lets go get your uniform then huh?” 

Carol takes Sophia’s hand and leads her into the laundry room. “You take that night gown off and put it on the hamper, it needs to be washed.” Carol digs through the dryer, finding the dark green top and khaki skirt after a moment. She grabs them and turns to Sophia. 

Sophia’s back is to her as she puts the night gown into the laundry hamper and across her side is a large purple bruise. Carol lets out a shriek and drops the uniform, pulling Sophia to her. 

“Mommy?!” Sophia yelps, turning back to her. “Mommy what?”

“Sophia.” Carol’s voice shakes and she has to fight to keep from crying. “Sophia how did you get that bruise?” 

“I -” Sophia frowns, her blue eyes watching Carol. Carol’s eyes scan Sophia’s torso, and arms, nothing, but her legs, her legs have several similar welts. 

Dear god. She’d left her with Ed a few days ago to go visit her mother in the nursing home. It was flu season, Sophia couldn’t come with her. It was Just for a couple of hours but he hadn’t been happy about it. She’d been positive he would never lay a hand on his own child. She’d been wrong, she’d been so very wrong. 

“You’re not going to school today.” Carol decides. “Go get - get your backpack and get a few toys and books okay.” 

“Wh-where are we going?” Sophia whimpers. 

“We’re leaving.” She says firmly, giving Sophia a tight hug. “I’m so sorry I let this happen.” 

She and Sophia had driven nearly 2 hours to get to the women’s shelter in Atlanta. A friend had given her the card once, Carol had insisted she didn’t need it, but kept it anyway. She’d wished she’d left sooner, hadn’t let him touch Sophia. But it turned out, he hadn’t. The bruises didn’t go away, and she started complaining about her legs hurting, then the fevers, and finally an answer. 

Leukemia. High-risk. 

She sucks in a shaking breath, and splashes more water over her face. Looking in the mirror she realizes how tired she looks. Her long hair falling limply around her shoulders. She definitely wasn’t the picture of hope for a new cancer parent - and telling him Sophia had died probably didn’t help either - but she had a policy. Be realistic. Be supportive. Don’t lie. 

Carol turns off the tap and leaves the bathroom, forcing the pain and the anger back down as she approached the table. 

“What I miss?” she says, sitting down in a chair next to Ezekiel and reaching for her coffee cup. 

“Not much.” Daryl says. “Uh Henry and Lyda are the same age.” 

“And I think Henry will like a friend.” Ezekiel says. “With his immune system the way it is we don’t get out much, and given we’ve only been in Atlanta three months, he hasn’t had much opportunity for friends.” 

“Three months?” Daryl frowns. 

“We moved down here after the diagnosis.” Ezekiel explains, he’s clutching his own cup of coffee.  “Because of it really, when I found out Henry’s cancer was high risk with a high rate of relapse I decided to, well roll the dice seems rather cold. But Dr. Porter is running a clinical trial for high risk Neuroblastoma. I wanted Henry in it and that meant moving here.”  

“Damn.” Daryl mutters. “Where y’all from?” 

“DC area. A town called Woodbridge, but I worked at the National Zoo.” Ezekiel explains. 

“Zoo keeper.” Daryl frowns. “Cool.” 

“Sorry.” Ezekiel smiles sheepishly. “Carol is often reminding me I can ramble a bit.” 

“It’s just ‘cause you do.” Carol forces a chuckle. “So um - Daryl is uh- is there anything you want to know?” 

“Uh,” Daryl shifts in his seat, still clutching the coffee cup. “Not - I can’t really  think of much. But uh - thanks. For - for all this We - it’s really overwhelming.” 

“Yeah.” Carol nods. “It is, trust me we understand.” 

“Your son,” Daryl says, looking over at Ezekiel. “Is - is he doing well. Is it - is it working?” 

“He’s doing as well as can be expected.” Ezekiel nods. “He’s been better the last week, but he’s due to start a new round today so I’m sure that will change. He has good days and bad days mostly. Sundays are usually good, Mass makes him feel better he says.” 

Daryl looks like he doesn’t really know how to respond to that, and Carol can’t say she blamed him. Ezekiel’s unwavering faith in God was something she couldn’t relate to, she’d turned her back on faith when Sophia was taken from her. How any God could put them through the hell that was almost a decade of their lives and then take her daughter she couldn’t understand. 

“He is lonely though, I think that’s the hardest part for him.” Ezekiel continues. “We don’t see other children much, we get groceries delivered, we don’t go to the pool, even the playground I try to avoid. And when we do go he has to wear a mask and sunscreen and a hat - chemo makes them burn very easily and I don’t want to risk anything.”  

“Damn.” Daryl mutters “She ain’ gonna like tha’.

“Henry doesn’t either.” Ezekiel sighs. “We see other cancer families occasionally, Thursdays during the support group one of the therapy dogs comes by for them to play with, and if he’s feeling well enough he’ll go to the playroom and sometimes there’s another child there. But that’s it.” 

“And uh - is his treatment working?” Daryl asks. 

“So far yes.” Ezekiel nods, on his wrist his watch beeps. “Ah that’ll be Henry's lesson over. I should get going, it was nice meeting you daryl, if your Lydia is feeling up to it please stop by today, they can have a snack together.” 

“Sure.” Daryl mutters. 

“And Daryl?” Ezekiel says, his tone suddenly serious. “You may be a single parent but you are not alone. Not anymore. We have your back.”

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

Daryl watches Ezekiel go to the counter to order hot chocolate for his son, he’s not sure what to make of the man. He seemed entirely too happy to be the parent of a child this sick. Entirely too well rested. Entirely too… everything. 

“He always like that?” Daryl asks. 

“Happy? Sort of overwhelmingly so?” Carol asks

“Yeah.” 

“He’s not happy.” Carol shakes her head. “The truth is he’s terrified, he’s alone in a new city with his very sick son, working at a Zoo when he can - which isn’t often - and the medical bills pile up fast. But he does try to be positive. For Henry he says but - but the truth is you can’t face it in here.” 

“What’d ya mean?” Daryl frowns. “All I’ve done since las’ night's face it.” 

“Well,” She sighs. “It’s - it’s different then that. You can face it, you have to face it every day because your child has to and you don’t want them to be alone. But feeling it?” She shakes her head. “No. You don’t feel it. Not really. Not until it’s over.” 

“Ah.” Daryl mutters, he had been doing that. Holding it together so he doesn’t freak Lydia out. “I uh - I haven’t even told her yet. I mean she knows she’s sick but - but I just told her her blood was bad.” 

“You’ll probably want to tell her today.” Carol says. “Child life can help you, Dr. Rhee will have them send someone up, they have a doll she can keep, and really good specialists.” 

“Okay.” Daryl sighs, running his hand over his face. “I uh - I don’t know what i’m doing.” 

“None of us did.” Carol shrugs, draining the last of her coffee. “But you figure it out, and Ezekiel is right Daryl, you’re not alone. Not anymore. I’m gonna give you my phone number, you call any time you need and let me know before she’s discharged. You’re gonna need some things at home, alcohol hand sanitizer, wipes, sheets, and trust me you’re gonna be too overwhelmed to think about it.” 

“Yeah?” Daryl licks his lips, watching her scrawl her number on a napkin. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and glances at the number “That a 3 or an 8?”

“Eight.” Carol says. He finishes dialing the number, in her pocket her phone goes off. “Perfect.” He puts her contact information down. “And Daryl, anytime you need to talk, really I’m just a phone call away.” 

“Thanks.” Daryl nods. “I uh - I do have just one question, it’s kinda personal.” 

She tilts her head to the side. “Yeah?”

“Sophia - how did you uh - how did you know she had high risk leukemia?” 

“The bone marrow tests.” Carol says softly. “They came back about a week after the initial diagnosis.” 

“So we won’t know anything today?” Daryl sighs. 

“Nope.” Carol says. “It’s one of the more frustrating parts of all of this. The first couple of days move so fast, almost so fast you can’t think and then everything slows down. It’s kind of like being in a car with a bad driver. Speed up, jerk to a halt, speed up again, come to a halt again. And by the time the ride is over you’ve got whiplash and you’re pretty sick and not quite sure you’ll ever get back in the car with that person ever again - only the person is cancer and you don’t have a choice sometimes.” 

The analogy stings a little, he’s not sure what to say here, but he’s sure he likes her approach a lot more then the smiling and rainbows one Ezekiel seemed to take. At least this was understandable. In his pocket the little pager goes off. 

“Tha’s the doc.” Daryl says, sitting up. 

“I’ll walk you up to recovery.” Carol says. “I’ll be around a couple more hours though, I’m gonna stop in and see Henry. If you need anything.” 

“Thanks.” He mutters. 

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

Both Dr. Rhee’s are waiting for him in a family room off of the recovery suites, they stand to greet him when he walks in. He shakes their hands in turn and takes a seat at the conference table across from them. 

“How is she?” Daryl asks. “She awake?” 

“Not yet.” The Surgeon - Glenn Rhee - says. “She’ll be waking up in about 20 minutes, we just wanted to sit down with you and go over some stuff.” 

“Okay.” daryl says, 

“The surgery went well,” Glenn starts. “The PICC line went in no problem, she has good veins. Now you’re going to want to keep it from getting wet and bound up out of the way when it’s not in use. You can use medical tape, it’s fairly easy. You’ll have to flush it twice a day at home but don’t worry about that right now. We’ll cover how to do that before she’s discharged.” 

“Okay.” He nods. “And uh - how about the bone marrow and the - the chemo did she do okay?” 

“She was out like a light the whole time I promise.” Maggie smiles. “She’ll be a little sore when she wakes up, and she might have a headache. That’s very common after a lumbar puncture we’ll keep on top of it.” 

“She got the chemo too?” Daryl asks. “Will that - I mean will her hair be gone or something.” 

“Not yet.” Maggie explains, pulling out a sheet of paper from the folder in her hands. “This is the chemo we gave her, and these are the possible side effects. The hair loss will come gradually, and will probably mostly happen when you’re at home. But we’re gonna get someone from Child Life to come help her understand all of that. Most side effects from this chemo are pretty mild, she won’t feel them right away. Around 30% do feel them immediately, usually nausea, vomiting, fever. Nothing to worry about but we’ll keep an eye on it. There are more serious side effects but those are very rare and since she’s in the hospital we’ll be keeping an eye on it. I can tell you about them if you want but right now, since she’s in the hospital, you don’t need to worry. This moves really fast, so I think it’s best if we just tell you what you need to know right now.”

“Yeah.” Daryl agrees, his head is already full to bursting with information from the meeting with Carol and Ezekiel, he definitely can’t take much more at the moment. “What about the bone marrow, when will we know about that?” 

“Well the lab that does bone marrow sampling ain’ open on Sundays, so the sample won’t start being processed until tomorrow, but we should have results by Thursday.” Maggie explains. 

“The lab ain’ open on Sundays?” He scowls. “My kids got cancer an’ they’re takin’ time off fer church?” 

“I know it’s frustrating.” Maggie says. “But Mr. Dixon I promise you, while you do have a very sick little girl, this is a marathon not a sprint.” Her voice is firm, but not unkind. “Results on Wednesday versus thursday won’t make a difference at the end.” 

“Well what do we do in the meantime?” Daryl asks. “We just let this thing get hold of her?”

“No.” Maggie reassures. “In the meantime we keep her platelets up, her fever free, and we start Chemotherapy.” 

“How can we start chemo if you don’ even know which type she’s got?” He snaps. 

“Because in the beginning, you treat most Leukemia the same.” Maggie explains. “We tailor the treatment to the child after we know which kind they have, but she can start chemo tonight, we have to get her blood work back first and I want her to have a little down time after the surgery, but if all goes well she’ll start chemo at around 9pm.” Maggie explains. 

“9pm.” dary mutters. “Her bedtime’s at 8.” 

“Hospitals aren’t great for bedtime.” Maggie smiles sympathetically. 

“And uh -” He swallows. “Carol told me t- to talk t’ ya ‘bout gettin’ some help for tellin’ her about the cancer. She doesn't know yet. I just said she was sick with bad blood but she’s 8, she’s gotta have a better explanation then that.” 

“Of course.” Maggie nods. “I’ll get in contact with Child Life and they can send someone up in a couple of hours. She’ll want to eat and probably nap some first, it’s been a big day. They can come up around 4 this afternoon though.” 

“Yeah sure.” Daryl nods. “I’m just - she can read.” It sounds rather dumb, but he shifts in his chair as he thinks through explaining this. “She’s gonna be able to read the - the door. The ‘center for cancer and blood disorders’. And she’s gonna ask and I - I don’ wanna lie t’ her. She’s got a lot of - of trauma in the past, she gets real upset if she thinks people ain’ bein straight with ‘er” 

“Okay.” Maggie nods slowly. “Well in that case, I can get Child Life to meet you in the room when she leaves the recovery suite.” 

“Thanks.'' Daryl nods. “We uh - I jus’ wanna make this as easy as possible.” 

“Of course Mr. Dixon.” Maggie smiles. “You spoke t’ Carol?” 

“Yeah.” He nods. “She uh - she’s good. Met the guy across the hall too.” 

“Good.” She nods. “You’ll need support during this.” 

“We have - I mean we have some support.” He nods. “My uh - my partner at the station, Lori, her ex and his wife.” It occurs to him that he really should call them, he’d had his phone silenced since last night and had hardly looked at it this morning. 

“Good.” Glenn says. “Now do you have any questions?’ 

“No, not that I need to know now. I just - I just want my girl back.” He sighs. 

“We’ll take you right over.” Maggie promises, standing up. “Follow me.” 

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

Lydia comes out of the anesthetic kicking and screaming, it takes them nearly a half hour to calm down, by which point Daryl is so shaken he’s sure he’s about to kick off. The only way Lydia will let them roll the bed anywhere is if she’s planted firmly in Daryl’s lap, popsicle in hand. She’s curled up with her head resting on his chest, eyes puffy from crying when they make it back to their room. Maggie is waiting for them, accompanied by a blonde girl carrying a toy box, this must be Child Life, he’d completely forgotten about them. Maybe he should’ve waited until this evening. 

“Hi Lydia!” The blonde says brightly. 

“Who are you?” Lydia mutters, clinging to Daryl with one hand. 

“I’m Beth,” The blonde holds out her hand. “And I bet you’re a little scared right now?”

Lydia nods. 

“Maybe confused?” Beth continues. 

“Yeah.” Lydia mutters. “I just want to go home. We were supposed to go to Carl’s.” 

“Is Carl your best friend?” Beth grins. 

“Yeah.” Lydia says. “He’s nice. Sometimes he shares his hat.” 

“Well that’s very nice of him.” Beth says. “Can I sit down?” 

“Yeah.” Lydia shifts so she can get a better look at Beth as she sits down on the edge of the bed. 

“Do you know why you couldn’t go over to Carl’s?” Beth asks, setting the box down between them. 

“Because I’m sick. I have bad blood.” Lydia says. 

“Well sort of.” Beth says. “We have a word for bad blood, we call it Leukemia.” 

“Leukemia?” Lydia wrinkles her nose. 

“Yeah,” Beth says. “And Leukemia is something called Cancer. Do you know what Cancer is?” 

“It makes the kids on TV hair fall out.” Lydia’s answer catches him by surprise. Where on earth would she have seen cancer on TV? “And then they ask for money for church.” 

“You mean the St. Judes commercial?” Daryl frowns. 

“Yeah. They need money for church.” Lydia looks back at him. 

“That’s not really what -” 

“It’s fine Mr. Dixon.” Beth intervenes. “We’re gettin’ a little off topic. So Lydia, you have Leukemia, and that’s a type of Cancer.” 

“Am I gonna lose my hair?” Lydia whimpers. 

“Yeah,” Beth says. “But,” she produces the plastic box, which he now sees holds a bald doll, a few colorful hats and wigs. “This Doll has leukemia too, and she lost all her hair, but she gets to wear lots of hats, and wigs, and scarves.” Beth points to each one in turn. 

“Can I wear hats?” Lydia looks back at Daryl. 

“‘Course you can.” He mutters, kissing the top of her head. 

“Here,” Beth opens the box. “This is yours, how about we try the hats on her?” 

“Okay!” Lydia says, scrambling off Daryl’s lap to sit next to Beth and the doll. 

“Hey Lyd,” Daryl says, swinging his feet off the bed. “I’ll be righ’ back okay?” 

“Okay.” Lydia doesn’t even turn to look at him, nor does she notice when he kisses her head again, she’s too preoccupied with the toy. 

He steps into the hall, and runs a hand through his hair. He can feel his heart pounding, hear the blood rushing in his ears. God he’s gonna be sick. Her hair is gonna fall out. Her hair is going to fall out and then she’s gonna look like one of those kids on TV. He rests his hands on his knees. One of those kids who you look sympathetically at their parents in the grocery store. One of those kids that people said they’d pray for. 

“You okay?” He looks up, Carol is standing in the doorway of room 323. 

“She uh - she’s gonna lose her hair.” He mutters, sliding down to sit on the floor. 

“Yeah.” Carol whispers, crossing her arms and coming to sit next to him. 

“She’s gonna look sick.” Daryl whispers. 

“Yeah.” Carol agrees. 

“People are gonna - they’re gonna look at her like people look at sick kids.” Daryl whispers. 

“Yeah.” Carol agrees. 

“God I used to look at sick kids like that.” He mutters. 

“You still will.” Carol says. “But in a different way. With more understanding. You’ll know that they’re having a good day because they’re in the grocery store. Or at the park. You’ll know how hard they’re fighting to be here. You’ll just, know.” 

“I don’t want to do this.” 

Carol reaches over and takes his hand, giving it a squeeze. “No one does.” 

“Daddy!” Lydia calls. “Come look! Come Look!” 

“Duty calls.” Daryl says. 

“Always does.” Carol lets go of his hand and offers a smile. “I’ll be here a few more hours, with Henry and Ezekiel. Bring her over if she feels better.” 

“I will.” Daryl promises, standing up and holding out a hand to help her up. 

Carol takes it and lets him pull her to his feet. “And don’t be afraid to reach out for help, now go, I think you have a few hours of Barbie ahead of you.”

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