#( red eyed monster ) ch study.

[thirdsght]

most people outside of the kor probably don't know what rivk's voice sounds like. he can slaughter a gang of rivals without uttering a word. he can stand stone still for hours on watch. rivk's self control is precise. he doesn't speak to people that he doesn't think are worth his time.

#( red eyed monster ) ch study.

[notthatiwilleverwriteit]

Hi! Love your takes on 19 days especially tianshan!! They are very insightful and a fun read! Idk if you already wrote about this, but I was wondering what your take would be if he tian came to save Mo instead of She li. I wonder how their dynamic would be in the present. Would they be more like zhanyi?

Hello, dear anon!

Waah, thank you for such praises! I’m glad you have enjoyed reading my mullings!

As a heads-up, this turned much longer than I anticipated, so better find a comfortable seat.

“what your take would be if he tian came to save Mo instead of She li”

I haven’t actually thought about this before, so thank you for this interesting avenue that had never even crossed my mind. The more I thought about this, the more question popped up. I feel like this would be a pretty significant change, especially for MGS’s character. To try and keep this scenario somewhat in control, I scrolled through the comic with your question in mind and let my nose sniff out where the “new” story would take me. So, this might not be exactly a “realistic” take on it but more like where the story and characters would go in my head if things had been different.

The question of timeline

First, I feel like we need to figure out the correct timeline for all this, so it’s easier to gauge HT and MGS’s characters more accurately. According to my calculations, SL saved MGS sometime during their first year of middle school (ch. 282, 319):

In the current canon storyline, they are in their last year (3rd year) of middle school, so two years off that would put the piercing incident somewhere on their first year. (Look at my mad math skills.) I’m assuming the first school year had already begun since SL had transferred and already gained some reputation at school. Other than rumors, he hadn't crossed MGS’s path.

So, let’s figure out 1st year MGS and HT. With MGS, we have seen glimpses of what kind of character he was (ch. 319, 283):

He had many of the characteristics that are familiar to us in the current timeline, too. He was caring and compassionate. His first instinct was to help, and he dint want to see people hurt. I believe he still has those qualities these days, but he’s learned to hide and suppress those instincts the hard way. I feel like compared to the current MGS, the 1st-year MGS was more pure, innocent, and trusting in many ways. He seemed to believe in a world where doing good to others surely was the way to go.

1st-year HT, on the other hand, is pretty much a mystery to us. Apart from some flashbacks from his childhood prior to middle school, we haven't seen more of his past. Even his first introduction in the comic was a bit awkward the way he just suddenly popped up and it wasn’t really clear what his relationship with JY and ZZX was exactly. 

What was the mindset of 1st-year HT? Had he already made up his mind that he wouldn't become like his brother and father? Was he already living alone or still with his family? Was Mr. He already abroad or still in China?

I think HT’s living situation is probably what would give us the most hints about whatever mindset he might have. But the only thing we really have to go on is when MGS came to visit him for the first time (ch. 144):

Again, this doesn't give us much. It’s impossible to say for sure if HT was already living by himself as a 1st-year student, but somehow I doubt that. Despite everything, 12-13 is still mighty young to be living by himself. And I have a feeling based on the way HC and Mr. He seem to put importance on family sticking together, they probably didn't let HT go live alone without a long fight and debate. So, I think it’s very likely HT was still living at home as a 1st-year. Most probably at his brother’s place that seems like their primary home before Mr. He went abroad?

Based on that, I think HT might have not made up his mind on becoming a savior/hero of sorts yet. At least not in so many words. Home was probably an unpleasant and stressful place for him, and he would rather spend time elsewhere. When at home, he probably spent a lot of time in his room or roaming the nature surrounding them. Home was somewhere where he had to keep his guard up and be constantly prepared for whatever. He was exposed to and (in)directly involved in things that he disapproved of and most probably scared him. At school, he excelled in all the subjects. In some ways, studying was an out for him even though getting good grades was also expected of him. He was always surrounded by a lot of people at school and was very popular, but no one really knew him outside of school. He didn’t open up about himself.

So, that’s how I see the characters set up for the new scenario.

Mo Guan Shan in distress

Now, finally to the beginning of it all. To help us all get in the right mood, I hope you will excuse my very serious 3AM edits (ch. 319):

A crazy homeless man was attacking an innocent, pure MGS. His young life was flashing before his eyes. The man on top of him is too heavy. The grip around his throat too strong. It’s getting harder and harder to breathe, and black spots are dancing at the edge of his vision.

Just as MGS is about to pass out, something flashes at the corner of his eyes but it’s hard to tell in the dimness of the alleyway. There is a loud, heavy thud, and the grip around MGS’s throat slacks. The man is being flung off him and slumps on the wet pavement. MGS scrambles to his knees, coughing and gasping for breath. The cool rainy air tastes sweet rushing down his burning throat.

A bit out of it, he glances up and sees a dark-haired boy - about his age - who’s holding a heavy liquor bottle. The sharp edges of the bottle’s bottom are smeared with crimson. The sight of blood dripping to the ground makes MGS’s stomach turn a little. He makes the mistake of looking at the limp homeless man lying in a puddle and almost throws up at the spreading blotch of dark red on the back of the man’s head. He starts to tremble when he realizes how close to being killed he had just come.

I would picture that HT is shaken by what he had done, too. Picking up the bottle had been like an instinct to him. He had swung it as hard as he could, not really thinking the consequences. Now, though, a small panic monster in his head whispers that he had probably killed someone.

But the panic monster doesn't get very far in its fear-mongering until HT’s training kicks in. Still squeezing the neck of the heavy bottle, he creeps to the crazy man, ready to bounce if he decides to go for a second round. Even in the heavy rain, he can smell the thick odor of homelessness and alcoholism. He doesn't really want to touch the man but reaches to check for a pulse. It’s there, but otherwise the man is out cold.

Only then he really pays attention to the scrawny red-haired boy still on his knees. He looks at HT wide-eyed, shaking, and obviously in shock. There are red prints already forming around his throat where the man had strangled him.

“Is - ,” the redhead says shakily, his voice a bit hoarse, “is he de - did he - “

“He’s still breathing.”

“Am-ambulance,” the boy says, now more anxiously and looking around, “we need an ambulance. Police! Someone!”

HT doesn't reply but flips out his phone. The boy keeps glancing at him as he gets a hold of HC on the other end and explains the situation. He frowns when it doesn't sound like a 911 call to him.

“Who was that?”

“My brother. He knows what to do.”

Well, HT knew what to do, too, but he wasn’t in the position to make those things happen. Not yet, at least. But he knew.

HT asks where MGS lives and offers to walk him the rest of the way. MGS seems confused about should they just leave the man and not wait for his brother. HT assures him that his brother will come any minute now. It’s all under control. The words kind of come out of his mouth without him even realizing what he’s saying. He would like to think it’s the shock but knows it’s his training. It’s the protocol. When you follow certain steps, there is no need to panic.

And yet his hands are trembling when he finally puts the bottle down. Oh, well. He would fake till he made it.

On their way to MGS’s home, MGS is quiet and just clutches his backpack against his front. HT tilts the umbrella to cover MGS more, seeing how he is shaking from cold and shock.

HT tries to make idle conversation. He asks MGS’s name, where he goes to school, what was he doing out in the rain, is there anyone at home, and maybe mentions that he’s seen MGS around the school. Little by little the atmosphere starts to loosen and the tightness in MGS’s voice eases up. Talking also relaxes HT.

At MGS’s house, MGS looks at HT and asks if he wants to come inside to dry up. He’s frowning a little and seems worried. HT looks at him a bit dumbfounded and then bursts out a laugh.

“You really are quite something,” he says at MGS’s confused face. “You just survived all that and you’re already inviting a stranger to your home. Are you an idiot?”

MGS’s face darkens, and he says that if HT would rather walk back in soaked clothes, then it’s his business. He looks hurt and embarrassed. The attitude makes HT smile a little, though, and he tousles the wet red hair.

“I’ll see you around,” he says and leaves with a little wave over his shoulder.

He makes a mental note to keep an eye out for a certain red hair at school from now on.

Having a friend in each other

They start running into each other at school more. (Well, HT started rotating towards MGS.) Turns out MGS has seen him around school, too. He says that HT seems popular and the girls often talk about him in class. He seems a bit confused as to why HT is seeking out his company when he has so many other friends.

MGS is a bit awkward around him, but HT finds it endearing. He’s quick to rise to teasing baits and shows his emotions quite a lot if you knew where to look. To HT, he seemed like a pure-hearted kid. Probably too pure-hearted for his own good. He was a bit stiff at first, but with some coaxing, you could get him to talk. HT liked listening to him talk the most.

The more they got to know each other, the more HT found himself hanging onto MGS’s company. When school days ended, he lingered at the crossroads where their paths parted. He made up excuses to walk MGS home or to his part-time jobs. (He thought MGS was amazing for working already, but MGS just shrugged.) Finally, walking MGS home continued to get himself invited inside for homework, snacks, some games, dinner, staying the night on Fridays.

HT soaked in all the sense of home he could get at MGS’s place. The messy pile of shoes in the entryway. The scribbled notes on the fridge door. The home-cooking. The older models of video games MGS had. The smell of cheap detergent on the sheets when he was sleeping on the floor of MGS’s small room.

Mrs. Mo was a bit surprised by his son’s unexpected friend at first but quickly adopted HT as a natural part of the household. She was more at peace knowing that MGS had some company after school when she had to work late. Sometimes she listened to the boys talk (read: HT teasing and MGS bickering) in MGS’s room. It felt like this new friend had bought some of MGS’s lost childhood back to her son’s voice.

The tighter they became, the more they naturally learned about each other. The topic of family was sore for both of them and something they didn't talk about often. MGS often got heated when the talk circulated to his father. Heated in a way that HT didn't find cute. He got angry and bitter. Usually, HT let him vent through it quietly. But MGS didn't hide things as such even though he didn't really like to talk about some of them. Instead, he was convinced and would stand his ground vehemently.

HT, on the other hand, was more evasive. He didn't want to put MGS in a position where he would know too much. MGS seemed impressed by HT’s brother. He sounded a bit jealous. HT also avoided saying much because he was ashamed. Here he was sitting in this home of good, decent people and enjoying their hospitality while he really was part of the bad guys in the world. His people were the ones who MGS hated so much when he talked about his father’s imprisonment.

But then something happened within HT’s world. Something that shocked him and scared him and gave him a traumatic experience. One day at school, he was visibly on edge and distracted. He looked increasingly tired. He snapped at MGS which he very rarely did. When at the end of the day, MGS asked if he wanted to come over (it was Friday), he was a bit relieved but also worried when HT said no. HT never said no to that.

That night Mrs. Mo had the late-night shift, so MGS was alone when HT suddenly showed up with a duffel bag. He looked horrible. There was an angry red mark on his cheek and a trickle/smear of dried up blood on the corner of his mouth. His eyes were red-rimmed. He hung his head low, asking MGS if he could stay the night after all.

MGS told him to take a bath. He heated up the leftover rice-noodle soup he had had for dinner. HT looked a bit lost coming out of the bath. MGS told him to take a seat and served the food. Quietly and slowly, being careful of his cut lip, HT slurped the soup. He wouldn’t meet MGS’s eyes.

MGS wanted to ask what the hell was going on but decided against it every time the questions danced on his tongue. He was curious but he had never seen HT like this. He looked darker. At some points of the night, MGS felt like he couldn't really recognize him at all.

MGS made HT a bed on the floor the usual way. HT just turned his back to him and hummed in return when MGS said good night. After a while, MGS drifted off but woke up to strange noises. It sounded like heavy breathing. Not panting exactly but more like...gasping for breath. He snapped the lights on and found HT sitting on his makeshift bed. His eyes were wide, and it looked like he was breathing hard but couldn't breathe at the same time.

Luckily MGS had been around enough hyperventilation to know what it looked like. He hurried to find a paper bag from the kitchen, cursing that the damn things were everywhere but seemed to vanish when you really needed them. He helped HT press the opening of the bag tightly against his gaping mouth. At first, it looked like HT got more panicked, but MGS kept pressing the bag firmly.

Little by little, HT’s breathing calmed down and the wild look in his eyes faded. Finally, he pushed MGS’s hands away and tried to go for a grin and joke how this was pretty lame of him but he couldn't quite work his charm. A bit lost, MGS wondered what to do. Then he asked if HT wanted to read some comics till they got sleepy again. HT didn't want to read but asked if MGS would read. And keep the lights on. And like that - while MGS was glancing at panels of high-school-level humor - HT told him about having a fight with his father, talking back to him, knowing when he had pushed over the limit, and the next thing his head had been ringing.

MGS didn't know which freaked him out more: the story, the flatness of HT’s voice, or when his voice started to get thick and he pressed his face tight against the pillow. MGS hesitated if he should comfort HT somehow but it all felt too awkward. So, he just listened and hummed whenever there was s suitable pause. Eventually, HT fell silent and after a while, MGS noticed he had fallen asleep. He fixed the blanket over HT’s shoulders, climbed to his own bed, and left the lights on.

HT stayed the weekend, but they didn't really talk about that night afterwards. The next morning, HT seemed more to himself, smirking and teasing, gobbling the breakfast MGS made them. Mrs. Mo looked at HT a bit funny when she came home from her shift but didn't say anything. She just gave the boys a free night from doing the dishes.

Overall, they got to know each other better than anyone else at school. HT knew about MGS’s excitable, softer, and adorable side. He was a good kid who worked hard and around whom HT felt at ease, though silently guilty. MGS knew the HT that wasn’t the kind of charmer everyone at school saw him as. Despite being so popular, he seemed strangely lonely to MGS. He guessed HT had some kind of darker side that he didn't want to talk about and tried to hide. MGS doubted anyone had seen HT like that other night. It seemed his family was mixed up in some shady business, and MGS didn't quite know how to feel about that.

The angst of unrequited love?

You mentioned if this version of Tianshan would be closer to Zhanyi, and I think that could be possible. I doubt they would be that kind of softer, lovey-dovey dynamic, but my nose kind of sniffed a possibility for a similar unrequited love as JY had.

HT could start gaining romantic feelings for MGS somewhere along the way. But in my head, he would hide his feelings much the same way he does/did in the canon version, just take it to a more obvious level. Mask his feelings with jokes and double meanings. Make him kind of push but then pull back as if unsure.

His feelings for MGS would be laced with believing he doesn’t deserve to be loved by someone like MGS. He’s one of the bad guys. MGS is one of the good ones, and his family has been hurt by people like HT enough. And yet HT craves for what he has with MGS and nurses his unrequited love. It gives him both pain and comfort.

But he didn't want to confess. For one, he wasn’t sure where MGS stood on things like love. He seemed awkward around girls and often ended up scaring them off by his glare and harsh tone. The topic of romance hadn't really come up, or if it had, MGS usually remained silent. One time HT had decided to roll the dice and brought up jerking off. MGS had gone beet-red and stammered that what the hell was HT talking about. For a moment, HT had toyed with the idea of pushing for more but decided against it and brushed the topic off as a joke. MGS had looked damn cute, though.

Secondly, and more importantly, HT didn't think he was worthy of MGS the way he was now. He needed to do better, he wanted to do better. He needed to make decisions instead of slinking around like a kicked puppy. He needed a vision for himself and then pursue it. So, he decided to become someone better for MGS. Someone strong and good and reliable. His own man. The first step was him making HC talk their father into letting HT live by himself. The school was a good enough excuse.

At the same time, they grew a bit apart. MGS got older and took on more part-time jobs. HT concentrated on working on himself. He lost sight of MGS for a while, and it turned out things had gone worse for him. As HT was busy becoming a better man, MGS had grown more bitter and angry. It wasn’t until HT learned that MGS had agreed to get expelled from school that he woke up to what direction MGS had drifted to. On HT’s watch, too.

They had a big argument about the deal. They had often bickered in the past but never really had a serious fight. HT was angry MGS was knowingly mixing up with people SL even though they were obviously taking advantage of him and basically making him write them a blank check. MGS fired back that how could HT understand anything since HT was people like SL. That cut deep for HT, and it was the first time he wanted to slap MGS. Instead, they got their separate ways, brooding and glaring.

The next time HT saw MGS’s face, he knew something had gone horribly wrong. He heard that MGS was accused of assaulting some girl. Furious, he went to confront MGS about how stupid he had been, but all the anger died when he saw how shaken MGS was. He looked completely lost and horrified. All he seemed able to worry about was “they are going to tell my mother”. HT hugged him tight and said that everything was going to be fine. He will sort this out, don’t worry.

He fought with SL and got HC involved, too. HC took care of the deal, but HT never told MGS how exactly it had happened. In the same way he had never told him that the homeless man had been dead by the time HC’s crew had gotten to the alleyway. Instead, HT shoved the guilt deeper where it fueled his drive to become a better man.

But HT decided one thing after that fiasco. He wouldn’t let MGS drift away anymore. He wouldn’t get so wrapped up in his own vision that he lost sight of what mattered the most.

That is I guess where this AU version kind of leaves off and connects to the canon story? This version of Tianshan would have their friendship established first, and HT’s romantic feelings would come later. They would be more unrequited in a similar angsty way as JY’s. The trust between would have also been established through their growing friendship. I feel like there would be tons of things that could be added to this, especially ending-wise, but...yeah, something like this maybe?

Thank you for your wonderfully interesting question, dear anon! How do you vision their relationship would have developed?

#19 days #tianshan #he tian #mo guan shan #answered ask

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Drifters ch.2 (spicyhoney)

Summary:  Edge doesn't exactly have a plan, here, now that he's hit the goal of getting to Underswap. Luckily, an unexpected person is ready to take over.

Tags: Spicyhoney, Violence, Rescued Child, Medical Experimentation, Babybones

Read it on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

Stretch had never struck Edge as the person to turn to during any sort of emergency. His laissez-faire attitude about life was one generally matched by his own brother and by Sans, but Red at least understood when some urgency was necessary, at the very least in the interest of staying alive. Unfair as it was, Sans was also given something of a mental pass for simply looking so much like Red and if he’d been thinking clearer, Edge might have chosen a flight plan to Undertale instead. Typing in the coordinates for Underswap was more an automatic reflex on his part than any direct decision; he was simply here more often and while he might not mind sharing a bed with Papyrus, putting it to use the same vigorous way he often did with Stretch didn’t have quite the same appeal.

So it was something of a surprise for Stretch to immediately take over.

Once it became clear that questions would have to wait, he got moving immediately, his slippered feet going far faster than Edge had seen before. In short order, Edge and the baby were wrapped in a heavy blanket that was ripped right from Blue’s bed going from the cheery rocket ship pattern. Red was firmly tucked into another, snoring underneath it before the blanket was even settled.

“i gotta hit the store real quick, we don’t have anything in the fridge for a baby,” Stretch panted as he made another mad dash down the stairs, this time directly to the front door. He didn’t wait for an answer, already kicking off his slippers and stuffing his feet into his sneakers, the door slamming loudly behind him.

Well. That was…unexpected. Edge might have more room to spare for astonishment and perhaps a touch of guilt over his assumptions if he weren’t so exhausted; such emotions would simply have to wait.

The house was silent except for the baby. Now that she was warming up, her little pleading snuffles were slowly resuming in volume.

He drew back the corner of the blanket, carefully keeping his hand out of reach of her tiny grasping fists before she tried stuffing his fingers back into her mouth. As uncomfortable as the gnawing had been, he was more concerned with her accidently hurting herself on his sharpened fingertips than her little teeth.

It was the first chance he’d had to really look at her since that first moment in the lab and he took the chance to study her carefully. Her eye lights were pale white, offering no hint to the color of her magic. Perhaps they’d stay that way, Stretch and Sans’s were white when they weren’t using their magic, or perhaps they’d change as she grew older and they would be more like Blue’s…or his own. It was possible, she was from Underfell, but there was no sign of that in her. Her teeth were blunted, except for the little points of her canines, and her skull softly rounded, giving her the appearance of chubby cheeks.

She was merely a child, a skeleton child, there was nothing remarkable at all about her, and Edge knew very little about children. That was a fact very quickly proven when her small face suddenly screwed up into a ball of anger and she began to scream.

“Don’t do that…!” Edge began, then trailed off, cursing his own stupidity. Yes, a stern talking-to would certainly calm a bawling child. He shifted her awkwardly in his arms, giving her into a little bounce as he tried to coax her instead, “Shh, shh, it’s all right. It’ll be all right, baby.”

The child was having none of his lies. Her hands were clenched into tiny fists, her little face sufficed with bright pink that had nothing to do with her magic and everything with the purity of her anger as she shrieked her rage for all to hear.

Exhaustion gave way to panic. LV maddened Monsters attacking him, Edge could handle, a howling baby was far, far out of his area of expertise.

At the other end of the sofa, his traitorous brother didn’t even stir, not even when Edge gave him a kick. He only lay with his mouth open as his snores competed with the baby’s screams in volume, and Edge couldn’t even accuse the bastard of lying; he’d used a lot of magic in their escape and was as exhausted as Edge, more so.

Tears were beginning to roll down the baby’s chubby cheeks and humiliatingly, Edge felt a faint prickle of his own tears. He hadn’t cried since he was a child himself, how ironic that it was another child dragging it out of him. That was all he needed, the two of them blubbering together on Stretch’s sofa for him to find, while his brother snored away, that would certainly be an impressive sight. Why had he ever thought for even a moment he could manage this, he knew next to nothing about babies. All he’d done is drag the child from one horrible situation to another.

The door opened just as he ran a hasty arm over his sockets, wiping away any revealing moisture as Stretch stepped inside, juggling numerous bags in his arms as he kicked the door shut.

“okay, back, sorry it took so long, the dogs dug some baby gear out for us, said they’d bring more later…woah, hey, what’s all this?” Stretch dumped the overflowing bags by the door and before Edge could protest, whisked the baby into his arms, settling her on his hip with a practiced bounce. “c’mon now, princess, got a broken volume control? you’ll be waking up the folks in new home if you keep up at that level.”

The screams faded into pitiful hiccoughs as the baby looked up at Stretch with wide sockets and when he gave her a playful little chuck under the chin, she let out a watery chuckle. Stretch grinned back at her. “that’s more like it, sugar butt. let’s get you something for that empty tum, yeah?”

If he hadn’t been so relieved, Edge might have resented how easily Stretch took over. As it was, in only moments the baby was propped up in a nest of pillows, gurgling happily as she drank from the bottle Stretch gave her. She was swimming in one of Blue’s t-shirts, the arms rolled up enough to let her easily grasp the bottle. Her eye lights were following Stretch’s fingers as he broke up a cinnamon puppy into bite-sized pieces into a small plastic bowl with colorful animals painted on the side.

Edge frowned. “Isn’t she too young for that?”

"nah," Stretch said carelessly. He slid from the sofa to the floor, long legs folded under him as he set the bowl in easy reach for little hands. “we’re born with teeth, may as well use 'em.”

"Nonetheless, the sugar—"

“relax, edgelord, these ones are meant for her age,” Stretch reassured him. “i promise, i’m not about to turn your little sweetheart into a sugar fiend on you. not until she learns how to brush, anyway.”

The baby was already inspecting the bowl, her discarded bottle close by as she happily stuffed bits into her mouth, smearing crumbs over her small face. Not that he’d expected Stretch would do anything to harm her, but the promise, unnecessary as it was, was comforting. It did bring up another point, however, ‘his little sweetheart’ was entirely his responsibility, he’d chosen this, and now he needed to find their path, in whatever direction it might lead.

Stretch was watching the baby eat and his smile might be careless, but his watchful gaze was not. The instinct to come here was the right one so far, Edge could only hope it remained so.

"I must ask that you let us stay here for a while," Edge said stiffly. "If not my brother and I, then at least the child. We…can’t go home right now." Or ever, but that wasn’t information that needed shared just yet. If he couldn’t care for her, at least he trusted that the Swap brothers would. Sleeping in the rough in Underswap would at least be relatively safe, certainly in comparison to their universe.

Stretch’s head whipped around, his mouth dropping open as he stared at Edge. "are you serious right now?"

The question stung. He’d assumed Stretch wouldn’t mind caring for the child for at least a little while. "Yes, of course, I am. She's an infant, she needs a roof over her head. She can't possibly—"

"shit, you really are,” Stretch interrupted, and his expression was torn between irritated and incredulous, “yes, dumbass, you're staying with us, why is this even a question? you ain’t getting off that easy. besides, you really think you'd be able to get little miss here away from blue when he sees her?"

Edge smiled reluctantly, already imagining Blue’s starry-eyed excitement when he saw the baby. "I suppose not."

The baby chose that moment to add to the conversation, offering a loud, razzing, “brrrr!” and spraying Stretch with a fine mist of slightly used cinnamon puppy crumbs.

“thanks, kid.” Stretch said wryly as he wiped his face on his sleeve. He crawled over to one of the bags and pulled out a stack of cloths, using one to wipe the baby’s face clean despite her vigorous protests, “so. you gonna tell me where the snow princess came from?”

"She's not mine,” Edge said automatically, then winced. “I mean, she is, she’s my responsibility, but she’s not mine, not in that way."

Stretch slanted him a glance, “yeah, uh, i saw you two days ago.” His faint smirk was fraught with memories of that particular meeting. “you weren’t hiding a baby bump under your shirt then. unless you not only solved the problem of getting pregnant but also how to bypass the waiting period, i figured she wasn't. sooooo?”

It was lightly said, but he’d seen Stretch’s smile falter when he was changing the baby’s clothes, peeling away her plain, sterile blanket to reveal the similar gown she was wearing beneath it. Not the cozy warmth of pajamas that a child should wear or even a borrowed shirt like the one she was in now, but a hospital-style gown with brusque ties in the back for easy access.

The story needed told, but Edge found he didn’t want to tell it. The scars he knew were on Stretch’s lowest rib were faded, scrubbed and sanded down until the numbers were barely visible. But they were still there, just like his brother’s were, and both were a match the fresh ones that were stark on the child’s own fragile rib.

In her little pillow nest, the baby was beginning to drowse and Stretch took the bottle, pulling it from her sleepy mouth and wiping away a trickle of milk. He tucked a blanket gently around her, not the discarded one from earlier, but one from the seemingly endless depths of those bags, soft and fluffy, cradling her tiny, precious skull in fluffy warmth as she slept.

But the pointed lack of further questions were a quiet demand of their own, giving Edge time to answer, but still needing one.

Edge slipped down to sit on the floor next to Stretch, wrapping up in the warmth of his borrowed blanket as he stared down at the baby. Watching the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed easily, safely asleep for perhaps the first time in her extremely short life.

“It started this morning,” Edge began, slowly, and kept his gaze on the baby, watching as she slept on, completely unaware of the turmoil she’d caused in his life, in all their lives. “When my brother said that he had something important to show me.”

tbc

#spicyhoney #papcest #keelywolfe #underfell #underswap #underfell papyrus #underswap papyrus #drifters

[kittinoir]

Phantoms Ch. 10

Read on Ao3

Content warning for Claustrophobia. Feel free to message me for more details

Queen Bee couldn’t stop pacing.

Ladybug was not stupid. If anything, she was renowned for cleverness. If she didn’t think Gabriel Agreste was Hawk Moth, then he probably wasn’t. 

Then again, neither she nor Adrien had realized their partner in crime was their classmate for literal years. How much of him being cleared had been the result of neither Ladybug or Chat Noir wanting it to be someone else? At the very least, it deserved a second look with fresh eyes.

Her eyes.

At least, that was what she was planning to tell Felix when he showed up.

“I know I make it look easy,” Felix said as he stepped through a portal and onto the roof as if on cue, “But I can’t always drop everything to run to you on a moments notice. I’m not a dog.”

Queen Bee smirked as she eyed the dog Miraculous she knew was hidden beneath his starched collar. “Could’ve fooled me.”

“I don’t have time for this,” Felix said, turning back to the portal where a confused Pegasus was looking back and forth between them from the other side.

“I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say,” Queen Bee said quickly.

“Put it in a message.”

“It’s sensitive information.”

Felix paused, his back to her. Queen Bee was aware of every painful thump of her heart as he stood there, debating. Finally, he waved to Pegasus and the portal closed.

“Well?” he said, turning back around.

“I have a lead,” she said, suddenly trying to figure out how to start. She’d planned to just lay it at his feet and impress the boy who wasn’t impressed by anything, but in thinking about Adrien, she couldn’t help but remember that Gabriel, horrible father that he might be, was also Felix’s uncle. “Gabriel Agreste.”

For a moment, Felix just stared at her. And then he buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking.

Queen Bee blinked, unsure what to do next. Disbelief, anger, she’d expected. But crying…?

“I, uh, know this is hard to hear,” Queen Bee said, lifting a hand to comfort him before hesitating and dropping it again. “But I have reason to believe it’s a good lead. I know he’s family, but if you just listen…”

Felix’s shoulders started shaking harder, but then he threw his head back and Queen Bee saw he wasn’t crying, but convulsing with laughter so hard it was silent.

“Gabriel…?” Felix gasped, clutching his ribs. “You think the man that doesn’t even have time for his own son has time to take on the heroes of Paris?”

“I think that Ladybug and Chat Noir got the original grimoire from him before they knew what it was,” Queen Bee snapped, “And there’s only one reason he’d have it.”

“The man’s an eccentric billionaire,” Felix sneered. “One reason? Try a thousand. He’s a collector. He’d want the grimoire just because it’s one of a kind and worth a fortune. He probably has it on display under a glass case.”

“It’s not like he offered it up when Ladybug and Chat Noir needed it,” Queen Bee said.

“Why would he?” Felix asked. “Like I said, eccentric billionaire. When have they ever cared about anything but themselves? Gabriel’s not smart enough or motivated enough to be Hawk Moth. The man hasn’t even left his house in years; where would he have gotten the Miraculous from?”

“The same place he got the grimoire,” Queen Bee tried, but Felix just scoffed.

“An auction?”

“Name one reason it couldn’t be him!” Queen Bee snarled.

“I’ve already given you three,” Felix shot back.

“You really don’t think it’s even worth a second look - even if his house is smack in the middle of your stupid map?” Queen Bee thrust the paper out towards him, the graphic side out so he could see the big, red circle she’d put around the Agreste Mansion.

“I think,” Felix snarled, striding up to her and snatching the map out of her hands, “That if there were two kwamis in one house, either Plagg or Nooroo would have noticed. I think that  if Gabriel were Hawk Moth, he’d have suspected his son by now and targeted him. I think he has no motive, and I think you’re wasting my time."

Queen Bee fisted her hands by her side as Felix folded the map back up and shoved it into his pocket. She was used to being dismissed. She knew Felix could be as mean as she was. She didn’t know why she’d thought he’d be any different.

“Why did you even let me in on your little hunt if you weren’t going to accept my help?” she asked. She would not cry. She would not cry. She would not cry. Not in front of him, and certainly not because of him.

“I thought your ‘help’ would be better than that,” Felix said. “I guess that was my mistake.”

“If I wanted to be talked to like this, I would have stayed home,” Queen Bee sneered. She released her yoyo and turned her back on Felix, hoping he couldn’t see how badly his words stung. 

“Where are you going?”

“Anywhere but here,” Queen Bee snarled over her shoulder, shooting him one last venomous look. His face remained impassive, and she left him there on the rooftop as she began her own patrol. It wasn’t technically her day, but she hoped that as much as Kagami didn’t like her, she and Ivan wouldn’t mind her crashing. She wasn’t ready to go home yet.

Careening through the streets of Paris with Miraculous-fuelled abilities was usually the perfect fix for whatever was eating her that day, but her fight with Felix wouldn’t leave her alone. It was obvious that he thought she was stupid, no matter what he’d claimed. He hadn’t really wanted her advice as much as he’d wanted a cheerleader, someone to brag to - and who better than the girl who never thought about anyone but herself? Two challenges wrapped up with a neat little bow, a fun distraction while he hunted the real threat. 

For the first time in her life, Queen Bee wanted to hit something. She bit her lip to stifle the feeling as she finally paused to rest at the top of the Eiffel Tower. The metal would crumple under her fist, she knew, if she followed her instinct. It was fading now anyway, along with her frustration. So what if Felix had used her? She didn’t need him. She didn’t need any of them. She never had. 

But as she looked out over the city, she suddenly realized why she felt calmer: she’d already made her own decision.

Gabriel had spent good money fencing in his mansion, but it hadn’t been designed to withstand the Miraculous. Still, even with her enhanced eye-sight, she was too far away to get a good enough look. A few quick maneuvers had Queen Bee dropping silently over the wall and into some bushes. She scanned the side of the house as best she could through the foliage, noting the security cameras. Hopefully none of them had caught her entrance. 

Queen Bee darted through the gap in their coverage to a tree, aiming for the wall of Adrien’s windows. If he could come and go as Chat Noir without revealing himself, then it was probably a sure way in, especially since he was too busy with fencing to wonder why she was there.

Sure enough, a few moments later she was sailing through Adrien’s open window and into his room. Queen Bee crossed the space but hesitated at the door. Would it be better to do reconnaissance as ‘Chloe’ or should she remain transformed? If she was spotted as Chloe, Gabriel would be confused about why she was there, but if she remained Queen Bee, she could fabricate a senti-monster attack - unless he really was Hawk Moth - but then Mayura would be…

“Nathalie,” Queen Bee breathed as it all lined up. Adrien had mentioned she’d fallen ill recently; was it because she’d been using the broken Peacock Miraculous? Queen Bee made her choice. It was too dangerous to go in untransformed. She’d have to take the risk. If Gabriel wasn’t Hawk Moth, he’d buy her cover. If he was…well, hopefully she’d have the element of surprise. Maybe he’d play along to protect his own identity. 

“Please let me be wrong,” Queen Bee whispered, and then she opened the door. 

She didn’t know what she expected. In the handful of times she’d visited Adrien, the house had appeared the same: silent and empty.

But it wasn’t empty. At least, it shouldn’t have been. She could see Gabriel’s study from Adrien’s door in the hall, but no personal assistant was posted outside to screen callers. Perhaps he hadn’t replaced Nathalie. Perhaps the new one was busy running an errand. Or perhaps the eccentric billionaire wasn’t where everyone always assumed he was.

Queen Bee checked her yoyo, but there was no active akuma attack. 

Maybe she was wrong. 

The thought crept in as she inched down the stairs towards the study. Maybe she was totally off. Maybe Ladybug and Chat Noir had been right. 

But even as she thought it, the coincidences wouldn’t stop lining up: how Gabriel’s ‘wine cellar’ wasn’t actually in the basement no one ever saw, but an offshoot of the kitchen; how the three story mansion he owned only actually went up two floors; how she’d seen a window from the outside as she’d dropped in that she couldn’t find the room for inside.

There was only one way to be sure.

Taking a deep breath, Queen Bee seized the handle of Gabriel’s study, threw open the door, and strode inside. 

Empty. Just as she’d thought. 

But then where was Gabriel Agreste? 

She didn’t stop and waste time thinking about it. His absence proved nothing. At least, it wouldn’t prove anything to Felix. She needed something concrete, a reason to convince him to at least consider it, if only to rule him out. 

So she made her way to the shelves of designs and mannequins, running her fingers over their edges, pulling them to see if they’d release a trap door, but…it was just an office. It didn’t prove anything, either. A man as rich as Gabriel could afford to have a second residence, a lair separate from his home. But if he did…there would be tax records for it.

Queen Bee made her way to the desk, trying to ignore the way her skin prickled as she drew near. If she was right, she was standing at the desk of the man who had been terrorizing her home for two years. If she was wrong, she was totally invading the privacy of her best friend’s dad. It was hard not to feel self-conscious when that enormous portrait of Adrien’s mother was right behind her, watching her every move. 

But there was nothing. The desk had no drawers, and when she grazed the angled surface, it lit up, revealing it was actually a giant tablet. There were no filing cabinets and no files anywhere in the room.

“Of course,” Queen Bee muttered, rolling her eyes. “A man as high tech as Gabriel Agreste wouldn’t have any papers lying around. Still, would’ve been nice if he could have left out a file marked ‘top secret evil plan’ in big red letter for me to find.”

Queen Bee sighed and turned back toe Emilie’s portrait as she leaned back against the desk. She studied it for a moment, letting her eyes randomly follow the swirls and eddies as disappointment settled along her bones. It wasn’t that she was upset Gabriel was looking less and less like a probable suspect. If anything she was glad she wasn’t going to have to have that conversation with Adrien. It was Felix she wasn’t looking forward to talking to. She didn’t think she’d been wrong, but she knew he wouldn’t see it that way. Not that she particularly cared.

“He really misses you, you know,” Queen Bee whispered. She reached out, tracing the line of Emilie’s sleeve with one finger. Chloe had gone to her funeral, but with a closed casket, it had felt like the opportunity to say goodbye had been missed, and they were the ghosts, struggling to pick up the pieces she’d left when she’d gone. Chloe hadn’t known how to comfort Adrien, so she’d simply sat beside him in silence, on and off for months, until he’d finally started to wake back up. It was part of the reason Gabriel terrified her so much: not because of his austere nature, but because he was a reminder of what Adrien could have become. 

Queen Bee froze, her attention snapping back to the painting as she slowly ran her finger back up the canvas. There! She slid her finger over one of the black feather-things and it dipped a little, like a button. 

Of course! Marinette had mentioned the grimoire but it hadn’t been anywhere in the office. It was too valuable - it would probably be in safe. A safe behind the painting! A high tech man liked Gabriel wouldn’t waste time on a traditional dial-lock; of course he’d have this painting decoy installed. The only thing between her and it was if it was also finger-print coded.

Queen Bee took a deep breath and pushed the button.

And nothing happened. 

“It doesn’t do anything?” She frowned. Hopefully she hadn’t just called for assistance. Maybe it was a glorified Alexa. Of course Gabriel wouldn’t want something like an Alexa just sitting around his office.

But no one came. If anything, the house was more silent than before.

“Must be a trick to it…” Queen Bee mumbled, leaning in. “Maybe it really is finger-print coded. Suspicious, but still not enough to convince Felix…”

As she lifted her finger, though, she saw it: the discolouration in the paint where months, maybe years of someone pressing their greasy little finger tips to the canvas had worn it down. Not finger-print coded, then.  

She scanned the canvas and caught sight of a second discoloured spot, and a third. Within second, she’d uncovered six discoloured spots, two areas in groups of three: two hands. She has to stand on her tip toes to reach the furthest one, but when she’d gotten into position, she didn’t hesitate: she pushed them.

And screamed when the floor opened up beneath her, a small platform descending into darkness. 

Queen Bee crashed gracelessly to the carpeted floor, whacking her elbow on the desk. If anyone was in the house and hadn’t known she was there, they did now, but she couldn’t quite make herself care about anything except how grateful she was she hadn’t been standing directly on the platform when she’d pushed the buttons. 

Shaking slightly from the adrenaline now shooting through her blood, Queen Bee got back to her feet and pulled out her yoyo. She snapped a photo of the now-empty shaft with the painting in the background and sent it to Felix with a short message: ‘Still think this is a waste of time?’

She sent it off and returned to the shaft.

It could still be anything. It could be nothing. It could lead to an in-home theatre or bowling alley or pool. It could be where Gabriel kept all of his designs on mannequins. It could be just another secret passage in a rich persons house. God knew there was more than one in the Grand Palais.

But this didn’t feel like that. If it were, why weren’t there any normal entrances to the space anywhere in the house? Not even emergency stairs in case of a power outage. Why was Gabriel so protective of it? Why had Adrien never mentioned it?

There was only one way to find out. 

Queen Bee released her yoyo and, with a flick of her wrist, sent the top wrapping around the leg of Gabriel’s desk. She tugged on it, and, as she’d suspected, it held. Something that high-tech would have been bolted to the floor to run the wires through it the way he had. 

Queen Bee gripped the other end firmly in her hand, the wire wrapped around her fingers a few times, but paused before she jumped.

She was the one who insisted they loop Ladybug and Chat Noir into their plans if they found anything solid. She was the one who insisted they don’t take Hawk Moth on alone. 

In the end, it was Adrien that decided it for her. She could deal with Felix’s nay-saying and Marientte’s disappointment, but she couldn’t handle the pain it would cause Adrien if she didn’t have anything concrete to go on. She had to be sure. She had to have proof. Something more than a suspicious hole in the ground. She couldn’t leave him wondering.

So she took a step and dropped into the darkness. 

The shaft was tight, nearly brushing both Queen Bee’s shoulders as she made a controlled descent. Her breath bounced back into her face as the sound of her breathing echoed in the small space. Small blue lights built into the walls prevented it from being pitch black. She hadn’t gone more than a few feet when the passage abruptly widened, splitting into two shafts, one that continued down and one that went sideways, a tunnel under the house.

“Two secret rooms,” Queen Bee whispered to herself as she paused to study the fork. “Both of them only accessible from Gabriel’s highly private office.” Interesting, but as usual, proved nothing. 

“First one, than the other,” Queen Bee murmured, continuing her descent. Maybe one just led to his bedroom. It would explain why Adrien never saw him, but if that was something she stumbled across, she didn’t think she’d ever recover.

Queen Bee continued to drop for another minute, straight down until she noticed the light in the tunnel brightening as she approached the opening. She came to a stop, her toes inches from the opening. Whatever was out there, it would prove her right, one way or the other. Either she was about to drop into a private library, or Hawk Moth’s layer - and for the first time, she found herself actually hoping Felix had been right. 

And that was when she saw it: the tiny white butterfly that flit by the glass tube that descended into the room.

Queen Bee let herself drop slowly into the room as her heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears. She already knew what she would see, but knowing couldn’t prepare her for the horror of the reality.

Several dozen bushed lined the room, as large as the footprint of the house itself. And on them, thousands upon thousands of cocoons, matched only by the number of white butterflies that drifted through the room. 

Queen Bee stepped silently forward as she touched down, tying her yoyo string off on one of the less-occupied branches as she took in the cold reality of the room. This was it. It was more than proof; it was Hawk Moth’s private garden, the place he bred his akumas. And Hawk Moth was Gabriel Agreste. She might not have a photo for proof, but this… Felix would have to listen to this.

And even if she didn’t, she didn’t care. Marinette, she knew, would. For she much as she hadn’t liked the girl, as much grief as Chloe had caused her, she would listen. And she would believe her. 

Queen Bee took another step and a runway suddenly lit up. Maybe it had been Gabriel’s gallery once upon a time - before his hobbies had taken a decided evil bent. She could picture the mannequins lined up, the crown piece from each collection on display. There were no mannequins now - just a cylinder at the end.

Queen Bee’s blood froze in her veins as she took it all in. Her instincts told her to run, but if it was some kind of secret weapon, some horrible senti-monster he and Mayura were cooking up, they needed to know. She knew she was pushing her luck as she jogged to the cylinder, but she couldn’t leave without knowing. 

She could see the glass was opaque as she approached, but like every high tech thing in Gabriel’s house, it adjusted once she got closer, clearing to reveal Emilie Agreste’s very pale, very preserved face.

Queen Bee fell back, slapping a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. 

This was it, she realized as the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. This was why Gabriel had become Hawk Moth, why he needed Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous. To bring back his wife. 

Queen Bee jerked as she felt a sudden sting at her neck, and then there he was, looming over her as her knees gave out.

“Still beautiful,” Hawk Moth crooned, gazing at Emilie’s still face as he wrapped an iron arm around Queen Bee’s shoulders to keep her standing. “Even after all this time.”

“You’re sick,” Queen Bee barked. She tried to push away, but there was no strength in her arms.

“And you’re one of Adrien’s closest friends,” Hawk Moth said as he dragged her closer to the casket. “Surely you of all people can understand why I must do this.”

“Adrien…wouldn’t want this,” Queen Bee slurred. The room had begun to spin, and it was while she was trying to look anywhere but at Emilie she noticed the syringe in Hawk Moth’s hand. “What’d…you do…t’me?”

“Succinylcholine,” Hawk Moth said, glancing down at her. “I don’t want to fight you, Chloe. I want your help.”

“I’d never…help you,” Queen Bee mumbled. Black dots had begun to crowd her vision and she couldn’t feel her legs anymore. She suspected the only reason she wasn’t unconscious already was because her Miraculous was fighting it.

“But we make such a good team,” Hawk Moth said with a knowing grin. “You’re so much more powerful when we work together. And now you know, I’m doing this for my family. I never wanted to hurt anyone; I just need the Miraculous.”

“S’wrong,” Queen Bee said. She was vaguely aware of her knees hitting the hard, steel walkway, then the cool metal beneath her cheek, but wasn’t entirely sure how she’d ended up that way.

“You’ll see,” Hawk Moth said, but he sounded so far away. “I’ll make…help me…”

“…No…” 

She thought she said it, but she wasn’t sure. Her last thoughts were of Felix, and how he might have been right about it being smarter to leave Gabriel alone after all. Then everything went dark.

And upstairs, in Gabriel’s study, Queen Bee’s yoyo unwound and dissolved with pop, vanishing without a trace. 

#phantoms #I outdid myself tbh

[sethrine-writes]

Devil-sitter May Cry, Ch. 3

Pairing: Dante x F!Reader, Vergil x F!Reader (Undecided)

Words:  2150

Warning:  Cuteness, Defensive/protective Nero

Story Summary: Low on cash and desperate for a job, you reply to a flyer for a babysitting position. Little did you know that the opportunity to watch over two special boys would bring your life so much mayhem and adventure…and, perhaps, a chance at a family of your own.

A/N: First day on the job! How does the morning go down? Guess you gotta read to find out...!

------

Chapter 3 - Early Morning Start

Waking up at 5:30 a.m. had never brought upon such relief and excitement as it did that particular morning.

The brothers of Devil May Cry had asked you to be at the shop by around seven, and given your one-hour commute, the early morning wake-up was a necessary evil you would gladly deal with.

A hasty breakfast of toast and the last few dredges of orange juice in your fridge were downed quickly as you rushed to get ready for the day ahead. You flung your bag over your shoulder, ensuring for the third time since waking that your bus pass was in the front pocket, and practically ran out the door and out of the complex to the bus stop just down the block.

Devil May Cry was on the other side of Red Grave City, and you happened to live near the outskirts of the bordering town. Luckily, the bus route had a drop off close to the shop, barely a five minute walking distance that gave you time to, once again, calm the nervous energy that had been building during your ride.

First day jitters were always the worst, but having met the boys beforehand gave your mind a sense of ease you were glad to have.

You approached the shop with time to spare, enough to ask any last-minute questions you had about caring for the boys. Just as you made to open the door, it swung out, revealing a grinning Dante on the other side.

"Ah, right on time," he mused, and you barely had a moment to wonder how he knew you were right there in the first place before you were being ushered inside.

"We got an easy job lined up for today," he began straight away, "so we should be back before dinner time, if everything goes smoothly. If not, then the boys will be sure to hound you for something decent to eat, so anything in the fridge is fair game."

You nodded along as Dante gave you the general run-down of how the day usually progressed, as well as giving you some tips for general things that would come in handy for caring for the boys. He even ensured you knew the basics of answering the phone, just in case a call came in.

"I think Vergil wrote some other things down," Dante mused after a moment, shifting some papers around on the much neater-looking desk with a bit of confusion.

"On your left," Vergil spoke up suddenly, nearly causing you to jump out of your skin with how close he was. Where did he even come from?!

"You're really good at that sneaking thing," you said aloud, flustered from having been surprised.

"So I've been told," he all but deadpanned as he moved to the opposite side of the desk and plucked a small notebook from under a few sealed envelopes.

"I've not written much," he said, "only the most important details. See to it that V's schedule is kept to."

Vergil held the small notebook out to you, of which you took immediately from his grasp. You thanked him sincerely, of which earned you a small nod from the intimidating man.

"I think you've got it from here," Dante grunted as he hefted what looked like a massive sword over his shoulder with ease, one you hadn't realized had been leaning against the desk this whole time. You were sure your eyes were as big as saucers at seeing such a display, forgetting momentarily that you had been hired by demon hunters to watch over their sons.

"Y-yeah, of course," you assured, rattling off the few things that deemed to be highlighted. "Uh, Nero is high-energy, so keep him snacked up and occupied; inhaler for V is in the second desk drawer; outside play after lunch; no naps after three, or bedtime will be hell. And keep to V's schedule, got it."

"She may survive us, yet," Dante chuckled as he glanced over to Vergil, who answered with a quirk of a smile.

You only had that moment to really study the twins and their attire, how they both wore full length coats made of well-worn leather, hands braced with fingerless gloves. Instead of a massive sword like Dante's, Vergil held a sleek katana within his grasp, elegant in its design, from what you were able to see of it.

They were so very different.

"Nero and V are awake," Vergil informed as he and Dante moved toward the front doors. "They will be ready for breakfast."

"I'll get to it, then," you assured, watching the twins head out. As a final thought, you couldn't help but wish them luck on their hunt.

"Be careful out there!"

They both turned to fix you with oddly amused looks, Dante giving a playful scoff as Vergil simply continued out the door.

"Don't miss us too much, babe," Dante parted with a wink, and just like that, you were left alone in the main room of Devil May Cry, both a business and home to two demon hunters and their young sons, of whom you would be watching over for the foreseeable future.

What a world you lived in.

You glanced down at the small notebook in your hand, flipping it open to find Vergil's neat penmanship inside. True to his word, there were bullets of immediate information, such as specific times V usually did specific things. Medicine and stretches after breakfast, usually a small nap after outside play, and more stretches right before dinner.

Bedtime routine wouldn't be necessary for your first day on the job, but it was nice that Vergil had the forethought to jot everything down for when you would inevitably need it. You'd been told they had hectic schedules and often responded to calls as they came in, so there were certain to be days you would be on night watch, as well.

Closing the notebook, you placed it within your bag for safekeeping, hefting the tote off your shoulder and leaving it in the chair behind the desk for the time being.

The kitchen entrance was just to the left side of the desk, obscured somewhat by a slight wall partition. You made your way into the area, finding the kitchen and dining area modest in size and pretty well kept. The counters and stove top were clean, as was the table, yet there were some dishes left in one side of the double sinks from what looked like their dinner the night previous.

Well, they were busy, single dads who ran a business together - what did you honestly expect?

Already set on the task at hand, you began shifting the dishes about as you filled the opposite side with warm, soapy water. You'd be dirtying some, anyways, so there wasn't really any reason to leave soiled plates and pans and cutlery lying about if you were already going to wash what you used.

It was as you were sliding the dirty dishes into their makeshift bubble bath to soak that you heard movement from behind, a yawn and the soft little thumps of feet hitting hardwood.

You turned, smiling sweetly at finding Nero and V standing just outside the kitchen, groggy-eyed and still sporting their pajamas.

"Good morning, you two," you greeted warmly, shifting into babysitter mode, or as your best friend liked to call it, your "mother hen" mode.

"Morning," Nero replied, followed by a grumbled, sleepy version of V's own greeting as he yawned and rubbed at his eyes sleepily.

It seemed he was a bit more on the sluggish side, but Nero took it in stride and carefully led V by the hand toward the table, ensuring his cousin had made it into the chair before taking up the one right beside him.

Frankly, it was an incredibly cute display, one you had a feeling you would be seeing quite a lot of in the future.

"Anything in particular you boys want for breakfast?" you asked as you opened the fridge, finding a decent variety of foods for both meals and snacks. "I was thinking maybe omelets-"

"Oh, spinach and cheese and bacon!" Nero shouted out excitedly, hands fisted against the table in an eager display. "V likes ham and cheese in his."

"Yeah? Well, I think I can manage that just fine. How about some juice?"

"Orange juice!"

"Apple, please."

You grabbed the two containers and set them on the counter, rummaging through the upper cabinets until you came across the cups. You poured each juice a little over halfway to avoid any major spills and handed them over, orange for Nero, and apple for V.

They both thanked you and smiled big, Nero almost immediately downing half his cup's worth while V sipped at his as he slowly continued to blink away the lingering sleepiness he held.

Satisfied that the boys were placated for the moment, you went about starting breakfast, gathering all the ingredients and rummaging around to find the utensils necessary to cook with. Lucky for you, it wasn't too hard to find what you needed, and within minutes, the kitchen was smelling of fried bacon and ham pieces.

As you cooked, you could hear Nero talking animatedly to V about the dream he had last night, going into vivid detail about the monsters he fought on a far-off planet.

It still amazed you just how vibrant a child Nero was, especially after seeing his bashful demeanor upon your first meeting. It really did seem like he was just wary of new people, not necessarily shy, just guarded. Once he'd gotten a chance to be around you, it had been such a jarring change into seeing his true personality, and it was largely thanks to V's eagerness to include Nero in what he had been doing.

You continued to muse on your thoughts while cooking, plating up the omelets as they finished. You then made your way back to the table and placed their respective meals in front of them, once again heralding thanks and sweet grins as both of them dug in.

Satisfied, you went back to the double sinks, going about washing the dishes that had been soaking. Luckily, there weren't too many, and the stuck-on bits were washing away with relative ease.

"Aren't you going to eat, too?" V asked suddenly.

"I already had breakfast before I got here," you assured, turning to see that Nero had nearly devoured his omelet, already over halfway finished with his meal.

You were suddenly glad you had made his out of two eggs instead of just one.

V stared at you for a long moment as if contemplating something, but eventually tucked back into his food with a little smile. You paused to refill their cups with juice and handed over napkins for messy mouths, moving back to finish off the previous night's dishes and beginning on the ones you had just sullied..

When you turned back to see if V had finally finished so that you could gather their plates, you were met with Nero eating half an omelet, and V missing his plate.

"Whoa, hey!" you startled, catching the boys' abrupt attention. "Nero, isn't that V's?"

Nero's baby blues narrowed immediately in a defensive way, but V was quick to cut in.

"I was finished! I got full," he said, though you were momentarily doubtful.

"You sure? You didn't eat very much," you gently questioned.

"I don't really eat like Nero does," he supplied with a little smile. "Uncle Dante says he's got lots of energy that needs lots of fuel, but I don't have that."

"And that's okay," Nero defended rather vehemently, "because you can still do lots of things, and I can help finish them. Like breakfast. And races in the park."

"Alright, alright, I understand," you appeased, though it was something that was still cause for some concern. "I'm not angry. I'm still learning how you guys do things, so be patient with me, and I'll keep a willing and open mind, okay? If there's something I need to know, don't hesitate to tell me."

V nodded as Nero gave a somewhat affirmative hum, though he still seemed a bit defensive, perhaps still thinking he was getting in trouble. Whatever the case, you cleared the table once he finished off the rest of V's omelet, leaving behind their juice cups, and made back to the soapy water.

"Why don't you two go get dressed for the day, and we can do V's morning stretches before finding something fun to play. Sound good?"

Both V and Nero seemed on board with the plan, both scooting out of their seats with more vigor than they came into the kitchen with, finally up and at 'em and ready for the day.

Something told you that you had your work cut out for you.

#dmc #devil may cry #dmc dante #dmc vergil #dmc nero #dmc v #dmc au #kid nero #kid v #babysitter au #reader #reader-insert #female reader

[courtorderedcake]

Hallow ch XI - For CSSNS 2019

“The Goblin King was prepared to host the Darkness, stealing Fae women away to their corrupted lands underneath the ground as concubines. The Darkness chose another in his stead, but not before this selected vessel enacted a devastating attack in its vengeance, revealing its hatred & rage. The battle was a lesson the old kings had forgotten; never underestimate an opponent.

Many more lives were lost as they razed over any who dared defy The Goblin King’s will. Only the pure love of our rulers united in matrimony, breaking the Vorpal Dagger, sealed the darkness and the Goblin menace away. The light flourished under their fair rule, and the queen bore a child as pure as moon beams, swan feathers, and starlight. They lived happily ever after, and shall be written in history as Heroes for All Time.”

This is the history Princess Emma memorizes from the day she is born, paraded about and presented only with the highest protection. The palace is a cage she wishes to escape, desperately. Not careful what wishes she made, Emma discovers history is written by the victors - The Dark One has an entirely different version of the events that took place.

Read on AO3 here.

Rated E for explicit themes, Mature situations, and Fae fuckery.

Written for @cssns​ Ch 11 / ?? - In which a monster hides in plain sight

The library had several Kitsune in it when Killian arrived, but as he climbed to the upper level, his immediate concern became the Dragon in the corner. Haku was furiously scribbling down information from a stack of books, throwing them aside in frustration. Killian made the pointed note to stay far away from him and whatever had caused his anger. 

The latest ledgers of the island census were missing as far back as five years, and many of the cultural or study of heritage scrolls were also missing as Killian searched for them amongst the rows. He found a few scrolls of painted art that showed depictions of what the rite aimed to do, though; a Fox spirit in full splendor attacking the barrier and breaking free, it's teeth and many tails shining on display. The actual rites were a mystery as he found those books missing too. 

On a sneaking suspicion, he glanced over at the piles of books Haku had stacked at the desk where he worked, still frantically taking down notes on whatever he was studying. Seeing the same bindings that matched the books in the series, Killian sighed. Of course the Dragon was using them. Resolving to wait, Killian read instead the long history recorded by what once were the Dragon elders, long gone now from the world.

In the beginning, there was fire, ice, air, and earth. We came from all four, the blending of these elements making way to the subtler magics, but leaving us perfect in primordial effortlessness. From the blending of the four came the Old Gods, the Elementals, and then magic itself. After that, time, then light and dark, followed as the Gods and Elementals made this world, and all the vast realities between. We found no use for time, for light, or darkness. Only magic, and only the elements were as wild as we. At one time we too could traverse the planes of existences, but that gift has been long lost to us. 

From magic and the elements came the old creatures, many lost to new as they burned too bright, stars bursting into a supernova, creating, changing and destroying the others. Kitsune, Draugr, Kraken, Gorgons, Sphinx, Harpies - they all come from the old magics, brought to life by their own will until there was either nothing left or just enough for permanence. 

Fire and ice made water, which made seas; earth and fire made jewels and metals, it forced rock from the seas that cooled into land. Air, earth, and water made forests that towered above the hungry ground while ice and air made snow, and water, fire, and air created storms. The Old Gods created their own beings from the many new elements that were created; starlight and moonbeams graced Elves as sunbeams and breezes molded the first Fae, born with wings. Dirt and jewels made Hob-Goblins sparkle like quartz, Anisapi the first to stand guard of places of power. Merfolk and the sea dwellers came together as foam that topped great waves and salt, the Gods loving their children as long as they could before their ends befell them. By war, sickness, age, or simply choice, they left the world to who they hoped would treasure it. 

The Old Gods did not teach their children enough, however. They did not teach their children to share, or warn them of the dangers they had kept hidden away. Trying to be like their creators, and with the last few Deities hanging on, an unknown coalition created mortals. While weak and without vitality, they were vicious, bred quickly in their short lives, and became impossible to eradicate. Before long, they were the dominant species of the world created for us. They learned our weaknesses, they learned how to take down the last of the Gods. They cornered us until something was done. 

The first wars cut lands from mortal hands and placed them in our own, establishing the sacred places that mortals should not tread. Even amongst the non-believing, the superstitions and deadly reminders of trespass passed easily through their generations. 

After that, space was limited amongst the races. A peaceful mountain dwelling species of Fae came under attack for their resources and labor by Jeoff N'lan, who imprisoned them. It wasn't until rumors of an insurrection came under the rule of his son, Jeorg N'lan, that their population was decimated. We know them now as - 

"Reading something good?" Emma's voice made him jump, and he came back to himself with a jolt. She rested her chin on his shoulder, and he could practically taste the honey and sunshine smell that graced her. Coming out from behind him, she placed a picnic basket on the table as he closed the book and set it aside. "I didn't mean to make you jump, it must have been a good book -" 

"Interesting, but not necessarily good," Killian shrugged. He took in her appearance, as she had changed. She looked even better than she had previously, a red gown which had a square cut neckline, her body poured into it as he tried not to notice how lovely she looked. How did she not know the effect she had? He wondered it idly, trying to understand why he was even feeling the effect of her beauty. Sighing, she sat next to him, slumping with her head in her hands. He hesitated when he went to lay his hand on her shoulder, his eyes watching her chest rise, the sigh making her bosom press up, freezing him. 

"Killian, I am not sure how to say this," she began nervously, biting her lip. Under the light of the library, her eyes were sea glass in the sun, bright and sharp. Their appraisal snapped him out of his inappropriate trance, and he refocused quickly as he took in her words. "But I'm beginning to get a little bit scared. There's something off here, and after observing what they're proposing for this rite, I don't know -" 

A book slammed shut across from them, Haku looking at them with his steely eyed gaze. Emma rubbed her temples, body tensing. The Dragon strode over to them, leveling his glare at Emma from across the table. She looked away, and Killian immediately felt ready to spring, coiled in defense of her. 

"You know then, and you know that you could easily take her place?" Haku said quietly, his voice cold. Emma nodded, swallowing hard. 

"What is there to know? Your people chose the Maiden, Emma has nothing to do with -" Killian argued, but Haku let out a yell, his nails digging into the table. 

"You do not have any right to speak on this Dark One. If your grievances are absolved with this Royal, let mine be heard: Don't you feel any repentance for anything, or do you like the weight of your family's legacy on your shoulders?"

Emma closed her eyes, flinching when the Dragon brought his fist down on the table with a loud bang. 

"That's enough -" Killian hissed, but the Dragon shook his head. 

"It will never be enough. You were a hero to our people because you were the answer to the violence her family created, Dark One. We prayed for your return, your revenge on the Royal family, revenge on the Goblins - you were supposed to mete out justice. To think you were distracted by this, this silly girl!" Haku spat at Emma, and she yelped.

Killian ripped the Dragon across the table by his collar, blood pounding in his ears. Lifting his arms, he threw Haku, the Dragon stumbling into the bannister of the stairs down to the main level. 

"Get away from us," Killian hissed. 

"Gladly," Haku gritted out as he straightened, sending a pointed look at Emma.

Killian watched him walk away, Emma shaking in her seat. 

"What the bloody hell was that about?" he asked, before sitting next to her. She shook her head, seemingly trying to find words to explain. 

"These rites - Killian, I'm scared. I -" 

"There you are! Oh how quaint, a basket lunch. Who knew royals as far up in status as you knew how to prepare one," Maleficent purred, walking up the stairs. Lilly followed, her head bowed as she nervously fidgeted with her hands, Isaac trailing behind her. "You ran out so quickly Princess, we weren't done talking about coming to an agreement."

Emma looked up at Killian, pleading with her eyes. 

"The princess and I were talking about your rituals, actually, and thought we might have a moment alone -" 

"Yes of course, but later in the day. There's still so much to show her!" Maleficent purred, yanking Emma back, Lilly catching her as she stumbled. "Princess Emma still has things to see, but I'll leave Isaac here to help you with any questions. Lilly, make haste, come now girls."

Killian smiled apologetically, Emma's look of panic blocked by Isaac's body.  

"What do you want to know? I know almost everything in these books, and I'm the author of more than a few." The shorter man puffed up his chest proudly, and Killian inwardly screamed. Letting his jaw clench into something he hoped resembled a smile, he straightened. 

"I would like to know a bit about the workers I've seen around. The ones that wear the masks and the black outfits, are they a servant class or some leftover of the plague?" he asked, quickly moving to grab the books Haku had been using. Carrying them over, Isaac wrung his hands nervously. 

"Oh, the husks. The Dragons call them 'no faces' because of the masks and their woolen veils, but I think that's a tad tasteless," Isaac chuckled lightly. "They're those who have served us, starting back some sixty odd years. Those left live together with their attendants or with their families if their families so choose."

Killian narrowed his eyes. "Served you? They seem…" He trailed off, unable to find a way to make his meaning less blunt. 

"They seem 'gone'? Well yes, of course they do, and they should! They are fighting, their very essence of spirit attacking the barrier of this prison." Isaac grinned, spreading his palms upward. "That's what the rites are for, they create a trance like state that becomes greater every consecutive turn. This is the year we break free, I can feel it."

"And you want Emma to do this? What are the risks? Is there danger involved -"  

"Now now. The princess is surely capable of making her own choice or coming to you for counsel, yes?" Isaac asked, dropping his hands. His head quirked to the side, and he shrugged. "Besides - The only ones that fear are those who aren't faithful to our teachings. They believe that their loved ones are empty, faceless and lost, not that they are husks waiting for their successful return. The day comes that those still living will have a reunion of body and mind."

Killian thought about Haku's reaction, how vitriolic it was, and glanced at the stack of books. He returned Isaac's grin and nodded.

"Of course. Thank you for elucidating." 

Isaac bowed, backing away. "It was my pleasure to illuminate. I must be off to see to final preparations. Should Emma return, see that you remember our chat? It would certainly help win favor for an alliance."

"Of course, of course. We'll go through the process together if she wishes, and make a decision." Killian watched Isaac's smile falter marginally, confirming his suspicion. 

"Very good then. See that you do." Isaac turned, leaving the library, as Killian furiously began to dig through what Haku had left. The results were frustratingly vague answers about ‘glory to the Kitsune’, who in theory would break through the initial ward, but the magic didn't relate to any sort Killian understood or any ruminations that he was aware of. If anything, it seemed that someone with enough energy could potentially pierce the island's barrier, but any type of assault would need to be targeted, not blanketed as the current ritualistic attempts suggested. The ritual itself was vague, barely described besides a few mentions of a story being written that seemed to usher the chosen into some sort of astral state. 

There was nothing referencing any method in which a husk could be saved, Haku's notes in the margins seemingly indicating that he too had come to the same conclusion. A highlighted passage seemed to be confirmation of this, citing a tethered link being ripped away. Emma could not go through with whatever this was. The thought of her as a stumbling and soulless thing made him feel ill, the image in his mind of her eyes gone gray making him irrationally angry. The island's leaders had to know that this was wrong. A drawing Haku had made of a dome over what must be the island showed what looked like to be fractures, referencing another book on spellcraft, specifically breaking long lasting protection wards. There it showed a sketched illustration of an immortality enshrining spell being fractured while remaining unbroken, resulting in the shamaness inside not retaining her beauty as intended, aging as she should have whilst still remaining alive. Killian shuddered at the thought. 

A dog eared page caught his attention. Haku was a methodical researcher, his notes precise as he followed this ritual to its origins. The marked page was out of place in that regard - a sleeping draughts of great potency, one similar to the sleeping death he himself had given the Queen of the United Realm's, Emma's mother, under the Goblin King’s command. She was famous for overcoming it during the war and her kiss with the man she would later choose to rule by her side had led to his capture. This was not quite that curse, which had taken a great deal of dark magic to create, and ingredients Killian did not want to deal in again if at all possible. It was lesser in its extremity, seemingly focused on lucid dreaming or actively blending the dreams of others with one's own. Did the ritual require some sort of unwaking sleep? That thought was chilling as well, dreams and the magic behind their power were widely known for their unpredictable nature, and Emma’s dreams were beyond powerful and erratic. 

"It seems like you have had an easier day than me. Maybe I'll read, and you go play politics?" 

Emma's voice startled him, and he turned as he stood, almost knocking her over. She looked different than he had last seen her, her eyes kohled and lips red. If the red dress he had seen her in earlier had not attempted to kill him with impropriety, the outfit she wore now had every chance. 

The black dress was by all measure sinful in every facet of its design, and the exhale he gave was choked as she stepped in closer to place her hands on his arms. The pitch black velvet clung to every inch of her toned body, half corset tight but allowing the fullness of her curves, the neckline plunging, and the skirt slit on both sides. A red necklace hung heavy around her neck, the color a deep crimson that seemed to absorb the light. He’d been attracted to the princess before, she was beautiful as it were, but never had he wanted so much to act on it. Not only because of the dress, but because of the way her lips parted, the concerned way she looked at him through the dulled gray green of her eyes under the library lights, her red nails slightly digging into his sleeves - 

As she steadied herself, Killian felt himself falling, unable to catch himself in the sudden vertigo. 

"Emma," he breathed, and her eyes seemed to glint with mischief at how her name was practically wheezed out. He had to compose himself, had to get control - 

Emma leaned in, rising on her toes. 

"I've been waiting to get you alone all day," she whispered, smiling softly, as if she hadn't just made his brain explode. "About earlier -" 

He cleared his dry throat, suddenly far too hot. "Yes, ah, about earlier; you shouldn't go through with anything they try to pressure you into -" 

She laughed, looking at him with amusement. "Oh, no, I know that. What I meant is what I wanted to talk to you about earlier."

He blinked, and while one hand held her steady on his forearm, the fingers on her other hand played with the lacing of the collar of his shirt. Breathing seemed harder, requiring thought. 

"It wasn't about your fears involving the rites here, and the alliance?" Killian asked, and she shook her head. Looking down for a moment, chewing her lip as she let go of him, Emma eyes flitted up at him through her lashes. Taking his hand and squeezing it lightly, she smiled warmly. 

"So… Um. I was scared about talking to you, about finding the right things to say that would make sense. The thing is though… I'm not scared anymore. I feel like I know the answers to my fears just by being near you. You've been so different lately, and I feel like I know you so much better."

"I - I uh - Princess, what is it you're…?"

"You're blushing! Please I don't mean to - oh no -" 

"I'm just not sure what you're trying to convey here, love," he managed to get out, her own face heating in time with his ears. The dress was again another hurdle to his calm, the black velvet slipped tight over the farthest curve of her breasts where it could sit at without being indecent. The color in her face was settling there too, and he dragged his eyes upwards with force. 

Emma stepped forward, and he noticed that she had even streaked her hair jet black in a few places. His mouth went dry, and he licked his lips, trying to fight the wave of carnal thoughts that had suddenly bloomed in his mind. She was so lovely, would feel so right curling into him as he tasted her berry colored lips, finally chasing her properly. What was wrong with him?  Where did these indecent thoughts come from - they had been contained when the Darkness had seemed to be held at bay, and yet here on the isle among the festival goers, it roared to life. 

"Killian, you don't know? I've been thinking about what I want, what we mean to each other -" Killian snapped out of the fantasy with difficulty, as if it had tried to trap him or had used some sort of charm on him. Her words didn't seem real, and he rolled them over in his thoughts. 

"What we mean to each other?" he asked. "Wait, Emma, are you suggesting that you - you feel - you want -" 

"I'm not suggesting anything, Killian," she murmured, and he thanked the Gods for approximately six seconds, before her next words fried his brain. "I'm telling you that I think I want something more from you than friendship."

"I --- I -, er… I am -" 

"Aye to you, too. Come find me later, and I'll tell you what I decided. I think you'll be very pleased." Emma twisted her red necklace in her fingers, looking up shyly at him through her lashes. "I know I am."

Another wave of want hit him, stronger than before, his mind going fuzzy at the edges. Emma was too close to him, and yet she stepped closer; he could smell the smokiness of her, the pine woods, soot, chilies, and rice wine. Vaguely he wondered why she didn't smell of her usual honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and rose, but the thought vanished when she pressed her lips to his cheek. 

Quickly retreating as he cupped his cheek, she waved goodbye, leaving down the path from the library with confident steps. 

Killian felt the small ember he carefully stoked inside the most protected regions of his being turn into a flame, hope surging as he tried to focus on anything but his confirmed feelings for the princess. For Emma. The books he tried to read could not hold his attention; nothing could draw him from his racing thoughts. 

He found a note pinned on the outer side of the door as he was leaving, telling him to meet her on the high cliffs as soon as he could, which left him feeling elated, and he smiled at the thought of trying to figure things out with her. The Darkness had been under control, she was always nearby if it wasn't, and her magic was strong. She was smart, unfailing in her kindness, brave, and he had been denying his feelings for so long. Tonight he would deny her just for a few moments longer, all to court her properly. 

There was a flower vendor for the festival he had seen earlier when walking with Mushu, her cart filled with crowns of marigold, chrysanthemums, eucalyptus and carnations. He had also seen a sweet vendor that had marzipan sculptures, noticing the swan immediately. He had planned to get it for her before they left, but tonight was much more perfect. Both in hand as fast as possible, he hoped Emma wouldn't mind his late arrival. If anything, she would be too delighted by the gifts, and Killian could finally, finally do what he realized he wanted for so long - 

"Love, if you think helping the denizens of this isle is a worthy cause, who am I to ever argue with you?" 

Killian froze, turning to the sound that sent chills down his spine. Someone was talking in his voice, a scarily good imitation of it as well. 

"When have you been wrong, Swan? When have you not risen above your challenges?"

"You're right, Killian." 

Emma's voice. His stomach dropped. Moving closer to the conversation tucked into a small aisle behind tents, he saw Emma in her red dress, and himself. Or, a poor facsimile of himself; there were a few streaks of white in his hair, and his nails seemed pointer even in the dim light. The doppelganger seemed to notice, carding a hand through, covering the white with his palm and burying them there. The other hand went snugly into his pocket. 

"I know. I have no fear for you either, so take that as reassurance. After you succeed, it will be easy to take on the Darkness… and we could…" The fake slipped an arm around her waist, tipping her chin up and stroking her face. It was like a punch in the gut, the way she blushed and swooned so innocently, the reaction so sharply different than her earlier forwardness. Killian felt the growing suspicion that it wasn't Emma that had visited him but another, realizing with anger that his feelings had been twisted into vulnerability. 

"We can talk about something more, what comes next. A future," his double whispered, laying his forehead against Emma’s. 

"I'd like that," she replied as she smiled. 

Killian began walking towards them, his rage boiling over at this deceit and jealousy that flamed into a blaze. The manipulation that was in play to create the idea she actually - that she could possibly feel something like that for him and that they could make something work; the idea was ridiculous when laid out. The princess being courted by the war criminal. Jealousy wasn't what he was feeling; he couldn't be jealous when she had been tricked, or when he had been weak. Emma didn't want anything from him, truly. He moved through the tents, following Emma to make sure that she put distance between herself and his fake, watching her through the gaps. In the cage he held tightly closed, the Darkness rattled. It took in a gasp of air, straining in its bonds. 

No one could ever want you, stupid, weak, petulant man. 

No one.  

No one, and especially not her . 

Someone so good, you would break her, you would never work. 

Never . 

Imagine what scars you would give her, imagine how easily she would see how pathetic you are… 

He stumbled, felt the pressure of someone strong on his back as he struggled, albeit briefly. A cloth was pushed over his mouth and nose, a prick of some sort of dart hitting both sides of his neck one after the other. It took seconds for his eyes to go bleary, the world spinning as he fell. 

Haku looked down at him, frowning. 

"I'm sorry," Haku whispered. The words swam along with everything else in his vision, but Killian valiantly tried to crawl towards where Emma had been, following the sound of his voice, his voice used by another. 

"Hurry now love. Don't leave Isaac waiting; they'll need you as soon as possible."

Emma's voice was bright as she called over her shoulder with a wave, unaware of Killian’s groan as he reached for her, unseen behind the many tents as Haku dragged him away. 

"I'll be seeing you soon, Killian."

  *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

  The amount of interference and pressure the combined Dragon royals and the Kitsune leaders held all day on Emma was absolutely unbearable. At the beginning of the morning, Lilly had dragged her to a bathhouse, the beauty and ornateness of the place overshadowed by the obnoxiously rude company. Emma was given a robe like wrap made of thick damask, golden fish swimming on the blue fabric. Lilly helped her put it on, ignoring Emma's objections at her intrusion while she was partially nude. 

Chihiro wore a white gown, not making a sound even with bells tied in her long black hair. They glinted in the sunshine along with her braided ribbon as they all moved through the hallways, polished wood catching their many colored reflections. A paper screen door opened to reveal a large bath surrounded by rocks, a waterfall cascading into the steaming pool. One by one the women disrobed, dipping themselves, and Emma followed suit with a blush. The water felt heavenly, even if the conversation was not. 

"So, the women as a congregation join the Maiden in her cleansing, where we all purify ourselves and commune with our ancestors," Lilly sighed, kicking her toes out of the water. From across the steam, Emma could see the great plumes of green smoke coming from where Cruella sat. When the steam parted, Cruella's eyes were focused solely on her, giving Emma chills even in the heat. "After this, we go get massages, then we get facials, then tea. Then we take a processional walk through the sand gardens, after which we do a lantern ceremony in the turtle pond. Lastly, we head to the cathedral for the final rites."

"I have plans to lunch with Killian -" Emma said cautiously, biting  her lip. 

"Because of course you do," Lilly said with an eye roll. 

Emma smiled innocently. "Is there a way I can sneak away at some point?" She batted her eyes and Lilly snorted. 

"Yes, of course there is," Lilly sighed, annoyed. "But getting a chance to while fielding my Mother and Cruella is going to be tricky for you. After this, that is. Enjoy the reprieve while you have it."

"Oh no, really?" Emma let herself whine. While unbecoming, it worked effectively well for Lilly, and was fair turnabout. "Lilly, will you buy me some time? You owe me for last night."

Lilly's eyes became more cool, and calculated. She looked at Emma conspiratorially, pointing up a finger before wagging it in her direction. "Alright. One condition though." 

"Sure, I guess?" Emma said with a slight shrug. Realizing the current situation, she let herself float her toes up and down in the water in slow kicks, adding with a little edge of warning, 

"Just don't be weird" 

Lilly nodded, looking away. The Dragon collected herself, looking resolute as she began to speak in a slow and careful manner. "You've heard a lot about how much people want you to do this, but today you are going to hear some of the why. I want you to hear my reasons." Taking a deep breath, she continued while obviously trying to keep from speaking too fast. "I don't love Mushu. He's like a brother to me, a truly close friend, but I don't and have never loved him. I don't believe he feels anything for me either, but I don't care to know in fear of sympathy winning me over. We simply don't have any other options - the royal lineage either goes on, or dies with me. Unless we escape. Unless somewhere, pockets of dragons survived that did not follow the call of our elders - then I am like you, forced into a loveless marriage."

Emma had to bite off the urge she had to scoff. 

"I mean, not quite, but sure I guess. What other reasons are there?" 

"There's a lot, Emma. A whole lot. This barrier is killing us, and killing any chances of a future for the entire island." Lilly grimaced, closing her eyes. "I hate everything that the pressure from all sides under it has made us become; made me become. I hate what it's done to my family."

"I’m truly sorry, Lilly. I will try to consider this as I make my decision." Emma patted her hand, and Lilly smirked, pawing an eye. 

"Yeah," Lilly bit out, the teasing quality in her voice softer. "As I pressure you. Fiore, there's no end in sight. Come, let us at least get this tension lifted from our shoulders."

She rose along with a few others, stepping into beautiful thick silk robe like dresses held by attendants. Emma followed, letting herself be ushered into a small room with a table in the center, a paneled paper divider opening revealing a room beyond that with the same layout as the first. With the divider pushed in to halve the start of the room, Emma was led to the further table while Lilly was disrobed. Emma's attendant followed by taking her own robe, laying Emma down so she could only see Lilly's head and shoulders her own attendant was pouring oil over her upper back. Emma felt the liquid slip over her own, flinching, before practiced fingers pressed long held tension away. She tried not to moan loudly, her body coiled tight since before she had fallen into this world. 

Neither Lilly or the attendants were conversationalists, nor were there interruptions, leading Emma to daydream contently like she had done before falling through the portal into this world. After what felt like only a few minutes, Lilly's snoring joined the quiet sounds of hands working their bodies, and Emma let herself doze in and out, feeling safe for the first time in… 

A part of Emma struggled to give the answer, torn. It should have been before Nil, and before her life was thrown off its natural course, but the truth that had popped immediately into her mind confused her. As did the fact her daydreaming kept leading her to strange places, and thoughts that were untoward, childish, and ridiculous. The last time she felt safe was much more recently, to only the last night Killian laid next to her. She'd woken from the same recurring nightmare, Nil advancing just a bit further each time, but Killian had been there immediately with his arms around her tightly. 

He'd mumbled a mixture of soft, soothing things in a rough voice heavy with sleep, letting her face lay against his chest so she could hear his steady heartbeat, feel his breathing, bringing herself to calm as his nose buried in her hair. There was a sort of intense intimacy in that, and she had woken when he had begun to pull away gradually, slowly even. He began growing more fitful and Emma had struggled not to wonder if it was because he wasn't tired, but if instead… If whatever part of him that governed sleep, governed the way his innuendos had stopped, or governed the way he was when he was drunk enough to hold her close had wanted him to stay that way. Either way, she had felt cozy, and fiercely protected by him. 

Her daydreaming was not protected from him though, and had been wandering to the feel of his hands on her thigh, the way she knew his lips were soft, the secret way his fingers trailing from her curls to trace patterns on her shoulder when he comforted her, and what it might be like to have the silly idea that he felt even the slightest attraction to her be not so silly. Graham had once brought her flowers, before her father's intervention, but Emma wondered if he would court her in the modern ways of the world outside the barrier, the ways of the strict rules her parents might expect, or even the traditions here that were bits of both with their own unique twists. Killian would be a gentleman no matter how long the path the courtship was, and for that reason she felt even more longing for him. 

Maybe Lilly was right and they did both want each other? Emma drifted further into the pleasure of that idea, even as noise started in Lilly's room. The eventual heated tone and rising volume of an argument brought Emma back from her musings with quickness. 

"She should meet her, Father Isaac says to have faith and I have. I've been faithful since both sets of our parents were taken, and I've been faithful waiting for Aurora. This is a chance for her. It's like she isn't even there anymore. I can't even remember the blue of her eyes, her eyes used to be blue, almost violet. Now they're that wretched, empty, gray - "

"Phillip, be calm and be silent, I'm working on it. I don't want to pressure her and all of you are making it very difficult," Lilly hissed lowly. "Trust me, I want this as much as you, but we can't just tell them that this is a potential outcome when they don't understand."

" I don't understand. I don't understand why it feels like Aurora isn't even in there anymore. I miss her so much; we were trying to start a family and then this happened. When she gets back, if she gets back, how much time will be left?" The man's voice was growing more plaintive, and Emma tried to control her breathing to maintain the illusion she was sleeping. Her attendant hesitantly moved away, and Emma risked a glance at Lilly's room. 

The Dragon was in another of the heavy silken damask robe dresses speaking with an angry looking man, one who could only be Phillip. He was tall and broad, deep chestnut hair and a boyish face that was well tanned. Next to him stood a husk, its black cowl and mask still even as Phillip gesticulated. 

Emma had felt the strangeness of the husks pull before, attributing it to the island's own unique feeling of arcane forces. Everything on the island pulled at her, as if the ground was trying to absorb the very elements it was created from, starved of its own power. The husks were like this, but with the force of a cyclone, a gaping maw of a vacuum that demanded to be filled. This husk was no different, the stillness of it betrayed by how it gave off a dark and desperate feeling of need. 

"Please, you need to -" 

"I don't need to do anything, especially when you aren't even included in the lottery!" the man yelled. 

"Yes," Lilly drawled, sounding annoyed but dismissive. "Being on the door of extinction as a species is the epitome of an exit strategy. Bravo Phillip, you figured it out."

"Lilly, you know what I mean! I don't know how anyone else does it. She isn't Aurora anymore; she doesn't eat, doesn't sleep, doesn't talk or smile or sing - I miss her singing. I used to complain about her singing all the time and now, and now I -" 

"We need to talk somewhere else; the princess is going to wake up and I'm going to have to -" 

Emma's attendant closed the screen between their rooms, separating them once again, and leaving Emma alone as the voices carried out into the hall. The silence was not broken by any attendant, and Emma rose quietly to sit. A beautiful dress of her own sat out, in the same traditional style as Lilly's. It was a soft violet, patterned with swans, and cherry blossom blooms. Lilly had helped her tie the previous dress in the style they wore, a thick bow on the back accented with sparkling ropes that ended in beading or bells, but Emma found it was very difficult to do herself. With a few muttered curses, she managed to get it in some type of semblance just as she heard shuffling steps on the other side of the divider.

"Lilly is that you?" she called quietly. The answering noise of a soft keen came from the other room. Emma huffed out a breath as she tried to adjust the bow again. "Oh, good. Will you help me with this? I'm afraid I have it a bit askew."

The footsteps shuffled slowly to the sliding door, waiting there. Lilly let out a small moaning noise, and Emma rolled her eyes as she walked to the door herself, holding the dress in place the best she could with one hand. She attempted to push the sliding door, but it did not budge, Lilly's side holding fast. 

"Lilly, is your side stuck?" Emma asked, surprised at how quiet Lilly was being. As she thought about it, she wondered if the argument between Phillip had gone so poorly as to mollify her friend into contrition, a feeling of intense anger and upset pouring from the other side of the door. Emma swallowed hard, ready to hold knowing about the fight tightly to her chest until it could be used to her advantage. If Lilly was involved in any sort of trickery, it might be easier to coax it out with this information. The thought made her sad, but it wasn't as if it was unlikely. 

Lilly rasped something on the other side of the door, Emma's ears unable to make it out. Another soft moan followed, and a strange 'Ah' sound was heard as the divider door rattled. Emma pressed again, but the divider screen stuck firmly on its track, not sliding to open at all. Lilly was holding it shut. 

"Lilly, this isn't funny. What are you playing at?" Emma grunted, pushing harder, but the door did not give despite her best efforts. Lilly held fast on her side, her breathing heavy. Emma felt uneasy, letting go of the screen as a chorus of whispers and strange moans broke out in many voices behind the door where Lilly stood. 

The lights in Emma's room, a few simple paper lamps, went out suddenly all at once as the divider door began to rattle. From the brightness of the other room, shadows showed against the paper, people filling the space as they pressed against the divider wall, hands silently beating and clawing. Emma's hands covered her mouth as she backed up further, until she ran into the table she had been sitting on, the rattling of the door becoming louder. The voices converged, no longer whispering but now many chanting the same words against the paper.  

"Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungryyyy…!" 

The rattling stopped, the lamps in the other room going out. The divider stood dark in the pitch of the room, everything silent but Emma's thundering heart. As her eyes adjusted, she heard the door slowly slide open, her panic at what lie behind too much, too much, something was in that shadow waiting - 

The door slid open fully, revealing nothing on the other side. Emma let out a nervous laugh, her hands shaking as she lowered them. Taking deep breaths, she steadied herself, and began to put things together. 

This was obviously a Kitsune trick, Lilly most likely involved as well. It wasn't as if she shouldn't have expected it; Lilly had warned her enough times about their prankster ways and Emma's own distinct lack of popularity. 

Walking toward the door to leave, she was surprised to meet a solid black wall as she bounced back from it. The divider was blocked by a black surface, that when pressed was slightly opaque as it let her hand sink slightly. It reminded her of the Selkies flesh when they wore their pelts, the blubbery skin letting her hand sink a bit as she petted. This was not soft or furry like that however, but like that of a great mottled toad. Emma pulled her hand away and it came back wet, a black viscous slime sticking to her palm. She flicked it away, taking a step back and letting her other hand card over her face and into the crown of her hair. 

Wet and warm gunk fell on her hand and into her hair, her fingers pulling away in shock as she examined the sticky, clear, bubbled slime. It looked like some sort of saliva, strangely enough - Another glob hit her head, and she looked up. 

The husk mask was in the middle of the ceiling on a great thing , its mass huge and stretched. Black spider like arms pressed to the corners to hold its own bloated weight, its torso was stretched up through the divider, like some sort of slug. Under the mask, a dark mouth opened displaying broad, flat, teeth the size of dinner plates. A tongue lolled out slowly, dripping more thick dollops of drool. 

A single small 'Ah' came from its throat, causing Emma's eyes to go wide with terror. She felt rooted on the spot, unable to move; a glance down quickly confirming another set of arms had wrapped around her, a hand with two long fingers encircling her body. The thing smiled at her with its uneven teeth, lifting her as she tried to remember how to scream. 

"Hungry!" it roared, Emma finally shrieking in its grasp as its long tongue wrapped around her and she was plunged into its mouth. 

Images assaulted her, the smell of the creature acrid, musky, and cloying. 

An older woman sipping tea with deep wrinkles around her brown eyes. A dark haired man making smoke rings, his young son clapping at the shapes. A woman with a patient smile and raven curls tucking in the beds of children she has taken in to mother, afraid of nothing more than orphaning them again. A man with a beard and mustache the color of wetted stone, his eyes tired but posture proud. A beautiful maiden singing while gathering blueberries, her golden blonde hair catching on the sunlight as birds sung along. An older boy playing ball on the shore, shaggy hair in his eyes as he ran, his grin huge. A plump woman with reddish curls and a saucy smile, throwing tiles in some sort of game. A sullen young man with a shock of red hair, his tall height able to reach books in the library he needed. 

The voices grew louder still, her head pounding and ears ringing. 

"HUNGRY. HUNGRY!" 

A soft, melodious woman's voice sung through the noise, overcoming it. Emma recognized it as the tune she had heard in the strange vision of the woman picking blueberries. Her pretty words were hurried as if she was out of breath. 

  "Help us. Please, help us."

  The woman was swallowed by the noise again, the thing bellowing out its hunger as Emma felt its rage at being so hollow, desperate for anything to make it whole. It tore at itself as it screamed in fury, Emma's own screams lost under its cries. Hands clawed at her, shaking her as she struggled in the increasing pressure of the blackness; it would crush her surely, and soon she would be without air. 

A hard pinch on her side made her yelp, the noise fading as she opened her eyes to meet Lilly's look of annoyance. 

"What are you doing? Why are you down there freaking out like that?" she asked, pulling Emma up by her elbow. Shaking, Emma looked around the room, the husk standing in the corner with its face to the wall. Its mask lay on the floor between them, and Emma backed away as she pointed at it, unable to form words.

Lilly looked at the husk and shook her head. "Yeah, they do that sometimes. They like to be behind things, as if they find comfort in not seeing or not being seen. The masks help with that."

"No, no, that thing - it attacked me!" Emma blurted, and Lilly raised an eyebrow before laughing raucously. "Lilly, it tried to eat me or did, it was -" 

"Husks don't do anything unless you patiently, and I mean patiently, teach them. Even then, it can't be a complicated task or they'll wander off in search of some wall or cubby hole to stick their head in." Lilly shook her head as she giggled. "They don't eat or sleep, don't talk at all, so if you saw something it was most likely not her."

"But she - it did! It was a monster Lilly; it spoke to me and told me it was hungry. I don't know how I -" 

"If Aurora could speak, she would not have wasted her voice on you," a male voice said coldly. Phillip brushed past Lilly and into the room, sighing with frustration as he picked up the discarded mask. "If Aurora could speak, she'd talk to her husband who has been waiting for her to come back since she laid down in that cathedral and this took her place. She would answer when I ask her questions, where she went, if she's safe, and if she's coming back like she promised… she promised me… " His voice broke, and Emma looked down at her bare feet with shame. 

"Phillip, it was probably a Kit trick on her; she doesn't know about how difficult it is -" Lilly soothed, moving closer to Phillip. He instead turned, pulling the husk from the corner and facing it towards Emma. 

"Does this look like a monster to you?" he asked, his voice and body tense. 

The husk's face was visible in its habit, everything else swathed in black. She was pretty, her features familiar to Emma although it was difficult to place them or why the woman made her neck hair rise in nervousness. 

Emma shook her head indicating no, averting her eyes to once again look at her feet. 

"Kitsune wouldn't cross the line with this sort of prank. It could have gotten Aurora hurt, and she wouldn't be able to come back. No Kit would dare." He prodded a finger at Lilly, and she shifted uncomfortably. 

"If you're implying it was one of us -" Lilly began, her voice going steely. Phillip interrupted without pause. 

"I'm implying that I want no part in games, or politics any longer. This was a mistake." He held the husk a bit tighter, running a hand over the black fabric that covered her head. His voice softened. "I only want Aurora back." 

"I hope she comes back to you soon," Emma said lightly. "And I am sorry. I know what I saw, but never meant to -" 

"Keep the rest of your apology, princess. The beginning was enough," Phillip said coldly. He ushered the husk to the far door, its habit now askew revealing long golden blonde hair. Once placed back over her head, he placed the mask over where only her face was visible. Emma watched them go, now convinced that the woman with the blueberries who had sung and begged for help was none other than Aurora. 

Lilly interrupted her thinking. "So did you drink some special tea, or something? Or did you see smoke?" 

"Forget about it, Lilly," Emma whispered. "I… I think I'm ready to go have lunch with Killian. Can you help me steal away with a picnic basket?" 

"I can, but not for long. We slept through some of the minor traditions, so the next are really important. We have the communion with the spirits and the sacred tea ceremony before Chihiro drinks her own to traverse the veil." Lilly leaned against the table Emma had been massaged on, thinking hard. "My mother and Cruella surely have plans to grill you before that. You'll have to be quick, and leave as soon as we finish the bell ceremony in the cathedral."

"I can be. Also, not to be terribly rude, but…" Emma bit her lip and displayed her very askew and barely secured dress for Lilly's appraisal. "I would very much like to wear something that does not require so much tying and folding, please."

Lilly rolled her eyes, pursing her lips. Dragging Emma to a closet near the entrance of the bath house, she pulled out a few dresses before pushing them back in the overfilled space. Finally she found one that suited her discernment, giving it to Emma. 

"This will work. Red protects from bad spirits, and collects energy. It gives power. It suits you." Lilly helped Emma out of her dress (what Lilly called a Yukata, and Emma sighed in defeat at Lilly's, pristine and tied tight) and into the red dress. It was barely corseted, which seemed to be in favor here on the island, with a square neckline and a flare at the hips that led to a full skirt. The red was a deeply pigmented crimson, the sleeves and way the dress fit on her body as if it was made for her. 

Lilly walked with her to the cathedral, a picnic basket hidden between their skirts that they had pilfered from the kitchens in the bathhouse. 

"So we drink this tea, to commune with spirits, and Chihiro drinks a special blend of it?" Emma whispered as they walked along the path to another ornate building. Lilly nodded. "Why?" 

"The tea allows her to traverse the veil, gaining power and trust from the other spirits. She will undergo trials that allow her to command a targeted attack of the barrier, which can only be achieved by strengthening herself," Lilly intoned.  

Entering the cathedral was like being thrown into ice water. The power that lurked there and the energy made her feel queasy, the ever present feeling of wrongness heightened and magnified under the splendor of its roof. She ran to see Killian, but was cornered before she could explain anything, led back by Lilly and her mother. 

It was enough to send Emma into an uneasy conflict with herself and the power of her magic. The scope of how broken the barrier spell seemed to be, the chaotic anger of the spirits chipping away at it, how magic itself was decaying in swaths underneath it along with the population - the mounting pressure was enormous without the heavy handed encouragement of the involved parties. Later, she stumbled out of the cathedral without grace into the fresh air, her mind full of questions. A fair of sorts was being set up while the Maiden began her sleep, and Emma walked among the tents idly looking at the sugar sculptures, glass beads, dream catchers, and charms while trying to seek out Killian, finding him nowhere. 

She saw him turn the corner out of the corner her eye, spinning to look to where he had gone, but he seemed to round the opposite corner in the reflection cast by a gilded hand mirror in a booth. Emma felt herself getting lost even among the small amount of vendors, following phantoms that turned out to be mist with frustration. A hand caught her shoulder, and with relief she turned to find Killian smirking at her. 

"Looking for someone, pet?" he teased, and she sighed through a huff at his humor at her expense. In the light, his hair seemed to gleam silver, almost white, but she shook off the strange ideas that seemed to be whispered in the air surrounding them, surprised by the boldness of her imagination. It was not the time to think about how silky his uncut fringe would be between her fingers, or how soft he'd kiss below her neck if she was someone he wanted. 

"Princess?" Killian whispered salaciously, as if reading her thoughts. Emma's knees seemed to grow suddenly weaker, to her great concern, but that only made her resolve grow stronger. 

Straightening her shoulders, she spoke firmly as not to be tongue tied. "I felt unsettled, and I came to you. I have to ask of you to help me make a decision. Do you think I should take Chihiro's place and undergo this rite myself? Do you believe that it will help both sides?"

"It's the best thing we've got to get them allied to our cause. Give them everything you have. You have a reputation for being the Savior to live up to, after all." He was acting strangely, his usual nervous ear scratch replaced by scratching at his neck. His nails seemed sharper, but the light was poor as the sun fell. Emma laid a hand on his and he flinched away, bowing his head slightly. He buried a hand in his hair, looking bashful, before taking a deep breath to look at her with a sort of pride. 

"Love, if you think helping the denizens of this isle is a worthy endeavor, who am I to ever argue with you? When have you been wrong, Swan? When have you not risen above your challenges?" He searched her face, and for a moment she thought Lilly might be right about him feeling something. The idea made her stomach flutter with hope. 

Emma sighed. "You're right, Killian." 

He stepped closer, and her heart felt as if it might pound out of her chest. He'd been so forward here, but she never thought or would have even guessed that he had any interest in her, or intentions. Emma let him fill her space, the idea of him wanting to court her, or the thought of the thousands of ridiculous romances she was able to have Ruby sneak her into the castle and the scenarios therein, made her think longingly of what she possibly wanted. That is, possibly wanted with him . 

"I know. I have no fear for you either, so take that as reassurance. After you succeed, it will be easy to take on the Darkness… and we could…" Her heart skipped a beat, Killian slipping an arm around her waist, tipping her chin up and stroking her cheek. It was as if there wasn't enough air in her lungs. Blushing, she fell forward into him slightly because of dizziness. It was so warm, the night air not cooling her skin any longer, and indecent thoughts of everything he could do to her were like a spring garden's flowers, ready to be picked. 

Emma tried to speak, but couldn't find the words to do so. She settled for breathing his name out on a whisper, watching him smirk. As the wind blew gently, his eyes softened. 

"We can talk about something more, what comes next. A future." His whisper while laying his forehead against her own was so tender. 

"I'd like that." She smiled. 

"Hurry now love. Don't leave Isaac waiting, they'll need you as soon as possible."

"I'll be seeing you soon, Killian."

He gave her a wave, and she did not hear him whisper under his breath, his voice becoming a feminine purr. 

"Sweet dreams, princess."

  *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

  Emma was found wandering the beach in a silken gown, with no memories of how she had gotten there. The village on the island was abuzz with it; nothing like the strangeness that her arrival heralded happened in the Blackwater, excitement in short supply. Not only was she a wisp of a thing, but she could not be a day older than seven or eight to his eleven or Liam and Elsa's fourteen. Liam had taken him to the shore to watch alongside the others as Isaac held her hand, helping her off the small beach and up the cliff side. There, hidden in the trees where no one could see, Emma Swan looked at him for the first time, her green eyes like another forest he could lose himself in. His father and mother had chastised him over dinner - worrying about some peasant girl was not fitting for his social stance as a Blackwater lordling. 

The next time he saw her, she was dancing at a harvest ball, her hair braided with autumn leaves and ribbon. It had been several years, his interest in girls going slightly beyond love notes and hand holding if that. She still drew his eyes, spinning lazily in her embroidered gown, looking like a falling blossom. Even Liam had been caught by her spell, and Killian had secretly hated him for his boldness and smooth confidence as he walked toward her. 

She froze when Liam asked her for a dance, looking at him with such confusion, as if he was a ghost. Sir Isaac ushered her away, and Killian shrugged. Liam told him later that the petrified girl had told him that he wasn't real, and had asked for Killian by name. She hadn't used proper titleage or etiquette, just his name again and again more shrill in each utterance, until Isaac took her to rest at his home. 

No one could say what happened, other than she was ill. Some said that she mumbled madly about both the future and the past, events that would come to pass or secrets that she should not know. Tongues wagged in the Blackwater; finding the truth therein was like finding a needle in a haystack. 

The seasons changed, no questions answered, and Emma was rarely around to create enough intrigue for questioning. The questions stopped eventually as she became the village herbalist, sending her wares down the mountain from her cliffside cabin with her friend Lilly. His good friend and the Lady of the Baelfire side of the Isle, Milah, confessed she had never bought Emma's strange remedies - but she credited that to her renouncing witchcraft in all forms, her name safe from spells and mind safe from the sale of esoterics. 

Magic ran rampant through the Blackwater, as they were all Fae, but it was taboo to do more than simple charms or common place spellwork. Potions, incantations, divining the future, enchanting, and the many manners of magic Emma did easily made her an outcast - and Milah agreed with the townsfolk that Emma was in league with a Demon, making her a witch. Rumors swirled that the Demon had stolen her sanity as payment for her skills. On some nights if you looked to the cliffs, a strange glow in many different colors radiated from Emma's small cabin. That did little to quell rumors. 

Life in the village went on. Killian and Milah grew closer, and they fell in love in a whirlwind romance that seemed to take the entire Blackwater with it. Their marriage was expected, and easily approved. As soon as their small home was up near the library Killian dutifully cared for, his brother followed suit. Liam and Elsa married, much to his father’s, Ingrid's, and Nemo's delight. His mother was gone for several years now, but he thought she would be proud of her children. 

Unlike the intimate affair Killian had held, the entire village was present for Liam’s marital feast. 

Including Emma. 

Her hair was in a wild braid, her dress without corseture or boning, flowing in swaths of mossy green cotton. Her fingers were stained in different colors, ranging from ochre to blackberry, crimson to indigo. 

And her eyes. They were suddenly the brightest green Killian had ever seen. 

Milah begged him not to say hello to Emma, making a symbol with her thumb, index and smallest finger that likened the woman with having horns. Like the rest of the villagers, her belief that Emma was a Demon-led witch held strong, even as they bought her herbal remedies from Lilly. Killian obliged, as not to upset his wife. In the end it was wise. As his brother stood to give a toast with Elsa looking on in adoration, there was a struggle in the back of the room. Emma was wild eyed, pointing at Liam and Elsa. 

"This is - it's impossible, this doesn't - please I don't understand, this isn't real! Someone help, why is this being shown to me? I need to get out of here, these are ghosts, memories - They aren't real! You are dead! Dead!" 

Emma's cries brought gasps from the crowd, with Nemo, Lilly, and Isaac pulling her from the room. Milah shook her head and muttered a prayer; the herbalist herself confirming the rumors that she had bouts of madness. Sir Isaac and Lilly desperately tried to keep her as rooted in reality as possible, but it was clear that she could not handle this event for whatever reason. She was calmed with a jacket and gag Isaac had made, sitting in the back where the sight would not disturb anyone. Although Killian thought it was barbaric to tie someone into sitting quietly (even in a wheeled chair), he thought that Emma was lucky enough to find an adoptive family like Sir Isaac and Lady Cruella. 

A strange feeling of wrongness fell on him, the hair on the back of his neck prickling. They were Fae, they should be able to heal her, heal each other, even in matters of madness. The thought had barely crossed his mind when Milah pulled him into a dance. As they spun with the other guests, Emma's eyes met his, Milah and him both laughing at Ingrid's clumsy footwork as she danced nearby. To his surprise, Emma smiled at them with the saddest look he had ever seen before she was wheeled away, disappearing into the crowd. 

That night he dreamed of Emma, even as Milah slept next to him in their marital bed. 

"You have to. You have to, before she's gone." 

Killian felt his mouth go dry, looking down at Emma's sleeping form. "This was a bad deal Lilly. You were supposed to be her friend, why did you let her do this?" 

"I fucked up. Please. You have to save her before she turns her into a shell of what she was or worse; you have to get her out of there. There's a potion, a sleeping draught or something - I don't know. I tried it and was able to get to her; but it's dangerous. She can -"

"I don't care. We can't stand around here while she… While she… I can't believe you did this, and that she agreed. Of all the stupid ideas to follow through on -" 

"Killian, it's not like I had a choice!" Lilly snapped. Killian glared, his anger threatening to boil over. 

"Bullshit, Lilly. Whatever you have to tell yourself, right?"

"Just listen. I was going to get her out, but you don't understand. My mother, Cruella, Isaac - none of them have seen anything like this. You can lose yourself in there; it takes over everything, rewriting your entire existence." 

"Then I'll lose myself happily. She'd already be doing that for me if it were me." 

"And for me. I hope Emma never forgives me," Lilly sniffed. 

Killian felt his jaw clench, something in his head clawing at his thoughts as he pushed it away. "That would make two of us, but she will. Emma is too good for the likes of us."

He woke with a start, Milah slightly stirring as he tried to remember the fragmented bits of the dream that lingered. 

Years passed, and Emma interacted with the village in small, rare, interactions. She bought food sparingly, but more often than not, Lilly bought it for her. The village was quiet, and Emma was too unpredictable, too loud. Killian professed sympathy for her, and Milah agreed that the herbalist truly had a terrible fate. 

Then Milah fell ill. 

It was nothing like he'd ever seen, as if she was being erased, her body falling apart quickly and her vibrancy muted. She became a shell, her fatigue and pain without relief until Milah let him try Emma's wares. A salve gave Milah almost instant comfort, and Killian bought as much as he could. As Milah deteriorated, they required more and more until they were out both at home and at the small stall where Lilly peddled her wares. When he asked for more, Lilly raised an eyebrow. 

"You could ask Emma. She does make the rare house call for extreme cases," Lilly whispered behind a cupped hand. 

So, Killian climbed the mountainside, up to the cliff Emma's cabin stood on. He peered in, noting how sparsely furnished the space was. There was no one inside, so he made his way to the back, following soft singing. Wearing a paint splattered cotton gown that did nothing to hide her body's shape, Emma stood with a brush grasped lightly in her fingers. Her hair was long and thrown back into an unkempt tumble of curls with no bonnet in sight, no corseture around her waist, and her feet were bare in the warm evening as she sang. 

Killian watched her paint in small strokes, tongue poking out as she finished and wiped her palms together with a clap. Her song abruptly ended and she turned to face him. 

"You're here," she said quietly. 

Her eyes were still so very green. 

"I… Beg pardon?" Killian shook his head, confused by why she seemed to stun him. For the first time things felt real, the moss and rocky soil on his feet even more so. "I'm here for -" 

"For Milah's medicine, yes. It's on the table there." She nodded her head to a small clay jar. He opened it, looking at the strange paste inside. Who had told her he was in need of it? 

"How did you -" 

"Not important. What is important, Killian, is that this will only help her for a day or two." Killian looked at the jar in his hand, terrified. Yes, Milah was getting worse, but days left? There was no way. Emma looked unflappable, her face empathetic. 

"What's wrong with Milah?" 

"It's complicated. She's wasting away, and I can't, she's - all I can do is slow it down. I'm so sorry, I know you both are so happy, and if I could do more I would. I can see how much you dream of a long life with her, and how scared you are of losing her." Emma seemed upset by his inquiry, and began to fidget. "I could possibly extend things longer if I was there, but… This will make things more comfortable. Less nightmarish."

"I'll ask Isaac, I'll beg -" 

"Lilly is a better bet. She sneaks me out to the beach, or makes distractions, and covers for me. She could… cover for me to help you."

"I'll ask her to, and to watch out for Isaac for us, but you'll come, right? Please say -" Killian began. Emma hushed him quietly. 

"Of course. I can't imagine how much of a torture this is, and I'm sorry. I'm trying to make it better, I don't want this fear to hurt you. I just - I don't know how any of this is happening, but while it is, I don't want you to -" Emma stopped and closed her eyes, lip caught in her teeth, as if collecting her thoughts. "I don't want either of you to hurt. I never want you to hurt, and I try to stop it when I can, when I see them try to punish me or you. You're real aren't you? If I can keep you happy, it will be alright, and you'll be alright." 

"I don't - uh. I don't know what that means, Swan," he admitted, scratching behind his ear. Blinking out of her outburst, Emma sighed, kicking dirt with her bare toes. She nodded, looking downcast. 

"Have Lilly send for me as soon as she can."

The look of tired misery in eyes that matched the moss haunted him the entire way home, sitting on his shoulder and whispering strange thoughts into his brain. 

One whisper stood out from the others, and he wasn’t sure if it was true or imagined, though he’d swear it was truth : Emma’s canvas had been filled with one of his own, very blue, eyes. 

#Courtorderedcake #12th #January #2020 #January 12th 2020 #Hallow #Hallow Chapter XI #Captain Swan #Captain Swan Fic

[familiarlyfrigid]

Ruin or Redemption Ch 10: Monster Hunters

Beginning his second week of school, Krest still avoided other students most of the time. Classes could be stressful, but he was a quick learner and could study all night, since he didn’t need to sleep. It was the people he didn’t like. He’d lived alone for so long that he sometimes questioned if he even remembered what a normal life was like. He had never been very social—at least that was familiar to him.

He did occasionally make attempts to talk to people. A few days ago, he had met a guy, two years older than him, named Aaron. He was tall, with brown eyes and dark, chestnut brown hair. Maybe it was because he was introverted too, but Krest found him easier to talk to. They ended up talking about random things they wanted to do someday, and they both thought exploring abandoned places sounded cool. Now, Krest was surprised to see Aaron come up to him before lunch and ask him to hang out later. He figured that Aaron couldn’t get anyone else to go with him.

“There’s this old house out in the woods by my house that I wanna check out later. You wanna come?” he asked.

“Sure... y-you know, I think Dib is into that s-stuff, too...” said Krest. He thought about what Dib had told him a few days ago about Krest helping him catch aliens.

“He’s Professor Membrane’s son, right? Eh, I don’t care who comes. My house at 5?”

“Yeah,” he said. Aaron gave him his number. Krest had a phone from Irk, but it looked like a regular Earth one. He hadn’t been able to use it since he’d left Irk, since he had no service on the planet he was on.

After school, he found Dib as he was walking out the door.

“H-Hey Dib, wanna check out an a-abandoned house w-with me? I’m going with m-my friend Aaron.”

Dib turned to him. “Sounds like a good place for the supernatural. What time and where?”

Krest told him where they were meeting up, and Dib agreed to be there.

Later that day, they all met up at Aaron’s house. Dib kept his phone on hand so he could take pictures of anything they found. With everyone ready, Aaron led them behind his house and into the woods. Once the noise from the road faded, the woods suddenly felt barren. Any sound, from rustling leaves to the sound of their footsteps, was clear. They walked through the bare bushes and wilting grass. The sun was low in the sky and mostly blotted out by clouds, though a few rays of light filtered through the trees. The leaves were all shades of orange and gold, with half of them already on the ground. The woods looked warm and peaceful, but it was quickly getting colder as the light began fading and the sky turned darker.

Aaron spotted a small structure through the trees. “There it is,” he said, leading the other two over to it. They all looked at the gray, wooden house. The entire thing was weathered and had clearly taken damage from storms. They walked through the doorframe, which had no door attached, and looked around what seemed to be the living room. All of the windows were broken, the floor and everything laying on it was covered in leaves, and the beige paint on the walls was chipped and worn away. Dib tried to imagine what the place looked like when people still lived there. Where did they go? he wondered. Aaron looked at some wooden shelves. Anything valuable was already gone. He and Krest went into a bedroom. The mattress was still there; the closet still had a few scraps of clothing in it. An empty picture frame was on the floor.

Dib heard something moving around and walked towards it, but he stopped as he faintly heard growling and what sounded like something slamming against a wall. After a few seconds, he cautiously continued into a room with a small, dusty table and an empty cabinet that had been pulled away from the wall. He suddenly heard a crash and saw a streak of gray leap onto a mass of brown fur behind the cabinet. He stepped back and called out for the others. The slate gray reptilian was already on top of its prey, teeth sunk into its neck. It was the size of large dog, with short forelegs that had sharp talons and a long, thin tail. A line of blood red quills ran down its head to its tail. Dib looked down in surprise at the brown animal’s body. At first he thought it was a deer, but it didn’t have the same body shape and had curled horns that he recognized. It was the alien he and Krest had seen a few days prior.

Aaron and Krest came in, abruptly stopping as they saw the raptor-like creature. It lifted its head and stared at them for a moment, its eyes black with white slitted pupils. The three stood still, tensely watching in astonishment. Dib began to raise his phone to take a picture of it, but stopped as it moved again. It growled as it tore a chunk of flesh off of its catch, then dashed into another room. Aaron leaned forward and looked into the room. It was dark and looked like a storage space. He slowly turned back to the others and whispered, “What the hell was that?”

“It must be another alien,” Dib answered in a low voice. “Look—that brown thing is the alien me and Krest saw on Friday.”

Aaron glanced at the carcass, not really wanting to look at it. “I’ve never seen any of those things before, but... how would you know they’re aliens? Like, they don’t look normal, but that’s a big assumption.”

Dib was about to start talking about how Zim is an alien and probably unleashing alien monsters to destroy the city, but Krest stopped him. “L-Let’s go before that th-thing comes back,” he said uneasily. Dib sighed in resignation, and the three of them left the house. Dib kept telling them that Zim was behind the appearance of the creatures, but Aaron didn’t know enough about Zim to believe it. Krest believed that it was something Zim would do, but didn’t say anything. Once they got back to Aaron’s house, Dib and Krest began walking home.

Krest stopped by Zim’s base to tell him and Kay what he had seen. He seemed glad to hear that his Doomquill was alright, and Kay sent Bhir to capture it.

Later that evening, Bhir returned with the alien. The SIR unit had tranquilized it, and safely brought it to a glass container in the lair. Zim eyed the gray reptilian. “This wasn’t my original plan, but the one monster should still work,” he said.

“You sure it’s not gonna get out again?” Kay called out from somewhere else in the lair. “If anyone catches it, they’re gonna realize it’s not an animal that exists on Earth.”

Zim scowled—she’s always making things more difficult, even though she’s just trying to stop him from being too hasty. “I’ll watch it. Gir and my computer will stand guard.”

The Doomquill watched him, its pupils narrow slits. It was a deadly creature that would often hunt prey larger than it. It could cause serious harm to a human, or Irken, if left unchecked.

#invader zim fanfiction #ruin or redemption #iz fanfiction #iz ocs #invader zim #iz #dib membrane #krest

[holdin-out-for-a-hero]

Rookie Ch.5 - Leon Kennedy x Reader

Words: 2566

Warnings: none

You and Leon looked at the man's disfigured corpse. Then you looked to each other, eyes wide and mouths open. Leon held onto the bars of the cell, his heart beating a mile a minute. Then, the familiar clicking of a woman's heels came down the corridor. You whipped around, gun pointed at the woman.

"Aren't you two looking cozy." She said. You looked down and realized you had grabbed Leon's arm; he pulled away "It's just me, so you can put that thing away." She motioned to your gun. You lowered it as she turned to look in the cell.

"I don't even know what happened— it just... happened so quick," Leon began, his voice cracked. The woman put her hands on the bars, a pained exhale escaped her lips. Then, she turned back to you and Leon.

"I told you to get out of here." She began. You could feel the cold stare through her sunglasses. "You wouldn't want to end up like Ben, would you?"

"You know him?" Leon asked.

"He was an informant. He had information of use to my investigation."

"So what he said was true?" The woman paid him no mind. Instead, she turned around and walked away. Leon wasn't having it; he grabbed her arm. "Hey, you can't keep walking away from us!" She looked down at his arm, and then up at him, before pulling away from his grasp. "We don't even know your name!"

"I'm Y/N L/N." You introduced yourself to the woman, hoping she would do the same.

"And I'm Leon Kennedy." The woman studied you and Leon for a moment before replying.

"Find a way out, Leon. Before it's too late... then we'll talk. And Y/N, you've got something on your face there." You remembered the blood on your face, Ben's blood; You wiped the droplets away. The woman turned back around and began walking away. "Name's Ada,"she finally said.

You and Leon were stunned as she walked away. This woman, Ada, carried herself as if the zombie infection was just a minor inconvenience. She wasn't even that surprised to see Ben dead, she looked more annoyed than anything. This made you wonder: how much did she know? What other things was umbrella capable of? You looked back at Ben's corpse, watching the blood slowly ooze down in puddles, no longer propelled out by a beating heart. His body wasn't what freaked you out, you've seen dead bodies all week. It was the fact that he was alive and talking to you just moments before that really unsettled you.

"Do you think you can pick the lock?" Leon asked, referencing what you were doing right before it happened. You looked down to the bent Bobby pin still in your hands.

"I don't think so," you said. Leon looked around the hall in thought, before his eyes rested on a note that lay on a desk in the corner of the room. He picked it up and read it.

"We've got to go back inside the station."

"Really?" Your brow furrowed. "We just got out of the station."

"We need a part to fix this electrical board." He said, pointing to a square on the wall. You looked at the strange board, and then it hit you: another puzzle. You rolled your eyes.

"Y'know, I always thought this station was so cool and quirky. But now, I'm starting to realize how stupid some of this is. Why so many puzzles? This isn't efficient at all!" You said. Leon laughed.

"You and me both."

"If I have to solve another stupid puzzle, my head might explode." You regretted your choice of words as they left your mouth. Leon's eyes widened as he looked at you, so shocked he almost laughed. You, just as wide-eyed as him, looked back at ben's corpse and cringed. "I'm a horrible person."

You and Leon found your way back into the station through a passageway previously unknown. Rain pattered on the roof and came in through the broken windows, droning out the cries of the undead. It felt like a nightmare, walking through the same old halls you used to love, and now loathed. Still, there was an air of peace to it all. There were no zombies chasing or grabbing at you. For a moment, you were safe. And then you heard it: the familiar sound of claws scraping the ceiling. Except they weren't slowly approaching, they were running toward you. Leon stood frozen, hoping that it wouldn't hear him. But you knew it heard. It always does. Without thought, You grabbed Leon's shotgun from his back and killed the creature, filling its head with steel balls. Leon jumped at the sound of the shotgun and the screams of the licker, but you were unfazed, jaded even. He looked at you, eyes wide and cheeks pink, until you turned to look at him and he averted his gaze.

"What?" You asked.

"It's nothing." He whispered. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or maybe it was something more, but Leon saw you differently for the first time. The moonlight flooded through to broken windows and cast a lovely glow on your form. He shook the thoughts a way, for it was not the time or the place. Still, he couldn't keep from staring.

While he focused on you, you were focused on something darker: was Marvin still alive? What would be more painful: saying goodbye to him again or seeing him undead? The electrical parts needed were on the third floor, so you would have to pass through the main hall at some point. You and Leon passed though another dark hallway, and a familiar stickiness clung to your shoes. Leon looked down at the red ground with his flashlight and grimaced.

"Does it get any easier?" He asked. You knew what he was talking about.

"Only when you're in danger. Then you forget about it." You replied.

"So you've been surrounded by all of this death, and loss, and blood for a whole week?"

"I prefer not to think about it."

"That's not a good way to cope."

"I can cope when we're not in danger." You had a point. Leon dropped it and tried to ignore the sloshing of blood under his shoes. Soon, you approached a metal door. And below it, a pair of legs. Leon couldn't catch a break, could he? It wasn't the first man he watched die that night, but it was definitely the most scarring. His jaw tensed as he felt the adrenaline and emotions of that moment bubble to the surface. He looked at you and could tell you felt the same way. He pulled a lever on the wall and the door slowly opened from the bottom. His eyes focused on anything but the body, anything but the blood. He's seen blood, guts, and gore all night, so why was it affecting him now? Then, a hand grabbed his own. He was pulled out of his thoughts as he looked to you. He couldn't focus on the horror around him. In your eyes he felt both pain and warmth, reassurance and empathy. So he followed you as you lead him through the room, past the body and out the door. He could get used to your hand in his own.

Hand in hand, you walked down the hallways of the RPD. All the while, the main hall got closer. You and Leon approached the metal door that led to the lobby. He pulled the switch and you waited as the door opened. As you entered, you couldn't help but feel drawn to where Marvin was the last time you saw him. As much as you wanted to avoid seeing his fate, avoid looking into his eyes, your body led you to the back of the hall.

"Y/N," Leon began, "Its not a good idea."

"But I've got to know,” You said. Leon didn't follow you any further. You walked up the small flight of stairs and towards the medical dividers that he once sat behind.

There, on his gurney, lay Marvin. His skin was what a bluish tint, but other than that, he looked peaceful. That was until you stepped closer. He surged up, an animal-like growl gurgled through his vocal chords. You shot him. There was no hesitation, for all you saw was a monster. All you heard was his screeching, your gunshots, and the steady beat of your own heart. Leon gasped and ran toward the sound, for he knew how much you loved Marvin. Even he doubted his ability to shoot Marvin if it were necessary. But you did it. You shot him four, five times before he finally went down. And with a sheet off of a nearby hospital bed, you covered his corpse.

"You deserve better than this," you whispered. Leon stood behind you, and you turned to him.

"Is it bad that I don't feel anything?"

"I'm feeling for the both of us," he said, trying to lighten the mood. You let out a sad laugh. Leon smiled and looked away, but for a second, you could see his lip quiver and his eyes go glassy.

“We should probably get going."

So you and Leon headed upstairs. In order to get to the third floor, you had to pass by the crash. By the looks of it, the fire had been put out by the rain. Walking through the dark hallways, you reach the rubble filled area. Just around the corner, you saw the helicopter. Moonlight filtered through the remnants of the walls, giving an almost peaceful look to the crash. It was silent for a moment, completely, beautifully silent. Then, the rubble shifted. You and Leon stepped back as a colossal figure lifted the helicopter and threw it out of the way. It stepped closer, and into the light, so you could see it's leathery blue skin under its hat and trench coat. It was nothing you had ever seen before, nothing you could have ever imagined, and it continued walking. It's loud footsteps approached, and you stood frozen. Then, a hand grabbed your wrist and dragged you down the hall.

"What is that thing?" Leon yelled back at you as you ran. The creature kept up to you without quickening its pace. You and Leon sprinted though the precinct, only satisfied when you could no longer hear it's footsteps.

Finding the electrical part was easy, much easier than anything you dealt with the whole night. Leon led the way back down into the parking garage and then into the jail. His flashlight illuminated the dark, damp surroundings. As he and you walked down the jail corridor, Ben's corpse became more visible. Leon had seen gore all night and had sometimes been able to ignore it, but this sight struck a chord in him. Maybe it was because he felt guilty, for he didn’t even try to save the man. He watched as a single fly landed on the man's deformed face.

"You still have the electrical part?" You asked him.

"Yeah, I do." He said, taking it from his pocket. You took the piece from him and connected it to the board. The cell door clicked open. You took a step forward, wary of the corpse, and Leon followed suit. Kneeling down, you carefully cut the parking pass off of his lanyard. Leon noticed something protruding from Ben’s jacket pocket. It was a tape recorder. He took it from the man's jacket. You looked at him, and him at you. He put it up to his ear, then decided to hold it out for you to listen as well. You both leaned in to the recorder, now only inches apart. He pressed play. The recording began with the dead man's voice.

"But that doesn't explain the rumors about the orphanage. I just find it a little too coincidental that umbrella is one of the benefactors." Then a woman's voice chimed in.

"You told me this interview was about the new scholarship umbrella set up." She sounded annoyed.

"Come on, Annette. Nobody cares about that. They want to know about the G-Virus and the-"

"Where did you hear about that?" She tried to cut him off, but he continued.

"And that big sinkhole in the city that rumor has it leads straight to your underground lab. No, are you gonna talk to me or?"

"This interview is over." The recording cut off.

You heard the rumors about umbrella and the orphanage, but you thought they were just rumors, just stories kids told their friends. But it began to make sense. The orphanage was almost completely funded by the umbrella corporation, and children weren't seen there for very long. The more you thought about it, the more you wanted to throw up. Leon was still beside you, his hand on his chin in thought.

"So umbrella really caused all this? Umbrella killed this city?" He asked.

"I always kinda knew it was them," You began, "They acted like a moral company, but there was a rumor going around the station that Irons was being paid to keep quiet." You exhaled, "I guess it's all true."

Leon got up, and you followed his lead. He left the cell, but you noticed a memo on the small corner desk. It detailed Ben's last days alive and something called he called the 'tyrant' . He described it as a bio-weapon, and you remembered the large humanoid from before. Was it the 'tyrant?' Did it kill Ben?

"What is it?" Leon asked, taking a step back into the cell.

"Remember that thing in the trench coat? I think Ben wrote about it." You said, handing him the paper. He read it and shook his head.

"Remember when our worst fear was zombies?"

"I miss that" you replied. And then, almost as though the universe was calling your bluff, all the cells unlocked. All of the zombies exited their cells. Leon grabbed your hand and ran towards a jail checkpoint, locking the barred door behind him. You two ran through the other side of the jail, and then the familiar loud footsteps approached. Around the corner was that creature, tyrant.

"Gimme a break!" Leon yelled. Somehow you and him dodged the creature and all of the zombies in your path. You exited the jail and ran back into the parking garage. Safety seemed so close, and then the concrete wall next to Leon shattered, fragments and dust filling the area. There was a silhouette that shadowed the dust, it was the tyrant. The creature grabbed Leon by the neck and lifted him off the ground, just like it did with Ben. Leon squirmed and kicked, struggling to breathe. Your heart was beating in your ears as you tried to shoot the creature. It did nothing. The creature was indestructible, and you couldn't even reach Leon to help him out of its grasp. Then, the whirring of a Swat truck gassed its way into the creature and then into the wall. Leon dropped to the ground, gripping his neck and as he choked and panted for air. You were frozen in place as a familiar woman strolled out of the car.

"Ada?" You asked.

"This is getting old." She began. "Saving you and him- that's twice!"

#leon s kennedy x reader #leon s kennedy #leon kennedy imagine #leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy #resident evil 2 #resident evil

[thirdsght]

𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐑 & 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐌𝐒 𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐃𝐄

EYES :  avoids eye contact when nervous, maintains eye contact when nervous, avoids eye contact due to being neurodivergent, enjoys eye contact as a means to read and convey emotion, looks down when emotional, looks up when emotional, cries openly, wipes tears quickly, suppresses tears, wandering gaze when lost in thought, holds gaze while thinking, seeks out eye contact for reassurance, seeks out eye contact to gauge enthusiasm during conversations, eyes move constantly during conversation, expressive eyes, emotions only evident through eyes, uses eye contact to intimidate, looks up while thinking, looks down while thinking

HANDS : clasps behind back, rests in lap,  fidgets with clothes,  twiddles thumbs, chews at nails,  pushes back cuticles, draws patterns on table/counter surfaces,  animated gestures while speaking,  only gestures to emphasize,  utilizes sign language,  speaks only through sign,   callouses,  scars,  smooth,  wrinkled,  worn,  soft,  delicate,  boney,  slender,  thick,  veiny,  touches others while speaking, reaches out while laughing,  reaches out to comfort others,  reaches out to seek comfort,  places face in hands when exasperated,  places face in hands when exhausted,  places palms over eyes to hide when overwhelmed,  rests chin in hands,  taps fingers when impatient,  taps fingers when nervous,  taps fingers while thinking,  scratches scalp,  strokes chin, rubs back of head, toys with objects around them, runs fingers over surfaces while walking by

MOUTH : chews lip, chews at inside of cheek,  licks lips,  bites tongue,  chews on straws,  resting frown,  resting smile,  neutral resting expression,  resting pout,  grinds teeth,  flexes jaw,  covers mouth when laughing,  covers mouth when shocked,  covers mouth when concerned,  hands to lips while thinking,  covers mouth when chewing,  chews with mouth closed,  chews with mouth open,  smirks,  grins,  subtle smiles,  wide smiles,  sad smiles,  intimidating smiles,  menacing grins,  openly smiles,  tries to suppress smiles,  bares teeth when angry,  lips quiver when emotional,  stutters,  speaks quickly,  speaks slowly,  good pronunciation,  poor pronunciation,  moderate pronunciation,  purses lips,  sucks in lips,  holds mouth open when shocked or confused

LEGS :  bounces leg when nervous,  draws knees to chest when sitting,  draws knees to chest as a means of comfort,  sits on knees, sits with legs criss crossed,  sits with legs spread open in chairs,  crosses legs when sitting in chairs,  sits with one leg folded under the other,  places feet on furniture,  never places feet on furniture,  sits on counters,  sits on desks,  sits on tables,  sits on edge of seat,  sits hunched over with forearms on knees,  arches one knee up,  sits on the arm of chairs/couches,  feet on dashboard,  swings legs back and forth when sitting somewhere elevated,  wiggles toes when nervous,  wiggles toes as a general tick,  shuffles feet,  kicks foot into ground,  stomps feet,  loud footsteps,  quiet footsteps,  silent footsteps

HAIR :  runs fingers through hair,  tugs at hair,  picks at scalp,  chews on hair,  twists locks of hair while thinking or nervous,  smooths out locks of hair while thinking or nervous,  prefers hair out of face,  prefers long hair,  prefers short hair,  wears hair back,  keeps hair down,  smooths back hair,  plays with other’s hair while talking,  plays with own hair while talking,  strokes hair to comfort others, likes having hair stroked for their own comfort,  braids others’ hair while talking,  braids own hair while talking,  flips hair out of face,  pushes hair out of face,  leaves hair alone even when falling into face

tagged by: @renkniighted ty!!

tagging: @debelltio @acharnemcnt @cruoren @cava1ier @fcalty @lmperiums @mutatiio @pohlepen @hopegained

#( armour up bitches ) ooc. #( red eyed monster ) ch study.

[gigiluna11]

Run

The Consequences of Falling in Love with a Sociopath Ch.4

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19454281/chapters/47477215

Creators: @kahcicamera and me

Run

Yoshino had to question what she was doing awake at such a godforsaken hour as she stood in the courtyard, groggily running a hand over her face as she attempted to rub the remaining sleep from her eyes. She had barely pulled on her loose clothing and stumbled out the door half-awake, greeted by the still darkness of predawn. This was different than the times she had begrudgingly left the comfort of her bed to mend his wounds, no, this time she was expected to perform physical activity. Now the cold morning air was nipping at her cheeks and she would rather be curled up in her futon.

Even worse, she had volunteered. Yoshino had asked if she could join him at this unholy hour, under the guise of curiosity, of course. And now she was regretting it more with every second that passed.

Hell, if she wasn’t so determined to stick it out, she’d let him lay in the futon with her and stare at her like the fuckin’ weirdo he is.

The reason she was internally fighting her strong desire to say ‘fuck it’ and go back to bed was simple: she had gained weight since coming to Tokyo. Every day it bothered her more, looking at the evidence in the mirror, feeling the way some of her clothes pulled a little snugger than they had when she’d bought them, frowning at the way her fingers kneaded into the soft skin of her belly.

Of course, she wouldn’t tell Kirishima about this underlying motivation. Knowing him, he’d just get all smiley and touch her hand lovingly and say all those stupid clichés like she was ‘beautiful no matter what’ and ‘there was no need to lose weight’, or whatever. It was all flowery bullshit, and she didn’t need to hear him say any of it. Just thinking about it made her annoyed over the pity he hadn’t even had the chance to extend yet.

Just the day prior she had even instinctually smacked his hand away from her stomach, and when he eyed her suspiciously she attempted to cover up such an odd reaction with a terrible lie about having cramps, to which he replied,” But it isn’t the 12th yet.” It wasn’t even a question, he stated it like a common-known fact. Yoshino was absolutely mortified, mostly at the fact that he had been monitoring her cycles, but damn, he wasn’t wrong. And she wasn’t about to go the rest of her life avoiding his hands on her skin.

Now she was staring at him, envying the still-sleeping sun as he crossed the courtyard to meet her. Kirishima paused for a moment, tilting his head as he studied her body language,” You can go back to bed-“

“No.” she snapped,” I’m not tired.” It would have been more convincing had she not yawned immediately after.

He narrowed his eyes on her, a condescending smirk on his lips, but he didn’t argue. “Then let’s go.”

It didn’t take long to realize this man was a monster, and his morning routine was fitting for that. Yoshino’s frustration only grew with the obvious fact that he was taking it easy on her, and still she couldn’t keep up. There was a certain amount of that she had expected, of course, he was near inhuman in strength and speed, and if she had been able to match his ‘light jog’ she would have been insulted at his underestimation of her athletic ability. But she was even more lacking than he’d seemed to have anticipated.

She was barely able to stay upright after the first lap around the park, and the man hadn’t even broken a damn sweat. Glaring holes into the back of his head, she stubbornly pushed on. If she wanted to lose the weight she’d gained, she would have to push through the burning in her lungs. Only four more laps, she could do it, she would crawl if her legs refused to carry her!

But despite her determination, it wasn’t enough.

She lasted one more lap before she stopped, legs burning and shirt drenched in sweat clinging to her back. “Kirishima?” She called to him, her torso bent towards the ground as she gasped for air.

“Hm?” He was closer than she expected, with how far behind she was the entire time they ran.

“I didn’t have cramps.” She brought her head up, panting at the weight of her limbs.

Kirishima’s expression was flat as he shrugged,” I know.”

“How-“

“It’s not the 12th.” He reaffirmed. “Since you’ve been here, your menstrual cycle begins every 27th day after the last, and since it last ended the 16th, you’re due for the 12th this month. It always lasts just shy of 6 days, and this first day you drink a different tea than your usual, for the pain. When it does start, you go to Inamori-san and the two of you go out to buy ‘hairspray’, but in reality, you’re buying menstrual products. In fact you don’t even own a can of hairspray.”

Her face wrinkled in displeasure at the detail he’d just spewed out so nonchalantly like he had memorized a textbook. “You’re a psycho.”

“Maybe,” he smiled at her,” but I pay attention to these things about you because I love you.”

She groaned at his words, hanging her head again as she continued trying to catch her breath. Her legs felt like they were going to give out under her.

God, when had she gotten so out of shape? It had to be his fault somehow. Yes, it was all the fancy dinners and dessert dates, Kirishima fed her well and often. And after graduating high school her activity saw such a sharp decline that she would be embarrassed to admit.

Yoshino was pulled back to reality by his footsteps, approaching her hunched form, feet coming into view as her head was still down and she braced herself with her hands on her knees. “You want to tell me why you really wanted to come with me?” He broke the silence, his voice lower now.

She thought for a moment, trying to decide what lie she could tell him that would be moderately believable, but after a moment of wracking her brain all she managed was a weak,” No.”

He waited for a moment, she knew he was waiting for her to raise her head, but she stubbornly refused to look up at him. Kirishima sighed above her, and she kept her eyes on his feet as he turned his back to her, pulling them away just as she was sure he would walk away from her. But he didn’t walk away from her, instead crouching low to the ground and motioning behind him to climb on.

“I don’t need you to-“

“If you don’t get on, I’ll throw you over my shoulder by force.” He cut off her protests, his voice taking an uncharacteristic tone of seriousness for a brief moment. Yoshino finally brought her head up to look at his wide back, opening her mouth to argue, but she couldn’t. She knew he absolutely would honor that threat regardless of what she could say in complaint. “What’s it going to be?”

And as much as she hated to admit, her legs felt like jelly and she wasn’t confident in her ability to walk. So she got on his back, but not without making it clear she wasn’t happy about it, huffing and murmuring about how much of a hassle he was being even though she was the one who was being carried.

For a while they walked in silence, cars beginning to leave their driveways and others making their way through the morning on the opposite sidewalk. She listened to his footfalls, her head laying sideways on his shoulder as she watched the dawn begin to break. This silence was hazardous for her, her face burning as she thought about how she was childishly lying.

She buried her face in the back of his neck, embarrassment painting her cheeks red as she murmured low,” I gained weight.”

“You did.” He nodded, his face forward as he continued towards the mansion gates now in sight. Her head snapped up, brow furrowed as she stuttered in response. “Approximately…” he shifted on his feet for a moment, before resuming their walk home,” 7 kilos, it seems.”

Immediately her face contorted in disgust at his accuracy. “Kiri-“

“But you don’t need to lose weight.”

She rolled her eyes at his expected response. Cue the flowery bullshit she didn’t want. “I knew you would say that.”

Kirishima stopped walking, his voice coming low and serious again. “And I mean it, Yoshino.” He waited for her to protest, his tone warning her it was not an argument she would win against him. “If anything,” his tone was light again, and though she couldn’t see his face she knew he had donned his defining grin,” it has accentuated the curves on you that I already enjoyed.”

“Oi, what does that-“ But before she could finish, the hand under her one of her thighs had moved, reaching backwards until he felt the soft curve of her bottom. And then he squeezed. “Ay!” She yelped, her fist coming against the side of his head by instinct as his hand pulled back to it’s original position supporting her leg,” Stop being so damn gross.”

He just laughed, a nice genuine laugh for a moment, before he began to move again. Yoshino leaned back into him, her head resting into the flat of his back, and they settled back into the silence again, watching the sun rise over the buildings around them. Despite such a serene moment, she could feel him chuckle under her as she softly told him she was never going on another jog with him for as long as she lived.

#raise wa tanin ga ii #raise wa tanin ga ii fanfic #raise wa tanin ga ii fanfiction #Yoshino #yoshino somei #somei yoshino #Kirishima Miyama #Miyama Kirishima #Kirishima #Kirishimaxyoshino #yoshinoxkirishima #Yoshino x kirishima #Kirishima x Yoshino #raise wa tanin ga ii oneshot

[eternalnight8806-3]

Ch 2 The Cat and the Fox

OMG GUYS PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR THIS!

I’m about to bombard your asses with chapters of ongoing fics. Now, all of these have been posted on on AO3, ff.net, or both previous to this, but I figured since I seem to have gained a bit of a following (WTF?!?!?!?! LOL) I would post them here as well.

This story has the first chapter here.

Category: Romance, Modern College AU

Rating: Will be Explicit but for now I’ll just say Mature for language and drinking

Pairing: InuKag

Words: 3,697

Also available on ff.net and AO3

Tag list: @keichanz @noviceotakus-blog @hinezumi @morikothehalfangel @cstorm86 @digital-art-monster @cammysansstuff

Enjoy!

Kagome nervously pressed down the plaid knee length skirt she had adorned before opening the door to Yoro North Child Care. Bright colors assaulted her senses. Every inch of the room had been splattered with many different colors of paint. It appeared that they had then had the children walk around and plant their hands all over the walls as well. It was startling, but also cute and endearing.

“Can I help you?” Came an annoyed sounding voice from across the room.

Kagome looked over and saw a young looking woman sitting behind a desk. The receptionist she assumed. She had long red hair tied back in a high ponytail, bright green eyes, and upon closer inspection, Kagome noticed her pointed ears, similar to an elf, marking her as a demon. Kagome's eyes widened. She hadn't ever met a demon in person before.

“Y-yes. Hello. I'm Kagome. I have an interview with Koga?”

The girl-demon's eyebrow quirked, but she pressed a button on the phone sitting in front of her.

“Yes, Ayame?” Came a voice from the speaker.

“I have a Kaguya-”

“Kagome.” Kagome corrected the girl.

Ayame glared at her. “Ka-go-me here for an interview.”

“I'll be right up.” The speaker clicked off.

Ayame didn't say a word to Kagome and simply eyed her until Koga appeared moments later.

Kagome directed her attention to the man, no, demon she'd noticed, approaching her. He also had long hair tied in a high ponytail, though his was black. His head was wrapped in a tawny brown sweatband. She took in his large cerulean eyes and his own pointed ears as he smiled at her. Strong looking legs were wrapped in dark khaki shorts, his upper half was covered by a tight fitting plain dark gray t-shirt.

“Miss Higurashi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Koga.” Kagome took the hand he had outstretched to her.

“Y-yes. Thank you.” She stammered.

A mild chuckle escaped Koga's lips. “I apologize for not informing you that this is a demon child care center. We've had some trouble with our demon child care assistants of late and I decided a human might suit our needs better. I assume since you haven't ran for the hills you're atleast willing to have an interview?”

Nodding, Kagome replied, “Yes. Absolutely.”

Koga stepped aside and presented his arm to her. “Then lets get to it, shall we?”

Kagome lightly wrapped a hand around the offered arm and allowed him to lead her back to what she assumed was his office. She did not miss the death glare that Ayame was shooting her way as she passed the girl's desk.

Koga led her to a chair and motioned for her to sit as he rounded his desk and took his own seat. Shuffling some papers around to make room, he opened up a notebook and grabbed a pen from a mug on his desk that had a beautiful picture of a wolf howling at the moon.

“So, Miss Higurashi, you're a student at Shikon University?”

Nodding, Kagome said, “Yes. A freshman. I'm studying to become an elementary teacher. Hence why this job enticed me.” A smile spread wide across her face at those last words.

A smirk appeared on Koga's face as he wrote something down in his notebook. “Do you have any previous experience that would pertain to child care?”

Her smile faltered slightly. “Not really. Unless you count babysitting my friend's and my little brothers.”

Koga nodded and wrote something else down in his notebook. When he looked back up at her, he sighed before asking, “I'm afraid I have to ask the obvious here, Miss Higurashi. Would caring for demon children or associating with their guardians be an issue for you in any capacity?”

Kagome took a moment before answering. “I don't believe so. Not unless some harm was coming to myself or the children. But I hold no prejudice for demons if that's what you mean. However, this is honestly the first time I've even seen one up close.” She blushed slightly at her admission.

Koga took in her embarrassment and internally chuckled at the girl. “Not surprising. Most humans live their whole lives without ever meeting one of us, or atleast not knowing they did.” He sat back in his chair and rested his hands on his armrests. “I'll be honest with you, Miss Higurashi, we're pretty desperate. I've had no less than 10 caregivers quit or get fired in the last 3 months. I am willing to work around your class schedule of course, but is this job something you're still interested in?”

Kagome took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “May I ask why you've had so much trouble keeping caregivers?”

Koga raised an eyebrow but nodded. “Fair enough. We currently have 15 children under our care. Of those, 7 live here. We also serve as an orphanage of sorts for demon children. I myself live here and care for the kids at night, with some assistance from Ayame and 1 or 2 others from our pack upon occasion. Some of our orphans can be a bit... rowdy. They like to play tricks on the caregivers and sometimes they do take things a little far. They are still kids afterall, just ones with claws and fangs. They also can be a bit manic. Most of them lost their parents in violent ways, often bearing witness.”

Kagome's hand shot up to her mouth in horror. “As such, they can be more than most can handle.” He looked deep into her eyes. “You however, I see a kindness in you that I think may speak to them. In short, Miss Higurashi, I think they may latch onto you simply because you're not one of them and will still treat them as if they were.”

Kagome took a moment to take in everything Koga had told her. Steeling her resolve, she nodded to herself before speaking. “If you want to hire me, I'm more than happy to join your team.”

Koga's face broke into a wide smile. “Great! We can discuss scheduling and everything later. Right now I would like to introduce you to the kids if you're amenable?”

Standing, Kagome swiped her arm dramatically in front of her. “Lead the way, boss!”

Koga laughed deeply as he stood. “You're going to fit in just fine, I think.”

He led her out of his office and down a long, colorful hallway. As they neared a frosted glass door, she could hear loud sounds of crashing items and screaming. He paused briefly, “Brace yourself, Miss Higurashi,” and opened the door.

All of her senses were immediately assaulted. She instinctively covered her ears when a loud crack of what sounded like thunder blasted and closed her eyes to the accompanying blinding flash of light. After the initial shock, she slowly opened her eyes and lowered her hands. Kagome gasped at the sight before her.

The room was a total destructive mess. Smoke billowed from an area of the floor that had a small black mark. Several of the children were cowering in a far corner behind two adult male demons. Two boys who looked no older than maybe ten were crouching low, facing off against a smaller boy, maybe five or six in appearance.

“Hiten! Manten!” Koga shouted. Kagome jumped slightly at the unexpected loudness. The two older boys looked at Koga and immediately backed down. “Just what in the hell do you two think you're doing?” Koga asked as he stepped menacingly into the room towards the boys.

One of the boys turned and faced Koga, straightening up and puffing his chest out. Kagome looked at the boy closely. He mostly appeared human, with the exception of his bright red eyes and pointed ears. His hair was long and black, braided down his back.

The boy pointed to the smaller child and yelled, “He started it! He used his stupid spinning top on Soten!”

Koga knelt down next to the smaller boy and placed a hand on his back, causing the kit to jump. When he realized who had touched him, he uncurled himself and Kagome got her first good look at him. This child had bright orange hair tied in a small ponytail high on his head. His feet were paws and a fluffy tan tail protruded from his behind. His eyes were large and a beautiful emerald green.

“Shippo, is that true?” Koga asked. Shippo ran a hand under his nose and nodded once. Standing, Koga turned back to the other two boys. “Hiten, I don't care who started it. You know the rules. No powers are to be used in a malicious manner.” He towered over the boys and crossed his arms. “Do I make myself clear?” Obviously sulking, the three boys nodded once each and slumped their shoulders.

Turning around, Koga faced the other two adults in the room. “Ginta, Hakkaku, this is Kagome Higurashi. Our new caregiver.” An audible gasp resounded through the room. “You two can get to know her later. Tell Ayame to come here then go to my office. Now.” His tone of voice left no room for argument.

“Yessir.” They both said in unison as they hurriedly skirted past Kagome and out of the room. She turned her attention back to Koga just as he was making his way back to her. He placed a hand gently on her shoulder and addressed the room.

“Class, this is Miss Kagome. She is going to be your new caregiver. As you can see, she is human. So be gentle with her.” He turned his head slightly in her direction and winked at her. Her face tinted red. Turning his attention back to the three boys, Koga gestured to them with his hand and spoke softly to her, “These three troublemakers are Shippo, Hiten and Manten. They all are orphans and Hiten and Manten are brothers with their younger sister Soten over there.” He pointed at a small girl in the larger group who greatly resembled Hiten.

Kagome looked back at the brothers and really took them in. Maten looked nothing like his siblings. As a matter of fact, he didn't look human at all. Honestly, he looked more like a frog than a person. Kagome winced at her thought. She did notice he had a small braid in the back of his otherwise bald head. This was the only feature he seemed to share with his siblings.

Koga pointing to the larger group caught her attention and she turned towards them. Slowly, he steered her closer to the group and began naming them in succession from right to left. “Kai and Shinta, brothers and members of my own tribe. Sakimitama, she's orphaned and living here. Kanna, Moryomaru and Hakudoshi, all siblings with a single father. Jinenji, an orphan. Shiori, our last orphan. And finally we've got Ai, Asagi, and Moegi, all sisters.”

Kagome looked at each child as he introduced them. To her, they all just looked like scared, curious kids, just with some different features or eccentricities. Nothing about these children scared her in the slightest. She smiled at them, hoping to alleviate their fears. Slowly, some of them seemed to warm to her kind aura. The sound of the door opening behind her drew her attention away from the children. She turned to see Ayame standing just inside the door, once again glaring at her.

“Ginta said you needed me?” she said tersely.

“Ah yes. Please watch the kids for a few minutes while I go knock some sense into those two idiots will you, Ayame?”

The girl smiled brightly at Koga. “Of course, Koga.”

Koga once again placed his hand at the small of Kagome's back and began leading her out of the room.”Miss Higurashi,” he addressed her as they exited and started back in the direction of his office, “please leave your class schedule at the front desk. I will look it over and figure out what your schedule will be. I unfortunately must attend to... some business. I will call you later tonight if that's alright?”

“Oh, of course! Thank you so much.” Kagome exclaimed excitedly as he reached his office door and stopped.

“Fantastic. I look forward to it. Now, if you will excuse me...” Koga opened his door and stepped inside, leaving her in the hallway alone.

Smiling to herself, Kagome made her way back up to the front of the building. Stopping at Ayame's desk, she contemplated whether she should actually write down her schedule and just leave it there. She was afraid Koga would mysteriously not receive it if she left it in the hands of the curiously angry woman. Sighing, she decided she could always call Koga later and make sure he had received it and wrote it down on a post it note, marking 'Kagome's Schedule' clearly at the top.

Exiting the child care center, Kagome couldn't help feeling utterly elated. How many people got an opportunity like this one? She pulled out her phone, remembering the person who had even told her about it in the first place.

 I got the job! Thank you so much! It's a huge opportunity for me.

Feeling his phone vibrate, InuYasha pulled it from his back pocket and glanced at it. He couldn't help the small smile that sprung to his lips upon reading it was a text from Catwoman.

 That's awesome. It was really no big deal

 Yes it is! Let's just say that not many people get a chance to do what I'm going to be doing.

 Take care of other people's brats?

 It's more than that.

 How?

 It's hard to explain. I'll just say they're a little more special needs than average kids.

 Oh. So you get to take care of other people's special brats. Got it.

 Ugh! You're exasperating!

That's a big word for a special brat babysitter. InuYasha couldn't help but chuckle at himself for that one.

 Hey! I was valedictorian of Tagara High tyvm!

 Ooo. Fancy.

 Darn right.

 Darn? Really? C'mon now princess.

 Princess?!?!

 Yep.

 ARRRGH!

 Ahoy wench

 You are such a...

 Yes?

 I swear if I ever see you again I'll...

 You'll what?

Miroku waved his hand in front of his friend's face. “Earth to InuYasha.”

InuYasha's eyes looked up from under his bangs at him. “What?”

Quirking an eyebrow at his friend, Miroku answered, “You've been pretty engrossed in whatever conversation you're having over here for the last 10 minutes. Bit weird for you, man.”

InuYasha narrowed his eyes at the man and gave him a low warning growl. “Mind your own damn business.”

A small smirk played across Miroku's features, but he knew better than to test his friend's patience. He returned to his own bed, opening his laptop back up to complete his homework for his morning class.

Satisfied that his dumbass room mate would shut the fuck up, InuYasha returned his attention to his phone screen.

 I'll swat your nose!

InuYasha's lips pursed in confusion. What the hell did that mean?

 Excuse me?

 Um, you know, cause you were a fox?

Clarity rang through his mind. She was trying to be funny and compare him to a dog because of his 'costume'. If she knew how close to the truth she really was...

 Ha. Ha. Wench.

 You're impossible.

 Sure am.

A moment later- Wench.

InuYasha actually chuckled aloud. He was kind of enjoying poking fun at the girl.

 Why you!

 What? *innocent face emoji*

 I swear you're going to regret that.

 Doubt it.

 We'll see.

 Guess we will. Bye wench.

 Bye you vexing man.

InuYasha smiled to himself as he put his phone in his pocket. For some reason he wished the girl would hold true to her promise.

The next few days went by without hearing from Catwoman. InuYasha had debated whether he should text her or not. He didn't want her to think he was creepy or something. But he had to admit it had felt like something was off without her presence, as small as it had been. Even he had noticed he had become more irritable of late, though he was unwilling to admit it when Miroku not so subtly pointed it out.

“You're being a real asshole, dude. I don't know what the hell is up with you, but figure it out before I have to kick you, ok?”

InuYasha glared at his friend. “Like you even could,” he growled.

Miroku cocked his head to the side and smirked. “Try me, dog-boy.”

Huffing, InuYasha just crossed his arms over his chest. “You ain't worth the trouble.”

Sighing, Miroku tried a different tactic. “Seriously, dude, what's up?”

Sitting silently for several moments, InuYasha debated whether he should answer the jerk. But deep down he knew that he was trying to be helpful, and who knows? Maybe he could be. “I haven't heard from her since Monday.”

Confusion crossed Miroku's face before clarity sunk in. He chuckled. “This is about that girl? The one you don't even know the name of?” He received nothing but a glare in reply. Shaking his head, Miroku said, “Look, dude, you do know that texting works both ways, right? Like, you can text her.”

Redfaced, InuYasha spat out, “Of course I know that, dumbass!” Then looking away and speaking more softly, “I just... I didn't want to be weird or whatever.”

“This coming from the only one in the room with dog ears.” Miroku couldn't help but poke fun at his friend. He actually grabbed his stomach from laughing at his own joke. When his laughter finally subsided, the human man was greeted with the very angry face of a hanyou. He put his hands up in the universal gesture of surrender. “I was kidding, InuYasha. Look, just ask her something innocuous. Like, didn't you say she got a new job or something?”

“Yeah...” InuYasha said cautiously.

“Then just ask her how it's going. Simple, effective, and most of all, creep free.”

A hopeful look crossed the hanyou's face. “You really think that'll work?”

Shrugging, Miroku stated, “I can't promise. But it's innocent enough to probably not cause her alarm. You won't know unless you try. Or are you a coward?”

If it wasn't for the fact that InuYasha knew Miroku was again joking he would've punched the stupid shit eating grin off his face. Instead he settled for a growl in his direction. “I ain't no fucking coward, asshole.” He said through gritted teeth.

“Then text her and stop moping. It's a real buzz kill.”

InuYasha glared at his friend as he slung his bag over his shoulder and left for his Friday evening class. Sighing, he pulled his phone from his pocket and stared at the message app for several minutes. Finally, he cursed himself internally. 'I really am a damn coward if I can't even type a fucking sentence.' With renewed determination, he clicked on her name and began typing.

 Haven't heard how that new job is going

Kagome looked up from the textbook she had been engrossed in when she heard her phone ding. Picking it up, she couldn't help the smile that came to her lips when she saw who the message was from.

 It's great actually. My boss seems to really like me. Most of the kids have already warmed up to me. The only bad part is the receptionist. She just doesn't seem to like me for some reason.

 Really? She's fucking dumb then. There's nothing about you not to like.

Kagome blushed at the compliment. I'm not perfect. There's things about me that would give you nightmares! :P

*   eye quirked emoji   *   That so?

  You bet. I'm scary.

  I'm shaking.

  You should be. I'm pretty scary when I'm mad. Or so I've been told.

  Feh. You still haven't got me back for the other day so I'm not convinced.

  Don't tempt me. I know where you live.

  I ain't scared of you wench.

  Back to that are we?

  Yep. I like it. Suits you.

  Does it now?

  Yep.

  How so? I promise I'm not a whore, despite that outfit you saw me in.

  Shit! No! I didn't mean it like that. I kinda forgot it could mean that.

  That's like the only meaning.

  No it's not. It's like respectful slang for cool women.

  Is it now?

  Look it up. I swear.

Kagome did actually look it up.

Wench-

An admired woman in your crew, a talented warrior seductress, that can inspire adventure or take a bland situation and make it rife with excitement.

 Hmm. Alright. I forgive you.

 Thanks wench. ;)

 Nothing going on tonight over there?

 Not tonight. They usually only do a party like once a month. Thank kami.

 Not a fan are we?

 Nope. Don't really like large groups of people. Add alcohol and it's just 10 times worse.

 So why were you at that one?

It was several minutes before he responded. Kagome was honestly afraid she had overstepped until she finally got a reply.

 Forced into it. Brothers have to attend frat functions. It's like frat law or something.

 So if you don't like parties, and you don't seem to really like your frat brothers, why are you even there?

 My friend is a brother. He convinced me to do it. Plus it's a free place to stay while I'm in school and I kinda need that.

 I'm sorry.

 Feh. Ain't your fault. Was my choice.

 Doesn't sound like you had much of a choice.

 Suppose not.

 I wish I could help.

 I'm alright. You work on becoming the best damn brat babysitter there is wench

 *eyeroll emoji*

Kagome noticed it had been almost an hour since they had started this conversation. As much as she hated to type what she did next, it had to be done.

 I'm sorry but I have to get back to studying. I have to work all weekend so I have to get all my studying done tonight. Goodnight.

 Night wench.

She couldn't help but smile at the nickname.

< Prev

Next >

#the cat and the fox #chapter 2 #inuyasha #inukag #modern au #college au #my writing #my fanfiction #my fanfic #inuyasha fanfic #inuyasha fanfiction

[superwolfiestar]

Partners in Time Ch. 9

A while later…

After playing with their young version of themselves, Panchito and Jose were facing Stuffwell and he spoke:

"Yes, they are not helpless! I suggest the four of you join forces and move on!"

Stuffwell then explained that to move as a group of four, Panchito and Jose had to give their young selves piggybacks. Once they did it, Stuffwell finished:

"Now then, let's go find our poor missing companions! BACK TO ADVENTURE!" he then jumps back inside Mario's pocket.

The new group of four then moved on. By using their new piggyback abilities, they were able to reach a room where there was a closed gate surrounded by pillars of spikes.

The Caballeros then found an opening at the left side of the room and they tossed Young Panchito and Young Jose in there. After crossing a dark area that was filled with spikes, the kids made their way out on the other side.

"Eh? What's that thing up there?" Young Jose eyed a hovering treasure chest floating above their heads.

"Leave it to me!" Young Panchito hit the chest, and out of it came out a pyramid-shaped shining blue shard. This also caused the gate to open, allowing Panchito and Jose to enter through it. They stared at the shard, seeing it slowly fall towards them.

"What do you suppose that is?" Young Jose asked.

"It appears trashable, but… It may ALSO be something of incalculable value." Young Panchito inspected.

"I think it's best that we take it with us and investigate further." Jose suggested as he takes the shard.

“So how about we head into the next room?" Panchito suggested as he and Node gave piggybacks to their younger selves.

Everyone went inside the double doors in front of them, taking them to Young Zeus's room, where they found Young Scrooge, Young Princess Della and Young Boy Princess Donald standing next to a time hole.

"Is that…" Panchito started.

"Yes! It's a time hole!" Jose exclaimed.

"Time hole?" Young Panchito questioned.

"There you all are!" Young Princess Della exclaimed. "We just saw this strange hole show up in here. What should we do about it?"

"Simple, let's jump into it!" Panchito said.

"Pardon me? You say we should leap into that ridiculous hole?! Absolute rubbish!" Young Scrooge protested. "Do you honestly believe that I would place their royal highnesses in such reckless endangerment?"

"*sigh* let's just go back to our own era." Panchito sighed. "This blathering nincompoop is just arresting our progress."

"You… Why, you SCOUNDREL!" Young Scrooge yelled. "How DARE you refer to me as such?!"

"Well then, let just go in!" Panchito jump in with Young Panchito by his arm and leaping into the hole with him.

Once the event with the colorful stars and laser lights happened and both roosters were pulled inside the hole, both green birds followed suit. All of this left Young Scrooge and Young Princess Della and Young Boy Princess speechless.

"Those colorful stars looked quite pretty, though. I think I'm going in!" Young Princess Della broke the silence and jumped inside the hole as well along with her young twin brother boy Princess Donald, and the same event happened to them too.

"Halt!" Young Scrooge shouted. "I say! What cheek! You, I dare say, are the true nincompoops! Come back here this instant!" He then also jumped inside the time hole.

With the heroes, after that long travel into the endless vortex, they eventually emerged out of Boy Princess Donald's Castle in the present day. Young Panchito and Young Jose looked around amazed.

"Wow… Is this Boy Princess Donald's Castle in the future?" Young Panchito questioned.

"Yep! Very different than the one back in your time, si?" Panchito smiled.

"You bet!"

Then, Stuffwell came out and spoke:

"And just like that, here we are, back in our own time."

"Thank god. I thought we would be stuck in the past at the beginning…" Jose sighed in relief.

"Alright, let's hustle over and see the good professor at the throne room." He then went back inside Panchito's pocket.

Once at the throne room, they found Professor, his intern Fenton and also the alien, which was inside a lab tube, looking lifeless for now.

"Professor Gyro! We're back!" Jose called out.

"Hey now! Back at last!" Professor Gyro exclaimed. “And just look at this, now… These ones are in red and green, I am plumb astounded! But then again, what else would the little fellers wearing and looking like, huh? Still, it sure tickles me to see little Super Caballeros teamed up with the regular Big Super Caballeros!"

"So you're saying that they are indeed our future selves? How do you know that?" Young Panchito asked in a serious tone.

"But wait, how were you able to identify the past and future versions of people?" Young Jose asked.

Professor Gyro let out a small chuckle. "That because I learn that from the book I read during my studies. In every person's heart, there's a type of energy flowing inside of them. Those energies are unique to everyone. There's no one in the world with the same type of energy." He explained. "So I was able to identify your and your future selves because they shared the same energy as yours."

"And I guessing that the Mushroom Kingdom of the past is in gargantula trouble." Fenton guess. "You Guys might of have experienced that already, am I right?" the past and future heroes nodded. "Hmm… So it's true. These Aliens creatures have made off with the boy princess and Princess Della, eh?"

As Professor Gyro was thinking, Young Jose glanced at the Alien inside the lab tube. He quietly called Young Panchito so that they could take a closer look, and they snuck past the adult heroes and stared curiously at the alien.

"Oh, I should have mentioned, Professor and Fenton… We recovered this at Zeus's Castle in the past." Jose interfered and showed the blue shard they had found.

"YOWZER!" Professor Gyro exclaimed.

"No way! You guys already found one of the Cobalt Star shards?" Fenton was surprised.

"Cobalt Star?" the adult heroes, Young Panchito, and Young Jose questioned in unison.

"Yep! It's the time machine's fuel source!" Professor Gyro replied. "But why was it in Zeus's Castle?! And how did it get broken?!”

Suddenly, the Cobalt Shard flew towards the green alien, causing it to roar. This also startled the young boys and they started crying.

"WAAAAAAAAH!" Young Panchito and Young Jose wailed out loud. Panchito and Jose flinched and they quickly rushed to their young version of themselves, trying to calm them down as usual.

"Good gravy! The Cobalt Star shard is driving that monster crazy!" Professor Gyro eyes widened.

"Shh… Don't cry, you guys! That monster is inside that tube; it won't come out." Jose gently rubs Young Jose's back. Panchito does the same, but Young Panchito and Young Jose still won't stop crying.

"MAMA!" Young Jose screamed as he wails loudly.

Panchito and Jose gave them piggybacks, which oddly enough, made them stop crying.

"Wow… Looks like they got used to this piggyback thingy." Panchito was surprised.

Professor Gyro moved the Cobalt Shard away from the alien and it became lifeless again.

"Phew… That was a close one…" he sighed. "Are you boys feeling better?"

"Much better! Much better!" Young Jose responded with a smile. Jose couldn't help but smile too.

"Hmmmmmmmmm…" Professor Gyro examined the Cobalt Shard. "Could it be… Yep, it could! I do believe there's a link between the Cobalt Star and the Shroob marauders."

"Maybe we can figure out how to defeat these alien jerks if we find more Cobalt Star shards!" Panchito stated.

"Possibly…"

Suddenly, the Cobalt Shard began to glows in yellow. That glow then flew out of the shard and out of the throne room, making almost everyone flinch by that. The glow continued its way to another part of the castle and plunged into the ground, creating a new time hole.

"That shaking…was not natural. I'd wager a new time hole just opened here in the castle." Fenton guessed.

"That's correct." Professor Gyro nodded. "That Cobalt Shard is reacting to the other shards that are scattered in the past."

"Panchito! Jose! You guys better get going and find those other Cobalt Star shards!" Fenton told them. "I wish you guys a safe trip."

"It is our pleasure, Professor and Jose." Panchito thanked as he turned towards Jose and their younger self. "Ready to go, past and future Guys?"

"Yeah!" they all cheered.

They ran into the room of the castle where the new time hole showed up. They all jumped in, and were pulled inside just like last time.

Meanwhile…

"VILLAIN!" Young Scrooge's voice, who just came inside the same room where the Super Caballeros leaped into the time hole alongside Young Princess Della andYoung Boy Princess Donald. Then, the older Scrooge came in as well!

"I DARESAY THOSE ARE THEM!" Scrooge shouted. "Those children on your side, sir! They're the boy princess and Princess Della, are they not?"

He tries to approach them, but Young Scrooge dragged the twins away from him.

"KEEP YOUR DISTANCE!" Young Scrooge yelled. "You're not cleared to address their Royal Highnesses!"

"In the short time they've been gone, they've grown so small!" Scrooge remarked. "THIS is why I was so opposed to that infernal time device!"

He approaches and approaches his younger self with the twin, but he kept moving them away until he gets cornered to the wall.

"SOMEONE! ANYONE!" Young Scrooge called out in desperation. "HELP! SOMEBODY! IS THIS CASTLE DESERTED?" he then dragged the twins out of the room.

"BOY PRINCESS! PRINCESS DELLA!" Scrooge called out and chased after his younger self.

#ducktales 2017 #mariotales au #partners in time #partners in time fanfic #super caballeros #super caballero fanfic #fanfic

[mrneighbourlove]

The Rising Sun: Ch 2. Taiyo Town

Malik and Asakonigei rode through the valley and into the desert for an additional three hours. They were exhausted, and every bump made the woman ache. True to his word, they fucked hard. However, Malik kept his wife close with a blanket around her the whole way, planting the odd kiss on her forehead. “Still awake my dear? We’re almost there. I’m sure you feel warm.”

Sore and tired, Asakonigei was grateful for the huge blanket of warmth. The desert at night was cold, and she was not a fan of the chilly temperatures. Yet, the constant bouncing on the horse was not doing her nether regions any favors. Malik was rough and she adored how he loved her, though the achiness she could deal without.

"Hmm-hmm." The Kovina snuggled closer to her husband. "I'm toasty as can be, love, though in-between my legs feels like I did too much on weight day."

“Hehehe, I’m sure. Just close your eyes and I’ll carry us in.”

Eventually they arrived at a massive gate. The guard was laxed tonight, with few on lookout for monster. Upon seeing Lord Malik they opened the gate to the town. It was much of a haze for Asa, but she next found herself being laid to rest in a the silkiest sheets of her life.

"Goodnight my metal Queen. I'll see you at the rise of the desert sun."

~

The next morning, Asa woke from a restful sleep. She was not expecting such a luxurious bedding in the middle of the desert. Then again, Malik had been working on this project for a long while. Who knew what else there was here?

Malik was still asleep, his naked body lying amongst the pillows and sleeping next to her. His muscles were at peak form, and he had matured newer battle scars over his new years of life. It was still only early morning, the sound of a wind chandelier blowing gently outside to slightly stir him.

Seeing this rare opportunity with her husband, Asakonigei slinked over his body, laying flat on top of him. Her chin rested on her hands atop his chest. As he slowly started to rouse, she had an impish grin on her face.

"Good morning, handsome..."

“Oh. Good morning my rose.” Malik nuzzled his beard to her neck, breathing her in. A hand ran down gently upon the scar on her back. “You sleep well?”

"Indeed I did," Asakonigei lounged on him like a cat, then kissed his lips gently. "It was nice to have you sleeping beside of me for once."

“It was. Do you like the silk?”

"I do like the silk." Asakonigei admitted as she traced a hand over the material. "Though, I think I like laying on top of you better. Much more comfortable, wouldn't you agree?"

“I do. Though, I think we should wait before wrestling around in these sheets.” Malik played with her hair gently.

"Would be a shame to rip such finery." Asakonigei sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, resting. "What all do you have to do today?"

“Train the guard more effectively and show you around. But first...” Malik rose up, his body on full display in the sunlight coming down through a window. “We should go wake our daughter. I’m sure she’ll be excited to see you here.”

"... sure we can't just stay in bed all day?" Asakonigei playfully smacked his ass as he got off the bed. "That's plenty of exercise in your 'training' book..."

“And have all the women in town, including Domana hear you scream to god all day? I don’t think so.” Malik smiled down at his perky wife. Carefully going through a cabinet, he selected some very light, but stylish clothing for her. “You’ll want to put these on to counter the heat.”

"They'd just be jealous... though, Donoma hearing us isn't exactly a good thought." Asakonigei walked over to her husband and took the clothes. This was very different than what she was used to wearing. It almost felt... fancy. This material, this chamber... she felt like he was spoiling her. "This feels so soft..."

“Vai clothing custom of my people. Shared the colour scheme of your dragon companion. Try it on.”

"You're doting on me, I know it." Asakonigei carefully dressed in the new clothing and then stared at herself in the mirror. The array of red, oranges, and gold were beautiful, floating through the fabric like a rising sun. She twirled around, watching it flow. "This is gorgeous material... I love it!"

“It’s only gorgeous because you are.” Malik got dressed into a light plate suit of red armour. It held material that helped with heat resistance. “Let’s go surprise our little girl.”

On the walk to Donoma’s residence, Malik nodded hello to some of the Gerudo women who kept upkeep on the palace. They looked Asakonigei up and down, giggling at her lightly.

When they reached Donoma’s room, she was sleeping in a bunk bed with another Gerudo girl sleeping on the bottom bunk. Looking to the top, Malik nudged his daughter awake. “Rise awake my little sunlight.”

"Five more minutes..." Donoma groaned, opening her eyes to see her father... and mother? "Mom?! What are you doing here?"

"Your father finally decided to bring me along for a visit." Asakonigei thought it was adorable how Donoma looked so surprised to see her... that, and her hair was so frazzled, going every which direction. "I missed you, sweetie."

The Gerudo bellow her, a girl named Sandra, took a stick a poked upwards, groggily snarling from lack of sleep. “Don. Shut. Up.”

"Sandra, my parents are here." Donoma said through gritted teeth. "Quit poking me."

"Sounds like you're not the only one who isn't a morning person, sweetheart." Asakonigei had to stifle a laugh.

Sandra jumped, hitting her head on the bunk when she saw Lord Malik. “Lord Ma- OW! Donoma! This is why I want the top bunk!”

"You lost it fair and square in an arm wrestling match, so stop being a sore loser." Donoma hopped off the top bunk and gave her mother a hug. "How long are you staying with us, Mom?"

"Well, I think I'm here until your father decides to return me home." Asakonigei smiled at her daughter. "I can't leave the forge unattended forever."

“You could if you moved here, but that’s another discussion.” Malik ruffled his daughters hair, addressing all the younger Gerudo in the room. “Everyone get changed and have your hair fixed. Time for a full day ahead in the greatest town in the world.”

“Yes Lord Malik!”

“You got it!”

Sandra decided to make Donoma angry, jumping up to kiss Malik on the cheek as she ran out to get changed. “On it my Lordship!”

Malik brushed his cheek, shrugging his shoulders. “Teenagers.”

"Hey!!! That was uncalled for, get back here!" Donoma chased after Sandra with an angry huff. "I told you, my father is off limits!!!"

Asakonigei, on the other hand, blinked and then crossed her arms with a quirked eyebrow. "What was that all about?"

“I suppose some of the girls have crushes on me. Nothing harmful my dear.”

"Crushes or not, I don't like them being too touchy with you." Asakonigei stated. "I rather you cease that kind of behavior."

"What? Does it make you jealous Asa?" Malik chuckled, patting her on the back as he lead her outside. "Trust me. You have nothing to fear."

Leading her out the palace, Asa was greeted to the site of a fully functioning market. Many Gerudo were trading and selling wears. Asakonigei could spot a few different races interacting with the Gerudo, all other women. Some Rito having flown in rather easily over the winds, a couple Vatra who dared the desert heat, a Hylian couple, and a single Goron selling ores. From the center, Gerudo were taking bucket of water from the well and carrying it back to their homes. "It's beautiful, isn't it Asa?"

"Don't have to be jealous when I know you're already mine." Asakonigei huffed at him. "Besides, you never know what these women might be thinking. Don't let them fool you." As Malik showed her the town, the Kovina was already making a metal list of possible improvements. There was a need for a plumbing system, a way to grow more crops, perhaps a school... and of course, ideas of how she could help the infrastructures. "It is lovely, Malik. Maybe you could bring Queen Zarazu out here sometime with her husband? I'm sure she'd love an introduction to Gerudo culture."

Malik brushed his beard, something obviously deep on his mind. "Eventually. I don't want to overwhelm the people too much with such figures. Perhaps Luimaya first. Ease them with someone younger." His cape blowing lightly, he took his wife through some the alleys that eventually led to a courtyard where a group of middle aged Gerudo women were waiting for him. He raised his arm to get them on their feet and saluting him on the spot.

"Lord Malik!"

"At ease. As you know, the attack Kissandra received concerned me. Once, long ago, their was an elite group of Gerudo warriors known as the Iron Knuckles. They were lost to the blades of an archaic Hyrule. Now, you will learn their ways." Malik set down instructions of old fighting styles and techniques. "Take these papers around and study them. I will then test you in a practical use. In time, you will learn to craft your own armour and fight with the weight of a tortoise on your back."

One of the Gerudo eyed Asakonigei, snickering to herself. "Oh? Who's this?"

"Luimaya is a little... hotheaded sometimes." Asakonigei knew the princess was notorious for being a touch reckless. Though, she was a sweet girl, and truly did have the best interest at heart. She had watched the young queen-to-be grow up into a fine young woman. As Malik instructed the new group of women training to be elites, the Kovina felt... very small. Why were Gerudos, both the men and women, so tall? So big? Covarog dwarfed his wife and Malik did the same to her, but being around these new women just confirmed exactly how strong these people were. When one of the women inquired as to who she was, the Kovina politely replied, "I am Asakonigei, Malik's wife. It is very nice to meet all of you."

"You're Lord Malik's wife? But you're so... tiny!" This particular woman, named Ellie, tapped her feet and laughed. She was standing tall at 6.4ft tall. No where near Lord Malik's height, but still enough to tower over his wife. "Why'd he want to marry a runt like you? Your hair is black, you're short, and you don't even have any real abs. You got less meat on your bones then a Stalfos."

"Yes, I am small compared to---" Asakonigei was interrupted by the barrage of insults thrown her way. She had to bite the inside of her jaw to keep from snapping at the woman. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin Malik's hard work. "... despite being 'tiny' as you so delicately put it, I am still able to hold my own and fight if necessary. Size isn't everything."

"HA! You have milk drinker written right here on your face." The armoured Gerudo tapped Asakonigei on the noggen. "How about we see if someone like you is really worth some as special as Lord Malik's time. Use any tool you can to knock me down. I know you can't."

Malik said nothing, going to let his wife teach the soldiers a lesson. Best they learned to be humbled now and to never judge by appearances.

"... very well." Asakonigei took a deep breath. The Kovina was not too happy about this type of welcome. She had dealt with enough bias in her life. A female forge master? Preposterous. A woman fighting in a war? Unlikely. Uncultured magical witch? Very much so, that's what the kingdom used to think of Lorleidians. Sometimes, the best way to win a fight was not by brute force, but simple humiliation. Malik taught her that long ago. So, she was going to use precisely that tactic. "I do not require a weapon." She stood opposite the woman, placing her feet into the correct position. "Are you ready?"

"Oh? Hand to hand eh? I promise I won't break anything, you milk drinking, twig legged, brimstone smelling, fancy dancing, tiny child looking, long haired hussy!"

The armor the woman wore was minimal. Yet, it was still attached to her body just like any other protective wear. There were traces of rust in it, a touch of iron, maybe a little copper. Metal was metal, and she could already feel the magic at her fingertips. Normally, this situation would be over with in a moment. All it would take is a simple movement to pin her to the ground. This time, however, Asakonigei had another idea.

Yanking her hand forward, her grip on the metal caused Ellie to trip over her own feet until she was being dragged by the unseen force. Forcing the woman to bow on her knees, Asakonigei had increased the weight tenfold on the metal with her magic and was holding her in place. Now eye-to-eye with Ellie, the Kovina bent down and hissed, "I can defeat an arrogant bitch like you easily with one stroke of my pinky finger. Want to watch what happens if I squeeze the armor around your midsection? Or perhaps, I could just drain you of all the iron in your body, leaving you unable to move. You really, really shouldn't piss off a Kovina when you're wearing metal."

"You can do WHAT TO MY BLOOD?" Ellie was in total shock. The other Gerudo gathered around were murmuring shocked observations to one another.

Malik clapped his hands together, getting their attention. "This is an example of magic. Some of our enemies will use it against you. There are ways to counter even a Kovina's magic, but like all combat situations, you must be prepared. Or you will die. Everyone thank Ellie and Asakonigei for this demonstration."

The other Gerudo immediately thanked Asa for humiliating Ellie.

Asakonigei pinned the woman to the ground before stepping over her like a defeated foe. With a flick of her black hair, the Kovina muttered as she returned to her husband's side. "Demonstration my ass, next time, I'll toss her halfway through the desert if she speaks to me like that."

Malik nodded to his wife as he addressed the other Gerudo. What Asakonigei didn't expect would be her hand suddenly being grabbed by Ellie's. The Gerudo was on her knee's looking up at the Kovina. "You were magnificent. Are you and Lord Malik going to be a swingers couple? I would be honoured to be made yours." The Gerudo woman went from salty insults to heart eyes for Asa within the span of a minute.

Asakonigei turned blood red in the cheeks, flabbergasted.

"WH-WHAT?!?!" She yanked her hand out of Ellie's grasp. "The hell you talking about?!" Her face was steaming, even her ears were burning. It was then she was able to put two and two together. A village of women. All women. There had to be some way to relieve sexual urges. Shaking her head furiously, Asakonigei exclaimed, embarrassed, "No, no, no, we certainly do not do this 'swing' thing!"

“But you’re so powerful. And cool. And hot~” Ellie stood up, playing with the pigtails in her hair. “I’d love to have you by my bed side. Maybe you could even use your magic on me again.”

"Malik, will you control your horny guards?!" Asakonigei hid behind her husband, gesturing for him to make Ellie go away. She kept inching out of sight. "That one is almost as bad as Kelly!"

“What?”

Ellie went back to training, waving with fondness at Asakonigei. “Think about it.”

The Gerudo man didn’t catch a whiff of that exchange. For the next 6 hours, he tirelessly trained the guards in all matters of survival and combat. “Asa, you can explore the village if you like, find Donama perhaps. Should tell her about her brother’s tournament. I’ll be here a while.”

~

Asakonigei took her time to explore the village. Malik had done a lot of good work here. It would be a thriving place soon enough, and hopefully, the culture would start to rebuild itself. She wondered if Revan could learn here with his sister? Growing up, she had taught her children all she could about their Lorleidian heritage but Malik only had limited information to share about the Gerudo.

Amongst various Gerudo she saw, Gali was teaching Donoma and other girls ancient Gerudo history. “With the help of the hero, Nabooru became the Sage of Spirit. She’s one of the first examples of Gerudo heroism, having stood up to tyranny. Can anyone tell me what famous Gerudo figure had her brainwashed before being liberated by Link?”

Donoma loved to learn of her Gerudo side of the family. While there were texts in Castle Hyrule and stories her father had told her, there was something rare about learning from an actual Gerudo woman. She thought it silly, of course, knowing she was half Gerudo, though this seemed special to the girl.

"Was it Ganondorf?"

“Yes and no Donoma. While Ganondorf was the King of Evil and ultimately ruled over her, Nabooru was brainwashed by his witch mothers, Koume and Kotake, also known as Twinrova. What do you know of Twinrova?”

"One was of ice and one was of fire. They could fuse into one woman... and..." Donoma paused for a moment. "They... worshipped the twin sand and stone goddesses?"

“That they did. As do most Gerudo. Although they are incredibly rare in our people’s history, there have been a set of twins found in the country of Uskar that fit the description of Twinrova.”

"I wonder if there will be another Gerudo sage at some point?"

“There is always a possibility. Although you lack a sister of ice Donoma, you might be able to learn further Gerudo magic if you train further. I believe, just like the old hero Urbosa from the age of calamity, there is another Gerudo in Uskar who knows the magic of lightning. There is a possibility you might be able to meet these Gerudo women someday.” Gali saw Asakonigei peering in, giving her a nod. “Before we end class, can anyone give their opinions on boys and men, the topic of next class?”

"Every gal could use could deep dicking."

The comment from the back of the class earned a snicker from all the women, including Donoma.

“Felix. That’s not the exact term I’d use, but yes, reproduction is a strong reason. We also need to learn about the dangers of strangers and the history of how Gerudo have been sought after, some aspects terrible for our people. Class dismissed.”

One of the other Gerudo poked Donoma to get the twenty year old’s attention. “Donoma, you grew up in Hyrule. You get any “good dicking” there?”

"Um..." Donoma's face turned red. "There's plenty of men if that's what you're asking. But I don't have a Voe. Haven't really been looking for one, been focused on studies and improving my magic."

“Have you been with one before?” Sandra asked.

"No." Donoma was not going to lie. "I want to do like my parents did. Meet, fall in love, take things a little slow... get to know each other better. My mother waited on my father for nearly five years."

“Boooo. Hey, you have a brother right! Is he single?”

"Well, yes and no. He does have someone he likes." Donoma thought of Luimaya and then shrugged. "But I don't know how that will turn out."

“So, can I have your blessing to suck his di-”

"Ew, I don't want to think about my brother's dick." Donoma made a disgusted face. "You can try to pounce on him if you want. He's hard to catch."

“We’ll see~”

Some of the girls giggled with each other as all the younger Gerudo left Gali to clean up class. She tilted her head at Asa, curious about her behaviour in observing from afar. “Can I help you with something?”

Donoma left with the girls and did not realize her mother was listening in on the class.

When Gail approached Asakonigei, the Kovina said, "Oh... oh no, I was just interested in what you had to say about Gerudo culture."

“I’ve gathered a great deal of knowledge over my family’s generations. I work very closely with Malik on the prosperity of the town.”

"I'm glad that Donoma is learning from you. We could only tell her so much... and after a while, she grew tired of hearing the same stories." Asakonigei then asked, "Malik told me he had several very reliable friends to help him."

“He’s a handsome, intelligent, wise and powerful man. I think he’ll make a good king should he ever choose to take that role.” Gali finished gathering up old papers and rolling them into bags.

"... wait, what?" Asakonigei was not sure if she heard right. "King? We have a king. Covarog, the son of Ganondorf and Zelda."

“Yes. But Covarog is King of Hyrule.” Gali perked up; happier to speak history then address any concern in Asakonigei’s voice. “Long ago, even if there was a princess, queen, or king on the throne of Hyrule, there have been Gerudo Kings. Now this King usually turned out to be Ganondorf. The Gerudo of Hyrule have often been led by either a Chieftain or a Monarch. Kings in our society are mostly figure heads, but serve in the protection of the Gerudo people. Even the Termina Gerudo abid by this model, although being pirates, it’s usually a fleet captain. Take the ex pirate, Captain Adda, Queen of the seas. But she’s not important. What is important is that your husband has righter than anyone to be King of the Gerudo.”

Asakonigei then wondered if Malik had been rebuilding the entire community for the sole purpose of intending to rule it. He had never mentioned such an idea. She felt a little conflicted. Her loyalty was to the queen, the ruler of the Lorleidians. Zarazu's husband was Covarog, therefore she was also loyal to him. The Kovina currently was not fond of the idea of being a queen herself. She had no intention to rule, did not want to rule over anyone. All she wanted was for her children to mature, to find love, to have families of their own one day and grow old with her husband.

"That... may well be true, though I don't think..." Asakonigei chose her words carefully. "I'm not sure if that's his intention."

“Does it matter? He’s the man with a vision. He has more passion than any man I’ve ever met. People love him. They look up to him. This is your first day here, but if you stay longer, you’ll see it yourself.”

"I do agree with you, this is a wonderful place, but we have friends and family back in Hyrule." Asakonigei was not going to uproot her entire business and leave behind her uncles and cousins. Revan and Donoma were grown and could make their own decisions, though moving was never part of the plan. Not to mention, all her clients, her status as forge master, all of that work took years, and she would be a fool to leave it behind. Zarazu needed her, her family needed her... these were all strangers. "We couldn't leave them."

“You couldn’t you mean.” Gali leaned against her desk, crossing her arms gently. “You ever think Malik deserves to be king?”

"He has family there too." Asakonigei frowned at the woman. "Does he deserve to be treated like royalty? With all that has happened to him, I believe he deserves a good life. Yet, being a king, it would be too much. He already does enough and spends so much time away from his family."

“Asakonigei. That is your name right? Asakonigei, Gerudo have always been brought down by the central powers of Hyrule, because we are the biggest threat to their ruling ship. We have too much passion and independence. The Zora are too fanatic in serving the Hylian throne, the Goron are nearly indestructible, the Sheikah are bound to the will of the Zelda lineage, the Rito need trade desperately from Hyrule, and the Koroki are considered too weak to be a threat. Malik is a man who’s always served titles under Hyrule. Captain, Commander, Lord. To be king would to be his own title. He’s very happy here. You can see the light in his eyes being here. Tell me, are you happy with him? Could you be happy enough to follow him as a Queen when his heart travels here?” Gali raised a curious brow, her question pressing hard on the woman. She didn’t blow steam like the previous Gerudo that challenged Asa. The historian nearly wanted the truth out of Asa, calm and forwardly.

"... I am not Hylian. Whatever qualms you have with Hyrule, I am not a part of it." She clarified to Gail. "I am a Lorleidian, and I follow my queen. I cannot leave her and I won't leave her as long as she has need of me." Asakonigei told the woman. "There is nothing wrong with Malik wanting more. I want him to be happy. If he wishes to be king here, then that's him. I would support him because I love him. Yet, I would not want him to be king if it meant more strife between us. More tension. More loneliness." She then stated. "Malik deserves a good life. Yet a life here? ... being king here would mean more serving as you put it. For once, I'd like him to be free of such duties. Free... for once."

“I think he’s been freer here cultivating a new land then he has been all his life. Isn’t happiness and following your passion true freedom after all? I think he deserves to be the King of a free Gerudo people. And a man like him deserves a queen who’d stand by him here.” Gali gathered her lecture notes and gently made her way out. “If you excuse me, I need to lock up.”

"Freedom is not having chains. Hyrule or here, Malik will always have something or someone he believes he will have to save." Asakonigei retorted firmly. "He's done enough. If you truly want a leader that bad, then cast a vote with all the Gerudo women here. A king isn't needed for a realm ruled by women. Nominate a queen." She then watched as Gail exited the tent. "He's already my husband and I am his wife. Nothing will change that."

Gali lead Asa outside, and looking her in the eye, she shut the lock on the door. “The present is never hundred percent certain. But we’ll see, won’t we.”

________________________________________________________________

Previous Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/622288999627833344/the-rising-sun-ch-1-dawn-of-the-gerudo

Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/622482284480774144/the-rising-sun-ch-3-test-your-might

Crossover with @ridersoftheapocalypse. Also shares characters with @s-kinnaly

#crossover #Klinge/Malik #Asakonigei #Donoma #Gerudo #ridersoftheapocalypse #Really love your comments

[frizz22]

Ch. 3 After Vormir

End Game canon divergence fanfic. 

SPOILERS for movie. 

Read on ao3

“You’re not Nebula.” He muttered, stepping closer, eyes narrowed in suspicion and examination.

“Of course, I am!” She exclaimed, though her eyes were a little wild. “Who else—” 

Shaking his head, Tony circled her. “No, I spent over three weeks on a dead-in-the-water spaceship with Nebula. I helped her repair some of the damage Thanos inflicted. You have the bronze head plate, but not the one on your arm. In fact, that’s not the arm we rebuilt together at all. We played a game, what was it?” He demanded. Nebula just gaped at him. “It was paper football, you won.” Tony looked at her sadly and Nebula looked dazed at the words.

“I won?” She whispered.

Before Tony could say anything else, Rocket shot up from where he’d been sitting then. “It’s past Nebula,” he concluded, stunned. “From before we encountered her and defeated Ronan.”

Shock rippled through them all, but none more so than Nebula. “You, you defeat Ronan?” She breathed in disbelief.

“We defeated Thanos. Chopped off his head.” Thor muttered, “too late, but he is dead.”

Nat leveraged off the table, despite Steve’s quiet protest. “If you’re here, where is our Nebula?”

Shaking her head, Nebula pressed against the wall behind her hard, as if hoping it would swallow her up.

Just then, Tony sat abruptly, knocking some instruments to the floor on accident and drawing their attention. “I knew.” He whispered.

A chorus of “what’s?” went up and Tony covered his mouth and shook his head.

“I knew. I knew there was a price. For the soul stone. I—” He looked at them all wretchedly, “when we were trying to calm Quill down, when the bug lady said he was grieving…. You said,” Tony turned to Nebula and then blinked and shook his head. “Our Nebula, she said Thanos went with Gamora to get the stone but returned without her.” A horrified expression crossed his face and Tony stood again and started to pace. “I am so sorry. I should have remembered, I should have warned you.”

Nat smiled at him softly, how was it that he always managed to find a way to shoulder the blame himself? “What would that have accomplished? You remembering? We’d be a stone short if we’d known.” In her anger at the situation, Nat hadn’t realized what knowing about the sacrifice would have changed.

Everyone looked at her speechless.

Chuckling slightly, and then wincing at the movement, Nat let her eyes sweep over them. “I was just as angry at Nebula as the rest of you, but think about it. If we’d known, what would we have done?”

“We’d have figured something out,” Steve murmured, hand still holding hers.

Shaking her head, Nat turned her gaze to him and smiled sympathetically. “Because not trading lives worked out so well for us the last time.” It was a low blow, but one that needed to be dealt. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. It worked out somehow, I’m not dead.” She shifted her attention back to Nebula then. “But we do need answers.”

Nebula clenched her hands into fists, “I’ve already failed my mission; I won’t tell you anything else.” Her expression hardened and she straightened up as if preparing to fight.

Hopping off the bed he was standing on, Rocket approached Nebula. “Oh, I think we can come up with ways to make you talk. And I always have use for mechanical body parts…” Something dangerous gleamed in his eye and Nat knew he was thinking about Groot, the talking tree who’d perished in the snap.

The others seemed a little uneasy with Rocket’s suggestion, but Nat was the first to step forward. “No.” Her tone brokered no argument; she knew what it was like to not only inflict but also withstand torment and torture—she refused to revert back, in any way, to the monster the Red Room had tried to make her. “Put her in a holding cell, I’ll be there in a moment. No one else goes near or touches her.” Nat turned to each of the men in the room in turn, daring them to defy her.

Clint and Steve simply moved forward and bracketed Nebula to escort her to a more secure room should she attempt to escape. Rocket turned to her, “look, I know you have a soft spot for—”

She turned and glared at him, “don’t you have lives to save? There’s no time to waste, you, Stark and Banner need to start working with the stones, see if you can recreate the gauntlet.” The trio backed away from her intensity and nodded and left. “Stark,” she called after him and he stopped in the door. “Stop blaming yourself for everything. After what happened, after weeks on a spaceship with no chance of survival… who would’ve remembered that small of a detail?” Tony gifted her with a small smile before he spun on his heel to follow the other two.    

Sighing, Nat leaned back against the exam table and pinched the bridge of her nose. Rhodey touched her shoulder, “you okay?” His forehead was creased with concern.

Nodding, Nat gave him a tired smile. “Would you three mind starting some dinner? I think everyone could use some food after the day we’ve had.”

Scott smiled, “oh, I can try, but Cassie always said my cooking was passable at best.”

Clapping Scott on the back, Thor smiled. “I’ve never cooked either! This will be a learning experience.” He propelled Scott out of the room, looking happier than Nat had seen him in ages.

“I’ll go make sure they don’t burn down the compound.” Rhodey chuckled, squeezing her shoulder before following the other two.

Nat rolled her neck again before pushing off the exam table and making for the holding cell. There’d been arguments about the need for a holding cell at the compound. But in the end, they’d included them, the cell was comfortable, humane and could house probably Thanos himself without the stones. The reasoning being if they encountered more powerful beings that could not be contained in a standard cell, they could at least be temporarily held at the Avengers compound.

When she reached the cell, Clint and Steve were standing guard, talking in hushed tones. They broke off their conversation as she neared and smiled at her oddly. “Boys,” she greeted, arching a brow.

“We’ll both be out here the whole time.” Steve informed her, clasping his hands in front of him. Clint nodded curtly in agreement.

Rolling her eyes, Nat pushed past them and placed her hand on the scanner to admit herself into the room. “You don’t need to; we’re just going to have a little chat. Girl talk over shared experiences.” Despite her assurances, Nat knew neither one of them would budge until she’d exited the cell—the thought warmed her. She spun and pushed through the door before closing it securely behind her. Nebula eyed her warily from where she was pressed into the corner of the room.

“I won’t talk.” Nebula spat defiantly, tipping her chin up, though Nat could see the fear in her eyes.

Slowly taking a seat, a hand pressed to her aching ribs, Nat inclined her head. “Then you can listen.” Studying the woman in the corner, Nat started to talk, her tone neutral. “You told me once, that growing up when you lost a fight, Thanos would replace a piece of you with metal and gears.”

Nebula blinked, clearly shocked her future self felt comfortable enough with her to share this deeply personal information.

Nat exhaled slowly, “when I was growing up, if you lost a fight in the Red Room, there was a 50-50 chance you’d die. Your opponent waiting for the instructors to give that dreaded signal that you’d been disappointing enough, failed enough to no longer be of use to them. You waited for them to signal your death. We were disposable. I was. And for a very long time, I believed that. Believed I wasn’t good for anything and the only way to keep from being disposed of was to do what I was told and to do it better than anyone. Then Clint found me.” She glanced towards the glass where she knew he was watching closely, and the corners of her mouth twitched upwards a tiny bit. “He thought differently, saw something more. Helped me realize I was more too, that I wasn’t disposable.”

While she’d talked, Nebula had carefully moved away from the wall and come to sit across from her at the table in the room.

“Thanos thinks you’re disposable. Though he hasn’t killed you yet, he will, when it benefits him.” Nat’s heart clenched when Nebula looked away and flinched at the comment. Though it was difficult to hear, it was a cruel truth that Nebula had likely been aware of for most her life. “Do you want to know how he got the soul stone? How we knew you were an imposter?”

Nebula jerked her head and shrugged a shoulder, as if trying to communicate she didn’t care either way. But Nat could tell from the subtle way Nebula leaned forward that she was desperate to hear.

Resting her arms on the table, Nat leaned in as well, just a bit, to make the conversation seem more intimate, more personal; make it easier to forget they were having it inside a holding cell. “You’re aware now what he had to trade… the life of the person he loved most. Why do you think future Gamora isn’t here with us? Why do you think she isn’t the one telling you all this, trying to convince you that you both turned on Thanos?”

Suddenly, Nebula shoved away from the table, her chair clattering to the floor and Nat held up a hand to the glass to keep her boys from barging in. “LIAR!” Nebula bellowed, pacing the room, hands running over her head and face in distress.

“I wouldn’t lie to you about your sister, Nebula.” Nat replied calmly, eyes following the woman as she prowled the small space. “I know this is difficult to accept. But you and I, future you, we’re friends. We have similar pasts; in case you hadn’t noticed. We both had someone see there was more to us, Clint in my case, Gamora in yours. We’re a lot alike, Nebula. You’re my friend and I don’t lie to my friends…” She trailed off, waiting for Nebula to process everything she’d said.

Chest heaving, Nebula turned back to her and Nat knew in that moment, from the look in Nebula’s eyes, that she’d gotten through to her. “Thanos wanted me to sabotage your machine.” Nebula blurted and then sat, unsure how to process her sudden betrayal of the man who’d forced her to call him father.

Tentatively, Nat probed the topic further. “Sabotage it how?”

“Rewire it, to bring him here, to this time period. We saw his death in the memory files of future me.” Her brow furrowed at the absurdity of the situation. Shaking her head, Nebula continued, talking faster—as though now that she’d decided to turn she had to get it all out before she changed her mind. “Thanos realized that, though he’d been successful, that you people would never rest, would never stop trying to change what he’d done. And since you were acquiring the stones, well, he formed a new plan.”

Careful to keep her expression blank except the raise of an eyebrow, Nat clasped her hands together. “And what is this new plan?”

A shudder ran through Nebula. “To not just wipe out half the life in the universe, but all of it. Once that was done, Thanos would recreate the universe to his liking.”

Nat couldn’t control her face this time, despite all her training. “An, an extinction event.” She murmured, eyes widening. “Alright, well, we don’t have to worry about that, we have the stones, he can’t...” Nat paused and then swore, startling Nebula. “Thank you for your help, I’ll be back.” She rushed from the room without another word, panic roiling inside her.

The expressions on Clint and Steve’s faces when she exited the room told her they’d had the same thoughts.

“The plan was to always return the stones to their original timelines moments after we took them. But if we do that now…” Steve ran a hand through his hair agitatedly.

Clint shook his head, “we can’t do that now. Thanos knows about the future, has already changed his plans. If we take the stones back now and he gets them…”

“Past us will still lose the fight and Thanos will still snap his fingers. Only, only this time…” Nat swallowed, “this time he’ll wipe out everyone and there won’t be any of us left to fix it.”

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanov #Black Widow #clint barton #hawkeye #natasha x clint #platonic #tony stark #iron man #thor #Thor Odinson #Steve Rogers #captain america #scott lang #ant-man #bruce banner #hulk #Avengers #Avengers 4 #avengers endgame #avengers engame spoilers #rocket raccoon #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #nebula #james rhodes #rhodey #fanfiction #fanfic #ao3fic

[bloody-bara]

(AN: SURPRISE!! Didn’t think I’d have another chapter for a few months huh? Never doubt the power of procrastinating on everything else in your life to pursue the inspiration to write kids! Warnings for this chapter include violence, blood drinking, and heartbreak.)

Ch. 1   Ch. 2   Ch. 3   Ch.4   Ch. 5   Ch. 6   Ch. 7 

Word Count: 2457

Chapter 8 – A Choice

           I studied over Yui’s notes for the rest of the night and well into the morning too. I wouldn’t say I’m normally the most studious person ever, but I didn’t want Yui’s kindness to go to waste. Especially with the risks she had to take just to talk to me. I hoped she would be okay… By the time I fell asleep I had finally grasped the basics of the Kamakura period and the quadratic formula.

           Blood… There was blood everywhere. A full moon hung high in the sky, but it was as red as the blood that covered my hands and face. As red as my hair. I couldn’t move, fear and shock overtook my entire body. I looked out upon the bodies scattering the floor. Student uniforms. The cloaks of healers. Random street clothes. All dead. All because of me.

But one stood out to me. Blonde hair. Flower clips. Large pink eyes staring but not looking. Once realization hit me I scrambled back.

No no no no no no no no…

Not again…

A voice filled my head. “Look at the potential you hold. The power. You can finally have the control you seek.”

“I don’t want this!” I screamed. I covered my ears but the voice persisted.

“Of course you do. Listen to the moon, child. It calls you. Drives you.”

“I’ve learned to fight it! I’m not going to succumb to the thirst again!”

“Not the thirst, child. But the sadistic monster inside you.”

I awoke in a cold sweat, scanning my surroundings in primal fear. Boring gray walls. The nurse’s office?! No, the compound. I breathed a sigh of relief. I cautiously opened the curtains of my window. Dusk. I needed to get ready for school.

The preparation for today was somber, not as frantic as it was the day before. I mulled over the dream I had, which had felt more like a prediction. Or maybe it was just my fears manifesting in the only way they knew how. But that voice… It hadn’t been my own, yet it sounded so familiar. And it sent shivers up my spine.

A knock on my door had me scrambling to put the last of my uniform on. “Come in!” I called.

Rose peeked her head inside just as I was tying the last bow around my neck. “Are you ready to go? I packed you a lunch again.”

“Just about. And thank you, Rose. I’ll get around to making it myself soon, I promise.”

She smiled at me, then made a face at my handiwork. “Your bows are crooked.”

I looked down and sighed, attempting to straighten them. Rose instead took it upon herself to fix them for me. An embarrassed blush spread across my face. “I’d like to think I’m not as hopeless as I probably look right now.”

“I know you aren’t. You’re just… stressed. And understandably so. I know I wouldn’t want to go back into a nest of vampires.”

I grimaced. “I wasn’t given a choice.”

She frowned but straightened up again, having made perfect bows for me.

The ride to school was quiet again. I could tell Rose was deep in thought, but I didn’t want to pry. And I also had my own things to think about. What was I going to do during a full moon? Would I still go to school? The teachers and students would immediately know something was up with my red eyes and hair. How did the other vampires do it? Well, actually that one was easy. Apparently they fed like normal, even though they weren’t supposed to. But what if I hurt someone?

We arrived at the academy and I turned to open the door, but felt a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t. Don’t go, just yet.” My hand fell from the handle as I turned back to look at Rose. She looked like she was steeling herself for something big.

“You said before that you weren’t given a choice. Well I’m giving you one now.”

“What… are you saying?” I asked, not entirely sure where this was going.

Rose took a deep breath. “What I’m saying, is that we can run away! Defy your father’s wishes and just leave… forever…” She trailed off, possibly imagining what this possible future would entail. “It wouldn’t be easy, and we would be hunted for the rest of our lives, but we’d have each other.” She held both of my hands in hers. Tears were now brimming in her chocolate brown eyes. “I want the best for you, Megumi, and I don’t think you’ll find it in that academy. Your father certainly doesn’t know what’s best for you, and that stranger definitely doesn’t.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Run away? But nothing has been planned! How would we even—”

“I’ve already packed two bags, they’re in the trunk. As well as enough food and cash to last us a little while. But if you decide not to, I’ll just put them away and pretend like this conversation never happened. But I really think we could do it! We could really pull this off!”

My mind began to imagine it. Moving from town to town, possibly living off the land until it was time to move again. Never having a lot, but just being happy with each other. I looked down at her hands still tightly grasping mine and back up at her watering eyes. I felt myself tear up as well. It was a lot to think about, but the idea of it still sounded better than getting out of the car again. My father and that stranger would probably be furious, but in that moment I didn’t care. Rose was right. They didn’t know what was best for me.

But I did.

I opened my mouth to reply with my choice. But before I could, a long limo pulled up in front of us. Six boys piled out, followed by a blonde-haired girl with flower clips. I saw her fidget nervously with her bag for a moment before catching up the with the rest of them. She seemed uneasy. What had happened?

But then I realized this choice wasn’t so easy to make. My heart was torn. I loved Rose, and I so wanted to take the “easy” way out. But there was also Yui, a human girl living with six vampires. If she could do it, who was to say I couldn’t? And maybe, I could help her. Just like she helped me. We could have each other’s backs and survive our fates together. I had just met her yesterday, and yet I felt a responsibility to help her. Because she deserved that much at least.

Decision made, I turned back to Rose. The tears were falling from my eyes now. It was the hardest choice I’d ever had to make in my life.

“I can’t.” I said with a sad smile. “Just like you helped me, it’s my turn to help her.” I nodded towards Yui. “I want to be with you, but I need to stay here and do what’s right. I don’t want to run away when there’s someone here I could potentially help.”

I met her eyes again. Tears streaked her face as well, but she nodded as if she knew how I would answer. “Forgive me. I wanted to help you, but you’re right.” She smiled. “I think I may have taught you too well to protect the innocent.” She took my face in her hands, and once again placed a kiss on my forehead. She looked deep into my eyes for a moment. “You got this, Megumi.”

Rose made sure to wipe the tears from my eyes. I hugged her, trying to convey in that embrace how much I just wanted to leave all this behind and start a new life with her. Even though she was the one wanting to protect me, I desperately wanted to do the same for her. She seemed to understand, holding me back just as tightly before sending me on my way. My heart was still broken, but I needed to pull myself together and get on with the day.

Classes went on as normal, and thankfully I didn’t run into Laito again in the halls. However, Ayato kept glancing at me more during English than he did yesterday. Was it because he had seen me with Yui yesterday? Or was it for another reason? When the bell rang I tried to leave as soon as possible so I could actually make it to my next class today. But Ayato had other plans, blocking my way to the door so I couldn’t leave.

“The hentai says you aren’t human.”

“If this is your way of calling me a freak, you’ll have to get more creative,” I said, avoiding eye contact and trying to push past him.

Well that certainly pissed him off. He grabbed my shoulder and pinned it to the wall. “Don’t ignore Ore-sama!” His eyes flashed in anger. “Now what are you?”

“I’m human! What else would I be? An alien?”

Without any warning, he leaned into my neck. I prepared myself for the pain of a bite, but it never came. Instead I felt him sniff near my pulse. He pulled away, looking unhappy with his findings.

“You do smell human. Almost.” He let go of my shoulder and smirked at me. “Maybe one day I’ll get a taste, and finally see what you really are.”

I stared wide eyed at him for a second before running out the door to my next class. But I could still hear his chuckle echoing behind me.

It turns out the class I had missed before was cooking class, which I was grateful for. It was nice to finally feel in my element with a class instead of hopelessly behind. We ended up making pork cutlets with rice. I ate what I could in case there was another incident during lunch.

The rest of the day went by relatively smooth. I could actually kinda keep up in math even! After history I made sure to thank Yui for the notes.

“O-Of course!” She seemed surprised I was still talking to her. Did the boys keep other people from talking to her? “Did they help you out today?”

“Definitely! I actually understood what was going on,” I laughed. “And you take really good notes! Like they’re really in depth and helped me understand things really well.”

“Oh! Well, thank you.” She smiled, and I returned it. I never thought I would prefer talking about notes and homework over everything else going on. It was… normal. This is just what normal human kids did, worrying about the next exam instead of whether or not they’ll kill someone on the next full moon.

I made sure to keep the conversation short with Yui. I didn’t want her getting in trouble again, especially because of me. I noticed Ayato had stopped by the classroom to pick her up, making sure to glare at me in the process. I just stared back. I didn’t feel like getting into another fight with a vampire today.

But someone wanted to go against my wishes.

As I was making my way down the stairwell, my arm was tugged, throwing me into a dark corner at the bottom of the stairs. I tried to scream but a hand quickly covered my mouth, which I promptly bit. I heard a hiss behind me and I was thrown into the wall, a hand firmly on my neck. My head felt dizzy and my vision was blurry, but I could still make out a flash of green eyes. A chill ran up my spine, my hair turning white before I could stop it.

“Nfu~ So my eyes didn’t deceive me. What does it mean, bitch-chan? Do you take pleasure in this?”

“Far… from it!” I choked out. I tried kicking him while he held onto me, but he easily avoided it. “Let me… go!”

“Oh? But I can’t do that until I’ve had another taste. I want to see if it’s still the same as I remember.”

My eyes widened and I squirmed more, which only prompted him to tighten his grip.

He sighed. “Your face and neck are turning so red, bitch-chan! If I were to bite you right now, it would probably make a mess, nfu~” He leaned in, smelling near my face. I flinched and turned away. Laito let out a soft moan. “You smell… different…”

I hoped that meant he wasn’t interested and would let me go. But the tugging at my clothes suggested otherwise. I struggled more, attempting to shove him away, but it was no use. I was little more than a human right now. It was like trying to fight a brick wall. Buttons popped and my ribbons fell away. I felt cool air on my chest, meaning I was at least partially exposed.

“Hmm… Not even lace. How boring.”

I flushed in anger and embarrassment, but that feeling was quickly replaced by a searing pain near my collar bone. I choked on my breath, not even able to scream. Laito’s moans and slurps could be heard echoing in the stairwell. I clawed at his hand on my throat, trying to breathe, but it only tightened again.

By the time spots were clouding my vision, he finally pulled away. He was gasping, even though he wasn’t the one that had their neck pinned to the wall.

“It is different. More human, but also… not.” I could barely make out my blood dripping down his chin. Sucking in one small bit of air, I made one final attempt at demanding he let me go. He only smirked at me. “Just a little longer.”

I didn’t understand what he meant until my vision went black.

           Someone was shaking me.

“Megumi? Megumi! Please wake up!”

My eyes struggled open. I saw a blurry figure huddled over me.

“Rose?” I croaked.

“Oh, thank goodness!” It sounded like she really thought I was a goner. “When you didn’t come out to the car I figured something must have happened.”

For some reason I couldn’t focus on what she was saying. “Are you… wearing clothes?” She was had on a simple gray dress and her hair was in a neat bun on top of her head.

“Huh? Oh! You mean without the robe. Well, yes. I figured I shouldn’t come in wearing a mysterious cloak. But that doesn’t matter right now. What happened?”

It took me a moment to remember, and when I did, all I could mutter was, “Damn vampires.”

#my writing #ocs #megumi hoshino #megumi's journey #2 chapters in 2 days??? #it must be the end of the world #like for real

[dark-unimaginably-stupid-kids]

I Feel Everything [Ch-2]

Fandom- Voltron (D.U.S.K!AU)

Pairing- Klance (Eventually)

Rating- N/A (Seriously winging this monster, I’ll get back to you.)

Lance is a vampire trying desperately to prove he’s worth something despite lacking certain specific abilities vampires of his stature should have.

Keith just discovered he’s a werewolf and he’s not okay with this one bit.

Pidge is  experimenting in magical circuits, Hunk is almost inclined to study her instead.

Allura, Lance’s distant relative, has an age old feud she keeps very politely under wraps with Coran’s help but Lotor might not let her.

And Shiro is… as usual, tired.

Chapter Notes: Rewind: how Keith went from being a generally irritable human to a very confused werewolf.

In which Shiro is odd, Allura is crazy pleasant, and Lotor gives Keith conflicting vibes.

Also Tangled. Because Keith’s dad tried his best.

0-2 Side B (Keith)

If Keith was honest, he’d probably waited way too long to call the cops.

He sat there with the handcuffs digging into his wrists, locking his hands behind his back as he hunched in the sheriff’s department’s waiting area. There was dried blood on his hands and it made him angry just to smell it.

The officer who’d detained him was sitting at his desk with his head back, a balled-up paper towel pressed to his nostril.

He could smell that too.

Last he checked his nose wasn’t that strong before.

“You got knocked out by a kid?” One of the other cops says to officer Nosebleed.

He grits his teeth and mumbles the phrase “Sucker punch.”

Keith never really understood that term. Possibly because most people are too proud to know the difference.

Much like stupid cops who run their mouths about shit they know nothing about.

“I was just trying to file a “missing persons” report you jackoffs.” Keith grunts though he knows no one is paying attention.

“The kid’s got some disciplinary issues, it seems.” One of the cop’s mutters.

“No hun, I’ll be home in another hour or two, don’t worry.”

Keith flinches, looking up to his left where the Sherriff is behind a closed door and talking to his wife on a little cellular phone despite his voice sounding like he was standing right in front of him.

He can smell the turkey sandwich he had that afternoon too.

What the hell is going on.

“He’s been kicked out of how many schools?”

“Heh, I was right then, the dad probably did just get fed up leave him.”

“You didn’t say that to him?”

“…I might have.”

“You deserve that bloody nose Reynolds.”

Keith groaned loudly, hoping to catch someone’s attention though he wasn’t sure what he’d do with it once he had it. When that didn’t work he leaned back, adequately upsetting his arms and proceeded to start bumping his head back into the wall hard enough to be annoying but not hard enough to hurt himself.

“Kogane! Quit that!”

“Make me,” Keith growled.

The cops shot him a look but returned to their whispering.

“The kid clearly has no respect for authority.”

“Do you not remember what it was like at that age? And the kid’s dad just left? Where’s his mom in all this?”

Keith thumped his head back just a little harder, “My dad didn’t leave. He’s missing. Something’s happened to him!”

The cops ignored him.

“His mom left when he was three apparently.”

“Jeesh. So it’s just him now?”

For the love of god, “If you’re going to talk to me like I’m not here at least talk a little lower!” he shouted, he wanted to throw his arms out for emphasis but only succeeded in rattling his cuffs against the back of the bench and wincing as they rubbed against his already injured wrists.

“I just checked we have no record of a legal guardian for him. He’s a ward of the state till someone shows up now.”

“With his history we should take him for a psych e-val. Make sure he’s not dangerous.”

“He’s clearly dangerous, look at me.”

“We can’t lock up everyone who wants to punch you.”

“We can try. And we can start with the ones who did. Besides, it’s just a short stay in a psych ward. He did assault an officer and he has a history of violent outbreaks and depressive episodes.”

Keith saw red.

Depressive episodes?

His dad was a manic depressive drunk in his younger years. Go figure, that can happen when one day you have the perfect life and the next it’s ripped out from under you by someone else’s selfish decisions.

But he’s been better lately. He cleaned up his act. He’d been sober two years.

They were good.

And now he was missing and this garbage office wasn’t going to help him and they were nitpicking through his life and judging him and—

“Come on, we’re going for a ride,” said officer Nosebleed.

“Where?” Keith grits out.

The officer simply grabs him by the shirt collar and hauls him to his feet. Keith makes to bite him—a reflex, he considers, that he wouldn’t normally act on— and the cop snatches his hand back quickly.

“Jeez you some kind of rabid dog!? You wonder why your parents left you.”

Keith barely registers the sound of the other officer sighing deeply before his vision flashes red again.

He isn’t even sure what he’s saying.

Something about ripping the mans throat out with his teeth.

His jaw feels so tense he doesn’t even think he’s bluffing.

He lunges forward, expecting some manner of resistance from the officer but suddenly he’s suspended in the air, someone’s hand gripping the back of his shirt tightly as his legs dangle.

He can see the officer in some manner of suspended animation, prepared to block Keith’s assault but somehow frozen.

“Don’t get used to this okay? You won’t always have time magic when you’re working. This is a onetime occurrence because otherwise we’d have a whole boat load of clean up to do and I am not volunteering for that crap. Hell, I shouldn’t even be wasting my time on you trainees…”

Keith flailed, but the person speaking had an iron grip.

The was someone else there that wasn’t there before though, and this person wasn’t directly behind him so he couldn’t see him.

He was tall, muscular, with a flash of white in his otherwise dark hair, a reddish violet slash mark across his nose.

“Of course, Dante, but why did we come save a human?”

“You’re still blind, aren’t you, Takashi?”

The male with the shock of white hair flushed. The other who Keith still couldn’t see finally started to lower him to the ground.

When his feet touched the ground he immediately spun around and bared his teeth at the man who had so easily held him before. Why he bared his teeth? He wasn’t sure.

There was a smell in the air. Something that made him nauseas. Angry.

Keith’s instincts were screaming to fight.

Then the man he’d accidentally turned his back to reached out a hand and clasped his shoulder.

Keith whipped his head back with a snarl, but the man didn’t flinch, instead his eyes lit on something in his hair.

“Oh. Well. That’s surprising,”

“Get your hand off me.”

Takashi had no problem following directions, but then he caught sight of the handcuffs and glanced at the other male with a slight question in his eyes.

The other man was about as tall as Takashi, but he looked older despite the simple long brown hair and the lack of scars on his face. His eyes were two different colors, one green and one blue and while oddities like this usually caught Keith’s attention looking directly into this man’s face made his blood boil.

“What the hell is going on here?! How did you—how did you freeze the officers?!” Keith shouted, wincing at his own volume as he surveyed the room and realized even the rain just outside the office window had frozen in place.

Dante rolled his multi colored eyes and motioned for Takashi, “This is all you, kid.”

Takashi nodded and turned to Keith, bowing over slightly to make up for their height difference.

“I understand your hearing might be a bit sensitive so I’ll try to keep my voice low, alright?” He started, just above a whisper.

Keith scrunched up his face and fought the twitch, “Back the fuck up dude.”

“Okay well. Right. Uhm…” Takashi looked up at the ceiling, made a very clearly doubtful face and tilted his head from side to side.

The other male threw his hands up, “I am so done with this. I’m not a fucking babysitter. Ian is a one time thing. I’m out of here. You have two minutes before tweedlefuck and whatstheirface start up again.” There was the sound of clock ticking and suddenly the man was gone replaced with the phantom image of a clock face ticking down two minutes.

Takashi’s face shifted completely then, standing up straight and reaching for Keith’s hands. Within two seconds his wrists were unbound, and the other male was ushering for him to follow.

Keith opened his mouth to explain why he absolutely had no reason to trust or follow him but Takashi simply rolled his eyes.

“You can come with me or you can sit here for two minutes and wait to be placed in handcuffs again. Your choice kid.”

Alright. There were two ways Keith could look at this.

This was some sort of dream and he should go with it. Or he had been sucked into some alternate universe and he was doomed and should go with it.

He eyed the cop he was about to murder, pulled back his fist and punched him once more on principle before following after Takashi.

Out on the street Keith could almost imagine things were normal if it weren’t for the fact all of the cars appeared to be parked and there was absolutely no sound.

Everything smelled sterile like someone had opened a bottle of bleach.

He did not like it one bit.

“Good, you followed. Alright. So sorry about acting like a dunce back there, the fastest way to get rid of Dante is to pretend you aren’t worth his time. And honestly? Dante just isn’t good for the reaper image. He’s… well he’s not a reaper, he doesn’t have any sense of diplomacy whatsoever.”

Keith stared at Takashi for a solid minute before abruptly turning around and starting to walk back into the sheriff’s department.

Takashi reached out and grabbed a hold of Keith’s wrist causing the smaller boy to wince, “Whoa—hold on, look, I’ll explain. And—here, let me fix that. Give me your other hand okay?”

This was some trippy dream, Keith decided, if a hot guy was asking to hold his hands a breath after referring to reapers as actual things.

Eh. Might as well go with it.

At least his senses weren’t super spiked anymore.

Takashi smiled at him when he held his wrists before placing his hands beneath them and shutting his eyes.

Keith blinked at this. Hot guy wears eyeliner. Perfectly winged eyeliner.

Yup. Definitely a dream.

Pretty lucid too. Hm.

Takashi opened his eyes and beamed at him, so bright it actually surprised Keith for a second before he realized it was far more surprising that his wrists were back to their milky white rather than the angry searing red they’d been a few seconds ago.

“This some kind of reaper ability?”

“Repairing dead skin cells? Yes.”

“…I’m Flynn Rider.”

“I’m sorry?”

Keith looked to his right and said to no one, “Why does her hair glow?”

Takashi laughed, “Okay. Must be a reference I’m not getting. That’s fine. Just means you’re warming up to me, right?”

Keith shrugged his shoulders, “I think it means I needed that psych eval, but sure. We’ll go with yours.”

Takashi shut his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose, “Patience yields focus,” he told himself before quickly looking around and suddenly reaching out and covering Keith’s ears with his hands.

A second later the cacophony of sound started up, the motors of cars on the street, children screaming, birds chirping, but Takashi’s grip managed to muffle a great deal of it.

The scents were back too though. He could smell everything and the only way he could explain it was like someone pouring hundreds of different paints down a single drain and that drain was clogged and bursts of colored paint were being spat back into someone’s mouth.

And. Something awful.

Like. Expired milk.

Keith lurched and reached up to try and cover his nose and mouth at once.

“God what the hell!” He screamed, only managing to rattle his head further.

He wasn’t sure when he ended up on the ground.

“I swear, changelings probably have it better than this…” Takashi mumbled, it was low enough that presumably Keith shouldn’t have been able to hear but focusing on the closest sound was helping drown out the rest.

It still wasn’t enough though.

“Okay. let’s go somewhere more quiet, yeah?”

…

If this is a dream Keith really wanted to wake up. Now.

Sure, he hadn’t reached first base with hot stranger yet but you know what? Keith could deal with that. That was an acceptable sacrifice for all of this to be over already.

He just wanted to wake up and for his dad to be there laughing about how he’d overslept and making them a terrible breakfast and for this entire week he’d been gone to not have happened.

“Takashi…was it…?”

“Shiro, you can call me Shiro,” said the reaper.

“Shiro then…”

Keith sat in his own living room, the blinds drawn and the pleasant if overbearing smell of jasmine under his nose. It was his favorite once, but after this he wondered if he’d ever have a favorite smell again.

“Please… Start over.”

Shiro gave him a sympathetic look as he dragged a blanket off the couch and draped it over Keith’s head and shoulders while he held his bottle of jasmine scented lotion to his nose. Keith eyed him skeptically but Shiro only shrugged, “Blankets are comforting? Kinda?”

Keith sighed but relented and pulled the blanket in close under his neck.

“So, let’s start over,” Shiro began, sitting down on the coffee table and bumping Keith’s leg with his own, “I’m a reaper.”

Keith made sure his cynicism was the most clear emotion on his face. Shiro certainly didn’t look like a reaper. He looked like some J-Pop star equipped with a ridiculous black and white hood to hide away from people who might recognize him.

The other guy, Dante or whatever his name was, he could kind of look like a reaper? At least, he was dressed in this black suit that made him look moderately threatening.

Granted, if Shiro was to be believed, his healing abilities came from being a reaper so maybe they weren’t supposed to be threatening?

Shiro certainly didn’t look threatening. He was just so…comforting?

Keith sighed and tightened his grip on the blanket.

“Okay.”

“Do you accept that yet?”

“Move it along.”

“Alright, so, a reapers job is to travel between the human world and the other making sure lost souls go to where they belong,” Shiro explained.

Keith didn’t like the sound of that, “But you swear I’m not dead?”

“No, you’re not, but you were about to kill that officer so we were alerted to your existence. See, there are two kinds of lost souls. Dead ones and…well, ones that are just plain lost. That’s where you come in,” Shiro explained, broadly gesturing to Keith.

The younger boy raised a brow and slowly turned to look around the house, “…We’re literally in my living room. I’m not lost.”

Shiro blinked at him and Keith could very nearly see the ebbing of his patience. It almost made Keith want to smile.

Instead, he with the magic eyeliner took a deep breath and leaned in closely, “Come on kid. Weren’t you the least bit curious about…?” then he made a broad motion to the sides of his own head

This did not make Keith any less confused, “about…?”

“These?” Shiro grabbed a hold of his ears and tugged.

“Your ears?”

Shiro groaned, “Not my ears, your ears.”

Keith was not following at all.

Suddenly Shiro shifted to do his own quick look around the house before a thought occurred to him, “…When was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror?”

Keith shrugged.

“…Showered?”

Keith rolled his eyes, “Yesterday.”

“Did you wash your hair?”

“No, didn’t have the time. Was kind of focused on looking for my dad not making sure my hair was tolerable.”

“…Did you brush your hair?”

Keith felt like he was on some kind of trial now, “Again, really wasn’t focusing on my hair. What is your fixation?”

Shiro took a deep shuddering breath before standing up, “You’re going to want to look in a mirror Kid.”

That really shouldn’t have sounded so ominous, but he did as he was told, shuffling into his father’s room and up to the master bathroom’s sink who’s mirror was still intact unlike his own from an incident a few years back that consisted of climbing out his window (just to see if he could) and his flailing legs when he realized he had no purchase on the porcelain wall.

When he looked in the mirror all he could see was himself draped in the blanket. Sure, he didn’t usually identify with Linus from the Peanuts but there wasn’t anything particularly out of the ordinary about it.

He sighed and glanced around his father’s untouched room. The man had just gone out for chips, to try and give their two person birthday party a little more of the festive feeling. Keith had opted to stay home because, as the birthday boy, he reserved the right to not have to wear pants.

But then he didn’t come home.

Keith had called for a while.

Then started asking the neighbors.

A days later his birthday came and went and Keith started skipping school turning over every rock between his home and the local grocery store. He simply didn’t trust the cops to do their job, especially not when it came to his dad, so he didn’t bother, but when a week had passed he decided he couldn’t just rely on himself alone.

If this was his father two years ago he’d have accepted it, fine, his father had finally abandoned him too.

But that wasn’t who he was anymore.

They had a small tower of films they’d voted on watching, Uno cards and clue set up next to the couch. His dad loved clue, he made up voices for the characters and as annoying as Keith liked to say it was they both really enjoyed playing together. He’d bought an ice-cream cake and said they could both be miserable about it later because they were out of Lactaid pills.

“We ride together, we die together!”

“Do you even know where that’s from?”

“…Some old movie. Your father can’t remember. Cut me some slack.”

Keith’s chest hurt.

Movement in the mirror made Keith raise his head, expecting to see Shiro standing in the doorway despite the fact the other man had made no move to actually follow him and instead saw…

Something moving under his blanket.

Rather, something on his head was moving.

His grip on the blanket went slack and the movement on his head caused it to slip back.

It was dark in his father’s room, but he was able to see them just fine thanks to their movement, going straight up in shock.

Two fist sized furry…animal ears.

“What…in the hell…are THOSE?!”

…

Something should probably be said about how quickly Keith’s mind went from confused to “murder” as he decided this must be some ridiculous horrific prank courtesy of the so called reaper out in the hall.

Hell, what if this whole thing was a prank?

The entire damn week.

Definitely.

How? Keith wasn’t sure. But it had to be. It was time for his dad to come out from behind the curtain and go “How’s that for a birthday huh?” and laugh like a doofus while Keith throttled him.

It was the only plausible option. And it certainly beat the alternative.

He eyed the fluffy triangular shaped…monstrosities on his head and tentatively reached for one with his left hand. It was soft, softer than his hair when it was clean and brushed. In an effort to reign in his sanity he considered dog breeds and what kind of fur the most resembled. Not quite Maltese. He settled on Pomeranian—just their ears though. He always wondered why Pomeranian ears had fur softer than the rest of their bodies, and he figured if these were his new ears then he was officially some kind of Pomeranian.

…

Keith blinked at himself in the mirror, took a deep breath and removed his hand from his ear.

…

“SHIRO.”

The reaper took less than a second to pop his head in through the doorway, “Oh good, you actually called for me, I’d been standing outside for a few minutes I didn’t want to intrude.”

Keith had to fight himself not to clarify that Shiro’s very existence in his life was an intrusion but there were far more pressing matters.

“Explain. Now.”

Shiro blinked at him, then quite suddenly stood up straight rising to his full height, brows furrowed and arms crossed.

Keith felt his throat go dry.

“…Please.”

Shiro relaxed, “Better. Alright. So.” He moved over to stand beside Keith, ducking his head a little as he turned Keith back to face the mirror.

“These are your new ears. Werewolf ears. Because you’re a werewolf.”

Keith blanched, “Uhm?”

That made utterly no sense.

“I’ve never been bitten by a dog in my entire life. In fact, dogs love me, how is that even possible? How could I have missed this!?” Keith croaked.

Shiro made a clicking noise with his tongue before bumping the smaller boys head with his, “No silly, you’re not a changeling, you’re actually a natural born.”

Excuse me?

“So you’re telling me I’ve been a werewolf my whole life?”

Shiro nodded, “Which is probably why dogs love you if I’m being honest.”

“How the hell are people born werewolves? Wouldn’t that mean my family—”

The reaper nodded again, “Yes, exactly. Your mother, I believe, was a werewolf. She mated with a human, you father, which really isn’t the brightest thing one of our kind can do because generally humans just—don’t mix well with we supernatural folk.” Shiro released his grasp on Keith and turned around so his back was facing the mirror now. “Generally when one of us reproduces with a human the outcome can go one of three ways. Option 1- the offspring is still born. Option 2- offspring is physically strong but mentally absent and basically becomes a little raving monster. And then there is option 3, the rarest possibility, you.”

Keith backed up until the backs of his knees found his father’s bed and he allowed himself to fall back onto it.

“I don’t understand…My mother was a werewolf?”

Shiro nodded, furthering the space between them by backing up and leaning against the master bath’s sink.

“Yes, you avoided displaying werewolf traits because you were raised here, in the human world, but after a certain age one’s biology simply can’t fight it anymore. Your birthday just passed didn’t it?”

Keith was going to be sick. This whole thing was insane. Absolutely positively bonkers. Had someone slipped him something? Was he drunk?

“How…How do…So all werewolves have these ears?” It was anyone’s guess why that was the question that came out of his mouth.

“Yes,” Said Shiro.

Huh. Go figure.

“…Then why haven’t I ever seen any?”

Shiro smiled, “Now that’s a good question. You should pack.”

Keith’s brows knit together in confusion, “Pack?”

The reaper stood up straight again and motioned for the door, “Well you can’t exactly stay here looking like that. And just wait till you sprout your tail. Man, I do not envy you.”

Keith felt his eye twitch. Shiro simply motioned for the door again. He was slowly phasing out of “hot stranger” and into “mildly attractive bothersome acquaintance.” And then he looked at him like that, that ‘do as your told’ face that Keith wanted to fight with every fiber of his being but somehow couldn’t.

“…Where are we going?”

“Well, this is the human world. So, by process of elimination we are going to…not the human world.”

…

It takes three hours of cajoling and one utterly terrifying “was that police sirens?” for Keith to finally agree to consider leaving.

He put on a movie for Shiro while he packed despite not having made a decision yet.

“Here, so you can catch the reference I made earlier.”

“This is a princess movie,” Shiro starts as he reads the back of the DVD, the menu screen already lighting up the dim living room.

“My dad is a single parent trying his best. Someone put the idea in his head that I needed a female presence in my life and to make up for his lack of game he decided to Disney his way out of it. I also have Frozen.”

“What’s Frozen? Sounds…Cool.” Shiro grins.

Keith falters, blinks at Shiro for a solid two minutes, then turns on his heel and goes back to what he was doing.

He shuffles around the main room of the house for a few minutes, eyeing miscellaneous objects as he fingers the strap of a duffle bag he used for the gym.

He really isn’t sure what he should be packing, or how long he’ll be gone. Shiro had basically given him a crash course in the supernatural explaining there are three other worlds full of creatures and monsters straight out of Halloween Town.

Well aside from the fact that werewolves are people with wolf ears? Does he have a werewolf form where he’s hunched over and covered in fur, half man half beast?

Shiro had said no, they turn into full on wolves though he’s seen some do partial transfigurations when not requiring the use of their full wolf forms, Shiro also said that was tricky.

But whatever, that was going to take a whole lot longer to get used to anyway.

No, Shiro had explained some next level biblical shit like “World Below” and “World Above.”

Apparently World Above was like some elitist club you could only get into if you knew a guy or slipped the bouncer a hundred.

Meanwhile World Below was some sort of cluster fuck of “the darker brood” to use Shiro’s exact words.

“It’s actually where I’m from,” He’d said proudly.

Keith had grimaced at him.

“Creatures dealing with death tend to be down there. It doesn’t make me evil or anything.”

Suddenly the idea of Shiro being evil and trying to lure him to his death occurred to him, but Christ he had wolf ears what the hell else was he supposed to do but listen to the stranger who smiled at him like he wasn’t the throw away failure everyone else made him out to be.

The third world was some Fuckery code named “Illusions” which was just a round about way of saying “Limbo” in Keith’s opinion because apparently Illusions was some kind of clusterfuck with werewolves and vampires and witches and all sorts of shit that made Keith kind of nauseas.

“The Grim actually lives in Illusions, I’m training to replace him which is how I ended up here with you. But I don’t worry about that a lot, there are like. Four other people in line ahead of me for that spot so I mostly just go through the motions.”

Keith had eyed him curiously, “So do you spend hours talking others into following you on a regular basis or…?”

Shiro smiled, “While I do enjoy the time away from Dante, nah. Guess you can say I took a special interest in you.”

Keith flushed.

Shiro then proceeded to beautifully dodge any and all implications.

And now he was sitting on Keith’s couch watching Rapunzel sing about her boredom.

“This blond chick is my kindred spirit,” Shiro announced to no one. “She’s also hella talented,” he whistled, “Tell me someone realizes how positively gifted this girl is? Like they’re not just gonna make her the vapid love interest, right?”

Keith bit back his retort that, as this was a princess movie, the male was usually the vapid love interest but instead he mentally sits on the fact that he really can’t fathom how his life brought him to this point.

“Are you done packing? I’m not expected to watch this whole thing, am I?” Shiro glanced over at Keith’s virtually empty duffle bag and sighed deeply, “Keith…”

The boy shook his head, “Hey, Tangled is actually a pretty good movie. Like. It’s funny. Just deal with the singing.”

“Keith pack. And I have no problem with the singing. I love singing. You should hear my Car-aoke.”

Keith has no words to respond to that one and so he turns to walk towards his room where he’ll actually have real things to pack but before he disappears into the hallway he glances back at Shiro who is still leaned over the back of the couch, one arm dangling off the side. When Keith had voiced certain concerns during their three-hour discussion Shiro had made certain promises.

“You’ll really help me find my dad?”

Shiro’s eyes softened at the repeated question, “I’m a reaper, so generally, I’d know if he was dead. And I have a certain amount of reach. So. Yes, I will do what I can to help you find your father.”

“You promise?”

Shiro’s eyes retained their softness though he tilted his head and his smile took on a certain ‘we’ve been through this’ air but he nods.

“And you’re sure your…witch?” Keith continues, his weight heavy on the foot closest to the hall as he tries to remember what Shiro said earlier, “…witch friend can make it so I’d know if my dad ever comes back on his own?”

The reaper rolls his eyes but his expression remains fond as he turns back to the television set, “She’s a vampire actually. But yes, I’m pretty positive there’s some blood magic for that.”

Keith takes a deep breath but nods as he finally makes his way down the hall.

…

When he’s done packing the meager proof of his existence he can hear Shiro singing along to “I’ve got a dream.” His voice actually isn’t half bad if Keith is being honest, but he’s decided he’s absolutely not going to indulge Shiro in this simply on principle.

He sits down next to him on the couch anyway and leans his head back against the couch.

“Oh! Done already Keith?”

He nodded.

Shiro grinned, “And by the way. You are not Flynn Rider. He’s too smooth for you.”

Keith shrugs, “Eugene then.”

Shiro blinks, “Who the hell is—Whatever. Now I’ll just shoot a message to my friend, we’ll cast a little spell and hit the road, yeah?”

Keith nods, slowly as if everything is finally beginning to dawn on him, the idea of leaving home, still not knowing where his father is, a creature called a reaper and his own messed up biology…

He looks at Shiro and expects some weird glowy magic show. Instead, Shiro reaches into the pocket of his hoodie and pulls out what looks like it could have been a cell-phone in some weird futuristic world.

“…You have cell phones?”

The reaper raises a brow before he starts to chuckle, shakes his head, and focusses his attention on his phone. Quickly he types out a message to what appears to be his most recent contact and doesn’t even put it down to wait for a response. Within moments a small noise like a bell is heard and his cheeks tint just the slightest shade of pink.

Suddenly Keith remembers thinking of Shiro as the hot stranger and considers that he’s probably straight, of course. Then his new friend turns to look at him with the brightest smile on his face and Keith can’t help the small smile back though he’s not sure what they’re supposed to be smiling about.

“She’ll be here in a couple minutes. You’re gonna love her. Everyone loves her,” Shiro’s eyes lit up just talking about her so Keith wasn’t so sure. “Anyway, yeah bro, we have cell phones. Well. I’d have to define ‘we’ really. Mostly I’m just gifted with really smart friends. Matt and Pidge made this, it works between the human world and world below and between Illusions and world below—but they haven’t managed to make it span the human world to Illusions. They’re working on it though so no big deal.”  Shiro slumps back against the couch and glances at his phone screen again, “We’re actually pretty lucky she was trying to visit me right now otherwise we’d be here a bit.”

Keith’s nose picks up something beside the jasmine he’d basically scrubbed his face with. It’s vanilla and clean linens and it also comes equipped with the noise of rustling skirts and…water?

He raises his head and turns to the back of the room. Shiro eventually turns with him and Keith notices in his peripheral how the reapers face practically lights up like a goddamn Christmas tree.

There’s a girl in his house.

A woman, really. Tall, dark skinned, silver white hair cascading down her back in massive waves. Honestly, if Keith were straight he’d probably panic and run from a girl so breathtakingly beautiful. As it stood, Keith was thankfully gay and could happily accept that this was just some kind of goddess standing in his living room, no big deal.

“Hello Shiro—Oh! You’re watching Tangled? Make room!” She laughed in a way that made Keith physically ill because he knew he would never have that kind of heart stopping power.

As she made her way over though, everything in Keith’s system started to shoot warning signs.

And then, like some kind of internal guide, his head screamed, “Vampire” and then immediately after that followed up with “Vampire equals Threat.”

Shiro scooted closer to Keith and pat the remaining space on the loveseat. Since it was just Keith and his dad they never really cared to get anything bigger.

The girl sat down, her skirt, some silky blue thing slipped higher up one leg as she tilted forward, passed Shiro and offering Keith her hand, “You must be Keith, my name is Allura. I hope you’re feeling alright? I understand for half breeds like yourself this kind of transition can be varying degrees of…uncomfortable.”

Keith wanted to reach out and grab her hand, be polite. He wanted to return the kind expression on her face. He wanted so terribly to shut down the screaming in his brain but it just wouldn’t stop and all he managed was to lift his shaking hand and slowly pull it back and further from her palm.

Allura spared him a confused glance for a moment before she seemed to realize, “Oh. Goodness, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I’m a pureblood so your body is probably heavily rejecting the idea of me, isn’t it?”

Keith swallowed and managed to nod.

“Right then, don’t worry, it’ll pass. Why don’t we just relax for a little bit? We’ll watch tangled, your body can become accustomed and then we can get to work on your blood binding spell, sound fair?”

When Keith only managed to nod again, squeezing himself against the armrest and into the plush leather of the couch, Shiro draped an arm around his shoulders.

“A lot of vampires could be pretty threatening, and werewolves have it ingrained into them to be wary of the species, but I swear on my life Allura here is one of the best people I know okay? So, try not to worry too much.”

“Oh! Oh! This is the best part look at Maximus!” Allura squealed happily in a way that was too smooth to be real.

Shiro blinked back at the screen though he didn’t remove his arm from Keith’s shoulders, “Maximus is the horse right?”

Allura smacked his free arm lightly, “Yes of course Maximus is the horse, have you not been paying attention?”

Keith tried to squish himself further back but when it appeared to be impossible he tilted his head vaguely toward Shiro and tried to make himself comfortable by talking to him again, “How does she know Tangled when you don’t Shiro?”

While Shiro attempts to defend himself and his priorities when traveling the human world Keith is painfully aware of Allura’s soft smile as she leans against the opposite armrest and idly rubs a piece of her skirt between her fingers before casually swiping those same fingers along her lips.

They look wet now.

Alluring.

Huh.

Alluring Allura.

What kind of bullshit.

His attention turns to her skirts and he realizes the silk looks like it’s rippling, water in every stitch.

When she realizes what he’s looking at she shakes her head, “Oh, sorry, don’t worry I’m not wrecking your couch or anything. Just had to bribe a water witch for the portal magic. The skirt is how we’re going to travel once we’re done.”

Keith really didn’t want to know because even with that explanation he doesn’t know. He doesn’t understand. All he can really grasp is there’s water in her skirt.

“…Are you thirsty?” Keith says finally, his confusion winning against his nerves.

Shiro stops short and carefully nudges Keith back into his cowering position, “You never ask a vampire if they’re thirsty, Keith, it’s just not polite. Sorry Allura.”

Allura shook her head, “It’s quite alright Shiro! It’s not like he has any way of knowing. I actually am a bit parched, sorry if that idea frightens you, but you have nothing to worry about, my being a pureblood means I can go ages without feeding and it wouldn’t make much of a difference.”

Keith wasn’t sure why he persisted, but he did, “…I have cranberry juice? If you want some.”

Allura spared him another surprised look before that smile was right back in place, “…I’d love a glass, thank you, Keith.”

This somehow managed to make his mind behave a bit, she had gone from “Threat” to “guest” now that he was trying to play host.

Alright, progress.

…

The spell they placed on the house was incredibly simple. Allura asked for Keith’s hand which, after bonding over the entirety of “I see the light” and their varied degrees of glee in Shiro’s absent humming, was not as difficult a task as either of them had initially thought.

She warned him she was about to prick his finger so when she did Keith didn’t even wince. Then she took his hand and guided the small bloodied spot to press against the wall. This is where Keith finally got his glowy magic light show. Her eyes, a crystalline blue green lit up pink where her pupils should have been. The glow spread to fill her eyes casting long shadows on her face from her lashes as her lips moved but she said nothing. Her hair had even started to lift ever so slightly as if some imaginary wind was brushing against her. But as quickly as it had begun it was over and she was patting his hand.

“There, now if anyone of your blood enters this house once we’re gone, you and I will feel it and we can come straight back here.”

Shiro clapped him on the shoulder and asked him if he was ready to go.

Keith eyed his house a moment longer before he decided he wanted to do one last thing.

He found a sharpie and a scrap piece of sketchbook paper and scrawled in large bold letters: “A Werewolf? Really?” before taking a refrigerator magnet and tacking it up right there front and center.

“Okay. Now I’m ready.”

Keith was not ready.

When Allura’s skirt dropped the water in its fibers Keith panicked for a second, preparing to get the questionable substance on his shoes or something, but instead the water moved like some sentient being. It pooled around Allura’s feet and shimmered with this gold light that made Keith dizzy.

Then she reached for his hand again, Keith looked to Shiro and he nodded for him to proceed.

“Just don’t think too much okay? Portals are all instinct,” He tells him.

Keith looks at the water and figures, that much is fine, instinct is something he can handle.

It’s like jumping into a pool, and then becoming one with the pool. That shouldn’t feel natural but Keith can’t see a problem with it. And then he feels Shiro’s grip on his hand and can practically feel his consciousness pushing him forward.

And then they were standing at a fountain in what was basically an enormous brightly lit orange cavern.

“Alright! Let’s get you settled shall we?” Shiro grinned, not releasing Keith’s hand and moving away from the fountain.

Keith barely has the time to look around when he’s ushered into a building, but he does get the opportunity to smell everything.

And he’s about to be nauseas again.

And the lights are too bright and there is so much noise and it’s so much worse than it was outside the sheriff’s department.

Allura and Shiro must have noticed your discomfort because suddenly they’re whispering among themselves and Shiro guides your hand over to Allura, “I’ll be right back, I’m gonna run to transports and see if someone can help relax you okay?”

Keith doesn’t like this, but his head is pounding so hard and there are a number of strangers around who all smell like the weirdest things—and god he hadn’t even looked at them before the closest person(?) is purple and small and he(?) has huge teeth and he’s smoking something that smells absolutely disgusting and the person they’re talking to smells like roses and looks very much like the rolled out of a bush that morning and wow god this overload of everything needs to stop

And then there’s Allura.

She takes his hand and pulls him close to her, pressing his head into her hair as some of it has found its way over her shoulders.

This is. Actually helpful. She smells strong but it’s pleasant and it’s less confusing than dealing with everything. And her hair is soft.

She ushers him over to a bench and sits with him still pressed into her shoulder softened by the waves of her hair. Her voice is soothing if a little frightening in how he realizes she sounds extremely persuasive, “Shhh, just listen to my voice alright Keith? My voice is the only one you need to listen to. Try to block everything else out.” She’s running her hand through his hair to try and calm him but one of her hands grazes his ear and he flinches so hard she actually jumps. “Oh! Sorry, sorry, I forgot. Shh, I’m sorry. I won’t do that again. You silly wolves and your extra appendages…” she giggles, trying to be clear that she’s joking when suddenly her mirth dies in her throat.

“Princess. Taking in another stray?”

There’s a sizzling in the air and Keith has to raise his head when he feels Allura puff out a heavy breath through her nose.

When he looks at the person who’d spoken his fight or flight response is screaming again.

A million red flags, dangerous, hostile, bad, bad, bad.

Allura doesn’t let go of his hand but her beautiful sea green eyes are narrowed on the man standing in front of the two of them now.

“It hasn’t been Princess in a long time and you know that. Do you need something, Lotor?”

The man simply shrugs his shoulders, “I was just checking in on the transport division as usual. When I felt your presence back here I simply had to come by and say hello.”

“Hello. Now goodbye.” Her voice sounds so abnormally icy Keith can’t help but stare at her.

Lotor, the silver haired male who’s skin is almost as tan as Allura’s (making Keith wonder if all vampires have dark skin rather than the pale skin of their stories) doesn’t move to leave. In fact, he closes the distance between them and bends at the waist a bit so he can be closer to their eye level as he scrutinizes Keith.

“A werewolf?”

Keith can feel the tension in his shoulders when Lotor looks at him.

Allura’s arms are defensively wrapped around Keith now and he has no idea when that happened.

“A half breed…” Lotor continues, a glint in his eye as a smile slowly makes its way to his face.

Allura moves so Keith is pushed behind her ever so slightly as she stares Lotor down, “Put your fangs away Lotor, he’s a child.”

It’s when she says this that Keith realizes that despite her young looks she’s probably significantly older than he is, being a vampire and all.

“Relax Allura, you know I just happen to have a healthy interest in half breeds. Human crosses are even rarer. How’s about it child? Would you ever like to come chat with me?”

Keith grits his teeth. He doesn’t know Lotor or why Allura seems to dislike him so much but his instincts are definitely telling him the man is trouble.

The boy opens his mouth to respond when he gets a whiff of the other vampire. He smells like earth. Like a cabin during rainy weather. It’s calming. And this thought alarms the hell out of him.

It silences him however.

And Lotor gets a good solid look at his face, and his eyes, blue green like Allura’s, appear to soften right in front of him.

If Allura notices she says nothing.

“What’s your name wolf?” Lotor begins almost softly, “Mine, as Allura here so crassly announced to you, is Lotor. First and only son of Zarkon and Honerva. Understand you are under no obligation to grant me your name however it would be much appreciated.”

Keith hates how much he actually wants to tell him.

“Honestly Lotor who still goes by those silly rules…” Allura mumbles though to contradict her statement she does look down looking vaguely ashamed.

“A named thing is a tamed thing Allura you’d be wise to remember that,” He extends his hand to Keith, still too soft, still too patient.

Keith stares at the hand unsure if he should be offended by it or intrigued.

“Ah! Lotor!”

At Shiro’s voice Lotor’s eyes immediately harden and he retrieves his hand, “Takashi. A pleasure.” Keith wonders why the vampire is clearly lying when one look at Shiro tells him the feeling is mutual.

“It’s nice to see you, I see you’ve met my new friend. Did he tell you his name?” Shiro asks casually though there’s an edge in his voice.

Lotor sighs, “No, and that’s fair, he doesn’t have to. I was just on my way out.”

“I’m sure you were, happy trails Lotor!” Shiro says with too much enthusiasm.

Lotor spares Keith one last glance that Keith can’t help but return, unsure why the vampire draws his attention so much. He bows his head, says goodbye, and is gone in the blink of an eye. As soon as he disappears the rest of the scents in the room are painfully present again and Keith is shuffling around Allura to see where he could have possibly gone while trying to ignore the twisting in his gut at the unpleasant assault to his senses.

“He teleported Keith, we vampires can do that for places we’ve seen before. He’s very much gone,” Allura explains.

“This the guy?”

Keith realizes then that Shiro didn’t return alone. Behind him is a thin blond with lightly sun kissed skin and eyes the color of fresh blood. Keith takes a small amount of joy in noting that the boy appears to be shorter than him but around his age.

“Yeah, I just need you to give him a bit muddle how much of his senses he actually registers. That’s a thing you guys can do right?”

Allura looks put out by the presence of the blond but she still relaxes enough to let Keith go. “If you were just going to do that I could have kept talking…” Allura mumbles to no one in particular.  

He’s not sure how much he likes any of this though. The blond moves forward and Shiro kneels next to the bench, a comforting hand on Keith’s knee, “This is Angel, your instincts don’t know him like they know vampires, but for full disclosure, he’s what is generally referred to as a devil.”

Well that sounds comforting.

“He’s not a bad guy though. And I mean, really, he’s just a kid.”

Angel, who’s face is directly in Keith’s line of sight, rolls his eyes, “Yeah well this kid didn’t have to take time from his work to help you with your hobby dude.”

Shiro smiles and playfully nudges the blond who ignores this and instead ushers Shiro’s hand out of the way, so he could sit beside Keith.

“I’m going to touch you okay?” explained the blond.

Keith nods and Angel motions for him to lean forward, his hands open.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m basically going to lower your sensitivity. Imagine your senses as a string tied to your mind that is currently tied very, very tight. It’s this tension that’s causing you to get sick and to feel as poorly as I’m presuming you do. I am going to loosen that string, allowing you to go about your business for a little while without the pain. But be aware, this works kind of like that disease that lets people not feel pain. Just because you don’t feel it doesn’t mean nothing bad is happening.”

Shiro and Allura exchange looks. Shiro speaks again, “It’s not exactly like putting your hand on a stove and not realizing its burning. These are just sounds and smells.”

Angel spares him a bland expression, “It’s a basic disclaimer dude, I don’t know what kind of bullshit you’re gonna get into I’m just covering my bases. Keith, yeah?”

Keith blinked at him.

“Just don’t blow out your eardrums cause the world felt quieter and then come blame me, yeah?”

Keith is really unsure how he could ever, but nods anyway. Then Angel puts his hands on either side of his head and stares deeply into his eyes for a moment.

Keith thinks Angel looks almost more human than Allura and Shiro despite neither of them having features nearly as odd as bright red eyes.

Speaking of, those eyes shut and for a moment Keith is heavily overwhelmed by the noise and the smells and Angel smells like apples and caramel and something a little more grounding.

And then it all stops.

A moment after that he can hear Shiro and Allura, and Angel’s pulse with his wrist so close to his ears, but everything else is in hushed tones as he’d imagine an office should sound like.

He almost feels normal.

Angel opens his eyes and releases him, “Remember that its temporary, you should go find a quiet space to get used to your new abilities.”

Shiro takes the conversation from there, clapping Angel on the shoulder and stating his gratitude. Angel shrugs, “No big deal. You owe me one though.”

“Fair.”

“You’re taking him in right?”

“Of course.”

Allura smiles and reaches her arms around Keith again, “We’re going to have so much fun! I’ll tell you all about the world and what I know about werewolves—which isn’t a lot if I’m honest but!” Keith knows she’s just trying to be positive and encouraging and he appreciates that.

Angel leaves with a simple wave, presumably to get back to work.

Shiro disappears again, saying something about paperwork and Allura spends the time pointing at random strangers and whispering details about their races and what they could be doing in a government building. Keith also learns that in this case ‘government building’ means ‘witch building’ as the witches were the government.

He also learns, from the people who wave to Allura as they filter in and out of the building, that she is fairly well known. He doesn’t ask her about Lotor’s princess comment.

When Shiro returns he gives Keith the game plan, they’re going to go back to his place, camp out, work on getting Keith used to his new surroundings and new ways of registering his surroundings, and then Shiro was going to set Keith up with a friend of his in Illusions, a werewolf and his sister so that Keith could learn first hand about his mother’s people.

Honestly, Keith isn’t all that inclined to leave Shiro’s side, he and Allura were the ones who were going to help him find his father.

But he figured, he’d cross that bridge when it came.

…

#this chapter got away from me #wayyyy too long #I never even got to introduce him to matt and shove all my conflicted IS THIS GONNA BE SHATT OR SHALLURA feels at all of you #whoops #voltron #voltron au #Dusk #dusk au #fanfiction #fanfic #writing #klance #Keith #werewolf #vampire allura #pfff idk #more excessive tags