Activity: Community Prompt Share
"Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now?"
"I don't know whether to be angry or proud."
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Submitted By: @dawnwynters
Prompt Used: “I don’t know whether to be angry or proud.”
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“You have so many options, Lucky.” Laxus leaned back against the counter in the kitchen of their father’s lake house, a beer in his hand as he looked at Lucy who was sitting on the island counter with her own beer.
“I know.” Lucy nodded, letting out a sigh as she lifted the beer to her lips and took a swing before looking up at the ceiling. “But they’re all so far away. I’d rather just stay in Magnolia and go to the community college.”
“This have anything to do with Natsu and the fact that you’ve been in love with the idiot since you were twelve?” He arched a brow at her.
Lucy felt the smile spread across her face at the mention of her boyfriend of three years, her fingers tightening on the bottle in her hand as her heart stumbled in her chest. “I just,” She bit her lip, looking at the floor as the blush spread across her cheeks.
Laxus chuckled and moved forward, pressing his lips to her forehead. “I support whatever decision you make, Lucky. I’ll even make sure Jude shuts up about it.”
Natsu hovered outside of the doorway to the kitchen, his hand gripping the frame as he listened to their conversation about Lucy going to college. He had been in love with her since he was thirteen but didn’t have the courage to ask her out until three years ago, when he was fifteen. He loved everything about this girl; how smart she was, how kind she was, how she was just beautiful inside and out. He knew about the colleges she had been accepted into, knew that her father was pressuring her to finally pick one, knew that she was serious about staying here to go to community college to stay close to him.
He knew she deserved so much more than that, knew she wanted so much more than that but wanted to be close to him more. He refused to hold her back, so he took a deep breath as he stepped into the kitchen, his mind made up on how he was going to make her do what was best for herself.
“Laxus, can we have a minute?” He spoke quietly, refusing to meet Lucy’s questioning gaze.
“Sure.” Laxus frowned before kissing Lucy’s forehead again. “One more beer after that, Lucky, then you’re done.”
Lucy rolled her eyes as Laxus left the kitchen before smiling brightly at Natsu. “Where’ve you been hiding?”
“Just been thinking.” He leaned back against the counter across from her, his arms crossed as he refused to look at her face. “You pick a college yet?”
She frowned at his question, a sick feeling building in the pit of her stomach. “I told you, Natsu. I’m going to the Community College.”
“Why?” He scowled, still refusing to look at her because he knew if he did, he wouldn’t be able to do what needed to be done. “For me?”
“Well, duh,” She rolled her eyes fondly even though the sick feeling inside of her was growing. “I want to stay-“
“You’re a fucking idiot.” He scoffed, shaking his head and trying to ignore her sharp gasp. “Picking to go to a Community College for a guy? That’s fucking stupid, Lucy.”
Her knuckles turned white from how tightly she was holding the bottle in her hand, tears gathering in her eyes at his words. “It’s not stupid.” She whispered. “I’m doing it because I lo-“
“You’re doing it to control me!” He snapped, his heart breaking with his words, but he pushed himself to continue. “For fuck’s sake, Lucy! Did you really think this thing between us would actually last?” He forced himself to look at her, forced himself to glare and ignore the tears spilling down her cheeks.
“Wh-What are you-“ She pressed a hand to her stomach, unable to get the words out.
“I’m saying I’m way too fucking young to be tied down!” His eyes flicked over her shoulder, silently cursing himself for being too loud as he saw several of their friends hovering in the doorway. “I’m going to become a firefighter and I don’t need you around causing trouble when I want to get some action from the women who will want me! I don’t fucking want you around, Lucy! I don’t want to fucking be with you!”
The only sound after his outburst was the bottle shattering in her hands from how tight she had squeezed it and the soft sobs escaping her. “N-Natsu, h-how could-“
He forced himself to roll his eyes as he pushed away from the counter and headed for the door. “Get over it, Lucy. We’re done.” He shoved through their angry friends, ignoring Gray, Loke and Erza as they chased after him because he needed to get away before he ruined everything by telling her the truth.
He sped away on his motorcycle, amazed that he didn’t get into a wreck with how fast he had been going as he drove to his brother’s house, the only place he could stay where no one would find him.
“What did you do?” Zeref’s voice was filled with barely restrained rage as Natsu got off the motorcycle. “Laxus just called and said you broke up with Lucy by telling her you wanted the ‘attention’ you were going to get as a firefighter?”
Natsu pulled his helmet off and set it on his bike before looking at Zeref, watching the anger fade from his brother’s face at the sight of tears on his own. “I had to.” He whispered.
“Why?” Mavis, his sister-in-law, spoke up from slightly behind Zeref, her concerned eyes on Natsu.
“Because she deserves better!” He shouted, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. “You know how fucking smart she is! She doesn’t deserve to be going to Community College! She deserves to go to a university! She deserves to have that experience and get the degree she wants! I was holding her back! She deserves better!”
Zeref studied him for a long moment before sighing heavily. “I don’t know whether to be angry or proud.”
“Proud?” Mavis looked at her husband in shock. “Why the hell would you be proud that he broke her heart like that?”
“Because he did it for her, Mavis.” Zeref shook his head. “The fucking idiot just ruined the best thing in his life just so she could have the life she deserves to have.”
Mavis frowned and crossed her arms. “She deserves to be happy, and Lucy is the only one who decides what makes her happy.” She looked at Natsu. “You should’ve talked with her instead of doing this.”
“She wouldn’t have listened.” He rubbed his hands down his face. “You know how stubborn she is. I know her, Mavis. She wants to go, but she wanted to stay here with me. She would’ve stayed.” He gave a weak shrug. “So, I forced her to go. She means more to me than anything. Even myself. I’ll gladly be miserable the rest of my life without her as long as she get to do the things she dreams of doing.”
Mavis shook her head and turned to go inside. “Her biggest dream was being with you, Natsu, and you just shattered that.”
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Submitted By: @teleiapotami
Prompt Used: "Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now?"
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Memories raged through his mind. Memories that didn’t belong to him. The power of Aquarius’ Stream of Memories was so potent that Natsu could smell the dust and blood in the air like he was back in the ruins of Tartaros. Except he hadn’t been there, not really. The Allegria spell had swallowed him, and Lucy had saved them all. He didn’t know how, or how he knew that, but he’d known it from the moment he regained consciousness.
In the aftermath of losing his father, the feeling slipped his mind, buried under his grief and self-loathing. A feeling which was now made worse by Lucy’s memories coursing through him. The sound of her scream, summoning the Celestial Spirit King…he’d never heard it, but he could feel it in his bones now, shaking loose guilt he thought he had let go of.
The sound of careful steps outside his room drew him out of his brooding, and he heard the hushed murmurs of Wendy and Lucy, then the door slid open, and Lucy knelt at his side. He turned his head to look at her slowly, searching her face silently. She smiled softly at him.
“Wendy says you’ll be okay. It was bad, and with Erza being just as wounded, she didn’t have the power to heal you all the way,” she said, reaching out and brushing his hair out of his eyes carefully. “You heal faster so….”
“Lucy,” he rasped out, catching her wrist. She gasped softly at the strength of his grip, and he relaxed a little with a frown. “Sorry…Lucy, I need to ask you—”
“You need to rest,” she insisted. “Suzaku’s attack—”
“I saw them, Lucy. I saw the memories Aquarius showed you…” he said quietly. Lucy fell silent, staring at him with wide eyes. “I wondered why you didn’t summon her when Ignia set the city on fire…there was plenty of water, but you didn’t…”
Lucy clenched her fist and pulled it away, placing it on her thighs. “You need to rest, Natsu,” she whispered. Her shoulders trembled slightly, making him sit up slowly, letting out a growl of pain when the wound on his abdomen pulled slightly.
“I can’t Lucy. I close my eyes and I see….you. I hear you screaming…crying. I wasn’t there but I can’t stop seeing it now! You never told me what you did,” he paused when she looked up at him sharply. “I-I never asked…” he corrected himself.
Lucy shook her head sharply, angrily wiping her eyes. “Are you kidding me? Are you actually bringing this up now? It doesn’t matter Natsu, it’s over. That was more than a year ago!”
The knot of guilt tightened in his stomach at her words. “A year that….you were alone. I didn’t….I would never have…Lucy, why didn’t you say something?”
“I didn’t exactly have the time…the fights were still going, and then Igneel, and Acnologia. There wasn’t time, and you were in enough pain. You didn’t need mine too,” she said, looking away again.
“Yeah, I lost my dad, but you lost your first friend! The closest thing you have to family, and you sacrificed her?! We could have comforted each other; we didn’t have to suffer alone!” he growled, pressing a hand against the pain in his stomach.
“You want me to believe you would have stayed? That you wouldn’t have gone off for your training if I had told you? Or maybe you would have taken me with you? Not left me behind?” she demanded, glaring at him. Natsu winced back at the heat in her voice and ground his teeth together in frustration.
Lucy sat back on her heels after a moment with a soft huff. “That’s what I thought. You had to go, and my pain wouldn’t have meant a thing. So you saw the moment I did what I had to do, so what?” She cut off for a moment and looked at the door when Gray shouted for her. “ It didn’t matter then, and it doesn’t matter now,” she argued, pushing to her feet.
“Lucy!” Natsu growled, reaching for her, but drawing back with a low groan of pain. “You know that’s not—”
“Lucy! They followed us here!” Gray shouted as he ran past the room.
“What I know, is that I have a fight to win, and you need to rest, Natsu. I’ll send Wendy to check on you later.”
“We don’t have to do anything but get through this Natsu,” she said softly, without looking back. She left him there, staring after her and listening to the sounds of her fight. The screams from her memories blended with those she was letting out as she fought, sending Natsu’s mind into a dizzying madness of rage and guilt.
“I’ll fix this,” he swore to himself, laying back reluctantly. “If it’s the last thing I do, I will make sure she gets that key.”
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Submitted By: @blazingorchid
Prompt Used: Floral, Blood, Denial
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It should have been a time for victory… and for some it was.
Zoro watched as crowds of people swarmed the town square. Bright colors from festive clothing and lights blended together. Laughter and chatter became nothing more than a murmur to his ears. The smell coming from the large cooking pot that was in the center of the square made his stomach churn.
He brought his bottle of sake to his lips and gulped; downing half of it in one go.
“You should go talk to him.” Robin’s voice soft voice carried to him. Zoro didn’t even spare a glance back at her. “You’re the only one he-“
“I can’t help him.” Zoro stated bluntly. “Nothing I say is going to fix the problem.”
“So you aren’t going to offer him comfort?” Her tone turned sharped. Anger bubbled within his chest as his drunken mind detected something accusatory in her voice.
He took another drink until the bottle was empty. He chucked the bottle to the side. The strong glass didn’t break but bounced on the wooden flooring until it settled into a roll. He had his next bottle opened before he heard it clink against the wall.
He turned sharply on his heel.
Robin’s face was puffy around her eyes. The redness in them was a stark contrast to ice blue eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and her nose was slightly runny.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Robin cry. He didn’t really care to at the moment anyways. He just wanted her gone; out of this room and far away from him.
“If you’re so worried, you go comfort him! Leave me the fuck alone!” He growled.
She glared back at him, before her eyes fell to his torso. It was only a matter of seconds before her face twisted in devastation.
Zoro followed her gaze and instantly regretted it.
Just another fucking reminder that he failed.
He had every intention to rip his clothing off once he got to the room. To get rid of any remaining evidence that this night even happened… and yet he didn’t. He couldn’t. The thought of trying left him in a daze before he was consumed with the desire to drink.
“He has the sunflower she wore in her hair.” Robin stated softly. Her voice trembled, not able to bear the weight of her grief. “Her blood is staining the petals and yet he just keeps …” she was interrupted by her own sob.
“When Sanji tried to take it away… Luffy… he…”
Zoro didn’t need to hear the rest. He knew what his captain was capable of when pressed to his limits. He knew that Luffy did not handle loss well and had more than likely kicked the cook’s ass for even daring to take her flower away.
Zoro felt his pain ripple down his spine. His hands clenched; one around the neck of the sake bottle, the other in a simple fist which led to his nails piercing his palm.
“And because you two can’t let her go, you’d rather comfort yourselves with her blood.”
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Submitted By: @notsofluffyunicorn
Prompt Used: "Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now?"
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Her eyes immediately sought out the voice that she knew better than her own, and she was confused to find Natsu curved over her with tears streaking a path down his cheeks.
She frowned, concern for him welling inside of her chest. She didn’t like it when Natsu cried. He didn’t ever really do it, not often, so when he did cry Lucy knew that something must’ve seriously rattled him.
Natsu’s eyes were locked on hers, wide and panicked.
“Stay still, Luce,” He pleaded. “W - we need to wait for Wendy. You’re bleeding.”
It took a minute for his words to register, but when they did she found that they didn’t make much sense. Because, she wasn’t bleeding but her nails were.
“Natsu, my nails.” She held a shaky hand up in front of her face again, not bothering to mention that her body was starting to feel cold. Natsu was with her, and he always warmed her up anyway. “Look.”
“Are you kidding me?” He growled, using his forehead to nudge her palm back down. “You’re bringing this up now? You’re fucking bleeding from a hole in your stomach, Lucy. I don’t care for your nails right now.”
She found that she didn’t really have the energy to reply, and instead she just watched him.
He was crying, but he still looked as beautiful as ever. Natsu had always been beautiful to her, in all the loud ways a person could be beautiful, but in the little ways too. He was kind and sweet to her, considerate of her feelings.
She blinked up at him tiredly, finding that she just genuinely wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right there on the dirty ground. Nails and Natsu be damned.
“No. No, Lucy! Luce! Don’t close your eyes, baby, please.”
She tried to tell Natsu that she couldn’t help it, but everything faded into the background as soon as Natsu let out a gut-wrenching sob and a searing, blistering heat slammed directly into her abdomen.
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Submitted By: @xfangheartx
Prompt Used: “I don’t know whether to be angry or proud.”
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“I don’t know whether to be angry or proud…”
Xiao stood quietly as he stared at Lumine’s back. The sun was setting beyond the rocky outcrops that surrounded the Chasm and the wind blew gently, rustling her hair and making the ornaments at the end of her scarf tingle like two little bells. The Yaksha’s face was one of rare nervousness as they stood there at the cliff’s edge.
They had just escaped from that strange dimension they were trapped in. He remembered the frightened look on Lumine’s face as she reached out to stop him from sending her and the others back up to the surface. He knew that she didn’t want him to do it… but he couldn’t tell her his plan. He knew she’d try and stop him, regardless if he told her or not.
It was the only way. He just hoped that she had understood.
As he fell back toward the darkness, all he could think of was that face. The face of the girl that he became so attached to. He was usually so closed-off to others, but with her… he felt different. He felt safe.
To know that she would live was enough for him… or so he thought.
The next thing he knew, he was back up on the surface with the otherworldly traveler and the others. As he looked up toward the clifftops, he could see the retreating figure of the Archon that he served. Deep in his heart, he was thankful to Lord of Geo… but now, he knew that he had something to answer for.
He knew the moment he saw Lumine’s frowning face and then told Paimon and the others to give her and Xiao a moment alone. They walked here, toward this cliff, both of them standing in tense silence before the traveler finally spoke to him in the present moment.
“…I know you must be upset,” Xiao replied.
“I’m not just upset, Xiao!” Lumine spat as she turned to face him. “Why would you ever do such an insane thing?!”
“It was all I could think of doing at that moment!” Xiao argued, his voice momentarily rising. “I-I had no choice!”
“We could have figured something else out together!” Lumine countered.
“There was no time!” Xiao snapped back. “I had to do something! We were about to fall back down and… and…” He sighed as his shoulders sagged and he glanced off to his left. “I… I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.”
Lumine’s eyes softened and her shoulders dropped. “Xiao… no sacrifice is ever worth it. Did you even think about how much it would hurt everyone if you lost your life, no matter how immortal you are? Don’t you have any idea how much you mean to the people who care about you?” She paused as she cast her eyes to the ground. “Or… how much you mean to me?”
Xiao’s eyes widened slightly as he looked up at her, his golden amber eyes meeting her honey gaze. The wind blew again, carrying the golden yellow ginkgo leaves and rustling the orange and brown grass. That’s when Lumine approached him.
“Xiao…” she said. “I want you to make a contract with me.”
“A… contract?” Xiao asked.
“Yes,” Lumine nodded. “I want you to swear that you will never take your life so lightly again… do you understand me?”
Xiao stood there, unsure of what to say… but then his expression hardened with that steely gaze of seriousness before, with some hesitation, he reached out and gently took the traveler’s hand in his own, then slowly fell to one knee as he bowed his head and closed his eyes.
“I, Adeptus Xiao, Conqueror of Demons… hereby swear that I will never treat my life lightly again.”
Lumine nodded her head. “Good.”
Upon hearing that squeaky voice of her companion, Lumine turned to see Paimon waving to her, as well Yanfei, Yelan, Itto, Shinobu, and Razor.
“Yo, compadre!” Itto called. “We’re off to get some grub! Wanna join us?”
“Come on! Let’s eat, already!” Paimon added.
Lumine smiled, a sudden sense of relief washing over her before she turned to face Xiao, who was back on his feet once again.
“How about the others go eat in town,” Lumine began, “and I’ll meet up with you at Wangshu Inn for some Almond Tofu. What do you say?”
“…Sounds good,” Xiao nodded.
Lumine smiled warmly at the Yaksha, who felt his cheeks grow warm as they were dusted a light pink, and he could feel his heart skip a beat or two. As they went to join the others, Xiao didn’t even realize that he had reached over… and had taken the traveler’s hand in a firm yet tender grip. Lumine didn’t look at him… but instead, she just silently locked her fingers with his.
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Prompt Used: Floral, Blood, Denial
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She was crying so hard that she feared that she might run out of tears.Her best friend had died trying to protect her and she couldn't help but feel guilty.
If only I was strong enough to protect myself, then she wouldn't have died such a gruesome way.
“Zera, stop running, you're going to trip and fall!” Yelled Mavis at the short brown haired girl.
“It's fine.” She yelled back before she fell on the ground.
“I told you so.” Mavis said after she caught up to the girl.
“It's fine really, I'm not hurt.”replied Zera.
“Let's just go back to the tree.” She added.
After they reached the tree they were surprised to see that most of the animals had been killed.
They were looking around when they saw a man with short black hair and decided to question him.
“Do you know what happened here?”asked Mavis to the boy.
“I do.” He replied,not happy that he was being questioned but obviously taking interest in the long haired blonde.
“Then what happened?” Zera asked.
“I killed them.Just like I'll kill you two.” He answered.
“W-why would you do that?”questioned Mavis.
“Because I was cursed this way, for every thing that I care about to die.” He replied nonchalantly.
“I won't allow you to kill Mavis, kill me instead if you have to.”Zera said sternly.
“My,My.What fascinating friendship you have.To go as far as to risk your lives for each other.”He said.
“NO!” Yelled Mavis. “Don't kill her, kill me.”she said.
“What are you talking about!?” Zera screamed.
“Well, I suppose I'll kill the white-haired girl,”He said.
As he prepared to kill Mavis, Zera jumped in front of the attack and took the hit for her.She fell to the ground with a thump,blood spilling out of her chest where a hole laid in her body.
“No,No,No,No.”Mavis said. “You can't die, you promised to stay with me.You promised dammit!”she cried out,falling to her knees to cradle the body of her friend.
“You can survive.I promise you will find more friends and family.Just promise me that you will leave this island and travel with the people that you meet.”said Zera
“I-I can't leave you!” Mavis replied. “You're my friend, my family and my sister.”
“Just this once, promise me.” Zera said,choosing to ignore her refusal.
“No!”she cried, still hugging the broken body of her friend.
“Thank you.” Zera said before taking Her last breath.
“No!!” Mavis cried, feeling her friend's heartbeat stutter till it stopped completely.
She cried and cried and cried, never once letting go of the body or looking at the boy in front of her.
Finally after hours of crying she got up to go bury the body of her friend. She made sure to put flowers on the burial.
That night she cried and cried. She cried the next day and the day after that until two weeks passed since the death of Zera. She was an emotional wreck but decided to push past it.
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Submitted by: @blazingorchid
Prompt Used: “Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now?"
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His ears perked at the sound. Her voice wrapping around him like a velvet curtain. The soft growl that was natural in her voice never failed to send a shiver down his spine.
And as much as he always loved being near her… right now was a bad time.
“If you came out here to scold me-“
He couldn’t help but look back at her. Her hood was down giving him a clear view of her face. Although always stoic- since her powers were sensitive to emotion, he had become a master at reading her by her eyes. Deep and dark in contrast of her pale skin and yet he found that nothing shined brighter.
“Good.” He sighed. He didn’t elaborate. He didn’t need to. Unlike her, all he ever did was feel. Too much and all the time. His heart constantly on his sleeve as if it was etched there.
“You’re not that easy to read.” She spoke, sitting next to him.
“You read minds now?” His lips lifted just slightly. He could feel one of his fangs scrap against his bottom lip.
“No. I mean to anyone but me. Even then, it took me a while. You’re actually confusing to empathic powers considering you’re always so optimistic. When we first met, I thought you were a brainless twit.”
He raised an eyebrow. He watched as a bit of humor glimmered in her eyes.
“Now I know you’re a brainless twit with a dark side.”
“Ha ha ha. Saw that coming a mile away.” He grumbled. His ears drooped. And he was all of sudden stricken with guilt.
He had exploded moments ago with Lin the tower. He had said some pretty unfair things to everyone before storming outside to where he sat… and even though he didn’t think anything he said was wrong, it was definitely hurtful.
“Don’t.” She raised a hand. “Nothing you said was a lie.”
He felt his mouth shut upon hearing his name from her lips. A pretty normal reaction since it never failed to shock him with how fucking great it sounded to him.
“Everyone has limits. Robin pushed you to yours. You reacted just as anyone else would have. Were your words hurtful? Yes… but true. Sometimes the truth just hurts.”
“I never want to hurt you.”
“That is an impossible task.” She countered gently. “Pain is … inevitable. Especially when the heart is involved.”
“Oh yeah!” He perked up instantly. He leaned back into both hands and smirked in her direction. He grinned, his canines poking out from his top lip. “You love me. That’s what you said last night”
“You’re bringing that up now?” She rolled her eyes. “Aren’t I supposed to be comforting you in your time of need.”
“This is comforting me. The girl I’ve been crazy about for years finally confessed to me last night and I haven’t been able to bask in its glory.” He suddenly felt agitated again.
He flinched when the light above them popped; glass shattering and falling to the concrete. He then eyed the empath to his side and smirked.
“The way you can shift emotions like that is actually impressive.” She let out a breathy chuckle. Her eyes lifted to the now busted light. Then she sighed falling back to her resting features. “I hope they don’t ask.”
“Just say I did it. Robin thinks I mess everything up anyways.”
“Hey.” She rested a hand on his shoulder. He leaned into her touch, a purr rolling out from his chest. “Don’t let him get to you. Just cool down and as for a sit down where it’s just the two of you. Then apologize to Cyborg and Star.”
“So I should apologize?” He asked her.
“To them. Star is very sensitive to how people feel about her. She probably thinks you hate her right now. And Cyborg is the closest thing you to a brother so he’s probably crying on the inside despite trying to act tough.”
“Can’t you … tell?” He asked.
“All my focus is on you at the moment.”
He beamed at the confession.
“I’ll do that, but first… wanna fly with me?”
Her reply was the dark shadow disc that was conjured with a flick of her wrist.
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Thank you to everyone who participated this week! We are going to get some monthly prompts moving in February, and keep the weekly ones going for those who like them!!
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