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missarchivistdoodles · 1 year

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Tommy and the Beanstalk: Chapter 1

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Chapter 1: Once Upon A Time

Tommy crouched behind a watering can taller than himself and tried to remember how he'd come to be here, hands clasped over his mouth as his death approached with ground-shaking steps.

He could blame Henry for this whole thing, but it wasn't her fault - not really. She wasn't an old cow, but with what little they had to feed her, it was inevitable that eventually she wouldn't be able to give milk anymore. He'd thought they'd had more time before it happened, still a season more where he could sneak out to the barn and sleep against her soft stomach after another day of hard labor, and listen to her heart beat steadily beneath her white and brown hide. But no, the time had come, and he'd walked into the kitchen with an empty bucket and excuses on his lips.

Dream hadn't been impressed - hadn't been willing to listen. The knight had been sitting at the small kitchen table, pouring over one of his many thick tomes, making notes in the margins of text too cramped and small for Tommy to even imagine reading. His mask had been pushed up, resting on the top of his head so he could squint at the complex runes laid out in a diagram, and he'd barely flicked a glance to the boy as he came in from the barn.

"No milk?" There was no surprise in the question, no shock or horror at the idea of their beloved cow starving. Just acceptance. She'd been giving less and less lately, and Dream had already mentioned selling her a few times in passing, though Tommy always vehemently argued against it. Silently, the boy set the empty pail by the sink, trying to think of a reasonable excuse for the lack of milk.

"Tommy, I asked you a question." Dream's voice was still-water calm, but his actions weren't. He slammed the book shut, and the jars of ink on the table danced, one nearly falling over. The boy did his best to hide a flinch.

"Sorry, sir." He straightened his spine a bit, shoulders pulled back, and folded his hands behind himself. "Henry - I couldn't get any milk. Sir."

Dream sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sat back in his chair, looking exhausted. "Tommy," he said, his voice weary, "I know you care about the cow, but if it can't make milk, then we can't afford to feed it."

Tommy's shoulders crept up to his ears, and he folded in on himself a bit. "I - I know, but we can't just sell her! She's - she's Henry!" He tried to argue as Dream climbed to his feet. "She's - she's family! We ca-"

The hit shouldn't have been a surprise, but Tommy was so busy defending the cow, he didn't see it coming. Dream had always been able to move quickly, silently - it was what made him so dangerous on the battlefield and during tournaments. The backhand snapped his head to the side, cutting him off mid-word, as Dream loomed over him.

"We do not use that word," the knight reminded him, tone tight and dangerous. Tommy shrunk in on himself, one hand reaching up to cradle his cheek, which was already beginning to turn red. He fixed his gray eyes on the floor and wrapped his other hand around his stomach, making himself as small and unobtrusive as possible, just how Dream liked it.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, all indignant rage on Henry's behalf gone.

"Why are you sorry?" The knight threaded his fingers through Tommy's hair, gripping it tightly.

"I'm sorry I said - I said the word."

"What word?"

Tommy swallowed, hesitated, and Dream gave his hair a yank. "What word, Tommy?"

"Family," he whispered.

"And why don't we use that word?"

"Because family always leaves."

The grip on his head loosened, then those fingers were carding through his hair, soothing the pain it had caused. "Families always leave," Dream agreed. "You can't trust them. You can't make attachments." Once more, his golden tangles were caught in a tight grip. "Do you remember why?"

"Attachments make you weak."

"Good." Dream heaved a sigh, as though exhausted from having to hold a conversation with his ward. He released Tommy, taking a step back and folding his arms over his chest. "We can't be weak, Tommy - you can't survive in the world that way. Not with your…handicap. You're better than that, I know you are."

"I'm sorry," Tommy kept his eyes trained on the ground, not wanting to look his mentor in the eye and see his disappointment.

"I know you are." Another sigh, and the guilt in Tommy's gut began to squirm. He hated disappointing Dream - nothing made him feel worse. Dream stepped past him, to the coat hooks hanging beside the door, and pulled down a lead. "Here. If you leave now, you can reach the market in time to sell Henry to the butcher."

"What?!" Tommy recoiled as the woven rope was held out to him. "But - but-"

"Are you going to butcher it yourself?" Dream demanded, his annoyance returning. "It's a cow, Tommy - it's just food." When he still didn't reach for the rope, the knight's face darkened, and a noticeable edge lined his voice. "Either you take it to market and return with the gold, or I'll make you butcher it yourself."

He would - Tommy knew he would. Dream wouldn't hesitate, not if he thought it would teach Tommy a lesson. He took the lead in numb fingers, the side of his face throbbing, and nodded as his mentor gave him instructions, including how much he expected Tommy to return with.

Because Tommy would be returning with gold, gold he earned by selling his only friend. As soon as Dream gave him permission, he fled from their small cottage, barely able to stifle his sobs. He couldn't let Dream see his attachment, not if he wanted to make sure Henry's last day was perfect.

~*~

They took the long way to the village. The cottage Dream owned was a few miles from town, on the other side of a small but thick forest. Tommy knew every inch of the woods around the path, including the small clearings full of flowers, and the babbling brook that sometimes held little wiggly minnows that flashed in the sunlight. He made sure to take his time, plodding slowly along Henry, letting her stop to nibble at the daisies that grew along the edge of the dirt path or pause to sniff at the bushes heavy with early-season berries. At one point, when the sun was at its highest, he gently tugged her towards his favorite clearing, leading her carefully through a thick copse of trees to a small, hidden glade. A brook bubbled beneath a large willow tree, and there were wildflowers and clover a plenty. He took the lead off and watched as she trundled about, taking a long drink before discovering a thick carpet of clover near the roots of the willow and setting about eating every one she could find.

He sat near her, slowly munching on the bruised apple Dream had shoved into his hands before he set off towards town. They were still about an hour away, if they didn't stop to sniff the flowers. But he fully intended on letting Henry smell whatever she wanted, so he estimated they'd reach the village by late afternoon. His stomach twisted anxiously, and with a grimace he tossed the apple aside, confident a squirrel or chipmunk would make a good meal of it eventually.

When he returned home tonight, it would be alone, no gentle lowing or soft hoofsteps accompanying him. By the time he curled up in his small room, Henry would be gone. He would never get to spend time with her again, never seek her out after a nightmare, never brush her soft coat or laugh as she nuzzled him for attention. He could never go to her with bruised ribs and aching scrapes again, seeking comfort after his lessons with Dream. And he would never be able to speak to someone about his handicap, about the weight he carried like an albatross around his neck, about the secret he had to hide lest he endanger not only himself, but Dream and everything they had worked to build. He would be alone in his head again with the secret, with the knowing, with the damned weight on his back growing heavier every time he redid the bandages and had to hide part of himself…

A cool, velvety snout nuzzled the side of his face, pressing against the darkening bruise that was spreading along his cheek. He jerked away, but couldn't help but smile as Henry lowed at him, shoving her face into the crook of his neck, huffing against his pale skin. Wiggling beneath the ticklish touch, Tommy twisted so he could throw his arms around her large neck, pressing their foreheads together. The pair would have been content to stay like that for as long as time allowed, but a branch in the forest at the edge of the clearing cracked, and both of them whipped their heads towards the noise.

A woman was standing there, looking equally startled by the noise. She slowly lifted a booted heel from the branch she'd stepped on, giving them an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry," her voice was soft and kind, "I didn't mean to startle you two."

Tommy pushed himself to his feet, but kept one arm thrown around Henry's neck. The woman was…odd. She wasn't too tall, and didn't appear too old, but her clothing was dark, and there was a black veil attached to the wide-brimmed hat she was wearing. Flowers and gems were tucked in the band around the hat, and matched the gold stitching along the edges of her dress. Tommy was sure he was taller than her - for a fourteen-year-old, he was a bit of a beanstalk, tall and skinny - but she seemed to fill the whole clearing with her presence, the same way Dream could fill a room. Unlike Dream, however, she radiated…kindness. Softness. Something warm and comforting that had his shoulders dropping from his ears, and his grip around Henry loosening.

"I'm Kristin," the woman introduced herself, taking a step into the clearing proper. Her skirts brushed over the bobbling wildflowers, which seemed to reach towards her as she moved. "What are your names?"

Tommy didn't hesitate the way he normally would - Dream didn't like him interacting with many others, especially adults. They only needed each other in the world, nobody else. No friends. No family. It was safer that way, easier to keep a secret and stay safe. But here in the clearing, under the gentle gaze of Kristin, he answered. "I'm Tommy," he motioned to himself, then gave the cow a gentle squeeze where he was half-hugging her, "and this is Henry."

"Hello, Tommy." Kristin moved the veil away from her face, throwing the long, sheer fabric back over the hat so she could smile at the pair properly. "Good afternoon, Henry. What are you two doing out in the woods today?"

"We're on our way to the market." Tommy reached up and fiddled with one of Henry's soft, silky ears. The cow whuffed and shoved her large head against his own in a gentle, loving headbutt.

"Oh?" Kristin asked, prompting for more.

"We can't afford to keep her anymore." He wasn't sure why he blurted the words, the secret. The constant struggle for money was something that set Dream off more than anything else, even Tommy's smart mouth and rude comments. Whatever he won from tournaments, or gathered from his work as a knight for Lord Schlatt, went to fund his studies into enchanting. Tommy was in charge of keeping their small farm running, gathering eggs from the chickens to sell in town or eat for breakfast, and tending to the small vegetable plots in the fields. Sometimes, when there were a few coppers left and Tommy was especially good, Dream let him get some penny candies from the general store in the village. It was beyond rare, but that just made the treat all the better.

"Are you looking to sell her, then?" Kristin had kept moving forward and now stopped only a foot away. Henry made a soft noise and sniffed at the hand the woman offered, frame tensing for just a moment before relaxing. She rested her large snout in the woman's hand with a huff, dark liquid eyes falling half-closed. "Aw, what a sweetheart."

Tommy gave the woman another quick look up and down. Her clothing was clean and made of what looked like silks and dark-dyed, evenly-woven linen, and her boots were sturdy and clear of dust and mud. She was a well-to-do woman, from a family with money. And she was looking at Henry the same way he did - with affection and care, seeing not a walking side of beef but a wonderful, beautiful friend who was the greatest comfort he knew.

"She's really sweet," he agreed, patting Henry's head, right between her soft ears, "and smart, too. She never causes any trouble, either - except for that one time with the alfalfa, but we don't talk about that." He gave Kristin his best smile, playful and charming, eyes brightening a bit as hope flickered in his chest. If he could convince this rich woman to buy Henry, there was a good chance she'd live on, even if it was away from him. He tried to widen his eyes a bit, giving his best puppy-dog stare as the woman considered the pair of them.

"Alfalfa, hmm?" Kristin was smiling widely now, cradling Henry's bottom jaw with one hand, the other gently petting her nose. "Are you an alfalfa girl, then? Better than clover, is it?" She leaned forward, looking the cow right in the eye. "I can see it - you may look all sweet and gentle, but there's still a flame in you. A desire to survive. To grow."

For some reason, the last word made Tommy shudder. The way she said it - grow - like it had a meaning beyond a heifer fattening up for the colder months sent a shiver down his spine. There was power in her words, the same way there was power in her presence. He glanced up and found her staring at him, not at Henry, an odd look in her eyes, though it vanished so quickly he thought he must have imagined it.

"How much?"

"Eh?" Tommy straightened abruptly at the question.

"How much for Henry?" Kristin pulled her gaze back to the cow, gently petting one of her silky ears. "I have a friend who would adore her."

"A - a friend?" That wasn't as ideal as the woman herself keeping Henry, but maybe the friend wouldn't be interested in eating her either?

"Yes. He likes to take…damaged things in and fix them." She ran the back of her hand against Henry's cheek, cooing when the cow closed her eyes and made a low, happy noise.

Tommy, however, bristled. "She's not damaged," he bit out. "She's perfect the way she is." Kristin paused, going almost unnaturally still, and for a moment he was sure he'd just messed it all up, but after a moment she nodded.

"You're right, I apologize." She gave him that soft, sweet smile again. "I mean he enjoys helping those who need a little extra love, and Henry here would thrive in his care. She would live a long, happy life with him."

He squinted. "Is he vegan?"

That startled a laugh from her, loud and delicate, like the chiming of bells in clear winter air. "Oh heavens no," she giggled. "He loves a good ham sandwich." He had a feeling he was missing a joke, but didn't ask. "But for a beautiful soul like this? He'd be happy to let her live her life until Lady Death comes. Besides, he owes me a favor."

At the mention of the Lady Death, Goddess of the Afterlife, Tommy had automatically drawn a rough heart shape over his chest with his pointer finger, the symbol of the lady. The motion was so ingrained he didn't notice he'd done it; he also didn't notice the amused tilt to Kristin's brow or the way her eyes flashed gold for just a moment.

"So, how much are you asking for her?" Much to the cows disappointment, Kristin pulled her hands from Henry's head and rustled about her skirts for a moment, before pulling a small, jingling pouch from her belt.

"Fifty gold." The number felt enormous - it was more than he'd ever held in his hands at once, but it was what Dream had demanded of him. Fifty gold, and don't bother coming home until he has it. Even if that meant he had to stay in town and work odd jobs to make it.

"Oh, she's worth far more than that!" Kristin exclaimed, making a kissy face at the cow. "You're priceless, aren't you darling?" Still, she opened the clinking purse and examined it with a stern eye, before nodding to herself. "I have exactly what she's worth here." She held it out to Tommy.

He was expecting something priceless - a hundred gold, maybe, or even a gem of some kind! Dream would be singing his praises for weeks if he brought home an honest-to-goodness diamond - but when he took the bag and dumped it into an open palm, he was confused, then disappointed.

Beans.

Five beans.

Five small lima beans - at least, that's what he thought. Then he tilted his hand, sending them rolling, and the beans went from the usual pale green of a lima to shining with gold and something…more. They sparkled, a thin layer of purple shimmering atop them, and where they touched his skin began to grow warm. He'd seen something like this before, in Dream's study at the cottage. On a piece of armor he owned - a single pauldron made of odd dark metal he'd found in an antiques shop years ago.

"That's…magic?"

Kristin, who had taken Henry's lead in hand, nodded, not looking surprised by the question, or that Tommy recognized the shimmering purple sheen. "Yes. Those beans possess a life-changing magic." She leaned forward a bit, pressing a finger beneath Tommy's chin and tilting his head up, drawing his eyes away from the beans to meet her own. They flickered with something gold, something knowing and wise that made him feel calm and protected, but at the same time set his nerves on edge. It made him feel small. "There are big things in store for you, Tommy Innit," she smiled, and before he could move or ask what they were, she was pressing a kiss to his forehead and pulling away. "Don't worry, Henry will be well taken care of. I'll be seeing you soon." Then she was gone, moving swiftly - too swiftly - from the clearing, Henry trotting happily after her.

Leaving Tommy standing in the middle of the wildflowers, five magic beans in hand, wondering when he'd told her his last name.

~*~

He'd dilly-dallied enough that Dream wasn't suspicious when he got home, not even expecting that he hadn't reached the town proper, or sold Henry to Punz, the local butcher. The man was in his study, pouring over the same thick tome from breakfast, scribbling in the margins in bright red ink whenever something caught his eye. Tommy lingered at the cracked door for a moment, taking a deep breath to settle his nerves before knocking against the frame.

"Dream? I'm home."

"Welcome back." Dream didn't sound particularly welcoming, and he didn't look up, just held up his empty hand expectantly. Swallowing down his nerves (which didn't work and just made a weird, lumpy feeling in his throat), Tommy dropped the bag of magic beans into his mentor's hand, grimacing when Dream's arm dipped, as though he'd been expecting more weight.

After all, fifty gold coins weighed a decent bit, unlike five beans.

Magic beans, he reminded himself, tensing as Dream went unsettlingly still, even his pen scratching to a stop, leaving a large, red blob on the page where it hovered.

"Tommy." It took every ounce of self-preservation and strength he had (and some he didn't) not to flee at the way Dream said his name. "What is this?"

"Payment. F-for Henry."

"Tommy." He did flinch this time, and hoped his mentor hadn't noticed. He didn't tolerate weakness. "Tommy, this is not fifty gold. Where is the money?"

"It's - it's better than gold!" Tommy scrambled to explain. "See, I met this woman on my way to town, in the woods, and she was interested in buying Henry-"

"Tommy." Dream carefully set his pen aside and pushed his chair back, rising to his feet, as the boy kept talking, desperate to explain.

"-and she offered me magic!" The boy gestured wildly to the bag, which was still clutched in Dream's curled fingers. "Five of them! Just look, Dream, I swear - they're gold and they look like that shoulder plate you have, the - the same weird purple sparkle thing! I promise, they're magic! "

The knight paused, eyes narrowing over his freckled cheeks at the words. They rarely discussed his focus of study aloud - after all, magic was taboo, a dangerous thing that had been taken from the world after the war five hundred years ago. Those found studying it, trying to learn about it and how to use it, were often executed without a trial, killed within the walls of their homes or libraries before the buildings were set aflame to remove any trace of the information and send a message to others foolish enough to try the same. Tommy had his secret, his albatross around his neck, but Dream had one too.

Slowly, the knight tugged the drawstring bag open and upended it over his palm. Tommy held his breath, partly in dread that the bag would be empty, it all a fever dream or a ruse, partly because he was excited to see them again, the sparkling gold seed coats and shimmering magic that danced above them.

Out of the bag fell five small, shriveled beans, dried and dead.

~*~

All things considered, he was lucky.

Tommy spat blood on the ground, grimacing as the yellow wildflowers were dyed a deep, ugly orange as a result. His lip, split and swollen, wouldn't stop bleeding, no matter how much pressure he put on it. Still, it wasn't his first split lip, and he doubted it would be his last. It wasn't his first bruised rib or black eye or swollen wrist either - just another series in a long list of injuries, all of them justly deserved.

And he'd be damned if he didn't deserve this one.

Dream had been sure to teach him where exactly he'd gone wrong. It was a simple lesson, but one he seemed incapable of learning.

Obey.

His head throbbed, and he paused to lean against a tree, pressing his forehead to the bark in a vain attempt to make the world stop turning. Gods above he was stupid - Dream was right. He was naive and idiotic and nothing more than a rube, falling for a pretty face and a sweet voice that promised more than he could ever hope to achieve.

Magic beans.

What a pile of shit.

And he'd eaten it all up.

Tommy curled his uninjured hand into a fist and pressed it to his cheek, right where the bruise from that morning had blossomed, creating a dark flower along the side of his face. The pain grounded him, helped him shove his self doubts to the back of his head. He could hate himself later - first he had to figure out where to spend the night.

After educating Tommy on where he'd gone wrong, Dream had given him his punishment: exile. For two weeks. The knight was heading to the capital for a tournament (which, without the money from Henry or her milk, was more important than ever now), and Tommy wasn't allowed within a mile of home while he was gone. The boy hadn't argued - he'd expected Dream to take the cost of the loss from his hide, sure that the knight would finally give up on his incompetent squire and sell him into slavery like he'd threatened so many times before. Instead, he had to spend the weeks in the forest, something he did whenever he had free time anyway.

Sure, he couldn't go back to the house to get food, and Dream hadn't let him grab anything to take with him, but it was fine. There would be berries to eat in the woods, and if he was lucky some fish in the brook he could catch. That was water and food, and he had trees for shelter. It wasn't winter yet, so he didn't need to worry about freezing to death during the night. He could do this - two weeks would be over before he knew it, and by the time Dream returned with another tournament win under his belt, he'd have forgotten all about Henry and the beans, and Tommy could return home and go back to training to be a squire like nothing had happened.

The beans. God. Tommy reached into his pocket and pulled out the small velvet bag Dream had thrown at his head in the midst of his lecture, grimacing as they clinked and clattered together. This was all because of the beans. Because of Kristin. He thought he could trust her, but no - no, he put his trust in her, and she'd ruined him. She must have switched the bags when he wasn't looking, leaving him to give Dream a bunch of worthless withered seeds. He snarled to himself, promising that if he ever saw her again, he'd give her a piece of his mind. Crushing the velvet in a fist, he pushed away from the tree and kept going, deeper into the woods.

Without realizing it, his feet fell along a familiar path, and he emerged in the same glade he had brought Henry to only a few short hours ago. Were they short? Or had they been long, endless, the time he spent wandering the dappled woods with his friend the best he'd spent since his childhood? He couldn't remember. He could remember her dark, liquid eyes, so full of wisdom and care, peering at him as she chewed on the clover, not understanding why they were out and about for the day, but knowing that as long as he was with her there was nothing to fear.

But there was something to fear, wasn't there? His naivety, his stupidity, his inability to think things through, to see what was right in front of his eyes. Kristin - if that was her real name - had been a scammer, a person who preyed on the foolish of the world to make themselves rich. She'd watched him be affectionate with Henry, picked up on his reluctance to continue to the town, and had played him like a fucking fiddle. And he hadn't hesitated - hadn't even asked the most basic questions, like where she was from, or what she did for a living, or how she found five fucking magic beans and why she would just willingly give them up to a kid she didn't know for a skinny cow who couldn't make milk.

Gods above, no wonder Dream had so much trouble teaching him. He really was pathetic.

He turned his back on the glade, on the half-eaten patch of clover and the browning apple crawling with ants, and headed deeper into the trees, away from the path to the village, away from the cottage and Dream, who'd be preparing for tomorrow's trip to the capital. What sky he could see between the heavy crowns of leaves adorning the trees began to streak with reds and oranges, before darkening towards purple as the sun set. Shadows began creeping from the underbrush just as he reached a small clearing, one not nearly as impressive as the glade, but good enough for the night.

Tommy limped over to one of the large oaks that surrounded the clearing like soldiers on watch and sunk down between its roots, grimacing as the movement pressed against his back and squished his ribs together. The bandages wrapped around his torso were tight, probably too tight, but he didn't want to unwrap them and risk having someone passing by see something they weren't supposed to, so he left them on. His stomach complained at being empty, and he pressed a hand to his gut, trying to quiet it. He'd find some food in the morning - for now he just wanted to sleep and try to forget his aches and pains. He shuffled and settled down in the space, huffing as something poked at his hip. With a growl, he yanked the bag of beans from his pocket and emptied it into his hand.

To his shock, the beans that fell into his palm were plump and gold, sparkling with that odd purple-silver sheen once again. He picked one up between his fingers and examined it closely. The bean was perfectly smooth, the size and shape of a large lima bean, and warm to the touch. Silver and purple sparks fell from it, vanishing before they landed on his skin. He couldn't believe it.

The woman had given him magical beans that were enchanted specifically to fuck him over.

He growled and, with a flick of his finger, sent the bean spiraling through the air. It landed in the middle of the clearing, disappearing into the grass with a wholly unsatisfying lack of noise. For a minute he entertained the idea of tossing the others, but restrained himself. If the beans were truly magical, he could probably find someone to take them off his hands, hopefully for a decent amount of gold. If he didn't get arrested for being in possession of a magical artifact.

Okay, maybe he wouldn't try to sell them. Still, he dropped the remaining beans back in the pouch, then dropped the pouch to the ground. He'd deal with the stupid 'fuck-over-Tommy' beans in the morning - right now he just wanted to sleep and put this awful day behind him. Drawing his knees up to his chest, he settled between the large roots of the oak, trying to make himself comfortable against the rough bark. It was a fruitless endeavor, and he fell asleep with a knot poking at his shoulder and a root digging into his ankle.

~*~

Tommy woke to something draped over his legs, keeping away the chill of morning. He shifted a bit, blindly groping for the edge of the blanket, wanting to tug it over his head and block the early sunshine from his eyes. He didn't remember having a blanket on his bed - Dream gave him one for the colder months, but it was mid-summer right now - but he wasn't going to argue against a bit of comfort. Not after how angry Dream had been yesterday.

He tugged the blanket again and, oddly enough, it tugged back, springing out of his hand and sprinkling him in a fine, cold mist. With a yelp he jolted upright, back and neck sore and protesting from hunching awkwardly against a tree all night, and looked around. Everywhere he could see was - green. Just green.

Tommy rubbed his eyes, wiping away the remains of sleep, and took another look. The majority of the clearing, which had been nothing but tall grass and wildflowers the night before, was now taken up by what appeared to be a giant green tree trunk, too large for him to wrap his arms around. The 'blanket' he'd been pulling on looked like a leaf, though it was easily large enough to be a bed. Slowly, careful of his sore ribs and throbbing ankle, he pushed himself to his feet and tried to make sense of the plant.

The middle was twisted, several separate trunks spiraling upwards, seeming to vanish into the clouds far above the forest. The leaves - all as large as the first, looking thick and rubbery, some dripping with early-morning dew - sprouted from the trunks, perky and green, healthy. Some small vines curled along them, and at the sight something in his mind clicked.

Beans.

The snap-pea vines in the garden had the same kind of curly-q stems that always emerged before growing a pod. He wasn't staring at a giant tree trunk - he was staring at a giant beanstalk. Pushing the leaf he'd been holding onto earlier aside, he hobbled forward, craning his neck back to try and take in the whole thing. He couldn't see any bean pods - would it have bean pods? If this thing grew from the gold magic bean he'd flicked away earlier, would the pods be gold? Or would they be green? He pressed a hand to the stalk and an odd, shimmery feeling washed over him - the same weird warmth the beans had radiated in his hand, but stronger, all-encompassing.

If there were beans hanging higher, how big would they be? Tommy stretched his arms out to either side, comparing his reach to the leaves around him, and concluded that any beans growing on this stalk would be more than enough to feed him until Dream came back from the tournament. Hell, one pod would probably be enough for a month of food! More than that, it would be enough to sell, to make up the fifty gold he owed Dream and beyond. They could have a fully-stocked larder for the first time in forever! No more scrounging for mushrooms at the forest edge or hoping the chickens laid enough eggs to sell and eat. They would be set for at least a year, if not more!

Backing away, he pushed aside the nearest leaf and squinted up at the stalk. It looked like it went into the clouds, but that was impossible - he always had to fix stakes and lines for the snap-pea vines to cling to. The vine likely ended just past the canopy, where the tree branches blocked his vision, and that's where the beans would be. He'd just have to climb up and shake a few loose! His ribs ached at the idea, and his back groaned, but he wasn't worried - he'd gone much higher, with much worse injuries. Besides, the bandages around his chest would keep his ribs in order. As for his back - well. There was nothing he could do for that.

Wiping his hands off on his shirt, Tommy stretched his fingers and examined the stalk. The twisting, spiraling vines made for plentiful handholds, and within moments he was off the ground, climbing easily around the leaves and curly-q stems that brushed against his shoulders and bounced with his weight. His ankle protested every time he had to put weight on it to shift around another leaf, but he ignored it, keeping his eyes on the prize. Not that he could see the prize - all he could spot as he climbed higher was more leaves, more stalk.

After ten minutes he paused, straddling a thick leaf stem and resting his front against the stalk, flexing his fingers as he caught his breath. He figured he was halfway to the top by now - he hadn't taken his eyes off the stalk, too busy looking for handholds - and near the crown of the forest. Shaking out his wrists, he glanced down, ready to see the few meters of progress he had made.

He did not expect to see the tops of the trees nearly twenty feet below him, swaying gently in the morning breeze. Jaw dropped, he stared out at the world, the rippling sea of green that swallowed almost everything he could see. To his left, the forest dropped off to a small valley, where the peaks of the houses could barely be seen. Far, far to his right, he could see where the forest began to thin, giving way to rolling hills. Tucked near the woods was a single, slightly-crooked chimney, where Dream's cottage and small farm was.

Tommy should not be this high. Clinging to the stalk, he peered down again at the trees, at how the branches surrounded the stalk, brushing against it. He couldn't recall climbing past them, pushing leaves and twigs out of his way as he grappled the stalk to keep his balance. The sun didn't seem any higher than when he'd first started his climb, meaning he hadn't lost track of time and zoned out (as he sometimes did during boring chores and lessons).

As if sensing his unease, a warmth pulsed against his hand from the stalk, and the nerves in his stomach quelled. Obviously he had been too focused on the end goal to notice a few silly branches in his way. He was Big Man Tommy Innit, some twigs and leaves weren't going to stop him from his adventure up the giant beanstalk! Pulling his gaze away from the trees, he tilted back a bit, trying to see if he was near the top yet. There were no hanging pods in sight, gold or otherwise, so he supposed there was still a ways to go. Pressing his feet firmly against the swirling stalk, he resumed his climb, ignoring the heated pain in his ankle and the protesting throb of his ribs. The magic leaking off the stalk, flowing through his fingers like a warm drink on a cool night, soothed the worst of the pain, urging him every upwards.

When he came back to himself, it was because of the cold. Blinking, he pulled back his hand, staring at the water droplets clinging to it, then looked around. Clouds - though they look more like thick fog this close up - surround him, soaking his shirt and pants and tickling his feet through his tattered shoes. A quick glance down showed the forest, town, and cabin in one view, and then beyond. He could see the large river to the east, and the capital city of Manberg just a speck at its far end. Beyond them, the ocean is a mere thread of silver on the horizon. Looking the other way revealed mountains, more villages and hamlets dotted in valleys and nestled among other forests, all trailing off to a patchwork quilt of farmland.

He hasn't been this high in years, not since before his parents left.

Tommy dug his nails into the stalk at the memory, and sap leaked onto his fingers. Instead of the thin, clear-green that came from his snap peas, the ichor was gold, thick like molten metal, and warm. He almost yanked his hands away - almost overbalanced backwards and threw himself from the stalk to what would inevitably be his death - but a warm, calming pulse slid down his arms, soothing away the shock and calming his heart.

He had nothing to worry about - nothing to think of, except getting to the top and finding the bean pods. Heights had never bothered him, and the chilly wind and embrace of the clouds was invigorating. His aches and pains were nothing but a faint memory now, the magic dripping from the stalk a balm to his bruises. Once he was at the top - once he reached his goal, had his prize - he could worry about other things. For now, all he had to do was climb. That's what the magic told him.

So he did.

~*~

Awareness snapped back as the sun bathed his face, warm and welcoming, a drastic change from the chill of the towering clouds he'd pulled himself through. He paused, curling his fist around the nearest leaf stem, and tilted his head back to enjoy the warmth. The air felt warmer, too, which was odd - this high, above the clouds, should be freezing. His father had always made him dress warmly when they went anywhere near this high, and that was only for special occasions. Shaking away the thought with another pulse from the stalk, he looked around.

And promptly fell from his perch.

Luckily, the ground was not far - in fact, the ground was only a few feet away, dark soil damp and soft. He landed on his back, which cried in protest, the air knocked from his lungs. The sun continued to shine down cheerfully from the blue sky above, only a few wisps of cloud visible as they scuttled along in the higher winds. He wanted to move - he should, he doesn't know where he is, what dangers could be lurking - but his ribs and ankle both protested the idea, the pain bleeding back into his senses without the magic of the beanstalk to soothe it away.

Speaking of the beanstalk, it had come to an end. It burst through the earth, as though this was where it had been planted, and hadn't grown to astronomical heights. From his vantage on the ground, he could see the way it twisted upon itself, growing thinner and thinner, until finally it began to bend, the stalks separating into a flare of curly-Q vines. For a minute, Tommy doubted himself - doubted the ache in his fingers and toes, the chill still clinging to his damp clothes, the memory of staring down at the forest far below as he touched the clouds. But when he slowly pushed himself up and glanced around, he saw nothing familiar - this wasn't the clearing where the stalk originally grew.

It reminded him of a jungle - he'd seen them before, etched in green ink in picture books and world maps. On either side of the dark dirt path he was sitting on were towering plants, though they seemed oddly separated, the ground cover rather sparse. To his left were bushes with thick, wide leaves that hung close to the ground, thick with veins and curling along the edges. To his right were thin stalks of what almost looked like bamboo, but they split apart just above the dirt and burst into leafy ferns near the top. The roots of some looked oddly orange. Beyond them were more plants - dark purple bushes made of overlapping, frilly leaves, short green trees clustered in the center of large, wavy fronds, and beyond all that were towering trees with thin gold trunks and no branches. The path stretched out to either side, vanishing into the horizon on one end, and at an odd cliff face on the other.

When nothing jumped out from the jungle, Tommy pushed himself to his feet, rubbing at his ribs as they throbbed in protest. There were a few odd structures he could see - in the distance, partially hidden in the not-bamboo, was what looked like some strange, collapsed tent, alongside a giant metal sled. Farther down the path he'd landed on (which was strangely wide and devoid of wagon tracks and footprints) was a large, metal building with a domed room and an odd chimney curling up from the side. He'd never seen something like it - all the buildings in the village were made of stone and wood, with glass windows if the family had the money.

Maybe there was a door or something on the other side - it couldn't hurt to take a look, see if there was somebody there who knew where they were, and how he could get home. The dirt didn't crunch beneath his feet - it was damp and loose, and clung to his shoes in crumbling clumps as he walked. Unlike the soil at home, which was mostly dust and rock and required constant watering, this was loamy, perfect gardening soil. If the ground back home was like this, he'd never need to worry about his carrots or potatoes again! Maybe he could bring some home with him - just a couple sacks, enough to cover the vegetables and give them a better chance.

He was halfway to the house before something moved in the leaves. He jumped, staring at the strange bushes on his left as the leaves shook, then shifted, and a bright red creature marched out. It was the size of a cat and had six legs and a round body, which was a mixture of black, white, and red. There were antennas sticking out above its eyes, waving wildly as it trundled past Tommy without a passing glance. The red shell on its back was split down the middle, each side dotted with a reflection of black spots, and as it brushed past him part of the shell parted and little clear wings buzzed before settling back down. Without a sound it crossed the path, disappearing in the odd almost-bamboo.

That…was a ladybug.

Tommy stared at where it had disappeared, trying dazedly to get his brain to restart. That had been a ladybug, an insect that shouldn't have been half as big as his finger nail, but he could have easily picked it up and given it a hug (not that he would). So he had ended up in a jungle that had giant ladybugs. That was, uh, something. Something great! Never let it be said that Tommy wasn't anything but respectful to the ladies! His many, many wives would agree with that. And if the ladies here were bigger than normal, well, good for them.

Shaking off his shock, he started towards the metal house again, and if he was walking a bit faster than before, well, that was his business. He'd nearly made it, veering slightly off the center of the path to approach the wall, when the ground shook. It was barely a tremble at first, just enough to make him pause before putting his foot down. There was an accompanying sound - a booming thud that seemed to roll through the jungle - and he paused, but nothing emerged from the trees. A moment later the sound repeated, and the ground shook more noticeably. He picked up his pace until he was right next to the building, ignoring the screaming of his ankle as he leaned against it, glancing at the foliage as he tried to pick out where the noise was coming from.

It repeated again, over and over, growing louder like a fast-approaching storm, and the trembling of the earth grew with it. Tommy flattened himself against the building and moved around it slowly, until the weird bushes were at his back and he could peer down at the path that stretched into the horizon without being spotted. The sound felt like it was almost upon him, and then a shadow fell over the path and the plants, and a mountain stepped into view.

The mountain had two arms, two legs, pink hair, and was at the very least seventy feet tall. Tommy's father had taught him all about estimating heights and distances - it was important for them to understand, to avoid obstacles, so he'd learned and practiced, even after being taken in by Dream. Now, he felt a flicker of regret - maybe if he didn't have a good grasp on space and size, he wouldn't be leaning so heavily against the metal building, trying to keep his trembling legs beneath him as the mountain stepped onto the path, which was just large enough for it to stand without crushing any of the plants.

He (at least Tommy thought it was a he, the boy wasn't about to go up and ask the walking mountain for their pronouns) was looking around at the plants, hands on hips, dressed in a pair of dark trousers tucked into leather boots and a white shirt with flowing sleeves. His hair was a soft pink, tied back from his face and falling over one shoulder in a loose braid. Gold glinted in his floppy pink ears, and more shone from the tusks that curled from his mouth, which was drawn in a relaxed line as he surveyed the land. When the giant turned slightly, Tommy caught sight of a tail, long and thin with a tuft of pink fur on the end, waving slowly behind him.

There were two reasons what Tommy was seeing was impossible.

The first was that giants were extinct. They had been for five hundred years, their entire race brought to an end by the famous Jack the Giant Slayer. All of the kingdom knew of Jack - he'd been a young knight-in-training at the time, when the giants had begun to grow too powerful, too dangerous, to coexist with the humans in the kingdom. A war had started, and many humans had been killed by the giants. Then Jack had been gifted a pair of enchanted goggles (everyone argued about whether they had red or blue lenses) and tasked with destroying the giants by the king himself. Jack had set off into the forest with his most trusted warriors and killed the last of the giants. He'd returned alone, his friends and allies killed in the final battle, and at last the land had been safe.

The second was that hybrids were illegal and not to be seen. They had magic, the same kind as giants. At first they'd been accepted with the giants gone, them being the larger threat. Then a botched assassination attempt on the royal family by a group of hybrids had soured that relationship, and the overwhelmingly human population had turned against them. Most left, escaping through the mountains or over the seas to kinder kingdoms that welcomed their magic and odd traits. Some stayed, hiding ears and tails and other features as best they could to remain in their homeland. There were rumors of small villages, communes, of hybrids deep in forests and high atop mountains, who lived openly with their magic, unafraid of the kingdom's hatred towards them. As the generations shifted, less and less hybrids appeared, and eventually almost none were born. Those that remained hid as best they could, never touching their magic, not knowing how to light the spark that laid within them. They were still dangerous, however - still inhuman, still not meant to be among the normal good folk of the kingdom.

That's what Dream had told him, at least - he could remember the picture books about Jack from when he went to school in the city, but everything he learned about hybrids came from the knight, after he'd taken him in. The giant standing at the end of the path stood in direct contrast to what he'd been taught - a dual contradiction to what Tommy knew was true.

Giants were extinct, and hybrids weren't to be seen.

Yet there stood a giant, with very obvious piglin hybrid traits on full display.

While Tommy wrestled with his inner turmoil and the trembling of his legs, the giant knelt down and examined the leaves of the odd bushes. He wrapped his large hands (large enough to pick Tommy up, large enough to snatch him, large enough to crush him without a thought) around one bundle of leaves and carefully pulled them up, revealing a large brown lump dangling from the bottom.

That was a potato.

That was a potato that was bigger than Tommy.

Tommy dug his nails into the side of the metal building (not a building, he glanced up at the chimney - the spout, it was a goddamned watering can), trying to keep himself upright. He'd never, in all his fourteen years, thought he'd be in this situation. Not outside of playing pretend with Tubbo, not outside of his own imagination.

The giant examined the potato, brushing away the dirt that clung to it, before nodding to himself and setting it aside. He dusted his hands off on his trousers and glanced around the garden (a garden, not a jungle - neat rows of plants growing eagerly beneath the summer sun in the rich soil, thriving beneath the giants' care), inspecting them all with a critical crimson eye. His gaze swept over the path and he paused. Tommy's heart leapt into his throat - had he been seen? The giant was standing now, and Tommy flattened himself against the watering can, praying that the hybrid's ears couldn't pick up on his racing heart or stuttering breath.

Lady Death must have been watching out for him, because the giant passed without even glancing at the watering can. He cast a shadow over the path as he stomped by, steps shaking the ground enough that Tommy sunk to his knees, still leaning against the can to keep from landing on his ass. The giant stopped by the beanstalk, bending over to examine it, and the human felt his stomach fall in a sick swoop - the plant barely reached the giant's knee.

Said giant didn't seem very pleased to see a stalk he hadn't planted growing strong and healthy from the soil. He humphed and muttered something to himself, sliding one of the leaves between his fingers and giving it a tug. A bit louder, he grunted, "Why is one of her plants here?" Another tug at the leaf and it slipped between his fingers, the whole plant snapping back before swaying into place. He ran a large hand down his face, before growling and wrapping a fist around the stalk, squishing the leaves in his way. An odd glow surrounded his fingers, a strange thrum lit the air, and in seconds the plant withered, all life drained from it, leaving only a decayed brown stem and some dried, crinkled leaves behind.

Tommy couldn't breathe.

Not only had the giant - the hybrid giant - just destroyed his only hope of returning home (probably), he'd done so with magic. Magic he'd used as easily as breathing, without an incantation or spell circle or potion. Magic that was dangerous, that was deadly. Magic that had been stamped out in the kingdom for the safety of everyone, magic that he had no defense against, magic that made something within him flicker and wake for the first time in seven years, magic that worked, unlike Dream's.

He pressed a curled fist to his chest, trying to drag a breath into his lungs, which felt like shriveled grapes on a sun-scorched vine. They fought against the air, and he wheezed, faintly recognizing that he was panicking but unsure of how to calm down. His usual counting breaths tactic didn't seem like enough with the enormity of the situation. He shuffled back, pushing his heels against the dirt so he was better hidden around the curve of the watering can, out of sight of the giant, and grabbed his hair, tugging harshly on it. The pain was grounding, somewhat, snapping him out of the overwhelming fear. It was still there - still crawling up his throat, still cramping his empty stomach and making him nauseous, but he was able to drag in a strangled breath, and with one breath came a second, and then a third, all loud and gasping like a dry docked fish but there nonetheless.

The giant shifted, ground trembling beneath his boots, and made a curious sound - like a 'heh?' only far too loud. Tommy pressed himself closer to the watering can, as though he could meld with the metal and vanish from sight if only he got close enough. The giant's shadow grew longer as he stood, enveloping the can and Tommy, and the ground began to quake as he stepped closer.

Oh god, this was it. Even if he wanted to run, to try and disappear in the foliage of the potato greens ahead of him, his ankle wouldn't hold him up. His ribs were screaming in protest at his breathing, as shallow as it was, and the world was tilting a bit with the lack of oxygen. The giant would find him, no doubt, and he'd be easy pickings. Fee-fi-fuck-him, there was nothing he could do against a giant piglin hybrid that could use magic.

"Techno!"

The shout - loud enough to rattle his eardrums - startled Tommy, the back of his head crashing against the watering can as he jerked at the sudden noise. He whipped his head to the other side of the path, the one that stretched out into nothing instead of ending at a cliff (a fence, now that he could place it - a wooden plank fence that seemed to surround all of the garden but the entrance, bleached gray-white by the years in the sun). Another giant had appeared, this one blonde and wearing a stupid-looking bucket hat, and a black shirt beneath robes of gold-trimmed green. There was some weird backpack or cloak peeking over his shoulders. He had a wide smile on his scruffy face, blue eyes sparkling as he pushed his hat back and hailed the other giant.

"Phil." Giant number one - Techno, apparently? - greeted with a grunt. "There a reason your wife is growing plants in my garden again?"

The shadow moved past his hiding spot, and Tommy watched as feet large as wagons passed him by, heading down the path to greet giant number two - Phil. What kind of terrifying giant name was Phil? Techno he could get behind - there was something sinister about the harsh sound that came in the middle, the ch, the te-CH-no. Tech-no. No. No mercy. But Phil? That was all rounded corners and soft curves, and the man looked it, too. He was shorter than Techno by a bit - Tommy squinted and remembered his fathers lessons on estimating, and figured he must be about sixty feet, maybe sixty-one. The odd outfit covered most of his frame, but his fingers were thin and delicate, his cheekbones defined. Compared to the absolute brute that was the piglin hybrid, he looked like a stick.

Phil grinned, reaching up to pull off his hat so he could run a hand through his tangle of blonde hair. The white feathers that framed his face in place of ears fluffed up as they were freed from his horrible choice of headwear, flicking before he soothed them down. The not-a-cloak shifted, then stretched out into a truly impressive pair of large wings, the feathers a deep blue-gray, striped with thin lines of white and black. The avian hybrid - and why not, why not two giant hybrids, honestly how could it make this whole situation any worse? - shook out his feathers, then let his wings rest half-folded against his back, a relaxed pose that Tommy had once seen often on his own father.

His back strained, atrophied muscles stretching in a vain attempt to mimic what he had seen, and Tommy had to bite back a jealous warble at the sight. He pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the rough bandages beneath the worn fabric of his shirt, reminding himself that he couldn't stretch his wings, that he hadn't been able to for a long time. The giants spoke as he battled his instincts, oblivious to the mental war happening among their potatoes.

"Phil, why do you look guilty?"

"Mate, it's not what you think!"

"And what do I think?"

"Well it's nothing bad, I swear. It's a gift!"

"...a gift."

"From my wife. Y'know, the La-"

"I know who your wife is, Phil."

"Yeah, well, she just popped by an hour or so ago and dropped her off for you."

Techno shuffled, kicking up dirt with his heels, nearly crushing a beetle that was trundling by without a thought. The beetle seemed unbothered, but the sharp movement rattled Tommy enough that he jumped, pulling himself to his feet so he was in a better position for proper fight or flight. Shaking off his instincts, shoving them back down into the well Dream had helped him build and locking them away, he refocused on the giants and their conversation. The two seemed completely oblivious to him, so he dared to edge forward a bit, still pressed against the watering can but able to see more of the pair.

Phil was holding a rope, leading to something just out of sight behind the fenceline. Techno was leaning against said fence, staring at the avian with a truly impressive flat expression. Tommy was pretty sure he'd seen more emotion in Dream's mask.

"Your wife stole you a cow as a gift? What anniversary is that?"

The avian sighed, a full-body affair - he rolled his eyes heavenwards and slumped his shoulders, wings ruffling with annoyance. Tommy's dad had done the same thing when he asked too many questions, or interrupted boring adult conversations. The familiar movement made him feel - fond, oddly, of the giant, though he quickly shoved the very idea into his well of feelings-we-don't-think-about alongside his instincts. What a stupid idea, feeling fond of a giant!

"The fourth," Phil's deadpan wasn't nearly as good as Techno's, but he gave it his best shot, "but it only counts if the cow jumped over the moon first." The piglin's mouth twitched at the corner, and he leaned back, still looking skeptical. "But it's not our anniversary," the avian gently tugged on the rope, pulling what was apparently a cow closer, "and Kristin bought her for you."

Said cow clomped into sight, large head hovering at Phil's shoulder, and blinked her large, liquid eyes as she took in Techno. The piglin huffed, but raised a hand and rested it between her ears, giving her a gentle pat. She lowed, sniffing at his arm curiously, tilting her head to the side so Tommy could see the scar lining the side of her cheek, ending just beneath her left eye.

Tommy knew that scar.

He'd been there when it happened.

He could still remember the smell of blood mixed with stale hay, the dripping of the wound as Henry cried in pain, the stern expression on Dream's face as he pulled the knife back.

Standing between the two giants, now towering a near-unfathomable height herself, was Henry.

Huge thanks to Moonstone for beta-ing for me! So this started out as a crack idea and then the worldbuilding got away from me so...have some lore-heavy Dream SMP in Mother Goose Land! I already have ideas for a couple other stories (Wilbur and the Three Bears and Rapunzel starring Technoblade). I hope you enjoyed, if you did please PLEASE leave a comment! Even just an 'I like this write more!' really helps me stay motivated!

Cheers, all you lovely, lovely peeps!

#mcyt #dream smp #dsmp #tommyinnit #dreamwastaken #dream smp fanfiction #dsmp kristin #philza #philza minecraft #philza dsmp #technoblade #technoblade dsmp #mcyt g/t #g/t #giant/tiny #Jack and the Beanstalk #Fairy Tale AU #Arc Writes

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sunfish-studies · 3 years

Text

Celebration

✄・・・ Feathery Ink [Karasuno Manager Series]

➜ Pairing: Karasuno x Manager! Reader

➜ Warning: none

➜ Notes: This is a separate series from Crisp Leaves. Similar to Crisp Leaves, manager in this story will be portrayed as a girl. She will be tall. This is just my appreciation towards tall girls, you guys are amazing.

Previous: ‹ Cogs › | Next: ‹ Let The Games Begin! ›

↷ SUMMARY ↶

Last day of training calls for celebration for everyone’s hard work, so it’s barbeque time!

“All right, meat!”

“I’m starving!”

While the boys freshened up after practice matches, the managers were already on the move to prepare for the barbeque. Since there were quite a lot of people, the coaches decided to held it on the backyard of the gym, where the sharp hill stood just beside it. The coaches helped setting up the grills while the managers divided to cater different things.

Yachi decided she would get the utensils they needed; paper plates, chopsticks, paper cups, trays for rice balls, and other things. Shimizu would cover for the rice ball making, Yukie and Eri were in charge on cutting the vegetables in bite-size, Kaori and Mako would clean the vegetables before it was cut.

Meanwhile, you’re in charge of preparing the condiments and sauces, unwrapping the meat cuts, and arranged them on a bigger plate. Aside from that you had to make sure the meats searing on the grills weren’t charred.

“[Name]-chan, please replace me for cutting the onions,” Eri sobbed, reaching out to you with grabby hands.

“Alright, senpai,” you giggled in reply because Eri was clearly needing a break and watching the meats seared was a great break for her. Quickly, you stood on her place and started slicing the tear-induced-menaces after washing your hands.

It didn’t take long for you to suffer the same fate as the Ubugawa’s manager–the first seven slices went through without a hitch, but when you reached the tenth your eyes started to sting and blurry from the pain. Then tears began trailing down your cheeks, and you wiped it you’re your shirt sleeve.

“D-Don’t cry, [Name]-san!!” you looked up, seeing Hinata with his place face quivering on his feet. “W-what should I do!?”

“It’s fine, Shoyo-kun, it’s just the onions,” you sniffled pointed towards the bowl full of it. “It hurts my eyes.”

“I can take your place, Otohaku-chan!” Lev popped up beside Hinata.

“Instead of cutting the onions, you’ll chop your fingers off,” Yaku deadpanned before offering. “Here, let me do it.”

“No, it’s alright, Yaku-san,” you shook your head. “It’s time for you to have a break, not working.”

Being persistent sometimes has it’s perks, it took numbers of rejection to finally have Yaku gave up. You knew he was just trying to help, but you didn’t want to rob his time relaxing. When all the preparations were done, the boys were already surrounding the grills with hungry faces. Coach Nekomata gave them a light speech along with praises for their hard work over the week, and they dived to grab on the meat straight from the grill.

“THANKS FOR THE FOOD!”

Just like Kaori, you brought a plate of rice balls to offer and managed to witnessed Yukie’s enormous appetite. She practically inhaled four rice balls in one go and you’re not the only who was dumbfounded from it.

Konoha and Komi almost had their souls went to heaven from the frightening circle Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Taketora made. Well, they did elbow each other to encourage one another getting close or at least having a talk with Shimizu. The girl walked pass them holding a paper plate with food–looking extremely gorgeous and she didn’t even try.

“That was scary,” Konoha muttered underneath his breath. The three finally stopped because of Karasuno and Nekoma’s captain scolded them–the three immediately shrunk.

“They really had their guard up, huh,” Komi added, feeling his energy drained from such a scary encounter.

“Uhm, excuse me,” the two turned to look over their shoulder and that’s when they noticed–Karasuno’s other first year manager who’s Bokuto constantly talking about. The owl captain wouldn’t shut up about her much to their annoyance and now they knew why.

“Would you like some rice ball?”

“Sure,” Konoha replied dumbly.

“I’ll take two,” Komi followed with a daze. You placed one on Konoha’s empty paper plate and two for Komi upon his request. Smiling at them, you proceeded to excuse yourself so you could offer to someone else.

Following your figure dazedly, they noticed how the light shone even brighter and basked you in a beautiful glow. That’s when they thought of a conclusion.

A goddess just graces us mere mortals! They screamed in their head.

You tried to calm Yachi down from her traumatizing experience being surrounded by absurdly tall boys (“Titans, [Name]-chan! Titans!”). Thankfully, all of them were nice enough to made room so your friend could reach for some meat. Yachi almost cried in happiness from the real taste of meat.

From the sidelines, Shimizu and the other managers were watching the two of you while talking about the boys sometimes.

“How much are you going to eat?” Kaori questioned because Yukie was having a ridiculous amount of food towering on her plate and she just kept munching away without care.

“The third-years in Karasuno all seems pretty mature,” Mako commented.

“Our ace is weak-willed, though,” Shimizu smiled sheepishly.

“What? Really?” Eri replied in surprise. “Even though he looks that scary?”

“Though, I think that’s still better than our simpleton ace,” Kaori commented. “Still,”

Their eyes were directed towards where the said simpleton ace was standing and placing meat until it towered on your empty plate.

“Eat more, [Name]-chan! Or you won’t get even taller!” he stated.

“And eat more vegetables!” Kuroo added, placing cabbages and carrots to your plate, adding even more food.

“Have some rice balls, too.” Somehow, even Akaashi participated in this whole fiasco and put a rice ball onto your plate. Now, there’s a ridiculous amount of food on your plate.

“…I can’t eat this much,” you commented, staring at the food filling your plate.

“Nonsense, I don’t see you eat anything even when the others are,” Akaashi stated. “You’re too busy handling other things nonstop.”

“Have a break will you,” Kuroo patted your back. “Everyone’s having fun and you should too.”

“Have more meat, [Name]-san!” Hinata said.

“You can have my share, Otohaku-chan!” Lev followed and you immediately shook your head.

“At least he and Akaashi took care of our baby manager well,” Kaori sighed in relief.

“[Name]-chan is close with Fukurodani’s captain and setter, huh? Even Nekoma’s captain,” Mako giggled. “She’s drawing everyone in.”

“Well, it’s rare for a first-year to be as tall as her,” Eri grinned. “The boys are especially poles so it’s probably great not to strain their neck once in a while from looking down.”

“Karasuno’s pretty lucky to have her, huh?” Yukie said after swallowing her food.

“Yeah, we are,” Shimizu smiled.

“Did you have fun?” Sawamura asked you when you’re helping other managers to clean up the remaining plates left behind on the table along with other scraps littering around. He picked up a few paper cups and placed it into the trash bin.

“Definitely,” you answered without hesitation. “Everyone’s so nice, it’s probably the most fun I’ve had.”

“Thank goodness, then,” he gave you a smile.

“I’m really glad I joined the volleyball club,” you commented, grinning.

“And we glad to have you here,” the captain chuckled and replied.

Everything was over by the time the sun started to sink into the horizon–time truly flew by when you enjoyed it. Since Miyagi was quite a distance from Saitama, they needed to depart first or they would be back extremely late at night. Yukie and Eri were fake-crying and joking about refusing to let you go–in the end, you’re all exchanging numbers so you could keep in touch.

“Did you have fun, Otohaku-san?”

“Coincidentally, you asked the same question as my captain, Akaashi-san.” The Fukurodani setter, like before, helping you on carrying the extra luggage in hand although you did tell him it’s only until you reached the stairs. “And to answer, I am. These one week of training camp is fun. Somehow, I don’t want this to be over.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll meet again,” Akaashi replied. “At the Spring Interhigh.”

“I’m sure we will, Akaashi-san.” you smiled. “And thank you for helping me with luggage.”

“[Name]-chan!!” Bokuto bounded over with a grin plastered on his face. “We’ll be waiting at the nationals!”

“Karasuno, Bokuto-san. Otohaku-san doesn’t play volleyball.” Akaashi deadpanned.

“Just agree with me once, Akaashi!”

“Well, whatever he said,” Kuroo piped up, approaching the three of you. “Made sure your team go to the nationals so we could meet again and make the battle came true.”

“I’ll do my best, Kuroo-san.” Then Kuroo reached out to ruffle your hair, it’s been a while since he did that and you weren’t even going to lie about enjoying it. The cat captain was similar to an older brother now.

“Off you go then, [Name],” he removed his hand from your head. “And don’t miss me.”

“How could I when I have your phone number, Kuroo-san?” you snickered. “You’re probably going to bombard me with chemistry puns at 10pm.”

“Then, I’m gonna call you every day so you won’t have to deal with Kuroo!” Bokuto declared before laughing victoriously.

“Please block his number immediately, Otohaku-san,” Akaashi stated. “Or you won’t be getting any sleep. His talking is endless.”

“Why, Akaashi!?” the said boy whined.

“Aside from that, be careful on your way home,” Akaashi decided to ignore the captain and gave you a small smile.

You returned his smile. “Will do, Akaashi-san.”

With that, the whole week of summer training camps has come to an end. The whole team watched you guys drove away into the other way back to Miyagi.

“You have a match tomorrow, don’t you?” former Coach Ukai questioned, brows creased from the insistence of your combi. “That’s probably enough, then!”

“One more! Just one more!” Hinata pleaded.

“We’ll finish after this one!” Kageyama added.

Two days of practicing to prepare for the preliminaries, just a day before the match Sawamura dismissed them early to get some rest. Since it would be impossible to use the gym unless getting an earful from him, Kageyama and Hinata needed to look for another place. Former Coach Ukai lent them the court only for a bit, just until the others who wants to practice comes.

And you were there to hold a leash if they’re being stubborn or something.

“This is the last, alright?” you scolded the two. “We shouldn’t bother the others who wants to practice here. And you should rest before the match.”

Thankfully the older man letting them had the court just one more time and you couldn’t help but feeling grateful of it. You sighed before turning to face former Coach Ukai and bowed down. “On their behalf, I apologize.”

“It’s fine.” Former Coach Ukai dismissed it. “Their eagerness is a great thing, but even eagerness isn’t going to magically give them energy. It would be bad if they burnt out even before the game started.”

“[Name]-san! Can you throw us the ball?” Hinata called out.

In the end, the two managed to successfully killed the quick–and sure enough, it also impressed former Coach Ukai which added more reassurance that your team would be more than okay to face the entire preliminaries and became champions.

319 notes · View notes

buttterknifeee · 3 years

Text

How long is forever? - Teen Titans x Aquagirl!Reader

Masterlist

Request: "Hello, May I request an episode insert in the Teen Titans episode 'How Long Is Forever?'"

Summary: Starfire takes a trip to the future... only to find out that you and the other Titans have disbanded. Will she find a way back to the present, or will you live an unfulfilling life forever?? (from S2 EP1)

Pairings: None

Word Count: 3919

A/N: Hey!!! sorry this took a while, it was super hard to write it due to most of it being in Starfire's POV. Most of the episodes in the series are centered around specific titans, so if you have an idea for an Aquagirl centered episode, feel free to send it in!!! (theres also a grand total of one cuss word in there)

Aquagirl’s Room - 2004

“Where is it? Where is it?” you mumble, tearing your room apart. You were looking for one of your CDs that you were in the mood for listening to. You threw your clothes into the air, looked under your bed, and even checked inside of your fish tank, holding the water containing a few tropical fish above you until you gave up. You sighed, finally checking the clock. You realized that you’ve been in your room for an hour and you haven’t even said hello to the other titans. You quickly change into your suit and head to the living room.

You stretched as you walked in. “Hey guys-” you stop in confusion at the scene in front of you. Starfire was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, holding a bunch of necklaces and boxes and babbling something about “Blorthorg”, Beast Boy and Cyborg were brawling for a video game remote, Raven was reading silently and holding up a pair of nail clippers (?) telepathically, and Robin….

Anger bubbles up inside of you as you realize that he was in front of the stereo, blasting music. From your CD. You cross your arms as you march up to the Boy Wonder.

“Hey Rob, whatcha doing with my CD?” You say. “What, was Kelly Clarkson too quiet for you?”

Raven adds, “Yeah Robin, could the music be a little louder? I can still hear myself think.”

He glares at the two of you “I don’t listen- I only turned the music up to DROWN OUT ALL THE YELLING!!” He refers to the two boys. Cyborg now had Beast Boy in a headlock, holding the controller triumphantly.

“Whose turn is it now, tough guy? Whose turn is it now?” Cyborg taunts the green teen.

“Knock it off! I can't work with you two acting like idiots!” Robin yells.

“Work?? The only “work” I see you doing is stealing my stuff!” You snap.

“Great. More yelling will definitely stop the yelling.” Raven says, a sarcastic smirk on her face.

The three of you glared at each other, Cyborg and Beast Boy were still fighting, and one of Starfire’s necklaces broke, its beads tumbling onto the ground.

“STTTOOOOPPPPP!” the alien princess screamed. You stared at her in surprise. She took a deep breath and recomposed herself.

“ Friends must never behave this way, and especially not on Blorthog! Do you wish to invite the Rekmas?” she said.

“Gesundheit?” Beast Boy said, confused by her vocabulary.

“On my world, ‘Rekmas’ means ‘the Drifting.’” she explains. “The point at which close friends begin to drift apart, and their friendship begins to die.” She frowned. You immediately felt bad for all the yelling you did.

“Aw, come on, Starfire.” Cyborg comes to her side.

“We are so not Rek-whatever-ing.” Beast Boy reassures her.

“We're getting on each other's nerves a little. Big deal.” Raven says.

“Fighting’s just a part of life. As long as we resolve it, we’ll be fine.” You say.

“Yeah. This is just typical roommate stuff. We're not going to drift apart, Star. I promise. We'll all be friends forever.” Robin declares

“Forever?” Starfire asks. Before you could answer, Robin’s T-communicator beeped. The communicator was flashing red, and he turned to you and the others.

“Titans! Trouble!” he says. You all rush out of the Tower and into the city.

You find the “trouble” in the Jump City museum. It was a man wearing black and gold armor and a goatee: Warp. He was monologuing to a bunch of guards that he had frozen.

“I didn't journey back in time one hundred years to squabble, I came to steal.” You see him reaching for one of the clocks. “The Clock of Eternity. Valuable in the past, priceless in the future.” Robin steppeds forward, throwing his birdirang to knock Warp’s hand back.

“But for the present...you'll keep your filthy hands off it.” He says, announcing the Titans’ entrance. The man turns to the six of you.

"The Teen Titans. This is a treat. I read all about you in the historical archives. And now, you're all history!” He fires his laser at you all.

“Titans! Go!” Robin yells as you scramble to dodge his rays. He blocks Warp’s rays with his staff, but at the last shot the staff breaks, and he backed up. Starfire blasts her starbolts at him, but the bolts ricochet off of him and hits her, sending her to the ground. You and Beast Boy attack him now, a stream of water lifting you into the air by your feet. You put your hands in front of you and a jet of water blasts out of your hands, heading straight for Warp. He held his hand us as the water made contact with him, and froze the water. The ice traveled up the jet of water and onto your hands, encasing them in the long shard of ice. You fell, the weight of the ice dragging you down. You winced as you saw Beast Boy meet a similar fate, his animal form frozen in ice next to you. You struggled to free your hands as Cyborg and Raven both went down. Robin gives one last attempt to take Warp down, running towards him.

“You cannot defeat Warp. I am from the future.” He says, throwing disks towards Robin. He dove to the side as the projectiles exploded. “And your relics are one hundred years out of date." He grabs the clock and presses a blue lens from his armor. Suddenly, a blinding white portal forms in front of him. Your hands were still stuck so you had to squint.

“Ta-ta, Titans. I have enjoyed our time together, but I've got a very bright future ahead of me.” He sneers, stepping through the portal. You finally pull your hands out of the chunk of ice just in time to see Starfire slam into Warp, sending the two of them into the portal.

“Starfire!” Robin yells, trying to dive in after her, only for the portal to close and him to fall on the floor. You pull him up from the ground and look around. Starfire was gone.

Titan’s Tower-2024

Starfire couldn’t believe what was going on. After tackling Warp, she ripped off the lens on his suit and ended up in Jump City, 20 years into the future. She found Cyborg alone in the rotting Titans Tower, hooked up to a large battery. He explained that the day she left, the Titans fell apart, and disbanded soon after. He told her that the others can help her get back to the present, telling her where to find you, Beast Boy, and Raven.

She found herself at a circus whilst looking for Beast Boy. There in a cage, sat Beast Boy, changing into various animals. She approached the cage as he turned back into his human form. He was now a pudgy old man, with a great deal of hair loss. He looked at her with wide eyes through the bars.

“No way! It's you. But how?” he asked, peering at her with his wrinkled eyes.

“I require your help.” Starfire said.

“What kinda help?” Beast Boy asked.

“The future is not as it should be. We must find Warp. I will free you from this--” Beast Boy stopped Starfire from continuing her sentence.

“This cage isn't to keep me in! It's to keep those maniacs out!” he explained in a panicked tone, referring to a group of kids. “Look. After the Titans broke up, I tried the whole solo-hero thing. Got my butt kicked, a lot. So now, well…”

He turned into a chicken briefly to illustrate his point. “ Besides, I'm in the showbiz now.” Starfire could tell he wasn’t happy with where he was, but there was nothing she could do. She left Beast Boy and went to find Raven.

She found Raven in a room in a broken down building. She was standing in a pure white room, wearing a white cloak to match. Her back was facing Starfire when she arrived.

“Raven?” she squeaked, inching into the room. “Raven, it is Starfire, your friend”

“No such thing.” she groaned, her back still facing Starfire. Starfire’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Please, Raven I-”

“Just another figment. Don’t even look.”

“You must listen! I am here because-” she pleads, but Raven stops her.

“I’m never coming back! Go away!” she yells, Starfire backing up in fear. “It has to go away. Just like before. Just like all the others.” Starfire frowns in realization. She must not think I’m real; she thinks it's all in her head.

“Your mind.” she says softly, approaching the cloaked woman. “Without friends, you must have--” Starfire was about to touch Raven, but her familiar dark shield formed around her. She gasps, then eventually leaves the room in defeat. There was one last person she could try talking to. You.

She walked by the Jump City beach, the same place where you got your powers all those years ago. Suddenly, you rose out of the ocean, the water around you carrying you onto shore. Your face was stuck in a permanent glare, different to your constant smiles as a teen. You were taller, definitely had a few wrinkles, and you were wearing Atlantean clothing. Starfire flinched at your sudden arrival.

“Aquagirl! how-”

“I don’t go by Aquagirl anymore. I am Queen (y/n), ruler of Atlantis. And word gets around when one of your old teammates who had disappeared 20 years ago is roaming Jump City again, even at the bottom of the ocean.” You say coldly, eyeing her as she shrunk at the sight of you.

“What had happened to you, my friend?” she asked.

You sigh, recalling your memories. “After you disappeared and the team disbanded, I vowed to never be as soft and vulnerable as I was then. I moved to Atlantis, and was eventually appointed ruler.”

“Oh my, that sounds terrible!” Starfire exclaimed. “I need your help my friend-”

“No.”

“No?”

“No. It’s not terrible, I am quite fine just the way I am. And we were friends 20 years ago; things have changed.” You turn your back to her. “I must get going; there’s much I need to do.” Starfire stares at you in sadness as you walk back into the ocean, the water swallowing you up and the waves lapping like normal.

Starfire trudges through the snow-covered city, when a laser blast knocks her back. Her eyes raise to meet with Warp’s, his weapon aimed at her.

“What’s the matter, dear? Have I come at a bad time?” he snarls, opening fire once more. She dodges his shots and fires back, but the starbolts simply bounce off his modern armor. She tried to hit him close up but he held up his hand and ice formed around her midair. The large chunk of ice containing Starfire drops and shatters, leaving Starfire on the ground, shivering. She glares at Warp, who now has deeper wrinkles on his face.

“You have become so old,” she notes, still on the ground.

“That's what happens when someone steals my vortex regulator.” he says, holding out his hand. “The regulator, if you please. I really must get back to my future.” She stands up and takes the lens out from her belt. She couldn’t let him leave, especially when she’s stuck in a future like this. She held the disk next to her and warmed up a starbolt, as if to hold it hostage.

“If you ever wish to see your future you will repair the damage you have done to my past!” she yelled, anger bubbling up inside her. The villain laughed.

“Damage? Silly girl. There's nothing wrong with your past. One cannot damage history, because history cannot be changed.” He held up the clock and continued. “I went back in time to steal this because history says it disappeared. And history says it disappeared because I went back to steal it. Past, present, future. It's all written in stone, my dear.”

Starfire stood in disbelief dropping her glowing hand. No… this can't be the future we’re destined to live. Such terrible lives… she thought. Warp walked up to her shocked state and took the lens out of her hand.

“And nothing you do can ever change it.” he scoffed. Warp prepared to blast her when he was knocked into the alleyway by an unknown figure. Starfire snapped back into reality and looked around for you had knocked the villain back. A dark silhouette lept forward and threw Warp against the end wall of the alley. They threw disks at the villain, the area around him exploding. When the smoke cleared, Starfire could see that Warp had used a force field. He released his shield only to be met with the mysterious figure dropping down towards him. He stared straight at Starfire.

“Another time, perhaps.” he said. Before the shadowed person could reached him, he dropped into the ground. The person who had tried to fight him landed right where Warp had been, and as they straightened up, Starfire inched forward to see who it was.

“It’s good to see you again.” the person said. Starfire could recognize that voice from anywhere, and apparently, anytime.

“Robin?” she asked.

“I haven’t used that name in a long time.” he said, finally stepping out of the shadows. He looked nothing like the Boy Wonder she knew. His traffic-light esque uniform was replaced by a black suit with a blue bird on the front. He still wore a mask and he now had long, black hair.

“Call me… Nightwing.”

Starfire found herself in Robin’s (or Nightwing’s) base. She looked at a glass case of his old uniform, a feeling of melancholy washing over her. She was glad that he was ok, but the Robin she once knew was now nothing more than a mannequin display. Nightwing wrapped a blanket around her with a small smile.

Nightwing finally spoke. “So I’ve heard you’ve been looking for help.”

Starfire sighed. “There is nothing you can do. There is nothing anyone can do. The past cannot be repaired, the future cannot be altered, no matter how wrong it seems.”

“So it’s impossible.” Nightwing determined from her rant, walking towards a bunch of computers. “Good. If memory serves, we've done the impossible before.”

Nightwing’s words had surprised Starfire. None of the others had said anything as hopeful since she’d arrived here. A small fire of hope blossomed inside of her.

“I held on to this,” Nightwing says, pressing a button from a device. “...just in case.” Starfire’s eyes widened, realizing that it was a T-communicator. The communicator began to flash red, and to Starfire’s delight, so did her neck piece and wrist guard.

At the bottom of the ocean, you sat on a throne, talking to your advisers. As they left, your seashell necklace began to flash red. You looked at it in surprise, recognizing what it meant: it was an emergency signal that Robin had put in your necklace while you were still in a team. Even after 20 years, he had never used it until now. You began to get up from your throne when a group of your advisors came back, swarming you with scrolls and questions. You sat back down, a bitter feeling in your throat.

Beast Boy’s belt had flashed red whilst he was performing a trick in his animal form. He quickly jumped back into human form. He observed his belt for a moment before stepping back, hanging his head.

Cyborg's robotic eye flashed red as he sat alone in the Titans Tower. He immediately got up and started towards the door, only to be stopped by the wires keeping him alive and stuck inside the tower. He looks back at the power source.

Raven still stands alone in the room, her back facing the door. The brooch of her cloak flashes red, and without looking at it, she covers it with her hand.

Starfire and Nightwing venture to Jump City museum, where they find Warp, fixing his time travel suit. He wields the lens that he took from Starfire to his suit, whilst talking to himself.

“Tick-tock.” he laughs. “Just a few more seconds, and I shall finally--” his sentence was cut off by Nightwing knocking the tool out of his hand, revealing him and Starfire’s position.

“The future will have to wait.” Nightwing says, extending his staff. “You just ran out of time.”

Warp growls and fires laser beams at them, causing them to split up to avoid getting hit. Starfire shoots her starbolts at Warp again, despite them getting deflected by his force field. Nightwing however, jumped down on him again, using his staff to crush one of his lasers. He turns to face Nightwing, but Starfire lands a hit on his back with her starbolt. He tries to laser Starfire but has to dodge Nightwing’s staff attacks that barely strike him. He fights quickly and with fury, eventually knocking Warp flat on his back. The two heroes step close to him to inspect him. But Warp grins, and uses his second laser to blow a hole through the roof, snow and rubble falling onto Starfire.

“Star!” Nightwing yells, but Warp blasts him back with his laser. Warp runs over to the tool he dropped and started repairing his suit again as Nightwing helped Starfire up. Suddenly, he was blasted back by a familiar blue ray. Starfire and Nightwing turn to see Cyborg, his arm cannon smoking, but being able to function without any wires.

“Boo-yah” he says with a grimace.

“Cyborg!” Starfire exclaims, flying over to the half robot. “You are repaired!”

“Glad you could make it,” Nightwing says, joining them.

“Wouldn't have missed it. Now who said y'all could start without me?” Cyborg said as Warp stood back up.

“So sorry,” Warp said, holding up another device. “Perhaps I should finish you first!” Before he could use the device, he was attacked by a green lion, Beast Boy. Warp looked at the lens he was repairing, now crackling with electricity. In anger, he pointed a laser at him, but a jet of water shot up from the floor. You ran into view, a trident now in your hand.

“Heard you guys needed help!” you yell, a hint of a smile peeking out from your stoic face.

Before Warp could fall to the ground again, he is overtaken by magic, and thrown into the side of the wall. Raven materializes, still wearing a white cloak.

“Nobody hurts my friends,” she said, reminiscent of the first time you met her.

“Dude, that is so unfair,” Beast Boy whines, comparing his bald head to Nightwing’s flowing hair. The six Titans turn to see Warp, who has managed to create a wormhole, despite his suit being damaged.

“It seems my time has come,” Warp said, preparing to walk through the wormhole. Nightwing threw a birdarang at Warp, Warp throwing his own disk to intercept it. Starfire watched in awe as the birdirang sliced through Warp’s disk and hit him in the chest, right where the lens sat.

“Uh?! No! NOOOOO!” the six of you watched in horror as Warp regressed in age until he was nothing more than a screaming infant.

“Ok, I am not changing any diapers.” Beast Boy said, staring at the baby.

Cyborg looked at Starfire. “We gotta get you home. Come on!” he pointed at the wormhole, which was shrinking. He took the lens from the suit and put it in his arm cannon. He fired at the wormhole, making it bigger.

“Im redirecting the wormhole.” Cyborg said, turning to Starfire. “Starfire! Go!” She steps towards the portal and looks back at her friends. Their lives seemed so lonely and.. dissatisfying. Is this life they were destined to live?

“Please, must this really be our future?” She asked. The rest of you looked at her silently, sadness in your eyes. “Is there nothing I can do to change it?” Nightwing stepped up and looked directly into her eyes.

“I'm sorry, Star. There isn't time.” Nightwing said. He placed the clock that Warp had stolen in her hand and his other hand on her shoulder. He gives her one last smile before stepping back towards the other Titans, beckoning her to enter the portal. Starfire took a deep breath, and walked into the portal.

Jump City Museum - 2004

“Starfire!” Robin yells, trying to dive in after her, only for the portal to close and him to fall on the floor. You pull him up from the ground and look around. Starfire was gone.

“Oh my god,” you whispered.

Beast Boy stared at the place the portal was. “Um, where did she-?”

Another portal opens with a brilliant flash between Beast Boy and Cyborg. Starfire falls out, curled around an item. You all rushed towards her.

“Dude!”

“Whoa!”

“Star! What happened?” Robin asked as the portal behind her closed.

“History said it disappeared.” Starfire said, straightening and revealing the clock warp had just stolen. “But history was wrong!”

The boys stared at her dumbstruck but you laughed, diving in for a hug.

You stood with the other titans as Starfire recounted her story. You covered your mouth in awe to find out what happened to you and the others in the future.

“Then Nightwing handed me the clock and I entered the vortex.” she finished.

“Woah,” Raven said, shocked by the recount of Starfire’s story.

“Bald?!” Beast Boy yells, grabbing at his hair. “You're telling me I'm going to be bald?!”

“Gosh, Star, all of our lives seem so terrible,” you say, thinking about what Starfire had said about you. You were a queen (which was cool), but you were also a cold hearted bitch (super uncool). You didn’t want that to happen, and more importantly for you to no longer be friends with the other Titans.

“Guess you were right about all that Rekmas stuff,” Cyborg said, slightly concerned.

“I don't want us to drift apart. Does it all have to happen? Isn't there anything we can-” Robin worries out loud, but Starfire stops him.

“Our friendship has already changed Warp's past. I believe it can also change our future.” Starfire says with a smile.

“Yeah I mean, the original reason we “broke up” was because of Starfire disappearing, and since she’s here now, we aren’t breaking up!” You chimed in, grinning at the other Titans.

Raven picks up the broken necklace with her telekinesis, stringing them back together.

“So… is it too late to do this festival-of-friendship thing?” she asks.

Starfire’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, it’s never too late!”

You all put on the bulbous necklaces Starfire brought in the morning.

“HAPPY BORTHOG!!!” Cyborg cheers.

“I thought it was Blort-Hog,” Beast Boy wondered.

“Okay, I feel like a wind-chime.” Raven groans.

“A very cool wind-chime,” you winked.

Starfire put the last necklace on Robin. He raises an eyebrow at her.

“So… Nightwing, huh?” he asked.

“Don’t even think about it bird brain,” you yelled from across the room, causing him to blush. You all burst out into laughter. The tower stayed cheerful the rest of the night.

202 notes · View notes

seonghwa-is-babie · 3 years

Text

What we've been missing (pt. 4)

Tw: violence (kicking, slapping, hitting someone with a bat) abuse (emotional and physical) hospitals, cursing, shouting, crying, mentions of injuries from violence, flinching. Pls be careful reading if any of these are triggering for you and pls let me know if I missed anything

Ateez x male hybrid reader

So, sorry this took so long, I had a massive writers block, but I hope this long part can make up for it

Taglist: @jonghoshoe @little-precious-baby @twancingyunhoe @sansbun @yunhofingers

Yeosang finally got back home after a tough walk there, feet hurting from carrying his wounded body. He didn't come back to a sight he liked though

Wooyoung trying to calm down a sobbing San, jongho typing on their computer, probably something related to y/n. Mingi holding seonghwa and Hongjoong trying to get through to yunho, who seemed to have gone into a state of shock.

Never had he seen the puppy eyed man so empty of life "g-guys?" their heads turned to Yeosang, yunho immediately getting up, anything but friendly intent in his eyes

Those eyes were proven right when the tallest harshly grabbed the other's shirt and started screaming at him "how could you let this happen?!?!?!" Yeosang could see the tears streaming down the older's face

"yunho stop! He did his best to protect y/n" Hongjoong reasoned "it's still his fault that y/n isn't here right now!" Hongjoong pushed himself between the two before a serious fight broke out "yunho! We can argue about this later, right now, we need to find y/n. Focus on what's important!"

Yunho regained some of his common sense back, eyes widening with shock "I-I'm sorry Yeosang, I just.... I don't know what to do"

"it's okay, we're all a little out of it anyway" Yeosang said as he was guided to the bathroom to get his wounds cleaned up by Hongjoong

"Yeosang, before you go, do you remember the car's license plate that they used?" questioned jongho, the older nodded "can you write it down? I'm gonna call a hybrid rescue centre, but they'll need something to track y/n with" Yeosang thought back to the scene, remembering the licence plate to the best of his abilities, and wrote that down

"thanks Yeosang this'll definitely help them get y/n back sooner"

⏳

Meanwhile with y/n, things weren't looking that good for him, he just arrived at his former owners' house, to him it was more like a big scary mansion.

"come on little guy, let's get moving" but y/n didn't even shift, frozen by the fear and trauma the mansion held inside.

The man sighed "alright boys, lift him up, I don't have time for this" the men moved towards the hybrid, to which y/n shrunk back further into the car, he would have shifted if it wasn't for the collar they put on him.

Though he resisted heavily and scratched them deeply, he couldn't stop the men from grabbing him and restraining his movements. "let me go!" he thrashed around

"now since when did you become so bold, tabby?" he froze at the nickname, slowly turning to look at the person he feared ever encountering again. "you thought you could just run away from us without any consequences? Oh wait, you probably don't even know what that means" the woman spat "Well then, looks like I'm gonna have to teach you physically then"

⏳

"you little shit!" a kick came from the man before him "you think you can just leave like that?!" another kick "after everything you still haven't learned to obey?!" a slap was next "I-I'm sorry master-" the hybrid was loudly interrupted by the wife of the violent man "you do not speak unless told to! You worthless tabby!" it resulted in another kick, this time from the woman, who's heels were much sharper than her husband's, resulting him starting to bleed

The slapping and kicking, along with the verbal abuse, continued until y/n was knocked unconscious, either by blood loss or exhaustion, they didn't know

"pathetic" the man took the unconscious hybrid and took him to a separate room "now no one shall see what we'll do to you" he took out a bat as y/n was beginning to become conscious again, and immediately fear took over the boy. The man swung and hit him right on his ribs, he wouldn't be surprised if he had many broken bones by now. The hybrid coughed up blood "w-why are you d-doing this" he was grabbed by the man "because how else am I supposed to use my new tools?" he threw him back onto the ground harshly "and what did I say about talking?!"

⏳

The beating continued for hours, until their doorbell interrupted "ugh, what now?" the man let go off y/n and cleaned up his hands, which were covered in blood "don't you dare make a single noise to alert anyone, I can do a lot worse than this" it was the last thing y/n saw before he fell unconscious again

"hello, What can we do for you?" the woman opened the front door, trying to sound as sweet and innocent as she could "ma'am we've had an informant tell us you kidnapped a hybrid and are now keeping it in bad condition" an officer said, a whole crew stood behind him, ready to force their way into the house

"now why would we ever do that? We're just content by how we're living now, without any hybrid" the man said "than, you wouldn't mind if we looked around your house" that made the couple freeze in their steps "w-well, you don't have a search warrant so-" he was interrupted by the officer taking out a paper "we do have one, actually"

The couple started to panic, well aware of the state the hybrid was in if someone found him "I-I will not allow you to enter my house! Who are you people anyway?!" the officer signalled the crew behind him to start moving into the house "hybrid rescue centre"

As the crew walked in, the couple was promptly arrested. Seeing as they weren't expecting anyone over, they didn't clean up the blood from y/n. The captain and fellow officers searched around the house for the hybrid

"captain! I found the hybrid, but he's in pretty bad shape, we'll need a stretcher to carry him" the captain heard from his walky talky "good job, get him to the ambulance" the officer did so, receiving help to carry y/n onto the stretcher and get him out to the ambulance "contact the owners, tell them we got him back"

⏳

Meanwhile, the members were sitting around anxiously, waiting for the phone call that would determine y/n's savety "what if they don't get him out of there?" the others looked at mingi, their hearts breaking at the sight of the taller, tears threatening to fall out of his eyes. Jongho went to hug him "they'll get him out of there" he said determined.

At that moment, the phone started ringing. Hongjoong went to pick it up "Kim Hongjoong speaking, how can I help you?"

"yes, hello, this is the hybrid rescue centre, we're calling to inform you your hybrid has been retrieved" Hongjoong's eyes lit up at that, the others followed suit "unfortunately, he suffered several injuries, with multiple fatal ones, so he'll have to stay here for a few days until his wounds have healed"

he wanted to tear up at the mention of his kitten getting hurt, by the people who were supposed to take care of him nonetheless "I-I understand, we'll come see him as soon as possible" he hung up "well, what happened?" wooyoung asked "they got y/n back, but..... He has a lot of injuries, with a couple of fatal ones, so he'll have to stay at the centre for a few days" their faces morphed from excitement to sorrow at the mention of his injuries "well, what are we waiting for? Let's go see y/n"

⏳

As they arrived at the centre, they saw one of the officers waiting outside for them "you must be y/n's owners, come with me" they followed him into the various halls "how is he?" yunho asked anxiously

"he's in a stable condition, but he hasn't woken up yet. We managed to get the custody papers from his former owners however, we'll hand them over to you soon"

As they finally reached y/n's room, they started to feel fear, just how bad did they hurt him? They opened the door and like the officer said, he wasn't awake yet. The hybrid was covered in bandages and had several bruises, it was enough to make them tear up "y/n.......I'm so sorry, this is all my fault" Yeosang broke down on his knees in front of his bed "if I just protected you better, this wouldn't have happened" his sobbing broke the other members, who started crying as well "it's not your fault" a soft, quiet voice said, as Yeosang felt his hand being held. He looked up at the hybrid and saw him looking back at Yeosang "y/n...." he held his hand, afraid to hurt him if he did so anywhere else

"are you okay, kitten?" seonghwa asked concerned as he kissed the hybrid's forehead "......I'll be okay, don't worry about it" Hongjoong went over to seonghwa's side and held y/n's hand "but we do worry about you, and that's okay for us, because from now on we'll take extra good care of you" the hybrid gazed up at Hongjoong with eyes that could hold the galaxy "really?"

"yes kitten, really" he stepped aside to let the other boys through to y/n, and one by one, they all came up to him, talked, cried or simply were just there with him in that moment. The only one that who was left, was yunho, who'd been relatively quiet throughout the whole day

"yunho, are you okay?" the older lifted his head up, tears streaming down his eyes. This worried y/n "yunho, what's wrong?" said person started walking towards his bed and collapsed in front of y/n "I-I thought- I thought I lost you"

"I-it all happened so fast, I thought I'd never see you again" he sobbed and carefully embraced y/n, being careful not to hurt him "I'm okay now yunho, see, I'm here with you now" he tried him cheering up, and it worked a little bit as his sobbing died down into small sniffles and hiccups.

"I'll be okay, Yunho. It's just a few small injuries, right?" the others tensed at how y/n seemingly brushed off his injuries "....The doctor said you'll have to stay here until you're healed, would you like one of us to stay here with you tonight?" he nodded at seonghwa's question" is there any member in particular you want to stay with?" of course all of the members hoped to be chosen, but they'd keep it fair and go along with y/n's wishes "......can Hongjoong stay tonight?"

"off course, it'll be like a night at the studio" the hybrid smiled widely at Hongjoong's comment and nodded. The rest of their visit was filled with talking and cuddles. Before it was time to leave, seonghwa took Hongjoong out the room, to talk "I'm worried y/n isn't telling us the truth about his wellbeing"

"so you noticed too" seonghwa nodded "it's just.....the way he brushed off his injuries like they were just small bruises, something doesn't sit right with me" Hongjoong understood where he was coming from, the hybrid's behaviour was definitely not something they were expecting from someone who could've died if the rescue team took too long "I'm not asking you to find out what he's hiding from us, I just want you to take care of him when his walls do come down"

⏳

"are you sure you're comfortable, Hongjoong, I don't want you to wake up with an aching back" said person smiled reassuringly "I'll be fine y/n, besides, if my back does start to ache, I can always sleep on the other bed, for now I just wanna be close to you" Hongjoong said as he took y/n's hand and held it gently "even after everything, your hands are still so soft, kitten"

They went to sleep rather peacefully considering what happened that day, but it all came crashing down eventually. Around one in the morning, y/n woke up from a nightmare about what had happened and by shooting up as fast as he did, caused his ribs to hurt as they were still fractured by the beatings he went through.

He started to cry, it only adding more pain to his already hurting ribs. The crying eventually reached Hongjoong's ears as he woke up "kitten....what's wrong, why are you crying" he went to pet y/n's head, but the hybrid flinched away "d-don't hurt me!" the sentence broke Hongjoong's heart. Just how much did his former owners harm him?

"y/n, it's okay I'm here" the older said as he slowly sat down on y/n's bed, carefully grasping his hands and caressing them with his thumbs "hey....look at me, its gonna be okay, they're gone now" he calmed down after a couple of minutes, his panic dying down into sobs "I-it hurts" Hongjoong looked a bit confused, but also very concerned at the hybrid "what hurts, kitten?" y/n took one of his hands back and placed it on his ribs "here, I got up too quick and it hurt a lot...then I started crying and it started to hurt more"

Hongjoong fully got on y/n's bed, swinging his leg over the boy so they were on either side "did it hurt before that too or is it just starting to now" he looked away, guilt slowly settling down into the boy ".....before that too..." this is what he was hiding, he's been hurting all this time and he didn't want anyone to know "I just- you guys already looked so stressed out from having me taken away, I didn't wanna add on to that" Hongjoong carefully took the hybrid's head, one hand settled on his cheek, the other gently petting his cat ear

"kitten, we really don't mind that kind of stuff. You mean a lot to us and your health is really important to us. So please, when you are hurting, either physically or mentally, please tell us" y/n nodded as Hongjoong brought his head into the older's chest "it's gonna be okay kitten, soon enough you'll be all better and ready to come back home with us"

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poesparakeet-fics · 3 years

Link

Here you go, you thirsty beasts.

This one got long so it’s a 2 parter! It’s SFW, so enjoy it at the link or here in the post.

Chapters: 1/2 Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Caduceus Clay & The Mighty Nein, Caduceus Clay & Jester Lavorre, Caduceus Clay & Mollymauk Tealeaf, Caduceus Clay & Yasha Characters: Caduceus Clay, Jester Lavorre, Mollymauk Tealeaf, Yasha (Critical Role), Nott | Veth Brenatto Additional Tags: Tickling, Revenge, Shrinking, wild magic mishaps, safeword, Teasing Summary:

Caduceus has made a habit of tickling some of his companions, be it as a cheer-up, a settle-down or a playful punishment. When a mishap with some wild magic makes his smaller than his friends, a few decide to get a little revenge.

FIC

Caduceus didn’t mind arcane magic most of the time, after all, Caleb used his with great expertise. But he was getting real tired of wild magic, real fast.

When Jester had cast her guiding bolt she’d gotten butterflies, for Mother’s sake. He’d tried to heal Fjord and saw everything around him start to stretch and grow. They kept fighting, of course. It wasn’t until the last of the shrieking horrors was lying dead that he realized what had actually happened.

The world hadn’t grown, he had shrunk. Which was, to be fair, easier to deal with. Still, he was feeling pretty sorry for himself as he sat with his feet dangling from the side of their kitchen table, now only a few inches taller than Veth.

A visiting Shadowhand was peering at Caduceus with a small frown on his face before scratching his head and sighing.

“Alright. The bad news is, I don’t think we can dispel it. Jester said you tried a restoration spell?”

Caduceus nodded glumly.

“Well the good news is, it will almost certainly wear off. The spell is using energy to maintain this form in you, it will run out of that energy eventually. But… I cannot tell you how long it will last. Based on the rate of decay I would guess a few days but that is some conjecture on my part.”

Caduceus let out a sigh.

“Thank you for your help, Essek. I guess I’ll just have to live with my current… uh… change in perspective for the time being.”

“Yes, a good attitude to keep. I’m sure it’s been a long time since you were that small.”

“Huh. Yeah, I guess I would have been a baby. Maybe I’ll ask Veth for pointers.”

“I think that all of her advice will involve climbing, Herr Clay. You might need to make your own way.” Caleb chuckled from his seat nearby. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He had been watching Caduceus like he was a puzzle, but now he was smiling, having been assured that the situation wasn’t too serious.

“Yeah, you might be right.”

Caduceus hopped off the table, turning to see Caleb smothering a little half smile. Caduceus pointed a finger accusingly.

“You cut that out.”

“I’m very sorry. It’s just… it is very cute.”

…

“Caduceus, can I hug you?”

Yasha had walked through covered in rainwater not ten minutes before, but she’d returned in dry clothes. Caduceus, about halfway through drinking a now comically large mug of tea, looked up to meet her gaze. He could see the little haunt of loneliness in her eyes that sometimes creeped in, even in a house full of lovers.

“Yeah, of course.”

He put his tea down carefully before hopping off his seat. He started to pass her into the living room, but Yasha sat at the table and pulled him into her lap instead.

“Woah!”

“Sorry!” Yasha rushed out, “I didn’t mean to surprise you! You were lighter than I thought you’d be!”

“It’s OK,” Caduceus assured her, “I’m just not used to being picked up.”

Yasha wrapped him up in her arms. “Is this alright?”

He relaxed as she coiled herself around him, face buried in his soft hair.

“Yeah. That’s very nice.” Being held so literally felt old and new at the same time.

Yasha nuzzled his head. “I’ve wanted to do this since you shrunk. I love you when you’re big, but it’s so nice to get to squeeze you for once!”

Caduceus chuckled. “It’s nice to be squeezed, honestly.”

“And you’re so cute! I just want to eat you up! Omnomnom!”

Caduceus felt his whole spine twist on instinct when Yasha gnawed playfully at the back of his neck.

“No-ho!” He squeeked, so high pitched that both of them froze in shock.

“Aw, Caduceus…”

“... It would be really unfair to tickle me. Just because you’re bigger than me now--” He was cut off when he had to press his lips together to smother another peel of laughter.

Yasha grinned with her teeth still pressed against his skin.

“I dunno, you tickle the others plenty.”

“Because they need it!”

“Hehe. I think that’s probably true, but they never get you back because you’re always so scared of hurting them by accident. Isn’t that because you’re bigger than them?”

She blew a raspberry on the side of his neck that made him squeal far too loud. He heard approaching footsteps.

“No no no nonono!” He squeaked when he realized what they meant.

Jester bounded through the door first, magnetically drawn to any ticklish sounds in her vicinity. She stopped in her tracks when she walked into the kitchen to see a smiling Yasha with a giggling fun-sized firbolg in her lap, now curled in a desperate little ball within her embrace to avoid the fingers pinching at his tummy.

“Oh my goodness, is little Caduceus ticklish?”

“Nohoho!” Caduceus tried to plead or run, but his laughter was blocking the former and a meaty arm was blocking the latter.

“Mmhmm,” Yasha answered with one hand clawing his belly, not even out of breath for the effort she was expanding to thwart his escape, “I think big Caduceus is too, he’s just easier to tickle now.”

Molly and Veth stumbled in behind Jester. Molly had a grin on his face, coming to stand behind her and rest his chin on her shoulder. His eyes narrowed.

“Hey, he’s being real loud, eh?”

“Huh?” Jester answered.

“Well, it seems like he might need to settle down a little.”

“Ooh,” Jester giggled, “I think you’re right Molly!”

Caduceus felt a cold chill splash down his back. Sure, he’d seen this coming, but it didn’t stop the escalation of shivery, giggly panic through his system. And running was not working out for him.

“Well,” Molly purred, “Isn’t it lucky that we have such well established guidelines for getting someone to settle down.”

Caduceus switched gears, climbing further into Yasha’s lap instead and clinging to her shoulders.

“Please! Don’t let them get me!”

“I dunno…” Yasha teased as the tieflings stalked closer.

“No! Yasha, they’ll kill me!”

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t let them kill you. But you do deserve this just a little, don’t you?” Yasha lowered her voice, all but whispering in his velvety ear, “Don’t forget, licorice works for you too.”

Caduceus whimpered. Ok, so did he deserve it? Yes. Probably. A little. Had there been a few times where he’d tickled a tiefling to pieces less because they needed to settle down and more because it was fun? Maybe. Perhaps. A couple of times, tops.

He took a deep breath to try and steel himself, shutting his eyes tight in the hopes that not seeing them coming would somehow save him. Yasha chuckled in his ear, seeming to sense his acceptance of this fate.

“Heh. OK,” she whispered in his ear.

Fingers as strong as barrel bands gripped his ankles and Yasha stood up. The world spun. Balance upended, Caduceus eye’s shot open to see the devilish forms of his approaching friends as they cheered Yasha on, only upside- down. Yasha was hanging him by his ankles.

“Don’t be too mean or I’m eating tief toes for dinner, got it? He’s not used to it.”

Molly’s smile became razor sharp and Jester clapped her hands. Caduceus could only hug himself and try to keep his shirt from falling over his head.

“Not used to getting a taste of his own medicine, you mean? Seems to me that should be corrected.” Molly purred.

"Ah! Can we please talk about this?" Caduceus asked, the tiniest hint of a whine making its way into his usually rumbling voice.

"You can talk all you want, Caduceus!" Jester bent over to put her face next to his. She gave him a teasing wink before planting a sweet little kiss on his cheek.

"Veth?" He asked, looking pleadingly at his fellow (currently) small creature, "Solidarity? Please?"

Veth just laughed at him. "Nah."

"But you're going to help us though, right Veth?" Jester asked, voice full of mischief. "When will you get the chance to tickle Caduceus again?"

"Heh. Nah." The halfling answered, strolling out of the room. "I'm good, thanks."

"Humph." Jester pouted for a moment, but it quickly morphed into a wicked little smile as she reached out to tickle Caduceus' long velvety ears.

"Ahhahaha- hehe- ha... no... no... MOLLY GET AWAY FROM THERE!"

The other tiefling cackled with glee, pinching Caduceus' knees. The firbolg’s legs pumped on reflex, his body wiggling like a worm on a hook.

"So loud! You're not settled yet, love, just relax."

"I wahahahas born settled!"

"Oh reeeally? Jester teased him, hands jumping up to poke and pinch at his ribs, effortlessly dodging any attempt he made to block her. "Then why are you so loud and wiggly, huh?"

'B-because you- eeheeheehee! Tiheheheckles!"

"Does it?" Molly taunted, dropping down to Jester's level and fluttering his hands across his belly.

"Yehehes!"

"Excellent!" Molly cheered, before grabbing the hem of Caduceus' shirt and yanking it down over his head.

Caduceus squawked, temporarily blinded by the homespun linen that was now tangled around his elbows. He started to fight with it, trying to push it down (up?) again to cover his downy torso, for all the good it was doing. Then he felt a cool pair of lips press against his belly, and he squealed before Jester could even begin.

Ppppbbbbtt

“Aaaaiii! NahahaHAA! STAHAP!”

Caduceus’ pleas fell on deaf ears, Jester only pausing long enough to take a deep breath and giggle to herself before she hit him again.

"Yes! Wish I could grow a beard just for this, you fuzzy bastard." Molly crowed.

Caduceus whimpered frantically, his shirt somehow transformed into an impossible maze that kept him blinded and defenseless.

An ominous silence was followed by a deadly double attack made Caduceus’ voice crack with the force of his squeal. “AHAaaA! LICORICE!”

The both backed off right away, leaving Caduceus dizzy and catching his breath. Jester started to help him get untangled from his shirt. Molly grinned down at him before taking a deep, threatening breath to make Caduceus shriek in anticipatory panic.

Molly didn’t get a chance to make good. In one more dizzying instant Caduceus was set upright on his feet, watching Yasha chase Molly out of the room.

“WHAT did I say?”

“C-come on I wasn’t gonna do it! Yasha! Please! He threatens me like that all the-- Nooo!”

Jester chuckled at Caduceus’ dazed expression, pulling him into a cuddle where they stood.

“You OK Caduceus?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

“That’s good. It was fun to tickle you for a change!”

“Well I’m glad it was fun, because when I’m big again there are going to be consequences.”

Jester just giggled at him, then tugged him to sit on a chair and put his tea cup back in his hands with a kiss on his cheek.

#sfw #critickle role #critical role #tk fic #tickle fic #Caduceus Clay #jester lavorre #mollymauk tealeaf

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n0wornever · 3 years

Text

Saving Grace - Julie Molina x Fem!Reader

“OKAY SO I JUST WOKE UP FROM A DREAM WHERE I WAS AT LIKE A HALLOWEEN PARTY WITH JULIE AS FRIENDS AND WE WERE HAVING FUN BUT THEN SOME BOYS KEPT MAKING COMMENTS ABOUT HER COSTUME AND SHE FELT UNCOMFY SO I GAVE HER MY JACKET AND THEN JUST STAYED BY HER SIDE THE WHOLE TIME AFTER...”

A little late, but a little post Halloween gay never hurt anyone.

Julie strolled into the part with a confident smile. She had constructed her She-Ra costume over the span of the past few months, and was extremely proud of the results. She held the sword over her shoulder as she opened the door to the Patterson family home.

As she entered, she was met by the gaze of several attendees who had already dove into the punch that sat on the kitchen table. She avoided their hazy stares as she made her way to the kitchen.

She quickly found her friends in the back corner of the room. Y/N and Flynn stood in a semi-circle with her bandmates near the stove, chatting amongst themselves. Y/N turned toward her first, and her jaw dropped slightly as she took in the girl’s look.

“Julie, OH MY GOODNESS,” She shrieked, holding out her hand toward the girl.

She spun Julie around in a circle and the boys wolf-whistled as she turned back around to face them. Her face thoroughly warm now, Julie dropped the girl’s embrace and fell into the circle next to her. Y/N took the opportunity to wrap her free arm around the girl, rubbing her thumb against her shoulder. Julie shivered at the contact, begging for goosebumps to stay behind as to not blow her cover.

Y/N stared at the crew with a smile before letting her eye’s fall to the smaller girl’s side profile.

“Doesn’t she look fantastic ya’ll?”

The boys nodded, Alex giving Julie a knowing wink before his eyes met Y/N’s. Julie’s shoulders shrunk in as she crumbled under her panic. Y/N tapped on her arm, gaining her attention again.

“You didn’t tell me we were going all out, now I look like an idiot,” She sighed, shaking the tassels of her flapper dress.

Julie took in the girl’s full ensemble, and yes, it may be basic but she looked incredible as usual. The black dress hung just right, and as her gaze filtered across the room, she knew that boys across the school had noticed that aspect too. She rolled her eyes at her friend, poking her side with her elbow.

“You know you look great, shut up.”

The girl beamed down at her, letting her nose scrunch in laughter. Julie tried not to stare long at her eyes, noticing that their interaction had already caught the attention of Luke. As her eyes migrated toward his, he tipped his cup at her, sending a full smile in her direction. She bit back an insult, turning to face Y/N again.

“I saw Matthew walk in,” She gasped, exposing her teeth to the other girl. “No lipstick on my teeth right?”

Julie giggled, shaking her head at the other girl. Y/N dropped her grip on the girl’s arms as she made her way over to the school’s valedictorian. Julie grabbed a glass from the table behind her, tipping the cool liquid to her mouth as she watched Y/N place a hand on his bicep.

“Julie,” A soft voice pulled her gaze from the interaction.

She turned and saw Kyle, a boy she slightly knew from her 2nd period chemistry class, smiling widely at her. She nodded, taking another sip from her drink before responding.

“Kyle, hey” She started, running a hand through her hair. “What’s up?”

He bit down on his bottom lip as he gave her outfit a once over, his eyes lingering a bit too long on her legs.

“I just wanted to say that your costume is great,” He responded, eyes falling back up to hers.

She laughed awkwardly, chugging back the rest of her drink.

“Thanks,” She kept the response short, her eyes leading back over to Y/N, who was watching her and the boy closely.

Julie forced herself to meet Kyle’s narrow eyes again as he walked toward her.

“Yeah, I can’t believe you hid all of that,” His eyes glanced down her body before fixing on he face. “Under those baggy pants and sweatshirts all the time.”

Julie opened her mouth to say something, but her voice escaped her in the moment, throat going dry as he took another step in. Julie nodded slightly, taking a step back and hitting the table behind her. Kyle opened his lips to speak again, but was cut off by a louder female voice.

“Kyle, please leave this poor girl alone.” Y/N sighed, grabbing Julie’s hand. “If you knew anything about body language, you’d notice by now that she doesn’t want you anywhere near her.”

“Y/N this has nothing to do with you,” Kyle said, looking to Julie with pleading eyes.

Y/N pushed the smaller girl behind her, keeping their hands intertwined. Julie felt her heart rate race as she was pressed to the girl’s back.

“If my friend is uncomfortable, it has everything to do with me.”

Kyle threw up his hands in defeat, rolling his eyes at her before walking away. As soon as he made it to the living room, Y/N spun Julie back out in front of her, a worried look on her face.

“How bad was it? You looked traumatized.” She sighed, squeezing the girl’s palm in hers.

“He’s mostly harmless, but man have I ever wanted to peel out of my own skin from a compliment.” Julie said, pulling at the bottom of her short skirt.

Y/N nodded, grabbing her grey sweatshirt from the table next to them and holding out to her.

“If you’d feel more comfortable covering up for awhile, I totally get it.”

Y/N let go of the girl’s hand and grabbed the jacket. She placed it over her head, the girl was notably taller than Julie, giving her a jacket dress combo as it fell onto her body. Julie noted the smell of roses, a signature Y/N scent, and tried to stop the smile from pulling at her lips as her torso was filled with warmth.

Y/N reconnected their hands and pulled Julie toward the couch, the two girls falling next to each other on the cushions. Julie released her grip on Y/N’s hand and let herself fall back onto the other girl’s chest, trying to ignore the pulse that was sent to her chest as Y/N let her hands fall softly at Julie’s sides.

The two listened to Luke’s drunken argument with Reggie about the history of the Star Wars trilogy, but most of Julie’s focus ended up on the sensation of Y/N’s hands at her waist. She tried to keep her breath steady as she relaxed into her friend’s arms.

Every time Y/N laughed, her back vibrated from the giggles and sent a smile to Y/N’s face. After the third fit of laughter, she finally leaned back and met her smile for a moment before turning back to the boys. She saw Luke holding his phone up out of the corner of her eye, sending a pointed glare toward him. Her phone buzzed a moment later, and she had a new snapchat from him.

She swiped up and clicked on the red button. A photo of Y/N beaming down at Julie with her hands around her lit up the screen.

“Couple of the year?” The caption underneath said with a winky face.

Julie sent an unamused stare to the guitarist, who simply shrugged before his smile took over his face again. He leaned back over to Reggie, whispering in his ear and pointing his thumb toward the two girls.

“Don’t be Jealous Patterson,” Y/N called out of seemingly nowhere. “You had your chance with this one.”

Julie’s face turned quickly toward the girl, who shot a wink toward her before looking back up at the pair of boys who looked at her bug-eyed. Luke opened his mouth to say something but shooed her eyes off him last moment, ending the conversation.

Julie felt warm breath near her ear, tickling the skin.

“You okay?”

She met Y/N’s eyes again, a sense of calmness rushing through her at her gentle gaze. She nodded up at her, and Y/N rubbed her hands up and down the girl’s arms a few times before Julie turned back around.

A second later, Y/N’s head was leaning against the side of Julie’s as they listened to the music in the background. Julie let a soft smile play at her lips at the contact, closing her eyes for a moment.

“Just kiss already,” Alex whined. Y/N’s eyes opened wide again, and her gaze met his, his head tilted as he grinned at the pair.

“Okay,” Y/N said, bringing her lips down to Julie’s cheeks.

The smaller girl flushed under the gesture and all three boys beamed at her with wide smiles and knowing eyes. Julie tried to focus on anything but the boys in front of her as she melted into the floor and Y/N’s grip around her grew stronger.

Eventually the ruckus surrounding the girls died down, and Y/N and Julie simply sat on the couch, people watching and rating other people’s costumes.

“They try too hard,” Y/N sighed, pointing her red solo cup at Carrie and Nick dressed as a sparkling Barbie and Ken.

“They didn’t try hard enough,” Julie responded, pointing at Alex and Willie, who were dressed as...themselves, refusing to do the couple’s costume of David and Patrick from Schitts Creek that she had picked out for them.

Y/N laughed in Julie’s ear, letting her lips hang near her face as she took a deep breath in.

“You ready to head out?” Y/N asked, squeezing Julie’s upper arm.

The smaller girl nodded, lifting off of her chest. Julie lifted to a standing position and Y/N rose to meet her. The two intertwined their hands again and moved toward the front door.

“Get home safe you two,” A hardly sober Reggie cried out toward them, raising his glass in their direction.

Y/N rolled her eyes at the intoxicated bassist and pulled the door in front of her open. As they stepped out onto the street, a shiver ran down Y/N’s spine. Julie pointed at the jacket and met the girl’s eyes.

“You need this back, I can totally-”

“Jules, no I’m fine.” Y/N looked over at Julie’s blanketed body. “You look 1000% cuter in that anyway.”

Julie’s cheeks burned under her gaze yet again, and she pointed her face toward the sky for a moment, hoping the head would rush down to her feet.

“You okay?” Y/N asked, forcing Julie to meet her eyes.

“Definitely okay,” Julie said softly.

Y/N smirked at her response, sending a squeeze to her hand as they walked down the street. As the pair made their way to Julie’s front porch, the curly haired girl turned her body so she was facing the taller girl in front of her.

“Thanks for rescuing me tonight,” She said, meeting her dark eyes in hesitation.

“I’d do it all over again,” Y/N responded, biting down on her lower lip.

A silence hung between them as they stood in the cold air, hands connected at their hips. Y/N broke the silence and leaned forward, pressing her lips to Julie’s cheek again.

“Night, Molina.” She said as she let go of her girl’s hand and turned to walk down her front stairs.

Julie at on the porch for a moment, watching the girl take off across the street toward her home with pink shoulders and and her short dress sprinting against the cold weather and smiled.

Tag list: @marinettepotterandplagg @lukeys-giggle @xplrreylo @kiss-themoongoodbye @bathtimejish @bookfrog247 @dasexydevitt13 @musicconversedance @txrii @bestdressedandstressed @daisiesforlacey @epikskool @themaddies-obx @jukeobsessedgirl @writerinlearning @dani27297 @whatever-happens-imma-stand-tall

#Julie Molina #Julie x reader #julie and the phantoms #jatp #jatp imagines #luke patterson x reader

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amazoniangrip · 2 years

Note

(‿ˠ‿)~!

Vriska

A sly chuckle arouses attention to her presence, a larger than life form approaching the demoness with salacious intent. She'd neglected her usual sports bra and baggy jeans today in favor of a white dress over a white bra that that really should not have lasted as long as it has, and a pair of red panties that showed off their color through the thin fabric of her dress that barely covered her massive muscled rear.

She was out for a good time. And her victim being a demon? All the better to toy with, she wouldn't be dying anytime soon like most other mortal 'neath her gargantuan weight.

She approached, backing that girl against a wall, and slapping her hand against it, the very stone cracking under the rather light-to-her blow she inflicted on it. 8 foot 8 inches, she was, and she looked down at the cute shortstack, and used her own hips to keep her prey against the wall. Grinding those wide thighs and abs of her against the demoness to deny any chance of escape...

A few minutes if that gave way to simply pickinng her up and hauling her to the only bench in the area that could handle her weight. She laid her now dazed captive down and lifted her dress, turning around and slowly lowering her panty covered ass onto that demon's face, and snugly grinding to make sure she firmly had her victim in there... unfortunately for said victim, Vriska's ass was wide enough that those massive tits the demon sported were being sat on too.

A small price to pay for buff spidergirl ass.

---

Kanaya

It was a lazy day out, and she had been shopping for new clothes... the local show for plus sized sweethearts like herself was closed, so she shrunk herself down and headed on to a more common store. She gathered her her things and was heading to the fitting rooms when she saw a certain demon... moments later she was convincing her to help her try on some clothes, and letting her bust expand, her clothes visibly tearing, to seal the deal between them.

A well manicured hand took that shorty to the fitting rooms and into one of the somewhat small stalls that constituted as a "room", but clothing wasn't her goal this time. The dress she currenly wore? The panties under it? And her bra? Gone in moments as she let herself grow... fatter, taller, softer, hunched over lest her head be seen over the borders of the fitting rooms.

She chuckled lightly, with a sinister edge. As her hips did more than just brush the sides of the cramped room, she was positively pressed into it, but still easily turned around.

"I Do Hope You Can Hold Your Breath Awhile", she said afore letting herself simple FLOP upon you.

The worlld went dark, silent with her fat ass muffling any noise you might here... and she enjoyed the feeling of you under her, the sadistic pleasure of squeezing the life from something... she is a troll after all.

---

Nepeta

The huntress stalks her prey... a squirrel that she'd been tracking down, one who stole from her bag of nuts when she set them down beside her in the park the other day... and just when she was about to catch them...

The presence of a demon ruined the whole hunt and scared off her prey. Nepeta was not pleased in the least. She would see the fog of wrath, attacking immediately, she was shorter than this stack before her, but that didn't stop her from knocking the demon's feet out from under her and dropping her toned troll ass down upon the interruptor's face just before both of them thudded againstcthe soft soil.

Neppeta grinded her rear against her new victim's head, driving in her dominance over them for awhile before getting up and angrily walking off, cursing up a storm and lamenting her lost vengeance.

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obwjam · 3 years

Note

Ok so I loved your ‘Anakin gets shrunk’ thing but now I’m also imagining a scenario in which the tiny is suddenly as tall as their giant friends.

AH THANK U i’m glad you liked it 🥺🥺 but also yes i think about this all the time too..... mayhaps it would go something like this

————

It happened suddenly, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment where only a few people were paying attention because nobody thought it was going to work. They had finally made significant progress on their mission to reverse engineer the Separatist weapon that shrunk Anakin Skywalker to just a few inches tall, and a few members of the Jedi Council were eager to see if the nonstop work had paid off. Standing near him was Jayla, his lifelong tiny friend who had helped keep Anakin sane during the worst month of his life. There was a non-zero chance this antidote wasn’t going to work, so she was on standby in case something went wrong.

It worked, though. Maybe a little too well.

There was a blinding light that filled the medical bay as the growth ray was activated. Anakin felt like his body was being torn apart before the pain melted and his eyes adjusted to the room. Wow, everything is so much brighter.

“Anakin!” came the excited and relieved voice of Obi-Wan.

“Did... did it work?” Anakin asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Yes, thank the Force, it did— oh my...”

Sitting on the table to Anakin, there was a new person in the room. It was Jayla, who was no longer four inches tall and instead seemed to be taller than even the five-and-a-half-foot Ahsoka. A splitting headache was all that was left after the fire in her body subsided. No matter how many times she blinked, she couldn’t see clearly.

Anakin turned, following Obi-Wan’s gaze. His jaw just about hit the floor. “What the...”

“Ugh, why do I feel so—woah...” Jayla slurred through her words, and her voice suddenly sounded like she was screaming. It felt like the words were traveling from her brain to her mouth in slow motion. Through the pain in her head, she strained her eyes to try and make out the figures in front of her. She took a shortened breath. Why did everything feel so closed in?

A concerned Jayla? was the only thing she heard before her eyes rolled back and she passed out right on the table.

Anakin and Obi-Wan rushed to help her as Ahsoka, Yoda, Plo Koon and Mace Windu watched in subdued shock.

Ahsoka was the one to break the silence. “Uhm... what just happened?”

Nobody really had an answer. They threw out speculations as Anakin stood at Jayla’s bedside, making sure she was okay. It didn’t take long for her eyes to start fluttering.

Anakin waved his hand and shushed the group as Jayla stirred awake. At first, her eyelids remained heavy and she could barely make out what she was seeing. But suddenly, the face in front of her took shape. Anakin was shockingly close to her, and yet, he didn’t look big at all. It must not have worked.

“Anakin...” she muttered, finding her voice. “What happened? I got the worst headache... oh kriff, that thing didn’t work, did it?”

“Jay,” Anakin cut her off. “It... it did work.”

Jayla blinked, thoroughly confused. “Um, are you joking? You’re still tiny.”

“No, he’s not.”

“Then why—“ she started, but once she looked over to where Obi-Wan’s voice was coming from, she nearly swallowed her tongue. Obi-Wan was eye-level, but he wasn’t bending down, and his face didn’t take up her entire view. In fact, he was several feet away, but it felt like he was right next to her. She tried to reach into the Force to figure out what was going on, but she flinched away when a thousand different sensations flooded her mind. It hurt almost as bad as the headache.

“Take it easy!” Anakin cautioned as Jayla shot up, her eyes wide. Stars flashed briefly in her vision. Her limbs felt like jelly. “You don’t look so good.”

“Stop, stop...” Jayla squeezed her eyes shut as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. “You’re talking too loud.”

Anakin turned to Obi-Wan, a look of concern passing between them. The Jedi in the corner stayed put, partially so they didn’t startle Jayla and partially because they were still in shock.

Jayla stared at her feet and took a few deep breaths as she allowed the world around her to normalize in her brain. Even though the floor was so far away from her now, she could still see it in excruciating detail. She swung her legs a few times, gasping when the tips of her toes brushed against the cool tile. When she remembered the Jedi standing in the corner of the room, she glanced up, only able to hold eye contact for just a few uncomfortable seconds before moving her head back down. The Force confirmed what seemed too impossible to be true — not only did the antidote grow Anakin back, but it grew her, too.

“I’m... uh. Wow. I’m really... wow,” Jayla breathed, eyes still trained downward. “This is... really weird.”

“How do you feel?” Obi-Wan was now standing next to the bed. His mind was racing to find a potential explanation for what was in front of him.

“Um. Confused,” she said, still getting used to the projection of her voice. She was too afraid to look Obi-Wan in the eye. “Everything feels loud.”

“How can something feel loud?” Anakin questioned.

“I dunno! It’s... it’s like my senses have been dialed up to 100. Like something is bound to happen at any moment.”

“Sounds like you’re just a bit anxious,” Obi-Wan said. “I don’t blame you.”

“No no, it’s more than that. Like... like I can hear what’s going on outside the door. All the people walking by, how their footsteps sound. And how Rex is standing in the hallway and trying to act like he’s not nervous but he’s really freaking out ‘cause he doesn’t know why it’s taking so long and he’s assuming it didn’t work. And the medical droid — the one over there, across the room — it’s making some sedative. Mixing bacta with... something green. It smells awful in here, too, and it’s really distracting.”

Obi-Wan and Anakin stared at her in stunned silence for a moment. Neither of them had sensed Rex outside the room, much less what he was feeling, and the medical droid was too far away to make out the labels of what it was mixing. They certainly couldn’t hear anything going on outside of their little huddle. And the room didn’t even have a smell.

“Hmm.” Obi-Wan calmly rubbed his chin, casting a sideways glance at the other Jedi masters in the room. They seemed to all be thinking the same thing. “We can discuss this later, Jayla. Right now, we need to make sure both of your vitals are stable.”

Jayla nodded, again closing her eyes in an attempt to reduce her bubble of perception. She couldn’t take all the noise.

“Ahsoka, please keep Anakin and Jayla company and let me know if there are any anomalies in their readings. Masters, if you don’t mind?” Obi-Wan jerked his head to the door. Yoda, Plo Koon and Mace Windu, who had stayed surprisingly silent through the whole ordeal, followed Obi-Wan into the hall. They were a little astounded to see Rex as described: leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his fingers gripped tightly around his armor. He perked up when he saw the group of Jedi, but didn’t say anything as they moved off to the side. If they didn’t know any better, they would have just assumed he was tense about being in the Jedi Temple.

“I don’t know what to make of this,” Obi-Wan started. “What went wrong?”

“Too close, she was standing, when we fired our antidote,” Yoda said with confidence. “Caught in its range, she was.”

“I agree,” Mace chimed in. “Though that doesn’t explain why it has the exact same effect on her when it was only intended to reverse what had been done to Skywalker.”

“Maybe the effect wasn’t the same. She seems to have this... heightened connection to the Force,” Obi-Wan offered. “I knew she was strong with it before, but now...”

“It seems that the strength of her abilities grew with her physical body,” Plo finished.

“But Skywalker’s connection to the Force was never diminished,” Mace said. “Besides, that’s not how the Force works.”

“Possible, it may be, that this is not a matter concerning the Force,” Yoda said, drawing the attention of the other matters. “Hyper-attentive, her species is. Always like this, she could have been.”

The four Jedi considered that possibility. It made sense on the surface — she had always been quick and perceptive, and seemed to sense things coming before they happened. Now that she was their size, she was just interpreting her surroundings like normal, but on a much bigger scale, which allowed for picking up on things that humans or togrutas or anyone else would miss.

“If that is the case, then I’m afraid our little Jayla is going to be very overwhelmed by her new world,” Obi-Wan posited. “It’s going to take some getting used to.”

“We don’t even know how long she’ll be like this,” Mace stressed. “The truth of the matter is we have no idea how either of them will react to this antidote in the long-term. We need to keep a close eye on both of them, at all times.”

“Leave that to me,” Obi-Wan said. He was growing increasingly worried about how Jayla was taking all of this. He wanted to be there for her.

“Master Yoda and I can analyze the readings to see if we can find anything helpful,” Plo looked down to Yoda, who nodded in acknowledgment. “It will take some time, but as long as their vitals are stable, I see no reason to keep them cooped up in the temple.”

“We still have this war to deal with,” Mace grumbled.

“We can’t send them back out there. Especially Jayla. Not yet,” Obi-Wan protested. “We need to run more tests first.”

“With all due respect, Master Kenobi, there’s only so much a medical droid can tell us,” Plo responded. “We may have to see them in action to get a better sense of their boundaries.”

Obi-Wan considered this. “For Anakin, I suppose I agree with that. But we don’t know what our antidote did to Jayla, or what it will do. We should keep her here for a while.”

“She won’t like that,” Plo said.

“It doesn’t matter what she likes or not. We have a responsibility to keep her safe.”

Mace turned to Yoda, who had stayed silent in the debate. “Master Yoda, do you feel comfortable letting Jayla go out on the battlefield with Skywalker and Padawan Tano once she settles down? If she’s really as perceptive as you think, she could be a huge asset.”

Yoda hummed. While the idea of throwing Jayla back into battle like nothing happened felt odd to him and he was concerned with putting too much on her plate, he also agreed with Mace’s reasoning. The situation in the galaxy was dire, and they needed all the Jedi they could get to fight off the growing influence of the dark side. Plus, he knew his former padawan would adamantly refuse to stay in the temple.

“She may go. But careful, we must be. Know not how she will react to such a chaotic environment.”

“Very well, Master Yoda,” Obi-Wan said. If Yoda thought it was okay, he supposed he could go along with it. “She’ll have me, Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex with her. She’ll be well protected.”

The Jedi all nodded, feeling slightly better about the situation. Obi-Wan watched as the other three filed back into the medbay. He made his way over to Rex, whose anxiety was easily sensible now. He sure had a lot of explaining to do.

————-

“You’re being dramatic.”

“Am I? I don’t think you understand how weird this is for me right now.”

“No, no, I think I understand perfectly. Did you forget the last month?”

“That was different!”

“Please! I wasn’t going around touching everything like I just woke up from stasis.”

“I’ve never held a book before, okay? I had to see what it was like!”

Anakin and Ahsoka were taking Jayla on a grand re-tour of the Jedi Temple. The place was almost unrecognizable at Jayla’s new height of five feet and eight inches. She didn’t understand how she was still so much shorter than Anakin.

“Come on, master,” Ahsoka dared to interject. “Don’t you think you’re being just a little unfair?”

“Psh, no way. Suddenly being tall is way less awkward than suddenly being small.”

“Is it, though?” Jayla said, finding a windowsill to lean against. She wasn’t used to this much walking. “I feel so... exposed. Everyone can see me now.”

“Isn’t that nice, though?” Ahsoka asked. “I mean, don’t you want people to notice you?”

“I guess...” Jayla trailed off, tracing her finger along her wrist. “It’s just really overwhelming. It feels like everyone’s staring at me.”

“I think they are,” Anakin muttered. Word traveled fast in the walls of the temple.

“I never realized you had a tattoo,” Ahsoka said, noticing for the first time the intricate symbol on Jayla’s wrist.

“Yeah. It’s, uh, it’s something everyone in my village gets. Or, got. Here.” She held her wrist out, still getting used to the fact that it was the same size as everyone else’s. “These symbols here, that’s a language. I never actually got to learn it fully, and I’ve forgotten almost all of it, but it means al’hora dessili. Clan of Al. The animal-looking thing is a corano. It’s part of ancient legend. It symbolizes intuition, which I guess was the trait that was most prevalent in me when I was young.”

“How could they have known?” Ahsoka asked. “I mean, didn’t the council come and find you when you were an infant?”

Jayla sniffed a laugh. “I think I was almost 10 when they found me.” She exchanged a knowing glance with Anakin. “And I think it was entirely by accident.”

Ahsoka blushed. “Oh. I had no idea.”

“That’s by design,” Jayla smirked. “Master Windu was the one who discovered me. Hah, out of all the things I’ve seen, that might have been the scariest day of my life. Even now, when we’re almost the same height, I’m still kinda freaked out by him.”

A gust of wind caught Jayla’s hair and she lost her words. Something like that used to knock her off her feet, or at the very least, push her back a bit. But now, that breeze was like a kiss on her cheek as she gazed out in wonder at the busy world below. The towers still towered, but in a majestic way instead of an imposing one. Everything seemed within reach.

“Excuse me, sirs.”

The three whipped their heads around to find Rex standing with his helmet resting between his arm and his side. Obi-Wan was deep in conversation with someone else across the way, answering many of the same questions that Rex had posited on the way over.

“Rex,” Anakin smiled.

“General Skywalker. It’s so good to see you back to normal.”

“That makes two of us.”

“Are you feeling alright?

“Yeah. A little sore, actually. And just a bit tired. But if that’s what it takes, then I don’t care, because I’m just glad to be me again…”

Anakin trailed off when he realized Rex was no longer listening to him. Once he had locked eyes with Jayla, neither of them could tear their gaze away from the other. They both felt like they were looking at an entirely different person. Jayla’s stomach kept turning.

“Hey, Rex…” Jayla said slowly, as if she had just learned those words and was trying them out for the first time. “You’re, uh. You’re taller than I expected.”

Rex blinked. “I could say the same for you, sir.”

Jayla bit back a smile. “Yeah.”

Several beats of silence followed.

“Well.” Ahsoka could barely take it. “This is awkward.”

Anakin tapped Jayla’s shoulder. “I think she short circuited.”

“I think you should stop poking me,” Jayla retorted, playfully punching Anakin in the shoulder. Well. She thought it was playful.

“Ow! Kriff,” Anakin reeled back. “That hurt, yknow.”

“What? Really? M’sorry,” Jayla stammered, staring at her hand. I didn’t hit him that hard.

“If this is how strong you’re gonna be, then you’ll have to take it easy on the punches,” Anakin jested. “Save it for the Separatists.”

“If that’s how strong I’m gonna be...” Jayla repeated anxiously. “I don’t know how much I like that.”

Rex gave the two Jedi next to him a concerned look. They didn’t need words to know that it was time for one of them to change the subject.

Ahsoka spoke first. “Hey, why don’t we go to the dining hall and get some grub? I don’t know about you all, but I’m starving.”

“Uhm, I don’t really think I should,” Jayla said tentatively, rubbing her neck. “I have no idea what eating food could do to me. Or Anakin, really.”

“I didn’t even think of that,” Anakin muttered. “Well, what about the gardens? We still need to finish our grand tour. Rex, why don’t you join us?”

Rex’s face flushed red. “Oh, I--I shouldn’t, sir.”

“Come on, it’ll be nice! How often are you in the Jedi Temple?”

“This is my first time, sir.”

“See? Now you have to come. Jayla thinks it’s her first time in the temple too. You can touch the plants together.”

“Okay, listen--” she started, but stopped when she realized how exhausted she was. Getting angry took up a lot of energy. “Ugh. Can we take it slow? We’ve done so much walking already.”

“We’ve been out of the medbay for an hour!”

“Well, when you suddenly grow 15 times the height you’ve been all your life, you tell me how you feel!” Anakin wanted to keep poking fun, but nothing about that sentence was funny. Jayla sighed. “Sorry. I’m just… really tired.”

“Fresh air will help,” Rex interjected, daring to enter the conversation. “Trust me.”

Jayla gave him a small smile. The butterflies in her stomach were still there, but not as bad as before. “Okay. Let’s go.” She turned to Anakin. “Oh, and I will be touching all the plants.”

Anakin snickered. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Hey, if this is gonna be a long-term thing, then I’m gonna have fun with it. And half the fun comes from annoying you.”

“I wish I could get away with that,” Ahsoka muttered under her breath.

“Come on, kids! The tour continues!” Anakin waved the group forward. Jayla chuckled and even Rex cracked a smile.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

#lol this turned into a whole ass thing #the power of size swaps #and the power of me launching into excrutiating detail #it’s like if you were to grow an ant #mfs could carry like 1000 pounds by themselves #jayla’s hulking out #also really just jumped at the opportunity to dive into jayla lore #dont flame me for copying anakin's story beats it has a purpose #me: i will be answering more prompts!#also me: spends the whole day on this #it's not a phase mom this is just who i am #okay that's enough #obwrites #star wars g/t

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abluescarfonwaston · 4 years

Text

Shapeshifter Au -12

Masterpost

He cawed out to Geralt as he approached. Geralt held out his arm to land on and he did.

“Still too close?” Geralt asked glancing down at Ciri and Roach’s drooping forms. Exhausted. Ciri was half asleep in his arms.

He nodded sadly. He’d found a scout camp not an hours fly behind.

Geralt looked down at Ciri and Roach. “We can’t stop.” His face pinched painfully and he glanced at him. “Jaskier-“

He nodded.

He could shift. He could ride.

They pulled off to the side and he shifted. A few hands taller than Roach with black stockings over his chestnut hair.

Thank you. He told her pressing his neck into hers.

That’s my line colt.

I’m older than you Roach.

I’d never have guessed.

Geralt shifted the tack over to him and he did his best to tolerate the feeling. The few times they’d done this it was bareback and he wasn’t a fan of the way it sat on his back. But it would be better in the long run. Probably.

“I know you’re not a fan of this.” Geralt waved to. The whole situation really. “Thank you.”

He stopped his grooming of Roach’s withers to bump Geralt reassuringly. I might not enjoy being ridden -like this at least- but that doesn’t mean I won’t do it in a pinch. It’s fine.

Tell him he owes me so many apples for this. And some clover grass.

You know you’ll get sick if you eat too much of that. Hm. Apples tho. Not as good as lamb but-

Well that was progress at least.

I’ll make sure he knows Roach.

You’d better.

And they were off.

He wasn’t proud of how quickly he tired but his bones still ached from shifting into the wolf. Less. It hurt less now. But the insistent throb of it wore at him as the hours passed. The grime that still matted his hair itched. Hunger rumbled his belly. Lamb sounded so good right now. He could eat one whole right now, wool and all.

We’re here. Roach interrupted his. Frankly too vivid daydream.

Here? He asked as Geralt turned him off the road into the pinewood forest.

The road home.

Home. They were almost home. He surged forward with it.

“Jaskier.” Geralt grumbled at him.

How much further? What’s it like? What are they like?

She whinnied a laugh at his excitement. Two or three days still colt. Doesn’t have enough grass. Scorpion’s fun.

Days?

The ache in his toes grew that much more noticeable.

They continued on.

Geralt pulled him to a halt and he let his head fall forward panting. They jumped off.

The saddle and bit were removed.

Geralt brushed him down. Picked his feet. He felt. A little cleaner.

“Staying a horse?” Geralt rubbed his neck soothingly as he finished.

No. He leaned into Geralt and let the form collapse under him.

Geralt caught him with a sigh and pet his long ears.

“Does he do that a lot?” Ciri asked. “Turn into a rabbit?”

Geralt shrugged and set about making camp one handed. “He shifts small when he wants to be carried.”

That was. Probably not inaccurate.

No fire again. Geralt had passed him into Ciri’s arms at some point. Her warm hands soothing the pain of the day and he did his best to keep her warm in turn while Geralt worked.

“What else can he turn into? Can he turn into a shrieker? A unicorn? A dragon?”

“I don’t know what a shrieker is. Unicorns are extinct. If he could turn into a dragon he would have by now just to show off. It’s just animals. Bears, wolves, rabbits. The like.”

“What about the griffin?”

Geralt paused. “I don’t think the griffin was. Natural.”

“Why?”

“Because he.” Geralt hesitated as he carried the blanket over, settling behind her. “Didn’t recognize me.”

She looked up at him questioningly as he reached down to pet between his ears.

“But he remembers you now. Right?”

They both nodded.

“So why’d he forget?”

Geralt shrugged.

“Don’t you care? It could happen again! Why didn’t you ask him when he was human!” She turned back to him. “And why haven’t you become human since then!”

He folded his ears back and shrunk down. He. He just-

“If it happens again I’ll deal with it. He isn’t much of a fight. When Jaskier wants to talk about it he will. Talking isn’t his problem, it’s getting him to stop.” He clucked at Geralt. “See?”

He clacked his teeth together a few times before pointedly flopping on Ciri. Look how comfortable I am. More comfortable than you are. Be jealous Geralt. I’m happier than you.

Geralt shook his head at him like he was being Over Dramatic! Which he Was! Because that was his Thing!

“He looked a mess in human form. Probably has some big plan about how he’ll get all fancied up and win you over with his charming smile and music.”

Yes that was the plan.

Ciri’s face scrunched up at that. “Why?”

The drama! He wanted her to like him! He wanted to make a better first impression than the one his dirty unkempt appearance would make. He wanted her to like him at least a fraction of how much he liked her!

“Because he’s an idiot.” He snapped at Geralt’s fingers. “An over dramatic idiot who thinks he has to put on a show to make you like him.”

She studied him. He wiggled his pink nose adorably. Which probably proved Geralt’s point.

“You’re making a production out of this. So it had better be grand reveal or I’ll be immensely disappointed in you.” She threatened him with a yawn.

He purred in agreement as Geralt pulled up the blanket.

“How much further?” She asked curling into Geralt.

“The evening after next we’ll arrive.”

Almost there. Just a little bit longer.

A little bit longer and they’d be home.

“Fuck” Geralt shifted out from under them, shoving him awake. “Bandits.”

“Nilfgaard?” Ciri whispered grabbing him around the belly which wasn’t comfortable. Support the rear Ciri! This was going to hurt his back!

Geralt crouched over them. Listening. “No. I don’t think so.”

“Plan?” She squeezed him tighter and – nope nope nope! His leg kicked out and she dropped him with a pained start which he was very sorry for except hide- hide –hide run and hide run and hide.

“Jaskier!” He heard his cub whisper shout after him but-

Run hide! Run and hide! Run and hide!

Rabbits were not brave.

He squished himself under the dense cover of a bush and waited.

“What have we got?”

“Horse and a guy with his kid.”

“Easy enough. Let’s make this quick aye? Baz was making dinner.”

Easy. They thought it would be easy. Like Geralt couldn’t lay ruin to them. Wouldn’t lay ruin to them.

Ciri would witness more bloodshed and Baz would eat alone wondering where his unlucky companions had gone.

It was the wolves all over again.

Hungry said the bellies. Easy said the eyes.

It would be a slaughter.

Rabbits where not brave and he wasn’t sure Jaskiers were either. But they were idiots so he darted between their legs and shifted.

He sniffed them loudly and they froze. Eyes and then heads slowly turning towards him.

I have rules about violence Gentlemen. The words coming out a deep growl. Protecting my mate and cub does fit within that framework. But I’d really rather not. If its all the same to you.

They shuffled away from him, clutching their weapons.

He slammed his paw and roared at them. They turned tail and ran. Roach whinnied her terror.

‘Chase!’ The bear and the wolf and the griffin screamed. ‘Hide.’ Whispered the rabbit. It was all that kept him still.

He turned and walked back to their camp. The stragglers fleeing.

Geralt was soothing Roach with axii. Ciri yanked on his arm as she spotted him. Adrenaline and fear rolling off her.

Geralt turned and he watched the tension drain from his shoulders. “Jaskier.”

He smiled back at them. Watching as the axii faded from Roach’s eyes, replaced with recognition. She settled back to her search for grass.

“That’s Jaskier?” Ciri asked. Doubtful.

“Hm.” Geralt confirmed.

She studied him before stomping up to him, hand tucked under her armpits against the cold. “You kicked me!”

He rumbled apologetically but I couldn’t breath and you were breaking my back.

She glared at him. He nosed at her, slowly shoving her into his side. She allowed herself to be tucked into his fur with only a token of protest. The fear scent fading.

“Jaskier.” Geralt returned from their things holding – oh Geralt. “You can’t play like that?” Holding his lute.

He shook his head and dragged Geralt by the arm into his side as well. That would only be significant to us Geralt. Ciri wouldn’t know what the hell we were on about and I’d still look like a disheveled mud rat. Besides she’d get cold and your bedroll’s not big enough for all three of us. Really man.

Geralt plucked a few of the strings. They were painfully out of tune. Really. Had he done any maintenance at all? He glared at Geralt as he curled around them dragging the blanket up over them. Geralt glared back.

“You can’t play like that?” Ciri questioned from insider her burrow of Geralt, fur and blanket.

“It was. What I told him the first time he shifted in front of me.” Geralt explained adjusting them so he was comfortable.

“Oh.” He felt her petting his fur under the blanket. “How’d you met?”

“I’d been hired to retrieve a family heirloom from an infested crypt but it’d been stolen by a group of bandits. I tracked them down and retrieved the sword. But I found something else there too.”

“What?”

“A little lark with a broken wing, clutching a lute like its life depended on it.”

“This lute?”

“No. That’s later.” He told her. “I bandaged it up and kept it in a nest in my saddlebag until it was healed.”

She yawned and sunk heavy into his side.

“Then I woke up and the bird and lute were gone. A single crown on my bedroll where it normally slept.”

“And then, a few months later, I met a boy in Posada, the valley of flowers, at the edge of the world.”

He listened to Geralt recount the tale until sleep pulled her deep under.

“You should have told her that story. You’re better at telling stories.”

Yes. I am. But I like your version quite a lot too.

“You will be human again right?” Geralt mumbled into his fur. “I want you to be whatever you are but I miss knowing exactly what you’re yelling at me for. I miss your stupid raunchy pun infested songs and how you’d complain about your feet being tired but you still wouldn’t shift because you wanted to talk. About nothing. You just wanted to talk.”

Geralt’s hand clenched in his fur and he rubbed his snout against him reassuringly.

“Is it something I did? Is this about the mountain? The griffin? Did I-“

He shoved him slightly to cut him off. Shook his head.

Not everything’s about you Geralt.

“Right. But you will be human again. Someday?”

He nodded.

“Okay.” He listened to Geralt drift off. “Okay.”

He’d get a bath and a haircut and he’d tune his lute and practice some scales and he’d figure out the prefect thing to say and do so that she’d love him even just a tiny fraction of how much he loved her.

That wasn’t how it worked but he needed her to like him. To not be disappointed or disgusted by him.

He longed to be simply human. Then at least he wouldn’t have had a choice. She would have known exactly what he was from the start. No tricking her into thinking he was helpful like a horse or a hawk or as soft as a rabbit or as worthy of trust as the white wolf. He would have just been Jaskier. Simple and human.

Would she feel tricked when she saw him? Would adding a human face mean she wouldn’t trust him to keep her warm? Wouldn’t trust him to listen to her if he too could speak?

He was just Jaskier and he wasn’t sure that had ever been enough.

It would have to be. He couldn’t be anyone else.

That didn’t mean he wouldn’t put his best foot forward. Or at least his best paw until he made that jump.

#geraskier #geralt x jaskier #geralt #jaskier #shapeshifter AU #shapeshifter!Jaskier

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alpineglowx · 3 years

Text

I'll Do The Same {Din Djarin x OC} Chapter Two: Names

pairing: din djarin x female oc

warnings: none

* * * *

Thell paused, weighing her options, before simply turning around to face the man. Air caught in her throat when he finally came within sight of her, stepping close enough between the couch separating them so she could see the moonlight glow silver off his armor.

She knew of Mandalorians through childhood stories, through holos, but she had never seen one in person. He was almost beautiful, would have been stunning in that suit of Beskar steel had he not been pointing his blaster pistol straight at her. He was a large man, a good foot taller than her, but his face was concealed by a mask, and she could only stare back at the V slit where he was glaring at her from.

“I said,” the Mandalorian growled. “Put him down.”

The child muttered against her cloak and Thell glanced at him hesitantly. Was the child his? Was he stealing it from wherever it had come from on Bespin?

“Is he yours?” Thell asked.

“He is. Now give him to me, or I’ll shoot you where you stand.”

Panic shot up her veins, and before she could really think anymore, she slowly lowered the child to the ground. It looked back at her with wide, endearing eyes before waddling back over to the Mandalorian, who gently scooped him into his arms. Thell knew then that he was his, from the cautious way he held him to the way his shoulders relaxed once he held him again.

Thell blinked, feeling a bit more at ease once the man lowered his weapon.

“Did you kill him? Darand?”

“No.”

“Oh,” Thell murmured. “You’re not killing him?”

“It won't be me that does it. I'm just here for the bounty.”

Her blood ran cold. “You’re a bounty hunter... You’re taking him.”

“That’s right.”

“He’s just a businessman... He... Why are you taking him?”

The man stepped one foot closer, hand on his holster. “His head is worth more credits than you’ve ever seen. Now, do yourself a favor and get out of this place. It’ll be looted by the end of the night.”

He turned to go, and something deep within Thell, that dream to be free, rooted itself in her heart.

“I don’t have anywhere to go.”

The man stopped mid walk, and the small child peeked at Thell from over his shoulder.

“What are you, a servant?”

Thell fought the urge to roll her eyes. “More or less.”

“Not my problem.”

“You don’t understand,” Thell pressed, taking another brave step forward. “I’m alone here.”

“What do you want?” The Mandalorian grumbled, throwing her a sideways glance. His tone felt more threatening than she had expected, and suddenly she wished she hadn’t spoken so freely.

But maybe, somehow, in these crazy circumstances, he was her way off this planet, her way to freedom. He was traveling with a baby after all, one that it seemed he cared for very dearly.

Suddenly embarrassed, Thell shrunk back, flickering her glance to the wide window in the room.

“I want to come with you. I want to get off this planet,” she said, with as much courage as she could muster.

His tone was almost gentler. Almost.

“Not going to happen. Nice try, kid.”

Thell blinked, and watched them disappear back down the hallway the Mandalorian had appeared from, with one last long look at the child he held over his shoulder.

Dread filled her until it was nearly overwhelming. Her master, the man that had practically raised her after her mother’s death, was gone, and with it, his entire fortune and reputation. The house would be left to crumble and be ransacked by desperate looters. Others would come, looking for the servants, and sell them off to other masters, or worse. And she didn’t want to be here to witness it.

As she stood in the silence and wreckage of her once home, the words of Thell’s mother came back to her.

You stand for your own. You make your own path.

So with a quivering breath, she took the blaster in one hand and raced down the hallway towards her own chambers. Her belongings were small, even with her large pack, so by the time she had tracked down the Mandalorian at the landing pad, he was only just releasing the drop ramp of his ship. It wasn’t large by any means, but looked comfortable enough for someone like him.

Sweat was beaded on her forehead from her rush to get things together and run after the Mandalorian, so she stopped several yards from him, allowing ample distance for the two of them to remain comfortable. The stars were bright overhead from the lack of lighting outside, but the wind was nipping against the bare skin around her neck. She pulled her cloak tighter, containing her warmth as the Mandalorian stopped in his tracks. Even from here, Thell could hear the sweet burbling sounds of the child, and even see him and his large ears poking around the Mandalorian’s arm.

She swallowed before she spoke, and hoped that her words would allow her wishes to be fulfilled.

“My feet have never touched grass.”

The Mandalorian turned, slowly, one hand resting on his holster and the other wrapped around the green alien.

“What?”

Thell sighed, and threw her hands down beside her. “I’ve never touched grass. Or dirt. Or, or a natural stream of water, or leaves on a tree. I’ve never touched any of it; I’ve rarely seen pictures. And you walk around with all your credits and your fancy ship like you don’t have a care in the world, because I’m sure you don’t. You get to walk on the earth everyday but I’m sure you’ve never thought twice about those in the galaxy that don’t.”

Thell let out a deep breath, one that simmered away any remaining anger or frustration she had. Now she was just embarrassed, digging the toe of her shoe into the platform while the Mandalorian remained completely silent just a few feet from her.

“I’m sorry,” Thell said quickly. “I didn’t mean for it to come across like that.”

“What do you want?” The Mandalorian asked.

Thell’s head shot up, and she could only stare back quizzically at the masked man. His question had no remorse, no bouts of anger threatening to rise up. He had asked her the same question before, but in a completely different manner.

Clearing her throat, she readjusted the bag at her side and kept a tight grip on the strap.

“I would like to come with you.”

“Where to?”

“Anywhere but here.”

“Hm,” was the Mandalorian’s simple response. “And what should I expect in return?”

Thell raised a brow. “Sorry?”

“Do you have payment?”

Thell gulped. She had feared that the question was coming, and suddenly felt lighter with the lack of credits in her pockets and satchel.

“I’ll work for you, do whatever you need me to. Fixing up your ship, cleaning the carburetors, rinsing blood off your weapons, whatever. Watch after the ship while you're away. I’ll do the dirty work, whatever work you don’t want to do. I’ll get a job somewhere and pay you back... double! I’ll even help with the kid, if you want.”

“Doesn’t sound like much.”

Thell breathed in deep, took one step forward, letting her arms fall to her side. “I know it doesn’t. It’s... nothing, really. But it’s all I have. I can’t stay here.”

The Mandalorian stilled, keeping one hand on his holster, but he was silent, and Thell’s desperation grew. She took another step.

“I don’t have anyone left... please.”

Nothing.

Thell closed her eyes momentarily, trying to relax her tense joints.

“Please.”

It felt like a hundred lifetimes had passed before he had granted her that single word:

“Fine.”

Relief flooded through Thell’s system, and she sagged against the weight of her bag.

“But we have to leave now. I’m not waiting around.”

Thell wiped the sweat from her brow before nodding. “Yeah. Okay.”

And she followed after him, cautiously studying the jetpack strapped to his back, the array of small weapons attached to his Beskar vambraces, and the blaster pistol hanging from its holster in his belt. Even from what she could see, and the vast size of him, a whole foot taller than her, she knew he could take her down easily. She had watched him do it to the one guard, so that didn’t mean she was safe from him either. He was a bounty hunter, after all.

She had heard stories of Mandalore and the attacks on its city and culture that it had endured. Surely he wasn’t from there; the signet he wore on his right pauldron did not bear any resemblance to a Mandalorian clan that she knew. He was also larger, stockier, than any natives of Mandalore she had witnessed on holos inside Darand’s mansion. Her old master had been obsessed with Mandalorian culture, so in turn, Thell believed she had some knowledge of at least their history.

But she followed him into the ship anyway, but was stopped momentarily from entering when the Mandalorian spun to face her, and she nearly smacked her face into the chest plates of Beskar steel.

“Give me your blaster.”

He was much more threatening up close, all cold, rough edges and a gruff personality to match. Thell wondered if she would even survive the takeoff from the planet with a man like him. It was better than being sold off, anyway, or killed by looters. If she was going to die, it was going to be through her own decision.

So she passed him the blaster anyway, and her sack when he indicated he wanted to inspect it. She wasn’t allowed on until he had rifled precariously through her pack and stuffed her weapon into his own locked compartment. Thell slowly walked inside the cargo hold, glancing at the crates, the carbonite freezing system, the netting that held equipment to the sides of the docking station. The telescopic gate lifted up behind her, causing her to move forward and bump right into the Mandalorian.

“Sorry,” she muttered, tucking hair behind her ear and scooting past him. He made something like a sighing noise and walked to an upright ladder.

“Come on. We have to go.”

Thell watched him climb up first, and securing her pack behind netting in the cargo hold, climbed up the ladder next. She came to double doors that slid open in front of her and showed her into the cockpit, a modest space with two seats behind the one the Mandalorian sat, piloting the ship. She approached slowly, watching with great curiosity while his hand flicked over the control panel and seating herself in an adjacent seat. She heard a familiar noise and cocked her head to see the green child sitting in the seat opposite from her, holding a small metal orb in his small hands. He made a purring sound and cocked his head at her, to which she waved at shyly.

“You ever been through hyperspace?” She heard the Mandalorian ask without turning around to look at her.

“I’ve never left the planet.”

It must have shocked him, because the Mandalorian grew quiet, before he suddenly punched a few more buttons, and spoke over his shoulder,

“Strap yourself in. It could be rough for a second.”

As quick as she could, Thell found the straps and buckled herself in, holding tight to the worn material. The ship buckled momentarily, causing Thell’s feet to skid against the floor before the ship actually started lifting off from the ground, until she could see the whole city from the cockpit’s window, every light that glowed from the houses and mansions on Bespin, the city where she had lived her whole life.

But the initial sadness she felt of leaving the only place that had been home was suddenly replaced with joy, and thankfulness, because she was leaving Barand behind, and everything that she had once been. She could start over, start fresh. With what, she had no idea. But for once she was thankful for this large, gruff man and his strange green companion that had allowed her passage. Even if it wasn’t under the best circumstances, and she didn’t trust him fully yet, it was the best outcome she could think of.

The ship lifted until the Mandalorian fired the thrusters, and they sped upwards into space, until all that surrounded them was the blackness of the void of space, and the countless stars that twinkled past her vision. Thell could only admire them for a moment before the Mandalorian tugged a large control switch down, and she was thrown back in her seat. It only lasted for a moment, and then they were in hyperspace, flying through bands of blue and white, and the ship lulled peacefully like it was not even moving.

The Mandalorian suddenly moved, unstrapping himself, and turning halfway in the seat to look at the kid. He babbled happily, too caught up playing with the orb to notice the man watching him. But then his attention turned to Thell, and she felt the air catch in her lungs.

“You got a name?”

She blinked. “Thell Sei’Lya.”

“How long did you serve Darand?”

Thell shrugged. “All my life. I was born there.”

“Hm,” the Mandalorian grumbled, and turned back in his seat.

Thell bit her lip. “Um... Do you have a name?”

“People call me Mando.”

“... Do you, have a real name?”

Thell regretted asking it, because he went silent and even the child looked up at him precariously. She could only lean back in her seat and wonder if she would ever find out anything about this man, and why he was traveling with this strange green alien.

#din djarin #star wars #din djarin fanfiction #thell sai'lya #grogu #baby yoda #angst #fluff #friends to lovers #the mandalorian #din djarin x oc #original character

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freddiesaysalright · 4 years

Text

Just Like a Woman - Part 11

A Roger Taylor x Reader Story

Summary: You and Roger were once in love when you were young. Only, he went on to be a rock star, and you went on to be a lawyer. Now, quite against your will, you’re representing him in his divorce.

Word Count: 3.3k

Tag List: @psychosupernatural, @someone-get-a-medic, @bensrhapsody, @deakyclicks, @crazylittlethingcalledobsession, @minigranger, @crazyweirdocalledfriday, @the-moving-finger-writes, @assembledherethevolunteers, @rose-writes-prose, @queenlover05, @26-7-49, @drowsebaby, @moon-stars-soul, @im-an-adult-ish, @ixchel-9275, @jennyggggrrr, @zyanmaik, @mypassionfortrash, @a19103, @madeinheavxn, @beepbeephardy, @rrogerchxrm, @qweenly, @blisshemmings, @seasidecrowbar, @internationalkpoplova, @ellystone, @takemetoneverland420, @coffeexcigarette, @lookuptotheskiesandsee, @thatpunkmaximoff, @angelkissys, @rocknroll-stolemyass, @simonedk, @anotheronewritesthedust1, @peterquillzblog, @mrfahrenhcit, @joseph-mozzerella, @theprettyandthereckless, @nixfreak, @johndeaconshands, @rogerandhiscar, @queenmaracasandlove, @sunflower-ben, @cubetriangle, @amy-brooklyn99, @scorpiogemini, @kiainspace, @itsabenthing, @bookandband, @makemeyourwife-loveofmylife, @grazessa, @borhapqueen92, @theonsasheart, @vektorivittu, @chanti-frn, @brianssixpence, @dancingcoolcat, @xviiarez, @irepookie, @lnnuend0, @rogerxmeddows, @vici-xx, @bellas2silly If you’d like to be added, let me know!

A/N: THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER! Just to clarify because of the way it ends, but there is still more to this story! It’s not over yet!

Warning(s): Brief description of violence that we’ve already heard

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

Part 11 here we go!!!

You walked into work the next day, whistling to yourself. Roger had to stop by his house and change before he would be there to go with you all to the courthouse for the last bit of the trial. Jane smirked at you.

“Good night?” she asked.

“Excellent, Jane, thanks for asking,” you replied, snatching your messages out of her hand, but still smiling.

She shook her head and chuckled as you closed the door to your office. Just as it shut, you heard a high-pitched, child-like giggle. You whipped around, scanning your office for the source of the noise, but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. You shrugged it off. It was probably just something from the main part of the office and you were too busy to think any more of it.

You gathered your things and headed for the conference room, humming now instead of whistling. Dominique smiled at you.

“You look great today, Y/N,” she said.

“Thank you, I feel great!” you replied brightly.

“Y/N,” Bill said as he and Roger entered the room. “You’re in a much better mood today.” He turned to Roger. “Well done, mate.”

Roger smiled. “Thanks, man.”

They shook hands.

You finally frowned. “Could you two not be gross?”

Dominique laughed. Bill took a seat beside her as Roger kissed your cheek in greeting. Bill decided to share the first draft of his closing. He would edit it more later after the trial depending on any new information that arose. You all approved of it, and then, you were off to court.

After the previous day, you were a bit nervous. Glen would be able to call more witnesses, and you were not prepared for any more surprises. Luckily, there didn’t appear to be any.

Glen stood up and called Nick to the stand. Dominique shrunk a little as she watched him walk up and take his oath before sitting down. Bill took her hand.

“Mr. Sully, tell us your account of the evening you and Ms. Beyrand went on your date,” Glen said.

“Well, it’s like she told you, we met at the bar, flirted, and then arranged to meet again,” Nick began. “I thought it was going well. Then she tells me she’s ready to go home, but I’ve been buying her drinks, and I think she’s telling me she’s ready to go home with me. So I offer to drive and we get in the car. I saw in her eyes that she wanted me to make a move, so I went for it. All of a sudden, she’s offended, and she hits me. I hit her back - I’m not proud of it - but she was so enraged, I feared for my own safety. There was a struggle and then I kicked her out of my car. If something happened to her after that, it’s not on me.”

“How do you account for your blood and hairs being on her dress?” Glen asked.

“It probably happened during the struggle,” Nick answered. “I’m not denying there was a confrontation.”

“Why do you think she’d identify you as her attacker if someone else put her in hospital?” Glen continued.

“I don’t really know, she was probably angry at me for how it went and saw it as an opportunity to get back at me,” Nick said.

“So you would describe Ms. Beyrand as vindictive?” Glen went on.

“Objection,” Bill called out.

“Sustained,” Judge Walsh agreed. “Counsel, keep your questions to what happened.”

“Of course, your honor,” Glen conceded. “As it happens, I have no further questions.”

He returned to his seat. Bill leaned over to you.

“You got this?” he whispered.

“I got this,” you shot back, standing up.

You strode over to the witness stand.

“Mr. Sully, how much can you bench press?” you asked.

“Objection!” Glen cried. “Relevance!”

“Counsel,” Judge Walsh said to you. “Are you going somewhere with this?”

“I am, your honor, you’ll see,” you said.

“Overruled,” he said to Glen. Then he looked at you. “Don’t take too long.”

You nodded, then turned your attention back to Nick. “So? How much?”

He looked you up and down, a cocksure smirk on his lips. “About two of you.”

“I see,” you said with a grin. “And you’re a professional kickboxer, right?”

“I am,” he told you, straightening up a little taller.

“Think you could take on your lawyer?” you asked. “He’s a pretty big guy. Fit. Strong.”

“Oh, yeah, he’d be no problem,” he replied.

“And what about my co-counsel?” you asked. “He’s about your size.”

“Also no problem,” he said confidently, glancing at Bill. “It’s easy when you’re up against someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.”

You heard Glen let out a quiet groan from behind you. You bit back a smirk.

“And you expect them,” you pointed to the jury. “To believe that you feared for your safety because of that little woman?” You pointed to Dominique.

Nick realized his mistake and the color drained from his face.

“I - well - hold on - it wasn’t -”

“Don’t bother answering, Mr. Sully, that last one was rhetorical,” you said. “No further questions.”

You turned on your heel to head back to your seat, but froze. In the aisle, between the rows of observers, stood a little boy. He was the spitting image of Roger, only with one distinction. He had your eyes. In your heart, you knew him. Only, you weren’t sure how you knew him. You stared at him, and he grinned back.

“Miss Y/L/N?” Judge Walsh’s voice took you out of your trance and the little boy vanished. “Miss Y/L/N, are you alright?”

You shook your head to clear it. You went to your seat and looked at him.

“Yes, your honor, I’m fine,” you replied, cheeks reddening as you felt the whole courtroom’s eyes on you. “Just...I thought I saw someone.”

His expression showed just how much he was questioning your sanity. The defense had no other witnesses to call, so you were released for a fifteen minute recess. You retired to the same chambers you had the day before.

“Y/N, are you alright?” Roger asked. “What happened in there?”

You found yourself embarrassed to say. You didn’t want to seem crazy. But you were also with people you trusted.

“None of you saw the little boy?” you asked, looking at each of them.

“What little boy?” Dominique wondered.

“The boy!” you insisted. “He stood right in the aisle. He just stood there and then he...he…” you trailed off.

“He what?” Bill pressed.

“He vanished,” you admitted.

“Are you hallucinating?” he wondered.

“I - well - maybe!” you cried. “I dunno! But I saw him!”

“Okay, we don’t really have time to unpack this,” Dominique said. “Bill, are there any changes you’d like to make to your closing?”

He started describing what he wanted add, but you didn’t hear it. Roger’s eyes were trained on you. He was concerned, but you didn’t notice him either. You couldn’t stop thinking about that boy. Then you remembered the laugh you heard in your office. Were you going insane?

You shook your head again and focused on Bill. Before you knew it, it was time to return. Glen did his closing first.

“What you’re looking at here is a classic case of he said she said,” he began. “No one is denying that a physical altercation took place between Ms. Beyrand and Mr. Sully. What is in question is how much damage Mr. Sully actually inflicted. Did Mr. Sully strike her? Yes. But in defense of himself. Are we really so old fashioned that we believe a man can’t be abused by a woman? That a man can’t fear what a woman might do to him? Let’s not hold Ms. Beyrand to a double standard which only puts men at risk. She led him on, there was a misunderstanding, and that’s what happened. If someone else attacked Ms. Beyrand after her altercation with my client, then that’s somebody else’s business. But what you all need to understand is this: Mr. Sully defended himself from a person who was attacking him. And if you imprison him for it, we are heading down a very slippery slope.”

With that, he went to his seat. Bill got to his feet and walked over to the jury.

“Ladies and gentlemen, say it with me,” he began.

“Please,” the jury echoed back to him.

“Counsel!” Judge Walsh scolded. “The jury is to listen, not interact.”

“Certainly,” Bill agreed. He turned back to them. “The facts of this case are simple. You heard them from the doctors, the police officers, and from the victim herself. You saw the photos. The impression of the car door against her scalp. It’s not a case of he said she said because what she said is backed by evidence. All of which points to Mr. Sully violently assaulting Ms. Beyrand because she refused to have sex with him. As a society, we like to say that women have the right to say no. But they don’t, do they? Because look at what happens when they do. Dominique Beyrand was nearly killed for it. Thousands of women every year are not as fortunate to be able to take a shot at justice. And that’s what we’re looking for here. You have the facts before you. We’ve presented them clear as crystal. Now, it’s your turn to deliver justice. Not just for Dominique Beyrand. But for your mothers, sisters, and daughters. For every woman - every person, even - who has a right to say who puts their hands on their bodies. Justice. That’s all we’re asking for.”

With that, it was over. The jury went to deliberate.

“This could be a while, right?” Dominique asked as you headed out to the lobby.

“Yeah, it could be a few hours,” you told her. “But if they’re sensible, it shouldn’t take more than a couple hours.”

“Well, Roger and I wanted to thank you for all you two have done,” she replied. “By having you over for dinner.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” you said, touched. “It’s our job, and we’re glad to help you.”

“I know, but we appreciate it,” she said.

“Plus, we have an ulterior motive,” Roger added. “We’ve got to decorate the house for Christmas, and we could use the extra hands.”

It hit you suddenly that it was December. Christmas was in just a few weeks. You had been so busy with this case and your own thoughts that you’d forgotten.

“It would mean a lot to us,” Dominique said. “And to the kids.”

You and Bill looked at each other and nodded.

“We’ll come,” you said.

Verity was thrilled to see everyone when you arrived at Roger’s house. Roger told her you were all going to decorate, and she agreed to help. So, she got the children.

Felix was excited to see you again and he quickly warmed up to Bill. Rory was entirely a mommy’s girl. Even though she could teeter around, she got fussy if she wasn’t in Dominique’s arms. You had never seen Bill look so soft as he watched Dominique with her daughter.

You all worked together to unpack the decorations and begin hanging them. They didn’t have a tree yet, but Roger assured you they would get one in another week. That way it would stay fresh. Dominique put on a Bing Crosby Christmas record and you all got to work. You were putting the stockings on the mantle when Roger approached you.

“Did you really see a little boy in the courtroom today?” he asked. “He looked real?”

“Yeah,” you said somberly. “It’s got me a bit frightened. He looked so solid. Very real.”

“But he vanished?” he questioned.

You nodded. “He did.”

“What did he look like?” he wondered.

“Quite a bit like you, actually,” you told him. “I dunno, maybe I’m cracking up after everything we’ve been going through.”

He chuckled. “I wouldn’t blame you in the slightest.”

You smiled at each other and finished the stockings. He helped you string lights around the garland and then place it on the mantle as well. Dom had a collection of Father Christmases that she put along the beam to keep the garland in place. It looked beautiful.

Then you and Roger helped hang wreaths. Felix wanted to help so Roger hoisted him onto his shoulders. The boy giggled with delight. The sound made you stiffen. It was so like the laugh you heard in your office that morning.

“Y/N?” Roger asked, looking curiously at you. “You alright?”

You nodded, clearing your throat. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Just anxious about this verdict.”

“Don’t worry too much,” he said. “Whatever happens now isn’t in your control.”

You nodded again, and he handed Felix a ribbon to tie around the wreath. You jumped in and showed Felix how to tie a pretty bow, then let him try it on his own. It was sloppy, but you left it to show you were proud of him.

“Look, Mum, I made a bow!” he called to Dominique.

“And what a beautiful bow it is, darling!” she praised, beaming at him.

“Well, done, Felix!” Roger added.

You high fived him as well and he looked most pleased with himself.

Decorating was a welcome distraction from your worries. In a way, it felt like you were celebrating that you all had done this in the first place. You made it to trial, you tried an excellent case, and whatever way the jury decided, you were happy to have done your part for Dominique. She was glowing as she looked around at her friends and family. If not for the scar poking out from her hairline, you might not have thought anything happened to her at all.

At one point, Roger handed Felix some mistletoe and walked over to you.

“Oh!” he cried dramatically, earning more giggles from his son. “Looks like we ran into each other under the mistletoe. You know what that means.”

He winked as you rolled your eyes. A smile tugged at the corners of your lips, though.

“You are such an idiot,” you teased.

“Well, you owe this idiot a kiss,” he returned.

With a laugh, you obliged, leaning over to peck him on the lips.

Everyone laughed, sang, and got covered in glitter and pine needles as the house turned into a Christmas winter wonderland. You finally felt the spirit of the holiday. You were almost sad when it was completed because you were having such a wonderful time.

Luckily, the evening wasn’t over. Roger and Dom still wanted to make dinner, so you all herded into the kitchen. You took Rory and Felix crawled into Bill’s lap while the former couple got to work. Felix was animatedly talking to Bill about all the things he was asking Santa for, but Rory’s energy had depleted. She rested her head against your chest and closed her droopy eyes.

“This baby is tired,” you remarked, smiling.

“Well, she’ll eat a bit before we put her to bed,” Dominique said.

The children were fed first, with some assistance from you and Bill. Felix was truly taking advantage of all the attention he was getting. Rory was just tired and a little fussy. When they were done, Bill and Dom went to put them to bed. You and Roger started to prepare the wine.

“Y/N, I wanted to tell you just how much last night meant to me,” he said as you placed four glasses on the counter. “I really think things are just working out.”

“I do too,” you agreed with a grin. “Last night was incredible and it reassured me that we were meant to find each other again.”

He smiled and kissed you sweetly.

“I also wanted to thank you again for taking this case,” he said. “No matter what happens, we are so grateful for everything.”

“Roger, please, we are just happy you trust us enough,” you told him. “Bill and I adore you and Dom. We’re your friends. And I think after tonight….we’re all kind of family.”

“A weird family,” he joked.

“But a family all the same,” you insisted.

He kissed you again, and in it, you felt that he shared the sentiment.

Bill and Dominique returned, laughing softly together. You handed them each a glass of the freshly poured wine.

“They go down okay?” you asked.

“Perfectly,” Dominique said. “Felix always acts like he’s not sleepy, but the second his head hits the pillow, out go the lights.”

“Sounds like Roger,” you teased.

“I know, right?!” Dominique agreed.

You all chuckled. As Roger began retrieving things from the fridge for dinner, the phone rang. Verity picked it up on her way into the kitchen. You watched her expression shift to concern.

“Y/N, it’s for you,” she said. “It’s your assistant.”

You swept over to her and took the receiver.

“Jane, what is it?” you asked.

“The jury’s back,” she said. “You’ve got to get to court.”

Your stomach dropped. “Thanks, we’ll be right there.”

You hung up. All eyes were on you. Bill looked at you with understanding.

“The jury’s back,” he said, not having to guess.

You nodded.

“Dinner will have to wait,” Roger said. “Let’s go.”

You all rushed to grab your things and headed back into town.

The courtroom was empty now that it was late. Roger was the only person in the audience. You arrived after Glen and Nick were already seated. You noticed him and Roger exchange glares.

You all stood when Judge Walsh entered and took his seat. Glen and Nick remained standing while the jury filed in. Once all the formalities were taken care of, Judge Walsh looked at the jury.

“Have you reached a verdict?” he asked.

The foreman - who was actually a woman - stood up.

“We have, your honor,” she said.

“What say you?”

She unfolded the paper in her hand. You watched with bated breath. This was it. Had you done enough?

“In the matter of the people versus Sully, we the jury find the defendant, Nicholas David Sully, guilty…”

You didn’t hear the rest. You looked over at Dominique, but her face was already buried in Bill’s chest, and his arms were around her. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs. You turned around to see Roger, head in his hands, absolutely frozen.

“Members of the jury, thank you for your service,” Judge Walsh said. “This court is adjourned.”

He slammed his gavel, and it felt like a wake up call. A burst of joy shot through you and you jumped out of your seat to hug Roger. He welcomed you into his arms as you embraced over the wall between you.

You felt a hand on your shoulder. You turned to see Dominique, tears and makeup streaming down her cheeks, but the widest grin you had ever seen on her face.

“Thank you,” she choked out.

Your own eyes welled up with tears. You didn’t have words, so you pulled her into the hug. You yanked Bill in as well, and the four of you stood there, relieved and victorious. The sentencing would be in a few weeks, but you were already over the biggest hurdle. You felt a little bit of pride in yourself. It was your first ever criminal conviction.

“How about we celebrate?” Bill suggested. “Let’s have a drink at the bar before we go back for dinner?”

“That sounds perfect,” Dominique said.

She took his hand. You took Roger’s. All of you headed out to the bar. A few of your coworkers - including Jane - were already there, so you told them the good news. There was champagne to go around. You hardly drank any. You were too busy dancing with Roger. Dinner was forgotten. The whole evening was spent at the bar, toasting, dancing, and being with the person you loved more than life itself - Roger Meddows Taylor.

#roger taylor #roger taylor imagine #roger taylor x reader #roger taylor x you #Queen #queen imagine #queen x reader #queen x you #ben hardy #ben hardy imagine #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy x you #BoRhap #borhap imagine #bohemian rhapsody #bohemian rhapsody imagine #just like a woman series

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archived-gtronpa-account · 4 years

Text

Sizeshifter Shu sizeshifter Shu!

Aaaa I'm just a sucker for emotional sizeshifters those anxious babies are just neat, so here

Summary: The killing game, the mastermind, the death of Rantaro Amami... All those events seem to make poor Shuichi's emotions go awry. Kaede notices his emotional distress, but is surprised to see the... extreme effect of that on his body.

Word count: 2133

___

Keade reached out and held Shuichi's hand.

"Kaede...?" His hand was cold, shaky; she squeezed it tighter, holding onto it like a lifeline.

"I wish there was a piano here, I would play you a song to cheer you up! For you... Oh, maybe 'Clair de Lune by Debussy! It's a soothing song that calms your heart, like the moon's reflection on water..."

She noticed Shuichi's shy, avoidant gaze look away from her eyes and linger on her hand. She swallowed back the tightness in her throat.

"You noticed, huh? Yeah, I'm shaking too... But if be a mess if you weren't here," she has to be strong for everyone, for Shuichi, for herself, "I would've been so lost without you. I'm glad you're with me, Shuichi," with him by her side to ground her and give her confidence and courage, she knew she could take on the mastermind, end the killing game, and get out with all of her friends.

"Please, be more confident. I believe in you, so you should definitely believe in yourself!"

She felt his hand shift and slide away from hers. She glanced down at it, but it hadn't moved away; if anything, it had shrunk down and balled up in a fist, so she readjusted her grip to hold on the small, shaky hand.

"Okay, I'll try..." The detective lifted his chin up and looked at Kaede right in the eyes, maybe for the first time since she had met him, "I don't know if I can, but I'll try..."

He reached a hand out to lift his cap up, but it slid back down over his eyes. She chuckled at the cute, fun sight. But the fun of it wore off when he kept struggling to pull his cap back up; it seemed a bit too big for his head, even though it had looked like a pretty tight fit moments ago.

"Uhm..." He looked away, slightly nervous, and slid his hand away from hers. She tried to grab it to calm him down, but paused when she saw it.

Maybe he was a bit scrawny for a boy, but his hand was definitely not that small.

"Shuichi...?" She looked back up, confused and worried. Her mouth fell agape when she looked at his cap-hidden face.

Kaede was sure she was not taller than Shuichi.

"Sh-Shuichi!"

Somehow, that seemed to snap him out of a trance. His eyes darted in her direction from under the loosely hanging cap, filled with worry and something akin to fear. He bolted upright up and took a few, stumbling steps back.

Kaede, still somewhat lost, stood up slowly from her seat, afraid any abrupt movement might scare him like a frightened kitten.

He shrunk down under her gaze, but his cap seemed to fit; and besides the fearful aura around him, he seemed just fine.

She stood at her full height, and somehow, Shuichi looked tall again, even taller than her. She'd always had the impression he was a bit of a short boy. Was he always that tall?

A music blarred in the classroom, pounding against the walls as if the room was a drum.

Kaede yelped and turned to look at the monitor. It displayed a weird movie with pawns being killed.

"Ah, Kaede!" She shot a glance at Shuichi, whom held up the receiver that had gone off.

"It's buzzing- somebody moved the bookcase!" She exclaimed. Her heart pounded against her ribcage to the beat of the insufferable music.

"L-Let's go see it!" Shuichi fled out of the room.

"Ah- wait for me!"

Kaede didn't think further of the spooky height change at that moment, deciding it was either a trick of the light from the setting sun, or the boy's strange position on his seat.

She thought of it again after the body discovery announcement.

She stood behind Shuichi, staring in horror at the cold body on the ground. Rantaro Amami lay dead on the library's floor.

In her frightened state, she almost didn't notice the change in Shuichi. But it was hard not to notice that when he stepped back and bumped into her, he was a good foot taller than her.

"Shuichi...?" She reached a hand up- well over her head, and placed it on his shoulder. He jumped at the touch and turned around to see her, but his eyes widened in horror when he found himself having to look down to meet the girl's eyes.

Kaede wasn't fast enough to speak. Shuichi had already bolted out of the room.

"Hey- wait!" She ignored the other students' confused gazes and rushed out of the room after the detective.

The boy had hidden in a nearby classroom. By the time Kaede reached it, she was wheezing and panting. The perk of being so tall was to be a fast runner, she supposed. But Shuichi had certainly not been a foot taller than her earlier that day; and even as she chased him in the hallways, she could have sworn he had grown even taller.

She gulped at the thought. Shuichi Saihara, the shy and anxious detective boy, was growing taller in his fear and panic.

Kaede pushed her own fear aside and grabbed the classroom's door handle. No matter how tall and no matter how short, no matter how scary and no matter how confusing, Shuichi was still her friend. Poor guy seemed even more terrified than her. So, even if she was afraid and apprehensive of what lay behind the door, she decided that she definitely had to be by his side, just like he had been by her side.

She pushed the door open and confidently stepped in.

"Shuichi...?" She called out. The last golden sunrays shone through the windows, casting a dim light inside the room.

It was easy to spot Shuichi, curled up in the corner of the room with his head almost touching the ceiling.

Kaede, in gentle movements, closed the door behind her and stepped towards the unusually large boy.

He lifted his head up in her direction and shied away as she approached. His back was pressed so hard against the wall she feared it might crack and crumble under that force.

"Shuichi? Calm down, it's just me," she tried to give her best reassuring smile and hoped it didn't turn out to be a grimace.

"K-Kaede, please... go away," in contrast to his size, his voice was so small and weak she barely caught the words.

She took a few steps closer to him, until she was standing to his side. The ground shook under her feet, and she realized it was because the giant boy was shivering.

"Come on, it's alright Shuichi, you don't have to be scared of me," she reached a hand out and patted his arm, unsure what other reassurence she could provide.

Kaede had to crane her neck up to meet his gaze. His eyes darted between her and the door, either wishing she would leave him alone or wishing he was still small enough to go through that door.

"Shuichi, calm down. I know you're scared right now, but all of us are. We have to stay strong in these times, and you don't have to be alone! I'll always be by your side, no matter what," some of the tension left her body. Had it been anyone else, Kaede wouldn't have been so calm and confident, but that was Shuichi; her friend, whom she trusted with her life and knew would never hurt anyone, whom she could rely on to end the killing game and protect everyone.

"So you're... You're not afraid- of me?" He breathed out, in a voice lower than a whisper, he looked down at her, then averted his gaze to look down at his lap.

His hand rested on the floor a couple feet away from Kaede. She knelt down next to it, and with some strength, lifted it up in her arms to her chest in an improvised hug. "Of course not, silly! You're the most reliable and trustworthy person in this entire school. Even if you were taller than this entire building I'd still trust you with my life," she rubbed the back of his hand, and chuckled "What were you even thinking?"

There was no answer. Silence stretched between them as long as the shadows on the ground; it wasn't a tense silence however, it was a calm, peaceful quiet where no words needed to be told to understand each other.

The pianist felt the cold, shaky hand fall limp in her arms, unmoving aside from the large fingers delicately brushing against her torso in small movements.

Kaede felt the hand slide off her grip and grow smaller and smaller at a steady pace. She kept her gaze down, afraid that if she looked up she would embarrass the boy and ruin the moment.

A few minutes passed, before Shuichi ended up on his knees besides Kaede, back at a somewhat reasonable height, maybe a bit short though.

"Kaede, thank you..." He looked away. The girl noticed the pink dusting his cheeks and something of a small smile under his cap.

Right, his cap. It was hanging off his head again like a big funny hat.

Shuichi was still getting shorter by the second. Kaede freaked out, thinking he still wasn't feeling alright. But he reached out and grasped her hand in two small, steady ones. He seemed fine, rather serene. She supposed serenity made him feel shorter somehow. So that was why he always seemed reclusive and reluctant to show his feelings. It was still weird to understand the emotional whole size-changes thing, but the pianist was gladly willing to try if it was for a close friend.

"I'm so glad I didn't drive you away even though I'm a freak, I'm so glad you're not scared, I'm so glad you're still here with me..." He vented, still keeping his gaze low and timid. Kaede brought a hand out and placed on his back for comfort. Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight; her hand practically engulfed his back, and his own hands could barely hold two of her fingers. He was so small, even smaller than a baby, maybe as small as a kitten. A black little kitten hidden under a huge cap.

After a while in the silence, Shuichi finally regained his full composure, got up at his full height of maybe a foot or so, and looked up at Kaede, sheepish. The girl watched as he stepped away from her and his body stretched out as he grew again to five feet seven. He was so fast about it that her head was spinning by the time he reached his usual height.

"Ah, geez! I really can't get used to your size-shifting thingy, it's always catching me off guard!" She chuckled nervously.

"A-Ah, sorry... It's a bit hard to control when I'm so emotional. This is embarrassing... Sorry," he stammered out, unsure how to justify his sudden outburst. It was hard to explain such embarrassing situation, "I-It's kind of like... wearing a shoe that's one size too small, once you take it off it feels so liberating that it's hard to put back on, kind of... It feels a bit tight to stay at a normal height all the time, especially after a slip-up... But now," he brought a hand to his chest and sighed deeply, "Now I'm alright, so... Thank you, Kaede," he offered a hand to help her stand back up. She held onto it tightly, thankful she could do that much after that hectic little episode.

"So, you'll... keep my secret?" He mumbled out, timid gaze looking away from her.

"Well, of course! if you're feeling good right now then I'm glad! But, Shuichi, it's okay to be emotional when you're in a stressful situation, so you shouldn't hold yourself back. No one here will judge you or think you're a freak or weak or whatever! And if they do, I'll punch them square in the face!" She shouted in a courageous voice and pumped a fist up in the air, earning a chuckle. "You should open up to the others. But if you want me to stay silent, then I'll take your secret to my grave!"

And she did.

____

The next morning, Shuichi left his cap on his bedside table, left his room and went to the cafeteria where everyone was gathered. Everyone but two of the sixteen students.

All gazes were on him as he came in, head free from the obscuring cap. He stood upright and took a deep breath, already feeling the tingling sensation in his limbs. He could do it.

"G-Guys... I have something to tell you."

____

Hnng ok this is my peak, anything after this and the last Keebs one will be trash in comparison cuz,,, I put more thought into this one than usual ! The rest will be messy lil drabbles. I don't otp saede but hot damn aren't they a good couple.

#gtronpa #sizeshifter!shuichi #giant!shuichi #tiny!kaede #how do i even tag #gt #the amount of italics in this one is embarrassing omg #writing #tiny!shuichi #Danganronpa #shuichi Saihara #kaede akamatsu #saimatsu #ndrv3

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crazyyanderefangirlfan · 3 years

Text

Chapter 2: Bring on the Mania. Pt 3

"Damn, I forgot how this place was." Amane stated in awe as they went inside. Crouching down to a nearby flower bed, and examined it. "I thought this place went to shit with how that crow was so eager to take the money."

"He probably spent half of the money on his trip during winter break." Grim scoffed.

"Still not letting that go, huh?" Valerie asked, re-adjusting her hold on him.

"No, I won't! That birdbrain left us when we needed him the most!" He exclaimed. Valerie was about to reply when a loud growl resounded through the area. A sense of deja vu hit Valerie, especially when a familiar lion came to view.

"Damn it, Herbivore, that familiar of yours is too loud again. Either shut it up, or I will." Leona warned. Coming out from his usual nap spot, baring his teeth, and his piercing eyes glaring down at her. However, despite the threat, Valerie gave him an endearing smile.

"Hello, Leona. I'm sorry for disturbing your sleep. We'll try to be quieter." She apologized. He regarded her for a moment before letting out a scoff.

"Just be careful next time, Herbivore. Otherwise, you would have been my snack." His lips formed into a lazy smirk, and his eyes filled with a devilish glint on his eyes.

"So, who the fuck is he?" He inquired, finally noticing Amane. Who had a carnal look, biting his lips as his eyes travel up and down his body. Winking when their eyes connected.

"Well, Mr. Fuckable. I'm Amane Mania a REAL pleasure to meet you~" He strutted over, using her head as an armrest and propping his face, flashing Leona a coy smile. Leona backed up a bit when he did that.

If it wasn't for his looks and scent, he would have thought he might be related to Rook, with his flamboyant nature and predatory stare.

Ugh, another hunter to keep his guard up, how annoying.

"What are you doing with the Herbivore?" He pressed, glared daggers at him. Seeing how casual he is with her, and judging from her 'I'm used to this' face, he can assume they're friends.

"I'm staying with her for two days. This place is pretty good so far, especially half of the boys here are eye-candy, such as yourself~" He purred the last part, and biting his lower lip.

"This school is fucking huge, but I'm lucky Sugar tits is my guide."

Both of them jumped when an audible growl escaped Leona's lips. A scowl formed on his face, his eyes zeroed in on Amane, fangs visible and sharp. Leona's ears twitched, and his tail sweep side to side. Grim, who knew about his anger, hid in Valerie's clothes, and sensing the hostility, Lisha flew in front of them, talons ready to attack.

"What did you call her?" He clenched his jaw, voice filled with tightness with all the ire he's been building.

Thankfully, Valerie understood the cause of her senior's irritation. She quickly pulled Lisha to her bosom and tried to reason with him.

"I-It's alright, I'm used to the nickname, though crude. It's still very Amane." She gave him a reassuring smile, but he still wasn't convinced. He took a step forward, sniffed the midnight blue-haired man.

Usually, he would make a crass joke or an attempt to flirt, but Valerie and Grim, who peeked out her shirt, read his thoughts and shook their heads at whatever Amane wanted to say. It was better to endure it than saying something that he might regret.

After a few more agonizing seconds, Leona pulled back. He wrinkled his nose. His face was a mixture of realization and annoyance. "Ugh. So this was the guy you've been with Herbivore?"

He must have been referring to Amane's recovery period. Come to think of it, half of the beastmen, including Leona and Ruggie, seemed irritated whenever she came near them. The dorm leader pointed out that she smelled like another man and proceeded to cuddle with her to get rid of the smell.

Even Azul, Jade, and Floyd were upset at the change of her scent. Prompting Floyd to kidnapped her whenever he sees her and bringing her to the Monstro Lounge to squeeze her, trying to remove whatever tainted his little sea bunny.

"Oi Leona, there you are." A new voice rang out. A young hyena came to view, wearing a tired expression on his face.

"Tch. The annoying one is here." Leona grumbled, shooting the hyena an irked look.

"Seriously, you won't graduate if you keep this up." Ruggie remarked. His eyes drifted, finally noticing the school's only girl and a new face.

"Hey, Valerie. Who is that?" He asked, pointing at Amane.

"The guy that Herbivore's been with." Leona answered for her instead. A look of stunned realization appeared on Ruggie's face as he took another look at Amane. The latter rolled his eyes.

"Relax, Mr. Fuckable, I'm not into girls. She just helped me get better." The hetero eyed male confessed, folding his arms behind his head.

"Pfftt, Mr. Fuckable" Ruggie turned his head away. Cackles threaten to escape his mouth if it wasn't for Leona shooting him a death glare.

"Aww, don't think I didn't have one for you, baby boy." Ruggie jerked when he found himself trapped between a tree and Amane's body.

The hyena shrunk when he found himself being stared down by Amane's lustful gaze. The taller male's cheeks were flushed, and a seductive smile formed across his lips, with a hint of drool. Ruggie trembled from where he stood, and sweat dripped from his forehead. The poor hyena's eyes darted to Leona in a silent plea for help, but he was snickering at his predicament.

Lucky for him help came in another way. The small strix freed herself from the brunette's hold and dived down upon the male. Lisha harshly tugged on his hair with surprising strength for her size; the poor male yelped in pain and fell flat on this butt.

Ruggie let out a large exhalation of pent-up breath. He tried to calm his heart with minimal success. That stare...It reminded him of someone, as well as the lack of understanding of personal space. He shuddered at the thought.

Amane gritted his teeth from the bird's assault. Reaching back, he grabbed the small bird. The man grimaced when Lisha started to peck his hands.

"Ow! Come on Lish, give me a break." The man begged, but the strix just shot him a disapproving glare. He opened his mouth to give the bird a snarky remark but felt a harsh tugging on his ear, forcing him to stand up and let go of Lisha. Valerie kept a firm grip on his ear, dragging him to the storage room. There was an all too happy expression on her face.

"Amane, we have no time for this. You can make other people uncomfortable later. See you guys!" She waved her seniors' goodbye as she power walk to the storage room. Her smile seemed to grow the more she heard Amane's pained shrieks, who immediately noticed.

"Ow! The fuck! Are you enjoying my pain!?"

"What do you think?"

The two Savanaclaw students watched the unusual pair with slight amusement.

"Heh, that guy won't survive with Herbivore." A smirk made it's on Leona's lips as they watched Amane constantly tripping on his feet to keep up with her.

"Shishishishishsi~ That boy won't survive the day."

____________________________

They left the botanical garden with Valerie carrying a basket full of magnolia petals, making their way back to Crewel's lab. Though, Amane had a sour look on his face.

"Was the dragging me all the way necessary?" Amane queried. He rubbed his ear; it was still red and burning.

"You deserved it for getting into his personal space." She coolly replied, not even looking at him.

"Well, you can't blame for being a little flirty with that guy. He had some cuteness mixed with his wild look." He licked his lips as he thought back on Ruggie. The hyena's wide-eyed and nervous look was delicious to him. The girl merely rolled her eyes.

Loud footsteps stopped the duo in their tracks and sounded like it was headed their way. Shouts were heard, almost like-

"SEA BUNNY!"

Ah, she knew that voice.

Hastily, she shoved Grim --Who let out a protest--, and the basket onto Amane's arms, much to the latter's confusion. He didn't have time to question when a figure barreled onto her, scooping her up and spinning her around.

"Sea bunny I missed you." An insane voice giggled as he spun her around. He finally stopped though he still carried her, and Amane can get a good look at him. A ridiculously tall male with turquoise hair and a black streak held Valerie like a rag doll, sporting a manic grin on his face.

"Oya,oya~ Floyd, don't be so rough on her." A male identical to the first one came to view. He was more neatly dressed compared to the manic male holding Valerie, who looked like he didn't give a fuck about how he looked. Scrutinizing further, they were heterochromatic like him.

"And don't spin her around. You'll give her a headache." Another smooth voice chided 'Floyd' a third male came to view, he was his height and had silvery hair and glasses. A displeased look etched on his features as he watched 'Floyd' swing Valerie like a pendulum.

"But, I miss Sea bunny so much." He whined, frowning at the shorter male. "I didn't get to see her the whole morning, and you kept me busy at lunch."

His miffed expression was replaced with a cheerful one as he admired her, nuzzling his face on hers. "Mmmm, Sea bunny, I want attention."

Valerie chuckled nervously. "I'm sorry you didn't get to see me. I was busy showing my friend around.

"Your friend?" Floyd looked up to her.

"I believe she means the gentleman with her." The neater twin remarked, finally letting Amane be known by the other two. The silvery haired male gazed at him intently, as if assessing his value, the neater twin gave him a closed-eyed smile, but Amane felt something off about it. Floyd just gave him a blank stare, but his mouth stretched into a grin, like a cat finding a new toy to play with.

But. Amane only had one thought...

"The hell? Your friends with a hot mafia?" He never thought Valerie would involve herself with a criminal group, a good-looking one at that.

"Um, no. They're students." She admitted and turned to Floyd, flashing a cute smile at him.

"Could you let me down now? I'm still delivering something for professor Crewel." She kindly requested. He narrowed his eyes, lips forming a pout. Valerie flinched when she felt his arms tightening around her, but she didn't lose her smile. Instead, she leaned into his face and gave him butterfly kisses.

Amane nearly dropped the monsters and basket in shock. "What the fuck?"

He stared wide-eyed at the scene before him. What's even more jarring is that Lisha didn't even bother to thrash.

"Don't worry, this is normal. Besides Jade, Valerie can calm him down with affection, which honestly works with almost all her friends." Grim explained. Grim had a deadpan look on his face, far too used to her actions. Lisha, her whole body was twitching, itching to peck the tall man. He brought his eyes back to the original scene. Floyd was visibly calming down, that crazed smile coming back to his face.

"Mmmm, Sea bunny's kisses are the best." He mumbled, nuzzling onto her more.

The other two weren't as happy. Jade's smile became strained as he watched his brother soak all her attention like a sponge, while the shorter male was more vocal about his displeasure.

"Floyd, that's enough. Put her down now." The sternness in his voice is evident, pushing up his glasses, eyeing at him with slight jealousy.

"If you don't, I'll have Jade feed you mushrooms for a week."

Almost instantly. Floyd instantly dropped the girl, who landed on her butt. Groaning from the impact, she picked herself up and walked back to Amane, taking back the basket; and her monsters.

"So, you gonna introduce me to them?" Amane must know the names of these possible dom daddies.

"Allow me." The silvery male started. "My name is Azul Ashegrotto, dorm leader of Octavinelle, my vice Jade Leech and his brother Floyd." Gesturing to the twins.

"I believe your Amane Mania?" A honeyed smile formed on Azul's face when he said those words. It wasn't a question, more like a statement.

"You made quite a name here. Being acquainted with the school's sweetheart and flirting with several of the students. Some already developed an infatuation with you."

Amane smirked. "Of course they do. No one can resist this firecracker. Speaking of which..."

Amane happily skipped towards Azul, who stiffened upon seeing Amane towering over him thanks to his shoes. Azul felt a lump on his throat when he met Amane's eyes, dilated pupils filled with intense longing. Azul glanced over to the twins, begging for their help, but received callous smiles on their faces.

Seeing where this was going, Lisha flew up and was about to unleash an onslaught of pecks; when Floyd held her back.

"Don't Lantern shark. I want to see what happens." The strix slightly narrowed her eyes at him, questioning why did he stop her. The eel just sent her a grin and gestured in front of them.

"You know." The man started. Amane took a small lock of hair between his fingers, twirling and kissing it.

"You have such an irresistible face, and that voice of yours could get anyone hot and bothered." He purred sensually. Amane relished his heated face and leaned down to his ear.

"Why don't you and me, after school got to your room and tell me all your darkest desires. I can make them happen, daddy~."

Amane could hear the hitch on his throat. He leaned back, internally snickering upon seeing Azul's face redder than blood. He poked his finger on his chest, slowly dragged it up till it reached his chin. He tilted his head, making them lock eyes.

"So, what's it going to be?"

Azul struggled to form a sentence. Never in his life, he dealt with something like this before. He can deal with rowdy students, deceptive clients, or even foolish familiars. But, he can't deal with amorous individuals.

Amane hummed in delight, enjoying the way Azul falls apart from his words and touch. Enjoying his little show, that he didn't notice two towering skyscrapers on either side of him.

"Excuse me." A calm voice said. "Will you please stop flustering our dorm leader."

Amane glance beside him and did a double-take on both sides.

The twins may be hot like an underwater volcano, but they unnerved him a bit. Jade's smile never fully reached his eyes, and he studied him like some sort of experiment. While Floyd inspected him with gleefully deranged curiosity, sharp teeth on full display.

Not that he minded.

"Heh, heh, you really made Azul tongue-tied Dolphin." Floyd had an inane grin on his face.

"Dolphin?" Amane furrowed his brow, looking at the wild twin strangely.

"My brother gives nicknames out of affection, and he seems to be taking quite the liking to you." Jade answered, removing his hand from his shoulder.

Amane pursed his lips at the new piece of information before a familiar smirk was back on his lips and fully faced the twins. He let out an appreciative whistle. Damn, those two were tall. He wondered if they were just as endowed behind their pants?

Meanwhile, using this as a distraction. Azul silently crept far away from the wanton male and to the school's sweetheart.

"I'm sorry if Amane came too strong. Are you alright?" She offered him an apologetic smile. She re-adjusted her hold on Grim and the basket to hold gently hold his hand, an attempt to comfort him from his experience.

She tilted her in confusion upon witnessing Azul turned his head slightly to avoid her eyes.

"Ehh, you okay, Azul?" She asked, still retaining her smile.

"Your face is getting a little red. Do you have a fever?" He snapped back to attention. Azul coughed, gently taking away his hand from her hold and straightening his uniform.

"I'm fine, Angelfish. Your friend was just... Very forward in his flirting methods, I was just a bit overwhelmed, that's all." He reassured, a small smile gracing his face. She returned it; before realizing something.

"Oh, man! I forgot to deliver these to professor Crewel!" She exclaimed in panic. She hastily brought Azul down and kissed his cheek.

"It's good to see you and the twins, but I have to go! Come on Amane!" She shouted towards the incubus, who currently seemed to cower under the twins' gazes. The hetero eyed male seemed relieved of her interference; he grabbed her hand and ran, fast.

"What happened to you? I thought you were flirting with those guys?" Grim inquired. He seemed all coy when he had their attention.

"Let's just say those two are weirder than me." The tone in his voice made it clear he didn't want to continue talking. He hoped that in the future, he'll have fewer interactions with those saltwater cryptids.

Jade watched in amusement, on seeing the Amane dragging Valerie away and far from them as possible.

"Ehh, where's Dolphin going with Sea bunny?" Floyd's lips curled into a pout. He wanted to play with him more. He was so fun~

"She has a delivery for professor Crewel" Azul stated. He was still busy calming his heart and cooling his face from the kiss. That girl will be the death of him.

"Though it is best to keep an eye on him, he could be a valuable client." The octo-mer added. A smirk made its way on his face, the twins mirrored it.

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thefoulbeast · 4 years

Text

Monstrum Malum (Evil Monster)

It’s finally october!! U know what that means!! Aoextober!! I’ve been waiting to be able to post this hahhhahahaa… some good ole soft horror in the spirit of the month of scary… I’ll also put it up on ao3 soon…

Characters: Todou Saburota, That demon he had at first, Todou Homare (mentioned). Contents: Violence & gore, monsters, memory manipulation, surrealism (or is it derealisation? basically we got some weird stuff going on), elements of horror. Rating: Teen & up. Word count: 2 888.

__________

It’s all a little fuzzy, this far back in his memories…

According to family tradition, Saburota receives his temptaint at ten years old. It’s scary beyond belief – the sudden grotesque presences that await him at every turn.

There’s a thick black snake on the teacher’s desk that watches him, a cat with two heads and three tails and no skin that doesn’t meow as much as it yells, spidery, shadowy hands that wave at him from dark corners and alleyways, always beckoning closer in silent invitation.

The horrible sounds of screaming and crying at night he can’t drown out no matter what he tries to do.

He doesn’t understand how his father and brothers and – everyone, really- can just ignore it all, can just pretend like it’s all normal and okay.

Though, he supposes it’s not too implausible – their ability to ignore things is quite remarkable. One time they pretended he didn’t exist for a whole week – and honestly, he’d been questioning his existence himself by the end of it.

But the problem is these… demons. These ghosts and spectres that follow him and distract him and terrify him.

Saburota tries to focus on the page in front of him – a test in maths that he’s writing in pencil because his pen is bleeding red blood – an ever-growing puddle over the surface of his desk that never reaches his papers and drips over the edge with quiet plips.

The numbers in the problems tilt and tumble and his hands are tingling. But if he focuses just so- if he can keep them in his mind long enough, he can do this.

Pit-pat… Pit-pat…

The blood drips steadily down onto the floor. No one else notices it.

–

“Oh, come now! You’ll get used to it,” his aunt says when she sees him flinch back from a dark mass that covers the floor like a living carpet, undulating and scintillating and breathing.

She walks right over it, and the black sticks to the heels of her shiny beige pumps like tar – but she doesn’t even seem to notice-

“Come on, Saburota, let’s go,” she pulls him by the arm, stronger than he can dig his heels into the ground. The black thing is unpleasantly soft under his feet. He feels it writhe.

“Don’t be so obstinate, we’ll be late to the opera!” she huffs, exasperated, “Honestly, you’d think a boy your age would have some manners.”

The black clings to the bottom of their soles without end even after they’ve crossed all of it and are out on the street, spreading out from every point of contact their shoes make with the ground, melting together to form a winding, snakelike path.

“What show are we going to see?” he asks cautiously, trying to distract himself.

“Three dead men and the devil, of course” she answers haughtily, “Why, Saburota, it’s as if you’re trying to irritate me on purpose! You’re the one who wanted to go!”

He did?

“Oh, I remember now!” he says, but it’s a lie, it’s his mouth moving on its own, “I hope it’s as good as the reviews promise!” he says again, a giddy edge to the words- but they’re not his words.

“It will be,” his aunt answers with a mysterious sort of smile, her hand tightening around his wrist.

–

Saburota’s hiding under the bed, curled up in the dark. It seems like no matter how much he shrinks down; he still feels watched, still feels threatened. Feels like he’s not alone, like there’s something else inside him.

The door opens and footsteps make their way over to the bed – but they’re sharp, like knocking wood on wood, and so loud.

Saburota holds his breath when hooves come into view right in front of him. Fear is like a bird trapped in his chest, raging desperately against the bars of his ribs.

Whatever it is climbs up on his bed with an ominous sqeak of the springs and a decidedly animal huff.

“Oh, you’re already in bed, honey?” the voice of his mother speaks from the doorway. She all but floats over soundlessly. Her skin is deathly pale and dry beneath the hem of her nightgown.

“I’m scared, mommy,” the thing says in a voice that’s nowhere near Saburota’s own. “I think there’s a monster under my bed.”

“Monsters don’t exist, silly,” she coos, “but I’ll look and make sure for you, alright?”

She gets down on all fours and peers beneath the bed. Her unseeing eyes look straight at and through Saburota. Her face is as pale and bloodless as her feet and hands, a greenish-blueish tinge to her lips and eyelids.

“There’s nothing here, honey,” she says in her beautiful, sonorous voice. Her smile reveals her teeth that look much longer and sharper now that the gums have dried out and shrunk back.

Then she rises again and says, “Now, will you be a good boy and sleep? We have a busy day tomorrow. You need to be ready to do what has to be done.” She kisses the thing sweetly goodnight before leaving, footsteps as soundless as when she entered. The door closes behind her, and so disappears that last bit of illumination the room had.

The darkness left behind feels like it’s eating Saburota whole, encompassing him in a tight and claustrophobic space. He reaches out to prove the feeling wrong, but the darkness is smooth and solid against his hand, pushing up against it with incrementally increasing force.

“You don’t have much time left down there, do you?” the thing up on the bed asks, soft and sleepy. It yawns. “You know, God can’t see you anymore, and neither can most other things.”

The darkness pushes up against his skin, too tight to move, too tight to breathe.

–

They’re in the main hall. A soft record plays in the background, a gentle but somber croon accompanied by a saxophone and a cello.

“You know they don’t exist,” the shadow sitting across from Saburota at the dinner table says, “right?”

It’s gesturing at his family, where they’re chatting amongst themselves as they eat. At the other, farther end of the table – it’s farther than usual. The table is as long as the room as opposed to taking up just the center.

There are so many empty seats. So many set plates, untouched. Like there’s supposed to be a banquet, but no one’s shown up.

Saburota stares down at his plate. The soup is black and thick, and there’s the smooth off-white surface of a bone peeking out from beneath the surface.

He’s not particularly hungry.

“You’re wrong,” he tells the shadow quietly ad he pushes the plate away, and the damn thing laughs in response. It’s fuzzy and translucent, and smears in Saburota’s vision when it moves.

“Oh, my bad!” the shadow chortles and picks up a knife, and twirls it around the fingers of its hand; the gleaming facets of the blade catch red and orange lights from some strange and unknown source, “You’re the one who doesn’t exist, I meant to say. Easy mistake to make.”

Saburota feels goose bumps break out over his body. A cold gust of wind whistles over the edge of his collar, ruffling the back of his hair. He places one of his palms protectively over his nape, feeling unsafe.

The room is colourless now, and his family sounds all muffled - and the shadow is gone. He shivers, then takes a fortifying breath and reaches for the spoon again, hand trembling minutely.

Saburota lifts a spoonful of the simple noodle soup to his mouth hesitantly. It doesn’t seem like there’s anything wrong with it, but… he’s just got this nagging worry that something isn’t right.

–

“I see right through you,” the creature says hotly in his ear, “you’re little more than smoke - a miasma leaking through the cracks of the skin you wear.”

Saburota stares at it through the mirror. It’s taller than him, wider than him, has horns like an ibex and hands like eagle claws, poised up in the air, talons glinting menacingly.

“Poor little Saburota,” it hisses, leaning in even closer, snake tongue peeking through its teeth on the ‘s’. “So damaged and twisted that no one could ever like you. You empty little puppet, you pathetic fucking piece of shit.”

Saburota shrugs at its words. They sound about right. It’s what he’s heard all his life, what he’s thought all his life. A truth confirmed over and over.

“You should bite them back for making you,” it says with a beastly leer, talons wrapping around his shoulders and digging in, drawing blood in small beads, “Make them regret your existence. Teach them what it means to hurt. You want to. You need to. I’ll help you. I’ll make you strong, I’ll make you dangerous.”

There’s a certain desperation to the thing’s words.

“Maybe someday,” Saburota murmurs, stepping forwards - out of the creature’s embrace towards the sink, heedless of the shallow wounds left behind by the drag of its talons. He needs to brush his teeth and get to bed.

The bathroom darkens and the walls and floor wobble dangerously, like light broken on the edge of water, like matter passing through the planes of a prism and coming out wrong.

“You’re ready,” the creature wails, upset at his coy evasions of what needs to be done.

“No, I’m-“ he stammers. God, everything here looks so fake it makes him nauseous. He needs to- he needs to set himself straight. Needs to recalibrate.

”I’m not ripe yet,” Saburota says gently, cautiously - looking at the beast without turning, eyes dark like the sky on the night of a new moon.

–

Father’s saying something to him. He looks angry. He’s gesticulating like crazy.

Saburota can’t hear it. The sound’s muted. Pure silence.

No, not pure… there’s something whispering in his ear. It takes a moment for him to understand what it’s saying…

Saburota feels a smile spread out over his face at the promises of violence, bloodshed, nasty ugly retribution-

The world seems sharper somehow. Like it’s come into focus after being blurry and vague for his entire life.

Saburota looks at his hands. He’s got claws – mean, nasty looking things, the kind that maim and rip and rend. When did that happen?

The little whispering voice giggles in his ear. I’ll give you this. I’ll give you this if you just let me-

–

“I’ve been cultivating you for years,” the thing says, looking down at him from its full height. The creature is menacing, attention catching, terrifying. “You’d be nothing without me. You’d be small and powerless and pathetic.”

Its arms wrap around his shoulders covetously, possessively. The talons sink into the flesh of Saburota’s deltoids like a butcher’s knife sinks into a hunk of meat.

“You’re all mine,” the thing whispers, opening its maw to reveal row upon dizzying row of teeth arranged in a beautiful rosette. Saburota touches a tooth and pricks his finger.

Blood red. Drops on the floor. He smears them with the toe of his shoe and suddenly realises.

Oh, what a clever thing. Had him really going for a while.

“No, I’m not,” Saburota says, something in his voice dark but… whistful and dreamy. “You did nice this time, I’ll give you that. Too bad you’re so slow with it all,” he says, and reality shifts.

Well, the not-reality shifts. Saburota’s holding the thing – a squirming little creature with a long leathery tail, smaller than ever and…

And perfect for eating.

–

He’s not afraid anymore. Despite the thing’s attempts – this particular memory remains unchanged, remains his fully. So far.

There’s carnage all around – his family, the house staff – mutilated sacks of meat, strewn about carelessly, all carved up and bled out.

Saburota can taste it – the metallic tang of something raw clinging to his palate, the edges of his teeth.

He knows what he did. He knows how he did it. But… he’d been too excited, too in-the-moment about it. It’s all a red haze in hindsight.

“Well, this was easier than expected,” he says, all light and happy and unburdened.

“You finally did it,” Homare says as she watches him from the top of the stairs, her face a blank mask.

“You’re free now,” Saburota says with a wide grin, “This power could be yours too, Homare.”

It slips off his tongue like a well-oiled phrase. This isn’t the first time he’s said this.

“Why won’t you let me out, Saburota?” she says in someone else’s voice. Shadows cling to her, making her larger and darker than what she is. The beast is here again, messing with his mind and senses. “Why must you deny me so? You can’t hold me down forever. I will claw my way out.”

The house is dark and crawling with black shapes and bugs the size of rats. Saburota feels his mood sour. That’s not right, that’s not what she really said.

Homare’s walking down the stairs towards him, heedless of the gore she steps in, looking at him like she wants him to burst open like an over-tense bulla.

“Kill yourself, Saburota, you worthless fucking heap,” the thing says, even if it’s Homare’s lips that move, “Getting all cocky and full of yourself. You will regret it. I will make you regret it.”

Saburota smiles lazily, “You’re just throwing a tantrum because I’m stronger than you. Tsk-tsk. You’d think that demons had more class than that.”

Saburota flicks open the zippo in his hand, and the smell of buthane hits him above the wet smell of fresh guts. His hands are shaking, his heart is racing. There’s a cacophonous screaming in his head above it all.

“Let me out, Saburota,” the thing says through Homare’s lips, low and thunderous and so angry, “Let me out and let me in for real.”

Saburota flicks the wheel and sparks the flame, looking right into Homare’s eyes where he sees it looking at him.

He drops the zippo carelessly, ignoring the beast’s words. This – all of this is his.

And he’s going to burn it all down.

–

Saburota wakes with a jolt that has the water sloshing against the sides of the tub. He’d dozed off again.

The nightmarish pictures of his dream fizzle out into the subconscious part of his brain. The phantasms are creeping upwards again, seeking to dig their claws into his more recent memories.

He sighs tiredly, rubbing a palm over his face. It had taken him too long to notice. Next time the demon might get him for good. He rests a palm over his stomach where he feels it like a hot, familiar weight in his gut. So small, so stubborn, so bothersome.

Saburota can’t remember his childhood clearly anymore, not the way it really was. His recollections are all twisted and maimed, cut up and pasted together into tid-bit horror stories and fantastical exaggerations, much like the dream had been.

It comes with being a demon eater. There’s a certain cost, a sacrifice he has to make in the form of his memories and occasionally, his personality. One can only hold on to darkness for so long until it grabs back.

Saburota barely ever sleeps anymore. Whenever he dreams, the distortions get worse and feel more real.

Realistically, he knows there wasn’t a dead man lying on the table and singing at Homare’s tenth birthday party… he knows that his mother died in childbirth when she had her last pregnancy, that he’d never heard her voice and had only ever seen her in pictures… but he can remember these delusions so very vividly it’s kind of scary.

“Your brain’s rotting…” He tells himself in a low voice. Then, he chuckles,” Heh, who knows if what’s left is even you anymore…” He pauses, moving his hand through the water, watching it slosh against the sides of the tub.

He’s awake, sure, but he still feels like he’s dreaming, like this isn’t reality. Another chuckle, a little more self-deprecating, “Good thing that won’t matter soon enough.”

Saburota sinks lower into the water so that his nose just above the surface. The water’s lukewarm now, so it doesn’t seep into his bones and muscles the way he wishes it would.

He’ll get out in a minute and get dressed and do things, but for now he just… ruminates. On what he is. On what he’s done.

He doesn’t regret his choices, but… sometimes he wonders what life would be like if he was… more normal. If he’d never clashed with his family the way he had… if he’d just…

Well, whatever. Those thoughts don’t lead anywhere.

He’s made it this far – that’s the only thing that matters. He just needs to pull through and do his part in getting the phoenix for the Illuminati. He’s been planning it for years now, sowing doubt and trust in the right places, and it’s finally so close he can taste it.

That’s his purpose now. That’s what’s important. He has a goal and a purpose, and he is needed. With that much, he’s satisfied.

As long as he does what he needs to do for the Illuminati, for The Commander, what happens to him afterwards doesn’t really matter…

#aoextober #the written words #ao no exorcist #ane #?? how tag??#saburota todo #demons #blue exorcist #listen i just keep writing todou.... i cant stop... these sinning hands...#ane fanfiction #saburouta toudou

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dine-on-darling · 4 years

Text

The Feeling of Being Full

It’s my babe Beelzebub’s turn to get a taste of Darling~

Soft, safe vore, similar size, willing prey

---------

Out of all the demon brothers, Darling found that Beelzebub was the most comfortable to lie on top of.

Darling flipped another page of her book, bouncing her foot idly on the bed behind her. Her whole body fit snuggly on top of Beel’s massive frame. Not only was he a solid two feet taller than her, but all the muscle he accumulated made him a certified giant compared to her. So she could prop herself up on the middle of his chest easily without slipping off to either side, the surface solid and warm underneath her, her weight on top of him wasn’t even something for him to blink at; the demon himself contently scrolling through the D.D.D held above his face, one hand on her back to ensure she was stable.

Hanging out like this was easy for the two of them. Beel was always so gentle with her, and so kind too, it hadn’t taken long at all for them to grow close. He was naturally very cuddly too, they could spend hours comfortably next to each other, so long as there were no interruptions, that is. Which, given that they were in a house full of rambunctious demons, there usually were.

Today, she’d only been in Beel’s room for a little bit, having stayed at school to take care of some stuff. She’d decided to stop by Hell’s Kitchen on her way back with Mammon, grabbing a sandwich for her self and a couple extra as a treat for her favorite gluttony demon. She knew how his hunger followed him everywhere, so she was glad to see his excited face whenever she brought him a snack. Of course, he’d torn through every sandwich in a second, and if she hadn’t eaten her own before coming to see him, he’d probably have given her puppy dog eyes until she handed it over. No doubt he’d be hungry again before long, though.

Speak of the devil, so to say, the comfortable silence was interrupted by a rumble that had Darling’s whole body vibrating for a moment, for the source was directly under her. She laughed lightly, poking a finger into Beel’s stomach. “I’d expected that poor sandwich to last you longer than, what, thirty minutes tops; guess I shouldn’t underestimate the power of the avatar of gluttony, eh?” She rolled off of him, and he patted his empty stomach with a shy smile.

“Sorry, I know you were comfortable like that.” He pushed himself up to a sitting position.

“It’s fine, big guy.” She lifted an arm to pat his bicep, still lying down. “If you want, I can run to the kitchen to get some snacks for you.”

“Really?” His eyes lit up.

“Sure, it’s no big deal. I can’t carry as much as you, but Luci would probably get upset with you for clearing out the fridge before dinner anyway, so I can get you enough to hold you over.”

Beel smiled as bright as Mammon when he’s starring at Goldie. He opened his mouth to say what Darling was sure would be an agreement, but then it looked like something occurred to him and his mouth closed. He looked off to the side, thinking about something.

Darling quirked an eyebrow; what was he hesitating for? Usually when it came to food he was all over any ideas, she couldn’t think of a reason he wouldn’t immediately take her up on her offer. “Beel?”

He looked back to her. “Ah, sorry.”

Darling sat up, turning to face the demon fully. “Is everything alright?”

He nodded. “Yeah, thinking about something, is all.”

“Do… you want to go get the snacks from the kitchen yourself?” Maybe he’d been weighing the pros and cons of getting less food vs facing Lucifer’s wrath?

“No, actually I was thinking about how what I want to eat isn’t in the kitchen.”

“Oh, so you want to run out somewhere, then?”

“There’ no need, it’s already in the house.” He looked almost shy, a blush tinting his cheeks.

Okay, now Darling was really confused, Beel hardly beat around the bush, especially when it came to food. His stomach rumbled again, and he furrowed his bros slightly in thought, this time looking right at her. There was a look in her eyes that she thought seemed familiar… oh, hold on a tick.

“Beel… you’re not talking about me, are you?”

The hunger in his eyes grew, and he nodded eagerly, like he was happy she was the one to say it.

It’d been a little over a week and a half ago that Mammon had first swallowed her. Since then, they’d done it again a couple more times. She’d been hesitant since it still felt like such a weird arrangement to her, but the thought of how comfortable it felt despite the strangeness made her much more willing. The first time, Mammon had been so caught up in the feeling that they hadn’t done much more than cuddle like that on the bed before he let her out. But that night at dinner she’d wished she could perform that shrinking spell on herself to hide her embarrassment as he loudly told the story to his brothers. She’d had her head ducked the whole time, so she could only assume that the glances she felt from the other boys had been curious and possibly judgmental, if only she’d looked then she might have known that that was the start of hungry ideas beginning to form. To her relief, the others hadn’t really said anything about it since then, except for a few teasing comments when Mammon decided to walk around and show everyone his Darling filled gut, much to her further embarrassment.

The only one she thought she’d noticed a subtle change in was Beel, like he was looking at her in a new light. Honestly, she’d expected the avatar of gluttony to start getting ideas, but he hadn’t actually said anything to her about it and treated her like normal, so she’d assumed at this point that he simply wasn’t interest in eating something he wouldn’t be allowed to digest. Now she saw he real reason: he was too worried about making her uncomfortable. In his eyes, it was one thing for Mammon, her guardian, to have that level of intimacy with her, but if he were to ask and she assumed he was merely thinking of her as another meal to satisfy his boundless appetite, if she thought back to all those careless comments about eating her all the demons had made that she only recently began taking seriously, then it might damage their friendship. Looking only at his surface, it’d be easy to write him off as merely a gluttonous muscle head, but Darling learned early on how emotionally tuned in he is.

Beel was still looking at her with that hungry, hopeful look in his eyes. His stomach groaned, and he placed a hand over it to settle it. Darling blushed, his stomach was rumbling because he was hungry for her. She wondered how much of his thoughts have been occupied by this lately.

He noticed her hesitation, leaning back to put some distance and frowning. “Sorry, I know it’s a weird request, I shouldn’t have-“

“Well…” Darling interrupted him. She chewed at her own lip, thinking about what she was about to say. “If it’s safe, like with that spell, then it’s fine.”

Beel looked back at her with wide eyes, like he couldn’t believe she was actually entertaining him. “Are you sure?”

She smiled at the look on his face, he’s such a sweetheart. “Yeah, it’s fine, Beel; so long as you let me out before it’s time for dinner.”

He grinned at her, leaning forward to gently grab the back of her head and press his lips to her forehead. Like Mammon, he whispered more strange words, but it seemed slightly different. That same warm feeling washed over her, and she hummed in the back of her throat. She’d come to expect the shrinking to happen almost immediately after the warm feeling subsided, so she was surprised to find herself at exactly the same height still.

Beel picked up her hands delicately in his much larger ones and brought them up to his mouth.

“Wait!” She said.

He stopped right before her fingers passed through his lips, looking disappointed to be stopped, gazing at her through is lashes with puppy dog eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“A-Ah, well, aren’t you going to, y’know, shrink me first? Like Mammon does. I mean, you can’t actually fit me at this size, can you?”

He only smiled and reached over to ruffle her hair. “No underestimating the power of the avatar of gluttony, remember? Besides, you’re already so small compared to me, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t even be able to feel you if I shrunk you anymore.”

That made sense, she supposed. She still had her doubts, but he seemed confident in himself, looking at her with eyes asking for her permission to continue. She nodded her silent agreement, and he gladly raised her hands that last bit to push them into his mouth. The moment his tongue touched her skin and he got a proper taste of her, his eyes closing in bliss and an appreciative hum rising in his throat, she knew that there was no backing out of this now.

He seemed to be trying to go a lot slower than he’d normally eat out of consideration to her, taking the time to soak in her flavor. He pushed her hands in until she felt them touch the back of his throat. She tried her best not to shiver at the feeling.

Again, Beel brought a hand up to grab the back of her head, this time pushing it down a bit. This confused her, she knew she’d have to duck her head to get it into his mouth, but he still had most of her arms to work in before then. At least, she assumed so.

He pushed her hands in a little bit further so his throat could grasp them, and swallowed.

Darling couldn’t help the squeak that left her mouth as she was forcefully jerked forward, finding herself suddenly lodged up to her head inside Beel’s mouth. Her fingers fluttered, already at the entrance to his stomach. Holy shit, that’s one hell of a throat you’ve got there, Beel.

He paused to rub her back a moment, as though apologizing for startling her. His tongue flicked over her face, and she scrunched her eyes closed as it was coated in his saliva. It was interesting, she thought, being inside a mouth at her normal height rather than her shrunken height. It was much more cramped, and she’d been worried about Beel’s sharp fangs scrapping her as she went, but he was doing a remarkable job of keeping her unharmed; she could only barely feel them poking into her.

She could feel him trying to restrain himself from going too fast, but she could also feel the impatient rumble build from below her. His stomach wanted her badly, and Beel was often powerless to it’s command.

She would have expected her shoulders to pose a challenge, but at this point she’d given up on doubting his eating ability. His tongue gave her face a quick caress, before he worked his mouth to readjust her a bit, and gave another heavy swallow.

His throat was all too happy to pull her deeper in, quickly and without fuss guiding her along it’s course. Her head followed her arms, now causing a bump to start forming on Beel’s abdomen.

He placed one hand against his throat, relishing in the feeling her movements caused, and then settled it against where her head pushed against him, rubbing circles with his thumb.

It was now that he tilted his head back, raising her legs into the air so that he could use gravity to assist him. The odd feeling of being upside down like that made her kick her legs helplessly, and Beel used one hand to reassuringly grab her thigh to steady them.

He was losing his patience now, trembling at the feeling of her starting to fill out his stomach, but he needed more. Her clothes were getting in the way of her taste now anyway, and while he was a little disappointed by that, it made it easier for him to quickly proceed with his next swallow.

Her legs slide in easily like they were simply large noodles he was feasting on, and he was soon able to finally close his lips around the last part of her to enter his lips. He barely paused there to enjoy the feeling, swallowing hungrily again.

Darling’s body sloshed forward heavily as the rest of her landed in his stomach and she was sealed inside.

Beel’s hands straight away went to his stomach, roaming over the surface. He licked his lips to try and get more of her taste, letting out a moan of satisfaction. He could feel her moving around, trying to get comfortable. Despite having a full person within, Beel’s stomach wasn’t as protruding as much as one might expect. This was both due to their size difference and his rock wall of an abdomen helping to keep it held back. It was still very noticeable, but not something he’d have trouble moving around with.

“You okay?” Beelzebub asked.

Darling nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“It’s not too cramped, is it?”

“No. I mean, it feels like a tighter fit than being in Mammon’s stomach, but the walls are all soft enough that it feels fine. Really, it’s comfortable.”

He smiled softly. “Good.” He carefully moved, trying not to jostle her too much, so his back was leaning against the bed’s headboard, continuing to massage his stomach. He watched it move as Darling shifted in place to find the best position to curl up in.

Inside, Darling experimentally stretched out her arms, getting a feel for the place. It certainly did feel different from Mammon’s, but not in a bad way. She almost wished there was a source of light in here so she could take a look around, maybe next time she’d bring her D.D.D with her, although she wasn’t sure if the protection spell would keep that safe as well. She noted how there was no trace of the food she’d watched Beel devour a mere half hour ago left in his stomach and became very glad for that spell.

They were both quiet as she found the most comfortable position she could and settled, Beel’s hands rubbing circles into her the whole while. Darling pressed her hands against what she was pretty sure was the front of his stomach and, almost out of habit at this point, started massaging back. Mammon loved having his belly rubbed so much that she figured Beel probably would as well. Judging by the steady purr that built up all around her and the way the space tightened around her, she was spot on.

Beelzebub felt like he was back in heaven. Not only did he actually feel pleasantly full for the first time in probably ever, he’d never had his food rub back at him. Then again, Darling wasn’t any regular food, she was someone very precious to him, and his purr grew louder as he thought about how nice it felt to have her tucked away safely like this. He wrapped his arms around his middle, trying to hug her ever tighter. Both of them relished in the comfortable warmth they felt.

Nice as they moment was, it was eventually interrupted by a few swift knocks on the door and it opening without the knocker waiting for permission. Which wasn’t surprising, seeing as it was Mammon who entered the room. “Yo, human, Satan said you were hanging out in here with- Hey!” Darling could hear his muffled shout, and then his voice got louder like he’d run closer. “Is that my human in there?!”

“Mhm.” Beel nodded.

“Not cool! What part of “my human” did you not get? Spit her up!”

Beel squeezed his stomach tighter. “Nope. I only swallowed her a minute ago. Besides, she agreed to do this.”

“Daaarliiing! How could you?!”

“Sorry, Mammon,” she called, not sure how well her voice could be heard through Beel’s flesh. “I’d say this is what you get for walking around with me despite me asking you not to, you’re the one who gave him the idea.”

Beel nodded happily. “Thanks, Mammon!”

“Gggrrr! Now I have to compete for this too?! This sucks!” Mammon scratched at his hair in frustration, scowling off to the side. He’d seen the looks on his brother’s faces; he should have seen this coming. It was only a matter of time before the others would try and get a taste as well. He sighed, crossing his arms. “Whatever, I was still your first. Oi, Beelzebub, you better cough her up by dinner, and I’m not letting you have her back today.”

Beel nodded. “Fine.”

Darling rolled her eyes at Mammon’s dramatics.

The door clicked shut again a moment later, Mammon no doubt going back to his own room to sulk.

“Sorry about him.” Darling said, patting the side of Beel’s stomach.

He laughed, patting back on the same spot. “It’s fine.”

Darling resumed her petting, and Beel sunk back further, closing his eyes with a smile to better enjoy the feeling. They’d stay like this until it was time for dinner. He was looking forward to the thought of eating, but he couldn’t help but wish all food would make him feel this way. Now that he knew what it was like to be full, there was no way he was letting this be the last time.

#soft vore #safe vore #extreme cuddling #same size vore #shall we vore #male pred #female prey #vore writing #vore talk #darling words

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