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🍀🍂 Hello and welcome to Flufftober's (first) Fluff Bingo 🍀🍂
In our poll, nearly 50% of you voted for a handful of bingo cards to fill the other half of the year with more fluff before we jump right back into the excitement that is Flufftober - and of course, we're here to deliver 😊
Find all the important info, more cards, and all the prompts in writing below the cut.
We hope you like this event and our prompts, and now
Happy Creating 🥳
🍀 Pick your card - we offer:
🍂 one card with 5x5 prompts (as seen at the top)
🍂 two cards with 3x3 prompts:
🍂 three themed cards with 1x5 prompts:
🍂 and as a bonus, a 3x3 card with tasks instead of prompts:
🍀 How does this work?
🍂 our standard blog rules apply and you'll find answers to most questions on our FAQ post
🍂 aside from that, you can go wild: fill these cards however you like, as quick or as slow as you like, as often as you like, and use as many of them as you like. We just want you to have fun 😊
🍂 if there are prompts on the bigger cards you don't like, feel free to use the 1x5 cards as alternate prompts and switch them out
🍂 download the cards and tick them off once you've finished a square; make a post for every square or only once you have a bingo or even a blackout - it's all up to you!
🍂 as with all our events, this one will never close, you can always use these cards. If you need a timeframe/deadline because (like me) you'll never finish otherwise, consider these loose goals:
finish until July 1st when we release the new Flufftober list
finish during October, maybe by combining some of these with the Flufftober prompts
finish until the end of the year so you're ready for whatever event we plan for next spring
🍀 What about tumblr reblogs and ao3?
🍂 tumblr reblogs will still happen but not daily as you're used to during Flufftober. It will strongly depend on how many posts there happen to be at a time and how the modmin team will have time. But as long as you mention us and/or use the tag (and follow the rules, obviously), reblogs will happen
🍂 please use the tag #fluffbingo
🍂 feel free to also add the general #flufftober tag
🍂 please make sure to clearly show the fandom, either in the first few tags or noticeably in the post
🍂 contrary to how we do it during Flufftober, we will only use four tags during reblogs this time: #fluffbingo #fluffreblog #[fandom] #[your user name] - that means we will not tag any ships, characters, or which prompt you're covering
🍂 on ao3, our collection for this event is Flufftober Fluff Bingo
Prompts
We're going left to right, top to bottom!
🍂 5x5 card
Fresh Start
To-Do List
Craft Fair
Creature AU
“This was a bad idea.”
Exploring Together
Plushie
Secret Signal
“You’ll love it.”
Late Night
Hidden (...)
“It’s just so much.”
Free Space
Fake Dating
Carnival
“You’re the best!”
Royal AU
Missing the Other
Never ever, ever
Rainbow
Hanahaki
Pep Talk
“I really mean it.”
Hoodie
Movie AU
🍂 3x3 card I
“Where do I start?”
Famous AU
Traveling the World Together
Enjoying a Lazy Day
Task: Write in a tense you usually don’t write/write less than another tense
“You said you had it handled!” - “Yeah, well, I lied.”
Birthday
“Hey, wait, that’s mine.”
Direction
🍂 3x3 card II
“You’re late!”
Hospital AU
Grocery Shopping Together
Going for a Walk
Task: Write from a POV you usually don’t write/write less than another POV
“Could you not do that, please?” - “Spoilsport.”
Sunshine
“I don’t know, you decide.”
Concert
🍂 1x5 card - Smiles
Secret Smile
Relieved Smile
Honest Smile
Devious Smile
Teary Smile
🍂 1x5 card - Hugs
Soothing Hug
Hug in Celebration
Sleepy Hug
Hug from behind
Desperate Hug
🍂 1x5 card - Kisses
Kiss on the Hand
Kiss to distract
Goodbye Kiss
Forhead Kiss
Kiss on the Cheek
🍂 3x3 card - Tasks
Finish your WIP
Sort all your Ideas and/or WIPs
Edit an entire Chapter or Oneshot
Outline a Story
Work on that hard Scene that is giving you so much trouble it is holding you back
Finish the next Chapter of your WIP
Join in a Writing Event (this card doesn’t count 😉 but the others do!)
Finish a Oneshot
Dig out an old Draft and work on it
Have Fun and Go Wild 🥳
@zelinkcommunity's Zelink Week 2025 Day 2: Wish
@flufftober Fluff Bingo Prompt: Birthday
Pre-canon SS Zelink, as a lil treat 💖
If there’s ever a moment Zelda wishes she could stop time so she can have a moment to treasure it for longer, it’s right now.
Link laughs as she pulls him into the dance, dirty blond hair glowing golden, and the candle light brightens his eyes. His skin is hot and red, long ears fanning in an attempt to cool down, and he’s the most beautiful man she’s ever seen.
The music washes over them, and Zelda’s hair whips around her as she pulls them into a twirl. Her dress swishes with the movements, steps light as they circle a trail between the tables of Lumpy Pumpkin.
People are clapping in tune with Kina’s singing, cheers and laughter loud in the room, and spices waft from the kitchen. Her eyes are only on Link, to the scrunch of his nose, to the sparkle in his eyes, to his dazzling smile and the smooth curve of muscles hiding beneath a loose-fitting shirt.
Zelda trails her hands over Link’s arms and shoulders before circling around his neck, pulling him closer with a giddy sound. She’s feeling bold, acting like this around him, but she’s hoping the joyful and energetic atmosphere will distract the cute airhead.
“Thank you,” she whispers into his ear as he spins them again. “For today.”
He dips her, smiling wide when she laughs. There’s something warm in his gaze, loving, and her breath stutters. “Anything for the birthday girl.”
Trouble Close At Hand
Thirteen voices laughed darkly, blending into one strong voice.
Title: Trouble Close At Hand
Rating: Teen and Up
Word Count: 7,788
Fandom(s): Twisted Wonderland, Nightmare Before Christmas
Main Character(s): Yuu, Deuce Spade, Swing, and Oogie Boogie
Content Warning(s): Bugs, Insects, Spiders, Mild to Moderate Violence, Blood, Hurt/Comfort
Prompt(s):
@fandombingo - Oogie Boogie (Nightmare Before Christmas Bingo), "I'm not finished with you yet." (Valentine Trope Flash), Desire is the perfect catalyst for emotions (Reverse: 1999 Bingo)
@squarebysquare - Unexpected Powers
@eclipsingbingo - "Wanna bet?"
@character-plus-bingo - 'There's trouble close at hand.' (Oogie Boogie Bingo)
@badthingshappenbingo - Outnumbered In A Fight
@flufftober - Devious Smile
@mfbingo - Horror
@fandom-free-bingo - Hands Trembling (Untamed Edition)
@thebutcherbingo - The Bugs Are Eating You (Down The Rabbit Hole Bingo)
@halloweenhorrorbingo - The Moment When You Think The Danger Is Over (2024 Alternate Prompt)
@hurtcomfort-bingo - Altered Perception (Pick Your Poison)
Summary: On Spiral Hill, after Swing reveals his true nature, everyone from Halloween Town and Twisted Wonderland comes together to stop the nocturnal fae from succeeding. During the final battle, the Housewarden of Ramshackle, a dorm based on the Creativity of the Boogeyman, makes a well-deserved stand with the help of their friends on Christmas Eve.
AKA Swing's Bad No Good Horrible Rotten Christmas Eve!
Here is my fanfiction piece for the year of 2026: the first chapter of a two-shot that I wanted to do and I was obsessing with writing for a few weeks now. I know that there are other stories I need to get to and I want to wait until Chapter 8/English Server version of the Twisted Wonderland Christmas event, but I wanted to write out my AU version of the Final Boss Fight With Swing featuring my version of Yuu. I felt that it would be interesting to write, considering that Ramshackle dorm has Oogie Boogie as the mascot. Plus I like the idea of my OC Felix haunting the narrative as well as the NRC students being nice to Yuu. The first chapter is longer than usual, featuring two songs and a lot of mayhem and references. The translations of the dialogue come from Valkyrii on YouTube. And in the spirit of Greed and Desire, I decided to fulfill 13 prompts from 13 bingos, representing the Twisted Wonderland characters in the story. If there are other tags that are missing, please let me know. Thank you! Story under the cut:
Well, Jack Howl and Ruggie Bucchi were about to die on Spiral Hill. Not by their Housewarden or some other disaster at Night Raven College, but by an ancient fae about to destroy them for several reasons that include letting the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington, get away, mentioning Skully J. Graves, and insulting said powerful fae right in his face.
"This is all because you had to say something unnecessary and now Swing's totally lost it, hasn't he?!" Ruggie glared at his kouhai while dodging lightning and cosmic magic.
Jack Howl rubbed the back of his head, still sore, along with Ruggie as they both ducked. "Honestly, even I didn’t expect him to get this angry!”
"Oh, ya think insulting him with the King of Halloween’s name wouldn't do anything?!"
"Who are you calling pathetic?" Swing spoke as he stomped towards the two boys, causing them to back away with each step. "Who are you calling a loser? WHO SAID I COULDN'T DEFEAT SKULLY J. GRAVES?! Skully isn't even worth mentioning. The truth is, I was the one who won! And he ran away from me to a place I can never steal from!"
Both beastmen gulped, knowing full well that the fairy meant the afterlife, and they did not know how to feel about that.
"I want Halloween no matter what." Swing continued seriously before his greed took over, and he grinned. "No, that's not all. I'll take Halloween, Christmas, everything, every last holiday! Mr. Swing will claim them all! Then, it will FINALLY be Mr. Swing's victory, won't it? Isn't that right?!"
"... So, from the very start, you planned to hog every holiday for yourself? You WERE planning to use Oogie Boogie too, weren't you?!" Jack Howl growled.
"Of course I was. That's what it means to be King of Desire, isn't it? EVERYTHING belongs to Mr. Swing! ALL OF IT!" Swing stretched out his arms wide as his centipede tattoo stretched out from his neck, clicking its mandibles together hungrily while Swing laughed maniacally. Before anyone could make a move, however, someone else spoke up.
"I heard that just now... So THAT'S your true nature!"
"Huh?!" Swing, Jack, and Ruggie turned to see Oogie Boogie coming out of nowhere, charging at the dark fairy.
"Oogie Boogie, why are you here?" Swing asked, genuinely surprised to see the Boogeyman out of his lair. He was so shocked that he did not notice a shadow pulling Jack and Ruggie away from him.
"Jack! Ruggie-senpai! Are you okay?!" Deuce exclaimed as he rushed towards the students along with the rest of the group and Jack Skellington.
"Deuce and everyone else, too." Howl grinned before wincing in pain, causing the shadow to retract its hand from his cheek.
"You and Ruggie are completely beaten up," Silver noted in worry.
Lilia smiled at Ruggie, who huffed in annoyance. "Looks like Jack's voice managed to reach Ruggie after all."
"Well, this is annoying." The dark fairy deadpanned. "Why are you in a place like this? And with that Jack Skellington, you hate so much, no less. What about Santa? Christmas? What in the world is going on?!”
Oogie crossed his arms, leaning towards Swing as he glared at the other. "I heard everything from these guys that you tricked me! Taking all the holidays for yourself, huh? Blowing me away and that I ain't fit to rule, right?!"
"What? Tricked you? I would never do that to you, Mr. Oogie Boogie! You don't trust Mr. Swing?" Swing gasped and frowned, his ears drooping as his eyes watered in a creepy-cute way. All he earned was a dismissive stub.
"SAVE IT! A little Spade and Shadow convinced me otherwise. I can't believe this. What a joke!"
Cater chuckled along with Rook and Lilia when they watched the heated exchange take place, "There's no way he'd believe you now~!"
"In the end, it seems you couldn't gain anyone's trust," Lilia added smugly.
"Quietly admit your crimes and surrender!" Silver demanded, taking out a sword that he had borrowed from a giant Nutcracker in Christmas Town.
"If you do it now, I'll forgive you by just giving you a tiiiiight squeeze~!" Floyd grinned while cracking his neck. As every human, beastman, monster, and other beings closed in on the fairy, Swing had a delayed reaction to a previous comment.
"Wait... Little Shadow?"
“Not anymore~!" Oogie cooed, stepping back as the shadow from before marched to Swing and poked Swing's chest.
“How dare you...?” The shadow lifted its head, revealing a glaring Yuu from beneath the hood. “How dare you treat my friends so shamefully? Do you know who you are dealing with?!”
“What’s this all of a sudden? Since when did you grow a backbone? Did Mr. Swing miss something?!"
Yuu pulled off the shadow jacket from their shoulders and threw it into the air, letting it disperse into bats. They wore a dark brown zoot suit with white pinstripes, a black buttoned shirt, a yellow and black striped tie, burlap patches all over the suit, a matching fedora with white trim, a long black and red skirt that resembled a roulette wheel, a bracelet on each wrist with spikes poking out that reminded Yuu of buzzsaws, and a familiar purple spider sitting right on top of their fedora. Their curly brown hair flowed with the movement.
“I am Yuu Imamura of Ramshackle House,” Yuu stated with confidence as they pulled out a mage pen from their pocket and let Grim, who was wearing a black and white fedora, hop onto their shoulder. The NRC students smirked, Skellington clapped his hands, Oogie felt his ego grow instantly, and Swing’s face fell into an eye-twitching wall of envious disbelief. “Our dormitory is founded on the Creativity of the Boogeyman. We live our lives to the fullest and strive for the best experiences. It does not matter how odd we are. We come together to play games, eat feasts, and defeat any opponent. I do not need to be called great. I know we are the best by luck and skill alone.”
“Yer in trouble now, Swing! With my Hench-Human and the Boogeyman on our side, you’re gonna taste defeat by Grim the Great!” Grim boasted with a grin as he pointed to the fae. Yuu patted his head, then frowned as they hugged themselves, knowing their previous actions.
“Jack Skellington, please tell Santa I’m sorry.”
Skellington blinked, surprised. “Whatever for, Yuu?”
“I’m on the Naughty List and Boogie List. Not only for my desires and flaws, but for what I did and about to do. When Swing first did Switch the Doom, I noticed something familiar within me and remembered something. Before we opened the book, a friend of mine used his unique magic to keep an eye out for Grim and me. A part of that magic had traveled with us. Because of this, I found out that I have swapped my unique magic with him. Since you’d thought I would never have powerful magic like you or my peers, you overlooked me to the point that you didn’t notice I held onto the spell when you recast your magic.”
"You cheated?!" Swing frowned, recalling an itch that he had in Halloween Town when he recast his magic, but he thought nothing of it at the time.
Yuu gave a somewhat tired grin, “It’s called a hustle, Sweetheart. Granted, it got me tired and woozy, but it'll be worth it. It took a spirit of Halloween to give me the tools to your weakness."
“And that would be?”
Sensing what was about to happen, but somewhat unsure, Ruggie took out a pair of sparkling red dice from his pocket and threw them to Yuu while whistling. Yuu caught the dice, cupped them with both hands, and closed their eyes, concentrating their energy while praying for a holiday miracle. When they opened their eyes, the pupils were brown with a hint of green among them, while the rest were hollow.
“On the roll of the dice," Yuu and Oogie spoke out loud as Yuu shook the dice with both hands, and the full moon above them shone as bright as the sun. "Let’s live life and kick things up a notch! HIVE JIVE!"
With a strong throw, the pair of dice flew a few feet away, landing just below Spiral Hill with the moon shining on it like a spotlight that Oogie’s shadow helped project.
The dice’s silhouette on the moon showed twelve as a result.
The Housewarden smirked, cracking their neck in anticipation. Perfect. They called out to their friends, “Are you guys all for being a swarm?”
Remembering his promise, Howl handed Ruggie a ladybug pin, which the hyena accepted with some hesitation. Ruggie then grabbed a few items from behind him: three masks. Ruggie gave Howl a brown mask with eyes, threw a blue mask to Deuce, and then donned his ladybug mask. He did not know why, but it felt right to wear. Everyone then glanced and nodded, expecting to go along with it to help with their plan.
“Ready, Mx. Housewarden!”
Oh well, at least it was the thought and solidarity that counted—it worked.
Twelve shadow bugs went from Yuu’s feet to the twelve mages, each of them feeling the shadows tap their bodies. All pairs of eyes turned hollow, and the pins glowed brightly. The eyes widened before they narrowed with fiendish and determined glee.
“Ramshackle, represent!” Thirteen voices exclaimed in unison.
Swing scowled, crossing his arms. "Tch... is that all? It's just a glorified spell to make you bugs more of a hive than you are. Either way, it seems the stitches on my mouth loosened up a bit too much. Fine then. I'll just take all your lives along with everything else in an All or Nothing brawl! Now then, who should I dispose of first~?"
Everyone glared at the smug Swing, taking a step back. Yuu made sure to put the dice in their pocket.
"Times like this call for a coin." Swing reached into one of his pockets for his lucky coin... only to freeze when he felt nothing. "Hm? It's not here." Panicking, he and his centipede checked through every pocket, coming up with nothing. He pressed both his hands on his head, beginning to hyperventilate. "It's not here... no, no, NO, IT'S NOT HERE!"
"What's he looking for?" Grim asked among the hivemind.
"He seems extremely flustered," Ortho noted.
It was then that Ruggie laughed. "Shehehehehe! Is this what you're looking for~?" He pulled out a familiar coin that glittered in his hand.
"That's Swing's coin?!" Jack Howl shouted in shock. "When did you--!"
"You were guarding it so carefully, I figured it had to be something really valuable. So, I couldn't help myself. I just had to take it when I got to you!"
Swing growled, remembering how Ruggie turned into a hyena and bit him hard. That must have been when he got the coin without detecting anything.
"Way to go, Ladybug! That's the Ruggie we know!" Yuu squealed in delight, hopping a little and clapping their hands.
The hyena nodded to Yuu, then glared at Swing. "But it turns out it's just a toy. Totally worthless..."
"GIVE IT BACK!" Swing suddenly roared, pouncing on the beastman, but Ruggie dodged him and took off quickly.
"WHOA?!"
"Swing's shaken. Now's our chance!" Lilia exclaimed.
"Combining everyone's strength," Deuce snarled as everyone got ready to work together. He held hands with Yuu as they both stood with Oogie Boogie, who grinned with anticipation. "This time, we settle it once and for ALL!"
Yuu smiled. "And I got a few ideas that would make this interesting~!"
Meanwhile, Ruggie was, once again, running for his life across the graveyard with the nocturnal fairy hot on his trail. He tripped on a rock and landed on a gravestone, keeping the coin in his hand as he struggled to get up. From a distance, he spotted the others, specifically Yuu, Grim, and Oogie, as his hollow eyes sparkled and a strange feeling came over him. His eyes darted back to the opponent, the Funeral's March playing in his mind as the message was clear:
Felix's third and final favor for Ruggie? DEFEAT MR. SWING.
"Well, we're doomed." Ruggie deadpanned, bracing himself for the charging Swing, only to stop with the fairy when they heard something in the background that caused the grounds to glow an iridescent color.
"Huh, music?!"
Swing decided to ignore it as he snarled at Ruggie and charged again, "Return it. That belongs to Mr. Swing!"
Ruggie dodged again, "We didn't think you'd get this worked up!"
"Skully did mention it. That Swing will never let go of anything he's gotten his hands on!" Jack Howl exclaimed as he rushed in to help his senpai. As the others got into different positions, Oogie Boogie seemed to take center stage as he stepped forward with his arms crossed.
"Well, well, well... ya came at a bad time!" He drawled with amusement, feeling as if he had a whole crew of henchmen at his beck and call, not noticing Skellington's intrigued stares as the boogeyman taunted Swing directly. "But you just crossed the line. Ya wanna get wild?"
With a wave of his stub, the hivemind who called themselves Ramshackle got into motion, crying out, "Okay, WE'LL SHOW YOU WILD!"
Ruggie summoned his Jack-in-the-Box along with Howl and Deuce as he paced with quick feet, getting into the rhythm of the music as he sang.
"Better come right, better luck tryin' gettin' to our level. 'Cause you might die, never the time, tryna start a battle!" He flipped the coin a little before passing it to Deuce as Swing jumped towards him. "Here, catch!"
"C-Catch?!" Deuce stammered, trying not to drop the coin as he hid it from Swing’s line of sight.
Yuu nodded at the strategy. "Good idea, Ladybug! Let's play keep away with Swing's coin until we can beat him. Just because he lost his focus doesn't mean he lost his power. Be careful!"
"Yes, Housewarden!" The mages responded through the hive as Jack Howl stepped up to the plate, catching Swing a little off guard by throwing punches towards him while he was distracted.
"Bleeding isn't in our blood. You'll be crying when we're done. Beating you is what we do, do, do, yeah!"
Deuce tossed the coin to Howl when Swing got too close before taking out his pen and dodging each of Swing's punches in some sort of battle dance. He then waved his finger before pulling back. "Body on body. We're naughty! Not even sorry, and when you pull up, we'll pull up a little late to the party!"
"Locked and loaded, we were born for this," sang Yuu as they pulled the trio into a huddle, protecting them with their body like an older sibling would. When Swing came from behind to attack, Ruggie growled and grabbed Yuu by the shoulders, twirling with them away. "There ain't no point in avoiding it. Annoyed? A bit. We're gonna beat ya. Where's the clock? Our time is ticking!"
"Knocking you out like a lullaby," Deuce sang as he cracked his knuckles, fire forming from within his floating box and fists.
"Hear that sound ringing in your mind." Howl snarled, summoning vines on his limbs and flora magic in his box.
Remembering his promise, Ruggie twirled Yuu towards Oogie, patting the prefect on the head as he snatched the coin as if to tell Yuu to leave the magic to the professionals. Both Ruggie and Yuu exchanged hollow glares before Ruggie rushed off with water spheres, and his box crackled with ice.
"Better sit down for the show 'cause we're gonna show you how it's done, done, done!"
In a rhythmic beat, the three jack-in-the-boxes burst open with magic, hitting Swing right in the face and sides. The trio then threw spells at the fairy, keeping him in the middle as they tossed the coin amongst themselves. While this was going on, Yuu pushed their concern away for now and decided to strategize as they always did. Too bad they did not have their stim toy at the moment, and they did not want to risk losing the dice.
With encouragement from a nearby Floyd, Yuu reached for Oogie's stub, rubbing their fingers against the burlap as they relaxed their body and activated their brain. They then spoke through the hivemind:
“Swing has probably a thousand years of experience and is driven by desire alone. He can take a lot of hits, is unpredictable, knows every physical and magical element known to most mages, and makes everything a game before annihilating his prey. Once something of his gets taken, however, Swing's focus only targets getting the item back. His greed can be his downfall, but we can't underestimate him now either. He still has tremendous power."
“Like a horror monster in a film or a cockroach? He can’t go down easily.”
“Exactly, Carrion Beetle! We're evenly matched for now if we play our cards right. We chip away at his health until he passes out, or we find a better plan. If he gets that coin back, we’re done!"
With a new goal in mind, the other mages got their pens, weapons, and present boxes ready, throwing spells at the fae just as he held the coin in his hands.
"Ramshackle don't miss, how it's done, done done!"
The coin flew into the air towards the full moon. Howl, Ruggie, and Deuce raced to retrieve it on Spiral Hill. Once they had reached the top, they turned to find Yuu following them with three full cups of liquid.
"Hey, Ramshackle, don't quit! How it's done, done one! Run, run, we run the town. The whole world playin' our sound, Turnin' up, it's goin' down..."
"Thank you, Housewarden!" Deuce smiled as he took his cup along with his two friends.
"Um, Yuu? What is this?" Howl stared at the questionable glowing and squirming liquid that seemed to hiss and chitter.
"We grabbed some cups of stew before we left in case you boys need some!"
Ruggie groaned and rolled his eyes. "Great. Our last meals are snakes and spiders. And why does it look like lava?"
"Boys, who's trackin' the coin?!" Oogie reminded the teenagers, motioning to the falling coin as it fell beneath thorns and brambles that covered a large patch of the cemetery before them. The three boys, Yuu and Swing from nearby, also stared in the direction where the coin went.
"Ramshackle, show this, how it's done, done, done."
"What meaning does that coin even have?" Deuce asked incredulously.
"There is no meaning." Swing muttered before he roared and rushed towards the brambles like a train. "It's just that Mr. Swing hates having what belongs to Mr. Swing stolen!"
"Is that guy's greed bottomless?!" Howl exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yeeeaaaaaah, this cemetery's gonna be trashed." Ruggie droned before he, Jack Howl, and Deuce chugged their stew, smacking their lips in satisfaction. "Hmm, surprisingly not bad."
With determination, Deuce smirked and cast a water spell with his Jack-in-the-Box, "Okay, let's do this. You're up, Grim and Yuu!"
"Right! Let's go, Hench-human!" Grim hopped off a gravestone and rushed towards the thorns. Yuu called out to the water Deuce had created.
"Friend, help Grim keep the coin away from Swing!" The water shaped into ribbons, then, with the aid of Yuu's flowing arm movements, the ribbons pulled away at the vines while giving Grim cover. Yuu laughed, "Yeah, something about when you come for the crown. That's so humbling, huh?"
"All of a sudden, you're running away from a fight you've started, like what?" Grim sang tauntingly as he swept the coin away with his tail. Zero ran with Grim to help toss the coin around. Swing attempted fire spells to evaporate the water ribbons, but Victor's flying spider webs stopped the magic.
"Nothing to us. Run up, you're done up, we come up from sunup to sundown, so come out to play!" Victor and Yuu sang as a water tendril tripped Swing straight into the thorns.
Grim cheered as he grabbed the coin in his paws, Zero barking happily… until Swing brushed away the webs and thorns, then snatched the coin from Grim. "We won either way, we're one in a million! We kill 'em, like, really? You want it? Okay!"
“Ya think taking my coin away would stop Mr. Swing?” Swing panted a little, having a moment of triumph when he grasped the coin, only for the last of the water to flick the coin away from his fingers.
"Wanna bet?" Ace challenged Swing with a smirk as he and his team began their next attack while passing along the coin amongst themselves.
"Heels!" Ortho kicked Swing’s shins with all the power he could muster. Swing barely dodged it.
"Nails!" Ace threw a punch that Swing caught, but Ace elbowed him with his free arm before pushing himself back.
"Blade..." Silver thrust his sword towards Swing, but the fairy dodged, then almost fell when Floyd came to pounce and squeeze him.
"Mascara~!" Floyd pushed Swing towards a mausoleum where Rook was leaning against a wall, using a pocket mirror to check himself.
"Fit check for my Napalm Era." Rook put away the mirror and pushed Swing into a clearing using a frosty wind spell.
"Need to beat my face," Kalim sang, putting an arm around Swing's shoulders as best he could. Lilia joined in, popping from behind while upside down.
"Make it cute and savage~!"
Cater jumped in to do a surprise selfie with the Pop Culture Club members and Swing, the three members winking while Swing looked confused. "Mira, Mira on my phone, who's the baddest?”
"Us, Hello~?!" Kalim and Lilia laughed, pushing the fae back. Swing glanced around, trying to track his coin again.
"I'm not finished with you yet!" Jack Howl exclaimed as he rushed to Swing with Zero joining in on the chase.
"Knocking you out like a lullaby," Jack Skellington plucked the coin out from behind Yuu’s ear with a grin. Oogie tried to bump his enemy out of the spotlight, causing the former to drop the coin near Spiral Hill. "Hear that sound ringing in your mind. Better sit down for the show 'cause we're gonna show you!"
"We're gonna show you!" Howl, Deuce, and Ruggie readied their ice magic while their peers summoned barriers. "We're gonna show you how it's done, done, done!"
"GIMME MY COIN!" Swing demanded, tired of the shields and barrages of magic, having lost sight of the coin. He was promptly ignored.
“We don't talk, but we bite, full of venom.” Rook smiled as he made sure Yuu looked presentable.
Floyd added while pushing Yuu towards the spotlight, “Spittin' facts, you know that's how it's done, done, done!”
"Okay, like I know I ramble, but when shootin' my words, I go rando! Took blood, sweat, and tears to look natural!" Cater and Lilia stood back-to-back, sharing lyrics in syncopated rhythm.
"That's how it's done, done, done!" Everyone then lined up in a row, extending their arms towards their approaching Housewarden.
“Hear our voice unwavering," Yuu stepped forward, singing with determination as the moon shone brightly on them and a burst of magical energy released throughout the cemetery, causing Swing to stumble back, "Till our song defeats the night. Makin' fear afraid to breathe 'til the dark becomes the light!"
Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie watched the dreary atmosphere come back to life with magic as the visitors from Twisted Wonderland chanted with excitement, "How it's done, done, done! Run, run, we run the town. The whole world playin' our sound. Turnin' up, it's goin' down. Ramshackle, show this, how it's done, done, done!”
Deuce and Yuu exchanged subtle looks, nodding to each other before Yuu took off.
“We hunt you down!”
"Down, down, down!"
"We got you now!"
"Now, now, now!"
"We show you how!"
"How, how, how!"
"Ramshackle don't miss, how it's done, done, done!"
Swing, who had just recovered from an onslaught of magic and physical activity, slumped onto the floor in front of the posing mages.
“Great job, everyone! The magic of Twisted Wonderland is so spectacular!” Jack Skellington cheered, ever encouraging, whereas Oogie pressed his stubs against his forehead in frustration, lamenting that he had once been associated with the Pumpkin King.
Floyd laughed in relief. "Wow, that was easy. Devil Stinger got all tuckered out!"
"Now we could make sure he never gets that coin again. Yuu’s going to get rid of it right now. We’re saved!" Ace grinned triumphantly.
There was a pause, then Ortho spoke up. “… do you think he’s finished?”
“Nope!” Suddenly, Swing appeared behind the twelve students, glaring at them with a manic smile. “But you are~!” With his centipede and cosmic magic, he barreled over the teenagers in hot pursuit.
Yuu was about to reach the Hinterlands when a voice startled them. "SHADOW!"
Yuu yelped and dashed towards the trees, only to trip when Swing's centipede flew towards their ankles and wrapped its body around them. Spits crawled underneath their fedora.
"You dare to challenge me?" Swing hissed as Yuu fell to the ground, and the centipede pulled. They gripped the ground with their fingers, but their nails dragged as they were getting pulled. "Attempt to defeat me? Try to take something away from me, the King of Desire?!"
The centipede loosened itself from Yuu’s ankles, only for Swing to grab their ankles and tug them harshly, sending Yuu crashing into a gravestone that crumbled on impact. He then marched his way over to the groaning Housewarden, the latter making sure they held onto his coin tightly. "I, who have spared you and taken you under my wing. I, who knows all your secret desires, accept them. After all I've done for you, ya betray me?!"
Swing narrowed his eyes, focusing on the prefect’s neck, which was bruised a little with a recognizable handprint. His emerald eyes widened.
"Don't tell me. You took the pain with that wolf bug. Why? For them?!" Swing grabbed Yuu by the neck and presented them like a ragdoll, forcing them to look at their peers: the students of Night Raven College. Grim. Skellington. Zero. Oogie. "The ones who ignore you? Who takes you for granted every day for their own gain? For being weak?!"
Ruggie and Jack Howl snarled, about to intervene when Deuce and Lilia held out their arms.
With his free hand, the King of Desire forcefully opened Yuu’s fingers one by one to release his coin, Yuu crying out with each tug. "They're doing this to pity you! To make you feel special. You don't need that pity. Can’t you see that none of them will ever understand you as I can? For we are of the same cloth whose desires blend to one source.” When the coin got free, it fell into Swing’s hand. He dropped Yuu unceremoniously, sucking his teeth as he glared down at the human and placed his boot on their chest as if to crush them underfoot.
“Don’t make Mr. Swing your enemy and destroy you. For we are smarter, we are stronger, we are invincible, we have the power, we are superior to them, AND WE SHALL RULE!"
Yuu choked a sob, their right hand still extended as it shook with pain. Swing lifted his foot off and kneeled to Yuu, gently taking their hand and raising them back to their feet. He spoke calmly with an enticing smile.
“All we have to do is work together. Little Shadow—Yuu—join me."
It was then that Yuu realized the key difference between Swing and Felix: Felix would never hurt them on purpose. They hung their head low, which Swing accepted as a defeat, walking with them hand in hand.
"That's better. See? Was that so hard? All you have to do is listen to Mr. Swing—"
With a snarl, Yuu suddenly pulled at Swing's arm at the wrist, opened wide, and bit the arm hard, drawing green blood. Swing screamed, letting go of the coin. Yuu caught it and held it behind their back.
"No, you listen!" Yuu snarled in an Oogie-like sneer, their fangs bared as green blood dripped a little. "We've dealt with you for too long, and we'd never join you. That's because..."
"We are stronger," Floyd and Yuu giggled, their eyes sparkling with sadistic glee as Yuu hid the coin in their pocket.
"We are tres magnifique," Rook and Yuu flipped their hair majestically with a wink.
"We are invincible," Deuce and Yuu cracked their knuckles, the latter silently reminding Deuce that they needed his rebel side fully out.
"We are persistent," Silver and Yuu took a determined stance against the fae.
"We know about our desires and get them ourselves!" Howl and Yuu crossed their arms with confidence.
"We have the power," Cater and Yuu proclaimed with a flourish.
"We have to protect them from you!" Yuu then pushed Swing back before he could protest. As they advanced towards the fairy, they did not notice that a few of their allies had run off somewhere.
"It's you who is to be feared!" Lilia and Yuu glared at Swing, elbowing him roughly.
"'Cause you are a monster!" Grim and Yuu exclaimed, clawing Swing’s face.
"You are scary!" Kalim and Yuu shoved Swing, who doubled over.
"You are greedy!" Ruggie and Yuu barked, a sweeping kick sending Swing falling backwards to the ground.
"You are dangerous!" Ortho and Yuu stomped on Swing's chest.
"You are the unlucky one!" Ace and Yuu sneered, clutching Swing's collar and pulling him close as if going to punch him.
"And you're... not… him!" Yuu shouted, a new baritone voice blended in as they sobbed tears of blot from their widened eyes, letting go of Swing. Then their lips quirked upwards, shaking their head in disbelief as Swing got back up to his feet. "... which makes you fair game."
"Angler-Shrimpy!" Floyd cried out with a grin as he rushed back into the cemetery with Skellington, Rook, Howl, and Silver following close behind. "Oogie's shadow and Skellington took us to a lake this town has that apparently dried up. Who knew? Don't worry. We got the water back and expanded it so it could reach this spot! Try it; the skeleton fishies are so cool~!"
Shit, Swing cursed in thought. After all that trouble of drying up the lake so that the Butterfly of Ramshackle did not get any ideas. Green translucent water seeped from the ground, covering the graveyard with half a foot of water. Swing instinctively hopped to the surface, thankful that he was a bug fae.
A large wave formed from the lake water, the tip of it extending like a head as it lowered to press against Yuu's awaiting palm. Yuu smiled, patting the water like a close friend. One glance around, and the lake understood who the foe was.
Yuu took off their shoes to become barefoot and briefly took off their fedora to wrap their hair in a bun before placing the fedora back in place. Despite their sore body, Yuu gave Swing a manic grin as they tilted their head up and sang in a menacing whisper while holding out their pen,
"When Mr. Oogie Boogie says there's trouble close at hand, ya better pay attention now 'cause we're the boogeyman."
The pen glittered in their grip, and Yuu threw the pen in the air towards the moon. Under the moonlight, the pen magically grew and shifted into a cane with a microphone attached to it, the main microphone piece consisting of the same violet magestone Grim usually wore. The moonlight also shifted slightly into blacklight. The mages' clothes and pupils glowed bright, Oogie's brown burlap changed to green, and Yuu's outfit changed to a neon green, blue, and purple.
Their friends stood in alarm at first, recognizing the song as a silly melody that Felix would sing to himself sometimes. With devious grins, the mages joined in. "And if you aren't shaking, there's somethin' very wrong!"
"'Cause this might be the last time you hear the Boogie Song." Oogie chuckled with delight.
Yuu crooned to their microphone with their friends responding to their call. The water rippled, changing itself to different shapes such as spikes, tendrils, and buzzsaws to attack Swing. Yuu then sang while keeping the coin away, "We're the Ramshackle dorm!"
“Ha! I spent a month in Oogie’s lair. This is child’s play!” Swing boasted as he dodged the water shapes with a sarcastic laugh. “Finally, you’re getting interesting, Shadow! I’d be glad if it weren’t for my coin being stolen!”
"Did you know that some butterflies are parasitic?" Yuu asked out of the blue, poking at their fangs. "And did you know that in Ramshackle, we can hunt someone down by blood and targets?"
Swing's eyes darted to the fresh blood still on his arm, then to the mages and the rippling water by his feet. Echolocation came to mind.
"And did you know that while you were so busy looking down at us bugs, you forgot that we're connected to your biggest threat~?!"
Swing blinked and stopped, getting splashed by water spikes in the process. Wait. The bugs were connected due to powerful magic. One of the bugs was the Spade Beetle. When Swing beat up Yuu, he had also beaten up Spade Beetle, who would give the pain back. Double shit. Now, Swing had to avoid Deuce at all costs.
Oogie and the young mages laughed at Swing’s face. "It's funny! We're laughing! Ya really are too much!"
With a smooth motion, Yuu smirked and slid over to Swing, glancing up at him menacingly despite their head probably reaching Swing’s chin. "And now, with your permission, I'm going to do my stuff!"
"... what are you going to do?"
"I'm gonna do the best I can~" Yuu promised before throwing the coin over to the hyena nearby. "HIT IT, LADYBUG!"
He can't forgive even a single coin being stolen, Ruggie thought as he caught the coin and flipped it a few times. Yeah, I totally get how that feels. He then spoke aloud, "If this is that precious to you, then you should've kept it somewhere safe."
Sensing something was wrong, Swing’s face fell. "Hey, wait a second. What are you planning? Don't tell me...!"
"Something that's yours... We'll do this to it!" After giving Oogie a look and the two nodding, Ruggie threw the coin straight to the other, letting it flip in the air. Swing reached to nab it, but Oogie inhaled deeply like a vacuum, pulling it closer to him as he opened wide and caught the coin in his mouth.
"Noooooooooo!" Swing cried out in agony as Oogie swallowed the coin whole. "STOP IT! What do you think you're doing?!"
As Swing held his head with both his hands in panic, Ruggie and Oogie smirked and crossed their arms with the former laughing, "Ya really thought no one could ever take anything from you, huh? That's pretty naive!"
"Swing is flustered, and his magic is unstable, which means..." Lilia mused in pensive thought when a familiar sensation returned to his being as he exclaimed, "Our original magic has returned! Everyone, now's the time! Give it everything you've got!"
"YEAH!" The Ramshackle hivemind cheered at the news, devious smiles on their faces.
Swing’s eye twitched. "Excuse me...?"
Chains and shackles made of water wrapped around the nocturnal fairy’s wrists.
“Ya ain’t excused!” Everyone droned as Swing yelped and got pulled into a thick wall of lake water.
The NRC students got prepared. Grim spat out fire. Kalim summoned a pillar of water. Cater created a clone. Everyone tested out their original spells happily. "Whoa, the sound of rolling dice to us is music in the air!"
"'Cause I'm a gambling Boogeyman, although I don't play fair~!" Oogie and Yuu exclaimed in exuberant harmony, the red dice rolling in between Yuu's fingers.
Swing spat out water, annoyed as he emerged from the wall. Welp. It was time to rip apart a sack of bugs for his coin. He had done more unusual actions in centuries. He charged at Oogie, only for ice, water, lightning, fire, leaves, and cosmic magic to hit him relentlessly. It did not help when multiple arrows came flying at him, a few of them landing on his body. Rook had his bow and arrow at the ready, joined by Phobos from the shadows.
"It's much more fun, we must confess!" The assassins grinned, fist-bumping each other in an opportunistic truce.
Floyd used the nearby water to partially transform, forming webbed hands and eel features as he slid over Swing’s feet while singing, "With lives on the line!"
"Not ours, of course, but yours, old boy. Now that'll be just fine!" Oogie's grin grew when Swing got hit by Floyd, then got pounced on by a large white wolf.
"Ugh, stop it! Let go! Hey, you're being too persistent!" Swing winced, struggling to break free from the tight grip, but Howl shifted back to his humanoid form and kept Swing at bay.
"The power of those you looked down on so much... feel it for yourself!"
When the timing felt right and the mages of Night Raven exchanged looks, Lilia politely tapped Yuu's shoulder. "Mx. Yuu, if you're up for it, we want to give you the second half of your Christmas present."
"We want you to perform the finishing blow!" Cater winked while Ace and Floyd smiled mischievously. The Housewarden of Ramshackle gasped at such an honor. They did not deserve such friends or gifts. And Swing's previous words did not help matters. Their face fell as they tied their microphone to their back, their confidence melting into insecurity as they backed up.
“I’m not sure," Yuu hugged themselves, biting their lip as they glanced at the floor warily. "I'm not magical or powerful like you guys. I don't even know how to dance that well. I might mess up or slow you all down."
“We don’t care.” Everyone replied. “You deserve this. We’ll help you!”
Deuce went up to Yuu, grasping their hands into his. "You think Oogie cares if he messes up?"
Yuu's eyes darted to Oogie for a second, then they shook their head. Deuce smirked.
"Then let's give it our all! For one special night, you are the strongest mage of Twisted Wonderland. Don't think about it. Just do what feels right!"
Yuu thought for a moment, daydreaming about what they wanted to do as Victor popped out from their fedora and whispered in their ear, helping create a clear image of what they desired. They smiled brightly.
“I got something, but I’ll need a head start!” They cheered as they ran to the main gates of the cemetery that led to Halloween Town, with Deuce following close behind.
“A HEADSTART?!” Swing exclaimed, having a feeling that this final blow would involve the Spade Beetle's signature spell. Triple shit! He struggled to get out of Jack Howl’s grip. “Hell no! Get off me! Release Mr. Swing right now!”
"Oh brother, you're somethin'! You put us in a spin~!" Oogie spun around with sadistic glee.
The rest of the mages sang as they surrounded Swing menacingly, "Ya aren't comprehending the position that you're in!"
"It's hopeless!" scoffed Ruggie.
"You're finished!" Howl snarled.
Grim crossed his arms smugly, "Ya haven't got a prayer!"
"'Cause we're Ramshackle dorm," Oogie motioned to the group dedicated to him, accepting them full-heartedly as he sang proudly. "And you ain't going NOWHERE~!"
Powerful magic coursed through Yuu’s veins as they grinned at Deuce with a flourished bow. "Wanna play a game, blue beetle?"
"Let's dance until we're dead, Mx. Yuu!" Deuce called back, alerting Yuu to run to Spiral Hill.
The dance began like this:
The Flea blew fire to trap the centipede.
“FNAH!” Grim blew his blue fire to surround Swing in a ring, then shouted to Yuu. “Do us proud, Hench-Boss!”
The Fly gave the Butterfly a breeze.
“Knock ‘em out of the park with some wind, Yuu!” Ace smirked, adding some of his wind magic to surround Yuu’s body and feet.
The Blue Beetle joined the Butterfly's dance.
"Mind if I join in on the fun?" Deuce laughed as he joined Yuu in racing to the top of Spiral Hill, holding hands as if they were both dance partners. Deuce's unique magic flowed through his and Yuu's limbs, gathering their stored energy.
The Ants gave support, however they could.
“Yaas, King!” Both Caters cheered as they took their phones and snapped pictures of Yuu and Deuce. “Slay, literally~! We’ll hold him down for you!” They then joined Howl by holding Swing’s legs in place.
The Ladybug brought luck and stilled the foe.
"Fly, bugs, fly! Laugh With Me!" Ruggie threw his remaining ladybug luck to the duo, then activated his signature spell to trap Swing further.
The Wolf Spider snarled and held his prey back.
Jack Howl still held Swing in a vice grip as he snarled and closed his eyes, using the hivemind to apply part of his Unique Magic to the runners. “Faster, sharper, stronger!” Yuu and Deuce ran faster to Spiral Hill as they felt stronger and their eyes glowed with sharp intensity.
The Millipede provided a shield.
“Just like we taught ya, Angler-Shrimpy! Bind The Heart!” Floyd also applied his Unique Magic to the duo, blocking any frazzled spells from Swing and his centipede.
The Scarab gave the partners water.
“You can do anything, Yuu! Oasis Maker!” Kalim summoned extra water that hovered close to Yuu and Deuce's bodies, forming wings.
The Mosquito focused on his mark.
"Spade-Trickster, aim for the base of the jaw or the jugular! Roi du desir is open for your attack!" Rook instructed, using magic to indicate Swing's weak spots.
The Carrion Beetle checked their vitals.
"Usage of blot within the hivemind is 25%." Ortho analyzed the magestones, then cheered, "You are clear for impact!"
The Bedbug stayed with the rest to wait for prey.
Silver stayed in the background for defense, waiting with the rest so they could capture Swing while also praying for Yuu and Deuce to succeed.
The Bat blessed the dance.
"I bless that your aim be true, and that your endeavours with Swing will be met with success!" Lilia clasped his hands, adding fae magic to the duo.
Swing struggled against the grip of the teenagers, barraged a second time by spells as he gritted his teeth. "You... you lot...! YOU MISERABLE LITTLE BUGS!"
And the Butterfly fed its hive.
Yuu and Deuce got to the top of Spiral Hill, red sparkles appearing on their bodies as they leapt into the air. Their bodies covered the full moon as they raised their fists, resembling a flying butterfly and beetle about to attack. The Boogeyman and the hive sang once more.
"Whoa, I'm the Oogie Boogie Man!"
"The Ramshackle Dorm!"
"The Oogie Boogie Man~!"
"Bet The Limit: Midnight Special!" Deuce and Yuu exclaimed, socking Swing right in the jugular and jaw respectively.
The Unique Magic and two fists collided with Swing so hard that a fang flew out of his mouth, and he flew twenty feet away to the side, his body tumbling in a spin as he dropped to the ground. Deuce and Yuu almost collapsed in a heap, but Oogie caught them in time.
"Whoa, that was a mean right hook!" Ace whistled, impressed.
"Get 'im before he gets up!" Grim shouted. As everyone pounced on Swing, Deuce, Yuu, and Oogie stood back on their feet, panting heavily with proud smiles on their faces. Yuu's eyes sparkled with tears, their hands trembling with adrenaline and magic. They turned to hear Swing shouting with everyone's hands and paws on his body.
"No, let go of me, you rotten little bugs! IT'S MINE, I TELL YOU! MINE! GET AWAY FROM ME!" The fae then glared at Oogie. "You can't do this to me! I thought we were brothers!"
Oogie scowled and crossed his arms. "Fool me once, shame on you. But fool me twice? No dice! Now, for the final coin toss…" Suddenly, Yuu's eyes glowed a soft gold color. It surprised them that it took a while for their perception to shift. In their mind, they saw a man in a blue zoot suit and fedora, butterfly wings on his back as he took out Swing's former coin from his pocket. The man grinned at Yuu, placing a finger to his lips to keep the human quiet before he flipped the coin and caught it in the air. He smirked, showing Heads while mouthing, Mine now. Then, he nodded to Oogie.
“Ramshackle? He’s all yours~!” Oogie nodded knowingly. The mages proceed to beat Swing up with fists and tie him up with anything they got their hands on.
Victor emerged from Yuu's hat, calling out while showing his webbing. “May I join? I got threads!”
“The more, the merrier~!” The Ramshackle Hive cheered.
“Perfect! I may be biased when I say this, but I like you twisted fellas~!” Spits hopped off, then shifted to his humanoid form as he joined Deuce in adding to the swarming heap, holding his webs like a rope. Yuu stayed with Oogie, their twisted perception shared with Oogie and Swing as they all watched the scene change.
Swing was in a torn, black burlap sack with several bugs all over his sore body, the creepy crawlies nibbling on his skin. A large millipede hugged his waist in a tight squeeze. A bat bit his shoulder and drank his blood. A large wolf spider wrapped around his throat while Victor worked tirelessly to wrap Swing's body with webbing in a sewing motion. A ladybug and a blue beetle scittered on his face as he attempted to drag himself out of the swarm and sack. In the altered state of reality, the bugs were eating him alive.
Yuu stayed at their spot, golden eyes widened as they occasionally winced at some of the injuries being inflicted.
"You rotten bugs! Let go!" Swing rasped, desperate to escape and tear everyone apart as he thrashed. The human shook their head, creating a water barrier between them and Swing, tears trickling down their cheeks. Swing glared at his former friend and shadow, raising a weak arm to them.
"IMAMURA!" He roared, reaching once more to an item he would never get back, before he was consumed by the darkness and living beings he looked down upon.
Thirteen voices laughed darkly, blending into one strong voice.
I don't want your apology
Fandom: Ateez
Sickie: San
Caregiver: ?
Prompts:
Feveruary 2025: 11 “you’re burning up”, alt 1 forced to work @feveruary
Fluffbingo: “It’s just so much.” @flufftober
March whumpness 2025: 6 alone, 8 exhaustion, 20 fainting, 29 collapsing at work @marchwhumpness
Whumpril 2025: 25 too weak to stand, alt 11 missed medication, alt 13 “Why won’t you believe me?” @whumpril
Angstpril 2025: 4 “I trusted you”, 8 ignored, 9 “I don’t want your apology”, alt 1 “did you even care?”, alt 3 collapse @angstpril
August of whump 2024: alt collapse @augustofwhump
No one’s POV.:
San sighed as he plopped down in the backseat of a taxi. The rest of the group had long since been able to go home for the day but he had been stuck at his solo schedule till late into the night. His entire body ached from the exhaustion, head throbbing. Knowing he’d feel far worse if he didn’t eat well to fuel his body, San opened the takeout bag and glanced at the kimbap in disgust. For some reason, it didn’t look the slightest bit appealing, which was weird considering how long he had gone without food. There simply hadn’t been enough time for him to eat, so perhaps the dull ache in the pit of his stomach was hunger pain. With a sigh, San sank his teeth into his late-night dinner, wanting to be done eating once he got back to his dorm, so he could collapse straight into bed.
Shortly before the car came to a halt, San suddenly flashed hot, the car’s interior seemingly closing in around him and he was glad when he could finally get out. His head spun for a moment and he had to brace himself against the trunk before the cool night air cleared his head, allowing him to stand up straight. Shakily making his way up to his dorm, San envied Seonghwa and Mingi for already being home. He stifled a soft burp against the back of his hand as he kicked off his shoes, wincing as the kimbap he had forced down sat heavy in his stomach. Eating so late never really worked well for him but it had never actually made him sick, so he figured he’d be fine if he just went to bed to sleep it off. Especially because he barely had any time left to sleep anyway.
Sleeping it off didn’t work for San though and only half an hour later, he found himself kneeling on the bathroom floor, knuckles turning white as he clutched the toilet seat. His throat burned as he brought up wave after wave of barely digested kimbap. San didn’t even try to stay quiet anymore at this point, partially hoping one of his dormmates would wake up and come to check on him. The dorm stayed quiet though, an eerie silence hanging over him as San sat back on his heels, only disrupted by his panting. Still trembling, he pulled off his shirt and cringed at how sweaty it had become in only a matter of minutes. A shudder ran down his back and he swallowed hard. When had it gotten so freaking cold? There were only a couple of hours left till his alarm would go off, so he should really get to bed but his legs had gotten all numb from kneeling there.
San stretched out his legs, trying to ignore the tingle as blood flooded through them again. Swallowing, he tried to ease the burn in his throat but it was to no avail. He couldn’t even get rid of the vile taste because the sink was so far away and his legs still felt like jelly, refusing to carry him. Defeatedly slumping back against the wall, San ran his hand over his sore abs. What had he done to deserve this misery? And how had both Seonghwa and Mingi managed to sleep through his ordeal? San knew he wasn’t a quiet puker by any means, but they were probably exhausted too. Still, he hated being alone when he was sick.
After what felt like ages, San finally managed to pull himself to his feet, though he was still a little wobbly. He had a few sips of water and rinsed his mouth with mouthwash before grabbing some painkillers for his headache. There was no way he could take them right now, not with how bubbly his stomach still was, but he would place them on his nightstand to swallow as soon as his stomach calmed down. Why did they have to split up dorms? He really didn’t want to sleep in a room all by himself right now but he also didn’t feel like he could go bother Seonghwa or Mingi, so he tiredly trudged back to his room and flopped down on his bed.
Morning came far too early for San’s liking though he counted it as a success that he hadn’t thrown up again that night. His stomach hadn’t really calmed down though, so he doubted he could handle eating breakfast today. When his eyes fell on the painkillers on his nightstand, he quickly shook two into his palm and swallowed them dry, wincing as they scraped his raw throat. Since he still felt a little chilled, he threw on an oversized sweater and made sure to wear loose pants, so they wouldn’t dig into his middle. Luckily, Mingi was already in the bathroom getting ready and San managed to catch Seonghwa alone in the kitchen.
“Good morning”, he rasped as he walked up behind the oldest and poured himself a glass of water. Seonghwa greeted him with a smile and took a sip of coffee. Carefully sipping his water to see if his stomach would tolerate it, San pouted: “Hyung, I don’t feel good. Can I stay home today?” – “Aish, Sannie”, the older chuckled, “I know you have a special dislike for that choreographer but come on. You gotta grow up. We can’t just fake sick whenever we dislike our schedule. Now, come on. Get ready or else we’ll run late.” San was stunned. His hyung didn’t believe him?! Shit, he had completely forgotten what schedule they had today. He couldn’t do this. Not today.
Though Seonghwa had brushed him off, the eldest seemed more amused than annoyed at San’s perceived attempt at skipping dance practice. The same wasn’t true for the rest of the group though. None of them really enjoyed working with this choreographer, so the atmosphere in the practice room was already tense to begin with. “Why won’t you believe me?”, San pouted after Hongjoong chewed him out for acting childishly. Rolling his eyes, the leader reminded: “I know you don’t wanna do this but we have no choice. He’s good at his work and we need him if we want our next comeback to be a success.” There was still another hour left till San could have another dose of medicine and knew he’d need it if he was forced to work. By now, he was convinced that he was also running a fever and when he went to check his bag, he realized that he had left the medicine on his nightstand at the dorm.
“Woo, you don’t happen to be carrying some painkillers?”, San whispered during one of their water breaks. Leaning back against the wall, Wooyoung ran his hand through his sweaty hair and sighed: “No, I don’t and seriously, Sannie. Taking medicine just to keep up an act isn’t good. It’s not healthy to swallow this stuff unnecessarily.” – “You have no idea how necessary it is”, the older muttered bitterly but Wooyoung didn’t hear him. Having missed his medication, San was feeling more miserable by the minute. He tried talking to Hongjoong again but the leader ignored him. Eyes burning with tears, San trudged back to his position and took a deep breath. His vision was already fuzzy around the edges and he feared that if he lost his breath, he might faint right there. He didn’t think he could handle being scolded for ruining another run-through although it wasn’t in his control.
By some sort of miracle, San made it through most of the song before the dizziness really hit but when it did, boy did it hit hard. It felt like someone pulled the rug from under his feet. Luckily, he didn’t stumble too much but he barely heard the last few beats over the ringing in his ears, tumbling to the floor the moment the music was cut. For a moment, he must’ve been unconscious because he didn’t even feel the impact of his body slamming into the ground but when he came to, all he was really aware of was pain.
A hoarse whimper escaped San’s limps as he clutched his head, the throbbing unbearable. His stomach cramped, making him subconsciously curl in on himself, which took a lot more effort than he had anticipated because his aching muscles strongly protested the movement. “Stay down”, Seonghwa instructed, a gentle hand on San’s shoulder keeping hi down, “Shit, you’re burning up.” – “Told you”, the younger breathed, weakly sitting up despite Seonghwa’s objections. The water San had sipped earlier sloshed nauseatingly in his stomach and he feared if he lay down flat, he wouldn’t stand a fair chance at keeping it down. Hongjoong’s heart raced as he requested the others give them space. How could he have ignored his dongsaeng when he so adamantly told him that he couldn’t keep going.
“Shit, Sannie, I’m so sorry”, Hongjoong mumbled as he knelt down next to the younger, offering him his water bottle. Weakly pushing it away, San whispered: “I don’t want your apology.” What he really wanted was to go home, to lay down in his bed and not on the practice room floor, to take the medicine he had forgotten, so he’d hopefully feel less shitty soon but he couldn’t voice that. Not with how heavy his tongue felt in his mouth, already struggling to swallow the saliva that filled his mouth at an alarming rate.
Before either Seonghwa or Hongjoong could react or even comprehend what was happening, San pulled the hem of his shirt up as his stomach lurched, the water he had forced himself to drink suddenly gushing from his lips. Though taken by surprise, Seonghwa gently patted his dongsaeng’s back when he choked on a cough. San shuddered with a retch, his stomach burning as it tried to bring up something that wasn’t there. Since he had skipped his breakfast that day and had already thrown up his dinner earlier, stomach acid and bile were all that was left and burned his already strained throat on the way up.
Holding the trashcan underneath San’s chin, Yunho hummed: “Try to take a deep breath.” He had traded places with Hongjoong because San looked so obviously uncomfortable with the leader’s presence, who now gathered the rest of the members and left the room with the choreographer in tow. Drawing a shaky breath, San broke into tears. Sobs wracked his frame while Seonghwa did his best to comfort him. “I know you probably don’t want to hear it right now but I’m really, truly sorry for not believing you”, the eldest whispered, carding his fingers through San’s hair to get it out of his face. Squeezing his eyes shut, the younger whimpered: “I trusted you, hyung.” – “I know you did, love”, Seonghwa sighed.
“Did you take any medicine?”, Yunho asked after helping the other removed his soiled shirt. Wiping his lips on a clean corner of his shirt, San shook his head and mumbled: “I took some this morning but missed the next dose. They’re on my nightstand, so I asked Woo but he didn’t have any.” – “I have some”, Seonghwa frowned, feeling San’s forehead again, “Do you think you could stomach them right now?” The younger shook his head again as another wave of tears washed over him. “I wanna go home”, San choked out, exhausted from the night he had had and the torturous dance practice that had taken the rest out of him, “I’m sorry, it’s just so much.” – “No, you’re the only one who doesn’t have anything to apologize for”, Yunho scolded, “And especially not for feeling upset and overwhelmed right now. Let’s get you cleaned up. You can borrow my hoodie, yeah?”
Yunho helped San clean himself up, while Seonghwa packed their bags. “Do you think you can stand?”, the eldest asked, offering him a hand. Shaking his head, San mumbled: “I-I feel like jelly.” – “It’s okay”, Yunho smiled, “We’ll help you but we should really get you home.” They soon came to realize that San hadn't been kidding. It took them both immense effort to hoist their dongsaeng to his feet and even more to keep him there. “Hyung, I don’t feel good”, San slurred, squeezing his eyes shut. He wasn’t sure if he was going to faint again but his vision was cloudy to say the least.
With San in their middle, Seonghwa and Yunho slowly shuffled to the door, hoping Hongjoong was already arranging a ride for them. In the hallway, they ran into Wooyoung, who paced anxiously in front of the door. When San and him made eye contact, the older breathed: “I really needed medicine.” – “I know, Sannie. I’m so sorry”, Wooyoung apologized, trying to hug his friend. Shaking his head, San muttered: “Did you even care?” The younger bit his lip, eye trained on the floor. Of course, he did care but he surely hadn’t acted like it, so he couldn’t blame San for being hurt. “We’re taking him home now, Woo. Do you know where Hongjoong is?”, Seonghwa asked calmly though he was slowly starting to sweat from how much strength it took to keep San on his feet.
They found Hongjoong at the front desk, chatting with their manager, who seemed stressed when they approached, frowning: “Hey. I heard you weren’t feeling well, San.” San shook his head, trying to stand up a little straighter between his hyungs but he was still unbearably dizzy and too weak to hold his own weight. “Do you want to go to the hospital to get checked, since you collapsed or would you want me to take you back to the dorm?”, the manager offered, closely studying San’s ghostly pale face. Drawing a shaky breath, San rasped: “I really just want my bed please.” – “That’s alright”, his manager agreed, “We’re already working on the schedule changes to make sure you’ll be off for the rest of the week to recover.”
“Sannie-“, Wooyoung called after him, guilty still eating him up. Turning his back on his friends, San sighed: “I don’t want your apologies, I trusted you.”
A Bat Kid at the Carnival Moodboards
Carnival and Circus (Dick)
Red (Jason)
Orange (Duke)
Yellow (Tim)
Green (Damian)
Blue (Barbara)
Purple (Stephanie)
Pink (Cass)
keep hold (of friendships)
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Mitsurugi Reiji ┃ Miles Edgeworth & Yahari Masashi ┃ Larry Butz
Characters: Yahari Masashi ┃ Larry Butz, Mitsurugi Reiji ┃ Miles Edgeworth
Additional Tags: Post-Gyakuten Saiban 4 ┃ Apollo Justice, Pre-Gyakuten Saiban 5 ┃ Dual Destinies, canon nudged to the left, in which Larry Butz had actual character development throughout the trilogy, and is an established children picture book artist and author, but still has a lot of insecurities, Male Friendship, Fluff and Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Miles Edgeworth is a Good Friend, Larry Butz is a Good Friend, (though he doesn't believe that a lot of the time, Angst with a Happy Ending
Series: Part 1 of fluff bingo 2025
Summary:
When Edgeworth decides to arrange a small get-together celebrating Nick passing the bar exam again, Larry decides he ought to go in something more fitting than his usual attire, which is how he ends up looking through Edgeworth's walk-in closet after showing up on his doorstep asking for help. He's not that surprised to find out Edgeworth has apparently prepared for this situation...
But he's utterly shocked to find Edgeworth's Signal Samurai keychain in there -especially when he realises that it's been kept in near-perfect condition, because why on Earth would Edgeworth keep it after all this time?
(The answer is something he never expected to hear.)
Kiss to Distract (Flufftober Bingo)
Another @flufftober prompt! It seems it’s hard for me to get out of the whump mindset even when writing for a fluff event. But that’s okay!
Kiss to Distract
Farkas x Dragonborn OC
CW: Blood; wounds
Frida sat crossed-legged in a chair by the fire, a plate of taffy in her lap and The Wolf Queen in her hand. Even though she owned several houses across Skyrim, every once in a while she preferred to come back to Jorrvaskr to relax, where she could be surrounded by friends after her long treks between various cities and mountain peaks. It also didn’t hurt that Tilma insisted on fussing over her and making sure she was well-fed, and without any of the attitude that came with Lydia’s assistance. How could she stay away?
Frida looked up idly when she heard the front door open and broke into a grin when she heard Farkas’ gruff voice. She closed her book, intending to rise to greet him, but immediately felt her heart skip when she saw that he was leaning against Vilkas and clutching his side. The wooden plate clattered to the floor as she stood up and ran to him.
Farkas looked up at her, smiling when he met her eyes. “Hello, my love,” he said, his voice strained.
“Farkas,” she said. Her own voice was higher than she would have liked as she took in the blood staining his tunic and armor. “What happened?”
“Just a little run-in with the Forsworn,” he said as Vilkas walked him over to a bench. He grunted as he laid back without letting go of his side.
“More like an ambush by a whole army of Forsworn,” Vilkas said. His own clothes and face were battered and torn, showcasing the struggle that they had both faced. “I’m surprised neither of us made it out any worse.”
Frida struggled with the straps on Farkas’ armor, her fingers fumbling over each other. He attempted to help by removing his pauldrons, but just gasped in pain when he reached up. “Hold on, I’ve got you,” Frida said soothingly.
Vilkas’ large hands took over and carefully unfastened Farkas’ armor. Frida stood up to look at Farkas, who was still giving her that stupid smirk. “Gods, how do you get yourself into these situations?” she asked him, running a frantic hand through his dark hair.
“It’s not that bad, really.”
“Farkas, you’re bleeding all over the floor! How have you not passed out yet?”
“Must be the beast blood,” he quipped.
Vilkas dropped his brother’s armor pieces on the floor and lifted up his tunic, revealing the gaping, blossoming wound in his side. Frida felt her heart drop at the sight of it.
“Oh, Talos,” she muttered, looking around frantically for something to use to clean up the blood. “Njada, go get some rags and bandages!” She bent to take a closer look. “Oh, divines, this is bad.”
Farkas took her face in hand and turned it to look at him. “Frida, I’m fine.”
“You are not!”
“You’re horrible to have around in an emergency, you know that?”
“I’m fine. But you could be a little more concerned about this!” She looked back down to0 where Vilkas’ hands were pressing a spare tunic to his wound. “Dear Talos,” she said. “Farkas, we just need to—”
Farkas pressed his lips hard against hers, cutting off her words. Frida’s eyes went wide with surprise, but the feeling of her love’s lips against hers was irresistible. She dropped a hand to his cheek as her eyes closed, magically forgetting her concerns as he kissed her hungrily.
When he pulled away, Frida blinked hard. Farkas looked up at her with a sly look on his face. “Farkas,” she began, dropping her eyes back down to the wound on his side. “I might have some healing potions in my room. I can—mmmm!”
He kissed her again, harder this time, hungrier. His hand wandered to her wrist, squeezing it gently. She leaned into him, cupping his face in both hands, surrendering to the power he held over her heart, even if it went against her best judgment. He kissed her until she could think of nothing but him, until she saw stars behind her eyelids and the warmth that only he could provide washed over her.
When finally he released her, her head felt light as she looked into his blue eyes. “Do me a favor,” he said. “Shut up for a minute.”
Frida nodded wordlessly, a smile cracking despite the stench of blood and Njada returning with a pile of bandages. She slowly looked down at his injured side again, but he grabbed her chin again and turned her face back to his. “I’m fine, love. I promise.”
She knew she shouldn’t believe him, that he was only trying to shield her from fear, but something about the warmth that lingering from his touch was enough to make her whisper, “Okay.”
On Such a Timeless Flight
Ted Lasso | No Warnings | Ted Lasso x Rebecca Welton | 300 Words
Read here on AO3!
[Written for @flufftober Fluff Bingo - Kisses: Goodbye Kiss]
Rebecca promised herself she wasn’t going to cry. Not again. Not when there’d been so many airport drop-offs and pick-ups, figuring out their intercontinental relationship. It was silly, for lack of a better word, when she knew he’d only be gone—
“Aw, honey, it’s only a month,” Ted said before a tissue materialized in front of her face from his pocket. “You won’t even have time to miss me.”
She smiled because he did while dabbing her eye, but all they’d done is arrive at the baggage drop-off and she already missed him. “This should get easier but…”
“I know.”
Ted—bless him—wrapped her in his arms and held tight. So tight she let herself break with her arms wrapped around him. Perhaps things would be different if he weren’t missing a fundraiser and a dinner sure to be insufferable involving Rupert. But then she remembered Henry’s smiling face would be greeting her with Ted’s return and that helped her pull it back together.
“I’ll be fine,” she managed.
“Hey now, don’t make me pull out the big guns,” Ted said, tilting his head as he looked at her.
“Oklahoma,” she said with a soft laugh, wiping another tear with the back of her hand. “Truly. I will be. And it’ll give me just enough time to get the house in order for Henry.”
Ted’s smile widened. “He is gonna’ love that.” Overhead, a gate change was announced for Ted’s flight and Ted hiked his backpack up on his shoulder further. “Well, I should probably—”
“Of course.” Rebecca’s hand slipped down to his and squeezed. “Be safe?”
“The safest. I’ll tell the pilot myself!”
“You’d better.”
She took his face in her hands to kiss him goodbye. A slow, lingering kiss reserved only for romantic movies. And airport halls.
