what they smell like :  the top two scent would be lemon and honey, those are pretty much her go tos, than followed by florals and baked goods. nadia loves light and sweet scents. fresh laundry is also a light, airy scent too. but if you were think of nadia, than lemon and honey perfumes come to mind.

how they sleep ( sleeping position, schedule, etc ) : when nadia sleeps, gets actually good sleep which she starts to have once she's escaped to america, nadia sleeps solid and in just about any position she's curled up in. now she does have an issue with falling asleep, and when her mental health isn't taken care of, or starts to sleep she will lose sleep; this is typical a result of a manic episode of her bipolar disorder, with which she will stay up for days on end, and even when she enters into the depression half still may not sleep. part of taking care of her health, does include trying to adhere to a sleep routine of at the very least, 6 hours, and allow naps if she feels they are needed

what music they enjoy : when it comes to music it's what on the radio, whatever is the current pop culture, although she does love t-swift, pink, lady gaga, lizzo, olivia rodrigo, dua lipa, beyonce, selena gomez, rihanna, ariana, miley, the list goes on and on; again whatever pop culture female singer is on the radio, she likes. someone really does need to introduce her to acoustic and folk music, cause she'd really like the soft and lowkey vibes of music like that.

favorite thing to collect : plushies, bee themed item of any sorts, trinket, she will hold onto any trinket or knickknacks gifted to her. anything really, she didn't have this before and now she simply gets to have possessions.

left or right-handed :  ambidextrous, she'll tend to default to whatever the most common is being used by others (everyone is right handed, so she's using her right too), or whatever is convenient at the time

favorite kind of weather :  sunny and partly cloudy, and with a slight breeze. that's the perfect weather, not too hot or cold, warm and the breeze feels so nice when she's flying and partly cloudy so the sun isn't blinding.

weird/obscure fear they have : so with nadia, there isn't necessarily a weird or obscure fear she has, that isn't to say she is fearless; but for one, she's got things that is very much afraid that she battles with and overcomes, and than there's so much of the world he didn't have access growing up, and grown up in a place where fear would have been snuffed out; so that she operates under try everything at least twice, and her fears are very reasonably developed based on her childhood; such as freedom being stripped away, failure, loss, and etc that's her top fears

tagged by: @amethystarrows

tagging: do it yourself if you want to.

of the jealous kind

summary: you and Harry are out at the local farmer’s market when a girl starts flirting with you and Harry gets jealous. only thing is, you don’t exactly realize she’s flirting with you. classic wlw vibes, am i right ladies? (please say yes)

my submission for @bopbopstyles and @harrysclementines bi-ficathon!

a/n: fun times with Harry calling you “his girl” and being just a bit pathetically jealous (his words!) also i might continue this...in a smut type of fashion... if y’all are interested

word count: 2.2k 

--

“Oh, let’s stop over there! I want to get one of those chocolate chip custard things,” you exclaimed, spotting your favorite bakery stand at the farmer’s market and dragging Harry along by your joined hands. 

“A’right, love, m’comin,” he laughed, trying to keep in step with your suddenly quickened pace. 

It was a Sunday morning, cloudy but not too cold, and you and Harry were visiting your favorite farmer’s market in town. You tried to come here at least twice a month if your schedules allowed it. Today, it just so happened, you both had the entire day free to spend with each other. 

Harry knew you had to look at everything the bakery had to offer before you inevitably bought the same items as usual (a good, crusty country loaf and the same danish you never remembered the name of). There was a produce stand across the way that immediately caught Harry’s eye, a “buy 2 get 1 free” sign atop a display of various berries calling out to him. You noticed his distraction, the two of you speaking at the same time.

“M’gonna-” 

“Go on, then.”

“Know me so well, don’t you?” He gave you a soft smile and pressed a kiss to your temple before heading off in pursuit of his beloved fruit. 

You took the last few steps over to the booth’s main table, which held a majority of the baked goods as well as this week’s free sample: a garlic rosemary bread, cut into bite size pieces. You picked one up, on instinct taking a sidelong glance at the basket of your favorite pastries by the register, when the woman behind the counter finished ringing up a customer and turned to you.   

“Can I help you with anything, hon?”

“Oh, um, I’m just looking,” you answered, looking up at her. She must’ve been new, you thought, not recognizing her from your previous visits. She had dark hair, twisted up into a bun at the back of her head, an oversized t-shirt with a phoenix decal on it. Her name tag informed you that her name was Allie. 

“Alright, well, I will say that’s the best flavor we’ve got,” she gestures to the small wedge still held between your fingers. 

“Really? That’s quite a bold statement,” you smile back at her, appreciating her friendliness.  

“You’re gonna want to trust me on this one,” she said, nodding at you to go ahead. 

You took a bite, blushing a bit at the knowledge you were being watched and that she was awaiting your response. “Mhm,” you agreed, around a mouthful of bread. “Okay, you’re right, that’s better.” 

“Thought so. I have been told I’ve got very good taste.” 

“Well, I’m not surprised.” 

She made eye contact with you, the hint of a smile playing on her lips. “So, will you be taking a loaf of the garlic rosemary then?” she asked. 

“Yes, please.” Why not try something new, you thought. And she was right, it was delicious. You’re sure Harry would like it too, and you could just imagine the playful ribbing he was going to give you when he noticed you’d deviated from your usual order. “Oh, could I also get that-” 

“The chocolate chip danish? I saw you eyeing it earlier,” she said, picking one up with a gloved hand and placing it in a small paper bag. “That one’s on the house.” 

“Oh, you’re so sweet! Thank you.” Allie was really on top of it with the customer service. 

“Anytime,” she said, “Anything else I can get you?” 

“No, that’s all for me! Thanks again.”

She rang up your order, handing you the bag before speaking. “You know, we also come out to the beachside farmer’s market on Wednesday’s, if you’re ever in the area. I’ll write it down for you,” she said, picking up a business card from a stack on the table and turning it over to write on the back. 

“Sounds great,” you replied, mostly to be polite. You probably wouldn’t make it out, Wednesdays being a busy day for you with classes. 

Just as she was handing it back to you, Harry appeared behind you, fruit in tow. 

“Thank you so much, have a good one!” you said cheerily, dropping the card into the bag with your goods. You’d look at it when you got home.

She waved back. “See you soon, hopefully.”

You smiled as you turned around to see Harry already standing there, startling a bit at his unexpected presence. He raised his eyebrows a bit, but didn’t say anything as he put his free arm around your shoulders. The two of you headed back to the main walkway, and he waited until your new friend was out of earshot before he spoke. 

“So, yeh just gonna let someone flirt with my girl like that?” 

“What?” That was not what you were expecting. “She wasn’t flirting with me, Harry.” 

“Oh, please, love. Saw the way she was lookin’ at you. Poor girl. I’m sure you led her on.” 

“Excuse me, I did no such thing,” you scoffed. “And she wasn’t even flirting with me, so I couldn’t have.” 

He breezed right past your denial, having already made up his mind. You weren’t going to be able to convince him otherwise, you knew that by now. “Told ya before love, you come off very flirtatious. Almost feel bad for her.” He was smirking down at you, the bastard. “Almost.” 

“Being a pest,” you grumbled, shoving against his shoulder with yours to throw him off balance. 

He stumbled a bit, but recovered quickly. “Oi! ‘S not very nice, is it?” 

You giggled in response, loving when he used that playful tone. He tried to keep a serious face on while looking back at you but failed almost immediately, looking at you with such adoration in his eyes that you forgot what you’d both been talking about. 

“Anyway,” you sang, reaching out for his free hand and threading your fingers through his. “What did you buy?” 

His face lights up at the memory of his purchase. “Got strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, plus some local clover honey.” 

“Such a sweet tooth, hm?” 

“S’pose I do,” he said with a slight smirk. “Ready to go home and eat, then?” 

“We’ve barely been here half an hour, H. Trying to get me home already?”

“Look too good today, love. Worried if we stick around I’ll have to beat the other vendors off with a stick.” 

“I thought we were done with this conversation,” you rolled your eyes at him playfully, but allowed him to steer you back toward the car park. You were getting kind of hungry anyway. 

--

You’re sat on your kitchen island at home, Harry placing the bags on the counter next to you. 

“Have a nice time, love?” He asks, moving over to you and situating his body between your knees at the edge of the counter. 

You drape your arms around his neck, thumb coming up to his cheek to rub back and forth as he leans into your touch. “Always have a good time when I’m with you,” you breathe. 

“That’s m’girl,” he speaks in a husky tone, before leaning in to press his lips to yours, slow and lazy at first. That is, until he lifts his hands to your thighs, sliding them around to your back and suddenly tugging you closer to the edge of the island, body flush with his. You gasp into his mouth at the action, and you can feel rather than see his resounding smirk. 

“Harry,” you pull back, attempting to admonish him but no one would know from the way your voice shakes. 

“Sorry, love. Know what they say, kitchen’s the most romantic room in the house.” 

“I don’t know anyone who says that.” 

“Y’do now,” he grins lopsidedly at you, and it’s all you can do to remember that the two of you still need to eat. 

You grin back at him. “You’re a dork, you know that?” 

“But you love me,” he responds, and you can’t argue with that. “A’right, I’ll take everything out and we can have a picnic in the backyard, how’s that sound?” 

Your smile nearly knocks him off his feet. “I’ll go get the picnic blanket!” 

He removes himself from between your legs and you slide off the counter and head towards the linen closet in the hallway. When you return, Harry’s taken out the loaf of bread and the danish, and is holding the business card in between two fingers. 

“What’s this, then?” He asks, holding up the bakery’s business card, logo facing you. 

“It’s just their card, the cashier told me they come out to another farmer’s market during the week and she was gonna write it down for me.” 

“Oh, she wrote it down, love.” In a second, he elegantly flips the card over in his fingers to show you the back. “But that’s not all she wrote.” Underneath the name of the other market is her name and, unmistakably, a phone number. 

“No!” you gasp, not believing he was right and you’d fucking missed it. 

“And you bought a new flavor bread?”

“Well, I-  Allie said it was the best one…” you trail off, trying to remember the details of your earlier interaction. Maybe Harry was right, you guess you did seem a bit flirtatious.

“Oh, Allie said, did she? That’s all it takes?” He’s kind of joking, kind of not, when it finally sinks in for you that you’ve, yet again, completely failed to notice when another woman was trying to flirt with you. 

“Oh, god damn it!” you exclaim, completely in your own head and you didn’t even hear what Harry had said to you. “I do this every time!” 

What’s left of Harry’s joking demeanor drops. “Every time? How often does this happen?!” 

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice again.” 

Your friends were gonna have a field day with this one. Three out of the four of you identified as bi or pan, though when you’d all become friends back in high school only one of you had actually been out. Now, you all joked that you had one “token straight” in the friend group. 

“Y/N?!”

“I know, H, can you give me just a moment, I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that I’m apparently a raging stereotype,” you reply, laughing at yourself a bit for being so predictable. 

“Oh, of course, don't mind me. I’ll just be here. Waiting. Very patiently.” It’s a wonder he doesn’t start tapping his foot, clearly the farthest thing from patient right now. 

You snap back to attention, realizing that if you don’t stop Harry he’s just going to keep spiraling. “You do know I’m dating you, right?”

“Do I?” 

“Oh, come on. You’re being such a baby about this!” 

“Oi! I am not!” He huffs, and you can just picture him as an indignant toddler, standing with his arms folded and a deep frown set on his face. 

You hold back a laugh at the image you’ve conjured, closing the distance between the two of you. “Baby, I love you,” you say, pressing a kiss to his cheek.“You know I do.” His jaw. “Why don’t we just throw that out, hm?” You kiss his lips this time, reaching for the card and plucking it from his fingers before tossing it away from you.  

“I guess,” he grumbles as you pull away, but you can tell he’s not quite over it. 

You rest your chin against his chest, looking up at him with your best puppy dog eyes. “You don’t believe me, gorgeous? Need me to prove it to you?” 

“Maybe,” he mumbles, and you know that you’ve brought him back from his little jealousy spiral at the mere suggestion, so you decide to make him wait for it. Just a little while.  

“More than happy to,” you murmur, tracing your fingertips over the back of his hand. “Only thing is, you’re gonna have to have this picnic with me first,” you reach behind him for the blanket, “and you have to stop pouting.” You step around him, laughing as you run toward the glass door that leads to the yard.

“M’not pouting,” he lies to the empty kitchen as he grabs the rest of the food and some utensils before following you outside. 

His mood is definitely lifted, though, when he comes outside to find you seated on the blanket already, grinning widely at him and holding your arms out for him to crawl into. 

Maybe he had been just a tad bit dramatic. 

--

About half the bread is gone now, a bowl of honeyed berries and a plate full of crumbs resting on the cloth-covered grass next to you. Harry’s shifted so he’s laying down with his head resting on your soft thighs, with you carding your fingers through his short curls, just enjoying each other’s company. 

“Wait a minute,” you break the comfortable silence, a thought suddenly popping into your mind. “Other people flirt with you all the time! Sometimes right in front of me!” 

“And?” he muses, reluctantly sitting up in order to face you. 

“And! I never get jealous like that!” 

“I know. Rather insulting, if you ask me. You can get possessive, love. I certainly won’t mind it.”

Stardust - CHANGMIN

So like. This was the first full scenario I wrote for TBZ and I can’t believe I wrote this before actually even STARTING No Air, but whatever! It was cute! I couldn’t help myself but I didn’t want to post this before No Air so that’s why it’s late

Thank you to @deathbykpopboys for helping me put this scenario together! Honestly I don’t think I’d ever write anything without sunny hhhh she’s always so great with ideas <3

Pairing: Changmin x fem!reader

Genre: fluff, a little angst if you squint, teacher!au

Triggers: alcohol, cursing

Word Count: 2.7k

Changmin sometimes thinks you’re a little too perfect to exist.

TBZ Masterlist | No Air | Touching Stars | Breathe, and Live

Friday nights are always fun, for Changmin. Friday’s the last day of the work week and kind of blends into the weekend, and because he’s a schoolteacher, he (sort of) gets the weekend off. Sure, he might be making lesson plans or writing reports or doing other important, not fun things, but he also has his stolen moments for dance or shopping or things that he doesn’t have time to do during the week. He’s free, more or less.

The last Friday night of each month, though, Changmin enjoys the most, when he, Jacob, and Kevin meet up for cheap food and drinks. And as much as Changmin likes to wreak havoc on the lives of his fellow teachers (mostly by scaring the wits out of them with dolphin screams and horror movie masks), he really does enjoy their presence in his life and appreciates them for it.

They haven’t a missed a night so far, not since that time Jacob was out with the flu and Kevin had a family emergency. And even though Changmin’s definitely done and said some stupid (read: really embarrassing) things while under the influence, the pros of each night always end up outweighing the cons. So if Changmin wakes up the next morning with a hangover, well, that’s just a side effect of having some fun.

But sometimes he has thoughts. Thoughts that he’s repressed so well he might not even register them, but that exist nonetheless. And Changmin, sadly, is a truthful drunk. His thoughts come spilling out of his mouth, mostly unfiltered, whenever he’s had enough to drink.

And this week, Changmin has been having thoughts. Thoughts that he isn’t sure he wants to spill.

If he drinks, they’ll flood out. It’s the way Changmin works – he’s had enough experiences with alcohol and his brain that he knows what will happen. As he stares at the soju bottle on the table, he knows that if he drinks, he’ll probably regret it in the morning. Not necessarily because he’ll remember what he says – his memory tends to get a bit spotty even after a round of light drinking – but because Kevin definitely will.

Normally, Changmin would praise God for Kevin's ability to remember drunk things. Coupled with his inability to lie, it makes for so much potent blackmail. Sure, Kevin makes Changmin and Jacob swear not to talk about anything he said under the influence, but Changmin isn't an angel the way Jacob is. If it came down to it, he'd sell Kevin's secrets for a single corn chip and some entertainment.

(Okay, not really. But the point still stands.)

If he complained about this to people, they’d probably just laugh and say something about how Kevin is a precious pure meme, that he’d never sell out Changmin’s deepest thoughts for anything. After several years of working with him, though, Changmin knows better.

(He’ll just say that sometimes, Mr. Kev Kev isn't the happy-go-lucky meme-y little boy that everyone likes to make him out to be.)

So maybe Changmin shouldn't be drinking tonight. There isn’t necessarily a lot on his mind, but he’s been thinking of things that he doesn't want spilled just yet, and drinking will only make that possibility a reality.

Isn’t that what alcohol is for, though? To make those worries disappear, if only for a short while? The soju beckons at Changmin, even more so when Kevin actually opens the bottle. Eventually, he throws caution to the wind and fills his own glass.

It’s a clear night, mostly. A bit cloudy, but no sign of rain, and there’s a pleasant little breeze that feels cool against his cheeks. Sitting at one of the small tables outside of the restaurant, Changmin loses himself in the food and the conversation.

After an hour, Jacob decides he needs to leave because he’s supposed to meet with his family the next day and can’t get too plastered. Kevin calls him a noob while making a face, but Jacob, being the angel he is, just pats him on the head on his way out. Privately, Changmin thinks Kevin is much more of a noob than Jacob, but the alcohol hasn’t addled his mind enough to say that out loud just yet.

At some point, though, the world becomes pleasantly muddy. Changmin can register what’s going on at a distant level and he probably shouldn’t drink too much more, but he takes a last shot anyway, just as Kevin asks a slightly slurred “How’s life with Y/N?”

A stupid smile stretches across Changmin’s lips. “Kevin, oh my God, she’s perfect.” He grins, the breeze cool against his flushed cheeks. "She’s so beautiful, it doesn't make sense that we exist in the same world."

Kevin mutters something that sounds like "whipped" and "so soft."

Changmin is sure that if he were sober, he would've attacked his fellow teacher by now, but his tipsy haze is too pleasant to interrupt. He just wants to keep talking. "Kevin," he whines. "Pay attention."

"Okay." Face flushed, Kevin puts his chin on his fist. "'M listening."

"Y/N’s so beautiful." Dimly, Changmin is aware that he's just repeating himself, but he can't help it. The point needs emphasis. "Kevin, she’s so amazing. So much more amazing than me. So smart. Did you know Y/N knows like ten programming languages?"

Tipsily, Kevin shakes his head. "What... what's a program."

"Computer shit." Changmin plays idly with his shot glass. "Doesn't matter. So smart, so nice, so... lovely, Kevin. Y/N’s good at everything. She cuts fruit for me when I work late and make me go to sleep. She doesn’t know anything about dance and tries to help anyway. She works so hard and never takes anyone’s shit and she always knows when I need time alone or when I need comfort.” His mouth draws down into a slight frown. “She’s like... she’s like..."

Why is it so hard to come up with something to explain you? Your entire existence defies definition. How can he even find something comparable to the way you sparkle in his eyes?

Ignoring Kevin’s gaze trained on him, Changmin slumps over the table, eyes gazing out at the dark night. A few stars manage to glitter past the clouds and the piercing lights of the Seoul skyline.

Stars. Something tugs at the back of Changmin’s brain. Stars. Sparkly.

An image of your smile pops, unbidden, in his mind. Your bright eyes glimmer. Like stars.

Oh.

Stardust.

Yes, stardust.

You're like stardust, warm and gentle and... magical. Magical to the touch.

"She’s like." Changmin hiccups. "She’s like stardust, Kevin. Stardust. Perfect. Warm.”

A tear trickles down Kevin's cheek. Changmin has exactly two seconds to ready himself in his drunken haze before Kevin launches himself at his purple hoodie, loosely grasping at the soft cloth as he fully encases Changmin within his arms. "Ji Changmin," he sobs, muffled, "that is the most adorable thing I've ever heard you say."

Even sober, Changmin doesn't think he'd know what to say in response to that, so he just stays silent. It's not like Kevin would even hear him over the sound of his overemotional crying.

Anyway, Kevin's hug feels nice. Warm. Changmin doesn't think he needs to speak words at the moment, he's too comfortable. It's not the same as being in your arms, but he'll settle for it now. He burrows a little deeper into his friend's hold.

“You little child, you,” Kevin sobs into his shoulder. “You’re so sweet and small and warm, I can’t believe you exist.”

Changmin doesn’t feel like replying. There’s a bubble of something growing in his chest that he can’t entirely decipher right now, and his brain has focused on that. It’s some sort of emotion, he thinks. It doesn’t feel very pleasant.

His head gets pulled out of Kevin’s arms. He whines a little, annoyed by the lack of warmth, but he doesn’t really have the presence of mind to do anything but sit there limply as Kevin starts shaking him back and forth, still wailing about how “adorable his little Ji Changminnie is.”

The bubble keeps growing as Kevin keeps shaking him. It doesn’t feel like vomit – Changmin knows that sensation a bit too well – but it makes him feel a little sick. A little upset. The bubble feels suffocating, cold, but it also burns.

Not vomit. He doesn’t feel nauseous. But still unpleasant.

Kevin goes back to hugging Changmin into his chest, which soothes the bubble a little bit. The soft warmth of Kevin’s sweater smooths the burning and takes away the edge of the cold. But the bubble still stays as Changmin rocks back and forth in his friend’s hold, blankly trying to decipher the stupid emotion growing in his heart.

“There’s a bubble.” The words slip out of his mouth just past Kevin’s ear. “There’s a bubble in my chest.”

“Bubble?” Kevin pulls back slightly, flushed face confused. “What bubble?”

Changmin vaguely gestures at his chest as best he can with Kevin’s arms partially trapping his hands. “Here. Doesn’t feel good.”

Kevin’s eyes squint. “Need to vomit?”

“Nooooo,” Changmin whines. “Kevin, it’s a bubble.” He pauses. “Think it’s an emotion.”

He hears Kevin suck in a breath. “I can’t believe my precious little Scorpio child is finally feeling emotions,” the older boy says in a stage whisper, loud enough for at least the next two tables to hear. Changmin has enough presence of mind to slap him. “Hey!”

“It hurts.” Changmin’s lips pout deeper. “I don’t like it.”

“Aww, no, baby.” Kevin pats his head – a little too hard, but Changmin can deal with that. “Why does it hurt? What emotion is it?”

Changmin racks his brains for the word. It’s not a good feeling, so he tries to eliminate the good words as they pass through his mind. Not pleasant. Definitely not happy. Not calm, either.

Sadness? Maybe that’s part of it, but it’s not specific enough. Anger? Not really.

Fear?

Changmin isn’t scared of many things. He loves horror movies and thinks possessed dolls are cute, and it’s hard for anyone to really startle him. Fear is not an emotion that regularly appears in his repertoire.

But this time…

“I’m scared.” The two words slip out of his mouth, quiet, lonely. “’M scared, Kevin.”

Kevin pulls back again. “Changmin, you’re never scared.”

“I am now.” He purses his lips petulantly.

“Why?”

Unconsciously, the corners of his lips turn down even further into a blank pout. "Sometimes I think Y/N’s gonna leave. Slip through my fingers."

Even tipsy, Changmin can tell there are more tears welling up in Kevin's eyes. "But… you love each other?"

"Y/N’s stardust." Changmin's pout deepens. "Too perfect. She’s gonna realize that, that I'm not... I'm not good enough but she’s too nice to say that so she’ll just slip away." He hiccups again, feeling his cheeks burn with drink, fluttering his fingers loosely to make sure Kevin gets the point. "Like stardust."

Kevin remains silent for one, two, three seconds. Changmin takes that time to drain the last little bit of soju left in his cup.

Then Kevin nearly knocks the cup out of his hand when he literally grabs Changmin and forces him to curl up into his sweater, nose buried in the soft folds of cloth. “You beautiful, pure little child, you,” he coos, patting Changmin’s head (still a little too hard, but Changmin really doesn’t feel the need to deal with it right now). “You small little child. You poor, small child. Y/N is so in love with you, there’s no way she’ll ever leave.”

“Stardust,” Changmin reminds Kevin, words muffled into his sweater.

“Stardust,” Kevin agrees. “But good stardust. Gonna stay with you. Never going to leave.”

Changmin doesn’t remember much of what happens after that. He knows that they eventually pay for everything and Kevin’s partner picks them up (well, they were the one who was supposed to pick the two of them up. He doesn’t actually register the driver’s face, but Changmin hears Kevin calling them “love muffin, better than Beyonce,” so it’s probably them. He refuses to acknowledge any alternatives), but he’s too drunk and too tired to process anything else.

Somehow, he wakes up the next day curled up in his bed, forehead threatening to split from the dull pain. Mentally, he thanks himself for closing the shades before he passed out last night (or was it morning? He isn’t completely sure when he got home) so that the sunlight isn’t adding to his headache.

Get up, Changmin, he tells himself, summoning the strength to swing his legs out of bed. Step by step, he exits his room and slowly brushes his teeth before heading toward the kitchen for a bottle of water or something to get rid of the pounding in his head.

Changmin’s so out of it that he doesn’t register the smell of something cooking wafting out of the kitchen before he’s almost in it. He finally stops, confused, just in time to see your head poke out from the kitchen entrance.

For a second, Changmin just stares at you, brain buffering as he tries to come up with a suitable greeting in his hungover state. There’s this look on your face that Changmin’s muddled mind can’t seem to decipher.

Oh, God.

You look like you’re about to cry. 

He panics. What did he do wrong? Did he say something bad last night? He can’t remember anything – how badly did he screw up, what the hell did he do –

Then you leap at him, much the same way Kevin did last night, and bury your face into his shoulder.

“Ji Changmin,” you say, words muffled into his rumpled shirt, “I love you so much.”

Changmin’s mouth can only come up with a confused “huh?”

You pull back, eyes shining with tears, but mouth stretched into a beautiful, beautiful smile. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember what you told Kevin last night,” you say teasingly, though there’s a hint of uncertainty in your gaze.

Slowly, slowly, the events of last night begin to piece themselves together in Changmin’s brain. Every single stupid word he said to Kevin in his drunken stupor comes flooding back in one massive, jumbled mess.

He blushes.

“Ji Changmin.” You cup his puffy, red cheeks between your hands, voice trembling. “Listen to me. I’m not leaving. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to slip through your fingers and, fucking, I don’t know, fly away. Because I am not perfect, I am not stardust, but god, I – you’re perfect for me. You are good enough for me, more than good enough for me. You are perfect, and I’m staying here forever. You’re not going to be able to get rid of me. Understood?”

“But –”

“Understood?”

Changmin stares into your shining eyes. Even with you standing right here, hands cradling his face with the gentlest touch, he can’t quite believe you’re real and not just some beautiful figment of his imagination. Slowly, slowly, one of his hands rises to touch the fingers resting against his cheek. Just to make sure this isn’t a dream.

Solid. Warm.

Not a dream. 

This is real.

He nods dumbly, a stupid smile spreading across his face. “Okay.”

You crush him close again and this time, Changmin’s arms automatically move to wrap around your waist, pulling you flush against his chest. He can feel a few tears soaking into the fabric of his shirt as you hold him tight, so tight, and he smiles, one hand coming up to pat your back.

You’re here. You’re here, alive, solid, real. He can feel your warmth against his body, feel your hair tickling his skin.

You may be ethereal. You may be something completely out of this world, beautiful, divine. You may be sparkling, glimmering, brilliant in the morning sunlight. You may be made of stardust, something too perfect (he’ll fight you on that) to exist on earth.

But now, with you wrapped warmly in his arms, Changmin realizes that even though you may be stardust, that doesn’t mean you’re going anywhere.

A tear slips out of his eye as he smiles.

If you enjoyed, please don’t forget to reblog and leave a comment to tell me what you thought! Thank you for reading and have a lovely day <3

(1 reblog = 1 cheek pinch for changmin idk why I just think that’d be fun <3)

Pied Piper || JJK [2]

Summary: Y/N Y/L/N, an investigative journalist for the Daily Bullet, usually doesn’t see much out of the ordinary; A missing person’s case gone cold, an old case reopened and solved with updated technology, the thrilling excitement when another puzzle of one of the biggest serial killers is cracked. But when an old file resurfaces, she brings back a past that should have been burned with the file a long time ago.

Pairings: Jeon Jungkook x Reader

Word Count: 3.5k

Chapter Warnings: Kinda creepy scenes (empty old buildings), big thunderstorm, very minor injury, a few swears, if I missed anything let me know

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Mystery/Thriller, Paranormal, Strangers to Friends

Chapter Rating: Pg-13

A/N: I honestly really liked writing this one. I really try to write out my scenes as if you were watching a movie, so I hope that it translated well. Please let me know what you think!

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

I started my research as soon as I could take a look at the case file alone. There wasn’t much to it; a few pages of scribbled notes, some old polaroid photographs depicting the so-called ‘runaways’, and the missing reports from each of the families. Of course, it was expected that there wouldn’t be much information handed on a silver platter as these reports were pushed aside, left to grow stale as the years went by. But that only led me to quickly become more intrigued by the blank folder shoved into the back of a filing cabinet.

My co-worker, Yoongi Min, warned me the day I found it. Said that there were too many weird theories surrounding the town itself. Perhaps I should have heeded the warnings, but maybe, just maybe, there was a deeper reason to why I ignored all the comments. Maybe it’s because I’m an investigative journalist and it’s my job to push the limits, or maybe it’s because of a bigger power that I will never be able to understand.

29 August, 20XX

Feeling a little too stuffed up in the small bedroom you were given, you decide to take a walk through town. Maybe you’ll be able to find someone who will be of better help than the man who reluctantly decided to take you in the day before. The research you had done before driving out to the town gave you nothing. Anything you had searched up led you to a dead end. Almost as if the entire town had been wiped from existence, yet, it still stands even with what most people say about the legend that follows it. So a trip to the town’s library is high on your to-do list.

The streets are quiet. It’s an unsettling sight, especially with how nice of a day it is. Sure, the darker clouds rolling in the distance threaten the town with a good summer thunderstorm sometime in the next couple of hours, but it isn’t enough to warrant everyone to stay holed up indoors already. Compared to the main city only a couple hours away, you are the only one you can see that roams the streets. It makes you stop and think. Are the suspicions surrounding the disappearances as bad as everyone makes them out to be?

Creeeaaak.

Your eyes are drawn to the noise. The playground you are greeted by is desolate. Not a single soul in sight. It looks untouched, unused for a long time. The colors are not as bright as it once would have been. Even under the mostly cloudy sky, you can tell that the playground longs for the day that children will come to play again.

Another creak sounds. Your eyes drift towards the edge of the grounds, catching sight of the small swing set. One of the seats moves in the slight breeze that passes you by. It creaks again as it swings forward, only to do it again as it moves back. It’s an odd sight, you notice, as the other one doesn’t seem to have budged one bit in the time you’ve stood there. Maybe it’s too stiff to have moved with the light breeze, you reason. The swings look old enough that the chains could have rusted over time. It’s not uncommon. But the more you stare at it, the more your mind begins to wander, the more you can’t shake the chill that begins to crawl up your spine.

You fiddle with the straps of your backpack as you continue on your way to the library, pulling at the extra fabric that dangles beside your arms, and slowly tightening the straps. Something in your gut tells you not to look back.

The unsettling feeling doesn’t leave you once you finally find yourself at the foot of the staircase of the library. Just like the rest of the buildings, the library’s facade is cracked and crumbling. A few of the panes in the large front two windows are shattered. The doors are still intact, but that doesn’t help settle the ideas of what you could find inside. With a deep breath, you shrug your backpack higher, and make your way inside.

The doors creak slightly as you pull them open. You're grateful that the building is still unlocked.

“Hello?” you call out.

Your voice echoes against the open space, traveling between the bookshelves.

“Is there anybody here?”

You scan the area. There is no sign of anyone, the front desk void of employees. Stepping farther into the library, you glance around the first few bookshelves you pass, but still, your search comes up empty. You sigh, opting to forget about looking for any other human. Whatever is happening in this town obviously has a lasting effect on the townspeople.

Your fingers brush up against the corner of the first table you pass by. A thick layer of dust accumulates on your skin. The dark streak of the finished wood underneath it leaves behind astonishes you. How long has this building gone untouched? Rubbing the dust against your jeans, you head further into the library. There has to be someone here. Why else would the door have been unlocked? Your eyes scour the area. The only light that filters through the space comes from the large windows scattered along the walls. And even then, with the clouds rolling by, it doesn’t give off much light.

With a quiet sniffle, you make your way through the building. The dust tickles your nose, making your eyes water slightly with the need to sneeze. You have to stop walking to keep yourself from sneezing. You’d rather not deal with the possibility of kicking up more dust than you already are, in hopes of saving yourself from a never ending attack. After successfully pressing down the urge, you continue your way to the closest row of shelves.

Scanning the shelves, you run your fingers across the spines of the book you pass. Like the table, they leave a light trail behind as you brush off the thin layer of dust. You slowly reach the end of the row. None of the books are what you are looking for. Though, you realize, if you started searching in the correct section, then maybe you would have. Letting your arm drop to your side, you round the corner of the shelf.

Thud.

You quickly twist your head. Behind you, there isn’t much. A handful of rows of bookcases lead towards the front entrance before it opens up to a small study area.

“Hello? Who’s there?”

You peer your head around a few rows of bookshelves, trying to find the source of the noise. Has someone been in here the entire time? Your brows furrow when your search comes up empty. Maybe, you think, it was something outside. A bird hitting a window. Shaking your head, you return to finding the shelves you need.

Towards the back of the library, just before you reach the children’s section, a small section of shelves dedicated to history books from all over the world stands undisturbed, just as the rest of the building. Ah ha. You shuffle a little faster towards the shelves, immediately scanning for books about the town.

“Blackgate… Blackgate…” you mumble to yourself. “Bla- Ah. There you are.”

You pull out a small handful of books. There isn’t much, but you hope they will give enough information to give you a push in the right direction. You make your way to the closest table, carefully setting the stack of books down before wiping the dust off to make enough room for your laptop. With a frown on your face, you brush your hands as far away from your nose as possible. You can feel the way it clings to your skin, making your hands feel chalky. You don’t want to know how long the table has been unused for. You could care less about the chair you pull out. Though, you don’t miss the way you lose friction with the dust on the chair, making you slip against the finished wood a little more than you’d like.

Reaching for your backpack—which you had placed on the chair beside you as you sat down—you dig for your laptop, pulling it out, and placing it on the, somewhat, clean table. You lift the screen, pressing the power button. For a moment, your screen loads quickly, asking for your password. You type it in, watching as it opens up to your desktop, before it promptly shuts off. Your confused gaze stares back at you through the reflection of your dark screen.

“What? I charged you!”

Your finger reaches for the power button again, but no matter how many times you press it, your laptop won’t turn on. You know it was fully charged. You had charged it before leaving your apartment for the town yesterday, knowing that the battery would last until you could use it the next day. You sigh exasperatedly. Shutting the laptop closed a little too harshly, you rest your elbows on the table, throwing your head into the palms of your hands. You didn’t think to bring a pen and notebook with you, trusting that your computer would work just fine.

Before you can stand to rummage through the front desk of the library, a loud crack of thunder surprises you. It rattles the windows as it rolls on, leaving a shiver to crawl down your spine.

“Shit.”

You stand, the chair legs squealing against the floor, and pack your laptop back into your backpack. Throwing the bag onto your shoulders, you take the stack of books in your hands. Surely they wouldn’t mind if you borrow them for a while, right? You rush to the front entrance, stopping before you push through when you hear the rain pour against the ground on the other side. You groan, shrugging one of the straps off to quickly shove the books inside. You’d rather not get them wet as you run back to the Bed and Breakfast.

“Let’s get this over with,” you sigh.

Pushing the door open, you run out of the library. The streets are already soaked. You can see the beginnings of a small stream running along the gutters. There is no way that you could get out of the rain without becoming drenched from head to toe. With how hard it’s raining, you can already feel your clothes cling to your body as you run along the sidewalk, aiming for any kind of canopy still intact. Maybe you can make it back before your feet are too soaked.

You don’t realise how far you walked to the library until you feel like you’ve been running for far too long. It doesn't help that the rain hasn’t let up at all, making it difficult to see as your eyelids grow heavy from the constant fight to keep them open in the torrential rain. Have you passed it already? You quickly search for the next covering in sight. The only thing near is a large tree, but you don’t care, taking your chances of getting less soaked under the thick greenery. The leaves keep a good amount of the rain from hitting you, but you hope to not stay there for long as you can still feel it pelt against you.

Up and down the street, your eyes scan the buildings closest to you. You know you must be close as you have finally reached the neighborhood, the houses surrounding you easing your worries a little. You squint, hoping that you will be able to see better. They stop on a dark shadow in the distance, a figure measly walking in the rain. Who in their right mind would walk around in this? But when you rub your eyes for relief of the irritation the rain is giving you, the figure seemingly disappears. You can’t find the person again. Where could they have gone so quickly?

You shake your head. A few stray drops of rain fall off of your body in the process. You have to continue. Pressing the strange thoughts of the figure to the back of your mind, you ready yourself to run back through the downpour.

You sigh in content as you finally make it up the steps to the covered porch of the Bed and Breakfast. It would have taken you a lot less time to find it if it hadn’t been for the fact that you got lost, turning down the wrong street in the wrong direction. The rain still hasn’t let up, so you could only see the faint view of the houses across the street with how hard it’s coming down. Who knew a storm cloud could hold so much water?

Shrugging your heavy wet backpack off your shoulders, you pout. Surely the contents inside are at least a little damp. The storm didn’t give you mercy even with how much you pleaded for it to stop as you ran. As you reach for the zipper of the main pocket, the front door swings open. The owner stands in the doorway staring at you with an unamused frown.

“Get inside.”

There’s nothing in his voice that shows that he’s concerned for you after seeing your drenched form. Of course, you don’t blame the bluntness. You wouldn’t want someone tracking this much dirt and rainwater into your own place.

When the man turns back towards the rest of the house, you wait a beat before following him inside. He steps up to one of the closets as you close the door behind you. Pulling out a couple of towels, he tosses them at you before disappearing into the nearest hallway.

“Thanks, I guess,” you mutter.

Your face contorts into a look of disgust as you make your way to your room. Your shoes squelch as you walk, and you can feel the water the insoles have absorbed with each step you take. Only a couple more seconds before you can toss them off. You quickly make use of the towels the man gave you once you lock yourself inside your room, drying yourself—and the items in your backpack—off as much as possible.

There's a quiet rustling on the other side of the door before a paper is pushed underneath. Your gaze drops to the paper, leaning closer to try to read it better. Scribbled in writing just legible enough, you read;

Soup is on the stove. Don’t get sick.

At least he cares enough about his guest to try to keep you from catching a cold. Grabbing the note to toss it into the trash can in the corner of the room, you continue to try to dry off the books. You hope that they don’t become too damaged before you can get a chance to read through them. Would karma bite back for accidentally destroying the books about the town? You hope not.

The knock that sounds against your door startles you. Your head twists to face it wide-eyed, your heart thumping against your ribcage at the sudden noise. Sighing, trying to slow your heartbeat, you set the book down on the bed. You walk up to the door, unlocking it and swinging it open. The man stares at you expectantly.

“Soup’s getting cold. Go.”

Your brows furrow.

“If you can’t tell, I’m trying to dry my stuff.” Your tone matches his; stern and to the point.

He leans to the side, looking into the room. You have the books spread out on the bed open, to try to dry them as fast as possible. Your laptop sits on the floor, open like a tent. He looks back at you.

“I can do that,” he offers. “Go. I don’t want to deal with a sick guest.”

With a reluctant sigh, you nod. He steps out of your way, letting you make your way to the kitchen before he enters your room. Maybe you shouldn’t be so trusting just yet—especially when you still don’t know his name or his intentions—but the way your stomach threatens to growl forces you to leave him alone with your stuff.

Mindlessly, you dish yourself up a bowl of chicken noodle soup once you reach the kitchen. What a strange day it’s been already. First off, your morning alarms woke you up at the ass crack of dawn. You know for a fact that you had turned them off before leaving your apartment, but maybe there was a glitch with your phone. Luckily you were able to get a few more hours of sleep after assuring that you hadn’t woken up the only other living being in the house. Then there was your walk to the library. It was odd to see the streets empty. Maybe it’s because you’re so used to the never sleeping big city. But with the way many of the buildings looked like they could collapse at any moment, and not to mention the melancholic playground you passed, it seemed like nobody had stepped foot on it in decades. And you couldn’t believe how fast that storm rolled in. You were sure that you had a few hours to spare before you were risking the chance of being rained on. But the way it came like a wall to your face, and the way it’s still pounding against the roof, leaves you with an unnerved feeling.

Of course, you also can’t dismiss the odd character that is the owner of the bed and breakfast. You never expected to meet anyone so bipolar. The minute he had opened the door he told you you weren’t welcome in town, yet you couldn’t leave. And they way he is annoyed with how much water and mud you tracked in not too long ago, but still gave you towels to dry off, made soup, as well as offered to take care of your stuff, doesn’t sit right with you. You know there’s so much more to who he is than what meets the eye. Much more than the brooding, cold, quiet host you met. But, you can’t help thinking that whatever really happened in this town is going to take a lot more than reading the history books.

“Your computer is damaged.”

You jump in your seat, bumping your bowl and spilling the hot soup you were about to eat onto your lap. It stings for a moment, making you hiss out. The man doesn’t react. He stares at you blankly—the same expression on his face since you arrived yesterday.

“What do you mean?” you ask, searching for something to clean up.

A dish towel is shoved into your face as you pick the noodles off your lap. Glancing up, your eyes meet his face. He doesn’t look at you as his hand is outstretched. Rather, his eyes look towards the stove as he leans against the table. What a strange guy.

“Do you have all your files backed up somewhere?”

You hum. Of course you do. You’re not that dumb.

“Yeah. I’ve got a hard drive with me.”

“Good. Cause I don’t think it’s salvageable.”

You groan. What are you supposed to do now? You didn’t bother to bring anything else with you, trusting that your laptop would last through the week you are supposed to be here. Though to be fair, you should have known better. Never trust technology. That’s what your boss told you in your first week of working for the company. Maybe you should have thought ten steps ahead and brought a notebook or something.

Sheepishly, you face the man again.

“Would you happen to have another computer I could borrow?”

His eyes catch yours, eyebrow raised in slight amusement. He folds his arms in front of his chest, tilting his head.

“Aren’t you people supposed to be prepared?”

You don’t answer him. Even he knows better than you.

You can hear him groan lightly. Whether it’s because you seem to still be making a mess as you try to clean yourself up, or because you aren’t as prepared as he thought you were, you’re not sure. But his attitude towards you is annoying. He could at least be some kind of help during your stay. It’s probably the least he could do.

“Not a computer, but I do have a typewriter,” he answers begrudgingly.

“A typewriter?”

He turns his body to completely face you. His lips turn down into a frown, almost snarling at your question.

“Yeah,” he mocks. “You know those pre-computer typing machines?”

You click your tongue, rolling your eyes.

“I’m not stupid. I know what a typewriter is. I just- why do you have one?”

For a moment, he doesn’t answer. He pushes himself off his spot leaning against the table, ambling towards the stove. He opens a cabinet from above, pulling another bowl out.

“If you haven’t noticed already, your tech won’t work here,” he mutters as he pours the soup into the bowl. “It never will.”

“What do you mean?”

Turning to face you again, he steps closer, setting the bowl down beside the one already in front of you. He walks away without another word, leaving your question hanging in the air.

Taglist: @jjin-kun @rosiereveries @joyfulhopelox @bangtanhome @swanguk​

If you would like to be added to the taglist for future chapters, please let me know! Send me a message, an ask, or reply to any of the pied piper posts!

🕯Anon said: hi sweetheart 🕊 can you write about armin having a quiet night with the reader? something like wearing comfy pajamas, fairy lights, cute little candles, incense, soft songs and maybe some reading? and they just cuddling? 🥺 i think about that whenever i go to sleep and do all of the above, but i'm just by myself lmao anyways, thank you so much 🌸 (btw i'm the anon who asked you about the armin x painter!reader 🥺 hello 🥺 i just love how you write can we be friends please) 🕯

Quiet night with Armin

{ Armin x Reader | tw:none | sleep help, comfort, fluff | modern }

{ "Twilight, Valley of the Genesee" 1865 by Samuel Colman 1832 - 1920 }

Shimmering golden hues weaved across pastel blue walls in the form of strings, crossing the bookshelf before making a turn at the plants corner, illuminating the room with a soft warm glow.

Your head rested against the satin pillow, just right above Armin's shoulder, close enough that you can see the rise and fall of his chest with every breath. The ends of his hair ghosting over your cheek whenever he leaned to tell a particular clever line of the book he's been reading to you.

You can't exactly remember the name of it, but you can clearly recall his excited smile this morning when showing it to you.

"It's one of my favourites" he said, "the last time i got to reread it was in high-school, has it really been that long?" And that's all you can remember from the conversation before it got sidetracked by him asking if you had lunch yet.

There's definitely something to be said about rereading a book over and over again, a sense of familiarity, an attachment to the characters, plot and world setting. It's almost magic how quickly your comfort book, show or movie can turn a horrible day into a nice one, making it the silver lining.

Looking at the way Armin would pause for a second after some lines, or chuckle at random scenes, like it's an inside joke between him and his mind, you can tell he's definitely recalling some good memories.

Just like how he's adding to his list of comfort memories by sharing this experience with you, he wants you to be a part of this silly book he once picked up as a child and continued to revisit every few years.

You glance at the remaining pages, just as he flips another one to start anew. You've already finished a third of the book, only a quarter remaining.

It's not that you're getting impatient, but it's more that the soft blanket draped over you, the warmth of Armin's body pressed next to yours and the sound of his voice, are all luring you into a hazy cloudy state where your eyelids feel too heavy and turning your head to check the clock seems too exhausting.

How long has it been? since you curled up against him right after you went to put your empty hot chocolate mugs in the sink.

You don't have the heart to tell him that your brain stopped registering the words he's saying and instead listens to the tone of his soft-spoken voice and reacts accordingly. Stealing another glance at the remaining pages, you notice a few missing, okay good, just a few more. You can hold on right?

Right?

Forcing your eyes open, you suppress a yawn threatening to rise before curling even closer to his shoulder, face against his neck, hand over his chest.

Instead of focusing on his calming heartbeat, you try to focus your attention on different things, like the smell of snowdrops flowers filling the room from the scented incense sitting on the nightstand. 

Snowdrops, the milky bell-like flowers who befriended the cold harsh snow herself.

An ancient German tale that Armin told you, on one early spring morning. When the universe was just in bloom, as the earth shaped its form and the plants dressed themselves, when the god in the heavens above just created snow, she was told to go seek her colours from the flowers below.

She came with her request, but the flowers turned their heads, refusing to acknowledge her for she is the reason for the harsh weather, deeming their life spans short, overzealous and jealous, protecting their colours from the merciless lady snow. 

She was left all alone, friendliness, colourless with no love or sympathy from a soul.

Except for one, came knocking on her door, head bowed down and humbly offered to share. Snowdrops were the flowers that warmed the snow's heart, and so white was the colour in which snow was known.

Snow made a vow, to always protect her one and only friend, even from her own self. Under her watchful gaze, snowdrops were gifted with warmth that let them be the first flowers to bloom when winter bid her goodbyes as spring was arriving soon.

You've never seen snowdrops the same since, their delicate and shy nature standing out between all the proud flowers, you even suggested planting some to Armin.

"...but sweetheart" you remember him saying with a frown, " snowdrops are poisonous."

…

Yeah, and so getting their scented incense was the second best option available.

You hear the sound of another page being turned, fewer left to go, just hold on a bit longer.

Wondering the room with your eyes, your gaze fell on the straw sunhat hanging from the on the back of a chair. It's Armin's favourite, he'd always wear it when the sun was particularly bright that day.

you remember him saying it was a gift from his grandpa when he was a child.

His grandpa...didn't you visit his farm a few months ago?

...yeah you did, you can recall clearly, how you were:

Squinting your eyes to avoid the bright sun, you wiped the sweat collecting on your forehead before leaning your head back against the wooden wall. The occasional passing cool breeze distracting you from the dryness in your throat, even after moving to sit in the shade your skin still felt too hot.

The grassy fields in front stretched wide before ending in white pained fences, where the crops patches for vegetables started.

The sudden gentle waves of cool air against your skin made you glance to the side, where Armin was fanning you with his hat, while holding a tray with two ice filled lemonades in his other hand.

"Are you sure you don't want to go inside?" He said, sitting next to you before handing you the cold drink, "you've already done a lot, I'll do take care of the rest."

You've been helping Armin with the farm work since sunrise, feeding the animals together and watering the crops, saying you're exhausted from the scorching hot sun was an underestimation.

And yet, somehow Armin seems unaffected. Not a sign of being bothered as he sat there next to you with his rolled up sleeves and cuffed pants, the slight flushing to his face was the only thing he got from the sun.

"Yeah, I need to lay down a bit." You remember saying, after emptying your drink in one go.

"If that's the case then-" setting the tray aside, Armin patted his lap while looking at you, "Come here."

Too tired to protest, you layed your head on his thigh, feeling your back stretching and the cool air from his fanning was already making you feel better.

"You know, there's a story my grandpa used to tell me about the sun."

An Australian folklore, about a time when the earth was merged in absolute Darkness, when even the stars refused to light up the sky.

Eternal darkness was the fate of humanity, as people were spent their lives carrying torches to light up their way.

Gnowee was an alone mother in a forsaken world, left to fend for her little son. Each day while he slept safely, she'd venture into the the fields in search for plants or seeds. Knowing very well that's it's a matter of life and death if she couldn't come back with something edible.

Each day she'd come with whatever she could find, feeding it to her son even if it meant sleeping on an empty stomach.

But with food scarce and the abyss looming at every corner, things were harder each day.

One day after rocking her child to sleep, she quietly left with her torch to dig for yams she saw on her way last time. Retracting her footsteps, it was a long journey but she knew it'd be worth it.

And so she walked and walked till she reached the place, began digging the ground but dirt and mud was all that she could find. But she couldn't just go back to her son empty handed, and so she wandered far.

She wandered so far in fact that she reached the end, not the end of her journey but the end of the earth itself.

Somehow, in someway she managed to pass from under it, her will for her son to live another day far greater that anything, and so she emerged from the other side.

The void.

Where nothingness lived.

Looking at the vast empty space, she didn't know where she was, the line between the ground and walls was so blurred that she thought she's floating.

Panic and dread filled her mind as she raised her torch higher and higher, attempting to clear a path for her to see. For she had to go back to her son, all alone sleeping by himself.

Climbing the sky was her only solution, as she wondered the world, unknowingly lighting up a path with her as she went.

"And so the Sun Goddess wonders the sky above, in search for her son." Armin told you that day, before offering you his own lemonade to drink because he was still worried about you.

...

You can't recall how that day ended, you think you might have fell asleep on his lap right after.

The fairylights on the wall reminded you of the clear stars sky you've seen while on the farm, his grandfather was a really sweet guy too.

With your mind still coulded in drowsiness, your hearing was also delayed apparently, since you just noticed the book in Armin's hold was closed with him staring at you with a smile instead.

Moving so he could set the book on the nightstand, Armin turned towards you before pulling you closer to him, making sure the covers don't slip off of you. He cupped your face, stroking your cheek with love in his eyes.

"I'm sorry baby, did I take too long?" He said, glancing at the clock behind you answered his question. 

You shook your head, murmuring a slurred "it's alright." 

Posture visibly relaxing, he gave your cheek a small kiss before resting too on the pillow next to you, a yawn escaping him.

With half closed eyes, you saw him cuddling close to your chest, features softening as he bid you goodnight. Your hand moved to stroke his hair just like he always liked, lacing your fingers through the soft strands you closed your eyes too. 

Warmth took over you, the feeling of his soft breath near your neck, the comfortable weight of his arms around you, the slow ticking of the clock, it all rocked you to sleep as you happily gave in.

➾ Who Paints The Sky?

People say that it's the Gods or the Deities who paint the sky with different hues of colors. A fairy who never trusted humans, a fairy who never showed himself to townspeople. A fairy who could paint the sky any way he wants faces love and fear.

Pairing: Fairy!Renjun x Blacksmith fem!reader

Other characters: Prince!Jisung, Potionmaker!Jaemin, Elf!Yeonjun

Warnings/genre: fluff, slight angst, mentions of traps and death,

You put the sword in its sheath after reaching it out to the prince. The tall prince smiled and carefully took the light sword.

"Woah... I'm beginning to think you add magic to your swords, y/n. They feel so light yet so... What's the word?" He laughed as he thought of the right word.

"Sturdy?"

"Yes! Sturdy!" His face lit up while you laughed.

"Prince Jisung, I still wonder why you have your swords replenished and made in this shop. You have a better blacksmith in the castle who makes all the armors and weapons." You said as you began to fix your hammers.

You placed them on top of the anvil before you brought out more rusted iron for the future swords you will forged.

"There's just something about this blacksmith that forges swords so magical, it last for a life time. I heard my real father got his swords forged here," Jisung explained as he unsheathed the sword.

The way he could see his own reflection, the way light will reflect if he brought it out in the sun, the way it could slide through anything effortlessly: it was amazing for him.

"You surely are talented, y/n but you look like you are headed somewhere. Should I accompany you?" Jisung asked but you only shook your head as you put on your cloak and your bag.

"No need, prince- I could handle myself. Anyway, I won't be far in the woods anyway,"

You exited the cave, your bag full or iron ore that could help you. You looked at the sky: the once cloudy sky is now clear. The sun shone upon you as you tried to find your way back to town.

You kept your eyes open for anything that could benefit your sword forging. Suddenly, you begin to hear breathing, not from behind you but more from above.

The feeling you have wasn't nerve-racking nor scared but curiousity. You did what one person will obviously do, look up. There you see a boy sitting on a tree branch, his eyes wide and his mouth agape at the realization.

You found him, you caught him when he was being so quiet. You found him when he was being as light as a feather. Both of your eyes met, only for him to get up and get away from you.

"Wait!" You screamed, your hand reached out at the direction where he went. You tried to remember what the boy looked like.

His dirty blonde mullet and bangs that almost covered his eyes. His brown cotton pants that went well with his brown leather boots and his loose white blouse.

There was one thing about him that you will never forget and that is his wings. His almost transparent gray wings sparkled under the sun.

"Curious about who the fairy is?" You turned around, a small smile crept to your lips at the person you wanted to see for a long time. The blonde boy walked closer to you, his bag over his shoulder.

"Here for some iron ore?" He asked as he patted your head. You nodded your head, "That's nice, still very passionate about forging swords."

He removed the bag over his shoulder and opened it.

"I was about to go to town to see you, however, I felt you presence here. I want to give this..." He reached out two bottles of magical dust to you.

"It's dusts of unbreaking and strength. I figured your swords could use more magic on your forging. After all, our families have worked together for a long time. This also makes your swords stronger," you took the bottles from him.

You observed the bottles, suddenly confused about how to add them in the swords.

"Jaem, you've always known my family used potions-,"

"The potions will be wasted and it's not pure magic because I mix it with other non-magic ingredients. The dusts are purer and stronger," Jaemin said and you observed the bottles again.

"Just sprinkle it in the fire and it won't burn. It will stay there until the fire is out," Jaemin explained further and closed his bag.

"I got them from a dear friend, be careful on your way back." He said before he disappeared in a blink of an eye. You carefully put the bottles in your other bag and head back to your town.

Unbeknownst to you, the fairy stayed on your trail. His eyes glued on you as you head back to town on your own.

"Renjun, what are you doing?" The elf on the tree asked the fairy. Renjun slightly flinched from his sudden presence.

"Yeonjun, will you please stop acting like her by popping out from nowhere?" Renjun slightly groaned, his eyes still glued on your figure.

"Are you going to pull a sweetheart and fall in love with a human?" Yeonjun pouted, the 2 fairies he loved is thriving for love.

"When did you begin calling her a sweetheart? Also, no- I will not fall in love with her," Renjun said as he jumped to another tree to keep his eyes on you.

He was suspicious to why Jaemin suddenly asked for magic dust. Now, he understood why but he didn't understand why Jaemin would give it to a human.

"Will you go to town and follow that lady?" Yeonjun hopped onto his head, watching you leave with Renjun still following you.

"No, I hate humans-,"

"But you're literally following a human girl-,"

"I hate humans, shut up and go home, Yeonjun."

Renjun stared at the sky as he waved his hand. Clouds covered the sky of dawn as he increased the cold breeze in town. He stood tall on the cliff, his astonishing sight of the view in front of him.

Suddenly, he halted his steps: he heard footsteps from behind. He turned around, only to stay frozen on his ground as he stared into you.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" He asked, he furrowed his brows when he saw the sheathed sword on your shoulder. You reached out your hands, your shocked expression shown.

"I don't mean any harm- my name is y/n! I am a blacksmith from town!" You spat and felt the breeze blow on you. You looked at the direction of the wind as a few strands of your hair almost hit your eyes.

"But please, before I continue- will you please turn down your breeze or something because I get blind?" You shouted and he did what he was told.

You thanked him and fixed your hair. You were thankful you weren't wearing a skirt or else, you would've already beheaded the fairy.

"Why are you here?" Renjun spoke again, his heart feeling stuff as he stared at you longer.

You don't look very feminine, unlike other female humans he's seen before. You wore black cotton pants with brown leather boots. Your puffed sleeves but fitted on the wrist looked good on you.

Unlike the other day he saw you, your hair was down. You radiated a male's aura and he didn't mind that... In matter of fact, he found it quite attractive.

"I mean no harm to the environment, pretty boy. Besides, I've been in the woods before dawn, searching for Jaemin's home but got lost instead." You walked pass him, but his eyes were still glued on you.

You stopped walking and turned around to face him once more.

"Can you help me find Jaemin's house? I don't want to get lost any further," you said. Renjun hesitated but nodded his head eitherway. He walked on your side as he guided you.

"So pretty boy, you're a fairy... What do you do?" You asked and he pointed at the sky. You furrowed your brows, confused: the sky? The wind? The clouds?

"You have a mouth to talk-,"

"I control the weather and change the hues of the sky," he answered and you stopped walking. He turned around to face you, the shocked expression in your face was expected. After all, a lot of people expected it's the Gods or Deities who paints the sky.

"Then can you make it less cold here?" You asked and he raised his hand. You took a step back as he waved his hand to the right. Suddenly, the cold breeze disappeared and was replaced with a softer one.

"Let's go," he looked forward again. You looked at his back figure. The boy wasn't really that muscular nor tall but he is your average lean boy. His wings weren't there, so you figured he hid them.

Before you could even speak again, you both stood in front of a cabin made out of purpleheart wood.

"Here you are," Jaemin exits his cabin. A large smile on his face but gasped when he saw Renjun beside you. A smirk appear on Jaemin's lips: "since when did you start helping humans?"

"Shut it, Jaem..." Renjun said before he turned around and get ready to leave. Your eyes followed him, however, before your mind could comprehend, your mouth spoke.

"Hey, uhh- what's your name?" You asked him, he stopped his tracks.

"Renjun," Jaemin was shook. He never expected the fairy who hates humans to ever say his name. You smiled sweetly,

"Thank you for guiding me, Renjun!" You smiled which brought a smile on his lips. At the same time, the skies became clear. The sun has risen and shine upon the tall trees of the woods.

The soft breeze disappeared and was replaced with a warmer one. You brought warmth and sunlight to the woods. You made Renjun feel like that.

"Your welcome," Renjun said before he walked away.

Jaemin stood there and stared at the sky: never knew a human could make him feel like this.

You put the hammer aside and removed the new forged sword from your anvil. You put it in its sheathe after getting a request from Jisung. As if the timing was perfect, Jisung entered your blacksmith.

"I'll be going to the forest to see my older brother. Can you come with me? You can explain the details of the sword to him properly." He smiled and you nodded.

You went to your room to get changed. Your gray cotton pants, still paired with the same leather boots. You came back after tying your hair in a ponytail.

"You might as bring collect some resources there," he added. You grabbed your bag and the sword before you both headed out.

The trip was long but in the end, you were both greeted by a cabin. Little animals, fairies, and elves played around the cabin. You wowed at the sight,

"Prince Jisung is here!!" A couple of young fairies flew to Jisung. He laughed and you let out a chuckle. You walked to a tree and gave a nut to a squirrel.

"You adorable creature," you softly caresses its head before it sat on your head. You looked at the side and saw Renjun come out of the cabin.

His smile was replaced with a shocked one once he saw you.

"Mark!" Jisung ran up to his brother and you followed.

"Hey, Ji- oh, hello!" Mark smiled at you,

"Hello, prince."

"She's the one who forged your sword for the upcoming war." Jisung said and your eyes widened. War? There will be a war?

"War with who?" You and Renjun asked at the same time.

"War with the neighbor kingdom. They caused a ruckus and sent a spy. Apparently, it was their spy who tried to kill father," Jisung explained.

At the same moment, you begin to hear things. You turned to the side and saw a head sneak into the bushes. You immediately followed and surprised the three boys.

You ran after the person. She has a sword attached on her belt. She stopped and pulled out her sword.

"You weren't supposed to see me," she added.

"Why? Are you their spy or something?" You asked, you pulled your sword out and pointed it at her.

"Never speak about this place," you threatened but she only laughed. Her smile disappeared the second after and bolts towards you. You were ready to protect yourself, however, it wasn't you who got hurt.

Renjun stood in front of you, his shoulder cut by the sword. The girl gasped and jumped backwards.

"Renjun? Renjun!" You supported Renjun as he groaned and winced. You bit your lips and glared at the girl. Your other arm around Renjun but your free hand crept inside your bag.

You pulled out 3 small knives which were forged with the same material as Mark's. You placed them on the ground, two of your fingers pointed up.

Renjun used his remaining energy to look at you. Knives floating in mid-air as if you were controlling them. The girl begin to run away as she realized what will happen.

Immediately, you pointed your two fingers at her, and the knives rushed towards her. Renjun, with his left hand on his bleeding shoulder, was astonished.

"Renjun! Y/n!" Mark and Jisung rushed to you both. Jisung ran towards the girl, your small knives on her two legs, and shoulder.

"Help Renjun please!" You said and Mark helped him up. Renjun held your hand, "come with me please."

"Mark, take him to the cabin... I will follow," you kissed Renjun's cheek before running towards Jisung.

Questions ran through your head: why did Renjun protect you? Didn't Jaemin say he hates humans? He barely even knows you...

"Are you a spy or not?" You asked as you took the sword from her. You examined the sword, it was a normal sword.

"I'm not a spy-,"

"Lies- why were you eavesdropping then?" You asked as you put her sword in its sheathe and kept it close to you.

"She's with me," Jaemin appeared and used magic to levitate the girl in the air.

"Wha- put me down, Jaemin!" The girl shouted but Jaemin only shook his head. He glared at her which shut her up.

However, Jisung was confused. Who is this boy?

"I apologize, deeply... she isn't a spy but was brainwashed when she got captured a few months ago." Jaemin walked towards you and handed you a bag.

"This will heal Renjun, I apologize for this girl's behalf." He said before he begins to walk away.

As soon as you both returned to the cabin, Renjun wincing in pain. The water on his cut stung like crazy. He notices your presence and looked like he was about to cry.

"I'll take it from here, thank you," you said to Mark and his lover.

"Please, take care of him," Mark's lover said before she left the bedroom. You grabbed the towel from the side and carefully washed the remaining blood from his body.

"Why did you protect me?"

"How can you use magic?" He asked, a sigh left your lips.

"I learned magic-,"

"A human can't learn magic unless they have a magical creature's blood in them... Are you really human, y/n?" He asked and you cleaned the towel.

"I have an elf's blood in me. My father is half elf and I got some of his blood. Now, shut it, so I can clean your cut which I was the cause of." You And took the potions out of the bag.

"Jaemin gave me these potions. I assume they will hurt a bit but trust me, they will heal you in an instant." You spoke and poured some on your palm.

You then swiped it over his cut. He groaned and immediately, grabbed your wrist. You placed a hand on his other shoulder to hold him down.

"Ah- it hurts... It hurts, stop-," you didn't stop when you noticed a part already healed.

"Renjun, I swear to god- endure it a bit if you want this cut to heal." You said as you added more. He groaned and rest his head on your shoulder.

"It's too slow- just pour everything, please!" Renjun grabbed the bottle as if he's gonna pour it on his head.

"No! Pour it on your cut, not your head!" You told the bottle and immediately, poured it over his cut. He screamed in pain as he held onto you tightly.

"Whose fault is it to suddenly jumped in front of me, hm?" You asked as you watched his cut heal.

"Yours," he whispered. You let out a confused sound but he only laughed.

"How is this my fault, sir fairy?" You said and surprisingly, he pecked your lips.

"How can a person make me fall in love with them so quickly? I barely even know you yet I'm so afraid to lose you already," Renjun whispered.

You smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you for protecting me but do not ever do that again, EVER!" You said and he nodded. He hugged you before kissing your forehead.

You returned to the woods after the long war. Your arm tired from all the swords you have to forge. You assume Jaemin must be tired too from the potions he had to make for the 3 princes.

You sat on the leafy ground, your eyes on the sky. The sky was clear again, your heart beating fast as you thought of meeting Renjun again.

You haven't seen any of their kinds during the war. Fairies, elves, and other creatures went hiding.

"Hey," you look up at a tree and saw Renjun. You chuckled as he jumped down beside you. He leaned down to kiss your lips.

"How's your hand?" He sat across you and took your hand.

"Better now, thanks to Jaemin," you answered and he sighed in relief. A soft smile on his lips, glad his love returned after the worries of her disappearing from his life.

"I'm glad you're back," he said before he kissed you once more.

"I love you," he said after a long time. You chuckled and handed him a charm you made after the war. His eyes go wide but he noticed a gem in the center of the charm. He smiled once he realized it's a gem to tie two different beings together.

Mark's lover gave Mark this as well to tie the knot of their relationship.

"I love you as well, Injun."

Seasonal

Hey there friends!  As I am posting this it is my Birthday! I’m a whole 25 years old.  I.FEEL.ANCIENT. But I decided to post this blurb that came to me, talking about seasonal depression, which is hitting hard as it’s starting to get cooler and becoming fall. To be clear, this is just my experience with Seasonal depression, everyones is different. It’s something that affects me, and many others, in different seasons, so I hope this little blurb will give you some form of joy- regardless of whether or not you have the depressions.  It was actually kind of hard to write, but I got through it! Warnings: Talk of seasonal depression, numbness the like.  Only been seen by one other person, and only edited by me. So I probably missed some stuff. Let me know what you think!

The day was cool and dreary, overcast that hung in the air. Cloudy days themselves weren’t bad, but the cool breeze nipping at the previously warm air kept you inside, scrolling through your phone. 

It was a myriad of posts, those glad for the cooler weather and excited for the spooky holiday on the rise. You huffed a small laugh as the skeleton song popped up onto your page for the umpteenth time in that hour alone.

Even still, it was hard to see a constant reminder of the bleak months ahead as you tried to push it from your mind. But there was no fooling your body, or your mind. Seasonal depression was starting to kick in, and kick hard. The fucker never played fair anyway.

You were so tired, arms heavy as lead as they shook, a feeble attempt at keeping your phone from falling out of your grasp. Your mind was filled with the overcast clouds, no room for anything but sleep. You went to bed tired, you woke up tired and had the hardest time staying awake.

You leaned back further into the couch you were sitting on, looking onto the wall that held the crystals you gave to Keigo. Even with the sun gone, there was still enough light to show a few gentle prisms.

Though the colors were pretty, it didn’t alleviate the frown on your face. You had read that getting up and doing things would help you wake up or at the very least stay awake. Active, but simple things, cleaning up your bedroom, brushing your teeth and getting ready for the day. 

How could you when your arms refused to lift for most things, hands feeling too smooth to actually grip, not that you had any product on there to cause said sensation. Whenever you got up, your knees felt like they were jello, though you got from place to place. Was it just in your head? Of course it was, but getting out of your head was the hard part.

You turned to look over at the end table beside the couch, only then remembering to turn on the happy light you were advised to get. You weren’t entirely sure it actually helped, it didn’t mimic the sun's golden hue, despite how bright it was, it maybe made the room a bit warmer. But it was still such a cold light, much like hospital lights that made your eyes ache after a while. 

You pass another video, someone putting up fake skeletons whilst what you assumed to be a friend ran about in cheer for the cooler weather once again. You refrained from making any snide remarks in your head, it wouldn’t be fair to ruin their happy time. After all, Your summer could be their fall.

Your eyes gazed onto the clock. It’s only nine am ??! It was hardly close to lunch time even.

Irritation flashed within you, stomach gurgling in agreement. You hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, though you knew you should have. Food currently had no taste, no matter the amount of spices you added. It didn’t matter what was made, it never filled you and your stomach raged on. 

You shuffled further into the blankets you covered yourself with, your tank top and shorts hardly keeping you warm, but you refused to wear pants, they just got tangled in the blankets and felt so constricting. You glanced to the kitchen, a glare on your features as the usually wonderful treats in there mocked your current state of taste bud. 

You focused back onto your phone, ignoring your stomach for yet another random haul a user got for Halloween. Your eyes slowly began to fall closed, the music in the video, despite its energy, lulling you into a sense of...calm.

Thunk!

Your heart hammers hard against your chest, eyes wildly glancing around for the noise source.

Instead of monsters clawing from the grey shadows of daylight, you were met with sweet honied eyes.

“Well hello to you too angel” His voice hid none of his amusement, his hand held out towards you. You looked down to his hand only to find your phone. You must have dropped it at some point.

You took the phone from him, setting it on the coffee table and wrapped your arms around his neck. “ Keigo…” you cooed sleepily, “ You’re home for Lunch a bit early.” 

You pressed kisses to his cheek and neck, trying to ignore that empty feeling growing back to life.

“Early? Nah, right on time, it’s noon babe. You fell back asleep it looks like” He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you so you were standing with him. He looks you in the eyes, searching for something.

“Yeah, I guess I did” you murmur, eyes averting his gaze. He’d known you were having trouble staying awake, that the change of seasons really hit you hard. He seemed to have found whatever he was looking for as he pressed a sweet kiss to your lips and let go. 

“Well, I guess that just makes it more of a surprise, speaking of surprises!” he turned to the coffee table, rummaging through some bags. With a chirp of victory, he hands you a take out box filled with your favorite, (F/food). “ I brought your favorite back home with me” 

You couldn’t help but smile, though it didn’t feel forced, it didn’t feel like you were emoting quite right though your genuine happiness was there. He sat down on the couch with you, leaning into your side as he flipped on his phone for something.

A soft beat came first, followed by the gentle plucks of a guitar, sounds you usually associated with summer time music. You glanced over at him, brow raised in a silent question. 

He was already opening his take out, a smirk on his face

“Sorry dove, it was just a bit too quiet” was all he said.  “Hardly a quiet moment with you Keigo” you teased, “ But I can’t say I dislike your choice in mood”  “My sense of mood is never wrong angel!” 

You ate relatively quickly, wanting to spend more time with Keigo than focusing on the food, which did have just a bit more taste than anything else you had eaten. 

He talked to you about his day so far, nothing too crazy that he couldn’t handle. 

The relaxed tune you had been listening to turned into something a bit more fast paced.

It was a favorite between the two of you, the song you danced to at the bar, the night you had your first kiss on the beach. He stood up, offering his hands to you, “ Come on, it’s our song love bird!” It might have been corny to have a song but you couldn’t care less. Not with that smile that lit up a room, a laugh so sweet you could eat for dessert.

So you took his hands, his wings fluffed up in excitement. He took off his visor, and placed it on you, your vision becoming slightly yellow tinted. 

Oh it made so much difference

Everything looked and felt a bit more...alive. There weren’t any dull sensations of haze and endless numbness. You grabbed his hands again as he pulled you in.

It was hardly a masterful thing to fawn and coo over, but it had you laughing as he spun you around, his feathers having moved the coffee table out of the way. As you would spin out, he’d do something entirely and fantastically goofy, waving his hands in the air then pulling you back in. All to make you giggle and laugh as he hugged your back to his chest, blowing raspberries on your neck. 

“Keigo!”  “Oh what? Did I spin you too slow, so demanding my dove” and he spun you out again with an extra kick of some sort of energy. 

The song came to an end, and you were all red in the face, heart beating hard, but it was welcome.

“You utter goof” You giggled, pushing his visor off of your eyes, the change dented your happy mood, but only just slightly. 

“Your goof” he pressed a wet kiss to your cheek.  “So, I noticed you liked the visor? It is pretty stylish if I do say so myself”

You flopped back onto the couch, nodding, “ Yeah, they look real good on you. But it was nice, things just looked...better” 

Did the color really change your outlook so much? 

“Well, I was doing some late night browsing and found that sometimes glasses that are yellow tinted or block blue light can help with your seasonal grey time blues” a feather brought over a small bag, hiding between the food bags, and placed it in his hands.

“So I thought...these might help, whenever we can’t just dance the blues away” His cheeks turned a slight pink as his wings flapped awkwardly at your lack of response. 

He’d gone out of his way to get you these special glasses, just so that you could feel better. 

Your eyes watered slightly, getting back up from the couch and walking over to him. You placed both hands on his jaw and pulled him down for a tender kiss that he gladly reciprocated. “ You are entirely too sweet for your own good Keigo. I love you, thank you...thank you so much” 

He unfolds the glasses, placing them gently on your face. 

“I love you too song bird”

Chapter 2

The sun was high in the sky, the earth was scorched, crumbled buildings all over the plateau and rivers running with red, hot lava; so hot you could see heat rise from the pits that would have once been water, semi-distorting what lies behind the wave of heat. But this was her home. Vida stood atop one of the ruined buildings decorated in ancient text, a language long forgotten by most and only legible by few.

Vida was a bit of a loose cannon at times, and despite the incredible risk, here she was, sneaking off to the coast as quietly and unnoticed as she could. Excited to see the mass of salt water, maybe she could figure out a way to use it, for well, anything. Water was valuable. The fact that a huge body of water was off-limits was something she found ridiculous. Since she was going there in secret anyway, she intended to grab the opportunity to go for a swim.

Successfully sneaking away, she made it to the blackened ash shores. She wondered briefly if things would be different if lava didn’t flow freely, or if it rained every once in a while. Tossing the thoughts away, Vida took off her cloak and curled it around her small pouches that she had also removed from her person. She smiled softly as she carefully put it down somewhere safe on the shore, away from the rolling waves, sitting down on the coal-black sand. She had heard that the sand was once as light as platinum gold. The volcanic ash had turned it black, they said.

She carefully removed her shoes too and put it next to her little bundle. The water looked cool and inviting. Everything she knew was scorching, and the fact that something so serene existed so close excited her. It was a long walk, of course, several hours in fact, but it was worth it. Standing again, she walked forward, letting the soft sand in between her toes, a breeze blowing past her tanned, exposed skin. She smiled brightly - it was cold, not warm. Taking a step closer, she let a soft crash of waves roll over her feet as she scrunched them into the sand. She wanted to run out, and swim, carefree. And she was close to doing so before she spotted a piece of driftwood in the distance with something shiny and limp hanging off it. Curious, Vida decided to venture into the water and swim towards it, being mindful of the currents and waves. As she neared it, she realized it wasn’t a something, but a someone.

Worried and grumpy that this ruined her perfect sneaky day, she grabbed hold of the driftwood and dragged the person to shore. It was a girl; pale and blue from the cold, and had long, butterscotch brown hair, darkened by the water.

“What are you doing wearing that when swimming? I might not be smart but even I don’t do that,” Vida muttered to the girl. “You’ll warm up eventually, promise!” she chirped and stood to pull her further up the shore so the lapping waves wouldn’t drag her limp form out again. “I’ll go get my stuff and be right back to help you out, but promise you’ll tell me your name?” she smiled as she spoke, before skipping away to get her bundle from a different place on the beach. Picking it up, she came back and plopped down, deciding to roll the pale girl over so she could lay on her back. “Can I take off your clothes so you can breathe?” she asked softly as she pulled on her boots. “It looks heavy,” she said. “Or are you just cold? I’d say cold, but then again, you aren’t from ‘round here so that could just be your skin, but it’d be a lot easier to bring you home if you were awake. I could carry you, but it’d be slow and take a while because of the weight and all.”

She mused out a plan hoping she would stir and react. Vida put her things on, except her cloak, preferring to tuck it in her belt and have it as a sash at her hip for the moment - this pale person would need it later. Once all set, she grabbed the other person’s arms and started dragging her toward a pit of constant heat - a lava pool. Once there, she rummaged through her own pouches, trying to find the food she’d brought along. The lady would need it more than she. After all, she had already eaten breakfast. Sitting next to the unconscious girl and looking out at the horizon, she traced her fingers on her left hand through the sand, wondering what had happened to her and hoping that there was no lingering damage.

Very suddenly, there was a deep gasp and a jolt at her right. She looked to the girl as she sat up with a start, disheveled and scared, seemingly misplaced. She was looking a little red now.

“Hey! How are you doing? Be careful, the lava is hot,” she grinned, hoping she’d relax if she wasn’t hyperactive, although it was difficult holding in her energy. If it was possible, the girl startled harder when she noticed her. The look of fear on her face when they laid eyes on one another was blatantly obvious to Vida. It wasn’t a problem, but she would have liked a little calm, and so she figured, considering both of them were humans, a fellow human would soothe her after whatever ordeal.

“Who are you? What are you? Where am I? What is going on?!” the girl asked quickly as she moved away, backing further inland while remaining mindful of the lava.

“Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you!” Vida exclaimed at first, turning to her fully, but making no move to pursue her. “I pulled you out of the ocean and set you next to the pit so you’d warm up. Where are you from? You’re really pale. And your eyes are like the sky on a cloudy day!” she stated calmly before it deformed into excited curiosity. The girl looked at Vida, startled by her positive energy and curiosity. She didn’t seem a threat, but she hadn’t even answered half of her questions.

“Answer me!” she snapped at her. Vida widened her eyes in realization.

“I’m Vida, and this is the coast of my home, Lumanata,” she answered proudly with a smile.“Are you hungry? What do you want me to call you?”

The other one glared at her a with a slight sneer of disgust. “A native from Lumanata?” she asked in disdain. “I don’t have time for your kind,” she said hostilely and moved to stand.

“Is this how your people thank someone who’s saved your life, taken care of you and offered food?” Vida asked. “That’s fine if it is, I’m just curious,” she clarified as she watched the other girl sputter in what she had to guess was in offense for ignorance.

“No!” she exclaimed. “We treat them with respect when they’re worthy of it, and your people are most certainly not!” she spat harshly. Vida sat there, looking at her before she stood.

“Just proud, then!” she smiled and looked through her pouch before handing something to the girl. “You must be hungry, here,” her smile wasn’t angry or annoyed, just helpful. The other reluctantly snatched the food from the tanner girl’s outstretched hand and opened it tentatively. “So what’s your name?” Vida finally asked again once the other had eaten up, hoping she was more cooperative.

“You may call me Emily,” she said with her head held high.

“It’s nice to meet you, Emily, can you walk?” she asked.

“Of course I can walk. Why?” Emily countered.

“We need to start moving, get back to the base and all,” Vida explained with a smile as she stood up.

“I’m not following you to your…. den,” Emily refused.

“I don’t know if you’ve realized, but it’s not safe here. You can’t carry on like you’re on a walk. I mean, unless you wanna get caught or you’re into that kind of thing,” Vida argued and began removing her cloak from her belt to give to Emily. “Put this on, the shine of your armor will attract attention otherwise,” she instructed, not giving the upset girl time to argue.

“So? Do you not accept outsiders here? How narrow-minded,” Emily accused but took the cloak anyway and began to put it on, surprisingly cooler with it on than off. As Vida situated her things, she looked towards the fiery expanse of the landscape with an excited smile on her face.

“No, we love visitors! It’s so exciting. But the Lumas aren’t really in control here. I just don’t want you captured and kept as a slave by the demons and such, it’d be a lot of work to free you and I don’t think they’d be happy to see me stealing from them again,” she said happily and awfully casual, to the point it unnerved the other.

“Demons?!” she exclaimed, appalled and she clutched the cream cloak, dirtied by ash to her armored chest

“Yeah, they basically own the place. The majority of people here are their property. We’re working on it though! We’ll be safe and free eventually, as long as we work hard,” she said excitedly, reaching out a hand to Emily and started leading her to relative safety. “Or at least that’s what everyone says,” she chirped happily, trying to make Emily feel calm.

“What do you believe?” Emily asked the girl hesitantly, taken by surprise as Vida grabbed a hold of her hand. “And if there’s so much going on here, why does no one help?” Emily seemed surprised as she said that. “Why does no one leave?!” she exclaimed confused as they kept walking forward, Vida seemingly more focused on getting to wherever they were headed than Emily’s currently very worried, confused and lost statements.

“I believe whatever helps, hope breathes life into our family. Life is what we need because that’s what keeps you going. And I don’t know why no one helps. Would’ve thought you knew, being an outsider,” she shrugged and climbed up a ruin as if it were a tree. She looked out from the top to assess how long it will be smooth sailing before they have to pick up the pace and stay hidden.

“The last question?” the other asked grumpily, deciding to ignore the deflect of the prior answer. The dark brunette jumped down and waved as she began to walk a different way. “Well?” she prompted.

The brunette pursed her lips in thought before she turned back to her. “We don’t leave because this is our home, and no matter how bad it is, we’d rather belong than be outcasts in a place where people think we’re trash. It’s our job to clean up our home, nobody else’s,” she said.

“Your national pride is what will lead your country to its downfall,” Emily replied rather bluntly.

“Is it? Or is it what will help our country survive because we refuse to abandon our home?” she asked playfully and tapped Emily on her nose. “Now hurry, it might not stay this smooth for much longer. It’s getting late,” she quickly waved her hand in the air to direct Emily to follow her. Emily remained silent, musing to herself, Vida assumed. Either that or she was trying to take in the lackluster surroundings. She started considering the positive about lava; it’s never truly dark and it’s always warm, the times you should worry is when there’s no warm glow anywhere in sight.

~*~*~*~

They had come fairly far from the coast after what felt like ages. There was scorched earth everywhere, burnt skeletal remains of trees and more ruins, some looked like they’d been well preserved, others had been left to rot or burn.

“Does your kind cooperate with anyone of importance?” Emily asked before she yelped, being pushed down behind a large rock and remains of a wall. “Hey!” she exclaimed.

“Sh!” was the brunette’s immediate reaction as she crouched behind it and made herself unseen to whatever was there. “We have to be quiet. Don’t move and keep your breathing shallow,” She said softly in a whisper of a voice that Emily could only hear because they were so close. Vida twisted her body to look around the rubble at something in the distance. It was when she changed her footing to sneak further away to the sanctuary that they heard it - a peal of spine-tingling laughter followed by a voice.

“I told ya we shouldn’t have listened to Korinth,” the voice said full of mirth.

“I dunno heard the same from Darium,” another voice said, this one was deeper.

“Really? I guess there must be some fresh meat out here after all. I was hoping on sinking my teeth into a new slave,” the first voice said with unnerving, jumpy tones. Sure, it was getting further away, but it didn’t stop the dread filling both of them. “Do you think it’s a little fighter?” the second asked.

“I hope not, so much work,” the other complained in a whiny voice.

“Speak for yourself, I like it when they fight. Makes it all the tastier when you finally break them.”

Suddenly the deeper voice became creepier. Once the voices finally faded far enough away did the more exposed of the two grab the attention of a startled Emily.

“Do you understand why now?” Vida asked softly and patiently.

“Yes, I do. I’m so sorry, do you all deal with this every day?” she asked mortified.

“Only those that leave home,” was the answer received in a light tone. “Now, the faster we get home, the safer. Let’s go before they circle back, or even more of them will get here,” she waved and started creeping away, moving as slow as she could allow so that the cloaked girl wouldn’t get lost. It was hard to move so slowly and not so sneakily, it was against every fiber of her being. However, her priority was keeping this soul safe. She readied herself for an attack or a diversion just in case, her body poised.

~*~*~*~

After an hour or so of sneaking did Vida run ahead, quite far, almost as if she disappeared at some point. She told Emily to remain calm and stay put until she came back. She had seen a crowd of demons approaching and figured that at least one of them would detect them. That wasn’t a risk she was willing to take; she wanted her new friend to be safe and trust her more because that’s what being friends was about. So she’d protect her. Taking a deep breath, she picked up a fairly sizeable rock and chucked it. It soared and made a sound about two ruins away, making it seem like someone was running there. She liked to believe that demons smelled fear, and she, therefore, refused to fear them which normally made them mad.

Emily was shaking, however, which made her trek home a little more fun because she could try stuff she normally wouldn’t bother to otherwise.

It worked, the demons moving in that exact direction. She went back to Emily and gave her a hug. “We should be good for a while, but there will be loads more coming up. Move fast and move quietly,” she warned in the most reassuring way she knew, but Emily stiffened in her grasp so it must’ve had the opposite effect. She let go and painted a smile across her face. Perhaps that would help, she thought. The armored girl nodded and looked away from her, Vida hoping that they’d get better along with time, despite the girl’s apparent tendency to be a bit standoffish.

They took to start walking again, neither uttering a word. Vida didn’t say anything for the sake of focusing, and Emily just didn’t feel up for it anymore. “We’re almost there,” she whispered and pointed to a crack in a cliff face on the horizon. “There are some demons nearby so I’ll distract them. When I leave you, run there, into the crack and don’t stop until you see light again,” she explained. “Then you’ll be fine!” Vida smiled with confidence. Emily nodded and prepared herself, ready to run. When Vida was sure she’d be okay, she ran towards the demons. She moved so fast that before you knew it, she had chucked a couple of rocks in their direction before jumping on one, engaging in a fight. Emily took that as the cue and ran for the cliff. They were too distracted by the dirty brunette to notice the cream fleck running across the scorched plain. The ambushed demon screeched as its eyes were gouged out by the tiny human girl. “Get the filthy cretin off of me!” it screamed to its companions. Vida roared back as the other demons were suspended in shock that a measly human female was crazy enough to do such a thing to one of their own, especially in a group. They quickly snapped out of it as their ally fell to their knees and flailed its arms with a scream of pain. She swung off of it and stood, tossing her hair, feigning extreme confidence.

“Hey guys~!” she greeted them brightly.

“You bitch! My eyes!” the one groaning exclaimed.

“They’ll grow back, it’s just easier to get your attention this way,” she playfully remarked.

“Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt!” it screamed. “We’re gonna rip you to pieces!” it threatened in a menacing voice.

“Well, you’re on my turf!” she yelled back, imitating the angry voice. The demon to her right swung its clawed hand at her and she swiftly turned herself to the left to dodge.

“Ugh! It’s you...” the one to the left spat in pure disdain once her hair had been cast out of her face.

“Well, of course, it’s me! Who else could I be but me?” she mocked confidently in reply.

“What is it with you and eyes, child?” the one on the right asked, ready to attack a second time.

“It’s the universally weakest point,” she shrugged and began to dodge as they both went off on her in unison, the third rolling on the ground.

“If it’s any consolation,” she exclaims quickly as she slides between them to create distance, “I’d prefer not to fight at all or gouge out your eyes, but I know what happens if I don’t, so,” she said and jumped.

“Well we’d prefer you as a toy rather than a brutally mutilated dead body, but looks like neither of us are having our way, huh?” the one on the left remarked irritated as its companion distracted her, and came up from behind and grabbed her, lifting her up. “Maybe we can actually condition you this time,” it whispered into her ear as she struggled to loosen herself from its grip.

She preferred to call them “it” despite them being gendered by nature, as she’d rather not relate and humanify her enemy. It happened to a friend of hers, and they became a personal plaything. The rest of her people tried saving them too but they refused to leave.

She struggled and fought the hold of the strong arms constricting around her middle. The one on her right had neared. “Looks like we’ve finally caught the elusive one,” it licked its lips as it stood before her while the other continued to hold her tight. “You’re tired. We’ll treat you real nice if you just sit still,” it said and looked into her eyes as it held her legs to stop her kicking. Once their eyes crossed, she stopped struggling and began to breathe heavily, blinking slowly.

“To think we had such trouble capturing you before, a shame that you’ll be wasted by dying for how much trouble you’ve caused,” the one holding her up by the torso said right into her ear, the air permeated sin and it’s grip was suffocatingly tight. Their breaths felt cold on her skin, not hot like one might’ve expected. “Doesn’t mean we can’t have fun with you first, however,” the one squeezing bruises on her thighs remarked. She panted one last time before a soft smirk crossed her lips as she used her nails to scratch at the arms around her waist, never breaking eye contact with the one holding her legs.

“Please, more~” She whispered in a tone of voice they never thought they’d hear from her dark pink lips. They loosened their grip on her slightly out of surprise, and it was all Vida needed. In an instant did she slip out of their collective holds, slamming an open palm strike right under the chin of the one that held her, knocking it back. Squeezing her legs around the one that was holding them, she used her momentum to swing herself onto it’s back and punching it square on the back of the head. They were both discombobulated and the final one blind, so she took this opportunity to sprint away and disappeared before they could sit up and get their bearings straight again.

She found Emily sitting right where she had described to the girl, smiling when she saw her. “Hope I wasn’t too long! Hate for you to be bored!” she said in a light tone and walked over to the large stone door.

“I’ve waited longer,” Emily sighed as she took to stand next to Vida, the large stone door opening slowly.

“Welcome to Lumanata!” Vida exclaimed excitedly as if all her energy could finally release, bouncing in front of Emily and spreading her arms wide.

Euphoria

It was like yesterday, when she walked into the orphanage. I was only ten years old back then, but I still remember the clothes she wore and how she smelled. A light, fresh smell, almost like a summer breeze. She wore a white shirt tucked into a long, tightfitting, dark blue skirt, and she had some type of red scarf around her neck, almost like a tie. She looked like one of those weather reporters on the TV telling the viewer that the global warming is now over two degrees Celsius. We only got to watch TV on Saturdays in the orphanage and the food there was awful. The other kids were not that nice either. They always picked on me for my accent when I spoke, so I usually kept to myself.

I was dying to get out of there. I wanted to break free from the prison I spent eleven years of my life in. From time to time, couples came and looked for very young children, but the lady that walked into the main hall came alone and asked for a boy between the age eight and twelve. As all the boys, including myself, were lined up in front of her, our eyes met. I got shy so I looked down at my old, worn out shoes. The thing is, she didn't just continue to walk down the line, she stopped and lifted my chin up carefully so that we locked eyes again. That was the start of a new family. She saved me from that hellhole. She treated me like her own son. She sent me to school, bought me new clothes, since those we wore at the orphanage was just worn out hand-me-downs that had stains and holes in them. She did everything for me.

It was until last fall that everything had been perfect. The day of my 19th birthday and we were supposed to go out for dinner, just the two of us. I had just gotten my drivers license, so I made my way towards the drivers seat. She walked behind me when a car came down the street, towards her, at full speed. I didn't get any time to react, and just like that, she was gone. I could've turned around. I could've pushed her away, but I didn't.

I quit my job, stopped seeing my friends and only went out of the house when I needed something. After a while I started blaming myself. I killed her. The only person to really love me is dead because of me. It felt like the world was a work of art before the painting fell apart. It's almost like a broken light switch. I want to turn on the light so bad, but the fuse has gone. I guess this is the darkness of the day. I want to erase you, because that hurts less than missing you. You were the cause of my euphoria and you've left me all alone. It feels like winter, even in the middle of August. It could be 40 degrees outside, and I would still feel cold and empty. How much longer until we reunite again? When we're both in utopia?

Not able to run away from my own thoughts, I am now standing on the edge of the roof, feeling a slight breeze against my skin. Nothing feels like home anymore, so I close my heavy, swollen eyes, as the sun rises and new colors blend into the grey sky. I turn my back towards the edge, feeling like the edge of this world is near, and I lean backwards. I fall towards the ground, looking up into a colorful, cloudy sky. It is in this moment I feel the most alive. I've put an end to the everlasting winter, and I'm going to a place beyond earth. I'll see you in utopia, mom.

Special Chapter 1: Resolutions of the New Year Variety.

Alright here it is, the one I’ve been talking about and goodness me, it’s massive, it might be the longest chapter I’ve written so far except for Act 1, Ch 2. Anyway I actually had ideas to do this since back in early September or maybe late August? Either way listening to a certain song or two with a picture in my mind allowed me to create this as an idea and because of this inspiration, I chose to do this instead of other things like a proper Christmas chapter, so hope it’s worth it? Now just enjoy them being pretty chill I guess. Happy New Year everyone, hope you all have a good one. 

The blue sweater wearing skeleton gave an exasperated sigh, ‘’Why can’t you just stop being so difficult? It’s going to be lots of fun, trust me’’. The spider watched Sci’s pleading smile with a look of pure annoyance and doubt, ‘’No, I sincerely wish no part of this silly farce that you call a celebration, who gives a damn if it’s a new year, it doesn’t mean anything. There is way, way more important things that can be done this night instead of what you plan.’’ She took an aggressive step towards Sci while crossing her arms, ‘’From what I can tell your plan includes, filthy dirt, cold biting wind and the only pay off will be some stupid explosives being chucked at the sky in a pointless fashion to give some dumb amusement when the money wasted on it could be well invested in something much more beneficial… you got any good reason in that skull that I should come along with this group of ours?’’ Sci furrowed his non-existent brow, ‘’Well when you put it like that, then it’s going to be quite tough… hmmm food will be there, as well as good company?’’ Unsurprisingly she looked unimpressed, ‘’All things I can get without going outside and that’s my final verdict.’’ Sci scratched the back of his head with a slight smile, a slight hint of amusment in his expression, ‘’Your final verdict? There’s no way you would change your mind? Anything I can do?’’ ‘’Give it up right now friend, stop wasting your time and leave if that’s all you’re here for.’’ Muffet shot a web from her wrist at the door handle behind Sci and with a twist and pull, the door opened, signalling the exit. Trying to ignore the questionable physics of the action, Sci started to head out the door, ‘’Well that’s a real shame, guess we’ll have to go without you, well I sincerely hope you have a good night’’ The last thing that the skeleton heard as he closed the door behind him was, ‘’Whatever, you too I guess’’. Sci let out a deep breath and headed into the next room with a mischievous grin on his face, rubbing his hands together, he sense of purpose as he went on his way. Leaning on a wall in the adjacent hall was Clover, as he approached she stopped scrolling on her phone, putting it in her right pocket as she stood up.  The way she had full attention on him made it obvious that had been waiting there for him, but Sci already knew that. ‘’How did it go Mr Minister, was it a success?’’ The monster sighed and shook his head, putting both of his arms behind his back in a dramatic fashion. ‘’No Private, unfortunately this operation will be marked down as an extreme failure, no recovery was possible for anyone, you know what this means right?’’ Clover stifled a laugh and failed to hide her own grin, her voice also betraying her as it was filled with amusement despite the mock horror she was attempting to do. ‘’My god, no, you can’t actually be talking about… using that can you?’’ Sci pulled down the brim of an imaginary cliché military general’s hat. ‘’I’m afraid so Private, it appears we have no choice but to use our weapon of mass destruction, to think we would be brought to use such desperate measures, I’ll feel sorry for our enemy once it’s over, nobody deserves to come face to face with such an almighty force’’.

‘’Hey Miss? Am I allowed to come in?’’, Asgore opened the door slightly and poked his head in. Muffet found some minor relief in that it was a fluffy head showing and not a skull coming through, ‘’Yes you can come in, but close the door behind you’’. The goat child didn’t really need to be told that, the drill was always the same. With a smile he walked in and did as he was told, walking through the sunless room over to Muffet, she was now just sitting at her mirror doing some sort of make up with a powder, things that he imagined would forever elude him. Knowing that the spider was waiting for him to explain his visit, he didn’t waste time before speaking, ‘’So ummm, I heard you weren’t coming with us for our New Year’s celebration, why’s that?’’ There was a groan, of course it was about that, why couldn’t these guys just leave her alone with this type of thing. ‘’Because it’s a waste of time, I mean if you want to celebrate, you can just do it in the comfort of your own abode.’’ ‘’But doesn’t it get boring staying at home all the time?’’ ‘’You should never complain about comfort dearie, you never know when it could be taken away from you’’. Asgore started to give a little bit of an annoyed pout as he walked over and sat on her bed, watching Muffet finish her make up and stand up, turning to now have all her eyes on the goat. ‘’Isn’t it good to have some form of variety… and fresh air?’’ ‘’Then I’ll open a window, might be nice to get a light breeze through. Variety is good when you’re bored, but child, I have yet to get bored.’’ ‘’We’ll bring some alcohol, you like that stuff.’’ The spider let out a loud, irritated groan, ‘’Stop listing things that I can do here, you’re trying my patience… if you don’t have anything else, leave or my children will come for you tonight’’. Asgore took a deep breath, a determined expression becoming dominant, despite her threats he wasn’t going to back down, she hated it when he got like that, why couldn’t just submit like a normal person. ‘’Well fine then. But we both know that I can promise you it’s going to be a good time, an even better time when you’re around’’. ‘’You bloody well can’t, don’t try that poppycock with me’’, her sneer towards him increased, but as expected it had no effect. ‘’We’ve been through this a bunch of times Muffet, every single time I’ve pulled through. You’ve always admitted to me that you’re glad you came to whatever event we ended up planning, it’s a song and dance that happens every time and ends the same… and uh well, it just feels like there’s a big part missing when you aren’t there, like we’re nowhere near complete without you, I really like it when you come’’. Muffet remained silent, still watching the boy’s face, an honest smile that didn’t appear to be holding any sort of deceit, the way his eyes went big as he talked about what he was feeling, it made her… ‘’Please, please, please? C’mon, please Muffet, just for tonight?’’ ‘’….Fine’’ ‘’Pardon?’’ The spider sounded like he had to force her words out with a groan, ‘’Fine, I’ll go alright? Just don’t make a big deal about it… and don’t hug me or I take it back’’. Asgore grinned excitedly, ‘’Yay, thank you so much, it’ll be the best, I promise. Also, don’t worry, I know the drill. Would you like me to let you get ready?’’ ‘’Yes please, I would like a little alone time before our outdoor venture’’. With a positive spring in his step he jumped off the bed and left the room quickly, although being extra careful not to slam the door behind him in case of invoking her wrath.

Alphys put down very cliché looking picnic basket and folded up chequered rug onto the grass, looking out over the view given to them by a green, grassy hill that was on the outskirts of the town which could still be seen in the distance. She took in one deep breath and let it out with a newfound feeling of relaxation, a feeling she wish she was more familiar with. ‘’S-so uh, wh-where d-did you guys find th-this place? Seems quite um o-out there?’’ Clover had been following just behind Alphys, being the guide of the duo, she started to unroll the rug. ‘’A school camp we went on around here, had some free time so a small group of us just decided to uh… wander off a little bit and we found this over the town look out thing. Remembered it Boxing Day and figured it ain’t to bad of a viewing spot for the show’’. She decided to ignore the blatant irresponsibility of the start of that statement and focus on the positives, ‘’And y-you’re sure th-that we’re g-going to be able t-to see the f-fireworks from h-here?’’ ‘’Don’t you stress, I assure you that we’ll have a perfect view, they fire off around this side of town. Don’t you trust us Al?’’ ‘’N-no, I t-trust y-you, I j-just wanted to ch-check that’s all. I b-believe you’ve done w-well… any i-idea how l-long the o-others are g-going to be?’’ Clover shrugged, ‘’Dunno, possibly another twenty minutes, Sci and Asgore just had to do something back home and then they planned on buying some other stuff possibly, I’m assuming they’ll be done soon.’’ Alphys nodded and smiled, sitting down on the rug that Clover had finished setting up, ‘’I w-was r-really surprised th-that this was y-your idea, Asgore or Sci would be understandable, b-but you? Is th-there a r-reason why?’’ Clover crossed her arms with a mildly annoyed look, ‘’What do ya mean why? Can’t I contribute or something? What’s the issue?’’ The lizard monster shook her head in a slight panic at the accusing tone the human was giving, ‘’N-n-no there’s n-no issue, j-just you’ve n-never really g-given s-suggestions l-like this… didn’t th-think it was your th-thing y-you know? Y-you don’t h-have tell me o-or anything l-like that’’. The cowgirl let out an almost inaudible laugh and uncrossed her arms, giving a smile that wasn’t exactly happy, some hesitance showing up in her voice, ‘’It’s fine Al, just… this was something I used to do on New Years Eve, before Mt Ebott, back when I was with…’’, she sighed and pulled the brim her hat up, looking at the cloudy sky, the yellows and oranges of dusk starting to take form although it would still be a while before night actually fell. ‘’… back then we just used to hang out and stay up until midnight out on the grass like this and we’d eat food, talk to each other and just… I-I guess just umm enjoy the night air, to celebrate another year alive and well, I just wanted to…’’, she stopped and appeared to be trying to form her thoughts and perhaps just regain her composure, Alphys could swear she looked down to hide her eyes for the moments of silence. ‘’It just means a lot to me and before I’ve always done it all by myself and well umm… I just really uh… I really wanted to share this with you all, I guess.’’ The monster could tell the difficulty of every word at the end, honestly it surprised her that she was telling her any of this in the first place. The amount of effort put into that answer couldn’t put anything other than a kind, heart warmed smile. ‘’Clover… I know th-that we all a-appreciate you sharing th-that, I think i-it’s a good idea.’’ While Clover started looking a little embarrassed, yet she still allowed herself hopeful smile, ‘’You really think so? Cause I mean, I’m sure you ain’t don’t any of that emotional crap for a simple celebration, don’t worry ‘bout it.’’ Alphys shook her head, ‘’No, I th-think it’s w-wonderful y-you know? I th-think it's g-great that y-you have something sp-special like that… I j-just hope we d-don’t disappoint y-you or r-ruin your e-expectations’’. The human walked over to the monster and sat down next to her, the both of them watching the town in the distance and all the nature in between them, taking in the calm and relaxing atmosphere, ‘’Don’t worry about a thing, I’m sure everything will be good, you guys don’t disappoint’’.

It was an uneventful hour later before the other three arrived, arriving with another bag of supplies and Muffet who was carrying one bottle of liquor in each hand, it wasn’t certain how much she was planning on sharing. It wasn’t very long of waiting and setting up some of the biscuits and dip out before the kids got restless and started fighting a little bit further down the hill, some flashes of yellow and sounds of metal could be heard as bullets went flying and a trident kept trying to make contact. ‘’S-so uh Muffet, why d-did you decide t-to come down here in th-the end? I r-remember you saying that y-you weren’t going to b-be here.’’ The sudden question made Muffet look over with an expression of dismissal, ‘’I just chose of my very own accord that I shall be present at this event, does there need to be any other reason?’’ Sci gave Alphys a wink, ‘’Oh ho ho, I think I know the reason’’, his gaze turned to Muffet, his familiar mischievous grin returning to him, ‘’I reckon someone else convinced her’’. The spider growled, returning the skeleton’s gaze with her very own glare, ‘’You think you’re so damn clever don’t you? But I’ll have you know, he doesn’t have anything to do with it, I assure you, he never has and never will, every action I take is from my own free will’’. ‘’Oh, you don’t think so? You wouldn’t be lying would you?’’ Despite all the hints and suggestions Sci was making and the blunder Muffet had made, Alphys just looked confused, ‘’W-wait whose him? Y-you d-don’t have a g-guy in y-your life n-now d-do you?’’ ‘’What?! NO!’’ The female scientist seemed be slowly losing herself in her imagination, a dreamy smile appearing on her face to match her state. ‘’A g-guy who h-has made it h-his quest to b-break through y-your barriers and th-then while you’ll hate him at f-first, s-soon you’ll realise you’re falling f-for this idealistic man, s-someone who can sh-show you th-the light in y-your p-pessimistic w-world view’’. ‘’I swear to fucking god Alphys, if you don’t get those shipping ideas out of your head right now, I’m going to end your miserable existence!’’ Fury was written all over her eyes and face as she stared at Alphys with burning rage, which in response elicited a slightly nervous and possibly frightened laugh. ‘’Ummm Ch-charles?’’ ‘’If you’re seriously thinking that the me and Charles are together, then I think that you won’t be seeing next year… you want this to be your final resting place?’’ ‘’Oh g-osh, n-n-no, no, no, no, n-no p-please d-don’t…’’, her panic rose in a large jolt as slowly she could seen a small shine of a sharp, well-polished metal sliding out of the countess’ sleeve and into view, even Sci was starting to adopt a nervous smile as he watched the conversation unfold. ‘’… I j-just m-meant th-that maybe h-he was th-the one th-that convinced you, th-that’s all I swear… j-just d-don’t d-do anything please.’’ Muffet’s unfiltered rage was apparent as she looked over Alphys’ expression as she panicked about, looking for any sign the she may be lying, any shred of deceit in her movements and any excuse to cut her down, but the only thing she could comprehend was the face of a scared, foolish but honest girl. With a slight move of her arm, the blade slid back into her sleeve for no perceivable, physical reason. Instead now picking up a bottle of wine and opening it. ‘’I’m already regretting my decision to come here, you fools aren’t allowed this bottle anymore’’. She said right before taking a large gulp from the bottle itself. Alphys was now just trying to calm herself down, feeling as if though she had just barely survived that conversation with her life, struggling to slow down her breathing. After about another half a minute of waiting, she spoke up. ‘’Uh b-but Sci, w-were you t-trying to s-suggest something b-before wh-why did sh-‘’. ‘’I think it’s best if we leave it at that alright Al?’’, Sci shook his head, both giving a glance to Muffet who was shooting razor sharp daggers with her eyes. ‘’Y-yeah, I guess y-you might b-be right.’’

Three streaks of yellow flew past the goat’s head as he sidestepped to the right, watching the barrel of the opponent’s gun to determine where to dodge. Bringing his trident back behind him, wasted no time after the dodge to close the distance on Clover, swiping with it left and then right, although only managing to tug at her clothes as she nimbly dodged his attacks, his trident only finding air to his immense annoyance. With a large grin, Asgore brought the trident above his head, feeling its weight before preparing to bring it down. Unfortunately for him, Clover found an opening, punishing him for his greedy extra attack, she quickly lifted the gun up to his face, sticking the barrel right on his nose and Asgore’s expression faltered as he could only watch as the gun quickly glowed yellow. The last thing the goat saw was the human’s own cocky grin and then suddenly his world flashed yellow along with the feeling of getting hit by a car. It took a good extra ten seconds before Asgore managed to feel like he could even move, the sky filling in the yellow sheet that had been his eyesight only moments previous. He tried to sit up but suddenly found a large weight on his chest, looking up to find Clover with one boot on him to pin him, watching her familiar victorious smile as she spun her gun around her finger. ‘’You alright there pardner? Couldn’t help but notice that you’ve seemed to have been caught in an accident of some kind’’, the gloating in her tone was clear as usual, always having to rub it in just a little bit, even if it was all fun and games. She lifted her foot off the goat and offered him help. The prince let out a sigh and then a chuckle as he took her hand, letting her assist him as he got off the ground, ‘’Yeah, I wonder how that happened, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about that would you?’’ ‘’I mean, I have heard my great humour, general charm and excellent wit has blown people away before, but I never realised my personality was so good it could do it to people literally’’ In his eyes, there was only one correct response to Clover’s rubbish more than the eye roll he’d given her. ‘’Ugh just shut up’’. ‘’Well that’s just mighty rude to be towards someone who helped you from a fall, maybe next time I’ll just have to leave you in the dust… like I do with everything else we compete on… Ow, you little shit.’’ Clover rubbed her arm after taking a whack from a trident, Asgore shrugged, ‘’Sorry, I couldn’t help myself, sometimes I feel like the only way to get some sense into you is to smack it in’’. The human grumbled a little as she gave a, admittedly weaker, punch to the other’s arm. ‘’Whatever, I’ll leave you in your denial’’ He found temptation to hit her again, but decided that was enough for now, plus he wanted to ask her a different question, ‘’So uh how’re you feeling?’’ ‘’Pretty good honestly, the swift winds of victory-‘’ ‘’No not that, about today and this whole thing?’’ Her smile fell a little, ‘’Oh, that… fine I think, it’s going to be good… I um told Alphys about the reason and all that, that was interesting I guess’’. Asgore smiled, noticing a form of uncertainty in her that he felt was his duty to dismantle. ‘’Well I think that’s good, nothing wrong with opening up to others a little more. Honestly I think it’s been quite brave of you to not only suggest this but also tell Al all that.’’ Clover shrugged and shook her head, ‘’Don’t give me all that complimenting crap, we both know this what you wanted, your suggestion and all that, maybe I should ask if this is what you wanted’’. He crossed his arms, his smile not leaving him despite the accusation, a small laugh leaving his lips that showed the only thing on his mind was positivity, ‘’I didn’t make this happen, I just thought that maybe it would be a fun time for the group and you’d maybe get to relive some of those memories you had back in the day. Sure, I gave you a slight push, but you wouldn’t have done it if you didn’t want it.’’ ‘’I mean, I guess you’re right, though still, stop calling me brave like you’re an adult talking to a kid or whatever, it’s fucking weird man.’’ ‘’Awww, but my Clover is just growing up so fast’’. Asgore managed to get a giggle out before he went wide eyed as around 10+ yellow bullets started floating up above Clover, barely a moment passed before they were pelted at him painfully, all of them disappearing in a small puff as they made contact. ‘’Aggh… heh ok yeah I guess I deserved that one’’ The Cowgirl’s annoyed expression turned to an amused one once her barrage was over, ‘’Really, what tipped you off?’’ ‘’Heh sorry… how about we head back to the others, I’m sure they’re just dying to see us’’. The goat turned to start doing just as he said when a small call out of his name made him turn his head to look back at Clover. ‘’Hey Asgore… thanks… for helping.’’, her words were quiet and soft as she watched him, her eyes only being barely visible beneath her hat. He responded with a shrug, ‘’Don’t mention it, what are friends for?’’ He waved his arm in a beckoning motion, ‘’Well come on, how about focus on some more positive stuff.’’ The five were sat down together having just eaten food, some candles were lit as night had fallen and midnight was approaching. After several discussions there fell a silence among the group and a certain kid decided that it was the perfect time to but in with his own proposition. ‘’Hey, have you all thought about what your new years resolutions are going to be? Got any planned changes you want to make for the coming year?’’ The silence and uncertainty among them put a slight dent in Asgore’s confidence, ‘’Really, none of you have?’’ ‘’Heh what about you kid? Can’t have bone to pick with us if you haven’t done anything yourself’’. ‘’Oh well of course I have, I simply have a resolution to keep on moving forwards and taking on every challenge that comes my way… guys what’s the matter? Why the look?’’ The other four had an almost scary synchronised look that conveyed their unimpressed feelings, Asgore could almost feel some cold sweat dropping down his head from just looking at them all. ‘’Uh A-Asgore, I’m n-not sure how to p-put this but umm… well…’’ ‘’It’s not a resolution at all dearie’’ Muffet’s pleasant tone with obvious venomous intent struck the goat with a confused tilt of the head, ‘’You really don’t think so? What’s the problem?’’ Clover sighed, ‘’To put it in a more kind way, what you just said isn’t a resolution because that’s just you anyway, that’s just normal passive Asgore, you need to give us some way you can change… also what you said was super damn vague, how the hell are we meant to measure that as a success or failure?’’ Sci watched the sky for a few moments as he pondered the different thoughts spinning around his head, soon enough he looked at Asgore, a small smile lighting up his skeletal features, ‘’I think maybe we should all just share a small thing we’re going to do differently, an actual goal, like for example me…’’, he paused as he brought his hand to his mouth in what appeared to be a thinking position, trying to think quickly of what he would do. ‘’I guess a part of me would probably think that… cutting down on work hours just a little bit could do me good, also leave the house just a bit outside of work, maybe something like one of those camping trips you keep talking about Asgore, I think I just probably need to get away from technology and society for a bit… my resolution will be to try and dedicate less of my life to work and more to just living I guess, is that ok?’’ The other scientist of the group nodded, returning a smile to the skeleton, ‘’I-I think th-that’s perfect Sci… th-though I d-doubt I could c-come up with anything l-like yours though.’’ ‘’Phew, was a little worried it was going to fall flat, but none of you have to come up with anything like that, just something small will suffice, who wants to go next? I’m sure someone has something’’. He couldn’t help but feel surprise at hearing someone step up so readily as he did expect at least a few moments of silence, but the spider’s throat clearing noise brought everyone to attention. ‘’Well I’m going to go now just to avoid the nagging and get this painful ordeal over and done with.’’ Muffet took a big gulp of her glass of wine that had been brought before explaining, ‘’Under the assumption that I’ll be attacked for saying something like maximising my profit margins or whatever other lingo I come up with, I suppose I’ll do something you call more… reasonable… like being more sociable? Is that what you want?’’ Clover quickly darted in with the questions, ‘’How do you plan on doing that? What actions do you plan to take?’’ A slight groan came before her next words, ‘’Well dearie, if you really must know, I’ll just join a Chess Club or something, that way I’ll get to talk to new people while at the same time I won’t have to team up with anyone, I can spend my attention on utterly destroying my enemies… does that please your inquiry little cowgirl?’’ The spite in her words and the condescending tone made the human really want to the throttle the spider, shooting her own glare at the other’s eyes, ‘’Yeah I guess that’ll do just fine, pompous lit-‘’ ‘’Uh h-how about w-we move on now?’’, a nervous small voice was the surprising factor that suddenly ended the fight for the time being, Alphys now looking uncertain as all gazes turned to her. ‘’Oh umm, I-I guess it’s m-my turn ummm… let me th-think.’’ The others watched the lizard mumble to herself as she tried to consider what she could do, but nothing she felt was super meaningful came to her head, just minor things, guess that’ll have to do. ‘’Umm w-well, it’s a little cliché and it’s probably uh not that s-significant to you guys, but uh maybe I c-could go to the gym or s-something? Since I sit d-down all the d-day and don’t r-really do anything at home and at w-work so I’m umm… I… guess I c-could probably lose a l-little weight maybe? Even if not th-that, it’s healthy to g-get exercise so starting once a w-week, I’ll go to the g-gym, maybe go for a walk o-or jog on o-other days too.’’ The first response she heard (which made her worry that she wasn’t being taken all that seriously) was loud laugh from Asgore who had the biggest grin on his face, ‘’Oh my goodness, that’s an amazing idea, I mean won’t it be like training those anime protagonists do for some great battle?’’ Some form of relief washed over her face and all worry was replaced with a nervous smile, closing her eyes as she scratched the back of her head, ‘’I m-mean, I guess th-that’s true… th-though I want to sign to the gym, not a g-great battle’’. ‘’Heh, well I think I might join you on some of those runs and stuff, I always feel doing something with someone else helps you stay on track, plus it makes things much less boring. Oh uh only if you want to of course, if you don’t want me to just let me know.’’ ‘’O-oh no, no, no, th-that’s perfectly fine Asgore, I um th-think I would g-greatly appreciate that, th-thank you.’’ Alphys’ expression became much calmer as she offered the kid her hand, him shaking it without any sort of hesitation. ‘’Alright now, I’m going next and you ain’t saying shit about it.’’ Clover crossed her arms, ‘’My resolution will be to start getting some cash.’’ ‘’Don’t give us that bullshit, I’m not allowed to say money how come you can’’. ‘’Because my dear spider, it’s all about fucking context, something I thought you’d be able to see with all those eyes of yours’’ Sci decided now was probably the time to bring in the voice of reason, ‘’Alright now, how about you tell us your plan.’’ The human let out a deep breath and went on to her explanation, ‘’Well since I’m getting to that sort of age, I figure that maybe I could get a job and start saving for some important stuff, like something to do after school and on weekends. A simple but effective resolution, will that suffice for my part of all this?’’ ‘’Yeah kid, I think that’s fine’’. The attention of the group now turned to Asgore, the prince was now thinking as he looked at the ground, as he tried to figure where he stood in this situation. ‘’All of you came up with positive changes you could make, but… I’m not exactly sure what I want to change, at least not right now.’’ He felt worry as nothing just popped into his head that he could tell the others. That was until his face changed to one that expressed realisation and a small smile appeared. ‘’Well I think, even if it isn’t necessarily something that’ll help me or change me, but I think that I want to get involved in some outside of school activities, maybe like charity work or something? Hey Muffet, you think Mary would like some help with the stuff she does?’’ Muffet rolled her eyes before giving the goat a confirming nod, ‘’Yes I’m sure she would love your help, especially from you, she’d probably adopt you kids on the spot if she could… she thinks you’re that cute… bloody weird honestly’’. Asgore played with some of the fur on his ear, ‘’Well with great fluff like this, it’s no wonder I charm everyone around me… but anyways, I think my New Years Resolution will be to help others, if I’ve yet to think of someway to improve myself, I’ll just improve everybody else’s day just a bit more, so I’ll help with charity work on weekends and stuff and generally when I’m available, I’m going to make that my new vow. Will you all allow me to use that as my resolution?’’ The rest of them thought for a few small moments before nodding or smiling, different signs of acceptance that gave the kid a little spark of hope that he’d needed to repair his hurt confidence. Muffet allowed herself a small smile as she took another sip of her drink, ‘’Well I personally think that’s… reasonable.’’ ‘’Y-yeah th-that sounds g-good. That’s e-everyone r-right? We all h-happy with th-that?’’, the nervous voice softly squeaked as the smaller scientist looked around at everyone. The skeleton let out a small chuckle to go along with his calm, lazy grin, ‘’Yeah I think that does it, sharing time is over I guess. Went a little better than expected honestly’’. Then finally, as if to complete the set, Clover piped in with a large sigh of relief, ‘’Oh thank god, can we please move on from this touchy feely stuff, I feel like I’ve hit my limit with it all, how about we move onto the cool, exciting stuff.’’

‘’Alrighty pardners, 20 seconds left, we’ve almost survived, just a little longer!’’, Clover yelled out as she held a phone out in front of her, watching the time tick down. ‘’It’s g-going to b-be coming from o-over there isn’t it? We’re going to b-be able to see it?’’ Alphys’ worry came through her voice as she looked around at the others who were gazing around the sky in the direction of the distant town downhill. ‘’Have no fear, I swear it on my honour that we’re going to be in the perfect position, have a little faith, ‘’Asgore exclaimed loudly! ‘’The kids won’t let us down, it’ll be fine’’. Sci calmly spoke. ‘10’ ‘9’ ‘8’ ‘7’ ‘6’ ‘’Ain’t no better way to end it but with a bang’’ ‘3’ ‘2’ ‘1’ ‘’HAPPY NEW YEAR’’ Finally with that yell, the sky was suddenly filled with bangs and colour as the fireworks in the distance were set off. An unbelievable amount of colours were used, starting off with Red and Green to then Blue and Yellow, mixing them all up in different patterns at a fast pace, one exploding after another to make sure your eyes didn’t find a lull in the light show. Purple and Orange were added to the list along with different shades of the previous colours to just add that bit more variety. The sky was the canvas and it was being painted on with brilliant lights and patterns, the fireworks bright enough to light up the around the observers in all the different colours. As it came near the end, Pink and White were added to the mix and the fireworks were starting to go off incredibly fast, a machine gun of these flammable rockets as if somebody had told them that it was ending and that they needed to fire off every single one they had right at this moment. One and then another, right with another one, Pink, Green, Red, Blue, Purple, Orange and then White before finally the sky returned fully to a Dark Blue and the sounds of the night returned to silence. ‘’I say that we toast for another great year for us all, one that will allow us to have plenty of opportunities to be the people we want to be’’. Asgore cheered out as he raised his cup. ‘’Puhuhuh~ I suppose that’s something I can raise a glass too’’, Muffet smiled as she raised her glass up. ‘’Heh not bad kid, I reckon we can make this the best year we’ve had if we try.’’ Sci looked at his empty glass and considered filling it before deciding not to both and raising it up. ‘’Yeah alright, ain’t that bad, just want to make sure this year doesn’t get boring, let’s make this the most interesting of years’’. Clover chuckled and grinned before finally joining the others with her cup. ‘’W-well, I h-have no idea wh-what I exactly w-want from the New Year, but I’m s-sure there’ll be ch-challenges and t-times where it’s tough, but I-I th-think that together, n-no matter what, we’ll be able t-to get through it… so h-here’s to being able to s-stick together for the good and th-the bad of the New Year.’’ After having spent the last little bit tapping her glass nervously, she finally raised it up. ‘’Well that wraps it all up, Happy New Year everyone, to having the best year ever.’’ Finally, with that they all drank whatever was left in their cup, unless you were Sci who just awkwardly looked at his own empty container, all of them finding solace in the night and company of the others.

‘’O-oh, Grillby’s sent a m-message for us all…’’, Alphys looked down at her phone as she walked, the group heading back to the cars with everything that they brought. ‘’So, what does it say?’’, the goat child questioned instantly. ‘’I-it says… ‘Happy New Year everyone, may all your dreams come true’… so I texted back, ‘Happy New Year, may your good times and happiness be plentiful’… s-sorry, I was j-just trying to m-match his uh positive tone’’ ‘’No Al that’s perfect, sounds real good’’ ‘’Oh dear, it appears I have messages on my side too’’, Muffet sighed as she looked over her phone with the purple, spider phone case, ‘’one from Charles saying, ‘wish you Madam an excellent and profitable New Year, also send best wishes to your associates over there’ and one from… Mary, ‘’Awww another great year darls, hope you’re all having the greatest night, wish you all the best and hope you all have a fabulous year. From Aunt Mary’… then she puts down an incredibly disgusting amount of heart emojis and peace signs.’’ Asgore couldn’t help but giggle loudly, ‘’Well make sure to send Aunt Mary something back’’. ‘’Huff… Ok fine, but only because you asked so nicely…, ‘’Thanks, hope you had a pretty good night yourself, hopefully maybe even your year won’t be to far from good yourself’’… I’ll send something similar to Charles’’. ‘’Hey, my bro has something to share…’’, Sci chuckled before reading it out, ‘’TO ALL YOU MONSTERS AND HUMAN OUT THERE, THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS DECIDED THAT YOU ALL RIGHTLY DESERVE JUST THE COOLEST NEW YEARS FROM ME, BUT NOT ONLY THAT BUT YOU GUYS TRULY DESERVE HAVING ONE ABSOLUTELY AWESOME YEAR. SORRY YOU COULDN’T IMPROVE YOUR TIME WITH MY NEW YEARS SPAHGETTI, BUT MAYBE NEXT TIME. HAVE THE GREATEST TIME AND BEST WISHES FROM THE OTHER SKELEBRO’,… wow, isn’t he just the best?’’ The skeleton didn’t need anything said to already get on his response. ‘’Thanks bro, definitely the coolest best wishes we’ve received so far. Everyone wishes you to have coolest year right back at you…. Also everyone is very upset they couldn’t have your spaghetti’’. It was only seconds that Paps sent a picture of his spaghetti and a apologetic message sounding legitimately bad for them. ‘’Oh hey I actually got one, it’s from the kids, ‘Hey Gorey Fluffybuns we hope you’re having a good night out there and staying safe, better not be getting up to much trouble. Anyway all of us here wish you and Clover and whoever else in is around a great New Years and hope that over the course of the next year we’re all going to have more great times and memories to share. Well see you soon, lots of love…’, oh and they sent a selfie of the six of them, though they’re crowded around a sleeping Paps, guess the poor guy finally crashed.’’ ‘’Heh, maybe. Wonder how long the little guy lasted for, probably just had to hit midnight and then collapsed.’’, Clover looked over his shoulder and examined the picture. ‘’True, I imagine they had to avoid giving him any sort of candy, otherwise they probably would’ve been to busy dealing with a little monster to message us. I better write a message back… ‘Hey guys, looks like Paps was having a ball. Hope you’re all good and having a great night, wish you the best New Years, looking forward to spending another year with you all. See you soon, love you all.’… There we go. Think we’re all good now.’’   ‘’Yeah, the only thing left is to head home, getting real fucking exhausted’’, Clover yawned as she went on ahead.

Alphys found herself sitting up at the kitchen bench with only the dim light of an outside light source and the brightness of her phone. She looked up with suspicious look from her device when she heard approaching footsteps from the darkness, though relief washing over her instantly as she watched a Pyjama clad Asgore, tiredly rubbing his eyes, emerge from the shadows. ‘’Asgore? Wh-what are y-you doing up? E-everyone else h-has gone to b-bed.’’ ‘’Oh well I just wanted some water… why are you up though? I think you should try getting some sleep too.’’, he walked over to a top cupboard and grabbed a small cup and started filling it under the tap. ‘’Oh uh y-yeah, you know m-me, sleeping isn’t e-exactly my s-strong suit… plus I g-got a couple of New Year t-texts as well…’’ ‘’Oh yeah, Clover got one from Dalv and Flowey, apparently Dalv didn’t realise it was New Years and Flowey had to like convince him and he can’t exactly use a phone himself… a little funny, but they send New Year’s wishes to you guys as well… who did you get stuff for?’’ Oh th-that’s nice of them, thanks. Oh um Red’s uh… k-kinda drunk r-right now… s-sent me this p-pretty much.’’ Alphys showed the prince her phone where it showed texts from Red that started with 'JJAPPY MEW YERRS' to different incarnations of 'DNT MEAM TO' 'SHIT' and then finally '<<<3 LOL'. ‘’Huh, guess he’s definitely having fun… wonder if he’ll have any party stories to tell.’’ The lizard monster got a small grin, ‘’I w-wouldn’t count on it, m-maybe when y-you’re older… h-heard it can p-pretty wild out there.’’ Asgore would’ve given a stubborn pout if he just wasn’t to tired, ‘’Well that’s no fun… did you get one from someone else as well?’’ ‘’O-oh! Y-yeah Gaster s-sent a one liner, i-it means Happy New Year.’’ She switched which messages she was viewing on her phone and as she saw the message Gaster sent, she let out a small laugh of amusement, like it was some form of joke. She pointed the phone at the kid and all he saw was ‘w+ℓnLN | = ℓn | ap(2)H+ℓ(ar)  | +ℓnlyl’ and his face just went blank. ‘’I uh don’t really get it, is it a code?’’ ‘’S-sort of, just science stuff, g-gave Sci a r-real chuckle to, but he’s b-basically saying h-happy n-new year to you in his own unique way… j-just wish I could’ve sent something like that back though, but I’m not exactly in the r-r-right mind currently, just sent him a ‘Happy New Years Gaster, hope you have a really good one, maybe actually try to get some sleep this year’’. ‘’Oh nice, but maybe you shouldn’t be so hypocritical, after I leave can you please at least try to go to sleep?’’ Asgore’s pleading made Alphys give a sigh, ‘’Y-yeah ok, I-I’ll got to b-bed in a m-minute, I promise…’’ ‘’Well with my job done, I can finally sleep in peace, goodnight Al.’’ ‘’S-sweet dreams, s-see you t-tomorrow’’. As the goat child left, another notification appeared on her phone, one that appeared to be from Red. Reopening her messages she found a video which she quickly started while waiting a few seconds for buffering. When the video played all she really could see was this wobbly view of what was probably a party and Red in the background talking, ‘’ I ANT GOING TO TURN ON TEXT TO WHATEVER HAH NO IM DRUNK DUDE PARTY HARD LIVE- OH SHIT ITS RECORDING- HAPPY NEW YEAR’’ before the video cut off after a crashing sound and some laughter. She could only shake her head and laugh, the silly guy is going to hurt himself. Finally she texted back, ‘Happy New Year Red, hope you’re having fun out there, try to make at least mediocre decisions if not good ones. Stay safe out there, better not give me any reason to worry. Heheh but no seriously, have a good time… thanks for everything. See you later’. Finally with that out of the way she turned her phone off and wandered over to her bedroom, opening it and finding extreme comfort as she collapsed on soft sheets of her bed. Alphys turned over on her back and watched the roof and gave it a tired smile. ‘’Happy New Year everyone, let’s make this year a good one’’.

Cookies and Milk

Fandom: 終わりのセラフ | Owari no Seraph | Seraph of the End

Rating: T

Pairing: Shihou Kimizuki x Yoichi Saotome (KimiYoi)

Notes: Taken after the Shinoa squad defected from JIDA.

The thought just came randomly in Yoichi’s head whenever he would have some free time to think of things over ever since their squads defect from the JIDA, and he would be lying to himself if he said that he didn’t find it the least bit curious on the fact that his fellow squad members never experienced a date before. Well… It was just a thought; something akin to a sudden realization that didn’t involve any fighting or surviving for once.

But, despite his newfound interest, it wasn’t like he was going to act on it since he, himself, had no knowledge as to what and how dates work in this vampire infested world. All those things have been put aside in order for soldiers like him to prioritize protecting and saving other humans against vampires; nothing more, nothing less.

So I guess it’s pretty pointless to be thinking those in the first place, huh?

Yoichi sighed in slight disappointment as he clutched his jacket close to him when a sudden cold breeze came by, shivering him a little. He then silently glanced up to the cloudy gray sky before looking back to his teammates walking ahead of him. They had been walking for nearly half a day now, looking for a place to settle in that had working appliances and that was in a safe distance away from any enemies. All in all, their journey was long and tiring but it was very much worth the patience when Shinoa spotted a hotel.

… But it wasn’t just any kind of hotel.

“Ooh! A love hotel?!” Shinoa read the dirty, broken sign out loud with her voice filled with delight. “Is this the kind of place that I heard of where couples go and lose their virginity in a night of immense passion?”

“You’re overreacting, Shinoa. Even if it did say that it’s a love hotel, it’s still a hotel. Don’t add more malice into it.” Mitsuba scolded with a small glare.

“But, Mii-chan, it’s a love hotel…! A love hotel!” Shinoa emphasized as she raised her arms and pointed them on the building in an exaggerated manner while her eyes shined with a mischievous glint. “We should use this opportunity to explore and discover the secrets of the adult world right now!”

“No thanks. You go ahead and do your thing.”

“Aww, don’t be like that, Mii-chan. Come on, it’s a once in a lifetime chance~” The lilac-haired girl feigned a pout and she insistently pulled on one of Mitsuba’s arm. “Pretty please~?”

One of Mitsuba’s eyebrows twitched in irritation before she sighed loudly in defeat. “Fine, but we’ll make this quick to check if there are any vampires around and if there are still working appliances. Nothing else, you got it?”

Shinoa nodded her head enthusiastically with an obvious glint in her eyes that could lead to other motives besides checking the place out for enemies. She then turned to Yuuichirou with a teasing grin that widened slowly when she saw how oblivious the raven was.

“Would our dear cherry boy care to join us lovely ladies to see through the place? It will be a huge help.”

Yuuichirou tilted his head innocently. “Uh… Sure, I guess. I mean, an ambush could ha―”

“That wouldn’t be necessary, Shinoa.” Mikaela interrupted in a deep voice with his brows furrowing slightly, disagreeing with what Shinoa was suggesting. “Yuu-chan and I will be checking around the area to secure the place instead.”

“Hey, Mika…!”

“Then, I’ll go instead.” Narumi volunteered with a raised hand. “As much as how big your battle experiences in Shinjuku and Nagoya were, you guys still suck at having teamwork as a whole. I’ll be the vanguard.”

Shinoa puffed her cheeks in disappointment before she sing sung, “Fine, fine…”

“I guess that leaves me and Yoichi for supplies, huh?”

At the mention of his name, Yoichi looked up to Kimizuki in mild surprise at the taller man’s suggestion. Well, they’ve been through a very long run away from the army so it was only normal for them to keep track of their supplies, particularly food during the way. But what Yoichi found astonishing was the fact that Kimizuki wanted Yoichi to go with him…

… Or maybe this is because it can be dangerous to search for supplies when one of us is alone? It makes sense.

“Oh, good going, Kimizuki-san.” Shinoa complimented with a wink and a thumbs up. “So it’s a triple date, then~?”

Yuuichirou nearly choked on his spit.

Shinoa blinked with assumed innocence at the lack of answer. “Huh? It’s not?”

“It’s not.” Everyone deadpanned (except Yuuichirou because he was coughing) at Shinoa who puffed her cheeks again.

“You guys are no fun…”

“Anyway, we should start investigating the place, Shinoa, so that we’ll have a place to plan our next move and have a good night’s sleep for the night.” Mitsuba suggested as she began to drag Shinoa into the hotel with a firm grip of the other’s arm; a silent message to tell everyone to do their respective jobs for the day.

* + *

The nearest convenient store away from the (love) hotel was very much like any other building since the Apocalypse took place – deserted and wrecked. The lights were gone, some glass walls were shattered, the aisles were misplaced and there were even some store products lying on the ground; some being infested with rats and ants.

Yoichi stared at the interior for a while, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the lack of lighting before smiling up to Kimizuki. “Well… At least the place isn’t empty with, you know, stuff. We could last a week with what we find.”

“Provided that they aren’t contaminated or expired, then yeah, we could.” Kimizuki added as he walked in with his hands in his jacket’s pocket.

Yoichi chuckled, following suit. “Always the realist, huh?”

“I’m just saying the truth, Yoichi.” Kimizuki replied with a shrug. “With the army on our tails, the vampires hunting us and the Horsemen of John being a threat to us, there’s not really much time to live in the moment, you know. Everywhere around us, there’s war and at times deceit to the point that you don’t know which side you’re on. Honestly speaking, it’s all very messed up.”

Yoichi blinked at his companion’s logic and his mouth hung open in a small ‘o’. “… That’s pretty deep, Kimizuki-kun.” He paused before a small smile curved on his lips. “But, I think I understand your point… especially with this ‘Seraph of the End’ project the Lieutenant Colonel is working on.”

The pink-haired man sighed as he reached a hand out to rub his nape. “Can we… not talk about that for now? I don’t want to remember what they did to Mirai on that day…”

Yoichi turned to look at Kimizuki’s solemn expression and he understood what he meant, his lips thinning in a firm line. “… R-Right, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s nothing…” Kimizuki said dismissively and he randomly picked up a food can from the shelf to read its contents, signaling the end of the conversation.

Yoichi worriedly looked over to Kimizuki before he copied the same motion as him in another self, his olive green eyes looking over at the nutrition facts and expiration date of another food can but not really registering anything because of the tension between the two of them. It wasn’t new for Kimizuki to be serious but for him to be withdrawn after what Yoichi said made the brunet guilty that he brought up a rather sensitive subject.

He had to do something about this.

“... I sure hope that the hotel Shinoa-san found has something that boils water.” Yoichi commented offhandedly as his fingers twirled the item on his hand. “We can do a lot of things with it.”

“… Yeah.”

“We can cook noodles or soup… Make some tea or coffee, even…”

Kimizuki hummed in agreement, sounding seemingly neutral in the conversation as he looked over to another stack of processed food cans.

“Ah, or maybe make some hot milk when one of us couldn’t sleep. That would be nice.” Yoichi said with a fond look on his face. “On those nights when I get nightmares from Gekkouin, I sometimes have trouble going back to sleep and I resort to drinking a cup of warm milk because it helps me relax. My sister usually does that when I was young.”

“Is that so?”

Due to Gekkouin’s sharp hunting skills, Yoichi could easily sense Kimizuki becoming interested in what he shared even if they weren’t facing each other directly. He decided to continue on.

“Oh, yes. It actually works.” Yoichi said proudly. “The warm and mild scent help relax the nerves enough to make you drowsy once you finish drinking it. And before you know it, you fall asleep.”

Kimizuki snorted with a lopsided smile. “I doubt the effects would be that quick.”

“Ah, you’ll never know, Kimizuki-kun. Maybe you should try it out.” Yoichi suggested with a teasing tone as he moved a bit in search for a plastic bag to place their goodies. “It’s a real life saver; believe me. We should find some milk, sugar and mugs for it.”

“… Add cookies in it as well.”

Yoichi blinked. “Cookies…?”

“Yes, cookies.” Kimizuki confirmed again. “It pairs well with milk, and since you want me to try some hot milk, the thought just came through.”

“That’s a great idea!” Yoichi perked up excitedly as his eyes shined despite the darkness. “Ah, but do you have any particular flavor you want?”

Kimizuki paused for a bit in thought before he muttered, “Chocolate or caramel flavor is fine.”

“Chocolate and caramel…?” The brunet repeated slowly with his voice not hiding his surprise. “I didn’t take you for having a sweet tooth, Kimizuki-kun.”

Kimizuki just shrugged nonchalantly as he placed some food cans in the plastic bag. “Nobody asked… and it was also Mirai’s favorite, so…”

“I see…” Yoichi said slowly as he suddenly grew silent again at the mention of Kimizuki’s sister. Ah, I might have stepped into another sensitive topic. This isn’t good…

“Yoichi…?”

“… Sorry,” Yoichi apologized with his head hung low. “I just realized that I keep on bringing up Mirai-chan when you just told me to not mention her.”

Kimizuki made a sound of realization before he snorted again, chuckling slightly.

“That… isn’t exactly where I want you to avoid.” Kimizuki said with a hint of amusement in his tone. “We can talk all about my sister if you want to hear about her, but what I want you to avoid is that project that turned my sister into a monster. There’s a difference… or were you listening to me properly when I said that?”

“Oh…” Olive green eyes stared at the ground for a while before they widen in realization at the mistake. “Oh! I-I’m sorry for misunderstanding!” Yoichi quickly apologized again, but this time, in embarrassment as his face turned red.

“Pfft, calm down, Yoichi, it’s fine.” Kimizuki said with a smile on his face now. “Geez, you’re always so cautious in what you say to other people. It’s endearing but I would like you to be a bit honest every now and then.”

“I-I’ll do my best…!”

“And also…” Kimizuki trailed off as he reached out to grasp Yoichi’s chin gently to tilt the brunet’s face up so that they were now looking at each other eye-to-eye. “It’s common courtesy to look at people directly in the eye when you apologize or else they’ll think you’re not sincere when you do it. Okay?”

“… Okay.” Yoichi agreed as he became hyper aware at how close Kimizuki was and how he was being stared at by the man with such a genuine – and dare he say, handsome – smile on his face. The thought immediately sent Yoichi’s heart racing with a foreign feeling in his chest as Kimizuki withdrew his hand away.

“All right, then… Now let’s see if there are any cookies left in the other aisle, shall we?”

“Yes, of course…!”

* + *

“You’re kind of late, Kimizuki, it’s unusual.” Yuuichirou commented as soon as Kimizuki and Yoichi came back from their little trip to the convenient store with four loaded plastic bags of supplies. “And whoa, that’s a lot…!”

“We were lucky.” Yoichi said as he handed over some plastic bag over to Yuuichirou. “The convenient store that we checked out had a load of stuff. We could last a long while with what we find.”

“Ooh, that’s great! You guys are awesome!” The raven cheered enthusiastically with a toothy grin.

“Nah, you just suck at looking for things.” Kimizuki sneered which turned Yuuichirou’s smile into a frown in an instant.

“Are picking a fight with me, telephone pole? Cause I swear I’ll--”

“C-Calm down, Yuu-kun, I’m sure Kimizuki-kun didn’t mean it.” Yoichi stuttered with his hands raised up in defense as he went between them to avoid a possible fight. “And besides, we have other things to worry about than that. It’ll be night time soon, so we should prepare for dinner, right?”

Yuuichirou’s mouth flapped uselessly for a while before he grit his teeth together into a tight smile and coughed softly. “R-Right... but don’t think this is over, Kimizuki. We’ll settle this somehow.”

Kimizuki simply shrugged at that as he followed Yuuichirou’s lead inside the love hotel with Yoichi meekly following suit albeit a bit confused. The archer knew that Yuuichirou and Kimizuki were prone to fight over the simplest things when one disagreed with the other. So what changed here? Yoichi looked over curiously to his raven-haired friend who was grumbling about something until Mikaela came out from the hotel’s entrance.

And just like that, Yuuichirou’s face lit up in fondness. Yoichi had to take a moment to stare at Yuuichirou’s sudden change of demeanor once he laid his eyes on his vampire friend.

“Where have you been, Yuu-chan? I’ve been looking all over for you.” Mikaela scolded Yuuichirou mildly with a small frown. By the tone of his voice (and with some help from Gekkouin’s ability), Yoichi could tell that Mikaela was worried.

“I was just greeting back my friends from their small expedition, that’s all. There’s nothing to worry about, Mika.” Yuuichirou provided with a grin.

“I have every right to worry about you, especially if you’ll just disappear like that without me knowing about it.” Mikaela explained sternly, earning him a pout from Yuuichirou before he sighed tiredly. “But anyway, now that we’re all here, your tiny friend says that all the rooms are cleared out and that we can choose any room we want for the night. Though she highly encourages us to be group in pairs...”

“Sweet~” Yuuichirou chuckled as he raised an arm up and looped it around Mikaela’s shoulder casually. “We can be roommates together like back when we were still kids. It’ll be awesome.”

Yoichi blinked once he heard that sentence. He wasn’t one to eavesdrop, but with how obnoxiously loud Yuuichirou could be, it simply couldn’t be helped.

Yuu-kun and Mika-san are childhood friends? That explains a whole lot.

“Oi, if you two are going to flirt, do that in your own room.” Kimizuki remarked, his face twisting a bit in disgust as he by passed Yuuichirou and Mikaela to get inside the hotel.

“S-Shut up!” Yuuichirou screamed with a flustered face and he all but tightened his grip around Mikaela’s neck which slightly choked the vampire.

Yoichi was about to mention what he was doing, but Yuuichirou, himself, beat him to it upon realizing what he just did and immediately apologizing for it. Yoichi was in awe for a moment once he noticed the way Yuuichirou treated Mikaela with familiarity and endearment;a complete contrast to how Yuuichirou would treat his own squad that was more of friendship and family. It was like those things were solely reserved for Mikaela only.

Yoichi couldn’t help but be envious a bit at the affection there.

It must be nice to have someone who would look at me that way..., he thought with a bittersweet smile while staring aimlessly at his two companions who were now talking as they go inside the hotel. He sighed softly and eventually followed them inside, unaware at the weight of the plastic bags he was currently holding.

* + *

It’s quiet...

Yoichi said to himself as he curled his bared toes at the edge of a couch in the hotel lobby. It was in the middle of the night when he woke up from yet another nightmare made by Gekkouin. It was unusual for him to be like this. He should get used to having nightmares... Or rather, he was already used to it, but this nightmare in particular was scarier than the previous ones enough to wake him up. He sighed tiredly as he looked down on his cup filled with piping hot green tea on his hand. He knew he said that warm milk would help him sleep again, but Yoichi wasn’t in the particular mood to taste it.

Heh, if Kimizuki-kun would see me now, he will think of me as a hypocrite...

Yoichi snickered to himself before he took a sip of his tea. His olive green eyes looked up onto the starry skies through the the glass window beside him. His mind was silent as he took in the beautiful sight before him. It was utterly breathtaking.

“If only you could see this, Onee-chan...” Yoichi muttered inaudibly before he raised a hand up to touch the window that fogged up on contact. “I miss you...”

“--Oh, Yoichi, you’re awake?”

The sudden question made Yoichi jump and have a near heart attack. Squeaking a bit, the brunet turned his head to see who was addressing him only to find Kimizuki just a distance away. When had he been there?

“K-Kimizuki-kun...” Yoichi stammered as he pulled his hand away from the glass awkwardly. “You’re awake too. What’s up?”

Kimizuki shrugged as he took a seat beside Yoichi. “Nothing much. I just used the bathroom, drank some water, and then on the way to my room, I saw you.”

“I see...” Yoichi murmured, wiggling his toes. “Then shouldn’t you be going back to bed?”

“I was going to ask you the same question, seeing how you’re curled up in here with a cup of tea.” Kimizuki pointed out before stretching his legs and slouched against the couch. “You had a bad dream?”

“More or less...” Yoichi confirmed with a small smile. “I was able to handle my nightmares well, but this one is a bit... scary than the others. It still gives me chills remembering it...”

Kimizuki hummed as he listened intently. “Well, it can’t be all that bad... Mine’s were worst.” The pink-haired raised his head so that he was staring up at the ceiling. “I remember vividly every single dream I had... It would always involve my sister and how I’m tempted to kill her because I thought of her as a burden and all. The feeling of it was just... horrible.”

Now it was Yoichi’s turn to listen as he stared at Kimizuki’s lazy form.

“I care for Mirai, I really do... but every single damn time, my nightmares would tell me to kill her all because it told me that she was a burden, a problem, a troublesome baggage for me to carry. The pressure of it felt so real, I thought I was going to lose myself. But of course, this was all Kiseki-Ou’s doing to possess my body, so it’s natural for me to fight it.” Kimizuki grew quiet for a moment before he sucked in a breath and raised an arm to cover his eyes before continuing, “And when I mean by ‘fight it’, I mean that... I have to stab myself over and over again in my dream... All for the sake of not giving in to Kiseki-Ou’s demon thrall...”

Yoichi thinned his lips at what he heard as his hands mindlessly twirled his cup. “That’s awful... Experiencing that every night...”

“Well, you got to protect the ones you love, right? Stabbing myself in my dreams is just a small price to pay.” Kimizuki said with a weak laugh as he lifted his arm to glance at Yoichi. “So what’s your part of the story?”

Seeing Kimizuki smile at him made Yoichi smile back at him, even though it was sad, before he said, “I, well...”

Yoichi hesitate to continue, fearing that Kimizuki might think less of him if he ever told him that he was a coward in his past. The memory of him being told by his sister to stay under the bed no matter what was still fresh in his mind, haunting him in his dreams as Gekkouin continued to goad him for not saving his sister. That, and the fact that he was talking to another older sibling felt a bit strange to him.

But... Kimizuki spoke so much of his dreams. He even shared him his fears and pains, so it was only fair for Yoichi to do the same.

Pursing his lips and looking back down on his tea, Yoichi inhaled deeply as he found the courage to speak, removing all of his doubts the moment he exhaled. He allowed himself to relax before he could say anything.

“I... I’m a coward, Kimizuki-kun...” Yoichi started out slowly as his face grew a bit warm in shame. “My dreams, they... They kept on repeating the night my sister told me to never leave the bed until the coast is clear. I was a scared little boy. I... I didn’t know what to do so I hid there even as I watch my sister get killed by a vampire before my eyes.”

Yoichi’s hold on his cup tightened. “I couldn’t save her. I’m weak, and pathetic... even now...”

Silence filled in the space after what Yoichi just said, and it made Yoichi uncomfortable when he heard nothing from Kimizuki yet until he felt Kimizuki sat up from his slouching. He could feel violet eyes looking at him, and he was ready to hear what Kimizuki had to say about his cowardice, but instead, what he heard was entirely the opposite.

“... That’s not true, Yoichi, and you know it.”

Yoichi’s eyes widened and he turned his head to see Kimizuki looking at him intently.

“You grew so much after you obtained your demon... even if you got possessed a bit back then...” Kimizuki snickered at the memory which made Yoichi’s blush redder than before. “But that aside, you’re the peacemaker of the group, you risk your life in the battlefield and you watch over us with the help of your sniping ability that Shinya-san taught you. If those aren’t awesome, I don’t know what is.”

Yoichi gaped a bit at what Kimizuki said and he could his cheeks blushing for a different reason. His toes curled inward again albeit shyly.

“You’re too kind, Kimizuki-kun...”

“I’m just saying the truth here.” Kimizuki confessed before he stood up from the couch before stretching his arms. “And as for you not leaving under the bed... you made the right choice, even if it costs your sister’s life. I honestly would have done the same for Mirai. Your sister was protecting you, after all. The only way you can repay her is by surviving for as long as you can.”

Kimizuki turned his head so that he look at Yoichi as he gave him a small, warm smile of reassurance. “You mustn’t let her sacrifice go to waste.”

Yoichi held Kimizuki’s gaze, mesmerized by his smile that seemed to pull him in. He felt his heart beating with that strange, fuzzy feeling again in his chest. But this time, it didn’t really bother him as much as compared to the time in the convenient store. Instead, it radiate a nice, calming aura that Yoichi wanted to feel for as long as possible.

But, alas, certain things must come to an end... that was until his stomach growled.

Kimizuki blinked in surprised. “Oh...?”

“Ah...” Yoichi gasped and his face reddened in embarrassment at the sound and he immediately held his stomach to hopefully stop it from making any more growls. “I-I’m sorry, Kimizuki-kun...! This...!”

“You’re hungry?” Kimizuki asked before he snorted lightly. “I don’t really encourage snacking in midnight but I guess I’ll make one exception.”

Yoichi was about to ask what he meant by that but he was taken by surprise when Kimizuki bend a bit before he carried Yoichi like a bride with his arms holding on Yoichi’s back and behind his knees without any warning. The action made Yoichi gasp again and his tea spilled a bit from the cup.

“K-K-K-Kimizuki-kun, wh-what--- You don’t have to.”

“The kitchen is very far. Who knows when you’re gonna faint halfway before you have any food in you...” Kimizuki reasoned out as he began to walk with Yoichi in his arms, his face straight with determination.

Yoichi tried to find other things to say about this, like maybe say that he could walk by himself or that he really didn’t need to eat, but he didn’t say anything and just stayed there with his heart now beating wildly. Whatever things that he wanted to say was stuck in his throat and he didn’t even do anything about this as he was carried around. The pose he was in was rather humiliating, yet he wouldn’t deny the fact that he felt really pleasant and safe in Kimizuki’s arms.

It was weird, but certainly not unwelcomed.

“S-So, if you insist on letting me eat, what am I going to snack at?” Yoichi asked so as to not make the whole walk to the kitchen tense.

“Cookies and milk...” Kimizuki answered instantly like it was the most easiest thing to say before he looked down at Yoichi with a grin. “Cause I remember a particular person recommending it for certain times like this. And plus, you won’t be alone so it’s kinda like... a date? If that’s even the term for it.”

Yoichi flushed when he realized what Kimizuki said and he hid his eyes under his bangs timidly. If he would meet any more of Kimizuki’s tender smiles or hear his kind words, he might just melt into a puddle of giddy mess.

Weird headcanon: Bday & Cake

╰(✿˙ᗜ˙)੭━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

birthday first!

What they smell like: he doesnt smell much like anything in particular other than Clean Person Scent but if he’s armored up on a sunny day and you stand close enough he smells a bit like Hot Metal which is concerning

How they sleep (sleeping position, schedule, etc): when he’s relaxed, bday sleeps like a log and is capable of sleeping in any position…. he has slept standing up leaning against walls before jhfkgd he usually keeps his limbs folded up close to him tho like, he won’t spread all over the bed like a bunch of spaghetti

What music they enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLoFaYa-Qsfqy572e8grcWL1c6K8PkiHv

How much time they spend getting ready every morning: rlly depends on how much of a rush he’s in, if he’s given all the time in the world probably an hour to hour n a half ish? he warmup works out first thing and then eats and showers after

Their favorite thing to collect: he’s not a collector type esp considering everything he owns is stored in a bag (w/ a lotta runes of holding) atm

Left or right-handed: right

Religion (if any): ascribes to the idea of the eternal alchemy just like any other asura. he has a very non-anthropomorphized/machine-like view of it, although can’t help but curse it sometimes

Favorite sport: he would probably get a bit mesmerized catching wwe on tv, although surprisingly isn’t much of a Sports Person himself. would def tune into the olympics tho

Favorite touristy thing to do when traveling (museums, local food, sightseeing, etc): this is specific but he’s very partial to hot springs… he likes food for certain, and he loves sightseeing and roaming around and will want to go hiking idk

Favorite kind of weather: partially cloudy skies with reasonably warm, not overbearing, weather and a good cooling breeze– primarily when he’s wearing armor, but if he’s Just Chillin he doesn’t mind warmer like… being an asura and all..

A weird/obscure fear they have: his phobia of having his face seen or ppl knowing his actual name would be considered weird by most

The carnival/arcade game they always win without fail: strength test/strongman game for certain lmao

cake second..!

What they smell like: def always a bit like rum and also absolutely a bit like coconut gjhkfd he drinks coconut things and eats coconut itself a lot plus he usually has some kinda protective sun lotion on that makes him smell like that. also always a bit like sea salt

How they sleep (sleeping position, schedule, etc): limbs flailing all over the place in any wild position possible

What music they enjoy: he likes music as a whole and isn’t too picky but likes anything with a Punch to it. he’d probably like a lot of pop punk and electronic, anything that gets him moving rlly??

How much time they spend getting ready every morning: like 15 to 30 minutes jhgkdfg he does like a bit of a morning workout but sometimes gets lazy and outside of that he doesn’t have many extensive time consuming routines

Their favorite thing to collect: he’s not a real active collector but has a growing shelf of Cool Seashells and beach glass he’s found in southsun

Left or right-handed: ambidextrous

Religion (if any): he didn’t have a typically asuran upbringing so his conception of and devotion to the idea of alchemy is Loose… he has some superstitions and almost ritualistic views about certain things but doesn’t ascribe to any sort of belief system

Favorite sport: would probably get transfixed watching the x games. …and wwe but more for the muscles than the sport

Favorite touristy thing to do when traveling (museums, local food, sightseeing, etc): def wants 2 explore, probably wants to check out local music venues and festivals…! he also enjoys the beach a lot, and in general he’s really down for anything and has a high amount of stamina and adores traveling.. he’s easily entertained by most things

Favorite kind of weather: if he has to put on a shirt then it’s too cold and inhospitable in his eyes. he loves nice sunny dry heat with a slight breeze, loves feelin the sun on his skin! he’s pretty tolerant of warm weather in general. is always best if there’s water nearby though

A weird/obscure fear they have: he seems pretty loathsome of mesmers

The carnival/arcade game they always win without fail: cake would have weird bullshit luck with carnival games as a whole honestly….

[Fanfic] Laid to Rest

Fandom: Overwatch

Characters: Jack Morrison/Soldier 76, Angela Ziegler/Mercy

Pairing: Mercy 76 (Jack x Angela)

Concepts: RoleReversed! AU for Mercy and Soldier 76 in which it was the former who "died" and came back as the vigilante Nemesis. The latter would be under the code SC - 76.

Preface: Greetings everyone! It's been quite a while since I wrote something like this, since I have been very busy with stuff happening (ie. LoA in Med School, seeking help, trying to now find work, etc.). I just hope to anyone who wants to read it to enjoy really. If you happen to like it, feel free to tell me. Comments/reviews/PMs? will be greatly appreciated (criticisms will be fine as well as long as it is fully meant to be constructive, let's all be nice here)

P.S.: I still want to say big thanks to the people who brought like Mercy76 around for me to enjoy being hopefully a part of! Big shoutout to people like @ynartistic, @xavirne, @angelicsoldier who made amazing fanart and fanfic that I wanted to contribute in the way I can. Hope to also meet more people! I also hope to put some more time into writing in general now!

It was dark for 2PM in the afternoon. Way too dark and cloudy for a supposedly nice Tuesday out. If I can recall, the weather omnic from the local news said that there would be a storm coming around Friday. I guess even today, with some much advancements in, weather reports can still get it wrong.

Tugging at my overcoat's collar more, careful not to ruin the thing I held onto, I continued my walk to where I needed to be. It was nice for the former higher ups to keep hush about where all the things were laid to rest. It was also nice that a lot of supporters still allowed the place to be kept nice and well. It was the same for those who remained to be here without welling up in anger and or sadness.

I continued my walk around the place, thankful that there weren't many people around the place. It was always a hassle when people noticed who I am. It was nice at first to be remembered as "The Poster Boy" for what was once loved. Then be hated, destroyed and now after so long, to have resurfaced. I shudder at the thought that history might repeat itself again, but I am confident at the new path the recall. Hoping it will lead a path much different from before.

'Not that I was of any fucking help.'

I groaned in my head for letting that bit of self-depreciation blurt out in me, not that there wasn't any truth to it. Being here right now in this place is a testament to what had happened.

This place that held so many memories and now is a place of remembering those memories.

A memorial.

A memorial of what was once the Swiss Headquarters of Overwatch.

The memorial for the members that fell when it fell with them.

When she fell with them.

I had to stop for a bit from my steady pace along the way, trying to make sure I don't well up in tears. I even look down to see the thing I was holding on my left that made me miss her more.

'Some soldier you are.' My thoughts tease back at me when I try to wipe any excess moisture on my eyes. I take take a steady breath, feeling the slight chill that signals rain coming sooner than later.

"I better hurry up and see her before I get the brunt of the storm." I muttered to myself. I decided to make a hasty pace along the other parts of the long walk in the memorial. I did not even stop by to pay tribute to monument that engraved various members who fell.

I made an internal nod to these people who died for their cause, but I needed to reach a specific statue in mind.

One that was dedicated to the humanitarian views of Overwatch.

One who fought for the right in the organization to focus more on helping the needs of others. A goal on humanitarianism rather than more on the militaristic views.

The one they used to call the Angel of Overwatch.

"Angela." I whisper it out her name once I finally reached where she laid to rest, or at least where she was last seen.

A beautiful row of white and yellow flowers were lined it lead up to a marvelous statue of clean cut gray marble. The statue was like Michaelangelo's La Pieta. It had an unnamed Overwatch soldier cradled by the angelic beauty herself. Her features still showed grace as her hair was in the usual ponytail, accompanied by her halo. Her suit accentuated her lithe body and her wings were very detailed and real. It would have seemed the statue would very much have taken flight with the fallen comrade. Her right hand caressed the soldier's nape to lift it up while her left held the thigh. Her bio-tech staff held as well upright, to illustrate the action she was known best for.

The power to heal and protect. To very much bring those close to death's clutches back to life. A gift that spoke volumes upon volumes to how amazing of a woman she was.

I walk close enough to see the pedestal the statue was placed, embedded in it was a golden metal plaque that wrote:

"Angela Ziegler, M.D.

Code name: Mercy

Born: XX/XX/2039

Death: XX/XX/2070

Truly an Angel amongst Men.

'Heroes Never Die' - Mercy"

Her famous words engraved next to an engraving of her signature next to it. As I walked towards the plaque, my gloved hand traced the neat and cursive strokes of her signature. I imagined that she was saying those words she always does that quite literally brings life.

"Heroes . . . Never Die." I muttered under my breath, as though her words would have brought her back.

Taking a step or two back, I marveled at the tall statue more up close, how it had captured her image down to her calm smile. Major respect to the sculptors who made this statue. It was so well done, that it was always a lot harder to confront her resting place every time I go to see her.

I steadied my breath and began.

"Hey Angel." I stated out, hopeful that it was not loud enough for anyone to hear, despite being somewhat empty. The slight tinge of a cool breeze acknowledged my greeting, prompting me to continue. The scenery was starting to become more dark-gray.

"It's been a while since I last came here. I have been busy." Trying to keep this awkward one-sided conversation going, I tried to keep going. Thinking like she was still here listening which would pretty much be as awkward as before.

It was a good 5 or so minutes of random idle chatting when I finally felt the chill of the air become more prominent. I huddled in my overcoat more, and realized I was still holding onto her gift while I tried to ramble on.

"I brought you these. I hope you enjoy them . . . wherever you are now." I placed the beautiful piece next to where I usually placed them whenever I had the time to visit. I am thankful the cleaners of the memorial in having kept the area clean from any dried ones from before. Sitting down in front of her statue, I tried to find myself comfortable.

"I hope you love them. I know you like these flowers, apart from the ones the people planted in front of your resting place." I look back the row of flowers of white, orange and yellow only to look back at the rather large an elaborate bouquet.

"They're called Gladiolus. They reminded me of like those tiger lilies from before and I thought you'd like them. More so since I remember how you'd always tease me for not knowing flowers." Chuckling from remembering how she would chuckle at me from the instances I bought her flowers saying the incorrect name, to which she would laugh her beautiful hearty laugh.

I remember how she would laugh with a slight snort when she finds something hilarious. How she would shake her head slowly but have that smile still grace her face when she sees an embarrassing moment happen to me and my antics. How she would have a radiant yet unkempt glow in her face when she wakes up after our nights together, something that drew me in more and more to her. How she would scrunch her face in concentration when she patches my wound, partly due to being angry with me for wounded, despite knowing my job description. The little things that she does that makes her more and more amazing.

Remembering them all makes me yearn for her so much more, even after 5 or years of being 'dead' I still miss her. I find myself comfortable in sitting in front of your statue, not even giving a flying heck if the storm rolled in right now and drenched us in its cold unforgiving deluge. I wouldn't care anymore because while they said that time heals all wounds, it still hurts knowing I caused the fall of Overwatch, I caused the tensions to happen between Gabe and I, and that I caused the love of my life to die when I should have died during the end.

"It shouldn't have been you, Angela. It's been around 6 years and I still can never forgive myself for having killed you." I looked back up to the angel in the statue, thinking it's still her, looking down upon but not in anger since I know she would have hated hearing me say that.

"I hope wherever you are, you are happy; that's all I can now hope for and while I don't believe in an afterlife, but maybe . . . just maybe, I'll get to see you again." The breeze picks up more as slight moisture form droplets which signal the start of dark stormy days. I look up to the sky and see that the dark cloud have finally rolled in, welcoming me with light rain that will only be the first wave before the storm kicks in.

"I . . . I have to go now. The storm's coming soon and I am probably going to have to leave the country as well since I have to continue helping out in the new Overwatch. The one I've told you about a couple of times? Yeah." The rain started to drop harder than before, telling me to wrap this up. Picking myself up from where I sat down, I continued to look at the statue as it was still her.

"I'll see you soon okay, Angel? I promise you that." I started to feel tears form in my eyes again, trying to hold it in before I finally say what I needed to say to her again.

"I-i . . . I love you so very much Angela. I hope you can hear me say them." I felt the nearby trees and shrubs rustle, but I didn't bother to look since it's probably the wind picking up and or some animal trying to hide now from the weather, nor did I care anymore as tears starting rolling down my eyes, not giving a care anymore who was watching a grown man, a soldier nonetheless, cry his heart out. Wiping my eyes from any tears, I started to walk away, hoping though that the bouquet will be fine. Probably not, and it was probably a stupid idea for me to leave them there when a storm is practically approaching, but in the end, it's not going to be there the next time I have time to meet with her again.

Walking back to my vehicle was a good 5 or 10 minute walk since frankly I wanted to savor my time in the memorial, even when the gust was getting stronger and the droplets were becoming heavier. I didn't want to leave, but I knew I had to. As long as there's still things Overwatch can do to make the world better, then I have to put my service again.

As I finally reached my vehicle, the breeze mitigated a bit and the rain wasn't as heavy which meant that it was a momentary calmness before the second wave. A calm before the storm as one would say. I looked straight up to expect a slight rain droplet or a patch of light shining through the dark gray clouds, but what I somewhat saw was something completely different.

I could have sworn I saw a silhouette in the sky that looked like a large black bird, or rather something that looked like it had arms along with wings. It was hard to decipher it rushing past in the dark sky, coupled with the fact that the darkness of the clouds made it even harder to even see if it was even a black bird at all. What was the strangest of them all as what fell on my nose as it sped past from where the memorial was.

I felt the texture of what fell on my nose, seeing it as colorful in my nasal visual field. It felt like a big velvety paper confetti, colored in bright off pink. Taking it off my face for better observation, I was even more perplexed by the thing that fell on my nose.

It was a flower petal.

A pink gladiolus flower petal.

Looking up back to see where that flying thing flew, I could barely make out anything in the sky as it started darkening once again, signaling the end of the calm and the start of the real beginning of the storm. As I start the engine of my vehicle, I still look at the petal now at my dashboard. I am starting to have weird ideas that are way too exhausting to entertain at the moment. All I know is that she heard me.

My Angel heard me, wherever she is.

Everything has been strange.

Well, if you count the things happening to my life one can make a notion that it is strange. Dead but not really dead. Working in the shadows to heal people, but have no longer much qualms about taking down those who wish to harm others. Once a physician to stop wars throw at us, now turned to an adversary with the sole mission to cut the bud before more terror happens. Skilled with now both medical technology and the blade, I find myself wondering why life couldn't throw me a bone and not make even going to a place not be something that ties my past together with a neat bow.

Case in point, finding myself along the memorial which was once the Swiss Headquarters of Overwatch.

Second case in point, having to hide and be silent as I see someone walk towards the famous statue of my 'final resting place' with what appeared to be a large bouquet. That someone was greeting my and rambling as though I was there listening to him talk. Interesting how I was also getting interested in what he was rambling on about in this one-sided conversation.

Final case in point, said someone was my former lover who brought me a beautiful and large bouquet of pink lilie-

"They're called Gladiolus. -"

Sorry, a beautiful and large bouquet of Gladiolus flowers perched upon my statue. I see him comfortable sitting in front of it, marveling at the statue that depicted me in a way that was me, but no longer me.

"It shouldn't have been you, Angela. It's been around 6 years and I still can never forgive myself for having killed you." I hear him state it as though it was fact. I almost found myself wanting to glide towards him and prove him wrong, but I know that would jeopardize everything I have worked hard on.

"I hope wherever you are, you are happy; that's all I can now hope for and while I don't believe in an afterlife, but maybe-"

'Maybe what, Jack?' I find that voice within me ask in hope. It was a voice I haven't found in myself for so long. It was the voice of Angela, the woman who was still very much alive and very much in love with the man in front of me.

". . . just maybe, I'll get to see you again."

"Oh Jack . . . if that were only that simple." I mumbled to myself, finding my heart to still beat in ecstasy to see the man who should have moved on after my 'death' 6 years ago, still love me and want to see me again.

The wind started picking up once again, accompanied now with slight moisture and droplets; it was practically telling us that it had to be wrapped up soon. I find him get up from his spot, telling 'me' that he needed to go soon. I felt a wave of sadness wash over me as he said that, knowing that this was the situation we both now live in: The living who still loves the dead and the 'dead' wanting to stay hidden away from the living, but still very much alive for vengeance.

I almost lost my grip at the tree and shrubs I was leaning onto, almost ruining my position for him to have noticed, thanking the heavens he must have mistaken it for the wind picking up. It would have been completely unjustifiable when in battle, but what he said before he finally left just threw my seriousness out the metaphorical window.

"I-i . . . I love you so very much Angela. I hope you can hear me say them."

'Love.'

'I love you.'

'. . . hope you can hear me say them.'

It was almost like those words now in my head taunt me with how he just said those words, almost as though he knew I was there all along and wanted to throw this charade we were playing. But it wasn't the case since I see his figure walk away from the statue.

Brisk walking my way to my monument, I found myself drawn to his bouquet. It wasn't like I didn't know he hasn't visited before with flowers, but this might be the first time I catch him in the act. Oh how fate can be a cruel and make my life even more strange.

I take the bouquet with me, but not before flying up to be at eye-level with the statue of my former self. The way the sculpted my face well that it even had the same expression I used to have when I would heal a person with my skills in peace. A peace that for some reason no longer resonates for me.

'Angela Ziegler is dead. Only Nemesis remains.'

The last thought finally brought me back to my conviction and resolve. I am who I am now because of what happened here. I cannot for the life of me back down now.

"I must fulfill my goal. Even if it means making necessary sacrifices." I whispered to myself in somewhat comfort. Looking back up to the sky I see that there is a brief calmness before the breeze and rain continue, to which I should take that as my signal to finally leave this place.

I jettison my way out of the memorial site, bouquet held tight with my right hand as I fly away from it all, back to where I need to pack my equipment and continue my goal. To fly away from my former life. To fly away from the name Dr. Angela Ziegler. To fly away from Overwatch's Mercy.

I can do all of that.

I felt slight moisture pool under my eye, thinking at first it was rain droplets once again, but I know that my visor will have prevented weather from hitting my eyes. I know it's my tears from the last thought I had but I don't want to acknowledge it enough to finally think of the answer for it like the others.

"To let go and fly away from the man I love." I mumble to myself as I continue flying away past the road that connects the memorial, and a parking lot for the visitors. Just thinking about the visitors of the memorial brought me back to him again, and what he said before he left.

"I hope you can hear me say them."

Thinking back to those words, and I am letting that inner voice within me answer it, since I know I can't even begin to think of it right now.

'I did hear you Jack Morrison.'

'I heard you loud and clear.'

The last one was enough to even get me smile at the thought as I continue flying past everything, eventually nearing my hide-away.

"Your Angel still heard you."

Friday, January 20th, 2017

Day 1: Iceland at last!

So, the flight… It wasn’t too restful. The first half of the flight was at least enjoyable though. I met a girl named Lydia who was coming from Philly and headed to Sweden for a quick trip to reunite with three nannies from her childhood. How awesome is that! We proceeded to talk about all sorts of random things, from travel to work life to horseback riding to cars and a particular car accident, and about similarities and differences in people in relationships. Time well spent on the flight!

After six hour flight, Lydia and I parted ways and I went to get my bags and catch the FlyBus from Keflavik Airport to my sublet in downtown Reykjavik. And fortunately, everything went smoothly after a slight scare when my backpacking bag, which was checked in, did not roll out on the conveyor belt. Man, I was tired, and I did I not want to deal with a lost bag, especially since Icelandair lost my tripod head back in 2013. But after waiting awhile and almost succumbing to going to baggage authorities, I went to look at the odd-shaped bags area and found my bag! Thank goodness for no lost bags!

With many bags in tow, I headed to out to find my FlyBus to Reykjavik. Outside, it was dark despite being almost 8am. It was also pretty windy outside but not too cold (not at all what I was preparing for), just foggy and misty with some fog drizzle. Overall, it took a little more than an hour to get into the city, mainly because the highway in was congested with people going to work. Eventually, I would make it to my sublet in downtown Reykjavik, where I would meet Thor, my roommate in the flat. Awesome dude who was really helpful with figuring things out for this stay. He’s a banker of some sort here and finished his Masters in Econ in the Netherlands before starting the banking job he is at. Because he had to leave for work shortly after our meeting, I was left to an empty apartment.

An empty, yet very nice apartment. I’m staying in a 2BR, 1BA apartment that is centrally located in Reykjavik. The place is well-lit, spacious, simple, and clean with everything I need for my simplistic travel lifestyle. The moment I saw the place and met Thor, I knew I had made the right decision to choose this place. After settling into my new home, I met up with Sveinn Magnusson at the Ministry of Welfare. As you may remember from my trip in 2013, Sveinn works at the Ministry of Welfare as the Director General of Iceland, and he does a lot of cool things as a result of his position, like represent Iceland and the Nordic countries at WHO conferences in Geneva. And he’s a very nice and smart guy who is always a pleasure to chat with!

Our meeting was capped off with a unique Icelandic lunch at the Ministry, consisting of very traditional Icelandic foods. Supposedly, tomorrow is the start of a tradition where pickled, soured, and preserved meats from the winter are brought out for consumption for the next month. Back in the day, nothing was wasted from an animal that was killed for meat. And so, during the long winter months, every part of the animal would be preserved and eaten later in the winter season when things got rough. And let’s just say that eating sheep’s head was not really something I enjoyed all that much haha. Some of the other things on my plate included mashed yellow beets, fish casserole, and smoked lamb. My favorite part of the meal: the oranges and watermelons! Because I didn’t really get to try traditional Icelandic foods during my last visit, I jumped on the idea of trying it today, no matter how strange it appeared or unappetizing it looked so that I could say I did it. And sure enough, I did it… I will forever remember that sour taste and weird texture of the slice of sheep’s head... Thank goodness it was… nevermind, I’ll spare the details.

But moving on! A quick goodbye with Sveinn before meandering my way through downtown toward Landspitali to get some paperwork and preparation done for my Monday start. As I strolled through downtown, I couldn’t help but notice how many obnoxious tourists were roaming through Reykjavik being tourists. It was so strange, probably because of how small Reykjavik is and how there were only tourists and no natives on the streets. It was a stark contrast to the last time I was in Reykjavik, where I only saw natives and not as many tourists (probably because it was a national holiday at the time). Such a strange sight. And it made me a bit disappointed knowing just how much the pure Iceland I knew had changed in four short years.

As I pondered those thoughts, I made my way to Landspitali and had a chance to look around the hospital and see what it was like. A very old-style European feel to the hospital, and in some ways hybrided to the feel of a VA hospital in the United States. People, for the most part, were dressed in white coats and pants and a different colored scrub outfit underneath. All communication was in Icelandic, except for when people were talking to me. Signs were in Icelandic and so was their EMR. For a bit, I felt very lost and felt like I was truly in a foreign place, where I had absolutely no idea what was going on. But man is it a weird feeling when you feel so out of place and so lost you don’t even know what to say or do. But even so, knowing myself and my ability to assimilate, I look forward to enjoying things once the dust settles a bit andI understand a bit more of what’s going on around me.

After the Landspitali visit, I just spent the afternoon indoors out of the wind and rain and finally had a chance to sleep a little to catch up on the loads I had missed out on the last couple of nights. The evening was spent hanging out and getting to know my roommate Thor while eating a very American Domino’s pizza dinner.

Overall, a slow-paced day of getting acclimated to my new environment. It’s always a little harder when you’re on your own in a very foreign country and situation after having left home where you were pampered by mom and dad and life was a breeze. It’ll take a little time to adjust but I think I’ll be OK. With a great and fun roommate, as well as some good sleep, I’m sure I’ll be right at home in no time!

5 Things I Learned Today:

1. It is VERY strange for it to be SO dark at 8AM. SO very weird. And it’s even WEIRDER when 9AM and 10AM are almost just as dark!

2. The weather here is so bipolar! One second, it’s windy and cloudy, the next, it’s sideways raining for like three seconds as the rainclouds zoom by. Then, by the midday sun, the clouds part a little. By 4PM, it starts getting dark again, and the cycle repeats endlessly.

3. There has been a huge explosion in tourism in recent years and, with it, a rise in road and traffic accidents. Leave it to tourists to not know how to drive in the snow and ice and to not know how to deal with roundabouts…

4. Traffic exists in Iceland. Despite having a population a little south of 350,000 people,traffic still exists. What a bummer.

5. Iceland’s weather website (vedur.is) is a neat website with a built-in tool that helps predict the strength of the auroras and the cloud cover over the country every couple of hours so that aurora seekers can find the best opportunities to view and capture the Northern Lights! Can’t wait to use it to find the best Northern Lights!

The Nine Circles of Hell

Entering Hell

There are hidden Gates all across the world where demons can enter back into Hell or where souls are dropped off. The gates lead to a dock where the Soul Ferry is waiting with the Ferryman, a hooded figure with no defining features, who will take you across Hellfire Lake to the shores of Limbo

Once there, there is a station where those who need to travel to other Circles will get rides or souls meant for other Circles will be taken by the Keeper, a massive skeleton figure.

First Circle - Limbo

Hell’s Heaven in a sense where souls rejected by Heaven are free to live out their afterlives here

The Town

Sits on the shores of Hellfire Lake

The houses look simple, but the insides are however the person wishes it to be

Demons can visit deceased loved ones in Limbo, but with strict rules

Must leave before the clock above the station strikes midnight or else they are struck there (and basically die)

Only one visit per year

Too many visits timed so closely together will wear on one’s soul until it finally kills them

Second Circle - Chance

For light sinners, the people who have done some bad things but might not deserve to be tortured for it

Example: They stole food but it’s because they live on the streets and were hungry

Torture Center = The Center

After some time, they will be re-evaluated and either stay longer, get sent to a different Circle, or get sent to Limbo

The Town

Normal suburban town that one finds on Earth

Weather is usually like a cool, cloudy summer day; not too hot, but not too cold either

Third Circle - Greed

For sinners who let greed consume them and take what they want, even if it means hurting others

Torture Center = The Bank

The Town

Old Western style town

Weather leaning more towards a bright summer day, warm with clear skies

Fourth Circle - Fraud

For sinners who take their greed a step further, ruining people’s lives by stealing identities or using their skills to corrupt others

Torture Center = The Tower

The Town

Renaissance period town/castle

Stuck in a never ending winter

Fifth Circle - Corruption

For sinners who take pleasure in destroying others’ lives without a second thought, using whatever means they have; power, wealth, influence

Torture Center = The Office

The Town

A busy city like New York City

The weather there is like a crisp autumn day with a slight breeze to keep things cool, but still nice enough to do outdoor activities

Sixth Circle - Violence

For sinners who use extreme violence to get what they want, such as abusers

Torture Center = The Pit

The Town

Similar to the Fourth Circle with an almost Renaissance period look

Engulfed in flames and very hot

Home to the endangered population of dragons

Seventh Circle - Murder

This is where murderers go

Not all, some might be a better fit for other Circles, but any serial killers are placed here automatically

Torture Center = The Manor

The Town

Looks more like ancient Greece or Rome

The weather here feels like an endless spring, chilly but not too bad with the sun peeking out of the clouds to warm things up now and then and the chance of rain is always high

Eighth Circle - Lust

This is where rapists and molesters go

Torture Center = The Jailhouse

This houses the torturing headquarters where all the records of souls is located and the Head Torturer there keeps all the other centers in the other Circles in line

The Town

Similar to a lush farm town - think  Amish country, but with more

The weather is a mix between summer and fall, perfect for farming and harvesting

Ninth Circle - Kingdom

This is where the Ruler (King/Queen) and all members of the royal family live

A huge castle takes up most of the land, with a decent sized town surrounding it

Only people who are lucky enough get to live in the Ninth Circle town - many of them work at the kingdom or members of noble families

Torture Center = The Dungeon, inside the castle

Special souls selected by the King/Queen or High Torturer get placed here

Only Circle that will experience weather similar to Earth and goes through the cycle of seasons