#ah well anyways that got derailed but i doubt anyone actually make it here but if you did i love you stay hydrated and have a lovely day <3

[datawyrms]

Ghostly Mystery Tour

For Phic Fight 2021! dey’s lovely prompt c:

On Ao3

Maddie and Jack had fully prepared for their adventure into the Ghost Zone—or so they thought. The fuel on Specter Speeder had fizzled out about a mile in. They're stuck. At least, until Phantom comes by, offering help.

“I just don’t understand it Maddie, I swear I charged it just this morning!” Jack’s voice managed to be louder than his frantic jabbing at the fuel gauge in the enclosed space, the sickly green glow outside making him look ill instead of agitated.

“I’m sure you did honey, but we need to think of a plan.” Maddie was already trying to think of what they could use. They weren’t too far away from the portal home, with how quickly the Speeder ran out of power. They had plenty of gear and weaponry packed in for their research trip, but the Specter Speeder wasn’t powered with something they could just toss in a gas can and bring along. “Maybe we can hook some of the ropes to the floating land masses and tow it?”

“Oh! Great idea!” Jack brightened, shoving the previous problem aside, hands now occupied with measuring the distance of the nearby rocks. “The sooner we get moving, the sooner we can get back to work!”

The problem about how safe it actually was to breathe in the air when in the realm of the dead had been accounted for, but if they had to waste the air tanks just to get back- well they wouldn’t get to have nearly the amount of time to actually explore on foot, let alone gathering samples. They could learn so much about the ectoplasmic terrors from the world they clawed out of, weaknesses they didn’t need to fear on Earth even! So to have their expedition, a trip that had been months in the making derailed like this in mere moments hurt. At least Jack could keep his eyes forward, his positive attitude the only thing keeping her from screaming from the absolute unfairness of it all. “Just run the best options past me before you open the hatch, okay darling?”

“You betcha!”

She was still going to enable the Fenton Child Safety Lock as a precaution, he could get a little over eager when he saw an opportunity. It was just a matter of what tools could be repurposed into a makeshift claw or skewer to actually keep hold of the rocks. What would be the smallest loss?

The sound of something hitting the roof of the speeder halted her thoughts, turning to look out of the windows, drawing up her hood in case they’d be fighting so soon. Even Jack had stopped with his mental calculations, pulling a weapon from under the seat. “Company already? Guess we’ll show em what for, eh honey?”

“Well it is the Ghost Zone, they’re probably braver here. Not that it’ll be any problem.” A little boasting could help keep morale up, even if the situation was less than ideal. Stranded with a ghost already trying to take advantage, typical.

“Well one little zap with this baby and it’ll scoot right on back!”

If the ghost could hear them, maybe it would be frightened off just by their voices. Whatever had hit them hadn’t shown itself near the window, or hit their vehicle again. It didn’t feel right. There might be no evidence for whatever it was lurking around, but sometimes you had to follow your intuition. Jack was inquisitive, but didn’t ask out loud as his wife stood to knock the ceiling herself.

“Sooo are we doing knock knock jokes, or do you need a tow?”

She should have known. Of all the ghosts, it would have to be the one that always managed to get her hackles up, pretending to be helpful so people trusted him. A ghost that even tried to have a human name to fit in, not that she’d ever call this thing ‘Danny’. It was an insult to her baby boy, quite frankly. “What are you up to now?”

“Asking you if you need this thing moved. Duh,” the ghost snorted, the metal clanking as he knocked it again. “Talking at you from the roof feels dumb, you gonna shoot if I go to the front?”

“Depends on what you do, ghost scum!” Jack had looked pensive for a moment, but spoke up quickly on spotting Maddie reaching for a notebook. He just had to give her time to think it over, and he was great at distractions.

“Is scum what you call all people who help you out, or am I just your favourite?” A white haired head appeared at the top of their window, looking down with an amused smirk at the pair. Still playing innocent when they were at a disadvantage.

“You’re a ghost ‘claiming’ to want to help.”

That earned a frown, though the ghost stopped half hiding to float in front of their stranded speeder. “Riiiight. Put it that way, whatever,” he paused, as if studying their faces. His green eyes lingered on the weapon, notably so even as he went back to jabbering. “I’ve got some stuff to do, but I can drag the s-that thing back to the portal. So?”

The hunters shared a glance, unsure how to handle it. Phantom liked to claim he liked humans and protecting them, but he was a ghost. There had to be something he wanted out of them in return. Or might get violent if refused in the wrong way. At least he shouldn’t be able to see the quickly scrawled message to Jack. ‘You play the doubtful one, I’ll pretend to trust him- it’ll underestimate us’

“As if, spooky! Jack Fenton doesn’t need any ghost’s help!”

The ghost bought the open hostility without a second thought, eyes rolling to a sky that wasn’t here. “Really? I heard tow trucks were expensive out of state! Can’t imagine the out of dimension costs.”

It was going to be difficult to stay civil when it would be so much easier to just demand the ghost stop playing around. “We’re listening. So what do you want?”

“Awwww Mads, we don’t need this punk’s help! He doesn’t even have toes!”

The passion Jack had put into his moping managed to baffle the ghost. “Wait, what? Of course I do! No, stop, why does that matter? I know tows and toes are different things! I’m not that bad of a student, sheesh.” He seemed quite thrown, which was good. If the ghost forgot what the plan had been he might just get lost.

“Yeah, and you don’t have either Phantom!” Her husband managed to keep from laughing, but the shake in his shoulders showed it was a near thing.

Phantom glanced down at the black wispy tail that made up his legs, muttering something. “Well okay I don’t right now, but I normally do!”

It was a bit fascinating that Jack had distracted the ghost from his goal so completely. They’d have to think about an invention that could replicate the effect. “Can we focus please? I already said I’d listen to what you wanted.”

“Oh! Right, sorry,” he coughed, a strangely human expression of embarrassment. “I don’t actually need anything? I just have some stuff to do so you’d need to wait a bit.”

Oh right. Sure, the most dangerous ghost in town wanted to help the ghost hunters that wanted to destroy him ‘just because’. Just wait here while he goes to get some friends to attack them! Honestly, did ghosts think they were stupid? “Then why not tell us when you’re done? We’re not moving very quickly.”

“Cus he wants to make us think we’re safe before WHAM! Outnumbered by cowardly ghosts!” Jack expressed her true feelings effortlessly. “Not that it’d help em!”

“No way, you think I’d leave you guys here where anyone can try something?” The ghost still seemed confused, eyebrows raised and arms crossed. “You guys are here to study or whatever anyway, right? So you can look around while I get my errands done. And you know, you don’t get attacked. Most of the little guys leave me alone.”

As if that was a surprise! A ghost of Phantom’s strength could destroy smaller and weaker entities without effort. Perhaps it was a subtle threat slipping through his mask of ‘helpful child’. The idea of going deeper into the Ghost Zone, completely at his mercy was...well absolutely idiotic. Even if they could probably overcome him...being able to still get some studies done would make it not a complete waste of a trip. “So you think it’s likely we’ll be attacked here, so close to the portal?”

“Yeah, by him!” Jack looked tempted to grab his weapon, but refrained. “So what if we say no, huh?”

“Then I guess you can float here? Up to you, I guess.”

It was strange, to see the cocky ghost a bit hesitant. Even if there was an obvious threat he wasn’t mentioning. “Well if you could pull the Speeder, you could take it even if we don’t want you to.”

“I think that’s called kidnapping.” Phantom’s cocky smirk returned “Which is weird, you’re not kids! Adultnapping? Nah, that sounds dumb.”

“Ah cut the innocent act, we’re not falling for it!”

“Hey, I said it’s up to you! Either you agree to come along and I get you back home, or I just leave you guys to do whatever you plan to do. Even if yes, I could totally just drag the ship anyway. I’m not, because I’m trying to help, remember?” A hint of frustration slid past the confidence at ‘remember’, but the ghost folding his arms behind his head as if kicking back to relax did defang most of the threat. “I don’t have all day here.”

“We don’t have all day either Phantom. We have family to get back to, and no idea how long you plan to be ‘on errands’.” Maddie pointed out, still unsure what they should do. Trusting him was stupid, but he had showed his hand. Refusal might be met with the same result anyway, but ‘agreeing’ might trick the ghost into thinking they fell for his ‘trustworthy’ act.

“Like an hour or two? Not too long.”

“Well I’d use my Fenton Stopwatch! So don’t think you can pretend it’s a shorter time than it is, ghost!”

“Yeah yeah, you do that D-Jack,” he stumbled over the ghost hunter’s name, but otherwise didn’t move from relaxing. “It’s not gonna kill you to trust me for a bit.”

Even though it very much could kill them. He really was a smug bit of ectoplasm, thinking he blended in with humans well enough to be considered one. “So only a few hours, and you won’t stop us from researching or taking samples? Or lead us to a trap?”

“If I wanted people to get threatened by ghosts, I could just take some days off. No trouble, cross my heart. I’d swear to die but I got the jump on that bit,” he snorted at his own joke, but otherwise left the family to consider.

It was just safer to say ‘yes’ so the ghost thought they were fools. It had nothing to do with wanting to salvage something out of this disaster of an expedition. “Yes. We’ll accept your help, this time.”

“And you aren’t getting any thanks until we’re home, got it?” Good, ghost hunter, bad ghost hunter. An easy enough trick. Even if she wished Jack was the ‘trusting’ one. Yelling would feel nice.

“Yeeeah, kinda expected that too. Rude.” The ghost only shrugged before flying up and out of sight. She half expected to hear the ghost grab the Speeder, but they only really noticed when they started moving. Moving very, very quickly.

She couldn’t help it, her curiosity tamped down some of the fear she should be feeling, pointing out interesting landmasses as they passed, Jack just as enthusiastic to discuss what caused them, if the ghost built them or they were simply generated when a ghost squirmed into existence. A great castle that seemed familiar, an island with some sort of skull as a decoration and thousands of doors. Most ghosts they only could get sparing glimpses at, even when carrying an entire vehicle the ghost boy was fast. Ridiculously so. She thought it was his small figure that contributed to how quickly the pest could move- how the ghost could just vanish out of range in moments. That most of the power behind his physical attacks came from the speed they were delivered with instead of raw strength. Clearly that was an incorrect hypothesis, moving this quickly and carrying so much extra weight without any real difficulty. They slowed near what seemed to be another castle, though it was much less foreboding looking then the other one.

That sinking dread returned after they landed. She had some landmarks, but this much distance would be a big ask to get back. That, and this castle seemed more...occupied, judging by some humanoid ghosts loitering near the gates. One even waved. To them, or the ghost carrying them?

“Okayyy so. Ground rules? Don’t shoot anyone. None of these guys even go through the portal, they’re not the fighting type. Other than that? Have fun, I guess?” He’d stopped floating, standing on the ground beside their stalled craft. He didn’t look as if preparing to fight, which is what she’d assumed the ghost meant by ‘errands’. So what was he up to?

“We won’t do anything if they don’t.” A lie, honestly, but the ghost nodded.

“Wait, what’s that stuff for?” White gloves pointed at the masks the ghost hunters were pulling from under the seats. “Like you can hear me, there’s air out here.”

“It might be safe for ghosts, but we aren’t ghosts.”

Phantom opened his mouth as if to protest before shutting it with a frown. Strange, it was hard to get him to shut up most of the time.

“Nice try, we’re not gonna choke on ghost air today, Phantom!” Jack chuckled, adjusting his mask before popping open the hatch.

“I wasn’t expecting you to- oh whatever. Just don’t embarrass me,” he sounded like a sulking kid, only glancing at them for a moment before kicking off the ground to fly closer to the castle. Off to fight whoever ‘owned’ this area, perhaps?

“Well look at that! Regular plants!” Jack shook her from her pondering, crouched over what looked like a tended to flower bed near the walls. “Well, ghost plants that aren’t trying to attack. Think we should sketch em for the kids?”

“Well Jazz has been more interested in ghosts lately, I suppose.” It was interesting, but she was more curious about the ghost meandering past the walls. They seemed docile, almost like people just walking and apparently talking with one another. Not attempting to fight for territory or resources. Perhaps they were just repeating the memories of their lives over and over? Yet none of them had reacted badly to Phantom zipping past either. A different breed of ghost, perhaps? Or ghosts often had ‘kings’ that kept the lesser ones from squabbling. The large brute of a ghost that stole the town had claimed to be a king of sorts, and this was another castle...but she didn’t want to test anything by getting their attention. They might only act savagely towards humans, being jealous of those still alive after all.

“Yeah, she has! Danno might not like em, but that goth chick he’s eyeing might like em too!” He was already sketching away, quickly getting the basics. He’d fill in the details from memory back home. “You want to try seeing if those ones talk? Not sure how the ghost kid thinks we could embarrass him, ha!”

“Oh he was probably just trying to insult us. He likes to pretend to be a teenager,” she waved that question away, double checking her weapon was easy to reach in case of an emergency. No reason to make their predicament worse by being unprepared. While still considering to go near those ghosts instead of safely observing from a distance. Jack’s enthusiasm was too infectious, really, but that’s how they made so many discoveries!

The ghosts didn’t object to her moving closer, but she kept off the busier paths to be safe. So many stalls of what seemed to be goods, clothing and paintings, rugs and nick knacks. Well, the ghosts didn’t need anything to live, so it would make sense for them to prioritize other items first, but the art was strange. What did the dead know of creativity? Were these all recreations of something found in life? No, some of the paintings had the green skies of the Ghost Zone, implying at least some ‘new’ thought. They were strange, very unlike the wild animals that often attacked the town, or the showy inhuman mimics that tried to claim world domination. They just looked like greener, more transparent people. Barely any of them even floated much. They’d need new categories, they broke too many rules that stayed true on Earth.

“Oh that’s a lovely shade of blue! I wish I could make something like it.” The voice echoed, but it wasn’t growling or mocking. In fact, the ghost woman who had paused beside the hunter was smiling warmly, despite the dead red eyes. “Are you just visiting for a bit?”

“We’re mostly stuck going wherever the ghost boy is taking us, our ship broke down,” Maddie struggled not to frown, her natural inclination to get away from the still potentially dangerous ghost strong with so many fights. She could tell it the truth, in a sense. Phantom was far more likely to be dangerous then this waif of a woman. How she could move in so many ruffles was baffling.

“Oh dear! Well if he’s any trouble you can let Dorthea know, she’s a caring ruler. A human helped her get her rightful throne back, so I’m sure she’d be happy to help!” The ghost tittered a little, as if expecting that to be obvious.

So the ghost did know she was human? Far more alarming was the idea some other human had been dragged this far from home, possibly trapped. Maybe this would turn into a rescue mission. Unless it was too late for them, a distinct possibility. “Oh really? How did that happen?”

“Oh I don’t really know the details, but it was a human that inspired our good Queen that she didn’t need to fear that tyrant and she could fight back. I wish I’d seen it!”

It was disquieting how human the ghost sounded, a friendly sort of gossip. If only she had a way to record it. “The human got back home after helping, right?”

“Well I assume so, she had no intentions of staying here very long, that’s for sure!” She laughed easily, apparently blind to Maddie’s confusion and apprehension, or just unable to see it past the mask and goggles. “I’m fairly sure Sir Phantom took her back, you could ask him.”

Sir? That town terrorizing scoundrel was respected around here? And had been taking humans out of the ghost zone? Probably because he made whoever it was get here in the first place, just to rescue them. Was that why he was here? To stage some new act with this ghost queen? “Right, I might do that.” Would she? This morning she hadn’t expected to talk to ghosts, let alone multiple.

“Oh! If you see any of those angry blobs you can just run back towards the guards and they’ll deal with it. It’s their job, and they’re quite good at it. I actually considered doing that job for a bit, but I like looking after the plants more. Maybe I’ll switch in a decade or two!” The ghost kept talking, apparently taking Maddie’s lack of further questions as permission to keep chattering.

“Can’t you deal with them yourself?” Attacking ghost blobs was something she knew about, and if this ghost was strong enough to mimic humans, shouldn’t it be able to deal with the much less sophisticated tactics of blobs?

“Me? Oh no, I’m not not trained. Do you still have lions on the other side? It would be like trying to fight one of those with a stick!” She laughed, but not unkindly.

“You’re both ghosts though, aren’t you?” Perhaps they differentiated themselves by name in the Ghost Zone? It would lend some evidence to the ‘different breeds’ of ghost hypothesis she was rapidly stringing together.

She tapped at her chin for a moment at the question. “I suppose we are, but they’re more like animals. They might have always been animals, or never alive at all! It’s perfectly safe here though, they usually fight more among themselves.”

Well that was fascinating. Some ghosts didn’t instinctively know how to fight and had to be taught? Yet didn’t consider themselves completely separated from the more animalistic ectoplasmic terrors. Perhaps the more ‘domestic’ setting here made the ghosts less feral and more reliant on their previous memories. Well, the ghost could be lying, but she couldn’t see the benefit she’d gain from deception here. “So you’re kind of stuck here then? We saw a lot of those outside of this place.”

“No no, we’ve got safer ways to travel than just flying around! Not all of us are that brave, dear. Though I don’t think I’d want to stay somewhere else very long anyway. Here it’s safe, all my friends are here and we have one of the largest markets in the whole Ghost Zone. Other ghosts come to us!” There was a hint of pride as she spoke about her ‘home’, gesturing over to some of the stalls Maddie hadn't had time to look at before getting interrupted. “I was really hoping to get something from the seven armed bloke over there, but he’s not very interested in my clothing. Maybe next time.”

Said ‘bloke’ had far too many eyes to go with the arms, and a collection of honestly terrifying little statues with strange designs that made her head hurt if she looked at it too long. A clear outsider to the more human ones, but not causing a stir. So much for constantly fighting out groups, but they barely had anything in common either! Not to mention engaging in some kind of simplistic trading. “So this happens often?”

“Pretty much. It’s fun to make new things, but you get bored of just your own stuff after a few centuries you know? So we swap and find new things.”

Well of course, it’s not like the ghosts needed to trade for something vital to existence. Swapping ‘things’ made more sense in that context. So why weren’t any trying to trade strength or favours? Or simply taking what they wanted? Was it related to having a queen? She had so many questions that knowing what ones needed to be asked was next to impossible. “I suppose you would. How can you tell if a ghost that comes is peaceful?”

“Asking!” She laughed again, apparently finding the question funny. So they didn’t deal with constant attacks from spectres like Phantom trying to ‘take over?’ Why?

“Oh geeze, I’m so sorry if she said anything about trying to-” Phantom’s voice interrupted her thoughts, the ghost suddenly floating beside the other ghost and sputtering.

“Sorry? She’s been perfectly lovely! Haven’t you- oh I’m so rude, I didn’t even get your name!” the ghost tisked at herself, once again strangely apologetic.

“Wait, she has?” His doubtful tone made the ghost hunter scowl. As if he had any room to judge them.

“We’re scientists, not uncontrollable monsters.” Like him. She was fairly sure he caught the implication when the boy muttered something she couldn’t hear.

“Cool. Anyway, got another stop, then I’ll get you two back home.” He still hovered, glancing between the two of them a few times. “Oh. Maddie, that’s her name.”

“Lovely speaking with you Maddie! Had a good trip back, I’m Guenivier if you’re ever in the area again,” she smiled and gave another wave before somehow drifting back into the crowd without displacing even a bit of that dress.

“Who said you can give out my name?” Maddie hissed, once certain the other ghost was out of earshot.

He leaned back on teenager mannerisms, scoffing and heading away. “Because she wanted to know and thinks you aren’t a total ghost hater? It’s not gonna hurt anything.”

“How can I know you don’t have a way to locate people by name?”

He was rolling his eyes again as if she was being ridiculous. “You live in a house with a giant glowing sign. Not exactly subtle.”

“That isn’t in the ghost zone.”

“It’s attached to the ghost zone, it totally counts.”

It really was like arguing with a teenager when he bantered on like this. “Just don’t do it again.”

“Yes ma’am. Sheesh.” He hopped on top of the speeder, kicking his heels against the side. “Hey Jack, you coming?”

“Coming!” he bellowed back, jogging over from the patch of plants she’d left him at. However, he wasn’t just carrying his notebook, but a folded glowing bit of cloth. Some sort of tapestry judging by all the stitching? “Just wanted to get a few more lines done-” he broke off after spotting his wife, apparently reminded that he shouldn’t be so chummy with the ghost. “I mean I leave when I want to, you can’t boss Fentons around!”

“Oh come onnn, can you pretend you don’t hate me for like five minutes? I’m not even doing anything!” Phantom complained, flopping backwards onto the Speeder. “You were totally having a good time”.

“How did you get that, dear?” Maddie chose to ignore their sulking captor and instead look at what Jack managed to gather besides sketches.

“Oh, one of the ghosties liked my pictures and asked to trade for one! So I gave em a page for this! We can study how they made it back home, neat huh?”

Apparently he hadn’t been too worried about it being a trap, but a picture he’d just sketched wasn’t a big ask for something that could teach them a lot about the ghosts in here, so it was a good trade nonetheless. “You did great sweetie. Just make sure to store it safely, just in case.”

“Already on it sweet cheeks!” He was indeed, already pulling out a large sample bag to store their find before opening the hatch again.

“Ew. I changed my mind, go back to threatening me. Sappy is worse.”

Well, at least the ghost regretted his actions a bit. He’d be more sorry if he tried anything, but this did just seem to be something to sooth that hero complex it had. So far, anyway. She was tempted to ask the ghost what it had been up to at the castle, but it didn’t really matter. He’d just lie anyway, he clearly wasn’t the same sort of ghost as the weaker ones back there.

“Ha, he crumples in the face of our love Madds!” Jack laughed, hugging his wife and they got comfortable back in the speeder. “You think he’d take us back home if I said how much I love ya?”

“I so don’t need to hear this.” He was muffled, apparently still flopped on the speeder. He didn’t add anything before the Speeder lifted from the ground and resumed speeding through the strange green expanse.

“Clearly he buys his own teenager delusion.” Maddie mused, content to rest against Jack and look through his sketches. “Did they seem strangely lifelike to you too?”

“Oh sure! They just talked and didn’t even seem interested in going to the human world! Even though one was very jealous of how bright my jumpsuit is.” He leaned a bit to flick a few pages forward. “I sketched a couple and got their names, so we can see if we can look em up. See if they’re similar to their old selves according to history and all.”

“That’s a good idea. I didn’t get a complete name, but apparently they have jobs? Not like the wilder ghosts, and they do have a queen…” she paused, remembering the ‘human’ Phantom apparently ‘helped home. “Hey! You did help someone home from the ghost zone before, did you?”

“Huh? Oh! Yeah, she’s back safe. Wasn’t even a whole day.” He sounded distracted, or at least surprised by the question.

It could be a valuable lead. That, and the human might need help after such an experience. Who knew how ecto contaminated they might be! “Who was it?”

“How should I know? Just because I’m in town a lot doesn’t mean I know everyone’s name.”

She frowned, glancing at Jack who only shrugged. So he hadn’t heard that story, only her. “You know ours.”

“Because you shout them at me and shoot at me a lot? Pretty easy to remember!”

“Ghost kid’s got a point.” Jack admitted, patting her on the shoulder. “We’ll just find who it is ourselves! Just an extra project.”

“What, and just make their life weird again by bringing up ghost stuff? Leave em alone.”

Well now they absolutely had to look into it, if Phantom wasn’t keen on the idea. Better to let him think they agreed though. “True, it could just lead you back to them.”

“Hey! This is all you, not me!”

Jack chuckled. “You’re really good at riling him up. Almost sounds like our Danny like that, getting all touchy about fun family activities!”

“Well he probably copies behaviour from local teenagers,” she didn't like that comparison though. Their children were nothing like life destroying ghosts. It was better to turn her attention to the passing green and how the amount of doors seemed to dwindle as masses of ice started to become the most prominent detail. That made more sense, actually. Phantom had started using ice in addition to ectoblasts, if he came from somewhere with this sort of climate it seemed less out of place with his other abilities. Even if he was otherwise ill suited to snow and ice with how he insisted on looking like a kid.

The next stop felt more like a mistake, with only hills of untouched white powder and ice to see, but the crunch of snow below confirmed they were no longer moving. Good thing they came prepared with heated coats!

“Not a whole lot around here! If it wasn’t for all the green we could pretend we were in Alaska.” Jack chattered as he shrugged a coat on, still apparently too excited to look around to keep his suspicion up. “They don’t all like castles, or maybe it’s a hidden one!”

He better not be thinking Santa had an ice castle. That was probably what he was thinking of, but she didn’t really want to bring up their annual argument at the moment. He could be wrong today, there were more important things to do. “You do realize it’s a frozen wasteland you’ve stranded us on?”

“It’s not that cold.” Phantom objected, circling the Speeder idly.

“Easy for a ghost to say, you’re always cold ghost kid!”

He stopped at that, glancing back at Jack. “It's not that bad, is it?”

“Only because we brought warm clothing. Jumpsuits aren’t enough for the living.” Maddie huffed, looking at the snowfields to find anything worth looking at. The structures of ice were somewhat interesting, but not inherently ghostly.

“Well you guys can stay here, I guess.” The ghost bit at his lip, playing up the concern now that they pointed out a frozen wasteland was cold. Honestly, how did anyone fall for Phantom’s act if he made mistakes like this? “I don’t think Frostbite’s people come out this far…”

“Oh, are they dangerous? We can take any of your little ghostly pals!”

Phantom looked as if Jack suggested exploding a building. “No! Don’t fight any of them! They just look scary, okay? Just ignore them, if any show up.” He didn’t wait for a response before flying off this time, apparently in much more of a hurry this time.

“Sounds like he’s worried about what we can do to his little pals, huh?” Jack elbowed his wife with a grin. “Well, maybe we can find something weird about the ice here!”

It was better to try getting some of the ghost ice instead of doing nothing, though she doubted it would be very different from regular ice, beyond the ectocontamination. Now what would a ghost think is ‘scary looking’? He hadn’t given such a warning when close to all of the other ghosts, after all. It was a bit of a mystery, and none of the ice here had any identifying marks or hints of another odd little ghost ‘civilization’. ‘Frostbite’ wasn’t much of a name either, perhaps they were more like the wild sort that came to Amity?

“Oh hoh! Look at this!” Jack yelled out, pointing to something below him as he waved her over.

A large, clawed footprint left in the snow, and fairly deep. So something monstrous after all, as expected. “Maybe we can get a cast of it?” They had supplies for it, but she wasn’t certain if it would work in the ice correctly. The tracks didn’t go for long, but following them wasn’t a very tantalizing idea. Better to keep a distance and be well armed if they wanted to tangle with whatever left this. It wasn’t as distracting as the previous stop, but the sound of crunches increasing in volume had the couple back on edge and wary.

“Seriously, we should just go-”

It sounded like the ghost boy was near wherever the crunches were coming from, which didn’t improve her mood one iota.

“Nonsense! I have been asking to meet them for how long?” A deep, growling and carrying voice came in response as Maddie readied a weapon.

“Yeah, that’s the problem. You don’t want to, trust me.”

“Seems he doesn’t have a very high opinion of ghost hunters, eh Mads?” Jack was less noticeably readied, still half crouched near the footprint, but his hand hovered where a weapon was concealed. She focused on her breathing as the sound grew louder, eyes narrowed as she spotted a large figure cresting the nearby hill. With the little white haired ghost boy completely at ease near it. Nothing like his regular behaviour, let alone the talking. Why would this huge beast know of them?

“What did I say about not shooting people?” Phantom actually seemed to blush on seeing her holding the weapon, smacking his face. “Okay, you saw them, bye now!”

The large furred creature ignored how the smaller ghost pushed at their shoulder, instead waving with a horrific ice claw, bones gleaming from within as it seemed to rip at the very air. “Well our first meeting was hardly perfect either, I can manage.”

“Yeah but I can’t just pull a ‘won’t shoot a big yeti’ icicle out of their jumpsuits!”

For a human loving ghost, Phantom was certainly very concerned about this giant horned monster being harmed by ‘mere humans’. More proof of his act, at least. Though the large creature did have a cloak of some sort and clothing. He spoke well, if you ignored the fanged mouth and growls. A strange contradiction of appearance and intent. That wasn’t a normal thing for ghosts either, you could gather a decent amount about one by how they looked. So why was this one chatting and apparently interested in seeing two humans? “So, you’re the ‘Frostbite’ he mentioned?” She hazarded a guess, but wasn’t going to put the gun away.

It showed its fangs, maw wide and unnerving. “Yes, I am! It is an honour to meet you” The furry head bowed slightly, as if trying a sort of nod of respect. “Your work assisted the Great One in vanquishing Pariah Dark, we all owe you a debt of gratitude.”

“Please don’t call me that. Especially in front of them!” the green eyed ghost practically squawked, somehow flushing even harder when he didn’t even have blood.

Maddie’s mind almost flipped over from the sheer confusion of what this terrifying ghost said. They had ‘helped’ vanquish something? More likely, Phantom had stolen something. So why did this ghost still give them credit? That wasn’t even starting to touch why the ghost boy would be considered great in any aspect. “Assisted him? Do you mean with that ghost who took our town into the Ghost Zone?” She wasn’t sure if that was what the ‘king’ ghost was called, but it made more sense than anything else she could think of.

“Indeed. The King of All Ghosts would have sent the infinite realms into chaos and conflict. Of course we are grateful for your help in preventing that.”

“That’s when you stole the Ecto Skeleton!” Jack spoke up, no longer tense. “You never brought it back.”

“That’s not my fault, that thing almost wasted me! It was gone once I woke up!” The boy objected, but seemed to settle down when the larger ghost ruffled his hair. “I wanted to bring it back.”

“I’m sure now they understand how vitally important that technology was, for your world and ours.” The ghost’s yellow eyes watched them expectantly, the unnerving void of pointed daggers thankfully closed now.

“Well it did get Amity back where it belonged.” Losing the Ecto Skeleton had been a blow, but an acceptable one to get back to normal. The fact that more ghosts seemed to know and care about their part of it was somewhat unnerving. She very much doubted Phantom just ‘lost’ it either. Jack suffered from the demands of the suit, but the ghost was just ectoplasm and electricity. Quite unlikely he could be drained that much, it wasn’t meant for ghosts to use in the first place.

“Your world? Doesn’t the kid live here?” Jack asked, making his wife blink. She hadn’t noticed that odd phrasing.

“No, no. The Great One prefers the human world and his friends. How are they doing?”

He froze up, eyes flicking to the hunters and back to the yeti. “Fine. They’re great.” He darted closer to the two hunters, gesturing at them to move. “Okay let’s go.”

How much interacting was this ghost doing with humans to have ‘friends’ it told other ghosts about? They could be in danger, or used as targets! “No no, we’d love to hear about your friends.”

“Nope, you don’t, gotta get home right? Big hurry, don’t trust me, remember?” He was practically pleading with them.

Frostbite’s ears twitched as he tilted his head. “Don’t trust you? Surely they’re the ones who taught your friends how to drive that craft of yours?”

Phantom had the gall to turn invisible.

“We were unaware anyone other than us was using it, actually.” Maddie didn’t bother to keep the frost from her voice.

“Ah, well at least the good news is I already knew how to make a replacement battery for it when the Great One came asking for help.” His tail twitched, as one of the great claws scratched at his furry chest. “It should be good as new once you can install it.”

So not only was this ghost stealing technology and bringing humans to the ghost zone, it was teaching other ghosts how it worked! The second that ghost was in their grasp, he’d have some serious answering to do. “Do all of you call him that?” It was the only question she could ask without wishing to spit acid, quite frankly.

“All of the Far Frozen recognize him as such, but not all ghosts are the same. He should be proud of the title, a savour of two worlds.”

“Frostbite I’m begging you, stop! It’s embarrassing!” The ghost dropped his invisibility, still looking more like a flustered kid instead of the heroics seeking fame junkie he was.

“Well if it helps your relationship with these ghost hunters, I think it is important that they know.”

“Yeah no. Let’s not.”

It felt like there was something the two ghosts weren’t saying. That, and the fact Phantom didn’t seem to like being hailed as a hero here in the Ghost Zone didn’t make sense. Why all the grandstanding in Amity then?

“Well we’ll be glad for the lift home. You shouldn’t steal from us, kid.” Jack tried a stern approach, and the ghost actually flinched from the rebuke.

“You’re not the only ones who want to map this place out, that’s all,” he didn’t really seem to be answering them, more talking to himself before launching himself at the Speeder again. “You can shoot at me about it back home or whatever.”

“Travel safely! Do try and explore your other half more often, Great one. You’re always welcome here.” His great furry head watched them all easily, seeking out the ghost hunters eyes as well. "I understand you are less interested, but you are welcome to see the realities of my home as well. It may surprise you, in a good way."

She desperately wanted to ask what that monster of a ghost meant by that, but managed to hold her tongue. If all the ghosts here saw Phantom as some sort of godlike hero, chewing him out here wasn’t safe. Jack’s small nod of agreement and warm hug helped, but it couldn’t stop her mind churning. They’d seen and hurt so much, and none of it made any sense! This Frostbite just threw in several more wrenches in the works with only a few sentences, but with how agitated Phantom was getting now wasn’t the time to push their luck. Perhaps when the shoe was on the other foot, and the boy needed their assistance.

He didn’t speak up or grumble this time as they left the frozen land behind. Though that might be them as well,m sitting close together and considering the notes and samples they had taken. That and the huge list of questions Jack had scrawled down in the margins of a sketch of Frostbite. How could a ghost like Phantom truly manage to stay in the human world most of the time? Did it have to do with this ‘other half’ that ghost had mentioned? Would knowing what it was reveal a weakness in the ghost? So many questions, but no answers. Why had Phantom even let them speak to any ghosts, considering how badly he’d reacted to some of the information given? He couldn’t genuinely be wanting to help.

The inviting glow of the portal appeared sooner than either of them could expect, the ghost dropping the ship on the lab floor with a loud clunk.

“See? Home. No ‘evil plan’” he floated into view, and she was fairly sure he only did so to make those air quotes with his hands.

“So you say, ghost kid. Don’t think we won’t be checking for tricks!”

“Yeah sure,” he shrugged, grinning after a moment. “Oh hey, by the way, you do know what the Speeder is powered with, right?”

Maddie didn’t actually know how to take that question. “Of course we do, we built it!”

“Uh huh.” His grin widened as he kicked back, legs vanishing into that strange tail. “All you had to do was take the cover off. It’s the Ghost Zone! There’s ectoplasm everywhere! I just had Frostbite make a backup.”

...Had they really- They had. They’d been dragged around by a ghost for no reason at all! “Why you little-”

He kept laughing before turning and getting out of the way. “Thanks for flying with Phantom Zone Tours! I’m out.” A jaunty wave and he was gone, leaving two baffled ghost hunters behind.

“I think some fudge is in order after that!”

She couldn’t say he was wrong. Maybe fudge could make sense of that whole affair. All that for a prank? It didn’t add up. They’d have a lot of work to do.

#Danny Phantom #phic fight 2021 #Maddie Fenton #jack fenton #hey look a fun one! #tho they are kinda mean about poor danny-boy #but hey minimal angst! woo! #Team Ghost

[vampylovesaliens]

Duality - p18

--regained trust

With the water lapping in his ears and his eyes closed, the lagoon’s steady pulsing with the waterfall and the pleasant bickering of the Youngblood trio nearby, Silas was suddenly brought out of his reverie by a claw tapping on his forehead. He opened his eyes again to see Dre’vik-kha leaning down, her head tilted as she peered down at him with her long tresses hanging around her face, the longest of them near enough to almost brush his face. “Are you alright?”

“Oh, I’m fine.” He smiled, lifting a hand to gently bat the tip of one long tendril, making Dre’vik-kha click in mild amusement. “...How can something as big and fierce as you move so quietly? I didn’t even feel you approach.”

“We are good at what we do.” She stated plainly, straightening again and sidestepping, only to sit beside him in the shallows. Silas sat up, shaking the water from his hair and pushing it back from his face again. “Thanks for, uh...saving me, heh. I was pretty sure that I was gonna fall and break my head open.”

“It was foolish of you.” She clicked, giving him an almost scolding look--before reaching over and lightly prickling her claws across the top of his head in what he figured was a much gentler version of the tress-tousling she had given her Youngbloods. “But it was bold. I didn’t expect you to push yourself so far.” She leaned back again slightly, bracing on her elbows as she turned her gaze to the waterfall. On the rocks nearby, Rok’aan yelped as Epi’ta-kha pushed him unceremoniously off the perch they’d been sharing. Silas couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched the twins bicker, Kray-ekh’a laughing at their antics as well. “Species doesn’t matter when it comes to sibling antics, I guess.” Dre’vik-kha rumbled her agreement, her mandibles twitching. “I assume your sister was always the more aggressive between you?”

Silas sighed, plucking a pebble from the shallows beneath him and turning the smooth rock in his fingers before he tossed it, the little stone plinking lightly into the water again. “I guess. I mean, I had my rebellious phase, but she’s always been....I guess militant, even before we joined the Corps. But she’s the eldest, and we had a tough time as kids, so I guess she didn’t have much choice.” He shrugged.

Dre’vik-kha tilted her head, and he realized she was looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to say more. He fidgeted briefly--he hadn’t really planned to tell her his life story, or at least he hadn’t expected she would actually care to hear it. “Er...our dad took off when we were little. I don’t even remember him. And he never called or tried to visit us, so...he just stopped existing. Our mom tried to keep things together, but then she got together with a new guy who was...not great.” He frowned as he recalled, lowering his gaze to the water and dipping his finger in, lifting it out and watching the droplets gather at his fingertip. “Maeve and I were left on our own a lot. Mom was either working or out doing who-knows-what with her new boyfriend, and then she lost her job and we finally lost our house. So we moved back with him all the way across the Atlantic into a shitty little apartment--” He paused, glancing back to the Yautja to make sure she was still listening and not visibly irritated, “--and that’s when everything really got bad.”

“Was he cruel?” Dre’vik-kha clicked curiously, her mandibles flexing. Silas let out a slightly bitter laugh, absentmindedly rubbing at his jaw where an old scar now lay hidden beneath his closely-trimmed beard. “Yeah, you could say that. He didn’t like us at all. I was just a kid--I think I was only four when they got married so she could stay in the States.” He doubted the names of places made much difference to Dre’vik-kha, but he realized that aside from Rodrigo, he had never really had the chance to tell anyone about his life before the Corps. “He thought I was a whiny little brat--maybe I was, but I was so little, you know? Maeve had to take a lot of shit trying to defend me.”

Dre’vik-kha narrowed her eyes briefly, tilting her head. “Your mother allowed it?”

Silas shrugged, shifting awkwardly. “I don’t think she liked it, or anything, but...well, she didn’t try to stop it much, either. He’d be nasty to her too, if she ever argued.” He glanced back to the towering alien, eyeing her quizzically for a moment. “...I don’t suppose the Yautja have issues like that. I can’t really picture anyone bullying you, heh.”

She growled her approval at the statement, her mandibles flaring. “Any male who tried would quickly regret it. There are many of us across many worlds, though; I can only hope it’s as frowned upon everywhere as it is on Prime.” Silas perked at that, his curiosity latching onto the cryptic name. “Prime? Is that your homeworld? What’s it like?”

Dre’vik-kha chuffed humoredly. “Yautja Prime, yes. It is...difficult to describe. It is where the Yautja began, and where our Primarchs rule over all Yautja space.” She shifted slightly, perhaps weighing the pros and cons of sharing this rather more personal information. “...It’s harsher than this world, by far. But more developed, naturally. One of the only places we have built true cities, rather than just making our settlements to suit wherever we live. I don’t think your kind would survive the climate.” She eyed him skeptically, and he chuckled a bit at that. “So..the Primarchs are like your government, then? Do you...keep contact with them often? I haven’t seen much of your tech beyond some of your gear, and your medical facilities.” He grimaced awkwardly, hoping the question wouldn’t overstep too much.

She gave him another searching look before rumbling quietly, nodding. “They check in periodically with clans across the stars. They do not interfere, though, unless there is major concern.” There was a certain weight to her words that unsettled him, and he couldn’t help but think about the compound in the midst of a razed chunk of jungle land, and the Pilgrim station that orbited overhead. “...Have you talked to them about, uh...us being here?”

Dre’vik-kha picked up some pebbles from the shallows, letting them fall through her claws to plink back into the water. “Yes.” She stated plainly. “They are. Don’t fret, they’re not going to have your ships torn from the sky. Not yet at least.” She gave him a look that was difficult to read; he wasn’t sure if it was meant to gauge his response or if it was meant to convey a joking tone--or maybe it was a threat? Just when Silas felt he was starting to understand the nuances of Yautja expression he found himself fumbling again. “Ah.” He finally stated with a brief nod. “...Good to know, I guess. What have they said about us, though?”

“That is not something I feel I can share.” She grunted, pushing herself up and getting to her feet again, shaking herself briefly. Silas balked a bit, his brow furrowing as he craned his head to follow her as she towered over his still-seated position. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.” “It isn’t your fault.” She extended a hand in an offer to help him up, which after a moments’ hesitation he reached up to take, letting her powerful grip nearly haul him up without any effort on his part. “I believe you when you present yourself as trustworthy, Silas. But I do not trust your kin, and I would not want to see you harmed at their hands in their pursuit of information about us.”

Before Silas could comment on that she’d released him again, clattering at her Youngbloods to signal them to get up and retrieve their gear after her. Part of him wanted to dismiss the notion outright--he had nothing to fear from his people. Maeve did not agree with him, but she would never cause harm over their disagreement. As much as he distrusted Lao, he didn’t think there was malice behind his odd behavior. A small, defensive corner of his brain wanted to turn his skepticism onto Dre’vik-kha now; was she just trying to stir discord in him, to derail any investigation that could bridge the gap between their peoples? No, that didn’t sit right. She wasn’t conniving like that. He shook his head, sighing flatly as he got up and followed the Yautja back to where he’d left his clothes. His legs shook slightly beneath him--the strain of the climb wouldn’t be quickly recovered from. But he didn’t dare complain as he shook out the water and grabbed his things, falling into step behind the Yautja as they headed back up from their little lagoon hideaway. As they returned to the forest he cast his gaze up through the treetops overhead. They did not have aerial patrols yet, but it was only a matter of time before they had operational shuttles for more than just supply and personnel runs. And then the lack of scanning clarity wouldn’t matter; the humans would find the pyramid easily, and the village around it. But he knew pushing the matter too much would only derail his efforts to build trust now; Dre’vik-kha was intelligent enough to know what was on the line anyway. Surely she knew that day was coming, when there wouldn’t be any more use in hiding or laying low. He took a deep breath, silencing the impatient thoughts that nagged at him. He was too exhausted to dwell on it now anyway; a good nights’ sleep would be enough to refuel him for the subject tomorrow.

By the time they had returned to the village the daylight was fading, the jungle full of noise from nocturnal creatures that made Silas anxious, dragging his leaden legs in his determination to keep up with the Yautja. Dre’vik-kha retreated to her bed with only a brief dismissal, doubtlessly tired and consumed with her own thoughts, and as much as Silas wished they could’ve spoken more he didn’t want to wear out his welcome. Rok’aan tousled his hair as he dragged himself to the pile of bedding waiting for him, a friendly gesture--and one that he felt indicated he had earned respect from the young warrior. And while perhaps the Youngbloods were not as discerning as their Matriarch, it still stirred a flutter of excitement in his belly to think that perhaps he was worthy of their approval. For perhaps it meant that at least someday he would be worthy of hers, as well.

#my writing #duality #avp #fanfic #alien #predator #yautja #SORRY IT'S SHORT I KNOW #IRL has been kinda kickin my ass and im way behind -w-

[hawk-n-hum]

i surprised myself and got this done tonight?? just idolo, dewdrop, and hum being frands @dewdrop-hk

[also on AO3]

“Are we...expecting company?” Dewdrop asks warily.

“Company? An audience?” Grimm perks up at the notion, sitting straighter.

“Ah, I doubt it, but…” The glass-winged butterfly peers outside the tent once more. “They’re in a pair. Do we know who they are?”

“‘They’?”

“They’re vessels,” she explains, mimicking horns on the top of her head.

Idolo trots out. “They’re here for me; my apologies. A few little friends of mine. I should have warned you all ahead of time,” her antenna droop as her thoughts derail and berate herself.

“It’s of no worry,” Grimm huffs. “Just make sure they stay out of trouble.”

“You know the vessels?” Dewdrop sidles closer to Idolo.

“Yes!” The mantis preens happily. “Hawk and Hum are dear friends. Recent, yes, but dear nonetheless.”

“Interesting,” Dewdrop muses.

“You’re welcome to join in greeting them, if you’d like. Hum, the smaller one, absolutely loves making friends.” Idolo waves her outside as she exits.

The two vessels do look similar, but have their differences. One’s tall, one’s short; one’s horns are jagged and sharp, one’s are smooth and curved. Their cloaks are both shades of violet, and the smaller one, Hum, is wearing a green scarf around their neck.

Hum beams up at Idolo as she approaches.

“Hello, little one!” Idolo coos. “How have you been? What have you been up to?”

Hum looks at their hands for a moment before signing a few words.

“Really, now? Amazing!”

“What’d they say?” Dewdrop asks cautiously, walking up to the trio.

“Hum is explaining how they just came back from the Crystal Peaks after some exploring.” Hum nods, tittering on their feet happily before cocking their head to the side and pointing to Dewdrop.

“Oh, me?” She stutters.

“This is Dewdrop,” Idolo introduces her. “She’s been part of the Grimm Troupe far longer than I have, obviously. She is very skilled!”

Dewdrop flushes and hides behind her hands. “Well, ah,--”

Hum pads up to her, waving encouragingly. Hawk appears to be falling asleep on their feet, whether out of actual exhaustion or boredom is hard to tell.

“Oh! Hello there,” she stammers politely.

Hum wriggles in excitement once more before skittering to weave through Dewdrop and Idolo tirelessly. 

“Quite energetic, no?” Idolo asks idly.

“It seems,” she responds.

Suddenly, Hum stops in their tracks, eyes wide. They point to Dewdrop’s wings, folded against her back, and sign worriedly to Idolo.

“Oh, dear,” Idolo sighs.

“What?” Dewdrop asks nervously. Was it about her?

“Poor Hum thinks your wings are injured.”

“Injured?”

Idolo gestures to the black veins running through the transparent wings. 

“Dear vessel, worry not. She’s not harmed,” Idolo reassures. “That’s just how her wings are, appearance-wise. They’re not faults or fractures.”

“Yes!” Dewdrop preens this time, flaring her wings out. “They’re naturally colorless like this. I’m a Glass-winged Butterfly, so the name fits quite well, you think?”

Hum seems relieved. They seem to want to reach out to touch her wing, but think better of it and pull back. They turn to Idolo and sign more.

“They wish to know if you can still fly.”

“Indeed. They still function perfectly well; they just appear different.”

Hum signs more.

“Aw, vessel, you flatter her,” Idolo chuckles. “They said you are very pretty, and so are your wings.”

Dewdrop fumbles her words again. “Ah, uh, th-thank you, Hum!” she stutters. “I, uh…” she pauses. “Your scarf, there. It’s...very pretty as well. It goes well with your cloak.”

Oh, if Hum was lively earlier, the compliment sends them positively alight with joy. They flap the scarf in question, and Dewdrop nods. Hum flaps the accessory harder, eyes closed in a mock smile of delight. 

Idolo laughs gently, and Dewdrop feels herself smile wide.

Hum points to their mask, then to Dewdrop, then back again.

“My-my mask?”

The vessel nods.

“It’s part of the Troupe’s appearance,” she explains lightly. “You’ve likely noticed Divine bears one similar to this, right?” The little one didn’t need to know what the mask covered, or, rather,  what the mask would cover.

Hum nods sagely, before startling as Hawk plunks down on the bench near them tiredly. They skitter over to their sibling to pester them worriedly.

“How do you know what they’re...signing?” Dewdrop queries. “I’ve never really seen signs used, aside from vessels, in Hallownest. How’d you learn it?”

“From some of the other places I’ve been,” Idolo explains. “I’ve picked up quite a few things during my time. This just happens to be one of the beneficial ones,” she winks.

“What are they saying now?” Dewdrop peers over at the two vessels, lightly bickering by the looks of it.

“Hum is worrying if Hawk is alright, and Hawk is brushing it off, as usual. Hawk is very stern and stoic, you see. Only really lightens up when alone with Hum.”

“So...a grump?

“A grump.”

“Just what we need around here,” she rolls her eye. “More grouchy folk.”

“At least Hawk is sufferable with Hum around,” Idolo scoffs.

Hum scampers back over to the two ladies, leaving Hawk to prop their head up on a fist to doze. They move their tiny hands around a bit before Idolo intervenes.

“Ah. Hum wishes to know what you do as far as performing. Your act,” she translates.

“I do very skilled dances with a nail,” Dewdrop continues, “dancing with it, on it...balance and posture are all I need.” She pauses. “Not to brag,” she clarifies.

Hum’s eyes are wide with wonder. They point to Idolo and do the same gestures.

“I do dances as well, but far less complicated than the works Dewdrop here goes through,” Idolo answers nonchalantly, lightly nudging the butterfly’s shoulder. “Dewdrop is the talented one.”

“No, no! I, ah--” she despairs at her lack of words. “What she means is that, uh, we have different talents. Different skills. Her vary from mine; mine vary from hers.”

Hum nods knowingly. Their little hands go through a longer series of signing, which Idolo watches closely before smiling.

“Hum says their talents include making friends with everyone,” she laughs. “I must say, from what I know of you, little one, it’s quite true.”

“You’re certainly a friendly little thing, I’ll give you that,” Dewdrop reaches down to pat their head comfortingly. Hum wiggles at the attention, though Hawk cracks a glaring eye open as she reaches. She recoils immediately as if she’d been burned. Hawk’s eye closes again.

“Bah, don’t worry about them,” Idolo waves in Hawk’s direction. “Hawk’s awfully protective of Hum, they just need to understand that Dewdrop is a friend,” she scolds, “and that she wouldn’t harm anyone without needing to.”

Hum turns to Hawk and pats their head where Dewdrop had, showing that they are alright.

But Hawk has already dozed off again.

“Regardless, I’m sure a certain Child of Grimm would be excited to see you,” Idolo starts distractedly. Hum perks up, practically vibrating with excitement. “Dewdrop, would you mind taking them to meet? I’ve a word to share with Hawk. I’ll be in shortly.”

“Certainly!” Dewdrop holds out an elegant hand. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll get you to your destination,” she explains dramatically.

Hum quickly latches on to her palm as she leads them back into the tent.

“Ah, the little playmate for Grimmchild. Greeting, little one,” Divine chirps from the other side of the tent. “I’m sure Brumm and Grimm will rejoice in your arrival. From what I understand, the child is being quite a hellion today.”

“When isn’t he?” Dewdrop mutters.

The little one in question comes zooming out from a different part of the tent, purring and giggling mischievously. They halt in the air and turn on a dime when they see Hum, hovering near them and chirring happily as Hum wraps them in a careful hug.

Brumm stumbles out, obviously tired and worn. “Ah, little Hum. Pleasure to see you,” he hums warmly. “Grimm’s busy at the moment, but if you and your sibling wish to stick around, we have a performance tonight. You’re welcome to stay and watch.”

Hum bounces happily before catching on to something.

Dear Gods, don’t let them have picked up….

They mimic Grimm’s horns on the top of their head.

“Grimm? Y-yes, what about him?”

They draw a little heart with their hands.

“Absurd! As i-if I…” But Divine betrays her, giggling loudly from her spot.

“You’re a quick learn, small vessel!” she chimes. “You caught Dewdrop in the act, there!”

Dewdrop blushes again, festering. Hum shows her that it’s okay, however, waving a hand dismissively to ward off the conversation further. Grimmchild perches on their shoulder, still purring loudly. 

“Anyways, like Brumm was saying,” she snaps with emphasis at Divine, “we do have a show tonight. You and Hawk are welcome to stay. Idolo mentioned something about covering your entrance costs if you cannot do so yourself.”

Hum nods happily, grabbing Dewdrop’s hand again.

#hawk n hum #idolo #dewdrop-hk #dewdrop #other peoples ocs #mav writes #i hope i got her right!! tried to make sure i didn't go overboard with anything but jsut let me know if somethings off and i'll fix it!!! :]

[shijiujun]

history3 ep10 summary - POOR SHAO FEI AND TANG YI BB, this is what heartbreak looks like

I JUST ABOUT DIED. I DID. THE LAST PART WAS MAD - just this 30 seconds alone carried the entire fucking episode

We are at the halfway mark - Part of me doesn’t want it to end at all but I need to see the birthday cake and domestic scenes ASAP!! Currently I’m just enjoying the ride and so glad we get to see Chris and Jake and Andy and Kenny and everyone of those other hot and excellent actors in this show. I’ve never done a GIF or subtitled in all my years on tumblr before History3 - life changing this is what this show is and I’m so happy we’re all doing this together! Let’s make it through the halfway mark together omgosh excited guys!!!!!

Shopping scene with Shao Fei + Hong Ye: Hong Ye is telling SF to walk faster they go into a department store and she keeps changing clothes OMG LOL THEY ARE SO CUTE TGT!!! She wears smth with ruffles and then asks SF how it looks and then he’s like ‘why do u look like a seaweed’ and she’s like ‘who’s a seaweed you’re a seaweed’ and then she dances LOL and then LOL HE FELL ASLEEP WHILE SHOPPING WITH HER AND LOST HER omg Shao Fei seriously

They’re playing a game on the escalator this is the funniest shit and OF COURSE she brings him to a lingerie shop and omg Shao Fei so poor thing just sits there and OMG YAS HONG YE SISTER-BROTHER RIVALRY and she buys him UNDERWEAR and she’s like “hang on a second, this is too big for you, you need a smaller one” LOL BURN

Carpark/shooting scene: They’re almost like friends or something, although later after we see the hong ye and bodyguard ah de scene you’ll realise why she was speaking to shao fei like that (because she knew smth was going to happen and she thought everything was going to go to plan but who knew they were coming with guns) and anw, then the bullets start going off and shao fei protects her with all of his body like OH MY GOD - And wow the angle of the shot and how it struck SF is totally wrong and omggg this scene was faster than I thought JESUS CHRIST - is it just me or did Shao Fei get hit on the wrong side? Either they missed a scene or the bullet came from elsewhere

and then we get the scene of tang yi storming into the hospital and he goes straight for hong ye first, hugs her as she cries etc. and then hot doctor is there and when hot doctor is NOT SMILING  YOU KNOW SHIT IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN - anyway, the nurse tells hot doctor that the surgery has been prepped, and then hot doctor nods and says ‘let’s go’ - and that’s when tang yi REMEMBERS AND LOOKS UP - “is that for meng shao fei?” And his look of absolute regret is ridiculous

and hot doctor just somberly nods 

Police chief STILL DOESNT KNOW THAT SHAO FEI HAS BEEN SHOT omg he’s going around doing his usual shit and everyone is clearing shit with him and fuck he misses shao fei so much I like that they finally show that shao fei is useful in the office and everyone is dependent on him and then suddenly Yu Qi turns up because she somehow got the call that shao fei is in the hospital

Oh goddddd Tang Yi’s face as he sits there AND LOL Dao yi (glasses guy) knows police chief quite well he called him Brother Bao, and tells him to calm down and they will take care of everything but POLICE CHIEF AINT HAVING NONE OF THAT BULLSHIT he pushes dao yi aside and this is one of the only times he can legit grab a mob boss by the neck and not get shot at after - police chief loves Shao Fei so much you can tell he totally lost it and Hong Ye genuinely feels bad and she’s saying sorry over and over to him as tang yi sits there catatonic - tang yi is totally quiet

also not sure if you guys caught it but the older guy in the investigative team, the one who always kind of says smth subtly bad about shao fei, he shot a look to bodyguard ah de when police chief was confronting tang yi in the hospital - they are totally up to something, corrupt police!!!!

The rest of the investigative team - LOL Zhao zi: “wow I’ve never seen police boss chief grab someone so much larger than him by the neck” - Yu Qi really likes Shao Fei, she’s crying by herself at the stairs and police chief is the one who’s standing by Shao fei’s door the moment he’s out of surgery and he scoffs “what ‘they’ll take care of everything’? the moment they heard shao fei was going to pull through they all left’- he tells zhao zi that they’ll start investigating who the fuck was behind the shooting and reminds them all to be careful

Captain Shi: “those who dare to touch any one from the investigative team, I’ll bring them all back to the police station!!!!”

OMG WE GET THE SCENE WHERE TANG YI IS HOTLY WALKING AND RIPPING OFF HIS JACKET AND OH JESUS CHRIST BRASS KNUCKLES?!!! Anw here’s the gem oh my god: Tang yi comes in where the culprit is already seated and he tells everyone to get the fuck out (OMG YOU KNOW HE MEANS BUSINESS) 

Ah De is like ‘boss, this is a small thing, let me do it’ - and he’s so damn insistent on interrogating the culprit himself even though tang yi is literally ready to set fire on the bitch you know and i’m like AH DE THAT IS SO NOT SMART YOU WANNA DIE?!

and well, we all called it - tang yi hears that and he’s like wtf and he gets mad, hauls bodyguard ah de off his feet and slams him against the wall and yells: “SMALL THING?! HE TOUCHED MY PEOPLE, AND YOU CALL IT A SMALL THING?!”

and bodyguard is like fuckkkk: “yes i’m sorry boss, i said the wrong thing, i’ll leave now”

and then he goes out and hovers by the door while tang yi puts on his brass knuckles and starts punching the dude who is yelling a bit like... not realistically HAHAHAHA - and omg Jack hit it right on the nail, he asked Brother De why he looks so worried and ‘jokingly’ asks, “why, do u know the person inside?” And Brother De is so angry and defensive - jack totally knows what is up

Brother de and Hong Ye meet up and here we find out that they ordered the hit on shao fei in a sense to get rid of him - they wanted to show tang yi that shao fei can’t protect anyone and then chase him away, but they were supposed to come teach shao fei a lesson with like wooden sticks and not guns - hong ye was a bit stunned by that as well and she asked ah de like wtf did you really want to kill me?! and ah de is like confused also, he doesn’t really know how the plan went wrong?! and hong ye is like, whatever, i will cooperate with you only up to here, if tang yi manages to get any answers, it’s all on you (like not cool hong ye, tang yi would totes forgive you if you just admitted it i think)

anyway, switch to the balcony scene with tang yi and jack, where jack asks who it was that ordered the hit, and tang yi says: “chen wen hao”

okay so my theory is that maybe chen wen hao really has smth to do with this - he kind of derailed the plan and changed it to legitly wanting to kil hong ye and shao fei (more hong ye than shao fei more likely) - but right now they dont know it they just think that they’re safe and their story checks out

Okay so Hong Ye and Dao Yi - Gosh she’s kind of a brat but I get where she’s coming from. anyway she leaves brother de and then dao yi is waiting for her in the carpark - the man knows he way better than she knows herself, and i think he knows that she had something to do with the shooting, but he didn’t say anything except to hint that she better leave shao fei up to tang yi and stop trying to interfere. hong ye is adamant that shao fei is a different kind of person from them, and dao yi is like: “that’s for the boss to decide. the way he treats him... shao fei is different to him”

OH MY GOD THANK YOU SOMEONE SAYING IT AS IT IS FINALLY NO MORE SUBTLE LOOKS AND SMILES SOMEONE SAID IT

and anw, hong ye manages to make this entire thing about her and how dao yi doesn’t love her - sister, i really get you and dao yi really needs to get his shit together, but srsly, a man just got shot for you because you were unhappy with his presence - and gosh unrequited (actually requited) love, but i get her in this part

but seriously, i get that she want shao fei out of the way but they way she did it was totally wrong, does she not know that tang yi is soft for him and cares for him like he has no one else before? she was willing to hurt him to make a point, and then ah de is - gosh dude get a grip

AND OMGGGGGG TANG YI’S FACE AS HE IS BY SHAO FEI’S BEDSIDE - this is what heartbreak looks like guys, he looks like he’s saying goodbye and his fucking expression - wow Chris did a fucking good job he totally looks heartbroken and as if shao fei died or smth, he’s holding his hand and air-tracing his nose and he looks like he’s going to cry - HE REALLY LOVES HIM GUYS - the emotion was really right on point

(and lol the chinese audience - they were scolding tang yi during the first part of the ep because he didn’t seem to have much of a reaction to shao fei’s injury and then when the last part came everyone went BATSHIT CRAZY)

what the fuck is going to happen next episode? i ask, but i know already - tang yi is getting ready to say goodbye to shao fei and push him away because he realised how dangerous it is for shao fei to be around him BUT OUR FAVE CHARACTERS WILL FIND SOME WAY TO BE TOGETHER AGAIN NO WORRIES I DOUBT THEIR BREAKUP WILL LAST MORE THAN AN EP

#history 3: 圈套 #history3圈套 #history 3: trapped #history3: trap #history3 spoilers #summary

[godaime-obito]

Kagatobi WIP

so id started a kagatobi thing before the semester took away all the time and energy i had for writing. ive tried to pick it up, and ive written some more but im not sure ill get back the feeling for it to finish it. if i decide not to finish it ill edit this and post it on ao3 but if i manage to get back inspiration i wont start posting till its almost finished. for now im posting it here, under the cut

Tobirama is exhausted. He’s been sorting through paperwork for far too long, and he knows he should go home soon, but there’s always another urgent form that needs taken care of immediately. He thought he had a lot of paperwork when he was just helping Hashirama, but since he stepped down and left the hat to Tobirama he’s been swamped. Anija has not returned the favor and given him any help, but to be honest when he does try to help it often makes things take longer.

He sighs, and goes to move on to the next form, when one of his anbu guards descend from their post to stand behind him. “Rabbit,” he says without looking away from the form, “What is it?”

“You look like you’ll have an aneurysm if you do any more paperwork, and it’s almost midnight. I can imagine what the obituary would be now: Nidiame-sama dead of a stroke at only 38, could defeat any foe but triplicate forms.” He stops to chuckle a little at the absurdity. “So, I’m doing my job as your bodyguard and protecting you,” Kagami finishes answering, reaching over Tobirama to grab the rest of his paperwork, “I’m just protecting you from yourself instead of assassins.

“I need to get that done,” he reprimands, “put it back Rabbit.”

“It’ll wait till tomorrow just like it always did for Shodai-sama,” he countered. He plopped the papers down in a filing cabinet and slammed it shut before adding, “and did you make up the entire anbu just so you could make me a rabbit because if so that’s a very complicated way to tease me. Why couldn’t I be Tiger or something?”

“You just look like a rabbit to me,” he says. He stands up, giving in to the request to take a break. He imagines Kagami is right about the work waiting for him just like it did for his brother.

“Are you calling me cute?” he teases, and Tobirama can tell he’s smiling behind the mask.

He hums agreeably and then teases back, dead-pan, “Don’t forget how fluffy and short you are. You’re a very soft little bunny, but I couldn’t just call you bunny, of course, since everyone else was getting adult animal names.”

Kagami sniffs, affronted, and pouts. “If you were any less of a sucker for order and regulations you’d have done it anyway,” he gripes. “Don’t come back in to work until after my shift guarding you is over, you should get a full night of sleep for once,” he calls out, as he moves back into position to follow Tobirama home.

Knowing Kagami can still hear him from his post he replies, “You shouldn’t order your Hokage around.” He’s mostly pocking at him, but he does have his image to think of if he wants to be able to scare all the various clan elders into line for village meetings. It almost gives him shivers just to think of what they’d try to pull if they thought he was willing to take orders from anyone except his own clan head.

He walks back to the compound briskly. Kagami’s shift ends in five hours, so he could still listen to him and be back to work by six in the morning. However, that isn’t really in the spirit of what he wanted, and will he really get much done if off duty Kagami shows up to nag him? No. He’ll wait a few extra hours then. He can sleep for about seven hours, have a quick breakfast, and be back in his office at nine.

Tobirama manages to avoid being derailed by Hashirama, or his granddaughter Tsunade whose only just learned to walk, but can still pull off grand panic inducing escapes. He arrives at Hokage tower just when planned. He pulls his paperwork out of the cabinet, and sets back to work. He’s regretting not having the time to get tea, when he heard a knock. Before he can invite Kagami in, because who else would it be, he swings the door open.

“Would you like some tea?” he asks setting a cup down on Tobirama’s desk without waiting for an answer.

“It looks like you already know the answer,” he replies. He takes a moment to hold the cup close to his face and bask in the steam. “Thanks. It’s nice to have some on reliable, responsible, around.”

“I’m not sure if that’s actually a compliment for me, or a vague insult for someone else, but I’ll take it,” Kagami chirps.

“The first paper I pulled out to look at today informed me that, my dear former student, Hiruzen somehow managed to set fire to part of the market earlier this week,” Tobirama grumbles in reply.

“I’m insulted, setting public property on fire is my clan’s job.”

“Don’t even think about it,” he warns.

“Kidding, kidding,” Kagami replies showing his palms in surrender, “no fun in the office, I get it.”

Tobirama gives him an exasperated stare. “I want it to be clear that if it weren’t so unbefitting for the Hokage to do so, I would roll my eyes at you,” he states evenly.

“Lies, Shodai-sama did things way less mature. The unasked-for hugging, the shouting, the crying,” he laments.

“All of that is why it’s important I keep high standards. I have a lot to make up for,” he clarifies.

Kagami stares, giving him a considering look, then drawls, “If you are always trying to balance out your brother it’s no wonder you never have any fun.” Perking up, he claps his hands together in front of himself and adds, “Shodai-sama was serious when it really counted though-”

“He was?”

“Don’t play dumb, it doesn’t suit you, and besides, you know best of all when he’s being serious,” he replies, crossing his arms. “Anyway, if you’re balancing him and he was serious occasionally, that means occasionally you have to have fun. I can’t remember the last time you did, so you’re overdo,” Kagami declares.

Tobirama has given up on getting any paperwork done with him here. Rubbing his temples, he slowly says, “I don’t like where this is going. I have a lot of paperwork, and issues to work on. For instance, your clan, who remain dangerously set apart, even now that Madara is no longer stirring up ill-sentiment.”

“That’s perfect! Think of it like multitasking. We’ll stay in at your place tonight, instead of you staying here till three in the morning, and we can brainstorm about how to help my clan together. I’d suggest we go out, but I know you’ll get more enjoyment at home with no strangers about,” Kagami gushes, sliding into a chair by the desk.

Tobirama didn’t realize that humans could talk that fast. He breathes out a deep sigh and responds, “Fine. Just let me do my paperwork now, and I’ll leave for the day at dinner.” His nose scrunches up as he adds, “I suppose if I don’t take breaks on my own, Anija will come to bug me instead of just you, and I’d much rather it be you.”

“Ah, your age-old talent of saying-something-that-I-can’t-tell-if-is-meant-as-a-compliment-or-an-insult,” he says wistfully, leaning his elbows on the desk, and resting his chin on his hands.

“Can’t it be both? It’s important I show my appreciation for all you do, but it’s also important as your friend that I don’t let you get a big head,” Tobirama deadpans.

“Right, what are friends for,” Kagami chuckles, “I’ll be sure to remember that the next time I want to compliment you.” He slides onto the desk and leans back with his ankles crossed. Tobirama would tell him to get off, but he sat on it almost the same way when Hashirama was Hokage, and even though he wasn’t there, he’s sure Kagami would somehow know and throw it back in his face. It’s best not to make a target of himself.

“Just stop by my house for dinner tonight, so you can eat with me and hold me captive in my own home to force me to stop working,” he huffed.

“Sure thing! See you later,” Kagami chirped, popping up from the desk. He slips quietly out of the room, as Tobirama turns back to his work, he has to go heckle Hiruzen a bit.

Tobirama has only just arrived home when he spots Kagami walking towards him. He’s holding some kind of take-out, which is good, because it’s late enough he doesn’t want to cook anything. Kagami knows him so well, or else he does not like his cooking. He hopes it’s the former, but it’s probably a little of both.

Noticing he’s been spotted, he calls out, “I picked up some udon. I figured you’d barely manage to beat me here.”

“My hero,” he replies. His tone is flat, but underneath he’s sincere. He opens the door, ushering Kagami in ahead of him. Tobirama heads in to the kitchen to make tea, while Kagami sits down at the kitchen table and sets out the food.

He sets out the tea, and joins the younger man at the table. He doesn’t bring up any of what they agreed to talk about yet, as he’s content to sit and eat in silence. Just being near Kagami is pleasant enough on its own, and he often finds a lot of words just bog down the atmosphere. It’s only when they finish eating, and move into the living room that he brings up their planned conversation.

“While you’ve got me on forced leave, tell me, do you have anything to discuss regarding the issue with your clan?” Tobirama inquires.

“I love it when you talk fancy,” Kagami sighs, his usual mixture of exaggeration and sincerity.

“That wasn’t ‘fancy’ talk, and please, answer the question,” he redirects.

He sits up in reply, settling into a more serious pose. “Well there hasn’t been any new big developments since we last spoke about it. Madara and other doubtfuls about the alliance got everyone riled up about trusting the village, growing unsettlement, not integrating probably, which makes things worse and worse as more clans have join, you know? Your normal signs of impending disaster,” Kagami says, slowly losing his serious air as he speaks.

The fact that it’s been getting worse means this isn’t a problem that will go away on its own. Tobirama is definitely going to have to do something, and preferably soon. After a beat, he says slowly, “Do you think your clan would settle if they felt they had a valuable purpose in the village? More than the new clans joining?”

Kagami perks up, cocking a brow. “Go on,” he says curiously.

“I think,” he starts, leaning in slightly, “that the Uchiha need reassured that they are vital to the village. Not that we want them to stay, but we need to them to stay. Or at least they need to feel like we need them, because if we do then it would not make sense for us to betray them.”

“Oh,” Kagami says, leaning in to mirror Tobirama, “I see. Well it’s worth trying, but what can we do to reassure my clansmen is the real question.”

Suddenly, Tobirama realizes how close they have gotten to one another. Leaning as they both are at the small table their faces are only centimeters apart. The atmosphere seems to shift for a moment, and he resists the urge to glance at Kagami’s lips. Pulling away, he refocuses on talking before he can blush. “That’s what we will have to figure out. Let’s give it some time and then reconvene,” he says stiltedly. Kagami likely did not even notice how close he was. He is much more prone to physical contact than Tobirama, who reasons to himself that he is probably reading too far into things.

“Right,” Kagami agreed, shifting back reluctantly. “I, uh, actually I should probably go now,” he adds looking at Tobirama considering, “Unless…”

“Unless, what?” he asks. He genuinely is not sure what Kagami could want at this point, after all he likely has much more interesting things to do than hang out with Tobirama. He is no one’s idea of an exciting time.

Kagami looks to be preparing to say something but then abruptly deflates. “Never mind,” he hesitates, “It’s nothing.” He pursed his lips, looking lost in thought, before standing up from the table.

Tobirama gives his farewell, and looks at the udon only partly finished on the table. He wonders what prompted that sudden departure. Deciding Kagami is perfectly capable of handling himself, Tobirama finishes eating and moves on to see if he can get some work done after all. He can wait to see if he will bring up what is bothering him on his own tomorrow.

Just as he’s sitting down at his home desk, he hears his door slam open. “Wait!” Tobirama hears called out from the entry. “I change my mind, I don’t have to go. I could feel you sit down to work from across town,” Kagami shouts walking towards the office. Strange, he thinks, but it is a relief to see he hasn’t altered his priorities any. Stopping Tobirama from getting any work done is still at the top of Kagami’s list.

“Get up from that desk,” he asserts, pointing a finger at him in an embellished motion. Tobirama lifts his hand in surrender and stands up. “Right, good,” Kagami continues, “I panicked, and left for a dumb reason, and we are going to ignore that decision.”

“Panicked?” Tobirama asks, mildly perplexed.

“I just said,” he retorted, “that we are going to ignore that. It didn’t happen.” Then he steps close to Tobirama, and presses a hand to his bicep to lead him down the hall. “We are going to sit in the living room, and talk about whatever thing you’re inventing, or book you’re reading, and not do any work,” Kagami asserts.  

That is, in fact, exactly what they do. As reluctant as he acted Tobirama is glad. It’s nice to talk to someone about his jutsus and his lab work who understands most of what he is saying, and doesn’t get bored half way through. He even manages not to have anymore, awkward almost-lip-staring moments, although the atmosphere he thinks only he may be feeling still descends part way into the night.

“I think I have to go for real this time. It’s getting pretty late,” Kagami moves to leave reluctantly, despite his frenzied departure earlier. Tobirama places his hand on the door frame as Kagami steps away from the entry. He turns back to face Tobirama, and steps closer placing his hand over his on the door frame.

Staring back at Kagami, Tobirama freezes, uncertain. “Is there something you need?” he asks quietly.

Looking determined Kagami states, “Actually, I am going to talk about earlier after all. I shouldn’t have just not left, I should’ve done this.” He grips Tobirama’s hand in his, and pulls it down from the frame towards himself, causing him to lean forward. Then pushing up on his toes to meet him, presses their lips together. For one, frightening, moment Tobirama doesn’t move, but then, as if coming back to himself suddenly, he moves his lips against Kagami’s. He moves in, shifting the angle, and interlocks their fingers. He pulls back, and runs his tongue across his lower lip. Kagami knows he should say something, but he finds he’s forgotten how to move his own tongue.

“I, yeah, that was what I…you kiss as good as I thought you would?” he stutters out. He managed to use his tongue, but unfortunately his brain still isn’t working.

“Have you thought about it much?” Tobirama replies with a smirk.

“Maybe regularly,” he admits, “but you kissed back, so I bet you thought about kissing me too, didn’t you?”

Tobirama hums his agreement, and Kagami abruptly feels rather stupid for not having just kissed him before. “If we’ve both been thinking off it for who knows how long, then we’ve wasted a lot of time we could have been kissing for real,” he whines.

“Perhaps,” Tobirama says thoughtfully, “we will have to make up for lost time.”

#fic:wau #fanfic #my fic #kagatobi #tobirama #kagami uchiha #kagami #naruto #tobikaga

[writingpaperghost]

To Be Yuji (Part 3)

To Be New:

Yuji has a job, now, and he’s actually pretty excited for it. It’s just. New people. How does one interact with new people when you’ve spent you’re entire childhood being ignored for being different? What if they all hate him? Oh, wait, hold up, this isn’t the room he’s supposed to be in – Oh, look a cool robot, and it’s cute too!

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27476341/chapters/67323484

Yuji was eighteen when Mayu showed up one day, with little prior warning. She was grinning, which could mean but a handful of things. But in his experience, when she was grinning like this and shows up with seemingly no reason, it wasn’t usually what one would describe as “good”. Maybe not “bad” but definitely not “good”. Still, his curiosity was peaked, because for some reason, this didn’t seem like the previous times Big Sis Mayu showed up. Although, Kurow still trailed behind her, appearing much more subdued, as he often did.

“Hey Yuji,” She grinned, prompting him to tilt his head. He was debating if he actually wanted to know what was going on, or if it would be better to just return to his research on a Kaiju - even if that was going very slowly and he really could use a break.

“I... I don’t like the look on your face, Big Sis Mayu.” He chose to say, setting his pen down, and closing his notebook. It would probably be easier to write his notes digitally, but Yuji was always fond of writing them down by hand in - one of his ever increasing - notebooks.

In response to his hesitation, it seemed like Mayu’s smile only grew. In the background, Big Bro Kurow seemed to stifle a laugh. Out of somewhere that Yuji could not see - he thinks it might be from behind her back but he’s not sure - Mayu produces some papers, placing them on the table. “How’d you like to put all that Kaiju knowledge in your brain to use?”

After taking a moment to regard her, Yuji then examines the papers placed in front of him. Before he could take much of a look at them, Big Sis Mayu spoke up again, “We have a bit of an... idea.”

Behind her Kurow snorts, “Admittedly, it’s been stewing for awhile.”

Mayu looks back at him, rolls her eyes, then returns her attention to Yuji, “Anyway, you know a lot more about Kaijus than most people. Yeah, it’s probably because you have a lot more to work with than others, but that’s not the point.” She places a finger on the papers, drawing his attention to them. The first thing he was able to see were the words below her finger, STORAGE. Mayu continued, “You see, STORAGE is looking to find someone with a bit more skill in the Kaiju department than they currently have. Given there’s a bit of overlap in jurisdiction between them and the AIB, we were ask first if we had anyone.”

Kurow speaks up, walking closer, “While we may not have a person working for us...”

There’s a glimmer in Big Sis Mayu’s eyes as she finishes, “It seemed like the perfect thing for you.” Yuji doubted it was just that, though. But what else was there...?

Whether he could tell Yuji still had questions or not, Big Bro Kurow at least answered one, “That and there’s always the chance that STORAGE will have to work with an Ultra at some time-”

“Whether your brother or Zero,” Mayu adds.

“-And it would do good to have someone with some kind of experience with Ultras to be there if and when that time comes.”

If Yuji were being perfectly honest, this whole thing seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up. He’d graduated now, but it wasn’t exactly like Kaiju studies was an actual course or career for him to otherwise pursue. (Monsters in this manner had only showed up a few years ago, there just wasn’t much in terms of research. Most of it was limited to the work of the GDF). Then there was the fact that this was about the only way he’d ever be able to so much as help protect Earth. He wasn’t exactly going to be able to go fight monsters like his brother (for a variety of reasons, he couldn’t fight, he just had Big Sis Laiha’s lessons in that regard, but the biggest issue was that he kind of... Well he kind of forgot how he constantly became an Ultra as a child. He grew out of switching and now was just sort of... stuck as a human. A very odd human, but small and squishy and not well suited to fight monsters nevertheless.) so this was his best bet.

“So!” Big Sis Mayu smiled, “What do you say?” Yuji wasn’t entirely sure that there was really much to that question. Most certainly they both knew that he would do it.

Still, he took one last look down at the papers and smiled, “Yeah, sounds fun.”

---

Yuji was very, very excited. It was his first day working at STORAGE. It would be great! Okay, so chances are it would be very boring, the likely hood of anything interesting happening was very low. Kaiju attacks weren’t horribly common, so he’d probably not do much. But still! He’d get to meet all the people who play a role in protecting people. He’d be working with them!

His walking slowed down. He now stood outside of STORAGE’s headquarters, though that wasn’t exactly why he stopped. He stopped for two reasons, one, he was early, two, well... He wasn’t exactly good with people and he hadn’t really taken that into account until now.

Stupid, stupid Yuji! Your social skills are nonexistent! How could you forget about that?!

With a frown, Yuji realized the large array of problems that would probably arise from the interpersonal aspect of this job. Like the fact he was really weird. He could talk on and on for hours about Kaijus, Don-Shine, Ultras, or certain other aliens. His classmates always said it was annoying, even if Suzume told him to ignore them. He was freakishly strong, at least as far as anyone else was concerned. He jumped too high and threw too hard, easily able to break something just by not paying attention to how he was holding it.

He decides that it’s too cold to stay outside (Never mind that he had a coat and it wasn’t all that cold out) and that it couldn’t be too early to show up. After all, it was his first day, so it’d be best to show he can show up on time. Or early. 

Unfortunately, the walk only brought his mind back to his previous thoughts. He was probably going to make a fool of himself and show how weird he was and then everyone was going to hate him and it would just be awful. If Yuji wasn’t already questioning every decision he made that lead up to this point - which were admittedly few - he sure was now. He was just going to be miserable, wasn’t he? In no more than a few hours, he’d want nothing more than for the Earth to swallow him whole, he just knew it.

He also had no idea where he was going. Because he had never actually been here before and he was pretty sure he was way too early and it was laughably easy to get into places. Where was he now? Oh god, he probably shouldn’t be in here, should he?

It seemed to be some sort of... garage? Maybe it was some kind of workshop, actually, given all the equipment he could spy lying around. It was early enough that there wasn’t really anyone around - sure he’d passed a few people with his wandering, but still - so he couldn’t figure it out from them. God, he was going to get in trouble for being here wasn’t he?

Perhaps if luck were less on his side - a weird thought - his thoughts would not have been interrupted. But they were - though not so much interrupted as derailed. He finally looked towards one of the walls and saw a giant robot, which one might say was overall in the shape of a trashcan but with arms, legs, and a streetlight head. But Yuji had looked into this exact robot a lot in the past three and a half years. It was Sevenger.

While Yuji’s mind was racing, partly trying to comprehend actually seeing Sevenger in person, partly trying to figure out how the hell he ended up here, he could only actually make one sound. A tiny, quiet, “Woah...” Despite how quiet the sound was, the empty room made it seem like it was a lot louder.

“Are you new here?” Somehow, despite the lack of noise in the room, Yuji had missed the fact that there was someone else in there. Maybe he was just too caught up in his thoughts. He spins to face this person, an older man with glasses, wearing a STORAGE uniform of a more of a light grey as opposed to a dark beige. Yuji knew enough to know that meant this man was a mechanic. The nametag with “K. Inaba” was above a pocket filled with pens, perhaps a pencil.

After Yuji’s brain took a moment to catch up, he responds, “Ah, well, uh, yeah,” He really wasn’t sure what to say or anything. “I just uh, well I guess I got here a bit early.” He finally managed to finish.

The man, Inaba, regarded him for a moment, “You’re the guy who likes Kaijus who’s supposed to start today, huh?” Yuji nods, deciding that would probably be better than trying to talk. Inaba continues, “Yeah, you’re pretty early. Most everyone else isn’t going to be here a for another two or three hours.”

“Oh,” Yuji muttered under his breath, “I guess I am that early.”

Inaba chuckled, “You are.” He took another moment to look at Yuji, before adding, “You seem pretty nervous, huh?”

Despite his best efforts, Yuji was pretty sure he looked like a deer in headlights. He had little idea if it would be wise to admit his fear. Maybe it would be better to try to pretend it’s not there? Then again, this Inaba seems nice enough, of course they’d only just met. No one ever really told him the appropriate response to these sort of things.

“Uh, a bit, I guess,” He finally decides on, “I’m not good with people.”

“I can tell.” Inaba turns his attention past Yuji, to look at Sevenger. “Guess this is your first time seeing Sevenger up close.” Yuji was thankful for the change of subject.

Especially because the change of subject was to something that he thought was cool. “Oh yeah! I’ve always thought Sevenger is so cool! I mean, beyond being a robot that fights Kaijus,” Yuji turned to look at Sevenger himself, “But also because even now the technology to do such a thing just seems so new. I mean if you were to ask, like, anyone four years ago if they even thought it was possible, pretty much everyone would say no. But here it is! A robot that has the power to effectively fight Kaijus - even if the batteries a bit short. I mean, Ultras can work with a three minute time limit - which is admittedly more than Sevenger’s minute - then it should be equally possible to deal with weaker Kaiju like the ones that a naturally occurring on Earth. Honestly, despite the shorter time limit I think it’s just as suited for dealing with a Kaiju as an Ultra. When you think about it, as a robot, Sevenger has built in armor and is much more durable than an Ultra, since it’s made of metal. Obviously, that come some draw backs, like mostly likely being susceptible to large amounts of electricity and the cold, although Ultras are also weak to the cold that that’s a mark for both of them. Of course, an Ultra is much more versatile in it’s capabilities as well as fighting style, but Sevenger has it’s rocket punch, so that at least gives it a range attack, even if it could result in it losing an fist. Then there’s the battery, though I assume it’s able to recharge rather quickly as Sevenger has been seen the day after a monster attack. I’d be worried about it’s battery life, though, if there were ever many stronger monsters, or other robots.”

By the time Yuji had finished his train of thought, he realized that he had, once again, been rambling. Bashfully, he turned to Inaba, “Ah, sorry. I tend to... Ramble when I get excited...” He tugged at the end of his sleeve and sighed, “It’s annoying, I know.”

Inaba laughed, “Well, it sure seems like you’ve done your research, and on more than just Kaijus,” Then his expression shifted, “And don’t say that. I think it was interesting to hear what you know. You were able to figure all those things out just from press releases and footage?”

“Uh... Yes?”

He leveled Yuji another look, “Honestly, I’m surprised you’re here just for your Kaiju knowledge.”

It took a moment for Yuji’s brain to catch up, still reeling at his rambling being called “interesting” as opposed to “annoying”. He blinked a few times before he finally spoke, “I, uh, thank you? I think?” He wasn’t actually sure the appropriate response. “I mean, I’ve been trying to figure out how Sevenger works since the first press release talking about it.”

Giving him an odd look, Inaba tilted his head, “That’s a long time.”

“Three and a half years? Give or take,” Yuji noted, “A little less time than I’ve been obsessing over Kaijus... Yeah, I guess it’s a while.” Truthfully, it wasn’t just time that contributed to his makeshift knowledge of Sevenger. He had at least one notebook worth - probably more - of notes on the matter. Three and a half years was plenty of time to figure things out, and to teach yourself some basic knowledge of electronics and engineering. Kaijus, Ultras, and Aliens were still his passion, but Sevenger was so cool, he couldn’t help himself.

Inaba smiled, “Ah, I’m Bako, by the way.”

With a frown, Yuji began to note, “You’re nametag says...”

“I go by Bako, that’s all.”

Yuji smiled, “Oh, okay. I’m Yuji Asakura, it’s nice to meet you Mr. Bako!”

This conversation lead to Yuji and Bako talking to pass the time. After a while, other mechanics filtered in, taking note of the extremely out of place Yuji. But instead of complaining or anything, they just gleefully answered many of Yuji’s questions. He actually wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there.

Then, while Yuji was talking to a couple of the mechanics, a man walks in - Yuji only noticed him, out of the corner of his eye, because he wasn’t wearing a mechanics uniform - and ended up talking with Bako. Yuji didn’t pay him much mind, though, because one of the mechanics was trying to insist that in a fight between Twin Tails and Gudon, Twin Tails would win. Which all evidence pointed to otherwise, and Yuji just had to explain that to this guy.

“There’s no way Twin Tails would win,” He said, “Gudon just all around has better chances at winning that fight. Unless this fight is in the ocean, as Twin Tails has a lot more ability in water than on land, especially against Gudon.”

And then he hears a laugh from behind him, “Ah, so I see why you’re here for your Kaiju knowledge.” The voice sounded vaguely familiar, though Yuji couldn’t exactly place where. He turns to look at the source of the voice. It was the man who had walked in, who Yuji at least took the time to look at the nametag of, now. “S. Hebikura”.

“Uh, well...” There were a few reasons that Yuji was having a hard time producing a decent response. One of them was, unsurprisingly, his lack of social skills and nervousness. The other was, more strangely, the fact that this man, Hebikura, seemed familiar. Yuji was certain that he’d seen him somewhere before and he didn’t think it was when he was researching STORAGE.

Bako walks up, “I’m afraid we distracted him a bit longer than we meant to,” Oops... “But you should probably take him now. Introduce him to everyone.”

Hebikura smiled, a sort of smile that made Yuji squint becuase something in his head just said it looked wrong on Hebikura. Which was weird because Yuji was pretty sure he’d never seen him before, even if he look familiar. Or maybe he had? But when...?

“Oh, yes. Come on, Yuji, let’s go introduce you to everyone.”

It took Yuji a moment to process what he said. “Ah, right!” Hebikura was already making his way out, leaving Yuji to jog slightly to catch up. They walk up the stair and enter a different room, this one was a lot smaller, with some desks. At one desk was a woman with glasses, fiddling with something on her computer, swapping between that and a tablet. At another was another woman and a man, who were currently arm wrestling. Yuji wasn’t sure what to make of them - mostly because he wasn’t entirely sure what he expected.

“Alright, everyone,” Hebikura spoke up, then gestured to Yuji, “This is our new Kaiju expert, Yuji Asakura. Be nice.” Hebikura walked away and sat at his desk, beginning to fiddle with some kind of slide puzzle - at least that’s what Yuji thought it was, but it was hard to tell.

Weakly, Yuji waved and squeaked out a weak, “Hi...”

The woman who was working with the computer and tablet at her desk stood up, rushing over. “Oh! It’s going to be great to have someone to help me with my work!”

Yuji backed up slightly, “Uh, and what do you do, exactly?” She seemed a bit... zealous, not that he could claim to be different, at times.

Then the other woman looks over to him, having now won the arm wrestle, “Yuka is a designated science woman, she works with the mechanics a lot.” She stands and walks over to him, “I’m Yoko,” She introduced, then pointed at the man who she’d just won an arm wrestle against, “And that’s Haruki. We’re the pilots here.”

Haruki squints as he looks at Yuji, “Uh, aren’t you a bit... young to work here?”

Well, that was a response that Yuji really wasn’t surprised to hear. He looked a bit younger than he actually was - Auntie Lumina said it was because he still had some baby fat on his face - so people had a tendency to think he wasn’t eighteen. He just sighed and answered, “I’m eighteen. I just... look younger, I guess.”

Not much happened for the rest of the day, which was great for Yuji. His coworkers were certainly interesting, though he was still trying hard to hide his oddness. He wasn’t... he wasn’t quite comfortable with them yet, he’d only known them for the day, after all. He also still couldn’t shake that he’d seen their captain somewhere before.

If only, going home that day, he knew just what was going to happen while he worked at STORAGE. He’d might have questioned the extent of his enthusiasm. What was the odds, after all, that Earth would ever need an Ultra like when his brother first appeared again. That the Ultra would be the disciple of his uncle - and really, who’d imagine Uncle Zero would have a student? - and everything that kept happening.

It wouldn’t really change anything, but Yuji doesn’t like life changing surprises. Especially not the kind that made him question if he was doing enough.

#to be yuji #yuji asakura #there's some zett characters here #now #my writing