🎰🖤 NEW CHAPTER IS LIVE 🖤🎰
Maps That Lead to You — Chapter 09: You Let Me Vanish
Vegas glitter.
A borrowed dress.
One limo, one almost-kiss, and one rockstar who absolutely should’ve kept his mouth shut. 💥
Marlene lets herself rest.
Lets herself be seen.
And Sirius Black loses his grip the second he realizes he’s not the only one looking.
This chapter has:
🎂 Post-birthday chaos
🍾 Champagne and bad decisions
🔥 Jealousy that turns mean
💔 Words you can’t take back
🛑 James Potter drawing a hard line
🚪 And Marlene finally walking away
Sometimes the quiet ending is louder than the fight.
📖 Read now on AO3
💬 Come scream with me in the tags
Oh, you know, another chapter, etc etc, now LOOOOOOOOOK:
😍🥰🧡
Art by the wonderful @sweetperversiongirl 🥰🧡
Individual posts here: 01 / 02 / 03
Summary: When Ian lands himself an internship with famous wildlife photographer Mickey Milkovich he can't believe his luck. Spending one month traveling through South Africa with his big hero is a dream come true. The two are off on a wild adventure but there's something mysterious about Mickey who seems to be holding more to his chest than just the tricks of the trade Ian had hoped to learn from him.
Click here to read chapter 09 or here to start from the beginning!
Falling for the Freak - Eddie Munson Fix-It Fic Chapter 09
I have genuinely no idea how we’re already nine chapters into this thing. This is wild. I’m so happy to see more and more of you finding this fic each day. It’s such a treat seeing people interact with it. I am coming to you today actually having had slept a little bit. I’ve got one more shift at work and then I get my day off. I’m so excited. I hope you all really enjoy this chapter and as always thank you so much for reading it.
CHAPTER SUMMARY: They’ve traded clothes by accident. Is she going to give Eddie his shirt back? I certainly wouldn’t. When I have a partner I hoard their clothes with a burning passion. Anyway...the reader continues to battle with her feelings for Eddie until they come to a head. And then just wait to see what happens next! (Can you tell I write these before I’ve written the chapter???)
WARNINGS: Fluff. I feel like you’ve probably seen or at least are familiar with Star Wars but in case you aren’t, spoiler warning for Star Wars. And just in case you are wondering which movie they’re referring to in the fic, it’s the first movie that came out in 1977 otherwise known as Episode IV: A New Hope. When it came out it was just called Star Wars so that’s why it will only be referred to in that way in this chapter.
Chapter 9
I didn’t quite know why, but I hadn’t give Eddie his shirt back even though it had been over a week since I technically stole it from him. I also had begun to sleep in it most nights. Well, I knew why I had done those things but I didn’t like to think about that. Instead, Eddie and I just didn’t talk about the clothing we had accidentally given each other. I didn’t know where my sweater was and he didn’t really know where his shirt was. He never asked about it, so I figured he couldn’t miss it too much.
The second half of the semester was picking up quickly. I began to spend all of my free time studying. The only way I ever saw anyone was to have study sessions. Sometimes Dustin and I would sit together at the kitchen table after dinner doing our homework together. When I told Eddie about this one evening on the phone, he asked if he could join us next time. The three of us began spending most evenings together at the table, our heads buried in books. If it wasn’t too cold or snowy, we would take breaks by going on short walks around the block.
Eddie and Dustin often would finish their homework before me and would end up in Dustin’s room planning out campaigns for Hellfire. Sometimes, if I didn’t have too much work to do, I would join them and listen to their discussions. Before Mike, Lucas, and Dustin had met Eddie, it usually was Mike who would plan their campaigns. However, now that they were in Hellfire, that task had fallen on Eddie. Dustin was curious about picking up the skill though, so Eddie let him help with writing the plot and coming up with characters.
“What if he was missing his left eye?” Dustin asked one night while we all were hanging out in his room. Dustin was sitting in his desk chair on one end of the room while Eddie leaned against the windowsill. I sat on the floor with two books on demons open in front of me and a notebook in my lap.
“And his left arm!” Eddie said excitedly.
“Oh that would look wicked!” Dustin laughed. “He’s going to be gnarly,”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Eddie said, a grin growing across his mouth.
“You’re really not going to tell me anymore about this campaign?” Dustin complained.
“Henderson, I’m dungeon master for a reason,” Eddie said. “You’re going to have to wait for The Cult of Vecna just like all the other peasants,”
“I’m not a peasant,” Dustin protested.
“Who’s Vecna?” I asked. “And what kind of cult are we talking about here? Are you thinking more like Charlie Manson and his Family or like Heaven’s Gate?”
“Vecna’s an evil sorcerer,” Dustin said.
“And what do you mean what kind of cult? There’s more than one kind cult?” Eddie asked coming to sit next to me on the floor.
“Of course there’s more than one kind of cult. Don’t you know anything?” I said.
“Apparently not,” Eddie shrugged. “Enlighten me,”
“What’s their ideology?” I asked. “How are they bringing in new followers? What do the followers have to do to be a member? Are they hyperfocused on an impending doomsday? Or do they believe in aliens? Or are they creating a race war?”
Eddie and Dustin both fell silent. Dustin looked mildly concerned while Eddie looked impressed. Eddie shook his head and chuckled.
“You’re a little freak aren’t you?” He laughed.
“No,” I said, “I’m just interested in cults,”
“Ha!” Eddie cackled. “I’m just interested in cults. Because that makes you normal. Anyway, I should get going. But I’m deeply interested in continuing this discussion. Maybe you can help me develop what kind of cult an evil wizard would run,”
“I’ll walk you out,” I said, standing up.
Eddie and I strolled to the front door. He slipped on his coat and stepped out onto the porch. Before Eddie left, he turned to me and leaned against the doorway.
“Hey are you into Star Wars?” Eddie asked.
“Yeah, sure I like Star Wars,” I said.
“There’s a showing of it tomorrow night downtown. At eight. You wanna go?” he asked.
“Oh,” I said, “yeah, sure. I think I’m free,”
“Cool,” Eddie said.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ll check with Dustin to see if he wants to go,”
“Oh, uh,” Eddie stuttered, “I was actually kind of thinking that we could go. Just us.”
I nodded slowly. “Uh, sure, yeah that’s fine with me,”
“Ok,” Eddie said, “should I pick you up then? Or do you wanna meet me there?”
“You can pick me up,” I said.
“I’ll get here around seven?” he asked.
“Seven works.” I said. “Then we’ll have time for you to buy me popcorn”
“Then we’ll have time for you to buy yourself popcorn,” Eddie said with a laugh.
We looked at one another for a silent second. Then Eddie sighed and pulled his keys out of his pocket. “Well, I guess I’ll be going then,”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said.
“Looking forward to it already,” Eddie said as he turned around to walk to his car.
---
“He asked you to go to the movies?” Robin asked the next afternoon as we restocked the candy shelves at Family Video. “Without Dustin?”
“Yeah, but we’ve hung out with Dustin a lot recently,” I said, trying to come up with an explanation as to why it wasn’t weird that Eddie, my just friend, and I were going to the movies alone. “I think he just doesn’t want to feel like we’re babysitting.”
“He asked you to go see Star Wars though,” Steve chimed in from the front counter. “Isn’t that like one of Henderson’s all-time favorite movies?”
“I guess,” I shrugged, feeling a bit guilty.
“So wouldn’t it make more sense for the three of you go together?” Robin asked.
“I guess,” I said again, “but come on, Dustin has seen Star Wars like a billion times, it won’t kill him if he doesn’t watch it this time,”
“But this time it’s in a theater,” Steve said.
“Are you trying to make me feel guilty for not taking Dustin?” I asked.
“No,” Steve said, “I’m just trying to point out to you that Munson asked you on a date and you’re in denial,”
“I’m not in denial,” I said, shaking a box of Junior Mints at him. “And it’s not a date,”
“So what is it then?” Robin asked.
“Just a couple of friends going to see one of their mutual favorite movies together,”
“It’s a date,” Steve said. “He likes you, you like him. It’s a date,”
“It’s not a date!” I said. “I don’t like him!”
“He’s all you talk about!” Steve said. “It’s a date,”
I glared at him but he was unphased.
“It’s a date,” he repeated.
---
When I got off work, I sped home and tried to cram some homework in before Eddie came by to pick me up. I tried to pick out an outfit that looked nice but not so nice that it could be a date outfit. I ended up going with jeans, Converse, and an oversized red and black striped sweater. I thought it looked casual but when Eddie came to pick me up his eyes traveled up and down my body before landing on my face.
“Hey,” he said with a smile. “You ready?”
“Yup,” I said, pulling on my coat.
It only took about fiften minutes to get to the theater, but it felt like a long fifteen minutes. I didn’t really know what to say. Steve’s insistance that this was a date had gotten to me. My brain kept flooding with the reasons why I couldn’t date Eddie. But then he’d smile or flick his hair or I’d get a whiff of his cologne and all of those reasons would go flying out of my brain and all I could think was God, he’s pretty.
“You ok?” Eddie asked as he parked his van. The lot for the theater was already full, so we had to park a block away and walk.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said. “A bit stressed. School is going to kill me,”
“I know you feel like you have to study a lot to get good grades,” Eddie said, as we walked towards the theater, “but you’re literally a genius. You could sleep through all your classes and pass with flying colors,”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling down at my feet. “But I really want to learn something this year. I’ve been waiting so long to go to college that I just really want to get everything that can out of it,”
“I wish I had your dedication to school,” Eddie said. “Maybe then I would’ve graduated when I should’ve,”
“You shouldn’t feel bad for taking longer though,” I said. “A lot of people need more time. And you are really smart,”
“If only you could convince the teachers at Hawkins High of that,” he chuckled as we got in line to buy tickets.
“You’re going to graduate,” I said. “We’re going to make sure of it,”
“Yeah?” Eddie asked.
“Yeah,” I said.
“Promise?”
“Promise,”
---
Watching the film was nerve wracking but in the best way. I had seen Star Wars countless times but I had never watched it with a cute boy in a dark movie theater. As it was almost ten years old at this point, there were not that many people out to see it that night. It was mostly parents with their kids who had been too young to see it in the theaters when it was originally released. Eddie and I sat in the back in order to avoid being too close to any potentially noisy children. He bought a large popcorn for us to share and insisted that I didn’t split the price with him despite his protests from the night before.
While I was enjoying my viewing experience, I definitely felt anxious about the whole thing. I told Eddie he could hold the popcorn but it was mostly because I was scared I would drop it by accident. I sat with my legs crossed for a while, trying to hold in any fidgeting I might mindlessly do. Eventually I got stiff and unfolded myself in the seat. I hadn’t noticed that my leg was bouncing until I felt Eddie’s large hand rest on my knee. I could feel the heat of his skin through my pants. I froze as he leaned over without taking his eyes off the screen.
“You ok?” He whispered.
I nodded and he gave my knee a little pat. I expected him to move his hand after this, but he let it stay there. I was scared to move for fear that he would interpret that as my wanting him to move his hand. After about five or six minutes he slid his hand up just above my knee, gave my leg a little squeeze and then went back to eating popcorn as if nothing had ever happened.
After that I felt less anxious. I inhaled the popcorn with Eddie as Luke Skywalker stared out at the double sunset of Tatooine. I leaned over closer to Eddie.
“This is like my favorite film music ever,” I whispered.
Eddie nodded vigorously as he shoveled popcorn into his mouth.
As it was a movie that had been out for a while, the audience was made up pretty much entirely of people who had already seen it. This gave us the liberty to cheer and clap when the heroes succeeded and to boo when the villians came on screen. Though Eddie could help but clap for Darth Vader when he first entered.
“Traitor!” Somebody yelled at him and threw a piece of popcorn at us.
“Hail Lord Vader!” Eddie shouted back at him, tossing a handful of popcorn in return.
As the Luke and Han received their medals of honor from Princess Leia we all screamed and clapped. When the credits rolled, Eddie sat back in his seat with a bright smile on his face. He sighed contentedly.
“Now that’s how I want to watch every Star Wars movie from now on,” he said. “Did you have fun?”
“Yeah it was fantastic,” I said, “this definitely beats watching it on my tiny tv at home,”
“Or at Family Video,” Eddie smirked.
“Anything beats watching a movie at Family Video,” I laughed.
We gathered our things, threw away the crumbs of popcorn we had left, and began walking back to the van. It was lightly snowing and the flakes that landed on Eddie’s hair got stuck and soon melted. By the time we got back to his car, the top of his head was speckled in white and drips of water ran down his curls. He gave his head a quick brush with his hand and then turned to me and did the same to my hair.
“You were all snowy,” he explained. I couldn’t help but smile.
The drive back to my aunt’s house went by too quickly as we were excitedly reviewing our experience watching the movie. It felt like I had seen the film for the first time all over again. I had forgotten how much I loved Star Wars and this night had completely revitalized my adoration for it.
“I think next Halloween you should dress up as Princess Leia,” Eddie suggested as he pulled up the driveway of my aunt’s house.
“And you could dress up as Chewie,” I teased. “You have the hair for it,”
“You injure me so carelessly.” Eddie said, “You just stab me in the heart like it’s nothing,”
“Do you have a degree in drama that I don’t know about or something? Because you’re really good at being over the top,” I laughed.
“Nope this is just pure natural talent,” Eddie laughed.
We fell silent and then our eyes met. I had one hand on the door handle, geting ready to get out. My bag was in my lap, but for some reason I wasn’t getting out of the car.
“This was fun,” Eddie said. “We should do something like this again some time,”
“Most definitely,” I said.
We watched each other for another minute as if we were both daring the other to make the first move. When it seemed like nobody would, I decided it was time for me to go.
“Goodnight,” I said, opening my door finally. “Call me when you’re home,”
“Will do,” Eddie said, giving me a salute. “Goodnight,”
I climbed out of the van and walked to the side door. Eddie waited until I was in the house and then pulled out of the driveway. I checked in the living room for my aunt or Dustin, but nobody was around. I listened at Aunt Cladia’s door and could hear her snoring. When I cracked open Dustin’s door, he was sitting in bed doing homework.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey, how was it?” he asked.
“It was good. Bunch of little kids though. Not many cool people,” I said. “How was your night?”
“It was good,” Dustin said, “Mike and Lucas came by for a bit.”
“Good,” I said. “I’m going to bed. Don’t stay up too late,”
“Sure thing,” Dustin said as I shut the door.
I crossed the hall to my bedroom and shut the door behind me. I quickly changed into my pajamas - which now consisted of a pair of black and white striped shorts and Eddie’s shirt. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and went to brush my teeth. I decided to do just a little bit of studying before I went to bed, so I got out my textbooks and sat down at my desk.
About a half an hour had gone by when I realized I hadn’t gotten a call from Eddie to tell me he had gotten back to his trailer. I figured he probably just forgot and tried to let it go. Around fifteen minutes passed and then I heard a light tapping at my bedroom window. I turned to look at the window and saw a face peering into my room. I jumped at first but then I recognized the outline of the fuzzy hair and the shape of the big brown eyes. I stood up and rushed to open the window. Eddie stood before me, shivering in the cold.
“I thought you were Ted Bundy coming to murder me,” I hissed at him, pulling my arms to my chest to protect myself from the cold.
“Well, clearly I’m not,” Eddie said. “Are you going to let me in or am I going to freeze?”
I stepped away from the window to signal that he could come in. Eddie pushed himself up and through the window until he was standing next to me. I quickly shut the window, blocking off the cold. I felt bare. I felt exposed. Eddie was here and he was tall and handsome and he smelled too good for words and I was barefooted and in my pajamas.
“Nice pj’s,” Eddie smirked.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“Well I never went home,” he said.
“And why not?” I asked. “Where did you go?”
“Well I started to drive home,” Eddie shrugged, sitting down on the edge of my bed. I stayed standing and we were now just about eye level with each other. “But then I couldn’t shake this weird feeling, like I had forgotten to do something. So then I just started driving around and I ended up back here. I drove around the neighborhood for a little while hoping that something would jog my memory. I drove by this place and it started to feel a bit better. I went by and then turned around to come back.”
“Ok...” I said, stepping forward towards him. “But why are you here? What didn’t you forget?”
I went to sit down next to him, but Eddie reached out and grabbed my arms. I froze, my arms crossed over my chest, his hands now wrapped around my biceps. His hands slid down until they reached my waist. My heart began to race. Eddie wouldn’t look at me.
“Eddie,” I said. It wasn’t really a question. It was more of a call back to reality. “Eddie what did you forget?”
“I forgot to kiss you goodnight,” he said and finally looked up at my face.
My mouth fell open slightly and Eddie’s eyes watched the movement closely. He pulled me nearer to him gently. I shuffled until I stood between his knees. His hands moved up and found mine. Eddie laced our fingers together and brought both of his hands up to his lips. He placed a soft kiss on each and then lifted his eyes to my own. Eddie stood up slowly. He towered over me as he dipped his head down towards me. I could feel his breath on my lips and that was when I panicked.
“Eddie-” I started and he froze like a statue. “Eddie, I-I can’t. I can’t do this,”
He remained silent. Eddie sat back down on the bed but wouldn’t look away from me. “Did I just like - did I just read the room entirely wrong or what? Have you not been flirting with me for like four months now?”
“It’s not that Eddie,” I said, feeling a horrible sicking feeling in my chest. “Eddie, it’s not that at all. I just can’t do this. Not right now. Not with you,”
“Why not with me?” Eddie asked, his eyebrows pulling together. “Is it because I’m the town freak? Are you scared of what people would think if I was your boyfriend?”
“No, no, please, don’t ever think that,” I said. “I wouldn’t be ashamed of you at all. It’s Dustin,”
“What?” he asked.
“You’re so close with him,” I said, “And he worships you. If you and I got together and for some reason it didn’t work out and he were to lose you in his life, I couldn’t bare it. I can’t do that to him. There’s more than just us to think about here,”
“You’re going to not date me because of your fourteen year old cousin?” Eddie asked, clearly upset. “Y/N that’s ridiculous. We’re adults, we can make our own choices and I’ve made my mind up with how I want this relationship to move forward,”
“Eddie,” I sighed, trying to fight the tears that were burning in the back of my eyes. “It’s not just that,”
“Ok,” Eddie said and then raised his eyebrows at me. “I’m waiting,”
“I’m not going to be here forever,” I said. “And you aren’t either. I’m not staying here any longer than I have to. I’m going to transfer to a real four year college some day. And you’ve got so many opportunities for your future, who knows where you could go after high school. We would never make it,”
“So instead of giving us a chance you’re going to write it off because you think it would be too difficult?” Eddie asked standing up.
“Don’t say it like that,” I said, stepping back as he moved towards the window.
“No, I will say it like that because that’s what you’re doing,” Eddie said, opening the window. “You’re scared you’ll get your heart broken if something bad were to happen between us. And you’re so scared of that because you know how much you care about me. You’re choosing to deny your feelings so you can avoid any chance of getting hurt,”
“Eddie-” I started.
“Goodnight, Y/N,” Eddie said, climbing out the window and storming off through the snow.
I stood frozen at the window watching him go. When he was out of sight the tears finally released from my eyes and I let out a sob. I cupped my hand over my mouth to stifle the sound and closed my eyes so tight I saw stars. I shut the window and crawled into bed, once more losing a night’s worth of sleep because of Eddie Munson.
Previous Chapter: Chapter 08
Next Chapter: Chapter 10
Frisk traced a familiar path back to the Dreemurr’s home. When Asgore, Toriel, and Asriel escorted them to the castle, the Dreemurrs took no precautions to hide the route and instead made conversation by pointing out landmarks along the way. Just as it had been before, the streets were nearly empty at this late hour. However, Frisk remained cautious, keeping a low profile just in case. They no longer had the protection of the royal family. As far as the Underground was concerned, they were an escaped prisoner.
Frisk pressed the button to the elevator, which seemed out of place and accessible from the street. They hid around the corner when the doors slid open, not wanting to chance bumping into someone inside. Fortunately, the elevator was empty. The child slipped inside and pressed the top button. Frisk held their breath as the room sailed upward, trying to put together a believable excuse if their elevator trip was interrupted by another passenger.
The child sighed with relief when the doors opened on the correct floor. No unexpected guests.
Frisk quietly followed the stone hallways towards the Dreemurr’s residence. As was before, the hallway was empty and free of guards. It was strange for a royal family to have no security at all, but it seemed the Dreemurrs had no enemies. Must be nice.
Rounding a corner, Frisk was met with mixed feelings of comfort and apprehension as they finally reached the Dreemurr’s home. Frisk pressed an ear against the door and—after determining no one was on the other side—curled their fingers around the door handle and pulled it down. The door popped open without resistance and Frisk used their other hand to steady it. No guards and an unlocked front door? The Dreemurrs truly had nothing to worry about with Chara on their side.
That’s right—this was Chara’s residence too. Frisk took a deep breath before slipping inside the dark house and shutting the door behind them. It was dark, but not too dark; ambient light from the windows in the adjacent room cast grey slivers of light across the floorboards. With methodical steps, Frisk reached their hands out until they felt the banister that separated the main floor from the stairwell. The child crept towards the right to the steps and descended down. The ghosts had said the barrier was in the basement. It couldn’t be much further now.
From the base of the stairs ran a huge hallway with soft light illuminating the end where it turned around the corner. Frisk continued, and the hallway opened up into a long open balcony that ran along the side of the castle. Below, city lights illuminated the dark cave ceiling, which reflected with sparkling crystals. Frisk continued forward while peering out over the glittering landscape.
The balcony ended with an elevator set into a large tower on the left and a door back into the castle on the right. Frisk made a note to return to the elevator if they couldn’t find the barrier down the other path, and headed right. Frisk pushed open the door and inside was a sight so breathtaking that it challenged the cityscape behind them. Huge arched ceilings stretched above stained glass awash with soft crystal light behind it. The stone floor was nearly reflective in the bright spots between hard shadows cast by enormous marble columns. A cathedral.
“Wow…” Frisk breathed. They ventured forward, their boots squeaking against the smooth floor. Captivated, Frisk traced their fingers across the marble columns, which were etched with an ancient language. A part of them wished they could have stayed in the Underground a bit longer—explored a bit further. If the circumstances were different, surely this adventure would have led to excitement, laughter, and friendship. But they couldn’t stop now. Chara would not rest until the Underground was made into Frisk’s grave, and Frisk was not about to give them the satisfaction. The Surface, though tainted with bad memories, was still the only home they had.
Frisk was about halfway through the room when a low rumble echoed through the chamber, upsetting the dust from the beams above. It was followed by an erratic scraping and tearing sound that grew louder and louder, causing the windows to rattle and light fixtures to swing with every concussive pound. Frisk tried to run in a direction—any direction—but the shaking earth caused them to fall onto all fours.
The door behind them exploded open, scattering debris throughout the room in a cloud of dust. Frisk covered their head as bits of stone and wood scattered over them. Frantically, they looked back at the epicenter of the blast. Uncurling from the darkness was a massive creature that seemed to fill the vast space of the church. Its large animal-like head hung at least 20 feet above them, its body the size of a two-story house. It crouched on six hulking limbs, its fur crested head sagging with the weight of six horns that wrapped around its eyes like a thorny crown.
Though the spots where the creature's eyes should have been were covered by horns, three pairs of additional bulging, bloodshot eyes ran down its jaws, each lined with bristling white lashes. The pupils swiveled and swam independent of one another before focusing on Frisk's small form.
Frisk gasped and scrambled back onto their feet.
The creature’s face split open vertically to reveal a mouth full of snarled blunted teeth—human teeth—and it screeched a repetitive warbling wail. Frisk cowered and pressed their hands to their ears. It took a moment before Frisk realized the wail was laughter.
“Hu… Hu…” The thing’s jaws gnashed and clacked together as it worked to formulate speech. “Hu… man…”
Frisk’s mind screamed run, run, run, but their legs felt rooted on the spot. Their mind stuttered and swam in its attempt to make sense of what they were seeing. Grasping at the depths of their soul, they urged the world to go back in time. To return to a safer space.
But nothing happened.
“What great fortune…” the abomination growled, its articulation improving with every syllable, “...to kill you... once more…”
The direct threat released them from their paralysis and Frisk bolted, running—stumbling—fleeing for the exit on the opposite side of the grand cathedral. The monster surged forward, twisting its body to reveal a huge tail that whipped out of the darkness. It struck Frisk in the back and the child was unceremoniously thrown forward and against the marbled floor, wind hammered out of their lungs. There was no scream and no sound save for the slam of palms against marble. Their head throbbed, momentarily dizzy, but their eyes caught the exit just ahead. They jumped to their feet and kept running, barely registering the creature’s laughter behind them.
No, not behind them anymore, it was nearly looming above them.
But the exit was just ahead, and the child shot through it.
The monster raked the doorway from top to bottom with its claws. Stone debris rained down upon the child as they threw their body forward, leaping the last few feet to try and clear the collapsing architecture. They fell flat on their stomach in the adjoining room; the rubble piled up in a mountain of stone, rebar, and wood behind them. Ahead of them stretched out a long, plain, empty hallway with a corner that turned to the right.
For a moment, it was quiet.
Frisk tried to stand but something caught on their clothes, jerking them back. Or so they thought. Frisk craned their neck to look behind them and saw their right foot was trapped under a slab of marble the size of a refrigerator. Delayed pain shot through their body. Frisk kicked against the rock with their free leg, their short, strangled breaths fogging the polished floor under them. Tears were already streaming down their face from the agony, the fear, the frustration.
Among everything else was that laughter.
Frisk closed their eyes and did their best to calm themself. They urged their soul to take them back, back, back. Where was the last safe point? The Dreemurr’s front door? The jail?
But nothing happened.
“Are you still alive, human?” the monster’s voice rumbled from behind the caved in wall. “My deepest condolences if so. After all. I am still becoming accustomed to this new form.” Its voice was coy, lilting, and familiar.
Frisk contorted their body until they could reach their trapped foot. The top half of their boot was visible, so they untied the laces and loosened it as much as they could. Each movement felt like nails being hammered into their ankle, but they kept quiet as they worked their foot free from their shoe.
Vibrations rumbled through the floor as the creature paced back and forth behind the collapsed doorway. “I suppose I should not be surprised to find you here. After all. You are always standing in my way.”
In one final swift motion, Frisk pulled their foot free. They scrambled back to their feet, nearly falling again at the horrible pain that shot through their socked foot. Their ankle was undeniably broken, but they couldn’t let that stop them now. Limping as fast as they could down the hall, Frisk chanced a look over their shoulder. The doorway was completely gone, replaced with nothing but piles of rock, mortar, and wooden beams. Had it trapped itself? Surely a monster of that size could push away the rubble. Frisk tore their eyes away and focused on progressing forward, their lungs still straining to pull in air. Whether the creature was trapped or not, they had a small lead and intended to take full advantage of it.
Turning the corner of the hallway Frisk saw two more directions to choose from. Just where was this barrier? In the left wall was another tall doorway, and up ahead, the hall turned to the right once again.
Dark laughter echoed down the chamber from behind them, standing Frisk’s hairs on end. Wincing in pain, the child barreled through the left doorway. It led to some sort of throne room: two ornate chairs were surrounded with hundreds of flowers planted in the ground, stacked in pots, and hung from trellises. Frisk ignored the multi-colored spectacle, shambling through the garden to reach a doorway behind the thrones. Past the doorway it was a dark room, and beyond that, another doorway with a brilliant white light emanating from it.
The creature’s laughter was constant but more distant now. It was saying something but Frisk couldn’t understand, not that they wanted to listen anyway. Through the brightly lit doorway was a spectacular sight. The room was vast, with intermittent white stone pillars reaching towards a distant ceiling. Most notably, the far edge of the room was consumed by an unnatural bright light. The light pulsated like a heartbeat, dizzying and all consuming, but most important was a familiar sound Frisk felt as though they hadn’t heard in years: the distant twittering of song birds just beyond it.
This had to be it: the barrier. Frisk exhaled and smiled. Stronger than the terror and pain was a glimmer of hope. If they could make it across, they’d be safe—they’d be home.
Frisk stepped forward but their destination dissolved from sight, a wave of breathless icy emptiness crashing over them as the floor melted away. Disoriented, disembodied, blind. Frisk grasped for reality and in the next moment they found it. Two feet on a solid marble floor. Tall stained glass windows reaching for a high arched ceiling.
Frisk blinked, taking in the familiar setting around them. They were back at the entrance of the cathedral, just moments after they had stepped inside. Their heart dropped and they fought a weakness in their knees that threatened to topple them. Something had sent them back in time mere moments before their escape. A sense of helplessness overwhelmed them as they realized how profoundly vulnerable they now were.
The rafters shuddered.
Swallowing their dread, Frisk did the only thing they could: they ran.
A mechanical wrenching screech filled the child’s ears. Hearing it a second time allowed Frisk to place the noise: it was the sound of the monster’s oversized body wrenching through the elevator shaft in the tower outside the cathedral. This time, the child cleared the far doorway just as the abomination crashed through the cathedral’s entrance. It was only the briefest of head starts, but they’d take what they could get.
Frisk swayed and stumbled as the floor reverberated with the heavy beats of the monster’s footfalls, but remained upright as they crossed the stretch of the stone hall. They were much faster with two intact ankles, but would it be fast enough? The sound of the creature’s six large limbs slamming against the stone grew louder and louder as it approached.
“Run all you like…” the beast’s cheery and sickening voice echoed down the hall, “You cannot escape.”
But it was wrong: escape was within reach. Frisk chanced a look back as they rounded the corner, and saw the abomination snaking through the archway. It only barely fit, and seemed to be taking better care not to destroy the architecture. Frisk didn’t have the luxury to question it. The barrier was only a few rooms away.
The child darted into the throne room, eyes locked onto the doorway in the back. Heart hammering in their chest, they sprinted through the flora and into the next room, nearly tripping over a potted plant. They charged through the dark hall and into the white soaked chamber that held the barrier. Frisk squinted against the brilliant light but kept up their speed. They crossed their arms in front of their face, braced themself, and raced headlong into the barrier.
The barrier—bright and unforgiving—absorbed the child’s forward momentum and thrust the child back with the same force. Frisk fell onto their back and groaned, shaking their head as they pulled themself back onto their feet. Hideous laughter reverberated through the room, filling the child with fresh dread. The beast’s huge head loomed in the doorway, its bisected maw opened wide. Frisk rushed to the barrier a second time with arms outstretched. They pushed against the invisible force and the barrier seemed to push back, unyielding.
“No—no! Please!” Frisk begged. A terrible crash rang out behind them. Frisk turned and saw the monster was clawing the doorway open as if it was little more than cardboard. Its hulking form knocked bricks and mortar into the spotless room as it wrenched its way through the threshold. Back pressed against the barrier, a cold sweat began to bead on Frisk’s skin. Their escape route was nothing but a dead end now.
Frisk looked to the left and the right. The tall pillars in the room only provided a few spots of cover, but they would only serve to stall the monster. Regardless, the child ran for a pillar both closest to them and away from the beast. They watched from hiding as the horror cleared the entryway and pulled itself to its full height, eyes wild and jaw dripping with saliva. Fully illuminated by the light of the barrier, Frisk saw that the front of its body was wriggling with a mass of emaciated human arms, arranged like the limbs of an isopod. Worse still was the sight of a limp human caught in the writhing hands’ grasp, drenched in blood: the caretaker of the Ruins.
“Chara!” Frisk cried, clutching their hands to their mouth.
“Oh?” The behemoth tilted its head to one side and looked down at the corpse, “This thing is Chara no longer.” The creature used one of its main claws to pluck Chara’s body from the mob of grasping limbs and held it outward, “For I have bonded with Asriel to create this superior form.”
“Asriel?” Frisk breathed, “You’re Chara and—”
Frisk was cut off as the abomination unceremoniously tossed Chara’s body at the child. Frisk shrieked and hid behind the pillar as the corpse hit the floor next to them with a sickening thud. The face of the person who had caused them so much torment was sheet white with dark lines of blood running from their mouth and nose. A familiar knife was embedded deep in their chest.
“However…” the beast continued, “Only six human souls were sacrificed for this power. One more soul will render our transformation complete.”
“S-Sacrifices?” Frisk whispered. Their horror was mocked with more of the monster’s laughter. Chara and Asriel’s laughter.
No. Asriel would never find this funny.
Pulling together their courage, Frisk stepped out from behind the column, “Asriel!” they called out, “Please stop this! This isn’t you!”
The monster bristled, “You think you can manipulate us?” It lunged forward, raking a claw through the pillar. Frisk darted to the next column. It was a terrible hiding place, but it would have to do.
The monster’s horn-crested head followed Frisk to their cover, but its body hesitated as it loomed over Chara’s corpse. The multitude of arms on its belly reached out and gathered the body up, holding it close with uncanny tenderness. “Cease this sentimentality,” the monster muttered to itself.
“Asriel! Don’t you remember me? It’s Frisk!” Frisk shouted again.
“Asriel and I are aligned in our mission!” the monster roared. It charged Frisk’s hiding spot once again, collapsing the second pillar. Frisk was already running for the next one, working their way closer to the widened entryway the beast had come through.
“You saved me from Chara, remember?” Frisk continued, “You didn’t want me to die!”
Without a word the monster lunged forward, tearing down the third pillar and sending chunks of debris flying at the fleeing child. Frisk ignored the sharp twinges of pain as marble shards struck their back. They were close to the exit now. If they escaped, maybe they could find Toriel and Asgore and get help—
But before Frisk could reach the doorway, the world dissolved around them once again, snapping them into an earlier reality. The sight of Chara’s corpse beside them startled them nearly as much as it had the first time. They were only a minute back, if that.
“Oh, how I have missed doing that...” the monster cooed. “Human... your tenacity is admirable if not profoundly irritating. So we are going to give you a choice. Would you like to be killed first or last?”
“’Last’? After what?” Frisk called from behind the pillar.
“Our preordained purpose: the salvation of monsters. We will erase humanity. We will free everyone.”
It wasn’t much of a choice. Dying before it destroyed the world came with no benefit. But if Chara ignored them now, Frisk would be able to return to the castle and seek sanctuary from Toriel and Asgore. If they were very lucky, they might be able to live a few more months, or even years. The cost, however, would be the life of every human on Earth.
Frisk felt a pang of grief remembering that those people didn't include their parents anymore. The opportunity to save the ones they loved the most had long passed. Everyone else, however, still had a chance. Their best friend from school who traded lunches with them, their neighbors with the friendly dog, the woman who owned their favorite ice cream store in town… everyone Frisk had ever seen, plus billions more they'd now never get the chance to meet.
Frisk looked back down at the lifeless body beside them. Crouching, the child wrenched the knife from Chara’s heart before leaving their cover, placing themself directly between the monster and the barrier.
“What is this?” the creature cackled, “You want to die first. How noble.”
“No, I’m not going to die.” Frisk held the knife out towards the looming abomination, “And I won’t let you kill anyone else!”
The monster’s body flinched and reared back, shrieking with a dissonant multitude of screams. As it did, flames of unnatural colors lashed and arced around the behemoth. Frisk did their best to cover their ears without dropping the blade, but they couldn’t block out the noise.
The monster’s claws dug into the stone floor as it braced itself against some internal pain, “It was an accident!” the creature stammered, “I didn’t mean to hurt him!”
“What? Asriel is that you?” Frisk asked, but the monster roared in response.
“Stop calling for him, he can’t hear you!” the creature lunged and Frisk jumped back, barely avoiding the claws that crashed into the floor in front of them. There the monster froze, its outreached hand trembling.
“Stay back!” Frisk brandished the knife and the monster shrieked again, gouging large tracks into the floor as it recoiled back. Mixed in the screams were a bizarre mixture of words and sentences clashing against each other.
“P—Please don’t kill me!" It shuddered, shoulders convulsing, “I’ll tear you apart! I… I just want to go home… You mean I’ll never see her again?”
Frisk kept the knife held out and the monster cowered from it, voices both pleading and threatening, “I don't want to die… I hate you! I’ll kill you!”
“Just stop!” Frisk shouted over the cacophony, “No one has to kill or be killed!”
The behemoth shuddered and clasped its head with two of its great hands. Its great maw opening and closing, it struggled to form words, “F… F… Frisk…”
“Asriel?”
“You… you’re wrong…” it choked, “We’ve already killed… so many...”
"Then it stops here! Change back and go home!"
"I can't… I can't…" the monster lamented, "These souls inside me… all this fear... this hate… it's overwhelming…" The beast shut its many eyes and huffed out a long breath. There was a short pause before its eyes snapped back open and it took another ragged swipe at Frisk. The attack missed and the creature pinned the hostile limb to the floor with another. "We want you dead! We want everyone dead!"
"Asriel, you have to fight them!" Frisk pleaded.
"I can't… I can't..." the monster shook its enormous head, raking at the scorched floor with its claws. “Help… please…”
"How??" Frisk asked, exasperated.
"You must… kill us."
“No!” Frisk blurted out before they could even process the request, “There has to be another—”
The beast surged forward again, reaching out with a fire engulfed claw and swatting the human to the side. Frisk slid across the smooth floor and the knife skittered out of their hand. Strangling a cry, the child frantically rolled onto their side to smother the flames that licked up their clothes. Frisk had never smelled burnt hair before, but the stench was unmistakable. They glimpsed the back of their right hand and regretted seeing the red, blistered flesh that hurt worse than it looked. Tearing their eyes away, Frisk scanned the floor for their dropped knife.
“So you finally understand, Asriel.” The beast’s voice was shaking in rage, “There are some sacrifices that have to be made.” The abomination set its eyes on the child, but Frisk had already found their dropped knife. Just as they snatched it back up, however, the monster grabbed them. Its fist clenched the child's body in one swift, upwards motion, and the ground disappeared beneath them. The pressure of its grip magnified the pain of the burns to beyond what Frisk could handle. Suffocating darkness spilled into their vision, dragging them towards unconsciousness.
No! They couldn’t give into the agony. Frisk screamed—one of the only outlets they had left—and among their cries, they pleaded, “Help me! Anyone!”
The monster hesitated. Its arm began to tremble and little pricks of light formed on the surface of its fur like glistening, ethereal drops of dew. The light criss-crossed down the creature’s arm towards the captured human, and a sensation like cool water swept over them, washing away the blistering pain. They checked the back of their hand: the burns were gone.
Arm still shaking, the abomination began to lower Frisk towards the ground. However, before it released the child, it paused.
“The souls...” the beast uttered and clenched the child tighter, pushing the air from Frisk’s lungs. “No. I am in control… you will obey me.”
The monster raised its arm over its head and Frisk along with it. The sickening realization that they were about to be thrown against the wall seized them. Frisk clawed at the creature’s fist with their right hand, and slashed with the knife in their left.
The damage caused its hand to splay open and Frisk slid free, landing on the creature’s back. They grasped at its coarse white fur with one hand and bit the blade deep into its flesh with the other. The abomination shrieked, twisting and contorting to shake Frisk off. The child wrapped both hands around the knife’s grip and raked it down its body as they fell. A streak of red followed the knife down, the gash blistering as if the blade was venomous. Howling, the beast pulled away from Frisk, its eyes wild with hatred.
“It’s not too late,” Frisk pleaded, “We can turn back.”
The monster shuddered, bracing against the swimming, intrusive, shrieking thoughts inside its being as it battled for control. The hand Frisk had slashed was raked with deep, festering cuts that stood in stark contrast on its white fur.
A low growl reverberated in the throat of the beast. “No. Our plan will not fail.” It set its eyes on the barrier once more and moved towards the shimmering barricade. Its wounds left red prints on the floor.
The relief of not being the monster’s target was short-lived as renewed panic swept through Frisk’s body. Without a second thought, the child raced to put themself between the abomination and the barrier. Planting themself firmly on the floor, Frisk threw their arms out, their figure just a small silhouette in front of the gleaming threshold.
“Stop standing in my way.” The monster growled, its tailing lashing angrily behind them. Its voice pitched with equal parts threat and mournful warning, “I will… I will kill you.”
The beast leapt forward again, its giant bisected maw stretching open. The jaws snapped closed around Frisk’s torso, and the monster reared up, lifting the child into the air. Stars flooded the child’s sight and they screamed as the fanged, crushing pressure of the beast’s teeth gripped their rib cage. But the knife was still in their white-knuckled grasp. Raising the weapon over their head, Frisk used all of their strength to sink the blade deep into the monster’s forehead. The monster howled, releasing Frisk to fall clumsily onto the floor. They heard a sickening snap as they landed—cold, searing pain jolting up through the leg that took the brunt of the fall. Frisk crumpled, grasping at their shin, but didn’t take their eyes off the monster.
The beast was shrieking, flailing, and clawing at its face, but unable to dislodge the blade from its flesh. Bright, multi-colored fires erupted from its body, corkscrewing towards the ceiling. It shook its head left and right, which splashed flames and blood in crescents across the floor. Weakness overtook the creature until it finally collapsed to the ground with a crash. The reverberations sent dust rising from the rubble strewn about the room.
The chamber fell quiet. Frisk became aware of their own rapid breathing as they coped with the stabbing pain from their broken leg. Wincing, they pushed themself into an upright sitting position and investigated their other wounds. Their sweater was marred with holes, but the bite only left a few shallow cuts and bruises. The creature—or rather—Asriel must have inhibited the attack to prevent snapping Frisk in half. Guilt swam through Frisk’s heart. He had saved them and was thanked with a killing blow.
Frisk looked back to the beast. It was still, with the exception of its chest falling and rising with each labored breath. The flames were nearly gone, only a few persistent embers hugging the floor around it. Frisk crawled towards the beast, dragging their wounded leg behind them.
Most of its multiple eyes were closed and the ones that weren’t were glassy and unfocused. The row of thin human arms that ran down its chest were limp and tangled. Among them, a few dozen fingers twitched like spider legs. The knife was embedded all the way down to the guard, and blood and saliva pooled around its head. It didn’t seem right for such a creature to be felled by such an insignificant weapon. Frisk’s pain was pushed aside by the sickening dread in their stomach.
“Asriel? Chara?” Frisk laid a hand on the behemoth’s muzzle, causing the beast to flinch. Its six claws balled into fists for a moment, then relaxed, and the monster strained to focus its eyes on the child.
“Listen! It’s still not too late!” Frisk said, “You have to go back in time, just like you did before. Save yourself and Chara!”
The creature’s eyes widened for a moment, and it took a deep, shaking breath. With great effort, it spoke. “No.”
“You have to!” Frisk urged, grasping at the monster’s head, “Please!”
“Frisk…” its voice was low and strained, “It’s the only way… to stop... this...”
“No, there’s always another way! If you go back, we can make things right!”
The beast fell silent, and Frisk shook the creature, “You can still fix this!”
“Frisk…” the monster rasped, “Take my soul… leave this place.”
“Don’t say that!”
“I’m... sorry.”
The abomination shuddered and began to crumble. Its body caved in on itself, revealing a black, husk-like anatomy that faded to an ashen white.
“No, Asriel! Chara! Please, don’t give up like this!”
The monster’s face crumbled beneath Frisk’s hands, leaving only mounds of grey dust where the creature had fallen. Frisk shook their head, begging for the familiar cold hands of time to sweep them back. They clenched their eyes shut, hot tears falling onto the ash below. But reality stayed firmly in place.
Light cast through their closed eyelids, and Frisk opened them to see the gift Asriel had left behind. A white, shuddering light—shaped in what could only be described as an inverted heart—hovered before them. Not just Asriel’s soul, but the soul of Chara and five others, all contained in a single white light.
Trembling, Frisk reached their hand out. Together with Asriel and the other victims, they had stopped Chara’s plan, saved countless lives, and now, the escape they’d been searching for was finally within their grasp. After everything they had been through, Frisk deserved this.
But was it worth the cost?
Frisk hesitated, and looked back over their shoulder. Chara’s body was still lying where it had been thrown, partially covered by rubble. What little remained of Asriel’s mutilated form now powdered the floor in dusty patches. This was all so terribly familiar. The fact that their parents had died in one single instant—never to return—felt just as unreal. And now, two more lives had been lost in a terrible, avoidable tragedy. It wasn’t right.
Frisk withdrew their hand and pressed it to their eyes, still wet. They hunched over, trembling and clutching at their head.
They couldn’t accept it.
The child’s sobs turned into a wail. Then, a roar.
Links: Chapter overview, Character list, Map, Glossar
Rating: M over all
Publishing cycle: each Friday on (link)
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As Halvard slowly walked back to camp with the other men, still thinking about Yelana's news, he wanted to see what was going on in the camp at first and looked for his family. Linnea and Honeymaren were supposed to look after the toddlers of the camp during the Norting. But he only saw his wife, who was clearly having trouble with the little ones. Where was just his daughter? He was starting to get angry and looked in their kota first.
~~~
“Get up, Honeymaren, come on! You're still sleeping. You had only one important task this morning,” someone called out in an angry tone and shook her rudely by the shoulder.
“Hmm ...?” Honeymaren slowly opened her eyes and blinked. She saw the respectful figure of her father standing above her, now with his hands put on his hips, and his face indicating nothing good.
“Where were you last night? What's the matter with you?”
She got up slowly and struggled with her tiredness. “Nothing, I was just ... on the beach at sunset and fell asleep. Didn't wake up until after it was nightfall. Sorry.” She yawned and tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. “It won't happen again, papa, I promise.”
Her father shook his head, “Come on, daughter, your mother is wondering where you are. She's all alone with the naughty boys from the camp and you were supposed to help her mind the little ones today.”
“Why didn't you wake me up?” she asked, looking at him from drowsy eyelids.
“That's what we did this morning when we went out. However, you didn't hear us obviously. Otherwise you always get up right after us ...,” he said, looking at her without understanding, “What's wrong with you recently? Come on, get dressed and then get out.”
She looked after him as he walked out first. Then she put on her clothes and followed him.
She walked wearily between the kotas and already heard the laughter of several small children from a distance even before she saw her mother and the cheeky gang. She stopped and watched for a moment. Linnea looked a bit overwhelmed as she tried to keep everyone under control. Honeymaren finally walked on and clapped her hands loudly. The children's heads spun around and two of them ran towards her laughing and calling her name. She didn't feel like it; she thought, but seeing her mother like that touched her conscience. It was time for an apology.
~~~
Ryder was on his way back to camp and had a brooding expression on his face. It had been his first time at this kind of meetings and he wondered why everything has to be kept from the Arendellians. They were their friends now, and he liked Kristoff above all, because he was like him and let Sven talk the same way he did with his reindeer. But he was not allowed to tell them anything about the Great Ting and what was exposed in it. This made him feel sadness and at the same time frustrated and guilty. How could he tell Kristoff that they were all in great danger?
Ryder was so lost in thought that he was startled when someone suddenly spoke to him. He looked up in surprise and realized that instead of going to the camp and to Kristoff, he was now standing in front of his reindeer herd. One of the two young boys who had been looking after them in the meantime said, “Hey Ryder. Why are you looking so downheartedly at? Are you sick or something?”
Ryder put his usual smile back on, “No, no. There's nothing wrong with me. I was just thinking. You gonna be okay with the herd?”
The two nodded and the other said, “Sure, everything's fine. Why?”
“I just wanted to say good morning to Kristoff but was all in thoughts and made a wrong turn.”
They looked at each other and then at him again and laughed. “Made a wrong turn?”
Oh, man, that was embarrassing now; Ryder thought to himself and rolled his eyes. “Well, it happens, right? It's probably never happened to you guys before.”
“Nope,” they said, as if from one mouth.
Ryder took turns looking from one to the other and he couldn't help but notice this little grin on their faces. Well, this could become cheerful, he thought and said, “All right. You take care of everything and I'll be off again.” He turned around at the last word and walked back into the woods with big steps. They already had an answer on their lips, but could only look after him irritated. Ryder grinned and whispered, “No, boys, not with me. Not today.”
~~~
Elsa had been walking all morning across the camp and had looked around. Many were not on the road, there were mainly women at work, and younger Northuldra to be seen, no men. Elsa wondered about this for a moment, but was distracted, because she was constantly greeted friendly and even the children knew her name. Elsa was amazed and greeted everyone back with a smile. Why does everyone here know me, if I am not from here; she asked herself. What had Myrtha told her? She was a good friend of the Northuldra. But even the little children here addressed her with 'Hello, Elsa'. There was something the healer kept from her.
She mused, remembering that Myrtha had hesitated at first. Then she recalled the letters from Queen Anna that she had read, very personal letters to her, with many things she didn't understand. Not yet anyway; she thought. She absolutely had to find her sister and talk to her, she was certainly still here somewhere in the camp.
Elsa looked around and then went back to her kota on another way. Finally she saw people with clothes looking different, sitting in front of a cold fireplace, her sister with her back to her. She could recognize her by her strawberry-blonde hair, now when she remembered her evening visit. The man opposite her was dressed similar to the Northuldra, but looked somewhat different. And then there was this little guy who had frightened her so much that night. Now in the daylight he did not look so scary to her anymore at all. He even seemed to be quite funny and somehow she felt such a strange feeling of closeness, but could not tell what it was exactly.
She walked towards the small group that was talking lively and stopped behind Anna. The man's jaw dropped when he noticed her and stared at her. This little white guy also seemed very surprised.
“Kristoff? What ...,” Anna asked and turned around. The next moment she jumped up and hugged her sister not a second later. “Elsa!”
Elsa felt taken by surprise, but withstood the reflex to retreat. Maybe that was her usual greeting; she thought and put her arms gently around Anna. She felt herself being pulled into a firm and intimate embrace, and Anna didn't let go so quickly.
After what felt like a minute, Elsa finally cleared her throat and immediately got more air, when Anna held her at half an arm's length and looked deep into her eyes. Their gazes fixated each other and in some way it seemed that they wanted to explore their bare souls. With anyone else this moment would have been unpleasant for Elsa, but here and now something special came into being between the two of them, something that somehow seemed familiar to her. She could feel it clearly and see it in Anna's deep blue eyes.
None of them spoke a word. Anna looked a lot like her, she could see that now. Since she had seen her own reflection in a brook yesterday, she now also knew her own countenance. The main difference was of course the color of her hair and she was also a bit smaller than her. But otherwise she almost saw herself standing before her. They just stood there and explored each other with glances. Until finally somebody said, “Guys ... um ... we're still here too?”
They separated and Anna sat down again, but pulled Elsa down, next to her. She didn't mind and so now she sat beside her sister on a log in the camp and felt all eyes on her.
“Well, that was a little weird for me now and you all look like you have a lot of questions for me. But believe me, it's the other way around, because I still can't remember anything.”
A tense silence arose and finally Anna took the floor and said, “We'll help you, Elsa. Just ask us anything you want to know.”
Elsa looked at her, “I know that you are Anna, my sister, and the Queen of Arendelle, and that I come from there. But they are not my memories, I was only told this. That’s all I know for certain, I do not remember anything else. Even after I read all your letters, nothing in them felt familiar.”
Anna nodded understandingly and slightly touched Elsa's arm. “Perhaps I'd better introduce the others to you first. This here is Kristoff, my fiancé,” she explained, pointing at him with her other hand.
Kristoff didn't seem to know how to handle this situation and greeted only softly, “Hello, Elsa.”
“And this is Olaf, he's ...,” Anna faltered. How only could she explain this, she wondered. “He is ... well, he's a snowman, and ...,” she didn't know what to say without reveal Elsa the whole truth.
But Olaf, however, was unaware of such concerns and, as straightforward as he was, came out with the facts. “You magically created me, Elsa. Without you, I would not exist.” Anna's head fell on her chest, her hands in front of her face. Now it was out. Oh, Olaf; she thought.
“I did what?” Elsa asked stunned and stared at him in disbelief. Then she looked at Anna and then at Kristoff and put on a wry grin. “Sure. Honestly, guys, I may have lost my memory, but you can't be serious. Magically created! Plus a ... snowman, whatever that is. Then what am I if I could do such things?”
“You've had this ability since you were born and you're the only one who can do things like that,” Anna finally admitted. “This blessing was a gift.”
Elsa's mouth still remained open and for a few moments she could not say anything in reply. Then she recovered from the shock and said, shaking her head, “I can't believe it. Please pinch me so I can wake up again.” Anna took it literally and pinched her upper arm hard.
“Ow!” Elsa rubbed the spot and searched in their faces in front of her, but everyone looked at her only curiously. “You all really mean it.” Everyone nodded silently. “A gift ... why and from whom? How can you give something like this as a gift at all? Besides, I feel perfectly normal and have no idea how to do that.”
“Well, Elsa, that's one of the many reasons why I'm going to bring you back to Arendelle,” Anna said, smiling affectionately and stroking her cheek tenderly. “Home.”
~~~
---
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Chapter 8
I graciously accepted the platter, and leaned in a little closer to McKenzie so that our arms touched. “Potatoes?” I asked in a soft whisper.
Those sexy, sultry, slutty potatoes. God, how can anybody stand the sexual tension of this scene?
I cannot with this book. Why is he whispering this in her ear?
“Your phone, Drew.” She nodded toward my pants. “Answer it.”
I blinked several times, lost and confused, before I lifted my hips,
pulling the phone from my pocket. Within an instant my stomach soured. I closed my hand around the phone, clenching my jaw in aggravation. “What the hell could she want?” I muttered under my breath.
McKenzie leaned in closer to me. “You really should take that.”
I shook my head, lifting my hips to put the phone back in my pocket. “Not right now.”
“Andy,” the cadence of her tone held a strong warning. “Take the call.”
JFC, I don't even know what the hell that McKenzie even wants anymore. Like she clearly missed Drew a lot, but she's encouraging him to take calls from Olivia.
I looked down into the crystal blue water, wanting nothing more than to throw my cell phone into its depths.
He really should.
Well, maybe not so dramatic as a pool toss, but a change of number would really start to hammer the point to Olivia that she isn't welcome in Drew's life at all.
“I have no reason to disbelieve Olivia, except for my need to disprove that this baby could be mine.”
Actually, from my perspective, there's literally nothing Olivia has done to prove that the baby IS Drew's. She's lied to him over and over, and went so far as to LIE ABOUT BEING IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH DREW.
I don't know why he's so eager to believe her, especially when this broke up him and McKenzie and is LITERALLY RUINING HIS LIFE.
“You’re saying Mickie was going to allow herself to be happy, even if it might hurt Olivia? Are you sure?”
To be fair, have you met Olivia? The girl was openly lying to everybody about being in a relationship with Drew, despite it having ended months earlier.
There's “this is out of character for her to be so cruel”. And then there's “she's really out of line and we're staging an intervention”.
“Because,” she curled her fingers against my chest; a mischievous smirk expanded over her lips, “this.” And that’s when she pushed me over the edge.
Chapter 8 summary: Everybody is having their dinner, and generally just having a good time. Drew is openly flirting with McKenzie, and she's responding in kind.
But then he gets a call from Olivia. And McKenzie tells him to go out back to take it. So he does.
And that goes about as you'd expect. She's jealous and angry that he's going on holiday, and didn't immediately respond to her call. However, at least Drew weaponizes Olivia's own stupidity and uses it against her in regards to time zones. (She thinks that they're in Vegas, remember? It's a couple hours behind Texas.)
After he hangs up, Bill comes out. They talk a lot about the Olivia situation, including how Drew and McKenzie were going to tell Olivia to fuck all the way off... when Olivia dropped the baby bomb on them. Bill asks Drew what he'd do if McKenzie no longer wants him. He responds by saying that he'd give up. If only because him coming to Texas IS him fighting for McKenzie. But this pleases Bill, and he tells Drew to be patient and try to push past McKenzie's stubbornness.
McKenzie comes out as Bill goes in. She kind of alludes to how much she misses Florida. Drew leans in for a kiss, but McKenzie, as mature as she is, pushes him into the pool.
Chapter 9
“Five mowe minutes,” Justice demanded.
I'm honestly getting really fucking sick of this character.
What autistic people want: representation in novels. A character who is openly autistic
What autistic people don't want: a belittling mockery of their disorder played up for the cute factor.
Olivia was pregnant, and unless a test proved otherwise, I was going to be a father.
I'm getting really tired of saying this over and over again, so I'm probably not going to talk about it much anymore.
I leaned in and brushed a tender kiss to her cheek, and then left the house without so much as looking back.
Chapter 9 summary: In the pool, Drew grabs onto McKenzie and pulls her in, too. The two of them play-fight in the water, and they're just about to kiss when Gage comes out and makes trouble. His shout draws everybody else out. And then McKenzie's 12 year old cousin with the mental capacity of a four year old decides to dive into the pool, too. Despite his mother's screams “no! I don't have other clothes for you!”
So they get out, and make a big fuss over Justice being all wet. Everybody starts to leave after that. Once they're alone again, McKenzie asks Drew for breakfast the next morning. But then they remember that Drew's phone has been in his pocket, and he finds it funny how he wanted to chuck it into the pool earlier. He promises that it's not a big deal, and that he'll just get a new one. McKenzie tells him to come to her apartment tomorrow morning, and gives him a list of groceries to bring.
HELLO FRIENDS! And we’re back at it again with chapter 9 featuring our favourite dorks, Shizuma and Minato! ❤️💛🎉
Sensei was kind enough to post the first page of this chapter on her Twitter! 🥰😍😘
“I thought you understood, but men who fail to keep their promises deserve punishment, okay?!” --- The text next to Minato.
That’s just 🔥🔥🔥🥰😍🔥🔥🔥
Let’s get right into the takeaways, shall we? It’s a shorter chapter this month, but it is very focused on Shizuma’s residency journey while juggling his house hunting schedule with Minato, and with that, a lot of dialogue. There was also a lot of technical terminology I had to keep looking up ;A;
In this chapter:
Minato is an angry, scowly boy when Shizuma doesn’t keep his promises!😭
Poor Shizuma, he’s torn between keeping his promises and his work. 😭 😭 But I’m proud of you, Shizuma! 👏👏
Minato, my son, I am glad you are getting the simple happiness you deserve! Your patience really is a virtue! 🥰😍❤️
Onodera... really lacks person skills. Is she a recluse? Or someone with poor social skills? I hope we find out?? And she honestly... is so stoic. I cannot read her at all. 😅😅
SHIZUMA, I CAN FEEL YOUR DEDICATION TO AND LOVE FOR ANIMALS THROUGH THE PAGES! You are so very capable of being a vet and I’m glad you are getting the experience you wanted and needed to succeed! ❤️🐶🐱🐹❤️
Also, your k*nky thoughts during work really bit you in the butt, didn’t it, Shizuma? 🤣
Shizuma’s smile makes everyone weak. 🥰
And that’s it for this chapter’s takeaways! For a more detailed breakdown/summary of this chapter, please continue after the cut! As always, I promise there is a surprise (or two) at the end! 😉✨
Our chapter begins with a grumpy Minato sitting in a cafe. The shop attendants peg him as a celebrity of sorts because of his good looks, even though his face is hella scary to them.
We find out that Minato is annoyed and upset because his and Shizuma’s house hunting date (set for Shizuma’s next day off) is cut short since Shizuma is observing an operation in the morning on that day. In a flashback, he tells Minato that he should be able to make it in time for their afternoon appointment.
In that same flashback, Minato recounts his plans to Shizuma of going to a hotel and having a quickie with Shizuma to alleviate his pent up frustrations before heading to their appointment. He then continues to vent his pent-up frustations on Shizuma, saying “Will you take responsibility if my desires reach their limit and explode during our private house tour?”
Shizuma is caught in a bind and really wants his surgery to finish sooner, to which Minato responds by saying Shizuma isn’t the only person who can do this surgery. Nevertheless, Shizuma knows this is an invaluable opportunity for him, and promises Minato that he will make it in time for their 2PM private tour. Minato, still looking a little annoyed, tells Shizuma that he’ll be waiting in the cafe in front of the real estate agency and to meet him there. He warns Shizuma that if he is even a minute late, he’s will go home and never house hunt with him again. Shizuma then promises that he’ll be there!
The flashback ends, and we realise that today is the day of their house tour. Minato is caught up in some “Super Narrow-Minded Time” and worries if he’s going to be all alone with a girl, only then to remember Shizuma openly confessing to his colleagues that he’s dating Minato and that there’s no need to worry.
Minato looks over at the real estate agency and, in deep thought, reflects on how he never thought he’d be living with someone and, despite it being a weird feeling to him, he didn’t think he’d be able to have such an ordinary, simple “happiness”. He smirks to himself and says that he should be nice to Shizuma when he gets to the cafe.*
The scene changes to Shizuma, who will be our main focus for the rest of the chapter. He is observing Onodera in surgery along with her brother. They go through what happened with their patient (i.e. the dog belongs to Onodera’s brother’s daughter. The doggo ingested skewers and it appears to have gotten stuck in the dog’s throat/stomach). While talking about the suggestions from the neighbouring clinics on how to treat the dog--trying to get the dog to vomit and if that doesn’t work, they’ll have to do invasive surgery--Shizuma, having encountered her brother before, didn’t know they were related at all since they have different surnames.
Her brother goes on and vouches for his sister’s amazing skills as a vet, cutely calling her by her name “Akira”, to which she clicks her tongue at him. They have some short sibling bickering afterwards, and Onodera then reveals to Shizuma that he’s mainly there to keep her brother in check (i.e. babysit) and not so much hands-on experience.
With Onodera’s brother being a chatterbox, Shizuma is unable to ask critical questions during the procedure and wonders why he is even there at all.
We then see Onodera extract all the contents stuck in the dog’s throat (?) without having to do invasive surgery. Her brother is overjoyed, but she is appalled that the dog ate so much trash and hair. She then tells her brother that she won’t be helping next time unless they take better care of their dog and their house (so the dog doesn’t eat so much dirt and trash). Onodera then tells Shizuma, who she again calls Iijima-sensei and not Ikushima-sensei, to clean up.
Fast forward a bit and Shizuma is happily looking after the dogs being treated at the hospital/staying overnight. There is a thunderous roar and two dogs approach Shizuma to be hugged, to which he obliges. Knowing he has a lot of time to spare and will make it to the appointment, he thinks back to Minato and wonders if he is afraid of lightning. He then thinks of some naughty NSFW thoughts, imagining an X-rated scene in which Minato is scared of thunder and lightning and that affects their love-making session (in a good way 😉).
Another thunderous roar is heard, much louder than the first, and the dogs are so scared, they wet themselves... and pee on Shizuma’s scrubs and pants. (Also, we find out Minato isn’t afraid of T&L).
Going to the locker room to change, Shizuma is being nuzzled by the dogs, who appear to be very apologetic to him. He awkwardly smiles while thinking that the dogs peeing on him was punishment for his NSFW thoughts at work. While changing into his pants (but not scrubs), Onodera walks in and sees him in his boxers. Very flustered, he tells Onodera she’s walked into the wrong room. She then takes Shizuma to get his clothes washed, all the while the awkwardness in the room continues.
Breaking the silence, Onodera applauds Shizuma for his work in the OR, thinking he’d be more annoyed by her. He then tells her that it’s all thanks to the teachings from Hayami-san and everyone else at the clinic and from Onodera during the operation earlier that day. Onodera comments that he’s getting along with everyone in the clinic, to which Shizuma responds with how things were off to a rocky start at first, the nurses were scary and hostile, but now they can talk and are even going out for flower viewing together.
Onodera reveals she wasn’t invited to that and hasn’t heard of it until now, and Shizuma just sits there feeling bad. He then invites her to join them next time for a drink together. But she just says all his efforts in befriending everyone at the clinic would go to waste if he does that.
Before Shizuma can react, an elderly-ish woman and her daughter hurrily enter the clinic with their sick dog. They are Nakajou-sensei’s patients, but it is her day off today, so Onodera asks what she can do for them while telling Shizuma he can go home. The dog has been in labour for a couple of hours and the last puppy hasn’t come out. Onodera berates them for not bringing their dog in sooner.
The women are taken aback, with the elderly one clapping back at Onodera, expressing her worries and inexperience in a situation like this. Onodera, with her lack of people skills, essentially tells her to be quiet, saying a C-section is the only option for them--a natural birth isn’t possible at this point anymore since the dog has been in prolonged labour and is exhausted.
The elderly woman, angered at Onodera’s stoicism and bluntness, says she will go to another hospital if Nakajou-sensei can’t come in. Before anything escalates any further, Shizuma comes into the room with the patient records and diffuses the situation. With his very personable approach to the women, he speaks to them calmly and introduces himself as he was with Nakajou-sensei during their last consult. He pets their dog, named Hana-chan and praises her efforts**, while also calming down the women, telling them he understands their worries while sharing his own dog’s birthing struggles, trying to build that rapport with them.
He explains that given their dog’s current state, it would be wise for them to reconsider taking her to another hospital and keeping Hana-chan here, vouching for Onodera’s skills and assessment as a well-experienced vet. He asks them to believe in Onodera. The elderly woman thinks about it, and then tells Shizuma she will leave her dog in their hands ONLY if Shizuma stays with Hana-chan the whole time.
Shizuma, knowing that he might miss his private house tour and anger Minato, is resolved to helping his patient and says he will definitely stay to help.
And that’s it for this chapter! It’s a bit of a long read again and we get a slightly suspenseful cliffhanger here... will Shizuma make it or not? Will Hand-chan safely deliver the last puppy in her litter? Will Minato see Shizuma soon? I guess we’ll find out in the next chapter! 🥰
Since Minato and Shizuma don’t really have a lot of panels together, please enjoy two little snippets from this chapter~ ❤️💛
(*) Minato, thinking in the cafe
(**) Shizuma with his patient, Hana-chan
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR READING! 💜 📢 As always, please support Hinohara-sensei by purchasing her books and CDs! 📢
The next chapter will appear in next month’s Dear+ (the December issue) out in November and the cover page will feature our adorakble pair! ❤️💛
🎉⚠️🎉 ALSO in next month’s issue, there will be a Therapy Game Mini Drama CD 🎉⚠️🎉 Sensei is treating us a lot this year!
If you wish to order the magazine, I’ll be more than happy to let you know where I purchase mine, so please feel free to message me/comment here and I’ll let you know! 😁
As always, stay safe during these turbulent times and look out for each other and for your loved ones! 💜
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Drunkenly baking bricks and sober mornings after.
Co-written by @syl-writes-stuff and @skimmingmilk
—
Chapter 09
If Anathema could've seen Crowley's aura, she would've been shocked to not see a single tendril of grey. By the time they'd made it through the grocery store - with Aziraphale judging the produce very methodically and going down every single aisle “just in case” - it was nearly time for supper. After one careful “Well, my dear, I would feel awful sending you off hungry and you did help select the wine,” Crowley agreed to stay a little longer.
A lot longer.
Long enough to discover that Aziraphale was both competent and incompetent in the kitchen. Crowley considered himself to be... fine. He'd been cooking his own meals most of his life and handled the basics well enough as long as he had a recipe and a microwave. It was one of the things he tended to find simply boring, so he rarely made anything difficult.
Aziraphale, it seemed, liked to experiment. Even with the pasta recipe Aziraphale himself picked, he started to add spices which weren't called for and taste-testing or having Crowley taste.
“It needs something, doesn't it?”
Since he typically bought sauce out of a jar, he'd shrugged and Aziraphale had tipped in this and sprinkled in that. It should've been a disaster, but that was saved for scones.
Crowley had always assumed that baking and cooking were the same thing.
Baking and cooking were not the same thing.
This fact wasn't helped by Aziraphale's sugar and salt containers looking very alike and a bottle of wine getting opened before dinner had finished cooking. Unfortunately, this meant three grams of sugar went into the batter with thirty-five grams of salt. That would've been bad enough, but they over mixed the batter. Then they left it in the freezer too long in favor of pouring the next glass and exploring Aziraphale's record collection.
Next, Aziraphale or Crowley or both of them - it was most certainly both of them - misread the Celsius versus Fahrenheit and, well, was it their fault ovens went up to four hundred twenty-five degrees Celsius? No, but at least they caught it before it had finished pre-heating. Clearly, that called for another round of wine whilst waiting for the oven to cool down to the proper two hundred eighteen degrees.
Nearly forty-five minutes later, fifteen minutes longer and several shades darker than they should be, the monstrosities came out of the oven. Crowley tipped his head and studied the lumpy, pancake-flat, definitely not scones. Without a word, he picked one up and tapped it against his glass. Like a spoon to glassware, it tinked brightly and he couldn't possibly hold back his laugh when the sound only made Aziraphale's pout deepen.
“Crowley!” he admonished, snatching the scone from his hand while he was too busy cackling to stop him. “Really, I’m certain it’s not as bad as all that-”
