Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Okay Oddball, if we can get through the courtyard and into the forest, we’ll be homefree,”

“Alright then! Let’s do it -- Oomph!” Sam rolled her eyes as Odd fell to the floor with a thud, seeing bright blue paint splatters on the front of his dark blue velcro vest which lay strapped over the chest of his purple t-shirt. “Ow!... Who knew Einstein had good aim?”

“Doesn’t matter! All we know is that he’s nearby with Aelita and Yumi. And we both know how good those two are,” Her boyfriend nodded as he stumbled back onto his feet, clutching his neon purple paint gun to his chest.

“Yeah, I know that,” He brushed the blades of grass and leaves out of his blonde hair. “But it looks like you’re on your own from here,” When Sam turned to stare at him in surprise and horror, he gestured to his paint-splattered chest. “I’m hit. That means I’m out,” The dark-skinned girl rolled her eyes, slapping herself in the head for being so foolish.

“Right, then I guess I’m in this for me now,” She cocked her gray paint gun and smiled to herself. Odd smiled at her and went to go sit on one of the benches, letting his gun rest in his lap.

“Yup, go kick some ass babe,” She nodded to his before running out from behind the tree she had taken cover behind. She caught Jeremie and Aelita in surprise and quickly shot them both in the chest, making gray paint splatter into their protective vests.

“Ha ha, got’cha! You two are out!”

“And so are you!” The dark-skinned girl turned around, confused but had it quickly switch to surprise and horror as two bright red paintballs smacked against her gray vest. She stumbled backwards a step and groaned, hitting herself in the head for the second time that day. She looked back up as Yumi walked out from behind a tree that stood behind Odd. The blonde jumped in surprise, almost falling off the bench.

“Whoa...! What the --?” The raven haired girl smirked in his direction. “H-How long have you been hiding there?”

“For the past five minutes,” Sam playfully glared at her and stuck out her tongue while Jeremie and Aelita tried to suppress their giggles. “By the way, I win!”

“Great job, Yumi!” congratulated Aelita.

“Hey, wait a minute!... There’s only five of us...” mused Jeremie. “Isn’t there supposed to be six?” Before anyone could answer him, two neon green paintballs came shooting out of nowhere and splattered right across Yumi’s red vest, creating a runny, squiggled line. She looked down with a ‘WTF?!’ look of bewilderment on her face.

“There is,” They all suddenly swiveled around to see Ulrich jumping down from a tree that stood a good half a meter away from the bench area. He stood up from his crouch and hoisted his neon green paint gun over his shoulder, other hand shoved casually into the pocket of his jeans as he strode over to his friends. Once he neared them Odd let out a loud whoop and jumped up from his perch on the bench, hearing his gun clatter noisily on the ground but didn’t take any heed to pick it up. He clapped his roommate on the shoulder.

“Nice job, buddy!” The brunette smiled at him but then jumped in surprise when Yumi smacked him in the shoulder.

“Ow-w-w!”

“Damn you for being so good at this game,” She cursed. “I thought I’d accounted everybody but I guess not,” Ulrich laughed before gently wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him.

“It’s okay. Knowing you, you’ll probably get me next time,” She playfully glared towards him but leaned into him nonetheless. He smiled down at her before turning to everybody else. “So what did you guys think of Paintball?”

“That was fun!” squeed Aelita, clapping her hands in ecstatic joy.

“I enjoyed it, until I got put out,” Jeremie said gesturing to his vest, making everybody laugh.

“It was awesome! Except for when I got out first,” Odd said stuffing his hands into the pockets of his purple denim bellbottom jeans.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was cool and in all in fun yada, yada, yada. Let’s play again! I demand a rematch!” said Sam, clutching her gun in both hands. “But this time... it’ll be one-on-one! No teams whatsoever!” The others nodded.

“Alright then, we except,” Ulrich removed his gun from his shoulder and pointed it towards the dark-skinned girl, unwrapping his other arm from around Yumi’s shoulders as he did so. “I’m gonna wipe that smile right off your face,”

Chapter Text

"Aw, god damnit!" Ulrich Stern cursed out loud towards the night sky, which was heavily dotted with stars and angrily lashed out with his foot, kicking a stray stone and sending it straight into the trunk of a tree. Only for it to ricochet off the rough wood before zooming straight back towards the teen. Where it smacked him squarely in the jaw. He lost his footing and thudded onto the ground with a loud bone-jarring bam!  "Son of a…!" He sat up and grabbed the rock and threw it back towards the tree, watching with satisfaction as it sailed right by said plant before thumping onto the grass behind it. "Stupid rock!" He halfheartedly wiped away a small trickle of blood away from the corner of his mouth and let himself fall back onto the ground. He sighed, seeing his breath appear for a brief second before fading in a white, whispy cloud of air. "I can't do anything right can I?"

~CL~ CL~ CL~

Yumi Ishiyama walked down the hallway with the rest of the gang beside her, they had just come back from checking Odd's and Ulrich's room, wanting to talk with the brunette. Only to find out he wasn't there, or anywhere else in the school. "Where do you think he could've gone?" asked Jeremie Belpois.

"Anywhere but here," replied Odd Della Robbia. At a first glance, you might've say that he was stupid, but in some cases the young blonde knew what he was talking about and the others nodded, knowing what he meant. Out of everybody, besides Yumi, he knew where the brunette liked to go and be alone and think to himself or to just even sit around and sulk in private.

"Alright… and 'here' would be…?" Aelita Stones trailed off, feeling a tad bit clueless.

"Anywhere," repeated Odd. "The Rec Room, the gym, the lunchroom,"

"The factory, the benches," continued Jeremie.

"Or the forest," finished Yumi. She suddenly came to a stop and stared at the others with wide eyes. They looked confused for a split second before realization hit them harder than a blast from an atomic bomb.

"The forest!"

"He must be there!" said Jeremie.

"It's the only place he goes to after he storms off," Odd continued.

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Aelita.

"Let's go!" called Yumi. They raced down the hallway, coming to the front of the school in record time. They burst through the front doors. Just in time to see Ulrich thud onto the ground with a loud bam that made their teeth chatter.

"Ouch… That's gonna hurt," whispered Jeremie.

"Son of a…!" The others turned and watched as the brunette sat up with a growl and chucked the rock back at the tree, making it sail right by and thump onto the grass behind it. The brunette wiped something off his face before falling back onto the ground. "Stupid rock!"They slowly walked up to the brunette, who had not yet noticed them as he sighed. "I can't do anything right can I?"

~CL~ CL~ CL~

"That's not true," Ulrich craned his neck back against the grass to see his friends looking down at him. He snorted and rolled over onto his side. Deftly avoiding their gazes.

"Yes, it is and you all know it," Jeremie sighed at his stubborn teammate, shaking his head in doubt. He plopped down next to him in the grass.

"No, it's not so quit tellin' yourself that!" The brunette snorted.

"You can't tell me what I can't say to myself!" he stubbornly retorted. "Who are you my mother?" Odd rolled his eyes and sat on the brunette's side for his answer before Jeremie could give a reply. "Guh! Get off!"

"No, you need to get it through your thick head," He tapped on the side of Ulrich's head with his knuckles. "And see that you can get things right. Well… most of the time," The brunette muttered something under his breath before sitting up, dumping the startled blonde onto the ground. Or rather onto Jeremie.

"And can't you get it through your thick head and see that I. Don't. Care!" He stood up and began to walk away when something suddenly tugged on his sleeve. Or rather two somethings. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw Aelita and Yumi gripping the back of his jacket sleeve with sad expressions. He rolled his eyes and shook them off. Or tried too but saw that they held a firm grip. With a small growl he hung his head and pounded a fist against his forehead.

"You know that isn't true," said Aelita.

"Yes! It is! Quit saying that because you know it is true!" growled Ulrich. "How many times do I have to tell you guys!"

"You don't have to tell us because it. Isn't. True!" said Yumi. "How many times do we have to tell you?!" Ulrich just snorted and ripped his arm away from the two girls. He walked away from them, deeper into the forest.

"Where are you going?" asked Jeremie.

"Far, far, far, far away from all of you!" hollered the brunette, disappearing swiftly into the shadows. The genius sighed, leaning back on his hands.

"Should've expected that," Odd glared at the spot where his best friend had just been standing and stood up.

"Are you going to follow him?" He turned his head to see Yumi and Aelita looking over at him. He nodded.

"Yup," he confirmed. "And I'm to keep following him until I finally pound some sense into that thick lump he calls a head!" Both girls cracked a small smile as Jeremie stood up.

"Alright then… let' go after him before he does something stupid," he said brushing grass off his blue turtleneck.

"Knowing him… he probably already did," said Yumi.

~CL~ CL~ CL~

Ulrich angrily kicked a rock, making it fly into a boulder. It bounced off and ricocheted back towards him. Learning from his mistake last time, he sidestepped and cracked a slight smile, hearing the soft clack of stone against stone. He continued onward, feeling stray blades of grass brush up against the material of his black sneakers. The wind blew around him, ruffling his green jacket and black t-shirt and making his hair whip and fly into his face. The scents of wet earth, fresh scentless air, and wet leaves invaded his senses. A small smile formed on his lips. He felt a little better but his anger and depression still stuck to him. Sticking closely to his soul like the unruly strands of a sticky cobweb. He sighed, settling onto a nearby boulder. Nestling down into a comfortably cross-legged position, he looked up, seeing the small dots of the stars gleaming sadly in the sky.

~CL~ CL~ CL~

Odd stepped over a thick tree root and growled, yanking a clump of leaves off the sleeve of his purple hooded sweatshirt. He threw them down towards the ground before plucking a twig from his hair. "Argh! I freaking hate nature!" Aelita stepped over small patch of newly sprouted clovers and looked over at him.

"Then why are walking through the forest?"

"To find Ulrich and knock some sense into that thing he calls a head!" Yumi rolled her eyes, climbing lightly over a moss-covered tree stump, feeling the rough bark brush against her clothes. Feeling a sharp piece of twig tug lightly on the sleeve of her black cardigan. She pulled the fabric loose before brushing a speck of dirt off the bottom of her red t-shirt. "He's always gotta be difficult! Hmph! Always running away from his problems instead of facing them. Always makin' excuses," Odd rambled darkly.

"To be fair, he's got a fairly good reason," Yumi said softly. Jeremie looked towards her, wiping his glasses off on his sweater, his eyes telling her to continue. "He's upset about what happened in Lyoko earlier, what with Xana throwing him into the digital sea and everything…" she paused, taking a quick breath before continuing as Aelita glanced over at her, curiosity gleaming in her soft emerald orbs. "His father's also been on his case, hassling him about his grades and saying how poor they were and how he could do better," She softly kicked a rock away from her, hearing it clack softly against another stone. "I even overheard his father on the phone earlier, discussing about how he might end up disowning Ulrich and leaving him in the care of Jim, Mr. Delmas, or at a nearby orphanage," Jeremie's eyes widened and Aelita gasped.

"H-He can't do that!... C-Can he?" she shakily asked. Her raven haired friend nodded and a sob choked at the back of the pinkette's throat. "Oh no…" Odd felt tears trickling out from the corner of his eyes and he quickly wiped them away, sniffling softly afterwards. He rubbed his nose against the sleeve of his shirt.

"We better find Ulrich and try to reason with him," he whispered. "This has probably gotten under his skin and has made him irritable," He picked his way around a stump. He suddenly stopped and held his head up high. The others stopped to stare at him. "We need to let him know that we're here for him, tell him that we'll right at his side, and help him get through whatever decides to happen," He flashed a smile at the others. "After all, we are warriors right?" They nodded, smiles lighting up their own features. The blonde's words bringing them out of the eternal abyss of darkness. "Warriors… Best friends don't leave one another behind when they're in need of help or comfort," He jumped on top of the stump next to him and pounded a fist against his chest. "And right now… Ulrich's hurting. So it's up to us to come to the rescue and help out of the pit of despair. So enough talking!" He jumped off the stump quicker than he had jumped onto it. "Let's go find him and show him that he still has people that care about him!" The others nodded pumped their fists in the air, smiles lighting up their faces. "Alright then, let's go find him! Our best friend is hurting so let's go cheer him up!"

~CL~ CL~ CL~

Ulrich miserably tossed a rock into the small stream that snaked underneath him from he sat perched, cross-legged on top of a large outpointing rock, with the tip slightly hanging over the edge. The soft gurgles and pops of the water soothed his nerves a bit but it didn't completely, not even partially take away the pain growing in his chest. He looked up at the sky, seeing the stars gleam softly and coldly from where they hovered millions of miles away. Making them look like little diamonds that were embedded in the darkest, most finest woven tapestry of pitch black silk. He looked back down at the stream and tossed in another rock, hearing a small sploosh! He closed his eyes, feeling an imaginary beat begin to pound at the back of his head. He softly began to sing.

I dreamed I was missing, you were so scared

But no one would listen

'Cause no one else cared

After my dreaming

I woke with this fear

What am I leaving

When I'm done here?

So if you're asking me I want you to know

His friends quietly exited out of the grove of trees and brushed the leaves and twigs from their clothes. They looked back up to see Ulrich with his back to them, still singing softly to himself. But was somehow singing loudly enough for them to hear.

When my time comes

Forget the wrong that I've done

Help me leave behind some reason to be missed

Don't resent me

And when you're feeling empty

Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest

Leave out all the rest

Odd walked up from behind and stood near the brunette's right, putting a hand on his shoulder to let him know that he was here. He glanced up at him before looking back towards the stream.

Don't be afraid

I've taken my beating

I've shared what I made

The others came up and surrounded him, gently placing their own hands on his shoulders. And he silently held back the tears that threatened to fall as he continued.

I'm strong on the surface

Not all the way through

I've never been perfect

A picture of his father flashed through Ulrich's head and he shook his head, feeling his friend's grips tighten a smidgen on his jacket. Knowing they were trying to comfort him.

But neither have you

So if you're asking me I want you to know

Odd sat down next to him and softly added his voice to his friends.

Ulrich & Odd:

When my time comes

Forget the wrong that I've done

Help me leave behind some reason to be missed

Don't resent me

And when you're feeling empty

Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest

Leave out all the rest

Yumi sat on Ulrich's other side and gently wrapped her arm around his shoulders. Aelita hugged the brunette from behind as Jeremie sat on Odd's other side, draping his arm across his fellow blonde's shoulders in a brotherly way. Ulrich's voice suddenly cracked and a tear slid down his cheek.

Ulrich:

Forgetting all the hurt inside you've learned to hide so well

Pretending someone else can come and save me from myself

I can't be who you are

Yumi, Aelita, Odd, and Jeremie joined in and added their voices to his, wrapping their arms around him in a hug.

All:

When me time comes

Forget all the wrong that I've done

Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed

Ulrich sang alone again.

Ulrich:

Don't resent me

And when you're feeling empty

Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest

Leave out all the rest

The others softly joined in on the last verse.

All:

Forgetting all the hurt inside you've learned to hide so well

Pretending someone else can come and save me from myself

I can't be who you are

Ulrich sang alone once more, his voice cracking.

Ulrich:

I can't be who you are

Chapter Text

Laura liked to think she was honest to herself; it was everybody else she lied to…

“Yeah, I’m totally tellin’ you the truth!”

“OMG, for real?!”

“100% AB Positive!” the blonde girl replied as she nodded, her blue eyes twinkling in a mixture of mischief and excitement.

“Ah! I can’t wait to tell Sheryl! She’s going to be sooo excited! Thanks Laura, see ya around!”

“You’re welcome, Dawnie! Say ‘hi’ to Sherrie for me!” A young girl with strawberry-blonde hair waved at her over her shoulder as she made her way down the abandoned hallway of Kadic University’s Science block. Laura smiled to herself and let the hand that had been waving at the energetic girl fall to her side, letting it thump quietly against the fabric of her jeans. “Ha, idiot.” she snickered as she turned away from the West wing of the building and began making her way towards the East end exit. She exited through the double doors and followed a dirt path that lead to the three cafes that were located on the South side of the KU campus. As she passed by one of the many pizza shops dotting the campus grounds, she bumped into a boy with blonde hair, the small impact making the two teens grunt briefly from the sudden collision. “Oh, hey, Odd. Whatcha doin’?”

“Lookin’ for you.” he replied.

“Oh?” The smile slipped off of Laura’s face as she stared at the boy before her with concern swimming within the depths of her blue eyes. “What for?”

“Princess wanted to know if you were gonna eat with us today?”

“Oh, yeah. Sure, I can.” The blonde girl’s frown quickly stretched into a large smile as she gave an enthusiastic nod. “I’d never pass up an opportunity to eat with you guys.” Odd gave a nod.

“Good to know. Now, let’s get going before we’re late.”

“Late for what?”

“Lunch! Duh, Laura.” She rolled her eyes at the boy with the purple splotch in his hair, unamused.

“Oh, Odd. You and your stomach.”

“Hey, I can’t help it! I’m a growing boy.”

“It’s miracle you’re still scrawny, considering how much you eat in one sitting.”

“I’m not ‘scrawny,’ I’m svelte!”

“Oi vey.”

“Laura! Odd! Over here!” Said teens smiled and gave a wave in acknowledgement as a girl with short, bubblegum pink hair motioned at them from where she sat a nearby table. They walked over, saying their own greetings as they neared the slick, alloy table.

“Hey, Princess.”

“Hey, ‘Lita.”

“Finally, it’s about time you two got here.” The two teens jumped and turned their heads to where a girl with chin-length, slate-black hair sat behind the table from where she was lying across a concrete counter. She turned her head from where she had been staring at the restaurant’s crimson awning to give the two blondes a withering look, her vivid sapphire eyes gleaming dangerously. Odd gave a nervous chuckle at the tone in her voice.

“Uh, hey, Yumes. L-long time no see, huh?” She rolled her eyes at his pathetic attempt to make peace and turned her head back to where she had been staring at the ceiling.

“Quit the peacemaking already, Della Robbia. It sure as hell ain’t gonna work and you know it.” The blonde boy in purple flinched and lowered the hand that had been scratching at the back of his head; one of his many nervous habits that he could never quite shake no matter what he did. A spear of despair wedged itself into the raw gash that his heart still carried, pushing farther in at the mention of his last name on her lips. She hasn’t called me that since our sophomore year in high school... Laura, noticing the sad look that made him look like a drowned puppy, quickly snapped something out that would take the raven-haired girls’ attention away from her food-loving ex.

“Hey, Yumi! It’s good to see ya! How’ve you been?” she asked in a bubbly voice that could rival Aelita’s own joyous attitude. The vexed girl turned her head barely enough to even glance at the blonde before she reattached her eyes to the restaurant’s ceiling.

“Laura.” she snipped, in the same cold tone.

“Hey, somethin’ wrong, Yumi?” she asked, looking at her friend, a gleam of concern flicking within her blue depths; she hated to see her friends looking upset.

“I’m fine. Now, leave me alone.” Yumi turned away from Laura, rolling over onto her left side so that her back faced the trio behind her. Laura’s brows furrowed at the sub-zero tint in the Japanese teen’s voice; something was wrong, Yumi didn’t snap at someone unless there was a reason. Fortunately, Aelita saved Laura from asking yet another question that would probably send the other girl into a fit of rage.

“So, Laura, you ready to go?” she asked, turning bright, emerald orbs to the blonde female.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, definitely! Wouldn’t miss this for the world!”

“That’s good to hear. Well, we should get going before the guys start checkin’ in. Shall we, ladies?” Aelita made a grand sweep with her left arm as she motioned to a dirt path that lead towards the entrance of KU. Odd made a loud ‘A-HEM!’ noise at the back of his throat and gave the pinkette a pointed look, seemingly unhappy at her invitation. In return, the female rolled her eyes and motioned towards the entrance again as she restated her question. “Shall we get going ladies and man?” Odd gave an approved nod at her effort and began marching towards the entrance as if to say he accepted of her change of attitude. As soon as he was out of earshot, Aelita turned to the other two women standing beside her with an exasperated look. Laura snickered and Yumi rolled her own eyes in response to Odd’s reply. Something tells me, Yumi rubbed her forehead, an irritated look flashing across her pale face. That that is going to be a looong day.

“Finally, it’s about time, you three.”

“Oh, calm down, Einstein. We’re not that late!”

“Easy for you to say, Odd. You were supposed to be 45 minutes ago.” Odd flinched at the berating tone in Jeremie’s voice and swallowed thickly as he scratched the back of his head again.

“Um…”

“Sorry, that we’re late, Jer.” Aelita replied as she came to stand at the bespectacled blonde’s right. “Odd had a hard time finding Laura.”

“Hmph. That’s still no excuse to be late.” he replied as tucked his watch back into the pocket of his white and blue sweatshirt.

“Please, Einstein. He’s always late.” Yumi grunted from where she stood leaning against one of the many stone pillars that marked the entrance to Stern Family Household, arms folded angrily over her chest.

“I am not!” Odd replied, glaring hotly at the raven-haired girl.

“Uh, yeah, you kinda are.”

“Am not.”

“So.”

“Not.”

“So.”

“Not!”

“To be fair, Odd… you are always late to class, whether it’s intentional or  not.” Laura replied, butting into the argument.

“So what if I am? Last time I checked, it wasn’t a crime!” the blonde retorted.

“Ya see i’ that way now, Della Robbia, but once ya realize that yer behind schedule fa’ graduation then yer gonna wish that you’d been on time fa’ yer classes.” The quartet jumped at the sudden voice and swiveled around on their heels face the now-open gate before them. A tall boy stood before them, his hands shoved into the pockets of his plain, khaki jeans as he leaned against the entrance that lead to the front door of his house. Everybody’s eyes, excluding Laura and Odd, lit up in excitement at the sight of the male.

“Ulrich!”

“Uli, long time no see.”

“Ulrich, how are you?” Laura blinked confusedly as she watched Aelita and Jeremie crowd around the towering brunette, their faces lit up in twin expressions of joy as they stared up into the male’s face.

“Um...  Odd?” The blonde boy in purple turned his head to stare at her the moment his name left her lips, surprised. “W-Who’s Ulrich?” The gleam of happiness in his turquoise eyes dimmed down to a look of anger and jealousy.

“Oh, him?” He jerked his head in the opposing boy’s direction. “He’s Yumi’s boyfriend. I’m surprised you don’t know who he is, considering how much you talk to ‘Lita and all.”

“Oh, so that’s Ulrich Stern? The boy that Yumi never stops talking about?” she asked, faux surprised.

“Yep, that’s the one.” Odd sullenly replied. Laura smiled to herself, the boy beside her was too busy grieving for himself that he never noticed the look of evil intention flashing across her face. So, that’s the famous Ulrich Stern, eh? She watched as Aelita and Jeremie bombarded the tall brunette with questions, her smile growing once she saw the look of utter content on Yumi’s face as she leaned against the boy’s side, her head against his broad shoulder as she looked up at him. Laura giggled to herself. Oh, poor, Odd, she thought, glancing at the boy beside her. He never knew what hit him… and will never know that I was the one who told Yumi to break up with you. She looked up at the sky, a malicious look flashing across her cold blue gaze as she smirked up at the sky. Guess you kinda deserved it, after all you were dating three other girls at the same time. Guess you should’ve taken more precautious measures, Oddball. Laura gave a small shrug and sighed. All well, there’s always next time...

Chapter Text

Prompt #1: Cuddling Somewhere/Spooning

Pairing: KyōHomu

Homura shivered, her eyes blinking as the sudden spike of coldness forced her into consciousness, her vision blurry as she warily took in her surroundings, only to realize seconds after that she was in hers and Kyōko’s shared bedroom. The faint whisper of rain pattered against the outside of the bedroom window, causing the sleepy, half-aware ravenette to shiver once more, this time more firmly once she realized that she was no longer covered by the blanket she and the redhead had fallen asleep with.

The covers had fallen down their bodies and nearly off the bed entirely, leaving the smaller, raven-haired female exposed in only her long-sleeved purple top and black shorts. She lifted her head slightly just as a warm, solid weight suddenly squeezed her middle and she peeked over her shoulder just as she was tugged backwards and closer to Kyōko’s warm body. Homura smiled at the sight of the still sleeping redhead and she shifted slightly so that her elbow could nudge the opposing female’s stomach gently.

“Kyōko.” she whispered.

“Mm?” the lancer hummed, already half-way conscious as the voice of her smaller, darker-haired girlfriend penetrated the sleep-filled haze of her semi-unconscious state.

“The blanket… it’s gone.” Kyōko gave a soft grunt of awareness before she uncurled her arm from around the other girl’s waist and reached down somewhat lazily to grasp around blindly for their missing article. Meanwhile, Homura rolled over so that she was facing the redhead and shifted closer so that she could curl into the others warm chest. Kyōko’s fingers finally snagged one of the corners of the blanket and she grunted lightly in relief as she quickly yanked it back onto the bed and flung it over their bodies, making sure that it was tucked securely around Homura’s smaller frame (whereas it lay more hazardously around her own form) before she let her arm fall back over the ravenette’s waist and pulled her impossibly closer. Kyōko lifted her head to let loose a light yawn before she let her head fall back onto their shared pillow, her chin nestled atop Homura’s head while the smaller girl shifted so that her nose was nuzzled into the crook of the taller girl’s neck. The redhead hummed softly, happily at the action and gave the ravenette’s waist a soft squeeze in reply.

“Better, Ōjo-chan?*” she murmured sleepily as she curled herself tighter around the smaller girl.

“Mmhm.” Homura gave a minuscule nod, not wanting to move too much from her favorite position against Kyōko’s body as she lifted her arms and wrapped them lazily around the redhead’s waist. Kyōko smiled gently, peeking out from half-open lids at the adorable ravenette snuggled tightly against her before she tilted her head downwards slightly and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.

“Hey, Homs…” The ravenette gave a soft ‘Hm?’ in reply, already half-way asleep once more but now trying to stay awake just a moment longer as her girlfriend’s voice filtered through her ears, wanting to hear what she had to say. Kyōko smiled affectionately and couldn’t resist pressing another kiss to the top of her head before she leaned further downwards and gently nuzzled her forehead. “I love you.” A streak of rosy-pink flitted across the top of Homura’s cheeks and along the bridge of her nose at the heartfelt admission and she swallowed nervously in reply before she nuzzled even deeper into Kyōko’s warm chest, her left arm unhooking itself from where it had been lying draped over the taller girl’s waist and instead brought it back in front of her so that she could cling to the front of the red-head’s black tank top.

“I love you, too, Kyō.” she murmured as she pressed herself even tighter against the opposing girl’s warm figure. Kyōko smiled gently and pressed a tender kiss to the smaller girls’ forehead before she lifted her head and rested her chin atop Homura’s beautiful, silky raven hair.

“G’night, Homs.”

“Sweet dreams, Kyō.”

Translations

Ōjo - Princess

BLACKPINK, STAY -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NVwS4mcVYg

Chapter Text

Shapeshifting/Yōkai!AU

Including:
- Ryu!Shifter Kyōko
- Human!Homura*
- KyōHomu Pairing
- Original Mahō Shōjo Setting (Post Walpurgis)
- Alternate AU: Everyone Lives/No One Dies, No Rebellion

Homura curled closer to the infinitely (and nearly molten) warmth that lay to the left of her small, balled-up form. She hummed quietly, nigh inaudibly, and wrapped an arm around it before nuzzling into the front of its chest, right where its collar should’ve been located. The sudden smooth, polished - yet slightly rough - feel of something brushing against her nose caused the small brunette to snap awake instantly and jerk backwards due to long-engraved instincts of paranoia and caution.
Blinking slowly and, upon realizing that she was safely curled up in bed and not picking herself up from the ground after a particularly brutal Witch battle, she pulled back just a little bit more and smiled faintly at the familiar giant bulk of the fire red-scaled Ryū* that she’d been apparently trying to cuddle into the neck of.
Giving a small (if a tad fond) roll of her eyes, she slowly spun over onto her other side to face the near opaque, inky darkness that cloaked her spacious bedroom. As she settled herself further into the comfy, soft sheet-laden mattress below her, Homura felt the bed suddenly dip behind her before the familiar molten warmth that she first felt upon waking up was pressed snugly into the soft curve of her spine. An equally warm and scaly tail weaved itself comfortably around her bare legs and she couldn’t help but giggle softly as a warm, squamose muzzle found itself pressed cozily into the space between her delicate shoulder-blades.
At the sound of the brunette’s quiet laughter, the Drakaina* paused momentarily in her actions before she snuffed softly in a dragon’s version of a chuckle, and nestled her broad, angular head (all the while being extremely cautious of the small, nearly dagger-like spikes that ran along her sinuous jawline) snugly into the space between Homura’s neck and shoulder. A sound that sounded very similar to a cat’s purr rumbled in the Ryū’s throat and the small brunette’s giggle melted into a content sigh as the comforting rumble reverberated soothingly against her back and shoulders.
“That tickles, Kyō.” she murmured, referring to the Drakaina’s previous nuzzling as she raised a hand upwards to gently run a hand through a silky soft (if not slightly scruffy) crimson mane. Another purr rumbled behind her at her words and she giggled once more as she felt a rough warmth nuzzle against her cheek, squirming slightly as the feathered tip of her Ryū’s long tail brush playfully against the inside of her left calf. “Kyō…” she warned, too fatigued to really put any venom into her reprimand but had enough energy to lift her head slightly to give a somewhat stern (if albeit an adorably-sleepy) glare to the Drakaina who lay nuzzled contently against her shoulder.
The playful Ryū’s eyes widened slightly at the small brunette’s inquiry, as if trying to make herself look as innocent as she was trying too hard to appear, all the while knowing that she wasn’t fooling her little mate in any way possible with such an overused tactic. Scoffing lightly at her Ryū’s attempt to look innocent, Homura gently flicked the scaly creature’s nose in a subtle, yet gentle punishment before she turned away to snuggle back into her pillow, a small smile lighting her features as she felt the large bulk of her Ryū move away in order to loudly sneeze over her own scaled shoulder.
A warm, heavy paw was suddenly thrown over her side and the brunette shivered slightly as the scaled appendage shifted into that of an equally warm, yet tanned, human arm. A pair of firm, slightly rough lips were suddenly pressed to the slightly-chilled skin of Homura’s exposed neck and the brunette’s shivers deepened at the action.
“Tha’ w’sn’t v’ry nice…” Kyōko sleepily gruffed, her normally rough voice now even raspier due to the exhaustion pulling at her as she sleepily, yet playfully, glared at her little mate from where she had nuzzled back into the brunette’s small shoulder. The human girl hummed softly in reply as she lifted her arm again to stroke through the Doragonshifutā’s* mane once more.
“Maybe don’ try ta’ tickle me when ‘m half as’eep then.” she murmured as she gently scratched along the back of the redhead’s neck. The Drakaina purred softly at the feeling of her mate’s short nails scraping soothingly over the nape of her neck, the action causing her to nose even deeper into the other’s petite shoulder. She hummed out a soft ‘Noted’ as she curled herself a little tighter around the female’s tiny frame, her tail slipping free from the brunette’s legs in order to curl around an equally tiny waist.
Feeling the feathered tip of her Ryū’s tail brushing comfortingly against the underside of her belly, Homura turned over and cuddled into Kyōko’s warm chest, her arms wrapping around the taller female’s waist as the redhead in turn twined their legs together from where they lay beneath the plush comforter. The small brunette felt the Ryū’s hand thread through her hair, her slightly clawed fingertips stroking soothingly over her scalp and along the nape of her neck as she slowly drifted back to slemep. The last thing she felt as she succumbed fully to her body’s want for a peaceful slumber was the warm, fuzzy, and content feeling of safety from being wrapped snugly in her mate’s arms.

Chapter Text

Omegaverse and Monster High AU

Including:
   - Alpha!Sakura Kyōko
   - *Zburator!Sakura Kyōko
   - Omega!Homura
   - **Shedu!Homura
   - KyōHomu Pairing
   - Original Mahō Shōjo Setting
   - Alternate AU: (Aside from both the Omegaverse and Monster High-verse Setting) No Walpurgis

   1. Shedu - a winged Lion
   2. Zburator - a dragon-like, winged wolf-like creature

Additional Note(s): (Following my own Fan-Canon for this series)
My differences between the three “Homuras”:
   - Moemura is the canon forum of Homura in the beginning of Madoka Magika before she became a Mahō Shōjo. Coolmura is the canon forum of Homura after she begins traveling back in time in order to save Madoka and the rest of her friends from the fate of Walpurgis. Homura is my own Fanon version of Homura which is a combination of both her Moe and Cool forums: she’s still both a little meek and shy to an extent, but can also be somewhat stiff, emotionless, and overall pretty stoic whenever certain topics are breached (i.e., whenever someone asks about the absence of her parents); this version of Homura can be used for both the Original Madoka Magika Post-Walpurgis Timeline and any sort of AU where she hasn’t become a Mahō Shōjo.
My Fanon version/vision of KyōHomu:
   - In my own Fanon Universe of Madoka Magika, Kyōko has a similar body appearance to both Revy (Black Lagoon) and Mikasa Ackerman (Shingeki no Kyojin) with a personality that combines the aspects of open bluntness, snippy retorts, and callous attitude similar to that of Arisawa Tatsuki (Bleach), Samus Aran (Metroid), and Olivier Mira Armstrong (Fullmetal Alchemist). Also, since all the girls in Madoka Magika are to be around the same height (5’02 - 5’03”) and age (14 - 15 yrs. old) since most females in Asian anime are stereotyped in such a cliché way... MY version of Kyōko is a 5’08” red-head with broad shoulders and a lean, athletic figure from fighting on both the streets and as a Mahō Shōjo for most of her life; tomboy to the max with a dash of grunge and pop punk, she doesn’t do girly-girly (skirts, jewelry (aside from earrings and rings) dresses, etc.). Oppositely, Homura has her Canon body appearance and height of 5’02”, but is slightly different in personality (read above for more details about that) and has no apparent parentage (as shown through the drop of her Canon last name Akemi) since she was abandoned at the hospital as a newborn due to her heart condition (which has since then been surgically repaired with cybernetic technology before she becoming a Mahō Shōjo); she herself, just like Kyōko, is not really girly-girly but is more of a gothic lolita type “with a hint of emo” (Sayaka’s words, not her own).
The remaining girls of the Holy Quintet: (Madoka, Sayaka, and Mami)
   - The rest of the girls in the Holy Quintet fall into the remaining heights and ages: Madoka is both her canon height of 4’11” and age of 14, Sayaka falls at a height of 5’07” but retains her canon age of 14, and Mami stands at an average height of 5’05”  (despite being the oldest of the Quintet, next to Kyōko) at the age of 15, almost 16.

“Homura-san, hi.” Kamijō Kyōsuke greeted in what he possibly thought was a fine attempt at being charming, said endeavor being pitifully accompanied by a wide and painfully-forced grin as he tried to nonchalantly sling an arm around the aforementioned girl’s thin shoulders as he sidled uncomfortably close to the female’s work desk. “So, d-do you, uh -- ahem -- h-happen to have a-a partner for Satome-sensei’s Foreign Language project?”

Barely giving the quivering Beta (who was practically border-lining Omega in terms of his mannerisms) a glance, the young brunette murmured a soft, almost indistinguishable response as she set her English notebook back into her book-bag, her black-tufted lion’s tail swishing in slight anger as she did so.

“I do actually, sorry.” she whispered as she closed and buckled the bag shut, giving a soft tug to the front flap to make sure that the front clasp was clipped securely before she picked it up off the floor and set it down in front of her on her desk. Kamijō’s frame stiffened noticeably, almost comically, from where he was still practically lying halfway over the tiny female’s shoulders, his previous and somewhat (but not really) confident smile wavering notably at the sudden downturn of events.

After standing (read: leaning) there for a painfully long and silent moment, he nervously cleared his throat and wet his lips before opening his mouth to say something -- anything -- to to try and get the girl change her mind about possibly switching partners, but couldn’t as he found his brain totally and completely wiped of all thought.

“ ‘ey, fuck off outta ‘ere, Kamijō.” warned a familiar rough and throaty contralto, their voice quiet but dripping with a hidden guttural snap that Kamijō just knew was thundering low and menacingly in the depths of their chest. A fact that he was so sure of due to the way the hairs at the back of his neck were beginning to stand on end due to the fear he could feel rising in the pit of his suddenly hollowed-out stomach. He only knew of one person who could invoke such an instantaneous and fearful response out of any and everyone who got in too close of a proximity to Homura with a less than un-pure intention. And sure enough, as he began to slowly turn to face his oncoming doom, Sakura Kyōko -- Mitakihara’s local punk delinquent -- smoothly slipped in behind the gray-haired Border-Beta and placed herself purposely to Homura’s right, yet still slightly in front of the younger girl, her often longer-than-normal fangs bared as the faint growl that’d begun to rumble in her chest began to grow in both volume and ferocity; behind her, her spiked dragon tail began to swish lightly from side-to-side in open agitation.

Homura noticeably perked up as the familiar gruff tone of her Alpha washed over her and she couldn’t help but smile up shyly at the towering red-head with a joyful gleam in her amethyst eyes.

“I-I, uh, I’m sorry?” stammered Kamijō, the recognizable sheen (and stench) of sweat beginning to bead profusely over the span of his forehead as he gazed up slightly at the redhead with an obvious look of fear in his gray-tinted irises. The 9th-Grader’s blazing, blood red eyes rolled in pure exasperation at the Border’s stupidity before she turned her intimidating glower back onto him, the intensity of it seemingly to have increased tenfold in terms of ferocity.

“Di’n’t ya ‘ear me, stupid Beta?” barked Kyōko, her fangs flashing in annoyance as her patience began to truly run thin, her dilating pupils thinning into the standard slit look of an angered dragon (half-hoping to further sell the effect of how pissed off she was truly feeling) as she glared down at the ignorant human standing before her. “I said, ‘Fuck off outta ‘ere,’ Kamijō. An’ quit botherin’ my girlfriend fer fuck’s sake.” she snarled as she reached out a toned, tanned arm in order to roughly push the opposing boy’s arm off her girlfriend’s shoulders. The gray-haired boy jerked away at the sudden shove, but gave a fearful, yet prompt nod before he literally turned tail and fled from the classroom with the upmost urgency, not once even daring to turn back in fear of being snarled at a third time.

The lumbering redhead gave a soft snort at the Border’s act of cowardice, which earned her a soft and mostly muffled giggle of amusement from her Omega.

“Aw, my ferocious Dragon does it again.” Homura fondly murmured, a familiar tenderness that was only ever genuinely present whenever Kyōko herself was around or in the brunette’s vicinity making itself known in her soft voice. Upon hearing her Omega’s affectionate cooing, Kyōko’s previous annoyance and ferocity melted away in less than a heartbeat and she turned away from the entrance of the classroom in order to send a small, but genuine smile to the younger girl, her tail swishing gently in response to her seemingly rapid change in mood.

Homura stood silently with her school-issued book-bag in hand before she stretched up onto the tips of her toes so that she could press a soft kiss to her Alpha’s jaw, her lips curving into an equally soft smile as she felt the soft skin of the redhead’s jawline begin to heat up due to the small, but noticeable blush beginning to bloom over the older girl’s face. Once she pulled away, the brunette’s smile grew wider and a bit brighter once she saw the matching smile on her Alpha’s own equally pink-tinted features.