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luxekook · 4 years

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intimidation | myg

⇥ pairing: yoongi x reader

⇥ genre: fluff, a lil touch of smut, college AU

⇥ summary: in which you think Yoongi is intimidating bc of his dark clothing and his quiet ‘don’t give a fuck’ attitude… but then someone makes him laugh and you watch as his face lights up in the cutest gummy smile complete with shining eyes and blushing cheeks and BOOM you’re whipped for that boy

⇥ word count: 2.3k

⇥ warnings: dirty talk, light smut, cursing

⇥ sequel: intensity

Thursday, September 28th – 11:16am

Min Yoongi intimidated the living hell out of you.

While the boy in question was not all that tall or all that muscular, there was admittedly something in his aura that just screamed ‘big dick energy’... Not that you’d ever get the chance to confirm that hypothesis. You weren’t even sure you wanted to.

Shoulders slumping, you shifted your peripheral gaze off of Yoongi and back onto your professor as she droned on about evolution. Your shared Introduction to Biology class inspired an odd mix of dread and excitement every Tuesday/Thursday morning as a consequence of Min Yoongi’s sheer presence.

Your mind drifted back to the first class of the semester about a month ago...

Arriving in the lecture hall indicated on your class schedule, you took a seat in the middle of the room. You were spoiled for choice given that you had arrived fifteen minutes early for lecture. The first day of classes was always stressful for you, given your tendency to get lost within the many buildings on campus as well as your hatred for lateness.

As the room filled with more and more students, you shuffled through your backpack. “Where the hell is it?” you muttered, searching for your planner where you would jot down important notes.

Finally, you spotted it wedged in between two of your folders. Grasping it in triumph, you tugged it out of your backpack and placed it on your desk. Glancing back up, you found the coldest pair of brown eyes staring back at you.

“Is anyone sitting there?” The question came in a slow drawl, all rough and lazy. Long fingers adorned in rings shifted as the boy pointed towards the empty seat next to you. God, he was offensively good-looking.

You blinked and shook your head, “No, have at it.” His gaze pinned you in place for a few more brief seconds before his chin lifted in acknowledgment and he slumped into place beside you.

You had learned absolutely nothing that first class. Or any subsequent class that Min Yoongi deigned with his presence. The odds were about 50/50 on any given day.

Today, his presence was wreaking havoc on your nervous system. Since the initial encounter on your first day of class, the amount of words exchanged between the two of you could be counted on one hand. Last week he had asked you for your notes from a previous class he had missed, and you almost burned from the inside out with embarrassment as he took in your impeccably organized and color-coded notes with raised eyebrows and a slight smirk.

“Were you planning on framing these?” he had asked while snapping a quick series of photos of your notebook pages. In response, you had scowled, pulling your notebook out of his reach.

You were a nerd. You knew that. But you didn’t like being made fun of for it. Especially by a boy as arrogantly apathetic as Min fucking Yoongi.

Therefore, you were doing your absolute best to ignore him today. The hour and a half of class dragged by so slowly you thought you might have grown a couple gray hairs by the time your professor dismissed everyone.

Rushing to pack up your belongings and multitude of colored pens, a small slip of paper dropped onto your desk. Confused, you immediately glanced up to find the source and found Yoongi sauntering away from you, black backpack hitched over one shoulder carelessly.

Fingers shaking, you opened the hastily folded paper: “(y/n) – Sorry if I made you upset last class. I only meant to extend my compliments to the artist... – MYG.”

Compliments to the—Min Yoongi was so full of shit. But you couldn’t fight the small smile that spread across your face.

“(y/n) ... (y/n) ... (y/n)!”

The sound of your name shook you from your thoughts. Your roommate Nia decided that wasn’t enough and she shoved you in the arm.

“Ow, what the hell, Nia?” you grumbled, rubbing your left bicep dramatically.

Nia scoffed, “You’re staring into your bland salad like it holds the key to the universe. What’s up with you?”

Stabbing said salad with your fork, you waved your well-lettuced utensil in your roommate’s face, “What’s up is that I cannot stand Min Yoongi! He walks around looking like god’s gift to anyone attracted to men. Then, he has the audacity to critique my notes and give me a half-assed apology with further ridicule? The nerve! The gall!”

“I’m going to stop you right there,” Nia cut off your rampage succinctly, “Min Yoongi apologized to you? We are talking about the same Min Yoongi, right? Bleached hair? Piercings? General hatred for life?”

You nodded. Nia’s eyebrows rose to new heights, “We must contact the historians. This is one for the books.”

Rifling through your planner, you pulled out the note Yoongi left you and thrust it in Nia’s direction, “Look!”

Unfolding the small torn paper, you watched as Nia’s eyes darted back and forth... and back and forth... and back and forth.

“Well?”

Nia’s wide eyes lifted to yours, “(y/n) ... Min Yoongi is flirting with you.”

You choked on your lettuce, “What? Where on earth are you getting that? He’s clearly roasting me.”

“Nope,” Nia threw the note back at you, “Clearly flirting. Damn, Min Yoongi is into my best friend? This is wild! Okay, you first need to get on that, and then you need introduce me to Park Jimin.”

“Are you insane?” Your outburst gained annoyed looks from the surrounding students in the dining hall and you lowered your voice, “I am not ‘getting on’ anyone!”

Rolling her eyes, Nia stared pointedly to the right, “So if I'm hearing you correctly, you’re saying that you don’t find him attractive?”

Your eyes followed her line of vision and landed on none other than your topic of conversation.

God, he looked good. Even surrounded by his group of attractive friends, Yoongi stood out to you. You were just about to glance away when it happened.

Kim Seokjin’s windshield wiper laugh burst through the cacophony of conversations, following what must have been one of his famously so-bad-they’re-good jokes.

And then Min Yoongi smiled.

Your heart stuttered in your chest as you watched his eyes crinkle, his cheeks turn a pretty pink and, his smile to widen into the cutest, most devastating gummy smile you had ever seen in your entire life.

“Holy fuck.” You exhaled. It was official. You were fucking whipped.

“Yup, that’s what I thought,” Nia’s smug tone pulled your focus away from this new version of Yoongi you were desperate to know, “Still going to deny that you want to jump his bones?”

“...No.”

You were scared shitless by Nia’s maniacal grin in response to your admission.

“Excellent,” she smirked, her palms rubbing together like a plotting villain, “Here’s what we’re going to do...”

Friday, September 29th – 10:34pm

Your hands tugged at the hem of the short leather miniskirt Nia loaned you for the night as your stomach flipped more times than Simone Biles’ floor routine.

Damn, you were nervous.

When Nia talked you into attending Kim Taehyung’s party, you had agreed pretty easily. You both had reasoned that Yoongi might not even be there; and, if he was, you would just see if he would approach you.

It had seemed so simple in the moment, but now as you grasped your beer you realized that nothing regarding Min Yoongi was simple. Since arriving about twenty minutes ago, you and Nia had immediately been recruited for beer pong by Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook. Unable to crush Nia’s dreams of hooking up with Jimin, you had agreed immediately even though you were both absolutely terrible at the game.

Jimin and Jungkook now only had one cup left to make, while you and Nia had five. You dipped the pong ball into the designated cup of water to clean it, took aim and watched in glee as the ball sailed into the front cup.

“Oh, fuck yes!” You and Nia high-fived, taking in the rare victory. Opening her mouth to respond, Nia’s words died in her throat as she looked over your shoulder.

“What is it?” you began to turn to see what was so alarming to your friend.

“No!” Nia hissed, “Don’t you dare turn around. Min Yoongi is staring at you like you’re a five-course meal and he’s starving.”

Your soul left your body, only to be snapped back into place with the interrupting cheers from Jimin and Jungkook as they sunk their last cup.

“Good game!” Jungkook’s arm wrapped around you in a half-hug. You shoot Nia a look, but she’s completely occupied in conversation with Jimin. Jungkook’s arm fell to encircle your waist when you felt it – the weight of a certain someone’s gaze.

You barely registered Jimin and Nia’s exit from the pong table and onto the makeshift dancefloor in Taehyung’s living room. And when Jungkook suggested getting another drink from the kitchen you almost shouted in agreement. Anything to escape the eyes you knew were glued to you.

He’s just a boy, you tried to remind yourself, you could handle Min Yoongi.

You followed Jungkook into the cramped kitchen, nodding along to whatever story he’s rambling on about. Locating the vast array of alcohol scattered along the kitchen island, you grabbed a solo cup and fixed yourself a rum and coke.

“...and then Jin-hyung said ‘It’s burgundy!’” You tuned back in to Jungkook’s story just in time to laugh in the appropriate place. You felt bad. Jungkook was cute and sweet, but just not your type.

“Jungkook,” a low voice broke through your shared laughter.

Jungkook’s eyes widened in alarm as he turned to face the intruder, “Yoongi-hyung! Wh-what’s up?”

Yoongi’s gaze narrowed; Jungkook gulped, “Bye, (y/n)-noona.”

You watched in horror as Jungkook literally scrambled out of the room to get away from you and Yoongi.

“Why’d you do that?” You looked up at Yoongi.

Damn, he looked good. His blonde locks were tousled like he had been running his hands through it and his cheeks were slightly flushed – probably from drinking.

Yoongi ignored your question, shooting a look at the group of boys occupying the kitchen counter space next to you and they immediately made themselves scarce.

His dark gaze turned back to you, “Why Jungkook?”

Your eyebrows furrowed, “What?”

“Why were you talking to Jungkook, (y/n)?” Yoongi moved closer to you, backing you into the counter behind you, “That boy couldn’t handle you.”

Your eyebrows quirked up, “And why’s that?”

“Because, baby, all that hair, all that ass, and all that attitude needs a man to give you what you want and what you need.”

You struggled to formulate an answer as you watched as he took a long sip of his beer, his eyes continuing to burn into yours.

“Are you drunk, Min Yoongi?”

“Lil’ bit,” he muttered and shot you a devastating half-smile, “But still sober enough to appreciate how goddamn good you look right now.”

Your mouth opened and closed several times before you choked out, “I thought you hated me?”

His hand darted through his hair as his jaw flexed once… twice, “Not even close.”

“But you don’t talk to me... you made fun of my notes!”

“I don’t talk to you because I think you’re so fucking cute with your colored pens and your oversized sweatshirts and your overused planner. I don’t talk to you because I want to ruin you and worship you all at once.”

All air had escaped your lungs at this point. You let out a jagged breath as Yoongi suddenly slid his hands around your waist.

He scooped you off the floor and placed you on the edge of the counter. Your arms circled his shoulders instinctually and his grip tightened on your hips. When he glanced down at you, he let out a rough breath, sounding like you were torturing him.

Turning to the side, you tried to hide from his intensity behind the curtain of your hair, but he just pushed it back behind your ear.

“Yoongi, please…” Your desperate words left your mouth subconsciously, the feeling of his lips so close to yours made your pulse race and your head spin.

“What do you want, baby?” he asked, his voice hoarse and his pupils dilated, “I’ll give you anything. Just ask.”

“Kiss me?” You barely finished asking your question before Yoongi’s lips slammed onto your own.

He kissed you like he wanted to own you – and to have you own him. Gravity tried to drag you down off the counter and your mouths separated in a gasp. Yoongi hoisted you up higher with a firm hand on the back of your thigh.

Hooking your leg around his slim waist, you tugged him into you, feeling every inch of his body respond to your touch. He breathed heavily as you dragged your nails down his back slowly, provokingly. You felt his responding groan rumble deep from within his chest.

His free hand latched into your hair and tugged your lips back to his. You both moaned as his tongue circled yours, twining around it, enticing yours to follow.

You swore the way Min Yoongi kissed could be felt all the way down to your bones.

His kisses got greedier, more desperate as he seemed to be trying to memorize the taste of your mouth on his. “God-fucking-damn," he panted, pulling back slightly and resting his forehead on yours.

You smiled, completely fucked out. His fingertips dragged down your skin slowly until he reached your waist. His hands slid up under your shirt, and he rested his palms against your skin, fingers splayed down over your hips. His hold was undeniably possessive.

Shifting his head into the crevice of your neck, Yoongi muttered, “Go out with me, (y/n).”

The only answer your last few braincells could formulate was a garbled “Mkay”. But judging from the smile you felt against your pulse point, it was good enough for him.

a/n: originally was going to make this fic about jungkook (inspired by this post), but I decided I needed to write it about Yoongi bc he is baby

#bts #btswritingcafe #bts smut #bts imagine #bts fic #yoongi #min yoongi #yoongi x reader #myg x reader #bts x reader #bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #bts au #college yoongi #yoongi imagine

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ayamari-no-goshi · 3 years

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Eidolon 15 | (T)

ff.net | AO3

Fandom: Danny Phantom (DP)

Summary: AU: What started off as the result of a simple act of rebellion ends up causing his life to spin out of control. How will young Danny cope with the results as well as a past that has a strange habit of coming back to haunt him.

Warnings: rated T for violence, mentions of death, kidnapping, and various other things

Chapter warnings: Entrapment

Parings: hints of Danny/Sam much later on

Notes: originally uploaded to Ff.net. Cross-posted to AO3 and tumbl

15. Unraveling Secrets

"Danny… Danny… It's time to get up…"

The dark haired boy's form remained unresponsive and face down on the bed which had been brought in for him. Hesitantly, Maddie ran her hand through the boy's dark locks. After finding out the child was her son, she had wanted to keep her distance from him. Not only did she not know how to connect to him, but he was already turning into a monster. Sure, he seemed fine now, but it was only a matter of time before he was corrupted.

But, try as she might, when she saw him in such a bruised and battered form, she couldn't help herself. If only she and Jack could have completed their work… or if she had been able to expose Vlad for what he really was, then maybe Danny would have had a completely normal life. But it was useless to dwell on 'what ifs'; they held no purpose other than to draw her into a darker state of mind. It didn't matter he could still take a human appearance. The fact of the matter was Danny was no longer human, and nothing was going to change it.

Unsurprisingly, Danny was not taking the drastic change to his life all that well. He still was having difficulty understanding how he was a ghost, even though he had never died. His confusion was only made worse when he learned Vlad's abilities were gained artificially, unlike him. It was made worse by the various accidents he would have throughout the day. His body was still trying to settle from the unnatural awaking it received and would occasionally surge with power and cause one of his powers to activate unintentionally. It usually wasn't too bad, unless he managed to get his arm or leg stuck in something.

Vlad refused to give him time to adjust either. Every day, usually shortly after breakfast, he would unceremoniously take Danny and train him. Though Vlad had assured her he was only trying to help the boy gain control, Maddie remained suspicious. If Danny was simply learning how to handle his basic powers, than there was no reason for him to return covered in cuts and bruises. Both she and Jazz had tried to get him to explain what exactly Vlad was doing to him, but he rarely answered, usually due to exhaustion.

What really surprised her was how well Jazz had taken to the role of big sister. Though she hesitantly had agreed to not let Danny know they were family, she quickly began to bond with and fuss over him. At first Danny was unsure how to respond to her attention, but soon learned to accept it. The two of them were truly beginning to look like siblings. Maddie attributed it to Jazz's uncanny ability to adjust to ghosts.

For years, the only interaction she and Jazz had were Vlad and his ghostly servants who looked after them. Though she was very wary towards them, Jazz turned towards them for companionship for years. She never seemed bothered by their unnatural appearances and abilities. It even got to the point where one of the servants, a teenage ghost by the name of Ember, had become so close to Jazz, she willing tried to help them escape. The result was disastrous in more ways than one. The escape failed, and Jazz lost her friend. Until that point in time, Maddie didn't know it was possible to destroy a ghost.

Though it took time, Jazz did bounce back from the event, but she was more hesitant to become too friendly with them. Perhaps this was the reason she had latched onto Danny. Vlad needed him, so Danny was more protected against possible 'digressions' he may commit against Vlad. But, Jazz didn't know her brother was not going to remain the same, and Maddie didn't have the heart to tell her.

A slight groan indicated to her Danny was finally starting to wake. She moved away as he slowly sat up and stretched. "I don't understand it…" he finally mumbled after several minutes as he moved off the bed which had been brought in for him. "There are no clocks… anywhere… How do you know what time it is?"

Maddie raised an eyebrow at the question. "There is a chiming system built into the walls, which let us know the time. Besides, what would we do with one in this prison?"

He gave her a blank look before shaking his head. "That makes sense… I guess… But, he doesn't even have clocks in the main part of the house."

That was a surprise. But now that she thought about it, she had noticed Vlad had an odd aversion to clocks, even when he was working with her and her husband. If one were in the room, he'd either remove it, turn it around so the face was towards the wall, or cover it, depending on the size. She had asked him about it once, but he only gave a vague response about a strange and unsettling meeting he had years prior.

"Don't worry about it too much," she told as she directed him towards the breakfast table where Jazz and a stack full of fresh pancakes were waiting for them. "You'll eventually get used to it." Her tone effectively ended the conversation. It was better to leave the man's idiosyncrasies alone. "Now, what would you like to drink?"

"Okay… Oh, I wanted to ask you this last night, but I uh… kinda feel asleep before I could… Has Vlad ever showed you that book?

Maddie dropped the glass she was holding. Jazz gave a cry of concern, but she ignored her in order to stare at the boy. "Wh-what book?"

Danny's expression which had been clouded with exhaustion moments before was now focused and wary. "I don't know what it's called… but it's really old looking and Vlad's been using it like a guidebook or something. Every time we try something new he has to look at it first. Once we're done, he usually checks it out again and gets angry…"

"That's…" she stopped herself before she could say more. She knew exactly what the book was, but anyone who had been under Vlad's supervision for sometime knew to not mention it. But, Danny would have to be warned about it somehow. "I guess Vlad does somewhat consider it like a guide… There are many old stories in it…"

"So… does it have stories about people like… like me…?" A combination of curiosity and unease crossed his face. "Is… that why he looks at it so much?"

Maddie shook her head. "It's best to push it from your mind. Its pages contain dark words and are best left alone. Besides, Vlad has been known to punish people who have asked about it."

"But…!"

"Sweetie, while it's true Vlad seems to take it at face value, it's just a book," Maddie told him in a stern voice which effectively ended the conversation. It was clear he still wanted to argue, but a glare from her kept him silent. Even though she was sure he didn't know she was his biological mother, he knew there was no point in continuing. Perhaps it was a skill all kids had to some extent. She looked at him again as she regained her composure. "There's no point in worrying about it right now. You have practice later, so you might as well eat up. So, what do you want to drink?"

…

Like usual, Vlad returned Danny shortly before dinner. However, unlike the previous times, Danny didn't join them at the table. Instead, he immediately attempted to stumble towards the closest couch. As soon as his body hit the pillow, he fell asleep immediately.

Concerned, Maddie immediately went to check on him. Danny was breathing regularly and there didn't seem to be any new injuries. It was surprising; even with previous injuries, Danny was at least able to have some dinner and freshen up before resting. "What did you do to him?" she demanded of the ghost who was still lingering in the room. "You didn't let that Spectra near him did you?"

A cold glare was her immediate answer. Knowing she wouldn't be deterred, Vlad gave a suffering sigh before properly responding. "Though he will need to learn how to handle creatures like her, I was not planning on introducing them until he had better control of his abilities." He glanced at the boy before continuing. "Apparently, I have been pushing him a little too hard. Though I am anxious for the first phase of my plans to begin, there is still plenty of time. I think I can push back the boy's training for tomorrow until another day." With that, he bid her and Jazz a farewell and disappeared.

Still worried for Danny's wellbeing, Maddie tried to rouse him, but he didn't respond. "Mom… just let him rest for now," Jazz told her softly as she gently tried to pull her away. "He's breathing right? So, let him sleep for a little. You can try and rouse him a little later."

…

It was a little after one in the morning when Maddie decided it was a good time for her to turn in for the night. Looking around the room as she stood up, she caught sight of her children. Jazz had once again managed to fall asleep while reading, so she went over and pulled the covers over her. It was easy to do so as the room was never completely dark. Yes, the lights dimmed around ten at night, but they never actually turned off.

After putting Jazz's book away, she decided to check on Danny. For hours, he hadn't moved, but she was surprised to find him sitting up on the couch, staring at the ceiling. She was about to ask him what he was doing when movement caught her attention. Turning towards the source, she saw a glowing figure coming closer to them. Concerned, she grabbed her staff (which Vlad surprisingly hadn't confiscated yet) and charged it.

Mere inches from the ghost's face, a sharp cry and tug stopped her in her tracks. Glancing to her left, she saw Danny had somehow managed to get up and grab hold of her arm in just a matter of moments. "Stop! Don't touch him… err… me!"

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

Danny hesitantly let go of her once he realized she wasn't actively trying to hurt the ghost. He gestured to the ghost, which she hadn't really taken the time to examine until then. She quickly gasped when she realized the ghost was an exact double of Danny in his ghost form. The only difference was this one was holding a rather old book.

"Sweet! You managed to get it!" Danny told it as it took the book away from it. "Thanks!"

"No problem," the ghost replied before it turned seemingly turned to mist and was absorbed into Danny.

Rather terrified and more than a little startled, she stared at the boy. Words failed her, so she was just left grasping for sounds as he nervously looked down at his feet. "Wh-what…?" she eventually stuttered.

"Uh… that was a duplicate. I found out how to do that by accident a few days ago when Vlad knocked me through a wall," he mumbled as he continued to keep his head down. "But, trying to keep one stable for long periods of time is tricky, that's why I was asleep for so long…"

"You were trying to give energy to the duplicate?" Maddie asked as Danny nodded. In all honesty, she was amazed. Duplication was a rather rare technique which could only be performed by high level ghosts. The only one she had ever encountered who could do so was Vlad, but he had admitted it had taken at least ten years for it to develop. For Danny to begin tapping into it so quickly after his transformation was astounding.

As her amazement began to wane to a more manageable level, she gave the boy in front of her a concerned glance. "But, I don't understand… Why would you need to make one in the first place?" There was no answer for a moment as she realized what exactly was in the boy's hands. "That book… Don't tell me…!"

"You said he uses this thing as a guidebook."

"That doesn't mean you should have taken it!"

"I don't understand you!" Danny's head snapped up as he spoke so he could stare at her with his icy eyes which were slowly turning green, most likely without his knowledge. "You want to escape from here, don't you? Then why don't you want to know what he's planning?"

"It won't do us any good!"

"So you've just given up?" Giving an angry sigh, Danny put the book down on a nearby table and turned away from her as he began to open it. "I don't know about you, but no matter what, I am getting out of here."

Unsure what to do, Maddie just stayed silent as the boy leafed through the dark book. Though she didn't want to admit it, she had given up. Within Vlad's game, he held all of the pieces in his hands. All he needed to do was perform the necessary moves and all was lost. How could she continue to believe when there was nothing else she could do?

"Danny…" she called out softly as moved besides him as his face contorted due to the grotesques images within the book. After carefully closing it, she turned to the boy and looked straight into his eyes. "I already know what Vlad's planning… I've known it for years." It took all of her willpower to continue looking at him as she spoke her next words. "The demons depicted in there… he wants to you to become like them."

A horrified expression crossed his face, before it turned into one of disbelief and amusement. "You had me going there for a moment," he told her between laughs. "There's no way I would ever consider acting like that. Besides, I'm supposed to be a ghost, not a demon."

"You don't understand… The changes… they've already started."

xxx

It had been months since Danny disappeared, and no one had been able to make any progress. To Sam, it was beyond frustrating. Tucker had managed to uncover who had taken their friend. Heck, he even had physical proof by way of a video, but they couldn't do anything with it. If it was taken to the police, it was quite possible it would simply be dismissed or cause them to be arrested. No matter the result, it wouldn't be positive.

However, the news had managed to grab hold of the story of Danny's disappearance. Yet, instead of making him out to be a victim, they portrayed him as a criminal who was involved in the attack on his guardian and ran away afterwards. With Winston still in a coma, no one had bothered to correct them. She had tried both in writing and in person to get them to change the story, but each station refused to listen to a teenager. It appeared the truth wasn't anywhere as interesting as the lies they had created.

Unsure what to do, she had become even more withdrawn and moody than usual. It was so bad that even Tucker was giving her space, though he wasn't completely avoiding her. Usually he would send a message to her once a day letting her know his progress in trying to bypass Vlad's security and get into his computer system at his mansion. For unknown reasons, he kept having difficulty, but he was bound and determined to find a way in.

She had tried to come up with plans which would allow her and Tucker to infiltrate Vlad's mansion and rescue Danny, but none were feasible. She also had to keep in mind the ghosts who had gone after Danny. Not only were they dangerous, but she had no idea if they were involved in the kidnapping or not. But, if they were, she had no way of fighting back against them even if she could find Danny.

Beyond frustrated and unsure what to do, she began taking long walks to try and clear her mind. Though her parents frowned upon due to the recent unsettling events within the town, they had decided to not interfere. Sam guessed that even her overly perky parents couldn't handle her rather current mood for more than a few days at a time. Smart move on their part. But, if they knew exactly where she tended to go, they would interfere.

Though she didn't particularly like the place, she was constantly wondering around the cemetery, much like Danny used to do. Sure it was peaceful, dark, and rather deserted, she didn't exactly like being so close to the dead for long periods of time, especially if she was alone. It unnerved her more than she cared to admit, and it wasn't entirely from past events. But, the location helped clear her mind, and she had a secret hope she would spot Danny near one of the trees. It was where she had first found him, and it just felt right it would be where he returned.

Yet, he was never there. Just like this particular evening, she had wondered around without finding a living soul. Deciding it was a little too early to head home, she decided to take a break on one of the many benches scattered throughout the grounds.

Glancing upwards, she caught sight of the emerging stars. The temperature would begin dropping drastically soon and with the recent snowfall, it would be more than a little cold. Sighing, she stood back up and began moving back towards the entrance. It wouldn't do her or Danny any good if she managed to get sick from the weather.

As per habit, when she neared the location where she first met Danny, she gave a quick glance. Of course there was nothing, but as she was about to turn away, something caught her attention. Unsure what exactly it was, she stopped moving and continued to look at the spot. After a few moments, Sam shook her head and continued walking. She was being silly.

Sam…

She stopped dead in her tracks. Someone had just called her name… but she was sure there was no one else in the area. Pulling her coat a little tighter around her form, she tried to suppress her shivers from both the chilly air and her nerves. It must have just been the whispers of the wind. With her being so stressed she must have mistaken the sounds.

Sam… Please…

There it was again, and it definitely wasn't the wind. Scared, she spun around in an attempt to find the person who had to be playing a trick on her. But again, she only found the general scenery of the cemetery. "Whoever it is, this isn't funny!" she shouted, as she tried to convince herself it had to be a person. Why would a ghost know her name? There wasn't anything special about her which would attract them, or at least she hoped not.

"Sam… it's me…."

The voice came from directly in front of her, but there was still no one there. Having too much past experience with ghosts, she knew it wasn't a good idea to ignore the possibility one was truly there. She wanted to run, but it would easily be able to catch her… and Danny wasn't around to save her again.

Wait… Danny. It couldn't be, but the voice did have a similar sound to his, though it was distinctly otherworldly. It almost seemed like the owner was speaking from the back of a cave. It was low and had a distinctive echo. But, unlike the other ghosts she had encountered, it did not seem overly hostile. Swallowing her fear, she finally spoke back. "I don't know who you are, but you better show yourself!"

After a tense pause, she looked around for something… what, she wasn't entirely sure. Nothing had answered her, which was almost as unsettling as the voice coming out of air. Chuckling at her idiocy, she began walking again. She really needed to find a way to relax; the stress of trying to find Danny was starting to get so bad she was starting to hear things.

She had made it a few yards when she felt a hand gently grab her shoulder and turn her around. A scream escaped from her lips as she fell and scooted away from the figure who had suddenly appeared out of thin air. He appeared to be around her own height with striking white hair and vivid green eyes. His clothes seemed normal enough; they were black with white accents in a style which almost resembled that of a more reserved rocker though they were partially concealed by a large book he was holding. But, soon she realized he wasn't wearing a coat and seemed unfazed by the cold temperature. However, the truly unnerving aspect about him was the strange glow which surrounded his body, immediately indicated he was a ghost.

"…I'm sorry…" he said carefully as he winced. "It tends to take me a little bit of time to become visible. I'm not all that good at this yet…" He carefully moved towards her and held out his hand. "Are… you okay?"

Sam just stared. Was this ghost honestly offering to help her up? Unsure what exactly to do, she decided to study him more. He was extremely human looking in appearance. If it wasn't for the glow, he could easily pass off as a teenager with an extreme rebellious streak. Though it was rare, she had encountered a few goths who had actually dyed their hair white. He was also standing on the ground as if it was perfectly normal. Though she had seen the other ghost, Skulker, do the same, it didn't seem as natural.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," the boy said with a grin as he realized he she wasn't going to take his hand. Sam once again just stared. Did he really just say that? "Sorry," he said quickly as he chuckled, "I couldn't resist. But, I promise I won't hurt you."

"What's with that look?" he asked when she just raised an eyebrow. "Sam, I just want to talk to you… and I don't have a lot of time to do it."

"Why do you know my name?" Sam asked as she slowly got off the ground. Unsure if he would keep to his word or not, she watched him carefully the entire time she moved. But, he remained still and stared at her with wide eyes.

"You don't… you don't recognize me…" The boy was clearly upset by his revelation. Though he didn't say anything immediately, Sam could tell he was deciding how to approach the situation. Eventually, he sighed and looked straight into her eyes. "Sam… It's me, Danny."

Shock quickly turned to anger. "How dare you!" she hissed at him. "How dare you pretend to be my missing friend!" Ignoring the idea it was probably a stupid thing to do, she threw a punch at the ghost. Unsurprisingly, she did not hit a solid target; instead she felt as if she was passing through an extremely cold block of pudding and lost her balance. However, instead of hitting the ground, a cold hand managed to catch her and keep her from falling. Spinning around, she tried to hit the ghost, who simply let go of her and held up his arm in defense. His other arm was still keeping hold of the book.

"Look… I'm sorry, Sam! But I can't appear in my human form right now… it's not safe!" he said quickly as he looked at her from under his arm.

Hesitating at the look he gave her, she didn't immediately swing at him again. If she got past the unnatural appearance, he did look somewhat like Danny. No! She couldn't think like that! If she accepted that the ghost in front of her was the same as her friend, than it meant that Danny was… he was… !

Her thoughts were interrupted as the ghost shoved the book he was holding at her. Instinctively, she caught it and was surprised to find how heavy it was. Confused and still angry, she looked at the ghost who was giving her a pleading look. "There's not a lot of time until he finds out that I'm gone. You need to take this… It will give you some idea of what Vlad's planning… and though I hate to say it, but I think that picture we found here the day after I met you and Tucker came from this book." He paused for a moment as he looked to the side as if he heard something before turning back to her. "Just be careful… It's not the sort of book you would read as a bedtime story."

As he moved away from her, she tried to process what she had just heard. "How do you know about that picture…?" she asked as that notion became the dominate thought in her mind.

"Sam… I was there, remember?" he said impatiently. "We found it after you and Tucker found out that Winston's my guardian and not my actual parent. But, that doesn't really matter right now. You've got to try to stop Vlad from the outside… Not only is he planning something big, but there are others he's held captive."

"Others? Vlad? What are you talking about?"

He just shook his head. "I'm sorry, I wish I could explain better, but I can't stay any longer. It's too dangerous." As if that was the cue, he began floating a few inches from the ground. He gave her a longing look before raising his hand, almost as if he was saying 'goodbye'. "I hope this isn't the last time I get to see you… Try to stay safe." Without another word, he vanished as suddenly as he appeared.

"Wait…!" she cried out as she tried to stop him, but she was unable to tell if he was still around or not. Though she really didn't want to trust the ghost, she did have questions for him. How in the world did he know about the picture she, Danny, and Tucker had found? He apparently even knew about the events leading up to the discovery. Did that mean he was really Danny?

She really didn't want to believe it, but she was starting to get a sinking suspicion it was truth. Maybe when she went home and was able to gather her thoughts, she would have a better understanding of the situation. Not just of the ghost's identity, but also of the other information and various questions swimming through her mind. But, she did know one thing for a fact: Tucker was never going to believe her.

#Eidolon #danny phantom #danny phantom au #dp au #dp #danny fenton #sam manson #tucker foley #fanfic #fanfiction #my writing #vlad plasmius #maddie fenton #jazz fenton #fantasy #supernatural #paranormal

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nickysurfer28 · 4 years

Text

Summary: Chris betrayed you..didn’t he? Nicky is determined to find out the truth. But can you handle the secrets of his past?

Word count: over 1-2k count

Warning ⚠️: 18+ adults only. No smut in this chapter. Dream sequence’s , paranormal. Mentioning of vampirism,etc.

Characters: Dr.Nicky Ransom x Chris Evans, Denise Ames (cousin to Nicky), Adrian (evil identical twin to Chris), Viscount Cloverdale (stepfather), Elizabeth (mother), Clare (Nicky’s dead sister)

Chapter 12:

A portrait of Chris stares up at you from the final page of Clare’s sketchbook.

“Oh no...”

Scrawled beneath it, confirming you’re worst suspicions, is a name: Adrian.

“What...what is Chris doing in my sister’s drawing? Unless.. Oh,God. Her boyfriend. The one who ruined her, the one who left her to take her own life.”

Nicky remember it as she see’s the name scrawled there.

“Clare’s love..his name was Adrian.”

It’s hard to breathe,and you don’t. Know what to do.

“Chris was...Chris was the one who killed my sister! He was her boyfriend.” That lying bastard! I’m so...pissed! How dare he? Is this some kind of sick game to him? The fucking nerve!”

Belatedly, another realization hits Nicky.

“Wait...Clare drew this 15 years ago, but this is exactly what Chris looks like today. But that’s impossible! Someone who looked his age 15 years ago would be middle-aged now, unless....unless he doesn’t age.”

Bile rises in her throat. She remembers The Nightmare. She remembers the vampires of her nightmares. She remembers the book she saw when she first entered Chris’s home. The word she saw.

“Incubus..”

“Fuck!” Nicky yelled.

A blur of seething, white-hot rage delivers her to Chris’s house just as sawn breaks.

She storm’s in, not sure what she intends to do- or even could do- but too furious to think that far ahead.

“Where the hell is he?”

She checks room to room, finally finding him sitting in a dimly lit room. He looks up as she enters, an expression of mild surprise on his face.

“Nicky?” Chris answered.

“This fucking guy.”

“It was you. All along, it was you.” Nicky yelled. “I can’t believe I trusted you!”

“Nicky, I don’t know what you’re-“ Chris answered confused.

“Save it, Chris!” Nicky yelled. “I know you were the one who killed Clare. God, you’re the one who took Denise, too, aren’t you? And then you made this big show of helping me find her so you could...what? What was your endgame?”

“Nicky, what are you talking about?” Chris answered in shock.

“Was this all some kind of twisted joke to you?” Nicky yelled. “Am I a joke to you?”

Chris rises from the floor. Nicky steps away as he moves closer.

“Nicky-“ Chris answered.

“Don’t. Every word out of your mouth has been a lie, and I won’t take it anymore, Chris! Or should I call you Adrian?” Nicky yelled.

Chris reels back as if you’d slapped him.

“Adrian?” Chris answered with surprise.

“That’s the name you used with Clare, isn’t it? My dead sister, who you recognized the second I showed you her picture?” Nicky yelled.

“Nicky,no. You have to believe-“ Chris answered still in shock.

“Do I? Maybe you’d like to explain this, then.” Nicky replied in angry.

Nicky thrust the sketch in his face. He takes it from her with wide eyes and trembling hands.

“No...oh, no....”Chris answered with sadness.

“Go on, then. Explain. I fucking dare you.” Nicky yelled. “And while you’re at it, maybe you’d care to explain...why you haven’t aged in 15 years. It’s because you don’t, do you? Because what you told me in my dream last night was true, wasn’t it? You’re not human.”

Chris blanches.

“What the hell are you?” Nicky answered.

He closes his eyes, his shoulders drooping as he lets out a heavy sigh. His eyes, when he reopens them, look exhausted.

“You..don’t have the details quite right, I’m afraid.” Chris sadly answered. “I never met Clare, and I didn’t visit your dreams last night.”

He lifts those tired eyes to meet her own.

“But I know who did. And no, we’re not human.” Chris sadly answered.

“We”? Nicky answered in shock.

Chris laughs humorlessly.

“Yes, Nicky. You guessed it before, didn’t you?” Chris answered. “As a matter of fact, I do have an identical twin.”

“He looks sincere, but he always does. I should... hear him out.”

“You have exactly one minute. Talk. Now.” Nicky answered angrily.

Chris visibly relaxes.

“Thank you, Nicky.” Chris answered warmly.

“Explain,Chris.” Nicky angrily answers.

He takes his fingers through his hair, looking agitated.

“Right. Right....” Chris replied.

He crosses to the antique armoire and returns with a sepia-toned photo.

“And this is?”Nicky replied.

“Proof.” Chris answered.

He hands her the photo,and she gasps.

“That’s me. And that’s my brother, Adrian.” Chris replied. “The picture was shortly before I saw him last. Over 120 years ago.”

She staggers backwards.

“No....” Nicky answered in shock.

“Nicky, I didn’t mean for you to find out like this.” Chris answered sadly.

“Did you mean for me to find out at all?”Nicky replied in shock. “When we’re you planning to tell me..that you’re not human? Didn’t you think that was information I could have used?”

“And I’d have dropped that into the conversation how, exactly? “By the way, I’m an immortal being?” Chris replied. “In what universe would you have believed me?”

He has her there. Her fury deflates, leaving a deep weariness in its wake.

“You’re right. I wouldn’t have believed you in a million years.” Nicky answered. “So, what are you, then, if not human?”

“That’s...a very good question.” Chris sadly replied.

He indicates for her to follow, and leads her into a library.

“Oh my God, are you going to show me..an ancient genealogical tome?” Nicky replied in shock. “Does it follow your bloodline for thousands of years?”

Chris raises an eyebrow. The he laughs.

“No. I just needed a drink.” Chris answered with a smile.

He pours himself a generous serving of brandy, then raises the bottle toward you.

“I... could definitely use a drink about now. It’s not every day you find out that...what,vampires are a thing?” Nicky replied.

“I’m not a vampire.” Chris answered.

He hands her a glass.

“Well...not exactly, anyway. I suppose vampirism is a decent analogy.” Chris replied.

He stands and walks to a bookshelf, taking out a familiar book.

“This best describes us.” Chris answered.

It was the same page that she saw when she first came to Chris’s home. Incubus: An immortal demon that feeds off the energy of sleeping women.

“It isn’t blood that sustains is, but energy.” Chris answers.

He frowns, tapping his fingers against his glass.

“You aren’t sleeping,but this...might work best if I show you. Give me your hand?” Chris replied. “It won’t hurt, I promise.”

Hesitantly, she places her hand in his. An odd, smoothing warmth comes over her, as though she’s been submerged in a hot bath.

“Oh!” Nicky replied.

He releases her hand.

“We can feed harmlessly, you see, by skimming off just what we need to survive.” Chris answered. “Adrian... was never overly concerned with that, though.”

“He takes too much.” Nicky answered.

Chris nods.

“And that’s what he did too...Clare? That’s why she was too broken to go on living?” Nicky replied.

“I’m afraid so,yes.” Chris answered sadly. “Once a human’s life force is depleted... there’s nothing to be done for them.”

She collapse into a chair, her mind reeling.

“I don’t...I’m so...” Nicky sadly answered.

Chris kneels before her, pulling her into a hug.

“I’m sorry, Nicky . I’m so sorry.” Chris sadly replied.

His arms are strong and warm, and she feels a small tremor in his muscles.

“You have to believe me when I say I never wanted to hurt you.” Chris replied.

He takes a long , shuddering breath.

“Does he really mean that?”

She falls into his arms, burying her face in his neck. He strokes her hair.

“I’m sorry, Nicky, I know this is...a lot to take in.” Chris answered. “And I know you must feel-“

“Like you’ve been lying to me since the moment we met? “ Nicky replied.

Chris sighs, his breath rustling through her hair.

“Yes. And I’m sorry about that, too.” Chris sadly replied. “But surely you can understand why I did.”

Slowly, she nods.

“You had no real choice in the matter. I know that.” Nicky answered. “But I still feel like I’m looking at a complete stranger.”

Chris flinches.

“Yes. I suppose you would.” Chris sadly answered. “Let me...explain from the beginning.”

He looks deeply into her eyes,and her kids grow heavy.

“Wh-what are you...?” Nicky replied confusingly.

“A change of venue, that’s all. Sleep.” Chris answered softly.

-somewhat dream sequence or vision-

She closes her eyes... and reopen them in a library nearly identical to the one she was just sitting in.

“Welcome,Nicky, to Cloverdale Hall. My childhood home.” Chris answered.

Chris sweeps back the curtains,and she gasps.

“Whoa...” Nicky replied in shock.

She gapes out the window at the sprawling green countryside.

“This is...incredible!” Nicky answered in awe. “We’re in your dream right now?”

“No. We’re in yours.” Chris replied. “My kind aren’t capable of dreaming. Of sleep at all, in fact. We can merely shape the dreams of humans. Somewhat imperfectly, I might add.”

He pulls a book off nearby shelf, flipping through the pages unintelligible print to demonstrate.

“But if this is my dream, then....” Nicky answered.

She takes the book from him and focus her mind.

“I want to...change it.”

The heavy leather-bound volume shifts into a modern paperback in her hands.

“Awesome!” Nicky replied smiling.

She glances down at the dress Chris put her in.

“And I think I’d rather wear something...normal.”

Her gown dissolves into a tailored blouse and pants. Chris frowns at the mundane modern attire.

“Really? With no limit but your own imagination, this is what you chose?” Chris answered.

“Business casual is my comfort zone.” Nicky answered blushing.

Chris’s smile turns wistful.

“Well. Come with me, then.” Chris replied.

Chris provides a brief historical background of Cloverdale Hall as he leads her down a dim hall...and up to a second hallway that seems to stretch on indefinitely.

“This is...spooky. Couldn’t he have chosen to deliver exposition somewhere less creepy? Wait...what’s that sounds?”

The cry sounds as Chris opens the first door, releasing an elegantly appointed bedroom. A beautiful woman lies in the enormous bed, her golden hair lank with sweat as she grits her teeth through a contraction.

“My mother, Elizabeth.” Chris replied.

“Oh...” Elizabeth answered.

A kind-looking man sits beside Elizabeth, holding her hand as the midwife mops a damp cloth over her forehead.

“Elizabeth, darling, you are so strong. I know you can do this.” The man answered.

“And her husband, Vicount Cloverdale. My stepfather.” Chris replied.

“Stepfather?” Nicky answered in shock.

“Yes. My mother was pregnant when they met. All I know of my biological father is that he was one of our kind.” Chris answered.

“You don’t even know.what he looked like?” Nicky answered.

“I assume he looked something like me.” Chris replied. “But no. My mother never spoke of him.”

Elizabeth lets out another wail.

Chris closes the door and continues down the hall. Shortly thereafter, a baby cries.

“I was Elizabeth’s firstborn, so Viscount Cloverdale named me his heir.” Chris answered.

He opens the next door, revealing a cozy candlelit room decorated in pastel colors. Two angelically beautiful boys sit at opposite sides of a low table, eyes glued to playing cards in their hands.

“Me...” Chris replied.

“Hmm...” young Chris answers.

“...and Adrian.” Chris replied.

“....”young Adrian responses with a smirk on his face.

“You...really are identical!” Nicky replied looking on. “ I couldn’t even begin to tell you apart! I’m so sorry I doubted you!”

“Apology accepted.” Chris replied.

“Hah! I win again!” Young Adrian squealed.

“Drat..” young Chris replied.

“Adrian, my love. Are you cheating?”Elizabeth answered.

Adrian gives his mother a cherubic smile.

“Of course not, Mama.” Young Adrian replied.

Elizabeth sighs, a frown marring her perfect face.

“Darling, you know how it grieves me when you lie.” Elizabeth sadly answered.

“I’m not lying! Chris, tell her! “ young Adrain replied.

The young Chris’s eyes flicker from Adrian to Elizabeth.

“I have no complaints,Mama.” Young Chris answered.

“You... covered for him.” Nicky replied looking on.

“I did. More often than I should have.” Chris replied. “More often than was good for him.”

Centuries removed, Elizabeth looks just as troubled as her adult son.

“Your loyalty does you credit, Chris, but you will not be able to protect your brother forever.” Elizabeth replied. “You must understand, my loves, that there are rules and laws that even our kind must obey to survive. To keep our sanity. If we cheat- if we a,way look for the easy way- we must pay the price in the end.”

“Boring!” Young Adrian replied angrily. “ I’m going to find Papa! He said he’d take me riding after sunset.”

Elizabeth shakes her head wearily as Adrain darts from the room. She strokes a fond hand over Chris’s hair.

“Go on, then. I know you want to join him.” Elizabeth replied.

The young Chris kisses his mother’s cheek and runs after his brother, and the adult Chris closes the door.

“The Viscount knew what you were, didn’t he?” Nicky answered.

“He did. Though for all intents and purposes, we were normal children apart from our sensitivity to sunlight.” Chris replied. “The need to consume human energy doesn’t develop until late adolescence.”

“This is wild. I want to ask him...how many of your kind are there?”

Chris shrugs helplessly.

“I only know of a handful of us. How many more there are, I can’t say.” Chris answered.

He leads her further down the hall.

“My mother didn’t know much about our kind, either, it’s possible we’ve always been rare.” Chris replied. “She’d heard a legend , though, that our kind could become human.”

“How?” Nicky answered.

“Ah, now that she was unclear on. But it was what she desired above all.” Chris replied.” She was fond of Viscount Cloverdale, and in time she grew resentful of the need to feed on him, however willingly he allowed it. And so, when Adrian and I were 14, she took matters into her own hands. She imprisoned herself in her room, and starved herself. It... ended poorly. She went mad with hunger. My stepfather, fearing for her life, broke her quarantine to check on her , and she drained him. My mother overcome with guilt. She ended her life the only way she knew how: by severing her spinal cord.”

He opens another door, and she gasps. She stares in horror at the guillotine looming above the bloodstained floor.

“Oh my God...poor Chris , having to see this as a child.”

She pulls Chris into her arms.

“I’m sorry, Chris.” Nicky answered. “ I had no idea you’d gone through...this.”

He hugs her back, burying his face in her hair.

“It’s all right. I endured.” Chris answered.

“But you shouldn’t have had to.” Nicky replied.

He pulls away with a heavy sigh.

“As a child? No. But as a man I fear Ive earned far worse.” Chris sadly answered.

Chris shuts the door and continues down the hall.

“Adrian and I carried on by ourselves for a time. But as we matured, we found that there was inadequate prey in Yorkshire to sustain two of our kind. We’re drawn to humans with especially strong life forces. Creative types, usually. Artists,writers,performers...” Chris replied.

“Like Denise. And Clare.” Nicky answered.

Chris nods solemnly, opening a door that provides a glimpse out of a window. Beyond the glass, Adrain saddles a horse as Chris looks on.

“Rather than compete for strong dreamers out in the countryside, Adrian left for London while I remained to run the estate.” Chris answered.

He closes the door as Adrian gallops off into the distance.

“And that was the last time you saw him?” Nicky answered.

“For a time, yes, though our paths would cross periodically through the decades.” Chris answered.

He comes to a final door, incongruously modern against the darkly paneled hallways, and pauses.

“What’s through here?” Nicky answered.

“Something for which I pray you can forgive me.” Chris replied sadly.

A terrible sense of foreboding fills you.

“Am I ready to see what’s beyond this door? Yes. Whatever it is, I can handle it.”

She turns the bright brass handle, revealing a familiar room.

“Is this...my room at the Marina Blanca Motel?” Nicky replied in shock.

......end of dream sequence...?

@denisemarieangelina @joannaliceevans-fanficblog @jtargaryen18 @daliaevans @waywardodysseys @pine-fresh-kirk @star-spangled-beard-burn @patzammit @shellbilee @shreyaaaaaaaaaaaa @wintrcaptn @comebackandhauntme21 @littlefiercequeen @mizcaptainphoenix @deidrashouseofpain @ohmy-captain @chris-butt @what-is-your-plan-today @iamwhoiamtmblr @imanuglywombat @jms358 @captainchrisstan @captaincrazyexlover @amazonx @thatsxamericasxass @americasass91 @trishevans @branflakes82 @brilliantkey @bellaireland1981 @nomadevans82 @nbarnes @gothamlovr91 @enigma2112 @southerngracela @kelbabyblue @kellyn1604 @kailyndavillier @katiew1973 @thatgirly81 @ok-buchanan @goliveeasy17posts @tanyam93 @shikin83 @nekoannie-chan @denissjmaddox @raveviolet @iguessweallcrazyithinktho @lovinevans @optimistic-dinosaur-nacho

Sorry if I missed any tags. If you like to be taken off the tag list or know if anyone like to be tagged. Ask or let me know.

#princeofdreams chrisevansfanfic #fanfic paranormal darkchrisevansfanfic

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h-x-l-p-l-e-s-s · 3 years

Text

ABC Fanfic Challenge

C - Christmas

A/N:

(Written 12/24/2020 - 12/25/2020)

Wow, I ship something straight? That’s odd. Anywhohow, I hope you enjoy this small thing I typed up at 12 in the morning! :)

Word Count: 2k (16 Pages on Google Docs)

Warning: Profanity, Drinking

Pairing: Alexander Hamilton x Elizabeth Schuyler

This year was going to be perfect, unlike last year. Memories of the pie splattering in Alex’s face scarred him mentally, damn it, Jefferson.

“Cake’s done, Lasagna’s done, the sides are done. Everything, when it comes to food, is done.” Alex thought to himself. He put a checkmark on a piece of paper. Next to the checkmark was the word, “Food ‘n Shit.”

Alex walked to the living room and turned on the TV, “Now, I need to find a Christmas movie.” While he looked for one, he took a look at the tree. “Damn, that’s bright.”

He found a Christmas movie on Disney+ and checked, “Fun Shit” off of his list.

He heard his doorbell chime, indicating that someone arrived early.

“Coming!” Alex yelled as he ran towards the front door, sliding on his tile flooring with socks on. He opened the door to see three gay people.

“Bonjour, Mon Ami!” Lafayette hugged him with one hand, he held a small box in his other hand.

“Evening, Herc, Laf, and John!” Alex let them inside and pointed towards the Christmas tree.

“I’m sure you’re not too surprised to see us here this early.” John let out a small giggle after he said that. “So, your girl isn’t here yet?”

“J-John! Sh-she’s n-not my girl!” Lafayette and Hercules laughed while Alex stuttered that.

“You don’t even know which girl he was referring to, man.” Hercules grabbed control of his laughing to say that, Alex’s face was as red as hell’s fire.

“Can we watch Nikocado Avocado?” John asked, making everyone laugh.

“There’s no time to mess around, everyone else should be arriving before I know it. I need to make sure everything’s correct.” Alex ran up the stairs, making sure it was all decorated to his liking.

He checked “Decorations Bitch” off of his list. He locked his bedroom door and turned on each light upstairs.

He checked every single room to make sure everything was perfect. His stress disappeared after that.

He walked downstairs and fell on the floor in exhaustion. “He’s dead.” John sighed, watching Nikocado Avocado on Alex’s TV.

“Ah, yes. I just love watching staged failing marriages on Christmas Day.” The doorbell chimed about thirty seconds after Alex sarcastically mumbled that.

“Dance, King! Dance!” Lafayette and Hercules screamed at the same time Alex opened the door.

“Nice to know the others are here.” Burr grinned. He was with Washington and his girlfriend, Theodosia.

“I would stay away from them if I were you, come in.” Alex moved out of the way to let them enter.

“Merry Christmas, Lex!” Theodosia hugged Alex. “I see your girlfriend isn’t here yet.”

“S-she’s. N-not. My. G-g-girl-f-fr-” Alex stuttered, a bit more nervous than before.

“You’re a mess, Alex,” Washington whispered as he walked towards the boys in the living room. Theodosia followed.

“Why do you seem so tense?” Burr asked while pulling Alex towards the kitchen.

“I... I’m just kind of stressed about making this year perfect.” Burr raised an eyebrow after hearing Alex say that. “Anything else? Are you stressed about asking Eliza out?”

“W-who told you I was asking her out today?!” Alex whispered loudly. Burr smirked naughtily and left Alex alone in the kitchen.

Time had passed, everyone was in the living room playing Monopoly. Alex was left in the kitchen, silently downing a bottle of wine.

“Fuck this shit!” Lafayette yelled. Alex assumed he was arrested again. “This game is rigged.”

“Okay, Lex. In five minutes you’re gonna get up, down a bottle of water, and walk in the living room.” He thought to himself.

Five minutes had passed, he looked towards the living room to see everyone having a great time. “Alright, you’re gonna walk towards the living room and sit next to… John or Lizzy.” He did just that.

“Hi, Alex!” Eliza and Peggy waved at him, he waved back.

“Now that he’s here, can we play something less rigged?” Lafayette groaned, moving a bit closer to Hercules so Alex could sit next to John.

“Alex, can you tell Laf that if he manages to go to jail three times in one game, he needs to own his goddamn mistake instead of whining like a baby?!” Jefferson yelled.

“Alex, can you tell Thomas that if I managed to pull three “Go Directly to Jail” cards, that someone had to rig it somehow!” Lafayette yelled as a comeback.

“Laf, no one would waste their time to make this game unfair for you.” Angelica stood up and walked towards him, making him intimidated.

“Angel, leave Laf alo-” Hercules walked in front of her, but was pushed to the side by Maria.

Before Alex knew it, everyone began to argue over a game of Monopoly. Alex slid off the couch onto the floor, covered his head, and tried to ignore it. That’s a new one.

The person who’s most likely to start a whole war on Twitter was trying to avoid this catastrophe.

No one included Alex into the argument for ten minutes, after that, James said, “Laf, do you think Alex would sabotage the game to make you out of anyone else pissed?”

“Alex, did you sabotage the ga-” Lafayette began to ask until Jefferson cut him off by saying, “He would sabotage me, not you.”

Alex became a bit nervous. “I didn’t ‘sabotage’ anythi-” He tried to say but Lafayette and Hercules interrupted him. “I’m calling bullshit!”

Just like that, everyone was yelling again. This time, they were yelling at Alex. Some people were attacking him, some were defending him.

“You’re being suspicious, Alex. If you-” Hercules snarled. “Are we all arguing over a freaking board game?!” Maria yelled as a response.

“No, we’re arguing over Alex finding it funny to sabotage one of his closest friends!” Hercules seemed a bit less friendly. He seemed like he actually would kill you if you looked at him the wrong way.

“He didn’t sabotage shit! Laf’s luck is just fucked!” John screamed, covering Eliza’s ears.

“It’s kind of like how Alex sabotaged us in history!” Jefferson laughed.

“Y’all remember that shit?” Jefferson looked at Lafayette, Hercules, and Madison. “When he taught us misinformation so we could fail?” Washington looked at Alexander in shock after Jefferson said that.

Everyone began to scream at Alex, some upset, some a bit upset but not as much. It was official, this Christmas was R-U-I-N-E-D, maybe a bit worse than last year.

Alex, not being able to take unnecessary feedback anymore, ran upstairs to his room and drank a bottle of wine that was in his closet.

He wrapped himself in a blanket, turned off his lights, and drank one bottle after the next. Waiting for this day to end, waiting for everyone to leave.

He allowed the red liquid to slide down his throat, each drop making him a bit comfortable.

He heard a faint knock on the door. “Alex, are you in there?” A precious voice whispered. “There’s no one else with me.”

He set his bottle next to his bed and unlocked his door.

“Everyone’s downstairs, they change the argument every fifteen minutes. Do you want to come downstairs?” Eliza asked.

“N-no.” Alex wanted to say more but struggled to get it out. After he responded, he shut the door on Eliza.

“Do you want me to comfort you?” Eliza asked. White light shined in her eyes as Alex opened his door again.

“If you want to turn your light off again, you can.” After Eliza said that, she set her backpack near Alex’s bed. The light remained on.

“Okay then. Are you a coffee, tea, or hot cocoa connoisseur?” She asked, no answer. “Are you okay?”

Alex slid the bottles of wine under his bed and sat near Eliza. “Hot chocolate, I guess.”

“Okay!” She took a hot chocolate maker out from her backpack, making Alex a bit confused. “I’m like Dora the Explorer, I can fit anything into my backpack.”

“They’re just unfair,” Alex mumbled. He set his head on Eliza’s shoulder and closed his eyes. “It’s genuinely not my fault Laf’s luck is trash. It’s not my fault they failed history. It’s n-not my faul-”

“So the world’s unfair, just keep them locked downstairs.” Eliza cuddled with him.

“In here it’s beautiful.” Eliza grabbed a few blankets, tossing them over Alex’s window.

“Wh-what’s the point of doing tha-” Eliza shoved a chocolate bar down his throat to make him shut up.

She turned off the light, Alex opened his eyes to glow-in-the-dark blankets all over his room.

“W-woah.” He let out a small mumble. Eliza jumped towards her backpack to get marshmallows.

“Want some?” Alexander nodded as a response.

She put four large marshmallows in Alex’s cup, and four in hers.

“Liz, I’m sorry. I know Christmas is your favorite holiday and I fu- messed it up again. Maybe next year, it should just be at John’s house without me. Wasn’t it better in 2018 without me? Didn’t everything go as planned?” Alexander’s eyes began to flood.

“Believe me, it was boring without you. Plus, it was Laf and Thomas who started it, not you.”

Alex drank his hot chocolate swiftly. He then reached under his bed and grabbed a bottle of wine. As he drank it, Eliza felt a bit troubled. Alex used to struggle with a drinking problem before he met Lafayette, Hercules, and John.

He still drinks now and then, but not as much as before. The way he devoured two bottles of wine in thirty minutes was concerning.

“Alexander.” Eliza’s stern tone was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine, even Washington’s. “Put the bottle down, please.”

Scared, Alexander followed her orders. She grabbed two boxes, one box was wrapped with pastel blue wrapping paper. The other was wrapped with a bloodshot shade of red wrapping paper.

“I believe this one’s for you!” Eliza lost her stern tone and replaced it with a loving one. She handed Alex the blue box.

“It’s your Christmas gift from me.” Alex shook it a bit to get a hint of what was inside. “Before you open it, can you do me a favor?” He nodded.

“Don’t go crazy with it.” Alex smiled a bit as he tore it open with no care in the world. Inside he saw a bunch of $100 bills.

“It’s about twenty-five grand.” Alex’s eyes were watery, he hugged Eliza. “What the heck?” He whispered in her ears.

“Pegs has been telling me about how stressed you are at work, and how your bills are rising so… every month until next year I’ll be giving you twenty-five grand.”

“But why? Isn’t it too much?” Alex gave half of it to Eliza, but she declined the offer.

“It’s fine. I wouldn’t have given it to you if it wasn’t fine. Also…” Eliza grabbed a piece of paper from her pocket. “...mind reading this out loud?”

Alex grabbed the paper. It was as straight as Eliza’s hair, surprisingly. It was a fine cream color.

“Will you date me?” Alex read, crying even more. “Holy…” He failed to express how he actually felt.

“Yes! Oh my goodness, yes!” He jumped on Eliza in excitement.

“U-um, what did you give me for Christmas anyway?” Eliza asked, not trying to be too noisy.

“Pegs said you wanted nail polish and hair dye so… surprise.” Eliza let out a squeal and jumped on Alex. “Merry Christmas, Liz.”

They looked outside to see the whole neighborhood, each house decorated with green, red, and white LED lights.

“This is such a step up from last year.”

(Sorry about the lack of storyline! I needed to get this out on Christmas day so… yeah! Merry Christmas everyone! :D)

#fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction challenge #fanfic challenge #hamilton #hamliza #hamliza fanfic #hamilton fanfic #hamliza fanfiction #Hamilton fanfiction #merry christmas #christmas #have fun scrolling past this :D

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h-styles-babes · 5 years

Text

This Way Comes (Pt. 2)

Alright guys! Here’s the second and final part of my Halloween fic. Thank you so much for reading their first part. The response to it has been amazing. Hopefully the end lives up to the rest of the story.

Words: 11.5k

Warnings: Animal sacrifice (not described in any detail)

The rest of the weekend saw Harry and Andromeda living in a sort of sexed-out bliss. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, Harry woke up to Andie’s mouth around his erect cock, which led to another full round of sex. They woke up midmorning, and Harry made breakfast before they took a shower, where Andie was introduced to the wonders of shower sex. Then when they sat down in the living room for a movie marathon after lunch, Harry bent her over the arm of the couch while Pretty Woman played in the background. He laid her out on the kitchen table and sat in a chair to eat her out after dinner, then he took her back to her room. Sunday saw much of the same, only they ordered their meals in to avoid wasting time cooking.

Harry had class before Andie on both Monday and Tuesday, but they saw each other by late afternoon, controlling themselves enough to make and eat dinner before retiring to the bedroom. However, when Andie emerged from the room to go get a glass of water, she was confronted by the last person she wanted to see, especially since she was nearly naked and there was a mortal in her bed.

“Mum,” she gasped, pulling at the hem of Harry’s t-shirt she was wearing to better cover her bits. She had knickers on, but they didn’t do a great job of preserving her modesty.

The women who’d birthed her stood in her entryway, obviously fresh from stepping through the mirror portal. She was in the witch’s version of a power suit: a dark green, floor length velvet dress that draped around her shoulders and had a slit up to mid-thigh, exposing the spiked heels she wore. There were necklaces shaped in Wiccan symbols layered on her neck, and her earrings were obsidian marbles with amethysts in the center. Her familiar, a big, imposing raven, sat perched on her shoulder. Her eyes, that were the same pale shade of blue as Andie’s, peered on at her in a thinly veiled look of distaste and slight amusement. Annabel had been around long enough that she knew a walk of shame when she saw one.

“Hello, darling,” she greeted, the humour in her voice evident. “Classes going well?”

Andie rolled her eyes. “I went to class. I got out at four.”

Her mum hummed, stepping further into her daughter’s flat. She gave a low whistle and Lenore, her raven, flew to the top tier of Bub’s cat tree, peering down into the little hideout Bub was sleeping in the tier below. Bub hissed half-heartedly, realising belatedly that the intruder was a fellow familiar.

“Who is he, then? Sarah knows that nice boy from the American coven that’s here doing research. Mitch, I think.”

“No offense, but he’s not my type. And besides, Sarah is into him.”

“Then wh—”

Annabel was cut off by Harry’s voice coming down the hall.

“Where’d you go?” he called, spotting her at the end of the hall, peering into the living room. His brows furrowed. “Did someone knock at the door?”

“Uhh…” Andie stumbled, looking between Harry and her mum. This was definitely not the way she wanted her mother to find out she was in an intimate relationship with a mortal. She’d have preferred if it never happened, but she knew it would happen eventually, the way her and Harry were moving. This was just the worst way possible.

As soon as Harry came into her mother’s view, Andie could see the instant recognition that Harry is mortal. Her nostrils flared slightly, but she took a deep breath before arranging a contrite smile on her lips.

“Never took you as one to sleep with your wards, Andromeda,” Annabel said.

“Excuse me?” Harry asked, brows furrowed. The fact that he was only in his boxers made him less intimidating, but he was still the tallest, broadest person in the room.

Andie placed a hand on his chest, silently begging him to not get riled up or say anything else. “He’s my friend, Mum. He just so happened to get the attention of a wraith.”

Annabel pursed her lips as she looked Harry up and down before sighing. “Whatever. Would you two put some clothes on? We need to talk about what’s happening tomorrow.”

~*~*~*~*~

The American witch walked through Andie’s entryway portal at ten in the morning Wednesday. Sarah, Annabel, Mitch, Harry and Andie were already gathered in the living room when the mirror whirred to life. There was a shift in energy in the room when she stepped through the pearlescent haze of the portal, her tall, platform boot the first thing to emerge. Andie held her breath, waiting for the reveal of who this mysterious witch was. Sarah hadn’t ever mentioned her name, most likely on purpose.

When she finally completely tread into Andie’s entryway, her and Harry’s jaw dropped.

“Holy shit,” Harry muttered. Though, it had been completely silent in the room, so it was loud echoing off the wood flooring. “You’re Stevie Nicks.”

Her sage eyes landed on Harry, who was sat on the loveseat beside Andie, and she smiled softly. “Yes, I am. You must be the poor mortal we’re all worried about.”

Annabel made a grunting sound that sounded suspiciously like a “speak for yourself,” that everyone but Andie ignored. She shot her mother an annoyed look before turning back to their guest.

Stevie fucking Nicks was in her flat. No big deal.

“I suppose,” Harry agreed. “I thought the witch thing was just a rumour.”

“Me, too,” Andie whispered, still a bit awestruck. Never in a million years did she thin Stevie Nicks was a real witch.

“And you’re still tellin’ me your life isn’t like that American Horror Story season?” Harry asked.

Stevie laughed. “That was a little nod to my community. Keeping a secret for nearly a hundred years is hard work. Need to keep it fun somehow.”

“Can we get to business, please?” Annabel interjected. Her nostrils were flaring in that way she had when she was irritated. It was the same look she’d given Harry when she first met him a few days prior. It was a look Andie had been on the receiving end of many times in her life.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist, Annie,” Stevie admonished.

Annabel gave their guest a pointed look before rolling her eyes in submission. Andie had never seen her mother give up a fight so easily. They must have known each other pretty well for her mum, the pinnacle of the witch community, to acquiesce so quickly.

“And you must be Andromeda.” Stevie’s gaze turned to Andie, who was sat much more properly since Stevie walked into the room. “Your mom has told me a lot about you.”

“I won’t even ask if they were good things,” Andie grumbled. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Stevie shot her a knowing smile, like she was privy to something that the rest of them weren’t. Andie wasn’t really willing to dive into it right then with a room full of people.

“You too, sweetheart.” Stevie made her way around Andie’s living room, taking up the one free seat next to Andie and Harry, in the big cushy chair that Andie had bought on a whim at a flea market the previous spring. It was gothic and beautiful and definitely an antique, and she just had to have it. Stevie looked just at home in the chair, her diminutive stature looking grand despite the high back.

“Now, let’s talk about this spell.”

~*~*~*~*~

The spell had to be performed on a full moon, and the full moon that month was too close for them to properly prepare. There were ingredients to be gathered that were not exactly something that was sold at the local apothecary, so it took some investigating and some late night adventures into the forest. The had four weeks to get all the necessary items as well as mentally prepare themselves to undertake this task.

Stevie had showed them the spell. It was…intense, to say the least. The ingredient list was nearly thirty bullet points long and the incantation that needed to be said went on for nearly three pages. Not to mention the diagram of the set up was intricate and required Harry to be laid in the center of a giant pentagram thirty feet in diameter mapped out in the branches of an elder tree. The candles that sat at each point of the pentagram had to be made of beeswax and dyed with powdered obsidian (which was not easily come by). The instructions only got more convoluted and involved from there. Andie was already ready to pull her hair out trying to organise who was to retrieve what.

For what it was worth, Harry was cool as a cucumber. When he would come home from work or class and see Andie hunched over her copy of the spell and fifteen different tabs open on her computer, he’d simply come over, drop kisses to her shoulders and neck, before closing the lid of her laptop and pulling her up from her seat. He only ever distracted her when he knew she’d been at it for hours on end, knowing the work she was doing was important. But she needed a break every few hours, and he was more than happy to be the source of her stress relief.

Harry and Andie hadn’t put a label on what exactly it was they were doing, yet. Harry was afraid to ask, worried that he’d freak her out and make her backtrack. Andie was concerned with making it official just for his soul to be sucked out by a wraith if her attempt at freeing Harry from this supernatural connection failed. It was an odd balancing act that they had never anticipated having to figure.

Andie was able to handle a week and a half holed up in her flat, doing her research, aside from going to class, before she finally needed a longer break than the hour and a half her and Harry would be together whenever he tore her away. She’d sent out a fire message to an apothecary in Romania that was pretty good about acquiring rare ingredients for obscure spells about the powdered obsidian. Given the time difference, she knew it would be hours, if not a full day, before she received a response. Then was a good a time as any to take a proper break and get out into the world while she had the chance.

When Harry got home from class that evening, Andie suggested they go out to dinner and maybe take a bit of a stroll. It was a crisp day, but not raining or windy, and it was already beginning to get dark. It was the perfect time to get out, and maybe they’d stumble upon some weird fungus they needed while they walked. Andie wouldn’t be disappointed if they didn’t find anything, but may as well take the chance. Two birds, and all that.

Harry quickly agreed and they headed off to a local Thai place without much deliberation on where to eat. They both had been craving it, it seemed, so they set off, hand in hand, Andie using some of that natural energy she possessed to keep their hands warm while exposed to the chilly autumn air. Harry was thankful, his fingers nearly turning blue the second they made it out onto the street.

As soon as they turned the corner onto the main road, laughing at a story Harry was regaling her with about someone in his Twentieth Century Literature lecture, a chill ran down Andie’s spine, not caused by the dropping temperature. She felt the blood drain from her face as she looked straight on at the wraith attached to Harry, much closer than it had been in the previous weeks. It was getting stronger, she realised, the just passed full moon probably lending to its power surge. Where it had been lingering about fifty meters away since it first latched onto Harry, it was now considerably closer, probably twenty meters, at max. It was close enough for Andie to make out the hallow darkness that occupied where it’s face should have been and the bony, gnarled stumps in the place of hands under the wispy blackness of the cloak that covered whatever form of a body that it had.

Harry noticed the dropped look of horror on Andie’s face as she gazed over their shoulders. He stopped their walk, but Andie pulled them along, beginning to mumble under her breath in a rapid cadence in a language Harry didn’t understand.

“What is it?” Harry asked, but Andie shushed him with a finger to her lips, her own mouth still moving. Harry realised belatedly that she was muttering a spell under her breath, and Harry had a sinking feeling that it was because of the darkness that had latched itself to him those weeks ago.

“Should we just go back to yours?” Harry asked.

Andie shook her head and kept pulling him along. He noticed the heat emanating from her hand in his rise in temperature, surpassing the comforting heat she’d been giving off before. He went to pull his hand away, lest it get too hot, but she kept a firm grip on it, silently telling Harry that it was best if his hand stayed in hers.

They were nearly to the Thai place before Andie relaxed and the heat left their hands. She seemed to still be on high alert, but her hackles weren’t raised anymore.

“Quick update to the warding spell I put on you,” she told him under her breath before Harry opened the door to the restaurant. “It’s getting closer.”

Harry shot her a wary look before turning to the hostess with a smile and asked for a table for two.

When they sat, Harry hooked his foot around the leg of Andie’s chair opposite him and pulled her in closer. “Why can’t I see it?”

“Part of being a witch or other supernatural being is having the Sight,” Andie told him, picking up her menu, even though she knew what she was going to order. She got yellow curry every time. “It’s pretty rare for a mortal to be able to see this sort of stuff. Usually only children can see them, or if there was witch blood somewhere back in their lineage, if it’s close enough to the current generation.”

“I can sort of feel it, though,” Harry added, looking over his own menu. “Like, especially when I’m alone in public. Sort of like I’m being watched.”

Andie nodded and reached her foot out to press up against his under the table. She could see he was a bit anxious about the news that the wraith was closer than normal, so she was offering support in a way that kept her hands free. She could still see the cloaked figure standing outside the big windows of the restaurant.

“I’m not surprised. The energy they give off is…not pleasant. Makes my skin crawl when they get close.” She rolled up the sleeve of her jumper to show him all her little hairs standing on end. “Don’t be surprised if your anxiety starts shooting through the roof. They’re like happiness suckers.”

“Kinda remind me of dementors.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s where the idea came from for those,” Andie agreed. “Except I don’t have a fancy spell to banish them away or whatever. Or a wand.”

“Honestly, when you first told me you were a witch, I was waiting for you to drop one out of your sleeve at any moment.”

Andie barked out a startled laugh as she gave a soft kick to his shin. “Shut up.”

~*~*~*~*~

They skipped their walk that night, for fear of the wraith getting ballsy in the darkness of the night. Harry suggested a day time stroll after he got back from class on Thursday instead, in the hour they had before the sun started to really set. Andie agreed, and they spent the rest of their night curled up on the couch, watching The Nightmare Before Christmas with Halloween only a week away.

By the time Thursday came around, Andie was in a good mood because Sarah had called her earlier in the day to let her know she’d gotten her hands on two more of the ingredients for the spell, and Andie had gotten word from that apothecary in Romania that the obsidian had come in and was ready for delivery. She’d arranged a portal transfer for Friday morning and couldn’t wait to get her hands on it.

When Harry retuned from class just twenty minutes after her, she greeted him with a kiss and pulled him straight back through the door, Harry chuckling at her exuberance. Andie chatted to him about the Halloween party Niall was throwing on Saturday that they’d agreed to attend, as well as the progress they were making in getting all the things they needed for the spell as they walked out of the flat and onto the road. Harry was just as glad as she was that there was only twelve more items on their list after just a little less than two weeks of searching, and one of the items was all the elder wood needed for the pentagram. It was shaping up nicely, and Andie was more confident that everything would pan out alright once the time came.

They stayed on populated city streets where people were still walking around to classes and milling about around shoppes and restaurants, just to be safe. The wraith was still just as close as it had been when they’d gone to dinner on Monday, but it seemed to be more passive now, abated by the extra hulking Andie had padded onto Harry’s warding spell. She wished there was something stronger she could put up around him, but hopefully it would only be another two weeks before they got him free of this thing.

Forgoing a proper dinner, they stopped by the cafe and bakery down the street to get tea and pastries and took them back to the flat. They set up a little faux picnic on the coffee table, sitting on their bums with their backs against the couch. Andie lit her fall candles around the space, filling the room with the comforting scent of cinnamon and apples.

They were quietly munching side by side for a few moments, not really feeling the need to fill the silence. Andie could feel Harry looking at the side of her face as they ate, but she figured he was lost in thought more than anything, so she was a little surprised when he spoke up.

“What are we doing?”

Andie looked at him, furrowing her eyebrows. “Eating?” she offered, more than a little confused.

Harry shook his head and huffed in frustration, though he realised the misunderstanding was due to his own poor word choice.

“No, I mean, like, what are we doing together? Like, I’m not sure if we’re dating or you’re my girlfriend or we’re just fucking or what.”

Andie’s mouth popped open in a little ‘O’ shape when she understood what it was he was getting at. “Oh, got it. Um…” She looked between Harry and the carpet before slowly putting down the fork full of white rice and chicken curry she’d had halfway to her mouth when he’d surprised her.

“I’m not trynna push for anything, I’m just curious how I’m supposed to act with you around our friends. We’ve got that party Saturday at Niall’s, and I’m just not sure.”

It was quiet, save for the sound of Bub licking his paws on the lowest tier of his cat tree. Andie was looking into Harry’s swirling green eyes, trying to decide what the best course of action was in that moment. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she wasn’t sure if either of them were ready for the truth, either. Although, who was she kidding? She was sure Harry would be elated by the truth. The only question really was whether or not she was willing to take that risk and expose Harry to her life that much more. Though, she supposed he was already in as deep as any mortal she’d seen. She reckoned she owed it to both of them to be honest.

“I uh…really like you, Harry, obviously. I have for pretty much as long as I’ve known you. I just never did anything about it because…ya know. The witch thing.”

“But I know about that now.” There was a sort of hopeful glint in Harry’s eyes, one that Andie was really glad she wasn’t about to crush.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “So my reasons for staying just a friend don’t exist anymore. I’m still worried about you, but you’ve handled all this the last few weeks remarkably well.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question,” Harry teased, that smirk the mad her all soft and infuriated her at the same time pulled up on his lips.

She rolled her eyes. “I’d really like to be in a relationship with you, if that’s what you want, too.”

“Andromeda, are you asking me to be your boyfriend?”

She shot him a withering look, daring him to make her rescind her proposition.

Harry snickered before reaching over to cradle the back of her neck with his hand, pulling her closer to him. He pressed a hard, closed-mouth kiss to her lips, smiling.

“I accept.”

“Wanker.”

~*~*~*~*~

Harry and Andie were already in Niall’s small kitchen before they saw the host amongst the throng of bodies already in the flat. Niall saw Harry immediately, his head of dark curly hair significantly taller than anybody else’s. Niall slung his arm around his friends shoulders, a little confused about his billowy, cream coloured shirt and strange trousers until he saw Andie standing on his other side, and everything made sense.

Niall started cackling, his head dropping back on his shoulder. “Oh God, this is great. I imagined you’d come dressed as Morticia or summat.”

Andie rolled her eyes at him. The choice to come as Ariel from The Little Mermaid hadn’t been an easy one, but Harry had pretty much begged her after she’d tried the costume on at the shoppe. He’d claimed her hair colour was perfect with it and that it would be great since no one would expect it from her. She had agreed that it would be pretty fun to be this girly, cute princess, something so opposite of her typical style. So, when she’d gotten dressed that evening, she’d been a little excited at seeing her in something that wasn’t her typical wardrobe. Harry had been appropriately shocked and giddy when he saw her once she emerged from the bathroom, especially with her face done up softly. He’d assured her he liked her how she normally presented herself, but it was novel to see her like she was that night.

Niall took a moment to cackle a little bit more before darting off to get them drinks. He returned only a minute or two later with two red cups, nearly full to the brim with some lightly tinged pink liquid. Andie was almost sure it was fruit punch before Niall completely watered it down with whatever liquor he put into it. When she took a sip, she knew for sure that it was about eighty-five percent rum and the rest of was fruit juice. One would probably be her limit for the night. It was never a good idea for a young witch to alter her senses while in a public place.

Harry, however, had no such qualms. He was a young college guy, ready and willing to let loose at the drop of a hat. And that was exactly what he was doing.

They were there only an hour before Andie realised that Harry was well on his way to being absolutely shit-faced. She noticed about half an hour in that his cup was never empty, but he was getting increasingly more giggly and droopy-lidded. She was sure Niall was behind the constant refills, and she didn’t want to reprimand either of them, but from previous experience, she knew Harry did not have the same tolerance that the Irishman did. She never got a chance to grab Niall and tell him to go easy on Harry’s next refills—or they’d be on their way to A & E before the end of the night—before she lost sight of her boyfriend. One second she had her eyes on him, hanging out with some of his other friends by the kitchen, then she’d looked around to try to find Niall, and when she looked back, Harry was gone.

A cursory glance over the room turned up nothing, which didn’t concern her much. Perhaps he’d gone to the restroom or disappeared into the crowd huddled in the kitchen.

However, after a solid five minutes, Andie started to get antsy, a sinking feeling settling in her stomach. She threw another look over the room, came up short, and then made her way to the hall where she knew Niall’s only restroom was located. Maybe he had finally succumb to the alcohol and was getting sick. That’s what she kept telling herself to try to keep herself calm.

She finally squeezed her way through the living room and to the hall. She knocked on the restroom door, calling out Harry’s name. When she received a female voice back, telling her she’d be out in a moment, Andie quickly moved on, down towards Niall’s room. Maybe Harry had went in to have lie down. Something was telling her that wasn’t the case, though.

Andie knocked on the door and pressed her ear close to the door to try to hear any type of activity on the other side. The only thing she could hear was what sounded like a very upset cat, so she opened the door just enough to peek her head in and look around. The room was empty, aside from Niall’s cat, Oreo, that was stood up on his desk, back arched, spitting and hissing and howling, eyes trained on the sliding door in Niall’s room that led to the small balcony that faced the pool area in the center of his flat building.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Andie cooed, stepping in and closing the door behind her to prevent anybody following her in. “You see another cat on your turf? I’ll go shoo ‘em off.” Andie reached out to try to calm her down, approaching from the front so she wouldn’t startle when Andie ran her finger over the top of Oreo’s head. However, the cat made no move to look away from the glass door, only seeming to get more worked up.

Andie finally turned to look over her shoulder to see what it was that had her so amped, and when she saw Harry stood out there, she gasped.

Harry had his back pressed up against the glass, seeming to be barely holding himself up, his knees bent and his head slumped back. She couldn’t see his face, but she didn’t need to in order to know what was happening. Because she could see the wraith hovering just on the other side of the railing, the blank darkness of its face seeming to take on a sinister glow. A hazy, pearlescent stream of energy connected its face to Harry’s, the physical embodiment of the force it was drawing from its victim.

It took Andie only a split second to turn on her heel and make her way to the door. She pushed the door open with a flick of her wrist, letting a rush of wind gust into the room. Andie felt a rush of energy and adrenaline surge through her veins as she flung her hand out, pushing the wraith away in a way that she had never managed before without casting an actual spell. It was like a gust of wind erupted from her palm and blew it back a few meters, severing whatever control it had on Harry.

He slumped to the ground, obviously dazed as he blinked hard and looked around, eyes trying extra hard to focus on Andie when he finally spotted her. She was sure she looked like a frightened mess. She’d never been so close to something so dark before and it was causing a chill to worm its way under her skin. She grabbed Harry by his elbow and pulled him up, keeping her free palm up and extended out from her, keeping the wraith at bay. A bolt of light was raying out from her hand. She wasn’t sure what exactly it was, but she was just glad it made the wraith wary and keep its distance.

“You’ve gotta get up, love,” Andie urged, using all her strength to haul him up off the ground. “We’ve gotta get back inside. I need to get you back to my flat.”

“‘m so tired,” Harry mumbled, seeming to try to push himself up by his hands, but he was having a hard time maintaining his balance. She knew the wraith had seized an opportunity to start harvesting Harry’s life force, and it wasn’t helped by his state of inebriation.

“I know, Harry, but you need to get up. Fuck, just crawl inside for all I care.”

Harry hummed and bobbed his head lazily. He managed to get his legs under him and slithered his way past Andie, into the safety of Niall’s room. Andie was already summoning a portal under her breath as she slid inside, closing the door behind her and throwing the lock. That really wouldn’t keep a persistent wraith out, but it gave her a sense of security that she needed in that moment.

The shimmering veil of the portal emerged on the door of Niall’s closet. Harry was slumped over on the wall next to it, watching with hazy eyes as is swirled in its magnificent rainbow pattern of colours. Andie leaned down and pretty much shoved him through it before stepping through herself, stumbling over his prone body in the entrance of her flat. She waved her hand over her mirror to close it before sagging to the floor beside her very unconscious boyfriend. Traveling via portal was already pretty trying on a mortal body, but mix that with his run in with the wraith and the copious amounts of alcohol he’d consumed through their night, and he was down for the count. Andie’s fears were only mildly assuaged by the steady, rhythmic rise and fall of his shoulders with every breath that he took.

She considered leaving him in the entrance with a pillow and a blanket, not wanting to disturb him, but she could only imagine how traumatised he’d be to wake up in the middle of the night on the cold wood floor, by himself, after the ordeal he’d gone through earlier.

So, with a sigh, she stood and grabbed him under his arms and started dragging him to her bedroom, glad for her unobstructed smooth floors, allowing him to just glide along in the soft material of his costume. Getting him up into the bed was a bit of a challenge, but luckily he roused just long enough to haul himself into the bed, and Andie had an easy enough time taking his shoes and trousers off before tucking the blankets up around him.

She sat with a tired huff beside him, rubbing her hands over her eyes. She remember belatedly about the makeup on her face, but she was past the point of really caring. She just wanted to curl up in bed beside him and sleep for the rest of her existence. Alas, she had to be responsible, considering she was mostly to blame for Harry being in this situation in the first place.

Andie fished her phone out of the waistband of her mermaid tail skirt, happy that it had somehow stayed pressed against her skin with the excitement of the night. She pressed the first name that popped up on her recent call log and waited impatiently for them to answer.

“I realise it’s Halloween, but some of us are old and like to sleep.”

“Sarah…”

Andie could immediately hear the shift in Sarah’s demeanour at the defeated sound in her voice. “What happened?”

~*~*~*~*~

It took the help of Mitch and Sarah for Harry to finally wake the next day.

If there was any question that the wraith had got its share of Harry the night before, there was none now. The only assurance Andie had that Harry wasn’t on the verge of death was the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed deep, like he was peacefully sleeping.

Mitch and Sarah walked through her portal at eight that morning after a semi-frantic call Andie had placed to them only minutes before when Harry still hadn’t woken up. He was the early riser out of the two of them, no matter the circumstance, so Andie was appropriately concerned.

Mitch had worked his magic, having been trained in magical healing. He’d set up a mini apothecary on Andie’s bedside table, liquids and powders of all sorts laid out. Andie watched in a daze as he did whatever potion-making he was trained to do, all her thoughts on whether or not Harry would wake and what on earth she was going to do if he didn’t.

She was a wreck.

Mitch had eventually sent her out of the room, fed up with her constant pacing and her concerned looks. Sarah had corralled her into the kitchen, offering to make her a cuppa so she would sit down and chill out. She assured her that Harry was in the best hands possible and it was just going to take him a bit to get his energy back up from whatever bad juju the wraith had imparted.

“You really love him, don’t you?” Sarah asked after they’d sat together in silence for several minutes. It was the first time Andie hadn’t heard a teasing in her friend’s voice when she was talking about Andie’s secret feelings for her best friend.

That was the first time Andie met Sarah’s eyes that morning. She swallowed hard before answering,” Yeah, I really do.”

Mitch emerged from the room a half hour later, closing the door gently behind him.

“I’ve done what I can for now. He should be awake in the next hour or so.”

So they waited. Sarah turned on Andie’s telly and found some mindless reruns of Call the Midwife to play in the background as she flitted around the kitchen, preparing breakfast for all of them. Andie was glad that Sarah was so comfortable in her flat, because there was no way she was up to being a good host that morning. She couldn’t seem to pull her mind away from the boy laying unconscious in her bedroom.

Finally, around ten that morning, there was a stirring from behind her closed door, followed by a groan. Andie was out of her seat like a shot, already opening her door by the time Mitch and Sarah even got themselves out of their place on her couch.

“Harry?” Andie asked delicately, poking her head in at first and then completely stepping through the doorway when she saw he was awake and attempting to sit up in bed. She made her way to his side, helping him to prop himself up against the headboard. “How’re you feeling?”

“Really fuckin’ exhausted,” he huffed, slumping back against the new support. “What the fuck happened?”

“The wraith got too close last night. Started doin’ it’s…thing.” She grimaced as what little colour he had gained quickly drained from his face. “I found you. You’re gonna be pretty tired for a while, though.”

“That means no class or work until you’re back to one hundred percent,” Mitch told him, leaning in the doorway. “I’ve already forged some doctor notes to get you out of stuff for awhile.”

“And it would probably be best you stay here or with Andie until the next full moon. Now that it’s gotten close, it probably won’t be satisfied lingering at a distance anymore,” Sarah added.

“At home with my girlfriend and no responsibilities for three weeks? What a hardship,” Harry groaned sarcastically, flashing Andie a cheeky grin when she rolled her eyes playfully.

“We’ll leave you guys for now. Ring if you need us,” Sarah said, parting with a soft smile.

Mitch hung back. “Just wanted to let you know that Stevie got her hands on that crystal we need. Think there’s only four things left on our list now.”

Andie nodded. “Thanks, Mitch. What’s left?”

“The wood, which I’m gonna go out and gather the rest of today. Sarah’s got a good lead on the Bauhinia from a Japanese coven, and your mom is going next week to arrange to have a local farmer provide us with a goat.” Andie tried hard to suppress her shudder over the mention of the goat. Poor thing. Thankfully, Harry was too tired and out of it to really put together why they would be needing a live goat.

“What’s the last part?” Harry asked, sounding like he was already drifting off again.

“You,” Mitch stated simply. He turned to Andie. “I left a healing potion in your bathroom. Give him a tablespoon every eight hours or so. You can mix it with food if he can’t handle the taste. Hopefully he’ll regain most of his strength in the next week.”

Mitch saw himself out after Andie thanked him again and she heard both him and Sarah step back through the portal, leaving the flat quiet.

Andie turned to Harry. “I’m gonna go to campus tomorrow and drop of your doctor note. You’ll be safe in the flat for that time.”

Harry shook his head, brows furrowed and his eyes darting back and forth like he was searching for something, though he was staring at various points on the ceiling. “I can’t believe I just…walked outside. I don’t even remember making the decision to walk out there.”

She grabbed his shin through the blankets, offering a comforting weight. “It’s what a wraith does, Harry. It entices you into vulnerability in order to get to you. Not to mention, you were absolutely sloshed. Just a bad combination all around.”

“Safe to assume the blaring headache is from the hangover, then?”

Andie chuckled softly. “Yeah. Want some paracetamol?”

“Please? And somethin’ small to eat? Gonna throw up if I take painkillers on an empty stomach.”

Andie patted him on the leg before going to the kitchen to make him some toast and grab the tablets. She came back with both and a glass of water, and some of Harry’s colour seemed to have come back.

“Get all that down and go back to sleep. Gonna be doin’ a lot of that until you get your health back up.”

“Don’t wanna be lazy,” Harry argued, his eyelids already drooping and his form already slumping back into the little throne of pillows he’d made around himself to stay propped up.

“You’re not bein’ lazy,” Andie assured. “You’re lettin’ your body heal. Now hush, and close your eyes. I’ll come join you in a bit.”

Harry was asleep before Andie closed the door behind her.

~*~*~*~*~

The next weeks leading up to the full moon were full of getting Harry back to his normal self and making all the final arrangements for their ritual. Harry slept pretty much nonstop for three days, aside from getting up to use the restroom and eat, and Andie made him shower once. By the fourth day, he was able to stay up for a few hours at a time and made it out onto the couch to watch the telly and keep Andie company while she was getting stuff together for the full moon. By the end of the weekend he was staying up all day with a short nap some time after lunch. The day he was finally awake before Andromeda was the day that she knew he had made it through in one piece.

Andie had gotten her mom to add an extra layer to the protective ward around her flat in order to keep the wraith out. There wasn’t a day that went by after the situation at the party that she didn’t see it lingering outside of her windows and the front door of her flat when she left occasionally to go the shoppes or show her face enough in class to not make her professors overly suspicious of her absence.

Harry had been relatively quiet about all of the preparations Andie had been doing, just casting an observant eye. It wasn’t until the full moon was five days away that Harry finally started asking questions. His most pressing one, however, was what the live goat was for. It was the question Andie was dreading the most, but she knew he’d have to be told beforehand anyway. It wasn’t something that you dropped on a person the day of the ritual.

“Part of the ritual is having you bathe in fresh goat blood while we do the incantation.”

The blood drained from Harry’s face, and he swallowed hard over the presumed bile that rose in his throat. He eventually licked his lips and nodded. “Awesome.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I didn’t want to freak you out unnecessarily.”

“No, I get it. I’m glad I only have five days to anxiously wait instead of a month.”

“Just close your eyes and pretend it’s a nice bath.”

He shot her a look that said he definitely wasn’t amused.

That was the most he’d asked about what was happening. When Andie had asked him if he wanted to know all the steps of the spell, he’d shook his head and told her he trusted her. That had simultaneously made soft butterflies fill her stomach as well as leave a heavy feeling in her chest. While she was very flattered that he trusted her so much—essentially with his life—, she was realistically wary of how everything was going to turn out. It was a daunting prospect.

In the few remaining days leading up to the spell, Harry was more clingy than normal. While he had always been the lovey, touchy type, he practically never left Andie’s side while they were in the flat together. She was sure he was getting stir crazy from being cooped up for so long, and she didn’t mind his undivided attention. But she was worried about his mental state, and she wondered if he was acting like this because he was scared of what would be happening that Friday night. She wanted to comfort him, reassure him that it would all be fine in the end, but she couldn’t lie to him. She didn’t know what was going to happen since she’d never done this before. Stevie had done her best to assure them that she’d seen this spell performed successfully once before. Andie didn’t necessarily like those odds, but considering the spell had only been done a handful of times in the history of witches, she supposed one successful account was better than nothing.

Friday morning, Andie woke up to the startling but very pleasant sensation of Harry’s face buried between her thighs, not yet at her center, but laving his tongue and teeth at her inner thighs, his thumbs teasing at the band of her knickers. He waited until he knew she was awake before pulling them aside and losing himself in the taste and smell of her. She came quicker than she ever had before, and she didn’t hesitate to flip Harry on his back and ride him until they were both sated and sweaty and in terrible need of a shower.

They lazed around until the sun began to barely set. They needed to meet the rest of their little group in the forest before the sun went down in order to set up their space while they still had daylight. The height of the spell wouldn’t be performed until the moon was high in the sky, but it was imperative that everything be in its proper place before that time came.

Andie made sure to bring lots of towels and heavy, weighted blankets for after Harry emerged from the blood bath. It was nearing the end of November, and the temperature was getting nearly to freezing in the middle of the night. While they blood itself would most likely keep him warm while he was in it, he’d freeze his arse off as soon as he stepped out. Andie didn’t want to traumatise him any more than necessary.

They walked hand in hand to the meeting spot in the forest, Andie keeping a wary eye on the wraith as it followed them, at a distance that was much too close for comfort. Although he couldn’t physically see it, she could tell Harry was aware of its presence, too, if not by the guarded stance Andie kept, then the way he shivered every few seconds while perspiring was a good indication. Even though they weren’t in direct contact, the wraith was still doing what it could to suck as much energy from him as it could.

Harry’s eyes were drawn to the large black boulder that had been the center of this whole occurrence. He hadn’t realised this would be the spot they'd be performing the ritual, Andie figured. It was the best place for it, though. The power it offered combined with the innate energy Andie and her mother possessed was their best bet and this going the way it was supposed to. They weren’t taking any chances by performing it somewhere where the harnessable energy was low.

When they got there, everybody but Sarah was already there. When Andie asked after her, Mitch nodded his head in the direction opposite where Harry and her had walked in, and she saw Sarah walking with a goat on a lead. She was sort of sad to have to drain the poor thing of its life, but they would be returning the carcass to the farmer so that he could do what they normally did to slaughtered animals. They would have just flushed the blood down the drain anyway, so it was no hardship on them to lend it out for a night.

Harry pressed his lips together tight when he caught sight of the animal, but he quickly diverted his gaze and watched as Stevie and Mitch worked together to arrange all the elder branches into a pentagram, the leaves and flowers stripped. Those were gathered in a bowl that would be used to mix into the bath Harry would be sat in for the ceremony. The elder tree had a sort of tie to earth in some mythology’s, so he wasn’t surprised by its use in this ritual.

“Oh good, I forgot to tell you to bring some stuff to keep him warm. Glad you remembered,” Stevie noted when she saw Andie with the stack of folded blankets and towels in her arms.

“Is there anything I can help with?” Harry asked, watching as everyone else started going around the pentagram and setting out items.

“Place one of these at each point, just inside the outer circle,” Stevie told him, handing him the black candles they’d made out of the beeswax and powdered obsidian. “They act as a spiritual barrier between you and the wraith.” She turned to Andie with a look of slight sorrow in her eyes. “You’re gonna have to drop your wards on him before we get started.”

Andie swallowed, hating the reminder. “Yeah, I know. Waitin’ until the last possible minute.”

Stevie nodded her understanding before going back to the satchel of goodies they were using in the spell. Harry went off to do as he was told, having a quiet conversation with Mitch, who was finishing the last bits of the pentagram, that Andie couldn’t hear.

Andie’s mum came up beside her as she was reading over the spell instructions one more time.

“If you don’t end up marrying this boy after all this, I will be very disappointed,” Annabel muttered to her as she grabbed more things out of the bag.

Andie looked at her mom from the corner of her eye, not raising her head from the spell book. “Thought you didn’t like him?”

“I don’t like that he’s mortal,” her mother sniffed indignantly. “Don’t like that you’ll be muddying our bloodline, mostly.”

“Who said I was having kids?” Andie asked.

Her mother gasped, affronted. She smacked her daughter’s arm when she smirked at her.

“Kidding. Kidding.”

“Anyway. Aside from him being a mortal, I do actually like him. And I assume you must, too, considering the lengths you’re going to in order to save his life.”

Andie was quiet for a long moment, not taking her eyes off the words printed on the page. Finally, when she was sure her mother was going to give up and walk away, she said, in a low voice, “I love him. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him.”

She felt her mum rest a hand on her shoulder. It was gentle and loving in a way that Andie hadn’t gotten from her many times before. “I know. And that’s why I’m very proud of you for doing this. You’re going to make a very strong Head of Council one day.”

~*~*~*~*~

The butterflies filling Andromeda’s stomach seemed to take on a rapid flight as the moon rose in the darkness of the night, it’s brilliance and luminosity beaming down on their little clearing. She felt the power it leant surge through her veins, making the tips of her fingers and toes tingle like they were flowing with static electricity. The hairs on the back of her neck and her arms stood on end. Everything about the circumstances of the night filled Andie and her witch counterparts with nearly unbridled power.

“We need to begin,” Annabel called out, her eyes trained on the ever-rising moon.

Andie nodded and grabbed Harry’s hand to lead him to the center of the pentagram where a tub was set up, ready to hold Harry’s body and the blood sacrifice. She kept a towel with her, ready to offer it to Harry to cover him when he inevitably had to strip down in the briskness of the night.

“I’m gonna take the ward off of you now,” she told him quietly, helping him out of his jacket and draping it over her arm. “I have to do it before we perform the sacrifice. You’ll be vulnerable until we light the candles, but we’ll all be doing what we can to keep it away until then.”

Harry nodded his consent while he kicked out of his shoes and began peeling off the rest of his clothes. Andie offered him the towel she’d brought along to cover him before he took off his pants, poor thing already shivering in the cold. She wished she could do something to help keep him warm, but there’s couldn’t be any enchantments on him while the spell was being performed.

He slipped his pants off under the towel and handed them to Andie. He let out a breath he seemed to have been holding and looked at her. Acting on impulse, Andie reached a hand out to clasp around his neck and pulled him toward her. She placed her lips on his, letting his sweet, minty taste wash over her tastebuds as her tongue swept into his mouth. Harry bit gently at her lower lip.

Andie pulled her mouth away. They couldn’t waste time, but she couldn’t go into this spell without kissing him. It helped to boost her confidence, and she was hoping it was doing the same for Harry.

“Okay,” Andie sighed.

She looked back at her mother, who had the unsuspecting goat by the lead. Annabel walked it forward until she was beside Andie and Harry, waiting for Andie’s cue to start the ritual. Andie nodded to her before reaching her hands out over Harry, palms out. It was easier to eliminate the ward that she’d placed on him than it had been to place it, so with a few muttered words and less than a minutes time, Harry was as vulnerable as the day he was born. The five witches immediately took up a low stream of chanting, placing a temporary protection around the pentagram to keep the wraith at a safe distance until the obsidian candles were lit at the five points.

Both Harry and Andie looked away as her mother pulled out a sharpened blade made from the bone of wolf and pulled it with ease against the goat throat right above the basin. Harry jumped at the strangled bleat right before it went silent. Annabel magically pulled the blood from the animal until it was bled dry. She nodded her go-ahead to Andie.

“Step in,” she told Harry. She helped him maintain his modesty until he had submerged himself, taking the towel from him. Harry shuddered, both from the cold and from the very fact that he was sat in a bath full of blood. Andie summoned the mixture of herbs and the leaves and fruit from the harvested elder branches and sprinkled them into the bath until the bowl was empty.

She next summoned the large orb of alexandrite Stevie had acquired. “You need to hold this submerged under the blood for the entirety of the spell.”

Harry nodded and took it in both palms, watching it slowly disappear under the liquid crimson.

“Okay, we’re going to begin now,” Annabel announced, her eyes on the moon. It was nearly to its peak in the sky.

Andie nodded and backed out of the pentagram, giving Harry one last reassuring look over her shoulder.

Andromeda took her place at the head of the pentagram, the point that was oriented north. She took a deep, steadying breath as she look up, spying the wraith hovering a a few feet in the air above where Harry was submerged in the tub. The only thing keeping it at bay before the beginning of the spell was Mitch and Sarah chanting steadily, creating a temporary barrier. They had to time it perfectly between the cessation of the warding charm and the onset of the new incantation that would—hopefully—banish the wraith back to whatever hell hole it climbed out of and sever its tie to Harry.

Stevie caught Mitch and Sarah’s eyes, ready to count them down to stop as Andie got ready to begin reciting the new words. With a steady countdown from three, Andie took up the new incantation just a split second after Mitch and Sarah stopped. No magic could be present and active while the second one started, otherwise it would render their efforts useless. One draw back to magic: it didn’t do well to overlap major spells.

In the second between their chanting, the wraith surged forward, ready to dive straight toward Harry and begin its quick harvesting process. Andie’s heart jumped in her chest as she watched the cloaked figure race towards her boyfriend, vulnerable in the blood-filled tub, it’s weathered stumps of hands outstretched, ready to grasp Harry to it to quicken the process. Andie wanted to scream her protest, let anyone in hearing range hear her anguish, but she knew that the real way to keep Harry safe was to begin the incantation.

She raised her arms out to her side, palms up to draw the power of the moon and the soles of her feet tingled as the energy of the earth and the nearby boulder of obsidian. With a rush of breath, Andie started reciting the words she’d memorised in the weeks leading up the spell. Words that translated to a temporary opening of the portal between worlds, creating a tear in the fabric of space to access whatever depraved dimension from which the wraith had been drawn.

Her words felt like they created a tangible ripple in the atmosphere around her and she watched in relief as the wraith jolted back, less than a meter from having made contact with Harry. The wicks of the candles lighted simultaneously, taking up that magical flame that never moved or flickered.

The rest of the witches that made up the other four points of the pentagram began to chant in tandem with Andie after the first two lines, having also committed the words to memory. Andie felt the energy surge through her as they joined in, a buzz resonating in her chest as the brightness of the moon seemed to amplify. She could physically see the shining purple of her eyes illuminate the patches of grass in front of her.

Andie watched in wonder as the blood in the basin around Harry began to boil, rolling steadily. Harry looked down anxiously around him, wary of the sudden movement of the medium that held him. He didn’t look like he was in pain, so Andie’s own anxiety subsided for the time being.

The wind seemed to suddenly whip up around them, everyone’s hair lifting and seeming to be tugged in opposing directions. Andie was overwhelmed by the rush of it in her ears, unable to hear herself or the others chanting over the sound. It seemed to be creating a vacuum, Andie having to force the words out over the lack of oxygen suddenly in her lungs, like it was being sucked from her body from the force of the wind. Her rising panic over the sensation of suffocating was seeing Harry, completely unaffected by whatever was happening on the outer edges of the pentagram.

Suddenly and violently, the wind ceased and the flames of the candles went out, and a rogue cloud covered the moon, casting an impenetrable darkness over the clearing. The blood in the basin stilled. Andie’s heart sank, having the awful feeling that the spell wasn’t working, despite their continued chanting. She let her volume die down until she was just barely mumbling the words, looking first to her mother for reassurance. When Annabel just shrugged, her lips still forming the words of the spell, Andie looked to Stevie, who was already looking back at her. Stevie nodded her head, indicating that they were all to keep up the incantation, despite the sudden lack of activity.

She was terrified that something was wrong. She couldn’t live with herself if something bad happened to Harry if they had somehow performed the ritual wrong. That overwhelming dread of failure pitted her stomach and made her chest tight, like she was nearly to the point of tears. Witches didn’t cry in situations of stress, though, and she was push on until the end.

Even if the end meant the end of Harry. It would wreck her, but she would push on.

With the beginning of the next verse of words, Andie’s stomach dropped with the sudden sensation of floating. She continued her stream of words as she looked down, confirming that her feet were suddenly off the ground, and the distance between the two was ever increasing. Andie wasn’t afraid of heights, per se, but she wasn’t really willing to trust her safety of levitation when she wasn’t the one controlling it.

However, she didn’t really have a choice.

She felt a little better when she stopped rising, her feet about fifteen feet above the ground. She kept up her spell as she looked down at everyone else, still planted firmly in the earth. Despite her physical disconnection with one of her energy sources, she could feel and increased jolt of energy, and suddenly a splintering light shattered the dark veil of the sky. It nearly blinded Andie in its brilliance, and it radiated a heat like nothing she’d ever experienced before. The light that began as a shimmering white turned into a crimson red interspersed with flashes of yellow as the split in the sky broadened. Andie realised with a start that it was the fabric of space and time between dimensions that she was witnessing, tearing in order to suck back in the thing which it had birthed.

It was working.

Upon everyone’s realisation of what was happening, their enthusiasm for the spell increased, and they were all nearly shouting with the force of their words. Andie’s heart beat raced in her chest, and at first she thought it was just her excitement at the prospect of this all actually working and her and Harry being able to go back to their normal lives.

However, she realised after a moment it was caused by some sort of energy line that connected her with the wraith, her end connected in her chest and its connected to the void of its face. The connection drug the wraith up so it was eye-level with Andie, the light shining in her eyes from her magic illuminating it’s darkness. With a gush of wind from magical origins that Andie could more feel than actually know, the head covering of the supernatural entity blew back, revealing dark void of its face. A scream bubbled in her throat at the completely overpowering feeling of despair that shrouded her. No one was meant to look a wraith in its face. To do so meant certain death.

Blood rushed in her ears, her heartbeat reverberating in her head. If she hadn’t trusted Stevie’s account of the spell she’d witnessed, she could have sworn that the wraith had attached itself to her and was now doing what it needed to completely drain her. And the force of her magic would be more power than a wraith knew what to do with, most likely leading to some destruction that no one was prepared for. She hoped to whatever gods could hear her that Stevie’s account was correct.

She could hear Harry screaming her name from down on the ground. She couldn’t see him, afraid to take her gaze from the being, but she knew he was going to try to scramble from the tub, ready and willing to do what he could to get to her. She couldn’t let him ruin the spell, though. They’d put so much into it, and they were close to the end. Andromeda could feel it.

Without breaking eye contact or ceasing her stream of incantation, Andie shot one hand down, forcing Harry back into the basin. She heard his muffled sound of protest but paid him no mind as the spell was coming to the end. She only had two lines of words left and she was praying that something happened.

In the last five words of the incantation, there was a loud ripping sound, so loud Andie was sure she’d have some hearing loss. The once meter long opening in the sky opened into a large gouge, at least fifteen feet in diameter. The light and heat it emitted nearly burned her skin, and she was sure she’d have the shadowed image of it burned on her retinas forever.

The wraith gave a low screeching sound, like it was in pain. Andie would have smiled if she could focus on anything but completing the spell.

Upon the last word falling from her lips, the light that had been emanating from the opening burst with light, spitting out what felt like acid on both Andie and the wraith. She screamed out her pain, finally able to express her feelings with the words of the spell complete. The sound that the wraith gave out was like that of a thousand dying animals, completely drowning out Andie’s sobs. She watched through squinted eyes as the dark mass crumpled in on itself, the dark cloak swallowing its body as the darkness of its being paled and splintered. In some far place of her mind, Andie mused that he sort of looked like Voldemort when Harry Potter had finally killed him. She would have chuckled if anything other than the crippling pain would process in her brain.

A sigh of relief seemed to be breathed by the universe when that rip in the sky sucked the wraith into its depths, another brilliant flash of light surging before closing back up with a pop, like there was a change of pressure.

All the energy seeped from Andie’s body, all of her going limp while still being held in the air by the remnants of the spell. She didn’t even have the energy anymore to scream her agony. Her head dropped onto her shoulder as she started to slip into unconsciousness. She wouldn’t let herself fall completely, too stubborn to let her lights go out without making sure for herself that Harry was alright.

She hardly noticed when she started floating back to the ground. There was barely a register of panicked voices and the feeling of a body catching her before she hit the earth. Above the din of anxiety, she could barely make out Stevie’s voice.

“Get her in the tub with Harry. Completely submerged.”

When the skin of her arms first touched the still-warm blood, she flinched, the sting of her wounds flaring. Harry shushed her, barely keeping in his own sobs. His heart hurt looking at her. Her skin was singed from the heat and there were blotches of deep burns where the universes had spat that…stuff on her. He placed his hand over his eyes as he lowered her head back into the blood.

Everyone seemed to hold their breath as Harry pulled her back up. They way Stevie had instructed them, it seemed like this was supposed to heal her of her injuries. It was supposed to be like the final soothing solve to finish out the spell.

Being submerged in blood didn’t seem to register with Andromeda. When her face parted the surface, Harry was a little taken with her beauty. Even covered in the blood of a slaughtered animal and pale in a way that he had never seen her, she was absolutely stunning. He was sure the effort she’d made to save his life clouded his view, but he didn’t mind.

And behind the haze he was on at seeing her gorgeous face, he registered that the burns that had been there the moment before were gone. All that was left was the perfect smoothness of her skin.

Slowly, Andie blinked her eyes open, and the smile that broke across Harry’s face hurt his cheeks. He gave a relieved chuckle and helped her wipe the blood from her eyes. Her eyes seemed to first focus on the moon that was just behind Harry’s head, and then his eyes, the glowing green warming her soul.

“Hi.”

Harry’s chuckle turned into a full laugh as he wrapped both his arms behind her back. “Hi, darling.”

“You’re okay?” she asked. Her voice was hoarse from all the yelling that she’d done while she was in pain.

Harry nodded. “I’m okay. Thanks to you. And your mum and your friends.”

A soft smile flitted to her face, like she was too tired to do much more. “Good.”

“I love you,” Harry blurted. He was surprised at his candid admission, but he didn’t regret it. He’d been wanting to tell her that since they’d met.

Andie reached an arm out to grip the back of Harry’s head. He knew exactly what she was requesting, so he quickly moved his face to hers, letting their lips brush. He wanted to be grossed out by them both being covered in blood (and he would be later), but he was much too happy to be holding her alive in his arms to care.

“I love you, too.”

#Harry Styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles one shot #harry styles oneshot #harry styles fanfic #harry styles angst #harry styles au #harry styles fluff #harry styles fic #harry styles smut #harry styles writing #halloween fic #witch!au #witch!ofc

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harveywritings92 · 5 years

Text

Happy Death day to you [Dante’s Version.]

She's dead...she's dead, his Y/n was dead? how-how could she..."I was only gone for three days..wh-" he dropped the floor still processing Trish had told him, some truck driver ran a red light as some kids were crossing..he was drunk and didn't even notice them...Y/n ran out into the street and shoved them outta of the way and took the hit, She died on impact...

And with it Dante's will to live died with her, alcohol only numb him up, women? no point they weren't his N/n...His friends and family were worried about him, he didn't even go to her funeral. The half-Devil kept expecting the y/height woman to walk through his door like nothing happen ask how his gig went and life would return to normal...But no such luck. Y/n was dead and she wasn't coming back.

Three weeks later...

Dante was at a diner with Morrison and Patty they managed to dragged him out of his room with the prospects of a job. In reality they just wanted to get him outside and try to help him get back to normal goofball Dante. As Morrison explained the job details.

Dante's dull blue eyes traveled to a booth a few tables away he cocked a brow at the odd bunch, which consisted of a bald man with an olive complexion, tired grey eyes and an aura that screamed 'I'm too old for this crap.' Who was giving out orders and handing out post-it to the other's at his table.

a 40 something blond woman in a mailman's uniform and a wash out hippie who looked like Tommy Chong's lost love child. and for some reason an empty space, *Must have a few screws lose...* he thought as a waitress blocked his view of the hippie.

The old man and mail-Woman ordered breakfast the the hippie ordered a coffee to go, the Waitress then gestured to the empty space next to him. "And you?" the waitress asked boredly as the mail woman snorted while the old man smirked.

"She means you Nibblet." he said taking a sip of water, Dante's brow furrowed who was he talking to? there were only three people at their booth. "I...y-you can see me?" a small very familiar voice croaked the half-devil's heartbeat spiked.

The waitress looked at the fourth person annoyed "Dammit Nate, what have I told you about bringing your junkie friends around here?!" Hippie put his hands up in defense and waitress sneered at the "junkie" who was gawking at her bewildered.

"She not a junkie, that's his niece she just woke up..and she'll take a coffee too." the old man said curtly to the embarrassed waitress who just left to get their order, Dante's eyes winded in shock at the sight of his dead girlfriend sitting in the booth clothes covered in blood with her knees pulled to her chest gawking at the direction the waitress went as Nate spoke up "My niece, what's all that noise?" Only the be talked over by the Y/n who pointed at the waitstaff confused.

"How the hell could she see me? you said I was like a ghost!"

"Yes, I did say that didn't I?"

"Then what was..how?"

"If you weren't so busy crying, you would've heard me say you were incubating." He said as the waitress returned with their food and drinks, The bald man smiled at the sight of his scrambled eggs and waffles, as the h/c woman looks at him expectantly.

"Oh, I'm not telling you, that's his job." he said pointing his fork at Nate who look at him stunned "Are you out of your mind Glenn?!" the hippie shouted causing everyone in the diner to looked at him, the scruffy man blanched waved everyone off.

"I can't haul around some roadie and work at the same time." His hissed at this the blond woman to snorted "Work..he calls it." as Nate glared at her before looking around the diner for something "Where Ash? let her take the roadie..." he said as Glenn shook his head. "Who do you think Nibblet's here to replace?" he said suddenly causing a pregnant pause in the group as Glenn kept eating his waffles.

"Ash is..gone?" Blondie said suddenly not hungry anymore as she her oatmeal away and Nate slowly sat down "She didn't even say goodbye." he said as Y/n looked at them confused as the balding sighed "Y'know she couldn't have; even if that was choice, Now get her cleaned and show her how things work."

Glenn said numbly before returning to his breakfast as Nate looked he wanted to cry but sighed "This way Roadie." he gestured for Y/n to follow him all while Dante sat frozen still processing what he had just witnessed. The half-devil was brought out of it by Patty snapping her finger fingers "Dante are you listening?" she huffed as Morrison stared at him concerned.

The devil hunter look at them then back at the booth Y/n and that Nate guy were gone, Blondie was having a hushed argument with Glenn. His brow furrowed as nodded towards the booth. "Did you both see that?" He asked shaken and clearly wondering if his mind had finally snapped, Patty looked a the booth incredulously before snorting.

"Oh yeah, the guy who dumped jello and ketchup on his niece! that was funny." she giggled as Morrison chuckled along " His brother really laid it into him didn't he?" the two continued laughing while Dante couldn't believe what he was hearing, that's not what happened at all! how could they have heard something completely different from what he had? distressed Dante got up from the table and went outside ignoring Morrison and Patty calling him.

But alas they were both long gone it would be another month before he saw Y/n's look alike again. And at that point he concluded that it had to be a demon posing as his dead girlfriend...They must've taken a page from Mundas and created it to manipulate him for something...But for what? Dante was drawing blanks, he was walking back to the shop one afternoon with a fresh bottle of cheap whiskey in hand.

When someone careened into Dante knocking them to the ground, the half-devil didn't even flinch as he stopped in his tracks and looked down at the person, They were wearing a hoodie they couldn't see them properly. However before he could ask if they were okay or help them up, the person shot up to their feet giving him a clear look at their face Y/n...

"Sorry Da...Dude." She check her watch." Fuck I am so late!" she hissed rushing down the street. Not noticing Dante following her watching as she took out a post-it and looked at the street signs, finally looking relieved *must've have found the street she was looking for...* the hunter thought as he watched her turn the corner.

Dante hesitated it could be an ambush... or it could be the answer to what the hell was going on? taking a breath Dante rounded the corner to see a very disturbing scene; Y/n standing over a mangled body of a man, who'd obviously gotten run over and left for dead in the back street like a piece of garbage. the half-devil brows furrowed as he watched from the shadows as gremlin looking demons hissed and sneered at the h/c woman who just waved them off.

"Yeah, yeah I know!" she huffed before reaching her hand out towards the corpse. "Hey buddy, c'mon time to get up pal!" she said as a ghostly hand extended from the body grabbing hers, Dante's blue eyes widened shock as Y/n pulled a guy out of the mangled remains or rather his spirit. the guy looked at her confused then down at his body.

"Oh god, i-s that??"

"Yep, that's you."

"What... I'm...Who are you??" the guy stammered looked back and fourth at her and his body incredulously Y/n winced glaring at her watch, she didn't have time for this! "Y/n, grim reaper, harvesters of souls.. giver of jack shit. yada-yada, could you speed this up? I got three more appointments after you." She said rolling her hand at the dude who looked her up and down in disbelief, "But you're not a skeleton." he sputtered out the obvious as Y/n nodded and started to walk away.

"That's Fairy-tale bull-shit, listen I would've gotten here sooner. but the city bus scheduling is a joke!" she hiss throwing her hands in the air as the dude sighed in annoyance. "Tell me about it..." with that his soul faded away as Y/n walked out of the street just barely missing getting crushed by an AC unit.

"You missed motherfuckers!" she shouted as two of those little gremlin demons crawled down from the roofs and started arguing with each other. Y/n shook her head as took out a new post-it [T.j. Miller DTOD 14:14] the address it was close by, her tired e/c eyes checked her watch she still had an hour to kill...

she sighed bumping into something "arg...what is with me and bumping int-" she her voice dead when she saw who she bumped into Dante...pointing Ebony right at her face Y/n slowly put her hands up as she broke out into a cold sweat, she heard the safety unlock as the h/c mouth felt dry swallowed hard and croaked out the only thing she could think of at the moment. "...Aw Shit."

{[BANG!]}

#devil may cry 5 #dante x reader #Dante Sparda #patty lowell #Morrison dmc #devil may cry #reaper! Reader #dmc x reader

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chloevara · 4 years

Text

Flashback: Captain America Would Never // Ulani + Chloe

It’s the past. In their shared apartment, Chloe is hiding something big from her girlfriend Ulani. Or is it someone? @ulani-lam

chloe

Chloe was trying (read: really, really trying) to act like everything was normal here while she made dinner. She was singing to herself, hoping that Ulani wouldn't notice what was wrong when she came home.

ulani

Ulani fumbled with her keys as she heard Tom barking from the other side of the door. She had a good day at work and was looking forward to whatever Chloe was probably cooking up for dinner. She picked up the dog and snuggled him as soon as she came in. "Honey, I bought the spices you wanted! They were out of fresh oregano, so I bought some dried ones. I hope that's okay?" She called out.

chloe

"Yeah! Yeah, that's definitely okay. I'll just have to adjust the recipe a little. Super easy!" Chloe called out from the kitchen. Oh gosh. Oh gosh. This was definitely not good timing. What could she do. "I missed you! Did you get the mail?" Maybe if she pretended that she had forgotten the mail then she could have two minutes to solve this problem.

ulani

"Oh, alright. I think blooming them a little in the pan'll help you get more flavor from it," she suggested as she made her way to the kitchen to drop off the groceries and the mail on the table. "Yeah, I got it on the way over here. Listen, I'm just going to take a quick shower before I sort these all out. I think I got some gunk on my scrubs."

chloe

"That's a good idea," Chloe said, not thinking about it hard enough to really absorb what she was saying was a good idea. "Oh, thanks! I was so excited about the mail. It's like presents every day, you know?" She was starting to run out of excuses. She squeaked out, "Sure! Sounds good. Dinner will be ready by the time you're done."

ulani

Ulani smiled and leaned in close to kiss Chloe on the cheek before she made her way to their shared bedroom. She stripped off her blouse in the hallway and opened the door to find a half naked man asleep on their bed. She narrowed her eyes at the absurdity of it as she gently closed the door. "Chloe," she called out sternly as she made her way back into the kitchen.

chloe

Chloe tried to search for something to hide behind, but couldn't find anything that wasn't dangerous. No, she wasn't allowed to hide behind a knife. "Yes?" Chloe turned down the stove, and came around, looking absolutely miserable and guilty. "Wh-what is it?"

ulani

"Why is there a half naked man asleep on our bed?" She asked in a deathly calm voice. Chloe didn't really seem like the cheating type, and even if she was, she would have hidden the evidence a lot better than this. Ulani's eyes almost softened at her deer-in-the-headlights look.

chloe

Chloe shrugged awkwardly, feeling very small. She had zero to no interest in men or cheating, but that didn't mean that the men knew that. "He told me about this super cool new way to make the bed, but he didn't even do the demo before taking his shirt off. So I told him I had to do some chores, and he didn't take the hint and leave... Wait, he was sleeping? Never mind. Would you pretty please make him leave?"

ulani

Ulani burst out laughing at her story, knowing full well how naïve Chloe could be in this kind of situation. She was just relieved Chloe hadn't been hurt--or gods forbid, murdered. "Chloe, how many times do I have to tell you to stop inviting strangers into our apartment? I know you mean well, but not everyone has good intentions."

chloe

Chloe pouted. "Well they aren't strangers if you know their names and agree that you're friends," she argued feebly. So maybe Ulani was right, but Chloe certainly wasn't happy about it. "What if I always checked with you first about it? This time was... not good, and I'm not sure why he didn't put a shirt back on, but sometimes they're really nice!"

ulani

"Strangers and acquaintances then, if you'd like to argue semantics," she said with a raise of an eyebrow while she set her hands on Chloe's hips and stared at her intently. "I mean I wouldn't mind that, but I can't always check on my phone at work," she sighed as she brushed Chloe's hair back and tilted her chin up so their eyes me. "As a rule of thumb, so long as you haven't known them for a very long time or don't know what intentions they have with you, please don't bring them here."

chloe

Chloe supposed that was fair enough, but she still liked the idea of getting to spend time with people in the comfort of her own home. "I can be more careful, but you can't stop me from bringing my close friends home, so I'm not going to stop doing that." She pulled back to get free. "I was serious, though... I don't know how to get rid of him, and I'm scared he's going to take off more clothes if I try to talk to him."

ulani

She dropped her hands and stepped back like Chloe had burned her. She wondered if she had sounded patronizing or if she had hurt her feelings. "Oh, I don't plan to. This is your apartment too. You don't really have to ask my permission. I'm just worried that you bringing in people you don't know too well, home, might compromise your safety," she said gently. "And yeah, I'll get to him in a minute," she said, waving her hand dismissively.

chloe

Chloe had meant for the comment to be a little cheeky, but she could see that it had come across wrong. "Just because I'm less capable of defending myself than you doesn't mean I don't worry after your safety too." She didn't usually spend nights worrying after intruders, though. "We missed you today."

ulani

Ulani smiled lovingly at Chloe. She honestly didn't know what she did to deserve her. "Yeah, okay. I'm sorry, but it really is concerning when a stranger winds up shirtless if our bedroom," she said with a raise of an eyebrow. "I missed you both, too," she said. "I'll go kick him out, first, and then you can tell me about your day."

chloe

"You aren't the only one concerned at this point," Chloe sighed, going back around to the kitchen to make sure dinner hadn't gotten completely wrecked. "Okay. I love you! Shout if you need me to call the police."

ulani

Ulani laughed as she pulled open the door. She tossed her blouse in the basket and put on an old tshirt before slapping the guy's leg to wake him, tossing him his shirt. "Hey buddy, I need you to get dressed and leave. I think you misread the signals here, and so did my girlfriend."

chloe

Chloe heard the guy yowl from the bedroom. Oh no. Maybe it was a good thing that she had not been the one to do the confrontation. She thought good, positive thoughts until she saw him stomp out. It didn't seem like a very nice touch when he threw his shirt in her direction. She surprised herself by catching it, but followed a safe distance behind so that she could lock the door behind. Sitting against the door, Chloe called out, "I don't know what you told him, but we got a free shirt?"

ulani

"I like your shirt. Anyway, you should be ashamed of yourself, taking advantage of her like that," she said as the guy stood up, towering over her by at least a foot. After he got over the initial shock, he smirked and caressed her face before he suggested that they all have a threeway. "Huh, why didn't I think of that?" She asked sarcastically, smiling up at him before she twisted his arm behind his back and forced him to his knees. He yowled in pain as she dug her foot against the back of one of his knees. "You have two minutes to get out, or I'll be breaking your joints and calling the cops," she said as she shoved him forward. He scrambled to his feet and ran straight out of the room. He quickly glanced from Chloe to Ulani before tossing his shirt and leaving the room. She locked the door behind him and smirked. "Yeah, it's got Captain America's shield on it."

chloe

Chloe looked down at the shirt. Yep, that was Cap, all right. "Steve Rogers would never..." She frowned, trying not to think about whatever that creep had been after. Maybe she should have just told him to go home instead of trying to play nice... "Thanks for handling him. I can't promise I won't invite people over again, but I'll try to make sure that we're at least on the same page for why we're coming over. He didn't hurt you, did he?"

ulani

"That guy had nothing on Steve Rodgers," she called out with a snort, taking off her pants and socks before throwing them in the basket as well, opting to sport the long shirt over her underwear. "It's fine. Just call me if ever they get out of hand, okay?" she asked with a smile. "And I'm fine. You know, it would really make me feel better if you took some Krav Maga classes for self-defense," she said as she checked the pots to see if she could help out with anything.

chloe

"No... He smelled worse than Steve probably did too. I'm going to have to wash the sheets." She shuddered, and made a mental note to change the sheets after dinner. Chloe waved over at the kitchen. "Soup's ready- all we need to do is serve it. And I know that's what you want, but it sounds like- urhm, a lot. I'll just be more careful."

ulani

"I imagine Steve smells like fresh pine and sandalwood," she hummed dreamily, not really caring about how that weird guy smelled at all. She nodded as she pulled out two bowls from the cupboard and started ladling the soup in them before setting them on the table. "I can teach you, if you want. It could make for odd foreplay," she said with a chuckle as she set the table.

chloe

"Neither of those applied. Also this guy did not apply deodorant," Chloe said, giving Tom a pat on the back before standing up. "I don't really want to become a hot for teacher situation. I'll figure something out. Sometimes if I talk about really weird things, people leave me alone. Do you think I should try that?" She navigated around the kitchen to get water glasses filled up (hydration was important).

ulani

She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "It's a good thing I didn't get much of a whiff from him, then," she said, filling up Tom's bowl with some dog food and setting it on his feeding mat. "Well, there goes my roleplay idea for teacher and naughty student," she lamented jokingly as she pulled out Chloe's chair for her. "I don't know. I personally find it endearing when you do that," she said with smile.

chloe

Chloe realized that she had dropped the shirt on the floor somewhere along the way. It still didn't smell so good, which meant that she should probably clean it up at some point. "Who's playing which role?" Chloe asked, feigning even more obliviousness than she was known for while she sat down. "Yes, but you're biased. Not everyone is."

ulani

Ulani pushed her chair forward before she sat across from her, smiling as she began to spoon in some food onto Chloe's plate. "We can always switch," she said with laugh as she got food for herself. "Well, he thought you were quite lovely," she said, gesturing to the man who just left.

chloe

Being cared for sometimes felt so good. Chloe smiled softly and murmured her thanks. "Or we can just skip the foreplay... and cuddle." She neatly unfolded her napkin and placed it on her lap before digging in. "I don't really care what discount Captain America thinks. I just wanted to be friends and learn neat home techniques!"

ulani

Usually in Chinese custom, the elders were always served first, but it was common practice for the elders to spoon in food for their loved ones regardless of age. "That sounds great too. Tom can join in," she said with a laugh. "I've been sending you Youtube and Facebook videos of neat home techniques and recipes!"

chloe

Chloe was decidedly not used to adhering to Chinese custom... or any custom, really (her dad had been all about personal freedoms, much to her other family members' confusion). "Tom's going to join in whether or not we ask him to. Not that he's unwelcome." She loved that dog so much, it was unbelievable sometimes. "Yes, but you can't possibly find all of them!"

ulani

Ulani glanced at Tom, who had promptly finished his food and was waiting for one of them to give him some human food. He glanced at Chloe, knowing full well she was more likely to cave. "Tom, you can't have people food or you'll get sick," she chastised before turning back to Chloe. "Of course. He's pretty much our son," she said with a snort before she slurped her bowl of soup, empty. "Yeah, but I figured they would do for the time being."

chloe

Just because Chloe was more likely to cave and give Tom people food didn't mean she was going to do it. She was more likely to get inspired to bake him something possibly nutritious. "He is absolutely our son, and don't let him hear that we love him any less for being adopted," she said with a little put. "I'm never satisfied with just watching or reading it, though."

ulani

She stacked her plates and set them at the sink to clean later before she sat on the ground and tried to get Tom to sit on her lap--which was pretty much an automatic thing whenever someone got to his height level. She smooshed her face between her hands. "You're a little spoiled brat, but we love you," she said in a serious voice before engulfing him in a hug. "I know, that's why I always offer to help you out."

chloe

Chloe brought her own plates into the kitchen when she was done, watching Ulani over her shoulder. "He's out spoiled brat, but I don't care because he makes me so happy! I'm so glad we got him," she said fondly. "I love it when you help, but it's also nice to get varied perspectives. Like corporate places should."

ulani

She scooped him up in her arms and cuddled him until he started to make squished whimper sounds. She brought him over to Chloe so that his snout booped her shoulder repeatedly. "Look at that boofer snoofer," she said before dancing around the kitchen with Tom. "Oh yeah, I get that. But in the corporate setting, everyone has already gotten a background check with HR."

chloe

Chloe rolled her eyes playfully, and watched the ensuing dance party for a moment before joining in for herself. "We are not roleplaying out a background check, by the way," she said, waving her arms around carelessly. "But then I've never worked in corporate settings... should I get a background check?"

ulani

Ulani took out her phone, hooked it up to the bluetooth speakers and played Gunther's "Ding Ding Dong" before bursting out in laughter. "In all seriousness, I technically work in law enforcement, so I can easily get a background check for you. I just don't see why you should get one?" Chloe didn't seem like she had an evil bone in her body. "I meant that with the context you were implying, I really don't think letting people you barely know into the house just because you wanted a different perspective on techniques is a great idea. It could compromise your safety, having them know where you live."

chloe

"I've gotten background checked once before I moved here, but I worry that people won't have confidence that people won't think I'm safe," Chloe said as she continued to dance like nobody who would judge her was watching. She could be a better dancer than this, but only really with choreography. "That's true... You're very good at being right. I love making new friends, but why does it have to be so dangerous, 'Lani?"

ulani

She made a very confused face as if to prompt Chloe to explain further. "I think you have the least amount of ill intentions compared to anyone I know, but most people go through background checks for immigration or corporations, yeah," she said, hoping that was what she meant. She smiled as she watched Chloe dance and marveled at how beautiful she was. "It doesn't have to always be. You just have to exercise a little caution with every new person you meet," she said as she held on to Tom with one arm and cupped Chloe's cheek with her other hand. "I love you."

chloe

"I snagged a temporary position supporting marketing for a small company when I was nineteen or twenty. They wanted a background check, but didn't even want me in the office, so... They kept me on for the nine months of the contract," Chloe said spinning slowly. She bit down on her lip, and stopped spinning when Ulani approached. "I love you too. Hey, do you want to head to bed early?"

ulani

"Oh yeah, I remember that," she mused as Tom got a little fussy, so she had to set him back on the ground. "Was that one of the reasons why you became a freelance event planner? Or have you always wanted to be one?" Ever since she met her, it seemed like all she had wanted to do. She smiled at her. "Sure. Let me just do the dishes and take a shower. You can go ahead."

chloe

"Kind of... You don't get a lot of freedom to choose your gigs or have the creative leeway to do what you want. But I still have the day job because it's somewhere between steady and fun," Chloe said, reaching for Ulani's hands. She smiled back, and agreed, "That works for me. Thanks for washing up. I'm going to take out our boy one last time just to make sure we don't have any issues at night. He only did number one earlier, and I don't want surprises."

ulani

Ulani nodded as she squeezed Chloe's hands and lightly lowered her head to give her forehead a kiss. "Well, I'm glad you're happy with what you're doing. That's just really all I want for you," she said before rummaging in one of the cupboards to get Tom's leash. When he heard the jingle of metals, the little pup bounded around in excitement. "Alright, please take care of each other," she said, narrowing her eyes at Tom. "Please bring the pocket pepper spray, just in case," she said, contemplating on whether or not she should go over the emergency protocols with her as well but thought better of it.

chloe

"And I want you to be happy too. Let me know if I bring work home too often, okay?" Chloe initially went to go put on her shoes, but made a detour first to get the pepper spray because otherwise she was pretty sure Ulani would worry too much otherwise. "I'm hoping that watching him will make him want to go. Anyway, see you in a bit! Miss you already!"

ulani

"Sure. Please let me know if I do anything you're not fine with either, okay?" She smiled at her as she watched her come back for the pepper spray. She had bought her a few portable bottles since she didn't seem like she was comfortable carrying a pocket knife like she did. "I feel like watching him makes him a little self conscious," she said with a laugh as she blew Chloe a kiss before going to clean up the dishes.

chloe

"Of course. We're doing great, I promise," Chloe said, gingerly putting the pepper spray away. She never, ever wanted to use it, but if it made Ulani feel safe... "Well I didn't watch him, and he didn't go. I don't think it can go any worse than this." She blew a kiss back, scooped up Tom to save time in case he didn't get the picture, and went outside.

ulani

She smiled as she washed dishes to the sound of old disco music she used to enjoy as a kid. She felt that it was more therapeutic to do the dishes herself than load them in the dishwasher. When she was done, she hopped in the shower and got to shampooing her hair when the lights flickered while her eyes were closed. She quickly washed all of the shampoo out of her eyes as it began to rain outside. She narrowed her eyes as she shut off the shower to make sure she wasn't just hearing that, and her eyes widened as thunder began to rumble lightly. Oh no, I hope Chloe brought an umbrella. She scrubbed herself down quickly with a bar of soap, put her hair up in a turban and wrapped herself in a robe as she dashed to their bedroom. A loud crash echoed in the room as lightning followed and Ulani instictively crouched on the ground and grasped at her ears, paralyzed with fear. When it was over, she dashed into the closet, shut it behind her and waited out the storm, thinking how stupid she was for leaving her phone in the bathroom.

chloe

Chloe and Tom most decidedly did not have a good walk because there was no umbrella, and very little poop. "That's it?" she asked the dog when he was done relieving himself. "Well if you go somewhere weird, don't say I didn't make an effort." She scooped him up so that the little guy did not totally need a bath (she did not plan to let him cuddle in the bed this time, though), and made a dash back home. Yeah, he could walk on his own, but he was her baby. She wasn't even thinking that anything would be too wrong until she made it back into the apartment, and her first thought was kidnapping. "Uhm... Ulani? We're back..." Unnerved, she sat down on the bedroom floor, and tried to shoot her girlfriend a call. Ohnoohnoohno

ulani

She didn't know where this inane fear of thunderstorms began, but she liked to imagine that they were caused by Zeus or one of his kids having hissy fits. It didn't get rid of the fear, but it made her feel a little better. She wondered if she had remembered to take her phone off vibrate when she had gotten home from work. The weird guy did leave her a little preoccupied, but she figured if Chloe got caught in the rain, she would have either found shelter or went straight home. She hated feeling so helpless here. The irony of it was, hiding in he closet brrought her the most comfort because it made her feel like he world wasn't crashing down on her. Really, all these years of trying to get out of the closet only to regress back to this? Absurd. She was wracked with shivers again as another loud one rolled in, this time lasting for about 6 seconds. It seemed to have lasted way longer than that, and she almost didn't hear Chloe call out her name. "Chloe?" she called out, her voice soft.

chloe

Chloe perked up immediately when she heard her own name, and crawled over to the closet. She pulled open the door, found Ulani in there, and immediately tried to fit herself into the closet too. Tight fit. "We might have to stay in here all night if we have to."

ulani

Ulani burst out laughing as tears rolled down her cheeks on their own accord. She could hear Tom whimpering outside, looking for them probably. "You should go to bed. I'll be fine here," she said with a laugh as Tom tried to push his snout through the ajar opening.

chloe

Chloe frowned, and was almost to tears herself. No, she could not get to the point of crippling tears before she was done helping. She pulled the closet door open so that Tom could visit the closet too, and he gleefully bounded into the small space. "Can't go to bed if you're crying in our closet. That's not how I work. We'll stay up all night and hold hands until you're not upset anymore." She was pretty sure it was the storm and thunder that were the issue, but she didn't want to address that.

ulani

She smiled at Chloe and held her hands as another crackle came, and she instinctively shut her eyes and squeazed her hands. "It's really silly, I know," she said in frustration as Tom began quickly licking the tears off her face before moving on to her partner. "I'm a grown ass women terrified of a little--" A crackle. "Fucking hell, I'm talking here!" She yelled out at the thunder, as if Zeus could hear her or something. "You're going to be really sore tomorrow if you stay here with me. We can move to the bed--"

chloe

Chloe shook her head, nearly crashing into Tom with her motion. "It's not silly at all. You're very valid," she insisted, squeezing hands back. "I don't mind being a little sore tomorrow if it means you're not lonely, but the bed would be ideal. Should I get out first?"

ulani

She smiled as she pulled their conjoined hands to aggresively pet Tom. He probably didnt understand what was going on, but he seemed like he wanted to join in on the fun. "I think so," she said with a chuckle as she jumped at another rumble. "Also, we need to wash Tom's paws if he's getting on the bed. Maybe we should get him watching shoes, next time."

chloe

"I was going to crate him with a bribe so I didn't have to wash him tonight," Chloe said with a pout that was probably not very visible in the closet. "Whenever I try to put him in shoes, we always only wind up wearing three shoes! That doesn't make any sense." She pulled the door back open, and tried to get herself out of these tight quarters.

ulani

"That's smart. Hopefully he'll buy it," she said with a halfhearted smile. She watched as Chloe struggled to get out. "This is when my size comes in handy," she joked, pushing herself out as another round of crackles came around and she tensed up by the door. She took a deep, shaky breath.

chloe

"I hope so," Chloe sighed, not really sure if she was going to get sleep tonight if there was whines and barks. She laughed until the thunder came back, and noticed the hesitation. Frowning, she placed a reassuring hand on Ulani's shoulder. "Why don't we listen to some music and cuddle for a while? I don't know if helps, but I can take requests and sing?"

ulani

"I can wash his feet if you want, and we can move his bed in here, so he won't fuss but won't need to be on the bed either," she suggested. Tom was pretty well trained to stay off the bed if need be. He just wasn't good with being crated. "That sounds nice," she sighed, completely exhausted from the whole thing. "Thank you."

chloe

Chloe yawned, and didn't move. She was still stuck in the closet (wow, had she ever really been in here before?), but didn't want to make any waves when this was much less of a bother to her than Ulani was stressed out by literally everything right now. "Sure, thanks. Sorry, I'm just pretty tired, but I want to be here for you." When exhaustion hit, it didn't stick around for too long, but it certainly wasn't fun. "All I want is for you to feel really happy and safe!"

ulani

"We had a lot of thunderstorms back where I'm from," she admitted, trying to help Chloe out of the closet. "I don't know, I just sort of dealt with it myself," she said with a laugh, remembering all those times she tried to use earplugs or was tense all day during a strong storm. Typhoons were usually fine with her. "I love you, but I know how tired you must be. Go change into pajamas. I'll wash Tom's feet."

chloe

"If I'm here, then at least you don't have to deal with it all by yourself," Chloe said, wrapping Ulani in a brief hug before going to pick out something cozy to wear. "Thanks for being so great. Let me know if you need me to do anything, okay? Anything, anything."

ulani

She sucked in a shaky breath as Chloe engulfed her in a hug, and she squeezed her tight like she was going to disapparar before she reluctantly let go. She smiled at her as she picked up Tom and brought him into the bathtub and started filling up the tub with warm water up to his knees as she scrubbed. She jumped at another crackle, evidently splashing them both as Tom barked at her. "I'm sorry, buddy," she said with a laugh.

chloe

After Chloe found flannel pants and a cozy top with a hood, she went looking for one of her portable speakers (she had several). When she successfully unearthed one, she crawled into bed, and started compiling a short playlist of calming but not quiet tunes. After she had about seven songs picked out, Chloe sent Ulani a text that literally said, < 3 < 3 < 3

ulani

After scrubbing his toes and snout, she drainined the tub and patted him dry with his towel. She then dampened a wash cloth and ran it along his fur to pick up any stray muk or dust before deeming him clean for the bed. She smiled at him and led him out of the bathroom as she picked up her phone on the way. She smiled at the text and the music flooding their room. "I really love you."

chloe

Chloe greeted Ulani by singing along with the track that was playing. "-sending me your love, I cherish every hug. I really love youuuuu. All my life. I prayed for someone like you..." She stopped singing after deciding the novelty had probably worn off, and smiled sleepily. "How'd it go?"

ulani

She laughed as she crawled into bed and wrapped her arms around Chloe's middle, interlacing their legs together as she snuggled closer. "It went okay. There were no complaints on Tom's end he was just happy to have all the attention," she said as Tom barked below them, the bed too tall for his tiny legs.

chloe

"Thanks for getting him all cleaned up and showing him love," Chloe mumbled, becoming increasingly sleepy and extra snuggly. She couldn't be of more use than this if she tried. Pulling herself in even closer, she asked, "You're so pretty... Should we turn the music up?"

ulani

Tom eventually gave up on trying to get on the bed as she snuggled up on his own bed by the bathroom door. "It's my pleasure. Should we help him up?" She asked against Chloe's chest. "Thank you, I quite like that you come with soft clouds on your chest," she mumbled sleepily. "No, it's fine. You should set a music timer on your phone so you don't wake up with it dead from playing music all night."

chloe

"Nooo, don't move and get him yet. You're soft and cozy," Chloe sighed, wrapping her arms around Ulani automatically. If she was more awake, she would have protested that she wasn't that soft, but apparently this wasn't the time. "Mmm... Don't worry about my phone." She fully expected to wake up well before the day needed to begin and be able to get enough charge in. "Just relax. Unless you have song requests. Or kiss requests. Not picky."

ulani

Ulani giggled before another round of thunderclaps came and she sucked in a breath, fingers gripping the back of Chloe's shirt tightly. Normally, she didn't mind being the big spoon despite her size, but it was times like these where being in Chloe's embrace made her feel safe. "I'm up for all the kissing, for sure."

chloe

Chloe was trying really, really hard not to be on autopilot right now even though she was tired. She pressed a kiss somewhere on top of Ulani's head, and then realized that was not where she had wanted that to go. She unraveled herself from this position so that they were facing each other again. "If anything makes you feel less than super safe and loved, just tell me, okay?"

ulani

Usually when Chloe got too tired, she tended to go all loopy like she was high or something. It was hilarious and incredibly adorable. If she was too tired, she usually got a second wind where her brain would go on a last ditch attempt at getting as much done as possible before she eventually crashed into a heap where she was. "Thank you," she chuckled, wondering how many more times she could say that before it losed its meaning. "Get some sleep, love," she said, craning her neck to kiss her gently on the lips.

chloe

Chloe pouted when she was told to go to sleep, and responded by kissing Ulani back. She didn't want sleep time to be now- not when she was not sure if her girlfriend would feel safe enough to sleep too. "I'm staying awake until you feel okay again. Even if... Hours." Bold claims.

ulani

She took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds before slowly releasing it. Her breathing came out a little ragged and shaky from all the fear, but she found that actively focusing on a pattern made her feel a little better. That, and being cuddled by her girlfriend. She couldn't imagine a life without her, at this point. She figured she would have been devastated if they were ever broken apart. She smiled a little tearily as she kissed her on the nose before snuggling back to her chest.

chloe

Chloe could tell at this point that an extra sweet make-out session was not in the cards for an assortment of reasons. But Chloe was happy enough to just hold Ulani close and hope that she could feel all of her love. She wasn't especially big spoon-y, but she prioritized attentiveness. If there was an opportunity to care, she was so there. "Love you, love you," she murmured into Ulani's hair, definitely half asleep.

#ch:ul #flashback thread #icc

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milomeepit · 5 years

Text

Diamond In The Rough: Chapter Six

Roman has always wanted better. Has always believed that there’s a better life, a better world, just out of reach. Just beyond the veil of shitty teachers who don’t care, angry classmates that scream insults and slurs at each other all day, and drug-hazed parents who are more concerned with their next hit than looking after their ten year old son.

When he runs away after a particularly bad night at home and finds a quiet little cafe/bookstore tucked away in a back alley of the city, the sweet couple who run the joint (an odd pair; a quiet, gloomy man with a wry sense of humour and a cynical gleam in his eye, and a bouncy man who smiles like sunshine and laughs like a storybook king) help show him that maybe- just maybe- he really can have the life he always dreamed of.

Masterpost (to be added soon!)

Word Count: 2786

Chapter Warnings: probably terribly translated Spanish and I’m Incredibly Sorry, insanely sappy couple, anxious child continues to be anxious, hygiene issues, food mention

It didn’t take long to finish closing up the cafe, and they were soon on their way home. Virgil was glad he’d already cleared out the backseat of Patton’s old blue sedan for the next lot of groceries, as it gave Roman space to sit without being crowded by bags and boxes of books. Roman, meanwhile, peered out the window curiously as they drove along, watching the trees and buildings lit up by the headlights of the car before they slipped past and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Patton pulled into their apartment block’s parking lot, and was around to Roman’s door before Virgil could even unbuckle his seatbelt. He chuckled as his husband scooped up the small boy into another quick hug before setting him down and grabbing the box of leftover baked goods from the other seat.

Virgil led Roman across to the front door and upstairs, making sure to keep an eye on him in case he stumbled on the slightly uneven steps. Roman bounded up them effortlessly, though, his backpack bouncing against his shoulders as he scaled the staircase. Patton followed close behind them, carefully balancing the wide, thin box of pastries and biscuits, humming cheerfully.

Virgil... really wished he’d had a camera right then. When he unlocked and opened the front door, stepping back to let Roman enter first, he’d frozen at first. He took a couple of small steps over the threshold, eyes as wide as dinner plates as he looked around the living room.

Aesthetically speaking, it was very much a reflection of everything that they’d put into the cafe. Fairy lights were hung carefully around the edges of the room, and as Virgil reached across to the power point near the door, they flickered on; a warm, soft glow around the cozy space. The couches here did match, but the patches covering old repairs were a variety of colours and patterns- floral and rainbow and zigzag and galaxies peeking between the pale blue.

Roman looked over his shoulder. “This is your house?” He whispered, voice laced with excited disbelief.

“Sure is. Go on,” Virgil urged, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Have a look around, explore the apartment.”

“Mi casa es su casa!” Patton beamed, setting the box on a table near the door. “Come on, Ro, I’ll show you ar-”

“¿Tu hablas español?” Roman interrupted, snapping to look at Patton, mouth hanging open in surprise.

“¡Por supuesto! Mi mamá es cubana,” Patton clapped his hands together, clearly delighted.

Virgil couldn’t follow most of the rapid stream of Spanish that Roman babbled out, but between the adoring expression on his face as he gushed to Patton, and Patton’s sparkling eyes, he could tell that the two were bonding over their shared language. He knew bits and pieces; growing up with Patton, he’d picked up words and phrases- mostly curse words and sappy declarations of love- but it warmed his heart to see Patton so excited as they spoke.

“Patton, hon, should we finish showing Roman around?” Virgil smiled, reaching over to prod him gently in the arm.

“Oh! Oh, of course. Sorry, I guess we got a little distracted,” Patton giggled. “How about you show Ro around, and I’ll sort out some clean clothes for him? I think we still have some spare stuff from when your cousin and her kids stayed over.”

Virgil nodded. “Sure thing. Hey, kid, how’s it sound if I run you a bath and we get you some clean PJs?” He suggested, turning to face Roman again.

Roman paused for a moment, clinging to his worn red jacket, before nodding. “Um... yes, please,” He said softly as he slipped off his backpack and set it down by the front door, toeing off his shoes as he did so.

Virgil tousled his hair again before making his way into the bathroom, Roman trotting along behind him. He sat on the closed lid of the toilet as Virgil started running the bath, his legs swinging back and forth, his small socked feet drumming against the porcelain base.

“You can drop your dirty clothes over there when you hop in,” Virgil gestured towards the half-full launder hamper that hung from a hook on the wall. “Patton or I will wash ‘em and have ‘em back for you in the morning, alright?”

“Thank you,” Roman nodded, his eyes fixed on the basket.

Virgil watched him for a few seconds, as he added a dash of bubble bath liquid, a little thrown off by how still he was. This was the same kid who spent an hour and a half squealing with Patton about princes, right? The same kid who’d snapped right to teasing Virgil back when he’d poked playfully at how much he sang? “Hey, are you okay?” He asked. “You look like a helium balloon someone poked a hole in.”

Roman blinked, turning his head to meet his gaze. “Wh... why helium?”

“Because you’re squeaky, bouncy, and I’ve never seen anything bring you down,” Virgil reached over, tipping up his chin lightly. “What’s on your mind, short stack?”

“Oh. Nothing, I’m okay,” Roman shook his head.

Virgil raised an eyebrow wordlessly.

“No, for real this time!” He insisted, crossing his arms and sticking out his chin. “I just don’t wanna make a mess or anything. Especially since you have a nice house and stuff, I don’t want to ruin it... I guess.” He sagged a little as he spoke, the proud indignance melting into uncertainty.

“Kiddo, trust me, you don’t have to worry about that. We’re hardly super neat freaks, so you can chill. Even if anyone makes a mess- you, me, or Patton- we’ll just work together and tidy up. That’s what me and Pat’ve always done.”

Roman’s face twitched with an emotion Virgil didn’t quite recognize before he nodded again. “... Okay.” He hopped off the toilet, peering at the bathtub. “It’s kinda full, isn’t it gonna spill?”

Virgil gave a start, snapping around to lunge for the tap handles before it overflowed. “Gah-!” He twisted them around quickly to shut off the flow of water. “My bad. Nice save, kid,” He wheezed. “Patton would’ve kicked my butt if I flooded the bathroom again.”

“Again?” Roman’s eyes widened.

“No time for questions, you got a tub of steamy goodness to tend to.” Virgil clapped him lightly on the shoulder. “We’ll be just out in the living room, give a yell if you need anything, okay?”

Roman nodded once more. “Alright. Thanks.”

Virgil left the bathroom, shut the door behind him, then walked over to flop onto the couch. “Goblin prince is in the tub,” He announced as Patton appeared out of their bedroom, a bundle of clothing in his arms.

Patton swatted his shoulder. “Oh, knock it off!” He chided. “You adore him, I know you do.”

“I love nothing and nobody,” Virgil droned, slouching further into the couch cushions. “My heart is as cold as ice, hard as granite, untouched by anything on this mortal plane.”

Patton giggled, then leaned down to kiss his cheek. “Mm-hm. My big, strong, tough, badass man,” He teased.

“I said mortal plane. Angels like you don’t count, babe,” Virgil retorted, pulling Patton into his lap and dotting kisses across his face. He was rewarded with more peals of laughter, and couldn’t help the wide grin that appeared on his own face at the delightful sound.

“Hey, hey, easy!” Patton squeaked, his face flushed red as he giggled, squirming slightly in Virgil’s grip. “I’m gonna get hiccups if I laugh too hard!”

Virgil pulled him close, burying his face in Patton’s soft messy curls. “You’re adorable,” He hummed happily.

“And you’re a cutie pie,” Patton murmured, nuzzling close to his neck. “I love you, so much.”

“Really? How much?” Virgil’s voice took on a teasing lilt as he spoke.

“More than all the stars shine in the sky,” Patton answered immediately.

“Well, I love you more than the soft glow of an almost-full moon,” Virgil responded.

“I love you more than tiny hermit crabs in big, big shells.”

Virgil smiled at the mental image. “I love you more than copper windchimes.”

“I love you more than antique stores full of old tea sets.”

“I love you more than just-bloomed heather swaying in a summer breeze.”

Patton shivered a little, and Virgil laughed. “That’s practically cheating,” He mumbled.

“Does that mean you give up?”

“Never.” Patton shook his head, his curls brushing against Virgil’s face. “I love you more than smooth, pretty calligraphy done with real ink.”

“I love you more than fresh coffee with creamy milk and sugar.”

Patton was quiet for a moment as he thought. “I love you more than...” His eyes lit up. “I love you more than the yellowed pages of an old family recipe book!”

Virgil hissed through his teeth. “Alright, alright, you win this round, jelly bean,” He conceded.

Patton beamed, and his bright-as-sunshine smile sent a happy thrill through Virgil. "Yes!" He squealed happily.

“Um, excuse me?” Virgil twisted around to see Roman peeking out from the hallway, a towel clumsily wrapped around himself. “Um... sorry, but... um... can I have some help washing my hair?” He asked shyly, half-hiding behind the corner of the wall.

“Of course you can, sweetheart!” Patton cooed, bouncing to his feet. He pecked Virgil on the cheek before trotting over and offering a hand to Roman. “Let’s get those lovely locks soft and shiny, hm?”

Roman took his hand and giggled. “Thank you,” He said sweetly as he swung their joined hands.

“¡Eres muy bienvenido!” Patton tousled his slightly damp hair as he led Roman back into the bathroom. “Oooh, bubbles!”

Virgil grinned to himself. Patton sounded almost more excited about the bubbles than Roman seemed to be. It was little things like that that made Patton such a bright person to be around. His warm smile. His adorable, bubbly laugh. His kindness. The way he loved fiercely with all his heart. The way he loved people and pets and clouds and flowers and foods and smells and blankets and life.

While Virgil hated to sound like some cheesy romance movie cliche, Patton took his breath away, and he fell a little more in love with him every day.

“Hooooooon?” Patton called from the bathroom, breaking Virgil from his thoughts.

“Yeeeeaaaah?” Virgil pushed himself to his feet, already heading towards them as he responded. “What’s up?”

“Um... the shampoo bottle’s empty, and the new bottle is up on the top shelf, and...” Patton waved helplessly, stretched up on his tiptoes. His fingers just grazed the bottom of the shelf, a good couple of inches short of reaching the green bottle.

Virgil shook his head fondly. “Yeah, don’t worry, I got it,” He replied. He walked over to where Patton stood, easily grabbed the bottle, and handed it to the shorter man. “That all you guys need?”

Roman popped up from a pile of bubbles, his hair wet and his face flushed from the warmth of the water. “Virgil! Look!” He exclaimed as he scooped up a handful of bubbles, then blew on them, making the foam float around the room like snowflakes.

“Anybody would think you haven’t had a bubble bath before, kiddo,” Virgil leaned over to scoop up a palm full of bubbles and deposit them on top of Roman’s head.

“I haven’t!” Roman responded, practically vibrating as he scooped more bubbles up, squishing them between his hands. “This is so fun! And they’re so light and fluffy and soft! And they smell nice!”

Virgil felt Patton melt, without even looking in his direction. “Well, it’s an honour to be part of your first ever bubble bath experience, then, bud,” He nodded as he leaned back against the counter.

Roman giggled again. “Virgil es muy agradable, ¿verdad?” He asked Patton.

“El realmente es. Por eso me casé con él, después de todo.” Patton replied as he bobbed down next to the bathtub and started to lather up Roman’s hair.

“Hey, I may not know Spanish, but I know my name when I hear it,” Virgil complained, poking Patton gently with his toe. “What are you slandering my name with now?”

“All good things, all good things!” Patton assured him, then sent Roman a very obvious conspiratorial wink.

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Sure, sure. That’s what you said when you ripped Chloe Casiano to shreds in sophomore year.”

“She started it,” Patton shook his head as he scrubbed shampoo into Roman’s hair. He wrinkled his nose as his hands came away grey. “Gosh, Ro, hon, has it been a while since your hair’s been washed?”

“Um... I haven’t been able to have a proper shower in a while,” Roman answered, shrinking in on himself a little. “And Mom and Dad don’t really help me wash my hair, and I don’t like doing it because I always get soap in my eyes, and it stings a lot, and, um... yeah.”

“Aw, that’s okay, sweetheart, it’s not your fault!” Patton hummed. “Me and Virge will help you, and we can help you learn how to do it and not get it in your eyes. Sound good?”

“Mm-hm!”

“Perfect! Now, just tip your head back for me, sweetpea, and I’ll rinse your hair a bit and we’ll see how it looks, hm?”

Roman leaned his head back, and Patton scooped up water in the plastic cup that sat by the tap, then gently tipped it over his hair to rinse away some of the soap and grit and dirt. It looked so much lighter after that, and Virgil smiled.

“What, is your hair blonde under all that muck?” He joked, easing himself down to sit on the floor next to Patton.

“Uh-huh!” Roman chirped.

“Wait,” Virgil blinked, taken off guard. “Really?”

Sure enough, as Patton washed, rinsed, and then dried his hair, a poofy mess of curly blonde hair was revealed. Patton squealed as he ran his fingers through it, rambling excitedly. “Dios mío, eres tan lindo! ¡Nunca me hubiera imaginado que tu cabello fuera tan rizado!”

Roman blushed and shook his head stubbornly. “¡No soy lindo!” He argued.

“Muy lindo,” Virgil drawled. “Very, very cute and tiny. The smallest. A total shorty.”

“Pattoooon!” Roman whined, clinging to Patton’s sleeve. “I’m not that short, am I?”

“Well... I’m sure you’ll grow! You’re probably gonna end up taller than me, so!” Patton ruffled his hair lightly.

Roman groaned, sagging against him. “I'm nooooot!" He whined.

Patton giggled and wrapped his arms around him, pressing a kiss into his hair. "Aw, it's not so bad! Being small can be great! You can fit into small spaces, and you don't hit your head on low ceilings, and you can get piggybacks, and... there's a lot of really neat stuff!"

"Yeah, yeah," Roman grumbled half-heartedly, turning in Patton's arms and burying his face against his shirt.

Virgil grinned as he got to his feet and stretched. "Mm... you guys hungry? I think we have some pasta bake in the fridge still," He suggested.

"Sounds perfect, mi alma!" Patton beamed. "I'll go set the table while Ro gets dressed, then we can have some dinner!"

Roman nodded enthusiastically, pulling the towel tighter around himself. "Yes, please!"

Virgil gave them a thumbs up, then slipped out of the room. He made his way into the kitchen, humming to himself as he went. Patton popped in behind him as he slid the dish into the microwave.

“So...” Patton hummed as he fished cutlery out of the drawer under the coffeemaker. “We should probably start looking at where the poor lost little bird came from, huh?”

“Yeah,” Virgil agreed. “From what he said earlier, his parents aren’t exactly the most attentive, but I’m sure they’ve noticed he’s missing.” He twisted a dishcloth in his hands for a few seconds as he thought. Patton waited for him to continue, the soft hum of the microwave bridging the silence between them. “... I’ll start looking on Facebook and stuff in the morning. Maybe there’s one of those search party pages or whatever.”

Patton crossed the kitchen, wrapping his arms around Virgil in a hug. “And what do we do if we can’t find anything?” He asked softly, leaning his head against Virgil’s shoulder.

“I dunno,” Virgil admitted. “But I’m sure we’ll figure something out-”

“Virgiiiiil? I got my hair stuck in a button!” Roman whined from the other room.

“- And everything’ll be fine,” He finished, then pecked Patton on the forehead before heading towards the distressed boy. “Coming, bud! Try not to pull on it unless you want a bald patch!” He chuckled at the alarmed squawk he got in response as he ducked out the kitchen door.

#TS-Storytime 2019 Submission #milo writes #ditr #gemstone tales #roman sanders #virgil sanders #patton sanders #sanders sides

60 notes · View notes

zallano · 5 years

Text

The HereAfter, Chapter 15

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 16, read on AO3!

The entire chapter under the cut

Mumbo finally understood his dreams, his lost memories. Though, he didn’t understand why he lost his memories in the first place.

Experiencing his dreams was like reading a book. He read the first few chapters and then stopped reading it for a few months. Over those months he began doing other things, reading different books, having other dreams. Events that happened in the book slipped from his mind. When he came back to read the book, he had forgotten all that happened before, so he read back slightly and then remembered it all.

Though, he still didn’t know what was going to happen in the next chapters because he hadn’t read those yet.

It made no difference though. He arrived at the shopping district island and he didn’t have much time to stay and contemplate his dreams. He stepped out of his boat and dragged it up the beach, far enough away from the tide.

The shopping district was a lot more active this day. He saw hermits walking around, talking, laughing, and shopping. Mumbo walked along the beach and toward where Grian’s cart was.

“What are you wearing?” Mumbo heard a voice laugh loudly. It sounded like Iskall. He turned the corner and saw Grian and Iskall in a fit of laughter. Grian was wearing a rather odd yellow and blue outfit and holding what appeared to be another copy of the same outfit. ‘Oh no,’ Mumbo thought. ‘Do I have to wear that too?’

“I’m wearing what I wore last time- it changed color! You’re still wearing your shorts. Unbelievable. Not golf at all,” Grian said. Iskall shook his head. “How do you know what you’re supposed to wear to golf? You’ve only golfed once! - Oh hi, Mumbo!”

Mumbo chuckled and walked toward the duo. “Okay, what’s going on here?” He asked. “Iskall is making fun of my outfit. Though, it’s okay, because you get to wear it too and I won’t be alone,” Grian smiled devilishly and dropped the clothes into Mumbo’s arms. “Oh brilliant, thanks Grian,” Mumbo said sarcastically and rolled his eyes.

“You can change into that shorts shop. It’s where I got my amazing shorts.” Iskall smiled cunningly and pointed to a shop right next to Grian’s.

Mumbo nodded briefly and walked into the empty shop. Inside he got a better look at his outfit. He got a little green hat, a white shirt, red vest, and a green kilt. He quickly changed and watched how his outfit turned colors. “What in the world-?” He muttered. The once green and red clothes turned to blue and yellow. He assumed this was exactly what happened to his clothes before. Possibly the clocks caused whatever he wore to change.

There was no doubt the clocks had affected him. Both him and Grian changed under the influence of the blue clock. Suddenly the blue clock disappeared that day. Though, Mumbo wasn’t exactly sure if the blue clock actually disappeared. Possibly it divided and took over the two of them.

Mumbo shook his head and walked out of the shop toward his giggling friends. “Aha! My hypothesis was correct!” Grian pointed to Mumbo. “Your clothes changed as well,” he gestured to his own outfit. “Mine used to be blue and red.”

“That’s so weird,” Iskall chuckled. “Yeah we are weird, being all clock-consumed-like,” Grian joked. “Clock consumed? What does that mean?” Mumbo asked. Grian shrugged. “Y’know, the blue clock, it consumed us.” He explained. Mumbo knitted his eyebrows in confusion. “But-? Wouldn’t that make it that we consumed the clocks? Wait-” He was cut off by Iskall. “You guys eat clocks?!?” Iskall laughed. “No!” Grian and Mumbo shouted in unison.

“Okay, okay, let's just get to the golf course. At least we know the way through the nether this time,” Iskall headed toward the nearest portal. “Nether?” Mumbo muttered quietly. “Wait you haven’t even been to the nether yet?”

Mumbo shook his head. He stared at the portal. There was no way this was ‘safe’. “Well, there’s a first time for everything!” Iskall jumped into the purple portal. Mumbo watched as Iskall disappeared a few moments later. “Wh- what happened? Where did he go?” Mumbo circled around the portal. It wasn’t like a door. Iskall didn’t walk through it. He completely vanished.

“This is the nether portal. You go through it to the nether dimension.” Grian explained and stepped inside the purplish divider. “Woaghh,” he gurgled, his voice shaking. “Are you okay?” Mumbo asked. “Just follow me!” Grian said, his voice still having some sort of strange echo and shaky effect. He vanished seconds later.

Mumbo stared at the portal. He didn’t like it. He didn’t trust it. He had no knowledge if his friends were actually okay. Though, they seemed to have done it many times before. He took a deep breath and slowly extended his hand out to touch the portal. His hand went straight through and he immediately felt the energy of the portal. He felt a sort of ticklish feeling slowly reach up his forearm. It didn’t feel threatening at all.

He stepped into the portal. He felt his entire body shake, similar to what he felt when he had touched the blue clock. His vision had a purple tint and he couldn’t focus on anything. The portal affected his vision so much that he was beginning to feel nauseous. There was no way he could do this. Though, right before he was able to jump out, he was no longer in the overworld.

“You did it!” He heard Grian shout. “Congratulations!” Iskall clapped. Mumbo stumbled out of the portal onto the white ground. He slowly looked around. Everything was built out of white blocks. Though, he could see that there was a faint red hue to everything unlike in the overworld. He also felt a lot heavier. This place seemed to have a much more intense gravitational pull. “This is the nether?” Mumbo asked and stood up.

The two nodded. “Well, yeah. Not in its organic form though. We changed the nether a whole lot. It’s a firey, dangerous, evil mob infested dimension.” Iskall explained. Mumbo’s face cringed slightly. “I don’t want to be here,” he backed up toward the portal. “It’s okay! The nether hub is safe -for the most part- plus the country club portal isn’t that far away,” Grian told him and gestured to follow.

Mumbo followed hesitantly.

Another portal trip later, the trio was in an entirely different place of the world. Possibly nether travel wasn’t that bad. He knew it would take a lot to get used to, as would everything else in this world.

The golf course was very fancy. Cub and Scar were talking a little ways away. Cub turned around and waved at the three. “Ah, finally they’re here.” He said.

“Three players? Okay Grian, I see your tricks.” Scar walked over. He spun his trident in his hands. “Although, unfortunately for you, I brought Jellie along with me and Cub.” Scar smiled smugly and a small grey four-legged animal walked over from behind him. “Cats can’t play golf, can they?” Iskall asked. Scar shrugged. “Jellie sure can,”

Mumbo had never seen such an odd-looking animal. It had fur and pointy ears, a long tail and paws. It was weird, though Mumbo could see that it was kind of cute.

“That’s- a cat-?” Mumbo watched Jellie from a distance. Jellie rubbed her head against Scar’s leg and purred. “Is it attacking you-?” Mumbo asked. Scar laughed.

“Oh no, she just wants to be pet.” He crouched down and scratched Jellie behind her ears.

Mumbo slowly nodded. “Ah, Okay. Well- I still don’t know how to play golf and I’m going up against a cat that apparently can. This isn’t fair,” he shook his head. “Jellie doesn’t have thumbs, so it’s fair.” Scar pointed. “Plus we can all teach you,” Cub chimed in and opened a chest. He took out a few tridents, banners, ice, and ender pearls. He tossed each set to everyone.

“Okay, let's start playing!” Scar exclaimed.

“Wai-“ Mumbo began. “I still don’t know how to play guys,” he told them. “You want to read forty or more pages of useless instructions?” Grian asked. Mumbo shrugged. “I guess not,”

“Scar and I can explain. We’re running a bit late though, we only have so many hours before it’s night,” Cub said.

“I DO NOT LIKE THIS!” Mumbo exclaimed as his trident shot him into the air. “Use the ender pearls!” Grian told him. Mumbo struggled to throw the weird greenish blue orb. It flew out of his render distance. “I’m going to DIE!” Mumbo yelled, he was falling, falling quite fast.

Seconds before he hit the ground he felt electricity travel through his veins. His arms were covered in purple sparks. He had no time to ask what was happening to his body before he teleported out of the air and landed safely where the ender pearl had landed.

“Wh-“ he rubbed his head. He landed on the green, somewhere near Scar, though he was behind. “Aha! ConCorp is still ahead!” Scar exclaimed and high fived Cub. The cat, Jellie, immediately began to attack Mumbo’s shoelaces. Mumbo found out once they all began playing that Jellie did not know how to play golf and was only here to cause mayhem. “Thanks, Jellie..” he muttered and redid his shoelaces.

A moment or two later, an ender pearl landed right next to Scar and then Iskall appeared. “Concorp, no longer in the lead,” Cub stated, tutting. Iskall fist-bumped the air. “Aha! Take that, the people who own this place and can probably legally kick me out!” He laughed.

“Where’s Grian?” Mumbo asked. “Oh you know,” Grian’s voice appeared to come out of nowhere. Mumbo looked up to see Grian stuck in a tree branch. “You guys are really observant, huh? I fired my ender pearl right after Mumbo did.” He said and tossed an ender pearl into the hole of the green.

“Hey! We have an order we play in! Cub was supposed to go next,” Scar called Grian out. Grian shrugged and jumped out of the tree. “Better luck next time but we won the first hole!” He grinned. “Are we scoring by which team makes it to the hole first or are we actually playing properly?” Iskall asked. The group shrugged.

“Okay, onto the next hole, I guess,” Cub shook his head, chuckling.

The group of hermits went onto playing a lot more holes. ConCorp, of course, was in the lead with points. Jellie somehow managed to get in the way of the hole each time any non-ConCorp member would try to golf. Grian was convinced she was sabotaging the game but Scar disagreed. Though, they all mostly stopped paying attention to the points and were just having fun so it didn’t matter all that much. Grian kept getting stuck in trees, Iskall actually did somewhat good, and Mumbo struggled to not freak out each time he used the ender pearls. He wished he could say that he was used to it but he really wasn’t. Although, he was having a lot of fun playing golf.

They were now on the last hole. This was supposed to be the most difficult hole, according to Cub, though Mumbo wasn’t sure how true that was. He could see the green from where he stood. Scar hopped into the small pool of water and took out one of his tridents. “I’ll go first this time,” He smiled. Grian and Mumbo exchanged glances before shrugging. “Fine, we’ll be left in the dust anyway.”

Scar chuckled and launched himself into the air using the trident and then threw an ender pearl. He landed in hay bales below and waited there for a second before teleporting away. Jellie also teleported away a few moments later. “Okay, who goes now?” Iskall asked. The other three shrugged. “Fine, I will,” Mumbo spun his trident and stepped into the pool.

He raised his trident up and aimed it toward where the green was. He saw Scar and Jellie down there already, though, they seemed distracted. Mumbo sighed and used his trident to launch himself into the air, then he threw another ender pearl. He clenched his eyes shut before he hit the ground. Thankfully, he was teleported away.

Immediately when he landed, he heard ticking again. Mumbo reacted quickly and covered his ears. Where was it coming from this time? He glanced around, and no longer caring about his position in the golf tournament, he stood up and went looking for the source. Scar and his cat was nowhere to be found.

Mumbo stumbled slightly as he wandered into a nearby forest. He glanced around. His clock was freaking out. There must be another clock somewhere.

“Uhhh, Jellie, this is weird but it looks so cool on me! Matched my belt.” He heard Scar’s voice over the ticking. “Scar?” Mumbo called out. He pushed his way through some birch trees and found Scar and Jellie standing in a crater. Scar turned around when he noticed Mumbo.

He had a clock around his neck.

“Scar!” Mumbo called. “Yeah?” Scar looked back at him concerned. “Are you okay?” He asked. “Take that clock off!” Mumbo jumped down into the crater. “Why? I just put it on. Jellie likes it!” He smiled. Mumbo furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “-What?” The ticking was getting louder, far more intense. Soon, Grian and the others arrived.

“No!” Grian yelled once he saw the clock around Scar’s neck. “Take it off! Quick!”

Scar looked between the two hermits. “I don’t understand-?” He paused. “Why?” He asked again. Mumbo realized that Scar was not going to take it off. He reached for the necklace. Scar tried to swat his hands away but Mumbo grabbed onto his necklace. His hands began to shake. He felt the clock’s power. He felt powerful. He felt as if he could do anything. He didn’t notice, however, that his clock was going back in time. He was going back in time.

Then he was back at the top of the crater. Lag. Specifically, rubberbanding. ‘Oh no, why now-’ Mumbo jumped back into the hole. He tried getting closer to Scar, he tried telling Scar to take off the clock, he tried warning him of the dangers and what had happened to the other hermits with clocks. Though, he was too late. Right as he touched Scar’s necklace, another lag spike hit. Then, to add insult to injury, the all too familiar yellow text appeared on everyone’s communicator.

Goodtimewithscar has left the world

Mumbo watched as Scar disappeared in front of him. He was confused- shocked- scared even. What caused the lag- twice? Why was this one different? If glitches in the world normally caused hermits to leave, why did it take two lag spikes in order for Scar to disappear? Mumbo stepped back, horrified.

Was this his fault?

Did he cause this?

Grian, Iskall, and Cub arrived back soon after. Cub stared into the crater. “No..” He said and glanced at his T-chat. “He.. no,” He shook his head slowly. He couldn’t believe it. Iskall stared at his T-chat. Grian wouldn’t look at the hole. He stepped back away from the crater.

Jellie meowed, alarmed. A broke, sad, fearful meow. She looked heartbroken. She pawed at the dirt where Scar had been standing previously. She glanced back a Mumbo and then back at the empty space. She mewed and curled up in the dirt. She laid her head on her paws and mewed sadly. She waited...

Though, it seemed as if she knew that he wasn’t coming back.

#sorry not sorry #wanna yell at me? go for it!#got any theories or questions? i wanna know!#The Hereafter #minecraft #hermitcraft #grian #mumbo jumbo #goodtimeswithscar #iskall85 #cubfan135 #w0ah writes #hereafter au #hermitcraft fanfic #fanfic

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gettingbywithalittlehelp96 · 5 years

Text

Fare The Well Oh Honey

Characters: Chuck x you (Amara, Metatron, Sam and Dean Winchester mentioned)

Warnings: Angst, fluffy angst, and language.

Summary: A take on the Supernatural episode Don’t Call Me Shurley, with a different ending inspired by the news of Supernatural’s final season.

I know I already wrote with these prompts, but I really like this story and hadn’t even realized I had included them until I was finished. So here is another piece for @supernatural-jackles weekly writing challenge with the prompts “Before I do this I need you to know I have always loved you.” and “How dare you.”

"Y/n, before I do this I just want you to know that I have always loved you and that I always will. I love you so very much. You came along and changed all my plans and there has never been even one moment over these past few years that I have regretted that."

"Okay Chuck you're kind of starting to freak me out," you chuckled nervously. "Please stop."

Just five minutes ago you were in the home you and he shared, getting ready for the day, then BAM! All of a sudden you were transported to this bar standing in front of a rather somber looking Chuck.

Reaching for your hand, he lead you to a table, containing a thick stack of papers that read God. An Autobiography. He had wrote his own autobiography?

"You wrote your autobiography? Wh-when? Better yet why didn't you tell me when you know I live for watching you work while you're completely zoned out in those hot glasses."

"You would've wanted to help, he replied. "You would've distracted me like you always do, and even though I love it, I knew it would only make it harder to finish."

You shook your head. He was always so dramatic, which made sense considering he was The Lord Almighty, but really you were just a sucker for him anyway and ate up everything he fed you.

Pulling the hefty stack of papers across the table towards you, you started skimming through the pages, noticing right away that it seemed to be all about you. A couple more pages and the fact that you were the only one mentioned started to feel odd.

"Chuck I'm sure your book is going to be great, but shouldn't your autobiography be more about you then me?"

He nodded. "I know. At first I thought I wanted to write an autobiography but everytime I started to write I would write about you, about us, and I couldn't stop. Then I realized it was because I wanted this to be for you."

"This? What do you mean this?"

"Why don't you just sit down and read it y/n. Be my editor. Maybe you can even find a good name for it. It obviously can’t stay “God. An Autobiography” and we both know I suck at naming things. Besides I like you more than I like Metatron.”

"You better like me more than Metatron," you teased. "At least I hope he doesn’t do the same things for you that I do.”

"Please y/n," he interrupted. "I need you to read it. It would mean a lot to me.”

The look in his eyes was unlike anything you had ever seen before and you started to feel this sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. “Chuck what’s wrong? Why is whatever this is, so important to you?”

Swallowing hard, you could tell he was trying not to cry. “I- I can’t y/n. I have been trying to find the courage to tell you for a long time, but I just can’t do it. That’s why I wrote you this book. I was just going to leave it for you, but eventually I wimped out of that too.”

“Well I’m not reading this until you tell me what it is.” Putting the pages back in order, you slid them across the table, then studied him for a minute, before taking his face in your hands. The way he was looking at you was breaking your heart. “Chuck what’s wrong? Tell me what’s wrong.”

“The darkness, she’s not going to stop,” he answered softly. “She will never stop. She will destroy everything I created, and if she finds out about you? If she finds out how much you mean to me she will do anything it takes to get to you and if you get hurt. I won’t be able to handle that.”

“Okay but you’re God. I mean I know you are trying to stay out of things or whatever, but can’t you just put an end to all of this? Then there wouldn't even need to be a question of what might happen to me.”

“Her only goal is to hurt me y/n. Eliminate me. She will do whatever it takes to find the thing that hurts me most, the thing that would get her a one-on-one with me, and that would be losing you. Baby she will find you, It’s only a matter of time. So I’m going to make sure I don’t give her any reason to look for you. I’m going to give her what she wants.”

“Chuck Shurley, you better not be thinking about doing what I think you are.” Taking a step back, you could feel the tears threatening to escape. “What did you think that you could just come in here and tell me you’re gonna sacrifice yourself and that I would-”

It was in that moment that it all hit you. That’s why he had wrote that stupid book.

“This was your plan wasn’t it?” you continued with a fake laugh, as you pointed at the stack of papers. “You wrote it all down in what? Your sick, twisted version of a suicide note? When were you planning on doing this anyway?”

Dropping his head, he stared at his shoes, like a child who had just been caught doing something they know is wrong. “Tomorrow. I knew that if I kept avoiding this I would never do it, so this was going to be it. You are right, it’s basically just my suicide note, but really all I wanted was to say goodbye.”

You shook your head. “How dare you. We share a life together Chuck and you have the nerve to write something like this in your book? You were going to have me read about how I was going to be losing the love of my life in a book, like it was nothing?”

“No that’s just it y/n, I did it this way so it would be important. So you would always have it.”

Sitting down in the booth, you rested your elbows on the table and dropped your head in your hands.

“I can’t do this Chuck. I won’t do this. I’m not going to read your stupid goodbye letter, because the fact that you could even plan on doing something like this is ridiculous.”

Frowning, he joined you in the booth, where you both would sit, for what felt like a lifetime without saying another word to each other. The Silence was deafening. How could he make a decision like this? You had spent the last seven years by his side, when you probably should’ve ran in the opposite direction and this was how he was repaying you? This was how he was repaying you for forgiving the fact that he spent the first year and a half of your relationship pretending to be someone else? You stayed with him even after he told you who he really was and you stifled your true feelings about his unwillingness to help his creation, and now it was like none of that mattered.

“How about some music?” he asked suddenly as he stood from the table. “You know I feel like this is a good time to tell you I never learned to play guitar. I just kind of gave myself the ability, since you said you always wanted to date a musician.”

Looking up, you narrowed your eyes, giving him a warning glare.

“No?” he repeated, shaking his head. “No. You’re right, not the time.”

Hopping onto the stage, he sat down on the stool and started strumming away on his guitar. The music he played sounded sad, but it was so beautiful. It had struck something in you right away. Soon you started to get this feeling that you were making a huge mistake. With every passing minute it only got worse. It even started to feel like the book was taunting you. Maybe it was because at first, a part of you thought that you would be able to get him to change his mind. You knew deep down that wasn’t going to happen though, and you started to realize that you would eventually regret the way you were acting.

The very first pages ended up being about why he choose Chuck and how he thought things would go, then the last line on the second page read, “I had a plan. I always had a plan, always did whatever I thought was best, and then I opened that door and saw her, the only one who ever meant more than me or my creation. I could’ve just stuck with the plan of leaving and as I always believed, not have to explain myself, but you I realized that she deserved more. This is for you y/n, so you’ll always know how important you are.”

From that point on you were frozen. You couldn't bring yourself to keep reading, and that damn song wasn’t helping any. He really was saying goodbye, and that bastard was doing it in a way that was making you love him more. Tears in your eyes, you stood up, and walked towards the stage, just in time for him to finish the last verse.

“What is it y/n? What are you thinking?”

Taking a shaky breath, in and out, you tried to compose yourself enough to talk without crying.

“I hate you,” you scoffed. “I hate you because all I want is to be angry right now, and I can’t because of how much I love you.”

Setting his guitar down beside him, he stepped off the stage, immediately wrapping you tightly in his arms and kissing you.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry, but I just don’t know what-”

“Stop,” you said cutting him off. “I don’t want to talk about this. I could drive myself crazy, trying to get you stay or trying to find some way to make this not suck, but that’s not how I want to spend what’s left of our time together. All I’ll ask is that we make this count, and then I can worry about the pain tomorrow when it’s actually over.”

Crossing your hands behind his neck, you leaned in and placed your lips on his, before nuzzling into the crook of his neck. It hurt like hell, but you meant what you said. The rest of the night was spent with Chuck doing whatever he could to do what you asked and make the night count. He snapped his fingers and took you to a room that over looked the water. You drank bottle after bottle of wine, and since he did say he learned to play guitar for you, you got him to perform your favorite song. Every other moment was spent in his arms as you made mental notes of everything from the line of every muscle, to the tenderness in every movement he made when he made love to you.

The next morning you stirred awake to find the bed beside you was empty. You stretched, and sat up, taking a moment to admire the cool breeze and the beautiful blue water because you already knew he was gone. The book, and the whole last evening together plan was something you would always be grateful to Chuck for, but you knew he wouldn’t be able to actually to say goodbye in that last moment. All of a sudden, something out of the corner of your eye caught your attention. Laying at the edge of the bed was Chuck’s guitar, and the papers of his books with your favorite flower and a folded note on top.

Goodbye y/n. You really are the best, unexpected, most beautiful thing to ever happen to my world. You are the one person that made all of creation worth saving. Go live your life now. Besides, I’m sure Sam and Dean could use some of your smarts to keep them out of trouble. Just do me one favor, and actually read the book. It’s our love story. It’s the most important thing I have ever written and it’s all for you.

Wiping the tears from the corner of your eyes, you reached for the stack of papers next, noticing the title now read “God. And the Crazy, Beautiful Woman, who loved him.” Starting to laugh you flipped over to the first page. Supernatural may have not been a best-seller but a title like that definitely sounded promising.

Tag List: @tas898 @natasha-cole, @shanghai88, @collinscosmicentity, @two-sidedsoul, @klinenovakwinchester, @lara-bradbury, @i-hear-crazy-calling-my-name, @missihart23, @internationalmusicteacher, @sherlockedtash88, @narisjournal-blog, @itsfunnierin-enochian, @rblstrash, @princess-of-erebor1992, @sirraxa, @wontlookaway, @burningrupture, @brokencasbutt67-writer, @winchestergirl-13, @marichromatic, @notfunnystillhere, @kocswain, @apeshit7x, @spnmightkillme, @damn-it-destiel, @cyrilconnelly, @srtaprieto, @dropthepizza346, @queenofhellwithcrowley, @pinkykayley, @lauragail2007, @idabbleincrazy, @probably-writing-something, @hunterpuff, @regandm, @lucerospn1detc, @draiela, @zeddlocket, @jayyx3oxo, @deanwherescas @linki-locks11

#chuck #chuck shurley #chuck spn #chuck supernatural #chuck x reader #chuck x you #supernatural #supernatural reader insert #supernatural aesthetic #chuck shurley aesthetic #spn weekly writing challenge #supernatural jackles #don't call me shurley

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panismightier · 5 years

Text

Generation Three

"Generation Three" is the short story I wrote for my fiction workshop this past semester! It's about 13 pages long (double spaced), so be sure you have time for it! I'll reblog it a few times for a bit after this. CW: a brief mention of suicide.

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I was born in a tin can to die in a tin can.

My name is Sylvia Chavez, and I’m in Generation Three of the Miranda mission. When my parents were kids, old enough to remember but too young to have a say, their parents signed up for the world-expanding, paradigm-shifting mission of interstellar travel. The Miranda mission will take hundreds of people, thousands by the time the ship arrives, to TRAPPIST-1e, and they’ll start a colony there. Build a brave new world.

I won’t be around to see it.

See, the TRAPPIST-1 system is nearly seventy light years away. The Miranda doesn’t travel at the speed of light, only about a third of it. It’s a two-century flight, give or take. One way. Of course.

My life on this ship is pretty straightforward. I won’t have any responsibilities until I hit breeding age around thirty, and then I spit out a few kids and help raise Gen Four.

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I eat lunch every day with this girl Lauren. That’s it, just Lauren—she was born to very communal, “takes a village” people. Lauren didn’t get a last name, because she’s the whole station’s daughter.

It felt like it, too, when she was born. She’s only sixteen. She was born after everyone thought Gen Three was full, and then Marcus offed himself and Lauren’s parents jumped to fill his slot. I was only eight, but it’s easy to remember how everyone doted on her.

She’s tiny, and not just because she’s young, with pale skin and ratty blonde hair that makes two little ringlets in the front where she twirls it. She’s always in the same worn-out blue sweater, except for the days it’s getting washed, and she always eats applesauce.

Lauren works in fashion design. Not that it means much here. She’s on a team of five, and they make the clothes for everyone on the station. They get to define fashion. Lauren mostly makes pajamas and lounge clothes, though, so I don’t think she cares much how it looks.

She’s scribbling down patterns now. She’s finished her applesauce—she always scarfs the stuff—but she’s waiting for me today.

“Don’t you have a special desk for that?” I ask her, pointing my fork at her patterns. It’s hard, to my untrained eye, to work out what kind of garment it is, but her paper hardly leaves room on the table for my plate.

“Yes,” she says. Eli waves to us on his way out of the lunch hall, but Lauren either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care.

“Why don’t you use it?”

She shrugs, not looking up from the table. “You’re here. I like you.”

I grin. “I like you, too.”

“I want to show you something after.” Lauren pulls something from her bag that looks like a big, curved ruler and lays it on the table to trace.

“Show me what?” I move my plate to the bench next to me as she shifts the paper to cover the last clear foot of table.

She smiles, but still doesn’t look at me. “It’s a secret.”

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Lauren’s secret is a tour of where she works. I’ve been there before—I’ve been to every one of the Miranda’s 700-odd acres more times than I can count, and Lauren’s workspace is, frankly, one of the least interesting. Not nearly as fun as the 0-G rec center. Well, Lauren’s always had an odd idea of fun.

She works in a big room on the second floor of the community center, full of long, cloth-strewn desks, scattered dress forms, several mirrors, and a line of sewing machines. Lauren grabs my sleeve and tugs me to the second table from the back. It’s even more of a mess than the others, and she pulls out the pattern she was working on before and drops it over the top of everything. Silently, she pulls up her chair, picks up a pair of scissors, and starts cutting the pattern out.

I watch her for a while, uncertain of what I’m meant to be doing. “Not that this isn’t fascinating,” I lie, “but why did you take me here?”

“I thought you’d want to see. Here, hold this,” Lauren says, shoving a piece of the pattern at me. It looks like the front of a shirt, so I hold it up to my chest.

“See what?” I ask as Lauren starts tugging at the paper, pinning it to my t-shirt. “And what are you doing?”

“Measuring,” Lauren says.

It’s the closest thing to an answer I’ll get out of her. I’ve learned to trust her judgement despite how little she explains. I wait for her to make her marks and unpin the pattern before I ask again: “What did you want me to see?”

She doesn’t stop moving. “This.”

“This what?”

“This.” She lets go of her work long enough to make an expansive gesture around the room.

I follow her gesture, watching carefully for anything terribly interesting. “I don’t get it,” I admit.

Lauren shrugs. “Something. Just something new.”

“There’s nothing new here.”

Lauren doesn’t answer. She moves behind me to pin something to my back.

“Why’d you want to show me something new, then?” I ask, watching her work in the mirror across the room.

“You’re bored all the time,” she says. “You should do something.”

“Like wh—ow!” I flinch away from a pin prick. Lauren mumbles an apology and pats my shoulder where she pricked it. “It’s fine,” I assure her. “I should do something like what?”

“Something,” Lauren says.

I won’t get any specifics out of her, then. “Why should I do anything?” I ask instead. “I have everything I need. It’s nice not to have to do anything.” Like Grandpa’s always told me.

“But are you happy?” Lauren asks around a mouthful of pins.

“What?”

She unpins the pattern, sets it on her desk, and spits out the pins, then leans forward to look me in the eye. “Are you happy?”

------

Grandpa’s putting together a jigsaw puzzle on one of the greenhouse tables. He loves the things. I’ve tried to show him the app on our tablets that would give him thousands of puzzles, with the added benefit of never getting messed up by gravity fluctuations, but he insists on the physical version, something about how the pieces feel in his fingers. There are six jigsaw puzzles on the Miranda. Four are for toddlers, and the other two Grandpa has committed to memory. His favorite is missing three pieces. At least one of those, I ate as a baby.

“Don’t you get bored?” I ask him. The greenhouse is hotter than the rest of the station, so I’ve taken off my shoes and jacket.

He shakes his head, snapping in a new piece every few seconds. “I love that I can do what I want here. That never gets boring.”

“Doesn’t it?” I poke my fingers through holes in the table, even though I’ve gotten them stuck enough times that I should know better.

“Are you getting existential again?”

“Maybe.”

Grandpa sets down his puzzle piece and looks up at me. “Listen, Sylvia,” he says, “I don’t know if there’s some grand design. But I do know that you were lucky enough to be born knowing exactly what you’re for.”

I give a noncommittal grunt.

“Have I told you about the paradox of choice?” Grandpa asks, leaning forward over the table.

“Yes.”

“The more options you have, the less likely you are to be satisfied with what you choose,” Grandpa explains anyway. “You have one choice—”

“—so I have no choice but to be happy with it, I know. I try to gesture, but my finger is stuck in the table. “You know it doesn’t really work that way, right?”

Grandpa chuckles, like he doesn’t think I mean it.

“Lauren asked me earlier if I’m happy,” I say.

“Lauren’s a bit of an oddball.” Like I haven’t heard this from him before. “All the workers are.”

“I know,” I say quietly.

“Why work if they don’t get anything out of it? I’ll never understand them.” He’s gone back to his puzzle, placing piece after piece in neat rows. It’s a picture of the launch of the first Miranda capsule, the little pod that took the first couple families to the station. We use it as storage now. I wonder if Grandpa’s realized he’s just assembling and reassembling a broom closet getting thrown into space.

“What do you get out of puzzles?” I ask.

His mouth opens, silent. “It feels good to finish them,” he says eventually.

“Even though you take them apart again right after?”

“It’s not the same thing,” he says, catching on to where I’m going. “This is a hobby, not work.”

I scowl. “I don’t get it.” I catch sight of a gardener pruning back a hedge behind Grandpa, so I call to them, twisting my finger out of the table to wave them over.

Clive is short and stout, with brown skin slightly wrinkled with smile lines. They’re one of the younger Gen Two people: they were the youngest baby when the mission launched, and moderately famous until Zo became the first baby born on the ship and eclipsed them.

“Why do you do greenhouse stuff?” I ask them. Clive stows their shears in their overalls’ pocket and pulls an exaggerated thinking face.

“Sylvia won’t understand the difference between a job and a hobby,” Grandpa explains, “so maybe you can shed some light. I don’t understand you workers.”

Clive brightens. “Oh, I don’t think there is a difference, for me,” they say. “I work in the greenhouse because I love it, and if it makes other people happy, all the better.”

“So that’s the difference?” I ask. “Work helps somebody else?

“When you ask Lauren for dresses, it’s work,” Grandpa says, “but when she makes you one without you asking, it’s a hobby.”

“There’s no real difference for her.” I’ve asked, and she’s nothing but delighted when people commission her. “Besides, if an artist draws for themselves, but puts the picture up in public, is that work or a hobby?”

“Does it matter?” Clive slides on the bench next to me and folds their gloves on the table. “We only do anything because we want to. Nothing’s really work.”

“I watch you sweat out here every damn day,” Grandpa says.

Clive shrugs. “And I watch you put together those puzzles. Why don’t you glue one and have something to show for it, for once?”

“I’d run out of things to do.” Grandpa’s nearly finished with this puzzle. He can’t have been here longer than an hour. “Besides, someone made sure I wouldn’t have all the pieces.”

I give him a dirty look.

“The nice thing about gardening,” says Clive wisely, “is that you don’t run out of things to do. They stretch their arms over their head, showing the tight muscles in their arms. “That clear things up, Sylv?”

“Yeah,” I lie. “Thanks.”

“Any time!” Clive scoots back off the bench and tugs their gloves on. “Any chance of a new recruit for my greenhouse squadron?”

I force a smile, but don’t answer as Clive returns to trimming the hedges. Grandpa finishes the puzzle and I stick my fingers in the table.

------

Lauren meets me for lunch the next day with three bandaged fingers and a folded-up grey cloth. “Try this on,” she instructs me without preamble, pushing the cloth at me. “Over your shirt is fine.”

She drops her bag on her usual bench and goes to the kitchen. I shimmy out of my skirt and pull the new dress over my head. It fits impeccably, as always. It’s hard to make out the style from here, but it’s a heavy fabric, almost like canvas, with a loose skirt dropping almost to my ankles. Each side has a pocket big enough to stick my arms in nearly to the elbow. I twirl and smile as the skirt billows out

Lauren returns with applesauce. “Do you like it?”

“I love it,” I tell her, “Like always. What inspired this one?”

Lauren brightens. She loves talking about her process. “I like the gardeners’ overalls,” she says. “I wanted to make something to remind me of them, but the dress probably isn’t good to work in, so I thought, Sylvia looks like she should work, but doesn’t, so maybe she wants it.” She takes a scoop of applesauce.

For a moment, I’m reeling. The rough fabric scratches at the base of my neck. “What do you mean, I look like I should work?”

“You never answered me yesterday,” Lauren says. “Are you happy?”

I look at the table, one thumb tracing the inside hem of the pocket.

“I’m not unhappy.” “Are you happy?”

“No.” Suddenly, I’m irritated, a heat flaring under my skin. “Is that what you want me to say?”

Lauren swallows the last of her applesauce, and then swallows again, blinking hard. “I was just asking.” She lets the silence hang as she collects herself. “Do you want to get food?”

My stomach growls. “Yes,” I decide, and head towards the cafeteria, the heavy new skirt swishing around my legs.

------

It takes me another four days to visit the greenhouse again, even though Grandpa makes a visit without me. He says when he gets back that Clive asked after my “quest to understand the nature of labor,” so the next day I go myself.

Clive is still there. I’d say they sleep in the greenhouse, if I didn’t know better.

“Hi,” I say, almost nervous. Before Clive can turn around, I ask them,

“Did you mean it about recruiting me for the greenhouse...whatever?”

Their eyes light up. “Of course! Does that mean you’re interested?”

I hesitate, even though I’ve known my answer for four days. “I...think so, yes.”

Clive beams and bounces on to the balls of their feet. “I could hug you!”

“Go ahead.” I grin back and open my arms. Clive is warm and solid and hugs so tight they crush the breath out of me.

Gardening is harder than I thought. Clive is a patient, enthusiastic teacher, but they pile so much on me so fast I have no idea how to absorb it all. After a few hours and a frustrated threat of quitting, they tell me to scrap everything they’ve been telling me, dart into a shed half-hidden in the hedges, and come back with a dried-out pea. “We’ll start slow.”

I take the pea. “We’re planting this, then?” I ask, too exhausted by the past few hours to question them.

“Yep!” How Clive has maintained their enthusiasm is beyond me. “Put it on the ground.”

I do.

“Poke it in with your finger, about an inch deep.”

I do. The soil is cool, and fluffier than I would have expected before Clive’s boot camp.

“Done.”

“Done?” I look up at them. “It took you hours to tell me to stick a pea in the ground?”

“Done for now.” They grin and offer me a hand up. “Sylvia Chavez, that is your pea.”

I blink. “Yeah?”

“You’re its mother. You planted it in the ground, and now it’s your responsibility to water it and check on it and make sure it grows into a healthy pea plant, one that you can pick pods off of and eat right there.”

I gasp. “I’m going to eat my grandchildren?”

Clive snorts, then doubles over laughing. “A poorly-chosen metaphor,” they concede. “The point is, it really doesn’t matter if it’s a job or a hobby. That pea is your something, because it’s your something.” I pull a face.

“Listen, Sylv,” Clive says, their smile fading. “I don’t know you too well, but it seems to me like you’re aimless. Maybe gardening isn’t your calling, but just try it out, okay?”

I wasn’t really prepared to Clive to get serious on me. “Why?”

“In about a month, that pea is going to send little shoots up,” they say, pointing at my finger-shaped hole in the ground. “And I think you might understand then why I garden, and why your grandpa does puzzles.”

“And why Lauren makes dresses?” I ask.

Clive’s smile returns. “And why Maurice cooks, and why Zo cleans things, and why Pax likes singing better when people listen.”

Nervously, I smile back. “Seems like a big ask of a little pea sprout.” “Then you’re giving the pea sprout purpose, too.”

------

A month later, I have a surprise for Lauren. I swore Clive to secrecy, but the greenhouse is public and gossip travels fast on the Miranda, so I’m concerned she already knows. If she does, she hides it well.

I make her close her eyes as I take her to the greenhouse. It’s not a long walk—there are no long walks on the Miranda—and the heat and earthy smell of the greenhouse is strong enough that I see a knowing smile on her face as we approach. She still doesn’t say anything.

I take her to my plant and tell her to open her eyes. She doesn’t see it at first. It’s tiny, barely sprouted an inch out of the ground, and its tiny leaves don’t draw much attention. But when I kneel down to point at it, her face lights up.

“Sylvia!” she says. “You did something!”

“I did!”

She crouches down next to me, then drops to her hands and knees to give the plant a gentle kiss. “You made it grow all by yourself?”

“Clive helped me,” I confess.

“But it’s yours.”

“It’s mine.”

She leans back, sitting on the balls of her feet and looking somewhere over my left shoulder. “How does it feel?”

I look at the plant. How does it feel? This little sprout is alive thanks to me. Its soil is damp (too damp, Clive keeps telling me) thanks to me. How does it feel?

It feels like a lot. There’s been dirt under my fingernails for a month, because Clive’s thick gloves were too clunky for the gentle touch the pea plant needed. My back and legs ache from all the crouching I’m still not used to. A month was long, and more than once I wanted to quit, but Clive threatened to let the pea plant die if I did. To my own surprise, I found I cared too much about the seed to risk calling their bluff.

I feel beaten. I feel proud. I feel tired. I feel full.

I pat the little pea plant’s leaves and glance back up at Lauren. “I’m happy.”

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askthedespairkids · 5 years

Text

Chapter 1: Your First Lesson in Despair ~Investigation~

//I’ve honestly been on a roll with these, so we’ll see how long that keeps up, amirite?

//I’m still figuring out where to go with the blog for the next arc so bear with me until then and enjoy some filler content until then, please?

-Chapter 1, Investigation: Boiler room-

It only took a few moments, but it felt like an eternity had passed before everyone showed else showed up, majority having the same horrified expression as the three of us who discovered Watanabe-san.

“Wh-what is this?! W-Watanabe-san…?” Kurohiko-san looked ready to pass out, as did many of the others. The odd few seemed unphased by the sight of the body.

“Is this some kind of sick joke…? This has to be some kind ‘a stunt that she’s playing, right?!” Okanaya-san was even caught off guard by the idea of a murder. This is actually the first time he’s lost that look of anger.

“You didn’t even know her. There’s no way that’s what this is.” Sly-san spat. He was eyeing the corpse angrily. “These shutters are in the way. Shinko. Move them.”

“Huh…?” Shinko-san took a moment. “Ah, I can’t. I don’t have the key.”

“What?” Sly-san didn’t seem to be in the mood for any nonsense.

“I lost the key at some point yesterday. Not sure what happened to it, but that’s why I came here in the first place…” Just as Shinko-san’s voice began to trail off, he appeared.

“Alright, alright! Save it for the investigation you bastards!” Monokuma popped up in front of the group.

“Ueaaaaaaa!!! It’s here!” Kurohiko-san jumped away, clutching to the unresponsive Amatarasu-san. “Hokama-san, kill it!”

“I’m a thief, not a killer. Ask Sly-chan. And call me Amaterasu.” She replied monotonously.

“And don’t call me an ‘it’! After coming here just to help you all out.” Huh? Help us out? “Yikes, didn’t think that this would work so quickly. Guess you guys really care about your personal business. Pretty sad, actually. Anyway, since you’re all here, I can give you this!” He clicked a button on a remote and our E-handbooks all beeped.

“Hmm? The Monokuma File?” Kurosaki-san murmured, already investigating it.

“Yep that’s right! I like to make the class trial fair, so I’m giving you at least one thing to work with. A basic autopsy should suffice for my contribution. Aren’t you all lucky to have me around? Now…hurry it up with the investigating before your time runs out!” And just as quickly as getting here, Monokuma left in a puff of smoke.

There was a slight pause. What were we supposed to do now…? We were just left with no experience of investigating and now we have to solve a murder involving a member of our group? It’s way too much…way way too much…

“Oi, would you straighten up? You’re pissing me off.” Okanaya-san snarled at me. I hadn’t even realised I had began sinking into myself, I caught myself before I fell to my knees. “…alright, people listen up! We got work to do so who’s gonna watch over the body?”

“Huh? You never interact with the group and now you want to start dictating what we do?” Hachi-san frowned. “…although, it would be good to have people stay here. In case the killer tries to disrupt the crime scene. Have two people stay.”

“If it’s two people then Ha-chan and I can do it!” Irunami-san volunteered passionately. “I…dunno much about investigating and my brain isn’t really wired well for this kind of stuff, so I’m probably better off keeping an eye on the scene.”

“Hachi-san, do you mind?” Kibe-san asked. Hachi-san looked over to the still somehow smiling Irunami-san.

“Yeah, it’s fine! I can work with Irunami-kun!” They smiled.

“Then it’s sorted. Everyone else split up and we’ll work on investigating wherever we deem suspicious. Remember the class trial rules, we need to do this.” Kurosaki-san reminded everyone. The rules…if we identify the wrong culprit, everyone but the killer will be executed…I absolutely cannot let that happen. I have to work hard to find out what happened, not just for us, but for Watanabe-san too!

Investigation Start!

I should read the Monokuma file before I do anything else.

Opening it up I find a full-body photo of Watanabe-san with a blood-coloured splotch on her stomach area. At the side is her basic information like height, weight, gender, etc, but I don’t think any of that is relevant right now. On the next page it gives basic info on the case.

“The victim is Maemi Watanabe, the Ultimate Harem Mangaka. Her body was discovered in the boiler room. Cause of death was single stab would to her back. Time of death was between 11-11:15 pm.” Yokozawa-san recited next to me. I almost yelped, not even realising he was there. “It was pretty late at night, huh? I wonder why Watanabe-san was out at that time…?”

He had a point. She was smart so she should’ve known that going out during night-time would make her an easier target. What was she thinking?

Truth Bullet added: Monokuma File 1

Time of death: 11pm-11:15pm. Cause of death was blood loss from a wound to Watanabe-san's back.

“We can’t investigate like this!” Kibe-san complained as she hit her hand against the shutters. “How are we supposed to investigate the crime if we can’t even get close to the body?!”

Sly-san stared at the shutter for a moment before yelling out into the air, “Monokuma!”

“Yessir?” On command, Monokuma appeared. “…oh, right! You need the grate opened. Just give me a second and I’ll go grab my Monokuma Master Key!” He saluted and disappeared once again. Geez, this isn’t going well at all.

“Until he gets back, I suppose an inspection of the rest of the room is in order.” Kurosaki-san suggested. The few of us still in the room began moving about the small space we had to check.

“Oh hey, what’s this thing?” I asked pointed to what looked like a trap-door attached to the wall.

“That’s the trash chute. Y’know, for trash?” Shinko-san replied mockingly. Yeah…I figured out what it would be for. “Works differently than just putting it in. You slide open the door, load the trash onto a shelf and hit that button next to it. It’ll drop it down into the dump below. Though you need the keys to activate the button.”

Inspecting it closer, I have to note how big it is. I could probably sit inside if I wanted to.

Truth Bullet Added: Trash Chute

You place the trash inside and press a button to drop it into the dump below. If the button isn't pressed then the trash will pile up. I could probably sit inside it if I wanted to. You also need keys to activate the button.

“Shinko-san, speaking of which…about what you said earlier. About losing the keys?” When I asked the question, Shinko-san seemed to shift uncomfortably.

“Yeah, it’s weird. I had it yesterday morning but some point during the day it went missing from my pocket. In fact, I’m pretty sure I had them just before we got called for the motive. I’ve looked everywhere I went yesterday but I can’t find it anywhere.” Hmm…the keys to the boiler room go missing before Watanabe-san is killed in the boiler room.

“Those keys, what do they actually do?”

“It’s just one key. It opens the shutters. See that little keyhole on the wall to the right of the shutters?” He points to it. The keyhole is red, so it stands out against the white wall. “You twist it and the shutters will go up. You can close them manually if you want, but if you leave it for a while, they can close by themselves automatically. Takes about 15 minutes before they actually shut by themselves though.”

“I see…” That information all seems really important. I should keep it in mind.

Truth Bullet Added: Shinko-san’s Account

The keys were stolen from him sometime after the motive was revealed

Truth Bullet Added: Shutter Timer

If the shutters aren't closed manually, they'll close automatically after 15 minutes

“Hey, check this out!” Hachi-san pointed at the shutters. “Is this…blood?” I looked to where they were pointing, and sure enough, there seemed to be a small bloodstain in one of the gaps of the shutter.

“Eh? A bloodstain?” Kibe-san looked as well. “Do you think it’s Watanabe-san’s blood…?” That’s the most likely possibility. But Watanabe-san’s body is pretty far from the shutters. Even if there was a blood splatter, it shouldn’t have hit the shutters like this…

Truth Bullet Added: Blood on the grate

Blood found on the shutter grate. Suspicious due to the distance between Watanabe-san’s body and the shutters.

“Nagata. A moment.” Sly-san called me over. I was a little nervous being called by someone like him…but he hasn’t done anything so far…? “Are you feeling okay? About yesterday, I mean.” Is he talking about when Okanaya-san hit me? I looked over at Okanaya-san who seemed to be caught glancing over at us.

“Y-yeah, I’m okay.” I nodded.

“Good. It would be an issue if you weren’t feeling 100% then it could have caused a problem during the class trial.” Ah. That’s why he was asking.

“Speaking of which, what happened after I was knocked out? Obviously, the fight had to be broken up eventually.”

“Yes, once you were knocked unconscious, Okanaya and Shinko argued for a bit longer before Kibe, Kurohiko, and Ishikawa all broke it up. Then Watanabe instructed Ram to take you to the infirmary.” Wait, was I just left on the ground while those two were fighting? Wow. What a supportive group you all are.

Truth Bullet Added: Sly-san’s Account

During the fight after the motive was revealed, Kibe-san, Ishikawa-san and Kurohiko-san were the ones who tried to diffuse the situation after I was knocked out by Okanaya-san during his fight with Shinko-san.

Looking at the evidence I gathered…I think I’ve got as much as I can get here whilst the shutter is down. I should come back later and look elsewhere for now.

-Chapter 1 Investigation, Kitchen-

“Ah, Nagata-kyun! Seems you had the same idea as me!” Kurosaki-san waved to me as I walked into the room. I looked at Kurosaki-san and Graves-san standing by a knife rack which stood next to the sink. “You’re way too late though, Mademoiselle Graves and I already uncovered the best evidence here!”

“The best evidence?” I repeated curiously.

“Y’see, I was trying to think of what the killer might’ve used to kill Maemi, then Yuuki told me to follow him here to check on something. Lookie here, one of the knives is missing from the rack!” Graves-san pointed as she spoke, and sure enough, there was an empty slot in the knife rack.

“Um…it’s not just laying around somewhere in here or in the cafeteria?”

“Nope, we already checked everywhere it could have been hidden. The knife is definitely missing. And it’s suspicious as well…” Kurosaki-san murmured the last part. “…I was sitting in the cafeteria all day yesterday…or at least after the motive was revealed, and when I first arrived all the knives were there. I remember that because I used a knife to cut some vegetables for my lunch.”

“If that’s the case, did anyone pass through the cafeteria?” I asked.

“Quite the number, actually! Mostly around dinner time. I can’t remember the order of people coming in, but…Herr Okanaya, Miss Ram, Fraulein Ishikawa, Mademoiselle Watanabe, Shinko-chan, Kibe-chan, and Mister Kurohiko all passed through.”

“That’s quite the memory you have. You stayed in the cafeteria the whole time…?” Graves-san crossed her arms. I suppose it makes sense for her to seem more serious when serious things happen. Weird to think this is the same eccentric I’ve been seeing the past few days.

“You suspect me? I’m hurt, Mademoiselle Graves!” Kurosaki-san feigned hurt before smiling sweetly, “But, yes, I was. But sitting with a knife while people were passing through so much? Too risky.”

I wonder about that…either way, I should make a note of all this.

Truth Bullet Added: Missing Knife

A knife from the kitchen went missing yesterday sometime after the motive reveal.

Truth Bullet Added: Kurosaki-san’s Account

Kurosaki-san was in the cafeteria for the whole day after the motive reveal. He saw Okanaya-san, Ram-san Ishikawa-san, Watanabe-san, Shinko-san, Kibe-san, and Kurohiko-san walk through during that time.

It doesn’t seem like there’s much here but I’m glad I got that information…I should look somewhere else. Where else might be a good place to look?

-Chapter 1 Investigation, Storage Room-

I came here on a whim, so I don’t really know where I should look for clues. Even though I’m thinking that…what are they doing here?

“Hokama-san, why did you drag us here…?” Kurohiko-san moped. I think he’s still recovering from seeing Watanabe-san’s body. I’m with him there, at the very least.

“Call me Amaterasu.” Amaterasu-san replied, not answering the question.

“Could you have possibly thought that clues were lurking around here?” Asano-san asked.

“Not sure. But there’s a lot of useful stuff in here. It’s possible that the killer used something in here for the murder. Having more eyes helps my chances of finding something.” She’s got a point. The shelves are filled with random junk so there might be stuff that the killer could’ve used.

“Oh, Nagata-san. Hello there, I apologise for not noticing you sooner.” Asano-san bowed. No matter how much I look at her, I can’t help feeling unsettled. “Did you perhaps have the same hunch as Amaterasu-san?”

“N…not exactly? I kind of just came here on a whim. Not really sure what I’m looking for.” I said. Asano-san nodded thoughtfully and returned to inspecting the room.

“Oh, check it out.” Amaterasu-san held up a metal pole. “These are scattered on the floor back here. Maybe they fell from the shelf they were on? Or maybe not.” I looked at the pole closely, it was pretty thin and long and there were a number of them scattered about just as Amaterasu-san had said. And looking closely at the one Amaterasu-san’s holding…is that…blood? Maybe they’re related to the murder?

Truth Bullet Added: Metal Poles

Found scattered on the floor of the storage room. One of them has blood on it.

I looked at Asano-san who was staring intensely at us. Again. Really unsettling. “A-Asano-san? Are you feeling okay?” I asked with unnecessary caution.

“Of course.” She said…was that all?

“Did…you find something?” Kurohiko-san asked.

“Yes.” She said matter-of-fact once again.

“C…can you tell us what you found?” Kurohiko-san continued.

“In the bin here. There is a bundle of used duct tape. I’m not entirely sure when it appeared here, however it is a suspicious amount to be simply discarded.” I looked into the bin just to confirm it myself. She was telling the truth, the bin was filled with used duct tape. Something like that…is it also related to the murder?

Truth Bullet Added: Tape in the bin

A bundle of duct tape was found in the bin, it’s an unusually large amount to be simply discarded.

-Chapter 1 Investigation, Boiler room (2)-

When I arrived back at the boiler room, it took a second for the change to register. Monokuma had come back while I was away and opened up the shutter. Alright…so then I have to examine the body, don’t I…?

As I stepped forward, I couldn’t help but wince at the sight. Ishikawa-san was examining the body without batting and eye. I suppose she’s used to seeing bodies, but even so… “Ishikawa-san, did you find anything?”

“A few things here and there. I was mainly examining the wound, I theorised that my past experiences with bodies could help me form a fairly reliable autopsy.” That makes sense. Good thing she’s taking the initiative.

“So, what do you think?”

“It seems the Monokuma File is accurate about the time of death and the cause of death. Unfortunately, there was nothing new I could discover about her actual death…other than rigor mortis had already set in.” She seemed disappointed in herself.

“Don’t worry about it. Thank you for checking, we can say for sure that Monokuma wasn’t lying to us in that autopsy he gave us.” My smile was half there but it seemed to be enough to perk Ishikawa-san’s spirits.

Truth Bullet Added: Ishikawa-san’s Autopsy

According to Ishikawa-san, the Monokuma file was accurate about the TOD and COD, nothing new was discovered other than rigor mortis had already set in.

I got closer to Watanabe-san’s body. She didn’t look in pain, she had a neutral expression as if ready to give one of us into trouble. It was awful just how normal she seemed…though it would probably be worse if her face was in pain.

“Ah, this is…” I looked at her left arm which was reaching out and holding a key tightly in her grasp. Is this the key for the shutters? Why does Watanabe-san have it?

Truth Bullet Added: Shutter Keys

Keys found in Watanabe-san's grasp. They were passed around to whoever had trash duty.

“It’s awful, isn’t it?” I looked over at Kibe-san who was standing by the wall, a piece of paper clutched in her hands. “W…Watanabe-san was going to be our leader, and yet…” Kibe-san was a pretty random person, so seeing her so sad felt…wrong. Really wrong.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

“She cared so much. She did her best to make sure everyone would keep coming back to the cafeteria in morning, even made me take note of who came. Gave me a journal and everything…she was really considerate like that.”

Watanabe-san was the first one I met when I woke up in here. She made me feel like everything would turn out alright, she showed me even the toughest of personalities could be dealt with properly. How anyone could kill her…

“What’s that in your hand?” I asked.

“Um…I’m not really sure, actually. I found it in Watanabe-san’s grasp, so I pulled it out. Seems like it might’ve been a motive note.” Kibe-san handed it to me. I unfolded the paper and on it, the words ‘Another Mistake’ were written in bold. The one I got said ‘Ape’, so does that mean all the motives were this vague? “Monokuma said he was going to reveal everybody’s unfinished business…do you think whatever this is, it’s related to the killer?”

“It’s possible…but there’s no way of knowing who it could belong to.” I sighed. It’s evidence, so I’ll make note of it anyway.

Truth Bullet Added: Motive Note

The motive note Watanabe-san received. Found in her grasp. It simply says, "another mistake".

I glanced back to the body and saw Sly-san inspecting it as thoroughly as he could but still managing to be careful. “Sly-san, did you find anything?”

He didn’t respond for a few seconds aside from an almost silent sigh. Watanabe-san didn’t seem to be scared of him, I wonder what that must’ve been like for him? He must be used to people being scared when they find out his talent, but Watanabe-san…

“There was something in her pocket. Have a look.” He handed me a note. Another note? I unfolded this one and read the message.

‘I know you all won’t understand why, but I needed to do this in order to prevent a killing from happening. I did it at night time so none of you could stop me, the boiler room seemed like the right place. I doubt Monokuma will tell you anything, so when the clock strikes 11, I’ll be gone. I’m sorry for not saying goodbye properly.’

There’s no signature on it, but if it was found on Watanabe-san’s body…and by the sound of it, “Is this…a suicide note?” I could feel my hands shaking.

“It looks like it…” Sly-san’s voice trailed off. He seemed deep in thought, “…hold onto that, Nagata. Don’t let anyone else see it, okay?”

“H-huh?”

“Just trust me.” He crossed his arms. There was no way I could say no to him, so I just nodded.

~Ding dong, dong ding~!

Everybody’s attention was brought up to the monitor as it flashed on. “Alright, bastards, I’ve given you way more than enough time! Assemble in front of the red door in the main building and red ready for the class trial!”

The monitor turned off, and without a word, we all followed Monokuma’s instructions.

-Chapter 1 Investigation, Class Trial Grounds-

“Oi, is that everybody?” Okanaya-san asked. He began counting the heads and nodded with a satisfied smirk. “Alright. Then we’re ready.”

“Aren’t you too chill about all this? It’s kinda freaky.” Kurohiko-san murmured.

“Being irrational in this moment would not be beneficial to anyone. No matter what happens, let us stay level-headed.” Ishikawa-san clasped her hands together. “Your lives are all at risk. I would hate to see you all fall into the eternal slumber.”

“The fuck is Monokuma though? He wanted us here, but he hasn’t shown up? I hate people who can’t be on time.” Shinko-san growled, though, speak of the devil. Monokuma popped up in front of a door at the back of the room.

“Alright, alright! Don’t get your panties in a twist, Myers! I just had to do some preparations beforehand to make sure the trial grounds were ready.” Monokuma’s claws sharpened and were pointing threateningly at Shinko-san.

“Prepared? We’re not having the trial here?” Kibe-san said.

“Do you see the size of this place? As if we could have the trial here! Just step into the elevator and it’ll take to the trial grounds, don’t make me wait too long or I’ll count it as you losing the trial!” And with that, he disappeared.

We were silent for a few moments as the door to the elevator opened. Sly-san was the first to move, followed by Kurosaki-san, Graves-san, and Amaterasu-san. “We…we have to do it, so…” Kurohiko-san convinced himself he was okay as he stepped in with Asano-san.

“I pray for Watanabe-sama’s spirit. I hope her rest will be peaceful.” Ishikawa-san mumbled as she, Kibe-san, Yokozawa-san, Shinko-san, and Hachi-san all stepped on.

“Uuuuu…W-Wata-chan…” Irunami-san was dragged onto the elevator by Okanaya-san. Which just left…

“Nagata-kun…” Ram-san looked at me. She was scared. Really scared.

“Don’t worry, Ram-san. We’ll be okay. Let’s do our best for Watanabe-san’s sake.” I wasn’t sure if I believed my own words, but they were enough for Ram-san to dry her eyes and enter the elevator with me. As soon as were all inside, the elevator doors shut, and we began to descend.

…

It was eerily quiet. A tension so thick you could choke on it. Someone in here was…is responsible for Watanabe-san’s death. That was the thought on everybody’s mind. Who could’ve done it? Who would’ve done it? Watanabe-san didn’t have any enemies, so why…?

The elevator grinded to halt and the door opened up. When we stepped out, we were greeted with a circle of wooden stands in a room carpeted with red. Monokuma was in the back of the room sitting on a throne and staring at us, red eye glowing ominously.

“Welcome all! This is the stage for the class trial, these podiums are all named, so find yours and take your place! This is where the class trial begins!” As instructed, we all found our names on these podiums and stood, ready for the trial.

I was placed directly across from Monokuma’s throne so he could stare right at me. To my right the order was Hachi-san, Sly-san, Ishikawa-san, Okanaya-san, Asano-san, Kurohiko-san, Ram-san, Kurosaki-san, a portrait of Watanabe-san, Irunami-san, Amaterasu-san, Shinko-san, Kibe-san, Yokozawa-san, and finally Graves-san.

We were glancing around the circle at each other, majority was suspicious looks.

Maemi Watanabe…The Ultimate Harem Mangaka. She was a hard person to pinpoint, her personality was kind…erratic, but one thing was for sure- she always had everybody’s interest at heart. She cared about the group and wanted to prevent any murders from happening.

Someone like that…was killed…

“Ram”

Yuuki Kurosaki

Doi Kurohiko

Saori Kibe

Amaterasu Hokama

Someone killed Watanabe-san and is hiding among us.

Sly

Karma Graves

Junpei Yokozawa

Maemi Watanabe

Kobo Okanaya

Tomoe Hachi

Whoever it is, I won’t forgive them, I could never forgive them!

Mami Asano

Toson Shinko

Sadao Irunami

Tsukiko Ishikawa

Ryuu Nagata

And so, the class trial that pitted Hope against Despair…began.

#//enjoy that shitty trial seating diagram I made in ms paint in 5 minutes #Mod J #mod post #DR #Foundation Short Stories #79-C KG AU

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chooseywoozy · 5 years

Text

The Elementalists: Chapter One - Open Enrollment

Now playing as… someone not quite yourself.

The wind whips across your face as you race through barren trees, trying to put some distance between you and the creature chasing you!

Shadow Monster: RAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!!

The force of the monster’s roar shakes the ground beneath your feet! You trip at the edge of a pool of black water, catching a glimpse of your scratched and muddy face in the process…

You: Come on, get up. Keep moving!

You dig your fingers into the black soil, pushing yourself toward the mirror you’ve been desperately seeking…

You: Just… a little… further!

When suddenly the beast crashes through the trees just behind you! You roll onto your back as the creature thunders toward your prone body! Out of options, you throw your hands up, and a searing energy pulses through your fingertips!

You: Yueguang Trabem!

(NOW PLAYING AS HELL)

You bolt upright in your bed, clutching your chest.

Hell: That… that felt so real!

Your phone buzzes aggressively on the nightstand, and you look over to see that it’s almost ten. Your alarm has been going off for almost two hours.

Hell: Crap! I’m gonna be late for that meeting with my advisor!

You scramble out of bed and dash to your closet to throw something on… Once you’re dressed, you bolt out the door… Not noticing someone watching you from inside the mirror. You run into your advisor’s office without a moment to spare and drop into the chair across from her desk.

Hell: Sorry! I overslept.

Ms. Robertson: You’re not late, so that’s quite alright, Ms…

She rifles through some papers on her desk.

Hell: Just Hell is fine.

Ms. Robertson: Hell, right. Forgive me. I’m used to dealing with more… troubled students.

She finds the right file and slides behind her desk. As she scans the pages, she frowns.

Ms. Robertson: By all accounts, you’re a perfect student. It’s only a couple of weeks into the quarter, but your grades and attendance are excellent. So I’ve got to ask, Hell. Why are you here?

Hell: It’s hard to describe. I know I should be happy. But I’m just… not. I try so hard, but no matter what I do, it all just feels like… like I’m sitting in a waiting room or something. And no one ever calls my name.

Ms. Robertson: And… what is it exactly that you’re waiting for?

Hell: I guess I’m looking for a life of adventure!

Ms. Robertson: What?

Hell: A life exploring new worlds, collecting ancient artifacts glowing with mysterious powers… That’s not too much to ask, is it?

Ms. Robertson: Those are certainly some original aspirations. But I can’t help you live in a fantasy world, Hell.

Hell: Yeah, I know. I’m only joking. I just wish I knew what I was looking for. Whatever it is… it’s not this.

Ms. Robertson: I know you’re at a crossroads right now. And one of the directions you could go would mean dropping out of Hartfeld.

Hell: It crossed my mind…

Ms. Robertson: Please don’t do it. When this phase you’re in ends, you don’t want to discover that you’ve given up your chance to get a degree, do you?

Hell: But… but what if you’re wrong? What if it’s not a phase?

Ms. Robertson: I tell you what. WHy don’t you go home and think about it? Will you do that for me?

Hell: Sure. I… I guess I can do that.

Later, you stand in the bathroom of your suite and look at yourself squarely in the mirror in front of you.

Hell: I know you belong somewhere. I know there’s more to you than this.

Suddenly, the lights in the room flicker!

Hell: What the hell…?

Something catches your attention out of the corner of your eye… A glint in the bathroom mirror.

Hell: Huh? Why do I look like this? What the hell! That’s… That looks like my face, but…

You raise a hand to your face, but when your reflection doesn’t move, you freeze. The mirror itself looks a little odd… Almost shimmery.

Hell: Am I… Am I dreaming again?

You reach a shaky hand toward the mirror, and when your fingers touch the surface, they press into the glass!

Hell: Whoa!

You try to pull back, but your hand won’t come free! Your palm starts to sink into the glass, then your forearm, and before you know it…

Hell: Wait, wait, wa--

Your whole body is sucked through! Rushing water yanks you forward, forcing you to squeeze your eyes shut against the current! Just as you feel your lungs starting to strain, a splash comes from your right! You feel a pair of strong, sturdy arms wrap around your middle and pull you to the water’s surface! You feel yourself being dragged onto dry land and sputter as you wipe the water from your eyes. You try to get your bearings, taking a moment to gape at your surroundings…

Hell: Wh-Where…

In front of you is a picturesque collection of cozy looking buildings with steepled roofs, a manicured lawn, and an ostentatious statue out front. But as you gawk, the carved marble figure keeps moving around, and overhead, people fly around on a variety of objects including an ottoman, a broom, and an ornamental rug!

Hell: This is… This isn’t real. Right? Where…

???: Hey, hey! You’re okay, I got you. You’re a new student here, right?

Hell: … I am a student.

???: Great! You missed the Hall of Mirrors by a mile, but you made it. Welcome to Penderghast College of Elemental Magicks. Since it’s the first day of the new semester, we should probably get you to the dining hall for orientation. If you’re feeling okay, that is.

As you turn to try and get your bearings, you see a tall, haughty guy eyeing you disdainfully from nearby.

???2: I suppose I should have listened to my dad when he said the admissions standards are in decline here. Didn’t you read the information packet? There are arrival protocols, you know.

???: Who are you? Campus police? Why don’t you take her up to orientation then and make yourself useful?

Beckett: Absolutely not. I’m Beckett Harrington. I don’t have time to show the other freshmen around campus.

His lip curls into a sneer as he says this. He gives you one last withering look, before he turns and stalks away.

Griffin: I guess it’s just you and me, then. I’m Griffin.

He smiles at you warmly and offers his hand. You shake it, your fingers trembling from the shock and the water cooling on your skin.

Hell: I’m… Hell. And also… I’m very confused.

Griffin: Here, Hell, let me help you.

You feel a change in the air around him as he brings his clasped fists up to his mouth and blows through them. Suddenly…

Hell: Hey! I’m completely dry!

Griffin: There you, good as new. You might still want to change at some point though, it tends to get chilly in the evenings.

Griffin turns the air current on himself, shaking water off of his shoes as he dries them.

Griffin: Sorry if the work was a little shoddy. Air magick isn’t the most natural to us Earth-Atts, but Professor Englund says I’m getting it. Come on. I’ll take you up to the school for orientation!

He turns and starts to walk toward the front of the school and you stumble after him.

Hell: OKay, wait. So you’re saying magick is real? Like really, really real. For real.

Griffin: Either that, or we’re all trapped in the same fever dream.

You pass the large statue in the center of campus, and it swivels its head to look at you!

Griffin: Oh, that’s just the security system, set to vaporize any Attuneless intruders. But there hasn’t been one on campus in… well, I don’t even know.

Hell: (Oh god, I would really love to not be vaporized…)

You keep an eye on the statue, but soon it looks away. You let out a relieved sigh. When you turn back, you’ve reached the massive double doors at the front of the school.

Griffin: Welcome to Penderghast! If you follow me this way, I’ll show you to the…

Griffin starts toward the staircase, but the loud chiming of a bell stops him. He looks at his watch with a start.

Griffin: Oh, crap. I totally forgot about this Thief team meeting I’m supposed to go to.

Hell: Wait! You can’t leave me…

Griffin: Of course not! I’ll drop you off at the dining hall. We’re just gonna have to speed this tour up is all.

You follow him up the stairs, which lead into an adjoining hallway.

Griffin: The dining hall is just at the end of this hall and to the left. This is the school’s main building, so there’s a ton of offices and stuff in here. Reception, the dean’s office, classroom… Some of the Attunement placement exams are held here, too.

Hell: ‘Attunement placement’?

Griffin: I think it’s kind of silly, too. I knew Earth was my thing when I caused a tiny earthquake throwing a tantrum over dessert when I was five.

Hell: Right. Totally.

As you pass one of the doors off the hall, you hear a small commotion coming from inside.

Voice: Oh, hell!

Hell: Uh, Griffin? What’s this room?

Griffin: That’s the Hall of Mirrors! Where you were supposed to come through.

The first thing you see when you open the door is beautiful girl with long, dark hair, trying desperately to pull her foot out of a floor length mirror.

???: Oh thank goodness! Some assistance, s’il vous plait?

You and Griffin rush over, each take one of her hands, and tug until she comes free. She stumbles right into your arms and blows her bangs out of her face with a smile.

Shreya: Oops. Shreya Mistry, in your arms and at your service. Good catch, by the way!

Hell: Thanks… How’d you get stuck?

Shreya straightens up and smooths out her hair.

Shreya: I always have trouble with these silly mirrors if we’re being honest. I much prefer air travel. But at least I made it. I was about five minutes away from starting my freshman year a month late.

Hell: Why a month?

Shreya: That’s when the first Visitor’s Day is. When the wards reopen, of course. Guess Penderghast is stuck with me now!

Griffin: Well, welcome. I’m Griffin, this is Hell. She’s a freshman, too. I was just showing her to the dining hall if you want to come with.

Shreya: No need, I know just where it is. I’m a legacy student.

She struts out of the Hall of Mirrors. A short while later, Griffin stops in front of a pair of ornate doors.

Griffin: Well, that ends the Griffin tour! Sorry it was kind of rushed. I’ve gotta go, but good luck with the rest of orientation!

Hell: Actually, if you could just--

He’s already bounding away down the hall. You turn toward the giant double doors and steel yourself before you push them open. As you slip into the hall, you’re momentarily overwhelmed by the high ceilings, stained glass windows, and the countless dining tables. A handful of heads swivel in your direction, though the dean continues to drone on up front.

???: Hey! Over here!

A guy with a megawatt smile waves you over to a nearby table, and you hurriedly slide into the seat next to him.

Zeph: Hey, you’re late! I’m Zephyr. You can call me Zeph if you want.

Hell: I’m Hell. No cool nickname, just Hell.

Zeph: So, Hell, what’s your Attunement?

Hell: I, uh, am waiting until tomorrow to find out for sure. Don’t want to jinx it?

He opens his mouth to respond, but is cut off by the dean loudly clearing her throat.

Dean Goeffe: In conclusion, I’d like to remind you all that this is an institution of higher learning, not a playground for children. Put in the work or go home.

Around you, students start to rise to their feet and shuffle toward the doors. The dean walks briskly off-stage.

Zeph: She’s just full to the brim with the warm fuzzies, isn’t she?

Hell: Wait, it’s over? I missed the whole thing!

Zeph: Don’t worry, Dean Goeffe’s speeches are notoriously dry. Besides, I’m an expert in listening and speaking at the same time. The gist is, the freshmen will line up at 7AM in the foyer tomorrow to get assigned one of the staff as their examiner for placement tests.

He points up at the stage, where a hairy, kind-faced man with horns is seated behind a table with a few other teachers. As he stands up, you see that the bottom half of his torso ends in thick, furry haunches and hooves!

Hell: Holy crap! He’s a satyr?

Zeph: Yup! You don’t see many of them around these parts.

Zeph stands up as well, and you follow him to join the queue of students exiting the hall.

Zeph: Classes will start after all the freshmen have been placed, and your schedule will be given to you then as well.

Hell: So… what do we do now?

Zeph: Basically, the rest of the day is free. My roommate and I have a fun evening of bonding and laying out the house rules ahead of us.

You follow the crowd of freshmen out onto the grounds and immediately lose track of Zeph.

Hell: Uh… now what?

Voice: Hey, Hell!

You turn toward the voice and see Griffin coming toward you from the direction of the bridge.

Griffin: You survived the orientation! How was it? As boring as last year’s?

Hell: No, it was really interesting actually. Well, not the actual speech, I missed most of that. But I saw a… a satyr, I think, and I’m pretty sure I made a new friend. It’s all so much considering where I was this morning!

In the whirlwind of the day you had briefly forgotten about your situation, but it all comes flooding back…

Hell: (I can’t believe how far away from home I am… I felt out of place at Hartfeld, but now…)

Griffin: Are you okay?

You realise that your eyes have begun to fill up with tears. You swipe them away, forcing a laugh.

Hell: Just, uh, first day jitters, I guess. It’s all a bit… overwhelming.

He puts a gentle hand on your shoulder, giving you a reassuring smile.

Griffin: Hey, it’s going to be okay. If it makes you feel any better, you’re really bright.

Hell: Uh, I think my third grade teacher told me that once?

Griffin: No, I mean like inside. I can feel your energy through the ground. I felt it as soon as you stepped onto campus, actually.

Hell: Really? What did I feel like?

Griffin: Hmmm. It felt like taking your first sip of a hot drink that’s just cooled down. The kinda warm you get all over your body, you know?

Hell: Is this your way of flirting? I bet you call all the girls hot drinks.

Griffin: Only the ones that warm me from the inside out.

You feel your cheeks start to heat as you struggle to find something to say. He laughs again, unfazed.

Griffin: It gets better, you know. My first day here was awful! I didn’t really know anyone at first, but I figured that thanks to my Thief scholarship, I’d at least have my teammates. And then, next thing I know, I’m running naked across the lawn chasing the clothes my captain magicked to life while I was in the showers.

Hell: No!

Griffin: My point is, that day sucked, but there isn’t a single moment since then that I regret coming here. Especially not now.

Hell: Yeah… Maybe it’s not the worst thing that this is where I ended up.

Griffin: One thing I’ve learned in my time here is that if something happens to you, good or bad, it happened for a reason. I think you’re meant to be here.

He pauses thoughtfully, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Griffin: I’ve got an idea. I could really use your help with something, if you’re up for it. If anything, it might make for a good distraction.

Hell: Yeah? And what could you possibly need my help for?

Griffin: There’s this thing I lost last year. I must have missed it while I was packing up my dorm room, but I’m pretty sure I know where it is now. Still, it’s gonna be hard to spot and an extra set of eyes would be fantastic. Do you wanna help me try and find it?

Hell: You can count on me! You were the first friendly face I met here. The least I could do is lend you a hand with this.

Griffin: Awesome! I have a feeling you’re going to like this…

You follow Griffin through campus and down a hallway very similar to the one from earlier. He leads you past several doors, and right into a dead end.

Hell: Uh, if this is where your lost item is, it shouldn’t be too hard to find, considering there’s… nothing here.

Griffin: Hang on a second…

Griffin presses his palms together, then begins moving his hands back and forth in front of the wall, as if wiping steam from a mirror. With each move, the wall seems to melt away, revealing a door behind it.

Hell: Whoa… How did you do that? There was a wall, and now…

Griffin: Invisibility wards are pretty basic. The key is knowing where to look. Now, watching this.

Griffin clenches his hands into fists. Then, he presses his knuckles together and takes a deep breath.

Griffin: Here we go.

He exhales and places two fingers against the doorknob. After hearing a satisfying click, he opens the door.

Hell: Wait, did you just magickally unlock the door?

Griffin: Yeah. That spell’s a little more challenging. Metal’s usually tough to work with, but it’s close to Earth, so I do alright.

You shake your head in disbelief as Griffin leads you inside. The room is packed full of objects. Boxes overflow with colorful knick-knacks, and shelves bend under the weight of an assortment of curios. To your left, a stuffed raven caws loudly. There’s a thin aisle that winds through, giving you just enough space to walk. Griffin starts to rifle through the shelves.

Hell: Wow…

Your eyes flick about, unable to take everything in. You spot a candle glowing with a bright purple flame, and a large, spiky ball of metal hovering in mid-air.

Griffin: The thing we’re looking for is a silver ball, about the size of my fist, with an onyx button at the top.

Hell: I see why you needed the help…

A bell rings, and after looking around, you spot it in the hand of an eerie doll. It smiles down at you from a high shelf, and rings the bell again.

Hell: Wow. I hate that. What is this place?

Griffin: It’s a lost and found of sorts. Anything students forget on campus ends up in here. I think the professors put confiscated items in here too, hence the wards.

As you walk further into the room, you catch sight of a jar full of shiny jagged ovals, shimmering in the overhead light.

Hell: These are beautiful!

Griffin: Dragon scales. I wonder what they’re doing down here… That’s a lot of money gone to waste.

Voice: Findertook!

You stiffen at the sound and slowly turn, expecting to see someone behind you.

Griffin: Oh, ignore that thing. It’s just going to spew nonsense at you.

Your eyes fall on a pendant, with a woman’s face in profile carved into an alabaster shell.

Hell: Why’s this here?

The woman’s mouth suddenly moves!

Pendent: Thibity!

Hell: What language is that?

Griffin: Honestly, I don’t have a clue. I’m guessing it was some kind of prank gift.

Griffin sifts through some boxes behind you while you scan the rest of the room. You laugh as you catch sight of a unicycle propped up in the corner.

Hell: You’re not telling me magickal unicycles are a thing, are you?

Griffin: Last year some kid thought it’d be fun to enchant it to fly. The professors confiscated it after he fell off of it about three stories up. Turns out unicycles don’t like to be enchanted.

You wander over to an open box full of unusual objects and start picking through it. As you pick up a scarab, the jewels shift colors, cycling from soft purples to bright oranges and everything in between.

Hell: This is beautiful. What’s it for?

Griffin joins you, peering over your shoulder.

Griffin: Oh, I bet the professors used that for Attunement placement. Fire-Atts usually have a connection with scarabs, since they’re a symbol of Ra, the Egyptian sun god.

Hell: I guess that makes sense…

You turn the scarab over in your hand, and it feels surprisingly warm. You walk a little further down the aisle, squinting at the shelves. A metallic glint catches your eye, and you pick up a silver ball.

Hell: Hey, Griffin! I found your… thing!

Griffin: What? Nice! I knew inviting you along was a smart move.

Your thumb slides over the diamond-shaped piece of onyx at the top, and, with a click, several panels pop out on all sides.

Hell: Whoa…

You look up at the ceiling. The lights in the room have dimmed, and all around the room, sprinkled across the clutter, are…

Hell: Stars.

Griffin: It’s a star-tracker. It maps the rotation of the stars! They’re a tool for Astroweavers mostly, but I found this one here a while ago.

Hell: Astroweavers?

Griffin’s voice comes from behind you, suddenly very close.

Griffin: They maintain constellations, mostly. A lot of Air-Atts go into that field after graduation.

Hell: Is that what you want to do after school?

Griffin: Nah, Earth-Atts are a little more… grounded than that. I’m thinking of majoring in natural preservation sciences. I just like having a star tracker. It makes me feel bigger than myself, being able to see the stars so close and in real time like this. What do you think? Worth finding?

Hell: Yeah… This place is amazing. Seriously, it’s pretty incredible. Thanks for inviting me along.

Griffin: No, thank you. I’m so bad at finding stuff. I never would have gotten this back without your help.

Your glance up at him as the stars around you twinkle and shift. He sees you looking and gives you a teasing grin that makes your face heat up. He reaches out and places his hand over yours, covering the tracker. The panels fold in, and the stars disappear.

Griffin: We should get out of here. I don’t like to leave the ward on the door down for too long.

Hell: Sure. Could you show me to the dorm? This campus is huge, and if I tried to find it myself, I’d probably end up sleeping on the front lawn.

Griffin chuckles as he leads you out of the lost and found.

Outside, you follow him to a building on the other side of a campus. A plaque on the building’s door reads, ‘Fletchly Residence Halls.’

Griffin: Here you go. Once you get inside someone’ll help you find your room, I’m sure of it. Hey, and thanks again, Hell. I appreciate you helping me find my star tracker.

Hell: Don’t worry about it! You’ve helped me out so much today, I had to return the favor.

Griffin: See you around?

He gives you a nod before walking away. You steel yourself and push open the door to the dorms…

As soon as you enter the nearly empty dorm lobby, an upperclassman with a clipboard waves you over.

R.A: Welcome to Penderghast! How can I assist you? Need help finding your room?

Hell: Uh…

The RA cocks her head to the side.

RA: You can just tell me your last name, and I’ll point you in the right direction.

You give her your last name, and your stomach rails as her eyes skim the clipboard.

RA: Wait a minute.

She glances at you, then back at the page…

Hell: Okay, I have to confess. I’m not actually a--

Then she flips the page over.

RA: Here we go! Hell Raiser, first floor, room 108. Your roomie has been checked in since this morning!

You hurry away down the hall, simultaneously relieved and even more confused than you were before.

Hell: (If this is all some mistake, how was my name on the list?)

Behind the doors down the hall you can hear music, people laughing, and even… an occasional roar? Finally, you find number 108. You see that there’s no doorknob.

Hell: Come on, does this place come with an instruction manual?

You put your hand out and lean against the door, taking a moment to center yourself… And your hand slips right through!

Hell: Ackk!

You feel a chill go through you as you fall through a transparent blue wall and onto the floor. As soon as you’re in, the door reforms.

Shreya: It’s you again! Well, aren’t I the lucky girl?

Hell: Oh, right, from earlier! I kind of… lost you in the dining hall.

Shreya: Yes, sorry about that. I had friends waiting, and, well, you know how that goes. I’m so pleased! I’ll be a perfect roommate. I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but I assure you it’s only partially true.

When she pauses for air, or maybe dramatic effect, you take a good look at your surroundings.

Shreya: Glad to see my roommate isn’t completely devoid of style, though you could still use a few pointers. Luckily, you have me to help you! Well? Say something.

Hell: I think you should relax. Please. Today has been, for the lack of a better word, insane. So I could really just use a second.

You plop down on the nearby couch, sinking into the soft cushions. Shreya perches herself on the chair across from you silently, though she leans toward you.

Shreya: So…

You sigh.

Hell: You said before that whatever I’ve heard about you is only ‘partially true.’

Shreya rolls her eyes.

Shreya: I know you’re thinking about me and Fifi’s tiff at Mistry Inc.’s annual charity fashion show.

Hell: Fifi? Mistry Inc. charity show?

Shreya: You know, the one with the lava rock runway? It was all over the news a month ago, not to brag.

Hell: I get the feeling that if I tell you that I have no idea who you are, it’s gonna be a whole thing.

Shreya is absolutely still for a moment, before she finally smiles, though it looks almost painful.

Shreya: Not. At. All. My family is only the number one purveyor of enchanted objects worldwide, but why would you know that? Besides… This was the whole point! To come to college, have new experiences, fly under the radar. Become the person I want to be, you know?

Hell: I know exactly how you feel. Honestly, that’s the same thing I was hoping to get out of the college experience. Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try, nothing fits? Like the things that you think are going to make you happy never do?

Shreya: Absolutely. It’s how I felt all the time. Until I arrived here, that is.

Hell: This morning I was at this college I used to think was finally going to be my place in the world, but it very quickly became clear that it wasn’t. And then I got here and, yeah, it’s a little weird and a little hard to believe, but for the first time… Something finally feels right. And now it’s… all going to be taken away.

Shreya: Take away? I don’t understand. Why would--

Your voice trembles as you finally tell her the truth, revealing the secret you’ve been keeping in since you’re arrival.

Hell: I can’t do magick!

Shreya: What?

You lower your voice to barely more than a whisper.

Hell: I was in my dorm bathroom at Hartfeld, and there was something weird in the mirror, and when I touched it I just…

You throw your hands up, unable to explain, not even knowing what happened yourself.

Hell: And I don’t know what to do now. I’m afraid of what will happen if I tell someone, but I know I can’t leave.

You watch Shreya guiltily as she stares at you wide-eyed.

Hell: You’re… You’re not going to, like, erase my memory, or melt my brain, or--

Shreya: I’ll help you.

Hell: You will? Why would you do that? I don’t mean to sound suspicious, but you barely know me. Why would you stick your neck out for me?

Shreya: Because it sounds like fun. Part of the reason I came to college was to meet all different kinds of people! And you, Hell, are quite an interesting kind of person. But have you considered that there may be magick in you? Have you tried any?

Hell: Well… there was that thing with the door?

Shreya: No, no, the doors are enchanted to accept the tenant’s genetic code. That wouldn’t count.

Shreya taps her fingers on the coffee table, her eyes roving the room. When they stop, she grins and hops out of the chair.

Shreya: I’ve got it! Come on, let’s go before the shop closes.

Hell: Wait, wait. Where are we going? I thought we couldn’t leave campus!

You follow Shreya across the room and find yourself facing a door with a variety of doorknobs in different shapes and sizes screwed into it.

Shreya: There are a few pre-selected places we’re allowed to go. Like Penn Square, for example.

You notice that each knob has a neatly inscribed label above it.

Hell: ‘Hell’s room’, ‘Shreya’s room.’ ‘Penn Square’... Wait. Are you saying my room is in there?

Shreya: Sure. So is mine, and Penn Square, and the lake. That one opens up in a tree, though. It can be quite unpleasant if you run into a Berkspire.

Shreya examines the labels carefully, until finally she finds the knob labeled ‘Penn Square.’ She turns it and pushes the door open.

Hell: Whoa.

Shreya: Charming, right?

In the afternoon sun, the square is bustling with activity. You see a stately woman with deep blue skin and tusks dragging a kicking toddler with impish horns past a magickal toy store… Beyond that, a pair of men with pointed elfish ears and webbed hands debate over a beaded bracelet at a stall marked ‘Charms.’

Hell: Is that a troll?

The seven-foot-tall woman’s head whips around in your direction. Shreya grabs your arm and starts leading you away hurriedly.

Shreya: God, I foget how backwards the non-magickal worldview is. They prefer ‘mountain folk’ these days. Come on, no time to waste! We need to get you something to help with that whole ‘no magick’ thing.

Hell: And how, exactly, are we supposed to fix that?

She stops abruptly in front of a shop labelled ‘Maison D’Yew.’ The sign in the window describes it as ‘Your one stop shop for one stop shopping.’

Shreya: Let’s get inside and see if they have what we’re looking for.

Inside, every square inch of the shop is packed with clothes, knick-knacks, and all manner of glowing, spinning and rattling mystical objects.

Hell: How are we even supposed to find anything in here?

Voice: That’s where I come in! Oh, um, just a second, please.

A rustling from the pile of lamps on your left makes you jump. A mountain of rusted candelabras avalanches off a high shelf, heading straight toward you!

Hell: AHH!

You duck, bracing for impact! But it never comes.

???: Sorry about that! I was organizing some of the floghart’s droppings we store under this armoire.

You take a hesitant peek up and see that the candelabras have been stopped in mid-air and are hovering just over your head! The girl in front of you flicks a vine-wrapped hand and the candelabras re-stack themselves on the shelf.

???: I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you.

You stare at her, wide-eyed, and she gives you a knowing smile.

Aster: First time meeting a wood nymph? I’m Aster. I run this shop.

She holds out her hand, and you shake it, you’re shocked at how her skin feels both like polished wood and flesh all at once.

Hell: I’m Hell. I like your shop.

Aster: Thanks! It’s my father’s actually. Well, my grandfather’s. I guess it was his father’s before that. What does ownership really mean, anyway? If I feel the most strongly about something, does it then become mine?

She pauses thoughtfully, looking off into the distance as her eyes grow dark and clouded. After a while, it seems obvious that she’s checked out completely.

Aster: Interesting…

Aster’s eyes lighten and refocus on Shreya as she shakes her head clear.

Aster: Oh! It’s you again! I was hoping you’d be back.

Shreya: I’d assume so. I spent a minor fortune the last time I was here. Listen, love, do you have any marbles? My friend here is worried about the first day of classes and wants a boost.

Hell: Yeah. Anything would help.

Aster looks at you, her eyes shining brightly.

Aster: So you’re a Penderghast student too? You both are so lucky!

She skips off toward the counter and disappears behind it.

Aster: I’ve been begging Papa to let me go, but he’s still bitter about all that wand business.

Aster pops up from behind the counter, coughing and covered in dust. She slams a polished wooden box down on the counter, with ‘Mistry Miracle Marbles’ written in gold curlicue handwriting on the lid. You give Shreya a look before gingerly lifting the edges of the box, revealing four multi-colored orbs within.

Hell: What are they?

Shreya plucks a clear orb from the box. Opaque, white smoke begins to curl inside the glass.

Shreya: One of Mistry Inc.’s bestsellers. Each of these orbs contains enough magick to perform one spell per element. They may be small, but they pack quite a punch. Like one very beautiful, very down-to-earth heiress we all know an love.

With a smile, she places the white orb into your palm, folding your fingers over it.

Shreya: And this little guy is all yours.

Hell: But… why would magick people need something like this?

Shreya: You can use it instantly instead of taking time to build a spell, and it won’t use up any of your own magick so you can cast again immediately!

Aster: They’re the very best on the market! Of course, they’ll only work for the elements with which they correspond.

You look a little closer at the contents of the box, and see a variety of colors in the tendrils of smoke. Blue, green, red…

Hell: How do you even use it?

Shreya: Ah. Aster, do you have any singles?

ASter rummages through a drawer before handing Shreya a dusty blue orb.

Aster: It’ll cost you, and I must insist that you go outside to--

Shreya rolls the marble between her thumb and forefinger, raising it up toward the ceiling… And a raincloud appears overhead as the blue smoke dissipates from the marble. It begins to pour!

Shreya: See? Easy.

Aster: You Attuned never listen!

The leaves in Aster’s hair rustle as she glowers at Shreya. She flicks a finger and a strong blast of wind blows the cloud and the rain away, leaving you completely dry.

Shreya: Oh, don’t be such a tenacious toad, Aster. What do you think, Hell? These will surely come in handy.

Hell: I’ll take the lot. These’ll at least help me fly under the radar until I can figure out what to do next!

You hand Aster a few bills from your wallet. She peers at them curiously.

Hell: I hope that’s enough?

Aster: Absolutely not. This money is worthless. Lucky for you, I can fetch a high price for it on the collector’s market!

After saying goodbye to Aster, you and Shreya head back through the portal to your dorm…

Shreya: So, now that you’ve got a bit of magick to take into battle, do you think you’re ready to face tomorrow?

Hell: Honestly, I don’t see how it’ll matter after this Attunement placement thing. Seriously, Shreya, what am I going to do?

She puts a tentative hand on your shoulder.

Shreya: You’re going to get through this because I’m going to help you. And I’m just too fabulous to fail.

You’re unable to hold your laugh in, and soon, Shreya’s laughing too. Over her shoulder, something catches your eye. In the mirror across the room, you see a smudge… or maybe a shadow.

Hell: Shreya, do you see that?

Shreya: Hmm?

You look around, trying to find the source of the reflection as you step closer to the mirror. The shadow pulses, gros, and you tilt your head even closer…

Hell: Wait, that’s…

It’s only then that you realise the shadow is on your side of the glass!

Shreya: Hell!

Shadow Monster: Chhhhhhhhsssss!

The shadowy creature turns a violent shade of red! An opening appears below its two hollow eyes as it lets out an angry hiss… It launches itself at you, sending you reeling!

Hell: Hnnh!

You trip over your own feet, falling backward as the shadow springs!

Shadow Monster: Chhhhkkkkss!

You throw up a hand to protect yourself!

Hell: AHHH!!!

And a bright beam, golden as the sun, shoots from your palm, blasting right through the middle of the creature!

Hell: How…?!

Even though the light has faded, your palm still glows warmly. The shadow creature has been reduced to nothing. You can feel the energy humming inside of you, and instantly you know it’s been there all along. Somewhere under the surface. Somewhere secret.

Hell: What the hell was that?!

Shreya: I don’t know… But it looks like there may be hope for you yet.

Thoughts on the episode…

This is a pretty standard first episode for any series that contains magic, or powers, that the main character didn’t know they had. Or at least, the ending was. MC doesn’t know they have powers, bad guy attacks them, discover they have powers that are incredibly strong and mysterious, etc. etc. Nothing new or revolutionary here.

That being said, I liked it. I like Shreya and Aster, I like Griffin and Zeph and I even like Mr. Snooty McRichie III or whatever his name is (definitely gonna be a love interest and I’ll be damned if I don’t make him my love interest). This has some semblance of a plot, we don’t know exactly where it’ll take us but there are plotlines - How did she end up there? Who knew to enroll her at Penderghast? What is her Attunement? Who is that inside the mirror? A far more exciting first chapter than Across the Void which was an absolute mess.

Fave Character of the Chapter: Griffin

Least Fave Character of the Chapter: Zeph

#the elementalists #choices the elementalists #choices #playchoices #playthrough #chapter one

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merigreenleaf · 6 years

Text

AU Tuesday - “Stuck With You” Part 9

(For AU Tuesday I’m writing a multi-part story about all five of my main characters using the prompt: “A [platonic] soulmate AU where you have a black stain where your soulmate is supposed to touch you for the first time and it turns to millions of colors once they do.” The events are all [or mostly] canon to the series; the only real change are the soul-marks. These can really be read in any order because each part pretty much stands on its own. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3,Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 10.)

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Sol shoved the pile of half-finished toothpick sculptures aside until there was a big, empty space on his worktable perfect for his Plan. It was a great plan. He fixed performers’ props all the time and there was no way he could mess this up. There was only one problem: he didn’t have the prop yet. It wouldn’t be a secret anymore if he went and got it because everyone would wonder what he was doing in Blythe’s house. Well, Blythe’s and Dray’s and Adair’s house, since they both lived in her wagon now, too. Every day Sol asked Adair to move in with him because that would be like a sleepover all the time, but Adair kept saying no, saying that Blythe’s wagon had a bigger pantry and space for the easel she’d bought him. It wasn’t fair, Sol should rank above food and art supplies. Maybe if he built a really smarfy thing that was part bed, part studio, part kitchen, Adair would move in.

Adair! That was the perfect way to get the prop! Adair could pretend to grab his paint or something, then sneak out with it when he left. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that he lived over there.

“Hey, buddy? Do you know where Dray keeps their props? Can you get me their staff?”

A few feet away Adair was doing his best oversized magpie impression in the very well-enforced nest that was Sol’s bed. Much like Sol had done to the desk, Adair had pushed Sol’s collection of metallic odds and ends and broken pieces of appliances to the side. Sol craned his neck to see what he was drawing in his sketchbook, but Adair closed it and set it on top of the nest-pile before he could get a good look. “Yeah, I guess. Why?”

Sol tugged the sculpture of Adair’s cat free from his arm and put the lid on the glue jar before grinning at Adair. “I’m gonna fix it up for them. Dray’s gonna love it!”

Adair shrugged and headed out the door while Sol went into planning mode. The staff had looked a little dingy and scratched up when Dray danced with it last night. That would have been almost acceptable for a tinkerer like Sol-- until he saw the struggle Dray had separating the pieces to take it apart. It was then that Sol had his brilliant Plan. He’d take Dray’s beat up old staff and fix it up so that it was like new. Better than new! He wasn’t the carnival troupe’s resident inventor for nothing!

Plus Dray seemed so gloomy and sad that Sol wanted to do something to cheer them up. He’d wanted to meet Blythe’s sibling ever since he learned she had one because Sol’s own sibling was great so that must mean that Blythe’s was, too. And then he met Dray. Maybe Dray was great, somewhere under all the cynicism and frowns, but they kept to themself and didn’t really talk to Sol or anyone. Okay, Etri was like that, too, but that was just because he was shy and Blythe had never said anything about Dray being shy. What Dray needed was something to make them feel welcome and Sol knew he was the one who could do it, especially with Adair here to help.

How had he gotten by before Adair sleepwalked into the carnival? Adair didn’t mind holding down things Sol was hammering or grabbing stuff Sol forgot to have ready or taking emergency midnight trips into the city with him to dive through dumpsters. Sometimes his drawings even gave Sol ideas. And since Adair wasn’t here to use it right now, now would be the perfect time to go through his sketchbook! Sol flopped onto the bed and grabbed the book. For a moment the nest teetered, but when only a few pieces of scrap metal clattered to the floor, Sol made himself comfortable and started flipping through the pages. A sketch of a bullfrog, this one probably won’t be helpful… detailed study of a paintbrush tip, no, not this one either… a rough drawing of Dray dancing? Maybe this one would be…

A red sequined bag dropped into his lap. “Is this the right one? Dray’s got a ton of prop bags and they all look the same.”

Maybe if he combined this drawing of a bullfrog with that old cuckoo clock he found, he could make something that croaked the hour. “Huh?”

Adair took the sketchbook from his hands and replaced it with the strap of the bag. “Remember? You asked me to get the staff so you could fix it. Is this the right one?”

“That’s right! Dray’s surprise!” Sol jumped off the bed too fast and stumbled as he slung the strap over his shoulder. The bag swung around and smacked Adair in the head. No wonder Blythe always said he needed to slow down before he hurt himself. Hurting Adair was worse than hurting himself! Adair was his important. He felt for a bump on Adair’s head and didn’t feel anything. Was that a good sign? Would there be a bump already? Sol hurt himself on a daily basis but he wasn’t really sure how Blythe figured out when he needed to be healed and when he needed to be shooed out the door. “Sorry! Does it hurt? Do you need to go to Blade? She always tells me to watch where I’m going and she’s probably right-”

Adair ducked down and out of his reach. “I’m fine. But are you sure you should do this without asking?”

Sol blinked at him. “Hit you in the head?”

“No. I mean, yeah, don’t do that, but I meant fix Dray’s prop without asking. Dray’s really… enthusiastic about their props. I swear they were baby talking to their fire swords this morning. It was kind of weird.”

Sol peeked inside the bag. Adair had picked right despite his constant confusion about props. He called pretty much everything vaguely rod-shaped a baton. In Adair’s defense, all of his paintbrushes looked the same to Sol, and he had yet to hand Adair the right one he asked for. Maybe if he used Adair’s paint to color-code them all… Right, Adair had said something about carnies being weird. “Weird? Oh, with props. All carnies are like that. Etri’s favorite knife is named Pokey. Well, when I say it’s named, I mean I call it that, he doesn’t, but I bet if I do it long enough he’ll pick up on it. It worked with Blythe’s boots Kicky and Kicko.”

“And you’re sure it’s okay to fix it without asking?”

Adair trailed after him and sat on the step stool while Sol took the three pieces of the staff out of the bag. The stool was there so Adair could reach the table built for Sol’s height, but Adair was iffy about using it. Sometimes it was fine, sometimes his fear of heights was too much and Sol had to work on the floor with him instead. That was okay. Having a friend to help was worth way more than a table that was usually covered in last week’s Big Plan anyway.

“I’m not gonna hurt it, just make it better. Like Blade does when we get hurt.”

“But that’s different.”

Sol eyed the staff before connecting and unconnecting two of the parts. They did drag each time instead of sliding silently together and the catch was funny. It was a wonder Dray had put up with this because Sol would have gotten it fixed a long time ago. If he sanded it down and then soldered on a different connector, it should come together much smoother. “It’s not different. She’s a healer to broken people, I’m a healer to broken things. We both fix things. The difference is, she can’t make broken people shoot spikes or ignite with the push of a button, and I can! I mean things, not people. I can’t make people shoot spikes. But things like this staff – Ooh! Maybe I can make the staff ignite! And shoot spikes! And then ignite the spikes! And then-”

“Okay, yeah, I guess that makes sense. You go do that and I’ll… umm… be over here.” Adair retreated to his nest, which Sol thought was a little silly because it wasn’t like he’d added the spikes yet. Maybe if Adair sat there long enough, though, one of Sol’s piles of scrap would hatch into a little trash vulture or something. Sol could train it to pick through junk heaps, and perch on his shoulder, and say important words like “hello” and “smarfy” and “look out, Blythe’s coming.”

But first the staff. No sooner had Sol pushed the third piece into place when a voice that wasn’t Adair’s rang across the wagon, “You thief!”

The staff dropped to the table with a clatter. Sol glanced over his shoulder and, not seeing anyone there, lifted his arm to see in the blind spot caused by his biceps. There Dray stood with their hands on their hips, wearing a scowl so much like Blythe’s that Sol wanted to hide despite Dray being half his size. “Wh-where?”

Unlike Blythe, Dray’s furious expression and hands-on-hips didn’t turn into foot-tapping or counting. Sol hated when Blythe counted at him. It make him lose track of his thoughts every time and that meant never knowing what it was she wanted him to stop doing. Dray glared up from the level of Sol’s elbow. “I’m looking at him. You took it.”

Dray wasn’t all that scary, really, not after knowing Blythe for so long. If all they were going to do was stand there and accuse Sol of… something… without even throwing numbers at him, Sol was going to get back to work. He picked up the staff again and ran his thumb over the second connector. “I took what?”

“That! That right there!”

“This?” Sol looked at the staff, then back at Dray. It turned out he didn’t need counting to lose track of what they were arguing about. Huh, you learn something new every day. “What about this?”

“That!” Dray took their hands from their hips so that they could gesture at the staff. “You took that!”

“I took this?”

“Yes! You took my staff!”

Oh! Now Sol remembered why Dray was here. It was Dray’s staff that he was going to make shoot flaming spikes. He grinned at Dray and nodded. “Yeah! Yeah, I took your staff.”

There was a brief pause between them, then Dray cleared their throat. “Well? Can I have it back now?”

“You mean the staff?” Sol pointed at the staff with the hand that wasn’t holding it. He wanted to be clear that Dray wasn’t talking about something else.

“Of course I mean the staff!” Dray gestured wildly toward the ceiling now. “What else have I been asking about since I came in here?”

“But I’m not done with it yet. I have to be a healer to it because it’s a broken thing and I fix broken things.”

“There’s nothing broken about my staff.”

Dray lunged for it and Sol reflexively lifted it up above his head. His knuckles scraped the ceiling and it hurt a little, but he knew Dray wouldn’t be able to reach it. If Dray would stop yelling, Sol could have had this done five minutes ago. Maybe not the spikes yet, that might take a while, but the fixing part would be finished. “Yes there is! I have to sand it down and solder on a new catch so it slides together better--”

“Give. Me. My. Staff.”

“--And it doesn’t shoot spikes or light them on fire yet--”

“It’s not supposed to do that, you goon!” Dray hopped onto the step stool and reached for the staff, their fingertips falling short yet close enough that Sol feared they'd be able to grab it if they jumped.

Sol needed to make Dray understand. It was a present to make them happy and now they were just about the opposite of happy. Or was sad the opposite of happy? Dray wasn't sad anymore, and that was what Sol had been going for, but angry wasn't what he wanted either. “But it was going to! It was going to be a surprise and now I told you and it’s not a surprise anymore.”

“What do you mean ‘surprise’?” Dray planted their foot on Sol’s shin and grabbed onto one of his shoulders. Within seconds they had clambered up Sol’s torso.

“I’m fixing your staff. …Surprise!” Despite Dray’s display of human parkour, Sol was having fun. Hey, maybe Dray would want to start an acrobatic act with him. Now that Etri was going to be Adair’s sentinel, he probably wouldn’t be performing much and Sol was going to need a new partner.

“It. Doesn’t. Need. Fixed.” Dray hoisted their way up past his shoulders until they sat astride the back of his neck. Sol waved the staff around, wondering how well Dray could keep their balance. He was pretty sure they were holding on entirely with their knees.

The door to the wagon swung open followed by a voice Sol knew all too well. “Freeze, you two!”

Sol spun so that both of them were facing the shadows standing in the doorway and he was pleased when Dray didn’t even totter. Maybe this could work! He’d have to ask Etri about his future plans and if he’d mind Sol taking on a new partner. He’d have to ask Dray, too, of course, but maybe they--

That was when he realized Blythe was still addressing them in what Sol thought of her “stop-screwing-around” voice. He had no choice but to hand Dray the staff, which they snatched with a gleeful cackle, so he could pluck them from his shoulders and set them on the floor. Adair stood next to Blythe and it took Sol a worried minute to realize he was turning red because he was trying not to laugh. What was so funny?

“Well, I’d say that’s unexpected, but I should have seen it coming when I heard you two bickering. Dray, do you always activate marks by getting into fights?”

What was she talking about? Sol glanced down at Dray to see if they had any idea. Dray must have taken his attention the wrong way because they glared and swung the staff behind their back to put it out of reach.

Adair had returned to his normal shade of brown when he nudged Blythe’s arm. “Can I tell them both? Please? Pretty please?”

Blythe sighed and covered her eyes with her hand. “This is going to be a bad pun again, isn’t it? Every time you ask, it’s always a bad pun.”

“There’s no such thing as a bad pun.” Adair gestured with both hands at Sol and Dray. “I guess this means they’re sole-mates.”

“I knew it. That’s the same dumb pun you’ve been making since you met Sol.”

“No, it’s not! The other was about Sol. This one’s completely different. I mean, it does make them sole-mate Sol-mate soulmates, but it’s a completely different joke.”

“Oh no,” Dray muttered under their breath.

Sol just stared at Adair. If he waited long enough, maybe Adair would stop saying his name and explain what was going on. To his relief Adair came over and poked him in the side, but his words weren’t any more helpful. “You two must have got off on the wrong foot, huh?”

Blythe and Dray groaned in tandem. Why was Adair talking so much about feet?

“You’re going to be together through thick and shin now, I’ll bet.”

Huh?

Dray held out a hand as though to keep Adair at a distance. “Enough is enough. Sol, he means look at your leg, you doof.”

Finally someone was making sense. Sol did as he was told. The long black soulmark on the front of his leg had changed into the same rainbow of the other marks on his body. He’d always thought the mark looked a little like a footprint and… that was why Adair kept making all the feet comments! Dray’s matching mark to his must be on the bottom of their foot, like Etri and Blythe’s were on their hands and Adair’s was on his back. Maybe Dray would want to share an act with him because they were destined to be important to each other. He let out a whoop and picked Dray up in a bear hug to spin them around. This was great! Now he knew who all of his importants were!

Dray’s only reaction to this was to sigh when Sol put them back on the ground and to tug the wrinkles from their shirt. “I guess it could be worse. Pun-boy over there could be one of my soulmates.”

Adair stuck his tongue out, which Dray ignored.

“Now that I know I’m stuck with you and you weren’t going to steal it, I suppose I can let you have this.” Dray held out the staff only to snatch it back when Sol went to take it. “Under one condition. You only fix it up so it works better. No spikes and absolutely no flaming spikes.”

“Can I at least make the wicks self-ignite when you push the button? I really want to make it have a button that does something smarfy.”

Dray hesitated, but handed it over. “I’m going to regret this. I know I’m going to regret this. Just be careful with it.”

There was no doubt about it. Sol had the best importants! He met Adair’s eyes and didn’t have to say a word. Adair knew exactly what he wanted. “I’ll go move the rest of the toothpicks off the table.”

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(My husband gets co-writer credit this week because he helped me out with writing that argument and then acted it out for me. He’s a goofball! Anyway, I have two chapters left in this story and next week it’s a Dray POV. :) As always, if you want to be taken off the list of people I tag when I share stories, let me know. If you want to be added to the list, also let me know. And please definitely do tag me when you share stories and excerpts and things, too! @ageekyreader @lynnafred @the-gay-hufflepuff @firewritten @joshuaorrizonte @writtenhastily @writerlydays @ava-burton-writing @josephmxa @megan-cutler @dragonscanbeplantstoo @alittle-writer @perringwrites @an-author-in-progress @aceduchessdragoness @madmooninc @thatwriternamedvolk @elliot-orion @wchwriter @lady-redshield-writes @shadow-maker @zachdoesawriting @blogherosix @reeseweston @bluemartlet @pen-for-sword @writer-on-time )

#writing #writeblr #short story #au story #soulmate au #au tuesday #unexpected inspiration series #stuck with you story #UI POV: Sol #I always worry about Sol's chapters being too weird and rambly so hopefully this works! :)#although writing this chapter makes me want to get a staff even more than I already did #dang my carnies making me want to try new props!

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