#i guess i really should earnestly look into getting a display case or something.... | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

caught-in-a-seesaw-stigma · 4 years

Text

Map of the Soul, Chapter Three

For the @btswritingcafe‘s Map of the Soul: 7 Workshop

Pairings: OT7 x reader (kinda); Taehyung x reader, Yoongi x reader

Series Summary: If you give a piece of yourself to everyone you love, at some point, there will be nothing left for yourself. While feeling lost and alone in your adult life, a strange box falls onto your head in your own closet, and you take an unexpected walk down memory lane wondering where everything went wrong. Was it the romances that fizzled out, the friends & loved ones you left behind, the “what could’ve been” moments, the brush with Fate that never quite connected? Could the strange map you find have the answers you are looking for? Determined to feel complete once again, you embark on a journey to reclaim the missing pieces of your soul.

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Just a Smidgen of Smut

Word Count: 6k+

Warnings: cursing & vulgar language, sexual innuendos, mentions of previous sexual encounters, nerdy soulmate things, mentions of suicide, mentions of depression

Chapter Three: The Beautiful Music We Used to Make

March 19th, 6:27pm

“Tae, I need an opinion,” you shouted from the bowels of your closet. “Can you come here a minute?”

You were digging through your unbelievably small collection of cocktail dresses trying to pick out something professional, but still flattering. There was no way you were going to attend this event without looking your absolute best. You already had the most gorgeous plus one ever, but it would take more than the great Kim Taehyung to make you feel confident in the presence of your ex-fiancé.

Min Yoongi.

You tried in vain for many years to forget about your failed engagement to him, but it haunted you nonetheless. Case in point, this fancy university function to honor Min Yoongi for his recent contributions to the Music and Performing Arts Department. Because of his generous donations, they were able to purchase a new grand piano and upgrade the stage and orchestra pit in the auditorium.

I guess becoming a successful musician is worth ending a five year relationship after all.

You swallowed the bitter thoughts and pulled another dress off the rack. Taehyung popped into your closet and actually felt the angst seeping out of your pores, and it aggravated him to no end. The breakup with Yoongi almost broke you, and Taehyung did his best to keep you in one piece. It was difficult from afar, but he managed to keep you focused on school and other things until you were healed enough to move on.

He hated that Yoongi kept slipping back into your life, and he wasn’t about to let this opportunity to confront the guy pass him by. He’d insisted on accompanying you to the event, and he intended to put every other man in the room to shame with his charm and good looks, including Min fucking Yoongi.

Taehyung took in the desperation mounting on your face and he decided to step in and help the damsel in distress before him.

Prince Taehyung to the rescue!

“Ttalgi,” he said softly. “Get your shoes on. We aren’t going to find what you need here. For an event like this, you need something special. Come on, let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” you pouted. “It’s already 6:30, Tae. Where could we possibly go at this hour to find clothes?”

“Omela’s, of course,” he grinned. “Where else?”

March 19th, 7:07pm

“That one,” Taehyung breathed out sharply. “It’s perfect.”

You glanced down at the glittering black gown you were wearing and you pursed your lips doubtfully. You’d tried on at least three other dresses, but for some reason, Taehyung was convinced this dress was the winner.

It was beautiful, you had to admit. The slinky material was accented with delicate beadwork and sequined appliques which wrapped up one side of your body and dipped down the other. The slit across your thigh was just revealing enough to still be in good taste. The halter top was a little dated, but Taehyung argued that vintage looks never go out of style.

You turned back around to face the mirror and your gaze met Taehyung’s in the reflection. The confidence etched across his features calmed your anxiety little by little. You twisted back and forth to inspect the different angles of your body and you had to admit, the dress looked pretty good on you.

“Oh, you look gorgeous, honey,” a sweet voice piped up from the racks. “Absolutely beautiful.”

You and Taehyung looked out across the cozy vintage stores and saw a lilac bun of hair bobbing between the aisles of clothing. Omela’s was a jewel of a store located just beyond the hustle and bustle of downtown. The big display windows housed a hodgepodge of mannequins adorned with eclectic vintage clothing from many different decades.

Ms. Omela herself was the very definition of eclectic, always dressed in mismatched clothing from various different styles. She just wore whatever made her happy, and Taehyung absolutely adored her. You stopped in when you could, if only to say hello to the bouncing ball of sweetness that was Ms. Omela. She emerged from between two racks of clothing carrying two more dresses, but when she saw you, she set them aside.

“Now that’s the one, isn’t it?” Ms. Omela sighed happily. “Oh, Taehyungie, isn’t she just a vision?”

“She certainly is, 아줌마 (ajumma/auntie),” Taehyung breathed out, his eyes boring into yours in the reflection.

“Thank you, Ms. Omela,” you replied sweetly. “I’m so glad you were still open. I didn’t realize I needed something this fancy until this afternoon. Bless you.”

“You know I’m always here, honey,” she cooed. “Besides, it’s always a treat when I get to see my favorite customer.”

She leaned over to pinch Taehyung’s cheeks and he blushed under her praise. The old woman had a soft spot for him, and he worshiped her. His love of vintage clothing was kindled in this very store on one of his visits to see you when you were both still in college. He’d seen a shirt in the window and once he got to the second rack in the store, he was hooked. They’d become fast friends and she never hesitated to set items aside for him, knowing that he’d love whatever she found.

“By the way, Taehyungie,” she remembered. “I have a few things you should look at.”

She disappeared through another set of clothing racks and made her way to the back of the store, and Taehyung stepped forward to pull you into a back hug. You both looked at each other in the long mirror and you leaned your head against his broad chest.

“So this dress, huh?” you murmured. “You really think this is the one?”

“Totally,” he replied while placing a kiss on your exposed shoulder. “You look stunning, babe. I can’t wait to see his face when you step in the room.”

“I’m not ready to see him,” you whined slightly. “It’s been almost 10 years, Tae.”

“I’ll be right there with you,” he assured you with a kiss to your temple. “Don’t worry. We just need to figure out which item is his.”

“It’s probably the kazoo,” you scoffed. “You know Yoongi and his musical instruments.”

Ms. Omela waddled back in with a large duffel bag. Taehyung stepped forward to take it from her and she patted his cheek lovingly. You smiled and stepped back into the dressing room to change out of the dress. By the time you exited, Taehyung was already in the room next to yours trying on the clothes she’d brought him.

“I can’t believe you still have this shop open, Ms. Omela,” you grinned. “How do you manage to collect all this amazing clothing?”

“My son, gods bless him, is to thank for my success,” Ms. Omela frowned. “Sometimes I think that he suffers through his terrible corporate job just to keep me happy. Ever since his father died, he’s made every effort to keep the shop open for me. I keep telling him that we should just walk away and let it close, but he refuses to let my utopia die.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” you said. “You’re lucky to have such a devoted son.”

“I really am,” she sighed sadly. “Thank you for saying so, sweetheart. You know, Taehyung reminds me of him so much. Maybe that’s why I love to see his smiling face.”

You smiled earnestly at her and thought of the joy Taehyung brought into other people’s worlds. There really was no limit to the golden effect he had on them.

“Ms. Omela, I think I’m going to take this dress,” you told her. “Do you have any accessories that would go with it?”

“Of course, dear,” she squealed. “I always have accessories for every occasion.”

She wandered off to gather up some items for you to peruse. You could see her small hands reaching up and pulling items from shelves and baskets throughout the store, and you couldn’t resist smiling at her enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Taehyung emerged from the dressing room in a deep green suit with golden accents. The matching silk shirt underneath made his caramel skin glow in the shop’s soft lighting.

“Wow,” you gasped. “You look amazing, Tae.”

Taehyung struck a pose and flipped his hair out of his eyes dramatically. When he shifted his eyes to meet your own, he smirked and lifted a flirty eyebrow at you. You rolled your eyes in faux annoyance and smiled at him. The man could probably make an old paper bag look good.

“Oh, Taehyungie,” Ms. Omela cried out from somewhere in the shop. “You look divine, my love.”

“Thank you, ajumma,” he called out. “You always know what will look good on me.”

She emerged from behind a large rack of coats with a small basket full of glittering goodies, which she handed to you before stepping forward to get a better look at Taehyung.

“I knew that suit was for you,” she breathed out happily. “The moment it came in, I set it aside, knowing you’d come back in for it. I’m so happy you like it, sweetheart.”

After selecting a beaded clutch and matching jewelry, you and Taehyung bid Ms. Omela goodbye, promising to stop back into the shop before he left town. You noted that Taehyung was also sporting a few more bracelets on his wrist that weren’t there before. The woman spoiled him rotten.

Spoiled brat. Gotta love him though.

March 20th, 5:47pm

“Stop messing with your dress, ttalgi,” Taehyung commanded. “You’re going to ruin the beading if you keep twisting it like that.”

You couldn’t help it. You’d only been in the university ballroom for ten minutes, and you were already a nervous wreck. Everyone was automatically charmed by Taehyung, and you were happy that the attention was on him and not you. You just couldn’t get your mind off of Yoongi and his imminent arrival.

This was a bad idea.

You had strategically placed the five unclaimed items in your clutch along with your wallet, phone, and lipstick. It was an odd assortment, but you had a feeling that you would be leaving without one of the items tonight. The conversation in the room suddenly rose in volume and your heart dropped in the opposite direction.

“There he is,” you whispered unknowingly at Taehyung, who immediately scowled at the entrance.

“Min fucking Yoongi,” he growled. “I should wipe that fucking smile off his face.”

You released a shaky exhale as you took in the overall appearance of your ex-fiancé. He looked glorious in his crisp black suit and silky ash gray hair. He was accompanied by a bodyguard and his manager, and he made his way through the room shaking hands with the administration and meeting other important figures from the university.

“Damn,” you muttered sharply. “Why does he have to look so good?”

“You look better,” Taehyung insisted. “No one can compare to you right now, babe.”

You nodded at his comment, but it lacked conviction. You were entranced by Yoongi’s subtle grace and the enigmatic smile he gave everyone in the room. It wasn’t a big smile, just a slight pull on the corners of his lips. It was his polite smile, his professional smile. Only a few people ever saw his real smile.

I used to be one of those people.

The president of the university stepped up to the podium and properly introduced Yoongi, citing all of the wonderful contributions he’d made to the university over the years. Yoongi stepped forward and spoke a few words to the crowd, but his composure slipped slightly when he locked eyes with you from across the room. Taehyung must have noticed because he chose that moment to slip his arms around your waist and lean his chin on your bare shoulder.

“Yeah, he saw you,” Taehyung gloated, while kissing your shoulder. “How could he not when you look this incredible, babe?”

“Tae,” you hissed quietly. “Stop.”

“No way, babe,” he chuckled darkly. “If you want to talk to him, this is the best way to get his attention.”

The speech ended, the applause resounded, and everyone was encouraged to enjoy the open bar and hor d’oeuvres.

“I’ll be right back,” Taehyung suddenly announced. “Meet me on the balcony in a few minutes. I want to take in that amazing view with my lovely soulmate before we head out for the night.”

With that, Taehyung wandered off, leaving you alone at the table. You grabbed your drink and made your way onto the large balcony overlooking the city. The twinkling lights were indeed breathtaking, and you released an airy sigh as you focused on the horizon point between the city and the night sky.

You leaned on the ornate metal railing and swept your gaze across the dazzling view. From this perspective, you saw beyond the subdued university buildings and the monotonous drone of academia. The landscape dipped and revealed the lush wooded area surrounding the university grounds. Just past the trees, the horizon was speckled with multicolored lights from the rest of the town. Your entire field of vision was consumed by the twinkling lights, resembling an intricate galaxy of stars.

The gentle breeze whisked across the balcony, ruffling your curls away from your shoulders. You closed your eyes and leaned into the calming zephyr, hoping it would sweep away the anxiety building in your gut. You couldn’t understand how the tension on the balcony felt stifling, but it was steadily growing with each passing moment.

“Hey, stranger,” said a deep voice behind you. “Long time, no see.”

Yoongi.

That voice was unmistakable. The gravelly rumble, the delicate timbre, the playful bounce of his words crushing you under a mountain of anxiety. What exactly do you say to someone you once saw as your happily ever after?

He pulled up on the railing next to you and let out a breath full of an emotion you couldn’t quite place. You turned slightly to look at him and immediately regretted that decision. As soon as his eyes caught your own, he unleashed a devastating gummy smile which made your knees weak.

How does he do that every time?

“Can I just say that you look amazing in that dress?” he grinned. “I don’t know where you got it, but it suits you perfectly.”

“Thanks,” you grumbled. “Taehyung picked it out.”

His expression shifted to annoyed at the mention of your soulmate. The two of them never really got along, but they put up with each other for your sake. Now that you and Yoongi weren’t together, there was no hiding the displeasure in either of their eyes.

“Ah, yes,” Yoongi scoffed, scrunching his nose slightly. “The infamous soulmate. I remember. I guess it makes sense that you ended up together. I never could compete with that asshole.”

“Yoongi,” you admonished. “It was never a competition. Tae and I aren’t together like that. We never have been.”

“So you say,” he muttered coolly. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous right now.”

“Of what?” you snapped. “You have nothing to be jealous of, Yoongi.”

He nodded at that, then turned to look out across the landscape. After a few moments of awkward silence, you decided to broach the topic of the evening.

“So,” you started simply. “How have you been, Yoongi? I know you’re doing well career-wise, obviously. But what about everything else?”

He smiled softly and let out a sigh.

“Always concerned about me,” he chuckled. “I always loved that about you. You never hesitated to think about my well-being.”

“Someone had to,” you challenged. “You were always so focused on music, you would forget to take care of yourself. I worried about you. I still do, if I’m being honest.”

“You do?” quipped playfully. “Why is that, pretty girl?”

You buckled slightly under the pet name he used to call you, but you were determined to address the issue at hand before you lost your nerve.

“Because despite everything that happened between us, I still care about you, Yoongi,” you admitted freely. “I will always care about you, even if you don’t feel the same way.”

His grin evaporated at that, and he furrowed his brows slightly. With a huff, he reached over and put his hand on your waist to pull you closer. Your breath caught in your throat at the proximity, and you released a small gasp as he leaned forward to rub his nose against yours.

“It was never about that,” Yoongi murmured quietly. “I always cared about you. I still do. I just couldn’t give you what you wanted, what you deserved.”

You trembled slightly as his fingertips wandered up and down your sides tracing over the curve of your hip and then up to the swell of your breast. Your resolve was weakening under his expert touch, and why wouldn’t it? The man knew every inch of your body and knew exactly what buttons to push to turn you into a whimpering mess.

“Yoongi,” you whined softly. “Please don’t do this to me.”

“Do what?” he teased lightly. “I’m not doing anything to you...yet.”

You reached up and stopped his hand from moving any further. You couldn’t allow Yoongi to ruin you yet again with his touches. You’d come too far and there was no way you were regressing back into the mess you used to be.

That’s over for me now. I’ve moved on.

“I can’t let you do this to me again, Yoongi,” you explained firmly. “The last time I did, it almost broke me completely. I won’t put myself through that hell again.”

His face softened and he nodded in understanding. He reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear and noted the glossiness of your eyes. He winced slightly and you saw him gulp in response.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I really am. I wish I could be the man you want me to be. I just can’t. Not when I’ve come this far.”

“I know,” you replied softly, reaching out to hold onto one of his belt loops. “I’m really proud of you, you know? You’ve done some amazing things with your music.”

“Thank you,” he smiled genuinely. “That means a lot coming from you.”

You hesitated, but felt like you needed to say one more thing before you lost your nerve.

“He’d be proud too, y’know,” you ventured. “If he was still here, he’d be over the moon for your music.”

Yoongi stiffened against you and let out a huff of warm air. He knew what you were talking about, but you couldn’t tell whether he was comfortable talking about it. He pulled away slightly and your heart broke when you saw his glistening eyes.

Oh no. I’ve gone too far.

While you were both still in college and still figuring out what your futures would be, Yoongi’s best friend was involved in a horrible car accident which left him partially paralyzed from the neck down. They’d both been music performance/production majors: Yoongi, the pianist and his best friend Dae, the percussionist. After the accident, Dae fell into a deep depression knowing he’d never be able to play an instrument properly again. He tried to regain his strength through physical therapy, but in the end, his desire to make music just died along with his desire to live. After a year of despair, frustration, and overwhelming anger, Yoongi found Dae in bed, overdosed on his own sleeping pills.

Needless to say, the whole thing wrecked Yoongi. You stayed by his side, trying to ease the pain of his loss, but it didn’t do any good. Yoongi withdrew into his work, determined to succeed at music, no matter the cost.

You suddenly remembered what Yoongi was always telling you when you begged him to take a break.

I can’t take a break right now, pretty girl. I don’t have a second to waste. I need to do this before I can’t anymore.

Yoongi cleared his throat and shook off the discomfort at the mention of Dae. You thought Yoongi might be retreating again, which you couldn’t blame him for. Dae would always be a tender point of discussion, and you felt bad for even bringing him up. You started to pull away, but he reached forward and grabbed your hand, entwining his fingers with your own. He pulled your hand closer to his lips and placed a gentle kiss against it.

“You’re right,” he sighed heavily. “Dae would probably be talking shit about the stuff I’m writing now, but he’d still like it. He was a bastard sometimes, but a supportive bastard nonetheless.”

You both chuckled at that, and then you settled into another moment of silence. Yoongi was one to break the silence this time.

“I’m sorry,” he pouted. “I was fucking horrible to you after Dae passed. You didn’t deserve that, especially from me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was slipping away from me. There was just this big black shadow following me around and it didn’t matter where I went or who I was with, I couldn’t get rid of it.”

“It’s ok, Yoongi,” you soothed. “You were in a lot of pain. I just wanted to be there for you.”

“I know,” he admitted sheepishly. “But it was definitely not ok. You were so patient and loving and I treated you like shit. I neglected the one person who was trying to make me happy in the midst of all that pain and angst. We just kept going back and forth and I figured it was better to stop everything before I ruined your life completely. It was a shitty thing to do, and I should’ve been a better person for you.”

“You’re better now,” you reminded him. “Are you happy with your life, Yoongi?”

He looked you in the eye and gave you a lopsided smile. You knew that smile. It was the smile he gave people when he wanted them to believe that he was fine when he really wasn’t. You weren’t falling for it, and he knew it. He rolled his eyes at you, knowing that you were calling his bluff.

“I’m not unhappy,” he admitted. “I love my job, and I love the freedom that comes along with it. It does get a little lonely sometimes, but I deal. The hardest part is dealing with writer’s block. I’m actually in the middle of a block right now.”

“You? Blocked?” you teased. “The unstoppable writing machine is blocked? How is that possible?”

“Don’t tease me,” he whined cutely. “It’s a serious condition. I have a deadline coming up and I’m just stuck. Nothing sounds right and my mind just goes blank when I try to put beats together. It’s so frustrating.”

“I know,” you agreed. “Remember what Dae would do when you got stuck? He’d start banging on everything in the studio trying to inspire you. A random smack of a chair or the reverb off of the cabinets would catch your attention and then you were off and running like a madman.”

You both cracked up at the memory. Yoongi flashed another gummy smile at you and you felt blessed to be in its presence.

“I remember,” he chortled. “There was even that stupid purple kazoo he brought in once. He swore that even though he didn’t play a wind instrument, he could still outplay everyone in the building.”

You froze as he guffawed at the ridiculousness.

Purple kazoo!

Yoongi caught on to your sudden stiff posture and the panicked look in your eyes.

“Hey, what’s wrong, pretty girl?” he asked, eyes full of concern. “Was it something I said?”

You flashed him a look and tried to swallow, but your throat was inexplicably dry. You gulped down the rest of your drink and set the glass aside on a side table on the patio.

“Stay here,” you pleaded. “I have to show you something, but it’s in my purse. I’ll be right back.”

“Ok, I’ll wait right here,” he agreed, although still concerned about your shift in demeanor. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yes, I promise,” you replied shakily. “Just wait, give me a minute.”

You rushed back inside and grabbed your clutch. Taehyung was talking up your friend Gina in the corner, so you dashed back to the balcony without a second thought. Once you reached Yoongi, you thought it prudent to explain yourself.

“So, I have absolutely no way of explaining this, so please don’t freak out,” you prompted. “I found this in a box in my apartment, and I didn’t know it belonged to you until just now.”

You opened your purse and pulled out the purple kazoo. Yoongi’s eyes lit up with recognition and his jaw dropped.

“What the,” he sputtered. “Why do you have Dae’s kazoo? Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for that?!”

“I don’t know,” you admitted. “Like I said, I have absolutely no idea where it came from or how it came to be in my possession, but here it is.”

You handed him the kazoo and he took it gingerly from your fingers and just held it, his face full of wonder and disbelief. His eyes watered as he looked at it, and you tried to soothe him by rubbing his arms.

“This is the last thing Dae ever gave me,” Yoongi explained. “He’d left it in my studio and I took it to his apartment the night before he...the night before he-”

The words caught in his throat and he took a deep breath to combat the onslaught of tears pushing at the back of his eyes. You pulled him into a gentle hug, hoping to assuage his grief, if even a little.

“We talked for hours that night,” Yoongi croaked into your shoulder. “He even played on this stupid thing for me. Before I left, he handed it over and said I should record some kazoo for my next track. He said it would be the next big thing in hip hop.”

You continued to rub soothing circles on his back, but Yoongi just kept trembling in your arms. If you’d known how emotional this whole thing was going to be, you would’ve waited until you weren’t around crowds of people to unveil this sensitive information. Yoongi took a deep shaking breath and shuddered against you. He clutched at your back briefly and then slowly pulled away from your grasp. He pulled the silver pocket square out of his lapel and wiped the tears from his face.

“I’m sorry, Yoongi,” you murmured softly. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just realized what it was when you mentioned it, and I thought you would want it.”

“I do,” he sniffled. “I don’t know why you ended up with it, but I’m glad you were able to bring it back to me. Thank you, pretty girl.”

“Don’t mention it,” you smiled. “I’m happy to help.”

“I just wish I had something to give you in return,” he sighed. “But I don’t have any-”

Yoongi suddenly paused and cocked his head sideways at you with a perplexed look on his face. He pulled up his sleeve and undid the cuff links holding his shirt together. He unveiled a bracelet of red silk thread woven around a silver eternity symbol. He pulled the adjustable strings to loosen it and then slid it off his wrist.

“I found this in my accessories collection the other day and I’ve been compelled to wear it every day,” he told you. “I don’t know where it came from, but every time I look at it, I’ve thought about you. It’s the strangest thing.”

He pulled your wrist up and adjusted the strings so the bracelet fit snugly against your wrist. He grinned at the sight and pulled your wrist to his lips.

“It suits you,” he murmured against your wrist. “It’s like it was made for you, pretty girl.”

Your cheeks were dusted pink at his words, but you returned his smile anyway. His eyes traced over your face as though searching for the answer to a question he had yet to ask.

“I can never apologize enough for what happened between us,” he proclaimed. “But just know that there is not one day that goes by where I don’t think about you. I know I made my music career a priority, but that was only because I was afraid of losing it like Dae. If the tables had been turned and I was the one who had ended up in his position, I don’t know if I would’ve survived either. Music is everything to me, and the thought of losing that terrifies me, even now.”

“I understand,” you sighed out sadly. “I just wish that losing me scared you just as much. Our relationship suffered because of that fear. I was ready to spend the rest of my life with you, Yoongi. It just sucks that you didn’t want the same thing with me.”

His hand twitched against yours and he seemed to hesitate for some reason. He suddenly released a huff of breath and licked his lips.

“Fuck it,” he whispered.

Yoongi leaned forward and captured your lips with his own. The Universe stood still for a moment and you melted against his chest. The kiss wasn’t harsh, but just firm enough to give you butterflies and make your knees weak. You leaned into the kiss and pushed back just enough to elicit a needy hum from Yoongi.

You parted your lips and you felt Yoongi’s tongue sprint forward into your mouth, taking complete control of the kiss. The heat levels increased between you, and your mind flailed uselessly against the magnetic pull of Min Yoongi. Awash in a torrent of longing and nostalgia, the two of you sunk into an all too familiar passionate embrace. He pulled away from your lips, too soon, and leaned his forehead against your own.

“Music may be my first love,” he admitted openly while sinking his fingers into your hair possessively. “But I swear you will always be my last. No one will ever compare to you, pretty girl. Many have tried, but none of them even come close to you. If I couldn’t make a relationship work with you, then there is absolutely no hope for anyone else. I would rather go the rest of my life loving you from afar than trying to fake it with someone else.”

“Yoongi,” you gasped. “Please don’t say that. That sounds so lonely. I don’t want to think about you being all alone. It hurts my heart to hear that.”

“I’m not alone, pretty girl,” he assured you. “I have my music, and let’s be honest. With my busy schedule, a relationship isn’t going to be a real possibility for a very long time. I have no intention of slowing down any time soon. I’ll worry about that when the time comes. Until then, I have my memories of you to keep me smiling every day.”

He reached down and pulled your wrist up to run his fingers across the infinity bracelet. You watched as he traced out the never ending loop over and over again.

“That’s what this is, pretty girl,” Yoongi murmured softly. “Let this be a reminder that no matter what, my love for you is infinite. The memories of what we shared will always be a comfort to me, even when darkness falls.”

“How can that be enough?” you insisted. “They’re just memories, Yoongi.”

“Hey,” he said while reaching up to hold your face between his glorious hands. “Just knowing that you don’t hate me and that you still care about me is more than enough for now. I promise that if I ever need more than that, I will be giving you a call. Not as an ex, but as a friend. Before anything else, we were friends. I’d like that to still be true, if you’re willing.”

“Of course,” you breathed out in relief. “I would love that.”

You wrapped your arms around Yoongi’s neck and he returned your tender embrace. You both sighed out happily, and then you heard approaching footsteps menacing across the balcony.

“Well, well, well,” Taehyung drawled. “If it isn’t Min fucking Yoongi, my old nemesis.”

“Kim Elizabeth Taehyung,” Yoongi gloated cheekily as he turned to face him. “Still with a flair for the dramatic, I see.”

“Hey,” Taehyung shot back angrily as he pointed a long finger at you. “Only she gets to call me by that name. That is a soulmate trademarked nickname.”

“Ah yes, how could I forget?” Yoongi teased. “My pretty girl and her annoying soulmate, always joined at the hip, even from far, far away.”

“She isn’t your pretty girl anymore,” Taehyung reminded him. “You lost those privileges a long time ago, or don’t you remember breaking that pretty girl’s heart into a thousand pieces?”

Yoongi winced at that, but you rubbed his arm reassuringly. You glared at Taehyung who only smirked back at you triumphantly. He noticed your sudden tenderness toward Yoongi and his smirk morphed into a confused pout.

“That’s enough, Tae,” you announced. “Yoongi is not my enemy, nor is he yours. Back off.”

Taehyung recoiled slightly and ruffled his hair, trying to shake the confusion out of his curling tendrils. He shifted his weight to his other leg and looked Yoongi up and down, as if to assess any changes or hidden transformations he’d missed earlier. With narrowed eyes and a brief lift of his chin, Taehyung glanced back to your softened gaze.

“We don’t hate him anymore?” Taehyung questioned carefully. “Are you sure?”

You leaned over to kiss Yoongi on the cheek, drawing a flash of red across his cheeks and ears. You grinned at his embarrassment and shook your head at Taehyung as his jaw literally dropped in astonishment.

“No, we don’t hate him anymore, Tae,” you continued. “We’re good.”

“Oh, thank the gods,” Taehyung breathed. “Finally.”

Much to your surprise, Taehyung stepped forward and took Yoongi’s hand in his own. Taehyung’s boxy grin made an appearance as he shook Yoongi’s hand and started talking a mile a minute. Yoongi went into mini panic mode with Taehyung’s abrupt advance into his personal space and he shot you a questioning look. You just shrugged.

“Can I just say that your last album was fucking incredible?” Taehyung blabbed. “I mean, your beats are fire, man, and don’t even get me started on those lyrics you write.”

“U-umm, thanks, man,” Yoongi stuttered. “I worked really hard on them.”

“We totally need to hang out sometime and just shoot the shit, y’know?” Taehyung persisted. “I would love to sit down and just watch you work. I bet it’s amazing.”

A deep voice broke up the love fest erupting all over Yoongi.

“Mr. Min,” his bodyguard announced unceremoniously. “It’s time to go. We have that flight in the morning, sir.”

“Yeah, ok, I’m going,” Yoongi assured him. “Just give me a second.”

You and Taehyung both looked at Yoongi and giggled at the awkward tension that dispersed now that the guard had intruded on Taehyung's moment of fawning over your ex.

“I gotta go,” Yoongi shrugged, while handing both you and Taehyung his business card. “But let’s catch up when I get back. I have to do a small promo tour over the next few weeks, but I’d love to get dinner with you guys when I get back.”

“Oh, I can’t,” Taehyung pouted. “I don’t actually live here right now. But hey, if you ever need a new marketing guy, let me know. I would quit my job in a second to work with you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Kim,” Yoongi chuckled, shaking Taehyung’s hand again. “Do me a favor and take care of this pretty girl for me. I know she’ll be in good hands if she’s with you.”

“Of course,” Taehyung breathed out. “It’s my mission in life to keep her safe and happy.”

“Then she’s lucky to have you,” Yoongi said with a grin. “Very lucky, indeed.”

He turned to face you and you couldn’t resist the puppy dog look on his face. You leaned over and offered him one last kiss on his pouty lips.

“I’ll be fine,” you told him sweetly. “We’re fine. Go on and break through that mental block of yours. I’m sure you’ll figure it out before you know it.”

He pulled the kazoo out of his pocket and unleashed yet another gummy smile.

“Now that I have this,” he mused. “I’m sure something will come to me. Thank you. I mean it.”

After giving you one last gummy smile, he turned away and walked over to his bodyguard, leaving both you and Taehyung on the balcony. Taehyung put his arm around you and leaned his head on yours, deep in thought.

“Everything went well, I’m assuming,” Taehyung casually commented. “You both seem to be in a good place now, better than you were before at least.”

“Yeah,” you agreed. “Better than you anyway. What was with that full blown fanboy you busted out on him? Stan much, Tae-bear?”

“Come on, ttalgi,” he retorted. “The man is a musical genius. You cannot deny the man’s talent. I would be remiss not to recognize and respect the full power of Min fucking Yoongi.”

“Are you ever going to stop calling him that?” you giggled.

“Never,” he proclaimed. “That will always and forever be his name. Now, I say we take this party elsewhere. You look too damn good in that dress to waste away in your apartment.”

“Fine,” you sighed. “What did you have in mind?”

“Bar?” he suggested. “With karaoke? I’m buying.”

“Who could say no to that?” you gushed. “Lead the way, Elizabeth.”

You linked your arm in Taehyung’s and made your way out of the ballroom, your steps a little lighter than they were before.

Another successful exchange, Universe. Keep them coming.

Author’s Note: Man, I love me some Min fucking Yoongi. This was a shorter chapter, but it doesn’t diminish the impact on the rest of the story. We’re getting into the heart of the adventure, y’all. I hope everyone is ready to jump into the next chapter. KARAOKE WITH TAE!! Let me know how you’re liking the story so far. Until next time!

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

Chapter Two: Soulmates are a Forever Kind of Thing

NEXT CHAPTER

Chapter Four: Just Filter Out the Bad, Keep the Good

MAP OF THE SOUL MASTERLIST

@caught-in-a-seesaw-stigma‘s MASTERLIST

#btswritingcafe #map of the soul #bts series #bts fic #bts fanfic #BTS au #bts angst #bts fluff #bts smut #kim taehyung #min yoongi

41 notes · View notes

miss-tc-nova · 4 years

Text

Sunrise - Jihyun/V x Fem!Reader Pt 1

I started this series in the middle of The Cat’s Meow and have kind of struggled with some of it (I’m sure readers will pick up on those parts). Nevertheless, I still had a lot of fun with it, so I hope you enjoy.

Part 1: Stumbled Upon You

Ambling down the road, I pause, distracted by the beautiful flowers in front of the shop. Smiling, I lean in to smell the beautiful flora. Once I’ve happily taken my fill of the calming scents, I continue on my walk only to run face first into someone, sending us both to the ground.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” I instantly spout, getting off the poor man. “Are you okay?! Did I hurt you?! Oh geeze! I need to seriously pay more attention to where I’m going! I-”

His gentle laugh cuts through my panic, effectively silencing me. That mint colored hair atop his head looks so soft, I have to resist running my hands through it. Those mint eyes are pale in color but have a spark of happiness that appears rare, but it’s brilliant.

“I apologize,” he hums, propping himself up. “I was enjoying the smell of the flowers and I knew you were there but I didn’t expect you to move so suddenly. I suppose I should’ve made myself more obvious.” I notice that his gaze stays low, locked onto the ground and it occurs to me.

“Oh my god, I knocked over a blind man.” With a gasp, I cover my mouth. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you! Sometimes I just spit out whatever comes to mind and I’m not the brightest person so it always comes out really stupid and childish and-”

“Do you always apologize so enthusiastically?” he laughs.

I put a hand to my mouth briefly. “I’m so sorry.” Standing, I take his arm and help him up.

“It’s alright. I’ve honestly had worse than this.” His hand brushes against his face. “Although I seem to have lost my sunglasses.”

I pick up the dropped eye wear. “Oh, here they-ohhh no.”

“They’re broken aren’t they.”

“I’m such an awful human being,” I sigh in defeat. “Let me buy you another pair.”

He chuckles. “It’s alright. I’ve got several more at home. You’d be surprised at how many I’ve stepped on myself.”

“Then...let me buy you a coffee or a tea or something,” I insist. “It’s the least I can do for all the trouble I’ve caused.”

That smile makes him look like an angel. “You really don’t have to.”

I don’t know what posses me to do so, but I grip at his sleeve. “Please?”

The man sighs but that soft smile returns. “Very well. Are you’re free now?”

“Yes, but are you?”

“Even if I weren’t, I’m quite interested in sitting down and sharing a cup of tea with you.” The words send a rush of heat across my face. “Lead the way, Miss…?”

“_____.” I take his arm and begin to lead him towards one of my favorite cafes.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you,” he goes on. “I’m Jihyun.”

We chat for a bit before I pull him into the small building and guide him to a booth. “Would you like green or black tea?”

“Green, please,” he hums.

“I’ll be right back.” I place the order and the woman tells me she’ll bring it out to us so I return to the man I’ve effectively kidnapped. “Guess we have to wait a little bit. She said she’d bring them out to us when they’re ready.”

“That’s fine,” he replies lightly.

“You...never really answered my question earlier,” I hum. “Were you busy...when I pretty much kidnapped you?”

A grin crosses his face. “I was on my way to see an old friend but I’m sure he’ll be fine for another hour or two.”

“Are you sure it’s okay to keep him waiting?”

“Considering his status, he’ll just rearrange his schedule.”

I tilt my head a bit. “His status?”

“He’s the heir of a large corporation.”

“Oh no! I’m so sorry!”

Jihyun holds a hand up. “Like I said, it’s fine. There’s no need to keep apologizing, please.”

His words soothe something in me and I feel myself relax a little. “Alright.” The waitress comes by placing the drinks before us. I watch Jihyun hold a hand out, now appearing at a loss. Reaching out, I take his hand gently brush his fingers against the cup.

“Oh, thank you. So what do you do for a living?”

“Oh, I’m a seamstress,” I mumble, sipping my drink.

“Seamstress, hm? Do you specialize in any specific type of clothing?”

“Mmm, no. I’m kind of a jack of all trades. People bring me suits to patch, there’s a musical production company that hires me for costumes, I’ve had people commission me for renaissance costumes, I even made a wedding dress once.”

“Wow. You have quite the portfolio. What drew you to making clothes?”

I answer a bit shyly, “I like creating things: shopping for fabric, putting it together, all of it. But my favorite part is making something for someone and seeing their eyes light up. The woman with the wedding dress is my favorite reaction so far, but I do feel bad I made her cry,” I laugh. “And what is it that you do?”

“I’m a photographer,” he answers instantly, but the reaction fades to something dark. “Well, I used to be. Now I’m retired and living off the pictures that I sold or are still in print.”

I feel a sense of awe and concern at the same time. “That’s incredible. I’d love to see your pictures some time.” His smile seems a little sad and I get the hint that we should change the subject. “But what do you like to do now?”

The question seems to catch him off guard. “Hmm? Oh, I don’t know. I suppose I don’t really have a hobby anymore.”It seems that his own words are a shock to him, but he goes on. “What about you? What are your hobbies? Or is work and play the same thing for you?” I hum in thought. “You don’t have to tell me. You’re not obliged to divulge anything to a stranger,” he reminds me; however, I just want to spill everything to this man who’s so emotionally sincere, though I feel that may not be the case verbally.

“Hmm. Well, I do enjoy sewing, so I do spend a lot of spare time making random things. But I do enjoy binging t.v. shows while I do.”

He chuckles. “Oh really? What’s your favorite series?”

Topics from television to world travels to even our favorite foods pass the time and I find myself earnestly speaking with Jihyun. I notice the conversation tends to lean more towards me but I don’t want to push anything he may be uncomfortable with. Still, he’s full of a passion that’s absolutely alluring.

“I would love to see your art one day,” I sigh almost wishfully.

And then Jihyun gives a conflicted expression before asking, “Would you...No. Never mind.”

“What is it?” I press.

He hesitates but takes a deep breath. “Would you like to accompany me to an event this weekend?”

I lower my cup. “An event?”

“It’s an art exhibition; a display of my photos.” The subject seems a bit sensitive but I get the gist of it. “They still like the artist to be there if possible so...I’ll be there. But it would be nice to have a friend there with me.”

Already friends? I feel a blush creep across my face.“I’d love to go. Is it super formal?”

“I believe so.”

I nod to myself. “Great. So I should probably go find a dress.”

For once, it seems that he’s the one a bit flustered. “Oh! You can-If you just bring me the receipt, I’ll reimburse you for it.” He’s so adorable.

“Don’t worry about it. There’s a dress pattern I’ve had my eye on anyway.” I notice a faint tint across Jihyun’s cheeks. “I’ve been saving up. Besides, I think it would be a bit strange for a man I just met to buy me a dress.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

“Great. I’ll pick you up at six on Saturday.”

“Maybe I should drive,” I laugh a little.

One of those mint brows arches. “Did you actually assume I would be the one driving?”

The tea almost comes out of my nose. “N-No!” He chuckles. “But seriously. Should I drive or not?”

“It’s probably better than walking,” he agrees. As Jihyun is giving me his address, his phone rings. “Hello? Ahah, I wondered when you would call. No, I’m fine. I got caught up in something else. I’ll tell you about it later. Alright, I’ll be there soon.” I can already guess who called but I’m a little disappointed that he promised he’d be on his way. “I suppose I should get going. Jumin’s getting rather impatient it seems.”

“I did keep you pretty long.”

His smile makes my stomach flutter. “It was worth it. Would you mind calling a cab for me?”

“Sure. No problem.” I escort the man outside while we wait for his ride. “You’re cab’s here.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you this weekend, right?”

I can’t help but smile. “Yeah. I look forward to it.”

“Good. See you then.”

“See you then,” I agree, watching the cab drive off. With an excited fire in my chest, I hurry to the shops for the dress pattern.

#jihyun kim #mysme jihyun #mysme v #mystic messenger v #mystic messenger jihyun #jihyun kim x reader #jihyun kim x mc #jihyun x reader #v x mc #v x reader #jihyun x mc #fem!reader

22 notes · View notes

all1e23 · 5 years

Text

Astrophile [Pt.6]

Chapter: Cosmic Rays

Summary: Bucky has two days off and, he’s going to make the best of every second.

Warnings: All kinds of heartwarming fluff. I think we all need that after Endgame.

A/N: This is my favorite chapter to date. It’s extra fluffy because my heart hurts (Thanks Marvel). Just keep in mind... slow burn. Send me love because i”m needy, okay?! Plus all your comments make my day. BIG ULTRA HUGE thanks to my beautiful beta @lokissoul I love you 3000!

***My fics are not to be saved or posted on any other sites without my written permission. Reblogs are welcomed! Thanks!**

For forty-eight hours Bucky doesn’t have to think about on-site drills, taking calls, Sam and Clint bickering. He doesn’t have to think about the damn station if he doesn’t want to and he has zero intentions of doing so. The next two days are going to be spent at home with his baby girl, and he can do… laundry. He glares at the mountain of dirty clothes sitting on the washing machine and the second pile laying in front of the dryer and several of Ori’s dresses and tulle skirts that have to be dry cleaned.

That is not how he wants to spend his day off.

Bucky pushes his chair out from the kitchen table ignoring the piles of dirty clothes that were now behind him. Can’t see it, none of it exists, right? He brings his cup of coffee up to his lips and freezes spotting the stack of dirty dishes from the night before and the batter covered waffle iron from this morning. Not to mention the oddly large number of cups they managed to dirty. How do two people use that many cups in only a few days?

With a quick turn of the head, focusing his gaze on the living room in an attempt to escape the mess he’s greeted with puzzle pieces thrown about, Disney Pictionary cards tossed haphazardly, brightly colored pom poms and googly eyes spread out on the coffee table and his arch nemesis – glitter. It’s covering the couch, the rug, and coffee table. Bucky winces at the sight and sets his mug down, heading towards the pile of dirty clothes. They had to get out of this house today and the semi-clean joggers he’s wearing isn’t going to cut it in public.

Plucking one of the not so embarrassingly dirty pairs of jeans out of the pile on the floor he glances back at Ori coloring something with her glitter crayons. Her entire morning has been spent perfecting whatever picture she’s drawing, because Orion is a perfectionist. She gets easily frustrated when she can’t make things look or feel a certain way. If doesn’t know the answer to a question, tears are sure to follow pretty quickly. She simply doesn’t like to let Bucky, or anyone, down.

As much as it worries Bucky, he can’t deny watching her color with her brow furrowed, eyes set in determination and her little tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth is adorable. As cute as she looks he needs to get out of this house before he ends up wasting the day on cleaning because that would be a tragedy.

“Hey, Comet?” He shouts as he sniffs one of his discarded t-shirts and wrinkles his nose at the odor, tossing it back down onto the pile with a grunt.

“What daddy?”

“I was thinkin’, how about we go see Y/n at the bookstore today?”

Bucky hears something that sounds like a scream or a screech, maybe? He isn’t sure what happened, but he rushes back into the living room, sliding in on his sock-clad feet. The bright blue chair (teal chair as he’s been told several times) is laying on the ground and Ori is now sitting on the floor by the entryway, unharmed and slipping her shoes on.

She looks up at him and frowns in deep frustration.

“Daddy!” She whines. “What are you doing? Get dressed. Y/n takes a break soon, and we can bring her a treat!”

He blows a stuttering breath to cover the laugh he was failing to suppress.

“Alright, ya little general. Give me ten minutes to change.” He looks down at the mess of glitter in front of him, puts his hands on his hips and looks back at Ori, “You think I can get Uncle Sammy to come over and clean up the house for me?”

“You’re not that cute daddy.”

-------

Bucky opted to take his car, which he rarely uses, thanks to the enormous toolbox he chose to bring with them. He isn’t the only one bringing gifts to Y/n’s shop today. Ori had her backpack full of drawing after drawing and every single one of her glitter crayons - all sixty-four were in her travel case stuffed into her bag. Because turquoise blue is way different from robin egg blue and she absolutely needs both. They park about a block away thanks to every other person that thought driving was a good idea today. Just a harsh reminder why Bucky never drives in the city. They stroll down the sidewalk, and Ori nervously tightens her grip on Bucky’s hand the closer they get to the shop.

“You okay, baby girl?” Bucky asks, looking down at her.

She shrugs looking down at the rainbow bow on top of her black tennis shoes. “What if she doesn’t like it?”

“I think she’s going to love anything you got her,” Bucky replied earnestly. “I know she’s going to like the picture you made her and I’m sure she’s gonna like the present you got her at the book fair.”

“I guess so…” Ori mumbles as they approach the star covered storefront. She looks up at the letters displaying the shop name and then to her dad, stepping behind him and holding his jeans in her small fist.

“You go first.”

Bucky holds back a laugh for the second time today and brushes her curls out of her eyes to get a better look at her. She is the same shade of green Steve was when he asked Sam out for the first time. She’s really spending more time than she should with Uncle Stevie. Bucky holds the door open letting a large group of people shuffle out and giving Ori a second to calm down. They wander into the shop, Bucky pretends to drag his leg behind him as if Ori weighs a ton and his Oscar-worthy acting skills cause her to giggle despite her nerves.

The shop is fairly busy, but it probably has something to do with it being Friday and the sale Y/n has going on. The sign hanging in the front window reads something about getting fifty percent off a total purchase if you buy three or more books and clearly people are excited. Might not have been the best day for surprises. He’s never seen this many people in the shop before. It’s hard to determine where Y/n is thanks to the crowds that have taken over the shop.

A few sweeps of his surroundings and he finds her sitting on her step ladder between two of the smaller bookcases that sat in front of the register. He stops for a few seconds, just to watch her and he can’t help but smile. She has a store full of customers, and what looks like several stacks of books she needs to put back on the shelves, and she is sitting on a stool with a book open on her lap reading.

She’s reading in the midst of all this chaos.

“Hey,” he calls softly.

Y/n pulls her nose from her book and looks over the bookshelf to find Bucky standing on the other side, smiling fondly at her. A huge smile splits her face in two, and it makes his smile grow ten times brighter. She abandons whatever she was reading and slips it back on the shelf, giving Bucky her full attention.

“Hey, Mr. December,” She replies, snickering as she does.

“I’m not gonna live that down, am I?” Bucky groans, loudly, and hangs his head in shameful defeat.

“Nope.”

She walks around the shelves, and her beaming smile quickly turns into a frown when she spots Ori nervously standing behind Bucky’s legs. Ori’s never been nervous around her before, and Y/n’s mind instantly starts to race. Had she done something to upset her? Was Ori mad that Bucky has been texting her on and off? One quick glance at Bucky for encouragement and she goes right into fix it mode.

“Hey, Ori,” Y/n tries, gently, squatting down to her level. “What’s going on here? What is this sad face all about?”

Ori looks up at Bucky who smiles and gives her a wink urging her on.

��I got you somethin’,” she mumbles into the thick material of her dad’s pant leg.

“Oh, my stars! You didn’t have to get me anything, but I’m so excited to see what it is!” Y/n chirps, a huge smile on her face as she settles on her knees, carefully letting her dark blue A-line skirt flare out to hide her legs. The smile on Y/n’s face gives the little girl a small edge of confidence, and she slowly makes her way out from behind Bucky’s legs.

“Is it a spaceship? You know how much I want to go to space.”

“No. I can’t fit a spaceship in my backpack,” The little girl says with a giggle as she unzips her bright blue backpack. Y/n watches taking note of the beauty and the beast, book club and space themed patches Bucky had stitched onto the front.

“You’re right.” Y/n says, nodding her head in agreement. “How silly of me.”

Ori pulls out the drawing she made this morning and hands it over with a tiny gift bag. Y/n grins as she looks over the picture in her hands. There are four different color planets in the middle that glitter in the lights of the shop, and Ori had left her a message. She carefully reads the words in Ori’s handwriting, ‘You are my favorite planet. I like you very much.’

Y/n looks up at Ori from her kneeling position and practically glows in response. Her eyes never leave the little girl as her fingers work the bag open. “You are my favorite constellation, and I like you very much.”

The faint blush on Ori’s chubby cheeks makes Y/n grin wider, she pulls out a small white piece of cardboard and flips it over in her hand, and her heart leaps. She’s had boyfriends who put fewer thoughts into a gift. Her silence must have made Ori nervous because she could hear soft mumbles coming from Bucky’s side as his hand worked through her curls. “I thought – you like space stuff and, and you have that book you write in…”

She looks up at Ori and smiles clutching the space-themed paper clips to her chest like it’s the most precious thing she’s ever been given, and it is.

“The little astronaut is my favorite. Or maybe it’s Saturn with the little star. I can’t decide. I love them, and I adore you. Thank you so much, sweet girl.” Ori flings herself at Y/n and wraps her arms around her neck, Bucky watches the two of them in awe.

“You’re welcome,” Ori whispers quietly.

Y/n squeezes her tightly for a few long moments and kisses the side of her head.

“Want to go pick out a book, and we can read together for a minute and then you can help me decide where to hang my picture?”

Ori nods and gives her one last squeeze before she takes off towards her chair at the back of the store, where her secret pile of books is stacked behind it. There is a long pause before Y/n can use her legs, she slowly rises to her feet holding onto her picture and her gift with gentle firmness for fear of misplacing them. Not that she would ever let them out of her sight long enough to lose them.

“Thank you for that,” Bucky mumbles softly, aware that Ori is somewhere in the store and kids can hear everything when they want to. “She was really nervous you wouldn’t like it.”

“Bucky…” Y/n sighs and clears her throat of the emotion that was bubbling up. “I loved it. It’s the best and most thoughtful gift I’ve ever gotten.”

There was such a sincerity in Y/n’s voice that he suddenly found himself angry at whoever thought she wasn’t worth the effort. He wants to tell her that she deserves more than that and tell her how thankful he is to have her in his life and his daughter’s life, but he can tell she is struggling to keep her tears at bay, so he doesn’t say tell her now.

“What’s with the tools?” Y/n asks, curiously, ready to change the subject. “Are they props for your next photo shoot?”

His eyes narrow playfully, allowing her to change the subject without missing a beat, and he nods to the toolbox at his feet. “You’re gonna feel real bad for makin’ fun of me when I tell you that I’m fixin’ your door and that busted up front window.”

Her smile slowly fades, and her expression turns serious again.

“I–” She stumbles over her tongue trying to gather her thoughts. “You don’t have to do that Bucky. You have enough on your plate and, and I’m sure you could be fixing things back at your place.”

“And you’ve given Ori how many free books?” Bucky challenges. “How many times have you closed the shop to spend time with her? I know it’s more than the two nights I know about. Let me do this for you. Believe it or not, I’m pretty handy, and the crack in the window is driving me nuts.” He huffs, frustration ringing loud and clear, his hand brushing his hair back out of his face.

“All your cool air is flying right out that little crack. It’s a waste of money,” Bucky gripes, goodnaturedly but it’s clear it’s bothering him.

“And you got any idea how unsafe that is?”

Y/n giggles and shakes her head waving her hand to the front of the shop giving him permission to whatever he wants to - she had a feeling he was going to do it regardless of her permission anyway.

“Alright, get to fixing it I guess. Starlight?” She calls through the shop and Ori comes bouncing around from her chair with a beaming grin on her face. “Dads gonna fix the door wanna help me with inventory?”

Ori’s eyes light up, and she rushes off towards Y/n’s office where the cart full of books is kept and yells back, “Yes, yes, yes!!!

-------

The day flew by weirdly fast. Before Bucky knew what was happening the sun had started to set, and the crowd of people had come and gone. There were waves of people in and out all day. At bits during the day, the shop was so full Bucky had to stop working and just hold the door open for the crowds. Then there were random quiet periods when the shop was nearly empty, and he could hear Ori and Y/n giggling through the quiet.

Those moments were his favorite.

Bucky sets his tools behind the counter and strolls back into Y/n’s office. It was near closing time, they were only waiting on one last customer to finish up her browsing, and Y/n had Ori on her lap at her desk while they looked through her planner, crayons spread all over her desk. He crosses his arms over his chest and leans his shoulder against the door frame, watching them.

“All done for the day?” Y/n asks not looking up from whatever they were coloring together. She didn’t need to, Y/n felt Bucky the moment he stepped into the doorway.

“Yeah, it’s all fixed.”

Y/n looks up and pouts at his empty arms. “Where is Timmy?”

He scowls as he glances back into the shop and then again at Y/n, “Who the hell is Timmy?”

“Um, your toolbox. Timmy the toolbox,” she says quickly, a slight frustration in her voice as if he should have known that Timmy was clearly a name for a toolbox and that she obviously would have spent time thinking about a name for the metal box, to begin with.

“You named my toolbox?” He asks, curious amusement filling his voice. Shit, she is cute sometimes, Bucky can’t help but think.

“I think the real shocker here is the fact that you had not named him up to this point,” She counters with a hint of disapproval, and he really doesn’t like disappointing her. Bucky chuckles quietly at the glare she’s shooting at him and throws his hands up in surrender.

“I didn’t realize I had hurt the feelings of an inanimate object. I’ll apologize to Timmy.”

“See that you do.”

She smiles triumphantly and turns her attention back to Ori who’s giggling away in her lap.

“How about after I apologize to Timmy we grab dinner?” Bucky offers, and Y/n quickly adds on. “I’m buying though!”

“What?” Bucky’s brows shoot up, and he shakes his head. “No, you’re not. How many books did you put in Ori’s bag today?” Y/n opens her mouth and quickly shuts up, her lips pressing into a thin line as she narrows her eyes.

“That’s not the point.” She whines, it’s hard for her to accept all this help from him. If anyone deserves to catch a break, it’s Bucky. Certainly not her.

“You worked all day fixing the front door and then the window and don’t think I didn’t notice you came in and checked all the shelves and did that spackle thingy to the window that was leaking by Ori’s chair.”

“First of all, didn’t use spackle. That wouldn’t work on a wood frame doll. Second of all, my time barely covers the amount of money you’ve lost in books,” Bucky replies, eyes filled with perseverance and his arms crossed back over his chest. He isn’t going to give in, and they both know it.

“Fine.” Y/n relents doing everything she can to hide her smile. She looks up just in time to see her last customer waiting at the register, so she hops up taking Ori with her. “You can buy dinner, but I get to pick where we eat, and I’m ordering two kinds of desserts.”

Bucky grins as he watches her skip back to the front of the shop Ori following right behind her matching her skip for skip. He chuckles quietly to himself and collapses into Y/n’s desk chair. The picture Ori drew was pinned up on the wall next to her desk, and Y/n had her planner out on the desk paper clips Ori had bought her at the book fair already in use. Y/n even let Ori add another movie night to next week’s agenda with bright purple glitter crayon.

“What did we do to deserve you?” He whispers softly.

The grin on his face slowly starts to fade, and his chest tightens when he sees what Y/n has scribbled onto Saturday night.

Dinner with Tony Stark. Masa @ 7pm

It hits him like a speeding truck knocking the breath right out of him. She has a date with Tony Stark. Bucky didn’t think Nat was really going to set them up. He hastily looks back up at Y/n and Ori they are helping the young girl check out at the counter, Ori is sitting on the wooden top laughing loudly at something Y/n is saying, scanning each book in Y/n’s hands and typing into the computer as Y/n directs her after each item.

Of course, he’s going to take her to Masa. Stark doesn’t do anything simple. Everything has to be flashy with him. Y/n probably won’t like all that flashy stuff. It’s stuffy there. Not that Bucky would know. He’s never been, and there was no way Bucky could ever afford to take anyone to Masa. There’s not a chance in hell he’s ever going to make enough money to spend a grand on some fancy dinner. Shit. Who is he kidding? She’s going to love it. Stark’s charming, handsome and could give her the best of everything.

If anyone deserves the best, it’s Y/n, but then again Stark didn’t have the best reputation. If he didn’t end up breaking her heart, which was more likely than not, his relationship with Y/n could affect her relationship with Ori. Bucky doubts Tony Stark’s idea of a fun night is watching Hotel Transylvania while eating pizza on the couch. However, if she wants to date him, as Y/n’s friend, Bucky has no choice but to support her-- even though he thinks it’s a terrible idea.

This is the worst idea and Bucky absolutely hates it.

Previous // Next

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #single dad bucky #bucky x reader #bucky x you #bucky x y/n #fireman!bucky #firefighter au #alternate universe

2K notes · View notes

manggojooz · 5 years

Text

Take My Hands Now (Part 12 - Final)

pairing: Jungkook x reader

word count: approx. 3,250

genre: drama, angst, romance, fluff

summary: You were born with a condition that allowed you to feel the pain someone else was going through when you touched them. Jungkook, on the other hand, looked like he could not be any less bothered with other people’s feelings and was a well known playboy of the school. One night, at a party, while he attempted to turn you into his toy for the night, he grabbed your hand and pain crashed through you, making you wonder whether behind the facade of this pleasure seeker, he could also be hiding something.

warnings: none

Song rec: Euphoria - by Jeon Jungkook

Taglist: @competativekook @flamingorosette

Comments: it’s been a little under four months since I started this series. To everyone who has read, liked, commented on or reblogged it during this time; thank you so much for holding my hand in this journey. This will always remain a special story to me personally and I hope this ending is befitting enough.

“Ok, so basically all of your suggestions revolve around buying her something pretty? That seems a little lacking, doesn’t it? In terms of like creativity or sincerity…”, Jungkook complained as he sat next to Hoseok, mindlessly flipping through that same Winnie-the-Pooh book, ignoring Hoseok’s judgmental stares.

“Why are you even asking me when you aren’t going to accept any suggestions from me?”, Hoseok was increasingly annoyed at the relentless questioning.

“Because you are the only person I know who barely had a serious-ish relationsh -”, Jungkook managed to cut himself off before he went any further.

Hoseok looks up briefly, his mouth turning into an inverted triangle, evident of his downturned mood.

“Sorry man, I didn’t mean to bring it up again… it’s just that I have no one else to ask…”, Jungkook stammers. Hoseok looks back down at the pen he was twirling in his hand to occupy himself.

“Just do what your heart wants to, she’ll like anything you get for her anyway”, Hoseok muttered without looking up again at Jungkook.

Seeing his best friend now, Jungkook wonders, will there be someone who could share his pain too?

“Hoseok, it’s been so long, don’t you think you should -”, before he could finish speaking, his phone rings. He glances at the screen, reluctant to pick up but knowing that rejecting this call was not an option.

“I gotta go, catch you later”, Jungkook waves to Hoseok as he leaves the room. Hoseok saunters over to where Jungkook had left the book lying on the table, the words on the pages sending a pinch to his heart:

“Some people care too much. I think it’s called love.”

—

Jungkook walks into his grandfather’s office. He always disliked the place. He would never visit unless he was called up here.

“Are you seeing someone?”, his grandfather asks pointedly, without even looking away from the document that he was reading.

“I see a lot of people…”, despite the distaste he has for his grandfather, this was the only person who could truly struck some fear within Jungkook.

“If you see a lot of people it is not of concern, but if you get serious about one person then it becomes a concern”, his grandfather always displayed the utmost disdain for feelings of any nature.

“She’s -”, Jungkook opened his mouth to retort but the door bursts open, startling him.

Her heels clicked with a determination that was new.

“Father, let them be”, she walks past Jungkook and threw down a number of photographs on the table. Jungkook was not surprised, he always knew his grandfather kept a watch on everyone. Just seeing the silhouette of you in those photographs reminded him of how much he wanted to protect you even though he felt entirely powerless.

“What are you doing here?”, his grandfather snorted.

“To stop you from making the same mistake twice.”

The stern elder scoffs, “What mistake?”

She stares at him stoically.

“Am I not enough evidence that you made a mistake?”, there could have been a tear or two twirling in her eyes but she would never have admitted it. She steels herself to table a deal instead, “Are you really prepared to hand your company over to that man? He’s not your blood. But Jungkook is. I still hold ten percent of the shares and I can -”

“Jungkook’s far from ready. And if he’s going to let his emotions for one girl get in the way, then he’ll never be ready”, his grandfather stops his mother’s pitch before tilting his head to look straight at Jungkook. His mother stood between him and the aged chairman, it somehow looked like Jungkook was being sheltered by her in this moment.

“That was what you said to me too, twenty-three years ago. And look where we are today. The empire which you spent your entire life building… on the verge of being overtaken by your hand-picked son-in-law. Do you really trust him that much?”, she knew she was provoking a beast but there was hardly any other way.

“And do you really think I don’t know all of that? Two years ago, I set up a trust for all the shares I own in the group. Who do you think the beneficiary is?”, he taunted the mother and son pair. “It will keep my shares away from him, in case something happens to me. But… there’s a condition to obtaining these shares, Jungkook has to prove that he is capable of holding them, he has to become the CEO first”, his grandfather declares.

The poised lady felt a wave of relief mixed with disgust as she realises the ruthlessness of her own father. Even if she hated her husband, time has so passed, and she has watched him sacrifice everything for this company, yet at the end of the day, what did he gain?

“As my only grandson, do you know how powerful your marriage is, Jungkook? Do you understand the amount of benefits it can bring if you choose to marry the right person? The question isn’t whether you are prepared to lose all of this… it is what you are prepared to do to protect it”, Jungkook’s grandfather challenged him.

“I never had anything even when everyone told me I had everything. Maybe we are just different. Maybe you don’t feel it. But I do. And she does”, referring to his own mother. He took a few seconds to look at his family wistfully, understanding that he should also bear the burden of being born into such a position.

“Let me be with her, she is all I have. And I promise to do my best to become what you want me to be. I will do anything to protect her… please… otherwise I really don’t know if I might -”, Jungkook’s voice was shaking discreetly.

“Otherwise he might end up like me… then you will truly have no one left, Father. What are you prepared to do to protect all of this?”, his mother backed Jungkook up as she senses his need.

The two of them emerged silently from the dreaded office. For the first time since she could remember, he called out to her first.

“Mum…”, she turns around at his word, stunned, the term so endearing yet so estranged, “… thanks”, Jungkook mumbles, finding it difficult to meet her eyes.

And for the first time in his recollection, she smiled at him soberly and earnestly. “I just wanted to make up for all the wrongs I made in the past, to you. Don’t make the same mistakes I did”, she lamented.

—

“I’ll be starting to work in the company in summer, Dad”, Jungkook stood in front of his father’s wide mahogany office table. The desk plaque bore his father’s name and the designation of CEO.

“I heard”, his father replied coldly, typing away on his laptop.

“You must really hate me now, right? You must think that Grandfather wants me to replace you?”, Jungkook carefully probed.

The older man’s hands stopped abruptly on the keyboard, lifting his eyes up threateningly to look at his “son”.

“It still turned out this way in the end, didn’t it? No matter how hard water tries, it can never become thicker than blood…”, he looks down again, away from Jungkook. “You are his grandson and you are not my son…”, he spoke sternly, “… even if you were the one person I thought was mine...”, he thought internally.

“… now we will become enemies”, his father concluded.

Jungkook felt that awfulness budding in his chest upon hearing those words. He flashes back to his elementary school days. His grandfather often came to fetch him from school, but the old man never once left the backseat of that posh-looking car. Jungkook would always walk out through the school gates himself, towards the chauffeur who held the car door open for him. Everyone would marvel at the lavish sedan but all Jungkook could see was how the other parents walked their kids home while holding their hands, talking, laughing.

That was why he always looked forward to the days his father would come and pick him up. His father would wait for him inside the gates, greeting him with the warmest voice, and then lead him by his hand to their favourite ice cream hangout. Even if that all stopped when he was eight, those memories had kept him going.

Now, he stood here, hearing the same man declaring them as adversaries. Jungkook lets the nasty feeling settle in the pit of his stomach, bracing himself before responding, “I used to think that everyone were my enemies too. But then I only ended up hating myself more than anyone.

Maybe you don’t think of me as your son, maybe you hated me all these years, maybe you used me to bargain for what you have now… but you were the only person who held my hand back then. You are not my enemy.

You can choose to fight everyone now. But if ever you feel like you can’t do it anymore, if ever you feel like you have drifted too far away… I hope you know that I’ll always be here holding out my hand. You can take it anytime, Dad.”

He doesn’t know if his father will think it preposterous of him to be saying all this, but Jungkook is finally starting to understand…

We are all mirrors to some extent; the more resentment he had for everyone else, the more resentment he had for himself.

—

“So I guess you aren’t coming to the movie with us after your class?”, Mirae asked, Namjoon also turned to look at you.

“Uhh… Jungkook said there’s something important today so I gotta meet him after class…”, you smiled awkwardly.

Namjoon slow-nods while tossing a rhetorical question at you, “And you have no idea what is so important about today, right?”

“Mmm…”, you were just generally very bad with remembering dates.

“For ditching us on movie night again, tell us… how’s the progress with Jungkook? I’m surprised you guys even lasted this long”, Namjoon spoke sarcastically.

At his question, you felt a pang of guilt. To say that there was limited progress would be an understatement, and the reason is probably your stupid condition. There must have been a thousand times where Jungkook’s hands would brush your fingers but he never seemed to have enough courage to even hold your hand, let alone do anything else.

During the weekend that just passed, you had gone home to spend time with your family. That was when your grandfather had once again sensed something was bothering you. You were always certain he had superpowers in this aspect. After some probing you finally let on that you didn’t want to think of your hereditary condition as something negative but you also couldn’t help feeling bad towards Jungkook for all of this.

“Don’t just feel with your body, Y/N, feel with your heart”, that was all he advised you, his wrinkled eyes calming and smile reassuring as always.

“Kim Namjoon”, Mirae chided and gently hits him on his back, “can you be any less encouraging?” You were also jolted back to the present from your thoughts.

“Woman, this is known as reverse psychology”, Namjoon quips.

“Just ignore him Y/N, run on your own timeline, don’t rush it if you aren’t comfortable”, Mirae was in fact the one who had been more concerned when you first told the two of them that you were going out with Jungkook. But once she accepted that you were sure of your decision, she is and always will be your strongest supporter.

“But Namjoon’s not wrong Mirae… I’m surprised too, that Jungkook is still sticking around, despite… despite our lack of physical contact… you know what I mean”, you cringe in embarrassment having to say it yourself. Leaning back into the chair, you stared into space thoughtfully as the professor entered the room to start the lesson.

—

You hopped down a huge step that overlooked the school’s running tracks, towards the back-view that was now more than familiar to you.

“Jungkook-ah!”, you called out.

He stood up from the step he was sitting on, immediately turning around to beam at you. It still fascinates him that just hearing your voice was enough to lift his mood.

“Sorry for making you wait, some smart ass in class just wouldn’t give up on arguing with the prof about a totally inconsequential point”, you explained yourself.

“It’s not the first time anyway, I think I’m getting used to waiting for you…”, he jokingly griped.

It’s been a little more than three months. He would wait for you to finish your classes, he would wait for you to finish work, and he is still waiting for that nasty feeling within him to go away completely. But it was getting increasingly tormenting. Patience is a virtue, however, he was never a particularly virtuous person to begin with.

“Sorry, how should I make it up to you?”, you apologised again while sticking your tongue out a little at him, knowing that he is not truly angry.

Jungkook didn’t answer you and instead he took out a dainty box from his pocket, revealing a silver necklace bearing a tiny hedgehog pendant with a heart shape engraved on it.

“It’s for me? What’s the occasion?”, you gasped in delight.

“I knew you wouldn’t remember”, he was pouting slightly now, “we’ve been together for 100 days.”

You grow wide-eyed, partly surprised that he actually bothers about such milestones and partly because you felt even more guilty for not even remembering.

“Jungkook, I… I’m so sorry. I’m seriously bad with dates. That’s not an excuse, I know, I’ll definitely make it up to you…”, your words stumbled around as you tried your best to make him feel better.

His pout turns into a comforted smile and he removes the necklace from the velvet casing. He cuts short your awkward apology by leaning in to put the jewellery around your neck. You stopped breathing for a moment. You must have been blushing intensely given how your cheeks felt like they were on fire, your nose was almost touching his neck and you could feel his breath at the tip of your ears.

“That’s a lot that you have to make up to me…”, he whispers as he finishes fastening the necklace, cocking up an eyebrow while admiring it resting between your collar bones.

The distance between the both of you was probably measurable only in millimetres. His eyes fleetingly glancing between your eyes and your lips. You could hear his heart beating, or was it yours?

Jungkook thought he must be losing his mind. He has been wanting to do this since he started dating you. No, he must have wanted to do it even before that. There was but one thread of sanity holding him back from closing the gap between the two of you – he cannot hurt you again. He honestly had no idea whether that dreadful pain is gone or not, since he has grown so accustomed to it that he barely notices it sometimes.

He huffed the tiniest sigh as he looked away, and he started to yank himself backwards. In that split second when you notice that he was giving up, you tip-toed so that you could reach his lips, grazing it with a gentle peck. It startles the boy so much that every movement in him stopped, even his breathing.

No thanks to your sudden action, that one thread holding him back completely snaps. He puts one arm around your waist and pulled you towards him, his mouth pressing adamantly against yours. You couldn’t help but close your eyes, amplifying the fuzzy feelings. It was a strange mix of everything, a tinge of pain where he was supporting you, a tenderness where your lips met, and a fervor in the cavity where your heart pounded.

Through all of it, you reached out to hold onto his other hand which wasn’t snaking around your waist. As you grasped his hand, you felt it again, the feeling that started it all. It wasn’t as strong as you remembered it to be, but it was still strong enough to cause a reaction in you.

Jungkook felt you wince into the kiss and he immediately let go of your waist to back away, breaking the kiss. But this time, you used your free hand to pull him back to you by his jacket.

“No, Y/N… stop. I don’t want to hurt you again”, he murmurs, reprimanding himself for getting this far, the rim of his eyes turning a hue of red.

“No, you stop. Stop thinking about it. I will learn to feel you with my heart, so you do it too, feel it with your heart”, you encouraged him soothingly.

You strained your neck to place your lips gingerly on his again, and you could sense his will to separate from you slowly withering as he eventually returned your kiss. You focused on the exhilarating sensation, gradually drowning out your awareness of all other feelings.

Your hand that still held onto his moved to intertwine his fingers with your own. You felt him draw you in closer, his other hand moving to caress your face as his soft lips continued to moved slightly, eliciting an urge within you. You shifted your other hand which held onto the collar of his jacket to circle around his torso, bringing your bodies close together.

For the first time since you have known him, there were no thoughts and there was no pain. Maybe your own feelings overrode it, or maybe he just felt none in this moment.

And for the first time, there was no place for lust within him, for it never truly killed those detestable feelings anyway. With you it was all different, there were no feelings to kill, there was only a feeling to grow, a feeling which could probably only be described as… euphoria.

He didn’t even deepen the kiss any further. He was the one who was afraid, that it might be too fast, that he might not be able to handle all of the emotions. This much was enough for now, he will learn all of it anew, step by step, with you.

As he parted from you, you gave him the biggest smile ever, showing no signs of discomfort, much to his relief. He is always concerned about every feeling you had, more than his own. That is how much he cares about you; some people call it love. And thus, he learns…

People in love will become mirrors to each other; the more he loved you, the more he was able to love himself.

He squeezes your hand tightly and tugs you into a hug determinedly, “I don’t think I’ll be able to let you go now, there’s nothing you can do about it. Since you have so much to compensate me for, just let me keep holding your hand”, his voice was a mesh of querulousness and sweetness. It was the cutest threat you have ever heard.

“I’m not planning to do anything about it. I’ll be here, whenever you need it, take my hands.”

—

♫ Across the dream, over the horizon

I’m going to the place that’s getting clearer

Take my hands now

You are the cause of my euphoria ♫

689 notes · View notes

starlight-drive-in · 5 years

Text

Love Gone By

I told myself I wouldn’t write a reset theory fic, but it is @mmangstweek soooo here we go! For Day 4:Reset / 4th Wall Break

MC doesn't exactly recall all the details of the resets but she gets glimpses into her “past lives” with each RFA member when something triggers a memory, like a smell, or a sound or a certain expression or phrase, etc. The others don't recall them (I couldn’t do that to them XD) she bears the weight on her own while trying her best to enjoy the current “timeline” which in the case she's with Saeran (since he’s currently the last route, but also cuz I’m Saeran trash) and hoping that she won't have to leave him the way she’s apparently had to leave the rest of them.

----

It was hard for her to spend time with the RFA, even with how much she loved them all. It seemed like every time she spent time with them she would “recall” memories of being with each of them. Memories that felt lifetimes away and yet also felt just like home. She remembered what each of them had been at their best, would see flickers of the ideal version each of them had the potential to become. Each time was so hard on her, but how could she ever tell any of them? She couldn’t do that to them, She couldn’t do that to Saeran.

One time she’d been talking with Yoosung about LOLOL. He had mimicked a character with an eyepatch, closing his left eye and quoting a character line when suddenly her face dropped from its jovial expression into one of stark white seriousness.

Suddenly, she remembered how hard he had fought for her, how he had tried and ultimately succeeded in keeping her safe. Her eyes darted across the room for a second, landing on someone else. Was it him who had hurt Yoosung? Was it him who Yoosung had gone through all the trouble to protect her from? The sudden realization of irony nearly knocked the wind out of her.

Her eyes focused again on Yoosung, still going off about new buffs and nerfs in the latest patch. He’s such a passionate person, and she knows he’d go to any length for the right person. She knows because in one universe that person had been her. She remembers evenings in his apartment, filled with impassioned ramblings about different animal’s anatomies, and how fascinated he was with his studies. She remembers walking through the park, hand in hand, smiling.

She remembers waking up, a head of messy blonde hair on one side and a soft grey and white cat on the other. She remembers how hard she cheered for him as we walked across the stage to receive his diploma. She remembers toasting him in congratulations at the party the RFA had thrown for him. She remembers displays of passion in the office of his private practice. She remembers the man he had become with a little love and has to excuse herself to take a walk outside to hide her tears.

And then it was Zen. They were at the debut party for his latest musical. Zen was on cloud nine after a flawless first night. Not even the sight of Jumin entering the room could dull his spirit. As soon as his eyes landed on MC he was bounding over to her, full of energy.

“Jagiya!” He had called excitedly. God, she really wished he’d stop calling her that because every time he did the memories would flood in. Every time he said it was like an arrow had shot her straight through the heart. She almost wished Saeran would pull the jealous card, tell him that she wasn’t Zen’s ‘Jagiya’. But he never did. She wasn't sure if Saeran just didn't mind, or if he just didn't want to cause an issue. Either way, she could never bring herself to ask Zen to stop herself, selfish as ever.

He pulled her into a tight hug and before she could remind herself to hold her breath she was inhaling the scent of tobacco mixed with his cologne that smells like fresh linen. That, combined with the low murmur of the party guests had her right back in the moment of his press conference. When he had unashamedly told the world about her without a doubt of fear for his career in his mind.

She remembers how angry he had been at who she now knows as Saeyoung for not telling him where Rika’s apartment was, she remembers biting the hand that she was holding just a moment ago. She remembers gripping Zen’s waist tightly and speeding down city streets, getting far, far away from the man that now shares her bed. She remembers heated moments in make-up trailers and a completely different bed. She remembers scarlet eyes, just centimeters from her own. With the power to hold for hours, simultaneously terrifying and beautiful. She remembers taunting the ‘beast’ just for the thrill of what would come.

When they separated, her eyes were moist.

“Jagiya, what's wrong?” Zen soothed, immediately concerned.

“Nothing Zenny,” She choked out “I’m just… so proud of you. You did so well tonight.”

Zen chuckled nervously. “Ah. haha Wel, thank you. I didn't mean to move a woman to tears, but what can I say? I guess I'm just that good.”

She giggled, stepped back, and wiped her eyes as gracefully as possible. “Yes, yes, you are.”

Another time she was visiting Jaehee, going over plans for upcoming RFA events. Jaehee had left her momentary. MC figured she just went to go use the bathroom, but when she returned a lovely scent followed her. Jaehee placed down two cups of coffee. Just by the color, MC could tell Jaehee had gotten it just perfect.

“Delicious,” MC commented taking a sip, hoping to wash down the sudden lump in her throat.

“I don’t mean to brag, but I believe I can make quite the cup of coffee,” Jaehee said brightly.

Suddenly a memory of Jaehee swiping a bit of stray frosting from the tip of MC’s nose comes to mind. The Jaehee in her mind giggles magnificently as her long brown locks bounce around her bright, well-rested face. She remembers the way that face had greeted her that morning with a gentle kiss full of love, and a self-realized happiness this timeline’s Jaehee didn’t know.

Suddenly it was MC who needed to take a trip to the bathroom because she couldn’t let Jaehee see her cry. Jaehee had much to worry about, she didn't need to worry about MC too.

For some reason, whenever MC looks at Jumin she feels sad. He’s always well put together, he always keeps everyone together but who keeps Jumin together? Especially now that no one had heard from V since her and Saeran left Mint Eye.

It had happened during an RFA meeting. They had become accustomed to hosting the RFA meetings in the conference room off of Jumin’s office. Jaehee and Jumin were always there, and Saeran was often being contracted to help at C&R as of late, so the location made sense. The subject of this meeting wasn’t a party though. The subject of this meeting was Rika and V.

The RFA was turning over a new leaf, but before they could do that there were a lot of things that had to be explained. Saeran tried his best to piece together his timeline with the rest of the RFA, explaining how he came to be under V and Rika’s care and then eventually just Rika’s care, before transitioning into his memories of the beginning of Mint Eye. Under the table MC squeezed Saeran's hand gently in encouragement, knowing how hard it was for him to talk about this, even if he was getting more used to it.

She glanced over to her other side, where Jumin was seated at the head of the table, the new head of the RFA in V’s absence. Where she was met with a very distraught Jumin, his expression was pained, eye’s closed as his head rested on his left hand, his right hand balled in frustration on the table’s surface.

Gently with her free hand, she had reached out, touching Jumin’s shoulder in concern. He had opened his eyes abruptly in surprise and stared wide eye-ed at her gesture, before fixing his posture into something rigid and more typical of Jumin Han.

A moment later he retreated to his office where MC could see him remove a bottle of brown liquor from his bottom desk drawer and poured himself a glass before sitting defeatedly in his desk chair. She let go of Saeran’s hand and patted him on the shoulder, to let him know she’d be back and that he should continue.

“Jumin?” She had said softly in the threshold of his doorway. “Can I come in?”

He didn’t answer but nodded his head in permission. MC had stood next to him, and leaned her weight against his desk casually. “This is probably a stupid question but, how are you doing?” she asked.

“Nothing I know makes sense anymore, It is as if my head is in knots,” Jumin replied, taking a healthy drag from his glass.

That sounded so familiar. She had heard those words before. Her eyes focused past him to the view of the city from outside his office window, and although she can’t recall ever going to his home, she knows it’s almost the same as the view from his penthouse.

And then she remembers. Days spent in his penthouse, him begging her not to leave, her not wanting to give up on him. She remembers the fear in his eyes, the fear of losing her. She remembers V talking some sense into him, she remembers him on one knee. She remembers V behind a camera wearing a smile as he photographs their wedding. She remembers a honeymoon made for a queen and an agonizingly slow consummation that was so, so worth it in the end. She remembers a small head of black hair and a smile on Jumin’s face that most people wouldn’t even think was possible just before he kisses the crown of his newborn baby boy in her arms.

Jumin keeps everyone together, but who keeps Jumin together? Once, it had been her. She feels a tear well up in her eye as she thinks maybe she can still be there for him, even in this universe. Even if she can’t bring him the joy she once did, a joy that he isn't even aware could exist. She brushes away the tear and steals herself.

“I know all this new information about Rika and V is hard for you to hear. Do you want to talk about it?” She asks earnestly.

His eyes widen in surprise that someone would take a moment to consider his place in this.

Saeyoung was the hardest. Partially because he didn't even have to be there for the memories to come. In fact, she had recalled him before she even met him.

She and Ray we’re sitting across the table from each other in her room when she first arrived at Mint Eye. She had said something silly, she can’t even recall what it was now. That wasn’t what was important anyway. What was important was the way Ray’s face had lit up at whatever it was she had said, the way he laughed wholeheartedly, a brilliant smile gracing his tired face, and then the sudden sense that she had seen that face before, but different? It was like the colors were wrong, but the tired look of adoration he was giving her was the same. The bend of his lips and the way his eyes quirked up on the sides was so familiar it felt like she had known him her entire life, or at least someone who looked shockingly similar. But that didn't make any sense until it did.

She could avoid the faces of the others all she wanted, but she couldn't avoid Saeyoung’s. She couldn’t avoid the sheer fact that Saeran and Saeyoung shared a face. And that sometimes when the light would hit her boyfriend’s face just right when he’d smile just the right way. She’d remember. She’d remember a vastly different version of her current lover - a version that wasn’t her lover at all, but her brother-in-law. She’d remember days in an apartment she’d never been to. She’d remember tip-toeing about the place trying her best not to disturb a certain red-head with glasses. She’d remember breaking down an emotional wall, and a comfortable embrace padded by the many layers of clothes Saeyoung always wore. She’d remember a desperate, passionate night of love-making in which they both ended up in tears, overcome with emotions and fear of what the next day would hold. Not wanting to lose each other.

She’d remember the struggle it was to get Saeran out of Mint Eye, something that seemed vastly foreign to the way he had left on his own in this universe. She remembers hard nights in a bunker that looks similar to the one he lives in now, yet not the same. Holding Saeyoung, reassuring him he was doing everything he could, that he had always done his best.

She remembers when it got better again. She remembers an endearingly-dorky, digitally voiced, proposal that was so him there was no way it was a false memory. She remembers a 3 person family, and a space-themed wedding. Then a fourth person, She remembers holding her newborn daughter in one arm and her husband's crying face in the other as he whispered “thank you” over and over again through sobs.

She remembers 3 heads of red hair, one smaller than the other two, all cuddled together on the couch, having fallen asleep while watching a movie. She remembers a happy heart and a home full of laughter.

And a tear would streak down her cheek, she’d try to hide it from Saeran. But there was never any hiding from him. He’d rush to her and hold her gently in his arms ask what was wrong. She’d blame it on something else and sob into the crook of his neck. He wouldn’t push it. He knew some things weren’t easy to discuss, he only hoped that telling her he loved her and that everything would ok would be enough for her.

And then, there was V. No, not V - Jihyun. In the end, he had done all he could for her and Saeran, had tried to right his wrongs. But at what cost? She hated the fact that he went back to Rika. Every bone in her body screamed for her to stop him from sacrificing himself, to go back and drag him out of there. But there was no convincing V, he was surprisingly stubborn despite his gentle appearance.

The moment she and Saeran had passed over the threshold of that cabin it looked so familiar. She could have sworn she’d been there before, maybe even a few times? But when she mentioned it to Saeran he’s pretty sure that’s impossible. He showed her where they were on his map app and surely enough, she’d never been to this part of the country that she could recall.

Still, everything in there looked so familiar. She already knew where everything was, knew her way around the place, but how? Her eyes settle on the couch, plain by all accounts but again, too familiar.

And then it happened, She remembered. She was sitting here on the floor next to this couch. Holding a hand that was cold and damp as anxiety and fear weighed heavily in the room. Other people were here also, but she can’t recall who. Her fingers carded through soft, silky hair that was a beautiful shade of blue-green. It was V. She remembers taking a walk with him and then leaving, she remembers regretting that decision almost instantly and red hot anger. She remembers a phone call with the man currently sitting at the table in this reality that broke her heart. She remembered decisions that were too hard to make, and then an explosion that made her question everything.

She remembers a hospital and then the image of V walking away from her. She remembers a very lonely two years and the image of Saeyoung crying. And then she remembered an RFA party, the way her heart soared at a familiar voice and then V’s face.

“Please, call me Jihyun now.” He had said to her. The Jihyun in her mind looks vastly different from the man she had met that week in the current timeline. This Jihyun was happy and healthy.

She remembers brother’s hugging and a huge relief. She remembers the face of her current lover marred, but beautiful as ever. She remembers Saeyoung crying again, but this time not in grief. She remembers a proud look on Jihyuns face as he watched the scene, a tear of happiness welled up in his eye.

She remembers a slow, sweet romance between her and Jihyun. She remembers watching him learn to love again. She remembers laughing and slinging paint at each other in his studio and a long-awaited kiss that quickly turned into a wonderful out-pouring of emotions. She didn’t even know V painted…

She remembers Sunday dinners with Jihyun, Saeran, and Saeyoung, in a modern style house with so many windows they didn't even have to turn on a light. She remembers a sense of forgiveness around that table so abundant she gasped. She remembers a small girl, full of energy as she talked about her many uncles. She didn't give birth to her she knows, but she had loved her all the same. She remembers lazy mornings in an unbelievable comfortable bed and Jihyun’s smiling face.

She gasps out loud as a sob had broken over her. Luckily Saeran was busy talking to the intelligence unit and hadn’t heard her. How could she even have begun to explain what she saw in her mind’s eye? She would learn to get used to this in time to come.

She doesn't understand how any of this is even possible, the universe can be so cruel. She loves the RFA, each and every one of them, in a way she can never explain to them. There's nothing she can do about it except support them each in this current world and hope someday another person would make each of them happy the way she had once done. She hopes that all of them can be safe and happy in the end.

She looks over at her boyfriend, knowing this is the best version of him and hopes she never has to see him any of the other ways she knows are possible ever again.

#mmangstweek #day 4 #mmangstweekday4 #day 4 reset / 4th wall break #Ive been working on this for 4 days and im still not sure how i feel about it #mystic messenger #mystic messenger fanfic #mystic messenger angst #yoosung #jaehee #zen #jumin #v #707 #saeyoung #saeran #unknown #mysme

42 notes · View notes

orionares · 5 years

Text

Drabble, Part 16

Her heart’s racing when they first step into the house.

Her arm enlaced with his, Kensi guides Deeks over the door sill and into the wide, empty foyer. There isn’t dust collecting on the dresser, the old black cabinet handed down from Roberta, or the black wall mounted shelves displaying nearly a dozen photos from their childhood and the present. A mixture of sauce and chicken fills the air, leaving the pair hungry and finally feeling the beautiful reality: they’re home.

“Smells like Momma overdid it on the pasta,” Deeks jokes.

“Well, she always likes to say how you and I need meat on our bones,” Kensi replies. She quickly eyes their light blue couch, currently covered in two blankets and extra pillows, and begins to guide him towards it. A half distracted Deeks nods faintly as he walks with her to the sofa, eyeing the kitchen in curiosity.

Kensi chuckles softly, reminding, “You can’t eat any of it so don’t even think about it.” She lowers him gently onto the couch, using his arm for support, and sighs in relief as she watches Deeks settle back into the couch.

“House looks the same,” he comments. When Kensi doesn’t respond, Deeks brushes back his bangs and rests his head back on the couch. “I’m not going to explode, Fern.”

“Why do you think that I think that?”

“Remember we were in this exact position almost two years ago,” Deeks reflects. His blue eyes sparkle before he adds, “And I remember being a gracious, gracious partner by giving you many back rubs, foot rubs and facilitated many soaking bubble baths….”

“I do remember that,” Kensi replies. She gives him a peck on the forehead. “ I also remember thinking one simple thing.”

“And that is?”

“What do you honestly, honestly, want to do right now in this moment?”

Deeks’ smile falters quickly before his body slumps and lets out a huge breath. “Pajamas, food and that really stupid reality show that you love so much and sleep.”

She can’t help but tease him. “Oh, you mean the show you love?”

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

Deeks falls asleep on the couch in less than five minutes.

Kensi kisses his forehead gently before rising from the couch by slipping his arm over her head and sliding away from him. She turns and admires his peaceful and yet disheveled state, head drooped back against the backrest. Two little painkillers had knocked him out in a few minutes, which the brunette had expected. The sight of him comfortable, sleeping peacefully on their couch in their home is everything.

Kensi looks up to the stairs leading to the second floor before her eyes drop to the pictures lining the stairwell. She chuckles slightly at the realization of new pictures mixed with older photos- four new ones to be exact. She can recognize the picture of her on the beach in her teens trying and failing to hide her enjoyment on a trip with her mother.

I need to let Mom know that it was one of the best trips I’ve ever had.

Kensi looks past the photo Deeks and she had taken with a balloon clown they had come across during a case. It was one of the weirder cases that resulted in a flustered Sam, an explosion of confetti, a Petty Officer having an affair with a heiress and a race through a birthday party.

“We have to take a photo with him.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve been up for 36 hours and after he thanked us, he made me a balloon hat, Fern.”

The next photo that grabs her attention is a new one- a small Deeks, seven by the looks of it, stands proudly on a stage with a group of students in a little suit and tie. The trademark “Viking Mane” in the photo is wavy bright blonde hair a little past his shoulders and bangs covering his eyes.

“He looks like Cousin It,” Kensi chuckles. “I’m never going to let him live this down.”

As if a response, Deeks snorts loudly in his sleep and rolls his head to the right. He doesn’t stir and the random action causes another chuckle from Kensi. She returns her gaze back to the young photo of Deeks before a thought she had been pushing back creeps through- What would you do if he wasn’t sleeping goofily on the couch? What if he died out there?

Kensi shakes her head and steps away from the photos, trying everything to clear her mind of the guilt and self-doubt creeping in once more. Instead, she begins a hesitant walk up the stairway up to their bedroom. Before Mexico, she had packed quickly, grabbing a few extra items she hadn’t kept in her go-bag and leaving her engagement ring on the bedside table. She hadn’t known whether it to be something she’d have to return at the next sight of Deeks.

At least you got to see him once more.

Kensi shakes her head at the thought and realizes that she’s somehow made it to the bedroom door. The disheveled state that she had left the room in, her old clothes scattered on the bed are now gone and she finds the entire room worlds cleaner than she’s ever seen it.

Even cleaner than Deeks’ standard.

Kensi moves towards the bed and lowers herself onto the edge. She’s tense as she sits, feeling terrified to settle into the environment. How many times have I asked myself- she ponders- if this is real. How long is it going to take for this feeling to go away?

She stifles a yawn and lays back onto the cool sheets, tightly wrapping her arms around herself. Remembering every mindfulness activity she’s received at her yearly training retreat, Kensi closes her eyes with all intents of getting control on thoughts swirling in her mind.

Instead, a child’s laughter draws her to sleep.

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

Kensi arouses from sleep at a soft sound, a panicked sound, much different from the child’s voice from her dream. She opens her eyes and allows her mind to readjust back to reality. The child’s laughter, same as the ones she had dreamt of in the hospital, calms her just for a brief moment before the panicked sound once more draws her attention.

“Deeks,” Kensi croaks. She rolls onto her side and clumsily sits up. “Baby?”

“Ahh...Mmm….”

Her fiancé’s pained gasps draw her attention to the doorway. The light in the room is much dimmer with faint sunlight from a setting sun streaming through the window. Kensi stands and takes two cautious steps towards the doorway, calling out, “Deeks?”

His response is weak, between the doorframe and the top of the stairs by Kensi’s guess. “Kens-“

The brunette rushes to the door, glancing towards the guest room on her left and the top of the stairs where she finds Deeks. He’s resting against the wall, his left foot dangling over the top stair and his right arm resting against the railing. Deeks’ eyes are closed as he takes a few short breaths before he mutters, “I got stuck.”

“You should have called me,” Kensi scolds, kneeling at his side. She shakes her head in frustration at her own words before adding, “I should have stayed downstairs to be honest.”

“I figured you were upstairs sleeping,” Deeks replies with a shrug, “Or you went to the store…..or you went to cook something….”

“Sure.”

“And then I realized I had to pee, decided the upstairs bathroom, and made it most of the way before my chest started hurting,” Deeks finishes. He brushes away the sweaty bangs in his eyes and musters a grin. “I almost made it.”

Kensi rolls her eyes at him. “What part of ‘no exertion’ did you not get in your discharge instructions? Plus, sweetheart, we have a downstairs bathroom.”

His blue eyes look up as he ponders the statement before remarking, “Touche. Can we go pee?”

“How old are you?” Kensi laughs. She enlaces her fingers within his, kisses the top of his hand and then stands to help him to his feet. It takes extra strength on Kensi’s part to both hoist him to his feet and ignore his labored breathing. After a slow trip to the bathroom, Kensi guides him to the top of the stairs where he suddenly stops her short.

He tugs on her arm and motions back to the bedroom. “Why are we going back downstairs? Oh, that counts as exertion, by the way.”

“Touché; however, Love, “Realization kicks in for the brunette, “I am too tired to come up with a response. Let’s go.” They turn and enter the bedroom where Deeks’ eyes scan the room top to bottom as she had earlier. She chuckles slightly and helps him sit on the edge of the bed and comments, “So I’m guessing your penchant for cleanliness comes from your mother?”

“No- well, yes, which begs the question- where does your penchant for messiness come from? I know it’s not your Dad. I’ve asked.”

She rolls her eyes at his comment and retorts, “I’m not the least surprised that you went to my mom and asked. How do you feel?”

Deeks shrugs, taking a much better sounding inhale and exhale. “Like a warm and fuzzy teddy bear that’s been blown up?”

“English, sweetheart.”

Deeks lays back onto the bed and begins counting off of his fingers. “Head’s starting to feel on fire, chest is already on fire, my ribs hurt, my jaw hurts, my knee hurts for some reason and…..I think that’s it.”

Kensi nods slowly, suddenly feeling tension rising in her chest. A racing heartbeat joins the tension when Deeks’ ocean blue eyes focus on her in concern. “Hashtag truth?” he asks earnestly.

“Hashtag yeah.” Her words are answered with Deeks pulling her towards him onto the bad and wrapping his arms around her. She settles in his arms and his scent, careful of his injuries. Deeks closes his eyes and whispers, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Promise?”

“Always.”

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

A/N: There will be an epilogue.

#marty deeks #eric christian olsen #densi #ncis la

30 notes · View notes

ultimateclownimagines · 5 years

Text

Ultimate Spy

This was on my original DR blog, but I’ve moved it here! I don’t own anything canon of Danganronpa, but there are original OCs here that are mine! Hope you all like it!

- Mod Chiaki

I never quite thought about what my actions would do to people in the long run. I never quite thought about the effects that happen after I drop into a new mission sight. My policy is just to get into places and get out with all the information I can. This case was supposed to be the same as any other: get inside unnoticed, find the information, and then get out once said information was acquired, but I didn’t realize that this was a trap that I actually walked into. Not set up by the people who hired me, mind you, but by people who most definitely were not expecting me.

I guess I should start at the beginning… My name is Chia Fumei and I am known as the Ultimate Spy… I’m a student at the renowned school known as Hope’s Peak Academy and this is my story of encountering the Ultimate Despair sisters as well as the Ultimate Hope. Except, I didn’t always know him as the Ultimate Hope, at one time, he was just my friend… Hajime Hinata… A Reserve Course student at Hope’s Peak, but that’s not important now.

About three years ago, I was scouted by Hope’s Peak Academy as their Ultimate Spy and I was dropped into Class 77-B; my first day at the school could’ve been classified as ordinary, but that would mean my teacher was sober enough to stop the rest of the students leaving the classroom. I guess it would’ve been smart of me to stay too, but usually people don’t notice an ordinary girl like me. I’m plain as day type of Jane… If that makes sense. I wandered the halls until I decided that what would really test my ultimate ability is if I could find the secrets of Hope’s Peak out. The system the school held must have been massive and the bubbling sensation of excitement boiled in me as I ran to the library and began my research on Hope’s Peak.

That’s what happened for the first month of the term; every day I would do more and more research about Hope’s Peak, but I would always hit a wall when I was getting to the good stuff. Sighing for the upteenth time, I shut the, what seemed like, four hundredth book and leaned against one of the many dusty bookshelves and stared up at the ceiling. Unlike a detective type of person, I hated secrets, I hated mysteries, all I ever wanted was answers.

“Hello there, Chia!” A very obnoxious, perky voice filled my ears as I looked over. A orange haired… maid(?) was waving at me with a few of my classmates behind her. I tilted my head in confusion, who was this woman? “I knew I would find you here! I was telling your classmates that an Ultimate Spy could be anywhere, but I had a feeling that you would want to look more into Hope’s Peak! Especially a foreigner like you!” What? What is this lady talking about? “So, I said to the others, I bet she’s researching! Ultimate Spies like to have every last detail on display or they can’t do their jobs and here you are!”

“...Um… Yeah, I would agree with that, but I’m not a foreigner” I informed her, standing up, “I’m Japanese and I’m originally from Shibuya.”

“Oh, dear… I’m so sorry! I thought your hair meant you were a foreigner!” She bows to me, maintaining that comforting smile she aimed specifically at me.

“I… Dye my hair peach…” I sigh gently tugging at the hair, “My literal sister has this beautiful peach hair, but mine is naturally just dark… I thought that while I was in school, I would change it up a bit, you see… I don’t like looking so… plain…”

“Well, I don’t think you look so plain, but your appearance is what makes such a great Ultimate Spy!” The woman encouraged me, holding out her hand, “I’m your new teacher, call Miss Yukizome! I’m here to bring you back to class, so you can strengthen your bonds with your classmates!” She smiles brightly at me. Without a second thought, I just agreed to along with her and we rounded up the rest of our classmates as well as dropping off Kazuichi at the Nurse’s Office with Mikan because, by some miracle, he survived being hit by a bus.

I can’t say that my time with my classmates was horrible; I quite enjoyed being around them. All the laughter, all the dreams, all of the bonding, it was all amazing, but I couldn’t help but feel like there was a piece of the puzzle missing. Something about Hope’s Peak made me feel uneasy, like there was something much worse going on behind the scenes.

It was confirmed to me when Miss Yukizome showed up at my house one night. She was in her usual blue blazer outfit and her hair was tied up in that white ribbon, but she wasn’t wearing her usual apron, “Miss Yukizome? How may I help you?”

“I’m sorry to bother you, Chia, but may I come inside? I have something important to talk to you and your parents about.” She smiles at me as I move to let her inside my home. A two bedroom, one bathroom apartment with ugly mustard colored walls and dark brown carpeting. This was my home… My home with my little sister, Yukue.

“I’m sorry, Miss Yukizome, but my parents aren’t here.”

“Oh?” She tilts her head at me as I lead her to the conjoined kitchen and living room, “Where are they? Will they be back soon?”

“No, they died,” I stated plainly, walking into the kitchen to start making tea, “Is green tea alright? We don’t have much else than that, but I’m sure Yukue could run to the store.”

“No, no, please don’t go to any trouble because of me,” Miss Yukizome smiled at me with that same comforting smile she always has, “If your parents have passed, how are you and your sister living here?”

“My paternal uncle pays for this apartment for us and gives us enough money to serve on a month to month basis,” I stated, starting to boil water on the stove inside a chipped white tea pot. I made my way back over to the dining table where Miss Yukizome sat. The black poker table and the uncomfortable black chairs weren’t much, but it was home to us.

“Oh, well, I’m sorry about your parents,” She gave me a small bow of her head.

“You don’t seem too surprised about it. Get a good look at my profile?” I teased her a little, already knowing she’s looked into me. Who wouldn’t? As a teacher, she already seems to want to do everything for my classmates and myself.

“You could say that,” She laughs lightly, tracking me with her eyes while I got back to go into the kitchen. The screeching sound of the pot had just began, hissing steam out of the spot like I was in a sauna, “So, what really brings you here?” I ask her, pouring the teach into two cups and walking back over to her with her, probably very bad, tea. Miss Yukizome gratefully took the cup and placed manila envelope in front of me.

“What’s this?” I questioned her, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve done more than just looked into your immediate background,” She sets her tea down, and bows deeply to me, “You see, I also looked into all the assignments you’ve taken and I think your more than qualified to help me.” She sits back up, looking me in the eyes earnestly.

“Help you?” I quirked a dark eyebrow at her, “With what?”

“I didn’t come to Hope’s Peak to be your teacher. I mean, that’s partially why I came here, but the real reason I came here was because Hope’s Peak is working on something terrible.”

“Terrible? Terrible how?”

“Well,” she hesitates, “I don’t know everything fully. I need your help to get some more information,” She sighs, looking dejected, “I’m afraid I need you to come with me to the Reserve Course.” My eyes didn’t really weaver, but I’m sure my face contorted into something that was another version of amused and confused.

“Why the reserve course?” I asked, tilting my head. I know Miss Yukizome had been demoted because of the whole Nagito and the bomb business, but why do I need to come along?

“I’ve heard there are students who are just up and disappearing without a trace. That’s where you come in. I need your help,” She places her hands together in a form of begging, “Please?”

“Well, I’m not just going to agree right off the bat,” I informed her, going into full on business mode, “I don’t do favors. I do business. If you want something, you have to offer something up in return,” I gently sip my tea, trying to make myself seem intimidating, but the moment the awful tea hit my tongue, I started sputtering and choking. Damn… I quickly stood up and walked into the kitchen after snatching Miss Yukizome’s tea. I could hear her giggle softly and the blush began to form on the back of my neck, all the way over my dark cheeks.

“And what would get you to agree?” She continued to giggle, I let out a small whine and a pout as I made my way back over to my seat.

“Why did the school bury the Kuzuryu murder and the Sato murder?” I asked her, cupping my hands in front of my face, elbows on the table, “Doesn’t that make it much worse than how it started?” Miss Yukizome’s eyes feel as she let out a small sigh.

“I don’t know why they covered it up. I do know that that isn’t the only shady business the school is involved in. We… We need new management Chia, Hope’s Peak is not the school it was and we have to stop anymore trepederity that will follow.” She looks at me, with genuine concern in her eyes. She truly does care for this academy… Or is it for somebody else?

“I can’t do my job without all of the factors on the table,” I told her, leaning back in the uncomfortable chair, “But if you can figure out a good excuse to make absence not suspicious as well as getting me into the reserve course without the principal knowing, I’ll help you.” I nod my head in finality, “But that means that you cannot contact me in school unless its an emergency. I’ll have to change my appearance and I can’t let you know who I am. It’s my policy to have total anonymity.”

“My, you’re so formal,” She laughs a bit, “You’re so different when you’re working than when you’re in class.”

“In class, I can be myself without any worries, but when I’m working, I have to become somebody else.” Miss Yukizome held out her hand to me.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll come to you with any information I have and you will help me unearth the activities the school is doing. Do we have a deal?” Hesitantly, I took her hand, shaking it. I sealed my fate.

Within a week, my transfer was handled by one, Kyosuke Munakata, who paid my way into the Reserve Course as Ainu Nakano. A girl who was the cousin of Kyosuke and had everything she could ever want when it comes to money. Her father is a top notch human rights lawyer here in Tokyo and her mother was a beautiful aristocrat who thrived on the praise and appeals from others. Ainu would be blonde with long wavy hair, with foundation as light as I could get it, I made sure her face and hands were a peachy pale. The leggings should cover my dark legs and the contacts make my brown eyes now a bright blue. I made sure that the fake teeth were sparking white and that my nails were done in a cheerleader pink. This is who I am for the next bit of time, Ainu Nakano. When I was sure every nook and cranny of myself looked different, I set out for Hope’s Peak like normal, only today, I was going to join the Reserve Course.

It was unusual for me to feel nervous during a job, but I seemed to be realizing that, if I’m caught, I won’t be the only one in trouble. Not only will Miss Yukizome be caught, but this Kyosuke guy is her leader or something and that means things will be even worse. I’m they have other eyes and ears around this whole school too, so it is imperative that I stay focused and do my job correctly. Feeling the light sweat boil up on my neck, I walk into the classroom with the stiff professor ahead of me. He wasn’t very friendly which tells me nobody quite likes this program that we’ve got going on here.

“Listen up, ya buncha brats,” The teacher clamored, slapping the board with all of his strength, making me flinch. The entire class turned towards him with bored expressions on their faces, “We’ve, unfortunately, got a new student. Treat her well, show her the ropes, blah, blah, blah,” He huffs, collapsing in his chair, “Nobody wake me. Even if somebody is dying.” And with that he was out. Leaving me to stand at the front of the room feeling very uneasy. Oh yeah, I am definitely in enemy territory. What have I gotten myself into?

“Hey,” A female voice called to me and, as I looked up, I saw a girl with with bushy blue hair. She looked kind of fed up with her whole situation, but she continued speaking, “What’s your name?”

“Um… Ainu Nakano,” I murmured, bowing slightly. Play up the shy girl act as best as you can, Chia, “It’s a pleasure…”

“You better sit down, Ainu,” She informs me once more, pointing to the empty desk next to hers, “Attendance is mandatory and if you’re caught out of your seat, you’re reported as absent for the day and will get class detention.” Yikes… This school is super strict. Quickly and quietly, I shuffled my feet to the desk next to hers. The girl cracked a grin at me, “I’m Sachiko, but my friends call me Sachi. Let’s be friends, okay?” I smile at her and nod my head. Okay, looks like nobody noticed anything. I looked around the classroom and noticed three more desks were open.

“Why are there so many people missing class?” I asked, tilting my head at Sachiko. Her eyes darkened a bit before she smiled and waved off my question, “Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about it.” She points to the board, “We have to get our work done before Mr. Kinjin wakes up, ya got it? He’ll have your ass if he thinks you’ve been slacking.”

That’s strange… A slacker teacher punishes slackers? Such a hypocrite. I opened the textbook that was neatly placed in my desk and I began my busy work. Looks like things won’t be easy here.

I spent the next month in this school trying to dig up as much information as I could find. The teachers and students don’t know their butts from their elbows here. Even though they paid thousands of yen to get into this school, they still have no idea what is going on here. It wasn’t until one day, as I was working in the library, did I hear two boys talking,

“Man, I wonder what Hajime did to get expelled,” Sighed the brown haired boy two tables in front of me.

“I dunno, dude, but I heard he hasn’t been home in weeks,” Piped the black haired boy next to him.

“Really? You think it has to do with that guy who’s been abducting kids?”

“What!? There’s a guy like that!?”

“Nah, I just wanted to see how you would react,” The brown haired boy cackled as the black haired one held his heart. Bingo. A boy named Hajime has been expelled and missing, huh? I typed out a text Miss Yukizome.

‘What do you know about a Reserve Course student named Hajime?’ And send… Okay, now to pack up my things and wait for a reply. It didn’t take long for a response.

‘He’s a friend of Chiaki’s. I heard he was expelled. Why?’

‘Do you know why he was expelled?’ I started looking through the shelves of the library for a student registry. There has to be one here somewhere… As I continued to scavenge through the shelves, I felt my phone vibrate in my hand.

‘I couldn’t find out anything when I was looking… What’re you getting at?’

‘I think he is connected to the missing students. In fact, I think he is missing himself.’ The next response was faster than the rest.

‘I need you to do an infiltration tonight. I found a lead.’ I sent an affirmative response before pulling out the student registry booklet. As I searched through the pictures of students from previous years, I came across one Hajime Hinata. A handsome looking boy with weird spiky hair… So he was definitely a Reserve Course student, although that was easily deduced earlier… He’s about my age… And the teacher put down that he was in love with Hope’s Peak Academy’s Ultimate course… And that’s all the seemed relevant… Sighing, I walked out of the library with the page from the registry in my hand, the registry back on the shelf. Guess I’ll find out what’s going on later.

That night, when I realized Miss Yukizome wanted me to infiltrate the main building of Hope’s Peak, I thought she was nuts. I mean, sure, I can get in and out, but that isn’t exactly what I was expecting. I haven’t done a mission like this since the Prime Minister asked my bug his wife’s bathroom… Why me?

Miss Yukizome told me to find out all I could about the Izuru Kamakura Project… Can’t be that hard, right? Wrong. Dead wrong. 100% wrong. This school has so much security, they could tell you the last person who sneezed, but here I am, dressed up like a teacher, walking the halls like I belong here. I’m not even getting paid for this. This sucks!

As I make my way into the data center, I took out my little virus system and plugged it into the USB drive. I watched as all the monitors in the school began to glitch out except for the one I’m using. Confirming that there was nobody around and everybody was headed to the main control center to fix the bug in the security room, I got to work. I used every password known to man that the Headmaster could’ve used. Good thing he’s such a dad, I smirked to myself as I typed in ‘Kyoko Kirigiri’ and with a validated big, the computer opened up to me.

Bingo. I used everything I knew to get into the strongest locks of the computer and pulled up information on the Izuru Kamakura Project, but what I thought I could have been prepared for was way more out of left field than I realized. Human… experimentation…? No way! As I tried to get more and more information, I quickly figured out that no matter what I trick I could think of, I couldn’t get access to at least eighty five percent of the rest of the documents… Damn… Sighing, I looked at what else I could get my hands on and that was a list of the people who were being experimented on, but there was only one person who survived so far… Hajime Hinata.

When the footsteps of the guards began resounding outside my door, I made a quick attempt to get out of the computer and sneak my way through the air vents. Looks to me I’ll be visiting the Hope’s Peak medical center after all and I’ll have to meet up with my Ultimate Forensic Analysis herself later on… If Miss Yukizome will let me get in contact with her. Still, the most important part before I find Hosei is getting inside the medical center and finding this Hajime. If he can give me the answers I’m looking for, I’m sure this will help the rest of the students who lost their lives. Steeling my resolve, I made my way home as quietly as possible.

The next evening was my next phase, infiltrating the medical center. This is more my style because I don’t actually have to hack into stuff and I can just hang out in the background of scenes. Going in through the back door, I stole a doctor’s badge (female, of course) and made my way through the halls. Thank god these aren’t photo IDs or else I’d be in deep trouble. I passed one doctor after another, making sure to smile and nod at them, trying to keep the suspicion off of me at all costs. Gently, I grabbed a medical kit with a bunch of needles inside of it. Weird, why would they need so many needles for one kid…? On second thought, we don’t need to answer that yet.

As I was walking the halls, I spotted a man that I did not expect to see this very night: Jin Kirigiri. The Headmaster of Hope’s Peak… Somebody that all the students trusted… So he knew about the human experimentation after all? What kind of man would allow his own students to be experimented on!? Trying to keep control of my emotions, I stealthily started to follow Kirigiri, but I never did truly realize he knew I was following him until much, much later. Kirigiri went into a room for a while, and then left while giving a small chuckle.

“Get some rest, Hajime,” He calls into the room, “You have another surgery tomorrow.”

“Yes sir!” The voice called back as Kirigiri made his way back down the hallways, passing me while I hid in a deserted hallway. Once I was sure he was gone, I snuck into Hajime’s room where I saw the boy I had been looking for… Only… Something seemed off about this boy as compared to the boy in the picture… This one seemed… Happier? Who would be happy about human experimentation!? This school is weird.

Hajime looked up at me in surprise, and then he tilts his head, “Do you… need more blood?” He asks nodding to the kit in my hands. Ooooh… These are for blood… That makes more sense… Jeez, needles make me so squeamish… I smile at him, walking over to him.

“This won’t take long, Mr. Hinata,” I informed him as I sat at the end of the bed. He rolls up his blue hospital sleeve and reaches his arm out to me.

“With how many tubes you have, I expect it to take at least ten minutes,” He jokes with me as I look around the kit. I should’ve asked somebody how you draw blood before I did this, but nobody told me I was going to have to take somebody's blood! I pull a need out and Hajime tilts his head at me, confused, “Don’t you need the blue elastic to wrap around my arm? So you can find a good vein?”

“Oh! Right, right!” Taking a breath, I pull out the blue elastic and start tying it to his arm.

“You’re new, aren’t you?” He smiles kindly at me and, without even thinking, I nodded my head. Hajime took the wrap off his arm, took mine, rolled up the doctor’s jacket I had swiped from the front, and then wrapped it around my arm, “You do it like this, and then you take this disinfectant,” He holds it up for me to see, “and rub it on the vein, and then you take that needle and poke it into the vein to retrieve the blood.” That makes sense… I nod my head, removing the elastic from my arm.

“Alright, I get,” I smile at him, “Thank you.” I wrap the elastic around his arm and do as he told me, but the moment of using the needle arrived and I had no idea what I was doing!

“...You’re not really a doctor, are you?” He asks me. Fuck, busted, “Are you… A student?” Double busted. I think he can read my soul! Or my face is just giving him all of the answers. Bad spy, bad spy! “What’s a student like you doing in here? I thought I was the only one.” If you don’t say anything, he call the guards, but if you say something, you’re totally breaking spy code. Whatever that is, I dunno, I’m panicking at this point! “Hey, you don’t need to worry,” He smiles at me again, “I won’t tell on you.”

I sigh, hanging my head, “Never failed a mission before and here I am… Failing one now…”

“So you are a student?”

“Yes… My name is… Chia.” I told him, removing the fake glasses from my eyes, “I was actually looking for you, Hajime,” I smile, trying to be as reassuring and friendly as possible. He eyes me with his brown irises and crosses his arms.

“Don’t tell me. You’re here to help escape, right? Well, jokes on you, I don’t want to leave.”

“No, no! It’s nothing like that,” I tell him, holding my hands up, “I’m just here to learn about the missing students. I just wanted to know what happened to them.” Okay, not fully truth, but not fully a lie, “I would like to get them back to their families.”

“Other students?” He tilts his head as if he was thinking hard, “The only person I know that is a student is Yusuke, but he’s the neurologist around here.” ...There’s such a thing as kid neurologist- Never mind, I’ve heard of stranger ultimate talents.

“So there aren’t any other students on this floor?”

“Well, you’re here, so that means you’re the only other one besides me and Yusuke.”

“...So what’re you doing here then?” I question with a tilt of my head.

“I’m achieving my dreams.” He replied simply laying back in the bed, “Anyway, shouldn’t you be getting out of here? Somebody will notice that kit is missing and they’ll start searching for you.”

“A blood kit can’t be that important,” I scrunch my eyebrows in a frown, “Plus I just got here! Why should I leave now-“

“Has anybody seen a petite girl running around here!?”

“What’re you talking about?”

“A really plain looking girl! About this tall! Short, brown hair! Brown eyes! She looks like something you’d see in a role play game!”

“What?” Shouts outside of Hajime’s door cause my eyes to shot up in surprise. I look at him while he sports a cheeky smirk, opening his window for me.

“This may be your cue to run.” He chuckles as I start climbing out the window.

“Fine, I’ll leave now, but I most certainly will be back later!” I huff as I watch wave me off.

“Just don’t get caught… Chia,” He grins at me, shutting the window after I started climbing down. This boy is going to make me lose my mind, I can already tell.

So, for the next half a year, I went to visit Hajime while he was having his procedures done until one day, when I went to see him, he was gone. After getting to know the boy who thought he was nothing without an Ultimate talent and to suddenly disappear… It was almost as if his disappearance was a bad omen because everything went to hell after that.

#danganronpa #danganronpa oc #super danganronpa two #danganronpa goodbye despair #hajime hinata #fanganronpa

11 notes · View notes

minijenn · 5 years

Text

Universe Falls Chapter 64

Yesssss Three’s a Crowd is finally here, and as promised, its a DELIGHT involving a bunch of fusion and feels! I honestly don’t have a ton to say about it aside from the fact that Stepper and Dipevebel are both precious babies that deserve to be loved and protected. And with that outta the way, might as well get started!

Previous: http://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/182514454899/universe-falls-chapter-63

Chapter 64: Three’s a Crowd

RVT TGYT SYH QH XRS PRP STJW OAP MD WPGIZ E GYDLWC XCEU MD IZTWC EOH YHE IS CIMT EZW XR DX DPPDZAC NIF

With the question of leadership on the project answered, construction on the drill was now underway. Even after the robot rumble the day prior, the barn still had plenty of suitable materials that Pearl, Ford, and Peridot were able to scrounge up to use on the machine. For the time being, McGucket had taken his leave back to his humble shack to draw up a proper blueprint for everyone to work off of, but for now, laying the proper foundations on the project would certainly prove to be a good first step forward in their efforts to stopping the Cluster once and for all.

“Hm… yes, this should all work nicely…” Pearl mused to herself, looking over the list she had created before checking over the pile of scraps and supplies resting in the yard before her.

“Yo, P! Brought ya more junk like you wanted me to,” Amethyst reported before dropping her load of various items.

“Now, now, Amethyst, this ‘junk’ might just end up contributing to the drill that will hopefully save the entire planet from impending doom,” Pearl concluded with a thoughtful smile.

“Oh yeah?” the purple Gem asked with a smirk as she briefly rummaged through the pile. “So uh… how exactly do you think this is gonna help us save the world?” she asked playfully as she held up a deflated whoopie cushion.

Pearl rolled her eyes as she snatched the cushion away from the chuckling purple Gem and tossed it back into the pile. “Well, you never know,” she said, her amused smile fading as she looked back to the mess before her. “Still… we’re going to need to clear some space out so we’ll actually have someplace to build the drill… To be honest, we… probably should have done that before moving all of these supplies out here…”

“Ugh, so you mean we gotta move all this stuff again?” Amethyst asked, already exasperated by the mere thought alone.

“No need,” Garnet interjected as she stepped up to the pair. “All we need to clear some space is a little muscle.”

“Oh, Garnet…” Pearl took in a bit of an anxious breath. “You don’t mean-”

“I do,” Garnet nodded firmly before offering the purple Gem beside her a small, cordial grin. “Amethyst?”

Upon realizing what the Gem leader’s intention was, Amethyst was unable to hold back a huge gasp of excitement, stars in her eyes as she eagerly showed her agreement with this plan. “Yes, yes, YES! Let’s mash it up, G!”

Garnet simply let out a small laugh at this as she took Amethyst’s hand so they could prepare their dance. Though still slightly apprehensive, Pearl took a step back to allow them the space they needed, hoping that they’d reign themselves in this time when compared to before. All the same, Garnet and Amethyst moved smoothly and fluidly as they strutted towards each other, their usual dance bringing them together in a burst of bold, bright light. And out of that light emerged bombastically large, familiar figure: Sugilite.

“Awwwww yeah, baby!” the rowdy fusion proclaimed, towering high over the entire barnyard. “Ya girl is back and ready to bust it up! Now… lets drill out a space for this drill…”

“C-can we possibly do so in a way that doesn’t raise half the barn?” Pearl asked rather nervously.

“Too late!” Sugilite exclaimed, swiftly summoning her flail and giving it a mighty swing. Pearl let out a small squeak of fear as she quickly ran for cover as the supplies for the drill went flying at random. The rowdy fusion let out a wild laugh as she entertained herself with her thoughtless “land development”, largely unaware to the fact that the white Gem wasn’t the only one watching her reckless display.

“Whoa…” Dipper mused in amazement as him and Ford stood near the barn, observing Sugilite’s strength from afar. “They make it look so easy…”

“They certainly do, don’t they?” Ford agreed with an enthused smile. “Fusion is by far one of the most incredible abilities I’ve witnessed from Gemkind. The fact that they can merge their light-based bodies and gem-based minds completely together to create larger, stronger beings is simply astounding! It’s always been one of my favorite topics to study when it comes to Gems and its an absolute treat to see it again for myself.” The author paused briefly as Sugilite tossed her flail once more, rattling the entire area as a result and nearly knocking Ford and Dipper to the ground entirely. “E-even if Sugilite is… quite a bit to handle…”

“So, is that why you wrote so many notes about fusion in your journals?” Dipper asked, as curious as ever to hear perspective from the author himself.

“Oh, yes, absolutely,” Ford nodded before letting out something of a wistful sigh. “After all, its about the most I could do to document my research on such an amazing phenomenon, even if that research is somewhat… inadequate…”

“Inadequate?” Dipper frowned, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you see, Dipper, I’ve always believed that the best kind of scientific research is born from firsthand experience,” Ford informed astutely. “Its for that reason that I accompanied the Gems on so many of their missions back in the day—so I could see their mysterious powers at work for myself. But fusion is… something on an entirely different level. Its complexities, its true nature, the sheer experience of fusion in and of itself is something that is unfortunately beyond human’s capacity to understand due to one single, simple, unfortunate fact alone: humans cannot fuse.”

“Well… I don’t know if that’s completely true…” Dipper muttered without really thinking.

“What was that?” Ford asked, looking down to his nephew inquisitively.

Dipper flinched, suddenly anxious as he realized that he’d now have to explain exactly what he had just implied. An explanation that likely wouldn’t be the smoothest to provide given how he was still occasionally baffled by it himself. “Um… w-well… I know this might sound… kinda crazy but… I’ve sort of—ok, well not really sort of as much as I’ve actually fused before… So… yeah.”

At first, such an admission was only met by a look of complete confusion from the author, though he soon broke out into a small bout of bemused laughter that only flustered his nephew even more. “Oh, that’s a good one, Dipper!” Ford chuckled, warmly patting the boy on the back. “You nearly had me going there for a second, but I know better. Like I said before, fusion between humans and Gems is a complete and utter scientific impossibility.”

“N-not for Steven it isn’t!” Dipper protested earnestly. “I… I mean, Steven’s half Gem and half human, so I guess that means he can fuse with both? A-anyway, he has fused before, with Connie, and with Mabel a-and… and with me.” He finished quickly, only barely noticing how warm his cheeks were with the recollection of his own fusion with the young Gem.

“…Really?” Ford asked, now quite intrigued as he realized that his nephew was completely serious. “W-well, that’s… that’s incredible! By all accounts something like that should be impossible, but then again the fact that someone like Steven, who’s simultaneously both Gem and human even exists at all is a miraculous impossibility in and of itself! Still, Gem and human cross fusion… it’s a scientific marvel! I’d simply love to know more, that is, if you don’t mind filling me in with all of the details, Dipper.”

“Oh, of course!” Dipper readily agreed, more than eager to aid in his uncle’s important research. “Well, first we—wait…” he paused briefly, a smile spreading across his face as he came up with a plan that would no doubt impress the author even more than the knowledge of human-Gem fusion had. “You know what? I have a better idea. Instead of just telling you about it, why don’t we just show you instead?”

“Show me?” Ford asked, raising a confused eyebrow.

“Wait right here,” Dipper advised quickly, already glancing around to see if Steven was anywhere around in the immediate area, which he wasn’t. So instead, he began hurrying off to go find the young Gem for himself, refusing to pass off the opportunity to amaze the author in more ways than one. “I’ll be right back!”

“Oh, w-well, alright then,” Ford smirked, waving his nephew off, even if he really didn’t understand whatever he could possibly be planning. At least not yet. “In that case, I suppose I’ll be right here until you return!” A mere second later, however, a large piece of upturned earth crashed down right next to the author, courtesy of Sugilite’s recklessness, prompting him to step into the barn for his own safety. “O-on second thought… maybe I won’t…”

“The hat feels… redundant…” Peridot scowled as she glanced up at the colorful party hat Mabel had perched atop her triangular hair mere moments ago.

“Aw, come on!” Mabel exclaimed brightly as her and Steven stood before the green Gem. “I think it looks pretty on you, Peri!”

“Yeah! And besides,” Steven added with a smile. “It’s to celebrate your first time eating Earth food! I mean… technically coffee was kind of your first food, but then again, coffee is a drink so… I don’t think it really counts.”

“Then… what’s the chair for?” Peridot asked, glancing down at the high chair the pair had set her up in.

“Safety!” Mabel and Steven chimed in pointed unison.

“…So… how does this work exactly?” Peridot raised an eyebrow as she looked down dubiously at the plate of macaroni and cheese before her.

“Oh, its really easy,” Mabel informed. “First, you take this fork, then you grab some food with it and bam!” She acted the movements out, shoving a forkful of mac and cheese into her mouth to demonstrate. “Ya get yourself a yummy meal!”

“How dignified…” the green Gem remarked sarcastically. “So… what is the point of this whole ‘eating’ thing anyway?”

“Oh, well, the point is that food tastes really good!” Steven shrugged with a small laugh. “And you eat it so you can enjoy how great it tastes! And… so you won’t starve to death, but then again, I guess that’s not really a problem for Gems so… for you, it’d probably be more about the taste thing.”

“Hm…” Peridot’s expression was still rather critical as she looked down at the food in front of her yet again as she picked up her fork experimentally. “Very well then, I shall try this so-called ‘eating’, but only for the sake of gaining further intel on this planet and its bizarre customs…” Steven and Mabel both stood by, watching expectantly as the green Gem clumsily used her fork to pick up a single piece of macaroni and lift it to her mouth. However, right before she could actually eat it, their unofficial ‘experiment’ was suddenly and unexpectedly interupted.

“Steven!” Dipper shouted as he rounded the corner of the barn. However, in his excitable haste, he accidentally ended up tripping himself up as he did so, resulting in him face-planting hard onto the ground. The racket was more than enough to startle everyone, especially Peridot as she jolted forward in her high chair, ultimately knocking it, and herself over in the process and spilling what was supposed to be her first meal all over her.

“Dipper!” Steven exclaimed, concerned as he hurried over to help his friend up while Mabel moved to assist Peridot. “Are you ok?”

“Steven,” Dipper repeated, his tone very earnest and intentful as he tightly gripped the hand the young Gem offered to help him up. “We have to fuse. Right now.”

“WHOA!” Mabel gasped in shock as she overheard this, accidentally letting Peridot fall back down to the ground. Ultimately, the green Gem picked herself up and stormed off, too perturbed to continue her first attempt at eating now, especially since Steven and Mabel were distracted. “What did you say, bro-bro?”

“I said,” Dipper began a bit breathlessly. “Steven and I need to-”

“Yes!” Steven interupted, his expression an elated smile as he swiftly helped Dipper up and pulled him into a tight, excited hug. “Yes, yes, of course I’ll fuse with you, Dipper! Its been such a long time since we’ve formed Stepper, and I’ve really been wanting to give him another go since we had so much fun together last time, so of course I’m up for fusing, especially if you are!”

“W-well, that’s great!” Dipper smiled just as excitedly as their embrace disbanded. “Then let’s do it!”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Mabel interupted, casting a suspicious glance at her brother. “Not that I’m not super hype to see my favorite four-armed Ste-bro again, because oh my gosh I am, but… what’s the catch here, Dipper? Why do just wanna suddenly fuse with Steven outta the blue like this?”

“Oh, well, y’see…” Dipper began somewhat apprehensively as he glanced away. “I was… sorta telling Great Uncle Ford about how Steven can fuse with other humans and he was really interested in hearing more about it so I figured we could maybe… show him an example of a Gem/human fusion? Just so he could see what that looks like for himself and all.”

“Aha! I knew it!” Mabel remarked with a knowing grin as she placed her hands on her hips. “I had a feeling this had something to do with you bein’ a huge nerd and wanting to impress Grunkle Ford!”

“Oh, come on, that’s not what this is about,” Dipper rolled his eyes. “I just wanna help him with his research! He’s always studying all these incredible things, and what’s more incredible than someone like Stepper?”

“I can’t think of too many things that are!” Steven chimed in brightly as he took Dipper’s hand again. “I think this is a great idea, Dipper. Mr. Ford is just gonna love Stepper, I know it! So come on!” The young Gem didn’t hesitate to pull Dipper after him as Mabel hurried not too far behind. “Let’s go introduce him!”

Despite Dipper’s instance on forming Stepper as soon as possible to keep Ford from waiting in suspense for too long, Steven and Mabel had a bit of a different idea in mind. With ample space to build the drill cleared out, Garnet and Amethyst had unfused, and not long afterward, Mabel quickly gathered the two of them and Pearl to congregate in front of the barn for unknown reasons. Meanwhile, Steven also made sure to round up Ford and even Peridot, still not explaining the reason why they were all being brought together, save for the fact that it was to “watch something”. And needless to say that upon realizing the pair had gathered an audience to bear witness to their fusion, Dipper was less than pleased.

“Are you guys serious?” he asked Steven and Mabel in a harsh whisper as everyone settled in front of the barn. “Do we really need everyone to watch us fuse?”

“Well, yeah!” Steven exclaimed with a grin. “Last time we fused, the only one who got to see it was Mabel. But now that the Gems and Mr. Ford are here, they should get the chance to see us form Stepper too, shouldn’t they?”

“Uh… I don’t know about that…” Dipper frowned, rubbing his arm uncomfortably.

“Oh come on,” Mabel reassured. “All you guys need to do is dance and just pretend like nobody’s watching you. Or that everybody’s in their underwear. Your choice.”

“Hey, are you guys actually gonna do something over there?” Amethyst called as she leaned against the side of the barn. “Or did you just get us all together to watch a whole bunch of nothin’?”

“Oh, its not nothing,” Steven said brightly. “Me and Dipper are gonna fuse!”

A round of surprised murmurs arose from the group near the barn, though Ford in particular stepped forward out of immense interest as to what was about to take place. “T-they’re actually going to do it!” he exclaimed, rushing to pull his journal out of his coat so he could take notes. “If they manage to actually pull this off, then this will be a true breakthrough in my research! An absolute wonder of science and magic!”

“And… rather unprecedented…” Pearl frowned, a bit less enthused. “Steven and Dipper don’t really have much of a logistical reason to fuse right now, so why are they-”

“Because they want to,” Garnet concluded with a hint of a smile on her face. “That’s why.”

“Ha! As if those two clods could even pull something like fusion off,” Peridot scoffed, crossing her arms. “And even if they could, said fusion would likely be barely even functional given that a Gem and a human are hardly compatible and shouldn’t even be together in the first place!”

“Uh, Peridot?” Amethyst spoke up with a bemused grin at the irony of the green Gem’s doubtfulness. “I hate to break it to you, but-”

“Alright, boys!” Mabel interjected loudly, grinning over at Steven and Dipper as she pressed play on the nearby boom box to give them some music to dance to. “Get fusing!”

“Oh, come on, seriously?” Dipper asked in immediate embarrassment upon realizing the song playing in the background was none other than BABBA’s “Disco Girl”. “Do we really have to fuse to this song?”

“Well, it is the song that we fused to the first time around,” Steven pointed out with a small laugh as he already began moving to the pop beat. “And besides, its starting to grow on me a little too. I can see why you like it so much. You… do still like it, don’t you?”

Dipper paused, not really paying too much mind to the question as much as he did the hand Steven had extended out to him so they could properly begin their dance. “Heh, yeah,” he said with a warm, genuine smile as he accepted the young Gem’s invitation. “I still do.”

Without any further hesitation, Steven readily pulled Dipper into a fast, free spin, both of them twirling together, their hands joined as they moved about in wide open circles. With this immediate momentum, it was easy for both of them to forget the spectators watching them as they spun each other out, only to immediately pull each other back in. There wasn’t too much grace or elegance to their dance, but their hardly needed it as their shared elated laughter spoke volumes about just how much this dance was truly bringing them together.

However, their laughter wasn’t the only show of excitement between the boys. For as their dance continued, everyone watching it soon let out a shared gasp of amazement as Steven’s feet slowly began to rise off the ground first, followed by Dipper’s as a result of his tight grip on the young Gem’s hands. The others were all awestruck as they watched the boys rise a good bit into the air together, somehow still spinning in jubilant circles with their eyes closed and their laughter unending. The Gems exchanged a stunned gasp, all three of them silently and collectively realizing that Steven had just very well unlocked his mother’s renowned floating abilities. And yet, they didn’t bother to point that out right then and there, lest they interrupt what was, by all accounts one of the most astonishing fusion dances any of them had ever seen.

Of course, eventually Dipper did open his eyes only to realize that him and Steven were in fact, more or less dancing in mid-air. He let out a sharp, fearful gasp as he gripped the young Gem’s arms tightly, trying his hardest not to look down at the ground several feet below them and doing little else. “S-Steven!” he squeaked anxiously, his grip on the young Gem tightening ever so slightly as they continued spinning winding circles in the air. “W-we’re-”

“I know!” Steven laughed warmly as he looked to Dipper, apparently not even noticing their lifted elevation at all. “I’m having a great time too!”

For a moment, the most Dipper could do was state at Steven with apt disbelief, especially as the young Gem let out another jovial, liberating laugh. And, upon realizing that he’d stay safe and in the air so long as his hands were intertwined with Steven’s, it was a laugh that he was ultimately helpless to join back in on once more. Everyone was still completely awestruck as they watched the gently floating pair, but their amazement only grew as a warm, pale pink light began to flush out from Steven’s gemstone, enveloping both boys as their separate gales of laughter soon became one.

In fact, Stepper didn’t stop laughing, even as he did stop spinning, both sets of his four arms wrapped around himself tightly in an elated, affectionate hug. The newly-returned fusion was more or less hanging in midair, that is, until he happened to notice his precarious perch several feet above the ground. “Uh oh…” he muttered, his laughter quickly dying out, especially as gravity decided to kick in for him yet again. Stepper let out a fearful cry as he quickly plummeted the thankfully small distance to the ground, face-planting onto the grass with a very audible thud.

“I-I’m ok!” the fusion announced, using both sets of arms to pull himself up into a sitting position. He let out a gasp, however, upon noticing the very fact that he did indeed have four arms in the first place, stars filling his eyes as he burst into a delighted smile. “No, I’m even better than ok! I-I’m back! We did it!” Stepper broke into another round of cheerful chuckling as his upper arms pulled himself into an excited embrace once more. “And it feels better than ever before!”

“STEPPER!” Mabel’s ecstatic shout caught the fusion off guard, especially as she plowed right into him, knocking him flat onto his back as she locked him into a heavy hug. “Oh my gosh, its so great to see you again! It feels like its super long since the last time you were around!”

“Aw, come on, Mabel,” Stepper chuckled, sitting up as he returned her hug. “You technically see ‘me’ all the time. Ok well, maybe not me me, but Steven and Dipper me… Oy, this is getting kind of confusing… But still, it is pretty great to be back together like this!”

“Ooo, I am lovin’ those super harmonious vibes you guys got goin’ on there!” Mabel exclaimed as she effortlessly climbed up to sit atop the fusion’s shoulders as he stood. “That’s it! Operation ‘Find the Harmony’ is officially a success! Now we just need to come up with a new mission for you! Now let’s see… hm…”

“I know,” Stepper spoke up with a bit of a wry grin. “How about Operation “Who Said You Could Sit On My Shoulders”?” He asked playfully as he used both sets of arms to hoist her off his shoulders and hold her out in front of him.

“Hey! Its not my fault that you make such a good lookout post!” Mabel protested, sticking her tongue out at the fusion.

“Oh, so you’re finally admitting that I’m taller than you then?” Stepper asked with a knowing smirk.

“Ha! Not a chance!” Mabel shook her head triumphantly. “I’ll never admit defeat! Never! NEVER!”

“Mabel, I’m literally double your height right now,” Stepper pointed out, still grinning.

“…And your point is?”

“Heeeeeyo!” Amethyst called as her and the other Gems began to venture over to the pair. “There he is! Our four-armed main man Stedip!”

“Uh… actually, Amethyst, its Stepper,” the fusion pointed out with a bit of an amused chuckle.

“Oh, yeah, I know,” the purple Gem remarked. “I just think Stedip sounds funnier.”

“Heh… right…” Stepper said a bit sardonically before Pearl spoke up.

“Well, it certainly is a treat to see you again, Stepper,” the white Gem said, gently pushing the chuckling purple Gem aside. “You know, while you’re here, we might just have to fit in some combat training if at all possible. I’d love to see what you’d be able to pull off with Steven’s shield, Dipper’s sword, and that special journal of yours all at the same time…”

“Oh my gosh, that’d be so much FUN!” Stepper exclaimed with an amazed gasp. “I’d be unstoppable with all three of them! Plus, I got plenty of hands to hold them all in,” he grinned, waving three of four of his hands before raising the final one enthusiastically. “And one to spare!”

The others all shared a warm laugh over the fusion’s humorous quip, though it gradually died out as Garnet approached Stepper next. However, the fusion simply took in a deep breath and straightened his posture, offering the Gem leader a solid expression as he allowed her to silently inspect him. “So, Garnet? What do you think?”

It took a rather expectant moment of apparent scrutinization from the Gem leader, she finally broke out into a small, pleased smile accompanied by a nod of certain approval. “I think you’re looking pretty stable, Stepper,” she confirmed warmly.

“YES!” the fusion cheered loudly, only to quickly catch himself and reign his excitement back in. “O-oh, I mean, uh… that’s cool. Ya know… just like I am. Cool and stable all the way!”

“DORK!” Mabel shouted teasingly, letting out a rowdy laugh as Stepper spun around to face her in faux offence.

“Hey!” he snapped, grinning himself as he geared up to chase after her as she ran off. However, before he could, his attention was quickly diverted by a very loud, very angry yell from a very perturbed green Gem.

“YOU!” Peridot shouted, her tone and expression both burning with fury as she stormed up to the somewhat startled fusion. “You’re that four-armed abomination that destroyed my attack robinoids with your information log-based projectiles!”

For a moment, Stepper simply regarded the green Gem with a bit of confusion before he realized exactly what she was talking about. “Ohhhh right, the… dumb robot things,” he said, boredom filling his expression briefly. “Well… I’m sorry about breaking them, Peridot, but—actually, wait, no, we’re not sorry because you tried to use those things to destroy the Gems and Mabel!”

“Well, it’s your fault that I even came to this doomed planet in the first place, you malformed pebble!” Peridot retorted harshly. “I would have never requested an envoy to Earth if not for your destructive actions against my beautiful machines!”

“Ugh, whatever, Peridot,” Stepper scoffed, rolling his eyes as he scowled down at the green Gem. “What matters is that you’re here now, so you might as well try to make the most of it by helping us build that drill.”

“I will not take orders from the likes of YOU!” the green Gem ranted, furious. “I should have figured all along that you were merely the despicable fusion between the Steven and that irksome Dipper given that they’re both just smaller clods coming together to make one bigger one!”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Garnet interjected just as it seemed as though Peridot was reeling back her first to strike the fusion’s legs since she couldn’t really reach the rest of him. So instead, the Gem leader easily lifted the green Gem into the air, even despite her angry struggling as she tried her best to even so much as land a hit on Stepper. “I think its time for you to go cool down… again.”

“Honestly, that’s like the third tempura tantrum she’s thrown today alone!” Pearl remarked as her and the other Gems began to take their leave, with Peridot sending hostile, though ultimately empty threats Stepper’s way all the while.

“I’m not finished with you yet, you four-armed… whatever it is you are!” she yelled fiercely as she pounded against Garnet’s secure hold on her. “You’ll pay for ruining my precious robinoids, you hear me? PAY!”

“Pfft, yeah, sure,” Stepper remarked with a small smirk as he crossed his upper arms. “I’d like to see you try.” The fusion’s calm demeanor was soon broken, however, as he noticed the only member of the group he hadn’t spoken to yet slowly make his way over to him with wide eyes of awestruck amazement.

“O-oh! Hi, Mr. Grunkle Ford!” Stepper greeted excitably, only to quickly cover his mouth out of embarrassment over his accidental slip up. “I-I mean, h-how’s it going, Great Mr. Ford! N-no, I… what I meant to say was, i-its great to finally meet you—ok, well not really meet you since we both already know you, b-but you’ve never met us like this even though you have met us when we’re apart and—you know what? I’m getting confused again, I think I’m just gonna stop talking before I make this any worse than it already is.”

“Again I say…” Mabel grinned as she leaned over towards the scatterbrained fusion. “DORK!”

“Mabel!” Stepper exclaimed hotly, his already red cheeks burning with even more embarrassment than before. However, Ford hardly seemed to take any notice of how flustered Stepper as he instead continued staring at him, absolutely captivated by the supposedly impossible fusion standing before him.

“I-incredible…” the author murmured, astonished. “You boys actually did it! You’re a… a fusion! A true, genuine, Gem-human hybrid fusion!”

“Yep! I sure am!” Stepper grinned excitedly. “T-though according to Pearl, I’m actually like… 75% human and only 25% Gem or something? So, there’s not a ton of Gem in me, but I still have this,” he pointed down to the exposed pink gemstone on his navel. “So, I guess that still counts for something, right?”

“Fascinating…” Ford said, circling the fusion to get a better look at him. “And you appear to be so stable as well… ‘Stepper’, was it?”

“Heh, yeah,” Stepper confirmed with a bit of an awkward laugh. “Though to be fair, it… did kind of take us a while to get us this stable…”

“A while?” Mabel spoke up. “Psh, come on, be honest, Ste-bro! The first time you guys fused, you were an absolute mess! In fact, you were so scatterbrained and all over the place, that you almost-”

“O-OK, Mabel, that’s enough!” Stepper quickly interjected as one of his lower hands hurriedly covered her mouth. “I-I’m sure Mr. Uncle Ford isn’t interested in any boring old recaps of things that don’t really matter anymore! R-right?”

“Hm…” the author mused, tapping his pen against his journal as he looked between it and the fusion. “You know what I would be interested in? Being the first scientist in history to document accurate, fully-researched notes on a Gem-human cross fusion! W-with your permission, of course.”

“…You… you wanna put me in your journals?” Stepper asked, his eyes wide and his expression absolutely stunned. Ultimately, he failed to provide a proper answer, instead opting to stare at the journal in the author’s hands in disbelief, even as Mabel lightly elbowed his leg.

“Uh… Grunkle Ford?” she frowned back at the author. “I think you might have broken him…”

“YES!” Stepper suddenly shouted, stars in his eyes as he bounced on the balls of his feet in obvious elation. “Yes, yes, YES! Oh my gosh, YES!” Even despite his boundless excitement, the fusion was quick to notice the bewildered look Ford was giving him, and as a result, he forced himself to calm down by putting a rather forced aloof front on. “I-I mean… yeah, I… t-that sounds cool. I’d… I’m totally down for that i-if you are.”

“Excellent!” Ford exclaimed brightly. “Then come along, boys—or I suppose I should say, boy. There’s much important research to be done!”

“R-right behind you!” Stepper called after the author as he began to head towards the barn. Even so, the fusion lingered behind for a moment, breaking down into a bout of delighted, outright ecstatic laughter the moment Ford was out of earshot. “I-I can’t believe it! I’m gonna be in THE journal! This is seriously one of the coolest things that’s ever happened to me! Y’know, aside from fusing, which is also totally awesome since I wouldn’t even be in the journal at all if not for that!”

“Only you would get so excited about showing up in some nerd book, Dipper,” Mabel pointed out with a playful wink.

“H-hey, no fair!” the fusion said defensively. “We’re both excited! I mean, its not every day that we get to fuse, and now we get to be in the journal too! Its like a two-for-one deal, just like me!”

Mabel was unable to hold back an amused chuckle at this, one that Stepper gladly joined her in, given his already quite upbeat demeanor. “Wow, you guys are so much more fun together this time around than you were the first time!” Mabel pointed out with a bright grin. “We gotta hang out for some real fusion fun while you’re still fused! Just the two of us! Wait, no… three of us. Two of us? Eh, you know what I mean.”

“Oh, yeah, of course we can hang out later, Mabel,” Stepper readily nodded in agreement with this plan. “Just let Great Mr. Ford get in a few notes in the journal about me, and then I’m all yours for the rest of the afternoon, I promise.”

“I’m holding to that promise, Ste-bro!” Mabel quipped cheerfully as Stepper began to head off to join the author. “Don’t you go and have too much nerd fun without me, k?”

“Well, I can’t make you any promises on that,” the fusion called back with a chuckle as he glanced over his shoulder. “But I’ll try!”

Mabel easily returned Stepper’s send-off smile, confident in the fact that she’d get to have some quality time with the fusion of her best friend and brother later on. Of course, what she didn’t know was that quality time would come in a way that none of them, not even either half of Stepper himself, could have ever expected.

While the Gems continued going through and organizing their supplies for the drill, Ford and Stepper had taken to the far side of the barn so the author could get a chance to properly study the fusion with few distractions to stop them. And needless to say that Ford had already filled up several pages of notes on Stepper alone as the fusion eagerly and readily answered any and all questions the ever curious author asked him.

“So, you can control each of them simultaneously and individually then?” Ford asked, referring to Stepper’s extra set of arms.

“Yeah, pretty much,” the fusion said, holding both one of his upper and lower arms out to demonstrate. “I’m never really sure who’s controlling which arm exactly, and… sometimes they can be kinda awkward, like-” Stepper cut himself off as he accidentally bumped his lower arm against his upper one. “Like that. But they are nice for things like multitasking or carrying a whole lot of things at once, so I guess you could say they’re pretty handy. Ha! Handy!” he chuckled to himself as he waved his hands a bit. “Good one! Thanks!”

“Hm…” Ford mused, tapping his pen against the journal in his hands as he looked down at it. “You know, one thing I can’t help but wonder is whether or not the extensive fraction of you that’s solely organic inhibits any Gem abilities you may have had…”

“Uh… what do you mean?” Stepper frowned, confused.

“What I mean is that the fact that the two of you have fused is already incredible enough on its own,” the author explained. “But imagine how much more incredible it would be if you could shapeshift, or heal, or summon a weapon-”

“Oh! I can summon a weapon!” the fusion exclaimed excitedly before he reeled himself back in as he remembered exactly what that weapon was. “Uh, w-well, I mean… its… kind of a weapon, but not really. I-I’m sure you wouldn’t be interested in seeing it-”

“Actually, I’d be very interested!” Ford exclaimed, his pen already at the ready to document notes about it. “Fusion-specific weaponry has always been quite a point of fascination to me, after all.”

“Ah… right…” Stepper sighed though he was quick to perk up once more. “Ok then! Here goes nothing!” At this, the fusion closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, his four hands surrounding his Gem as it began to glow brightly. Stepper couldn’t help but smile warmly to himself as he glanced down to see the telltale orb of light emerge from the stone as he guided it upwards with his lower hands, watching with anticipation as it flashed and transformed into the shimmering pink book he was familiar with.

“Is… is that…?” Ford trailed off, amazed as he looked over the book as Stepper held it up.

“Its… a journal, yeah…” the fusion blushed in embarrassment. “I think its kind of based on your journals? I’m not really sure why that is but… yeah… sorry…”

“Oh, don’t be sorry, my boy,” Ford said with a wave of his hand. “Honestly, I find it to be quite flattering. Do you mind if I take a closer look at it?”

“Oh, sure, go ahead,” Stepper agreed, handing the journal off to the author to allow him to leaf through it. “So, um… for some reason, half of it is full of notes about Dipper while the other half is all about Steven. Again, I have no idea what the deal with that is, though I kinda like Mabel’s theory about the journal being 50% about each of them, which makes it 100% about me since I am them.”

“That’s certainly a novel theory,” Ford noted with a grin as he continued skimming through the book. “And by all accounts, this journal is a very special one indeed. Though… I fail to really see how it can be considered a genuine ‘weapon’…”

“Oh, well that’s ‘cause it can do this,” Stepper smiled as the author handed the journal back to him. The fusion opened it flat, and as a reaction to him, it began to hover slightly above his upturned lower hands. The book glowed with a pale pink light, Stepper’s Gem and unique birthmark doing the same as his smile widened ever so slightly. And then, in a swift, solid movement, the fusion summoned a glistening, projectile shield from the book’s center, quickly flattening it out before sending it flying far off into the distance until it disappeared from sight.

“Absolutely astounding…” Ford whispered, awestruck as he adjusted his glasses and turned back to the fusion with a wide grin. “Can it do anything else?”

“Uh… well…” Stepper trailed off, uncertain. However, the shield journal itself seemed to provide an answer to this question as another shield materialized over its pages, this one featuring clearly sharp, serrated edges. Intrigued, the fusion tossed it, watching with amazement as it soared through the air much like a buzz saw would. In its place, the journal replenished itself with several smaller, almost miniature shields, which Stepper sent off all at once, allowing them to fly through the air like tiny, yet deadly seeker missiles. Still, it seemed as though the journal wasn’t done showing off what it could do yet as it flashed brightly, garnishing Stepper’s attention as it flipped several pages back towards what was no doubt Dipper’s half of the journal. It stopped on a page depicting a detailed drawing of the Sword of Seasons, and when the curious fusion skimmed his hand against it, a pink, ethereal rendition of the blade itself rose from the pages, allowing Stepper to grab it and give it a wide, experimental swing. While it was bereft of its usual elemental powers, the sword was still physical and material so long as the fusion held onto it, and the moment he released his grip on it, it disappeared into thin air as though it had never existed at all.

“Wow…” Stepper gasped, stunned as the journal finally snapped closed and fell back into his hands. “I have no idea what just happened but… just… wow. I thought this thing was cool before but now its gotten even better somehow! I didn’t even know it could do half that stuff!”

“That was quite an impressive display!” Ford agreed, just as amazed. “I take back what I said before; that journal isn’t just special… it’s… its phenomenal! I’d love to be able to study it even further to learn all of its no-doubt incredibly intricate secrets!”

“Yeah, considering what we just saw, I’d kinda like to know what’s up with it too…” Stepper said, still rather bewildered as he held the book up at examined the star and constellation emblazoned together on its cover.

However, before either of them could begin investigating the matter further, they were suddenly interupted altogether as the fusion let out a startled gasp as he suddenly fell forward, his journal disappearing as he looked back to the sudden weight sitting on his back. “W-what the—Mabel!” he exclaimed as he attempted to shrug her off of him.

“Ha! Gotcha!” Mabel exclaimed teasingly. “That makes it Mabel – 1, Stepper – 0!”

“Who’s counting?” Stepper quipped with a smirk as he picked her up and sat her back down on the ground before standing himself.

“I am!” Mabel proclaimed proudly. “So what are you guys up to anyway? Still doin’ all that nerdy fusion research stuff?”

“Well, actually,” Ford began to eloquently explain. “We’re-”

“Oh man, Mabel, you just missed it!” Stepper cut in, stars of excitement in his eyes. “I just found out my shield journal can do all these amazing things like make these cute little tiny shields or even summon my sword, it was so cool!”

“Oh my gosh, I wanna see!” Mabel exclaimed, jumping up and down. “Can ya show me?”

“Uh… well, maybe in a little while…” Stepper admitted, his smile falling a bit. “We’re still sort of in the middle of the whole research thing and we’re on the verge of uncovering something huge, isn’t that right, Mr. Uncle Ford?”

“It absolutely is,” Ford nodded. “For all we know, Stepper, uncovering the secrets behind that ‘shield journal’ of yours could very well unlock untold secrets about the very nature of Gemkind and humankind themselves! Its an opportunity we simple cannot pass up!”

“Yeah, so ya see, its… pretty important,” the fusion said as he glanced down at Mabel, immediately noticing that her smile was all but completely gone by now. “B-but don’t worry! I promised you that we’d get the chance to hang out later, Mabel, and I meant it. Its just… gonna be a little later than I thought. You understand, right?”

Mabel didn’t respond right away, though when she did, it was with a relenting sigh as she realized she couldn’t very well bring the fusion down from his palpable excitement now. “Y-yeah…” she said, hiding her dejection well. “I understand…”

“Great!” Stepper replied, sending her four thumbs up as he began to hurry on after Ford once more. “See ya then!”

“Y-yeah…” Mabel forced a smile as she watched the fusion leave her behind yet again. “S-see ya…” As soon as Stepper had fully turned away, she was unable to hold back another sad sigh, wishing that they didn’t have to keep putting off their sought-after time together like this. In truth, she did understand exactly why the fusion wanted to spend this time with Ford; after all, the very reason why Steven and Dipper had fused in the first place was largely for the sake of assisting in the author’s research. But even still, Mabel couldn’t help but feel somewhat lost in the shuffle of it all, knowing that it was a rare event to get to see the fusion at all, much less in the newly found harmonious state he was now in. Even just a few minutes of free, boundless fun with him would be more than enough to suffice, but at this rate, it didn’t seem like Mabel would ever even get those moments as distracted and distanced as he seemed to be.

However, as she stood alone and upset as she was, Mabel largely failed to notice a certain green Gem approach her until she spoke up dryly. “What are you doing just standing here like this doing nothing?” Peridot asked, her hands on her hips as she raised an eyebrow at the girl.

“Oh! Peri!” Mabel exclaimed, startled out of her thoughts. “I was just… uh… waiting for Stepper… as usual…”

“Ugh, the Stepper,” the green Gem groaned with disdain, rolling her eyes. “What’s the big deal about him anyway? As far as I can see, he’s nothing more than a four-armed, impetuous, robinoids-destroying clod.”

“Aw, he’s not a clod, Peri!” Mabel chuckled slightly. “Stepper’s really great once ya get to know him! Heh, it’s probably cause he’s made up of two of the people I care about the most… even though I don’t really feel like he’s caring that much about me right now…”

“Well, why do you care if he cares about you at all?” Peridot asked, not following the concept.

“Well, its just… he promised me that we’d get the chance to hang out and have some good old fashioned fusion fun…” Mabel explained. “But he’s been so busy with Grunkle Ford that he just… keeps putting me off. He keeps saying he’ll have time for me ‘later’ but who knows when later is gonna be!”

“Hm… so you’re upset with that bothersome fusion too then?” Peridot asked somewhat leadingly.

“Well, I don’t know if I’d say I’m ‘upset’ with him, but-”

“Then, I have the perfect idea!” the green Gem interrupted with a vindictive smile. “Revenge!”

“Revenge?” Mabel asked, confused. “Revenge for what?”

“For him destroying my machines, of course!” Peridot snapped hotly. “Alone, there’s not much I can do against him and those projectile shields of his, but if I recruit you to my cause, then together can get even with that nuisance of a Stepper once and for all!”

“Uh… I don’t really wanna get even with him for anything…” Mabel noted with a frown. “I guess… all I really want is to get his attention somehow… Maybe if I could just get on his level or somethi—OH! That’s it!”

“What’s it?” Peridot asked.

“I just got the perfect idea!” Mabel exclaimed with a daring grin. “What’s the one, sure fire way to get the attention of a fusion like Stepper?”

“I don’t know and I don’t ca-”

“Fusion!” Mabel interupted brightly. “Which means… Peri, you and me are gonna fuse!”

For a moment, Peridot said nothing, instead opting to send the girl a look of complete and utter bafflement above all else. “We’re going to what?”

“No time to explain,” Mabel said quickly, grabbing the green Gem’s arm and pulling her after her so they could spring her newfound plan into motion. “We gotta find ourselves one of Grunkle Ford’s spare lab coats pronto. I have a feeling this is gonna work great!”

“Well, its certainly composed largely of Gem magic,” Ford concluded as him and Stepper stood over the shield journal as it rested on the small table before them inside the barn. “That much is obvious. But I’ve never seen a Gem weapon… ‘behave’ like this one does, so to speak.”

“Maybe its because I’m a fusion?” Stepper guessed. “Though even then, it is sorta weird that my weapon is a journal which… isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think about weapons…”

“It is rather peculiar…” Ford agreed thoughtfully. “Which is why I believe this warrants a full-on scientific investigation. Allow me to go fetch my camera. We’ll begin by taking several expository photographs for later use. Just you wait, Stepper; I have a feeling this research is going to wield some of our most integral and exciting research yet!”

“Sounds great!” Stepper called after the author enthusiastically. Once he was gone, the fusion let out a contented sigh as he placed a fond hand against the cover of his shield journal. There was no telling what sort of secrets its sparkling, mysterious pages might hold, and he was quite excited to uncover them all alongside the author himself.

“You know, I gotta say,” Stepper said to himself as one of his lower hands gently skimmed one of his upper ones. “This has seriously been one of the best days I’ve ever had. Yeah! I’m having a great time too! Makes me wonder why we haven’t done this sooner… I don’t know, but… I think I’d like to try doing it more often from here on out. Really?! Yeah, why not?” he chuckled as his upper arms embraced himself excitedly. “It feels… really nice.”

“Oh, Steeeeeper!” The fusion jolted in surprise at this call as he glanced over his shoulder, only to be met with a sight that baffled him instantly.

“Mabel?” Stepper frowned in confusion as he turned to face the oddly tall figure before him. Mabel had apparently commandeered one of Ford’s tan lab coats, draping it over herself and Peridot, who she was clearly sitting on the shoulders of if the obviously triangular shape under the folds of the coat was anything to go off of. The fusion watched curiously as the pair awkwardly shuffled over to them, clearly struggling to so much as balance at all, much less move coordinately at all.

“Wrong-o, Ste-bro!” Mabel quipped pointedly, grinning excitedly as she realized she was about on the same eye level as the fusion. “I’m not Mabel, I’m… Mabeldot! Or Peribel. I haven’t decided which one I like more yet.”

“Uh… ok?” Stepper raised an eyebrow. “So… what are you guys doing exactly?”

“Isn’t it totally obvious?” Mabel asked with a wide grin. “We fused! Just like you guys did! Isn’t that right, Peri?”

“Ouch!” Peridot shouted underneath the lab coat. “Will you just sit still up there already?!”

“Um… I hate to break it to you guys, but… you guys didn’t fuse,” Stepper pointed out with a frown.

“Whaaaaaat?” Mabel asked in faux appalled shock. “Of course we did! Would we be as tall as you if we hadn’t?”

“Mabel, that’s only because you’re sitting on Peridot’s shoulders,” the fusion noted. “Wait, don’t tell me you’re actually upset about the whole thing about me being taller than you know, ‘cause if you are, then that was just a joke-”

“No! That’s not what I’m upset about!” Mabel huffed, forgetting her fusion façade.

“Uh… then what’s… this whole thing about?” Stepper asked, motioning to the false “fusion” before him.

“It isn’t about anything!” Mabel snapped, frustrated. “M-maybe I just wanted to fuse with my new best friend Peridot because having only one Gem and human fusion around here wasn’t enough.”

“Uh, ok, but just one problem with that,” Stepper crossed his lower arms. “You and Peridot can’t even fuse in the first place.”

“See!” Peridot spoke up as she suddenly shrugged Mabel off her shoulders, prompting them both to fall to the ground with a resounding thud. “I told you! This so-called ‘plan’ of yours was complete and utter foolish waste of time! We wouldn’t have fooled anyone! Now, if you’ll need me, I’ll be plotting out an actual revenge scheme instead of some ridiculous, implausible masquerade!” And with this, Peridot stormed off, Ford’s lab coat still hanging onto her as she made no attempts to shrug it off as she took her heated retreated, leaving Stepper and Mabel alone.

“Mabel, come on,” Stepper said evenly, his expression sincere, concerned even. “I can tell something’s up with you. What’s really going on here?”

“I already told you, nothing’s going on!” Mabel retorted crossly. “I’m fine, everything’s fine, especially you! You’re just off, having a great time together and with Grunkle Ford doing your ‘super important fusion research’, and I get it, ok?”

“Get what?” Stepper asked, still not following.

“That you’re so busy that you don’t have any time to hang out with me!” Mabel exclaimed pointedly. “Even though you promised that you would, but I guess you guys would rather spend your time doing way more important things than having fun with me!”

At first, Stepper had no idea what to really say in response to such an intense, emotional outburst, though he quickly made a move to correct it the moment he noticed tears starting to well up in Mabel’s eyes. “Aw, Mabel…” he began gently as he knelt down to her level. “You know I didn’t mean to blow you off. I really do wanna hang out with you, its just…”

“Its just I gotta wait till you’re done with Grunkle Ford, huh?” Mabel finished, her hands on her hips.

“Um, yeah? That’s pretty much it,” Stepper said, standing. “I won’t be that much longer. You can wait a few hours, can’t you?”

“That’s not the point!” Mabel refuted, stomping her foot down. “The point is that you guys are finally stable together! You’re finally fun, or at least I thought you were until you decided you wanted to bury your head in all that boring research again!”

“W-well, why do you have such a problem with that?” Stepper asked somewhat defensively. “We’re just trying to find answers to questions that deserve to be answered! We could learn so much about fusion, and Gems and-”

“Ugh, who cares?!” Mabel interupted impatiently. “You guys could always just study all that stuff when you’re not fused! Why do you gotta waste your time with it now when you are fused?”

“Well, why does it matter to you so much that we hang out with you while we’re fused in the first place?” Stepper argued back, growing readily more annoyed. “You spend time with Steven and Dipper every day, so why are things so different when I’m around? I am them, for crying out loud!”

“It matters because you’re-” Mabel sharply cut herself off with a frustrated sob, not wanting to give the fusion any sort of high ground in this fight.

“I’m what, Mabel?” Stepper asked a bit harsher than he had meant to as the girl quickly turned around to wipe her tears. While half of the fusion did feel rather guilty about being the cause of those tears in the first place, the other half was far too incensed with what he believed to be justified frustration to let her win this fight. “I think I get it now,” he said, his tone cold as he pulled himself to his full height. “You’re just being selfish.”

Mabel was unable to let back a sharp, bitter laugh upon hearing this as she turned back around to face the fusion. “Yeah, ok, I’m being selfish,” she remarked with a rare sense of biting sarcasm. “Says the fusion who broke his promise and doesn’t seem to even care!”

“I didn’t break my promise!” Stepper snapped fiercely. “You just too impatient to wait for me to finish with Great Mr. Ford! Face it, Mabel, you’re are being selfish, just like you always are!”

A heavy, shocked gasp escaped Mabel at this, her offense to such a burning remark immediately clear. Stepper himself took in a suddenly anxious breath as soon as he said it, knowing that he had crossed a line and wanting to take it back, though at the same time, he forced himself to let it be, still refusing to back down now. “I’m not selfish,” Mabel finally spoke up as she glared up at the fusion squarely.

“Yes, you are,” Stepper countered with a bit of a tired sigh.

“No, I’m not!” Mabel argued, this time much more intently.

“Yes, you are!” the fusion exclaimed. He knew this entire argument was somewhat futile, but even so, a large part of him was far too angry and far too stubborn to simply let it go.

“No, I’m not!”

“Yes, you are!”

“No, I’m NOT!”

“Yes, you—STOP!” Surprisingly enough, Stepper cut himself off, his lower hands clenched in tight fists as he continued almost desperately. “Stop fighting! Please, I don’t wanna-” The fusion interupted himself again, this time with a sudden gasp as his Gem and birthmark flashed brightly. “B-but… but we shouldn’t…” he trailed off, closing his eyes tightly as he placed a hand against his head. “We shouldn’t say things like that, she’s your sister—yeah, she is and she’s wrong! But being angry like this isn’t gonna—I don’t care! She needs to realize she can’t always have her way! B-but we—Ugh, forget it! I’ll handle this!” The fusion finally managed to steady himself as he took in a deep breath, meeting Mabel’s somewhat startled gaze with a stern, serious glare. “Mabel, I’m sorry, but… we didn’t fuse just so we could hang out with you. And… if you’re going to be so jealous and clingy and selfish then… then maybe I just won’t hang out with you at all!”

Mabel let out another harsh gasp at this, recoiling back a bit as if Stepper’s words had physically hurt her. And for as much pain as they brought her, they might as well have. “O-oh yeah?” she asked challengingly, aggressively fighting against her pressing tears as she returned the fusion’s glare relentlessly. “Well… m-maybe I don’t wanna hang out with you either if you’re gonna be so boring and stubborn!”

“Fine!” Stepper snapped, swiftly spinning around to face away from her, his upper arms crossed tightly.

“Fine!” Mabel repeated just as angrily as she did the same.

And for the next several minutes, that was it. Neither of them said another single word to each other, their argument ending on a sour, stated stalemate. However, as seconds passed on into minutes, Stepper couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder back at Mabel, even if half of him clearly didn’t want to. All the same, his expression softened quite a bit as he noticed her shoulders hitching ever so slightly in what was clearly a mournful sob. With a small sigh, he turned to face her once again, his expression rather neutral as a result of the disagreement between both of both of his halves over the matter. A part of him was clearly angry with her, there was no question about that, seeing her behavior and lashing out as nothing more than immature and foolish. He believed that the best way to handle such an attitude was to simply let her stew in her frustration with him, knowing that she’d get over it eventually and maybe even learn a lesson in patience and acceptance in the process. And yet… while his other half did understand those sentiments, and even did agree with them to some extent, he still couldn’t help but feel rather guilty all the same. True, Mabel’s outburst against him had been harsh and demanding and even possessive to a point, but the only reason she was so upset in the first place was because of his failure to keep his promise to her. He had gotten distracted, and in his distraction he kept putting her off until later, always saying that they’d have time to spend together, but never actually following through. He couldn’t really say that if he was in her shoes, he wouldn’t feel at least a little left out and forgotten as she likely was.

And maybe… that’s exactly what the problem here was in the first place. Though Mabel hadn’t said so in those exact words, the more sympathetic half of Stepper was quickly starting to suspect that was what this conflict was actually about. With Dipper and Steven as fused as they were, it stood to reason that Mabel might have felt as though she was being left out on all of the fun they were having together, and in turn, those feelings of loneliness soon turned into those of bitterness. It all made sense, but even so, it was a problem that he really had no idea how to fix. What they needed was a way for all three of them to work this out without devolving into another hostile shouting match. A way for them to work out their differences on common ground. A way for them all to see things eye to eye.

Or better yet… a way for them to see things through the same eyes.

Stepper moved carefully and intentfully, keeping all thoughts of his newfound plan out of his mind, lest his other half pick up on them and stop him altogether amidst his own frustration. Still, he could feel that half’s palpable confusion as he stepped forward towards Mabel, who couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder at him in equal bewilderment, especially as she noticed one of his lower hands was extended out to her in offering. The fusion’s expression was mingled with both that same almost disgruntled confusion as well as what almost appeared to be a sense of sad sincerity as he nodded at her, silently asking her to take his hand. And, even despite her own currently mixed feelings about the fusion at the moment, Mabel did so, curious to see exactly what he was planning on doing.

However, the last thing she could have ever expected was for Stepper to do was grasp her other hand before pulling her into a slow, first initial spin, one that soon turned into what was clearly an impromptu dance. The fusion himself seemed ever bit as surprised as she was as he met her bewildered gaze evenly, yet even so, they continued on in easy, almost waltz-like twirls gradually leading them out of the barn and into the yard. Neither of them said anything as they tried to piece together exactly what was going on, which was something only one half of the fusion knew while leaving both his other half and the girl completely in the blind. In truth, he had no idea if this would actually work or not, but for the sake of restoring the peace and bonds between them all, it was at least worth a shot.

Unable to hold her immense curiosity in any longer, Mabel was about to speak up to finally ask Stepper why they were apparently dancing in the first place. However, before she could get a chance, she was suddenly blindsided by the bright burst of light from the fusion’s gemstone, one that seemed to flood and fill in over both of them. And, in that brief moment, both of them, or rather, all three of them finally realized exactly what was happening.

Their eyes opened swiftly, all three of them wide and easily depicting their shared shock. Their breath caught in a sharp gasp, their uneven trio of hands trembling as they caught sight of them, as well as the rest of their newly amalgamated form. Even so, they were clearly struggling to take it all in as one single thought ran through their now shared mind: against all odds and all impossibilities, Steven, Dipper, and Mabel were all fused together at the exact same time, resulting in neither Stepper nor Maven even, but in someone entirely different altogether.

“W-wha…” the new fusion whispered, their voice just about completely neutral when it came to gender. They slowly shook their head, still completely baffled as they noticed that their only extra arm rested underneath their left one, while their only additional eye rested evenly above their right. They weren’t able to make much else about their appearance, aside from their attire which was clearly a mix of that of all three of their components. And yet, that hardly mattered to the fusion as much as the fact that they even managed to exist at all, especially as they managed to realize that only a third of them had hoped for this to happen in the first place. “W-what… what did you do?!” they asked, their voice suddenly rising in both fear and fury. “I-I’m sorry! I just thought-”

The fusion gasped again, their shoulders jolting as they suddenly became aware of the several sets of eyes watching them from afar. Despite their new, rather-tall legs, they quickly spun around, only to find Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Ford, and even Peridot all standing near the barn, all of them staring at the new fusion, completely dumbfounded.

The fusion’s breathing began to pick up under the sudden scrutiny, a wave of unbridled anxiety washing over them. All three of their components felt it rush through them almost painfully, but it was clear it hit one of them much harder than the others. They let out a startled cry as their form flashed briefly, turning amorphous and unclear as one of their components began to fall out of the fusion entirely. Dipper didn’t even have time to let out a fearful gasp as, before he could even fully split apart from the fusion, a hand suddenly grasped his tightly. He glanced back up to find Maven, still somehow left over from their fusion and still clinging onto him, their expression morose and pleading, almost as if they were silently begging him to not let go just yet. And, despite the countless emotions running through him at that moment and the stunned audience that they had just a few feet away, he found that was a plea that for some reason, he couldn’t refuse.

Light silhouetted the kids once again as their three-way fusion reformed, still clearly in a state of shock as they glanced down at themselves briefly, before looking to everyone watching them again. To say that they were overwhelmed would be an understatement, and with so many thoughts and so many feelings pouring through their shared mind at once, the one thing they did know was that this was something they had to figure out on their own. Which was why, before anyone could so much as say a single word to them, the fusion turned on their heel and bolted, running off towards the distant fields and hills of open farmland before them, not bothering to look back even once.

“W-wait!” Ford called after them as soon as he shook himself out of his shock, more than curious to learn about something as incredible as the fusion he had just seen. However, before he could attempt to run after them, Garnet stopped him, shaking her head calmly.

“Let them be,” the Gem leader said, watching as the fusion disappeared off into the distance. “After all, this is between the three of them and no one else.”

In their ongoing state of emotional frenzy, the fusion had no idea how long they had been running or even where they were really going. The late afternoon landscapes sped by them as they maintained a steady pace, tears welling up in all three of their eyes the entire time though none of them ever fell. When they finally did come to a stop, it was out of exhaustion more than anything else as they gradually came to a breathless halt against a tall, wide tree standing alone out in the midst of the otherwise empty fields. Their trio of hands were still shaking as they took the time to stare down at them in disbelief, their own existence bewildering them more than anything else at that moment possibly could.

They had fused. By all accounts, something like this should have been impossible, and up until now, each of their components would have readily believed that it was impossible. True, three or more Gems could fuse at a time, but the fact that Steven could fuse with more than one human at a time was something no one had ever anticipated or thought of before. But sure enough, it had happened, and despite how baffled the fusion was by how they had come to be, all too soon their thoughts began to turn to why they had come to be.

“W-we… you… I… I don’t understand,” they began, their voice soft and diffident as they conversed to themselves. “Neither do I… You… you just… pulled all three of us together like this and… and now we’re…” They took in a deep breath, all three of their eyes closing as they tried their best to compose themselves amidst their countless mixed emotions. “Why? What’s the point? Why would you—b-because I thought this would help!”

They stopped briefly, sighing almost sadly as they leaned back against the side of the tree and rubbed their spare arm gently. “I… I thought… you were both so upset with each other… I could see it, heck, I could even feel it… I just thought that… maybe if you could get inside each other’s heads for just for a second, t-then… then it might help you—help us what?” They cut themselves off sharply, a sudden burst of familiar, bitter anger running through them. “See just how wrong she is? What?! I’m not wrong! You’re the one who’s wrong! I am not!” They stamped their foot down harshly. “Everything was going just fine until you came along being all impatient and jealous! Guys, wait, we shouldn’t—I wasn’t jealous! I just wanted to have some fun with you guys, which is something you clearly weren’t interested in. We were having fun! But every time I have fun, you always have to have a problem with it! Come on, you guys, we have to try to get alo—I never said I have a problem with that! Then what is your problem, huh?! M-maybe… No, come on, don’t say it, you don’t mean—maybe my problem’s with you!”

The fusion let out a loud, appalled scoff at this, one that quickly turned into an exasperated groan as their least angry third realized exactly where this was going, as hard as they were trying to diffuse it. “S-seriously, we shouldn’t fight, especially when we’re like this!” they urged desperately. “I don’t see why we shouldn’t! After all, I’d love to know more about this so-called ‘problem’ you have with me! N-no, we don’t—Oh, you wanna hear more?” They asked themselves challengingly, set to deliver this bitingly honest opinion in a unique, yet heavy-handed way they wouldn’t soon forget. “Fine! I’ll be more than happy to tell you!”

The fusion took a bold step forward, two of their arms crossed and their other hand clenched into a tight fist as their other two components finally realized that they were all about to burst into song, whether they wanted to or not. “My problem with you,” they began, their melody upbeat yet carrying a certain catty, unapologetic swing to it. “Who me?” they interupted themselves, confused. “No, you,” they clarified, eliciting a sarcastic eye-roll from only one of their eyes. “Is that you always have to be better. Says who?!” they asked with another doubtful scoff. “You do! And if you asked me twice, well wouldn’t it be nice, if you were just WRONG for once! Ohhhh…”

Incensed by these accusations, the fusion turned their nose up, initially wanting no parts of such a petty argument before they ultimately decided not to simply let these callous claims hang as they were. And so, ignoring how flustered they already were, they decided to play themselves at their own game and offer their side of the story in the exact same musical way. “Well, MY problem with YOU—wait, me? Yeah, you!—is that you always have to always have to be selfish—not true!” they protested before part of them finally spoke up rather timidly to these claims, only to be drowned out once again. “But you—You always get your way, but no, not today, until you did anyway! Ahhh…

They sighed, partially to let a bit of their frustration out and partially out of sadness as they continued walking, almost dancing forward. After all, they had hoped that their newfound, unique existence as a fusion would bring them together; but ultimately, it was only pulling them apart even more than before. “You guys, the problem with us,” they began rather solemnly, only to angrily interrupt themselves once again. “No, him! There’s no us! I-is that we have to try to—stop complaining! Don’t fuss!”

The fusion cringed in spite of themselves, realizing that even though their voice was steady and strong, they still seemed so out of harmony, in more ways than one. “How can we get along? It’ll take more than a song—just admit that you’re wrong!” they snapped bitingly, pressing a hand against their head as they tried to make sense of all of the conflicting emotions and opinions running through it. “Wrong,” they stomped forward once again, their eyes shut tightly as their tone grew progressively more intense. “Wrong, wrong, wrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongWRONG—”

The fusion ultimately cut themselves off with a sudden gasp of surprise as they tripped, their foot catching on a rock as they fell forward into a small stream running through the field that they hadn’t even noticed as caught up in their song as they had been. They quickly sat up, shaking themselves off and letting out a disgruntled sigh as they still dripped with quite a bit of water. Their song was all but forgotten as they began, trying to dry themselves off, more than ready to get back into their bout of heated arguing. Until…

They paused, froze practically as they happened to glance down at the crystal clear waters of the stream before them. Or rather, at their own reflection staring back at them from within it. Until now, the fusion hadn’t put much thought into what they might have looked like, as caught up in their own internal conflict as they had been. But now, all thoughts of that seemed to fade away as their own appearance practically captivated them. They were tall, much taller than even Stepper or Maven were, and indeed, they had an extra arm on the left and an extra eye above the right, yet somehow, neither appendage looked out of place or unsightly. In a way, they almost seemed to balance each other out, contributing to the unique, completely new being they now were together. Their hair was a medium length and shade of brown, loose, and free and recklessly curly as it spilled out from the unmistakable pine tree hat atop their head. The rest of their attire was clearly a testament to who they were made of as well, from Steven and Mabel’s shirt and sweater respectively combined into a bright pink top underneath Dipper’s usual vest. Likewise, their pair of loose jean capris rested underneath a purple skirt, their shoes mismatched yet comfortable all the same. In fact, despite how seemingly mismatched and at ends they seemed to be in general, their appearance somehow still made sense. Their fusion made sense, oddities, imperfections and all.

And perhaps… that fact spoke to more than just their fusion too.

Throughout the entire summer so far, one thing had always seemed to be a constant; no matter what danger or threat or trial they faced, Steven, Dipper, and Mabel faced them all together. Through thick and thin, Dipper and Mabel were stalwart siblings; they always had been and they always would be, no matter what, and in the midst of that close sibling bond stood Steven, an endlessly loyal and ever-supportive friend to them both. Regardless of minor spats and petty arguments, the three of them belonged together; the fact that they had even been able to fuse at all was proof of that. And perhaps, they all realized at the exact same moment, it was time to stop letting themselves, of all people, get in the way of the bond of family and friendship they all cherished so very much.

“T-the problem with us…” they began their song again, this time softer and gentler as they kept their sights on their own reflection. “No wait… not ‘us’… Is that I’m not just one or the other…” Slowly, they stood, still looking down towards the stream first, before their gaze gradually drifted to their trio of hands stretched out before them. “I’m not one or two… but something just brand new, so what do I do? Oooo….”

“Maybe…” they trailed off with a sigh, a bit of shame filling them as they thought about just how foolish their conflict had been in the first place, and just how much it could have damaged between them as a result. Which meant that regardless of what was said in the past, it was finally time to put an end to it once and for all.

“It wasn’t me…” they admitted, wrapping all three of their arms around each other in a bit of a lose hug as they slowly passed by the creek. “It wasn’t you… You know, they say it takes two…” They finally cracked a small smile at this joke, though it didn’t last long as remorse entered their melody, though hints of forgiveness and empathy were mingled in there just as much. “I couldn’t see… I wanted to be… part of this too…”

Their pace picked up just the slightest bit as they looked ahead towards the horizon, the sun just starting to sink over it and casting everything in a deep, rich glow of twilight. It was a rejuvenating glow, one that filled the fusion with hope and warmth as they smiled once more, finally, finally ready to declare exactly who—and what—they were. “But now that we’re three,” they began, their smile gradually widening as they walk soon started to turn into a job before evolving into an energized run. “Both us and we,” A small, bright laugh escaped them, one filled with building joy and ecstasy that they knew they would soon be absolutely powerless to contain. “And that makes you… ME!”

At this, the fusion acted on sheer impulse, leaping into the air in the blazing light of the setting sun. For a brief, breathless, blissful moment, they felt almost weightless until gravity began to pull them back down, yet surprisingly enough, it wasn’t enough to ground them completely. For instead of their feet hitting the grass below, they seemed to hover above it ever so slightly, floating gently above the earth as they started down at it in amazed disbelief. And yet, for as elated and excited as they were, they decided not to question it, instead opting to make the most out of such a bizarre yet brilliant opportunity for all it was worth.

“And there’s NO problem with me!” they sang, their melody triumphant as they hovered forward with grace and agility. “Cause as far as I can see, we’re singing in perfect harmony!” The fusion preformed a deft spin at this, more or less practically ice skating on thin air and loving every single second it, knowing that this was what they should have been doing from the moment they first fused. “A sister—a brother—friends caring for each other, like its supposed to be!” Once again, they pulled themselves into a fond, tight embrace as they leaned back a bit, still keeping their mid-air momentum going all the while. “Like it was meant to be!” they proclaimed, proud of who they were and what their fusion represented and glad for this experience, despite its less than ideal beginnings. After all, it had indeed done its part in not only bringing peace between them all, but bringing them all together, in a way that got them closer than they had ever thought possible. Which was why, with a warm smile on their face and a contented song in their heart, they gradually began to glide their way back towards the barn, ready to face anything so long as they faced it together. “Like it will always be…”

An air of confusion had hung over the barn ever since the fusion’s unexpected formation and subsequent flight. Ford, Pearl, Amethyst, and even Peridot each had their own respective abundance of questions, to which Garnet simply assured them to wait for eventual answers to them upon the fusion’s return. Still, as minutes turned into hours with no sign of the fusion or any of the kids who composed them in sight, worry was starting to fill the air, mingling with that same confusion as the sun soon began to set.

“I hope the kids are alright…” Pearl frowned, staring off into the distance the fusion had disappeared into. “Its getting awfully late for them to be out there alone…”

“They’re not alone,” Garnet reminded, casually leaning against the side of the barn. “They have each other.”

“Heh, yeah, cause they fused,” Amethyst interjected with a grin. “Which is totally nuts when you think about it. Like its already crazy that Steven can fuse with Dipper and Mabel each on their own, but all three of them mashin’ it up? This is like… a whole new level of awesome!”

“It certainly is an absolutely phenomenal discovery,” Ford commented as he enthusiastically continued taking what notes he could of the new fusion down in his journal. “Just think of the implications here! A human-Gem hybrid, not only fusing with one organic human but two at the same exact time! I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes! I have so much to ask them when they return, like what the balance between the three of them sharing the same headspace is like, what possible weapons and abilities they might have at their disposal, what they might possibly refer to themselves as-”

“Dipevebel.”

Everyone jolted in surprise as they all turned to see none other than the fusion themselves, strolling over to meet them from around the corner of the barn. Their expression was relaxed and bright as they smiled at the stunned group, barely even seeming to take notice in just how shocked they all were at their sudden, unexpected return.

“W-what?” Ford spoke up, his eyes wide as he looked the fusion up and down.

“Well, I dunno how to really answer those first two questions,” they began, two of their hands in their pockets while their spare rested casually behind their head. “But I do have an idea for what I’d like to be called and that’s it: Dipevebel. I know its not exactly the easiest name to roll off the tongue, but its kinda the best you can expect when you have to combine Dipper, Steven, and Mabel together, like I do. Still… I think it fits. Don’t you guys agree?”

While Ford, Pearl, and Amethyst were still much to baffled to really even say anything, Garnet stepped forward, demonstrating that even she was a bit shorter than the newly-named Dipevebel. “I do,” the Gem leader nodded with a clearly proud grin as she extended out a hand for the fusion to shake. “Its nice to finally meet you, Dipevebel.”

“Heh, honestly, it was nice for me to meet myself,” Dipevebel chuckled warmly. “Wait… that doesn’t make any sense. Or maybe it does in some deep poetic sort of way? …Eh, forget it. Guess what I’m trying to say is… its good to be here! Even if I… sorta ran away at first—ok, you know what, I should probably just stop rambling.”

“Oh, I like this one!” Amethyst laughed, amused. “They’re like all of Maven’s fun and all of Stepper’s funny awkwardness wrapped up into one rad, three-eyed, three-armed package!”

“Huh… a fusion of Maven and Stepper…” Dipevebel mused. “You know, I haven’t thought of us like that before, but in a way, I guess that’s exactly what I am. Neat!”

“Well, you three certainly are impressive together,” Pearl said with a good-natured grin. “And I’m not just saying that because your mere existence is an incredible feat in and of itself—wait! T-that’s not what I-”

“Nah, its ok, Pearl,” Dipevebel laughed, setting the white Gem’s belief that she had offended them at ease. “Even I gotta admit that it is kind of crazy that I can even be here at all, but just for the record, I’m really glad that I am.”

“And we’re glad that you are too,” Garnet nodded supportively.

“Indeed we are!” Ford chimed in with renewed enthusiasm, his pen ready to take down as many notes as he could about this incredible new fusion. “Now, you kids wouldn’t mind if I asked you one, or two, or several questions about your physiology and abilities as a fusion, would you?”

“Ah, w-well…” Dipevebel trailed off, glancing down with a bit of an awkward smile. “I’d love to, but if its all the same to you Mr. Grunkle Ford, we’d—or, I’d… kind of like to have a bit of time just to ourselves, if that’s ok.”

The author took pause at this, surprised, and though disappointment briefly flashed across his expression, he ultimately smiled in acceptance, knowing that there’d certainly be time to investigate this miraculous, newly-formed fusion again some other day. “O-of course it is,” he nodded humbly as him and the Gems stepped out of the fusion’s way. Dipevebel offered them all another cordial grin as they left, only to be stopped by a certain green Gem as she happened to venture out of the barn at that exact moment.

“Hey!” Peridot snapped as she accitentally ran right into the much-taller fusion. “What’s the big ide—oh, great…” she groaned, glaring up at Dipevebel, unimpressed. “Its all three of you clods, fused and formed into one giant clod, just what we need around here…”

Instead of taking offense at the green Gems disparaging remarks, the fusion simply smiled in amusement at them, playfully patting Peridot on the head as they stepped passed her. “Its nice to see you too, Peridot,” they said, bidding her off with a friendly wave before heading off on their own.

“Ugh, fusion…” the green Gem groaned in disgust as she stood alongside the others and watched Dipevebel head past the edge of the barn. “What’s it even good for anyway?”

“More than you could ever know,” Garnet replied, her pride in the trio still apparent as she glanced slightly upwards, to the roof of the barn where their fusion took up their perch. “They’re proof enough of that.”

The summer sunset was peaceful and warm, accented by a light, easy breeze and early crickets chirping in the early evening. Dipevebel sat alone and silent on top of the barn, taking it all in and not needing any words to convey just how harmonious and happy they felt at that moment.

They had been told before that fusion represented relationships, bonds formed between Gems (or in their case, between humans and Gems), brought to life in entirely new, but familiar beings. Dipevebel themselves had already realized that, in a way, they represented not just one relationship, but several: the dedicated, devoted sibling bond between Dipper and Mabel, the unlikely, but undeniably close connection between Steven and Dipper, the warm, playful friendship between Mabel and Steven. All of these things were what created Dipevebel, what tied them together and kept them close. The fusion themselves cherished those connections and the feelings they brought them deeply, knowing that for as long as they or any of the individual parts that composed them existed, they’d never let any of them go.

As the sun finally disappeared beyond the distant hills and the sky settled into the cool shade of night, Dipevebel finally slowly came undone on their own accord. The act of unfusing was smooth and mutual, but even as they came apart, they were still together, enveloping each other in a loose yet fond three-way hug. None of them said anything as they kept up their contented smiles and upheld this comforting embrace, wanting to hold onto it and the simple happiness it brought them for as long as possible, and even after that.

11 notes · View notes

nadiestar · 5 years

Text

The Defendant’s Seat is a Cold Place

(One Shot about 4300 words)

Wednesday, 3 July 2030

Courtroom No. 7. A wicked place truly. It had brought great despair to Phoenix and had been the show place for the beginning of the dark age of the law. Yes, it had also been the stage for the unjustifiably cruel UR-1 case. The courtroom where Blackquill had put on his show and had taken the blame for a crime he never committed.

As chief prosecutor I knew about that. I also knew that the man avoided said courtroom as well as he could. He would always ask, if another courtroom was available, as soon as No. 7 was assigned as the courtroom for one of his cases. But he never complained if he had to fight in there. Of course, he did not, he was a professional after all.

But sadly, professionalism did not protect us from emotions or trauma. And Blackquill had learnt that the hard way two months ago, as he broke down and finally realized that it was time to get help. He was on the right track now but there was still a long way ahead of him, as far as I knew, and I could only hope that he knew that too.

Anyway, when I heard Gavin grumble about Blackquill’s wish to be left alone in the break room, I had a weird feeling. The black-haired man had been oddly quiet during the meeting we had today and that wish I had heard from Gavin, made me even more uncomfortable.

So, it came to this. It was almost 7 PM, I had followed this obscure whim and had gone to the courtroom No. 7. I stood in the entrance and stared into the shady room. The man was there but did not notice me. His back was turned towards me and I saw him staring at the defendant’s seat on the defence side. He must have sat there ages ago.

I observed the man’s broad shoulders with concern. They were heavy with sorrow and pain. His stance full of doubt and fright. Both hidden with a mask of coolness and sarcasm. I knew the mask as if it had been an old friend. Or maybe more of a drug.

I let out a sigh and put myself in motion. Earnestly I wandered towards the man until I stood directly behind him and cleared my throat. I had no intention in startling the man more than necessary.

Promptly Blackquill flinched and turned around in a haze. I had almost the feeling that he was ready to fight off an attacker but quickly he realized that I was nobody he had to be afraid of. Still, he was tense, what was not that surprising considering the fact that he was caught by his superior in a courtroom after work hours.

I looked up to him, waiting for some sort of explanation or justification of why he was here, but the man remained silent.

In the shady light it was hard to see but I could make out the unsteadiness in his eyes. I felt pity raise up inside of my stomach. The fear of punishment. It had no place in my mind right now.

I exhaled slowly and turned my face to the defendant’s seat. I put on a smile, the one I used to lecture Kay quite often, and side eyed the tall prosecutor next to me.

“It’s terribly cold on that chair, isn’t it?”

I clearly caught him off guard. The shock in his eyes gave it away.

“Pardon?”, he asked with a raspy voice.

I put my hand on the chair and looked directly into his eyes as I answered: “Well, when I sat in this chair, I felt terribly cold and lonely. I assumed you had a similar experience. I might have been mistaken.”

“I-” Simon straightened up, took a step back from me. He turned his head to the side and stared at the ground.

“More so suffocating than cold, really…”

I looked at him with sad eyes. He was a grown man, remember that Miles. He had come this far, and you had no right patronizing him.

… Still, it would not hurt him to have somebody who was there for him, would it?

Slowly, I walked towards the gallery and waited for the man to register it. As he looked up, I waved him over and sat down on the first bench. He followed and placed himself next to me. I felt him observing my movements closely. He probably could not understand why I was doing this. I would have to elaborate it.

“You must have been very lost in that trial”, I said calmly, leaned forward and clasped my hands.

It took Blackquill a moment to respond. I heard it in his phrasing that he had put together this answer carefully.

“Not that much. I knew what was coming. I knew what they would say and how it would end. And I knew that I had to do this in order to prevent something even more terrifying from happening. I was prepared well enough.”

“I trust you were. But there you had no control, no hand in what will happen next. And feeling lost has sometimes not so much to do with being prepared but having control over the situation.

You were a young man, maybe not even a young adult – a teenager so to speak – who sat on this seat for a crime he did not commit in order to protect this little girl, who was crying and shaking horribly on the witness stand.

And you could do nothing to change that. You could not break your mask, or they would see what a farce you had put on. You had to let this girl cry, same girl you were ready to give your life for. You had no control whatsoever and a very good reason to feel lost.”

I spied over to him. He had buried his face in his hands. They were shaking like they often did. It reminded me of something I wish I could forget. I looked away and let my shoulder slump. I would not walk out on him. I had done that enough.

“Had you ever had a problem being in the courtroom where your trial was?”

His face was still in his hands the shaking had anything but stopped but his voice was as clear as it could be. Maybe a bit quieter than usual, but that had to be expected.

“I dreaded it at first. – He did not budge – But I went in there without hesitation or signs fear. I was sure that I had to face it. I had to be punished for my sins.

Until one day came and –

… I broke down. – He spied at me through his fingers – I ran away. And I ran fast and without a trace.

It was the most stupid thing I’ve ever done, and I hurt many, many with it. Till this day I wished I had done it differently but… We can’t change that anymore…

Did this day come for you now?”

Blackquill stared at the seat. He bit his lip and fumbled with his fingers.

“I won’t run-”

“I know.”

He looked at me in wonder.

“You’re not the type for that”, I said simply.

It took him a moment before he lifted his eyes from me and went back staring at the seat.

“It did not bother me before. I was fine with going inside this courtroom. Well, I probably wasn’t fine but suppressed the memories of that trial. And now…

Things are firing back at me. I feel nauseous and weak in this place. Small and voiceless. I- I came here to change it, somehow.

I guess.”

I let out a sigh. “Did it work?”

“A bit?”, he answered after a long pause.

“I feel less anxious at least. But still not good enough to prosecute in this courtroom, I’m afraid.”

There was guilt in his voice. I huffed and massaged my temples.

“Blackquill, I am not going to be mad at you for this and even less fire you. That I am here has nothing to do with our work relationship.”

“Why are you here then?”

I met his gaze and felt a little foolish. Yes, why was I here? I would have preferred it not to know why I was here, but unfortunately, I knew very well why. Weakly I scratched my bottom lip, let my hand sink again and guiltily turned my head to the side.

“Probably, because Wright’s overbearing father instincts rubbed off on me. At least I’d like to think that it was Phoenix fault, but maybe Kay and Sebastian would argue that I had been fatherly for much longer…”

Blackquill did not react. He waited for me elaborate more. Not filling the silence was a good tactic to make people tell more about themselves.

“I really am concerned about your wellbeing. I have been worried from the very beginning. I could not believe that you would be so well so soon after such a horrible experience, but I gave you leeway.

Innocent until proven otherwise, right? Thus, I kept my mouth shut and let you do as you pleased.”

I looked at Blackquill. His hands laid on his lap and he observed them keenly. His mouth was pressed into a thin line and I could almost see the wheels turning in his head. Seeing him displaying so many emotions was … new for me.

“Why… why would you go easy on me? Why would you be so forbearing? Do you think of me as a child?”

I was surprised. There was no accusation or sadness in his voice. Just curiosity.

“No. At least I do not hope so.

I see an incredibly capable man with a passion for prosecuting. You should not be treated as a child…

… But I’m afraid, I saw parts of myself in you and I was afraid to project my flaws on you and overreact on problems that were not yours but mine. So, I remained in the background and let you be.”

“What?”

A smile sneaked on my lips. I made a noise that could almost be mistaken for a small laugh and eyed Blackquill from the side. His eyes had gone wide.

“A lot of sarcasm, knowing smirks and the strong statement of being completely independent. Saying that I’m in control and that there is no need to help or save me.

And that sense of guilt. Feeling guilty for something you aren’t sure you really did but taking the blame anyway.

Yes, that really felt like me from earlier. And it was absolutely worrisome. I had a horrible coping strategy, pushed away everyone who was willing to help me and was a complete dick most of the time.”

He probably did not like that comparison. Neither would I if I was him.

“But that was not all…

Did Trucy ever say something about you and her father?”

Blackquill shot me a look and raised his eyebrows in question. But he gave me an answer.

“She tends to say that we have similar standards and ways of thinking. But what has that to do with anything?”

“Do you want to know, why I was so hung up with your case, Blackquill? Why that it never left me after I first heard of it?”

He nodded carefully. I let out a dry laugh, leaned forward and looked up to the ceiling.

“I was abroad, when I first heard of it. And I was quite surprised. Your name was already known in some circles and I did not think I would hear it in this context.

I came around to look at some records of the trial and I soon discovered that the case was… Very clear cut and straightforward. Which was ideal for the prosecution. Exactly what they waited for.

You told them the facts, what you did, and it was extremely easy to understand for anybody.

But it was not the way how you usually worked as a prosecutor. You were one of those that needed to know every detail and see all the connections and contradictions in beforehand.

I knew that from your early case reports, which I requested after hearing of this whole ordeal. You needed them to believe your story. You needed them to see it as you wanted them to see it.

And I did not know exactly why that was. Why taking the blame for something like this? Why would somebody do such a foolish thing? It would cost your life and who would be willing to go this far?

And then…

I was allowed to see a recording of the trial and your questionings. And the second I saw you standing in this seat I recognized that look.

It was the look of a man that was willing to safe somebody with all the means he had. Somebody who was willing to give himself up for the ones he loved. It was the stupid look I saw the first time in Phoenix face on the trial for Mia Fey’s murder.

And in that moment, I knew I had a huge problem. Because I knew what this look could mean, and I knew I had never won against that determination before. And I was pretty sure I would not win against it anytime soon.

But still… I was not ready to give up just yet. I had been unable to prevent Phoenix disbarment, but I was not willing to let a man be convicted for a crime that was not investigated properly.

So, I did my research. Over the span of seven years I read and read about the Phantom, the work of Professor Cykes and your techniques. And the more I read the more I was sure that you had not committed the crime. You staged the crime and set up the crime scene in order to protect Ms. Cykes.

You took the blame for her. And you did not do it, because you thought she should not be punished for her crimes, no. That was not the thing you believed, that was not the prosecutor you were.

You believed her to be innocent. Even more, you knew she was innocent. But you had no way of proving it. As a prosecutor you were the one who had to outline the case and connect the dots, but you could not find a way to find the real killer. As a prosecutor you wanted to protect the innocent by putting the criminals behind bars, but now you would have had to prosecute the child, you knew was innocent.

You could not help as a prosecutor. So, you became a criminal. You became the one thing you could not find on the crime scene in order to protect her.

…

I had seen this behaviour in Phoenix many times. So often did he try to do something for the right reason on the wrong way. Too often it had worked for him. Until it collapsed, I suppose…

And I still had no idea how to get you out of this mess. I still had no solution for your missing culprit.

Until, well, Justice moved onto the field. When he managed to get Kristoph Gavin down and with-it clear Phoenix name, I had a plan.

For quite some time I had thought about returning to the US and taking the position of the chief prosecutor. That position had many negative sides to it but on the same time it would give me enough power to change some important things in the system.

I would be able to reopen your case that started the dark age of law. But reopen a case without a new culprit wouldn’t help me or you. I needed somebody who would be able to prove your innocence and believed in you.

I was not aware of Ms. Cykes plans back then and underrated Mr. Justice’s abilities greatly, but I knew a man who had taken cases that were just as hopeless as yours. A man that I would trust with my life and so I invited him to Europe one last time.

I asked him if he considered going back into the legal scene and he said he was not quite sure yet. It was not a straight up no, so I told him to look at some of your questionings. I did not tell him why and only gave a rough outline of the case before I started playing them.

During them he did not say a word, only looked closely at your words and gestures. And when it was over, he looked at me emotionlessly.

I asked him what his opinion was and with not a single sign of doubt he told me: ‘He’s innocent. I know a bluffer, when I see one.’

I told him that I believed the same but had no other culprit than him. And then I asked if he would take you as a client, if he had his badge.

Without hesitation he said: ‘Yes.’

And so, I sped up the process for his bar exam and prepared different papers to reopen your case. It took us a lot of time and with the bombing things slowed down dangerously. We would have made it in time, but then your sister interfered and well, the hostage taking happened and we had to deal differently with it.”

Blackquill stared at me with the eyes of an abandoned child. Helpless, wondering and pure. I was not sure if he believed me, but somehow, I had the feeling he wanted to.

“I- “

I did not interrupt him. He shall have his time to explain himself.

“Why – Are you initiating that I was – was the reason you came back to LA? Why – why would you? Why for me? I’m not – special.

Not at all?”

Phoenix sentimentality must have rubbed of on me. There was no other explanation for why I had the urge to take this huge man into my arms and tell him everything was going to be fine and that he was indeed a very special man.

Luckily, my impulse control was still working fine, and I did not hug the man. Instead I laid my hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring look.

“I’d beg to differ. And I am sure that your colleagues and family would say the same.

And on another note, your trial wasn’t the sole reason for my return. But it probably was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

And even if it had been, you would have no need to feel guilty about this. My life has never been better than now and that’s only the case because I came back here. And it was probably the same for Phoenix to be honest.”

Blackquill gulped and looked back at his hands. It was a frown that dominated his face, but I somehow could see a small attempt of a proud smile on the corner of his lips. He had the right to feel pride for himself. He had been an extraordinary man all along and brought greatness into these halls of justice and the office.

“I just realized…”, the man suddenly mused, an unconvinced smirk on his lips.

“Wright, the defence attorney, whose first rule it was to always trust his clients. And I, a prosecutor, whose duty it was to unravel the truth, so justice could be served.

And we both were put in a spot, where we had to do the opposite form our pledges. Wright had to distrust all and everybody, in order to find the one who had brought him into this situation. And I had to bend the truth, so ‘justice’ would not be served. For seven years.

Isn’t it funny? I almost have to laugh at that…”

I did not feel like laughing. More like madly glaring at the man for making such stupid remarks. But then again, he was talking about his problems and this was probably his way of coping. Not the best one, but one you could see quite often these days.

I massaged my temples and gave him a pat on the back. He gave me a sceptical look. Yes, I did not even know myself why I had just done that, but it had certainly distracted both of us from this uncomfortable mood.

Eventually Blackquill shrugged it off and leaned back. He had closed his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest, while humming something rather gently. I suspected that he actually had quite a beautiful voice but might be too self-conscious to sing or even hum with Gavin or Sahdmadhi around.

“Sir”, he suddenly said in the quietest tone, “I’m grateful for your company. I hope you’re not opposed of me coming here again a second time? I think I really need to visit this with Athena once. For our both sakes.”

I did not truly like that plan, but I had no arguments against it. Also, Blackquill seemed to need this and I was not about to stand in his way for redemption.

I gave my permission and straightened up.

“I should head home now”, I explained and gave Blackquill a pointed look. “I would advise you doing the same. Gavin was already eager to find out what was going on with you, when I had last met him.”

Immediately the man frowned and scratched his forehead in unease. Well, that was quiet the reaction.

“Is there a problem? You don’t seem so well?”, I inquired, while crossing my arms and taping them with my finger.

He looked at me in complementation and then quickly looked back to the side. He was clearly not sure if he should tell me what was wrong or not. I did not fancy seeing that at all and fixed him with a glare. Not my gentlest attempt but a powerful one, nevertheless.

“I’d would prefer to go anywhere but home to be honest. As much as I appreciate Klavier’s help, it’s not always helpful and today he has one of his especially intrusive days. He doesn’t know when to stop and I don’t have the patience for this right now.

I would not forgive me for shouting at him today…”

I studied him closely. Did this man not deserve some rest for now? And a good and quiet meal without having to explain himself? I was sure he did. And technically I could provide him just that…

A year ago, I would not even have considered it, but since a certain man turned my world around once more, I had come up with the strangest suggestions for my employees. And this idea in particular, was really unprofessional. And yet, I apparently had decided that it was okay to be unprofessional once in a while and lend the poor man a hand.

I cleared my throat, glared at the judge bench and suggested to Blackquill: “I can offer you our guest room for the night. And since Trucy is visiting Ms. Tenma, it would be quiet enough for you to lay back. And as far as I know Phoenix is making a stew, what usually means that there will be enough food for at least fifteen people, ergo enough for you to eat as well.”

Composed I looked at him and waited for his answer. He did not need to know how ridiculous I felt. It would not make it easier for him to decide to flee from Gavin’s questions.

“I-”, Blackquill stammered staring right at me, “I would not want to intrude! I’ll – I’ll find another way. Or just go home. Klavier is probably not as bad after all.”

That lie was so bad that Ms. Cykes eyes would have been tingling.

“You do not believe that yourself. You are a very good judge of character and I am pretty sure that you are able to predict your roommate’s behaviour well.

And for another place where you could stay at would be Ms. Cykes, who you probably are not going to bother, or you’re planning to sleep in your office, which I do absolutely not approve of.”

Blackquill almost looked as guilty as a kid who had been caught eating candy before dinner. I sighed and shook my head.

With a faint smile a stood up and stretched my back. It cracked, and I realized I was getting older. Maybe that was another reason, why I became more sentimental these days.

“You do not need to be shy, Blackquill. We had nothing planned anyway, and there is no way that you would disturb us. Phoenix will welcome your visit and I’d be glad to know that you will have a quiet space to calm down.

But I will not push you any further. It must be strange to get that invitation from your superior. So please excuse my boldness.”

I turned towards him and just waited. I somehow felt that the man would come with me. And as he hesitantly opened his mouth, I already heard Phoenix and Kay’s voices teasing me for my sentimentality. But I was not regretting anything of it. Not quite yet, at least.

“Would you be fine with a feathered guest as well? I would not want to go without Taka…”

Well maybe I was regretting it a bit right now, but I could arrange with the bird. There were worse things than that.

(You find the whole One Shot on AO3 -> https://archiveofourown.org/works/16937007)

#ace attorney #aa #ace attorney fanfiction #fanfic #miles edgeworth #simon blackquill #dadworth #bad coping #i worte about the paralles of phoenix and simon #because they are pretty similar but nobody ever talks about it?#why?#its really obvious to me #anyway have fun with it #enjoy

9 notes · View notes