Mini Fic - Tumblr Posts

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He is half of my soul, as the poets say...

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A Jewel of Life Mini fic

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It was late afternoon in Michina. Damos was in a deep discussion with Markus about the new agriculture technique in the hillsides, something picked up from a few new residents from Johto. It would further widen their already prosperous farmlands, which where said to be rivaling those found in Kanto.

" The Kingdom of Dahara is interested in trade now, I think we've succeeded in surpassing the expectations of the Celestian capital. They didn't think such a rural territory would become part of the trade route with Arche Valley."

" Indeed." Replied Markus, petting Heatran absent-mindedly. " I shall send notice to my father that we intend to export. He'll be pleased."

" The temple is already finished with it's restorations. There are busts of the former..."

The young emperor tuned out the rest of the news from Damos with some boredom. But it wasn't unwelcome boredom. This town was growing, it was becoming part of the trade route, and everything he feared would happen when Arceus requested the return of the Jewel of Life, didn't happen at all. The only things that were damaged was the temple and his pride. Sure he improved greatly after that incident a few years ago, but he had a lot of amends to pay to his people and his family. His father was furious when he learned he attempted to kill Arceus. Markus was fearful he'd be disowned, but thankfully got to a second chance...no thanks to Damos.

It was why now, he made Damos not just his highest tier priest but also a trusted advisor in the court. And so far everything was going along fine. Better than fine.

So why was he anxious?

" ...And the return of him will be greatly celebrated."

"Hmm..?" Markus snapped out of it. " Return of who?"

" Arceus. He's returning in 3 days, as was shared by his messengers with the temple priestesses." Explained Damos " Shall we hold a feast day in his honor?"

Well there it is.

There's the source of his anxiety.

Dear gods...how was going to face Arceus after the stunt he pulled. Everyone and their pokemon knew the Alpha held grudges that lasted for centuries. He only had to turn to the stories of Arceus banishing his own child to know that you don't simply piss off Arceus and think you can get away with it.

" Yes, yes...a feast day would be appropriate. However, I have duties to attend to..." He struggled with an excuse " Royal duties to...trade relations with Alola. I may need to visit the capital to discuss it with my father."

Damos lifted an eyebrow. " I wasn't aware those were your duties, or that we were going to start trading with Alola."

Markus frowned and stood from his seat. " An emperor has many duties! I will not be present at the feast day, give my regards to Arceus."

" Very well, tis a shame you will not be present at the festivities, but I respect your dedication to your duties, your highness." Replied Damos

With that Markus thanked Damos for his time and walked out to the hall, likely to his study or bedchambers, and Damos was left standing in the large courtroom flanked by many of the gods, the most prominent at the center. It's red ruby and emerald eyes sparkling in the sunlight. Damos smiled gently, recalling the last time he and Arceus spoke together.

" Tis a shame...but it only means I get to spend more private time with a dear old friend."

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Those three days went by. Too quickly for Markus, who was already enroute toward the capital, but too slow for Damos who was anticipating Arceus's arrival. Damos changed out of his usual attire, wearing his traditional priest robes. They were offwhite, with sky blue detailing, golden embroidery, and a black sash tied at the waist of his tunic. He looked at the mirror. Something still seemed off.

His wife, Areti, teased him about putting more effort into dressing up for Arceus than when he first courted her. Damos blushed, but then quickly responded that Arceus was the Alpha God of their pantheon, and he wanted to look his best. Areti fixed up Damo's headband.

" I know, darling, I only jest. I know how important this day is, and it's an honor that Arceus grace us with his presence. And I know how close you two were. I'm sure you missed him."

Damos frowned. " I only hope he remembers me. It's been a few years now."

Areti huffed and re-tied her husband's sash, it wasn't straight. " He'd have to a very stupid god to not remember the one who saved his life."

" Dear, that's a little blasphemous to say." Damos said in a hushed tone.

" I say it only because it would be true. However I have no doubt he'll remember you fondly. There..."

She stepped back to admire her beautiful husband, looking like he did on some of the holiest of days. " Too bad you don't dress like that just for me, you know how I've always loved men in uniform."

" I would honor that request, but the uniform would not last long under your nimble fingers." He said in suggestive way, before scooping her up and placing her on their bed. She laughed as she pulled her down with her.

" Is that an invitation for tonight?"

He kissed her. Their own private quiet way of promising something. She kissed him in return to seal that promise. They lingered a bit until he got up, and smoothed his robes once more. She got up to once again re-tie his sash, it just did not want to lay straight.

" I will be out late, are you sure you want to wait all that time?" He asked

" I'd wait all night and morning for you, dearest." She added " Since I am celebrating at my cousin's home, I might be late coming back myself. You know how she is as a host. Always outdoing herself."

" Yes" he said knowingly " I hope you have a good time."

He smiled softly, giving her a last kiss as he headed toward the door.

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The festivities were already underway as Damos approached the stage in front of the temple. Torches lit, garlands hung, people danced, and music played as a golden likeness of Arceus, raised on his hind legs, sat in the front, strewn with flowers, candles, and other offerings. Damos had hoped the feast was a tad more somber, but he wasn't going to be a wet blanket. The more somber aspects of this were on his shoulders after all.

He was startled as the music abruptly stopped, a few shouts and cries were uttered as an impossibly bright light, like a small sun, burst forth from what seemed like a hole in reality. He need only shield his eyes for a few seconds as the light faded, revealing the guest of honor. Once again, Damos was awestruck by Arceus's presence, just like the day they met and their meeting after. It was a heavenly sight he likely would never get over. Like everyone around, he bowed then raised his head.

" We're honored you could visit us tonight, my lord."

Arceus spotted Damos and wordlessly floated toward him, prehaps a bit too quickly, as Damos instinctively stepped back. Their eyes met, and everyone's surprise, Arceus lightly bowed his head to him.

" And it is an honor to see you again, Damos."

Damos shivered when he heard his name. He wasn't sure why. It just felt right that he be addressed personally this way. But Damos wouldn't break decorum, he was a priest, Arceus was a god...there were boundaries that couldn't be crossed, even if they were good friends. It was the same with Markus. They had roles to play even if they were friends now. Informalities between them had to wait when they were out of the public eye.

" This feast day is in your honor, our biggest bounty from our fields to you, our savior. May Michina never forget what you've done for us."

There were cheers and happy sounds from the crowd below and once again the music played, people danced. But Arceus stayed silent. There was something different about Damos behavior, it didnt have that warmth he was use to, and for a fleeting moment he feared Damos was under someone's influence again. As Damos gestured for him to enter the temple, a dread washed over Arceus. This was horribly familiar and the god backed up, knocking over poles holding garlands with his tail, it landed on a table full of fruit, which went flying everywhere.

" Ah! Arceus! Are you alright?" Cried Damos, quickly walking down the steps.

Arceus lifted up further from the festivities to not cause anything else to fall, but the fear was still there. He was tense, and Damos was quick to pick this up.

" My lord, prehaps you should rest? There is a berth we made for you in the gardens below. I'll send for any food or drink to be delivered to you if you wish."

Again, Arceus felt uneasy with Damo's behavior. Why was he being so formal? But he followed Damos this time, as at least he'd be outside... in case...in case something went wrong.

The party goers continued in their revel, taking the mishap as Arceus simply needing a bit of rest before joining in. The two headed down to the berth, created out of sweet fragrant grass, flowers, and sheltered by thin sheets for privacy. It was here Damos broke the silence.

" You're quiet tonight, are you alright?"

Ah...There was the warmth Arceus knew. Finally he spoke.

" I should ask that of you, Damos. You don't seem like yourself."

" Huh? Oh...right. About that. Sorry. You see as a priest, I have to show you proper reverence in your presence. It would be disrespectful if I didnt."

" We've spoken of that before, you need not do that. Only to be yourself."

" That might be true when we're alone, Arceus, but in public, I can't. Not without facing a lot of backlash from the community."

" Is this part of your human rules?" Arceus mused. Humans had a terrible habit of over complicating everything.

" I'm afraid so. But not right now.." Damos said in a hushed whisper, as if he was a child about to tell a secret " ..It's only us, here. We can be as informal as we like."

And to prove it, Damos touched Arceus's fur on the side of his neck. Something that would be taboo to do to a deity, but Arceus loved this. If his pride wasn't stopping him, he'd admit to being very touch starved. He leaned into Damo's hands as they rubbed at his neck and soon under his chin. This was always followed by him bumping Damo's hand up, to get at his ears until his head was cradled in his hands, eyes closed. It was a sign of absolute trust, and it made Damos feel so honored each time it happened, that a deity such as Arceus would want this sort of attention. But then..God or mortal, everyone needed to feel like they were loved.

And Damos would show him that love.

" It's been so long, Damos, and you have grown older. I do not wish to lose you to time." Said Archer tenderly. " I do not wish to let it take you from me."

" That's the nature of things, I'm afraid. But you are right, it has been a few years too long since our last meeting, and I'm not getting any younger."

" I should stay here, with you." Said Arceus " To be near you, beloved."

And there it was again. That pleasant shiver.

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Oh yeah that makes sense, especially since James(?) doesn't have natural healing?? So it's natural the S-0 Gems would be cautious for him. I'm sure he appreciates it deep down.

But now that we KNOW this... any hurt/comfort moments where he actually got significantly hurt and scared the gems?

Figured I’d answer this one in a text/one-shot since I have zero idea what to draw for this ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (For reference, Larimar kinda flip flops around being called by his gem name or just Dan. Also I’m not that good at writing battles soooo…)

It was supposed to be just a simple mission. In and out, 20 minute adventure.

God forbid anything goes as planned.

But James knew he could handle it. He always has. He earned himself a few scratches and cuts already, but that never stopped him before. Why now?

James, Squid, and Dan embarked on a small mission to a colony-turned-(now abandoned-) rebel safehouse. Justin found what seemed to be an SOS signature in the area, and the three volunteered to go check if there were any gems still in one piece… or not corrupted. It was rare to see more than one gem going into a mission that menial, but none of them could agree on who would go, so they all went.

it turned out that signature was a faulty reading. There wasn’t a single live gem in the area, just shards and the corrupted.

speaking of the corrupted, the place was crawling with them. Combine that with the sharp, slimy, parasitic nuisances that are Crystal Shrimp, and before the squad knew it, they were surrounded.

“Stars, just HOW many Crystal Shrimp are crawling in this place!? I’m half convinced there’s a neat nearby,” Squid exclaimed, using water to slam a corrupted gem into a nearby wall.

“THAT’S what you’re worried about!?” Dan yelled as he poofed a few smaller ones, their gems clinking onto the ground like dropped jewelry. He took the time to bubble them and send them off before going to the next enemy.

“Yeah, like, they’re so small, how could these things hurt yo-AGH! GET OFF!” James scoffed before jumping back as a shrimp bit him in the ankle. He was so busy getting the swarm off of him and keeping them from chewing through his jacket, that once he got the last one off, he was painfully launched into a wall and pinned there by a large quartz monster. He was gonna feel that one in the morning.

“JAMES! Hang on, give me a second!” Larimar struggled while fighting his own beasts, but got an opening to fire a projectile of ice into the quartz’s leg. It simply shook it off as if it was just some dust bunny on its fur, but turned back to James and slashed his shoulder before trying to bite him. He held back the creature’s powerful jaws with his Destabilizer Rod.

“Nrrgh-! Bad gem! Bad gem!”

James kicked it back before getting on top of it and trying to wrangle it to stay still. It was a dumb idea but the only idea available. It thrashed him about as he desperately gripped on its thick hide.

“Guys!! A little help here!?”

Squid ran over and let his water tentacles get a firm grip on it, but not before the monster bucked James off and drove him into the ground. While squid attempted to hold it back, he motioned for Dan to check on James. “Are you alright?- Oh stars, you’re bleeding!” Dan freaked out in concern as he helped an extremely battered and bruised James to his feet.

“I- I’m fine… I’m good…” James mumbled in a half- daze.

“You’re clearly not. Just let us finish this off and you sit out.”

“What? No! You guys can’t take that thing on alone!”

“DAN’S RIGHT, JAMES! WE’VE GOT THIS UNDER CONT-“ Squid was cut off by being thrown to the side by the large quartz.

James huffed, but then picked up his staff and said, “screw it.”

“James, don’t you DARE-“ Dan tried to stop him, but James was already too close to the beast. He toughed through numerous slashes towards him and flanked the beast. He dug the operating end of his destabilizer rod into the hide of the beast, holding strong as he was thrashed around, until finally, it poofed.

Larimar and Squid immediately ran to James, and their gems nearly shut down when they saw he was bleeding, scratched everywhere, and wasn’t moving.

“James!? JAMES!? No no no, c’mon, wake up, buddy!” Squid said as he tried to shake him awake, but to no avail. Dan checked his pulse.

“He’s still alive, just unconscious.” Dan confirmed and both gems let out a sigh of relief, that is before that relief turned to annoyance.

“What the hell was he thinking!? He could’ve died!” Squid growled.

“We’ll talk to him about it later,” Larimar gently picked him up (bridal style, which is the way he subconsciously picks everyone up, but never associates it with love,) “For now, we take him back to base and let Taaffetite deal with him.”

“Yeah, Tiff’s always got the best stuff for humans and gems, I think she can handle him if he’s a mix. So who do you think she’s gonna be more mad at when we drag him back home, him or us? I’d say him.”

“Don’t bet on it.” Dan chuckled softly.

how is a perfect cut lapis different than a regular lapis? also squid lore.. how did he end up in stampy's court?

A perfect cut lapis is usually bigger than a regular lapis, containing darker and richer colors and a bunch more Pyrite in their form (the gold stuff in Lapises.) (Or can it be Lapi?)

as for the other question… I’d like to tell you a story about the Sun and the Moon. (Ft. Pre-rebellion Squid and his longer hair.)

(NOT A SHIP I REPEAT NOT A SHIP.)

The sun shone as bright as day, but his eyes were set on a moon. A little blue rock that broke out the Earth was nowhere near the prestige of the sun, but the sun didn’t care. The way the dust on that thing glittered in his rays and that warm smile on such a cold seeming gem was all the Sun needed. Every time the Moon and Sun were seen together, it created a spectacular show for all to see the science of opposites. The Moon and Sun told each other all their woes. The Moon was little and weak compared to the sun, but for once in the Sun’s court’s history, it felt like they didn’t need to worry about the caste system in place. Of course, the Sun had duties to do for the well-being of him and his Sibling’s empire, so he eventually helped rain down destruction on the Earth to end a terrible war. The Moon was so distraught it caused him to flee from the Sun, sticking close to the ruined Earth. His very emotions pulled the tides like a hurricane when it all happened, seeing his companions and kin, scattered and malformed, if not shattered into fine dust…

He would never forgive his radiant Sun for what he did.

And yet…

The Sun felt an empty void after the Moon fled, and the Moon wishes he didn’t feel the same.

…It’s been too long since the last eclipse.

Og Yellow Diamond! Stampy design by

@ingapotejtoo

Little mini-fic for Fengqing 💜

Modern AU

Word count: 1075

TW: alcohol mention

Mu Qing crosses one leg over the other as he settles in on Hua Cheng's ridiculously comfortable loveseat. He smooths down the fabric of his pants and pretends to inspect his nails, while in actuality he's assessing the scene around him.

Shi Qingxuan is animatedly talking to He Xuan on the couch opposite from Mu Qing, her legs thrown over the man's lap as her hands move excitedly with each indecipherable word. How anyone understands her fast-paced speech is lost on Mu Qing. He Xuan gently guides Shi Qingxuan’s sandal back onto her foot where it had begun to slide off, never lifting his eyes from her face. His own face is as stony as ever, but Mu Qing sees the undeniable care in his gesture.

Xie Lian is giggling from his place on Hua Cheng's lap as they both sit in that gaudy leather wingback. Mu Qing is sure Hua Cheng had such an ugly piece of furniture custom made because there's no way something as horrid as that came from off the shelf. Hua Cheng kisses Xie Lian's cheek again and Xie Lian breaks out into a wide smile, nuzzling his nose against Hua Cheng's temple. Gag.

“Do you want anything, A-Qing?”

Ah, and there's that voice again. Mu Qing shrugs and waves off Feng Xin as the man stands nearby in the kitchen doorway.

“Whatever.” he says offhandedly, running his nails over his scalp as he pushes his hair back.

Feng Xin has made himself bartender for the night and has been back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, distributing drinks of varying colors and alcohol contents. He sighs in reply to Mu Qing and ducks back into the kitchen.

Pei Ming and Ling Wen are over by the monstrous record player in the corner, sorting through records and debating on which one to play. Pei Ming holds up a contender and wriggles his eyebrows at Ling Wen, only for her to shake her head and turn her attention back to her sorting. Pei Ming pouts and gently puts the record away, returning to helping Ling Wen sort.

Inwardly, Mu Qing sighs.

He's not sure why he comes to these parties Hua Cheng hosts. All he knows is that he's here now, a carefully constructed look of nonchalance on his face, while his heart hammers in his chest.

He and Feng Xin have been dating for three months now.

Secretly, that is.

They're taking things slow, with this being Mu Qing's first relationship and all, and it's been going really well. The only thing that's not going so well is figuring out how exactly to act around their friends.

Mu Qing wants to slowly ease their friends into the idea that he and Feng Xin could be dating, but old habits die hard and Mu Qing, especially, is struggling. The vulnerability required of him to… openly express his feelings, is gargantuan, to say the least. It took years for him and Feng Xin to even form a friendship and Mu Qing was in love with the man. Admitting those feelings to Feng Xin alone was difficult enough, he has a hard time imagining he'll ever feel comfortable letting people outside their relationship know, even if those people are their… friends.

It was Mu Qing's idea for them to start calling each other A-Xin and A-Qing, respectively. But even just that got them suspicious glances from their friends. It's been a weird situation to navigate. Mu Qing simultaneously wants to push Feng Xin away and pull him in for a kiss. It's frustrating. Ah, but they're managing. They'll drop some hints here and there, and maybe in another three months, Mu Qing might be ready to talk about it.

Feng Xin shoulders his way through the kitchen door with two fancy glasses in his hands and makes his way over to the loveseat. He stays standing as he holds one of the drinks out to Mu Qing.

“Here, try this. It's like mine but without vermouth.”

Mu Qing eyes Feng Xin warily but quickly plucks the small glass from his hand. He can hear the faint pop of carbonation and he studies the, admittedly pretty, gradient of the drink as it goes from blush red at the base to shimmery clear at the top. He swirls the drink once, then twice and brings it up to his nose. Sharp brows furrow and then raise for a moment in surprise as he lets out a soft oh. He smooths out his expression and forces his voice to come out evenly.

“It smells nice.”

In very Mu Qing fashion, Feng Xin rolls his eyes, but waits expectantly for Mu Qing to just try the damn drink already.

Mu Qing takes a tentative sip, letting it sit on his tongue for a moment before swallowing it down. His face stays still except for his eyes, which glint with satisfaction.

“That's not bad.” He admits.

Feng Xin sighs and relaxes his shoulders, a little relieved.

“Huh, well, I'll take it. That's a compliment in my book.”

“You can read?” Mu Qing asks innocently.

He touches the cool glass to his bottom lip for a moment before deciding he doesn’t want to appear too eager to have another taste. He lowers the glass only slightly and swirls it again, watching the gradient dissipate.

Feng Xin groans and crosses his arms, but the way he looks at Mu Qing is much too fond to be called a glare.

“You’re absolutely insufferable, did you know that?”

“Wow, that's a pretty big word for you-- and also,” Mu Qing can’t help it. He takes another sip of his drink, not as reserved as the first sip, and does well to mask his pleasure.

“I'd argue that you actually suffer me quite well.”

The smirk he offers too closely resembles a smile and both men realize in this moment that the room has gone silent. Everyone is staring at them.

The atmosphere of the room is thick with tension and Pei Ming, ever the chivalrous one, cuts through it with his stupid, teasing voice.

“Since when have you ever been this nice to each other? Did you two lose a bet or something?”

“Yes.” “No.”

Mu Qing and Feng Xin say simultaneously.

They both visibly bristle, their cheeks red as they each take sips of their drinks and pointedly look away from each other.

Yeah.

Things are going just great.

May I Have This Dance?

When Feng Xin offers his hand out to Mu Qing, as if to ask him for a dance, the two generals of the South can feel the eyes on them. 

There are poorly concealed snickers and not so hushed whispers as those around them make bets on who will win the impending fight. They think it's a joke; of course they do. Just something General Nan Yang is doing to goad General Xuan Zhen into anger.

But much more is going on than meets the eye.

Mu Qing's heart hammers so loudly in his chest, he wonders if Feng Xin can hear it through their private communication array, which they both still lurk in. 

He was his normal cool and collected self when they had planned this, but Mu Qing's nerves have caught up with him now that they're finally following through.

Feng Xin had asked for permission to do this because of course he did, and when Mu Qing said yes, the two still waffled back and forth on how exactly they wanted it to go. Ultimately, Mu Qing gave Feng Xin permission to ask and here they are now, on display in front of everyone they know, about to do something no one will expect.

With as much nonchalance as he can muster, Mu Qing places his hand in Feng Xin's and lets himself be pulled to his feet and led to the dance floor.

The hushed murmur of the crowd has stilled and an air of confusion settles in around them. Mu Qing's hand is trembling, but the only one close enough to see that is Feng Xin, who gives him a reassuring squeeze and the most loving smile as his voice rings clear in Mu Qing's head.

“I have you, Mu Qing.”

Mu Qing returns the smile a bit nervously and responds in kind, “I know, Feng Xin. But everyone is staring.”

“Let them stare. Focus on me.”

And suddenly they're on the dance floor and everyone waits with bated breath, most of them certain this is an elaborate ploy on Mu Qing's end; something he's doing to catch his rival by surprise. Surely the fighting will break out soon, will it not?

But then General Nan Yang’s free hand finds its way to General Xuan Zhen’s waist and it all falls into place from there.

Their hands haven't parted since Mu Qing accepted the dance and they stay connected still as Feng Xin leads them into rhythm with the music. 

Mu Qing is quite a skilled dancer and Feng Xin isn't too bad himself, which makes sense, since Mu Qing was the one who taught him.

Still, Feng Xin trips over his feet just a little from the nerves he undoubtedly has and Mu Qing laughs. It's bright and unhindered and so very genuine. His eyes crinkle with the motion and suddenly he doesn't remember that everyone is staring. All he remembers are the many nights spent teaching Feng Xin how to step in time with the music and where to hold at Mu Qing's waist and then he's thinking of all the times they've kissed and then he can't help it--his entire heart is there in the smile he gives Feng Xin.

It doesn't matter that others are around because the grin on his face is for Feng Xin only, and any bystander can see that clear as day. 

Mu Qing lets his eyes close and presses his forehead to Feng Xin's and Feng Xin takes what he can get and pulls Mu Qing even closer. He doesn't need to open his eyes to know Feng Xin is smiling back at him. He feels the love radiate like the sun and he knows his face is flushed, but it feels so good he can't find it in himself to be embarrassed.

It's a bit dramatic and over the top to announce their relationship to all of heaven this way but, it suits them, doesn't it? And, truthfully, Mu Qing wouldn't have it any other way.

🌌Random Wish Maker au mini fic💫

I don’t know if mini fics are a thing, but if they aren’t, here’s how I define this term: a portion of a fan fiction that doesn’t have an actual defined start nor end

(update: apparently there’s a tag, therefore I have no original ideas :,) )

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Eddie takes a sigh of disappointment, another flopped attempt to drop hints to his affection towards Frank. He looks to Wally with an exhausted smile, “why don’t we take 5, pard’ner?”. Wally gives Eddie his positive yet monotoned laugh, and a thought comes into their head. “Eddie, do you mind if I tell you something?” Eddie looked back at Wally curiously, and nodded his head in yes.

“I don’t mean to seem rude here, but don’t you think this is starting to seem silly?” Wally asked to Eddie. Eddie cocked his head to the side, a bit confused, and asked “Well, what seems silly about this to you?”

Wally takes a moment to think. “Hm…you keep doing things for Frank to say that you really like him, but he seems to always take it as just a friendly gesture.” Wally explained. Eddie looked to the side feeling some bitterness about the fact. “Yeah, I know…” Eddie sighed, tipping his hat to hide his sadness.

A clever little idea brewed inside Wally’s head as they thought. “…Maybe, if actions don’t seem to get through, why don’t you write to Frank? You’re the absolute most when it comes to writing and making letters, and Frank loves to read.” Wally cheerfully suggested to Eddie.

The stars in Eddie’s eyes lit up to the sound of Wally’s idea. “I guess it could work. Nothing grabs a bookworm’s attention like an open note.” Eddie exclaimed.

“Let’s give it another go-round, shall we deputy?”

——————————————————————————

Thought-to-speech technology that gets hacked by people who want text messages from their pets while they are at work, only to immediately regret it because their pets text them the dumbest things, and the only way to get any kind of a clear image of what's going on is texting the other pets for cross-reference.

Like you get a text from your dog going "END IS HERE DOOM IS COMING URGENT URGENT SEND TEXT G-D HAVE MERCY, HUMAN COME HOME IMMEDIATELY", (you have no idea why the text translator has decided that your dog is jewish, but that doesn't feel important enough to look into or change) and before you do, you text the cat like "what's going on?"

And the cat replies "sunshine is turned off, window is cold >:C" so okay that's a clue. You've got a monitor lizard that doesn't do much monitoring, but will reply with whatever the lizard is feeling right now if you text "?" first.

"hwrmbglhlr the earth rumbles are sexy", replies the lizard. Okay, so dog panic, no sunshine, and the lizard is sensing vibrations. Oh, there's a rain storm overhead. Fuck's sake.

Holy crap, it's Nerr in a nutshell, especially Birthright/Falling Light Nerr.

Takumi looked, eyes eyes wide with fear, at the still twitching body beside him. The massive axe the berserker held could have severed his unprotected spine with ease. His gaze darted to the woman scowling at the corpse.

"Y-you saved me..." At once, Nerr's crimson eyes flashed at him, her lips twisted in disdain.

"No, I didn't."

"You pushed me out of the way."

"Only because you were standing in the way of what I was trying to stab, you fucking burden! You're always in the way!" The young prince glared at his sister, his ire returned tenfold. If he hadn't seen her actively move him aside, he would have sworn that she had been the one who attempted to kill him. She looked the part, every inch a Nohrian devil in her black armor. Ryouma stepped between them, perhaps sensing the tense atmosphere begin shifting in a violent direction.

"That's enough, you two. Takumi, see to your wounds. Nerrida..." He turned towards his younger sister, and she looked away from him, nose in the air as she crossed her arms over her bloodied breastplate. The high prince would not be detered. "Deny it all you want, sister. Your actions speak louder than your sullen, foul-mouthed words. They speak of one worthy of being chosen by the Yato--" Nerr whipped her head around so fast she heard her neck crack.

"Stop it. Just. Stop. Because I swear to the gods, if you keep going on about this "Chosen One" nonsense, you won't need to worry about Garon because I will personally burn Hoshido to the ground." She backed away from him, arms spread wide, mocking. "That's what I'm going to choose. What are you going to rule then, huh, jackass? Where're your rousing speeches now?" She turned on her heel, stalking away and muttering under her breath.

"Idiots..." Only Hoshidans could make her feel bad about doing something good...

Instead of spreading terror and despair across the land, a Black Knight becomes a reluctant hero when it turns out only he can prevent the world’s total annihilation. His only consolation is being as rude as possible to every person he saves.

Did you know that most 8 year olds are in grades 2-3? They’re, on average, 3 ¾-4 feet tall. They weigh 50-60 pounds, about the same as a bulldog.

This is just a random set of facts, and is in no way connected to the fact that a lot of people think Dick started fighting crime at 8.

I have no words 💕✨

🙏Your Masterpiece is too beautiful for words😭💦💓🌸🥀

@izuke-the-zombie

Here's my little pocket monkey of my oc Kito!

With a story uwu

I imagine due to Peaches being found by Macaque (filthy lol), Peaches was trying to find his lost little cub called Blueberry(who was taken from Peaches and Mango to avoid any cannibalism from le parents)

Blueberry being a curious and separation anxiety fluff ball wanted to find their parents badly, ends up getting lost but soon found by a passing Red son (who was trying so hard not to give into it's cute crying face)

Peaches being the worried papa ends up wandering off to try to find his baby to prove to the bullies that blueberry is well but ends up getting lost too, Found by Macaque and Wukong finding Mango

After some time, Kito ends up piecing together that Wukong has a charcoal hamster, Macaque has a chubby hamster

Ends up bringing the two simians and red son to do a test to determine if they're theory is correct, Turns out all 3 hamsters know each other

and if they get separated they all squeak stupidly loud and bite the hands

Kito on the other hand. . .

Has been having daddy issues with both simians...

So all the hamster family is together again!!

Peaches, Mango and Blueberry having cuddle piles for days!

Sasuke wandered confusedly through the hall, loud chatter and excited squeals ringing in his ears as he passed booths filled with merchandise; all with crowded lines waiting for a chance to at least see what was being offered.

His eyes narrowed as he searched for the bright blonde hair of the friend that annoyed him into coming in the first place, but amongst fans covered in merch and with hair that was dyed to match the musicians, he was no where to be seen. Sasuke scoffed. Naruto begged him to come to support a friend of his, and he didn't even choose to show? What a loser.

Sasuke pressed on, scanning past the branded shirts and faces covered in paint. "XO" was printed everywhere on every thing, it slowly started to become a blur of colours.

Purple, red and pink spotlights lit every room in the stadium, music from the band blasting from the speakers, every song was instrumental to tease the fans flooding in as the concert time grew closer. Sasuke's head spun with all of the stimulus.

Suddenly a strong arm wrapped around his shoulder, a familiar burst of laughter relaxed him just enough. He actually decided to show, hm? Could have come on time. Loser.

"Whatdya think, Sasuke?! This place is packed!- oh, I got you some freebies too. I figured you'd get lost, 'tebayo"

Sasuke scoffed, taking the bag from Naruto. It was similar to one of the showbags you'd get as a child, but featured a near gruesome image instead of a typical cartoon character. A skeleton covered in branches and cherry blossoms, it was posed like it was praying. He preferred the cuter stuff, the stuff that wouldn't give him nightmares.

"My friend drew that, yknow! She designs a lot of the merch stuff for the band. Oh! Also! You hear that drumming? That's her too! Oh, oh! And-"

Naruto continued to rant while dragging Sasuke off, assumingly to where they'd sit for the show. Naruto said something about VIP tickets and being close to the action a few days ago, so they'd be able to see and hear everything the best. A perk of being "The Lead Singers Best Friend and Little Brother Figure" he said.

The hallway leading to the entrance was just as packed as the room with the booths. Black shirts with a symbol of "XO" interlocking printed in crimson, similar ones with a purple moon cycle on the front, one fan even had their own shirt with a design drawn with bleach. Whoever this friend of Naruto's was, they were very good at drawing a crowd.

Naruto flashed a card to the bouncer minding the doors, and much to everyone's disgust and rage, they were let in just a few minutes early.

With no need to be mindful of others, Naruto raced down to their seats, while Sasuke paid closer attention to the scenery. The room was lit only at the seats, the stage was shrouded in darkness, the leg of a mic stand could hardly be seen poking out from under the curtain. Even if he squinted, there wasn't much to behold.

When he reached his friend, he looked at their slightly separated seats. Two more bags sat at their legs, each with unique designs. More freebies, he guessed.

Naruto jumped into his seat and urged Sasuke to join him. Sasuke sighed. Despite being nineteen, almost twenty, Naruto still acted like a complete child. How can someone with a drivers licence, fully capable of purchasing alcohol and cigarettes, be this obnoxious and shameless? He sat without argument, though.

Before he knew it, the doors opened and fans started pouring in. Sasuke glanced behind him out of curiosity; every seat was filled, and everyone was restless in their seats with excitement. Amongst them all, though, was the last person he'd expect to see there. Nara Shikamaru, a former classmate of theirs, was sitting in a signed jacket with an unfamilar glisten in his eyes.

"He's a massive simp for the guitarist," Naruto whispered, catching where Sasuke's eyes sat. "He fought off like, three guys for that jacket."

Sasuke snorted and shook his head, turning his attention to the stage when the lights shut off.

The stadium grew silent, the lack of light felt like a void. Sasuke's arms started forming goosebumps from the atmosphere.

A soft beat settled in through the speakers, the sound of the curtain reeling back made people inch closer to the edge of their seats. A hooded figure walked up to centre stage, bringing their arms up above their head and forming an 'X' with their arms in sync with the spotlight shining on them. Bright red illuminated the figure, revealing a punk-eqsue outfit with belts being a consistent theme, but their face remained unknown. They started a hard beat by stomping their boot on the stage, which was followed by fans clapping to it.

A second figure joined the first, cloaked much the same, but their guitar adding a much different silhouette. They pulled it off their back and lifted it up, the body of the guitar facing to the ceiling. The lights turned off and a purple LED light was shon onto it, revealing a fluorescent purple circle on the back. Together, their symbols formed 'XO'.

After a moment, music started pouring from the speakers around the stadium and a clear spotlight lit the stage, allowing full sight to the audience. They dropped their symbols and pulled the cloaks off in unison.

'O' was clearly the older of the two. A tall woman with lightly tanned skin, features sharp and almost deadly. Her hair was dry, parted quite messily into four parts, part of her bangs nearly covering her right eye. 'X' seemed much more friendly, smiling wide to the whole crowd. From the looks of it, she had no instrument. She lacked a mic on her earpiece as well.

The two women were dressed with a theme, both with their own symbolism. 'X' wore a red jacket with two crosses on her arms and black gloves. The small belts around her thighs were wrapped unevenly. Two on one, three on the other. 'O' was much similar, although her jacket was black, made from a thick leather and had purple moons running down the sleeves. Her jeans were ripped at the knees and her boots were covered in the same belts.

Sasuke furrowed his brows and squinted, focusing on the finer details of the first part of the band. Her hair was a familiar shade of pink, thick and clearly unconditioned, and her eyes were a deep emerald green. He swore he knew her, but he couldn't put the name to the face.

She pulled a microphone from a pouch on her hip, spinning it in her hand while more music kicked in. She raised her fist and everyone focused on her.

"Good evening Konoha!! How's everyone feeling tonight!?"

The audience roared in respose, Sasuke needing to take a moment to cover his ears. He glanced over to Naruto who sat unfazed. He too was focused on the woman in red. She must be the friend he always talked about.

"That's great to hear! Are you all ready to go?!"

Another roar came, but Sasuke took focus to her speech.

"Hell yeah!! That's what I like to hear! First things first though... Temari, sound check!"

Her voice was familiar too. Deeper than most women Sasuke had met, and rougher too, as if she'd had a broken nose before. However, there was a softness to it. A kindness. It almost sounded like...

"On it, Sakura."

Sasuke didn't hear the next sounds to come. He leaned back in his chair, staring blankly in the direction of the stage. Sakura? Haruno Sakura? That's her?!

Temari smiled at her partner, flipping the guitar so the strings faced their fans and pulled the strap above her head. The body was painted a shiny black with purple lightning like strikes going across it, a job clearly done at home, but not by her. She pulled a pick from her jacket and struck the cords, the sound alone made the floor shake, and the following cheer broke Sasuke out of his trance.

"All right!!! Sounds good! Lets get this show started, shall we?!"

The two women backed up to the middle of the stage, the lights dimming to prepare for their first song. A cold silence filled the room, the speakers dying down as sound technicians prepared the track, Sasuke squinted to take in more features.

Despite the darkness, the white of her teeth shone through. She smiled with a joy she never had during their highschool years together. Her academics were her highest priority, fitness came next, and lastly was her crushes. She'd always smile wide when her test scores were high, or she had scored big during extracurricular sports, but nothing compared to this.

A warm spotlight hit them as the music began, Temari's guitar the only live instrument. It was an up beat rhythm, vaguely following the rock genre they were going for. Sakura nodded and loosely danced as she found the rhythm in herself, her voice powerfully hitting the mic when she started to sing, although it was more of a rap than anything else.

Sasuke stared with his mouth hung loosely open. Sakura's energy grew with the song, her movements becoming sharper and more pronounced as she found moves to her words, her hair and jacket adding secondary motion that flowed so smoothly with her body. Sasuke's legs grew weak, sinking into his chair as he watched as closely as his eyes could. It was mesmerising.

Sakura's eyes danced over the audience. Her smile grew when she saw her close people in the crowd, Sasuke could only see Naruto, but he was certain someone like Sakura would have a lot of friends. Her eyes moved from left to right, eventually meeting his at the centre.

Her smile fell, but her voice didn't. Sasuke couldn't tell if it was disbelief, disappointment or disgust, but Sakura didn't stop her performance. She focused her gaze to the wall, finishing the song before meeting his eyes again.

He felt his cheeks begin to burn under her gaze. The soft shimmer in her eyes, the gentle curl of her lips... it had been many years since she looked at him like that. Sasuke missed it dearly, her eyes filled with adoration and love. He felt like a complete fool for rejecting her love once.

Their eyes locked for what felt like hours. Sasuke's focus never once leaving her eyes or her smile, even when she turned away. She was still working, afterall. Sasuke would have to wait, and he would wait an eternity just to have her look at him once more.

The second song began to play through the speakers, fans cheering and shouting as they recognised what it was, and although Sasuke was clueless, he was just as excited to hear it.

Prompt - Only One Bed

Shikamaru groaned lightly as he walked to the village gate. Per Hokage's orders, he was tasked with housing one of the Hidden Sand's Jounin for a week, and as much of a drag it was, he was grateful only his father was home for the duration. He loved his mother dearly, but he had no intentions of hearing any talk, whether it was about dating, marriage or sex.

The very thought of bringing a woman to his mother shook him to his core, especially a woman like Temari. Temari was very forward, and often she'd lack a filter for the things she'd say. His mother quite easily took offense to things, and Temari's "I-Don't-Give-A-Fuck" nature was surely a horrible mix.

As the gate neared he tried to push his exhaustion away. Temari was a woman in high power, and despite what his younger self would think, Shikamaru respected her quite a lot. It was important to him to look professional in front of her.

Temari was a very intelligent woman. Often her battle strategies had led Sunagakure strongly, she was an amazing leader. Authoritive, but still caring towards the soldiers of Suna. She also showed great skill when it came to puzzles and boardgames, she was one of the few people to come close to beating him competitively. Her dedication to protecting her family was also quite admirable; always rushing in to defend her brothers, even when they were strong enough to do it themselves. She was so full of love, and balanced her work and home life well. Shikamaru admired her strengths greatly.

A light burn on his cheeks brought him out of his thoughts, whether it was a blush or the sun, he wasn't sure, but Temari's voice began to creep to his ears. He had to focus now.

Temari stood talking to a couple guards at the gate, the two that often teased Shikamaru for his apparent "obvious crush", Izumo and Kotetsu. Dreading the embarrassment, he waited for her to finish talking before approaching so they didn't have to stay long.

He muttered a small greeting, ignoring the shit-eating grins from the men beside him, and turned to Temari.

Her eyes carried dark circles, clearly tired from her travels. She had a tendency to get careless and do the whole trip on one nights sleep and a nap, and while Shikamaru found it troublesome, it was the perfect excuse to get home faster.

"Oh! There's the little love bird. It's such a shame he always keeps you waiting. It's already late afternoon!"

"Yeah! Come on, Shikamaru. Have some mercy on the poor girl, she's already stuck with you~"

Temari shook her head, half waving to them while walking off. The two said their goodbyes, and after Shikamaru glared at the them for their immaturity, he started to lead Temari across town.

They went their typical route, passing shops with their keepers trying to draw Temari in with their wears, kids dancing and playing together on the path, and all the usual Shinobi and Kunoichi making their way to their posts. It was relaxing in the only way your hometown could bring, and although Temari wasn't from Konoha, he could see her enjoying it too.

She watched the busy streets with a soft smile, the same smile she gives to her brothers, full of love and admiration. There was a sadness in her eyes, though. The sadness of growing up, or more so, watching your family grow up. Shikamaru didn't understand how it felt, but maybe one day he would.

As the sun began to set, they arrived at the house. Loud talking and slight shouting rustled the walls. Shikamaru groaned, recognising the voices, and slid open the door.

"I'm home, father... and Chouza and Inoichi."

The three men turned to them, raising their glasses and laughing. While Shikamaru and Temari stepped inside and removed their sandals, the room was filled with tipsy greetings.

"Welcome home, son. And, uh... who's your friend?"

"She's uhm, a Jounin. From Suna. She's staying here for a week."

Temari looked around while Shikamaru spoke with his father, grimacing at the smell of alcohol as she passed by. Family photos and clan symbols lined the walls. It was far more cozy than her home at Suna. With both her and Kankuro on missions, and Gaara as the Kazekage, it was practically unlived in.

Bits and pieces of conversation filtered in through her focus, Shikamaru arguing with the three men about their relationship. In a way, it reminded her of her own parents during their love, commenting on any boy she showed interest in and teasing her about crushes. None the less, what Shikamaru said was true. They weren't together, and while she was an adult and he was still 16, they wouldn't be until many years have passed.

Eventually, Shikamaru got fed up with their banter and lead Temari to his bedroom, where she would be staying throughout the trip. It was a small room with a simple double bed, very little furniture inhabited it aside from necessities. It had a door leading to a private bathroom as well.

Exhausted and quite gross from her travels, Temari decided to hit the showers while Shikamaru prepared the room better. Fluffing the pillows and making sure nothing vulgar was out in the open; he was a boy in his late teenage years of course. When he was done, he sat and waited for her on the bed.

The sound of running water covered the loud three man party in the living room, Shikamaru was rather surprised that Ino and Chouji weren't there was well. Usually if one generation of "Ino-Shika-Chou" was present, the other would be too. Maybe his father took pity on him and decided just three people teasing him was enough.

Around five minutes had passed before the water shut off, and Shikamaru prepared to take one himself. The door opened and after one final look around the room, he had a realisation.

"Where are you gonna sleep, Mr. Crybaby?"

He didn't have another place to sleep.

Shikamaru's face began to flush from embarrassment. How did he not plan this out better? He felt like an idiot. Temari's laughter didn't help either.

"I didn't plan this right."

"Clearly," Temari snorted. "But it's fine. I'll sleep on the floor, I have a sleeping bag."

Shikamaru watched her unfurl it, stopping her before she laid down. Temari raised her eyebrow, unimpressed by the contact.

"No. You've had too big of a walk to be sleeping on the floor. Take the bed."

Temari moved her body from his, crossing her arms and looking down at him. It wasn't much of a tactic to intimidate him, only to show her displeasure, but it was affective in both.

"I'm not taking your bed from you."

"I'm not letting you sleep on the floor!"

They went back and forth for a few minutes, both just as stubborn as the other, before Temari gave up.

"Look, if it's that important to you, lets just share the bed. Put pillows in the middle."

Shikamaru grumbled lightly. While he did respected her greatly, she was quite a troublesome person. He swallowed his pride and accepted.

The rest of the evening went smoothly from then on. Shikamaru gathered some food for them while Temari took the time to relax; stretching and easing the tension in her muscles. Shikamaru's matress was soft. It sunk in beneath her weight quite a bit, constantly making the pillow wall fall apart, but it was worth the annoyance after the past few days.

Shikamaru came back with a simple meal. With how fast it came, Temari guessed it was premade. Shikamaru didn't seem like the type to cook, quickly or good, but food was food in the end.

While they ate, Shikamaru looked at Temari closely for the first time since he met with her. She was only wearing a bra and long pants, a good portion of her skin showing, and the most odd thing, she had her hair tied into two rather than four. Her skin looked rough and damaged from wear he sat, he was willing to bet it'd feel just the same, and her body had many healed scars from training and battle. He had heard how harsh Suna's training was, he wondered how many scars were from village people and how many were from enemies.

"Whatdya staring at?"

Shikamaru turned away embarrassed. "Nothing... sorry."

She laughed and shook her head, finishing her food before lying down again.

"You apologise too much."

Shikamaru ate in silence, trying to keep his eyes to himself. She was right in a sense, he apologised a lot when it came to her, something about her nature made him want to, even if it was any other person he'd just shrug it off. Deep down, he knew his father was right. Izumo and Kotetsu too. Naruto, Asuma, Chouza and Inoichi. They were all right. He loved her, he just wasn't ready to admit it.

Temari tossed and turned for a bit trying to get comfortable, settling for laying in her side. Back facing him. Part of him wanted to pull the blanket over her, another part wanted her to hold him close. He settled for taking care of the dishes, trying to pull his mind away from his feelings.

When he returned, snoring had filled the room. Temari's position much more sloppy then when he had left. It was unladylike, but still beautiful. Shikamaru smiled softly, the muscles in his face straining when he tried to stop.

Turning off the light, he crawled into the bed beside her, her body out of sight with the pillows dividing them but the feeling of her body remained. The bed was more comfortable, more warm, and more cozy with her in it, and he quietly wished she could be there longer than a week.

Shikamaru's eyes grew heavy with the warmth, the sound of her snoring made him feel oddly at ease. Usually he hated noise when he was trying to sleep, but there was something about Temari that made it tolerable. She made him feel safe, protected, at home. It was easy to fall asleep by her side.

In the morning, he was sure she'll find a way around sharing a bed, but for now, he'd enjoy her comfort while he could.

Sasuke pressed his index finger to his lips, looking up at Sakura from where he sat. She continued to cut ingredients for dinner, noticing his gaze after a few minutes. He averted his eyes, cheeks dusted a light pink. He tried to play it off by resting his chin on his hand, but Sakura new this game all too well.

His indirect question was answered with a gentle kiss, the taste of cucumber and capsicum tingling off Sakura's lips. She's always had a habit of snacking on her cooking ingredients. He brought his hand to the back of her neck to deepen the kiss, subsequently stopping her weak attempt to pull away. Sakura obliged in his desire until her back strained from leaning. She nipped his lip, causing him to yelp, and made her escape during his distraction.

"How about after I cook dinner, hm?"

Sasuke pouted. He wanted her now, and his desire for her outweighed any desire to wait, but there was promise in her voice. Promise that after cooking, she'll take him to their bedroom and pin him down. And for that, Sasuke would wait a lifetime if he needed to.

He watched her closely, every small tense of her muscular arms made him want to be held, the short glances of her eyes made him want to be seen, and the gentle grip of her hands made him want to be touched. Every second he spent staring, the more he sat wanting.

Sakura finished chopping and turned to the stove, a pan already oiled and heated waiting for her. Sasuke shifted the chair to see better, marvelling at how unphased she was when the oil splashed on her arm when the ingredients went in.

Part of him felt silly for finding such small things so amazing, but the growing impatience pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

He watched her swirl the vegetables with a wooden spoon, taking note of her concentration and technique. Sasuke felt a pang of jealously in his chest, even though it was just a pan and spoon. He wanted her focus on him.

Sasuke stood from his chair and shuffled next to her, looking up at her and resuggesting his advance.

This time, however, Sakura didn't pull her gaze to him, she didn't lean in nor did she pause what she was doing. Sasuke pulled himself closer, placing himself in her periphery.

"Sakura," he started. His words turning into mumbers the more he spoke. "Please... please kiss me."

Sakura hummed, finally catching his presence. It took her a moment to process his words, and she laughed a little once she did.

"You're too cute," she said, tilting her head forward and chuckling. "Last one."

Sasuke connected their lips impatiently, gripping Sakura's qipao tightly in his hand to pull her closer. Sakura caved to his desires until the smell of burning zucchini broke their kiss.

She worked quickly to try and correct the error, hoping the slight char wouldn't affect the overall dish too badly. In the end, though, it was only for them. Sakura would eat anything put on the table, and Sasuke would eat anything Sakura prepared for him, so nothing would be wasted.

Sasuke slowly pulled away despite his desires, giving Sakura some room to move. He returned to his chair and went back to watching her, licking his lips to savour the taste of her lip balm. An off vanilla taste that mixed poorly with onion and pepper. He loved it regardless, mostly because it came from her.

As the clock ticked by and the pops of the oil slowed, Sakura's gentle humming came into ear. It was an unfamiliar tune, something from Naruto's interests he assumed, but it was soothing. She often hummed like this during her tasks, the house was rarely quiet because of it.

Sasuke didn't mind it either. Like this, everything was cozy and warm. Calm despite the nature of the Hidden Leaf and it's prized medical ninja. It had become home after all those years away, and in the end, Sasuke didn't mind waiting if it was like this.

His eyes slowly fluttered shut as he listened, almost slipping into sleep then and there. About fifteen minutes left until dinner was ready and he'd have her full attention. About fifteen minutes of hearing her hum.

They were fifteen minutes he didn't mind at all.

2AM Engineer mini fic thing :)

This contains our good friend the Engineer waking up at 3AM and being sad and scared. It's a little angsty, but not like... Terribly, if you know what I'm saying. Also, it was written at 3AM so don't expect a super long masterpiece written like poetry

I'll post this on AO3 at some point, probably.

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MICROSCOPE

Engineer can't sleep. Regret rears it's ugly head and taunts him.

CONTENT WARNINGS

• Mentions of Breast Cancer

• Mentions of Death

He hated these nights. They were an open invitation for the demons of his past to dig themselves out of the graves he'd buried them in over the years. It was the one problem that he had never been able to fix.

↓

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He hated these nights. Like the universe was playing a sick joke on him, he would wake up for no reason. It was still dark. He turned over to look at the clock, and it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the neon red light he had turned his back on to sleep. He realized what kind of night it was going to be when he saw the lights read 3:54, which he knew meant that in actuality that it was 2:48, because his clock was always set to an hour and six minutes behind the actual time until daylight savings reared its ugly and unnecessary head.

He huffed and turned back over. He would spite whatever force decided he needed to be up at this ungodly hour, because he really wasn’t in the mood to deal with what he knew was coming. And, predictably, he couldn’t fall asleep. Instead, he wasted eighteen minutes laying in the same position. Not that he had anything to do. That would make this easier, and god knew he couldn’t have that, right? He couldn’t drown himself in work again, because he had exhausted every single thing he had to do. Every. Single. One. Pauling had even told him that he should take a break, that maybe he was working himself too hard, but he knew the truth. He needed to work. Nobody understood.

If he didn’t have anything to preoccupy his mind, it would create something to preoccupy him. That was nice when it was blueprints and ideas for inventions, but it rarely ever was, especially at this time of night. That would be too easy. Instead, it would run him ragged fearing for his life, because there were eyes and cameras watching him everywhere, and he needed to think about how he said the wrong thing to her at the place ten years ago, and he knew she despised him, and she was wishing him ill at this very moment, and she was right. He needed to be perfect in every aspect, and it bothered him to no end that he couldn’t achieve that perfection in his social life.

Where was he? His mind tended to wander, but now it was firmly cemented in place, because he could feel the eyes on his back. He was staring at the insides of his eyelids to avoid having to face them, but that didn’t work for long. He knew it was futile. Why did he keep trying that? He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He needed to turn on the light. He needed his Gunslinger, but if he moved that would be an open invitation for the intruder to do something to him. To strangle him, to backstab him like a damn snake, to hit him over the head.

This was getting to be too much. He couldn’t stay stuck here forever. He lunged for the lamp on his nightstand, his heart dropping when he fumbled and missed the button the first time, quickly scrambling to push it correctly, and he reeled back against the headboard so that there couldn’t possibly be anything behind him. He was ready to scream, it was in the back of his throat, waiting to be unleashed, as if it would do anything to protect him.

Oftentimes, the Engineer wondered what would happen if his fears actually came true. If there was a figure stalking him, and he came face-to-face with whoever, or whatever, it was. What would he do? In that situation, he figured, he would be fucked either way, no matter what he did, because he was unprepared and didn’t sleep with his Gunslinger attached, so he only had one arm. Of course, this never happened. He was always faced with a cold, unfeeling room staring at him instead of an intruder. He didn’t know which he preferred.

The Engineer was a logical man. That was why this infuriated him so much. There was no logical explanation for his behavior, and there was no explanation for his mind going haywire, and yet he could help the terror that plagued him. The human mind was a machine, but not like the ones he worked with, the ones he knew inside and out better than any other person in his field. It was simply outside of his field of expertise, and it frustrated him to know that if he wanted answers, he would have to rely on someone else to get them. It made it even more terrible that it would likely have to be from arguably one of the most terrifying people on the planet; the Medic.

That was why he had never once tried to fix his problem. When he came to his mother about it as a boy, she had told him that he had an overactive imagination, and that his mind was playing tricks on him. Objectively true, but unhelpful statements, as he would come to realize. The Engineer pushed aside the disheveled covers of his bed and stood to use the restroom. He might as well. He knew he would be up for at least another thirty minutes.

He could feel the eyes on him as he used the toilet, boring holes into his unprotected back. It would be so easy for them to dispatch him. He was so vulnerable. He didn’t even have a gun, or a second forearm for that matter. He finished his business as fast as he could and looked behind him, but there was no one there. He still felt that terrible feeling, though, and he backed against the wall, looking frantically to his sides, but he saw no one. Why was he surprised?

He walked briskly back to his bed, because that feeling persisted. As long as it did, all of his normally extremely logical thinking went out the window, replaced with an almost primal instinct that screamed at him to run from something that wasn’t even there.

These nights always undid years of repression he had worked so hard to build up. Memories and questions that he had drowned under a sea of accomplishment and mountains of work reared their ugly heads and taunted him while he yearned for sleep that they would hold just out of his reach.

What are you going to do after this, Dell? Why are you even here? A familiar voice hissed in his ear. He didn’t know. He felt like his skills were being misused here, which he was probably right about. He could be using his skills to revolutionize the world, and instead he was using it to fight over a useless patch of land that wouldn’t be relevant once those two old fucks died off, as they should have long ago, and he would have wasted however many years he had spent here for nothing.

Why should you have to work with these incompetent freaks? They’re just slowing you down. Some days, he just wanted to lock himself in his workshop and never come out (not that he didn’t do that most days anyway) so he could avoid interacting with the over-the-top Soldier, or the absolutely insane Medic, or even Pyro for that matter. All of the mercenaries, except for maybe the Spy and the Heavy at times, were far too over-the-top for him. Socializing tired him even when he wasn’t doing it with eight mercenaries, each with varying degrees of insanity.

As if you aren’t just as insane as they are. He would like to think of himself as a little more sane than most of his coworkers, but he knew that behind the mask of southern charm and an easygoing attitude, he was just as unhinged, if not more so, than they were. He was very good at hiding things from the outside world, though. He’d had plenty of practice.

What if your mother could see you know? What would she say, Dell? Oh god, what would she say? She’d always had dreams of success for her son, maybe even more than himself, at least when he was younger. But even more so than that, she wanted happiness for him. She’d been worried when he hadn’t gotten married, or even had a girlfriend, by the time he was thirty, she’d gotten worried when he worked himself to the point of exhaustion as a teenager, but she worried the most when he stopped talking to her other than shallow conversations that he deliberately worded to try and make sure that she didn’t get worried. Ironic.

He wished that he had talked to her while he had the chance. He curled up further into his sheets, blinking to try and prevent salty tears from escaping from his eyes, even though no one was around to see them. All she wanted was honesty from him, and he couldn’t even give that to her before she had been taken by those tumors in her breasts. Why couldn’t she have wanted something else from him?

He’d had plenty of regrets over the years, but that was the one that had stuck with him, following him around like a shadow, for the longest time. It weighed the heaviest on his chest. And there wasn’t a single thing he could do to make it right. It was a problem that he couldn’t fix. So he had buried it.

But on these nights, they would dig themselves out of their graves, and there was nothing he could do except let them eat away at him until he was so exhausted from sobbing that he would fall asleep again.

He was getting to that point now. He felt something wet begin to trail down his cheek, and his vision blurred as his eyes overflowed with tears. He buried his face into a blanket and sighed shakily.

He fell asleep thinking of his mother, and dreamed of nothing. He spent the night burying his demons again, knowing that they would come back to hurt him sometime soon, but being too tired to get rid of them for good.

He felt better the next day, but he wasn't.

In the vein of those Din and Luke meet on Tatooine before they live the Star Wars?

I propose that Din is the ~sweetheart from back home story Luke tells people if they ask about that kind of thing, you know?

Nineteen year-old Luke who gets tossed into the deep end whe he joins the Rebellion, right?

Farm boy from Tatooine in a starfighter squadron filled with people like Wedge and Janson.

And all the hurry up and wait that happens, and a card game that springs up between missions. Some late night somewhere - Hoth, maybe - and it was just a little too much to toss and turn all night in the bunks, maybe tale a stroll through base. Stop by the hangar because someone’s always there - weather lie this you can bet someone’s fixing something or adapting it to make it work in these conditons, and anyway, anyway.

Hell of a lot better than being stuck with your own thoughts you know backwards and front.

Keep reading

Oneshot Jegulus. | Sirius (and the other marauders) walk in on Regulus and James

1995 words I it's cute i think

Sirius, Remus, and Peter were walking up from the common room.

"I'm telling you Moony, he's been fooling around with someone and he's hiding them from us, but we are about to catch them." Sirius stated, with a determined look in his eyes.

"I don't know Pads, maybe we should just wait?" Peter said, looking nervous. "I don't want to be traumatized AGAIN." He scratched his neck apologetically.

"Pete, how many time do we have to apologize? We really didn't think you would come back!" Remus claimed, looking rather annoyed.

"You were shagging ON MY BED! And whatever you were doing seemed as far from pleasure as I can think of" Peter responded, emphasizing his disapproval with his hands.

Sirius dismissed Peter with a hand motion. "Oh come on Wormy, my bed is always a mess, and Moony refused to put his books somewhere they weren't treated with the special care they CLEARLY needed."

Remus rolled his eyes and faced Sirius. "At least books aren't annoying" he said. "Anyways, we are SORRY you had to see that. But yeah, I do agree with Pete. If James hasn't told us, there must be a reason why."

"See? Even Moony agrees with me." Peter pleaded Sirius and pulled his arm to go back downstairs. "Can we please just leave and wait? Maybe we can catch them on their way out."

Sirius eyed Peter, suspiciously. "Wormy do you know something? Because you really seem determined to leave them to their business."

"What???? NO I- " He responded, scandalized. "No, I just have a bit of respect for my best friends' privacy, that's all." Peter quickly said, the words leaving his mouth so fast he could barely understand himself.

Sirius tsked and continued heading towards their room. "Yeah, yeah. Now tell that to someone who will believe you." They followed, walking up the stairs and standing right outside their dorm door. Sirius reached for the handle when Remus put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back momentarily.

"Okay, but if James gets mad at us this is entirely your idea and you just dragged us with you, okay?" Remus warned him, putting his other hand in front of Sirius' face, using his finger in the same way he's seen Professor McGonagall do when she's telling them to stop with the pranks.

"Well that's exactly what he did so..." Peter mumbled, hoping they wouldn't hear him.

"Shut it Wormy." Sirius interrupted, raising his palm to stop Pete from complainig. "Yes Moons, this is ALL my fault. But I know you're secretly as intrigued as I am." He smiled at Remus, and then turned back to the door, rubbing his hands as if his criminal masterplan was about to start. "Now, gentlemen and Moonies, prepare yourselves for..." He reached for the door again and this time he actually opened it. He went to turn on the light and his eyes went back to James' bed. "Aha-AAAAAAAAH" Sirius jumped back and brought both of his hands to his face, covering his eyes. Remus and Peter stood behind him, equally surprised.

"Oh shit." Remus said, followed by Peter's "Indeed."

"MY EYES. I'M BLIND, OH MY GOD THIS IS TORTURE." Sirius said rather dramatically, falling to his knees with his hands still on his face.

James was laying on his bed, with Regulus sitting on top of him. James tried his best (and failed) to cover Regulus with his body, but Reg was using the sheets as a shield for both of their pelvic areas, so at least they weren't completely exposed.

"What the fuck?" Sirius screamed, hesitating to open his eyes. Remus was behind him. He mouthed You guys are dead at James and Regulus, bringing his hand across his neck, simulating a knife slitting someones' throat. Pete chuckled under his breath while he covered his face in an embarrased manner, still looking worriedly at Sirius.

James looked at Remus, then at Pete, pleading for help with his eyes, but both marauders were just standing there trying to hide their grinning faces. Regulus was just looking at the ceiling with a clear Please kill me now thought going through his mind, and both of them were blushing as much as humanly possible. James finally looked at Sirius, and passed a hand through his hair in an attempt to fix it, something he does when he's anxious.

"Hey Pads... Best friend, soulmate, love of my life. How are y-" James started with a small voice. "Prongs, shut it" Sirius quickly intervened. "Actually, no. Start talking, now." Sirius looked at James and then at Regulus, who was still pretending none of this was happening. Sirius was quick to notice the marks on his neck.

"Reg, want to help me over here?" James said nervously, looking at Regulus with a hopeful and awkward smile. Regulus finally looked back, startled by James' question.

"Me?" Regulus asked. "How is this my fault? You are the ones with zero sense of personal space and privacy! If I wasn't as quick, you'd all have VERY different expressions on your faces right now." James was even blushing harder, to a point that shouldn't even be possible. He let out a nervous laughter and just kept his head down, too embarrassed to look at Sirius and his other friends.

"In our defense, we did try to tell Sirius not to walk in while you were doing... stuff". Remus said proudly, as if he didn't just completely intrude his best friend's intimate moment.

"Oh, so you knew James was..." Regulus trailed off, looking for an appropriate word. "...busy" he narrowed his eyes, "and still decided to barge in. Unbelievable!"

"It wouldn't be the first time..." Peter said, ashamed of their group with evident codependency and lack of boundaries.

"Prongs and I's sense of privacy is none of your business! And that REALLY is not the main concern here." Sirius said, looking angry and tapping his foot anxiously, his arms crossed, clearly waiting for an explanation.

"Well, it is my business when you walk in on me having sex with my boyfr-". Regulus shut his mouth as soon as he felt the word leaving his lips, but it was too late.

James finally looked up, surprised at Regulus' words. He looked at him with eyes full of love that Reg couldn't help but smile at him. They were just staring at each other, completely forgetting what was happening around them. After a few seconds, Remus brought them out of their daze with a poorly faked cough.

"Your WHAT?! Your BOYFRIEND?" Sirius threw his arms in the air in pure disbelief and shock. "James, do you care to explain what is going on? Because my baby brother here seems to have hit his head and just called you his boyfriend."

"Well..." James said, looking down at his knees. "I am his boyfriend. And he is mine." James looked back at Sirius, trying to seem confident in his words. Then he grabbed Regulus hand and smiled at him, his smile immediately filling his boyfriend's chest with warmth.

"Oh Jamie, Jamie, Jamie. Please tell me this is a joke, or I will have to kill you for fucking my little brother." Sirius said in what could only be described as a maniac's tone. This seemed to make Regulus and James understand that they were far from done explaining.

"Look, Pads. I really wanted to tell you. It just happened, I promise I wasn't planning on it. But it did, and I'm glad it did. Trust me, this isn't how I wanted you to find out". James sighed.

"And how did you want me to know then? With an invitation to your wedding?" Sirius replied, but he was less agitated.

Both of them were quiet, and SIrius only sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Look. I'm not anyone to tell you what to do in your free time. But my brother? Really? You had to shag him?" Sirius asked. The other two marauders were unusually quiet during the whole thing.

"Sirius, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But I will not apologize for loving Reg. He makes me incredibly happy, and I truly hope I make him feel at least half of what he makes me feel." James only had eyes for the younger Black brother, who was nodding at him as in response to his last statement. He was looking at him with the most endearing gaze.

"I asked him not to tell you. I didn't know how you'd react, but I know how incredibly possessive you are. You're a borderline psychopath". Regulus said, trying to take some of the tension off the air.

James just closed his eyes and smiled at the poor attempt of a joke. "I'm not possessive". Sirius exclaimed. This got him a questioning look from literally everyone in the room. Remus raised his eyebrow. "Fine! I may be a bit overprotective. But that doesn't mean you needed to hide it from me for... how long has this been going on?" He asked, pointing at both of them.

"Uhmmm, since September? A few weeks after coming back." James answered shyly.

"September?! That was 5 months ago!" Sirius replied.

"Well yeah, and by the looks of it we made the right choice in not telling you". Regulus said, rolling his eyes.

"What?" Sirius asked confused. "Oh, sorry Mr. MY EYES, I'M BLIND!, didn't know that was your idea of a good reaction". Regulus answered annoyed. "Now, if you don't mind, I want to get dressed since you ruined the moment and I clearly won't get to finish what I was doing". He glanced at the door, suggesting the three intruders to give them some privacy.

"Fine, but Reggie, you're talking to me as soon as you are dressed. I'm not kidding, you have three minutes. I'll wait in the common room". Sirius said, already walking towards the door.

"Three minutes huh? I can make it work." James joked, raising his eyebrow suggestively at Regulus. "NOW, Regulus." Sirius said from the stairwell. Peter moved and headed towards the common room too.

"Hmm, the Black brothers huh? There is something about their I'm borderline insane and have no sense of communication and processing feelings vibe that just does it, am I right?" Remus told James, smiling from ear to ear. James laughed innocently and Regulus just looked at the tall boy with a piercing gaze.

"Okay okay, I'm leaving!" Remus said, bringing his hands up in defeat. He walked towards the door, and as he was exiting and closing the door, he said "Next time lock the door, please." And he shut the door behind him.

Regulus and James were quiet for a few seconds before Reg got up to grab his clothes from the floor. James went back and rested on his elbows, looking at Regulus get changed.

"What?" Regulus asked while he was buttoning up his white shirt.

"Secret's out. Isn't that great?" James said.

"No, why would it be great? I'm about to have the most mortifying and awkward talk with my brother. What about that sounds great to you?" Regulus asked while he finished with his emerald tie.

James just sat up and motioned Regulus to come close to him. Regulus quickly understood and put his knees on the side of each of James' legs, straddling him. James only had the bed sheets to cover his hips.

"At least I will be able to do this" and he kissed him, cupping his face with one hand, pulling his head down towards him with the other one around his neck. "Without feeling guilty about it". He said as they broke apart.

"Oh yeah, because the guilt was really stopping you when you were sucki-" Regulus chuckled.

"Okay yes I get it." James interrupted in between laughs. "Now go talk to your sweet sweet brother and tell him I've done nothing but respect you."

"Oh but I don't want to lie to him" Regulus pouted, teasing James. "I'll see you later, love. We better finish what we started".

James bit his lip as he watched Regulus leave the room. "Oh, we will. I'll make up for it, I promise."

Oneshot ⋆ ★ Sirius talks to James

Set in 1995! Sad, angst, pain. All of the above. Canon divergent (just a bit because we love wolfstar). 1700 words

Sirius would take walks every few days. He’d go as Padfoot and walk around the neighbourhood. He’d walk through the streets he grew up in, the stores his mother always told him to avoid, and he’d see the same noisy muggles across the street, the family his father despised. He would go to a park, the same one he and Regulus used to go to before everything was ruined. 

He would make sure no one was around, and transform into himself again. Was it a bit reckless? Yes. But he couldn’t stand being in that house all the time. Even with Remus with him, Order meetings to keep him occupied, and a godson to take care of from the distance, that house had many bad memories for him. It didn’t help that the family portraits were apparently enchanted just to insult him, his mother’s words ringing in his ears every time he walked down the stairs. He had tried to ignore them, he really did, but sometimes, he felt small, he felt sixteen again, scared for his life. 

It also didn’t help that Regulus’ room was there, left untouched. Losing his brother was a pain he never knew was possible to feel. Even after enduring torture curses and years of abuse and rejection, the pain he felt when Regulus died was indescribable. He was angry when it happened. He had died running away from the life he was very insistent he wanted to follow. He died in vain because he was too stubborn to challenge his parents. He was scared, and Sirius couldn't blame him, but how he wished Regulus would have come to him first. Albeit, he knew that wouldn’t happen, his brother hated him, and he thought Sirius hated him too. He definitely gave him reasons to think so. But what if? It was still something he didn’t like thinking about.

To his surprise, his room was also intact. He didn’t expect his mother to leave his space as it was, and as far as he could tell, those permanent sticking charms worked. The posters he put up just to spite his mother were still there. At least that meant she cared about him, just enough to not destroy his room after he left. 

So, yes. He needed to get out of that house every once in a while. Remus wasn’t entirely supportive of this idea, but he knew Sirius would go crazy otherwise. Instead, he would remind him how important it was for him to be careful, every time he walked out those doors. 

So he’d walk to the park, very early in the morning to avoid other people, but not too early that the sun wasn’t visible in the sky. He obviously did that on purpose. 

He was back from Azkaban, back from hiding after the Triwizard tournament events.  Apparently, they led to none other than Barty Crouch Jr. to receive the dementor's kiss. Sirius was sure he had died in his cell, but maybe he imagined it. He thought that was really ironic, considering he was extremely close to meeting the same destiny just one year before him. 

The first time he set foot back in Grimmauld Place all of the memories came back, the ones that seemed to have disappeared during his time in prison. It was all too real, too much, all at once. The worst part was finding his pictures from school, the ones he couldn’t take with him to the Potters’. He looked young and happy. He was full of life, a life that was taken away from him, as well as his best friends. Oh, how much he missed them, how much he missed James. 

That’s why he would go to the park and look for the sun. He knew it seemed illogical to try to talk to a huge ball of fire in the sky, but his best friend happened to be this specific one. James was the un. 

“Hey Prongs,” he said, already feeling his eyes full of tears. “It’s been a while since I talked to you. I’m so sorry I stopped. I really tried”. He could feel tears running down his face, his cheeks were wet but he couldn’t care less.

“I tried talking to you every day and to Moony every night, but the haze took over. After a while, all I could feel was sadness, if something at all. My mind was foggy, and all I felt was cold. Very cold.” He said, laughing in a self-pitying way. “I really missed you, I missed your warmth. I could’ve used it for all those years.” Sirius smiled at himself, thinking about how happy James made him. He wiped some tears from his face, trying to calm down.

“Oh, James. You’d be so happy if you knew how kind Harry is. He definitely goes after his mom.” He laughed shyly. “So, I wanted to tell you something“. He hesitated at first but suddenly realized how dumb it was for him to do that. It wasn’t as if anyone was around him. It was just James he was talking to, and he knew he was most likely not able to hear him.  

“We finally sorted it out. Me and Moony.” Sirius couldn’t help but smile. “I know we took our time. Honestly, just when we were starting to make sense, everything went to shit.” Sirius suddenly stopped smiling. He really didn’t like thinking about that night, the night his life was ruined. But he couldn’t help it, he was used to it. After almost twelve years he spent in that cell, those creatures stole all the happy memories from him, leaving him with the worst ones only. October 31st was definitely the worst.

“I’m so sorry you’re not here with Harry. You and Lily. You deserved to be here, to see your kid smile, grow, and laugh. God, James, he’s great at Quidditch. I saw him fly and he would’ve given you a run for your money. Actually, he would probably beat you, since he’s a seeker, you know?” He grimaced because, of course, James didn’t know. He didn’t know anything because he wasn’t there anymore. Lily and James were dead, just like they had been for the last fourteen years. Since the night Sirius failed to protect them.

“He has the most gorgeous green eyes, after Lily’s of course. But other than that, he’s a Prongs Jr. through and through, even his glasses are like yours. And his crazy hair, you’d think you were a special case, but apparently it runs in the family.” Sirius went to wrap his arms around his knees, looking up at the sky. He was trying to picture James’ messy hair. The dementors couldn’t take this away from him. How he tried everything to make it sit somewhat nicely, even his dad's potion, and how he gave up after many unsuccessful attempts. Sirius would laugh at him, considering he had perfect hair, almost too perfect. 

That was one of the first things he noticed when he came back. His hair was ugly, dirty, and tangled. His beauty was taken away from him along with his youth. He took pride in his attractiveness, even if it reminded him of the family he no longer had. He knew he once was very handsome, but he didn’t feel like that anymore.

Remus helped him. They spent hours untangling his hair, brushing his teeth, taking several showers, and eating a lot. Sirius slowly started to feel like himself again. His cheeks were no longer sunken, and his tattoos looked good on a well-fed body, instead of just ink hugging his bones. His own clothes made him feel like a person once again, and Remus was right there beside him. 

“So, yeah. Moony and I are great now. We don’t have to go anywhere for the full moon anymore. They have this thing called Wolfsbane potion that helps him be himself during the moon. Apparently, Snivellus knows how to make it, and was kind enough to keep Remus supplied. I’m not sure what made him do that, probably some coercion from Minnie or even Dumbledore himself.” Sirius tried his best not to sound bitter when talking about Snape, he was truly thankful for his help, even when he despised the man. “We usually stay inside and cuddle. Can you picture that? I have my own werewolf at home, just for me.” He bragged, letting out a laugh, quiet enough so no one could hear him even though he was all alone. He couldn’t be too careful. “Anyways, we sometimes go and still have fun, Moony and me, as Padfoot obviously. Just like the old times.” Sirius had to wipe a tear or two with the inside of his sleeve. He heard some chatter in the distance and knew it was his cue. 

“Listen, James. I love you, and I miss you like you have no idea. Both Lily and you. But I’m lucky enough to have Harry. He really is the perfect combination of both of you. Not as smart as Lily though, but that friend of his, Hermione might be. Did you know her cat was my friend?” Sirius laughed at this incredible statement, a bit loudly this time. 

“Anyways, that’s a story for some other time, but I need to go. I’ll see you soon okay?” Sirius sighed, sad to leave his best friend. But he was hopeful, he knew he had the next day, and the day after that, and a whole life to keep talking to James. And then, when the day came, he’d be able to see him once again. 

“I promise I’ll take care of him. I even gave him our mirrors, the ones we used in Hogwarts.” Sirius pulled his mirror out of his pocket. He always had it with him just in case, very tempted to call Harry every five minutes, just to see those eyes. “Harry is the most important person in my life, and I’d do anything to keep him safe. You have my word.” And then, Sirius glanced at the sun once more before turning back into Padfoot and walking all the way back home, where Remus was waiting for him with some toast and tea.

I DIDNT KNOW HOW TO DO A READ MORE IM SORRY TO EVERYONE ON THE TIMELINE WHO HAD TO SCROLL THROUGH MY ONESHOT