#so he was supposed to be reading under a street lamp or something like that

[deboracabral]

Feuilly with a book for @thepiecesofcait. Thank you!

#Hello mr feuilly it’s been a while #ko-fi requests #feuilly #les mis #so he was supposed to be reading under a street lamp or something like that #and I refused to look up the state of public lights in Paris in the 1830s so uuuh don’t worry about it man

[oracle-of-dream]

Under Pressure

Summary: Jake is at a party with the rest of Enhypen. The boys are all looking for their partner for the night, but Jake feels hesitant to find someone. So the boys take it upon themselves to set someone up with Jake, to help him get there….

Notes: Enhpyen Vampires, Male Reader, Reference to Drunk Dazed timeline, idk what else

Wordcount: 3.6k

The night was cold and dark beside the street lamps that kept the street lit. You recheck your phone. It glowed the time, 9 PM, the time you were supposed to meet at this bus stop to ride out to the party.

You received an invitation hidden in your mail last week. A charcoal black envelope that read,

An Invitation To Our Bloody Birthday Party

And inside was the card with a neatly typed message.

You're invited to our bloody birthday party.

Sometimes, walking down the deadly path

Without fleeing from death itself

Can give rise to the most wondrous creation

We hope you will be able to come

The back of the card left instructions on where to find the transit bus to take you to the party. According to Google, it was some old mansion you hadn't seen before.

You didn’t want to go, but your friends got the same invitation. After being invited to the same party, the group decided you'd all go together. Even though the party felt strange and shady, your friends managed to coax you out of the house that night.

You texted your group chat, "Are you guys there already?"

You stared at your phone, waiting for a reply. Then you heard a soft honk in front of you. A bus was waiting with the door open.

"Are you getting on?" The driver asked.

You nodded and scrambled awkwardly into the bus. Other than the driver and you, it was empty. You took a seat toward the back, near a window, and put in your headphones. You played the first song in your playlist as you tried to distract yourself from the feeling of dread that hung on your shoulders. The bus ride was about twenty minutes, and you checked your phone every few minutes to check your messages.

Nothing, still.

They must be having such a good time that they're not looking at their phones.

The bus stopped down the street of a large house with music and red lights pouring out. You stepped off the bus, and it pulled away– the darkness of the lightless street taking over you. The only lights came from the single overhead lamp from the bus stop and the eerie red house.

You stepped into the darkness, along the sidewalk, toward the house. It was suffocating. Even the flashlight on your phone didn't make you feel any safer. And the sounds of wolves howling through the night in the distance make you almost break into a sprint.

Once you reached the house, you could see inside from the front door left ajar. It was full of people: dancing, drinking, laughing, and screaming people.

"The party is more fun on the inside, you know?" A voice tickled inside of your ear.

You turned around to see a handsome man in front of you with black hair and a sharp look in his eye. Judging from his taste in jewelry, he came from some serious money: Prada, YXL, and Louis Vuitton from head to toe.

He nodded to you, "You alright? Need something to drink?"

You shook your head. "I'm just trying to find my friends! They got here before me."

"Oh, I get you. I can help you look for your friends if you'd like. It's a big house. You can get lost pretty easily there," He smiled, his white teeth shining in the red light. "I'm Jay, by the way."

"Hi Jay, I'm y/n..."

He didn't hesitate to continue talking to you, "So, you have your invite? We can't just let anyone walk in."

"You're the bouncer?"

He laughed, "Not exactly. It's just my turn to watch the door. My brothers are inside enjoying the party, and it'll be my turn to enjoy it soon."

"You're brothers?"

"Yeah. It's my birthday tonight."

You let your jaw drop, "I-I didn't realize it was your birthday! Happy Birthday!" You awkwardly slapped his shoulder, trying to play it cool.

"Thanks. Why don't you go in and find your friends? If you see my brothers, tell them that Jake's gift is hidden somewhere in the house."

You nodded. You wanted to ask what Jay’s brothers looked like, but you couldn't help but feel that talking to him wasn't the best move. His eyes got sharp as if he wasn't looking at you but looking through you– listening very closely to something.

"Go on now. I've gotta greet some more guests soon," He said through gritted teeth.

You moved inside, worming through people and trying not to bump into anyone. Your friends were nowhere in sight. The air inside was foggy, like from a machine, but tasted sweet like strawberries. The lights made your eyes hurt at first, but it eventually passed. You ended up in a kitchen, one of the few quieter rooms in the house. Inside was a boy with platinum blonde hair holding a cup of red liquid.

"Oh? Someone lost?" He asked as he turned to face you. His eyes gave you the impression he knew something you didn't, and he wore a smirk on his face while speaking.

"Yeah. I was just looking for my friends," You replied.

"It's a big house. You should be careful you don’t get lost. Everyone is toward the living room and dining room. And, you can check the second floor, but you may walk in on some people enjoying the party," He giggled when he mentioned walking in on people.

"Oh yeah... that's no good," You were stiff with him. He was gorgeous, and you didn't know how to speak to him.

"You, okay? Need a drink to loosen up?" He held out his drink.

Shaking your head, "No, thank you. I like pouring my drinks for safety and everything."

He took a sip of it and offered it again. "See? Perfectly safe. So try some!" He pushed the drink closer to your hand. Somehow, the closer he got, the prettier too.

"O-Okay... One sip wouldn't hurt," You took a sip of the red drink. It tasted like strawberries mixed with club soda, but the carbonation was strong– and made you choke. "What's this again?"

He laughed at you, "It's just strawberry Fanta. Nothing special."

You stifle a cough to try and compose yourself, "Um, I'm y/n."

The man took another minute to calm down before replying, "Sunoo. It's my birthday today!"

You raised your eyebrows in surprise, "No way! Someone at the front door told me it was their birthday! Weird coincidence."

Sunoo tilted his head, "The door? You mean Jay, right?"

You nodded.

"He's my brother! My brothers and I celebrate our birthdays together, so today's all of our birthdays."

You feigned understanding of their weird birthday habit. "So, how many brothers do you have?"

"There are seven of us total."

"Seven–" Your eyes widened slightly.

Sunoo giggled at your reaction, "Yes. Me, Jay, Sunghoon, Heeseung, Ni-ki, Jungwon, and Jake."

The last name rang out in your ears, remembering Jay's words. "Oh! Then, I was supposed to tell you that Jake's gift is hidden somewhere in the house."

Sunoo raised his eyebrow, looking you up and down, "Oh really? Did Jay give any hints on what it looks like?"

You shook your head, "Nope. Jay must want Jake to go on a scavenger hunt or something?"

He nodded in understanding, "Then I should go tell my brothers so they can get Jake to start looking. Good luck with finding your friends!" Sunoo waved goodbye as he walked out of the kitchen, leaving you alone with the thumping bass of the speakers keeping you company.

There were no new messages from your friends. You sent them another text, mentioning you're looking for them before you leave the kitchen.

Heading towards another open area, you spotted someone who looked familiar across the room. In a rush to catch them, you stumbled on something and bumped into someone. Looking up at the person you bumped into, there was a huge red stain on his white shirt. The man's face spelled irritation. He was tall, had dark hair, and his skin was white like snow.

"Can you watch it!? Are you drunk?" He pushed you off him before storming down a hallway.

You dusted yourself off and stood up. Looking back to where you saw the familiar figure– the figure was gone. You frantically scanned the room, searching, until you saw the figure walking upstairs. You rushed to follow it up the stairs– moving through the living room. You saw a guy with brown hair and cat-like eyes watching you as you ran by. Something about him felt off, but you couldn't place it and didn't have time to stop.

Upstairs, you found a hallway full of closed doors. You couldn't see the figure anywhere, but you were sure they'd gone this way. You approached one door and put your ear up to it. It was hard to hear the music, but you could faintly hear moaning from the other side. You moved onto the next door, which was silent. You carefully turned the knob and started to push open the door. Before you could open it completely, you felt a hand on your shoulder that pulled you around. A man with black hair and a striped black and white shirt stood before you, red liquid dripping from his mouth.

"Hey there, pretty boy. What are you doing sneaking around up here?"

He boxed you in, he had you pinned against the door, and his grip was like metal. "I–I didn't know I wasn't allowed up here, I swear!"

He chuckled, "Nonsense! It's a party. Nowhere's off limits!" He pulled you closer, "Do you wanna enjoy the party with me–how about in there?" His eyes pointed to the door you were leaning on.

"I'm just looking for my friend. I'm kind of–"

"Lost?" He cut you off. "Please don't say lost..." His voice was still deep and sultry, but you could hear a soft tone of hurt behind those last words.

"Not exactly. Just turned around."

His mood brightened as he focused back on you, "What's your name, love?"

"It's y/n."

"Well, y/n. It's my birthday tonight, and I think I'd like my gift from you now," The man got closer as he spoke.

"W–Well, my friend has the gift!" You lied. You forgot it was a birthday party, so you didn't think about bringing a gift in the first place.

"You can give me something I want," He put his hand on your face, stroking your cheek. "God, your skin is so soft. Your lips are so cute. You're my type..."

"And so is everyone else, Heeseung. Take it down a notch," Another voice from down the hallway spoke. The boy from before on the couch approached the two of you, his eyes scanning Heeseun, "You've had too much to drink, so walk it off."

Heeseung looked like he wanted to protest, but the shorter boy pulled him closer, "Don't forget. Jake's gift is here. He needs this, and we all agreed to help."

Heeseung sighed before turning to you, "Okay, sorry, lovely. We can't dance together tonight." He winked as he wandered back toward the stairs.

The other boy walked over to you, "You okay? He didn't do anything to you?"

"No, I'm alright. Thanks for the save from that creep."

"My brother is a bit of an attention whore if he drinks too much, it's a horrible habit. I'm sorry about that."

You mentally punched yourself for calling his brother a creep, "Sorry about the creep comment! I didn't know–"

"Brother or not, a creep is a creep," He sighed. "I'm Jungwon. It's nice to meet you, y/n."

"How'd you know my name? I didn't tell you it yet..."

"You said it when Heeseung asked, didn't you?"

You nodded slowly, "Yeah... I guess I did." Did that mean he was standing there for that long before stepping in? "So, I'm guessing it's also your birthday?"

The boy nodded.

"Happy Birthday, Mr..."

"Jungwon. And you can drop the mister."

"Happy Birthday, Jungwon."

Jungwon smiled, "Thank you. I hope you're enjoying the party and my brother didn't bother you too badly."

"I'm enjoying it. I just really wish I could find my friends..."

Jungwon scratched his head, "They might be in the room at the end of this hall, the door on the right."

"Oh! That's amazing! Thank you!" You dashed off to find your friends before they had a chance to slip away again. But then it hit you– You never told Jungwon what your friends looked like. Turning to look where he was, he disappeared.

You went to the door Jungwon told you about, putting your ear up to it, no moaning this time. You checked your sides. No Heeseung either. You opened the door and poked your head in. Two men were sitting on the bed, both facing away from you.

"Jake, it's easy. You can't go this long without quality food. We both know that. This party is perfect, and these people won't remember a thing the next morning. You'll just be a weird dream to them," The first guy said. He turned in your direction, noticing you at the door. He had an eyebrow slit and blonde hair with an undercut. "Jake, it's time. Happy Birthday," He put his hand on Jake's shoulder, squeezing it tight, before leaving the room. He brushed past you, smelling like a soft mint, and his eyes looking straight into yours.

You could hear his voice, but his lips didn't move, "Don't be a letdown..."

You looked back at the second man in the room– he looked at you shyly. He had wavy blonde hair and a wet look in his eyes.

He jolted to his feet, "I didn't know someone else was–"

You put your hands up in defense, "No, that's all me! I didn't mean to interrupt your moment or whatever!"

Jake squeezed one of his wrists, "Would you come in?"

You looked back over your shoulder, out the door. Your friends were somewhere around here.

Jake's voice was more stern, "Come sit."

Your body moved into the room and obediently sat down on the bed. You were sitting next to Jake but couldn't stand and walk out, and your legs wouldn't move.

"You're a little close," Jake muttered.

You nervously scooted away from him.

"I–I didn't mean to leave! Please don't go!" He begged.

You moved back.

"What is happening?" You nervously whispered.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you do that..." Jake lowered his head sadly, "You hate me for that, don't you?" The look you gave him must've confirmed it as he shrunk into himself.

"Oh, I–I'm just a little confused. I'm not mad, I don't think." You assured him.

He sprouted back up. "Really? You're not mad? I didn't mean to do that– it just happens sometimes. My powers are fucked up since I haven't eaten in a while."

"There's plenty of food downstairs. I can grab you some."

He shook his head, "No, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"You met Heeseung, right? If he saw you walking around, he'd probably eat you on the spot."

"Eat me?" Your voice said disgusted, "I didn't know he was that creepy."

"My brother isn't bad! He's just had too much to drink." Jake said defensively.

The two of you sat in silence for a moment. Jake looked too nervous to speak, and you were still checking if your legs would work properly. A knock at the door broke the silence– a head peaked in slightly. It was Jungwon!

"Jake!" He called.

Jake looked at Jungwon, and as they locked eyes, it was just silence. It was like a conversation, but you couldn't hear anything, and their mouths weren't moving.

After a moment, Jungwon turned to you, "Hi y/n. I need a favor from you."

You nodded, "Anything. I still owe you for earlier."

Jungwon smiled, "Well, I'm going to use that now." He got closer and whispered to you, "I need you to seduce Jake."

You pulled away and looked at him in bewilderment, "Why!?"

"Lower your tone when addressing me," He commanded.

You suddenly felt small and helpless under his eyes, "Sorry."

"Jake. My friend here is interested in you, but he's a little shy. Could you show him a good time?" Jungwon emphasized 'good time' as clearly as he could for Jake. He smiled and shut the door as he left, locking it from the outside.

Suddenly, you were some sex sacrifice to his guy. And why were his brothers so desperate to get him laid?!

Jake turned to you, "Are you really into me?" His voice reverberated into you, commanding the truth from you.

"I'm not sure– I think I’m still mostly scared about not being able to control my body. I guess I just want to know what's going on..." You said frankly. You then realized your mouth was moving, "Why–"

Jake sighed, "I want to be honest and comfortable with you. Can I?"

You slowly nodded, cautious of his next move.

Jake moved closer, his hands resting on your thigh, "My brothers and I are vampires. And we feed on blood, just like the ones in the movies. But we've got some extra stuff, like commanding human minds."

You just stared at him, waiting for him to say he was joking. But he wasn't laughing.

"I–" Jake's face flushed pink, "I haven't fed on a human in a long time... and it's intimate."

"How long?"

"Like... maybe a hundred years?"

"Why?"

"That’s not your business," Jake looked up at you, deep into your eyes. "Please understand me..."

You immediately felt for him. Sympathetic even, "Of course I understand you, that's hard. I couldn't imagine having sex every time I was hungry."

He shook his head, "It's not sex! I'm not having sex with you to feed!"

"Okay! My bad!" You put your hands up in defense.

"I–I'm sorry. The hunger is making me moody."

"Can you eat like, not people?"

Jake nodded. "That's what I've always done. But after a while, it works less. I've started experiencing urges."

"Urges?"

"Like... if I'm not focused and I get hungry. I could devour a whole person if I get too hungry."

Your eyes widened.

"Well, not you! I won't do that to you!" Jake tried to hold you, but you shrunk away from him, "I also hate that. I don't like people looking at me like a monster. Heeseung lives for it, which is why he feeds the most out of us."

"Wait, all of you are vampires!? What about the people at the party? Are they vampires?”

Jake shook his head, "No. The party is how we stock up on blood for a long time. Luring in people, knocking them out, and then we drink some and store more blood elsewhere. The most that humans experience is a headache, like a bad hangover. They don't even remember us. Unless you're like Heeseung."

"What happened with Heeseung?" You shivered, feeling how he was so close to you.

"He... is a more traditional vampire. Drinking until they stop pumping, if you get me. But he believes sex is the best way for a human to end, to feel their high right before he digs in," Jake looked away as if remembering horrible memories.

"So, I just let you bite me, and I won't remember anything? I can still go home after," You asked.

Jake nodded, "Pretty much, but I don't like forcing people to–:

You rolled up your sleeve, "Is my arm okay, or do you have to be my neck?"

Jake hopped up, "You'd just let me drink from you?"

You nodded, "If I have to. I feel if I fight, I'd face Heeseung..."

"No, I'd never let him have you! You're nice!" Jake pulled your sleeve down, covering your veins, "I won't bite you unless you want me to. If you don't want me to, I'll sneak you out of the house and let you go."

You considered his offer closely. If Jake let you go, you'd remember the existence of vampires and probably ruin every vampire show for the rest of time. And if you let him bite you, then it's just a foggy memory. But then you remembered.

"What about my friends? If I leave, what will you do to them?"

"My brothers stick to our routine pretty seriously. So they should get the same routine as everyone else. A drain and release."

"Unless Heeseung."

Jake nodded, "Well, I can keep him off anyone else." Jake's eyes glittered in the moonlight from the window. They had an honest sense, loyal to their promises.

You sighed, "Promise me I won't end up dead."

"I promise. I'll guard you with my life," Jake smiled.

Laying back on the bed, you closed your eyes, "Okay... bite me then." 

There was movement and warmth, and you could feel his breath on your neck. You couldn't help but shake and brace for the pain. But it never came.

You opened your eyes slowly, holding your head and slowly sitting up. You were in a bedroom with sunlight pouring in from the window. The room was familiar, but it wasn't your room. You moved to sit in bed, only to realize you weren't alone. A handsome blonde man was lying in bed with you, both tucked under the covers.

"Jake?" You whispered, remembering everything from the night before until you closed your eyes. "Why do I know who you are?

#oracle of dreams #kpop x male reader #enhypen fanfiction #enhypen #enhypen imagines #enhypen x reader #kpop x male reader smut #sim jaeyun #enhypen au #jake x reader #enhypen jake #enhypen jaeyun #jaeyun x reader

[wisteria-beach]

Time after time | R.C

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x reader

Summary: When your boyfriend ditches you on the night of senior prom you end up running into the last person you would ever expect to see, Rafe Cameron, your best friends older brother who you haven't seen since he left for college three years ago…

Originally posted: 06/05/2023

Series Masterlist | Part two

_________

The sidewalk was cold, hard and uncomfortable to sit on but you barely felt it, too consumed by the swirl of unrelenting emotions threatening to overtake you. It was supposed to be the best - the most magical night of your life but instead it had been one long disaster.

Salty tears stung your eyes and made your phone screen blurry as you read the text response from your mom “sorry sweetie, I had to cover someone’s shift, can you get a ride home with Sarah?”

You swallowed and the action felt like glass in your throat “sure” you text back “see you later” as you thought about the fact that Sarah had already left, speeding off in Topper's shiny jeep with a smile brighter than the stars. 

She was happy, her prom had been perfect. Her date had shown up, bought her a corsage, danced with her all night long, all things that you couldn’t say had happened to you. And though you’d tried to have fun dancing with your friends the night had been ruined before it even began with your boyfriend's words swirling through your brain “Listen I just have better things to do than going to a stupid high school prom okay? I'll make it up to you.” 

That was what you got for dating a college guy… ”stupid high school prom” but it hadn’t felt stupid to you, you’d been dreaming of this day for what felt like your whole life. You had a binder full of dress ideas before you’d even finished middle school and dreams in your head about the perfect night with the perfect date. Josh had seemed like that guy, tall, a little older, handsome and sweet (only when he wanted something, your mind supplied in hindsight) but he’d ditched you after promising he’d be there and he hadn’t even bothered to tell you until the day of. 

A burst of anger swept through you knocking the air from your lungs and you swiped the tears from your cheeks as you unblocked your phone, pulling up his contact and hitting “block”. He’d known what this night meant to you and if he wanted to put a stupid frat party over you then you were done. 

You felt a strange mixture of sadness and relief as you saw his contact flash away, the delete button pressed. You realised that he’d never really been the dream boyfriend you’d wished that he was, that you were better off without him but it didn’t take the hurt away…the knowledge that you’d never get a do over for this night.

You stood up from the sidewalk, unhooking your heels and tying the straps around your wrist - if you were going to walk home you might as well do it semi comfortably. The concrete was cold under your toes and goosebumps flecked your arms with the breeze, it was an unseasonably cold day in the outer banks and you felt like it was just yet another slight the universe was throwing at you that you had to walk home, freezing in your dress. The perfectly miserable end to the perfectly miserable night. 

The walk was long but the streets were empty, everyone locked away neatly in their houses sleeping happily or basking in the afterglow of post prom parties. It seemed like you really were the only one left and the darkness seemed extra vast for it, the orange street lamps luminance making everything look a shade more eerie. But then you heard the roar of an engine and you crossed your arms over your chest protectively, pointedly not looking its way, hoping it would pass you by quickly. 

But the vehicle didn’t speed ahead, it slowed down and eventually you were forced to turn to the side to see that the bike had stopped beside you and the driver turned your way, removing his helmet. 

Your heart sped up and skipped a beat, was this day really so terrible that on top of everything else you were about to get kidnapped too? You were completely and utterly alone on the dark side street and you wondered if running would make any difference to your fate but then the helmet was off and your eyes went wide, mouth gasping as you realised who it was. 

“Rafe Cameron?” you asked, he looked different, more muscular, older, sexier your mind supplied. Though you weren’t sure why that shocked you. After all it had been almost three years since he’d gone off to college and you’d last seen him. 

The corners of his mouth turned up in a grin, his own eyes widening and flicking up and down your frame appreciatively. Your cheeks heated up and you turned away from his striking eyes. 

“Y/N L/N? Is that you?” he asked the slight edge of disbelief in his voice “what are you doing here?”

Your eyebrow quirked up, amused at his question “well I live in the obx…it’s not unheard of for me to walk down the street you know, question is what are you doing here?”

You knew from Sarah that Rafe didn’t come home often, mostly only when he was obligated to like at holidays and even then his presence wasn’t guaranteed. 

He shrugged “would you believe it if I said that I was homesick?” 

“Not really.”

“Fair enough.”

There was silence for a beat and then you blurted out “you look good by the way, really good” your eyes went wide as you realised what you’d just said out loud “I-I just mean college suits you…you look healthy. ”

You cringed internally at your choice of words, healthy? Seriously? Exchange a few sentences with him and suddenly you were back to the stuttering, blushing sixteen year old fawning over her best friend's older brother and ‘heartbroken’ when he left for college. Even the memory of it made you cringe.

“Healthy?” Rafe repeated a teasing smirk pulling at his lips as he seemingly knew what you had really meant.

You swallowed quickly “yeah…”

He laughed, the mirth reaching his eyes and you couldn’t help but laugh a little bit too.

“Well you look hot .”

Your cheeks flamed and he grinned “ smoking hot…what happened to my little sister's annoying best friend?” 

You looked down at the tires of his bike trying not to let him see your smile “you left…she grew up…that’s how time works you know.”

“Really? Thanks for the lesson…hope she didn’t forget about me though…”

“Oh she didn’t think of you once” you said, flashing him a teasing smirk your conscience laughing at the blatant lie…he had crossed your mind more than a few times over the past 3 years…the fact you checked his long abandoned facebook every couple of months was proof of that, but it wasn’t something that he needed to know. 

He threw a hand over his heart “ahh still annoying I see but you wound me.”

“So you thought about me then?”

“Everyday and night, ace.”

Your heart skipped a beat at the long forgotten nickname from childhood (a relic of your slight obsession with the pet detective movies) and you looked down coyly “oh I believe you, bet you have a shrine to me in your dorm don’t you?”

He stuck his tongue in his cheek to stop his laugh and nodded seriously “with candles.”

You giggled “you’re an ass Rafe Cameron.”

“And you’re a dork Y/N L/N.”

There was another, more comfortable pause of silence until Rafe interrupted, repeating his question from earlier.

“So what are you doing here?”

You shrugged “walking home, my moms got the car.”

He frowned “it’s prom night though.”

“So?”

“Well shouldn’t you be off having fun at an after party, sucking face with your date or whatever people do after prom? I know it's been a while since I was in high school but I'm pretty sure people don’t just go home alone.” 

You sighed “I just…didn’t feel like it I guess.” 

He crossed his arms over his chest and your eyes instinctively followed the movement of his muscles flexing against his white t-shirt.

“I don’t buy it” he shook his head slowly “you are the same girl who would dress up in a disney princess dress and decorate the living room to watch prom movies all weekend, right?”

You pressed your hands to your face groaning “ oh my god …yes that was me but I would like to remind you that i'm not nine anymore, thank you very much. I can’t believe you remember that.”

He laughed “Are you kidding? Of course I do, you and Sarah monopolised the tv every weekend I could never watch monster truck racing.” 

“Oh the horror” you said sarcastically.

 “No but seriously what happened, why are you all alone?”

Your heart sped up a little “nothing” you lied but you couldn’t look him in the eye. 

“C’mon” he urged you “it’s me , you can tell me.”

You sighed and turned your head away acting like watching a sparrow hopping across a telephone wire was the most interesting thing to look at. 

“y/n…this is prom , it isn’t right that you’re just going home. Where’s Williams?” 

You turned to him with surprise, you didn’t realise he knew the name of your boyfriend, but you shrugged it off thinking that Sarah must have told him. 

“He didn’t come.”

Rafe’s eyebrows shot up “ what ? Your boyfriend didn’t come to prom how -”

You cut him off, wincing at the word boyfriend “ex actually.”

“Since when?”

You shrugged again, holding up your phone “since I blocked him about 20 minutes ago?”

Rafe’s eyebrows shot up so far they practically reached his hairline and he leaned against his bike with a look of confusion and shock “listen ace, you’re gonna have to give me a little more, what happened?”

You deflated with a heavy sigh you didn’t want to hash it back out, you already felt stupid for feeling so upset in the first place over prom and you didn’t want Rafe to see that too.  “Why does it matter?” you asked dejectedly.

“Because” Rafe said, “if i'm gonna put him in the hospital anyway i'd like to at least be able to give an explanation to the cops.”

Before you could help yourself you were laughing, pressing a hand to your lips to stifle the giggles when you saw he was deadly serious, leaning against his bike with a look of fury and righteousness on your behalf. 

“You can’t beat him up Rafe.”

“Why not?”

“Assault is kind of illegal just in case you weren’t aware” you teased and he rolled his eyes. 

“I'd still do it for you.”

You smiled, looking down at your shoes as you said softly “I know.” 

Before you could register the movement he’d stepped closer and you felt the blood rush to your cheeks as you registered the enticing scent of his cologne and his fingertips briefly  brushed your skin as he reached out to tuck a flyaway strand of hair behind your ears. 

“Ace” he said gently and you looked up momentarily stunned by just how blue the shade of his eyes were, like the ocean bathed in the glow of the moon “c’mon it's me, tell me what happened.”

Just like that your walls crumbled and before you could stop them the words were tumbling from your lips, tripping over one another as they rushed out “he ditched me…he promised that he’d come and then he text me 20 minutes before he was supposed to get here that he wasn’t coming, he didn’t wanna miss party of the year in his stupid frat or whatever and I guess I just feel so stupid for trusting him…for letting him ruin everything and…”

You had more to say but the words clogged in your throat, lips choking on them until all that came out was a sob as your eyes filled with hot tears and you didn’t have a second to feel mortified that you were crying in front of Rafe Cameron, Rafe Cameron who you’d loved since the moment you’d set eyes on him, because he reached out and folded you into his arms and you instinctively leaned into his embrace. 

He smelt like cedarwood and pine and the faint scent of the leather jacket that he'd worn earlier but most of all he smelt like home. Like fresh laundry and hugs that took your breath and your fears away. “It's okay” he murmured, stroking a large hand through your hair and you felt the pins keeping the style in place fall out the locks tumbling over your shoulders and making you feel surprisingly free and for a half a second you laughed wondering what mini you and mini Rafe would have made of the two of you actually getting on for once. 

“I'm sorry” you murmured, mortified by the tears, and if you were being honest a tiny bit of mascara, staining his white t-shirt but he just shook his head.

“You have nothing to be sorry for ace.”

You groaned, hiding your face in the comfort of his chest. “I do, I'm being so pathetic…it’s just a stupid high school dance.” 

He pulled you away from his chest but kept the contact, his arms warm and firm on your shoulders as he made you look at him and the sincerity on his face. 

“You are not pathetic” he said and when you shook your head he gripped your shoulders harder “no listen to me you’re not, he’s the pathetic one because he could have been spending his night with a beautiful, smart, funny girl and instead he gave all that up.”

You tried your hardest not to blush, his words filling you with warmth but making you shy at the same time. “And if you won’t let me kick his ass will you at least compromise and let me run him over with my car?”

You snorted and then nodded slowly “okay but you have to call the ambulance afterwards.”

He grinned and reached out to shake your hand “deal.”

He bumped his shoulder against yours, his eyes sparkling against the darkness of the night “there’s that pretty smile.”

“Shut up” you mumbled, flushing, and he grinned harder. 

Suddenly he was pulling away and before you register what he was doing he’d grabbed his leather jacket from where it was slung around the handlebars and wrapped it carefully around your shoulders and you smiled at him grateful that he’d noticed you were cold. 

His jacket was soft and best of all it smelt like him and you couldn’t stop yourself from closing your eyes and enjoying that comforting smell if you’d tried. 

“Hey daydreamer” his shout pulled you from your reverie and you saw he’d kickstarted the engine on the bike “c’mon i'll give you a ride.”

Your eyes went wide and he smirked “on that ?”

“you scared?” he taunted lightly “what you don’t think you could handle a bike, ace?”

“Are you challenging me Rafe Cameron?”

He shrugged “maybe” and you grinned.

“Oh fuck it” you said as you swung a leg over the bike and he positioned your arms so that they were wrapped tightly around his waist.

“Don’t forget to hold on” he called out and then suddenly you were flying….

Or at least it felt like you were flying, you’d never been on a motorbike before and you quickly discovered that it was fun, the wind rushed around you like you were a speeding bullet and the trees shading the coast blurred into dark green shapes. It was thrilling and fast and you buried your face into Rafe’s back resisting the urge to whoop like you were on a rollercoaster. 

“You missed the turn in for my street!” you shouted after a while and you felt rather than heard his laughter. 

“I never said I was taking you home ace, the night is still young.”

And you thought that maybe this tragic, horrible, miserable night might not end as such a tragedy after all.

#rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron x you #rafe cameron x y/n #rafe cameron x reader fluff #rafe cameron fluff #rafe cameron imagine #obx

[wordsinhaled]

if the walls were too thin, you would break right in

-

hob’s first thought when he finds out who his friend is turns out to be: why does dream of the endless look so bloody tired?

his second thought is: oh god, but i’ve dreamt about him.

hob purchases a new blanket for his flat that very week. he drapes it as casually as he can manage over the back of his couch, should dream ever decide to stop by and happen to fall asleep. it’s just thoughtful, isn’t it? never mind that morpheus has never put in an appearance at his flat before. you’re being presumptuous, hob gadling, he tells himself, even as he reads about the best lighting and environmental conditions to promote healthy sleep hygiene, and considers the practicality of switching out all the bulbs in his bedroom.

he does so much research on rest and relaxation that even his dreams start to take place in calmer settings—in five-star spas and tropical wellness retreats and infinitely-more-comfortable versions of his own bedroom. no matter that the real morpheus has never visited one of hob’s dreams, either. and certainly no matter that most of what goes on when hob does envision his own version of morpheus in such idyllic dreamscapes is decidedly far from any definition of rest, and he often wakes guilty and tangled in sweat-damp bedsheets the morning after.

hob is quite adept at convincing himself dream cannot possibly know about those dreams. for his sanity, he supposes.

then one night hob goes to sleep, and dream is there, the real one, in hob’s dream-bedroom, with the lamps turned down low and the essential oil diffuser humming quietly on the bedside table. except... this is a different room, hob realizes. the sheets on this bed are an indulgent sateen, dark and slightly shimmery, like a calm ocean on a moonless night. he thinks he smells the familiar sandalwood base note of his own cologne on the air, blending with something new... neroli, maybe, clean and a little bitter.

“hello, hob.”

dream sits on the edge of the bed, looking at him. there’s a knowledge in that look that reaches down even unto hob’s bones, and hob isn’t sure if the room is very warm, or if he’s just about to combust on the spot.

“fuck,” he says, eloquently.

dream arches one elegant eyebrow, gaze unwavering. “have you not dreamt of this?”

“well—” hob hedges. dares to venture a few steps further into the room. closer to the bed, to dream. “not of this, exactly.”

“i have borrowed nothing. i crafted this dream entirely myself, though i drew on a wish that i believed i sensed in you.” dream purses his lips. “to visit the dreams of a friend without invitation would be more than untoward,” he says, as though reminding hob of an obvious fact.

it seems to hob that he’s on the verge of stepping off of a cliff, a high tightrope, a gangplank. far below him lies terra incognita—treacherous rocks—an abyss—churning waves that will pull him under. the electrifying potential of dream’s full regard tempts him forward. to a fault, hob knows he’s never been able to resist plummeting toward it.

“and do you,” he swallows, his throat abruptly dry, “often conjure up dreams of... romantic bedchambers, then? for your friends?”  

“no,” dream says.  

the simplest of answers, and the exact one he’d been angling at with his question, yet hob still feels dumbstruck by it, his pulse loud and quick in his ears. is this real? no, his mind supplies helpfully, this is a dream.

in a dream, anything can happen.

but hob must stay silent a beat too long, or perhaps time moves differently here. in the space of the next second, dream rises from the bed, flowing to his feet with pantherine grace and coalescing into a long, dark shape at the footboard. “if i sensed wrong...”

is dream about to... how had he put it in 1889? take his leave of hob’s subconscious? hob doesn’t think he could possibly stand it now, here, with all that he longs for near enough to have at last, and without even the recourse of a damp london street to follow dream out to. or maybe the nightmare of those regret-steeped cobblestones lies eternally in wait for hob, just beyond the door of this liminal bedroom.

hob resolves, then and there, that he refuses to find out.

in the dreaming, it’s a matter of one particularly pointed thought for hob to find himself standing in front of dream, near enough to touch, and this time he does what he could never bring himself to do before: he reaches out, carefully, and takes dream’s clenched hands in his—hands as soft as hob has ever thought they might be.

“don’t go,” hob says. “or wouldn’t you like to know how right you were?”

for an eternity dream stares at him, unblinking. hob stares back for another one, determined to wait him out. it works: dream must see something in hob’s face that satisfies him, because he relaxes, by degrees. first his fists uncurl in hob’s grasp; then the taut line of his body unspools; finally, his features shed the last of their tension, and hob sees, once again, the same dream who had settled into the rickety chair across from his at the new inn and said, you may call me dream of the endless...

“i am all eagerness,” dream agrees, low and suddenly quite close, and startlingly earnest.

hob slants a smile at his maddening ancient friend, so long coveted that it’s all hob can do to breathe through the sweet ache of it. “i’d like to kiss you now,” hob says, “if you’d have me.”

“oh, hob gadling.” the way dream looks at him, the plain heat of it, catches in hob’s chest like a flame consuming kindling. “i would have you.”

the moment they kiss, hob thinks he sees, with startling clarity, why dream has been warning him off, all these centuries. hob understands the reason in his marrow, like some primordial truth: there can be no returning from this. no unknowing what dream’s mouth feels like pressed to his, scalding as a brand. no forgetting the single-mindedness of dream’s touch. it’s like hob’s universe shifts, tilts on some new axis, swims a little bit at the edges, and comes back into focus differently.

dream makes a small knowing sound before he draws back, leaving hob inexplicably bereft, as though a part of himself goes missing now whenever their lips don’t touch.

“god, you feel—” like a dream, hob almost says, and the thought makes him huff out a laugh, breathless in disbelief. dream’s eyes are blue no longer but dark, soft with a wash of mirthful stars, bursting with galaxies. fathomless. “—like nothing i could imagine.” and like everything.

“i might say the same of you,” dream murmurs. his voice vibrates through hob, thrums and settles down warm in hob’s belly. there is a flush high on dream’s cheeks, now—a flush, hob thinks with wonder, that he put there; a tell his friend lets him see. it makes dream look almost renewed. hob thinks of the new blanket draped over his couch, back in the waking world. pictures morpheus there in his living room, wrapped up in the blanket, sleep-tousled and well-kissed and lordly as ever.  

then the dreamscape begins to shiver and shudder, to splinter apart into indistinct motes and fragments. the bed, the walls, the floor all fall away into swathes of stardust, until the most solid thing left to hob’s eyes and in his arms is dream. hob tenses. “what’s happening?”

dream smiles, just barely. almost rueful. “you are waking.”

hob understands, then, another truth: it’s going to be a task to drag himself away from this to his black coffee, to his regular tuesday routine. life is always presenting him with new resplendent joys—but how is he to be parted from this one? morpheus twines his long fingers into hob’s hair, clasps the nape of hob’s neck in his cool palms like hob is something precious to him, like he can hold him here a moment longer.

maybe he can, hob’s king of dreams.

"dream,” hob says, willing the insistent tug of consciousness away with all the considerable obstinacy he possesses. “if i’m to wait another hundred years—”

and then hob is in his bed—his actual bed—blinking away the bright mid-morning sun filtering through the curtains, his next words sticking in his throat unspoken. hob turns his face into his pillow, utterly disoriented, and finds the faint scent of neroli lingering there like a gift. the sense-memory is instant, jolting through him, pinning him there in his sheets, relentless as dream himself.

kiss me again, he’d been about to say, a hundred times. a thousand.

#the sandman #dreamling #this is not showing in the tags so i'm trying to repost and see if it will appear -_-

[huffle-dork]

Swap Across the CrystalVerse Chapter 15: The Bad End

Read Swapboys | Crystal’s AUs| You've reached a Bad End (Also on AO3!)

Read SITCV | SATCV Masterpost | AO3 Link

Jackie lands by himself. Unlike the isolation of the last location, this time he is in an urban area. It's twilight, with bright light coming from windows and street lamps. He's arrived in a small green location, a closed-in park, if it can be called that when Jackie can see all of the corners from where he's standing in the center. And though he's landed without any of his companions, he is not alone. 

"Whoa!" a voice says in surprise. A couple is standing around, under the only big tree in this park-like area. One is a man with brown hair, wearing a jacket and fingerless gloves, and the other is a woman with dyed-blonde hair, wearing an oversized green hoodie. They're both staring at Jackie. 

"So," the woman says, identifying herself as the shouter. "They were right, after all." 

The man nods. "I mean... of course. They're usually right, even if, uh, this hasn't happened before."

Jackie shakes himself out and then jumps as he hears the shout. He holds his hands up and then blinks at the couple. "uh.... who was... right about what? ...Something about me I'm guessing?" He laughs nervously, messing with his hair.

"Yeah." The man laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Our... friend, Sam. They told us you'd be here. I mean, not you specifically, They actually said that it might be one of four people and one of them might be dangerous, but uh... yeah. We know you're from another universe." 

"I'm Stacy," the woman says. "This is Chase."

Jackie blinks more, "Oh... okay well... that makes this a whole lot easier then. That's... a relief." He does looks pretty surprised to see Chase and Stacy but- he really should be getting used to this by now, huh? He points to himself with his thumb, putting his other hand in his jacket. "I'm Jackie. Nice to meet ya both."

Chase laughs again. "Yeah, I can see it. You look like how our Jackie looked." 

Stacy glances around. "We shouldn't stay in one place too long," she mutters. "If there's supposed to be four of you, we need to find the other three. I hope Sam was right about where they'd be. I hope that our teams can find them." 

"Jack can check on them," Chase says, looking to the side like he's looking at something invisible. "Right? Okay, yeah. No, go on, the sooner the better." 

One of the nearby street lamps flickers, a few sparks flying off from the bulb. "Sorry, you're probably really confused," Stacy says to Jackie. "But we can talk while we walk."

"Uh... yeah- massively but, that'd be grand." Jackie says, looking around anxiously. "...I also don't like how you said... 'looked'. But.. I feel like that'll get explained? Hopefully?"

Chase sighs as they start to walk. "Yeah... um. So. I don't know how things work in your universe, Sam didn't explain that, but here we have, uh... someone. We can't say his name, that draws his attention, but he's like--like a living glitch." 

"That doesn't really explain much," Stacy points out. 

"Look, it's hard to explain. Basically, this guy started out by haunting me and my friends, a-and then, somehow, he learned how to mind control people. We call it corruption. Our Jackie got corrupted, a-and then the rest of us did. And then he started moving on to corrupting other people, too." 

"There's a small group of us who know about this," Stacy adds. "We're stuck in hiding, trying to figure out a way to fix this. Recently, though, we did make a breakthrough. We might be able to uncorrupt people, a-and Sam says that if we uncorrupt the rest of Chase's friends, we can go after him directly."

Jackie listens with wide eyes, "...oh... woah. That's... that's like super intense right off the bat." He pushes his hair back and takes a shaky breath. "Okay so... wait-" He looks at Chase, "did you get... corrupted too? you said- the rest of us did. I'm assuming you mean like... me, you, henrik, jj and ...marvin?"

Chase hesitates, then nods. "Y-yeah. I did. I just got freed recently, actually." 

"The first time something like that happened," Stacy adds. 

"A-and you're right, it was the five of us," Chase says. "Our friend Jack was put in a coma... though, uh, apparently he... broke free of it? I-it's hard to explain." 

"Basically his mind is wandering around as a ghost," Stacy explains. "With similar powers to him." 

"A-and sorry for all the intensity," Chase adds. "I just... don't know what he would do if the corrupted found you and your friends. So we have to go fast. Wh-where do you guys usually appear? Sam told us possible locations, but They weren't sure."

“Well… I guess now we know it’s possible…” Jackie mumbles, nervously playing with his hoodie strings. “Um… I dunno- usually near… others like us. Which if like- the rest of them are corrupted… that’s really not good-“

Stacy inhales sharply. "Yeah. No. Not good." 

"Most of them don't even leave the Place all that often," Chase mutters. "Oh. Uh, that's like... a pocket dimension. Where the corrupted have their main base." 

"We'll get you back to our hideout first," Stacy says. 

“O-Okay…” Jackie replies quietly, looking pale. God… could these corrupted guys be more powerful then bro and Alt? And maybe even Mag? That’s… terrifying to think about honestly. He sticks close to Stacy and Chase, eyeing the shadows like anything could pop out at them- holding Alt’s pocket knife he still forgot to give back. 

The group walks up to an alleyway, walking into it. There's a door tucked away here, one that looks like it hasn't been opened in years. Stacy opens it up, revealing a staircase going downwards.

Jackie blinks at the entrance, looking around. “Woah- okay… gonna ignore how that’s very creepy.” He follows them down. 

"You get used to it," Stacy says. 

There's a camping lantern hanging on the wall just where it starts to get dark. She grabs it, turning it on. The staircase ends, and a rough stone tunnel leads ahead into the darkness. 

"There are tons of caves under the city," Chase explains. "Entrances all over for, like, spelunkers and urban explorers and shit. But not all the caves are mapped, so that's where the group hides out." 

Jackie whistles, impressed. “Damn- hope nobody has claustrophobia.” He mutters.

"They open up eventually," Chase says. "But yeah. Marvin would hate it here."

“…Alt might too. He’s been kinda… weird about tight spaces lately. But… if it’s the only safe space I’m sure he’ll understand.” He shakes his head, “Alt’s one of my friends by the way. The other is Chase- like you. But he also goes by Bro Fantastic- he’s a superhero. So… hopefully he’ll be okay…”

Chase laughs. "A superhero? Bro, I'd love to be a superhero. The Jackie here was actually doing some vigilante work before--he didn't have any powers but it's the closest thing to a superhero we had. His day job wasn't that exciting, though, just food delivery. Then Hen was a doctor, a surgeon, Marvin did stage shows, JJ... is a bit complicated, he did some work from home, and Jack made videos on YouTube, let's plays." 

"This guy made YouTube stuff too," Stacy says, nudging Chase. "Throwing stuff around the house." 

"Trickshots! They were... averagely popular."

“Hey! I’m a YouTuber too! I do parkour- recreating stuff from comics and movies.” Jackie says with a grin. “Man… always so weird to see so many places have stuff similar but… we’re the odd ones out. It’s always hard to imagine my lads the way yours are.” He laughs. “Alt’s a magician- in like the learning magic sense. He also does shows though- illusion shows with like neat lights and stuff. Our Jays is a doctor- a therapist. And Henny, he’s the actor- a damn good one too despite being deaf.”

"Whoa, really? Alt sounds cool," Chase says, grinning. "Marvin does magic too--real magic." 

Jackie grins. “Alt is cool. He can be… kinda rough around the edges but he’s a good kid, deep down.” 

"Can't picture Henrik being deaf," Stacy comments. 

"Yeah, that's a bit weird. So I'm guessing you know BSL then? All of us do, too, since JJ can't talk. That could come in handy."

“Yeah we know it. I sprung to learn it once Henrik came along. I knew some from knowing J is college though. Sometimes he goes non-verbal. …more so recently.” Jackie mutters.

Chase sighs. "Yeah. Marvin did the same thing, sometimes. And since the... well, he doesn't talk much now." He shakes his head. "Anyway. Hopefully that'll be in the past soon." 

"Hopefully," Stacy adds. "Oh, careful here, the floor gets a bit steep as it slopes."

“Mmmm…” Jackie hums in worry. “…the other person we’re with… Mag. Or Magnificent… he used to be our Marvin. Or… my Marvin… at least. He got… corrupted in a way. His own fault though… I dunno how he’s gonna hold up against these corrupted guys but… figured you know now.” He nods to Stacy and carefully makes his way down the cave slope.

"Hmm." Chase hums. "Well... when you're corrupted, you don't feel pain, and and you don't get exhausted. You're stronger and faster since you can push your body to the limits. And you get... weird powers." He scratches the back of his hand through the fingerless glove he's wearing. "They're really varied, and a corrupted will only have one or two, but they'll be very good at the powers they have. What about your Magnificent?"

“Mag still kinda feels pain but it’s definitely reduced. And he still gets tired - thank god. Don’t think he needs to eat anymore though? I think he like- lives off magic. So he can steal that from people.” Jackie says, “He also has like- mind magic. Can hypnotize you and shit and… make you a puppet or pet. He has other magic too but he… goes for that first. Trying to break your mind.”

"Well that's the same at least," Chase mutters in response to that last part. "Wonder if he'll be able to affect the corrupted ones or if the corruption, uh, supersizes that." 

"Supersedes," Stacy corrects. "It means to take the place of something." 

"Really? Oh, uh, I guess the new magic would be the superseder, then."

"Hm... I'm not sure... But I bet Mag would probably try to find out," Jackie grumbles. "He's very proud of his magic. Overconfient, usually. He's a prick."

Chase laughs. "Well... guess we might find out eventually." 

They continue down into the depths of the tunnels. 

----------- 

Bro and Alt land right next to each other, falling hard onto a cement sidewalk. This is a run-down part of a city, with closed shops and some trash bags piled up against the walls. Everything looks closed and empty.

Alt groans and glitches to sit up, rubbing at his face. He blinks when he sees the bright orange of his brother's jacket and glitches over to help him up. "Chase!" 

Bro laughs, letting Alt help. "Hey! We ended up together this time!" 

Alt smiles and chuckles quietly, "Yeah... a bit of relief, huh?" He looks around as he helps him and Bro up. "...this place is... creepy as fuck." 

"Yeah no agreed." Bro mumbles.

The creepy atmosphere is not helped by the shadow of someone moving inside one of the closed-looking shops.

Alt and Bro jump slightly as the shadow moves. "...should we like... go say hi?" Bro asks quietly. 

"What? No!" Alt hisses. 

“What if its one of us? We land near them more often then not!" 

"I think i'd rather not knock on the door of a run down shop in the middle of abandoned nowhere!" Alt emphasizes. He grabs Bro's arm, "C-C'mon Chase- let's just... go! Get out of this place at least..."

Beep. Beep. Beep. The sound comes from the TRVLR. 

Alt's stomach drops. He let's go of Chase and slowly pulls the TRVLR out, checking the message. 

"Alt? What's wrong?" Bro asks quietly, looking over his shoulder.

The screen displays a message in white letters on black. 

WARNING 

Current Location: 50.91125, -0.31761 in universe UA-0503019BE is currently undergoing unusual space-time phenomena. 

Caution is advised. Please jump at the first sign of danger. 

Alt calms down a bit, it's not the same message he got in that horror world. But still... not a good sign. 

"What does that mean?" Bro asks. 

Alt shakes his head, "Not entirely sure but... means we need to be careful." 

And then the door of the closed shop opens, and out steps a man in an old red hoodie and blue boots. He has unkempt brown hair, and his eyes are hidden by black sunglasses. Strange. It's too dark to need them. 

"Anti?" the man says. "You found him? You didn't tell me you were going out. Wait, you didn't take Voice? Why, is something wrong with him?"

The brothers jumps again as the door opens. Alt glitches in place and swallows slowly. He tries to speak but he finds his throat closing up. 

Bro takes up his silence, squinting at the man. "The fuck are you talking about? Who is Voice? Also- this guy may look like whoever you know as Anti but he's not- his name is Alt. Only I can call him Anti- thank you very much."

The man takes a step backwards. He stares at Alt, confused. "You're... not him. I mean... that would explain why you look like that. I was so confused about who Anti would have been..." He looks back and forth between Bro and Alt. "If you don't know about Voice, then you're not with us. But... he's glitching. Why?"

Alt shakes his head, "...w-we're from another universe... Where I... I'm Anti and he's Chase but we're... different." 

"Yeah so- who are you? ... I mean probably Jackie cuz of the red hoodie. Isn't that weird? Always a guy that looks kinda like the rest of us but put him in a red hoodie and woah- it's Jackie." Bro laughs, more at ease then Alt is.

 Alt is staring at the man, his paranoia at an all time high.

The man stiffens at the mention of 'Jackie.' "Don't fucking call me that," he snaps. "That's not my name anymore. What the hell are you talking about, from another universe?" He shakes his head, then reaches into his pocket and takes out a phone. He texts something, fingers moving quickly.

Bro's face falls, "...w-what? ...i-if you're not Jackie then... w-who are you?" 

"Well, I was Jackie," the man says. "But I changed my name after Anti helped me--" 

Alt's eyes narrow and start to spark slightly. "It means what it means. We're not from here. We're from a parallel world." He notices the phone and then flicks his wrist to try to blast the phone out of his wrist with some electricity.

Alt's lightning hits the man's hand, causing it to spasm and the phone to fall out. 

"Alt! What are you doing?!" Bro gasps. 

"None of this is adding up, Chase- and if he knows an Anti... I don't trust it." Alt growls. 

The man looks down at the phone. Then back up at Alt and Bro. "Oh. Okay." Static tinges his voice. "I see how it is. Well, I got my answer, anyway." He takes off the sunglasses, revealing pitch black eyes underneath. And then he lunges at the two of them with surprising speed.

The brothers both shudder as they see the man's black eyes and static voice. Alt tries to flicker up a shield to protect them- but the man easily barrels through it.

He pushes Bro to the side and grabs Alt, knocking him to the ground. Bro shouts as he's thrown. 

Squares of blue and red static form around the man. Alt watches as one cuts into his skin like it's a physical thing, and yet the man doesn't even flinch. "Come with me, please," the man says, grinning, and starts dragging Alt down the street.

Alt screeches and tries to fight his way out of the man's grip- and tries to glitch away. Bro quickly pushes himself up and tries to help get Alt away.

Alt manages to glitch out and falls into Bro's arms and both of them go flying back. 

Alt is breathing heavily, hurriedly getting to his feet and sparking magic in his hands. "N-No! Don't touch me!" He shouts at the man.

The man blinks, looking surprised at Alt's glitching. Then he laughs. "Nice trick!" He pulls something out of his pocket and rushes them again.

Alt falters and tries to shoot lightning at him but misses wildly. 

Bro is pushing himself up, "H-He has to be... posessed or something right?? Jackie! S-Snap out of it!"

"I'm--not--Jackie!" the man shouts, grabbing Alt once more and pressing the item from his pocket to his throat. A knife. "Jackie was weak. Jackie couldn't do anything. But I'm so much better now. Now that Anti has helped me, now that Anti has given me power." 

The man bares his teeth in a maniacal grin. "My name is Error, and if you try anything, I'll kill this one."

Alt freezes instantly, his blood roaring his ears as he starts to quietly panic. 

Bro tries to reach out but freezes too as he threatens Alt. "P-Please... d-don't do this! Just... let him go please-!" He begs.

"No. Anti wants to see him." Error starts dragging Alt backwards. "But I'm sure he'd understand if something happened in the struggle." 

Bro cries out, "No! Y-You can't" He's having vivid flashbacks of Alt getting kidnapped all those years ago. Why can't he get himself to move??

Behind Bro, Alt sees something. One of the street lamp flickers, and a bit of white static shoots down to the ground, becoming an outline of a human, complete with clothes and hair. The static figure sees this happening and freezes, seemingly in fear.

Alt wants to struggle but the knife has him completely stiff. He sees the figure behind Bro and tries to shout out, "H-Help! Please!' 

The figure pauses, thinking quickly. And then it runs forward, passing right through Bro--who sees nothing whatsoever--and reaching out for Error and Alt. 

Alt feels static rush along him, kind of like--like those times when he fused with other Antis. But this time a fusion does not happen. Instead the static figure disappears and Error's eyes are suddenly filled with white static. He drops the knife and backs away from Alt. The red and blue glitches around him surge, more appearing, tearing the fabric of his hoodie and the skin beneath. 

Alt stiffens as the feeling of static rushes through him. As soon as the knife drops Alt glitches over to Bro who grabs him and holds him close- Alt is shaking like a leaf and Bro doesn't look much better. 

"You h-have to run," Error's voice says--though the inflections sound nothing like him. "I c-can't keep c-control for long."

Alt stares at the white eyed Error and stutters out to speak. "W-Who are you?"

“My name’s Jack,” the person says. Error’s eyes flicker, turning pure black again for a moment. “Go! Get underground!” 

Error’s body collapses.

Bro and Alt’s eyes widen. Then, Bro grabs Alt and half slings him over his shoulder, running away as fast as he can away from Error’s body. 

“G-Get underground?! How do we get underground??” Bro asks through pants. 

“I-I dunno…!” Alt breathes, too panicked to really protest Bro grabbing him.

Behind them, Error gets to his feet again. "Get back here!" he shouts, running after them. Holy shit, this guy is fast! He's already right on their heels! 

"Chaassee!" Alt calls in panic, tugging on him. 

Bro looks behind them and then curses, trying to pick up speed. "F-Fucking shit!" 

The street lamps over head flicker and Alt sees the static figure again. It--Jack?--gestures to the left at an upcoming intersection.

Alt sees Jack and once they get to the intersection, Alt tugs on Bro and whispers, "Left!" Bro looks at him confused but doesn't question it and he makes a hard left turn.

This street is just as empty as the other one, though there are now cars parked that indicate people are nearby. Error isn't phased by the possibility of being seen. He skids a bit while turning, losing a bit of speed, but quickly makes up for it. 

Jack appears and gestures for the two of them to head down an alleyway.

Alt looks around and once he spies Jack he tugs and points where he does, "In there!" 

"Bro I have no idea how you know this but I trust you!" Bro mutters as he stumbles and hurries down the alleyway.

The alleyway ends in a wall, with a flimsy wooden door. Jack rushes towards it and gestures for the guys to go through it.

Bro slows down and huffs in panic, seeing the wall. "No! What??" 

Alt sees the door and glitches out of Bro's arms and pushes Bro towards the door. "G-Get inside there! I'll hold him back!" He faces the rest of the alleyway and makes a glitching shield to try to cut Error off. 

Bro hesitates then nods and opens up the door to try to get inside-

Beyond is a staircase leading down. At the very bottom is a faint light, provided by a camping lantern. 

Bro pants and heaves after all that running and glances back at Alt before quickly heading down- he's sure Alt will glitch down to meet him in a second!

The staircase ends in a room with white plaster walls, wired and lightbulbs along the ceiling, and a rough stone floor underfoot. Three tunnel entrances branch off, turning into rough caves. One is blocked off by warning tape. 

Error runs past the alleyway entrance at first, but then reappears once he notices the shield. "Oooo, pretty," Error says--and somehow it doesn't sound as mocking as that phrase usually would when coming from a villain's mouth. Then he shakes his head, as if regaining his concentration, and straight-up rushes the shield. 

Alt isn't expecting Error to rush the shield and it mildly shocks Error as he hits it. But then it very quickly shatters in an explosive manner. Alt flies back and hits the wall and quickly tries to glitch back to his feet, stumbling over himself as spots dance in his eyes. He notices the door and rushes to shut it- not wanting Error to get in.

Error seems unbothered by the shocks and leaps at Alt, tackling him and pinning him to the wall. "Hi," he grins. "Are you going to come with me by yourself, or do I need to knock you out or something?"

Alt gets tackled and cries out, looking at Error with a bit of fear. 

Bro hears the door slam behind him and hurries to try to get to the door, "A-Alt?!" 

Alt hears Chase and finds himself more scared of Error finding him- and maybe even Jackie. He glares at Error and then whispers quietly, "...I'll- I'll come with you. Just... just leave my brother alone." 

Bro's eyes widen and he tries to open the door but they're both up against it. He hits the door and yells out, "NO! Don't you fucking dare! Anti!" He screams at the end, making Alt wince and then shut his eyes.

"Hmm." Error blinks. "I guess he would be more interested in talking to you..." He pauses. "Alright." And he smiles. "In that case, let's go." He pulls Alt away from the wooden door and opens it up again-- But instead of the staircase from before, it opens up into a strange place. A place with a floor made of corrugated metal and black, featureless walls that stretch up into a high ceiling. Red light fills the space. On the other side of the door, Bro feels as though it's still blocked. 

"After you," Error prompts.

Bro desperately tries to burst down the door, tears in his eyes. "Anti!! ANTI!!" 

Alt staggers a bit as he's pulled away and looks at the new doorway with its red light with increasing dread. He closes his eyes and swallows shakily, telling himself he's doing the right thing. Bro would be able to find the others... and he can find out more about the threats and hopefully warn him. Then, he sets his face in determination and walks inside.

Error follows him, closing the door behind him. The moment it's shut it flies open again beneath the strength of Bro's fists, back to normal.

Bro falls a bit as the door is burst open and hurries back out into the alleyway, desperately looking around. "A-Alt?! Anti! W-Where are you?! Y-You- you better not have-!" 

When he's met with silence, tears fall down his face as he looks around hopelessly. "...A..Anti?"

Silence. Stark, deafening silence. 

After another beat, Bro hangs his head and lets out a roar of anger and frustration, punching the nearest wall and then falling against it, breaking down. "No...! No no no! FUCK!" His sobs quickly take over the silence, echoing around the alley as it comes crashing down on him. He was supposed to protect him! Why did he leave him?! He should have been there! He was right there and-! 

Moments pass. Bro is alone in the alley. Until, finally, there's sound. Footsteps. Coming from... behind him? Echoing up the stairway that he just came from.

Bro almost doesn't hear it- but he finally starts to bring himself back out and pull himself together when he hears it. He gasps and backs up, holding his fists out in front of him and getting into shaking fighting stance, his eyes glowing blue. 

Five people walk up the staircase, a whole group. They stop short upon seeing Bro with his eyes glowing blue. Three women, two men. They... look terrible. Like they'd been wearing the same clothes for a couple days. They also all have weapons. Knives on sheathes around their waists, mostly, but one of the women--one with short dark hair--has a freaking shotgun on her back. Pretty much all of them go for their weapons soon, but the one with the shotgun holds up a hand calmly. 

"This... may sound strange," she says in an accented voice. "But are you from another universe?"

Bro's eyes widen and he slowly lowers his fists, taking in the look of all of them. They can see the tear streaks on his face and his red-rimmed eyes. "Um... y-yes... Yes I am... how... how did you know?"

"We were told people from another world would be coming here," the woman says slowly. "Strange, but the source is reliable. We... came here to find you all before something... bad happened..." She trails off. 

"Are you okay?" another shorter woman asks. 

"You can't just ask that, Rya," a redheaded man says. 

"Yeah I can, Kiernan." 

Bro blinks in a bit of confusion and then deflates, wiping at his face. He looks away. "...I was h-here with my brother but... this guy- he... he said he was called Error he... he took him. He took him and I couldn't stop them even though I was right there-!" His voice gets choked up at the end and he quickly shuts his mouth and shakes his head.

Every single one of the group immediately softens. 

"Hey," a woman with long blonde hair says. "We know how you feel. They've taken a lot of people. I lost my brother, too." 

"Error is the worst of them," a man with long black hair says. "It's okay. You did everything you could, I'm sure." 

"We... we might be able to help," the woman with the accent says. "We know about them. There is this group of people... they are being controlled. And they keep taking people to control more. Maybe--maybe with our knowledge, we could get him back before anything terrible happens."

Bro's stomach drops heavily as they mention the group is being taken to be controlled. He looks immediately pale. "... fucking Alt...! What did you do?" He whispers to himself. He looks back to the group and nods, "...Yeah... p-please I... I could use your help. I don't want my brother to suffer there..."

The woman nods. "We can hurry back to the place we're hiding. Maybe more of the others from your world are there. Once there, we talk about how to get him back, yes? Time is not consistent between our world and that Place. I'm sure we have enough time to plan."

Bro nods again, "O-Okay... I'll follow your lead."

"Okay. I am Trisha, this is Rya, Jennifer, Kiernan, and Oliver." 

Bro quickly follows after them. "Um... I'm Chase. ...good to meet you all."

Trisha turns and heads back down the stairs. 

"Down here. The leader of this group, the one controlling them, can see through cameras all over the city. We need to be somewhere away from technology." 

Bro’s eyes narrow as he hears about the leader. He grits his teeth and snarls. "... Anti. That's what he's called, isn't he? Fucking... taking my brother's name and tainting it...!"

"Don't say his name!" Rya hurriedly says. 

Trisha looks back at him apologetically. "He can hear when people say his name. We do not want to draw his attention. But... you are correct." 

Bro's eyes widen and he curses, "Motherfucker-! I just... said his name like a bunch of times!" 

"Chase, huh?" Oliver says. "Like Stacy's ex." 

Bro sighs and nods, "Um... I'm actually dating a girl named Stacy back home but... I bet you're thinking of Chase Brody, huh? ...that's me. Parallel universes and shit..."

"Parallel worlds," Kiernan mutters. "So fucking weird." 

The group reaches the bottom of the staircase and heads straight for the tunnel with the warning tape.

Trisha brushes aside the warning tape. "Rya, you take the lead with the lantern." Rya nods and walks past her. "So... do you have a group of friends? Henrik, Jameson, Jackie, Marvin, and Jack?"

Bro nods, "Yeah... Jackie is here somewhere... and technically Marvin but... he's not our friend. He's a mad magician always using me and my friends for power and shit but... um... Henrik and JJ are back home. And Jack too I guess... I dunno, he's more friends with my brother than me."

"Stacy did say that Sam said one of the visitors would be dangerous," Trisha mutters as the group continues down the tunnel. "Well... in that case, we should tell you. In this world, all but the version of you are being controlled by him."

Bro stops in his tracks, his eyes wide. "...R-Really? ... Everyone?" He pales and then tries to keep going. "...how? How did that happen?"

Trisha shakes her head. "I do not know. Chase does not talk about it much, and Henrik thought it safer to not contact me during the time. Well, he decided to come for me anyway, but it was probably smart at the time. But we do know that Jackie--Error--was the first one."

"that's... that's awful.." Bro breathes, shaking his head. "Jackie's always so... bright and optimistic... it's hard to think he's..." He shuts his mouth and curls his hands into fists.

Trisha nods slowly. "I know..." she says quietly. "A lot of us know." She takes a deep breath. "It's some walk there. I hope you are as athletic as you look. Hopefully your other friend is already in our hideout." 

Bro chuckles humorously, "Yeah... I can keep up." He looks out at the long expanse and sighs, "Let's hope..." 

----------- 

Magnificent appears, falling a short distance and landing in some sort of big box. Nope. Not a box. It's a dumpster. There are a few bags of trash in there, but thankfully, nothing loose. The dumpster is out back behind a building, probably a retail business of some kind but it's hard to tell from the back.

Magnificent yelps as he falls but as soon as he realizes where he is he yells in disgust and teleports out. He shakes himself off and dusts off his clothes, shuddering like a cat with wet fur. "F-Fucking Disgusting!"

Soon after he teleports out, he hears something. A scream. It sounds like it comes from nearby.

Magnificent jumps at the sound and then makes a face, almost like he's disgusted. He decides to start walking the opposite way. "Not dealing with that shit-" He mutters, trying to magic the rest of his outfit clean.

As he walks along this small back street between the backs of buildings... he realizes something. He's not alone. There is someone following him. He can hear their footsteps. 

Magnificent stiffens slightly as he hears the footsteps- letting them follow for a bit before he suddenly whips around and holds out a magic filled hand at them, his eyes glowing. He fires a shot of magic their way. 

The person sidesteps the blast, watching it go past them and hit the dumpster. Then he turns back to look at Magnificent. It's a man, his coloring completely monochrome, wearing a fancy button-up and vest. His eyes are completely white, almost seeming to glow in the dimness. One hand loosely holds a knife that steadily drips blood to the ground. Around his wrists are red strings. 

"Well... that's unusual," he says in a rasping voice.

Magnificent narrows his eyes, building up more magic in his hands as he chuckles. “You’re unusual yourself~.”

"I'm unique. I'm not sure you are. You look very familiar." There's a slight buzzing noise. The man reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone, reading something and then typing quickly one-handedly.

“…quite rude to text when speaking to a stranger, don’t you think?” Magnificent asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Seems this is urgent." The man frowns. He puts the phone away. "You're from another world, then. Aren't you? Aren't you... Marvin?"

Magnificent’s eyes flash with rage as his magic burns brighter and taller in his hands. “Don’t call me that. I’m called Magnificent. Nothing else.” Then he chuckles and tilts his head. “Curious… you lot don’t often know we’re from different worlds right away.” 

"Oh. Yeah. Sure. Of course you are." The man laughs. "Just as arrogant as you are here. Or... were, I guess. As for how I know... someone I trust just told me there are people from another world here. One like me, one like someone else we know. But I don't know if I believed it until you said it just now."

Magnificent narrows his eyes again. “…and just who are you supposed to be, exactly?”

"Anti." The man says, grinning. "This isn't what I normally look like. But he's needed for things like this. I don't think that's important, though. What are you planning on doing while here, 'Magnificent'?"

Magnificent’s eyes widen slightly. He snorts, “Yeah you’re … not what I was expecting.” He hums in thought and then shrugs. “Depends- I could use some magic so a source of that could be nice. Never opposed to new puppets to find either. Guess it depends on what this world has to offer me.” He looks back to Anti curiously. “…or the people in it.”

"Heh. If you're looking for magic, you're out of luck. There are only two magicians in this city, and one of them is mine. I'm sure there's more outside the limits... but I'm afraid you're stuck here." Anti flips the knife, causing a fan of blood. "Ever since I corrupted this one, there's been no way out of the city. We're all caught in a bubble, repeating six or so months over and over. And unfortunately, I don't know how to get rid of it."

Magnificent looks shocked- glancing around as if he can see the bubble they’re trapped in. “Well… that’s not ideal…” he mutters.

"You're telling me," Anti says. Somehow, despite the completely whited-out-eyes, Magnificent can tell he's rolling them. "But if you can find any more power in here, feel free to it. Unless it's from my people. You'll know them when you see them. The eyes always change, and some change more."

“Mmm… noted, I suppose.” Magnificent says with a hum. “What is your goal here, Anti? Besides getting out of this trap, I guess.”

"I like making more people," Anti says. "What did you call them?" He smiles. "Right. Puppets."

Magnificent raises an eyebrow and grins, “Intriguing! Always a pleasure to meet a fellow puppet master~” he giggles.

"I'll take your word for it. I've never met anyone else who doesn't put up a fuss when they realize what I'm doing." Anti tilts his head. "If you're looking for people to puppet, there's a group that's been giving me trouble. There's about fifty of them, and they've somehow been elluding me for a few of these loops now. Maybe you could find them. Feel free to help yourself if you do. But I ask that if you find a man called Chase Brody, you leave him to me."

“Is that so?” Magnificent chuckles. “I have a Chase Brody that’s been a pain in my side… however if you or any of your crew find him… do what you will with him. He’s a headache to control. His brother however- I think you would find every interesting~” he giggles. “He makes the perfect puppet.”

Anti laughs. "I think we've already found your Chase AND his brother, actually. That's what that message earlier was. I'm going to head back home and see if he managed to bring them back." He flips the knife again. Halfway through the motion, it disappears. "And what about you? What will you do now?"

Magnificent looks intrigued and he laughs, “You know what? I’m quite interested to see how your puppets are made Anti- if you would allow me to see. Maybe it can give me some better ideas for my own~!”

“Really? I’ve never heard anyone say that before.” Anti grins. “I’d be delighted to show you.” He turns to the side, slipping into a gap between buildings. 

Magnificent shares his grin and follows after him. 

There’s some spray paint on the walls in random looking designs. Anti stops in front of a design that looks vaguely like an archway drawn on the brick. He jerks his head towards it, indicating for Magnificent to follow, and walks straight through the wall in that section.

Mag looks confused as Anti goes through the wall but then heads straight through- must be an illusion.

Beyond the illusory wall is a strange area. The floor is sheet metal and the walls are black and featureless, seeming to extend upwards forever, their heights covered by a red glowing fog. Two hallways of similar design branch off into opposite directions. 

Magnificent looks impressed as he enters the space and looks around. “Fascinating…” he mumbles to himself, looking around. 

The monochrome man stands in the middle of the room. As Magnificent watches, black static lifts off his skin, forming a humanoid figure to the side. The monochrome man collapses to his knees and the red strings disappear from his wrists. The black static figure shifts, gaining details, turning into a man. He looks a lot like the Anti in the previous world. Black hoodie, slit throat, green sclera on his right eye. But this figure is a bit more translucent, a bit better-kempt, and his hoodie has a diamond with the words PMA in it.

“Great, now you can actually see me,” Anti says, flashing a sharp smile.

Mag blinks as he watches the monochrome man split into Anti and he grins. “Much better. Though- the possession is a nice touch. I’m guessing you can’t physically exist outside of here?”

“Correct.” Anti makes a face; it’s clear that this fact bothers him. “The Place is special. Outside it, I can’t be seen or heard and I can’t interact with anything other than electrical devices. So I need to possess someone. I usually use Voice these days.” He gestures at the monochrome man. Voice, apparently. “Now. You wanted to see the corruption? That’s what I use to make them. I do have something else to do, but I can take a moment to show you.”

Magnificent nods and seems intrigued even more. “How interesting…” He looks at Voice and then waves his hand at Anti, “Ah- please don’t let me get in your way! Do wherever it is you need to do, I’m sure I have time.” He giggles.

Anti nods. “Alright. It will only take a moment. If you want to wander around in the meantime, the Place will always take you where you need to be. If you find hallways with cables all over, that’s where the corruption process happens.” He grabs Voice by the arm and pulls him up, taking him down the right hallway. “See you soon,” he giggles, and disappears. 

Magnificent nods with a grin. “See you soon.” He then hums and looks around the place. Well- guess he’ll see where it thinks he needs to go. He starts to wander.

#SATCV #SATCV Bad End #Bad end au #alt anti #swap magnificent #bro fantastic #jackie mann #ahhh i love creating brotherly drama :) #bro is gonna be so mad at alt and alts gonna be so mad at himself habkjn #im so excited for this one ehehhe

[pandoa]

Hi pando!! First of all, i hope ur having a good day, i rlly love the way u write, its so easy to read and understand (i have adhd and sometimes its pretty hard for me to concentrate lmao😭). Can i have Narcissus and Peonies for Jack in a lively festival (matsuri kind of festival?). Thank u, i hope ur great and hydrated!!! 💘

Narcissus ~ “forgive me for being envious, but i must be selfish for just this once” 

Peonies ~ “would it be too much…to ask for you to stay?”

~jack howl x gender neutral reader~

ANON THE BRIGHTEST SMILE SHINED ON MY FACE READING THIS i'm so glad that my writing is easy to understand for you!! i have some friends with adhd as well and can see how difficult it can be for yall sob- i do hope this one will be as easy to read as my other ones!! (thank you for the hydration reminder <3 i should probably go drink something now lol)

♡denial makes the heart grow fonder♡

Jack swore he only invited you to this festival to spend more time with you. As friends, he means. Nothing more, nothing less. Friends.

But the moment he saw your beautiful self appear from Ramshackle’s doorway, dressed in colorful traditional clothing that put the delicate sunrise and sunset to shame with your radiance, he knew he was done for. You stepped out of your dorm, clothes swaying with every graceful movement, as you looked up at him with an innocent shimmer gleaming in your eyes. Each color and fabric complimented your silk-like skin, your hair was adorned with brilliant accessories that fit like a crown for royalty, all while your cheeks glowed a precious rosy tint under NRC’s many lamp posts. 

You were beautiful.

“Uh, Jack,” Grim’s raspy voice interrupted the young man’s gawking. “Your tail’s wagging.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it is not.”

“Yes! It is— Okay, y’know what I give up,” the drained feline sighed, clearly growing tired of the beastman’s thick skull. If Jack wanted to be so stubborn, then so be it. Grim was only there to watch you and the Savanaclaw first year go off on your totally “not-a-date” date, and he couldn’t care less on whether or not Jack was finally honest with his own heart. It was Jack’s problem to deal with, and your problem to figure out. 

Jack swore he didn’t feel his heart leap miles and miles at the sound of you calling out his name, melodic and harmonious, among the bustling crowd of people flooding the festival’s moonlit streets. Beckoning him over to a new food stand, you excitedly held out a plateful of taiyaki—sweet, fish-shaped buns—for him, with one adorably hanging out of your mouth as you bit into the toasty treat. Fluorescent lanterns hung like clusters of stars above your heads as you both stood in each other's company, basking in the dreamy atmosphere the festival had created. Every laugh, grin, chuckle, and giggle of yours made the young wolf-man feel as if he was reborn into the world as your very existence filled him with life. Life that hugged and embraced the man in your gentleness. It was… a nice feeling, he supposed. But don’t read into it too much, okay? He just liked the feeling of being around you… Yes! That's right.

The feeling. That was it. 

Jack was sure he didn’t feel a twinge of jealousy course through his veins the instant he witnessed a group of rather charming boys approach you. He knew they had been following behind the two of you throughout your time at the various food stalls. The boy was a wolf, remember? His keen senses would never let him down. However, he didn’t expect the group of boys to actually grow enough courage to talk to you the second he left to go buy a cup of shaved ice for you both. Jack, breathing in and out, attempted to remain calm, relaxed, and unbothered by this situation. He was okay, the world was okay, and you were simply making new friends at this festival. Nothing to worry about. 

But all of his composure dissipated into thin air as he watched one of the handsome strangers step a tad bit too close to your body and rested his lazy arms against your shoulders. 

Oh dear. 

“Excuse me, but,” Jack sternly called out as he stepped between you and the group of boys in front of you, "(Y/n) and I have to go, uh, meet up with some friends right now.”

You peered up from behind the first year’s back, confused at his previous statement. “Jack? What do you mean? Are there other NRC students here?”

Ignoring your questioning gazes, Jack briskly took initiative as he grasped your shoulders and escorted you away from the gaping eyes of the boys you had just met, shielding you with his broad figure like a protective barricade against those who were romantically interested in you. "Forgive me for being envious, but I must be selfish for just this once," Jack mumbled while he kindly guided you to a more secluded area—one where he could properly speak to you with less crowds drowning out his voice. 

No, stop— What in Twisted Wonderland was he saying?

“I know we’re not… anything particularly special,” he began as he twiddled with the cuffs of his sleeves, “nor do I have the right to pull you away from those who take an interest in you, but—”

Jack, if you know what’s good for you, stop right now! Jack voiced to himself. I don’t like (Y/n) in that way… right?

Although his actions proved his thoughts wrong as he slowly reached for your hand and cradled it in his own, eyes glued to the dark pavement of the streets as he avoided any sort of eye contact with you. 

“Would it be too much… to ask for you to stay?”

You sighed, blinking back up to Jack’s evading stares. “Jack, if you were feeling jealous of those boys, you could have just told me!” you giggled, leaving the beastman stunned at your ability to read between his words so well. 

Maybe he should go on and confess his feelings for you quickly before you go and figure that one out too. 

… Just maybe.

a/n: alexa play "i won't say (i'm in love)" from hercules bc this man RAIDIATES IT-

#twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #twst #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #twst imagines #gender neutral reader #jack howl #jack howl x reader #jack x reader #jack twst #twst jack #jack twisted wonderland #savanaclaw #blossom grove prompt event

[jabbage]

#Letters from Watson #lettersfromwatson

[verfound]

MINIFIC: Oct. 23: Day 6: Tiny (MLB, Lukanette, DLM AU)

Shout out to Quick for this one.  I liked what I had, but I also didn’t, and she had some suggestions that…quadrupled its size.  Huh.  Maybe I shouldn’t say thank you.  😝

For @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers October Minific Challenge 2023.

Read on Ao3

To Feel Alive Again: Day 6: Tiny

Luka hissed as the tug on the leash he was holding caused his hand to slip and the flame from his lighter to get too close to his thumb, burning it.  The cigarette he’d been trying to light fell to the sidewalk and rolled away with the breeze, and he sighed as he looked down at the runt that had caused it all.

“Would you just piss already?” he grumbled, digging in his pocket for another cigarette.  “It’s fucking cold out here.”

The dog he had been charged with walking today, an annoying little shit named Pip (who was seriously the tiniest dam dog Luka had ever seen, and she was full grown), skittered up to another lamp post and sniffed.  Luka sighed and tipped his head back, frowning at the cloudy skies above.  He wondered if it was supposed to rain today.

“Have a great day!”

His head dropped back at the voice, his eyes scanning the street around him until he heard the voice again.

“Hi!  What can I get…?”

Pip had stopped outside a café to (attempt) to do her business.  Through the plants and signs lining the glass, he could see a familiar raven-haired undead girl…smiling behind the counter.  Not just smiling, but laughing and talking to people like…like she was a normal, well-adjusted, happy person.  That liked interacting with other people.  It was a completely different person from the girl who had kicked his shin under the table an hour ago for stealing her bacon.

(…he should probably stop that.  It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford his own bacon.  She just got so indignant every time he did it, and her eyes got a bit bluer when she was annoyed, and…he owed her a few breakfasts’ worth of bacon.  He should fix that.  Soon.)

The customer she was helping said something that made her laugh, and he was momentarily distracted by the way her smile filled her entire face, how her eyes crinkled at the edges, the laughter that itched at the edges of his mind like an old, familiar song when the door opened again.  The way his hand twitched for some paper – for his fucking guitar – eager to get the notes down before he lost them forever.

He was moving before he fully registered what he was doing.

Pip yelped as he scooped her up and dropped her in her doggie bag.  She growled when he went to zip it up, and he sighed as he scratched behind her ears.  She shook his hand off and snapped at him.

“Be nice,” he said, rolling his eyes as he moved to the door, “or I won’t get you anything.”

The café was busier than he’d expected, and by the time he reached the front of the queue Pip was snoozing in her bag.  Marinette didn’t notice him at first, busy counting the change the last customer had given her, and he took a moment to just…appreciate her.

Because he wasn’t staring.  Or admiring.

Or checking her out? Théo’s sleazy voice drawled in his head, and he tried not to roll his eyes.  He wasn’t doing any of that, because that would be weird.

“What can I get…oh,” Marinette said, her eyebrows lifting as she finally looked up to see him standing there.  “H-hi.”

“Hi,” he said, the side of his mouth twitching with a smile.  He looked up at the menu, pretending not to notice the way she was suddenly fidgeting with the hair trying to escape her messy bun.  “Barista, huh?”

“It’s close enough to patisserie,” she said, shrugging one shoulder as she tucked some hair behind her ear.  “And the boss is…flexible.  With hours and breaks.  Plus, y’know.  Free coffee.”

“Cool,” he said, nodding.  He was still looking at the menu, trying to find something that passed as plain, black coffee.  What the hell kind of place was this?  He couldn’t pronounce half the shit on the board.

“Did…did you want…” she started, and he hummed as he looked back at her.  She was shifting from foot to foot awkwardly, her lower lip between her teeth and her cheeks a light pink.  “I mean…were you…”

“Hmm?” he asked, an eyebrow lifting as he watched her.  She sighed and gestured to the board.

“What do you want, Luka?” she asked.  “Are you going to order something, or are you just…checking up on me?”

“Hey, I didn’t even know you worked here,” he said, holding his hands up defensively.  “I just…saw you from the street and…wanted to say hi.”

“…hi?” she asked, her voice flat.  She raised her own eyebrow, and he tried to smile at her.  “Because you totally didn’t do that when you were stealing my breakfast an hour ago.”

His smile fell, and she winced as she looked back at the till.

“Sorry,” she said.  “That was…”

“I refuse to do Mendeleiev’s dirty work for her, Mari…Emma,” he said, glancing at her name tag.  “If she wants to check in on you, she can do so herself.”

He hesitated a moment, but then he reached out and laid a hand on hers.  Her eyes snapped up to him, surprised.

“…I’m just being a friend,” he said.  When her eyebrows rose, he shrugged and pulled his hand back.  “Or trying to be.  Honest.  We don’t…you don’t get many lasting friends.  Unlife like ours.”

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked back up at the board, frowning as he resumed his search for whatever the hell they called black coffee.

“…thanks, Luka,” she finally said, making him glance back at her.  Her smile was still hesitant, but it was more genuine this time.  Honest.

…he liked her smile.

“Seriously, though,” she said, shaking her head.  “Can I get you anything?  Black coffee?”

“Please,” he said, smiling at her.  He patted the bag at his side, where Pip grumbled at the jostling.  “And something for my friend?”

“Your…?” she asked, and her eyes widened when he opened the bag to reveal the sleeping dog inside.  “You…you have a dog?  And it’s so little!  When?  How…how did I not know this?”

“She’s not mine,” he said.  At Marinette’s confused look, he shrugged.  “Part-time dog walker.  I can make my own hours and move around the city as needed.  Plus, dogs.”

“…you like dogs,” she said, as if she found that amusing.  Maybe surprising.  Her smile grew a bit more, and he shifted uncomfortably as he felt heat crawling up his neck.  “Well, what do you know.  Luka Couffaine’s just a big ol’ softie, isn’t he?”

“…shut up,” he said.  “Pip’s a vicious killer, thank you very much.”

“Pip?” she asked.

“…Pipsqueak,” he said.  She was outright grinning now.  The bell above the door jingled as another customer came in.  “Her maman thought she was being clever.”

Marinette was still giggling as she handed him a large black coffee and a to go bag.  He reached for his wallet, but she shook her head and waved him off.

“On me,” she said.  Her cheeks darkened as she ducked her head.  “For a friend.”

He smiled, and she told him to go before he held up her line.  He had a feeling it was more before he could fluster her any more, though.  He held the door open for a group of collège students on his way out, still smiling.  He was at least a block away before he opened the bag and found two cookies – a macaron for him and a shortbread biscuit for Pip – and his smile grew.

“…I think she likes us, Pip,” he said, pulling the biscuit out and handing it to the dog.  He frowned when she nipped his fingers taking it.  “…oh, fuck you.  You’re walking the rest of the way, asshole.”

If he hadn’t dropped the entire biscuit at the bite (and she wasn’t happily devouring it), he would have taken that back, too.

#miraculous ladybug #luka couffaine #marinette dupain-cheng #lukanette #endgame lukanette #lukanette endgae #ml fic #ver fic #lbsc october minifics 2023 #lovebugs-and-snakecharmers #to feel alive again #day 6: tiny #dead like me au #dlm lukanette au #this was like 350 words #but it was mari's pov and luka was too nice? #he's not supposed to be that nice yet #so quick suggested writing it from luka's pov #and boom fic happened #dammit quick

[bearbluebooks]

Chapter 6 Christmas in Velaris - Gwynriel

As he closed the car door she already walked up to him, instead of a greeting she said “Audi Q7, perfect car for an evil mastermind.”

With slow contemplative steps, she made her way towards his car, “On second thought, maybe a Jaguar F7 is more your vibe.” She moved one hand conspiratorially under her chin to add, “A black one of course.”

“Too flashy for me,” He responded with a smile. He forgot about her knack for cars. He couldn’t care less. As long as they took him from A to B, that was all he cared about.

Read the full chapter on AO3 or under the image :)

December 7th, 21:15

The marble scuffed under his black Oxford shoes as he made his way out of Black. inc. The Tech company he founded ten years ago was completely desolate at this time of night. That wasn’t something new- him leaving before 10 pm was. He usually preferred this time of day to conduct business- fewer people needed something from him, and quietness was a given instead of a demand.

As he walked down the stairs he asked himself again, why was he about to step into his car and drive to a place that was bustling with people? Even worse, cheery people.

Last night’s conversation flashed back into his mind. He had every intention to go to her place and not partake in the ridiculous Christmas competition. It seemed like a colossal waste of time, and he hated Christmas. But he had promised Nyx, and he wasn’t anything if not a man of his word.

That evening, he felt generous. Maybe it was the desperate look in her eyes or the desperately hideous interior of the place she now called home. Still, it wasn’t as bad as the bookshop downstairs, where he had to bite his tongue to not mention the mold or the ceiling that looked to be one strong wind away from collapsing. He could see how 15.000 dollars may come in handy.

It was definitely not the way her teal eyes sparkled with want or her lilting voice that always got her exactly what she wanted from him. 

He was a reasonable man, so he gave her the option: “Give me ten reasons to join and I will.”

Azriel thought it was impossible. He could only name three, and he gave it more thought than he cared to admit- money, fame, and the Christmas spirit. Only two of them were legitimate reasons in his eyes.

And that was his last condition: there had to be legitimacy to every reason.

The smart copper-haired woman actually succeeded in listing ten logical reasons. She didn’t even need to think about it. It was as if there was a part of her brain that was permanently occupied with all things Christmas. He would have been impressed if he didn’t think it was so disturbing. As he leaned back into the red chair, he crossed one leg over the other and said “touché.”

That’s how he found himself in his car, driving towards “Duckers Farm”, the only place open past eight pm on a weekday. He could only imagine the horrendous things he was about to witness- stressed people, overexcited people, Christmas converters.

He was supposed to meet her there at 9:15, with only ten minutes to spare he pushed the gas pedal a little bit more. Meetings ran late and one client had to call in from China. He didn’t even have time to change out of his suit.

When he parked his car, he saw Gwyn standing next to her car under a street lamp. Tonight, she wore her usual red coat, flared jeans, and a red hat. Her cheeks were slightly red, and her freckles stood out even more on her pale skin.

As he closed the car door she already walked up to him, instead of a greeting she said “Audi Q7, perfect car for an evil mastermind.”

With slow contemplative steps, she made her way towards his car, “On second thought, maybe a Jaguar F7 is more your vibe.” One hand she moved conspiratorially under her chin to add, “A black one of course.”

“Too flashy for me,” He responded with a smile. He forgot about her knack for cars. He couldn’t care less. As long as they took him from A to B, that was all he cared about.

One look around the parking lot revealed only two other cars. A good start.

One hand grabbed his elbow more forcefully as she said, “Let’s goooo, I’ve been waiting here for so long.”

Feeling slightly guilty he asked, “Shit, I’m sorry, meetings ran late, how long have you been waiting for?”

“Two minutes,” she answered. “Two long minutes of looking at the trees and not being able to touch them, smell them, feel them. Do you know how long that is?” she asked seriously.

With a playful eye-roll, he followed her inside. There were rows and rows of Christmas trees for as far as his eyes could see. At the entrance, an older lady gave each person a ticket, “Oh my. Don’t tell the others but you’re the loveliest couple I’ve seen today. Absolutely gorgeous.”

Gwyn’s face became even more red as the words left her mouth in a hurry, “We’re not-“

“Why would you think-“

“No.”

Instead of adding to the word vomit, Azriel merely said “Thank you.” And took the ticket from her outstretched hand. 

As they made their way inside, he teased “Am I so horrible to be in a fake partnership with?”

A new string of words came out of her full lips, “No. I mean-“

When she regained her footing she asked genuinely, “Why lie?”

“Why not?” He challenged with a smirk.

“Let’s pick out the Christmas tree, boyfriend,” she said as she took one of his hands in hers. He pushed away the thought of how nicely her smooth hand fit in his.

“I already know which one I want,” she said as she guided them towards a surprisingly beautiful tree. But they needed two. “And mine?”

“That is yours,” she corrected. “This one is mine,” she said as she pointed to one that looked almost exactly the same.

As she walked towards the end of the row she added, “I also want to get a smaller one for Mouse, then she can play with that one instead of the larger one,” she said with such a sigh it was clear that plan of action came from experience.

“I’ll be right back, I’ll ask them to cut all three for us.” And just like that she was gone again. She was nothing if not efficient. With some difficulty, he had to admit this wasn’t as bad as he thought.

Laughs sounded before he saw the copper-brown female. When he looked in the direction of the sound, a towering man who he could only describe as an American Thor followed Gwyn like a puppy dog.

On instinct, he stood a little straighter, pulled his shoulders back slightly, and his chin up higher. “Do you have another axe,” he asked the budget store Norwegian. 

“Sure man, hold on, I’ll be right back.”

He couldn’t remember the last time he cut a tree, but he worked out. He could handle one lousy tree.

“Thank you, Troy,” Gwyn said as he came back with the axe.

Before Troy, not Thor handed him the axe, Azriel removed his coat and jacket to roll up his sleeves. With swift movements, he made the first cuts into the base of the tree in what was definitely not a competition for the manliest man.

Gwyn took up the space in the pathway, far away enough not to get accidentally hit, but close enough to enjoy the show.

With more strength than he thought was needed, he slowly made his way through the thick stem. With stealthy looks to the left, he saw Troy advancing just as quickly as him. A pang of pride shot through him.

With quicker slashes, he advanced at a pace that would lead him towards victory. As proven by the satisfying sound of the tree falling into the other row of trees.

His hands already started to lift in celebration pumps, before he remembered he was in public, and this was a competition. Instead, he took one look to his left, to reveal Gwyn, who looked straight back at him. Quicker than he liked, she moved towards her tree and said, “Thank you, Troy.”

“I hope this is not crossing some lines, but can I get your number?” He asked right in front of him.

Did he not see her pretend boyfriend was standing right behind her?

“Sure,” she said after a moment of contemplation.

He didn’t even have her new number. How dare he get it before him? How dare he get it at all?

With his back turned towards them he instead focused on the tree.

“I’ll see you later.” He said as he moved to walk away. “Bye,” she said as she walked towards the tree.

With bent legs, she prepared her back to pull the heavy tree up. Both trees weighed the same amount, and he already struggled with its weight.

“Let me help you,” he said as he dropped his tree and made his way toward hers.

“I got it,” she said as her face began to turn red under the strain.

With two hands, she held the base of the tree as she threw her entire weight into the battle. Her body stood almost horizontally, as she pulled the tree towards the entrance. It was impressive if it wasn’t also frightening.

He watched her struggle all the way towards the entrance, which she made all by herself, with two breaks in between, but still.

He threw the smaller three on top of his, as he made his way towards the entrance too.

When he reached the lady at the entrance, to give her the card back and pay, he was met with a disapproving look that made him glad looks couldn’t really kill.

With a shrug of his shoulders, he said I tried.

As his car, he saw her still struggling to fit the tree inside hers.

“Still glad you don’t have an evil mastermind's car?”

Maybe it was petty, but the look on her face was worth it.

“Need some help,” he added to alleviate some of it.

“I got it,” she responded.

“You can’t perform magic, Gwyn, it doesn’t fit.”

“I got it,” she repeated as she pushed one foot into the base of the three. Then she flung her entire back into the thick tree before she spewed a litany of curses he wished to know the origin of.

“Let me,” he finally said. He was met with a look of challenge that promised violence if he so much as touched the tree. So he added, “Let this evil mastermind do some good.”

“Alright, but don’t push them together.”

When she walked to the back of his car, she assessed the possibilities and concluded “Let’s fit them together, like puzzle pieces.”

With slight hesitation, and a lot of unwillingness to piss her off even further, he agreed. And he be damned, it actually worked- they both fit.

#gwynriel #gwyn x azriel #acotar fanfiction #gwyn acosf #gwyneth berdara #acotar #acotar alternate universe #ao3 fanfic #azriel shadowsinger #a court of silver flames #pro gwyneth berdara #pro gwynriel

[specialbrewbutterbeer]

Back In North Island I Pt 2 (Bradshaw!Reader)

Word Count: 2806

TW: Parental Death, Alcohol consumption, general angst

AN: I'm working on Part 2 of Recall, I know that mainly what people are waiting, it's coming! I promise! But I just had to post this because it's been in my notes for ages and I can't seem to get it any better than it is- so suggestions going forward for this one would be really really helpful! (As for Recall!)

Requests are open and welcome, and Feedback is very much needed, it's was makes me wanna keep going and lets me know what you like to see me write ✍️ So please feel free to leave some!

PART 1

REQUESTS (OPEN)

MASTERLIST

Sandy lay back in her motel bed. It was dark by now, just the lights of the street lamps and cars passing by. She couldn't sleep.

She opened her door, and stepped out. She wasn't wearing shoes, which was probably a mistake, god knows what she could step on out here in the dark, but she didn't even think of it. She made sure she had her phone and room key in her pocket before she closed the door behind her, and went and sat down on the kurb beside her car, and looked up at the sky.

"Hey, Dad." She spoke under her breath. "I know Bradley talks to you all the time- but I don't. I'm sorry about that." She paused, suddenly feeling a pang of sadness that rang so deep, she thought it might kill her off. She took a deep breath. "It feels weird missing you- I'm missing something I never had... But Dad? I miss you. I miss you so much. My whole life I've been being told about you, stories, pictures. I feel like I know you and yet- we were never here together. Sometimes I think I should have become a pilot, just because then I might be closer to you, but- that's not really how it works is it? I hope you're up there. I hope you can hear me. I hope you know that there was no-one better you could have left behind for us than Uncle Pete. He's not perfect, but he cares. A lot..." She sighed. "Are you upset that he and Brad aren't talking? I am. They're all I've got without you and Mom. God... I wish you were here. I reckon you'd know how to straighten them out? I wish you were here for me. So I could be your little girl like I was supposed to. So you could sing that stupid song with me and Brad." She got too choked up to continue. She looked down through tears at her phone. She wiped her eyes and her finger hovered over her brother's name, then Maverick's. She didn't know that she wanted to talk to either if them. She'd have to open up to her brother one day- but tonight wasn't the night. Tomorrow was too big of a day for him and she didn't know that she even could do it tonight.

She turned off the phone and went back inside, but not before blowing two kisses up to the sky.

The next day, she got up and decided to do something she'd never even wanted to do before.

She got dressed, tied back her hair and wiped away the little bit of makeup she'd had on the day before but never taken off before she slept, and reapplied it, then got into her car and drove for about a half hour before she finally found what she was looking for.

She parked and stepped out and then walked along the isles and columns and rows to the right spot. She'd had the plot number memorised since she was a kid, but always refused to go. Even when they had intered their mother's ashes here- she had always felt bad about letting Bradley do that alone but she was just a kid and she couldn't face it.

She looked down at the little pale headstone, then her eyes began watering so badly that she couldn't read it. She looked over it and out to the sea before wiping her eyes.

This whole trip out to see her brother wasn't meant to be so emotional.

She sat down, cross-legged at the foot of the grave, placing the flowers that she had stopped to buy on the way, on top of it. This was the closest she was gonna get to her parents, and she felt so much like a kid in that moment.

'Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw 1962-1986'

She couldn't even read her Mom's name before she burst out into tears. Thank god no-one else was around, she didn't want to disturb anyone else- but then again, who would judge a woman for crying at her parents' grave?

Eventually she managed to collect herself, with her eyes and throat stinging and a shiver running through her, though it was hot. She looked back out at the sea. He died out there. She'd always been told it was quick- instant even, but who really knew that for sure. Someone had been with him at least- the same person who had always been there for her. That was a comfort- she and her Dad had one thing in common for sure- and that was Maverick.

They'd always called him that. Their Mom called him Pete more, but it was just force of habit for the kids. She was even used to hearing her Dad referred to by his call sign, didn't know either of their real names till she was about ten- but she'd just never got used to hearing 'Rooster' across a bar and connecting that with her brother.

She stayed there for a while, talked quietly to herself, her Mom and Dad, and eventually felt- better.

She lazed about on the beach most of the rest of the day, by the bar, which wasn't far from her motel- so she left her car there and walked over. When it opened in the early evening, she went in; wet hair, in her bikini- got plenty of stares, though there weren't many people, as she crossed to the toilets to change into a pair of shorts and a white t-shirt, something comfy and scruffy. She had brought a second tshirt to dry her hair off with, which worked just fine.

Then she just waited around until dusk hit. When it did, she let another hour pass before texting her brother.

'Hey you free?'

'Just got dismissed for the day'

'We're all heading for the showers'

'Why?'

'Can you come talk with me for a while?'

'I haven't seen you in ages and I'm heading home tomorrow- I just thought we could chat.'

'Yeah'

'Alright'

'I was gonna call you anyway'

'Where do you wanna meet?'

'I'm in the Hard Deck'

'Give me a half hour 👍'

She let herself relax. She'd built it up in her mind that she might not get to actually just see her brother- that was the whole point of this trip- taking a week off of work to drive out here (what with her preference for not flying) and such. God- she wished they were a bit closer again.

"Hey- Sands'!" She heard the door open and her name, which snapped her out of it.

She turned around and smiled. She was so relieved to see her brother.

"Hey hey." She spoke, maybe sounding a bit down, as Brad sat down beside her at the bar- wearing on of his classic Hawaiian shirts (one of their Dad's of course) and with his sunnies hanging from the neck of his vest.

"You good? Had to run last night and you didn't just launch into a full scale attack on me like usual?" He asked.

"Yeah- all good." She smiled. "How was the first day of training? Go well?" She moved the conversation on quickly.

"Uh- Well..." He trailed off and paused. "Our instructor- it's, uh-" He stumbled like he wasn't quite sure what to call him.

"Capitan Pete Mitchell. Call sign, Maverick." She stepped in for him, without missing a beat and very well versed in the drama of Navy introductions.

"Yeah- How the hell did you know?" Her brother nodded and raised his chin, looking down his nose at her suspiciously.

"Who else would spook you?" She asked, not willing to admit why she really knew.

"He didn't spook me-" He started to protest.

"Yeah alright. How did it go, anyway?" She stopped him, not wanting to get trivial.

"It was okay." He shrugged as Sandy passed him a bottle of some kinda beer.

"That's all you're gonna tell me?" She asked, in a way that said 'really?'

"He played the crazy card- as usual. Set a super low hard deck and had us dogfighting- day one." He shook his head and drank.

"Aren't you the best of the best?" Sandy asked in an exaggerated tone.

"Yeah?" He shrugged.

"Then don't talk like it was difficult." She said, in the kind of tone their Mom had when telling them off.

"But it was!" He spoke.

"He got you? Didn't he?" Sandy asked with a cocked eyebrow and teasing smile

"Yes but we're not gonna talk about it- he's still crazy- dangerous- and I'm still mad at him." Bradley shook his head, but let himself chuckle.

"Fine, okay." Sandy rolled her eyes.

"What have you been up to?" He asked and the question, as normal as it was, and as much as she should have expected it- took her off guard.

"Oh- umm..." She hesitated. "I went to see Mom and Dad." She spoke quietly.

"Oh-" He raised his eyebrows and took a deep breath. He was surprised by it. He knew very well the screaming and kicking fit she'd had when they'd tried to make her go as a kid- especially when they were trying to inter their mother. That wasn't a nice time in their lives.

"I thought it was about time, and I've been thinking about them a lot lately- Especially being out here." She spoke honestly, quietly and slowly.

"You were alright? Out there, on your own?" Bradley asked, remembering what she'd said about being in the house by herself- which he was gonna have to tackle next time he was home.

She nodded.

"Yeah- I think it was probably good for me." Sandy straightened her back up a little and shifted in her seat.

"Good- I'm glad." Her brother put a hand on her shoulder. Why was being emotionally open so awkward between them? They both hated it like that- and yet it didn't change.

"I was thinking- We're both older now, than he ever was..." She spoke, quietly, because she had to say it out loud but almost didn't want her brother to hear it. She didn't want to upset him, or herself. Bradley just nodded and drank once more.

"And- Look how much he achived in, what? Twenty four years?" She smiled.

"Yeah-" Bradley nodded.

"Became a pilot- made friends for life, met Mom- had you- made it to Top Gun, even managed to leave me behind as a spare-" She laughed. "That's a lot for twenty four!" She grinned, as did her brother. She sat back in her chair. "Makes me wonder where I went wrong really..." She rolled her eyes at own self pity.

"You haven't gone wrong Sands" Brad shook his head. "You're doing just fine."

"I don't know- I still work at the same dive bar I did when I was seventeen and I still live in the house I was born in." She gave an unsure smile. -"You've at least got all this pilot shit." She laughed and ran a hand through her still damp hair.

"Since when did you wanna settle?" Her brother teased. "My god- you haven't found someone have you? They've asked a big question and you got spooked? Cos if you have, the looks you were giving to my colleagues last night were both amoral and disgusting-" He poked fun.

"Oh my god- no!" She laughed. "I'm not that secretive! You'd know about anything like that! And I don't get spooked!" She shook her head. "No- I don't know really... I've just been thinking about Mom and Dad too much is all. I miss 'em." She shrugged.

"Yeah- So do I." Bradley nodded.

"Have you, been okay? Being here?" She asked. When he had first come, a couple years out of the academy, she knew he'd struggled a bit; not having been there since he was a kid and with what happened to their Dad- he had been nervous about it she could tell, though he didn't say anything.

"Uh- Yeah..." He nodded. "It's actually been, okay." He smiled. "It was nice having you here- actually."

"Really?" She questioned.

"Yeah. You didn't really get to visit much the first time round- and when you did I guess we didn't spend much time together." He nodded and drank.

"Yeah- I was too busy getting a reputation-" Sandy laughed and Bradley cut in.

"Which you haven't lived down by the way; I still get guys asking about my sister; 'Bunny'." He pulled a face of disgust.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that- but what is with you guys and nicknames- God-" Sandy rolled her eyes.

"I don't know but- I really wish they could have called you anything else- I really hate it." Brad shook his head, trying to forget the awful nickname.

"Ditto-" She laughed heartily and then held her bottle aloft. "Look- Here's to Mom and Dad, the years they should have been here to be proud of you for being the best of the best- and the amount of awful boyfriends they should have been here to scare off for me-" She nodded.

"Ditto." Brad mirrored her and clinked their bottles together. They sat in quite for a moment, each drinking.

"For the record- I think I did a pretty good job of scaring off your boyfriends- even when I had to fly with 'em." He spoke cooly.

"And for the record- I'm very proud of you Bradley. I couldn't be more proud of you if I tried, and I only over hope you come home safe." She a wide smile and spoke seriously.

"Thanks Sandy." He gave her a hug.

"You're welcome- Rooster." She teased and he just rolled his eyes. Another moment of quiet ensued.

"And by the way... I just got good at sneaking them out." She broke the comfortable silence between them.

"Huh?" He seemed confused.

"I just used to have them climb out the window." She gave a cheesy grin.

"No-" Her brother looked at her with disbelief.

"Oh yeah- I had the whole exercise down to a T" She laughed.

"Really?" He hoped to god she was just taking the piss.

"You were- Well, still are, sometimes- such an idiot." She laughed at the look on his face as he shook his head.

They chatted a while longer, until Bradley decided he had to go, another long day ahead.

"Hey- Put your wallet away mister. This is on me." Sandy spoke with a smile, as they went to pay their tab.

"That's a first- So I won't argue." Brad put his hands up.

"Oh shut up- Let me be nice for once." She made a face at him.

They walked out of the bar and Bradley insisted on walking his sister to the motel- after all, it was well dark now.

It wasn't a long walk, and Sandy made sure to take as long as she could finding her key and unlocking the door, reluctant to part from her brother.

"You're leaving tomorrow? Yeah?" He asked as he stood behind her and she pushed the door open into the darkened room.

"Yeah- I'm supposed to be. I don't know, I might hang on for a day or two, go to Mom and Dad one more time." She spoke and her brother nodded, understanding.

"Alright." He spoke. Their goodbyes always managed to be pretty awkward too.

She almost turned to go inside when a thought occured to her.

"Hey- Bradley?" She stopped herself, frozen on the spot. "Umm- This mission you'll be going on at the end of this training..." She trailed off, trying to put her words together.

"Might be going on- Don't know who'll get picked yet-" He corrected her but nodded once. "Yeah?"

"I know they're all dangerous- but, this all seems to me to be adding up to something really bad..." She spoke apprehensively- willing him to tell her that wasn't the case at all and that it was all just a regular old top-up first aid training course or something.

"Uh-" Bradley hesitated for a moment. "Yeah," He nodded. "It's a big one, Sands, I won't lie to you." He said, a seriousness in his voice that was reserved for work talk and she rarely really heard.

"Well- You'll come home safe, won't you? You promise?" She asked, knowing he couldn't promise a god-damned thing.

He nodded and stepped forward, pulling her into a bear hug.

"Don't be a stranger Sandy." He spoke and she nodded as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I won't be."

With one last brotherly pat on the back, they parted, he waved goodbye and headed away, and Sandy shut the door behind her.

God knows she wasn't going to sleep well tonight. Too many things had haunted her today.

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TAGLIST:

@gh0strr @sarahstar11 @sparrows-corner @piscesvancouverite @n3ssm0nique @sydneejean @20th-centu-fairy-girl @chaoticassidy @yjwnoot @hockeyboysarehot @inglourious-imagines @everyonehasanindividuality @callalily2000 @startterfly @roosterschanelslut @thespeeder @bradshawsdarlin @foreverchasingtime @fangirlinc @inglourious-imagines

#fic #top gun fic #top gun maverick #topgun #top gun #pete maverick mitchell #pete mitchell #maverick #bradley bradshaw x reader #nick goose bradshaw #nick bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #rooster x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #rooster #goose #bradley bradshaw x bradshaw!reader #bradshaw!reader #sister!reader

[k1ng0fn0b0dy]

❤ Pet Shop

[Gender-Neutral]

[1100+ words]

Request by @/Lemonkofe on Wattpad: "reader goes to a pet shop cause they felt lonely ... and when the reader was looking at the cats or dogs you bumped into Karl Jacobs"

Description: You need to do something to get rid of the loneliness weighing you down. Luckily for you, a new pet shop seems to open a few streets down. [Karl Jacobs x gn!reader]

[Read the rest under the cut]

You've always liked being alone. It's quiet in a tentative and vulnerable way, where the only person who can ruin that is you. It's nice being able to just be you, unabashedly and without shame. You damn near love being alone.

Being lonely, on the other hand, is an entirely other feeling that, contrary to popular belief, is separate from being alone. You can be alone and not feel lonely and you can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely. Right now, you're both alone in your apartment and lonely.

You don't want to make any real plans right now though, because that requires pulling yourself together enough to be presentable. As it is you pull on a sweater and double check your pockets before heading out the door. Do you know where you're going? No, not really but you're sure you'll figure it out.

The sun is dipping in the sky, still right above the skyline and coloring the clouds a pretty shade of golden pink. The lamp posts haven't turned on yet so you still have enough time before any shops close, if you wanted to do some splurging on random things you'll use once and never again.

Luckily enough for your wallet though, you're eyes catch on a flyer for a pet shop that just opened. The adorably edited pictures of small puppies and sleepy-eyed kittens have your feet moving on their own toward the street it's supposed to be on.

The shop is a quaint little thing. It's painted in soothing shades of yellow and there are countless animal pun posters along the walls, including one classic "just hanging out" poster with a cat hanging off a wire. The door opens with a loud jingle and again, you're feet move on their own. It's fine to wander though because there doesn't seem to be many people still there.

You kneel down next to a pen of three cute shitzu puppies with your hand dangling inbetween the holes. You wait patiently as one after the other they sniff your hand, one walking away after and the other two licking at your palm. You laugh quietly, cooing at their adorable little faces. You look around for a sign saying you can't enter the pen and don't find one.

A bit nervous, because what if a worker pops out of nowhere to kick you out do not noticing a sign that hadn't been there a second ago, you slip into the pen and find yourself a lapful of puppy. You giggle and coo again, scratching gently around their ears and under their head.

"Aww, that's adorable," Someone suddenly says.

You startle, staring at the puppy wide eyed for a second, wildly hoping it had somehow suddenly learned to talk. Then, a second later, your eyes are drawn to the cutest boy you've ever seen.

He grins at you, showing off his dimes and fluffy brown hair and softer brown eyes and suddenly you're feeling flustered. "They're so affectionate!"

He enters the pen too and the other two puppies are sniffing at his legs, the one in your lap seemingly content there. He sits down around two feet away from you and looks over with a wide smile. "Do you know their names?"

"No, I just got here," You blink at him for a minute, still startled. The puppy in your lap doesn't like that though and he presses into your still floating hand and settles when you mechanically start petting him again. "They're shitzu's though, if you didn't know.

"I didn't, super cool that you do," They lift a puppy up to their face one handed, the other scratching the other puppies chin. "I'm naming you Sapnap."

"Sapnap?" You accidentally blurt out, confused. Instantly you look away, giving a very pleased puppy all your attention suddenly.

"It's my best friend's gamertag," They explain, still holding a smile when you look over. Then he seemingly flushes, giving you a shy grin. "I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Karl."

"Y/N," Is it dangerous to say your name to a total stranger, maybe. But Karl is cute and also looks totally non-threatening so you're banking on the fact that he won't steal your identity. And also maybe hoping you can get his number, but that'd besides the point. "I don't think I've ever seen you before."

Karl let's out a small laugh, nodding. "I moved last month to be closer to a few friends. I'm not sure how permanent it is but I like this place. It's quiet."

That's exactly why you moved here too. "Well welcome to the city, I guess. I promise it's not too boring, most days. Just on Tuesdays."

"There goes my Tuesday plans," He laughs before smiling at the puppy still in your lap. "You should name that one too."

"It probably already has a name," You continue to stare at it anyways before nodding to yourself. "Cupcake."

Karl giggles like it's the funniest thing he's ever heard. "Cupcake? Why cupcake?"

You shrug, "They feel like a Cupcake."

Karl nods along through his giggling. "Mhm, of course. I see it."

You can't help but laugh with him, spooking Cupcake enough that they go back to their bed. You hardly notice though because Karl is smiling at you near fondly and you can't stop noticing his dimples. When both of you quiet down, you're still staring at each other.

Sapnap the puppy is curled up in Karl's lap and yours is empty so you decided to be the one who moves closer. You're barely a foot away, staring helplessly at the prettiest boy in the world. Karl isn't really smiling anymore, eyes caught on your face, looking it over. Whatever he finds makes him smile again.

"I usually go for coffee on Saturdays," He mentions almost casually. A sly smirk crosses his face momentarily before he goes back to a casual look. "If you want to join me, I'd be cool with that."

"Like," You struggle for a second, feeling like a middle schooler getting asked out for the first time. "A date?"

Karl nods, "If you're up for that?"

"Yes," It's an instant response and you feel flustered by how eager it sounded. "I'd like that..."

"Me too," Karl fondly says, a little dopey grin on his face. Then Sapnap the puppy sneezes in his lap and he giggles. "If you want to get out of the pen I could give you my number?"

You nod and offer a hand to Karl after he fixes a sleeping Sapnap the puppy onto an empty bed.

When you go home, the street lamps are on and you're phone has an extra number on it.

{《☆》}

[I actually wrote this 3 days ago but forgot to post lmao]

[So I'm trying to focus more on writing now that I have more free time but things are kind of going to shit around me so I guess we'll see. Anyways I hope that your life is going better and if it isn't, good luck. We need it. Take care of yourself, take time to do things you enjoy, hydrate, and spend time with friends! Love ya!]

[L0v3, k1ng]

Taglist: @creatorofstars @hiwhatsupbruv

Masterlist

#x reader #x male reader #mcyt x reader #dsmp x reader #mcyt x y/n #mcyt x you #mcyt x male reader #dsmp x male reader #x nonbinary reader #x gender neutral reader #dsmp x gn!reader #mcyt x gn!reader #x gn reader #karl jacobs x reader #karl jacobs #karl jacobs x you

[kumeko]

A/N: For the Festival of Stars: A Persona Wish zine! One day I’ll finish P1/2/4/5 and write about the other ones, but for now, I’ll take every chance to cram in MitsuAki that I can

…

…

…

…

i.

After months of fighting Shadows, the midnight city was a familiar one to Mitsuru. Streetlights lit the way home, stretching out into the distance like a pearl chain. The odd lamp flickered on and off, making a soft buzzing sound as they walked past. Iwatodai was usually just as lively at night as it was in the day, but even midnight was an hour too late for most. The odd car raced by, music blaring as it screeched and squealed through the empty streets.

A short, bark-like laugh drew her attention and Mitsuru turned away from the road and toward her two companions. Ahead of her, Shinjiro and Akihiko bumped into each other as they talked, their voices clashing against one another as though they were sparring. For friends, they argued a lot.

Then again, Mitsuru wasn’t one to talk. Aside from them, she couldn’t think of a single classmate she was close to. Maybe this was the norm.

Still, their argument today looked more like banter. Even Shinjiro, who Mitsuru found impossible to read on a good day, was smiling, his teeth showing as he tried and failed to hold back a laugh. Akihiko’s responding glare couldn’t disguise the mirth in his expression.

“What’s so funny?” she asked before she could stop herself. It was something that happened more and more these days. Perhaps Akihiko’s impulsiveness was rubbing off on her.

Shinjiro glanced over his shoulder, his dark eyes studying her. Whatever he was searching for, he must have found it for he relaxed and smirked. With a teasing lilt, he explained, “Akihiko still believes in fairy tales.”

“Don’t say it like that!” Akihiko lightly punched Shinjiro’s shoulder, embarrassment clear in his voice. As they walked under a streetlight, Mitsuru could just make out his red ears.

“Then what am I supposed to say?” Shinjiro challenged, punching back. Akihiko almost stumbled onto the street from the force. “Akihiko believes in magic? Akihiko—”

“Come on man!” Akihiko growled, shoving and cutting him off before he could get any further. His cheeks flushed as he peeked at her and then away. Whatever it was, he clearly hadn’t wanted her to find out. “It isn’t like that.”

Shinjiro snorted. “It is—”

“Then what is it like?” Mitsuru asked, interrupting their argument before it could get any worse. She quickened her pace till she was right behind them.

Akihiko stiffened at her sudden proximity. When it was clear she wouldn’t let this go, he scratched the bandage on his cheek sheepishly. “That’s…” Clearing his throat, he mumbled awkwardly, “It’s…it’s just…”

She couldn’t make out the last part. “It’s just?”

Shinjiro merely laughed, neither helping nor stopping the sudden inquisition. Akihiko elbowed him in the gut. “You!”

Holding his hand up, Shinjiro weakly defended himself. “Alright, alright. I get it.”

“I still don’t,” Mitsuru pressed, before either could drop the subject. There were few things she disliked more than being left in the dark.

“That…” Akihiko cleared his throat. He rubbed his nose and sighed before reluctantly explaining. “Shooting stars.”

That clarified nothing. She frowned. “What about them?”

“You know, that old thing. You make a wish when you see one.” Akihiko shoved his hands in his pockets and scuffed his shoes on the sidewalk. “I was just thinking it’d be nice to see one.”

Vaguely, Mitsuru recalled hearing about that as a child. But they were in middle school now, far past the time for such childish indulgences. “That’s inane.”

To her surprise, Akihiko didn’t get angry. Instead, he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s a little silly, yeah. I know it’s not true or that anything’ll happen but…” His expression softened, his eyes rising to the night sky. “It’s fun.”

Shinjiro nodded, looking oddly vulnerable as he also turned to the stars. “Yeah. It is.”

She didn’t have to ask to know who they were thinking of. Miki. Mitsuru knew a handful of facts about Akihiko’s sister, but it was enough for her to know that her ghost lingered here still. Neither of the boys in front of her were ready to let her go. And she didn’t have the heart to force them to.

Mitsuru followed their gaze. Between the streetlights and the bright moon, the stars were faint and hard to find. Intellectually, she knew the distance between them and those twinkling lights, knew the combination of gas and elements that composed each one, knew galaxies and constellations they belonged to.

“I don’t understand,” she finally said, tearing her eyes from the heavens and back to earth. “The stars are…just stars. And a shooting star isn’t even a star. Why make a wish on them?”

“You’re too practical, princess,” Shinjiro replied softly, though there was nothing cutting about his pet name for her.

“You don’t have to take it so seriously.” Still embarrassed, Akihiko ducked his head as he spoke. “Like I said, it’s just for fun. You can wish for anything.”

“Anything?” Mitsuru raised a brow.

“Yeah. Even impossible things.” Akihiko’s voice dropped a notch.

What did you wish for? Mitsuru knew better than to ask that question. She knew better than anyone just what impossible thing Akihiko and Shinjiro wished for. She knew better than anyone how desperate they were for it to come true, how unattainable that wish was, how insurmountable reality was.

What would I wish for?

Mitsuru was grateful they hadn’t asked, because even if she included impossible things, she wouldn’t know the answer to that.

ii.

The beach villa was oddly quiet. It had only been a few days since all of S.E.E.S. had come here, and every night had been filled with some excitement or another. When Junpei and Yukari had promised to enjoy it to the max, Mitsuru hadn’t expected them to stuff every hour with fireworks, ghost stories, and more. She wasn’t sure where they found the energy.

It was all too much for her. She had craved peace and quiet and she was glad that tonight, for once, the pair had finally stumbled into bed. Fuuka and Ken had guided them back, looking slightly worse for wear and just as exhausted as Mitsuru felt. Minato had disappeared to who knows where. The end result: the house felt oddly quiet and Mitsuru almost missed the noise.

Almost, save for the boy sitting on the porch next to her. Akihiko leaned against a post, yawning as he blearily stared out into the night. His dark red shirt clung to him like a second skin, still slightly damp from an earlier water fight. In the distance, waves crashed against an invisible shore. A warm wind blew, tangling her locks, and above them the stars shone bright in the moonless sky.

A comet streaked across the sky, short and fleeting, and Mitsuru remembered a laughter-filled night long ago. Fondly, she asked, “Do you still make wishes?”

That shook him out of his stupor. He jerked himself into an upright position, sitting up properly as he stirred into alertness. Akihiko stared at the sky blankly before turning to her, surprised. “You still remember that?”

“Of course.” Mitsuru smiled. She hadn’t forgotten a single thing about those days, when S.E.E.S. was just three kids fumbling in the dark. When her small world had expanded just a little, giving her a glimpse of possibility.

A possibility that had been snuffed out all too soon.

“Me too.” Akihiko sounded oddly pleased. She couldn’t understand why. He leaned back, his hand planted firmly on the wooden deck as he stared up at the stars. “Think you’ll make a wish? Or is it still pointless?”

She could hear the laughter in his voice, his question more teasing than barbed. Mitsuru clasped her hands on her lap as she considered his question. Even now, she couldn’t understand the merit of such a superstition.

“It is pointless, but I’ll do it.” Mitsuru turned to him with a smile, her hair falling over her shoulder. The only difference between now and then was that she had long since learned the value of such intangible things. “It’s for fun, right?”

Akihiko stared at her, eyes wide, before bursting into laughter. “Seriously?”

“Is it really that unbelievable?” Mitsuru asked, frowning. She couldn’t tell if he was mocking her or not.

“Just a little.” He pinched his fingers, leaving a small gap between them, and smirked. “Can you blame me?”

She pursed her lips. In all honesty, she would have had the same misgivings a year ago. Just this once, she’d let it slide. “No.”

“So?” Akihiko watched her now, his eyes bright. The moonlight made his hair and eyes silver, giving him an eerie look. “What’ll you wish for?”

“I thought it wouldn’t come true if you tell?” Mitsuru retorted, raising a brow. She wasn’t entirely ignorant to the superstition.

“Well…yeah…” he admitted sheepishly, rubbing his neck. There was a bandage on his nose and Mitsuru couldn’t remember if she’d ever seen him without an injury of some kind. Part of her wondered if his nose was permanently broken. “But you didn’t actually make a wish yet, right?”

“Does that count?” Mitsuru exhaled softly, shaking her head. Not that such technicalities mattered anyways. It was a fantasy, not a fact. “I’d wish that we would defeat all the Shadows and end this.”

Akihiko chuckled. It was almost tender the way he bumped her shoulder, the way he shook his head. “That’s just like you. You know you can wish for something you want, right?”

“I want us to defeat the Shadows,” she curtly replied, scowling at his insinuation.

“That’s not what I…” Akihiko blanched, his shoulders slumping as he tried to explain himself. “I just mean…you could wish for something personal, ya know? Something that’s just for you, not for everyone else.”

“Oh.” Mitsuru looked away. “I guess so.”

“And?”

She shrugged. It wasn’t like she had any other wishes. Even now, she didn’t have an answer to that question. “I want to defeat the shadows.”

iii.

Mitsuru gazed fondly at the old brick building in front of her. Behind it, the sun had just set, its last golden rays disappearing into a velvety sky. The twilight hour gave everything a romantic feel. It was an appropriate feeling, considering this was the last time she’d see her old dorm.

“I knew we’d leave someday but…I dunno, I guess I didn’t think I’d miss it this much.” Akihiko said, his words echoing her thoughts. He stood right next to her, so close she could feel his warmth, so close she could bump shoulders with him if she were so inclined. He was tall, a whole head taller than her now, and she couldn’t say just when that had happened. They’d been together too long, his presence as familiar and comfortable as her shadow’s.

“It surprises me too.” Mitsuru kept her hands by her side and wetted her lips. “It’s a good thing. We’re not needed anymore. The danger’s finally gone.”

“Gone?” Akihiko questioned, a shadow crossing his face. “I’m not so sure about that.”

Involuntarily, Mitsuru’s gaze landed on the second floor. On Minato’s window. S.E.E.S had gathered around his room just before leaving, giving him a final farewell. Their lost leader, their fallen hero—Mitsuru wondered how long it’d take before the ache in her chest disappeared. Before she could think of him or her father and smile.

“The Shadows won’t return,” she finally said, stiffening her spine and squaring her shoulders. This wasn’t the time or place to dwell on the past. “We’ll make sure of it.”

Akihiko glanced at her and laughed. “Don’t know why I was worried.” He bumped shoulders with her gently. There was something terribly fond about his voice, about his eyes. “You’re here.”

She swallowed thickly. Composing herself, Mitsuru managed to reply, “And so are you.”

“That’s right.” He grinned, his usual cocky smirk. Akihiko shoved his hands in his pockets as he took in the building once more. “We’ll keep the world safe for them. You know, for all that happened, I actually liked living here. We had some good times. More than the bad.”

“This last year especially…” Mitsuru closed her eyes, inhaling softly. The noisy dinners, the crowded living room, the way the building was never entirely empty—she hadn’t thought she’d like it as much as she had.

And throughout it all had been Akihiko. She peeked at him from the corner of her eye. Even now, his profile was proud and confident, ready to take on the world. They might not see each other again after this. Mitsuru was off to university, to get a degree to help her with her business. Akihiko was bound for college, his future uncertain.

It bothered her more than she’d care to admit.

Akihiko looked up and grinned. “A shooting star. I’d wish for the dorm back but…” He chuckled wryly. “That wish kinda got us trapped in a time loop.”

“I’d rather not repeat today again.” Mitsuru shuddered. For a while, she had feared she’d never breathe fresh air again. “Besides, who knows what we might find in the future?”

His grey eyes locked onto hers as he agreed. “There’s always something better around the corner, right?”

This time, neither the cold nor fear caused her to shiver. Mitsuru looked away first and started walking down the sidewalk. “I’ll give you a ride.”

“Sure.” Akihiko nodded before trailing after her. Within seconds, his longer strides overtook hers. Hands in his pockets, he hunched forward till he seemed like he was her height. His eyes met hers, his dangling hair too short to hide his gaze. “So. What would you wish for?”

Mitsuru still had few wishes, and the only one on her mind right now was a want. A desire. And it was something she could make tangible with her own hands. “Let’s have dinner next week.”

“Huh?” Akihiko blinked, bemused. When she didn’t add anything, he cocked his head. “Sure, but what does that have to do with anything?”

Everything. Mitsuru smiled mysteriously. “Like you said, we can’t wish for the dorm to come back. However, we can still meet.”’

iv.

Mitsuru had memorized Akihiko’s profile at night. It was impossible not to, after years of working together, after years of fighting and patching each other up. By now, she knew him better by the light of a streetlamp than she did the sun.

Even tonight was no exception—the moon was high in the sky as they leaned against her motorcycle, beers in hand. Akihiko balanced a container of takoyaki in his other hand. His skin was lightly flushed and by the tingle in her hands, she knew hers was no better. They’d have to walk off the alcohol before she could drive him home.

It was hard to care when he smiled at her, goofy and smug. “I know it’s a dive, but it hits the spot.”

Mitsuru glanced at the street stall in front of her, manned by a little old lady with the skills of a finely tuned machine. Exhausted office workers, rebellious teenagers, and more drifted to and from the stall. She hummed her agreement. “It is nice to go to places like this once in a while.”

Akihiko set his can on her motorcycle seat. She eyed it warily, ready should it spill and fall over. The last time he’d done that, the seat had been sticky for weeks. Maybe she hadn’t punished and threatened him enough, if he was risking a repeat.

“I bet you’d never go to places like this if it weren’t for me,” Akihiko boasted, baselessly as cocky and confident as ever. It was a strange thing to be proud of. Even now, she didn’t understand him entirely.

There was no point in denying it. “I suppose not. You have given me a craving for it.” Mitsuru took a swig of her beer, the quality lower than anything she owned in her apartment. Somehow, she didn’t mind when she was with him. “The reverse is true. You wouldn’t enter any of my favourite restaurants if it weren’t for me.”

Akihiko snorted as he blew on a takoyaki ball. The steam wafted in the air and dissipated. There was no bitterness in his voice as he agreed, they’d known each other too long for that. “Yeah, of course. It’s outta my pay grade.”

“Just a smidge,” she agreed lightly, tilting her head back to admire the sky. “It’s a nice night.”

“Yeah.” Akihiko bumped shoulders with her. He’d been doing that a lot lately, ever since they’d graduated in fact. It was oddly affectionate and she didn’t miss the red in his ears as he pulled back. “I didn’t think we’d do this so often.”

“Oh?” She glanced at him curiously, trying to gauge his feelings. “Would you prefer otherwise?”

“No,” Akihiko denied immediately and bluntly, filling her with ease. He stared at the takoyaki ball he was about to eat. “Just…surprised, you know. When we first met, I didn’t think we’d end up drinking beer like this.”

Another thing she couldn’t deny. Mitsuru tapped her beer can. “Things change…I used to regret dragging you into this but…well, it’s a little selfish, but I’m glad you were there.”

“Me too.” He grinned, his eyes soft. It was strange how everything about him seemed soft in the dim light. Part of Akihiko didn’t seem real, solid, and she resisted the urge to touch him. “You know you can be a little selfish, right?”

A shooting star caught her eye and Mitsuru jerked her head up. “Oh. Make a wish.”

Akihiko chuckled as he looked up. “Never thought you’d say that either.”

“Well, I did.” She focused on him. “What did you wish for?”

“If I tell you, it won’t come true,” Akihiko protested. When she gave him a look, he sighed and looked away. His ears were red again. “Just that…we keep doing this.”

Her breath hitched. Mitsuru reached down, taking his calloused hand into her own. Her skin burned at the contact. He was real, he was real and he was solid, and perhaps it was time she stopped this dance of theirs. “Me too.”

#akihiko sanada #mitsuru kirijo #shinjiro aragaki #persona 3 #akimitsu #fanfic #akihiko x mitsuru #i love these two so much #and somehow get shinjiro into most of my fics of them #dead but not forgotten

[auxiliarydetective]

OC Pride Challenge: Day 29

You can find the challenge here

We're officially in the last two days of pride month and this challenge. Today's prompt is: Here's my Review... Not Gay Enough which means you're supposed to take a classic het romance and put a queer spin on it. For my het romance, I decided to use the myth of Eros and Psyche with Eros being played by none other than Chandrah aka Charlie Drake. This project became so huge that this story is gonna have two parts, so stay tuned for part 2!

Chandrah sat in its temple, overlooking the vast fields beyond it. This was where all the spirits from Earth who died in love lived, be it romantic love, platonic love, or love for an activity. Whenever there was a passion and they died while it still burned bright, they found themselves under Chandrah’s reign. This was because Chandrah was a deity of love with the power to cause love but also destroy it. If it wasn’t for its servitude to Gozer, destroyer of worlds, one could even say that Chandrah was a peaceful god. Well, demigod. Normally, this place would be a peaceful place, too. But with the next coming of Gozer on the horizon and Earth being the victim, the entire afterlife was chaotic with spirits coming in and out.

Amid this chaos, Chandrah was called by Gozer. So, it made its way to the Destructor’s palace, bowing deeply before the Goddess of Gods.

“Chandrah,” Gozer said. “I have a task for you to carry out in the mortal realm. Are you aware of the group of mortals trying to halt my arrival?”

“Yes, my lord,” Chandrah replied.

“Use your powers to drive them apart.”

“As you wish, my lord.”

It was as simple as that. Whenever Gozer demanded something, Chandrah was there to comply. Even though it much preferred using his powers on a whimsy - and it did, on its various visits to Earth and other worlds, answering prayers not meant for it - when Gozer gave an order, it was an order to be followed and Chandrah had to abuse its powers for it.

So, bow and quiver of gleaming arrows over its shoulder, Chandrah entered the human realm in the middle of a fall evening, beneath dark clouds. It quickly found the firehouse the so-called “Ghostbusters” resided in. Now, the only thing to do was to figure out how to carry out this order. Taking the form of a dove, Chandrah sat down on a street lamp next to it. From here, it could look in through the windows. But, as it turned out, it didn’t need to. A man came out of the firehouse with a woman, saying:

“Come on, Dana, just give me one chance. I can be pretty amazing.”

“Dr. Venkman,” the woman replied, “you should probably focus on solving my case instead.”

“But your case is exactly what I have in mind - besides the beauty that you are, of course. Wouldn’t you like to spend time away from your ghost-infested fridge and go out on a date with me instead? The night is still young, I’ll take you to dinner right now.”

“No, Venkman. Solve my ghost problem first, then we’ll talk.”

And just like that, the solution had presented itself. This man - Doctor Peter Venkman, as Chandrah gathered by reading his mind - was in love with this woman, Dana Barrett. The only thing Chandrah had to do now was make one of his colleagues fall in love with that same woman, maybe make Venkman a little more madly in love, and they would start going at each other’s throat! So, Chandrah waited until it got dark, then climbed the firehouse wall like a spider. One of the windows was open. How foolish. Chandrah easily climbed inside and found itself in a bedroom with only minimal furniture but four beds. One for each of the Ghostbusters, obviously. Three of them were empty, but in one lay a man. Chandrah approached the sleeping man slowly and carefully, all while pulling out one of its rose gold arrows. The man was tall with a more or less large nose and dark, curly hair that was partially combed back, partially ruffled by sleep. He was handsome, Chandrah thought, which was why he would do nicely for this little scheme.

Suddenly, an alarm blared throughout the entire firehouse, causing Chandrah to jump. The man started moving with an annoyed groan. For a few seconds, Chandrah was frozen, its heart beating a hundred times a second, suddenly feeling very hot. Then, it sprinted to the window, completely forgetting that it could just turn to smoke or turn invisible. Only when it jumped out the window was when it remembered to turn into a bird and fly away. But it only got to the next roof over before turning back into its demon form, clutching its chest. What was this burning feeling? And why was that man suddenly all that occupied the demon’s mind? That was when a realization crept upon Chandrah: When the alarm had gone off, it had dropped the arrow - and the arrows must have gotten under its skin. But then that meant… Yes, that meant Chandrah was now in love. Madly in love, even. It should be impossible. Chandrah should be beyond human feelings such as love. But somehow, its own arrows were too strong for it to overcome.

The only question that remained was to figure out what to do now. In this light, Chandrah couldn’t bring itself to carry out its plan, or even its orders. Suddenly, it wanted no harm to come to this man, a man it didn’t even know the name of. Petrified, Chandrah watched a white car with sirens and lights rush out of the firehouse. Then, a choice was made. Chandrah had to somehow get inside that firehouse, get close to the man, get him to fall in love.

But things weren’t meant to be this easy. As it turned out, the man - Dr. Egon Spengler - was a lot more interested in researching the paranormal than he was in romance. Why, of all people, did it have to be him? His colleagues would have been a lot easier to persuade. Especially Peter Venkman, though he was currently in love with someone else. All it would take would be to turn into a particularly beautiful, more willing woman and he’d be stolen. Winston Zeddemore, the newest addition to the Ghostbusters’ theme, seemed like a decent man, loyal and dependable, but also easily persuaded. Dr. Ray Stantz was also science-inclined and the other half of the brains of the Ghostbusters, though Egon was clearly the stronger half. What Chandrah found out fairly quickly was that Ray’s mind was quick and easy to take possession of and seducing him would be a matter of minutes if done right. But Egon… Chandrah wondered if he was capable of falling in love at all. After all, there were people who had no romantic attraction to speak of. But by the gods, if Chandrah wouldn’t try! So, Chandrah turned into Charlie Drake, a young man with a love for jewelry, messy brown hair and deep brown eyes. An appointment with the Ghostbusters was made and so, Charlie found himself walking freely into the firehouse.

The front part was empty, probably because there was usually a car here, the infamous Ecto-1. But now that it wasn’t here, the view was open right up to the secretary’s desk where a woman by the name of Janine Melnitz sat, filing her nails. Charlie walked right up to her, a kind smile on his face.

“Good morning,” he said, “I’m Charlie Drake, I’m here for my appointment.”

“Right, Mr. Drake,” Janine said in a monotonous or annoyed voice. “The Ghostbusters are out on a call right now. They’ll get to you once they come back but they might be a bit cranky. They’ve been out all night.”

“That’s no problem for me.” But then Charlie realized these might not be the best circumstances to meet someone who should like him under. “Or should I come back some other day?” he asked.

“I’m afraid you’d probably have the same problem then. Things are very busy here these days.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard.”

“Would you like some coffee, Mr Drake?”

“If you can spare some.”

Janine smiled. “Of course. Just one second.”

So, Charlie waited with his cup of coffee and as he did, he talked to Janine about various things - when they weren’t interrupted by calls, of course. The Ghostbusters really were busy.

Finally, the Ecto-1 pulled into the firehouse. Charlie’s heart gave a flutter and he started shivering all over. Egon, Ray, Peter and Winston climbed out of the car in their flight suits, looking perfectly exhausted.

“Janine, who’s this?” Peter asked, pointing at Charlie.

“This is Charlie Drake, he’s here for his appointment,” Janine explained.

“Great, wonderful, my colleagues will take care of you.”

With that, he disappeared up the staircase. Egon, Ray and Winston looked at each other. Immediately, Ray and Winston appeared very busy - which was good for Charlie because it meant Egon was the one to greet him. Or maybe it wasn’t that good, because when Egon approached him, Charlie jumped up from his chair as if it had been electrocuted, his heartbeat picking up again. Maybe it was the coffee, he told himself. That was a lie, it definitely wasn’t the coffee. But he tried to convince himself it was. Luckily, Egon seemed too tired to be bothered by Charlie’s behaviour.

“I’m Doctor Spengler, that back there is Doctor Stantz, the man at the car right now is our colleague Winston Zeddemore and the one who just disappeared is Doctor Venkman. Why did you come in today?”

Hopefully, Charlie thought, his plan would work out, and hopefully he wouldn’t start fumbling because of how freaking nervous he was.

“I think I’ve been possessed,” he said.

Once again, Egon wasn’t very impressed. He simply pulled a device from his belt and pointed it at Charlie. Immediately, two arms sprung out from the sides of the device, the lights on them blinking rapidly, accompanied by frantic whirring. The moment he saw this, Egon’s expression changed. He had taken the bait.

“Ray,” he called, looking over his shoulder.

Ray came over and suddenly sparked with excitement.

“I’m going to set up the Aura Video-Analyzer,” Egon declared, then climbed the staircase, skipping multiple steps so he would get to his destination faster.

“Winston, we’re gonna need some coffee,” Ray blurted out.

Winston seemed to have caught on too and followed Egon upstairs. Once that was taken care of, Ray beamed at Charlie, putting an arm around him. “Right this way, Mr Drake,” he said, moving him towards the stairs. “We’re gonna run some tests on you to see what we’re dealing with. First, we’re going to ask you some standardized questions that you should answer as precisely as possible. We know possession can lead to symptoms like memory loss and confusion, so just try your best, okay?”

“Okay. - That device Doctor Spengler just pointed at me, what was that?” Charlie asked as he climbed the stairs.

“That’s a P.K.E Meter or Aurascope, one of our most basic tools,” Ray explained. “It detects psychokinetic energy - and from our readings just now, whatever came in contact with you must’ve been crazy strong and left a big signature.”

“So you really think I’ve been possessed?” Charlie asked excitedly. His plan was working!

“I can’t imagine what else would cause these types of readings - chances are you still are! Do you feel- No, I’m getting ahead of myself. - Sit down over here, please.”

They were in a living area now, but the place Ray pointed Charlie to was on a table next to a set of computers. As soon as he sat there, Egon put a sort of helmet with countless wires on his head.

“Alright, Mr. Drake, please tell us why you think you may have been possessed. What happened right before the possession?”

“Well, it was close to midnight,” Charlie lied, “and I was just about to go to bed. That’s when I heard this voice outside, sort of echoing. It was calling my name. So, I opened the window and looked outside - and that’s about all I remember. Next thing I know, I was on the floor in my room - and it was three days later.”

“Interesting, very interesting,” Egon murmured.

“And you hadn’t been drinking or taking drugs?” Winston asked, carrying over the coffee can and some cups.

“No, of course not,” Charlie scoffed. “And even if I had, I wouldn’t lose three whole days, right?”

“You’re probably right.”

“Take a look at this,” Egon said, pointing at a computer screen outside of Charlie’s view. He leaned forwards to try and look at it but Egon pushed him back. Immediately, a rush of… a rush of whatever this was travelled through Charlie’s body. Meanwhile, Ray, Winston and Egon stared at the screen.

“My God,” Winston gasped. “That’s not good, is it?”

“Are you kidding? This is wonderful!” Ray called out. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

“I’d like to run some more tests on you,” Egon told Charlie, switching off the screen and taking the helmet off of him. “ESP, precognition, telekinesis and other potentially supernatural capabilities.”

“You did great coming here, Charlie,” Ray said, patting his back. “Do you want some coffee? Tea? We also have some cookies somewhere - right?”

What started now was a little game. Well, to Charlie it was a game. To the Ghostbusters, it had to be peak scientific research. A breakthrough even. Charlie was shown only the back of a card and was supposed to say what symbol was at the back of it. Easy for a demon, but probably hard for a human. All throughout, Egon was hovering around Charlie. Sometimes, he held up the cards, sometimes he sat a bit off to the side, watching everything and taking notes, and sometimes he sat next to Charlie, those deep brown eyes watching him through his glasses.

They could have gone on like this for hours, but another alarm interrupted them. Overwhelmed with the situation, the Ghostbusters looked at each other. Venkman came out of the bedroom, brushing past them.

“Ghostbusting time, chop chop!”

“Well, uh,” Ray stammered, “it’s been absolutely incredible. You’re a real ESP phenomenon.”

“C’mon, we gotta go,” Winston said. “Thanks for stopping by, Charlie.”

“If you have time, come back tomorrow,” Egon murmured, scribbling down the last of his notes. “There’s still a lot of tests I’d like to run.”

“Alright,” Charlie agreed with a smile. “I look forward to it. This is fun!”

And then it happened. Egon flashed him a smile. A genuine smile. And it made Charlie’s heart melt, if he even had a heart to speak of. But before Charlie could even process all that, Egon had disappeared down the fire pole.

#ghostbusters oc #oc: charlie drake #fanfiction #opc2023 #eros and psyche au

[decimatlas]

“  i’ll stay the night.  ” / Post series... For Eden.

She idly fiddles with the paper in her hands. A letter, from Josie. Several months it had been, since the winds first hit the sails of the Peace Ambassadors' vessel. And the letter bore no comforting news. 'We've been summoned to Hizuru,' it read. A few more months. ( Has Josie had time to process what happened? Or has she thrown herself into her work, rose-colored glasses searching for a better world? Hoping to make right – for the losses they had suffered. )

And here she is – retired, if one could call it that. ( She supposes she could. ) Yet wounds are still fresh, constantly opening, bleeding. Only one saw the bareness of Eden's hurt, saw the lines under her eyes after sleepless nights. Outreached a hand to stop the trembling.

Only one. Eden's attention breaks from the scrawling on paper; her eyes flit upwards and her gaze meets Levi's. He's still there. Of course he is. After handing her the letter, he could've left – but he read her well. He always read her well. Something must've compelled him to stay.

And she's glad he stayed. Because his presence is the only thing holding her together. She misses her sister. And fuck, she misses her brother. He would never have the chance to taste freedom, like the fallen before him. He would never live this life, the one they fought for.

And oh, this life. Is she meant for this life? It hadn't been too long, yet Josie acclimated so easily. Eden's wings collect dust; she once soared so high – now, her legs shake on the ground. She places the letter on her nightstand, pinching the bridge of her nose with forefinger and thumb before leaning back on her bed. She looks to Levi. Though this life is new, daunting – shaky ground, two things remain clear: she is meant to walk beside him, and she needs him.

Levi, who remains in the doorway, has said nothing. He silently studies, reads, feels her. They've long grown past the need for words. ( 'Please hold me together.' ) It's what they do now. Brave this world together, its trials and tribulations – the feeling of being grounded; they no longer soared high above. No blade would they carry. No, they just carry each other now. And to give credit where it is due – they do it well. Even as their wounds open and bleed; they tend to each other. Care for each other, as they always did.

Her gaze lingers on his face for a few more moments, before wandering to the view behind him. To the window across the darkened hallway. The sun had long since set, and the street-lamps had flicked on outside. Eden lets out a sigh before pushing herself off the bed. She knows Levi can help himself, but she likes to do it, when he lets her. And perhaps helping him into bed tonight will take her mind off how uncertain this new world felt, at least for a little while. At least until she returns to the darkness by herself. ❛ It's late. I should – ❜

But now, Levi speaks. His chin upturned towards her as she approaches his chair; she had been prepared to step behind it and wheel him out. 'I'll stay the night.'

What's this? Her heart breathes a sigh of relief. Green eyes soften, muscles relax. The weight of the darkness leaves her. He'll stay. ❛ Okay. ❜ She whispers, taking a step back now, away from the room's threshold. There's no, 'are you sure?' or 'you don't have to.' They'd be hollow – far below the language they speak. The one only they know. And he knows she needs him with her. A small nod, as she repeats herself. With every breath, more relief follows. He'll stay. He'll stay with her. ❛ Okay. ❜

#BITES MY HAND #SCREAMS #i just. #so much happens between them #and there's literally 4 lines of dialogue. #one of which is just a repeat of the other. #oh i am obsessed with them #i want to inject them into my veins #lays on the ground and puts my hand in a pool #eden emerson : shingeki no kyojin. #interaction : eden emerson. #spatzenn

[huffle-dork]

Swap Across the CrystalVerse Chapter 18: The Bad End

Read Swapboys | Crystal’s AUs| You've reached a Bad End (Also on AO3!)

Read SITCV | SATCV Masterpost | AO3 Link

The sun has truly set by this point, and the street lamps are the only source of light. This is a street of shops, some of which are opened but many of which are closed. Chase had explained to the visitors that the city issued a curfew a while ago and that was why people were rarely out. 

Bro lingers outside a technology shop, its display window filled with monitors. The others huddle in an alleyway across the street, with Raven using their invisibility spell to hide them.

Bro anxiously watches the streets, eyes flickering back and forth as he tries to look for any sign of... well anything. All while trying to look casual while scrolling on his phone. But, he's not taking anything in. His stomach is churning uneasily. His instincts are going crazy- constantly shouting at him that something is wrong. He has to try to make this convincing though... just enough to throw this awful Anti off guard.

"Chase! Other Chase!" Jack's voice comes from right next to him.

Bro startles and nearly drops his phone, but just manages to catch it. "J-Jack?!" he whispers in confusion. "I... I thought you were gonna stay with Alt-"

"I'm sorry," Jack gasps out. "I-I'm sorry, I-I tried to help, I tried to--but they--they got to him, Chase, th-they got to him, h-he's under their control now, he's coming here, he's going to--"

"What?!" Bro gasps, his blood going cold and dread gripping his heart. "No no- no...!" He looks around in panic, "H-How soon?!"

"I-I don't know. Pretty soon?" Jack guesses. "Time is weird in the Place. Your villain is coming too, M-Magnificent? Other than that i-it's Voice and Error. I could--I could try to uncorrupt them, but it usually takes a while, you'd still have three others to deal with, a-and obviously I-I can't deal with Magnificent."

"I wouldn't want you to deal with him..." Bro mutters. "We can handle him... it's the others I'm worried about. And now... A...Alt-" He swallows thickly, his body feeling heavy. "... r-remind me what I need to know about the corrupted. They... they don't feel pain, right?"

"They don't," Jack confirms. "They're stronger and faster, but you're some sort of superhero so they may not be stronger or faster than you. They all have a handful of special abilities. Voice can conjure knives from nothing and stop time on anything he touches, and Error has these sharp glitches all around him that can cut you. I-I don't know what Alt can do. I saw him also conjure a knife but that might just be something he can do normally? I-in Marvin's case he kept his magic after being corrupted, it just changed slightly, I-I bet that's what's happened with Alt."

"Y-Yeah he could do that before... Okay... I... I can deal with his magic." Bro pushes his hair back and breathes out a shaky sigh. Then he angrily smacks the back of a fist against the glass behind him. "Fucking bastards-! Our plan basically does nothing now... we just are here like sitting fucking ducks-!"

"What? Oh. Because I was supposed to get him out during the distraction," Jack whispers, sounding guilty. "I'm sorry. But, uh, at least you'll be able to take them off guard? I don't think they're expecting a superhero."

"Pfft... yeah... maybe." Bro sighs, massaging out his wrists. "The second I see that motherfucking Anti, I'm punching him into oblivion. I want him to fucking feel it for hurting my brother...." 

"Well, technically you'd be punching Voice, he is like me and can't be touched," Jack says. "But I'm sure JJ wouldn't mind. He hates him."

“‘Course he is- fucking cheater.” Bro mutters, “JJ didn’t do this so it’s not satisfying to punch him….”

"Well, if it comes down to punching Voice or getting stabbed, I'm sure he'd understand," Jack comments. "H-hang on, I'm gonna tell Chase and the others about all this."

“Okay…” Bro sighs, clenching and unclenching his fists- looking out for trouble.

He doesn’t have to wait long. Only a few minutes later— WHOOSH! Something comes streaming through the air towards him.

Bro is caught so off guard- he’s almost able to dodge but the knife sinks into his lower calf and he cries out and falls to a knee.

Someone laughs. Down the street, he sees a man standing there, all colorless except for the red strings around his wrists. He gives Bro a little wave. "Hello, Chase. It's been a while. Did you think I wouldn't notice? Or did you think your friends there would protect you? 

Bro staggers to his feet and glares at the monochrome man. But then he grins, his eyes glowing blue. “Oh no- we were hoping you’d notice. I have something for you, bitch!” He kicks off the ground with a burst of speed and goes to try to punch him in the face.

However, Off to the side, Magnificent appears and blasts Bro off course with a burst of magic. 

Bro shouts and goes skipping across the road for a second before he pushes himself back up. “M-Mag?!” 

“Hello Fantastic! Almost didn’t recognize you~” Mag giggles, “did you forget about me?” 

“Honestly I’d hope you’d give us less trouble considering we saved your sorry ass!” Bro shouts at Mag. 

Magnificent just giggles with a shrug. “And miss all this chaos? You don’t even know me~” 

Voice's eyes widen and he steps to the side--but his dodge proves unnecessary as Magnificent appears. Anti laughs. "Oh! Clever, but you're rushing a bit, aren't you? Hello, CHASE. Nice to meet you." He pulls a knife out of nowhere and lunges for Bro.

Across the street, Error is leading Byte to the alleyway where the group is hiding.

Byte excitedly clings to Error- ironic considering how they were not too long ago. “Do you see them??” He whispers.

"I don't see them," Error whispers, taking a blade out of his pocket. "But I can hear them." In the alleyway are faint footsteps and rustling of clothes."There!" Error shouts, jumping forward knife-first. 

Raven yelps and drops the invisibility spell. They shout something--or sing? It sounds musical--and sends out a bolt of blue magic. 

Byte glitches out of the way and laughs wildly. “Magician! Hehehe I’m one too! you’ll be fun to fight!” 

Jackie gasps as the fight starts and sees Byte talk. “N-No…! Alt?!” 

Byte turns towards Jackie and grins, wide and manic. “That’s not my name anymore! Now it’s Byte!” He giggles and glitches back and forth before stopping, appearing right in front of Jackie. 

Jackie shivers as he sees his unnatural glitching eyes. 

“Hold on J̵a̴a̷a̶a̴c̴k̶i̷e̴e̷e̴ ~ I’ll come fight you in a second!” Byte whispers then just as fast as he came he skids in front of Raven and laughs. He tries to wave out magic at them- but finds that he can’t. He blinks and looks at his hand in confusion. But then he shrugs, finding he can still make his knives as he goes to lunge at Raven.

Raven yelps, starts to say something that causes a flickering blue shield to form--but Byte is too fast, and his knife slashes through the shield and across Raven's chest. They gasp and stagger back, and someone else lunges forward, waving a knife.

Meanwhile, a gunshot rings out.

The bullet whizzes right past Error, whose eyes lock onto where it came. He grins. "Hey, Eyes! So you're here anyway!" 

Chase aims his gun at Error, hands shaking slightly. "I-I-I know this won't hurt you," he says, "but I'm still sorry." He shoots again. 

Bro focuses back on Anti and yells in surprise, trying to block the knife by making an x over his chest- but his knife easily slices across them. Bro bites back a pained noise then grits his teeth. He hops into the air then uses the momentum of coming from above to try to punch Anti even harder. 

Anti dodges out of the way, leaping to the side. "Impressive--but too slow!" he laughs, and tries to grab Bro from behind. 

Bro ducks and then tries to sweep out his leg to knock Anti over. 

Another dodge, as Anti just barely steps over Bro's sweeping leg. He growls, a raspy, angry sound, and tries to grab him again. 

Bro leaps into the air and hovers out of Anti’s reach. He growls, a dangerous light in his eyes. He builds up power again and tries to kick him from high up. 

Anti sidesteps easily, laughing. "All that power and yet--!" He conjures another blade and throws it towards Bro. 

The blade slices across Bro's side and he cries out and then growls at Anti. "Y-You won't win this. Fucker- I'm not gonna let you get away with hurting my brother!" He yells, building up power in both of his fists as he launches himself at Anti and tries to tackle him to the ground. 

If Mag still needed to eat, he'd be eating popcorn on the sidelines right now- delighted by all of this. 

Back in the alley, Byte’s eyes light up, both figuratively and actually as he sees Raven get cut. He laughs wildly and lunges to try to grab them again but gets stabbed by someone else. He looks down at the knife in his shoulder then giggles, “That doesn’t hurt! That’s fun! My t̵u̸r̷n̶!” He flips his knife and aims to slash at their neck.

Error stumbles back as the bullet hits him, but quickly recovers and lunges forward, grabbing Chase. "Come on, Eyes! Think about what you're doing! You wanted this!" 

"N-no!" Chase gasps. "You don't--don't understand! I didn't--I just--" 

"Come back," Error whispers, almost sounding like he's pleading with him. Chase hesitates--and then Byte attacks one of the team. 

The man jerks backwards, letting out a strangled scream as a bleeding line appears across his throat. 

Byte laughs wildly as the blood appears. 

"No!" Raven gasps, grabbing him before he falls backwards. They close their eyes and start singing something under their breath, blue light wrapping around the wound. 

As Raven grabs the man Byte yells in anger, “Hey! I wasn’t d̵o̷n̵e̶ ̵y̶e̸t̷!̷”

Chase gasps and rushes over, yanking his arm free of Error's grip, and attacks Byte from behind, trying to hit his head with the butt of the gun.

Byte tries to lunge after them- but senses Chase behind him. He glitches back around and catches his elbow and throws him back into the wall, grinning ear to ear. “Oh!! You’re Chase! Other Chase- not mine! Ohhh… I wanna kill you but Anti said not to.” He pouts slightly then flips his knife around. “I’ll try to keep you in o̷n̵e̸ ̵p̸i̷e̴c̷e̵ ̸ then~!” He tries to stab Chase in the stomach. 

Being up this close- Chase can see… something that’s crawling along Byte’s skin. It’s black and glowing- a mass of what looks like purple and green veins but- it almost looks like… it’s shifting. Sometimes looking like ones and zeros- sometimes ending in a circuit pattern. It doesn’t seem like Byte is aware of it- it’s mostly on his neck- but it’s starting to peek out from beneath his sleeve. It feels… dangerous.

Chase's eyes widen, momentarily distracted by the strange pattern thing, but comes back to his senses in time to lunge to the side, barely avoiding the knife as it scrapes across the wall where he'd been standing. 

"Be careful, Byte!" Error shouts, punching back one of the others as they try to attack him. Another one lunges for him and he spins around, slashing their stomach.

"Aw! But you got to slice that guy!" Byte whines. He flashes his eyes towards Chase and giggles as he tries to grab him again. 

But, suddenly Jackie come out of nowhere and tackles Byte to the side. He holds him down by his shoulders, breathing heavily. "A-Alt! C'mon dude- snap it of this! This isn't you!" 

Byte squirms but just laughs in Jackie's face. "Yes it is! It's me! This is how I wanna be i̴n̷n̴n̷s̴i̵d̴e̷e̵e̷~!" He giggles darkly. He tilts his head at Jackie as if studying him before he grabs him and pulls him close, grinning wide and manic. "Anti said I could kill you- so maybe I will!" He glitches out of Jackie's grip and then appears behind him, stabbing him in the back and driving him into the ground by his foot. 

Jackie screams while Byte laughs loudly, stepping on the fresh wound. "Hehehe! You're not very strong are you~? That was too easy!" 

Chase's head snaps to the side. His eyes widen and he tries rushing for Alt again--but Error tackles him from behind, knocking him away.

On the street, Anti tries to dodge but Bro's flying is faster than he can run. He gets knocked to the ground, Bro pinning him to the sidewalk. 

"How devoted," he spits. "I'm so GLAD he has someone like you, REALLY." He wraps a hand around Bro's wrist. 

Bro grits his teeth, raising his wrist to start punching the snot out of Anti. Even though Bro's wrist feels stiff where Anti grabbed onto it. His skin and the cuff of his jacket sleeve are turning shades of gray, slowly spreading.

Then, his head snaps to the sound of Jackie screaming. He pales and completely abandons Anti- going to tackle Byte to the ground. "H-Hey! What the fuck are you-?!" He cuts himself as his breath is knocked away- seeing first hand what being corrupted has done to Alt. "No... no A-Alt...!" 

Byte squirms and glares at Bro with hatred. "That's not my N̸A̴M̷E̶!" He kicks Bro off of him- and the hero is too stunned to see it coming. 

He flies off and Byte glitches to his feet, studying Bro with a tilt of his head. He grins again, laughing. "Oh! You're the spare!! You're the Chase Anti said I can kill!" His grin turns deadly as his eyes glow brighter. "G̸o̸o̴d̴.̴ I wanna see how a hero bleeds~!" He glitches back and forth across the alley and then appears on top of Bro, ready to stab the knife into his chest. 

But, then- he suddenly cries out in pain and clutches at his neck- his knife cracking into glitches as he crashes to the ground. His body glitches wildly- now tainted with purple and green light. 

Bro blinks in confusion and then hurries to kneel down by him. "A-Alt?" 

"W-W-Why did that h-h-hurt?!" Byte pants out, his voice jittering and breaking like a broken computer. He's holding a hand over the corruption. Bro can see the black mass now solidly on Alt's hand and growing- glowing brightly. "I-I'm not sss-s-supposed to f̸-̵f̷e̶e̷l̸ ̷that...!" 

Error is trying to drag Chase down the street, but he stops when he hears Byte cry out. He immediately looks over. "Byte... it... hurt?" he whispers, confused. 

While Error is distracted Chase easily slips out of his grip, getting farther away but looking back at Byte and Bro in concern. 

Jackie has been trying to push himself up and then crashing back down as moving makes his back flare up in agony.

While everyone else is distracted, Raven rushes for Jackie and starts singing that same soft song. Blue light covers the stab wound, slowly healing it. 

Jackie sighs in relief as Raven heals him and can finally push himself up. He feels his back and then smiles at them. "T-Thank you..." He turns back to the chaos with wide eyes. 

Anti also gets to his feet, rushing across the street after Bro, but stops once he sees the coloring on Byte's skin glow. "What is that?" he gasps, and looks back at Mag. "Magnificent? Do you know?" 

Byte is glitching like crazy, gripping at his neck as that weird corruption spreads even more. He glances up at Error and Anti and tries to reach out to them. "A-A-Anti! Err-rror-! H̴-̸H̶e̷l̸p̸!̶" 

Magnificent teleports over and kneels down by Alt. 

"G-Get away from him!" Bro tries to shout. 

Mag pushes him back and looks at Byte's neck. He's eyes widen and he looks at Anti- "I... I'm not sure. It looks sorta like the corruption I do... but it definitely isn't." 

Byte reaches out and grabs onto Mag- "M-Magnificent...!" 

Mag cries out as he's grabbed- the corrupted virus quickly spreading onto his wrist now too. He pries himself away from Byte and clutches at his wrist. It burns-! Magnificent himself seems to glitch like Alt- but not in any way he can control. He shouts out in pain, his voice sounding corrupted and digital now too. "W-What the fuck is this?!" 

Bro backs away from Alt and Mag with wide eyes. He hardly notices his stiff and graying wrist. 

Error and Anti are staring in horror. "It... it's going to be okay, Byte," Error says. He hesitantly walks forward. "We just need to--" 

Suddenly, Anti grabs Error, pulling him back with wide eyes. 

"Wh--Anti, we need to--" 

"Don't get close," Anti hisses, backing up and pulling Error with him. 

"But he needs--" 

"Don't get close!" Anti snaps. "We're not getting infected with that!" He drags Error down the street, well out of range. 

Jack, previously lingering to the side, steps forward, going past Chase and towards Alt. 'I... maybe I can...' But he hesitates.

Byte looks at Anti with betrayal in his eyes. Then he growls, unsteadily glitching to his feet and trying to go after him. "Y-Y-You did this to m̵e̶-̶!̶ You can't l-l-leave me like this!" His voice is caught between desperation and anger. "Anti- p̶l̵e̴a̷s̸e̶!̵" 

Anti flinches a little at Byte's words. 

Bro tries to grab Alt by the hoodie to hold him, "A-Alt! You can't go back to him- please just...! We can find a way to fix this!" 

Byte whips on Bro and growls, grabbing his wrist and throwing him back. "STOP CALLING ME T̸H̸A̴T̴!̶" 

Bro cries out and grips at his wrist, the same thing that happened to Magnificent, happening with him- except so much faster and more severe. It eats up at his face, turning his sclera green as he gasps and cries out- his body glitching and corrupting. He staggers back then falls into a glitching heap, jerking like he's being shocked. 

"Chase!" Jackie cries and pushes past anyone in his way as he crashes down next to Bro. 

Byte's eyes widen as he glitches back. The spirals in his eyes flicker slightly. "C-Chase...?" Alt whispers.

Error reaches out--but then the infection spreads to Bro, and Anti grabs him, pulling him back. He turns and runs, dragging Error with him, who just can't bring himself to fight him. 

Magnificent is curled up on the ground and just barely sees Anti and Error running. "C-Cowards-!" He yells after them before crying out as more glitches take over and force him to curl up more. 

"Chase!" Chase gasps, rushing forward. "I--other me, a-are you okay?!" 

Bro doesn't seem like he can hear anyone, screaming as the corruption tears into his body- static tears race down his cheeks. His cries crack and fizzle like a broken machine as his body glitches painfully and he presses his face into the ground, trying to find some kind of relief. 

Raven also rushes over. They reach out for Bro, but Chase grabs their wrist, stopping them. "N-no wait, we have to be careful," he says. "We d-don't know how it spreads!" 

Jackie wants to help but he's also scared of catching this. He looks up to Alt and pleads. "A-Alt please! You need to wake up! You have to f-fix this!" 

Byte is breathing heavy, static and white noise roaring in his ears. He cries out as another wave hits him too, making him curl up and grab his stomach. He can feel it- it's spreading fast across his body. He's scared- he's been abandoned and he's alone and he hurt-! 

Jack gasps and rushes forward. 'Alt? Alt, can you hear me?!' he asks. 

...no- no he's not alone. Byte sees the white glow from Jack and his eyes widen. "J...Jack...?" 

'Alt, w-we need to fix this! I think--I think maybe I could help.' 

Chase glances at Jack. "Are you sure, Jack? You're talking about--what you did with me, right?" 

'M-maybe, uh, maybe if we get rid of that, then this will go, too,' Jack says. 'At the very least, we'll have one less thing to worry about.'

Byte breathes, like he can't believe he's there. He looks down at his corrupted hands and watches as they glitch- some pixels bright and colorful- some dark and corroded. "...you can.. g-gl-glitch too... right?" He breathes.

'Yes--yes, a-and that can help you, I think,' Jack says. 'If you'll let me.'

Byte breathes shakily and slowly nods, "... -g-glitch at the same time as me...! I think.,.. I think we c-c-can fix this... t-together...!" He looks back towards Jack, the effect of the corruption in his eyes seeming to flicker out completely- showing Alt's glowing scared eyes underneath.

Jack nods. Something in his heart twists. 'Okay. On three.' He reaches out to Alt. 'One... two... three!'

Alt reaches back out and glitches at the same time as Jack. 

The two masses of glitches collide- and unlike Anode- they don't try to pull apart. They swirl together as if in a unified dance. They combine completely and glow bright like a star. 

From the light- a body reforms, floating slightly off the ground. The light floats in the silhouette of a man and two green and blue impressions of wings unfurl from their back. The wings glitch with the body and then the light fades and shows the body in complete color. They look more like a solid Jack- his green black scar stark on his neck. White static overtakes part of his body- but most notably the right side of his now freckled face. They slowly open their eyes- the right one a green scleraed eye, the left one bursting with green white light and sparking like a storm. 

They blink slowly and then bring up their hands to look at them, eyes widening. "Woah..." they breathe, their voice ghost-like and echoing.

Chase and the rest of the group stare, in awe, at the transformation. "...Jack?" Chase whispers. 

They shake their head. "No," they say. "Not Alt, either. Someone... else. A... Cathode." Cathode--the opposite to an Anode. This feels so different than that did. More solid, despite their more ethereal state. 

Jackie’s jaw drops. “What the fuckkkk?” He squeaks. “I… I didn’t know Alt could do that!” 

Cathode gasps and looks around. "Chase?! Bro?!" they rush to his side.

As Cathode rushes to Bro’s side, Jackie backs up, making sure they have enough room. 

Bro whimpers and looks up at Cathlode with tearful eyes. They widen slightly as he takes in the blurry image. “…a..alt…?” He breathes. 

Cathode looks pained and remorseful as they gently take Bro’s cheeks- 

“Wait! C-Careful!” Jackie cries. 

Cathode laughs and shakes their head. “It’s okay Jackie…” They gently tilt Bro’s feverish face towards them and then touches their forehead to his. Tears bubble from their eyes and fall onto his skin. The flashing veins of binary and circuitry flare to white and blue- then fade away as if they were never there at all. The skin looks a bit purple gray where the corruption was for a second- like a nasty bruise. But soon enough that fades too. 

Bro stops glitching and becomes solid again as he slowly relaxes, breathing easy again. His eyelids flutter and then he blinks up at Cathode- back to full awareness. Though- he looks very confused about what he’s seeing. “…did I die?” He asks dazedly.

Cathode laughs. "No, Chase, you're okay. I-I'm so glad you're okay. I'm... do you remember Amp? From that world with the good Anti with the scarf? The same thing just happened." They lean forward and hug Bro. It feels less solid, more soft than a regular person, as they're not quite there. 

Bro blinks even more and then stiffens slightly as he's hugged. Then, he soon melts, hugging them back as best he can. "...I..I'm so glad you're okay....!" He warbles out, relief so strong it brings tears to his eyes. 

Cathode chuckles, "That's supposed to be my line, dummy." 

Then Cathode leans back, and their eyes fall on Magnificent. "I guess we have to help him, too," they grumble.

Magnificent wasn't nearly as bad as Bro- but he is quietly glitching in the corner, corruption slowly spreading on his skin. 

"...he helped do this to Alt..." Jackie mutters darkly. "I say let him suffer." 

"... We can't do that Jackie..." Cathode sighs, "As tempting as it is. He still needs to go home- to your dimension." Cathode glitches over and floats down next to Mag. 

Magnificent looks up and... almost looks pathetic. He weakly tries to bare his teeth but Cathode just rolls their eyes. They lash out and grab his wrist and then bring his face close to their as they whisper darkly, "...I hope this will be a lesson for you Magnificent. Don't come back here." They wipe a glowing white tear off their cheek and then spread it across a patch of Mag's corruption. It fades away like Bro's did and the ghostly fusion drops Mag to the ground. Magnificent takes deep, feverish breaths as the pain starts to leave him.

Now that Bro seems better- Jackie is next to hug him. He nearly tackles him to the ground, clinging to his shoulders. "Chase you scared me so fucking bad...! I'm so happy you're okay..." 

Bro blinks then hugs Jackie back, "I'm okay dude... I'm okay..."

Chase shakes his head. "This is so fucking weird." 

Cathode laughs. "I can imagine." They look down at their hands, briefly closing their eyes. Memories and emotions swim together. Part of them feels this is familiar. Part of them remembers something like this happening before. 

Inside, there are the faint remnants of green strings clinging to their consciousness. Before they can separate, they have to get rid of them. 

"You didn't deserve any of that," they whisper. "Tell me you know you didn't deserve any of that. Are we... evil? No. It is your choices that make the difference, the ones you meet in the future. Not where you came from. Tell me you know this."

Cathode hesitates, regular tears slipping out from under their closed eyes. "I... I..." They swallow shakily. "...I know..." Their voice gets choked up. "it hurts- it hurts knowing p-part of me did... want what he gave me... but I... I didn't deserve that... I didn't..." They hang their head and hiccup a bit, pressing a hand over their left eye. "I'm not evil..." 

Their see-through wings curl up around them- like they're protecting them... or attempting to give them a hug.

A few tears fall from their eyes. First the left, then the right. "I'm not evil," they say again. "I know. I know." A deep breath. And then they laugh. "I don't want to let go..." They wipe their eyes. "But I can't stay forever. We need to take care of ourselves, okay? ...Okay." And they close their eyes. White static fizzles as the two halves fall apart from each other. 

Jack lies on the ground, staring up at the sky. He blinks his eyes, trying not to cry too much. 

Alt is curled up, hugging his arms- his shoulders shaking. His hand and his neck have that dark purple bruising on it- the last sign of his corruption. But the virus is gone. 

As soon as Bro and Jackie see the static separate- they don't give Alt much time to himself. They immediately throw themselves at him and hug him. Bro is crying- squeezing his little brother tightly. Jackie is trying his best to hug them both. 

Bro eventually lets go long enough to look at Alt's face, searching it with worry. "...y-you're you again, right?" 

Alt smiles weakly at him through teary eyes. His eyes are normal, even if there's dark bags under them. "...i...I'm me." 

Bro laughs and squeezes Alt again and for once Alt doesn't try to glitch away. He clings to Jackie and Bro's arms and lets himself cry. 

"I wanna be sooo mad at you, lil bro-" Bro mumbles, "But I'm just so happy you're okay..." 

"Scare us like that again though and I-!" Jackie tries to scold but it falls short and he laughs, "... I'll think of a threatening punishment for that later so... don't scare us again!" 

Alt laughs wetly, nodding against them. 

Jack sits up. He lets Alt have this moment with his friends for a while before he clears his throat. "I-I'm glad you're okay," he whispers. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop it from happening." 

"Jack says he's glad you're okay and he's sorry," Chase repeats--a translation that turns out to be unnecessary, as Alt could hear Jack's words just fine. Something about fusion must have allowed Alt to hear him.

Alt blinks up and looks at Jack as he speaks, much to his friends' confusion. He then chuckles lightly and looks to Chase. "i-it's okay I can still hear him..." 

"...Alt can see Jack??" Bro gasps. 

"Well.. guess that makes sense-" Jackie comments quietly, "How else could they... steven universe like that?" 

Alt weakly glitches over to kneel next to Jack and smiles sadly, "Hey... If I can't blame myself for getting caught... you can't blame yourself for not stopping it. We both did all we could." 

Jack blinks, surprised. He smiles a little. 'W-well, I guess that makes this easier. Alright. We'll promise each other that we won't blame ourselves.' 

Alt smiles back and nods, "Okay... good." He shrugs with a laugh, "We shouldn't give Anti that satisfaction anyways. Fuck him."

Jack glances at Bro and Jackie. 'Oh... yeah, didn't you realize? I was the one guiding you guys to the underground entrance when you first arrived and that whole thing with Error happened. Alt could see me then, too. I wonder why. Maybe because we're... similar.' 

Alt smiles at Jack. "Yeah... guess we are. Or maybe its cuz you can glitch too." 

Bro blinks towards Jack, "oooh- that... really makes that make a bunch more sense. I wondered how Alt just suddenly seemed to know things-" 

Alt laughs, "I'm not that good-" 

"Steven Universe, huh?" Chase mutters. "My kids loved that show. Haven't had much time to catch up on it, being... underground and all. But yeah. That was a, uh, fusion thing, wasn't it?"

Bro blinks more at Chase, "ohhh yeah! It is just like fusion!" Bro laughs. "Man- we should marathon that sometime." 

"Oh- Kelsie would adore that." Jackie replies with a smile. 

Alt chuckles, "heh... that might be nice... someday." 

He then frowns and sighs. "...I'm sorry he still has... everyone though. Part of me hoped... maybe we could have at least gotten Error back... I... I dunno." 

"Heh... uncorruption isn't something that happens right away," Chase says, smiling sadly. "There's a whole process that Jack has to do. And, uh, I-I didn't want to go through with it at first, until he and some of the voices helped me out. So... even with your guys' help, it wouldn't be that easy. But I'm happy that you guys wanted to help." 

Alt looks sad but he nods, "Yeah... I.. If I could I would free all of them... I... I can't stand to see what Anti did to them." The sight of Cat in particular lingers in his head as he unconsciously touches his neck.He looks towards Mag who is resting up against the wall now- deliberately not looking at anyone. "...we need to get home..."

'Yeah, I guess you do have to go home,' Jack sighs. 'It'd be nice to talk with you about other-universe stuff, but I don't think this universe is safe right now. Maybe... maybe you can come here some other time, and things will be better. They're definitely better than they were before.' 

He sadly smiles Jack, "...I wanna talk too I... It's not every universe I meet someone else who... gets it. You know?" He looks dejected at his lap. "...But I don't wanna risk Jackie or Chase getting caught..." 

A green glow appears down the street. It gets closer, and closer--until it's revealed to be Sam, shrunk down to the size of a golf ball. 

'Huh? Sam?' Jack blinks. 'What're you doing here?' 

Alt's so caught up in his thoughts he glitches in surprise as Sam suddenly appears. He looks bewildered- but then a hazy memory comes back up... Memories from Amp and- a bright green glow inside Anti's hideout. He slowly smiles. "H-Hi Sam...! I... I never got to see one of you up close before..." He whispers. 

"Omg- tiny Sam..!" Bro gasps with a smile. 

Sam flies over to Alt, bopping against his pocket. 

'Oh. They want to see the thing you're using to travel through universes.'

Alt jolts and glitches a bit when he boops his pocket. But, then he blinks and pulls out the TRVLR for him to see. "Oh! Well uh... here, little dude." He gets more comfortable and powers it on with a quick zap of electricity.

Sam flies closer. There's a red bubble in the center of the TRVLR's menu, indicating the time-space warning Alt say when arriving in this world. Sam touches the tip of Their nerve-tail to the screen, pressing the Settings bubble. They scroll through all the tiny, complicated text in here, seeming to read it. Then They exit out and look up at Alt. 

'Uh... Sam says that... some parts of the device--the... TRVLR? Some parts are broken,' Jack explains. 'Namely, the, uh, firewall? Defender? Antivirus? The software that protects the device. They say that needs to be fixed. And after that, you need to fix the... what the fuck does that mean, Sam? Huh. Okay. The 'ripple minimizer,' They say. Apparently it's something that keeps you from causing big ripples when you jump between universes. Which is important, because some creatures and technical devices can pick up on ripples and know you're coming. That's how They knew you'd be here.' 

"That's great to know, but can these guys fix that?" Chase asks. 

Jack shrugs. 'Maybe not. But it's what Sam said.' 

Alt's eyes widen as Jack explains and he looks down at the device. He frowns and then glares at Magnificent before addressing the others. "Yeah we...knew it was broken. Just not how cuz... we can jump fine. Or... we could until..." He makes a face as he counts, "5 worlds ago, I think. Mag most likely broke it. ...its a long story." He frowns and flips the TRVLR in his hands as he thinks. "... I dunno how to fix it though. I didn't make it... some company called IRIS did- it didn't even work until I put my magic into it. I didn't even know we... we had a ripple minimizer!" 

"All these big fancy tech words hurt my head..." Jackie mutters. 

Jack laughs at Jackie's comment. 'I know, right? Sometimes Sam starts talking about stuff I really don't understand, and it really hurts my head to think about.' 

"Well... I don't think there's anyone here who's capable of fixing it," Chase says slowly. "I've never heard of an IRIS. What, like the part of the eye, or like the flower?" 

"Iris is a name," Raven comments, speaking up for the first time since the fight. "In fact, one of the Council members is named Iris." 

"...I don't know what that has to do with this science device being made by a big company, though," Chase says. "Because we don't have any big science companies here. Or at least, not big companies that can make things to travel through worlds." 

"I mean... is that really a big deal? The ripples?" Bro asks, "it's not like we go into these worlds secretly now. It was actually kinda nice to have Sam do all the prep work for us this time." He laughs. 

Alt sighs, "... I dunno... it could be bad. If the ripples cause detection... what if alerts something bad like... another Anti? There might be some that do even worse things..."

"It's possible," Chase says slowly. "But... like I said, there's no one here who can fix it. So... all I really think you guys can do is keep going until you either get home or find somewhere with people who could fix this stuff." 

"Yeah sounds like you guys don't have a company like that here. Thank god- those things already suck in our universe. And you guys deal with enough crap..." Bro sighs. 

Alt nods, gripping the TRVLR, "...I think we're almost there... at least- according to something a friend said." He replies to Chase. 

"Well that's great, then." Chase gave Alt a thumbs-up. "Almost there is great." 

Sam bobs, agreeing with Chase. They fly a bit closer to Alt, briefly bumping against his forehead. And in that moment, Alt--even though he doesn't know how to detect power like Magnificent does--gets a flash of a very strong magical signature. Something sour, almost to the point of acidity, and sharp. 

{YOU CANNOT WORRY ABOUT EVERYTHING, ALT BRODY,} a voice says in his head. {YOU CAN ONLY TRUST YOU ARE CAPABLE OF HANDLING IT. AND YOU ARE CAPABLE, EVEN IF YOU DO NOT THINK SO.}

Alt blinks up as Sam flies over to him. He tries not to jolt or glitch away especially as Sam's magic signature washes over him. But, he relaxes at hearing their voice and he slowly nods, smiling. "...okay... I... I'll try to remember that. Thank you, Sam." 

"...bro did you just have a telepathic convo with a floating eyeball-?" Jackie comments. "... that sure was... a sentence. This has been such a crazy adventure." He laughs lightly, shaking his head.

Jack blinks. 'Sam talked to you...? You must be pretty special, it took me forever to learn how to listen to Them. I mean, I've known Them for years and only recently started hearing Their voice.' 

Alt smiles, flushing slightly. "... maybe. It might just be cuz they let me."

"God, fucking tell me about it," Chase mutters, responding to Jackie. "Don't get me started on us finding Sam for the first time. Then Marvin and his magic, then JJ and his weird time powers. You get used to the fucking bizarre stuff after a while, though." He gives a little laugh.  

Jackie chuckles, "Yeah... Meeting these two and then finding out Henny can do that... time shit- feels real weird being that normal guy, huh?" He lightly hits Chase on the shoulder in a friendly gesture. 

Chase looks the guys over. "So... are you gonna leave now? Like, right now?"

Bro looks around and then sighs, "yeahhh... probably. Alt is right- we probably scared Anti off for a bit but... it's not...safe here. Even if we wanna help." 

"And we can't really- cuz this fucker would probably just make it worse," Jackie grunts, pointing a thumb behind him at Mag. Magnificent weakly hisses at him. 

"Yeah... we should... go." Alt sighs, glitching to his feet.

"I'll tell Stacy you guys all left," Chase says. "She'll probably be a bit upset that she missed it, but she's a pretty practical person, so I think she'll get it." He smiles a bit, expression soft. Then he shakes his head again. "The rest of us will head back to base once you guys are gone. Just in case he comes back to check if I'm still here." 

Jack stands up as well. 'It was nice meeting you guys,' he says. 'Always good to talk with more people. Especially you, Alt. I didn't realize I could do that fusion thing. It was interesting.' He gives him a small smile. 'Take care of yourself, okay? All of you.'

Alt nods and smiles back. "Yeah...Take care of yourself, too. I... I hope you all figure this out soon... and free the others. They.. they don't deserve this... No one does." 

Bro smiles and gets to his feet, looking towards everyone who came. "Thanks for all your help guys... you all helped us get Alt back and... I can't thank you enough for that." 

"When you finally beat Anti- give him a good punch in the face from each of us, okay?" Jackie grins. "Or... whatever will actually hurt him." 

Chase laughs. "God, if we can, we'll definitely punch him." 

Jackie grabs Magnificent by the arm and tosses him towards where Bro and Alt are. Magnificent makes a face but stays quiet. Bro and Alt exchange glances and then link up hands with Jackie. 

Alt gives one last look at everyone and smiles gratefully. "...maybe we'll see you again... when it's better. Keep strong until then, okay?" 

'Good luck,' Jack says. 'And... thanks. I think we'll be able to make things right.' 

And then, Alt hits the jump button, preparing for whatever comes next.

The group falls, and by now they are used to the way it is interrupted. Their course shifts, adjusting, like a comet being caught in the gravity of a nearby star. Pulled towards it. Pulled towards their destination.

#SATCV #SATCV Bad End #alt anti #corrupted alt #byte alt #bro fantastic #swap magnificent #jackie mann #i love love lovedddd alt and jack working together as Cathode :') #the moment of jack trying to uncorrupt alt makes me tear up ugh i love them

[jaws-and-canines]

At The End Of The Day

A “The Re-Education Of Haskell Haveter” story. Continues from here.

---

It's getting dark by the time they finish the profiling. Fennec makes sure they get Haveter settled in a cell that's approved to hold a man on the escape list, before going back to the interview room. He stuffs the notes into his satchel, takes his coat from the staff office on the wing and goes outside. 

It’s damn cold. Northwall is eerily quiet outside at night, but as he crosses the prison to the administration sector he doesn’t get stopped, which he supposes is nice. Smoking isn't allowed inside the staff buildings, only vaping, so Fennec pauses under the painfully bright white street lamp next to the staff accommodation. He looks up at the sky and shivers, before hunching over his cigarette to light up. The wind isn't so much strong as persistent- during the storms that sometimes hit the moor, Fennec doesn’t even try. He opens the windows in his room and takes the batteries out of the smoke detector. The weather is typically inclement.

Fennec shakes out the flame on his lighter and glances up as he hears someone walking over the paving stones towards him. It's Iverson, top coat button done up, red scarf tucked in and loose around his neck. Oddly, it suits him.

"Cold tonight, isn't it?" asks Iverson. Fennec looks at him over the top of his glasses. "Hm," he says by way of agreement.

He worries that he's in trouble. Iverson, on a bad day, carries the same sort of aura around with him as the angel of death. And the smell. Most people say Iverson smells of metal and saltwater, but Fennec knows the coppery undertone of blood when he smells it.

Iverson smiles. His face is oddly soft around the edges, not the sort you'd expect to be on a man like him. "I was wondering if you'd like to join me and a few others for dinner. Munroe is going down to the village to grab some Chinese takeout."

Fennec shifts his weight off his bad leg and leans against the wall behind him, shrugging without his hands. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Iverson leans on the wall as well, perpendicular to and within arm's reach of Fennec, something that makes him particularly nervous. Sure, the Major is smiling, but Fennec has seen what makes Iverson smile and it's never benign.

"I don't like Chinese food," says Fennec. He doesn’t like rice, actually, but most of the times he says that people look at him oddly.

Iverson laughs. Fennec flinches away, and tries to hide it by sniffing and pushing his glasses up his nose. He takes a drag from the cigarette in his hands, careful not to get ash on his threadbare woollen gloves. He considers carefully what he's going to say. "I have work to finish. I should get going." He drops the cigarette and grinds it out under his trainers.

"Sleep well," says Iverson. Fennec sidesteps him with a mumbled agreement, and lets himself into the staff accommodation building with the fob on his keychain, clipped to his trousers on a short chain. He glances behind him, and much to his relief, Iverson doesn't follow. Fennec thinks to himself that Iverson belongs with the prisoners, not the staff. He does not,of course, say that out loud, but the greater number of locked doors between him and Iverson, the more comfortable he is. The thought makes Fennec smile, and he chuckles to himself as he takes off his gloves and pockets them, standing at the bottom of the stairwell, looking up.

Leaning on the cast-iron handrail of the stairs, Fennec makes his way up to his room on the fourth floor. He's asked, twice, to be moved to a room on the ground floor, and the answer is always no. He doesn't have the right paperwork. 

By the time Fennec gets back to his room he is breathless. He lets himself in, hanging his coat up on the hook on the back of the door, checking he’s had no mail and wiping the crumbs off the armchair he has in the corner by the door. He picks up the book he’s been reading from the table where he keeps his kettle and an ever-growing pile of books beside it and flips through it, trying to figure out what’s bothering him about the apartment. Something definitely is, but he can’t put his finger on what.

Eventually it dawns on him that the windows have been shut and curtains drawn all day, so the room smells of warm damp and dust. He limps over to his bed and smooths out the pillowcases, looking almost sad in off-white from years of harsh washing, and straightens out the green blanket over the top. With a sigh, he sits down on the bed and takes off his trainers, checking that the insoles haven’t started to peel apart again, and tuts at the holes in his socks. 

Fennec has to lean his whole weight onto the latch to open the window. Not only does it stick, it doesn’t open particularly far, and is fenced in with rusty wiring like every other window in Northwall. As he stands up straight again, he almost knocks over his ashtray but manages to fumble it back onto the windowsill, a hand on the easel leant against the window to steady it. The last thing he wants to do is smudge an unfinished oil painting and ruin it.

He pulls out the chair at his desk, frowning at the squeaky wheel on the broken office chair, and sits down, taking his notes from his satchel and spreading them out. He tacks the baseline assessment he did with Haveter to his cork board to remind him to mark it, and sighs, looking at the rest of today’s notes. He gives up about halfway through reading over the morning’s session summaries, and picks up his cup from the desk, rinsing it out in the bathroom sink. The smell of damp from the tiny bathroom and the drip-drip-drip of the shower is constant in the tiny accomodation but Fennec doesn’t really care. He fills the cup up and pours it into the kettle, and sets the kettle to boil. Looking under the books on the table, he finds a packet of tomato instant soup between a copy of A Tale Of Two Cities and the sanded down tin first aid box he normally keeps his tea bags and soups in. He tips the packet into the tin cup and pours the boiling water on top of it, stirring it with his spoon.

In all honesty, he’d like a proper meal. But he’d rather not have to deal with Iverson, or anyone at all, really; and if that means instant tomato soup in a room that smells of mould and oil paint, so be it.

#the reeducation of Haskell Haveter #whump writing #original writing #i promise we'll get to the whump soon #it is just important character development #it is vital to the story that you know that fennec does not like white rice (/j)