Down Every Road: Or, Some Ways Shikako and Sasuke Get Together, 2/? (2016-06-06)

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jacksgreysays:

(two: hunter and nukenin)

—

She couldn’t have stopped him.

Maybe it’s something she’d always known, albeit subconsciously, still so aware of her circumstances, of the future she only knew as fiction.

Some things cannot be changed.

She stopped him from going to Orochimaru–oh, that was the easy part. What is some stranger with false promises in comparison to his team–his friends? How could poisonous words and double-edged power ever compare to their history of trusting each other and facing dangers together, side by side?

No, that was the easy part. This Sasuke–her Sasuke, the Sasuke that she tied to herself and to Naruto with delicate strands of loyalty and friendship and vulnerability–would never leave Konoha for Orochimaru.

But that doesn’t mean he would never leave for a different reason. And if Orochimaru–some stranger who only ever spoke to Sasuke once, and in a fight at that–couldn’t match their importance as Sasuke’s teammates, then how would their short time together as friends compare to his clan? To blood and to revenge and to finally putting old ghosts to rest.

Sasuke wouldn’t leave Konoha–leave her–for Orochimaru. But for Itachi? For family? To fulfill the only goal he’s ever allowed himself to have?

Sasuke goes. Shikako stays.

She has never felt so insignificant in her life.

—

She thinks maybe the worst part about all of this is that she still doesn’t know what she should have done instead. If she handled it wrong, or if there just never was a right way to go about it. An imaginary series of actions and words that would have resulted in a bearable fall out.

But she had tried, at least, to prepare Sasuke for the truth, to minimize the impact. Little hints and whispered warnings; should she have done more?

Could she even have done so? Danzo waiting and watching, Sai sent years before he was meant to appear. Sasuke made paranoid by her own, seemingly inexplicable, suspicions. Had she made it worse instead?

The truth would have come out, one way or another. That at least she couldn’t and wouldn’t change. She had even tried to reveal it on her own–the most tenuous connections she could make, grasping at threads and hoping they wouldn’t snap–but not without risking her own secret.

And maybe that’s what the problem was. She knew everything there was to know about Sasuke–knew him better than he knew himself, even–but she hadn’t been willing to give him anything of herself. She was always holding back: maybe he could sense that.

Maybe it was easy for him to let go because she had never given him anything to keep.

—

When the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre is revealed, to say things went south would be a vast understatement.

Of course, things went differently this time around than she remembers. Or perhaps the political fall out wasn’t worth the ink on paper, especially not in an action-packed story loved for it’s characters.

But, unsurprisingly, there was turmoil amongst the clans–for obvious reasons, Danzo’s plots leading to nauseating implications. Even if she isn’t the clan heir, she had gotten tangled up in her family’s reactions–her father had been jounin commander, then, too. Had heard rumors of the Uchiha clan’s discontent, but hadn’t realized the extent of it, hadn’t been included in the response.

That relief–and how horrifying, that she had ever considered the opposite to even feel relieved–had been a slight breath, not even a sigh, before again she had been swept up in the consequences.

Clan politics is one thing, but for Sasuke? It was only ever going to be personal.

—

Sasuke goes. Shikako stays.

But only long enough to prepare herself–learn and train and plan. Maybe she couldn’t have stopped him, maybe some things cannot be changed.

Maybe it’s too late to reach out, to offer herself to him and hope that their brief shared history–moments of honesty and scraps of affection and their bond of trust, strained as it has become–will be enough to make him come back.

But she’ll be damned if she isn’t going to at least try.

~

A/N: So it’s… not really how they get together so much as… Shikako chases down Sasuke. Actually, it’s not even that either… but it still works, I think?

For @book14reader who wanted “regrets” and all I could think of was, well, she couldn’t save him completely: Orochimaru is one thing, but family? How could she compete against that? Especially Itachi. But even Obito/Madara are technically his family, too.

And I know, the style’s not the same as the first installment, but it really seemed to flow better like this and, well, considering each installment is basically separate, I don’t HAVE to make each part the same.

I will add this to ao3… later.

Further Down Road Two, (2016-07-25)

There’s always been something about Shikako.

Something between him and Shikako, to be more specific. Not. Not romantic. Not really. (Not yet?) But something…

It’s different than what’s between her and Naruto, though it’s similar in a way. The three of them intertwined.

If Naruto is the flames of a Grand Fireball, then Sasuke is the shuriken hidden within, and Shikako the shadow that stretches behind their enemies.

He didn’t need to be guided and encouraged like Naruto; he and Shikako are–not opposites, but not the same–complements, maybe, set on paths that wind around each other. Different trees in the same forest.

Equals, at least.

He thought the thing between them was trust.

She said wait. He asked why.

She wouldn’t answer.

He thinks that’s when it all started falling apart.

—

He thinks about regret and failure and betrayal. (He’s always thinking about that) Usually it’s featuring That Man and That Night, but lately it’s been about more recent decisions. (Mistakes.)

Maybe the worst part isn’t that she knew and didn’t tell him. Maybe the worst part is that as he left, she understood.

Second children of the clan head–similar but not the same. If it had been her clan, what would she have done?

She had known the entire time that the true killer of his clan was sitting secure in Konoha, his influence stretching throughout the village. She had suspected so early on, but hadn’t warned him at all.

He trusts her enough to know that it wasn’t out of ill will. Knows that her clan wasn’t involved in the destruction of his clan. But she still hadn’t told him the truth.

Did she not trust him to keep it a secret? Did she not trust him to watch her back? Did she not trust him to handle the truth?

Had she ever trusted him?

—

In all of Konoha, she was the most important to him. That still holds, even despite the strained thing between them.

But fractured trust and friendship doesn’t hold a candle to family and revenge. Nothing ever has, nothing ever will.

One man ruined Konoha for all the Uchiha.

One girl, no matter how impressive or important, cannot make up for it.

—

But she chases him. Their eyes meet. They fight.

She speaks, but it’s nothing like Naruto’s sermons. It’s facts and reasoning and logic, but no less emotional for it. His teammate’s suspicions finally out in the open.

The answers he asked for, a little too late.

Or is it?

Can he change his path once more? Can he return to when they were complements instead of at crossroads? Can trust be repaired?

She says wait. He asks why.

This time, she answers.

~

A/N: For the anon who wanted Shikako meeting up with missing-nin Sasuke… but I guess this is more like vague rantings from Sasuke’s POV instead…

I’ll add this to ao3 later?

I worry about Shikasuke having a child together. Uchihas usually get a lot of emotional turbulence (Pretty aure that’s canon? Might also be the Curse of Hatred, tho I don’t know about it too well), and I feel like that won’t mix well with the Nara’s thing with souls and shadows and the need to be at peace with yourself (else you’d fall into black/the shadows eat you, i guess).

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Oh man, a biological Shikasuke child? Well, actually, even an adopted Shikasuke child I’d be a little worried about.

Mostly because as they are still such children themselves right now (even with Shikako’s reincarnation, she’s a teenager up against monsters and murderers and that’s really… she comes off as a very mature and mostly rational teenager, but still a teenager) and I’m hesitant to extrapolate what kind of adults and thus what kind of parents they’d be.

(I mean, I guess if I were to write something like this it would be Shikasuke child traveling back in time (or, alternatively, Shikako/Team Seven traveling forward in time) so that Shikasuke child meets Shikako when they’re all the same age.

Which would actually be kind of hilarious and… I mean, it’s happened before hasn’t it? Naruto travelled back in time to meet his parents in the anime, right? And he doesn’t even have the penchant for fuinjutsu experimentation or possible Mangekyou Sharingan omnipotence that Shikako and Sasuke do.)

Uh, anyway. I guess the thing is that on a purely biological point, an Uchiha-Nara child would be pretty dangerous. The Sharingan mixed with a spiritual predisposition for shadows? I would not want to be on the wrong end of that kunai. But I guess you can consider the mix of genes in three ways: either the child will have a genetic preference towards either the Uchiha traits or the Nara traits, the child will have both with lesser intensity than their parents, or the child will have a unique combination of the two.

(I mean, can you imagine how horrifying it would be if all the kid needed to do was connect to your shadow and you get sucked into an unbreakable genjutsu? WHYYYYY? Or, alternatively, all you need is eye contact and this kid has control of your body? OMG O_O )

That being said the other “clan traits” of the Uchiha and Nara–being powerful but emotionally unstable vs being intelligent and lazy–would probably end up in a kid that, yes, would be at risk of both clans’ psychological problems.

But you also have to consider that a lot of Sasuke’s emotional problems are because he legitimately has PTSD and basically raised himself at the scene of his family’s murder. Like… it’s surprising he’s as well adjusted as he is in canon before the Orochimaru bite.

This child would (hopefully) have at least one parent around growing up (seeing as how both of them are essentially un-killable) and possibly biological/honorary uncles and aunts, grandparents, and the entire Nara clan (Which might as well be the entire Akimichi-Nara-Yamanaka alliance) so there’s no chance of this kid ending up like Sasuke because that’s a fairly individual set of circumstances that will almost definitely not crop up again.

Will this child possibly end up like their parent because of a different reason (like Boruto basically acting like Naruto, not because he’s an orphaned pariah but because his dad is probs depressed and bad at parenting)? Yes, maybe. But I think this kid, especially seeing as how their mother was integral in making the Rookie Nine/Ten more cohesive than canon, will be the “it takes a village” kind of child than the simultaneously-put-on-a-pedestal-but-considered-a-potential-walking-bomb that was Sasuke’s childhood.

Actually, I guess maybe I should try to extrapolate what Sasuke and Shikako might be as parents… but another reason why that’s so hard for me is that I don’t actually think they want to be parents. Like, sure, Sasuke wants to “revive his clan” but that’s a lot different from “having and raising a child.” Whereas Shikako, during the babysitting missions they had early on, had been good at it but had also not been super keen on it.

That being said. DoS Sasuke wouldn’t be weirdly exiled from Konoha like canon!Sasuke is, so he would be around more for their kid’s childhood than for Sarada’s. Which is not to say that he’d be around all the time (maybe his village lockdown days will ingrain him with a sense of wanderlust, or maybe he really will just settle down okay in Konoha without the driving need to get stronger/revenge always pushing him forward) but definitely more often.

Ditto with Shikako. I mean, I kind of wrote a thing about what I thought a future/epilogue Shikako might be like but that’s literally only one of many possibilities. She, too, may prefer settling down since, presumably, the Akatsuki/Danzo/Madara/Kaguya threat has been taken care of. And we have seen her be especially academic–when not in danger, her tendency seems to be to research and invent–and staying in a peaceful Konoha would help with that.

I don’t know, anon, it’s still a little difficult for me to imagine. I mean… I actually think–if they are both active parents and, more importantly, the two primary guardians–that Sasuke would be the one who is better at the emotional matters than Shikako. Like, if that child gets scared? Shikako would probably reassure them that there’s nothing to be afraid of–which isn’t bad parenting–but Sasuke would be the one to coach that kid through their fear, be like “if there is a monster under the bed, we will do this and this so the monster can’t get you” (and then proceed to teach their child Grand Fireball, probably) which is acknowledged to be a better method of dealing with your child’s fears.

Just… conscientious snake versus rabid badger, you know?

I think this kid will be scary. I think this kid will be smart and emotional and ruthless. I think this kid will probably overstep their limits on multiple occasions, will fall into the black at least once, will hurt people around them when they’re angry. But that’s what a lot of kids are like–probably both in the Naruto world and in the real world.

This kid will have the advantage of having a loving support system. This kid will probably love their friends and family fiercely, will be loyal and the best person to have beside you in a fight and watching your back. This kid will probably invent jutsu that impress, bewilder, and exasperate people because do you know how much paperwork this is going to be? Let’s be honest, this kid will probably end up being the Hachidaime or best friends with the Hachidaime and will make their parents (and uncles and aunts and grandparents) hella proud.

So I don’t think we need to worry too much, anon, I think this child is going to be alright 🙂

edit: Wrote a bit about “Sakako Uchiha” in this ficlet here!

Untitled Voltron ficlet (2016-07-23)

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A/N1: The rest is under the cut because it has cussing and also mentions things which, while not necessarily nsfw, also isn’t for kids and since Voltron is a kids show… well. Better safe than sorry, right?

~

As soon as their lions land in their respective hangars, both Lance and Keith are racing for the kitchen. When they meet up in the hallway, they start shoving at each other, trying to trip up the other, even as they both try to get their first.

It doesn’t matter that they are officially boyfriends and have been for a year–rivals is forever, apparently.

Keith gets to the kitchen first, technically, but Lance has longer arms and no sense of propriety, so he’s the one that gets the apple.

Yeah, all this for an apple.

Lance crows triumphantly then immediately licks it, holding it up and declaring, “Ha! I’ve licked it so therefore it’s mine.” Because even though they’ve been in space and defending the universe for four years, Lance is actually a six year old brat at heart.

While Shiro explains to Allura and Coran that licking things isn’t actually how property is legally claimed on Earth, Keith just reaches over, snatches the apple and bites into it.

“Dude!” Lance says, protesting against the clear violation of the most sacred iteration of dibs. 

Keith just looks confused, even as he munches away at his ill-gotten gains.

“You can’t just eat something I’ve licked,” Lance tries to explain because Keith lived in a shack in the desert by himself and not everyone had a billion and a half siblings and cousins to teach them the ways of society.

Keith still looks confused, “I’ve had your tongue in my mouth,” he says, then pauses, considering, “I’ve also had your dick in my mouth,” he adds and doesn’t blush at all, even though Lance’s face turns as red as Keith’s lion, because sometimes Keith has zero shame about the weirdest things.

Shiro face palms because Lance’s inappropriateness is predictable–Keith’s is not. Thankfully, neither of the Alteans ask about that. 

Whoa,“ Hunk says, as he and Pidge enter the kitchen, putting down the box he’s carrying and belatedly covering Pidge’s ears, "watch your language. There are children around,” he hisses at a volume that makes covering Pidge’s ears moot. Which makes sense, seeing as how he’s really just being a troll.

Pidge rolls their eyes and shrugs him off with a lot more elbows than he thinks is necessary, “Fuck off,” they say which is pretty mild all things considered. “It wasn’t funny when I was fourteen and it’s not funny now. Also, you dumbasses, we have, like, a hundred more apples.” Adding their box of apples next to Hunk’s on the counter, doesn’t quite make it a hundred. But seeing as the “grow Earth plants in the castle” is a joint project between Hunk and Pidge and the Green Lion, they would know.

“It’s the principle of the matter!” Lance says, once his embarrassment has run its course. But he still reaches over to snag another apple for himself, then sidles over to Keith and kind of drapes himself over him.

So, basically, all is forgiven.

~

A/N2: I had the most innocuous yet weird dream, got dragged to a birthday party for someone I don’t know, and sat awkwardly in a corner for hours with my phone. This is what happened.

Adventures of Jack and Ness (2016-07-22)

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“You’re sweet,” she says with a curl on her lip, reaching out to pat him on the cheek. It’s a whole lot of patronizing but she has very soft hands and also she smells nice, so he leans into it.

“I hate you,” she also adds, though given she could just be smacking him instead of petting him, that seems to be unlikely.

“Well why don’t you tell me how you really feel,” he says.

She laughs and pulls away and gestures at the door, “Get out of my sight, Jack.”

“You know you love me!” He calls out, even as he scurries to obey.

No need to piss off V more than he already has.

—

Ness is very serious about her job. She is dedicated and loyal and hard working and etc etc

Whatever.

The point is, when she’s working all other things fall to the wayside. Nothing is more important than getting the job done in the most effective and efficient way possible.

She just wishes, in this case, it didn’t involve sitting quietly for three hours in a closet that smells like vomit and urine and, strangely, industrial strength nacho cheese if such a thing exists.

It’s the best place to hide their monitors for the bugs given they’ve hardwired everything so no one can just jump onto their signal, but it still smells horrible and she hates everything.

Next time, she’s call dibs on the babysitting job and Jack can sit in a closet that smells like the worst post-frat party ever.

—

It’s 2:37 AM when Jack shoots upright in his bed and hisses, “It’s a time travel paradox.”

From the other shitty, tiny bed in their shitty tiny motel room, Ness throws one of her lumpy pillows at him.

“Shut up,” she groans back, shoving her head underneath her remaining lumpy pillow. She’s already vowed to use hand sanitizer over her entire body when she wakes up–it’s way too early to worry about head lice. “ Go back to sleep.”

The pillow isn’t much of a deterrence to Jack, given it is just a pillow and he’s walked off much worse like, say, bullets and things, but he takes it as the warning it is and flops back onto his bed.

He spends the next four hours trying to figure out how and why their universe hasn’t imploded yet and fails spectacularly.

Stars Also Dream, a DoSxSW crossover series 2/? (2016-07-21)

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This high up in the mountains, with the air so thin of oxygen and the cold stinging at your exposed skin, you think you might be happy.

You follow after your master faithfully, only a little jealous of the way she uses the Force to stay above the snow instead of falling into it with every step like you do.

Master Bant has promised she’ll teach you how to do it, and she’s never lied to you before.

(There’s a first time for everything, though you eventually learn the trick. But it’s from a shinobi, not a jedi, and an entirely different life later.)

For a handful of years she is your entire world even as you travel through the vast galaxy on missions from the Council. Even as war rages between the Grand Army and the Separatists. Even as she sends you off on your own more and more frequently–it’s because she trusts you to negotiate on her behalf, not because she thinks you can’t handle yourself in a fight.

She’s your entire world even as she sends you away one last time, jettisoned in a medical escape pod before you can protest, the clone troops suddenly turning on your master.

You scream and scream, futilely raging against the duraplex, when your bond with your master flickers out. Silently, softly.

Your entire world gone.

(You later realize that you loved Master Bant. She was the closest thing you had to a mother, even after the Kinokawas adopt you.)

You’re never as happy like you were then–a child, despite your abilities and the war–but that doesn’t mean you never feel happiness again. It takes a long time, years and years, before you get that again–like a person can be your whole world no matter where you are or what you do. And you’re lucky enough this time that it’s two.

You are exhausted, short of breath and in pain, but as the medics put your twins in your arms, you think you’re just as light headed and joyful as when you were a young padawan following in your master’s nonexistent footprints.

~

A/N: Tiny thing because I’m still trying to figure out stuff for this series. Such as:

I was debating who to make Yoshino’s jedi master and was stuck between Bant Eerin or Bultar Swan because… reasons… but decided on Bant because it’s been confirmed that she does get an unknown/unnamed padawan while Bultar doesn’t. Also Bultar is killed by a fellow jedi (which… wtf) and that would kinda not work so well with my plans.

Also… I’m being suuuuper vague on ages and times because trust me, I tried to do the math, and it doesn’t really work out unless Yoshino somehow doesn’t age for a few years (which, I mean, medical escape pod, who knows… stasis?) or I go into the whole time dilation/space travel/not aging thing which could also work? Mreh…

Word Prompts (A35): Apology

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Anja spots him in the crowd, nearly a foot taller than everyone around him, treading awkwardly like a giraffe on uneven ground.

(She laughs and laughs and laughs.)

When Tucker finally reaches her, he stands only slightly impatiently off to the side for her to catch her breath.

When she does, she punches him in the hip.

“You asshole,” she says, “Shaving your head alone is not going to cut it.”

He silently holds out a box of Ghirardelli chocolate.

“Closer,” she capitulates, taking the box and walking away. She could just weave through the crowd, but she takes care not to walk too fast and leave him behind.

He has a lot of making up to do, after all.

(She carefully ignores the feeling of his eyes on the long row of stitches on her scalp.)

—

It wasn’t an accident.

Though that isn’t to say her injury was on purpose either.

Both of them knew the risks going in, the likelihood of danger, and even if they had known for certain this was the outcome, truth be told, they very well would have done it again.

(Kids, you know? Tucker’s always been a softie for kids.)

Which isn’t to say that Anja wouldn’t have willingly gotten bashed across the head to save a bunch of kids, but its safe to say that Anja’s in it more to catch the bad guys than to protect random innocents.

(Hey, whatever works, right?)

Now if only she could convince Tucker into letting her back on the case. Desk work may be boring as fuck, but it’s better than having to listen to her brother-in-law point out the horrible flaws in her lifestyle.

—

They come into work the next day with matching (horrific) shaves and two boxes of donuts, because their entire squad are just as bad at controlling impulses when it comes to food and their dentists hate them.

(Except for Miranda who is married to her dentist and has perfect teeth to show for it. Nonetheless, she sneaks three whole donuts because she’s a weirdo who keeps mouthwash in her desk drawer to prevent her wife from finding out about her terrible eating habits).

Anja is hailed as a hero and Tucker is hailed as said hero’s sidekick which is their due.

(Okay, so, ‘hailed’ is a little bit strong of a word. Basically, everyone smacks Anja on the back in congratulations–which is still super bruised those assholes–and Tucker is in charge of their paperwork until all the letters on her desktop stop wobbling dangerously)

She loves her job.

How To Adult Properly (And Maybe Heal Some People While We’re At It), a series of Team Medic ficlets 3/? (2016-07-19)

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“Oh,” says the guy, eyes gone shiny and wide, like he’s two breaths away from swooning. As it is, a flush begins to spread across his cheeks and he begins fidgeting with the ends of his fingerless gloves. “I’d like that, Watanabe-san,” he says with a shy smile which isn’t unattractive at all.

“Please,” Jiro says, flashing a charming smile of his own which Sakura has actually caught him practicing in their bathroom mirror, “Call me Jiro,” he requests, before placing a hand on the other’s resting between them on the bar.

Jiro’s latest conquest really does look like he’s about to faint, eyes fluttering like out of a cheap romance novel.

Youbirin looks like he’s about to gag, though he hides it quickly enough behind his drink.

Sakura rolls her eyes, but they both stay silent while their teammate works his magic and gets the guy’s number and promise of a future date. Once he leaves out of earshot, however, they’re free to let loose.

“Oh my god,” Sakura bursts out, syllables stretched out in conflictingly amused horror, while Youbirin follows through on his impulse and gives mock retching noises.

“What?” Jiro protests, “It’s not my fault I’ve got game and both of you don’t.”

“That was not game, Jiro,” she scoffs, “Come on,” she scoffs, “That guy was way too easy to need any kind of game.”

Youbirin, backing her up, leans in close and flutters his eyelashes uncontrollably. “Isn’t this a symptom of electrocution? I mean, you’d know, Jiro-san,” he says, an exaggerated simper on the honorific.

“Medic-nin are so impressive,” Sakura adds, her own fluttering eyelids making Jiro laugh.

“Hey, low hanging fruit, right?” he asks with a smirk.

“I know you want something to be low hanging,” she quips back, pleased when she hears both Jiro and Youbirin sputter into their drinks.

“Sakura!” Jiro chokes out, appalled.

Youbirin, because he’s one step away from being uncultured swine, simultaneously wipes up his chin with his sleeve and holds out a hand for a high five.

She magnanimously deigns him with one.

“You guys are the worst,” Jiro mutters, but he waves over the bartender for another round, and that’s almost as good as him telling them he loves them.

“Lies,” Youbirin says,“we are the best,” and since Jiro doesn’t say anything to the contrary then it must be true.

Once they’ve been settled with new drinks, Sakura smacks Jiro on the shoulder to get his attention. She’s not actually trying to hurt him, but her super strength is kind of her default state, so he still winces at the impact.

“Feel free to go after your new beau,” she suggests, because why shouldn’t she live vicariously through one of her best friends. Part of her embarrassment at how easily Jiro was able to pick up that guy is because they’ve all collectively had so little free time that none of them have gotten anywhere near as close to getting laid as that in a shamefully long time.

“But what about–” Jiro gestures at all three of them, because each of them getting free time is rare, but all of them getting free time at the same time? Is damn near impossible.

“Don’t sweat it,” Youbirin says easily, probably feeling the same thing she is, “Sakura and I can get drunk by our lonesome and talk about how we apparently lack any game whatsoever.”

“If you’re sure?” Jiro asks, expression only a little bit guilty, and already standing up from his seat.

“Go on, already,” she says, shooing him away. As he leaves, she calls out after him, “And remember, if you bring him back to our place, no sex in the common areas!”

“Especially not the kitchen!” Youbirin adds, obnoxiously loud.

Jiro flips them off without turning around, otherwise acting as if he can’t hear their heckling.

She and Youbirin just laugh.

~

A/N: short thing based on a true story…

Stars Also Dream, a DoSxSW crossover series 1/? (2016-07-18)

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You dream, sometimes, of your childhood. When the night winds blow through the trees and the place in bed beside yours has been cold for too long.

Before, you found your time occupied by your training, by your husband, by your children. Too busy and too tired to remember. But now your twins have grown and the house is empty; your husband no longer there to soothe you back to sleep. You find your mind restless and impatient.

Memories you’ve long buried begin to bubble back up to the surface, battles and war on a larger scale than you’ve become accustomed. A different family lost, betrayed. Your own history hidden away for protection–though you’re never sure for whose.

Sometimes, you dream.

You dream of Coruscant, the buzz of so many people, the Force flowing playfully through you and your fellow initiates. You dream of the Room of a Thousand Fountains, sleeping alongside your clan members, of trying to hide your excitement lest the masters sense your emotions. You dreamed of becoming a Jedi Knight someday, eager to see the rest of the galaxy.

One day, you dreamed, you’d see other planets and fight evil and know that you were part of something much larger than yourself. Part of a grand tradition, celestial and intimidatingly beautiful.

You dreamed, then, of your future. You dream, now, of your past.

You think, at first, it is merely regret plaguing you. The thought of yet another child of yours never knowing the truth of the world–of their heritage. But it creeps into your mind during the day, every time you look up at the sky, and that sense you’ve carefully blocked off blows open wide and frightened and full of warning.

Chakra is unusual, something that took you years to adjust to, but the Force?

The Force has always been with you.

~

A/N: Based off this fake fic summary brainstorming Yoshino as a secret jedi. I’m not super sure where I’m going with this, really… mrgh… I just wanted to give it a try but it was harder than I thought it would be.

Word Prompts (B24): Blink

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Stepping through the doors of Cat’s Meow is like walking onto a movie set or into a circus tent. There’s something almost not quite real about it, a carefully crafted set of lies, but one willingly taken–rose colored glasses within these four walls–as if reality has been tilted just slightly to show props and gimmicks underneath.

Plausible deniability would state that Cat’s Meow is a restaurant–or a cafe, or a bar–but those who know the truth, well. They can easily see it for what it is.

For those who don’t? Well, first timers get special treatment.

“Take a seat,” the man says, curling one warm hand around your elbow, a gentle and feather-light touch. He’s dressed in black and white and maybe plausible deniability would say that he’s a waiter, or a busboy, or the bartender, but you’ve never really been one for denial.

“You’re not going to want to miss this,” the man continues, guiding you to a seat, the plush leather almost welcoming you. The booth is meant for more than just one person, but you’ve come here alone.

Most people come here alone, but the booths get filled up anyway.

“You can call me Porcelain,” the man says, sitting beside you–but not too close, you notice–body heat just barely felt through your clothes and empty space.

Maybe it’s an apt name, you think, for his skin certainly does look as smooth as porcelain, but you think he’s far less likely to break.

“Andrew,” you offer back, because it’s only polite, never mind the place you’ve found yourself in (plausible deniability, you didn’t know, this is your first time here).

“Well, Andrew,” Porcelain says, with a sweetly curved smile on his mouth, “I’ll be your server tonight, unless you’d like someone else?”

“No,” you say, without needing to consider, “You’ll do quite nicely.”

That smile curves even more, a dimple appearing as if in punctuation. “Oh, will I?” Porcelain asks, more teasing than seeking confirmation.

“Yes,” you say simply.

After all, you know what you came here for.

~

A/N: tiny thing, I dunno, blaaaaah…

Untitled (2016-07-16)

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There’s this guy.

And, no, it’s not that kind of story, but it’s a story and it wants to be told.

So there’s this guy.

And he’s a little weird, but maybe that’s just because to me he doesn’t make sense and maybe I’m the weird one. But if I had to describe him, it would be:

Ephemeral, yet constant.

And how can that be, you might ask, for aren’t those opposites? How can someone be both fleeting yet continuous, ever changing yet the same?

The only words I’ve ever said to this guy were…

Actually, no…

The only words he’s ever said to me are “Do you see it?”

And perhaps I answered, but most likely I didn’t–too bewildered and caught off guard to respond properly. But that’s the closest thing to a conversation we’ve ever had, and I find it hilarious and sad.

Because in the book that would be my life? He is always there. He flits in and out of my family and friends’ lives, a name repeated so often that it gains a life of its own. A character mentioned in every chapter, but never for more than a few sentences.

How strange.

Collecting anecdotes of this guy I’ve never really talked to. Knowing details of his life that I don’t really care for. Like being roommates with a stranger you never see or hear, but can infer the existence of through dirty dishes and moved furniture.

Tangential lines whose single point of contact wasn’t even all that meaningful.

“Do you see it?”

Do I see it? See what? What does it matter?

We are looking in different directions, looking for different signs, only aware of each other the same way passers by in a crowd are–another body, a step to the side, an almost dance with an almost partner to an almost song that no one can hear.

There’s this guy.

He’s weird, a familiar stranger, the same configuration of letters reappearing on different pages.

But that’s just how life works.

~

A/N: a day late, but maybe i’ll write another thing today to count as 07-17′s post properly