Correlation: Breaking A Smile
Chapter: When You, Go Down To The Woods, Today...
A routine assignment goes awry. How will our favourite Viking with the Abnormal IntraPsychic World handle it? What happens next?
Originally a one-shot, now a companion piece to another fic to be brought out shortly, which may in turn become a series of fics, depending upon the whims of my internal muse-ings.
Pre-A/N: Possibly might be for the best to ignore the Author Notes. They were not written at the same time as one another, and sound weird. But they make sense? Ah, bollocks.
A/N: For those reading this as a one-shot, the Jaune/? element is there to fill in a gap. Feel free to mentally replace it with another character of your shipping.
For those who want a larger universe with their story, well, there are plans... not great plans, but the longer I think about them, the better they become. Starting to think 'Oum-Level Epic'. And there will be a part two to this fic. It concerns the larger picture, but not directly. Kind of. Arg.
Update; decided to call the series 'Correlation', because they all might touch each other, but are they connected? Maybe. It's the whole, 'Correlation =/= Causation' thing.
Update 2: Inserted a couple of line-breaks that were missing. Can someone tell me if they can see the Italics? Or if other things seem missing? I checked this on my phone, and they were missing, might just be my browser, unsure if I'm the only one.
Now, what is our little Valkyrie up to?
"I Spy, with my little eye, something beginning with... 'Q'!"
Nora smiled as her teammates gaped (excluding Ren, of course). They had started playing a half hour ago (sooooo long ago), and both Jaune (Prince Charming without the Princess or the Horse {Although there was a rumour about a certain heiress...}) and Pyrrha (Ms I'm-Glad-You're-A-Perfect-Spartan-Lady-But-Stay-Away-From-My-Curly-Fries...-Please) were shutting her down, and although the scenery in the Forever Fall Forest was pretty, it was also repetitive (booooriiiing) and if Ren wasn't going to react to her usual antics (spoilsport) then the least that she could do to entertain herself was to stump the 'Completely Platonic Individuals' (Jaunes' hastely found words, not mine). It hadn't worked yet, but this time, (this time) she had them. She was certain. (I'm so certain!)
Incidentally, today was a beautiful day. A perfect day... especially for a picnic. Which put her in a certain, bubbly, mindset.
(Sooooo... who would be good to set up with Jaune? Ruby seems to get along with him super well, and lately, they've had this back and forth about designing a weapon for the J-Man, they could really... 'Forge' something {aww, man, did I just think that in Yangs' voice?}.
There is Snow Angel, too, but something {"Watch where you're going, lunk-head!"} tells me {"Were you born in a barn?"} that this relationship {"What is this, an Ice Cream Social?"} would not work out {"What is the matter with you?"} so very well {"Say that again, and we'll see how long it takes to get you unfrozen from the roof!"}
I really thought I had something between The Dork Knight and Lady P-shizzle, but they say they are only reeeally close friends, her and leader-man, and the 'lock-in-closet-and-wait-for-chemistry-sparks-boom-pow' Gambit did lead to that kiss, but they said it was like kissing a sibling {is this what it's going to be like when I finally build up the courage to tell Ren that NoJokesIReallyLikeHim, and then there is the romantic smooch, but because-})
Wait, what did Blonde Man just guess?
"Everybody, weapons out, we've found today's target!" Boss-Man was pointing just off to the left, ahead of them. Something really, really (really) ugly stared back.
"Silly Jaune; Bunyip starts with 'B', and ends with 'ass kicking'."
It had been twenty minutes since the encounter began, and their fight, and subsequent failing to nail the beast, had drawn out half the Grimm within the forest with the noise of battle and what would pass for Grimm laughter. It was all Jaune could do to curse the grotesque monster, waiting and hooting from the red trees, that had successfully evaded every attempt they had made to end it.
Now, as it watched them hold off the Beowolves that had flocked to the noise, it made an incredibly loud whooping sound. Jaune didn't read in the research notes Ruby and Weiss leant him that the damn thing would mock them, and maybe attract every pissed off nasty creature in a million mile radius, and he hadn't thought 'slippery as an eel' would mean 'elusive as fu-'.
"If we stay here," Ren called over the peppering of his shots, "We'll end up getting worn out!"
Jaune had been thinking just that, and he was almost prepared to go back to Ms Goodwitch without a recording of the beasts defeat, but he had been thinking...
"Nora, with me, we're gonna drop some change, you two stay close to our tails, let us focus on ugly, and Pyrrha, when I call for your spear, be ready!"
Three nods, and they moved, forming a messy, changing triangle. Pyrrha and Ren had already taken down five, six beasts of varying size and shape before Nora struck the tree, hard, and pulled the trigger on her weapon.
*Thu-CRUNCH*
The tree snapped, sending splinters flying every-which-way. She and Jaune shielded their eyes, although Jaune did so literally, leaving him safe to watch as the long, lanky, dog-bodied, bird-headed beast shrieked in fear. It's perch was coming down, and it did not much like that.
He charged the trajectory of the falling Bunjil, it holding on for dear life amongst the crimson leaves. When it's branch hit the ground, he wanted to be ready to-
"Jaune, down!" He ducked, skidded, slid, and the air above him was suddenly full of dead Beowolf. It passed over him, traveling to his right, and it's dead-weight took down a Boarbotusk that was about to complete a charge. Jaune had kept his momentum, stumbled out of the slide, and kept running, not stopping to thank Ren. Giving Ren room to move about, letting him out of a defensive stance, was never a bad thing, as the young man stretched his aura-enhanced abilities to their fullest.
The tree was completing it's journey to come to a rest, and Jaune jumped the lowest branch, cut through the second, and was ready with his sword and shield as the Bunjil came into view. It's beak squawked deeply at him, as it untangled itself from it's roost, and it's thin body, with it's shaggy, black hair, looked nearly unharmed. There was an explosion behind Jaune, so he struck at the beasts' midsection, his blade Arc-ing down-
And cut hair off of the side of the beast, drawing the slightest nick into it. This was the closest any of them had gotten all day to ending the monster, but now it was rolling, avoiding him at the last second, as it had for the rest of the battle. It regained it's stance, just at the edge of his range, and, as he knew, if he swung again, just lazily.
It caught his sword. He raised his shield.
"Now, Nora!"
The girl, high in the air, had switched back to her explosive-dust-launcher, and was spinning as the first few shots left the barrel. The Grimm, holding the weapon tight, looked up, it's tiny, light-blue eyes wide as marbles, then behind it, where Jaune had slyly rolled a few of Noras' dust-bombs.
The grenade struck just behind the Bunjil, igniting the rest, sending the beast flying upwards and forwards, tossing head over heel. Jaune, blasted more horizontally, tucked his legs up under himself and screamed with everything he had available to him, and the order came out shrill and broken.
"Spear!"
Pyrrha ducked, rolled backwards under a blow (which unbalanced the dim Beowolf) to give her a moments availability, and checked for a target; Bunjil high, arm extend, thumb in line with target, balance, legs lock, knees swivel, full-body motion, wrist flick, button press-*boom*-, guide it...
*Thunk*
She turned, shield ready. The Beowolf was staring, maybe confused by her sudden change in attention, or the action that had taken place. But then it was clear she had no weapon, and it came full speed. Pyrrha squatted, and as the beast struck, she leapt, lunged, pounced, into the beasts maw. It's jaw broke, the beast tripped backwards, and she took the opportunity to run to Jaune, who had blown passed while she was lining up her shot.
He was stunned himself, maybe hurt, having been blasted into a tree, leaving a dent in the bark (the sooner he gets a hang of his semblance, the better). Of course, his Aura had protected him, but she spied a glance at his hand-monitor, and saw the blinking lights. He was in the red, and the rest of them weren't too well off either.
She snatched up his sword, gave his head a pat (lovable scamp), and counted the beasts.
Four, five left, Ren was out of ammo, with Nora following suit soon, by her count, she couldn't take back her spear without releasing their target, and their beloved leader had a likely concussion, if the dazed, teary look was anything to go by.
Tightening her grip on the strangely heavy sword, she check the odds, and smiled.
That's when she heard the cry. Both of them.
*Thu-Phoom*
"Nice shot, Nora."
"Don't mention it, handsome."
(There is a tail wrapped around his neck.)
*Thu-Phoom*
"Just remember to watch your back, we aren't out of the woods yet.
"Got it, Ren. So, do you think we can have pancakes after we mop up this lot?"
(It is lifting him up.)
*Phoom* *Phoom* *Phoom*
"Sure, as long as we still have syrup left from- AAHH!"
"AAAAaaahhh!"
(The Bunyip has a lot of tiny, pin-like teeth in its beak, which are biting into Ren's neck.)
"Ren! Let him go-"
(He is slumped at the bottom of the tree. There is a lot of blood. His hand covers the skin that isn't there anymore. There should be skin there. Otherwise the blood will get out.)
"You... RRHHHAAAAAARR!"
*Phoom* *Click-thump* *Click-thump* *Click-thump* *Click-Thump* *Click-Thump* *Click-Thump* *Click-Thump* *Click-Crunch* *Click-Cr-ump* *Click-Crack* *Click-Thump* *Click-Splat* *Click-Splat* *Click-Splat* *Click-Splash* *Click-Splash* *Click-Splash*
"NORA! Enough! The beast is no more, it is dead, it is paste, you need to stop-
Panting, hands aching and numb, eyes sore with tears, she stops. The Bunyip (THAT FUCK) is dead (NOT ENOUGH). Pyrrha is holding (please, he can't be-) her shoulder, but has to turn back towards the remaining Ursa (ALL GOING TO DIE), but she grabs her spear from the remains (what is left of {A FATE MUCH TOO FUCKING GOOD FOR IT}) of the Bunyip (MURDERER {please no, not real, can't be [Focus, Nora]}).
She spots (the remains of {NO NO NO}) Ren, his back agains the tree, his breathing ragged (this makes no sense {he can't die [Focus Nora, act]}), he is applying pressure to (so much blood {Why is there so much [Stop, think, act, do something]}) the wound, but his eyes (his beautiful eyes {oh god the eyes I can't handle}) are flickering open and shut, and his breathing was strained (breathing! {alive!}). The left side of his shirt is soaked black with blood (we have to do something! {we can do something! what?! [stop panicking! BREATHE!]})
She takes a breath, deeper than the rest. Her thoughts, jagged and emotional as they are, are clearer, focused. (I need to stop the blood, or he'll- {Stop it, apply pressure, cover it} With what? Hands? [Not flat enough, has holes, use material] {Rip skirt, ball up, pressure-})
Jaune was not sure what he was seeing. He couldn't make out things clearly. He wanted to vomit (You are not vomit boy anymore... even though that would feel about right at this point). The world was just a little tilted. Focus came and went.
And Nora was just standing still, watching Ren bleed onto a tree behind him. He had followed the thumping (outside his head) to find where Pyrrha had run off to, when the screams came. It wasn't far, but when the world was spinning, a metre was a mile.
He stopped near the tree where the Bunjil was nailed (not going to throw up), or, at least, had been nailed. What was there now was a fallen tree covering in blood and giblets (is that an eye-{don't throw up}), Lie Ren lying against a stump holding his neck (didn't have a large hole in it before, pretty sure- don't throw up) and Nora was crying above him, her hammer lying at her feet.
He stood there a moment, spinning mentally. What is Pyrrha doing to those Ursa? Where did the Bunny-thing go? Did it get away again? Can we just sit down for a second? Where is my sword? Why isn't Nora helping Ren? Is he dead?
He was about to put one of these questions to the outside world, but it was then Nora sprung into (fell onto) action. She took up one of Ren's machine pistols and, using the dagger-part, cut a swatch from her bodice, and a thin strip from her skirt. She slid over to Ren, balled the large portion of material into his wound, knocking away his hands (he is so very weak right now). She stopped for only a second, looked around, saw Jaune standing, and, with her free hand, signaled him over. He woozily rushed over.
"Hold here." She nodded towards the makeshift bandages, and Jaune complied, unsteadily (don't throw up don't throw up don't throw up). She took the long piece of fabric from her skirt and tied it around Ren's neck (firmly, but not choking) and Jaunes' hands. She examined the wound again, and Jaune followed. Around his hands, through the fabric, there was too much blood; it practically oozed through, ran down Jaunes' arm, dripped from his elbow.
"It's a start, but not enough" murmured Nora, a fatalistic frown set upon her features. "What else is there?" She eyes Pyrrha, finishing off what was probably the last Bear-Grimm in the area, if not the world, as it felt to Pyrrha. The warrior dropped to her haunches, keeled over onto an elbow, and pressed her forehead to the ground.
Jaune checked his Scroll; yep, absolutely drained, just like Ren and Nora. His own Aura-bar was not as drained, as it had recovered enough to be green, if only on a technicality. According to the scroll, having more than a third of your top Aura constituted perfect health. Below that, and it was dire days indeed. Right now, Jaune was at about half-
"That's IT!" A nearly shrill cry came from Nora, a determined and happy light flashing behind her eyes. She pulled Jaunes' hands from the bandages, and put one of her own on the wound. The other directed Jaunes' hands to either sides of the wound.
"What are you-" he began questioning the actions, but was interrupted.
" 'Some individuals, happily enough, are gifted with an extra-ordinary quantity of Aura.' " Jaune recognised the quote, from Oobleck, and her determined frenzy nearly matched the Doctors' natural enthusiasm and speed. " 'This allows them, through channeling and concentrating the free energy, to sustain greater blows without injury, deliver more damaging attacks, move at greater speeds and even' " her eyes light up again, and she beams at her leader, "heal from mortal injury!"
Jaune tried to listen, he really did, and he got the meaning, but his head was some ten feet above them, and as such, responding and focusing were very difficult.
Nora noticed, to his chagrin, and delivered to her Boss-man a gentle slap to the cheek. "Focus, Jaune, I need you right now, Jaune, Jaune, Ren needs you, ok? You need to concentrate, Jaune- Jaune! Look at me!"
His eyes drifted back to her. They focused. They wandered for a split second. They came back. (Best we are going to get, Ren {Damn it [Work with it]})
"What I need you to do, Jaune, is to take some of your energy, your Aura, and give it to Ren. With that-" *Smack*
"Sorry. I'm here." The apology gave Nora a smile; she would need to follow with her own apology later, for sure, but now is the time for acting, not asking permission.
"Jaune, you know how you put your energy into your shield, that time in practice?" He did remember that. It was fuzzy, but that memory was too important to forget. He nodded. "Well, you need to do the same thing now. Just push it into him, okay?" It wasn't a question of permission, but understanding, and she searched his eyes. She found doubt.
"Nora, what if I give him too much? I could break him, like the shield, or he might not take my Aura well, or-"
"Jaune, look at him." Her tone, a voice held together by heart-string, brought him level again. "He needs you. Your team needs you. My best friend... I need you." A tear, a break in the voice. "So, you either do this, or... or I tell Weiss you like her!"
(A fate worse than death, she so hates him, she'll explode and {Nope, they like each other [that's debatable, but this should be motivation; either he helps now, or Weiss kills him when we get back to-]})
"No, not yet, I-" Aww, damn it.
(...{...[...]Told you} Nope, he is concussed, doesn't count)
With that, Jaunes own scary determination took over, even in his current, shaky form. His hands shape around the wound more carefully, and he closes his eyes, concentrating on the feel of Rens' bloody skin. Feeling for the aura around Ren (flickering, much like Rens' eyes), Jaune pulled himself into himself, and fed the feel of his compressed form through his hands and into the empty well of his friend.
Jaune threw up. Again.
The motion sickness, the Aura sickness, the gross-out of the blood on his hands sickness, the eyeball looking at him sickne-
"Bleurgh!"
Pyrrha rubbed his back. She could feel his ragged breathing through his combat suit, the shakes running through his currently-not-vomiting form. She quintuple-checked her footing; outside the splash zone. Thank Dust.
She had taken the precaution of taking many pictures before leaving the scene. Her head-gear carried a video-camera, and had surely caught the whole ordeal (omni-directional technology For The Victory), but maybe it was best that Ozpin and Ms Goodwich see only the after-math, and not the actual battle itself. They had all performed commendable, of course... and maybe it is best that Nora not be seen as a Axe-Crazy Berzerker.
She snapped a picture of her with Ren, and the exceptional patching work she had pulled together. Pyrrha had medical aid training, and had seen enough injuries in her life to know that Nora was quite gifted in the medical arts. Not only had the girl wrapped the wound with two sets of impromptu bandaging (Jaune was next in line to lose a part of his shirt for new wrapping), she had treated the wound with disinfecting rub (from Pyrrhas' own kit) and had hooked up a small tube to take blood from her and give it to Ren. She had the chance, while Jaune was busy expelling stomach fluids, to swipe his Scroll, and check the blood types of the team; of course Ren and Nora were both O negative. They shared everything.
She was also keeping Ren awake with blather about something or other. That part may just be her natural personality, in any case.
They were nearly at the pick-up zone, a small borogrove amongst the wabes of trees. Nora and Pyrrha had shared the injured mans' weight for the hour it took to return to the clearing, what with the stylish mans' wound and the not-so-epically-cool-but-really-a-nice-guys' episodic expulsions.
And Pyrrha was relieved. She had fought off at least two dozen beasts in the last hour, but she was always the most tired when her rump was seated on a transport to Beacon, safe and sound. She would be able to rest her feet soon. The mission was over. Thank heavens.
"Bleugh!"
Oh, my. Well, at least he won't possibly be able to be air-sick!
She was correct. Thank heavens.
Ren's eyes opened. They closed. They opened fully this time. There was a light bulb above him. It looked...bulby. Hmmm.
His shoulder was numb. His lips were a little tingly, too. He felt really, really light. Hmm. Mmmmm.
He wasn't wearing a shirt. He was concerned that his shoes would make a mess of the sheet covering him up to the neck. Also concerned that the sheet was showing his nipples through the thin material. Hmmm. I'm not wearing shoes.
There was someone mumbling something. It wasn't him, but he had to check, as his jaw and tongue were fuzzy, and unresponsive. He tried licking his lips. It worked, but he discovered his lips were very sensitive. Weird. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Mm. Vibrate-y.
Who was talking again?
"-bubbles in the soup... and you were all like... "No bubbles, Nora... now is food time."
He turned his head. His neck felt bouncy. In the seat by his bed was his friend, companion and... Savior? That fit, but the details buzzed about, like annoying bugs desperate not to be caught. He also spied her grenade-launcher-hammer, two shields, a spear-gun, a gun-blade, a gun-scythe, a gun-sword-sheathe-whip-thingy-thing, two little diamond-thingies that expanded into Yangs' gauntlets, and a regular sword in what was probably the most dangerous and scarily precarious pile on campus. He turned his displaced attentions back to-
Nora. Wait, I only thought that. "NNNnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. Hnnn. Ha. Fuzzy. NNNora."
"-I enjoyed that beverage... another..."
"NNnnnorah. WWhake. Hop. Hup."
"-all the pickles you could enjoy-"
"NORA!"
"What! What? Ren?"
"Ren."
"Are we awake?"
"I'm uncertain. Are we... sideways?" His eccentric friend was in the large couch chair by his bed, in the sense that her legs were slung over the armrests, and her head was cushioned on the other.
"Yes. We are."
"Then we are awake, but also... confused..." He attempted to sit up, but the tucked-in blanket (soooo heavyyyy) kept him in place.
"So, what kept you?" His friend asked him, rolling her eyes, and hugging her knees. "I've been waiting here for a least, like, two years, I've had enough time to graduate and become a full fledged huntress by now!"
He blinked at his friend. He glanced at the clock in the room, above her head. I read 7:47, and the window behind him was dark. He was pretty certain it was the same day as it had been when the medical staff at Beacon had injected him with the sedative. Oh, I get it. Trippy= Tripping.
He was about to ask her where the owners of Mt. Also-A-Gun were, when he noticed the missing section of his friends outfit. She was showing off more than she knew.
"Norah, why do you have the..." Mental blank. Drugs are hard.
"Wha- where are you looki-" she followed his line of sight. She blushed. "Kyaaaa-, you brute, just because I'm showing a bit of skin, doesn't mean you have to go all 'Pervert Mode' at me! Not that I mind, I mean, it's just a bit of midriff, but I didn't even know you had a side of you like that! And anyway, wouldn't you have more fun starting at Pyrrhas' 'Gauntlets', if you know what I mean?"
For the first time in quite a while, Nora had lost Ren with one of her rants. Maybe it was the sexual nature of it, or the fact that he had a different question on his mind. "Why are you bleeding?"
"Eh?" Nora looked at her stomach; sure enough, while cutting cloth for the triage, she had tore a shallow line down and across her side, bloodying her bodice. The slim line was now closed, and apparently forgotten. She deflected; "Oh, that? Oh, that's not me, silly! You were totally bleeding all over the place, and I must have missed that bit! Oh, geez, how embarras-siiiiing~! Ah, who cares. Good thing I'm not the one who does the washing. Oh, and BTW, Renny, have a bit of stitching you need to get on top of. These outfits don't repair themselves, and Boss-man is feeling a bit of a chill, not to mention how P-Money must be freezing right now."
Arg. Gug. Guh. Hmmm. The sedatives must be wearing thin. Mm...?
"Nora, my neck feels hot. Have I been lying in the sun? Or on it's surface?"
"Ah, no, not essentially, but..." she hesitated, looking for the right way to put it. "J-man sorta... burnt you, I guess? When he was doing the aura-y thing. With the... anyway, turns out the reason we don't share Aura to treat wounds is that it gets a bit warm, if ya use too much, and Boss-man kinda-sorta-maybe pushed too hard. And now you have a little burn-age..."
Ren frowned. "Bad?"
"Only if you don't like bad-ass scars! Trust me, this thing is, like, pretty epic. You are gonna have all the hot huntresses hanging off you, mah man. Wait until I get some sweet marker-decals going-"
"Ok, Nora, can you fill in some blanks, please?"
"...STORY TIME! YESSSSSS! Ok, it all started when we were instructed by the president herself-"
"Ms Goodwich."
"-To bring back the head of the meanest fu- worst monster in the whole world; A Bunyip hiding at the centre of a volcano!"
"A Bunjil from..."
"Forever Fall, sweety. Try to keep up. So, we sought the beast in a most heroic fashion, staying attentive to the whines and whims of the forest creatures-"
"Playing I Spy."
"And I had our fellows stumped! They would never have guess that-
"Q for quest?"
"Do you mind? Trying to tell a story, here."
"Sorry."
"How rude. And... you don't get to leave me. Never. Otherwise..."
"There is no otherwise. It's us against the world."
"Still? Geez, can't we pick something smaller? I mean, yeah, us to the end and all, but can't we start with just, like, a forest or something? Work our way up? Maybe just a tree? I can handle trees. I need to work my way up to mountains and other geographical significant... things."
"We could start with a small pond, if you like."
"See, now we just sound pathetic. I can handle a puddle. I could kick a puddles ass!"
"Sorry."
"Ren?"
"Nora?"
"No dying. Ever."
"Sure."
(A/N; when I first wrote this chapter, I had the grim inspiration to write a short conversation between Nora and myself, at the critical moment, Ren having departed moments ago. I couldn't do it. It was too much, too real, having a conversation with a character I was in control of, whose fate, and the fate of her friend depended on me. It was surreal; she was begging and pleading, bargaining and wishing, crying, and I wasn't in control of what I was writing in her voice. What really hurt was when I said she could have her friend, and she thanked me.
I know that these characters don't exist; they subsist. And that makes the things I do, as a writer, very scary. Especially when I mess with the relationships and minds of the characters (people?) I borrow from other authors.
Have a go at writing something horrible with a character you like. Then try justifying it to them. Hell, I might just be crazy (my therapist calls it unique! {he's not even kidding, folks[update: new therapist agrees]}) but this is... wrong. Or something. I don't know. I have no clue how the Game of Thrones guy can stand to do what he does. It is horrible. But those characters are born to die, so that makes their existence as it is... still fucking terrible. I don't know.
Arg.
Anyway, with the JaunexWeiss element (so far the only characters to be shown bleeding? Bleeders and Breeders? If it bleeds, we can ship it! {Yes, it sounds lame. Have a better name?), I tried to write out the scenes that those snippets of conversations come from and... it exploded. Everywhere. 12,698 words as of writing this (and it is in my condensed, script form, as well, so it could be a lot bigger if I am to expand on certain elements... maybe I will?)
Current plans are to release it all at once, in chapter form, once I have a ton of it figured out. Should take me... IDK, couple weeks? (That is, as of writing this. Shouldn't be too long for those of you in reality.) I mean, you don't have to read it, or anything, but... it includes my Nora? Periodically, like, it's a companion piece, or this one has become a companion piece to that one. I still don't know. But as it stands, the Nora from this fic is predicting things in the other fic that haven't happened in the timeslot of this one... but I'm kinda ok with that, because, well, who really cares? The lines in question are probably said by Weiss on a weekly basis, so it works any which way. And I don't want to change the dynamic of either fic for something as flimsy and easily bendable as established continuity. Anyway.
Personal update; as of writing this, there are more plans. God damn it. Let me go, muse! I've had enough for a while! And happy New Year, Rooster-Teethians.