hey hey hey you see this?

I’m almost at 100 followers :00000

also 5555 posts coool-

So, TO THE POINT.

At 100 followers, I’m going to post something special. I don’t know what exactly, but once I hit that number, somethings going to happen…

Now, since I’m slightly impatient, let’s see if I can get there within a week… :) yes this makes it harder for me as well since I have to post something then if it gets reached but oh well-

I’ll keep you updated! Good luck! :D you’ll need it…

Taglist: @i-am-beckyu, @da3dm, @brick-a-doodle-do, want to try?

i've been getting into spg for the last few months now, and i'm noticing there's really not much about these characters on the internet. (the spg wiki is Very Short.) you mind unpacking some lore about the bots?

(this is also an invitation to infodump. believe me when i say i Want to hear about these funky little automatons)

Sorry about the two lengthy SPG asks in one day! I'm putting this one below the cut because it is LITERALLY 2.4k man I did NOT come to play with this one! For what it's worth, you may find this ask interesting, as I've linked some good lore sources I frequent a lot :)

Rabbit: The first to be built! She named herself Rabbit after one of the animals in the lab she was built in, which I think is very endearing of her. She's Victorian clockwork/steampunk-inspired, and out of all the automatons is the one to maintain the most of her original vintage workings, which means she's also the one to malfunction the most <3 girl things fr. Rabbit is a wonderful character because she is Bunny Bennett's special special OC and gets to have so so many problems because of it. I am serious when I say most things usually happen to Rabbit. She is the Special Girl of SPG lore. This is NOT my own bias showing up, I PROMISE.

Rabbit has everything bad happen to her. Red Core, which is THEE Rabbit comic and something I read on a semi-regular basis to experience shrimp emotions through, goes through her backstory being trans (this robot is trans) and it peels me every time. I won't recap it but I think everyone who likes trans robots should read it even though it is as of yet incomplete. Lore-wise, it's interesting because it establishes that she was originally meant to look like Delilah Morreo (certainly a choice, Peter Walter I), and was sent to war in an incomplete, half-broken body which I certainly have a lot of thoughts about (it's the lack of AGENCY it's the way she spent the war VOICELESS it's the way she was denied the chance to be finished for a CENTURY it's--). Following that, about half a century later it was her core specifically that was stolen by the Beciles in 1950 in an attempt to replicate her Blue Matter power source. This tinkering inadvertently sent a beam of pure energy ripping through time and space, causing an explosion that claimed the lives of Peter Walter II and Guy Hottie (real name), and injuring Peter Walter III, Ignatius Becile, and Norman Becile. Rabbit, to this day, still blames herself for this because god forbid women have one good day. This also was the point in time that split the events of the Vice Quadrant into Timelines A and B, due to the generative power of Blue Matter, and also maybe created Cosmica? Which begs the question if Rabbit is sort of like Cosmica's mom in a weird way, but that's beside the point. In 2014, her original blueprints were discovered after a series of worsening malfunctions led Peter Walter VI to search for a way to repair or upgrade her, resulting in the confirmation of what Rabbit had known all along--that she was in an unfinished and slipshod chassis, that she was a girl, and she deserved to be recognized as such. Which is cool :') and a really neat way to work in her creator's IRL transition :') and for sure doesn't make me feel things.

Some cool facts I've just gleaned about Rabbit over the past eight-odd months are that she has memory problems, fell in love with a toaster, knows what BDSM is (SWEAR to god this is true), likes feeding ducks, and has a laser cannon in one eye, hence the heterochromia. There also is this cool series of drawings showing Rabbit's evolution drawn by Bunny here, which is really interesting to look at! In case it's not obvious, she's my favorite and I love her and I think about her too much <3

The Spine: The Spine is a special, special old man. With a retro-futuristic aesthetic, he was built with a titanium alloy spine (that's his Back Story), and before he got upgrades in 1955, was fashioned with a high amount of steam vents running up and down his vertebrae that kind of looked like old-fashioned train smokestacks, which is very endearing. In 1955, as I mentioned earlier, he got a ton of upgrades funding exclusively by the US government improving his weaponry, as well as an upgrade to his AI and programming making him much more humanistic, more personable and more able to mimic how humans moved in order to make it easier, once they were inevitably drafted again, for him to take up dangerous military operations without risking human lives. It's to my knowledge unclear if he was built like this or if this was part of that 1955 upgrade, but he is also able to detach his head and spine from his torso and limbs and actually slither around like a snake, which some people think is weird but I think is very endearing and fun! He hangs out a lot in the Hall of Wires since he's one of the few inhabitants of Walter Manor that can actually climb up towards the ceiling and presumably debug or repair the AIs, and also because it's the only room in the entire Manor with a door.

I love the Spine because I think the evolution of his role in the band is incredibly funny. If you watch the earlier Balboa and Zoo-era performances, he plays the straight man of the band in a stoic, but also kind of dumb way. He doesn't really know what's a bit and what's serious, but it's okay because he's really trying his best. Now, as the straight man of the group, he's so so old and tired. He really just wants to go back home and power off and who can blame him? By dint of the current lineup being a Black robot, a trans gay robot, and a white guy robot, he is now the butt by default of most jokes which is delightful to Me and boy, does he shoulder that weight with begrudging grace. My special, special old man. Watching him get made fun of onstage is kind of like watching someone give a very old and tired dog a pill, and I mean that in the most affectionate way possible.

Cool facts about the Spine include the fact that he's really into cowboys and the Wild West, he has actually never really been in love, he secretly thinks Saturdays are Just Okay, and he actually swears the most out of all of the members of the band (at least as of now).

The Jon: The Jon is an interesting little guy. He has a cool Art Deco style and is known for being a little more whimsical, young, and off-the-cuff as opposed to the others. What's interesting about his backstory is that while Peter Walter I was mucking around with his power core trying to bring him to life, some switch flipped or some level was triggered and a minor explosion occurred. By the time the smoke cleared, the Jon was alive and sentient and there was a void in his chest instead of a power source. Unlike his siblings, he didn't run on clockwork, or hydraulics, or anything of the sort. He appeared to sustain himself on the void sealed in his chassis, which contained only a koi fish and a hot dog floating in space. He tends to have a certain effect on people blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, and odd coincidences seem to follow him like a well-trained dog.

In 1992, the Jon went through his own upgrade--Walter Robotics, always looking for ways to boost their quarterly revenue, signed an ad deal with PepsiCo advertising Crystal Pepsi. The Jon was modified to run solely on Crystal Pepsi, which. . . as you can see by the popularity of Crystal Pepsi right now (sarcasm), it obviously didn't go well. The Jon's efficiency is tied to an out-of-production soda and his machinery refused to be retroactively fitted to water again. To prevent the inevitable from happening, he left around 2012 through one of those Blue Matter portals through to a sister dimension (in fact, the same one Peter Walter I discovered back in 1896) known as Kazooland, where we are assured he now serves as the Mayor of Biscuittown (presumably, it is up to us to determine how much of this is true and how much of it is the Jon trying to sound cool).

Cool facts about the Jon include the fact that he and Zer0 are besties, animals love him, and that the very first show that Steam Powered Giraffe did all the way back in 2009 was about them going back in time to get him more Crystal Pepsi.

Upgrade: I used to be neutral about Upgrade but then I watched all the busking videos and also the 10 year anniversary show and now I love her. She was the Girl Of The Group (TM) all the way back in their busking era in 2009-2010 and her ongoing bit was that she was in love with the Spine and also knew exactly how adorable she was. However, she can be stubborn when she wants to be, and her AI is permanently frozen in the QWERTY 1996 OS because she really just liked the 90s I guess.

I for one am completely fascinated by Upgrade's lore because it's noted that during the Weekend War and WWI, she served in the military presumably doing the same sort of things the other bots were doing, then as a medical nurse in WWII, indicating that the governmental military contract really played fast and loose with whether or not they could enlist woman-coded robots in the war effort. What's notable to me, though, is that during the Vietnam War, Upgrade specifically went on to protest the war with the hippy movement while the others served in the war. How did that happen? Were they just allowed to opt out whenever they wanted? Are these robots really willing Vietnam War vets? Did Upgrade out of all of them just have enough guts to run away? Anyways, she was brought back into the fold about four years after the war ended, just in time to a few decades later get Sharpied with facial hair while the robots trial-ran a boy band concept. She ultimately left to go be a princess and become actual royalty. I swear to god I read somewhere that Upgrade killed Princess Diana but for the life of me I cannot find it. Know that it haunts me.

Upgrade facts include the fact that she is an actual princess, her makeup out of all of them is most inspired by classic vaudeville, and it was her and Rabbit's roles during their busking era to banter with the audience while the Spine and the Jon tuned their guitars.

Hatchworth: Hatchworth was built in the frantic few months before Peter Walter I had to face Thaddeus Becile in battle and presumably the poor man was turning anything metal into a robot. Hence, Hatchworth's design--he was initially constructed out of an old-fashioned bronze wood stove. Walter chose this robot to experiment with his Blue Matter levels, and with one tiny change in concentration he accidentally created a Blue Portal into another dimension in his hatch. This was incredibly useful in battle, as almost any weapon could be summoned through the hatch--after the war, it was used to summon sandwiches for the growing Walter family. All was well and good, until an as-of-yet unnoticed hairline fracture in his core began making the portal act unstable, coming to a peak in 1938. After accidentally summoning a pack (herd? flock?) of badgers into the middle of a tea party he was serving, he was determined too damaged to fix for now by anyone other than an ailing Peter Walter I, and locked in a lead vault deep below the manor while Peter Walters II and III tried to find a fix. Decades later, he was found hallucinating and lonely by our boy Peter Walter VI, who was stricken with his own Blue Matter mishap and had an inkling of how to fix the old robot. One thing led to another, and now thankfully we are all 99.9% Hatchworth acclimated!

Hatchworth facts….he left the band to go Gold Fishing (with some degree of success), he has incredibly fancy shoes that are also inexplicably tiny sometimes, he has a Hello Kitty cell phone, he does know how to cross himself, and Zer0 tried to microwave his head once.

Zer0: Myyyyyy sweetest and most special boy Zer0. Zer0 was actually technicallyyyyy the first one built, since he originated from three separate rudimentary prototypes Peter Walter I fused together after testing out various weapon designs. As a result, he's incredibly robust, very powerful, and has a cobbled-together patchwork appearance. Unfortunately, as he didn't have much by way of singing at the time, he fell to the wayside after the Weekend War and was forgotten down in the basements and testing labs sealed miles below Walter Manor. In 1992, the AI Beebop found him while archiving documents and turned him on. Zer0, enamored with the evolution of music over the past century, taught himself how to sing exclusively from the old Motown records in the basement with him. Peter Walter V, upon hearing his voice, was so awestruck that he immediately repaired him and Zer0 became the face of the band (#Zer0OurShiningStar). Zer0 then absolutely skyrocketed in popularity, signed with a TV show, and subsequently became so famous Walter Robotics had to erase all content of him from their market because they lost the rights to his appearance and voice. Sadly, our sweet boy invested all his money in "the abstract concept of love", lost all his money, sold one single copy of a bad autobiography, and came back home to Walter Manor with naught but a yacht to his name. He very graciously returned to performing in Steam Powered Giraffe, where his lovely vocals can be heard to this day.

Zer0 facts include the fact that he got a brand deal to sell his own kind of overly sugary cereal, he fell in love with a "large-chested lamppost" once, he likes possums, he would collect worms on strings if he could, and his defining characteristic is joy <3

I hope this was somewhat readable and comprehensive! I think…..I covered everyone out of the automatons, unless there is another member about to crawl out of the woodwork somewhere. Best of luck in your lore-hunting! I hope this helped :)

tongue tied | myg

pairing: yoongi x reader, f2l

w/c: 3.5k

summary: you've been best friends with yoongi for almost a decade, and you're hopelessly in love with him. he's the most important person in your life, and you don't want to mess that up, so you can never be anything more... right?

written as a response to a request from the old blog -- the requestor was @yoongi--enthusiast; thanks again for your request, i loved doing it!!! "I had an idea... something based off of the song “tongue tied” with yoongi. I feel like it would be super soft with soft smut... I just think it would be nice to read so can you please wright it 🥺👉👈"

tags/cw: 18+ please, smut, outdoor sex, overall a little angsty but super cute too

a/n: i did not know that there was a song called tongue tied by marshmello before i wrote this so... i hope the person who requested this didn’t mean that song because I wrote this drabble over the grouplove song lmaooo but anyway, here goes! thanks luv, enjoy! also reposted from the old blog!!

Yoongi’s laugh is so beautiful. It’s rare, so when you see it, you soak up everything you can about it. The way his eyes crinkle up into crescent moons, the way his lips curl back putting his gummy smile on bright display. You can swear you see his eyes sparkle.

You are in love with him. You are in love with your best friend.

He makes loving him such an easy thing to do; bringing you into his inner world, showing you the sweet and warm center he conceals from everyone else. The way he looks at you, the way he says your name, the way he pouts when he wants a back scratch, all of those little things that make him who he is only deepen your infatuation with him.

You’re with him again this Friday night, making the drive to Bom’s house. It’s been a long week for the both of you; he’s been wrapped up in producing a track and you’ve been nose deep in college textbooks. His track is completed, and your exams are over. It’s safe to say that you both could use a good break.

It’s the end of the spring semester and the weather is going to be gorgeous tonight. The racing summer breeze coming through the open car windows is exhilarating. The sun is setting, and the warm evening light on Yoongi’s dewy skin makes him appear absolutely radiant as he navigates the highway.

You’re just listening to fun little summer jams as you speed off toward the city’s suburbs. Ones with funky little basslines that are easy to groove and sing along to. Ones that make you shout and laugh into the rushing wind. Ones that make you drink in the moment you’re having with Yoongi; ones that make you soak up all of his joy.

And when he steals a sly look your way, one hand still on the top of the steering wheel, you can swear your heart stops.

You’ve loved him as long as you can remember really knowing him. Since you were both 12, bonding over games of tag and basketball and the spilling of secrets to each other. You’d sit beneath the big tree in his backyard and share the snacks you’d bought at the corner store. He’d always let you have the last chocolate.

The only secret you’ve ever kept from Yoongi is the matter of your infatuation, and you are pretty resolute in keeping it that way.

He is the single most important person in your life. He had been there with you through it all; when your parents split up at 13, when your dad got you your first car at 15, when your long time boyfriend cheated on you at 16, when your dream college denied you at 17, when you got a full ride scholarship to a smaller university outside of the city right after that, when you were drugged at a house party at 20, when you were diagnosed with depression at 21, and when you were accepted into your masters program at 22.

You needed him, and because of that, you could never tell him.

You pull into the gates that surround Bom’s neighborhood. Her parents are pretty wealthy, so they live on a golf course. As you pull up into the driveway, you see some other students milling about, catching Frisbee. There’s Eunha, Ireum, Ji-Ah, and Miyeun that you recognize from some of your classes, but there are a few more that you’ve never met.

After a few rounds of drinks and a few lost games of flip cup, you all head outside to the back patio with all of your schoolwork from the year. Bom turns on the bluetooth speaker and sets it on the railing. You take in the night air and gaze up at the sky, wishing there was a shooting star to wish upon.

“Alright, everyone,” Bom begins, “essays and lab reports first, then tests, then miscellaneous homework.” Yoongi helps you dig through your stack to fish out the cursed papers. You all toss the stapled packages into the fire pit, one by one, each hitting with a soft thud. Once everyone has thrown their woes into the pit, Bom tops it with actual firewood and unceremoniously sets the whole lot of it on fire. You gaze into the center of the flame, watching your entire year catch fire. All the hours you spent doing that research project, all the disappointment when your group members wouldn’t follow through. Gone, like it never existed.

Yoongi’s holding your hand in his, and he’s busy drawing little circles with his thumb on your palm. Your head rests soundly on his shoulder, and you sigh into him, comfortable in where you are. The whole group piles in more papers, as you lament about the shitty professors and the shitty group projects and the shitty caf’ food and the shitty grades. Yoongi turns into you and nuzzles gently on your forehead. You feel his soft lips graze your temple, breath warm on your skin, tingles rising through your body, and you’re right where you want to be. Under the moon’s gaze with the person you love.

Before long, the breeze sends a chill through you that even the fire won’t remedy. Yoongi feels your shiver and unceremoniously removes his hoodie and puts it on over you, pulling up the hood and kissing your forehead. You always love when you wear his jackets; they surround you in his warmth, his smell. A smile plays across your lips until you notice Yoongi’s goosebumps.

“Hey,” you pout, “I don't wanna wear this if you’re gonna be cold.”

“I don’t wanna wear it if you’re gonna be cold,” he snaps back, smiling.

“Here,” you say, standing up from your deck chair. You take the step to get you to Yoongi’s chair, and sit in his lap. “This way we can both be warm, yeah?”

It takes him a second, but he wraps his arms firmly around you again, mumbling a “yeah, that’s fine” when you glance at him over your shoulder.

Your attention is called back to the group with Bom asks if you’re going to the Summer Romance Festival by the river next weekend. She’s been pushing you to get yourself out there more. The last time you were in a real relationship was high school, after all.

“I’d love to go; I hear they have the most beautiful fireworks display,” you start, “but I don’t think I will this year.”

“Well,” Bom says, “Why not?!”

“Because I don’t have a date, Bom!” you say, covering your face in the sweater paws you’ve made from Yoongi’s hoodie. “I don’t think I could find one in enough time.”

“Ya, just get Yoongi to go with you! You already do everything together anyway,” Eunha quips.

You notice that the steady rise and fall of Yoongi’s chest has stopped.

“Hey, you know we’re just friends, right Yoongi?” you look to him for backup.

The man nods, looking down and to the left.

“Okay,” Ireum speaks up, “In that case, do you want to go with me?”

“Wait, what?” you say.

“Do you want to go to the Summer Romance Festival with me? As a date?”

Yoongi tenses beneath you.

“Oh, I don’t know…” you breathe, “Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent. We can even get dinner before we go. Not too much, though. I’ll want to get us a treat from one of the dessert stalls.” Ireum says with a soft smile.

“Yeah,” you say, smiling back at him, “Okay. We’ll go together.”

Yoongi stirs beneath you. “Hey, can you get off of me?”

“What, why?” you pout.

“I said get off.”

“Yoongi, wh--”

He doesn’t wait for you to finish before he abruptly stands up, forcing you to catch yourself. When you look back at him, he’s walking toward the French doors that lead back into the house.

“Ya! What was that about?”

He keeps walking. You storm after him and slam the door, trapping you both inside.

“Yoongi, I’m talking to you! What’s your fucking problem?”

He whirs around.

“Oh, I have a problem?”

“Well, it sure seems like it.” you spit back, hands on your hips.

“Why don’t you go talk about it with your date, huh?” he says, gesturing out the window to Ireum. “Don’t you have some details to work out? He gonna pick you up? You gonna let him hold your hand? On your nice little extra special romantic date? I guess I’ll just fuck right off and leave you two alone, yeah? That’s what you want, cause we’re just friends and all.”

“Yoongi, we… are friends! You’re my best friend!”

“Did you ever for a second think that I could want more?”

“What?!”

“I fucking love you, Y/N! Isn’t it obvious?! I’ve loved you since the 7th grade. You remember when we played spin the bottle at Ha-joon’s house? Do you remember when you kissed me?”

“Yoongi…”

“No, let me finish. Do you remember the frat party we crashed junior year? Remember when we got up onto the roof and made out until we fell asleep? And then you weren't there when I woke up so I walked back to my dorm and then we just pretended it never happened? What the fuck was that, Y/N?!”

You reach for his arm, but he backs up, flinching away from you.

“I am so in love with you it hurts!”

“Yoongi.”

“But I guess if that guy can make you happy, then whatever,” he sighs.

“Yoongi.”

“Go on your little date and have fun and I’ll just go write some more goddamn songs about you--”

“Yoongi!”

He stills, pain flashing through his eyes.

“Yoongi,” you say quietly, easing toward him, “I had no idea. I left the roof to go inside and get you some water. When I came back, you were gone. You had been drinking a lot that night… and I felt really bad because… I thought I had taken advantage of you… Ever since I first kissed you at Ha-joon’s house, I wanted to do it again. And again. And, you looked so good that night and up on the roof when you were laughing about the quarterback I just… I couldn't hold myself back anymore. I thought surely you didn’t want to actually be kissing me.”

“Why the fuck would I have kissed you back, then?”

“You were drunk, and I--” you’re cut off when he grabs your wrist.“I have wanted to kiss you every time I’ve seen you since you first kissed me,” he says, glancing down at your lips. ”I want to kiss you right now.”

You take no time in closing the distance between the two of you, your lips crashing desperately. You’ve tasted his kiss before, but this time feels different. His hands are winding through your hair, pulling you deeper into his kiss. You moan against his mouth, and he responds with his tongue teasing your lips, asking for entry. You grant it, and he explores. One of his hands holds your jaw, the other still intertwined with your hair. His tongue runs along your bottom lip before he sucks it in, drawing out a small whimper from you. Taking his hand from your jaw, he runs it down your neck and décolleté and then down over your stomach and latches it on your hip, sinking his fingers into your skin. He gives your hair a small tug, just enough to break the kiss and expose your neck. He breaks off and trails kisses up your jawline and then onto your neck, speaking in between kisses.

“You have… no idea how… much I’ve… wanted to tell… you everything,” he breathes onto your neck, and you feel a heat pooling in your panties.

“Please, Yoongi…” you say as you begin to run one hand under his shirt. He stops kissing and looks up at you with the softest expression.

“What is it?” he asks as he grabs both of your hands in his, bringing one of them up to his mouth to sprinkle kisses along your fingers.

“You…” you begin and sigh, “you have no idea how much I want you.”

He stills.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to, I’m sorry, I just…” he trails off, eyes getting lost in the way his jacket is draped on your figure.

Him eyeing you up doesn’t make it any better.

“I’ve wanted you for so long,” you say, eyes pleading up at him. “I’m tired of waiting.”

After a beat, he sighs.

“Neither of us are waiting another minute,” he says, landing a quick peck on your lips and going across the room to the couch, grabbing the throw blanket that rests on the arm.

“Come on, I have an idea,” he says, grabbing your arm and leading you out of the front door, across the street, through someone’s back yard until you reach the top of a hill on the side of a fairway. You watch as he scans the area, holding the blanket tight. His gaze lingers on two hills near the green of whatever hole this is, where there are a few more trees and hills to block you from the sightline of those second story windows. He looks at you, eyes asking the question. You smile and nod, and that’s all he needs.

He tugs your hand and you both go running down the fairway, laughing along the way. Once you reach your spot, he quickly puts down the blanket and lays on it. You’re still standing at his feet, hands fiddling with the ends of the jacket sleeves.

He smiles up at you and holds his arms up in your direction and says, “come here, beautiful,” while doing little grabby hands.

You slowly walk up to where he’s laying and sit on top of his hips, feeling how hard he already is. His hand rests on your hip underneath the fabric of his jacket, the other holding the side of your face.

“Let me see you,” he says with a tinge of whine in his voice, and that gives you an idea.

You reach under the still zipped jacket and fiddle around. Yoongi looks up at you befuddled, the corners of his lips turning down slightly as he tries to figure out what’s going on. When your hands emerge, one is holding your strapless bra and the other is holding the halter top you had been wearing. You can’t believe you managed to unzip the back by yourself.

You throw the garments to the side, and watch as understanding hits his face. His eyes glaze over and he licks his lips, clearly shaken up by your little trick.

He carefully dips his fingers below the waistband of your shorts and eases them down. You put your weight on him and give him a few kisses as he continues to move them down your legs. Once they too have been tossed to the side, you sit back up, lips red and swollen from the kiss.

He gently reaches up to the zipper of the jacket and begins to slowly pull it down, letting the cool night air in. You feel your nipples harden at the exposure to both the night air and Yoongi’s hungry eyes. He swallows and licks his lips as he runs his eyes over every new inch of you that is revealed. Memorizing your form, your perked nipples, the way your chest rises with each anxious breath.

He reaches back up to the collar and eases one shoulder of fabric off. You move to take the rest off despite the cold, but he stills your hand with his.

“Keep it on, please. I love seeing you wear my clothes,” Yoongi says, intertwining his fingers with yours.

You bring his hand up to your lips, pressing them against his knuckles as you slowly grind your still covered core on his length. He groans in frustration, his pants getting tighter. You let go of his hand and run your fingers up beneath his white cotton v-neck, his ab muscles flinching under your touch. You help him remove his shirt, taking in the way his pale skin shines under the moonlight.

Seeing you look at him makes his cock twitch in his pants, and you think it’s time to provide him some relief.

You scoot back and start to undo his belt, getting low and staring up at him through your lashes. His breath hitches when you make eye contact with him, and then it starts to pick up as you undo the button and zipper. You shimmy down the denim, but leave his black boxer-briefs where they are.

You come back up to the waistband after releasing his jeans, and you take the elastic in between your teeth. You tug them down with your teeth while your hands pull them on the sides. His erection springs free, and he sucks in a fast breath when his cock meets the cool air. You take the opportunity to let your warm breath ghost over his throbbing cock, coaxing a deep groan from Yoongi. He puts his hand to your cheek, and you look up to meet his gaze.

“I don’t think I can last if you put me in your mouth, baby girl. We can do head next time,” Yoongi says, and your heart soars at the pet name. You ease back up so that you’re straddling him once more, and reflexively start to grind on him again.

“Please let me take care of you. Look how wet you are,” he says, running his fingers over your clothed slit, dipping one finger in to collect a bit of slick. He tastes his finger and says. “Yeah, we’re definitely going to need to do head next time.”

You blush at the thought of him buried between your thighs, vulgarly slurping up everything you have to give him. You clench just thinking about it, and Yoongi notices. He pulls your panties to the side, takes the head of his cock and presses it to your clit, teasing your entrance. His precum mixes with your wetness, and you can’t resist him any more. You’ve resisted him for years, and you’re done.

You slowly ease yourself down on his cock, only making it halfway down before you have to wait for you to adjust. You both look at each other; Yoongi’s jaw is set and his eyebrows are furrowed together. Your mouth drops open as you raise and lower yourself again, feeling the delicious stretch that accompanies it. You bottom out and begin setting a slow and gentle pace.

Your body is rolling steadily, moonlight creating beautiful shadows on your body as you take him in over and over. As many times as you’ve dreamed of this, you still didn’t fathom it being this good or it feeling this right.

Yoongi is everything you had imagined he would be and then some. The way he is looking up at you, the way his soft little moans escape every time you bottom out, the way his eyebrows furrow together at the sight of your dripping heat enveloping him. Perfection.

He takes his hands and trails them up the curve of your waist, stopping just below your breasts. He runs his thumbs over your nipples, making you shudder and arch your back, pushing your chest into his hands. He palms them, kneading little circles around your areolas.

You lean forward, putting your weight on him again, and he meets you eagerly with another kiss. He wraps his arms around your back, keeping himself under the jacket, and you pick up the rhythm. Yoongi scratches his nails all the way down your back. Once he gets to your ass, he cups it, squeezing gently. You place your forehead against his, and your eyes meet.

“Y/N,” he whispers, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear, “you look so beautiful on top of me like this. Please let me see this sight for the rest of my life.” You whimper at the praise, and pick up the pace.

“Please,” he continues, small grunts mixing in with his words, “Don’t wake up tomorrow and pretend like this never happened. Please... don’t break my heart,” he pleads.

“Not a chance, Yoon. I can never let you go. You’re everything to me. You’ve always been.”

“Baby, I am so close. Can I--”

“Come with me, Yoongi. Let’s do it together,” you say. Yoongi’s hands are on your hips and he’s thrusting up into you with an unrelenting pace. At this angle, you can feel his head graze against your cervix with each thrust, sending white spots in your vision.

You both reach your end at the same time, breaths mingling as you come down from your highs. You lay your head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat gradually slow. He presses a soft, lingering kiss to the top of your head and sighs into your hair.

“So…” he begins, “do you wanna go to the festival with me?” Yoongi asks.

“Are you gonna pick me up? Let me hold your hand? Have a nice little special romantic date?” you fire back, trying your best to sound like him. You sit up on your arm, letting your hair hang over to one side, and watch the light dance in his eyes as he laughs.

“Yeah,” he laughs, “I might even get us a little snack from one of the desert vendors.”

Life for me has been utter shit - stuck with godawful lessons and a lot of tests, all the while having to worry about this group of mean girls who I offended a couple month ago and now have to constantly think about what I do because all it takes is one mistep and they go all snarky and stir up trouble by making baseless accusations - cause all it takes is one mistake to turn your best friends into utter bitches ((sorry for the language)) who constantly make it out to be that I’m always going out of my way to wind them up and harass them

And now I’m worried that if any of my other past mistakes come up that they’re going to make it out to be a big thing, and if they make it out to be a big thing then I just know it’s gonna reach the teachers who’re gonna make it reach home and then I’ll have to deal with the usual disappointment I get when I make even the smallest mistake, because everyone expects me to be this perfect little thing that cant make a single mistake, and if that happens I honestly don’t know how I’m gonna deal with it - especially if I lose my phone, as it’s like my only comfort source and tether to the things that actually make me happy.

And no I don’t mean that in terms of social media, I mainly mean that in terms of stuff like access to tumblr and my fanfiction - because as sad as it sounds they’re the only thing keeping my happy and keeping me going

I should probably talk about some of this with my counsellor, but then she’s gonna have to mention it to her superiors who’ll most likely make her tell my parents and I just don’t have the energy or will power to deal with that

So here I am, using anon on tumblr to rant at someone as sweet as you who’s probably just gonna get either super bummed out or kinda concerned which you shouldn’t be as I honestly don’t deserve anyone’s care or concern. I’m already a waste of physical space, no need to be a waste of someone’s emotional and mental energy as well.

Sorry. - 🦋anon🦋

((just to add a little bit of recognition in case I want to/need to rant again. Granted that’s good with you of course))

Alright so that's a lot, so I think I'm going to answer this under a read more and hopefully I can bring you some sort of comfort, as little as that may be

Before that tho, I know I'm not a rant/venting blog, but you guys can come do so in asks or DMS even if we never talk again. I rather lend an ear that have you with a heavy weight on your shoulders if I can help carry it.

ALSO

This is a self-deprecation free blog! Y'all are a fucking delight, and gorgeous inside and out and I'll frigging fight you if I must in order to seal that idea in your funky little brains! 🔪🔪🔪

School problems sound like a lot of stress rn (I'm guessing you're not in college yet, I don't have the facts tho), and those come in the source of social and study issues. To the later, I can only say that they will pass, they're temporary and they don't really matter that much as long as you manage the bare minimum to go on with your life plans (which is a ridiculous thing to say because I myself am 23 and I still don't know jack shit about anything, much less about life).

Your "friends", and this is the last time I call them that, are clearly not deserving of you, not only if they treat you that way but also because if you're so sure they're willing to use mistakes from the past against you, that means you kind of subconsciously understood they weren't that good to start with. To that I can only say that kind of gut feeling comes with age (I'm full of hateful advice tonight, sorry), and that those mistakes they'll make you face were things you did in the past you made being younger and less informed and "matured", and you should look at them with that gaze instead of beating yourself over them or letting them get to you (this is not easy, but you can do it 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻)

Idk how you school (again, guessing) works, but sure there is a tutor or someone you can talk with from the staff, a therapist they hire from time to time or, and I know you won't like this option, the counselor. Think of your mental health for a moment, please.

You're not a machine.

You are not a perfect thing.

You're human, and you're fallible, and weak, and you get tired, and you make mistakes. And that's okay.

And people around you have to understand that. They can't make you a puppet to satisfy their expectations because that's going to end up either burning you out or tearing you apart.

From here, and I clearly don't know all the details so please consider that too, I think you should sacrifice some of that untouchable image others have assigned on you that you use like a shield and show vulnerability, let an "authority" inform your parents that you do very much have a breaking point and you're reaching it and you need to breathe and exist for a second.

I myself got lost, quite purposefully, in reading and writing and art -and I still do- and consuming media as a source of comfort and familiarity that was, and still is, always reliable and endless.

I don't think there's a problem with that, so long as you keep it reasonable and don't get too lost in it. As we say in my country, "lo bueno, si breve, dos veces bueno" (I'll let you investigate that on your own 😉)

The main thing I get, and what I do all the time because it works for me like a clock, is a red balloon, meaning, hobbies. I like creating things -I like reading the most, honestly, but it's never as engaging as making your own stuff. Write something, draw something, it doesn't matter if you don't think it's good, or bad, or anything or everything in between. You get a distraction, you invest in something that brings you joy such as interacting (or not, that's up to your comfort level and/or want to do so) with fandoms and Tumblr, and one day, when you're feeling under the weather or in need of a break, you can look back and see the things that you have done and be proud of them despite all their little imperfections because you made them and you had a good time while doing so and they helped you get your mind off things.

Exhaustion is a thing, and a terrible one at that, and we end up feeling numb at best, and tired, and just like you can't keep going, you can't even take that infamous baby step that's just enough for some people, and you fear that if you don't make what's barely enough then how...?

That's bullshit. It real, and valid, and it's heavy as fuck and it gets to you, nests inside your very bones and drags you.

I'm not a very cheery person despite what my internet persona might suggest, quite the opposite, and I use that to keep me going.

You can't keep up or find a reason to take that baby step? Do it out of spite.

That's my answer against life itself, when everything is just too much and I cant- I can, out of spite.

NGL buddy, it ain't healthy, but it keeps you on the move until those bad days are over and suddenly you'll find yourself fighting back, standing straight (that's the only straight thing I do), and charging forward like a bull.

Don't give up, I promise time fixes everything sooner or later and good days are on your way. That's a threat.

The Brainrot has gotten to me

WELL HERE YOU GO FOLKS (almost) ALL MY NOTES ON WYRMTHREAD (Chantilly/Quezal) both in Canon and in a Happier AU because yes Most put under a readmore because its over 1K long and the very end has some suggestive things because I’m allowed to think like that too so just as a heads up

Anyways here

Canon Codex

Do not establish a relationship outside of a blooming interest in each other that gets nipped in the bud due to...yeah cries 

So let us not delve too deeply into Canon rn, and sadly since the plot absolutely needs Chantilly gone to progress we turn to HAPPIER AUS!!!!! :DDDDD because I drove myself deep into brainrot and aoughhhhghhhghhhhghh

Songs I associate with canon because music is good- 

I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE by Tyler the Creator

Mr Loverman by Ricky Montgomery

Rest Easy, I’ll See You Again by Cuco (the title is a LIE) 

Pain by Pinkpantheress

La Gata Bajo la Lluvia by Rocío Dúrcal

The Night We Met by Lord Huron (thank you Jaxx) 

Noche No Te Vayas by Los Tres Caballeros 

Better Timeline AU!!!! 

Placeholder name but honestly it might stick because I’m too lazy to think up of a better one hghfdnkj, am open to suggestions tho

Basic Premise of this AU: Through some magic fuckery or whatever, Chantilly is allowed out of the Troupe and decides to tag along with our funky wyrm gal because nowhere else to go/hrnng big lady pretty. They actually do start going out and it turns out hey! They like each other, like a lot. 

They like each other so much that they get married and bam, WyrmThread real 

This is great because not only is my otp now canon and alive, Fuego (and later on Lune when Fuego adoptskidnaps them into the family) now has both parents! And they love their kids sm like damn do not get in between them else you want to get yeeted to Unalive World. 

In this one, the motivations for [REDACTED] have now morphed into somewhat the same way in terms of being dealt with but now we got the lacey boy to help Quezal do [SPOILERS], fight [SPOILERS] and help complete [SPOILERS] and help establish her empire. (I’m sorry but I am not revealing any important Codex spoilers yet)

“Will you be the Malfina to my Connecticut Clark?” 

Girlboss and Malewife, except they’re both still murderous and would happily see you to your grave if you intervene with any of their plans. I’ve given Chantilly throwing knives :) because he deserves to be dangerous. 

He deserves to look cool!! With knives!!! Fighting alongside his wifey!! 

Of course NKG fucks off when Chantilly leaves the Troupe but I love to think of him being akin to a disapproving in-law (“Really Chantilly?? You run off and marry some wyrm that didn’t even have a kingdom to begin with? Have the standards of the Nightmare Vessels deteriorated as time went on?”) 

Chantilly is somewhat concerned that Fuego is much more, for lack of a better word, feral than a regular Grimmchild would be but he doesn’t regret the decision to have him. He loves his bitey son even if he scratches through fabrics like water. 

And Quezal enjoys having another person to coil around and snarl at anyone that gets too close to them. It does take a while until they’re like velcro due to her issues with touch being equated to violence (Thanks dad /s) but once she overcomes that fight or flight response she absolutely does not let go of him. 

Burrowing into a dark place and nuzzling until he smells like her makes Wyrm brain go brr. And since he isn’t a wyrm there’s no instinct yelling at her to maim him if there’s no babies to take care of/mating season passed, he in her eyes is harmless. Even if they both know different, at least in her brain he is just a lil guy, no threat to her. 

Chantilly loves all the attention he’s getting from her, absolutely will allow her to carry him off and coil up against him as long as he can work on sewing while she broods over him. 

He’s naturally warm and for a wyrm that needs outside heat to regulate her inner temp like a snake he’s like a hot water bottle, world cold husband warm. 

Happby family can these Queers be HAPPY PLEASE 

Love languages!!! 

Quezal once she gets comfortable with physical stuff likes to nuzzle and bite :) but not to draw any hemo or cause harm, just to hold in mouth. She also likes to do acts of service, making sure that her husband is wont for nothing and doing little things like sharpening his knives for him. 

Chantilly loves to gift-give! Usually things he made by hand. 

“Quezal pls let me make you pretty dresses and outfits please you would so look good in teal” 

He likes kissing a lot, smoochies for wife and cuddling is great for him too, as long as he can sleep with his chest unobstructed he’s good 

They both love showing each other off

“Look at my partner they’re the fucking best ever, none of you bitches can compare to them.” 

When the empire is finally formed and Quezal takes her place as Empress she offers the title of Emperor to Chantilly 

He declines, Royal titles are just not his thing and he feels uncomfortable with them, so instead he goes by the title of “Lord”

His duties consist of assisting with any paperwork Quezal doesn’t want to deal with and being eye candy (/j but also not really he loves being shown off esp in new outfits) 

He also deals with nobles that aren’t too pushy, the ones that do are quickly steered towards Quezal. And usually after a meeting with her they learn better than to try to smart mouth either of them. 

Family Notes!

Chantilly’s the one to go to if you need advice and soothing comfort

Quezal’s the one to go to if you need someone beat the fuck up and also advice but in the no nonsense way. 

She also comforts but it's not in the way that Chantilly will delicately soothe the pains away, she tells you how it is but will hug you and tuck you into bed if wanted. 

On the other hand, Chantilly is the one Fuego and Lune go to if they want to do something crazy or stupid and know that mom won’t say yes. 

He dresses them up in poofy outfits (see the clown costume I’ve thrown on Fuego as an example) and shows them off to Quezal 

“Look my dear! Aren’t they the sweetest things you have seen!” 

It is very funny 

SONGS I ASSOCIATE WITH THIS AU

Meet Me At Our Spot by WILLOW

First Love/ Late Spring by Mitski

I Hear A Symphony by Cody Fry

She’s My Collar by the Gorillaz

My Kind of Woman by Mac DeMarco

New Light by John Mayer

Vivir by Jardin

coffee by Miguel

Never Getting Rid of Me from the Waitress Musical

WARNING WARNING

Ok next few am going to be a bit suggestive so stop here if you’re not into that but

I’m debating on if they’d have more children than Fuego and Lune and if so, how many HDJFJKSJ (thinking of twins named Arco and Iris because Arcoiris means Rainbow and I kind of like that and I’m also a sucker for twins) 

Listen, they’re both switches but most if not all the time Quezal’s the one topping. The man is submissive and breedable what do you expect HDJFJS

s i z e  D i f f e r e n c e 

Chantilly is a sensual romantic and loves a lot of buildup while Quezal just wants to get on with the good stuff, they make it work with communication and understanding each other :) 

They’re both capable of carrying so if they did have more kids I’d imagine they’d take turns on who’s turn it is to be eggy. (And I have so many thoughts about how they’d treat each other while pregnant but HHHHFJFJFHHHF too embarrassed rn waagaghgg) 

These two love each other very much and I love them. 

Please I’m begging you, I need your opinions on the 10th anniversary outfits, partially because my brain fell out of my head once I saw

Ponytail Komaeda✨

But also because I’m in LOVE with so many outfits. I also wanna roast some of them because yikes.

DJDJKEFJ YOU ENABLE ME..........i’m putting this under the tag because i talk a lot and this includes just about as many people as i have an opinion on.......which is a lot skfjskhfjd

Listen someone in Chunsoft looked at the fandom and decided to throw us a bone because they really made each antag look like a hot piece of ass. Byakuya with his big rich bitch coat, Kokichi with his swept hair, Ko with his pony.......they had no right to make them look so hot tbh

Also I love that for the first few days, the Komaeda tag was just full of us freaking out over Ko’s pony. One brain cell, I tell you. Komaeda fans collectively saw him and frothed at the mouth skfjdkfj.......

Okay I NEED to talk about the protags bc my god did they do them dirty.....Saihara’s dirt color suit? Hinata’s piss colored one??? Disgusting. The filter doesn’t help at all because I clearly see Hinata’s suit being white or off-white in the first one with only the protags and supports but SAIHARA???? He was done dirty since the beginning and I’m appalled that they would do that to my boy especially when Kaede and Makoto are right there in perfectly good outfits.

Real quick can we talk about Akane because she is GORGEOUS????? Also Peko!!!! Fuyuhiko you lucky bastard......

Sonia and Gundham??? Muah. Love his scarf, her ponytail, they’re snazzy dates. Also the Devas having lil baby ties on 🥺💘💓💗💞💗

I’m actually personally offended that they didn’t show Ibuki’s whole dress because she looks great already and I’d pay to see her in a dual tone ballgown.

So according to my friend, Souda looks like a neon Leorio and honestly I don’t think I could put it better. He’s even got the tiny grandpa glasses......like he makes them work but still. Grandpa glasses.

Miss Mahiru.........beautiful.....idk what’s up with her headband but I love her dress enough to let it slide.......Hiyoko isn’t in this shot but she looks adorable.......my only complaint is that they aren’t matching........

I like to call this screenshot “Girls 💓💖💕✨”

Celeste looks.....absolutely gorgeous.....I deadass just stopped everything to stare at her when i first saw her tbh her power is immense......Chunsoft give me her full sprite edit now you cowards >:/

Aoi and Sakura!!!!! They’re gfs your honor!!!! I like to think Aoi helped Sakura do her hair before the dance......though I do personally believe Aoi would have rocked a suit but know what she’s beautiful it’s fine

TOKO!!!!!!! I wanna see her hairstyle cause that’s either a bun or a single braid and either way I’m begging you to let me see my wife...............

Can. We talk about Junko. Please. I’m. In love with her........she might commit atrocities but god is she hot........haha........please kiss me—

Teruteru’s lil hat is adorable?? I know I don’t talk about him much but he’s actually very cute here I’ll give him that. Also there’s Hiyoko she’s very pretty.....

CHIAKI AND KYOKO........ACK........be still my heart..........they’re beautiful I want to kiss them and be their date please. Chiaki with buns and Kyoko in a ponytail is everything. I’ve never been more in love with them skjfhfrjgdj

also MIKAN!!!!!!!! ACK SHE’S SO PRETTY......mmm, I am a little bothered that they gave her.....that, idk, instead of a normal jumpsuit because she would have looked drop dead gorgeous without being given something that I feel would probably make her uncomfortable but know what whatever. Maybe I’m nitpicking. She’s still rocking her outfit and looking happy and that’s all I want for her.

I’m so sorry for Leon stans because that suit is literally the most atrocious thing I’ve seen ever. Purple and orange plaid with HIS hair????? Disgusting. I’ve never been more repulsed by one man. He and Saihara got dressed together change my mind.

Miss Kirumi.......kiss me........she’s gorgeous and I want her to rock these kinda outfits more please she deserves it

Miu’s outfit makes her look like an instagrammer or something and honestly good for her, wear those sunglasses inside like the extra inventor you are babe 💖

Chihiro.......I mean they look great but why the leprechaun aesthetic..........very cute though I kinda like it. It’s funky.

Tenko!!!!! Rockin her suit and skirt, very snazzy. The top hat looks out of place but know what, Danganronpa doesn’t draw hats very well in general so I’ll let it slide

...........Ouma move outta the way you’re blocking Himiko skfjskfj. Anyway I like Himiko’s dress too, but I’d probably make the dress navy and blue or something, I think the red/pink/magenta color scheme clashes weirdly with her hair.

Ngl I think Kork and Rantaro actually look okay. The fedoras are. Questionable. But I like to think Rantaro convinced Kork to do it just so they could stand at the entrance when the party started to help hold the doors open and tip their hats, going “m’lady” and winking every time a girl came by. It’s like the only way I can excuse them skfjk

HOWEVER. I can’t forgive Ryoma’s hat because what the hell is that. Did he glue horns to his fedora. What. Huh. Why is that image in my memory now and how do I get it out arghhhhh

Anyway Harumaki!!!!!! My wife.........gorgeous as always queen keep doing what you’re doing.......on that topic, Tsumugi, Angie, and Sayaka also look stunning.......muah

In conclusion all the girls are gorgeous. The guys......hit or miss I guess they do miss huh.

3/19/2021

Wow, this week sure was jam-packed with so many experiences. What a nice way to kick off the week after Spring Break!

||||||||||||||||||||| The amount of times W talked to me during class today was crazy!! I was gone for the first half of it for private tuba lessons, and when I came back, he threw everyone into recording our music straight after a single rep. It was almost like he was waiting for me to come back so I could play along. 🥺

I kind of feel bad for the only other in-person tuba player who had lessons after me though....oh well, haha. In the middle of the class, after switching pieces, W didn’t hesitate to tell me that I was the only moving part in the measure we were playing. After this, he told me to just look at him the whole time there. When I played that measure, despite its length and simplicity, there was a LOT in that moment. He made intense, unmoving eye contact with me for those two beats, lingering a little longer the first time around. Unfortunately, one of my valves decided to stick during this very part in the recording. I was really the most noticeable part in that section, so..ouch? W‘s lips went straight in slight annoyance when I did this, and he kind of looked like this emoji. → 😐 I felt really upset at myself for that earlier, but writing it now, it’s a situation I can laugh at. Not every moment with your TC has to be perfect, right? Haha. ^^ Having him conduct only myself as an individual in a “professional“ way was—for lack of a better term—SO COOL. It felt like I contributed to something. And we got to make eye contact.

A separate time—five to ten minutes later —we switched songs again. At a certain point near the center of the piece, I noticed W walked by, listening to the section on my left. My eyes went ↑↓↑↓↑↓↑↓ from my music and him because I was nervous that he could have been trying to listen to me.

The section to the right of me was playing their funky little part, and suddenly I saw W quickly step over in front of me so we were a foot away. Of course, my heart and mind freaked out, but I continued to play my part like everything was normal. Funnily enough, W started tapping his right foot and bouncing his body along with it. He also pointed down at me with his vertically waving index finger. His movement matched the rhythm I was playing. “R,” he whispered to the section to my right. “Listen to R..!” He continued his fleet of motion and leaned his head closer to my tuba’s bell so he could hear my sound better. He stayed like this for two measures(roughly two seconds) before clapping and cutting everyone off right there.

He started to talk to and about me for the second time today. The difference though was that he was standing five feet away from me no instead of across the room...and the entire conversation lasted two minutes or more this time.

With his huge eyes staring daggers at me, he asked me if the percussion was playing at that point in the song. “I don’t think so..?” I smiled sheepishly and tilted my head left. A percussionist behind me said that he did. “He does—“ “I do too!” Another one said. “Okay, they do too.” “So does he!” A voice called in the background. Either W didn’t hear or didn’t care to respond. He stood still with a semi-frustrated expression on his face. “But they’re the only ones,” he continued after that moment. I think he may have gotten closer to me while saying this, but it could just be my mind intensifying the situation. “Remember on the last piece when I said the percussion was in charge?” I nodded. “You’re in charge now.” My eyes widened a bit and I quickly darted my gaze to the right and back while I took in this surprising information. W took this as a note that he was being too fixed on me and stopped making too much eye contact, now only glancing at me every once in a while.

“The reason this is their seating here is so they could hear you..., and you could sit next to the snare drum.” I looked back to the snare drum. “Thanks,” I said as he began to walk back to the podium.

The day continued there, and we soon reached the end of it. I put my instrument in its case and I noticed W was standing around my area. I thought to say goodbye, but it seemed like he just began talking to someone. They were next to the path I’d usually walk on my way back to my seat.

I decided to leave them be. ‘If he really wants to talk to me, he’ll walk near me,’ I told myself while I got my stuff together. Guess who I saw to the left of me four seconds later?

”She’s drawing on herselfff!!” I heard W say in a 7-year-old “tattletale“ voice to nobody and everybody. I brought my attention to him, who was smiling and looking down at the ground in front of him. “She’s drawing on herselff!!” He repeated, head turning just a tiny bit towards my direction.

I openly giggled at his tone, followed his look, and saw someone sitting on the floor. It took a bit for me to notice that she was writing on her arm with a black Sharpie while putting her instrument in its case. She looked a little embarrassed and tried to hurry with whatever she was doing.

I turned left, back to W. I watched him smile and observe the habit a little bit longer before looking away, satisfied. He noticed that I was gazing at him and returned my attention with the same gleeful expression he had a second ago.

I let out another chuckle at his behavior. causing him to do the same, but very softly and under his breath. We stayed there for a bit before his look turned sort of smug and mischievous.

He slowly turned left and walked right next to me. I found myself staring at his (pretty close) face as he strolled by. Before I lost my chance to speak to him, I did.

“Have a nice weekend, W!”

He tensed up after hearing me at first, but his look relaxed after a second. I saw his eyes squint; a result of him smiling. He kept his eye on something in front of him.

“You too, R. Have a nice weekend.”

”You too, W!”

He usually responded with ‘you too’, so this caught me a bit off guard. I smiled so hard though.

W began to walk forward again. I had a feeling I should watch, so I did. This same smirk spread on his lips after he made it to the right of another student in the low brass section.

He raised his left hand behind the unsuspecting student and slapped his upper back three times. HARD. He walked away casually soon after. (They mess with each other all the time, don’t worry.)

I laughed SO hard at this. The kid looked to his right to see who did that and saw W strutting in front of him. He opened his mouth and pretended to scream while feeling his back.

Thinking back, I kind of feel bad for my reaction, but there was a slight hint of a grin on the kid’s face. I suppose that means W’s sudden back-smacks didn’t affect him too much. BUT SERIOUSLY IT WAS SO FUNNY.

||||||||||||||||||||||

Living the dream.

Now I know that W isn’t uncomfortable with making human contact with students—or, at least, that guy. That’s a plus! Wonder why he’s tentative to touching my hand though. Haha, thanks for reading this big post. Whenever I start rambling I just can’t stop I guess. I hope everyone has a great weekend, and may you see your TCs soon. ❤️

BNHA self insert AU [Book 4]

CATCH UP! Book 1 * 2 * 3

Chapter 4: Lets Get Fuckin FUNKY!

Not that big of a time skip, the twins are nearing the end of their second year of middle school. Hanaka has special training time with her dad. Tensei still has to reach out to his mother on quirk training, mainly because he’s been debating and making a new sound for his band. 

“...points to the opposed, Iida and Tanaka move on to the next round.”

The room erupted with cheer as the debate duo stood up to give their bows. Tensei was internally psyched out of his mind! He was at Japan’s Grand Prix Debate Tournament and he just got his team to move on to the semi-finals. If they do well in semis, Nationals next year is a guarantee!

“Gentlemen, I won’t lie” Tensei tried to hold it in “the moment they slipped up in their cross examination, they were done for!”

“We saw that! The way you pushed up your glasses before giving your final statement was iconic” gushed one of his teammates.

“Lets go get some food before they do the final draw” suggested one of the boys “They have good food here!”

“Hup! Iida-kun, may I have a word before you go on your lunch?” requested the new coach.

“Ummm sure” Tensei walked toward the coach, then quickly turned back to the group “Get me yakisoba! I don’t know how long I’m going to be.”

The coach waited until the other boys were out of earshot “Alright, you’re not in trouble and nothing is wrong. I wanted to let you know that I spoke to a coach at Waseda Uni.”

“Waseda is here?!” gasped Tensei.

The new coach smiled “I thought you might react like that! They have you on their radar. If you play your cards right, you might be looking at scholarships and offers to get into their humanities programs when you apply for college.”

“That does sound ideal” Tensei pondered out loud “I’ll do my best to make this a clean sweep for our school.”

“Oh and another thing! Are you doing this next year too?”

Tensei got sheepish “I’m not sure anymore. Since I’m still going with my plan to do hero school after middle school” he sighed “That big infraction on my school record doesn’t look too good on me to go to those privates with their absolute units of debaters. I don’t really see the point of doing a third year of this if I’m going down that route.”

“Well, if you change your mind” the coach takes out a pin from his satchel “I’d love to have you as my student coach for next school year.”

Tensei gasped “You want me as Club Senpai?!”

He nodded as they handed Tensei the tiny gold pin “I can’t think of anyone else that’s more than capable.”

“Oh I can’t possibly take this” Tensei handed back the pin “I don’t have a definite answer.”

“Hold on to it, think it over” the coach pushed Tensei’s hand back gently “Give it back on the first day of third year if you’re not joining. I trust you won’t forget nor misplace it until then.”

That was the biggest power move Tensei has ever witnessed. He continued to get his school to the finals and 2nd place overall that day. On the car ride home, Tensei was lost in his thoughts.

“...Tensei? Did you hear me?”

He snapped out of it “Huh?! No, sorry! What did you say mom?”

“I asked if you wanted McDonalds” repeated his Mother.

“Oh...yes please”

His mother turned into the street of the McDonalds their family frequents.

“You’re not as excited as I thought you might’ve been” his mother waited to say until after they ordered “What happened mijo?”

Tensei sighed “I am happy and psyched to get our school into nationals again. And this win is a pretty good note to end on...but should I stop here?”

“Oh I see, you don’t want to quit the team huh?”

“Yeah! And things are making me want to stay” Tensei gushed “Like, coach wants me to be club senpai AND Waseda has me on their radar! Too good to pass up but I want to get started on my quirk training for hero school. I’m not sure if I can juggle everything for my third year.”

They pulled up to the pick up window.

“As a mother, I want to tell you to do the right thing and sacrifice one thing to help you focus” His mother started “But as the chaotic, over-achiever, ‘fuck you, don’t tell me what to do!’ personality I am... Fuckin do it all! Flex on everyone and be THAT bitch. I believe in you.”

Tensei wasn’t expecting that from his own mother “Huh? How is being in a band, being club senpai and hero training flexing on them?”

“Did you listen to yourself saying that sentence?! That sounds cool as hell!” giggled his mother “I’ve gone through all the juggling in my school years and turned out as this absolute beast! Before I married your father I was one of the most powerful women in Japan already with my status as a top agent, college degree and CEO of my security robot company. I didn’t have to get married and start a family Tensei...but I wanted nothing more than to have a family of my own. And I did! All without giving up a single thing, now I’m THE most powerful woman in all of Japan, would you want to mess with a married woman that’s not only smarter, stronger, richer and has four kids?”

Tensei shook his head in fear “If you put it in perspective like that, I would be scared to be on your bad side. With all those titles, it feels like you can make me disappear in a snap.”

“Now imagine yourself! Tensei Oro Iida: Musician, Lawyer and Hero. Serving justice in and out of the court in the day, playing a gigs in the night!”

“Hmmm, that does sound pretty cool” Tensei receives the bag of food on his lap “You really think I can do it?”

“OH I know you can!” his mother exited out of the drive thru and towards home “You’re my son, my children are capable of the impossible.”

That filled Tensei with motivation to juggle all those titles. 

But meanwhile, the girls are having a girls night at Petti’s place.

“Oh my! Is this you guys?” gushed Twinkle at the framed photo in the living room “You were so tiny! In your little dresses and with your dads!”

Hanaka looked over Twinkle’s shoulder “Your dad kept this picture framed Petti? This was so long ago!”

“Nya! It’s the only nice picture we took ‘member?” Kyanka giggled as she flopped onto the couch “We threw a temper tantrum so bad that we lost control of our quirks.”

“Ah yes, good times” reminisced Petti as she brought out the snacks “My dad kept that one framed because it was the one time I willingly put on a dress and smiled.” She pointed to the other pictures on the wall “You can see in the other ones that I wear alt-core and scowl.”

Twinkle looked at the other pictures as the other girls ate snacks. 

“If you don’t mind me asking” Twinkled started off “Where’s your mother Petti?”

Kyanka and Hanaka stopped their snacking to turn to Petti. They know that she doesn’t respond well to that question and braced themselves in case she activates her Dark Shadow.

“My mom? She’s not in the picture sadly” sighed Petti, surprisingly calm “Dad tells me I was abandoned at his door as an egg. And she never returned to get to know me, so it’s just been my dad and I. Dad doesn’t have family either.”

“Oh I’m sorry I brought it up!”

“No it’s alright! I’m okay telling you” smiled Petti “Like, my dad tries really hard to raise me right. But it’s tough being a single dad and hero! Hanaka’s mom is basically my mother figure and I ask her all my girl questions that I don’t want to ask my dad.” She looks at the her cup of pink drink “I really want to meet my mom someday though. I have her eye color, skin tone and quirk trigger according to my dad. So I get my hot-headed nature from her and I kinda wish I got her normal face and not a bird head! But I don’t have an idea where she could be.”

“That’s so wholesome of you” Twinkle got teary-eyed “I hope you do get to meet your mom. Maybe when we become heroes, you’ll have the resources to find her!”

“That’s the goal” Petti stretched her back “Hopefully she’d want to be in my life at that point, I like to think that she just doesn’t like children.”

Hanaka spoke up “Now that I think about it, all of us look to my mom as their mother figure.”

“But aren’t your parents are together Kyanka?” questioned Twinkle.

“My mom old as hell” blurted Kyanka “How my dad got suckered into getting with an older woman is beyond me, nya. But she’s always away for hero work with the Wild Wild Pussycats, so I ask Hanaka’s mom for girl advice too. She’s a good woman but I wish she’d just, retire and act her age” sighed the cat girl as she flexed her paws “I may not show it, but I’m scared that with her age and not being in her prime anymore, she’s going to die on the job. It’s scary to think about it and I can’t do anything to stop her from going to work. That’s why I want to be a hero, so I can take her place as a rescue hero, making her retire.”

Twinkle was bawling at this point “Such noble causes! You guys are making me miss my mama.”

“Oh geez, get it together girl” Petti stands up “I’ll get you some tissues.”

“Yea, noble causes” Hanaka repeated aloud, making her pause to think “I don’t really have a reason to be a hero. Other than I can and have the means to do so, my parents never made me do something because of our status or family name.” She looked in the reflection of her cup “I don’t really know what I’m good at. Tensei got all the talent and smarts, I have the quirks and good genes.”

“Aww don’t compare yourself with your twin again” Petti said as she walked in with a fistful of tissues “You’re talented in your own way.”

“Oh yea? Name one thing- THAT ISN’T QUIRK RELATED!” Hanaka huffed.

Petti handed the loose tissues to Twinkle “Easy! You’re charismatic, people think you’re cute and go all mushy and do things for you with little interaction.”

“Ooh! You have a good sense of distance” Kyanka blurted “With just a glance, you know how far something is. AND you’re always quick to help out with things, even if you’re not sure if you’re a good fit for the job! ‘member when you volunteered to do the food stall in 1st year?”

Twinkle blew her nose “You’re a good friend! You integrated me into your group and share your food with me. And from the stories Kyanka and Petti tell, you’re always the first one to start things, a natural leader!”

Hanaka was touched “Aww guys, you’re too much!”

“Can you guys not cry at my house?!” Petti tossed a loose tissue at Hanaka “Seriously! I’m trying to chill with the girls, not get all sappy.”

Not too much time passes and it’s graduation season! Of course the ones graduating are Lili and Iwata from their respected institues. Everyone is home for the holidays and decisions have to be made.

“What’s up with you two?” Lili asked as she looked up from her phone “Usually something would be on fire and it’s too quiet for having a full house. What is going on?”

Hanaka and Tensei were face down in the middle of the living room.

“Shh, they’re communicating” Iwata teased “But deadass, why are you guys so quiet?”

Tensei lifted his head to speak “I’m tired as hell! Mom got me on her training regime and my legs are refusing to work.”

Hanaka flipped over “Ow! And Dad had me do so much reading that my brain hurt and eyes burn.”

“Oh man, I remember those days” sighed Lili with a smile “The mental and physical pain of hero training. Aren’t you glad you’re done with all that Iwee?”

“Yup! Thought I’d never get out of that cycle of pain” Iwata sighed back “Just wait until you realize you’re gay after a series of weird events happen.”

“But that part was my favorite!” beamed Lili.

Hanaka furrowed her brow “That sounds like a you thing. We actually have friends.”

“We have friends too!”

“Yea, the ones you’re dating and are going to marry someday!”

Lili and Iwata tried to think of a rebuttal but their little sister was right.

“ANYWAYS! How prepared are you guys for the entrance exam?” Lili asked.

Tensei groaned “Man, I forgot about that! Why can’t we just, take a written exam like a normal school.”

“It’s not that bad, come on Tensei” Iwata coaxed his brother to stand up “The telekinesis shit is kinda hard to master. But you can flex what that metal bending quirk can do to those robos!”

“Literally, you two have the upper hand to easily pass” Lili explained “The test hasn’t changed in decades! It’s always the robots and the ‘big boy’ robot is worth 0 points BUT you get rescue points if you either save someone from it’s path or you destroy it out of safety of others.”

“Then why did you two struggle?” asked Tensei, not believing that the exam is that simple.

“We can go fast but our second quirks aren’t power based” Lili snapped her fingers to instantly transform the curtain into a pair of pants “imagine that but in battle! The most useful thing I’ve done is make netting and a hot air balloon to transport my classmates! I had to learn certain fighting styles and have multiple support items for me to be on par with everyone else.”

Iwa levitated everything in the living room “And I can do all the floaty things but I’m not like mom, where I can crush things with my mind!” he throws a pillow with force at a wall “that’s my ‘force’ with my quirk, yea it helps me fly for a short amount of time but I wasn’t strong enough to stop a robot from attacking me when I was entering UA.”

Hanaka flails her arms “Okay okay I get it! We’re stronger by default! Put me down now!”

“Oof forgot you don’t like getting levitated” Iwata quickly set everything down “But please don’t feel so helpless, we’d kill to have the advantages you two have.”

The twins faced at each other and exchanged looks.

“If you say so” sighed Tensei “Then I guess we’re ready.”

“YAY!” the older siblings cheered and did the little quick claps.

“Don’t clap and cheer! We’re not babies!” barked the twins.

Just out of sight were their parents, looking on at the sight of their children being their usual selves.

“It was getting too quiet around here” whispered Tenya as he hugged his wife from behind “I feel complete.”

“Enjoy it while you can love” Ita whispered back “Our nest is going to be empty sooner than you think!” She gave her husband a quick kiss “Okay ninos, visitas are at the gates. The living room should be nice and tidy! I got the curtains special made for this year’s theme!”

The kids glanced at the pants that were once the curtains and then to the disorganized furniture, shit!

“Okay mom we’ll fix the living room!” Iwa spoke up “No need to come in here and check! You go and greet the guests!”

Lili frantically fixed the pants-curtains as the twins fixed the couch cushions and Iwa floated everything back to the original layout. Just like when they were younger.

With new confidence and old support, suddenly the new part of the twin’s lives isn’t so scary. 

-Chapter 4, End-

<Previous - Next>

In My Blood: Wolf!Shawn x Black Reader: A coffee shop/baker AU

a/n: Look. I’ve been reading fanfic a long ass time. And I’ve been reading supernatural fanfic just about as long. And I dead ass have never in my 21 years encountered a story where the point of view, where the story, is centered on a black woman. So, we gone change that today. I am absolutely obsessed with this. It honestly started out pretty horrid, so I’m so happy she came together. I hope y’all like it! Let me know tbh. 

Trigger warnings: mentions of sexual situations, conversations regarding race/hint at police brutality, cussing

It rained the day you moved in. This would go on to become your new normal though so you thought you might as well get used to it. Moving to a new town was always hard. It helped a little bit that the town was so small, tucked quietly away in the midst of trees and general greenery, it was just extremely different from your norm. You’d been a doctor in a large city for a few years where the hustle and bustle of corporate medicine had taken its toll on you. You wanted an intimate setting of clientele, not squeezing people in just for the sake of money and greed. So, when you saw an ad looking to basically apprentice someone into their practice so they could retire, you took the leap and left.The nearest hospital was a bit of a drive, forty-five or so minutes into the city, so the clinic usually served most people for their day to day problems. It was perfect.

So, you packed up all of your shit and moved to this tiny town, the kind of town where people noticed when someone new arrived. It was also the kind of town where when the Black girl moved in with her shea butter and head scarfs, people might feel inclined to take pause. The good news was that you were unapologetic and quite ready to make yourself comfortable. One might say you were ready to take on the world.

One day when you were still settling in, but couldn’t take unpacking another box you went for a walk to try and get used to the new town around you. The first thing you stumbled upon was a cute little coffee shop with this beautiful image of a wolf as its logo. You quickly stepped inside. There were a few people sat around tables with their earbuds in typing away on laptops. The counter was large and took up most of the shop with a big display of baked treats sitting proudly beside the register. There was no line, but you could clearly see a guy cleaning up at one of the tables so you stepped towards to the display case to see if anything caught your eye.

“I’ll be with you in one moment!” He called moving so quickly he was practically a blur.

“Oh no worries, take your time.”

You were stuck between a chocolate croissant that looked like it was the size of your head and a cinnamon bun of equal proportion when he finally stepped up the counter.

“So sorry about that, what can I get you?”

You looked up and honest to god your heart must have skipped a beat. First of all your eyes went to the average height of any other human you’d ever talked to you, which barely cleared the abs of this ridiculous human being. And then there was the color in his cheeks which stood so starkly on his jagged jawline. His eyes were honey brown and he had these beautiful curls that seemed to take on a life of their own. He was absolutely beautiful. And huge. And warm looking in the apron that was slung around his waist. Honestly what the hell?

It didn’t help that he seemed to pause when he saw you too. As if anything you had going on could cause the kind of reaction this man was creating within you.

“Uhhhhh...H--Hello.” You stammered awkwardly, brain completely fried.

WORDS WORDS WHAT ARE WORDS?

“You’re new here.” He murmured teeth nipping at his bottom lip.

“Yea. I um I just moved into town over the weekend actually. I’m working at the clinic with Dr. Savage? I’ll be taking over for him eventually.”

He hummed and it was like windchimes.

“Ah, I didn’t know Dr. Savage had actually found someone. He certainly didn’t mention you.”

“Should he have?” You asked slightly confused.

“Oh, we just go way back. He’s a family friend, and really important to the community. I always stop in and bring him breakfast after the rush here.”

“Ah.”

He stared at you for a second and you stared back and it wasn’t awkward, but more charged, more like both of you wanted to say something that you couldn’t find the words for. Eventually he smiled and his teeth glinted sending your heart into another round of unsteady rhythms.

“I’m sorry. You must be waiting for me to actually do my job. What can I get you, honey?”

Jesus. Christ.

You smiled. “I think I was actually trying to figure out if I should try the chocolate croissant or the cinnamon roll. Which would you recommend?”

“Both.” He said instantly. “You should have both.”

You chuckled. “Please. They’re massive. I could never finish them.”

“You can take them home with you.”

“I could always just come back to try the other.”

“I’d rather you come back knowing what you want.” He murmured.

You paused for another moment, his statement seeming to be layered. There was also something about his eyes, so warm and inviting, that it was incredibly difficult to say no. You were a black woman after all, you’d been raised to say no. What was up this guy?

“Why don’t you go sit down and I’ll surprise you instead? Would you like a cup of coffee too?”

You nodded slowly. “Can you make a white mocha?”

“‘Course I can.” He grinned showing off his teeth once again.

You thought it best you just go sit down because you were beginning to feel lightheaded.

It was hard not to get swept up in his energy. He was wearing a white t-shirt that hung on his body beautifully. His shoulders were broad and twitched endlessly under the fabric as he shuffled around behind the counter. You suddenly wished you could draw or paint, because surely he was deserving of such a treatment.

When he stepped back up to your table his hands were completely full. He was balancing two plates in one palm and a massive cup of coffee on the other. You were starting to get the sense that portions weren’t really a thing here. You also couldn’t help but noticed that nothing looked too big when he was holding it in his hands. But nothing could have prepared you for him to set down your treats and then immediately plop a squat beside you.

“I want to see your first reaction. Everyone in town is old and comes here every day.” He smiled.

You swallowed. “Well I guess if you’re gonna join me for breakfast you could at least tell me your name.”

“I’m Shawn.” He chuckled reaching his oven mit sized hand out for yours.

“Y/n.”

His hand was warm. In fact he seemed to radiate heat like an oven. But, you couldn’t tell if that was you sweating like an idiot or if he just really was that warm. What a shit show.

“That’s a beautiful name. Now try your croissant, please?”

He gently nudged the plate forward until it bumped against your hand. You rolled your eyes playfully at him before pulling at the flaky bread with the chocolatey center and popping it square in your mouth. Holy fuck it was good. You thought that maybe it was hard to fuck up a croissant, but surely it had to be just as hard to make the best one. Your face must have shown how good it was because he smiled at you big and warm like. It was so incredibly rude.

“Wow, that is so fucking good!” You giggled.

“That means I’m doing my job well. Thank you, it makes me happy. You uh got a little something on your lip though.”

You frowned and licked quickly at your lips in the hopes of ridding the offending mark only for him to shake his head softly at you. It caused one of his curls to flop down in front of his face. Wow was he beautiful. You dipped your head down both to try and find the chocolate as well to not have to look him in the eyes anymore, and still you couldn’t get it. How pathetic.

“Here, c’mere.” He mumbled leaning forward in his chair.

His large palm caught your cheek in his hand as his thumb rubbed softly at your lip. He was warm. Warmer than warm and it made your heart beat loud and fast in your chest. Your lips parted and you felt air whoosh past them. You swore that his eyes got brighter in that moment, that they actually got more honey and less brown. It was incredible.

“I--I’m so sorry. That was really inappropriate of me.”

“No uh...you’re okay. Thank you for not letting me walk around all day with shit on my face.”

He chuckled softly so you did the same.

By the time you’re stuffed with various forms of sugary breads and he’s refilled your coffee twice, you realize that your plan to explore the town had much more turned into exploring the attractive man in the only coffee shop around apparently. You were reminded of your pact with yourself to absolutely not get into a relationship in your first year here. Not that Shawn would have any interest in you in a non-platonic way, but it did mean you probably shouldn’t get your hopes up. So, you politely got your leftover sweets put in a box and got out of there as soon as you could. When he asked if you would be back the next day you just shrugged your shoulders and told him maybe before practically running for the door. You had to stay away.

***

Your first day at the clinic finds you up at six in the morning. You wanted to give off a good impression, so you made coffee in this funky old coffee maker in the corner. You cleaned up some of the mess that had been lying around and even checked the email where it looked like Dr. Savage had struggled to get working. You managed to set him up a couple of social media accounts and even took his older logo of a wolf howling at the moon and updated it slightly using one of the random editing websites online.

By the time your boss arrived it had been quite a productive morning and you were happy to see his eyes light up at all that you accomplished.

“We’re gonna be a good fit, I think.” He said to you.

You agreed.

Before the open sign had even been flipped, the bell on the door clanged as someone entered the space. Dr. Savage rose slowly from his chair and went to check on it leaving you with a stack of paperwork to start thumbing through.

You hear the soft chatter of voices and then footsteps as your boss lead someone back to your area. At first you figured it was just a customer that had arrived a little to early, but it didn’t take long for you to pause at your desk as the familiar timbre hit your ear.

“Y/n, I have someone to introduce you to.” Dr. Savage called.

“Actually, I think we’ve already met.”

And there he is. It was raining outside, a near constant for the tiny town, leave his curls floppy and wet atop his head. This didn’t stop him from running his fingers through the strands and sending that dumb, perfectly straight smile at you now did it? You looked at Dr. Savage with what was sure to be a gaping mouth before peering back at Shawn. Bitch if you don’t get your shit together.

“H--Hello, Shawn. It’s nice to see you again.” You smiled.

He nodded. “You never came back to the shop. I thought maybe I’d made a bad first impression.”

“Actually you uh...you made quite a good one. I’ve just been trying to settle in a little more.”

And trying to stay far away from white boys with smiles like yours.

“Well that’s good at least. I’ve got a new recipe I’ve been meaning to try out. You’ll have to stop by and test it for me.”

Dr. Savage snickered and clapped his hand on the back of Shawn’s beautiful, burly shoulder.

“Stop flirting with my employee and come to my office will you? Y/n, if anyone rings can you handle it?”

Shawn’s cheeks took on a brilliant red hue that matched beautifully with his golden eyes. It softened him somehow. He was so big and so muscular, and yet you had the feeling that you could crawl into his arms and wouldn’t mind somehow. Shit.

“Of course. I’ve got it handled!”

Shawn smiled sheepishly at you before allowing Dr. Savage to pull him along to his office. You shook your head and turned back to your work wanting to to have all of the medications and tools ready for the appointments that you had coming in that day. It wasn’t even a minute later that someone was walking up behind you and placing a cup and box on the counter. You turned to look up into those warm eyes of his again with a smirk on his lips to match.

“White mocha and a cinnamon roll. I figured I might see you this morning so…”

“Oh Shawn you didn’t have to--”

“Wanted to. Good morning, honey.” He breathed before heading back to Dr. Savage’s office. “Let me know if it’s better than the croissant.”

With the door closed, you can finally focus on something other than the beautiful man from the coffee shop. Once you establish your rhythm, you’re able to send all of the reminder emails for the appointments for the week, schedule the few people who do call in, and organize the supply closet. When a client actually does come in, you help them with their paperwork, get it filed, and do the preliminary check ups and vitals. By the time Dr. savage is actually meant to see the patient, Shawn is already gone. There’s a tinge of disappointment when he’s not around, before you remembered that you weren’t in high school anymore and that you actually had a job to do. Idiot.

The rest of the day is busy with clients, paperwork, and billing. Dr. Savage doesn’t take his lunch break, so neither do you. By the time the sun had gone down you’re exhausted, and the two of you work smoothly side by side to clean the clinic for you to do it all over the next day.

“So uh...How do you know Shawn?” You murmured eyes completely on the broom you were sweeping with.

He chuckled softly. “I’ve known the kid since he was born. I’m what the town calls an elder. I know mostly everybody. I worked very closely with his father when he was elder as well.”

“Was an elder?”

“Yes. Shawn’s father actually passed away a few years ago. He was what you would have called our town leader. And with his absence, Shawn has had to step up to the plate. So I look after him to offer guidance. This isn’t exactly the sort of thing they provide you training on.”

“Hmm...well, why does Shawn have to take over the town? Like what if he didn’t want to?” You asked.

“It’s not really an option. It’s in his blood.”

That was odd. Suddenly you were seeing Shawn in a bit of a different light. He was no longer just the cute baker barista down the street. Apparently the expectations for him were far greater. He didn’t even look old enough to be a town leader. And the thought that he might not even have a choice did something strange in your heart. You felt...protective of him. There was this weird feeling in your stomach that you should fight Dr. Savage on what he’d said, that Shawn should get to do whatever the hell made him happy. And you didn’t know how to reconcile these thoughts with the fact that you’d only just met him. It didn't make any sense. None of this made any sense.

***

It was another dreary weekend. The clinic being closed meant that you had plenty of free time to fix up your new house. Because you had only moved clear across the country to be here, you didn’t exactly have furniture. So, armed with your rainboots and headwrap you braved the horrid weather in search for a desk and a new bed frame so that you might not have to sleep on a mattress on the floor anymore.

There was only one furniture store in town that happened to double as the all around convenience store for the town. You were hopeful that it wouldn’t be too expensive, as you were trying not to blow your entire savings. First, you headed straight for the beds peering inquisitively at the frames and trying to determine which would actually be better. Adulting for you often times meant bullshiting your way through situations, and you frankly had no clue what made for a good bed or not.

While you were searching you heard the rowdy laughter that typically came with testosterone. A chill ran down your spine as you were blasted back to the past of middle school boys tugging on your pigtails on the playground and running off in fits of giggles. This group was certainly not those middle school boys though. They were all huge. You peered curiously at them as they rough housed and pushed playfully at one another. Something had to be in the water in this town because every single one of them you saw was bigger than the next. A man with red hair shoulder checked another man with shoulder length brown hair sending him into a display of pillows and knocking a couple of the over onto this floor. This only caused the lot of them to laugh harder, and that’s when he stepped out.

“Can we try not to act like wild animals in the store please?!”

Shawn pushed through the crowd of them, everyone immediately straightening up as if a sergeant in the army was addressing them. It was like night and day, the difference. His command of them was quite frankly a little startling...and a lot hot.

“Bro, we kinda are?” The red haired one snickered, only to get playfully slapped upside the head by Shawn.

“Not funny jackass. You’re skating on thin ice for breaking the door to begin with. Now let’s get a new one and get the hell out of here.”

He was wearing a black long sleeved sweater that molded to his body like a fucking dream and smoothed down into black skinny jeans and matching boots. Where the hell did they find this guy at? Shawn reached for one of the pillows before standing up straight and immediately looking you dead in the eye. You were definitely caught staring. Nice.

“Go pick out the door, and I’ll meet you all the cash register.” He mumbled already making a beeline for you.

You peered down at your bright yellow rain boots and thermal leggings and cursed whatever thought you’d had that morning to be cozy. This man looked like a greek god on the cover of GQ and you were serving nothing but childishness.

“Hi.” He spoke warmly waving at you in a way that sort of clapped his hand together.

He stepped closer to you, leaning on one of the bedposts and pointing that wicked smile at you.

“I’m beginning to think this town might be too small, if I keep running into you like this.” You smirked.

“You don’t like running into me? I’m hurt.”

“I suppose I don’t mind it. Surely you must be getting tired of me though?”

He shook his head. “On the contrary, I think I don’t see you nearly enough.”

It had its intended effect. You giggled like a schoolgirl. Ugh.

“You getting a new bed?”

“Y--Yea. I uh actually just packed up and moved here with whatever could fit into my car, so I’m kind of in need of a few things at the moment.”

“Oh...So you’re sleeping on the floor right now?” He frowned suddenly leaning closer into your space.

You caught a whiff of what smelled like sandalwood, spice, and musk. It was incredibly intoxicating. Literally where did he come from?

“I have a mattress, but yes I guess you could say that.”

“We have to find you a bed. C’mere I think I know a good one.”

He grabbed your hand, you were starting to figure out that personal space wasn’t really a thing when you were six feet tall and built from steel, and quickly pulled you over to the neatly lined boxes of frames.

“Wait, Shawn. What about your friends? You don’t need to help me.”  

He shook his head. “Those guys will take forever to figure out what door we need. I’d rather spend it helping you. Trust me.”

There was a dark brown wooden frame that on the box looked pretty beautiful. Shawn picked it up gently with both hands as if it was nothing and presented it to you.

“When I broke mine a few months back this is the one I got. It’s really good. Sturdy.”

You peered up at him, because up was the only way to see his face, and probably gawked him. You didn’t want to know what he had been doing that caused his bed frame to break. However, a part of you wanted to know every detail. He seemed to pick up on the implications if the reddening in his cheeks was anything to go off of, and quickly laughed and tugged his curls more perfectly into place.

“N--Not like that. I uh it was an accident actually. I was moving the furniture around in my room and it just didn’t end well for me.” He smiled sheepishly. “But uh, this one’s real good. And since I’ve got one myself I could probably help you put it together.”

“Ah. So, you think I need a man to help me put my furniture together?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No. N--No! No that wasn’t what I meant all!”

He looked good flustered. The strong aggressiveness that he showed the group of guys from earlier was non-existent when he was stammering and looking so panicky. You absolutely adored it and couldn’t help the laugh that fell from your lips. He placed his hand to his heart and took a deep breath at your reaction.

“Geez you scared me . . . I like your laugh by the way. It’s beautiful.”

And just like that the power dynamic was flipped on its head as you were trying not to squeal and he was trying not to piss you off. It was quite the shit show.

“Thank you. I like your smile.” You admitted.

He beamed at you, eyes warm and full of nothing but kindness. You were struggling to remember why you shouldn’t ask him out immediately. He was sort of perfect. And it was just kind of obvious that he might be a little into you too.

“Thank you. I would love to help you put this together if you want that. Not because you need it, but just because I wish someone would’ve helped me put it together myself. And maybe I wouldn’t mind hanging out with you either.”

You bit your lip and peered down at your boots. As per the usual, you were quite grateful for your melanin, but it certainly came in handy when your cheeks were warming up at the sweetness he was laying on thick.

“I’m actually pretty useless when it comes to putting furniture together, so I guess I wouldn’t mind the company either.”

He smiled again, dipping his head to make eye contact with you.

“Yea?”

“Yea.”

He helps you find a desk and then has the audacity to carry them both to the cash register without breaking a sweat. You notice his group of friends eye the both of you as he not only waits for you to pay but then quickly follows you outside to help put them into the car. When the trunk it just barely closed and your backseat is full with your desk, he walks back around to your car and quickly produces his phone.

“So, I have a meeting with my friends back there and that damn door, but what if I came over this evening? Like around five? I don’t want you sleeping on the floor another night.”

“Tonight?” You checked. “Are you sure? We could always do another day.”

“Of course not. I’m free as soon as we’re done. Just text me your address and I’ll come help. I’m looking forward to it!”

“O--Okay.”

You exchanged numbers and he sent you a smile and a wink before walking away for you to hyperventilate in your car. Truly a shit show.

***

You nearly jumped when the knock on the door came. You’d been running around like a chicken with its head cut off for the last three hours trying to make sure your place wasn’t a complete and total mess. Shawn had made no indication that there would be any funny business or that he might try and make a move on you, but that didn't mean you weren’t interested in creating an environment that was conducive to just that. You weren’t consciously breaking your rule of not dating someone, however...if he wanted it bad enough? He could get it.

You opened the door and there he was wearing a t-shirt that left little to the imagination again. He leaned against the frame, teeth glinting for no damn reason and radiating warmth like no other.

“Hi.” He whispered eyes raking you up and down.

You had traded your leggings for some shorts that had shrunk in the dryer and a sweater that showed off your cleavage. Subtle enough to just be an outfit, but obvious enough for his eyes to take pause when he looked. You were, however, still wearing your headwrap that sat on the front of your head in a beautiful, intricate knot.

“I didn’t get to tell you earlier but uh...I really like your head scarf. It’s pretty.”

God this boy was trouble.

“Thank you. Please come in.”

There wasn’t much to show him in terms of your house. It was small and cozy with a pretty big layout. The living room took up much of the space, with your bedroom and bathroom past the tiny kitchen. He followed silently behind you as you pointed to the spaces around you, following way too closely behind if the heat on your back was anything to go off. God, you wanted him closer.

In the bedroom you worked to pull out all of the pieces. You didn’t even pretend that you could offer much besides organizing them in order of the letters in the manual. The best part was apparently watching Shawn struggle at something. As good as putting the frame together before had done for him, this time still did not come naturally. He spent at least twenty minutes with two metal frames in his large hands just squinting and huffing at them as he attempted to get them to fit together. It was incredibly adorable.

“So where are you from anyhow?” He asked still frowning at the pieces.

You grinned at him. “I’m from North Carolina. The better of the Carolinas. Born and raised.”

“Yea? And what made you wanna come to our tiny, rainy town?”

“I went to med school back home, and I worked in a big city for a few years. The pay was great obviously but..I don’t know I just felt like I was trying to get as many bodies in as possible just to make the hospital more money, and I didn’t really get to connect with my patients and take care of them holistically you know? So, when Dr. Savage said he was looking for someone to essentially take over his practice and provide care for a town where I would get to see people grow up and evolve, it just felt right. If I’m honest I think it was gut reaction. I kinda felt like something was tying me here before I even made my decision.”

He peered over at you and his eyes did that thing again where they seemed to get even lighter. The urge to reach out and touch him was nearly unstoppable in that moment.

“I think I know what you mean.”

It was another one of his weighted statements that you’d give anything to understand.

“What about you? Baker extraordinaire by day and it sounds like town leader by night?”

His back straightened at that and he quickly dropped eye contact with you.

“Who told you I was a town leader?”

“Dr. Savage did. He said that you might not have a choice. That it was in your blood.”

You were standing propped against your dresser and you couldn’t help but notice that his jaw got tight and and more pronounced beneath his perfect skin. It was similar to the way he had looked speaking to his friends earlier. There was a maturity and an intensity there that made his edges seem sharper. It wasn’t that he was intimidating necessarily, but that you knew he could be if he wanted to. Shawn had been so soft and so endlessly kind to you since you met that it was a little odd to see him not be that always.

“I shouldn’t have said anything.” You murmured playing awkwardly with your fingers. “Don’t be angry with Dr. Savage. I made him tell me. You can be angry with me.”

“I’m not angry. Hey, look at me.” He paused to wait for you to follow his directive. “I’m not angry. I just want you to know things about me from me, alright? This town can be very gossipy and it’s not always accurate. I just want you to know the things that matter.”

“Okay. So, tell me the things that matter.” You shrugged.

He smiled again and the edges softened out.

“What do you want to know honey?”

His favorite color was hunter green, although in the fall he could be persuaded to a mustard yellow. He liked to have cereal as his midnight snack when he couldn’t sleep. When he was a kid he tried to hop a fence and it left a gnarly scar on his abdomen. He liked reading books in bed. He started working in the coffee shop when he was twelve, and his favorite thing to bake was baklava because it was hard and it took a long time to make. The recipe was his mother’s and she’d had it passed down for generations.  

“I only make it for special occasions. We don’t even put it on the menu.” He explained.

“Maybe you could make it for me sometime. I don’t know if I’m special enough, but I’d love to try it.”

“Yea, maybe.”

Somehow, someway he gets the bed  together. And he helps you put the mattress into the frame. While you put the sheets back onto the bed he gets the desk put together too, which was arguably much easier. By the end you both collapse side by side on the bed peering over at each other as if you’d been doing extreme physical labor instead of simply putting a bed together.

“That was so much work.” You whined. “Thank you. I never would have gotten that damn thing put together.”

“I’m so glad I could be of service.” He chuckled. “Now you can rest a lot easier.”

“You have to let me thank you though. I’d cook dinner, but I don’t have all of my dishes yet. Do you want to order takeout?”

“Are you sure you want me to stay? I don’t want to intrude.”

“No I--I want you to stay. As long as you want to?”

“Yea. I’d love to.”

You stare at each other far too long. It’s not normal. You want to want to stop, but you don’t. And it doesn’t help that he keeps pointing those eyes of his at you and completely clouding your judgement. You physically have to get up off the bed to break the spell. It’s a bit ridiculous.

There’s chinese takeout and really shitty wine. You sit on your couch together side by side, both sitting crisscross applesauce though your legs look far more toddler like in comparison to his. You talk a lot. In all honesty small talk had always been your weak spot. You never knew what questions to act, how to respond, or how to behave. But, with Shawn it was different, which felt so cliche you could feel your ancestors rolling their eyes at you from above. You didn’t have to think super hard because you were genuinely curious about so many things. And he was more than willing to talk nonstop to you about them. And he asked you about your life, and what home was like, and what kind of music you listened to. On top of him being endlessly attractive, and this odd sort of pull that you felt towards him, you thought that he might be the first friend you’d made in town.

“I was so nervous about moving here.” You sighed when the wine had loosened your muscles and you were both leaning way to close into each other’s space.

His eyebrows furrowed in interested. “How come?”

“Well it’s not like this little town of yours is crawling with black people.” You snorted. “I don’t know my mother was always so protective of me and so nervous about what this world could do to me. When I decided to move, she just wanted to know that I would be taken care of. And I guess some of her worries rubbed off on me a little. It’s one thing to be the outsider because you’re new in town. It’s another to also be the outsider because no one looks like you.”

There was a frown on his face now. And you found that you didn’t like it. You liked him happy and soft and warm and nothing else. Your hand came off your glass before you’d even registered it and you almost touched his face to try and smooth out the lines. But, you quickly pulled away before it got that far. This didn’t stop him from somehow getting closer on the suddenly very small couch.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about here. I would never let anyone hurt you.” He murmured feverently.

You chuckled a little, head rolling back against the couch so that you could peer up at the ceiling.

“That’s sweet and idealistic. I don’t know if you noticed, but there aren’t exactly a lot of ‘knight in shining armor rescues the black girl from the cops’ type fairytales. It’s okay though. I’ll be okay. I can take care of myself.” You hummed.

You were still staring up at the ceiling when you heard him sigh and nestle himself deeper into the couch too.

“I keep forgetting that I can’t share everything yet.” He whispered to himself. “It’s not the right time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing, never mind.”

There’s silence for a little while except for the even pulls and pushes of you both breathing. Sleep starts to cloud the edges of your mind and you can’t be bothered to do anything that isn’t snuggling closer to Shawn’s warmth. He was like a walking blanket and campfire rolled into one, but with abs. The perfect sleeping companion. The last thing you heard him say before sleep took over was:

“I just want you to feel safe here. It’s all I want...you deserve to be taken care of.”

***

The next week is completely focused on work and getting settled into your new home. The morning after you and Shawn put the bed together, he had run off quick, fast, and in a hurry apparently late for some meeting. It didn’t offend you in anyway, although it was a little weird. You spent the day deep conditioning and doing laundry. Shawn didn’t text, so you didn’t either. It seemed as if things sort of hit a standstill.

Apparently Shawn still visited the clinic every morning to drop off breakfast and speak with Dr. Savage. Monday morning you missed him because Dr. Savage had asked you to take the bills to the post office. You came back to a breakfast sandwich and your white mocha with a note that said good morning honey. It seemed like a pattern was forming. But then, when you texted him thank you the response wasn’t anything more than a simple, “you’re welcome”. You were thoroughly convinced that it was something you said that night. And if you had to guess? It was definitely talking about race. You never censored yourself when it came to shit like that, cause if the guy you were hooking up with couldn’t handle it, you weren’t fucking interested.

By the time Wednesday rolled around you had told yourself that it didn’t matter. Just because you weren’t going to date didn’t mean you couldn’t play the field a little bit. And perhaps getting Shawn off your mind was exactly what you needed.

There was a bar in the heart of town that everyone seemed to go to. You thought maybe you could go out, drink a little, maybe make a friend or two. After work, when the sun had gone down, and all of your work for the day was done, you put on a pretty outfit of a long flowy skirt and an army green tank. You’d swept your hair up into a high bun and tied it with a pretty scarf to match.

Sally’s pub had obviously been there for years and years, but there was a clear attempt to keep it updated and modern, which worked lovely. There was a huge bar in the center that wrapped around the back of the building with an open floor for dancing, pool tables, and general hangout space. For a Wednesday night, the bar was pretty packed leading you to wondering if this was the place everyone went for fun.

You took a seat at the bar, ordered yourself a long island, and sat around to people watch. The good news was your bartender was pretty talkative and willing to take pity on you for the evening.

“Haven’t seen you around here before.” He said placing your glass in front of you. “I’m Cal.”

You grinned. “I’m new in town!”

“I wish I had a really funny joke to tie in John Mulaney, but alas I’m just a shitty bartender.”

He was the tall and burley type with copper like skin, but his shoulders and biceps were massive and his arms leaning on the counter took up a ridiculous amount of space. You took a deep sip of your long island and send him a smile.

“Well I don’t know about that, I’d say you’re at least a mediocre bartender!”

“Oh why thank you! That’s so sweet of you to say!” He chuckled. “Well since you’re new in town, I guess I can help fill you in on all the town gossip.”

“That’s awfully nice of you.”

He tells you about the different groups that are seated around the bar. There was a group of women that were the moms of town who tended to get a little more wasted than their husbands might like. There was the group of barely 21 year olds who tended to get a little rowdy sometimes, but were generally harmless. And then in the back of the bar by the pool table was the only group you didn’t want to see that night.

“That’s the town pack. They make sure everyone’s safe and what not.”

You saw the redhead first. Only because he was trying to smooth talk some girl who was watching one of the other guy’s play pool. Then there were all of the other guys from the furniture store strung about the booths drinking beer and joking around with each other. Shawn, for whatever reason, was nowhere to be found. Not that you cared. Cause you definitely didn’t care.

“Make sure everyone’s safe?”  You asked, eyes still on the group. “What do you mean?”

“Well it uh It used to Manny’s but, when he passed Shawn took it over. He’s always been an alpha, but having to take over younger than expected was a lot for him. He mentored all the rest of them when they turned, even though he was going through it ten times worse himself. Brian and Geoff are the betas. Matt, Zubin, and Sterling are all omegas. There are female betas and omegas too but they tend not to hang at the bar, just because the guys’ shenanigans typically bore them. It’s the largest pack for quite a ways away though, so they make sure nothing bad happens.”

You paused and took a look back down at your long island. You’d drinken about half of it, but surely you weren’t that much of a lightweight.

“I’m sorry? I think I’m not hearing you right.”

He simply raised an eyebrow and laughed at you.

“No one’s told you yet, huh?”

“Told me what?”

“Sweetheart, this is a werewolf town.”

It was actually the most ridiculous thing you’d ever heard in your life. You kept looking around for someone to pop out and tell you it was a joke, and yet no one came. He really expected you to believe that you’d somehow stumbled into some straight twilight shit.

You chuckled. “Okay sir. Sure.”

You brought your long island back to your lips to take a deep sip. As you were setting the glass down the door to bar opened and the whole crowd cheered exceptionally. Your bartender peered over towards the door and grinned down at you.

“And our alpha arrives.”

He practically glided along the floor shaking hands and clapping people on the back. Everyone knew him and everyone seemed to love him. And he smiled and spoke to them with all the grace of a natural born leader. It sure was nice to know that he could be nice and respond to someone. He was wearing a black t-shirt with the sleeves cut off and he looked absolutely delectable. It accomplished nothing but pissing you off.

“Can I get another one of these?” You mumbled knocking back the rest of your drink quickly and moving the glass back towards him.

He peered at you curiously before reaching for a larger glass.

“How about I make you something special to take the edge off?”

You nodded. “Yes. Absolutely. Sounds great.”

The bastard doesn’t even recognize you the whole time he’s making his rounds despite being the only black person in the bar. You make a mental note to down the whole drink and go the fuck home. If he was such a fancy hotshot why did you seem to see him literally everywhere?!

As Cal was making your drink though, Shawn finally made his way to the bar in search of a drink of his own.

“Hey Cal! How’s your mom doing?” He asked leaning on the edge of the bar in a way that made his arms bulge.

Ugh.

“Hey Shawn. She’s doing a lot better, her heart isn’t causing her as much trouble. She can actually walk around on her own now.” Cal smiled. “Let me finish up this drink here and I’ll get your IPA.”

“Hey thanks! Sounds good.”

Shawn was the on the opposite side of the bar, but the second Cal went to place your drink in front of you, his eyes went straight to you.

“This is what the mom’s usually order.” He explained as you took a sip of the bright pink concoction. “There’s some tequila, rum, rose, and cranberry juice. Enjoy responsibly and all that jazz.”

“Is this gonna land me on my ass?” You asked.

He simply smiled at you. “Only if you can’t handle your liquor.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying...drink up, sweetheart.”

You giggled a little and took another pull of the truly strong but delicious drink only to look up and see that Shawn’s eyes were still on you and now Cal.

You kept your eyes on your drink, but it was useless. The second he had his beer he was headed straight for you.

“Hi!” He cheered quickly popping a squat right next to you instead of going to his friends. “I’ve never seen you in here before.”

You rolled your eyes into your drink but threw him a tight lipped smile regardless.

“Yea, trying to make some new friends, I guess.”

He peered over at Cal who making a drink for someone else.

“I see that. You uh...you haven’t been at the clinic any of the times I’ve come in this week.”

“Well, I’ve been busy getting things prepared for Dr. Savage to retire so…”

“Oh. No, yea that makes sense. I just, you now, after that night you weren’t at the clinic on Monday morning. And then you didn’t text.”

“Neither did you.” You snorted.

Shawn took a pause then peering at you a little closer. You kept your eyes on your drink refusing to make eye contact. Subtlety wasn’t exactly your strong suit.

“Are you--Are you angry with me?” He asked.

You sniffed and shrugged, your shoulder so cold that the whole bar seemed to drop a few degrees.

“Look it’s no big deal alright? Whatever I thought was happening clearly isn’t happening. I’m a big girl I’ll get over it. I’m just not really interested in putting myself in a position to be toyed with.”

The whole time you had both been sitting facing the bar, knees tucked under the counter, but at your speech he turned so that his knees were facing you and turned your bar stool--way too easily one might say--so that yours faced his.

“What are you talking about? What have I done? Talk to me.”

His eyes were warm and inviting again, his jaw clenched just tightly enough to make it even more prominent. He wasn’t technically trying to invade your space, but he was so tall on the tiny bar stool that he kind of did anyway.

“You didn’t do anything. You practically sprinted out of my house the next morning and then radio silence? No text, no call, nothing. Like I said, it’s not a huge deal. I guess I just thought you were more interested than you are. That’s on me. I shouldn’t have shared so much of myself.”

You kept your eyes on your drink as you took one too many sips in the last five minutes. You were hoping he might get the hint and just get up and leave, because you were far more hurt than you’d let on. That night had meant a lot to you. You hadn’t felt so comfortable around anyone like that before. Shawn wasn’t just easy to talk to; he made you feel safe. He made you feel like anything that came out of your mouth was worthy of being listened to. You had almost thought that maybe all your worries about the move had been silly. He was the first person to really listen.

His hand on your knee brings you out of your thoughts and when you look up his eyes have turned more honey than brown once again.

“You think that I don’t like you? That I was leading you on?” He sputtered. “Y/n I’m crazy about you.”

“What?”

“I--I really did have to go that morning. I had a meeting with the guys, and I didn’t anticipate staying over so I had to rush because I overslept. I was going to text you, but a lot of shit has been going on lately. So, I thought I’d see you at the clinic that next morning! I brought your favorite breakfast and everything, but you weren’t there. I left a note, and I sort of thought you’d text me or something to hang out again but when all you said was thank you, I guess I got a little insecure. I just...I’ve been trying not to fuck this up because I think I like you more than you could even understand right now.” He sighed. “It looks like maybe I did just that though.”

“Wait, so you’re not like...intimidated because of the whole race thing?”

He shook his head. “Of course not. I couldn’t be more serious right now. I completely understood where you were coming from that night. I mean as much as I can as a white guy. That could never run me off. I promise you.”

You peered over at him trying to measure the level of bullshit he might be feeding you. The problem was his eyes were so soft and his face was so sincere. Even if you wanted to be mad at him, it felt like fighting something instinctual. It felt like something internal was telling you not to be mad at him. It was unlike anything you’d ever felt before.

“Okay.” You sighed. “I believe you.”

“Good. Can we maybe start over? I’ve been meaning to ask you out on a proper date. We can just talk, get to know each other.”

“Sure uh..when did you have in mind?”

He grinned sheepishly. “Is now too soon?”

You snorted. “What about your friends over there? Haven’t they been waiting on you?”

Shawn peered over his shoulder at the group of guys up in the corner, but quickly shook his head.

“They’ll be fine. What do you say? Can I take you to dinner?”

His eyes were hopeful, a glint in them that was pulling you in deeper and deeper. How dare he.

“Fine. It’s probably for the best, I was starting to get a bit tipsy with this drink.”

He took your hand and led you away from the bar, a room full of eyes locked in on both of you. You got the feeling that walking around with Shawn was bound to come with attention whether you liked it or not.

You go to one of the diners in town, the meal completely irrelevant to the company. It is exactly as it was when he was at your apartment. He makes you laugh and he asks you questions about your life, your friends, your past relationships, the things that make you happy. You talk about your favorite books and his favorite books. You learn that he loves music and plays guitar. He told you of his first kiss at the eighth grade dance in middle school with Julia Potterman and how their braces clashed together. You told him of Andrew Jackson who grabbed your boob at your first dance because his older brothers told him to. You laugh and you laugh until the diner is ready to close.

“Can I walk you home?” He asked when the bill had been paid.

You nodded softly. “Of course.”

He takes your hand in his, fingers intertwined, and leads the way back to your house. You feel like you’re just floating along with his fingers keeping you tethered to the earth. It’s incredibly soft and sappy but you just can’t help it. When you get to the door, you don’t want him to go. And that’s when you know you’re in deep.

“I’d uh I’d invite you in, but I have work in the morning.” You murmured stepping up onto the front steps.

He smiled. “It’s okay. I understand. Maybe I could stop by at the clinic around lunch time. You know just in case you’re hungry and don’t want to eat alone.”

“Ah. You know I do hate eating alone.” You chuckled.

“Yea? Me too.”

You bite your lip and watch the way the street light catches his cheekbone perfectly. He tugs his curls back into place and it brings attention to both his face and his arms. He knew exactly what the hell he was doing. When he takes a step onto the first step, just one below the one you’re standing on, he’s suddenly leaning over you with those eyes of his and those fucking arms. You peer up at him and maybe you bat your eyelashes a little bit who’s keeping track. He leans down and skims his nose against yours, fingers trailing teasingly along your hips.

“Can I kiss you goodnight?” He whispered, voice husky.

“Mhm.”

Kissing him is heaven. It is ridiculous, the way he feels. His hands on your hip, and cupping your jaw cause sparks to shoot across your skin. And you only want to be closer, need to feel him more. Your arms thread around his neck, lipps molding perfectly to his. He has the audacity to bite playfully at your bottom lip causing you to gasp, lips parting just enough for his tongue to slide between. Your heart thuds unevenly in your chest. Who gave him the right to kiss like this?

His fingers bunched up in your skirt and before you knew it you were flying through the air as he lifted you like a piece of paper. You didn’t like to think of yourself as light. You had hips and thighs and an ass and none of these things came without the consequence of some lbs. If you hadn’t drooled at the prospect of him leaning like a greek god against your door way, him wrapping your thighs around his waist like you were a rag doll would certainly do it. Jesus.

Your back hits the front door and he’s not letting up, keeps dominating your mouth in a way no one else ever has before. You can feel your skirt riding up, can feel his hips pinning you to the hard wood of the door, and it’s simply too much for you to bare. You pull away with a gasp, and he honest to god growls against your neck. It causes a twitch in your stomach that cannot be started if it won’t be finished.

“God, your lips are incredible.” He whined breathing just as uneven as yours. “Wow.”

“That was...yea.”

You barely make it back into your home alive. Even getting out of his arms and to the door means nothing when he’s still pressing chaste kisses against your neck. He leaves you with his famous good night, honey before skipping off and leaving you to collapse just inside the door. Wow.

***

“So Mrs. Stenson will be in around three today. She’s been having knee troubles for a few years. It may be time for another cortisone shot.”

“Mhm.”

“And, if you could check her mobility as well as that would be wonderful.”

“Of course.”

“And if you wouldn’t mind kicking me in the face that would be great too.”

“Not a problem.”

“Y/n you are not even listening!”

You peered up from checking the door for the umpeetenth time in the past fifteen minutes to Dr. Savage staring at you like a crazy person. Woops.

“Sorry. So sorry. Mobility and cortisone for Stenson. I’ve got you!”

He raised an eyebrow and stared at you for a moment, making your cheeks feel warmer as a result.

“What is up with you?”

“N--Nothing!”

And just like that the bell over the door dinged as your lunch date and general mind fuck of the month walked in.

He wore a navy blue button up and black ray bans which was a stark departure from his usual t-shirts at the bakery. You found him even hotter than normal.

“Hi.” You murmured voice way too light and high for your liking.

He beamed back at you. “Hi.”

You were just sort of standing there smiling at each other like idiots when Dr. Savage figured he’d had enough of whatever was taking place in front of him.

“Shawn, may I have a word, please?” He asked.

Shawn nodded not even bothering to take his eyes off you. “I’ll be right back and then we’ll go okay?”

“Okay.”

You set your notes back at your desk, putting away all of the files that were still out from the morning. Then you spent some time in the mirror trying to make sure that you looked good enough for your lunch date. You wore a yellow sundress and play aimlessly with the straps that criss and crossed along your back. Eventually you went snooping wondering exactly what they were talking about.

“How much longer are you going to let this go on?!”

“I don’t know, alright? I just need to make sure. I need to know that it’s real! I don’t want to ruin her life, if it’s not real.”

“It’s not about any one life, Shawn; you know that. Your father taught you that all decisions need to be for the good of the town!”

“Don’t fucking tell me anything about my dad!” He yelled.

A few moments later the door bursts open and Shawn looks flustered and angry. It’s a new look for him, and it’s not one you enjoy seeing on him. Your heart ached to see him in a state of anything but happiness. And you couldn’t explain it, couldn’t make it make sense. You just needed for him to be okay.

When he sees you he makes quick work of taking your hand in his and leading you out of the clinic. You intertwined your fingers with his and leaned your head against his shoulder. By the time you had rounded the corner, he was already more calm than he had been when you found him.

“I’m sorry about losing my temper. I am usually in much better control I just...sometimes Dr. Savage likes to use his relationship with my dad against me to get me to do things I don’t want to do. It’s a sore subject.”

You nodded up at him giving his arm a squeeze.

“Well maybe you can tell me about him sometime. When you’re ready. If you’re ready.”

He peered down at you, eyes completely returning to their softest form. Your heart similarly turned to goo.

“How do you do that?” He sighed.

“Do what?”

“Make everything better.”

You just shrugged. “I don’t know. Just like you when you’re happy.”

He smiled and kissed your forehead. The audacity.

And so became the norm. Every morning Shawn came for his meeting with Dr. Savage to talk about townsfolk stuff, and he always brought you breakfast. Usually he stuck around long enough to make you giggle like a school girl unless you were real busy with work. At lunch time you went together to the diner, or went and ate packed lunches in the park if the weather was good enough. Dinner times were a hit or missed only because Shawn tended to get busy with whatever the hell he did at night, but he always stopped by when he could. And when he did, dinner usually got long forgotten when he pulled you to the couch to kiss for what felt like hours. Whatever it was, you were in it together.

***

A boy comes in. He’s fifteen, maybe sixteen at the oldest, and he’s absolutely sweating buckets with apparently muscle pains from hell. You take his temperature and it’s a hundred and four degrees. You’re ready to get him into an ice bath until Dr. Savage comes into the room. He gives him a glance over and isn’t nearly as concerned as you are.

“How long has the fever set in?” He asked.

Eric winced on the table. “Since yesterday.”

Dr. Savage nodded and grabbed his pad of paper to write something down.

“Eric, listen to me. You need to go home and get some rest. This fever will break in a day or two. When that happens you’re going to want to call this number, okay? You’re going to have a lot of questions, and this is the person who can answer them. It’s going to be alright, son.”

As Dr. Savage was walking around the room to grab the paperwork you couldn't help but notice that the phone number written down on the sheet of paper looked oddly familiar. The problem was it was 2019 and who the hell had time to memorize phone numbers? But, you could have sworn you had seen it before somewhere.

When Dr. Savage came back and the boy had left, you refused to stay silent.

“Doctor...why would you send that boy home without even a prescription for ibuprofen? He had a serious fever.”

“We see that in our boys here at his age all the time. It’s just the sign of his changing. He knew it too, that’s why he came here. I do greatly appreciate your concern, but I assure you he’ll be fine.”

“His changing? Doctor are you trying to convince me that his fever is due to puberty?”

“You’ll understand in due time. I promise.”

It was so incredibly weird. You didn’t know what to make of any of it. Who the mysterious number was. Why Dr. Savage seemed to be keeping you in the dark. What the hell any of what he said actually meant. Whatever it was, he certainly wasn’t going to give you any answers. You made a deal with yourself that you’d reach out to Eric yourself after seventy-two hours. But, it wasn’t even a full two days later that you saw him, at Shawn’s shop no less while you were grabbing breakfast for you and Dr. Savage. He seemed absolutely fine. He was cleaning dishes from the tables and taking them back to the kitchen area. The fever had completely broken. It was strangest thing in the world, although somehow not strange enough to confront anyone over. It just become one of those things you thought about at night. Nothing more, nothing less. When a few more of the town’s boys came in with similar symptoms the exact same thing happened. One second they were in agony and the next they were fine. You had no clue of what to make of it.

***

He texted you on a Saturday to put on your rain boots because he was taking you for an adventure. You had to tell him that you weren’t interested in any white nonsense, before he was able to convince you to go with, “i promise to keep the white nonsense to a minimum, honey”. Your kind of man.

“Where are we going?” You asked as he waved your intertwined hands back and forth in the space between you.

He smiled. “I’m taking you to my happy place.”

His happy place was the farmer’s market in the city outside of town limits. The rain was a fine mist that day and Shawn wasn’t even wearing a jacket. His body just seemed to radiate heat unlike anything you’d ever seen before. You found it difficult to complain when he wrapped his arm around you beneath the umbrella you were sporting.

The people there knew him by name. He took you to all his favorite little booths which were mostly the fruits.

“I like trying to find new ways to make different baked goods for the shop. My dad used to bring me here as a kid and every recipe I’ve ever made comes from here.” He explained.

You watched him move around, towering over everyone he came in contact with. The large apples, grape fruits, oranges etc. all looked miniature in his hands. But when he was holding a strawberry to your lips and looking at you with nothing but joy while you ate, he couldn’t have seemed softer to you. He was kind of perfect.

“So...What do you want to eat? Pick anything.” He said arm waving out over the sea of people selling their own produce and other foods.

“What do you mean?”

“I figured we could come here, buy some ingredients, and I could cook for you. Or, we could cook together. Whatever you want.”

Wow.

“Where in the hell did you come from?” You sighed wrapping your arms around his waist in content.

He leaned to kiss you and smiled softly.

“Didn't you hear? I was made for you.”

***

“What do you want to do tomorrow?” He asked head nestled softly against your stomach as you lied in bed.

“Tomorrow is deep condition day.”

“Deep condition day?”

He lifted his himself up so that he was half on top of you, eyes as honey brown as could be. Damn you were so soft on him already. Just looking at him made you smile.

“It’s gonna take all day?” He frowned.

You giggled. “Yes, baby it takes all day. This here is a project. That’s why we don’t let you random white folk put your dry ass hands in it.”

He seemed to take that and ponder it for a second. Shawn had already grown used to your satin caps and satin pillows and tied scarves. He took it all in stride, was just as willing to ask questions and to understand as he was to just let you be yourself. It meant all the world to you.

“Hmmm...well can this random white folk hang out with you while you do it? I promise to keep my dry ass hands to myself.” He grinned.

“Hey now… I never said you had to keep your hand to yourself, just keep them out of my hair.”

“Ahhh. So, can I put my hands...here?” He murmured letting his fingers meld to the curve of your jaw.

“Yes.” You hummed.

“And can I put my hands...here?” He asked letting his hands run down to the curve of your hips.

“Uh huh.”

“And can I…” He whispered face leaning closer and closer towards yours.

You never let him finish before sliding your lips together.

Sure enough, the next day, instead of leaving only after having prepared you an adorable breakfast, Shawn followed you to the bathroom. His long legs stretched out against the length of the bathroom watching as you let the cold water seep deep into your curls before the host of products began to enter. He watched you condition, comb, and dentangle every strand before applying the deep conditioner that would sit for the vast majority of the day.

When the conditioner was in, and you’d covered your plastic bag egg head with a cap, you spend the entire day watching netflix crime documentaries and making out on the couch. It was the best deep condition day you’d had in months.

He let you lie on his chest and he traced shapes into your back underneath your t-shirt. He told you how good your hair smelled and sometimes when a drop of water would run down your neck he would chase it away with his thumb. It never ceased to make your body run hot.

When you finally went to rinse, Shawn ordered dinner for the two of you. You sat on the couch in one of his t-shirts, and slowly detangled and two-strand twisted your hair. By the time dinner arrived, you felt soft and warm and kind of obsessed with him. You couldn’t even think about food. You just wanted to be near him, just wanted to touch him.  

“Thank you for spending today with me.” You murmured. “Not a lot of men want to sit around all day just watching a girl deep condition.”

He smiled at you. “I just want to be with you, y/n. Doesn’t matter to me what we do.”

“Yea?”

“Yea.”

You rolled your eyes and snuggled deeper into his arms.

“Where is the hell did you come from?” You whispered not sure who you were asking in all honesty.

“I was right here waiting for you. What took you so long?” He murmured.

Wow.

***

You had started to learn about each other’s bodies. His lips mapped whole stories across your body, made your breathing uneven and your thighs tighten. He never took it further than that, but he did let you rile him up. And riling him up turned into your favorite pastime. When your teeth would graze his earlobe and that growl would rumble in his chest, fingers tightening on your body in the most delicious of ways, it would send you to this ultimate buildup of a moment only for him to suddenly decide that he needed to go. At first it was fine, but the more he kept building you up and leaving you hot and cold, the more you began to get a little bit frustrated.

It was a Saturday night, and Shawn was going to spend the night, so you had taken full advantage of straddling him on the couch. You’d been hoping on pushing the envelope a little more, but the second your fingers edged underneath his shirt, his hands came to wrap around your wrists.

“Babe.” He whined eyes closing. “You don’t know what you’re doing to me.”

You wiggled your hips slightly above where he was poking your ass through your shorts.

“I think I get the hint.” You chuckled. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.” He hummed thumbs rubbing softly along your hips.

“Well it’s just that...I think you’re attracted to me.”

He smirked, eyes running up and down your body.

“Yea.”

“And I’m attracted to you. And I don’t want to be too forward, if you have like a policy or something. Cause like if you do, that’s totally fine! I mean your body, your rules. You deserve autonomy ya know?”

“Baby?” He murmured squeezing you playfully. “You’re rambling.”

“Ah yes . . . Why aren’t we--do you like not want to?” You huffed and took a deep breath. “We haven’t had sex yet.”

“Oh.”

You winced. “Well it--it’s not a huge deal. It’s just been almost two months. And while it has been a wonderfully refreshing to not have someone trying to get into my pants on the first date...I guess I’m kind of trying to get into yours now.”

He stared at you with conflicted eyes like he sometimes did. There was something brewing under the surface, you just didn’t know what. The more you were around Shawn though, the more you became able to read him. Sometimes you got more out of what he didn’t say than what he did.

“I uh... I don’t know what to say.”

“Do you...maybe you’re not attracted me to in that way?”

His eyes widened. “Not even remotely. Trust me. I want to.”

You stared at him in complete and utter confusion. You were trying to understand and take his word for it, but none of this was matching up. Things with Shawn rarely did.

“You know sometimes you say things to me that don’t add up, and just expect me to believe them? It’s getting harder and harder to do that.”

You climbed off of his lap needing a little distance between the two of you. It wasn’t the thought of him not wanting to. If he genuinely had a reason that is. Sometimes it just felt like Shawn was flirting with the line of lying to you, as if he was purposely keeping important details for himself. You hated it. It drove you up a wall.

“Hey...I’m just--I’m trying not to hurt you y/n.”

You rolled your eyes. “Boy please. What exactly do you think you’ve got in your pants that is going to hurt me? Try again.”

“You don’t understand!”

“Then make me understand, Shawn! The coded riddles and town secrets shit is getting old.”

“I--I can’t. It’s not time yet.”

“See that is exactly the shit I’m talking about. Time for what? Why are you always acting so shady?”

He groaned and crossed the room reaching for your hands to pull you close. His forehead pressed against yours, and he smelled so incredibly good. You couldn’t deny that there was something drawing you to him, that there was a part of you that wanted him in ways that you yet to understand. But, you hadn’t gotten through life thus far letting people mistake your kindness and your heart for naivety and you certainly weren’t about to start now.

“Please just...give me some time.” He whispered against your lips. “I don’t want to rush this.”

“Fine. Take all the time you need. But, I can’t sit here and be lied to and played with while the whole fucking town seems to be in on the joke.”

“Y/n that’s not--”

“I think you should go.” You cut him off pulling your hands away. “I want you to go.”

He stared at you with hurt in his eyes and you had to stave off the instinct of reaching out and making it all better for him. You had to decide that you deserved before all else. It was the only way you’d been able to survive thus far.

***

Shawn: What are you doing tonight?

y/n: Minding my business.

Shawn: I want you to come over tonight. To my place. I’m gonna tell you the truth.

Shawn: I miss you

You paused peering down at your phone. It had been over a week since you’d asked Shawn to leave your apartment. It hadn’t exactly been radio silence, since he’d been trying to get in contact with all week, but you weren’t really interested in the half assed excuses anymore. You had planned to wait until he was ready to tell you the truth. You just weren’t prepared for him to cave that quickly.

y/n: no more bullshit?

Shawn: no more bullshit. Please come.

He sent you the address and another plea to show up. You weren’t quite sure what was leaning you towards going. There wasn’t exactly anything that pointed towards him suddenly being honest with you. The problem was you were kind of falling for this asshole, and so wanting to be realistic and wanting to be with him weren’t  lining up.

The house you pulled up to was far larger than anything you’d seen in the town thus far. It was nestled in the woods, all dark mahogany walls and big wide windows. It was big even by your standards, let alone for small town baker. You parked the car and headed for the front door where he seemed to be already waiting for you. He opened it and you could feel the nerves rolling off of him in waves. There was almost a sadness about him to. A sadness that had you stepping far closer to him than you should have.

“What’s wrong?”

He shook his head softly. “Nothing yet. Come in.”

He led you straight to a kitchen that was wide and vast just like everything about this place. You made a note to ask him about that later. Also, in the kitchen were the two guys from the bar: Brian and Geoff. Suddenly it was three on one and the atmosphere in the room had you stopping in your tracks.

“What’s going on?” You asked refusing to take another step forward.

“This is Brian and Geoff. They’re just here to make sure everything goes okay.”

“That sounds like exactly what the killer says in the movie where my black ass gets the ax.”

Shawn sighed and stepped closer to you.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about how intimidating this might be. I’m just trying to make this go as smoothly as possible. No one is going to hurt you okay? I promise you.” He murmured feverently. “Trust me.”

“Christ, Shawn. Just tell me what you were going to tell me.”

He nodded and paced quickly around the kitchen before settling in front of you once again.

“Remember those cases you started having with the teen aged boys who were breaking out into sweats and muscle pains?”

“Yea. Dr. Savage said it was just them changing or something.”

“Exactly! And remember how he told you that I was the town leader and how I had to step up after my dad died?”

You nodded. “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”

“It has everything to do with it, y/n. Everything! I’m--I’m not just some town leader okay? People don’t just say hi to me when we’re walking around town because of who I am, but because of what I am.”

“Well what are you?” You asked, more confused than ever.

“I’m . . .I’m a wolf. My dad used to be the leader of this town, and my family is a long lineage of alphas. I’m not a town leader, I’m a pack leader.”

Time seems to hit a standstill as you stare at him. There’s a whole lot of emotions that flicker through you in rapid cession. Shock. Confusion. Acceptance. Anger.

“And that is my cue to leave.” You snorted turning for the door.

“Y/n I am telling you the truth!”

You turned on him rage coiling deep in your stomach.

“Did you put Cal up to this too? What the hell is the matter with you Shawn?! I mean why, why are you playing with me like this?”

“I can prove it!”

“Excuse me?”

“I can prove to you, that I’m a wolf.”

You simply did not have the time or the patience to continued to be toyed with. Shawn wasn’t taking no for an answer and proceeded to tug his shirt over his head.

“Okay what in the Black baby Jesus are you doing?!” You groaned as he began to work on his belt.

“I like this outfit. I don’t want it to get ruined.”

You peered over at his friends who were now just peering over in amusement.

“Are you aware that your friend is crazy?”

“Why yes, we absolutely are.” Brian snorted. “But jackass is actually telling the truth.”

“Turn around. It’s not actually all the pretty.” Shawn mumbled as he got rid of his jeans.

“Which part, you turning into a big dog, or you taking your underwear off?”

Geoff laughed. “Wait, I like her. Where have you been hiding her at?”

“Not now, assholes! Will you please, please just turn around?”

Your rolled your eyes as far back into your head as humanly possible before turning your back to the man who you’d thought you were falling in love with, but who was turning out to be almost certainly off his fucking rocker. You were about to start throwing out more snarky comments when the most horrendous sounds began to occur. It gave you the more visceral reminder of the time you had broken your arm by falling off your bike, the bone scraping so graphically against the concrete that your stomach lurched just thinking about it. But this was somehow worse. This sounded like bone scraping against bone, joints popping in and out. You wanted to turn, but something inside of you kept you frozen exactly where you stood.

The next thing that you registered was something pushing gently against your back. And when you turned, oh so hesitant, sure enough behind you was a fucking wolf. A huge, up to your chest, head the size of your body, fucking wolf. You still couldn’t believe it. You blinked over and over again willing for it to change. Everything in your life had been so straight and narrow for so long. Elementary school. Middle school. High School. College. Med school. Simple cause and effect. Every illness had a response, had something that you could offer it. Logic had always been your MO. But this. What the hell was this?

“I don’t…I don’t understand.” You whispered.

The wolf nudged its head against your stomach and wined paw reaching up to slap at your waist. He nearly knocked you over. You let your fingers slide through his fur, hair incredibly thick and lucious. When he leaned up on his legs you could see his eyes and that was what got you. Even in his wolf state, those eyes were unmistakably Shawn. They were warm and brown, the shade of honey much brighter. It was him though. That was your Shawn.

“Holy shit.” You gasped. “It’s really fucking you, isn’t it?”

He barked and nuzzled his head deeper into your arms.

Holy fucking shit.

Suddenly he was out of your arms and stepping back around to the other side of the kitchen. He barked at Brian and Geoff who easily translated.

“He’s gonna change back now. He wants you to wait for him in the living room, if you’re not too afraid.”

You weren’t sure that you would’ve made it to your car if you wanted to. You felt like your legs might give out any moment. It was a struggle even to make it to the couch. The whole time, you were trying to rationalize what your eyes had just seen, and trying to figure out how to make the puzzles pieces to fit together. There was a fear that maybe there was no logic to be had in this scenario. Perhaps the most logical answer, was the one that made the least sense in your head.

Shawn stepped into the room a few minutes later in nothing but a pair of sweats. Geoff and Brian were nowhere to be seen anymore, but that didn’t stop him from taking slow and deliberate steps towards you with his hands raised.

“Are you afraid of me?” He asked.

You stared at him trying to reconcile how his large body could be even bigger, and furrier to boot. It just was unbelievable.

“I...I don’t know.” You mumbled. “I don’t know about anything anymore.”

He sat on the couch, keeping an entire cushions distance from you.

“The reason that I had Brian and Geoff there was because...I don’t want you to be afraid. I guess in hindsight I didn’t think about how three random white guys might be all the more intimidating. I--I wanted you to feel safe. And I wanted them to be in their human forms just in case. I’m so sorry y/n. I wanted to do this all differently, but I couldn’t lose you. I’ve been trying to fight my instincts to satisfy, to do whatever you need for days, and it’s been killing me. I needed to do whatever would make you happy.”

“Holy shit, this is really happening, isn’t it?” You chuckled humorlessly letting your face fall into your hands.

“It is. But uh...you’ve got some choices to make so unfortunately there’s more.”

All you could do was groan.

“How could there possibly be more? If you tell me there are vampires walking around too, I’m having myself admitted.”

“Not exactly.” He chuckled dryly. “You’ve been feeling something since we met right? There’s a--a pull between us. It feels instinctual. Maybe you have a sense for what I’m feeling without me ever having to say it. You uh might feel the need to do whatever would make me happy, even when it’s not within your control.”

You raised an eyebrow but nodded.

“Yea. How did you know?”

“It’s not a coincidence. You and I...We’re mates.”

“We’re what now?”

“Mates. It’s sort of means we were created for each other. Like destiny or fate or whatever. Usually werewolves mate with other werewolves but not always. My mother’s human for example, and she still mated with my dad. You said you felt something pulling you to this town, like it was decided before you even consciously thought it. That was me. That was us.”

He now looked just down right sheepish. This man was essentially telling you that he was a dog and your soulmate all in one night, and has the audacity to try and smile at you while he did it. Your mind felt like it was about ready to explode. You couldn’t even fathom all of the information he was trying to make you take in. four years of med school had nothing on Shawn.

“So what we’re just...meant to be? Like we’re stuck together forever?” You asked.

You knew immediately that he’d been dreading you asking that question by the look of defeat on his face. And just like that the need to fix it came roaring back in your gut. It felt oddly nice to give that feeling a name now.

“N--No. It doesn’t mean that. If you decide that you hate me, or that this isn’t what you want for yourself you don’t have to stay with me. There are some cases of mated pairings not working out. It’s usually pretty terrible but...I would never make you stay if you didn't want to. I love you too much for that.”

Somehow out of all the things that he’d said that night, of all the feelings he’d made you feel, he was still able to shock you.

“Did you just say…?”

He reached for your hand and intertwined your fingers.

“I love you. It’s a bit different for me because I knew we were mates the second we met but...I don’t think being human could have changed anything. You’re just, you’re you. I meant it when I said I was crazy about you. I love every moment we get to spend together. I love your sense of humor, and how you’re probably the smartest person I’ve ever met. I would love to just be with you, if you’ll have me. No secrets. No half truths. No running off anymore. It would be just you and me, forreal this time.”

It felt good to hear. That part was undeniable. But you couldn’t help but feel incredibly overwhelmed by it all. Not just the “i love you”, but the fact that the first time you moved out of your home state you stumbled straight into supernatural shenanigans. When you had asked for Shawn to be honest with you, you figured he was maybe hiding an erectile dysfunction, or even a secret job as a hitman would have been less shocking.

“This is . . . a lot, Shawn. I don’t even know what to say to any of this.” You admitted.

He nodded softly eyes downcast. “Of course. If you want to go home, I understand. And if you don’t want me around anymore, you can just text me or something.”

You didn’t know how to explain not wanting to be alone. You couldn’t reconcile needing the space to think, and yet wanting him to be close by while you did it. It wasn’t fair to you or to him, but you found that now that you knew the truth, your instincts toward him were even harder to fight. You just wanted to be with him.

“Is it weird to not want to be alone right now?” you mumbled.

He reached hesitantly forward, tapping on your chin till your eyes met with his.

“No. Nothing you’re feeling can be weird right now. I just told you I’m a wolf, y/n.”

A chuckle passed your lips and you paused not sure if it was okay to laugh or not.

“It’s okay. You can laugh. I’d rather you laugh.”

“Can I--Can I stay here tonight?”

His eyes widened. “Yea. Yes, of course. You can stay in my room. C’mere.”

He leads you through the house, all wooden floors and wooden walls. There seemed to be a lot of patch ups, from what you weren’t sure, but you even passed the door you’d seen him get at the store all the months ago. It made you curious how violent wolves actually were. It was difficult to imagine Shawn as being anything other than kind and warm. Then again you’d never imagine him to grow four legs either.

“This house is so big.” You noted as he led you up the stairs.

“It’s been in my family for generations. The pack usually lives here. When my dad passed away, my mom couldn’t be here anymore, so I took over and she moved into an apartment.”

“Wait, so they all live here? Where are they?”

He shrugged pulling you into the last room at the end of the hall.

“I had everyone leave but Geoff and Brian. I thought it might be a little intimidating.”

His room was obviously the master bedroom. It was far bigger than yours, with the king size bed to match. There was a guitar in the corner next to the night stand. He had a picture of him, his dad, and his mom on his dresser. There were cookbooks and pastry books galore all on a shelf. It felt like him. It was so obviously him that you somehow felt immediately at home.

Shawn moved to his dresser pulling out one of his shirts and a pair of sweatpants. He then walked into his closet and pulled out a pink satin pillowcase before pulling it onto a fresh pillow and lying it next to the clothes.

“Here you go. You can change in the bathroom.”

You eyed the pillow curiously. “What’s that for?”

“Oh,” He scratched nervously at back of his neck. “Well I just remembered that you had one at your house. You said it was for your hair, right? So it doesn’t get messed up? I bought one off amazon so if you ever came over you wouldn’t have to worry.”

You stared at him, lips parted, because what in the entire fuck? Your eyes flickered from the pillow and back to him, heart doing another unsteady gurplunk in your chest. He had to be stopped.

“Is that...is that okay? Did I get the right one?”

You nodded. “Yea it...it’s perfect. No one’s ever done that for me before.”

“I just wanted you to feel comfortable here.”

Another layered statement. Another round of intense eye contact. He was sure to be the death of you one way or another.

You changed into the clothes and ran some mouthwash through your cheeks before stepping back into the room. Shawn was just sort of standing there with his hands in his pockets like he didn’t know what to do with himself. In your mind, you wondered how anyone that beautiful and chiseled could be so goofy.

“What now?” You asked.

“Nothing! I just didn’t know if you’d want to sleep alone tonight. You can if you want. I meant what I said about giving you space.”

You looked over at the bed and then at him before shaking your head softly.

“Don’t wanna be alone.”

The sheets are soft and they smell just like Shawn. The satin pillow is kind of perfect and when he turns the light off it’s almost like all the other nights you spent together. You’re almost able to forget that he’s just flipped your entire world upside down. It doesn’t help that you feel better being in a room with him, than you’d felt in a week. It doesn’t help that when he was describing all of the reasons why he might love you, they  matched perfectly with how you felt about him.

“I can hear you thinking.” He murmured into the dark.

You gasped. “What?!”

“Not like I can read your mind.” He snorted. “More like, I hear your heart rate increasing. I can feel your body language. Usually it’s the wolf instincts, but I think I’m just attuned to you at this point.”

“Oh...I guess I was wondering, when you didn’t want to have sex with me? You said that you didn’t want to hurt me. I still don’t get what you meant by that.”

He goes quiet for a little while, and you’re sure that you’ve struck a nerve. When he releases a little breath, you find yourself doing the same.

“Well it’s two things. I guess it’s why I started to freak out when you called me town leader?

I didn’t want you to know what I am. I didn’t want you to have to come into my world. I--I knew that you were my mate. I knew that I loved you, but every second you were in the dark you were safe. I didn’t want to lose you.”

“Safe? Does that mean that now that I know I’m not safe anymore?”

“No. I would never let anything or anyone hurt you. Not now, not ever. There’s just always a chance when you’re dealing with wolves. We’re protectors. Of the town, of our pack, of our families. That typically means there are things that one might need to be protected from. The closer you are to us the more likely it is to need protection. But I’m alpha for a reason. No one would ever touch you.”

You’d been laying their long enough for your eyes to adjust to the dark. You could see the firm set of his jaw to match the seriousness of his tone. Before you had even consciously made the decision, you were flipping over onto your side and nuzzling into his side. He quickly lifted his arm for you to slide beneath. The warmth he gave put your mind way too at ease.

“Tell me the other part.”

“The other part is...I’m kind of really strong. Inhumanly strong, obviously. And I just want to make sure that when I’m intimate with you that you don’t get hurt. Mated love making is...intense.”

You peered up at his face with raised eyebrows. “What kind of intense?”

“Remember what you thought happened to my bed to make it break? That kind of intense.”

Hmm. Hot.

You hummed. “Well I guess it has been so long since I’ve got laid, I’d welcome you throwing my back out at this point.”

“Not funny.”

“Not even a little bit?”

“Me breaking your back? No not in the slightest!”

“Well no one said anything about breaking it Shawn! I simply implied a little soreness and tenderness after a good dicking.” You snorted. “You werewolves. So touchy.”

“Oh my god. I’m in love with an actual dork.”

……

*Ten minutes later*

“I just want to point out that when I said no white nonsense, being a fucking werewolf was automatically on that list”

“Sweetheart, go to sleep.” He hushed.

“Yea, okay.”

****

*six months later*

“Babe have you seen my lucky head scarf! I’m gonna be late!”

“Did you check your hair drawer?!”

You rolled your eyes. “Yes! Coincidentally that was the first place I looked!”

“Well stop being sarcastic to me and just come downstairs!”

It was your first date completely running the clinic by yourself. Dr. savage had been slowly edging himself out over the past few months, but not without letting you in on the town secrets. Little did you know that being able to accept Shawn as a werewolf meant having to take care of all the werewolves. The clinic would be their safe haven if anyone got too hurt to heal, which apparently shouldn’t happen often because they healed super fast. A learning curve did not begin to describe all the shit you had been over in the last few months.

In the end it had been way too easy of a decision. You had woken up the next morning in Shawn’s arms and he had just stared at you with hopeful puppy dog eyes--which definitely held a new meaning now. You couldn’t leave. You didn’t want to. It had taken a while for you to get used to it all. He was incredibly gentle and understanding with you. And thus there you were...wrapped up in continuous white nonsense. Because love. Or whatever.

“Shawn,” You whined thumping down the stairs. “I really do need my scarf, babe. My edges are rough.”

You headed straight for the kitchen only to see your boyfriend standing there with a cinnamon roll the size of your head with a candle sticking out of it  in his hands, smile big and wide on his face. It had turned out to be your favorite after all

“Happy First Day!” He cheered.

Usually the kitchen was crawling with people in the morning, everyone trying to get their breakfasts in before going off to their respective days. This morning it was absolutely bare besides the two of them. You had gone on to notice over your months dating Shawn that when he wanted to be alone with you, he was going to be, and anyone else around wasn’t even an option. Again. Hot.

“What are you doin’?” You murmured playfully stepping up to claim your prize.

And it wasn’t the cinnamon roll. You had him put the plate down and quickly wrapped your arms around his waist. He took your cheeks in his hands, warm as always, and pressed a kiss to your lips that left you a little breathless.

“I wanted to celebrate my baby being the badass doctor in town.”

You giggled. “When you said you were letting the other guys open the bakery today, this was not what I was expecting.”

“You didn’t think I’d make you your favorite breakfast? I’ve been bringing you breakfast for almost a year now.” He chuckled.

“Hmm...it’s been a good year.”

“I would have to agree. I have your scarf. What do you say I drive you to work today before I head to the bakery. And after your first full day, I want to take you out just the two of us.”

Your eyes widened. “Really? No one else?”

“No one else. Just you and me. I’ve got a lot of plans for you today.”

“Oh really? What kind of plans you talkin’ bout sir?”

“The throw out your back kind of plans.”

“Well those just happen to be my favorite kind...C’mere.”

The End.

So, that’s what you do on Christmas?

On ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21772297

Summary:

‘Twas the season to be jolly! ‘Twas also Virgil’s first Christmas with the Light Sides and, needless to say, he was quite nervous about it.

❄️☃️🎄☃️🎄☃️🎄☃️❄️

Ah, the sweet taste of gingerbread and the cinnamon aroma in the kitchen; fairy lights covering every available surface and wall; the Christmas tree already decorated with ornate ornaments and gaudy garlands; the funky tunes of the Christmas carols… ‘Twas the season to be jolly!

‘Twas also Virgil’s first Christmas with the Light Sides and, needless to say, he was quite nervous about it. First of all, he wanted all of them to have a great time. Secondly, he desperately didn’t want to embarrass himself and look like a weirdo. After all, the impression that he made during the holidays could very well become the reason of either his permanent inclusion in the group, or his irreversible banishment from any future interaction with them. Like, no pressure or anything.

So, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

‘Logan, Christmas carols aren’t supposed to be rapped!’ Roman shrieked, exacerbated from his attempts to get Logic to sing. This was enough of a distraction for Anxiety to leave his troubling thoughts aside for a moment. ‘I think, at this point, you’re deliberately trying to get on my nerves!’

‘That is absolutely correct.’ Logan crossed his arms in front of his chest. ‘You know me too well, Princey, to understand that I dislike singing pointless, repetitive and mind-numbing songs.’

‘You take that back right now, Ebenezer Subterfuge! “Jingle Bells” is a classic that cannot be removed from the Christmas tradition!’

‘Yes, and precisely because we are singing it every year, every time I hear the song I want to figuratively throw myself off the nearest peer.’

‘Okay, that was it!’

Roman rolled up his sleeves as if about to settle this square off style.

‘Now, now – ‘Patton addressed both of them from the kitchen. ‘You got to play nice, kiddos. It’s Christmas Eve and on Christmas Eve we don’t argue with family!’

‘What about tomorrow?’ Creativity asked.

‘No, tomorrow is also a sacred family holiday!’

‘So, then 26. December is the official date of our throwdown, where I – ‘Logan began but was cut off abruptly from Patton’s now louder, clearer voice:

‘Do you want me to leave the food to help with solving your dispute?’ Even though it was phrased as a seemingly innocent and friendly question, Patton’s tone reeked of stern disapproval. The Sides silently agreed that it was in their best interest that Morality stayed in the kitchen to finish his cooking.

‘No, no need for you to come, dadd – I mean, Patts.’ Logan made an involuntary Freudian slip, causing both Roman and Virgil to lose it completely. ‘Very funny, very funny, guys.’ He tried his best not to appear flustered and began fiddling with his tie, which he wore over his Christmas jumper.

‘Someone has a worsening Oedipal complex.’ Roman’s smirk threatened to overtake his entire face.

‘Falsehood, technically it is an Electra complex and… oh, whatever.’ Logic gave up on explaining when the creative Side struggled to contain his laughter.

Absolutely defeated, Logan sat next to Virgil on the couch. The mindpalace commons were festively decorated with garlands and Christmas lights, as well as some drawings done by both Roman and Patton, and a stuffed reindeer and polar bear. Most of those were positioned on the couch since “Black isn’t a very festive colour!” It took the two of the Sides some adjustments and décor-shoving to sit comfortably.

Virgil wanted to say something to break the awkward silence that suddenly had overcome the room but his tongue was tied. He started to fidget with the sleeves of his sweater, which Logan had have definitely noticed, Vigil thought to himself. He glanced to the other Side as the feeling of being watched intensified. Logan appeared to have given his entire attention to a book about quantum physics from his personal collection.

Still that doesn’t mean he wasn’t watching me before that!. Another suspicion had formed in his mind and Anxiety retroactively self-confirmed his fear that the Light Sides still didn’t trust him completely, and that they would never trust him completely, and that this was all a set-up, and…

‘Virge, do hear me?’ Virgil almost jumped as he heard Patton’s voice close to his left. When did this guy get over here? ‘I know, kiddo, that you value your gloomy brooding time but don’t leaf your papa hanging!’ the moral Side shook the metal tray with pine-shaped biscuits towards Virgil’s face who took one. Logic groaned at Morality’s pun with his mouth fully stuffed with Patton’s cookies.

‘Padre, you are a cooking wizard!’ Creativity flattered Morality with mouthful of the sweets, spitting crumbs all over the carpet.

‘You know, Roman, the magic of Christmas can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the fairy lights on the Christmas tree.’ Patton stared into the distance, wanting to appear contemplative.

‘I was on the verge of complaining about it. However, it was the Harry Potter reference that ultimately saved you, Patts.’

‘Yeah, it was a nice one.’ The anxious Side agreed with Logic and chewed his thumb. Should have he added another joke?

The cookies were inevitably eaten. Everyone seemed in a much better mood.

‘What are we going to do now?’ Morality behaved just like an excitable child would during Christmas Eve.

‘Well, I suppose I could reconsider singing.’ Logan dragged out his sentence, looking like he was convincing himself in the process. Though that didn’t matter to neither Patton nor Roman: the latter puffed out his chest and grabbed his imaginary music sheets. Logan stood up and walked over to Patton, who was already next to the creative Side. The three of them blinked and stared at Virgil. Cold sweat ran down his back. Were they unsure of whether or not to include him?

‘C’mon, Virge, we’re waiting for you!’

‘Precisely, if I have to perform and strain my vocal chords, then so do you, too.’

‘It wouldn’t be the same without our Nightmare before Christmas!’ proclaimed Creativity.

‘Was… was that supposed to be a joke, or…’ Virgil began but Roman didn’t give him an answer. Instead Creativity came over to the couch, grabbed his hand and dragged him to the other two Sides.

‘The stage wouldn’t dim its lights for you, Virgil! Show it your beautiful, wonderful baritone!’ whimsy was now practically radiating from Roman, making Anxiety understand him even less. He was certainly sure that even Roman didn’t always have a full grasp of whatever came out of his mouth.

‘Whatever.’ Virgil mumbled, trying to hide his sly smirk.

He was positioned where Roman had stood previously. Creativity faced the other three:

‘Let’s start on three – one…’

‘I don’t think a song like “Jingle Bells” needs conducting.’

Logan’s statement went unacknowledged by the creative Side yet again.

 After the song was ultimately over, Patton and Logan busied themselves with setting the table.

‘Before the Christmas meal begins, I insist we partake in my favourite tradition.’ Logic set down the Christmas turkey with a festive gleam in his eyes.

‘Sure, what is it?’ Virgil questioned as the only uninitiated one in the group.

‘Logan really likes his Christmas crackers, for some reason.’ Roman shrugged and sure, the logical Side conjured a whole basket full of them.

‘Great, loud noises.’ Anxiety opened and closed his hands. The unsettling feeling grew deeper. Something was not right and he knew it. ‘I love those.’

Apparently Logic had thought of that since he conjured a solution instantaneously – a pair of ear plugs.

‘Thanks.’ Virgil put them in his ears and made sure he couldn’t hear anything.

Everyone reached and pulled one from the basket – Virgil shared his first cracker with Patton, who beamed with enthusiasm and enjoyed every second of it. It exploded in a cloud of confetti and sparkles and revealed a thin shiny paper crown, a piece of paper and some candy. Morality grabbed the paper:

‘I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down!’ he busted into an adorkable fit of giggles and Virgil couldn’t help but smile. However, when Morality remembered the he couldn’t hear him, he passed the paper over. Glancing back and forth from Patton to Logan, who was trying to pry the paper crown out of Roman’s grasp, Virgil’s mind formed a suspicion why the logical Side enjoyed the crackers so much.

‘Aha!’ Whilst Roman sunk into his chair with a very pissed off expression, Logan stuck the stupid thing on his head with the most confidence he ever had and looked over to Patton, who couldn’t stop giggling. And Anxiety’s suspicion was confirmed when the two of them exchanged cheesy looks at one another, blushing like morons and then trying to hide how love-struck and awkward they had acted for the sake of the others. It wasn’t like it was hard to notice, especially with all the “accidental” bumping into each other in the kitchen or laying hands on one another when they thought no one was watching.

‘Ugh!’ It seemed Creativity had had the same thoughts prior since he and Anxiety spoke in unison. They immediately locked eyes and then pretended it didn’t happen.

Patton, oblivious to their troubles, slid half the bonbons plus the shiny crown over. Virgil took the sweet delights. The crown was slid back to the moral Side. Unfortunately, Patton disagreed:

‘Kiddo, I want you to wear it!’ he took the paper and gestured with it around. ‘Hereby I crown you the monarch of the Fun domain!’ Virgil attempted to dissuade him again. Nonetheless Morality had already made his mind. ‘You’re special and deserve it!’

The anxious Side couldn’t take more of his sappiness - the easier thing was to nod and wear the stupid crown. At least this one was purple. Shiny purple, definitely not Virgil’s purple, although still purple.

Roman, now eyeing Virgil’s crown with jealousy, proposed they shared a cracker. Anxiety rolled his eyes but conceded. Of course, the first thing Roman did was to take the new red glistening cardboard and offer the sweets as a compensation. Virgil read the terrible pun aloud:

‘Why did the invisible man turn down the job offer? He couldn't see himself doing it.’

Creativity rated the joke as a 9/10 and turned to get a second opinion, only to be greeted with the sight of Patton feeding Logan candy, because they had taken the last cracker. All matter of pretence was dropped when Logan swallowed the last confectionary, wrapped his arms around Patton (who put his around the other Side’s neck) and pulled him in for a kiss. Anxiety was glad he still had the earplugs in and couldn’t hear the make-out noises. Roman didn’t have this luxury:

‘All this PDA is making me want to P-D-go away!’ he let out an exaggerated welp. ‘Please, spare the feelings of your one and lonely!’

‘Sorry, sorry.’ The kiss was broken by Morality’s muttering, which was everything but apologetic in tone. The effect of his words was lessened further by his crown drooping on his forehead. ‘Let’s eat, everybody – the turkey won’t serve itself!’

Logan cut the turkey and served each Side an equal portion. The next five minutes were spent in furious, relatively silent chomping. The usual comments and praises about Patton’s finger-licking meal were exchanged once again. The turkey was completely gone only five minutes later.

‘I’m stuffed as a teddy bear!’ announced Patton.

‘Me, too, Padre, my tummy couldn’t resist the call of the turkey!’

‘Likewise.’

‘Do you want to go lie on the couch for a bit? Watch a movie or something?’ Virgil stifled a burp. The Sides trotted over to the couch. Most of the décor now ended up on the floor. Logan was on the far left side with one arm hugging Patton, who was more or less clinging to his chest. Virgil had sunk into the depths of his hoodie on his right and was used as a pseudo-resting devise by Roman, who had thrown his feet over the armrest on the far right.

‘Which Christmas flick would you prefer?’

‘How about Home Alone – ‘

‘Can we have another suggestion? Virgil? Patton?’

‘Shall it be Home Alone 2?’

‘I was thinking of doing a whole marathon of Home – ‘

‘Understood, I’m no longer taking suggestions. We’ll be watching Elf.’

Logan turned on the TV and the movie began. The words and images washed over Virgil, too absent-minded to really get invested. Trying to ignore his problem by consuming an ungodly amount of turkey had only left him bloated and feeling a lot worse than before.

It is a simple thing, just ask them, you scaredy-cat!, Virgil berated himself. They wouldn’t say no to such a simple thing? Right?

No, are you crazy, the moment they want you to explain where it came from, and you do, they’d be disgusted, and will make you leave, and you’d have to spent Christmas all alone, and…

You’re being ridiculous! The Light Sides have been accepting of your weirdness even before you were an official member of the gang…

You’re on a different terms here than they are! They never have had to prove anything to you, but you sure as hell have everything to prove to them… Do you want them to think you haven’t grown out of your old ways? That you’re still the same Dark Side you used to be?!

‘Why do I have the feeling that we’re forgetting something?’ Patton broke the silence.

‘We accomplished absolutely everything which would constitute a successful Christmas holiday.’ Logan paused the film, pushed his glasses up his nose and conjured a “Perfect Christmas” to-do list and a pen to check if everything was in order.

‘Yeah, but I still have teensy-tiny feeling hitting my noggin as it does whenever I had failed to remember something.’

‘Well, I have no idea what that might be.’ Logan threw the list over his shoulder and it vanished in thin air.

Out of the blue all the Sides turned to Virgil.

‘Hey, kiddo, do you happen to know what we’re missing from the big picture?’

Anxiety shrunk. He didn’t want to lie to them.

‘Yeah, you almost never let anything go… I mean, you don’t forget important stuff.’ Roman elbowed him mischievously to suggest he should finally let the cat out of the bag.

‘No.’ The moment his voice came out of his mouth, a shiver went down his back. The sound was so distorted and wrong, it perfectly reflected the inner turmoil that had been plaguing his mind since the start of the evening. His hands immediately sprang to cover his mouth.

The others just blinked, dumbfounded and caught completely off-guard.

‘That… That sounded a little more like a “yes”, than it did a “no”.’ Roman noted.

‘Virgil, what’s wrong?’ Patton rested his arm on Anxiety’s shoulder.

Logan’s expression shifted from confusion to eureka:

‘Oh my god, we are so stupid!’ he sighed and covered his face. ‘We never asked you about your favourite Christmas tradition!’

‘Oh my, you’re right!’ Morality’s fingers trailed down his cheeks.

‘Why didn’t you remind us?’ Roman gently tugged Virgil’s arm.

‘It’s really… not that important.’ He stared forwards at the TV screen, hoping to evade the others’ insistent staring.

‘Of course it is! That’s the point of Christmas – to gather with your family and do the things that make you happy together!’ Patton leaned forward to gauge a look at Virgil’s face.

‘You… you wouldn’t like it. It doesn’t matter, guys.’

‘That cannot be 100% determined as a truth, unless you tell us what it is.’ Logic corrected him.

‘Okay… I’ll tell you.’ Anxiety let go of the strings of his hoodie, which he had been intensely fiddling with. He took a deep breath, made sure his voice sounded normal again, and gathered his thoughts into a cohesive sentence. ‘On Christmas Eve… me and all the other Dark Sides used to celebrate together, just like you guys… And we’d… we’d spent the entirety of the holiday with no lights and only turn them on the morning of 25. December. We’d tell each other spooky Christmas stories or play cards, or…’

He trailed off, feeling like he had said enough, and waited for their response.

‘This is certainly a unique way to celebrate but I’m willing to give it a try.’ Declared Logan. Virgil, who had shut his eyes during his confession, snapped them open.

‘Yeah, me too! Knowing my brother, I was expecting something a lot weirder, so I’m pleasantly surprised!’

‘Well, we did burn dolls that looked like you on a bonfire for Halloween, so…’

‘You know…’ Patton began and Virgil braced himself for the inevitably rejection. ‘I might be very afraid of the dark but I’ll do anything to make you feel at home with your family, Virge.’

Morality snapped his fingers and the darkness surrounded the Sides. Whilst he was visibly uncomfortable because of the darkness, he gave Virgil a reassuring smile. To ease Patton’s discomfort, the anxious Side conjured a nice candle, smelling of apple and cinnamon. Morality was in awe.

The Sides’ full attention was now given to the dancing light of the fairy lights and the glistening garlands, reflecting it. Everyone was happy.

‘So, does anybody want to tell a story?’

Best Laid Plans

Eliott was the kind of boyfriend who remembered that he and Lucas were coming up on the nine-month anniversary of their first kiss. Also the kind that planned something for it. It was probably bad to admit, but when he’d gone home after kissing Lucas, he’d penciled in the milestone for each month and waited for the best time to spring the celebration. He couldn’t help it. Even then, something in him had known that Lucas was the last person with whom he’d ever fall in love. Now he could see the payoff in the not-so-distant future. Finally, he would get to give Lucas a small taste of the happiness that Lucas had given him in the Polaris tunnel so long ago. 

Yann and Basile told him they would be free to help that weekend. Arthur said something about a family dinner, and while Eliott didn’t believe a word of the excuse, he couldn’t help but smile when Arthur promised to come later and stay to clean up. Lucas had such great friends. Eliott’s uni friends actually took time out of their day to study on the weekends instead of hosting parties—the audacity! Yann chipped in beer money and Basile promised to get the girls in on the surprise.

Daphne, of course, couldn’t wait to plan something else. 

“He’s friends with Imane,” she ranted to Eliott over lunch at a café. “Imane could invite him out to study for something, and we could have the party then. He never questions Imane.”

“Where would she ask him to study?”

Daphne didn’t even flinch. “A restaurant. Somewhere nice but not fancy.” 

Eliott shrugged. “I kind of wanted to surprise him in the place where it happened.”

“Then you can take him there from the restaurant. After food.”

Eliott thought about the plan for a second. It seemed airtight. Now that he was on good terms with Idris, Sofiane, and the others, he’d had them over at his and Lucas’s apartment to hang out several times. They brought Imane with them, and she and Lucas would talk for hours. Lucas would follow Imane anywhere with no explanation. 

“What restaurant will he like?” he asked Daphne.

“That’s your job to decide,” she replied. “You’re his boyfriend.”

Even after almost nine months, hearing the word boyfriend in relation to Lucas and himself gave Eliott butterflies in his stomach. No one in the history of ever could be as lucky as he was. 

Pasta. Lucas was a pasta kind of guy. Imane would have to lead Lucas to a place that served pasta, and then everything from there on in would fall right into place. 

As Eliott and Daphne got up to leave the café, he pulled her into a hug. “Thank you for your help.”

Daphne made a pssh sound. “I live for this sort of thing,” she said. “If Basile had let me, I would have planned my own surprise party.” 

There was no doubt in Eliott’s mind she was speaking the truth.

-~-

“Any plans for Saturday?” Eliott tried to sound nonchalant as he stirred the eggs around in the pan. Lucas was probably too tired to pick up on any hints of what was to come, but he didn’t want to take any risks and ruin the surprise.

Lucas took another bite of his toast. “Going to study with Imane.”

“Here? Should I clean the living room?”

They both turned to look at their mess of a home. Eliott rented the apartment because it was close to his university campus, and it seemed fitting to ask Lucas to live with him. Manon needed her room to herself. Although several months had passed since the move, they had yet to remove all of Lucas’s odds and ends from cardboard boxes, which now littered the floor. It would be impossible to clear it all in a day or two.

“No.” Lucas shook his head. “Absolutely not here.”

“What’s so bad about here?”

“Nothing, but Imane spends enough time in this dump as is. Not here.”

Eliott removed the pan from the heat and scraped his culinary masterpiece onto two plates for Lucas and himself to enjoy. Without all the funky spices and desire to experiment, he really was a good cook. Also, Manon gave him lessons on how to make a few things before Lucas moved out. 

He handed a plate to Lucas. “I don’t know many places beyond here.”

“It’s some restaurant or something.”

Excellent, so the plan had fallen into place. Eliott didn’t need to know any more about the situation. As soon as he finished his eggs, he would text Daphne and thank her again for her planning skills. Then he’d text Imane and tell her he loved her for playing along. 

“I don’t know why it’s a restaurant,” Lucas continued. “We don’t go to restaurants normally.” He paused to grab a fork and swallow a bite of egg. “She’s using me as an excuse to eat pasta.” Even half asleep, he perked up in confidence at this theory. “She’s using me to eat pasta!”

“What an Imane thing to do.” 

“Yeah. Doesn’t matter though ‘cause Arthur and I are just gonna—” 

Eliott tuned out the next few words by accident. There were two days remaining. He had to focus too much on shooting a message to Yann, using only his left hand and making quite a few typos in the process. It was time to complete the itinerary.

-~-

goodgalimane: We’re on our way

goodgalimane: He’s making fun of me for wanting to go here

goodgalimane: @srodulv Come get your man

y4z4s: aww 

basile_simple: we’re set

daph.pink: ready when you are

thank you imane <3

Eliott waited at a booth near the back of the building. He’d thought about wearing a suit and tie for such an important event, except there would be booze and Lucas would most definitely be partaking. He didn’t want to get anything sloppy on a nice outfit. He wore his normal brown jacket, a t-shirt with a picture of Polaris’s constellation, cuffed blue jeans: nicer than usual, in a subtle way Lucas would love. The rest of his friends were dressed to the nines in a similar fashion. Each had put a lot of care into their outfit for the event. Basile wanted to go for the tux, and only Eliott’s veto had stopped him.

When Lucas arrived, Yann and Basile would join him and Imane at the table and claim to have been invited as well. They would chat for a little bit, order some food, and eat as per normal. After the meal, the boys would request dessert. Eliott would come over with the cake he’d baked with Manon that morning, and it would be party time. Everyone knew this portion of the master plan, even the waitstaff. They didn’t know about the box Eliott had in his hand. That part, he decided, would be better if it was a surprise for everyone involved. 

He turned the box over and over in his fingers. Feeling it made it real, and oh, how he loved that it was real. Nine months seemed about time for something like this, especially with Eliott and Lucas’s legendary chemistry. 

They would go to the Polaris tunnel after cake to continue the party with music and dancing. It was extra, Eliott knew it, but Lucas deserved something extra for all he had to put up with.

Eliott’s phone pinged again.

goodgalimane: guys, something’s up

Yann and Basile peaked around into Eliott’s booth, brandishing Yann’s phone between them as if Eliott could not see the message on his own. Eliott noted in passing that Yann still had a photo of Emma as his lock screen, even though they hadn’t even hooked up since July… to Eliott’s knowledge. He pushed their hands away.

manon.demissy: what did you do to him

goodgalimane: Nothing

goodgalimane: He’s out of it

So, tired, thought Eliott, even though he knew that couldn’t be the case. He’d talked to Lucas earlier, and the boy had been more awake than ever before. It was almost as if he’d had a newfound purpose in life. Eliott loved seeing Lucas smile like that. 

“Damnit, Lucas, let us plan one thing!” Basile faked a dramatic faint in his seat. “Give Daphne this one thing.”

“It’s really my thing,” said Eliott, not like it would change Basile’s sentiment on the subject. 

Yann leaned closer to Eliott. “He’s okay, isn’t he? She doesn’t mean he’s sick?”

“No, she doesn’t.” Eliott scrolled to refresh the chat for more messages. “I was with him this morning and he was fine. He told me he was going to do laundry, shower, and then see Arthur and chat about something.”

“He’s seeing Arthur today?”

“Yes, something important for school to talk about.” Eliott’s tone is brusque. “He took a few of our…” He trailed off.

Yann picked up on the realization. “Arthur knows about this, though, he wouldn’t…”

Basile sat back up in the chair. “He definitely would, if their talk was anything scientific.”

They all turned back to their screens as another message pinged through.

goodgalimane: ok it’s for sure. he’s drunk. 

-~-

Lucas teetered on his own feet as he entered the restaurant. While he didn’t have to lean on Imane for support, he looked like he should have a wristband as a fall risk. Every step brought a wobble. Even when Lucas was buzzed out of his mind, Eliott could appreciate the grace that seemed to carry him around; as unstable as they were, his movements melded together like fluid. 

His spiky hedgehog hair gave Eliott another idea for a drawing.

Imane did not look nearly as blissful as her charge. She walked in behind him and shot a death glare at Eliott.

“Did you know about this?”

Eliott pulled his hands back in surrender. “No!” Imane could be scary when she wished, though she probably was not as serious as she sounded. He loved her to death while never daring to cross her. 

“Someone had to have known. Look at him.”

The rest of the group abandoned their hiding places to see the cause of the commotion. Other patrons ducked down over their food and pretended not to listen in on the conversation. Lucas ran into a table.

Okay, maybe not much grace. 

Imane punched Eliott lightly on the shoulder. “You knew about this.” Her grimace turned into the hint of a smile.  “You son of a bitch.”

“I didn’t!”

The ambient noise in the restaurant settled into silence as the other customers became intrigued with whatever weird drama was unfolding around them. A woman at a table close to where Eliott had been sitting quit trying to hide that she was eavesdropping. She inclined her head towards Eliott. Lucas, meanwhile, remained oblivious to the fact his friends had been trying to surprise him. Eliott stood out of his sight line, and Lucas seemed to have dedicated most of his focus to an embroidered picture on the nearest tablecloth.

“Do you do these here?” he asked a waiter, speech so garbled he could be mistaken for a tourist rather than a native French speaker.

Eliott raised his voice a little so Imane could hear him better without having to get closer. “He went out with Arthur earlier, and they might have overdone it?” He could still save the surprise if he could keep out of sight long enough for Lucas to sit down and get something besides booze in his stomach. He wondered what stuff Arthur had to say that inspired something as celebratory as getting completely and totally hammered. 

“Overdone it?” Imane laughed, and forgot the surprise factor. Just as well; Lucas was a bit preoccupied and probably didn’t notice her walking over to Eliott. 

“Yeah, a little.”

“You should call Arthur and make sure he’s still alive. This is way overdone.”

Yes, Eliott would be calling Arthur as soon as they had Lucas sorted out. He was sure Arthur would have some logical explanation for Lucas’s condition, one that made such perfect sense that Eliott couldn’t even be mad about it. He’d still like to know. Arthur knew about the surprise tonight and the party afterwards. He should have picked a better morning to pump Lucas full of alcohol and send him away.

The plan should continue as established. “Let’s just keep with—” 

Lucas’s head shot up from where he’d been studying the tablecloth. His hair, almost gravity-defying, bounced as he did so. Fuck, he was so beautiful. Eliott didn’t realize he’d spoken the last sentence any louder than the previous ones.

“Eliott?” Lucas turned this way and that.

Yann and Basile looked over at Eliott eyes wide. This could have been a gesture of what-are-we-supposed-to-do, or one of how-does-he-know-you-by-a-four-word-unfinished-sentence, but either way the jig was up.

“What?” said Imane, spinning to face Lucas again.

“I heard Eliott.”

“Are you sure?”

“I know his voice. He talks a lot…” The last word of the sentence dragged like a pen rolling off a table. “So much. So much. Especially when we’re going ov—” He stopped short with a gag. The waitstaff stood helplessly at their positions, begging Eliott with their eyes to get his boyfriend out of here. They might have been in on the party in the beginning, before they saw Lucas. Now all bets were off. 

Split-second decisions must be made occasionally. Eliott made his way over to Lucas. He adored the way the smaller boy’s face broke into a grin when their eyes met. 

Lucas tried to pull him down into a kiss before losing his balance and nearly collapsing on the floor. “Baby, what are you doing here?”

Eliott caught him. “Out with your friends is all.”

“Were you following me?”

“They have good pasta here.”

This remark was funny, apparently. Lucas broke into a fit of hysterical laughter. A nearby customer signaled to a waiter. A complaint, no doubt. Eliott and Imane locked eyes, nodded at each other, and then Imane passed the command onto the others with a shake of her head in their direction. Lucas had to get back home. The party would have to wait for another day.

“We have to get you home,” Eliott said to Lucas. 

The other boy whined. “No, I just got here!”

“You’re in the West. C’mon, let’s go home. Bye, Imane.”

Eliott would have helped Lucas walk from the get-go, but his boyfriend waving him off like an annoying fly. “I can go by myself. I’ll go by myself, okay? Go by myself.” The statement inspired a new fit of giggling. 

He took two steps toward the exit, tripped over his own feet, and smacked into the glass door. Not hard enough to do any damage. At this point, the restaurant manager would be out to kick them from the premises at any minute, and no one would blame him. Eliott bent down, scooped up Lucas over his shoulder, and carried him outside. Even if he couldn’t have a huge dramatic party, at least he and his boy could make a huge dramatic exit.

-~-

Lucas splayed out on the bed like a starfish, eyes closed, back to the ceiling. The gentle rise and fall of his body let Eliott know he was still alive. Eliott stood outside the bedroom, looking in, and dialed Arthur’s number on his phone to get the full story. Daphne sent him a few messages he decided to ignore for the time being. The phone line rang once before Arthur answered. 

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Eliott said. “Did you see Lucas today?”

“Is he not with you guys?”

Something fell off the bed in the bedroom. Not Lucas, thank goodness, but the little crash was enough to make the sleeping boy shift around in the blankets.

“No, no, he’s here with me.”

“Oh, good.” Arthur paused. “Just you?”

“Yeah. He’s a bit out of it.”

Rustling on the other end. Perhaps Arthur was sitting up. He seemed to shush someone just far enough away that Eliott couldn’t hear who it was. Probably one of Arthur’s family members, from whatever event he’d said he needed to be at tonight instead of Lucas’s party. “Is he okay?”

“Just drunk.”

“Fuck, really drunk?”

Eliott shrugged, then remembered that Arthur couldn’t see him. “I don’t know,” he said into the receiver. “Drunk enough that we went home. I’m not upset, I just want to know if something was bothering him when he was with you, or if he was drinking too much. That sort of thing.”

“Oh, okay.” More rustling. This time, Eliott could make out the voice of a boy besides Arthur in the background, saying something about cooking dinner and getting a stain out of a sweatshirt. “He was fine when I saw him. Um. Nothing wrong. We may have had a few, but...”

“Don’t worry about it,” Eliott reassured him. From the anxiety on Arthur’s voice, he had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment than Lucas having a few too many. “Are you still planning on cleaning up tonight?” 

“He’ll be there!” called the male voice from the background. “He’ll—hey!” 

Arthur returned to the phone. “Yes, I’ll go. Lucas is a no-go, then, I take it?”

“We’ll see. Thank you.”

“Of course. Anything else I can do, just let me know.” He hung up the phone halfway through the last word. Eliott understood anyway, so no big deal.

 Eliott headed into the bedroom, moved Lucas’s body to one side of the bed, and lay down beside him. If he was angelic while awake, the effect doubled upon sleep. Lucas appeared to the world as an ethereal being from somewhere better and brighter than Earth, someone more beautiful than Eliott could ever imagine having wrapped up in the same comforter as himself. Nine months ago, his life had changed. He’d kissed the best person in the universe in the pouring rain.

“Baby?” Lucas mumbled, a sound that would never get old.

“I’m here,” he answered. 

“I love you.”

“Me too.” Eliott ran a hand through his boyfriend’s fluffy hair. “What did you talk about with Arthur?”

“I’m his guru.”

Eliott didn’t know what that was supposed to mean. No matter. He could ask at a later date, when Lucas was more awake than asleep and not riding the high of alcohol. “It’s a shame. You missed a very nice thing I had planned for today. A whole big party.”

“Party?”

“Yes, a party.” Eliott produced the box from his pocket again, holding it in between their faces on the pillow. “A party for a very special reason. Nine months, Lulu.”

Lucas scanned up and down the box in Eliott’s hands. “You were… proposing?”

“No,” Eliott whispered, half-laughing. He opened the box to a small picture of a Pomeranian puppy. “I was thinking we would get a dog. You and I, together, like you wanted.” Lucas barely reacted to the good news, his eyelids fluttering and fighting to shut. “But you’re not going to remember any of this, are you?”

“Maybe.”

“That’s fine. Means I can use it again.” He pressed a kiss to Lucas’s forehead, listening to his love’s soft breathes as he drifted off to sleep once more. Then Eliott turned back to his phone.

daph.pink: @srodulv can we still have the party?

daph.pink: i already invited people

basile_simple: it would be a shame not to have it now, wouldn’t it?

y4z4s: I already bought the booze

goodgalimane: It would make sense.

He laughed. Only Lucas’s squad would pull shit like this, celebrating the anniversary of a kiss without either of the people who kissed present. 

yeah, that’s fine. Have fun !

He closed out of the app and cuddled up against Lucas. This would be better than a party anyway.

Electrical Disturbance, Ch. III

Chapter 3 of "Electrical Disturbance," a Rockman (Dr. Chou Numbers universe) fan fiction story. Random trivia: The first page of this chapter was originally the last page of Chapter 2.  Then, I went and revised things.  'tis for the better, n'yes.

I have to confess something.  This story wasn't originally meant to go in this direction.  Actually, it was going to be a nice, calm, boring story about Joseph and Kaitlin chillin' out at his house which would, eventually, lead to them getting cozy.  However, I got a sudden spark of inspiration while writing Chapter 1, which led to the events of Chapter 2.  Then, while writing this chapter… well… another unexpected thing happened and I rolled with it. Actually, I think most of this story ended up being spontaneous, knee-jerk choices, ha hah~

Word count: 4,335 – Character count: 24,994 Originally written: July 18th, 2020

After her less-than-successful battle, Kaitlin finds herself wondering just who she really is…

Thomas Right, Roll, Elecman, “Rockman,” and related characters and concepts created by various people and © Capcom Co, Ltd. "Dr. Chou Numbers" concept and related characters and concepts created by and © Jussy Kaitlin/Thundergirl created by and © KaitlinEXE

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    “I shouldn’t’ve held back…  What kind’a hero holds back in a crisis…?”     “One that deeply cares about their friends, Thundergirl.”

    After fulfilling Elecman’s request, Kaitlin called Roll and had her teleport the two of them back to Right Labs – though, outside the main building, since they were both a bit waterlogged.  Once they were dried-and-drained, Kaitlin brought Elecman into the main lab where Dr. Thomas Right – the world’s leading roboticist and all-around nice guy – was waiting.

    “I should’a went full-force!” she scolded herself after hearing the doctor’s comments.  “I should’a just called down the thunder ‘n–”     “It’s good that you didn’t.  Elecman is in a rather fragile state…”     “What–?!”     The girl hopped off a workbench where she was sitting and practically ran over to the doctor.  There, he showed her the damage…

    “Wha– what happened?”  Her hands came over her mouth.  “I didn’t do that… did I?!”     “No.”  Dr. Right shook his head.  “I believe Elecman put up a fight before Albert was able to reprogram him.  It looks as though Albert neglected to repair him after that scrap…”     “I-is he gonna be alright?!”     “Calm yourself, Thundergirl…”  The man smiled as he stroked his beard.  “His body can be repaired and, according to initial scans, his original programming and memories are intact.”     “O-oh…  Oh, good…”     After hearing that, Kaitlin finally let herself settle down.  As she slowly walked back to the other table, she heard the good doctor continue.

    “Once he’s stable,” he said, “I’ll take a look at you – with your permission, of course.”     “I feel fine!  Surprisingly…”     The girl-hero rubbed the back of her head, thinking it over.     “Actually, yeah.  He prob’ly burnt out a circuit.  Or, knocked something loose…”     The girl quietly clutched her side, remembering when he kicked the crap out of her.     “Man… Elecman sure got mean when he was mad at me!  Ow…”     “Albert’s viral code removes an android’s inhibitions, opening them to new possibilities,” Dr. Right explained.  “Part of Elecman’s core personality is egotism and indulgence.  You said that you had made him mad, yes?”     The girl nervously laughed.  “A little…”     “I imagine that by angering him, you damaged his ego.  In his virus-warped mind, the only way to save face was by… well…”     “Kickin’ and shockin’ me almost t’ death?” Kaitlin asked with a grin.     “Under normal circumstances, he is much more reserved,” Right continued as he started the repair process.  “You must have significantly embarrassed him.”     “I prob’ly just annoyed him,” she confessed.  “I got a little cocky…”     “Mm.”     The girl tilted her head.  It seemed like Dr. Right didn’t have anything to say to that.     “Hey, I’m gonna head out, okay?”     When he failed to offer a reply to that… she shrugged and simply left without a word.     He’ll call me back when he’s done fixin’ Elecman…  Prob’ly.

    The heroic robot girl walked into the living room of the Right Labs compound, that afternoon, her hands behind her head and eyes pointed at the ceiling.  She was a little lost-in-thought, trying to figure out where the fight with Elecman went wrong.

    Okay, so.  I got teleported in at the base’a the dam. Prob’ly should’a called that in.  Had’a fight off all the small fries on th’ way up, so I was worn out when I got there…  Then, I decided not t’ use my full strength when I fought Elecman ‘cause… ‘cause, he’s cool.     She very-faintly blushed, the corner of her mouth twitching.     Maaan… the only one who got embarrassed in that fight was me…!     “Kaitlin?  Kaitlin!”     “Huh?”     Kaitlin turned her head, then blinked.     “Oh.  Hey, Roll.”     Standing behind her was the blond-haired girl she was mimicking earlier that day.  Of course, she was wearing her new favorite outfit – the hoodie-dress with funky shoe-boots – rather than her plain, red dress… which only reinforced Kaitlin’s opinion that she’d made a mistake on what to wear for her surprise visit to her boyfriend.     “Sheesh…  Today’s just not my day…”

    “Aww, I’m sorry to hear that, Kaitlin…”     The brunette smiled as Roll softly hugged her from behind.     “Eh, live-and-learn,” she said, giving Roll’s arm a little squeeze.  “If I ever get into a fight with Elecman, again, I’ll kick his a– butt and not the other way ‘round!”     “He kicked your butt?”  Roll stepped back, blinking.  “But… I thought you won…?”     “It was… kind of a draw?  Actually…”     Kaitlin turned around.  Next, she brought a hand up, pushing a button on her visor.  It withdrew from sight.  Finally turned to face Roll, directly.     “It was more like ‘victory but forfeit.’”     The other girl grinned, putting her hands on her hips.  “You made him give up, huh?”     “No-no-no…”  Kaitlin waved her hands.  “Elecman gave up all on his own.”     “I’m not sure I understand…”  Roll smiled.  “Tell me about it?  I’ll make us some tea!”     “Can I get a cocoa, instead?”     “Sure!”

    The two shared a smile, then Kaitlin followed Roll into the kitchen.  There, she told her blond friend all the details of how she fought Elecman to a standstill… which is to say, how she humiliated herself by show-boating and holding back, then dumped them both in the Hoover Dam reservoir where neither of them could hurt anyone, much less each other.

    “Wow…”     By the end of the story, Roll was frowning right alongside Kaitlin.  The girl-hero was simply disappointed in herself.  The housekeeper, however…     “You did what you thought was right and there’s nothing wrong with that!”     She just couldn’t help but support her friend’s decisions.

    “Elecman almost blew up the dam and took us both out for good, Roll!” Kaitlin exclaimed with a scowl.  “All because I didn’t take the fight seriously!”     “It’s okay!”  Roll brightly smiled as she said, “You were trying to save Elecman, not destroy him!  I’m sure if you were an evil Wily ‘bot and he had to fight you, he’d do the same!”     Kaitlin… nervously laughed at the idea.     Oh, if you only knew, Roll…     “No, Roll,” the brunette said.  “I didn’t take the fight seriously because I’m a dumb kid who thought she could bat her eyelashes and sass-talk her enemy into giving up…”     “You say that like it’s a bad thing…” Roll chuckled.     “And… when I couldn’t persuade him to stop being bad, I still didn’t wanna hurt him!”     “You say that like it’s a bad thing!”     “But, oh.  But, oh.  Little did I realize that Elecman wanted to hurt me!”     “He was under Wily’s control, though!”     “Exactly!”

    Kaitlin banged her fist against the table, startling Roll.  When the cheerful girl looked up, the woeful one looked away in shame.     “Sorry…” she whispered.  “I know ya don’t like rowdy behavior in the house.”     “It’s okay, Kaitlin…”     Roll rose, then she put her hands over Kaitlin’s and offered a compassionate smile.     “I know how you feel!”     “Heh.  I kind’a doubt it, but I appreciate the vote’a confidence.”     Kaitlin took a sip of her cocoa… before she caught sight of something that made her stare.  Roll’s green eyes were locked onto hers… and they were full of sadness.

    “Did… you do somethin’ with your eyes?” Kaitlin asked, casually looking away.  “Didn’t they used t’ be blue?”     “I had a toggle installed…”     Roll sniffled after her reply.  Then, after rubbing her face, she cleared her throat.     “Kaitlin…  Every time Rock goes out there to fight bad-guys, he has to go through the exact same things you did, today.”     “I’m sure he does…”     “Kaitlin!”     The girl-hero nearly snorted her cocoa in surprise.  When she looked back over at Roll, the girl was glaring at her with weepy eyes.

    “Rock never-ever wants to hurt anyone!  Every Robot Master he fights could be a friend!  Some of them even are friends…!  He tries and he tries, begging… pleading them not to fight… not to do bad things… but every single time he fights one… it always ends the same way…”     Roll brought her hands up, locking her fingers together over her chest in silent prayer.     “Every time Wily tries to conquer the world, Rock comes home a mess!  He doesn’t know what to do with himself…  He wants to be angry, or he wants to curl up in a ball, or he wants to cry, but he can’t!”     “Is it ‘cause he wasn’t built with that ability?” Kaitlin half-heartedly joked.     The other girl flinched as Roll brought her hands down onto the table, making it rattle.     “It’s because Rock is a hero, and heroes don’t cry, Kaitlin!

    “Heroes like Rock can’t show any kind of weakness – especially not in front of the bad-guys…  Rock has to keep moving forward when he really wants to run away!  Rock has to keep a stiff-upper-lip when he really wants to cry!  Rock has to… has to blast robots when all he really wants to do is make them happy!  Rock believes there’s goodness… kindness… in everyone – even that jerk, Doctor Wily!  I’m not so sure, myself… but I believe in Rock!  So… so, if Rock believes that humans and robots can be friends and live in peace… so do I!  And… and if you don’t understand that, then… well… I feel sorry for you!!”     Kaitlin blinked a couple of times and Roll suddenly stormed out of the kitchen.  She didn’t know if her friend was disappointed or simply disgusted with her… but either way, she was feeling even lower than before.     I knew Rock had it hard… she thought as she sipped her cocoa, but I had no idea he had it that hard…     She paused, considering something…     I wonder if a hug from two girls would make his day better?  Actually…     She chuckled, then.     I could use a hug, myself…     Kaitlin finished her cocoa all alone, then.  In her mind… it was probably better that way.     I can never be a hero like Rockman…

    Sometime after her conversation with Roll, Dr. Right called the hero back into the lab.     “I have good news,” he said as she walked in and walked over.     “Did Wily decide to pack it up and head home?” Kaitlin asked as a joke.     “No, but I like your optimism.”     She blushed a little as the doctor patted her head.  It felt kind of patronizing, but she knew that was just how he was.     “Actually, the good news has to do with Elecman!”     She perked.  “What about Elecman?”     “Yes, Doctor.  What about Elecman?”     Kaitlin blinked at the new voice, then turned to meet it.  All-at-once, her face lit up.  Standing right there, good-as-new, was…     “E-Elecman!!”

    Before she could stop herself, she practically leaped at the robot, giving him a big hug around the shoulders.  Elecman awkwardly returned the hug… at least somewhat.  Then…     “Um… thank you.  Can you, um, let go, now?  Please?”     When she realized what she was doing… she practically leaped right back off.     “I-I’m so sorry!” she apologized, covering her mouth and blushing.  Then, after a moment more… she turned morose and repeated, “I’m so sorry…”     “I’m not entirely sure what all has transpired while I was under the effects of Wily’s heinous reprogramming,” Elecman said with a confused look, “but… perhaps I should be the one apologizing to you?”     “What?”     Kaitlin blinked, again, as Elecman knelt and took her gloved hand into his.     “I regret making such a lovely young lady worry about my well-being.  And… I am filled with the deepest sorrow, knowing that I was forced to engage her in mortal combat, and it greatly bothers me to think that I could have turned your sunny smile into a frightful frown…”

    As Elecman stood back up, Kaitlin covered her mouth with her free hand, her face… a rather noticeable shade of crimson.  She was pretty thankful Elecman didn’t try and kiss her hand, otherwise… she might’ve popped like an overheated thermometer!  It was more-than-enough that he was on bent knee, saying such sweet things and apologizing!  When he smiled, afterward… she was pretty sure she felt her heart skip a beat.     Say something… say something cool, stupid!! she internally shouted at herself.  But, when she moved her hand and opened her mouth…     “Fwah… guh… bwah…?”     Nothing coherent came out.     “Indeed.”     It got a quiet chuckle out of Elecman…     Dammit…!     Which made her completely hide her face with both hands.  She felt so embarrassed…

    “Doctor Right.”     The masked robot turned his attention to the doctor.     “Thank you for repairing me.  I will try and use less flashy tactics when engaging the forces of the nefarious Doctor Wily, next time.”     “I’m just relieved the damage wasn’t more extensive!”  The doctor smiled.  “Between your fight with Albert’s forces and your skirmish with Thundergirl–”     The girl nervously squeaked upon hearing her name.     “– I think you have more-than-earned a rest.”     “Is Wily’s operation still ongoing?”     “Yes, but–”     “Then, I have further work to do.”     Dr. Right frowned… only to nod.     “Roll will send you where you’re needed…” he said with a mix of understanding and regret.  “Please, do be careful…”     “I’ll buy an Energy Can from Rightot before I go, Doctor.”     That brought some small relief to the elderly man’s face.     “Oh!  Before I depart, I should like to make one small request, if I may?”     “What is it?”     Elecman smiled, looking over his shoulder.  Kaitlin, who was peeking out from between her fingers at him, immediately hid her face, again.     “I want you to give my biggest fan the utmost of care,” he said, casually strolling away.  “When all this is over… I want to see her bright, smiling face light up the night sky, once more.”     Kaitlin made a weird, croaky kind of noise…  Her heart was racing, her head was steaming, and in a way, she actually kind of felt… embarrassed, too.  Elecman was laying it on super-thick.  Was he always like that…?  She kind of liked the attention, but wow… was it a lot.     “I’ll give her as much attention as she requires,” Dr. Right chuckled.  “I promise.”     “Excellent.  And, upon my glorious return… I shall give her the attention she deserves!”     He looked back at the Kaitlin one last time and smiled, smiling as she squeaked, again.     “Adieu!  Adieu.  ‘til next we meet, my lovely heroine!  Fare thee well!”     As much as Kaitlin liked hearing her favorite Robot Master shower her with praise… she was kind of thankful he’d left when he did.  She was pretty sure one more compliment would’ve pushed her over the edge and made her faint.  That wouldn’t have been very heroic…

    “This should be a fairly standard process,” the doctor said after she’d had time to calm herself.  “Lie down on the examination table, please, and I’ll run some scans on your chassis.”     “O–” she squeaked, still feeling a little overcome.  “O-okay…!”     The white-haired man waited for Kaitlin to lay back and get into position.  Once she was ready, he plugged her into his computer and began the tests…

    “Mm-hmm… mm-hmm…  Your core temperature is a little high – though… Elecman tends to have that effect on robots he likes.”     She blushed and looked away, really wishing the doctor hadn’t acknowledged that…     “Internal systems look… oh.  Oh, dear.”     “Wh– what?”     “It seems that…  Elecman has caused you some serious harm…”     She knew what he meant, but felt a little flustered, again.     “Most of your primary systems are offline and almost all of your backup systems are active and running at maximum capacity.  Thundergirl, if I might ask… just what happened?”     “You don’t wanna know,” she dismissively told him, not wanting to repeat her story.     “This is quite important.”  He turned toward her with a smile.  “As your doctor, it’s sometimes necessary to know this sort of information to properly diagnose–”     “Ugh, fine!  If you need it…”

    “Oh, dear…  I see…”     By the time Kaitlin was done regaling the doctor with how Elecman kicked her butt… and back, sides, head… and practically fried her like overcooked bacon… he was shaking his head and making a lot of tongue-clicking noises.     “Tell me, Thundergirl… do you feel any abnormalities?”     “Well, no…” she answered.  “I feel a little slower than usual, but otherwise…?”     “Given that you’re running on backup systems… secondary and tertiary, in some cases…” he quietly added, “that’s to be expected.  What about your memory functions?”     “I guess my brain’s in workin’ order?  But… how would I know it’s not?  I am an amnesiac, after all,” she told him with a chuckle.     “That is… a fair point.  Yeesss… yes, now that I think of it, you declined a backup of your vital data the last time you were here.  I have nothing to compare your current memory to…”     “Honestly, all I care about is gettin’ patched-up so I can try my luck with some other Robot Master… who isn’t Elecman…” the girl muttered in addendum.     “The repairs to your primary systems could take quite some time…”     “Wha’?”  She sat up, looking at the doctor.  “How long’s ‘quite some time?’”     He stroked his beard, thinking about it.     “No less than five days, I would say…  And, that’s only if I don’t find anything else.”     “Hrrnnn…”     The girl flopped back and closed her eyes.  She didn’t want to be out-of-commission for five minutes, much less five days!  But, the doctor seemed really worried about her, so…     “Alright,” she sighed.  “Put me under and pop me open.  I guess.”     “Are you certain?”     “Yup,” she said with a nod.  “Do it to it, Doc!”     “Okay…”  He took a deep breath.  “I shall revive you once it’s all over…” –––––

    “– dergirl?  Thundergirl?  Are you activated?”     “What…?  Yeah, yeah, I’m awake…     “Good, good…  I–”     “One thing.  Who’s talkin’ at me?  Also… where am I?”     “Oh.  Oh, dear…  I was afraid of this…”

    Kaitlin groaned, rubbing her eyes before blinking them.  She sat up, then, and looked around.  As far as she could tell… she wasn’t anywhere she’d usually be.  Which was to say… it didn’t look like any of the rooms inside Wily Castle.  The voice that spoke also didn’t sound like Dr. Wily or any of his robots…  Actually, it kind of sounded like…     “Doctor Right!  Is Kaitlin okay?”

    The girl blinked, again, before she found her focus.  Standing off to one side of the room was a man of below-average height and above-average facial hair.  He kind of looked like Santa Claus… except smaller and rounder.  He also wore a lot more white than Santa does, she noted.     “Doctor… Right…?” she called.     “Welcome back, Kaitlin!”     She looked to the doctor’s side and noticed a smaller form smiling up at her.  The figure was, presumably, female, if the long, blond hair and girly, red hoodie-dress was any indication.  She was probably a younger girl, too, considering the lack of curves.  As she looked closer, though, she slowly recalled…     “Hey… aren’t you Roll?”     “Well, yeah!  Did you forget?”     When the blond girl giggled, the other android narrowed her eyes.     “And, you’re… Dr. Right?” she said, focusing on the first figure.  “Dr. Thomas Right…?”     “That’s right…” he said with a nod.  “I am Thomas Right.”     “You’re Roll… and you’re Right…”     Roll tilted her head.  Dr. Right had looked away…     “If you’re Roll and you’re Right… then… I’m outta here!!”

    Before either party could react, Kaitlin jumped up and made a bolt for the door!  Just as she thought she was home-free, though…     “Goodness!  Where are you off to in such a hurry?”     She was stopped by a taller figure in a black body-suit and angular, yellow mask.     “Oh, sh– you’re… you’re…!”     The girl paused, blinking.     “Er… which one are you, again?”     “Who am I?”  The figure scoffed.  “I, the thunderous Elecman, found the time to come to visit my number one fan, Thundergirl, after her repairs… only for her to toss me aside like a burnt-out fuse!  Hmph!  How very ungrateful…!”     “Elecman,” the doctor called, “Thundergirl is going through some–”     “Why do you keep calling me– oh, never mind…  Outta the way, big-boots!”     “Hey!!”  Elecman narrowed his eyes as Kaitlin barged by him.  “You ungrateful, rude…”     “Stop her!”     “‘Stop her?’”  The man-in-black blinked, then he spun around.  “Um… stop?”     Of course… Kaitlin was already long-gone from the area, by then.

    “Okay… okay…”

    The brown-haired girl ran through unfamiliar hallways, scared-and-confused, desperately trying to find a door that led outside.  As she scouted, she also thought out loud.

    “I’m lost…  I dunno where I am…  I’m not sure where I’m not… and… and…”     She slowed, stopped, then backpedaled after passing a big mirror.     “I’m wearin’ somethin’ way weird.  What the heck is this stuff?”

    The girl looking back at her didn’t look like one she recognized.  Rather than the expected denim dress and lavender T-shirt, she was wearing what looked like big, clunky, yellow boots and black yoga pants – not unlike that funny-talking guy’s – a purple chest-piece with a red collar and shoulder “wings,” matching sleeves that ended in gold cuffs, thick, red-metal bracelets and fingerless gloves, a pair of white ear-pieces, and a purple beret.  The chest-piece and beret both had a little lightning bolt on them, she also noticed.

    “Is this… battle armor?  What… why am I wearin’ battle armor?  Where’s my dress…?”     She put a finger to one earpiece, flinched, yanked it off, then touched her bare ear.     “Dress, dress, dress…  Huh, I don’t remember this outfit… what is– waaah!!”     A light engulfed the girl and, just like that, her outfit was replaced by something a bit more casual.

    “Th-this isn’t my dress, either… but it does look pretty snazzy!”     She posed, fanning one arm and the opposite leg out as she admired herself.  Rather than her expected dress, she wore a long-sleeved, pink T-shirt under a purple mini-hoodie with gold trim, a pair of black shorts, and white socks with two blue stripes near the top, and comfy, yellow sneakers with white energy ports on the sides.     “I guess Papa Wily upgraded me in my sleep…”  She giggled a little.  “He let me keep my sneaks, too!  Anyway, let’s see…  Dress, dress, dress– ah!  Here it is!”

    Once again, she was bathed in light.  When it faded, though…     “Waaaaah…?!”     She was horrified by what she saw!

    “Wh… why do I have this outfit?!” she asked her reflection as if expecting an answer.  The new outfit on her body was an exact duplicate of that housekeeping robot’s usual, red dress, complete with matching metal Mary-Janes.     “W-well… at least I don’t have that dorky bow in my hair… b-but, wah!”  She shook her head.  “This is terrible!  Red is not my color!”     One more spin through her internal Quick-Change Module’s menu and she was back in the hoodie and shorts.     “This’ll have t’ do ‘til I can get back home to Wily Castle…  Oh, gosh, Dad’s gonna be so mad at me…  I–”     “I found her!!”     “What?!  Oh, no!!”

    Kaitlin looked to her left.  While she’d spent all that time changing, Roll had found her.  She was quick to resume fleeing… though at a significantly higher speed than before, somehow!     “Wow…!”  She beamed as her feet carried her faster than she expected.  “I guess Papa Wily did give me an upgrade!  I feel light-as-a-feather!  Speedy-as-a-hawk!  Quick-as-a-lick!  Or… something like that.  Try ‘n catch me now, Right ‘bot!”     She turned her head, putting her thumb to her nose and razzing the blond-haired girl as she gave chase.  When Kaitlin turned back, she went wide-eyed…     “Wuh-oh!”     The guy in the black suit was in her way.

    “Come to me, my dear ingrate!” he said with a harsh grin.  “Let us return you to the doctor!”     “You want me?”  She smirked.  “Gotta catch me, first!”     Without really knowing why, she hit the deck, dropping onto her back.  Strangely enough… ports on her feet flipped open at that exact moment, shooting out a burst of air and, unexpectedly, she found herself sliding right through that weirdo’s long legs!     “Holy…!” she cried as she pushed herself back into a standing – or, running – position.  “Coolio!!  Was it my birthday, or somethin’?  Papa really tricked me out!”

    The girl beamed as she continued running through what she eventually figured out was the Right House.  Which was to say… she realized that she was in the home of her dad’s hated rival in science!     “I should cause mischief, while I’m here…” she thought on her feet, “but I dunno where the front door is, yet.  Maybe, I’ll knock over a lamp or crook-ify a painting on the way out…  That’ll teach ‘em not to kidnap me!”

    The chase continued for a solid five minutes, Kaitlin quickly darting, dodging, bobbling, and weaving around any-and-all obstacles and people in her way.  However, when she heard Dr. Right tell Elecman specifically not to hurt her… she knew she had the full run of the place.

    “Not the nesting dolls!”  Roll cried as Kaitlin grabbed them from a shelf and started throwing them in random directions.  “That was a gift from Kalinka!”     “Watch the vase!” Elecman wailed as he ran to catch it after Kaitlin bumped it off its stand.  “That was a gift from a more appreciative fan than you!”     “Please, put those bills down!”  Unfortunately, Dr. Right was helpless to stop Kaitlin from tossing a bunch of mail around the room, scattering both envelope and contents all over.     “Kaitlin, stop!” Roll screamed as Kaitlin threw down a lamp and knocked over some unlit candles.  “This isn’t very heroic, you know…!”     “I am a hero!” was Kaitlin’s reply.  “I’m fighting your tyranny the only way I know how!”     “What are you talking about?!  Ack, get out of the– nooo, all the coats…!!”     “You Right-‘bots kidnaped me!” Kaitlin shouted as she hurled coats and jackets out of a nearby closet.  “You stole me from my dad and my family!  My dad hates you, and so do I!!”     “Your dad…?” the blond girl asked as she started picking the garments up.     Kaitlin stopped in he tracks and turned to face everyone.  Then, she said the worst-possible-thing she could have…     “I’m Dr. Wily’s housekeeper – Special Wily Number error: Kaitlin!!”

The Beginning... Episode 1 Part 3

Game 1

Ganondorf: Alright, alright alright! It’s finally time fro our first game of Volley-Bomb! Representing the Crying Goombas is Link, Leaf, Red, Joker, and Rosalina! Representing the Ugly Koopas is Samus, Roy, Pit, Lucina, and Erdrick!

-

In the Confessional

Samus: I had high hopes going into the first round. I mean, Leaf and Red can barely be qualified as teens. They’re tiny. Then again we’ve got Pit... but the kid’s an angel! And he’s beaten Dark Lords and Evil Gods without any Pokemon.

-

Ganondorf: The rules are simple... don’t kill each other! Oh, and stay on your side of the court. Aside from that? Go nuts!

Joker: Wait, seriously? No rules?

Ganondorf: People don’t want to see a fair fight! They’re here for blood, guts, and the occasional booty shots. *to the camera crew* Make sure to get Link’s moneymaker. Apparently fangirls like it.

Link: *covers his butt with his hands*

Ganondorf: And, without further ado... BEGIN!

*Link serves the bomb, throwing it over to the other side. To counter it, Erdrick draws his sword and uses it like a baseball bat, sending the bomb flying back to Link’s side.*

Link: Oh, so that’s how you want to play?! *draws the Master Sword* I’m the sword Ping-Pong champion!

-

In the Confessional

Link: Finally! That Final Boss sequence in Ocarina of Time pays off! Never thought I’d be thanking Ganondorf for something.

-

*Link charges up and unleashes a Great Spin sending the bomb back over with the force of a comet. It hits Lucina and the subsequent explosion sends her flying out of the arena*

Ganondorf: Point, Goombas!

Lucina, legs sticking out of the sand like a reverse ostrich: Sorry guys.

-

In the Confessional

Samus: I may have spoken too soon.

-

*the game begins again. This time Samus serves and sends it over to the other side. Rosalina catches it with her wand and whips it around her head like a sling*

Rosalina: Let me drop THIS bomb on you!

Everyone: ... *crickets chirping in background*

Rosalina: What, I thought it was a good one. *sighs* Oh well. *hurls the bomb back to Samus’ side*

*Roy intercepts the bomb and ripostes, countering and sending it back at Link’s team.*

Samus: Nice one flame-brain!

Joker: Oh yeah? How about this! *dramatically rips mask off, summoning Arsene* ARSENE! FIRE YOUR- *as he is preparing his epic anime-style attack the bomb hits him square in the chest sending him flying and dispelling the Persona* Oww.... my everything.

Ganondorf: And the Koopas even the score!

Link: Okay, no more screwing around! *picks up a new bomb* Just call me Marcellus Wallace, ‘cause I’m going Medieval on your ass!

-

In the Confessional

Rosalina: Oh, so when Link does a one-liner it’s cool! How is that one different from mine? Puns make great one-liners!

-

*Link tosses the bomb in the air and draws his bow and arrow. He lines up a shot and send the arrow flying. It hits the bomb and sends it over at Samus’ team.*

Pit: Oh yeah? Well two can play at that game! *Pit fires Palutena’s bow and sends the bomb right back at Link*

Link: Grr! *fire his bow again, hitting the bomb and repeating the process.*

Samus: I don’t think so pretty boy! *Samus summons up her Power Armor and Z-Jumps into the air. She fires her Zero Cannon, blasting the bomb down with such force it takes out both Link and Rosalina*

Ganondorf: Oh, snap! That’s  two-fer! Way to play for keeps Samus!

-

In the Confessional

Link, bruised and bloodied: Okay, not gonna lie... that was pretty hot.

-

Samus, her Power Armor flaling away: I play to win.

Ganondorf: Damn! Guess it’s down to just Redie Freddie and Leafy Green for the Goombas. How are they gonna get outta this one?

Red: Welp, guess it’s time for Plan P.

Pit: Plan P?

Leaf: Plan Pokemon!

*Leaf and Red throw their Pokeballs, summoning Charizard, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur.*

Roy: Wait what?! They can do that?!

Ganondorf: Nothing says they can’t.

Erdrick: That’s totally cheating!

Ganondorf: Guess who doesn’t give a shit ya Goku rip-off.

-

Confessional

Erdrick: It’s not my fault I was designed by Akira Toriyama!

-

Leaf: Bulbasaur! Use Vine-Whip!

Bulbasaur: ‘Saur! *grabs the Bomb with their vines and throws it into the air*

Red: Charizard! Use Flamethrower!

Charizard: ‘Zard! *Blasts fire at the bomb sending it at Pit with the force of a meteor*

Pit: Oh, applesauce. *Gets blasted out of the court*

Ganondorf: Oooh! And that’s another one for the Goombas!

Samus: Alright, that’s it! *turns to Erdrick and Roy* Morons! Swords out!

*Erdrick and Roy draw their weapons. Samus nods and spikes the bomb over the net.*

Leaf: Bulbasaur use Vine-Whip! *Bulbasaur grabs the bomb out of the air and tosses it high*

Red: Squirtle, use Hydropump! Charizard, use Flamethrower at the same time!

Charizard: 'Zard!

Squirtle: Squirtle!

*Squirtle and Charizard use their attacks at the same time. The resulting blast on the Koopas side blasts Samus, Roy, and Erdrick off the court*

Ganondorf: Holy Jompin' Gibblets! Red and Leaf win the first Game with an abolutely EXPLOSIVE VICTORY!

Red: Boo yeah!

Leaf: Pokemon Power! *they high five*

*The others of their team come and crowd surf them while Koopa Team picks themselves up and dust themselves off*

Samus: Well, that was the most humiliating thing ever.

Erdrick: My three favorite Pokemon just beat me up! This is a dream come true!

Samus: Lucina, hit Erdrick for me. I'm too tired.

Lucina: *whacks Erdrick upside the head.*

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

Game 2

Ganondorf: After that explosive display, it's time for Round 2 of VOLLEY-BOMB! Both teams gave a great effort and, frankly, both deserved to win... is what I'd say if I were a LOSER! The Koopas sucked harder than a Hoover vaccum making sweet, sweet love to a Roomba!

Peach: Well... there's another image to repress with alcohol.

Ganondorf: The Koopas are going to need this win just to tie it all up. This time we've got Daisy, Ike, Corrine, Marth, and Bonny Janet representing the Goombas! Opposing them is Zelda, Dark Pit, Robyn, Peach, and Captain Falcon!

Captain Falcon: Aw yeah baby! Let's get this party started!

Dark Pit: I hate everything.

Peach: Uhh... Dark Pit? How are you not sweating.

Dark Pit: I'm an emo. Emos don't sweat. We simmer along with our burning hatred for all things bright and happy.

-

Confessional

Pit: Pittoo scares me sometimes. But I know that deep down he's a big old ball of sunshine! He's my brother after all. How bad can he be.

-

Confessional

Dark Pit, stabbing a voodoo doll of Pit: Why! Won't! You! DIE!

-

Bonny Janet: Ai'ght ya bleedin' coonts! Time ta show these hootin' tootin' flea-ridden, sheep-humpin', rat-faaced, doo-lillies tha' the Goombas ain't ta be messed with!

Corrine: Yeah! ...I think. Was that supposed to be inspirational?

Ike: Yeah.

Marth: How can you tell?

Daisy: The adorable Scot is right! LET'S FUCK 'EM UP!

Peach: Umm... Daisy darling? I'm right here.

Daisy: THERE ARE NO BREAKS ON THE ASS-KICKING TRAIN!

-

Confessional

Daisy: Yeah... did I mention I can get kind of competitive?

-

*Peach pulls down Captain Falcon by the arm and whispers in his ear*

Peach: Take Daisy out first. She's good. Too good, you get me?

Captain Falcon: *nods*

Ganondorf: Alright my funky-fresh friends! Let's get ready to ruuuuummmmmmmmbbbbbllleee!

*The battle is joined. Captain Falcon serves the bomb, sending it flying at Daisy. Daisy whacks the bomb with her baseball bat and sends it back over.

Daisy: GO LEGALLY BRAIN-DEAD BY CHOCKING ON MY ENTIRE ASS!

Zelda: Well that's just uncalled for! *Zelda summons up her armor to whack the bomb back over*

Ike: AETHER! *Ike swings Rangell, the sword wreather in blue flame. The bomb flies over... and out of the court entirely*

Ganondorf: Ooh, tough luck! Ike is out!

Corrine: What?! You didn't say anything about that!

Ganondorf: It's one of the basic rules of Volleyball Corrine, get with the fucking program girl.

Corrine: But this is Volley-Bomb!

Ganondorf: Look, I'm the host and I say that Ike's out.

Marth: Corrine, please just drop it.

Corrine: But he's just pulling this out of his ass! What we can use our powers but we can't knock the ball out of the court?!

Ganondorf: Okay, you know what?! You're out to missy. Grab Hunk of Burning Love over there and get off my court.

Corrine: WHAT!?

*Ganondorf Warlock-Punches her off the Court*

Ganondorf: ANYONE ELSE WANT SOME!? *turns to Ike* HOW ABOUT YOU MUSCLES!? YOU WANT SOME

Ike: Nope! No. Nuh-uh. *leaves and collects a delirious Corrine*

Ganondorf, cheerful again: Alrighty then! The Goombas are down two players. Can they make a comeback? Let's find out!

-

Confessional

Corrine: Okay, arguing with the Man-Child of Evil may not have been my best move. But I don't like assholes doing whatever they like! Such a prick.

-

Bonny Janet: A'ighty then... we're fooked ain't we?

Daisy: No we aren't! No yet! Come on guys! We can still win this. If Red the Twig and Leaf the... well Leaf the Leaf can pull off a win against all odds then we can too! So let's roll up our sleeves, grease those elbows, and WIN! THAT-

Captain Falcon: Falcon PAWNCH! *The bomb, struck by the Falcon Punch, hits both Marth and Bonny Janet, koncking them out of the arena*

Daisy: Game... Fuck.

Captain Falcon: FALCON PAWNCH! *Falcon knocks Daisy out of the arena with another bomb*

Ganondorf: AND LIKE THAT THE SECOND GAME IS OVER! THE KOOPAS TAKE AN ABSOLUTELY EXPLOSIVE VICTORY! Not losing a single player and absolutely DOMINATING the Goombas!

Captain Falcon: Oh yeah! High fives all around!

Ganondorf: And with that, the score is all tied up. You know what that means. It's time... FOR A TIEBREAKER!

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

Tiebreaker

*The entire cast has assembled, including those nursing injuries.*

Ganondorf: The rules of the Tiebreaker are simple. Each team will select one, I repeat: ONE, champion each. These two champions will play each other in a 1 v. 1 game of Volley-Bomb. But this time, instead of ten player and one bomb... it's ten bombs and one player each!

Marth: Well, I'm out.

Robyn: Me too.

Red: Cowards.

Marth and Robyn: Yup.

Ganondorf: So, select your champions and let's get to this Sudden Death Elimination!

-

With the Goombas

Link: Okay, so since most of us are nursing injuries and they're probably going to be sending out Captain Falcon... who should we choose?

Bonny Janet: Oh ho? So now yer askin' our opinions?!

Link, fed up: Bonny, shut up! I don't know what crawled up your ass and died but shut up and let me talk!

*there is a long moment of silence as Bonny Janet glares at Link... but remains silent*

Link: Thank you.

Corrine: I can't go. I'm still working through that concussion.

Leaf: You all look pretty banged up.

Red: And they'll probably be planning for our Pokemon. We won't be able to pull that trick again.

Daisy: I'll go.

*They all look at her*

Marth: Daisy-

Daisy: No. I owe it to the team to try. Besides, I owe Falcon a little bit of payback.

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

*The battle lines are drawn. Captain Falcon representing the Koopas and Daisy representing the Goombas. Ganondorf  grins evilly and throws all ten bombs into the arena, ten to Daisy and ten to Falcon*

Ganondorf: Lights! Camera! SLAUGHTER!

Daisy: Oh yeah! *Daisy catches four of the bombs and delivers a massive kick upwards, sending the last one into the atmosphere. Daisy*

Catpain Falcon: You're going down girlie! *Falcon catches one, two, three of his bombs* Falcon KICK! *Falcon kick's one of the remaining bombs at Daisy.* Falcon KICK! *Falcon sends the other one at Daisy

Daisy: Sorry Falcon, but this flower's got thorns!

-

Confessional

Rosalian: And now Daisy's doing one-liners two?! Ugh.

-

*Daisy catches both bombs and sends one sailing at Falcon. Falcon dodges as the bomb hits the ground. Daisy throws the second one, but Falcon dodges again.*

Falcon: Hah!

Daisy: Sorry Cappy... I'm not done. *Daisy prepares to throw her remaining four bombs.*

Captain Falcon: Aww crap.

*Daisy throws three of her bombs. In a panic, Falcon responds. The bombs crash into each other, exploding on contact with each other. Falcon is officially out of bombs and Daisy has one left*

Daisy: Dodge this Falcon Dick! *Daisy throws the final bomb*

*Captain Falcon front flips over it. The bomb hits the ground where he had been standing moments prior.*

Captain Falcon: Wait a minute... we're out of bombs. What now?

Daisy: Oh... are we?

*Captain Falcon frowns, not understanding. Daisy smirks and points up. Falcon looks up and sees the final bomb. The one Daisy launched skyward, hurtling right towards his face.*

Captain Falcon: Aw, fu-

*the bomb explodes in his face, launching Falcon out of the arena. Daisy has won!*

Ugly Koopas: NOOOO!

Crying Goombas: BOO YEAH!

*The Goombas race forward, wrapping Daisy in a massive group hug*

Ganondorf: Well Holy Hell! That was one awesome tiebreaker! How're ya feeling Falcon?!

Captain Falcon, from the CF shaped hole in the nearby cliff face: No mommy... I don't wanna wear the pink bow...

Ganondorf: Eh, he'll be fine. Goombas! *The winning team stands at attention* I promised you a reward and now I'll deliver! You win invincibility, you cannot be voted off this island tonight. In addition, your team has earned... a beach party!

Crying Goombas: WOO HOO!

Ganondorf: There'll be good food, fine drinks, and all the volleyball you can play! … The none explosive kind, of course.

-

Confessional

Daisy: Wow! So this is what it's like to be the hero? To be the one who saves the day?! It *sniff* It feels good.

-

Ganondorf: Koopas. I'll be seeing you at the bonfire site, where you will vote off one member of your team. *evil grin* See you there.

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

The Bonfire Ceremony

*As the lights of the Goombas' beach party blaze in the distance the Koopas sit in front of a massive bonfire in sullen silence. Most are nursing injuries and glaring daggers at the team bellow them on the beach. Peach sits with Pit and Zelda on either side of her*

-

Confessional

Peach: I was confident that I wouldn't get voted off, especially after the poor showing of Samus and Falcon. Then again both are pretty powerful. I'm not sure if their failures today will be enough to get them voted off. Samus is more tolerable company, and she didn't fail as spectacularly as Falcon did. Still...

-

*Ganondorf walks around the fire to face the Koopas, carrying a tray of One-Up Mushrooms*

Ganondorf: Welcome, losers, to your first bonfire ceremony! I have on my plate, nine One-Up Mushrooms. These one-ups represent immunity and safety for the coming week. If you fail to receive a marshmallow, you will walk the Dock of Fools, board the Boat of Failures, and be taken away from the Camp forever. And, lose your chance to ear the twenty million dollar reward.

*the Koopas shift around nervously*

Ganondorf: When I call your name, I'll throw your mushroom. The first goes too... Peach. Ganondorf throws it at Peach* Next up... Erdrick. *The Hero gratefully catches the mushroom.* Zelda. *Zelda catches hers* Roy. *Roy spear his mushroom as it flies at him* Pit and Pittoo.

Dark Pit: THAT'S DARK PIT!

Ganondorf: Shut up and eat your mushroom! *Pit happily eats his One-Up as Dark Pit begrudgingly chews on his* Next is... Robyn. *Robyn sighs in relief and eats her One-up* The second to last Mushroom goes to... … … Samus.

-

Confessional

Samus: I was actually scared that I would be voted off first episode. Whew! I'd of never lived that one down.

-

Ganondorf: I have, on this platter, the last One-Up Mushroom. Falcon, you let your team down when they needed you the most. And Lucina? You got knocked out before anyone else, pretty pathetic.

Lucina: Fuck off.

Ganondorf: Prettier girls than you have tried sweetie.

Lucina: Hmpph.

Ganondorf: And the last mushroom... goes too... … … … … … … Lucina!

Captain Falcon: What!?

-

Confessional

Peach: Sure, Falcon's strong, but Lucina is by far the better thinker. Strong can be replaced. Thinkers can't.

-

Confessional

Dark Pit: He's the one person on my team more annoying than Pit.

-

Confessional

Roy: Call it a Fire Emblem bias... but Lucina should stay.

-

Captain Falcon: This... this can't be happening!

Zelda: Sorry Falcon... I wish it didn't have to-

Falcon: This is bullshit! I-

Ganondorf: Cram it buddy! *Ganondorf grabs Falcon by the scruff of his neck and hurls him to the Dock of Fools* And that's your first episode of Total Drama Smash Bros! Falcon is the first to go, but have we seen the last of him? And what will become of the new teams? Find out next week, on Total, Drama, SMASH BROS!

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And that’s a wrap on episode 1! I’m so excited for this series you guys. I’m going to have so much fun with it!

I really hesitated to put Falcon down as the first off, but he was one of the few characters I didn’t have long term plans for. Sorry if you wanted him to stay.

Also, for a bit of extra fun, submit your own ideas for challenges! It will definitely help get my creative juices flowing.

Be good people!

Finally getting around to this! Sorry about the delay! My phone doesn't have all of the emojis, so sorry about that. I'll add them in if I have them.

🎥 Do you have any favorite scenes from your hyperfixation?

Since my current hyperfixation is Digital Devil Saga and Quantum Devil Saga, I'll do an answer for both!

DDS: One of my favorite scenes that comes to mind from the first game has to be Heat interrogating Harley about Sera. Specifically, you can hear the build up in his voice. The desperation, the frustration, and just sheer emotion welling up as it practically explodes as his irises flash red. It's amazingly well delivered, and his voice actor did an amazing job! Haven't heard this scene in Japanese yet, though. I really want to! This, and the entire balcony scene at the end of the Amusement Park dungeon. You know what, I loved that entire dungeon tbh. Also, almost all of the scenes in dds2 were great, and I can't pick just one!

QDS: Part of me wants to say "Every part where Serph describes Heat", but I honestly feel like it'd be a bit cliche(even though those parts are GREAT!).

Although, I'd have to narrow it down to the parts where you can really see Gale's personality and mental state shining through his programming and conditioning, and almost any time Cielo and Sera are together. Those two are so adorable! So many books and shows feel the need that if a boy and a girl are close that they need to be romantically involved! It's absolutely refreshing to see those two being as close as a pair of siblings, and their relationship honestly reflects that. Also Cielo's line of "Your smile is better than any medicine!"(or something along those lines) just kills me from cuteness every time!

💕 Tell us about one of your favorite characters and why you like them!

Out of both pieces of media, I honestly can't pick just one character. I might end up picking two, honestly. XD

DDS: Heat is definitely a high candidate for "favorite character". No, this isn't because of "hurhur big hot beefy man me likey!" Legitimately, I find his character incredibly interesting and compelling. He goes from this angry and aggressive man who probably caused at least 1 character to have anxiety problems, to someone who quite honestly cares a lot about those under his care. During the return to the Maribel's base, he is the ONLY PERSON to voice concern about the fact that the only person with a High Atma who could protect Sera was Cielo. He was worried about the kids back at their base, and after you fight Bat, HE is the only one who immediately makes a b-line straight back to base. I'm not even going to get into the whole "Destiny Castle" deal, and everything that happens in dds2, because we'd be here all day otherwise.

Second favorite character in DDS would probably be Cielo. He starts out as the happy-go-lucky comic relief, but from the start, even before his emotions fully awaken, he shows signs of worrying and caring about everyone. He voices concerns when Heat suggests going to the Vanguards' base, and he's even still very close to Gale after the guy went berserk and tried to eat him! Let's not forget how he and Sera still have a brother/sister relationship in the games as well! 

Although, I feel like his character fully blossoms during the second game, where one of the minor villains not only causes him to actually snap, but he still finds it in him to smile, laugh, and joke, despite his world almost literally crumbling around him.(Also, not trying to spoil this for anyone else, but the first time I watched through dds2, and I made it to the part where Cielo dances and jokes about showing God his "Latin Rhythms", the context of what had happened just prior, and what was going to happen… Seeing him do that fucking broke me. I was actually curled up on my bed under fuzzy blankets, my box of tissues next to me, crying. Bless you, funky little Cielo.)

QDS: GALE. 100%, one of my favorite characters by far in the books(besides still Heat and Cielo), would be Gale. Why, you might ask?

Gale in the books is shown to be exceptionally intelligent, but has a hard time comprehending his own emotions and expressing them. He tries to bury his own inner turmoils and anxieties under his own work, although he still cares a lot about the well being of his teammates, especially Serph, and that's beyond his programming as a Bishop. He is also shown to be very creative with his planning, and is able to relatively accurately judge how people may react to certain situations, despite not understanding himself. Also, he has some slight nervous fidgets(tapping his fingers on desks, rubbing his temples, etc), and he is shown to, despite having Sera's calming presence and the effects of her blood(long story) nearby, he does visibly have a lot of anxiety at having his whole world and environment changed, as well as his careful routine, and has a tendency to hyperfocus on things, and he spirals into a loop of repeating thoughts when Serph ends up causing Gale to question if his loyalty lies with Serph or with the Tribe.

Gale. Is. AUTISTIC.

I, myself, am Autistic. I have ADD, and a severe anxiety disorder on top of this. QDS is probably one of the best written autistic/neuroatypical characters I have ever come across, and he's not played off as "comic relief", "childish", or even bordline sociopathic! He CARES! He cares A LOT! He even ends up in a healthy and stable relationship in the end! Also, he's the team's designated driver, holder of the braincells, and the team mom!

(Also, I like all of the characters in the books one way or another. They're all wonderfully written, and I enjoy them all a lot!! 8D)

🍀 Do you have any kins or comfort characters from your hyperfixation?

Hm… I'm not entirely sure how to respond to this. I'm guessing this means whichever characters give me the most happy feelies?

DDS: Almost all of the Embryon squad+Roland. Characters that give me the most happy feelies would probably actually be Cielo, Sera, Heat, Gale...I'm probably gonna end up listing all of them. XD Also, O'Brien. Part Irish people unite!!!!

QDS: Gale for obvious reasons(I need to post/reblog my drawing of him later), Sera for being the physical embodiment of "babey", Cielo for being something similar, any time Serph and Heat are together and Heat's not being angry, and Argilla around Jinana.

Noticing that this is more situational, but this is the best way I can describe this.

This was really fun to to do! Everyone is free to ask me whatever they want! 8D

anyway now that ive been in the fandom for a bit i think its time i called myself out and say that i. Love shiniida

hear me out. neutral good, disaster bi iida with true neutral, functional gay shinsou? we stan.

like just consider for a second. shinsou goes to talk with midoriya to get some closure abt their fight in the sports festival and obv talking to midoriya means having to be near his two besties iida and uraraka

anyway midoriya draws shinsou in like the sun he is and so he ends up kinda friends with iida and uraraka as well. along the line they become full-fledged friends esp when he starts doing extra training w them in addition to the training hes gettin from aizawa so he can “”keep up with you hero course nerds”” (in his own words)

anyway so he starts hangin out with the izucrew more and consequently. iida.

iida is the mom/dad friend (depends on his mood that day which one he is) so he usually organizes some hangouts that r also study groups. and now that shinsou is his friend, iida invites him as well

im thinkin eventually iida and shinsou figure out that iida has a strong suit in math but is weak in language, but shinsou is vice versa, so they decide to arrange extra study sessions so they can get the extra tutoring they feel they need

and finally,,,,the pining™ begins

im honestly not quite sure How they fall for each other or how long it would take buuuuuuut……,.,.

iida would definitely admire shinsou’s drive and determination and i feel he’d be rlly charmed by him once he got passed shinsou’s distant, kinda hostile first impression. like once he got passed shinsou’s kinda defenses and saw the tired, funky dude he is that loves cats and sweaters, iida’s poor bi heart wouldnt stand a chance, not even a second. iida would definitely think shinsou’s love for cats/all things cute is adorable. also i think iida would be exasperated w shinsou’s hair but like in the Fondest Way possible. at first he’s like “shinsou u gotta try to brush ur hair!” and shinsou is like “u can try it wont do anything” and hes right it Doesnt. but eventually the messy style grows on iida and he finds he wants to run his hands thro it,,,also iida at first kinda doesnt get shinsou’s sense of humor but he eventually learns to love it

shinsou on the other hand would be softly disgruntled abt how iida cares for him with what i call the Aggressive Affection. cause iida is just like “shinsou! its past 12 am! i would advise you get some rest now” and he wont stop badgering him until shinsou at least turns off his phone and like “shinsou! i made u breakfast bc u slept in late! u can eat it while we walk to class together!” and hands him some cute lil breakfast thing that keeps shinsou’s hands warm while they walk in the morning air. and at first shinsou is like “bruh” but eventually knowing that iida cares so much makes him feel all warm inside,,,,,, and shinsou Would 100 percent find iida’s chopping motions and general gestures he makes when he talks Adorable As Fuck. and he thinks its sweet that iida cares so much abt helpin him academically as well as heroically

anyway i think shinsou would realize his feelings first bc iida is,,,a disaster,,,and he would freak the fuck out becuz oh shit thats quite the distraction from becoming a hero student

iida notices when shinsou starts to avoid him and he gets really sad :[ and it rlly starts to bother him so he tries asking shinsou what he did wrong but shinsou is always in a flustered panic and its like “OHHH LOOK AT THE TIME GOT,,,GENERAL DEPARTMENT THINGS TO DO,,,,GOTTA GO BYE IIDA” so when asking shinsou doesnt work iida tries to ask his friends if they can think of anything but theyre just as confused as he is bc they didnt even realize shinsou was distancing himself. this just makes iida feel even worse bc that means its Just Him that shinsou’s avoiding so its Clear that he did do smth wrong

eventually he calls tensei abt it and tensei kinda calms him down abt it thank you tensei

meanwhile aizawa is like “what,,,is wrong with my child” bc hes not dumb hes observant as hell and he knows shinsou’s been acting kinda skittish lately esp during training so eventually after training one day aizawa sits him down and is like “im not letting u leave until u tell me why ur so freaked out lately” shinsou tries to fight to escape but aizawa is a Pro Hero and shinsou has only been training for a couple months now so he doesnt make it lmfao rip eventually shinsou gets out that he has a crush (how embarrassing poor guy probably wanted to spontaneously combust when he admitted it) and that he doesnt know what to do with it and aizawa is just like “wow mood”

no but really aizawa calls up mic and is like “hi yes hello ur the distinguished gay in this relationship can u give our dumb son some advice”

so mic swoops in and probably embarrasses shinsou a lil bit but overall shinsou accepts his feelings a little more after the talk so thats Something thanks mic

anyway so this pining goes on for a while longer with iida feeling :[ and shinsou feeling bad but like not knowing what to do dkjfjkf. like after the talk w mic it isnt nearly as bad as it was but shinsou’s still awkward and iida can still tell smth abt their relationship has gotten a little stilted :[ but then the joint training exercise happens and its reveled that shinsou is GOING INTO THE HERO COURSE BABEY!!!!!!!

iida is So Excited that he lifts our boy up and spins him around!!! and shinsou is so FUCKING gay he doesnt know how to function once hes put back on the ground smfh so much for being a functional gay huh shinsou

anyway iida starts apologizing profusely like “im so sorry shinsou my excitement just got the better of me and i hope i didnt make you uncomfortable but im so happy for you-!” and shinsou’s like “im in love with you” iida probably passes out lbr

no but both FREAK OUT over that confession and like its so fucking funny bc it was in front of EVERYONE and aizawa just fucking facepalms bc god why does his dumb kid have to take after him so much smh

anyway EVENTUALLY iida and shinsou calm down and before shinsou can Sprint the Fuck Away, iida is like “i!!!!! love you too!!! not as just a friend!!!” and shinsou hides his face in his mask/capture weapon and iida is just kinda bashfully holding his helmet close to his chest and HHH I LOVE MY BOYS………….

anyway they talk and shinsou is like “yeah so im sorry for being weird this past month and a half its because feelings” and iida is like “OHHHH i thought i did something wrong omg” and so they clear that up w each other and start dating. and they are. Adorable. THE couples’ goals in the izucrew. u wish u were as cute as them

iida reading on the couch w shinsou layin down on him?? iida reading TO him while he’s layin down on him in an attempt to help lull him to sleep??? oh my fucking god. thats so good. shinsou brings snacks to their study dates (and theyre actually iida’s idea of regularly scheduled dates someone help shinsou djkfjk) to make sure that they both actually get some food in them. TRAINING TOGETHER,…,..both get v flustered at first but then they get used to it,,im soft

just….my boys….thank you for your consideration. uhh stan shiniida

Sky And The Forces Of The Multiverse, Chapter 23

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"I could portal?", the demon girl looked down at her hands, as if memorized by them, " But, i'm not supposed to be able to do that without years of practice dipping down right? I mean, I've just never heard of our mewberty forms letting us.....portal before...it's never been recorded in our history at least...". Sunny of course, was still upset about her recent.....freakout, but what put her more on edge then anything was her abilities, being more overpowered then normal. She sighed, "I got my wand so young......because I was too powerful....I...needed to be able to control my power sooner then other princesses, so....it's just...a little scary to find out...what I can do...when i'm not in control of my own body.". She looked to the people in the room with her, that being for now, galexia, and judas. Judas coming here right after seeing his father, and waiting on the return of sky, and and keeping a close eye on galexia as she drew in the corner, this was lexi's room after all, anyone was welcome. "I know the feeling....it's kinda a personal fear of mine as well..".

"It's always been like this for me...you know? I kinda always felt like me being stuck at home so much, it wasn't just to keep me safe...it was to keep others safe...from me.", sunny's wings fluttered behind her, they were still new, so still soft and weak, it was going to take some getting used to for her. She was used to flying without wings that having wings felt like a bizarre experience, what were her parents going to say if and when she got back home? "I'm sure it's nothing you need to worry about, at least, not right now.....you're back in control of your body, and you seem to have gotten a good hold on yourself...", the smaller demon nodded, "I have.....but, sometimes it's a scare when you have that kinda power....especially when you want to control it.". Sunny always seemed so in control of her powers, almost better then luna was, so her talking about this, especially as dismal as she spoke on the topic, well, it was strange. Sunny was usually so sweet and cheery, and right now, she was far from it. "You gonna be ok?", it wasn't entirely like judas himself was in the best of moods after speaking to his father, but he sure didn't want sunny to feel awful considering all the stuff she must me going through, the stuff that usually seemed to hide behind her smiles. "I'll be ok...I think, i'm used to having strange things happen to me....I just need more time to process it...". He understood, he honestly would ask her further about her magic back home but it didn't seem remotely appropriate right now considering how sunny felt. "It's alright sunny....for the record though.....your butterfly form was incredible...". It seemed to make her feel a little better, smiling and twiddling her fingers together, "Thanks...I just hope i didn't scare you all TOO bad, i know mewberty can be a little....insane....not to mention how long it'll take to clean up my room of evidence...that stuff doesn't come out easily you know? How are you planning to even get rid of it? If one of the underworld servants walks in to clean it they are going to have to report it to well...your parents...". She took a seat next to her older half-brother, who tried to reassure her. "Eclipsa said she'd take care of it...i'm....still not entirely comfortable with her knowing about....you know, but, i do want to trust her. I just hope she doesn't go into any of our minds again, I don't particularly like people invading my privacy like that...", he looked over to lexi, who was still drawing to her heart's content, "Yesterday was such a crazy day my mind feels like it's turned into jelly, i can't entirely concentrate and today hasn't been much better with my dad.... I just hope sky's doing better then me...". "she's talking to angel?" "Yeah, kinda, well....inviting him to hang out....globgor is going to look into his family but we think well.....we might be better talking to angel ourselves to a degree, right now, we're better off as friends then enemies..", she crossed her arms, "Just, i hope you're not doing it just to get information out of him....he's still a person you know? I know i'd hate it if someone became my friend just to use me like that...I know he's kinda weird but, he's still a person...". She pouted, "Awhile back you got mad with me for trying to mess with Loki, for trying to trick him? I was only trying to help but I wasn't going about it the right way, I have friends back home who'd....well I guess they would've seen the situation more harmless then you did, but i get the feeling being tricked or lied to bothers you a lot...". He nodded, "I guess you could say that yeah....", and Sunny nodded, "I made you upset, and....I don't want you to make him upset....i've met monsters like him back home and....", She stopped speaking, but judas seemed to understand what she was getting at. Sunny had a real sympathy for monsters and people that need help didn't she? "I promise, this isn't just because we're suspicious...we do want to be on good terms with him, trust me.", he patted her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, "With everything going on we need answers, and something is definitely up with angel and we need to look into it, but....I don't want to hurt the guy either....If nothing is really going on and he truly wanted to hang out with us...then.....this can't do any real harm in the end. And hopefully....things work out between us..". She seemed to understand, "Just be careful, he seems like he's going through enough.....I don't think he'd like feeling as though you didn't actually care about him.". Judas knew well enough, and after him being almost friendless aside from sky for most of his life, he wouldn't want to turn into the guy that made someone else feel uncared about either. He just hoped in the back of his mind angel wasn't withholding any dangerous secrets from him, that things could be peaceful between the three of them. There was definitely something strange with him, between him just magically appearing in the castle during the sleepover, to stealing jude's phone, to producing silk again when he shouldn't be able to? Maybe he was indeed overthinking it, it had crossed his mind that he was getting way too paranoid about everyone and everything these days, but he was getting desperate for answers. The biggest issues was mostly going to be getting them from Angel once they confronted him. He was always stern with the boy, but also friendly, despite how tall he was the last thing he ever wanted to do was come off like he was planning to hurt anyone. But if he wasn't careful he might get nothing from him, and only make their relationships with angel worse then they kinda were. He at the very least, could hope the respect they shared between being monster princes from mewni would at least allow the boy to be more comfortable if sky failed. For as long as he remembered the three had never been on the best of terms, even if he wished that were different if he had known he'd sometimes feel as disrespected or as isolated as angel did at times. If there is something on the loose out there, targeting kingdoms, they needed as many allies as they could, and if anyone in this large and insane magical world needed allies and friends at this time of need. It was the boy with extra legs and whose stubbornness matched the one of his best friend most times. No more fights, no more bitter rivalries, no more of angel causing issues. That was the dream, a nice dream at least. "I hope you three become good friends....you know, and nora, nora too.....", sunny sounded sad, her voice growing weak, "If and when we go back home, we're not going to see you anymore most likely....things will go...back to normal, and well....when i'm gone...", she looked over to him with sad eyes, "I hope you all well....are happy...at least, I want to think about you all being happy together, you, sky, angel, nora, mason...landon....all of you.". "I'm gonna miss you too sunny....it's well....it's nice to have a little sister...", sunny smirked, eyes glistening, "Well, it's kinda cool to have an older brother, i've always been so used to being the oldest I've never known what it was like to have a protective older brother looking out for me....I-I hope maybe...we can just...find a way...to talk again, when all of us go home....you know? Think about it, you could meet my friends and they could meet yours and.....it's a nice thought..". "Yeah, yeah it is....the future is always a little funky and even when your reassure yourself things will be easy it can still come back to you but....the though helps, that maybe...everything will work out.". "GUYS!", the door swung open, sky walking in, frantic and.....happy? Catching the attention of both part-demons who were momentarily scared but relaxed and eased as the princess looked the happiest she'd been in awhile. "I think......it actually worked...?". "You asked angel out?", Sunny asked, jokingly, eyebrow raised. "Uh, No......but I think, we're kinda....sorta.....friends? Maybe...well, I actually think he wants to hang out..", Judas stood up, half surprised and half in utter joy, "You actually got him to want to hang out with us? Wow I thought it would take longer but.....sky that's wonderful! What happened?". Sky shrugged, knowing full well the entire situation was kinda awkward to explain , "Well, we kinda fought together and he kinda freaked out and I actually...comforted him? And well we.....he actually.....admitted to well...not liking his actions, that they weren't helping and we.....hugged.". "You hugged?" "Don't make it weird! But yeah....he sorta...cried into my shoulder..". "He cried?! " "Yeah, he kinda went haywire for a sec and i guess it scared the heck outta him and he kinda needed to vent and talk to someone and I was just kinda there and ...look, it's not that important how it happened! I think we just....had a "Bonding moment" and well, he actually smiled, at me.....it's kinda strange when i actually talk about it." Sunny looked rather giddy, "He SMILED?! Awwwww!! That's really sweet! Did you get his number? You could-". "Sunny, angel doesn't have a compact, remember?", judas reminded the small girl, thinking back, "for several different reasons but considering he has to steal mine off me, yeah it's clear he never had one he could easily access, and to order food for some reason too....so that's kinda odd, but yeah, we'd have to go to him to hang out...though, his parents most likely would think we were there because he did something....and our parents still are on high protection of us...". "So how do you even plan on spending time with him? " "Simple", Sky said, not very happy with the solution but knowing full well where it was going, "I'm going to have to talk with my mother..". It didn't sound that bad without context but her mother wasn't very fond of Angel's antics and the only way they could avoid most issues was for angel to come to them And angel can't come to them, without Star herself intervening. Fantastic. - 'Hey celeste...", landon caught up with the girl, a little spring in his step and a compact being placed into his pocket and celeste could only assume what...or who was now putting him in better spirits. "Um....how did things uh...go....with sunny? I'm not talking to judas so....I kinda thought you'd tell me but you've kinda ignored me....", She simply grumbled, her mind feeling as if it were fighting with each other, should she say something or not? By the sounds of it Judas hadn't made it public to the whole group yet , was he even going to? Was everyone just planning on not telling luna anything? Including her? If the Nora stuff was any indication, they were definitely not telling them everything that was going on, sneaking out to see a girl? Seriously? Where were their priorities at if they were sneaking out to see someone else unless it has to do with their current task of finding their way home? It was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place, she was pissed at luna but she was also pretty pissed at judas and sky for keeping more secrets from her. Even if they may of been warranted from someone like luna. She was so lost in thought she only just now noticed landon snapping his fingers in front of her, keeping an eye on the guard following celeste nearby, "Look, we have to talk because if we don't so something and luna finds out, I kinda get the sense she'd wipe our memory or something and I'd....rather she didn't...you have to do some some questioning to figure out what's so...weird about sunny and I have to look at sky's wand and well, we kinda need to talk if we want to do our own investigating I guess..". "You still want to work with uh...luna? You seemed pretty mad with her...". "I don't like her, trust me, but....I've been doing some thinking and well.....I still want you to go home....So, i'll put up with it, but only if it means we figure out what's going on around here.....because If i catch that stupid guy who did this well, imagine that.", she could see a glint of joy in his eyes and suddenly she understood where this was headed, "No more hiding in that private box huh? You just plan on going out there and capturing the guy yourself?". "Oh you bet, i'm freaking sick of this, sick of no one knowing who i am, sick of my brother being more important, sick of people like that girl stomping all over me. I was about to back up, thinking i made a mistake in getting involved in this against my brother, but you know what? Maybe this is just what i need to show him and everyone else, you and me, we work together to figure this out, we'll get what luna needs but we capture the guy together...we both show the others we're not useless..". "You're serious? We team up and work on this together?". "I'll show them....I'll show them all...", he was definitely serious, his violin strapped to his back and his three eyes looking dead forward, "We both will, if luna and everyone else wants to tear us down...we'll shown them what we're made of...". His attitude was so....unlike landon, not to say landon never did anything, but that the boy rarely ever seemed happy or eager to get involved in anything when she'd seen him, she had a feeling luna's words got to him more then he let on. Was he really that mad? She'd seen him mad before but mad enough to push himself into situations he didn't normally like doing? She almost felt like she should talking him out of it, but social interaction wasn't her strong suit, maybe if she was lucky he'd back out of it himself, though right now she just decided to shake it off. She might be overthinking it, if the dude wanted to take charge and prove himself she couldn't really be the kinda person to ruin that for him. "Do you even have a plan?". "Sorta....". "Sorta??!!". "Look, Sunny kinda sorta lives with you, you can talk to her....she's an open book right? Just...ask about her and what's up with her.....why does luna even want to know about that anyway?", his partner shrugged, looking behind her at the guard who wasn't paying too close of an ear to their words, "I assume she just finds it kinda weird this 14 year old girl is more stupidly powerful then she is.....honestly are you surprised? It is freaking weird how good she is at magic...and she's younger then me.". Well, actually, landon had barely ever seen the girl do magic, so he technically had no reason to really know now that she thought about it, but whatever. She shook her head and moved on, "Anyways, I think luna's on edge, the longer she's been here the more and more on edge she's been getting, maybe she thinks....sunny did it?", his eyebrows were raised and his hands were placed in his pockets. "Sunny? But Sunny doesn't really seem to have much interest in like....I dunno, doing anything to hurt anyone? I mean, you've seen her, she eats dinner with our family and she's kinda....well....not really sinister...". "Well, she's also a pretty good actor I believe.....", Celeste mumbled, "I dunno, I think at one point she mentioned being in plays back home and you've seen how she talks to your dad and can get what she wants out of people, I mean....what if she's a better actor then we thought? She seems to have a way with people...". "Yeah, but she's also not tall enough to be under that outfit.....well, i guess unless she flew...but still, like....remember the portal thing? She can't be in two places at once, we were ALL there!", he had a good point, "I mean, unless.....but no, sunny doesn't know anyone else around here enough to have a accomplice, she's in a whole new dimension....and that doesn't explain sky's wand and all this other junk or why she'd do these things... and UUGGHHHH!". "Look, let's just work on talking to her and looking at the stupid wand...though, I dunno what she expects you to do with the wand...stare at it? I mean, if she holds it it would just turn into her wand so....", he grumbled and scratched his head, "I dunno, i've known sky for a long time, seen her use magic all the time, and I don't know enough about it to even know what i'm looking for! I mean, nothing seems wrong about it from the outside....I think...". "Take some pics or something, I dunno....I apparently have to learn to "Socialize" and talk to sunny....", she was clearly not too keen on having the task where she had to smile and make friends and she threw her arms up in the air, "Like, i HATE talking to most people, because most people are annoying and treat me like garbage and I have to try and get information nicely out of them? Like, Ugh.....luna sounds like my mom back home, trying to get me to make friends..". "Really?". "Don't your parents ever just....y'know....make you do these things? Try to help you make friends? Try and make you into what they want to make you into?", he shook his head almost immediatly, "Our parents never really pressured us into anything....being....anyone, judas was gonna be king but....our parents preferred we had y'know....freedom to make our friends and persue our hobbies...you know, i was shut inside my room a lot....my parents didn't try and force me into anything...". "Huh.....", she pondered over that for a moment, before turning her head away, "Well, I guess you're lucky then...". She went silent as she felt landon touch her shoulder gently, trying to comfort her," Look, I-I'm sure you can do it, don't give up...just.....be yourself or something, you can probably get what you need.". She didn't seem all that optimistic about his words but took them anyway, Well, I uh.....hey.....let's head to my room, I think there are some things from yesterday you outta know. He understood, following her. "Hey uh....is it weird to ask if....you know, why do you fall back on things you say you want to do? Like....You said awhile ago you wanted to use magic, use it to help...but don't use it..., and you hate talking about your home...but want everyone to spill their guts....it's kinda weird...". "Why do you care?". "I dunno, it's just...sometimes...It feels like you say things...looking for a fight....but don't actually mean them...". She went silent, before brushing him off, "C'mon, move it....and keep your voice down...". She really didn't want to talk about her problems right now, and just focus on getting this dumd mission done so luna didn't explode. Sunny was an interesting choice of a suspect, but her being in two places at once was an odd thing to explain for now. However, she was not the only monster/mewman that could be under suspect of being responsible behind this. Now, she knew there was another as gears turned in her mind. Meteora. - "You finally ready to go talk to her?", judas sighed, watching sky as she held out the pendent Katrina gave her, sky sighing to herself, knowing he was going to see nora alone today to tell her his progress, in which, there was none of course. Nothing to present to her besides the fact his father would be considering the whole thing, judas would be more then fine on his own of course, though he did seem sad his friend would be sneaking off somewhere else. "Guess I've been stalling long enough...huh?", she was partially laughing, but it was true, she had kinda been stalling for a long time from when katrina first told her she could contact her at any time using this...thing she supposed. Maybe something about going out there to find her made her anxious, maybe she was worried this was a set up for some bizarre elaborate trap, or maybe she was just scared she'd find her and talk to her and come back with nothing. She clutched her wand in her hands, anxious about it and using it before examining the pendent, "I'm not even sure how to use the thing honestly, it's not like this came with any instructions, or katrina told me much, just that this pendent is supposed to help me find her...somehow...". Upon close inspection the pendent was quite decorative, with a few green gems on it, but it wasn't particularly very helpful to point her the right way, because of course it wasn't. Ugh, Spies. Judas carefully took it out of her hands, looking it over closely, "Katrina.....you could at the very least write a note if you wanted to allow us to find where you go", he turned the pendent in his hands and bit at his lips, "I'm not sure sky, maybe you should try using your magic or something?". He was met with silence as he put his hands in his pockets, "You don't have to go, I mean, not tonight at least, you can come with me and nora and we'll talk and you can figure this out later...". "No it's cool, the arm thing is mostly your business anyway,  I just....there's gotta be something here...katrina knows us....there has to be something about it to help....the chick is a freaking spy, if anyone knows wat's happening outside of these walls, she would", he smiled, giving her a small hug before standing back up, "Well, if that's the case, i know you'll figure it out, call me if you figure out anything...ok? We'll talk soon enough, I believe in you....ok?". She smiled and watched him teleport away, staring at the pendent and getting a little more frustrated over time. It was nice for them to be on good terms again, reliving actually, sky could be stubborn as all heck sometimes but judas was probably the one person who could get her to soften so easily. She missed having his support and things sorta seemed to be looking up a little more recently between them being back to normal and angel and her actually seemingly working things out at a decent pace. She wished he could stay and help but, honestly after their stupid fight the last thing she wanted to do was ask too much of him. Plus, this thing with Nora mattered a lot to him personally and no doubt she would be the worst friend ever if she tried to take that away from him. She probably should take advantage of this situation to handle more matters without judas, though she kinda was always under the impression in their duo he was better suited to figuring out puzzles and stuff like this. Even if people were encouraging her that she was pretty competent on her own with magic, she doubted they could argue for her knowledge considering how much studying annoyed her and that she was far from the most knowledgeable about mewni. But she stalled this enough and she had to figure this out, at least, if only because judas was counting on her and believed she would figure it out herself. "Ok.....what am i supposed to do here...how do I find you....ugh...think sky, think like a spy....". She rolled the pendent around and looked closer at the gems, one was a little bit bigger then the other when she took a better look at it, but that was probably for decorative purposes. The she turned the pendent around, looking at it's bare back and scratching at it, "Think think......like...ok.....well, Katrina knows I like to make hats....so maybe....it has something to do with that? But this is like...jewelry! That's.....that's not the same thing! Ugh....maybe I just....". She placed the pendent on her hat, the chain around one of the ears as she frustratingly sat it there, all out of ideas, grumbling, "Ugh....this is freaking stupid....". The pendent, as if it could hear here, hit her in the eye as she moved. "OWWW! Ugghhhhh, c'mon.....". Then she froze, the gem right in front of her eye as she held it closer to her eye. Everything was green. It was a freaking spyglass to hook onto her hats, my god. And then she held it out towards the window. "Are you kidding me..." - "You came! Bluebell!", Katrina wrapped her arms around sky, holding her tightly, "It was about time, I would've thought you'd be more eager to see my other outside work....". Sky huffed and puffed as she pulled up her pendent, the one katrina gave her, "Well, this thing didn't exactly come with instructions, I had to use this weird spyglass thing at my window, till i found some weird blinking thing in the distance, to find your location, and then i had to SNEAK outside of my room to find you...". She looked over the the green gemstone on top of the wall, the stones were clearly linked somehow to find katrina magically but sky still seemed mad about going through so much effort to make it where she should've been countless times before now if she hadn't been so lazy. "And it took you THAT long? it's been weeks!" "What? No! Things just kinda....got in the way", she felt embarrassed, she should've come sooner, and she promised everyone she would, and still didn't do it. Her procrastinating seemed to never fade did it? Katrina still seemed delighted to see her though, smiling from her hideout, atop the ruins of a giant wall, clearly broken from a past war no doubt. Did she really spend her days watching things from atop a ruined wall?  What would she normally even find up here? "Ah, what kinda things?", she was smiling a toothy smile and the mewman groaned. "Trust me, nothing THAT special, but....I'm sure you've heard about the whole....."Masked thief" thing going around? The entire kingdom is kinda in a huff because of it, not to mention security is way tighter to avoid them sneaking back in...". Katrina seemed to get it almost immediately, her eyes diverting to the scene in front of her, "Oh, I know exactly what you mean Sky, I've been on watch for her ever since I heard...I think the monsters have been paranoid about her being a mewman out to get vengeance or something..". "A mewman out for vengeance?". "Yeah, against the royal families for allowing monsters rights and such? You know what some mewmans are like about monsters or half monsters these days.....you're not even a monster and you deal with some flack, i think there have always been rumors for awhile about....secret cults or assassins out to put things back to normal, most of it comes from paranoia of course, but spies like me have caught some crazies out there on the job sadly...you don't think Princess Spiderbite is kept at home or the Lucitor princes are restricted on where they go and what they do for no reason do you? There are dangerous people out there...". "And...you think this is one of them?". "Yes but....you should be careful....because i'm also hearing...you're under suspect from the commission..". "You...hear a lot of things through the grapevine huh?", she had almost forgotten the commission thought she was responsible for the destruction of the archives and tried to take her wand away, it had been awhile since being under suspect had even been brought up and judas made no mention of it when he went to meetings with his parents. Though then again, talking about his best friend like that in front of him would've been a stupid move for them anyway. "Word gets around bluebell......especially when the kingdoms become more heavily guarded and the royals don't leave without bodyguards....besides, you know me, spying is a part time job for me...things slip through the cracks eventually...for example, I assume Judas is out to meet that slime girl?". Sky's eyes widened, then she groaned, "Ugh, does EVERYONE know about that besides our parents? Cause we haven't even done it for very long!". "Oh no, just me....I can see a lot from this point, plus I'm probably keeping better eye on your then the guards anyways..."., she was partially laughing but did seem a little concerned, "Don't worry, I won't snitch, just be careful out there....there's been some weird stuff going on and I'd rather neither of you got hurt on my watch. I know you both can take care of yourselves but if I know you're sneaking out and something happens....that's on me.". "What...weird stuff have you been seeing exactly?". "It's hard to explain, though you know that ponyhead kid? He's been wandering around a lot during the night, I can spot him in the woods sometimes, other times....I spot other people out there, the high commission for one but I can't tell if it's part of their job or not, and some people out there are meant to be out there anyways...". Loki had been wandering around in the woods huh? Yeah, that didn't seem to suit the kid, though it peaked her interests drastically. "Loki's under heavy guard to keep him from running off, he hasn't been like....tagging me or judas for weeks since they locked him up...". "Really? Cause I'm sure it's him...". "Well, judas has said he's been acting strange, tired, more paranoid....dazed....". She hummed and went back to looking over the wall, pulling out binoculars, "That's not a good sign, do you know if he sleepwalks...er....floats? Perhaps he's lacking in rest as a result? Being out in the woods these days, not a good idea....I've tried to catch him, but he's too fast, even for me....and those woods....easy to get lost in. I've been sending reports to his parents you know, but either they aren't listening or whatever they're doing....isn't working..". "You know anything....else going on...that's odd?". "Well, a spy can't tell you everything blue girl...however....i'll tell you this, the high commission are still onto you, be careful, they're looking for more evidence to convict you and the only thing standing in their way of coming to you sooner is your mother..", guess regardless of her mixed feelings towards her mom, she was at least the one thing keeping her from being trialed by the high commission for possible crimes. "You have them on edge, take it from me though, i personally think someone's trying to frame you. That or...the commission is all too eager to remove you from the throne.....". "You think they would do that?". "I put nothing past them after what they pulled with Eclipsa years ago, they're no longer the credible all mighty magic users mewni once saw them. Pretty sure the reason they aren't fired is they don't have anyone to take their place.....but they are still have you under suspicion sky, just....don't trust them, I think they want to believe you're the one under that mask, that your friends are just covering up for you, the stunt that happened with the chandelier? It was only the beginning of trying to make you out worse then you are...". "I got mad during that.....my mom...". "Isn't understanding all the time, or perfect, I know....it's not entirely your fault she leaves you so....emotionally upset. Though, as someone who knew her, she struggled a lot as well, I mean "Fixing" magic? Dying and coming back to life? She went through a lot, and she was just around your age if not younger when she did....and then, she grew up, she kinda had to grow up fast going through all that....she never intended to be so....."Y'know"?". "I guess....". "That's life sometimes, things happen and there's not much you can do about it, your mom wants the best for you she's probably just not...."Good" at expressing that, it's ok though. You'll get through it, you're getting better at magic right?", she held out her wand, "Yeah, I am....i mean...my mom started training me and It did some good....but...I also failed a lot....but then eclipsa started helping and...of all people out here, ANGEL sorta made me realize a lot of the reason I screw up....is cause i lack like...confidence....or well...i'm emotionally messed up..". "Angel? Awww, that's sweet...". "Don't make it creepy.". "Oh don't worry, I just think sometimes you can learn just as much from your enemies, as your friends. And besides, angel is nice boy, sometimes a little stupid and inconsiderate, but a nice boy. I suppose your mother teaching you specifically would make things more complicated wouldn't it? Well, don't worry about it.....your friends will-". Then she went silent, touching sky's shoulder, "Shh, quiet....there the boy is....wandering around again?". Sky looked up and over the wall, squinting. "Uhh....I don't see loki anywhere, I mean...he's bright green....". "That's because he wears a black costume blue girl...., but if you look close enough you can make him out despite that....here", she handed sky her binoculars and sure enough, the outline of a pony could barely been seen as the prince rapidly moved through the woods, "Well, if he's putting on a costume, he's out for a reason....you think he's looking for something?". "Not sure, just know he's scared a lot of villagers passing by because he's so fast and hard to make out...."., the frog woman eyed sky, "I'm not supposed to leave my post tonight since my usual partner ain't here but.....you think we should catch him? I've tried tailing him but he's too fast, but maybe....", she looked to sky's wand and back to her, "You're not perfect I know, But....if you're improving as much as you say you are....see if you can catch that rouge prince before he gets back home, i'll cover for you if you get caught...". "Catch him? You mean go over there and rope him?". "Yep....ever lassoed a stray warnicorn? It's like that....except....it's flying...though, might wanna be careful considering he's royalty. If you can catch him we might be able to find out what he's doing, his parents never listen to me otherwise i'd go to their kingdom and ask myself but....yeah, you know them...". She grabbed the binoculars back as she examined the surroundings, "If you can catch that guy, we might get to properly confront him on this right here, right now...". "You sure we couldn't wait...?". "It'd make good practice....just be careful of the horn, and maybe magic possibly, but it might help you more to use magic in action.", she noted, and she was indeed right. Sky was thinking for a bit, well, if she did catch him she might be able to find out some info, but then again, loki usually lacked anything of interest, even angel at the very least, was fascinatingly annoying, loki was straight up a burden most of the time, and if he weren't being kept in his room he probably would've caught onto sky's little secret uncomfortably fast and blabbed it to the world. "Here.....you are now spy, spies wear this...", she handed sky a dark mask to hide her face, "Here....put this on, might help him have a harder time noticing you...I don't know what he's doing down there, but I think we'll both be better off knowing.". She needed only to look at the mask for a second before grabbing it and pulling it over her head, "Alright, I'll give it a shot, I don't promise i'll catch him though, I have no idea what he's even doing out there...". "Well whatever it is, we outta find out...". Sky creeped away from the way, sneaking over towards the edge of the woods, wand in hand and eyes looking out for sudden movements, she and judas had gotten into a few scrapes, never really to go after anyone of course, but she had recalled times where sneaking around and having your hair stick up on edge was incredibly common for their adventures, that was the thing about mewni at least, you never know what to expect and so much out there was deadly enough to kill you in an instant. Especially out there in the woods. Loki was lucky he hadn't been hurt yet out there, was he using magic against anything that could've killed him? He was pretty cowardly, too cowardly to really fight back that much, too cowardly to sneak into the dark woods at night where he could easily be kidnapped or hurt or worse out there. Maybe he really was sleepwalking or something? Though that probably just meant he should be slamming into every tree he came across, breaking his horn easily. She gripped her wand tighter as she peeked further into the woods, feeling a breeze as something flew past her fast. And then stopped in it's tracks, much to her surprise. "L-Loki?". He turned. He didn't seem normal at all, his eyes were glowing and she couldn't even see the prince's pupils, she barely had time to think when he darted for her and her wand, sky ducking and the prince missing her by a few inches. What? was he trying to impale her or something? He wasn't sleepwalking, that was for sure, he was under some kind of spell. And something about sky and her wand seemed to call to him, he darted again for her and sky put her wand out at him, aiming to hit him. Without hurting him of course, or judas would be PISSED. But then he stopped in his tracks, right in front of the wand, transfixed by it in fact. Sky was panting, shocked by the sight in front of her, was he responding to her being a magic user or something? Did it even really matter? She roped him no trouble with her licorice spell though, right around his mouth, pulling him along and back to katrina, who looked just as stunned as sky was as she got a close look at the spell cast prince. "You caught him...rather....easily....", Katrina reached out to touch the prince's face, he didn't react, whatever spell he was under made him kinda stiff other then the floating his species normally was capable of. "Does he...recognize me? Why would he stop?", Katrina didn't seem to know herself, "Right now, let's just get him home, "Or correction, I'll get him home, you probably shouldn't say anything....I need to report this one sky, he's clearly been tampered with magically. We won't be able to question him till he snaps out of it...and who knows how long that might...last..". Sky circled him, in fascination, "Does this mean...someone's been using him for something?". "It would explain his vanishing for awhile, seems he was an easy target to take control of..", she snapped her fingers in front of his glowing eyes and hummed to herself, taking rein of the "Rope" sky was using. "You better leave blue girl, not safe if masked person is taking control of others for their own benefit. Your safety is incredibly important and I can't risk you ending up like him....". Sky really couldn't argue with that if she tried, though he felt shivers go up and down her spine as she removed the mask she was wearing. "S-should I tell judas? About this?". "The sooner the better, if he's here it's highly likely the masked one isn't too far away...". "Alright, I'll-". Then before her eyes, Loki's eyes returned to normal, the prince fainting and falling only to be caught by katrina quickly, he came to shorty after, dazed and very much confused. He looked between the monster and half-mewman and blinked at them, "Uh....what? Sky, you're kidnapping me? Where you taking me? Tell me you're taking me away from my parents....". Sky gave him a look, and the pony went back to floating, his hair waving and gills working as normal. "Uh....w-why are you staring at me....is...what am i wearing?!...ugh...", he seemed drowsy, even if he wasn't in control of his body, his body still seemed to have all the same affects it normally would've if he had had them, he still seemed a little out of it and katrina looked back to sky as loki finally noticed he had been roped. "Don't worry your highness, I'll explain later, c'mon....we're heading out....", she looked over to sky and motioned to her spyglass, "I'll lead you back home, follow, but once we get back, don't come looking for me anytime soon....I'll come to you next time we need to talk...". "Wait, what's going on...I-I..", she shushed loki, "C'mon, we move.....". And she was out of sight quickly after, tugging the prince behind her as sky grabbed her things, summoning her bat-winged cloudy to catch up. - "Landon...sweetie?", Marco knocked on the boy's bedroom door, hearing a small "Yeah?" from the other side. Marco opened the door to find the boy.....reading a book on magic? And Celeste was with him in the corner, writing something. Marco didn't pay her much mind though, wanting to see their son specifically. Landon looked up at the sight of them and seemed a little embarrassed, he wasn't entirely over the fact he dissapointed Marco as badly as he did. "Hi mom......", he was flipping through the book, specifically on the pages about the butterfly wand, the recorded gemstones it had had in it's history and such, finding any info he could on his mission, his knowledge of sky's wand was limited, but maybe....if he knew more about it......he might have an easier time getting a hold of it and finding out what about it had suddenly gotten luna's attention. Maybe he could figure it out himself? Before she or anyone else could? Though his mom entering the room was a bit of a distraction as he put the book down, he just hoped it wasn't anything.....bad, he was getting a little too used to getting bad news for his liking and he especially hated hearing it come from his mother of all people. But his mother seemed rather happy, their first instinct being to ruffle their son's hair, being mindful of his sharp horns, "I'm glad you made another friend landon, you called bernard recently? I'd like to have him over at some point....so we can all get to know him...". "Mommmmmm~", he was giving her a childish grumble but his mom only seemed to laugh and find it adorable. "C'mon, I think it's a good idea, sky's been over for meals so many times in the past but you've never invited a friend over for dinner to meet the rest of us, I think it'd be nice for all of us to get to know him a bit better, well, as long as his parents were cool with it. I know the whole "being rulers of the underworld" thing, doesn't work with everyone...". "Well, I'll ask, I....I do want him to come over.....soon...", he couldn't see if but he had a feeling celeste was smirking and rolling her eyes from her seat, "You think he'll be cool with......all this? I mean, he saw a little of it and he says it'll be fine but....". The human covered his mouth, "Don't worry about what he thinks, if he can't accept your home and culture, then you can find better friends out there who do care about you and your culture...ok?". The queen removed their hand and landon sighed, "I-I guess....". "Anyways, I came here because I have a package for you....from your brother..", as if by magic, which it probably was, marco pulled out a box from behind them, a rather long box in fact. It didn't take long for Landon to get an idea about what it was, he just was mixed about taking it. His mother though, seemed entirely aware of this, their attitudes to each other at more recent dinners and such most likely gave it away rather quickly since landon was maybe a little too easy to read for his mom. "Open it.....please? I know you two are still mad at each other but.....at least see what he got you...". He sighed but complied, ripping open the package and the paper being used to cushion the object as he found....a new violin bow. Oh yeah, judas did promise him a new one awhile back didn't he? It was beautiful though, back and red with a small wooden skull carved on the top. He stared at it, at a loss for words when he noticed a note in the box as well, pulling it out and looking over it. Yep, it was clearly from his older brother, and he almost considered scrapping it for a moment. But his mom was there and....well....he'd kinda be the worst if he did that, wouldn't he? Sigh --------- Landon, I don't want us to keep fighting like this, but i know you don't want to speak with me so for me this was the best way I could talk to you. Listen, I don't mean to make you feel however you feel, whether it makes you feel inferior or unliked or....that our family prefers me. I never asked for this, to be cursed and have to deal with people either despising me, fearing me, or so sympathetic towards me that....it makes you and others feel insignificant. I feel like a burden sometimes, personally, especially to our family who have to spend so much time arguing about taking care of me or trying to help me that even asking for help feels like crossing a line to some degree. I don't like being the guy everyone is worried about or is pressured to be so many things or i'll blow up like a bomb. You're lucky landon, you're free to do what you want, no pressure, to go out there and make a name for yourself. Mewni has already decided both those things for me, and it's something I have to deal with whether i want it or not. I never meant to come off like i didn't care, you know how much i hate hurting my friends or family members, you're still my brother and I don't want us to keep fighting. We need to talk about this stuff more, in person, I'm not mad with you, and you don't me owe me anything but, just understand I never intended for things to go this kinda way in our relationships. Maybe i could've better, about everything...and maybe I sound kinda bad by trying to make any kind of excuses in this, I guess it just doesn't feel...fair to be blamed for something that's just....out of my control. But If you need a real apology, because i REALLY don't want to come off like i'm trying to guilt trip you...can we talk? In person? We should talk and sort this out, together. I hope you like the bow, It finally came in after awhile and I figured this was the best place i could leave a note since i promised you a bow. just....tell me when, ok? Judas. -------- Landon put the note back in the box quickly, a fast reaction and most likely a resort of his lingering anger. But his face softened a little and marco sighed, "Listen, you can't stay mad at your brother forever, you know how badly he hates hurting you or sky or anyone, he's not perfect but he does love you and mason. This.....this feels more like something you have with me and your father, not with him. And.....we're sorry if you ever felt like we treated you any different". Oh boy, this was NOT the conversation he expected to get today. No sire. He could hear celeste coughing awkwardly from her spot as his mom continued to speak, "Listen, things are rough lately, especially since all the kingdoms are paranoid and the high commission themselves are failing to help solve the problems despite our efforts, but right now, we need to work things out between us, not create a bigger divide. We love all of you and maybe we're not the world's greatest parents but you should speak up about this....if you feel.....like this.". "It just wasn't...". "Landon, we're your parents, you should be able....to talk to us...about these things, if you're afraid to speak to us then....we feel like we failed you three as parents. And you three are our whole world....", landon frowned, his ear twitching as he could hear celeste was no longer writing, in fact, she most likely was listening to the words of the human very closely in fact. Celeste of course, took no interest in in talking about her family back home, but he got the feeling whatever his mom was talking about....meant something to her. "Mom....it's...It's complicated...". "Well, when it came to my parents? For awhile we were kinda distant from each other....they barely talked to me and I barely talked to them and we were growing apart.....and when we realized it, we realized we needed to fix it and mend our bond again. Landon, talk to us....please...if you need to, and we'll do our best to fix whatever's been bothering you...at it's roots. We want to be better for you and your brothers if possible....", they sighed and took a seat on the bed, "You and your brother need to talk, work things between you, we need to sort this all out...". Landon grumbled and Marco gave him a look, making him quiet down and sigh, "Ok, sure....I guess...". This seemed to ease the human, putting their arm around landon in a sort of side hug, "He's your brother landon, you can't stay mad at him forever, look out for each other...alright?". Landon looked up at the human sadly, "And mason?", rewarded with another laugh and head rub from his mother. "Of course, he's your little brother after all, he needs you too as he grows up...". "Is he....ok?". "Well, lately he's been hanging around the stables more recently, since he's in trouble for his plants his garden time and what he takes care of has been more...restricted, we should've kept a closer eye on him and that was on us....however, the skeleton horses are fine as long as he's careful, but you know how much he loves animals. I think he just needed some time away from the garden for a little bit to get some fresh air somewhere else, he's still being kept an eye on though," they winked, "The stables are luckily indoors thankfully...considering the horses don't need to graze...". "I'm sorry mom..". "No, you're still a teenager, i remember being your age, being a moody teen who thought i knew better and had my life figured out....before i realized i was being a complete idiot. We both, me and Tom, we knew this kinda stuff was coming when we wanted to be parents...we just don't want to make the same mistakes our parents might've made and just be the best we can be. We just want you all to have a good future, and if we're letting you down.....that's rough for us...", but they smiled, laughing to themselves. "It'll be fine landon, you're a smart boy, let's all just try and do better in the future, ok?". Landon felt his head lean on his mother's shoulder, on instinct, and was he...crying? "It's alright.....just relax....let it all out...", They were looking over to celeste, hoping they weren't embarrassing their son by having this conversation, but it didn't seem to be a big concern of landon's. He wiped at his eyes, trying to calm down, "Ugh...mom can't you just let me be a bitter and mad teen?". Which seemed to make them both laugh as landon felt some of his usual makeup run down his face, great, now he'd have to wash up before it stained his clothes. Though his mom kissing at his face seemed to draw his attention elsewear as he swatted at them playfully, "Sorry, as your mom I refuse to let you stay bitter and mad at your brother for the rest of your life, it's a important rule for me as a parent.". Landon snorted at them, dear god he was still mad at judas but he knew well that his mom had this kinda affect on him, if anyone in this family could talk him into doing something, it would have to be marco. "M-MOM, Celeste is here!", he said, half amused, half annoyed. "That didn't bother you before, c'mon.....you're never too old to get kisses from your mom!", marco tugged them close to affectionate peck them more and landon was reduced to nothing but laughs before his mom finally, FINALLY let up, Landon red-faced and actually smiling. "I-I'll talk to judas...I guess....but...I'm still kinda mad at him....I can't really help it". Marco seemed to understand though, nodding along, "If you've felt that way for years, it's hard to blame you....but...please talk with each other...ok?". "Yeah mom....". Celeste went back to scrawling, trying to ignore the scene going on nearby, even though she was very much lost in thought at this point in time. Thoughts swarming of back home and she found the pen dropping from her hands once again despite her protests. Swatting away little tears before they could streak down her face. - "I'm sorry Nora...I know you were hoping for more from me today but it's gonna take longer to get what we need.". He sounded guilty as he paced around the princess's room, biting at his lips and crossing his arms, his ears twitching and listening for any signs of trouble during this meeting. He could spot nora taking small notes for her journal as she listened to him speak, but even though at times she seemed to be shyly avoiding eye contact with him, he could tell she looked worried about him, well, more worried then what he had been used to with her in the past. "Jude, i-it's fine, i didn't expect you to get it immediately anyway...your dad is nice, i'm sure he'll come around, he just needs....time...like he said. Let him have time and we can look more into this stuff in the meantime...", he nodded, she was kinda right, he was thinking about this way too much, worrying way too much. There were other matters to worry about as is and he should take advantage of the time he had here while it was still going. He felt he couldn't help it in a way though, even if he knew it was stupid. "Y-you're right, i guess i'm just stressed out...and confused and...a lot is on my mind these days..."., it was true, in the last few days he got hit with WAY too many things at once, way too many things he wanted to still talk about, mostly with sky. It was as if one problems was being topped off with another and he wasn't given enough time to recover from the last even though he wanted to desperately, he'd been trying to focus on everyone else today to distract him but it was a lot harder now, when Nora's prime focus was him. Being calm and trying to stay cool seemed to have escaped from him these days, he was trying so hard to be the most responsible and the biggest adult in the room and now all he felt like doing was letting everything out of his system, he supposed maybe he had been letting all these matters grow inside him for too long, he almost made himself the ringleader of this entire situation and having that topped off with so many other problems seemed to have formed some cracks he usually tried to seal. God, what would it be like when he was king and was dealing with even more on his plate at this rate? He almost wondered if some of those people out there were right, about him not being able to handle it, about being set off but he still scoffed at it, he was being insecure again and he almost wished he could crawl up in a ball or vent.  He felt he was almost growing a headache and he tried to quickly calm down before nora panicked about him maybe coming down with something. He was a prince, he needed to pull himself together and handle this, he needed to clear his mind and calm down. "Oh.....would you like to...uh..?", she didn't seem to know how to say it, that or, she couldn't spit it out to the boy. But Judas seemed to know what she was trying to say regardless, "I want to talk about it....but...I don't think I can.....it's....well, a lot of it is private..". "Oh..", her voice must've sounded a little saddened judging by judas's quick reaction, turning towards her, a little stressed as he tried to ease the situation and explain himself. "It's nothing against you it's just.....I think I've put enough weight on your shoulders, I feel lately like....maybe i'm making you too uncomfortable by pushing you to do these things for me, even if you want to, and for now, I don't want to push any more on your back. I sorta just, wanted to help you get out of your shell, but it feels more like i'm doing this more for me because i feel guilty about mistakes i made in the past and, I don't want to do that anymore....I just want us to hang out...like friends....no huge issues, no pressure, we hang out and work together and...yeah...". "Judas...are you...sure you're ok?", she sounded nervous, moving hair from her face and looking at his rather closely, all judas's mumbling making her rather worried. "No one...was mean to you today....were they? Is it really just....what you were saying?". Judas waved it off though, "I'll be fine, there's just so much on my mind and I wish i could talk about it more but....I can't, you don't have to worry I'll hopefully cool off and get back on track...". He went quiet, he was rambling, probably making a fool out of himself out of stress when he was supposed to be relaxed and focused, he must look incredibly stupid right now in front of nora, who had no idea about all the messy details and problems he was going through. He was lost in thought about Meteora, wondering if maybe it was too much to ask Eclipsa if he and Sky could meet her in person, though at this point it was most likely she was off having a great life, maybe married, maybe wanted to be left alone. and what would he say anyway? There was nothing to say to a person he didn't really know, who he thought was dead and knew nothing of what happened. And his dad, geez everything about that was judas walking on dangerous territory, especially with how his dad was about the whole thing. He wasn't even sure about seeing him again, dinner would just be plain awkward, and it was already awkward enough with landon. And don't get him started on stuff with angel, it honestly wasn't his top priority but if eclipsa and globgor found it strange, him finding it strange couldn't be that weird, though he was happy sky seemed to have gotten along with the boy. There was just a lot to think about, and worry about. He hoped Sky was doing better and she was not sitting in her room, still fiddling with the charm Katrina gave her. He found himself leaning against a wall, keeping his mouth closed shut, nora taking some notes in her little journal, she didn't seem to want to push him any further right now, letting him take some time to clear his own find. He wondered if this was how luna felt most of the time, constantly worried and stressed, feeling like her world was collapsing and being incredibly anxious as she worked alongside her own mother who had taken a VERY big liking to her and he obvious skills. Maybe he gave her too much flack for being such a stick in the mud, considering how much stress she was under over her situation, even if she wasn't the best about it. She was most likely already planning her own solutions, probably behind their back if she had to to get some results. He wouldn't hold it past her in all fairness, considering the results they had been getting where less then ideal, though in all fairness so much more was at risk if they were caught as opposed to her. "Judas....?" "Yes?" "Y-you don't have to be so....nervous around me, y-you seem so....scared i'll get mad...or...something like that?", she was looking at him with her soft green eyes and judas suddenly felt embarrassed, "Well no, it's just...I feel like...I keep screwing up, trying to talk to you and I just...I don't wanna come off like....like a jerk, not to you. I'm just not....I'm not perfect.....at talking to people sometimes, and I just...with everything happening...I just don't want to hurt anyone again". She blinked at him softly, it was as if she wasn't used to him acting like this, so nervous and worried and as if he were falling apart. "You're not a jerk judas..I don't think you are at least...", she hid her face in her book a little more," You're nice and you just like helping people, y-you..... ". Then she stopped. "Nora?" "My parents....I can hear them coming...your spells are sending an alert....you have to remove the magic off the door and hide....or they'll suspect something!", and sure enough, the eyes off his skull chain lock were glowing, a perfect silent alert system for them in case their soundproofing didn't work. That had to mean the arrival of King and Queen spiderbite were only seconds away and boy judas was the last person they would want to find in nora's bedroom of all places. Judas was fast, darting under the bed and snapping his fingers, the enchantments leaving the door quickly after. Hearing two figures make their way in, he kept his mouth shut and hoped he hadn't made it apparent someone else was in the room, though much to his surprise, the conversation going on had little to nothing to do with him, or the fact they may of heard something. Instead, they both sounded worried, even a little panicked. That couldn't be a good sign. "Nora, you need to come with us....", the queen was walking towards the bed, and judas could imply she was most likely grabbing onto her daughter's arm, "What? Mom, is something bad happening?". The woman only frantically pulled her off the bed, "We saw her, out the window, we need to get you somewhere safe, we're on high alert! The guards are on alert and the commission will be here any second....c'mon". Nora wasn't even given much of a time to react when she was pulled out of her room, the door shutting behind her, leaving the boy in complete darkness under the girl's bed. Her? Wait... He was only given a few more minutes of panic before he heard footsteps. LOUD footsteps. And he held his breath as a cloak, or most likely, a black dress, dragged across the floor in front of him. Oh No.