#is that too much info??? i dunno sorry friends i am Tired | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

revvywevvy · 2 years

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Ooookay trying this again since this post supposedly went ghost last time I posted it, anywho I decided to write an AU where Dwight and Claire don't get taken by the entity and how they meet in the normal world!! <:D I wrote info for Claire and Dwight's avoidances of the entity's realm plus how they met under the cut <3

Story Diversion [Claire/Eddy]

It was that same night once again. Claire and Eddy were making their way back to their hotel room after a celebratory dinner, the siblings tired but content after spending the evening with their friends. Continuing forward, Claire’s eyes landed upon that stray cat once more. Just like before, they befriended the sweet feline, wanting to help find them somewhere safe to stay. However, Claire found herself pausing mid-way through petting the cat, the feline looking up at her confused at the sudden halt in affection. The cat didn’t seem to care for long, turning their attention to Eddy when he offered them another bite of his leftover food. Claire didn’t budge, however. A heavy chill ran up and down Claire’s spine… a pit starting to form in her chest as she stared down at the stray. It was then when a sudden, explosive sound burst out. Eddy and Claire jumped to their feet, watching with wide eyes as the cat bolted, darting in the direction of a nearby alleyway. Claire took a step forward, contemplating following the feline, only to stop when her eyes trailed the cat as they entered the alleyway. At that final second, just before they disappeared… did that cat's body just.. morph? Claire rubbed her eyes, squinting and staring at the direction they disappeared to. Eddy took a few steps forward, but stopped when he realized Claire hadn’t moved.

“Claire? You okay dude?”

“... Am… am I drunk???”

“Huh?”

“The cat, they… I swear it looked like their body just… changed??? As they entered that alley??”

Eddy’s brow raised, him looking from his sister to where the cat disappeared to. He let out a light chuckle.

“What, like some shapeshifting shit? Damn, skin stealers were not on my bingo card for tonight’s events.”

Claire scowled, lightly batting Eddy’s arm.

“No, I– I’m being serious, Eddy!!”

Eddy laughed at the weak slap, reaching over and patting Claire’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Okay, okay, sorry, haha. So… you seriously think you saw that cat shapeshift???”

“I… I dunno, m-maybe I am just drunk. B-But I only had one drink! Geez… am I really that much of a lightweight??”

Eddy frowned at Claire’s expression, not failing to notice how her hands started to shake.

“I just… that was really freaky…”

“...Hey, it’s okay man, try not to let it get to ya too hard, alright? Let’s just get back to the hotel room.”

Eddy wrapped an arm around Claire’s shoulder, rubbing her arm comfortingly.

“Could be you’re just tired..? Or do you think your anxiety is getting all spiked up? You were a lot more social than usual tonight, you could be drained… Well– either way I don’t think running into an alleyway late at night is a smart idea anyhow. I’m sure lil buddy will still be around tomorrow.”

Claire’s eyes stayed glued on that alleyway, her heartbeat picking up the pace the longer she looked. Before, finally, she tightly closed her eyes, leaning into her brother and nodding profusely.

“Okay, let’s make haste and get some well needed beauty sleep then, yeah?”

Claire looked up at Eddy, a goofy smile on his face. Claire’s expression lightened up.

“Yeah… I think I’ve had more than my fair share of existing for the night, sleep sounds great right about now…”

With that, the two continued onward, walking past that alleyway and making their way back to their hotel room. As their footsteps faded away from the alleyway, a pair of eyes peeked out, then another, and another. The unknown creature’s head slinked out from the alleyway, many eyes watching the duo leave. With a quiet gurgle and hiss, the creature sulked back into the darkness of the alleyway. Moments later, that same stray walked out of the alleyway, looking in the direction the siblings went for only a moment. Its nose twitched somewhat as it stared, the cat turning and walking in the opposite direction that they’d gone. Maybe someone would come around another night.

[…]

When Claire and Eddy returned to the area the next day, the cat from before was nowhere to be seen. They asked around, but… according to locals, they’d never seen a stray like the one they’d mentioned before. Hearing those words from person after person, Claire got another chill up her spine. Perhaps it was for the best that they avoided that alleyway last night.

Story Diversion [Dwight]

Ever since that night when his co-workers abandoned him in the woods, drunk, disoriented, and afraid, Dwight felt like he’d reached his breaking point. It was like a miracle that he’d managed to hike his way out of the woods mostly unscathed, especially with that killer hangover plaguing him the whole way through. He had plenty of time to think through that hike: about his life, past and present, about his co-workers, about this absolutely awful situation they’d just put him through. He regretted going on that stupid team building exercise, and regretted drinking that damned moonshine. He could only begin to imagine what horrible things could’ve happened to him had he not successfully made his way out of the woods. The longer he thought about it, the more upset he got. The ever-present pit in his chest ran deeper and deeper as he trudged up to his apartment building hours later, his emotions finally boiling over as he entered his apartment and closed the door behind him. He leaned against the door, sliding down to the floor and bursting into tears. He buried his head in his hands, and sat there sobbing for what felt like hours. He couldn’t bring himself to care that he’d gotten mud and dirt all over the floor, just that he couldn’t take this anymore. Years and years of being people’s stepping stool, of being the laughing stock of everyone everywhere. He was sick of it, and this time, their stupid tricks and games almost got him killed. Dwight hadn’t thought of the future, mind locked in the past and present as he called in to his job, chewing out his boss, albeit pathetically, for nearly getting him killed before quitting on the spot. Hanging up the phone and throwing it to the floor, Dwight burst into tears once more. He curled up into a ball on the ground, crying his eyes out for as long as his body allowed it.

[…]

Hours later, as he came down from that anxious high, Dwight stood in his bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror with an exhausted expression. He was too tired to even let himself feel a sense of dread. He fucked up, he knew that well enough. Quitting his job so suddenly certainly wasn’t the best idea, but… he couldn’t bring himself to care. He’d start looking for another job tomorrow, but for now, he wanted nothing more than to sleep.

Faircroft First Meeting

It was nearly a year later. Dwight’s shift at his job had just ended, and he was exhausted. He was so glad to be done for the weekend, his current co-workers and boss proving to be no better than the ones at his previous job. Though, he supposed they had some semblance of a one up on the last ones considering these co-workers hadn’t basically tried to kill him. He was just ready to go home and relax for the weekend, even if weekends were always so lonely and boring. He’d just do the usual, as watching videos, movies and playing video-games was miles better than dealing with his co-workers for another minute. Lost in thought, he kept walking towards his car which was parked in front of a restaurant down the street, his job’s parking lot never having enough spots for him to park up close. Trying to figure out what games he felt like playing when he got home, he hadn’t noticed a pair of people walking and talking to one another. The male gasped when he realized what was about to happen, saying something to the woman wasn’t paying as much attention. It was then when Dwight realized what was going on, but by then, he’d already bumped into the small woman. They both cried out in surprise, the woman falling back and being caught by the male. In his attempt to not completely topple the pair over, Dwight tried to stumble out of the way, only to trip right off the curb, landing nose first on the concrete with a loud crack. Dwight’s hands immediately shot up to his nose, holding it as it began to bleed profusely. He couldn’t hold back the cries of pain from the tumble, Dwight worried that his nose was broken. He mentally cursed himself, being self conscious about his already large nose, which would now get bigger should it actually be broken. Though, he didn’t have time to worry about that when a gasp and concerned cry snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Oh, fuck– Ohh nonono, a-are you okay?!?”

Dwight opened his eyes, eyes widening when the woman he’d bumped into was kneeling right by him, hands hovering and face painted with concern. She was… well, much closer than he’d anticipated. He wasn’t sure what to say, stuttering a bit before letting out another small pained cry as the injury throbbed. His shaky hands moved from his nose for a moment, the woman clasping her hands over her mouth when she caught sight of the injury. If his own eyes weren’t tearing up immensely from the pain, he would’ve noticed the woman nearly burst out into tears as well.

“O-Oh geez– now lookit what you’ve done Claire..! Stupid, stupid… fuck, I’m so sorry!! Ohhh no there’s so much blood, oh geez..!”

The male approached Claire and Dwight, leaning forward and patting Claire on the shoulder.

“Woah there, relax dude, it was just an accident. Hey man, you gonna be alright? You hit your face hella hard just then, do you need an ambulance??”

The mention of an ambulance had Dwight instinctively raising his hands, waving off the offer. No way was he going to pay a shit ton of money for an ambulance ride over this, hell no.

“Ah, uhm..! N-No, I… I wouldn’t be able to afford an ambulance r-ride, ahaha…”

He whined as his nose continued to throb, hands shooting back up to hold it. Claire looked up to the male, panicked.

“Eeee…! E-Eddy, we should have a buncha medical supplies back at the apartment, right??? We gotta do somethin’ about this..!”

Eddy looked at Claire, raising a brow.

“I mean, yeah, I just restocked ‘em the other day, but y’sure this is fine..??”

Eddy looked down at Dwight, wincing as he got another look at the injury, immediately backtracking.

“Actually, on second thought, yeah. Probably would be fine. Listen, dude, you cool with comin’ with us to our apartment so we can help ya out with that, or would you rather me go get the supplies ‘n bring ‘em here instead? Our place is just around the corner. Y’don’t gotta do nuthin you’re uncomfortable with, a’ight?”

Dwight paused, unsure about the offer. He looked up at Eddy skeptically, but found his attention going back to Claire, who’d gotten up from her spot on the ground to flap her hands and pace around in a panic, the woman basically crying herself, now. Dwight frowned. Well… not like this day could get any worse, right? He sighed, looking back at Eddy.

“Y-Yeah, sure. That… sounds fine to me. S-Staying here while you go… get the things. I mean… Uh. Yeah, that.”

Upon hearing his answer, Claire immediately trotted back over to the two men, reaching down to help Dwight up.

“Phew, okay!! There’s no time to dilly-dally, then!!! Go on, Eddy, h-hurry before it gets any worse..!”

Claire and Eddy both helped Dwight up off the curb, Eddy stepping back afterwards before turning and breaking into a jog back towards their apartment building. Claire’s hands seemed to hover near Dwight, like she was terrified he’d collapse from blood loss at any second.

Claire carefully walked Dwight over to an outdoor dining area for a cafe just by them, checking in on him every other moment and apologizing profusely as she helped him into a chair. She quickly ran into the cafe, getting napkins to help slow down the bleeding. She kept mumbling apologies as she helped him wipe up some of the blood. At one point during the apology flurry, Dwight butted in.

“H-Hey, you don’t have to apologize so much… it… it was just an accident, y-y’know..?”

Claire sniffled, frown deepening.

“Yeah, b-but I hurt you!! Your nose could be broken, there’s so much blood a-and… it’s probably so painful for you! I mean, I-I… I know how painful these kinda bloody noses can be, and if I was just paying attention then you wouldn’t be hurt right now..! Man, I-I feel like such a dick…”

“..Hey, I wasn’t paying attention either. Y-Y’don’t have to only blame yourself for this. Since, um… yeah. I-I was zoned out, anyway.”

Upon hearing that, Claire quieted down a bit, but her frown stayed. Her hands lowered into her lap, fingers fidgeting with one another nervously.

“Right. Uh- um…”

Claire looked around, biting her bottom lip anxiously, her fidgeting hands shaking. Hesitantly, she let her eyes trail up to Dwight. She flinched slightly upon realizing he was still looking at her. Oh boy, this was awkward. Kicking her feet slowly, Claire took a shaky breath before addressing him again.

“Uh… w-what… what’s your name? Um- if you don’t mind me asking, I mean.”

“Oh, uh… Dwight. It’s Dwight.”

“Dwight, huh… that’s a nice name. Has a nifty ‘lil ring to it!”

Claire offered a small smile, before continuing.

“Well then, Dwight, I, uh. There’s gotta be some way I can pay you back for this, r-really. I’d feel awful if I didn’t, considering I already went and ruined your night…”

Dwight stared dumbly, blinking a few times.

“Wait, h-huh?”

“Um… I-I mean, like. Uh. I guess I could, uh… a-are there any restaurants around here that you like? I could, um… buy you lunch or dinner on another day, e-even if that doesn’t fully make up for something as bad as this…”

Dwight’s eyes widened, and in his shock he accidentally squeezed his bloody nose too tightly. He winces, but quickly shakes it off.

“Wuh- n-no, wait, you don’t have to do that..!”

Claire’s brows furrow at the denial, and she pouts a bit.

“Hrm… but I’d feel like a piece of human garbage if I didn’t do something to make up for this..! C’mon, lemme make it up to you, pretty pleeeease?~”

Dwight finds his face flushing when Claire gives him a doe-eyed look, hands clasped together with an over-exaggerated and rather pathetic frown on her lips. He looks away bashfully.

“Err… b-but, that’s… seriously, you don’t have to… I, um.”

Dwight looks back at her, seeing that her pleading look has blown up to an even more exaggerated extent.

“Eep–! O-Okay, okay, if you insist then, uh… I guess you could…”

Claire’s sad look immediately switches to a semi-happy one, Claire fishing into her bag for a paper and pen. Dwight deadpans at the switch. Nice one, Fairfield, you got played by puppy dog eyes. She scribbled something down onto the paper she’d found, but before she could hand it to him, Eddy came running back, arms full with first-aid kits and the like.

“Gaaah, sorry for taking so long!! Had to make sure I had everything, y’know?”

Claire’s gaze flicked over to Eddy’s, with her jumping from her seat to take some of the supplies off his hands.

“Geez, took you long enough, slow-poke..!”

Eddy glared at Claire and she blew a raspberry at him teasingly, before turning back to Dwight. The two were quick to get to it, both of them immediately working to try and fix up his messed up nose the best that two clumsy, rushed, non-medically licensed folk could do. Dwight couldn’t think of anything to say, really, just shocked that these two strangers who he had an accident with were both so keen on fixing that mistake. Normally in a situation like this whoever had knocked him to the ground would’ve chewed him out and stormed away, leaving him to his own devices. In the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but think that these two were really nice. As they both tried to help him, Eddy started talking, basically introducing himself and his sister properly. Eddy was certainly the more chatty of the two, with him poking and prodding to drag the two more awkward individuals through some normal conversations. Though eventually, through the sea of rather forced conversation, they finally finished up.

“Phew, there we go! All done, my man!”

Eddy smiled, starting to put his supplies away. Claire was still staring directly at Dwight’s nose, eyes narrowing as she inspected their work. Dwight felt his face burn in embarrassment.

“Hrmm… are you feeling okay, though?? It probably still hurts… um… m-maybe you should schedule a doctor's appointment and have someone look at it when you have the time, just to make sure it's not really broken or anything…”

Dwight sighed.

“R-Right… though, honestly, I just can’t wait to get home more than anything…”

Claire paused, reaching over and grabbing Eddy’s wrist before getting in real close to look at the time on his watch, eyes widening when it clicked.

“Oh, crap, it’s so late..! Man, we really went and just took so much time outta your day…”

Claire frowned sympathetically.

“S-Seriously, again, I’m so sorry that this happened in the first place. Um… oh, right! Before I forget…”

Claire shuffled around, grabbing the paper she’d scribbled on earlier before passing it to Dwight.

“Here ya go!! Whenever you’re available just hit me up, yeah? T-Then I can properly make this up to you. Oh, uh… b-but nothing too expensive if you can, haha.”

Eddy looked at the two confused.

“Errr… wowza, seems I missed something really important while I was gone… going from strangers to going on a date this quickly?! Bahaha, damn, Claire, I didn’t know you had the balls!”

Claire’s eyes widened and her face burst out into a fiery blush, Eddy slapping her on the back in jest.

Claire’s face puffed up in indignation, looking at her brother and swatting at him lightly.

“NO. NOT A DATE, SHUT UP, SHut up shut uuuuup!!!”

Her voice lowered into awkward squeaking, with her not failing to notice just how badly Dwight was blushing too at the prospect. He started stuttering, feeling dumbfounded. Though, Eddy just laughed again.

“Woah, heyo man, chillax. I’m just yankin’ your chain, haha! Well, moreso Claire’s than yours, but y’know how it is, can’t always avoid collateral!”

Claire grumbled in annoyance, taking the medical supplies and shoving them all into Eddy’s arms.

“Well then, for being a royal pain in the ass, you get to carry everything back, too!”

Eddy laughed at that, as well.

“Pfft, yeah, yeah, I gotcha your highness.”

Looking from Eddy to Dwight, Claire’s expression softened.

“R-Right… um. Are you gonna be able to get home safe? Do you feel well enough to drive..?”

Dwight blinked a few times, attention moving back to Claire. His emotions were practically swirling out of control. One moment he was flustered to all hell and back from the teasing, to his heart now fluttering at just how gentle Claire’s tone switched to be. This… this had to be one of the nicest people he’d ever met. He pushed the thought back though when he realized there had been an awkwardly long pause.

“O-Oh, uh! Yeah, I should be fine…”

Claire smiled sweetly at him, before turning back to her brother.

“Okay… hey, dude, you wanna start taking the stuff back to the apartment..? I’ll catch up with you.”

“You got it, coach.”

With a wink, Eddy turned with the supplies and started to walk away, stopping only for a second to turn and look at Claire and Dwight.

“Ayo, you get better soon, yeah? Catch ya later.”

Dwight waved lightly at Eddy as he walked away. Then, he turned his attention back to Claire.

“Hey, Dwight? Where were you parked?”

He perked up, looking around.

“Oh, uh… it should be in front of that one Greek restaurant down the street…”

He scanned the area, pointing in the direction of his vehicle when he spotted it.

“Yeah, its’ down there. Woulda preferred parking closer to the job but the p-parking lot is always full…”

“Damn, that sucks… here, let’s getcha to your car.”

Claire offered her hand to Dwight, helping him get up from his seat. He probably shouldn’t have been surprised at this point with how she’d been since this whole debacle started, but he was still surprised nonetheless when she began to escort him to his vehicle. As they walked, Claire’s hands hovered around still, ready in the unlikely event that Dwight suddenly passed out or some other potential situation. When they got close to his car, Claire reached into her bag, grabbing another thing of paper and scribbling some things down on it clumsily as she walked. Dwight watched her curiously for a second, but opted to keep his eyes ahead lest he trip and fall again. When they reached the car, Claire folded up the paper and handed it to him.

“Here, uhm. I-I’m no doctor, but my… uh. ‘Birth Giver’... was a nurse, so having the do’s and don'ts of this kinda stuff is… sort of stuck in my head.”

He looked at the paper, expression softening. It was a list of at-home care steps that he could take.

“O-Of course, you should probably contact your doctor asap. Y-Y’know, so it doesn’t get any worse.”

“Right.”

Dwight couldn’t help but smile at her as he unlocked and got into his car. Turning it on, he closed the door and rolled down his window to let Claire say any final things before he made his way home.

“Well… stay safe now, okay? Please take care, don’t push yourself too hard, and don’t hesitate to contact me when you’re available.”

Dwight’s cheeks flushed at her sweet tone. His smile softened.

“Yeah. Besides this whole… ‘making things up to me’ stuff, you… you seem r-really nice. Really, you don’t have to pay me back any further if you change your mind.”

Claire clasped her hands together, nodding and humming.

“Y-You, too… um. I don’t think I’ll be changing my mind, though… u-um..! I shouldn’t keep you any longer, really… drive safe, and have a good night, okay?”

Dwight nodded.

“Thank you… and, yeah, I will. See you around.”

“Good night, seeya.”

Claire stepped away from the vehicle, making her way back onto the sidewalk and waiting for Dwight to drive away. As he did, he could see Claire wave one last time out of the rear-view mirror, before crossing the street to meet up with her brother. He couldn’t stop thinking about the encounter the whole way home.

[…]

Stepping into his apartment and kicking his shoes off, Dwight let out a sigh of relief that he was finally home. Trudging straight to the bathroom, he plucked open the medicine cabinet and picked out some pain relievers, before pulling one of the papers Claire had given him.

“Hm… take pain meds… ice for 10-20 minutes at a time with a thin wrap… sleep with head raised…”

Dwight already knew some of these things, but… it was certainly the thought that counted. As he changed into his pyjamas, took his meds and began icing his nose, he grabbed his phone and the smaller paper Claire had given him. He stared at it thoughtfully, repeating the number in his head over and over. With a small smile, he pulled open his phone’s contacts, entering Claire in and shooting her a text letting her know it was him. When she almost immediately responded with a happy hello followed by asking how he was feeling, he couldn’t help but feel fuzzy inside.

‘Huh. I guess there really are kind people out there, still.’

#913's art #ok to rb #cw blood #cw injury #cw body horror #cw alcohol #♡ dwight #dwight fairfield #romantic f/o #self shipping community #self insert #self insert community #dbd oc #oc x canon #faircroft #claire ashcroft #edward ashcroft #dbd au #dead by daylight au

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rachaelswrites · 4 years

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Mission:AU

Prologue

Peter Parker x Barnes!reader

Ever since Thanos happened, your life changed forever. Two of the people you most admired left you. Natasha sacrificed herself and Steve left for Peggy. You were heartbroken but grateful you had your dad back. Fury didn’t let you have much time for grief before he tried to make you and Peter (who was grieving Tony still) the new Avengers. Bucky chewed Fury out for trying to get you back to missions. He gave you a month and then you were back in a briefing room; Sitting across from Peter. You always had taken a liking to him and not just because he was your age. You admired how he protected the people he loved and stood up for himself. You wished you were closer friends instead of co-workers. You would actually prefer if you were dating, but you kept that a secret.

Fury announced that you and Peter would be going on a mission together. Your goal was to stop a tech dealer and his was to intercept the delivery. You were leaving the next day so you decided to visit Steve before you left. He was the only person who knew about your crush on Peter. He swore to not tell anyone. Not even Bucky. You went to Steve a lot for either asking advice or just talking. You told him everything that you didn’t tell Bucky. He was one of the only people you trusted.

You knocked on the door to his apartment and he greeted you with a smile and a hug. You set your school bag down on the couch and went into the kitchen. You grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sat down at the table.

“Steve. You’ll never guess what happened!” you exclaimed.

Steve looked up from his newspaper he was reading, "What happened Y/n?” he hummed.

You took a swig of water and slammed it back down on the table, startling him.

“Fury assigned me and Peter on this mission. But it’s just us. Number one, I’m surprised that my dad didn't object to that and number two, what am I supposed to do Steve. You know. Because of the… you know.” you rambled.

Steve put his paper down and looked you in the eyes, "You’ve been able to hide it for so long. Why can’t you hide it for another few days?”

“It’s different this time,” you explained, “this time it’s just us and no one else. It’s awkward.”

“You know, I had my first kiss with Peggy on a mission. You never know what’s going to happen,” he shrugged.

“Eww. I didn’t need or want to hear that,” you checked the time and realized you should get home to your dad, “I gotta go Steve. I’ll be sure to keep you up to date.”

Steve nodded and you got your bag and left.

The next morning your dad went into your room and woke you up.

“Y/n doll, Peter’s here. You gotta leave in 10 minutes,” he said, shaking you softly.

You opened your eyes and rolled over. Your dad smiled at you and your eyes moved to the door. You shot up, when you saw Peter looking at you sheepishly. You looked at your alarm clock and saw that you overslept by an hour.

“Can you two leave so I can get dressed or do you wanna stay?” you asked.

Both of them nodded and left, Bucky closed the door behind him. You quickly got changed and grabbed the duffle bag you packed the night before. “Thank God I packed it last night” you thought. In the kitchen, Bucky was drinking coffee and talking to Peter.

You grabbed a package of pop tarts and turned to Peter, “Are you ready?”

Peter looked to you and then to Bucky, who had his eyebrows raised. Concerned for your poor choice of breakfast.

“Do you want to eat something else? We still have some time to spare,” Peter asked.

You shook your head and walked to Bucky. You gave him a hug and told him goodbye. Peter followed you out the door and into the hallway and down that stairs.

“Sorry I overslept. Normally I’m very punctual,” you explained.

“It’s fine Y/n. I don’t mind,” he said.

The rest of the way to HQ was silent and awkward. Every other time you were with him, there were other people around so no pressure on you to hold conversation. Peter had just gotten rejected by MJ, so asking him out now wouldn’t work. At some point you would have to confess before it all got too much for you. Your Hydra training helped you keep in your emotions and not show anything. Until you got to Wakanda that strategy worked well. Part of your recovery was to get in check with your emotions. You used journals, like your dad to write feelings and memories from your life. You kept them all in a small box under your bed. Bucky knew about the journals and their location but didn’t dare read them. He knew you were still dealing with your past. While under Hydra’s control, you didn’t have the option to be mind wiped so everything that happened was still fresh in your mind. Nobody outside of the doctors in Wakanda asked about your past; too afraid that you would get upset or angry with them. It was quite the opposite. You wanted to tell someone, but didn’t know how. You just hoped and prayed that someone else would break the ice for you.

You and Peter arrived at the hangar where the jet you would take was parked. A guard took both of your bags and set them onboard. Another guard walked up to Peter and handed him a folder, most likely containing info on the mission. You stood on your tiptoes and peered over his shoulder. (you were a bit short for your age). He noticed you hovering and lowered the folder to your eye level. You shot him a smile and continued to read it. You learned that the piece of tech was some sort of machine that could alter space/time. You internally groaned. You had enough of weird sciencey stuff. You wish it was just normal, base infiltration like some of your older missions.

“Times are changing doll,” is what your dad always told you.

Both of you got on the jet and sat across from each other. Peter wanted to be your friend, it was just that he was intimidated by you. The first time he met you, you were only nine and you nearly kicked his butt in Germany. He would've tried to talk to you later, but Thanos happened.

“So uh. Are you excited to get back out there?” Peter asked you.

You looked up and shrugged your shoulders, "I dunno. I guess. I’m glad it’s not with my dad and Sam. I’m tired of hearing them bicker,” you said.

Peter chuckled and you made small talk the rest of the way.

Once you touched down, you took a cab and checked into the hotel. There was only one room booked for you two. Luckily enough there were two beds. You set your things on the bed while Peter went into the bathroom. You unzipped your bag and pulled out one of your journals. You always kept one with you. Just in case. You pulled the sheet off of the corner of the bed and placed the journal there. You placed one of the pillows over it to hide it. You grabbed a change of clothes and put it on the edge of the bed. You walked over to the window and drew the curtains open. You looked out into the night sky. You were only on the second floor, but the view was still breathtaking for you. You were on the edge of the city. You saw the silhouettes of all the buildings and looked up into the sky. You saw only a few stars because of the light pollution. You loved the stars and the night sky. One of your favorite things in Wakanda was the planetarium. Once Bucky was out of cryo-freeze, he would take you there every chance he could.

Peter walked out of the bathroom wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. You moved from the window and grabbed your clothes and went into the bathroom. You took a quick shower and changed. You walked out and saw Peter sitting crisscross on his bed, doing some school work.

“Even on missions, you still do school work. That’s what I call dedication,” you teased.

He looked up from his textbook and smiled.

“School’s a bit different than it was in the forties,” he joked back.

You grabbed your hair brush and brushed through your wet hair.

Peter watched you intently, “Do you wanna join me?” he asked, patting the spot in front of him.

You set the brush down and jumped on the bed. You were now sitting across from each other. Every time Peter looked down at his book, you managed to study his face. You saw the way his eyebrows furrowed when something confused him and you saw the way his whole face relaxed when he got through something quickly. You quickly snapped out of your daydream when your phone started ringing. You got up from Peter's bed and checked it. It was your dad. You excused yourself from the room and his gaze followed you out the door.

“Hey dad what’s up?” you asked.

Bucky was sitting on the couch with his phone propped on the table. You heard Sam yelling something in the background.

“I’m doing good. I just wanted to make sure you got there ok. I already miss you,” he said.

“I miss you too and it’s only been less than a day.”

Bucky chuckled. “I just wanted to remind you to get a goodnight sleep. And to tell Parker to keep his hands to himself.”

“Daddd,” you groaned, “we have more important things to focus on than that,” You said goodbye and hung up.

You went back into the room, Peter was now flipping through channels on the tv. “Hey y/n do you wanna watch a movie?”

You really wanted to but, you knew that something was going to happen. Just like in the movies Shuri made you watch.

“I probably shouldn’t. We have a long day tomorrow. I’m going to go to bed but feel free to watch one,” you tried to sound sincere and it must’ve worked.

Peter turned the lamp off and you crawled into bed. You fell asleep within minutes.

You woke up early the next morning before Peter. He must’ve been up late, since the TV was still on from whatever he was watching. You quietly grabbed the journal and jotted down a few notes from a dream you had last night.

It was you, Bucky, and Steve at the beach. Right before they both decided to enlist. You remember the smell of the salty air and the breeze brushing on your skin. Your dad had wrapped you in a blanket, making sure you wouldn’t get sick. You watched as Bucky and Steve played a short game of toss. Keeping your three year old self entertained.

You finished writing and put it back in it’s hiding place. You got out of bed and rummaged through your bag to find your suit. You tiptoed past Peter’s sleeping form and into the bathroom to get ready.

After about another hour you had to wake Peter up. You shook his shoulder gently, “Hey Peter we gotta go or else we’re gonna miss it.”

Peter slowly opened his eyes. You moved away and started to gather up your things. Peter made his way into the bathroom and came back out in his suit. You always thought he looked good in it. You did think about confessing your feelings but were unsure of how he would react. You were technically way older than him, since your birthday was in 1939 but when you first saw each other, you were nine and he was fifteen. Then he got snapped two years later and you aged five years, which now made you only about a year apart. Did he still view you as the little girl at the airport or did he see you as the girl who fought Thanos twice? You didn’t know.

You both threw on jackets and headed back down to the lobby. Outside, you waited for a cab. Peter was still too sleepy to talk on the ride over but woke up as soon as you had to walk a block in the cold morning air.

“How’d you sleep?” he asked.

“I slept like a baby. I had a really good dream too so that helped,” you said.

You guys reached the warehouse and Peter went inside and hid in the rafters. You ducked behind a huge storage unit and waited for the dealer to arrive. After a few hours, a black car pulled up to the door of the warehouse. You shifted to a position you could quickly spring up from. A tall man stepped out of the car and opened the trunk. He pulled out what you assumed was the space/time machine thingy Peter was supposed to take. You inched along the container, trying to get closer. The man set up the machine right outside the door. You realized the deal was taking place outside and Peter would have to join you here.

“Hey Peter,” you whispered in the comms, “The deal is out here. I have to distract him for you.”

Before he could answer you pulled one of the knives you had and used the handle to create a loud noise. The man turned his attention away from the doorway and in your direction. It was only enough time for Peter to web the door and pull it open from the rafters. The man was startled and looked around for any signs of other people. You had to step up your game. You took a deep breath and stood up. You dragged the handle of the knife along the edge of the container while walking into plain view. The man looked at you and smirked.

“What are you doing here little girl?” he sneered.

You looked offended before responding. “Do I really look young enough to be called a little girl? I’m shocked.”

Peter took this as his cue to swing down and try and take the weapon. The man was faster and zapped Peter with it. Peter fell to the ground and you shrieked.

“Peter!” you tried to run to his side but you found yourself on the ground and blacked out.

#x daughter!reader #x teen!reader #marvel #bucky barnes x teen #bucky barnes x daughter #bucky barnes x teen!reader #bucky barnes x daughter!reader #peter parker #peter parker x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #peter parker fic #series #mission:au #peter parker x barnes!reader

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undertalethingems · 4 years

Text

Bark at the Moon, Chapter 2: Reconnections, Recollections

Or read on my Ao3>

Rating, Setting: Gen, Pre-canon

Chapter Warnings: None

Chapter Summary: Sans is at a loss for what to do. He's lucky his brother isn't the only one who looks out for him, and that he's not the only one looking out for Papyrus... But they both have a lot of work ahead of them.

It had been two weeks. Two long, empty, lonely weeks. Sans hadn’t given up on his brother, per se, but he had given up on looking for him. A check on the numbers revealed nothing out of the ordinary; as far as he could tell, Papyrus was definitely still alive, and there was nothing funky with the timeline. More mundane sources of information continued to come up dry, and the few times Sans had gone out, there was a subtle unease in town. If only Papyrus knew his neighbors missed him... not to mention his own brother. It was like he'd vanished into thin air, and Sans knew that was one thing his brother couldn't do. So he was just... gone.

Sans was starting to feel he'd messed up somehow. He knew he was far from being a perfect or even a really good brother, but he didn’t think he’d done anything to make Papyrus feel running away was necessary…. No, Papyrus would have aired his grievances long before that, he was sure.... But then again, would he? It's not like Sans ever did anything about all the things he nagged him for. Maybe after feeling unheard for so long, he'd left. A cruel voice in his mind liked to whisper as much and worse, and without Papyrus to motivate him, he wasn't doing much to combat it.

He rolled over on the couch and ignored the empty chip bag that crinkled under him, the remains of lunch. Going to Grillby’s had become too taxing sometime last week, and most other foods were similarly inconvenient if they sounded good at all. He wanted nothing more than for Papyrus to burst in and scold him for being so lazy, but dreams of exactly that and the knowledge none of this mattered anyway had spoiled his hopes. He’d just wait, like he always did. He heaved a sigh, and was letting his eyelids drift down when a knock on his door startled him.

He waited, and it came again--much harder.

“Sans?” Undyne called, her voice only slightly muffled by the door. “Sans, you better be in there. I'm gonna bust this down if you don't answer now!”

Oh boy. He hauled himself up, brushed off the worst of the crumbs, and answered the door. Undyne grimaced as she studied him.

“Oh thank god, but dude, you look awful. I was here to see if you were okay, but, I think I just got my answer. C’mon, you’re not staying inside anymore.”

“eh, i’m not really feeling up to going out,” Sans mumbled, wondering if he looked as tired as he felt. “was kinda hoping you had info on my bro, to be honest, but…”

“Sans, no one’s seen you in three weeks,” Undyne stated.

Sans looked up at her with brows furrowed, questioning.

“i was just at grillby’s like… five days ago,” he protested, but Undyne shook her head.

“Grillby himself called me in on a wellness check. It’s been three. Weeks. Two since Papyrus… disappeared. I… guess you lost track of time, huh?”

Sans wilted--he was missing a whole week. “… it really flies when you’re having fun. sorry you went through all this trouble. tell grillby…. i dunno. tell him i’m ok, i guess.”

“You’re not okay,” Undyne growled, snatching the shoulder of his hoodie. “What if Papyrus came home to find you like this? Or—or worse!? Come on! We’re getting you cleaned up, making you eat some real food, and then we’re going out to look for Papyrus because if this keeps going we’ll lose BOTH of you.”

Sans didn’t have it in him to protest. She... she was right. He let her strongarm him into his own house and into the shower—though she gave him his privacy once she’d turned the water on, and the warmth felt so nice he considered staying in for a few days. But that would mean missing out on food he probably wouldn't be paying for, and he was actually hungry now. He washed up and put on the change of clothes Undyne had left him, and when he did finally emerge he found she’d thrown most of the trash away and there was an open spot on the couch. It was fated to remain empty though as she hooked her arm around his shoulders and marched him out the door.

Grillby’s exploded in shock when the two walked in, and they were swarmed by the regulars trying to greet them. Undyne howled, ordering everyone to give Sans some space, and they were finally able to make their way to the bar. If Sans was honest, part of him didn’t really want to be here, but more of him could admit he’d missed it. His friends were quick to fill him in on the latest gossip and jokes, and he realized they were doing for him what he'd done for them so many times before. They were trying to cheer him up.

After enjoying good company and a meal Grillby had assured him was on the house, at Undyne's urging they headed out to begin the search anew. Sans dreaded reaching the tile puzzle now, knowing it was the last place with any evidence of his brother and yet be such a glaring dead end. He sighed, and nudged some of the freshly accumulated snow with his slipper as Undyne talked on her phone behind him.

“Wait a minute, I’ll ask. Hey Sans,” she spoke, tapping his shoulder. “You remember what day it was that all this started?”

“yeah. it was… tuesday, exactly two—well, three weeks ago,” he answered.

“Thanks! Okay, um… as far as I know, he starts at 6 AM, sharp. Yeah. It would’ve taken him a little while to… okay, gotcha. I’ll hang on.”

There was a long pause. Sans wondered if he really could fall asleep standing up. Odds were looking pretty good. He let his eyelids slip down...

“So… you do see something? Uh-huh… that’s too bad about the lens, but you can confirm there was movement here during our timeframe? Awesome. Well, not awesome, but, you know. Thanks Alphys, you’re the best. Talk to you later.”

“well?”

“Dr. Alphys set up these cameras all over to watch for humans, and as it happens, they caught Papyrus walking over here, but not getting any farther than that. Thanks to that snowstorm, this area’s camera got iced over--of course--but she could see enough to make out… something,” Undyne explained. “Hold on, she’s gonna text me a couple pictures.”

There was a ping, and she studied the images with a frown before holding it out for Sans.

“I dunno. I definitely see something, but, can you make any sense of this?”

Sans took her phone and studied the blurry pictures. He could barely make out the trees in the background, but at least the division between them and the snow-covered ground was clear enough. There wasn’t anything that looked particularly like his brother, but there was a whitish arch of something and a smudge of orange that seemed to dart across the frame. It was a better hint than anything they’d had before, but what was it?

Sans squinted at the pictures—wait, was the arch a spine? And his tired mind dredged up memories he hadn't known he had. A lab. A scientist. Two living weapons, the pinnacle of magical engineering--and an accident that erased nearly all evidence it had ever happened. A hand on his shoulder steadied him, and he looked up to see Undyne giving him a worried look. He handed her phone back wordlessly and shoved his hands into his pockets, magic racing.

“Are you okay? You got kinda… unsteady there for a moment.”

“’m fine,” he answered, well aware his eye lights had blinked out.

“Sans, dude, you’re freaking me out,” Undyne called as he walked away, inspecting the edges of the clearing and peering into the trees.

“can i ask you a favor?”

“Uh… yeah?”

“go pick up the least greasy thing from grillby’s you can and wait here. i know what happened to papyrus,” Sans stated, staring into the depths of the forest. The indents were distant and faint from layers of fresh snowfall, but he could see the pattern now and wondered how he hadn’t noticed them before. No points for him, that was sure.

“Uh, sure thing. See you… both? Soon,” Undyne said, and in a blink he was gone.

The forests outside Snowdin were thick and ancient, and most monsters avoided their depths. It was largely the threat of frostbite and getting lost that kept them away, but save for a few exceptions monsters generally preferred company and civilization to untamed forest anyway. If this was where he’d run, it made sense Papyrus hadn’t been found by anyone.

Sans followed his brother’s tracks—long, bounding marks that only increased in distance from one another as he’d picked up speed—and called his name, hoping the trees and snow wouldn’t simply swallow his muted voice altogether. It got darker, and quieter, and there was a growing sense he was trespassing. If he didn’t have his shortcuts Sans might’ve been afraid of losing his way, but it didn’t matter. Shortcuts or not, he would have kept searching now that he had a lead. Considering what the last four weeks had done to him, who knew what state Papyrus would be in.

He eventually found himself in a wide clearing where fresh snow and gusting winds had swept the tracks clean, and sighed. His trail had gone cold again, and he gave a halfhearted laugh at the pun. Papyrus would have hated it…. What he wouldn’t give to hear his exasperated groans again. He called his brother’s name, and listened to it echo faintly until silence laid heavily over him once more. That was the worst of all—the utter silence of an empty world.

Wood cracked behind him, and Sans whirled, magic flaring in his left socket. A pair of orange rings that almost matched met his gaze, and for a moment it was all he saw before he made out the rest of the entity’s face and body from the surrounding gloom. His magic faded, and he sank to the ground. He wasn’t sure how much time passed as they simply stared at one another, but it had to have been at least five minutes before he found his voice and finally addressed the being watching him.

“papyrus?”

A raspy whine answered, and Sans winced. It was his brother’s voice, but weaker, and wordless. Papyrus had always been so proud to learn new words, but now he wouldn’t say even one. This was bad.

“c’mere bro, let’s get you home, huh?”

Papyrus stared for a while, and Sans tried not to listen to the rising panic in his soul. He'd come when he'd called, he had to remember, had to recognize him, right? Why was he still standing so far away...?

"... bro?"

Finally, Papyrus shook himself out, inhaled, then staunchly shook his head with a huff. He hesitated, but did walk over, head held low as he slowly approached. He paused again, only a few feet away and studying him warily—then sat and curled around himself. Sans eyed him sadly, not liking how faint his eye lights were or that he didn’t want to come home. He thought for a while, then leaned back on his hands with a sigh.

“look… i get it. you don’t want to show off your cool bod, it’d be too awesome for anyone to handle and you can’t bear to do that to someone.”

Something that sounded loosely like “nyeh heh heh” chuffed from Papyrus’ jaws.

“but… it’s been three weeks, bro, goin' on a month. everyone wants to know where you went. uh… i’ve been… even lazier than usual without you. i’ll warn ya now, you’re gonna have some major vacuuming to do.”

An exasperated groan rose from his brother.

“i know, i know. but… bro… you can’t be okay with living like an animal out here. I’M not okay with you living like an animal out here. c'mon, undyne’s waiting for us with food, somethin’ hot from grillby’s, and i specifically asked her to get the least greasy thing she could order 'cause i know how you feel about it. there’s a whole month of mtt shows to catch up on. there’s… bedtime stories, and i can’t afford to slack on those, heh…”

Papyrus gave a shuddering sigh. Sans watched as he stretched out his long forelimbs and turned his palms up, contemplating the digits tipped with slender, deadly claws. Then, he buried his face in the snow and laid his hands across his skull, a picture of despair.

“bro, papyrus, it’s ok. you’re smart, you’ll figure out how to change back,” Sans comforted, reaching out to pat his brother’s head. "you're not gonna let something like this get you down, are ya? c'mon. let's go home.”

Papyrus finally raised his head. He looked so tired as he fixed him with a weary look, and Sans’ soul ached. He could only begin to imagine how his brother had felt out here, by himself in a body that must have stirred up old memories—too many of which were unpleasant. But the light shone in Papyrus’ sockets just a little brighter, and he stood up swiftly, head held high.

And then he fainted.

Sans did his best to appear at his side to catch him, but even if skeletons weren’t heavy monsters Sans was decidedly not in shape and the impact made him stumble. He took a moment to regain his footing, but with his brother limp but in his grasp at last, he removed them from that part of reality and placed them back in the tile puzzle room. Undyne jumped at their sudden appearance and would have probably summoned a spear or two if she weren't already holding a takeout bag. Her eye darted over them, and Sans might’ve laughed at her dumbfounded expression if his brother hadn’t still been unconscious.

“What. The HELL. IS THAT?!” she finally shouted as he laid Papyrus down gently, and he bristled at her harsh words.

“excuse you. THAT happens to be my brother.”

Undyne gestured wildly before finding words to express herself again. “BUT? HOW?? WHAT??!”

Papyrus finally moved, his eyes blinking open, though it took a moment for his irises to reignite. Sans ignored Undyne’s flailing and snatched the takeout from her, sitting near his brother’s head and digging around for whatever awaited in the small paper bag. A few days without food wouldn’t affect a monster’s health much, and certainly not someone with high stats like Papyrus, but nearly a month was another story and he was more than a little worried. He withdrew what turned out to be a toasted turkey club sandwich, mentally thanked both Grillby and Undyne for listening, and helped his brother sit up to finally eat something. It wouldn’t be enough to bring Papyrus’ energy back all the way, but he’d be better off than where he was now by a long shot.

The sandwich was snapped up upon being offered, and after a moment Papyrus felt strong enough to stand on his own. Undyne had settled into just staring at them both skeptically, jaw slack and hands clenching and unclenching as if to summon a spear at any moment. Sans crumpled up the bag and stuck it in his pocket, and looked from his brother to the guard captain with amusement. Papyrus looked nervous—or maybe embarrassed, and his first attempt to speak came out as a gusty hiss. But he stepped back, took a moment, and coughed into his fist to clear his throat.

“Hello, Undyne.”

If Undyne had been dumbfounded before, she was well and truly stunned now. She sank to her knees staring, and Sans couldn’t help but laugh at her. A scream started to croak from her, and he decided it’d be best they all headed back to their house before her yelling attracted attention from the other patrols. He beckoned his brother over, and took Undyne’s wrist as he laid a hand on Papyrus’ shoulder, and in an instant they were in the living room... not a moment too soon.

Undyne screeched at the top of her lungs, reaching a truly impressive volume even Papyrus winced at. Her next instinct was apparently to fight, lunging for her friend as if to throw him over her head. Sans darted out of the way as she sped past, and a soft ping sounded before she was flung sideways into the couch. Papyrus gave his brother a disapproving look, but he gave it right back.

“no fighting in my house,” he said, wagging a teasing finger. “sorry to burst your bubble, undyne, but until papyrus is back at full strength i’m not letting you beat him up.”

“I’M NOT GONNA BEAT HIM UP! I’M JUST GONNA PUNCH HIM FOR BEING DUMB!!!” Undyne roared, leaping from the couch and promptly hauled flat on her face. She growled and pushed herself up, only to fly to the ceiling and stick flat on her back. “Will you QUIT with the BLUE MAGIC?!”

“not unless you stop trying to hit my bro,” Sans countered, and Papyrus laid a hand across his eyes.

“Sans, please put Undyne, who need I remind you is our boss, back on the ground?" he asked, voice still shaky from disuse. "I am quite capable of handling her rigorous expressions of affection, thank you.”

Sans looked over to him and sighed. “you’re right as always bro. i just… i know you’re tough and all, but you’re also not at 100 percent and undyne is pretty intense.”

“YOU BET I AM!”

“plus, i haven’t seen you in basically forever after you disappeared, so forgive me for bein’ a little protective.”

Undyne drifted down at last, and though she glared at Sans she didn’t seem intent on continuing her charge when she landed. Instead, she sat decisively on the couch and folded her arms, fixing them each with a sharp look. “Okay. Here’s what’s going to happen. BOTH of you are going to explain what the HECK is going on with Papyrus, and THEN! We’re getting him something else to eat so we don’t have to treat him like a delicate flower.”

“Flowers are actually quite tough!” Papyrus offered, but shrank under a skeptical glare.

“SO! Who wants to start telling me why or how Papyrus ended up as a… dog-dragon-horse thing?”

The brothers exchanged looks.

“It’s just a skeleton thing, you wouldn’t understand,” Papyrus dismissed. “Most of the time I am the wonderful tall fellow you are familiar with, but if I so wish, I can become… this! It’s a thing.”

“yup, it’s true,” Sans confirmed, but Undyne didn’t look convinced.

“So, you could transform into this awesome creature this whole time… and you never told me?!”

“W-well, you see, I never had reason to bring it up! My usual good looks are more than enough as well as more practical for my day-to-day life, so, I much prefer them. Not to mention I… actually completely forgot how to change. Such things happen even to someone as great as me, tragically…” Papyrus explained, his claws fidgeting, "but it's fine! This is totally a normal thing."

Undyne considered his words and finally relaxed. “Huh. Well, do you… remember how to change back?”

“do you think he would have run away if he did?” Sans shot, and she deflated.

“Right. But, if it’s just something you can do, why’d you hide it? There’s all sorts of monsters out there, no one would even blink at you.”

Papyrus grunted nervously. “Consider that this form is considerably more intimidating, and I, already a sight to behold… Not to mention! I want to be known based on my merits--my wit, my battle prowess, my shockingly handsome bones! Not a silly transformation gimmick that wears off within an hour of playing with it.”

Undyne laughed, a welcome sound after her furious screams. “I guess that’s fair. Wait, if this is a skeleton thing… does this mean Sans can do it too?!”

“nope. even if i could... i'm way too lazy for any shapeshifting shenanigans,” Sans answered lightly. “my bro has the ‘cool werewolf’ gig all to himself.”

“I am not a werewolf!!!” Papyrus cried, stomping his feet as the others chuckled. "I am still, clearly, a skeleton!"

“Alright, well, I guess that’s good enough for me. You dudes need anything, let me know, but now that this is resolved I have work to get back to. Oh yeah… Papyrus, consider figuring out how to change back your new assignment. If you really don’t want to go out looking like that, I figure it’s pretty much top priority. And Sans… you get half watch shifts this week, since you’ll probably have to help Papyrus out with… a lot. Sound good?”

“you know i won’t complain about working less,” Sans teased, and she rolled her eye.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you punks later, okay? Call me if you need anything--it's... really good to have you back, Papyrus.”

Papyrus looked like he didn't know what to say.

She finally left, closing the door behind her. Sans heaved a sigh, and debated whether to make the effort to move to the couch or just sit on the floor. He decided the floor was good enough. Papyrus made a face but sat too, drawing his own deep sigh.

“Well, what are we going to do, brother?”

“i dunno, bro. you need something else to eat, for one. but beyond that… i dunno. mostly… i’m just glad you’re back too.”

“If I am honest, it is good to be back. You weren’t kidding about the vacuuming though, ugh. Did you do anything while I was gone?”

“… i slept.”

Papyrus groaned. “You would. In any case… I am still rather famished. As you can guess, the forest... didn't exactly have grocery stores. Pardon me if I don’t cook fresh spaghetti for us, I’m sure you’ve missed it terribly.”

“more than i thought i could,” Sans laughed, and it was true. It had never been the flavor that was enjoyable about Papyrus’ cooking.

Sans proposed various techniques for Papyrus to try changing back over dinner, many of which he’d already thought of and attempted. He continued regardless, suggesting progressively ridiculous remedies until Papyrus laughed at him. They curled up on the couch together to watch TV, and Sans was happy to see his brother’s eyes drift closed—Papyrus never seemed to sleep, even when he really needed it.

No doubt he really needed it now.

The next day saw about as much progress, and Papyrus’ happiness fade. Sans tried to ignore the worry growing inside him, but it was clear that the time alone with no success had done a number on Papyrus’ self-confidence. Toss in whatever memories he might’ve relived and no wonder he was having doubts.

Sans watched him pace the living room floor, occasionally sweeping up stray bits of trash he hadn’t noticed before. He was antsy, and judging by the way his tail lashed he was increasingly agitated by the situation. The fact he had to stay inside probably wasn’t helping either.

“you wanna go let off some steam somewhere?” Sans suggested before his brother could start another transit across the carpet, and he startled out of his thoughts.

“Hm? Oh, I’m fine! I just need to think!” he replied, standing stiffly. “The Great Papyrus will not be bested yet!”

“no way, but, i was just thinking you might like to get out before you wear a rut in the floor,” Sans continued, and Papyrus glanced at the carpet. There were a few places where his claws had snagged, and they all aligned perfectly with where he’d been pacing.

“Ah. I see your point. Where could we go? I don’t want anyone to see…”

“i was thinking the woods, middle of nowhere. kinda where you ran away to, but not for another three weeks, heh.”

“That sounds suitable. Alright! We do have a nice house but I can admit it is rather cramped for someone of my stature at this time, so! Take us away, brother!”

Sans obliged, and in an instant they stood in the clearing where they’d reunited only yesterday. Papyrus inhaled deeply and took off running, and Sans happily watched him tear across the field—getting some exercise was just what an active guy like his younger brother needed, and it wasn’t fair to make him stay indoors all the time. He leapt, and rolled, and sprinted through the snow, cackling all the while as he exerted himself. Sans waved to get his attention, then summoned a maze of bones for him to dodge and weave around. Papyrus raced through it flawlessly, and Sans couldn’t help but swell with pride. His brother was so cool.

As he watched, he could almost remember what it was like too.

Something juddered out of sync in his soul, and he froze. Oh no, nope, he was not doing this now or ever again. He shut his eyes and thought about how nice it was to be what he was now, tried to focus on how his soul had felt before something else had awakened within it, and was relieved to feel that foreign sensation die away. The Underground didn’t need two of them running around, and Papyrus had always had an easier time switching forms than he did—even when they both remembered how it all worked. Rubbing the side of his skull, he sat in the snow, and when the magic maze dissipated Papyrus came over to see what was wrong.

“Sans? Are you alright?”

“yep, fine. all those bones wore me out.”

Papyrus made a face. “You really do need to work out more! That was hardly anything compared to what you used to do.”

“yeah, well, that was before i discovered being lazy is the best thing in the world.”

Papyrus groaned. “If I need exercise you do too! Come on, lazybones!”

He was hauled up with a clawed hand and nudged in the back by a toothy snout, and gave an exaggerated groan as he stood. “these legs were not made for running, i’ll have you know.”

“Oh, come on Sans, I know you can do it! Chase me!”

Papyrus dashed off once more, and Sans took a few steps before simply cutting into his brother’s path. The indignant howl he got in return was worth being shoved into the snow, and in retaliation he used a touch of blue magic to bowl his brother over. Papyrus kicked, sending a shower of slush over him, and for a moment they just laughed at one another.

“I suppose I shouldn’t have expected anything else from you,” Papyrus finally said, pushing from the snow. “You have grown to enjoy a much slower pace ever since we… since whatever happened."

“yup, i’m gonna enjoy every moment i get. though, i will say… without you around to push me, i do get… too lazy,” Sans admitted, then sighed. “to be honest bro... it woulda been fine if you’d given me a sign you were okay, a note, anything, but not knowing if you were ever gonna come back... or why you left... well, it was rough. so, uh, i guess what i’m saying is… don’t do that again or i’ll have to ground you.”

Papyrus studied him, then hung his head. “I’m sorry Sans, I know I should have, but… I was. Uncertain.”

It was Sans’ turn to prop himself up and look quizzically at his brother. “about what?”

Papyrus fidgeted under his gaze, clearly considering his words before he continued. “How much do you remember of what happened to us?"

Sans furrowed a brow. "more than i'd like, but less than i should."

“S-so, w-well, when this, happened, I—I didn’t want you to see. I didn’t want anyone to see, but especially not you, because I remembered—I remembered a little of how bad we had it, and if you didn’t remember, I didn’t want to accidentally remind you,” Papyrus explained, digging his claws into the ground. “And then you came and found me, and didn’t care that I was what I am, and I felt like a fool for thinking it was better I had left without a word. I’m sorry, brother.”

Sans leaned back with a soft, bittersweet chuckle. “and here i always kept the fact i remembered anything a secret ‘cause i didn’t want you to worry either. we’re hilarious, a real comedy of errors.”

“Indeed.”

“anyway. the important thing is figuring out how you can change back. i don’t remember a thing about that myself, and obviously neither do you. seems like a thing you just gotta feel.”

“Agreed,” Papyrus huffed. “It used to be so easy! How did we do that? As effortless as the bones we conjure, as natural as breathing! It’s so… so frustrating Sans. I… I don’t want to be this. It’s so easy to just... let my thoughts slip away. And I remember that... they wanted us to lose them, wanted us to... be less of us. And after all I've worked for, I refuse to go back to that!”

"you got this, bro. despite everything that's happened, it's still you."

“I know… It’s hard though. But! Hard things have never discouraged me before! We just have to keep trying no matter how long it takes!”

“you got it,” Sans said, his mood lifting at his brother’s boundless optimism. “you ready to head back home then?”

“I think I’m going to take one more lap! You should try to as well, and no cheating!”

“if i did we’d be here for another hour. you go ahead, i’ll be right here.”

Sans watched him rise and make one last circuit around the clearing, then in a blink they were both back home. Papyrus shook snow from his talons and gave a contented sigh, then sat with a determined look on his face. He puffed out his chest, and Sans knew he was in for one of his brother’s monologues.

“Now that my restlessness has been cured, it! Is time! I can approach the issue of my transformation with a clear head! The simple fact remains that my memory of the technique has been obscured by forces strange and concerning, but! I was able to recall how to turn with the simple triggering of a distant memory of the instruction to do so, so! It stands to reason that a memory of the opposite instruction will have the same effect. Said memories may be distressing and difficult to pinpoint, but! The Great Papyrus has never been one to back down in the face of danger! Nyeheh!”

“nope. like i said bro, you were the bravest one there,” Sans affirmed, sifting through his own tenuous recall of their old lives. “i was never strong enough to do anything, and the... assistants, well... they never spoke up about animal cruelty either. says a lot about them, and none of it’s good.”

Papyrus looked at him sadly. "You know, Sans... I don't think they knew what we really were. With how he was, how could they? I think even he pretended not to sometimes..."

Sans huffed a short sigh. "yeah. think you might be right about that."

“… I wish it all could have been different.”

“me too.”

“But! It’s different now! We’re the determiners of our fates! And I say I will be this beast no longer!” Papyrus declared brightly, banishing the grim mood that had settled in momentarily. Standing proudly, he scrunched his eyes shut and concentrated—to no avail. He sighed, and let his legs slide out from under him until he lay spread-eagle on the carpet.

“i can’t believe i’m seeing my brother lay down on the floor with my own two eyes,” Sans teased, and Papyrus scrambled to rise.

“Nyeh! Do not think for an instant I was being anything remotely close to ‘lazy’ or ‘tired’!” Papyrus refuted, glaring at him with comically bugged eyes. “The effort of trying to overcome my natural inclination for this form simply took some recovering from!”

“so, you were tired,” Sans summarized, earning more disgruntled complaint from his brother. He’d missed this so much.

“Fine! Yes! I required a brief respite,” Papyrus conceded, sitting back on his haunches so he could fold his arms. “If I am honest I am quite tired of this form’s stubbornness! I know I must have been instructed to change many times, but I cannot recall how I managed such a simple task and it! Is! The! Worst! Thing!”

“wow, and that’s pretty bad, since that means it’s even worse than my jokes,” Sans commented, and his brother stamped his forefeet down.

“It is!”

“well, we better get to work then. undyne said this was your new assignment, i can’t believe how much you’ve slacked off on it already.”

“No! Nooooo!” Papyrus howled, clasping his head in his hands.

The banter continued as the brothers worked to recall what had once been a regular part of their lives. Some memories slowly filtered back, hazes of shadows and sharp objects resolving into people with needles and too-bright rooms full of instruments. Long nights that sometimes became days that became nights again, spent alone and shivering in an empty room. Hours of training for a task neither of them really understood, harsh tests of every aspect of their abilities imaginable, pushing them to the limits of their endurance. Fleeting moments of happiness together.

All encouraged and directed by a man whose words could seem kind, but masked a cruel curiosity and an unbending will. They were never meant to have souls or personalities. He was going to ensure his work continued despite those.

But for all these memories, there were still gaps. Black holes that would never divulge the information that had once been there--and considering the nature of what Sans did remember, he couldn't help but feel perhaps that was for the best. But if Papyrus' memory of how to shift back had been engulfed by one of these voids... then he might not ever remember, and have to figure it out all over again. On Sans’ part, he’d at least recalled why he didn’t know the method to change back, and it had nothing to do with a spotty memory.

“AT LEAST IN YOUR OTHER FORM YOU LOOK MORE LIKE A SUCCESS. NEVER TAKE THIS SHAPE AGAIN.”

The words had stung anew, a biting remark on a small, frail body that was useless to a lab that only made weapons. He ought to at least look the part, and wasn't allowed anything else. It was only the third time Sans had taken that smaller form in the lab; from then on, he'd slowly accepted his life as a beast. It was easier that way.

"I think perhaps we've had enough," Papyrus said in a low voice, shaking him out of a flat stare after recalling that particular memory. "Let's take our minds off things for a while!"

Sans was glad to get up and laze in front of the TV as Papyrus reheated leftovers for them both. MTT had something mindless on as usual, and it was just the thing for drowning out painful memories. Papyrus snorted when he noticed his brother had fallen asleep, and busied himself with cleaning up the dishes before rejoining him on the couch to doze himself. It had been a long day, but more were sure to follow. They needed all the rest they could get.

It wasn't going to come easy.

#undertale #undertalethingem writes #gaster blaster au #sans (undertale)#Undyne (undertale)#papyrus (undertale)#bark at the moon fic #in which papyrus is a cryptid XD #a little less angst this chapter but there's still a lot =u=;

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toxicpineapple · 4 years

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now im just curious abt rantaros relationships w the v3 cast.... mwahaha spill everything 🦟🦗🦟

hi anon! sorry for taking so log to reply to this, i knew i’d have a lot to say and i didn’t have the spoons to go off until now. FLKDJSFLkj here we go!

hehe! okay. so just as a preface, i’m like. REALLY into rantaro pairings. like. the only rantaro pairings i don’t like all that much are am*cha, rantaro/himiko, amaguuji (sorry lgbt community), and ranmugi. the rest i’m either open to or obsessed with. so like. bear that in mind when you read this.

i’m going to rank rantaro relationships by how much i love them so i can get an order to this (and also so i can do amamota last because i have a lot to say).

rantaro + korekiyo (2.5/10) oh gosh. kiyo, i’m so sorry a dumb bitch like me would do you like this. listen, amaguuji is a good pairing, just, objectively. i used to be super into it. but then the fandom crabwalked all over me with their amaguuji hurt/comfort fics and i got so Tired of seeing rantaro get treated like a security blacket... eugh. amaguuji is a good ship. i have written amaguuji, and would write it again, without prompting. i’m just... so tired.

they’d get along! obviously they would get along, we’ve seen their canon interactions, we’ve all slurped up as much rantaro tdp content as we were able to get, we know the tea. rantaro is passive and not easily creeped out, so he’d be able to look past all the unsettling things about kiyo, and similarly, kiyo is understanding and not pushy, so rantaro would be able to vibe around him without being asked about his secrets, or his travels, or anything that he doesn’t want anybody else to know. i like the aesthetic of them sitting around and drinking tea together, just, vibing like bros. kiyo infodumps to rantaro. rantaro fucking loves it. they’re best friends.

also like. they travel together. or whatever.

rantaro + kiibo (4/10) to be clear, i’m like, they’re cute, it’s just. i don’t have very strong opinions on kiibo as a whole FLKDJSFKLJDSFKDF kiibo is one of those characters who i kind of close my eyes on because to me he is just, he is very boring! he is very boring and i am so sorry to the kiibo stans who follow me, i have so much respect for you, i just have never had a kiibo thought in my life. they’re fun to write, though, i’ll tell you that.

kiibo is one of those characters who i think engages with you based on how you engage with him. i don’t mean that he’s a code switcher, (at least not a notorious one), but he’s emotional, and he’ll give back as much as you put in. if you treat him poorly, he’ll respond with anger and indignity. if you treat him with kindness and respect, he’ll respond similarly. which is why i think he and rantaro would really get along! rantaro is relaxed and kind and non-judgmental, and kiibo is the kind of person who needs chill vibes, so i think they’d have a lot of fun hanging out. rantaro is also the type of guy to get his friends a lot of gifts, and i think kiibo would be overwhelmed at like, the thoughtfulness that goes into that, and would grow really fond of rantaro accordingly. they’re sweet! amiibo rights, even if the first time i saw it my gut reaction was “wait, huh?”

rantaro + ryoma (5/10) this is another one of those ones where the rating was cucked because i don’t see a lot of them interacting and there’s not enough fandom content for me to really be in love with it. five is like, a solid neutral rating. i could swing either way. probably more for the positive though; i fucking love ryoma.

another one of those duos where they kind of just, vibe. honestly i don’t know if they’d get too close, if only because rantaro is gone so often he doesn’t really have the time to work on tearing down ryoma’s walls, and ryoma similarly is so tired he’s like, he doesn’t have the energy to try and figure out what the fuck is up with rantaro. unlike with amamota, rantaro and ryoma both have things that trouble them from their past, but the difference is that like, ryoma is so open about it? he’s not closed off. he won’t let people get close, but sure, he’ll tell them exactly why they shouldn’t. rantaro is the complete opposite, all sunny smiles and subject changes. this isn’t to say that they wouldn’t get along! i think they’d get along fantastically. sometimes when rantaro is just feeling so fucking tired, he’d pop by ryoma’s dorm for a candy cigarette and a casual conversation, and they’d chill. or maybe rantaro tells people to let ryoma have his space sometimes. just. vibing in solidarity. they’re bros! they’re bros.

and sometimes they kis--

rantaro + miu (6/10) full disclosure: i love them. leila i am so sorry that a dumb bitch like me would do this friendship like this. i’m just looking at the list and thinking “oh no i love them all” and when it comes to like, my favourite characters, unfortunately, miu had to go on the chopping block. i love them. feel like shit just want egg rp miu and rantaro back.

god! this is another one of those where like, rantaro isn’t judgmental (but he is firm!) so he and miu would get along really well. rantaro is really patient and he like, goes with the flow, so he and miu would be able to have conversations and he’d either shut down or tune out the sex jokes, actually carrying the conversation based on what she’s saying. miu is pretty chill, like, at least i feel like she’d be a really chill friend? so rantaro would be able to make insensitive jokes about how he just got stabbed and miu would be like “KYAHAHAHA you’re such a fuckin moron come to my lab i’ll make you a drink or some shit” and they’d just be cool. they’d just be cool! i want them to be best friends. please. just. two pals who spill tea and come to each other to make dark jokes. also miu cries into rantaro’s shoulder sometimes and he braids her hair fuck you i doooo what i want.

also sometimes they k--

rantaro + gonta (7/10) hey! it’s SO fucking homophobic that the only amagoku fic on ao3 is fucking porn! i hate it here can you please give me some actual food? please? i’m dying. i’m dying here and you’re doing me like this. these two have so many rights! they have so many rights. i just, two special boys? thank you. thank you for them. i care them. if there was more fucking CONTENT for these two i would have given them a higher rating but i guess! i’ll fucking die!

damn i’m actually like... really tender, thinking about them. i just think they could take care of each other! that’s all. i feel like rantaro would be really patient with gonta but he would also treat him like! a real, intelligent person! idk! like not infantalise him despite being sweet and comforting. i don’t know! i think that’s important can you guys STOOOOP infantalising coded autistic characters that would be really sweet </3 but anyway. i headcanon that rantaro likes insects! or at least, he thinks they’re pretty neat! he thinks they’re neat and he likes them and even more than that he likes listening to gonta info dump, it’s just, it’s important. idk. i think rantaro would be really psyched by how excited gonta gets about insects, and of course gonta would be thrilled to have a friend who wants to talk to his insect friends.... hhhhHhh... and of course gonta would take care of rantaro, too, just, he’d respect rantaro’s boundaries and not ask him any questions, he’d offer space and let rantaro just, exist, and be. gonta is soft and he gives good hugs! and i think that he would just be able to let rantaro cry one out on his shoulder and that’s SO important to me.

also gonta is such a sweetheart so it would be like, hard, for rantaro to lie about stuff? i dunno, like, he’d do okay, and then gonta would ask him a question or something and rantaro would be hit with the Guilts... also like, rantaro employs a mix of like, slight coldness, and airheaded subject changes in making people back off, and i doubt he could really do that with gonta. why would you!!! he’s a soft man, just the softest!!!! these two soft green men :) i care them so fucking much can you imagine rantaro taking gonta to places to see bugs PLEASE they have so much potential can we fucking talk about this

rantaro + tenko (7/10) this one would be higher, but i deducted points because of how the fandom always sees rantaro as “fixing” tenko’s man hatred. that’s literally so gross can you shut up? please? i hate? men?

okay n e wayz. i like them! i think they’re neat, i think they’d be great friends... eventually LFKDJLKDSF like listen, okay? i think tenko really does have real fear of men. think about her backstory, like, her master dripping poison in her ear all her childhood, and then the way he had her working as a fucking VIGILANTE? HELLO? like tenko probably saw some horrible traumatising shit as a child that strengthened these beliefs. this is entirely her master’s fault and he is such a, clenches fist, i can’t even articulate this beanie has better master hatred thoughts than i do, but god he sucks? wow. and fuck tenko’s parents too, sending her off to a temple because she had anger issues. you ever heard of a therapist, chabashiras? hello?

i got distracted, but the main thing is, tenko wouldn’t like him at first. not even reluctantly! like rantaro very much looks like a playboy and that’s the epitome of the kind of guy tenko is against. obviously rantaro isn’t, but tenko isn’t getting close enough to see that! if a man so much as touches her she’s responding defensively, don’t you even think rantaro is going to get past that. and i don’t think rantaro would try Too hard, i mean, like, i think he’d be endeared to tenko because of how much she protects the girls, and how sweet she is when she’s like, not actively thinking about it, but i don’t think he’s so ready to get his ass kicked, y’know? FKLDSJFLKSDFJ

but then maybe like! an accident will happen, and tenko falls over, and rantaro reaches to help her but she freaks and grabs his arm and flips him over and then BOOM!!! neo aikido magic things and she sees all his fucking stress, all his distrust, just how much he really blames himself for everything, how afraid and angry and tired he is, and we all know tenko is super compassionate so i think she would absolutely be worried about it. and then i think she’d like! keep an eye out for rantaro, at the very least try and get confirmation on all those emotions because this pretty boy soooo does not act like it, and then maybe one time she sees him getting grilled on his travels, or he comes back injured and tenko finds him, and she bails him out, begrudgingly, and then they start to become friends.

idk! i think they have platonic potential. i think rantaro would see her as a sister and i think tenko would eventually ask rantaro if he’s really a guy. (which he would laugh off, if he was cis, but if this is nb rantaro.... i’m just saying, the potential for tenko to help rantaro with gender awakening.... fantastic.) get into these two as friends. do it.

if some MOTHERFUCKER reblogs this post with am*cha in the tags i’m going to kill. i’m going to KILL. i won’t even hesitate /hj

rantaro + tsumugi (8/10) (looks at ibuki poster) oh mioda, we’re really in it now. and by that i mean, god it’s so fucking hard to choose favourites from here FKJDSLFKJ i have almost all the girls just, up here, because i’m so fucking fond of their relationships with rantaro. and i know i said i don’t like ranmugi or rantaro/himiko, and it’s true, but i am obsessed with their platonic relationships with him. ESPECIALLY when tsumugi and rantaro are one-sided enemies.... that’s such good shit, holy crap.

okay, let me explain. i feel like rantaro and tsumugi can swing both ways, here. they can either be really good friends! like, rantaro is mellow so he lets tsumugi put him into cosplay (i think rantaro would make a really good n off the top of my head since they’re both green FLKJDSFKJ or light yagami..... handsome men) and since he loves listening to people info dump he just... lets tsumugi go fucking OFF about anime sometimes FKJDSLKFJ i think it would be sweet! i think tsumugi could give rantaro a place to unwind, because she’s so like, hard to phase, i guess? like tsumugi and rantaro share that trait where if you hit either of them in the face with a pie, they’d just go “oh, funky” and go to wash their clothes LMAO. power duo! they’re brother and sister! and i headcanon mugi as a lesbian so she talks to rantaro about ~girls~ sometimes. also u already know tsumugi got tea to spill so rantaro helps with her hair for a cosplay while she gossips KFJDLK honestly why aren’t she miu and rantaro a trio? i just think they’d be neat. good friends! best friends.

or tsumugi absolutely fucking detests rantaro with every fiber of her being. she couldn’t even tell you why! he’s just, he’s a normie! he’s a normie, and he’s like the flirtatious pretty boy stereotype except he isn’t even flirtatious, he’s just genuinely nice and he takes care of people and god tsumugi hates it when anime tries to be subversive! there’s a reason tropes exist, y’know! and he’s so smiley and innocent when obviously he’s hiding some kind of shit, why else would he be going on travels all the time, not that it matters because everyone knows how much she hates rantaro so they wouldn’t listen to her anyway... on rantaro’s end, he really doesn’t have a clue why she loathes him so much, like, he’d like to be friends? but wow she hates him, huh. well, whatever. rantaro’s got more important things to worry about.

in other words, i fucking love them in any form, please give me content of these two they’re so fun.

rantaro + angie (8/10) i love these two and these rankings are? so difficult for me, i am going to cry, you guys get the idea about me being a rantaro stan, right? i hope you do because god i love him so much. and i love him with angie! man. okay. okay.

so like. first of all. angie climbing onto rantaro’s back? perfect. she’s in need of piggy back rides and rantaro will gladly give them. rantaro is so patient and like, hhh i don’t want to use the word pliable because of horny people but that’s the best one i can come up with? like, he just goes with the flow, y’know? angie is so high strung, platonically i think she works really well with people who are patient and indulgent. i don’t know if rantaro would be much for her as far as fulfilling her loneliness, because angie is sort of looking for someone who Wouldn’t indulge her that much, but i’m absolutely weak for their dynamic. just, angie bringing up wacky ideas, rantaro responding with mild skepticism but also listening to her. i think she’d cause some trouble and he would be entirely here for it. bless them, honestly.

also angie painting rantaro’s sisters? please they’re so cute

rantaro + shuichi (8/10) before you come at me like “but toxic! amasai is your otp!” it’s not, okay? it used to be. but due to negative associations i can’t really write it (or shuichi ships as a whole) that much anymore and it’s really frustrating so uh, yeah. amamota supremacy.

that being said, god the potential of these two. they’re a great balance. shuichi is anxious and rantaro is laid back, shuichi is reserved and rantaro is outgoing (to an extent; he definitely doesn’t have any issues voicing his opinions). i think rantaro would be really gentle with shuichi! he matches the quiet, less overwhelming vibes, and just. feels inclined to take care of him, y’know? and spend time with him. i think they’re sweet! i think they’re really cute. the other part of the amasai dynamic that i used to be obsessed with his shuichi’s natural curiosity. shuichi would be so curious about what’s going on with rantaro and why he’s traveling, and rantaro would want so badly to tell him, but he can’t risk it happening again, he can’t... oh!!! rantaro is is really good at comforting people i think so he’d be able to like, support shuichi when he’s upset, and shuichi has great communication skills! or at least i like to give them to him. so shuichi would nudge rantaro into being honest, and talking about his feelings. i just want to see them do well together, that’s all! i think that shuichi is earnest and emotional and he cares very dearly for his friends, and he would try really hard to take care of rantaro. he would also probably worry a lot about rantaro after figuring out he gets injured a lot in trips, which, like, FLKDJSFLKJ rantaro might not be so big on but honestly? the guy needs someone to worry about him.

also they FUCKING TRAVEL TOGETHER!!!! shuichi is a detective!!!!!! he can help rantaro search! cue post-salmon mode amasai slowburn as they travel the world together finding rantaro’s lost sisters. i really need to finish writing search, it’s been four months.

rantaro + kaede (9/10) hhh. oh man. oh geez. amamatsu, huh. amamatsu. i just. think about kaede having a little crush on rantaro after he painted her nails, because he’s so reassuring and patient and observant, and she knows he’s sketchy but she believes in him anyway because he has to be trustworthy, he has to, and then she sees him dead and is at first betrayed, horrified that he was the mastermind, only to realise he wasn’t, and she just killed an innocent person for no reason...

now that that’s out of the way, GOD I LOVE THEM! there are things about this relationship that prevent it from working out in the long term (at least in my opinion) but i don’t even care they have such a lovely dynamic and they look so good together... hhhhh i’m also so into them, just, platonically? god. okay. they just! like they already have that canonical dynamic of like, kaede bringing concerns to rantaro and him reassuring her or providing insight, and it’s so tender! the way he talks to her about miu or kiyo or kiibo (depending on who you choose) is so like, i dunno! he doesn’t judge her for having bad first impressions but at the same time he calmly looks a little more into why they behave the way they do? it’s just sweet! it’s just sweet, and i think rantaro can really help kaede like that, and help her to let her barriers down a little and feel not so pressured to be like, perfect all the time, y’know? to be a leader and take care of everyone 24/7. kaede really needs that.

and kaede! believes in him! she believes in him and looks to him for guidance and that’s so important for rantaro too, just, feeling trusted and knowing someone has faith in him... i really genuinely think kaede would encourage rantaro to keep on looking for his sisters, and urge him to trust other people and believe in himself, and it’s that same thing where she wants him to trust and open up to her and he wants to as well but it’s so difficult.... hhh!!! i think they’re so good!!!!! i just think they’re so good. they would take care of one another.

(the reason why i don’t think they’d be sustainable in the long term is because kaede like, she worries. and not in the way shuichi does? i just feel like she needs more stability and vulnerability than rantaro can actually bring to the table. i think kaede would try so, so, so hard to get rantaro to open up, and try so hard to take care of him and make sure he takes care of himself, and rantaro wouldn’t be putting in the same effort, because he can’t, and i don’t think kaede would blame him for it, but i do think that eventually she’d see it’s not. healthy. and it’s making her upset all the time. and she can’t keep up like this. they hurt me but i love them so much and i live in a world where they’re forever teens and never have to break up.)

also love them platonically! sorry i have amamatsu brainrot at all times but i really do love them as friends! i love rantaro painting kaede’s nails and doing her hair and kaede teaching him a duet on the piano, and she comes to him for advice and he brings her souvenirs and kaede makes sure he’s welcome in the class, and saves him cake after parties... also he calls her a brat and ruffles her hair a lot HEHEHE.

rantaro + maki (9/10) what? what? two people who never interacted and who have almost less interactions than gonta and ryoma do with rantaro? why, tox? why?

... because i’m a simp. that’s the only reason! that’s the only reason. i think they look good together, i’m really weak for maki and rantaro, and that’s the only reason. that’s the only reason! i have a crush on them both and i want to see them interact. there it is. boom. get your “make fun of tox” juice. before i ramble about how much potential they have, i just want you to know how utterly biased i am towards them.

there! that’s out of the way! biases admitted. i think rantaro and maki have the potential to really balance each other out. rantaro is really mellow and maki has a bit of a temper, rantaro is airheaded and maki is focused, rantaro is sociable and maki is closed off. at the same time, though, they like, handshake on a lot of things, y’know? they’re both secretive and distrustful, they both don’t want to let other people get close out of a fear of losing them, they’re both so FUCKING sad please i just want to hold them. i think there’s a lot of potential for them to be like, coming back to hope’s peak late or something, rantaro coming home from a trip and maki coming home from an assassination, and to run into each other and both be curious but also neither of them asks anything because they’ve both got so much to hide...

(that’s actually the exact premise of my amami week day one oneshot, stay tuned, gamers.)

but!! then it happens more often and they start seeing each other a lot more, and slowly they start to get like, a sort of companionship? like they’re not close or anything, but they’re united by their like, distrust of other people. and maybe maki tends to a wound of rantaro’s, or like with tenko tells people to lay off of grilling him, or maybe RANTARO tends to a wound of MAKI’S, or sticks up for her in a conversation. and fuck!! maybe a mission goes wrong and maki is upset and she trusts nobody at this goddamn school (because kaito hasn’t taken her on as his sidekick yet) so she goes to rantaro for, fucking, something, for comfort, and it’s embarrassing and vulnerable and absolutely terrible but he’s so gentle and sweet maki can’t help but let her guard down for just a second. also love the aesthetic of like, rantaro coming home from a trip disheartened and running into maki and she calls him an idiot or something and he just starts crying while maki stands there, not sure what to do, before stepping forward and awkwardly patting his arm FKLDJSFKJd i just think they’re neat. strictly speaking he’s not maki’s type (read: optimistic and stupid) but i love them for each other.

love them as friends! love rantaro to be maki’s go-to friend when she needs her empowering haircut, and them tending to each other’s wounds is not an inherently romantic thing, and they just stick up for each other and vibe... hhhhh.

if none of this happens then idk rantaro is a bit intimidated by maki, and maki thinks he’s unreliable and untrustworthy. that’s probably more likely FLKDJSFKJ BUT I CAN DREAM OKAY? CRIES

rantaro + himiko (9/10) these two are brother and sister, full stop. there’s nothing morally wrong with shipping them, it’s more just that like. i don’t know! himiko is so childish, like, the epitome of a younger sister, and rantaro is the epitome of an older brother... they vibe so hard platonically and then romantically my brain just restarts itself. but anyway!

magic is himiko’s special interest!!!! it means a lot to her and she’s very adamant that it be called magic and not tricks, like, even to the point of slowing down a trial and making herself look guilty in chapter two. i think rantaro is very used to playing along with his sisters’ stuff, and i think he would absolutely humour himiko. and like, they both know it’s not really magic, but it’s the effort that himiko appreciates, and in like, a no-pressure way like rantaro does it? yes please.

i think he would give her piggyback rides. like in chapter five when they’re climbing the stairs to kaito’s lab and himiko goes “someone give me a piggyback ride!” you already know rantaro would be volunteering. (side note: read whattheskyknows’ fic “missing (isn’t always so bad)” because it has that scene and i’m emotional.) i think he’d really take care of her! idk i know i’ve said that about a lot of these but rantaro is very caring. he’d look after himiko and make sure she’s taking her depression meds and carry her to her room when she falls asleep and tell people off when they overwhelm her and hhhh... and himiko would support him too! like with his travels and stuff, she wouldn’t really care about knowing why he’s traveling because it’s not her business and also like, asking about that stuff is a pain, who cares, if he’s gonna travel he’s gonna travel. rantaro would buy her books about magic while traveling and read them to her if she wants, and she would perform magic tricks for him and remind him of what it’s like to have a younger sister again. they matter to me. they should matter to you, too.

rantaro + kirumi (9/10) now i KNOW you weren’t expecting me to put amatoujou any lower, do you know who my favourite person in this fandom is? you are legally obligated to go check out Storyflight’s ao3 and read all of their amatoujou fics because they’re phenomenal and story is too. story ilu. amatoujou week is coming up on october third. participate or die.

anyway! i just think like, in general, rantaro has a lot of respect and appreciation for kirumi. she takes care of everyone! she works so hard all the time and she can really do anything and she’s so composed and calm all the time, and she has this sweet smile and this little laugh and this relaxing, patient energy, and hhhhhhh. rantaro respects her so damn much! so damn much. and maybe he simps a little regardless of whether they’re romantically involved because she works so hard. they get along! pseudo-parents of the group as people always make them. rantaro wants kirumi to kick back every so often, y’know? she matters to him and he’d like to see her being true to herself and enjoying herself. i also think he’s pretty stern with people when it comes to her, and just like, respecting her boundaries, the kinda guy to calmly and casually go, “hey, ouma-kun, she told you not to call her your mother, maybe you’d better respect that?” and kokichi goes “simp” but nevermind nevermind, i’m covering oumami on the next bullet.

idk! i think they’d look after each other! i think rantaro would make sure that kirumi is actually Taking Care Of Herself and of course kirumi would notice him coming in injured all the time and she would absolutely tend to his injuries without asking any questions at all. she would make sure he’s eating and if he requested, she would even tell everyone to Back The Fuck Off on his secrets and leave him alone FKJDSKFj i think she would always emphasise to him that she’ll do whatever she can for him if he so much as asks, as is her duty as a maid or whatever, but rantaro will refuse because like!!! hell’s no, he’s not about to feed into her complex my dude!!!!! but anyway.

i think it would... i just think it would be neat if he told her about his sisters! that’s all. kirumi is a fucking powerhouse, even if rantaro didn’t request it, she would totally help him find all twelve of them and bring them home. honestly? prime slowburn material, just, rantaro requesting that she help find his sisters and they slowly fall in love along the way... hhhhh if i wasn’t a fucking coward i’d write it myself, what a fantastic multi-chapter concept. i am so smart.

rantaro + kokichi (10/10) romantic oumami i go back and forth on but these two are really high at this specific moment in time because i love them SO much platonically, my god.

kokichi is a fucking brat! he’s such a brat, just, an absolute menace, a troublemaker and buffoon. i care him a lot but he’s so tiring to deal with, and if you don’t have the patience it’s hard to like, try and understand him? like with the shorter fuse members of the class (read: kaito and maki) it would be really hard to actually, get to the point where you can see past his bullshit KFJSDLFKJ but rantaro is patient! he’s a patient boy, and he’s hard to menace, and he grew up with twelve younger sisters. twelve!!! he takes care of them, bro, he can handle a little shit gremlin in his life. i think he’d be endeared to kokichi because of this reason, like, the immaturity, it just reminds him of his sisters, and if kokichi pulled out the “onii-chan”... hoo, it’s over. rantaro will do whatever this guy wants. just, a total enabler. absolute goon and enabler. i love them so much.

on a more serious note, they both have a lot of baggage, and similar to harumami it’s like, they’re both really distrustful! they’re distrustful, they just deflect in different ways. i think they’re both observant and intelligent enough that they could bounce off of each other really well. i do think kokichi is a bit smarter than rantaro is, if only just because it’s really hard to be smarter than kokichi, but i still think rantaro could keep up with them. and i think they could be a safe haven for each other! like rantaro gives him a place to truly feel safe, y’know, which is SO rare for kokichi the way he believes everyone is out to get him, and kokichi could give rantaro a place to just, stop smiling. unwind and be himself a little bit. be a little mean! bitch a little! be openly distrustful!

they take care of each other is all!! care them.

rantaro + kaito (20/10) you think you know a simp’s rating system and then she pulls one of these. i’m honestly a little worried about how long this will be because i’ve literally been writing this for three hours but KFJDSKJFDK i’m going to try my very, very best! so here goes :3c

kaito and rantaro have... so much in common. look at these two emotionally constipated, constantly smiling, constantly putting on a brave face, never letting their guard down, never relying on anyone but themselves, always taking care of other people, always taking the burden onto themselves... yeah. it’s like looking in a mirror. and in some cases that’s a really terrible foundation for a relationship. but with these two, when their unhealthy similarities are so reliant upon the other person being willing to just let themself be helped... it works out.

because they’re sweet! they’re sweet people, and rantaro will probably notice the way that kaito takes so much crap from people, including his sidekicks, while working so hard to take care of everyone, and kaito will of Course notice how rantaro is gone all the time, and how he kind of takes himself out of group interactions and makes himself an outcast, and how subtly closed off he is... there’s interest! and they’re both so inclined to help each other i feel like they’d get close! kaito would probably have a bit of a squish on rantaro anyway because he’s the fucking ultimate adventurer and what the hell, that’s so fucking cool, kaito’s destiny obviously lies in the stars but knowing someone who’s going to conquer the earth... that’s awesome. he probably sees rantaro as an equal even before they start getting close. (aka he thinks rantaro is totally above him in every way, like, the ideal almost, but “an equal” is something the luminary of the stars would say, so there he is.) and rantaro thinks kaito is a little silly, but he’s sweet! it’s sweet how much he takes care of other people and just, like, looks after them. rantaro’s weak for a good dork.

and maybe kaito asks rantaro to train with him sometime, or challenges him to a fight, and of course rantaro goes for it because he’s a Man or whatever (and if they do fight it’s homoerotic as hell FKLDSJFK) and plus he’s been meaning to get to know kaito anyway, and then they make a habit of it and start like!! spending time together. and kaito drags rantaro into the larger group and makes him interact and rantaro quietly tells people to lay off kaito, or else makes sure that he’s actually taking care of himself, and then they’re both trying so hard to just, help each other, and they keep like deflecting it back onto the other person, and it’s frustrating! and rantaro is sitting there like “man i really wish momota-kun would open up to me!!” before realising fucking... wait. i do the same thing. like how can he expect kaito to open up to him if he wont do the same thing, y’know? and then he ponders that, and is like, well maybe the relationship just isn’t worth it like vulnerability is for gay losers, but rantaro is, inevitably, a gay loser, so...

there’s just something about seeing your own flaws magnified on another person who you really, really want to take care of, that makes you realise how uncomfortable that is. obviously kaito doesn’t realise he’s upsetting people by pushing them away, not until rantaro closes the door in his face during a breakdown, and then he seriously needs to reevaluate the way he takes care of other people.

idk! i think they’re fantastic. i think kaito’s fervent belief in people would lend itself well to rantaro’s task, like, who doesn’t want to be believed in, y’know? and kaito is so strong about it, even when rantaro doubts himself he’s so encouraging and it’s nice. and rantaro gives kaito space to stop being the hero for a second and just! be kaito! and kaito can tend to his wounds and rantaro can take care of him when he’s sick and hhhHhHhHhhhhHh i care about them SO fucking much.

also? amamota baking sessions? absolutely fucking flawless. these two are so important to me.

hahahaha. sorry for such a long reply, anon. i have a lot of feelings about all of these guys. especially rantaro :) thank you so much for the ask, this was a lot of fun to answer. hope you’re doing well.

43 notes · View notes

marvinswriting · 4 years

Text

Northshore's couples, written by anonymous, about anonymous.

a crack idea bear and I had that I took seriously

g/t mean girls

November, 12th

Ifykyk.

Hey, Northshore! Welcome to a new section of the school newspaper. I've been fighting for a gossip blog for a hot minute now, and since the paper is dying down, Northshore is finally allowing it.

But this isn't just any gossip blog.

This is the place where I'm gonna -try- to answer your most burning questions about Northshore couples in question.

All through anonymity and observation.

To start, let's meet the students. All names have been changed so identities can stay hidden. In the tinies we've got: J, A, and R. Then in the giants there is: D, C, G, K, and S.

Who's with who? Who hates who? Who's got some secrets under the surface? Come back next week.

"Full offense to Northshore, this sounds stupid as fuck." Janis huffed, tossing down the newspaper, letting it fall to the table.

Karen looked at the small girl of Damian's shoulder.

"Why do you think?"

"Gossip blogs are unoriginal and boring. The school newspaper is grasping at straws."

"They can be fun when done right." Regina points out. "I say we check in next week and find out more about the students it's about."

"Whats-" Cady frowned. "What's a gossip blog?"

"Aww, baby's first gossip blog! We have to keep up with this one. Just for Cady." Damian said.

Karen watched with amusement as her friends discussed gossip blogs and if they were any good.

This will be fun.

November 19th

Love the feedback from last week guys! You're all as hyped as I am. And no. I won't confirm who your suspicions are. Stop slipping notes under the computer lab door.

This week J and D were seen together. (It's not uncommon.)

A was seen kissing C when they thought nobody was looking. But don't be fooled, somebody is always looking.

Not to be creepy or anything.

Just- we saw that, A.

You won't spot R without K or G anywhere near them, don't know if any of them are dating though.

Development into J and D's relationship as D is seen defending J from S. Sources couldn't hear what they were saying but it sounded pretty hostile. Is it just caring friends or something a little more?

This blog is focused around uncovering Northshore's couples once and for all. Have any tips? There's been a box placed by the computer lab door. Got any other people you want to see covered? Let me know!

Until next week, the anon who writes about anons. Xx!

"So," Cady looked down at her newspaper. "A gossip blog, is just talking about people?"

"Hence, the gossip part." Janis folder her own tiny newspaper, tossing it onto the cafeteria table from Damian's pocket. "And it's stupid."

"I wonder who it's about?" Gretchen said. "I know everything about everybody. But all this info? This is news to me."

"It's obviously about-" Karen paused. Was she the only one to figure it out?

Wasn't she the dumb one?

"Never mind. I dunno who it's about either."

"I don't understand why you care so much." Janis huffed.

"Because its fun to be nosey about lives that aren't ours. Duh." Regina said.

November, 26th

Happy Friday, Northshore!

Wow, lots of you sent in info about J and D. Whether you've cracked the code on who they are or maybe you're just observant of two fellow students- there is no denying they're pretty affectionate.

Since we're on the topic, let's start with J and D.

Kisses. Lots of them.

Romantic, or just friends? The duo themselves give pretty mixed answers so we must take matters into our own hands and draw our own conclusions. J was seen skipping class on multiple occasions and hiding with D. I hope J has a good tutor. I could never miss that much info.

R and G are seen together. K seems like they're third-wheeling. Somebody get them out of there. K, if you need a sos, slip a note in the box bby. We've got you.

If you want to talk about PDA, look no further than A and C. Wow! A hello kiss, a kiss kiss, a GOODBYE KISS? They may not say it themselves but those two are definitely a fairytale couple.

No updates to S. #singleforlife.

Sorry, S. If you're reading this.

"Well, A and C just sound gross." Janis frowns.

"Don't be negative, Jan." Damian shakes his head at the girl on the table. "They sound cute."

"Overly cute." Cady says.

"I'm glad somebody agrees." Janis huffed.

"Poor K. Thridwheeling a couple is awful." Gretchen sympathizes.

"We don't know if R and G are dating." Aaron points out. "We don't know if any of these people are dating. I'm kinda hooked."

"Well, third-wheeling best friends is even worse." Cady sighs, glancing at Damian and Janis.

Karen looked at the newspaper in her hands with a soft smile. She had a note to drop off.

December 3rd

Happppppy Friday! I have a big announcement right off the bat!

It is I, the writer, formally known as Anon. But now there's two of us! Me, the writer, and another student- the spy. Between the two of us (and your help from the box!) we're gonna crack these relationships open in no time!

This week's rundown!

R was with G the whole week. There was not one time they were separated.

A, J, and R were seen in the tiny halls together where A was overheard talking fondly about C.

Is there a fight for J?

D and S seem to never want to leave J alone.

Although, if you asked the writer, I'm totally team JD. Message for S? This isn't middle school anymore. Being mean to somebody isn't a good way to show your emotions. Message for D? You're doing fabulous, I'm rooting for you. Message for J? Pick fucking wisely.

I'm a bit biased but my info is not.

Don't you worry.

Until next week, you know where the box is! Xx.

"Aw, J and D sound like a cute couple." Regina cooes.

"A and C don't." Janis shook her head. "To sappy."

"Is Jan warming up to the gossip blog? And forming opinions?" Damian teased.

Karen shook her head in disbelief. The fact that her friends were yet to catch on-

-they were dense. Not idiots, just dense.

"S sounds like an asshole." Gretchen shook her head. "Bet its a boy. Yknow when a boy would pull your hair in elementary school and you'd get told, oh boys will be boys. He just likes you! Yeah. S is a dude for sure."

"Not every boy was like that. I wasn't." Damian said.

"You're gay." Janis rolled her eyes.

December 10th

Heyo Northshore! It's the writer. Might I say, you look wonderful today?

I don't see you but I'm sure you're just stunning.

A must be p r e t t y stupid because they were seen all this week studying with C. A kiss for every problem right? Hey, it's not a bad deal.

R was seen primarily with K this week, throwing off all previous theories.

Must have been a rough week for J. I'd imagine you've got to be stressed as hell to just break down randomly but guess what- they did. Lack of sleep? Hunger? S? Who knows what the culprit was.

But don't you worry, D was quick to whisk them off to someplace quiet.

Love to see it, I want a significant other like that.

The day they confirm their relationship is the day I expect a wedding invite.

See you next week! Xx.

"Wow! Looks like Jan isn't the only one in Northshore who needs to learn when to take a break before the break takes them." Damian deadpanned, lowing his newspaper.

Karen blinked. Are you kidding me?

"I was just tired." Janis huffed. "I needed a nap."

"I dunno man. A and C sound cheesy as fuck." Gretchen shook her head.

"They do. Now J and D though? That couple goals." Janis said.

Karen's hand shot to her mouth as she covered a laugh with a forced cough. "Couple? You think they're together?"

"For sure. They sound made to be!"

Oh dear.

December 17th

Winter break next week! Who's excited? We get full two weeks off this year and I'm so ready for a break.

I'll miss our resident couples in question though.

Not to throw everyone off but-

J spent the week with G. R spent the week with C. And A was with D?

Now granted by the time you're reading this print, this is two-week-old information- but why?

Did you get bored and just s w a p?

Anyway, I guess S wanted into the mix too? Because they took advantage of no D to try and get to J. It didn't work. G was there to protect our favorite JD ship. I'm not saying they're a cockblocker bc I don't wanna imply anything, but S is d e f i n it l y trying to get something out of J. Motive unclear but hey, we can assume :/

Gross.

Anyway, there were multiple fights that broke out that day so idk what yall were on but jesus christ calm down. Not relationship-related but be fucking nice to tineis.

Ugh.

K had no part in this swap of s/o but hey, they weren't third-wheeling anymore.

Xx!

"Be fucking nice to tinies!" Regina cheers.

"J and G?" Janis frowned at the tiny newspaper in her hands. "Sorry, only know about J and D."

"Janis went from, ew gossip, to I'd die to have JD confirmed, real fast." Aaron pointed out.

"As she should." Gretchen pointed out. "They sound cute as fuck.

"Hands down they're lesbians." Regina said.

Karen shook her head, totally dumbfounded.

January, 7th

Did you miss me! I missed you. Mwah.

Right off the bat-

Uh. The box has been filled with messages from S saying, they do not like J.

So I guess they're just an asshole.

Hey, just means team JD is gonna win.

Speaking of-

When J was asked directly they said that, I quote "D is the love of my life." But when asking D, I was told: "[J is] just a good friend". Sort your story idiots. The school wants to know!

While S may be out of the running, many sources say JC is a rising ship? Between A and C and J and C, I can't help but wonder, is there a behind the scenes JCA?

Fellow tiny students report A and J not being very close in the tiny hallways though. Now J and R tho-

J is just one lucky mate.

Who's your favorite? Let me know in the box! Xx.

"J and D." Janis says from her perch on Damian's shoulder.

Karen just looked at her phone.

"You think there's a threesome going on in school?" Gretchen asked.

"Unlikely. I don't even this A and C sound cute. Why add another." Aaron rolled his eyes.

You don't think-

Karen sighed.

She really should tell them but- it was so much funnier this was.

Janis stood up on Damian's shoulder, pressing a quick kiss to his jaw without motive.

Karen turned back to her phone, unsurprised if that would pop up in next week's article.

January 14th

I love you- signed the writer.

Glad we got that out of the way.

NOW.

This was quite the week for our "couples".

First off, D and J? PDA through the roof.

Idk, maybe it's a special week, or maybe we're paying more attention and they've always been like that.

Those tiny kisses aren't lost on me, J. I see all.

Ugh, so cute.

A and C are-

"Skip this passage," Janis whined. "Nobody cares about them."

Everyone around the lunch table nodded as Karen began to read out loud again.

G kissed R?! R might have given a scowl but bystanders didn't miss the blush. Platonic or something more? That's the big question of this article but hey- this is a big step for all you GR shippers. Sorry to whoever wrote that long letter in the box passionately explaining how JR was peak friends to enemies to lovers.

Shame.

#JD, anyway, you know where the box is! Xx.

"Fuck A and C. All my homies hate A and C." Janis grinned.

Cady nodded. "They're too cliche. It's annoying and I don't even know who they are."

Karen placed her head on the table with a groan.

She may not be smart, but these people were flat out idiots.

She felt a tug on her hair and looked up, resting her chin on the table.

"You okay, Karen?" Janis stood in front of her, Newspaper held at her side.

"Yeah, just dying on the inside a bit. Yknow, leaf emoji."

Janis made a face. "I don't but uh-" She leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to Karen's nose. "Don't leaf emoji. We like you here, alive on the inside."

Karen smiles. "Thanks, Janis."

January 21st

Just when you think it's all figured out- J kisses K.

In front of D.

At this point- they're all together. One big happy family.

I'm still clinging onto my JD dream.

Speaking off-

S is back. Did you miss them? Me neither.

They just grabbed J like nothing? Anyway, D was there to save the day obviously.

Our great big hero got a pretty precious nose kiss from J.

I could make their own newspaper section about how cute they are. There is no way you can be that cute and n o t already engaged.

On another J note, if JD doesn't happen, I'd be pretty content with some CJ. C was seen giving J "a nice-sized smooch" (somebody from the box).

No development in the R and G category, just their usual cuteness.

Leave any tips in the box! You know where it is. Xx.

"Uh uh. JD over CJ." Janis shook her head.

Karen just placed the newspaper in her bag. Janis and Damian were quick to become J and D's biggest shippers. They were so good at confusing the school about their relationship status that they had themselves fooled.

Cady and Aaron, who were dating and just won't confirm it, hated C and A's relationship. Calling it cheesy and artificially sweet.

And Regina though R sounded like a bitch and G deserved somebody better.

The whole thing was just crazy.

"I gotta go talk to a teacher this period. It was fun reading the paper together though." Karen said getting up.

There was a chorus of 'bye Karen's as she walked away.

The newspaper holder in the hallways was empty. Northshore's 'couples' was quick to catch on and save the newspaper program.

Karen pushed the door open to the computer lab, making her way over to the tiny end.

"Hey, Glen."

Glen Coco looked up at her with a grin. "Got anything for me, spy?"

@realmisspolarbear @smallsoysauce @musicallygt

#this was fun to write #g/t #g/t mean girls #Giant/tiny #g/t writing #tiny janis #tiny regina #tiny aaron #giant damian #giant gretchen #giant cady #giant karen #tiny glen

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arlakos · 4 years

Text

Discovery, an Anti-Hero Queen Bee story.

Marinette groaned as she again arrived just in the nick of time into class. With the Bee Miraculous still presumed missing, Hawkmoths Akumas and the rumors of an unknown hero stopping crime gangs, the scarlet heroine in disguise was really tired as of late, to the point where she had little time to do any sketches for new clothing ideas. It honestly felt a bit miserable.

Surprisingly though, being a Guardian was ok, at least for the time being. Fu had left an email and a password for her, revealing a digital copy of the Miraculous book but completely decoded, allowing her to read the book and learn about the Miraculi and the Guardians. Fu also left some videos explaining some important tibits about the order and the Miraculous in the event he could not explain it himself. While she hadn’t got the chance to read the entirety of the book, she hoped that it would help her in stopping Hawkmoth. And hiding the Miracle Box had also been easy as well for the time being.

Still, her easy Guardian Life didn’t help with her considerably more difficult normal and hero lives, as she came into class with an extra-strong coffee and a loud yawn.

“Marinette. I am glad you got here on time, but I do recommend that you set your alarm early.” Ms. Bustier said, with a small frown on her face.

“(Yawn) Sorry Miss Bustier,” Marinette replied sleepily.

Ms. Bustiers face shifted from disappointment to concern. “I also recommend that you take the opportunity to get some proper sleep. While I understand that you have responsibilities outside of school, it should never impact your ability to function. Please do take the time to get some proper sleep. I can call your family to recommend they put you off work for a while if you wish. I understand it can be busy at times at your family bakery.”

“Wha-Nono, it's fine! My family doesn't make me work all the time. I have just been... spending too much time working on some designs! My imagination leaves me up all the time” Marinette lied, hoping she sounded convincing enough. “It’s not an issue, I’ll just stop working on the designs for a while to sleep. Besides, I’m fine now! I’ve got a cup of coffee. See?” she said as she raised her latte.

Ms. Bustier frowned in worry. “Very well. But if you keep coming to school tired, I will have to call your parents.”

“Got it.”

“And drinking a coffee doesn't count as resting. It’s not healthy.”

“Yes Ms. Bustier,” Marinette said as she sat down next to Alya. The bell rings, and everyone gets their books out.

Later on, as they get into some course work, Alya leans into Marinette. “Girl, are you alright? You have been coming into class tired as of late. And coffee? Since when did you like coffee?”

Marinette raised her cup in response “It’s an acquired taste.” she replied as she took another sip, “Besides, like your one to talk.” Marinette said as she points towards Alya’s own.

Alya smiles. “Touche Marinette. Anyway, have I got news for you...”

“What, another Akuma fight? If I had a euro for every time you sent me another video-”

“It’s even better!” She leans into Marinette’s ear “I managed to get a video of the unknown hero!”

“What?!” Marinette refrained herself from yelling as she whisper-yelled to Alya.

“It’s true, I managed to get a video as I went out with my family the other night. Apparently, they managed to stop another drug deal as it was going down. The cops had shown up when I saw the hero leave. I managed to get a recording of the hero leaving, but I couldn't really tell much of it-”

“Ahem! Alya, what did I say about talking in class?” Ms. Bustier said from the front of the class.

Alya sheepishly grinned “Sorry Ms. Bustier. I’ll stop.”

“Please see to it that you do. You have your midterm exams soon, and I want you all to be prepared.” Ms bustier says as she turns to the board, saying the last part to the whole class.

As Bustier is writing on the board, Alya slips a note to Marinette.

“Talk after class.”

Marinette nods and looks at the board...

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

After class finishes, the two friends sit outside at one of the tables.

“So... the video?” Marinette asks.

Alya nods, and shows the video of the hero leaving the crime scene, Alya pauses on a part where the details are much more clearer.

“Sorry, this was all I could get. They were really far, and the quality started to drop. Isn’t it exciting?!”

“Yeah. Yeah, it is.” Marinette says as she squints her eyes at the picture.

“Girl? You ok?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, I’m fine. Hey, could you send me a copy?”

“Sure! No problem! Normally you don’t really tend to like these kinda things but that new hero does seem interesting huh?”

“Yeah. They are.” Marinette says as the looks the image on her own phone.

Based on the look of the hero, it was clear from the get-go that the hero was female, given the particular body shape. So with that far being known, that narrows the search down by half, which was still a lot.

What was interesting about the hero was that the suit had none of the key characteristics that most of the other heroes had about their costumes. Even from the glimpse in the book about the Miraculi, it had little to no identifiable markings of what animal it represented. The suit seemed to be mostly a black or very dark color, and despite it seeming to have a few bright-colored stripes, it was impossible to tell what color they were as there was very little lighting.

Worse still, the hero was wearing a helmet, so it was impossible to tell if the hero was wearing a miraculous on their head.

So this left Marinette with some details

1.The hero was a female.

2.The suit had no identifiable markings, color scheme, or miraculous, so its possible that the wielder wasn’t a miraculous wielder.

3. Another possible idea was that Hawkmoth kept the Bee Miraculous and that he akumatised someone with it to be his agent to infiltrate the team. Although considering that the hero made no move to get close to the miraculous team, it was very unlikely. Though it could just also be possible that Hawkmoth hated drugs. That would be a shocker.

“So, what do you think?” Alya asked.

“It’s cool Alya. I just think there isn’t much info for you to go by with anything.”

“But still! Wouldn’t it be cool if we had a new hero?! Fighting alongside the forces of Ladybug and Cat Noir and Rena...” Alya trailed off, as her smile shifted into a frown.

Marinette reacted normally, but inside she grimaced. After Lila joined Hawkmoth, she had to tell the heroes what had happened to them after the battle, and how it was likely none of them could become heroes again due to the risk of Hawkmoth knowing who they were. Alya had taken it the worst, with her crying on Nino’s shoulder after the explanation. Alya had ended up taking out her anger on the now-abandoned Lila after the events. Marinette wasn’t sure what had happened, but after Alya left the bathroom after she had confronted Lila, the latter came out later with tears on her face and a look of fear. She had ended up leaving school a week later and moving to another one nearby, which she assumed was because of Alya threatening Lila with something, likely threatening to reveal her as a willing accomplice working with Hawkmoth.

Marinette however, waited normally and waited for her to recover.

“S-So! Still. A new hero huh?” Alya said although Marinette could tell she was not in the mood like before.

“Are you ok Alya?”

“N-nothing! I-I’m fine. I-I...I have to go.” Alya said as she ran off to the bathroom.

Marinette looked at the retreating Alya with worry, before looking at the photo containing the masked hero...

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“Tikki?”

“Yes, Marinette?”

Marinette finally returned home after the long day of studying.

“Is it possible for a miraculous wielder to change their outfit’s colors?”

“Well yes, Marinette. Any wielder can change the design of the outfit to fit their-”

“I’m not talking about the design, I’m talking about the colors. Can they change those?”

“Huh, why do you ask?” Tikki says as she munched on a macaron.

“This new hero that has come out... she started to appear after Hawkmoth akumatised Miracle Queen, but she doesn’t seem to be anyone I know of... the suit she has also had stripes.” Marinette says as she shows Tikki the photo.

Tikki glances at the photo, then back at Marinette. “Why is that important?”

“Because only Queen Bee has stripes Tikki, or at least stripes of those type.”

“They didn't look yellow though. Are you sure its Chloe? It could just be some other person. Besides, I don’t think they were wearing a miraculous.”

“I dunno. I mean, I never saw her wear a miraculous to school, but that doesn’t mean that she couldn’t have worn it. So Tikki, is it possible that a suit can change colors?”

“Hmm... I don’t know?”

“You... don’t?”

“Nobody has ever tried it. For the most part, all wielders have chosen their designs based on what they are comfortable with, but none of them have ever attempted to change the color of their suit. It might be possible, but nobody has ever tried to do so.

“Well, if we are going to find out, there’s only one way to do so. Tikki, spots on!”

As Tikki entered the miraculous, Marinette focused.

‘Ok Miraculous. Please make my suit to be as stealthy as possible. I don't care how you do it, just make sure it works and that it has little of my color as possible As far as I’m concerned, I want no one to be able to recognize me as Ladybug!’

A bright flash emanated the room, and as the light fell, Marinette looked at herself in the mirror... and shock filled her body.

If Ladybug's bright, spandex covered body was the most detectable outfit she could have made, then this outfit was the complete opposite. The suit’s color was almost completely gone, leaving a black suit with dark red rings, but unlike the other suit, weren’t completely filled.

Her face, however, was also indistinguishable from her normal Ladybug self. She wore a hood over the top of her head, and her mouth was covered by a face mask, though it did not impact her breathing. Her mask was still there, but the red was extremely darker than usual.

To sum it all up, she looked nothing like her usual self.

“Tikki...Spots off.” Marinette said though it was a surprise when the mask changed her voice somewhat to sound different. As the suit fell, Tikki came out in shock.

“Oh my... you really can change the color of the outfit.”

“Yeah Tikki... but now this just makes the situation worse. It’s likely that whoever is the hero is using the bee miraculous, as we now know it can be disguised.”

“But that still doesn’t answer the question of who the person is. For all we know, it could be someone else.”

“Hmm... maybe,” Marinette said to herself. She suddenly ran off and grabbed her phone, along with photo book

“But I know someone who can help. Tikki, spots On!”

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Max Kante smiled to himself as he finished making the final adjustments to Markov’s power container. As he closed the panel and replaced the rechargeable power back, Markov came back online.

“So... how do you feel?” Max asked.

“Quite efficient!” Markov declared making a spin in the air. “Thanks to the modifications you made, I know consume power at a rate of 20 percent less than the previous design. According to my calculations, I should be able to remain functional for up to an additional hour!”

“I’m glad! But it shouldn’t be a major problem for now! Let's go and recover Markov, I have to be ready tomorrow for another day of test revision.”

Max went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, afterward he slipped into a pair of pajamas as he felt the air from the open window on his body-

Wait a second, Max didn’t open his window-

“Max!”

Max yelled as a person dressed in black appeared in his hindsight. Max fell backward in shock

“Ah! Who are you? What do you want?! Please don’t take my stuff, I have been working on a new gadget for too long to lose it! Max, activate the-”

“Nono, please stop! I’m- goddamn this stupid mask and its voice change!” The intruder said before they pulled it down, revealing a familiar face to Max. “I’m Ladybug.”

“Ladybug? Oh thank god you’re not here to steal my stuff. Speaking of which, why are you here and what is with the change in the outfit? According to my calculations, there is a 95% chance that people would mistake you for a criminal-” Max said before being interrupted.

“Yeah I know, I was trying something different with the outfit and I forgot to change it back. But that’s not the problem. I need your help.”

“Oh sure,” Max said as he stood back up “What is the issue.”

“I found from an anonymous source a picture of the hero that has been working at night. It’s pretty low rez, but I was hoping you could help me find out who it was?”

“That is possible, but what’s with the worry.”

“I have a feeling that the person is the wearer of the Bee Miraculous. That Miraculous was lost when Hawkmoth akumatised Lila into Miracle Queen”

“...That is a good point.” Max said after a brief pause. “Alright, send me the photo.”

Ladybug used her yoyo to send the picture to Max, having gotten the photo from her own phone. Max plugged his phone into the computer, and the image showed up.

“Normally, such photos would be impossible to be recognized from a distance. But thankfully as it is still digital, I can use my enhancement application to clear up the photo and make it more visible. Also, it's really good for photoshop.”

As Max got to work with the app, a minute later, the image started to finally become clearer. Ladybug could see the stripes on the outfit, and although they were positioned differently, she could clearly see they were yellow, a trait shared only with the Bee Miraculous. Though the person wasn’t wearing a miraculous

“There, does this help in your goals?” Max, asked.

“Not yet,” Ladybug replied.

Marinette gave Max a photo.

“I got this from a girl named Marinette, who takes a lot of photos of your class.”

Max took the photo in confusion. “This is a picture of Chloe. Why would you-” realization crossed his face. “Oh. So you think this new hero is Chloe.”

Ladybug nodded. “Not entirely, but I have to be sure. Do you or Markov have an app that can match body types.”

“Uh... W-Well not at the moment but-”

“Not to worry!” Markov exclaimed to Ladybug. “We should be able to come up with an app with that function pretty soon. If you give us at least 16.5 hours and 10 minutes, not only will the app be done, but we should have the results for you as well. Since we already have your hero contact number, we’ll send you the results as soon as possible.

Ladybug smiled. “Thank you Markov. And thank you Max, for helping with the image.”

“Not a problem, we’ll have the results after school for you.”

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The next day Marinette had class as usual with Alya, who for the most part recovered from yesterday, but still seemed melancholic. Still, it didn't stop them from spending the rest of the day as normal.

For lunch, however, Alya was busy doing something, so Marinette was left alone to eat by herself.

As Marinette was finishing off her sandwich, she saw Chloe sitting by herself on another table, probably deciding for once to eat at school instead of the hotel. Marinette decided to take an opportunity. Marinette walked up to her at the table.

“Hi Chloe.”

Chloe turned to Marinette. “Dupain-Cheng” she replied rather cordially, although a little surprised.

Marinette was a little shock expected a sneering voice instead of a non-insulting tone, but it either Chloe wasn’t in the mood today, or she actually was trying to be nice. ‘Though to be fair, it was probably the former,’ Marinette thought as she looked at Chloe.

“I’m sorry, is there something on my face? Spit it out, I’m in the middle of having lunch.”

‘And there it is,’ Marinette though. Sighing, she pulled out her phone. “Sorry Chloe, I just wanted to show you something. I got this photo a couple of days ago. I just wanted to see if you recognized the person in the photo.”

With a raised eyebrow, Chloe carefully took the phone from Marinette and had a look at the image. While she was looking, Marinette was noting if Chloe seemed to recognize the person in the photo or anything else that could give her away.

Chloe however, seemed just as confused by it as she was because she showed no signs of recognition. ‘Either that or she is really good at hiding it,’ a doubtful part of her mind though.

“It’s a person wearing a suit and a helmet. What am I supposed to know about it?”

“Me and Alya were talking the other day.” Marinette said “We were having a look at the image, and the suit, while mostly black, happened to have some bright colored stripes. Naturally, the image was taken in the dark, so we couldn’t be sure. But they did seem to be… yellow.”

Chloe raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“Look. I’m going, to be frank. We think the person was using the Bee Miraculous.”

That seemed to get a reaction out of Chloe. Her eyebrows frowned, she was gritting her teeth as she stared down angrily, and her fist was trembling, as well as the rest of her body. For a second, Marinette was worried she pressed the wrong button.

Instead, however, Chloe let out and angry puff and slumped. “So I got replaced, huh?”

“What?” Marinette asked.

Chloe looked at Marinette. She recomposed herself, but it was obvious she was still angry. “I don’t know who that person is, Marinette. Ladybug hadn’t given me the miraculous since that day with Sabrina. I had hoped that after that day, that Ladybug would have called me again to help her. It wasn’t like I was the only one with their identity revealed, Kagami was as well! But I’m guessing this pic made it final huh?”

“Well, it doesn’t make sense. Why would Ladybug give a person a miraculous if they don't even help with the akuma-”

“HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?!” Chloe yelled. Seeing the outburst attracted some attention, Chloe calmed down again, though she was clearly at her limit. “I thought I knew Ladybug. That she was kind and amazing, and that she thought of me as a friend. But it seems like I don’t. Not with this new ‘hero’ running around with my miraculous.” Chloe said angrily, as though expecting it belonged to her. “It seems Ladybug has her own secrets. Perhaps she is not as trustworthy as people think if she can just leave people like her name is Audrey-” Chloe stopped as if realizing what she was about to say. Marinette grimaced as she realized what she had done to Chloe

“Chloe-” Marinette started to speak, only to be cut off by Chloe’s raise of a hand.

“I really don’t want to talk about it. Thank you Marinette, thanks to you, I learned that i was unceremoniously replaced, abandoned by Ladybug just like my Mom and that Ladybug seems to have her own secrets to keep, and I also lost my appetite.” Chloe started to pack away the remains of her lunch. “I think I’ll go for a walk now. Have a good day Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“Chloe I am so sorry-”

“Just. Go.”

Chloe walked off, and Marinette stood there feeling more confused and sad than ever, and with more questions than answers.

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

The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully. Marinette was walking home when Tikki popped up from the bag.

“Max has sent a message! I think he’s got the results ready!”

So this was the moment of truth.

Marinette slipped into a nearby alleyway, and with a flash of light, Ladybug jumped from the top of the alleyway onto the nearest rooftop. Opening the yoyo, Ladybug looked at the screen that popped up and hesitated.

Ladybug hoped that she was wrong, that she was wrong with the belief that Chloe was this masked assailant. Chloe didn’t seem to carry around a miraculous around with her in school, else she probably would have bragged about having it with her or try to keep it close to her. Plus Chloe seemed genuinely torn apart when Marinette presented the knowledge that the person was wearing the Bee miraculous instead of her and believing that Ladybug had abandoned her, which had left Marinette with a sore feeling for the rest of the day. Sure, it was still a big issue on who the masked hero was and where the Bee miraculous was, but at least it meant that Chloe was being honest.

Still, one way or another, Ladybug had to know the truth. Ladybug opened the message and began reading.

HELLO THERE. MAX HERE.

LIKE I PROMISED, MARKOV WAS ABLE TO DEVELOP A PROGRAM TO ANALYSE THE BODY SHAPES OF THE MASKED ASSAILANT AND CHLOE TO SEE IF THEY MATCHED. IT UNFORTUNATELY TOOK A WHILE TO DO SO, AS WHEN ANALYSING THE IMAGES, THE WAS SOME SORT OF ERROR IN THE SYSTEMS THAT KEPT PREVENTING US FROM LOOKING AT THE IMAGES.

LUCKILY MARKOV HAD IDENTIFIED THE EFFECTS OF THE ERROR AND CONCLUDED WITH A 99% CONFIDENCE IT WAS SOME SORT OF MAGICAL GLAMOUR THAT IS GENERATED TO PROTECT THE MIRACULOUS WIELDERS, WHICH LIKELY CONFIRMS THE THEORY THAT THE MASKED INDIVIDUAL IS EQUIPPED WITH A MIRACULOUS.

UNFORTUNATELY, THIS MEANT WE HAD TO DEVELOP A SUBPROGRAM TO HELP REMOVE THE DISTORTION ERRORS, BUT EVEN THEN I HAVE NO CLUE IF THE PROGRAM HAS DONE ITS JOB SUCCESSFULLY, AS THERE WERE A LOT OF GLITCHES BEING CAUSED BY THE GLAMOU, AND IT COULD ALSO HAVE BEEN FABRICATED BY THE MAGIC.

IN ANY CASE, HERE ARE THE RESULTS

CHEERS

MAX AND MARKOV

RESULTS

ANALYSIS

UNKNOWN INDIVIDUAL=CHLOE BOURGEOIS - 95% SIMILAR BODY TYPES

P<0.05 -STATISTICALLY VIABLE

….

Ladybug almost wanted to throw the yoyo onto the ground.

Ladybug sent the results to her actual phone, put the yoyo away, and zipped back home, all the while ignoring the feelings of anger, betrayal, and sadness that welled up within her.

Ladybug stopped by the bakery and dropped into the alleyway. Ladybug transformed back into Marinette and entered the side bakery door.

“Hello my little flower? How was you da-” Tom said with a smile, but was quickly brushed aside by Marinette.

“Not right now papa!” Marinette said as she stormed past him.

“Marinette!” Sabine said in shock and anger. “What is the matter with you-” Upon seeing Marinette’s face filled with tears, Sabine's face softened into worry and concern. “Marinette did something happen at school today?”

Marinette shook her head, although with the tears in her face it didn’t give much satisfaction to her parents worried. “No there wasn’t. I-I just can't talk about this! I’m sorry!”

Marinette quickly marched up to her room, opening and closing the hatch to her room hurriedly.

Marinette threw her bag onto her bed, sat in her chair and started sobbing. Tikki flew out of the bag a moment later, with worry visible on her face.

“Marinette-”

“She lied to me Tikki. She looked at me and lied straight to my face! Both as Ladybug and as Marinette!”

“Marinette, calm down, you need to think about this rationally-”

“Calm Down? Calm Down?!” Marinette angrily said as she stood up from her chair “You saw the results! I had been entrusted by Master Fu to keep the box of the Miraculi safe! Just one miraculous being lost was enough for someone like Hawkmoth to grip the city with fear! With Mayura helping him, we almost lost had Fu not given up his memories to prevent Hawkmoth from finding out who we were! What would happen if there was a third one missing and used in bad hands, without me knowing where it was?!”

“Marinette, nothing has happened for you to warrant acting this way! Chloe may have taken the miraculous, but there haven’t been reports of her doing anything bad! Even if she did deceive you, there’s no excuse for you to act like she could go bad at any moment.”

“But what if she does?! What if Hawkmoth akumatises her and takes the miraculous from her?! What if she decides to use her powers for her own gain, or Mayura persuades her to join them when I have no idea where the Miraculous is! She stole the Miraculous Tikki, without my knowledge! And I’m not going to let her get away with it.”

“Then, what are you going to do?!” Tikki said frustratingly.

“I’m going to go to that hotel and take back the miraculous, that’s what!”

“You can’t! If you go to the hotel with the way you are now, they’ll assume you have gone rogue. And if you attack Chloe while she is surrounded by hotel staff, you could risk someone being akumatised!”

Marinette paused for a moment. “You’re right,” she said calmly, though tense. “I can’t do that.”

Tikki sighed. “Thank you, Marinette. Now, let's take some time to calm down. Let’s draw a couple of things, listen to some music, and tonight we can talk to Chat Noir and discuss this- Wait.” Tikki turned to see Marinette walk away. “Where are you going?!”

Marinette walked to the other side of the room and grabbed a chest, opening it to reveal the miracle (egg) box. Tikki watched as she pressed the spots on the egg, which opened to reveal the miraculi inside. Marinette took a nearby bag and started taking the Miraculi out. The Fox, turtle, dragon, monkey, snake, and Horse miraculous all went into the bag. Marinette almost reached for the bunny miraculous, but instead left it there.

“Marinette, what are you doing?”

“Chloe has been making appearances at night. One the same days we don’t have patrol. Tonight is one of those nights. I’ll sneak off to give everyone their respective miraculi, and with everyone there, we’ll sneak up and take back the Bee! Then everything will go back to normal. As it should be.” Marinette said confidently as she zipped up the bag.

“Wait Marinette, don’t do this. We should talk about this-”

“Not this time! I lost my mentor, my team, and almost my partner because of everything. I won’t hesitate! Tikki , Spots on!”

Tikki was reluctantly sucked into the miraculous, and Ladybug stood in Marinette’s place, this time wearing the stealth suit.

As it was now the afternoon, and very dark, Ladybug zipped out of her room into the night. Going to where Alya (and by extension Nino, who was with her tonight) should be, Ladybug resolved never to let anything like this happen again. She would take down Queen Bee, take the Bee Miraculous back, and everything would be back to normal, everything safe and sound. And she would never let Chloe touch the Bee miraculous again.

For the first time since losing her Master and friend, Ladybug was angry

And she was out for blood.

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That was the first part of a two-part story. Confrontation (the second chapter) should be done sometime later! If anyone has any questions about the AU, feel free to send an ask about the AU and I’ll try to reply as soon as I can! No spoilers about the next part though (even if I did point it out in my first AU post).

Also many thanks (as always!) to @twin-books, who helped me polish the ideas about my AU and has always been there to help!

#Miraculous Ladybug #Miraculous Ladybug AU #Season 4 AU #long-fic #Anti-Hero Queen Bee AU #A fair bit of Angst #Chloe redemption

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withered-rose-unbreakable-lotus · 5 years

Note

Hey, what do you think is behind the decline in interest in VK in the West? It’s ridiculous how much the fandom has died down. Is it just because of the rise of kpop and the general decline in interest in all sorts of rock? Or are other factors at play - like how toxic the fandom could be?

In my opinion, kpop doesn’t really have much to do with it. People liked visual kei because it was different. What I think is responsible, because I’ve seen many fans admitting they grew out of it because of it, is a list of things (bear with me, it’s gonna be long):

1) disbands: While disbands were always a big thing in the visual kei scene, with more and more people translating stuff for fans and, bands getting on social media used by mostly western fans, like facebook and twitter, more western fans were exposed to how often this actually happens. Some fans maybe thought that visual kei is dying because of it, but truth is, disbands were always there, with smaller bands we might have never heard of, because there was sooo little information for us back then. Also, many big names in the visual kei scene have disbanded the last 5 years, which is why many fans thought that putting so much devotion and spending money on sth that could be destroyed at any moment isn’t worth it. For example (I am sorry if I am not wording this well ^^’), I knew fans who left vkei because they were tired of liking a band and then these bands kept disbanding. There is no stability. American artists and kpop artists do not break up or retire that easily, you know? And some fans want that stability or become too hearbroken when having lost a band they’ve been supporting for 10 years, or sth, and don’t want to go through that anymore (it might sound a little bit too much or dramatic, but there are fans out there who genuinely feel things about these bands, they have found some short of shelter in them and their music, so losing that band might hurt a lot and the best way to move on is by cutting ties with anything like them). In my case, this is the reason I barely like new bands anymore. I like finding newbies and keeping an eye on them but I do not actively follow them unless I am convinced they are in it for the long run. And honestly, so far, I’ve been lucky with this, because most of the people I chose to follow are still around, either as bandmen or sth else, or trying with new bands that I happen to like. Of course, I have lost some favorites too but I get it. It’s a hard life to live and, some people eventually change their mind, but not every fan feels this way and if they do, they try to “retire“ from the whole thing like their favorite artists and move on with their life. (I am in no way saying that a bandman shouldn’t leave his band when he feels like it, even if he is 20 years active. It’s their life, their rules and we should all respect that, but it seems to be hard for many people to do so, sometimes)

2) fandom. Like you mentioned, fandoms can be toxic. It happens with every fandom, though, not just visual kei, so I wouldn’t like to point fingers, especially because I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of my best friends through the fandom, most of whom aren’t even in it anymore. :P I can tell you with certainty that our lack of translators is entirely the fandom’s fault, though. People just don’t get what reblog or share with credits means and some people grow tired of it, you know? Contrary to common belief, translating a video of 30 minutes or an entire interview might take someone more than just a day, maybe even a week, and if people don’t respect that, then unfortunately the translator has to cut being nice to everyone and continue being a fan in privacy (they don’t get paid for this, they got their jobs, their families, but still wish to spend time sharing sth they love with others and helping them learn more about it through translating, even though, between us, some of those translations are illegal because we need permission to translate magazine stuff etc (a visual kei artist once said that, saying yes translations are great but guys be careful because some things are copyrighted and you might get in trouble), but some people just wish to take and take without helping others get to the initial source to find out more, too. I think there are still many visual kei fans out there, they just no longer blog about it because they want to enjoy it by themselves and without the negativity and opinions of anyone else. I started as a private fan for example. I liked fangirling on my own, I didn’t want anyone to intervene with that because it was my sole way of having fun, I didn’t want anyone to ruin it for me, but eventually, I wanted to help the bands spread their info beyond their social media and I am currently running 3 fanpages, 1 of which is on hiatus. I still get shit while doing that, by the way, there are still know-alls among us but I am not going to let anyone spoil it for me. So to cut everything short, I think that fandom could have played its role as to why so many left and why those of us left, became so quiet.3) Some people might bite for this one but it’s a mixture of “Mainstream“ and “platform“. I believe the best people to talk about this are old-schoolers. When bands like A9 and the Gazette entered the scene, most old school visual kei fans had already started barking about the fact those bands were copying their predecessors and that they don’t really make cool music (they were making shallow stuff for their tastes, aka mainstream stuff). Truth is that, fans of that “new/2nd generation“ visual kei era are acting like old-schoolers did, when their faves came out, to the newbies coming out now, aka people following bands like Xaa Xaa or Kizu. But if you pay close attention you might notice this: When bands like A9 and the Gazette came about, old schoolers seemed to be very few among us, weren’t they? Many seemed to have disappeared and given up, because to them, visual kei was dead. Honestly, I follow many old schoolers right now. They are still around. They just don’t fangirl as loud as the rest of us do. They stick to old pics and the occasional updates from visual kei artists of that time that are still active like Sugizo, Malice Mizer members, Buck-Tick members, etc. This is what I see happening now too. There are still people listening to visual kei of the 2000s. They just aren’t loud enough and the new fans of visual kei are more present on twitter than here or facebook. Why? Because visual kei bands are also on twitter now and they can immediately fangirl on the posts of their favorites by retweeting the pics. (It also adds that some visual kei artists reply to those retweets either with words or likes) So yeah, I think we are few here now because many have moved to twitter and also because new bands sound mainstream to us fans of bands from the 2000s.

4) the Visual Kei scene. Ok, I am not that sure about this but I think it plays a role to this somehow. There are several visual kei artists that claimed visual kei is dead the last few years. I won’t name who cuz only one name comes to mind right now, but I know I had read it from many more people. I don’t know how the visual kei scene is like in Japan right now, but I know there are more bands forming than in the past, most of which are not serious about it (see bands disband within a year). This happened in the past, too, I don’t know to what extent though, but we didn’t know about those as much as those who actually had sth to say and still do to this day. I’ve heard artists complain that the new kids entering the scene have no concept. That all they care about is looking cool and nothing else. They are lucky to have more means of promoting their stuff, though. Twitter reaches out to western fans, some bands get a music video from their first release and maybe cool costumes from their first release, things that bands of older times would beg for, when they started. And still these kids do not use those means as creatively as they could so, they fail to impress the old fans enough to get an active following that fangirls about them everywhere. Not all new bands. But most. Like, Kizu, for example seem to have a vision (i am not their fan by the way, I have just seen some of their stuff and they seem to be in it for real). So, the result of all this, is fans getting bombarded by 100 new bands each year and having hard time sticking to anything. So they just retweet sth and comment about it and that’s it. They do not get into long talks about music or concept or anything because most of these bands have no concept. I dunno, I think it plays a role. And also, sth that I hadn’t thought about and was also brought up on twitter. Some big venues have closed in Japan the last two years and due to the big amount of bands wishing to perform, they are all struggling to find dates to perform. In other words, there is so much competition right now that if you aren’t a big name by now, you gotta wait in line for scheduling your lives. One of my favorite bands was like “yeah no live this week, everything was closed.“ and I was surprised. Also big events have stopped happening. I don’t know if you had experienced that but there was a time Nico Nico, the channel had several bands hosting their own shows. It was mostly PSC bands that did that but due to tough schedule it stopped. There was also the Xmas live, a festival with many bands which was broadcasted each year and that I’ve heard nth about the last two years. The show does still happen they just don’t broadcast it anymore. There was another festival called Stylish Wave. That stopped being broadcasted too so many events that were broadcasted for free are no longer happening so this is why I am saying that we’ve lost lots of the hype from Japan’s side too. I knew so many people who were looking forward to such events and then we’d all gif everything and translate stuff. It’s no longer there though. Only one interview show is still broadcasted on Nico Nico for free, the rest is paid stuff.

So yeah, all in all, these are the basics that I think played an important role in losing western fandoms. Of course, this is just my opinion, many people might disagree. Thank you for the question, I am always glad to exchange opinions on visual kei stuff. ^^

#mdp #reply #answered

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fallen029 · 5 years

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Remember Me: Novice.5

Previous Chapter

The night was excellent for Erza, who spent it completely unbothered by thoughts of the children at all. While she could always count on Kai to be with the Strauss family, it was rare that she had no fear of Ravan at all. Even if she convinced him to spend the night somewhere, he was always prone to showing back up at home at strange hours, not fearful of the darkness like his brother and always prone to fighting with the other children, therefore ending up kicked out by his friends. Though she wouldn't trade Ravan and Kai's presence in her life for the world, breaks from them did give her a chance to clear her head. Especially ones where she was completely alone, as she was now.

It was relaxing. Rejuvenation. And oh, she couldn't help, but to hope that, as she returned to her empty home after her early morning workout, she could be gifted another night. Completely free of stinky boys and their petulance. She might even cook herself a fancy dinner. Or order in. Order out? The options were endless!

She headed off to shower, as she always did after a workout, and consider her choices. Though she would still have to go down to the guild at some point, to consult with Kai about his busy night ghost hunting, she hoped to easily send him packing back to the Dreyar household (or one of the Strauss; whichever) along with Marin. They would no doubt be tired.

As she stepped onto guild grounds, she was glad to find both children there, happily sharing their exploits with anyone that would listen. Well, Kai was. Marin sat by his side, humbly nodding along whenever he informed them that not only was she a second generation dragon slayer; Marin was also a ghost slayer.

"Erza!" Kai jumped up at the sight of her, rushing right over. "I finished my job! Marin and I caught a ghost and solved the problem! I'm just as good as Ravan now, right?"

Her face changed a bit, the woman's did, and he couldn't rightly read it, but he didn't have much time to, honestly, as once he was close enough, Erza did something she'd never done to him before.

"I am so," she said as she grabbed the back of his head before slamming it against what usually would be her chest, but given his height, was more her stomach, "proud of you, Kai. You are not as good as Ravan; you are as good as you. And that is all I've ever-"

"Erza, that hurt!" He shoved away from her then as being banged against the woman's armor was not something he was too thrilled by. Rubbing at his head, he only frowned at her. "Why'd you do that?"

"I was merely showing you how much I care for you."

"Well, just say it next time!" Still, he only sulked for a bit longer before coming closer again and hugging the woman himself. Against the cool steel of her armor, he whispered, "I feel like a real member now."

Her smile was softer and, as she patted him on his head, she agreed, "You definitely are, Kai." Just as quickly though, she was adding, "But you must begin to practice your magic."

"Yeah," he sighed because he couldn't go long without Erza mentioning this to him. "I know."

She sat with him and Marin though, the swordswoman did, listening as they described their night in full. It was rather hard to follow, on the woman's end, what exactly happened there at the end, but she nodded in approval regardless. It was as Lisanna passed, griping something under her breath about the mess the children had left, that she got the full story. Not that it helped unmuddy the ghost portion of things.

Still, with no sign of her other headache around, Erza was pretty content with heading back home to start a full day being child free. It was a nice thought. For all of three minutes. Just as she was walking through the guildhall doors, she was shoved into by the rushing Ravan, who was headed through them himself.

He looked ready to growl at whoever he'd run into, but stopped when he realized it had been the person he was running towards.

"You've returned," she whispered simply in response. It wasn't that she wasn't glad to see the boy (or the other children who were just now entering the gates, him apparently having been leading the way), but her day alone… "Ravan."

After having been so pumped to see her, he was more than a bit thrown off by her tone. Frowning then, he took a step back and made a face of disinterest. "Don't sound so mad about it."

"I am not," she assured him. "I merely… I assume, then that your job went well?"

"Well, you said to finish it or not come back, right?"

"I suppose I did."

They both stared one another down then, in the doorway to the guild. It might have gone on longer, was Ravan not the one being shove out of the way then.

"Move." Haven literally pushed him to the side. "Stupid."

Clearly, camaraderie hadn't been bred on their journey together.

Her father seemed surprised to see her for some reason (though, honestly, he was mostly relieved) as he sat at his table with only Freed to keep him company. She was headed his way and Laxus was ready to have a few words with her, but she didn't make it to him before she was surrounded by others.

"Haven!" It was Elfman, first, who came to lift her up. "You completed your job, right?"

"Yeah, I did. And put me down!"

But how could he? When he was so overcome with joy?

"My two nieces," he beamed as she held her up on his shoulder. "Both men."

"Marin's not a man."

"But you are?"

That came from Locke, who was walking passed then, hoping to find his parents. He placed his mother, over at a table with her team and rushed right over to explain to her how he'd been the one to rid the gem of its curse. Though he was kind of disappointed his father wasn't there, he figured it would be more rewarding to have his mother gush over him some without the man's critiques. No, he'd deal with those later. He'd enjoy those later.

Right now, he just wanted someone to tell him how great and amazing it was that he'd done that. She was the exact person.

Navi didn't find her family at the hall yet (she honestly hadn't expected them to be) and she easily turned to run back home instead. It was just as well. She was sure they'd hardly be able to contain themselves, waiting for news of her job.

"Ravan!" Kai couldn't help it. He was so excited to see his brother, he came to toss his arms around him and hug him tightly. "Did Erza tell you?"

"Tell me what?" he complained though most his energy went into trying to shove the boy off. "Kai?"

"Me and Marin took a job too!"

"You what?"

"We slayed a ghost!"

"There's no such thing as ghosts."

Kai let him go. "Well, you weren't there, so-"

"I didn't have to be there to know that!"

Still, Erza found herself smiling at the two boys. "It is a poignant pride, knowing that you both are victorious in your own ways. Look at you. Both of you. You've grown so much. And yet there is much growing to do. Come, Ravan, tell me of your adventure and your brother can inform you of his. Perhaps, next time such a situation befalls us, I too will have a story to toss in the mix."

"Please, don't," Ravan complained though he did follow Erza over to a table.

Marin wanted to go be with them, Kai and Ravan, but felt it necessary instead to go stand at her Uncle Elf's feet, staring up at the griping Haven (who was only moments away from shocking the big oaf), and awaiting what would come next. Haven probably had a lot to tell them.

"Put her down, Elfman," Evergreen complained. "Or come sit her down over here, at least."

He could hardly hear her though. He was too busy beaming with pride.

"Yeah, Elf." And though Lisanna was the only barmaid on duty at the moment, she came over to the table with Evergreen. "Some of us would like to hear about the job too."

Haven would admit though, as her uncle finally caved and carried her over there, she felt rather at place, on his shoulder. Not because she liked her uncle or anything, but rather, she was much taller than all the others and, well, yeah. That was definitely about right.

Though Haven kind of wanted to go over to her father and talk to him first (more like gloat over him), she couldn't resist all the bragging she was about to get to do. Besides, she didn't hate her aunts and uncle. Or sister. She just had a hard time getting passed the deep embarrassment they all brought her.

Freed went over, at the behest of Laxus, to listen as well while he only sat there, alone, waiting. It was at the departure of Freed that Bickslow finally came over to sit with the man. Though he too wanted to congratulate Haven, he had a bigger problem to face at the moment.

"You said," Laxus muttered around his coffee, though his eyes only stayed over on his oldest, "that you tracked him to a hideout, yeah?"

Bickslow nodded some, staring at his idol, tongue feeling far too heavy just that once. He'd informed the man of this the second he came in the bar that day, but Laxus only waved him off until they could speak alone. In Mira's absence, Freed refused to leave Laxus' side. At least until Haven returned. With that out of the way, the pair could speak.

"Yeah," he agreed with a nod. "I did. But I...I lost him, boss, somewhere along the way. I'm sorry. I don't think I got much good info on him either, but-"

"But he's out of this area?" Laxus asked simply. "Gone? You're sure?"

"Yeah. Tracked him halfway across Fiore. I dunno what he was doing in Magnolia, but-"

"But," Laxus finished as, slowly, he got to his feet, "he's gone."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"That's all I needed, Bickslow." He was walking off then. "I'll be in my office. Send Haven in there, after she's finished with you all."

She wouldn't be that for a bit. Her mother arrived not soon after that and she too had to hear the story and, yeah, she'd wanted to rub Laxus' face in all her success before, but now? Now she was being treated with the attention and respect she always craved. She wasn't about to give it up just to go hear him gripe at her about nonsense.

There was no one Navi wanted to see more than her father though. She could sense him, all of them, really, as she got to their apartment and fumbled a bit with the key. It wasn't the first time she'd stayed away from her parents for an extended period, but it was the first time that she was the one out of town instead of them. That she had a story to tell that, while it didn't rival any of theirs, she felt like they'd at least wanna hear it. More than they did those silly little jobs around town Master Laxus made her and the other kids take usually.

She was expecting them all to be in bed, truly, when she came in, and this was kind of the case. They were sleeping, at least. In the living room though, oddly enough. Her twin brothers were taking residence in the arms of at least one parent as Natsu and Lucy seemed to have been up all night with them, passing out on the couch in their exhaustion. Lucy was slumped over a bit, into Natsu's shoulder, as Lucky, who was snuggled up in her arms, snored softly. Her father's snores were echoed by Iggy and Happy, who napped in Lucy's hair, was giving off some purrs himself.

With a bit of a frown, she decided to not wake them up. Her job would be just as important in a few hours when they were better rested. And she was a little exhausted herself. It would be nice to sleep in her own bed, Ravan's gross feet, obviously, being absent.

But she was only standing there, not even making any noise, only staring at all of them when, suddenly, her father's snores stopped. Just like that. His head, which had been thrown back, snapped to attention then as hie eyes opened easily and he was looking right at her.

"Hey!" he said loudly as he got to his feet, luckily still conscious of the baby in his arms. "Navi's home!"

The twins didn't quite care for such a rude awakening, but her mother and Happy both rose at that easily, the woman blinking away the sleep as whatever she greeted her daughter was drown out by her husband and the Exceed merely jumping off her head and going to land in the arms of the little girl instead.

It was definitely nice, Navi decided as she only giggled at how quickly her father was talking, asking her all sorts of questions far too fast for her to even make them out, to be home.

Haven felt much the same, all the attention she was getting from her extended family. She was a bit annoyed to keep hearing them talk so much about stupid Marin though, in response to her accomplishments, but she was too into herself and making sure not to get in trouble (not as long as she could ride the first big job praise train) to make many complaints.

She had to head into her father's office eventually though. He was waiting, after all. Pumped up even more now, if it was possible, from the interest she'd been receiving, she walked in with her head high and her tongue sharp. Laxus didn't even seem to notice her though, for a long moment, as he had some sort of big map spread across his desk.

"What are you doing?" she complained, annoyed at the lack of attention. It was truly his, after all, that she coveted all along. "Laxus? Are you going somewhere?"

"No," he told her simply. "I'm merely tracking… It's not important right now."

Laxus sighed as he lifted his head, looking over at his daughter then. "You can sit, Haven, if you want. I wanna talk."

"About how you were wrong and I was right and I should be able to go on whatever job I want, whenever I want?"

"No," he snorted. "We're gonna talk about what a brat you are. I'll start-"

"I finished my job! And you're still gonna be a jerk?" She tried hard not to get upset, but her father just always managed to get under her skin. Worse than Ravan and Locke both. And way worse than Marin, even. He could just look at her, Laxus could, and get her in a bad mood. "You could just admit that you were wrong, Laxus."

"I wasn't wrong, brat."

"You were too. You said that I couldn't do it, but I did. I-"

"I never said, Haven, that you couldn't finish the damn job."

"Yes, you-"

"No, I didn't." And he hadn't. "You can complete most jobs. Most jobs aren't really that serious. Your magic could guide you through anything. That's not what being a wizard is about. What answering jobs is about. There's more to it than that. I didn't like that you were so far from home. I didn't think you should go. You're still a kid. And kids shouldn't be so far from home."

"But-"

"But you did it and you came back. Great, Haven. If you went away again tomorrow, you could still have the same things I worried about happen to you. I'm not worried about whether or not you can fight a monster or a bandit or something dumb like that. I have faith in you, Haven, and your magic. I trained you. I know what you can do. But your not street smart. You got tricked, your first job out, by a dark guild!"

"That wasn't my-"

"Did the dark guild say they were looking for Fairy Tail, Haven?" he asked with a raise of his eyebrow. "Or did you offer it up to them?"

She only glared. "What do you know? You haven't even listened to me talk about it."

But he'd heard, all the way from his office, as the kids loudly exclaimed their accomplishments.

"You're not as smart as you think you are, Haven," he told her simply. "Especially if you think I'm just doing this all to be mean. You're my daughter. Of course I don't want you out there, risking your life, why? Because you don't wanna go on jobs with grownups? You could be hurt or killed or… Things just have a knack for working out, here, in Fairy Tail, but you can't count on that. Your Aunt Lisanna died, once, basically, when we were kids. You know that. And why? Because she was out on a job she had no business on. Elfman too. This is a serious thing. This is a life and death thing. Not everyday, fine, but it being that way even one day means it's not something I want my daughter doing. It's as simple as that."

She was smoldering then, right at him, but Laxus just looked her right back in the eyes, daring her to speak. Daring her to challenge him. When she didn't, he snorted before looking off.

"But," he said with a shrug, "what can I do? The others aren't going to see their kids demoted again and your mother is in competition, anyways, with Erza. I can just hope, I guess, that I've raised you well enough to know how to take care of yourself and your friends. Then, when I admit to myself I haven't, I can just hope that the universe cares for you as well it has all the rest of us."

He'd looked away, before, but his eyes met hers again, watching them for a moment before he added something.

"I still can't believe you got tricked by a dumb dark guild. Brat."

"Shut up, Laxus!"

She'd got what she wanted, anyways, and left not soon after. Gajeel had showed up and was giving Locke a bit of a hard time, but kept patting the boy on the head who was still beaming and smiling. The sight made Haven frown.

But not as much as when Kai rushed up to her.

"So I guess," he began slowly, "you heard that Marin isn't just a dragon slayer, now, but also a ghost slayer? Well, I just thought that you should be prepared, anyways, for how strong she is now. A ghost! Can you believe it? I- Hey! Haven!"

But Kai wasn't shocked when he was shoved to the ground by the girl. Ravan, who was still speaking with Erza, glanced over, but didn't move to help his brother. Kai was on his nerves too.

Marin watched as her sister headed her way next and was actually a bit fearful she was going to get some of the same treatment and only huddled closer to her Aunt Ever. As Evergreen looked about ready to rebuke her though, just in preparation, but Haven only took a seat, reaching up absently to play at the gem that hung there. The sight of it made Marin curious, but it wasn't her who was given a chance to ask a question. Instead, the lightning mage did.

"How," she asked as, slowly, Marin began to relax, "do you slay a ghost?"

Marin wasn't quite sure herself. Still, with a grin, she found herself explaining it the best she could to her sister. For some reason, it made her much happier than the actual deed.

That's it for this one, guys. Now that we got the first big job out of the way, we can continue on in the timeline. I'm not sure right now how I'm going to do it (either a series of one-shots or maybe an anthology type story) but it'll probably be a bit before I circle back around. The Remember Me series still lives though. Like always.

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#Laxus Dreyar #Erza Scarlet #Bickslow #Fairy Tail #Fanfiction #Next Gen #5 of 5

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imagine-that-one-thing · 6 years

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Picture Perfect. || 6

I am in Love.

Previous Chapters.

The pilot for today’s late flight of eight at night stands at the front of the plane greeting passengers as they board.

Harry checks his phone one last time before he turns it off and hands it to me to place in my bag. At this point, it is a tradition for him to hand me his phone to rest in my bag while the aircraft takes off and lands. “Well, Jeff and my publicist are handling the media publicity at the moment, they will get in touch in a bit.”

“What are they doing?” I challenge while I clip in the seatbelt and tighten the strap a bit.

“It isn’t worth mentioning,” Harry shakes his head.

I take his word for it and just nod my head, not bothering to ask questions, mainly for my own sake.

More passengers board the plane and his hand relaxes on my thigh, the same way it rested on my thigh last night in the car.

While at dinner, his eyes were on Nadine the entire time, he laughed at her jokes, smiled at her constantly and I don’t think there was a moment that he didn’t show that he had feelings for her that hadn’t dwindled. Quite honestly, I am pretty sure the feeling was mutual for her as well.

I couldn’t help but sit back and observe the rekindling romance between the two of them. The way he grinned at her and paid so much attention precisely showed me enough and assured me that he and I certainly are just friends.

“About Chicago,” Harry begins softly just as the aircraft continues to fill with passengers.

Hmm, Chicago, it was quite a night— a wonderful night.

“It was nothing, just a quick shag,” I mutter just for the two of us to hear.

After lasts night dinner and the way Harry seemed smitten over Nadine, there is no point to talking about what happened in Chicago. It was a spare of the moment type of thing. A stupid, one night stand to release my sexual tension.

Harry clears his throat, “Of course, jus’ nothing,” he replies, “jus’ wanted to make sure we were on the same page.” Harry replies with a bit of an exhalation.

“We are on the same page,” I agree, even though deep down, I know I don’t want us to be on the same page with this, I don’t want us to go down as a one night stand. It was never my plan to shag my best friend, then again, it was never my intentions for any of this to occur, the disputes, the sex, the jealousy and the confusion between us. We don’t have the happy medium we used to have— there is this contingency between us— uncertainty that we are avoiding and dancing around.

After being directly friend zoned, Harry and I maintain small talk on the plane, to my surprise, it isn’t an awkward silence, just normal talk between two best friends.

“Harry?” I distract him from his phone that he took back when he realised we weren’t taking off. He cocks his head to the side to look at me. “Can I rest on your shoulder?” I softly question, needing a place to rest my head just for a few moments.

“Of course, would you prefer the window seat? We can swap, sweetheart.” Harry proposes sweetly but I politely decline his offer.

I know he prefers having the window seat just as much as I do, just like I know he has given me the window seat every flight so far. He’s selfless and as much as I love it about him, I also hate it. He can be too gentle and accommodating sometimes.

“It’s so bright,” I grumble, the illumination of the plane becoming an aspect that is bothering me and causing me a bit of pain.

“It’s normal like every other plane, Mia,” Harry informs me and I nod.

“What’s taking so long for everyone to board?” I murmur, a little irritated that the plane is still boarding and that we have yet to take flight. I know it does not take so long to board.

“Dunno, love.”

I lift my head off his shoulder and squeeze my fingers to the bridge of my nose and close my eyes while letting out a heavy breath, “you okay, Mia?”

“Mhm,” I hum, doing my best to disregard how fucking long this is all taking. “How long until we can take off?” I challenge, eager to get to our next destination and see what the next city has to offer us.

“Darling, I really don’t know, here, lie down.” Harry instructs as he lifts the armrest up and pets his hand to his lap, “I know you want to, can tell ye’ tired.” He chimes with a smile, convincing me to give in.

I move closer to Harry where I instead nestle into his side while his arm drapes around me securely.

The moment I am nice and comfortable, in the middle of being awake and being close to falling asleep, I am interrupted by an overhead announcement.

“Good evening, this is your captain speaking, we are experiencing some weather delays. We are currently in a queue to wait out the storms. We will have more information to give in the next hour. We are sorry for the inconvenience.”

I heavily huff as I lift my head away from it’s nestled position on Harry.

What a great fucking inconvenience.

It seems like that everything that can possibly go wrong, is going wrong!

I wouldn’t be surprised if the next thing that happens is the hotel is overbooked and we don’t get a room. At this point, I feel as though we should call this trip quits and go back to London and go on with our lives. I am sure Harry is itching to get into the studio. As for me, well, I don’t really know.

*** ***

After two hours of sitting on a plane that wasn’t moving, we were given the option to disembark. Not that it made anything any better…

I lean against a wall, observing as Harry is at the information desk asking questions and hopefully finding a way to fix this chaotic mess.

Harry wanders closer to me and from the expression on his face I know he doesn’t have good news to tell me.

He stands in front of me and shakes his head softly. “There’s nothing I can do, love. We are stuck here.”

“Just for like an hour right?” I question and Harry lifts his shoulders into a shrug.

“Not sure, Mia. They don’t have much info for us. Just gotta make the most of it.”

“Did you ask?” I challenge.

“Yes, Mia. The lady didn’t have answers and seemed to be under pressure.”

“Let me guess, you politely smiled and walked away?”

“Yes, like a normal person.” Harry nods and I roll my eyes.

He’s a charming guy who never steps on anybody’s toes, always takes people’s word and never becomes too pushy when he needs answers— Yet one great factor as to why he never finds the right girl for him— they walk all over him and treat him like shit in the end… They take his niceness for granted and I am the one who has to pick up the pieces and boost his confidence. He thinks there is something wrong with him, really, it is just the girls he ends up with.

No offence to them.

“You’re such a pushover. Let me go see.”

“Sweetheart, just relax. None of us can change the weather, the flights are grounded until further notice. Most will be cancelled.”

I glance up at him, “and what are we going to do? Sit around like cattle in here?” … “can we get a hotel or something?”

He shakes his head, “all are booked from previous cancellations. They weren’t expecting the snow storm to come to the Far East and disrupt things this seriously.”

“You settled for that? Honestly, you really are a pushover. You’re too damn nice. Instead of asking questions and pushing for things, you just take their answers. They could be walking all over you and you wouldn’t know.”

“Mia… none of us can control the weather. Relax.”

“No, this is ridiculous and exactly what I mean. You take whatever people say. You’re too nice.”

“You have already said that… Mia, this is a weather problem.”

“This is why your relationships fail. You’re too damn nice to stand up and say something, you just sit and take whatever they tell you, you believe their fucking lies and don’t bother to question things until it is too late.” …

“Are you done dissecting my failed relationships and my kindness?”

I let out a breath, coming to the realisation that I have unintentionally channelled my irritation and pain towards him. “I’m sorry…” I sigh, “Harry, I just want to go home, I don’t feel good and all this just fucking sucks.”

“I know you don’t, love.”

“What?” I clear my throat, looking into his bewitching, tourmaline-green eyes.

“No offence, but you become a raging bitch when you’re reaching the peak of not feeling well.” … “you could have just said you didn’t feel well, instead of going on a rampage.”

“I’m sorry… everything is just—“I trail off… “I’m getting a migraine from fucking writing and I just want to be in bed.” I sigh heavily, somewhat guilty for going off on Harry for no real reason besides the fact I am in a bitchy mood and bitter that we categorize ourselves into the damn friend zone.

He benevolently pulls me into him and wraps an arm around my lower back, “It’s okay,” he whispers, his hand stroking the back of my head.

*** ***

He grants me a small smile as he hands me the blanket that I can only assume he just bought from one of the little tourist stores they have at all airports, “How are you feeling? Eased the pain a bit?”

I shake my head, “no, the lights and the sounds are making it worse… I feel nauseous and I just want to lie down in bed.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I’m trying. Most flights are cancelled until the storm passes.”

“I know… it isn’t your fault.” I give him a courteous smile before he rests down beside me.

“Can I pull yeh into my lap? It’ll be more comfortable than your back being against the wall.” Harry endeavours and I nod, permitting him to pull into his lap before he spreads his legs and enables me to rest between them. His arms wrap around me and he adjusts the blanket to cover me, “lean back, you’re okay. Yeh won’t hurt me, I promise.” He chuckles, benevolently pressing on my shoulder.

I lean back and get comfortable with him, using him as a human pillow. “Get some sleep, I’ll wake you if there is any change, but I think we are going to have to skip our trip to the mountains in Tennessee and go to Miami.”

“Whatever you think is necessary,” I mumble, feeling warmth and comfort with his hands drawing small circles on me, slowly coaxing me to fall asleep.

***

To say the least, the airport isn’t the easiest place to sleep at, the lights are constantly vivacious, they’re constantly background noise, other passengers, attendants over the intercom, the sound of plane engines and whatever else. With a heavy groan, I bury myself in Harry’s chest, his arm tightening around me as his delicate snores continue to sound.

Despite his radiating warmth and comforting feel, it doesn’t help the agonising pounding in my head that appears as though it is being beaten with a sledgehammer various times.

I whine against him, grappling to hold the tears that are threatening to fall before they’re soaking his shirt while he continues to sleep.

“Hey, sweetheart,” his voice is croaky and full of sleep, “Mia,” his hand strokes through my hair, “Why are you crying?”

“I’m not,” I whimper into him, feeling guilty for staining his shirt and accidentally waking him up with my soft wines.

“Love, my shirt is wet, you’re crying.” He benevolently forces my head off of his chest and forces me to glance at him, “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, go to sleep.”

“I’m not going to sleep while my best friend is bloody crying.” He comments, wiping my tear-stained cheeks with the pads of his thumb, “no more tears,” he murmurs, wiping them away sweetly.

I gulp and keep my ridiculous thoughts to myself as I feel this fire inside me from him wiping away my tears. “I feel worse, Harry.” My voice is soft and delicate, almost childlike.

“Alright, come on. I’m calling it and getting a hotel.”

“They’re all booked, Harry.”

“I don’t care if I have to drive two hours for one.” He comments, standing to his feet and offering his hand to help me up.

“Harry, I’ll be fine.”

He shakes his head, gingerly pulling me to my feet, he touches his hand to my forehead, “you’re not fine, you’re sick.” He murmurs, kissing the top of my head before grabbing my handbag from the ground, “I’ll have our suitcases delivered to our hotel when I find one available.” He informs me, handing me my handbag before taking my hand and guiding me through the airport.

*** ***

Two hours later and a few hundred dollars spent, Harry manages to get us a hotel room. He was determined and didn’t take no for an answer when he tried to check in and the woman told him they had overbooked. He wasn’t having it, apparently.

“What did you even tell them to change their mind?” I tiredly ask as we stroll down the hallway that feels as though it never ends.

He shrugs, “told them I have a wife that needs a place to sleep and if I don’t get her a room, she just might divorce.”

I roll my eyes, “they believed it? What if they tell the press?”

He chuckles, “they know I was joking about divorce. Mia, I told them my name was Chandler.”

“Did they not ID you?”

“Told then my ID is still on the plane. Aren’t you happy I wasn’t a pushover?” He challenges as he swipes the card and launches open the hotel door for me.

“Thank you,” I smile at him before I step inside and feel relieved to finally have a place to sleep that isn’t the airport.

“Don’t say I never do anythin’ for yeh,” he snickers as he closes the door behind him and watches me fall to the bed with a sigh of relief. “Do you need me to go get you anything before I go to sleep? Not quite sure what you do when you have migraines.”

I shake my head, “Just some rest is all I need.” I respond as I crawl into the luxury of the hotel bed. He opens his mouth and I know he is going to persist to make sure I don’t need anything, so I beat him to the punch line, “will you just get in bed and sleep? I promise I will be fine.”

“Okay, okay… Jus’ making sure you’re settled and okay.”

He discreetly makes his way to his side of the bed and pulls his shirt off and throws it to the corner of the room before getting in bed, “wake me if you need me, okay?”

“Will do,” I respond, getting comfortable while facing him.

“Goodnight, I’ll get up and get breakfast for us tomorrow, so if I’m not here when you wake up, I haven’t been abducted.”

“Thanks for letting me know, was really worried that would happen,” I chuckle.

“Smartass,” Harry grumbles, leaning over and kissing my cheek, “goodnight, sleep well.”

“Goodnight,” I breathe out as he rolls over to his side.

And at that moment, I feel it— that fire that lifts my soul and burns throughout my body— that enticing electricity that I felt when we first kissed on the side of the road after getting irritated with each other.

It hits me, the sudden realisation that I have been dancing around this the entire time, the thing I have been blinded by until now. I think I am in love with him.

#Harry styles imagines #harry styles prompt #harry styles prompts #imagine harry styles #harry styles blurbs #harry styles blurb #harry styles fluff #harry styles preference #harry styles preferences #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfics #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfictions #harry styles writing

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isuzukuretsuki · 6 years

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Welp I finished Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk and my biggest comment is that this game has more plot holes than swiss cheese.

*insert more shifty eye uncomfortable emojis*

What was...... that convoluted mess of a game I just played? Like this is reaching Zero Escape level of plot holes and “wow the writer clearly has no idea what the hell they are doing”. I don’t even know where I’m gonna start breaking down the amount of issues. Lots of spoilers beneath.

My favourite order is prob Levi > Elric > Lugus > Hugh > Eiar > Aria > Tee > Lord > Olgar > Lawrence >>>> Lavan >>>>>>>>>> Francisca

For starters, this felt like less of an otome game and more of a gang bang 5p fuck pile orgy. Seriously. One moment, Eiar is making out with Lavan, the next moment, Eiar is dreaming of sleeping with Lugus and wakes up panicking because “oh no! I think I’m in love with Lugus!”. If the romance is “the heroine being passed among all the guys”, I’d rather there be no romance at all. It felt more like a fucking badly written reverse harem anime than an otome. I had this problem with PBB but boy it was not this level of bad.

None of the characters really develop, none of the relationships really develop. Let’s not even get started on the fact that 2/4 of your love interests are your adopted brothers who are actually your blood cousins. At first I enjoyed Lugus’s enchantment with Eiar but it doesn’t develop beyond that. Why is Lugus even in love with Eiar? His feelings never felt like anything beyond captivation, and the same applied for Eiar. Why is Lavan in love with Eiar? Because he’s some gross nii-chan lusty pervert who’s in love with his adopted sister??? IDK.

The only one who genuinely felt like he loved Eiar was Levi, and even Levi’s character was butchered with the whole “yeah I’m a serial killer who enjoys inflicting pain onto other people”. Even if you blame it on the ~magical stone~, the revelation was like a slap in the face and it was so disconnected w everything we knew of Levi. The writers clearly didn’t know if they wanted to write him as a character who’s sadistic and ruthless, or if they wanted to write him as a character who was manipulated by his mother into becoming her assassin through abuse + gaslighting. The writers aimed for both, and failed miserably at both.

Speaking of Francisca, the fact that Francisca is an evil bitch is literally NEVER brought up lol???? Like when Levi admits that Francisca was using him as an assassin, Eiar and Lavan are shocked but.......... that’s it. Especially in Levi’s ending, the fact that there’s never a hint of acknowledgement that Francisca was abusing him is jarring to say the least. There’s never any real discussion of how Eiar and the Wolf brothers feel about Francisca after they find out what she did to Aria and Olgar. Like wow we just found out our mom is a piece of shit, let us NEVER DISCUSS THIS or have ANY heart to heart talk about this EVER. Because that will give our characters perfect closure! The fact that Eiar never returns to her real name, the name given to her by her mother, also kind of bothers me.

Francisca’s character was honestly butchered along with Levi after everything she did to Aria was revealed. "That evil slut is taking away all the men in my life!” is not a good enough motive to burn a completely innocent woman to death, sorry. Her love for her sons felt shallow and her love for Eiar felt like she was just trying to show up Aria. I can’t find any redeemable thing about her and her character just ended up being at to the bottom of the barrel along with Rika and Mejojo. The only emotion I got out of the whole dumpster fire between the parents was “wow Aria deserved so much fucking better”.

Now lets get started with all the fucking plot holes this game has.

For starters, if the whole town is actually Psychedelica and everyone lost their memories, it makes no sense for Francisca to be the only one who remembers killing Aria, and there’s never any indication to confirm whether or not Francisca is actually aware the fact that everyone is in Psychedelica.

Speaking of Aria, that scene where Aria is shown to be slumbering in the abyss and stops the kids from completing the Kaleido Via makes no sense either. For starters, why is Aria even in the abyss? She died in the real world, so her soul should have moved onto the afterlife, or she should have been trapped in the Psychedelica town too. Actually, the fact that she isn’t trapped makes no sense. Olgar activated the Kaleido Via with a desire to see Aria again (similar to Hikage with Usagi), so it makes no sense for Aria’s soul to not be drawn to the town if the town was created through Aprus and Olgar’s collective desires.

I don’t really understand why tf Aria would want to stop the kids from completing the Kaleido Via when that’s literally the only method to free the souls of the town so they continue into the afterlife? It’d make sense for Aria to stop them if their souls would go into the abyss, but again, it’s explicitly stated that your soul will only end up in the abyss if you die in Psychedelica. And again, the fact that Aria is supposedly in the abyss makes no sense in the first place. The scene with the kids and the kaleido via was so out of place it was ridiculous. How do you not remember a scene where a shard flew into your friend’s eye and caused her to bleed everywhere?

Moving on, it’s literally never explained what the hell is up with Eiar’s red eye. It can be assumed that Eiar inherited it from Aria who really was a witch, but then that doesn’t explain why only one of Eiar’s eyes glow red and not both.

MOVING ON, who the fuck is Hugh and literally what is his damn role in the story. Like I looove character types like him bc and I’m a huge sucker for “mysterious observer characters who act as the story’s narrator” not to mention he’s beautiful but Hugh’s origins and role remains wishy washy from start to end and his character ends up being a plot device to give 30 minute info dumps on the plot. Like, he’s the dumb dead bird that lived with Ashen Witch (whom I assume is Aria’s mother), and after he’s killed by Aprus, Ashen Witch... releases his... soul? So he becomes... a mindless traveler traveling between the different Psychedelica worlds...? I guess??? It’s implied that Hugh is the one who gave Hikage the kaleidoscope but again, how or why he did so is never explained either. I also dunno wtf is up with his ending where Eiar just magically turns into a butterfly and whooshes away with Hugh.

I still have no idea what was with that scene where he chats with Aria about the stories in the Links ending, and I definitely don’t know what was with that scene where Aria talks with Eiar and decides to name her non born child off of her (who is the same Eiar). Like what?? are dreams and timelines converging or something??? No clue.

Also. What the fuck is the deal with Lawrence and Elric??? THAT’S NEVER EXPLAINED? Like yes, I know that much that they’re Kagiha and Hikage respectively but literally wtf is Kagiha and Hikage doing in Aprus/Olgar’s Psychedelica. Lawrence clearly retains his memories as Kagiha, but Hikage never does and it’s like ??? why?? Also why is Usagi in a form of a rabbit in this world? WHO KNOWS. I was just so tired of this game that by the time I was half way done all the endings I just wanted it to be over already.

No joke, I seriously thought that PAA took place in the real world where Hikage was born and raised because of the medieval/historical setting and we’d learn more about the lore of the manor and the kaleidoscope. Honestly though, I wish it was because it prob would have made this game a million times better. If the game was split between a “wolves” and “hawks” path like BWS, it probably would have fixed some of the problems with the terrible romance.

The one good thing I will say about this game is that it’s the first otome game localization from Aksys I’ve played that didn’t give me a migraine because of no proof readers. There were some issues with wrong tenses being used but other than that it wasn't littered with typos like literally EVERY OTHER otome they’ve localized so far lmao.

Presentation wise, this game is beautiful. The sprite work is beautiful and the cgs are amazing. I loved the character designs for all the guys like A++ pretty boys. Unfortunately, the OST really lacked in comparison to PBB this time around. This game had so much potential but everything just fell apart the further and further you go and that’s what makes it even more disappointing. It’s setting and premise were a million times more interesting than PBB. Like medieval setting? Check. Feud between two clans with the heroine caught in between? Check. It had everything I loved and I was confident I was going to love it but the execution was just so terribad that I don’t love it. I can’t love it. I do love all the characters sans Lavan and Francisca though and I think they all deserved better. They deserved better writing. They deserved better development. I wish I could just rework this entire game from the ground up because that’s how frustrated I am with it lmao.

TLDR; I am very very disappointed with this game and it’s such a shame because I loved Black Butterfly to bits and pieces but this game ended up being a convoluted mess of bad and inconsistent writing. PBB had a rather weak premise with an uninteresting and incredibly cliche “all childhood friends in love w the heroine and there’s ~tragedy~!”. However, it had a very interesting and well written lore and universe while simultaneously being clean and easy to understand so it didn’t make any unnecessary loop holes for itself. PAA was the complete opposite. I enjoyed the connections this game made to the first game, but that was pretty much it.

anyway wow that was long, this is the first time I’ve played a game where all I can do is go on a tangent about all the problems I’ve had with it. Hopefully other people enjoyed this game more than I did HAHA.

#ellie plays psychedelica terribly #ellie plays

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writings-andstuff · 7 years

Text

Coincidences Part II (Bucky x Reader)

You guys have waited way too long for this and for that I’m sorry. But here it is, so I won’t start it with my usual long-winded preamble.

Happy Reading!

Pairing: Bucky x Reader (Modern AU thingy)

Words: 5046 (yikes, that’s the longest fic I’ve ever written)

Warnings: The usual tiny bit of swearing

Excerpt: For a moment, you wonder how this became your life. Yesterday, you were just another girl worrying about everything except her lack of a love life. Now that’s all you can think about because you’re flirting with a complete stranger. How insanely insane is that? For all you know, he could be a forty-something year old dude with three ex-wives and a beer-belly that could carry triplets. Somehow, though, you don’t think that’s likely.

Series Tags: @melanie451 @sebstanwassup @colagirl5 @winenighthoe @lovemarvelousfics @gotnotfeature @sebastianst-n @alwayshave-faith @hollycornish @iggytheboywonder

Tags: @langinator @fairchild21

Your name: submit What is this?

New Message from Mr. Catarcs

3:42 a.m u up?

You blink your eyes blearily and shift in bed. The sheet is wrapped around your legs like sweaty vines, constricting your movement. You growl angrily and throw them off, sitting up and relishing in the cool air of your apartment. Despite the frigid cold outside, you somehow still manage to wake up sweating. Maybe you’re a mutant.

Glancing over at your phone, it dings again to impatiently let you know that you still haven’t opened the text that woke you up. Usually your phone is switched to silent because of your job at the diner. There are always so many phones going off that it’s almost impossible to tell which is which. It’s just easier having your phone on silent because then you’re never worried about whether your phone is ringing or if it’s someone else’s. It saves you a lot of unnecessary anxiety.

But ever since last night’s conversation with James, you decided that you wanted to hear your phone ring with a text. It’s the first time in your life that you don’t want to miss a text.

You pick up the offending piece technology and swipe it open. Sure enough, the text is from James and you grin despite the fact that this message is the same one that woke you at—you squint at your alarm clock—3:49 a.m.

Deciding you are both thirsty and in need of some time in the open air of your apartment and not under the suffocating sheets, you get up and stretch. The floors are cold as you pad to the kitchen and fill a glass with water, shooting a text back to James.

3:51 a.m I am now

You wait for an answer while downing your glass of water and putting the empty glass in the sink again. Maybe he fell back asleep when you didn’t answer right away.

For a moment, you wonder how this became your life. Yesterday, you were just another girl worrying about everything except her lack of a love life. Now that’s all you can think about because you’re flirting with a complete stranger. How insanely insane is that? For all you know, he could be a forty-something year old dude with three ex-wives and a beer-belly that could carry triplets. Somehow, though, you don’t think that’s likely.

You have no proof of this, and absolutely no reason to believe he isn’t a creep except for a gut feeling. You resolve to ask his age whenever he decides to answer you.

You think about that. He could lie to you and tell you that he’s 20 when he’s really a lot older than that. The only way you’d truly know is if you meet him in person.

Suddenly you’re a little dizzy. This is just way too much to worry about at four a.m. You decide to just talk to him. You genuinely like his personality, and you don’t have to worry about all that other stuff until you actually meet him. If you actually meet him. That’s a big, neon-colored, flashing sign in the middle of absolute nowhere if.

Your phone dings and you look over from where you’re clutching the counter. You don’t notice how hard you were gripping the counter until you pull your palms away and it stings, lines etching themselves across your palm.

4:03 a.m srry didnt mean to wake u

Before you can even formulate a response, he’s texting you again. A double text. Gasp.

4:04 a.m just couldnt sleep. i was wondring if u wanted to talk

You tilt your head at your screen. He’s up in the middle of the night, and the first thing he does is text you? Why? Does he not have other people he can talk to? A stupid part of you, the same part that wants to meet him in person, thinks that maybe it’s because he wants to talk to you.

Maybe he does. Probably not. It’s too much to hope for. All his other friends are probably asleep. Regardless, not answering is not an option. Well, it is, but it’s not one you’re likely to explore, not when your chest has those freaky bubbles in it and your stomach is doing that stupid flippy-thingy. Nope. This, you decide, feels like High School when a cute boy texted you first and the instinct to giggle shot up to level 12.

4:06 a.m alright. what about?

Capitals, Y/N. What the hell happened to capitals?

You take your phone and pad back into your room, perching yourself up against the headboard with your knees drawn up to your chest and your phone in your hands as you wait for a response. Worrying your bottom lip, your mind drifts to work. You’ll have to get up in about three hours to be at work on time. Man, you’re going to be tired.

It’s then that your phone dings. You decide then that talking to him makes it worth the fatigue.

4:11 a.m twenty questions?

4:11 a.m Fine, but since you woke me up you have to go first.

The three dots that mean he’s typing pop up three different times before the response finally comes through.

4:15 a.m whatd u go to school 4?

You laugh.

4:15 a.m getting down to the nitty gritty personal stuff I see

You think for a moment. Telling him what you do isn’t divulging too much about yourself, so you decide it’s okay.

4:16 a.m lol yup thats me. i want the deep personal stuff. might just ask what ur fav color is nxt

4:16 a.m 1. editing; 2. sorry, that’s sacred info

4:17 a.m 1 ah i understand y ur a grammar nazi now…2 obviously

Thinking for a moment, you decide that favorites are just too cliche. Any conversation anyone has with some new friend ends in questions that start with “What’s your favorite…” You really want to know how old he is, but you figure you need an ice breaker before you get to the actual nitty gritty.

First, though, you must take the bait to piss him off:

4:19 a.m What would you have done if I hadn’t gone to college?

With a yawn, you lie back down and curl on your side, sitting your phone on the nightstand in front of you with your eyes glued to it. Once you realize that staring at it isn’t going to make him type faster, you turn over.

You’re totally not too eager. There’s no—

Ding!

You flip over so fast that you rip the sheet from the other side of the bed and end up with half of it between your stomach and the bed. It pulls from the bottom corner of the bed and is slightly uncomfortable, but you don’t care.

4:22 a.m high school?

4:23 a.m I didn’t go to high school FOR anything

You’re not sure if the use of caps-lock is weird, but you send it off anyways, deciding that emphasis on that one word is crucial to your meaning. He replies within seconds.

4:23 a.m i mean dunno bout u but i went to learn

You laugh, probably louder than is necessary.

4:24 a.m Touche. What’d you go to school for?

4:26 a.m repeating questions isnt alowed

Frowning, you wonder if he actually didn’t go to college. Should you push it? Maybe you should just change the question. There’s a part of you, the curious part that wanted to be a reporter when you were young, that really wants to know.

There isn’t too much time for you to think all of that before he’s texting you again. Usually, you’re the one to mercilessly double-text. James, it would seem, has you beat in this department. Also, you didn’t want to double-text a complete stranger.

Before you even look at the text, it hits you again: this is a complete stranger. The thought of not answering enters your mind again, but you push it down. No harm in just talking if neither of you meet, right? Right?

Right.

4:27 a.m i joined the military right out of HS

It’s a real Oh moment, and you find yourself staring at your screen as if it’s a real person. The military? What are you supposed to say to that? What’s the protocol for a text that you’re not sure how to answer? Should you just leave it alone? No; if you leave it alone then he’ll think he freaked you out. He hasn’t. Your brain is just short-circuiting on an answer.

Should you think him for his service? No. Not yet. You don’t want to call too much attention to it in case he doesn’t want to talk about it or he’s had bad experiences, but you’re still not sure how to respond. Have you taken too long already?

You summon up some courage and type out a message.

4:31 a.m Oh wow. Well, what would you have studied if you had gone?

You cringe, totally not meaning for that to sound like you were completely skipping over the issue altogether. James doesn’t seem to mind though, if his response is any indication.

4:32 a.m hmm history i think. ive always liked ww2 4 some reason

4:33 a.m well you’ve got AP european history girl right here. 1 of only 11 in the whole senior class to take it.

4:34 a.m well, smartypants i get 2 q’s bc u asked 2

You feel that you handled that effectively, and you were already beginning to formulate a plan in your head while he thought about his questions.

See, you know next to nothing about the military or what it’s all about except that it is for valiant people who want to serve their country. You can respect that, but you want—nay, need—to learn more. Convincing yourself that it’s purely for research purposes and not for anything else.

Regardless, you need to know more. It’s probably better to get it from someone who has been through it rather than from some cold, impersonal online source. And besides, you just so happen to know someone who was in the military. Someone who, in fact, lost a limb in the line of duty: Bucky Barnes.

As far as you know, Bucky lost his left arm in the military. You’d asked him before how he lost it and he hadn’t answered you, opting instead to change the subject to Steve and his new (at the time) art studio. It had been suspicious, but you understand that it must not be easy to speak about something like that.

You’ll have to go talk to Steve tomorrow morning to get Bucky’s number, but you think that maybe you��ll treat him to lunch in exchange for him giving you some details about the whole military thing. At the company, you get an hour off for lunch, which is just enough time to go out, interrogate a friend (respectfully, of course), and head back before the hour is up.

The plan was formed and you had your head already set on it. By the time James’ reply comes in, you’ve tuckered yourself out thinking that whole plan out. It is really late—er, early—after all.

4:41 a.m 1 how was ur day 2 how r u likely to spend a friday night

4:43 a.m I feel like I’m taking a Buzzfeed quiz

You yawn again and type out your answers.

4:44 a.m my day’s just begun. it’s four a.m. And probably reading or something

You put your phone down, thinking that you’ll just leave it there and wait for his reply, but you end up turning over and falling asleep.

In the morning, you turn your phone on silent again while you get ready for work, playing some music while you apply some light make-up.

It turned out that James hadn’t answered you anyway, so you would have been up waiting for a text that wasn’t going to come. Good thing you passed out.

Glancing at the clock, you notice that it’s 7:02 a.m and that Steve should be up. You don’t have to be at work until 8 and it’s not a long bus ride to get to work so you figure you can spare half an hour to haggle your best friend into giving up Bucky’s phone number. You wonder why you haven’t thought to get it sooner, figuring that you just never needed it.

You and Bucky only ever hung out with Steve or the rest of the gang. He was a friend of yours, but the two of you had never been too close in the two years of knowing each other. That said, you had heard a lot about each other even before meeting from Steve, and Bucky had expressed in the past how annoying he found it when Steve was constantly mentioning you in casual conversation.

It was the same with Bucky for you. Steve had been talking about his best friend Bucky ever since you had met him. It was in that way that you and Bucky had gotten to know each other sort of inadvertently.

Heading out the door and across the hall, you knock on Steve’s door lightly a few times. He’s a light sleeper anyways, and you don’t want to wake the whole hall with loud knocking. You only opt for knocking this time in case he’s not decent or something. Otherwise, you would have used your key.

Sure enough, Steve answers the door within a few minutes, clad in flannel pajama pants, a white V-neck, and holding a steaming cup of coffee. It smells amazing, and you realize then that in your rush you’d forgotten to make yourself some.

“Got another one of those and half an hour?”

Steve raises an eyebrow but steps aside to let you in. He’s a morning person, so you were sure on your way over here that you wouldn’t receive any resistance.

“What do you need?” he asks you, pouring you a cup of coffee not unlike how he’d done it the night before. He pours in a generous amount of milk and some sugar before stirring it and handing it to you, just the way you like it.

Blow, sip—“Mm,” you hum. “I need Bucky’s phone number.” You say it as nonchalantly as you can manage so as not to raise any flags to Steve, but by his surprised expression you can tell that you’ve raised them all.

“Bucky? Why?”

You shrug like it’s no big deal. “He has some info that I need.” It sounds so covert and cheesy that you almost giggle, but you manage to keep your composure while sipping your coffee again.

Steve tilts his head to the side almost imperceptibly, leaning his back against the counter across from you as you sit at a stool by his island. Said island juts out from a wall to half-enclose the kitchen area like a wrap-around ‘J’ with the island as the tail.

After a few moments of silence, it becomes clear that Steve is waiting for you to elaborate, and when you don’t indulge, he sighs, setting his cup down and crossing his arms.

“Okay, but don’t call him now,” Steve says, already ruffling in a drawer for a pen and paper. “He—he has trouble sleeping, and he needs as much of it as he can get before he has to work. And he’s taking Friday off so he has to log in more hours to make up the difference.” Steve hands you a piece of paper with numbers scribbled on it.

“Got it,” you said, taking the paper and sticking it in your bag. “Thanks, Steve.”

“Yeah,” he smiles at you. “No problem.”

You stand and head to the door, plan in motion and feeling good about it. Then you remember something and turn as you’re walking toward the door.

“Steve?”

He lifts his head from where he’s still standing in the kitchen sipping his coffee. You realize you’ve left yours there, but decide that it’s okay. You’ll survive. Somehow.

“Yeah?”

“Mom is bringing over pasta around two, but I won’t be home,” you can already see his eyes lighting up. “I told her to make extra and that you should be back by then. Can you—”

“—keep it here until you get home?” He knows you so well, it’s scary. “Yeah, but don’t expect me not to try some of it first.”

You fix him with a warning finger. “I’ll be over at seven and I will expect there to be enough for dinner and lunch tomorrow.”

He holds his hands up. “Hey, we all know my metabolism requires a lot of calories per day, and two is just in time for a late lunch.”

“Steve,” you warn.

“Alright,” he laughs. “I’ll leave some of your mother’s pasta for you for dinner.”

“That’s all I ask.”

You walk back over, kiss his cheek, take one more sip of your coffee, and then leave.

You tap your foot on the ground impatiently as you wait at your desk for the clock to turn from 11:29 to 11:30 so you can head for a bathroom break to call Bucky and find out if he’s busy for lunch.

James hadn’t texted you all day, but you figure that’s okay. He doesn’t always have to text you. He has a life. You push him mostly out of your head, or you try to. You fail miserably.

He’s the reason you’re meeting with Bucky anyways. As much as you don’t want to admit it, that’s the truth. Of course, you can’t tell Bucky that. You’ll just sound stupid. And then Bucky will tell Steve and Steve will have some sort of “talking to strangers is bad” intervention with you. You definitely don’t want to endure that.

11:30 hits and it’s officially been half an hour since your actual bathroom break. You don’t want to call attention to yourself in the office that you share with a whole bunch of other people in too-tightly-packed cubicles. You grab the slip of paper Steve had given you and head to the elevator.

By the time you make it to the downstairs bathroom, you realize that you forgot your phone upstairs on your desk. Great. Now what are you going to do? If you go back up to get it, you’ll look suspicious. Of course, you shouldn’t really care what your coworkers think of you, but you do. Everybody says they don’t care about peer acceptance but most actually do.

It’s human nature.

You sigh angrily and look around. The lobby is all marble floors and a little shop where they sell overpriced snacks and drinks. There’s a desk to the left of the elevator bank with one woman sitting in a black wheelie chair making and taking phone calls.

Can you just ask her to borrow one of her phones? There’s an empty seat next to her. Maybe you can explain your situation and just ask this woman if you can borrow the phone.

The only thing is that you don’t know this woman. Your supers rented the office space with the endless rows of cubicles from the people who owned the building. This woman obviously works for the building management, and not for anyone you know.

You decide it’s better that she doesn’t know you. It’s less personal. You can call Bucky, discuss details, and be done with it.

You sidle over and lean on the high desk. Its polished marble top is so high that you have to lean over it a little to see the woman. She’s plump, with dark hair, blue eyes, and a squished face. She looks the opposite of friendly. She’s wearing a black headset that you realize is some sort of Bluetooth.

You wait until she is done speaking to talk to her.

“Um, hello?”

She doesn’t look at you for a moment, reaching up instinctively as if she thinks you’re in her headset before she realizes she’s speaking to a real person. She eyes you.

“What?”

You were right to guess she wasn’t very friendly.

“I was wondering if I could borrow your phone,” you say kindly. “I have to call someone and I accidentally left my phone upstairs.”

She looks bored and eyes you for another second before looking back at her computer screen. “Just go up and get it.”

“It’s urgent,” you lie. Man, this is going to be awkward after you make the call right in front of her and she finds out its personal.

She eyes you again. “You have five minutes.”

You smile at her. “I’ll only need three.”

You wait as she plops one of the black phones on top of the counter, and it’s so high that you have to go up on your tiptoes to see the number pad.

“Type extension 382 first, then the number.”

With that, she gets back to her work and you pull the phone from the receiver. You flatten the paper on the desk and do as she instructed.

You wonder if he’ll even pick up. This will be an unknown number to him, and you know that if it were you, you wouldn’t answer.

It rings three times before a familiar, gruff voice answers.

“Hello?”

“Bucky? It’s Y/N.”

He sounds surprised. “Y/N?” There’s a pause, a honking noise, and then he sounds as if he’s realized something. “Steve gave you my number.”

“Yeah,” you say. “I had to call you from a work phone, though.”

You catch the woman looking up at you briefly and can tell she’s annoyed that this is a personal call. You’re sure this call needs to be as short as you can possibly make it or else you’re afraid she’ll just cut it herself.

“Oh.”

“Listen, are you busy for lunch in, like, half an hour?”

Bucky thinks for a moment on the other line and the lady looks at you again, her gaze becoming more venomous. You’re pretty sure that once she looks at you a third time she’s going to end your call for you.

Just as you’re about to scold him for an answer, Bucky speaks up.

“Yeah, I’m—”

You feel bad, but you have to cut him off.

“Okay, great. Meet me at the Deli down the street from Steve’s studio at 12 sharp. My treat.”

Bucky chuckled on the other end. “Your treat? What do you need from me?”

You smile despite the situation. “Just your brain.”

“Sure you don’t want Banner or Stark for that one?”

“I’m sure,” the woman was giving you her last angry glare. You had to go. “See you then, Buck.”

“Looking forward to having my brain probed. Bye, Y/N.”

You hang up, thank the lady, and make your way back upstairs as fast as you can. 12:00 can’t come quick enough.

Bucky wonders what you want to talk to him about as he drives a company truck to the deli and parallel parks a couple blocks down. The flatbed of the truck is filled with mismatched pieces of junk, from broken computers to the plastic from the top of a printer. It’s all stuff that can be broken down and reprocessed at a plant.

The city is taking down an old building and putting a new office building up in its place. It’s Bucky’s job as the assistant to take all the not-so-useless junk and dispose of it somewhere where it can be reused.

He doesn’t have to be at the plant until two, and he finished loading everything up early, so he has about two hours or so to spare.

Walking into the Deli, he’s hit with a wave of merciful heat and he immediately pulls his coat off. The deli is small with few patrons a small line for take-out. One woman is sipping an iced coffee through a straw while she types madly on a computer. Two men are sitting at a table wearing yellow vests and eating huge subs. Bucky wonders if he would have ended up as one of them, working for the DPW if he hadn’t begun working with the demolition company.

It takes him barely a moment of looking around to find Y/N sitting in a corner flanked by two windows with an empty seat across from her. There’s a wrapped sandwich and a water sitting on the table in front of the other seat.

She’s smoothing out the wrapper of her own sandwich as if the creases in the paper wrapping are offending and should not be allowed to exist.

“Hey,” he says, walking over and taking a seat in front of her.

She looks up at him and smiles. “Hey,” she shoots back, and then nods to the sandwich. “Got you a BLT.”

Bucky’s suspicions are steadily growing. He pulls the paper from around the sandwich and lays it on the table as Y/N had done, though he couldn’t care less about the creases. He looks between the sandwich and the girl, eyeing both with the suspicion of someone who thinks he’s being played.

“What’s this about?” he asks.

She swallows and puts her sandwich down, looking like she’s about to ask him a ground-breaking, life-changing question. Her eyes quickly flick over to his arm and he’s suddenly very sure he knows what this is about.

But that’s strange. Yesterday—or really early this morning—he was talking to Y/M/N about him having been in the military. Now Y/N is eyeing his arm like she really wants to ask what happened but she doesn’t want to sound impolite.

Then there’s the fact that they’re both editors. That’s weird. And how Y/N reminds him of Y/M/N.

He’s an apopheniac, he has to be. He’s seeing coincidences where there really aren’t any. It’s his brain playing tricks on him. In truth, maybe he just wants this strange girl to be Y/N. Though, probably not. Then again, maybe this whole time he thought he was jealous of Y/N for being so close to Steve, he was really jealous of Steve for being so close to Y/N.

That thought derails him so fast that he doesn’t hear it when Y/N actually asks her question.

She lets out a breath as if it’s a load-off to finally ask him, and he’s struck with the realization that if he says he didn’t hear her, she probably won’t take it well. He waits for her to say something else, but when she doesn’t he takes a leap of faith based on her glance at his arm.

“You want to know how I lost my arm,” he says, rather than asks. If her expression of shock and discomfort is any indication, he’s screwed up.

Big time.

Shit.

“I mean,” she straightens in her chair. “I guess—it’s sorta part of it? Yeah.”

She sounds so lost and he feels so bad.

He still has no idea what her original question was though. ‘Part of it.’ His thoughts drift back to his earlier conversation with the girl he’s been talking to over text. The military. Could that be what Y/N wants to know about?

No, it’s just too weird. There’s no way. But he has to know.

“The military? You want to know about the military?”

She nods, looking slightly guilty. “Yeah,” he tries not to let his breath of relief show, “I—uh, fact-checking. I’m fact-checking an article.”

Bucky nods slowly, sandwich forgotten. She’s a terribly liar. “You’re a terrible liar.”

Sitting back as if she’s been punched in the gut, she blinks once, twice, three times—“I’m not lying.”

“Your body language gives you away.”

“Is that something you learned in the military?”

Bucky chuckles. “That’s something I learned from a whole lot of spy movies. Seriously, why do you want to know?”

She takes a bite of her sandwich and speaks around it. Altogether, not the most sexy, but that’s okay.

“Research,” she says slowly.

Bucky creases his eyebrows. “For?”

“For a project?”

“If you’re going to lie, at least lie with conviction,” Bucky says. “One of these days, I’m going to teach you how to lie the right way.”

Laughing, she pulls her chair in a little more and sits forward. The picture of seriousness, she says, “Alright, if I tell you, you need to promise me you won’t tell Steve.” She sounds reluctant to tell him at all. This must not have been her plan.

Bucky draws a cross over his heart with his index finger. “Cross my heart or hope to die.”

She shakes her head. “Gotta be stronger than that. You have to pinkie promise.”

He gasps dramatically. “Not a pinkie promise. This must really be serious.”

Reaching over, she swats his arm. “Buck, I’m serious.”

“Okay, okay,” he surrenders, holding up his pinkie. She links hers with his and he’s momentarily struck by how soft her skin is. Then it’s over. “Tell me.”

She steels herself, he can see it. Jeez, it must really be something serious or she wouldn’t be swearing him to secrecy using childish, yet efficient tactics. It strikes him that she tells Steve everything, same as him, so for her to say she doesn’t want him to know must mean it’s not necessarily something good.

He lets himself think for a moment that she might be about to confess that she’s the mystery girl he’s been texting. It’s much more likely, though, that she’s about to tell him she’s got feelings for Steve or something.

Steeling himself as well, he waits as she takes a deep breath.

“I may or may not—”

“You may,” he corrects. She glares at him.

“—have answered a text from a guy who was trying to text someone else—”

This is where Bucky stops listening and his internal monologue becomes one word:

Fuck.

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tumblunni · 7 years

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Random Long Post About Charon!

This is random, but I feel like fans often don’t take into consideration what Professor Rowan says during the Rotom event. I think his words actually make it very clear that Charon was the kid who wrote the diary and shines some light on Charon’s motivation for acting like a jerk to Rotom. I’ll explain why I believe this: “Ah, imagine finding you here! You must be eager to fill your Pokédex to be searching even here. What am I doing? I visit a professor I know in Eterna every so often. He tells me intriguing rumors of rare Pokémon sightings and such.” This part isn’t particularly relevant (though I do sort of wonder if the Professor Rowan visits is actually Charon himself), but this next part definitely is: “A Pokémon that slips into electric appliances, you say… Hmm… That is somewhat off from what I’ve heard about it. Hmm… This is what I’ve heard. Long ago, there was a Pokémon that merged with a toy robot. Should that Pokémon be recognized as a new species or not… Debates over the issue were about to start when they were rendered moot. The very topic of discussion–the Pokémon-infused robot–disappeared…” Okay, so the first thing that is really important to note here is that Rowan doesn’t have the exact same information as the player. This means Charon has done research that he was keeping to himself, and fits in with Charon writing that he wants his Rotom research to be a “secret.” But we also learn here that other scientists were at least introduced to Rotom somehow despite this. Now, as for the “topic of discussion… disappeared” part–because Charon’s lab is secret, these words don’t refer to Rotom leaving the lab. Instead, they must refer to Charon putting it in that lab to keep it a secret. This might seem odd at first–why would Rotom have been introduced to scientists in the first place at all then…? But I actually think this all makes sense. Here’s a stripped-down version of the backstory based on all these details: –Charon obtains information about Rotom “by pure chance,” as he writes in the journal we know for a fact is his. –Other researchers somehow knew about it and were going to start debates about it. –Rotom is locked away in the lab by Charon so that he would get all the credit for describing it. –Rotom eventually leaves the lab. This still haves a lot to be desired. Is Charon the same person who found Rotom as a child? It seems that way, since the speech patterns and diction are the same. But then how and why did other researchers learn about Rotom in the first place? Why did Charon want all the credit only after this happened? Here is where analyzing Charon’s character makes everything clear. Obviously, Charon is a greedy person. Specifically, he seems to be someone who is pragmatic to the point of being a cynical jerk. He desires money for himself and his team, but we know from his dialogue that it’s because he thinks people can’t achieve anything without it. We can also see that Charon has a high opinion of himself (he says so), but it also seems like he may have a low opinion of himself at the same time. The fact that he keeps trying to assert his self-worth, brag, and explain that he has a place in Team Galactic every time he speaks in-game hints at this. Also, Charon’s own co-workers hate him. Considering his plan at the end of the game, we know that if Charon were presented with a way to make himself known to all, he would do everything he could to make that happen. He also at one point says “I like seeing children try their best,” which sounds a bit weird out-of-context, but makes perfect sense if the Rotom kid’s childhood was his. Putting together all of the information I’ve discussed, here is my interpretation, applying Occam’s Razor the whole way through, of the story behind the Rotom event: –Charon came across information about Rotom “by pure chance.” How? When it came out of a lawnmower in his childhood. –At some point, Charon was excited to tell everyone about Rotom. They were probably still close friends at this point. –Other researchers were going to start debates on Rotom after Charon gave them some information about it. –Because of Charon’s greed, desire to belong, and selfishness, he became possessive and wanted to get “all the credit.” He freaked out and locked Rotom away in his secret lab. –Everyone was confused because it had disappeared, and debates couldn’t continue. –Rotom was upset and tired of being stuck in the lab and left. I’m almost certain this is the story the writers intended.

+++

Bunni’s comments! (is it a tad awkward that you keep sending these as submissions? have you thought about posting your thoughts on your own blog and then I could reblog them? sorry to make you go to all this trouble!)

REALLY LONG THOUGHTS BELOW THE CUT:

This is a really well reasoned theory!! I dunno if we’ll ever really be able to know what story the writers intended until we actually get this plotline expanded in a remake HINT HINT NINTENDO But it does definately seem to me that Charon = kid who had that cute backstory in that journal literally in Charon’s lab written like Charon talks and nobody else does. That seems very much like the simplest option to me, and it makes this character so much more well-developed, yet its kinda not a popuar theory.. alas... I don’t completely follow this exact sequence of events in my headcanons but I do think it fits perfectly with everything we know so far. You’re so good at analysis!!

Personally I think maybe people forget about Rowan’s few sentences at the start of the event... just cos the event is really hard to find. Practically nobody actually played this thing, I certainly never got a chance to do it until a decade later when i was able to emulate + use gamesharks. So before that I got my information secondhand through script-dumps and lets play videos, and a lot of people seem to leave out the rowan bit. A lot of people actually leave out the diary too! It seems even people who actually played the event didnt realise it was there, just grabbed their new rotom form and left. Alas poor Charon, ignored even in a meta sense! Also on Bulbapedia the script-dumps are organized weird. The actual page for the event and the Rotom Room as an area don’t contain it, its just got the diary part and the rowan part cut off separate and put on charon and rowan’s pages respectively.

Anyway, my personal thoughts + alternate interpretation to add to this!

To me it didnt sound like someone else discovered a rotom and tried to start these debates, then Charon freaked out at the competition and became paranoid. To me it sounded like Rowan was talking about someone (Charon) who started a debate and then suddenly vanished on the day it was going to take place. i dunno, just the way it was phrased seemed to come off like this was some relative unknown who popped up with this information about rotom, and then everyone assembled to hear him out. Cos specifically the ONLY information Rowan knows is that its ‘a pokemon that can possess a toy robot’, you’d think if multiple scientists were debating the existence of rotom for a long time then they’d have more info than that, info that isnt super specific to Charon’s situation. Or, at least, you’d think that if they were still researching rotom AFTER this one failed conference, they would have gained more info by now? I dunno, its hard to explain what I mean.

So, the basis for all my deductions is this interpretation that Charon (at least for that moment) had decided his rotom research was finished and wanted to reveal it. For me, the big question is... why didnt he?

WHY would Charon not want to boast about his discovery in this ‘debate about rotom’? We know at least one famous pokemon professor was gonna be there! Charon’s whole thing is (supposedly) wanting to become famous cos of rotom, absolutely no attatchment to it except as a revenue source, yep totally, no lies here. So you’d think that joining in a big debate with a bunch of high ranking scientists and making his great reveal would be.. like.. exactly what he wanted?? Why did it not happen??

My interpretation of this is kind of a mushy one linked to my general irrational decision that this man is potentially redeemable and totally has a soul. Alas, why can I never leave the grampademption train! I think that maybe this was some sort of major moment where the good and bad sides of his character clashed. REALLY CLASHED. He’s spent so many years trying to lock off himself into two mutually conflicting boxes, the innocent kid who sees this pokemon as a friend and the bitter cynical old bastard who wants to become famous off it. And now he has to choose, and it led to a complete mental breakdown! He initially chose money over rotom, he was gonna go ahead with the presentation. But then his better side won out and he cancelled it at the last second. He got cold feet, being scared of losing his best friend. Maybe he was actually going so far as to do some sort of morally repugnant deal, he was gonna sell rotom off to the highest bidder and never see it again? Or it’d have to be dissected as the first specemin of a new species, or locked up forever and experimented upon? Or maybe its just simply.. when you only have one friend in the world you kinda wonder if they’d want to keep you around if they found another friend. Maybe he thought rotom only needed him because of his research, maybe he thought it would become just as greedy as him if it got the chance? Maybe he thought that it would leave him if he let anyone else know it existed, which is what led to his growing paranoia and decision that his research was perpetually ‘not done yet’. (Cos seriously, what you see of his lab and stuff seems pretty finished???)

So that’s my interpretation of why he and rotom ‘vanished’ at that point, but then there’s the question of how they ended up separated. this is now going into complete fanfic territory, I dont really have evidence for any of it. In my image of how this whole scene would go down, mid-freakout Charon would have snapped at rotom and it led to an argument that ultimately resulted in like... triple decker bonus back of Regrettable Decisions. Charon’s been shown to kinda dig himself further into his own grave whenever his plans go wrong. So here we go, scene is set with Charon suddenly grabbing everything and running the fuck out the fire exit, five seconds before the meeting is about to start. From rotom’s perspective, it has NO IDEA what is going on, it just listens when he says to get in the pokeball. And now we have Charon in the position of having NO CLUE how to explain this all when he opens that pokeball again, he’d never just be honest about his feelings. Hell, he’s such an emotionally stunted guy wrapped up in his own neuroses, i don’t know if he’d even be honest about his feelings to HIMSELF! He just sitting here having a panic attack like ‘why did i do that?? I was about to become rich??’ Giant neon sign flies overhead saying ‘YOU HAVE EMOTIONS’, he ignores it. I figure he’d also exaggerate it in his head and destroy his entire scientific career just because he thinks he’s embarassed himself too much to go back. And he’s decided that this somehow proves that being a good person will only ruin all your dreams, and you have to be as bitter as possible to succeed. this is where he went from a dubious guy who occasionally breaks the law to ‘well I’d better jump off the slippery slope forever and join a space based evil team, literally just because of One Social Anxiety Moment’. (Relateable, amirite?) And ironically everyone he met that day is literally just thinking ‘oh god what happened to that guy, is he okay?’ and would have totally understood if he just explained his damn self... So all his panic comes to a head and he decides to blame rotom rather than actually do some in-depth analysis of his own life choices. I feel bad because I don’t want to hurt my friend?? I personally value friends higher than money? No, nonsense, you’ve somehow CORRUPTED ME! How could you do this, don’t you know how important that meeting was? WAS THIS YOUR PLAN ALL ALONG??? It was my ONE CHANCE! (apparantly, according to me)

So even though he just ran away because he didn’t want to lose rotom.... he throws away rotom. (just imagine the internal screaming this man must have experienced for the next twenty years)

It was a stupid, STUPID decision based on misdirected anger that he should have been aiming at himself. Nope, can’t believe that the great charon might have made a mistake, that friendship might indeed be a thing that exists in your dried up old heart. Instead it has just proven that friendship = weakness! And now because of this you’ve turned a salvageable situation into the worst disaster possible, yet again. (Man, I feel like Charon can barely survive without rotom. Its not just his conscience but a large chunk of his common sense...)

And rotom of course has NO IDEA why its suddenly been abandoned, so it probably was a really depressing time sitting alone in its trainer’s old house, hoping he’ll eventually come back so you can apologise for something that you don’t even know what it is... And at the same time we have Charon freaking the fuck out for decades, too caught up in his own neuroses to make the very simple decision of just turning around and walking back to where he left that pokeball. And even if he got there, what would he even say? Would he actually have the balls to admit he was wrong, or would he make excuses? ‘Oh, I was just too busy to visit, so much work to do, don’t make a mountain out of a molehill’ In his darkest moments he even considers that maybe he’s wrong to regret this decision at all. ‘But I did the right thing, I don’t need rotom, I don’t need anyone, I have to sacrifice everything to be famous...’ He’s probably even managed to get all the way to the door of the old chateau before running away yet again, leaving rotom thinking it just imagined seeing him outside the window :( Its like in his past when he startled rotom and it thought it had hurt him, but this is if he didn’t chase after it and just left time frozen on that moment. Well, he wishes it was, that he could just choose any second to take back his decision and everything would go back to normal. Never that easy, though...

I APOLOGISE FOR OVERLY LONG POORLY EXPLAINED FANFIC THOUGHTS WHILE I AM SLEEP DEPRIVED ok i need to go cry over dumb grandpas and then probably get some damn rest

oh wait one last random headcanon! i think that charon’s secret lab in team galactic eterna building is actually something he only built after the big moment of abandoning his pokemon Why does Charon have a rotom lab here if he doesnt have a rotom anymore? sure it could just mean he lost his rotom relatively recently, but since my fanfic idea places it earlier in the timeline I like to think that maybe he’s made this room in case he ever gets rotom back. He made a bunch of form-machines even better than the old ones, and decorated the place all fancy, and hopes that maybe it could be at least a small apology for all the suffering he’s put his friend through. Though he doesnt understand that rotom isnt as superficial as he is, so he cant just buy back its love... He just sits in there are rereads his journal whenever he gets nostalgic, he hasnt actually done any science in there for years. Also, it would maybe explain the duplicate rotom lab in silph co in HGSS? that’s the original, and he’s tried to make his new galactic lab as similar as possible because of how guilty he feels, and how he wants to just escape that guilt by turning back time instead of actually saying sorry.

A big thing I always struggle with in writing redemptiony fics is whether I’m lessening a character’s evil and forgiving them too easily and all. I think this series of events would definately still qualify as A Total Dick Move, even if its one that actually has a reason to it other than just ‘i’m evil’, and hurt himself as much as he hurt rotom. And man its so frustrating, seriously I’m here like ‘DUDE STOP IGNORING YOUR EPIPHANIES, JUST GO APOLOGIZE’ yet I also know that if I make him do it immediately and have everything resolved without conflict it’ll be so much less of a believeable redemption arc :P so yeah believe me i still wanna slap charon just as much as everyone who hates charon does, just for different reasons XD Also he needs a hug too. But he needs to do a lot of development before he could actually earn it!

#charonnningggg ramblinggggg #oh no u unleashed the Bunni Thoughts #just imagine him standing on a cliff and a bunch of choose-your-own-adventure text boxes pop up #Option A: become famous and lose your best friend #Option B: keep best friend and sacrifice famous #he somehow picks option C and throws rotomm off the cliff #IMMEDIATE SCREAMING #You have picked: lose both #new theory: charon is so short cos he spent the next decade kicking himself #submission

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madelinewhoo · 7 years

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11 Questions

I was tagged by @lonely-moon-princess! (Asjksghbj thank you for tagging me I love your blog!!)

Rules:

1. Answer the questions.

2. Write 11 questions of your own. (Nope too much effort not doing this.)

3. Tag 11 people.

Questions:

1. Are aliens real?

Yes. Duh. Next!

2. What’s the best thing to happen to you today?

It’s only 12 right now but it’s probably going to be seeing Wonder Woman. I am soooo very excited.

3. Favorite movie from when you were little?

Hmm this is difficult but I agree with Mak the Barbie movies were always fantastic. Also we had a compilation of old Mickey Mouse shorts and those were great. I especially liked the Donald Duck version of those.

4. Best book you’ve ever read?

OKAY LEMME TELL YOU my favorite book is Ready Player One by Ernest Kline. AND THEY’RE MAKING A MOVIE AND I’M SO EXCITED because this book is so amazing. It’s a dystopian novel in which the earth is slowly falling apart, and most of the human race spends their lives in a virtual world called the OASIS. You should read it if you can.

It might not be the best book ever written but it’s like my chicken soup book and I love it.

5. Who’s your role model and why?

Terrie Williams, a marine biologist who wrote the book The Odyssey of KP2. You should also read that.

6. What was your happiest day?

This is really really difficult but it was probably the day my baby sister was born. This sounds unfair to my other sister but I don’t remember how I felt when she was born so there’s no comparison.

7. How do you feel about roller coasters?

I love roller coasters. I will go with you on any roller coaster ever.

8. What’s your favorite thing to wear and why?

This really generic but very soft red flannel shirt I have. And also my black converse.

9. What would be your perfect day?

I dunno. It kind of depends on the day. Some days I would just like to sleep for twenty-four hours but today I want to spend with a friend who isn’t tiring to talk to, you know?

10. What color is your room?

Red, white, and black. And some silver I guess.

11. What do you do with your school supplies when the year ends?

It depends on what it is. If it’s notebooks that I might need next year because they have important info then I keep them until the next summer. If it’s pencils or pens and they can still be used I keep them. Honestly if anything is still usable I keep it until school starts again just in case we forget to buy something.

Wow I’m long-winded. Sorry. Here are the tags if you would like to do it!

@fluffybrunette @peculiar-pan @megoonthecarkiller @herequeerandemo @tinyemojellyfish @streakofrainbow @fluff-support @okidokieartichokie @pianoaddictednerd @enochiansam @i-used-to-be-on-fire

#caps //#ask game #*sings* my tagging system is a mess someone heeeeelp!

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it-refused · 7 years

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Working Title: Forward, Back (5/?)

Summary: Knowing what’s going to happen doesn’t mean Sans can stop it. Maybe he could’ve put it off forever. Sans decides to go.

Rating: T

Part Summary: Sans has a bad dream and hangs out with Alphys. There’s robot tag.

>>First Part<<

C/N: Mental Illness

In the middle of a warm sunny day and surrounded by people, Sans felt a shock. It was like ice water was dumped down the back of his spine.

He stopped walking and slowly turned around, 180°. There was a shape, there, behind him. There was a face, like a mask, with two asymmetrical eye sockets staring right into his. The figure had a white outline that filled up with bright light that made the inside of Sans' skull loud with static.

Sans slowly lifted his hand. He had a headache already. "hey."

He thought he saw shapes, words, shaking in the air. Sounds, too, almost like a voice.

"sorry, pops," Sans heard himself say. "didn't get a word of that."

The voice cut off. Sans blinked rapidly, trying to clear the afterimages from his vision. Dad was gone.

The person Sans was walking with asked him if he had stopped for a phone call.

"nah. you didn't see the weirdo following us? heh."

No one else would see him. Sans knew that. Dad was shattered across time and space. There were a couple bigger pieces hanging around. He wasn't so much stopping for a visit as he was just a little bit always there.

Well, there was no fixing it.

That night he uncovered his homemade telescope and fussed with it for a little while. He'd tossed a tarp over it after his last visit from his dad, intending to leave it outside until it rotted. The months hadn't been kind to it, but it hadn't gone completely back to its natural garbage state quite yet.

"hey, pops," Sans said. "you there?"

Everything stayed quiet.

"oh well. look, you trying to tell me something? you've been showing up a lot lately. now's your chance. you show up right now, i'm all ears. heh." He finished setting up and peered through the eye piece. "lay it on me."

No visions, no sound. Whatever triggered the visits wasn't happening. Sans hung around and found all the planets that were visible. If anyone asked what he'd been up do, he'd tell them he was "checking out uranus" and they'd probably leave it alone.

The night stayed quiet.

Something felt off-kilter. The smell of dust in the lab was thick, overpowering. Sans was looking at blueprints, and was sure he had never been doing anything else.

He couldn't make out specific words or lines on the blueprints anymore, but they seemed to have meaning, anyway. They shifted and he was struck by a realization. The answer had been staring him in the face. He could fix everything, now.

Sans knew he needed to call Alphys so she could bring over materials and confirm he was correct. He reached for his phone.

He woke and, not entirely aware yet, he fumbled for his real phone and brought up Alphys' number.

Sans rubbed his head and groaned. What a stupid dream. At least a real nightmare made a cool story.

Before he set the phone back on the nightstand, he took another look at the picture he had set for Alphys' contact info. She was in one of her cosplay wigs. Undyne had her arm over her shoulders, and Alphys looked happy.

The details of the dream were slipping away, but that didn't matter. When he'd had that one before and tried to hold onto them, his burst of inspiration always turned out to be something like rubbing the broken machine with vinegar or sticking a car engine into it and having Papyrus drive it. His idea was always something random related to what he'd been doing that day.

Sans wished his own head would quit jerking him around.

Grillby made a confused crackling sound and pushed at the hand Sans was still holding the phone in. His meaning was clear enough. He should put it down and go back to sleep.

"snack time. want me to grab something for you?"

Grillby dropped his head back down.

"more for me."

Sans carried his phone into the living room. Soozen was on the couch, an entire box of cookies (box included) halfway in her mouth.

"hey, kiddo," Sans said. He noticed she had an unopened bag of chips next to her, too. Maybe Papyrus was right when he said there was a major growth spurt on the horizon. "let me have some chips and what's happening here is between you and me."

She nodded. The pact was sealed.

He carried his phone and a handful of chips into the kitchen and settled in at the table. It was a little after four in the morning.

"heeeeey, alphys, my best buddy."

"S-sans? What the hell are you--wait. is-is someone sick? Dead??" Her voice went up in pitch the longer she talked.

"nah."

"W-well, good! I was about to say 'someone better be dead' and then I thought 'what if they actually are, Alphys, oh my god?'"

"you up?"

"No! Well, now I am!! I guess!" He heard her sigh. "I didn't want to wake up Undyne answering my phone in the middle of the night, like a jerk."

Yeah, this was a bad idea. Still, Sans felt himself relaxing, hearing her voice. She'd really tried to help him, back in the day.

He hadn't been the best friend to her. He wanted to excuse himself because he'd been dealing with a lot at the same time she was, but that was probably just a cheap excuse for being lazy.

"geez, it's later than i thought. sorry, buddy."

"Uhoh. I know what this is!"

"uh. what is it."

"It's been years since we had a, you know, club meeting."

"oh right."

"W-well then, get over here. I, uh, have a couple movies we could watch and I can grab some snacks! I mean, if you want."

It was their club for monsters with shit sleeping schedules. It met only in the middle of the night and they were the only members. Alphys was the founder and she had given Sans the title "first officer." He hadn't wanted it.

Sans didn't reply right away, so the next thing Alphys said had a nervous edge to it.

"...that's not why you c-called, is it? God, sorry, just please tell me what it is so I can climb out the bottom of this trash can, okay?"

"nah. that was it." He'd just wanted to hear her say something, but getting out of the house actually sounded like a good idea. "i'll be there--" he took a short cut "--two seconds ago." He spoke from directly behind her.

She jumped and electricity bolted out of the end of her phone. She was still holding it to her ear, so the lightning singed the floor.

A panel in the wall opened up and a small robot rolled up to the spot and hit it with a fire extinguisher.

"Sans! Just for that, we're watching the movie I know you'll hate."

"i'll watch anything," Sans said.

She patted the little robot on the head. "Even if you don't like it, you should at least appreciate it. The animation is top tier even if the fanservice almost crosses the line into exploitation. Uh. It’s sci fi!"

They went downstairs into her work room. Robot parts were scattered around and plans were tacked up on the wall next to pictures of anime characters Alphys found inspirational. There was an old, worn couch in the back of the room for her to pass out on if she'd worked too long without taking a break, and a very expensive looking television in front of that. Sans would've gone for the nice couch and the crap TV if he'd been the one making the choice, but everyone had their own priorities.

"This really takes me back!" Alphys said, as she set up the television. "Feeling like garbage in some dirty basement in the middle of the night!"

"yeah. i'm getting all, uh, nostalgic."

"Right?? Except, in the bad way? Like, thank god I'm not back then! Nostalgic for right now? No, ignore me. That doesn't make any sense."

"i dunno." Sans yawned and stretched out. He needed to send a message to Grillby, but he didn't want to wake him up again. "feels like we're all still back down there sometimes, anyway." Time travel was a rip off, Sans decided. All you had to do to stay in the past was have a lot of messed up stuff happen so you always felt like part of you was back there when it happened. All that scientific research and there'd turned out to be a much lazier way to go back that didn't risk destroying reality.

"God! You're in a bad mood." She sat down next to him. "But, yeah. I wake up in the middle of the night and come down here, and when I open the door I feel like I'm going to step right into my old lab and all the stuff I did to make that...not right, really, but better--it's going to just be gone."

"that sucks." He patted her arm.

"Yeah, I know!" She turned on the movie.

There was an edge to the conversation. There was always that chance that it could literally happen--they could wake up back then, and everything good they'd had since then would be gone. That sucked.

He was really tired.

Sans watched an anime character with carefully but unbelievably animated breasts swoop around in the movie intro. "wow." Well, this was distracting.

Alphys started to explain the plot, since it was a movie based on an anime Sans hadn't seen. Sans started to fall asleep.

He heard footsteps tromping down the stairs, and opened one eye socket to see if it was Undyne or one of the kids.

"Hey!" Undyne stage whispered. "When did this loser get here?"

Alphys paused the show.

"hey," Sans said. "you can see i'm awake, pal."

"Oh! Sorry! When'd you get here, loser?" She laughed and came over to smack him affectionately on the shoulder, but he decided to sit on the other side of the couch.

"Uh, we decided to watch a movie," Alphys said. "Kind of a weird time for it, but...um..."

"nah. i think you've gotta watch a show like this when no one else is awake."

"Time is a meaningless social construct anyway, am I right? Eheheheh..."

"Well, shove over and let me watch, too! I love this one!"

Now that Undyne was there, she and Alphys started to discuss the intricacies of the plot. Sans' skull fell back and he let their impassioned discussion of something he didn't care about act as white noise to nod off to.

"So, what's his deal?" Undyne asked. Sans was still awake, but he guessed he looked like he was out.

"Ummm...like a bad dream, maybe," Alphys said.

"still awake," Sans said, before the conversation got embarrassing. "maybe i just missed the sound of alphys' voice. you think of that?"

"Ha, right!" Undyne reached over Alphys and gripped his shoulder. "Just cop to it! No one cares! We're not going to think you're any more of a wimp because you had a nightmare. I have them all the time, and I can kick anyone's butt!"

"It's true! It's completely normal," Alphys said. "The kids get them pretty bad."

"We woke up just a couple nights ago because Striker was wailing her friggin heads off. I couldn't even get it out of her what she'd been dreaming about."

"man, you two are really giving me a revelation here. people have bad dreams. wow, thanks."

"Hey, Sans? Don't be a jerk!" Alphys said.

"yeah, sorry. you're helping me out." And neither of them had even mentioned that they probably had to get up early and haul some kids to school.

"And don't forget it!" Undyne's hand was digging in so hard he was starting to worry about HP loss. "Because we'll do it any time, no problem." She was smiling.

Jeez, he really must look like he was messed up. "thanks."

She sighed and let go of him. He rotated his shoulder. It still worked, some how. "You know--this movie's great, but there's something that really distracts me when I need it!"

"ok?"

"Robot tag!" She jumped up and grabbed a loose robot arm off the floor. It looked a little like an extra one of Mettaton's.

"Maybe we should just watch the show?" Alphys said.

Undyne came after her with the robot arm.

"W-wait! Let me get a hiding space, or a head start--or something!" Alphys scrambled off the couch.

"you'd better get armed, alphs," Sans said.

"You aren't getting out of this, either!" Undyne said. "Arm YOURSELF!"

"k." He got off the couch and picked up the closest robot leg.

Sans spent half an hour leaning against the edge of the couch holding a robot leg while Alphys and Undyne chased each other around their basement. It did give him something to look at when the women in Alphys' movie started to get weird.

Undyne suddenly charged at him and he dodged out of the way to the other side of the couch. Alphys popped right up from where she'd been hiding behind it and booped him in the back of the skull with a robot hand.

Alphys laughed, delighted at herself. "You're so predictable!"

"And, you're SO IT!" Undyne added. "Teaming up is the key to victory!" She ran over and gave Alphys' robot hand a high five with her robot arm.

That was a little annoying. "k," Sans said.

"N-nothing can defeat the p-power of...of...love! And friendship!" Alphys exclaimed. They were both so excited about tagging him.

"k." He decided to get Alphys back, since she was the one who actually got him. He looked at her.

"Jeez...uh...maybe...tone down your creep eye?" Alphys said. "And, um---no tag backs!"

Sans was sure that wasn't true, since Alphys and Undyne had been chasing each other and mostly ignoring him until then, but ok. He turned his glowy blue eye that was totally cool and not at all creepy onto Undyne.

"I'd like to see you TRY, punk!"

"ok."

When Grillby asked him how his late night hang-out with Alphys had gone, Sans shrugged and said "it was mostly just weird." The game had ended for Sans when a stampede of children came down the stairs at six in the morning and joined in. He'd given up his leg to some tyke way more excited about physical activity than he was, and gone home.

He finished watching the movie at home. He hated it, sure, but he still needed to know the ending. Alphys gloated when he told her that, and said there was a sequel if he needed to stop by again.

He had the best friends in the world.

>>Next Part<<

#sansby #my fic #fanfic #fb fic

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deafeningcreationperson-blog · 6 years

Text

Why is classic car insurance more?

"Why is classic car insurance more?

For a teen I mean. I know these types of cars need special insurance companies but these special companies don't take 18 year old drivers. I'm currently parting out a 76 camaro with a tired 250 v6 so it's not fast in any ways. Though it is still called a sports coupe . so I was curious and got a quote and they quoted me $550 a month. strange thing is my friend drives an 04 rsx that's standard (the camaro is auto) and pays the same rate monthly under his parents. What are the factors that determine these rates? safety? engine size? the amount of damage they do? I had a 03 civic coupe (standard) briefly and was paying $260 a month under my parents insurance. According to the insurance company, all these cars are considered sports cars and therefore have higher rates however they would not tell me the reasons why and that is what I am here to ask.

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