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hidemation · 1 month

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My first time writing a fic

Horror ds - @moonfurthetemmie @wheezethebluejay

Hideverse - @hidemation

(It's crap I know, and I might have gotten some things wrong i think)

Part 2:

Nullus had to ask himself... why did this happened to him, he was having a totally normal day until some random portal sucked him in now his abilities are weakened and he is for some reason in front of a warehouse and smells blood

"Why did this happen to me?" Nullus said, sighing. As he was about to leave, he felt something inside the warehouse that made him stop. 'Negative energy' Nullus thought. 'There seems to be a large group of people inside for that amount of energy, but I only feel the presence of four in there.' He sighed. 'I'm gonna regret this, aren't I?'

"Please... help..."

Nullus hears laughter and senses that one of the people inside has died, along with a feeling of being watched. '...Yep, I'm gonna regret this' he groans, then enters the warehouse, fully aware of the stupidity of his decision.

As nullus walks around, he realizes the warehouse is a maze and is quite impressed as he touches the walls, appreciating whoever made the maze, nullus notes the maze is covered in slash marks and dried blood, he smells fresh blood somewhere but doesn't know where exactly due to the entire place smelling like dried blood

as he walks around he tries to use his abilities again to feel the presence of those inside 'damn that stupid portal weakening me at the time where I need them' nullus concentrates more and finally felt something.

"Shit," Nullus exclaimed, swiftly dodging before he could get sliced in half. "Well, aren't you fast," a man remarked. Nullus scanned the area and saw someone charging at him, quickly dodging again. "This is a fucking slaughterhouse, isn't it?" Nullus grumbled, evading another attack from behind. "Well, aren't you fun," a woman commented.

Nullus stepped back to create a safe distance. He got injured from them but not so serious"Is this how you treat elders?" he asked, eyeing the two in front of him. The first attacker, a short man with black hair and a purple and black hoodie, held a large glowing cyan scythe. The woman, tall and pale with scars covering her body, had red and white eyes.

"May I ask you again, is this how you treat your elders?" Nullus inquired, crossing his arms. "Pfft, I'm pretty sure he's older than you, 'old man', this bitch right here is 120+ years old" the woman retorted. "Shut up, Slash." the man shot back.

Nullus chuckled. "Well, I've got good news for you, young man. You're officially the second youngest here since I'm over 500 years old," he revealed. The two looked at Nullus in shock. "Say what right now?"

Before Nullus could speak again, blue strings wrapped around him, dragging him. These strings were similar to a glitch Nullus knew well. "Pixel! Is that you?!" Nullus exclaimed as he was lifted up in the air by the strings. "I don't know who that is," a new voice said, "but I ain't them." "hey byte" "sup pluto" byte looks at nullus and back at the other 2 "why haven't you guys killed this bitch yet?" Byte said "we were going to but he was fast and kept dodging" pluto said.

As the three continued to talk and bicker, Nullus attempted to use his abilities again, and they slowly returned. His ability to sense people's aura came back, and he realized something about Pluto.

"Hey, you with the scythe!" Nullus called out to Pluto, who glanced at him while Nullus was still dangling in the air by the strings. "Your aura is different from the others, why is that?" Nullus questioned.

"Aura? What do you mean by that?... wait, haven't you ever heard of us before?" Pluto responded.

"Obviously not because I just got here!" Nullus retorted.

The three looked at each other and grinned. "Oh, ho ho, you're in for quite a surprise, bitch," Pluto said with a smirk. Byte chuckled as the strings tightened around Nullus, who noted to himself that the tightness was enough to break a mortal's bones. Nullus looked back at the three, and Pluto chuckled.

"So, you're telling me you've never heard of those two or me? The fucking 'demon' of negativity!?" Pluto exclaimed. Nullus's mind raced as he pieced things together. 'Demon of Negativity? Wait, an unfamiliar place (but it seems to be in Omegatale, but Omegatale seems different), string abilities like Pixel's, that tall girl similar to... oh shit,' Nullus thought to himself.

"Are you one of the guardians of positive and negative?" Nullus questioned.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Pluto replied.

'Shit. I'm in another fucking multiverse arent i' Nullus realized. "Listen, where is your Jack?"

"Jack? Who the fuck is that?" Pluto asked.

"Pluto, can't we just kill him now?" Slash interjected.

"Wait, he goes by other names, What about Dream? Do you know or have a Dream as in the guardian of positive or something?" Nullus questioned, Nullus doesn't understand how this world works but if this version of himself is like this maybe this world's jack is different and can help him.

The three remained silent until Byte suddenly used her strings to throw Nullus across the walls and floor. "Don't you dare mention that bitch," Slash said. Nullus sensed the tension in the air. 'Guess they have a bad history with him,' Nullus thought as he was hurled around. Byte did a final throw, and Nullus crashed to the ground, breaking the surface beneath him.

As they observed Nullus not moving, his body bleeding black, which shocked them. "Is he bleeding black blood?" Byte questioned. "NGL, but that's kinda cool," Slash remarked, approaching the body. "Gotta make sure you're dead, buddy," Slash said cheerfully, using her knife to slice off Nullus's right arm and stab his abdomen open, wanting to gut him. "Woah!" Slash yelled, backing away as she realized something unexpected.

"What's the matter, Slash?" Pluto asked.

"Dude, this bitch got no organs!?" Slash exclaimed in disbelief.

"What! Are you saying he's hollow or something?" Byte and Pluto approached the body and saw that what Slash said was true; the body had no organs. "How the hell is that possible? He should be dead without organs?!" Byte exclaimed.

"NGL, but that's actually kinda cool... wait, if he has no organs, does that mean there's a chance he could still be—" Before Pluto could finish, something slammed his head hard against the ground making him unconscious, and Byte was thrown across the room. "Byte! Pluto!" Slash yelled, just before something stabbed her in the right abdomen.

Slash screams in pain and looks at the thing that stabs her. It was a black tentacle, and her eyes widened as the tentacle was connected to the guy she was gonna gut out "shit" Slash exclaims before getting thrown across the room but eventually stopped.

Nullus stood up and looked at Slash, who was on the ground bleeding. "That was quite rude of you to gut someone out, 'Slash'," Nullus said, his voice tinged with anger. The tentacles that replaced his arm turned sharp and charged at Slash, but before they could hit her, Byte's strings wrapped around her and dragged her away to safety.

"Slash, are you alright!?" Byte said, worried for her friend.

"Do I look OK!?" Slash yelled before groaning from pain.

The 2 quickly dodges nullus Tentacles before it could hit them

'what the hell is he!?' Slash thought.

'Shit what happened to pluto' byte thought

Nullus removes his mask and the the 2 are in shocked to see his mouth is entirely black and weird black fluid is flowing out "I'm just a simple guardian that's all and don't worry about your friend he is fine... For now " nullus chuckles, and suddenly, another tentacle charges at byte, she dodged it, but it sliced a bit off her cheek.

Nullus' head starts growing antlers and his left hand creates a violet fire. "You sons of bitches are so fucking screwed"

__________________________________

Pluto slowly opens his eyes his head hurts and tries to remember what happened before he got knocked out

"Pluto wake up!" Pluto hears someone said he can't tell who as his ears still ringing

He caught the scent of fire and fresh blood, heard something collapse, and felt something wet on his head, realizing it was his own blood. Slowly, he opened his eyes to a scene of devastation: Slash was wounded and bleeding from her abdomen, while Byte appeared bruised but not as severely injured but looks so exhausted. Beyond them, the warehouse was engulfed in flames. Then, he saw something that made his skin crawl the man they had sought to kill. He had tentacles replacing the arm Slash had removed, antlers on his head, and his mask and glasses were finally gone, revealing his face. Pluto saw that he had no eyes, and his mouth was entirely black, dripping with black fluid but what made his skin crawl even more is the amount of negative energy he feels from him that it surpasses his own and possibly can overwhelm delusion if he were here.

"Ah so my other self has finally awakened" the man said, 'what' pluto thought

"Pluto, we gotta go now!" Byte said and immediately grabbed pluto and slash and began to run.

Nullus immediately chases after them and starts to send more Tentacles at them and all 3 are way to tired to fight or run.

Byte suddenly has an idea, she realizes that they have a good distance and immediately stops running.

"BYTE WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Slash yelled

As nullus is about to send Tentacles to charge at her, byte uses her strings and it wrapped all around his body and immediately summons a Portal throws him there and immediately closes it.

Byte pants and falls to the ground exhausted and looks at her 2 friends who are also exhausted.

Pluto has slash arm around his shoulder helping her walk and goes to byte "why didn't you used that earlier" Pluto asked

Byte glares at him "Oh I don't know, maybe is because we were being chased by a god damn guy who we tried to kill but is probably a demon and was trying to kill us and we were heavily injured or something Pluto" byte said still on the ground

Pluto sighs "here let me help you out" Pluto said and grabs bytes arm and has it around his shoulders to help her walk "come on let's go home I have a demon chicken waiting for me"

______________________________

Meanwhile somewhere in outertale at a alley

"Outertale doesn't seem to be that different from the one we know retro" nullus said as he is slowly healing his wounds and regenerating back his arm while looking at the stars.

"Shouldn't we find a more negative au for you to regenerate nulls?" Retro the parasite that finaly left nullus eye socket is now on his shoulder asked out of concern

"Nah we are in a new multiverse that we don't know how different it is from ours it's better to play it safe" nullus said and looks at the parasite on his shoulder

"Fair enough cause I ain't ready or do I want to die" retro said agreeing with nullus "so are your powers back yet?"

"They are still weak but are coming back but is slow so it seems like we are stuck here in the mean time" nullus said

"Well isn't just great" retro said and jumps as he nullus on alert now. "soemone is coming?"

"Yep" nullus said and tries to stand up but fails and falls "shit I'm exhausted"

"Crap what should we-" before retro could finish he hears the footsteps getting louder and goes inside nullus jacket to hide

"Hello?" is the last thing Nullus hears before finally losing consciousness.

#h!ds #horror! ds #hideverse #hidemyfics #yes i know its crap #its total crap #dreamswap

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siassims · 2 years

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~Sim Download - 3 Kleur Sisters~

Hi!! Here’s my little submission to @pixel-warehouse fancy dress swap event!

These are 3 sisters from the Kleur Legacy; you may choose one or two or all three!

All I ask is please don’t change any body features (with the exception of non-realistic skin tones or eye colors). if you can incorporate their personalities, that’d be even more amazing :) enjoy! {follow the cut for more info}

About them:

Olivia - eldest - mute, kind-hearted, and shy but fairly expressive and a little bit of a jokester Ophelia - active, outgoing, motherly. Probably keeps small pets in hoards. Octavia - the youngest but the strongest, very perceptive and decisive, will throw hands if need to! Natural leader.

Sims are mostly base-game friendly, with the exception of some clothing items / hairs from packs. CC: Octavia has this set’s Bella hair.

Download > here (SFS) < If you use them anywhere, feel free to tag me! :D

#sims 4 #ts4 #pixel-warehouse #pixel-warehouse oct 22 event #pls take and enjoy!#they're free to go to loving homes also :)#sims 4 share #pls take care of them <3

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emeraldpixels · 1 year

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SIM DOWNLOAD: OCENA SHALLOW

Finally, I can share this!!! I feel like this has been in the works for ages lol anyway, here's my contribution for the @pixel-warehouse November event: Sim Making Prompts!

i feel like everyone already used the word, but i got inspired by meristic, which is an area of ichthyology and herpetology which relates to counting quantitative features of fish and reptiles, such as the number of fins or scales. A meristic (countable trait) can be used to describe a particular species of fish, or used to identify an unknown species.

So I made this as if some scientists discovered mermaids were actually real and were trying to describe them (with comentary hehe).

I'm also sharing her to the catalogue, so you can download her bellow! She has her everyday and swimwear outfits done, and obviously her mermaid form (cc NOT included, sorry)

CC LIST

EYELASHES by @kijiko-sims ☆ BLUSH by @squeamishsims ☆ ARM TATTOOS by DanSimsFantasy (TSR) ☆ GLOSS by @beariemart ☆ RINGS by @arethabee ☆ FACE HIGHLIGHT by alhajero ☆ SKIN by @saruin ☆ EYEBROWS N5 by @northernsiberiawinds ☆ TAIL by @stamsim ☆ EARS by @tekri ☆ MERKOLF TATTOO by @wiccandove ☆ MERMAID TOP by simmingwithboba(TSR) ☆ SHIRT by @oydis ☆ BRACELET by @oydis ☆ EYELINER #1 by cosimetic(TSR) ☆ HIGHLIGHTS by @emmibouquet ☆ EYELINER #2 by @chewybutterfly ☆ EYELINER #3 by @crypticsim ☆ HAT by @nucrests ☆ SKIN DETAILS by @pyxiidis ☆ PANTS by @pixelunivairse ☆ HAIR by candysims ☆ BLUSH by @vuluun ☆ LASHFILLER by @mintvalentine ☆ GILLS by @simulationcowboy ☆ NECKLACE by @simandy ☆ DEFAULT EYES by @ancenth ☆ SWIMSUIT by simmingwithboba(TSR) ☆ FRECKLES by @plumbheadsims ☆ NO EAR PRESET by @redheadsims-cc ☆ BODY PRESET by lutessasims ☆ NOSE PRESET by @northernsiberiawinds ☆ LIP PRESET by @northernsiberiawinds ☆

DOWNLOAD HER! (SFS)

#my sims #ts4 #ts4 download #ts4mm #ts4 challenge #the sims 4 #sims 4 download #sims 4 edit #pixel warehouse #sim making prompts

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marzmud · 1 year

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Dom Raymond by @dirtshrooms for the @pixel-warehouse fancy dress swap

as the librarian 📚🦇

descriptions below

[IDs: A series of sims 4 screenshots of Dom Raymond as a vampire librarian. He is a black sim with short hair, glowing red eyes, and blue claws. He wears red and gold beaded glasses, blue jewelry, and eccentric black and red vampiric fashion. In the title image he sits at a desk reading. Text in the corner says "Welcome to the library." The following images show various poses of him in a small library. Text cards interspersed read "If you need help just ask the librarian. And if you don't return your books, beware!" with the final pose showing Dom baring his fangs. /End IDs]

#ts4 #sims 4 #maxis match #picspam #Dom Raymond #pixel warehouse #events and challenges #i struggled so much with poses for this one skdjfh #which is why it took so long #but i love the look <3

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ghostoffuturespast · 6 months

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Manuscript Word Search

Tagged by my lovely fellow writers @seeker-of-truth & @luvwich! Thanks for thinking of me <3

Pulled the word selection from all my published works here.

From seeker-of-truth: whisper, light, tendril, slam, & haze. (You can find their last word search here.)

Starting off with the horror, since it's Halloween season.

Whisper

Allen ran, fleeing down the stairs to escape the office. His lungs floundered for air as he stumbled in his flight, bloody handprints left behind in his wake. Allen made it to the lobby and burst through the double doors. He kept running, only knowing he had to get away, but not knowing where. His legs and lungs eventually gave out on him. Stalling at a desolate intersection with sputtering street lights, Allen collapsed on the sidewalk and stared at his bloody hands. He gasped for air and his skin felt cold against the warm night air. The street lights suddenly snuffed themselves out, plunging the world into black. A moment passed in that void of darkness before his holo rang. “W-who is this?” A gentle, familiar silence answered the other end of the line. “Who the fuck are you?!” Allen bellowed. The hush whispered a promise.

[Hex]

Light

Not wanting to be swallowed by the dark, Henry jogged to keep up. Footfalls echoed as they journeyed down the corridor, Greta occasionally poking her head through busted doors and windows. Mostly offices, full of office junk. Henry wanted to ask what she was looking for, why not just pick up a stapler and be done with it, but every slight sound he heard made him start. He hesitated at the thought of loudness that his voice might bring. Greta’s footsteps paused when they reached the end of the hallway, the building expanded out onto a warehouse floor. The silhouettes of walkways crisscrossed above and disused equipment scattered itself around the cavernous space. Light from Greta’s holo did little to illuminate the gloom.

[Tongues]

Tendril

She reached out, rubbing the leather and worn shearling in between her thumb and forefinger as she gazed around the room. The majority of the boxes had been put away and all the random items that had littered the place before had been tucked away elsewhere. Tidy, but not so neat that you couldn’t tell anyone was living there. Scribbled notes and dog-eared books were stacked on the desk, a small pile of laundry sequestered to one spot on the floor, the lone plant she’d seen in the old apartment had its delicate tendrils stretched out towards the sun. Everything a little dusty, a little worn.

[So It Goes Ch. 37: The Denial Twist]

Slam

River tore down the stairs as fast as he could. His suspect had a considerable headstart, and River heard the emergency exit door slam open when he had hit the sixth floor landing. He picked up the pace, trying to make it down the stairs in time. The emergency exit led into an alleyway and River swiveled his head in both directions, panting heavily. There was no sign which direction he'd gone, River had lost him. "Freeze! Drop your weapon!" "Dammit." River wrinkled his nose but slowly put his hands up, bending down to put his gun on the concrete, he slid it away with his boot and put his hands back up.

[So It Goes Ch. 16: Take Me Out]

Haze (& also tendril)

V blinked up at the ceiling of her apartment. Laid out on the floor in the dark, her mouth tasted of nicotine, alcohol, and acid. She flopped her head in the direction of the couch, spotting the puddle of vomit. The edges of Johnny flickered in and out, a murky shimmering haze of pixels. He was simultaneously staring out the window and watching the last tendrils of smoke curl up from an empty glass he had used as an ashtray, a half empty handle of tequila sitting next to it. Guess Johnny had finally gotten his fucking cigarette.

[So It Goes Ch. 21: Trauma]

From luvwich: bare, disgust, feed, plastic, silence. (Read their last word search here.)

Bare

“May I?” She nodded and stood, facing away from him. “If you can’t get your shoulder all the way up, I can get the scissors.” “No need to be dramatic.” She winced and bit back a groan of pain as she held her arms aloft. River tugged up on the hem of the shirt and lifted it to her shoulders, his knuckles brushing against her skin. V used her good arm to help navigate her head through the collar. A sigh of relief escaped as she was allowed to put her arms back down. She wasn’t wearing anything else underneath her shirt, her back completely bare to him, save for the blood soaked dressing on her shoulder.

[So It Goes Ch. 25: PARAMOUR]

Disgust

Pressing her tongue on the roof of her mouth, she swallowed and tried to collect moisture to combat the disgusting amount of fuzz that had grown in her mouth overnight. She smacked her lips together in disappointment and closed her eyes, her dry mouth persisting. The scent of leather blanketed her, a balm on her alcohol tormented synapses, along with that smell she still couldn’t pin. It all smelled like him though. V burrowed further underneath the coat for a while longer, trying to wish her hangover away, nose and face buried in the collar of soft worn shearling. Johnny disappeared to wherever he went when he wasn’t chatting with her. Checking the time, 11:12, she forced herself to sit up and looked around the familiar office, River’s coat slipping down to her waist. The motion tilted her stomach and she resisted the temptation to hurl straight into her boots.

Feed

V thought about everything. And nothing. She blinked her eyes open when the cat poked his damp nose in her ear, mewling. Whiskers tickled her face as Nibbles antagonized her. She blinked again. 11:16. It was past his breakfast. “All right, all right.” Tossing the covers off, she trudged over to the kitchenette to feed the damn cat.

[So It Goes Ch. 30: Passion Is Accurate]

Plastic

Perching on the edge of one of the rickety plastic chairs, Misty's eyes wandered the deserted rooftop, not finding the face she wished was there. She sighed, her purse and hands huddled in her lap. Shutting her eyes and leaning back, she sat there and listened to the ever present hum of the city. The traffic and the shouts. The buzz and the clamor. Struggles and triumphs. Life as it moved forward.

[Space]

Silence

A comfortable silence washed over them as they drove down the highway. “V.” Jackie said suddenly. “Huh?” Valerie looked at Jackie confused. “You should go by ‘V’. You know, matches your persona. Short, edgy, to the point, a little mysterious. Think it fits you better than ‘Valerie.’” Valerie paused. “I’ll put it into consideration. No promises.”

[So It Goes Ch. 1: Heave Ho]

Tagging with no pressure: @therealnightcity @cinnamon-mey @shimmer-like-agirl @fly-amanitaa @dani-the-goblin @tarmac-rat @merge-conflict @another-corpo-rat @wanderingaldecaldo @baublekute

Your words: eyes, dive, water, corner, shudder.

#writing #fan fiction #tag you're it #reindeer games #cyberpunk 2077 #really want to write another horror one shot but i don't have time rn #the idea has been kicking around in my head for a while now though #horror #otp: so it goes #oc: valerie hye jin li #my grandpa v #stinky not fresh #river ward #a bunch of random ocs #poor allen no one loves you lol

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blasphemecel · 2 years

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Yami Bakura — Not Exactly An Elegiac Romance

PAIRING: Yami Bakura/Reader WORD COUNT: 6.3k TYPE: Crackfic, Minimal fluff, Canon Divergence WARNING(S): This takes place in an AU where post-canon Bakura is Kind of rehabilitated. Like he's not a good person but he's not actively trying to destroy the world and etc. He's going through a version of peaking in high school where the peak in question was threatening humanity and he's microdosing on reliving it through being a major pest

You would have to be insolent not to realize there's something off about this man. It's not a matter of deceit — his profile makes his mental instability clear as day to you.

Your problem could be your stupidity, but maybe it’s your lack of impulse control, but either way it’s something cardinal and you can’t seem to shake its roots.

Sparing his bio another glance, you let the words sink in and eat away your frontal lobe like they did the first time you read them.

Bakura, 20

I Am Not Here To Fuck Around. I Am An Ancient Evil Spirit Of A Thief And I've Been Mad For Thousands of Years. I Need A Ride Or Die Willing To Put Their Lives On The Line Or Get Sent To The Shadow Realm Assisting Me. You Must Handle My Cunning Be Willing To Feed Pigeons At The Park Laxatives Among Other Minor Evils... Serious Inquiries Only.

Then you look at his picture. You zoom in close enough to count the pixels in your search for any kind of imperfection, though unfortunately, you have to admit he's the most handsome man you've come across on this app, with sharp features and long white hair (even if strangely styled). He's striking in a way that makes you second guess your decision to ignore his existence.

Unsure of what to do, you switch back and forth between the description and gallery tabs, thinking, Hot, insane, hot, insane, hot, insane.

Well, it's not a given he'll swipe back on you. Maybe you could just... approve him since he's so good-looking, and then you'll move on with your day, and nothing will come of it-

Fuck.

You furrow your eyebrows immediately after sliding your fingers across the screen. Fuck. Seems like he liked your profile before you got to his. Now it's a match.

You let out a curt laugh. What's the worst that could happen?

The worst that could happen is arranging a date with him, apparently. After two weeks of no messages which led you to forgetting his existence, five flop dates with your other matches from the app, and nothing to smile about in your life, you somehow ended up getting called a mortal and being invited to a public park.

You show up ten minutes early with your inner discussion of Hot VS Insane still going on.

Something rustles in a bush nearby. Startled, you stop debating whether this was a good idea and look around until your date appears out of thin air with a leaf stuck in his hair almost immediately. With too much nonchalance, he throws it off, self-content expression not wavering.

"Were you, uh, were you hiding in the bushes?“

"Leaving you waiting would be inconsiderate, would it not?" he asks with a conceited smile, like what he said is something to be smug about.

You blink at him. Levelly, "That doesn't really answer my question."

"A guy like me is used to lurking in the shadows," he says, as if that's supposed to mean anything. For good measure, he throws in a somewhat sinister laugh at the end of his sentence.

You continue staring at him. "Okay," you settle on, figuring there's nothing else you could say to that. "Your hair looks wonderful for someone who was hiding in the bushes."

"I don't care," says Bakura with a grin before grabbing you by the wrist. You stumble after him while he drags you along to the best of his twinkish ability.

"Where are we going?" you ask with a hint of anxiety. What if he's a crazy kidnapper? Shouldn't he at least try to get to know you before attempting a felony? It's way too soon for any of this. You feel unappreciated, but also too shocked to try fighting him off.

"I'm trying to show you something."

"Is that something an abandoned warehouse?"

"What? Of course not. I haven’t done that in years."

"... What."

Bakura doesn't seem to care to elaborate on this, at least not when he finally has you where he wants you to be. Gesturing towards a motorcycle with a flair of drama, he smiles at you like a lunatic again, offering no explanation.

"That's great." You wince at the sound of your own unenthusiasm.

His lips twist downwards. "Are you not impressed?"

"Is it yours?"

"And why wouldn't it be?"

"Because it has a huge shiny purple plate that says Marik Ishtar on it."

With a vacant expression, Bakura continues surveying you, until he bursts out into another fit of wild laughter, though this time it's more deranged. "Yes... You make a fair point."

Your eyebrows almost fuse with your hairline out of incredulity. You want to ask him what's going on, but something tells you he won't be much help.

On cue, his phone rings. You watch him fumble around with it, almost like he's not sure how to use it, or like his fingers don't belong to him. Then a condescending look contorts his face, most likely reserved for whoever's calling him. "Marik."

"So the bike really isn't yours, then?" you chime in.

"Shut up [Y/n], no one's asking you," Bakura barks out, making you raise your hands in surrender and lean away from him.

"Bakura, stop stealing my motorcycle! I know it was you! You always do this stupid shit," the other person — clearly whoever Marik Ishtar is — yells out. In his frustration, he's speaking loud enough for you to make out what he's saying when you’re not even seeking to eavesdrop.

The smile on Bakura's face doesn't fall in the slightest. It grows bigger, oozing arrogance. "Well, sorry. I borrowed it to ride my DATE around."

"That's not what 'borrow' means," Marik argues. Bakura frowns just this once. You assume because that's not the answer he was looking for. "Besides, you don't even know how to ride it."

Bakura rolls his eyes like a teenager getting scolded by his parents in a sitcom. "You're so boring," he says. "Don't drive without a license this, don't take candy from children that. Grow up! Give me a break."

"You don't even like candy, Bakura."

"And people don't enjoy getting mind controlled by millennium items to win children’s card games."

"Whatever. I've atoned," Marik says dismissively. Meanwhile, you're gawking at the mention of brainwashing. Did you get involved with a LARPer? Or the only other option that could be possibly any worse — two LARPers? "My motor's got a tracker now because of you. So, I’m afraid to say we’ll be seeing each other soon."

"Heh, heh. My displeasure." With that, Bakura hangs up, a creepy smile coming over him. "Alright, we're going for a drive."

"No, we're not. I'm leaving. You keep doing whatever you're doing."

With no warning, he throws you on the seat and places himself behind you before forcing the safety helmet on your head. He's hugging you stiffly so you can't escape, and you realize he's actually kind of holding you hostage, which is also somehow the most predictable thing that has happened today. "You ride then if you think you're so much better than me."

After contemplating the events of the last twenty minutes while Bakura twists the key, turning the motorcycle on, you glance at him from the corner of your eye. "Have you ever considered taking medication?"

He deadpans, "Yes, I'm claimed to be anemic. Now drive."

"You're not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?"

Before he can retort with anything snarky, you hit the brake and speed straight down the road.

Bakura's hair whips around and goes inside his mouth, rendering him speechless.

Once he spits it all out, he yells, "Marik really likes this thing. You should scratch it a little."

"You know, we're supposed to be getting to know each other, but right now I know more about Marik Ishtar than I know about you," you exclaim through the air whisking by your head at rapid speed, making it hard for you to hear.

"Oh, don't be sad. We can play Naked Kill and break each other's legs later," he says tauntingly to satirize his idea of a sentimental night, you presume, before you make a harsh swerve and he rams his head into your helmet.

"I really don't know what you're talking about."

"Clearly planning a romantic night." Apparently, mild concussions also don’t stop him from running his mouth, nor do they rid him of his sardonic undertone. With the way today’s going, you’re thinking you might benefit from blunt force head trauma yourself.

"You're a fucking weirdo," you tell him. "I should crash the bike and kill us both."

"You can't total it! It's Marik's favorite," Bakura hisses out.

"Is that the only thing which concerns you about my plan?!"

You're about to cut another corner when some other guy drives towards you at full speed. It's going to be a head on collision.

"Moron! Get off the road. You clearly don't know how to drive!" You shake your fist at him indignantly.

"That's ironic, coming from someone who's driving my stolen bike."

"Shit," you mumble, realizing you might die a criminal, though you don't sound too upset about it.

Avoiding each other narrowly, you don't pay Marik any mind when he takes a U-Turn to keep following you. "Bakura, why's a man wearing tons of fake gold chasing after us?!"

"Will you two stop it and get off my case?"

"And for the record, it's not fake!" Marik insists, hot on your trail.

"Sure it isn't," you call back sarcastically before parking the motorcycle in the first convenient spot you can see.

"Why'd you stop?" Bakura asks, not bothering to hide the immature disappointment in his tone. "We were just getting to the fun part."

You sigh because words have failed you many times today.

The guy you’re sure is Marik pulls up not much later. When he takes his own helmet off, you can't help but glance between the two of them with mild curiosity. Bakura seems unreasonably happy to meet him considering the circumstances, with the circumstances being the probability of facing serious jail time.

Marik looks at you impassively before commenting, "Oh. It's a different one again." Then he refocuses his attention towards Bakura. "You need to stop doing this. You're already making me regret moving and I've been in Japan for less than a month."

"You're letting little old me affect you this much?" he asks with a mocking chuckle.

"You're a pest. How many times does someone need to send you to hell before you actually stop showing up?"

“I thought you’re a goody-two-shoes and don’t do that ‘skinning people alive’ thing anymore?” Bakura challenges, which only serves to make the other man grit his teeth.

You get the impression you're hearing something you're not supposed to be witnessing at all. Regardless, you clear your throat with a very fake cough and extend your hand towards Marik. "Erm. It's nice to meet you?"

"No, it's not," Marik says, despite shaking it and giving you a pleasant smile. "Your name’s [Y/n], right? I heard Bakura verbally abusing you over the phone," he continues conversationally.

"Yeah, that's me."

Bakura wants to point at both of you accusingly and kindly inform you you're not supposed to be getting along — at least you weren't in his imagined version of this occasion. Though he figures that'd only make him look stupid, so instead he laughs again and wraps his arm around your shoulders. "That wasn't verbal abuse. If you say it like that again, you might just hurt my feelings."

Opting to not pay him any mind, you continue engaging Marik in idle chatter and pointless small talk. And Marik, he doesn’t seem all that bothered by your presence. He might be enjoying himself, which only upsets Bakura more. Don’t you understand you’re the ones supposed to be feeling uncomfortable? Or does he have to tell you so you can play your part?

Maybe that would be an alternative if he was a more efficient communicator. Instead, as a woman holding a bouquet passes him by, he stretches a little and plucks out the centerpiece — a large, red rose — before presenting it to you with a smirk. “For you, love.”

Your face almost shrivels inside itself like an asshole. You think it might be the nickname, but it’s also the way you recognize the gesture really isn’t for you. It’s easy to tell by the subtle hint of him not paying attention to you at all and instead ogling Marik for the slightest twitch, trying to detect any betrayal of a reaction. Also, you stabbed your finger with a thorn while taking it from him, which honestly isn’t putting you in a better mood.

Bakura gets nothing besides Marik pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’re hopeless.”

“You,” he scoffs, pointing at you. “Don’t make that face! I was trying to be nice.”

“We met an hour ago,” you remind. “And most of that time, I was breaking traffic laws. It’s way too early for me to be your ‘love’ or to receive your ‘roses’, if that’s even their real name.”

“What would you like, then?”

“Your silence.”

Sneering at you, Bakura crosses his arms then and turns up his nose like a snob. “Don’t be foolish, the likes of you could never boss me around.”

You’re not sure why, but Bakura is walking you home. Actually, he’s not really walking you home since you wouldn’t have allowed that, and you don’t think him knowing your address would be a good thing, but either way, he’s following you. Instead of calling for help like any rational person would, you turn towards him and ask the one thing that’s been on your mind since The Situation. “So, was it a recent break up?”

Bakura halts and glares. He turns his head around so suddenly you think he might have pulled a neck muscle. “What are you talking about?”

“Come on! That was obviously your ex you’re not over. Why else would you act like this?” While elaborating, you muster up the most innocent smile you’re capable of, pretending you’re not aware of how presumptuous you’re being right now. You might break a boundary or two, but he’s also tailing you home, which is pretty invasive.

By the look he’s giving you, you can tell he wants to squash you like an insect. You’re not sure if striking a nerve was the right call, but then again, you don’t seem to make reliable decisions lately, if ever.

“For the record,” Bakura spits out, before switching towards smugness and turning away from you with another one of his creepy grins and shifty-eyed expressions, “I AM over him. I’m just doing this to irritate him because I hate him.”

Your eye twitches at his transparent lie, but you don’t push it. “I see.”

It doesn’t take you long to reach your house after that. Instead of bidding you farewell like a normal person would, though, Bakura smirks and takes some sort of dramatic stance. His posture stands way too stiff and straight for it to be natural. The parting words he chooses for you are:

“Lovely day, right?” followed by exaggerated laughter.

You peek at him through the door, looking quite unamused. “Goodbye, Bakura.” And you don’t miss the way he switches to (somewhat murderously) staring at the ground with a distant stare after your dismissal either.

“Why are you hanging outside my house like a creep?!” you yell out through the window, eyes still blurry with sleepiness.

“I’m not very good at texting,” Bakura says. Again, he seems pleased with himself and his words despite them being embarrassing. Still, you wouldn’t assume this man to have even a shred of self-awareness, considering the way he conducts himself.

“Alright,” you tell him. “I’m going back to eat stale bread with shitty butter on it. You keep it pushing.”

“No.” Bakura raises his index finger at you suddenly. “We’re going out on a date. I hear you mortals call it brunch.”

Well, that sounds more like a demand than an invitation, first of all.

You put your hand over your mouth, trying to hide your amusement. Why did… he say it like that? All he can do is watch you with tears streaming down your face as you try to pretend you’re not having some kind of laughing fit.

“Are you paying?” you ask him finally.

“No,” Bakura replies. “Heh, heh, heh, I would never!”

“Lightning and curses, crud, foiled again, etc.”

The moment you set foot inside the specific location Bakura picked, he waves at someone in greeting while giggling ominously under his breath and your world shatters. Mainly because you’ve had enough of his acquaintances. Or maybe you’ve just had enough of him, even if you would have to begrudge and admit he’s entertaining.

Marik is a nice guy, you know? He seemed well-adjusted, at least for someone who willingly went out with Bakura.

It’s a boy and a girl, and after Bakura introduces you, you come to find out their names are Anzu and Yugi. Anzu appears confused at your presence and your lack of desire to run away screaming, meanwhile Yugi just says, “Awesome that you’ve found a friend, Bakura.”

“Sure. I’ve found an amazing friend,” he answers somewhat mockingly before sliding closer towards you, observing you in a manner which you can only describe as lecherous. God, this guy’s so annoying. Marik’s right.

You scoff. “Don’t look at me like that. Friend.”

“Sure, friend. I won’t.”

“I’m glad to hear that… friend.”

“Why do they keep calling each other ‘friend’ like that?” Yugi does his best attempt to whisper, but you can make out what he’s saying.

Then Anzu’s answer, as discreet as she seems to think she is being, comes out even louder. “I think Bakura’s insinuating they’re more than friends.”

Yugi gasps. “No way!”

“Do you think he’s holding this person hostage? Or maybe they were raised underground like Marik and don’t know any better?” she suggests.

“I don’t know. They don’t seem to be intimidated by him. Maybe we should be happy for them?”

“I hope you know me and my FRIEND can hear you,” Bakura grunts, turning the pair’s attention towards him again. Anzu leans away further into her seat when she catches sight of his scowl.

“Are we getting this brunch or not?” you interrupt, sounding annoyed. “I got dragged out of bed for this.”

Anzu and Yugi glance at each other for one prolonged moment until they agree it’s maybe a good idea to order something. The atmosphere remains tense, like neither of them particularly wants to be around him.

He makes it worse by trying to feed you croissants in front of everyone. With an evil glint in his eye, he hovers it in front of your mouth, though you don’t react like a romance movie protagonist would. Instead of parting your mouth and closing your eyes, you stare at him in confusion while he brings it closer to your lips, as if to tempt you.

“What do you w-”

Seizing the opportunity, Bakura shoves the whole thing. You choke on the croissant and think about how much you hate fucking French people. You also wonder if Bakura is French for doing this to you.

Anzu panics, scandalized that Bakura would go back to attempting murder in public. You hear a mix of her So much for changing! with Yugi’s Oh no! tangling into word diarrhea, but you’re too busy dying to pay them any mind. Your ‘friend’ watches the scene with glee.

After some struggle — and everyone suffering from Bystander Syndrome or something, because no one even pretends to care for your predicament — you manage to spit it out. There’s drool running down your chin, and you try not to gargle on your own saliva because getting strangled by a pastry is already embarrassing enough.

With a broad smile, Bakura picks up the croissant you conveniently threw up by the wet edge and dangles it in front of Yugi and Anzu now, as an offering. “Anyone gonna finish that?”

“No thanks,” Yugi denies politely, still gazing at all his companions guilelessly, even smiling at you and the crumbs of croissant near the corner of your mouth, eyes clouded while you try to recover your signs of life.

“Hell no,” Anzu denies before grabbing Yugi by the wrist and dragging him away from the crime scene (brunch). “Let’s get out of here. Bakura’s doing weird things again.”

…

There’s a short stalemate, but after it passes — when you’re well enough to speak — you shift towards Bakura, nose almost brushing his. “You know,” you start, curling up your lips, “when I said goodbye, that implied I don’t want to see you anymore.”

“Come on. Wasn’t it hilarious watching them be uncomfortable?”

Yes, it was a little funny, from what you could remember through the fog of your health hazard. But you’ll never tell him that.

The third time you go on a date with him, between the few times a week he makes it a routine to stand outside your house and make small talk through the window (“I read on an astrology website that Sagittarius is apparently the most evil zodiac sign.” “Did you know the occultism of the past is the science of the future?” and the like), you think it’s going to be normal. It’s not a surprise double date, and there are no motorcycles in sight, and you’re doing something as innocent as going to the arcade. It can’t go wrong, you don’t see it.

You’re beginning to think your problem isn’t that you’re a moron, or even your impulsivity. Maybe you’re naïve, or perhaps you secretly crave the same chaos he does.

Everything leading up to it — the key affair — is uneventful.

He uses some more of his small talk skills on you (“Recently I learned ducks become cannibals when they’re bored.” “Wouldn’t it be fucked up if I had a knife right now and you had nowhere to run?” “No, seriously, wouldn’t it be fucked up?” “Marik likes getting tickled behind his ear. It’s kind of off-putting.” “Actually, I use conditioner. I hope you don’t think anyone wakes up looking this good.” and the like) on the way there. You’re not sure if you’re enjoying it or not, but soon enough, that seems to become irrelevant.

It’s always the stupid fucking claw machine, ruining everything in your life… Your life which has been full of pain and claw machine violence.

You spot him before Bakura does, and he’s easy to recognize.

Yugi from the damned double date and his star-shaped hair with crazy colors in it. He’s hovering over that apparatus of doom, doing his own thing. Determined not to let them be aware of each other, your gaze shoots away from him immediately.

“I want to play a shooting game,” Bakura once again demands more than he requests, but you don’t mind his pick, so you don’t argue with him about it for once. And then he freezes. And then he lets out one of those annoying laughs he does, and your jaw ticks.

“Bakura, don’t bother Yugi. Please.”

“That’s clearly not Yugi, it’s Atem,” he tells you with a pout, like this is information you were supposed to know.

You narrow your eyes at him. “Okay, fine. Please don’t bother Atem.”

“I won’t bother him.” You’re too quick to feel relief when he claims that, though. He shoves his fists deep into the pockets of his trench coat, and somehow hanging around him so often has made you stop questioning that fashion choice. “We’re just going to have a bit of friendly fun.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but your friendly fun is a little sadistic.”

“Only a little? You wound me,” he says with a faux saddened expression which makes you want to punt him.

He notices your frustration, and that brings a big smile to his face. Then he remembers he has a mission and strides up to this Atem fellow who looks just like Yugi. Mulling it over, you wonder if they’re twins. You also wonder why Bakura gets a kick out of tormenting men who don’t stand any taller than 5’3.

Considering you don’t want to get involved in this, you choose to stay on the sidelines and don’t follow him. Bakura and Atem seem to get into a heated discussion with many flamboyant gestures being thrown around, and at one point Bakura puffs his chest and points in your direction with a sense of superiority. Atem scrutinizes you with mild curiosity, but the moment ends quickly.

You can’t determine what they’re doing, but you think they’re competing over the claw machine. Except Atem wins a few plushies while Bakura wastes coin after coin only to receive nothing. He’s probably going to develop the same claw-machine-bankruptcy trauma as you.

Atem crosses his arms, and you assume this is when he’s going to declare his win, but Bakura doesn’t let it happen. No, the way he goes about interrupting his triumph is way overdramatic, in your opinion, because he punches through the protective glass with his bare hand. Then he starts throwing everything he grabs in there at you and mumbling something about conquest.

Conquest? Is he serious? Everyone saw his ass failing to win even one of these things.

Trying to get him out of his frenzy, you awake from your stupor while Atem watches this clownery with wide eyes and no commentary. “Bakura, stop,” you seethe, shoulders rising to your ears with tension. “Security will take you out of here and your hand is bleeding.”

“Well, take the fucking plushies then! I didn’t shred my skin just for you to throw them on the ground,” he counters, all but shoving his open wound in your face. It looks worse than you imagined.

“Fine, fine, I’ll take them if it’s that important to you,” you grunt in annoyance before collecting his trophies.

And you spend the rest of the day running away and in hiding. Later, when you’re home, you see he ended up on the news. They dub his case ‘Insane Man Throws Tantrum Over Claw Machine Scam’ and you’re mentioned as an ‘accomplice’ and Atem is apparently a ‘witness who refused to testify’.

Sometimes, you kind of hate your miserable existence.

___

This time, Bakura warns you he wants you to meet someone, which gives you hope it’ll go better. After all, the last three times you saw his acquaintances, you weren’t mentally prepared, but this time you’ve been listening to subliminal videos for positive energy and good luck for almost a week.

When he comes to pick you up, the first thing he does is ask you if you kept the plushies from the last date storyline, to which you say yes. You’re not sure what response you expect, but it’s not a squint of his eyes and a menacing grin before he tells you, “That’s good,” in the most intimidating voice possible.

“Yeah,” you trail off, unsure what to make of this.

On the way to his apartment, of course, you’re subjected to more small talk (“The arcade thing was nothing. They’ve never arrested me before.” “A few days ago I watched an avalanche happen in real time up close, and thought of you, and wondered if you’d survive it if you were there. But probably not.” and the like).

The interior isn’t the way you would’ve expected it to be. There are a few horror movie posters — of movies you don’t think are even that good — and a lot of nerdy merch. Your concerns that Bakura is some kind of role-player only grow stronger the more you examine his living space.

There’s also a boy who looks kind of like a smaller, rounder and friendlier version of Bakura, which makes you blink. Another pair of uncannily similar siblings?

Well, he looks nice. He has kind eyes, you think, unlike Bakura who always stares at you with a mix of wickedness and eyeliner. That must be who he wants you to meet, which is a kind of pleasant surprise.

Or at least that’s what you think before the introductions really start and you hear the details.

“So what you’re trying to say is,” you start with an eye twitch, “that this is your twin who’s also younger than you and has a different birthday-” he nods, “-and he calls you Bakura and you call him Bakura, even though you’re brothers, and Bakura isn’t his first name, but it’s your first name. Is that right?”

The… other Bakura is all smiles during this entire, nonsensical explanation.

“Precisely,” he snickers at you.

“Bakura, you have to think I’m lobotomized if you think I’ll believe this bullshit,” you spit, something icy lacing your tone.

“I’m not lying, but if it makes you feel any better, I think you could pass as a lobotomy victim.”

You consider telling him that doesn’t make you feel better at all, but you also figure it’s worthless. This has been a tremendous waste of time. The guy you’ve become attracted to — for some inexplicable reason that probably aligns with mental illness — really doesn’t have any redeeming qualities.

After taking a deep breath, without uttering a word, you tip your chair back until it creaks. And after a pause, you stand up and leave.

Some minutes of confusion without either of them reacting passes, until Ryou asks, “Was it something I said?”

Bakura snarls, “You didn’t say a thing.”

When you first go home, you cry a little, but you’re not sure why. It’s not all-out sobbing and there are no wails or anything — only a few tears streaming down your face. You’re also not heartbroken, or anything stupid like that.

If you have to be honest, you simply feel more like an idiot than usual, and that’s depressing. You thought maybe… finally it’d work out with someone, since you didn’t like any of your dates with anyone else since they were too boring, but now you realize you were a little out of your mind to think you could make it work with someone that dysfunctional. You figure he kept showing up solely to amuse himself.

Perhaps you had a “I can fix him” reaction, and you find it shameful now. To rectify this, you push all the plushies off your bed.

You can cut him off. You’ve always been good at that.

Maybe you’re not good at anything. You don’t know how you even got into this situation. Recounting the events leading up to this doesn’t help you feel any more sane than before.

First, you’d been moping around for a few days at work and dodging Bakura’s borderline illegal attempts to talk to you via trespassing until he understood you don’t want to see him for realsies and left you alone.

Second, you bought an entry ticket to go to an amusement park and pretend you’re eight years old again in a silly attempt to make yourself feel better.

Third, nearing afternoon, you got into line for one of the Ferris wheel rides. It was a long while of waiting, though, so you were one of the few people left for the last turn.

Fourth, in a stroke of unbelievable bad luck, the Ferris wheel stopped working. You’ve been stuck looking out the sliding doors’ windows to pass the time while they try to fix this thing. The sight isn’t even entertaining since your cabin was still near the ground when it malfunctioned.

When, from a distance, you saw a blob of white and… trench coat color in the horde below you; you felt a little sick to your stomach. Still, you figured it was a coincidence until.

Until.

You don’t know how else to say this, but you had to watch Bakura perform an impossible feat of athleticism while amusement park security and employees were screaming and, you assume, swearing at him for doing something so unsafe. It took him some time, but he looked confident in his abilities to pretend he’s King Kong, and he reached your cabin.

Now you’re watching him try to balance himself while gesturing for you to open the door since he’s too busy trying not to get steamrolled into the ground. You avert your gaze and consider it. It doesn’t sound like a good idea, yet you have nothing better to do. And with this conclusion, you do as he requested.

Once Bakura squeezes himself in, he does nothing productive. Crossing your arms, you glare at him while he poses stiffly in front of you, and you get the impression he’s not about to explain himself. Then again, when has he ever explained himself?

Finally, you bite the bullet. “What was so important for you to tell me, that you had to do this?” Your skin is boiling with anger.

“I have nothing important to say,” declares Bakura with a gesture of his hand. Your teeth grind against each other. “I just did it for the thrill.”

Now you want to throw him off of here, but you don’t twitch to do so. Instead, you snap at him. “Can’t you just go bother someone else?!”

“Obviously I can,” he replies in earnest, before realizing standing and sneering down at you is more awkward than it is intimidating. Then he sits on the seat opposite yours and smirks. “It’s just that you’re the one I like.”

“Well, I don’t see it.”

He lets out a ‘huh’ in genuine surprise, which serves to piss you off more. Like he’s been showing you how much he appreciates you all this time or something. You want to analyze his thought process in a lab. With dissection.

Yeah, lots of dissection.

“I’m not that dumb,” you say. “You’ve been using me to make these people you know or whoever they are feel uncomfortable for your own twisted joy.”

“Oh, come on. I didn’t mean anything bad by it after the first time.”

Slouching more, you narrow your eyes at him with a semblance of hatred.

“Okay, fine. I didn’t mean anything bad by it after the second time,” he corrects himself.

“What about that whole thing with Atem at the arcade? And the ridiculous story you told me? That dumb shit almost became my thirteenth reason.”

“Can’t you be a little grateful?” Bakura reproves, with an edge to his tone you don’t like the sound of. “I was giving you presents and trying to introduce you to my family and what-have-you. You’re supposed to value things like that.”

A little speechless by his audacity — as usual — you dig your fingers deep into your forehead, movements almost vicious, possibly trying to massage all memories of him out of your brain. It doesn’t work.

“Was it not entertaining? Be honest.”

“It was, but I’m not gonna settle for being toyed around with just because you happen to be funny twice a day,” you exclaim, dipping your fist into the material of your seat, then burying your face behind your hands. You’re concerned you might burst a blood vessel if this conversation progresses any further. You’re… You’re going to blow a fucking gasket.

“Wh- Listen.”

You peek at him through the cracks between your fingers. “What?”

“I don’t apologize to anyone, but you should forgive me, anyway.”

Cogs turn in your brain. At first you don’t want to do anything besides cuss at him, but mid-grimace you get an idea. “Tell me, then. What do you like about me?”

You admit, in a strange way, he seems hung up on you for a reason you can't understand.

You must be hallucinating now because Bakura’s face goes red a little, and his lips quiver their way out of the perpetual smirk they seem to be stuck in otherwise. “That’s embarrassing!” he denies, like you’re asking him to do something frivolous. Which you are, because you’re both overgrown toddlers.

“Too bad. Seems like you’re not being genuine to me.” You look at your nails, feigning disinterest.

“I like,” he begins, “that you don’t care and just go along with everything like it’s normal. Well, I admit I was being a little cruel at first, but I came to like you, anyway. I thought we were just having a good old time! Is that so wrong?” Bakura turns sarcastic near the end. As if you thought his passivity would last for long.

Is it possible that stealing, self-injury and trying to kill you are this man’s definition of a good old time? Judging by everything you know about him, you can’t say it’s implausible.

“I’ll give you one more chance,” you raise. “But I have conditions.”

Bakura rolls his eyes and pouts, you assume, since he doesn’t relish playing by other people’s rules. “What are they?”

“No motorcycles, or meeting literally anyone you know, or committing any crimes, or any other Bakuraesque shenanigan. I want it to be normal. The next time we hang out has to be normal.”

“I can work with that,” he grunts. Even if you’re killing him a little and these just so happen to be his favorite things, he can tone it down as long as you don’t feel you’re being used.

You two stare at each other in a rare moment of silence and serenity until he raises his eyebrows in contemplation.

“You know, if the next time we spend time together is after they fix the Ferris wheel, we’re going to have to go on the run again.”

#yami bakura x reader #bakura x reader #yugioh x reader #yugioh imagine #one shot

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infamoussparks · 9 days

Text

Chapter 5: Origami Smoke

Approx. 5,230 words; 40 minute read.

Eugene opened his mouth to speak when the door opened behind him and Delsin rushed to the side of Fetch’s bed. He looked panicked as he glanced over her and then back to Eugene.

“What the hell happened? I was gone for an hour and I came back to chaos,” Delsin looked frustrated and relieved all at once… it wasn’t a good look for him and Fetch sighed, pulling his attention back to her.

(Image copyright Sucker Punch Productions; InFAMOUS Second Son: Paper Trail DLC)

A low groan sounded and when hazel eyes opened, the light sent pain directly into her head. Fetch slowly moved her arm to cover her eyes and remained laying down. Fetch knew she had been moved and judging by the brightness around her she was now in the infirmary and under Eugene’s care.

“Fetch? Are you awake? How do you feel?” Eugene’s voice sounded soft but had a hint of concern to it.

She cleared her throat, “Like shit.”

Eugene chuckled in response to that. Fetch moved slowly, trying to sit up as the world spun then righted itself around her. The immediate rise of bile in her throat was an unfriendly reminder of the seriousness of powers and fighting with them.

Fetch hissed her words between clamped teeth, fighting the urge to vomit, “No, seriously. What the hell happened? Is Sam okay?”

“Yeah, Sam is fine. They’re on the mend in the next room over. They just said they felt a little nauseous and had a bad headache but otherwise all vitals are normal,” Eugene was already checking monitors and running pixels like a screen over Fetch’s form. They felt cold against her skin but the coolness was a welcomed feeling given her heated state right now.

“I feel the same but also like my body is fighting food poisoning. That girl had crazy powers… some sort of toxin in gas form. Did anyone recognize her?”

Eugene opened his mouth to speak when the door opened behind him and Delsin rushed to the side of Fetch’s bed. He looked panicked as he glanced over her and then back to Eugene.

“Some wild conduit broke in and poisoned Sam and I. I don’t know what she was doing here but she wasn’t a registered student. Sam’s fine, I’m recovering. No one else was hurt. I made sure she was away from the students when I spoke with her.”

Eugene cleared his throat and held out a folded piece of paper, “... and she left this behind in trade for Sam’s emblem. That’s how she accessed the warehouse.”

Both Delsin and Fetch glanced at the paper and gasped simultaneously. Delsin took hold of it and his jaw tightened as he flipped it slowly between his fingers. The folded paper was not just a letter, it was folded into the shape of an origami dove. It was a warning.

“Celia…”

Fetch watched Delsin as he spoke that name and he did not look happy. She exchanged a look with Eugene that read simply as, “oh, shit.”

“Of all the times to visit, Doves chose now? We are dealing with Stratego and missing people–This is ridiculous,” Fetch states.

Delsin goes quiet for a moment and the silence feels like an admission of guilt somehow. Like something else is also happening that she wasn’t aware of yet. She looks Delsin up and down and swings her legs over the side of the bed, readying herself to stand slowly.

“... It’s a lot. But we can handle it. We’ve done it before.”

“But Del, we have a whole schoo–”

“I know!” Delsin’s shout was quick and harsh and he immediately lowered his voice, “I know… and we’ll figure it out. But we can’t plan things out here. As soon as you are both able, meet me in the office.” Delsin meets Fetch’s gaze and she nods, Eugene doing the same. The gravity was sinking in quickly as Delsin left the room and his friends behind, the origami dove still clutched in his hand.

Fetch and Eugene release a small breath that they were both holding in when Delsin shouted. Something was up and Fetch knew it wasn’t good. She understood that Delsin was easily stressed when things piled up this way and right now–between the warehouse, Stratego, a loose conduit with an evil karma streak and now Celia back in town–Delsin must be at a breaking point.

“Am I cleared to be moving around?”

Eugene checked the monitors once again, “Not really.”

“I didn’t think so. But we have no choice. I’ll just drain neon on the way upstairs.”

“Fetch…” Eugene spoke her name so softly, so carefully and Fetch met his stare, “Just… take it slow for now, okay?”

“You know ‘slow’ isn’t in my vocabulary, but I’ll try,” She eased onto her feet and tested a few steps. The world wasn’t spinning but her head was pounding.

“Thank you.”

“Sure thing, Gameboy.”

“Do you know how much you mean to me?” Celia was seated beside Makayla within the confines of the small meeting space. Makayla was swinging her legs freely as she sat atop the cleared table and cocked her head at her rabbit-mask wearing boss before answering.

“Sure, I do. I’m your top gun.”

“You are. And you could be more…” Celia leaned closer, one hand reaching up toward her mask. Makayla’s legs stopped swinging and she seemed to be contemplating the offer but before she could answer, a hand smacked Celia upside the back of her head, forcing the conduit to sputter and growl lowly before looking over her shoulder.

“Stop being an asshole.” The voice came from behind Celia and a woman stood there, arms crossed loosely over her chest with a raised eyebrow and a scowl.

Celia’s form began to shimmer and a sound of soft chimes accompanied the shifting. From head to toe Celia began to shift into tiny mirrors quickly replaced by a new form of a man who looked just as disgruntled as the woman.

Makayla glanced from one to the other and then shoved the man with her hand, hard. “Orion! You jerk!”

“Ow! Jeez… chill out you two. I was just having a little fun.” Orion rolled his shoulder and stood up, moving away from the table and rubbing the back of his head.

“Well, maybe you should have your fun away from your coworkers.” The woman snapped.

Makayla sighed loudly, “Where is Celia, anyway? She shoulda been here by now.”

“She’s running late. I was sent in to let you know but I got distracted by my little brother putting moves on you instead,” the woman waved a dismissive hand toward Orion.

Orion grumbled, “Whatever. I don’t know why she put you in charge anyway. Makayla has been here way longer than we have, Lucky,” He turned his focus to Makayla and gave her a sultry smile. “And we’d be so good together. Think about it, Makayla.”

The green and black haired girl scoffed and then burst out into a ruckus laughter.

Lucky shook her head and relaxed her stance, “Makayla is absolutely not into you. In any form you take.”

“Yeah, Orion. I like real women. Go hit on someone else.” Makayla wiped the start of tears from her laughter away from her eyes, careful not to smudge her makeup in the process. Lucky moved to sit beside Makayla on the tabletop but never took her eyes off her brother. Orion ran his hand through his shoulder-length wavy brown hair and scowled.

“Fine. I’m not apologizing though. It’s good to stretch your powers now and then.”

“... How so, Orion Stella? What did you do?” Celia showed herself, appearing behind Orion in a flutter of paper that collected and formed quickly into her full self. Rabbit mask in place, as always. She was much smaller in height than Orion but she commanded the room in a moment. Orion walked back to the tabletop and leaned against it beside Lucky without answering Celia at all.

Celia did not wait for Orion to change his mind, “We have a problem. Two, actually. I need teams. The Stella’s will tackle one, Makayla and I will be on the other.”

Lucky sighed, “What do you need us to do?”

Celia turned her attention to the siblings, “Lucky and Orion Stella… I know the so-called ‘Heroes of Seattle’ are running the warehouse and I need help throwing them off our trail. This emblem,” Celia tossed the pin toward them and Orion snatched it from the air with ease, “... is likely a tracking device as well. Eugene Sims was always tinkering with something while we were together and I doubt he’s stopped pushing his powers in that way.”

“So… you want us just to run around with this little thing?” Orion was examining the emblem, holding it up to catch the fluorescent lights and turning it between his fingers.

“Yes and no. I want you to keep it someplace close to the warehouse that is easy for us to retrieve. And I need a distraction to lure out the Heroes.”

Orion tilted his head in thought, while Lucky nodded and stood. She tightened her ponytail of wavy, dark brown hair with the undercut dyed a silver color, then tucked her pentacle necklace into her shirt, “You have the coordinates, Ry?”

Orion glanced at his sister and nodded, “I do.”

“Let’s go.”

“Wait. I want to hear what Makayla gets to do.”

Celia turned her attention to Makayla, “You and I are doing more recon. I have a lead and I need your abilities to help me get inside.”

Makayla flexed her fingers, popping the joints with a large stretch, “Alright! I’m ready when you are.”

Celia seemed to teleport across the room and was next to the exit in a dash of paper pulp that was faster than seemed possible. Apparently, Eugene Sims wasn’t the only one who had been flexing their powers in the years since the fall of Curdun Cay.

“If we lure them out, these ‘Heroes’…” Orion called after his boss. Celia turned her mask to stare at him and him alone, “Can we have a little fun? Or no powers this time?”

Celia tilted her head to one side and then a hand pushed the mask up slightly to reveal her lips. She was smiling.

“Have your fun.”

The tension within the office was palpable.

Delsin was leaning against the desk, facing the couch and slowly turning the origami dove over in his fingers. His friends were seated on the couch opposite of him. No one was making eye contact.

Another heavy conversation. Will these ever end? The thought pressed forward in Delsin’s mind before he opened his mouth.

“I saw her…” The words were quiet, low. Delsin avoided looking at Fetch or Eugene, his focus on the folded paper twisting around in his fingertips. The silence felt heavy.

“Wha–what do you mean you ‘saw her’?” Eugene’s question was so quiet, he seemed not afraid of asking but of whatever the answer may be. “Celia? You saw her?”

“No, not Celia,” Delsin paused and placed the origami dove on the desk behind him. “Augustine. Yesterday, when I said I had something to do. That’s what I did.” Delsin kept his gaze low.

Fetch spoke next, her voice laid with confusion and heavy worry, “How is she?”

Delsin opened his mouth to answer and a sigh fell from his lips as he settled his gaze at the dusty floor.

“She was fine, all things considered. Vitals were fine and all that, per the doctors, despite being completely catatonic still.” He kicked idly at a rock on the floor. The small stone skittered across and ricocheted off Fetch’s boot. “She never looked at me the whole time I was with her. I asked how she was and she didn’t even respond. Not a sound… When I started telling her about Seattle and how Conduits are getting a second chance, she didn’t even blink. I told her, I said, ‘Augustine, you can have a second chance out there now. With us. But we need to understand Stratego.’ And I got nothing except my visiting time being over and a reminder that Augustine’s family was checking in on her every week.”

“A second chance? After all she did to you? To us?” Fetch spit the words and Delsin snapped his attention to her and scowled. A look of disgust crossed Fetch’s features

“You got a second chance. Hell, probably a third one at that. You’re like a neon cat with nine lives.” Delsin knew he was right when he saw Fetch grumble and look away. He turned his gaze on Eugene.

“You also got a second chance. I mean, look at this place! We all got a second chance and who am I to deny Augustine of hers?”

Eugene shifted awkwardly on the couch under the sudden attention from Delsin. Delsin knew the weight he carried. He knew it was hard to argue with the Hero of Seattle. He was correct on every front, and his upbringing of giving second chances and killing them with kindness was slowly showing more and more as he aged. The small town delinquent was no more, replaced by a more refined and mature protector of conduits everywhere.

“Okay… so… where does that leave us in terms of Stratego?” Eugene was timid now, and seemed a little hurt from the accusation. A little uncomfortable. Delsin removed his worn beanie and ran his hand through his hair.

“I don’t know. It seems like Augustine would know about Stratego and did what she could to protect that branch when the D.U.P. failed and disbanded. I have no doubt that she has records or paperwork or something that would connect the two groups together. I just don’t know where to find that information.”

“Give me the dove,” Fetch held her hand out from her spot on the couch. Her gaze was still laced with anger that bit through her eyes. Delsin passed the paper to her without a word.

Eugene sat back now, seemingly a bit more relaxed now that he was forced into information-mode and out of the awkward spotlight for the moment, “How can we help?”

“I need recon work, I think. We’ll have to dig deep into past files to see if we can find a connection between The Department of Unified Protection and Stratego. Then, we’ll have to follow that chain until we hit a dead end or find a breakthrough,” Delsin replaced his beanie on his head and crossed his arms loosely over his chest while he spoke, laying out a plan, “It’s going to be a lot of work but I know the answers are there somewhere.”

“Okay. Give me 24 hours and I’ll find something. It’s what I do, remember?” Eugene took his phone from his pocket and started typing something into it. Likely a list of things to do, Delsin knew him so well at this point.

Fetch suddenly slapped a piece of crumpled paper down on the desk next to Delsin, leaping from her spot on the couch in smooth, fluid movement.

“We have another problem. This was written inside the dove.”

Eugene stood now and approached the desk as Delsin shifted from his spot to make room and look over what Fetch had found. The origami dove had been unfolded by the Neon user and written on the paper was a message:

Corruption, indeed You know nothing of FREEDOM You must pay the price

The three power-users exchanged glances and Delsin caught Fetch making fists with her hands. He knew she had always had something against the Paper conduit but had never figured out what it was. With Celia quiet for years, he had forgotten to ask Fetch about it. Now, it seemed this new appearance was likely to stir past memories that he had hoped had been forgiven.

“Cool. Great. So now we can definitely add Celia to the list of issues we are facing right now,” Delsin grumbled. He was thrilled in completely the opposite way, “Let’s get a plan together and meet later tonight to sort through it.”

“Deal.” Fetch caught his eyes and she looked intense. She was definitely already planning something, Delsin just hoped she wouldn’t act before cluing him in first. Eugene seemed to pick up on it too as he glanced between the two and Delsin shook his head at him in a minor way that cautioned silence. After Fetch left the office, the door slightly closed in her wake, Delsin turned to Eugene.

“Keep your trackers up and focused on Fetch in another window.”

“You got it, boss.”

Night fell across the city of Seattle in a wave of cloud cover and flickering street lights. As the people headed home or out to dinner, two siblings moved along the sidewalk toward the warehouse, away from the bustle of the city and into the quiet of calm before a planned storm.

“Celia and Makayla can reach this thing anywhere we put it, they just have to have the coordinates, right?” Orion spoke quietly, his hands in his pockets and the emblem held within closed fingers.

“Right,” Lucky confirmed, “You can do that part while I mask where you leave it.”

“Love you for that, sister.” Orion cocked his head at Lucky, glancing down at her. She ignored him. He stopped walking somewhere halfway between seeing the warehouse and leaving the city in their wake. He had a prickling sensation deep in his bones and knew this was it–the hiding spot. He moved toward a large tree and reached up into the lowest branches, dropping the emblem into a nook that was hidden from the ground and easy to locate for the ones who knew where to look.

Lucky sighed softly, “I can’t reach that.”

“You don’t have to,” Orion grinned and marked the coordinates in his phone, sending a text to the group. He heard Lucky’s phone chirp to confirm the message sent and was received. Then he shook out his hands and his grin shifted into something more mischievous. “Let’s go have our promised fun.”

“Orion…” Lucky was staring off into the distance of lights around the warehouse. Orion wished he could hear her thoughts at that moment.

“Yeah?”

“Do you ever question what we do as ‘right’? Like, how do we know Celia is on the right side? Lately it seems like everything we are doing is for some payback scheme and not for the good of conduits other than herself.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Lucky,” Orion scoffed, “Celia wouldn’t lead us astray. Besides, if not for her plans we would be stranded in that damn warehouse, too. Don’t you like this freedom we have now? Or are you jealous that Celia knows the so-called ‘Heroes of Seattle’ on a first name basis?”

“I’m not jealous of her, brother.”

Lucky didn’t look as enthusiastic as Orion felt, but he dismissed his sisters’ face and immediately started shifting. His brown eyes lit with golden crescent moons as his body shimmered, reflecting the light from the street lamps. He became a million tiny mirrors that tumbled over like flippable sequins on a sweater, his form quickly changing from Orion into Delsin Rowe. The two were nearly the same height so that wasn’t as jarring as the fact that the Mirror conduit was now wearing the face and clothes of someone he was not. Orion, now Delsin, tracked Lucky’s eyes surveying the shift in full.

“Like what you see?” Delsin’s cocky voice fell from his lips to complete the transformation.

“Listen, if I could shift into Fetch then you’d have a problem, too.” Lucky scoffed at her brother.

“I’m sure I would. But for now, just try to keep focused on the mission and not Delsin’s ass.”

“You’re an ass.”

“I know. Let’s go.”

The siblings approached the warehouse and once they were close enough, Lucky placed her hand on her brother’s arm and her eyes flashed with silver crescent moons, her own power transferring a boost to her brothers’ charm.

“Good luck, brother. Let’s let everyone know who Delsin Rowe really is.”

Orion felt the power of luck settle into his form. It was always like a soft caress–good or bad luck–just a soft feeling that settled in the back of his skull and trailed down his spine. He knew the limits of his sisters’ abilities and worked within the confines set by them as easily as he did with his own abilities. It had always been easy, growing up together. The freedom to test and push each other both with powers and with their relationship. They were a force to be reckoned with, a mix of mirror and celestial luck, an unstoppable team. They knew everything about each other as siblings and as conduits. And now they were about to put on a show for a school of people who needed to be reminded that they were powerful. They were in control. They had the upper hand here.

The Stella siblings were about to shake things up.

“This school is nothing more than a means to an end,” Delsin crowed from the yard outside the warehouse. He made a big show of flipping off the building and attracting attention from anyone outside.

Lucky feigned shock, “Mr. Rowe, what are you talking about? This is our home.”

Delsin scoffed and approached Lucky slowly, like a predator stalking his prey. It was all play, all pretend, but Lucky reacted appropriately and started moving backwards step-by-step. The actions pulled more attention from the powered people around them. She was using her abilities on herself to blend in, to appear as though she was familiar and one of the students. Luck was a hell of a power and Lucky utilized it well.

“Our home? Please. You know who I am, what I’m capable of, right? I’m the Hero of Seattle! I set everyone free from Curdun Cay. I shut that place down. And for what? What did I gain in exchange?” Delsin was approaching Lucky with drawn out steps, his voice lowering. He noticed people closing in around them, curiosity and danger in the air.

Lucky sputtered, “Freedom? Safety?”

Delsin cackled, high on attention, high on power. And then Fetch appeared behind him. He knew because Lucky’s attention shifted slightly and because her eyes reflected neon in a burst of fuschia, the color bright against his sister’s dark brown irises. He smiled, this wicked grin across a face that wasn’t his. Perfect timing.

“You are a fool. Every student here is. Falling right into my hands!”

“Delsin… ? What are you talking about?” Fetch’s voice rang out behind him, her tone low and cautious. Delsin filled the space in front of Lucky so his sister was masked from the Neon user to his back, but he knew he didn’t have to do that for her.

Delsin raised his voice to nearly a shout, “All I needed was a place to have you all within my grasp. So I can take what is rightfully mine. I set you all free in exchange for your powers as my own!” Delsin lunged forward at Lucky who screamed (as practiced) and sent a ripple of fear out among the students who were witnessing this event.

Fetch rushed Delsin, grabbing his wrist and pulling him backwards with incredible force. For having been taken down by Makayla, she was clearly not going to let that happen on her watch again. The movement allowed Lucky to escape into the crowd unfollowed.

“What the hell is going on?! D, what has gotten into you?” Fetch was furious with the man in her grasp, angry hazel eyes glaring holes into his face. “First Augustine and now this?”

Augustine? Interesting. Delsin tucked this knowledge away for later as he cleared his throat and simply cocked his head at Fetch, “What? Jealous that you aren’t a mimic? Pathetic.”

Fetch looked hurt and released Delsin’s wrist. She slid back into a fighting stance and flared neon at her hands by her side, “Jealous? Of you? Don’t make me laugh, Smokes. Or should I be calling you something else? Delsin would never–”

Lucky was suddenly behind Fetch, reaching out through the neon swirls of power and pressing her hand against Fetch’s back, “Bad luck on timing. We’ve gotta go, brother.”

Delsin flipped Fetch off and started backing up. Fetch sent a single neon missile out of anger toward the man retreating and it blew off course so wildly that it crashed into the main entrance of the warehouse. The explosion was mostly noise and debris–Lucky had already cleared the area of students–but it pulled Fetch’s attention long enough for the siblings to get out of sight.

They tumbled down into the grass and dirt together, Lucky on her stomach and Delsin on his back. As he gasped from breath from the excitement, the hasty retreat, and the dramatic use of powers, a shimmer of mirrors reverted his appearance.

“Damn, that was fun! Great acting, Luckster.”

“We were almost too slow but now we have an easy way in and confirmation that the heroes are all here. Celia will be proud.” Lucky was watching the chaos from her safe place among the ground, “No one followed us. Looks like the student witnesses seem to be second guessing the safety of the warehouse.”

“Perfect. Let’s get home.”

Meanwhile, as the Stella’s carried out their mission, two guards hit the floor simultaneously as Makayla blew them a kiss of toxic gas, the green-hued stuff breathed in for immediate lights out. She had infiltrated the entrance of Stratego in a blaze of neon green, leaving a trail of sleeping watch guards in her wake. None of which were likely to have good dreams.

“Goodnight, fellas.” Amber eyes scanned the hallway now exposed from behind frosted goggles and then she pulled her black, cloth mask down to her neck as she signaled with her other hand–all clear.

A flutter of paper was at her side in an instant and Celia was fully formed a blink later. She was quiet, a woman who utilized her abilities in every possible way, one with the paper she drained and created with such ease. Makayla could only smirk with the thought of one day being as strong and powerful as Celia is now.

“Good work. I’ll be back,” Celia nodded her praise.

Makayla pouted, “What do you mean, you’ll ‘be back’? Aren’t I going in with you?”

“Not here. This place is for information, information only I can pull. I need to go in alone.”

Makayla sighed loudly and rolled her eyes, “That’s not fair. You totally owe me a mission!”

Celia seemed to chuckle but the sound was so quiet it was hard for Makayla to really recognize, “I do and if I find what I think I will, then you’ll have the most fun mission of all–to take down Fetch Walker once again.”

“Oooh… that is fun!” Makayla grinned and rubbed her hands together with the promise, “Be careful then. And good luck!”

Celia nodded and then disappeared in a flurry of itty bitty paper pieces.

“Here’s what we know,” Orion stated plainly to the small gathering of familiar teammates within the confines of their hideout, “Delsin has been exposed as the asshole that he truly is. Several of the students who attend this ‘school’ are now second-guessing their loyalty and have all the tools they need to be powerful without it. Fetch was not happy, but damn was she hot up close.”

“ORION!” Lucky shouted in warning.

Celia tilted her head as she listened and remained seated in a metal chair that had been placed in the center of the room. She waved Lucky to ignore her brother and nodded at the man instead.

“Nicely done. I commend your attention to detail, Orion.” Celia shifted her glance to Makayla, her rabbit mask giving a stoic and unreadable expression as she switched gears. Makayla straightened up in her perch on top of the table, eyes excited for whatever was coming next.

“Makayla Grayson, your next assignment is to lure out Fetch and disable her away from the warehouse. If you do this correctly, Delsin will not be far behind. Extra bonus points if you pull Eugene out as well.”

Makayla grinned and nodded enthusiastically, “Oh yes! You got it, boss! I’m so excited for this rematch!”

“Good. Do your worst. Have fun. Be reckless. I need you to make a scene,” Celia urged.

“Ha HA! I am ready!” Makayla was practically glowing with mischief, “I got the coords from Orion already. Did you get what you needed at that lab?”

Celia nodded, “That and more. They won’t be a problem in the future.”

Lucky spoke up again but this time directly to Celia, “And what am I working on?”

“I need you to watch the hideout. Protect it. Mask it.”

Lucky inhaled slowly and exhaled just as slowly. It was clear she wasn’t a fan of these instructions, but she understood the gravity of them, “Fine.”

“Dismissed,” Celia waved everyone away, however, Orion remained in the room alone with the Paper user. He seemed relaxed as always, but Celia was up and directly in front of him so quickly his eyes betrayed him for a moment with a startled look. Celia smiled to herself beneath her mask.

“What else do you have for me, Orion Stella? I sense you are holding back.”

Orion swallowed heavily and then offered his boss a smirk, “The heroes are working with Augustine, or at least Delsin is in contact with her.”

“Brooke Augustine?” Celia sharply inhaled on the name and paused in a way that seemed like a flight, fight, or freeze response. In a moment she seemed to shake herself out of it and instead tilted her mask up at Orion, “Interesting. Thank you.”

“And Lucky is jealous or something. She’s been moody as hell lately and I think she’s tired of taking orders from you.” Orion’s admission was quiet, like a rushed warning to the Paper conduit. Celia was stationary with this information and Orion shrugged as though he were simply a messenger then turned to leave the room. But Celia called out to him.

“She only exists to serve you. She amplifies your power, not the opposite,” Carefully chosen words, spoken lowly, hushed. A breath of whispers, pulling at invisible strings.

Orion narrowed his eyes as he turned and studied the rabbit mask before him, “Lucky doesn’t—“

“Want to be here? Doesn’t want to fight alongside us? She hesitates. She’s unsure. I know you’ve noticed.”

Orion paused and it was enough for Celia to assume that he agreed with her, “And what do we do if she defects?”

“She won’t. You are stronger than she knows. You won’t let that happen, will you, Orion? You desire it. Freedom. Think of all the things you could do without fear. Without restricting yourself. No holding back. Lucky is holding you back. She’s afraid of you. Afraid of your power. She’s weak without you, Orion.”

“Of course I’m stronger than she is,” And there was no hesitation from Orion now.

Celia moved slowly to stand shoulder to shoulder with Orion, placing one hand on his shoulder and rising to her toes to whisper into his ear, “You are. And Lucky knows you are my favorite. She is growing jealous.”

Orion remained still beneath Celia’s gentle touch. She registered his breathing as calm, calculating. He was folding into her hands like paper.

Celia’s voice was a breath, quietly directed into Orion’s skull, “I have a new mission for you, a solo one. You are ready.”

#infamous second son #infamous fic #infamous sparks #delsin rowe #fetch walker #eugene sims #celia penderghast #brooke augustine #infamous oc #Makayla Grayson #Hello Stella Siblings #Lucky Stella #Orion Stella #Lets go new powers #I hope you love this chapter as much as I loved writing it

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