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#And then I scanned it fixed it up and added some gray and more snow in CSP

killian-spey · 3 years

Text

Death Would Be Kinder [Ch. 2]

Prev. Ch.

[Drusilla/Spike/Calendar!Reader]

Words: 2276

Fic Concept: Jenny Calendar’s sister spends some “quality time” with the Season 2 Vampire Squad. This chapter takes place during [BtVS S2:E15]

TW/CW: violence, kidnapping, chains?

AN: Idea came from @prose-for-hire ‘s submission to the fic title game. Taglist is at the bottom, let me know if you want to be added!

You’d been sitting silently, watching Spike wheel himself back and forth across the factory. If you didn’t know better he looked like he was pacing. In reality, he was probably checking behind the pillars and corners of the factory for any sign of your friends. It seems the vampires were expecting Buffy to come looking for you. As the time dragged on, your suspicions became reality; Buffy had prioritized the threat of the Judge over saving you. You had to admit, it stung a little, but it was only logical.

Spike peeked his head into each doorway adjoining the main factory floor. You could tell he was getting restless. You contemplated your odds carefully before you decided on taking a calculated risk.

“You lose a sock?” you yelled.

“Did I what?” Spike wheeled back into the room, an odd expression on his face.

“I asked if you lost a sock.” You paused, his intense glare caught you off-guard. “You know… Because of all the pacing. And popping your head in and out of every room in the place. Somebody’s going to think you lost a sock.”

“Well, I didn’t.” He chuckled a bit before going quiet again and stalking around the factory in his wheelchair. You nodded to yourself, deciding to quit while you were ahead. After that, the only sounds left in the factory were the spinning of wheels and an occasional bumping of door frames and frustrated curses.

It had only been a couple hours of his pseudo-pacing before Angelus and Drusilla stumbled their way into the factory. Spike took one look at the state Angelus was in and hid a smirk under his hand by scratching his nose.

“Well, you’re home early. Slayer hasn’t even tried swiping the girl yet.”

Spike’s good mood vanished as he watched them come down the steps. Drusilla was beside herself, and for a moment you found yourself feeling bad for her. Then Angelus opened his big fat mouth and you remembered who these people were.

“Yeah, well things didn’t go exactly according to plan, Spikey.” He prowled the room, circling like a big cat before he gravitated towards you. Your nerves peaked and you swear you saw a glint of pride behind Angelus’ eyes as he heard your heart pick up. He stepped within arms’ reach of you and sneered.

“What I can’t figure out is, why would she abandon you like this?”

“Where’s your big blue friend?” You swallowed your anxiety and stared up at him in challenge, you weren’t going to tell him a goddamn thing. Might as well give yourself a fighting chance. If he figured it out, you were dead already. You were going to be careful, of course, but that didn’t mean you were going to let him win.

Angelus roared, grabbing your face by the jaw. He was suddenly wearing his game face front and center. ‘Buffy really rattled him, huh?’ You remained stoic, as statuesque as you could muster. If you had misjudged his mood, this might be one of your last moments alive.

Drusilla had floated her way over, leaning into Angelus and hugging his arm to her side. Your staring contest interrupted, Angelus pulled away from you. You took the free moment away from the spotlight to run your fingers against the grain of the armrests, trying to ground yourself in the feeling of the wood underneath you. Your panic was bubbling to the surface, tension and pressure building in your ribcage. You caught Spike’s knowing glance towards you as your eyes flickered between the vampires. You dropped your eyes to the floor, frozen as Drusilla subtly coaxed Angelus away from you. Before long, Angelus had stormed out of the factory again, mumbling about sending Buffy a message.

You were grateful and more than a little stunned. Drusilla saved your life. In her own, subtle way she’d dismantled Angelus’ rage and directed it somewhere else. She’d spun him out of the factory towards Buffy with little more than a subtle flirtatious gesture. You practically gawked at her as she made her way into Spike’s lap. She had these men wrapped around her finger and they didn’t even know it.

Well, maybe Spike knew, but he certainly didn’t mind. He was running his fingers through Drusilla’s hair, comforting her as he spoke.

“If you like the hostage so much, maybe you should have a little fun, Ducks.” He wrapped an arm around Drusilla’s waist to steady her as he wheeled towards you, continuing. “She was supposed to be the distraction for the Slayer, after all. That is what went wrong with the plan, wasn’t it?”

Drusilla lifted her head, gears turning as she looked between Spike and you. Your mind rushed with your fears of what she was contemplating. You didn’t put it past them for ‘playing’ to mean something rather unpleasant for you. Drusilla hummed under her breath excitedly, springing from Spike’s lap and practically skipping out of the room. Spike nodded at you, raising his eyebrows as if to say “Hey look, I fixed it!” and wheeled himself into a good position to watch from, a smug grin on his face.

Drusilla returned with two fistfuls of chains and your heart dropped. She fussed with them somewhere behind you and left the rest in a pile as she ducked off again to the other room. Spike flicked his eyes between the chains and his girl curiously, but said nothing as she flurried about the factory. When she returned, she was holding a long carrying case and a small over-the-shoulder bookbag. She dropped them beside the chains and left again without a word.

“Ducks, what is all this stuff?”

Spike called out to her and wheeled over to the bags. He unzipped one when she didn’t answer. You couldn’t see into the bag from your position and Spike’s exasperated reaction didn’t help you either.

Drusilla returned one final time, holding a large blank canvas in each hand. The left was maybe a 20”x24” and the right was maybe a 24” square. (50cmx60cm or 60cm square).

“Which one does the artist like best?”

You paused, unsure if there was a right answer. After a couple moments you pointed weakly to the left canvas. Drusilla smiled at you and put the square canvas down. Spike scoffed as Drusilla set up an easel from the carrying case and put the bookbag on a table beside it.

She dragged the chains over to your chair and kneeled, carefully untying the knots around your right leg. You studied her face; she bit her tongue lightly as she worked, pulling at the ropes with deft, perfectly manicured fingers. After she’d untied your legs and shackled them, she let your arms off the armrests.

She took your hands in hers and pulled you up to stand for the first time in almost a day. You scanned her expression and glanced backwards towards the easel, then back to her with trepidation. She glided you in front of the daunting white canvas and left you, sinking backwards and sitting in Spike’s lap.

You stood, dumbfounded at the prospect of Drusilla wanting you to paint, of all things. She seemed unimpressed by your inaction after a few moments, and had begun whispering into Spike's ear. He'd leaned into her, pulling her closer and snickered at what must have been a rather amusing comment. He flicked his eyes at you through his lashes, a predatory glint flashing behind his eyes as his smirk grew. He straightened in his seat with satisfaction, head held high.

“Paint for the lady or get eaten. Your choice.”

Drusilla’s eyes wandered back to you and provided no comfort, but then again, why should it? You turned back to the canvas, feeling both their eyes staring at you. A calming breath later, you assessed the materials on the table.

The canvas bag she'd brought had a full set of oil paints- far nicer than you'd ever been able to afford. You didn't dare think of the poor shopkeeper she'd probably killed for them. A person just like your Uncle. He was just another obstacle in these people’s way, and for that he was murdered. You shoved the paints to one side of the small table and began assessing the tools. A somewhat rudimentary selection of spatulas and brushes. You could make do just fine with these.

You set up a palette with some blue, red, white, and black to start. A color palette often was the first thought you gave to a painting. This painting would be mostly blues, purples, and grays. Without turning your head, your eyes flicked towards the vampires just off your left shoulder in the periphery. You had never really let anyone sit and watch you paint. It was hard enough showing a finished piece to someone other than family.

You mixed a deep lilac and raised a palette knife to the canvas. You paused, unsure where to place the landscape. The creeping feeling of being watched was throwing you. The white snow canvas was taunting you, paralyzing you. But you weren't about to let it win. Any of them. You closed your eyes and just swiped the palette knife confidently in a bold first stroke. Now you had a puzzle. How does this fit into a landscape? There was no going back now, it had to work.

It was a mountain slope. The hue you used was suitable for a distant fixture seen from a twilit glade. You could lean into that, thinking on how to keep the morbid whimsy of the piece consistent as a theme. You blocked out the clearing and plotted out the forest behind and around it. It fell silent in the factory as you worked, only the scraping of palette knives and brush strokes echoing in the room. Pieces fell in place as you added gnarled willows at the tree line, white ghost pipes and fungi crawling on the foliage, and sickly green fireflies in the weeping branches and crooked thorn bushes. You didn't like how the overall feel of the piece was so damp and dreary. It felt too muted, too blue for what you'd envisioned. You added nettles to the glade in a redder purple, almost magenta, to tie the piece back into the mystical tone you wanted. A few more touches, a ray of silver moonlight here or there, and you stepped back. You contemplated the piece, for some reason feeling unfinished. The glade felt completely untouched, too alone by itself.

You almost jumped when you heard Drusilla shift off Spike’s lap behind you. You froze, dropping your gaze to the floor, unsure of her intentions. With three clicks of her heels against the concrete flooring, she stopped just behind you. So close you would have felt her breath on your neck if she were human. She leaned forward and pulled your hair behind your ear. She placed one hand on your shoulder and raised your head with a finger under your chin, guiding your eyes back to your work.

“Don’t you like it?”

“It’s not bad, actually.” Spike wheeled forward a pace or so to take a closer look at it. Drusilla still seemed to be waiting for your own answer. You studied it again silently.

It did feel telling, in an odd sort of way. It was invisibly and indescribably alive, despite the darkness and isolation. Could be a good metaphor for vampires... Alive and free only after their own deaths. Sure, they may not exactly live up to society’s expectation of a good neighbor, but you couldn’t say they let being dead keep them from living.

Still, the painting felt unsatisfactory, felt incomplete. You shook your head and pondered. You drew up a couple new colors, a ghostly blue and a red-brown clay. You loaded a palette knife with the clay tone and hovered over the painting, indecisive. The central piece as of now was a large, twisting willow on a small inclined mound of earth. The whole painting felt like background to an invisible subject. Nothing tied the eye to the painting, there was nothing to follow. No movement in a living place.

Drusilla took the palette knife from your hand and set it down. She pulled you lightly to step away from the painting, lightly petting your hair.

“Let it rest, you’ll do more later. With a clear mind,”

You let a heavy sigh escape your lungs. She was right. If you kept going now, at the end of your rope, you’d risk doing something that detracted from the painting entirely. You jerked your head up at a loud scraping sound from above you. Angelus had swung the door open on the mezzanine of the factory. He had a vicious grin and a playful look in his eyes, leaning on the guardrail and looking down at the three of you.

“Did you have fun with the Slayer, then?” Spike called up to him.

“Oh, she makes it so easy!” Angelus threw himself at the spiral staircase and rushed down them with glee.

“I barely had to lift a finger to throw a wrench in her little puppy problem.”

Drusilla twitched her head and glided towards him. She was staring at his face, fixated on something you didn’t pick up on. She swiped her thumb across the corner of his mouth and brought it to her own lips.

“Did you bring any home, Angel? I taste a young one on you.”

“Not today, darlin’. Besides, you have that one.” Angelus gestured to you and sauntered off, calling back as he left. “She wasn’t really any use anyway.”

[Next Chapter Soon!]

Tags: @prose-for-hire @soggy-enchilada @misselsbells06

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capsironunderoos · 4 years

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December

DINCEMBER - December 2 - December (Ariana Grande Version)

Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) X Female!Reader

Summary: A little thievery, a little marketplace, a little mysterious allusions to past lives, and a little green baby.

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: None that I can think of! (Possibly my writing because this one is... something else)

Author’s Note: Ah okay so I know this is a day or so late, but I still wanted to keep up with @dindjarindiaries Dincember! This prompt was December by Ariana Grande and I can’t lie I’d never heard the song before! It’s really good though (and I definitely added it to my “baking Christmas cookies with matthew gray gubler” playlist). I was inspired by the lines “I’m just tryna keep my baby warm through the wintertime” and “whatever is on your list I’ll do it,” but probably not in the way you’d expect... Anyways! I hope you guys enjoy this one, I have a love hate relationship with how it turned out... Also, I do make some allusions to the readers past, but you can fill those in however you like! Was she an Imperial spy? A Rebel spy? Maybe she flew alongside Luke Skywalker, or learned how to beat Lando at sabacc! Who knows! That’s completely up to you. Anywho, this was a really long author’s note sheesh... Enjoy!

Here’s the previous prompt:

DINCEMBER - November 30 - Snow

And the link to my masterlist: capsironunderoos masterlist

It’s almost cold today, you find yourself thinking as a slight breeze picks up the fabric sitting on your sale table.

You’re carefully folding your newest line of fabrics onto the table before you, making sure they’re arranged in a way that will draw people in, and will get you enough credits to at least try out the new caf they’re selling at the cantina.

You smile at the thought and smooth out a wrinkle in the bright red fabric before turning to look around you.

The marketplace seems almost empty. Normally you have to elbow a few Jawa to get through the crowd and set up your table, but today was unnaturally easy.

It’s almost unsettling how quiet the town is, normally on market days patrons all the way from Mos Eisley find their way to the multi-colored booths. Your booth tends to be pretty popular, as it’s rare to find a seamstress on a dust ball like Tatooine.

It doesn’t hurt that you’re easy on the eyes either, and that you know how to work an unsuspecting husband into buying something new for his wife, or a new mother into buying a cloth sling to carry her crying baby in.

It also doesn’t hurt that there don’t seem to be enough rumors about you.

Some point and whisper as they walk by, saying you once sewed the robes worn by Jedi and Sith alike. Others stare in the cantina as they place bets on which royal you sewed for and if you ever got to live on a core planet.

Of course none of them are true, and most of them were started by you to thrum up good business.

What can you say? The caf at the cantina is really good.

It’s been a few minutes now, well past the opening hour of the market, and the number of booths is still few and far between.

You hum in disappointment, accepting that you won’t be making many, if any sales today. You begin to sit down on the stool you bring along for days like this when you see a scrap of your best-selling silver cloth suspiciously fly off of the table.

It takes a second, but you note that there’s no wind blowing, so there’s no way it was carried off by a sudden strong breeze.

You grab the small stun gun you keep tucked away in your belt, slowly moving around the table, already knowing you’re about to have another run in with a Jawa.

Your footsteps are measured, and if anyone were to pay enough attention, they’d notice that a seamstress wouldn’t know how to move the way you are.

As you creep around the table, you notice that another scrap of fabric, this time green, is swept away as if by an invisible being.

Your steps pick up then, and you round the table just in time to see a small creature waddling away from your booth, fabric dragging the ground as it struggles to carry a stolen bounty almost as large as the creature is.

“Hey! Not so fast, little one!” You call out, and the creature turns to look at you.

He squeaks in alarm and begins… running?

You think it’s possibly running, or trying to at least.

You note how large its clothes are, and how they seem to be tripping it up as it tries to escape.

If it hadn’t been stealing from you, you’d almost have felt bad for it.

Three more lunging steps later and you’ve managed to put your stun gun away and scoop the small being into your arms. It wails in disapproval and struggles against you in a feeble attempt to get away, but your grip is tight enough to keep it tucked into the crook of your arm.

“Now where do you think you’re going with that?” You ask as you grab the fabric from its hands.

As cute as you suddenly realize it is, it’s hard to miss how stubbornly it holds onto the fabric.

You begin to walk back to your booth, scanning the area for anyone who might be searching for it.

It’s calmed down now, and you turn to see it’s big brown eyes staring up at you.

“Oh don’t give me that look. Doesn’t matter how cute you are, you still gotta pay like everyone else.”

The little one coos in response, as if understanding and responding to your statement.

“Uh huh,” you nonchalantly agree to its babbling as you do your best to fold the fabrics back into their places with one hand, your left arm currently supporting the child in it.

“Is there someone you’re supposed to be with right now? A leash you broke off or, um, maybe a cage you got out of? Or are you somebody’s kid?” You question, and it looks up at you, blinking quietly and deciding that now it’ll be quiet.

“Well, I doubt you’re anybody’s kid, ‘cause I’ve never seen anything like you around here. But I also doubt that you’re anybody’s pet, ‘cause I know good and well no one would be able to keep you on a leash, especially not in a cage. You’re too cute for all that. Besides, I think you might be able to escape too easily anyways.”

The child laughs at that, and you find yourself smiling in response.

“Hey I’m still trying to figure out how you managed to pull that fabric off of my table. You’re not exactly the same height.” You wonder aloud, and the child moves to sit up as best it can in your arms.

You apologize to it before sitting it on the table and pulling your stool up.

It doesn’t really matter if it tries to run off, you already know you could catch the poor thing in two steps.

The creature watches you intently, tilting its head as if inspecting you, or searching you for something.

You furrow your eyebrows at its actions, leaning up to get a little bit closer to it.

You notice movement out of the corner of your eye and sit back again, watching as the little one begins to raise one of his hands.

You can feel your heart rate pick up as your mind races to put together what the child is trying to show you, but before the connection can be made a set of quick and heavy footsteps are striding up to your table.

“There you are,” you hear through the crackle of a modulator, which cues you to turn and see a Mandalorian taking long strides to your booth.

Dread instantly fills your chest, and you quickly stand up, glancing down at your stun gun sticking out of your boot and back to the Mandalorian.

Was he talking to you or the kid? Regardless of whichever one he was talking to, you have a feeling you’re both about to be in some trouble.

Last you knew you didn’t have an active bounty on your head, but that had been too many rotations ago to remember. Surely the small child beside you wouldn’t have an active bounty, it hardly knew how to speak, much less commit a serious crime against the New Republic, or the remaining Imps for that matter.

Your wandering thoughts are quickly answered as the Mandalorian scoops the little green being in its arms.

“I told you to stay put kid,” his tone is meant to come off as scolding, but you can hear the worry in his voice.

The child is grinning from ear to ear, obviously happy to see the man before you.

“You know,” you start, and the Mandalorian turns to you as if noticing you for the first time.

“I can sew you something to wear that he can ride in. Can match the color to that fancy beskar and everything.”

At the mention of his armor, you notice the Mandalorian stand a bit straighter.

“No, thank you. I hope that he wasn’t too much of a bother.”

The child laughs at the mention of himself, and you find yourself fighting a grin.

“Well, other than trying to make off with two of my best-selling fabrics,” you shrug and the Mandalorian returns his gaze to the kid, who has gone suspiciously silent.

“Did you give them back?” He chastises the child again, but before it has a chance to answer you step in.

“I got them back. He tried to make a run for it, but he’s not very fast.”

A beat of silence passes between the three of you before you continue.

“I could fix that too. Those clothes are obviously too big for him.”

The Mandalorian sighs, but it comes out as a crackle. How had you managed to finally meet the first customer you’d ever had that was able to resist your persuading?

“I said no thank you earlier, and the same applies now.”

You raise your hands in defense, feigning innocence.

“Alright Mando, alright,” you taunt him and he shifts his weight from one foot to the other.

“I’m just trying to keep that baby warm through the winter time.”

At the reference to him, the kid squirms in the Mandalorians arms, turning to look at you with big eyes, full of want.

“Whatever’s on your list, I’ll do it. I’m the best around. Actually, I’m the only around.”

You decide to try one last time, and even if he doesn’t respond or buy, at least you’ll know what to work on when the next Mandalorian shows up at your table.

He’s quiet for too long, and you turn your attention back to the kid.

“I see why you wanted that silver, little one. It’d match ole tin can man perfectly.”

You taunt him again, and the Mandalorian continues to stand still.

After another beat of silence, you hear the scramble of feet behind him, and you move to glance over his shoulder.

“Peli!” You exclaim, and she smiles as she sees you, but you notice her smile growing even bigger when she sees the kid peeking through the Mandalorians arms to see her.

“Hey kiddo! And… kiddo,” she jokes as she moves to stand beside Mando.

The kid makes grabby-arms towards her and she laughs, accepting him into her arms.

“This that Mando you were telling me about over caf the other week?” You question and she nods.

“As he lives and breathes. At least, I think he’s living and breathing.”

You nod in agreement.

“Come on Mando,” she prompts, gesturing for him to follow her.

“Your ship has some… problems, to say the least, and I need an opinion that isn't a pit droids.”

You wave to the child as Peli retreats back in the direction she came before turning to face the Mandalorian once more.

“Offer still stands,” you start, and his helmet moves ever so slightly to look at you.

“Response is still the same,” he combats, and you laugh.

---

Three days later and Din is ready to get off of this sand pit.

He normally doesn’t mind coming and visiting Peli, having the Crest regularly serviced while taking a few days to visit old friends or to simply sit with the feisty mechanic and his kid.

But he’s got stuff to do now, and Life Day is just around the corner.

He didn’t remember too much of his childhood, but he remembered celebrating Life Day with his parents when they were still alive. Therefore, he wants to give the kid a good Life Day this year, as Din was almost certain he’d never experienced one before.

This meant gathering gifts specifically for the little creature, and that meant trekking across the galaxy before settling onto Nevarro to celebrate Life Day with Cara and Greef.

He watches from afar as the pit droids finish up their final touches, making sure the Crest has a full tank before he’s cleared to go.

“Hey Mando!”

He hears from behind him, and he turns to see Peli marching towards him.

“Looks like you made an impression a few days ago. I’ve never known her to do anything for free, much less as a gift.”

Din immediately knows that Peli is talking about you, and he wishes that he didn’t.

You’ve been all he can think about, and he hates himself for literally just standing there as you tried to talk to him.

Peli pulls him from his thoughts as she extends her hands to him, offering a gift wrapped in dark brown paper.

Din takes it from her and mutters a thank you.

“You’re welcome,” Peli replies dramatically before stomping off to find the kid.

Din can read the basic scrawled on top that reads “For the tin can man and his green kid,” and he feels himself smiling at the scrawl of your handwriting.

He quickly opens the box, not surprised to see a small dark brown robe, almost the color of the fabric he wears, sitting atop a silver pile of fabric.

He pulls the robe out first, noticing how well it has been sewn together, already knowing that the child’s going to never want to wear anything else now.

He then pulls out the silver fabric, noticing that it looks to be something for him.

“Oh yeah new moms put their kids in that at the market! You just strap ‘em right to your chest and they never cry again,” Peli calls from her spot beside the ship where she’s been holding the kid and watching Din.

Din finds his smile growing even more, and he’s almost surprised to see another note in the box, written on what looks like handmade paper.

The basic is even more scrawled in this note, as if you’d decided to put it in at the last minute.

Din pulls it from the box and can't help but to smile from ear to ear as he reads it.

Just trying to keep that baby warm through the wintertime. Anything else on your list I can do, but you’re gonna have to actually pay this time. Happy Life Day.

Here’s the next prompt for Dincember:

DINCEMBER - December 4 - Hot Chocolate

#underooswrites #din djarin #din djarin x reader #the child #grogu #baby yoda #peli motto #peli #ah yes Star Wars coffee #star wars #star wars x reader #the mandalorian #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian x y/n #din djarin x y/n #dincember

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lavenderslemonade · 4 years

Text

Werewolf!Bakugou X Witch!Reader - Bewitching The Beast - NSFW

This story was a commission! If you’re interested in commissioning me, please DM me! Requests: Open!

Warnings: Biting/Marking, Dirty talk Words: 15,000+

Please be sure to leave a heart as well as a comment!

“So, this is it?” You asked as you eyed the small wooden home buried rather deep within the woods. You wouldn’t say it looked straight out of a horror story your mother used to tell you about when you were a girl, about a witch that lived in the woods an abducted children. No, this was more of a home that had just been unkept for the past few years, but still had the look of love and care. “I know it looks a little rough, but I’ve been traveling for a while and didn’t really have anyone to look after it.” Uraraka admitted shyly as she brought the cart to a stop. You followed her as she climbed off and stretched your arms and legs.

It had been nearly a month since you left your parents to follow Uraraka as an apprentice to learn magic. You and your parents had lived together for years in a small village in the woods. The only way that Uraraka even found it is when she stumbled upon it by accident, having taken the wrong road. Due to your village being to far out, it usually took nearly two weeks or so to gather supplies and medicines from larger neighboring towns and kingdoms, which was honestly a hassle. Thus, when Uraraka admitted to being a witch, you saw the shining opportunity to help make the village better.

Being able to learn magic for medicine, hopefully learning some spells to make it so the crops in the fields would grow and last longer instead of rotting within the first few days or getting eaten by bugs. It honestly felt as if your village was cursed at some points, however you knew that it wasn’t, you had checked in your local library that even you were surprised your village had. You followed Uraraka to the front door and watched as she pulled out a ring of keys. She began to fiddle through them, her fingers finally landing on a old looking skeleton key. She opened the door and pushed it open. The two of you began to cough as dust floated out of the house.

“Don’t worry, once it’s clean it’ll be all better!” She stated happily. You shuddered at how cold it was. Spring was to come soon, however, there was still a terrible winter chill, and gray clouds that threatened to spill with snow. Walking deeper into the house, Uraraka made her way to a rather decent size kitchen, and a door off to the side. Opening it she grabbed a broom. “You can’t use magic to clean this place up?” You asked curiously, watching as she grabbed more cleaning supplies. “I’m a witch, but I’m not lazy.” She stated with a small laugh, causing your cheek to burn slightly.

Grabbing a wooden bucket, she made her way over to the sink. Turning the faucet on, she jumped back in a bit of surprise as a black liquid spewed from the tap for a few seconds before clear water began to pour out. Uraraka gave a small awkward laugh. “Just the pipes cleaning themselves out. If you don’t mind, I’ll sweet if you wash the windows.” Uraraka instructed, adding a bit of soap to the bucket before putting it under the water. “However, before I start that I’m going to bring some of the food we bought before was got here inside. Just start on the windows.” She insisted, filling up the bucket and placing a rag inside it. She handed it off to you before walking out of the house once again.

You decided to take the opportunity to look around the house as you did no, as well as grabbing a feather duster. You started in the kitchen, cleaning the window above the sink and steadily made your way around the back of the house first. You proceeded to step out the back door to clean the outside of the windows better, and even kept the windows open to allow the house to air out. You found an old cellar near the house, sure that Uraraka kept different items inside and not wanting to intrude in her business. Instead you headed back towards the door but stopped once you heard what sounded like a stick snapping. Your head quickly whipped around, eyes scanning the dark and crowded forest. “Just an animal.” You mumbled to yourself and shivering as a cold wind blew against you.

Your eyes shifted upwards noticing the clouds had become darker since the early morning when you and Uraraka first arrived. It would most likely snow soon. Heading back in, you weren’t surprised to see Uraraka sweeping the main entrance, making her way to the living room. “If you want, I can dust the rugs once I finish the windows.” You called out as you poured the dirty water into the sink and replaced it with fresh. Uraraka perked up at this. “That would be great! While you do that I can start on dinner for tonight!” She agreed happily, her already pink cheeks seeming to darken.

Quickly, you made your way upstairs, wanting to finish before it got too late to do anything. Any furniture you past you tried your best to dust off with the duster before moving on to the windows in the upstairs rooms. There were three bedrooms, and a single bathroom. The bathroom was a pretty decent size, but you made a mental note to scrub the room clean before bathing that night. You’d make it your next project once you finished the rugs. While you were in there you decided to clean what you could and opened the windows to clean them off the best of your ability.

Your eyes once again shifted to the woods, listening to the sounds of dry sticks breaking between heavy weight and birds chirping as they went from tree to tree looking for food. Oh, how you wish Uraraka had neighbors. Keeping the window open, you left the bathroom to continue the chore of cleaning the rest of the windows throughout the top floor. By the time you were finished, you grabbed the dirty water and headed down the stairs, passing Uraraka in the process. “I’m going to sweep upstairs while you dust the rugs. When I’m done, I’ll start on dinner! I should also change the sheets while I’m up here.” Uraraka mumbled the last part to herself. Giving a small nod of confirmation, you made your way back to the kitchen to pour the water out.

Heading to the main hall and living room, you tried your best to drag both large rugs out into the front yard. With the strength you could muster, you tossed both rugs over the cart you had arrived on to keep them up as you dusted. Climbing onto the back, you grabbed the ends and began to shake the rugs, coughing as months of dust and dirt began to fly off. By the time you finished, your clothes were filthy, and you wanted to take a bath. Your eyes shifted from the now clean rug to the yard. That’s when you noticed. For a house that hasn’t been lived in for a good while, the front and back yard were surprisingly well kept. The grass was cut, there was a decent stack of firewood piled up on the side of the house, and the weeds around the flower beds seemed to have been pulled.

Your thoughts were interrupted as you felt something cold hit your nose. Shuddering, you looked up to see the dark clouds had finally released the snow they had been holding. “(Y/n), are those rugs done yet? Oh, it’s snowing!” Uraraka called out with a smile. A small smile tugged at your lips as you watched her expression shift to a childish joy. After a few seconds, she looked back at you, her cheeks red with embarrassment. “Sorry about that! It’s just I wasn’t expecting it to snow like this! But I’m going to bring the firewood inside! Come in once you’re done!” Uraraka instructed, reaching over inside the house to grab her staff. You watched as she walked over to the firewood and pointed her staff at the stack.

A faint pink glow appeared around the crystal at the end of the staff and slowly reached out to wrap around the chunks of wood. Smiling she turned around and started walking back into the house, the floating pieces of wood following her. You felt your eye twitch. If only she could have used magic to clean the house. Sighing, you finished with the other rug before tugging them back inside the house. You fixed the rugs back into their proper positions and took note of the fire that Uraraka had started. “Uraraka, is it alright if I clean the bathroom and take a bath before dinner?” You asked, peeping into the kitchen. Uraraka turned from the vegetables she had been chopping and gave a small nod. “Sure! Also, I placed your things at the end of the hallway at the last room.” She stated before turning back to look in the recipe book.

Turning away you headed back up the stairs, and first towards the room that Uraraka has assigned you. The sheets had been changed, and everything has been dusted and swept. Not wanting to get your clothes dirty before putting them away, you opted to just grabbing your pajamas and fresh underwear before heading to the bathroom. It appears that Uraraka had beat you to the punch mostly cleaning everything. However, only the floors were swept, counters wiped down, and fresh towels lied out. The window remained open, however you decided to keep it that way. The cool air would feel good mixed with a warm bath, plus you’d get to watch the snow fall.

Turning on the warm water, you rinsed out the tub before grabbing a washcloth and cleaning the outside. You found a plug off to the side and placed it in the drain, finally allowing the warm water to fill the now clean tub. Shifting your eyes, they landed on a few jars of herbs that Uraraka must usually keep by the tub. Curiously, you reached over and unscrewed one of the jars lids. You sniffed and perked up at the scent. “Chamomile.” You hummed to yourself, a soft smile slipping onto your face. Reaching in you grabbed a few of the flowers and allowed them to drift into the bath water. Once you felt the water was at a proper height, you slipped your clothes off and slipped into the bath.

The scent of the chamomile automatically calmed your nerves and brought you to a relaxing mental state. You began to think about your parents and what they must be up to. Your dad was probably bringing in more firewood or enjoying a cup of tea with your mother by the fire as they both read. You smiled at the memory. “(Y/n), dinner is ready!” You heard Uraraka call out to you from downstairs. Perking up, you quickly washed yourself before standing and stepping out of the tub. Reaching over you grabbed a towel and wrapped it around you as you allowed the water to drain. Once you were dried off, you slipped on the nightgown you had gotten and underwear. You placed the towel in a basket off to the side along with your dirty clothes and went to retrieve the chamomile flowers from the tub.

Grabbing them you tossed them out the window and reached over to close them both. However, you stopped and felt your blood run cold as you peered out towards the woods. Red eyes. Your (e/c) eyes had met with a pair of red ones. You couldn’t see a body, so you couldn’t tell if it was an animal or a person. All you know is that you closed the windows a little harder than you’d liked and bolted down the stairs. “Uraraka there’s something outside!” You called out as you rushed to the kitchen. Uraraka dropped the spoon she had been bringing to her mouth and looked a bit embarrassed, due to being caught eating without you. However, her embarrassment only lasted a second as your comment sunk in. “What do you mean?” She asked, finally standing up.

“I saw a pair of red eyes! I-I don’t know if you have some type of mystical animal the lives around here or what, but I just felt like I should tell you about them.” You began to mumble as you felt embarrassment slowly take over. Uraraka stared at you for a moment, and her eyes seemed to shift around the room as if she was thinking something over. However, they once again stopped on your nervous form and her soft smile returned. “We can go take a look if you’d like.” She offered, causing you to tense. “I, um, don’t think that’ll be necessary.” You insisted, nervously playing with your night gown. “Oh, come on, don’t be silly.” She stated, walking over to you and gently grabbing your hand. She led you towards the back of the house where she grabbed a lantern.

Opening the small compartment, Uraraka gently blew into the lantern and you watched as a flame appeared around the wick. Uraraka was truly amazing. You remained behind her as she pushed open the back door and stepped out. You peered down at the snow-covered ground, debating on stepping out or not. “So where did you see these red eyes?” Uraraka asked, surprisingly a bit loud. You blinked at the odd behavior. “Um, over there, across from the bathroom.” You pointed in the direction you had seen them. Uraraka seemed to tense and it appeared her smile was now forced as her right eye began to twitch. “So, some eyes were watching you bathe huh?” She asked a bit irked.

Your cheeks began to burn a darker shade both from the cold and at her statement. “I-I wouldn’t say that. I don’t even know how long they’d been there.” You stated, shifting uncomfortably at the thought of someone watching you as you undressed and bathed. “Well, nothings out here now, so let’s go in and enjoy some stew. How’s that sound?” Uraraka asked as she finally turned back to you. You couldn’t help but smile at her positive attitude. “That sounds nice.” You agreed and turned around to walk back towards the kitchen. Meanwhile, Uraraka turned back to the woods and peered up at the sky. She watched as the snow continued to fall, surprisingly getting heavier. She watched as a few of the clothes parted, her eyes narrowing at the full moon trying to shine down.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Good night (y/n)! If you ever need me my room is at the other end.” Uraraka stated before going into the bathroom to bathe. You wished her goodnight before going into your own room. You placed a lantern by your bedside, allowing it to provide you enough light to unpack the clothes you had brought. At the bottom of your suitcase was a blanket your mother had made for you a few days before you left. Grabbing it, you felt the soft fabric between your fingers and gently pulling it out to lay it across your bed for extra warmth in the night. By the time you were finished, you heard Uraraka leave the bathroom and head to her own room for the night.

Once you slid your suitcase under the bed, you made your way onto the plush piece of furniture and fell against the pillows. Slipping under, you turned the lantern off, pulled the blanket your mother had made for you up closer towards your face and pressed the soft fabric against your cheek as you began to doze off. It didn’t take long to fall asleep, yet it also didn’t take you long to jerk awake at the sound of movement downstairs. You shot up in bed, anxiously peering around your room. The sound of a door slamming, as well as walking had jerked you awake. Maybe it was Uraraka coming inside? You shook your head at the ridiculous thought. Your eyes shifted to the window near your bed. Still dark and still snowing.

You remained quiet for a moment, thinking that your mind had been playing tricks on you to wake you up. However, the sounds of footsteps walking around different areas of the house slowly made you sweat. Usually Uraraka was quiet when walking around. These were loud and heavy footsteps that obviously didn’t care if they woke someone up. Slowly pulling your blankets back, you shifted to get out of bed. Your body tensed as the floorboards squeaked under your weight, however the footsteps kept on walking. You debated on turning your lantern back on, but you didn’t want to draw attention to yourself.

Steadily you left your room and made your way down the hall, stopping whenever the footsteps stopped. By the time you got to Urarakas door, you steadily pushed it open to see the girl asleep and unbothered. You closed the door halfway behind you before sneaking over to her bed. “Uraraka! Uraraka!” You called out to her in a hushed whisper, trying to shake the girl away. However, you continued to sleep with a soft smile on her face. How the hell was she able to sleep through all that loud walking?! You tried once more to shake her awake to no avail. Taking a deep breath, you silently left her room and made your way down the staircase. You stopped outside the kitchen, listening at whoever was inside the house rummaged through the fridge.

Nervously your eyes shifted around, landing on the broom that Uraraka had been using earlier. It wasn’t the best weapon, but you really didn’t want to break one of her nice vases she had sitting around. Silently you grabbed the broom and whenever the creature dug around in the fridge, you tried using the noise to cover up the sounds of your footsteps. By the time you entered the kitchen, you took note of the figure. Obviously, a human. Raising the broom once you got behind them you were prepared to swing it down, however when they lifted their head slightly you were taken back by the ears on top of it. Red eyes shot around to meet with your nervous (e/y) eyes. Quickly you went to swing the broom down, however they caught it in their right hand.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” The person growled, grip tightening on the broom to the point you heart it cracking. “What are you doing in this house?! This is miss Uraraka’s home!” You growled out, trying your best to bring the broom down, but nearly fell forward once the broom snapped in two. The person shoved you away, causing you to fall back against the counter, knocking the air out of your lungs by the force. “Uraraka-!” You voice got cut short as the person reached out, placing their hand over your mouth and their body against yours, pinning you to the counter. “Don’t wake her up! She’ll get pissed.” The man growled, his grip tightening slightly against your mouth.

That’s when you felt his sharp nails. You could feel the sharp ends pressing against your skin, close to puncturing it. Red eyes began to search your face in the dark, and his ears twitched on top of his head. You heard a slight swooshing noise, and your eyes shifted to see what appeared to be a tail gently swaying back and forth. The person leaned just a bit closer, leaning down to sniff near your neck. You began to sweat as his grip loosened slightly, giving you the chance to and courage to open your mouth slightly and bite down as hard as you could on his hand. The man yelled, jerking his hand back and providing an opening to shove him away and for you to run. However, you probably took two steps before he reached out, grabbing you by your hair. “You bitch!” He growled, grip tightening and causing a rather loud yelp to escape your throat. “What’s going on down here!” Uraraka barked, coming down the stairs and holding a lantern to see what was going on.

“Bakugou, you release her this instant!” Uraraka growled, and by her command, you felt your hair get released. Quickly you rushed over to stand beside Uraraka. Uraraka continued to give the man a hard stare down. Quickly you shifted your own eyes to once again glance at the person that had grabbed you. Blond hair with two wolf looking ears on top. He wore a green coat, white shirt, and black pants along with brown boots. You couldn’t help but stare, something that you could tell he didn’t like. “The fuck are you looking at!” He growled, causing your gaze to snap to his ruby eyes. “You’re part dog.” You mumbled. Uraraka had to quickly cover her mouth to keep from laughing, tension residing from her end, however growing between you and the man.

His eyes widened slightly before narrowing once more. If looks could kill, you’d be ripped to shreds. “The fuck did you just call me.” The man growled, showing off what appeared to be rather sharp canine teeth. “Hey now Bakugou, she didn’t mean it like that! She’s never really met a werewolf before. But besides that, what are you doing in my house in the middle of the night?” Uraraka asked, breaking the tension with a yawn. Bakugou scoffed before looking away. “The moon is full.” He stated, eyes narrowing in on Uraraka. “Yeah and?” She replied rather tiredly. “What the hell do you mean, ‘Yeah and?’! Look at me!” Bakugou growled, temper once again skyrocketing. Uraraka sighed at his attitude.

“You couldn’t have come back in the morning?” Uraraka sighed, placing a hand on her hip. Bakugou scoffed. “I was hungry okay? Kirishima and I couldn’t really track anything down due to this snow covering up the scent of nearby animals.” Bakugou confessed, shifting his eyes away to peer out the window at the still falling snow. Uraraka hummed lowly at his explanation. “Well it’s pretty late and the snow is still coming down pretty heavy, you can stay in the spare bedroom.” Uraraka insisted with another yawn. You quickly stared at her in horror. She was letting this wolf man stay in the house?! “Uraraka are you sure that’s okay?” You whispered to her, as Bakugou once against went to the fridge, grabbing a random piece of meat and scarfing it down to your horror.

Uraraka simply chuckled at your reaction. “It’s fine, he’s always like this. Now let’s go back to bed!” Uraraka insisted with a soft smile, turning away and going back up the stairs. You blinked. What the hell did she mean he was always like this?! Quickly you followed her, not caring to be left alone with the odd and angry wolf man.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The sounds of birds outside are what drove you awake. Your eyes slowly opened, noticing a small amount of sun peeking out from the window above your bed. Slowly you sat up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. You shifted to peer out the window, noticing snow still falling, however it wasn’t as bad as last night. The clouds remained a light gray, however you noticed further back the color shifted into something darker. With a yawn, you shifted out of bed quickly yet quietly to start the day. You got your clothing together for the day and silently left your room. You went to the bathroom first to wash your face and brush your teeth as well as to change into your clothes.

As you walked down the hall, you stopped at the door leading to the room Bakugou was staying in. You glared at it for a short second before huffing and turning your attention away. Urarakas door was still closed and guilt flooded you. You decided not to wake her up, feeling as if you had already embarrassed yourself and caused enough trouble last night. As best as you could you tried to keep your footsteps silent on the old house’s steps. You made your way to the kitchen, deciding to cook breakfast for Uraraka, and to your displeasure, your new roommate for the time being. Walking over to the fridge, you gently pulled at the old handle, listening to it click open. You just hoped that Bakugou didn’t eat all the meat.

Opening the fridge, you noticed that a good bit of bacon was missing, meaning you’d probably have to back to the closets town soon to get more. A few slices of ham and other meats were missing as well. Just how much could the guy consume? You grabbed multiple eggs as well as half of what was left of the bacon. Steadily, you made your way to the stove, placing the food on the counter behind you. You open the compartment that you’d need to light a fire in and noticed more firewood would be needed. Quickly you rushed to the living room to grab a few spare pieces of wood to burn in the stove.

You placed the wood in the compartment and stared. Maybe you could make a fire appear like Uraraka did yesterday? You squatted down so you could get a better view of the wood. You closed your eyes and inhaled a large amount of air, before blowing it towards the wood. Instead of heat you felt a cold draft blow at you, causing you to shiver. Thus, you decided to try again. Your body remained still as you tried to focus your energy into the task of creating a fire. You tried envisioning it like Uraraka had taught you in one of your earlier lessons. Envisioning what you want, makes it easier to achieve it in the world of magic. You had never done a fire before, on simple things like levitation of a few small objects, barrier spells, and a few other things.

Your body felt a bit numb as you channeled your energy, trying to envision a fire inside your mind. You gently blew your breath towards the wood, feeling nervous once you closed your mouth. “What the fuck are you doing?” A voice asked, causing your balance to shift in shock. You landed on your behind and groaned at the stinging feeling before looking over at the man from last night. Bakugou was staring at you as if you had grown two heads. “What’s it look like I’m doing? I’m trying to start a fire!” You insisted, standing up and placing your hands on your hips. Bakugou continued to stare at you for a moment before sneering. He made his way over to you, reached above the old stove and grabbed a pack of matches. He took one of the small sticks and slid it against the side, sparking a flame before tossing it onto the wood.

You watched as the fire slowly began to build before looking at Bakugou with narrowed eyes. “Did your backwoods town not teach you how to make a fire? Maybe that’s why it’s struggling so bad, full of a bunch of idiots.” Bakugou grumbled as he placed the pack of matches back. You felt your blood bubble. “We’re not a bunch of idiots! And yes, I do know how to start a fire! For your information, I was trying to do what Ms. Uraraka did yesterday!” You stated with crossed arms, glaring at the man in front of you. Bakugou stared at you as he tried to figure out what you had mean’t, but it didn’t take long to click in his head. “You idiot, she could do that because she had it enchanted! The stove isn’t enchanted!” Bakugou growled as if it was the simplest thing to understand.

“Don’t yell at me I’m still learning!” You barked back, cheeks red from embarrassment. How were you supposed to know that Uraraka had certain things in the house that were enchanted? Bakugou continued to watch as you grabbed a fry pan and placed it on the stove. Steadily you cracked the eggs into the heating pan, and once they started to cook, you added the bacon as well. You could feel Bakugous eyes piercing your back as you cooked. However, when you were nearly done you heard Bakugou stand and walk over to one of the many cabinets. The clinking of plates caught your attention, causing you to turn your head and stare. Bakugou was pulling down three plates and trying to be quiet about it, due to Uraraka still being asleep.

You couldn’t help but think it now that you got a clear view of him in now lit room, but he looked cute. His red eyes shifted to meet you (e/c) ones, and his quickly narrowed. “Keep your eyes on the damn food before it burns!” He growled.

Nevermind, he wasn’t that cute anymore, his nasty attitude ruined it.

Bakgou placed the plates on the counter behind you, allowing you to turn around and simply place the food onto them. The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs caught both your attention. Uraraka stood in the kitchen doorway, a soft yet tired smile on her features. Her hair was a mess and she lifted a hand to stifle a yawn. “Good morning.” She greeted, reaching up to fix her messy bed head. A small smile tugged its way onto your lips as you stared at your tired teacher. “Morning.” You greeted happily, “Hey.” Bakugou grumbled as he sat down with his plate. You felt your eye twitch. Uraraka walked towards the long wooden table where Bakugou sat and took a seat beside him. Meanwhile, you opted to sitting across from the woman. “I hope you slept well last night, I felt it got pretty cold I have to admit.” Uraraka sighed as she happily began to eat her breakfast.

“I slept fine, thank you.” You confirmed happily before falling into the silent around the table as you all ate. Once you were done, Bakugou grabbed the dishes and went to wash them. “So, what do we have to do today?” You asked excitedly, wondering what your teacher had in store for you. “Well, now that we’re here, I guess that means we can start working on your staff so that you can work with more complicated spells.” Uraraka stated excitedly. Your eyes began to light up as you tried to hold in a squeal of excitement. “Anddd, since Bakugou has raided the fridge, it means I got to go into town and get more food. So, he’ll be going with you to find one!” Uraraka confessed, sweet smile still on her features. However, it felt like the world had stopped. “…He’s what?” You asked as you shifted in your seat to turn and look at the man of topic.

Bakugou continued to clean the dishes, though it looked as if he was scrubbing a plate more roughly then he had been a few seconds again. Guess he wasn’t too fond of the news either. “Oh, don’t worry! I’ve known Bakugou for a long while, so he knows what to look for.” Uraraka insisted as she waved off your look of irritation. “So, like, there’s no magic store you get staffs from?” You asked, hoping there was some way to go with her instead of being left with the irritable wolf man. Uraraka hummed lowly before shaking her head. “Nope! Bakugou will take you out into the woods and help you find a good sturdy branch! He’ll craft the staff for you!” Uraraka stated as she started her way out the kitchen.

“I’m going to get dressed and then head out, so please don’t kill each other! Bakugou be nice!” Uraraka called from the stairs. Bakugou growled lowly in irritation. You sucked your teeth as you once again crossed your arms. Your eyes shifted towards Bakugou once more to take in his appearance. The wolf ears remained on top of his head, which he went to scratch in between, and a fluffy tail gently swayed behind him. Uraraka happily made her way down the stairs once again, her hair fixed and wearing a pink dress as well as a pink cloak. “Alright, I’m all set! I should be back by dinner!” Uraraka announced with her usual smile.

Bakugou stiffened. “What about me?! Can’t you fix this shit first?!” Bakugou growled as he pointed at the ears on top of his head. Uraraka placed a finger on her chin as she thought about it. “Mmm, I think that I’ll let (y/n) do it!” Uraraka snapped her fingers with pride in her eyes. Bakugou looked horrified “Now is not the time to be shitting with me Uraraka. You’re seriously going to allow this weak little witch to cast magic on me! Hell, she’ll probably turn me into a damn frog!” Bakugou barked. You blinked. Did he really have so little faith in you? “Well for your information mister, when you doubt my skills, you’re also doubting Urarakas!” You stated with a huff. Bakugou snapped his head towards you, baring his teeth. That’s when you noticed the sharp canines.

“Oh, come on! It’ll be a nice little bonding trip for you two! Besides, the two of you are going to have to get used to each other!” Uraraka stated with puffed up cheeks. You and Bakugou shared a look before glancing away from each other and both mumbling out a fire. Uraraka eyes began to sparkle with joy as the two of you agreed. “Great! Now, I’ll see you two soon!” Uraraka waved goodbye before disappearing out the door. The kitchen remained quiet for a little while, before the sound of Bakugous boots moving along the wooden floor interrupted it. “Let’s get this over with.” He grumbled as he headed towards the back door.

You sighed, for once agreeing with him that you wanted this trip over and done with. Quickly, you rushed up to your room to grab your cloak and a pair of gloves before rushing back down. Bakugou waited outside near the cellar you had seen yesterday. He saw you at the door and started his way into the woods. Quickly, you followed him, not caring to get lost by yourself. Bakugou walked a head of you, though you followed close behind. The snow had stopped falling a few minutes into your walk, and steadily the quiet was beginning to bother you.

“So, what exactly are we looking for?” You asked, eyes shifting around the snow-covered woods. “A sturdy tree branch.” Bakugou stated, handing his pockets as he continued forward. “Does it have to be a branch?” You asked, eyes shifting along the ground now, and landing on a rather thick stick. Curiously, you picked it up and studied it in your hand. “What if I made a wand instead?” You asked, curiosity lighting up in your eyes. Bakugou stopped, causing you to accidentally run into him. You caught a quick scent of him. Pine and caramel, an odd combination. He turned around, red eyes narrowing into your (e/c) ones.

His eyes then shifted to the stick in your hand. “Let me see it.” He demanded. Would he really consider it? Making a wand instead of a staff like Uraraka had asked? You blinked in surprise when he took the stick, examined in for a second, then snapped it in half. Your eye twitched in irritation. “Don’t be an idiot, you’ll need a staff.” Bakugou grumbled, dropping the broken stick and continuing forward. “You could have just said no.” You grumbled under your breath before speed walking to catch up beside Bakugou.

You could now see that his eyes were scanning the ground at the broken branches. There would be instances where he’d stop, pick one up, and check the weight. Some he’d drop back down and others he’d swing against one of the many trees and watch it break from the force. You couldn’t help but jump in surprise the first few times he did it, and then take in how strong he was. Must be a werewolf thing. After what felt like hours of walking, which it had been, Bakugou finally grabbed another large stick. You watched him weigh it in his hands before his eyes shifted towards you. You could see the wheels turning in his head.

“Don’t you dare hit me with that stick. I understand we may not like each other, but come on, Uraraka would be suspicious if I went missing.” You stated as you held your hand up in surrender. Bakugou sucked his teeth. “I’m not going to hit you idiot! I want to see if you can hold this or if it’s too heavy!” He growled, forcing the branch into your hand. You followed his example of weighing the wood. It was sturdy yet light weight. “Yeah, feels good, feels like a stick.” You stated, eyes shifting towards him. Annoyance was clear in his eyes. “Swing the damn thing.” He instructed before rolling his eyes and looking around once again on the ground. You puffed out your cheeks.

Taking the stick by its end, you walked to a tree and swung as hard as you could. Your body ached a bit once the force of the tree ran through your arms. However, the stick remained intact. “Alright, lets head back so I can work on that damn thing.” Bakugou stated, turning on his heel and following your tracks back. One thing is for sure, you didn’t want to feel that awkward silence again. Besides, like Uraraka said, the two of you would be around each other so much that you might as well get used to it. Better to get used to it on a neutral playing field rather than a bad one. “So, what’s it like being a werewolf?” You asked, eyes shifting around to anywhere but him. “It’s alright I guess.” He cut the conversation short, but to your displeasure.

“Why do you want to have your tail and ears gone so bad if you just had your transformation thingy?” You asked, though this time you could feel his eyes on you. You turned to see him staring at you with a look of annoyance mixed with disbelief. “Are you really that nosey or are you just stupid?” He sneered. You huffed in annoyance. “Sorry, it’s not everyday I get to meet a werewolf!” You grumbled as you messed with the branch in your hand, more than tempted to hit him with it. Bakugou sucked his teeth, furthering your annoyance. Fine, he didn’t want to talk about being a werewolf, then that’s cool. Sadly, that didn’t leave many options left in your mind.

Your (e/c) eyes shifted to stare at him once more. Red eyes. He had red eyes. That’s when it clicked in your head. “Did you watch me while I was taking a bath last night?” You randomly asked, feeling your cheeks heat up, though you preferred to blame it on the cold. Bakugou tensed, his eyes darting to glare at you “Why the fuck would I watch you bathe?!” He barked, though a hint of pink crept its way onto his cheeks. “Because I saw a pair of red eyes staring at me from the window last night!” You yelled back, noticing that you were getting closer to the house. “Why the fuck was you looking out the window when taking a bath?!” Bakugou barked at the two of you came up to the back of the house, just in time for the fresh snow to start falling. “Why does it matter why I was looking out the window!?” You snapped, beginning to feel more embarrassed. Bakugou simply sucked his teeth, refusing to answer you anymore at the two of you made it back inside.

“Just give me the damn branch so I can start on your stupid staff!” Bakugou grumbled and reached his hand out ready to take the branch from you. You huffed once more before handing it over and making your way up the stairs to warm up in a bath. As you grabbed a change of clothes, you could hear Bakugou moving around downstairs. You went into the bathroom and this time closed the curtains in front of the window before getting in. You opted not to use herbs this time, instead just deciding to soak. Your eyes closed as the water began to warm your body. However, you jolted up when someone began to roughly nock on the door. “Hey, little witch, you alive in there!?” Bakugou called out.

Your face began to burn. Had you dozed off? The water was still warm, so you probably had your eyes closed only for a few minutes. Then what made him think something was wrong? That’s when it clicked, his hearing was better, thus he could probably hear you getting into the tub. Due to not moving he probably thought you had drowned or something. “I’m fine, just dozed off.” You admitted. Bakugou didn’t move from the door. It was terribly quiet for a few seconds before you finally heard him shift away. “Don’t fall asleep in the bath, you’ll catch a cold if the water cools down.” He grumbled as he headed back down the stairs.

Quickly, you made your way out of the tub and dried off before putting on a simple long-sleeved dress. Silently, you slipped out of the bathroom and made your way down the stairs. Movement caught your attention, thus you turned to see Bakugou whittling away at the branch he had found. You were a bit surprised. He was literally making your staff. You watched as he would pick up the slivers of wood once they formed a rather large pile and toss them into the burning blaze in the fireplace. Your cheeks once again began to burn. He had taken off his jacket, only leaving him in a white t-shirt, giving you clear view of his muscular arms. Now you weren’t so surprised as to how he easily broke those branches.

Your eyes then shifted to his hands. They were calloused probably from doing this so many times and doing whatever he does that earned him those muscles. You blinked. Why were you admiring this guy so much? You quickly turned away and made your way into the kitchen. You grabbed the old coffee pot above the store as well as a can of ground coffee. Filling the pot with water you added the coffee before placing it the stove. Reaching up you grabbed the matches from earlier and started the fire once more. The house was quiet except for the sound of Bakugous knife going against the branch. Once the coffee was done you allowed it to steep for a few minutes while you grabbed two mugs. Going back over to the coffee you began to pour. You were distracted, thus surprised when the hands pressed against the counter from behind you and trapping you in. “What are you doing?” Bakugou asked, his breath hitting the back of your neck. You felt you face once again go red.

“I thought you’d like some coffee since it’s so cold. Besides, I feel kinda bad for putting you on the spot about staring at me while I was in the bath.” You confessed, your face becoming warmer by the second. Bakugou remained quiet for a moment, his chest nearly touching your back. You could feel his piercing gaze hitting the back of your head, causing a shiver to run down your spine. You listened as he inhaled sharply, before releasing a shuddering breath. His left hand slipped over yours and slid the mug out of your grasp. “Thanks.” He grumbled before walking away to continue your staff. You couldn’t bring yourself to move yet because you knew if you did, he’d see your red face.

Thus, you remained in the kitchen for a little while longer. Distracting yourself by preparing for dinner, sipping your coffee every now and again. The sound of the front door closing is what finally pulled you out of your daze. “I’m home!” Uraraka called out, causing a large smile to make its way onto your face. You left the kitchen to go greet her in the hall, though stopped due to surprise. A man with red hair was behind her. He had a sharp tooth smile and scar above his eye. “Ah! You must be Urarakas new apprentice! It’s so nice to meet you!” The guy came up to you, reminding you of an excited puppy. Speaking of puppies, you took note of the ears on top of his head and how quickly his tail was wagging behind him. He was just like Bakugou.

You watched as he sniffed the air, surprisingly becoming more perky. “Ah, Bakubro!” He called out, walking past you and into the living room. “Get away from my shitty hair!” You heard Bakugou bark from the living room angrily. You were still trying to process everything, meanwhile Uraraka simply giggled. “Mind helping me bring in the groceries before the snow freezes them?” She asked before walking back outside. Quickly, you followed her. “So uh, who’s that?” You asked, surprisingly able to hear to red head from inside the house bothering Bakugou. “Oh, that’s Kirishima. He’s basically Bakugous best friend. I ran into him on the way back and offered him a lift.” Uraraka stated as she grabbed several bags of meat. You blinked. Bakugou had friends beside Uraraka? Others besides Uraraka could handle his attitude? These people really were magic.

Silently, you helped grab the rest of the bags and made your way back inside. Kirishima had quieted down, now whispering something to Bakugou. His eyes quickly shifted towards you, a excited smirk appearing on his face. He whispered something once more to Bakugou, trying to be subtle about pointing in your direction, but failing. Bakugou quit whittling and shifted his gaze towards you. Kirishima whispered something once more causing Bakugous face to burn a deep red, and shift his attention back to the staff, with the promise of killing Kirishima later slipping from his lips. Wow, finding out Bakugou had a best friend and that he could blush such a dark shade a red? What an interesting twenty minutes.

Within the next few hours, you helped Uraraka prepare dinner, while Bakugou and surprisingly Kirishima worked on your staff. Uraraka and you held a light conversation upon different topics as you prepared the meal. Once it was ready you began to set the table while Uraraka called the men in to eat. Kirishima mostly talked throughout dinner, telling stories of journeys he and Bakugou had taken, some tales you debated if were true or not, legends, all types of stuff. The man was simply a ball of energy. Once you were done, they began to help you clean up. “So Kirishima I’m guessing you’re staying the night?” You asked as you dried off a plate that Bakugou had just washed. “Yeah, looks like I’ll be rooming with you Bakubro!” Kirishima stated happily. You watched Bakugou snap a plate in his hand.

“Like hell you are shitty hair! You can take the couch!” He growled, shooting the man a glare that you expected was supposed to kill him. “Ah, don’t be like that! It can be like when we were pups! You know! Old times!” Kirishima insisted, throwing an arm around Bakugous shoulder. You were waiting with your breath held for a murder to happen. Kirishima felt Bakugou tense under him and watched as his jaw clenched. Kirishima was quick to catch on, and then his eyes shifted towards you. “Come on Bakugou, you wouldn’t want to act up in front of her.” Kirishima stated in a teasing voice. You watched as Bakugou shoved the man back, before stating he was going to take a bath and go to bed. Finally, you released the breath you had been holding.

…………………………………………………………

You woke up in the middle of the night. Tossing and turning you tried your best to go back to sleep, but your body wouldn’t let you. Sighing, you sat up and carefully climbed out of bed. Deciding on something to drink to help calm your mind down, and silently made your way down the hall. The sounds of snores caught your attention from the room Bakugou had been staying in, which caught you by surprise. It must’ve been Kirishima. Once again you started towards the kitchen, though stopped at the sound of a knife running against wood. Bakugou was still up. “You should be asleep.” He grumbled as he worked on the wood in his hand. “So should you.” You stated. He stopped for a moment as if he was about to make a smart remark but continued whittling.

“I was about to fix something to drink. Do you want anything?” You asked as you made your way to the kitchen. Bakugou grumbled out a no that caught your ears. You found a clean glass and went to the sink for some water. Silently, you made your way back to the living room and sat down beside Bakugou. Once again, he stopped whittling before continuing. It looked as if he was nearly done. “So why do witches use staffs instead of wands?” You asked, watching as his fingers dusted off some of the stray pieces of wood. “Because, witches can channel more energy into a staff, and they’re not as delicate as wands. With a wand if you put too much energy into it, it can be destroyed. Not only that, but they’re mostly used by people who don’t really use much magic.” Bakugou explained much to your surprised.

You honestly expected him to shoot back with a smartass comment, maybe even call you an idiot again. For once a comfortable silence fell between the two of you as you watched him work, becoming more and more excited with every piece of wood that fell to the floor. You couldn’t help but scoot a bit closer as he began to carve different patterns into the staff. After a few minutes you realized you felt a slight breeze against your leg. While Bakugou kept his focus on the staff, you shifted slightly to look behind him, surprised to see his tail wagging. Was it legal for him to be so adorable like this? You pouted slightly.

“Would you get mad if I ask you another question?” You asked staring at the man curiously. Bakugou was silent for a moment. “Depends on what it is.” He grumbled, causing a small smile to appear on your face. “Why do you come to Uraraka to have your ears and tail disappear once the full moon is gone?” You asked in a low voice. You could tell that Bakugou was debating on explaining why. However, he was quiet for too long. “You don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable.” You stated. You watched as Bakugous body relaxed, and comfort once again settled between the two of you.

Before long, the sounds of the knife scraping against the wood began help relax your body and soon you began to doze off. The last thing you heard before falling asleep was the sound of the knife stopping and the feeling of Bakugou catching you before you fell off the couch.

The next morning you were surprised to wake up to the smell of pine and caramel. Slowly, you opened your eyes taking in your surrounds. You could see Uraraka preparing breakfast in the kitchen, the room was lit up by dim light coming in from the window as well. You shifted to look before you and noticed Bakugou asleep on the floor, beside the couch. You felt a pang of guilt. You had basically taken his bed, and you guessed he didn’t want to carry you to your room due to not wanting to wake you up, besides he must’ve been pretty tired after a while. Silently, you shifted to the end of the couch, and stepped over Bakugous sleeping form. You made your way upstairs to change and prepare for the morning before coming back down.

Bakugou remained on the floor, an arm now covering his eyes to block out the sun. Uraraka was finishing up breakfast by the time you made it into the kitchen. “Hey, (y/n), do you mind waking up Bakugou, and I’ll wake up Kirishima?” She asked, already walking past you to head up the stairs. Giving a low hum of agreement you once again made your way back over to Bakugou. You kinda felt bad for waking him up. He had probably been up half the night if not all of it, and then was sentenced to sleep on the floor. You were tempted to just nudge him with your shoe, though you didn’t know if it would irritate him or not, and you were already enjoying whatever friendship or neutral understanding was being formed.

“Bakugou, it’s time to wake up.” You stated trying not to be too loud, but also making sure he heard you. He continued to sleep, causing you to pout. Getting down on your knees you placed your hand gently on his shoulder and shook. “Bakugou, its time to start the day. Uraraka made breakfast already.” You grumbled as you gently shook his shoulder. His ears twitched at the sound of your voice and you tried your best not to squeal like an excited child. They were just too cute! He grumbled something under his breath before shifting to lay on his side. Huffing, you reached out and gently poked at one of his ears.

You watched as it twitched under your finger and his tail wagged slightly. Curiously you poked again, and even got to the point of gently rubbing it. It was extremely soft, and honestly you couldn’t help yourself. You stopped when you heard Bakugou groan, quickly pulling your hand away with a red face. Steadily, Bakugou began to sit up, groaning as his back popped. You cringed slightly at the sound. “Morning Bakubro! How’d you sleep?” Kirishima asked as he came down the steps, cheerful as usual. Bakugou shot the man a glare. “Like the fucking dead.” He stated sarcastically. “That’s great dude! Nothing better than a good night’s rest!” Kirishima chuckled with pride before walking into the kitchen.

Bakugous eye twitched in annoyance and you wouldn’t be surprised if he was planning his friends murder. “You didn’t have to give me the couch you know. You could have woken me up and sent me to bed.” You stated as you got up along with Bakugou. He continued to shift uncomfortably as his back ached. “If I would have carried you to bed, you probably would have woken up. Besides, I don’t want to carry your ass up a damn flight of creaky ass stairs.” He grumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Rude.” You thought to yourself with a pout as you followed Bakugou into the kitchen. Kirishima was already at the table tail wagging excitedly as Uraraka placed different places to choose from onto the table.

You helped gather the rest of the food before joining Uraraka and the two men for breakfast.

………………………………………………………….

“So, I just basically pick whichever color gem I want?” You asked, staring at the different varieties in the snow. “Yep! The gem is what the energy will go into once you’ve sent it through your staff. Whenever you cast a spell, all the energy built up into the gem will be released to do the spell you wish to cast.” Uraraka tried her best to explain. You gave a low huff as you tried to wrap your head around what Uraraka was saying. Your eyes scanned over the many different colors and shapes of the gems in front of you. “So, they have magical gem stores, but they don’t have staff stores?” You asked, gaze meeting Urarakas. Her cheeks flushed in a bit of embarrassment. “Yeah, it’s a bit off, but its surprisingly easier to find a sturdy gem than to find wood for a study staff.” Uraraka explained with a sigh.

You hummed lowly, picking up a few of the gems to feel the cut and to admire the color. You found a few that were (f/c) gem, though you were debating on which cut to go with. Your mind kept going between the marquise cut, pear cut, and briolette cut. The sound of the back-door opening caused both you and Uraraka to jump slightly and lose your concentration. “Ah, sorry, am I interrupting something?” Kirishima asked, his usual smile oddly missing. “Not really, we were just looking at gems and their cuts for (y/n) staff since Bakugou should be done by tomorrow.” Uraraka stated happily, her surprise quickly wearing off. Kirishima leaned over to see the different colored gems. His eyes then shifted to the gems you were debating between.

“Those are a really nice color, it’ll suite you nicely.” Kirishima complimented you, his normal smile returning before peering over at Uraraka. “Uraraka, may I speak with you in private?” Kirishima requested much to both of your surprise. Uraraka spared you a glance before standing up. You watched as Kirishima led her away to the edge of the wood, far out of earshot. Odd, why couldn’t they have talked inside? Shrugging it off you went back to debating on which gem you wanted. Your mind quickly became engrossed once more. You finally decided on a cut that you liked and cleaned up the rest of the gems before heading inside. You placed the gems inside a simple brown bag that Uraraka had pulled them out from, before heading into the living room.

Bakugou continued to work on your staff in silence. Curiously, you took a seat beside him and was a bit happy when he didn’t tense at your sudden presence. “Where’d shitty hair go? It’s been quiet.” Bakugou asked, eyes not leaving the staff. “He said he needed to speak to Uraraka in private.” You replied with a sigh before leaning in closer to get a better view at the pattern he was now engraving into the staff. Your shoulder pressed against his slightly and you tilted your head as you examined what he was doing. Bakugou stopped for a second before quickly going back to work. You noticed he was taking a few sharp breaths every now and again, his grip even tightening on the staff. Honestly, you couldn’t tell if you were making him angry or not by being in his bubble, but you weren’t going to move until he told you to.

“Do you use the herbs when you bathe?” He asked, cheeks turning slightly pink. Shooting a surprised glance his way, you could tell he regretted asking the question as soon as the words slipped from his lips. Your own cheeks couldn’t help but turn red. “Not since my first night here.” You replied a bit hesitantly. Did you smell bad? Is that what he was saying? You couldn’t help but pout at the thought, feeling slightly hurt if that’s what he was accusing you of. He scoffed and turned his attention towards you. You shifted away slightly, putting a bit of distance between the two of you, however it caught Bakugous attention. “What’s that stupid pouty look for?” He growled, glaring at you from the corner of his eye. You huffed. “Nothing.” You lied.

Bakugou sucked his teeth but didn’t continue his work. “Listen, I didn’t say you smelt bad.” He grumbled; however, it just caused your eye to twitch. “Then why would you ask if I bathed in the herbs?” You asked, becoming a bit embarrassed at the topic of the conversation. “Because you!...You!” He began though quickly silenced himself. “I what?” You grumbled with narrowed eyes. “You smell nice.” He mumbled lowly, causing both your faces to light up in embarrassment. Oh, how he wished the ground could swallow him up right now. “Oh, are we interrupting something?” You heard the teasing voice of Uraraka at the door. Quickly, you whipped your head around to stare at the woman who spoke.

Kirishima stood behind her with a small smile, and what appeared to be him trying to do his best not to laugh. “No, we were just talking about random stuff.” She gave a small laugh, hoping to drop the subject that hadn’t even began. Bakugou stared at you once more. He remained quiet for a few seconds before giving a low hum in agreement. “Well, it makes me happy that the two of you are getting along, which makes this news much easier to give! Kirishima and I will be gone for the rest of the week!” Uraraka announced cheerfully. You blinked. Uraraka was leaving you? “But, why?” You asked, staring at her in confusion. “It turns out there’s a village that’s been getting sick recently due to rotten crops. It’s probably just a curse so Kirishima suggested I go and check it out!” Uraraka stated.

“Sooo, why don’t I come as well? For experience?” You asked, a bit surprised that she was wanting to go basically alone. “Well, your staff isn’t finished yet, and plus I still got to teach you some more spells before you can handle a task like this.” Uraraka insisted, shifting a bit in her spot. You thought it over for a moment, feeling that her reasoning sounded reasonable enough. “So, when are you and shitty hair leaving?” Bakugou asked, his grip seeming to tighten along the staff. “In the next few hours. We’re wanting to get a move on to hopefully get there by early morning.” Kirishima stated, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. The room remained quiet. You didn’t expect them to leave so soon. “Do you need help getting some stuff together?” You asked, trying to break the growing tension. Uraraka perked up.

“That would be great! Could you go to the cellar and get some pickled vegetables? I also have some cured meat down there. Could you grab me one of those?” She began to list off some things that you mentally took note of. Once she told you what she needed, she headed upstairs to pack. Quickly you were off to do what she had requested. You stood over the cellar doors, and cupped your hands around your mouth, blowing some heat into them before rubbing them together. Reaching down, you grabbed the frozen handles and began to tug. Nothing. You used your strength once again to try and pull the doors open. Frozen. The cellar doors appeared to be frozen shut. “What’s taking you so long?” Bakugou surprised you as he came up beside you, his coat once again on.

You huffed. “The doors are stuck.” You stated with crossed arms. “Are you sure they’re stuck or are you really just that weak?” He asked, reaching down to grab the handles. You glared. “Fine, if you’re so big and strong why don’t-” You were cut off to Bakugou slinging the doors open, ice and snow coming up to smack both of you in the face. You spit out some of the snow that went in your mouth, meanwhile Bakugou ruffled his hair to get it out. “Well, at least you didn’t break the doors.” You sighed before stepping in. It was freezing down in the cellar, and the only light offered was the dim light from the sun hiding behind gray clouds. Bakugou followed you down the steps, holding the railing on both sides.

Before you took your last step, your shoe caught on the edge of the step, throwing off your balance and sending you forward. Luckily, you didn’t hit the ground. Instead you felt a pair of arms wrap around you tightly. It was quiet. The only noise you could really make out was the sound of yours and Bakugous breath. His nails pressed into your sides, though not enough to break the skin. It felt as if his grip on you was tightening. You could feel his warm breath on the back of your neck as his chest pressed against your back. If you turned around you would see how red his face was. How his red eyes scanned you for any injuries.

He inhaled sharply as you began to nervously sweat, causing your scent to grow stronger. His eyes widened slightly his face getting closer, to the point of be buried against your neck. You shuddered at the feeling of him being so close, and gave a low whimper was his nails racked against your sides over your clothes. Your cheeks were stained red, and you didn’t think they’d go back to normal any time soon. Minutes passed and you couldn’t decide if you wanted him to let you go or for him to press further into you. “Yo! Bakubro! (Y/n)! Everything okay out there?” Kirishima called from the back door. Both of you seemed surprise by the sudden call out, causing both of you to pull away. Bakugou quickly turned away to grab one of the meats that were on the hook. You grabbed a few jars of pickled vegetables and turned around to call out to Bakugou. However, he was already gone.

By the time you got back to the house, Uraraka was packed and informed you that Bakugou and Kirishima were loading the cart. Uraraka grabbed some of the jars from your arms and helped you carry them outside. Once you dropped them off by the guys, you went back in to help her with the luggage. You watched as Uraraka and Kirishima climbed onto the cart. Uraraka waved her staff and you watched as blue energy flowed out of it, taking the shape of a horse who was ready to go. Damn you couldn’t wait to learn that. You waved goodbye and watched them till they disappeared down the trail. “I hope everything turns out okay.” You sighed and turned your attention to Bakugou. Surprisingly, he wasn’t there. You heard the front door close and turned in that direction. I guess it was a little awkward now.

Quickly, you made your way back inside and noticed Bakugou once again working on the staff. He had the stone you had chosen in his free hand and was measure it against the end of the staff. He took note on what side to cut for an opening to place the gem in before going at it. You remained quiet, deciding to make a quick dinner and go to bed early. The house was quiet with Uraraka and Kirishima with you, it honestly made you feel a bit lonely. You made a stew and remained in the kitchen most of the time while it cooked. Once it was ready you poured some into two bowls, taking them both to the living room. You placed one on the table beside Bakugous end of the couch and took a seat once more where you did normally.

“I’m not hungry right now little witch.” He grumbled, not even looking up at you as he placed the gem inside the hole, he had carved to see how much more he needed to do. You opened your mouth, but quickly closed it. Bakugou sighed before placing the staff down and reaching over to grab the bowl you had fixed for him, however he winced as he grabbed it. “Back still hurting?” You asked as you took in how tense he looked. “Yeah, sleeping on the floor isn’t really the most comfortable place in the house.” He grumbled as he rolled his shoulders. You stared for a moment before putting you soup down and standing up. You held your hand out towards him, in which he simply stared at confused.

You sighed. “Come on, you’re going to go take a bath and then I’ll give you a massage.” You insisted. He continued to stare at you as if you lost your mind. “Listen, it’s kinda my fault that you had to sleep on the floor, so I’m offering to make it better.” You stated, wiggling your fingers just a bit. Bakugou stared at you for a moment but grabbed your hand once he knew you weren’t going to let him off the hook so easily. You led him towards the bathroom and opened the door. “Alright, take a nice warm bath, I’ll get some of the oils from my room and then I’ll meet you in your room.” You stated before pushing him into the bathroom. “Why the hell do I-?” Bakugou began to question you but you closed the door before he could finish. You listened as the water began to run before making your way back to your bedroom.

You began to think about the different oils you had brought with you and headed over to your dresser where you had stashed them. You decided on a sweet almond oil, thank the medium sized container into your hands and heading towards the room Bakugou stayed in. It was plain, reminding you of your room. However, this one had a rocking chair off to the side, a hunting knife that rested on the dresser and a pair of spare boots by the dresser. You took a seat in the rocking chair while you waited on Bakugou, who surprisingly took a long while. Your eyes shifted to the darkening sky outside the window above the bed and grew tempted to knock on the bathroom door like Bakugou had done the day before. However, you heard the door to the bathroom close and adverted your eyes as Bakugou walked in with only a towel around his waist.

“So, I’m guessing you want me to lay down?” Bakugou asked, not really amused by the offer of a massage. “Yes, and uh, keep the uh towel, um, wrapped around.” You requested, in which he raised a curious brow at you. He sighed before walking over to the bed and groaning as he went to lay on his stomach. You took note of his slick hair as it stuck to his skin, and anxiously examined his toned back. Holy shit you get to touch that. You shuddered at the thought, though quickly pushed them away. You were a bit surprised to see Bakugous tail gently wag as you came closer to his body, however once you opened the bottle it froze. Was he nervous? You spared a quick glance and took note of the pink that had made its way to his cheeks.

You shifted yourself onto the bed and place your legs on either of side of his hips. You noticed Bakugous body tense, before quickly relaxing once again. Nervously, you poured some of the oil onto your hands, some slipping out and falling onto his back causing him to jump slightly. “Holy shit that’s cold!” He growled, with teeth bared. “Sorry! It slipped.” You apologized while rubbing your hands together. Slowly, you pressed your hands against his shoulders, deciding to start there and make your way down. A dark blush began to spread across your face after Bakugou groaned lowly as you began to rub at his shoulders. You pressed your fingers in and gently rubbed at different knotted areas. “Is this okay? I’m not hurting you, am I?” You asked curiously, surprisingly earning you a low chuckle from the man under you. “Trust me little witch, there’s a lot you’d have to do to hurt me.” He stated.

As you continued to rub at his shoulders you steadily made your way down. Something you noticed is that whenever you rubbed certain spots on his back his ears would twitch on top of his head, much to your amusement. You tried your best not to reach up and poke at them. After a while you put a bit more oil on your hands before applying it to the center of his back. It wasn’t till you made your way close to his tail, did Bakugou once again groan. You stopped for a moment, the room remaining terribly quiet. “B-bakugou…A-are you sensitive near your tail?” You asked curiously, red cheeks returning once more. Bakugou remained quiet, and you were trying to figure out if you had embarrassed him. “Keep going.” He grunted to your surprise. It took you a moment to process, but once it clicked you once again began to rub near his tail.

Bakugou released a shaky breath and seemed to shift a bit uncomfortably. “Bakugou, are you sure you’re okay?” You once again asked, pulling your hands away slowly. You slightly, a small squeak escaping you as Bakugou grabbed your wrists, having turned onto his side, leaving the towel to barely leave anything to the imagination. “I told you to keep going. Don’t tell me you’re getting shy after you offered.” Bakugou stated, his red eyes piercing your (e/c) ones. You gave a small pout, pushing your hands forwards onto his shoulders, causing him to shift onto his back with an oof. “I am not shy!” You stated, though your burning face stated otherwise. Bakugou released your wrists, however they traveled up your arms and his warm hands cupped your face. “Don’t lie to me little witch, you always get so red when I speak to you. It honestly makes you look delicious.” He growled lowly, eyes narrowing in on your embarrassed features.

You leaned in close, foreheads nearly hitting each other as you began a glaring contest. “I’m not a shy little witch!” You growled, ignoring his delicious comment. You watched as a smirk tugged its way onto his features. “Then what are you? A scared little witch? Nervous little witch?” He growled lowly, smirk becoming cockier. Finally, you snapped. “I am not a little witch! I will become a powerful witch just like Uraraka!” You stated with a look of determination in your eyes. The room once again fell silent as the two of you stared at each other. Before you knew it, the tension broke. His lips were over yours, something you were far from complaining about. You shuddered as one of his hands slipped behind your neck to keep you where you were, while his other went to your hips to bring your body closer to his.

Once you break away for your, Bakugou quickly went to attacking your neck. He left kisses and gentle bites that caught you to shudder. Your hands slipped from his shoulders to rub through his hair, leading you to accidentally brush against his ears. A low groaned escaped the man under you and he bucked his hip, taking you by surprising. You couldn’t help but giggle at his reaction. “I think I know why you get Uraraka to make your ears and tail disappear now.” You whisper, amusement laced in your voice. Bakugou growled as his grip on you seemed to tighten. “Then spit it out.” He grumbled, shifted his head so he could once again kiss you. If he was trying to keep you silent, it was working. Finally, you pulled away once more. “Because they’re sensitive. Not only to touch, but to noise and I’m guessing that can get pretty annoying.” You suggested, in which Bakugou simply grumbled at.

You sat up with Bakugous hands following to grasp your hips. “You really wanted these cute little ears gone, because you don’t want them touched?” You asked, clearly amused as you leaned over slightly to rub his ears between your fingers. Bakugou growled lowly, hips thrusting upward. You couldn’t help but shudder as you felt something poking you from underneath the towel. “Yeah, I want them gone from people that poke and rub at them like you.” He grumbled as a dark blush slowly crawled onto his cheeks. You couldn’t help the giggle that escaped you. Bakugous ears twitched at the sound, a low growl escaping him as he once against bucked his hips upwards, causing a small squeak to escape you in surprise. Bakugou chuckled at this.

Bakugous hands slowly began to bunch up your dress at your sides, exposing more of your legs to him. You shuddered as the cold air of the house began to touch more of your exposed skin. Bakugous eyes became hungry as they shift from your exposed legs, to your heaving chest, up towards your red face. His eyes drifted towards your lips, wanting nothing more than to have them back on his. Thus, he sat up, nearly sending you falling back, and pressed his lips against yours once again. The towel shifted, bunched up at his waist and now showing over his growing erection from the fabric. You couldn’t help but groan lowly as Bakugous hands slipped under your dress. One grabbing your behind roughly while the other snaked upwards to begin battle with unhooking your bra.

It took him a while, even pulling away from your lips to concentrate a bit more as he tried to work the clasps. You offered your help in which he declined, stating he could do it himself. This caused you to hum in amusement. As he tried to wrestle your bra clasp undone, your lips began leaving a trail down from his jaw to his neck. Bakugou shivered as you sucked and gently bit a sensitive spot on his neck. “Oh fuck.” He growled lowly, finally able to get your bra unhooked. His hands quickly went to the ends of your dress, pulling the upwards. You allowed him to slip the dress of you along with the bra. You couldn’t help but squeak as his hands went straight to groping and massaging your breasts.

His lips once again met with yours. Gently, you pushed him back down, following him. You pressed your hands once again became entangled in his hair, and you were shocked when he quickly shifts the two of you, almost sending you both off the bed. He got on to of you, fingers shifting to tweak at your nipples. You shuddered and the sharp feeling of his nails. His lips left yours once again peppering kisses down your neck, and this time towards your breasts. You arched your back slightly, a low moan escaping you as he latched onto one of your nipples. Anxiously, you rubbed your legs together and gasped when Bakugou used his hands to slip your legs around his hips.

The towel had fallen off the bed when he flipped the two of you over, though you were just now noticing as he cock pressed against your clothed cunt. You couldn’t help the groan that escaped you as he moved his hips against yours. His mouth left your nipple to attend to the other one. You shuddered as he gently bit your nipple and roughly rolled his hips causing a moan to get caught in your throat. “B-Bakugou, do that again!” You begged, having felt his cock rub over your clothed clit. He was quick to oblige, his hips moving at a steady pace. Your breath began to pick up with every roll of his hips. He slipped one of his hand away from your legs and in between the two of you. His hand slipped into your panties, pressing two fingers against your clit to rub steadily. Your legs tightened around his waist anxiously as his pace went from quick to slow.

After a while he slipped his fingers away from your clit to slowly thrust inside you. His mouth left your breast to once again connect with your lips, swallowing the sweet sounds you made with every thrust of his fingers. Bakugou was quick to discard your panties, gently squeezing your thighs telling you to unwrap your legs from around him so he could slide them off. Bakugou quickly discarded your underwear to some random corner of the room before leaning back down to capture you in another kiss. However, it didn’t last long. You slowly felt yourself unraveling as he quickened his fingers, your hips moving now to meet with each thrust. “Oh fuck, I’m gonna come!” You groaned against his lips. Bakugou quickly pulled his fingers away after those words, causing you to whimper at the loss.

Bakugou once again, pulled away from you much to your displeasure. He noticed the irritation in your eyes and gave you a quick kiss before making his way down your body. His lips left short kisses along you stomach as he made his way down. You shuddered as you felt his tongue brush over your clit, causing you to inhale sharply. You could hear him chuckle lowly as he once against licked at your clit. The third time his took you bundle of nerves into his mouth and gently sucked. Your back arched slightly, a loud moan escaping your throat. Bakugou groaned at the noise, hips thrusts against the rough sheets of the bed for friction. Not long after, he pulled away from your clit and slipped his tongue into your aching hole.

With one hand he shifted one of your legs over his shoulder for a better angle, and with his other he reached up to grope and massage one of your breasts. Your breathing began to get rougher as you thrusted your hips against Bakugous mouth, chasing the release you were craving. Bakugou took note of this, watching as your eyes closed tight and your breath became uneven the closer you were to orgasm. He stopped thrusting his tongue, pulling away once more to the point it was annoying. He licked his bottom lip before taking his hand away from your breast to wipe away the slick from his chin. “Are you being serious? Are you really trying to push me to the edge?” You growled, clearly annoyed at your second loss of achieving orgasm. Bakugou chuckled, leaning down to give you a quick kiss.

“Don’t feel bad, because when I’m inside you you’re going to have plenty of them tonight.” He growled before smashing his lips against yours once again. You groaned as you felt Bakugou rub his cock against your slick folds, the tip brushing against your clit and sending jolts down your spine. He slipped two fingers inside you gathering some of your slick before pulling out to rub them against his cock. Bakugou shuddered at the warm feeling before giving you another quick kiss. Your eyes shifted downwards, eye landing on his cock that continued to rub between your folds. It was about an average size, though he made up for length in thickness. You gasped at the feeling of him slowly thrusting in. His lips once against roughly meeting yours, as his cock pressed further in. He would stop occasionally, allowing you to adjust, though once he bottomed out the two of you took a sharp breath.

The two of you remained still, the only sound was your lips connecting in the dark. After a few minutes Bakugou gave an experimental thrust, causing you to gasp against his lips. Bakugou groaned as you tightened around him, once again thrusting his hips. It wasn’t long before he started a slow and steady pace, devouring your whimpers and small moans with ever roll of his hips. He finally broke away to trail kissing down your neck once more, sucking on your exposed skin and leaving small bites here and there. Your hands reached behind Bakugou, roughly clawing at his back as his pace began to pick up. You released a sharp gasp as he gave a rather rough bite against your neck, though not enough to break skin, by the way he was sucking on the bitten area it was going to leave a hickey. “Faster!” You whispered, your hips moving to try and meet with Bakugous thrusts.

Bakugou shuddered as your thrusts met his. If you wanted faster, he would be more than happy to give it to you. You squealed excitedly as Bakugou sat up, one hand grabbing your leg to pull you closer while the other rested beside your head, his hand encasing yours. His red eyes stared down at your flushed body, watching as your breasts bounced with every thrust of his cock. The way you were squeezing him was heavenly. “Fuck, you’re so tight!” He growled, hips picking up the pace excitedly. He continued to watch as your breathing quickened, your walls tightening around him. Finally, you back arched slightly, a strangled moan escaping you as you came around his cock. He continued to thrust, though he slowed down to lean down and once against press his lips against yours.

You groaned into the kiss, feeling your body shudder as he pulled out. You broke away, still trying to catch your breath. However, you did spare a glance at his still hard cock. Curiously, you reached down and gently stroked the throbbing shaft, causing Bakugou to groan rather loudly and thrust into your hand. You hummed lowly in amusement as you slowly began to pump him, watching as he thrusted into your hand. You felt him throb in your hand the closer he came to orgasm, though he pulled your hand away before he could reach his peek. Instead he grabbed your hips and flipped you over onto your stomach. You shudder anxiously as he pulled your hips up, quick to slip his aching cock back into your tight pussy. A loud moan escaped you as he once again began a rough pace.

“Oh fuck oh fuck! Bakugou keep going!” You growled into the pillow your face was pressed into. Your back arched, presenting more of your self to him. You couldn’t help the lewd noises that escaping your mouth with every rough thrust. “Oh shit! You take me so well little witch!” Bakugou growled, his hands roughly grasping your hips as he continued to thrust at a merciless pace. He felt your walls once again begin to tighten, not to his surprise since it hadn’t been long since your last orgasm. He groaned as your walls spasmed around his throbbing cock, having milked a second orgasm out of you. “Fuck you feel so good.” He growled, leaning down to press sloppy kisses against your back and neck.

You groaned lowly, wiggling your hips against him, earning another thrust. You gasped as he thrusted a few more times into your sensitive cunt, groaning when he began to leave love bites along your neck. “Are you good little witch?” He asked, pressing a kiss to the back of your head. She gave a low hum, needing a moment to catch your breath. After a few moments of silence, Bakugous cock began to ache. However, he didn’t want to over work you. You finally began to get up, Bakugou slipping out of you much to your displeasure, and giving a low groan to show it. You turned around, allowing your lips to quickly find Bakugous. He groaned, as his hands found your hips, pressing you close to him. Once again, your hand found his throbbing cock and began to pump it.

Bakugou shuddered as he watched you jerk him over. He began to thrust into your hand once more, his grip on your hips tightening. “Fuck, just like that.” He growled, watching as precum began to leak from his tip. As soon as it did, you took your hand away much to his displeasure. Maybe you were getting payback on him for delaying your orgasms. Instead, he was surprised when you pushed him onto his back straddling his waist. The two of you nearly fell off the edge of the bed, however it quickly became both your last concern as you slipped Bakugous cock back into your tight pussy. Bakugou chocked on a groan, throwing his head back at the new sensation. You moaned loudly as he entered you at a new angle, that seemingly allow him to go deeper.

The two of you took a moment, staring into each other’s eyes, before you leaned down to connect your lips. Bakugous rough hands steadily began to guide your hips as you went up and down on his aching cock that wanted nothing more than to cum into your tightness. It wasn’t long for you to pick up the pace, placing your hands on Bakugous chest as he continued to meet your thrusts. They would vary from quick and powerful to slow and steady. It had finally gotten to the point where Bakugou couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m sorry little witch, but I really need to cum.” Bakugou groaned as he held your hips still. He quickly began to thrust into you, allowing a loud moan to escape your mouth. His eyes remained on your breasts watching as they bounced.

“Oh fuck! Bakugou yes! Right there!” You groaned as he began to hit your g spot over and over again. “Fuck, you’re too tight! You’re fucking squeezing me to death!” He growled, hips never stopping. Instead, it was as if he had picked up the pace. You felt like you need something to support you, to ground you with each thrust that was driving you insane. Finally, you reached down to quickly rub your clit, trying to reach your orgasm once again. Bakugou watched your hand with narrowed eyes and groaned as you tightened around him.

“Fuck yeah! Keep doing that little witch! Fucking come again!” He growled. He threw his head back, moaning loudly as he finally shot his cum inside you. You moaned in surprised as you reached your own orgasm, milking him with every thrust. It wasn’t long that his thrusting died down, having brought you to rest your head on his chest as he lazily messed with your hair. The two of you remained quiet, both trying your best to catch your breath. You couldn’t help but rub your legs together, feeling Bakugous and your cum leaking out of your pussy. The two of you shared a few lazy kisses, even shifting to leave a few more hickeys and love bites upon one another. “Mmm, I hope your back is okay.” You grumbled, which earned a chuckle from Bakugou. “I just fucked you senseless and you’re wanting to know about my back?” He snickered, pressing more kissing between your shoulder and neck, earning a low giggle from you. “Less talk about mine, I liked yours as I thrusted into you.” He growled, biting at your skin.

You bit your bottom lip to hold back a groan. “You’re a bad dog.” You teased, though gasped as you felt Bakugou becoming hard once again. “Careful, or I’ll fuck you again.” He grumbled, ears falling flat against his head. You chuckled. “Would that really be such a bad thing?” You asked, gently rubbing his soft and fuzzy ears between your fingers. Bakugou growled, shifting his way onto of you. “I gotta say no, because I gotta admit, I really like being inside you.” He growled before pressing his lips against yours once more, and slowly slipping back inside you.

#bakugou x reader #katsuki x reader #bakugou katsuki x reader #katsuki bakugou x reader #x reader #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #commission #werewolf!bakugou x witch!reader

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mimisempai · 3 years

Text

Wait for me on the other side 7/8

Summary:

Will we attend the long awaited meeting?

Notes:

Final stretch before the end... How are you doing?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32948254/chapters/82448716

Loki's apartment - 2021

I WANT TO MEET YOU!

FOR REAL THIS TIME!

Loki turned the drawing over, Mobius had added a few words to it.

Answer me after 6pm, I'll wait by the mailbox.

Loki looked at the clock, it was 5:15 p.m., he took his notepad and his pencil and left in a hurry towards the house on the cliff.

Arriving a few minutes after 6pm, he went to the mailbox, scribbled quickly on his notebook, tore out the page and after putting it in the box, he raised the flag.

It was lowered almost immediately, the start of another conversation punctuated by its movement.

Mobius House - 2019

Mobius was pacing around the box, avoiding looking at his watch every minute, wondering if he had frightened Loki with his request for a date, when the flag suddenly rose.

L -How?

M -Pick a place. I will be there. I promise. Tomorrow, what do you say?

L -Mobius. It's not tomorrow for you. You'll have to wait two years.

M -I don't care. I'll wait. Meet me at the restaurant tomorrow and I'll be there. I'll be two years older, but I'll be there.

L -What will you be doing all that time?

M -Think about you. And working out every day, getting in shape, praying I don't lose my hair...

L -Are you sure?

M -I've never been so sure of anything in my life. I've already lost so much time. I don't want to waste any more with you.

Loki suddenly felt almost dizzy. Mobius had two years to prepare for this appointment while Loki had less than twenty-four hours. He took a deep breath before closing the mailbox.

L - See you in two years, then.

M - See you tomorrow night. Where would you like to go?

Frigga restaurant - 2019

Mobius entered the restaurant and was greeted by the hostess.

"Hi, I'd like to reserve a table for two."

She flipped through the reservation book before telling him in an apologetic tone, "Well, I'm sorry, but we just received our fourth star and I'm afraid it's extremely difficult to get a reservation at this hour. When did you expect to dine here?"

Mobius replied with a smile, "Two years from tomorrow. September 15, 2021."

The hostess blinked a few times and then closed the book, before answering with a big smile, "We should be able to accommodate you, sir."

Loki's apartment - September 15, 2021 - Morning

Loki prepared to leave for work. He looked at the outfit he prepared for that evening. He couldn't remember when he hadn't felt such excitement. He couldn't remember ever feeling this excited.

September High School - September 15, 2021 - 5pm

As he packed up his things after having finished his last class of the day, and was already looking forward to the evening ahead, he was jolted out of his reverie by Thor's stormy arrival in his office.

"Thank God you're still here."

"Obviously." replied Loki, pointing out with irony.

"I'm sorry, I know it's not your week, but can you do a detention watch for an hour? Jane is visiting between flights and I was supposed to monitor tonight's detention, but-"

Loki looked at his watch and sighed, "Yes, I can, but one hour not more. I have a date."

"Thank you, thank you! I promise, it's just an hour, no more. But I want to hear all about this date tomorrow, okay?"

Loki shook his head and chuckled, "Alright, alright, go meet Jane!"

Before leaving, Thor threw over his shoulder, "I don't know who that is, but I've never seen you smile like that before, Loki, and it suits you! Bye!"

He was gone before Loki had time to answer.

An hour later, Loki was walking quickly towards his apartment. He entered in a hurry, ran into the room and threw off his clothes.

Croki followed him around, curious, as Loki muttered, "He waited two years. What's another half hour? Right?"

He continued his preparations, but at a calmer pace. He put on a dark green v-neck sweater, of a shade that he knew brought out his eyes, at least that's what the saleswoman had told him, a pair of charcoal-colored pants that highlighted his silhouette. He looked at himself two or three times in the mirror before shrugging his shoulders.

A few minutes later, he left his building and took a cab to the restaurant.

Frigga Restaurant - September 2021

Loki stopped before entering. He inhaled several times to calm himself. He was ready, excited but confident. He opened the door with a firm hand.

While removing his coat, he scanned the room. There are not many tables. Before he could find Mobius, the hostess approached him.

"Good evening sir, can I help you?"

Loki cleared his throat, "Yes, I have a reservation. Laufeyson. Or Mobius, I'm not sure what name it was made under."

The hostess examined her book and looked up with a huge smile, "Oh yes! You're the..." she paused before pulling herself together, "Follow me."

Loki was led to a table for two. It was empty. He was a little surprised.

The hostess turned to him and said, a little embarrassed, "I hope you'll forgive me, but I can't help asking..."

"Yes?"

"This reservation is sort of... legendary. It's been here longer than most employees. There's always been intense speculation about who made it, and why, and whether you were really going to show up. Some of the team members even made bets..."

Loki looked around. Throughout the room, waiters were glaring at him. The chefs and kitchen helpers were looking out the kitchen door. Loki suddenly felt very embarrassed.

The hostess immediately apologized, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... I'll send the waiter to get your drink order right away."

A little later a waiter returned and poured Loki a glass of champagne.

"Compliments of the chef."

Loki nodded in thanks.

Just before leaving, the waiter threw him a small smile, "Good luck."

Loki began to sip the champagne, a little more nervous.

Some time later, his glass was empty and he was still waiting, alone at the table. The waiter approached to refill his glass, but Loki stopped him.

He was aware that the restaurant staff was watching him, whispering among themselves. Two hours passed, other customers lingered over dessert, coffee, chatting intimately at the candlelit tables.

Loki was still alone.

After a long moment, he pushed back his chair and stood up. Everyone was looking at him, gravely.

He walked to the front, expressionless, and took his coat, without speaking to anyone before leaving under the sad look of the hostess watching him leave. Loki returned home, alone. His stoic facade began to crumble. He had tears in his eyes.

He took a paper and wanted to write but didn't have the heart. Not now.

House on the cliff - September 16, 2019

The day was gray and windy, Mobius stood in front of his mailbox and read the words "YOU WEREN'T THERE." He shook his head, lost.

M - I'm really sorry. I don't understand. Something must have happened. Look, I have two years. I'll try to fix it.

L -No, Mobius... You don't understand. It's too late. It's already happened.

I'm not upset. I mean, I was at first.

But now I just feel stupid... that I forgot how much a person's life can change in two years.

And for expecting yours not to change.

For expecting you to wait, to stand still, to put your life on hold, for me.

M - But I can do it. I can wait for you. I know I can. I won't forget.

L -Maybe you did. Maybe, wherever you are, you are busy, happy, and living so fully in the present that the dinner you planned two years ago just... slipped your mind. Just like you forget about impossible fantasies when they're over, when you get on with real life.

M - You mean I should go on with my real life?

L- I mean... I think we both should.

After seeing his words, Mobius hurried to answer, his hand trembling with emotion.

Please write to me, answer me.

Mobius put his letter in the mailbox and raised the flag. It stayed up.

An hour later, the flag was still up, Mobius opened the mailbox, there was only the note he had put in.

Hours, then days, then months passed, as Mobius wrote and posted letter after letter. Finally, there was a stack of his letters in the box. They continued to pile up, unanswered. Until the box was so full that Mobius could not put any more letters in.

Bi-Frost Bar - Février 2022

It was winter, everything outside was covered in snow.

Loki was sitting at a table with Bruce, Thor, Heimdall and Carol.

They were now meeting here at least once a week after work.

As Bruce and Carol debated some obscure point of astronomy, mediated by Heimdall, Thor leaned toward Loki and put his hand on his arm.

"Are you okay?"

Loki gave a half-smile and answered honestly because Thor was one of the few people who could read him, "I've been better."

"Are you still writing to your mysterious pen pal."

Loki, his throat tight, could not answer and shook his head.

Thor simply said, without insisting, "I'm sorry, Loki, if you need to talk, you know my phone number."

Loki did not answer.

Later, as he returned home, he found a message on his answering machine.

"Hi, Lo. It's Sigyn. I'm in town. I had to come in for a meeting."

Loki started to press the button to delete the message, when Sigyn's voice continued, "A real one this time. I swear to you. Call me. Only if you feel like it."

The next evening Loki and Sigyn were sitting in the pizzeria where they had met before. Neither of them really felt comfortable.

Sigyn said quietly, "I didn't think you'd come out."

Loki replied wryly, "Don't take this personally but..."

Sigyn interrupted him, "You couldn't say no to the free meal."

"Exactly." they both laughed.

Then Loki asked, "So. How did your ' meeting ' go?"

Sigyn looked slightly offended at the way Loki had emphasized the word meeting.

"I told you I didn't make it up, it really happened. They offered me a job.A bigger firm. I'm going to be in-house counsel." She smiled proudly before continuing, "Call them if you don't believe me."

A little later, they arrived in front of Loki's residence which was on the way to Sigyn's hotel. They stopped at the door.

Sigyn said quietly, "I took this job because I wanted to. This is not an ambush, Lo."

Loki nodded and replied softly, "Well, that's great news. Congratulations, Sigyn. I'm really happy for you."

Sigyn smiled, "Thank you, and thank you for coming."

Loki leaned over and kissed her goodnight, briefly. Sigyn looked surprised and pleased.

Loki watched her, it was comfortable and familiar, but then his gaze slipped to the tree behind Sigyn. Its leaves swayed in the night air. It was the tree Mobius had planted. Loki looked at it, then closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, I'm sorry Sigyn, but I can't."

After a tearful goodbye, as he walked back up to his apartment, Loki muttered to himself, "I may not be able to meet him, but I can't lie to myself either."

Mobius House - 2020

The mailbox was covered with snow. It was so cold that the lake had frozen over. Mobius, who was walking outside, looked inside the mailbox, by reflex. It was empty. He closed it slowly, disappointment on his face.

Distracted, he didn't notice that Croki was walking away quickly, towards the forest.

Mobius finally looked around.

Croki started to run. Mobius chased him. But soon, in the density of the forest, he did not see him anymore. Mobius ran straight ahead, continuing to call. He tripped on a stump and fell into the snow, he got up and called again, looking around, upset. Croki was really gone.

Mobius was about to run again, when he suddenly stopped. A realization dawned on his face.

Croki was going to find his new owner.

Mobius knew what he had to do.

A few days later, he was talking in the living room with Casey.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Mobius replied with a wistful look on his face, "Yes, I need to move on, staying here, I won't make it."

Casey nodded, understanding and added simply, "If you need help, you can count on me."

A few weeks later, "Mobius packed the house methodically and with determination. He assembled boxes with tape and threw his things in. He put the trash in bags, swept and mopped.

As he was tidying up, he found the stack of letters from Loki. He looked at them for a moment, then packed them up and shoved them in the bottom of a cardboard box before carrying the box to the attic and sealing it.

Hill & Fury Law Firm - 2020

Mobius checked the address on his phone, walked in, and headed to the front desk.

"Hello, I'd like to speak to Sigyn Iwaldi, I don't have an appointment, but tell her it's Mobius and it's urgent."

A few minutes later, Sigyn arrived in the lobby, and motioned for him to follow her into an adjoining meeting room. She barely greeted him and did not look happy to see him.

Mobius didn't wait and asked her point-blank, "Do you still want to rent a house by the lake?"

He didn't wait for an answer and tossed her a bunch of keys. Sigyn looked puzzled.

Mobius continued, "That's what Loki wants."

Sigyn looked angry and asked him abruptly, "How can you know that? How can you know what he wants? Besides, we're not even..."

Mobius shook his head, "I don't want to know anything, but trust me this is what he wants."

Mobius waited no longer and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Later, as Sigyn was opening her car, something caught her eye in the distance. An alligator was slowly strolling down the street, looking lost but heading straight for her. It was Croki.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 (End)

__________

I've said in the last chapter, as a reader I hate cliffhangers. So for you, I've put the turbo on and I'm just saying, stay tuned... you won't have to wait until tomorrow for the last chapter... maybe with only one comment on this chapter, I'll be convinced to publish it even sooner... 😏

#lokius #Developing Relationship #no powers au #Alternate Universe #Letters #penpal #loki series au #loki #mobius m. mobius #lokius fics

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reiven2017 · 4 years

Text

From ridicule.

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Rachel winced at the acrid smell of her aunt's strong black coffee that reached the second floor. She had just left the room, the wall clock was ticking, and the time of the first school day after summer vacation was approaching, so she resisted the urge to go back and lock the door. Especially her cousin, Leila, very emphatically and eloquently made it clear that this year they really need to be on time. I think the only reason we've been late for the last couple of years is because of Leila.Fie. She didn't know why, but her hatred of coffee passed the mark of "Wipe off the face of the earth", but her aunt Alice liked this drink, so Raven, pulling something like a smile, quickly slipped into the guest room, ignoring the annoying stench. "Good morning, aunt." "Morning, honey. - Wow. She's got another new order, is that it? Rachel smiled softly, leaning her body against the bar, casting a warm glance across the room at the busy woman. - Exactly. another girl came in, hastily gathering her curly hair as she went, and pulling her jacket over one shoulder unsuccessfully in the process. Leila was a complete mess this morning, unlike Raven. Roth didn't like to sleep too long and had no problem getting up early, so she was always willing to go to school and try to look not only shittily beautiful, but also neat. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, her uniform was clean and ironed, and her ballet shoes were polished. From the very morning it was clear that today's day was more hectic than the rest of its brethren, and Raven suppressed a wave of laughter that was about to burst from her lips when Layla, cursing everything in her path, made it to the hallway without strangling herself with a tie. Wow. Is it going to snow today, or is it all-peaceful house day? Roth cast a skeptical glance at her cousin, and her face contorted into a puzzled expression for a moment. Rachel raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure what to see. Her cousin, who despised and resented a thousand taunts in the face of makeup-clogged girls, stood in front of the mirror and put on her lipstick with an awful precision. Pink. It is very pink. Wow. "What's that?" Rachel shot a sly glance at her cousin, and her face took on a cheeky grin. She had learned her cousin's words by heart, and even the slightest change in them gave her Cause for suspicion. Her curiosity snickered at the new victim. Oh, Yes, it's definitely going to snow today. "What do you mean?" Leila looked up from the mirror, giving Rachel a brief, too-brief glance, and then went back to her makeup bag. - You look at each other. Roth said casually, watching the girl with interest. "Um ... no...you're definitely imagining it. Layla applied another thick layer of mascara to her lashes and looked herself up and down in the mirror, then winked at herself with satisfaction. OI-Wei. This is something new. Leila's self-esteem was bordering on narcissism. She had always considered herself beautiful without makeup. And so it was. The girl was tanned and pumped up. She had shown some promise in volleyball, playing for the Gotham Academy team, when Rachel preferred quiet reading in the library. She had a wild and passionate temper, and her brown eyes were full of devils. Leila could show off her ample bust size, forcing her to swallow the poison of her classmates and swallow the drool of guys. So the last person in their family who needed arithmetic was Rachel. The satanic-looking gray Rachel Roth. She wasn't a very thin girl, but you couldn't call her fat, either, but her cousin had assured her that she had a Golden mean, or whatever that might mean, so RAE had long ago given up on her appearance and just let people think she was weird with her purple hair and big purple eyes. Roth continued to stare at Leila, noticing that she was wearing a much shorter skirt and blouse with a much more expressive neckline. Now Rachel could call her usual dark skirt, just above her knees, a nun. Leila snorted, looking up from the mirror and irritably switching her attention to her Mouth. - So. Stop being detective shit, ray. after a pause, she added. "And look at me like that." "But you certainly don't look your usual self today." Is something going to happen? Rachel protested softly, trying not to press her cousin any further, and her lips curled into a tender smile. She left her mug on the table, kissed her aunt good-bye, and went into the hall, putting on a warm coat. "It's just that your sister, Rachel, wants to impress a guy...and it's really, wow. Alice muttered in a monotone, her eyes still fixed on the tablet. - Maman! Leila exclaimed, casting a murderous glance at the woman. The corners of Rachel's mouth twitched in a playful smile as she looked at her cousin's stunned face. She was scurrying into the corridor, trying to get out of the mother-daughter battle as quickly as possible, when the smithy gave her one of those withering looks. - It is not something to be ashamed of, Lalaila. the girl clucked in exasperation and frowned, folding her arms over her chest as she stared at Alice. "You know I hate it when you call me that." - You also know that I don't like it when you call me maman. Rachel giggled softly into her jacket sleeve, pulling her headphones out of her pocket, and walked calmly to the Academy.

Roth was sifting through a textbook in the school locker when a green-haired boy came into view. Oh, no, Garfield Logan. The main school athlete and known for his adventures among girls about little to great, playboy. He was older than her by a year and had a brilliant reputation and fame, girls hung around his neck and were ready to get into his pants at every opportunity, but he surprised everyone a year ago with his interest in Rachel. This became the most enviable topic of discussion for a month and the most important problem for the Company. The girl was never interested in him and did not understand what he found in her. Hey liked the quiet and the old library, and he needed someone who liked football and loud parties. Well, or at least someone who understood football. She didn't particularly like the way people started treating her. That is, some spat at her back, others tried to curry favor. But no matter how much trouble Logan brought, she gave him what he wanted, though not exactly what he expected. They began to communicate without crossing the boundaries of friendship at the whim of Rachel. But Garlfield became more insistent with each passing month, and no longer seemed to share the line between them. Of course, Rachel was ironically or ill-fated pure and innocent, kind and all the cells in her body believed that there was nothing wrong with being patient and giving Gar minutes of happiness when he accidentally called her his girlfriend, or hugged her shoulders. She rolled her eyes dejectedly and closed the door with a soft creak, turning her attention to the guy. Rachel hoped there wasn't an irritated look on her face and Logan wouldn't notice. - Gar...hi. the frown on his face puzzled her, and she arched a questioning brow. "Is something wrong?" "Why are you avoiding me, ray?" his voice was low and his obvious displeasure slipped through him like a thin ribbon. He did not take his gaze from her Mouth as the girl momentarily faded away. What do you mean by that? More precisely, what do you expect to hear from me Guarlford? That you, I'm sorry, got tired of following me around last year, huh!? Swallowing the words that were about to fall from her lips and fall on him, Rachel straightened up and gave him one of her sweetest smiles. No. Garfield is a sweet and kind boy and he doesn't deserve such disrespect from you, Raven. "No, I'm not avoiding you. You know me, first day of school and all that, the joy of meeting the library and that dam, I'm in a trance. a wistful expression crossed Logan's face as he scanned her for signs of deception. Rachel was nervous. Panic ran through her veins. Lying had never been one of her strengths, and she knew it. She was about to say something in her own defense when Gar burst out laughing, throwing his head back. "You should have seen your face, ray. he quieted his laughter and straightened up beside her, hands in his pockets.- Exhale, I know what you are in ahuya from school and do not get mad at the lack of your attention. - too freaked out? The boy arched his eyebrows and cast a playful glance at his Mouth. Rachel rolled her eyes at his advances. - I'm sure you survived it. she gave him a soft smile again, moving down the hall toward the classroom as Logan settled in next to her. Well of course. "How was your vacation?" I heard you and Lailai left of Gotham? "no," he said casually, keeping pace with her. Rachel thought for a moment as all sorts of thoughts raced through her mind. How did he know they were leaving? No, where he could have found out. Nervousness slowly crept up on her and She swallowed the lump of irritation in her throat, glancing briefly at his innocent face before turning her attention back to her shoes. - Cbms...we went to San Francisco. It was quite fun. the vagueness of the answer didn't seem to bother him, and Logan whistled happily. "Wow, so San Francisco?" I envy you with the blackest envy. - No need, I think you had a great time, too? she raised a quizzical brow, making her look interested. "You're always right, ray. Although I didn't bask in the sun, my vacation in Gotham was great. - next, followed by a cheerful and very energetic, filled with delight chatter about his sporting achievements in the summer and about what a new car his parents gave him. Class. Raven nodded politely when he paid attention to her in the intervals of his bowing and assiduous chatter, when he tried to praise himself and the car as much as possible. Roth stifled a laugh. Oh, Yes, he wouldn't die of modesty. By the time they reached the classroom, his inexhaustible supply of words and energy had evaporated, and Gar scratched his head nervously. "Listen, Ray. Roth turned her full attention to him, watching him with the eyes of a DOE. His nervousness increased and he tried to hide it behind a high-pitched smile. "This Friday, Jackson is having a party at his house and you would...maybe we could go there together. before she could react, Raven collided with a man coming out of the classroom. More precisely, they ran out of the classroom. She swayed, trying to balance not only herself, but the books in her hands, as a strong, large hand rested firmly on her waist, holding her in place. She raised her eyes to the stranger and met his gaze for a moment, frozen by the shock of electricity in her veins as the amazing emerald eyes stared back at her.

#Damian Wayne #damirae #demonbirds #raven #fanfic

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the1rei · 7 years

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Bloomin' Ross pt52

Rules of Magic #2: The most powerful magic in the world is love, a love kept not despite all of one’s flaws, but because of them.

<<< First Post <<Prev Post - Next Post >>

"It's like a half bury snow globe," Rose grasped for a what to describe what she was seeing. They had arrived at the city to find it sealed within a dome of ice, the silhouette of the city just barely visible even with the sun shining brightly above them.

"Whatever it's like it's between us and the others, melt it Sky!" There was no sound of awe in Ardra's tone like there had been in Rose's, Ardra's tone was determined and all business. Sky gave a low groan and swooped down to the side of the dome hovering just above it as fire gathered in his mouth. Then there was a great roar of flames and wave of heat breaking the icy chill coming off the dome as Sky Arrow's flames washed over it. Rose was used to such heat and didn't recoil from it, but as the gout of fire died Rose found herself staring in disbelief. The dome looked untouched by the flames, the surface little better than damp for the effort.

"Och! I should have known; bloody magic ice won't melt from natural fire like Sky's." Ardra cursed Sky Arrow letting out a grumbling hiss at his failure.

"So we need unnatural fire?" Ardra nodded as her eyes scanned across the surface of the dome. Rose clutched tighter at the warm bundle under her shirt her hands eventually slipping under her shirts. Pyrepy claws scratched Rose's stomach a little as she pulled him out. The pup's eyes shut tight, and he clung fast to her arm shivering with fear. "Pyrepy we need you to melt this ice."

The pup shook its head furiously and buried his head into her chest. Rose gave the pup a quick reassuring hug, "We need your help Pyrepy, Cass and Rapunzel and everyone needs your help. I know you can do it."

The pup whined but opened an eye his orange pools peeking at Rose nervously. She gave him a reassuring smile, and with a last whine, he nodded opening both his eyes. "Thanks, just don't look down okay."

Pyrepy gave her a grumpy growl as she turned him around to face the surface of the ice dome. Like with Sky, Pyrepy took a deep breath, flames gathering in his mouth, and then with a great expulsion of breath blew a stream of fire. Pyrepy head rolled, and the flames cut through the ice in a circle. As the stream ebbed to nothing but wisps of smoke curling up from Pyrepy's mouth, the ice in the middle of the circle fell with a thunk before falling away completely into the city.

"Good job!" Ardra spurred Sky through the hole; the dragon had to fold his wings tight, and his riders had to duck down until they were pressed down against his body to fit through the hole. Even for the brief moment, it took them to pass through it the hole seemed to shrink around them. Once in the air, they turned back to see that it hand not been paranoia, the hole was noticeably shrinking such at even after a moment they would not be able to pass through it.

"We've got to get into the castle," Ardra said, and Rose looked to see that among the snow-covered buildings and frozen statues the palace was sheath in a protective layer of ice. "I think I know where we can get in."

----

"I wish I were more like you," Rapunzel said with a shiver cupping her hands over her face and blowing into them for warmth. Her whole body quivered with the chills running along it, "What I wouldn't give to not feel cold."

Elsa moved to walk behind Rapunzel and rubbed the Princess arms trying to help her warm up. "I feel it; it's just not uncomfortable for me. Though, without my magic I'm not so certain it won't... have the same effect on me as you."

"At least most of the doors froze open; we can move around without trouble," Rapunzel noted as they moved into a large room. The large windows of the room climbed all the way to the ceiling and were separated from each other by the thinnest beams of wood. The atrium might have once been a bright and warm place, but with the windows covered by a layer of ice they did little but allow more of the weak blueish-gray light than normal to fill the large sitting room. The two royals looked across to the other side of the room with fallen expressions to see the doors closed and sealed with ice; they would have to backtrack now.

They let out a joint sigh that blew from their lips in a puff of white fog. They turned to start back when suddenly there was a flash of red. An instant later something came crashing through the glass landing with a thump on the rough, icy floor. Glass and ice tinkled to the floor the appearance of the red beast so suddenly that neither Rapunzel nor Elsa realized what the familiar creature was until a voice called out, "ELSA!"

Elsa's eyes grew wide, and her mouth fell open as Ardra jumped off Sky's back rushing towards the Queen. "Ardra!" Elsa called back releasing the freezing Rapunzel and running to meet Ardra throwing her arms around Ardra's torso as the taller woman threw her arms around Elsa's shoulders. "I knew you'd get here eventually," Elsa grinned against Ardra's chest as the dragon rider buried her face into Elsa's hair.

"What's going on here," Ardra asked as they pulled back with some effort.

"Where's Cass," Rose added rushing up behind Ardra her eyes searching the room fearfully. Pyrepy held still against her chest.

"She-" Elsa began but was cut off by a short cry. They turned back to see Rapunzel and fallen onto her butt, her bare, slightly blue feet bare to them for the first time, all of them had forgotten about the Princess' refusal to wear shoes. They all rushed to her, Elsa covering her mouth to stifle a gasp. "Oh my goodness Rapunzel, why didn't you say anything."

Rapunzel shivered and smiled sheepishly, "There wasn't really anything we could do about it and, unn, I thought we'd be out of here before they got really bad."

"Come on," Ardra hoisted Rapunzel onto her back, the much smaller princess truly looked like a big child clinging to Ardra's back. "We'll get you out of here."

"Sorry, but you've cause quite enough breaches in my security," A voice spoke out, and as one the group turned to see the icy form of Cass moving towards them with even measure forceful steps.

"Cass!" Rose cried and started for Cass, but Elsa halted her, grabbed her wrist. Rose gave her friend as confused look, but Elsa was staring past her to Cass with suspicious eyes. It was only when she looked back did Rose truly take in Cass' new appearance and realize something was wrong.

Cass ignored Rose's cry her eyes fixed on Rapunzel, "I thought you would like some extra time free before I secured you as well Princess, I know better than anyone how much you value your freedom."

"Cass, what's wrong, what's happening are you doing this?" Rapunzel pushed herself up on Ardra's shoulders to look into her friend's milky eyes over Ardra's head. She was a little shaken not just by Cass' appearance but by what Cass had said, Cass had never called her princess like that.

"Of course, I've always been there to protect you, princess. You can rule my new kingdom Rapunzel stand above everyone else while I keep everyone safe. Your feet won't hurt, and I'll even let you be with Eugene again. I know he's no danger to you now." Cass' voice failed to be assured as she spoke out with all the dispassion of a snowstorm.

"Excuse me; this is my kingdom!" Elsa's voice rang out as he stepped forward Cass' eyes turning on her indifferently. "I have no idea what happened Cassandra, but you have no authority to usurp my throne and freeze my people. You will undo all this at one."

"I'm afraid you have no power to threaten me anymore, Elsa. You failed to protect your citizens, and so now it has my duty." Cass' words were curt and critical, but there was no anger in her voice. There was no emotion at all save for a slight tug at the corners of her lips when she added, "Don't worry, you'll be a subject of the kingdom soon as well."

"I think you'll find we have a good deal of power still Puss," Ardra put Rapunzel back down, the princess standing on shaky feet, and drew her sword, Sky arrow growling behind her.

Cass ignored the threat and continued to Elsa, "It's just a pity that Anna is unable to join us as well. Your former curse saw to that, I've had locked her in the kitchen until her time comes to an end naturally."

"Why you-" Elsa unarmed and without magic began storming towards Cass'

"Wait please," Rose ran between them her pleading eyes breaking Elsa's anger for a moment. Turning back to Cass Rose eyes pleaded with her words. "Cass I don't know what's going on, but please stop this."

Cass' eyes grew wide at the sight of Rose and unable to ignore her for an instant she recoiled a step. But before anything could be said Pyrepy growled and barked before spitting a ball of fire at the handmaiden. Cass dissipated the fireball with a wave of her hand, her eyes turning fiercely on the pair.

"Sky, stop her!" Ardra ordered, and the dragon rose up roaring fiercely, but that was all the dragon did as a ray of blue magic struck him in the chest, and his body froze over almost instantly in a layer of blue ice.

"Sky!" Ardra screamed a look of rage twisting her face as she looked from the frozen dragon to Cass who stood, hand stretched out. "You!"

Cass' hand dropped to point at Ardra and unleashed another black of blue magic. Ardra hesitated, but couldn't think fast enough in her state of mixed rage and fear. Suddenly, no one quite sure where the strength had come from, Rapunzel leaped in front of the blast. It struck her and almost instantly she was frozen solid as a blueish icy statue which dropped to the floor perfectly still and intact.

Ardra looked from the frozen princess' face set forever now in courageous determination to Cass who stared just as cold and unfeeling as before her hand still raised and ready to unleash another blast of magic, even if Ardra could dodge one eventually she would be struck. That didn't stop her from trying.

Ardra's frozen from hit the ground with just like her fellow princess' had, and Cass' eyes turned to Elsa who stood tall and defiant for a moment, but her eyes could keep from looking at Ardra, and she broke down with a sob.

"Don't worry, your true love will be with you soon," Cass said more magic gathering in her hand.

Elsa's eye grew wide as she stared up at Cass' for a moment before stopping and searching out Rose. "Rose its true love, true love's kiss can break the-" Elsa's voice cut off as she truly became an Ice Queen.

#tangled the series #frozen #rose #ardra #elsa #rapunzel #cassandra #elsdra #cassandrose #pyrepy #sky arrow

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jacewilliams1 · 5 years

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Whiteout in a Cub

Mid-December hung over the airfield in Hebron, Nebraska, like a cold, gray shroud. Rapid City, South Dakota, was 400 miles to the northwest, and I wanted to be there before sundown. Stacks of flying magazines had been read while downing a bottle of soda pop and several candy bars as I waited all morning in the small flight office for the weather to break. A glittering of snowflakes sporadically floated down from the dull overcast. An occasional orange glow hinted that the sun was trying to burn a hole in the drab sky but its efforts were defeated by the thick clouds.

My newly-acquired Piper Super Cub could cruise at just over 100 miles per hour. After liberating it from its life as a crop sprayer, I was taking it home to convert it into a backcountry flyer. If I could get off by one o’clock, I could make my first stop, Rapid City, before dark.

“A low, thousand-foot ceiling all the way with possible light snow,” the voice of the weatherman at the Flight Service Station predicted.

My plane had no instruments for flying in the clouds, and no radio for communication. Visual Flight Rules were the only option, and that didn’t look too promising.

A Cub isn’t exactly loaded for IFR flight.

The time of go or no-go was approaching rapidly. The low ceiling would not be a problem if it held. I had plenty of experience close to the ground. I could put the Cub down in a field or on a road if I had to, although the thought wasn’t too appealing given the freezing temperatures.

Scud-running – flying the thin layer of clear air between ground and a low, ragged overcast – that is what I would be doing. Young and foolish? Yes, but the decision was made.

I called the Flight Service Station back again to file a flight plan. My destination at Rapid City had a control tower. Since I had no radio, I asked the briefer to alert the tower to my estimated time of arrival of 5:00 pm. Normal procedure for non-radio airplanes was to circle outside the traffic pattern within sight of the airport until the tower operator beamed a green light from his light gun, indicating a clearance to land. I would get there at twilight and look for the signal.

With a full tank of gas and my aviation chart on my lap, I lifted off into the dreary sky and took up a heading to Rapid City. For the first hour, the long, boring expanse of brown and barren Nebraska cornfields crawled by under my wings on an endless conveyor, dotted occasionally with a farm house or small town. I had to wonder about the people who chose that lifestyle. What kept them in this mundane, flat, and frigid country with miles between neighbors?

The bare trees and occasional frozen ponds gave no hint that the wind was picking up from the west. Although the ride was smooth enough, the fields and country roads passed by more slowly. I took time measurements between waypoints and found my ground speed had decreased. I wasn’t traveling at the 110 mph that I anticipated. The developing headwind had reduced my progress to 80 mph. The afternoon light was already beginning to fade. Luckily, the overcast remained stable above me and only a few flakes of snow struck the windshield. Rapid City was still a long ways away as I flew on.

My watch read three o’clock when I reached the halfway mark on my chart. Light snow began to flash over my windshield. The fields below turned from brown to white. My ground speed remained slow as the headwind continued to restrict my forward motion, like swimming upstream against the current. The ceiling ahead was dropping. Ragged gray wisps hung low beneath the overcast. I was going to miss my ETA by at least an hour. The Super Cub droned on as my grip on the control stick grew tighter.

The sky slowly darkened and snow began falling heavier. Forward visibility was a blur of white streaks crashing headlong into the windshield at a hundred miles per hour. Looking straight down from the side windows, those same flakes fell gently to the ground to join a peaceful carpet of their relatives. How strange to be blinded looking forward, yet perfectly clear and serene looking down.

I held the compass course and followed the landmarks with my finger along the straight red line I had drawn between Hebron and Rapid City. Forty minutes to go, I estimated. The sky was now a dull gray as the light faded, but the snow added a strange iridescence as it reflected the remains of the day. The onslaught of angry flakes blocked all forward visibility. Down and behind were my only points of reference. I could see where I was, where I had been, but not where I was going.

Red and green wingtip navigation lights gave an almost festive glow to the white powder speeding past them, although I felt far from festive. This is getting serious. I had to find the Rapid City airport soon and needed some definite features on the ground to guide me. I let down to 500 feet to better see the ground that was disappearing in the time between day and night.

The only visibility was down.

There’s a highway. Is it the interstate? No, the angle is wrong. Wait. It’s a railroad track. Check the chart. Yes, that’s what it is – it’s the track that runs into Rapid City from the south. The airport is somewhere north, but there is no way to find it. I can barely see a quarter mile ahead. If I leave the railroad track I won’t know where I am. Stick with the track. Follow it into town – it eventually crosses the highway. Then I can follow the highway out to the airport.

Down to 300 feet. Snow came down hard as I watched the railroad tracks not far below my wheels guide me through the white curtain ahead. Slowly buildings appeared, sparse at first, but more and more as the town unfolded in the small circle of vision below. Soon there were the flat roofs of commercial buildings with parking lots. The tracks led on.

Two black ribbons, side by side, emerged from the dim haze and cut across the tracks. The highway. That’s gotta be the highway.

I banked hard right to keep my new guide from disappearing from view.

I scanned the chart on my lap. There was barely enough light to make out the details. My finger made an indent where the railroad tracks and highway converge and then followed the highway east. Six miles to go. About five minutes more. I hope they can see me when I get there.

Car lights made the highway easier to follow than the tracks. I checked my watch every 30 seconds to make sure I had an accurate idea of where I was. But the light is almost gone and white all around, how will I see the airport?

The minutes ticked away as the highway seemed to be moving rather than the plane. The Cub felt motionless as though dangling in a white sky as the earth rotated below.

What’s that? A flashing beacon. Could it be the tower? The time is right. The dark white wall of falling snow reluctantly revealed a small flash of light every few seconds as the strong blinking beam penetrated the shroud.

I hope they can see me. Stay over the highway and I will be out of the traffic pattern, although I doubt anyone is landing in this stuff. I banked to the left and began circling, watching for the green beam that meant I had permission to land over there somewhere hidden from sight.

Wait, that beacon is wrong. It’s just flashing white. It should be alternating green and white.

I edged closer to the source until it came into view.

A water tower. It’s a water tower. Where’s the airport?

I rolled out, picked up the highway, and headed east once again.

What’s that ahead? It looks like lightning flashing through the clouds. No. They’re regular flashes. They’re the strobe lights of the airport lighting system! They must have turned them on for me. They knew I was coming.

A guiding light.

Although I couldn’t see the airport or the runway, the glowing flashes of white drew me toward them. I knew they were located at the end of the runway and all I had to do was fly parallel to them to enter the pattern. Then I would extend beyond them and swing around, base to final approach, and the lights would guide me in. Once lined up, the three sets of bright lights at the end of the runway would tell me if I was too high, too low, or just right.

Snow was now falling from the sky in big flakes, obscuring everything around. The ground below was difficult to see but I had those lights – those wonderful lights. I flew the pattern and turned to the final approach, guided by luminary angels beckoning me to safety.

Stress flowed out of my hands and my grip on the controls loosened as I glided down the path to a smooth three-point landing and rolled to a slow taxi. The runway was long and wide, made for airliners. The Cub could have landed in the length of the large painted numbers barely visible on the end of the runway. In the distance I could see the glow of the terminal building, the beacon flashing green and white atop the tower, and the fixed base operation’s sign. I turned off at the first runway exit and taxied in their direction. The runway and taxiways were white with powder as clouds of the cold stuff trailed behind the Cub. I made my way to the tiedown area, pulled into one of the open spots and shut down the engine. Time to sit quietly, wings gently rocking in the wind, and let my nerves drain.

Reaching forward, I patted the top of the Cub’s instrument panel.“Well done – well done,” I whispered. A sense of pride spread over me. Sure, it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I did it and I survived.

I opened the door just as the FBO attendant, wrapped in a parka and shielding his face from the blowing snow walked up.

“Were did you come from?” he said in an excited voice.

“Hebron,” I answered casually.

“No, I mean just now.”

“Hebron. I just landed.”

“No kidding! You landed in this stuff?”

He helped me tie down the Cub for the night and invited me into the flight office for a cup of hot chocolate.

“I better call the tower,” I said, brushing the snow from my shoulders. “Can I use the phone?”

“No problem.” He swung the desk phone around and pushed it toward me. “The number’s there on the bulletin board.”

“Hello, this is Piper November 85 zulu. I called ahead for a no-radio landing clearance, and I want to close my flight plan.”

“Yes, we have your flight plan. You want to cancel it?”

“Yes, close it, I just landed.”

The voice on the other end sounded surprised. “You what? You landed here? When?”

“Yeah, a few minutes ago. Thanks for turning on the lights for me. It would have been tough to find you without them.”

“No kidding. You just landed? We never even saw you. Those lights were for a Frontier flight that decided to divert to Billings because of the weather. The airport is closed.”

“Really?” Uh, oh. I landed without permission and on a closed airport. “I thought I had been cleared in. Am I in trouble?”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, but I could hear a muffled conversation going on. A few seconds later the tower operator came back on the line. “No. We’ll let this one go. We’re just glad you made it down safe.”

I thanked him for his thoughtfulness, picked up my flight bag and turned to the FBO operator, “So, how do I get to a hotel?”

Editor’s Note: This article is from our series called “I Can’t Believe I Did That,” where pilots ‘fess up about mistakes they’ve made but lived to tell about. If you have a story to tell, email us at: [email protected]

The post Whiteout in a Cub appeared first on Air Facts Journal.

from Engineering Blog https://airfactsjournal.com/2019/05/whiteout-in-a-cub/

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constructionaccounting · 6 years

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0279: Construction Contractors Need A Nudge To Change

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0279, And It Will Be About Construction Contractors Need A Nudge To Change

Construction Contractors know lots about the work they do. As an expert in their fields from finish carpentry, tile setter, masonry, roofer or landscaper the finished product looks beautiful. When a skilled craftsman does the work, it looks effortless. Others think I could have done that.

Most of the time we are so busy looking for the finished product that we are unappreciative of all the work that happens behind the walls, floor, and ceilings. It is magic when we turn on the light switch, run the dishwasher, start a load of laundry and take a shower or turn the thermostat up or down. Air Conditioning is awesome on a hot day. For us; in the Seattle area, “Hot” is only slightly warm to Phoenix, Arizona or many parts of California. Seattle gets much Rain and once in awhile snow (like over my house) it may be raining everywhere else, but if there is snow in the forecast, I will see snow for a little while. It may not stick but is usually what you want to see on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. As May is over; I am thinking of a couple of remarkable years. One year it rained almost every day; usually, late afternoon, early evening and was nice during the day. Another year we had hot, sunny days. It was air conditioner weather (for Seattle that is 80 Degrees) all ten days of it. Then it’s gone. Rest of the summer is warm if we are lucky and chilly, gloomy and gray when we are not. We keep thinking those few sunny days in May could not have been our entire summer. However, that year – It was. Many people say I will start something new Next Year; there is always the Next Year. There is always, today, tomorrow, this week, next week, this month, next month and finally next year. Question is what are you waiting for?

Are you starting something or ending something?

Reminder stating an S-Corp can be done at any time.

I hear this a lot. I am thinking about this. Thinking and planning is always a good thing. There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between planning forever and stepping out and doing something. Commencing To Begin! Well known phase is “You Can Fix Something” (author unknown) I like chatting with contractors like you and learning about your business. One of the things I learned is that many people who are an “artist at their craft” are not usually as good about the paperwork. That is okay. There is a Difference Between Reasons and Results. The government likes results (numbers, reports) One of the reasons is that there is an illusion that “I am fantastic at “this” so anybody can do “that.” It can’t be that hard; forgetting all of the time, the effort it took to be the master craftsman at what they do. Another reason is the illusion of time. Bookkeeping should not take very long. I will get to it tomorrow. As weeks and months go by. Tomorrow never comes, and the paperwork piles up from Yesterday and Today. Tomorrow becomes today, and you still do not have enough time; soon it will be Yesterday. Choosing software based on its ability to sync with an app does not always have the desired results. Garbage in still equals garbage out no matter how many apps you tell to “Just Do It.” It is unrealistic to expect Software and an App to understand your business and give you proper reports. If you don’t know what you are doing “How do you expect to be able to tell the software what to do?” Choosing Somebody, anybody to do your bookkeeping can have a negative impact on your Budget. Numerous Tax Accountants try to do the bookkeeping and get lost. My suggestion is to choose someone who specializes in Construction Accounting. I have had prospects tell me that their Neighborhood High School Student, their Nanny, their friend, on a few occasions a condition of being girlfriend was that that person had to do the bookkeeping. Rinse and Repeat Model! Recommend that spouses always be involved in the business.

Your spouse is your partner. Who better to help watch the money.

As a small contractor, the money goes fast enough without any outside help.

Ownership (even a small percentage) means that your spouse has check-writing authority with the bank.

You are busy but what if something happened to you?

Ownership also allows your spouse to talk to Government Agencies, make payment plans as needed. Without that; each of the agencies could in effect “Pat your spouse on the head like a little kid” and say we don’t have to talk to your spouse because his | her name is not on any of the paperwork (HA, HA) In my opinion, some of them are quite gleeful about it. Remember, they can’t see the crisis from their house. The ability to move money, write a check does not impact their lives in any negative way. We are here to help. Promote owners and spouses have a basic understanding of their numbers.

If you are feeling confident in your choice of “Who Does Your Bookkeeping” Fantastic.

We have Customized products to assist on www.FastEasyAccountingStore.com

We are continually improving our processes and workflows. Sometimes we choose software that “Looks Good” but in reality does not always work as well as we like. The software may be too hard for Staff or Clients to use. Other times we find that the software after a few updates works wonderfully and we embrace using it. If it does not work, we look for other options. What 3rd Party software do you use?

Our Outsourced Accounting Clients are excited whenever we find a product that works for everyone. Clients have embraced Document Management Systems because it frees up their time and limits the number of documents that need to be scanned into our paperless server. We love Paper because we can convert it to paperless and store it electronically.

We added our Fast Easy Accounting Contractors App because clients wanted more ways to be able to link to software using their phones.It is a Free App. So of the programs require a subscription to access. Sign up and use the Free portions.

This allows for links used on the desktop to be available in a mobile environment.

Read our Blogs. We welcome Guest Posts because everyone benefits from the ideas of others.

Thinking Happy Thoughts For Everyone.

Sharie

Helping Contractors around the world is one of the reasons we added the FastEasyAccountingStore.com Follow our blogs, listen to Contractor Success M.A.P. Podcast. We Appreciate Our Visitors, Listeners, and Subscribers. – Thank You!!

Please feel free to download all the Free Forms and Resources that you find useful for your business. We are here to Help “A Little or A Lot” depending on your needs.

In Conclusion:

Please feel free to download all the Free Forms and Resources that you find useful for your business.

Download The Contractors APP Now!

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Simply scan the QR code below or search for ‘MyAccountants’ in the App Store and enter the Access code: FEAHEROS to utilize the powerful App features and capabilities, and benefit from having our Construction Accounting App at your fingertips, 24/7.

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Sharie DeHart, QPA is the co-founder of Business Consulting And Accounting in Lynnwood Washington. She is the leading expert in managing outsourced construction bookkeeping and accounting services companies and cash management accounting for small construction companies across the USA. She encourages Contractors and Construction Company Owners to stay current on their tax obligations and offers insights on how to manage the remaining cash flow to operate and grow their construction company sales and profits so they can put more money in the bank. http://www.fasteasyaccounting.com/sharie-dehart/ 206-361-3950 or [email protected]

I trust this podcast helps you understand that outsourcing your contractor's bookkeeping services to us is about more than just “doing the bookkeeping”; it is about taking a holistic approach to your entire construction company and helping support you as a contractor and as a person.

We Remove Contractor's Unique Paperwork Frustrations

We understand the good, bad and the ugly about owning and operating construction companies because we have had several of them and we sincerely care about you and your construction company!

That is all I have for now, and if you have listened to this far please do me the honor of commenting and rating the Podcast www.FastEasyAccounting.com/podcast Tell me what you liked, did not like, tell it as you see it because your feedback is crucial and I thank you in advance.

You Deserve To Be Wealthy Because You Bring Value To Other People's Lives!

I trust this will be of value to you and your feedback is always welcome at www.FastEasyAccounting.com/podcast

This Is One more example of how Fast Easy Accounting is helping construction company owners across the USA including Alaska and Hawaii put more money in the bank to operate and grow your construction company. Construction accounting is not rocket science; it is a lot harder than that, and a lot more valuable to construction contractors like you so stop missing out and call Sharie 206-361-3950 or email [email protected]

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This guide will help you learn what to look for in outsourced construction accounting.

Need Help Now?

Call Sharie 206-361-3950

[email protected]

Thank you very much, and I hope you understand we do care about you and all contractors regardless of whether or not you ever hire our services. Bye for now until our next episode here on the Contractors Success MAP Podcast.

Enjoy your day. Sharie

About The Author:

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We Serve Over 100 Types Of Contractors So If Your Type Of Company Is Not Listed

Please Do Not Be Concerned Because If You Are A Contractor

There Is A Good Chance We Can Help You!

Call Now: 206-361-3950

Additional QuickBooks Templates, Resources, And Services

QuickBooks Set Up Templates Solopreneur

QuickBooks Chart Of Accounts Free Stuff

QuickBooks Item Lists Templates Consulting

We Serve Over 100 Types Of Contractors So If Your Type Of Company Is Not Listed

Please Do Not Be Concerned Because If You Are A Contractor

There Is A Good Chance We Can Help You!

Call Now: 206-361-3950

If you are a blogger, who writes about construction we would like to hear from you.

https://www.fasteasyaccounting.com/guestblogger

Contractors_Success_MAP, Contractors_Success_Marketing_Accounting_Production, Contractor_Bookkeeping_Services, QuickBooks_For_Contractors, QuickBooks_For_Contractors,Contractors_Success_Map_Construction_Contractors_Need_A_Nudge_To_Change

Check out this episode about Contractors Marketing - Accounting - Production (M.A.P.)!

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infinitehouseofbooks · 8 years

Text

BLOG TOUR - Blood Ice and Oak Moon

DISCLAIMER: This content has been provided to INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS by Bewitching Book Tours. No compensation was received. This information required by the Federal Trade Commission.

Tea Leaf Tales: Which Yule Tree Will Pick Me?

Fantasy Flash Fiction by Marsha A. Moore

I suck in a gulp of thick, pine-scented air, faced with the difficult question—which one. I tick through the usual criteria—fullness, tightly attached needles, correct height. Beyond that the trouble begins for me when I consider needle length, color, tightness of branches.

Needles crunch under the soles of my shoes as I slowly pass down the row, hoping one tree chooses me. Those I don’t give a full inspection slyly begin to stretch their postures more erect before I turn completely away. If I pause to admire one, branches brush past the backs of my legs until I turn around and give that tree a careful look.

Ahead in the center of the display, I hear voices in foreign languages—hurried bits of anxious dialog that quiet as I grow near.

One small blue spruce tries his best to stretch taller but cannot reach up to his neighbors, so I lean in and whisper, “If you talk to me, I’ll take you home.”

I wait, determined, and the nearby treetops bend over the tiny spruce until finally a gentle tinkling begins deep inside at its trunk, radiating to the tips of the boughs at my side. I caress the singing branch, then wave an arm to the shop owner.

Tea Leaf Tales is a series of original ten-sentence short stories by Marsha A. Moore, relating to photos/scenes that resonate with her. Read more Tea Leaf Tales archived in Marsha’s Mercantile of Tea Leaf Tales.

Blood Ice and Oak Moon

Coon Hollow Coven Tales

Book Three

Marsha A Moore

Print Length: 211 pages

Publication Date: October 3, 2016

ASIN: B01LWS4V2G

Genre: PNR

Book Description:

Esme Underhill is about to discover a darkness hidden inside her that could destroy her chance for independence and possibly kill her.

Esme’s mother took her young daughter away from Southern Indiana’s Coon Hollow Coven to prevent her from learning about the unusual witchcraft she had inherited. When Esme is twenty-seven, her beloved Grammy Flora passes away and leaves her property in the Hollow to her granddaughter. With this opportunity to remake her life and gain independence, Esme attempts to emulate Grammy Flora as a wildwood mystic who relies on the hedge world of faeries to locate healing herbs. But fae are shrewd traders. When they open their world to her, she must meet the unknown malevolence of her birthright.

Thayne, the handsome king of the fae Winter Court, faces his own struggle to establish autonomy as a new regent. He is swept into the tempest of Esme’s unfolding powers, a dangerous threat to his court. His sworn duty is to protect his people, despite Esme’s beauty and allure, which tear at his resolve.

Both Esme’s and Thayne’s dreams of personal freedom are lost…unless they can trust each other and overcome surmounting dangers.

Amazon

Excerpt from Chapter One: Winter Began

Dear Miss Rebecca Esmeralda Underhill,

Please accept our deepest sympathies concerning the loss of your grandmother, Flora Esmeralda Freestone. She was much loved and well-respected in our community.

As per her documented wishes, the ownership of her property on 10510 East Lost Branch Run passes to you. This transfer has been filed in our office. At the request of High Priest Logan Dennehy, all council members have voted to reinstate you as a member of Coon Hollow Coven after your absence of twenty years.

However, despite Coon Hollow Coven being your birthplace, a majority indicated the lapsed time was sufficient cause to withhold transfer of Ms. Freestone’s ceremonial standing to you, which customarily would accompany a property transference to blood kin of adult age. For explanation of how you may attain ceremonial approval in your name, please visit the council office at 50013 Owls Tail Creek Road.

Enclosed, please find pamphlets describing the expected dress and personal property code of our coven, which adheres to the time period in which the coven was founded in 1935. This is to best protect our witchcraft traditions.

Sincerely,

Nathan Wells

Coon Hollow Coven Council, secretary

Esme’s gaze fixed on the words that acknowledged her as the property owner. She’d never lived alone. First her mom, then a roommate and finally Doug. Esme’s shoulders straightened and chest lifted with strength and independence at the thought of owning her own place. But, why wasn’t she approved for ceremonial status? Her hands gripped the edge of the table, knuckles whitening, and her heart raced. It’s not fair. I won’t be accepted as a healer. Only children not yet graduated from the coven’s secondary school were kept from participating fully in ceremonies. Esme loved learning the ways of a hedge witch and helped Gram every summer from grade school through college. Fascinated with tending Gram’s plants, Esme even studied botany in college.

The research company she worked for had already accepted her request to work offsite and study mystic plants…at the stipulation she be reduced to part-time. She needed work here as a healer to supplement her income. She’d assumed incorrectly that her experience with Gram and college studies would’ve qualified her as an accepted healer. Her standing in the coven would be important to patrons, all except Gram’s closest friends who knew Esme well. An attempt at independence seemed bound to fail before she started.

Her gaze drifted to the name used in the letter’s greeting. She hadn’t seen her full name in print for decades. It didn’t even appear on her birth certificate, which labeled her as Rebecca E. Underhill, one of the many things her mother insisted upon. Mother wanted nothing to do with the coven or witchcraft and said, “Esmeralda sounds too much like a witch. No need to encourage the darkness out.” Grudgingly, she accepted her own mother’s middle name for her child to uphold custom. Esme never understood Mother’s view since Gram was well-respected for her kind and gentle strength by all who knew her.

To Esme’s Indianapolis friends, she was Becky. Only her mother addressed her as Rebecca. But inside, she was Esme. Gram had always called her that, or Esmeray in carefree moments. Her middle name suited the mystic inside Esme, something Gram must have known. If only Esme could use Gram’s last name Freestone. Underhill felt like a lead weight.

Esme set the letter aside and paced the length of the rag runner through the small kitchen. Frustration wound her along a circular track through the sitting room, to her closet-sized guest room, and back. The space was too small to work answers out of her tangled mind. On the second pass, she sank onto the goose down comforter of Gram’s iron bed. Billowing fluff sheltered her from the problems. Gram’s linens, scented with homegrown lavender and rose sleep liniment, comforted Esme and tugged on her eyelids.

She forced her eyes open and pushed herself up and off the bed. Hiding wasn’t the way to begin this fresh start in life. She’d done enough kowtowing to stronger wills, letting Doug and her mother run over her. At the back door, she paused long enough to grab a rain parka and pulled it on as she strode outside.

Gram’s cat, Dove, zipped alongside with a sharp meow, slipping out before the door closed. Esme smiled, grateful the tomcat kept Gram company during her illness. She’ doted on the smoky blue stray that happened into her garden one early fall afternoon and never left. Gram swore he was an omen and chose his name ‘cause of his white-winged breast patch. She used to say, “One day soon my spirit will fly on those outspread wings, and together Dove and me we’ll roam the wooded hills.” Gram loved those hills. Thinking about the hills drew Esme to gather Dove and head outside.

Ice still peppered down, adding more layers to the spiky crystalline grass blades. A breeze blew at Esme’s back. She allowed the wind to guide her toward the woods behind the cabin. At the trailhead, ice coating the bittersweet vine berries glistened the same shade of blue she’d rubbed from Dove’s coat. Alert to the strange color, she followed a line of branches dangling sky blue icicles, each one more fanciful and richer in hue than the last. A beautiful play of light, ranging from cerulean to ultramarine. Even worth the chill at her ankles, which were bare in her cropped jeans.

Whenever Esme paused to marvel at the colored icicles, Dove pawed them and then dodged when they dropped.

Minutes later and deeper in the forest, the ice pelted heavier, and Esme reached for the hood of her raincoat. Strands of hair fell forward, woven with frozen ultramarine threads. The same purplish tint coated twigs along the path. Light from the sky reached this far into the woods since all but the oak trees had lost their leaves. The unusual color couldn’t be caused by light refraction. She’d never seen any rain, sleet, or snow like this, not even in the Hollow. Grammy had taught her a little about omens. Was this a sign?

Esme scurried along the trail, sliding at times and spotting richer and deeper shades of purple and red-violets. At the far side of the woodlot, iris-hued spider webs clung to berry brambles. She gasped at the beauty. Tempted to touch, she extended a hand but at the last instant resisted.

A deep groan echoed from the adjoining property ahead.

She snatched her hand back and scanned for some god of nature angry at her ruinous attempt. Grappling for Dove, Esme crouched behind a thicket.

The cat gave a single hiss, then clung to her leg.

In the distance, a big middle-aged man, both tall and wide, staggered behind a shed, dragging a long, clumsy load wrapped and tied into a blanket. His balding head snapped in her direction, eyes wide and face blanched gray-white. “Who’s there?” His booming voice sliced the delicate webs from their branches. Crimson freezing rain assaulted both trail and yard.

Esme froze, afraid to move and attract his attention. Her heart, drumming against her ribs, threatened to give her away. She wanted to run home. But if the colored ice omen was meant for her, she needed to stay and learn its meaning. Could the man see the omen?

Thankfully, her cover must’ve fooled Baldy. He resumed lugging the limp bundle, and didn’t seem affected by the magical ice.

From between the tangle of branches, Esme studied him.

His wet, black shirt clung to his round belly. Blood-red ice coated his load, tracing the outline of a human body. Smaller than his, probably a female. Was she dead? Of natural causes? Or had he murdered her? The thought wrapped around Esme’s breath and trapped it deep in her lungs. Her legs twitched. Gaze riveted on Baldy, she positioned to bolt from potential danger.

He rolled the body into a depression Esme couldn’t see.

She leaned to one side, bracing herself with a hand on the ground.

Over what looked like a freshly dug grave, Baldy grunted as he shoveled and kicked dirt and large rocks. Clumps of red clung to long strands of his comb-over, now hanging along one ear. Was it ice or real blood?

Dove huddled closer, and Gram’s voice from years ago spoke in Esme’s mind. “Blood ice is stained with revenge.”

Crimson liquid dripped from the man’s eyes and fell from grimacing jowls. The face of a demon

About the Author:

Marsha A. Moore loves to write fantasy and paranormal romance. Much of her life feeds the creative flow she uses to weave highly imaginative tales.

The magic of art and nature spark life into her writing, as well as other pursuits of watercolor painting and drawing. She’s been a yoga enthusiast for over a decade and is a registered yoga teacher. Her practice helps weave the mystical into her writing. After a move from Toledo to Tampa in 2008, she’s happily transformed into a Floridian, in love with the outdoors where she’s always on the lookout for portals to other worlds. Marsha is crazy about cycling. She lives with her husband on a large saltwater lagoon, where taking her kayak out is a real treat. She never has enough days spent at the beach, usually scribbling away at stories with toes wiggling in the sand. Every day at the beach is magical!

Mailing list: http://bit.ly/MarshaAMooreList

Website: http://MarshaAMoore.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marshaamooreauthorpage

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MarshaAMoore

Google +: http://google.com/+MarshaAMoore

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/marshaamoore/

Amazon author page: www.amazon.com/author/marshaamoore

Goodreads author page http://www.goodreads.com/marshaamoore

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aveyondwinterexchange · 7 years

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My fanfic for callmedan from the Aveyond Kingdom forum!

Happy new year callmedan! I heard you thought Uma and Nox were adorable, so I tried to run with that idea in my fic. I hope you enjoy. Also, props to anyone who catches the Star Wars reference that somehow ended up in my Aveyond story...yeah, I really don’t know how that happened.

Summary: While their mother and father are away, little Uma and Nox get up to some Mischief™ ft. Yemite.

Outside their mother’s bedroom, two twin girls peered through the crack of an open door. One had hair as black as the sky of the Demon Realm and a troublemaking spirit to match. The other had a complexion befitting an angel, complete with a halo of cloudy white hair. Both had luminous blue eyes sparkling with all the mischief and intelligence of their mother, who happened to be the current subject of the twins’ attention.

“Uma, move your fat head, I can't see!” Nox, the dark-haired twin, grumbled as she shoved her sister out of the way to get a better view.

“Shh! Do you want Mother to hear us?” Uma wrestled with Nox until they finally settled on the uncomfortable position of Nox crouching on Uma’s shoulders, both of their heads peeking into the room.

"Lars and I are traveling to Shaelnir to visit his ill mother, but it’s too dangerous to take the girls. The northern kingdom is harsh any time of year, but it's even worse now that it's winter,” Mel explained. “We’ll only be gone a week at most. Promise me you won't let them get into trouble this time.”

“Who’s Mother talking to?” Uma whispered.

“I don't know,” Nox replied. “She's standing in front of the door, I can't see.”

“I won't let you down, Mistress! I promise!” answered a cheerful voice that causes both girls to break out in grins.

“It's Auntie Yemite!” a surprised Nox exclaimed, slipping off Uma’s shoulders. They both tumbled into the room and landed in a jumble of black and white at their mother’s feet.

“Girls! What are you doing?” Mel glared at her daughters with the obligatory annoyance of a scornful mother, although her smile betrayed her amusement at their antics.

Nox grinned guiltily from the floor. “Nothing, Mother.” Uma hastily fixed the disheveled bow that Nox pulled off. “We were just, um, about to knock.”

Before their mother could reprimand the girls, their “aunt” rushed forward and scooped them into her arms. They had admittedly grown too big for the average person to be casually lifting them, but Yemite’s arms were still strong from her days of battle beside Mel. “Uma, Nox! How are my favorite children of darkness...er, I mean nieces?”

Mel eyes the three of them suspiciously. Yes, she knew perfectly well that leaving the three of them alone was a possible - no, probable - recipe for disaster. But what choice did she have? Edward and Stella were too busy ruling their kingdom in Thais to babysit. Ulf would’ve been an ideal choice, but he lived on another continent. And she certainly wasn’t about to ask Te’ijal and Galahad. But still …

“Maybe this isn't such a good idea.”

“No!” Uma and Nox protested in unison. They each grabbed one of Yemite’s horns, while Yemite protectively tightened her arms around them.

“Let them stay, Mistress, it's only for a few days. I'll take care of them, I promise.”

“Yeah, let us stay with Yemite!”

“We’ll be good. Please?”

Mel knew when she was fighting a losing battle. Saving the world was no problem, but winning an argument against both of her daughters was an impossible task. With a long suffering sigh, she accepted defeat. “Fine, you can stay. But you're to be in bed by nightfall; no going into the weapons chest in the basement, and absolutely NO chocolate covered eyeballs for them, Yemite.”

Nox gasped. “But Auntie Yemite makes the best chocolate eyeballs!”

“I said none! Or you'll have me and your father to deal with.” As petulant as they were, even the twins recognized that Mel Darkthrop and Lars Tenobor VIII are a force to be reckoned with.

“Fine,” Nox grumbled, privately resolving to settle for caramel lizard tails instead.

“Be safe, okay? Father and I will be back soon.” Mel kissed each of her daughters on the cheek and playfully mussed their hair. “I love you both.” Mel donned her traveling cloak as she exited the room, sending Yemite one last meaningful glance.

“Well,” Yemite said with a grin as soon as Mel and Lars had left the premises, “Who wants chocolate covered eyeballs?”

“Auntie Yemite, we’re bored,” a disgruntled Nox whined as she tugged on Yemite’s tail. It had been three days, and she couldn’t stand to be cooped up in this house for one more hour. Even Uma, by far the more laid-back of the two, had begun to thrum with restless energy.

Yemite, as much as she’d like to oblige the little ones and have a little fun, was trying in earnest to be a responsible babysitter. Aside from the “forbidden” darkling delicacies and that one accident with the fire in the kitchen, she thought she'd done a fair job of it. Mel trusted her with the task of caring for her daughters, and Yemite didn’t want to let her Mistress down. But she had been quashing her own boredom for the past few days. Surely little excursion wouldn't hurt.

“How would you like to go to a party?” Yemite asked. Uma and Nox nodded fervently.

“That would be so much fun!” Uma gasped, and ran upstairs to get changed. Mel didn't host parties very often, as she found them tiring and boring. But Uma loved the enchantment of it all; she couldn't wait to dig up the party dress that had been collecting dust in her closet since last year. Nox was less excited to get dressed up, but she nevertheless enjoyed the excitement of the few parties she’d been to.

A few moments later, the twins emerged from their rooms in their partygoing outfits. Uma was a miniature snow princess in her white dress trimmed in sky blue. By contrast, Nox wore a knee-length black dress that looked more like an oversized shirt than anything. Still, Yemite fawned over both of them. “You look so adorable!” she squealed. “If only Mistress could see you. Oh, my friends don't usually like humans, but how could they not love you two?”

The twins gave each other quizzical looks. “Yemite, where exactly is this party?” Nox questioned.

Yemite’s only reply was an enigmatic “You’ll see”.

“Welcome to Underfall,” Yemite announced as she, Uma, and Nox stepped out of the mirror express.

Uma and Nox gaped at the exotic sight of the dark city. A sprinkling of white dusted the walkways and surrounding fields. On some of the buildings hung green garlands adorned with multicolored translucent baubles. Slate gray clouds hung above and below them, heavy with the promise of more snow.

“We darklings and other demonfolk have a tradition of celebrating the winter solstice with a week of celebration,” Yemite explained as they walked to their destination. “There are decorations, and feasts, and parties that can last until sunrise. And on the last day of festivities, friends and family give exchange gifts to give each other joy through the cold and dark winter.”

Darklings certainly are strange. But it would be nice to celebrate a holiday like that, Uma mused. She trailed behind Yemite slightly, scanning the area for something she could turn into a gift for Aunt Yemite.

I wish we had a holiday like that, I would so love to get free stuff in the wintertime, thought Nox, in total contrast to her sister’s thinking.

“We’re here,” Yemite announced in a singsong voice. They had arrived at a building called Darkling Hall, as indicated by the moss-covered sign. “They’re with me,” she added when the zombie guarding the door gave them a funny look. He stepped aside and the trio entered.

They were immediately greeted by a wall of overwhelming sights and sounds. A quartet played in the center of the hall, the music just a bit too gurgly to be coming from human instruments. Multicolored light bathed the room, emanating from a blob on the ceiling that looked suspiciously like it had eyes. “Yo, Yemite!” shouted a stout blue darkling, who rushed forth out of the crowd and embraced his friend. “Rotwart! It's been years! I haven't seen you since the slug-eating contest for who would get to be the chosen one’s servant.” Rotwart handed Yemite a glass of some slimy drink and they disappeared into the din to reminisce about the good ol’ days, leaving Uma and Nox unattended.

“Well, where do we go now?” asked Nox.

“I was thinking we could get gifts for Auntie Yemite and Mother. She did say presents were part of the tradition.”

“Yeah, a darkling tradition. And why should we, when she didn't get us gifts?”

Uma huffed at her sister’s selfishness. “Nox, do you only ever think of yourself? Besides, Yemite said the gifts were given on the last day of celebration. She’s probably waiting to give us our gifts.”

Nox considered for a moment. It could be fun to look around for a gift. “Okay,” she conceded, “But we should each only look for one present. One for Auntie Yemite, one for Mother; each from both of us.”

Uma smiled, alight with the energy the two of them shared when they were on a mission. “I'll go outside to find a present for Mother.”

“And I'll stay in here and get something for Yemite.”

“Meet back here in twenty minutes?”

“You got it, sis.”

Nox ventured into the crowd of monsters, careful to avoid anything with tentacles or large feet. She wandered around the edge of the room, scouting for anything that Yemite would like. Unfortunately, the only remotely giftable objects were dust bunnies.

She came to a stairwell that appeared to lead into a basement. Feeling adventurous, she crept down. A trio of monsters sat around a table playing a game of cards.

“I raise you 500 gold pennies,” said a small green demon.

“I’m out,” huffed a hooded figure.

“Are you kidding me? You know I can't cover that!” shouted a brutish orc as he slammed his drink on the table in anger.

The green guy shrugged. “That stone in your pocket is worth 500.”

The orc pulled out the stone and held it in defensively in his hand. The air around it shimmered with intangible dark energy. Somehow, Nox intuitively sensed that it was cursed. This was perfect - Yemite loved curses! She didn't understand how, but apparently they were delicious to darklings. “I ain't betting this!” The orc demonstratively slammed his fist again, shoving the stone back in his pocket. This orc sure was quick to anger. Wheels began to turn in Nox’s head, and a wicked smile spread across her face as she formulated a wonderfully awful idea.

She meandered into the room. “Excuse me, gentleman. Sorry to interrupt your game, but I’m looking for a suspect - green, a little bit slimy, about yea tall,” Nox gestured a few inches above her head. “Wanted for accounts of thievery, and uh, cheating at cards.”

The orc glared daggers at the demon across from him. “Eh Greedo, that sounds like you. And ya know something? I always knew you were a cheater.”

“It ain't me, I swear it!” the monster apparently called Greedo protested.

“Hey kid, aren't you a little young to be playing detective?” The hooded figure raised a spindly finger at her.

“For your information, I'm actually, er, a gnome. We retain our youthful faces even at hundred of years of age.” Nox didn't know if that was true, but she figured these dumb brutes would believe it. “And yes, Greedo. That was his name. I’ll be back with my friends, and they won't let you get away this time!”

“You'll never catch me alive, kid!” Greedo made a mad dash for the exit, but the orc caught him by the collar of his jacket.

“Trying to cheat me out of my money?! You're not going anywhere, punk, until I introduce you to my fist!” he bellowed. Nox wrinkled her nose in disgust at the visible spray of spit.

While Greedo pleaded for mercy, Nox nonchalantly strolled past and lifted the stone from his pocket. The orc was too absorbed in making violent threats to notice. Nox emerged from the basement, smugly tossing the cursed stone up in the air and catching it. Her pickpocketing skills were truly a thing to be admired. She was, after all, her mother’s daughter.

Meanwhile, Uma skipped out the door into the crisp winter air. The hulking zombie was still looming in front of the entrance, but he didn't notice Uma as she crawled away, blending in with the snow. Now, where would she find a present for Mel? She wandered up and down the streets, but they were empty of everything except snow. Maybe she could get a flower from the fields, but that was so far away, she’d never make it back in time.

Suddenly, Uma’s thoughts were interrupted by the clamor of a couple on the midst of a heated argument. They emerged from the mirror express in the center of town and immediately started walking in her direction. The woman, a pale redhead in a slinky dress, was pulling her companion along, who seemed intent on refusing to move.

“Come on, husband, it's only a party. You need to go out more - the only time you leave the house is when you're trying to escape.”

“I will not socialize with creatures of the night!”

“Galahad, you're being ridiculous! I already promised them I’d bring a bottle of blood, it would be rude not to-”

Wait… Galahad? Uma recognized these two, although it'd been years since she'd seen them. “Te’ijal!”

The couple paused their bickering at the sight of Uma waving. Te’ijal ran toward her, and even the typically stoic Galahad’s face lit up upon seeing one of his best friend’s daughters.

“How’s Mel’s little crumpet? The last time I saw you, you were no bigger than a dragon’s egg!”

“Uma, what are you doing here?” Galahad asked. Leave it to him to ask the rational questions.

“Mother and Father are away, so Auntie Yemite brought us here for the celebration. But guys, I have a big problem. I need to find a gift for Mother, but I don't know what to get.” Uma looked up at them with wide, helpless eyes she knew grown-ups were unable to resist.

“That's quite the dilemma, young one.” Te’ijal surveyed the area, her catlike eyes eventually landing on a perfect gift. “Over there, in the greenery on the edge of that building, you see those orbs? I think your mother would appreciate one of those. Mel has … a thing for orbs.” The vampress giggled at how fitting the present really was.

Galahad reached to retrieve one for her. “What color?”

“Ooh, get the dark blue one! It’s the exact same shade as Mother’s eyes.”

The precious trinket was placed in Uma’s hands. She’d found a gift after all! Now all she had to do was meet up with Nox. She accompanied the two vampires back to the party, idly wondering what her sister had found for Yemite.

The party lasted until sundown. They danced to the strange darkling music, which Nox found thrilling and Uma, in spite of herself, eventually got around to enjoying. Te’ijal’s bottle of blood was a big hit, and she even let Uma and Nox try some, although they didn't find the taste very pleasant. When it was time for singing, Yemite and Te’ijal sang an old Underworld folk song together, and even Galahad couldn't resist a laugh.

As soon as they got home, all three of them collapsed in a heap back on their sofa. Their eyes were already drooping with the thorough exhaustion of a day of festivities.

“Auntie Yemite, can we just sleep here?” mumbled Nox.

“I suppose it won't hurt.” In truth, Yemite didn't want to get up herself. She used her tail to snag the blanket that was draped over the side and spread it over them. Curling her legs up onto the couch, she lazily wrapped a wing around each of the girls as they drifted off into the Dreamworld.

“Girls, we’re home!” Mel announced.

Uma and Nox pried open their eyes to the morning light filtering in through the windows and the sight of Mel and Lars standing in the doorway. They tore off the blanket and stumbled to hug their parents, who enveloped them in a crushing group hug. Yemite snuck up behind Mel and threw her arms around her neck. She wanted to hug Mel too, of course. “Did you miss us, Mistress?” she asked. Mel laughed in agreement and let go of Uma and Nox to show them the bag in her hands. “Grandma recovered quickly, so we were able to to come home early. And we brought special treats.” Mel opened the bag, revealing a dozen fragrant pastries with assorted fillings.

“I almost forgot! We got you presents too,” said Uma. She pulled out the ornament from the pocket of her dress. “It's an orb, for you and Father. Tei- I mean, Yemite said you liked them.”

Mel took the orb in hand, marveling at the glasswork and rich blue hue. “It's lovely, but why the gifts all of the sudden?”

“It's a darkling tradition,” Yemite interjected. “We exchange gifts in the wintertime. I … er, educated the girls about it while you were away.”

Nox held out her gift next. “This one is for you, Auntie Yemite.”

Yemite let out an involuntary eep of excitement. “A curse? For me? Where did you find it? Oh, you shouldn’t have! So many delicious treats to eat, I can't wait until dessert!”

Lars quirked his eyebrow at his daughters. “Yes, where did you get them?”

Uma and Nox exchanged a glance, the sort that scheming partners gave each other when they were knew someone was onto them. “Nevermind, I don't want to know,” said Mel before either one of them came up with something satisfactory to tell their parents. One day, Mel would get the full story, but right now she didn't want to spoil this moment with her family.

“I’ll admit, I didn't get gifts for all of you yet, but I think I can improvise.” Yemite motioned for them to follow her outside. She flew up into the air and perched on the roof of their house. “Everyone watch closely! And you might want to stand back a little.” The darkling raised a hand into the sky, drawing on magic she hadn't used in years but that still thrummed solidly through her veins. Suddenly, the sky was alight with dazzling firebursts and explosions of all colors.

The twins and even their parents were mesmerized by the display. “I've always wanted to see fireworks,” whispered Nox to her equally awestruck sister.

Mel’s heart swelled with love as she watched her daughters’ awestruck expressions. It turns out Yemite wasn't such a bad babysitter after all. Maybe they should celebrate darkling holidays more often.

FIN

#Aveyond #aveyond winter exchange

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