#zine fic

[hyuge]

Wrapped in Sunshine

Katsuki stood by the campfire airing out the bedrolls. He hung them on a nearby tree branch and crawled back into the tent, wiping out the dirt that had gathered on the floor. As he was organizing their belongings, Katsuki heard heavy footsteps padding toward the campsite at a rapid pace. He poked his head out of the tent entrance to see Eijirou bounding into camp, stopping just shy of the fire.

Eijirou was in full dragon form, red scales glistening in the daylight. His large talons dug into the earth and in his maw hung the limp body of a giant boar. Blood dripped from his chin, and he released the beast. It fell with a heavy thud on the ground in front of the tent and Katsuki stared up at him wide-eyed.

He climbed out of the enclosure, poking the dead animal with his foot, then looked to Eijirou who was sitting upright in anticipation. “What the hell is this?” he asked.

Food for my sunshine, Eijirou replied telepathically. He licked his mouth clean before his body began to shrink, returning from dragon to human. “I thought we could feast,” he said, once he was able to speak in human tongue.

“Ei, this thing is massive. Even if we smoke the meat, it’s too much to carry.” Katsuki chided him. The boar had to be at least three hundred pounds. They would never eat it all and the nearest village was twenty kilometers away. They would have to fly the meat to market.

“But you always say we need more meat.” Eijirou looked and sounded defeated. He kicked his bare foot at the ground, head dipping so that they were no longer making eye contact. He looked like a wounded badger, and for all of Katsuki’s talk, he hated seeing animals (and Eijirou) wounded.

Katsuki sighed. He folded his arms across his chest and inspected the boar. Eijirou had managed a clean kill. If they skinned it properly, they could manage a hefty bag of coins from the remains. The boar was a victory, but also a giant pain in the ass. “You’re right,” he said after a long pause. “We do need more meat, and with a boar this size, we’ll make a profit.”

“You’re not mad?” asked Eijirou, looking hopeful. Crimson eyes glimmered and his cheeks eagerly touched his eyes. The lines of slowly forming crow’s feet wrinkled in delight as he scooped Katsuki up into a bear hug.

“I’m not mad, ya’ big oaf.” Katsuki let himself be hugged, leaning into the touch, and resting his head on Eijirou’s shoulder. “Now help me clean the beast before it expires.”

“Absolutely!” Eijirou held Katsuki at an arm’s length, planting a kiss on his lips before setting him down and drawing his claws out to skin the animal.

***

Katsuki stood next to the river tapping his foot on the ground. His hands rested on his hips, and he was eyeing Eijirou skeptically. “Tell me again how this happened?”

Eijirou sat in the river as water began to wash away layers of dirt from his body. His usually glimmering scales were tarnished. His claws were cracked and chips, the undersides thick with mud and dried blood. He had come back to camp in his half-human form, wings stretched out behind him, face coated in filth, and a handful of raw, uncut gemstones in his satchel.

Eijirou scratched at his scaley face, blushing in the odd way that dragons did. Their armored skin did not flush red, but it was still clear to Katsuki when the dragonborn was embarrassed. “Well, I uh... I heard about this diamond mine nearby. I wanted to get Sunshine something as bright as you are. They make rainbows in the light. Have you seen? If Sunshine doesn’t like them, I can take them back. There’s a ruby deposit to the north. Would Sunshine like rubies instead?”

Katsuki sighed in exasperation and shook his head. “Diamonds are fine, but don’t go digging by yourself. It’s dangerous.” He pulled a rag out of their bag and stepped into the water to begin wiping Eijirou’s body down so that it was free of dirt.

“I promise!” Eijirou smiled happily, his large mouth drawn back into a snarl. His guttural laugh sent ripples through the water and his breath was hot on Katsuki’s skin. The heat dried the sweat on his brow, and he dipped the rag in water to dampen it.

Katsuki took extra care on Eijirou’s claws, using a twig to dig the dirt out from underneath each one. “We’ll have to file your nails once you change back. You could get hurt if you let them stay cracked like this.”

“Okay, Sunshine.” Eijirou agreed, pleased to be groomed by his lover.

With a tired smile and a sigh, Katsuki shook his head and continued to clean his mate. He had grown accustomed to the pet name ages ago. While Katsuki wasn’t a fan of it at first, Eijirou insisted it was because his hair was as warm and golden as the sun’s rays, giving life to the earth—the same way Katsuki gave life to Eijirou. It was disgustingly sappy, but he didn’t have the heart to tell Eijirou to stop calling him “sunshine,” after that.

***

Things were beginning to take a strange turn and Katsuki knew something wasn’t adding up. First the boar, then the diamonds, and now Eijirou had gone out of his way to drag Katsuki to a hoard of ogres. He said it had been a while since Katsuki’s last fight and he knew how bad he had been itching for some action. It was true, but still strange. Usually, Eijirou was a pacifist, only engaging in battle if necessary. It wasn’t like him to actively seek out combat just to appease Katsuki.

Katsuki took a blow to the face, splitting his lip. He grinned wildly, wiping at the blood that was beginning to trickle down with the back of his hand. It smeared across his chin like war paint, and he rushed forward, sword poised for the kill. He thrust the blade into the ogre’s chest, then pulled free, smiling victoriously as the monster landed face-first into the dirt.

As Eijirou finished off the others, swiping his large talons across the battlefield, Katsuki began to wipe his sword clean of the carnage that had just ensued. Eijirou bounded over to him, licking his face with that giant dragon tongue of his. Katsuki smiled, petting his mate on the snout. “Yeah, yeah. This was fun. Thanks.”

Eijirou preened, a low rumbling rippled its way through his body. He nuzzled his snout against Katsuki’s cheek, soliciting a laugh from the blond. “Okay, okay. So, why did you want to go ogre hunting anyway?”

Eijirou whined in lieu of an answer.

“Not talking, eh?” Katsuki wiped at the blood on his lip with his thumb and gave Eijirou a onceover. “We should get cleaned up and see if there’s any loot worth taking.” Eijirou nodded his large head, then shifted back into a human.

“Sure thing, Sunshine.”

Katsuki pursed his lips, but shook it off, moving to the ogre he had defeated.

***

While Eijirou slept, Katsuki packed his bag to head off on a solo mission to the dragon village where Eijirou hailed from. He wanted answers and his mate was not talking. Every request to get answers was met with silence or a distraction and he was not one for being toyed with. There was something going on and he would figure it out.

As his dragon snored softly in their tent, curled up in their bedrolls and blankets, Katsuki stepped into the forest. It would take half a day to walk to the dragon village alone. Normally, Eijirou would fly them there in about an hour, but he couldn’t risk the dragon taking them on a detour or something instead of to his home. If anyone knew why Katsuki's mate was acting strangely, it would be his people. He slung the bag over his shoulder and started off on his journey in the wee hours of the morning.

The sun had yet to rise, making navigation through the forest difficult, but Katsuki had lived there long enough that he knew the area like the back of his hand. He just had to turn left at the old oak tree and then head south until he reached the clearing. Easy. At least, it would have been if the oak tree hadn’t been felled in a recent storm.

By the time Katsuki reached the dragon village, he was exhausted and dripping in sweat. His water had run out, and his rations were painfully low. He had packed for four hours, not seven. On the opposite side of the village Eijirou’s sworn brother, Tetsutetsu, was chopping wood outside his small cabin. Katsuki came to a stop a few meters away from him, hands gripping his knees as he caught his breath. Tetsutetsu dropped the axe he was wielding and rushed to Katsuki’s side.

“Bakugou? Are you okay?”

Katsuki waved him off. “Fine, fine. Can I get some water?”

Tetsutetsu nodded and ran to the well, pulling up the pail and filling the canteen on his side. He dropped the pail back into the well and returned to Katsuki’s side. “Here. Drink up.” He offered Katsuki the water, which he took gratefully. Once Katsuki had sufficiently drank down the water, Tetsutetsu took the canteen back and eyed concerned. “Where’s Ei? Is everything okay?”

Katsuki nodded, taking a seat on the ground. “I came alone. He’s fine or at least I think he is.”

“What do you mean?” Tetsutetsu took a seat beside him, crossing his legs and leaning his elbow on his knee.

“He’s been acting strange lately—showering me in gifts more than usual, taking me to fight monsters when he hates fighting, keeping secrets—it’s not like him. As a fellow dragon, I was hoping you could help.”

Tetsutetsu blinked and gave Katsuki a sniff. His nose wrinkled and scooched a few centimeters away. “Oof. That’s strong.”

“What?” asked Katsuki, confused.

“Ei’s scent on you. It’s stronger than normal, which makes sense since you just explained that he’s courting you.”

Katsuki’s face went white, his mouth dry. “Courting?”

“You know dragons mate for life?” asked Tetsutetsu.

Katsuki nodded slowly.

“Well, he must think it’s time for the bonding ritual or marriage as you humans refer to it. Though, a draconic bonding ritual is way more intense than any human marriage.”

Courting... bonding... Katsuki was embarrassed to not have realized it on his own. He studied dragons for years before meeting Eijirou. Now that it had been pointed out to him, it was completely obvious. He rose to his feet, body still tired from the long journey, but he needed to get back before Eijirou worried.

“Leaving already?”

“Yeah,” he replied.

Tetsutetsu got to his feet as well, giving Katsuki another onceover. “I’d offer you a ride home, but given the situation, I don’t want Ei coming for my head.”

“It’s fine,” Katsuki assured him. “I got here on my own, I can get home on my own.”

Tetsutetsu clicked his tongue and nodded. “Let me get you some supplies at least. I can’t send you back without any food or water.”

Katsuki didn’t argue. He was grateful to have a full reserve of water for the long walk home.

“You know,” Tetsutetsu started as he fetched the pail from the well once more, “the two of you should move back to the village. I know Itsuka would like to see you more too.”

Katsuki chuckled softly, taking the canteen, and shoving it in his bag. “Maybe. Tell them we’ll visit soon.”

He waved farewell to Tetsutetsu and headed back through town toward the forest he and Eijirou called home. Katsuki smiled to himself, thinking about all the things Eijirou had done lately to earn his favor. How long had Eijirou been planning this? Knowing him, from the day they met on the mountainside when Katsuki challenged him to a battle. Stupid lizard, he thought affectionately.

Katsuki was only halfway home when he caught sight of large red wings in the sky overhead. They eclipsed the sun, bathing him in shadows until Eijirou landed in front of him. He rushed to Katsuki, taking him in his arms and checking him over. “Are you okay? I woke up and you were gone. I couldn’t find you anywhere and you’ve been—” He sniffed, face blanching. “Why do you smell like Tetsu?”

“I needed to ask him something,” said Katsuki, patting Eijirou on the shoulder and freeing himself from the dragon’s grasp.

“Why?”

Katsuki shrugged. “No reason.” he replied, purposefully being coy. Two could play at that game. “It’s getting late, and I need to visit my parents before we return home. Do you mind?”

Eijirou pursed his lips pouting but huffed in defeat. “Yeah. Let’s go. I miss Sunshine’s kin. I would love to see what MawMaw and PawPaw are up to.”

It was disgustingly sweet how close Eijirou was with his parents. Katsuki loathed it, but he couldn’t complain that his parents loved his mate. It made life easier, even if they did spend a disgusting amount of time gossiping when together. Eijirou transformed and Katsuki climbed on his back, situating himself as the base of Eijirou’s neck before they took flight.

Flying together was always his favorite. It was invigorating having the vast sky expand around them, soaring through the clouds, having his skin kissed by precipitation. He loved it.

Arriving home took no time at all when Eijirou flew them there. Katsuki dismounted from Eijirou’s neck just outside the village and they walked toward his parent’s home together. Mitsuki and Masaru could keep Eijirou busy while Katsuki did what he needed to do.

The front door opened and Mitsuki walked outside, arms spread wide. “What a surprise. There’s my favorite son.” She hugged Eijirou, looking at Katsuki teasingly.

Normally, he would make some sort of snide comment, but for now, he would ignore it. “Hey hag, where’s my trunk?”

She looked at him, still hugging Eijirou and nodded in the direction of the shed. “I’m not sure what you need that old thing for, but it’s out back.” Mitsuki’s nose twitched as she let go of Eijirou. “Child, you need a bath. When was the last time you used soap? These clothes are filthy.” She began to steer Eijirou toward the house despite his protests. While he could easily put a stop to her dragging him away, Eijirou followed with a pout on his face.

When they were out of sight, Katsuki made his way to the shed, opening the window to let the evening light in. The trunk was coated in a layer of dust. He blew at the dust, coughing as it filled the air, and opened the trunk. Katsuki wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but the best gift had to be within the confines of the wooden box. All his best kept treasures were there, and Eijirou deserved the best. As Katsuki sifted through the trunk, he realized how much clutter he had collected over the years. Many of the items needed disposal, but tucked in the corner amongst animal teeth, scraps of fabric, and odd stones from the lands he visited, were two items Katsuki thought to be perfect for proposing. Everything was a competition, even courting.

He pulled out the skull of a griffin from his first adventure with Eijirou. It was customary to slay a beast for your betrothed, much like how Eijirou had brought Katsuki the boar. He set it down neatly on the floor and smoothed out ratty orange cloth that he had also procured from the trunk. His parents had said it was the blanket he had been swaddled in as a newborn. It was a relic of his past and something Eijirou would treasure for a lifetime.

Katsuki shut the trunk and scooped up the skull and blanket, closing the shed window before walking out of the small building. He started to head for the house, surprised to see Eijirou sitting in the yard picking flowers. The dragon was twisting the stems, tongue sticking out in concentration, as he formed a flower crown. Katsuki laughed to himself, coming to a stop in front of his mate. “Done bathing already?”

Eijirou looked up, eyes widening. “MawMaw agreed it could wait until after dinner if we spent the night. We can spend the night, right? PawPaw is making stew.” Eijirou loved Masaru’s stew (mostly because of the meat and potatoes).

Katsuki nodded. “Yeah, we can stay.” He dug the toe of his boot into the ground, fidgeting with the gifts behind his back. “Ei, can you stand up?”

“Sure, Sunshine.” Eijirou smiled, crimson eyes glittering in the evening light. “I made you a crown of sunshine flowers,” he said, placing the dandelions atop Katsuki’s head.

 Katsuki sighed, smiling softly at his far too sweet lover. “I have something for you too.”

“For me?” Eijirou’s wings beat wildly behind his back in anticipation.

“Yeah.” Katsuki wet his lips, moving his arms to the front of his body, blanket, and skull in tow. “Do you remember that griffin we fought after we first met?”

“I do.”

Katsuki gulped, suddenly nervous. He lifted his shaking hands, resting the skull atop Eijirou’s head, a crown for each of them. “A crown for my dragon king.”

“I’m not—”

“You’re mine,” Katsuki assured him, now holding out the blanket. “This was the cloth I was wrapped in when I was born. It’s a piece of me that will always be a part of you.”

“Katsuki.” Eijirou’s eyes began to water, and he sniffled. “What are you doing?”

“You were courting me, right?” Eijirou nodded. Katsuki grinned. “So, now I’m courting you. Will you have me forever?”

“Always,” replied Eijirou, pulling him in for a kiss.

You can also read it on AO3.

#fanfiction #fanfic #bnha #krbk #kiribaku #mha #bakugou katsuki #kirishima eijirou #sunrise: a krbk wedding zine #proposals #marriage proposal #courting #courting rituals #fantasy au #dragon kirishima #barbarian bakugou #gift giving #zine fic

[hollyand-writes]

Rating: Teen   Word Count: 1,956 Pairing: Anders/Male Hawke Other Tags: Alternative Universe – Regency, Meet-Cute, Flirting, Fade to Black, Written for the @mhanderszine

Summary:

mol·ly house (noun): 1. (British, historical slang) A Regency Era meeting venue for cross-dressing and/or gay men, often a tavern or coffee-house. — Regency AU. The dashing Mr Garrett Hawke meets Doctor Anders at a local molly-house, and sparks fly.

———————

Mr Garrett Hawke, most eligible bachelor in Kirkwall, was said to be looking for a wife. Tall, handsome, rich, and living in an estate so grand that its balcony boasted the best views over the city, it was a truth universally acknowledged that not a single lady in Hightown would refuse him… if he asked.  

The only problem was that any reported desire for marriage was little more than wild speculation; for Mr Hawke, as charming as he was to every lady in Hightown, had no interest in any of them. This made him enigmatic, elusive, desirable even; for many noble young ladies and their mothers saw such a gentleman as a challenge to capture and tame into matrimony—but the truth was really that Mr Hawke preferred to spend time at a certain coffee-house where men consorted with men.

High society would be scandalised by the many love affairs Mr Hawke had had from the venue in question, if they ever knew that particular coffee-house was a front for a molly-house (and notorious for it among men of Mr Hawke’s persuasion). Women were barred; like they were from so many coffee-houses or other places a gentleman would socialise in; so there was very little risk of Lady Leandra catching her son there, and very little risk of her gossipy female friends witnessing the revelry inside. On the rare occasion Mr Hawke was ever questioned on his predilection for frequenting the place, Mr Hawke would simply say he enjoyed the coffee.

But Mr Hawke’s more recent visits had nothing to do with the coffee—and everything to do with the new blond doctor that had suddenly started showing up of late...

Read more on AO3...

#handers #m!handers #garrett hawke #anders #hawke #m!hawke #dragon age 2 #dragon age #Regency!AU #dragon age 2 fanfic #Regency AU #zine fic #hawke x anders

[antihero-writings]

Learning to Walk

Fandom: How to Train Your Dragon

Summary: Hiccup and gravity have been enemies for as long as he can remember. Most people have to learn to walk only once, but, many times throughout his life, Hiccup has had to learn what it means to stand on his own two feet. My fic for the @oncethereweredragonszine!

The world was too big. And Hiccup, a year old, was too small within it. Could he stand it? Stand in it? He wasn’t sure.

After all, there were dragons out there.

Surely a weak thing like him couldn’t survive the heat of flame, the prick of teeth, so maybe he shouldn’t try to stand.

The Earth quaked when he attempted to get to his feet...and that was before the flames and the teeth came.

Night came with a fury that sent water to his eyes.

He cried…a lot. He cried when the big man—“dad” was his name—left to fight the teeth and claws. He cried when the house burned—it did so rather often. He cried when he was hungry, and thirsty. The world turned too fast.

Too big. Too fast.

Perhaps, greedy thing, he ought stop asking for so much.

“That’s it, just a little bit further!”

He didn’t have many enemies just yet, but he considered gravity one of them. For every bit of progress he made, gravity sent him tumbling to the ground.

Perhaps, defenseless thing, he ought just give up the fight.

“Take your time, son.”

But he was stubborn.

And he wasn’t going to let gravity, or a little bit of fire get to him.

He was going to get up and start walking.

So when “dad” held out his hands and said come, he—tiny, maybe doomed, maybe destined, thing—was going to come to him. No matter how many times he lost the duel to gravity in the process. 

*******

They were just fragments, flashes.

Flame. Teeth. And claws.

Pain in his leg.

He was wrapped in the night’s wings, then his father’s arms, and both felt like home.

But before he was aware of where he was, or what was going on, pain pulsed through his leg.

Something nudged his face repeatedly, and he opened his eyes.

“Hey Toothless.” He said to the pair of green eyes staring back at him.

The dragon bumped him more adamantly.

“I’m happy to see you too.” He cupped the dragon’s face.

As Toothless tried to get as close as possible, smothering him in slobbery kisses, the dragon ended up stepping on his stomach.

“OW!” Hiccup shot up. “What?!—Ah!”

—(But the worst pain wasn’t in his stomach, it was in his leg...Why? Why did it hurt so much? Why couldn’t he feel his toes? Why couldn’t he feel—?)—

As he looked around he saw—

“I’m in my house.”

He swiveled his gaze to the dragon as if playing which-of-these-things-doesn’t-belong.

He couldn’t be home… Because there was a dragon in here, hopping around like an excited pet.

“You’re in my house.”

Toothless jumped onto the column, then over the fire, then up to him.

The problem was that he was not a pet. He was a dragon, and dragons are not house-sized, and thus prone to knock over things, and destroy wooden objects in the vicinity.

“Does dad know you’re here?!” Panic crept into his voice.

If his dad knew there was a dragon jumping all about—(and potentially destroying)—the house he’d kill them both.

“Oh, okay!” As Toothless nose came close to him again. He held up a hand. “Okay!”

Toothless didn’t get the hint: he looked curiously up into the rafters and jumped on the beam.

“Toothless, no. No, Toothless. Toothless!”

The direness of the situation was catching up to Hiccup, he held out his hands as if he could stop the dragon from the ground.

Toothless peered at him from the rafters.

“Oh come on!” He nudged his body to the edge of his bed—

His throat snared his breath and heartbeat.

What had been an aching unsurity before was now a piercing certainty.

Toothless quieted sharply, like Hiccup’s silent realization had cut the air, and hopped down.

Up until now Hiccup had been telling himself it was just a paranoid notion, that his leg had fallen asleep, or broke in the fall, but a horrible realization pulsed through his heart like a plasma blast.

…He didn’t have a leg.

In its place was something reminiscent of one made of metal and wood.

The dragon lowered his head to sniff it, then raised those apologetic eyes to meet Hiccup’s.

(Was this what you felt like? Hiccup thought. When I broke you apart?)

Was he still breathing? He wasn’t sure. In fact, Hiccup was eighty percent sure his lungs were full of water.

It was just gone. Just like that. A whole part of him, taken away, as if stolen by trolls.

Another breath. It probably followed the first, but he was sure he’d been holding his breath for hours.

He was expected to just walk, like this piece of wood and metal was the same.

...But he was stubborn.

He cast his gaze forward. This was how things were now. He did want to know what was going on. What was out there. Why a dragon was in his house. This wasn’t going to stop him.

Putting his hands on the bedpost for support, he placed his normal leg on the ground, raising his new leg and taking a deep breath, and a step.

But the feeling of nothing against the ground, and pain against the stump halfway through caused him to fall onto Toothless’ head, grimacing.

Gravity and Hiccup had been on good terms for a while, but his old nemesis resurfaced.

Toothless set him up straight, though Hiccup kept his hands on him for support.

“Okay...Thanks bud.”

Together the two managed to stave off gravity enough to make it to the door, neither entirely whole until they leaned on each other. 

*******

Not much fazed Stoick. He'd fought bandits, and villains, not to mention dragons, since he could crawl, for gods’ sakes.

But this made his chest ache.

He’d watched Hiccup learn to walk, long ago.

Hiccup was so small, then. Always had been. That tiny form could barely hold his own tears or laughter without breaking.

He stood all the same. Stoick always knew he would.

But...Aren’t people supposed to go through that only once?

Watching his son stagger to his feet a second time, watching his still-small form battle gravity once again, when he’d already won ages ago, was far more difficult than fighting a man or dragon.

Losing a limb to a dragon was a badge of honor to a viking, and Stoick knew he’d be stronger for it...but Hiccup had ended the war...Did the price of peace have to be so high?

As Hiccup began to fall Stoick’s heart fell with him; he reached out to catch him. At the same time the dragon did too.

It still made his skin crawl to see a dragon in his house…but this was Hiccup’s dragon, and he was going to try his best to like him.

“I’m okay, guys. I got this.” Hiccup leaned back on his normal leg.

Stoick and Toothless shared a skeptical glance, but released their grip all the same.

Hiccup took a deep breath. “Okay, okay.” He raised the metal leg, put it down.

Repeat with normal leg. So far so good.

On the third step the fake one betrayed him.

“I don’t got this! I don’t got this!”

Stoick—and Toothless—reached out and caught him.

As hard as this may be for him to watch, Stoick could tell how much more frustrating it was to Hiccup.

After regaining his balance, Hiccup tried to smile, but it erred on the side of ‘grimace.’

Stoick knew how desperate Hiccup was...but he also knew he probably wasn’t going to be able to walk normally for a while.

After numerous falls, taking a break wasn’t optional.

Stoick let Toothless outside to play, and turned to Hiccup, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. He stepped over and sat beside him, the bed shifting under his weight.

“These things take time, son.”

“Yeah, I know but…I was able to walk the other day. ...Everyone else is out there with their dragons and-and what? I-I can’t even walk?”

Stoick’s eyes crinkled with sympathy.

Hiccup had changed the world...for the price of being able to walk in it.

“Do you remember the time you joined the other kids in that boar-catching contest?”

“...I seem to recall it being equally disastrous.”

“Everyone else caught them in minutes, but you just couldn’t get the hang of it. You’d stop short, or they’d slip from your hands, or drag you along.”

“Thanks, dad, I feel sooo much better.”

Stoick put his hand on Hiccup’s back. “Do you remember what you did? You tied a rope to a tree, and tripped them so you didn’t have to catch them yourself, and you ended up catching more than anyone else!”

“And then I got disqualified because we weren’t supposed to use props!”

“Still,”—He laughed—“I was so proud of you. You got frustrated, but you didn’t just give up.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Even though things are frustrating, in the end, you’re going to come out on top. You’re thinking too much about what everyone else is able to do, and not what you can do.” He poked him in the chest. “It’s more than you realize.”

Hiccup looked up at his father, and it really was a smile this time.

This may be difficult, but Stoick knew he was going to succeed against gravity. He’d watched him overcome impossible obstacles more than once.

After all, he was stubborn, like all Vikings should be. 

*******

Hiccup’s head hung on his shoulders as he trudged to the house on the hill.

His legs felt tied with bolas, weighing themselves down and tripping themselves up.

The blue glow had faded from Toothless’ scales, and, as he walked beside Hiccup, his head hung low too, his eyes big as they glanced to and from the new chief, as if unsure the good he’d done that day outweighed the bad.

They should have come home in triumph, in more ways than one. And there were many victories that day. But once the adrenaline dissipated from their veins they became chains beneath their skin; a soreness of more than just the muscles.

This house was always…well, home. This sturdy thing, warm, and welcoming. Always there to come back to, always safe. It burned down more than a few times, but it came back stronger.

‘Stoic’ was the word.

It never looked so lonely before.

What was once a refuge, was now a beacon with no fire left inside.

Knowing he’d walk in and there’d be no warm meals or laughter, no jokes or even arguing…knowing it’d be just him and Toothless in a hollow shell…he wasn’t sure he wanted to go inside.

But he forced his tangled legs to move, one at a time, up the hill, pushing open the door.

At the sight of the dark living room something wriggled into his chest and stole what breath was left in there, until his lungs sat empty. Hollow...but so heavy.

The living room, where they played games. The kitchen, where they made meals, and spoke of dragons, and of mom.

The absence was something solid filling up the space.

Gravity was a greedy thing, wrapping tentacles around his ankles, attempting to drag him to the floor with every step. It probably took minutes, but he was sure the journey upstairs took hours.

...Had his legs been trembling this whole time?

After much effort he arrived at his room. His bed, once a life-long friend, was a stranger to him. Still, he collapsed into it’s embrace all the same, his bound legs promising he wouldn’t be getting out of it for a good while.

The night came with a fury far stronger than any teeth or flame.

As he attempted to coax sleep from its hiding places, the house complained against the wind, louder than he remembered; the barren wind a howling beast scratching to get inside.

When the morning came—and he wasn’t quite sure if he’d slept at all, or just shut his eyes for a while—gravity’s tendrils were wrapped tightly around his whole body, crooning in his ear sweet, bitter words about the worth of staying in bed, and the lack thereof in going out there...and it had some good points.

Because going out there meant talking to people. Going out there meant having responsibilities. Going out there meant being Chief, for the first day of the rest of his life.

Going out there meant being Chief...because the old Chief was gone.

But chiefs weren’t allowed to get up late. They weren’t allowed to lay in bed fighting back the sorrow nagging behind the eyes. Chiefs didn’t have time to fly with their dragons.

Chief’s had to get up early and solve the rest of the world’s problems.

He attempted to get out of bed, but gravity seized him, shoving him onto the floor, before leaning down to hum in his ear a soft, sour lullaby.

Toothless, hearing the disturbance, perked up, and pattered over to check what was wrong.

“I’m okay, bud.” He brushed him off.

Toothless took that hand and used it to help him sit against the bed.

Hiccup held his head in his hand, and when he turned to his dragon, the sympathetic look in Toothless’ eyes whispered: Of course you’re not.

He didn’t realize until then just how much gravity was sitting on his eyes too. He wasn’t entirely convinced he hadn’t been cast into the sea, that he wasn’t beneath the waters now.

He used Toothless’ nose to try to help him get up, but his other side was missing the support, and he fell back.

Toothless’ nostrils flared a few times, as he stared at him, his eyes seeming to say: It’s okay to hurt.

And...I’m sorry. You can even hate me if you want.

He wrapped his arms around Toothless, and finally lost the battle, letting gravity send the sorrow down his cheeks. 

*******

The world was too small.

Was gravity always this strong? He wasn’t sure he felt so pulled to Earth before. If he tried to make any move towards the sky he was sure gravity, like a dragon trapper’s net, would tangle him in its grip and send him crashing to the dirt, crying for help.

Once the world was bigger, and he—surrounded in his best friend’s wings—was able to outrace gravity’s clutches.

Was that why they flew so fast, so far, so much? Were they just racing gravity and time?

Now that the world shrunk down...Could he stand it? Stand in it? He wasn’t sure anymore.

After all, there weren’t any more dragons out there.

Walking proved more tedious than it had been before...and he was altogether too aware of just how alone he was.

The questions came like poison darts, whispered in his ear by this force ever taunting him:

How can you walk after you fly?

After spending your whole life with a friend, how can you get through it alone?

Surely a weak thing like him couldn’t survive all on his own, without the teeth and flames to protect him. So maybe he shouldn’t try. Perhaps, greedy thing, he’d been clinging too tightly to life. He was nothing from the start. Nothing without Toothless.

Though he and gravity were enemies, when he had Toothless, he was never afraid to fall.

Now falling was all he dreamed about.

He sat up on his bed, throwing his legs to the ground with little respect. When he did, his gaze lingered over the metal one.

It made him think of other missing things.

It made him think of a lonely boy who stole a dragon’s tail for the world’s praise. Of a dragon who stole a boy’s leg to save his life.

He could never see one without thinking of the other.

Each time he took a step the Earth was too solid.

Whenever his mind absently looked for Toothless, or felt his name rise on his tongue, and there was no one there, no one to call, the ocean surged within him.

Once, every night—or close to it—the sound of flames and talons gnawed at the roof. Then, after that, joyful roars and chirps fluttered about the air each morning.

Now, the silence clawed at the walls worse than any nightmares.

When he had trouble getting to his feet, they didn’t rush to catch him. In the midst of the night, or on the darkest mornings, no one was close enough to say softly: These things take time or It’s okay to hurt. So he wasn’t sure he could stand after all.

The fight between dragons and humans may have ended, but, in the end, there was only gravity, and this relentless war.

He cried...a lot. More than he cared to admit. He cried on those lonely nights, and too unlonely mornings. He cried when he saw a scale on the ground, or the old tail against the wall—(the one that said: I’ll only fly if it’s with you).

His scent remained for far too long. He smelled like those cool, cloudless nights that are just wide enough to taste freedom.

He missed the sky.

Stuck on the ground, the Earth turned too slowly.

The world, without the sky. Too small. Too slow. Too solid.

Perhaps, human thing, he was doomed from the start.

Perhaps.

But he was stubborn.

He’d deemed gravity an enemy for as long as he could remember, and at some point he understood that gravity considered him the same. At first he thought this was just a continual cosmic joke; he was weak enough for gravity itself to single him out.

It took him far too long to realize it meant the opposite:

You only consider someone your enemy if they’re strong enough to defeat you. 

#how to train your dragon #httyd #hiccup horrendous haddock iii #hiccup #hiccup & toothless #hiccup angst #httyd2 #httyd3 #toothless #stoick #stoick the vast #httyd stoick #hiccup and stoick #hiccup and toothless #httyd 2 #httyd fanfiction #httyd zine #zine fic

[nebul-anna]

Finally get to post this- I'm a writer for the Akbadain section of @ranlayzine! 🧡💜

In my fic, "A Light to Guide You," I'll be exploring Hershel's struggles with self-doubt- and the confusion he has regarding his feelings toward his best friend, Randall. 💖

#nebulanna writes #ranlay zine #timelapse: a ranlay zine #professor layton #professor layton and the miracle mask #akbadain #hershel layton #randall ascot #angela ledore #ranlay #miracle mask spoilers #miracle mask #zine fic #zine writing

[mooifyourecows]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Haikyuu!! Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi Characters: Sawamura Daichi, Sugawara Koushi, Nishinoya Yuu, Oikawa Tooru Additional Tags: Humor, AU, Bar Fic, Bartender!Daichi, Fluff, Alcohol Summary:

On the one year anniversary of Daichi working as a bartender, his bar hosts a trivia night all about him. Koushi is determined to win and take home the gold.

#daisuga #sawamura daichi #sugawara koushi #zine fic #hqbartenderzine #shots of gold

[herenya-writes]

Now that the zine has been sent to everyone (it is absolutely gorgeous!) I’ve posted my @sttermsofservice  zine fic!

Opportunity Cost

Jim gazed at him for several seconds, emotions warring on his face. When his expression finally settled, there was something tender in his eyes as he placed a hand on Spock’s arm. “What about my priorities, hm? What if I need you to be okay? Spock, you know I—” He cut himself off and shook his head, crossing his arms in front of him. Spock missed the warmth of his hand immediately.

Or: Starfleet asks a lot of Jim and Spock, and they ask even more of themselves. In all of that, is there a place for the two of them together? What do they risk by taking the next step? What do they risk by staying in this nameless almost-something?

Be sure to check out everyone else’s fics and art as they are posted!

#sttermsofservice #zine fic #my fics #opportunity cost #spirk

[reneeofthestars]

Peril on Patrol!

Forgot to post this! This is a fic that I had the privilege to write for @vodeanzine​ , a Clone Trooper Zine!

This piece features Sister, a clone trooper of the 212th!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45644128

word count: 2226

*     *    *

Sister could never decide if she loved or loathed being on patrol.

On the one hand, it was critical for the security of the base. She was proud that Commander Cody trusted her skills to be among the first line of defense.

On the other hand, it was painfully boring.

Well, “boring” wasn’t quite the right word. Patrolling the perimeter of the hastily-established base required Sister to be focused and disciplined, alert for anything that might signal a hostile presence. But a good patrol meant nothing happened, which often led to strung-out nerves for no reason. So, every clone regularly on patrol duty had developed the skill of keeping watch for anything out-of-place, while also using the opportunity to relax.

Now, Sister uttered a quiet laugh, filtered through her helmet.

“Don’t tell me you actually watch those Jedi romance holos?”

“Sure,” Wooley said, inclining his own bucket towards her. “Jedi romance, Deep Space horrors, Wild Space adventures, Shilian dramas – I haven’t found a genre I don’t like.”

Sister shook her head. “Romances are fine, but I can’t watch the Jedi ones with a straight face. Not now that I know they’re only people.” She pivoted suddenly and scanned the land behind them, hands tight on her blaster rifle. Rusty-red scrubgrass, arching silicone formations, and looming crimson plants surrounded them, but her HUD didn’t detect any movement, heat signatures, or electromagnetic signals. No sign of any Separatists or local fauna following them through the Anaxes forest. She walked backwards for a few paces before turning around again. “Still clear.”

“Figures.” Wooley did a brief scan of the foliage to the right before looking up as they passed beneath one of the red plants. “Y’know, those remind me of the piona jellyfish back on Kamino.”

Once he mentioned it, Sister couldn’t help but agree. Long, undulating tendrils dangled from the bulbous, blossoming tops; so similar to the frills that dragged lazily behind the incredibly toxic – and absurdly large – languid invertebrates that drifted through the Kaminoan seas.

“Uh, they are plants, right? Not some sort of creature lying in wait for a tasty clone to devour?” She deliberately maneuvered around a particularly long tendril.

Wooley shrugged. “Could be a clone-eating plant, too. You never know with this galaxy.”

And what a galaxy it was. In the short time she’d been outside of Kamino’s torrential storms, Sister had seen more creatures, people, and landscapes than her studies had prepared her for. She did another sweep of their surroundings. Still no droids or lifeforms around. The creatures here seemed skittish.

They lapsed back into silence as they climbed a particularly rocky slope. It proved to be a hill, set at a higher elevation than the land around it. They paused to catch their breath, and Sister gazed around. A light mist wrapped around their legs, hugging the ground and stretching as far as she could see, weaving among the stalks and trunks of the reddish land. Spires of rounded rocks dotted the landscape, casting long shadows as the sun sunk lower behind hazy mountains.

“Do you ever miss Kamino?” Wooley asked, staring at the sunset.

“No.”

Sister was surprised how quickly she answered. She’d answered so seriously, without thought, that her voice dropped nearly to her brothers’ pitch.

Wooley’s helmet tilted slightly. “Not even a little?”

She cleared her throat. “No,” she said again, raising her voice to a more comfortable pitch. “I never felt… safe. I don’t know about your division, but in Tipoca City, to be different was to risk disappearing. The Kaminoans didn’t like ‘different’.”

Wooley nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“But my brothers took care of me. They always protected me, always made me feel safe.” Kamino was never home to Sister; home was wherever her brothers were. She pulled herself out of her reverie. “Do you miss it?”

Wooley sounded sheepish as he admitted, “Sometimes. But I might just miss the idea of it. Life was so slow and steady back then, and now it’s nothing but movement, you know? Sometimes, I just want to have a chance to rest like we used to.”

“Rest will come.” She didn’t bother to say more; they were both thinking it. Sister adjusted some controls on her HUD and did another sweep. The Republic base was well-concealed in the distance, and only came up because she knew what she was looking for. Beyond that, no structures pinged on her scanners.

A comm notice popped up on Sister’s HUD. Moments later, Trapper’s voice crackled in her ear. “You two are standing out like sunburnt taun-tauns up there. If you’re done with your sightseeing, it looks like our patrol loops are about to intersect. Want to join up for the last leg?”

Wooley nodded, and Sister replied, “It’ll be good to have you.”

“See you in three minutes, vod.”

Together, Sister and Wooley began their descent down the other side of the hill. It was considerably steeper than what they’d just climbed, so it took some careful maneuvering.

As they got back below the treeline, Sister asked, “Where do you want to retire to?”

Wooley gave a startled laugh. “Retire to? I think we need to survive the war first.”

“C’mon, you’ve thought about it.” Sister bumped him gently with her shoulder. “We’ve all thought about it. Don’t get bogged down with the existentialism.” She paused, considering the landscape bathed in red sunset. “I’d get a bunch of brothers to settle on Christophsis. The land’s covered in these gorgeous turquoise crystals. The way the light catches at dawn and sunset – I’ve never seen so many colors.” After nearly a decade of the stark white walls of Kaminoan cities, she was determined to experience as many colors as her vision spectrum would allow.

Wooley was quiet as he thought. He parted a particularly dense patch of scrubgrass with his rifle before moving on. “Of the places I’ve been,” he said at length, “I think I’d like to live on Ryloth. The area we were in was hot, but there are a bunch of different biomes to roam between. I like the Twi’leks. They’re good people, and, I dunno … I’d like to help them, if I can.”

Heat signatures registered on Sister’s HUD. She held up a hand to quiet Wooley and adjusted the specs. She relaxed; the forms were clones.

“Trapper, how goes the western bank?” Wooley asked as the other two came around a low-grown plant. He took a moment to lean his blaster against a boulder and shake the stiffness out of his arms. Sister followed his lead; the tightness in her limbs relaxed and she took in a steadying breath.

“Nothing to report,” Trapper answered as he approached. “Unless you count a nesting viper that Longshot tripped over.”

“You said you wouldn’t bring it up,” Longshot grumbled from behind him, squaring his shoulders.

“I lied,” Trapper replied mildly.

Sister grinned at Longshot, even though he couldn’t see it. “I didn’t know you were here! You get reassigned?”

“My squad just got back from a survey on one of the orbital moons.” Her batchmate took off his bucket and wiped his brow. “Nothing there but a bunch of rocks.” Longshot pulled out his canteen and took a swig before offering it to Trapper.

“We’re not supposed to take our armor off –” Wooley started nervously, before Trapper thumped the canteen against his chestplate.

“Drink,” Trapper ordered. And Wooley removed his helmet to drink.

Sister removed her bucket too, shaking out her thick dark hair. The elastic holding her hair in place had broken an hour ago, and had been falling into her eyes.

As she fished around in her utility belt for a replacement, Trapper grinned. “It’s grown out a lot, eh? Looks good.”

“Grew fast at first,” she answered as she wound her hair around into a knot to fit under her helmet, “but it’s slowed down now. Hasn’t gone past my shoulders yet.” She fastened the elastic just as Wooley handed off the canteen. She took it gladly; she hadn’t realized how thirsty she was. As she lowered the container, she spied an odd expression on Longshot’s face. “What?”

He shook his head, smiling. “Nothing. Just – I was looking at a holo I have of us on Kamino. Your face is a lot softer – rounder, maybe – than it was then.”

“The rest of my weight’s redistributed too. I thought the saying about food going straight to the hips was an expression, but apparently not.” Sister toasted him with the canteen. “Hormones work wonders.”

Longshot took the canteen back from her, but before he pulled away, he clapped her on the shoulder and inclined his head. “I’m happy for you, Sister. We all are.”

Sister beamed and pressed her forehead against his. “Thank you, vod.”

They stood a moment more before Sister gave him a slightly-less-gentle headbutt. “I guess we’ve loitered long enough.” She donned her helmet, and the others followed suit. As they resumed their joint patrols, she said, “So, Wooley and I were talking about where we’d like to retire. He says Ryloth, I say Christophsis. What about you two?”

“Naboo,” Longshot answered immediately.

“You’ve been?”

He raised a shoulder in a half-shrug. “No. But you’ve seen the holos. It’s beautiful, peaceful. I think it would be nice to learn about art… or whatever else they teach there.”

“I suppose our education of the arts is severely lacking.”

“I could get used to life on Coruscant,” Trapper mused, trodding through a tangle of scrubgrass. “Plenty of nightlife, drinks, opportunities – never a dull moment.”

“This is your retirement, Trapper,” Wooley reminded him. “We’re talking about when we’re old and not good for fighting.”

Trapper shrugged. “Fighting’s what we’re for. I’m never not going to be good at it.”

Sister checked behind them for any movement. “Now I’m imagining Ninety-Nine in a fistfight in some seedy cantina with neon lights.”

“I’ll be lucky if I’m in Ninety-Nine’s shape by the time this war’s over.”

Sister laughed as she pushed aside a short tendrilled plant –

And almost walked right into a probe droid.

Sister reeled back as the droid let out a high mechanical whine of surprise, its numerous dangling limbs convulsing instinctively. Its black-domed head spun on its axis, bulbous lenses flashing as it swiveled to each of the clones.

“Blast it!” Trapper shouted.

Sister didn’t need to be told twice; adrenaline surged through her veins. She felt a smug satisfaction that the stress of patrol wasn’t unwarranted this time. She sprinted to the right as Wooley lunged left, Trapper charging forward as Longshot backed up to get a better aim.

But the droid recovered as quickly as the clones. It spun into the air, red blaster bolts screaming down around them. Sister dove behind a boulder for cover, rock fragments splintering around her, and spotted Longshot taking a defensive position in a shallow crevasse, Wooley darting through a thick grove of the red plants.

Trapper didn’t look for cover; he raced straight towards the droid, trying to draw its fire.

It worked.

The droid’s lens narrowed in on Trapper, its extra blaster ports recalibrating –

Sister raised her blaster rifle and fired. The antenna comm system jutting from the dome exploded, Wooley’s shot disabled the main blaster with a spark and a flash of blue, and Longshot’s careful aim left the droid short-circuiting, broken shards where its main photo receptor had been.

The probe droid sputtered in the air a moment more, then tumbled to the ground with the groan of electronics and the crash of metal.

Trapper didn’t take any chances. He put one, two, three more bolts through the droid’s chassis in quick succession.

The silence was almost as deafening as the sudden blasterfire. Sister pivoted, narrowing her scanners, sweeping the area for any more droids. There were none.

“A scout?” Longshot growled as they gathered around the husk of metal.

Wooley was already tapping into the comms. “Patrol Osk to Base, come in, Base.”

Squatting down, Sister knocked more of the chassis apart, peering into the sparking wires and metal bits. The comms crackled a moment more before Commander Cody’s voice sounded in their helmets. “Base here. Status report.”

“We just ran across a Separatist probe droid,” Wooley said above her. “It’s destroyed now, but we don’t know where it came from.”

“Did it transmit a signal?”

They all exchanged a look. “No way to tell, sir.”

There was a pause, then the Commander switched to full-range comms. “I want all patrols back to Base immediately. All forces are to pull back while we evaluate a new situation.”

“Yes, sir,” all four of them said at once.

Her brothers made as if to start moving, but Sister didn’t stand; she plunged her hands into the depths of the droid, doing her best to avoid the still-live wiring.

Longshot looked down at her. “What are you doing?”

“Getting its brain,” she replied as her gloved fingers found their target. She gave a sharp twist, and the processor fell into her hands. She withdrew it, holding the rectangular object up. “Might have something useful on it.”

Trapper nodded. “Good thinking, Sister. C’mon. Let’s get moving.”

They set out at a brisk pace, keeping alert as they moved through the strange red forest.

Sister wasn’t worried; not when she had her brothers with her. Whatever happened, they’d face it together.

#writing #stories #fic writing #fanfic #zine #zine fic #clone trooper #sister #clone trooper sister #star wars #the clone wars #star wars the clone wars #tcw #star wars fanfic #star wars fic #renee writes #vode an zine #clone trooper trapper #clone trooper wooley #clone trooper longshot #writers on tumblr

[n00dl3gal]

My piece for @rhythmthiefzine! Thank you again for letting me join this project!

#rhythm thief #rhythm thief zine #phantom r #rhythm thief raphael #rhythm thief isaac #rhythm thief and the emperor's treasure #noodle writes #zine fic

[hyperbolicreverie]

It's almost time! Working on @opshankszine has been such a treat. Here's a little snippet of my offering in this wonderful collection of stories and art, coming your way soon!

#my writing #one piece #fanfiction #zine fic

[theprodigypenguin]

Rated G | 1477 words | Found Family | Unbreakable Bonds: ASL FanZine Fic

“You had a super bad fever,” Ace explained, and Sabo blinked in alarm. “Don’t worry. Just rest for now. We’ll take care of you.”

Sabo’s expression soothed as he seemed to relax into the blankets, reaching out to pat Luffy’s head where the boy’s face was buried against his sternum. “Sorry for the trouble.”

“Nah,” Ace tugged on Sabo’s bangs. “That’s what brothers are for.”

#one piece #sabo #portgas d ace #monkey d luffy #asl #asl brothers #zine fic #one piece zine #this was the official fic that was posted in the unbreakable bonds zine #prodi writes #fanfic #one piece fanfic #one piece fanfiction

[hyuge]

Life Alert

First aid training was not a required life skill, but it was highly recommended. Shinsou saw an ad in a brochure for a CPR class and decided that while he believed he would be fine in an emergency, it would probably be best to ensure he knew what he was doing. He went online to the community website to get registered for the class. After one two-hour session with local paramedics, he would be a certified CPR specialist.

Maybe not a specialist, but if anyone ever stopped breathing, he would be prepared to help them.

He was a little surprised to see how many people turned up to the class for a Tuesday evening in the middle of winter. There were about a dozen other students of varying ages and three uniform-clad paramedics present to lead them through the training. CPR dummies were laid out on mats on the floor, and everyone was asked to take a seat next to the dummies. The paramedics introduced themselves as Kendou, Monoma, and Tetsutetsu.

They were paired up with two people per dummy, and then each paramedic took two teams. Shinsou’s dummy partner introduced herself as Shiazaki. He mumbled a greeting and carded his hand through his long purple locks. The one called Monoma knelt in front of Shinsou and Shiazaki, along with the other pair seated beside them.

Monoma seemed loud to say the least, though that didn’t mean much in comparison to his silver-haired coworker. Kendou seemed to reel them both in, to some extent. Monoma instructed with very expressive hand gestures as he went over the basics of CPR to their group.

“When do we administer CPR?” he asked.

Shiazaki raised her hand. It was small and delicate, not a single callus to be seen. Monoma nodded at her. His slate-blue eyes fixated on her, though there was a look of disinterest on his face. “When someone stops breathing.”

Monoma’s head bobbed slowly with a nod. “And when else?” He turned his gaze on Shinsou.

“When their heart stops?”

“Is that a question?”

“No,” said Shinsou.

Something about this Monoma guy kind of irked him but in a ‘he’s hot but also annoying,’ sort of way. His straight, blond hair swept across his forehead in an effortlessly well-groomed manner. His uniform was pristine—though that was likely because of paramedic regulations—and those bright eyes seemed to bore deep into Shinsou’s soul. It would take Shinsou a minimum of one hour to get his hair that presentable. He gave up on putting effort into it years ago. Now, he always looked as if he was five minutes post-wakeup.

“First and foremost,” Monoma continued, “you or someone else in the area needs to call emergency services and make sure the scene is safe for administering CPR. Only then should you proceed. Make sure the injured party is lying flat on their back. You can’t do compressions just anywhere. You need to find the center of their chest and place the heel of your dominant hand over the back of the other hand.”

Monoma pointed at the dummy and Shinsou shifted his body so that he was sitting on his knees. He put his left hand down on the dummy’s chest first, between the nipples, then set his right hand on top.

“Chest compressions can be exhausting. You need to push hard and push down at about 100 to 120 beats per minute but also make sure that the chest rises in between compressions.”

“How many times do you do it before giving mouth-to-mouth?” asked Shiazaki.

Monoma narrowed his gaze at her. “You don’t.”

Shinsou cocked a brow and looked up at Monoma from his spot over the dummy’s chest. “What?”

“It is no longer recommended that civilians give patients mouth-to-mouth. It takes away precious time that should be spent on chest compressions and spreads germs. Mouth-to-mouth also deters bystanders from providing aid.”

“What if they drowned?” asked Shinsou.

“Then you can. If the person in need is injured due to loss of air rather than heart failure, that is the only time it is recommended to administer mouth-to-mouth.”

Interesting.

“Now,” Monoma continued, “begin chest compressions. I want you to count each compression aloud.”

Shinsou did as instructed. He leaned over the dummy and began to do compressions, counting aloud in time with each thrust. There was a tsk, and he looked up to see Monoma’s eyes fixed on him. “Something wrong?”

Monoma nods. “Do you mind?”

Shinsou eyed him, then shrugged. “Sure.”

Monoma leaned over Shinsou; his chest pressed firmly against Shinsou’s back. His arms slid down in place beside Shinsou, and warmth radiated where they touched. Monoma placed his hands on top of Shinsou’s and breathed against his ear as he spoke. “You gotta push harder and slower.” Oh. Boy, Shinsou’s face heated at that. He was glad Monoma was behind him so that he couldn’t see the color bloom on his cheeks. “Count with me. One… Two… Three…”

And he did. With Monoma’s hands on his hands, he did the compressions harder and slower, pumping life back into the dummy. His voice vibrated in Shinsou’s ear, and it was harder and harder to focus on the CPR he was supposed to be learning. When the weight finally left his back, Shinsou was filled with disappointment, but he continued the compressions as instructed. Monoma moved to assist Shiazaki, but Shinsou noted how he did not wrap himself around her like he did with Shinsou.

Was he just that bad at it or was there another reason? He tried not to focus on it. Shinsou’s eyes scanned the room, watching as everyone else practiced. He didn’t see any of the other paramedics get that close and personal with their instruction. Odd. His arms grew tired from the compressions. “Is it okay to stop now?”

Monoma inspected him for a moment, then nodded. “We’ll move onto mouth-to-mouth now.”

“I thought—”

“While it is not recommended to do it for CPR, it’s still good knowledge to have.”

The rest of the class went by rather quickly and by the end of it, Shinsou was handed a small card with his name written on it stating he had passed the CPR safety course. He thanked Kendou as she handed it to him with a smile. She gave a simple, “No problem,” then moved on to the next student. Shinsou made his way to the door to leave, then hesitated. Tetsutetsu was cleaning up the supplies and Monoma was at the door saying goodbye to everyone as they left.

Shinsou bit his lip. He wasn’t usually this forward (or ambitious), but something needled its way into the back of his head that egged him to do the unthinkable. He cleared his throat, and Monoma lifted his gaze to him. “Did you need something?” asked Monoma.

Shinsou parted his lips, wetting them before speaking. “I, um—I was wondering if you wanted to get a drink sometime? Or something. It doesn’t have to be drinks,” he added with uncertainty.

Whatever Monoma was thinking, his face kept hidden. Shinsou was not a fan of the fact that he couldn’t read him. “Like a date?” he asked carefully.

Shinsou nodded. “Yeah. I just—I thought I felt something earlier. Sorry if I misunderstood.” He moved to leave, but an arm extended in front of him, blocking the doorway.

“Phone.”

“What?” Shinsou blinked.

“Your phone,” said Monoma with a smile. “So, I can put my number in.”

Oh.

“Here.” Shinsou pulled his phone out of his pocket and held it out. Monoma was quick to enter his number and then hand it back.

“I’m free on Sunday.”

Shinsou felt his cheeks warm once more. “Then it’s a date.”

Thank you for reading! You can download the zine for free! ~ Also consider popping over to AO3 to drop a kudos if you liked it. 💕

#bnha #mha #monoshin #monoma neito #shinsou hitoshi #paramedic au #meet cute #fluff #zine fic #fanfiction #fanfic #bnha fic #mha fanfiction #paramedic monoma neito

[myakasama]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Bubaigawara Jin | Twice & Dabi | Todoroki Touya Characters: Bubaigawara Jin | Twice, Dabi | Todoroki Touya Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Pre-Canon, Homelessness, Poverty, Food Issues, Platonic Relationships, Bubaigawara Jin | Twice is a Good Friend, Dabi | Todoroki Touya is a Mess, Dabi | Todoroki Touya is a Little Shit, Zine, What-If, Roommates, They're disasters your honor Series: Part 9 of Zine Fics Summary:

Jin didn't mean to pick up the scruffy kid in the alleyway, but sometimes he does stupid shit without meaning to.

#zine fic #twice bnha #bnha twice #bubaigawara jin #jin bubaigawara #todoroki touya #touya todoroki #gen fic #double vision zine #myakachan

[ginneke]

Written for the Journey of Remembrance fanzine

As Link journeys across Hyrule, the loneliest gaps in his missing memories turn out to be very close to home.

--

Check out @flutefemme‘s spot art for this piece here! She did a wonderful job of capturing the wistful vibes I was trying to go for in this piece.

You can find the full zine here:

https://twitter.com/JoRZine/status/1606130055494569984

#botw fic #zine fic #journey of remembrance #botw link #ginnefic #including some very faint strains of background #revalink #or pre-revalink #frenemies vibes at the moment

[nebul-anna]

Respite for the Weary

Rating: General Audiences Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Category: Gen Fandom: Layton Kyouju vs Gyakuten Saiban | Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Relationship: Luke Triton & Naruhodou Ryuuichi | Phoenix Wright Characters: Luke Triton, Espella Cantabella, Naruhodou Ryuuichi | Phoenix Wright, Rouge (Layton vs. Wright)

Summary:

Luke, still affected by the loss of Professor Layton, has a difficult time falling asleep at Rouge's Tavern. He sneaks downstairs, and overhears Phoenix and Rouge talking about what happened to Maya. Phoenix's demeanor troubles Luke, and he wonders if it's possible to tell Mr. Wright that he completely understands what he's going through.

CWs in the opening notes, credits/shoutouts in the closing notes!! This was my fic for @labyrinthiazine! Fic preview is a little further back in my writing tag! Oh, and Labyrinthia Zine's leftovers are open until February 7th!!

Read the rest of Respite for the Weary on AO3!! 🔽

#nebulanna writes #professor layton vs phoenix wright #professor layton #phoenix wright: ace attorney #phoenix wright #ace attorney #plvspw #plvpw #plvpw spoilers #professor layton vs phoenix wright spoilers #plvspw spoilers #luke triton #espella cantabella #miss rouge #rouge plvspw #plvspw chapter 5 #professor layton versus phoenix wright #fanfic writing #zine fic #enjoy!!

[darkhymns-fic]

With Tea, Stew, and Character Creation

It's the night before Colette must leave on the Journey of Regeneration, but, maybe for now, she can pretend she's on another journey instead.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters: Colette Brunel, Lloyd Irving, Raine Sage, Genis Sage, Kratos Aurion, Dirk Rating: G Word Count: 2500 Mirror Link: AO3 Notes: It's launch day for Tales of Symphonia Remastered! So I can share my Symphonia fic that I wrote for @talesfanzine. The story also includes spot art by @frayed-symphony which you can check out on her blog! 🎲

If you missed the pre-orders, there will be zine leftover sales starting March 15. Don’t miss out on all the amazing Tales art and fics! And thank you again to the mods at the zine for having me on board!

--

It was the peculiar knickknack, perched on a shelf within the lower floor of Lloyd’s home, that had suddenly caught Colette’s eye.

Even as she felt the urgency of her journey, of Raine and Genis waiting for her at the table, of Kratos’ gaze as he sat nearby, hearing the creak of the floorboards as Lloyd came downstairs and the gurgling of boiling water where Dirk had a kettle on the stove, she lingered.

“Colette? What is it?” Lloyd asked, walking up to her.

“Oh, just…did you make this?” she asked, pointing to a figurine. It was carved from cedar, holding a bow in its left hand.

“No, but… Oh! It’s from that game we have! Right, Dad?”

Dirk chuckled as he poured tea into clay cups, steam twisting up in the air. “That’s one of the set pieces from it. Ya probably forgot to put it away and stuck it up there since.”

“I did?”

Colette’s curiosity was piqued. She couldn’t help herself but ask, “Can we play it?”

“Oh, like…right now?” Seeing the smile stretch across his cheeks, it wasn’t a question asked out of confusion, but of eagerness. “Sure! Dad, is it okay if we take it out? I promise we’ll put all the pieces back!”

“I was just about to serve tea to our guests. A little game would go well with it.”

There was only a soft clearing of the throat to show Kratos had been listening in before speaking. “We should begin preparations for our departure tomorrow. The hour is growing late.”

Lloyd’s smile flipped to a frown immediately. “Not like you have to play. And it’s rude to decide for other people, you know!” That earned a snicker from Genis, and even a little smirk from Raine.

Still, it did make Colette reflect on her childishness. “Ah, I’m sorry, I really should–”

“I think the decision should be up to the Chosen, don’t you agree?” Raine spoke from her seat. “Besides, we’ve already accepted the tea.”

A pause from Kratos followed by a shrug. “This will still be considered part of my assignment from the Church.”

“Of course.”

She silently thanked her teacher for letting her indulge, at least a little bit.

--

Colette couldn’t recall many instances of games at her own household besides the occasional cat’s cradle with her grandmother. Nothing as frivolous as toys on the floor, her room always tidy, with just the occasional star decoration for her windows. She had nothing like the box set Lloyd brought over, happily taking out more of the figures that looked like the one on the shelf. Each was a different person, a different story to them, the details so intricate on the pieces, from the folds of clothing to the studs on belt buckles.

“There’s even a rulebook in here on how to play,” Genis commented. Raine, seated across from him, looked to the pieces with interest. Kratos remained aloof in his corner, sipping the tea that Dirk had given him earlier.

“Yeah, it’s fun! You like, um… imagine who you wanna be. And play as them!” Lloyd took his seat next to Colette, shoulder brushing hers and shaking the table in his movement–which then… whined?

Lloyd peered his head down. “Noishe, why are you in here? You’re supposed to be in the stable!”

Instead, the giant dog had made his home underneath the table, despite it barely fitting him. To Colette, he looked like a piece of the green earth, matching with the potted plants that lined the walls and hung from the ceiling.

“It seems your pet wanted some company,” Kratos said.

Lloyd looked curiously at the mercenary, then sighed. “Fine, but you better go to bed later.” This was followed by a delighted whuff! and ecstatic tail-wagging.

Meanwhile, Colette was looking at the design of the box itself. It was carved to show the ridges of mountains, the curling lines of rivers, and even the gentle curves of the tops of trees. The map within was enthralling, a smaller version of Sylvarant. The carved figures were spread around the table, tiny heroes that could go out into this world that was made for them.

“It’s like going on an adventure!”

Lloyd grinned. “We could do this as a warm-up for when we go traveling for real.”

When we go. She made sure to keep her smile fixed.

--

Choosing their characters took a better part of the hour, their tea becoming lukewarm. She saw Dirk prepare something else at the stove, recalling when he had retrieved some potatoes from a nearby barrel earlier. Noishe was slumbering at their feet, his tail shuffling from side to side.

“I want to be the dual swordsman!” Lloyd shouted, looking through the pieces–then furrowed his brows. “Hey… where’s the guy with the double swords? He’s my favorite!”

“Ya lost him, lad,” Dirk called out, chopping a carrot. “On your way to school, remember? Ya wanted to show it off but dropped it into a river.”

“What?! Now who am I gonna play?”

“How about this one?” Colette picked up one figure gently, holding it up for Lloyd to see. “He’s a swordsman, too!”

Although, the figure only had one sword, coupled with a shield, which Lloyd noted. “I know, but he’s not the same…  and I don’t really like the way he smirks.”

“I think he looks nice.” Sure, the figure had a bit of a leering grin, with flowing locks to match, but he held a confidence that she couldn’t help but admire.

If Colette liked something, Lloyd was sure to follow. (There weren’t any other sword fighters anyway). He took the figure reluctantly. “Next time, I’m carving one of my own.” His eyes lit up with sudden inspiration. “With four swords this time!”

“Lloyd, we already have a Sword Dancer in this game and you can’t play him.”

“I–I know that, Genis!” Lloyd complained, who had definitely not known that.

“Can I choose her?” Colette took a figure who she found so mysterious, with beautiful eyes of amber. Unlike herself, this person seemed like they’d be graceful on their feet! “What’s her name?”

“I don’t think they have names,” Genis said. “But you just chose the assassin.”

“That sounds cool! I wanna be an assassin!”

“I bet you’d make a great assassin, Lloyd!”

“Really? You think so?”

Genis deftly slid between Lloyd and Colette’s conversation. “You already have your swordsman, now stick with it!”

“I’ll choose this one.” Raine was nonplussed with the small argument, picking out her figure. “He looks reliable.”

All three stared at what she held, then back to Raine.. “He looks…” Lloyd started. “Beefy.”

“His shirt is so small,” Colette commented. “He must be cold.”

Genis’ right eye twitched. “You’re choosing the fighter?”

Raine placed a hand on her chin. “Is that an issue?”

“No, it’s fine… I’d say I’m a bit worried your team doesn’t have a healer, but Lloyd’s character has some healing spells.”

“Wait, my guy does magic?”

“… It says it right on your character sheet.”

Then, there was one person left…

Colette thought Kratos looked a bit lonely, so she had asked him to join in, despite Lloyd’s protests. Kratos seemed surprised at the offer, but didn’t refuse, seating himself along with the rest.

Yet most of the playing pieces were falling apart or just missing–so he had been left with the last one left intact.

“You get the barbarian.” Genis gave him a small figure, giant axe held in its hand.

“Oh, is she a dwarf?” Colette asked.

“But she’s small, even for a dwarf!” Lloyd added.

Raine raised an eyebrow. “Is that not just a child?”

Kratos blinked, staring at the figure whose hair was arranged in charming twintails. “… She  seems resilient,” he said dryly.

Lloyd muttered something that only Colette could hear. “He’s somehow gonna be good at this, isn’t he?”

She giggled into her hand.

--

The rules were a bit complicated to Colette. Numbers seemed quite important! Especially for what was called their ‘attributes.’

��Lloyd,” Genis said, seeing his friend  scribble furiously on some paper. “You can’t put everything into strength.”

“But shouldn’t I want my guy to be strong?”

There was also something about the preparation that was invigorating. Colette thought over her character, the things she’d be good at, the history she had. She imagined she was a friendly assassin who owned dozens of dogs, and embarked on her adventures so that she could buy them all the food and treats they wanted!

When they finally played the game, thoughts of her journey flitted away.

“You’re deeper in the mines. There’s no more sunlight, so only your torches can help you see.” Genis’ voice was low, looking over the map, instruction book still in hand. “But the treasure is close. You’re at a crossway in the tunnels. What do you do?”

Raine opened her mouth to speak, but Lloyd barreled through loudly. “Let’s go right!”

“Should we check for traps first?” Colette asked.

“Oh, good thinking.”

She could use her trap-checking ability! But first, she needed to roll.

The multiple-sided dice were as pretty as jewelry, the runes that represented numbers carved delicately on each side. She didn’t completely understand the rules when it came to dice-rolling, but Genis had ensured everyone he’d take care of it.

“Good luck, Colette!” Lloyd cheered as she rolled, holding his character in hand. He seemed more comfortable playing his special swordsman now!

“And…” Genis paused, causing everyone to lean in to await his verdict as he read the numbers; even Kratos seemed invested. “You failed to deactivate the trap. You fall into the pit that was hidden.”

“Oh no, not again!”

Lloyd looked at the dice suspiciously. “This is the third miss in a row! Not even the real Colette falls that much!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault her rolls are unlucky.”

“Then I roll to go and rescue her!” Lloyd took the dice, cupped them in both hands and shook furiously. “With…” He squinted at his sheet. “Can’t I just jump in there?”

“You know you’ll also fall into the pit?” Genis sighed, taking Lloyd’s sheet. “Just roll. I’ll tell you to use whatever skill is best.”

Raine laughed quietly. “Someone’s being a very helpful dungeon-master.”

“I’d rather not have people die in our first game...”

“It’s fine! I rescued her, right, Genis?” Lloyd looked quite proud at his dice’s numbers, arms crossed and grinning wide.

“Yeah, but you also got yourself injured. You didn’t escape the damage check.”

“... Dammit. Okay, uh, I wanna use my healing spells!”

“You just had your turn. Also, did you forget you barely put anything into your intellect attribute? Your healing spells are practically worthless.”

“Oh…”

Even after the trap mishap, there were still perils on their journey underground. From taking a wrong turn and reaching a dead end, to being ambushed by giant cave bats that could only be defeated by a single swing of Kratos’ great axe attack–which had been just a ‘lucky roll’ according to Lloyd.

Then, they finally found the treasure within the deepest regions of the caves. Until… “There’s something guarding it,” Genis intoned.

Lloyd’s eyes brightened at the sound of a strong enemy, Raine’s with curiosity, and Kratos’ with exhaustion. Colette imagined everyone’s characters with the same expression,  the thought making her smile. “What’s guarding it?” she asked.

Genis took a deep breath, his voice taking on a dramatic tone. “A leftover demon from… Niflheim. ” Lifting away the book he had been holding over his face, Genis revealed another figure larger than the others; one with a skeletal face, riding on a lizard-like monster, and  brandishing a wickedly-long sword. “The Hell Knight!”

Lloyd thrust his figure at the carved enemy, his character’s sword clinking against the other’s. “Finally, a real fight! I roll to attack it!”

“I’ll help! Can I use my, um…” Colette looked at her sheet. “Backstab? But would I have to stab the cute lizard he’s riding, too?”

“I say we let our barbarian handle this,” Raine said. Kratos sighed tiredly.

“Ugh, but he gets to fight everything! Why not us?”

“Because you’re the support,” Kratos explained. “It would be prudent for you to stand back, as you are also still injured. And the Cho–the assassin should use her thieving abilities to get the treasure.”

Lloyd groaned. “You’re always so bossy. It’s my roll anyway, so I choose to attack and–Uh.”

His figure with the weird smirk was suddenly gone, the Hell Knight now only facing three adventurers.

“Where’d he go?!”

Colette shyly tapped Lloyd’s shoulder, looking as sorry as if she had taken away his character herself. “Noishe got to it when you weren’t looking…”

There was a gnawing sound from underneath their table.

Noishe had Lloyd’s character in his jaws, biting around its head like a chew toy and holding the rest of it between his giant paws.

“Stop eating him, Noishe!”

With a whine, Noishe stood up, bumping the table. Figures were knocked askew, as well as a few teacups. As he ran off, Colette thought that the figure’s smirk had transformed into a frown by then, probably from Noishe’s teeth making marks on it…

With their map covered in tea and chaos, and Lloyd leaving the table to run after Noishe, Genis shrugged. “Guess that’s game over for now.”

“Aw, I wanted to finish our adventure,” Colette said, having now clutched her character to save her from another fall. 

“Seriously, I had such a cool boss fight planned for you all.” Genis shook his head as he gathered up the figures, all while Lloyd tried to rescue his own from Noishe in their scuffle - and didn’t sound like he was succeeding very well. “But we can continue this next time!”

From her side, she saw Raine’s smile fade, saw Kratos close his eyes–if only for a second.

Colette nodded to Genis. “Next time.”

--

The stew Dirk had served after their game had been so delicious and warm, the feeling running through Colette’s chest, all while the crickets chirped in the night air.

But she had to leave eventually.

“Sorry we couldn’t finish our game,” Lloyd said. Both stood just outside the doorway, the others already crossing the small river, waiting on the dirt path. “But I’m gonna make my swordsman so powerful next time. We’ll beat that boss easy!”

“Hehe. I’ll do the same with my assassin.” She placed her hands behind her back, feeling the wind against her skin. “This was really fun!”

Lloyd’s smile to her felt as warm as the stew she had eaten, heating up her chest. In a strange moment of bravery, she wanted to reach for his hand. What if she…?

“Hey, Colette,” Lloyd’s voice was soft, like the leaves rustling around them. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

… She had a duty to fulfill.

“Yeah.” Her boots crunched the grass as she stepped away. “Goodbye.”

She was grateful they got to go on one adventure together.

#tales of symphonia #colette brunel #lloyd irving #kratos aurion #raine sage #genis sage #dirk #fanfiction #zine fic #one shot #fanart of fic

[sansypansy]

I settled for a ghost I never knew

Jonathan Kent/Damian Wayne | Explicit | Canon Divergence | 2k3

He watched as a lovely dusty pink appeared on Damian’s face in response to the pet name. Jon chuckled lightly before closing the little distance between them with a kiss that started off gentle and grew passionate when Jon swiped his tongue across Damian’s lips, demanding entrance which was eagerly granted. Damian’s arms wound around the taller man’s broad shoulders, one leg already hiking up around Jon’s hip to press their bodies closer. A low, pleased hum rumbled inside Jon’s chest was followed by a moan from Damian’s throat as his younger lover supported the back of his neck with one hand while the other traveled from his waist to his thigh. A few breathless kisses later and Jon was already mouthing at the column of Damian’s neck, sucking deep purple bruises into the beautiful bronze skin and enjoying the delectable sounds he drew. His hands slowly moved toward the plump swell of his boyfriend’s ass and squeezed. “Rao, I’m going to break you so hard and devour every inch of you,” He growled, eyes flashing a predatory red as he panted against Damian’s shoulder where the robe had slid down. “Until there’s nothing left for others to covet after.”

No Archive Warnings Apply, Established Relationship, Shameless Smut, Moral Dilemma, Jon Kent is Lord Superman, Dark Jonathan Samuel Kent, PwP

Click here to read this fic on AO3 and drop a kudo/comment!

#bottom damian #jondami #supersons #fic promo #zine fic #smut