Going back and forth between my house and robin's so I can make house renovations (every time, there's an obscure furniture item in the way, which obviously means robin is completely unable to even try to do the renovation)

Broken Machines: Lights the Dark

Chapter 32: Free Fall

For the next two weeks, Whitley was strikingly productive in all areas. Working hard to keep up with his new schedule and following orders flawlessly with a pep in his step, his previous gloominess seemingly disappearing overnight. Jacques was quite satisfied with this outcome while the staff and Willow still worried for the young boy’s well-being. Little did they know Whitley had plenty to be happy about, not that he would let any of them know that as he stealthily carried out his plans. The first of which was to gather the resources he’d need for his little “trip”, starting with a phone. With his father busy with prepping for his campaign Whitley was tasked with managing the cleaning out of the old things as Jacques bought new clothes and electronics for his up-and-coming political career. This meant he had to organize the removal of all the family members' old clothing and swiping out older tech for the latest models without losing any data.

Whitley chose to start with the electronic for a medley of reasons. He purchases the technology, supervises their delivery, and handles the data transfers himself. When no one’s looking he copies files that could be or are incriminating to different drives and has Mary hide them in an old dresser in the back of a nearly abandoned storage room, one of their many hiding places for evidence. As he looked through a stack of burner phones, Whitley noticed some were still in their packaging unused.

Whitley: Perfect.

He thought before pocketing a couple of them for himself and disposing of and replacing the rest. With step one out of the way step two begins. What is step two? Money. Getting anywhere in any city always required some money and for what Whitley had planned he’d need a lot of it. Taking advantage of the clean-out Whitley gathers together all the clothes, shoes, and accessories he’s outgrown and calls Julia in for assistance. She comes into his room a bit confused but willing to help in any way she can. Whitley greets her warmly as he finishes separating the clothes into piles.

Whitley: Thank you for coming Julia. I know your section has been busy recently.

Julia: It’s nothing, Young Master. Now, what did you need my help with?

Whitley: It’s a bit of an odd question but I’d like to know what the market value would be for some of my old things.

He says gesturing toward the neatly stacked piles of apparel. Julia steps forward and looks over the items carefully. Being a Mantle-born fashionista, she’d thrifted or bargained for most of the high-quality goods she owned so she knows the discount and resell market like the back of her hand. And from what she could see these piles could easily be gold mines. The clothes were of great quality, from good brands, and very lightly used, they’d turn a quick profit if sold to the right thrift shops or an even bigger profit if sold separately online. As for the bit of jewelry in the mix, last season's cufflinks, watches, and the like could easily be pawned for a hefty price. Yes, this could be a good hall if sold correctly the type that could feed a small family for a month or two if they budget well.

Julia: Yes, yes.

She states nodding as she picks up a shirt and inspects it closely, trying to calculate just how much it could sell for at this very moment.

Julia: Honestly, this shirt alone could sell for at least 10000 lien give or take a few thousand depending on the store. And the jewelry could be up to 50000 a piece if pawn off and maybe double that if put up for auction.

Whitley: I see.

Whitley walks to her side and picks up the piles closest to them, gently placing a few pieces of jewelry on top before revealing the real task he needs her to do.

Whitley: Then would you mind selling these off for me?

Julia: Excuse me?

Whitley: Instead of disposing of these clothes I want you to sell them. Quickly and quietly if possible.

Julia: Ookay? But may I ask why? What would you have to gain from selling some old clothes for what amounts to chump change to someone of your prestige?

Whitley: Oh, it’s not about the money I just wanted to research the topic a little for the sake of the Father’s campaign.

Julia: For Master’s campaign?

Whitley: Yes, with him running for a role that affects not just Atlas but the entire kingdom we'll be in the public eye more than ever, and as you know my father doesn’t have the best reputation with people outside high society.

Julia: Indeed. Though that’s the understatement of the freakin century.

Whitley: So, I’m looking into ways to help him appeal to the working class. But with him buying himself a new campaign wardrobe and this cleanup I realized this all could seem extremely wasteful to the general public and put him at an even greater disadvantage with Mantle voters than he already is. So, I decided to try a few different methods of disposing of old goods firsthand before proposing anything to Father.

Julia: I see, but wouldn’t donating be more-

Whitley: And because of this is out your usual duties I’ll give you 40% of the profit for your assistance.

Julia: Pardon?

Julia��s eyes widen at bit as she pauses her questions at the offer of extra monetary gains. Whitley doesn’t change his expression but gives her a second to calm down from her surprise before he continues.

Whitley: I’ll give you 40% percent of the earnings as a handling fee while I hold on to the rest for future donation if things start looking grim. This way I can create a trail of reselling and have a nice mint to drop on whatever cause is most influential when the time is right. So, will you help me?

Julia: O-of course! It would be my pleasure!

Whitley: Thank you, Julia. Please try to get it done as soon as possible.

Julia: Yes, sir! I’ll get it done before the end of the week!

She says cheerfully while taking the stack and rushing out of the room to go find a good box to store them in. Whitley waves her off before getting back to work and to planning. With step two in motion, step three would be his focus until the funds were secured. Step three was simple, figuring out transportation. Living in a large city, especially the capital of the kingdom, meant that transport was both public and private were commonplace. A ride between cities, either way, was just a phone call and cab fare away, and the vast subway situation was easy to navigate if you had a map and train pass. Whitley only had to do was doing some research between paperwork and indirectly asking Godfrey what station he use to pick Penny up from, disguising the question as gathering information about the transportation system for one of his father’s campaign speeches. Now that he had a route, funds were coming in and he had the means to communicate all Whitley could do now was wait. Wait until he found an opening, a chance to make his move and get to the hard part of his plan.

Meanwhile, Penny was managing her return to normalcy decently well. There had been some fallout coming from the theft situation, lowering trust in officials, more bar brawlers on weekdays and street thugs moving away from the factory routes to around the subway to find easier prey, but she handle it all gracefully. Penny still performed her job with the same efficiency as before and was less tired because of her newly scheduled break times. Ten minutes in the morning, a lunch break after patrol, and ten in the afternoon. The last break happening after her duties of overseeing training sessions or once she’s done checking in on the Maiden with Winter. That part being the newest and only addition to her schedule that she was aware of before it happened. Monday and Friday she would join Winter and help care for Freya, making sure she takes her medication, checking her for bed sores, helping her do light exercises to keep her fit, and overall, just making sure she’s comfortable as she approaches the end of her days. It was a little outside Penny’s field of expertise but being ever the quick learner Penny picks up the care task quickly. The only real drawback was Freya’s attitude, she was often quiet but quick to grumpiness when upset, and when Freya got upset her powers would go haywire. Which was only made worse by the fact she doesn’t particularly like Winter enough to be calmed by her presence. So, it was up to Penny to mitigate these outbursts in the stead of the Winter Maiden’s actual successor.

By the second Friday after her reassignment, Penny had a good understanding of how to handle Freya. After finishing her lunch in the cafeteria, she meets up with Winter in the connecting hallway and heads to the Maiden’s room. Penny avoids looking directly at Winter as her features only reminded her of the person her heart still aches for. Just the thought of him still made her chest burn with a deep pain strong enough to make her sob. But she couldn’t fall into that pit of despair right now, not when there was work to be done.

Since it’s Freya’s lunchtime, Winter, plates her meal while Penny prepares Freya some tea. The elderly woman was always more manageable when she’d had her tea and Penny had figured out just the right way to make hers. The steps change a little with the type she’d have that day, but the jest was she liked the temperature just below boiling due to the cold surrounding her, three teaspoons of sugar put in before the water, so it dissolves quickly, and a few drips honey and lemon to add a soft natural taste. It wasn’t the proper way to make tea but if this simple thing made a dying woman a little cozier then what’s the harm?

Penny walks out first, giving Freya her tea with a sweet smile, the aged Maiden taking the cup silently while looking directly into Penny’s eyes. Penny averts her gaze from her to avoid making awkward eye contact and her sight falls to the same painting that caught her eye last time. Though now something about felt different from her last viewing as she stares at it. The light the girl was holding up seemed so heavy the more she looked at it, the spirals at the edges making it seems like a drain sucking the light into one large mass. And the girl, even though she was just a silhouette seeing her among the vast mountains by herself holding such a heavy light gave Penny an odd sense of loneliness.

Penny: She looks so young and small. I wonder why she’s out there on her own, holding something so heavy.

She muses to herself, not noticing Freya’s gaze on her. But her thoughts are soon halted by Winter approaching with Freya’s lunch. Quickly breaking out of her daze, Penny helps set the track table and clean up the dish when Freya has her fill of it. It’s not long until she’s done for the day and on her way to make her daily reports before going home.

At around that same time, Whitley’s plan was coming together nicely. Julia had come through with thrifting and sold the first stack for a nice profit, the phone was set up to a billing account he had access to as part of taking on some of the household duties and his route to get to Mantle by taxis then by train was set now that he had cash in hand to pay for the fares. And lastly but most importantly his father was leaving for the weekend for a stay at a colleague’s hotel to talk over possible campaign donations and policies with a few titans of the labor industry. As Jacques was headed out the door, he reiterated his expectations for the weekend to Whitley.

Jacques: The paperwork should be done no later than tomorrow night, and I expect this house to be clean and tidy when I return. This that clear?

Whitley: Of course, Father. Leave everything to me.

Jacques nods at his obedience before turning around and heading out the door toward the waiting limousine. Whitley waves him off and watches him leave from the doorway, a fake smile plastered on so metal it be impossible to tell that it was purely for show.

Whitley: He’s getting in, sitting down, he’s barking orders at the driver again, aaaaaaand-

Soon the limousine shifted into gear and drives off the property, Whitley waits until the vehicle is completely out of sight to grab the front door handles then slams them shut. He turns to face the near staff members he can find and with a calm smile as he issues a simple order.

Whitley: Tell the cooks not to bother with making my dinner tonight, I’d like to go to bed early.

Those who heard him nod in compliance, one goes off to relay the message to the kitchen as Whitley walks back to his room. Once alone he’s quick to finish his work at lightning speed, it wasn’t anything difficult, so it wasn’t too hard to get through it fast without making any mistakes. He double-checks his work before getting up from his desk and walking to his wardrobe. He retrieves the money and phone from their hiding spots at the bottom and then changes into the outfit he’s chosen for his little outing. A long black coat with no branding on it, a plain white dress shirt, black pants, navy socks, a pair of dark gray winter boots, and gloves. This was the most casual set of clothing he owns; they were also some of the most well-lined and warm. Even though both cities had city-wide heating systems Mantle’s was far weaker from the higher weather damage and Grimm wear and tear. And judging from the weather report this week had been a little colder than usual. Knowing this Whitley also grabs a winter cap and scarf for extra warmth and wind protection as well as a face mask he’d swiped from a supply closet to hide his face. He couldn’t risk being recognized by anyone while he was out, less his father hears of it.

He up a pillow dummy in his bed and takes the pocket watch out from its hiding spot, kissing it for luck before sliding into his pocket. Whitley waits by the door for a bit until he knows the night rotation has shifted out of the way then makes his exit. Being stuck in the manor for most of his life had given Whitley one advantage in this endeavor, he knew this house like the back of his hand. When things had gotten rough between Weiss and Jacques and the during the fallout of her going to Beacon Klein had made sure Whitley knew every secret passage and hidden room in the manor in case of an emergency. Sometimes, during Jacques’s more destructive tantrums, Whitley would warn the staff to take cover and then hide himself in a crawl space until the situation had calmed down enough for him to interfere. It was all he could do to prevent further harm during those rampages. But now the knowledge would serve a different purpose, as a means to escape.

Quietly dashing through the halls, Whitley sneaks into the east wing and opens the secret passage behind a faux bookcase. Making his way through the tunnels and outside, he takes a moment to breathe the cold night air and shake off the dust from the unused space before making a b-line for the driveway. With the road ahead of him clear Whitley takes a look back at the manor, fear, and hesitance creeping, but he pulls his gaze back quickly. Turning his head down and shutting his eyes tightly, as the reality of what he’s doing sets in.

Whitley: I shouldn’t be out here. If I get caught there’s no telling what he’ll do! This could end bad, really bad. Can I really risk everything I’ve worked so hard for over-

As he starts to second-guess his decision an image of Penny passes through his mind, and he pauses. He takes a deep breath and exhales with a sign before opening his eyes, a look of determination glimmering in the blue of his irises.

Whitley: Yes, I can. She’s worth it. And I know I won’t feel whole again until I see her again.

He thinks steeling his resolve as he marches down the driveway and onto the open road. He walks until he’s a good distance from the manor and pulls out the spare scroll to call a taxi. He waits by the road until he sees the light from the sign atop the cab approaching and waves the driver down with the flash from the scroll. He gets in, keeping his head down he doesn’t say a word to the driver and shows him the directions to the station with the scroll. The driver groans at his impersonal style of communication but pulls off towards the station, nonetheless. The drive feels extremely long, the sounds of top-ten music blaring from the cab’s radio barely registering to Whitley as he tries to stay calm and focused. Once they arrive at the train station rain begins to fall. Whitley pays the fee before getting out and walking into the station. It was quite busy being the night before the weekend, young people were coming up to splurge their cash at Atlas bars and nightclubs, and working-class people of ages were heading home to rest after a hard week of work. The place reeked of dust, sweat, bodily odor, and cleaning solution, thankfully Whitley’s mask provided enough filtration for to breath it in without gagging as he walks to a counter to buy a train pass. Around this time Whitley considers calling his contact in Mantle before getting on the train but quickly dismisses the thought. Knowing how he’d react if he called now, he’d do everything in his power to convince Whitley to go home before anything could happen to him, but he’d come too far to turn back!

Whitley: Better to ask forgiveness than permission in this case.

He thought as the teller at the counter hands him his pass. Whitley nods in thanks as he takes his pass and heads to the platform his train would be arriving at. The wait for the train his more nerve-wracking than the drive as the hustle and bustle of the people around giveWhitley some sensory overload. But still he just keeps breathing. He wasn't going to be shaken, he was a man on a mission and he damn well would see it through to the end! He takes out the pocket watch to check the time, the shine of his beloved trinket easing his anxiety ever so slightly.

Whitley: It shouldn’t be long if the schedule’s right.

He thought before closing the watch back, rubbing his finger over the snow lily imprint on its front before putting it away. As if on cue the train to Mantle finally pulls into the station, and as the doors open to let the passengers out Whitley files into the crowd of people entering the nearest train car. He stands instead of taking a seat, holding onto a standing pole to secure himself as the conductor announces their destination before closing the doors and pulling the train out of the station. Whitley gets lost in the sounds of chattering people and the feeling of weightlessness as the train begins to make its descent into the lower city.

Back at the manor Mary has grown anxious after thinking over Whitley’s recent behavior. She knew he’d fall into a depression after losing Penny, it was obvious that her departure would devastate him, especially with how Jacques went about it. No, what worried Mary was just how fast Whitley had rebounded from that depression. The light in his eyes had deemed so quickly but returned just as fast and burned even brighter than before. He seemed more driven, so full of purpose but with the position, they were in it made no sense. Sure, the cleanup had provided them an opportunity to look through some of Jacques’s more sensitive documents and make backups to add to their evidence log but the path to the goalpost was still far ahead. Jacques was seeking political power now and depending on his success, it could be a good thing or bad thing for them in the long term. Whitley still had a couple of years until legal adulthood and with no trusted adults capable of combating Jacques on their side Whitley was still stuck in his position. Until he comes of age, he wouldn’t be able to make a claim on the SDC without a proxy.

Mary: So, what’s gotten him so riled up?

Mary thought as she turns a corner, marching down the hallway to Whitley’s room. She knows he should be asleep by now and if she was quiet, she could check to see what’s been going through his head with her semblance without him knowing. Unlocking the door with her master key, Mary can feel something was off immediately. She doesn’t bother looking around, walking straight to his bed, and the moment her hand touches the mass through the blankets she knows he’s slipped out of the manor somehow.

Mary: God damnit.

Mary swears under her breath, she sits down on the bed and holds her head in frustration. What was he thinking? Why would he pull a stunt like this when he knows what could happen if he’s caught?

Mary: The hell was he thinking? What could’ve possibly driven him to-Oh shit, don’t tell me-

Thinking about everything that’s happened Mary realizes there’s only one reason Whitley would have does this for. She covers her face with both hands as anger and annoyance begin to cloud her vision.

Mary: Ugh, Unbelievable! This is a straight off tragic romance novel!

She grumbles, her foot tapping anxiously as she tries to think of what to do. She pulls out her scroll and calls his scroll but hears it ringing in the room, spotting it on his desk. Getting up and grabbing the scroll Mary is growing angrier by the second. She takes a second to breath and collect herself while she tries to concoct a plan of action. The answer comes to her as she recalls her dealings as a youth, she’d written plenty of teenage romantic fluff off the memories of her peers and she knew well how stories like these played out. Looking down at Whitley’s scroll Mary wonders if he’d ever deleted Penny’s contacts.

Mary: If he’s going act like a tragic male lead then let’s see how his leading lady feels about his dramatic escape.

She says sarcastically, seating down while she attempts to lock his scroll.

Down in the lower city Whitley’s train finally reaches its stop, the train car jerks to a stop as the conductor announces the station and opens the door. Whitley’s swept up with crowd as he gets off, moving with the sea of people until he manages to break away by the gates. Stepping to the side he takes out his scroll and daily the number of the only people he trusted to help him find his way through the city.

In the upstairs apartment of the Little Cave Antiques Klein’s getting ready for bed. He’s putting on his pajamas when his scroll starts to ring. He picks it up off the nightstand and looks at the caller ID and though he doesn’t recognize the number Klein still answers the call like the gentleman he is.

Klein: Good evening, this is Klein Sieben. How may I help you?

Whitley: It’s me, Klein.

Klein’s eyes go wide and turn a bright shade of yellow at the sound of his former young master on the line. He taps his feet, and his voice is full of joy as he replies to the young men’s statement.

Klein: Young Master? Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise! To what do I know the pleasure of this evening call!

Whitley: I need your help, I’m in Mantle.

Klein: Excuse me?

Whitley: I’m in Mantle, Klein. I snuck out, took the train from Atlas and now I’m waiting by the gate at the station.

Klein: You did, what?!

Klein is completely dumbfounded, taking almost half a minute to fully comprehend what he just heard. When the words finally click in his head, Klein lets out a shriek as his eyes cycle through several colors as he flips out! Whitley turns down the volume on his scroll to save his hearing and lets Klein have his moment of shock uninterrupted. When the older man finally calms down his eyes turn bright red, and his voice lowers to a grumble as he scolds the boy for his irresponsible actions.

Klein: WHAT IN THE WORLD DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING! SNEAKING OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, AND TO MANTLE OF ALL PLACES! WHAT IN GOD’S NAME POSSESSED YOU TO THINK THIS WAS ANY KIND OF GOOD IDEA! MUCH LESS GO THROUGH WITH IT?!

Whitley: I’m sorry Klein but I was desperate. There’s someone down here I need to see, and I need your help to find them.

Klein sighs, he was used to Weiss’s strong emotional outbursts but this was completely out of pocket for Whitley.

Klein: Couldn’t you have found a better way than doing something this risky?! If your father hears of this there’s no telling what he’ll do to you!

Whitley: I know but I couldn’t wait anymore.

Klein: You couldn’t wait? You couldn’t wait so you snuck away from home to another city at this late hour?! What could possibly be so important that you’d risk his wrath for this?!

Whitley: Because-Because I couldn’t take it anymore more!

Whitley’s voice strains causing Klein’s eyes flash back to brown and his anger to disallow. Whitley grits his teeth, his voice was so weak and hurt, like a tiny, injured animal as he explains himself.

Whitley: I’ve spent my whole life trying to keep that man’s fury at bay. I’ve watched him drive my mother into endless alcohol binge and run my sisters off in his vain attempts to control everything. But for once..for once in my life, I had someone who made me feel happy! I had someone whose smile gave me the strength to actually try to live, to just be okay with…being me. And he tossed her out as soon as he saw that I wasn’t miserable!

Klein: Whitley.

Whitley: I..love her, Klein. I love her so much it feels like I’m rotting without her. My heart’s ached every single day since she left, and it gets worse and worse with every day she’s not here. I dream about her, I think about her every day, and the fact I couldn’t be with her hurt so much it feels like my chest going to cave in! So, when I saw an opportunity to go find her, I couldn’t resist.

He admits, fist clenched tightly against his chest as he holds back tears. Despite his venture being carefully planned and researched Whitley had honestly acted on impulse from the moment he knew his father would be out of the manor long enough for him to make a run for it. Even in his moments of doubt his desire to see Penny outweighed all relational thought. And Klein could hear it, the yarning and years of raw pain spilling out of the child he’d watched over for so many years. He knew just how lonely and broken Whitley had become but was powerless to do anything for the boy. No one and nothing could ever truly better the dreadful condition Whitley lived in, until now. With a heavy sigh, Klein takes off his nightcap and goes out to the living room to grab his coat, hat, and shoes.

Klein: Which station are you in right now?

Whitley: Sovereign Central.

Klein: Alright. Stay put, I’ll come pick you up.

Whitley: Thank you, Klein.

Klein can hear Whitley’s smile through the phone as he tucks his umbrella under his arm and opens the apartment's front door.

Klein: You're welcome, Whitley. Now please just stay safe until I get there.

He asks before hanging up and heading out into the pouring rain, trudging through the storm to go find his young master.

Later at the Polendina residence, Penny was lounging on the couch while her dad made dinner. She’s watching tv, gloves off and kicking her feet the bunny’s ears on her house shoes flopping with every motion when suddenly her scroll rings. She’s shocked to see that Whitley’s calling her! Confused but delighted and terrifyingly nervous Penny fumbles to grab her scroll and once she’s got a firm grip on it, she takes a big deep breath before answering. After the disaster that was the last time they met, Penny has no idea what to say so she just blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.

Penny: H-hello?

Mary: Ms. Polendina.

With that one utterance, all of Penny’s hope instantly evaporates and is replaced with annoyance.

Penny: Mary.

She states rather coldly. Penny didn’t how to feel about the woman since they spoke in the library. Despite Mary making her intentions clear Penny couldn’t find it in herself to trust her as she was the first to acknowledge that her and Whitley’s love was doomed to fail. And the fact that her prediction turned out to be correct only made Penny feel more conflicted. Hearing her talk again filled Penny with a deep rage even though she had nothing to do with what happened. Still, Penny couldn’t help the irrational anger Mary’s voice induced, but she tries to suck it up as she probes for the reason behind her call.

Penny: Mary, why are you calling me and why are you doing so from Whitley’s scroll?

Mary: Because he left it here after he decided to so daringly ran off to Mantle to find you!

Mary states equally as annoyed as Penny. It had taken her far too long to unlock Whitley’s scroll as he had changed the password and added security blocks that triggered every few failures. After nearly two hours of trying, she’d finally opened the damned thing only to not find any clues to where he could possibly be and have her call for help be met with hostility. Though Penny’s animosity died off as soon as Mary told her what Whitley’s done as her mind clouds with confusion and worry.

Penny: He did what?

She asks in disbelief, not wanting to think that Whitley would actually sneak off to an unfamiliar place like that, especially at night when the city was at its most dangerous!

Mary: He snuck out of the manor and is probably somewhere in Mantle looking for you!

Penny: Ar-are you sure?

Mary: Yes! There’s no other reason he would do something this stupid unless it was for you! Now, I need you to find him before anyone else notices he’s gone.

Penny: I-Okay! But where would I even start to look?! Do you have any idea where he could be in the city?!

Mary: No, but Whitley’s an intelligent child so if he left behind anything that could track him then he’s probably went incognito. My best guess is public transport, or he found someone to pick him-Oh God, dammit all!

Mary clutches her head as she recalls a possible point of contact Whitley had in the ground city. Her sudden cursing confuses Penny, and she asks anxiously asks for clarification.

Penny: What? What happened?

Mary: It’s nothing, just go check the train stations first and I’ll call back if I find anything else.

Penny: Okay! I-I’ll try the one closest to me first! Bye!

She hangs up and pockets her scroll then rushes towards the front door. Pietro calls out to her, but Penny doesn’t hear him as she dashes out of the door and into the pouring rain. She runs towards the station; her slippers get drenched by the rainwater on the street, but Penny doesn’t care about the coldness of her feet, the dirtying of her shoes or rain soaking her clothes. Right now, her only focus is finding Whitley and making sure nothing bad happens to him. She’s going full throttle when she stops at the crosswalk for a red light, while she’s waiting for it to go green Penny watches a short man heading in the same direction slip and fall on the next street. He tries to pick himself up but slips again on the pavement. Knowing time is of the essence but being unable to turn her back on a person in need, when the light turns green Penny runs up to the man, pucks in his fallen umbrella and helps him to his feet only to find she recognizes him.

Penny: You’re the man from the antique store, Klein.

She says while handing the umbrella back to him. Said man looks at her a bit bewildered by her appearing in from him and his odd luck in this tricky situation.

Klein: Little Miss? Oh, thank goodness I ran into you! I’m in desperate need of your help right now.

Penny: What happened?

Klein: Young Master Whitley snuck out and is waiting for me at the Sovereign Central train station!

Penny: Sovereign Central-Wait Young Master! Why did you- how do you-

Klein: Because I am a former butler of the Schnee family.

Penny:…What? You used to work at the manor?

Klein: Yes. Young Master told me of you long before you came into my shop. I didn’t know it was you at first but when you deserved the boy you fancied, I know you and the girl he’d grown close with were one and the same.

Penny: But why didn’t you tell me?

Klein: It wasn’t my place to tell you. Young Master should have-Never mind that now! What matters is that Whitley is waiting at the station and came here to look for you!

Penny is gobsmacked by this information, she was too wound up with worry when Mary told her to fully process the fact Whitley really had made such a dangerous decision just to come see her. It had been less than a month since they last saw each other so it was oddly flattering but also extremely concerning that he’d go this far for her, she’d blush if it weren’t so distressing.

Klein: We need to go to him right away before some ruffians do!

Penny nods and the two start back on their rush to the station but Klein barely takes two steps forward before falling over again. Penny turns back and while helping him up she notices a rip in his pajama pants and a fresh wound on his shin.

Penny: You’re hurt!

She cries but Klein waves her off as he forces himself back onto his feet.

Klein: It’s nothing, just let me-OW!

His sentence is cut off with a yelp as Klein tries and fails to put pressure on his injured leg, forcing him onto his knees. Being no stranger to injured people Penny picks him up off the wet pavement and into a fireman’s carry, throwing his umbrella over her shoulder with him.

Klein: Wait, what are-

Penny: You’re in no condition to be out or running in this weather. I’m taking you somewhere safe to rest.

Klein: But what about Whitley?

Penny: I’ll find him after I drop you off.

Klein: But-Whoa!

Penny doesn’t give him a chance to protest and takes off running back the way she came. Once she’s back at her house Penny comes through the door and sees her dad on the phone trying to reach her only to turn around and see her carrying a man over her shoulder and drenched head to toe in rainwater. He strides over to her, face full of trepidation as he confronts her sudden actions.

Pietro: Where have you been?! I’ve been calling and calling but you won't answer?!

Penny: I’m sorry Dad, I was in a hurry and didn’t hear my scroll!

Pietro: What the-what do you mean a hurry?! You ran out of the house out of nowhere and now you come back with a man over your shoulder and all you can say is you’re in a hurry?!

Penny: I’m sorry but it was an emergency! An ongoing emergency that I need to get back to right now!

She explains while setting Klein down on the couch, the shift in position allows Pietro to see that the smaller man’s wounds.

Pietro: Is that blood- Alright what the hell is going on?! What happened to him and where-Is this the man from the antiques store?!

He asks pointing down at the wounded man, completely confused by the situation unfolding around him. Klein tips his hat in greeting before trying to better explain their current predicament.

Klein: Evening, Sir, and apologies for the sudden intrusion. Your daughter and I seem to have stumbled into quite the dilemma involving an unfortunate young man and she insisted I not go any further on an injured leg.

Pietro nods, not filling understanding what he meant but getting enough of it to know why he was currently on his couch.

Pietro: Okay but that doesn’t explain why-

His sentence is cut off by the front door slamming shut, both men look up only to see that Penny’s run off again. Pietro stares at the door stunned and confused by his dear daughter’s actions and still out of the loop of this absurd crisis he’s found himself in.

Pietro: Good God, what is happening tonight?!

He groans, rubbing his temples as a stress fueled headache coming in. His confusion is interrupted by Klein holding a hand up and waving it to get his attention.

Klein: Excuse me, but if you could be so kind as to procure me a first aid kit, I think I can clear things up for you.

Klein offers, Pietro signs and turns his chair around to go find the emergency medical kit. Whatever was going on it was bad enough that Penny was acting rashly and not thinking clearly enough to even clarify what she was doing. And that worried her dad at no end but with his physical limitations, there was no way he could stop her. All he could do was try to piece the situation together and call for help if things got out of hand. While Pietro looks through the cabinets Klein pulls out his scroll to call Whitley and update him on what’s happened only to discover his scroll practically in pieces, shattered by the fall.

Meanwhile, Whitley is still at the station waiting for Klein to arrive. He tries calling him but never gets through to the line. After multiple failed attempts to get in contact with him, Whitley puts his scroll away and contemplates what to do next. Suddenly he feels a twinge of pain in his stomach and it lowly growls in hungry. He chose not to eat earlier to keep the staff away from his room for his escape and now he was paying the consequences for that choice.

Whitley: Ugh, I should’ve grabbed something from the kitchen when I had the chance.

He laments, holding a hand to his stomach as it continues growling from its emptiness. With no way of knowing when his old friend would arrive and feeling a little fatigued from the stress and waiting Whitley decides to go grab a quick bite to eat before it gets too late.

Whitley: There should be a few places nearby that are still open at this hour.

He muses, before walking to the gate and out onto the street. Rain pouring overhead as he marches along down the street scanning the area for a restaurant, food stall, or even a convenience store to stop at. As he’s passing by an alleyway a large arm comes out from the darkness and grabs him by the shoulder, quickly pulling him into the ally way from the main street. Within a matter of seconds, Whitley’s pinned to a walk and surrounded by five thugs, a large dusty red-haired man holding him in place. The man looked like a hooligan, he was tall, balky, and has definitely seen a lot of fights, his tan face was covered in scars most of which looked like crawl marks. But those were just small pickings compared to red fox tail clipped to his leather jacket. Why you may ask? Because firstly Whitley could tell it was real fur not synthetic, secondly there were no red foxes in the frozen kingdom to hunt and lastly, it was too big to be from any sort of wild fox. With a twisted glint in his dark gray eyes and a cruel grin painted on his face, he looked at Whitley dead on as he tries to intimidate him.

???: ‘Ello there, little man.

He greets him mockingly, Whitley doesn’t talk back, nor does he break eye contact, maintaining a neutral expression as best he can while he tries to think of a way out of this mess. He’d been a victim of physical violence before, and he knew one wrong move could be the difference between grave injury and death. He didn’t know how this thug might act if he screamed or said the wrong thing so for now silence was the safest option. The thug is baffled by the lack of fear in Whitley’s eyes but kept on grinning. It was always easy to ring cash out of people when they were scared for their life but breaking down a little snot’s bravado then robbing him was much more satisfying. And so, this game intimidation continues.

Jack: Me name’s Jack, Honest Jack. Lovely night for a stroll through the city ain’t it?

Whitley says nothing, he just stares at Jack and listens hoping for an opening to flee.

Jack: I don’t think I’ve seen you ‘round here before and you look a little too fancy to from these parts neither. So what are you doing on our turf?

He asks playfully but forcibly, Whitley still doesn’t respond half out of stubbornness and half out of fear. Jack doesn’t take too kindly to his idleness this time and grips the boy’s shoulder tighter, a sickly acid aura bubbles from his hand and onto Whitley’s shoulder. It crawls across his skin to this his throat resting in his larynx and voice box like a thick mucus. Jack smiles darkly and resumes his questioning.

Jack: Alright, let me ask you again. What are you doing here?

Whitley tries to stay quiet but the bubble of mucus starts to raise, pulling his voice out of his mouth violently.

Whitley: I..Came..Here…To..Met…Some..One!

Each word comes out choked, carried up by the bubbles, and pops in the air. It hurt so much, that sentence alone made Whitley’s throat feel raw and dry. Jack marveled at the boy’s disposition, most would cry or puke halfway a few words through due to the effects of his semblance but this kid, he had one helluva pain tolerance. Wanting to see how far that tolerance went Jack keeps pressing Whitley with more questions.

Jack: Is that right? So you must’ve come from the upper city then, huh?

Whitley: Yes..I…Am!

Jack: Woah, a rich kid! Guess we’re eating good tonight boys!

He says to other thugs who cheer excitedly, delighted to have caught such bountiful prey.

Jack: That is if he’s got money on ‘em. You do have money on you, don’t cha boy?

Whitley tries again to keep quiet but bubbles dragging his voice are too strong to stop.

Whitley: Yes…I…Do!

The hoodlums murmur in joy, knowing they’d luck out with a wealthy mark. But the merriment pauses as Whitley continues to talk.

Whitely: But..I..Have..No..Inten..Tion..Of…Giv..ing..Any…Of..It...To..You!

The thugs look at him baffled by his sharp attitude, Jack especially so. This was one of the problems with his semblance, it forced honesty from people but couldn’t sugarcoat what came out. Those who weren’t stricken with fear could get a little cocky with him but he could always hear a little terror underneath it. But this one, this one had way too much moxie for the situation he was in. So Jack pressed him again, forcing more of the acid-like bubbles into the boy’s aura.

Jack: What did you say to me?

Whitley: I..Said..I’m..Not..Giv.Ing...You..Any…Thing!

Jack: Is that so? Well, aren’t you a cheeky little bastard? You think you're in any state to be acting all tough like that, huh?!

This toxic back and forth soon devolves into an argument with Whitley being unable to hold his tongue. As the two kept squabbling the commotion gets loud enough to hear from the edge of the alley. It’s this noise draws Penny’s attention as she finally closes in on the station.

She’s rushing down the street to her destination, Sovereign Central was literally within sight, but the sounds of fighting coming from a nearby ally cause Penny’s protector instincts to kick in again. She turns on her night vision and slowly down as she passed by the alley, but times seems to freeze when looks into the darning and sees a group of thugs harassing a young man. The glow in her eyes turns harsh and poisonous when she locks in on the young man’s features, specifically his snow-white hair and blue eyes. Not even thinking Penny turns on her heels and launches herself directly at Jack just as he raised his fist to punch Whitley.

The lead gangster doesn’t have time to process what’s happening as one moment he’s about to pummel a snot-nosed brat then the next he’s been pushed away with enough force to knock them a few feet away. He lands on his back, and the pain from the impact knocks him out before he can face his attacker. Seeing their boss laid out on the cold wet pavement the four remaining hooligans charge at Penny, aiming to get revenge for their fallen leader. Unfortunately for them, it’s a pointless fight. The one closest tries to lunge at Penny, she grabs his arm and pulls his stomach into her fist hard. He retches as the wind is knocked out of him out and falls to the ground. The next three go down just as easy with the second thug falling after two punches to the gut and a kick to the stomach. The third comes in right behind him and gets a kick to the face and a knee to the side, throwing him to the wall as he passes out. And the last tries to get the jump on her by rushing her from behind but he’s nowhere near fast enough or skilled enough to outmatch Penny. His attempted punch doesn’t even get to contact before she turns head and grabs his arm. Her face was cold and neutral but her glowing eyes radiated rage as she throws the large man over her shoulder then onto the pavement. In what felt like hours but was only a couple of minutes all five crooks were laid out on the alley floor, rain drenching their unconscious bodies. Throughout all this Whitley had stood frozen in the same spot he was pinned in, rubbing his sore throat and watching Penny in silent awe as she beat the daylights out of those men.

When the fight is finally over Whitley reaches out to touch her but is soon pinned to the wall again, this time by Penny! With her hands on the wall and her body less than an inch away Penny had him completely locked in place. Her expression was unreadable, and her eyes were still aglow as the gazed into Whitley’s. They stand in silence for a few seconds as the adrenaline from the altercation wears off. Whitley opens his mouth to speak, unsure of what to say in this position, but Penny bests him to the punch.

Penny: Whitley...What the…

She tries to stay calm but soon all the worry and fear she did been holding in since Mary called her. The glow in her eyes fades and her lips begin to quiver as she tries not to lose her cool.

Penny: What…the FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!

But she fails, the combination of heavy emotions throwing her mind into disarray. She couldn’t hold back the anxiety, frustration, and dread she’d been holding back since she last seen him. Knowing he was in the city alone so late at night was bad enough, but to find him getting mugged too? That was Penny’s limit, she couldn���t think straight after seeing him in danger like that.

Penny: WHY THE HELL DID YOU THINK THIS WAS OKAY TO DO?! WHAT PART OF COMING TO MANTLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT SEEMED OKAY TO YOU?! AND ALL ON YOUR OWN TOO?! DO YOU KNOW HOW SCARED I WAS WHEN I HEARD YOU RAN AWAY?! HOW COULD YOU WORRY PEOPLE LIKE THAT?! HOW-

She pauses her screaming rant as tears blur her vision and trickle down her cheeks, blending in with the rain pouring over them.

Penny: How could you do that to me?

She whimpers out, her face full of sorrow as she has a total meltdown from the emotional roller coaster this night had taken her on. Whitley looks at her concerned; he attempts to speak again but gets choked up as his own emotional wall comes crashing down. Three weeks, for three weeks he’d been without the person who’d given him more joy than he’d ever known before, and the first thing she does is save him from harm.

Whitley: How did I get so lucky to meet someone so extraordinary?

He thought before wrapping his arms around her and pulling Penny into a tight embrace! He holds her as close as possible and nuzzles into her neck, breathing in her scent as much as he can. He couldn’t help the tears of joy that fall as after almost a month he finally, finally felt whole again! He didn’t mind her soaking wet hair or clothes, or the cold rain drenching both of them, or the fact their reunion had taken place in a dingy alley of all places. No, none of that mattered as long as she was in his arms again.

Whitley: Sorry that I worried you, I just wanted…No, I..needed to see you again.

He says softly, voice sweeter than Penny had ever heard him talk before. Her anxiety born breakdown turns to a moment of comfort as she wraps her arms around him. Melting into the embrace, Penny lets out all the negative emotions she’d stored up and takes in all the love Whitley was pouring out. God, she missed him, she missed his voice she missed his scent, his touch, she missed everything about him so damn much. She’d been so sure she’d messed up her chance to be with him and love him, but this night had proven her wrong, so very wrong. As they continue holding each other Whitley puts his forehead to Penny’s, glancing deeply into her with all the love his battered heart could muster.

Whitley: I missed you so much, Penny. Please..never leave me again.

He pleads, Penny opens her mouth to reply but Whitley doesn’t give her a chance. Taking a hand off her Whitley pulls down his mask and closes the distance between them, kissing her right on the lips. Penny is stunned by the sudden kiss, her teary eyes wide in shock from sudden contact. But with a second her shock fades into joy edge melts into it quickly, closing her eyes and completely relaxing in his embrace. Despite the cold rain, Penny felt so warm, so safe, and happy. Her head felt fuzzy in a way she’d never felt before but instantly loved.

Love, real romantic love. That was something Penny could only have dreamed of not so long ago. Everything she’d been through in the last few months had seemed so impossible but strangely wonderful in ways she couldn’t have ever predicted. But now she had someone she was willing to fight any evil for without hesitation and who’d throw himself into a dangerous situation just to be with her. It was almost like a dream, one neither ever wanted to wake up from.

The moment ends when Penny’s scroll rings, breaking the warm atmosphere the young lovers had built on their reunion. Penny pulls it out and sees it’s her dad. The reality that Whitley had technically run away from home and that there were five unconscious criminals at their feet soon dawns on both and they decide to clean up the mess. Penny and Whitley assure the older men wanting a home that they’re fine and will be there shortly then Penny calls for backup to come get the thugs. It takes almost an hour to resolve things but once the police arrive, they arrest the thugs on outstanding warrants before Penny can even explain what she caught them for. The most they ask her is if she caught them trying to hassle someone again and Penny says yes. That’s enough cause to get them dragged away and give Penny and Whitley a chance to head back to her home. As they begin the long walk back Whitley takes off his coat and offers it to Penny. Penny smiled and wrapped the coat around both their shoulders.

Penny: Now, we’ll both be warm.

She says with her usual cheerful smile. Whitley smiles back at her and they walk shoulder-to-shoulder and hold hands all the way to her house, fingers intertwined as if they couldn’t be close enough. When they arrive at the house and open the front door they are greeted by the sight of Klein, bandage up and helping Pietro in the kitchen. Klein hears the door open and power walks over to welcome them back, throwing an arm around Whitley as he tries to hold back tears.

Klein: Thank the stars, you’re finally here! I was so worried you might’ve been hurt or mugged or-Gods I don’t even want to think about I’m just glad you’re alright!

Klein cries as he hugs his mischievous young master, who pats his back reassuringly.

Whitley: Sorry for worrying you. I-What happened to your leg?

He questions, pointing out the banged wound on the elder butler’s leg. Klein laughs off his concerns and regales the circumstances of this little misfortune.

Klein: Oh, this is nothing just a little scratch. One I got rushing to find you.

Whitley looks down in shame. He had never meant to cause anyone any harm in his endeavor, especially not the man who’d treated him kinder than his own father had. Klein once again waves this off and proceeds with his story.

Klein: But thankfully I had the luck of running onto the sweet young lady you came here to see.

He states pointing at Penny, who smiles at the acknowledgment, before getting back to his tale.

Klein: She helped me, carried me here for treatment, and continued the search in my stead. To great success, it would seem!

He jocks before laughing at the absurdity of events that had unfolded over the course of this memorable night. Whitley also laughs, both in absurdity and happiness at how the two nicest people he knew had met in such a preposterous way!

Whitley: Unbelievable! I was hoping to introduce you to her later, but it looks like fate beat me to it.

He jocks back, a bright smile on his face as he marvels at his good fortune. Seeing a chance to cut into the conversation, Penny tugs at Whitley’s hand forcing his gaze onto her and Klein’s follows suit.

Penny: Actually, I haven’t told him my name yet, so we haven’t technically formally met yet.

She quips, Whitley and Klein immediately realize she’s just creating an excuse to do the introduction and play along.

Whitley: Is that so? Well, why don’t we rectify that right now? Penny, this is Klein. He was my family’s butler for years and practically raised me.

Whitley states while gesturing to Klein who tips his hat in greeting to Penny.

Klein: Pleased to meet you.

The short says cheerfully to the sweet redhead who waves to him in response, this promotes Whitley to let go of her hand and place it around her shoulder as he introduces the lovely girl to his old companion.

Whitley: Klein, this beautiful girl here is…my love Penny.

He pauses and pulls her closers before bestowing the title of his love. It’s simple but perfect as it describes just what he felt for her, she had shown him love and made him love deeper than he could ever imagine. Penny blushes when he utters those words, though she had a few titles, soldier, daughter, protector, and so on but she’d never been given a romantic one before. It made her head feel fuzzy again and reminded her of their moment in the alley. Her face glows brighter from the memory and she covers her face in embarrassment, barely able to vocalize her signature greeting.

Penny: S-S-Salutations.

She stutters out causing both men to chuckle.

Klein: Well now that we’ve gotten introductions out of the way, why don’t you two go clean up before dinner?

Penny and Whitley look down and remember they’re absolutely soaked from the rain and definitely need to dry off or change. Whitley hangs his coat by the door and Klein helps him dry his clothes with a blow dryer while Penny goes to her room to change into dry off and change clothes. After getting her hair dry and wiping off Penny looked at her closet stumped. She honestly doesn’t know what to where in this situation like this, what with the person she loved and recently shared her first kiss with staying for dinner. Scanning through her clothes, she can’t find anything that feels casual enough to wear for only a few hours at most before changing to go to bed, so she ops to wear her pajamas and put the pink cardigan she’d received so long ago on over to cover up her shoulders and back. Once she’s ready Penny head back downstairs and sees that Whitley, sans winter hat and mask, had pulled up chairs at the dining table for him and Klein while Klein helps her dad plate the food. She rushes over to help, grabbing the utensils to set the table, and soon dinner is served.

It's a classic for rainy nights in Mantle, a hearty beef stew with a side of mashed potatoes and dinner rolls. Penny was delighted by the spread, but Whitley seemed a little cautious, not because of the meal's content but the presentation. Unlike his usual meals, this food wasn’t present in the prettiest way, the scent off was much stronger, and the serving size itself was far bigger than he’d gotten in years. It was actually a bit intimidating, being offered some much at someone else’s home. Could he really eat this? Even though he was starving from the journey here Whitley couldn’t help the unease he felt as he looked at his bowl. But his thoughts are interpreted by Pietro setting the pot of leftover stew in the center of the table.

Pietro: Go ahead and dig in everybody! It’s been a long night and we got plenty to go around!

Pietro cheers before grabbing his own bowl and chowing down. Penny and Klein also start eating eagerly, this encourages Whitley to have a taste for himself. He takes a spoon full of stew and sips just a little before immediately shoving the whole spoon into his mouth. It was rich and warm, the beef, though tougher than he was used to, paired perfectly with the vegetables and spices. He has to stop momentarily due to the heat of the stew, so he switches to mashed potatoes while the stew sat to chill. Since he had only one spoon, Whitley set his spoon on the rim of the bowl, lets then digs into the potatoes. They’re soft and creamy with a hint of butter and the residue from of the stew only enhanced the flavor. Once he’s done with mashed potatoes, Whitley’s about to go back to the stew but catches Penny ripping her dinner roll into pieces and dipping them in the stew before eating them. Curious, Whitley tears up his dinner roll in half and dips it in the stew, letting soak for a bit before eating it. It has a nice mushy texture, and the flavor of the stew is mellowed by the soft bread. He keeps ripping and dipping until he’s out of bread then goes back to eating the stew. Despite his graceful manners, Whitley finishes his food first but even with his bowl and plate empty he was still not satisfied. Penny, Pietro, and Klein look at him in awe as Whitley wipes his mouth with a napkin before articulating his delight to Pietro.

Whitley: Thank you for the meal, Mr. Polendina. It was delicious.

Pietro: Uh, thank you, glad you like it. Honestly, I thought I’d given you a little too much but looks like it was just right.

He says while rubbing the back of his head, confused and impressed that such a skinny kid could eat so much. However, his confusion wanes as Whitley goes on.

Whitley: Actually, I’m still a bit peckish. Do you mind if I have another helping?

He asks politely, Pietro smiles and reaches over to grab the ladle from the pot. He knew his daughter had described the boy as princely but didn’t think he’d be this polite, especially since he was the from highest of the upper crust. But here he was, breaking bread and minding his manners in a little Mantle like a little gentleman. And being so sheepish over something as simple as asking for seconds at the dinner table? What a charming young man his sweet pea had fallen for.

Pietro: Of course you can, hold out your bowl!

Whitley has another bowl and a few more dinner rolls, after which he starts to feel lethargic but cozy from the first truly filling meal he’s had in ages. After they clear the table Pietro suggests he settles in on the couch for the night. Wanting to stay but also feeling guilty for inconveniencing his old friend Whitley looks to Klein who gives a reassuring nod.

Klein: My taxi should be arriving soon. I’ll be back to pick you up tomorrow.

He says happily before gathering his things and heading home. Now alone with the Polendinas, Whitley pulls the pillows to mon side and Penny brings him some blankets to keep him warm. They make a bed for him on the couch while Pietro makes a pot of hot chocolate and puts out some ginger snaps as dessert. He takes his holding and retires for the evening while the two love birds relax on the couch. Sipping on hot chocolate between bites of ginger snaps and watching tv with Penny by his side, the only thing that grounds the fact this is really happening to Whitley was the small aches from his sore body. Said sore body eventually calls out for rest in the form of a yawn. It’s a small yawn, surprisingly high-pitched and soft like a cat’s meow. Penny giggles at the cute sound and clears away the empty mugs and plate, giving Whitley space to lie down. He fluffs his pillows and tries to maneuver himself into a comfortable position. While washing the dishes Penny hears him tossing and turning and goes back to help him after putting every away. She grabs one of the blanks and covers him with it just as Whitley finally settles in. As she drapes the soft fabric over him Penny spots a hand-shaped bruise forming around his shoulder and collarbone between the open buttons of his shirt. A small twinge of guilt hits her as she wonders just how much Whitley had stuffed to be with her again.

Penny: I’m sorry we couldn’t give you better sleeping accommodations.

Whitley: It’s fine, it’s my fault for doing all this out of nowhere.

Penny: Still-

Penny reaches out and ghosting the tips of her fingers over the still-forming bruise.

Penny: you went through so much to get here.

She laments. Whitley notices her shifting mood, sighs and grabs her hand, pulling it up to his mouth and kissing her knocks. This stuns Penny out of her guilty thoughts and back to the reality of her love sitting before. Said love sits up and rests his forehead on hers as he intertwines their fingers again, not a hint of the cold, uncertainty, fear, or suffering from his long journey in sight. Instead, his gaze was filled with warmth and affection, all pointed at her and her alone.

Whitley: And I’d do it all again if it means I get to be here with you.

He declares lovingly before kissing Penny’s cheek and laying back down, hand still interlocked with hers. Penny stays with Whitley until he falls asleep. She knows they should’ve talked about how this happened and what to do next. About what happened in the alley before she showed up, what they’d do if his father found out he left the manor, and how they were going to keep in contact without getting caught. But that all could wait til morning, after breakfast they could talk about everything they needed to make sure this wasn’t a one-time thing. But for now, it was time to sleep and rest well in the comfort that despite all the odds against them their love had refused to die.

In the coldest kingdom on a dark rainy night, a unique love had faced every challenge in its path only to flourish beyond what anyone who witnessed it would have imagined. A true burning light in the sea of the city’s darkness.

cr c2 ep9

lucky bitch.

os ads do sam são hilários, pqp

acho que é esse o ep em que a laura berra irada I'M PREGNANT enquanto sai da mesa? lmao

feeling sad. good thing i have cr right

look at them cheating as a team, so wholesome

laura being competitive IS SO FUNNY

unpleasant one & obnoxious one

MARISHA E TALIESIN SE COMPLEMENTANDO AO BATEREM NA PORTA SOS THIS IS A REAL FAMILY

fjord master class in charisma - student: beauregard

HE SAID ENTHUSIASM!

kkkkkkkkkkkk dois botões, Nott!!

a focus ford

a tiny little fiesta

nott disfarçada de fjord TEM QUE TER NA ANIMAÇÃO

YAAAAAY MY BABY HAS ARRIVED and yasha is just there, in a hot tub, looking all cool as usual sigh so hot

[jester asking about molly's tattoos] what about the Prince Albert? KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

aw she's so sleepy poor baby

poor ashley whatever she goes is body tattoos [blindspot oi]

same, beau/marisha. same [thirsting over naked yasha]

we made 60 gold in 3 days nott: I STOLE 2 BUTTONS! yasha: oh... how nice... travis losing it:

it makes me sad that yasha doesn't count herself as part of the team, she keeps saying you and stuff, not being included ): SHE'S A MIGHTY NEIN TOO

OH OH OH THATS RIGHT YASHA IS A BARBARIAN AND ASHLEY STILL HAS NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO START WITH HER CUTE LITTLE I WOULD LIKE TO RAGE omg i'm gonna die evey time she's so freaking adorable

NOT NOTT LEARNING HOW TO SWIM LIKE A DOG FOR FUCKS SAKE LMFAO

the single most precious baby

THE ANNOYING MISTRESS..? THE KNOWING MISTRESS!

mds a yasha só não é pior que o caleb pq ela tenta kkkkkk cute baby

[yasha not feeling comfortable enough to talk about her religion] nott: we can see your vagina! dm:

AS A VICTIM OF CAMPAIGN ONE, IT HAS TO BE KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK yes everything is a milk bath

NO ONE FUCKING TOUCH ME

they go "hi" and "hi" to each other and taliesin whispers something to her and she comes close and they just

yasha: pretty spectacular that [the rucy of the sea] is your mother beau: she has her own single [LAURA SHAKING HER HEARD NO] KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK Ô CARALHO DE NOVO NAO

BEAU E FJORD MOM AND DAD DO GRUPO ENSINANDO A NOTT A MERGULHAR EU VOU MORRER DE AMOR

meanwhile nott volta debaixo d'água berrando que vai matar todo mundo

shoot your shot, beau

yasha: he [shakaste] called you baby a lot? beau: yeah i was kind of into it, i dind't feel demeaned by it. makes me feel good, makes me feel safe [no but same here pls]

gahd, it's good to see you [molly/taliesin pra yasha/ashley sou eu]

BEAUYASHA BOTH WAITING EVERY ONE TO GET OUT FIRST

askfjkfadkfkkkkdsjdsksksjaksjksk idiots]

laura: who gives up first? marisha: we're in hot tub chicken right now

yasha: i dont care to show anything, beau: NO? yasha: i just wanted to see everybody else naked first beau: it's kind of my thing ISTFG THESE TWO IDIOTS

yasha sai da água marisha pro dm: do i get a nice view? matt e ashley: yes PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER WOMAN

hihihih fjord doesnt want to be away from jester is that i'm getting here????

UGGHHH JESTER I LOVE YOU

yasha socially awkward such a baby

aff ashley e esse pirulito enorme vou mmt

omg are they gonna fight? IS SHE GONNA RAGE???

yasha: i sense a little sarcasm in you, sir dmpc: it's a dwarven thing. i've got resting bitch voice

YOU PEOPLE HAVE LESS THAN 30 MINUTES TO LET ME HAVE ASHLEY SAYING I'D LIKE TO RAGE. DO NOT FUCK THIS UP

it's not happening, is it? i'm gonna be so sad

laura looks like a proud mama

YOU KICKED HIS CAT INTO OBLIVION!!! dm: i didn't

jester by herself is already the cutest, but when she talks to the traveler.... ugh. too much

matt: will be going to kentucky marisha:

AND ASHLEY WILL BE BACK ON THE NEXT EPISODE!!! 10000% CHANCE SHE'LL SAY I WOULD LIKE TO RAGE[

everything hurts and i'm dying but i want more ashley i want more yasha i want more mighty nein

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

A ​Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas My rating: 1 of 5 stars be warned. spoilers ahead! This book made me like actually viscerally mad. The first thing I want to talk about is Nesta. I used to have mixed feelings about her, but now she’s my favorite character. Not even because she’s a good person or did anything extraordinary; everyone else SUCKS. I feel so bad for Nesta throughout the entirety of this novel. Before, she seemed so needlessly cruel, but now that I understand her better, it’s incredibly easy to relate and empathize with her. The way her family and ‘friends’ treat her is appalling. They let her stew in her PTSD for a whole year before finally deciding to do something about it—only after she gambled 500 gold pieces on drinking and gambling. According to the last book, Rhysand is super rich, so why was that the catalyst to make them act? Their decided method of helping Nesta is to tear down the rundown apartment building she’s living in….but what about the other tenants? Do they have to find somewhere else to live now, or are they homeless because their High Lord demolished their home to punish his mate’s sister? Every character’s hypocrisy made me want to fist-fight them all. Everyone babied Feyre when she was suffering through all her trauma from her time Under the Mountain, yet Nesta isn’t gifted the same courtesy. Since she’s more difficult to deal with, they decide to be harsher with her intervention. Not only do they tear down her home, but they give her two choices(which is not even a choice at all)—she can go back to the human world, where she would undoubtedly be shunned or killed by the humans because they hate faeries or she can essentially be a prisoner in this magical house with another man who has been lusting after her since he met her. Never mind that while she’s living there, she’s forced to go to an incredibly sexist war camp where they clip women’s wings and see them as nothing more than broodmares. Nesta is also detoxing from copious amounts of drinking, and considering the faeries can get hangovers, I would assume that Nesta is going through severe withdrawal. Yet she’s forced to do these rigorous exercises anyway. Like, sorry, that’s not how you get someone sober. They lock this poor girl in this house that’s legit, like on the top of a mountain or something, and there are 10000 stairs leading down to the bottom. And Nesta, who is withdrawing and incredibly out of shape, physically cannot walk down those stairs. But she’s so desperate to get out, so she starts forcing herself to do it anyway. Meanwhile, as she diligently works on those stairs, she’s slowly conditioned to like living in the magical house. The house is sentient, and her friend. It gives her anything she wants. It provides her with food and romance novels to read. She’s also trapped with Cassian, who has been thirsting after Nesta. They naturally get into this weird sexual relationship when Nesta has no business having sex with anyone right now, considering she was using sex with strangers as another coping method for all the sexual trauma she already has. (It’s revealed a past suitor attempted to rape her, and I think there was another instance.) By the time she makes it down those stairs and steps outside into the open air…she doesn’t want to leave. She turns right around and goes back up the stairs. Like, that sounds like Stockholm syndrome to me. It’s written to indicate that Nesta realizes she doesn’t have to drink, but there are more things in the city to do than drink! There’s that whole Rainbow art district…Nesta likes music; she likes art. Why not see that as a reward for walking down 10,000 steps? But no, she’d rather go bone Cassian and his monster schlong. This whole book is a gross narrative on healing and PTSD. I don’t understand Nesta’s interest in super smutty novels. It’s weird to me that a bunch of women who have trauma caused by men(2/3 of these women have sexual trauma from men) would want to read a bunch of novels with graphic sex with men. It doesn’t compute. Like, I would want nothing to do with men at all. I’d want time and space away from men so that I can heal. You’d think these women would like to focus on something other than sex so they can recover, but no, this SJM doesn’t understand the concept of a time and place for things. The times the characters choose to have sex make no sense to me. Rhys and Feyre bone immediately after ruining Nesta’s life lmao. Cassian makes Nesta hike for five days and five nights as punishment until she passes out and has an emotional breakdown because she hates herself. Cassian also makes her carry this super heavy pack and claims he can’t do it because of his wings, yet Emerie can take Gwyn on her back when her wings are disfigured—so he’s full of crap. But anywho, after Nesta breaks down, Cassian and Nesta bone for two days beside the lake instead of comforting her like a normal person. Because…that is entirely logical. It would seem that SJM was looking for any reason to heap sexual trauma onto Nesta. There was the thing with Tomas. The kelpie that appeared just to attempt to rape Nesta. Lanthys showing Nesta a vision of them having graphic sex. Rhys guilting Nesta into seducing Eris on the dance floor. Nesta gets forced to participate in the Blood Rite and is almost assaulted several times there….like, why is all of this needed? Next, let’s talk about Cassian. I used to like him until I read this book. He cannot look at Nesta without wanting to bone her, and it’s gross. It is possible for a man to not only think about a woman because they want to sleep with her, like my god. Cassian looks at Nesta when she is severely malnourished and underweight, and he thinks about how skinny she is, but damn, does she have some big titties and a fat ass that he wants to worship? (Literally, how?) Nesta says she’s not interested in Cassian in the book’s first half. The readers know she’s lying, but Cassian doesn’t, yet he continues to lust after her. All the faeries can smell when they’re turned on; it’s gross. People are getting horny in political meetings where things are meant to be serious, but we’re just constantly told how horny these faeries are. I shouldn’t be surprised that all of these love interests can’t understand the meaning of ‘no’ at this point. Cassian tells Nesta that everyone hates her, that he didn’t ask to be ‘shackled’ to her, and makes her go on that torture hike…like, I’m sorry, Cassian is as bad as Rhys. He gets borderline violent if Nesta says anything negative about precious perfect Rhys. Yet he never defends Nesta, his mate, half as much as he does with Rhysand. Also, he’s 500 years old but can only do a 5-minute plank—weak sauce. Also, I want to say about the sex scenes--SJM, IT IS OKAY TO USE THE WORD CLIT. The word cock is used plenty. For the love of god, stop calling it a bundle of nerves and call it what it is. Why is she incapable of using the word vagina? If you want to get nasty about it, call it a cunt. But if I have to read about a bundle of nerves one more time, I will lose it. Also, my toes have never curled when I get turned on. Never. The whole edging thing they had going on forever was so juvenile and tiresome. I don't care about Cassian's big fat cock, okay? Next, I’ve got to talk about Morrigan. She was essentially useless in this book, but her minor parts made me dislike her even more than ACOWAR did. SJM also seems to have forgotten entirely about the random bisexuality plot device she created around Morrigan. The way she treats Nesta is so horrible. She wants to throw Nesta into the Hewn City and condemn her to the fate that Morrigan herself would have had. You would think she wants to protect women who have gone through a similar trauma as she has but nope. It shows that she is no better than the people she thinks she is so above. Then there's Amren. Nesta had to bow down and beg Amren's forgiveness, which made me sick. Amren is slut shaming and body-shaming Nesta constantly. Amren tells Nesta she's not worthy of her power. Amren became utterly useless when Rhysand snatched away her sacrifice. Amren is nothing more than a sex toy for Varian now. She is powerless and pointless. SJM has a habit of making her women characters useless; it would seem. Feyre has been reduced to a housewife. It showed in the last book and is even more prevalent here. I knew the second Rhys had that shield around her; she was pregnant. How did she get pregnant so fast? I thought it was supposed to be incredibly difficult for High Fae to procreate? Yet it only took like seven months for Feyre to get pregnant? She is just the MOST SPESHUL EVER. How dare she not have a single picture of Nesta in her house and make Nesta feel like she has to earn a spot? I hate how they all make Nesta think she has to work to be deserving of their love and friendship. This is the character that I hate the most, so hold onto your horses, guys. This is going to be a wild ride. I HATE Rhysand. I have hated him since ACOTAR, and I hate him even more now. He can suck Cassian's huge schlong for all I care. Everyone kisses the ground he walks on like he is a gift to this earth, but he's a big steaming pile of donkey poo in my eyes. One of our first introductions is him twisting Feyre's broken arm bone until she agrees to enter a bargain with him. Great introduction, but okay. The way he treats Nesta is absolute trash. I hate how he regards her as this toxic threat without taking the time to understand or know her. Like why is Elain so much better than Nesta in his eyes? He says, "I can forgive Elain because she's soft and uwu, but I can't forgive Nesta because she stands up to me" That's it. That's the reason. He doesn't like women who stand up to him. Feyre barely stands up to him, but it's hot because he'll bone her later until she agrees with him. Why does he think Feyre is so much better than Nesta? One of the fundamental differences between Feyre and Elain vs Nesta is that the former were both given their power. They didn't earn it. Feyre was given every power ever because she's the most SPESHUL, and now she's the most SPESHUL High Lady with the most SPESHUL High Lord mate and the most SPESHUL baby. Elain was given the gift of Sight because she's soft and uwu. Nesta clawed and fought tooth and nail for her power and her strength. But it's constantly overshadowed by Rhys and Feyre and how amazing and perfect they are. Rhys and Feyre got into this monster fight because he kept it a secret from her for almost a year that they were mates. And now, yet again, he thinks he has the right to hold the fact that giving birth will kill her. That is her body. That is her life. Their stupid suicide pact is so DUMB. But Rhys thinking he has the right to keep that a secret from her shows how little he’s learned. And then them having a vote on whether to tell Nesta about her power...and him having the audacity to threaten to kill her when she tells her sister the truth. His whole 'you always have a choice' mantra is fake. Oh, you can either go to the human lands where you'll have nothing and no one and most likely get killed, OR you can be imprisoned in this house with the one dude who's been thirsting after you since the beginning while training in a sexist war camp against your will. Also, you will be forcefully dried out from alcohol while being made to do these rigorous exercises because that makes a lot of sense. Then it's, oh well, either you can scry or the sister you would sell your body for can scry. And your sister got kidnapped the last time you scried, but you know it's your choice. Then it's, oh, either YOU can seduce Eris even though you have more sexual trauma than anyone in the book aside from Morrigan, OR we can have sweet, perfect Elain seduce Eris. WHAT IS IT GONNA BE, NESTA? WHAT CHOICE ARE YOU GONNA MAKE? I like the friendship between Gwyn, Emerie and Nesta. I like that they all learn to defend themselves, and I like that they win the Blood Rite, but at the same time, they should not have won the Blood Rite. It makes no sense that they achieved something that takes all these super-strong warriors years and years to train for. Sure, it's empowering, but logically it doesn't make sense. Also, WHY did they all have to be dropped into the Rite in nothing but skimpy nightgowns? Here's a little section for things I was annoyed by. •"Round-spiky-ball-on-a-chain"--CALL IT A MORNING STAR DUDE. •SJM has three insults she likes to rotate through. Prick, busybody, and asshole. Sometimes bitch is thrown in for fun if she's feeling wild. •Emerie says to Nesta that it's "nice to meet another female not obsessed with baby-making", but by the end of the book, Nesta has changed her anatomy so that she can bear an Illyrian baby without dying. big LOL •FAERIES HAVE ALLERGIES? I'm sorry, faeries in most lore are usually NATURE SPIRITS. It is asinine to have faeries allergic to the very thing they’re meant to commune with. Also, like you would think, being in a LAND OF FAERIES, they would eat something other than roast chicken and vegetables all the time. Where are the fun faerie foods? The faerie drinks? What period is this? I have no idea if this is meant to be like the middle ages or the 1800s. Toilets and lace undergarments exist? They wear high-waisted pants and crop tops and leggings and like ugg boots. I don't understand anything. Nyx is such a stupid name. I despise Nesta giving up her magic to let Rhys, Feyre and Nyx live. Like, are you KIDDING me? She was so cool, but nobody can be as cool as Rhys or as SPESHUL as Feyre. And then, the book ends with Cassian and Nesta getting married after their super messed up relationship for only three months. Personally, Gwyn and Nesta would’ve made a better couple than Cassian and Nesta. View all my reviews

Ways to Secretly Find Your Wife’s Ring Size & Surprise Her

We know it’s darn difficult to find ring size secretly, we have all been there. The time when you want to buy her a ring or maybe propose to her and you just don’t know the ring size. As if buying surprise gifts for wives wasn’t already hard (it’s so difficult to get her to like what I buy for her and we end up exchanging most stuff – clothes, accessories and everything), now we have to deal with the size issue. And the ring size problem is a real one because it actually matters a lot to get fit right. When it comes to clothes, you could just pick any old one from her closet and match the size. Not so easy with rings though as the sizes start from 5/6 and go up to 30 (well honestly, most have a ring size between 8-16).  

Ring Size Basics

We are going to lay down some relatively easy ways for you to find her ring size secretly. But before I get to the actual task at hand, let me just give you a quick and short refresher course on ring sizes. This will bring you up to speed because I know, men like you and me are not really good with all the jewellery stuff (I am kidding, I am really good at all this). So let me start from the start – rings (gold, diamond or just imitation rings) come in two forms – size dependent and free-size. While most low-end costume jewellery rings are designed to be free size (one size fits all) given the ease in selling and reducing returns, most real diamond rings (precious rings) tend to be size-dependent.  

Size-dependent Rings

These size-dependent rings are made in one of the many available sizes, making it possible to make rings for any and every finger. Before we start to understand actual sizes, you must know that most countries follow a different size nomenclature and that makes things slightly difficult. Usually, you need to know the brand you are buying from and which country’s size nomenclatures they refer to. This makes international ring shopping a little tricky and that is why we have covered this topic under our international ring size guide blog.

Since our brand is focused on Indian consumers, we will use examples from the Indian ring size system. Now that we know different countries/regions may follow different size nomenclature, you need to know that all these different nomenclatures can be converted between each other. So, let’s say you know the Indian size, you can convert that to the US size and vice versa. Within the Indian size nomenclature, sizes typically start from 5 and go up to 35. In my 8 years of experience as the founder of Krsala, we have never made a ring size above 33. After making more than 10000 rings, the law of averages tells us that –  

60% of women have a ring size between 11-16

50% of men have a ring size between 17-21

Further, the absolute most common ring sizes are  

Women – 12,13,14

Men – 18,19,20

The third thing after knowing the nomenclature and the size is – you need to know which finger you are measuring.  

Which Finger Should I Find the Ring Size For?

That’s a technicality that is often ignored by most online guides providing ways of finding the ring size secretly. Humans have 10 fingers and all of them may have different sizes. Both of your thumbs may have different sizes, and so on. I know you are getting the drift. So even before you begin the adventure of finding her ring size, know what finger she’ll wear that ring on. I will break this down for you based on the ring type and the most popular fingers (warning: check with your grandmom if the same is true for your culture) –

Engagement rings – left hand, ring finger (for women) | right hand, ring finger (for men) – and I know you will ask me what the heck is the ring finger. I know this question can come to your mind because during the first 2 years of Krsala, I handled customer support and we got this question a lot. So, the ring finger is the finger next to the pinky finger (Don’t even ask)

Cocktail rings – cocktail rings are statement rings, that usually have a large-sized design at the top face. Worn usually on the right hand, index finger.  

Midi rings – any hand, any finger but they need to be worn midway between the tip of your finger and the first knuckle.  

Wedding bands or couple bands – same principles as engagement rings

Thumb rings – need I say more?  

Casual everyday rings – Any finger except the ring finger because obviously, most people do not want to signal that they are married unless they really are.

Ways to Find Ring Size Secretly

I know I have already taken too much time to get to the point. I have a habit of over-explaining things and that gets in the way of it. Let’s move on. You are here because you wish to find her ring size in the most clandestine manner and not spoil the surprise for her. These ways are not error-proof but they are great to get you started. We will start with the easiest and the most accurate ways. Let’s go

Grab Her Existing Ring & Measure It

For this method to work, you would need a ring that fits her. All you need to do then is grab the ring and measure it online.  

Voila, you will have an accurate ring size. If this feels like too much work and if you don’t have a desktop or laptop (as this guide needs you to be working from a computer screen) then you can read on for the next ways.  

Take Help – Ask Her Sister, Bestie or Mom

Your next best bet is asking her sister, bestie or her mom for help. Women usually tend to shop a lot together and they would be knowing each other’s sizes or at least have a pretty decent idea. This way of finding the ring size secretly works only if the other person that you ask can keep this a secret. If she can’t keep it to her, it’s best to avoid asking altogether.  

If your wife is really close with her sister, that can be the best way because families love it when these things happen and they would usually be equally invested in making the surprise plan work flawlessly for the sake of her sister’s happiness. With family’s help, small things like finding the ring size secretly won’t be a big problem we feel.

Measure Her Size While She Sleeps

At first, this sounds outrageous but most men do actually resort to this tactic of finding the ring size without her knowing. This might backfire badly if she is not a deep sleeper so just take care of that. Also, this is not one of the most accurate ways of measuring the ring size as it involves you marking a piece of paper by wrapping it around her finger. Her sleep movements might not allow you to mark it accurately.  

For the sake of this discussion, let’s assume you are able to do it perfectly and then this is how you need to do it –  

Take a 10 cm x 1 cm long piece of paper  

Keep a pen handy

Wrap the paper around the first knuckle of her finger

Mark the paper at the point where the one end of the paper intersects with the rest of the paper

Leave the room (really)

Take a ruler and measure the marking from the end of the paper which you used earlier

Use that measurement (in millimeters, mm) – this is her ring size circumference.  

Convert that circumference into the ring size using this chart – International ring size conversion chart  

Conclusion

It’s not easy to plan something like this after considering the amount of effort required, so first pat yourself on the back for doing this. This is what relationships are made of, this is what the two of you will relish for a long time. She will undoubtedly adore you for simply trying to make this perfect – even if you fail to get the right size.  

If you need any help in picking the ring design or the right size, our jewellery specialists are here to guide you and make the whole thing a lot easier for you.

!!!! 59 + 199 +88 for Mingi please (she/her) + FLUFFFFF + neighbors? You're the best 10000 gold stars for you.

Feels Romantic | SMG

Member: Mingi x fem!reader

Genre: Fluffy smut 🔞

Words: 817

Prompt(s):

59. “Don’t be afraid. It’s just me.”

98. “Tell me what you want.”

199. “Choose me.”

Drabble game is still open!

A bright flash outside your window during a storm didn't concern you, but the loud crack of thunder immediately after has you jumping in your bed with a yelp. The lights in your apartment go out, and you hear the steady hums of your appliances turn into silence. You’re grateful that you had enough foresight to light a few candles a couple minutes ago.

Sitting in the dark alone isn’t really how you want to spend your night, so you reach for your phone to call your friend to at least have someone to talk to. Before you press the call button there’s a knock at your front door that startles you.

You scurry through your apartment with your phone’s flashlight and peek through the peephole to find your neighbor that you haven’t spoken to since your friend yelled that you think he’s hot in your apartment with paper-thin walls. You can barely make out his face in the dim light coming from a backup light in the hallway. Collecting yourself, you open the door and don’t bother with an official greeting.

“Mingi, you scared the shit out of me.”

He chuckles, “Don’t be afraid. It’s just me. I heard you yell and came to see if you were okay.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I wasn’t expecting the thunder to be so loud. I was about to call a friend, so I wouldn’t be alone,” you ramble.

“No,” he interrupts with a grin, “Choose me. I’m better company.”

“Oh...” You feel like a deer in headlights and don’t know how to react. There’s no way he didn’t hear your friend the other day yet he’s acting like it never happened. He must be the kind of person to not want to embarrass you for it. If it isn’t brought up, it never happened and you’re in the clear, right?

As you get lost in your own thoughts, he gives you a look with raised, questioning eyebrows. Realizing you’re taking too long to respond, you quickly open your door wider to let him inside. You mentally kick yourself while shutting the door. Can you just be normal, at least while he’s here?

You turn to see nothing in the darkness. Fuck.

 “I’ll go move my candles to the living room,” you assure.

“No, it’s fine. We can chill in there.”

A silence falls over you as you internally freak out.

“Wait, I didn’t mean to invite myself into your room. I just didn’t want you to move them and accidentally burn yourself.”

You laugh, noting the panic in his voice. “I get it. I don’t mind hanging out in there.”

What the hell are you even saying? Your heart is beating so fast, and your stomach feels weird from how nervous you’ve become. It’s too late to take it back now, so you begin to walk to your room but accidentally bump into him. His hand finds your wrist and gently holds onto you.

“Sorry, I can’t see anything and don’t know where we’re going,” he apologizes.

“You’re fine. Just follow me,” you say and before you try to head to your room again, his hand naturally slips into yours, interlocking your fingers. He probably has noticed how sweaty your hands are. It might be best if you just ran out of your apartment right now and never return.

Inside your room, the warm, flickering flames wash a dull glow over the two of you, and holy shit is Mingi handsome in this light.

“Feels romantic,” he comments, looking around at the candles.

Realizing he caught you off guard again, he blurts out, “Wait, no- I’m running out of feet to put in my mouth.”

His weird statement makes you laugh, partly soothing your anxiety.

“Sorry, I’m nervous,” he adds.

“Why are you nervous?”

Something clicks in his eyes, and a small grin hints at the corners of his mouth. He steps closer as one of his hands cradles your cheek, the other still holding yours. You swallow thickly at the shrinking space between you.

“You look beautiful this light,” he softly speaks before capturing your lips in a kiss. Your hand squeezes his, and his thumb soothingly brushes over your knuckle. When he pulls back, his eyes stay on your lips. “I’ve wanted to do that since you moved in.”

You don’t know what comes over you for you to wrap your arms around his neck and bring him back to your lips, to which he fervently returns the kiss. He guides you back until the backs of your knees meet your mattress. Your small gasp at the contact causes him to pause.

“We can stop. Tell me what you want,” he muses.

“You.” The soft yet confident voice that comes out of you is unfamiliar.

He exhales a quiet laugh through his nose and kisses you one more time before helping you onto your bed.

Can I request a scenario with Kuroo, Bokuto, and Kageyama where their s/o is getting harassed by some creep but when their s/o stands up for herself, they're thinking " oh thank god I don't need to kill anyone". BUT when the creep lays a hand on her, all bets are off and they just punch the dude in the face!Cause there's jealousy and then there's pure protective rage!!!

S/O Who is Getting Harassed w/ Kuroo, Bokuto, and Kageyama 

Warnings: cursing, mild nsfw themes

--------------------------------------------

Kuroo

“Kitten, I’m waiting~” 

“Keep it in your pants for a second, will you?” You laugh, your shoulder supporting your cellular device as you hold it up to your ear, shuffling around in your bag to find your wallet with your occupied hands. “I still cannot believe you put me in charge of ice cream duty.” 

“It was to prove that me calling you up in the middle of the night means cuddles and anime!”

“So not a dick appointment?” You joke as your finished getting rung out, the woman behind the counter giving you a strange look as you flinch at the fact that you had actually said that in front of another person as Kuroo’s laughter is heard audibly at the other end of the call. Bowing deeply in apology, you rush out of the convenience store as you breathe in the air of the late-night soothingly to calm your embarrassment. 

“I’m gonna come to meet you halfway, alright kitty?” 

“In your car?” 

“No, in a fucking spaceship. Yes, in my car.” 

You roll your eyes, a smile still on your face as you begin your trek in the desired direction as your sassy boyfriend seemed to be getting impatient. 

“I can just skip and not meet you for this appointment you know-” 

“It’s nOT A-” 

You hum in satisfaction as you end the call, walking along the street in search of Kuroo’s vehicle when an instant feeling of being watched sends a shiver down your back. Your hands straighten your clothes as you glance behind you, unsurprised yet uneasy at the sight of a man seeming to stare you down, eyes raking shamelessly upon your figure. 

Kuroo’s brows furrow as soon as he turns the corner, not having parked far as he sees you looking behind you worriedly, seeming to engage in a uneasy conversation with the stranger before you. 

The greasy grin on said stranger’s face had Kuroo’s feet moving before he could think, but the captain stills when he sees you scoff, crossing your arms heatedly at whatever he had said. Now within a hearing range, Kuroo smirks as he leans against the wall as you tell the creep off, hands finding home in the pockets of his red jacket. 

“Can you maybe go crawl back into whatever dump you and your nasty-ass teeth came from?” 

Kuroo’s grin only widens as you roll your eyes and walk past him seeming to be fearless, even shoving your shoulder against his in the process as Kuroo goes to call out to you to enforce the leave of that creep immediately- 

“You bitch!” 

but red flooded his vision as soon as a hand was lain on your bare shoulder, spinning you around roughly as an audible squeak of fear and surprise slips your lips, reeling his arm back- 

And then Kuroo’s feet were really moving. 

Kuroo shoved the guy off you with a snarl on his features, eyes spinning dangerously as your boyfriend delivers a sharp knee to his stomach, sending your attacker to the ground in less than a minute. The smile that spread on Kuroo’s lips was anything but kind as he lifted the now fearful man up a few inches by the shirt, mock-kindness in his eyes. 

“I’m sorry, care to repeat that for me again?” The polite words held such a menacing edge as Kuroo grit his teeth, feeling you place a hand on his back soothingly. 

“Kuroo, let’s go.” 

“No. Someone’s gotta teach this prick what happens when people lay their hands on my girl.” Kuroo lets go of his shirt, grinning when he hits his head on the street before lifting him back up again, ignoring his groan of pain. “And that someone’s gonna be me.” 

“Tetsurou.” 

Kuroo groans at your strict tone as if you had interrupted his playtime, fist unclenching around the stranger’s shirt as he makes a hasty escape, tripping himself over in the process before dashing away. 

“Look at me listening to you, princess.” 

Kuroo’s eyes held a pissed-off edge to them as he takes a strand of your hair, running his fingers through it before kissing the strand with closed eyes. Your mouth goes dry when his cat-like eyes open again, staring at you as if you were his favorite posession before cupping your face, leaning closer with a grin that wasn’t happy. 

“Just how tight do you have me wrapped around your little finger?” 

You clear your throat, shifting in place as the moon seems to illuminate Kuroo’s stare, feeling his eyes bore into you as the strand slips from his fingers, his breath beginning to mix with your own.

“Tight enough, apparently.” 

“Just... come cuddle and watch anime with me?” 

“Yeah, we’ll have our appointment, whatever- but kiss me first.” 

And so he did, anger fading away in the movement of his lips against yours, draining away completely when he feels your smile against his.  

Even if it wasn’t an appointment. 

Bokuto

“Bo, I’ll be fine, I promise!” 

“Do you pinky promise?” 

“I- there’s like a 7% chance something will happen to me in the five minutes you’re gone.” 

“That’s 6.9% too much.” 

“Bo, I’m hungry.” You whine, grinning as you win the argument that was hardly an argument, seeing Bokuto’s eyes widen a little in worry before puffing his cheeks out, spinning on his heel in the direction of your desired food stand. 

“You win this one!” 

“I usually do!” You call back, shaking your head at Bokuto’s protective tendencies. A rare off day the two of your shared had wound the two of you at the mall, a day’s worth of shopping sitting at your feet as your golden-eyed boyfriend bought you lunch from the food court. You hummed, scrolling on your phone as you patiently waited until the sound of someone clearing their throat caused you to lift your head. 

Well, looks like you’re going to need to recalculate that percentage. 

“Someone as pretty as you should never be sitting alone in a place like this, hm?” 

“I’m not alone, though!” You chirp fakely, unknowingly causing the boy to press on, taking the seat that was reserved for your spiker boyfriend as you blanch. 

“Nice excuse, sweetheart- but that won’t work on me.” 

You clench your jaw, praying Bokuto wouldn’t return just yet and throw a fit you knew he was bound to throw as you offer a strained smile at the smirking boy. 

“I’m actually waiting for somebody-” 

“I don’t see them, though?” 

Bokuto stills, hands tightening around the tray holding your food subconciously at the scene before him, scenarios drifting through his head on what approach would make you the least mad at him. Cursing him out? Perhaps spiking the lunch tray at his head? That is, until- 

“Do you not understand what waiting means, or does nothing occupy that space between your ears?” 

“Feisty.” 

“Grow the hell up.” You plaster a smile as you flick him off, crossing one leg over the other for effect, causing your pursuer to rise to his feet in a now ticked-off manner as Bokuto grins, eyebrows raising in surprise. 

The grin fades as the asshole uses his thumb and forefinger to pinch your cheeks together harshly, the uncomfort apparent on your expression as you glare heatedly up at him, a crowd beginning to form. 

“Pretty girl with a dirty mouth, huh? That can be arranged-” 

A tap on the shoulder. 

“Do you know what else can be arranged?” 

“Who the hell-” 

He never gets to finish his sentence as Bokuto grabs him by the shoulder, ripping him off you and reeling his own arm back before delivering a punch so hard to the guy’s jaw you swear you could hear a few cracks. The crowd was definitely beginning to get bigger as Bokuto pays no mind, cracking his knuckles as the guy who put his hands on you looks up into the golden eyes of a pissed-off ace, the grin on Bokuto’s face borderline deadly as gold begins to darken. 

“Who am I?” A humorless chuckle that could have been almost considered kind. Bokuto tilts his head innocently as he ignores the bruising on his knuckles, leaning down to ask an equally innocent question. 

“Take a fucking guess.” 

You gasp at the headbutt delivered next, causing your pursuer to groan and fall backwards, Bokuto unfazed before realizing you were now holding him back before grabbing your hand, collecting your bags and your food in a hurry as he tugs you along, ignoring the flash of the cameras and gasps of the crowd. You have to hold him back from turning around for more in your effort to leave. 

“Just one more punch-” 

“Trust me, that was plenty.” 

It isn’t until you reach the parking lot when Bokuto finally stops, holding your hand so tightly it almost feels icy numb, not knowing what to say as his golden eyes turn to you, as if he was trying to hold his anger back. You hear him drop all the bags he’s holding as you hug him quickly, burying your face in his chest as the ace immediately relaxes. 

“God, stop being so pretty.” He finally mumbles into your hair, and you let out a laugh of relief as he calms down. 

“Right. So maybe not 7%-” 

“Y/N?” 

“Yes, Bo?” 

“Never leave my sight, please?” Your heartstrings tug at the crack in his voice, now determined to prevent his emo mode on your day off. 

“That’s a lot to promise.” You find yourself whispering back, pulling back a little to cup his face gently as Bokuto’s forehead touches yours. “But I’m so thankful you showed up when you did. You know what I can promise, though?” 

You smile at Bokuto’s head tilt, feeling the ace impatiently trace his lips along your neck as you giggle, feeling the atmosphere lighten as Bokuto pouts when you pull back with a question- 

“Car sex?” 

Bokuto’s pout is replaced with an excited grin, for this boy worships your body 10000%. 

“I thought you’d never ask, baby! Get in for the ride of your life!!” 

“Just because I feel bad for your bruised knuckles- I’ll let that pun slide.” 

Bokuto smirks as he kisses your forehead, winking at you through the window after closing the car door for you as the day’s events already begin to fade- 

being replaced with something much more important. 

Kageyama 

“...you sure you’re okay?” 

“Of course I’m okay! Why wouldn’t I be? I’m dandy.” Kageyama snaps, causing Hinata to back off with both arms raised in the air as a sign of meaning no harm. The blue-eyed boy grits his teeth from his spot on the sidelines of the court, pissed that the game was starting and he had no way of defending you from the creep sitting by you in the stands. 

Kageyama relaxes a little when he sees you switch seats with an offering Kenma, thankful for his fellow setter for once as his blue eyes meet your bright ones. 

The tension in his face and body drains at your smile, mouthing an I’m okay, do your best! as Kageyama returns his focus to the match just as it starts. Knowing he can’t lose concentration, especially when you’re watching, is hard- considering you were wearing his jersey number and the shortest skirt he had ever seen on you- a promise for something special you had mentioned if he won today’s match. 

He had a little bit of a clue what that could be. 

The match went smoothly with your genius-setter boyfriend playing at his top-game for a reason no one would ever pinpoint as you can’t help but giggle from the secret behind his determination today. 

What you were wearing was for him, but a certain someone didn’t seem to understand that. 

Kenma cast you a worried glance as he raises from his seat as he looks amongst the filled seats, trying to find one for you to sit in as he has to go start to warm up. 

“Y/N-san, what if you go to the other side?” 

“I’ll be fine, Kenma!” You assure him, ignoring the smirk of the guy who had previously started to talk you up. “I’ll probably go stand at the railing.” 

“Mm. That’s probably best- stay safe.” Kenma nods, sparing a warning glance to the scum next to him as if to enunciate his point before taking his leave as you walk up to the railing that was mostly unoccupied. You cheer for Kageyama as he scores quick after quick, thinking you were now in a safe manner. 

But you weren’t. 

Kageyama tilts his bottle upside down to drink down the liquid as soon as the match’s victors are declared Karasuno, the raven-haired boy wiping his mouth as he scans the crowds for you and your expected cheering form for his win, but what he saw had the setter moving quickly despite the ache in his legs. His teammates look on in worry before realizing the situation from a distance. 

“Please leave me alone, sir, I came for one of the players today-” 

“Why have one of these boys when you can have a real man?” 

Kageyama jogs into hearing distance- stopping at the rare, cold edge your tone took on before starting again. 

“Did you not hear what the hell I said, or are you hard of hearing you old geezer?” You keep your smile on, failing to notice the familiar raven-haired boy beginning to deadass climb the railing. “And real men leave girls alone when they ask.” 

“Come on, play nice~” 

You barely have time to flinch when his hand goes up your skirt, and it’s suddenly gone as soon as it does. 

Kageyama was surprisingly calm as he pins the man to the railing, blue eyes spinning with an emotion you had hardly seen before as he holds both hands behind the guy’s back, using his other hand to bow his head down to the ground. 

“Just where the hell do you think you’re touching?” Kageyama seethes as you smile at his sweaty appearance, seeing the man struggle as the rest of the Karasuno team jogs up to the stands as a commotion begins to break out, Suga asking if you’re okay as Daichi and Asahi both take the pervert from Kageyama before the setter can do something rash- 

“Oh, before you take him-” 

You flinch when Kageyama reels his fist back to clock him right in the nose, gasps filling the stands as Kageyama wipes the blood off his knuckles with the end of his jersey, whistling lowly at the cuts on his fist. 

“Alright. You can take him now.” 

Kageyama ignores the scold of his captain as he grabs you by the forearm, tugging you away as you wave a hasty goodbye to Suga as you follow him all the way into the empty hall, spinning you around so he can hold your wrists together with one hand.

“I’m really, really pissed.” Kageyama whispers, blue eyes hardened as you swallow when your back touches the wall, your eyes darting everywhere but on him. “Do you mind?” 

“D-Do I mind what?” You stutter when the setter’s lips touch your neck, sending chills down your spine when he speaks against it, his own hand sliding up your thigh. 

“Use my anger in the little reward you promised me?” 

You laugh out loud, taking a handful of his raven hair before tugging it back with a smile on your features, kissing him sweetly with other intentions. 

“Get me alone first, dummy. Good job on winning!” 

“And-” Kageyama’s voice drops an octave, uncaring of anyone entering the hall as his other hand slides up under his jersey that was adorning your body. 

“I want to cover anything that bastard might have left on you.” 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

General works: @takemetovalhalla @savemesteeb @kasandrafaye @dreebbles @yams046

im on volume 2 of spider-gwen and i'm reading 100% for murderdock pls tell me truths you perceive about him i humbly request u give me your best murderdock headcanons

OH BOY UHHHHH YEET HERE WE GO:

he’s covered in freckles. just absolutely loaded with freckles. I know this isn’t shown in the comic but I feel it in my heart. he’s also hairier than he looks.

his eyes are brown [which is actually seen later on, but I’m putting them here anyway because it’s important to note considering 616 matt has blue eyes in the comics] and he’s right-handed but taught himself to be ambidextrous mostly to drive the nuns crazy when he used his “improper” left hand. [and 616 matt is left-handed] when I draw him based on NMCU matt, I part his hair the opposite way and also he’s 2 inches taller than regular!matt putting him at 6 ft — this may or may not be because he was nurtured more under the Hand than regular!matt ever was.

he likes to go by matthew. not matt, or matty. full names are kind of his thing, though he dishes out nicknames for everyone else.

he grew up in the orphanage and lived in a dorm at Catholic school, but unlike regular!matt he was seen as a perfect angel who could do no wrong. everyone pitied him and his hard life. everyone let him get out of trouble scot-free. he brown-nosed everyone he could to get what he wanted. of course, he was actually a chaotic little demon coming up with elaborate pranks and skipping class to get high under the stairs but he never took the blame for anything he did. he’s been a manipulative mastermind since DAY ONE.

he was 10000% a theatre kid. like, always getting the lead part in the musical, stuck-up, holier-than-thou kind of theatre kid. he can sing, he can dance, he can act his heart out and put tears in your eyes — and everyone ate it up because he’s the poor little orphan blind boy! and look how talented he is! [big headcanon he played Valjean in Les Mis] he was also big into speech & debate for obvious reasons. he loves going to Broadway performances and is also partial to drag shows. he thinks drag queens [and kings] are the funniest people on the planet.

because he was fully trained by the Hand, I think his senses are actually better honed and more controllable than regular!matt’s. this is why he can wear strongly-scented cologne and occasionally smoke without making himself ill, and go to clubs without blowing his eardrums out.

like any poisonous animal, he wears bright colors and garish patterns, though he prefers shades of red and only wears gold metal. he has his suits tailored, and almost always wears silk shirts underneath them; the only other thing he ever wears are [red and gold] silk robes when he’s at home. Tom Ford quivers before him.

he’s shamelessly bisexual but prefers men, and he’ll run a blade through anyone who dares to judge him for it. [and despite how controlling he is, he actually is a bottom most of the time]

he likes to be barefoot because he can feel minute vibrations and get a “clearer” picture around him in a larger radius. also it lets him move quieter, which he enjoys so he can sneak up on people like some terrible phantom. And it’s just a plain power move in front of people during board meetings, especially when he sits on the table itself. feral bastard energy. no one can say boo to him about it.

after he became kingpin and got all the riches and power along with it, he converted a church into a luxury loft so that he could live and work out of this very imposing stone fortress with gorgeous stained glass windows and also be as blasphemous as possible. when he calls people in for one-on-one meetings he sits at his desk in the dark with nothing but the light through the stained glass to illuminate him. it’s about the ~theatrics.~

he’s a food snob, let’s be real. he wines and dines at the nicest spots in the city, or makes them do his dishes to-go so that he can sit and eat them on top of a roof or a bridge, overseeing his kingdom in peace. also bc he’s just weird like that. his favorite food is szechuan.

I could make...... an entire post..... just about sexual headcanons for him but I’m gonna spare you those for now unless someone wants them fhdjfjdkss

also a personal headcanon unrelated to the comics but.... he’s married to e-65 eddie brock in my heart and soul, twin to elsa brock. they grew up as high school sweethearts but parted ways to protect him after the Hand imposed a rule that he must kill his first love to prove himself, and spent college apart when eddie moved across the country. eddie moved back to NYC in adulthood and essentially became the wesley to his kingpin; who better to accompany him than a personal symbiote bodyguard? he can kill AND he can clean up the scene. [and this is all in a fic that I can link in another post!]

ENJOY READING THE HORRIBLE BASTARD BOY!

Another lyrics post. This time Tool. 

Undertale Sans/Ace - “Push me somewhere I don't wanna be, You put me somewhere I don't wanna be” (Pushit - Ænima)

Undertale Papyrus/Lief - “A passionate spirit. Uncompromised Boundless and open. A light in your eyes, then, immobilized.” (Wings for Marie pt1 – 10000 Days)

Underfell Sans/Chisel - “Beating tired bones, Tripping through, remember when, Once invincible, Now the armor's wearing thin” (Invinceble – Fear Inoculum)

Underfell Papyrus/Spur - “On my back and tumbling, Down that hole and back again, Rising up, And wiping the webs and the dew from my withered eye.” (Third Eye – Ænima)

Underswap Sans/Scout - “Something has to change. Undeniable dilemma. Boredom's not a burden, Anyone should bear.” (Stinkfist – Ænima)

Underswap Papyrus/Piper - “Soapbox, house of cards and glass, So don't go tossin' your stones around” (The Pot – 10000 Days)

Swapfell(Red) Sans/Whip - “You're wading knee deep and going in, This bog is thick and easy to get lost in, 'Cause you're a stupid, belligerent fucker” (Swamp Song – Undertow)

Swapfell(Red) Papyrus/Coyote - “I am just a worthless liar. I am just an imbecile. I will only complicate you. Trust in me and fall as well.” (Sober – Undertow)

Horrortale Sans/Tender -“Hatred keeps me alive, Hungriness keeps me alive, Weakness keeps me alive, Guilt keeps me alive at the bottom” (Bottom - Undertow)

Horrortale Papyrus/Cook - “The universe is hostile, so impersonal. Devour to survive. So it is. So it's always been.” (Vicarious – 10000 Days)

Swapfell(Purple) Sans/Doc - “If there were no desire to heal, The damaged and broken met along, This tedious path I've chosen here, I certainly would've walked away by now.” (The Patient - Lateralus)

Swapfell(Purple) Papyrus/Flint - “See I wanna believe you, And I wanted to trust you, And I wanna have faith to put away the dagger, But you lie, cheat and steal” (Intolerance – Undertow)

Fellswap Gold Sans/Haze - “He had a lot to say. He had a lot of nothing to say.” (Eulogy – Ænima)

Fellswap Gold Papyrus/Cirrus -“Give away the stone. Let the oceans take and, Transmutate this cold and fated anchor.” (The Grudge – Lateralus)

Underlust Sans/Shine -“I've been wallowing in my own chaotic, insecure delusions.” (Forty Six & 2 – Ænima)

Underlust Papyrus/Calico - “I've been struck dumb by a voice that, speaks, from deep beneath peerless water that's, twice as clear as heaven, twice as loud as reason.” (Undertow – Undertow)

Dancetale Sans/Shuffle – “I embrace my desire to feel the rhythm, to feel connected, Enough to step aside and weep like a widow” (Lateralus – Lateralus)

Dancetale Papyrus/Foxtrot - "No fault, none to blame, it doesn't mean I don't desire to, Point the finger, blame the other" (Schism – Lateralus)

Outertale Sans/Saturn – “So crucify the ego, before it's far too late, And leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical” (Reflection – Lateralus)

Outertale Papyrus/Mercury – “Twirling round with this familiar parable, Spinning, weaving round each new experience” (Parabola – Lateralus)

Farmtale Sans/Sage – “Victim of your certainty, and therefore your doubt's not an option, Blameless, the tempest will be just that” (7empest – Fear Inoculum)

Farmtale Papyrus/Thyme – “As I look in your eyes, My fear begins to fade, Recalling all of the times, I have died, And will die. It's all right. I don't mind.” (H. - Ænima)

G!Sans/Aurum - “The water is rising up on me, Thought the sun would come deliver me, But the truth has come to punish me instead” (Flood – Undertow)

G!Papyrus/Viridis – “This body holding me, reminding me that I am not alone in, This body makes me feel eternal. All this pain is an illusion.” (Parabol – Lateralus)

Renegades Chapter 4 Part 4 The Wheel Part 2

Link to Previous Part HERE

“Uncle Sparky!! Golly, I am just stoked to see you,” the auburn-haired musician put forth, not sounding super excited despite his words stating otherwise. The feral mutant looked at his cellmate with mild concern, having observed his change in demeanor.

Some part of the colorful musician had hoped it had been another man on the other side, a man who had once been like a father to him but alas he was not surprised to be disappointed. Starks assistance was not unwelcome but he it didn't come guilt free. He would have to put up with the pressure and the sales pitch now.

Tony turned to the rookie cop “open it,” he ordered. The young man squeaked and fumbled to comply. As soon as the door opened Stark strode in and to Cyclop's surprise, the Avenger immediately hugged the other Scott. After a minute held him at a distance looked him up and down, inspecting him for injuries and not liking what he saw. He glared at Scott’s feral cellmate accusingly. Logan was quick to step back, hands up in the universal gesture of innocence. Gently the hippie extracted himself from the older inventor’s embrace.

“Christ Scotty, what did they do to you?”

“It wasn't him, Sparky,” objected the paisley hippie ardently. He continued to assure the elder hero, “You know that. It was the long arm of the law that you love promoting.”

“I know. I saw,” ground out the gold suited Avenger wearily with a grimace still looking over warily at Logan.

“Let's go, let's talk about this somewhere without prying eyes,” prompted the avenger attempting to gain command of the situation.

“Right, about that Uncle Sparky,” chimed in the colorful hippie. “I need you to wire funds to pay for my friend here’s release as well,” stated the auburn-haired man matter of factly.

“Him? You barely know the man,” the Avenger exclaimed incredulously. “He could be some kind of ax murdering hooligan!!”

The musician turned to his feral companion, with mock seriousness he beseeched the other, “are you an ax murdering hooligan, Logan?”

“Nooo….?” the shorter mutant slowly mildly offended by the whole affair.

“See? It's fine Sparky,” assured the younger man with a shrug. “I got a good feeling about this guy…”

“But…..fine,” started the richly attired man only to quickly relent when it became clear the other was not going to give in on the matter. Upon seeing his young charge again preoccupied with the pain in his head the older man fumbled to retrieve something from his pocket.

“Here take these. I saw your other pair.. broke,” said Tony gruffly.

The force beamed burdened mutant carefully to the glasses from the other man putting them on with a sigh.

With fond paternalism, the elder Avenger comforted, “That’s much better huh son?”

“Yeah...yeah, it is” demurred the scarlet-eyed mutant, as his headache eased but with a tinge of resentment at the burden.

Stark grumbled, “here’s your jacket and your shoes. Put them on quickly. I feel claustrophobic and I’ve only been in here for 5 minutes. I’d like to leave this hell hole already.”

“Sounds like you should look into criminal justice reform,” commented the hippie as he slipped on his corduroy jacket and sat to put on his shoes.

Cyclops, not wanting to be separated from his counterpart in this universe, dared to jump into the other Scott’s pocket.

Stark stammered uncomfortably, “We can talk about that later Scotty.”

From inside the pocket, Cyclops could hear them talking but he dared not peek out of the pocket lest he risks discovery.

“Here’s his personal effects,” announced one of the police officers to Stark, in a much more respectful tone than he had used before.

“Gaia!” Sighed the passionate man and Cyclops could hear the sound of latches being carefully opened.

“Oh thank god. She’s alright,” breathed the lanky fellow, clearly relieved.

“You still play that old thing?”Asked Tony, mildly surprised.

“Not as much on stage as I used to, but she does perfectly well on the road and among friends,” explained the musician. Cyclops heard the sound of a door closing, he felt the warmth of the sun through the pocket and could smell flowers on the breeze that tickled his whiskers when he dared to sneak a look at the world outside.

“You can’t keep doing this Scotty,” Stark reprimanded sternly.

“Doing what exactly?” replied the younger man with feigned obliviousness.

“These protests and rabble rousing. The sex, drugs, the rock and roll. Take your place back on the team Scotty,” insisted Stark. Cyclops with his mouse senses could tell he was close to the man from the smell of his expensive cologne.

“I’m an adult and not an Avenger anymore. I left that life, objected Scott, with icy controlled coolness as he stepped back from the other man.

“You think you can stop it? That you’re some kind of martyr or something? This has been going on for 10000 years. I’ve tried my best to slow it from the inside but I can’t stop the wheel. This is bigger than us,” argued the greying inventor. Inside his mind, a peaceful man could hear a great wheel turning.

The lanky ex-avenger sighed, “you’re right this is far bigger than us. The peace movement is far more than me alone. If it bothers you that I find I have more luck reaching people with my music than my fists then I’m afraid you’ll just have to let that be Mr. Stark,” stated the peaceful musician calmly and firmly with a tone that broached no query of debate. Cyclops could tell his counterpart was annoyed by over trod on circular arguments that had been rehashed between the two. The pressure of a legacy he could and never fulfill that ground his soul beneath it’s will like a millstone pulverized grain.

The elder hero fretted, “what happened to you on that shield mission overseas?! Ever since then you’ve changed and you won’t talk to any of us about it! If you can’t tell us than please talk to Steve. He’s been worried sick and you owe him that much!” Confided Stark clearly upset and desperate for answers, but in response Cyke could feel his counterpart stiffen.

“Thank you Mr. Stark, for greasing the wheels politically. I’ll wire funds to repay you.” promised the flamboyant musician, his voice sounding hollow and rehearsed robotically as one gets when constantly fending questions you do not wish to answer. Questions that take your mind to places you never wished to return.

“Scott please, at least call and tell him you are alright! Pleaded the seasoned Avenger.

“Fine Sparky I will call him. Will you give it a rest now, you’re being a drag,” remarked the paisley fellow. With effort the hippie willed memories that threatened to break free from their leashes with gnashing teeth and dripping saliva like the feel of hands stained red with blood that could never be washed clean.

“Fine but this is going to be the death of you, mark my words...also is that a rodent in your pocket,” spluttered Stark incredulously.

Suddenly the seasoned mutant hero now in the body of a mouse, felt gentle hands lifting him from his safe space in the pocket. His borrowed body’s instincts urged him to bite but he refused them. Biting alternate Scotts was off the table unless they deserved it.

“Hey little guy. You’re not something I would expect to be in my pocket,” murmured Cyclop’s alternate counterpart amazement. It was a strange sensation looking into the face of someone who looked so much like yourself yet was not you at all.

With a disgusted scowl, Stark commanded, “put that rat down. It’s probably diseased or something,” he elaborated

“It’s a dormouse, Sparky, don’t blow a fuse. I’ll just let him down here in the grass,” assured the lanky man.

Cyke felt himself being lowered to sit on soft moss amongst grasses. Abruptly he realized he should put on a good show of doing mouse things because he was supposed to be a mouse now. Apparently. He ran off deeper into the grass.

“See. It ran away. It’s fine,” replied Scott with confidence. By the time Cyclops had snuck back to where he could watch without being spotted, anything Stark had to say in response had been cut off by the sound of a motorcycle approaching..

“Hey kid, I’m heading down to Cali. You wanna ride?” offered the feral mutant who looked like the picture of the man in black in his long black coat, dark motorcycle. The other Scott Summers in many ways is the polar opposite of this man but they seem to be on the same wavelength as is pulled by the same gravity.

The colorful musician looked invigorated in response to the offer as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Where before he had felt a beast being herded and caged suddenly he saw him a way out, an escape. With calculated impulsivity would seize such an opportunity as he always had before.

“Do I!! You’re a sight for sore eyes ol’man,” declared the groovy man as he approached Logan, smiling broadly as the sun illuminated highlights amongst his auburn hair. In less than he had his guitar strapped to his back and was climbing on behind the other man while Stark stood gobsmacked.

“Scott Summers get off that bike right now!! What the hell do you think you’re doing!!” barked the stately Avenger beside himself.

“Sorry, Sparky gotta keep truckin’ later!” answered the man in paisley.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Stark,” called the man in black politely, if too late.

“Summers!! You get back here this instant! Rogers you’re kid is just as stubborn and troublesome as you! The stress of dealing with both of you is going to give me an ulcer. Damn it!! “yelled Stark to the dust and exhaust fumes that were all that remained of the two vagabonds. All the while Cyclops swore he could hear a voice singing mournfully.

I look at the world

And I notice it's turning

While my guitar gently weeps

With every mistake

We must surely be learning

Still my guitar gently weeps

The whole world around Scott seemed to reverberate around the voice, fading in and out, tilting sickeningly until…

****************

Scott opened his eyes. The voice was still singing. Carefully Scott quietly as possible turned his head to see who was singing.

‘I don't know how you were diverted

You were perverted too

I don't know how you were inverted

No one alerted you’

It was the suborn haired man, with the silver bangs and green eyes who reminded Scott so painfully of a perverse caricature of his kind and gentle friend. Held lovingly in his hands was a pair of hexagonal ruby quartz glasses exactly like the ones the Scott from the vision wore.

I look from the wings

At the play you are staging

While my guitar gently weeps

'Cause I'm sitting here

Doing nothing but aging

Still my guitar gently weeps

While Axel strokes the glasses lovingly a single tear fell slowly from the man’s eye as if it the glasses had managed to awaken something long locked away.

“Is that..?” Scott started to ask on impulse, unable to silence his curiosity.

“You!” Hissed Axel with cold fury as if he had intruded in something private and forbidden.

“Back into the depths you go, you poor innocent soul,” the radioactive green-eyed man. Suddenly the darkness was rising thick as London’s fog, and the last thing he saw before all was consumed was the man’s cruel grin dissolving into blank emptiness.

​ @emeraude-nobrega

LONG AND RAMBLEY FIREBIRB FACTS INVOLVING HISTORY AND PEOPLE CONNECTING HIM TO DARK MAGIC AND THE DEVIL BC IM A HISTORY NERD  AKA, THE ACCOUNT OF AEDUS BEING ENTIRELY DONE WITH HUMANS AND THEIR SILLY SUPERSTITIONS AND REACTIONS TO THEM:

Aedus was absolutely, repeatedly  accused of being the devil, himself, during the Middle Ages all the way up through to the American Civil War… which tends to happen when you have unusually colored eyes, a charming demeanor… and the habit of catching on fire. During the European witch hunts, he was even accused of being a warlock, having sold his soul. So, they tried burning him at the stake. That worked about as well as you’d expect. He didn’t want to harm anyone, as many of those in the crowd were innocent women and children caught up in this hysteria, so Aedus    ( then, going by the name Aurav )   simply waited until the flames burned through the ropes, freeing him, and he casually strolled away from the terrified and screaming onlookers. Stark naked. And positively miffed that they’d burned one of his favorite shirts.

And that wasn’t the only time. Throughout his years of traveling, Aedus has found that most mortals generally don’t take very well to seeing a man who can ignite himself at will… or who’s most GRIEVOUS wounds heal in a matter of days. During the reign of Bloody Mary, he was, again, burned at the stake. This time, not because he was believed to be a witch, but because he was branded a heretic, spreading wild stories about a history that didn’t align with the current church’s beliefs. That, also, went about as well as you’d expect. Again, he walked away, bemoaning the loss of his clothes and terrifying everyone who attended the execution.

On the other end, people attempted to drown him for witchcraft in Salem. Aedus made the mistake of stopping there just toward the tail end of the trials. Already, the townsfolk were in a panic and treated him with suspicion when he arrived. And, then, some man he got into an argument with accused Aedus of CURSING him and the Phoenix was dragged into the courtroom. Four other people he’d never even laid eyes on testified against him, claiming he’d come to them in dreams and used magic to make them behave strangely. Aedus, of course, denied it. So, he was dragged to the river, bound to rocks, and thrown in to either prove or dismiss their accusations. Well, since he doesn’t need to breathe, the Phoenix remained under there far longer than anyone could hold their breath — almost an hour, before he was dragged back up. Still alive. Of course, this didn’t go over well with the Puritans. Even less so when Aedus had, understandably, had  ENOUGH  and ignited every inch of skin, MELTING the ropes and evaporating every drop of water off of him. The heat got so bad, those who hadn’t already retreated screaming prayers were forced to. They called him the devil. And Aedus, essentially, had to go into hiding for a few years as word of him spread past Salem. But, the story did die out fairly quickly after the trails ended and the town magistrate tried to brush everything under the rug, so to speak.

Throughout his time with Samuel during the Revolutionary War, Aedus did try very hard to hide what he was from the population. It worked, up until Samuel’s death during a particularly brutal battle… then, the Phoenix sought out the man who’d fired that killing shot and burned him to ASH. That  unnatural death  frightened the community, who claimed it was magic. They weren’t entirely wrong.

With the passing of the Land Act in 1804, Aedus moved  West  with a SMALL caravan ( only three wagons ), hoping to find solace after Samuel’s death. Halfway through the journey, a terrible winter storm struck. The wagons sought shelter in a grove of trees along the trail, but that wasn’t enough to keep the cold from taking its toll. Hypothermia, frostbite…. The oxen were in danger of dying, winds whipping through reaching a chill FAR below freezing… so the Phoenix made the decision to reveal what he was. To one of his friends, first, a young woman. She was scared, of course, Confused. But, she understood that he could save them and get them safely through this weather to Oregon. She’s the one who broke the news to the others, and, even though many of them were extremely frightened of him, in their desperation, they accepted his help. He kept them warm. Helped them cook their food. Offered light in the way of flames sprouting from his fingertips whenever needed to help conserve their supply of candles… being unaffected by the cold, himself, he offered all of his clothing to the others, save enough to preserve modesty, for them to layer. He went out hunting and gathering food. For two weeks, he kept them alive, warm, fed, and safe… everyone revered him as something of a guardian angel. Less of the MONSTER  they’d first thought when they’d found out, and more of a miracle from God. They reached their new home, all of them swearing to keep his secret safe as they set up their new lives.

so since aedus is active right now, too, i would like to take this moment to say… if your muse ever needs a place to stay, or someone to look out for them, especially if they’re a lost or scared kid, throw them at this soft-hearted, ancient firebird.   he will 10000% make sure they have food in their belly, a warm and safe place to sleep, will have their back and protect them.   just aedus, y’all.  he’ll open his home to anyone who needs it.  he’ll make them tea or hot cocoa, give them freshly tumbled blankets so they’re warm and cozy.    listen, the amount of kids he’s essential;ly adopted, helped raise, looked out for, cheered for, over the centuries??   i mean for someone who’s scared of being a dad bc of PHOENIX FAMILY DRAMA ™, he sure as hell has that powerful paternal instinct.  will 1000/10  adopt your muse    all you gotta do is throw ‘em his way and he will take them right under his fiery wing    

ME:  considering how much losing people he loves screws him up, could it be another few centuries and this phoenix could possibly snap and grow colder, and begin to distance himself from humanity, just to spare himself from that pain?? ALSO ME: he’s legitimately too soft-hearted and too attached for them for that, so despite the pain, he will continue to integrate himself into humanity and continue to watch those he loves fade and die, mourning them, subjecting himself to that pain willingly… because the alternative is isolation and he already tried that once after samuel died and he wound up on a wagon train west, making new friends, watching them pass, and new friends out on the coast… and watching them fade, too, before he finally moved back. Because even when he actively tries to distance himself he physically can’t, ‘cause he needs that companionship. and not only that, but he recognizes that being around humanity keeps him grounded and helps him be better, improving himself as they improve… and without them, he would truly be lost and stagnant

also, some of aedus’s physical traits, because appearance and tactile senses do play a big part in interactions. especially first meetings ( i.e. things i am totally okay with your muse noticing about him right from the get-go tbh )

GOLDEN EYES:  his irises look a LOT like fire… they’re a lighter gold at the top and darken to almost an ORANGE near the bottom. TEMPERATURE: his skin does feel incredibly warm to the touch, as though he’s constantly suffering from a high fever… this heat can even be felt simply radiating off of him when the fires inside of him flare hotter, such as when he’s angry or upset. ATTIRE:  Aedus is always impeccably dressed. Considering how rich he is from all the money he’s stored away throughout his life  ( a big chunk of it coming from selling items after they’ve become antiques and VERY valuable to collectors. Authentic coins from the Roman Empire, first edition books dating all the way back to the early 19th century, random household items from the homes he kept throughout the Middle Ages, clear up to the American Civil War )    he can definitely afford the BEST tailors his current place of residence has to offer. Not to mention, he does have quite a discerning taste when it comes to fashion. I mean, he worked hard making this body look just how he wanted it… of course he’s going to wear clothes that accentuate it. VOICE: his voice holds traces of accents from all over the world. It’s a little difficult to pinpoint just one… but, I’d say the more prominent ones, most simple to pick out, would be Irish and British. He has a very LOW voice. Keeps his tone very soft and steady for the most part.

random reminder that samuel’s watch is aedus’s most valued possession. it’s the one he usually keeps on his person  ( unless he’s planning on picking a fight with someone, in which case it sits securely in his bedside table’s drawer )    and it’s something he would risk his safety to get back if lost or stolen. it’s the very last shred of samuel that remains… the last physical reminder of the man he loved more than anything in this world, trusted more than anyone else, would readily have married if they’d been granted the chance. aedus will be extremely hesitant to let anyone else touch it, no matter who they are…

what hogwarts houses the members of queen are in

A/N: oops this contains some hot takes (in my opinion) but this is what i wholeheartedly believe. enjoy !!!!!!!!!

Freddie: Gryffindor

okay this mans is 100% a gryffindor

like this should not be a surprise to anyone

first off, we all know that harry potter is 100% problematic and loses house points for them all the time

now imagine freddie

he would totally make gryffindor lose points on a daily basis just because he was being himself

gryffindors are also judgemental

and freddie is the king of the judgmental face

we all know this

it takes approximately three (3) minutes hanging out with a gryffindor before you get into some ~*trouble*~

freddie’s parties were def the same way, y’all

3 min in ?????? things got fucking insane

it’s hard to admit this, but without gryffindor, there wouldn’t be much of a story for hogwarts

because not much shit would go down

and hogwarts would be a whole lot safer

and the same is true for queen

like, without freddie, queen wouldn’t have much of a story either !!

moving into gryffindor qualities:

brave-

this honestly doesn’t need much of an explanation

an lgbtq+ icon

went through AIDS during the 80s (such a scary time)

did not give a single fuck about what anyone thought of him

is the actual definition of bravery

loyal-

not to be dramatic, but freddie would have died for any of the other boys

he loved them so fucking much

i hope they know that oof

although he had his moments, freddie was so loyal to all the guys and was/is so fucking amazing ugh

wise-

because of his life experience and different outlook on life, i feel like that made freddie so wise

he had all of these different perspectives compared to a lot of other people

and he would showcase these perspectives in his music

freddie was just so fucking amazing, my heart

i think freddie is muggle born

and he owns it !!!!

he is so proud of his heritage but is also so into the fact that he’s a wizard

freddie is the cutest gryffindor ever awwww

plus he’d look amazing in scarlet and gold

Brian: Ravenclaw

this choice should come as no surprise as brian harold may is a true and true ravenclaw

we’re going to start off with how ravenclaws are all so goddamn cool and intelligent ????? like wow, no one can top that shit

brian may is literally a rockstar and astrophysicist and that’s some hardcore ravenclaw energy right there

ravenclaws are also so hardcore interested in the universe

they nut for philosophical conversations and that sort of shit

look at luna lovegood for example

this girl always had the coolest and most interesting shit to say

she is also so fucking smart and no one really believed it for a hot minute and that makes me so angry

ravenclaws also have the ability to see past the surface of what’s in front of them

brian totally has the ability to see past the front that someone has so carefully put up and would get to know you for who you are

also, he looked up at the stars one day and saw them for so much more than glittery things in the sky

it sparked such a passion in him

ravenclaws also take friendship so fucking seriously

friendships are cherished so much within ravenclaw, sometimes even more than their cleverness

bringing up my girl luna again

we find out in deathly hallows that luna literally had decorated her room with portraits of her best friends in the entire world

and all of these paintings have a thin golden chain weaving around them to connect them that literally reads the words “friends” over and over

that’s some cute ass (and kind ass) shit right there

moving into ravenclaw qualities:

intelligence-

we all already know that this man is smart as shit

he has a fucking phd

(i’m repeating this for emphasis) a phd

in space dust !!!!!!!!!!

like this mans started his phd, went and became a member of one of the biggest bands of all time, and then literally went back and finished his phd

he is so smart it makes me want to cry

creativity-

what’s so amazing about bri’s creativity is that it all derives from how fucking smart he is

look at the songs he’s written... like, he’s a musical genius

and even on the songs he didn’t write, he was still super helpful with coming up with the guitar lines which is fucking sick as hell

they’re all so fucking good too

we stan a creative king

acceptance-

from a young age i think brian realized that his interests were probably a lot different than his peers

not only was he constantly thinking about the stars and what was going on in the universe, he also had such a passion for music

this prob led to him standing out from everyone else in a good way

and he had to come to terms with it 

but boy did he bc look at him now, that rockin’ space man

tbh i see brian being a half-blood

because he’d have understanding of both the wizard and muggle worlds

something that would benefit his intelligence even further

the tea is that brian may is such a perfect ravenclaw it makes my heart hurt

Roger: Gryffindor

ok so we are starting this out with the fact that roger meddows taylor is in no way a slytherin

he is a gryffindor in the same way the weasley twins are gryffindors

they’re all so fucking cheeky (sorry for using british slang as an american, we just don’t have a term to perfectly embody what they all are)

rog is chaotic in a gryffindor way and not in a slytherin way

gryffindors literally die if the attention isn’t on them and that’s just the tea

they are always constantly throwing themselves into shit they have no reason to be involved in

this boy would literally throw hissy fits all the damn time and that is true gryffindor energy

HE LOCKED HIMSELF IN A CUPBOARD BECAUSE HE DID NOT GET HIS WAY FOR FUCKS SAKE

in summary, roger meddows taylor invented being the boy in the cupboard before harry potter

gryffindors are also a bit arrogant about the fact that they’re gryffindors

sorry, it’s the truth

and roger literally lives up his own asshole

which is really hot but besides the point

they also think their opinion is best

always

we’re bringing up i'm in love with my car again because this boy would not fucking let it go

tbh he prob thought that song deserved song of the year... lbr

gryffindors break the rules all the god damn fucking time and always get away with it

literally rog with anything

that boy probably could have killed a man and everyone would’ve been like ????? did u see something ?????? he’s got all my uwus, that sweet lil murder baby

also gryffindors are hella hot headed

“he would fly off the handle all the time” -brian may

he would throw televisions out the window

the literal definition of hot headed

moving into gryffindor qualities:

brave-

this boy gave literally zero (0) fucks about what anyone thought of him

his friends used to call him rainbow and he WENT WITH IT

toxic masculinity in reference to his wardrobe ????? not here !!!!!!!!!!!!

loyal-

despite all the fights he’d get into with the boys, he loved them so fucking much and could never imagine himself without them right there

like yeah, they disagreed a lot

a lot, a lot

but they’d always come back together in the end

cunning-

FIRST OF ALL, ROGER TAYLOR IS SO FUCKING SMART AND FUCK ALL OF Y’ALL WHO MAKE HIM SEEM LIKE THE DUMB MEMBER OF THE BAND

because he isn’t

ok tea, to be cunning, you gotta be smart

also, he could be quite cunning with the ladies & we all know this

like damn, that man could say “butterbeer” into my ear and i would probably cum

also rog is def skillful and used his cunningness to get what he wanted in the end

i'm in love with my car being the b-side of bo rhap ???? yeah, he played the band like a fucking harp

i think rog would be a pure-blood

prob because he can be so cocky (and most pure-bloods are seriously so cocky about the fact that they’re pure-bloods)

even harry could get cocky about it sorry but it’s the truth

also rog looks like a lion and gryffindors literally nut about lions

John: Slytherin

i’m going to start this by saying i know this is a hot take but john being a slytherin is seriously one thing i hold so close to my fucking heart. don’t @ me

we’re going to start off with the fact that even when he had his soft™ moments, he still exudes chaotic energy 100000% of the time

john is the most chaotic member of the band and he knows it too

as a slytherin, i can honestly say that we are literally the most chaotic people in the world

slytherins also exude big dick energy 10000% of the time

john is the perfect representation of this

his bde is seriously off the charts, holy fuck

slytherins will push you to succeed

this is because we have so much confidence

sometimes our confidence is confused for cockiness though, not all confidence is cocky !!!!!

guess what ??? that confidence we possess goes toward other people too !!

john ????? yeah we all know how supportive he was towards the other boys

seriously wants nothing more than for them to succeed

he still is that way

moving into slytherin qualities:

resourcefulness- 

THIS MAN MADE HIS OWN FUCKING AMP?!?! LIKE, HE LITERALLY BUILT THAT SHIT ON HIS OWNNNN

he also loved to discuss how much he loves diy projects in written interviews (as a fun pastime of his)

lemme tell you, diy-ers are the most resourceful bitches ever

seriously, go speak to your local diy-er

they could probably make a refrigerator out of a toothpick, three thumbtacks, and a litter box

cunning- 

this mans was known as the “shy” and “more reserved” member of queen (which we have all learned isn’t the fucking case)

he literally let himself slip under the public radar despite having such chaotic energy

he ran with that shy boy™ title and played us for so long

not that i'm mad but like, damn boi

ambition- 

this bitch literally got an honors degree in electronics while queen was recording a fucking album

he literally sat his FINAL EXAMINATIONS WHILE RECORDING A DAMN FUCKING ALBUM

sorry but if that ain’t ambition idk what is

it’s also hella sexy he did that oops

fraternity- 

john richard deacon, born the 19th of august 1951, embodies the definition of the word fraternity 

he loved each of the other members of queen with his whole fucking heart

the definition of fraternity is “the state or feeling of friendship and mutual support within a group” and john literally did that

the tea is that i think john would be a pure-blood

but he wouldn’t be a dick about it

but like, he’s definitely a pure-blood

and slytherins are most commonly pure-bloods

which sucks because muggle borns and half-bloods are dope af

also, john could be such a sneaky snake, don’t test me

plus, you can’t be that fucking kinky (ya know, freaky deaky if you will) and not be a slytherin

sorry, i don’t make the rules.

in summary, john is a slytherin. thank u for coming to my ted talk.

The Gamer Hero, Deku Chapter 25

A/N: Thanks for all the positive comments, everyone! I tried to get this done quicker than the last chapter.

This is a fun chapter, by the way. For one, I realized just after publishing that Izuku just cast a temporary creation-type spell augmented with a temporary enchantment-type spell like a hundred times, and both of those were near prestige. For another, you might have forgotten considering how long ago it was (feels like it's been half a year...), but Izuku got a quest for participating in the sports festival. ;)

xoxoxo

A skill has been created through special action! The skill 'Imaginary Architect' has been created through Bound Blade reaching MAX level!

A skill has been created through special action! The skill 'Item Enchantment' has been created through Elemental Weaponry reaching MAX level!

I closed the text boxes that appeared while I was throwing an inordinate amount of weapons at Kacchan. Those looked insanely useful but there wasn't much rush, so I planned on setting some time aside later to read those, paying very close attention. For now, though, it was time for the rewards ceremony.

The rewards ceremony. For the Yuuei sports festival. That I won. When I went to the podium that the first-, second-, and third-place winners were supposed to stand on I felt like I was floating. "I can't believe I placed first in the Yuuei sports festival!" I thought to myself. I was about to step onto the first place plat- Oh wait I actually was floating. Huh. Weird, it felt almost natural... Luckily the podium was underground for added showmanship, so nobody actually saw me floating.

"Were you just floating, Deku?" Kacchan asked. Well, almost nobody saw me...

I scratched the back of my head. "Haha... I kinda got excited. Didn't even notice."

Kacchan looked skeptical. "How the hell didn't you notice you were floating? I feel like that's the kind of thing you'd notice."

"I'll tell you later." Then I decided to show off a bit. I activated Float, on purpose this time, and floated up onto the podium without turning around. Kacchan snorted and jumped onto the second-place spot.

"Isn't this tres magnifique?" Aoyama asked us as he got on the third place platform. Normally Iida would join him as the other person in third place, but he'd left earlier, telling us that his brother was attacked by a villain. I hoped he was okay...

After a few minutes of us waiting, Sonia alerted me that Midnight-sensei was about to announce us. The hole above us filled with smoke and bright flashes of light from fireworks as our podium started to rise. I got into what I hoped was a distinctive, but not too weird, pose as the confetti started falling on us. Well, it fell around me and on the other two. I flashed a little smile at Halitus and Juniper just before we rose into view.

"Iida is also in third place, but he had to leave for family problems," Midnight added. "Now, to present the medals, we have..." she pointed at the top of the wall of the arena, where a familiar shadow appeared.

"AH HA HA HA!" All Might shout-laughed, then jumped down in front of the podium. "I have come to present the medals!" Midnight presented the medals to All Might. He picked up the bronze medal and approached Aoyama. He smiled at him as he gave him the medal. "Young Aoyama, your resolve was impressive. Even though you suffered hardships, you persevered, and look at where you ended up. You will make a fine hero." He gave him a small hug and went back to get the silver medal. "Young Bakugou," he said as he put the silver medal around Kacchan's neck, "you have shown so much fire today, literal and metaphorical. You might perhaps want to tone down the aggressiveness just a bit, but you are very well on your way to becoming a great hero. I mean it." Kacchan grinned like an idiot as All Might went to get the gold medal.

The gold medal that he placed around my neck. All Might was giving me the sports festival gold medal I had dreamed of this moment, literally dreamed, for years! "Young Midoriya, you are... are you vibrating? And glowing?" I totally didn't stop vibrating because I totally wasn't glowing in the first place. I noticed that in my excitement that totally didn't cause me to literally vibrate I failed to notice a series of text boxes that had popped upholyshitwhatisthat.

Congratulations! The quest Sports Festival was completed!

Completion Rewards: 10000 EXP, 10000 Skill Fragments, Quirk menu unlocked, Mending unlocked, Blackwhip unlocked, Singularity unlocked

Bonus rewards for performance

Placed first in Obstacle Race: Swift as the Wind title, 5000 EXP, 5000 Skill Fragments, +2 to all stats, A copy of the Quirk of one member of Yuuei of your choice added to Quirk Shop

Placed first in Cavalry Battle: Cavalry Leader title, 5000 EXP, 5000 Skill Fragments, +3 to all stats, A copy of the Quirk of one participant of Cavalry Battle of your choice added to Quirk Shop

Placed first in Tournament: Champion of Yuuei title, 10000 EXP, 10000 Skill Fragments, +10 to all stats, The copies of the Quirks of the people you defeated unlocked, Copies of the Quirks of the other participants of Tournament added to Quirk Shop

Your level has increased by one! (x2)

Okay. That was... something. Several somethings stacked on top of each other, actually. I had actually forgotten all about that quest. I mean I know I just got first place in the Yuuei sports festival, but those rewards... Sure I didn't get any milestones from the stat boosts, but +15 to all stats. And it was pretty obvious what "A copy of the Quirk of..." meant, and that was ludicrous on its own even if there was a pretty big downside..."

"Young Midoriya, are you okay?" All Might asked me. "You've been staring at the air and muttering for a while now and even knowing what your Quirk is I'm starting to get worried."

I jumped. "Oh, sorry! I'm fine, I just got a really surprising quest reward." I looked at Kacchan and Aoyama stealthily, noted that they were staring at me, and then had Sonia whisper in his ear.

"I'd like to talk to you later. Hopefully it's not a pressing matter, but it's kind of serious."

All Might nodded. "I understand, young Midoriya," his voice whispered in my ear, just like I'd done with him. "You should have free time later. I'll meet you in my office." He then turned around to address the audience. "This was an amazing sports festival, folks! These three fine young men took the top three, but if could have gone very differently! Who knows, maybe in an alternate universe young Tokoyami reached third place, young Todoroki was in second, and young Bakugou was the one who won out in the end? It's that aspect of the sports festival that I admire the most! The way that everyone works their hardest and challenges each other for the spot at the top! It's wonderful! Now, there's one last thing I'd like to say to the students!" He pointed to the heavens. "Say it with me, folks!"

"PLUS ULTRA!" everyone in the stands shouted at once, at the same time that All Might said, "Thank you for your hard work!"

"WHAT!?"

xoxoxo

I checked out the Quirk menu, which I'd found in the main menu, while I walked to All Might's office. It was a menu that looked like the skill menu, except it was divided into two sections. The first one, labeled Quirks, looked like a list of all the Quirks I had unlocked and man was that an amazing sentence to have just thought. I put aside the two popups asking me to pick from a long list of Quirks, which luckily didn't have a time limit so I would scroll through those later. The first one on the list was surprisingly enough not The Gamer, which was the second. Instead it was that Singularity Quirk I'd gotten with the rest of the quest rewards. I tapped it, bringing up the text box.

Singularity (Emitter)

A distortion in the fabric of reality that can pull in anything, even the immaterial. It fuels The Gamer's miraculous power.

Usage does not use MP but instead lowers HP and MP regeneration, scaling with usage. Overuse causes HP and MP regeneration to stay lowered for longer.

Well that raised more questions than it answered. I... guess it made sense, considering the fact that my mom's Quirk let her pull in small objects, but it was also completely out of left field. I sighed and put it aside for now. I had a lot on my plate already, Singularity probably wasn't going anywhere. I checked The Gamer. That one didn't have anything surprising, just what I knew already from Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body. Actually, I checked my skill menu and noticed that Gamer's Mind, Gamer's Body, One For All, and presumably the other Quirks that were in my skill menu were gone. I checked the rest of the Quirks from One For All. They looked about right. Mending was a rewinding Quirk that only worked on inanimate objects, which I was actually really excited to play with. It was time manipulation! Blackwhip, meanwhile, had slightly confusing wording, but it looked like it was energy tentacles. That one old Spider-Man theme song may or may not have played in my head when I read it.

Then I looked at the Quirks I got from the tournament. Brainwashing, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Engine, and Explosion. All of them were powerful Quirks, and now I just had them. I felt like they were there, but they weren't... active, I guess. The same went for the other Quirks aside from Singularity, The Gamer, and One For All, now that I thought about it. After a moment of thought I "activated" Explosion. My hands tingled for a second. I carefully, carefully triggered it.

Bang!

I jumped and looked around. It looked like there was nobody around to see the small explosion I just made.

I just used Kacchan's Quirk.

I laughed, then stared at my hands. Next I activated Half-Cold Half-Hot. My right side got colder and my left side got hotter. I laughed as frost spread across my right hand and fire danced on my left. Then I made a few small explosions, proving that the two Quirks were both active at the same time. I activated Blackwhip and-

System Warning: Using multiple non-native Quirks at once may lower efficacy and exaggerate downsides. This can be improved with training.

Fair enough. I turned my new Quirks off. Then I wondered how Mutant Quirks would work with that. I decided not to try Iida's Quirk, at least at first, and instead looked at the second part of the Quirk menu: Quirk Shop. The first Quirk on that part was Sludge Body. From the looks of things it was the Quirk of that sludge villain that attacked me all that time ago, though it didn't have any description aside from saying it was a Mutant Quirk and what looked like a cost in Skill Fragments. I scrolled down the surprisingly long list, though not actually as surprising when I realized it looked like the Quirks of all the people I'd gotten EXP from beating like another kind of spoil, for what I hoped was a Mutant Quirk. If it was, it was hands down the best Quirk I could think of to have it permanently on.

There. I bought it, burning through 2000 SF, and turned it on immediately.

Super Regeneration (Mutant)

Just like I'd hoped, I could turn it off at will. I used Draining Hands on myself to lower my HP by half and stifle my HP regen, then activated Super Regeneration. My HP regeneration skyrocketed for a moment, but went back down to its normal level when I turned it off. That was enough for me to be comfortable testing out Engine. Which caused my pant legs to rip when my thighs grew and sprouted mufflers. Honestly I should've seen that coming. I turned Engine off, which confirmed that turning off Mutant Quirks made the mutations automatically disappear like a Transformation Quirk, which made about as much sense as the fact that I could now copy people's Quirks and there was no indication that it was temporary. Then I tested out Mending. Like I thought, it made my pants good as new. Well, good as it was about one minute ago. That was awesome.

And then I noticed that I was standing in front of All Might's office and he was staring at me through the window, blood dripping out of his gaping mouth. A pink-haired boy wearing a matching cardigan appeared next to me with a sound like a heartbeat. He had oddly-shaped ears that had feelers on them that reminded me of Jirou's Quirk, except they curled up at the end instead of becoming earphone jacks. He was still a basic elemental, which wasn't surprising considering the fact that I'd only thought to Observe All Might at his lower-level form for affinities a week ago. Turned out he had a few points of sound affinity, so he was able to summon Seth. "This is what you meant when you said 'it's not a pressing matter, but it's kind of serious,' isn't it?" He said the quoted words in my voice, which was weird.

"Yeah. I can explain, by the way."

All Might nodded and opened the door. "Let's talk."

xoxoxo

All Might contemplated what I told him. "I see," he said after a while. "That is... interesting."

"I was a little worried because it reminded me of what you said about All For One," I said.

All Might laughed. "You thought I was worried about that? I've seen copying Quirks before. In fact, young Monoma in 1-B has a copy Quirk. If I freaked out at every person with a Quirk that I thought could be related to One For All I'd have lost my spot as number one long ago, if not my hero license."

"Oh good," I sighed in relief.

He patted me on the shoulder. "Really, young Midoriya. Have more faith in me, please."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Sorry..."

"You're okay, young Midoriya. I understand where you were coming from."

"Also I figured I should probably tell you about it because you're my heroics teacher and Quirk copying is probably the kind of thing you should tell a heroics teacher."

"That sounds about right."

Seth placed a tray with two cups of tea on the table. "The tea is done," he said. "Be careful, it's hot." He smiled and faded with another heartbeat.

"He seems nice," I said.

All Might nodded. "He is nice. He helps me around the house, too."

"That's good. Unless you have something you want to talk to me about, I think I should go now. I still have some time before I need to be there, but I should get back to homeroom."

"Goodbye, young Midoriya. Congratulations again."

xoxoxo

Aizawa-sensei was smiling. Even though it was only a little grin it was honestly a little disturbing. "You all performed well today," He told us. "There are a few things I think you could've done better but, well, there's no such thing as perfect. Now I'm sure you're all excited to go home, so I won't keep you long. You have tomorrow and the day after off to rest up. Class dismissed." As everyone got up to leave, Aizawa-sensei said, "Oh, and I want to talk to you, Midoriya." It wasn't too loud, but Sonia made sure I heard it.

I waited until everyone was out of the room and walked up to Aizawa-sensei. "What did you need me for?" I asked.

"Shuzenji wants to see you sometime over the break. Something about your private lessons."

"Thanks for telling me," I said. Then I looked at one of the two popups asking me to pick a Quirk, the one from the obstacle race. I scrolled it down near the bottom of the Es, looking for what was probably one of the more useful Quirks for me. Jackpot. "Actually, I have something I want to talk to you about..."

Erasure (Emitter)

xoxoxo

"I'm home!" I shouted as I walked through the door.

"Leaf hair!" Yang meowed, darting up to me. She purred and rubbed her head against my leg.

"Hey, girl," I said as I started petting her. I picked her up and started rubbing her as I walked inside.

"IZUKU!" Mom shouted as she ran into me, tears streaming down her face. She hugged me, getting my shoulder wet.

"Are you okay, mom?" I asked.

She wiped her eyes and gave me a big smile. "It's just... You won! You did it and you were so amazing and I'm so happy for you!"

I felt my own eyes water. "Ha, thank you. It was so unbelievable, to be honest." I pulled her in for another hug.

"I recorded the whole thing, if you want to watch it," she offered.

I smiled. "Yeah, let's watch it together."

She smiled. "Yeah, let's do that."

"Oh yeah by the way I can copy Quirks now."

She froze. "WHAT!?"

xoxoxo

Annnd now I wanna write the next chapter, but I have things I have to do...

Elemental list:

Midoriya: Halitus, Dune, Rayne, Blaise, Juniper, Mifuyu, Raimon, Iggy, Sonia, and Claude

Bakugou: Pyra and Leaf

Tokoyami: Corvo

Uraraka: Nebula and Ion

Hagakure: Lucy

Tsu: Bubbles

Aizawa: Charlie and Cassiopeia

All Might: Seth

Sorry if it's not obvious, but Seth's name is a play on Stethoscope, which is kinda-sorta what the Pokemon Audino is based on. If he had a last name, by the way, it would obviously be O'Scope. You know what screw it that's canon. His name is Seth O'Scope and I love it.

every number with 9

OH BOY. Okay.

9. How tall are you? About 5′9

19. Do you want a church wedding? Not at all. No plans on ever having a wedding, but if I did it’d be in a synagogue. Our outside somewhere.

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? LOL all the time back in the day. My best friend had a house on the sound at the beach and me and my friends would all wait until late at night and jump in. We always took turns getting undressed and jumping in, and the rest of us would close our eyes. This was like, middle and highschool. Hahaaa, man, good times.

39. Do you have any scars? A bunch.

49. Are you an innie or an outie?innie

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Both. Suck at first, then I lose interest and bite it.

69. Extrovert or Introvert? EXTREME introvert

79. Who was your first real crush? That’s complicated. Technically it was Kimberly Hart/Amy Jo Johnson, BUT I was young and pressured by society, so I refocused it on Tommy. So I spent a long time hyperfocused on Power Rangers and him, but really it was Kim that I liked.

89. Do you like your age? Absolutely not. Feels like a lie. Like I should be a lot younger, but that’s kinda a common feeling with autistics.

90. What makes you angry? Me. Life. Critics who don’t see gold in a movie when it’s there. The government. Being an American. Being autistic. Having ADHD. Not being prettier/more feminine. My impulsivity. Hatrid. Xenophobia. Crushing the poor. Not having a mother and sister that I can have a healthy relationship with. Not being smarter and not having gone to college right out of highschool. Not getting a degree. Writer’s block. Executive dysfunction. Not being the one someone wants. The fact that I’m always angry.

91. Do you like your own name? HATE it. It’s bad enough my parents had to hyphenate all us kids and therefore make adulting that much harder, but then giving me a first name that no one can ever pronounce right. If I ever get around to it I’m definitely gonna legally change it.

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? Not for myself. A lot for writing purposes. Of course, the only baby name that matters is Penelope.

93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? Don’t want kids. Definitely not by giving birth to them. IF I ever had kids, they’d come to me pre-named.

94. What are you strengths? I honestly and truly don’t think I have any. Like, I’m not trying to be humble.

95. What are your weaknesses? Too many to list. Biggest would be- can’t get over things, can’t silence the voices or thoughts of what everyone thinks of me, I’m not smart -- really, I’m not. Never made great grades, I read and nothing sinks in, tests are a DISASTER. Um. Too quiet. Too unexperienced because I don’t let myself experience anything. Not good at being a friend and keeping in touch with people. Anxiety is 10000% all the time and I can’t calm it. Being autistic/having ADHD/having depression.

96. How did you get your name? I was named for my great grandmother on my mom’s side.

97. Were your ancestors royalty? Not that I’m aware of.

98. Do you have any scars? Didn’t we already cover this?

99. Color of your bedspread? Uhh...I think gray and sea green? Maybe? It’s in the washing machine right now so I can’t remember.

Get to know me uncomfortably well

001 for Maggie!! About Rucas!

werk werk werk lets go lets go lets gooooo!

Riley & Lucas James

When I started shipping it if I did: okay so like… technically I cannot answer this question because I… like… made the show so fkdsjhgkjdfgd BUT. interestingly enough i’ve actually said before that if I were a viewer of AAA and not the creator, i would be very cautious about RL. like i think it would take me a while to warm up to the possibility of them (as well as lucas, bc i think the “seemingly broody snarker with a heart of gold and is secretly soft” can be HORRIBLY done), but i think around 103 i would start to change my opinion about lucas (and then would be definitive about him after 105 from the way he is with isa), and then i think i’d really lock into RL at the end of 107 with their convo in the aud where she’s like “maybe you don’t have to do everything alone” and hes like “… no maybe not.” that’s my genuine honest feeling on how i’d approach it as a viewer

My thoughts: many thoughts… many thoughts head empty… i guess like the entire show are my thoughts FJDSKLGFDG but i will say i’m very excited for the rest of S2 for them, as well as going into the next season. it’s gonna be really fun to see y’alls reactions and hopefully we’ll come out on the other side together ✊🏻

What makes me happy about them: oh so much… how riley is so skilled at catching lucas off guard and seeing through his defenses from like day 1 (and evidenced early on i.e. the way she just plops down at their lunch table and he literally stops eating gkfdhgkjdsfh), how deeply they respect one another and see the other for what they are capable of rather than how they view themselves with all these imperfections and limitations, how lucas encourages riley to stand up for herself and be empowered and not downplay herself, and conversely how riley is slowly but surely changing lucas’s perspective on the world and what he deserves from it and that romance can be real, touch can be soft and non-threatening, love isn’t inherently a weakness to be taken advantage of but something delicate and lovely and a source of power (i.e., i think that lucas’s growth and interactions with riley also influence how he reevaluates his friendships with like dasher and stuff like that – something you’ll definitely see evidence of in 209)… could go on probably

What makes me sad about them: oh well like. how self-destructive lucas is at this point and how he literally cannot fathom that people care about him – let alone romantically that’s like a whole other ballpark. how their own insecurities allowed external opinions to detour their dynamic, although understandable. the trickiness that exists currently where riley, just being a generally forgiving and optimistic person, is constantly being told that she needs to give up on lucas and that there is a sort of question she and probably us as viewers start to wonder of like… is it even worth it? whether lucas deserves riley’s devotion is certainly up for debate, and it’ll be interesting to see if he addresses the mess of the last few months moving forward… but then it’s tricky too, because much like the position dylan was put in, i think in some ways riley does need to still have faith in lucas, because if she doesn’t then who will, and it’s kind of like… very complex. very messy, much to analyze and pick apart and perhaps account for at the end of the day… but that’s the kind of complexity i love in relationships (provided steps are taken to amend them to the best of their ability and respect always remains intact), so it’s no surprise they have all this fkdshkfjdhgkjdfshdh. 

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: well obvious fanfic doesn’t really exist, but i’ve been in fandom long enough to be able to say EXACTLY what would happen if ambition were a huge fandom like tw, glee, etc. the first thing that would annoy me the most would be an exaggeration of rl’s worst traits to make them like a pairing that they aren’t – key being making lucas more aggressive, dominant, and like genuinely disrespectful, and then making riley like an innocent wallflower pure goody two shoes or whatever. like that kind of characterization really strips down their complexity as characters (and is also like just wrong FDJSKFDSLG like one thing i’m excited for in S3 is the chance to really explore what they’re actually LIKE when like… depression isn’t warping their personalities FJDSKFLDSGJ and also how they bring out certain traits in one another). i also feel like any sort of like… overt tooth-rotting romanticism would feel really ooc for them; they are quite romantic in how they treat one another and see one another, but both of their personalities in a relationship together i think create a romance built more on realism and appreciation and a sort of grounded display of love than anything even remotely Cheesy. that’s one thing that really changes about riley from The Former Source Material to AAA is that she’s far more grounded given how her parents have… spun out let’s say

Things I look for in fanfic: i do think often about how nice it would be to just go on ao3 and scroll the ambition tags… find a good rl zc or da fic to peruse… oh there’d be garbage undoubtedly but the good fics… i would like to see it 😔anyway lmao i think if i were looking for rl fics in aaa i would look for ones that a) retain their core character traits and b) strike that perfect balance of grounded yet uniquely soft in the way rl are with each other that they aren’t with anyone else – i wouldn’t want to see their integrity thrown for the sake of being uber fluffy. but that’s like just a complete personal pref.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: hmm… obviously this is all conjecture, but in terms of CANON, i cannot see lucas ending up with anyone else. like i just do not think it’s on his radar at all – it wasn’t before riley showed up, and if she floated away, he’d go back to just forgoing it entirely (it’s not entirely a joke when we joke around that lucas is rileysexual fkjdhsgk). riley i think like, zay would treat her nicely if they were ever to go past best friends. fanon wise just going by dynamics and personalities, i have a really special place in my heart for lucas x charlie (oh, and how fun it will be to share that dynamic with y’all in the future bc reading that rn i’m sure y’all are like HUH JFGDKLJGFLKSJHKLDSJHLJFDHL valid!!). could also probably enjoy a riley x isa fic or two. i also love digging into the relationship between lucas and asher (especially given that asher was lucas’s first crush… he he he) but as for them actually being a relationship i couldn’t because i’m 10000% sure they’d kill each other. even dylucasher wouldn’t work romantically, because as nice as it all is if lucasher didn’t kill each other, dylan would end up killing them both after mentally Snapping from playing mediator one heckin time too many. so. yes. fDSJKGLDFKLHFKLDH

My happily ever after for them: i can’t really say specifically because spoilies!! but i just want them to feel… settled. they’re constantly in worlds of turbulence right now, and i can’t wait for the day that they can just be together and get away from the city (because i firmly believe lucas hates living in the city) and just. start a life on their terms. that will be so beautiful :’)

Who is the big spoon/little spoon: i’m inclined to say lucas is the big spoon, but i don’t think it’s set in stone at all. like you know, if there’s a particularly rough day and lucas really needs that Comfort, then riley will by all means be the big spoon and hug him real tight. it’s what they both deserve!!

What is their favorite non-sexual activity: i love that this question specifies non-sexual specifically FDJSKFDKLSGJFLDKH like are there couples who truly enjoy sex with one another above all else…………. but i will say i think one thing that is nice about RL is the most important thing to them is just being together. like i think they’ll happily spend hours in the booth together not like, actively doing anything and focused on their own things (homework, production work, what have you) but just the other person’s presence there with them is comforting. you kind of see this in 109 when riley takes refuge in the booth, and i think this is core to their relationship. they don’t need to be talking or actively doing much – just maybe like, riley is tapping her foot against his knee absentmindedly or has her feet up in his lap. if they’re sitting closer, lucas is rubbing her knee with his thumb. you know what i mean? presence and the knowledge that they’re together is more important than any sort of sense of Action if that makes sense. but some others to list would be getting out of the city and going exploring in the Fresh Air away from… everything and everyone else lmao, and going to the animal shelter!!

send some winter hiatus asks !! :)

Walkthrough Season 20 (updating)

Thanks to gabuc777, emerald2-8dark and solenoidsteam for their help~

✧ ٩( ‘ω’ )و //✧

✧ Chapter 1 - Temporary Instructor, Suzu Sagisawa ✧

Total: 11 parts

Part 1 How'd he break a bone? 💙 closer to Nanao Why do you know that? 💜 closer to Hotaru Isn't your school that way? 

Part 5 Why are you here drinking tea? 💙 closer to Nanao Don't have any friends at your school? What are you doing here? 💜 closer to Hotaru

Part 8 CG

Part 10 Good question. Why are they here? Hotaru, explain things to her! 💜 closer to Hotaru Nanao, hot potato! Catch! 💙 closer to Nanao

✧ Chapter 2 - You Want to Observe the Ninja Seekng Club?! ✧

Total: 8 parts

Part 2 The only thing fishy here is Hotaru. 💜 closer to Hotaru Our club just has wholesome fun! We respect tradition here. 💙 closer to Nanao

Part 7 Oh, my bad.  💜 closer to Hotaru Thanks for the reward! I-I didn't mean to! 💙 closer to Nanao

Part 8 Can you stop with the sudden demands? So, what's wrong? 💜 closer to Hotaru Well, there goes my day off... 💙 closer to Nanao

✧ Chapter 3 - The Wild Girl ✧

Total: 10 parts

Part 2 Could you give it a try, Nanao? 💙 closer to Nanao I think it's a little too much to ask. What do you think, Hotaru? 💜 closer to Hotaru

Part 6 I messed up... 💙 closer to Nanao Ouch... 💜 closer to Hotaru Th-The heck just happened?!

Part 9 Someone, hold her down! 💙 closer to Nanao I'll hold her down. Hotaru, catch! 💜 closer to Hotaru

Checkpoint Premium Story: [Food] Deluxe Pot Porridge - 370 jewels Normal Story: [Food] Simple Pot Porridge - 330 jewels or 5000 niney

Part 10 CG (premium or normal)

✧ Chapter 4 - Marshmallow Mashiro ✧

Total: 8 parts

Part 2 Johnny, you perv. It's not what you think! 💙 closer to Nanao I thought I could help with something. 💜 closer to Hotaru

Checkpoint Premium Story: [Bomb] Gold Hair Dryer - 490 jewels Normal Story: [Bomb] Blue Hair Dryer - 430 jewels or 7000 niney

Part 4 CG (premium or normal)

Part 5 We should call you Marshmallow now. And what is your name, young lady? 💙 closer to Nanao Did it feel good? 💜 closer to Hotaru

Part 6 What's wrong, guys? Nanao, you look exhausted. 💙 closer to Nanao Hotaru and I are on a secret date. 💜 closer to Hotaru

✧ Chapter 5 - The Unknown Darkness of Fuma ✧

Total: 8 parts

Part 3 Can she handle the tickles? Eat this! Sonic boom! 💙 closer to Nanao Hypnotic suggestion! 💜 closer to Hotaru

Checkpoint Required Soul: 8000 Special chance: Pass the checkpoint within 24 hours and get Box x1

Part 5 I wasn't thinking about anything weird! 💙 closer to Nanao I wasn't daydreaming! I enjoy impure thoughts from time to time. 💜 closer to Hotaru

Part 8 We have to believe in Lily! 💜 closer to Hotaru Is there anything we can do to help Lily? 💙 closer to Nanao Let's go after Lily.

✧ Chapter 6 - The Faraway Iboro Forest ✧

Total: 7 parts

Part 3 Mashiro! Do you really want to go outside that bad? 💜 closer to Hotaru Straining yourself is going to keep you here longer. 💙 closer to Nanao

Checkpoint Required Soul: 10000 Special chance: Pass the checkpoint within 24 hours and get Good EXP Juice x1

Part 5 Lily went for your sake. 💙 closer to Nanao We'll clean up the silver if you talk. 💜 closer to Hotaru Hand me some silver.

Part 7 We'll avenge your people. It's not so bad here though, right? 💜 closer to Hotaru Just bear with it for a little longer. 💙 closer to Nanao

✧ Chapter 7 - To the City, Weregirl ✧

Total: 13 parts

Part 3 It's not as scary as it looks. 💜 closer to Hotaru You came all the way here, right? The city's a fun place. 💙 closer to Nanao

Checkpoint Premium Story: [Arm] Pink Elegant Bow and Arrow – 610 jewels Normal Story: [Arm] Green Elegant Bow and Arrow – 540 jewels or 10500 niney

Part 6 CG (premium or normal)

Part 8 You can't eat that! You'll burn yourself! 💜 closer to Hotaru It's bad manners! 💙 closer to Nanao

Part 10 Are they really that good? Congratulations, Ricka. 💙 closer to Nanao You should try other things. 💜 closer to Hotaru

✧ Chapter 8 - Moonlit Zoo ✧

Total: 10 parts

Part 2 I'm not that kind of person! 💜 closer to Hotaru I didn't do anything this time! 💙 closer to Nanao Mashiro! I need you to relax! Listen to me!

Checkpoint Required Soul: 16000 Special chance: Pass the checkpoint within 24 hours and get [Extra] Rotating Lamp x1

Part 6 You have to stay on this side. Zoo rules. It's not going to be pretty if you go in there! 💙 closer to Nanao What did the lion say? 💜 closer to Hotaru

Part 7 We'll have to make a lot of good memories. 💙 closer to Nanao I wish she'd stay. 💜 closer to Hotaru She's a strange one, huh?

✧ Chapter 9 -  The Unleashed Beast ✧

Total: 9 parts

Part 1 Wake up! 💜 closer to Hotaru We're friends, aren't we? 💙 closer to Nanao I don't want to fight you.

Part 4 Fighting is our only option. 💜 closer to Hotaru Let's temporarily retreat. If only we could communicate with them... 💙 closer to Nanao

Checkpoint Premium Story: [Extra] Strong Ostrich - 800 jewels Normal Story: [Extra] Cute Ostrich - 730 jewels or 14500 niney

Part 5 CG (premium or normal)

Part 7 Do you not remember us? 💙 closer to Nanao Let's stop this. 💜 closer to Hotaru You're not half-bad.

✧ Chapter 10 -  Call of the Wild ✧

Total: 9 parts

Part 1 Nanao saved your life! 💙 closer to Nanao Don't lose to the medicine! 💜 closer to Hotaru Pull yourself together!

Checkpoint Premium Story: [Throw] Deadly Red Kunai - 890 jewels Normal Story: [Throw] Deadly Purple Kunai - 750 jewels or 19000 niney

Part 6 CG (premium or normal)

Part 7 I didn't hear anything. 💜 closer to Hotaru It was a close one... 💙 closer to Nanao We're strong. We'll be okay.

Part 8 Trust us. 💜 closer to Hotaru Introduce us to the other Iboro. 💙 closer to Nanao Let me ask you something.

✧ Nanao Sweet Ending ✧

Total: 13 parts

Note: the choices in the ending don’t matter, you can choose whatever you want.

[…]

Checkpoint Required Soul: 22000 Special chance: Pass the checkpoint within 24 hours and get Better EXP Juice x1

✧ Hotaru Sweet Ending ✧

Total: 10 parts

Note: the choices in the ending don’t matter, you can choose whatever you want.

[…]

Checkpoint Required Soul: 22000 Special chance: Pass the checkpoint within 24 hours and get Better EXP Juice x1