#it just feels like home unno | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wolfjackle-creates · 8 months

Text

Bring Me Home Arc 2 Part 13

Happy Wednesday! This arc is over 20k already. How many of you didn't realize that? I've got a longer segment for you this week. There wasn't really a good place to end it and this brings us to the end of the scene. If you like banter, this segment is for you.

Story Summary: Tim and Danny are both neglected by parents who care more about their work than their families. They deal with this by spending too much time online and find each other playing MMORPGs. They keep up their friendship as Tim becomes Robin and Danny becomes Phantom and don't bother keeping secrets from each other.

First, Previous

Word Count: 2.2k

-----

Jeremy couldn’t help but add, “Be sure to mention us to your dad, Timothy. It’s been ages since we’ve last been able to meet at a gala!”

“Yes, sir,” said Tim. Not that he’d be following through. Assholes. Danny pushed him up a wide staircase that framed the entranceway to get to the second floor.

“Exactly like my parents,” he told Sam.

“I swear, if I didn’t have Gradma Ida, I’d go insane. My room’s this way.”

Sam’s room was so large that not only did she have a double bed and vanity, but also a couch and enough cushions that they were all able to spread out comfortably. Tim and Danny took beanbag chairs next to each other. His friends took the couch while Tucker took a space on the floor and promptly pulled out a laptop and two PDAs. Sam settled in a rocking chair.

Tim laid out the goodies they’d gotten from the corner store. “We brought snacks.”

Sam grabbed a bag of chips. “Thanks. So what’s on the agenda for the night?”

Cassie asked, “Is there anything we can do about the ghosts?”

Danny buried his face in his hands. “I don’t know. I can’t get a close enough read on them to see where any are. And there’s so many that even if I knock one out of a human, another would just take it’s place.”

“Any idea what they might be after?” asked Tim. “The ones last night were wearing uniforms like police officers. And we saw the news report from your school earlier. That one looked like a werewolf.”

“He was wearing a collar,” added Bart. “And his outfit also appeared to be a uniform of some sort, though not a police one.”

All of them stared at Bart.

“You don’t think he was there willingly,” said Sam.

Bart shrugged. “Didn’t look that way to me.”

Danny groaned and leaned over until he was resting his head on Tim’s shoulder. “What am I supposed to do with that? What do I do if he’s not here to attack the town?”

Tim wrapped his arm around Danny to hold him steady. “How much sleep were you able to get between last night and now?”

“Unno,” mumbled Danny. “Three, four hours?”

Cassie clicked her tongue at him. “How about you get some rest tonight and we can figure it out tomorrow. We’ll take the night in shifts and if there’s a large-scale attack again, we’ll wake you up.”

Tim sighed. “Much as I hate to admit it, Cassie’s right. You need to sleep.”

Danny snorted into his neck and Tim couldn’t help the way his cheeks heated at the feel of his breath. “Like you’re one to talk.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tim rolled his eyes. “We all know I’m not a good role model. Do as Alfred says, not as I do.”

“Wayne family moto!” Conner teased. Tim gave him the finger.

“Just one thing to do first,” said Bart.

“Yeah,” added Tucker. “I need to fix up Conner’s phone.”

“Two things, then,” amended Bart.

“What’s the other thing?” asked Sam. “I feel like I’m out of the loop.”

Cassie leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. “The Fentons gave us a tour of the lab. We want to arrange a system to get Danny out of Amity if things go bad.”

Tim noted how both Tucker and Sam tensed and exchanged a look. Then Sam nodded. “We’re in. And since you are who you are, which, Danny, we will be talking about how you kept Justice League connections from us later, we’ll trust you to be able to do it.”

“Don’t be mad at him,” protested Tim. “I made him promise to keep my secrets. It wasn’t safe for him to discuss it.”

Tucker waved a hand in the air. “We understand. Doesn’t mean we’re not frustrated with him. Don’t worry about it, though. Your secret’s safe with us.”

Tim bit his lip. “Please. It’s vitally important for my family’s safety that nothing gets out.”

Conner snorted. “Plus Batman would murder you dead if he found out you let anything slip.”

Tim groaned. “Don’t remind me. I’ll have so much paperwork. And would probably be benched for forever.”

Bart laughed and flicked a chip at him. “We’d kidnap you and help you prepare a new hero identity!”

With Danny still leaning on him, Tim couldn’t even catch the projectile and it hit him on the forehead. “I’ll take you up on that if I ever do get benched permanently.”

Sam cleared her throat. “As amusing as this all is, what’s the plan with Danny?”

Danny groaned, but didn’t move. “I don’t need one, guys. It’s not as bad as you think.”

Bart snorted. “Dude, your parents showed us an iron maiden.”

Danny shook his head. “Dad’s the only one who’s been shut up in that. And that was for threatening me and Jazz with it.”

“Um… what?” asked Cassie. “Why does everything you say make me feel more concerned?”

Tucker spoke around a mouthful of jerky. “Because his parents are mad scientists.”

Sam nodded. “No one lives in the houses on either side of his. And the value of every building on the street has plummeted due to proximity.”

Cassie shook her head. “How the hell have they been allowed to do all that? And why haven’t their driver’s licenses been revoked? We saw how they drove that tank of theirs.”

Tucker snorted. “No cop or city official is brave enough to go up to Jack ‘I can run through brick walls’ Fenton and tell him he’s not allowed to do something.”

Sam laughed. “And even if they were, Maddie Fenton has a blackbelt and will hold a grudge.”

“Last night it also seemed like she knows her way around that arsenal she’s got,” said Tim.

“Yeah,” said Danny. “Mom’s the one you’ve got to watch out for when my parents go on the hunt.”

“Okay.” Tim was already thinking up ways to neutralize them. “Us four should be able to handle them. What about Jazz? Is she someone we’d have to worry about?”

Danny pushed himself up and made sure Tim could see him rolling his eyes. “Jazz would never do anything to hurt me.” It was clear Danny believed his statement completely. And, honestly? After all the stories Danny’d told him and meeting Jazz in person, Tim was inclined to believe him. Though Danny wasn’t done. “And my parents would stop if they had any idea I was Phantom.”

Neither Tim nor Danny was as certain about that statement. Glancing around, everyone else seemed to have the same doubts.

“Well,” said Tim. “You know me. And I’ve told you about B. ‘Backup plans’ is my middle name. I’ll feel more comfortable if we have one.”

“Fine.” Danny flopped over until he was laying across Tim’s lap. “But don’t expect me to help.”

Now it was Tim’s turn to roll his eyes, but his fingers were gentle as they brushed through Danny’s hair. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. So, it’s Maddie we’ll have to outsmart. I doubt Jack’s strength is any match for Conner or Cassie.”

“I can get you access to the Fenton house,” said Tucker gesturing to his laptop. “Even if they activate the home defense system.”

Tim nodded. “Thanks. I’ll also get you communicators so you can reach me in case of an emergency.”

“Perfect,” said Sam. “We’ve each other’s cell numbers, too.”

“Yep,” said Tim. “But phones should only be used for civilian identities. If you need the help of heroes, please use the communicators. It’s best to keep things as separate as possible.”

Conner nudged Tim’s foot with his own. “Yep. Tim here won’t let us refer to him by name when he’s in costume. Even if we’re all alone in our own base behind two dozen layers of security.”

“Need I remind you who trained me?”

Cassie laughed. “He’s even worse. You should hear my aunt go on about him.”

Tucker was watching them with interest. “Who’s your aunt?”

Bart disappeared from his spot only to reappear next to Tucker to whisper in his ear.

Tucker’s eyes widened and he stared at Cassie in wonder. “That is so cool! Could you get me an autograph?”

Cassie laughed. “Why so surprised? You know who I am. Did you think I wouldn’t know her?”

Tucker blushed. “Yeah, well. Excuse me for being distracted by the ghost invasion we’re dealing with.”

Tim cleared his throat. “I think we’re getting off topic. Now, we have a way into the Fenton house. Tucker, could you get us all the way into the lab?”

“Easily. I’m fully in all their systems and they’ve no idea.”

“How will we know he’s in trouble?” asked Bart.

Tim bit his lip. “Danny and I already have a system in place where if we don’t hear from each other within seven days without prior warning, we reach out to someone. For me, it’s B’s butler. For him, it’s you Tucker.” He nudged Danny only to realize he had passed out his lap. Tim couldn’t help the fond smile he gave and shook his head. “Tomorrow I’ll propose decreasing that to three or four days.”

Conner nodded. “If none of us hear from one of you for more than four days, we’ll come. Probably me, Bart, or Cassie since we can travel faster.”

Tim grimaced, but nodded. Sometimes it really sucked being the only baseline human in the group.

Bart gave a thumbs up. “I can usually be somewhere in minutes if I’m not tied up doing something else!”

Sam looked them over critically. “You know he’s gonna insist that goes both ways. If you guys don’t check in, he’ll go to you if he can.”

Tucker began typing away on his laptop. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner. I’m setting up alerts on the Fenton lab. If they start recording any experiments on an actual ghost, I’ll get a notification. If there’s any indication it’s Phantom, I can have the alert forwarded to you.”

Tim nodded. “Good. Do that.” He looked at his team. “We’ve seen the Fenton’s weapons and some of their fighting skills by now. I don’t think we’ll have any issues subduing them if necessary.”

“Nah,” agreed Cassie. “We can handle them.”

Back to Sam and Tucker, Tim asked, “Do we know what their weapons can do to humans? What risks they pose?”

Sam grimaced. “The small blasters are fine. But some of the bigger weapons? Like the bazooka or the missiles? Those have caused damage to the roads and buildings beyond what the ghosts do.”

“Have there been any casualties?” asked Cassie.

Tucker shook his head. “No. Thank God. It’s all been property damage so far.”

Sam nudged him. “Not quite. You’re forgetting Wes’s brother. Jack broke his arm two weeks ago when he shot at the Box Ghost and knocked over the pile of bricks that was being used to rebuild Mr. Nguyen’s store.”

“Ugh, right. I think I was trying to block that debacle from my mind.”

Tim sighed and shook his head. “I knew it was bad, but Danny really downplayed it.”

Sam shrugged. “Yeah, well, this is life in Amity right now.”

“I suppose so.” Tim looked down at Danny who was frowning even in his sleep. “I think I’m gonna get him in a bed. Where will we be sleeping?”

“Probably a good idea,” agreed Sam. “Do you want to share a room?”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind. We haven’t had any one-on-one time yet. Which is a shame for our first in-person meeting!” Tim laughed and ignored the looks his friends were shooting him as well as the grins Sam and Tucker were exchanging. “Though with our lives, I should’ve expected something like this rather than a purely civilian meeting.”

Sam laughed. “Yeah, probably. This is about par for the course for us. Take the room across the hall. If you need the bathroom, if you exit my room, turn left and it’s two doors down on this side of the hall.”

Tim shifted so he could lift Danny up. Despite the shuffling, Danny didn’t open his eyes, though he did grumble indistinct protests.

“Just getting you in a bed,” said Tim.

Conner grabbed the bag that had their belongings in it and opened the doors for Tim. While Tim settled Danny in the bed, even having to remove shoes and socks, Conner separated their things so he would have everything he needed.

“Thanks, Kon.”

“Anytime, Tim. Get some rest yourself, okay?”

Tim huffed a laugh. “Sleep is for the weak.”

Conner shook his head. “You say that and yet at the end of basically every mission, you pass out for twelve hours and are useless for two days.”

Tim stuck out his tongue. “I do have homework to do. And I want to keep my eye on the local news channels. And I need to check in with Bruce again before he flips. Let me know when your phone is working?”

“Will do. See you tomorrow.”

“Night.”

-----

So! They now have a working system for how to find out if Danny's in trouble and to get him out. Hopefully they won't have to use it! (I mean, we all know where this is going. I presume you've all read the original prompt and fill that started this mess.)

Also, thanks to a comment on the last post, I wanted to clarify the relationships in this fic. If you've gotten Core Four (Tim/Kon/Cassie/Bart) vibes from this... Yeah. You did. If you've gotten Everlasting Trio (Danny/Sam/Tucker) vibes from this... Yeah. You did. I'm going to write those groups as a sorta QPR. Eventually, we will have romantic Danny/Tim (hence I've been tagging this Dead Tired) on top of those QPRs, but that won't really happen for a while. First Danny will date Val and Tim will date Steph. Danny will have another relationship, too, that I'm keeping secret for now. None of those are likely to get any page time as I am planning a time skip after this arc. But they will be referenced by characters. The actual Danny/Tim won't happen until after the rescue scene from the original fill. (Which I'm sure you can imagine will be changed quite drastically now that all these characters know each other.)

I no longer do tag lists, but if you head to the Subscription Post, you can set up notifications for when this updates!

#dpxdc #my writing #bring me home #extraction planning #and banter #danny is sleepy #for good reason #and tim will be a hypocrite if it means telling him to sleep #i do not think i will ever write another fic where #'do as alfred says not as i do'#is not said by at least one bat or their friend #(assuming i can fit it in of course)#i doubt i'm the first to use it #but i havent seen it elsewhere #so feel free to steal it if you want

235 notes · View notes

cosmic-kaden · 1 month

Text

No One Like You.

Ship: Ronnie x Kaden

Words: 1,590

cw: A little self loathing speak BUT DOESN'T GO INTO DETAIL! // COMFORT FIC COMFORT FIC!

Summary: Kaden is doubting if their mind is playing tricks again.

**As you know, I have been feeling down today as this morning I woke up from a really bad dream that had me in tears. I decided to write this for comfort and I honestly feel so much better. This was a great form of self care and self love for myself that I think I really needed.

If you're not a self-shipper please dni, nothing against ya, I have anxiety. lol // ok 2 rb

Kaden sighed heavily as they leaned against the register to Bobby's shop, they fiddled with buttons on the machine. They were feeling downhearted which made their company not as lively as it usually is. Today Bobby, Kaden's brother was working with them and he certainly noticed the change in Kaden.

"Hey, is everything alright?" Bobby asked cautiously. If they didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't going to pry….at least not too much.

"I 'unno" Kaden mumbled, their head resting in the palm of their hand.

"You seem really down… want to talk about it?"

"No," Kaden said sternly, shooting Bobby a small glare.

"Did you get into a fight with Ronnie or something? I don't think you two are the types to do that though" Bobby hummed softly and Kaden shook their head.

"No- I haven't talked to him at all today."

"Is that why you're down?"

"No."

Bobby let out a small sigh, he really wanted to help his sibling out but at the same time he really couldn't do much, he knew bugging would only piss them off and he didn't want that happening.

"Just feeling blah?" Bobby raised a brow to which Kaden sighed heavily. "I guess you can call it that. I didn't sleep well…" Kaden mumbled once more, standing up straight.

"Why not go home. Go rest, I'm in the shop today anyways, there's no use for both of us to stay here."

"I'd rather not be at home" Kaden sighed.

"Go. Rest. I'll fire you." Bobby teased which made Kaden crack a small smile.

"Fine-" Much to Kaden's dismay they really didn't want to go home, they were afraid to fall asleep.

The moment Kaden was out of sight Bobby decided to call Ronnie and give him the heads up that his dear partner seemed out of it of sorts to which Ronnie was quick to make his way over to Kaden's place after hanging up the phone with Bobby. If anyone could figure out what was eating Kaden up inside it was Ronnie.

Kaden got home and unlocked their door, kicking their shoes off inside and trailing to their couch. They plopped down sideways and stared ahead they felt terrible, not due to sickness but because of their own mind. They had a rather terrible dream that turned their stomach and kept them up all night afterwards, they were avoiding Ronnie today too which really sucked but their mind was playing tricks again and telling them things.

Kaden couldn't get lost in their thoughts for too long because they heard a knock on their door and judging by how the knock sounded, they knew who it was almost instantly. They groaned softly to themselves and slowly trailed towards the door. They gripped the knob and twisted, pulling the door open to see a very concerned-looking Ronnie at the door.

"Bobby called you didn't he?"

"Yeah, he told me you didn't look so good.."

"I'll kill him," Kaden mumbled the sighed softly. "Come on in…"

Ronnie was quick to see that Kaden wasn't themselves in the slightest. They were usually spastic and talkative, rambling about the most mundane things in the world but they were always excited about something but, today they looked like they just received the worst news in the whole world and Ronnie's heart ached at the sight.

Once he got in he didn't waste time, he pulled them into a hug, a hug that Kaden didn't return at first but eventually did. "Hey.. tell me what's wrong.." Ronnie mumbled softly, pulling away from the hug for a moment to better look at Kaden and Kaden wouldn't even look at him. His heart sank, did he do something wrong? Did he upset them somehow? His face held a worried expression when Kaden pulled away.

Kaden trailed into the living room and sat down on the couch, Ronnie soon following after them to take a seat beside them, his hand reaching out to gently take Kaden's he knew that when they were feeling down or sad they liked the physical contact to remind them that he was there and present. He interlocked their fingers and gently ran soothing circles into their hand with his thumb.

"……did I do something?" Ronnie asked softly.

Kaden inhaled deeply their breath stuttering for a moment, they hated this feeling, they felt like they wanted to cry and sadly, they felt the tears prick and sting the corners of their eyes which only worried Ronnie more but he waited for them to speak, he wouldn't rush them.

"Am I insufferable?" Kaden's voice cracked a little and Ronnie looked at them in shock. "Am I bothersome? Annoying? Am I awful?" Kaden stared forward as tears started to roll silently down their cheek as they spoke. "Am I ugly and unlovable?" Their throat felt dry and they were afraid to look at him.

Ronnie felt an overwhelming sense of concern and heartache course through him as he was quick to stand, pulling Kaden up with him, the motion was quick but just as soon as he stood he sat again this time, pulling Kaden to sit on his lap, his arms quickly wrapped around them and Kaden let out a small choked sob.

"Sweetheart, no. Who said these things about you?" Ronnie pulled them close and they felt Kaden grip his shirt a little tighter.

"Y-You did" Kaden sobbed softly. "I had a really bad dream last night… You said I was hard to love and that I was disgusting and unlovable…I couldn't go back to sleep my mind kept replaying it and it was trying to tell me it was true and--"

"Stop," Ronnie said suddenly as he brushed Kaden's bangs out of their face before he moved to wipe away their tears.

"Kaden, listen to me- That was just a nightmare, you know deep down I would never say those things. Never. You're the most important person in my life and I love you. I love you as easy as breathing air." Ronnie's eyes met Kaden's and his heart felt like it wanted to shatter simply from the state they were in but he was determined to let them know how much he cared.

"You're not annoying or insufferable. I love it when you ramble and go on tangents about even the smallest things, you make the mundane feel exciting and adventurous. You're not awful.." Ronnie leaned forwards and pressed a gentle kiss to Kaden's forehead before resting his own against theirs "You're the most kind-hearted person I've met and you always try to find the joy and laughter in life. You bring happiness to everyone you meet even if it's in the smallest way possible."

Kaden listened to his words but couldn't help but let out another sob, their eyes closing but they opened quickly after when they felt Ronnie's hand on their cheek, their wet green eyes searching his and Ronnie could feel Kaden trembling in his arms. He wanted nothing more than to soothe their aching heart and reassure them.

"You're far from disgusting too. You're very attractive to me, you have the prettiest green eyes I've ever seen, they remind me of emeralds or spring days- You have the sweetest smile I've ever laid my eyes on, it's infectious." Ronnie let his hand slip down over their neck gently as it continued its descent it landed over their chest right over their heart. "You have the kindest heart, it's full of passion, light, and love."

Kaden had stopped crying, and their attention was fully on Ronnie, they felt their heart sink, they didn't know he thought all of these things about them, and they never knew how positively he saw them.

"I love your arms.. they give the best hugs...your hands, fit so nicely into mine.." Ronnie gently grabbed their hand, bringing it to his lips to give their knuckles a soft kiss. "I love everything about you. You have both inner and outer beauty and no one can compare to you or how I feel about you and nothing will ever change how I feel whether it's from a person or from a nasty nightmare. Always remember that I love you with my entire heart and if I need to remind you every single day for the rest of my life I will...You are everything I ever hoped to find."

Kaden let out another choked sob but this time they were smiling and Ronnie couldn't help but return that same soft smile. Kaden finally reached out, wrapping their arms around him to pull him into a tight hug that Ronnie quickly returned, his hand running gently up and down Kaden's back. "I'm sorry…" Kaden whispered softly as they nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

"You don't have to apologize. I know things inside your head can get a little tricky sometimes but please remember Kaden, you can always talk to me, you know I will never judge you or think of you any differently. I might not have all the answers but I can help ease the pain."

Kaden pulled back enough to look at him, their hand coming up to caress his cheek. "How did I get so lucky?" Kaden spoke softly, they leaned forward and gently pressed their lips against his to which he returned the soft kiss, it was filled with love and sincerity.

"Thank you.." they mumbled against his lips. "I promise I won't forget ever again…I know you got me."

"Forever and always sweetheart."

tags: @ama-ships || @heatobrienswife || @dragonsmooch || @lysandreslittlechatot || @retrojem || @kylars-princess

#I needed this tbh. Sorry for another long fic :c #those who slay together stay together #ronnie 💞#This one like the others is going to get rb a LOT #cause this one really means something to me.

17 notes · View notes

itsuki-minamy · 10 months

Text

"SIDE GOLD"

CHAPTER 4: IKU AND THE BIRIBIRI GROUP (Part 1)

* List of Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Anno

"Homeless". A child who does not have parents or guardians and who has not settled. In Japan during World War II, there were many war orphans who lost family members in war fires and their homes burned down. Among them, most of the children who lost their place to go became homeless drifters. During and after the war, their lives were extremely difficult and many of them became involved in criminal activities.

The "Kagirohi Trade Association" market was bustling as if the commotion from a few days ago had been forgotten. On that isolated vacant lot, the "Yakumo" gambling hall is being rebuilt under the leadership of Tamataro Okuma.

"Bastards, I'll finish it before opening time!"

A loud cry that made even the thick billboards that were up tremble.

Although it is called a rebuild, it is not a complete creation. As long as there is enough space for people to gather, such as a game room, the deal is done. It was a random hasty construction to build a house that was as small as a shack. The new "Yakumo", which no one remembers what generation it is, has already completed the frame and is in the process of installing the roof and walls.

"I understand, big brother Okuma!"

"Thanks to the boss and sister, I am used to erecting pillars and thatched roofs!"

"Don't say that, if they listen to you, you'll have to start over."

Rude, hard-working people are inefficient and unpredictable despite their good humor, but their environment is cheerful. The reason why many of them don't feel terrified when witnessing mysterious monsters is because they feel comfortable living from day to day, and more than anything, they trust their boss, who has declared that he will defeat them next time.

From the ceiling to the front of the wall, work voices flew.

"Are the blue clothes still keeping watch in front of Yokocho's gate?"

"Ah, they still go back and forth with Danbira in hand."

According to what they heard from the older sister of the blues, the monster appeared because the powerful boss and the guy in the blue hat collided. So it seems that it will probably be safe if both sides back down after sharing the pain. As explained, the boss, who had turned off due to various incidents, simply withdrew, and the blue hat also turned its back and left. At the moment, it seemed unlikely that the blues would go in or out, or even encounter the monster. It seemed that peace had arrived.

Each person had a different way of perceiving such results.

"Heh, even though the monster has been quiet ever since, they've had difficulties every day."

"You better be careful. I'm sure you feel the same way about blue clothes."

"What? In front of you, you are not afraid, are you?"

"Oh? What is it?"

Not satisfied with the exchange of voices, he rolled up his sleeves and pressed their foreheads against each other.

"Who is scared... Ouch?!"

"Nga?!"

Okuma's fists attacked in quick succession. Blocking the sunlight with their thick bodies, the two of them crouched in the shade with their heads in their hands, and a loud voice fell over them.

"Move your hands instead of your mouth, layabouts."

"Hehe!"

"Sorry!"

Okuma looked at the two people who were scattered, and then looked at all the work.

(It should be back to normal before today's opening.)

After thinking about it, he felt a stab in his throat like a small bone.

(I wonder if it will really go back to normal.)

It's not just about conflicts with monsters and the blue clothes.

Okuma wasn't amused the fact that some kinds of "King" or imposed good manners are getting in the way with straightforward gait of his proud boss.

In the neighborhood where the sound of work can be heard, there is a Suwako canteen. This whimsical restaurant (the only sign is "meshi") has a reputation for being cheap and filling, but the taste is average. It is also known as the place where Unno Yutaka stays when his usual hideout, Yakumo, is destroyed, and is seen from the outside as one of Kagirohi-gumi's strategic bases.

Actually, it was just a place where Suwako let him eat free food and Unno would lie down in a small room in the back. For the former, it was an important space where they could recover the relationship they had when they met. But to the latter, that is unknown thing because he hadn't even hinted at it, let alone talked about it.

Now it's Suwako's turn to feed him free food. In the middle of the small shop, Unno is stuffing his mouth with okara sushi at the counter. As the name suggests, it is a dish that cannot be said to be a dish that only puts ingredients on a piece of okara, but it is a specialty of this restaurant.

The side that is allowed to eat is hated and slaps him in the mouth.

"Only the topping has improved."

* Okara Zushi; a type of sushi that used Okara(soy pulp) instead of rice, with topping a fish marinated in vinegar. It is local food in Chugoku-Shikoku region.

"Shut up and eat, you bastard."

The usual show of cutting rebukes from the feed side.

It was supposed to be usual for Suwako to rest her chin on the counter and look at the stubborn Unno, but since that night, she felt a bit strange.

"Yutaka-chan."

"What?"

With his mouth open, Unno replied.

Suwako lifted her chin and used the courage she had built up over the course of several days to ask.

"Are you ok?"

"......"

Unno munched his okara sushi in silence. Secretly thinking...

(I wonder if it came out on the complexion, it's gross.)

He still hasn't resolved his feelings about meeting another "King".

Of course he wasn't intimidated. It was uncomfortable knowing that the anger and desires that were supposed to be him were embedded in something else. Besides, not being able to sort out his feeling like that was very unpleasant. With holding such a stone weight, he couldn't laugh optimistically, or stop thinking and run.

Ignoring all of that, he might have been able to become stronger.

However, when he ate at that restaurant, he felt a little less competitive.

That's why the answer wasn't clear.

"How is?"

"Yutaka-chan, aside from me, that sort of thing... were you aware that there are some really cool psychics out there?"

Suwako isn't afraid to reach Unno's core when they are alone in this restaurant.

Unno also responded to Suwako, who did so as honestly as possible.

"As for the guy with the blue hat and Ootono-nii-san, I didn't know until I met them. But the other person..."

"Um, the monster with the gapped teeth?"

"No."

After a brief denial, Unno paused to put his feelings into words.

"I've felt many times that somewhere far away... well, deep..., there's a guy reaching into the river and trying to catch the current."

There was something that came to Suwako's mind.

"Even if that's the case, the guy with the blue hat said something like that when we parted ways..."

"......"

Unno didn't even hide his displeasure from her and remained silent.

After dismissing Thomas Colt, just before Kagiro-higumi and the Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau withdrew, the guy in the blue hat (the husband), the Blue King, pretended to make a casual postscript and offered some history.

"This is a test, but are you willing to meet the "Golden King" Daikaku Kokujoji?"

And of course Unno... "No."

He just returned a word over his back as he walked away.

(That's right, I can't stand doing what that bastard says.)

Thinking of that, Unno reached for the okara sushi again and saw that Suwako's face was filled with anxiety. Its meaning was easy to understand. Or rather, the kind he himself had.

There is something big that you don't understand.

It was the feeling of existence beyond the words "Slate" and "King" that Nazumi said.

It was a terrifying power that haunted him, that if he could feel it and touch it, it would be irreversible.

That's why Suwako is afraid from the bottom of her heart of him.

For Unno to meet the "Golden King".

Being carried away by something big and mysterious.

That's why Unno said it clearly.

"I do not go anywhere."

"Yes."

Suwako's face, who answered in a low voice, turned pale and bright.

Unno felt embarrassed by the situation and tossed the pickled okara sushi into his mouth. As he muttered and chewed, he opened a mouth again with hatred.

"You're not good at grabbing at all."

But he will never say that he like the taste. So that Suwako can see his feelings in his smile. Of course, the answer is short.

"Noisy bastard."

++++++++++

Daikaku Kokujoji, the "Golden King" who normally refrains from going out, sometimes makes exceptions.

That was the meeting with the president of the ruling party, who was escorted by him and "Tokijikuin", and this time it was a special trip. The destination is a villa in the suburbs owned by the governor.

In a large site in the mountains, it is commonly called "Oyashiki" witlessly. In part, it was a signal to avoid telling details, including the owner.

In a simple but elegant Japanese-style room facing the courtyard, the two faced each other over celebratory dinner with sake.

Kokujoji was wearing a suit and was sitting up straight like a statue.

The president was dressed in a kimono and sat loosely crosswise. That wasn't because he was arrogant, but because he received a gunshot wound from a thug during his time as a diplomat before the war, and couldn't sit on his knees for long periods of time.

The president said in a calm voice that he didn't seem like a tough face.

"I heard about that, Kokujoji-kun."

"Hah, it seems that he is the "Seventh Person". As a result of discussions with Director Nazumi, we have decided to call him "Colorless" for the time being."

Kokujoji responded with a mild explanation, but that is not the issue the president wanted to bring to the table. For him, "Slate" and "King" were things to talk about next to reality.

"I see."

After slightly nodding, the original topic was brought up.

"By the way, it seems that Nanakamado's work unit was present at that time."

"...That's how it is."

Kokujoji, who guessed, felt ashamed of his immaturity for misreading the focus.

Only the "King" and his empowered ministers could perceive the strangeness of the unexpected "Seventh" as an imminent threat. For ordinary people, it was natural that they had little knowledge or interest.

(At this rate, the way forward will be in jeopardy... study up and take heart.)

In today's reality, in other words, what is important to the president is the "political significance of Nanakamado, an intelligence agency, using force at his own trial.

"I heard, that they even fought a street battle against the "demon" in question."

"Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau arrived just in time and we were able to contain the turmoil within one area of the market. The workforce has also managed to capture almost everyone."

"A person seems to be sent back to them."

"Hah, an American commander. Director Nazumi will probably serve as a check or a warning to Nanakamado, but it will have little effect."

As expected, Kokujoji was surprised by the accuracy of the information he was given, even when he communicated without hesitation. In just a few days, from what source did he get the information? He has been swimming through the turbulent political world for nothing, and has reached the post of president. Kokujoji was impressed by his speech technique, which didn't make the other feel hard.

(This is the "Gold" that he himself have prepared and polished...)

The president is not a servant of "Tokijikuin", nor is he attracted to any talent.

Or rather, Kokujoji had yet to add to his vassals a single politician who had become his sympathizer. This is a measure to ensure that "Tokijikuin" gets involved in the political world from the point of view of a collaborator.

That "Slate", like it or not, creates a side to rule and a side to be ruled. Furthermore, instead of "mentally and physically acknowledging'' social status and biological abilities, it "gives structure to the functions of kings and ministers."

The EX-α individual and the β individual are not the same at all.

There was a huge difference in the functions and overall power of the two.

The problem is not how do they feel that, is the fact as that is.

In a post-war society where distrust and hatred of authority burn, and, moreover, in the ideal democracy that Headquarters tries to establish, this "structure" placed under others provokes resentment or even more indignation. Of course, it would be even more so if someone with high social status, such as a key politician or the head of a conglomerate, couldn't always get the talent he wanted.

The reason why Kokujoji keeps his former subordinates as comrades-in-arms and dedicates himself to behind-the-scenes work is to make them seem like a powerful but closed small professional group. (It is also based on the same reasoning that Nazumi established the "Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau'' as a department with a legal foundation.) Even if they were wrong, they should not have been made to think of themselves as beings privileged above people... as the "transcendent ruling race" that the German Third Reich dreamed of.

Still, ever since "Tokijikuin" rose to prominence despite being behind the scenes, sharp-nosed politicians, ex-servicemen, surviving liberal activist, and even charlatans of the like have contacted Kokujoji to become his vassals. There have been many attempts, even more cases of faster attacks and kidnappings to seize power from the "Slate" or "King".

Humans are creatures that greedily seek power.

Especially now, when society is full of gaps and opportunities.

These realities made Kokujoji well aware of the dangers of hastily introducing the deadly drug "King", which was in the midst of trial and error, now in post-war, here in Japan.

Therefore, while sympathizing with the regime, they did not merge, and while showing their intentions, they did not issue orders... This position was firmly held by the "Golden King" Daikaku Kokujoji and "Tokijikuin". And it was precisely because he continued to stand his ground that he was able to gain the trust of the political world.

At this time, he can even have a secret face-to-face conversation with the president of the ruling party, who is not even his vassal.

"I see."

The president gave a slight nod again and casually filled the cup with sake.

"I agree with you."

Kokujoji did the same and filled his own sake cup.

"What is the trial material?"

"Although it has some privileges and power, it still feels like an intelligence agency running too wild. I tried looking in various directions to see if there was a backup behind it."

After half, the president wiped his cup at once, perhaps to moisten his throat or to make a decision, began to speak in a calm voice to Kokujoji who was waiting for his words.

"They frequently communicate with Atsugi."

"Atsugi?"

Kokujoji felt suspicious.

In the city of Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, there is a large airfield for the occupation forces requisitioned from the former Japanese army. Immediately after the war, many squadrons were deployed, but by the end of 1948, it had become a supply base for the occupation forces in the Kanto region, and no military forces were stationed there.

"That place is under the jurisdiction of none other than the Headquarters, and even if you say Occupation Army, it is just logistical support..."

As he answered, Kokujoji thought of something strange.

In Atsugi, there is a large-scale facility that doesn't look like a supply base.

It was a "radar site" radio detection facility for the detection of sword-shaped "Schwert" Kouki, which the occupation forces hastily set up for fear of a mass uprising by the Japanese people in response to the "Chofu Incident".

In reality, this facility was useless. He ended up showing that all the sword-shaped "Schwert" Kouki that appeared after Red, Blue, Green, and Gray did not show any reaction to the radar. The reason why the facility still stands is due to both the practical aspect that is useful for air traffic control of the Occupation Forces, and the psychological aspect that is a symbol of confrontation with the unknown.

Kokujoji had investigated these items as being related to the "King" of him, but from the conversation with the president, he suddenly began to worry about a certain item. Slowly he spoke.

"If I remember correctly, the electrical probes placed there were under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Defense, not the Occupation Forces. Engineers sent from the country of origin are also managing maintenance."

"Yes. That is very important."

The president nodded three times like a professor giving a passing grade.

"It appears to have been removed from the Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency "ARPA" in response to a request from Headquarters to send in the latest state-of-the-art equipment. It is the people there who are in charge of maintenance."

After a pause, his calm voice turned heavy and low.

"Officially, most of them were reorganized last year, and they are the intelligence officers of their home country."

Kokujoji was surprised and accidentally put down the cup.

"......! Are they from the CIA?"

In the era of its predecessor, the Strategic Intelligence Agency "OSS" (although it was only three years ago), the Central Intelligence Agency "CIA" began to fight with the Headquarters over the advance of their base of operations in Japan. a destiny whose activity was sealed.

Since then, the Commander-in-Chief, Admiral General, dislikes "rogue spies", and has not tried to interfere with Japan. It was supposed to be, but it was only on the surface.

His undiminished anti-communist sense of mission and desire to expand his power secretly spread the roots of the conspiracy to Atsugi's neighborhood, or even to Nanakamado's throat.

(Nazumi also reported that Nanakamado was "exporting" psychics for anti-communist spy warfare... certainly, the recipient could be no one other than the CIA.)

Kokujoji finally found the reason of unusually bullish attitude of Nanakamado.

"So Nanakamado is trying to survive after our country regains its sovereignty by communicating with the CIA in the United States and cooperating in the re-advancement?"

"Nanakamado's intentions are probably like this."

And then the president spoke calmly about the core of the crisis.

"The nature of this matter is much bigger and deeper. Most worrisome is that the Pentagon is involved in the camouflage operation. There is only one person in the world with power that can make them allies of the CIA."

"......!"

Kokujoji guessed with a shudder, but didn't mention the title.

With the president's understanding, he added the most alarming information he had collected.

"The Department of Defense is sending a light aircraft carrier to and from Yokosuka under the pretext of carrying materials to Atsugi. Half a year has passed. It seems that the overbuilt ships from the previous war are being used as transport ships."

The tone of voice that he did not believe on the surface of the information was the meaning of the information.

"When we bring in materials, we line up the cars to watch the roads where there are no attackers. For some reason, most of these staff members are Japanese. What do you think of this situation?"

"The convoy... is probably practicing marching along the way, disembarking and deploying to military installations."

Kokujoji first thought of a former soldier and then of a "King".

"Japanese pretending to be guards are believed to be people with 'exported' skills in the past."

"In other words, the CIA is preparing a unit of talented people in our country, separate from Nanakamado."

"The reason they are using the Japanese is that they are doing everything they can for the local powers, and they are sure to get rid of them."

The president was calm, Kokujoji was strict.

"Hm, it's a way of doing things, similar to an intelligence agency."

"Nanakamado's original plan was to secure a piece that would guarantee the superiority of Headquarters, in other words, to secure our "King"... or perhaps make him cooperate."

After a calm exchange without changing the tone of theirs voices...

"However, they, who should have sent out the elite soldiers, were completely defeated by the "King" and were not able to get his cooperation. Even so, there is another goal in daring to use a unit of talented people."

"If it's the second best measures, they won't hit the same enemy twice... then,"

After sharing and researching, checking and analyzing, the two of them naturally came to a solution.

Even with that conviction...

"The next best thing is a sudden armed rebellion..."

The president involuntarily smiled wryly at the eccentricity of the resulting solution.

"It's like a coup before the war."

"It doesn't matter if it's successful or not, the goal itself is to create a riot in Tokyo. It would be nice if it could be used as a basis for criticizing the Occupation Army's current occupational rule, especially its ability to maintain public order."

Kokujoji was able to see through the brutal fashion of the time, where politics was intertwined with conspiracies and tyranny.

The president also calmly pursues the dangers affecting Japan's national fortune.

"The continental United States is participating in this operation to strike a blow at Headquarters which is too arbitrary. The overall goal is to create an excuse to reduce the excessive authority given to Headquarters and push Japan back into an anti-communist bulwark."

The old politician smiled wrinkled when he realized that all the cards were in his hand.

"I see, it's a nice photo."

With a smile on his face, he became furious.

"But I won't forgive them."

"Yes."

Kokujoji is also short and sharp and he agreed.

An air of tension filled the air between the two of them.

Kokujoji was the one who moved the fastest and stood up without panicking.

"Please leave me your phone. I will urgently take countermeasures with the Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau."

"No, I'm the one who will call to."

The president, who took the thought of him one step further as a politician, stopped him. He explains before asking.

"An armed rebellion is different from a popular uprising that can only be stopped by dissipating the accumulated heat. It is an operation based on a political plan. Furthermore, both the initiative and the execution come from the intelligence agencies."

"Eh?"

Kokujoji, who couldn't understand the meaning of his explanation, took the form of an attentive listener.

The president admonished the young man who thinks he is fit about the dynamics of politics.

"In other words, if it turns out that he can't carry out his plan, it's the kind of thing that loses the foundation of the rebellion and puts an end to it."

"Do you have a measure to prevent the outbreak in the first place instead of suppressing it?"

"It's not as difficult as calling it a measure."

His smile, still filled with rage, glowed with murderous political maneuver.

"However, by making a proposal with the above reasoning, we can take away the bases to activate it."

"Proposal... what, where?"

The president, showed his "gold" to Kokujoji.

"Dismantle the intelligence agency, Nanakamado, to the commanding general of the occupation forces."

Saying so, he clapped his hands to call the butler.

In fact, a phone call was not enough. As soon as an appointment for negotiations was made at the Dai-ichi Seimei building in Yurakucho, Tokyo, where the general headquarters are located, the president returned to Tokyo in a safe driving car.

"Until I'm gone, give the quarterback time to reflect. A phone call is a message that says 'I'm going to make a proposal like this'', and it's a grace period to make a decision. I am a gentle man, so I will go home at a slow pace."

That's what it looked like.

Kokujoji did not accompany him, but according to the guards who were sent in his place, the negotiations in the commanding officer's office were completed in a very short time.

Then the next day at noon.

Immediately, Kokujoji received two notices. The first was a document from the Department of Public Health and Human Services containing the Directive of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces (SCAP Index Number, or SCAPIN), as recommended by the Governor.

As written...

"Notice: 1. There is no intelligence agency under the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, Headquarters, which controls the Japanese people by any special means. 2. The Research Institute for Infectious Disease Control (at the Nanakamado City) will be decommissioned and withdrawn as of tomorrow in accordance with the achievement of its intended objectives. 3. Tasks 2 will be handled by the Metropolitan Police Reserve, US Army 1st Cavalry Division and the US Army's 97th Infantry Division."

It made no sense even to those who didn't know the circumstances, and it was extremely harsh for those who did.

In summary...

Nanakamado will be dismantled after its existence is officially denied.

The research institute where has been their base of operations will also be demolished, leaving no trace.

Not only the police but also the Occupation Army will be involved in the implementation.

That's what it meant.

You could see the marshal's anger as much as the president's, if not more.

(Not unreasonable.)

Kokujoji thought.

The United States has just forced Headquarters to change its policy of rebuilding Japan as an ideal democratic nation. It would be strange not to get angry if he knew that a conspiracy aimed at further reducing the authority of Headquarters was afoot at a time when the humiliation had not cooled. (As for the marshal personally, after the crushing defeat in the presidential election half a year ago, he was deeply involved in rebuilding Japan.)

The fact that the negotiations with the governor were brief also shows the extent of his anger.

Driven by ambition, the Nanakamado intelligence agency faced the end of punishment.

Regardless of what they thought, they were just an unofficial branch of the Occupation Forces, with all the authority given by the Headquarters. As long as their authority is revoked before the uprising, the intelligence agencies' ability to carry out their actions... in other words, the ability to force their way through the outside world will be gone, with one exception.

And due to the dissolution of the organization guided by the Japanese side, the troops prepared in Atsugi lost sight of the reason and the opportunity to move. If an armed rebellion is a political plot by an intelligence agency, it will be even more difficult to move lightly in uncertain circumstances. The prepared combat power became useless.

Above all, this order is also a signal to confront the home country that "Japanese Headquarters and the Japanese government have become aware of the plot". The situation has already moved to a phase where both parties are playing bargaining both implicitly and explicitly. Whether the result is a restoration of relations or an escalation of conflict, the turn of active force will not come for the moment.

The political apocalypse is coincidentally decisive.

Nanakamado's future was completely closed.

However, they are left with one more option that will not lead them into the future.

An act that is nothing more than a sterile and perverse struggle.

The option was to use the existing force to explode.

If they thought about it with calculations and reasoning, it was almost impossible to take such an action. There was no longer any prospect of reversing the situation, no matter how they used the forces they had, they could not expect the support of the CIA, and the credibility of the Headquarters had eroded.

Yet even so, for humans... especially for an organization that is entrenched in only one direction, impossible behavior often becomes a last hope. If violence is the only card left, the illusion is stronger.

In case Nanakamado did turn out to be like this, Headquarters prepared a second copy, a document from the Second General Staff Department (intelligence agency representative).

According to the document...

"Notice: 1. Request the Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau to supervise the dismantling and removal work of the Research Institute for Infectious Disease Control (in Nanakamado City). 2. The commands and orders for dealing with people with capacity to induce and maintain anomalous phenomena will be in charge of the director of the same office, and not of the National Public Safety Commission. 3. All responsibility for actions in accordance with the notification falls on this headquarters."

It was an official dispatch request to confront the psychics organization directly from the Occupation Forces Headquarters.

In other words...

"Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau" will be in charge of responding to the outbursts of people with capabilities.

They would not care about the higher ranking organization and would act according to the judgment of the Chief, Somei Nazumi.

Whatever happens, the Occupation Forces Headquarters will take responsibility.

That's what it meant.

This precedent will determine the position of the organization, such as the nature of the duties carried out by the Legislative Office of Legal Affairs, its superiority over other police organizations, and the maintenance of an independent chain of command.

Anyway, everything was ready.

Calling out will be tomorrow.

There was no time for political maneuvering.

Even setting up a counterattack would be dangerous.

The Metropolitan Police Reserve Corps (predecessor of the Metropolitan Riot Police) and the Occupation Army will be in charge of dismantling and removing the facility, and if a person with capabilities moves, the "Fourth Legal Affairs Office" will delete it. Atsugi's forces are politically neutralized and there is no threat of intervention.

"Everything, no omissions."

The president said by phone during the preliminary consultation.

Kokujoji thought so too, and actually responded in agreement.

But...

(Is that really so?)

Somewhere, he had the feeling that something was issuing a strong warning. Assuming it was the "Golden King's" intuition, he didn't know where or what made him feel that way.

If he dared to raise a concern, it would be the matter of "Colorless King", but if it weren't for the huge power clash between the "Kings", it should be nothing more than a threat from a street passerby.

Even if Nanakamado mobilizes all the remaining ability users and challenges in a battle, he doesn't think they'll be able to develop a fierce battle that would make "Blue King" Somei Nazumi manifest "Schwert" above his head.

(Someday, the power of the other "Kings" will have to unite to deal with the "Colorless", and they will have to take it seriously... but, in the morrow, there should be no curtain for that to happen.)

Faced with a fate that has yet to be understood, Kokujoji had no choice but to confirm the current situation.

The president will take measures to control the situation, the marshal will make the difficult decisions, and the "Blue King" will take over the actual work... these measures are being carried out without delay and without fail.

The situation was supposed to proceed as planned.

There is nothing to worry about, it is fair and safe.

Both the era and history march orderly on the basis of reason and rationality.

Until the arrival of the "King" of change, who destroys and disturbs all those inevitabilities.

The last day of December 1948.

A long day for everyone, the first difficult step of regeneration is approaching.

#k #k project #k side gold #kokujoji daikaku #unno yutaka #somei nazumi #todokoro suwako #Tsunogui Iku

62 notes · View notes

cherry-dr0p · 3 months

Text

I WISH TO RAMBLE!! IM NOT GONNA INCLUDE IMAGES BECAUSE I DONT WANNA BUT HERE WE GO

HUGE TWF4 SPOILERS

I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY!!!

Im not gonna lie, the start kinda had me like "This is what I waited ages for?" But then when the animatronic testing came around, thats when my interest truly started to pick up.

First of all, WHY WOULD YOU TGINK THAT FACIAL RECOGNITION FOR ANIMATRONICS IS A GOOD IDEA??? GENUINELY DID NO ONE HAVE THE COMMON SEMSE TO GO "HM, THIS MAY END NOT GOOD". Like I kind of understand the appeal for it because they may want the kids to feel,, more connected to the animatronics?? I dunno. But like?? I can understand for that time period the desire to have the animatronics interact with the audience (Not saying its a good idea but at least I can understand with this one why they may think it is in my head), but cmon..

Then from what I remember, the sprites came. And Good god did they creep me out slightly when I first saw them, especially Edd and Molly. I dunno, there was something extra creepy in my eyes seeing kids' faces messed up like that. Crazy. I also screamed when I finally saw "Bon" because Ive been keeping up with the Twitter TWF community somewhat, which means I already technically knew about "Bon". It was pretty cool to have him finally introduced in the actual story himself. Also Charles and Susan talking about Felix's addiction and if they should tell Rosemary and Jack(?) is crazy.

Aaaahhh but then the scene with Jack came around. Was rooting for him ngl. I honestly thought he died at the well scene but I dont see any correlation to that quite yet,, mayhaps. Felix almost jumping did make me feel a tiny bit bad for him bit like,, still. Fuck you Felix. I still hate him and 100% think hes getting what hes deserving. He feels guilty? Good. He should.

I cant remember if the Susan scene comes after this or not but I erm uh,,, That was VERY well done!! It gave me chills how you could still hear her breathe. Genuinely. The blood as well and Rocket closing their eyes?? Crazy. The jittery animation drove me insane, it was such an amazing detail that made things far more uncomfortable.

I cant remember where abouts the other Felix scene came but,, HE DOESNT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ROCKET. I DUNNO,, DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN TAKE IT WITH YOU?? PUT IT IN YOUR HOME OR RESTAURANT?? WHY DID YOU THINK THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA. I SWEAR, MY GUY HAS NEGATIVE BRAINCELLS... But I also think we all know why he's so attached,, him getting haunted by the kids is wild.

The last scene very much makes me think "Bon" is Jack. I unno, very much could be wrong but just the way he talks and is dressed makes me think he is. The fact that he knows so well of what hes talking about and the voice,, maybe the general face shape too. Me thinks its either Brian(Ive saw that theory floating around) or Jack, but Im more leaning towards Jack. It also freaked me out slightly the way Susan came on all deformed too, that was freaky. The voices of all the characters in this new afterlife were very VERY cool too. And the whole mask being given and "Bon" talking about making her "beautiful" too? That was cool. The scene with Edd and Molly debating whether to save Susan too filled my heart with a weird sort of awe. They have a great relationship as siblings together imo, I do very much love their dynamic.

It'd be cool to see the other two episodes for the finale which I think are coming out very soon!! Which is very exciting!! I 100% reccomend TWF4, it's phenomenal and the wait was 200% worth it in my eyes. You can definitely see the developers heart and soul being put into this project, which is very nice to see. In my eyes, you dont see it often. I dunno if I missed out a scene or two from my rant but overall? I adored watching this (Ive already told some of my friends to watch it >:3).

Rant over anyways, buh bye for now :3

#The Walten Files 4 #TWF 4 #TWF4 #TheWaltenFiles4 #THIS WAS SO GOOD #IT WAS BETTER THAN I EXPECTED IT TO BE #My honest reaction to Felix feeling guilty but doesnt do anything to help himself at all at the same time #WHAT IS HIS ISSUEEEE #You can tell what I think of Felix LMAO #Hes actually my second favourite character though #Felix is v interesting #But Brian Stells will always have a special place in my heart #God bless the man with two to five minutes of screen time

17 notes · View notes

charleslee-valentine · 8 months

Text

Hand in hand, two little boys walk down the dusty Texas backroads.

They’re almost identical, except the boy with the wine colored birthmark across his left cheek has his choppy hair in a tiny braid, while his slightly taller brother, who is like his mirrored opposite, has his dark brown hair hanging loose and messy.

The tiny baby they carry with them, in an old potato sack with straps attached and holes cut in it for his legs, looks almost the same, though his hair curls are different, and his top lip permanently curls up to show his gums and budding little teeth.

Just the three of them are running away from home.

It’s hot, but it’s always that way out here in the middle of nowhere Texas, even in the pitch darkness they’re currently navigating. The twins have grown used to it, their priority mostly giving the baby a bit of water on his head every now and again to keep him cool.

That, and one of them, the twin that walks a little more stiffly, and carries a knife with him everywhere, just in case, his goal is to make sure they aren’t being followed.

Every few feet he turns and walks backwards, looking behind them at the long and dark stretch of road.

“Y-You sure does wor-worry a lot, there Nu-Nubbins.” The shorter brother chimes out of nowhere, though that’s not to say that he’s been quiet before per se. He’s been humming and singing and laughing at nothing the whole way, noises the way he shows his excitement.

The one called Nubbins speaks fast and frantic, like he’s desperate to be understood, “C-C’a’int help it, Bobby. A-Ain’t ya scare..scared?”

“Nope.” Is Bobby’s simple reply, his nose turned up high in the air with confidence that has his brother jogging for a moment to keep up with.

It embarasses Nubbins, to think that maybe he’s the problem. His twin is his idol, and he wants nothing more than to be like him. His little brain rationalizes that there’s got to be a reason why they feel differently, “It’s.. it’s cause you ain’t c-carryin’ the baby.”

But Bobby misunderstands what he means, “Yer’ scared ‘a lit-little B-Bubba?”

Nubbins takes it personally, bad at reading tone, especially over the sound of all the darned cicadas and crickets and katydids chirping away in the fields and trees they walk past.

“I w-wish you weren’t so me-mean to..t-to me.”

And now, caught in a cycle, Bobby takes that personally.

“H-Hey now listen p-pipsqueak. I ain’t mean. I-I’m the best brother. Th-The best.”

If it wasn’t for baby Bubba snoozing on Nubbins’ chest in the homemade bag, he’d have turned and started picking a fight with his brother. Meanness and hatred and spite are all they know. Bloodshed and mayhem and hiding under the bed from their big brother. Squeezing their eyes shut and crying so so quietly while they listen to their twin being beaten just across the room, or down the hall. It didn’t matter. Violence was everywhere.

It’s why they’re leaving now. Nubbins feels kind of bad for thinking about tearing out Bobby’s hair in patches, or biting him on the arm, or kneeing him in the chest over and over and over ‘til he coughed up blood. Actually, really bad.

He looks over at Bobby, with his balled up fists, and reaches out with words, tries to make a connection from a different place, ‘cause he loves his twin. “Can..can you t-tell me what I-I oughta do?”

Bobby doesn’t need guilt to change his mind, he needs to vent. He kicks some dust up and punches the air for a minute, and then he answers all calmly, “‘Bout what?”

“I ‘unno. D-Don’ want Drayton t’ fi..find us.” Nubbins worries aloud. Usually he isn’t this nervous, usually he loves adventures! But this one is extra scary, and they’re only so small, and-

Bobby doesn’t share his fears.

“A-As if! You..You ‘n me both knows ‘at o-old fart won’ e-even know we’re g-gone ‘til tomorrow mor..mornin’ at least.”

“O-Oh alright… But..but if we get in tr-trouble I’m’a gonna be r-real ma-mad at’cha.” Nubbins threatens, a smile growing on his face as relief sets in. If Bobby says things will be okay, then they will. He just knows it.

“Deal.” Bobby agrees to accept his brother's future fury, quickly forgetting the topic and moving on to his next subject of interest, “Gimme..gimme Bubba!”

Happily. Nubbins takes off the makeshift baby carrier and helps his twin get into it, loosening the straps since Bobby’s got slightly bigger shoulders. Drayton always said that he was a parasite and sucked all of Nubbins’ life away when they were in mama’s womb.

Drayton would swear, with his fists or a broomstick raised up over his head, that that’s why he was so weak.

They work together to get the baby carrier in place, by now Bubba awake in there and reaching his chubby little hands up for attention. Bobby heaves him up by his diapered bottom and exclaims, “Shee-oot, B-Bubba’s gettin’ he-heavy!”

It reminds Nubbins of something else their big brother used to say. He was always commenting on Bubba's weight or making mean faces when the baby would steal a little fistful of food. That was always too mean for Nubbins. The baby was just that. A baby! Just a little six month old guy!

He loves him, almost as much as he loves Bobby, and wants to take care of him.

There’s just one problem. “How.. How we gon’ f-feed ‘im?”

Bobby thinks about it, skipping excitedly when an idea hits him, “I-I know! He-He really likes th-them funny lookin’ p-purple berries that grows by.. behind the gas station! O-On them little bush-bushes! A-An’ Drayton’s always s-sayin’ ~get the-them things out yer’ m-mouth boy!~ an’ make-makes Bubba spit em’ out! B-B-But we can fee-feed ‘im as many as..as he wants!!”

All that rambling inspires Nubbins.

They’ve gotten this far, why not! It’s up to them to seize fate and leave behind their isolated farmhouse. They won’t let little Bubba hurt the way they have.

“Y-Yeah alright!! Just.. jus’ gotta f-find some!”

“I-I th-think ther’s some dow-down by the str-stream!!” Bobby remembers, taking his brother by the hand, and taking off running.

#tw child abuse #nubbins sawyer #bobby sawyer #chop top sawyer #bubba sawyer #drayton sawyer #tcm 1974 #texas chainsaw massacre fan fiction #ficlet #added a tw to this one since it’s a kid fic and even though it’s canon I know it’s rough readin bout kids getting hurt #also.#y’all. look up common moonseed berries. for this to make sense. I’m sorry-#there are about three endings we can go for. they get caught and have to go home. they eat the berries. or they live happily ever after #lettin the people choose cause I didn’t wanna pick one ending

33 notes · View notes

gazelessmenagerie · 2 years

Note

...hey Kuro? Are you upset with me? I just have the BigAnxiety and don't see any of my asks appear anymore, and I'm worried I did something...

-🍬

Ah! I just read the rules (brain empty, totally forgot to I'm so sorry!!)

Is me calling you Kuro-san too friendly? I've been watching someon play Yakuza again and it's in my head.

And I 'unno if I ever seem like I'm tryna be cute or begging, but the way I type is just the way I be, so I hope I don't come off that way, and if I ever do, please please PLEASE tell me! I feel awful now I should'a been more careful I'm so sorry if I made you uncomfy or upset in any way

-🍬

( First and foremost, I appreciate you speaking to me directly and saying your grievances on what’s been bothering you. I apologize immensely for being a factor in the anxiety caused but I assure you I am not in any way, shape, or form upset with you. The only reason I didn’t answer is bc I have school and class takes up a good chunk of my time along with doing hw, studying, and I also have home duties I need to do with groceries, driving, taking family members to appointments and the like. I can’t be online all the time and when I do, I’m usually only going to focus on things I already had in the works during the week or that I thought of in those minutes and need to write down in that time frame before I get whisked away for w/e reason. Even then, I may just only do one thing and spend the rest of the day / evening just resting or scrolling bc my social energy was completely depleted and it needs to recharge on its own time for ooc / ic answering. )

( Long story short, I am a slow writer and I can take a long time to answer back ooc as well just bc of the things listed above. )

( Calling me Kuro-san is not too friendly, you are alright to call me that. What my rules mean in that regard is that in the past I got greatly annoyed by people being way overly familiar with me when I only known them for like a few days to a few weeks at most and I do not appreciate that sort of behavior. << As like trying to pry certain responses from me for their muses or things in a really ‘begging’ sort of way, calling me ‘bestie’ / things like that and giving me that goddamn begging emoji thing. )

( So far, you’re not doing any of that. Or like, you understand that my muse is not a good person and he will do villainous things bc thats how he is. You’re not goddmodding either or like trying to ‘force’ him to change or not be able to ‘kill’ without at least a good reason in a ‘in-character’ way. Its like.. ahh.. how does one say. its a bit of a fine line between an annoying ask and someone just playing up their anon personality, if I can call it that. Little bit besides the point, but I enjoy anon shenanigans! It was the absolute funniest thing back a few years and if I did feel like I needed a break or I didn’t like an ask, I’d just say so and we’ll figure it out from there. It’s not meant to discourage anyone badly, its just that I’m not vibing with a particular thing / scene being done and would like something else. I mean, hell, my muses may be bastards but I still love them, y’know? So again, what you’ve been doing hasn’t treaded on that line and even if it did or does, i’ll just answer ooc like ‘ ahh, sorry, not feeling this one. can we do something else ? ‘ something like that. )

( All that ^ to say, you haven’t upset me or made me uncomfortable. )

( Once more I apologize for causing you distress but I am also appreciative you took the time and courage to communicate with me on this. Main thing with me is that I need time and patience bc I sure as heck am slow to write and get back to people on stuff a lot of the time! I don’t mean to and it is not meant to signify that I am upset with anyone when I take a few days or even weeks to answer back. )

#|| Tag: OOC #Anonymous #( i mashed the two asks together so I didn't have to answer them all seperately. )#( I hope this helps settle the anxiety and if there's anymore questions. I can answer then when I can. thank you owob )

1 note · View note

mxstball · 2 years

Text

Leaf x Zinnia

Zinnia and Leaf dropped off at Pallet Town in front of Red’s house. They’d spent all day with each other, laughing and giggling and sightseeing throughout Johto. Zinnia initially planned to simply call Rayquaza and returned home, but Leaf was adamant about staying one more night. So, the two of them walked in together.

“Hey Mom! We spent all day and it was getting dark so Zinnie’s gonna spend one more night. Is that alright?”

Red’s mother waved at the two fo them. “Hi girls! She can stay for as long as she needs. Red’s not home, so feel free to relax in the room.”

“Thanks mom. Love you!”

Leaf and Zinnia got comfortable and relaxed on the bed. The two were quiet for a moment. They looked at each other for a moment. Leaf smiled. “I had a really fun time today. Thanks for the date today. I had a really fun time.”

“Eh, it’s fine, Leaf. I had a blast too.”

Leaf’s smile disappeared as she started talking more seriously. “I... wanted to ask. I know we kinda ghosted each other for 2 years after those first two dates, but after everything that’s happened and with that last date, I... I wanna confess something to you--”

“Hm?”

“I... I think I still like you. Call yourself Outrage or Zinnia or whatever, I don’t care, but I really think that we can work out, you know? Sooo, I wanted to ask -- would you want to be my uh... my girlfriend?”

“Oh... Uh-- I--- I see.” Zinnia blushed before looking down at the ground. She saw this coming, and yet--

Leaf immediately started to backpedal. “It’s okay if you don’t or if you want to be friends or--”

Zinnia shook her head. “No, it’s not that.” She got a bit more on the bed as she thought about what to say. “Listen, I-- I really like you, Leaf. I want to be with you too and I want to say yes so bad, but like--” She sighed. “Leaf. I--I need to come clean about somethin’ before I can feel comfortable sayin’ yes.”

“...? Go ahead. You can tell me anything.”

“Okay-- actually, can you get my phone out of my short pocket? I think it’ll be easier if I show you what I mean.”

Leaf turned around and grabbed Zinnia’s shorts from the ground. She pulled out her phone, gave it to her and returned to lying down. “Is something on there that you wanted to show me?”

“Yeah.” Zinnia started tapping on the phone before she handed Leaf the phone.

It was a picture of another girl.

“Her name’s Naresa. She’s Lacey’s Celebi. We’re not dating or anything, but I... like her too.”

“You... like a Legendary Pokémon?”

“Yeahhh. I know. I know it’s kinda weird. Heck, I used to be really against somethin’ like this until dad set me up on a few dates with a few. Ya learn a lot about yourself when that happens.”

“Oh. I... I guess you have a point.” Leaf looked a little dejected. “Have... you tried to ask her out yet?”

Zinnia looked away. “I tried, but.... She’s a mess of a girl. Naresa has gone through a lot of trauma when her world was destroyed and she has a very low self-esteem. Plus, like, she keeps herself in a box socially. The last time I tried to ask her out on a date, she fainted and, when she woke up, she didn’t even remember me asking.”

“Ohhh. Poor girl.”

“Yeah. She’s very bright and smart and friendly though, but...” she sighed. “I ‘unno. We’re working on her self-esteem. We set her up with someone that deals with trauma and stress in Pokémon and we’re doing our best to keep her involved in family stuff... but it will take her a long time to get herself together.”

“I really hope that she does get better.” Leaf felt a little better. It sounded like Zinnia really did care for Naresa.

“Yeah. So, like, I really want to say yes to you and be happy, but I’m just... I don’t want to feel like I’m only dating you because she needs to work more on herself, y’know? I really like you, but I don’t think I could start this relationship on an empty conscious without at least letting you know about this, or, worse, lead you on.”

“Oh.” Leaf nodded and closed her eyes.

“...Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh.”

“No. No. It’s fine. I understand.” Leaf shook her head. The two were silent for a moment as she considered what to say. “Hey, Zinnia?”

“Yeah?”

“I understand that you like her, and that’s really sweet that you’re keeping everyone’s feelings in mind. I think that it’s fine that you have these feelings, and, even better, that you’re showing that you can have this talk with me without letting things get out of hand. I really appreciate that. That said, I still think that we can still work. I still want to give us a chance and, if it turns out that you actually have more feelings for Naresa than me and that you would rather be with her, then I would be more than happy to step aside and let you be happy without hurting our friendship. I trust you deeply, Zinnia, and that is more important than anything in the world. So, would you like to go out with me?”

Zinnia was silent for a while as she took everything in. There were so many emotions welling up inside of her.

But eventually she gave a simple answer.

“...Yes. Yes, I would.”

#muse zinnia #muse leaf #plot: rainbow road

0 notes

mushroom-winners-proof · 2 years

Note

if ienzo/zexion hasn’t been given a role in the intern riku au can he been an intern as well and he’s a struggling college student who’s been interning for three years and he’s Stressed™️ but he has an almost guaranteed (entry level) position and he’s not giving it up now and he lives on energy drinks coffee and determination and resents riku for climbing the ranks so quickly. i think it’d be funny too if terra and/or aqua had a coffee shop ienzo Decompresses at and one day he sees riku there because by some miracle their starbucks equivalent was closed so he went there and ienzo’s like no no no you’re not gonna ruin this place for me too!!! and riku’s like huh. anyway can i get my drink

poor dude just tryna get through the day, so sad so tragic

#intern riku au #snap chats #but uhhh i already had plans for zexion of sorts #i just thuoght of him more as vexen's PA but like. an actual respectable member #like he helps vexen the most but he's treated with some respect #not as much as vexen but more than riku does #zexion did start out at riku's level for a while but he's been with xemnas's team long enough to go up the ladder a bit #also i feel like i have to clarify this but xemnas and ansem work in separate buildings and different companies #i feel like i forgot to say that somewhere but yeah- like theyre a part of the same master company but manager their own buildings #also im not concrete on what terra aqua and ven do yet #i still like the idea that eraqus runs a funeral home so the three could hang out there sometimes #do i want them there all the time tho hmm #i unno i gotta think bout that group more on my own

14 notes · View notes

artnerd1123 · 4 years

Text

wack

#u ever jus felt like. idk how to explain #ur home; right?#and ur relaxing? n takin time to do what u want n see people u havent in awhile?#but it just feels. off.#like trying to fit into a shirt u grew out of #like. yeah. this is home. its familiar and i know my role here and i know how things work #but i just. dont. fit like i used to.#done some growing ig #... i unno #jus feels weird.#dont think i care for it much.#arty escapades #arty issues #it is both (tm)

8 notes · View notes

eggs-can-draw · 1 year

Note

You picked

NIGHTTIME ROUTIN!!!!!!

This is a very lose interpretation but I would love love to hear your thoughs

So I think bed time routine starts at around 8:00

They eat at maybe 7:30 so that kyoko and byakuya have enough time to get home and shuichi Star dinner before they do so they eat right when they get home

After dinner I think that two parents go off to like shower and change into sleeping clothes and basicly do the big part of there routine while the other parent stays behind to help shuichi

They when shuichi only have like teeth brushing hair brushing and like washing his face the parent that was helping him goes to do bulk of their routine and once that parents done they come back to the room to all tuck in shuichi and read him a story of his choosing and he is like in bed and asleep by 9:00

Then I think they go back to their room and do whatever they didn’t do, watch tv, read, or just talk about their days

ok first off this got me thinking "Ok Kirigiri and Togami probably ride to and from work together to save gas n stuff especially since they both work in the city" and now I'm at "Wait does Togami even have his license DOES HE EVEN KNOW HOW TO DRIVE" cause like he's probably always had a chauffeur n stuff and yeah it's something I can see him wanting but before and after the heir ceremony I can see it as something his dad would see as more of a waste of his time and not allow? so that's some food for thought. Also I could see Naegi usually being the one to get Shuichi ready for bed but it's also a job that Kirigiri or Togami will tag in for depending on the day. Also a rotation on who's actually reading to him and they read different books each time. so like, Naegi reads some classic kids book, kirigiri works through a mystery novel (think like Nancy drew, Geronimo stilton that type beat, in the morning they talk about how they think it'll end over breakfast) and with Togami they work through a pretty long book like think The Hobbit (Kirigiri and Naegi are also passed out once he's done lmao) Once he's eepin sleepin I could see them also using that time to make sure they've got everything ready for the week and like if Naegi has a work trip coming up this is the time he uses to pack for it all last minute yknow. If they have nothin going on then they talk about their days n life n Shuichi n connect yknow? I could see them watching scary movies n bad romcoms too lol ALSO! Altered schedule for when Naegi is on work trips since he picks up Shuichi from school n stuff (Since Shuichi gets out of school before the other two parents get back from work) Points at Shuichi ASC KID when he was tiny it was After School Care but when he's older he'll get picked up at a friend's house (Like Kaito or smth not all the way back at Jabberwock lmao dw) and from there they get dinner on the way back (Ramen or smth) if they arent feeling that Naegi might make some Tupperwares of food before hand that they can just microwave ("You guys can use a microwave right?" "Yeah totally we got this" Kirigiri said, reheating her bowl of mac and cheese with the metal spoon still in the bowl) Same song and dance but with them FaceTiming Naegi at eepy sleepy time, they still relax after he's down and I could see them playing Clue or smth I unno I think they'd enjoy that lmao

#eggs can answer #g-eetings #naegamigiri #byakuya togami #makoto naegi #kyoko kirigiri #shuichi saihara #naegi is a fluffy dumb silly romcom enjoyer you will listen to me #look me in the eyes you know it's true #good soup good soup this was so fun to thikn about #also CAN TOGAMI DRIVE???? THE QUESTION IS HAUNTING ME NOW LMAO #also also also also I must award you the highest honor I can bestow:#this made me wanna listen to The Crane Wives while I wrote this #I love the crane wives so so so so so so so much I struggle to explain why #also just. the longer I listen #the longer I think about togami its funny

6 notes · View notes

wandering4ever · 6 years

Text

God damn i wish mobile read mores were still a thing. Whatever.

#so im going home in like. two days right.#wednesday evening. yet instead of excited or really anything of the sort im... neutral. if not scared.#like.... i had the thought today of what if. what if that suicidal ideation slams back up after this.#the main argument i had against it was no. i had to see mom in june. i couldnt because of mom. and also rent. but mostly mom. m #now with that about to be gone... what do i have?#like i get it sounds awful. but i live my life in chunks of things to look and aim for. so i dont lose purpose and just.. die.#so what is next. what can i cling to next.#and like... going home is a massive bundle of misgendering. a huge dilemma of her wanting me more girly.#i unno. im nervous. im.... really only excited for andrew and michael. and mom too but. sigh. fuck.#i have so many conflicting feelings. and no one to talk to.#thats what i miss honestly. i miss feeling like i had someone i could emotionally lean on.#i have no one currently. and its lonely. its hard. therapy helps briefly but not entirely. i need a friend to depend on.#...im rambling. im just lonely. ffeeling very isolated. its whatever.#going home and we’ll have to just hope it goes well

1 note · View note

moriiartist · 2 years

Text

‧₊ NO WAY HOME (BUT AREN’T I THERE?)

PAIRING: C!Mumbo Jumbo x GN!Reader

SYNOPSIS: (Modern AU) With all the flights home grounded due to a freak blizzard, it’s looking like you have to spend Christmas Eve alone. To top it all off, your phone is almost dead, leaving you with no way to call your family. Maybe the guy next to you has a charger…?

WARNINGS: Anxiety attacks

A/N: I honestly am absolutely in love with how mischaracterized Mumbo Jumbo was in the fandom up until recently. We were all like “oh, look at this guy!! he’s so awkward and tall and completely at Grian’s mercy” when, in actuality, Grian is the one that would not last a day in the DSMP. Mumbo? Mumbo would fucking rule it better than Dream ever did. (Is this potato boy propaganda? Yes it is, and I am not afraid to say it)

Your shoes pattered against the ground as you ran through the crowded airport terminal, dodging and weaving through the mass of people milling about. You paid no mind to the curious or offended looks you got, eyes affixed on the signs that hung above each gate to care about them or their personal issues.

For some indeterminate reason, it had been incredibly hard for you to get a flight home this year. It seemed as though everything was booked solid, people rushing to get tickets to travel for the holiday season, and it was with a heavy stone in your gut that you had to schedule for today. Christmas eve.

When you had first set out on your own, moving to the bustling city of Java, you had left your family far behind, only able to fly out on holidays to spend time with them- actual, in-person time with them, not what you could get with your measly six-inch phone screen. Christmas was one of the only times you ever got to see them, and only being able to fly out on the day before? It absolutely sucked.

You hadn’t planned to arrive this late, pushing your already tight itinerary even tighter as the heavy city traffic ate at the time you should’ve spent going through security. You were practically panting by the time you got through everything, and that was before you had to go on this mad dash, desperately searching for where your plane was stationed. At the rate you were going, you were wondering if you would ever even find it before take off.

You breathed a sigh of relief, however, the sound more like a rasp from all of your exertion, as you spotted the lobby for your gate, practically flopping down in one of the few available seats. To your luck, you had a couple of minutes left until the plane was set to take off, and you took this opportunity to finally relax.

It seemed as though your day was filled with problem after problem, and if you didn’t de-stress soon, it was no doubt that the tightly coiled tension within you would snap like a spring. You took the chance to finally examine the area you were in, too focused on looking at the signs before to really notice anything.

While the walkways were still bustling with people trying to get to their flights- presumably others on their way to see family-, those in your section of the airport were a lot more subdued, the majority of them either quietly talking amongst themselves or scrolling through their phones. From where you were sitting, you could just make out the shape of the plane through the windows, the colorful banner of the airline brand visible on its fin-like vertical stabilizer.

Your relieved expression shifted into a frown, though, once you noticed the thick cloud cover over the skies, dark grey and white clouds looming ominously over the horizon like some kind of goliath monster. Pursing your lips, you shot an anxious look towards where the two attendants near the gate were talking with each other in hushed whispers, heads leaned together so you couldn't get a good look at their faces.

You didn’t have a good feeling about this.

“Erm, are you alright?”

Jolting slightly at the unfamiliar voice, you shifted to see that someone had plopped into the seat beside you, somehow going unnoticed as you observed your surroundings. You schooled your features into something a little less stressed as you turned to meet the person who had spoken, trying to soothe your nerves.

“Sorry about that- I was just thinking that the sky looked a little ominous,” you chuckled to yourself, but quickly broke off as the stranger leaned forwards to follow where your gaze had been, shifting into your personal space. You hadn’t quite had a good chance to look at him yet, but now your senses were filled with the sight of the neatly pressed black suit he was wearing, and the woody scent of his cologne.

A small spark of heat bloomed in your cheeks, and you couldn’t do much beyond hold your breath as he observed what you were talking about. After a moment, he seemed to realize what he had done, and jerked back, dark eyes filled with apology.

“Sorry, sorry! Sometimes my curiosity gets the best of me sometimes,” he said, laughing awkwardly as his hands fiddled with the suitcase resting in his lap nervously. Getting a good look at him, you realized that he was… not what you were expecting, to be honest.

Based on just his voice and choice of clothing, you had already visualized some kind of businessman, someone with sharp edges and a slightly condescending demeanor- but as your eyes flickered over his features, that was not it. Not at all.

For starters, his expression, his face, even the way he held himself exuded a softness and nerdiness that didn’t match his attire. His black hair looked as though there had been an attempt to style it, brushed back from his face to fall behind his ears, but there were more than a few flyaways, and a chunk appeared to stubbornly refuse to move from where it hung over his left eye.

Wide, glossy black eyes stared down at you from just above a well-groomed mustache, shining with concern and curiosity as he studied you, clearly doing the same thing that you were at the moment.

If you didn’t know better, you would almost think that he was cute. Which was preposterous, of course- you were at an airport for Moon’s sake. Airport strangers are legally not allowed to be cute- it would be too unfair for everyone else.

You quickly waved off his concerns, trying and failing to hide your brief moment of bewilderment. “It’s fine, it’s fine, just- I was just worried that there might be issues if it starts storming.”

The man nodded, seeming to finally connect your words to the sight of the clouds encroaching ever-nearer. “Yeah, that seems like that would be an issue. Do you- do you have anyone that you need to get home to?”

The question was innocuous enough, but you couldn’t help but notice the hidden connotations that it had. You smiled, shaking your head softly. “Only family, really. I fly over every Christmas to stay with them. Who’re you on the flight for?”

He shook his head, something wistful in his eyes as he turned his gaze back towards the window. “I’m traveling for business, I’m afraid. It seems like there might be a correlation between the holiday season and operation issues, and they need someone to get over to sort things out.”

You felt the corners of your mouth tug down, brows furrowing as you processed his statement. “You mean you’ll be spending Christmas working?”

The dark-haired man sighed ruefully, slumping back in his seat with a wry smile. “Unfortunately.”

Biting your lip, you felt sympathy flood through you at his tired expression. During your high school years, you had the privilege of working overtime during the holidays one winter. To make a long story short- it was hell on earth, with how sucky it was. It had firmly made its place in your list of ‘worst experiences ever’, and you felt immense empathy for anyone who had to be in that position.

“I’m sorry,” you murmured genuinely, leaning forwards against your knees to catch his eye. “That’s horrible.”

He coughed, and you caught a flash of pink jump to his cheeks before he was turning his head away from you and bringing a fist to his mouth to cover the sound. “It’s fine, really. Just how it is, y’know?”

You opened your mouth to speak, but before you could get any words out, you were interrupted by the shriek of the airport PA system turning on, jumping in your seat for the second time in a very short time frame. Mildly annoyed by getting caught off guard again, you turned your gaze up towards the speakers mounted in the ceilings, eyebrows raising as curiosity soon overtook you.

“Attention all gates: Until further notice, all flights are grounded due to inclement weather. Any concerns can be directed towards any staff members, and thank you for flying with us today.”

There were a few seconds of dead silence as everyone collectively gaped at the ceiling, before there was an uproar. People were shouting, standing up to demand answers from the poor attendants manning the lobby. There were children crying, those desperately trying to understand what was going on, and you were trapped in the middle of it all, staring with unseeing eyes as the statement sunk in.

Before you could react, though, a hand was firmly grasped around your own and you looked up to see the (cute, although you still refused to admit it) stranger pulling you through the crowd, gunning for the front desk before anyone else could get there first.

Sensing your confused gaze, he shot you a placating glance, a wordless plea in his dark eyes- ‘not now’. Allowing yourself to be pulled through the throng, it wasn’t long before you were standing before the two harried-looking employees, peeking over the shoulder of the dark-haired man that had situated himself slightly in front of you.

“Hello,” he said, a cheerfulness in his voice that did not match your current situation at all. “The planes are delayed?”

The attendant that answered had folded into themselves like they were expecting the pair of you to blow up on them, hesitantly offering their affirmations. Suddenly, a question popped into your head, shredding through any remaining reluctance you might’ve had and motivating you to step forwards, away from the cover that the stranger gave.

“When do you think we will be able to get off the ground now, then?”

They shrugged, moving to get a good look at one of the many computers set up at the desk area. “The storm passing through the area is quite large, so I’d have to say sometime tomorrow.”

Tomorrow. The day after this one, which happened to be Christmas eve. When you were planning on being home.

You had to call your family.

Forcing yourself into motion, you scrambled for your pockets, rifling through your pockets with panicked hands. You whispered a sharp ‘yes!’ under your breath as your fingers caught on the smooth glass surface of your phone, drawing out to frantically click it on. To your horror, however, all that stared up at you from the screen was the red ‘low-battery’ icon, a clear signifier that it, the only device that you could use to contact home- to let them know that you weren’t going to make it to one of the only events you could see them each year- was dead.

You didn’t realize that you were starting to hyperventilate until you felt two surprisingly strong hands grip your upper forearms, looking up through a blur of unshed tears to see a pale face swimming before you.

“Ah, geez- are you alright? Well, obviously not- geez Mumbo, why do you have to be such a moron? Uhm, do you- do you think you could try and copy my breathing? In and out, like this.”

Lungs stuttering fitfully against your ribcage, it could’ve either been a few minutes or an hour before you managed to get your respiratory system under control, and even then you were still taking little gasping breaths. Lifting the hand that wasn’t currently still clutching your phone, you clumsily wiped at your face, caught off-guard by the wetness of your cheeks. When had you started crying?

“There you are,” the stranger- Mumbo, a distant part of you recalled- murmured, shoulders slumping slightly as his entire body seemed to relax. “You had me scared for a bit.”

“Sorry,” you mumbled, averting your gaze from the man in front of you, the tips of your ears burning in shame. “I don’t know what came over me.”

Mumbo seemed taken aback by your apology, leaning back and finally removing his hold on your arms, and you found yourself missing the warmth he brought. “What? There’s no need to say sorry- you didn’t have any control over that.”

Laughing wetly, you decided to let the issue go, instead opting to stare down at the blackened screen of the device in your hand once more. Your visage was reflected back to you by the polished surface, and you were able to see just how disheveled your appearance had become. Grimacing, you glanced up to where the dark-haired man was still watching you.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a charger, would you?”

It had been a few hours since chaos broke out, and you were happy to say that you weren’t exactly reenacting ‘Lord of The Flies’. You and Mumbo, as he had introduced himself a few minutes after you had calmed down from your panic (despite you already picking up his name), had situated yourselves against one of the walls of the gate lobby, your backs pressed to the cold plaster as the two of you quietly chatted and watched the snow fall down through the windows to the tarmac.

Resting on the dark-haired man’s suit jacket, which he had laid down beneath the two of you like a picnic blanket, you couldn't stop yourself from checking your phone every few seconds, waiting for even the slightest bit of charge to call home. Mumbo did, in fact, have a charger ready- providing it to you with the condition that you didn’t try to make a ‘super charger’ with it.

You didn’t ask- the haunted look in his eyes said enough.

So engrossed in your task, you didn’t notice how Mumbo’s eyes seemed more focused on you than what was happening outside, dark eyes curiously picking out every breath, every flicker of your eyes towards the darkened screen of the device laid in your lap. It was obvious how anxious you were from his perspective, and he repressed the urge to pull you closer to him in comfort.

Seeing how you reacted earlier- it was honestly one of the worst experiences he had ever had to go through. Even as he was desperately trying to pull you out of it, to get your attention, you were just staring straight at him with that glassy-eyed stare- it was like you weren’t even perceiving him. And when you finally collected yourself, it hurt like a physical wound to see you apologize to him. As if you could control anything that just happened.

Mumbo didn’t know how he had gotten so attached to you.

Maybe it was the quiet tone of your voice as you talked about your niece, who had sent you multiple cards expressing how excited she was to see you this holiday. Maybe it was the way you listened to him speak, completely and utterly focused on him as he talked and visibly absorbing his words.

He didn’t know how he had gotten so attached to you, but a sour bile rose in throat at the thought that you would eventually have to part ways. It was one thing to meet someone like you in his normal day-to-day job around the city, which he knew you lived in as well, but- well, it was different. You wouldn’t just trust a random stranger at the airport with your number, right?

… Right?

When you eventually moved away with your phone, animatedly chattering to whoever was on the other end, Mumbo was still there where he had been sitting, propping his chin up in his hand as he shut his eyes to rest. Faintly, he could hear the sound of Christmas music playing from someone’s speakers, and he hummed along to the melody to stave off the buzzing thoughts in his head.

It wasn’t long, however, before you were finishing your call and settling back into place beside him, prompting the man to crack open an eye as your limbs brushed his.

“Everything alright?” he asked, blinking the exhaustion that had pooled within him in the past few minutes back as he focused on you. You sighed heavily, shooting Mumbo a weary but hesitantly optimistic smile.

“Yeah. The kiddos will be a little disappointed, but I should be able to bribe them out of it.”

Huffing a laugh, the dark-haired man angled his head toward you, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “Oh, yes. We all know presents are the best thing to distract children.”

You hummed, a pleased smile tugging at the corners of your lips, and allowed to air between you to lapse into silence, on filled by the distant sounds of other people talking and the wind howling outside. Mumbo was struggling to stay awake- doing those slow, lizard-like blinks in a valiant attempt to stave off sleep- when an unfamiliar weight settled itself on his shoulder.

Turning his head to the side slightly, he was met with the sight of your head resting itself upon him, cheek smushed into the hard line of his bicep. It was clear that the stress of the day had taken its toll on you, and now, as the sun dipped below the horizon, you had succumbed to your exhaustion.

With a sudden rush of fondness, Mumbo found himself carefully shifting to draw you into his side, lifting you slightly to wrap an arm around your torso. You mumbled sleepily, snuggling deeper into his warmth, and he melted. The man had never before been so glad that someone was so tired.

“M’bo?” you slurred, one eye cracking open as you were jostled. He hushed you, one hand sliding up to cup the back of your neck protectively.

“It’s alright, just getting you comfortable.”

You hummed sleepily, craning your neck up to try and get a peek at his face. He was glad that you couldn’t see how red the tips of his ears were in the low light- it was far too late in the day to start getting teased.

“Pr’mse me we’ll see each other aga’n,” you said, a sudden energy in your voice as your eyes bored into him. “You’re really nice.”

Feeling himself flush further at the compliment, Mumbo couldn’t help the beaming smile that stretched across his face. “I promise.”

You nodded, evidently satisfied with his answer, before promptly leaning your full weight into his side and conking out once more. In his opinion, Mumbo couldn’t imagine himself anywhere else. This moment, right here, right now, was so intrinsically right to him.

What they say is true, he supposed- everyone does find a home for the holidays.

@danny-boy27 @the-tired-system @silently-plotting-murder @g0re-h0und @hermitscapes @peanut-is-freed @itsonlydana @sina-the-idiot @amearla @rabukabait

#mori's holiday series #a meal for the children #hermitcraft x reader #mcyt x reader #c!mumbo jumbo #c!mumbo #mumbo jumbo x reader #mumbo x reader #tw: anxiety attack

155 notes · View notes

ophiuchus-interactive · 2 years

Text

Ignipotent- The Reader (1)

Ignipotent- presiding over a fire.

You weren't always alone, always on the run. Before you met Yoshie, you had a life, a family-

and then it all came burning, tumbling, crashing to the ground.

This is entirely intended to be taken completely canon. The MC would be aged roughly between 9-12 years old.

TW: Death, war, angst

The light of an early morning shone itself through the windows, casting shards of light that pierced the hollow dark of your home. You looked closely at the hazy light, watching as dust and debris scatter and float in the air, shining like sparkles on a slow-paced river bed.

You were tired- so tired! It was just after dawn when you'd finished your chores, coaxed out of your warm bed by your mother at the prospect of warm food- "pancakes", she whispered to you as she drew your covers back, "You don't want Papa eating all of them, do you?"

You surely didn't, which is why after asking your chickens very nicely for their eggs (you always want to be sure they didn't mind), you had hurried back home under the dark blue hue of pre-dawn.

And so now you sat with your legs swinging in a chair all-too-tall for your figure, waiting patiently as your mother warmed the skillet for your hard-earned meal,

"Did you sleep well?" Your mother asked, her melodic voice heard over the sizzling of butter and lard, "I heard the thunder off in the distance, I guess it rained?"

"I 'unno," You say, nodding sleepily with a yawn, " 'didn't hear it-"

"-SIORA? SIORA!"

You heard your father before you saw him; the heavy steps of his boots creating a near-terrifying disruption of the quiet that had settled over the earth that morning. You felt your stomach drop, whipping your head to see your father rush through the door in confusion- and horror.

"Cyran?" Your mother gasped, "What on-"

"They've broken through the militia lines! They're marching this way- the Marstons, Siroa, the children-"

You began to feel the claws of panic rip through your insides, your quiet morning seemingly exploding, burning right before your very eyes. What was dad talking about? What was going on-?

"-But, but they said it would hold!" Your mother protests, dropping the hot skillet in her hand, instead reaching for your figure. She pulled you from your chair, her hand held in yours, "I can't- Cyran-!"

"I'm getting the horses- grab the canteens and some food, stand outside for me near the gate and wait there, do not move, understand?"

"Cyran, I-"

"This not up for debate! Go!"

#p1 #ignipotent #the reader #itoos mc

33 notes · View notes

abbatoirablaze · 2 years

Text

Queen Of The Mayans, Nevaeh, Chapter 1

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: cute fluff, threats of being stabbed with a screwdriver, cursing.

Johnny," I pleaded, knocking on the door. It was hard enough trying to reach high enough to the handle, so I pressed my ear flat against the door. Not hearing anything I sighed, standing on my tip toes. I grabbed the door handle and twisted it. It opened easily enough. Pushing my way into the apartment I tried to peer over the counter, "Johnny are you home?"

I couldn't see him, but I could see a pile of dishes beginning to rise out of the very dirty sink. There were a few pans on the stove. But nothing looked like it had been made in a while. Pushing further into the apartment, I noticed that the TV was still on and the remote was on the floor. Johnny wasn't in the living room. Moving on down the hall I noticed dirty laundry. It was Miss. Celias and smelled kind of funny. I knocked on Johnny's door at the end of the hall, "Johnny. Hey, Johnny…are you in there?"

No response.

I reached for the handle and pushed it open. Johnny was asleep in his bed.

"Johnny," I asked, walking up to him. The only thing letting me know he was alright was the soft snores that came from him and the slow inhales and exhales which made the covers shift as he moved. I shook him gently until his eyes opened up, “Johnny, wake up.”

"Nevaeh," he said slowly. He squinted while he looked like he was trying to focus on me, "What are you doing here?"

"Mommy hasn't been home yet. Is Miss Celia here?"

"T-that w-who-whore hasn't been here in d-days," he stuttered, sitting up. He looked at me and I felt my tummy grumble, "how long's Cynthia been gone?"

I shrugged, “I unno.”

"How many times have you watched cartoons after waking up?"

I held up a hand and showed him all five of my fingers, "This many."

"What?"

"I ran out of cereal this many days ago," I said, holding up two of my fingers, "I found some bread, but it was really hard. It hurt my teeth. The only other thing is the cans and I can’t reach them…and I don’t know how to use a can opener…I…can you make me food, Johnny?"

He got out of his bed and picked me up, balancing me on his hipwithout much of a second thought. Unfortunately, this was second nature to him, "c-come on. I'll make b-b-breakfast."

"I can walk," I said, trying to be independent. I pushed myself off his hip but took his hand as he led me back down the hall. He helped me onto one of the kitchen stools, and began to get stuff for my favorite breakfast: French toast.

I watched him greedily as he mixed the eggs and milk, and put cinnamon and vanilla in. He delicately got up on the step stool and made enough for him and I. Once he finished up, he pushed the plate in front of me. I could feel myself drooling. It smelled amazing.

"Johnny?" I asked, after I practically swallowed them whole, "when's mommy coming home?"

"I don't kn-know," he said with a shrug as he put our plates in the sink. He looked at the clock, "c-come on. It's four am. Let-let's get back to bed."

He helped me down, and I felt the tiredness creeping up now that the hunger was gone. I reached over to him, and he laughed, "please Johnny?"

"I thought you c-could walk on your o-ow-own."

I didn't give him a response and he smiled, picking me up and carrying me to his room. He laid me down on the bed and grabbed a pillow.

"Where are you going?"

"The c-couch."

"Please," I pleaded, suddenly scared at the prospect of not having someone be close by me, "I don't wanna be alone Johnny. Mommy left me...don't leave me alone too."

I could see the sadness in his eyes as he wanted to give in to my request. I knew that Miss Celia had to have been gone just as long as my mommy. He sighed and threw the pillow back onto the bed.

"S-sc-scoot over."

I agreed and he crawled into the bed with me. Instantly I snuggled up to him, "promise you won't leave, Johnny."

"I'm n-not leaving," he sighed, pulling me closer to him, "n-now shut up will ya. I'm t-tired, and you are keeping me u-up."

"Good night, Johnny."

"Good ni-night N-Nev-"

"Just call me Eva," I whispered, "that's what my big brother Raul calls me."

"Good night, E-Eva."

"Come on Johnny, we don't need that many boxes."

"Bu-bu-bullshit," he said loudly. A few people looked angrily at Johnny and my older brother. Raul slapped him upside the head and he yelped, "what the fuck."

"Watch your fuckin’ language you little shithead."

"RAUL!"

"What?" he asked his girlfriend innocently. She rolled her eyes at him, "the fuckin kid is swearing and screaming about the fucking cereal again. He doesn’t need this much cereal."

"Maybe he just really likes it."

"Johnny goes coo-coo for coco puffs,” I giggled, “right Johnny!”

“It’s not funny,” he grumbled, “stop saying that Eva.”

"That's it," Raullaughed, "you don't need this shit. Come on, kid."

I watched as Raul took the four boxes of cereal out of the cart. Dasia looked at me and shook her head, "this isn't gonna end well...just like the last few times"

"Nope," I agreed with a sigh, “Johnny goes coo coo.”

"I want co-c-c-co puffs!"

"You don't need that sugary shit," Raul informed him, “it’ll rot the teeth right out your head.”

Johnny reached up for the shelf and started putting boxes back in the cart, "I w-w-want it. I WANT IT!”

"Stop it, Johnny."

"N-NO!"

"Damn it, you fucking punk."

He grabbed Johnny by the scruff of the neck and deposited him in the cart, then grabbed the cereal and put it back on the shelf, "HEY THAT IS MY SHIT!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Raul yelled at Johnny. He grabbed Johnny who was halfway out of the cart, and threw him over his shoulder. Johnny immediately began pounding on Raul’s' back, yelling for him to 'put him down.' Dasia rolled her eyes at the normal sight between Johnny and Raul, “STOP HITTING ME OR YOU AIN’T GETTING SHIT!”

Once we made it to the next aisle Johnny stopped fighting Raul, but he began to do the one thing that made my heart hurt. He began to cry. Half-way up the aisle Raul sighed, put Johnny down and kneeled in front of him.

"Hey man, you can't be acting all loco Coco like this," he said, rubbing the tears off his face, "come on man."

"I-I just w-wanted the c-c-cereal," he sniffled. I let go of Dasia's hand and ran up to Johnny, pulling him into a hug. Johnny grabbed onto me tightly and began to cry again, “cereal is easy to make. I can’t use the stove unless it’s to make French toast.”

"Hey, come on," he said, pulling the two of us apart. The tears began to well up in my eyes as Raul separated us, "no no no. Hell no. Don't you start that bullshit too. Nevaeh Leticia Cabrera. Don’t you go fucking crying because Coco is crying."

Some tears fell down my face, and Johnny pushed him away from me, wrapping himself around me, "it's o-ok-okay Nevaeh. P-puh-please d-d-d-don't cry because of me."

"Shit," I could hear Raul sigh. He took a few steps towards us, and Johnny pushed me behind him, "come on guys stop crying. The owner will think I'm beating you two or some shit."

"We want coco puffs."

"You are a fucking coco puff, you crazy ass kid," he groaned, “come on…stop crying coco puff.”

"Please Raul." I pleaded, “we just want the coco puffs.”

"Alright Coco," he groaned, caving him, "go grab your puffs. But only 1 box! You hear me?"

"Coco?" he laughed.

"Yeah you're like the crazy fucking bird. Now go grab your fucking cereal before I change my mind."

Johnny smiled to himself and ran back to the last aisle to grab the cereal. Dasia laughed at the scene in front of her, "you know, you better hope for hell and highwater that when we have kids, they don't control you like this."

"Hey, I'm the man," he said, tapping his chest hard, "these kids are getting that shit because I put food on the table."

She shook her head at him, and held her hand out to me, "come on little one. Let’s leave Raul and Coco alone and go wait by the check out."

I took it, and we began walking away from the cart. She took me to the checkouts where we waited for the guys to finish up. I remember how she would always get a pack of gum and let me have a piece. Together we'd pop our gum, waiting for the boys on the bench, watching the Jerry Springer show.

"How would you feel about me and Raul becoming mommy and daddy to a baby?"

"You mean I’ll have another brother or sister?"

“No,” she smiled sweetly, brushing some of the hair from my face, “It’d be me and Raul having a baby not your momma.”

“You mean I’d be an auntie?”

She nodded, smacking her gum, "yeah. Like an Auntie."

"Will you still love me if you have a baby?"

"Of course I would," she laughed, fixing my waves, "you're my little hermosita."

"Really?"

She nodded, "yes ma'am."

"Then I guess it'd be pretty cool."

"Cool," she smiled. She picked up one of the magazines, "you know, you and Coco boy there are pretty close."

"Johnny is my best friend," I giggled, “I love him.”

"Mhmmm," she said knowingly, "I see the way that boy looks at you. The way he protects you. He treats you the way Raul treats me. Coco puff has a crush on you."

"No," I giggled, "no he doesn't. Johnny doesn't have a crush on me."

"So, you say," she laughed, elbowing me, "You just wait though. One day when he becomes a man, he'll prove it to you. And the day he does that, you hold onto him. You hear me? Those crazy wild ones are the ones god makes for girls like us."

"You think god made Johnny for me?" I giggled, "you're silly Dasia."

"I think god made you for Johnny," she smiled, tucking some of the hair that fell out of my clip behind my ear, "I think you'll be that crazy boys true north baby girl. But you make sure that he treats you like a damn queen. You hear me? Don't ever settle for that half-cocked bullshit. He starts playin little boy games, you tell him to come see you when he becomes a man."

"Okay," I giggled, “Whatever you say, Day.”

"I'm serious little one, you see how Raul is with me," she laughed, "you be his ride or die, but if he doesn't respect you, you stab his ass with a screwdriver."

“Don’t be tellin my little sister to stab people with a screwdriver you crazy bitch!”

“I love you baby!” She smiled, sending him a wink. He rolled his eyes at her and she turned her attention back to me, “I’m serious…a fucking screwdriver will snap any mother fucker back into place if they get out of line!”

Chapter 2

#mayans fx #mayans mc #coco cruz #johnny coco cruz #coco

10 notes · View notes

vegalocity · 3 years

Text

Seperated (Red Groom AU)

The part of the Albino will now be played by -drumroll- Jin and Yin is that even a question? of course its Jin and Yin.

Also i rewatched this sequence a few times to get the dialogue right and... Am I on glue or are Humperdink and Count Rugen like... kinda into eachother?

Xiaotian awoke with pain. He pulled a hiss between his teeth as a rag—no doubt drenched with cleaning fluids for how much it stung—was pressed to his shoulder. The room he was in was dim when he forced his eyes open, but soon his gaze was met with the red eyes of a silver skinned demon.

“Who-” he croaked. “Where am I?”

“The pit of despair.” The demon hissed, his voice raspy and dim, it reminded Xiaotian of the whispers of a ghost. On some level it made him nervous. “Don't even think-”

“Yin, you gotta stay away from the guy while he's still injured, brother. You sound like a nightmare warmed over.” a far more normal voice made itself known, and Xiaotian watched a golden demon that other than the change in coloration seemed near identical to the silver one entered his vision.

“But Jin I-” The silver demon, Yin apparently, gasped. “Come on, I NEVER get to be the ominous assistant!”

“You're still ill, If you mess up the experiment by getting the prisoner sick Macaque is gonna ACTUALLY kill you, and I don't wanna be an only child.”

Yin huffed and puffed.

“Maybe he should go home.” Xiaotian offered weakly. Less guards meant less people to fight while he escaped after all.

“Pssh!” the gold brother, Jin apparently, waved a hand. “Like we'd EVER- Nah he's just gotta leave prisoner interactions to me. Speaking of!” He snagged the clean rag from his brother's hand. “You'd rather be treated by the one that ISN'T actively sick right now, wouldn't ya, prisoner?”

Yin let out a series of sneezes that nearly seemed to knock him off his feet. So Xiaotian was thankful when he finally shrugged and went over to a worktable while Jin leaned over and went to applying the cleaning fluid on his wound.

“Like my brother was saying though, don't even think to try and escape. Those chains could hold down the Monkey King, they're that strong.” The irony of that statement was lost on Jin, Xiaotian hadn't been in his monkey disguise when they'd captured him, it was unlikely anyone knew of his ruse. Even Red Son while surrendering (his heart still hurt at the memory of defeat in his voice) had been nonspecific about WHAT nearby mountain was his. “And the entrance is like, super secret too, like top secret. Only the Boss, the Prince, and my brother and I know where it is, and Yin didn't even pay attention when we were being shown the way.”

“It was boring!” Yin defended himself from across the room. “You were barely paying attention yourself!” Jin turned around and likely made an ugly face at his brother, whom quickly returned it with one of his own, before he turned back to Xiaotian.

“You're gonna die down here my good fellow.”

“Then why heal my wounds?”

“I 'unno. The boss tells us he likes his test subjects in tip tops before he messes them up.”

“We generally leave between 'experiments'” Yin added on, before letting out a loud grunt as he moved some heavy looking contraption across the area. “He's like.... Super creepy when he gets into it. Gives Jin the willies.”

“Honestly there are some times when I can't remember why we even work for him.” Jin agreed with a visible shudder and a shake of his head.

“Cuz mother said she would force us out of the house if we didn't find work, and he pays well.”

“Oh yeah, that.”

He wasn't paying much attention to the brother's banter, he'd already put together what matters.

“So they're going to torture me down here?” Jin hummed in agreement as he continued to clean him up of left over blood. “I can handle torture.”

Yin let out a raspy laugh that was somehow less disturbing than the audible shudder that went up Jin's spine.

“Look, my man, you're new here, you don't know.” There was something close to pity in Jin's voice and it almost immediately set off every alert in Xiaotian's nervous system. “that machine they rig people up to, it's no joke. We only heard the damn thing a few times and it's really, REALLY bad.”

“I still get nightmares!” Yin agreed.

But then Jin had finished cleaning up his wounds and went over to aid his brother in whatever he was doing moving things around, leaving Xiaotian to his thoughts.

Something so bad that it made demons recoil in fright? What sort of horror display was he in for? That Six-Eared Macaque did seem the sadistic type, but what did that entail?

He had to get out of here. He tested the chains, but no dice, his arm was still injured though the bleeding had stalled, and he was strapped down with both hands nearer his waist than his head so he couldn't even try to summon some backup in the form of a clone. And his shapeshifting was still rudimentary at best, he couldn't do any forms that would change his size quite yet and that was the one thing that could help him break out of here!

He'd have to stay put for just a little longer at least until he could figure something out.

At this point the Prince wasn't likely to kill Red Son until they were already married, and though his heart ached at the idea of his love being forced to play along with that cruel beast's games until he found a way around it, or managed to escape on his own—as he knew that he would at this point. Now that he knew that Red Son's heart had remained true, and Red Son knew he was alive, he knew his love would stop at nothing to get out of this arrangement and find him again, he was far too clever to simply go along with this and hope that those mercenaries were wrong or deceitful—he could find him on his own.

He knew he would. Red Son was far too intelligent for anything else.

–

Within three days time the Prince's father had died. And on that very night he and Red Son were married.

It was the day after the ceremony and Red Son, now a married man, was to be prepared not to be a demon king in his own right like he'd always assumed but-

–

“What? That's not right! Grandpa you're telling the story wrong!”

“What do you mean, little one?”

“Red Son doesn't marry the prince he marries Xiaotian! He's his true love not the prince!”

“But Red Son turned himself in to the Prince to save Xiaotian's life, remember?”

“But! But after the Forest-! And everything Xiaotian did to get back and save him from the mercenaries-! After everything he did he doesn't even get to marry him in the end?! That's so unfair!”

“Whoever said life was fair? Where'd it ever get written down that life was fair?”

“B-But! But! Xiaotian is still in the Pit of Despair! He needs Red Son to save him like he saved him! ”

“You wanna know how this ends or not?”

“...Yes...”

“Thought so. No more interruptions, alright? Where was I...-”

–

-It was the day after the ceremony and Red Son, now a married man, was to be prepared not to be a demon king in his own right like he'd always assumed but the husband of another. And as such he didn't know his new court anywhere near as intimately as he did his own back home. So he was taken to oversee the goings on of this court and acquaint himself with the advisers and nobles within.

He was dressed now not in the warm tones that his family was known for, but the cool pale purples of his husband's own court and in his own opinion, it clashed horribly with his hair, if it were a darker purple maybe, but this simply wasn't a good shade for him.

But that was just one in a long, long line of things that were wrong about this situation, so he did his best to appear the unflappable demon prince he once was.

Examining the court before him he could only compare it to the one he knew back home, and in many ways he found it much the same. The same types of sniveling yes-men, the same kinds of conniving power-seekers, and the same sort of surprisingly wise elders.

And then just three steps away from him, one of the advisers snickered. A cruel, twisted sound, a mocking laugh.

Red Son... was on a bit of a hair trigger for obvious reasons and whirled around at the noise, approaching the previously assumed sniveling coward, and feeling his hair light aflame behind him.

“Is there a problem?” He tried to make his voice as unshaken as possible, but the rage that was so quick to boil in his gut was difficult to contain.

“Oh no, your highness-” the adviser gave an melodramatic mocking bow. “No problems here, I simply find it funny how everyone else here seems to think you worth our respect!” The Demon loosed another gale of laughter and didn't seem the least bit frightened when Red Son reached forward and grabbed him by the collar. He didn't even seem surprised.

“What was that, you infernal garbage?!”

“The only garbage here is you, Red Son!” The Demon howled with laughter, before looking among his fellows, trying to gain support. “Can you all even believe it? This cold hearted princeling had true love in his hands and he let it go!” His gut dropped. “After everything Xiaotian did for you! To come back to find you! To save you and keep you alive when you couldn't even summon a candle's worth of flame in that forest and you repaid him by betraying him!”

The demon slipped from his slack grasp as he chortled, and Red Son found his limbs very weak indeed, his anger replaced by a cold, sick feeling.

“They were- He was going to kill Xiaotian, I had to-”

“Oathbreaker! Xioatian lives and you marry another! You had love in your hands and you treated it like garbage!” The demon leaned against the side of another adviser, whom seemed frozen in place. Much like how Red Son felt.

“Because that's what you are your highness! Garbage! Prince of all refuse!” The Demon shook his neighbor's shoulder. “Bow to him if you want! Go ahead! Bow to the prince of all slime! The prince of all filth! Prince of all putrescence!” His laughter never once abated, and when the demon took a step toward Red Son, he instinctively backed away.

“An oathbreaking fool! That's what you are!”

“Muck! Filth! Coward!”

His laughter was piercing.

Red Son awoke with a startle, heart thumping in his chest and a cold sweat across his brow. The King was still alive and the wedding was ten days away, yet his nightmares were getting worse. And on this morning he came to one conclusion:

“I cannot afford to bide time any longer.”

–

“See? I told you he'd never marry that rotten prince!”

“Yes you're very smart, shut up.”

–

As quick as he possibly could he changed from his sleep shirt into proper attire and began to plan his escape. His betrothed would attempt his life the second he let it slip that he knew of his plans, so he had to be quick, he had to be clever, and above all, he had to be sneaky.

He didn't know why his betrothed had decided to assume sincerity, but since he wasn't dead yet he could only guess that he was waiting until the wedding night to enact his plan and frame whoever he wanted to frame for Red Son's 'assassination'.

So he had ten days. Child's play, he could do it in three, tops.

The hard part would be keeping a low enough profile until he made it to Flower Fruit Mountain to evade whatever hunters his soon to be ex-fiance would send after him. How ironic, he thought to himself, that it was now his turn to make an impossible death defying escape and make his way back to his love.

He didn't have much by way of sewing skills, but the wardrobe of the rooms he was given had no mags with which to carry his supplies, so he had to make do with a spare blanket and what little he knew of hemming fabric until something resembling a traveling pack was made and ready.

It was about then that the prince made summons for him.

Red Son turned over what to do or say in his head as he approached the sitting room, and came to the conclusion that if he acted like he was alright with all of this then he would arouse suspicion. Red Son was well known for his temper, and he'd made it obvious that he had a love in Xiaotian. Though he'd willingly given himself up for his safety, the fact of the matter was that the prince had been willing to fight and hurt him, and if Red Son didn't already have plans to run then that would mean he'd be furious.

So he held himself as stiffly as possible and didn't hold back his scowl when the prince came into view.

“Ah! Beloved! How wonderful to see you!”

The prince seemed unshaken by Red Son's fury and remained unwavering as he stiffly marched over and sat across from him. It occurred to Red Son as he sat that the prince would likely expect him to try and call the wedding off at least once. He would do everything in his power to either try and convince Red Son to take back his announcement (he wouldn't be able to) or restrain him to the palace until he could force him to acquiesce.

“I refuse to lie to myself any longer.” He spoke only then, His betrothed's brow raised in curiosity. “I love Xiaotian, I have since long before my parents ever reached out to yours, and I always will.”

If anything this might be an interesting way to see if he's going to play along or not. “If I am forced to marry you in ten days you must understand that on the eleventh I will be dead.” There, if he set the assumed date afterward, then the Prince wouldn't think that he was moving the timetable of his own plans up-

“I could never cause you such greif.” He said after a sigh. “Consider the wedding off.”

He knew this was a ploy, he had a plan of some kind. But Still Red Son felt the tight clamps pressed to his chest loosen at the words being spoken aloud.

“You returned this 'Xiaotian' to his mountain?” The prince turned halfway and Red Son was startled to see the macaque standing in the shadows, he hadn't even seen him when he'd entered!

“I did.”

“Then we'll send a messenger for him.” They wouldn't. They'd sent Xiaotian back to Flower Fruit Mountain no doubt, lest they risked starting conflict with his own army. However Red Son knew the prince had no problems at all lying to him. Any messenger he oversaw a letter being handed off to would likely get out of sight and shred the note to bits before lying low for a time and returning. “But, Beloved, Can you be sure that he'd still take you back?”

The laughter of the demon in his dream echoed in the back of his mind. “What do you mean?”

“I simply mean that, it was you who did the leaving back in the forest.” Red Son couldn't fight back a flinch at the reminder. “And... kidnappers aren't exactly well known to keep their word.” Thankfully he didn't need to fake outrage.

“He didn't kidnap me!”

“Well... then may I suggest a deal?” The prince considered his tea before taking a sip. “How about this; I'll send my four fastest messengers along different routes to your Xiaotian's mountain, and you'll write four separate letters explaining the situation for them to deliver. To decrease the likeliness of the message getting lost due to bandits and the like. Your Xiaotian is sure to receive at least one of them by that. And if he accepts you back, then good fortune to you both.”

The Prince's brow furrowed with worry, and once again he reached out to try and take Red Son's hand. He pulled his hands back. “But if he doesn't, If your love decides this was one betrayal too many, then please at least consider me as an alternative to suicide.”

He was trying to get him to doubt himself, to doubt Xiaotian. Trying to put something like that in the back of his head so he'd be less convicted when he had some notary of some kind fake a letter of rejection.

“Are we agreed?”

“We are.”

He'd be gone in a few days time anyway. And if the prince was right, if Xiaotian did feel rejected and betrayed, and angry, and if he somehow did decide that he didn't want him back...

...then he'd just have to win his heart again. If that were the case it may be difficult, he hadn't exactly gone chasing him all that time ago in the Inn, He wasn't sure if he knew how. But he'd try, whatever it took.

He just had to get out of here first.

–

“You know, now that I've spent a time with the prince, I can see why so many other demon suitors were banging down his door for so long. A mote too angry for my own taste, but even for a more human-looking demon he's not too bad on the eyes.”

“Don't go falling in love with my groom Macaque. I'll not have you ruining my plans.”

“Pff! No worries there, highness.”

“...You know, when I'd hired the Spider Queen and her ilk to kill him on their way to my mountain I thought THAT was a work of genius, but it'll be so much more moving to cut his head off on our wedding night myself I do think.”

“His parents will be furious.”

“Especially once I blame the Monkey King when I send word to them about it! They'll insist on going to war and our combined forces will finally claim that eyesore of a mountain.”

“It's going to be a bloodbath.”

“Which I'm sure YOU'LL enjoy my six-eared friend.”

“Now.. where is that secret knot... damn thing's always changing locations I swear- Ah... Are you coming down? Xiaotian regained his strength, I'm going to be starting him on the machine tonight.”

“Macaque, You know how much I love watching you work; but I've two anniversaries for different alliances to plan the celebrations of, My wedding to arrange, my husband to murder, and the Monkey King to frame for it, I'm swamped!”

“Get some rest my prince. If you haven't got your health, you haven't got anything.”

“I hate this, I hate this, I hate this.” Jin was mumbling over and over as he and Yin rolled the slab of wood Xiaotian had been strapped to this whole time across the ground, and up against an unmoving water wheel.

“By all means, quit if it upsets you so.” The Six Eared Macaque stated idly, and out of the corner of his eye Xiaotian could see him scribbling something down, some sort of notation.

“He doesn't mean that.” Yin assured his brother as he forced Xiaotian this way and that, tightening leather straps to his chest and head. Hollowed out iron funnels were affixed to small holes in the straps, the cone sides pressed to his skin while the nozzles were being slowly attached to a set of copper tubes. “He'd be without any assistants that can keep their mouths shut without us.”

He couldn't move with these stupid straps all up and down his body—well... he already couldn't move MUCH, but the lack of what little mobility he'd had from there lost further was upsetting.

“Got back to work you miscreants.” The macaque snapped before standing and approaching him. When those eerie purple eyes were peering down at him Xiaotian had the uncanniest of feelings that he was trying to look like the Monkey King. Like some sort of crazy fan that wanted to steal his life or something. No wonder he hadn't realized that Xiaotian was actually disguising himself as such with Sun Wukong's blessing.

“Lovely machine isn't it? Been working on it for a solid century now.” He patted the strange device affectionately, as though it were a beloved pet. “You probably know by now your 'love' isn't the only scientific mind among our kind. But where he's interested in any field of study he can get his hands on I'm more interested in... shall we say... the study of pain.”

“Made my living stealing other people's powers for my own ya see, and it's been fun, but it's maybe getting a bit old too. Because I've been doing that, basically my whole life, and I kinda wanted to change it up. So I decided to see how much I can make someone hurt. I'm still testing this thing out mind you, so...Be honest with how it feels, alright? It's for posterity's sake.

“Now, this being our first try, I'll ease you into it. We'll start on the first setting.”

Xiaotian tensed, steeling himself over for whatever pain would follow.

The Macaque pulled the lever-

The machine whirled to life-

And there was pain.

#Spicynoodleshipping #MK Red Son #Qi Xiaotian #MK Demon Brothers #Six Eared Macaque #Vega writes stories too #Princess Bride AU #red groom au

18 notes · View notes