FEAR FEAR FEAR PANIC PANIC SOBBING AND SCREAMING

Edited to add she made me asparagus soup today so maybe she can have a little gender knowledge. as a treat

Anywhere | Spike Spiegel x reader

pictures not mine, edit is mine gender neutral reader edited: yes warnings: angst, swearing, canon-level violence/blood, ambiguous ending, low-key/ possible death summary: Flying is the fastest form of travel but it always feels much slower when you need to be somewhere. Anywhere. a/n: idk why I've only been posting Spike smh. I have two other fics in the works for him too... I swear I write for other people I just never finish the fics... Also don't judge the song choice -- I started this a while ago and I don't have a good replacement.

♡ ♡ ♡

“Shit. Shit. Shit!” Spike was pacing, his hand running through his thick green curls. 

“I’m fine, Spike. I really am.” He knew you weren’t fine. The shock covered a lot of the pain so you weren’t technically lying, but the situation was much worse than you actually knew. Spike had to mentally slap himself. If Jet or Faye were there he would have asked them to hit him for real. He deserved much more than that. 

He stopped and kneeled down in front of you. His eyes were trying to look into your own but you couldn’t focus. “Come on,” He brushed your cheek with his thumb. “I know where to go.” He didn’t have much time to lose and he had already wasted so much being dumb. He was pacing and worrying when he should have been flying. Taking you somewhere. Anywhere. 

He came over and lifted you as gently as he could. He was trying to be quick and ended up a little rough in his haste. You winced and he wanted to slap himself again for hurting you. He lowered into the Swordfish the best he could, arms around you as you tried your best to place your feet on the floor. Eventually he got into his seat and sat you across his lap, your head fell on his shoulder.

The ship was starting up, but it wasn’t fast enough for Spike. His whitened knuckles gripped the steering wheel with such force even the half dazed (Y/n) had noticed. “Calm down. Don’t stress yourself out… It’s alright.”

“Calm down? How can I--” He sighed. There was no use fighting with you. You were always so selfless, even when you were dying. He didn’t want to upset you, anyways. He didn’t know what you needed now except a doctor. But yelling at you didn’t seem like it would help.

“Spike.” He looked down at your tired eyes. Space was fleeting past, it was good they were in deep space or he might’ve gotten a ticket. Deep space, though, did not have any doctors. He originally thought of going to Jet on the Bebop but his level of expertise and available technology was far less than what you needed. 

“Spike, it hurts…” Your eyebrows knit together loosely, obviously in pain but too weak to show it. 

“I know, sweetheart. I know.” He kissed your forehead lightly and you moved in closer to him. Your cold nose brushed against his neck causing him to shiver. You two were already a bit stuffed in the small ship, but you appreciated his comfort. His warmth. 

The two of you never left the other’s sides, even when he was catching the most dangerous bounties. You weren’t a bounty hunter, just some stray the crew had picked up. They had a knack for doing that. Spike knew you shouldn’t come along but he felt so protective of you. He never could find the strength to leave you behind, especially when you gave him those puppy eyes. The two of you were used to being abandoned and you neither wanted it to happen again. This made your friendship a really… close one. 

Spike looked back up at the stars in front of him. He had no clue if he could find help where he was going but he needed to try. He was rushing to the closest planet, whatever one that might be. If he were to ruin another life because of his selfishness… 

“Can we listen to music?” Spike was not in the mood for music, but he also wasn’t in the mood for making you feel worse than you already did. He clicked on the system, your music already hooked up from the amount of times you ride with him. 

The song that came on was some old one that (Y/n) had found. It was from nearly 60 years ago now, from some genre Spike never cared about. (Y/n) loved it, though. You liked all the sad and relatable lyrics, the ones that you tried to mouth along to now. The ones that were piercing through Spike’s heart. 

“Thinking about the past again. Darling, you'll be okay.” Spike couldn’t help but really listen to the words. The music he always poked fun at you for listening to was the same music that would be there to mock him as you died in his arms. ‘It’s both loud and sad, why do you like this again?’ ‘It’s called emo music,’ you had told him. ‘Emo means emotional! You’re supposed to find it sad and relatable.’

The next song came on and he could no longer hear your soft singing. You knew all the words and never missed a chance to sing along to it when you could. He looked down, seeing your eyes closed peacefully. 

“(Y/n)?” As much as he was glad to see you rest, he couldn’t really tell the difference between your napping and, well. You were always such a soft breather too, always wanting to remain ignored and unseen, even while asleep. 

“I’m awake… But really tired.” You spoke with your eyes closed, unable to find the strength to open them again. You pushed your face into Spike's neck, trying to get more comfortable under the circumstances. “Let me take a nap.”

“I know you’re tired… Just, don’t go to sleep. Okay?” 

Turning your head to look up at him, you finally opened your eyes enough to take in the stress radiating from your best friend. “Nothing’s going to happen, Spike. Stop worrying.” You lifted a hand up to his cheek, trying to calm him but doing a bit of the opposite. “Oh, oh no. I’m so sorry I--” You pulled down your sweatshirt sleeve to cover your hand, trying to use it to wipe the blood you’d just left on Spike’s face.

He didn’t care about getting blood on him but he did care that the blood was coming from you. He was trying not to look down at the source of the blood. The wound had long soaked through your shirt and had made a good stain through your sweatshirt. 

It was a miracle you were doing this well (if you could call it that) after all this time had passed. Spike didn’t want to push his luck. The city’s horizon gleamed ahead, Mars had never seemed so beautiful. He let his mind wander away from you for a moment. He wondered what he’d explain to the doctor. He’d have to come up with a good story for the police, too. With all the wealth in the city, more of them were jumping for a chance to find crime and then be paid off to ignore it. 

“We’re almost there.” Spike spoke at you but never looked down, too busy trying to find someone who could save you. If it could be done. You didn’t respond, already passed out again. Spike didn’t really have the flexibility to steer and wake you up at the same time. His head began to throb, stress taking over. It hurt like hell, but it was nothing compared to what you must feel. 

“(Y/n)? (Y/n)!?” You stirred a bit, swatting him weakly. 

“I’m sleeping…” 

Spike's voice got softer, content that you were okay. Well, okay enough to respond. “Now’s not the time to go to sleep. We’re almost there, okay?” 

“But I'm tired now.” You were acting like a child, half cute and half from delirium. 

“I know, I know. You can sleep on the Bebop later. For now you have to stay awake. I don’t know how bad this thing is.” His eyes only flickered to your wound, unable to look longer. You sighed, done with him being melodramatic. 

Spike didn’t think he was being dramatic. You just had to save that kid. You had to risk your life and play the hero. You had to go and get shot near all of your major organs. 

“I’m fine. With the amount of times… Jet has had to wrap up your whole body… I’m surprised this… tiny thing… worries you.” Your speech had slowed significantly. It took considerably more effort to get even one word out now, much less an entire sentence. Even you, in your dubious state, couldn’t argue that there wasn’t something wrong. 

Spike opened his mouth to retort but retracted quickly. Once again, there was no point in arguing now, he’d do it later when you were not dying in his arms. He was a lot stronger than you were and had been in this rough business a lot longer. He was highly trained and had much more restraint. Jet wasn’t a real doctor either, everytime Spike was completely bandaged the wrap job was probably a bit exaggerated. And even then he was stuck on couch rest for weeks. He, in all of his years of practice and development, could take it. You were strong mentally, sure. You were the most strong and stable thing in Spike’s life. But this wasn’t exactly a willpower sort of thing.

“I can’t wait for you to get better so I can yell at you for how reckless you were.” He tried to lighten the mood rather unsuccessfully. You laughed softly, ending in a rough cough. You raised your sleeved arm to cover your mouth but when you brought it away it was stained red. 

You tried to ignore this. Hopefully Spike hadn’t seen. “You’re too nice to yell.”

“I’ll get Faye to yell at you then.” You smiled, happy for the casual conversation. It wasn’t meant to last, though, as another coughing fit began. Spike looked down again to try and calm you, but he quickly noticed how your gray sweatshirt turned dark and how the inside of your lips were tinted red.

“Shit, (Y/n). We need to hurry up. You’re coughing up blood.” You were about to reply with something snarky but you’d used up all your words. You moaned, the pain starting to come back. You couldn’t believe the shock had lasted this long. 

The ship began to land outside of a pristine white building, a red cross above the front door. You were not supposed to park there, but Spike didn’t care. There was only one thing he cared about now. 

You moaned again, softly whimpering into his jacket. He kissed the top of your head before quickly opening the Swordfish’s hatch. “You’re going to be okay. We’re here. You’re okay.” You didn’t know if he was convincing you or himself but his rough voice was the last thing you heard before blacking out. 

no grave can hold my body down (i'll crawl home to her)

A jukebox soulmate au where your missing stuff finds its way to your soulmate.

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29147940

They say that there's someone who makes up the rest of your soul. That they're your perfect match and once you meet them, once you touch them, your wandering souls will be fused back together, whole and unbroken.

 Luke's not sure who they are. But honestly, he just wishes his shit would stop going permanently missing. You lose something and it's sucked through some kind of hole in space-time to be found by your soulmate. Luke would really like to have a conversation with whoever came up with this system cause it sucks.

 Cause he's a forgetful guy. His brain is always going a million miles an hour, with at least three different trains of thought chugging away and sometimes the tracks cross and there's a collision and all the passengers have to bail out and it's just a mess, okay? Keeping track of his stuff tends to fall by the wayside a little bit.

 It's how he lost his favourite beanie. And don't get him started on the number of individual socks that have just poofed themselves out of existence. He always has to have a box of new guitar picks handy because as soon as it's not in his hand or clamped between his teeth, it's as if it never existed. He just hopes his soulmate appreciates them.

 But it's a give and take. He'll reach into his pocket to find scrunchies, hair clips, endless bobby pins. Just generic stuff that tells him very little about who his soulmate is except that they probably have long hair. (Once, he found one long, dark hair curling around the folds of a scrunchie. He keeps it tucked between the pages of a notebook, stashed away on his bookshelf.)

 (And yeah: they. He's spent a lot of time thinking about this. He's had crushes on all sorts of people and their gender never really made a difference, but his introspection also leads to a solid black ring resting on the middle finger of his right hand.)

 One day, he opens his school bag to find a homework page that does not belong to him. He looks at it, front and back, scouring for a name, a hint, a clue, feeling a thing with feathers rise behind his ribs, reducing his lung capacity and making him draw in shallower breaths. But nothing. Just the slightly messy handwriting of someone who thinks faster than they can write. He sighs and stuffs it back in his bag, reluctantly retrieving his maths book. His frustrated sigh must have been audible because Reggie leans over from his own desk.

 "Hey, you all right, man?' His eyebrows are drawn up together, lines of concern creasing his face.

 "Yeah, yeah. Just soulmate stuff junking up my bag."

 It's not always junk, though. A bracelet turns up on his bedside table. He starts wearing it every day. He refuses to take it off, even to sleep. Sheet music to an unfamiliar song is found wedged between his records. This particular item makes his heart beat faster, his chest tingling and warm. Because they're a musician too. It makes sense, of course. No way his soulmate could not like music. It's basically Luke's entire soul (or half soul, he guesses). But the confirmation makes him feel both calmer and more anxious. He wants to meet this person.

 His favourite item to ever turn up is a photo. A woman and a little kid sit in a field, turned towards each other, faces pointed away from the camera. But he can see their smiles. He sleeps with it next to his face on the pillow the night he finds it because he doesn't want to look away. In the morning, he tucks it into the back of his song-writing journal where he keeps the rest of his heart.

 At 17, he and his best friends are on the precipice of being legends. As he pulls his guitar from the case, a long, striped scarf flutters to the ground, the kind someone might tie in their hair or loop around their wrist. He ties it around his bicep for good luck. It makes him feel like his soulmate is there, by his side, cheering him on.

 They meet a girl - Rose - who looks so familiar. Something about her smile. But he just can't quite put a finger on it. All he knows is that her presence is reassuring. Safe. He doesn't know her but he feels a tug in his chest that says family. The same tug he feels when he looks at Alex and Reggie and Bobby. (He's changed his mind, his half of his shared soul is made up of these three dorks and the music they make together.)

 And then he dies. As darkness closes in around him, he thinks I'm sorry, boys and I'll never get to meet them.

  ---

 "Flynn!" Julie whines. "I can't find my homework anywhere!"

 Flynn rolls her eyes. "Did you check your school bag?"

 "Yes," Julie bites out, not actually mad at Flynn, just at the situation.

 "Your desk?" A nod. "Your dad's car? Under your bed? Your locker?"

 Julie has to stop her. She knows from experience that Flynn'll just keep going. "Yes, it's not anywhere."

 Flynn shrugs nonchalantly, a smirk pulling the corner of her mouth. "Well, guess it's gone to your soulmate then."

 Julie groans loudly in frustration. She pulls her beanie (their beanie) down over her eyes and slumps back against her locker, trying desperately to not look like she's pouting but definitely pouting. Flynn just gives her an unimpressed look.

 Julie breathes out harshly through her nose and resigns herself to retrieving the schoolwork she does have from her locker.

 "Ugh, gross!" she exclaims, fishing a pair of boxers out from where they had appeared in the dark recesses of her locker.

 Flynn's snort turns into a full belly laugh as Julie holds them away from her body, arm extended as if she were holding hazardous waste.

 She chucks them back in and slams the door shut. "Come on, let's get to class."

 Flynn follows, tripping over herself as she continues to laugh her way down the hall.

 ---

 Julie isn't sure who her soulmate is or whether she knows them already. Of course, it's pretty rare to meet them in high school, but a girl can dream. Unfortunately, it seems that her soulmate is terrible at doing laundry because she'll often find individual socks lying on her bedroom floor and undies crumpled in the corner of her bathroom. The beanie that turns up is quickly added into regular rotation and if it isn't on her head, it's tucked into her bedside table. The muscle tank threw an interesting spanner in the works as it set her mind to imagining the kind of person who might wear something like that. (She might, maybe become a person who wears something like that. Occasionally. When the desire strikes her.)

 She's fairly certain that they're a musician. She's constantly finding half-written lyrics strewn around her room in the most atrocious handwriting seen outside of a doctor's office. The lyrics - those that are legible - are beautiful. Occasionally they'll be lyrics to a Trevor Wilson song, though, which is a bit weird but she assumes they must just be a big fan. She appreciates their good taste.

 Another hint is the guitar picks. She finds them everywhere: in her sock draw, between the pages of her school books, next to her toothbrush. One memorable time, she found a pick snarled in her hair. And all of them, every last one, are covered in tooth marks. As if her soulmate has a habit of chewing on their guitar picks. It's kinda gross. Even so, she collects them in a jar on her desk with the date she'd found them written on the back.

 ---

 The boys turn up and her life is turned right-side up. She tells them to stay out of her room. Constantly. Boundaries, she reminds them. Alex and Reggie get it, they can respect her personal space. But, Luke. She knows he goes in there because he keeps leaving his stuff everywhere.

 On this day she finds his flannel just draped across her bed, as if he's trying to irritate her. She snatches it up and storms down to the studio.

 "Luke!" she shouts as she enters the studio, ready to tear him a new one. "What have I told you about going in my roo-"

 She stops short because all three boys are ripping the place apart, looking for something. When he turns around to face her, she sees tears wetting his face that he quickly tries to swipe away. Her heart leaps into her throat.

 "Luke, what's wrong?" she tries to ask but is interrupted.

 "You found it!" His voice is a little watery but exuberant.

 "I -- what?" she shoots him a quizzical look.

 "My flannel. Well - my dad's flannel, but -" he cuts himself off, scrubbing his fist over his eyes.

 Julie scoffs a little, gently. "Yeah, dude. You left it in my room."

 His eyebrows furrow in that way of his.

 "No, I didn't."

 "Uh, yeah. You did."

 "I haven't been in your room."

 "Well, clearly you have," she says, shaking the flannel a little and holding it out to him.

 "Thanks," he says softly as he grabs it, still looking at it with a bewildered expression. But he shrugs it on and uses the sleeve to wipe away what remains of his tears.

 When Julie looks over at Reggie and Alex, they're exchanging a meaningful look that Julie can't quite read. When they notice her gaze, they both glance away, once again fascinated with the chairs on the ceiling.

 Huh.

 ---

  "Julie! Stop leaving your homework in my song-writing journal!"

 "I didn't put it there!"

 "Well who did, then?"

 The patented Reggie and Alex LookTM makes an appearance.

 ---

 "Hey! I used to have a beanie like that!"

 "Uhuh."

 "I did! It was my favourite until I lost it."

 Julie nods but doesn't look up from her homework.

 ---

 "Ew, gross, Luke! Why do guitarists chew on their picks?"

 He shrugs a little sheepishly. "It just helps me think. Besides, if I put it down it just kind of … disappears into the void." He gestures vaguely at the aforementioned void.

 "That's true," Reggie pipes up. "He's always got a back-up supply!"

 Alex scoffs a little. "Yeah, but he's the only guitarist I know who chews on his picks."

 "Well my soulmate chews on theirs," Julie puts in, "So Luke's not the only one."

 She hears the implement in question clatter to the piano. When she looks at Luke his eyes are wide and a little sad. None of them had really talked about soulmates. She's not sure about the implications that being dead has on finding a soulmate. None of them had found theirs before they died.

 Alex, however. He'd managed to literally run into his soulmate in ghost form, so who knows. She's not sure if there are any rules. Whether both parties have to be dead or if one can be alive.

 (If she's honest with herself, she's spent a fair amount of time thinking about this. Thinking about Luke. She pushes the thought away when it pops up cause it's not possible but it always creeps back in. But they can't even touch so it’s a moot point. That longed-for skin-to-skin contact that bridges the gap between souls remains elusive. The silly daydream of a love-struck girl.)

 ---

 "Julie," Flynn says worriedly as they sidle up to their lockers, "Where's your ring?"

 "My rin-" she lifts her right hand to her face and studies her empty middle finger with distraught consternation. The space where delicate twists of black metal usually sit is bare. "My ring! I - I'm sure I put it on this morning."

 "Yeah, I saw you wearing it," Flynn confirms, her eyebrows furrowing.

 Julie can feel a tide rising in her throat, swelling up behind her eyes, each crash of the sea battering against her ribcage in a heartbeat tattoo.

 A poof to her right interrupts her rising panic. She looks at Luke, eyes wide and watering.

 "Julie! I came to bri- What's wrong?" he cuts himself off when he notices her distress.

 "My ring is gone!" Her voice is tight, as if trapped in her throat.

 Flynn had cottoned on Luke's presence and had begun to move around to where he stands to prevent their peers from thinking Julie's well and truly gone off the deep end. (Julie thinks distantly how grateful she is for such a wonderful friend.)

 Bafflingly, a bright smile splits Luke's face. "This ring?" And pinched between his pointer finger and thumb is Julie's ring.

 Julie's entire body visibly relaxes and it's as if her spine contracts a couple inches, muscles no longer held taut by emotion, the tide pulls out.

 "Where did you find that?" Her voice is practically a whisper now, adrenaline having sapped all energy.

 Luke shrugs nonchalantly. "It was in my pick container for some reason."

 Creases form on Julie's face but she gratefully receives the piece of jewellery. She slips it into its rightful place and when she looks up she realises Luke's eyes have gone wide. Her eyebrows pull up into a question.

 "You -- no, sorry, nevermind." He shakes his head and takes a step back. Julie moves forward a step. Flynn glances around to make sure no one is watching.

 "No, Luke, it's okay. What's wrong?"

 He shakes his head again, eyebrows drawing together and the hint of a smile on his lips. Instead of answering, he reaches his right palm out to touch hers, letting their rings knock together.

 "Oh," Julie breathes. She's not sure how she'd missed it before. Maybe just that it had blended in with all his other rings.

 "Yeah," he says, bashful, "Oh."

 Julie smiles at him and he smiles right back.

 ---

 The Orpheum happens. And the boys are clinging to the last shreds of themselves and she's crying out Go, save yourselves.

 But No music is worth making, Julie, if we're not making it with you.

 And she hugs him. And she can feel him. The places their skin meet spark with some cosmic electricity but there's no time to dwell on it because she has to save Alex and Reggie too.

 It isn't until later, when Reggie exclaims, "Hey, what's that on your back?"

 She twists around, glimpsing the shape of a hand darkening the skin of her lower back. Her head whips around to look at Luke and she notices. "Luke, your shoulder!"

 One hand flies up to his left shoulder, tracing over the darkened patch where Julie's palm had first rested against his skin. Their eyes lock.

 "You're-"

 "We're-"

 She's not sure who's making which language-adjacent sound.

 Alex is looking back and forth between them, a grin pulling across his face while Reggie's mouth hangs open in realisation. But they stay quiet. The see, told you so's will be saved for later.

 Julie starts moving, crossing the room towards Luke. Luke seems to shake out of a stupor, surging towards her as well. They meet in the middle, her arms once again wrapping around his neck in a replay of their earlier embrace. His hands find their spot on her back.

 "It's you, it's really you - " she's babbling. She continues to babble. Luke moves a hand up to smooth back her hair and gently places his lips against her forehead, finally causing her tongue to cease. The touch is so painfully tender it feels like a branding iron against her skin. They stay there for a century or so, just rocking to an inaudible beat, clinging to one another.

 Finally, Luke tucks his chin so that he can rest their foreheads together, breathing the same air.

 "You're amazing, Julie Molina. I would die a thousand times to find you."

 She nods, unable to form words cause, yeah, so would she.

 They pull back and her eyes slide over left arm, landing on the scarf tied there. "My scarf!" She tugs on it a little.

 Luke chuckles, sliding his palm along her jaw. Realisation crosses his face. "Oh, that is my beanie."

 His head whips up and around when loud guffaws break past stifling hands. Alex and Reggie have dissolved into borderline hysterics. He looks back at Julie whose eyes fill with shared mirth. A laugh bubbles up in his own chest, spilling over and out of his mouth.

 And finally, surrounded by Alex and Reggie and Julie, his soul is complete.

Imagine : Last chance Bakugo x reader

Author note : I’m sorry, I wanted to write something angst and I couldn’t help myself. It was supposed to be a plot for a RP but I didn’t know who ask for, so I just write it down. I apologize it it’s kinda shitty, it’s my first imagine I’ve never done something like that I hope you would still enjoy it. Again I may repeat myself but I never wrote an imagine before I'm still self-conscious with my writing but I hope it went fine please let me know if you enjoy this. ♡ 

Warning : curse word / angst / mention of blood / Bakugo being Bakugo / spoiler from season 2 and 3 I guess 

Pairing : Bakugo Katsuki x reader (gender neutral) 

Words : 2391 

i do not own that gif credit to the owner 

It wasn’t supposed to happen, you weren’t supposed to lay here unconscious suffering from what should be his pain. Why would you do that ? Why would you meddle in some battle he was involved ? Don’t you hear him last time ? Why would you still want to protect him ? He didn’t deserve any of your attention, he never did, and more importantly you never deserved to be here in coma for someone who barely acknolewdge you. Why do you choose him ? Why do you love him ? God, does it hurt seeing you here sleeping while your face wears that pain expression since days. 

Now Bakugo started to regret his last word, of course he had to be an asshole of course he had to be like this during what could be your last moment. Why did he not tell you the truth ? He should tell you how much he loves you, how much you mean to him even if you were sometime a pain in his ass. He would kill any people who hurt you, he would kick anyone’s ass if he could make you happy. Why can’t he just say that ? He couldn’t help but remember your last interaction. It was the first time he saw you crying, he never saw you like this : usually you were such a sunshine to his little heart, always happy, always positive always happy to help. It even bothered him how nice you could be. His ego was hurt, during a long time he loved pretending it was because you annoys him when it wasn’t the case. In fact he was jealous, he couldn’t be like this with you, moreover not only were you nice with him but you were like this with everyone who were around you. It piss him off, he should be the only one to enjoy your kindness but no. 

He couldn’t complain though. Even if you were actually nice with everyone, Bakugo was your favorite. No matter how many time he kicked you out or yelled at you, you always came after him for help or just enjoy his presence. You were always so cheerful, it reminded of Deku. Maybe that why he had to answer you the way he did : 

Bakugo was walking home, another day where he was frustrated cause it seemed that Deku took everything from him. But it won’t stop him, one day he will be able to be under the light for once, and everyone would notice how amazing he was and how pathetic Deku could be. Groaning at the thought of his rival, he didn’t notice you as you were running to catch him during his walk. For whatever reason, Katsuki sounded quite sad as if something was bothering him. You were determined to find what bothered him and helped him going through it, even if he told you before to let him go you knew better than to let him scary you. You knew it was only his way to protect himself for being hurt by someone. You knew him or at least that what you thought. 

After running, you were finally able to catch him. You took his shoulder so he will have to look at you. You knew he never like to be touched, but you didn’t how else you would ask him to listen to you. The way he looked at you should give you some clues of what was about to happen, today he looked especially angry you should know better than to try something. But you were determined to do anything to help you. After all you were so deeply in love with him, you couldn’t let him down you would do everything to keep him happy. You knew he suffered from a lack of trust, his confidence was also so breakable. He tended to be violent to protect himself but you knew deep down he was nothing but a sweetheart. You were sure of that, so that’s why you could handle some of his yells, you knew he didn’t mean it… Right ? 

« Bakugo are you alright ? 

Haaa ? What was that ? Why do you care ? 

It’s just you know… you look like you need help » 

You should never say that, you knew he never liked admit it when he was weak. The moment you let those words leave your mouth, you knew you were in trouble. 

« And who do you think you are ? Mh ? What make you feel I need your help anyway 

It just-

It’s nothing, just like you. You know what you are ? Nothing just a piece of shit. God you’re so annoying following me all the time like a lost puppy who do you think you are ? Don’t you have friends to bother ? They probably left you. »

Crack. That was the sound of your heart broken from his words. Why would he say that ? Did you cross the line ? Should you let him down as he ask you to ? You never thought you’ll annoy him, you never wanted to. All you wanted was to help him, to love him even if he might never share the same for you (why would he ?) you were happy as long as he was. You didn’t know what was happening to you, but it started to be difficult for you to breath, your sight start to blurry as Bakugo the man you always loved was looking at you with disapproval. Then you felt something rolling on your left cheek, then on your right one and then you felt a lot hot liquid running on your face as you were suffocated. 

Why did you feel this way ? Why love someone was so painful ? It shouldn’t be like this. You shouldn’t feel like this. You heard yourself sobbing, trying to catch your breath, as you felt Bakugo walking past you telling you to stay away from him cause he didn’t have nothing to do with a crybaby like you. One minute later you felt yourself on your knees, as you were holding yourself crying, screaming more and more. You were bending your body, like a prayer. You couldn’t stop crying, it seemed like his harsh words were etched on your spirit cause you could hear it again. And again. 

When you were finally able to get yourself together, you walked home without a word not able to think properly. You just did everything mechanically so you didn’t have to process what was happening. The idea of bothering him never crossed your mind, you always thought you were doing it for him. But, was it the truth ? Weren’t you selfish for believing he might enjoy your attention ? What if you were wrong since the beginning, and he was actually bothered by you ? You thought you’ve never done that to catch his attention, to become his significant other but you were lying to yourself. Of course the thought of him being touched by your action, and asking you to become his lover was your dream since you started to have crush on him. 

It was your own fault for not being able to understand him, to catch his true nature and for not being able to see when you should shut your mouth. Now It was over, you should do as he said and stay away from him. You would end up bothering him even more anyway. So you did as he requested, you went school next day without giving him a single look ; everytime you were closed to him you lowered your head so you won’t make eye contact with him. After what he has said to you, you weren’t sure if he ever wanted to see you again and since you couldn’t disappear, you did everything not make any contact with him. 

But it hurt, it hurt as hell, seeing him laughing with Eiji as if nothing happened, being himself as if he didn’t broke your heart. You never felt so empty before, what if your « friend » felt the same way ? What if you were a burden instead of someone they could count on ? After your argument with Bakugo you started to avoid everyone not wanting not live another argument like this, your heart won’t be able to take it. Your friends did notice something was off with you, but they didn’t know how to ask you what’s wrong without hurting you. They noticed you started to avoid Bakugo too so they knew something happened between you two but again it wasn’t simple to find any clues. Besides everyone were kinda busy since the summer camp was about to start. 

That’s when the worst began, couple of days after your arrival you were surrounded by vilains who traveled to kidnap Bakugo and to kill as much hero as possible. Hearing that Bakugo was in danger, forced you to run as fast as possible on the woods. You did everything to not succumb from the soporific gaz over you, you didn’t know what you’ll do but you couldn’t just let him down : despite everything he has done to you, you still loved him and you’ll do everything to protect him. Unfortunately for you that would mean being hurt pretty badly. 

In fact, during your escape from the magician you did everything to protect Bakugo from behind as Todoroki was in front of everyone. Everyone hope that your formation would be able to protect Bakugo until you’ll find any hero especially Aizawa-sensei who would be able to kick those villains’ ass. 

But, fate was definetly against you, when you thought everyone was safe, in blink of an eye you were surrounded by villains ready to kill you if it was necessary to catch their prey. All of your friends did everything in their power including you, to protect Bakugo for being kidnap by them, but Twice was quick enough to isolate you and Bakugo from the rest of your friends. And as if the situation wasn’t already alarming, you felt your body being weak from using your quirk since the beginning of the battle. Although, you couldn’t let Bakugo on himself you knew you couldn’t let that fight left any longer. You tried to punch Twice on the stomach so you could run with Bakugo to join your friends, but before you could notice, Moonfish was already in front of Bakugo, afraid he might not be able to answer back quickly you decided to let Twice down and ran as fast as possible to protect Bakugo for being hurt. 

Squish. That’s the last thing you could heard properly before feeling something stabbing you In your stomach. You couldn’t even describe it, you felt as if you breath was taken away, every movement hurt you like hell in addition you started to feel weak. One second later you were on your knees while Moonfish was removing his bone from your stomach, if you didn’t feel him stabbing you before you definetly felt him removing his bone away from your body. It was like your entire body was leaving your your felt every inch of his damn bone leaving your body, slowly to make it even worse. 

Then everything happened quite quickly, you heard Bakugo yelling something like « Bastard » while you felt your body emptying from your blood, it’s getting difficult to breath, you weren’t able to see properly anymore. You felt your body fall on the left as you were closing your eyes slowly while you covered the floor with your own blood. The last thing you saw was Bakugo getting surronded by the magician and Twice, you held your hand in Bakugo’s direction before it fell to the ground as you were loosing consciousness. 

Now here you were, on a bed with Recovery girl as she did everything in her power to help you going through your state. You were currently in coma, because you lost a lot of blood and couple of your organe were pretty damaged from the last fight. Forcing you to stay in coma was a relief for Recovery girl cause the last thing she wanted was you awaken and suffered from this : you could die from pain especially since you couldn’t eat or drink. Bakugo was here too, since you went in hospital he barely left you (only when Aizawa-sensei kicked him out). When he was captured all he could thing was you, he remembered seeing you looking at him with a smile while you were stabbed by that bastard. How could you smile during such a moment ? How you could you still smile at him when everything he did was hurting you. 

He couldn’t forgive himself, cause to be honest, not seeing you since your last argument made him realized how much you meant to him. The fact that everytime you weren’t looking at him afraid of seeing him in the eye, he felt like he was stabbed directly on his heart. He was angry because you saw him as a weak person while he tried everything to show off, but he failed and now you were here unconscious, no one was ever sure you would ever wake up from your state. And all he could remember was your face as he broke your heart, he couldn’t help but let some tears rolling from his cheeks, god he was such an assholes, such a coward for never confessing how much he loved you. 

And now, as he was losing you at every minute, he wished he could go back in time and told you the truth. Told you how much he enjoyed when you were cheering him up, how much he craved for your cheering when he was fighting, how much he loved when you remembered every little thing about him, it made him feel loved in a way he never thought he could be loved. But he fucked up, as usual he broke everything : first All might and now you. He was definetly a loser. If you woke up, no when you’ll wake up he should apologize and beg you to take him back. He never deserved you and now that you might die from your woods, he realized his mistakes. No one tried to talk to him cause they knew their words were useless, only you could understand him, only you could help him going through his insecurity. Everyone, including teacher were hoping you might wake up eventually. 

*beep boop* *robotic voice* here you go

1

Pebbles skittered as I clung to the side of the building. “This isn’t exactly what I had in mind this evening,” I said, as I made my way around the large edifice. 

“Hey,” I asked Robin, “how many synonyms for ‘building’ can you think of?”

He blinked at me. “Why are you asking me this right now?”

I shrugged. “I dunno.���

He let out a long, exasperated sigh. “We are literally in the middle of a job, and you’re asking me about building synonyms?”

“Yes.”

“Well, then. Let me see...um…construction, edifice, hut, architecture, domicile, home, erection, framework, I guess.”

“Hmmm, most of those wouldn’t work for this exact building. I mean, nobody would really call a tavern a home, do you?”

He looked at me, and replied, “First of all, I know you are a good thief, but most don’t make chat during the job. That’s typically reserved for afterwards.”

“What can I say, I’m a special person.”

He sighed, and said, “You got that right. And most taverns don’t have 4 stories. Remind me, why is this one so tall?”

I shrugged, and told him, “I’m not sure, a lot of customers, I guess. It isn’t known as the best tavern for 500 kilometers for nothing. Most only get about 10 guests a night, this one gets almost 75.”

“We should really focus on the task we have on hand, don’t you think?”

I sighed, and said, “Fine. But how much farther do we have to go, anyway?” He reminded me that we had three more rooms to go by before we got to the correct one, and we continued on our way, slowly making progress, just two friends vibing on the wall of a dark tavern. As we were edging our way to our destination, I quietly said, “we need music. Where’s our bard?”

Robin quite exasperatedly replied, “Dude, we are literally thieves trying to be sneaky and quiet so that we aren’t caught. We definitely don’t need a bard right now.”

“But what if we get caught and we need to seduce the halfling?”

“We aren’t going to get caught. The only way we would get caught would be if we had a bard that would make so much noise that everyone in the tri-state area would awaken.”

“That’s fair enough. Well then, I shall hum under my breath.”

“Do not hum under your breath.”

“Fine.”

2

Each of the rooms had a small balcony, which made moving across them easier. The beginning was the hardest, because we didn’t start with a balcony, but once we got to the first, we could move across it and then jump to the next. We didn’t always make it all the way, but we were careful enough to jump close enough to the wall so that we could land on the small strip of extruded wall and not fall to our likely deaths. I tried multiple times to make small talk, but Robin was not in the mood. He apparently was ‘focused on the mission’ and ‘didn’t have time for my nuisances’. As we got closer, I got quieter, until we were on the correct balcony.

“Now remember,” Robin said seriously, staring me in the eyes, “This particular barbarian is very dangerous. You already know this, but I think I should refresh your memory, just in case you decide to do things because ‘you only live once’. He is one of those very special barbarians that we’ve been tracking, one that covers himself in those runes. They will amplify his strength, and go even crazier than normal.

“Under no circumstances are you to wake him up, do you understand me? He will rip us to shreds, and I’m too pretty to die. To be honest, I don’t think we should be doing this anyway. A little talisman isn’t worth this kind of risk.”

“It is when that ‘little talisman’ could turn him into a hulking rage monster, should he handle it improperly,” I rebuked.

“Oh, so we’re Good Samaritans now, making sure he doesn’t destroy stuff? Maybe we should go down and kill us some dark elves while we’re at it, or go after bandits for the lols.”

“Come on man, it’s not like that. I just don’t want to die because of him, and plus, that talisman can fetch a hefty price. We’re gonna need money if we’re going to succeed in nabbing that staff, didn’t we agree?”

“Yeah, speaking of which, didn’t I only agree to that one theft? The only reason I’m here is because, and I quote, ‘I’d make a mess of things if I went in by myself, and we really need the money it’ll fetch if we’re going to take that staff.’ You haven’t even told me why the staff is special. You’ve been really evasive about it.”

“I promise, it’s for a good reason. Now, let’s focus on what we’re doing here. We need to be careful, and we’re burning moonlight,” I told him. We carefully brushed aside the curtains so we could peer into the room, and saw that the barbarian was lying on his bed, half-naked, his runes glowing softly in the darkness. We started using a system of hand signals to communicate, similar to, but simpler than, the hand code of the drow. We walked softly into the room, my enchanted boots making not a sound, Robin’s normal ones making barely more. We crept through the room, being careful about potential dangers, but not too worried, as barbarians almost never set up defenses because of their overconfidence. I walked toward the closet, which was covered with a curtain, which I pulled back. There was nothing to note, other than a wicked club which was studded with sharp-looking metals. I left everything where it was, except for an orange I found in a bag. Robin clicked softly to get my attention, and then gestured toward the barbarians chest. The talisman lay there, shrouded by chest fur, and quite obviously unobtainable. To try would be to wake up the beast of a man, which was like inviting Death itself into your home.

“I’m going to snatch it and run,” I signalled, to which Robin replied, “NO. No you are not.”

“Get out of here,” I said while creeping toward him, “I know I can make it out, but only if you aren’t here. Go, and I’ll follow.”

He rolled his eyes, but went out onto the balcony and started climbing down. I plotted what I would do, which ended up being pretty simple. I’d yank it off his thick neck, then run and try to jump to the next building. I went to the balcony, and noted the distance to the shop next door, as well as the fact that Robin had made it down safely. I walked back to the sleeping form, and readied myself. Just reach down and take it. By the time he would awake and come after you, you’ll be on the next roof, making your grand escape, and he’ll never know it was you. Go on. Do it. I carefully reached through the hair, and wrapped my fist around the magical thing. I pulled it off his meaty neck and tried to run, but his fist was around my neck before I had taken a step. 

He growled at me, very angrily, as the runes started to glow brighter. He marched over to the balcony, and threw me as hard as he could, which was a bit of an inconvenience, but also helpful, because it meant I was no longer near him and his strong grasp. 

1

3

I hit the ground painfully, groaning. Why did being thrown have to hurt so much? I heard someone running toward me, but couldn’t muster the strength to look at them.

“This is bad, this is bad, this is bad, why did I agree to this, this stupid idiot probably got himself killed, and now I have no one to talk to,” I heard a familiar voice say. Robin knelt down next to me, and, with concern in his eyes, asked me, “hey, are you okay? You’re bleeding quite a lot.” I laughed, and replied, “Yeah, but you should see the other truck. He’s really quite strong, and I don’t think I used that idiom, or whatever, correctly. Anyway, I should probably see a doctor or something, because everything hurts. Also, what’s your last name? I feel like we should tell each other this, because we’re so close. Mine’s Naïlo.”

He looked at me, and said, “Yeah, this is bad. You only ramble this badly when you are trying to take my attention away from something else. In this case, I think you’re trying to keep me from noticing that your foot is backwards.”

I raised my head, and looked down at my body. “My foot is backwards? Huh. That’s why it hurts this much. I thought it was just my entire body. Yeah, we should get to a doctor.”

He grabbed under my arms, and tried to lift me. “OW! Ow, ow, ow. Yeah, that isn’t gonna work,” I said. “Maybe grab a stretcher, or bring a healing mage here?”

“Fine.” He left to do that, and I just laid there, looking up at the stars and wondering why I did things like this. Probably because I’m an idiot. It was actually kinda nice here, kinda calm, relaxing, other than the pool of blood that was getting larger around me and the utter pain my body was going through. Eventually, I fell unconscious.

*

When I came to, Robin was kneeling over me, as well as a second person that I could only assume was a mage, considering that my body no longer hurt as much. 

“Hey,” I said, “is it as bad as it felt?”

“Luckily, no,” he responded, staring at my abdomen instead of my face. The mage stood up, and held out his (to be honest, I have no idea their gender, I never found out, so I’m using male pronouns) hand, demanding payment. Robin handed over a couple gold coins, and the mage left. He helped me stand up, and though I wobbled for a few seconds, I quickly recovered.

“Well, that went well,” I told him, showing him the talisman I had stored in a secret pocket of my clothes. He laughed, and we started to walk back to the guild. “Hey, so what does it do, anyway?” he asked, as he stretched his body toward the sky.

“I have no clue, but I’m sure our client is a good person. She had a good demeanor, don’t you think?”

Robin sighed, and responded, “The only reason she gave us this job was because she had heard your reputation. She literally threatened to cave your skull in.”

I spread my hands, my hair turning pink. “She only said that because I pointed out she had a bird in her hair. What was I supposed to do, not stare at it?”

“She was a druid, obviously. Yes, they don’t typically threaten people, but it is possible she likes animals and hates the more sentient life.”

“Eh, whatever. It’s probably like a spirit gem or whatever druids like. Likely unimportant to us.”

*

We returned to the guild, slept through the rest of the night, and the next morning set out to find the druid. We found her at a tavern, one a few blocks away from the one we had visited that night. She was at a corner table, staring into her mead and probably thinking some nature-esque thoughts, I don’t know what druids think. When we got close, she quickly looked up at us, looking scared.

“Do you have it?” she asked hurriedly, grabbing at my arm.

“Chill, yes, I have it,” I replied, and took out the talisman. I hadn’t really taken a close look at it before, as I had been busy getting tossed around and/or knocked out. It had the imprint of a unicorn on it, and it seemed to be made of some kind of silver or other such material. She swiped it from my grasp, and just as I was moving toward her, indignant, she pushed a bag toward me. I opened it, saw that it had the correct amount of payment, and looked back up. She had disappeared, which wasn’t surprising, considering how paranoid she had acted, and so Robin took the bag and we left.

When we got back to the guild, we sorted out the reward. It was sizable, perhaps a little more than the amount of work we went to, or at least the amount of work Robin had gone to. 

“So, what happens now?” he asked me.

“Well, right now? I am going to go get a new blade,” I responded, “and then another job.”

“Why do you need a new blade? The one you have works fine,” he asked me. I tossed my current sword at him, and replied, “Yes, but I’ve had that one a while now and I’ve been looking at a magical one for a while now. Well, I’m off.”

As I left the guild, I passed Sylvan, a male elf who has constantly tried to one-up me, even though I couldn’t care less about him. I ignored him, even when he tossed his half-eaten sandwich at me. He’s a real jerk, and is probably just intimidated by me. At least, that’s what I’ll keep telling myself until I finally decide to do something.

I found myself at Durtor’s blacksmith shop, which looked the same as pretty much any other blacksmith’s, except with a bit more magic, as Durtor’s specialty was enchanting. He greeted me, and I replied in kind. He asked me, “What do you want, Alushtas? That blade I gave you was supposed to last at least a decade, and it’s barely been two years.”

“That is true, and it was a good blade, but I desire something else. It is fairly special, and will most certainly be expensive, but I’m sure I can pay.”

“Ah? So what’ll it be?”

“I’m not sure exactly what it is called, but I want a sword that can shift dimensions according to my will, such that it will disappear and reappear when I want, if that makes sense.”

“Hmm… I think I know what you are talking about, and you are correct in that it will be expensive. I can make such a blade in about a week, or, if you would rather enchant an existing sword, it would probably take about 2 days to properly set. Which will it be?”

“I want a new blade. You know that the newer a weapon is, the better the enchantment will be. Also, I know you are always working on improving yourself, and I am confident a new sword will be well worth the price.”

Durtor nodded, and turned away. “I’d better get started,” he said, as he moved through his workspace. “But there are a few things I need to know.”

I gave him the necessary information. I wanted, actually, two blades, a shortsword and a longsword, which would “take a bit longer, probably closer to two weeks. This is the stuff you need to tell me at the beginning, okay?” They were to be made out of mithril, a rare ore that “really drives up the price, are you sure? Other metals are pretty good too. Really? Okay, okay, fine.” A few other details were necessary, but not really important for just anyone to know.

Over the next two weeks, I did a few more jobs, but nothing very exciting. I was really just filling the time until I could have my new blades, which I had decided to call my ‘vorpal blades’, because it sounded cool, even though an actual vorpal blade simply could decapitate a person and any of mine could do that if necessary.

4

After the two weeks, I went to pick up my new weapons. It was a Mountday, and I was, to be perfectly honest, quite excited. I had never had magical blades, as I had thought them unnecessary, but I had made an exception for these. 

“You must bind them to your will,” Durtor told me, “or else they will never obey you.” That seemed kinda obvious to me, but hey, it was a fair assumption about my intelligence. “What do I need to do, anyway?”

“You must take hold of one of the swords, with both hands.” I did so, feeling like a paladin or something. “Now, press the tip into your forehead, enough to take a drop of blood.”

“This sounds painful, but most rituals are.”

“Yes, blood is a powerful bonding tool. Now just do it already.” I moved the longsword until the cool metal of the tip rested against my head, and then pressed it as Durtor had told me to. A drop of blood fell onto the blade, and ran down it until it hit the guard, where it soaked in. I felt a shiver go down my spine, as a feeling of openness surrounded me.

“You may feel overwhelmed by the many strange feelings coming over you. This is a synchronicity with the sword, which shares with you the vast feeling of many dimensions. No matter where you go, this blade will follow you, and you will control its power. It is a weapon sought after by many, though as long as you live, only you will be its master. Guard it well, for it is a great tool, and it will guard you as well. Now, the other one.”

We did the same process with the shortsword, including Durtor’s speech, which probably contained power in and of itself. Following that, I followed him to the training arena, where several magical fighters stood at attention. They were unintelligent dummies, set at several levels, for fighting against, both newbies and veterans with weapons. I selected ones about middling level, so that I could practice with these different swords. In addition to the two vorpal blades, I had shield-like protection on my forearms, leather armor on the rest of my body, a dagger hidden on the side of my boot, two more daggers in my coat, and a shortbow slung across my back, with a quiver of arrows. I walked into the arena, readied my swords, and called out to start. 

Two dummies ran at me from an archway, one with a hand and a half sword, the other with a club. I quickly checked around me to make sure that no other enemies were coming, and, reassured that these were the only ones here, moved such that the one with the club was directly in front of the sword dummy, thus giving myself one target at a time. 

The dummy swung the club at me, which I easily dodged back to avoid, then I rushed forward and plunged the longsword into its chest. It lurched to the side, and I phased my blade so that I wouldn’t be knocked off balance. The sword only contained the weight of the handle when phased, which was good to know, so that I wouldn’t overcommit myself or make a mistake based on weight, and I rolled to the side to dodge the next swing. 

Almost too late, I remembered the other dummy, and moved my arm shield to block the strike I heard coming from my left side. I brought my shortsword in, hooked the much larger sword with the guard, and braced myself. The dummy pushed hard, trying to use brute force to overpower my blade, when I moved my body to the side and phased my sword. The dummy fell, overbalanced, and I calmly stabbed it in the head, the only place capable of deactivating them. The club dummy was up now, and coming for me. It brought the club down hard, but I rolled to my right and quickly switched my blades (my typical arrangement is longsword right hand, shortsword left hand). I brought my longsword into the thing’s back, shoved it to the ground, and stabbed it in the head with the shortsword. The fight now over, the two dummies got up and went back to their storage area, waiting for the next fight.

“Impressive,” Robin said, walking up to me.

“Sloppy,” I corrected, panting, “but I can improve. Were you watching the entire fight?”

“First of all, I was talking about the swords themselves. You, however, were terrible. Second of all, yes, I saw the whole thing. Making them come at you one at a time was a good idea, but you have to remember that they are both there. I saw your surprise when you had to block that sword dummy. Good move with the phasing out, though. Could be very useful in the future.”

I shook my head, amazed at what he had said. “Yes, that is why I got them. That is exactly what I wanted.”

He raised his hands, shrugged, and replied, “Hey, I didn’t know what kind of swords you were going for. Two weeks ago, you just told me ‘I want a new magical blade and hey, here’s my current one because I’ve only had it for two years and don’t want it anymore’.”

“That was a pretty good impression of me. Good job,” I said, and he smiled. 

“Why do I even hang out with you?” he asked, “because all you do is the wrong or rash thing and never tell me anything.”

“It’s either my winning personality or the fact that you are the one that recruited me into the guild.”

“Well, it’s certainly not your personality.”

“Haha, very funny. Now, let’s go get us something else to do. I’m bored.”

*

We made our way to a tavern (taverns are great, they are like restaurants mixed with motels, aka motels with good food) and got some food, because it was about midday.

“Hey,” I said to get his attention, “you wanna steal from that dude I told you about right after telling you about getting these epic boots?”

Robin shrugged. “Sure,” he said. “Now, what about this mage do we need to know?”

“Well, they are very powerful and dangerous. Their name is Noxlumos, or the light in the darkness, which is all cool and all, but their staff is the good bit. I’m not sure if it teleports the user, or makes them invisible or what, but I know it doesn’t have a master because I’ve seen multiple people use it. They live at the edge of town, and I know they have very good defenses. We will have to be extremely cautious, but I think we can do it.”

He sighed. “Well, I’ve been waiting for a good reason to die, and this seems like it. Let’s do it.”

5

As per every mission we do, we had to get the necessary materials. I went to the blacksmith’s again, as well as a magical item shop and a general shop. I made a couple other stops, which aren’t necessary to mention, and I had all my equipment. I met up with Robin at the guild, and used our hand code to ask him whether he had the things I asked him to get. He said that he did, and we were ready to go. When we got near, we saw what we were up against.

They had a large house, more like a mansion, with grass out front, and a stone path up to it. It was very nice, except for the clay golem out front.

“Well, that makes things a bit more difficult,” I said.

“Wait, you did scope this place out first, right? That’s how you knew what to get?” he asked, worriedly.

“Yes, I knew to scope the house out, but this is a new addition. Makes me wonder what else might be in there. Eh, no matter. We got this. Just need to sneak past a creature designed to not sneak.”

He sighed. “You know, I was joking when I said I was ready to die, but hey, whatever. Let’s do this.”

*

We crept around to the side of the house, and started to climb it. I made it to a second story window, which had actual glass in it, went up onto the windowsill, and waited for Robin to join me.

“Now, I don’t know exactly what we’re going to find here. I know most of the defenses, but I can’t be 100% sure of everything, and the layout of the house and where the staff is isn’t really known to me, except for perhaps an idea based off of other houses of similar construction,” I told him.

“Okay, let’s just go. I’ve resigned myself to this fate, let’s get it over with,” he replied.

I used my shortsword to cut a hole in the glass (gotta love freshly sharpened blades!), and we quietly climbed through. We found ourselves in what looked like a bathroom, except everything was white. It seemed to be made of some kind of stone, like quartz, though much more fragile, from the way it felt. In fact, the entire room was like something out of a fantasy book, with many strange and unknown things in it. We were very confused by the whole thing, and so moved on. We went into the hallway, which was covered in rug-like material, like a carpet over the flooring. We neutralized any alarms we found, and almost activated a few before noticing them

‘This “mage” seems much more powerful than I thought’ Robin signalled at me.

‘Yes, it is possible he is a wizard, but I only knew he used magic, not exactly what kind,’ I responded. ‘Now be quiet. We don’t want to attract attention.’

We continued, looking through the rooms, finding many strange-looking things which we didn’t touch, for we did not know what they would do, and we were too smart to risk it. We found what appeared to be a kitchen, dining room, and living area, but no sign of the staff. Finally, we found a bedroom, which contained the wizard, sleeping in a large bed.

‘Since I have the magical boots and know what the staff looks like, I’ll head in. If I see the staff, I’ll signal you and grab it,’ I told him, and he nodded in agreement.

I crept into the room, careful to make sure my boots made not a sound. I looked around, but couldn’t immediately see the staff. I moved to the side of the bed and looked under it. Nothing was underneath, and so I turned toward the closet that was to the left of the entrance. It was full of wizard clothing, as one might expect, but there was something else that I could make out. It didn’t appear to be the staff, but I was curious. I moved close to the closet, and saw a bow. Well, I thought, that is good to know, I suppose. I looked around again, and saw a chest on the other side of the room, which might contain something magical. I quietly moved toward it, and used one of my charms, which was supposed to Detect Monsters. I had encountered a Mimic before, and had no desire to do so again, especially right next to a wizard. It seemed to be a normal chest, so I used a few more charms to check and neutralize any alarms I could find on it, oiled the hinges so it wouldn’t creak, and then it was time.

I reached for the chest, readied myself, and opened the lid quickly. It is always best to do certain things quickly, similar to ripping off a bandage. The chest opened smoothly, and didn’t seem to trigger any alarms, though I looked at the wizard to make sure they weren’t awake. I looked into the chest and - 

“Eureka,” I said under my breath, reaching in and taking out the staff. It was long, probably about 5 feet tall, and I couldn’t understand how it fit in the chest at first, until I realized it was a Chest of Compression, which made items smaller when they are put in them. It was fairly nondescript, a tall, wooden pole, except for the top, where the image of a spider stood, raised on all 8 legs, in bronze. On its abdomen was a gem, and its eyes were studded ruby. I had seen it before, and so knew it was the correct staff, as well as the thrill of power running through it. 

I moved back out into the hall after closing the lid of the chest carefully, and signalled to Robin that I had the staff, to which he replied, ‘Well, I think that’s obvious, considering the fact that you are holding it.’ I told him not to be a smart aleck, and we made our way back through the strange room to where we had entered. I wrapped the staff in cloth, strapped it to my back alongside my bow, and climbed back out the window. I quickly made my way down, and Robin followed. We crept away from the house, doing our best not to awaken the golem, and we must’ve done something right, because we made it all the way back to the guild without the beast coming after us.

6

The next day, Robin came over to my room. I had put the wrapped staff under my bed, where it had lain below me while I meditated. When he got there, I took out the staff, and slowly unwrapped it. In the daylight coming in from my window, we could better see the figure at the top. It was definitely a spider, and the crystal in its abdomen looked like a blue amethyst, in the shape of an hourglass.

“This almost definitely has some kind of symbolism or significance to it,” I said, “but I have no idea what. Eh, I’m sure it’ll come up again later.”

Robin sighed. “That’s a terrible way to go through life, but okay.”

“Come on, man, let’s see what it can do. Actually, scratch that. Let’s check it for malevolence, and then use it!”

We left my room, and went to our wizard’s quarters. We handed him the staff, told him we found it in a shop and liked it, and asked him to check it for anything evil. He found nothing, except that it contained very potent magic, and wondered “what kind of shop will just sell something this powerful?” We shrugged, and went back to my room.

“Well, now can we try the stick?”

“Fine.”

I took out the staff, braced it against the floor, and gripped it with both hands.

“Do I have to say something, or will it just happen, or what?”

“Dude, I have no idea, you’re the one who saw people use it.”

“Okay, I think I just have to concentrate on… something… I’m not sure. Grab the staff as well, just in case, though.”

Robin grabbed the staff, just below where I was holding it, and I, not knowing what exactly I was doing, moved one of my hands and gripped the spider’s body in my hand, on top of the staff. A shiver went down my spine, similar to the thrill of power I felt when I first held it. One at a time, the spider’s legs moved, coming up for a second, and then settling back down on the staff. This freaked me out a bit, though I found that I couldn’t let go of it. 

By this point, I was having second thoughts, especially as a wind picked up, circling throughout the room, and the amethyst set in the spider began to glow. Robin had already started screaming, and I was panicking a lot. My eyes wide, I tried to move away, but the staff was firmly stuck, attached to nothing, and I was attached to it, as was Robin. The room started to spin, or at least it appeared to, and colors were flying everywhere, reds and blues mixing and bathing the room in a multi-colored madness. The wind was at cyclone levels now, or so it felt, and my last thought before spinning into unconsciousness was, Please mommy, let me off of this ride, it isn’t fun. I’m guessing I was a little loopy from whatever was happening.

*

When I woke up, I was in a field. It seemed to be farmland, though the crop was unknown to me. It was tall, almost as tall as me, with some kind yellow thing on the end of long, green stalks. As it hadn’t attacked me, I had to assume it was either a passive entity or inanimate. Robin was laying next to me, with the staff nearby. I quickly rewrapped the staff, which looked the same as before we tried to use it, and tried to wake Robin up.

“Robin!” I said, slapping his cheek, “we need to go!”

“Wh-what?” he said groggily, his eyes opening up slightly. “Where are we?”

I looked around, and saw that it was about midday here, as well. “I’m not sure, but I don’t think it’s anywhere good.”

He got to his feet, I put the staff on my back again, and we started off. After about 10 minutes of walking, we saw something resembling a house, which we stopped to look at, though it was entirely blue and the structure was different from most of the houses I had seen in my life. The closest I could think of was the wizard’s house that we had stolen the staff from, which did not fill me with confidence or excitement.

“Well, we might as well go in,” Robin said, and I sighed and started to walk toward it again. 

“Sure, while we’re here in this strange place, let’s go to the random house. That sounds like a great idea, yeah,” I said sarcastically, and we got to the door.

“Should we knock, sneak in, or what?” Robin asked me. I reached up and knocked, for I felt like being dangerous. A few seconds later, a woman answered the door. She was wearing strange fabric, and was very tan.

“Yeah? What do you want?” she asked exasperatedly, to which I replied, “Hello, um, where are we?” She blinked, and then laughed. 

“Yeah, a lot of folks get lost out in the country. Your car must’ve broken down, huh? Well, if you follow that road-” She gestured to the side, where a road lay “-for a few miles, you’ll find yourselves in Chicago. Were you going to a convention of some kind? I didn’t know there was a Comic-Con going on around here, but I’m not really that kind of gal, so what do I know? Nice costumes, you must’ve put a lot of work into it.”

“Uh, thank you? We’ll be leaving now.”

“Okay, okay, I’m probably talking your ears off. Enjoy yourselves!”

As we walked over to the road, I mulled over what she had talked about. Cars? Chicago? Conventions? Comic-Con? Where were we?

7

We started to walk down the road. The sun beat down, burning us up, and strange machines whizzed by us at frightening speeds. Considering what the woman had told us, I assumed these were cars, which terrified me for what might happen should they break down at those speeds. Robin tried to make conversation, but I wasn’t in the mood for it.

After about an hour, we were both exhausted, though, in the distance, we saw buildings towering up into the sky, which I assumed was the city. Half an hour later, we were dragging ourselves up the road, and the city was laid out in front of us. It was terrifying, because wherever we were, the sky was blocked off mostly by the giant buildings, which looked like they were scraping the top of the world. We collapsed beneath one, and Robin almost immediately fell asleep. I, still watchful and cautious of a new place, sat in the lotus position and meditated.

When I was finished, about 4 hours later, I decided to leave. I set up some defenses, though one of my charms didn’t seem to be working properly, which was strange. As I walked through the city, I was glad to know that I could read all of the signs and such around it. It seemed to be in Common, though it possibly had an enchantment to let anyone read it in their main language. There were many strange and disturbing things, and the ‘cars’ seemed to take over most of the walking space. Many people stared at me, but I am used to that, especially because of my hair. I pulled my hood up to cover it, but they continued to look. I was getting pretty annoyed by that point, and so I moved into a building. It seemed to be some kind of clothing store, though not with any kind of armor or protection in general as something important. The main deciding factor in what people were buying seemed to be the design, which seemed inane and unimportant to me, but whatever.

I decided that I needed some new clothes so that I could fit in wherever we were, but I wasn’t willing to give up what I was already wearing. I decided to get a large blue sweater to wear over my clothing, with a hood so that I could cover my hair (and ears, for it didn’t seem like anyone else here was an elf). I decided to get some ‘sweatpants’, simply because they seemed to cover my legs the best while also allowing me to move. I brought them to the counter, where I tried to pay with a couple silver coins, the price I would gauge for the items, though apparently wherever we were used small, green slips of paper as currency. Somehow, I managed to get the clothes honestly, and get out of there. I had to find a place for my bow, which I simply ended up leaving behind near where Robin was, and I had to enchant the appearance of the staff so it didn’t look like it had the spider on it. Other than that, with the clothes I got (I forgot to get any for Robin, though he blended in a little better), I think I fit in enough to not draw too many looks.

When I returned to Robin, he was awake and standing. He looked a little upset, which I suppose he was entitled to considering I had left him alone here.

“So, where are we? Did you find that out when you left me here?” he asked, annoyed.

“Yes, I believe we are in the ‘Chicago’ the woman told us about, and the people here use green slips of paper for currency. Everyone speaks Common, so you don’t have to worry about that, though I only saw humans, not any dwarfs, elves, or even halflings.”

“Could be an entirely human settlement.”

“Maybe, but it seems too large for that. Also, the clothing store I went to didn’t have any armor or defenses at all, only thin fabric like this. In addition to that, some of my charms didn’t work. One of them almost blew up in my face, which definitely isn’t normal.”

“Let’s ask around, see if we can find where we are. We should split up and meet back in, hm, an hour? Yeah, an hour.”

*

We went in different directions, him down one street, me down another. 

“Well, Alushtas,” I said under my breath to myself, “Where should you go to find out information?”

I looked around for a while, and saw some more stores that I decided I would not enter until I had the correct money to pay for items, as well as some residential buildings. Everything was extremely tall, even taller than the tavern we had stolen from weeks ago, and it all confused me quite a lot. Eventually, I found a pawn shop, which luckily didn’t look too different from the ones I had seen before, except for the neon signs and the human pawnbroker (most of the ones I knew were goblins or orcs, for whatever reason). I managed to trade some of my gold pieces for about $150, which seemed like a good amount. By this point, it had been half an hour, but I kept looking around. 

After about 5 minutes, I saw a large building, mercifully not nearly as tall as the others surrounding me, but still quite big. By this point, I had decided that either we were in a very far away part of the world, or we had shifted dimensions. I went inside, intent on finding a mage that could help transport us back to Faerûn, but when I got to the person at the desk, who seemed to be someone in charge, all she told me was, “Look, sir (which I did not appreciate), there are flights to San Diego, California, you might find a convention there. I don’t know much about them, but I’ve heard of wizards at conventions.” I thanked her, and booked two tickets to California.

I returned to our meeting location about five minutes before Robin arrived. I told him what I suspected about where we were, and that there were wizards in California that might be able to give us the assistance we needed. He told me that he didn’t find anything, though he also managed to get some money, as well as some food. It was similar to foods back home, but strangely different as well. 

We got to our flight a bit late, but managed to board, and it was terrifying! We were trapped in a metal tube, thousands of feet in the air, with nothing to do. It took about four and a half hours, and somehow Robin was able to relax. I hoped that I wouldn’t have to ride in such a monstrosity again, for I didn’t even like riding animals that flew, let alone mechanical beasts.

When we landed, I got as far away from the metal machine as quickly as possible, though I did collect the things I had in my luggage. I am not sure how we made it through security, as it seemed to have detectors of weapons, but I’m assuming Robin used some kind of magic to fool them. It was nearly night, so we looked around and found a place to spend the night. It was a motel, and didn’t cost too much, which was nice. We crashed into our beds, confident that the next day would bring us good fortune.

8

As an elf, I didn’t really sleep, I merely meditated. 4 hours of meditation for me is about the same as 8 hours of sleep for a human, I believe, and much more productive, for I can think, ponder, and contemplate as I desire while meditating, instead of being dead-brained or dreaming. I woke up much before Robin, and decided to explore again. I left him a note this time, and left the room.

The city was similar to Chicago, but definitely different as well. From what I saw, we were in luck, for the ‘Comic-con’ was going to be in about a week. I didn’t know exactly what a Comic-con was, but from what I’d been told, it definitely seemed like the sort of place where I’d find a wizard. Also, it quickly became clear that we had changed dimensions, and the only seemingly sentient creatures here were humans, with a lot of the other races I knew to exist living only in the pages of fantasy books and games. I found one roleplaying, tabletop game called Dungeons and Dragons, which had a lot of information about a lot of things that I knew about, including my own species. A large world that was a part of D&D, as it was called, was even called Faerûn, which freaked me out. After some thinking, I decided that someone had been to this universe, and created a game based off of our world, giving me hope that they may be able to help us escape.

When I returned, I found Robin eating breakfast. He didn’t seem angry that I had left, especially when I told him what I knew.

“Well, it’s a stretch,” he said, “but I think if an actual wizard was here, they would be at this Comic-con. I found some information, and apparently a lot of people dress up, or cosplay, as different fictional people or species, including, surprisingly, elves. Probably the only place in this realm that you can be uncovered without attracting attention.”

I laughed, and responded, “I think I’ll still attract attention, if just because my elf cosplay is so good.”

“Fair enough.”

*

We spent the week learning more about ‘Earth’, which is an interesting place. It seemed that magic did not naturally occur here, but could exist. It was what is known as a Chaos realm, where both technology and magic both exist, though magic did not always work correctly because it isn’t natural there. However, possibly because they were designed to go between dimensions, my Vorpal blades worked perfectly, which was wonderful in a world that, while being much more violent than most, absolutely did not tolerate using such blades.

The day before we went to Comic-Con, I believe it was a Wednesday, we really didn’t have anything to do. I was sick of learning about Earth, and Robin had learned as much as he needed to, which was good enough for him.

“So,” he said, walking up to me. I was leaning against a wall of the breakfast area of the motel, eating a bagel with cream cheese. “We have gotten to know each other, and grown, I think at least, to be friends. However, I don’t know anything about your past. All I know is that you are a thief, and a good conversationalist. Tell me about yourself.”

I took a deep breath, and thought for a minute. “Okay, do you want me to start all the way back at the beginning?”

“Yeah, I think that would be a good place to begin,” he said after a moment’s consideration.

“Okay, then. Let’s see… My birth was special, for most elves are born male or female. I, however, was born completely androgynous, with neither sexes’ genitals or anything, in the image of one of the elven gods, Corellon Larethian. At least in my culture, anyone can be anything, and gender doesn’t hold anyone back, though we androgynes are special. Because of our androgyny, we don’t experience puberty like other elves. It is difficult to explain, but the point is, we don’t experience sexual attraction or the normal mood swings or whatever of being a teenager. We cannot be seduced because of this, though I suppose we could be seduced romantically, because we can still feel romantic love. We typically become warriors or something like that, and I later chose to be a thief, because it’s fun.

“In addition to that, I also have my hair. It evidently changes color depending on my mood, which can make it difficult to hide my emotions, though it has helped me become more in tune with them than I believe others are. I do not know why it changes colors, though I have tried to find out in my past.

“I lived in elven woods, for, yes, I am a wood elf, and my woods were fairly safe, and there were some more wild woods next to ours. I believe there were animals there that we didn’t feel comfortable dealing with, and our woods were plentiful enough, and so we were content to stay where we were. There was a halfling settlement in our forest, not too far from the wild woods, and I spent a lot of time there. Some elves lived as caretakers for the young halflings, and one of those halflings was my best friend, a young boy named Tyr. We got into a lot of mischief, which probably got me on the path to be a thief and a rogue. He was a lot of fun, though, one day, when he was a teenager, he wanted to go with his sister and caretaker to explore some ruins he heard about in the wild woods. I advised him not to, as there was a reason we didn’t go there, but he didn’t listen to me. He got his stuff together, prepped himself for the mission, and left. I never saw him again.”

“That’s terrible,” Robin said sympathetically.

“Yeah. He told me he would be back in 2 weeks, but after a month, I was disparaged. After it had been 2 months, I felt incredibly guilty. I felt that if I had gone with him, I could’ve protected him. I left home, for it held too many memories of him, and went out into the world.

“I traveled around a bit, ended up in Ten-Towns, and stayed for a bit. Eventually, I moved on, and moved around more. Finally, I ended up in Calimport, where I became a thief. You heard about my first job, and then I just kind of made my way around until I found my way here. That’s about it for me, I think. What about you?”

Robin sighed. “My story really isn’t that exciting. Still, I guess I can’t dissuade you. I lived with my parents until I was 16, when I was kicked out for being aromantic and asexual. Humans are, unfortunately, much less accepting than other races. Anyway, similar to you, I kinda just went around, being a street rat, stealing what I needed. Eventually, I managed to pull off such a big stunt that, of course, my current guild found and recruited me, just as I recruited you.”

“That is certainly shorter than my backstory, though just as important. I’m sorry about your parents.”

He shrugged, and said, “Eh, yeah, I’ve gotten used to it. It hurt at first, but by now I haven’t talked to them at all, and I’ve understood that not everybody is accepting, and that is something that needs to be changed.”

“I didn’t know you were ace aro, why haven’t you told me?” I asked, cocking my head to one side.

“Didn’t feel the need to, I guess. I don’t know,” he responded sheepishly.

“That’s fair. Anyway, what do you want to do today? We’ve stood here for about half an hour, we still have like 10 hours or something about math and time.”

“Uh, I don’t know, there’s a park somewhere around here called SeaWorld, wanna go?”

I considered for a moment, and then replied, “Sure, as long as we can get in”

We went over to SeaWorld, where we luckily had enough to pay the entrance fee. To write, it wasn’t very exciting, though Robin did try to free the otters: “They’re just too cute to stay here! We have to help them!”. We rode the few rides there were, and in the end, I didn’t really enjoy the trip, because we both felt bad for the animals. When we got back, we reviewed our game plan for Comic-Con.

“So, we’re going to go as ourselves, because lots of people will be like that,” Robin said. “Your ‘costume’ is the best of anyone’s around, obviously, and so you will probably draw a crowd. Do your thing, use those blades, dazzle them. I’ll be looking for anyone that looks like they are too interested in what you’re doing, and approach them. I know what I’m going to say, though I will definitely end up improvising. I’m sure we’ll find someone that can help us.”

“Sounds good, and I’m hopeful we can get back soon,” I replied.

9

The next morning, we were both excited. We were finally going to get our answers. Fairly early that morning, we set out. It took us a bit to find the convention center, which Robin remarked upon: “This sounds exactly like the sort of thing we should’ve prepared for earlier this week”. I hate it when he’s right.

When we got there, we were awestruck at the spectacle before us. Hundreds of people, dressed as wizards, elves, orcs, comic book superheroes, video game characters, and soooooooo much more were there. Cosplayers of every kind, colors everywhere, it was incredible! I can’t begin to describe the wonder I felt, or everything I wondered at.

“All the hype was worth it,” Robin whispered to me, and I slowly nodded.

“This is… wow,” I responded, my eyes large. The twos of us, Robin and I, walked into the center, and my jaw dropped. It was even better than the outside! So many people, packed into the place! I knew it was big, but now I was wondering how exactly I was supposed to entertain everybody while Robin looked through them.

“Okay, slight change to the plan. I’m going to go up on that stage and begin my act. I’ll invite some people up, do some cool stuff. I’ll use a spell to broadcast my voice, for I think it’d be difficult to get a connected microphone headpiece thing. You get up there-” I pointed up to some of the pathways near the ceiling, probably so that those large posters on the wall could be hung, or something “- and use this charm of seeing” -I produced a small magnifying glass from my pocket - obviously enchanted, not just a magnifying glass “-and scan the crowd. You know what to look for, and, I don’t know, figure out a way to contact them. Maybe you have a charm, or something, I’m not sure. Improvise, you’re good at that!”

“This is a terrible idea,” Robin told me, “and you’re going to get kicked out. Still, I can’t think of a better idea.”

I grinned. “Good, and besides, if I do well enough, they won’t want me to leave. Now go up, and get ready.”

I waited while he made his way through back ways and such, until he was up on the pathways (I should really figure out what they are called, but we don’t have them where I come from, and I don’t feel like learning it). He tossed something down at me, not sure how it got to me through the crowd, and I looked questioningly at him. He mimed putting it in my ear, and it did look like some kind of earpiece. I gently placed it in my ear, wincing slightly, for I didn’t think it was meant for my pointy elven ears. 

“Hey,” a voice that sounded like Robin’s came into my ear. I jumped, and looked up at him. He was grinning, of course.

“Can we communicate through these?” I hesitantly asked, to which I heard, while noticing it was definitely Robin speaking, “Yeah, I found a couple earpieces and tuned them to each other. Don’t know how I managed, but hey, if it ain't broke, don’t knock it.”

I chuckled, and responded, “Fair. Let’s get this show on the proverbial road and the literal stage.”

I pushed my way through the crowd, passing Captain Americas, Captain Rogers’, Captain Mal Reynolds’, and many others that were not Captains. Finally, I made my way to the stage. Wondering what exactly I would say, I jumped up onto it, where there were luckily no people, and muttered to myself, “I’m an introvert, and yet I’m here at such an extrovert place, about to do something terrifying. It’s a good thing I really want to get home, and I really hope this works.”

I activated my charm as people looked up at me, wondering what an elf was doing up on stage, and began speaking.

“Hello, all of you. You might be wondering what I’m doing up here on stage. To be honest, I am not sure either, but I think I’m supposed to give a demonstration or whatever it’s called for my cosplay, but they didn’t really tell me. Hey, can I get some boxes or something destructible up here?”

A couple confused convention workers brought up some empty boxes, while I sweated, wondering if I should make a run for it. Somehow, though, nobody came up and stopped me. I wasn’t even sure why there was a stage up here in the first place. Was an event or actual demonstration supposed to happen? Whatever the case, this was working, and I could see Robin up there scanning the crowd, though none of them really should be interested yet.

It was time to change that.

I deftly pulled out my sword, keeping it in this dimension. I did some basic fighter’s moves, which seemed to impress the people. 

“This is one of two Vorpal blades of mine. The name is misleading, or rather, does not do my blades justice. A vorpal blade simply is one that has the capacity to decapitate a foe, especially in fantasy games such as Dungeons and Dragons. However, all of my blades are like that.”

A few nervous laughs floated to me. I looked up at Robin for support, and he gave me a thumbs up. He spoke to me, saying, “Now, tell them the special thing and give them a little demonstration.”

“Okay. My blades are special, for they are enchanted. They can change dimensions at my will, and thus pass through objects in this one when I desire, and join back up in this one to cut what I want.”

To demonstrate, I deftly stabbed my sword at the first box, phasing it just before it broke the flimsy cardboard.

“Now, that may not look impressive, as you do not know that my blades do any damage at all, or that these boxes were not staged so I would not appear to do any damage. Furthermore, optical illusions could render it such that I did not stab the cardboard at all, and thus am a fraud. Now, will someone please come up here? I really don’t care who.”

People murmured amongst themselves, until one person stepped forward.

“I will,” they said, and I asked them a little about themselves. They were John, a human male, who came alone, dressed as The Arrow from DC. He loved coming to Comic-Con, and was excited at the opportunity to be a part of what he thought of as a very real and planned demonstration. He came up on stage, and I appraised him.

“I loved your T.V. show,” I said, saying the first thing that popped into my head. I had never seen a single episode, but knew that it was a thing and hoped he wouldn’t question me.

He beamed at me, and said, “Thank you! You are a really good elf!”

“I try. Now,” I directed this at the crowd, “I shall prove, in front of a witness, that these blades are no joke.”

I quickly pulled the handles close to myself, phased them back into reality, and drove them into the boxes. They easily cut through them, for they were designed to cut through things much tougher than some boxes. I then rapidly whirled, phased my blades out of sync, swept the handles just in front of John’s face, and phased them back in sync with the world. I asked a stunned, slightly scared John to touch the blades, and he reported they were very sharp.

“Now, was that an optical illusion? I think not. I am also a great fighter, and master of small charms.” At this, I tossed up a charm I had created haphazardly and quickly earlier, which exploded into a sunburst of light. I had built it to be merely light and not also heat, a better model, I think, than the fireworks of Earth. I pulled another from my cloak, threw it to the ground, and watched as the image of a unicorn burst from it, dazzling the crowd as it dashed between them, an apparition and nothing more. After lapping the center, it returned to the charm, which I picked up. I asked John to return, and I thought about what I would do next.

I heard Robin tell me, “I may have found someone. Here, let me give you some sight.” Before I could protest, I was looking through one of Robin’s eyes and one of my own, which was quite disconcerting. I closed the eye connected to my own vision, and looked through Robin’s. He was looking at a wizard, quite a well done cosplay, perhaps too well done. He was staring attentively at me, but not the same way as the others. He wasn’t awed, or surprised, just kinda wide-eyed, like he couldn’t believe someone else was here. I nodded, prepared for vertigo, and opened my other eye.

After a moment, I noticed the position of the wizard. I noted him in my mind, noted where he was, and whispered to Robin to disconnect us. My vision was yanked back to my own perspective, which was nice, and I prepared my next bit. Everyone was still oohing and aahing at my magic, and so I decided to have a little fun. 

“You there!” my voice boomed, my finger pointed at the wizard. He panicked, and I quickly said, “No, please, come on up. I won’t hurt you, I just want another person for my next part. John was lovely, but you look like you know some real magic!” I laughed, and the audience laughed as well. He was pushed forward, and reluctantly got up on stage. 

“Now, what is your name?” I asked him, which was the polite way to go about things, I believed.

He glared at me, and responded, “I am Thuzhal, a wizard banished to this realm for many heinous acts.”

“Ooh, nice backstory. I like it! What kinds of acts?” I replied enthusiastically.

He sighed, and said, “Well, people don’t really ask me, so I say they’re heinous. I was just kinda messing around and apparently broke something important, and so I was magically exiled. I was trying to figure out how to get back in, looking through probably forbidden texts, when I tried a spell to return me to the place so I could undo my exile, but it instead sent me across dimensions and I ended up on this technology-ridden, climate-changed planet.”

I clapped, and people in the audience followed my example. “I like that! Gives you an objective, something dark, and just enough flare of mystery. Now, my good sir, I am also not from around here. I was transported here when I tried to figure out the true magical nature of my staff, here-” I gestured at the staff I had leaned against a wall, yes, obviously the one topped with the spider, “-and found myself in a cornfield in Illinois! Naturally, I was confused, as corn does not exist in my world, and I did not know that I had changed dimensions. Now, my man, I believe we can help each other! You know magic and magical items, and I have my staff! Now, for my demonstration…” I decided to try a little something. I pulled out my blades, and concentrated on making them visible, but slightly out of sync with Earth. The sword blades usually became invisible when phased, but I did my best to keep that from happening. 

The blades flickered, trying to change dimensions, but I did my best. Eventually, they came into full view, but I passed them gently through my hand to make sure they weren’t physical. I then whirled and, similarly to what I did with John, tried to swing it through the wizard’s neck. However, he was also armed, and so tried to block my attack, which obviously failed. My blade passed straight through him, and he retaliated, swinging a small dagger at me with ferocity and a wild look in his eyes. From the way he handled his blade, I could tell he wasn’t experienced. This was going to end quickly, luckily, I thought, and parried his frenzied swing. 

With a series of quick swipes, jabs, kicks, and punches, I disarmed the wizard and sent him to his knees. “Look, man, I didn’t want this to happen. I’m sorry for swinging at you, but it was part of the demonstration. You can get up and help me, or leave, alone, stuck here, probably never to return to your home. Which would you prefer?”

Thuzhal considered my words, and grudgingly got to his feet. I handed him his dagger, which appeared to be made of mithril, and smiled. 

“Good, now let’s get out of here. I’m not even supposed to be demonstrating anything here, I just got up on stage and nobody stopped me for whatever reason.” I deactivated my microphone-like charm, and told Robin, “Come on, let’s go.”

He ran into a door, and quickly joined me. I surveyed the crowd, which was full of whispers, no doubt about me and what I had just said. I jumped down, followed by Thuzhal and Robin, and we pushed past the crowd, out of the door, and ran a block before slowing to a walk. We returned to our motel, and I was happy we had managed to complete our goal for that day.

10

“I’m afraid we may have a problem,” Thuzhal said, walking into the bedroom.

“What kind of problem?” I asked, a little surprised by his sudden entrance and a little frustrated that he couldn’t immediately solve all of our problems.

He winced at the strength of my words, and responded, “Well, I know what kind of magic it uses, and I can partially control it. However, I cannot control the exact dimension. I can make it so that we don’t end up places we can’t survive, like in the vastness of space, or on a planet where the air is poisonous. We will have to travel many worlds until we either get lucky and end up in the right one, or find someone who can use your energy signatures to lock onto our universe. Will that work?”

I thought about it, looked over at Robin, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed, and looked back at Thuzhal. “Well, I guess we don’t really have a choice, so let’s go with that. Do we have any idea how long this will take?”

Thuzhal grinned, and said loudly, “Nope!”

I sighed, and replied, “Well, pack your bags. Might as well get right on down to it.”

*

We packed the gear we wanted to bring with us, which included some probably illegal items. It has been neglected to mention that these items included two assault rifles, lots of ammo, a couple grenades, a few other guns, including a sniper rifle and a pistol (of course we also had plenty of those ammos as well, and I intended to get a blacksmith or something to break them open and figure out how to make them and potentially augment them/the gun.). There were others, but I shouldn’t really mention them.

We gathered behind the motel, in the parking lot, after checking out and getting our stuff all ready. I readied myself for what was about to happen, planted the staff at arm’s length in front of me, and Robin and Thuzhal both grabbed it. After exchanging grim looks with both of them, I grabbed the spider, and it did the same thing as the previous time we used it, though the eyes seemed to glow brighter and the wind seemed stronger. I closed my eyes, and wondered what would happen on the other side, just before I lost consciousness.

11

When I returned to consciousness, I was confused. The sky was a pastel purple, with red dots swirling through it. It seemed like some kind of strange dream, and its colors were chaos. The ground was some kind of acid green, and there were portable toilets everywhere. They were in every shade, from green to blue to pink to yellow. I closed my eyes, as I felt a migraine coming on. I shaded my eyes and reopened them, looking at the ground for Robin and Thuzhal. I found Thuzhal covering his eyes, peeking through his fingers at the landscape, and Robin was still passed out on the ground. Oh, and, by the way, Thuzhal is a human. 

“This is a strange world you have brought us to, elf,” he told me, and I followed his gaze. I had originally thought that the toilets were just sitting there, but as I really looked at them, I saw that they were moving. There was even a small village, made of what I couldn’t say, as there wasn’t a tree or rock around. Even the ground itself was a deep green, and made of a substance I couldn’t make out. It was smooth, and I could push my hand through it, like a partial liquid. It was strange, as none of us were sinking into it, but it didn’t seem like good building material. The toilets weren’t walking, or splitting apart in any way, but just seemed to glide, all of which seemed very strange and impossible to me. When they came to a step, they seemed like they just jumped, but with no downward movement to create thrust upward, if that makes sense.

“Let’s… explore?” I said hesitantly, and Thuzhal strode toward the settlement. I followed him, after a moment’s consideration, and dragged Robin behind me. When we got closer, we could see that it was made of some kind of wood, and so I guessed that they had just taken down any trees in view. It seemed similar to a Wild West town, minus the dust everywhere, horses, natural colors, or people. I was quite unnerved, and moved close to one of the johns.

“Uh… hello?” I said (asked?) hesitantly. It’s door turned to me, and it seemed to make an annoyed, squishy sound from within it. 

“Do you guys have any wizards or magic folk at all?” I asked it. It moved toward me, making angry sounds from within it, and I backed away. “I don’t think it likes the sound of ‘wizard’.” It moved faster, squishing louder, and other toilets started coming over. I pulled Robin into a fireman’s carry on my back, and readied one of my blades. 

“We should get out of here, Thuzhal,” I told him, and he nodded, his eyes frantic. I turned and ran, but there were toilets everywhere.

“No time! We have to do it here!” I shouted, and he grabbed the staff. I shrugged Robin forward and held his hand around the pole, and grabbed the arachnid on top.

*

When I awoke, I simply lay there. I didn’t really want to open my eyes and find out where we had landed, but I suppose it would have to happen eventually. I slowly opened my eyes, and squinted at the bright light coming from the sun… suns? There were two shining orbs in the sky, one more yellow-y, and one more orange-y. It was very hot, and the ground was grainy. When I looked at the landscape, I saw that we were in a large desert of sand, and there were a couple houses in the distance. It looked like about midday, but I couldn’t be sure how long the day lasted, so it would be best to start moving. I got to my feet, and noticed that both Thuzhal and Robin were still passed out.

“Hey,” I said, shaking Robin. He stirred, and started moving. I moved over to Thuzhal, and patted his shoulder.

“Wakey, wakey, time to get up sleepyhead,” I told Thuzhal, and his eyes snapped open, then quickly shut.

“Where are we, and why is it so bright?” Thuzhal said, and Robin nodded in agreement.

I shrugged. “I’m not sure, but there are some houses over there, we can ask them. I hope it goes better this time than last time.”

Robin looked confused. He held up a finger, and said, “Last time? Do you mean Earth?”

I was also confused for a second, before I remembered that Robin had been asleep the previous dimension.

“Well, we travelled dimensions, and you know how we always fall unconscious when we do that? Well, you were asleep while Thuzhal and I almost died from sentient Porta-Potties.”

This only served to bewilder him even more, and I described the events that had taken place in the strange, colorful dimension.

“Anyway,” I said, finishing up, “we should get moving. We aren’t going to kill ourselves, after all!”

With that lovely remark, we started walking toward the houses. It was extremely hot, hotter than Calimport, even hotter than California in summer. I didn’t know how people handled it, but then I thought, perhaps the people here are different and more adapted to this environment. 

After probably 15 minutes, we got to the houses. They were strange, quite small and kinda dome-like, circular, with person-height walls and a sloped, domed kinda roof. It was similarly colored as the sand, probably so that it could blend in, though the satellite dish looking thing on top of it kinda ruined the effect. It was silvery, and very much did not blend in.

“Sh-should we go in?” I asked tentatively, and Thuzhal marched forward, grinning. “Um, is that a yes?”

“I recognize this place!” he said in response, and knocked on the first door. I rushed toward him, but it was too late.

“HOW, exactly can you recognize this? You’ve never been here! You were directly transported to-” A thought rushed into my mind, causing me to stop in my tracks. “It’s like Faerûn, huh? Someone came from this world, or travelled here, and made a story or whatever based on this place?”

He slowly nodded, and simply replied, “Star Wars.”

*

The door opened, sliding to one side, and a man came out. I hadn’t seen a lot about Star Wars, but there were a lot of cosplayers at Comic-Con that I had recognized as probably being from this universe. The person that opened the door looked like Obi-Wan, except his hair was black. I blinked, for, while it was true I didn’t know much about Star Wars (already mentioned, but it makes this sentence flow better. Shut up, stupid), I knew that: 1. He wasn’t supposed to be on Tatooine until much later, when he looked old with white hair, or something, and 2. His hair was brown, not black. All of this was very confusing, especially once Qui Gon Jinn walked past, asking, “Who is it, honey?”

“U… u-um, I’m Alushtas, and these are Robin and Thuzhal,” I stammered, my eyes searching for answers I doubted I would easily find.

“Ah, hello! What lovely and strange names! What can I do for you?” he asked nicely, and I looked at my companions. 

“Uh, can we come in? I think we need to talk to you,” I said kinda randomly, for I was still very confused and needed to figure out what was happening.

He smiled, and ushered us in. “Honey, come meet our guests!” he said, and Qui Gon walked back in.

I looked back and forth between the two men, and I asked Obi-Wan, “Why does he keep calling you ‘honey’?”

They looked at each other and smiled, and Obi-Wan told me, “Well, we were dating for a while, but then this wonderful man approached me, what, probably almost a year and a half ago, and proposed to me! Of course, I said yes, and we’ve been living here ever since, happier than ever!” Qui Gon came over and hugged Obi-Wan deeply, and the two men sat down on a couch, holding hands. 

Thuzhal looked confused as well, though I had realized that this was not the normal Star Wars universe I knew, and the wizard asked, “Where is Luke? I thought he lived here.”

“Well, yes, he has, but once he married his spouse, they’ve been travelling the galaxy. Would you like some blue milk?”

“Uh, sure,” I said, and Obi-Wan waved his hand. A glass came over to me, as if by magic, and I sipped it warily. It was good, similar to Earth milk, but more coconut-y. 

“Soooo, who has Luke married, anyway?” I asked Qui Gon, taking a longer drink from my glass.

“Oh, he ran off with that hooligan, Han Solo, for a bit, but he came back eventually, and told me they were getting married. I was shocked, for it seemed sudden, but they were happy, and so we gave them our blessing,” he replied, and I, suddenly realizing something, asked another question (we really wanted to ask questions, I guess), “So what happened to Chewbacca?”

“Ah, good old Chew. They are going around the galaxy, exploring, happy by themselves. They liked Han, but they always felt less, you know? They are very introverted, and just like to explore. They find people difficult to understand, and they’ve told me that everyone just goes too quickly for them. Last I heard, they were going to Coruscant, which is nice.”

“Mhm. Anyway, you guys haven’t mastered inter-dimensional travel yet, have you?” I asked, realizing that, while cool, this place wasn’t really gonna help us.

“Unfortunately, that project was shut down because of its possible repercussions and side effects and all that,” he told me, “did you need something like that?”

I shrugged, and said, “Yeah, it would’ve been nice, but I think we might be able to manage. We should be going, though. Thank you, both of you, for everything.”

Qui Gon smiled at us, and asked, “Are you sure you want to leave? We’d be happy for you to stay.”

I sadly smiled back at him, and replied, “Yeah, we need to go.”

We said our goodbyes, and left. When we were out of sight of the house, it was probably about midnight.

“Well guys? Shall we?” I said, holding out the spider-adorned staff.

*

We travelled through many more dimensions, probably more than I could ever describe. As we travelled, and got used to dimension-hopping, we slept for less and less time, and eventually simply got tired, and then slightly dizzy.

Something that I have talked about, but not really explained, was that Earth was a Chaos realm. This means that both magic and technology work there, though there are other realms in which magic works and tech doesn’t, ones where tech works and magic doesn’t, and ones where neither work. However, this is a flawed perspective. It is one described by wizards of old in my world (yes, interdimensional travel isn’t completely unknown back home in Faerun), and their experiences in other realms. 

This is flawed for a couple reasons. It isn’t so simple as just ‘technology and magic, or one, or neither’. Magic can take many forms, and magic that works in one place doesn’t necessarily work in another. In the Star Wars-like world, there were Jedi that could manipulate objects using their mind and what they called the Force, which seems to be a type of magic. Meanwhile, my own magic could have been unstable or unusable, because it is a different world than mine. Similarly, magic could exist on Earth, though its inhabitants didn’t usually have it, leading to unpredictable results. I was lucky that only a couple of my charms failed or had issues, and not more of them. There were many other forms of magic, but to go into detail would take too long.

Technology is also a difficult thing to pin down. It’s basically just the application of knowledge for practical purposes, and so almost anything creature-made could be said to be technology. Again, some technology could function in some places, but not in others. Some steampunk worlds, for instance, couldn’t ‘fathom’ the existence of further innovation, like cars or computers. Other worlds were stuck in the Stone Age, and in some, not even bird’s nests could be made. I am not sure what would happen if one tried to make a bird’s nest in that world, but I had decided not to find out.

As we went along in our journey, I collected items. I wanted mementos of our travels, and hey, they might be useful in the future. Unfortunately, I wasn’t always able to pick things up, whether because of being chased by the inhabitants of the world or something else (and if you’re wondering if I took something from the Star Wars world, yes, I palmed a handle-looking thing with a button from a counter). This led to some fights, some running, and some pain. Still, I wanted certain items, like I think one was called a “Babel fish”, which allowed me to understand others, no matter what language they spoke. 

Something that I realized was that no matter where we went, some items were still able to be used. I eventually figured out that it was because they were dimensional items, which transcended some of the ordinary rules of the realms. We started with two - the staff itself, which is a good thing, because otherwise we would’ve ended up stranded on a random world. The other was my Vorpal blades, which was nice, because I liked them. However, the realm we received the third (and fourth and fifth?) dimensional item(s) was very… strange…

 *

We had come from a world of robots. There wasn’t a single human, elf, dog, orc, sentient species of any kind, or really any organic being that we found. Everything was automated, and seemed as though there had once been people, but then they had left, potentially leaving the robots there to keep things up until they returned. However, we realized that it was unlikely, if not impossible, that a machine could bring us home, rather than magic. Therefore, we left pretty quickly, though not before I got a small bracelet that had nanotech that could form a dagger in my hand in a millisecond, which could be quite useful.

When we arrived in the new realm, we found ourselves in a smallish room. There was a bed of flowers, yellow flowers, illuminated by a fairly dim light coming through a hole in the ceiling of the room. Actually, it seemed more like a cave, though we couldn’t really be completely sure. There was a hallway, or corridor, or whatever to our right. We went through it, and found a doorway.

We went through it, and walked through a system of rooms, some of which had puzzles, and traps, though none of them actually hurt us (well, except for Robin, who got a sprained ankle after falling through some leaves). We saw beings, some might call them monsters or abominations, which had very strange physical makeups. This wasn’t really uncommon for us to see, because of everywhere we had already been, but weird stuff is weird. One had a large eye as most of its body, and another looked similar to a frog. They ran from us, so we didn’t have to worry about fighting them, and when we got to the end of the rooms, we came to a small house.

We tentatively opened the door, and found the house deserted (or at least visibly so, and nobody came to the door to see who was there). There were stairs leading down to what I assumed was a basement right in front of us, a living room looking area to our left, and a hallway to our right. It seemed like an odd way to set up a house, but again, lots of places were quite queer (in both senses of the term). 

Anyway, we entered the living room. There was a table with chairs, bookshelves with books on them - “How to Cook Snails, Snail Basics, Meals with Snails?” -, and an armchair in front of a fireplace, fire included, which seemed like a fire hazard, but whatever. We didn’t find anyone, so we went through the door leading out of the room (not the one we entered).

We were in a kitchen, which seemed normal, except the stove didn’t work, there was white fur in the sink, and a pie on the counter. There was a faint smell of pie crust and cinnamon in the air, and I took a slice for later, in case I might want it (hey, I’m a thief, what would you expect, perfect morals?). We went back to the first room, and entered the hall.

There were three doors, two of which were bedrooms. We decided not to explore them, though one looked more like a child’s bedroom and one like an adult’s. The third was locked, however, and had a sign that read, ‘Room under Renovations’. Because there was no more of the house to explore, we went down the stairs to the basement.

There wasn’t really an actual basement, as far as we could tell. It was a long hallway, which, after walking the entirety of, showed us a doorway, similar to the one at the entrance, which we went through, as we didn’t want to walk back. We found ourselves in some kind of snowy, forest-y area, though, when we looked up to the sky, we could faintly see a cavern roof.

I’ll spare you the details, but basically, we went through this region, a very wet, cave-like region, and a very hot area. In the hot area, we came across a laboratory, which we chose to go into. It had a large video screen, seemingly inactive, though I couldn’t tell its use. As we continued walking through the building, we saw a cluttered desk, a bag of dog food(?), and a dark hole in the wall. When we got to the hole, the door to a bathroom hitherto unseen opened, and a tall lizard woman (?) came out. She looked quite surprised to see us, but hurried over nonetheless. 

“More humans? This is quite unusual… umm… hello? Who are you?” she asked hesitantly.

“I am Alushtas, and I am not a human… which I only tell you because I don’t know why. I am an elf, This is Robin, he’s a human, and Thuzhal, whose race I never actually found out, I think,” I responded.

“And I would prefer to keep it that way,” Thuzhal said, smiling and extending his hand toward the person. “And you are…?”

“Oh!” She blushed furiously. “M-my name is A-alphys, and I’m the-the royal scientist for King Asgore.”

“Oh, that’s cool. Do you guys have any, you know…, magic?” I asked Alphys. We seemed to do a lot of questioning in these worlds, and not much else.

“K-kinda, we have magical a-attacks and the like, and fire magic, and probably other kinds.”

“Oh.” I must’ve looked really sad, because she immediately responded with, “B-but that’s okay! Here, I can improve your phones! You… don’t… have phones? Um, I can get you phones!”

She rushed upstairs up an escalator, then quickly came down another closer to the entrance. She was holding three small objects, which I assumed was a phone, and hoped her word for phone meant the same thing it meant for me, because it could be useful. It seemed that way, so yay.

“Here! I have a phone for each of you! Y-yes, I had them l-laying around… anyway, they can text, access the internet wherever, access special Dimensional Boxes, defuse bombs, and activate a jetpack! Here, t-take them!”

We each took a phone, and I immediately checked out the Dimensional Boxes. They each had space for 8 items, seemingly no matter the size, which didn’t make sense, but whatever. There were 3 boxes, which was nice, so I didn’t have to worry about 24 items taking up space in my Bag of Holding. 

“Sweet, thank you!” I said, and she blushed again. “Oh, don’t worry, I just like helping people! S-speaking of which, there was this human that came through a bit ago. Have y-you seen them? I think Toriel is coming after them, and I’m a b-bit worried.”

Thuzhal and I exchanged looks as Robin looked between us. “No, we haven’t seen anybody except a couple dudes back at that purple place,” I told her, and her eyes widened.

“O-oh! You n-need to go… I’m s-sorry I can’t help more! Now, g-get out of here!”

She pushed us out of a back door, while I protested and tried to ask her about dimensional travelling. She didn’t listen to me, and locked the door after us.

“Well, now what? Do we go after the human? Do we go see the king? Do we leave? What do you dudes think?” I asked, looking at Robin and Thuzhal, whose backs were to the lab. 

“I think I can help!” a cheery voice said from behind. I whirled around, dagger forming in my hand. A little yellow flower had popped up from the ground, and it had a face which was smiling at us.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Thuzhal asked, suspicious of the small being.

“I’m Flowey! Flowey the flower! You were just talking to that overgrown lizard, huh? Don’t listen to her, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about!” the golden flower told us.

“Um, she seemed nice, while you were insulting her. Not really the way to play the ‘nice guy’ card,” Robin interjected.

Flowey gave a wide smile, and said, “Oh, sorry. We all insult her, ‘cause she’s senile and ignorant of the world. Even nice old King Asgore cracks jokes about her!”

By this point, I was very unsettled, but decided to humor Flowey. “So, you said you can help us. How?”

“Easy! The rules down here are simple. You k i l l, o r   y o u   b e   k i l l e d.” As he spoke, his face grew ugly, into a mixture of a smile and a look of utter hatred. He sent little white bullets at us, which we tried to dodge, but some still hit us. They really hurt, and it felt like my life force itself was being sapped. I swung my dagger at him, but he popped back into the ground and back up a bit further on.

“Hope you guys have fun! See ya later!” he said, smiling, and vanished into the ground.

“That… was horrible,” I said, and both of my companions nodded. 

“We should leave and never return.” Again, they nodded.

I pulled out the staff from my Bag, held it out, and we did our thing. However, as we began to flicker out of the strange, underground world, none of us noticed the edge of a flower root curling around the base of the staff.

12

From there, we continued on our way, oblivious to our nefarious passenger. After that moment, I’m not sure where exactly he went, so let’s ignore him for now, eh?

We travelled more, were attacked, Thuzhal broke a leg, Robin scared a cat badly, almost starting an apocalypse… anyway! We picked up another passenger on another realm, though this one was like Thuzhal - a nice one, which would be invaluable later on!

The previous dimension wasn’t very exciting, and as such won’t be talked about. Only the finest highlights here! I remember something about big dogs, though, so that was nice. Anyway, back to the important one.

We arrived in some kind of stronghold. The room we were in was deserted, luckily, and there wasn’t a lot around. There were some unlocked cases that had ammo in it, which was nice, because my guns were running out of ammo. There were also a couple of… vending machines? Except, one of them dispensed different shields and healing items, and the other sold… ammo and grenades? What kind of world was this? There was some kind of human height machine, though we couldn’t ascertain its purpose. It was next to a small set of rickety stairs, which led up to the vending machines. A carpet led to the right, where a small building stood, and two entrances stood to each side of it. The building was more of a hut made of metal, and didn’t seem to serve any actual purpose.

Now that the description is out of the way - wait! To be clear, we were in a building, and the roof was not far from our heads, and pretty much everything was metal. It’s difficult to describe, as that’s not really my strong suit, but I do my best. I’m alluding to what this place ended up being, because it does exist on Earth to some extent, and so maybe you’ll figure it out. Think of it like a puzzle, or a mystery. If you fail, either you didn’t know the game (whoops, I said it was a game! There’s another hint!), or I’m terrible at explanations, or you didn’t know the specific place. Maybe you’ll realize later what I’m talking about. Maybe not. By this point, I’m not sure I really care. Anyway!

We walked through the door, and immediately were fired upon. There were bandits everywhere, and they were shooting at us. We ducked behind some metal thingys sticking up from the ground, which shouldn’t have stopped bullets, but the improbable had decided to visit us today. 

“What kinda world is this, where we don’t even get to introduce ourselves before people hate us?” Robin shouted at me.

“I know, right? At least hate us for who we are, not just because we exist. However, the fact that we simply appeared in their encampment might have to do with it.” I replied, pulling out my assault rifle from my bag.

“Don’t do anything stupid!” Thuzhal warned me, and I smirked at him.

“When have I ever done anything stupid?” I said, and peeked out from my hiding place. They just kept firing, not caring about hiding behind barriers (That was the word! I guess it isn’t perfect, but words never are). I was peeking through a small hole in the thing, and pushed the barrel of my gun through another hole in it. I aimed carefully, adjusted for the simple fact that my eye was further from the barrel than normal, and started firing. Some of them ducked behind cover, though some just stood around, and there was a big one with a body shield that didn’t need something so trivial as cover. 

My bullets didn’t seem to be harming them, however. I pulled the still-warm muzzle of the rifle out of the barrier, and told my companions: “My bullets don’t seem to be harming them!”

“Well then, try something else! Something magicky!” Robin yelled at me over the loud clamor of the guns. 

“We don’t know the rules of this place! It could go horribly, or not work, or work perfectly!” When I saw the look he was giving me, I conceded, “Of course, if they shoot us full of holes, it won’t matter whether or not we use magic. And, if it fails, maybe it’ll take them out, and not us!”

I pulled my bag of charms I had collected over in front of me, and sorted through them. I had one that summoned a lion, but there were a lot of guns, and I wasn’t sure any animal could survive long enough, plus I like animals. I found one that would explode, but I didn’t want to blow us up as well if I could avoid it. Finally, I found one that released gas that would immediately knock out anyone that inhaled, and worked through gas masks and stuff as well because magic. I readied it in my hand, glanced through the hole so I could aim, drew back my hand, and -

A humanoid figure quickly appeared at the entrance I had come through. They were slashing a sword through the air and pretty much staying in the same place, which seemed like a bad idea considering there were a lot of dudes with long range weapons. The bandits started shooting at this new and very much visible opponent, and bullets ripped through them. They didn’t flinch, and kept swinging their sword randomly, until they flickered, and disappeared. At the same time, a sword materialized in the back of the big, heavy dude with the shield, coming straight through his heart and out of the shield.

As the shield dude toppled to the floor, a person flickered into view. They looked the same as the one that used to be in the doorway, and I later realized it was a hologram, used as a deception for the actual fighter. The bandits looked toward them, confused, and the figure regarded them, then spoke:

“How are you doing? I need to kill you right now. It’s not personal.”

They suddenly flashed into action, a gun appearing in their hand. They jumped toward me with inhuman strength, turned toward the bandits, and started shooting at them. Their bullets were much more effective than mine, and quickly dispatched the bandits. One of the bandits managed to hit them, but the bullet hit a blue field that… just showed up? Like, there was nothing, then just as the bullet hit what was previously invisible, it flashed light blue.

“Um, hello? Thank you for saving us. Who are you?” I asked once all of the bandits were dead.

“My name is Zer0. I am searching for the Vault. And now, who are you?” said our mysterious savior.

“Well, I am Alushtas, this is Robin, and here is Thuzhal. We are trying to find our way back home, but so far ‘here’ doesn’t seem to help.”

“You need to find your. Way home? Might I be able. To help you in this?”

“Your words sound jilted and strange. Does that have a reason? I’m not trying to be insensitive, but I want to know,” I said, to which Zer0 started moving, agitated.

I should probably explain. Zer0 didn’t really appear human, but perhaps like a human in a suit. The suit was blue and black, with a belt, and down the legs there was a bag for holding, probably, ammo, and something was strapped to the calf, with a brace, or pad, or something on it. They had a smooth faceplate, and the head overall looked like mostly glass and metal. On their elbows, they had some kind of a spike, and they had 4 fingers (Eh, by this point it’s pretty obvious I’m bad with description. Go look up Zer0 using that computer or phone you’re using. From Borderlands 2). On their face played emotes, in this case a question mark.

“I can only speak. In haiku, I am not sure why. Part of my being?”

“Anyway, you said you might be able to help us? What do you mean?”

“There are things out there. That you will need help killing. I’m bored, something new.”

“Um, okay… we won’t be staying here unless you guys have inter-dimensional travel… are you sure?”

“Yes, I am quite sure. I thought it over quickly. I don’t want to stay.

“The search for the vaults. Is fruitless, and as such I. Shall move on elsewhere,” he finished, in his strange, haiku way.

“Are you sure? I think I’ve played this game, and you end up  finding the vault.”

“Fine, I just want to. Avoid this fate, which I have en-. -dured too much before.

“This game has three modes. Regular, true, ultimate. I’ve done them too much.

“I am bored of it. The same thing over again. Won’t continue this.

“I will go with you. Help where I can with my skills. Have new adventure.”

I smiled at them, and replied, “That sounds good. We might even be able to help fix that haiku voice, and let you speak as you want. Anyway, I guess... you’ll be joining us? That sounds... good… Oh! Though it isn’t permanent, I have a charm that might help you communicate for a bit… “ I rifled through my bag, and withdrew a specific charm. “Here you go!” I said, as I handed it to them.

It seemed to kinda soak into their hand, and their faceplate displayed an exclamation mark.

“Ah! What… happened? That was weird. I can speak… normally now? Now that I can talk normally, I can explain myself. I have destroyed BNK3R, killed the Warrior, and taken Handsome Jack off the face of Pandora way too much. I am as powerful as I will get, and killing bandits only gets old. I want something new, not involving Vaults or psychopaths. This seems worthy.”

“Okay… then… I suppose we might as well go? Not much else to do here, from what you said.”

“Yes, let’s.”

We did our thing with the staff, and left what Zer0 later told me was called Bloodshot Stronghold. What a place.

*

From there, we continued our journey, and, while each of these dimensions is important, it must be annoying to read, like “oh come on! Either say all of them or write barely anything!” Eh, whatever, I’m writing it how I want.

Meet the character: Ainu

BASICS

► Name ➔  “Ainu”, the tiny lalafell answers politely and bows. “Ainu Wanyuudo. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

► Are you single ➔ “What an odd question.” She eyes you up and down, her eyes slightly narrowed. “Why are you asking? Are you up to something?”

► Are you happy ➔  She rolls her eyes. “’Happy...’ One of those words I’ve never truly understood. Oh well, I guess I’m happy enough. I have a job I like and steady income... Actually I’m making the most gil of our family, apart from my mother.”

► Are you angry? ➔  Ainu smiles widely. “Funny that you asked, since I haven’t been this angry in ages. It takes quite a lot to make me angry. This certain thug tried to murder my mother not too long ago, and I’m plotting a vengeance worth of such a deed”, she states casually, like she’d be talking about weather.

► Are your parents still married ➔  “I only have my adoptive mother, and as far as I’ve understood, she prefers to stay alone. Which I, of course, perfectly understand. Romance would only be a risk and hindrance in the criminal underworld.”

EIGHT FACTS

► Birth Place ➔ “Kugane. I stayed there for the first half of my life, and the second half I spent traveling and training around the far east.”

► Hair Color ➔ “Black?” she asks slightly confused, and glances upwards at her bangs. “Yep. So it’d seem.”

► Eye Color ➔ Ainu rolls her eyes again. She marches closer, looks up to you and pulls her lower eyelid slightly downwards, so that you can see the blood red orb clearly.

► Birthday ➔ “I have no clue about the exact date. I only know it’s sometimes around spring.”

► Mood ➔ “...bored. I am so... bored! You see, I was given this interesting assignment a couple of months ago, but my target has done nothing. Nothing! Either he chickened out just because he’s a coward, or somebody told him I was after him, and he chickened out because... well... he’s still a coward.” Ainu lets out a frustrated sigh. “I do know I have quite a reputation, but I wish people wouldn’t back off from the game because of it. How shameful. One should finish what one starts.”

► Gender ➔ Ainu raises her eyebrows. “Seriously, have you considered glasses?”

► Summer or winter ➔ “Summer absolutely. Working is easier in summer. No footprints.”

► Morning or afternoon ➔ “Afternoon. Most of my work consists of night shifts, and I’m more of a night owl anyway.”

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

► Are you in love ➔ She snorts and looks at you scornfully. “I don’t think I’ve ever experienced any kind of love. I grew up in an environment where such a thing didn’t exist. Besides, as far as I’ve been observing people around me, who are in love, it seems more like a nuisance than something worth pursuing.”

► Do you believe in love at first sight ➔ “I don’t believe in love at all.”

► Who ended your last relationship ➔ Ainu lets out a frustrated sigh. “It should be obvious at this point, but I have never had that kind of relationship. First of all: I would be insane if I let another person that close to me. And secondly: even if such a miracle happened, it would eventually fail, because the other party couldn’t handle everything a pact like that with me would bring with it.”

► Have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔  “I think I... maay have broken my mother’s heart at some point. She’s been trying so hard to save me. Though, I’m not quite sure what she’s trying to save me from. She should know by now that I’m not one of those people who need saving.”

► Are you afraid of commitments ➔ “Commitments? Do you mean my pacts with my customers? No, I’m not afraid of commitments. If I had to name one of those few things in this messed up world I find meaningful, it would be my reputation and bringing honor to the shinobi who trained me.”

► Have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ “Do hugs received from others count as me hugging them? They do? Then I’ve been hugged, yes.”

► Have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ “If I have, I’m not aware of it. However, in theory it could be entirely possible. People - well, mostly my family - keeps telling me how cute I am, so I wouldn’t be surprised if others would’ve noticed my charm as well.”

► Have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ “Hm. You nosy little cockroach just had to remind me, just for the sake of some interview? ...yes, I have broken my own heart. By believing that if I just was a good girl, she’d love me. If I just tried hard enough, I’d eventually gain her acceptance. And after she had left, I kept believing she’d come back for me. I wasted too many years telling lies to myself. Should’ve realized sooner the only living thing you can trust is yourself.”

SIX CHOICES

► Love or lust ➔ "Lust. Not that I’d be interested in it, but definitely lust rather than love. I think I already made my opinion about love clear earlier, yes?”

► Lemonade or iced tea ➔ “Iced tea, absolutely. I don’t know about you people here, but we drink quite a lot of tea in the east - both hot and cold.”

► Cats or Dogs ➔ “Cats. In general, I don’t like animals, but the less trouble they are the more I could say I like them. Besides, do you have any idea what a pain badly trained dogs can be especially to us smallfolk?”

► A few best friends or many regular friends ➔ Ainu repeats the word ‘friend’ and sneers. “Now there’s another thing I never learned to understand. People talk about friends like they’d be a good thing. I don’t call them friends, but backstabbers. I’d rather not have any of them.”

► Wild night out or romantic night in ➔ “Wild night out - alone.” Ainu smiles charmingly.

► Day or night ➔ “At night I feel most alive. Almost everyone else is asleep, and I’m free to do whatever I want, to whoever I want.”

FOUR HAVE YOU EVERS

► Been caught sneaking out ➔ “In the beginning of my training. I wasn’t used to suddenly having so much different rules to live by, so naturally I rebelled. I couldn’t understand why my mother... - Asagi at this point - would dare to leave me there. Anyhow... I soon realized one couldn’t be a good shinobi without discipline, so I never did it again.”

► Fallen down/up the stairs ➔ “I don’t think I have. My balance is unparalleled.”

► Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ “Love”, she answers without thinking. Right after her mouth is twisted into a slightly creepy grin. “But that was before realizing it’s not necessary.”

► Wanted to disappear ➔ “Oh, a couple of times actually, mostly back when I was still in training but had just started practicing with real targets. Not to brag, but nowadays I’m quite good at what I do. Nevertheless, even I can’t completely avoid mistakes. My area of work is one of those were mistakes will likely cost you your life. So, yes... after being sloppy I’ve had angry targets chasing me. Without my training I wouldn’t have had a chance escaping them with these tiny feets of mine.”

FOUR PREFERENCES

► Smile or eyes ➔ “I don’t care about either, but if I had to choose one... smile. To be honest, I don’t like to look people in the eye. From their eyes it’s fairly easy to tell are they lying or not. It annoys me, when people are saying something, but their gaze tells they don’t mean a single word.”

► Shorter or Taller ➔ “Shorter. I hate it when people look down on me like I’d be some piece of shite they accidentally stepped on.” Ainu falls silent for a moment, and after a while, shrugs. “Then again... it’s also quite hilarious when people have to bow or kneel before me, when they want to whisper or give me something. I guess being a stump also has its’ boons...”

► Intelligence or Attraction ➔ “Attraction of course. The more intelligent people are, the more trouble they usually give me. I prefer situations where I’m the smartest one around.”

► Hook-up or Relationship ➔ Ainu’s unimpressed expression hints she’d probably rather watch paint dry or grass grow than talk about this kind of subjects. “Well... if I had to choose... hook-up. That wouldn’t tie me to anyone in any way. The less I have people around me the better.”

FAMILY

► Do you and your family get along ➔ “My current family? We get along just fine. ...Apart from some minor disagreements usually considering work and how it’s supposed to be done. Sometimes it makes me wonder would they listen to me more if I had born roegadyn instead.”

► Would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ Ainu giggles, but there’s no genuine amusement in her voice. “Well, at least it hasn’t been normal, if that’s what you mean. It... could’ve been better. I admit seeing happy families and people having fun with their friends tend to make me somewhat bitter, even angry. But perhaps those things just weren’t meant for me. I’m capable of things those regular people are not, and I believe the Kami have bigger plans for me than some boring everyday life.”

► Have you ever ran away from home ➔ “No, but I probably should have.”

► Have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ “Yes, and that’s the exact reason why I should’ve ran away. If I had just realized sooner what was going on... But meh... I guess it’s unreasonable to expect a five-year-old or younger to understand your parent is actually a piece of filth you would be better without.”

FRIENDS

► Do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ Ainu lets out a frustrated sigh. “Since you seem to be unable to grasp the concept of not having friends, I’m just going to answer your friend-related questions by using my family members instead. Does that sound good? Good.”

► Do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ Ainu pouts while shifting her hands behind her back. “Mostly. My adoptive sisters are both as... tolerable as siblings can be, I think. I’m not so sure about Bella, though, and what she’s going to do with her life. Same with my aunt, Silke. Those two are the only law-abiding citizens of our family - as far as I know at least - so that kind of forces me to keep my eye on them. If a betrayal were to happen, they’d be my main suspects.”

► Who is your best friend ➔ “Aya”, Ainu answers without a moment of hesitation. “If I had to name one thing I truly appreciate in people - besides not stabbing me in the back, obviously - it would be their ability to return my friendly bantering and not get offended by it.”

► Who knows everything about you ➔ Ainu smiles sunnily, before answering: “No one. Though mother is probably quite close to it.”

My reading on Hordak’s flashback scene from S3E2 is this… I do not believe it’s an accurate telling of the situation. To be clear, I don’t mean that I think Hordak was lying intentionally. On the contrary, I actually think he was being as truthful as he could have been, given the circumstances. He believes what he was saying to be true, even though I think canon was framed some things differently that throw his flashback into question when it comes to accuracy.

The tl;dr here is that I think Hordak has conflated his health issues with Prime’s dismissal of his agency and autonomy, due to memory issues brought on by previous mind wipes and/or his crash landing on Etheria.

One thing I’ve noticed is that all of the other flashback sequences in the show (e.g., the entirety of Shadow Weaver’s flashbacks in Light Spinner) are animated in the same style as the show proper. In contrast, Hordak’s flashback in animated in an entirely different style, one that is very sketchy and rather vague. In his flashback, faces do not have distinct features aside from their eyes, and the palette is rather simplistic. It is also told in the span of only a few minutes (if that), rather than spanning an entire episode’s B-Plot like Shadow Weaver’s flashbacks did, or how the entirety of Promise was framed. This could be interpreted as a stylistic shift that indicates how vague his memories actually are, in comparison to someone like Shadow Weaver or Catra, who remember their own memories very vividly.

I believe this vagueness is due to the aforementioned memory issues Hordak might have that were caused by a previous mind wipe. I do not imagine that having your brain stem hacked into really does anything good for your ability to recall old memories or create new ones. There is evidence that Hordak has had his mind wiped in the past. We see it in the flashback sequence I previously mentioned. During that sequence, Hordak is clearly lifted by his neck by Prime. Without any additional context brought on by the S4 finale, you wouldn’t be able to tell what was going on aside from Hordak being grabbed.

I highly suspect what we saw there, was Hordak being mind wiped by his brother. However, Hordak does not remember the context of it fully. You’d think he’d mention being mind wiped if he remembered it happening, but he doesn’t, and I suspect that framing is intentional. The only thing he remembers is being grabbed by his brother.

The context we have for why Prime grabbed Hordak in the first place is also sketchy to me upon deeper examination. Hordak tells Entrapta, and the audience, that his defect became apparent during a strategy meeting which caused him to faint in front of Prime. However, we have seen Hordak faint exactly once in canon, outside of that flashback. It was the result of him being upset and/or angry at Entrapta intruding on him when he was in a very vulnerable state. I suspect Hordak fainted during that strategy meeting because he was upset about a plan that Prime was trying to push through… as in, he didn’t agree with what it was Prime wanted to do.

So, he fainted, and Prime was angry because Hordak had argued against him, rather than because of his health issues.

Now, it is not my intention to suggest that Hordak is stupid for conflating his health issues with dismissal of his agency and autonomy. On the contrary I think Hordak is actually pretty intuitive, which is why I suspect he did the conflating in the first place. He was trying to put two-and-two together as best as he was able, with what context clues he had, and ended up coming to a conclusion that makes sense but was ultimately wrong.

And that is because Hordak is an unreliable narrator. However, I only came to that conclusion after the finale of S4, after seeing Prime for the first time. Most of my assumptions about him came from that flashback sequence, as I think a lot of people’s did. There’s a reason we all assumed that Prime would just look like a taller version of Hordak, perhaps with a couple more scars. I’m not going to go on a two thousand word long explanation for why I think Prime was and still is fond of Hordak—which I feel the need to stress, is not a good thing—but the tl;dr for that would simply be that Prime’s main motivation is control and the framing of his relationship with Hordak strikes me as that of a possessive family member who feels entitled to them.

I also want to be clear here. Hordak does not have plot armor. If you are unsure of what constitutes plot armor, I direct your attention to Catra, who survived the season finale despite having Hordak shooting his arm cannon at her for half an episode, which she proceeded to break with her heel. That is plot armor. Hordak doesn’t have it. If he was going to die, he would have done so in the season finale when he was reunited with Prime, and his death would have actually served two narrative purposes. The first is that he would have been fridged for Entrapta’s development, as a gender flip on the much more common trope of a woman being fridged for her male love interest’s development. The second is that his death would have easily set the stakes for the final season, for both the audience as well as Glimmer and Catra who would have witnessed it.

Which brings me to an important question. If Prime wanted Hordak dead so damn badly (as is implied by Hordak’s flashback), why didn’t Prime kill him? Hordak has already proven himself to be a liability at least twice that we know of, and yet Prime did not kill Hordak. He merely sent him away for reconditioning. I have my own theories for why, ranging from Hordak not actually being a clone at all but rather Prime’s younger sickly brother to Prime genuinely being fond of this one clone in particular for whatever reason…

But I guess we’ll just have to wait and see when season five rolls around.

Roman in The Closet by Himself!! Part 1

word count: 2202

ship: Prinxiety, Background Logicality, Background Remile, vaguely mention Demus.

part1/part2/part3/part4/?

WARNINGS: self deprecation, depression, repression, non-censored cursing, the word wh*re is used and it not censored, lgbtq+phobia is mentioned in this chapter but not directed at any of the characters.    

summary: Roman has a rough journey with his sexuality, and his crush on a certain little emo~ 

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   Roman had always been enraptured with the concept of love. He could remember watching Disney movies when he was younger, where the prince rescues the princess and they both live happily ever after. 

    Although, he was never really focused on the princess of the story but more so on they heroic prince. He always thought that Prince Phillip was so much more interesting than Arora, but his little child mind couldn’t understand nor explain why that was. 

   Until he was ten years old~

  He had been looking at Disney videos on his ipad, when he discovered a peculiar video with a rainbow flag in the thumbnail. He thought that all the colors on the flag looked pretty, so he decided to click on it. 

   He heard phrases in the video that he had never heard before, such as; gay, trans, homosexaul, bisexual, pansexual, and so many more and he had absolutely no idea what they meant. Even though he had no clue, he watched the entire video. After the video was over, he got out his red notebook with Disney stickers plastered haphazardly all over the front and back cover. 

  He decided to rewatch the video again and write down any words that he didn’t understand, and look them up after he was finished. Logan is gonna be so proud of me, he had said to himself thinking of his quiet nerdy best friend. 

  He spent the entire day learning things like pride, non-bianary, gender fluid, and more. He felt like he had opened his eyes to a completely new world and he was so excited about it. He had no idea there were so many different types of amazing people. He was so… Excited! 

  His parents were busy with work downstairs, and his brother was over at a friends house so he took it upon himself to spend his entire day learning and watching videos on this community of people. It was impossible to learn everything in a day, but he was determined to try. 

  He listened to and read people’s stories on the internet, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t cry. Why were people so mean to them? He had asked himself, why are there so many mean people in the world? They were just being themselves, why couldn’t people just be proud of them? What Roman didn’t know at the time, is that he would have a few stories of his own like that in the future. 

  A few weeks later, he was on the swings with his best friend Logan. Swinging back and forth with the breeze as they talked about anything and everything, non-sense and Disney, jokes and laughter, serious topics and funny stories, until Roman decided to bring up some of the stuff he had learned to his friend. He kicked his legs back and forth carelessly as he spoke, “hey, Lo?” Logan had looked at him, as Logan wasn’t swinging nearly as much as Roman was but more just drifting to and fro with the wind as he talked with his flamboyant best friend, “yeah Ro?”

Roman grinned for a minute before speaking, “have you heard of LGBTQ+?”

Logan had nodded at his question, “yeah, my dads talk about it all the time.” He said in a nonchalant manner. Roman groaned, frustrated “AWWW, I thought I learned about something that you didn’t..” Roman stopped his swinging, skidding his bright red shoes across the ground to stop himself.

 Logan chuckled and pushes up his glasses, “sorry Ro, but I know everything.” 

  Roman stared at Logan throwing his hands about as he spoke, “that's not fair.” he said the last word dragging it out like it was the end of the world. 

  Roman had met Logan’s dads before, yet he never knew what LQBTQ+ meant and he didn’t know that a lot of people thought it was a bad thing. He thought it was awesome that Logan’s dads loved each other, even before he knew that they loved each other if that made any sense. To Roman it made complete sense in his ten year old mind.

  Roman then got an idea, “Hey Logan, there was some things I didn’t understand when I was lookin’ up stuff about it. Do you think you could answer some of my questions?”

Logan looked a little excited to teach Roman, and they spent the rest of the time on the swings not swinging but talking. Talking about something that would be very important to them one day. 

  7 years later~ 

  Roman was seventeen, and he was the most popular kid in his highschool, everyone had taken a liking to his outgoing nature. His best friends Logan, Patton, and Virgil were popular right along with him. There was only one thing that bothered Roman, his sexuality. He was terrified, from the bottom of his heart he was terrified because ne knew that he was not straight in any sense of the term. He was as curved as a rollercoaster and the ride made him feel woozy and nauseous.

     He knew that the vast majority of his school would hate him for being the way he was, so you know what he did? Like the scared little closeted boy he was he ran into the deepest corner of that closet and hid like a little toddler in hide and seek, only he wasn’t a toddler and this wasn’t hide and seek, this was hide for your life. At least that was what it had felt like to him. 

  He knew that his friend would accept him, since Patton had come out to them in freshman year as Pan to him, Logan, and Virgil, it had lead to Logan coming out to them as gay demisexual, and then a year later in there sophmore Virgil coming out to them as gay. They promised to support each other and never ever tell anyone else. It was like their own little pride group, only Roman was an ally… Or so the others had thought.

       Roman knew that they would accept him. Of all people who knew that he could come out to them, and it was okay. But his heart leapt up into his throat and his knees buckled and the mere thought of it. He could just imagine their judgemental glances, thinking he was only saying it because he wanted to feel included, “you’re not really gay.” He would imagine them saying, “are you doing this for attention?” “if you were gay then why have you been telling us about all your straight crushes for years?” He had made up crushes to stay in the closet “you’re so dramatic! Just shut up and we can forget you even tried to pull off this whole charade.” 

   I part of him knew they would never do that, but it was a very small part of him, it was like a tiny ball of light shining in the darkness of self deprecation that he had created within himself. He pretended to be so confident, he was a great actor ‘but that was the only thing he was great at’ He would say to himself like a father scolding a child for doing something wrong, only the child was priding within himself and the father was a cold old man with no joy and wanted his son to live a dry cold life never thinking higher than an inch of himself. 

“Princey? You okay there?...” he hadn’t noticed that he had started to zone out with another one of his spirals into the dark clouded space that was his mind. ‘No’ he said to himself and only himself. Virgil would think he was such an attention seeking whore if he ever told him anything that went on in his head, “I’m fit as a fiddle Hottopic, sorry I zoned out, I was just thinking about Valerie. Her hair looked so pretty today.” He said with a smile that didn’t seem to reach his eyes. Valerie was amazing, she was really fun to hang out with and yes her hair actually did look pretty today but to Roman he felt nothing but platonic love for her. And when he would pretend to have a crush on her, especially to one of his best friends….. He felt as though someone was stabbing a knife into his heart, his weak little heart that throbbed at anything and everything. He was so weak he would tell himself. His heart was a bruised and pin pricked as a baby rabbit that got into a fight with a porcupine, and oh how his heart loved to jump and do summersaults like the little rabbit it was in the presence of the emo sitting next to him.   

  But the thing was it hurt so so much worse when he lied to Virgil. Virgil was so caring, he was kind to all of them, and he loved hanging out with him. Virgil was just so funny, and cute, and smart, and handsome, and- he stopped his thoughts, halting them and pushing them as far back into his mind as they would go. It was getting a lot harder to get rid of them lately. Virgil got a sad sort of look in his eyes but Roman didn’t notice, he was to busy gay panicing. “Thats sweet Roman. You two would be cute together ...” Virgil trailed off, sort of spacing out himself as Roman had just a few moments ago. 

  Roman clapped his hands together and stood up with a plastered smile on his face, startling Virgil almost knocking him off the bench that they had been sitting on. They were at the park, just talking. Roman turned toward Virgil and uttered a quick apology before spilling his idea to his monochromatic friend, “We should go get ice cream!!” Virgil chuckled at Roman’s excitement, and blushed under his porcelain foundation, “sure thing, if you promise to stop yelling” Virgil pulled on his hoodie strings, “people are starting to stare.” he said the last part with breathless sort of panicked whisper only loud enough just for Roman to catch it. 

   They spent the rest of the day just walking around town, laughing and enjoying the company of one another. Roman’s little heart jumped into his throat everytime he heard that beautiful laugh of Virgil’s, it was like looking at the sky and letting the sun hit your face. You can’t open your eyes and look directly at it though, because you might go blind at its unending beauty. Even if Virgil didn’t think so, he was the sun, the moon, the stars, and the clouds all bundled up in one amazing person and oh how he shined. 

     He was always there when you needed him and he was the most hard working person Roman knew, even if Virgil ran into days where he couldn’t even speak because of his anxiety disorder Roman thought he was so strong to have even got out of bed on those days. And he made sure to tell Virgil how strong he was everyday, and if Virgil couldn’t find his voice that day. Roman would speak for him to faceless strangers at school who wanted to speak with Virgil, although Logan and Patton would do that as well, it seemed to have affected Virgil more when Roman did it. It made Virgil feel warm and gooey on the inside, feelings that someone with a hard emo persona like his should never let themselves have but he had them and he loved how they made him feel. But he could never feel that about Roman, because Roman would never feel that way about him and that wasn’t something that he could change and that was just the way the world had to fuck him over.

  The universe had made a little emo gay boy who was obsessed with My Chemical Romance and black eyeshadow, fall in love with his straight best friend. What a painful story trope. Only his best friend wasn’t actually straight, a fact that he was oblivious to, and this wasn’t a cheesy romance story this was their lives. Virgil looked down at hits ice cream, enjoying the treat quietly as he listened to Roman gush and rant about Hamilton or whatever musical he had decided to talk about. 

They had arrived at Virgil’s house and said their goodbyes, with halfwitted insults with no venom in the words. It was their usual routine and they were both content with the way their relationship was. But they were just content, both of them wanted more but they would never admit that to themselves or each other. Roman walked home, with everything swirling around in his head and he laughed with a sort of dark emptiness. What a day.

To be continued~ 

OH MY GOSH THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE!!! Idk how much fun it was to read or how many people will actually read it, but I hope at least a few people enjoy it. this first part was out earlier than I had expected! When I get the next part out then I will link it on this part and tag anyone who wants to know when it comes out. I hope you enjoyed~ my friend that pitched me some ideas: @akane-mukami she is amazing and beautiful please go show her some love!

taglist:

@mostpeopleannoyne 

@www-dot-ohshit-dot-com 

@icequeenoriginal

@espepspes 

@rats-this-username-is-taken

Green~~

Read me like an open book part 2/2

Thanks a lot to the people who liked/reblogged the first part ;) I hope you’ll enjoy the second part as well :) 

*

Part 1

Read on AO3

“Are you a drug dealer?” Steve asked him out of the blue, one day, as they were eating dinner.

 Billy nearly choked on his lasagna and had to down half his glass of water to recover from it.

 “Of course not! Where the fuck did that come from?” He asked, once he was done coughing.

 Robin was laughing freely, either at Billy or at Steve (or at both).

“Well, I don’t know… The other day you told me you were working, and I went to the garage because I had some trouble with my car, but you weren’t there. And you keep going to Indianapolis, and you always come back with these big ass envelopes. And you keep buying us nice stuff… and okay, you always have an explanation for how you got the extra cash, but it’s… it’s weird, is all.” Steve summarized.

Okay, so Steve might have been more observant than most people gave him credit for. Thank God he hadn’t asked for him at the garage. Billy had asked Charlie, one of his old coworkers, to cover for him if Steve ever came by, but what if Charlie had not been there?

 Robin was now staring at Billy, her eyes shining with mirth. It was so not funny! Billy was in deep shit.

 “And the only explanation you can come up with is me being a drug dealer?” Billy asked to delay the answers he would have to give (and which he had yet to invent).

 “Well… yes.” Steve admitted, with a frown.

 Maybe Billy would have laughed too, if he hadn’t been in such a precarious position.

 “Uh… I… Yeah, it’s just that the rich client from Indianapolis keeps asking me to come check his cars… that’s probably where I was when you went to the garage. And he always puts the money in envelopes. The guy’s weird, what can I say? He pays really well, hence the nice stuff I buy, so it’s not like I’m going to complain.” Billy explained, before stuffing his face with lasagna, just so the chewing would give him some time to think if Steve called him out on his bullshit.

 Robin rolled her eyes but kept mercifully silent.

 “Oh… alright. Sorry. That was dumb.” Steve said, pushing his food around his plate with his fork.

 “That’s fine... I can see how I might have looked suspicious. I’m not a fucking drug dealer, though.” Billy grumbled once his mouth was empty.

 “It did seem a bit far-fetched.”

 If only Steve knew what Billy was really doing, the drug-dealing theory would probably not appear far-fetched anymore. Billy felt more and more guilty about lying to Steve, but he couldn’t tell him the truth. Steve would instantly know Billy was in love with him, if he did, and it would ruin everything. So, Billy kept ignoring the dilemma, hoping it would go away on its own. No such luck, so far.

 *

 A few days later, Billy came home with a book he thought Steve would like. He found him on the couch, drawing on a sketchpad Billy had never seen. Before he could catch a glimpse of the drawing Steve had been working on, Steve noticed him and snapped the sketchpad shut so hard that the noise echoed in the room.

 “Hey, Billy, how are you doing?” Steve asked in a high-pitched voice.

 Billy narrowed his eyes but chose not to question Steve on his suspicious behavior. He didn’t really have a right to, considering how he had been behaving himself.

 “Good. I brought you a book, we can read a bit if you’re done with whatever you were doing.”

 “Oh… yeah. That’d be cool. I… I am totally done with… with whatever I was doing.” Steve stammered.

 “Cool.”

 “Come here.” Steve said, patting his own lap.

 Billy got the message and laid on the couch with his head on Steve’s lap. Steve started playing with his hair before he even started reading. His gentle touches made it hard for Billy to focus on the words, and he ended up tripping over them.

 Steve didn’t stop touching him, nor did he react in any way to Billy’s stumbling. It made Billy suspicious, so he started saying something that had nothing to do with the book, using the same tone he’d use if he were still reading. Steve didn’t catch on.

 “You’re not listening to a word I’m saying, are you?” Billy asked in a conversational tone, so Steve would actually register he was being addressed.

 He gave Billy his famous ‘deer caught in the headlight’ look.

 “I… uh… I… wasn’t. I’m sorry. I just can’t get my mind off Long live the King. I don’t think I can focus on another novel right now.”

 Billy sighed. He didn’t understand why Steve had loved the book so much. “It’s fine. Do you want to watch a movie or something?”

 Steve shrugged. “I probably won’t be able to focus much on that either but knock yourself out.”

 Billy would have gladly stayed there in peaceful silence while Steve was caressing his hair, but it would probably look dubious, so he reached out for the tv remote and put something at random before going back to his initial position.

 Billy felt so safe and relaxed that he started dozing off. He tried to resist, so he could enjoy Steve’s hands on him for as long as he could, but he ended up falling asleep anyway, betrayed by his own body.

 *

 That night, Billy woke up from a wet dream and found the star of the said wet dream in the living-room. What was Steve was doing there at this late (or early, depending on how you were looking at it) hour? It had yet to be determined. Billy approached slowly, his bare feet not making a sound on the carpeted floor.

 When he was a few meters behind the couch Steve was sitting on, Billy saw that Steve was finishing up a drawing… of a woman… a woman who looked like Billy’s mother. He gasped, before he could even think about staying discreet.

 Steve jumped and whipped his head in Billy’s direction.

 Billy instantly felt bad. Steve was often jittery, especially if he hadn’t gotten a good night of sleep (which he obviously hadn’t), and Billy should have known better than to sneak up on him.

 “I’m sorry for startling you, Pretty boy.”

 “Uh… it’s fine… I guess it’s too late to hide this from you.” He said, gesturing to the drawing before he got up from the couch to face Billy.

 “’m afraid so.” Billy replied. “Is that…?”

 “Your mom? Yes…” Steve’s voice was slightly shaky.

 “But how?” Billy had no picture of his mother, and Steve had obviously never met her.

 “I… Please don’t be mad… You know how you told me about almost forgetting how your mother looked like before Eleven showed her to you when she got into your mind at Starcourt?”

 Billy nodded. He wanted to tell Steve he could probably never be mad at him, but he didn’t want to interrupt him for fear Steve would let his nerves get the better of him if he did.

 “Well… I asked Eleven to show her to me, too. I… I wanted to do something nice for you, because you keep doing nice things for me… and I thought it was a good idea… after you told me you had nothing to remember your mom by… But then I got nervous… I thought that maybe you’d find it creepy that I saw one of your memories… so I didn’t actually know how to go about telling you.” Steve was speaking faster and faster until he finally stopped, leaving Billy’s head spinning.

 Steve had asked Eleven to go into his mind just so he could draw Billy’s mother…

 “Please, Billy, say something.” Steve sounded properly panicked.

 Billy wanted to reassure him, but he still couldn’t find his voice, so he lunged himself at Steve.

 “Oh…” Steve’s air was punched out of him. “Hey there, big guy.” He hugged Billy back with one arm, still holding the drawing in his right hand.

 “Thank you” Billy whispered, as a few tears made their way down his cheeks.

 “It was my pleasure.” Steve replied.

 Billy separated from Steve and wiped his tears away with the back of his hand before he reached for the drawing.

 “So that’s what you hid from me when I caught you drawing earlier?” That was more of a rhetorical question, really.

 “Oh… uh. Yeah. Yup. Totally.” Steve answered.

 He was looking at everything in the room but Billy, who was too engrossed in the drawing to question Steve’s peculiar attitude.  

 The next morning, Billy bought a frame for the portrait and placed it on his nightstand.

 *

 When Billy went to Indianapolis a few days later, he tried very hard to avoid his agent. He knew he should have asked for his mail to be forwarded to him in Hawkins instead of leaving it at the agency, but he had wanted to avoid Steve stumbling upon anything that would clue him to what was going on. Now Billy was reduced to lurking down the corridors with his precious envelope in hand, like a thief. He was blessedly out the door without having crossed paths with anyone he knew when he bumped into his agent a few meters down the street. Fuck his life.

 Billy’s agent had been pestering him about agreeing to a book signing for weeks now. Billy liked her well enough, but she could really be a pain in the ass when she tried hard enough. He had always denied her request, not wanting to show his face to his readers, since Robin was the only person from his life who knew he had published a book. Also, everyone thought he was a woman because of the penname he had chosen. He had an inkling that some people wouldn’t react well to knowing a book written in the first person, in which the narrator was in love with a man, had in fact been written by a male novelist. The narrator was not gendered, which Billy had done on purpose. He was almost certain most readers had imagined a girl, but if they discovered the author was a man, they might question it. Billy didn’t really care about that, or at least he didn’t care nearly as much as he did about Steve potentially finding out Billy had written Long live the King, but it was a reason he had used with his agent to justify his many rebuttals.  

 “Trying to run away from me, are you?”

 “Absolutely not.” Billy replied, with more confidence than he truly had.

 “Right. So, what about that book signing?” She asked for the umpteenth time.

 She was like a broken record.

 “Like the last ten times you asked: no.”

 Billy’s tone was firm, but it didn’t deter her. Oh no.

 “But come on, your readers would be so happy to meet you. Don’t you think it’d be nice?”

 Billy had received and kept receiving heartfelt letters from some of his readers, which made him realize his book had touched a lot of people. Of course, meeting these people would be nice, but it did not change his stance on the signing. It could not.

 “Plus, you don’t have to really show yourself. Wear a cap and sunglasses, a wig, come in full drag for all I care. It doesn’t matter as long as you talk to the readers.”

 “Wouldn’t that be… you know… weird?”

 Who came disguised to their own event?

 “Sure, but you’re an author Billy, you’re entitled to being at least a bit weird.” She assured him.

 Maybe she was right…

 “Okay…” He finally agreed.

 “Okay, you’ll do the signing?” She asked for confirmation.

 “Yes, I’ll do it.”  

 Billy regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth, but there was nothing he could do about it now. They were out, and his agent would never let him take them back. At least she wouldn’t pester him about it anymore. He wouldn’t relax too much, though. He knew her, by now. She’d find something else to annoy him with sooner or later.

 He waited until he was back home to open the envelope containing the letters from his readers. He was eager to read them, as he always was. And he could really use some cheering up these days, what with his longing for Steve and the fact he kept lying to him and could barely deal with the guilt. That was why Billy had gone to Indianapolis despite wanting to avoid his agent. He had really wanted, almost needed, the letters.

 He read them sitting on his bed, and when he found a drawing of the King that looked exactly like himself, Billy cursed loudly, in shock.

 A knock came on his bedroom door a few seconds later.

 “Billy?”

 “Uh… yeah?”

 Panicking, he hid the pile of letters under his bed sheet and didn’t have time to find something inconspicuous to do before Steve opened his door.

 “You sounded… bothered, just now. Are you okay?”

 “Oh, yeah. Never better.”

 Never better? Why in the world had he said that? Had his brain gone to mush?

 “Okay… that’s… good. What are you doing?”

 “Uh… Nothing. Just chilling.”

 This was a train wreck.

 “Mmh… if you say so.” Steve narrowed his eyes. “See you later, then. When you’re done… chilling.”

 “Right, see you, Pretty boy.” Billy forced a smile.

 When Steve was gone, Billy unraveled the pile of letters again and took the drawing back in hand. He turned the sheet of paper and found a written paragraph on the back.

 “I wanted to thank you for writing Long live the King. I loved it a lot, and I really related to your narrator. I have feelings for someone… someone quite like the King in your story. Sadly, I don’t think I’ll have a happy ending like your narrator did, but at least your novel showed me how it could feel if I did. I’m not very good with words (sorry about the handwriting too), so I made a drawing to better express how I feel about your amazing work.

 Thank you again,

 S. H.”

 Steve had drawn Billy as the King, crown included, and had sent it to the author of Long live the King without knowing it was Billy. He felt delighted, freaked out and guilty all at once. He needed a minute, or an hour. Oh Lord, this was such a mess. He should have listened to Robin and told Steve the truth a long time ago.

 And he couldn’t believe Steve was seeing him that way. He imagined Billy as the King! How was that possible? Steve was the King all along in Billy’s mind. Billy was nothing like that. He wasn’t brave and kind like Steve, and by extension the King in his novel, was.

 Billy stared at the drawing, in a daze. He appeared so beautiful on the paper…

 Steve had some better version of him that lived in his mind, and he thought this version was the real Billy. But Billy was a coward. He was lying to Steve because he was too weak to tell the truth, to face Steve, too afraid he would lose him.

 Instead of putting the drawing back in the pile of letters he had received, Billy carefully folded it and put in the pocket of his hoodie to carry it around with him, in a streak of masochism or a bout of sentimentalism (or a mix of both).

 That evening, when Steve had left the living-room for a bathroom break, Robin whispered:

 “You went to Indianapolis today, right?”

 “Yeah…”

 “You got the drawing?”

 “You knew?!” Billy whispered-yelled.

 “Of course, I was the one to suggest he sent it when I saw it.”

 “Right. I should have known.” Billy rolled his eyes.

 “Sure, thank me later, whatever. My question is, why aren’t you two making out like crazy right now? You’re head over heels for Steve, and now you know that he’s head over heels for you too. So, why haven’t you done anything about it?” Robin asked with a frown.

 “I just… you’ve seen the drawing, Robin. Steve sees me as far better than I actually am… and if I tell him I wrote Long live the King and lied to him all this time, he’ll realize his mistake, and I will lose him.”

 “Oh, Billy.” Robin gave him a pitying look. “I don’t know how to make you see how wrong you are.”

 Billy shushed her, as Steve came back into the room. Robin sighed but didn’t say anything else and Billy relaxed a little.

 He would keep on ignoring the problem and lying to Steve despite the guilt crushing him. At least, Steve was still his friend. As long as he had him by his side, Billy could deal with the rest.

 *

 About a month later, on Friday night, Steve insisted that Robin and Billy go with him to a stupid party.

 “Come on, I promised Dustin we’d go with him and the others!” Steve pleaded.

 “But why in the world did you do that, Pretty boy?” Billy asked, not looking away from the tv screen, even though he wasn’t paying attention to what was happening on it.

 He had a few ideas on how to spend his Friday night, and going to a high school party was not one of them. Plus, he had to go to his book signing tomorrow. He couldn’t use that as an excuse to decline, though, for obvious reasons.

 “He wants to impress the new girl, the one hosting the party, so he said he’d bring his cool older friends. I couldn’t say no!” Steve explained.

 “Pff, the kid is delusional.” Robin replied, “I’m obviously the only cool person out of the three of us.”

 “You used to be a band geek.” Steve pointed out.

 “Yet, I’m still cooler than you, dingus, I wonder what that says about you.”

 Billy rolled his eyes. He wouldn’t even argue about that.

 “Whatever you say. Does that mean you’ll come? Apparently, the girl has an older sister who’ll also be at the party with a bunch of her own friends, so it won’t even be that weird if we go. It might be fun.”

 “Sure.” Robin shrugged, flipping the pages of a magazine.

 “Billy?” Steve asked, turning to him with a hopeful smile. “If you come, you can keep an eye on Max.”

 Steve had a point. But Billy would have agreed anyway, just because Steve had been the one asking.  

 “Okay, okay. But you’ll owe me.”

 “Sure, whatever you want.” Steve beamed. And really, he shouldn’t go around saying things like that.

 Billy had to close his eyes for a second.

 At the party, Billy mostly kept to the couch, sipping on a cup of punch. He’d have made conversation with Robin, who was also on the couch, but she was having a conversation of her own with one of the older sisters’ cute friends. Billy didn’t want to cockblock her, or so to speak, so he stayed in his corner like a loser. Parties weren’t really his scene anymore. It wasn’t as fun now that he barely drank.

 Steve had been dragged God knew where by Dustin, and Billy felt lonely. He regretted whishing Steve would be back when he did actually come back, though. Indeed, Steve only came to Billy to ask him to play truth or dare so he wouldn’t have to do it alone.

 “Absolutely not, Steve. What are we? Children?”

 “Come on, please… I’ll owe you a second favor. Pretty please.” Steve joined his hands together and gave Billy his infamous puppy dog eyes. This was so not fair.

 “Ugh, I hate you.” Billy lied.

 “Thank you!!”

 Billy wished he could be impervious to Steve’s pleading, as Robin was. Steve hadn’t even tried to drag her into the dumb game, already knowing that was a lost battle. She was so lucky.

 Billy followed Steve but didn’t pretend he was happy about it.

 “Wow, Billy, nice of you to grace us with your sunny disposition.” Max said as Billy sat down next to Steve with a scowl on his face.

 “Shut up, shitbird. And no funny business.” He warned.

 “What are you insinuating?” Max gasped, faking offense like the drama-queen she was. “I would never!”

 “Shut up you guys, let’s start the game.” Henderson said. And okay, rude much? He would have never disrespected Billy that way when he was still afraid of him. At least not to his face. Good old times.

 There had already been about ten teenagers sitting in the circle before Billy and Steve had joined. The nerd squad minus Will and Mike was here, as well as the hostess of the party and a few other people Billy didn’t recognize and didn’t care to. He wanted to ask Steve why they were the only grown-ups (or well, semi grown-ups at least) in the circle, but he was pretty sure he knew the reason already. Henderson had most certainly roped Steve into playing as some kind of wingman duty or some shit (Billy would have bet his life on it). So, Steve was here because he couldn’t say no to the nerds (especially Henderson), and Billy was here because he couldn’t say no to Steve, which was rather unfortunate in situations like this one.

 The bottle mercifully didn’t fall on Billy for the first six spins. When it did, he picked dare and was asked to do a handstand by El, bless her pure soul. The others grumbled slightly, finding the dare boring, but no one protested too hard. She was very cute but could also be quite scary, and most people knew not to cross her. Thankfully, Billy’s shirt was tucked in so it didn’t slide down and reveal his scars. He was comfortable enough to display them around Steve and Robin, but it stopped there.

 Billy thought he would be safe for a while after that. However, his evil sister wouldn’t have it that way. As Sinclair spun and the bottle fell on Steve, who picked dare, Max whispered something in her boyfriend’s ear. Sinclair tried to protest, but Max glared at him and his protests instantly died. He then sheepishly dared Steve to kiss Billy. He had said “no funny business”. What was wrong with Max?

 Steve, blushing beet red, turned to Billy.

 “Is it… is this okay?”

 Billy should say no, because kissing Steve would just make everything messier, which was saying something, and also because he didn’t imagine his first kiss with Steve happening in front of a group of teenagers, among which was his very own sister. Then again, he had thought his first kiss with Steve would stay in his imagination, so maybe it wasn’t so bad.

 Who was he kidding? There was no way he was saying no, despite his better judgement. He wanted Steve too much for that.

 “Sure.” He therefore said, with a nonchalance he didn’t possess.

 Steve put both his hands in Billy’s hair and gently slotted their lips. He could have just pecked Billy’s lips awkwardly and called it a day, but no. Steve had to try to kill him with softness. Billy had to use all his restraint and then some so he wouldn’t deepen the kiss and ravish Steve’s mouth, lest he scar their audience for life. When Steve broke the kiss and let go of Billy’s head, they were both breathing a tad raggedly. They stared at each other, and Billy nearly lost himself in Steve’s big dark eyes, but he was brought back to earth by Henderson clearing his throat.

 Billy really wanted to shoot him a threatening look, but Max did it for him. It made Billy a little bit less mad at her.

 The game ended soon after that. Thank God. And Billy and Steve decided to go home. They looked for Robin. When they found her, she didn’t seem too keen on leaving.

 “You can stay the night. I’m staying too. There’s plenty of room.” The girl she’d been talking with for hours said.

 “That sounds great! You’ll be fine to go home on your own, boys?”

 Robin was only teasing, but Billy considered answering no for a second. Being alone with Steve right now would be pure torture. Billy would combust with longing.

 “Of course, see you tomorrow. Have fun.” Steve said.

 “Thanks.”

 *

 Steve was their designated driver for the night, which was stupid because Billy had barely drunk anything, and now he didn’t have anything to do with his hands and the awkwardness was killing him. They hadn’t even argued over what station to put on the radio. The radio was turned off, for God’s sake. They were not in their right mind.

 Billy ended up turning the radio on about halfway through the drive, just to have something to do. Abba was on, and Billy didn’t even switch stations. What was happening to him?

 They stayed silent until they reached the flat, where they bid each other good night before retreating to their respective rooms.

 Billy sighed with relief (and maybe with disappointment, too, if he was entirely honest). However, he shouldn’t have believed he was already out of the woods: the door of his room flew open a few seconds later, revealing Steve (of course, who else could it have been?).

 Billy opened his mouth to ask him what was wrong, but he couldn’t get a word out before Steve’s lips were on his once again.

 This time, Billy didn’t even think about resisting. He didn’t think, period. His brain was broken. Steve had broken it. His mouth still worked fine, though, and Billy kissed back eagerly.  

 They didn’t even take the time to get undressed before they tumbled onto Billy’s bed, momentarily breaking the kiss. Billy grinded his hips against Steve’s, making him moan and arch his back. Steve’s hands were back in his hair, lightly tugging on it. Steve reversed their position so he was on top and joined their lips again. He pulled harder on Billy’s hair, pulling a whine out of him in the process, and proceeded to devour his mouth.

 Fuck, he really could kiss.

 Billy didn’t last long the first time around (not that he had hoped he would). In fact, he came in his pants from the friction on his clothed hard-on, as if he were still a teenager. The thing was, Billy didn’t have much experience when it came to sex, contrary to what most people thought. He had given and received the odd hand job or blow job, but between Neil walking in on Billy and his first (and only) boyfriend, the move to Hawkins, the whole possession thing, the long recovery and falling in love with Steve, he hadn’t had many occasions to have sex. And he had wanted Steve for so long that something like this was bound to happen. It wasn’t Billy’s proudest moment, nonetheless, but he powered through the embarrassment and was quick to bring Steve to orgasm too, which reassured him a little.  

 Once the rush of desperation had passed, they slowed down considerably. Then, they were all soft touches, gentle hands and deep kisses. They fell asleep hours later, before dawn, sweaty and sated.

 Billy had never felt so right. However, such blissful peace could not last.

 *

When he woke up the following morning, Billy went through an emotional rollercoaster. First, he noticed that Steve wasn’t in bed with him anymore. Then, he found a post-it not on which Steve informed him he had left to get them breakfast. Billy smiled and instantly relaxed. It was only the first loop of the rollercoaster, though.

 Indeed, when Billy looked for his clothes to get dressed, he couldn’t find his favorite hoodie. Steve must have borrowed it. After all, he loved nicking clothes from Billy.

 Billy really didn’t mind. Seeing Steve in his clothes always warmed his heart.

 But then, Billy remembered he had been wearing the said hoodie when he had received Steve’s drawing, and he also remembered putting the folded drawing in the front pocket. Oh Lord, no. He frantically searched for the pile of letters from the other day in his nightstand drawer, and Steve’s drawing was indeed not in the pile.

 Billy all but ran out of his room. Maybe, if he found Steve quickly enough, he could prevent him from noticing the piece of paper.

 He immediately knew it was too late when he stumbled in the living room. Steve was in one of the chairs, sitting ramrod straight with his arms crossed over his chest. On the coffee table in front of him, there were two paper cups, a bag of pastries from their favorite bakery, and, more importantly, the drawing.

 Billy’s heartbeat went haywire. How was he going to make things right, now? He had been too much of a coward to talk to Steve, and now Steve had found out without him. It was a catastrophe.

 Steve’s face showed no emotion, but his eyes were full of hurt.

 “Steve…” Billy started before being immediately interrupted.

 “How could you Billy? You knew how I felt all this time and you didn’t say anything. Don’t you care about me at all? Was last night just bullshit to you? And why the fuck did you sleep with me? Was it a pity fuck? Or did you think that I’d be an easy lay because I’m in love with you? What the fuck? I can’t believe you’d do something like that.”

 Steve was asking him question after question but didn’t leave him an occasion to answer any of them. His voice was getting louder and louder, making Billy flinch. He wanted to cut in and explain himself, but his own voice failed him.

 At the world bullshit, Billy winced, but still kept silent. When Steve said he was in love with him, Billy’s heart shattered. He had yearned to hear those words for years, but not like that. Never like that. He felt like crying, but for once the tears would not come.  

 Steve had gone from thinking too much of Billy to thinking too little. Billy had been hiding the truth from Steve, yes, but he would have never slept with him knowing how he felt if he didn’t love him too. Steve should know that. Billy would never be that cruel, and even less to him. How could Steve think even for a second that last night had only been about sex to Billy? Billy knew he lacked confidence ever since Nancy had broken his heart in high school, but surely he had to have felt the love their night had been filled with.  

 Steve, faced with Billy’s silence, got up to leave. Billy held him by the wrist and finally found his voice.

 “Please, Steve, let me explain… I…”

 “Save it.” Steve snapped, shaking Billy off before walking out the door and slamming it shut.

 Billy had to sit on the floor, as his legs were on the verge of giving out. He had ruined everything.

 He stared into nothing, his head filled with regrets and fears concerning what was to come. Had he lost Steve forever. Oh God. He had, hadn’t he?

 The tears he needed to shed didn’t start flowing until Robin came home. She found him on the floor, sitting with his knees to his chest. As soon as she asked him if he was okay with concern etched upon her face, Billy started crying hard.

 “Oh Billy, what is it? Where’s Steve?”

 Billy tried to reply but he couldn’t speak through his sobs.

 “Nothing happened to him, has it?” Robin asked.

 “He… he… he hates me.” Billy managed to say in between heaving breaths.

 “Billy, come on, he could never hate you.”

 “He… he knows… I had the drawing...”

 “So, he’s mad… but he doesn’t hate you. He’ll come around.”

 Billy drowned in another wave of tears. Robin wouldn’t think that if she knew Steve and he had made love last night. Steve would never forgive him.

 “I… I can go talk to him, if you want. Would that help?”

 Billy nodded hesitantly. Maybe it would just make Robin hate him too, but she was probably his last chance to get Steve to hear him out, so he should give it a try.

 “Are you going to be okay to go to Indianapolis on your own?”

 Billy nodded again, rubbing his eyes with his fists. He wasn’t in a fit state to go to a book signing (in fact, he wasn’t in a fit state to do anything), but at least having something to do might take his mind off of his monumental fuck-up. He didn’t have much of a choice, anyway.

 *

 The book signing went as well as could be expected. Some people looked surprised to see a man, and some looked quite uncomfortable, but no one said anything outwardly rude to him, probably because Billy was a scary motherfucker without even having to try. He was intense, what could he do?

 He tried to focus on the people he got to meet, and on what they were saying, but his mind couldn’t help but drift to Steve every couple of minutes. It was exhausting.

 The event ended hours after it had been supposed to, which wasn’t surprising. It was always hard to estimate how long this kind of things lasted, considering the number of people participating could not be known beforehand. And Billy couldn’t possibly quit before everyone in the line had seen him. Some people had been waiting for several hours. He was not that much of a bastard.

 As Billy was finally getting ready to leave, someone barged into the bookstore. When he heard the bell above the door jingle, Billy looked up and froze. It was Steve.

 Had he come all this way to tell Billy he never wanted to see him again and that he should find another place to live? Wouldn’t he have waited for Billy to get back to the flat to let him know?

 As Steve got closer, Billy noticed he was carrying a book. Was it… his book?

 He stopped right in front of the table Billy was sitting at and placed the book on it.

 “Hey”

 “Hey…” Billy greeted him back tentatively.

 Steve looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck.

 “I… Could you sign it for me, please?”

 “Really?” Billy asked.

 He tried not to let his heart fill with hope, in case it was some kind of sick prank, but there was nothing to be done. The hope latched on too quickly to be stopped.

 Steve nodded.

 “I… I’m sorry for getting so mad this morning… Robin knocked some sense into me, and I realize I shouldn’t have yelled at you. And I should have listened to you… No matter how hurt I felt.”

 Steve was apologizing? To Billy? That didn’t sound right.

 “I… I should be the one apologizing, Steve. I should have told you the truth as soon as I got the drawing… I should have told you before that even… I just…”

 “It’s okay… you don’t have to explain now. We can talk things through once we’re back home… we have time… Just, just tell me one thing.”

 “Anything you want, Steve.” Billy assured him.

 “Well… at first, I didn’t even think about what you having my drawing meant… beside the fact that you know how I feel now… Then it finally registered that it meant you were the author of Long live the King… and Robin suggested that the book made it clear that you… that you had romantic feelings, for me. Was she… maybe… possibly… right? Is it true?” Steve asked, his voice so low that Billy had to strain to hear him.

 Billy signed the book and handed it back to Steve before saying anything.

 Steve opened the book to read what Billy had just written: “For my king, my light, my love, my everything”.

 “Yes, it is. It is true. I love you, Steve.” Billy finally replied.

 Steve beamed, making Billy’s heart flip.

 “I love you too.”

 Billy could fully rejoice in hearing these words, this time around.  

 He still had some explaining to do. But he hadn’t lost Steve. Steve still loved him. And he now knew Billy loved him too. The rest could wait.

 “Let’s go home, Pretty boy.”

*

Thanks for reading :) 

accommodating (only for you)

pairing: bakudeku (bakugou x midoriya) 

genre: smut, fluff | abo au, aged-up au 

warnings: explicit sexual content, swearing, anal sex, claiming bites, dirty talk, impregnation kink (but no mpreg), knotting, loss of virginity, unprotected sex, slight nipple play, hand jobs 

a/n #1: thank you to @d2diamond for the prompt of an omega turning a beta into an alpha!

word count: 3130 

summary: When a Beta is accepted by their true mate, their sub gender changes.

day seven of @bnhaomegaverseweek​ (hoping my love will keep you up tonight) 

Their lips meet in a sloppy kiss Izuku would deny ever liking. It would ruin his reputation as a hopeless romantic if people knew he could be reduced to putty in someone's hands by the sloppiest kiss in existence.

Strong hands grip his hair and tug on the strands hard enough to make him wince, mouth falling open to make a noise of protest. Izuku realizes just then how easily he fell for Katsuki's trap when the omega's tongue sweeps into his mouth, unfalteringly in its movements.

Izuku whimpers as Katsuki takes charge, the omega not giving him the chance to hesitate or second guess what they are doing. He had no illusions about what sex with Katsuki would be like and he relaxes as the omega continues to kiss him.

Katsuki had asked him to come over to his place a few days ago and Izuku had practically had a heart attack, thinking of all the reasons why he would be wanted there. As soon as he had stepped through the door though, he was assaulted by the smell of dinner and had gradually relaxed until they made their way to the couch afterward, Katsuki immediately climbing into his lap to kiss him. From there, Izuku had done his best to leave until Katsuki ground his ass back on Izuku's half-hard cock and dragged him to the bedroom when Izuku couldn't deny his wants anymore. Now Katsuki's hands are buried in his hair, but there is no more tugging or pulling and Izuku settles himself into the motions.

Katsuki starts to move backward then, stopping for just a moment to turn them around and push Izuku back before he can blink. He bounces as he lands on Katsuki's bed, pushing himself up on his elbows as Katsuki pulls his shirt off then undoes his jeans and kicks them off. Izuku only watches him, feeling his cock twitch in his own jeans as Katsuki slides his briefs off and his dick springs free.

He never thought he would find a dick pretty, but Izuku should have known better. Katsuki has always been able to make Izuku see something in a different light, especially whenever it concerns him specifically.

Like quirks. Izuku had been mildly interested in them when he was a toddler, but after Katuski got his quirk, Izuku went absolutely buck wild over them. He wanted to learn everything he could about the different possibilities for quirks and came up with ways for Katsuki to use his own. Izuku wanted to provide all the information that his friend would ever want or need about them and how best to utilize his own so he could become the great hero they both knew Katsuki would be.

(But then Izuku learned he was quirkless and Katsuki slowly stopped talking to him altogether after that. He didn't bully him as the others did, but he did nothing to stop it like Izuku always foolishly hoped he would.)

Like sub genders. In middle school, Katuski had presented as an omega, surprising everyone. Izuku watched as his old best friend fell out of the social hierarchy after news about his presentation spread far and wide. Beforehand, Izuku didn't honestly care about what his own sub gender would be, but after Katsuki presented, Izuku began to hope that he would present too. Maybe then Katsuki would start talking to him whether as a potential alpha mate or a fellow omega friend.

(He did, but only because Izuku never presented and now they were both social outcasts. At least they were together again.)

And now about dicks too, he guesses. In all fairness, Katsuki really does have a pretty dick though. The head is a flushed red - what Izuku can see of it anyway. It's already leaking a little bit of pre-come too and it twitches when Katsuki realizes that Izuku's gaze is stuck on his cock. Katsuki's dick is slim, of average length, and curves slightly to the side, but it is erect and obvious proof of the omega's want.

Izuku gulps as he looks up to meet Katsuki's gaze and has just enough time to spread his thighs before the blonde falls on top of him. Katsuki grips his T-shirt with two fists twisted into the front and Izuku feels his dick jump as the omega rips it apart, the black pieces of cloth sliding off his chest with ease after that. Izuku can practically smell the smugness in Katsuki's scent as he rips Izuku's jeans and underwear off as well, throwing the tattered remains of his clothing to the side.

His cock is now out in the open and leaking pitifully as Katsuki kisses him again. Hands grips his waist as the omega pushes him down onto the mattress, lifting his legs until they fall over Katsuki's hips. Izuku startles for a moment before he spreads his legs wider, not put off in the least as he thinks of Katsuki pushing into him and fucking him open.

Which is why he is very surprised when Katsuki pulls back from their kiss and growls, "Gonna let you fuck me so hard, I turn you into an alpha, fucking shitnerd."

Izuku blinks up at him, bewildered, but there is something about Katsuki's words. He can't quite pinpoint it, but he feels a tingly sensation in the pit of his gut. His heartbeat quickens in his chest and he flushes when he realizes that Katsuki can hear it if the smug grin on his face is anything to go by.

Katsuki drags his tongue down Izuku's throat as he thinks over the words.

When a Beta is accepted by their true mate, their sub gender changes. Their nature twists and shifts until it is of the utmost compatibility with their true mate. Izuku has known two other betas who were accepted by their true mates and had their sub genders change. One an omega and the other an alpha. It isn't uncommon, at least that's what Izuku has gleaned from the countless studies he took an interest in after Todoroki became an omega for Iida.

What Katsuki just said, it must mean that he wants Izuku to be his true mate. That or Izuku already is and his weaker senses are the only reason he had not noticed before.

He gasps for breath as Katsuki drifts lower and takes his nipple between his teeth, biting down hard enough to make Izuku's toes curl. Izuku can feel the soft drag of Katsuki's cock on his thigh as he spreads his legs wider, head thrown back on the bed as Katsuki gives his chest no mercy.

"K-Kacchan!" Izuku yelps when the omega pinches Izuku's other nipple between his deft fingers.

Katsuki pulls back to look at his work, smirking to himself at the sight of Izuku wrecked beneath him. "You're gonna knot me and Claim me tonight, Deku. I've waited long enough, you fucking idiot."

Izuku bites his lip. "Kacchan, why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"I thought you already knew," Katsuki sniffs, adjusting himself until his cock is lying alongside Izuku's. "After fucking Half-and-Half changed and you started talking about all those stupid studies and shit, I thought that you would figure it out."

Katsuki shakes his head then, a tiny genuine smile starting to spread across his lips. "Took Shitty Hair and fucking Pikachu telling me about how you had no clue for me to realize how much of an idiot you actually are. So that's why I invited you over now instead of during my heat. I don't want to end up being wrong and be stuck with a fucking Beta giving me no relief."

Izuku frowns, sure that he should feel a little offended at that last part but mostly just confused. "Kacchan, seriously?"

"Shut up," Katsuki barks back as he wraps his hand around their cocks. "I'm gonna turn you into my own bitch Alpha and then you're gonna Claim me. I deserve only the best, Deku."

"Of course, Kacchan," Izuku murmurs, hips straining as Katsuki begins to pump them. "Only the best for my omega."

Katsuki's grin sharpens then. "That's what I'm fucking talking about."

Izuku laughs, the sound coming out strangled as Katsuki squeezes his dick. "Ah, Kacchan. Be nice, please. I'm really, um... sensitive."

"Shut the fuck up, Deku," Katsuki snaps, but his grip loosens considerably and Izuku stops squirming. "Pass me the lube, it's under that pillow."

Izuku reaches out towards the pillow Katsuki jerked his head toward and scrambles for the plastic cylinder he can vaguely see underneath. He manages to wrap his hand around it and pulls it back towards them, popping open the cap when Katsuki raises an unimpressed brow at him. Katsuki holds his hand out, fingers pressed together tightly and Izuku takes that as a sign to squirt the lubricant on his fingers.

Katsuki rubs the lube between his fingers, blowing on it so its warm and then reaches behind him and let outs a heavy breath as he pushes a finger into him. Izuku can only manage to watch, eyes roaming over Katsuki's sweaty skin and the blonde tendrils of his hair that stick to his forehead.

He inhales deeply and freezes when he realizes that Katsuki's scent is a lot more stronger than it ever has been before. For the first time, Izuku can make out a spiciness to Katsuki's smell that he never caught a whiff of before. He still smells like vanilla and smoke, but now the smell burns as Izuku breathes it in, inhaling deeply again and again until he is sure that he won't forget how his omega smells like anytime soon.

Katsuki keens as he presses another finger into himself, throat exposed as he lifts his chin up into the air, thighs shaking underneath Izuku's own. Izuku opens the bottle of lube and dribbles a small amount onto his palm before he reaches down and wraps his hand around Katsuki's cock. His omega looks down at him in surprise, face flushed a light pink as he works himself open. Izuku manages a smile at him as he starts to move his hand, keeping his movements slow and steady so as to not throw Katsuki off rhythm or push him to the edge too soon.

Izuku keeps eye contact with Katsuki as he strokes him, watching the myriad of emotions that flicker across his omega's face. His chest rumbles with a growl he has never managed to make before and Katsuki grins at him in response, bright delight clear on his face.

"So pretty, Kacchan," Izuku murmurs at him, feeling the blood in his veins race. "Always been so beautiful."

Katsuki scoffs, the sound quieter than usual. "Liar."

"I'm not lying," Izuku assures him, eyes unable to look away from Katsuki's own. "I've always wanted you for my own, Kacchan. I just didn't think you wanted me."

"You're a fucking idiot if you really think I didn't want you too," Katsuki scowls, leaning down and moaning right in Izuku's face. "Never wanted anyone but you to fuck me so hard I can't think straight."

Izuku feels the words go straight to his cock, another growl ripping itself from his chest. "Have you fucked anyone, Kacchan?"

Katsuki's scowl morphs into a frown then, the squelching noises Izuku can no longer ignore growing louder behind Katsuki. "Fuck no. You'll be my first, fucking idiot. As if I'd let some fucking extra have me."

"Good," Izuku hums, feeling something deep within him calm at Katsuki's words. "Only mine."

"Yeah, yeah," Katsuki waves his free hand, pulling his other hand out of him soon after. "Now fuck me, Deku. I'm ready."

Izuku lets go of Katsuki's cock and flips them over so Katsuki is now flat on his back, legs already thrown over Izuku's waist. Katsuki smirks up at him, his arms laid out at his sides and legs spread wide.

"Fuck me so hard you knot me, Deku, otherwise I'm not letting you come," Katsuki challenges him.

"Condom?" Izuku asks instead, ignoring the bristling feeling in his chest that wants to pin Katsuki down and punish him for the taunt.

Katsuki grins at him like he just cracked a particularly funny joke. "Raw me, motherfucker. We're both clean and you know I can't get pregnant even while being an omega, Deku. Just get the fuck on with it already. I'm not getting any fucking younger."

Izuku can't help the growl that rumbles out of him then or how he grips Katsuki's waist hard and pushes into him without waiting for anything else. Katsuki gasps under him, eyes fluttering closed as his hands come up to clutch at Izuku's shoulders. His omega breathes out deeply, biting his lip as his face twists with what Izuku thinks might be from pain.

He panics, already moving to pull out and freezing when Katsuki yells at him, his fiery eyes pinning Izuku in place. "If you pull your dick out of me, I will fucking kill you!"

"Bu-But, Kacchan, y-you-" Izuku starts to stutter.

"Just give me a fucking moment, idiot. You're big," Katsuki mutters, focusing on his breathing as his eyes close again.

Izuku twitches, flushing with pride at the nonchalant compliment. He wants to move, wants to fuck into Katsuki so hard he will only ever think of Izuku ever again, but he keeps still. He doesn't want to hurt his omega, something in him feels like crying just at the mere thought.

"Okay," Katsuki murmurs after a few minutes have passed. "You can move now, shitface."

Izuku nods fervently. "I'll go slow. I don't want to hurt you, Kacchan."

"Don't you start fucking crying," Katsuki spits out, pulling Izuku closer until their noses are almost touching. "Just fucking move already."

Izuku kisses his omega as his hips cant back then push forward, keeping a slow and steady rhythm. Katsuki wraps his arms around Izuku's neck and his legs around his back, keeping him in place. The squelching sounds that ring in the air around them are enough encouragement for Izuku to increase his pace bit by tiny bit. His omega doesn't complain, more than content to kiss him as Izuku takes his time.

Hands bury themselves in his hair and Izuku groans as Katsuki pulls on his dark, curls. Izuku hikes up Katsuki's legs and pushes into him easily, sighing into his open mouth at the pleasant sensation that follows. Katsuki moans underneath him, breaths coming in heavy pants as Izuku's thrusts increase in speed and strength.

"Fuck me," Katsuki whispers between them when Izuku keeps up his maddingly steady pace. "Fuck me so hard you pop a knot, Deku."

Izuku growls, pushing himself upwards as he holds Katsuki open and fucks him just like his omega asked. He cannot explain what urged him to do so, but the sounds Katsuki makes in response are definitely worth it. Izuku doesn't even pause when his cock starts to swell either, he just keeps moving, keeps fucking his omega exactly how he likes it.

Katsuki moans and twists under him. "Knew you could fucking do it, Deku."

"What?" Izuku pants.

"I can feel your knot, Alpha," Katsuki taunts. "Knot me, Alpha. Fill me up."

Something instinctual in Izuku responds before he can verbally. He stops and twists Katsuki around until the omega is on his hands and knees, ass held out like a present. Katsuki groans at the loss of his cock when he first pulls out then sighs as Izuku slides back into him smoothly, the new alpha's eyes trained to the spot where he is buried deep within his omega.

"Bet you wish you could have my pups, Kacchan," Izuku finds himself mumbling as he fucks into his omega with vigor. "Want me to pump you full of them, huh?"

Katsuki's answer is muffled by the bedsheets, but he squirms in excitement so Izuku knows he's into this. Izuku continues to watch his cock being swallowed whole by the omega he has been chasing almost this entire life. His heart beats steadily in his chest as his senses come into bloom, expanding until all he can feel is Katsuki.

"Don't worry, Kacchan. I'll knot you and make you mine, fuck you however you want until you're heavy with my pups and then fuck you again just to be sure," Izuku mutters. "How long have you wanted my knot, Omega?"

Katsuki turns his face to the side, one ruby eye trained on Izuku's face. "Since my first heat. Just wanted you to come into my room and fuck me so hard until I turned you into my knot bitch that I could have whenever I wanted."

Izuku laughs, feeling himself return to his senses. "Well, you did just that, Omega. Bet you can't wait until your next heat so you can use me however you want."

"Fuck yeah," Katsuki moans, groaning when Izuku's thrusts start to slow. "You better fucking Claim me when you knot me, shitnerd."

"Of course, Kacchan," Izuku murmurs, leaning down so he can bury his nose into Katsuki's scent gland. "Whatever my omega wants."

Katsuki hums in response, baring his throat so Izuku has easy access to it. Izuku's cock is swelling in earnest, the knot forming near the base as he pushes into Katsuki. He quickens his pace then, reaching underneath to stroke his omega's cock. Katsuki groans into the sheets, hands twisted into the material as he enjoys himself.

Izuku's rhythm falters when his knot catches on Katsuki's rim. He strokes Katsuki's cock as he curses, his orgasm taking over in the next moment as he spurts come over Izuku's knuckles. Izuku cants forward rapidly, feeling his own orgasm rising up until his knot catches again.

He buries himself in his omega, teeth clamping down on Katsuki's scent gland when he finally comes. Katsuki shivers underneath him, his entire body trembling as the Claiming Bite takes and Izuku pulls away, licking at the wound to close it.

He rolls them over gently so they are now spooning and nuzzles Katsuki's scent gland. The newly awakened alpha in him hums in content at the motion, crooning at the scent of happiness that rolls of Katsuki in waves. Izuku presses a kiss to his omega's scent gland, letting them bathe in the afterglow.

"My sheets are gonna be a fucking nightmare to wash on Sunday, you shitnerd," Katsuki grumbles just a few moments later.

"That's what you get for turning me into an alpha, Kacchan," Izuku laughs in response.

Katsuki huffs, pushing his ass back on Izuku's knot and making the alpha choke. "Shut the fuck up."

Izuku wisely listens to his mate, his inner alpha more than happy to bend to the wants and needs of his omega.

a/n #2: thanks for reading! please remember that my requests are open. i hope you all liked what i was able to cook up for the week (:

Survey #164

“on my forehead, a birthmark; remove it with a kiss of the knife, even if it causes me to die.”

Do you look like your mom? I'm told I do, but never seen it? Then again I'm bad at noticing subtle facial differences. When was the last time you overslept? I never have a time I need to get up now, so, couldn't tell you. What would you do if you could do anything without failing? Hm. One thing? That's tough. I guess... ride a rollercoaster without getting sick or, y'know, dying? I really, really wanna experience the adrenaline, but. Name something that happened to you that was completely unexpected? Bitch I don't even think my mother believed I would get over Jason. I feel like anyone who knew me well would've thought I'd never actually heal. Do you judge people that have multiple piercings? As if, when I want a lot. Have you read the Bible? Little of it. Do you think it’s cruel to keep an animal in a cage while you’re away? Depends on the size of the cage, if they're destructive when alone, and how long you're gone. Are there any lyrics to describe your current crush/relationship? "If I'm James Dean, You're Audrey Hepburn" by SwS screams. Do you ever receive comments on your weight? Not unless it's a doctor and I ask or if I'm asking Mom if I look like I lost any. Is there anything that you do just to make other people happy? Sometimes. When you need a temporary escape, what do you do? Go to sleep. What was the last lie that you believed in? I dunno. How long did your last feelings of heartbreak last? Like a year and a half. Do you ever have difficulty opening pill-bottle caps? Rarely. Are you uncomfortable with being photographed? No. How vivid are your memories? They can be extremely vivid while others are totally blurry. What is the worst question that someone could ask you? If I was offered a certain cold medicine. Or if someone asked about my left wrist. One would probably make me cry, the other would bury me in embarrassment. Have you ever ridden in a car with someone who was high? The driver. I was fucking terrified. That gets your ass in jail here. Who is the best hugger you know? I dunno. Sara and Girt both give great hugs. Juan did. I just like hugs okay. What is the next concert you will attend? Mom and I are desperately gonna try for Metallica in January. She literally cried and laughed hysterically when she found out they were coming; it was the sweetest damn thing I'd ever seen. Always told her we're going before she dies, and I plan on ensuring that. It's her dream. The tickets are just unsurprisingly more expensive than the average concert with who they are. What is the longest you have ever slept? Around 12 hours. Have you ever had to be put to sleep for an operation? Yes, tubes in ears and cyst removal. Have you ever had to clean up someone else’s vomit? No, and there is no fucking way I ever could. Human or animal. I would puke. Do you have any friends that are more than 2 years younger than you? One off the top of my head. Have you ever kissed some one with braces? No. Have you ever been able to do a split? Nope, not even when I was in dance. Are you intimidated by the last person you know talked badly about you? Embarrassingly, to some degree. Now in my defense, I'm afraid of most people, but she is a witch that fires straight for your insecurities, and I think it's pretty clear that I'm extremely sensitive. Have you ever cried in school? In the bathroom, I know I have, but I think I probably have teared up in class. What is the most times you have thrown up in one day? I dunno, maybe 4+ when I've had a virus? Last person to say your name? Mom, probs. Are any of your siblings married? Two are, no clue about Tiffany. Do you think the last person you kissed has ever lied to you? I'm aware she has, but I'm sure I probably did too when we were both asshole kids lmao. Who was your closest friend 4 years ago? Are you still close to that person? Colleen, and no. Have you ever liked someone else when you already had a boyfriend/girlfriend? What happened? It was one of the reasons I broke up with him. Is there a certain song that never seems to get old, no matter how many times you hear it? I will always be in the mood for Manson's "Third Day of a Seven Day Binge." Do you like to have croutons in your salad? Ugh no. Which do you find more irritating - sunburn or bug bites? Sunburn. What shape/type of fry do you like best [waffle fry, curly fry, steak fry, sweet potato fry, tater tot, etc.]? Hmm maybe curly. What’s your favorite type of bird? Barn owls. How many friends do you have on Facebook? 114. What pet names do you use with your significant other? OH GOD. "Honeybee," "pretty woman," "love(ly)," "sweetie," "hun(ny)," "babe," "baby(girl)," and yeesh probably more. Do you carry any means of protection on you while out in public? No, but I do plan on getting pepper spray once I'm more independent/on my own. Would you ever pick up a hitchhiker? Nooooo I ain't dyin' today. What is something that most people wouldn’t know about you from simply looking at you? I was once in great shape oops. What’s your longest road trip? I can't recall if Florida or NY was longer... Do you have any videos on your phone? If so, of what? Yes, the video that Sara sent me of Jem reaching for her. Actually the most precious thing I've seen. Do you think that your bedroom is a reflection of your personality? Or would people look at your room and misjudge you? Sure. Who would you really like to become better friends with? Yeesh, a lot of people... Mostly old friends. Do you personally know anybody who has more than five tattoos? Yeah. How big is your bed? Queen. Have you ever been to a bachelor or bachelorette party? No. Do you think it’s important for children to have a father figure in their life as they grow up? Gave some thought to this, and no. It's preferable to have two parents, but who says gender really matters? Just give the child two caring, unwaveringly supportive adults that can both teach them different things. Tbh I think having gay parents would allow you to grow up more open-minded anyway. Do you include your middle initial in your signature? Only if I'm supposed to. Have you ever imagined how it would feel kissing a certain someone? Yeah. Have you ever taken a picture with Santa when you were little? Yes. If you could have one more pet, what? One more python morph. Something you want to buy real bad? A drawing tablet. Something you would NEVER buy? Traditional mouse traps came to mind first. Inhumane as all hell. Now those that get them caught in a box, sure, because it in no way harms them. Just take them outside, asshole. What do you think will happen when you die? Hopefully, go to a positive afterlife of peace. It'd be amazing if you saw Heaven as you've always pictured it, but who knows how that works. I just about actually pray that you see loved ones again. Could you wait until marriage for sex? I could, yeah, but I'm pretty sure I dropped the abstinence thing. How would you describe your sense of humor? Dry and incredibly sarcastic. Do you share a middle name with any of your siblings? Yes. Do you currently have any bruises on your body? No. Can you cry on command? If so, have you ever used it to your advantage? No. Have you ever seen a lunar eclipse? A good number, yeah. A solar one? No. :c Do you know anyone who writes huge essays when they message you? Yeah, I don't mind! Show interest in talking!! Do you think your first love still loves you? Definitely not. I don't think he has a spot for me anywhere in his heart, really. Are you someone who has to analyze everything? Hi, I'm Brittany. What’s the last thing that scared the hell out of you? Mom popping up at my door talking when I had NO clue she was home. Do you have any awkward music downloaded on your iPod? I have "Daddy" by PSY can I jump off a bridge now. Have you ever been to church? What was it like? Yes, and it's something I've never enjoyed since being a little kid. Even in my more religious phases, I didn't enjoy it. It's boring and revolves way too much around "God is in control of everything," which sorry, don't believe so. Has a member of the opposite sex ever seen you naked? Yes. Do you use an umbrella when it rains? No. What articles of clothing have you been wanting to buy/did you buy recently? BITCH let me be small enough to wear gothic-looking corsets like I am TURNED ON. Were you ever a flower girl or ring bearer in anyone’s wedding when you were little? No. If you could either be fire resistant or breathe underwater, which would you rather be capable of? Hmmm fire resistant, I guess. Have you ever bought fake money and tried to make it pass for real? No. Have you ever had to sell something for a school fundraiser? Yup. If you have any piercings, who did them? Claire's and then two parlors here. Do you know someone who had completely changed for the worse when he/she started hanging out with another person? If so, who? HAHAHAHA JASON. He got closer to the ego-fueled Dillon, and then he began to change. Have you ever been pulled over, but just let off with a warning? No. Do you like mash-up songs? Occasionally. What do you consider to be a bad grade? For me, a low B. Would you ever consider adopting a child with a severe mental illness? If I wanted kids, probably not. I don't think I'd be the appropriate guardian for one with severe disorders. Have you ever pole danced before? No. Have you ever seen a live bat? Yes. Has a pet ever stolen food from you as you were eating it? Probably. Are you more comfortable kissing a boy or a girl? No preference. Have you ever kissed someone and hated it? He kissed me, but it was legit awful. Who in your family is the hardest to please? Grandma. Would you ever pierce your “private” areas? *holds out holy cross @ parlor* What type of humor do you find funniest? CLEVER. And, surprisingly, self-deprecating if you cast it as confident. I just like when people are able to joke about themselves. NOW, this is a sense of humor to be careful with of course, but some can use it hilariously. What types of things fascinate you? WOWIE SO MUCH!! Caves, outer space, how spiders design webs, lightning bugs, abandoned buildings and shacks, animal behavior (especially w/ social species), witchcraft, the paranormal, and... wow, so much more. The universe is just incredible! What kind of place would you want to raise your children? Answering for if I actually wanted them: Out. In. Nature. It's a shame how reliant we are on technology - myself included -, so I'd want my children to know true fun and knowledge is found outdoors. Teach them an appreciation for the outdoors and the creatures we share this planet with. So I'd definitely want to live out in the woods more than I naturally do. Has your father met the boy you currently love? *girl, but yes. Haven't directly asked him, but I'm quite sure he likes her. Would you rather spend a whole day with your mom or your dad? Probably Dad. He's easier to get along with, very fun, and then I just don't get to see him nearly enough. What serial killer do you find most disturbing? Don't know much about any, but I know Charles Manson was all kinds of fucked up. Have you ever written or received a suicide note? Written. Do you have the same color hair as your siblings? Yes. Do you have the same color eyes as your siblings? Only Bobby. What is your favorite type of cat? Persian. What’s your opinion on tattoos in the workforce? How about piercings? JUDGE BY WORK ETHIC, NOT HOW THEY FUCKING LOOK. Do women breastfeeding in public make you feel uncomfortable? Why or why not? If you have a problem with a mother feeding her hungry child naturally, I don't want to know you. At all. This is a "controversial" topic where it is only black and white: You're either an ignorant ass, or an intelligent human being that knows what the hell breasts are for. Who in your life makes you the most uncomfortable? My sister's husband, probably. He's against just about everything about me, and his judgment is pretty damn intense. I don't go to church, my hair "isn't feminine" like it "should be," and I'm in a gay relationship. I'm aware he doesn't like me even though he tries to put on a nice face. Is there anything that you do just to make other people happy? Ha, shave my legs. What band would you most like to meet? Lemme meet Ozzy before he passes away 'cuz I need to THANK HIS ASS, plus he cracks me up. Do you have a least favorite day of the year? Not particularly... Well, I realized this year now that I'm healed that Jason's and my anniversary date gives me anxiety. I look back at just how demolished I was and wonder what it would be like if I never got help. 99.99% sure I'd be dead by now. Do you want someone you can’t have? No, I have her. :''''') When was the last time you wanted to punch someone in their face? Over a week back. I legitimately wanted to punch her. When was the last time you totally broke down? It's been awhile. Has a friendship ended recently that you wish had not? No. Do you ever listen to country music? It is rare as fuck if I actively look for a country song. Would you have sex with the 5th person on your text inbox? WELL, she's a minor, so, but she's also not my type romantically. She's a lil sis to me. Are you attracted to the last person that kissed you? Yes. If you could seek revenge on someone would you? No. What are you listening to right now? "Mutter" by Rammstein, ahhhh it's gorgeous & I wanna make a character influenced by the concept. Are you afraid of death? Not really. Do you think you have to be skinny in order to be beautiful? Fuck off. Have you ever drooled in public? Maybe? I don't recall a situation. Have you ever been bitten by a dog? No. Would you ever shave your head? The one and only situation I could see myself doing this is if my child had to have this happen for cancer or something and they were self-conscious, so I'd do the same. Have you ever drawn a picture with sidewalk chalk? Yeah, I used to love playing with chalk. What is the worst possible way to die? Maybe burning alive. Or getting slowly eaten alive. Have you ever burnt yourself with a lighter? No, I don't mess with them. They scare me. Would you ever meet someone you met online? Already have, and there's more I'd love to meet. Have you ever kissed the TV? Not to my memory. Would you rather visit a sunflower field or a pumpkin patch? Sunflower field. Have you ever found a four leaf clover? Yes, the day of or a couple after Dad left. I found a patch of them, actually. When you’re being kissed, do you like it when they hold your face? Yeah. Explain why you stopped kissing the last person you kissed? Well she had a plane waiting for her lmao. If you were on life support, would you want to be taken off? YES. FUCKING PLEASE. DO NOT LET ME SUFFER LIKE THAT. Who was your first kiss? First person I romantically kissed on the cheek was Juan, Juan was the first to kiss me, first *actual* kiss was Jason. What’s your favorite form of dancing? Modern. Make it some sorta creepy and creative shit. What’s the most disturbing thing you’ve ever been through? Hmmm. I guess uh. Obsessive and invasive thoughts? Have you ever been to a race track? (horses) No. Are you good at braiding hair? Don't even know how to. Or are you into PETA and all that? They're too extreme. Have you ever hugged someone for over a minute? Yeah. Would you ever get a tattoo on your collar bone? I already have one, but I don't even want it anymore. I have ideas I like more for them. It's my ohana one, but that's not really a suitable one for me? Family via blood, you're an ass? I'm not associating with you. "Family" by intense friendship, that ends if someone turns into an asshole too. Probably gonna end up getting it covered. Do you check your texts right away when you receive them? Yeah. Is there one person you look at and automatically smile? Sara and Mark. No seriously, there will probably be at least a small one there. Do you wake up cranky? Rarely. I can be if someone wakes me up, though. I'm generally okay when I wake up naturally. Do you get offended if someone repeatedly checks their mobile phone when you’re out for lunch or dinner? Like non-stop, I'm not offended, I just think it's pretty rude. Who is your favorite character from Friends? Don't watch it. How would you deal with a significant other who cried all the time? Try my absolute best to help them. What is your favorite flavor of Monster? I hate that stuff. Tastes like poison. Have you ever ran from the police? No. Have you ever written on someone’s face in your yearbook? Ha ha yup. Do you have any trophies? Yeah, in "treasure boxes" as we call them for sure. Would you cheat on someone for revenge? Or if they wouldn’t find out? No, I hate that shit. So petty. Rate your self confidence: 1 being insecure and 10 being cocky: Like... two or three. Does your family have a secret? Not that I know of. When/where are you most likely to sing? In the car. Are you in shape or more out of shape? HA. Do you have sympathy for those who hurt you? I guess it depends. Do you spend too much time at home? I'm just about a hermit because I have *nowhere* to go. I don't hang out with people, don't have a car. It sure is fun. Do you require visual assistance (i.e.; glasses or contacts)? I have glasses. My vision is atrocious without it, right eye especially. Ever held a newborn animal? Kittens, yes. Have any unpleasant public transit stories to tell? No. Are you afraid of failure? Yep. Have you been called a bad influence? Only by Colleen's mom, that I know of. Apparently me hanging out at the house and talking to and helping his mother whenever she needed it as well as always smiling at him was just awful for Keegan. What about Chinese food? Love it or hate it? Not a fan. All I ever like are fried rice and eggrolls. Do you get stage fright? When I was a dancer, I really didn't. Now if I was alone, probably would. Any current family issues? When is there not at least slight issues. Nothing big, though. Who is the last friend you spent time with outside of school? She's not my friend anymore, but Colleen. I haven't hung out with a current friend in many, many months. Do you think that people have the power to make their own lives better? YES!!! Literally never forget this. What is the biggest problem in your life right now? Extreme loneliness. What is the last movie you watched all the way through? Slender Man. Have you ever had a friend with benefits? No. Do you feel like nobody understands you? The only two that I believe certainly do are Sara especially, but also Mom. What’re your plans for today? I have therapy at four, got a shitload to talk about, and after that I have to take my files there to vocational rehab. Maybe drive around to look for photograph opportunities if Mom's up for it. That's it. Do you have a common first name? Very. I'm thankful it's a name I actually like, though. Do you know anyone with a lazy eye? Knew someone. Do you like spicy chips? Omfg YES. What’s the last movie you watched at a friend’s house? *former friend, Shrek. Her son loves it so we watched it almost every time I was over and bitch no complaints. Do you have any tattoos on your arms? Two, then another if you count my shoulder. Do you own a tea pot? No. Can you remember your parents’ birthdays? Mom's. I remember it because mine's Feb. 5th, then all I need to know is August as hers is August 5th. I know Dad's is in April. Did anyone see you kiss the last person you kissed? Well we were right outside an airport.

Ino shikamaru choji sakura gaara

eyyyy what a great bunch of kids!

Ino

sexual orientation headcanon: bi, no real gender pref, but what she finds attractive in men, women and nb people is generally very different

gender headcanon: cisgirl, though trans girl Ino is also Good

mental illness / neurodivergent headcanon: OCD, usually in the form of mental checking and arranging things in particular ways (especially flower arrangements)

3 random headcanons:

1. she’s terrifyingly good at staring matches, and even just in general, she can go ages without blinking, her friends always comment on how creepy it is, which just makes her do it more tbh

2. cut her hair back to a short bob in her late twenties after Sakura made a passing comment about how cute she looked in a childhood photo, it was mostly a whim, but she decided to keep it like that permanently after seeing how flustered everyone gets around her now

3. will quite often just turn up at her friends’ doors, a bag packed and already informing them that they’re going on a short trip hurry up and get ready we’re missing daylight here do you not want to see the the beach?

Shikamaru

sexual orientation headcanon: demi bi, it always takes ages for him to start developing feelings for someone, but more than once he’s found himself waking up one day with the sudden realisation that ‘ahhh fuck i love them don’t i?’

gender headcanon: honestly i’m so torn between trans man Shika and trans woman Shika….. nope, i just can’t choose, sorry

mental illness / neurodivergent headcanon: severe anxiety and depressive disorder, though it becomes more manageable for him once he starts taking medication and getting professional help

3 random headcanons:

1. is actually really bad at sleeping at night, mostly bc she naps so much during the day, usually she just ends up lying in bed for ages, either worrying, or having an incoherent surreal daydream

2. he’s godawful at video games, no matter how many times Shikadai tries to explain them to him, he much prefers boardgames where you can stop to think

3. has not gone a single day in his life without complaining about at least one of his myriad aches and pains, he’s in perfectly good health, he just has terrible posture and tends to sleep in really uncomfortable positions

Chouji

sexual orientation headcanon: pan! has a lot of love to give, lowkey in love with about 70% of his friends (it’s ok though bc he gets a whole lotta love back!)

gender headcanon: genderfluid, though she generally doesn’t present much differently, regardless of what pronouns she’s using that day

mental illness / neurodivergent headcanon: he had quite bad anxiety as a child, but once he started to grow into himself and become more confident that mostly faded away

3 random headcanons:

1. he’s a really good singer, Ino and Shika have known their whole lives and they take great joy in watching everyone’s mouths drop when they manage to drag Chouji along to karaoke

2. though he loves food and cooking, having to make a meal for lots of people stresses him out, so he only ever cooks for family and small get togethers

3. during the war, she somehow ended up becoming friends with almost her entire regiment, most of those friendships lasted long after the war ended and Chouji actually ended up as one of the driving forces behind Konoha’s push for a lasting peace with the other nations!

Sakura

sexual orientation headcanon: a lovely lesbian, or bi, or an aro lesbian (..yeah it’s another tema situation here i’m afraid)

gender headcanon: trans girl!

mental illness / neurodivergent headcanon: bipolar I, her case isn’t very extreme, but her manic episodes tend to come with a lot more anger than euphoria though she does at least get a lot of work done

3 random headcanons:

1. has arm-wrestled (without using chakra enhanced strength) the entirety of Konoha’s ninja forces. and a goodly portion of the civilians as well. and quite a large number of foreign ninja too. up to and including the Raikage. she has never lost once.

2. although she doesn’t use them much in active combat, she’s got a huge collection of weapons that she’s actually very proficient with, all hung up on the wall of her office. though not intentional, it certainly keeps her interns in line

3. as a medic, she struggles a lot with losing patients (especially during the war), while being with her friends does help, she finds that, after losing someone, it’s best for her to either take a long bath, or go swimming in a nearby lake completely alone, something about water and silence just helps to ground her

Gaara FINALLY someone asked for my most beloved child!

sexual orientation headcanon: demi gay, the odds that they’ll ever actually notice if they’re crushing on someone are painfully low though

gender headcanon: transmasc/agender, prefers neutral pronouns, but won’t object to he/him

mental illness / neurodivergent headcanon: hoo boy ptsd (obviously), autism and schizophrenia, they have quite regular hallucinations (mostly auditory and tactile, though sometimes visual too) and some paranoid delusions. it takes them a very long time to get to a healthier place, but they do eventually get there

3 random headcanons:

1. the main reason they keep their sand armor on so much, is less to do with protection from assassins (though that’s definitely part of it) and actually more bc they experience a lot of tactile hallucinations, the shield helps to ‘cover’ them and gives him something real to focus on instead

2. is lowkey terrified of children, both bc of his own childhood experiences and bc he has no fucking clue how to look after them, he gets a little better after adopting his kids, but only bc of the big pile of childcare books he now owns

3. Does Not Technology. at all. Kankuro has tried many times to show them the superiority of email and they always nod along and agree….. but then continue doing things the way they always have anyway

Here’s the RP log I promised (part 1)!

As a warning: right now it is minimally edited. There are so many typos and shit I want to die but it was all done on the fly in a window that did not have any kind of spell check feature. Just uuuuuh... use your context clues. Yeah.

I’m breaking this into parts because it’s just way too long to subject someone to in one post.

Session started 2010-12-08 19:47:41 good times

Okay: Obligatory notes on wtf happened. Asa is badly... hurt?? at the beginning of this. Her body was 3 kinds of fucked up and she was suuuuuper struggling with it. She is working for a guild as a thief for the money to support her pregnant best friend who recently lost her mate. Asa is trying to keep working and has been loyal, but the way they are treating her throughout the story makes her realize she needs to gtfo. But since they basically own her, it’s not that simple. Her thief persona is called Kumiho and she wears a mask shaped like a fox. I’m not including a lot of the drama with Pheno leading up to this because that would take FOREVER. Yes, Volpe was based off the Assassin’s Creed series but in the map I ran, pretty much everything was fine so long as everyone had fun with it. His player spoke Italian, so there is a lot of that in there.

Here we gooooooooo:

Kumiho slipped her mask on over her face, hiding her gender and identity from the world once more as she stepped out of the Hideout. Going home was the only thing on her mind for now, though the assignment she had just picked up weighed heavy on her mind. Not because of the target or difficulty, but because of her growing frailty. Working -even just getting around- was becoming an impossible chore. The pain that ran through her becoming beyond unbearable and it showed in her ungraceful gait, lack of flexibility and general not being in top form. Even now, she trekked through the jungle with noisy footsteps and an echo-y pant in the hollow of her mask. She took a moment to pause and stop near the little dock, but noticed someone not too far away. She quickly ducked into the bush, cursing her luck and carelessness. La Volpe, fortunately for her, had not seen anything careless. His bright brown eyes were busy paying attention to the girl that so craved it, prancing in front of him like a cat mreowling for attention. "And what is your name, generous stranger?" The woman purred, tongue thick with local accent. Volpe seemed quick to answer, that smooth smile and charming look could bluff his way through any amount of lying. "Angelo." His own Italian accent said, "Angelo Cirocco." And then adding, as if to strengthen his cause, "My familia owns a wealthy trading market. I inherited it from my padre and I've been traveling with it ever since." The girl he was with made a noise of amazement. "That's so wonderful! I bet you're wealthy beyond belief!" In one smooth movement Volpe's arm slipped around the girl's waist, "More then you think, signora. If you like, I could show you some of my...wealth." A Cheshire grin spread across his lips as he lead the girl on, not waiting for her response. Volpe wouldn't have to. Lead them into a story about wealth and family and you'd have them dangling from the rod like starved fish. So, he and his new companion trawled through these unnamed streets, ones that would have no meaning to him. They stopped occasionally to speak to women, sometimes men that this lady seemed to know, chatting like old fishwives as Volpe sat quietly and patiently. Thankfully he was a patient man, else he would of not gotten where he was today.

Kumiho's ears perked as he spoke his name. Whether it was truth or lies, she had no clue but that accent grabbed her interest almost immediately. Always keen to the characteristics of targets, she decided that it might be in her best interest to keep an eye on this man she had never seen before. But, oh how that damned pain was troubling her! Left with little choice, she decided to tail him. She kept a little distance, though always within earshot of him. She was far too easy to spot on the streets, with the fox mask drawing the curious glares and questioning stares. Maybe it would be easy to drop her disguise. He DID seem to have a fondness for the ladies. And in normal clothing, she would be able to follow him without fear of being recognized for what she was. Having never worked without the protection of her mask, she was distracted by the hard choice. She stumbled right into a trash bin, knocking it over. A soft, sharp "fuck!" escaped her as she scrambled for cover.

La Volpe's acute senses had been picking up some strange vibes, the sort you got when people were staring into the back of your head. But he resisted the urge to glance over his shoulder, not wanting to discourage his tagalong. That was until the trashcan spilling onto the streets, hands twitched from the woman's waist and to the hidden dagger on the small of his back, grasping the handle though not removing the weapon. He  managed only to catch a brief glimpse of this strange being before they disappear, but enough to see that vulpine mask. "What..." He gasped, not quite sure what he had seen. Without thinking he dashed off after the stranger, before stopping at the calls of, "What, where are you going?!" Thinking fast, he replied, "I, uh, forgot about something, someone that wants to make a business proposition. I will return, signora." And with a polite bow he continued chase, not really intending on returning to the femme who's name he didn't even know. "You!" Volpe called, rounding the corner she disappeared behind. "I know you are there." The street was quiet, a back alley that people tended to avoid. Volpe could see why; it smelled faintly of bodily secretions. "Hiding is useless, uno strano. Come out. I promise, I won't hurt you." Italian charm rode upon every syllable, his obvious unawares on the workings of the foreign city on his promises, and a lack of trust there in as the hand upon the blade refused to move as he inched further into the street. He was not afraid, he had come out of dark alley brawls many times and this was no different. A thief wanting gold, an assassin of a jealous man who's woman he happened steal; he had seen it all before.

Kumiho - What a dilemma... Run for it or play it off? Neither was a very good option. If she ran, the chances of her actually getting away in her condition were pretty much zero. But she casually came out from her smelly hiding spot between trash bins, what would she do? Say "whoops, you caught me!", have a good laugh and then go about their merry ways? She thought not. She took a moment to take inventory of herself. No weapons, terrible pain, lack of options. Wonderful. She sat a few more moments, silently trying to think of a way to slip by him. But, alas, there was really no way out of confronting him unless she attempted to run. She eyeballed the wooden fence at the end of the alley. It likely lead to another street, giving her a chance to slip into the evening crowd. I could scale that... she thought to herself. And she had a straight shot to it from her hiding spot too! The more she looked at it, the better it seemed - like a hungry man staring down a sub-par meal. With her mind made up, Ku made a mad dash for the fence, trying desperately to ignore the screaming pain that shot up her spine with every unfortunately footfall she made. She was running out of breath within seconds of her sprint but she continued on. It seemed like the alley went on forever. For a second, she even forgot what she was running from. But then reality snapped back into place and she glanced back, hoping she was miles away from the stranger by now.

La Volpe's hindsight had seen the dash coming; like an animal that was being cornered they had seen no other option, and in one movement Volpe was over the fence and the dagger withdrawn from it's sheathe. He, although probably much older than the other, in her weakened form he would be gaining on her, the distance between them getting smaller and smaller with each step. Brown hues kept a lock on the other's legs, watching, waiting for the right moment then...holding the dagger by the tip of the blade he threw it in a powerful over shoulder throw, aiming for the crook of one of her legs or at least somewhere close. His running had slowed as he regained himself from the throw, waiting now to see if his hit had landed before picking up the pace again.

Kumiho had turned just to look just in time to see him fling the dagger at her, but not in time to try and move out of its path. The next she knew, there was a dagger buried in her calf. Predictably, she couldn't help but cry out in pain, dropping her forced voice and giving a hint to the female under the masculine guise. It wasn't very often that she was at the receiving end of a blade and the shock of the pain made her leg stop responding just enough to send her knees, arm and face into the road with a little skid. Instinct kicked in immediately, though not for the better. She pulled the knife from her leg and clench the wound. But hearing him approach drew her attention away from the wound. She shot him a angry glare, but said nothing. She couldn't think of anything to say. Her only thoughts were: I'm in trouble...

La Volpe knew well enough that she could not possibly get up and run after having a knife embedded into her calf. Face was caught somewhere between a frown and surprise; it hadn't taken him long to get tailed, a new record perhaps! He sauntered over to her fallen frame, grabbing her roughly by the collar and pulling her to her feet - the mask causing whatever gentleness he would of given to be mistaken for the likes of a man - free hand clenched into a fist just in case the stranger needed a little help in talking. "Who are you?" He gazed hard into the eyeholes of the mask, "And why do you wear the mask of a volpe?" He was sure whether to feel proud or angry that someone wore something similar to what he did. "Who are you hiding from with that mask?" Volpe made the movements to remove the mask, pondering the importance of the stranger's identity.

Kumiho grunted and groaned as he dragged her up and made her stand on the wounded leg. Now, she was really, really in trouble. In her head, she cursed and berated herself for putting herself in this position. And it was a position she wasn't terribly familiar with. She didn't have the razor-sharp wit or cunning that would allow her to sweet talk her way out of sticky situations - but to hell if she wasn't going to try! She answered his questions in the order they came; all with the forced, breathy voice she talked in when masking her naturally feminine tone. "No one of importance." She met his gaze with her own. Those silvery blue things giving away the immense pain and panic. "If you want to know about the mask, I'm afraid you'll have to buy me a drink. It's a looooong story." Sarcasm practically dripped from her words, but the humor was cut short when he reached up take grab at the mask. "Don't you dare," she growled, in a much more serious voice. La Volpe snatched the dagger from where ever she had kept it, wiping the blood from the blade onto one of her trouser legs and sheathing it again, making sure that she could not use it against him. A smirk danced across his olive features, hand remained suspended in the motion of removing the mask. "Oh?" Tone pitched in interest. "If you were no one importante, you would not care for me to see your face. There must be a reason you hide it away, signor, unless you are unfortunately brutto." He brought her up and pressed her up against a near by wall, grasp tight across her collar and hand curling around the lip of the mask. "I could buy you a drink or two, mister. You need not tail me just to get one from me, I am a generous man." He played along with her sarcastic tone with a playful one of his own.

Kumiho snorted at his comments about her wearing the mask. Naturally, she didn't understand all the words he used, but the context of them could only lead to passing insults, she assumed. "Maybe there is, but why would it be important for you to know who's underneath?" Answering questions with questions, what a fun game. Having to deal with pain and conversation at the same time, it was hard to think of a next move. She considered using the first resort that most females used against a male - a blow to the jewels. But with the mask on she couldn't judge where her knee was in relation to him. Plus, a failed attempt at such was likely to end up with a less-than-favorable beating. "Who's to say I'm not just a curious passersby? Or maybe it was your lady friend I was following. Your assumptions are rather arrogant." La Volpe seemed to have read her mind, as his hand shifted so that his forearm pushed her throat against the wall, hard enough for her not to wriggle free but loose enough to let her breathe and talk. The other hand went to find that fresh wound, index and middle fingers finding the gap that the blade would have made and gave a quick press to it. "I am not stupid, my friend. That lady was just a puttana that worked in the brothels. She holds no importance." Hand remained touching the wound, adding only a small amount of pressure. "So, anyone that would have been tailing us, would have been tailing me, si? Besides, who wouldn't send someone out after a wealthy noble men, hmm? It seems to be common practice nowadays."" And then, at the arrogant comment, he gave a little chuckle. "It is part of my charm, signor. The ladies certainly don't seem to mind it." Volpe's smile remained, but his eyes flared with seriousness. "Now then, back to business. Just tell me who you are, what you are doing, and I might let you go. If not, I'll just have to reintroduce you to my blade. I don't think you two properly met."

Kumiho coughed a bit with the sudden pressure on her throat. But when he went to re-attack the wound he had made on her leg, her mind really went into panic mode and she was struggling to keep herself in check. She was in no condition to be in this kind of predicament. A startled cry echoed behind her mask in all its girlish glory. Tears sprung up against her will, though she managed to keep herself from sobbing like a fool. Pain on top of pain on top of pain. That was definitely not something she was used to. But she couldn’t betray her guild, and was going to refuse to speak of it until the bitter end if need be. Still, little details wouldn't hurt for now. She hesitated at first. "I'm a thief, that much is true.Who I am is not to be spoken. I'm only tailing you out of curiosity." That was half lie, but hopefully good enough to pass. La Volpe's lips spread into a satisfactory smile. Oh, how he enjoyed that sound. Eyebrows raised in surprise at the stranger's voice, however, and how many octaves it had increased by. "Say, you're not quite a signor so much as a signorina, si? Clever disguise, my friend. Even I was fooled." He let a little of the pressure off, fingers hovering threateningly over the wound in case she tried something funny. "A thief, eh? Just some petty thief wanting to steal from the pockets of the rich? I don't believe you. Petty thieves don't use get-ups. Come on, signorina, you are only making it harder for yourself." Pressure was reapplied, hand tightening around the wound like a vice grip. "I could sit and do this all night. It's one of my favourite past times. But I can't let you bleed out into the street, now, can I? Perhaps if you are a little nicer I'll take you to a doctor and get you seen to."

Kumiho was trying so hard to keep her mouth shut. She had thought herself to have such a high tolerance to pain, but here she was driven to the brink by one of the most basic plays in the book of torture. "I'll take that as a compliment." She groan as he went right by to playing her wound. A passing hunch was telling her that perhaps he was the man that she was supposed to be targeting... No ordinary man would go through this much trouble or know how to do these things - nobleman or not. And she wasn't absolutely certain it was him anyway. That was all the more pressure to not break. But the pain! "I'm-" she bit her lip, "hired..." That was all she said before decided she had said enough. She decided to go with her earlier plan and go for the groin. But with her blind spot, she was more likely going to aim too low and hit his thigh or too high and get him in the gut.

La Volpe was certainly not an ordinary man! As no ordinary nobleman would indeed not know how to torture information out of another. But who he was remained a mysterious to everyone he met, each identity different from the last. Quite like the femme before him, he'd rather keep his true occupation a secret, lest they know they were quite similar. "Hired for--" He was cut off from the blow of her knee, thankfully missing his precious jewels but catching him in the abdomen. The absence of armor meant that he was met with the full force of the blow, and despite being physically fit it managed to catch him off guard. His grip slipped away from her as he tried to catch his breath. "Ah...bastardo..." He growled through gasps of air, recovering moderately though his side still stung - maybe even bruise. What a punch this girl could land!

Kumiho was thankful her blow had landed. Even if it wasn't where she was aiming, she took what she could get. She mustered all the strength she had left to push him off and make a run for it for the second time. She considered ducking into a crowded shop or tavern, taking off her mask and trying to blend but the huge racoon eye makeup she used to black out her eye area would probably grab his attention. He wasn't a gullible idiot like many of the others she had dealt with. He was going to notice her in a crowd. She ran guided by instinct -and panic- but with a limp thanks to the overworked wound on her calf. And with her heart racing, a nice blood trail was left where ever she went. Eventually, she ducked into a different alley and collapsed against a wall. She didn't bother to see if he followed, only ran with the prayer that she'd lose him.

La Volpe steadied himself against the other wall as he was pushed, letting her get away while he caught his breath. "What a woman." He muttered to himself, laughing, "I've never seen a signorina hit like that before." Cutting the chatter to himself quickly he followed the traces of blood out into the street. But the crowds made it impossible to follow whatever blood was left. He considered very briefly returning to his abode and retrieving his own mask and weapons - and armor, in case she tried the jewel trick again - but by then in might be too late. She could easily change her own attire, remove the mask and walk freely among the streets past him. "Cazzo." Soon he found himself scaling the rooftops, catching just a glimpse of the girl as she sped off into some other alley, bounding and leaping over the buildings and their obstacles like a madman. "Here kitty, kitty. I won't hurt you, micino gatto..." Volpe would say as he dropped into the alley way he believed her to be hiding in, Italian accent rolling off his lips like syllables of soft velvet wrapped in the deep purrs of a sensual beast; some sort of coy to luring her out, of course not, an attempt of faking her out, or at least intimidating her in some way. He'd remain unarmed for now, the blade on his back and in his boot would come in handy should she try to strike at him. Kumiho, hearing his voice approaching, quickly inspected this new alley for a place to hide. But it had little to offer. But she had to get away and soon; her strength was starting to go. She felt woozy. All she had was a clothesline, a barrel of rain runoff and all the trash cans a girl could ever ask for. So she did the one thing she could do: a makeshift makeover. Though it was disgusting, she removed her mask to wash the black from her face in the rainwater. She stripped to her undies in record time, changing into a shirt and loose shirt from the clothesline. She dumped her clothing in the trash -it was bloody anyway- but there was no way she could leave the mask. That was far too important to her. So she gathered more clothes from the line, carrying them as any lady would when getting her laundry from the line. Buried in it, her precious mask. She did her best to walk casually down the alley as just any-other-chore-doer, even managing to hide the limp... mostly. It was an extraordinarily risky move; she had never let anyone see her face. Not even her trusted allies. If he found her now, he would know more about her than most of her allies and enemies combined. But if she kept running with her mask on, she would be just that much easier to pinpoint. Her hasty plan was far from flawless, however. Her one oversight being the biggest: a growing bloodstain on the back of the skirt.

La Volpe kept cautious, walking in slow, deliberate steps as he rounded the corner...only to be confronted by a woman with folds of laundry. "Mi spiace." He gave a polite bow on his way past, checking the near by trash cans and nooks and crannies for any hiding felines. Perhaps the lady had seen something. As he turned to ask for help, he'd spot that dark stain, funnily enough right where he had thrown the dagger into the femme's leg. Cursing himself inwardly but smiling outwardly, he approached the lady with a trot. "Mi susci. Have you seen a woman around here? She's injured and I am so terribly worried about her. She got so frightened that she ran off, please, I need to find her." He was a good actor, not failing to put on a good show. Though he had another trick up his sleeve should she find her way past this one.

Kumiho, for a moment, thought her clever plan had worked! He was passing her by! Or... not. Curse him! She did her best to act her part as well, not wanting to let him get the upper hand. She gave him an annoyed look and allowed herself to speak in her own voice now. "What am I, a babysitter now? First I'm sent to fetch a neighbor's laundry and how I have to look after a date gone bad?" She was doing her best to sound genuinely annoyed. That didn't take too much effort, not surprisingly. "Men these days are forgetting how to treat a lady. Always talking bad about them and forcing them to do this and that!" She continued to ramble on about nothing, trying to walk away from him all the while. Why was it all these alleys were so long?

La Volpe was genuinely surprised at the response. He hadn't seen this reaction coming! "Susca, sigorina." He'd give another bow. "I did not mean to upset you. I was just curious to know if you had seen her. I did not mean to burden you with my troubles..." He watched her walk away for a moment, before catching up to her. "Here, sigorina. Let me take that for you. It looks awfully heavy. Your neighbor must not appreciate you." He'd chuckle as he went to take the bundle of clothing from her, all in a generous act of kindness of course. "And besides," He'd lean in a little closer just to say a little quieter, "That injured leg of yours must be hard to walk on."

Kumiho- "No, I've got it." She scrambled for more to say, some excuse to make him go away. But before she could, his last comment struck her into silence. "Fine," she said with a heavily sigh. She shoved the pile of laundry into his arms. She buried her arm in it, pulling her mask out from within it. She looked at it sadly before dropping down to one knee, as her guild dictated was customary in a surrender or to admit defeat. "You win. I don't have the strength to play cat and mouse anymore." She clenched at her wound, finally able to put pressure on it. She looked up at him, clearly upset and weary, and awaited his actions - whatever they may be. La Volpe remained quiet at her defeat, waiting 'till she had finished her surrender before actually doing anything. The piles of laundry where discarded onto the floor behind him, forgotten and unneeded, as he bent onto one knee and placed a hand upon one of the feline's shoulders. "Sigorina...We should get you to a doctor before that wound of yours gets any worse, hmm?" He spoke with a kindness not yet used before, "My intention is not to kill you...Maybe not now anyway." He paused to give a faint chuckle, "I, uh, apologize for stabbing you. I let my instincts get the better of me sometimes." Another chuckle ensued as he rose to his feet, offering the femme a hand up. "Come on now, let me help you. It's the least I can do, after stabbing you and all."

[There was a pause here so the transition is a just slightly off]

La Volpe had remained relatively quiet as they reached the doctor's building, He'd offer the femme help to walk, even gentlemanly enough to offer to carry her should her leg be too painful to walk on. He felt somewhat bad for stabbing a woman...such thing wasn't something he did regularly but tried not to live by morals; they could get in the way of his chosen occupation. In any case, he let the doctor do his thing, the wound deep enough to need some stitching but not deep enough to be a serious wound. It could leave a scar, he would say, depending on how she looked after it as it healed. Volpe paid whatever fees and asked for a little time to talk to the girl, all done out of the way of Kumiho. He'd enter the room she was in, closing the door quietly behind her. "How are you feeling?" His eyes traveled to her injured leg then back to her face. "Again...I am sorry for inflicting the wound. If I had known..." He hesitated for a moment. "...If I had known had not you did not mean me any physical harm I would not have thrown the knife." Volpe offered a sort of half-smile. "Now, down to business. What were you doing, ladro? I know you are no petty thief. You are something more...serio. What did you want from me?" He'd lean against one of the doctor's medicine counters, crossing his arms across his chest, brown eyes kept upon her. Asayl was able to hobble along on her own - for about ten minutes before having to reluctantly accepting help. As the panic from the chase wore off, her flaws set in. She was hemophobic and struggled with the fact that she was bleeding. As the doctor worked, she kept her eyes shut tight. Her stomach turned at the very thought of there being blood on her but she somehow managed to keep from vomiting or passing out. At her request, the wound was heavily bandaged to that she wouldn't have to see it or any blood that may escape the stitches. As Volpe entered the room, she took it upon herself to put on a tough front again. She shot him a hard look. She snorted at his apology, obviously very upset that he had injured, outfoxed and unmasked her. "Still so arrogant," she huffed. "I told you already: I was tailing you out of curiosity. I've taken a job to get something from someone who has an accent like yours. So when I heard you speak to that girl, it caught my attention. For all I know, you're just some whore-loving man with a funny accent. Chances of you actually being who I'm after are slim. And besides, I'm no killer. I'm just a thief." She took a deep breath, still trying to steady herself a bit. She muttered under her breath. "Being out done by some kook in an alley... getting me to take my mask off... stupid!"

La Volpe did not break off his own stare nor loose his smile as she turned his way; such games were amusing to play. "Mi sucsi. I doubt I am the only man with a weakness to foreign ladies. As for my funny accento, well, you ladies are just the same with foreign men." Smile morphed into a lopsided grin as he rolled his shoulders some. "A kook? I am hurt. Surely I appear to be more than some crazy turistica. Business would not do well if I was but a kook." He quickly regained from the derailed conversation, eyes averted to the fox mask, where ever she may of sat it. "The mask. Why do you wear it? What sort of meaning does it have?" He'd lean off of the counter, sauntering slowly over to her, towards her mask, taking in the detail, still surprised at the seeming coincidence. But nothing was a coincidence, was it?

Asayl didn't like the way he talked. Not just the funny accent, but the emphasis he used and the very words themselves. Even if he hadn't caught her in the leg with a dagger, torment her and chase her down, she probably would not have liked him. Before he could get the conversation back on track, she managed to spit, "sane people don't throw daggers when someone tries to run from them." As he approached her, she snapped up her mask from beside her and move it to a more protected spot: her lap. "The same reason anyone would wear a mask. I don't want anyone to see my face when I work. I'd rather not have to worry about the constant threat of being stalked for revenge when I'm not working." She paused for a moment, looking a little embarrassed. "The meaning behind it is a long story. It's none of your business."

La Volpe, however, found the femme quite interesting indeed. A little firecracker with a silver tongue to boot, it wasn't often you met a lady that could hold her own. At least, not where he came from anyway. "And what is sane to you, signorina? Those that do not wield weapons for the sake of security, or at least know how to wield a weapon?" He threw his arms open into a wide, over-exaggerated shrug. "I am insane for knowing how to wield a blade. So be it." His tone was cavalier. "But that is not why I am still here. You are hiding something, signorina, I know you are." He'd lean in close to her, eyes squinted as if he were attempting to peer right into her soul. "You are not who you say you are. My instincts tell me you are something...something quite pericoloso."

Asayl would have had a weapon if she hadn't been heading home from a non-job-related task when she chanced upon him! She wanted to argue that, but held her tongue. Maybe the less that came from his mouth, the better. Besides, when someone says their many weapon is a stick, they tend to get laughed at. "Oh course I'm hiding something," she said with a 'duh' look on her face. "Just because you got the better of me doesn't mean I'm going to spill every detail of who I am and what I do to you. That would be idiotic." Then she decided it was her turn to ask questions. "And what about YOU, hmm? Why so interested in me - in my mask? You're just as pericoloso as I am!" Naturally, she completely mispronounced the foreign word.

La Volpe smirked, standing tall at his full height, gazing away from her. "Of course not. Where is the fun in that?" He glanced back at her, "I just love squeezing out information. And if you are not willing to part with it eventually...I have my ways. You don't think I'm going to let you go and wave you off, now, would you? I'm sure we'll be spending lots of time together." He emphasized 'lots' quite strongly, squinting his eyes in a mock-evil manner. Volpe laughed quietly, though did not correct her. "I could be very dangerous indeed. It depends on how you look at it." He paused for devious chuckle. "But because I know how to fight makes me dangerous. I could be a humble nobleman for all you know. So, la mia piccola volpe, what do you know about me?"

Asayl scoffed. After what had happened, she knew he wasn't just talking big. But still, she didn't quite buy his act - nasty laughs or not. She stood, injured leg giving out for a split second, though she righted herself in time to not look totally lame. Spending 'lots' of time with him was the last thing she wanted. "Hmph, you expect me to spill my guts but you won't play fair. What a gentlemen you turned out to be." She eyed the door. There were others around... if she cried out would people come to her aid? She imagined the doctor was at least a little suspicious of the circumstances that she and the man had entered. She decided to be a little daring and push her luck. It could work... maybe. She started to walk across the room toward the exit, limping but confident. "I don't intend to play your little games. I told you all that you need to know. You've had your fill, pig, now go back to your sty." . La Volpe allowed her to step forward, thinking that she was not intending to leave the room. However, as she made her way towards the door, he found himself leaning quite contently at the door frame, arm across the door in such a way that he looked as though he was just casually leaning against it but was in fact blocking her escape. "Me? Un porco? Not quite the resemblance I would have made. I would of thought more of a cat, maybe...a fox. But that is another matter." He gave a cheery sort of smile. "I am far from full, amore mio, and far from done with you. Now, shall we leave? I am sure the dottore needs to tend to other patients." Volpe moved from the door in one fluid movement, standing beside her now, one arm draped across her shoulders and squeezing it tight. "The night is still young. Come, I'm sure a couple of drinks will loosen that sharp tongue of yours." He'd begin to guide her out of the door, thanking the doctor and keeping a firm grip on the girl as the entered the streets.

Asayl gave him another sharp look as he casually blocked her way. She was starting to grow very, very suspicious of him. She couldn't tell if the fox comment was meant to mock her or enlighten her but she decided it was safe to not ask. when he put his arm around her, she flinched quite noticeably. This was not going the way she wanted, not at all. She stayed silent until they were back on the street. If he was dangerous, she guessed it was better not to repay the doctor for his work by putting him in harm's way. But once out, she talked again. "I don't drink," she announced sternly. This was a fact. Alcohol did not mix well with her in the least. "So, you're going to keep an innocent girl captive now? You're being awfully concerned about letting a girl who doesn't know who you are go. So I guess that means you're hiding something too, aren't you?"

La Volpe snapped the fingers of his free hand together in a 'well, damn!' manner. "How sad. You are missing a lot in life. Don't tell me, you're a Catholic too?" He'd offer a single raised eyebrow and another smirk. "Please, you are mistaking me. I only want to make it up to you. It's not everyday I get to stab a gentildonna." He'd then give a dark, devious look. "I could be. Or maybe I want to seem pericoloso to make you think I am hiding something. Oh, the possibilities!" Free arm was thrown up in the air in a wide arc. Asayl didn't reply to his joking comments. She only stared at him with a half-unamused, half-disgusted look that only the most unhappy people in the universe could produce. "You're a bad liar. If you were really just trying to make it up to me, you wouldn't have mentioned squeezing information out of me or spending lots of time with me." She suddenly stop walking, putting on a more serious face. She was catching on now. She worked with others like him, after all. There was definitely a chance that he was the one she was targeting after all.  "I may not know exactly who or what you are, but I know you're games." Any attempt of him trying to put his arm back around her or touch would be met with immediate and fierce resistance. La Volpe would pout. "My dear, there is more than one way to take a man's comments." Though he would hesitate before waving dismissively. "But you're a little young for my tastes. Mi sucsi." Another eyebrow was raised now that she was getting serious, and he dared not try to put his arm around her again. It would be like putting his hand into a box of angry, poisonous snakes. "And what, signorina, games are those? If you care not to beat around the bush, why not just come right out and say it? It's not like I cut your tongue or anything." Volpe walked a little further on then stopped, turning on his heel to face her with a look of seriousness, one that had not been worn since the chase.

Asayl was silent for a moment, still with that tense-jawed look of seriousness. "Lying, double talk, being passively intimidating so that you remain in control with less chance of your victim lashing out at you. You're like us, aren't you?" 'Us' being her guild - the band of thieves and assassins she worked with. Her silver eyes locked squarely with his. "You do dirty deeds for money. I bet you even hide your face, just like me. I bet I can even guess your name." She started walking again, this time to pass him and continue down the road. If she turned and pointed and shouted his name, everyone passing nearby would hear. "Would you like to hear my guess?" La Volpe frowned, not quite knowing who 'us' were, but it didn't take a genius to figure it out. She was really onto him now, a wildfire that had spread and now was out of control. There was no way he could weasel his way out of this one. A dark look crossed his face as she goaded him, a quick and dangerous saunter narrowed the distance between them, now standing merely inches away, bundling the scruff of her collar in his fist like he had done before and drew her ever closer to his face. Although the action might of seemed aggressive, he was being more than gentle with her. "Go on then, signorina." He spoke quietly, threateningly, "Who am I?" Asayl didn't bother to move as he closed in on her. She could play games too. She allowed him to get uncomfortably close and then closed the gap between them by giving him a sort of hug, hands placed on the backside of his shoulders to push him against her. To any passing drunkard, it may have looked like she was encouraging a kiss. At least with his hands up where she could see, she didn't have to worry so much about suddenly being attacked with that damn dagger again. She move to her nearly cheek to cheek with him, whispering in his ear rather than shouting aloud. "Where's your mask, La Volpe?" A part of her almost hoped she was wrong.

La Volpe was surprised at her actions, not quite sure what brought on this sudden urge for closeness after wanting to repel him for so long. Then, he almost felt his pupils dilate at the soft whispered name. How the hell did she know? With elegant swiftness he had thrown the femme around the corner into another alley way, keeping a hold of her collar as he backed her up roughly against the wall. Other hand went for that dagger she had been acquainted with on the small of his back, withdrawing it and putting it to her neck with almost lightning speed. "How..." It was an almost predatory growl, "How do you know, ladro?" Teeth bared as he fought hard to keep his anger sated, though the best idea would be just to slit her throat to keep his secret, there must be a link somewhere. Someone else might of told her, and killing her would only make the trail cold.

Asayl grunted as she was pushed back into the wall. It still hurt scrambling back on her lame leg and hitting the cold stone wall but at least she had braced for it properly. It was a nifty thing she had picked up from an assassin friend, holding and enemies shoulders to feel for when their muscles tense to signal a coming movement. She would have to thank him for that later if she managed to get home in one piece. The knife at her throat had her concerned. Still, it was her turn to smile. She got it right, it seemed. Too bad he didn't have what she needed with him or maybe she would have moved a little faster. "It's a secret," she cooed. "But it seems like we're even now. I've seen your face and you've seen mine." She didn't make an attempt to fight back just yet.

La Volpe hadn't actually planned on using the knife, it was more of an intimidation method...which had obviously failed. Teeth gritted against the femme's playing, not liking it now that the tables had been turned on him. "True. We are even." His eyes would narrow, "But I am still not letting you go until you tell me what I want to know. You still have your use...for now." His accent remained the same, giving his voice that smooth, velveteen touch despite his obvious anger. "Now come, ladro. Let us not play anymore games. Tell me your intentions. I grow tired of this balleto we are dancing. Tell me, and you can have your leave." The cold steel of the knife pressed softly against her flesh and fur, soft enough not to harm but still make its presence known. Asayl's coy grin grew wider. Maybe there was something fun to all this rough stuff she avoided after all. She was genuinely excited now that she had the upper hand. "Oh, now you want to stop playing games? What happened to all the fun and smiles from when you were toying with me? I thought you liked games." In the back of her mind, she was trying to conjure up a way to get out of this without slipping him anymore clues as to what she was after. Fighting back while unarmed was out. Running... well, that didn't work the first time so definitely not now. Maybe she could schmooze her why out by playing the seduction card? He wasn't too hard on the eye after all.  She pondered. "And if I still have my uses, why so cruel as to hold a knife to my throat? That's very rude of you."

La Volpe frowned again. He knew he was loosing control of the situation and was beginning to panic. She was on a roll and he didn't know how to stop her. Then, out of the blue that wry smirk returned, knife hesitant to return to its sheathe. "Oh, I do like games. But I like to be in control. I am a controlling messere after all, just like you said." He'd then loosen himself off, removing the knife from her throat. "Very well, signorina. I will play your games. Let's have a little fun, eh?" He'd snort, "It's not rude to pull a knife on un porco when they are to be slaughtered. Only, this little porco wriggled its way out of the pen and has had a taste of freedom." Asayl- Phew! It was a wonderful feeling to not be in immediate danger of having a slit throat. There was still the matter of just getting away from him somehow. But that posed its own problems. He didn't know her alias or her real name, but with a few well-placed questions, it wouldn't be too terribly hard to find the name of the thief with the black and silver fox mask. This whole situation was leading down some dangerous roads. "What happened to what you said about not wanting to kill me?" She leaned back against the wall comfortably now that he had backed off. "You're going back on everything you say, Volpe. And here thought you were a more honest man. Really, if we are on even terms now we should be a little nicer to one another. I'm very nice when I'm not being threatened." She eyed him less tensely now. It was almost a friendly look.

La Volpe smiled now. "I never said I was going to kill you. Threatening someone with a knife and actually slitting someone's throat are different stories, don't you think? Don't make me sound like a disonesto messere." Arms would open up in a somewhat friendly gesture, like he was about to bring her into a hug. "That sounds fiera to me. All this threatening isn't very gentiluomo of me. What say we talk it out, like civilized persone, mm?"

Asayl- Good, he's smiling again. She was learning it was much easier to deal with him when he was smiling. She didn't push the threat things anymore, despite her urges to point out all his implied threats. "Yes, let's." She finally pulled herself off the wall to take hold of his hand and urge him back into the street - back to where she knew he wouldn't just up and kill her at the drop of a hat. The little prance in her step hurt her sore leg but she endured. At least it was distracting her mind from her other pains, likely from riding the adrenaline rush. She looked back at him with an impish grin and a suggestive shimmer in her eye as she mentally prepared herself for what she planned on doing. "Take me somewhere, Volpe."

La Volpe was impulsive and unpredictable at best. However, when deciding the fate of another he tried to be a bit more reasonable. He'd glance down at his hand as hers slipped into it, offering a confused frown of sorts. The sudden change in attitude was nice, but he couldn't help but feel that she had some sort of ulterior motive...but he said nothing. He'd wait it out, just going along until he knew for sure. "Where would you like to go, amore mia? You have already mentioned that you do not drink, so a tavern is out of the question. A walk through a quiet park, perhaps? Or is there anywhere nice you would like to visit?"

Asayl shrugged in a pseudo-carefree way. "This is a strange city to me. It's my first night here. Maybe you know where things are? You just have to promise to not drag me through anymore alleys. I'm not very fond of the smell of garbage." She glanced down at herself, just to reminder herself what she looked like at the moment. Right, a frumpy peasant top, a bloody skirt and a fox mask. That wasn't exactly night-on-the-town wear. "Maybe somewhere more... secluded. I'm not dressed for the occasion, obviously." La Volpe chuckled some. "I promise. Alleyways aren't the nicest of places in any sort of occasion." The more she spoke the more he was sure about ulterior motives, but again to couldn't be too sure. She had already somewhat admitted to 'being like him', without actually admitting to it. She was a dodgy sort of gal, much like himself, full of double meanings and facades; he could never be too careful. "Isolato, you say? That only makes me wonder what is going through that head of yours." He'd glance at her with grin. "I am new to this city as well, but I pretty much have the most important areas learned." He needn't say what these areas were. "Come, then. Let's go for a wander." Volpe would take her away from the heart of the city, having already commented on her own dress sense he figured she didn't want to be seen by the social community of the city. Volpe would take her to a public garden of sorts, surrounded by the ruins of a once previous settlement that was strangled by vines, a cobbled path cutting through the center with different off turnings around the ruins and flora. Flowers bloomed in their radiant colours, though in the setting of the sun they had closed over, hiding their fragile organs from the darkness settling  in. Lanterns had been lit throughout the course of the path, the halos of those further ahead obscured by the blossom and red maple leaves of the trees. 

Asayl smirked with a little tee-hee of a giggle as he led her off. She spent most of the walk plotting out her moves and planning for if something went astray between the idle (maybe awkward) chitchat that took place. But Volpe was a smart man. He wasn't going to be tricked so easily. Never the less, she had to give something a shot or she was never going to be able to get home. When they arrived at where they were going, she was impressed. Such a beautiful garden! Her love of all thing flora almost made her melt. Composure! she shouted in her head. She wandered over to a long-still fountain choked with lily pads and singing with frogs. She took a seat on its edge and motioned for him to come over, patting the space next to her. "So, let's talk."

La Volpe was not about to allow her to stray him from what he wanted to know - he knew that she would try every trick in the book to get out of this awkward situation. He would try to remain as positively focused on what he wanted to know rather than letting the conversation slip. At the offer he'd come to lean on the lip of the fountain, arms folded casually across his frame. "Yes, let's talk. Now then, little ladro, why don't we start off with what you actually know about me, mm?" He'd turn to give the femme beside him a sort of sidways glance, intent on keeping a watchful eye on her, on her movements, her body language; anything that would let him know what she might be thinking or planning on doing.

Asayl shrugged as he looked her way. She was going to have to keep an eye on him too if she didn't want to find a blade in his again. "Funny you should ask that," she chuckled. Just to draw the moment out, she leaned back on her lands, letting her legs stretch out -though cautiously with the injured one- and across at the ankles. "I don't actually know much about you. All I know is that there is a masked assassin much like me, fox mask and all. Only, he has a very distinct accent, very much unlike me, and he calls himself La Volpe. And that is the extent of what I know." La Volpe's mind would wander to thoughts about his own mask. How it was sitting in a locked box underneath his bed at the inn he was staying at, along with all his other assassin equipment. A hand would begin to play with a ruffle at the end of his shirt. Despite his previous boasting about having a foreign accent, it also proved to be one of his downfalls, especially in an unknown land like this. "Hmm..." Was his only response for now, remaining in thought. The information she had was pretty basic, but enough to find a trail of some sort. "Why don't you tell me a little about yourself, signorina. You say you are 'like me', which I presume to be that you are an assassino, or something of the sort. May I ask, are you involved in a guild of that nature?" He paused for a moment. "I was attacked by a thief who had claimed to have come from a guild...Esoteric, I believe."  It had been hard work trying to squeeze that piece of information out of him, and possibly resulted in his death. That, among other things of course. "And that has led me here. And strangest of all things, I am attacked in this city too, by none other than another ladro." Volpe turned now to look at her, coy smile on his lips. "So, signorina, do you have any connections to this guild?"

Asayl's cheery expression faded for a few seconds to some sort of uncertain face. All their conversations felt like they were a race. "I think I've already told you everything about me by now. And I've already said that I am not a killer. I'm a thief. Just a thief. That is the honest truth." She may have sounded a little offended. She didn't like being accused of murder, even under the context of being an assassin. Her ears perked slight at the mention of Esoteric. Ah, the guild leaders were not going to be happy that their name had been spilled. "I do work with a guild, yes. It's hard getting work as a lone thief. But the name of it isn't really something I'm willing to tell you, unfortunately." Crap, she was slipping away from her plan of action. "But what does any of that even matter," she asked in a sing-song tone. She shimmied herself over closer to him, though not quite touching him. "It's too nice of a night to talk about such dirty things."

La Volpe always wondered why people referred to the jobs of assassins and like-minded people as 'dirty'. Under the context, perhaps, but he had never connected his occupation to the likes of filth or other degrading factors. Maybe it was because he worked close with such things; maybe not. "I never expected you to tell me anything about them, signorina. All I needed was that link." He'd smile again, though it quickly faltered some as she shuffled towards him. Shooting her a quick glance now, wondering what she was up to. It might be one of her tricks, or perhaps she was just being friendly. There was no way to tell at the moment, but Volpe couldn't help but feel cautious. "What would you rather talk about, then?" Asayl- "Well, who you kill and where they're from doesn't really matter to me. It's not my concern." The second sentence was in a cheery tone. She noticed the drop in his smile and teased him about it. "Oh what's this? You don't want the company of a pretty lady like me now that I'm being nice? Or maybe you're the type who likes to be rough up by women?" She laugh aloud. "Don't worry, Volpe, I don't bite. I told you I wasn't a killer, right? I'm not much of a fighter either to be honest!" Was that a lie? Maybe. Maybe that knee to the gut was just a fluke, a lucky shot by a panicked cat. "Let's talk about you now. You know everything about me and all I know is your alter ego. So it's your turn to tell me about you. The real you, not the mask." She leaned, ever so slightly, toward him as she spoke.

La Volpe quickly offered her a sharp look, smirk twisting underneath. "Oh, I am not complaining. Though, usually when I chase a pretty woman I usually don't end up throwing a knife at her." He'd laugh, raising an eyebrow. "I like a rough woman as much as a gentle one. But that just depends on my mood, ultimately." He'd say nothing about her being a fighter, though. "All right then, signorina." Smirk morphed into a lopsided grin; he was up for playing her games, now. "What would you like to know about this fabled 'real' me? It is just as any nobleman's would be." Any nobleman that didn't play at an alter ego, that was. Asayl- "Yes, you really should work on not doing that anymore," she joked. She was annoying him, she could tell. But it was kind of fun annoying him so. "I'm very gentle. No really, I am!" She held her arms out in a limp, noodly fashion. "I don't have the strength to be rough." That was a lie though. Her usual outfit and the peasant top she currently wore did a grand job of hiding her toned arms. Still, she stuck with her story. "No it isn't. You're very different from any noble I ever met, except maybe in your fondness for drinking and chasing skirts. That seems to be a requirement of nobles. I want to know other things. No one just picks up any old mask and decides they want to be an assassin. So something must have happened to spur you into action."

La Volpe raised an eyebrow. "Some how a doubt that. You managed to evade me for quite some time, and got a nice kick in at me. Perhaps not strong enough to be rough, but you are definitely strong enough to put up a good fight." He wasn't going to let that slip away from him, whether she was trying to be annoying or not. "Drinking is an art form. That is a fact. How others like yourself do not take part confuses me so." He would grin, baring his teeth, "Chasing skirts. What an interesting phrase. Another art form, most definitely. The chase is usually the best part of the kill." Kill used in the non-literal sense. "Of course not. One that kills without reason is nothing more than a murderer. I have my reasons, and they remain as secret as your guild." He smirks, "I am allowed to keep mine, too. Besides, remaining dark and mysterious is always attractive." Asayl shifted all her weight to one hand so that the other could remain up to wave off his comments. "True enough, I guess. I'm much more apt to run than fight though. My strength was made for climbing, not throwing punches." She put her other hand back down and went right back to her reclined position. She let the conversation flow now, trying not to press him too hard though she was getting impatient about leaving. She didn't want him too get too riled up. "A shame to you, a nightmare to me," she pout-frowned, "alcohol works too quickly on me. I'm stupidly drunk after just one drink. So I stay away. It's not worth my time.” At mentioning that being dark was attractive, she couldn't help but sigh. "Yeah, I found that out a long time ago, thanks."  It was an oddly misplaced comment but she quickly moved on. "If you won't talk about that, then tell me why you wear a fox mask. It doesn't seem like a fitting choice for you." La Volpe made a 'tsk' noise as he chuckled. "Yes. Such a shame indeed." He then frowned at the strange comment, offering a confused, "You're welcome." He thought about the fox mask again, wondering what she found so strange about the idea. She wore one herself, though their reasons where probably different. "What, would you prefer I wore one of un porco?" He joked, before getting serious, "I liken assassino to volpe. Quiet creatures, lurking in the shadows. Always seen as vile to common folk, but there is always something more to them. Creatures of lesser thinking know more about survival than we do despite us being of higher evolution, so to speak. The assassinos are not bound to morals, to law, to common thinking." Volpe paused, thinking. "Hence the name, too. La Volpe. The Fox. I find an odd biased liking to the vulpines more so than any other creature." Asayl rolled her eyes with a giggle. "It might be more appropriate." She listened to his explanation intently. Ah, so he just saw them as better than other animals. Playing favorites, who would've thought it was something so simple. It was far different from her long-winded story of betrayal and revenge. Not that that was something he needed to know. His sudden seriousness was dampening her plan though. Though it wasn't a very well laid play and dropping it was starting to seem like the more sane option. She didn't have the heart to try and seduce him. She wasn't going to be caught being unfaithful for some killer. Instead, she decided it was time to cut to the chase. "Well, now that we know each other a little better, I have to ask: what's it going to take for you to let me go home? Surely you have no more use for me." She was much more serious in both voice and expression now.

[We stopped but discussed the outcome from this OOC. Asayl is not allowed to leave at all. In fact, he knocks the everloving shit out of her and drags her off someone where she is bound and tortured for info for some time. There is a small fast forward. A new character, Nero, enters. She is Asayl’s best friend.]

La Volpe: The facade of the tavern did not reflect the room that they had been staying in. Rich colours of red, gold and purple decorated this master sized room, filled the most luxurious things the tavern owners could get their hands on. The king sized bed at the far end of the room even seemed small in comparison; a four-poster bed with crimson soft cotton sheets, semi-transparent purple drapes and an oaken frame that had been stained dark with polish. Cupboards and cabinets were like-wise, gold leaf making intricate patterns upon the doors, silver bowls and other expensive pieces of junk the owners thought would look nice. Whatever Volpe did as a second occupation, he was certainly good at it. Especially for Asayl was a large velvet chair, to which her wrists and ankles would be bound to when not up for one of her routine exercises. It was sat furthest away from any windows, cupboards; anything that she could use to set herself free. Her mask was sat upon a near by cabinet, propped up so its empty eye sockets would peer longingly at her. Just something Volpe found quite amusing. The Fox himself, on this particular morning, was sprawled across the bed, tobacco cigarette betwixt fingers as he casually exhaled smoke from his nostrils. "Buongiorno, singorina. I hope you slept well." He paused to allow a chuckle to rumble in his chest. "I hope today will be more progressive than it has been for the past couple. Surely by now you miss your home enough to divulge me on the information I want. If not, well, I have all the time in the world." He glanced at her from his lying position, grinning a Cheshire grin. "I'm sure a little more time together won't hurt." Eventually he would roll off from where he was, digging his bare toes into the thick carpet beneath them, strolling up to one of the windows. "I have an associate of mine coming here today. He will help keep an eye on you."

Asayl was not happy at all about her situation. Firstly for the stupid mistakes she had made that had gotten her there and secondly for the way she was bound to her luxurious prison without a plan of escape - or much chance at making one. The passing days crawled by a pace that could only be described as torture. But the way Volpe acted, he seemed to be enjoying every moment she was miserable. She would have pretended she was having the time of her life, just to annoy him, but she simply couldn't anymore. Without her usual comforts from home -and her friends and Pheno- it was hard to deal with the pain that constantly tormented her. She slept often just to make things easier on herself. At night, she was likely to keep Volpe awake with her pained whimpers and occasional sobs when the aches got really bad. When she was awake, she didn't talk much. She had talked herself out by the first night. Instead, she sat and and glared him with that certain kind of seething, intense hatred. The news that someone new was coming intrigued her, but pissed her off at the same time. She slumped over in the chair unhappily. Now she would never have a moment alone. She said nothing in response but simply made a grumpy noise to announce that she was peeved by the idea.

Alley Cat had just arrived in that very city only twenty minutes or so, and before making his way up to the room Volpe had with his prisoner, Cat had decided to wander around the interesting place. Not a moment he stepped off the boat he had come in on a group of young delinquents had pick-pocketed him of a few gold coins; so when he approached a food stall and found he was a few coin short he found himself being run off like a stray cat in a kitchen. A little disgruntled by the experience he decided he had enough of the sight-seeing and headed straight toward the tavern his mentor had decided to hole himself up in. After a few whispers with the bartender, he directed the mangy feline toward the room. With a small rapataptap of his knuckles against the door, Cat slipped into the well-decorated room. "Mentor," Cat gave a small, respectful bow before caramel eyes would flash toward the female. "Is this the prisoner, or have I walked in on something here?" Nero Of Wolves: Still she refused to give up, obviously very concerned for her friend and her unannounced absence. It worried her even still to find that the trail led her to a city, which usually held many dangers within itself  Nero stopped and casually leaned against a nearby wall, giving a gentle shake of her head. Calm down and think, she said quietly to herself,  or else you won t be any good for anyone. Where would she be if she were still here?  The lycan thought hard, wondering if Asayl had any friends that she would stay with in the city. Still, that left the question of why she hadn’t left word. No, something was wrong. Her hand lifted and fumbled beneath her curls, bringing out a picture of Asa that she had kept beneath the fabric of her necklace, looking at it with a rather lost expression.   Where are you   she asked to the open air, only lifting her gaze to look around again. A tavern was across the street and to the right. She gave a little shrug, unsure of where else to look at this point. Besides, taverns were usually the places to go looking for someone, wasn’t it? Nero only hoped that these folks weren’t the unpleasant slurry types. Stepping into the tavern, she made her way to the bar and ordered a bit of gin and tonic, just enough to calm her nerves at least. Her eyes looked around, wondering what kind of place this was. Certainly was fancy.

La Volpe's attention was taken away from Asayl as Cat walked through, and at his words a little smirk danced across his lips as he glanced back to her. "Oh, no. Not interrupting anything, this time Gattino." He sauntered over to the chair Asayl sat in, leaning an arm around the back. "She is just a friend of mine. We're playing a little game. She won't give me information, so she's been tied here." He took another draw of his cigarette, blowing the smoke towards her as he got up and walked over to Cat. "She is the reason I summoned you. I need an extra pair of eyes to make sure she doesn't escape. She is one firecracker of a troia." At that he would finish the cigarette, the butt finding its way into a near by glass ashtray. "Keep your eye on her, Gattino. I mean it. She's a smart signorina." And before he disappeared behind the door he'd offer Asayl a little parting smile. Something to remember him by, of course. Volpe would find himself down at the bar, thirsty for something with a little kick despite the time of day. It wasn't like anyone was going to stop him. Another cigarette was lit up; something he didn't do unless stressed, and that was something Asayl was doing, even if he didn't make it far too obvious. Idly his free hand would run across the scar on his face, tracing the groove down towards his lip, deep in thought.

Asayl watched Cat enter, immediately giving him a viciously dirty look. She snorted as Volpe so rudely blow his smoke toward her, shaking her head a little to fan the stuff away. She hated smoke. But otherwise, she remained but a lump on the chair - silent and unhappy. A bit of a disgusted frown found its way to her lips as Volpe smiled at her from the door. She was silent for a long time after he had gone, ignoring this new figure that had been sent to watch her. But after what could appropriately be described as 'forever' according to how it felt, she finally turned to the cat for just enough time to take in what she looked like. Her voice was hoarse, whether from disuse or overuse was a mystery. "Mentor," she scoffed, "what a joke. That man is an arrogant piece of trash." She appeared to be talking to herself. Alley Cat watched as the human exited the room, before eyes returned to the fellow feline. There he stood for a few moments, watching her movements, body language before he would perch himself upon the end of Volpe's bed, not breaking his gaze. He waited for her to speak, though the first couple of moments it seemed she was going to play the silent game. That was okay, he could play that game too, and so he did; peering at the female contently in the silence. Ears twitched at the sound of her voice, and a small smirk coiled the corners of his lips. "Not fond of him, eh? You wouldn't be the first," Cat gave laugh that sounded more like he was getting strangled. "First it's 'Ohmigawd you're so beautiful, handsome, sexy' ... then it's BAM, you asshole! Blah blah blah. You should know, you're a female. You're all crazy like that," The tabby-like creature gave a small, disconcerting wave in her general direction. Though Cat was very fond, and grateful, to Volpe, his skills in seducing women was something he was ever envious of. Tail would flicker awkwardly behind him as he looked curiously at her, head tilting to right slightly.

Nero Of Wolves sat there for a while longer, becoming nervous again despite her efforts to calm herself. She had to keep moving if she were to have any hopes of catching Asayl's trail again, if there was any trace left to begin with. It was then that she smelled it, if only faintly through all the man musk and smoke that dwindled in the air around them, that familiar flowery scent of her dearest friend. She became more alert, though the lycan did so in a way so as not to draw too much attention to herself, pretending to fix her hair while she tried to get a better idea of where it had come from. Her eyes moved over to the man that had sat down only a moment ago, becoming suspicious, though she was only acting on a hunch. Nero had to move closer to find out for sure. Usually, speaking with strange men was out of the question, but nothing would come of it if she meekly stayed in her seat and simply waited for Asa to fall into her lap from the heavens. So, after a little pause, up she stood, taking her drink with her to stand beside the stranger. She offered him a smile, wondering if he was the type that liked to have a lady around each arm. It was risky, but at least she could get away if he wasn't the lead that she thought he might be. "You look like you could use some company. May I...?" Nero only hesitated briefly before taking a seat next to him, unwilling to be rebuffed so soon before she even had time to investigate further. "I'm sorry if you find me a little straightforward. I'm new here, you see..." Her hand moved to bring a bit of hair behind her ear as she spoke, playing a bit more of the 'blonde' than she would've liked, but this tactic usually worked. "My name's Nero," she added at last with a smirk.

La Volpe was pleasantly surprised at the encounter, turning slightly to face the stranger with a soft smile on his lips. "Not at all, signorina. I enjoy all the company I get." He'd purr, quite happy to find another humanoid after having come across so few in the city. "Il suo un piacere conoscerti...ah, excuse me. It is a pleasure to meet you, Nero." He'd offer a handshake, and if taken he would take the back of her hand to his lips; a formal greeting in his society. "You may call me...Angelo." Volpe lied easily through his teeth, "The more straightforward the better. I like a woman that can get straight to the point." Hand that had been touching his scar now patted the seat beside him that she was hovering beside. "What brings you to this city? If you do not mind me asking, if course." Volpe would smile again, leaning an one elbow onto the bar, the other in his lap as he held the cigarette away for her, in case she disliked such things. Asayl sat there with increasing discomfort. The very way Cat spoke grated on Asa, much like Volpe. Funny how things like that rub off. She wouldn't have said much more if he hadn't made the comment about women being crazy. He might of been on to something, but that doesn't mean that she couldn't be offended! For the first time in a week, she laughed. "How would you know? You don't look like the type to get very much attention from any sort of woman." There was no need for her to be nice to him, so she came right out and said it. As long as he didn't turn to torture like his lovely mentor did, she was going to say whatever she damn pleased. She shifted in her four-legged confines, trying to find a way to stop her restraints from digging in so harshly or at least to find some position tolerable for more than two minutes. She went about effectively ignoring Cat while she did this, not hearing many of his comments until after she had either settled or given up.

Alley Cat looked, for a fraction of a second, like he was about to fly right off the end of then bed and attack her, but he quickly regained his cool. "That's fine by me, I never really liked women anyway," Cat gave a casual shrug as he made himself comfortable again, "Females were always so vain, though if you throw a few coins at little sluts like you, looks don't really matter now, do they?" A large grin sprawled across his face as he looked smug with himself, thumb and index finger coming up to rub at one of his twisted whiskers. He didn't expect her to reply, thinking she might go back into the silent treatment again, so Cat made himself more comfortable on the bed, laying down upon his stomach with appendages sprawled, though his golden gaze never left her form. "So," He coughed, rolling slightly onto his side. "Whatcha do to make Volpe tie you up like this?" He thought a casual change in subject would hide his curiosity in the captured femme, though it was poorly disguised.

Nero Of Wolves immediately assumed that this man was from another country, judging by his accent. It wasn't often that she had such an opportunity to speak with foreigners, so she couldn't help her heart skipping a beat or two over it in her excitement. Her hand went to his, but it was during this time that she caught another clue, this time it was obviously coming from his clothing. Whoever this Angelo fellow was, he had made contact with Asayl quite recently. Her suspicions were correct after all. Though, how and why were other questions that needed answering, not to mention 'where was Asa?' With the introductions over with, she gave him a smirk and a nod in reply. "I see. Well if you like the straightforward type, then I will waste no time in asking what's really troubling me..." With that, she revealed the picture from her other hand, placing it on the counter and sliding it a little toward him as she did so. "I'm looking for this woman. She's about... oh," she gestured with her hand as she continued. "this tall... with a little bit of a limpy shuffly walk if she's feeling stiff. Her name's Asayl." Nero watched him with some interest to see if anything quirked his interest, keeping an eye on his body language especially. It wasn't usually the expression that gave people away, it was their posture. One stiff movement or shaky wrist was all she needed to confirm her suspicions. "You haven't seen her have you? She's been missing from home for about a week without a word and I heard from some locals that she was seen around here someplace recently... I'm worried." Nero frowned, her true concerns showing through. She only hoped that he was the truthful type and that he wasn't really the reason for her absence. If anything, he could've easily stolen some poor sap's clothes, leaving the real culprit out on the streets.

La Volpe watched cautiously as he was handed the photo, instantly recognizing the femme in it. Of course, he wouldn't just go 'Oh, I have her tied up in my room. No need to worry!' For a split second he faltered, letting a frown steal away his smile. "I do not know this woman. I am sorry." Volpe offered an apologetic smile as he handed the photo back. "That is quite worrying." He's manage to say, downing his drink so that he did not have to say much. "I can only wish you buona fortuna in finding her." He'd quickly glance at her, flashing a smile. He was good at hiding body language and little quirks people could pick up on, but he nearly completely faltered there. It was something totally unexpected, out of the blue and certainly dampened his plans. He would need to get out of here, with Asayl in tow...but how? "Mi sucsi. I think I am going to go for a stroll. Too nice of a morning to be wasted in here, don't you think?" Volpe had already paid the tender, so only pushed the empty glass to the other side of the bar before getting up from his seat. He'd turn to Nero, though, and offer a bow. "Sorry I could not be of help. If I hear or see anything I will see what I can do." Playing one of his usual lopsided grins before departing, and just as he got out of sight a heavy frown took his face, pinching the arch of his nose tenderly. Barging in on whatever conversation Cat and Asayl were having, he seemed unaware of the two other beings in the room, intent on only locking the door and trotting over to the window, checking for Nero's departure. "There is someone here," He'd eventually say, not bothering to turn around, "Looking for you, signorina. Goes by the name Nero. Do you know who she is?" At this point he was looking towards her now, a dark and most serious look that looked out of place compared to his smirks and smiles. Asayl snorted again. No words actually came from her to respond but with her face and tense body language, it was likely that he could see that he was pissing her off. And how. At least with Volpe, there was a kind of dance their conversations took, filled with sarcasm and fake kindness. But Cat... was just annoying. When he decided to change the subject, she decided her voice could use a little stretching. "That moron of yours attacked me for no reason. All I did was follow him for a bit before trying to get away and the bastard attacked me." She voice was taking up a hint of angry growl and tears were forming in her eyes. It was frustrating to hear herself say these things aloud. "And now he refuses to let me go because I got to see his face and because, apparently, I'm withholding some sort of imaginary bit of information from him." She was dangerously close to crying. And even more dangerously close to being absolutely and completely infuriated. The week of captivity had done a bang-up job of breaking her. Naturally, Volpe would bust in with perfectly terrible timing, though he didn't so much as glance at her. She would have repaid the favor but when Nero's name popped up, her ears flew up and a horrified look crossed her face. If Volpe knew who Nero was and she Nero knew her, that means she must have said something to tip him off. With both of them now in danger, her anger swelled. "Don't you DARE touch her!" She jerked in her confines, shouting for the first time since they had 'met.'

Nero Of Wolves wasn't sure what to make of this fellow. He was charming enough certainly, but the fact that he had made contat with Asa and refused to mention anything about it troubled her immensely. She would've thought little of it if he had stayed to talk with her about other things, but since he seemed to leave in such a hurry, she became increasingly suspicious with a twinge of anger in the lining of her emotions. His words and actions didn't line up and though she bade him a fond farewell, the lycan was eager to follow him and see exactly where he intended to run off to. If anything, she might be so lucky to corner him someplace and get the information she needed if necessary. Nero took her time with her drink at least, surely giving him the impression that he wasn't being followed. Now that he had his scent, it would only be a matter of time before she caught up with him again. Still, her nerves prevented her from staying put much longer before she too paid her way and moved to leave, taking the same path as he had done only a few minutes ago. After all, Asayl may not have much time, depending on what Angelo intened to do with her. It would be a heavy burden indeed if she were responsible for yet another death, especially of someone she held dear to her heart. A deep frown etched itself onto her face, briefly thinking of Enryous and Ero before quickly refocusing on her task with even more determination. It wasn't long before she found them, her ear pressed to the door just in case. She could hear the voice of the stranger, but most importantly, the lycan heard the familiar sound of Asayl.  Many emotions flooded her at once, only briefly glancing around before promptly shouldering the door. Sure, he had locked it, but a little lock was nothing in comparison to her strength, even while in her human form. The door opened with a crash, splinters from the wood flying in the air as her eyes rapidly scanned the room, spotting Asayl in the chair, and her captive. A deep snarl escaped her, the sound of strong loyalties shining through in it as she rushed him, fully intending to pin him to the wall like an insect on display. "LIAR!"

La Volpe instantly let a smirk fall onto his face at Asayl's sudden dismay. "Oh? So she is dear to you, then?" After Cat's dismissal, Volpe went for the box under the bed, though retrieving at such an angle that Asayl would not be able to see what he was doing. And just as he unlocked the damn thing the door seemed to magically blow itself from its hinges. Peering around the side of the bed Volpe could not help but feel surprised and shocked to see Nero. "Cazzo." He cursed quite calmly, quickly slipping on his greaves that contained his valuable hidden blades from the box and taking his war hammer to hand. "You really think I would just tell you I have your friend locked up, puttana?" He snorted. "Stupid girl." Arrogant as he was, he certainly wasn't stupid. A girl that could shatter a door was no ordinary girl. "I'm afraid I can't let her go just now. Once she has given me the information I need, she is free to go. But until then, she stays." As he talked had been slowly slipping on his other armoured parts, chest plate, vambraces; it didn't take long to put them on, and he prepared himself for a possible fight. His grip on the hammer tightened, and he began to brace himself. "If you leave now, I will not have to kill you. Let her stay for a few more days until I get the information I need and she will come home safely. I will make sure of it." But Nero didn't seem like the type to accept such steep demands. In fact, he was more than certain that she would attack without even regarding his offer.

Asayl didn't say anything but stared daggers at him as hard as she could. The way he reached under the bed to get something was suspicious, but she had a feeling she knew what he was getting. She had guessed who he was correctly, yet she hadn't seen him in his mask this whole time. She had opened her mouth to snap some choice words at him, but instead shrieked as the door was rammed in, taken off guard completely. She turned away, just in case any lovely shreds of wood flew in her direction. The alarm quickly turned to utter surprise when the voice of her dear friend reached her ears. At this point, she didn't even know what to think. "Nero?! What the hell are you doing!" Still very much tied to her chair, she was all but useless. But the way Volpe calmly outfitted himself irked her and she continues to fight against the ropes. She was going to have some serious ropeburn to deal with. "Volpe, if you do anything to hurt her, I swear I'll never let you see another day!"She was no killer, as she had mentioned many times to him, but she was willing to make an exception. A very big exception.

Nero Of Wolves found herself becoming angry with him, his arrogant attitude showing through at last, though she had drawn too much attention to herself already. It was time to go, before any reinforcements arrived. Surely the entire tavern heard that clatter, not to mention felt it through the very walls and if this guy was serious, then it was possible that he worked with others to get his dirty work done. The possibilities were endless, but of little concern to her. Right now, her main priority was to get Asayl out of there and fast, especially since her eye caught sight of his hammer. She visibly tensed. Ordinarily she would've taken the risk of hard knocks, but the silver that was embedded in it worried her. Hopefully he didn't know what she was, or else it was possible for him to gain some sort of advantage. The idea now was to keep away from those weapons while making their escape. Her attention focused on him, not considering his proposition in the slightest, though she made her movements in this dance. "You've kept her long enough. She's needed back home. What information could she possibly give you?" It was then that she spied the mask that Asa has made, her brows furrowing a moment before returning her attention to him, stepping closer as she spoke, trying her best to keep her composure.

La Volpe did not know who or what she was, fortunately for her. He presumed that she was just a tall lady that was more than capable of knocking a few heads together. He'd watch as she spied the mask, then watched Asayl's reaction, eyebrows raising in surprise. "Oh, so I take it she hasn't told you? How very sneaky of you, signorina." The latter sentence sounded as if he were scolding a child. But he said nothing of its origins, not yet anyway, wanting to keep at least some control of the situation. "I cannot allow you to do that, Nero." Hands twitched, surreptitiously checking if the hidden blades worked, "If you cannot take my offer, I am afraid you will have to die. She stays here." His tone was more threatening now, like the rising growl of an angry dog, "If you just let her stay, everything will turn out nicely for everyone. We can all ride into the sunset laughing about how silly this was." Despite cracking a joke his tone and body language were tense.

Asayl- "Shut your mouth," she barked at Volpe. Still, this wasn't the best way for Nero to find out that she was still out sporting her mask - or anyone for that matter. For a fleeting moment, she imaged Silv's and Pheno's reacts if Nero let word slipped she had upgraded from coping mechanism to real crimes. Asayl continued to fight the ropes -maybe feeling one get a teeny bit looser after a week of pulling at it- but remain trapped.

Nero Of Wolves didn't exactly know what he was referring to, her eyes looking between Asayl and the stranger with great suspicion, though whatever Asa's reasoning was, it would wait. She watched him, her gaze hardening to more of a cold glare, one that she rarely gave to anyone. "You're in no position to bargain. Your words are nothing but petty lies! If you seriously wanted to give me an option, you would have offered me collateral in return. Asayl is too precious to leave in your care, you two-faced snake, even if you did have something up your sleeve. Either you give her up now, or I'll be forced to tear her away from your coils." All the while she was moving closer to them, so now the stranger and his captive were only a few feet away, though her eyes were always on him, body tense for any sort of movement he made should he attack.

La Volpe would slowly edge his way around towards Asayl, so that Nero would not be able to grab her and run. He stopped for a moment, nearly surprised and turned to give Asayl a quick glance. "So, that is your name signorina. Asayl. Quite unusual." Volpe silently thanked the lycan for giving him another link. He didn't quite like being called a snake, but he couldn't exactly blame her. Lying outright to her face surely would of pissed her off something awful. "I see. Well, it seems we are stuck in this stalemate of sorts." He would then chuckle, "Oh, but I did offer collateral. You get your dear Asayl back alive. Because, I'll let you in on a secret, usually my torture victims don't get out alive, but I am willing to make an exception. So, unless you have another idea I do believe we will be stuck like this for quite some time." Eyes never left Nero as he spoke, though remaining cautious of Asayl behind him. He didn't want to get overpowered by two women; well, not in this situation.

Asayl: [I am half tempted to bite him in the ass] Nero Of Wolves: [LOL] La Volpe: [ I thought you might do something like that. xD I was hesitant to bring him around to Asayl because of it. ] Asayl: [You can skip me this time, I guess. Asa is tied to a chair, the end.]   Asayl: [THOUGH IF HE GETS ANY CLOSER] Asayl: [chompchomp]

Nero Of Wolves scoffed loudly to his face. "Some collateral! You've got nerve, but no brains to back it up. Typical. I hate reptiles like you, always so cold to others and yet blessed with silver tongues. You are an idiot if you think that I would leave her here alone with you for another minute. The least you deserve is castration!" With this, she ceased to speak any further, rushing at him with full force. Her speed rapidly closed the distance between them, so hopefully she might avoid a direct blow from that hammer of his, but her main priority was to knock him down to the ground, much with the impact of a train hitting a car stuck on the tails. If he moved, then it was all the better, because her goal was to simply grab Asayl and make a mad dash out of there.

La Volpe had no time to come up with some witty comeback, when he went to open his mouth Nero was already charging towards him. Out of instinct he brought the weapon around in a sweeping manner, intent on hitting her against the side once the space between them had dissolved, capable of winding her, leaving some really nasty bruises and if he hit the right place even break a few of her ribs. The fleet-footed assassin then, once the hammer had struck or come around in a full swing, create some more space between them, now standing beside Asayl's chair. "Careful cane, you might just end up hurting poor little Asayl." He'd turn to give the feline a pout, though didn't keep his eyes off of Nero for long. She was strong, but he was fast. It would be a battle of skills, and mainly luck. 

Asayl flinched reflexively as they moved in her direction. She growled up at Volpe for using her as a form of defense. How rude! Still, she almost had a foot free now. One foot wasn't much, but it would likely come in handy when the right moment struck. Once she had is loose enough to just barely pull her foot through, she made the decision to leave it where it was. No sense giving it away just yet. She kept fighting to free a hand while dodging their exchanges as much as possible in the meantime.

Nero Of Wolves turned to face him, the impact of his hammer leaving her gritting her teeth, her arm clutching her side, an obviously feral snarl escaping her throat as she glared at him. "I'm not playing games with you. You will regret it if you don't back down now... I'll wager you don't even know what you're up against." Beneath the skin, her body was beginning to cope with the impact, beginning to work its natural healing ability. Still, she was clearly in discomfort, the broken ribs making it painful to breathe. Now he was too close to Asa for her to make that move again. She cursed her luck, all the while trying to keep her cool for fear of losing herself entirely. "Make a move." Nero moved closer to him, dangerously so, hoping to intimidate him into either attacking or moving backward. If he moved back, it might've been possible for Asayl to do her stuff. La Volpe was obviously surprised at the snarl; how could such a sound come from a woman? He got shivers up his spine, the hairs on his arms standing on end. There was something not quite right about her..."I probably don't." He sneered, though he had been considering just fleeing the scene now, and returning for Asayl later. They shouldn't be hard to track now he had their names, and what the looked like. Staying and fighting began to seem like the bad choice, but Volpe remained where he was for now, stuck in the dilemma. He couldn't help but feel as though she were trying to pressure him into something, attack her so she could counter attack, or send in an ambush of more friends that were lying in wait. Attacking would be bad, as Nero looked as though she could just shrug another attack off, but creating more distance meant the chance of loosing Asayl to her. In the end, however, he decided to attack, coming at her would an over-the-shoulder swing that would thump into the ground if it missed, causing shock waves that would shake the walls of the room and the ceiling below the floor. He was attempting to drive Nero back, away from Asayl, so that he needn't worry about the two at the same time.

Asayl- Without being directly in Volpe's line of sight now, she was really given the freedom of working on getting those ropes off. Using her free foot, she kicked at the knot in attempt to loosen it. It would take more than a few seconds to achieve enough room to liberate that foot also, but would manager somehow. Now with both feet free, she employed her teeth to try and free her hands but with the rope burn from her struggling, it made for an unpleasant and slow process. Hopefully Nero would distract Volpe enough to keep him from turning on her.

Nero Of Wolves saw the opportunity immediately after he lifted his arms, leaving his entire chest area open in a split second before he began the down stroke. This tiny opening is all she needed, pushing into him in hopes of dropping him to the floor. Nevertheless, the hammer came down squarely on her back, though not with the intended force. It was enough to cause her severe pain, instead of breaking her spine in two. She couldn't help but scream, her voice deepening in several octaves as she did so, a lycan snarl accompanying it soon after. Once her attacker was either on the floor, or at least farther away from Asayl, she stood, her eyes focusing on him in a new way. The irises had changed color entirely, though she still held a shred of dignity and clung to it like it were life itself. It was time to leave. Now. She was already in too deep. Nero quickly moved to Asayl with every intention of lifting her, with the chair if she had to and make an escape out the window. La Volpe stumbled at the push, and was about to go down before he tucked himself into an elegant roll of sorts, rolling onto his shoulder instead of landing on his back, now instead of lying flat on his ass he was several meters away. He grew ever more certain that Nero was not entirely human, if human at all. There was too much space between him and them to be able to make up for lost time, with Nero on the move and Asayl steadily untying herself, he was fighting a loosing battle. "Merde." He cursed out loud, scrambling into one of his equipment pockets and pulling out what seem like a little grey ball. But when he threw it to the ground at Asayl's feet it became more apparent what it was. A smoke bomb. Thick grey smoke curled around the two, capable of choking, obscuring everything in sight when caught inside. Now, he was stuck. He could try taking Asayl and have Nero give chase, or just fleeing entirely, going back to his previous plan. Was Asayl really worth the risk of getting a beat down by an inhuman humanoid? No woman was, really, not in his current opinion anyway. He would rather live than getting maimed half way of dragging the feline out of the tavern like some mustachioed villain stealing the damsel away. "You win, for now. But I'll be back for you dear Asayl." He'd chuckle before any sight or sense of him was gone. When the smoke eventually cleared it became obvious that he was gone. All the equipment in the box and Asayl's mask were gone too along with any evidence at all to Volpe ever being there.

[Will continue in part 2 with the aftermath of this when Asayl is returned home]

Best Friend Tag

Title: Best Friend Tag

Note: I didn’t expect to be continuing the Youtube AU but I did and now you get to see this. XD

Pairing: Gladion x Reader or Gladion x Moon if you prefer.

The screen took a minute to load but finally it was time. On the screen both you and Gladion were taking your seats on the edge of your pristinely well made bed. You were hugging a cat plush, your pet walking out of the room as if sensing that something was going to happen that meant you shouldn’t be disturbed.

You adjusted the webcam and smiled. “Hey guys, it’s MoonsChampion otherwise known as [Y/N] and here with me today is EnforcerGladion also known as just Gladion. He will be explaining what we’re doing here today.” You nodded to Gladion who tugged on his hoodie a bit nervously, he wasn’t one for liveblogs even if he did appear in some of Lillie’s blogs to react to scouting.

“The name of the game is the Best Friend tag, which means we have to answer your questions which you sent to us on Twitter via the hashtag RockIdolBFT.” He said, raising his phone up for all to see. “Loser gets to go on the other person’s Facebook and post anything they want on that person’s Facebook once.” He smirked.

You shake your head. “This is insane.”

“You suggested it.” Gladion raised a brow at you, confused. “I think I know you pretty well.”

“I’m clearly insane. What do I know about you? You’re a typical rocker with a secret love of romcoms?” You laugh.

Gladion places a hand over the tear in his hoodie. “You wound me. Not romcoms, clearly it’s idol girl anime. How else could I have found your channel?” He smirked, watching you affectionately as you bend over and laugh.

“Okay, okay. First off…” You checked your phone, tapping on a good question. “Oh, here. LonashipperForever7 asked, what was the first video you saw of the other person?” You say, putting your phone down and rubbing your hands together. “Ugh, was it the one Lillie first saw? Was she watching my videos before you?” You asked.

“I’m not giving you hints!” Gladion rolled his eyes.

You stare at him. “Yeah, because you totally know mine-”

“I remember it was that Goofy Movie cover. The one you commented on and after you subscribed.” He answered smugly, crossing his legs under him, his feet covered by thick black socks.

“How did you-” You groan. “I love that one. If I could make you stop and take a look at me instead of just-” You sang, pointing to Gladion.

Gladion made a wave motion with his arms. “Walkin’ by.”

Lunging over to the side you grab a brush and start crooning into it. “There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do if it was getting you to notice.” You smiled, cueing Gladion again.

“I’m alive.” Gladion blew at his bangs and pushed them back to add drama and flair. “She looked right through me and who could blame her?” He turned to look at you, completely focused on the voicing. “I need a new me, plus some positive proof that I’m not just a goof!”

“All I need’s a second chance, a second thought, a second glance to prove-” You stand up, only your knees down seen on the screen but you didn’t care and Gladion was laughing as he tried to beat box. “I’ve got whatever it takes!” You fall back into the bed, laughing.

“You okay?” You made a muffled noise into a pillow and Gladion tried to drag you back to your seat by your cold feet. “I told you to wear socks. You know your feet get cold easily.” He rolled his eyes again, scanning your room for a pair of socks. You always had some lying around.

“I’ve got it!” You crawl back closer to him, almost tripping and falling when Gladion shoved a pair of neon blue socks with bananas on your feet. “I bet it was right before I asked you to collab, the one I did with Lillie said she’d seen my video about my Christmas scout and by then I did an English cover of Strawberry Trapper and We Wish You A Merry Christmas from Aikatsu Stars. So, since you’re a rocker-”

Gladion raised a brow at you, laughing to himself.

“It’s Strawberry Trapper, isn’t it?” You say, full of confidence.

Confidence that was smashed the moment Gladion grinned. “Nope.”

“What?” You blink owlishly at him.

He gives you that insufferable I know everything smile and starts humming. “We are almost here we’ll make it through so…” He snapped. “I’m counting on you.”

“You’re kidding.” Your eyes widen. “But, Aishiteru Banzai was my-”

“What can I say? I’m [Y/N] trash. I’m the # 1 trash.” He shrugged, looking a bit red faced.

“My first video, oh wow.” You almost choke on your own spit. “You were a fan of me before Lillie.”

Gladion sighed, letting out an exaggerated breath. “My secret shame.”

You and he took a moment to laugh, your phones pinging with dozens of notifications and a few texts from Lillie. “Okay, nerd. Your turn.”

“This one is easy, you can make up for your miserable loss here.” He cleared his throat. “What would your parents have called you if you were born a different gender?” He asked, rubbing his hands together.

“You know this about me?” You asked, raising your own eyebrow at him.

“Well, I know your mom…” He gave you a pointed look. “Is fond of the Sun.”

You groan and he cackles victoriously. “You’re so weird. How do you know these things?” You asked, muttering into a pillow.

“And what would mother have called me if I was a girl?” He smiled encouragingly.

“Is it Lillie?” You peeked up at him from your pillow.

Gladion sighed. “Yeah.”

“Really?” You beamed up at him.

“Alright, next question.” He scrolled down, his eyes shining when he spotted one question. “Who is better at putting on make-up?” He snickered.

“Oh God, Gladion.” You giggled. “Let me tell you guys, I have no clue how to put on make-up so when we were going to film X.U. I told Gladion and he told me not to worry about it. I thought, well Lillie can probably do make-up.” Gladion nodded along, staring at you as you looked into the web cam telling the story with insane hand gestures. “So, I get there to the place where we’re filming and Lillie is in her Krul cosplay with Gladion applying make-up on her-” You dissolve into giggles and almost cough, needing Gladion to pat you on the back to clear your throat.

The comments section exploded with expressions of disbelief.

“You don’t know how to put on make-up to save your life.” He nodded.

You hummed, pulling out a familiar tube from your bag off to the side of your bed. Wiggling your eyebrows, you shove the instrument into Gladion’s hands and he takes it, instinctively twirling it around his fingers. “You’ll have to prove it to them.”

The watchers clearly approved because lots of yesses started flooding the comments.

Gladion sighed. “Look up.” He said, smiling when you nudged closer with your legs crossed under you looking up. “It’s not unbelievable. I have a sister.” He carefully painted a dark line careful not to poke you in the eye live on the internet. “Mother really wanted a girl.”

“I think it’s cool.” You tried to shrug but realized it might result in eye liner in your eye. “You’ll make any future girlfriends lucky.”

Gladion scoffed. “Right, because a guy who does guitar covers and idol tuber’s make-up is in high demand right now.” He joked.

“I’d be happy to get me a talented guitar player who can sing with me and do my make up.” Gladion almost froze, but you didn’t notice too busy staring at a speck on your ceiling where you’d accidentally hit it with a dirty volleyball.

He looked at you, his eyes shining with hope. “Are you saying you’re hiring?” He asked, rubbing the side of your eyelid to get some excess eye liner off. “All done. Would be better if had concealer and everything.”

“Would you look at that.” You took a mirror from your bag and smiled. “Boyfriend goals, girls. You better snatch this one up.” You laughed, picking up your phone to check for more questions.

Gladion tried to ignore the redness welling up in his cheeks. It would do him no good to let everyone see his admiration for you and from the looks of the comments section some people were already beginning to suspect.

“This one says do we take acting lessons.” You turned to him just in time for him to straighten himself out. “Well, you don’t. You did a pretty good Mika, though.” You complimented.

Gladion shrugged. “I just thought of the saddest thing I could think of.”

“Pop culture?” You asked. “The fact that Ed Sheeran stopped releasing music last year?”

Gladion frowned. “Homeless dogs.”

“Oh my God.” You threw your hands in the air.

“If homeless dogs don’t make you sad you’re a heartless person.” He said seriously.

“Gladion, your love for dogs has actually resulted in me having to take care of Null.” At the sound of your voice calling him, your limping shi tzu climbed up onto your bed, brownish white fur bounding as it begged you to pet it. “Your dog adopting tendencies are out of control.” You dump the overexcited shi tzu into Gladion’s arms, letting the small dog lap at Gladion’s face in retaliation. You smirk.

“Null- [Y/N] Make him stop!” He said, trying to pry the dog away from him but it was tenacious and seemed to grip Gladion’s shirt with it’s nails.

You whistled, Null looked up and scurried over to you, settling in your lap once he’s been petted repeatedly. “And you are the dog person.”

“Cat person.” He stuck his tongue out at you. “You didn’t take acting classes but you were in drama club once.” He stopped you before you could ask. “Hau was your classmate, remember?” He grinned at the coincidence, his cameraman being your classmate in school.

“That tattler.” You pouted.

Gladion laughed, his phone going off. “Time’s up.” He smirked. “You-”

You raised your phone over your head keeping it away from him. “You’re not taking my phone. I will mess you up, Virdis!” You threatened, leaning back so his long arms couldn’t allow him to snatch the phone from you. “I-there’s girl stuff in there!”

“Nice try but I do have a sister and you were the one who decided the stakes-”

You can’t remember if he overbalanced or if you fell and tripped him up, either way the tussle ended up with Gladion awkwardly falling over and crouched on top of you with your hands secured under one of his and your phone in his free hand.

“Hah.” You try to laugh but it came out as a breathy sigh. “How cliché.”

Gladion bit his lip and sat back up, sliding your phone screen on and staring at the passcode screen.

“My password-” You try to reach out to grab it but Gladion was already typing in the four number code.

“Yura.” He mutters and your phone opens without protest. “You always coordinate your passcode with your wallpaper in case you forget. Your wallpaper is Yuri Plisetsky. But, everyone knows you call him Yura because his grandfather calls him Yuratchka.” He smiles fondly and you can’t help but flare your nostrils at how dense he was.

After all, why else would you pick Mika if he didn’t look so much like the boy you loved?

“Alright, here I go.” He breathed in and started typing.

You take his phone in retaliation, thanking God that his password never changed since when you both had to do your video. It was still NULL.

Opening his Facebook app, you refresh to check if he’d posted it yet. Looking up at him, you frown. “What’s taking you-”

A wooshing sound echoed in the room and you numbly refresh the page.

The comments exploded with congratulations and hearts and you groaned as the live stream showed more and more viewers being excited about whatever Gladion posted. “Please don’t be something ridiculous like a pregnancy announcement.” You spare a moment to glare at him before scrolling to your Facebook page. “Or I swear, I will kill…”

[Y/N] [L/N]

Posted 5 seconds ago.

Gladion Virdis is in love with me.

#RockIdolShipping #TheOTPisCanon

Likes: 15

Comments: 5

You were speechless for a moment, your voice shaky as you finally turned to look at Gladion. “That’s” You swallow a lump in your throat. “Not embarrassing or funny.” You searched his face for a reaction, an emotion, something. But, Gladion gave nothing away but an unpredictable smile.

“It shouldn’t be.” Shaky hands twine with yours where it rested between the both of you on the bed. “Because, it’s the truth.”

You gasped, fingers tightening around his in shock. “I-”

A loud noise interrupted you, Null had gotten fed up with not being noticed and jumped onto your laptop making the webcam fall to the floor and unplugging the router, cutting the video.

“Well, that’s one way to give us privacy.” You laugh as Gladion leaned down to place the webcam where Null couldn’t chew on it. His hand was still twined with yours, as if it would be the only time he’ll get to do this, to be this close to you ever again. “Gladion-”

“I always told myself it wasn’t possible, back when I first saw your videos.” He said, staring at the floor, his hand shaking in your grasp. “It couldn’t have been real, not when I’d only ever seen you over the internet.” He turned, green eyes turbulent with waves of different emotions colliding with each other fighting for a front seat. “But, then we did that video together and I was scared because suddenly it was too real. You were too real.”

His hand grew slack under yours and you moved closer to take it back but he placed his other hand over both of yours instead. “And then, you smiled at me and I messed up.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t be your friend. Not when having you close meant always feeling like this.”

You let go of his hand, quickly taking his phone and typing a reply to his post.

Gladion blinked at you, disbelieving.

He’d told you. He confessed to you. And you were Facebooking about it, on his phone.

Your own phone buzzed in his lap and he opened it, checking on his post.

1 Reply from Gladion Virdis.

Gladion Virdis

Commented 5 seconds ago. 

Good, because I love you too. <3

Gladion has changed your relationship status to In A Relationship.

You are now In A Relationship with Gladion Virdis.

He stared at you, smiling widely.

“If it’s alright with you, of course.” You smiled back at him, gasping when he launched himself at you, flinging his arms around you and pulling you into his warm embrace.

“I can’t believe you. I talked probably more than I talk to anyone in a week and all you say is good?” He laughed, burying his nose into your hair and taking a deep breath.

“I already said all I needed to. I always do.” You stroke his hair, leaning back to stare into his eyes. “You’re a talented guitar player. I love that you can sing with me and do my make up. I love how much you love dogs and how much you love your sister.” You counted on your fingers and lean up, surprising him with a kiss to his cheek reveling in the redness that bloomed there immediately after. “I love you. And you make me happy. Now, was that a satisfying confession, Gladion Virdis? Would you be my boyfriend now? Ahh-”

He picked you up and spun you a little, your arms going slack around his neck as he put you down and pressed his lips to yours in a short chaste kiss. He smiled against your cheek and spoke.

“More than satisfying.” He muttered against your skin sending goose bumps trailing across your flesh. “Much much more.”