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zecretsanta · 4 months

Photo

to: @goggles-girl

from: @mortellanarts

prompt: A reunion of Aoi and Akane post-ZTD good end

Extra gift!!! Didn’t feel right to have this as the main one because it’s a scene I was already working on for my own fic but I did make you a doodle (with outdated dialogue because I edit sentences. a lot) But yeah I love them here you go enjoy the sneak peek ^•^

——————

The first thing Akane intended to do, as soon as Carlos put down the gun, was head to the intercom. The only reason she doesn’t head there right away is because Junpei had been more concerned about going to them instead, checking the body, then checking the chamber of the weapon to be, thankfully, devoid of any more bullets. He was still very adamant about keeping it on him, though. Understandable bit of paranoia, which… she might have had a hand in embedding into him just a tiny bit… she’s glad to let him have it over anyone else here at the moment, so it’s fine.

Diana had actually gotten up there first, with Sigma in tow now permanently glued at her side, but she made the nurse hand the radio to her almost as soon as there was any reception. The excuse of her being better spoken was there for decor, no real effort into hiding her intention was going into it and she thinks Sigma can tell, not that he appreciates the tone she just took with his… partner? Crush? Spouse? Whatever their relationship status, all Akane could give a solid thought to at the moment was structuring her sentences on the radio just the way she had arranged with her brother.

Feign a regular distress call while using just the right words of code that he’ll recognize while listening in on the monitored connection, and he’ll know to intervene and locate the source of the radio signal and send a team to pick her up, like they agreed, and he’ll be here and he’ll get her out–

Before she knows it the talking is done.

The little bit of palpable anxiety that she felt start to dread up her neck vanishes as soon as she gets the last word in, certain that Aoi picked up the signal. Now it’s back to regular anxiety that she can easily shove down in order to not display any weakness.

Easier than breathing at the moment, practically second nature.

Turns out they’re still subconsciously dividing themselves into teams, more or less. Mira, Eric and the kid were the first to break from the group, off to the side of the building, at first trying to find cover from the sun themselves and then for Gab’s sake. Surprisingly, Phi had then joined them, uncomfortably sneaking past her own team and sitting down petting the old fluff ball as if he were a therapy dog.

Most urgency they might have had seemed to evaporate along with the dry air outside the facility. Any normal metabolism would burn out from a shock as sudden and drastic as having their already sufficiently overwhelmed consciousness jammed into versions of their bodies with absolutely no time to anticipate. And that’s regardless of any training one could possibly have undergone, a burst of adrenaline like this is bound to mess you up eventually no matter who you are.

What a ragtag assortment of people… Sure, they all agreed to work together now to save the world and everything, but she’s pretty much the only one here who knows the kind of work that implies. At least everyone seems equally and utterly fatigued. It is great news, as long as this provenly volatile mix of personalities doesn’t have any more energy to cause friction or implode in on itself, she’ll manage.

The only thing that is not ideal about that is how she’s included. God, she’s at her wits end. She’s resorted to counting the seconds until Aoi gets here to keep herself awake.

She is, afterall, oh so fond of this place. And this environment. And, best of all, the temperature. It was only the air conditioning that made the coming and going from building Q even marginally bearable. Even in winter this dress is far too heavy and warm- god– okay, where did Jumpy wander off to?

Having since joined the growing line of people forming under the sparse shade around the perimeter of the building, roughly 18 minutes pass of her trying to ground herself by indulging in conversation with Junpei. Who… didn’t seem to have wound down as much as the others himself. There’s a topic to disarm him though, sheepishly talk and tease about the ring she knows to be in his pocket, though he doesn’t want to bring it back out again just yet. Come to think of it, wasn’t one of the other couples talking about marriage proposals at the start of the week…? Weddings weren’t on her list of subjects she expected out of this venture.

Carlos is there too. She has to teach herself to be civil with him if only out of respect for the fact he never did anything to her out of truly bad intentions, even with ample room to do so. Not that she’s fond of people getting in the way out of sheer ignorance either. But, she has to know to cut her losses, and there are certainly good qualities there she could see as very useful to have on her side still.

Then, finally, the cars arrive. She’s already dusting herself off as soon as they come to a stop and of course a bed of white hair poking out of the door is the first thing she sees. Rushing out, he pulls her into a hug so quickly that she’s still piecing together the look on his face as her head rests under his chin. Considering everyone that is still here to see the scene, it’s a bit… much. But she knows she has to let him have this second of comfort. Besides, it’s not like she herself doesn’t feel overwhelmed and grateful for it too, a safe embrace after nearly a full day’s worth of torment. As always, she hides it better, but she clings on just as tight.

“Are you going to tell me what that silence was all about?” When he pulls away just enough so they can look at each other to talk, still gripping her by the shoulders and leaning down a bit, she can tell he didn’t even touch up his hair and, even more telling, had left the house without concealing his eyebags.

“At some point, yes.”

They agreed on several times for daily check-ins. Nothing complex, literally any thought she could easily send his way counted. How many of those did she miss in this timeline? What time is it? What date- Not that- it isn’t hard to believe he’d be worried sick over just one. It’s Aoi she’s talking about, afterall.

And she’s so relieved to talk to him.

“Ok. Are you okay?”

“I'm–!” For a second she sounded so enthusiastic she almost uttered the word, mouthing it but not quite following through the rehearsed motion. Hearing the affirmation crack under her own voice hurt more than expected, but still she cleared her throat and cheered. “–We all made it this once. No one’s, to my knowledge, currently in any need of urgent care… Oh! Right, ehrm… hehe, although we do need to clean up a little mess…”

The little twinkle in her eyes isn’t coming back anytime soon, but she’s trying her best not to falter, to keep the mood from dwindling.

“This- once– yeah- cool, cool, cool–okay… Okay.” The more her choice of words sinks in the more he feels like he dodged a bullet, the more he has to redirect his thoughts elsewhere. “Do I have to know? And what kind of mess are we talking about here?”

She coos as if she doesn’t get what he means immediately.

“Oh-! I don't… I suppose not everything would be relevant for you to know right away, no.”

“Good then.” He places a kiss on her forehead. Priorities. Right now he has to keep focused and match her attempt at levity until further instructions, that’s all.

The near heart attack he had during the time nothing they tried could establish contact was enough of letting his imagination run amok with worst case scenarios. Plus, popping up somewhere completely different in this desert had its own implications, he knew that.

His tone is still too shaky to really sound like a joke.

“Please don’t do the details yet then, alright sis? Beg of you.”

Not only does she look a little dejected by that but the way she looks over to the other people with her leaves an anxious unspoken weight on both their minds. For a second, her breathing goes uneven and she looks like she’s keeping herself from crying.

Not that one could tell just hearing her voice.

“Well, I beg of you to tell me if the air conditioner on these cars was running and if I can sit down without-”

“Fuck, of course, lemme just-”

Even though the desert air pouring into the vehicle as they speak isn’t ideal, the cool interior is just enough relief that she needed to get her bearings back. Aoi quickly pulls some water bottles from somewhere between the seats too.

Then she nods and takes a sip before speaking again. Gesturing more energetically, more theatrically.

And the weight is gone.

#submission #zero escape #ztd #999 spoilers #goggles-girl #mortellanarts #zecret santa 2023

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zecretsanta · 4 months

Text

To: @graceisprettygreat

From: @gorokiichi

Hello!! Here's your gift for this year's Zecret Santa--I hope you enjoy this! Thanks for the opportunity to write more Quark <3

#submission #quark #vlr #tenmyouji #graceisprettygreat #gorokiichi #zecret santa 2023

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zecretsanta · 4 months

Text

A Brother's Burden

Instead, Light tried to imagine a different scenario: how exactly would he react if he thought Clover was dead?

…He would pry open the gates to hell, drag the bastard responsible down into the depths, and force them down into the fire, holding them to make sure they burnt. Such was the strength of his love, such would be the force of his rage.

Was he to imply that Clover loved him any less?

or: Light during the Axe End.

Read on AO3

to: @wherestarsarestillasleep

from: @kayzero

Happy New Year Starsie~ It’s not quite finished yet, but you know what, that just means you get a delayed second present when the other chapter goes live! Hooray!

#submission #999 #zero escape #snake #wherestarsarestillasleep #kayzero #zecret santa 2023

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zecretsanta · 4 months

Text

To: @ultrabeast01symbiont

From: @ladylakebees

Here is my work for this event!! I had fun doing something regarding Luna and Diana, they're two of my favorite characters in the game <3

#submission #zero escape #ztd #vlr #diana ztd #luna vlr #ultrabeast01symbiont #ladylakebees #zecret santa 2023

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zecretsanta · 4 months

Photo

to: @goggles-girl

from: @mortellanarts

prompt: Junpei and Akane decide to adopt a pet together (and it doesn’t come as naturally as they would like at first)

I also made a fic for this one! I feel like the first thing that would go wrong is that Akane wouldn’t be comfortable taking care of animals again at all, the second would be that Junpei’s canonically an impulse adopter. So this ended up being more about getting Akane to come around about the idea in the first place (also many catgirl jokes at her expense lmao) Also about the drawing I imagine she quickly comes around to enjoying the little head boops while reading :3

Hope you enjoy!

——————

Junpei and Akane had gone through hell to be by each other’s sides. That was true, sure, but a few years into their ‘happy ending’ and the picture perfect act has begun to feel rather unsustainable. Not to mention it should have long since stopped being an act to begin with.

The I love you’s are very real… when they are apart.

It’s not as bad as when they first reunited at least, it wasn’t a very fun sort of tension like she vicariously lived through a little by playing June all that time ago. No, it was more comparable to the tension between a bleeding wound and the injured hand applying pressure to it. They both knew it, felt it, then let the matter join the many subjects which they don’t talk about. Ever. Despite the fact that they probably should.

As counterintuitive as it sounds, their counter to all of that was wanting to be with each other as much as possible. Maybe that’d make the pain fade. To get to know each other better like any normal couple, maybe a bit to prove to themselves they still liked each other’s company and that they hadn’t changed completely from what brought them together as kids.

Big problem with that is, the farthest thing Akane wanted for any of those outings, especially the rare ones where she was somehow convinced into going outdoors, was for it to so closely remind her of any of the things that brought them closer together at that terrible tender age of twelve.

Wandering into an animal shelter wasn’t the intention behind this little stroll. Neither of them even knew it’d be here- really, it wasn’t even much of a proper shelter to begin with, it seems more like an adoption fair. One that was hopefully backed by an indisputably good-faith, locally known and reliable organization– and not by any other corporate entity with history that she’d be tempted to add to her criminal record over. Every time Junpei tells her that the ever-present instinct to suspect and look into every little thing she comes across is bad for her he also fumbles and asks what are the chances she’d just happen to bump into that kind of huge conspiracy so often in her life without actively looking. She answers it’s always a non-zero chance in the end, and they risk far more if unsuspecting. That’s always when he drops the subject.

Though at a certain awkward distance from the fences, she’d elected to just go along with it and follow him for as long as the detour entertains him. It’s not like she hates getting to see the little critters around the place, she’s not that messed up about it, of course not… There’s even a comfortable amount of people around too! Which is to say, far less than there are animals.

There would have been an attempt to just keep walking past where this was taking place, if not for the fact that it really hadn’t taken long for Junpei to start playing with one of the dogs. Not that the rest of the pack wasn’t jumping at trying to grab his attention too, of course, but he took a liking to a particular one.

Noticing she’d stayed behind, barely budging an inch, his voice turns into that clumsy but cute stammering, like it always does whenever he’s trying to sound sensible.

“Oh uh, do you- uh… do you have a fear of dogs?” It helps ease her into a grin just a little.

“No. ‘Afraid’ isn’t the word I’d use…” She just doesn’t know what to do with her hands at the moment other than hold onto Junpei’s, which wasn’t helped when he suddenly let go. And well, it’s not like she knows the temperament of the animals just by looking and it’s really a lot of sudden movements to keep track of in just one place, it’s also not like she would want to risk bothering them when she barely wants to be touched ever without initiating it either, not to mention the space they’re in seems quite small– she makes herself smile again and tilts her head squinting, realizing she’d forgotten to ask. “Is… that a Boston terrier?”

“…Got it. Well, you are more of a cat person I guess. And uh- I don’t know? If you say so, then it must be? I’m not really good at remembering the names for these.”

She steps closer and leans down next to him, who is just sitting on the floor without a care, palms on her knees for support.

"It’s not like I hate pups just because I get along better with the cats.”

"Of course not, just look at them. Aw… it’s hard to imagine anyone could hate these guys.”

Avoidant as she may be, after a solid half minute or so of her watching him have fun she also extends her hand out to pet the dog who, while not showing clear distaste for it or anything, only goes back to wagging its tail when circling back to Junpei. He quickly took over once more when she retracted her hand, vigorously pulling his hands along the fur around the collar and talking to it in a jumbled baby-talk that was apparently really enriching judging by how it earns enthusiastic barking back, as if in conversation. Exactly matching all that energy that Akane couldn’t imagine keeping up with even on a good day.

Between laughter, his voice starts being directed at her again, even if what he says is more of a musing to himself.

"Wait, I think I’m beginning to remember what this little guy reminds me of…”

Oh. Only now? Come on Jumpy, this one’s even black and white as well.

That’s it, she’s got to mess with him now.

"You mean like… a wrestler? The spots on its face already look like a mask but I’m sure a fun little costume would be a really cute look. Clover could DIY a big belt spelling out ‘winner’ for them as well! Unless- or was it a retired wrestler…?”

"No- what are you talking about?! Everything that you just said was absolutely bananas–” Even if his tone poorly feigns appalment there’s humor in it too. "I mean- what’s wrestling got to do with anything, what the hell–?”

"You mean you don’t know?”

It was just ‘bananas’ enough to pull his eyes away from the dog and, apparently, being met with her expression looking down at him while knowingly and visibly holding in laughter, was all it took for it to finally dawn on him.

"Ohh— ” She starts laughing before he facepalms and, from the sound of it, he hits far harder than intended too. Pulling her partner to his feet by hooking her arm under his, she speaks cheerily only once he seems to have recovered enough.

"You shouldn’t touch your face without washing your hands first.”

"Come on, give a guy a moment, okay? This is an overwhelming amount of emotion to feel all at once…” It’s endearing to see him engage in his own variety of theatrics, even if only for the sake of unfunny jokes that she can’t help but be fond of anyways.

"Dork.”

"But hey, you’re right. It would be pretty funny to give him a little wrestler costume… You sure there’s no place for him back home?”

Home as a single stationary place still sounds so foreign to her, and that’s just the part she doesn’t want to talk about.

"We’re here just looking.”

"You say that as if I were a stranger asking and not part of the we in question.”

"Very well. I did not intend on being here today and I won’t indulge in what’s essentially impulse buying a living being, Jumpy.”

"Come on Kanny, what could go wrong? I mean, we’ve got space, we’ve got more than enough funds, I think it would be–”

”What could go wrong?” Sometimes it’s hard to tell if he’s being dense on purpose. “Do you really need me to say it?”

"I… thought you liked animals?”

And with that, it’s finally safe to assume Junpei’s chances of getting his tact back are long gone. Not that she thinks he ever had any to lose.

Flat shoes walk away into the fair, but that’s only because the best way out is through. Akane gets pretty far in before Junpei decides to stop dancing around the subject and puts himself square in front of her, blocking the way.

"Look, I never heard of a single other person who had luck as shitty as we did that summer. Alright? It wasn’t a subject I looked into much but even hearing from people in law enforcement it was a freakish animal cruelty incident that doesn’t happen often. That whole area had issues with that sort of thing anyw–”

"I never heard of luck as poor as I was left with that whole entire year.”

"Y-yeah, there’s that-” When they do bring up a subject that should be buried, there’s not much to do except measure the reaction. That’s what’s between them, if they can’t look away then it better mean something at least. "And… I wasn’t there to help at first, but I came around eventually. I won’t let something like that happen again.”

It’s sweet, he even holds her hand in his… but it’s still a little conceited.

"What makes you think I would?”

"Perfect! Then, we’re both in agreement. There’s nothing bad that could possibly happen and we can totally bring one of these guys home uh… if you two click?”

"Excuse me? At which point did we agree?”

"It doesn’t have to be permanent, these kinds of places do all sorts of trial runs, foster–”

"That’s just cruel.”

"Well, but it doesn’t have to be. I’m sure the little fella will love us and we’ll end up keeping them.”

"What if I don’t want to get attached to a creature with hardly a sixth of a human lifespan?”

"Did you want to uh, take a look at the cats since that’s more comfortable for you?

"Junpei.” None of this is comfortable.

"Okay, okay.” He puts his hands up in a mock gesture of surrender… before plunging into his pocket and pulling out his phone for some reason. ”… Here goes a last ditch effort…”

“What are you doing now?”

"Hey man, can you help me convince your sister of something?”

Before she can even begin to reprimand him he’s clicking his tongue and dialing up again. When Aoi picks up again she can hear even from the arm’s length she’s being kept at.

"Whatever this is about, what makes you think I could possibly be on your side instead of hers?!”

"I don’t! Just hear me out, okay- gimme a second.” He opens the video option in the call and turns the phone in her direction. He has a mildly confused look urging her to explain the situation but it’s a few moments until she says anything, because Junpei has a stupid grin on his face and they both know he might win this.

”…Junpei wants a pet. And we happened to walk into a kennel. Cattery–”

“Adoption fair.”

"And he’s being really stubborn.”

Takes a second for her brother to process the absolute nonanswer he comes up with.

"Oh.”

"Oh?”

"There are worse arguments you could be having out there.” Though Junpei wouldn’t be the one pulling him into those. "Guessing that wasn’t on your itinerary?”

"You think? Why am I not hearing you antagonize him anymore?”

"I mean, I think it could be good for you? You used to beg me for one all the time- until I said Santa couldn’t send animals in boxes with little holes poked in them for air like in the movies.”

She yanks the phone out of Junpei’s hand and turns off the video before putting it up to her ear, looking almost embarrassed.

"Aoi.”

"You’re right, you’re right– it’s a ton of responsibility. Wouldn’t be trying to convince you sis, I’m just saying–”

"You think that’s the part I’d take issue with??”

Akane takes off, pacing away from Junpei, wanting some distance at least if not privacy to continue one of the silliest sibling squabbles in recent memory. Which is completely fine by him, there’s plenty to do while she talks herself into it just to prove a point.

After a few minutes, Akane’s standing next to Junpei again. Turns off the phone and extends her arm out for him to take it without looking at him, pouty like a child while Junpei’s looking smug. This is like the first marital dispute he’s won.

”…Only if we come across one I feel is a good fit.”

“I’ll take that.”

Aoi and Light had recently gotten a cat of their own, though insistently not as a couple, Akane doesn’t really understand what her brother’s love life is like (and she’s grateful to be spared of the details) but they have something going on, why else would he move in with them after she decided to move in together with Junpei? Actually, she might have heard him mention that one of Clover’s coworkers found the little calico abandoned and she offered to take it in, so really it wasn’t even like it was his responsibility any more than the Field’s by a long shot but still… he was so happy over it, which used to be such a rare sight, that Akane found it hard to be a buzzkill about it by voicing what came to her mind.

In truth, it wasn’t just the rabbit hutch thing giving her pause. Aside from the obvious glaring reason for her to be hesitant to hold such a tiny creature in her arms, despite her love for them, she just didn’t think she knew how anymore. At this point she’s more used to stuffed animals, not that she kept many of those around either.

While they visited recently, she sat very stiltedly holding the feline in her lap, her brother went from gushing about it to joking about already having experience looking after a weird ‘kit cat’ his whole life. After she complained Junpei followed up on it by sneakily referring to her as ‘kitten’, just that once, and even if by some metric seeing them getting along was cute she’d have kicked them both if not for the purring fluff ball snoozing on top of her thighs. This was far more anxiety inducing than a plush, she noted, and it only became more evident each fleeting second, each motion coiling for breath she felt against her skin. It was so precious and so easy to ruin and her hands were too singed to hold it. The fact her body deeply rejects such simple gentleness despite it having come so easily to her once is a mourning unto itself.

Most of the cats they see around are cozily lazing about, some snuggling together, staring back at them curiously at most. She could genuinely smile at that. It’s calmer with none of them seeming in the mood for interaction at the moment. They slow their pace now that Akane is actually participating, the unexpected unexpectedness of the situation no longer weighing her down as much.

Though it was still a bit much, so they sat together by a bench for her to rest a little. It wasn’t far at all, it’s right behind one of the cat houses in fact just where it starts leading away from the event.

She’s so completely lost in thought that she’s surprised to hear a small high pitched gasp before even realizing it was a sound she herself had made. Then looking down at her leg she understands why.

A little black cat scratched at her leg, accidentally, it looked more like the tiny little fuzz ball was attempting to climb her leg. Well, technically not black, she notices the fur is a dark grayish color with tons of off-color patches when she gets a better look and she only gets that better look because it succeeds at its task. At which point she has to attempt to scoop the very tiny cat with both hands so it’s not at risk from falling back down. Only stopping its determined meowing when he settles on her lap.

"Why do they always choose you?”

"Because I don’t try chasing after them like they’re dogs, Junpei.”

"Hey, that’s not something I’ve done since I’ve grown up, okay? Well- except–”

"If you say I’m the exception, I swear–”

"Okay! So, where did this little fella come from?”

"I didn’t see…” She leans in and rubs behind the cat’s ears, earning a soft little purr of gratitude. The fur really is weirdly patched when you look close, it doesn’t feel like the coloration should be that way, the texture’s also a bit different. Wait, are the eyes not open yet? Or is one–

It isn’t long before an employee? Volunteer? A lady in a friendly colored vest comes to gently whisk away the culprit, she seems young and a bit anxious to have to talk to them.

"Oogh, I’m so sorry ma'am, are you okay? These little nails didn’t do a number on you, right?”

Akane gets on her feet to more steadily help the kitten trade hands.

“Oh, oh no, I’m perfectly fine. Really, I could barely feel it. Thank you.”

“That’s good.”

And that’s where the interaction would have ended if Junpei didn’t also get up.

"Hi, I’m with her. So, how come he’s popped up all the way over here?”

"You see this guy’s a little escape artist– every time there’s people around he tries to hide away from visitors by sneaking out into the desk with us, so… then why today did he decide to bother such a nice couple instead? What’s up with you?”

The cat is still trying to climb out back to where it was a minute ago, which the volunteer seems to know how to handle, though it’s funny to see it go from her arm to her shoulder then back to the other arm. A lot of effort is going into making sure he doesn’t throw himself on the ground. Junpei waits for a moment where the pace’s slowed down a bit to also try to pet him, seems to like him too.

“Aww, I think that’s a really good fit, actually. What’s his name?”

“Oh we don’t know actually, this friend was found without a nameplate. He’s made a name for himself but it’s not been that long at all since he’s been with us, we haven’t agreed on a name yet since he’s been back from the vet. Wait, did you say you two were interested?”

He looks at Akane for her to answer. She looks back with what doesn’t seem to be a look of aggression to the general onlooker, but they know he’s putting her on the spot like this so she won’t be backhanded about agreeing.

"Well, yes. If possible, I mean- isn’t the saying that the pet chooses the owner and not the other way around? We sure sound like we’ll get along, we both aren’t super sociable either–”

The awkward little laugh got to Junpei, who’s more comfortable with failing at humor in front of strangers than she is to even attempt it.

"He must have thought ‘oh these guys are off by themselves away from everyone too, we’ll get along great!’”

That’s just silly enough that she can look at him funny behind crossed arms and it’ll be an entirely appropriate reaction. She can only hope that’s the only thing that he sensed in them.

The kitten settled into a nap on the volunteer’s arms by now, tired himself out. Really is an adorable sight.

"That’s just great! One of you just has to come fill up a questionnaire at the table and a few more things, we can sort out real quick- uhm… I guess I should- oh right! So, like I was saying, this fella may come with extra expenses due to health complications, is that okay with you? Are you new pet owners?”

"The issue isn’t money…” “We are? New to it- kind of…”

“Oh, don’t worry too much. He’s all healthy now, neutered and the vaccinations all in order too, it’s just… it’s a little bit of a hard sell to some people since he needed stitches and lost an eye so he’s always going to be a bit wobblier than average when moving around.”

"A-ah… why is that?”

Akane’s hand suddenly has a vice grip on his. For once, the resolve in her voice is undeliberate, shaky.

"We don’t need to hear the story.” She turns away from the volunteer and her voice turns small so only her partner hears. “Can you go take care of all that? I’ll go get my brother to help get things in order before they go do a housecheck, if they’ll do one.”

"There’s not much there to cat proof I don’t think, but sure. Guess you’d- uh, have a better eye for that stuff… Also let me guess, you want me to tell you when that is happening so you can go to his place while there’s strangers over?” A smile confirms that. "Alright. But I’ll check in with Clover too to make sure you two aren’t skipping town instead.” Another smile, more mischievous this time.

"Oh no, my plan’s been found out.” First off, if she really intended on making an exit she wouldn’t bring it up to him first, duh, as if she were an amateur. Second, maybe this line of teasing can get far too draining, far too quick, so she changes the subject one last time. "Tell me your name ideas when I get back.”

She places a kiss on his cheek and saunters off. Does she wish she didn’t get shoved into bringing painful color back into a memory that had just barely grayed and numbed?

Yes.

But she wouldn’t have been convinced if she didn’t genuinely think they were capable of giving it a try. Maybe any place they stay at together will feel more like a home when there’s someone living there with them that isn’t walking on eggshells, that is just uncomplicatedly happy to have survived whatever it did before it ended up there. Maybe she’ll learn to do that as well. Things already are complicated enough.

#submission #junepei #999 #goggles-girl #mortellanarts #zecret santa 2023

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zecretsanta · 4 months

Text

To: @handsometimr

From: @juricha-art

Hello, @handsometimr ! 'Tis I, Juricha, your Zecret Santa this year and I bring to you some gifts and Christmas cheer!

Prompt 1: Anything Akane/Junpei, bonus if they adopted a baby Quark post ZTD and uncle Aoi shows up.

This one was the hardest to draw because I wanted it to as cute and cozy as possible, but couldn't for the life of me think of a proper way to do so. Christmas Eve. The tree and decorations are all put up, Junpei is finishing up the preparations, and Akane is trying to put the kids — their twins, Rei and Nova, and adopted little Quark — to sleep. But they are all too excited, because they know that Santa is coming tonight. So the only thing to do is to snuggle together in a big armchair and tell them some magical stories. After they fall asleep, Junpei finds this idyllic scene and decides to not disturb them, covers them up with a blanket and kisses them all goodnight, his heart sewling with love and joy. And who is that at the door?..

Prompt 2: The first Christmas Sigma/Diana spent together in Rhizome-9. My heart will shatter even more if Sigma's first Christmas without Diana is touched upon. But for Christmas cheer there's always Sigma/Diana's first Christmas together post ZTD, with Phi! I picked the more cheerful version this time, so I hope it's okay! I did my best to touch upon the opther timelines a bit, though!

Phi visits Sigma and Diana on Christmas and finds out that they are now engaged! They spend a nice evening together. But if one looks closely, one can see the sinister reflections of many a horrible end — and sometimes with some happiness found — they might have met sometime, somewhere. Thank goodness they could find a happy ending to their story! Prompt 3: Anything with Maria, any depiction is cool w me! We need more of Carlos' sister. I drew a festive portrait of Maria, because we never see her in-game. I kinda got inspired by Maria Robotnik, with all the terminal illness and somebody trying to save the poor girls and screaming "Maria!" stuff.

And I now kind of headcanon her to be a fellow Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 enjoyer, watchnig Carlos play for her. After she was cured, she went to Kurashikis' wedding together with her brother and made friends with Akane and the others. She got so inspired that she roped Carlos into studying Japanese. Akane and Junpei are proud of her. I think the pearls and the purple-pink colors suit her.

All three artworks were done with a new technique I picked up recently — buying alcohol ink and splattering it across the page, hoping it would not go somewhere I do not want it to go. Then coloring the pictrues with the alcohol markers proper, then adding a bit of ink, acrylic markers and pencil (I really like the Cretacolor pencil that I used for outilining Maria, I think it goes well with the lighter colors and not as overbearing as the darker liners) and editing them a bit after scanning. This year was a rather busy one for me, and I didn't draw much (plus was sick through most of December), so I feel like I'm out of shape. I do hope that you — and everyone else — like the end results! Also, I cannot believe that I've been participating in ZEcret Santa for five consecutive years!, since 2019! Thank you for having me on board for so many years!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to @handsometimr , the ZEcret Santa crew and the entire Zero Escape fandom! May the next year be healthy and productive for everyone! Love and cheers, Juricha.

#submission #ztd #handsometimr #juricha-art #zecret santa 2023

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zecretsanta · 4 months

Text

From: @gaulemtypefemale-dm-l-016

To: @ariespetal

Hi, @ariespetal and happy holidays!!

I was your zecret santa this year and this is my gift for you. I hope you like it.

I was very tempted, at first, to opt for Luna's prompt, cause i really enjoyed the theme. But once i read the C Team prompt, i could see a mini idea in my head and that's what i tried to portray here: a little joke with the pantry and rec room in ZTD, with Junpei head as the top of the Christmas tree 🤭.

I had some difficulty finishing the gift due to lack of time on my part, but, even so, I hope you like the result. It was a pleasure to make this gift!

Happy holidays 🎄

#submission #c team #carlos/junpei/akane #gaulemtypefemale-dm-l-016 #ariespetal #zecret santa 2023 #ztd

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zecretsanta · 4 months

Text

To: @kiichu

From: @stickiy-note

Happy holidays! As soon as I saw Ace in the list of characters you listed for your Pokemon crossover prompt, my immediate thought of Yamask being his partner Pokemon made me so excited to make this concept reality! I wanted to challenge myself to draw less cute than my usual pieces, especially since I didn't think I could do Ace's design or my mental concepts of the final piece justice in my cuter, squishier style. Despite the lineart stage being a bit more difficult than usual, I had a lot of fun tackling this challenge! I also had to add some quick, silly doodles to give you something cute as well and give me an excuse to choose Pokemon for most of the other characters you listed (reasoning under the cut because I thought a bit too hard about this).

I gave Ace Yamask because of its Pokedex entries and design focusing a lot on faces. This Yamask isn't intended to represent any character other than Ace (as sort of a parallel?). My vision is that the Yamask is not be able to properly recognize what its past face looked like since its mask is broken. A couple other Pokemon I think he would have are Venusaur (evolved from the first Pokemon in Pokedex order) and Rhydon (the first Pokemon designed). However, I'd think it be funnier if Yamask was his ace because I love when a small, cute Pokemon is the strongest in someone's team. The Swablu line's Japanese names are references to The Blue Bird, so I just had to give Luna one of them! I thought Swablu would make for a cuter doodle though (a few entries mention how it likes to pretend it's a hat). I had a lot of potential choices for Dio, but I decided on Purrloin for personality/Pokedex reasons. In hindsight, it's kinda funny that I gave him a cat when he likes dogs better. Finally, I also had a few potential choices for Carlos, but I decided on the most notable firefighting Pokemon in the anime. Carlos's Squirtle just had to wear sunglasses for this doodle for the Squirtle Squad reference.

#submission #zero escape #999 #vlr #ztd #ace #luna #dio #carlos #kiichu #stickiy-note #zecret santa 2023

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zecretsanta · 4 months

Text

To: @lesbidiot

From: @aciesvirtus

I tried my best, this was very fun to write and I'm sorry if I couldn't quite fit the prompt but I hope you like it as much as I did !! And have a happy new year's !! :3

Promise

The strong sandy wind of the desert, the smell of blood and the pure panic of the nonary and the decision game still remained on Junpei's mind, 2 months have passed and he's still there.The voice of Zero echoing in his mind, all variations of him. As soon as he closed his eyes, he was there in the lounge, in the deck and so on.

He turned around, the bed making a creaking sound. The clock hit 6 AM on the dot, with barely any sleep he decided to get up.

After a trip to the bathroom and a quick session of putting his clothes on, he found himself in the relatively cramped kitchen.

The whole place was a mess, he has never cleaned it up ever since he got the place. With the coffee brewing he tapped on the countertop, staring outside from the window in front of him.

Could the religious freak be really real, he thought to himself. Was it a ploy to get Carlos to set Delta free? His detective gut said otherwise, he firmly believed the existence of this person.

His train of thought was disturbed by the doorbell. Considering that it was barely 7 AM at this point, he was hesitant to pick up the door. Who would even visit at this hour?

Junpei rapidly moved himself to the door, clasping the door knob firmly, readying himself to any type of horror that might come his way.

Soon he opened the door to find Akane, smiling wide. She held up a small brown paper bag, "Good Morning!" she said chipper.

"Oh, Akane.." Junpei took a breath as he stepped away to let Akane in as she welcomed herself in.

"What are you doing here at this hour? How did you even know I would be awake?" A small smile curled up on Junpei's lips as he crossed his arms.

"A little birdie told me" She smiled as she walked over to put the small bag and takeout a bagel from it "C'mon, I got these for you!"

Junpei took a bagel from the bag and took a bite of the bagel he held.

Akane frowned "Jumpy, have you gotten any sleep?"

"No, how could I?" Junpei chewed the bite.

Akane didn't respond.

Momentarily there was silence, Akane's expression turned idle "I've been trying to track down the fanatic but no luck so far."

"I..." Junpei got off track as he frowned, gathering his thoughts. "I haven't been digging myself yet, I need to call up the guys for that. I should get to that soon."

Akane nodded "Don't push yourself, you need a break" there was a concerned look on her eyes, Junpei could tell with the way her eyes moistened.

Junpei pulled Akane to a hug, "It's okay, don't worry about me." he whispered.

Akane blushed, "Can't help it." she giggled.

"In the meantime, maybe you and I can spend this day by ourselves?" Junpei said, life came back to his face as he smiled. "An actual date?"

Akane grinned "I wouldn't say no to that."

With that, Akane pulled away from the hug and made her way to the pile of stuff scattered around the sofa a step away.

"I meant like going to a movie or something, not rummaging through my dirty laundry!" Junpei said as he watched in awe as his fiancé started to hastily sort through the spread out items.

"Jumpy, c'mon! This could be fun! We can cook afterwards too!" Akane said chipperly again "Besides, I want to know all the secrets lying around here."

Junpei sighed "Well, you won't find much." He chuckled as he moved closer to the mess to help her.

They started to sort the trash, before moving onto the clothing. Two piles of trash bags stood by the door as they started to go through the clothing.

Suddenly, Akane pulled a pink Calvin Klein boxer that was stuck under a coffee table. She blushed as she tried to figure out the words to comment on this.

"Jumpy... I bet you look good in this." she said, all giggly.

Junpei blushed as he grabbed it from her as fast as he could. "T-Thank you?"

There was that awkward silence as they stared at each other for a few more seconds.

"Well, I say we did a good job." Akane grinned as she looked around the cleaner living room which was the size of an average bathroom in a 2 bedroom apartment.

Junpei smiled, but was interrupted by his own stomach gurgling. He realized he had only eaten a bagel and a cup of coffee this entire day.

Akane tilted her head slightly as she turned to Junpei, "Are you hungry?" she asked.

"Yeah." Junpei replied as he made his way to the fridge to see it completely empty.

"It's okay, Jumpy! Let's go grocery shopping!" Akane held Junpei's hand as she dragged him outside.

They went to the nearest market and Junpei filled the cart with things Akane told him to get, and it didn't take them long to pay and get back home.

Akane seemed to be in a rush of excitement as she started cooking rather quickly.

Junpei was still restocking the fridge when he asked. "So, what are we cooking?"

"It's a secret Kurashiki recipe." Akane beamed but halted and the smile disappeared "Aoi used to cook this so well, he taught it to me"

"He must be a great cook, huh?" Junpei asked with an idle expression.

"Yeah, he is." Akane sighed as the water boiled in the pan.

"Are you guys not on good terms?" Junpei hesitantly questioned since he remembered the time he last asked about Aoi and got no response.

"No, we are." Akane grinned, "I was just reminiscing."

Junpei smiled back. "Alright, I'm done with the fridge stuff. What else can I do?"

"Can you slice these for me?" She pointed to the light bag of vegetables.

Junpei grabbed the bag and washed the vegetables, there was a moment of silence again as he started to slice them in silence. In the meanwhile, he was trying to find something to say.

All he could do was stare at Akane, his Kanny as she cooked.

Everything felt so normal, even if it's for a moment. The tragedies of the past, all the timelines he abandoned almost disappeared. Like this was how everything should've been, or has been.

But it wasn't, and the tragedies won't go away. The religious fanatic won't go away in this simple moment.

He sighed, trying to savor the moment. He feared that this wouldn't last long.

"Hey, Jumpy are you okay? You're going to cut yourself" Akane intervened, disturbing Junpei's spiral. "Here, let me help you." She said as she grabbed another knife and started to slice another vegetable on the crowded cutting board. "You don't have to take it too hard, you're allowed to take a break, y'know? You've been through hell"

"As if you haven't?" Junpei responded cynically.

"This isn't about me." Akane frowned. "I dragged you in this"

"No, not really. I'd choose this in any timeline." Junpei looked down on the cutting board and back up at Akane, "I'd put everything on the line for you at every timeline."

Akane blushed. "I know that but I worry about you."

"You don't have to, I promise." Junpei said.

Akane dropped the knife lightly and wrapped her arms around Junpei.

"Jumpy..." Akane buried her face on Junpei's shoulder, Junpei could feel her warm cheeks. "I love you."

Junpei smiled, "I love you too, Kanny."

They stood in the same spot for a while as Akane held Junpei. Then they went back to cooking, the air got more lighthearted as they goofed around and laughed while they finished up the Kurashiki secret recipe.

Junpei set up the table, which was pretty modest since there wasn't much to set up. He pulled back one of the chairs, "Here you go, m'lady."

Akane giggled, "Oh, I can get used to this."

Junpei chuckled as a response while he did a little sprint to his own chair.

They were silent for the majority of the meal, it was the most peaceful silence for the longest time ever. Junpei realised how good of a cook Akane was, which made him wonder about all the sorrow and difficulties she must've faced along with her brother after losing their parents at a young age.

Of course, Akane never mentioned it in primary school but he couldn't help but wonder.

Soon they had already washed the dishes and were lounging on the sofa, arguing on what to watch.

Akane wavered the copy of Titanic, the 1997 version directed by James Cameron in her hands as she pouted "Come on, it's very good!"

"Don't get me wrong but I'd rather not watch anything with ships or Titanic for a very long while." Junpei crossed his arms.

"Okay, what do you want to watch then?"

"I don't know, something lighthearted? A comedy maybe?" Junpei suggested.

"Hmmm…" Akane put her pointer finger on her chin. "I don't know if I know any, though I wouldn't mind it."

Junpei tried to think of something as well but he was also behind the movie scene as he wasn't much of a movie person recently because of how busy he has been.

"Y'know what? Trashy reality TV is always good." Akane grabbed the remote and started to browse the channels.

Junpei shrugged as he put an arm around Akane as they landed on some stupid show about construction.

A few hours passed after they had lazily browsed through one show to another, Junpei laid down on Akane's lap, almost asleep.

Akane brushed through Junpei's hair gently when she suddenly said "I want to buy a European Castle. I heard they're relatively cheap, maybe I can swing one." she stopped as Junpei opened his eyes

"Why? Where did that come from?" Junpei grinned tiredly.

Akane shrugged. "Wouldn't it be fun? We can play king and queen."

Junpei chuckled "It would, you'd rock as a queen."

Akane blushed then let out a heartfelt laugh. Her hands went back to brushing Junpei's hair.

Junpei closed his eyes as he stretched his legs. "I'm so tired."

"Go ahead and sleep, I'll be here. I promise" Akane said softly as Junpei surrendered himself to sleep, the most peaceful one he had in a long while.

#submission #ztd #junpei/akane #lesbidiot #aciesvirtus #zecret santa 2023

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zecretsanta · 4 months

Text

To: @classycorgiposts

From: @wherestarsarestillasleep

“Clover talks with Tenymouji and Quark in B Garden in the aftermath of Another Time End, after discovering who Tenmyouji really is, watching how he treats Quark and worrying about what about happened to Snake”

Stepping out onto the wide barren dusty landscape, at first you think you’re in the desert again. You’ll wish you were just in the desert again.

You think maybe now that you’re out of the facility, you’ll be able to reach your brother. There’s really no logical reason to believe that based off what you know about the field. You hope blindly. Everyone worked together so well to get here. You never believed they all would, and you were proven shockingly wrong. It prompts optimism.

Nothing. Radio silence. You still can’t feel him. An empty void where the mental weight of your brother should be.You’ve trained your connection over the last year, tapped into it more than you ever had. You’d reached a stage where that kind of awareness of him was practically constant. Ever since you woke up here and couldn’t reach him, you’ve felt untethered. Like half of yourself has been floating away.The sky is beautiful. Full of stars. Now that it’s so wide open above you, you fear that part of yourself will drift away entirely.

Your attention is quickly redirected from that unease to a new, nearly incomprehensible dread. There’s static in your head hearing Tenmyouji’s horror story. There’s no time to process it then. You have to keep moving to uncover the truth, before you ever got a chance to think through whether you really wanted it. You’re just being pulled along with the tide of other people’s momentum. You don’t get a say, or a clue.

There’s so much happening, so much to take in. Your head spinning trying to keep up with everything going on, all the chaos. Akane Kurashiki lunges with a knife and suddenly it ends. She and Sigma stand up again - his posture’s gone rigid and his movements slowed, something more like the old man he is and less like Sigma. They speak to each other and you don’t hear anything.

Why are you so still? Like you’ve stayed frozen. Phantom frost clinging to all your limbs, icy and sharp. She told you they kept you in a pod for 45 years.

Your eyes catch Akane’s. You knew her as June, but June was warm and emotional and energetic and false. The gaze meeting yours now is cold, steely, dull and intense at once. And a piercing cut through your impulse for denial.In the moment she looks back at you before she casts you again out of her concern, she nods. What does that mean? What is she acknowledging? Is that meant to mean anything to you!?

You… you should be yelling at her. You should be furious. Upset, at least. You should march right up to her, shake her, call her out, force her to make this right. You shouldn’t just let her get away with this. All of you, just standing here and letting her justify why she did all of this to you and accepting it -

Your whole body is numb. You sink onto one of the benches. You draw your knees up and burrow your face in them. Voices blend around you in darkness.

You feel like your brain is stalling putting together everything that just happened. You guess now you know it is. Time is in a gunk. You’re infected. You’ve had a lethal disease in your system for - you have no idea how long. Days. It must have been days, and you couldn’t feel it. Shouldn’t that panic you more?You dig your nails into your bare legs like you could physically hold in the shaking.For a while you feel like you just don’t think. You don’t ask yourself questions, don’t identify feelings.

What are you supposed to do?

There’s a rising, looming answer to why none of your messages to your brother got through, circling like a shark fin.

Slowly, voices disperse. The garden is quiet. Rustles of leaves. It feels like anywhere else on Earth.

Someone sits down beside you. You don’t raise your head to see who it is, don’t care to. Tenmyouji is identified for you anyway through his haggard weary sigh.

There’s a hesitant, awkward hand on your back. You remember the same sort of unsure movement after he inadvertently proved your brother was alive, last year.Not last year. 46 years before now.Very slightly, you lean into it. For a while, you sit with the background sound of Quark’s bright voice and Tenmyouji’s quiet responses.

“…Hi, Junpei.”

“… Maybe I shouldn’t say something like this. Considering the circumstances. But… It’s good to see you, Clover.”

You lift your head far enough to look at him, narrowly framed between your raised knees and falling fringe. Trying to recognise the face you knew. He’s so old. Skin all wrinkled and rough and speckled with little scars and marks. Have his eyes changed? Wearier. Deeper set. But… still him, right? You know Junpei, in the shape of his face and sharp brown eyes and rumply button-up shirts.

He looks so worn down and used from when you knew him. Somehow, you remember a day you went through some old boxes at your mother’s house, and you found a cotton doll you used to love as a kid all grimed up and falling apart. Her arm was coming out of its socket and her hair was matted with cobwebs. You couldn’t bring yourself to throw her away after abandoning her. Light scolded you for keeping something like that.

“You look terrible,” you mumble. It’s true.He laughs. Short barks. Genuinely amused. “Go easy on me. You haven’t aged a day.”

You wince.

“Er… Sorry. That was probably, uh… Too soon.”

He rubs the back of his head awkwardly. It clicks more in your head as Junpei would have done that too, than entirely this IS Junpei.

“Where did you go? You never called. You just left us. You -”

He helped you a lot. He was important to you. He was a lot of the reason you made it through your second Nonary Game without breaking. You won’t say any of that. You’re too hurt. You don’t want him to know by how much.

It’s really, really not what’s most important for you to address here. To him, this was a lifetime ago. Still, it’s the words that come out of you. It’s easier to look at what went wrong with one person than to think about the end of the entire world.

“Did you really spend this entire time looking for Akane? Maybe we could’ve even helped! You think I didn’t want a word with those two!?”

“I was a stubborn idiot. I wanted to do it myself.“

“I just… Weren’t we friends?”

You sound pitiful. LIke a child. You can’t hold as much shame about it when that’s exactly how you feel.

“Of course we were, Clover. Of course.”

A pause, and he begins to talk again.“Listen, you’re still very -”

With slow movements, almost on an autopilot, you unfold your body and carefully step to the ground. You hear yourself speak as if through a wall of glass.

“I have to find my brother.”

“Huh?”

“He could be in trouble. I’ll go look for him.” You speak slowly.

“Clover…”

"No, don’t say it!”

You snap. Loud in the quiet garden. Quark’s eyes go wide.

“I… I have to track him down. I need to find Light.”

Standing up, your legs still feel numb. Junpei rises to join you. Isn’t he shorter than he used to be? Frailer. Looking up to his face…

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“That’s… going to be a hard ask. Finding one person, if he’s even still… Trust me on that one.”

“I don’t care. What else am I supposed to do? If he’s out there - he’s out there! I have to find him.”

Light just can’t be dead. You can’t let him be dead. Not again.

“Junpei. Help me.”

He meets your pleading gaze with grief. Maybe for what’s going to happen, maybe for what’s gone by.(While you’re in denial, he’s finally beginning to hit acceptance.)Tenmyouji casts his head down with a big heavy sigh.

“…I can’t do that again, Clover. I’m sorry.”

Your limbs tremble in equilibrium fear and rage.

"Fine! I don’t need you anyway!”

You don’t know what you’re walking out into. You don’t have a clue where to start. This shouldn’t have been done to you, but - Wouldn’t you have died long ago if it wasn’t?

The world Tenmyouji described… If you were lucky enough to survive the first fallout you don’t think you could have coped with the aftermath. Never on your own. Your life was going to be torn from you no matter what. But Akane and Zero Sr - Sigma - they took your brother. Whatever happened to you, you should have had Light.

(You’re glad Alice is here with you. You’re so selfish. You’re so weak.)

“Clover, wait. Come back with us,” Tenmyouji speaks. “It’s not much, but we have a home. You’re welcome to stay. As long as you need.

I never thought I’d see you again. If you’re going to look for him, at least let us send you on your way. I’ll see what we can spare.”

“Miss Clover, we wanna help,” Quark speaks up.

Tears sting at your eyes.

"I don’t know what else to do. If he’s out there I have to look for him. I can’t just… forget about him. If he’s alive I can’t let him keep thinking I’m dead. I don’t - I don’t know how to live without my brother. He has to be… I need him.”

You feel small, and lost, and pathetic. A speck of dust on the moon, imperceptible to anyone. You’re shivering. Someone reaches out.

You’ll find yourself back in a spacesuit, pod doors opening to bring you to a world you won’t be able to recognise.

“So, you knew Grandpa a really long time ago, right? He never talks about when he was young. You can tell me all the stories about him.”

Quark’s voice is bright and unhindered. He has no idea of the scale of what he never had. But… It seems like he’s okay with what he does.

Next to him stands Junpei, and on your left is Alice. Alice has even less than you do now, but you’re certain she’ll pull something together. You need to prove to her you can be strong this time.

It’s not a miraculous, against-all-odds outcome that you have people you know with you past the end of the world. You’re all only here because this was committed against you by the same woman who put you through a death game once before. And by the same woman who’s kept you alive, if lifeless.

You don’t know where you’re going. You don’t know how you’ll do it. You could be gone tomorrow.

But at least you have somewhere to start.

#submission #vlr #clover #tenmyouji #quark #classicorgiposts #wherestarsarestillasleep #zecret santa 2023

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