#(cuz they hadn't been with either of us that long and we knew from the beginning this was a 1-year move)

[kirby-the-gorb]

[shi-daisy]

Misery Business

Day 7 for best boy, this week flew by but let's keep giving Tam love! For the final day I chose to make a songfic and drag everyone back t9 their emo era (not mine, I'm still on it!) And also Elain dunking cuz rereading has made me super salty, apologies to the cross shippers. So enjoy modern-college- band AU with Tamcien and Paramore. Hope you like!

@tamlinweek

Tamlin Week 2024- Day 7: Free Day (Songfic)

Misery Business

I'm in the business of misery

Let's take it from the top

She's got a body like an hourglass, it's ticking like a clock

It's a matter of time before we all run out

When I thought he was mine she caught him by the mouth

They were all standing in the middle of the campus with their mouths agape. Daphne had dropped her books, Azalea's tan skin was pale and Tamlin knew he hadn't fainted because Tamarand held him in place despite his shock.

Lucien and Elain were kissing. Not a French kiss but not a chaste one either. Both he and the triplets were nauseous and rushed off before they could be seen.

"I'm calling Dore to pick Tam up!"

"I have agricultural science after this, Lea! I can't skip-" He tried to protest but his younger sister stopped him.

"Tell me you can sit beside Elain without throwing up and I'll let you stay!" His sister said.

Tamlin wouldn't argue with that. Tamarand and Azalea stayed in college while Daphne who was done with class left with him and Dorevan.

The eldest sibling made a detour for chicken wings and ice cream. "Mom and Dad are coming back today business trip in the meantime Mama Ophelia and Mama Asteria will keep us company." He said.

"Mama will help with the broken heart. She's good with words."

Tamlin knew that to be true. Their head housekeeper and her wife had become family to the Evergreens before he was even born, so when they chose to start a family his father had been more than willing to help them, getting him and his brothers triplet half siblings he loved more than anything and two more parents he desperatly wanted to see.

Asteria had the living room ready with cushions and greeted him with a hug. "It's okay, sweetie. It'll be okay."

"Its my fault Mama. I never told him! I can't be mad about this!"

"Darling if there's anything I know well is that things have a way of working themselves out. If this isn't meant for Lucien then in time you'll get the redhead back, and will be able to confess."

He decided to trust Asteria's council.

I waited eight long months

She finally set him free

I told him I couldn't lie he was the only one for me

Two weeks we caught on fire

She's got it out for me

But I wear the biggest smile

In the coming months he was supotive of his best friend turned crush, while he cried on his siblings shoulders. Tamarand and Dorevan left for military service and Azalea soon started residency in another town, which left Daphne and Andras to cheer him up along with the rest of the band.

During practice Ophelia had nearly drowned them in snacks. Nemesis took his place at the drums while Daphne picked up the bass and Andras the keyboard. Only Feyre and Lucien were left.

He was surprised to see his mother also coming down to the basement with them. Bringing tissues and blankets left on their grey sofa.

Feyre was letting Lucien cry on her shoulder and it looked like she'd been in a fight.

"What the fuck happened?" Andras asked.

"Lulu got dumped and I threw hands with my sister." Feyre said with a grin as if her eye wasn't bruised and he didn't catch a long hair stuck in between her nails.

Band practice was canceled and they all focused on comforting Lucien. Rosabella and Ophelia made sure they were cozy and even barred Oisin himself for making a single comment. Tamlin tried not laugh at his father's defeated look and acceptance of the 'pity party' now taking place in the basement.

"Ugh, well that was a waste of eight months and for The Syphons guitarist?! That band has as much charisma as wet paper towel!" Andras ranted as he took a spoonful of cookie dough ice cream and then passed the pint to Feyre.

"Ugh I know! I can't believe their front man is a creep! Man should be in jail, I knew that martini was spiked just from smelling it!" She said. "Like dude, I am not into men and if I was it wouldn't be your manipulative, self centered, entitled ass!"

"Is that why Ness dumped their bass player?" Daphne asked as she took the ice cream.

"Nah, she said the man always prioritized Rhysand over her. Maybe they should get together and leave everyone else alone!"

The group laughed but Tamlin was only half listening to the conversation, his focus was on Lucien. Nemesis had all but fed him his ice cream and soda and tucked him in letting him lean on Tamlin's shoulder.

He was relieved but also so very sad, because despite his dislike for Elain or his wish to have Lucien by his side, Tamlin wanted to see Lucien happy. His tears all felt like a burn.

Two hours later, the others were leaving. Asteria offered to let Lucien spend the night and winked at him as she left.

They stayed still on the basement sofa for a bit. Eventually Lucien spoke.

"How come I can stay with you but Andras can't stay over with Daphne?"

"Because neither of us can get pregnant."

For the first time that night he heard Lucien laugh, and that was all the push needed to not let him be stolen away again.

"Luce. I know it might not be the best time now but I have something important to tell you."

"Oh sure. I always love hearing from you! What is it?"

Tamlin took a breath. "I love you. I been in love with you since we were young. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to ruin our friendship but...I don't want to ever see you slip away again, without saying anything.

You're the only one for me and I love you, but I'll respect any decision you make."

Lucien was surprised for a moment but then he smiled and planted a soft kiss upon his lips. "I never thought I'd hear this from you but it makes me very happy.

The truth is I've realized my feelings for you also go beyond frienship. Elain's been dead set on having me focus on college and the future and despite it being slightly overbearing I obliged. But when she suggested I drop off the band and cut you off as a friend I vehemently refused and nearly broke things off myself. She did it for me and well...even if it was time wasted it still hurt, but not as much as it would hurt if I lost you.

It'll be a while until I'm over it, but it'd like to be with you if you'll have me."

"Always."

The next two weeks were full of dates, band practice, and of course lustful fire. His sweet Lucien was all but glued to him except for classes and while they prepared for auditons he also made time for cuddles and less innocent moments between them. Tamlin couldn't be happier, his grades were even improving.

'Ciaran's gonna think I stole his weed stash while he's wedding planning.' He thought as he put everything away in his lab locker. He hadn't noticed Elain standing beside him, glaring ar him.

Tamlin didn't mind, rather her smiled at her sweetly. "Hello Elain."

Whoa, I never meant to brag

But I got him where I want him now

Whoa, it was never my intention to brag

To steal it all away from you now

But, God, does it feel so good

'Cause I got him where I want him now

And if you could then you know you would

'Cause, God, it just feels so

It just feels so good

"We need to talk about Lucien."

"What about him?"

"You're derailing him!"

"Pardon?"

"Lucien is studying to run his father's business, your constant band practice is derailing him from that!"

He laughed. Tamlin knew Lucien's history and intentions better than the woman before him. He'd heard it from his beloved himself. 'Mother and Beron were force to wed and after they had Nemesis and Eris to get their families off their backs they amicably divorced and wedded who they actually loved, I'm the result of Mama's second marriage.'

Lucien wasn't in need to inherit anything, he was the youngest of the Spellcleaver children and unlike Beron's one track mind and high expectations Helion was a relaxed father and worker. The redhead could do as he pleased and only studied for the sake of a degree. His true goals were the band, just like him, just like the others. Funny how Elain didn't know that.

"You really just wasted his time, huh."

"What?"

"If you knew Lucien like I do, you'd know he's a musician first and businessman second. I have no doubts he could excel there if he wanted to, but Luce told me himself his goal was to play, not to do paperwork.

The only reason you're telling me this is because auditions are next month and you want us to fail against your boyfriend's precious band. Don't you?"

"That is not true! I'm saying this because I care about Lucien and you're dragging him down!"

"Please, you didn't even bother to know him. You just wanted to change him into what your perfect man. But Lucien isn't stupid, and he's certainly not one to chase unhappiness.

You're just livid he's moved on quickly and didn't entertain your bullshit. It's not often a man tells you no, is it flower girl?"

"How dare you?!"

"I'm his partner sweetie, I dare defend him because that's my duty. A duty you never upheld when having said title. Let me tell you, you missed out. There's no better man than him and there's no better revenge that having him live well without you.

So keep on yelling at the void. None of us will listen, much less Luce. We're too busy being happy and getting ready to get signed."

With that he left the lab, putting away his lab coat and letting the hickeys Lucien made be seen without the protective clothes. He knew she glared at him even when his back was turned and he left.

Tamlin Evergreen wasn't one to gloat but he enjoyed this more than he should.

I watched his wildest dreams come true

Not one of them involving you

Just watch my wildest dreams come true

Not one of them involving-

It was a perfect night. No other performance of theirs had been this good, and despite big brown eyes being present in the audience Lucien's gaze only went to his family, their managers Vassa and Jurien, and the talent agent who'd sign them if they won this. However when it came to love songs, Lucien only looked at him. Tamlin reciprocated.

By the end of the night they all wrote their names on a recording contract. Both Lucien and Vassa bounced so much he thought they'd break the floor. Jurian spun Feyre around in a hug and Nemesis was squishing him, Andras, and Daphne into a group cuddle. Once the papers were signed and everything was settled he ran into his beloved's arms. "We did it! I'm so happy!"

"Me too sunshine, me too." Tamlin said.

Whoa, I never meant to brag

But I got him where I want him now

Whoa, it was never my intention to brag

To steal it all away from you now

But, God, does it feel so good

'Cause I got him where I want him now

And if you could then you know you would

'Cause, God, it just feels so

It just feels so good

"Why are the Syphon's still on the waiting area? They got a contract too?" Lucien asked as he and Tamlin walked out of the office and into the hall.

Their rival band was still waiting, an exasperated Cassian slumped onto a sofa while Amren made calls and Azriel and Elain looked tired as hell.

"Nope. Rhysand contested their lost and got into a fistfight with the agent. The others are probably waiting to get a bail for batsy frontman."

Nemesis chuckled. "I know they say to act like rockstars but this is a bit too much. I'll go get the van, wait here. Feyre text Lena before she goes overboard with the celebration party."

"Gotcha! I'll make sure she doesn't go overboard."

"Let her. Tonight's for celebration!" Daphne said while she jumped.

"Hey! Not too much celebration! You're not gonna drink for the next nine months!" Andras tried to reel in his girlfriend.

"No but I'm eating for two!"

Tamlin laughed at the chaos of his friends and band mates, he finally got his dream come true, and beside him was the man he wanted to share it with.

"After we're done with the party, want to up to the roof and stargaze? Lunara's been teaching me how to read zodiac. I feel I predicted our win quite well."

Lucien smiled. "That you did. I'll be happy to oblige you. There's something I must know if you cam predict."

Tamlin tilted his head but nodded, unaware that there was wedding ring in Lucien's pocket intended to be given tonight.

He glancef at their rivals one last time before the honk of the van hurried them to leave. He'd gotten everything he wanted from all rivals, including the romantic. It was so good to finally have the upper hand.

Lucien all but princess carried him as they had one last kiss before heading home.

[artinandwritin]

Im back at it again with another cute little domestic GusSiri one-shot cuz writing is great lmao

This takes place a few weeks before the birth of their second child, their stillborn son Konrad. So yeah, by this point, Seer's on permanent bedrest, not just bc of the ill child she's carrying, also because of a fever and general bad mental health. She isn't having a lot of fun, but Gustav do be being a funky husband to her and trying to make things fun for her

Ugh the way I love them

Oh-So-Loving;

Siri could feel her skin burning as her fever ran its course. Being forced to stay in bed by her oh-so-loving husband and the healers, the woman couldn't do much except stare at the ceiling.

Oh, well, it wasn't anything she wasn't used to. She had been on bedrest quite some times already the last few months, so it felt quite familiar.

Coughing painfully, she rolled on her side to try and clear her airways. Pressing a hand against her stomach, the child she had been carrying for almost five months turned in protest.

Just as she wanted to groan, the door swung open, and Gustav appeared, carrying a small tray with a bowl, a mug and something she couldn't quite recognise in his hands. The smile he was wearing pulled into a frown as he noticed her coughing fit.

'Hey, babe, you good? That sounds... Uncomfortable,' he asked, glancing at her as he put the tray on the nightstand, before sitting down on the edge of the bed. He leaned forward, gently pressing the back of his hand against her warm forehead. 'Oh, yeah, that doesn't feel good. I'd better tell Fishlegs you're staying home for a few more days!'

Siri nodded, forcing a soft smile as she reached out for his hand. 'Hm-hmm... T-thank you... What did you make...?'

'Soup, by hand, fresh vegetables.' Gustav grinned proudly, taking her hand and squeezing it tightly. 'Made sure it doesn't have any broccoli so you don't get a nausea fit. Oh! And tea. I made the best tea a woman can get, from the finest leaves your mom gave me. Trust me, you and our baby are in great care with me.'

'O-oh, I know,' Siri laughed softly, pushing herself up to nuzzle against his side. 'Y-You're too sweet, I-I... I appreciate it.'

She smiled softly as she pressed her lips to his cheek, thinking about how Gustav, when she had fallen ill a few days earlier, had panicked, not having known how to handle a sick person around, but trying his best without question. He had asked around, he had told her, had bothered everyone he knew, just to figure out how to take care of her.

It was the bare minimum, but she felt so loved, surely after having been married for almost two years.

'Did they move again already?' Gustav interrupted her wanderings, pressing his hand against her rounded belly with an almost childlike excitement in his eyes. Siri couldn't help but put her hand over his and nod. 'They did... It's been getting more and more and h-honestly, with how... Active, they are, it wouldn't surprise me if they take after you.'

She booped his nose; Gustav grinned his cheeky grin, quickly kissing her. 'That would be the dream, of course! But, a mini you also sounds perfect! Either way, as long as they're healthy-'

'Hm-hmm,' Siri muttered, gently squeezing his hand. A deep breath escaped her, and she casted a glance to the small tray with food Gustav had set on the bed. She reached out, her fingers grazing over the little object she hadn't been able to see before; a small package, wrapped together with a tiny bow.

'Now... W-what do we have here, my Captain?' she asked, a small smile playing on her lips as she looked up at her husband - the sudden blush on his cheeks didn't escape her.

'Well, that's a present I got. For you. Cuz I know you love it when I get little things for you,' Gustav explained, grinning brightly as his eyes followed his wife's hands while she played around with the package. 'And can't I spoil my lovely, pregnant wife who just so happens to be sick?'

Siri laughed softly, sinking back into her pillows. 'I-I don't see why you can't... That's so sweet of you, Gustav. Really.'

Under her husband's watchful eyes, Siri gently opened the package - a bright smile appeared on her pale face as she saw what it was.

'Y-You got me a golden bracelet...?' she asked, a tone of disbelief to her voice. 'H-how did you-'

'I made it myself!' Gustav quickly explained, putting his hand over hers. 'At the forge, Gobber helped me. I carved our names into it, and those flowers you like so much. Are you... Happy? With it?'

Siri nodded, quickly pulling him in for a hug as she let out a soft laugh. 'O-of course! I love it, it's so beautiful... Thank you, Gustav.'

'Hey, no problem,' Gustav grinned, hugging her back. 'Anything to cheer you up! And, I like doing things for you too, like making you presents, and cooking you dinner...'

A smile appeared on Siri's face; she felt her heart swell in adoration. She wanted to say something to thank him, but was interrupted when she felt a slight flutter inside her belly. A gasp escaped her; she grabbed onto Gustav's arm, quickly pulling his hand to her stomach. 'They're kicking,' she said, the brightest smile on her face.

Gustav's eyes widened, and he quickly leaned in, gently rubbing his wife's belly. 'Hi,' he brought out - he took in a sharp breath of air when he felt the kick as well. 'Oh- yeah, yeah. Hi, kiddo. It's daddy, I'm taking care of your mommy and you! Please be okay in there for us, m'kay? We can't wait to meet you!'

'What do you wanna name them...?' Siri asked softly, reaching out to gently move her husband's hair away from his forehead. 'S-something to honor our... Our little Niv, o-or...?'

Gustav shrugged. 'I don't know. Let's, y'know, see how it goes first. But, I'm feeling pretty lucky about this one - and let's be honest, are we really gonna be that unlucky and lose, well, two babies in a row? That would be pretty unfair.'

'Y-yeah, you're right,' Siri nodded slowly, taking a deep breath - when another cough came up. She jerked forward, her throat aching as her lungs squeezed together. 'O-oh-'

Gustav's face pulled into a frown, and he quickly ushered his wife down underneath her blankets. 'I- yeah, I think I'd better let you rest. Don't forget your soup, okay, babe? Astrid will kill me if you don't eat it.'

Taking a deep breath, Siri nodded, shivering underneath her blankets. She took another glance at her husband, muttering a soft, 't-thank you...'

'Hey, no problemo,' Gustav saluted her as he stood up, dusting off his knees. 'I'll leave you be, m'kay? Just call me when you need me.'

With that, he walked down the stairs, back to their living room - as Siri closed her eyes, trying to calm down, she heard him whistle, and a smile appeared on her lips.

What was she happy with her oh-so-loving husband.

@rosiethedragongeek for the tags!! Just some nice GusSiri fluff to brighten your day <333

[murfpersonalblog]

I think Louis played those tapes over & over again--probably memorizing them just like he memorized Claudia's diaries & Daniel's books.

Cuz Lou wanted his memoir to be a warning, making vampirism look as bad as possible; a permanent reminder that he he was a failure. He'd been holding onto his resentment, regret & despair for decades, and then snapped when Dan demanded to be turned.

Book/film!Lou attacked Dan & left him for dead & never took the tapes with him, or followed up on if Dan ever managed to publish the interview--like he didn't care what happened one way or the other. In the books, it's a lot more explicit that Lou was talking to himself more than he was being interviewed--Daniel wasn't even given a name; he was just "the boy," cuz he didn't matter--what mattered is that everything Lou'd been bottling up finally had an outlet (albeit an unhealthy one), and the boy/Daniel was in the right place at the wrong time.

But as "disrespectful" as Dan was, he was right that Louis didn't understand "the meaning of his own story." Lou made the tapes all about how mad he was at Lestat for turning him, when really he was mad at himself for failing Claudia--his "light, redemption"--and hadn't taken accountability yet.

My running theory about the SanFran / Dubai timeline reckons that either the Talamasca gave him Claudia's diaries (as in the books), or Louis found them on his own (OR heist!Armand stole them 🤭). The diaries (& the tapes) would thus create the start of Louis' "archives."

I suspect AMC used the word "archives" deliberately cuz of the Merrick connection, where we learn that all of Claudia's stuff was kept in the Talamasca's archives. Cuz otherwise just call it a library or something ffs--"archives" makes it sound like educational material that is carefully being collected & PRESERVED for posterity's sake.

And it's even more interesting, cuz Daniel and Louis have a lot in common--2 jaded old AF men who've lived too long & seen too much, determined to tell the sordid truth (Daniel: about the world; Louis: about himself), by collecting, preserving & circulating information.

So I suspect that Lou collected his "archives" to get his affairs in order, a la Merrick. After the interview, I think he went back to Paris & NOLA looking for those "lost pieces" of himself that he'd left behind, back in Paris; the memories he'd been tryna repress (or that were repressed for him.... 👀).

Cuz SanFran!Lou is VERY different from depressed Paris/Dubai!Lou. I think he'd been running from his trauma in the 50s-70s, burying his pain, b4 Dan's interview shook Lou out of it.

IMO the "terrible thing" he's referring to is accepting the Dark Gift. He let Daniel interview him, but he wasn't ready to be honest with himself about Claudia at the time. He kept the tapes, probably played them on a loop, desperate to hold on to what he thought/wanted the truth to be: Lestat was a dumb loser who'd ruined his life, it wasn't his fault, "it could not have ended any other way," etc etc.

Then he found Claudia's diaries and it knocked him sideways. He realized just how bad he'd messed up, seeing the full scope of the consequences of all his bad actions, and in 2000 decided to clean up his act (literally): no more killing, eating human food, etc.

But he still wasn't ready to face the tapes. He'd held on to them as he stalked Dan's career for decades. He likely knew the whole time that he wanted Dan to re-interview him (he knew they were wrong, but were still a step in the right direction); but only got the courage to get in contact w/ Dan when he felt he might lose his chance: Daniel was dying of Parkinson's, and the pandemic was in full swing.

Lou gave the tapes back to Dan & agreed that they were a bust, "a fever dream told to an idiot." Dan had been a pisspoor interviewer, and Lou had been a pisspoor interviewee. "Truth and reconciliation."

Having decided to "get every detail right" this time (even though his memory's all effed up), only now is Louis in a place where he can both admit to his flaws, face them head on, and try cleansing himself--reborn/purified by fire. He can finally get rid of the tapes for good.

Granted, I still wonder what Armand's part in all this is, cuz yeah, I imagine he'd've wanted those tapes obliterated years ago. 🤔

I have a question : why didn't Louis & Armand throw the 70s tapes away ? Why did they keep it all these years ? Did they know they would do the interview again & need the tapes ? Or they didn't know how to dispose some tapes ? 😅

[isleofancients]

They'd join the hug if they could. For now they stay in Rasse's shoulder, but they will absolutely snuggle extra with him later.

Blue knew that Umbra knew some. He'd been there when Aiden, then Happy, had excitedly used the fourth wall to allow his first real conversation, had hugged and comforted him... But the question wasn't asked them, and they don't volunteer this, letting the conversation play out as it will. Remembering too, the parts Aiden hadn't been there for, regarding damaged souls...

A soft squeeze of their beloved, not that they'd really slackened their grip yet, a wing still folded around him. It was fine. They'd be fine. Somehow.

“Dad took me out once, a little after we met, when I was real small and scared.” Umbra says after a long moment of silence, too long of a blank stare. “To one of the other universes. He wanted me to have a good time. To be a kid.”

“So he brought me to one of those human theme parks.” He says with a weak smile. “Did something to himself to disguise as a human, packed us a little bag for what he promised was a happy fun day."

“And it was, for a little while.” He sighs. “We snuck around, went on some rides and played some games. Dad stole us some food cuz we didn’t really have the local currency and taught me how to cheat some of the carnival games. Won me a cute little kitty plush.”

“It was so small it fit in the palm of my hand.” He chuckles, hugging himself, rocking on his heels. “All fluff with big, beady eyes. I loved it.”

The smile falls from his face, slowly, eyes dark and distant.

“I think we had been there a few hours, been on a few rides, when the screams started." He says, softly. "They were distant at first, but dad immediately bundled me up, grabbed our things. I asked if we should help those people and he shook his head, firm, still smiling for me. But a human face is more expressive than a skeletons. I knew something was very, very wrong.”

“He said he just needed to get me home safe.” He murmurs. “Said I was more important.”

"The screams got louder, closer, there was a big metally screech and thud and the ferris wheel was no longer in the sky, a blank space just past all the food stalls. It simply crumbled. Vanished, blue flashes of somethings big with multiple heads tossing it around before it was eaten up.”

“Dad tried to teleport us out.” He mumbles. “But it didn’t work. Burned Dad’s hand as it fizzled out.”

"Then I blinked and there was a guy behind him, materializing from nothing between one blink and the next, smiling placidly, hands in the pockets of his big fuzzy coat."

“I remember thinking it looked soft.” He chuckles weakly.

“Dad hid me behind his wings but I peeked out. The guy winked at me and Dad growled, clacking his teeth. The guy just raised an eyebrow and bared his back.”

“I felt Dad shudder.”

“They said some things and Dad’s teleporty magic suddenly worked.” He continues. “He opened up a portal small enough for me and pushed me through. Then stayed behind.”

Quiet.

“I was more important…”

"I didnt see him for a long time after that. I couldn’t count yet, but I think it was days.” He mutters. “Then he just thumped outside.”

“His bones were all open.” His voice shakes, just the tiniest bit. Huitzi approaches, silently tucking Umbra under his wings. “There wasn’t even a feather left on his back. I thought he was dead.”

“But then he twitched. And luckily I was still super strong, even as a kid.” He says, calmer, safely encompassed by his mate. “I couldn’t really tell the time either, but it was forever until he started moving, even just a bit, enough to accept food.”

“I remember him staring, for a moment, at the burn on my hand, from where I had tried to cook something after I got tired of all the dried stuff.”

"The very first thing he did was take my hand and heal me." Umbra says. "Then he passed back out."

"I think it was weeks before he could stand, and half a year before he could speak without marrow pouring from his ribs.”

“He never really talked about it after that. All he told me was that man was Io. And if I ever saw him, I shouldn’t try to fight, I shouldn’t call for help. All I should do is run far, far away.” He finishes with a drained sigh, cuddling into his mate.

[milk-carton-whump]

This story came about cuz @cowboy-anon wanted a sad boy tied up for Christmas and essentially I ended up doodling that but then we got swept up in the moment and here's a story based off that character.

CW: pet whump, cage, abandoned whumpee, pet whumpee, some dehumanizing language, neglected whumpee, emotional whump

Zero

It'd been forever since either of his masters had paid him any attention, aside from feeding him and adding water to his bowl. So long since he'd been hit or pet, given attention in any capacity and it made him crave the attention. 

Now to his surprise, Master Dear had come home but was later than usual. The man also had something new with him… or someone, a new pet. 

He would be lying if he said he wasn't excited for a playmate. Maybe they'd be someone he play with or hug or take punishments with him. He sat up in his too small cage, smacking his head on the bars as he had to stay bent over. 

"Master! Master!! Is that a new pet for us?" He chirps up in a sore and raspy voice.

"ZERO! I never told you to speak. Now, I don't want you talking to or touching Paris. Understand, mutt??" Master Dear snapped at him. 

Zero shrunk back against the wall of his cage, nodding in understanding. 

Days passed until they became months, Zero watched as Paris was given everything he used to get. Time to cuddle and special trips to get treats. Master Dear invited Paris onto the couch in Zero's old spot while Mistress Sweetheart let the new pet eat scraps. 

It made him wonder what Paris had that he didn't, pretty chocolate hair that looked soft in comparison to his dirty gray tangles. A nice body that seemed to be perfect for holding in comparison to his boney and slender frame. Lastly was Paris' melodic voice, carrying in the air like a songbird while his was harsh like a scratched record. 

But, Zero used to have a pretty name once, soft silver curls, a perfect figure for hugging, and a soft spoken voice, all things that had been perfect for the pair. He didn't know what happened, he'd been a gift, a sign of love from Master Dear to Mistress Sweetheart. 

An entire year passed since Paris had come home, replacing him or so he thought. Master Dear came over to his cage and unlocked the door, clipping a leash to his collar. This was different, it was new. Maybe they'd changed their minds, they still loved him… well in his heart he knew they always had. 

"Come on Zero, we're going on a car ride." Master Dear said in his old kind tone, one that made Zero's heart melt. 

His legs struggled to hold him, having not held his full weight for well over a year or more he didn't keep track of that kind of thing. He pushed through, needing to prove himself as good still. And it must've worked as he was allowed in the front seat, a luxury he hadn't been granted in a long long time. 

He watched as houses passed out the window, people and trees, the outside world sped by. He missed these moments, maybe he'd be going to get a bath or nice clothes like Paris got. What else made this special to him was that it was just him and his Master.

The car slowed to a stop on the side of the road and Master Dear climbed out of the driver's seat, picking Zero up out of the car and setting him beside a street sign. He watch as his leash was tied to the sign, at least now he couldn't get lost he considered. 

"Zero. Stay. I'll be back." Master Dear said and pet the boy's head.

Zero was starved of all touch, he greedily soaked up the short touch that was over all too soon. He yearned for it to return, wanting that affectionate touch to be given back. He'd missed it so much.

Now he watched as the man stepped back and climbed back in the car. Watching as the car drove away. He stayed, perfectly aware that the man would come back for him as promised, Master Dear would never lie to him. 

Hours passed and the cars that passed weren't familiar, none were Master's car. The longer he waited, the more confused he became, wondering where the man had gone and ran every possible incident through his head as to why he hadn't returned. 

As the sun came up the next day, Zero was huddled to the post he'd been tied to. He was waiting for a man who would never come for him, he knew that deep down. However, he wouldn't accept that as his heart broke, weighing heavily in his chest. Even as a voice called to him, he found no motivation to lift his head. 

[linkedkeysau-official]

Whumptober 2022- Linked Keys edition

Day 7- Shaking hands/silent panic attack/seizures (+ art)

Mask knew it wasn't going to be a fun day. He felt congested, and achy, and just all around not good, not to mention tired— as he had gone yet another night without sleep— but even more so than usual. Immediately he could tell he was coming down with a cold or some kind of illness. His throat burned as he tried to take a drink of water, and his nose was so stuffed up that he could only breathe through his mouth. Yeah he definitely must have caught something during the group's travels. Still, it wasn't like he couldn't function. It sucked, but he had pushed through tougher days than this. As such, he did his best to act normally as he went to join the other heroes for breakfast.

"Morning, Sprite. Sleep well?" Warriors asked. Mask shrugged, sitting down on the ground without a word.

"Did you sleep at all? Cuz kid… no offense but you look like shit." Wild commented, soon turning his attention back to the eggs he was cooking.

"I… slept." Mask hesitantly lied. Warriors gave him a look.

"Okay maybe I didn't sleep as much as I should have but I'm fine. Really!" Mask rolled his eyes. Warriors let out a sigh,

"Fine. As long as you're not using that damned mask again." Mask knew exactly what he was talking about: the All-Night mask, which prevents the wearer from sleeping as long as it's on, and which Mask had used to intentionally deprive himself of sleep for the sake of not having nightmares. Was that potentially a reason for him getting sick now? Yeah. But Mask would rather have a cold for a short time than be plagued with nightmares every night.

"Alright, it's done. Who wants some fried eggs and rice?" Wild called out to the rest of the camp. Several hands went up. Others, who had still been asleep, rose groggily upon either hearing something about eggs or smelling the food itself and knowing breakfast was ready. Mask hadn't eaten since the early lunch they had yesterday, but for some reason his appetite didn't perk up when he saw the food. He couldn't even smell it, his nose was so clogged. Wild offered him a plate anyway, and Mask shook his head in refusal, but Warriors spoke up on his behalf.

"He'll have some too." The captain turned to his adopted son, "You need to eat something. We're going to be walking all day, and it's not good to be active like that and not eat anything beforehand."

"M'not hungry." Mask muttered.

"I didn't ask. At least eat some of it. I'll eat what you don't want, but you need to at least have some of both the egg and the rice." Warriors said firmly, handing Mask the plate of food. Mask groaned, but didn't argue. Instead he began absentmindedly picking at the contents of his plate, trying to get the motivation to take a bite.

"Everyone, eat quickly. We need to be on the road as soon as possible if we're going to make it back to Harbortown before dark." Time announced. They needed to get back to their ship so they could sail out to their next destination, and every day they wasted on land was another that Nihrie was gathering power, making their quest a little bit harder, and posing more and more of a threat to the innocent people of this world.

"Come on, Time. We've been moving around nonstop since we got back to this island. Can't we rest just this once?" Paint whined.

"Yeah, we won't be able to help anyone if we're all too sore and tired to move, let alone fight." Wind agreed.

"You can rest on the ship. It's going to be a long trip north to that volcanic island anyway. You all have endured far, far worse than a few days of walking. It is a mild discomfort, it won't kill you to go one more day." Time said firmly. Several groans came after this announcement, but nobody argued. Everyone knew the Hero of Time's stubbornness was nearly unmatched. As if to demonstrate this, his younger counterpart was still dragging his feet with breakfast.

"Mask, hurry up and eat! You haven't taken a single bite yet!" Warriors scolded.

"I'm. not. Hungry." Mask argued, "Told you that already."

"Well, too bad. I am not going to watch you starve yourself again, so either you start eating or I will feed that to you like a baby."

"Ugh, fine!" Mask groaned. He didn't feel like eating, but he really didn't want the embarrassment of being fed like an infant. Warriors had proven that he can and will resort to that method, and Mask didn't really want to repeat that experience, so he reluctantly shoveled a bite of egg and some rice into his mouth. He could hardly even taste it, though he wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse right now. He glanced over at Warriors, continuing to force his food down until the captain looked content.

"Can I be done now?" Mask whined,

"Sure." Warriors sighed, taking the plate from him to finish it himself. He wished there was a better way to get Mask to eat. The kid had a horrible habit of ignoring his own needs, and it has more than once resulted in severe sleep deprivation, near-starvation, and more often than not, pushing himself to the point of literal collapse before he would admit he was not okay. Warriors tried his hardest, but the fact was sometimes the Sprite simply didn't want to eat. And Warriors couldn't force him to without physically shoving food down his throat. The kid's stubbornness was concerning, but it had always kept him going when things got almost too tough to handle.

And yet, while this behavior wasn't out of the ordinary for Mask, Warriors couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something the kid wasn't telling him, or anyone for that matter. He just couldn't figure out what. All he knew was that Mask was moving a bit more sluggish than usual. It could very well be leftover tiredness from the night before, and Warriors tried to convince himself he was worrying for nothing, but given the Sprite’s track record, his instincts were telling him there was something else.

"You're not sick, are you, Sprite?"

"Huh?" Mask asked, so surprised at how fast his dad had guessed the truth that he didn't have time to think of a lie, "M-Maybe. It's just a cold, though. I'll be fine." He confessed. Warriors stared at him skeptically before shrugging,

"If you say so. But promise me that if you start feeling worse you'll tell me, okay? I don't want you pushing yourself too hard if you're getting sick."

"'Kay. I will." Mask nodded. He probably wasn't going to. Admitting that he felt bad would lead everyone else to start babying him. He hated when people treated him like some helpless infant. He'd handled far worse before. He could push through this and just get some rest when they made it to Harbortown.

He moved quite a bit slower than usual. And nobody could miss the near-incessant sniffling and the occasional cough that slipped out. A few times, the others would cast a glance over at him as if to ask if he was okay, but a sharp glare from the kid immediately made them back off. Even at 10 years old, the Hero of Time had his death stare down pat. Honestly he probably would have been fine if things had stayed the way they were. But given the boys' luck thus far, he should have known it would take a turn for the worse.

As the boys reached roughly their halfway point, it began to rain. It started out as a light sprinkle, then became a drizzle, and less than an hour later it was a full-on downpour. The problem was, in the middle of an open field like this— with the chain having left the cover of the forest behind before the rain even started— there was no place the boys could go to find shelter without backtracking almost the same distance they had left to travel. No, it was best to keep going and to tough it out. A little rain never hurt anyone. Well… usually.

Everyone was soaking wet within minutes, including Mask. The young Hero of Time tried to hide it, but it was hard to miss the way he shivered every so often. Out of everyone, he had the least amount of protection from the elements as far as clothing went, in what basically equated to a thin short-sleeved shirt, a pair of shorts, and some oversized boots. He of all people had to be freezing in this weather. And yet when both Wild and Sky offered him their cloak and sailcloth respectively to help shield him from the rain, the kid once again refused their help, even throwing the extra layers onto the muddy ground when they tried to force him to wear them anyway (Sky was very upset that his nice white sailcloth, handmade by his Zelda, had gotten muddy but was assured that it could be washed).

"Hey! Stop! I said I'm fine! I don't need—" Mask shouted as another pair of hands tried to force another piece of extra clothing on him.

"Just wear the damn scarf, Sprite. You're only going to get worse otherwise." Warriors told him firmly. Mask wanted to argue, but he bit his tongue. There was no arguing with dad. Plus he did love that scarf… Always so soft and warm, and a great reminder that Warriors was there— that Mask was safe— whenever he was scared or upset.

"I don't need you all to baby me. I'm fine on my own." Mask grumbled, attempting to hold back another cough.

"It's not us babying you, it's called being smart and making sure nobody freezes in this weather. You don't want to get sicker, do you?" Warriors rolled his eyes. Mask grumbled something under his breath, not wanting to admit out loud that Warriors was right.

"Hey, there's a big tree up ahead, maybe we can stop under there and take a break while we wait for this rain to stop!" Tracks pointed.

"Might not be a bad idea." Time agreed. Everyone ran ahead and gathered underneath the tree that Tracks had pointed out. This being the closest thing they had to a shelter, the boys were glad to at least be out of the worst of the rain, though it was still cold, and many of them were huddling together for warmth.

"Hey, if anyone's hungry, I've got some apples we can munch on while we wait." Wild offered.

"Oh, sweet, thanks!" Wind grinned as he took one.

"Yeah thanks, Wild. I'm starving." Four took one as well. Nearly everyone had taken one, and it was surprising to see just how many of the little red fruits Wild had stored in that crazy Slate of his, but they were grateful for it. A little snack was much appreciated at the moment.

"Want one, Mask?" Wild asked. Mask shook his head.

"You're just not hungry today, are you?" Wild asked. It was strange. Usually the kid would always eagerly gobble up whatever Wild made, sometimes so eagerly that the others feared he may choke. But today he didn't seem interested in Wild's cooking, or somewhat-freshly-picked snacks, at all. Wild wasn't the type to worry, especially about a kid who was already so strange to begin with, but when he would even turn down Wild's cooking, that was a clear sign that something was up.

"You really should have one, Mask. Some fruit would actually help you get over this cold. Not to mention a snack would be good for keeping your energy up." Warriors urged. Mask hesitated, but eventually took one from Wild, nibbling on it slowly. He still wasn't hungry, but if what Wars was saying was right, hopefully this would help to get him back on his feet where he could actually be useful to the group, and not just dead weight— a pathetic lump of sickness— until he recovered.

Another hour passed, and the rain finally stopped. Time and Warriors were now getting everyone ready to go again. The others were thankful for the break, and now more energized than they were that morning. Well, all except Mask. If anything the kid was even more tired than before. No matter how much Warriors tried to urge him to get up, he didn't want to. Fearing this was a sign of the sickness getting worse, Warriors knelt down beside him, gently placing a hand over his son's forehead. It was barely noticeable, but he did seem a bit warmer than normal. Definitely had at least a mild fever, which would certainly explain the sudden reluctance to move.

"Okay, Sprite. Up we go." Warriors, not caring whether or not Mask wanted to be carried, slipped his arms underneath the kid's legs and behind his back. Mask leaned against him, clinging to his tunic as he was lifted up. He buried his face in his father's shoulder, trying to concentrate on the light bouncing as the older hero walked and the warmth and softness of the scarf still around his neck and shoulders, rather than how much everything hurt; His head throbbed, nearly every muscle in his body ached, and he could hardly breathe through his nose at this point. Honestly he was kind of glad to have a break.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun was setting by the time the boys reached the town; they'd still somehow made it in perfect time. Half the group then went to stock up on food and supplies for the upcoming voyage while the others went straight to the inn, requesting two of the largest rooms they had (the boys were comfortable enough around each other that they were perfectly fine sharing a room with 7 or 8 others). Warriors had to set Mask down while he reached for his wallet to pay the innkeeper, and from the moment Mask was put back on his feet, he felt a strange sensation through the discomfort he was already experiencing. Lights and colors seemed brighter than they had moments ago. The air around him seemed to chill and heat up drastically at the same time. He stumbled a few times as Warriors walked him up the stairs. Then all of a sudden, he collapsed.

Twilight, his wolflike senses still strong even in his regular form, could vaguely sense that there was something wrong. Something about Mask had changed as Warriors set him down on the ground. He’d known the kid was sick, but this gave him a really bad feeling that it could be worse than anyone anticipated, even if he couldn’t figure out why. Hyrule had gone into the village to stock up on supplies with Wild, Ravio, and Time, and they hadn’t yet returned, meaning the healer wouldn’t be able to help at the moment. The next best person would be Legend. As Warriors and Mask began heading up the stairs, Twilight had alerted the veteran hero to his concerns and asked that he go with them. And what a good thing it was that he did.

Legend saw the kid suddenly collapse in the middle of the hallway. He saw Warriors freeze up as Mask’s body began convulsing violently, as if the kid had completely lost control of his muscles. Legend knew right away what was going on: Mask was having a seizure, and Legend needed to act fast.

“MOVE!!!” He cried, shoving Warriors aside as he rushed towards the kid. He quickly placed his hand underneath Mask’s head so he wouldn’t hit it on the floor and injure himself. With some difficulty, he managed to get the kid laying on his side, as this would ensure that if he vomited, he wouldn’t choke.

“Wars, I need you to–” Legend started to say before he looked back and saw that the captain was still frozen in place, face white as a sheet, staring wide-eyed at the scene before him. He didn’t seem to hear anything Legend said.

“HEY! SOMEONE GO GET HYRULE, NOW! MASK IS… MASK IS IN DANGER!” Legend called out to the other heroes downstairs. He then turned his attention back to the task at hand. How long had this been going on? About 30 seconds? That seemed about right, though to be safe he'd say it was 40. Legend had to keep track of the time; if the seizure didn’t stop within about 2 minutes, there was a much higher chance of it being life-threatening.

50 seconds. Legend could hear a door slam shut downstairs. Hopefully that was someone either going to find Hyrule, or coming back with him.

60 seconds. The convulsions hadn't stopped. Legend kept a close eye on the kid's movements, trying to determine if he was still breathing okay.

70 seconds. It was finally beginning to slow, but that didn't exactly mean Mask was out of the woods yet.

80 seconds. Mask began retching as if he were about to vomit. Legend felt bad as he did so all over the floor, but that could wait until after he knew Mask was safe. Despite his hatred for the Goddesses, Legend was praying to any of them that could possibly reach them in this world that Mask would be okay.

After 90 seconds, it seemed his prayers had been answered. A minute and a half, and Mask finally regained control over his body. Legend breathed a sigh of relief as his body stilled, with the exception of the heavy rising and falling of his chest as he breathed. He was still breathing… they should consider themselves lucky for that. The sound of the door again, followed by hurried footsteps up the stairs caught Legend's attention. Hyrule had returned.

"I heard Mask was in trouble and came as fast as I could. What happened?" The healer asked.

"He had a seizure. And I think it may have been caused by a fever, because he's really warm." Legend explained.

"WHAT?!" Hyrule demanded, rushing to the spot where Legend had been as the latter stood up and made room for him. Indeed the child did feel very warm. It was a relief to see that he was still breathing, and his pulse— while being very fast— was strong. Hyrule used the edge of his sleeve to wipe the bile from the child's face. Mask seemed to have lost consciousness, but hopefully he would wake up in a few minutes.

While Hyrule made sure Mask hadn't injured himself, Legend turned his attention to Warriors. The captain was clearly still not in a good state either, sliding his back down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, head buried in his hands, trembling. Legend could have sworn he heard him sobbing very quietly, as if trying not to be heard. Legend, for once, couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. Poor guy must have been scared out of his mind… he thought. It only made sense, seeing your own child in that state and not knowing what caused it or how to help.

"Hey. You okay?" He asked, sitting down facing Warriors. He didn't respond.

"Wars? Captain!" At the word captain, Warriors' head snapped up to face Legend, "Are you okay?"

Warriors didn't know how to respond. He'd never been good at letting himself be emotionally vulnerable in front of others, especially those he was supposed to lead or who looked up to him. It caught him off guard when he realized Legend had seen him crying. But… He couldn't pretend he was okay this time. Not after that. Not after seeing his son collapse, violent convulsions wracking his tiny, frail body, and… him freezing up. Not even being able to move and help. Having to watch Legend take it upon himself to keep his son from hurting himself further. He shook his head, another sob escaping his lips. He was not okay. He mentally kicked himself for admitting it; Legend would probably never let him live it down. The big strong war captain, breaking down and crying over a sick child, even if it was his sick child. But much to his surprise, Legend didn't say anything of the sort. Instead he spoke with an uncharacteristic level of compassion behind his voice.

"Hey. Look at me. I know you were scared, and there is absolutely no shame in it. Your son just had a seizure, you have every right to be scared. In fact I'd be worried if you weren't scared by this. I was too. Look, my hands are still shaking." Legend held out his hands for Warriors to see, and indeed, they were still shaking from the scare that Mask had just given both boys.

"I froze… He collapsed and I just… I froze. I didn't even try to help… He's my son, dammit! I should have done something!" Warriors wailed.

"You were in shock. You looked about ready to faint. You couldn't have done anything in that state. There's a reason I followed you up here, because Twilight had a feeling something would happen, and I was best equipped to handle it in Rulie's absence." Legend explained.

"You did good, Ledge." Hyrule spoke up behind him, "Aside from a small bruise on his right arm, probably from when he fell, he came out almost completely uninjured. And that's good, because that means he's probably gonna recover without issue, provided we can get this fever to go down. You're right, it does seem pretty high. I've got some medicine in my bag downstairs that might help, but we have to wait until he wakes up to give it to him. Until then we should probably have him lay down in a proper bed… Should be safe to move him now. Are you okay to carry him, Wars, or do you need me to? You are looking a little pale—"

"I can do it." Warriors hurriedly replied. He couldn't do anything during the seizure itself; the least he could do was to help the kid through the aftermath. Hyrule nodded in understanding as Warriors made his way back over to where Mask lay, gently lifting him up and carrying him towards one of the rooms the Chain had reserved. As he carefully tucked Mask into bed, wincing at how hot the poor kid's skin felt (way hotter than before), Legend spoke up,

"I'm just confused as to why this happened. I heard that kids usually only get febrile seizures in their toddler years, and only in rare cases. Unless…" Legend turned to Warriors, "Has he been wearing that mask again? The black one that keeps him awake? Sometimes lack of sleep can make it more likely for this to happen."

"Shouldn't be. I thought Time said he was going to take it away." Warriors replied.

"Search his bag. He might have stolen it back." Warriors did just that, looking through the collection of masks the kid had inside. He recognized most of them, but hadn't seen the kid use them much: there was the Deku mask, the Goron mask, the Zora Mask, the Fierce Deity mask (it took a lot of self control to keep Warriors from just taking that one away, but the kid has needed it before as a last resort), the Bunny hood, Keaton mask, Brehmen mask… then he saw it. The literal torture device that his kid insisted on keeping for some goddess-forsaken reason, designed to prevent sleep for the wearer, the All-Night mask. He pulled it out of Mask's bag and showed it to Legend.

"Yeah that one. If he took it back, there's a good chance he's still been using it." Legend told him. Warriors cursed silently. He hated this damned mask even more than the Fierce Deity, or the Blast mask (which he had confiscated a few weeks ago after the Sprite nearly blew himself up with it). He hated the pain it caused his son, who wore it more often than could possibly be healthy even for an adult, to escape sleep for the sake of avoiding nightmares. If this thing was part of the reason for Mask's seizure, there was no way Warriors could let him keep it. He'd hide it better, and ensure that Mask couldn't get ahold of it again. He was not going to let this happen again.

"I can take it. I'll find a place to put it where he can't get it." Legend offered. Warriors nodded as he handed over the mask. He then sat down on the edge of the bed beside his son. His face was flushed and his hair stuck to the sweat on his forehead. Warriors gently brushed aside his bangs, staring at the kid's calm, peaceful face. At least he didn't seem to be in too much pain.

"I'm back. How's he doing?" Legend asked, returning to the room.

"Still unconscious, still got a fever… Not much has changed." Warriors muttered sadly.

"Well, I brought this. Hopefully this'll help bring his fever down a bit, at least until he's alert enough to take that medicine." Legend handed Warriors a cool, wet cloth, which the other carefully laid over Mask's forehead. Mask had been unconscious for a while, it seemed like. Perhaps it felt longer for Warriors because of his worry, but he was almost certain this was taking longer than it should have. A million questions flooded his mind in the midst of his anxiety. What if Hyrule was wrong? What if there was something else going on, and Mask wasn't going to get better? What if…?

"Ledge? Do you think… He might have another seizure? You said it was probably because of the fever and that hasn't gone down at all. I'm just… I'm just worried. I hate seeing him like this. I hate seeing him suffer. And… I don't know if I could take it if he were to have another—"

"He'll be fine. I promise. As soon as he wakes up, we'll get Hyrule, get him some medicine, and hopefully the fever will go down. You heard what Rule said, he didn't hurt himself or anything, meaning that chances are, he'll be just fine. You hear me? Mask will be fine. He will recover from this."

"But he hasn't woken up yet. Hyrule said he should wake up in a few minutes—!" Warriors tried to argue before Legend gripped his shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes,

"He will be okay. I promise. Rulie and I are not going to let anything happen to him, but you're not doing him or anyone else any good by wondering 'what if'. You need to trust me and Hyrule. You need to trust that we will make sure Mask recovers. Can you do that?" Warriors nodded in understanding, though the tears welling up in his eyes told a different story. Legend would never normally do this, especially not to Warriors, but… Whenever Mask was concerned, it seemed to be the only time the two could ever get along, and sometimes in his concern for the kid, Legend did things he wouldn't normally do; He pulled Warriors into a hug.

Warriors was taken aback by this, but returned the embrace, burying his face in the other hero's shoulder and just letting the tears fall. He really hoped Legend didn't mind this, but if he did, he'd just have to deal with it, because Warriors couldn't stop. Or at least until he suddenly heard a soft groan behind him. Warriors quickly pulled away from Legend, turning around to see Mask just beginning to stir. Bleary sapphire eyes opened, immediately coming to focus on Warriors.

"Dad…?"

"Hey, Sprite. How are you feeling?" Warriors asked, trying to hide the fact that he'd just been crying, internally cringing at the way his voice cracked at nearly every other word.

"Cold. Tired. What… What happened?" Mask asked. Warriors hesitated. He should have assumed the kid wouldn't remember what happened, but he wasn't sure he had the strength to tell him. How could he tell Mask what really happened when he could barely think about it himself?

"You… Passed out. You must have been exhausted, with you being sick and walking as much as we did today…" Legend told him. Not technically a lie, but a stretch of the truth that was probably easier for the kid's brain to handle right now.

"It's okay though. You're safe, Hyrule will be back with some medicine, and we'll ask Time if we can postpone the voyage to the next island, so you're free to stay here and recover properly. Okay?" Warriors said, putting a hand against his kid's (still warm) cheek. Mask nodded. He would have tried to argue, but felt too shitty to do so. He was so exhausted, and his body ached so much that he probably couldn't even get out of bed if he tried.

"Oh, that reminds me, I should go down and let Hyrule know Mask is awake." Legend got up and left the room quickly, knowing Warriors probably wanted a moment alone with his kid. Once he was gone, Mask spoke up again,

"I didn't just pass out, did I?" He asked suspiciously, "You were crying… You never cry unless it's really bad." Warriors let out a sigh. He should have known Mask would figure it out. He was a smart kid, very perceptive. Sometimes Warriors forgot just how perceptive.

"...No. You didn't just pass out. You…" Warriors paused, trying to figure out how to get the words out, "You had a seizure, Sprite. Legend and Hyrule think it might have been caused by the fever… As well as a lack of sleep." Warriors told him.

"O-Okay! Fine. I took the All-Night mask back and… I have been using it." Mask confessed, "But I didn't know this was going to happen, I swear!"

"I know. And I'm not mad at you, Sprite. Nobody knew this was going to happen. Honestly you scared me half to death tonight…"

"M'sorry." Mask muttered.

"Hey. Don't apologize. Like I said, nobody could have seen this coming. Except Twilight, in the last minute before you collapsed, but that's beside the point. I am not mad at you." Warriors said firmly, cradling his son's face in his hands, "Though I did confiscate the mask."

"And this is why we accept whatever people are offering you to cover up when you're sick and stuck outside in the rain," Warriors wanted to add, but held himself back. Mask didn't need a lecture right now. That could wait until he was all better.

"That's fair." Mask shrugged weakly. He was a little disappointed, but he knew it was probably for the best anyway. It hurt to use, and if it was going to cause him to get sick and have seizures due to sleep deprivation, he was better off without it. Mask felt awful, both physically, and for the pain he had put his dad, and Legend, and Hyrule, and whoever else witnessed it through. He knew they'd never accept his apology for it, but he still felt as if it were all his fault. Now he was going to be the reason the next leg of their journey would be postponed.

"Hey. Quit with that look. I know that look, you're trying to blame yourself for all this. You didn't choose to get sick. It just happens. And it could have happened to anyone. Hylia knows we're all absolutely awful at taking care of ourselves. It was just bad luck that it happened to be you. So stop blaming yourself for this, alright?" Warriors gave a small smile as he playfully booped Mask's nose. Mask couldn't help but smile back. Seeing him happy, even as sick as he was, made Warriors feel as if a massive weight the size of Ganon himself had been lifted off his chest. If even he could smile at a time like this, then there was no way things wouldn't get better.

"Is he still awake?" Hyrule suddenly asked from the doorway as he and Legend entered the room, the former holding a bottle of some dull green— almost pond scum green— liquid.

"Yeah, come on in." Warriors said.

"Let me take this… and I'll get some more cold water for ya, kiddo." Legend grabbed the now lukewarm cloth from Mask's head and ran back out while Hyrule approached the side of the bed, pulling the cork out of the bottle. Mask grimaced as the strong smell of… was that grass? The strong smell of what Mask imagined old, wet, rotting grass would smell like filled the room. He could assume that was the medicine Warriors had mentioned, and he was really hoping it wasn't the kind he had to drink. Just the sight of it made him want to throw up, again (he knew he had before because of the taste in his mouth when he woke up. Still probably better than what this medicine would taste like, though).

"Here, drink this. It'll help with the fever and all that." Hyrule tried to hand it to him, but Mask recoiled at the gesture, not wanting to take it from him.

"Mask. You need to drink it. Do you need me to help you?" Warriors asked.

"It smells like death!" Mask protested.

"Yes, but it's actually the opposite. This is going to help you feel better, I promise. You know I wouldn't be giving it to you if it wasn't going to help." Hyrule urged. Mask still refused, crinkling up his nose in disgust.

"Oh for the love of Nayru, Sprite…" Warriors sighed exasperatedly, snatching the bottle from Hyrule's hand, "Can you sit up?" He asked the child. Mask shook his head in refusal.

"Mask. Sit up. I'm gonna give you five seconds to cooperate, and then I'm going to have to use force." Warriors warned.

"Wars, don't—" Hyrule butted in nervously.

"I'm not actually going to hurt him, Rule! What kind of monster do you think I am? I'm his father, I love him, I could never hurt him. I just need him to drink this and sometimes the only way to overcome his stubbornness is—"

"I can't!" Mask whined. Tears were brimming his big sapphire eyes, face screwed up as if he were holding back a sob, "I can't sit up. H-Hurts to move… It… It hurts…!" At those words, the obvious sincerity painted so clearly on Mask's face, Warriors' frustration melted, replaced immediately with remorse.

"I… I'm sorry, Sprite. Here. I'll help you." Warriors said, slipping a hand underneath the child's back and gently pushing him to a sitting position. Hyrule moved the pillows behind him to prop him up. Warriors then carefully raised the bottle to the kid's mouth, but again Mask turned away.

"Mask, please… I need you to drink this. I know it smells awful and it probably tastes awful too, but it will make you feel better, I promise." He begged.

"I don't wanna—!" Mask argued. He felt fine other than the fever and the aching. Why couldn't he just sleep it off?

"You have to!" Warriors urged, a little harsher than he meant to.

"Why?! Why can't I just sleep this off?!" Mask yelled back.

"BECAUSE—!" Warriors started to scream back, before he caught himself, realizing that getting into a shouting match with his sick son wouldn't help anything, "Because I'm scared, Sprite. You are really sick, and… I don't want to risk you having another seizure, or something worse. I don't want to lose you, Mask. So please, I am begging you. Drink the medicine. Even if it tastes horrible, you have to drink it."

It wasn't often that his dad actually admitted to being scared. It was about as rare as him letting himself cry; only when things were really, really bad. Because of this, Mask decided to just suck it up and drink the very smelly contents of the bottle. He turned his head back towards his dad, opening his mouth just enough that he could pour the liquid in. Mask immediately wanted to spit it out. It tasted far worse than it smelled, indescribably bad. Still, he forced himself to swallow, praying that the taste would leave his mouth soon.

"I'm back." Legend announced as he returned to the room once again, cloth re-soaked with cold water, and came to sit on Mask's other side, "I talked to Time, told him what happened. He agrees that we should stay at least another day or two until Mask recovers."

"Good. I think we could all use the extra rest anyway." Warriors nodded in agreement. Legend turned his attention back to Mask, feeling his forehead again.

"Seems like the fever is going down. That's good. Still a little warm, though…" He commented. He gently placed the cloth over the kid's head again. Mask flinched at the initial coolness of it, but after a few seconds it started to feel good against his burning hot skin.

"Hyrule and I got him to drink the medicine, so it should be gone soon. Now all we gotta do is wait…" Warriors sighed, giving a small smile as he gently rubbed his thumb over Mask's cheek. Mask leaned into it, resting his head against his father's hand, eyes beginning to droop sleepily.

"We should let him sleep. A seizure can take a lot out of a person, especially a kid. Plus sleep is the best way for him to get over this sickness." Legend said, noticing this. Warriors nodded in agreement, moving the pillows back so Mask could lay down all the way.

"Sleep well, little Calf." Legend said as he and Hyrule were leaving the room. Mask suddenly reached out, grasping at the end of his father's scarf with what little strength he could muster.

"Can you stay with me? I don't… I don't want to be alone." He whimpered.

"I wasn't going anywhere, Sprite." Warriors promised, curling up on the bed next to his son, "I'm staying here as long as you need me to." He grabbed the child's tiny hand that was still clinging to the dark blue fabric of his scarf, just holding it in his.

"SAILOR! Stop! Don't you dare bother him!" Legend's voice rang out down the hall, coupled with the pitter-patter of little running footsteps, getting closer and closer until a second small figure darted into the room, flopping onto the bed on Mask's other side and promptly throwing his arms around the one he considered a little brother.

"Wind!" Warriors scolded, "What are you doing here?! Mask needs to rest, and you're going to get sick too if you stay here."

"I don't care if I get sick, it's not like we're leaving until he gets better anyway! I just don't want him to be alone!" Wind argued.

"S'okay dad. I don't mind." Mask whispered, half-asleep. Wind snuggled up closer, smiling at his brother's approval. Warriors had no argument. It wasn't like he could force Wind out now.

"Fine. But if you get sick too, that's on you."

"You could get sick too, dumbass." Wind countered, though the word dumbass held a tone of affection and playfulness more than rudeness.

"I'm his father, I get a pass since it’s my job to be here for him.”

“Yeah well, I’m his brother so it’s technically my job too! Unless you’d rather I didn’t care at all.”

“...Touche, sailor.”

“Can you shut up? I’m tryna sleep…” Mask grumbled.

“Sorry, Sprite. I’ll be quiet.” Warriors said quietly, “And you. If you’re gonna stay in here, you better get to sleep too.” He whispered as he poked Wind lightly. All he got in response was a snore, however. Damn, the kid fell asleep fast. Warriors doubted he’d sleep at all tonight, his nerves being far too shot from the events of this evening, but someone needed to keep an eye on Mask anyway. He was glad the two kids were sleeping soundly, however.

“Sweet dreams, Sprite. Sailor.” He whispered.

Also Wolfie cuddles because yes

[schlaggot]

OKAY you seem to want to hear more so i will provide :] i am so sorry the formatting is so fucct i wrote this in apple notes and pasted it here LMAO

PLEASE BEAR WITH ME ON THIS

philza is a god. this is a popular fan theory and i know a lot of people subscribe to this!! its very good. we also know wilbur and likely tommy are his biological children, and techno is adopted. heres where my headcanons come in! im putting it under a cut cuz its a lot

wilbur and tommy weren't born like normal humans were. they were created from something existing, as philza had the power to do so. but, said power was draining, and difficult to do. the way that zeus created athena from his head and dionysus from his thigh? thats how wilbur and tommy were born.

wilbur was born from a fish. PLEASE STICK WITH ME,,. phil had caught this fish in a bucket, intent on starting an aquarium in his hardcore world. he decided to name the first fish wilbur. it was just supposed to be a joke- a small aquarium in his base with a single fish. when he'd pass by to get materials he'd greet said fish. interact with it, feed it, talk to it when he was feeling particularly lonesome. then, something happened. he mightve broken the glass, something might've gone wrong with a creeper explosion- but the fish got out of the water, and there was no realistic way for philza to save it.

so, using his powers, he incorporated the fish into his body. id imagine it was either his chest (because he was so attached to this fish that he wanted it close to his heart) or his throat (so that it could finally have a voice to speak to him). using his power, he was able to (please dont kill me for using this term) 'birth' the child using his god powers. no i wont elaborate <3. this would explain wilbur's whole. um. fish theme. (i know milo and new milo arent canon but also please give me this. also sally.) wilbur was born with a voice meant to lead and comfort, a voice he didnt have before.

techno was a piglin from the nether. a baby piglin, training to become a piglin brute. when phil got to the nether, he found a baby piglin all alone. deciding to care for it wasn't really his first thought, but it was curious of him, and he'd see it every time he entered the nether. eventually, they started interacting. philza would bring it some food or gold from the overworld, and the piglin would give him small gofts in return. a broken sword, an ender pearl, a glass bottle- little things the baby piglin had found while scavenging. phil would realize after a bit that this piglin had been abandoned by the rest of its clan, and he figured he'd take care of the little guy when he'd see him. getting bolder, philza would eventually venture further into the nether. he'd come upon a bastion, and the piglins inside obviously weren't too happy about seeing someone from the overworld there. they attacked him, and funnily enough, this little piglin, brandishing a dull golden sword, tried to defend him. philza likely wouldve died without the little guy's help, so he decided to make a plan to bring the piglin to the overworld.

unfortunately, piglins do turn into zombies when they enter the overworld. its an unfortunate fact. and philza knew this. so, in order to stop this from happening, he gave the piglin a vial of his own blood. the blood of a god. it would keep him rejuvinated for awhile- but it came with an unfortunate side effect. if the piglin didn't consume the blood of a living being for long enough, he'd begin to rot, starting the process of becoming a zombie all over again. he could always recover from this if given blood fast enough, but once he was fully transformed, it would no longer be possible for him to recover. so, philza was thankful that this piglin had an innate instinct for killing. named him technoblade since he thought it sounded cool and fit the little piglin. taught him english, sparred with him, and provided him with enough blood to keep him healthy until techno could reliably hunt for himself. blood for the blood god

now, for the youngest. tommy was born from something not physical, but a song that philza and wilbur had come up with off the top of his head. wilbur was only 7 or 8 at the time, but had a talent for coming up with tunes that philza would hum throughout the day. one particularly nice one was actually a bit of an earworm. philza found himself humming it regularly, patting out the rhythm to it when he wasn't paying attention, and singing nonsense words in place of actual vocals when he was preoccupied with building. "what's the name of the song you sung the other day?" philza'd asked the young wilbur. wilbur hadn't named the songs he'd made before, and didn't quite understand what 'naming a song' meant.

"tommy!" he'd replied.

it was endearing, a human name for a tune he couldn't get out of his head.

it had him thinking for awhile. it took a lot of effort. a redstone contraption, noteblocks, a blank music disc he'd happened to procure from a creeper. wilbur's musical knowledge was especially handy when philza was trying to get the notes just right.

in the end, he'd created what he'd set out to- a recording of his son's song onto a music disc, named Tommy.

creating another life with it like the one he'd created before was even more difficult the second time around- but in the end he had a healthy baby son. tommy. tommy's discs aren't just some useless pieces of music- they're part of who he is.

[cottoncandyreaper]

((I really do love writing Red as a dad, it's so fluffy and just super fun to see him in that light))

"I got a work function event tonight honey, ya ain't goin with me and I ain't about to not go cuz you're cryin' so ya better figure out what to do about those tears before Uncle Grillby gets here."

"B-but I don't w-want you to go!"

"Baby bones you're dustin me darlin." He sighed.

It had just passed five months being on the surface, there were still rough patches between the humans and more deadly monsters but after acquiring a good job and settling in things seemed to have calmed at least for the skeleton family. Besides Winfred having separation anxiety recently it hadn't been so bad given that Red barely ever left her at home. It was either school or always with him...yeah, something he needed to work on for sure.

"Winfred go, let Daddy get ready baby bones and we'll talk before I go."

The crying only continued shaking her head reaching for him more.

"Oh man kiddo...what should I do with you honey?"

Scooping up his little human all he could do was coddle her swaying and rubbing her back. Little hands latched onto his clothes so tight while hiccuping with shakes hiding away in his neck.

"I won't be gone all night, I'll be back to tuck you into bed I promise."

"N-no!"

"No you don't want me to tuck you in?"

"N-no! D-don't go! Stay h-home D-Daddy!"

Leaning his skull against her head he shushed her gently moving to sit on the bed wrapping his arms more tightly around her hugging her as closely as he could.

"Breath Winfred...you're gonna get a head pain and then you really won't be happy."

The hard crying became a mix of hard choked sobs, coughing and whines. It took a good amount of time to calm her down when these panics hit but Red had gained a quick and effective method to deal with them. Nothing like being squeezed tight by your dad as he sways side to side humming your favorite lullaby. Little arms moved after a few quiet minutes drying stained cheeks and pushing messy red hair out of her face. The tension finally melted away as she leaned more comfortably into Red's frame laying her cheek on his shoulder twirling his shirt between her fingers as the final shaky breath was heard.

"Ya feelin better now baby bones?"

"....y-yeah..."

"Can we talk now without anymore cryin'?"

"Yeah."

He wanted to sit her up and have her look at him but some parental urge told him to keep on with the cuddles and nuzzles.

"This is the first time that my work is havin' a function for us. It won't be very long at all, two-maybe two in a half hours long tops. And you know I work really close to home and can be back super fast. So I need you to be good and hang out with Uncle grillby and make sure he behaves okay? I promise promise promise that I'll be home to tuck you in bed okay?"

She tensed up a bit whining but a reassured squeeze stopped it.

"O-okay...can I call you i-if I want too?"

"Yes you can. Uncle Grillby always has me on speed dial."

The nod was slow to be given but once he had it Red slowly eased his hold placing her on the ground as the booming voice of Grillby reverberate throughout the walls.

"Go get some snuggles from him Winfred and I'll be down in a second."

"Okay..."

Running phalanges through her crimson locks he noted that she looked so tired now that she might be asleep before he even got home as she pitter patted out the door closing it gently. This was at least a step in the direction needed to get the melt downs under control. Red knew he would manage, it would just be hard for a bit.

Later that night walking through the front door feeling more relaxed the moment he was home the scene he found melted his soul. Grillby leaned back in the couch propped up by a fist with Winfred curled up so nice and snug in his lap looking like a burrito in her favorite quilt.

"Damn, guess I missed tuck in time."

Not wanting to disturb the two he passed quietly back up to his room but kept his door open incase a certain baby bones decided to claim a spot in bed with him.

[butteraway]

when time runs out | iii

⋆ summary:  A young girl has fallen deeply ill with an unknown disease in her, so with all her free time spent in an empty hospital room, she spends it online playing video games. That's until she meets her cousins friends, one spiking her interest with his extremely vulgare language.

pairing: bakugou katsuki x reader

word count: 1.4k

warnings: none

authors note: I just wanna say thank you for the support on the recent chapters!! I think I'll also be able to post another chapter today to look out for that heheh

Y/N didn't know how long she had been up for, nor how long she had been looking at the white, bland wall in front of her, but one thing she knew was that she felt uncomfortable. For all her time that she had spent in the hospital, she never really paid much attention to her room, almost always on her console and computer.

Of course she did online classes every now and then, but that was just another distraction for her, if she was being honest. A distraction that would make her forget of her situation. It didn't make her feel at home, though living in a hospital wasn't very homey either. Y/N could only sigh as she slowly got up from her bed, stretching to loosen her tense muscles.

Popping her neck, she thought about her bedroom back at home, remembering how safe she felt then. Her soft bed, the stuffed animals that were given to her, the colorful walls-

An idea flashed into Y/N's head as she stopped scratching her cheek in thought. Grinning, she quickly walked towards the little microphone that sat in the corner of her room. Turning it on, she spoke into it.

"Hello? Doctor Receen? You there buddy?" She waited for a moment until she heard the cheerful voice of her doctor speak. "Hello Y/N! How are you today?"

Y/N grinned as she watched the once mirrors turn into windows, giving her access to see the doctor. She waved at him.

"Haha, I'm fine, just fine! I actually just wanna ask you something." Y/N chuckled nervously as Doctor Receen raised an eyebrow in question.

"And that would be?" Y/N shifted to fully face the window, smiling timidly as she shifted her weight on her left leg.

"I was just wondering..." Her voice trailed off, hesitant about what she wanted to ask. Playing with her fingers, she looked up and saw Doctor Receen giving her a smile, urging her to continue.

"I was wondering if I could p-paint my room? Cuz, like it's a little um, not roomy here? I just want to feel more at h-home, y'know? Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, it doesn't sound safe. Sorry, p-please forget what I said, it's nothing-" Right as she was about to put down the mic, she heard laughing fill up her room, eyes wide as she looked towards the man as he wiped his eyes.

"Y/N, you don't have to be nervous around me. We've known each other for almost 2 years." Y/N vigorously nodded her head as Receen chuckled at this.

"And about painting your room-" Y/N waited in anticipation of what he was going to say as he looked to be thinking about the question. He smiled as he looked back at the excited girl.

"I don't see any problem with it." The girl jumped as she cheered with happiness, making Doctor Receen laugh at her reaction.

"Though, we will have to run some tests on the paints so it might take a day or so to get you your things. But we'll just give you the equipment to get ready for your paint job." Y/N hadn't felt so much happiness in a while, besides that night she played with those guys online. And her strawberry cheesecake. She thanked the doctor and jumped around in her room quickly turning on the TV to put some music on.

Walking away from the girl's room, Doctor Receen headed towards his office, a grim expression on his face.

Doctor Receen rubbed his tired eyes, rolling the bottle that held the product of intense research done for the sick girl in her room. His eyes stared blankly at the open space in his office, thinking of how he should explain to the young girl's parents that his team and him had found a temporary way to let their daughter out into the world. A lot to take in, if you ask him.

He sighed, gently placing down the bottle of pills on his desk and reaching for his phone. He faltered though, unsure if the parents would even allow them to let her take the pills. He dialed their phone number though, waiting patiently as the line rang.

"Hello Doctor Receen? Has something happened?" Y/N's mother’s voice rang through the phone, urgently asking the dreaded question she didn't want the answer to.

"Good evening, Mrs. L/N. I hope you and your husband are doing well." Doctor Receen calmly greeted. Have to ease them in before breaking the news. The woman chuckled nervously, unsure where the conversation was heading.

"We're both doing well, thank you." The doctor hummed and slowly inhaled before letting it out. She heard this and a shiver went down her spine, only thinking the worst of what he was going to say.

"I am pleased to inform you that my team and I had finally found a way Y/N could go outside." There was a short silence, Doctor Receen running a hand through his black hair.

"What?" There was a tremble that came from the other line, not believing what he had just told her. Her baby could finally get out of that hospital and she'll be able to hold like she used too? That was impossible.

"H-how is that possible? Are you sure the way you found will work? How do you know if it works if you never tried it? Have you already? Oh my God please don't say you're lying!" Her frantic cries were heard loudly in Receen's ear, causing him to slightly move away from the phone. As he told the mother to calm down, he continued.

"Indeed we found a way for her to see the outside world. And as for knowing it works, we had specialists come and help us with the pills, meaning that there is a 97 percent chance they will work. That three percent is highly unlikely though, so you mustn't worry." M/N wasn't sure about what the doctor had said, but decided to trust him since after all, he had helped them so much already.

"Though, unfortunately, you know very well how much time she has left." A deafening silence sat in the air, making it seem as if time itself had stopped. The atmosphere was grave, almost depressing.

"I know." Her voice was so soft, so quiet, he almost didn't hear what she said if it weren't for the silence in the room. It hurt him to know how long Y/N had left until she...

"That is why I am asking for permission to allow Y/N to take the pills whenever she would like to go outside. There are only 15 pills since we had reached our deadline, but-" Receen was cut off by M/N, her voice shaking.

"How long do the pills last?"

"10 hours." M/N sighed in relief, a tear slipping out of her eye. It had taken a long time to finally create something so complicated and for it to last so long. She was overjoyed and extremely thankful.

"Thank you so much Doctor Receen. Thank you so much, Hiroki and I are forever in your debt." M/N sobbed, clutching her phone as the tears fell at a rapid pace. Doctor Receen smiled as she tried to hold back her choked sobs. He was happy for the family.

"Please Mrs. L/N, it's been such a pleasure helping your family. I could only hope we could've done more, but I hope you shall rest slightly more peacefully. But are we going to be able to allow Y/N to take the pills?" M/N vigorously nodded her head, forgetting that Receen couldn't see her.

"Oh! Yes, of course! But-" M/N paused, her thoughts getting doubtful. "Are there any bad side effects to taking the pills?" Receen was silent for a few seconds, pushing up his skewed glasses.

"She might be slightly dizzy when she first takes the pills and when the effects wear off. She also might be a little weak because of all the medicine in the pills, but besides that, nothing that we don’t know of." M/N let out a sigh of relief, a small smile stretching across her face.

"Thank you so much, Doctor. I can never be able to repay you for everything you've done for all of us." After a quick goodbye, Receen let out a sigh, rubbing his eyes again. Receen grinned, picking up the bottle and inspecting the pills inside.

"She took that in better than I expected. That's cool." Receen put the bottle in the pocket of his coat, and began walking away from his office, a slight skip in his steps.

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 24

first time reader click here

TWs/Summary: The party, finally. Nerds be nerds. They're all dorks tbh. Booze and partying. Clint is a disaster. Natasha is a queen. I beg for comments from y'all cuz I'm short on serotonin 🥺🥺🥺💚✨

This is a Spotify playlist I made for the first half of the party. Sets the mood 😌

The party was booming, the room was flooded with a large amount of people dressed in various extravagant outfits. It was enough to sweep my eyes over the crowd only once to take notice of the thought and money people had put into their outfits. I hardly noticed any cheesy "angel/devil" or "sexy cat" ensembles, my eyes caught on gemstones and feathers and floor-length gowns instead.

First Avenger to catch my eye was Thor - only because the people surrounding him barely held back from drooling. Hell, I did a spit-take: the usually graceless giant stood casually posted at one of the snack tables, wearing silver robes embroidered with tiny sparkling gemstones; a sleek, angular crown rested atop his head, his blonde hair was longer, lighter and straight. One look at his ears and the realisation struck me: Thor was Thranduil, the Elven king. It made sense since Peter had the thunderer hooked on the Lord of the Rings movies a couple of weeks ago...

Both Loki and Wanda cleaned up no less nicely. The Witch was wearing a midi dress, airy and soft, in pastel tones that brought out the natural rosiness of her cheeks and the scarlet undertones glimmering in the strands of her hair. Unlike me, she chose to wear a sparkling tiara, which Loki had created after a short debate - it was an intricate material illusion meant to last for at least ten hours.

Loki himself was a work of art: dark and macabre fantasy painting. I could barely tear my eyes away from the pale, tall man clad in dark green silks and brocade. The candlelight threw shadows on his angular face and his sharp cheekbones stood out more than ever: twenty minutes I spent on convincing him to let me put make-up on his face paid off spectacularly. Flickering lights toyed with the emeralds and forest greens of the shiny silk of his vest, giving Loki an ethereal glow. His eyes shone crimson red, making nearby people throw equally startled and appreciative looks.

As for myself, the stares I got were no more and no less than I expected. The dress I'd been aching to wear fit me perfectly, earthen tones, hand-embroidered blossoms and delicate golden threading. The layers of my skirt were just voluminous enough to give me the extra airy, floating walk, the medium-height platforms of my shoes lightening my step. The ropes securing them to my legs were decorated with flowers so delicate they looked real.

The peak of my outfit took an arm and a leg in bribery of the resident sorcerer-turned-vampire, but in the end, even Loki himself could hardly look away from his creation. An hour of research and some serious magic voodoo shit was what it took for the fluttering fairy wings to sit between my shoulder blades. I felt them as an extension of my own body, and whilst flying was definitely out of the question, I could flicker them and felt the delicate brush of Wanda's fingers as she admired the translucent, blue-green, marble-patterned sheen of pure, concentrated magic.

In hindsight, I should have simply bought a set of pre-made wings and asked Loki to enchant them to move on their own. Hindsight... I wasn't good at that. So, in this moment, with the wings syncing up with my jittery nerves, the shiny traitors shook with the force of stares directed at our little trio. There was an absurd amount of gorgeous people and breathtaking costumes, yet even then, we stood out like Mona Lisa in an indie art gallery. Muted 'woah's and 'oh-my-gods' traveled across the room, turning even more heads towards us.

"And you wanted to wear Walmart," I weakly chuckled in Wanda's direction, seeing her wide eyes and Loki's arm rapidly wrapping around her waist, catching her a brief moment before she stumbled. The trickster looked unimpressed and bored for all the world to see, but to me, the slight twitching of his eyebrow told me he wasn't feeling that much different from us girls either.

"Brother!" Thor gestured us over with a drink in each hand, parting the crowd of people easily.

Noah, et tu? I had no choice but to swallow my unease, hoping my concealer and highlighter did their job and my face hadn't lost the sublime glow I was aiming for. For a girl like me, the Fae aesthetic wasn't easily achieved: naturally, I wasn't innocent, I wasn't playful... However, I was mischievous. Plenty of that.

Spotting a semi-familiar face in the crowd of partygoers, I gave the man a lopsided grin and a wink without actually taking note of who he was. Tonight, I would be a fairy. I would play.

"King," Wanda mock-bowed with a laugh, carefully embracing Thor. Even Loki did a brief, composite left-handed tilt with a slight smirk.

"Where's the rest of the gang?" I giggled, immediately making grabby hands for the nearest brightly coloured, fruity concoction that fell into my eyesight. Being sober at a party was not something I had planned to be: first drink went down like water as Thor explained the whereabouts of our various friends.

"Steven and James are with Lady Natasha, there is a knife-throwing contest outside on the patio," As soon as those words left his mouth, Loki immediately perked up, not-so-subtly turning his torso towards the large open area.

"Go," I ushered him. "Win us something, good sir," With a chuckle of my own, I grabbed Wanda by the hand for both of us to give a chaste good luck kiss to each of Loki's cheeks. He smiled as I threw a tiny amount of sparkles at him, shouting "GOOD LUCK!" to his retreating back.

"Princess?" I heard a curious voice pipe up behind me, an arm carefully wrapping itself under my wings. Said arm jerked as the sensitive matter of my wings fluttered away from the touch, shivers running down my spine and making me shuffle in place awkwardly.

"Tickles," I breathed out, voice pitched.

Tony's utterly perplexed face came into view as he gave me an open-mouthed once-over. "Darling..." He cleared his throat. I had managed to rob Tony Stark of his words! "You look... Exquisite." His eyes critically surveyed the amount of make-up and glitter on my face before he lifted the inside of my wrist, touching his lips to the pulse point for two long seconds, stealing my breath away with the simple, intimate gesture. It was by far more powerful than having to get glitter out of his beard if he'd kissed me on the lips, or even on the cheek.

"Congratulations, you've caught a Fae," I grinned mischievously, my own eyes widening at the amount of tiny little details on Tony's costume. Delicate, moving clockwork gears and metals interwoven with dark brown, harsh leather; he wore a tophat decorated with a pair of glasses and both his arms and harnesses had moving details of polished, dull-grey chrome. It was unreal, like Tony had stepped out of a Steampunk graphic novel, like he'd just got done filming the Wild West movie. "Nerd," I affectionately brushed my fingers - glitter-free hand - along the handlebar mustache he'd grown out.

Tony spoke over Thor's laughter, pressing himself closer to me, this time careful around my wings. "Do I get to make a wish?"

"Don't be rude, Tony. The Fair Folk should be treated with politeness and respect," Bruce's amused voice signaled his arrival before I even saw him. His costume and Tony's complimented each other: whereas Tony the wngiy obviously was some sort of inventor, Bruce was a doctor, or perhaps, a chemist. Instead of moving gears, he had an array of brightly coloured vials attached to a gold-and-green embroidered belt, and a single monocle replaced his usual rectangular glasses. The scientist gallantly raised my palm to his lips, fighting a smile of his own. Utter nerds! "You're the most beautiful thing in this room, Princess. Everyone can't take their eyes off you," With that, a brief, bright flash of green blinked in his eyes and then I knew, Bruce and Hulk would be on my back, watching out for me wherever I would decide to go.

The knots in my back, in my stomach, slowly began to unwind, the feeling accelerated by the warmth of alcohol sitting low in my belly. I was happily sandwiched between my two men, chatting with Wanda and Thor, nibbling on the spooky treats that Tony's catering services had provided. They were delicious.

Sam appeared, dragging a flushed Clint in tow. The archer had evidently gotten well into his drinks, seeing as he was holding a horn in one hand whilst the other still barely held onto his head. Despite the costume fail, he seemed to be having the time of his life.

"We need glue," Sam announced, smiling in our direction. "Well, hello, ladies," Briefly, abandoning his bird bro, Sam kissed a giggling Wanda on the cheek and wrestled one of my hands from Tony to peck it, too. "My, my eyes have been so blessed!"

"What are you?" Wanda asked the man curiously, pointing at his... a sort of toga, brown leather shoes that looked more like hooves and a crown of... grapevine?

"Dionysus," Sam mock-bowed, "And this is my Pan. Who happens to be a lightweight and enjoys annoying witches that can throw knives with scary precision!" The man announced, annoyed, whilst Clint just drunkenly giggled as he was helped by Thor - the Asgardian-Elf was doing something to the archer's headdress and putting the wonky horn back in its place, hands steady despite Clint's swaying and squirming.

"Classy," I toasted Sam. "Who's the knife-throwing witch?"

"Natasha," He grabbed a drink of his own. "She went as Yennefer, both fossils are Witchers and Pietro is Jaskier. He looks like a proper court jester in that purple... Thing," The dark man was giggling, too, somewhat tipsy.

"The Ass of America could fit his sizeable rear end in leather pants? How much KY jelly did they use?" Tony snorted mockingly as all of us laughed. I remembered seeing an interview with Henry Cavill and his troubles regarding the leather pants - Tony's question was valid and you can fuckin' quote me on that.

"Man, don't ask me. I've already seen more than enough of him and Barnes in the supply closet," Sam winced, downing the remainder of his drink in one go.

"And what were you doing in the supply closet, Wilson?" Natasha was absolutely breathtaking in the black mesh dress. Pietro next to her looked like a masquerade attendee - in a good way. He had gone with the video game version of Jaskiers outfit and was a bright addition to or our mostly black and pastel coloured party.

Sam grumbled something unintelligible, striking a conversation with Pietro and Clint, pulling the rest of us into it one by one. People came by and went, saying their hellos and asking to take pictures - the party was attended by mostly SI and trusted SHIELD employees with the exception of a few B-level celebrities Tony knew personally, no press was allowed beyond their designated area so all of us could afford some degree of frivolity.

Steve and Bucky - oh my God their costumes were tight - shared kisses and heated glances over the tops of our heads. Bruce's hand snuck under the highest part of my skirt, caressing my legs and Tony's soft pecks on the top of my head filled me with the warmest sense of adoration. Loki, being the gentleman he was, had won both me and Wanda each a stuffed spider which we gracefully accepted, thanking the trickster with a dance.

Or three. Wanda went first, eyes sparkling and smile ten miles wide as she soaked up the admiration, the envious stares of the people in the room. The witch looked simply stunning, she was glowing, and Loki next to her shared the sentiment wholeheartedly - a small grin decorated his face, eyes kindest I'd ever seen them. In that moment, Wanda truly was a princess.

Three and a half drinks in, I swayed gently to the music, unbothered by the smile creeping on my face as I watched the two magical people dance and mingle. "You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey..." Singing along was a pesky habit of mine that manifested itself after a certain amount of liquor circulated through my system. It wasn't like I was a bad singer - my parents had made me take music classes until I was sixteen - but it was generally an embarrassing moment nonetheless. In that moment, I didn't give a damn. "You're as sweet as strawberry wine..." Trust Tony to pick the kind of music I actually knew and liked.

A flash of purple and my glass was snatched out of my hand and promptly downed. Shamelessly grinning, Pietro gave me a look with that cocky tilt of his lips, blonde hair in utter disarray. "That your work?" He nodded towards the dancing couple, giving the empty glass to Bruce who was now watching my swaying with a careful eye.

"My and Loki's," I replied dryly."Thank you," Pietro replied sincerely. "Wanda needed this," Briefly looking me over (fuckin' glitter! I was missing out on so many hugs!), the blonde settled on squeezing my hand between his own. "May I steal your lady for a dance?" He addressed Bruce, seeing as Tony was immersed in a conversation with some dude dressed as Marty from Back to The Future. IT department, maybe?

"You may, but no funny business," Bruce looked godly in his outfit with the stern expression: eyebrows drawn together, lips pursed and irises having just a tinge of green. Hulk watching me added an unexpected sort of spice to our interactions. It made me feel...

"Let's go, Printsesa," Pietro unceremoniously dragged me to the dancefloor, all but stomping over other people's feet, shoes, tails and various other accessories. Boys will be boys... And we danced, and we laughed - until Loki and Wanda floated over to us, promptly swapping partners with fluidity I didn't expect from either of the twins. I watched Pietro spin Wanda with a smile as the Witch shrieked and cursed at her overenthusiastic brother.

"How's it going, Lokes?" I addressed the resident vampire, placing an arm on his shoulders. Tall ass bastard.

"Better than I expected," He admitted. "Although I cannot say I appreciate intoxicated Midgardian males."

"Nobody likes drunk dudes," I rolled my eyes. "I've lost count how many faces I've punched and balls busted at parties. They just don't learn."

"Oh, indeed, you're a fighter, little one. How could have I forgotten?" Loki teased me, doing an elaborate twirl to narrowly avoid the slap I was aiming at his chest. Tall, cheeky bastard.

I definitely should have put salt in his tea sugar.

THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings  @vozit @littlegasps ​ @pilloclock ​ @shereadsinquiet @downeyreads ​ @hermione-grangers-wife ​ @individualistfem ​ @sleep-i-ness @capbrie @lillsxd @agustdowney @dee-vn @justanotherblonde23 @fanngirl19 @persephonehemingway @softie-socks @schemefrenzy @letsby @cutenessloading @romeo-the-cactus @jelly-fishy-babie

[18-fandoms-unite-08]

I didn't know I needed you until you needed me pt. 3

Pt. 1 ~ Pt. 2 ~ Pt. 3 ~ Pt. 4 ~ Pt. 5 ~ Pt. 6

Enjoy!!

~~

She scanned her surroundings, taking in everything and anything that could either be used for her gain, or against her.

"On my mark," The man said.

"Thalatha.. " The grip on her bow tightened.

"Athnan.. " She knocked in an arrow and aimed.

"Wahid!" The sound of the wind as the arrow sailed across the field was satisfying. It was even more satisfying when she heard a loud clang resonated through the open space. She grinned.

"Your aim has improved much in these last few months."

"Shukraan alsyd. " Anyone could visibly see that she was beeming with joy.

"I am glad to inform that your training is nearly complete."

"Where does the council suggest the order be rebuilt?"

"We, of the council, have sensed great dark magic in the city of Gotham. We advise you to start there. There is also a past holder settled there. They have offered their guidance, should the need for it arises."

"And when do I leave, alsyd?"

"Sunrise. In a weeks time."

"Very well."

~

Hushed voices could be heard from inside the room. For the untrained ears, they would not be able to have heard a word. However, to her, the conversation sounded as clear as glass.

"Will you follow her to Gotham?" She voiced it as if already knowing the answer.

"Unfortunately, this is where Nette's path and I part. I still have matters to attend in the other-realm."

"I understand."

At that, she stepped into the room.

"You're not going with me?" She asked both the occupants of the room, Félix and Kagami.

They both looked at each other before Kagami sighed and looked at her.

"Don't get us wrong, we really want to go with you, Mari-Hime. It's just... Mother wants me back in Japan. There is a family meeting. Fé... He has some... matters to settle in you-know-where. "

Mari nodded her head in understanding.

"Does the media believe what we told them that happened?"

"Well, some people didn't take it to well. Mainly Jagged and your parents. Luka also. Other than that, the world believes you dead."

"Good. Let's leave it at that. Easier for me to rebuild the Order. I can't keep living in the past" Marinette said.

Though it would seem as if she was metaphorically speaking, it was true. Félix had the power to time-jump and had brought her and Kagami into the past. Specifically, twenty years back. When the Order was still thriving. (See notes at the end for an explanation)

See, Félix was a past holder of old. Like, really really old. He was cursed to forever live on, witnessing those he loved die infront of him. The curse was brought as a side effect of abusing the magic of the rabbit miraculous. He had befriended Fu during his time finding a cure for the curse and had found out of Marinette through his last plea to help the girl before he died.

The reason Kagami was there too was because she had come to Marinette's aid when Tikki asked for help when she was severely injured during that last akuma attack. It helped that the both of them could pass as twins, minus the eyes of course.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

"Marinette, it is time for your afternoon meditation."

"Be there in a minute."

With that she faced Félix and Kagami once more and wished them both well before she headed out.

~

It had been five months. Five freaking months since the soulmate connection literally just vanished from existence. Though if he concentrated hard enough, it would sort of appear, he was still worried.

What the hell happened to her?

Damian was getting more worried as the days passed. Especially what he found during his search for his soulmate, Marinette. She was... proclaimed dead in Paris, though a body was never found.

Though he knew Marinette was still very much alive, it left him to ponder where she was and what was going on.

It was a week later when Damian finally sensed her again.

~

Marinette looked out the window of the plane. She had boarded about two hours ago, already having said goodbye to Kagami in Paris and Félix before he went to the other-realm.

Yes, she could have used Kaalki to get to Gotham, however that wouldn't be quite... legal and she hadn't wanted to cause any trouble. She was already in enough precaution since people technically thought her dead.

From inside her coat pocket, she could feel the slight tightening embrace of Tikki. Subtly trying to comfort her holder and tell her that everything would be alright.

Little did they both know that everything to come would be pretty... chaotic.

~~

Notes:

Félix Culpa was a past holder and due to him abusing the time/rabbit miraculous he was cursed to watch his loved ones die in front of him while he lived on forever immortal. He was old friends with Fu.

Kagami is there cuz Tikki asked her to help and she told her mom she was training in Tibet with some legendary Swords men.

Sooo, I tried. Hope you guys liked this!! Sorry this was a little (a lot) later than I promised, :(( it has been quite a tough few days and I wasn't in the mood to right. So sorry for those of you who have been waiting for so long.

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Tag list is still open! Sorry if I missed anyone!

---

All my fics are under the tag #18fandomsfics

[bigskydreaming]

How do you think the major DC/Batfam events would of happened if editorial hadn't stopped the DicKory wedding and they've just been a couple this whole time?

Oh god.

I don’t even know. But now I desperately WANT to know, and like, why has nobody ever written this story lmao nm we all know why.

But for starters, none of the stuff with Blockbuster, Tarantula, etc would have played out at ALL the same...assuming Dick was ever even IN Bludhaven, like, if he and Kory had married, why would they have left the Titans and not still been in New York, y’know? (Bonus! Dick never ever ever ever ever became a cop!)

But then too there’s the stuff that happened with Kory’s homeworld and her responsibilities to her people when they were refugees......no matter how much Dick had tying him to Earth at the time, this is not even just his girlfriend anymore, this is his WIFE, dealing with the potential end of her entire people....there’s NO way he’s gonna wait at home and expect her to go off and deal with that all on her own, he’s like no, I’m going with you, this is our ‘in sickness and health,’ let’s not argue about this when we could be using that time to travel instead, your people need us.

Jason’s return would have played out dramatically differently IMO, because as long as Dick was around and present in any capacity at the time, I think Dick would be in a LOT better place, a lot more centered here....and no matter how paranoid or pessimistic Bruce might have been about Jason at times, Dick would have had Kory there to counter that, and point out and remind him of all the things he loved about Jason, all the ways he KNEW Jason, no matter how much they both had changed....because Kory would remember that sweet kid who was so eager to go help the Titans save his big brother and she’d have just enough emotional distance and objectivity from her in-laws’ issues to be able to keep THAT image of him front and center and make sure to remind Dick of it too.

Ma’ri would likely have been born by the time Damian came along, assuming her birth happened around the same time most of the other OG Titans became parents, with Cerdian and the twins as well, and Lian already being a toddler....maybe even Jake might have been born by now too....

Which would have created a whole different dynamic as Damian would have been raised that year Bruce was gone by both Dick AND Kory, had a father figure AND a mother figure to compare not just his later relationship to Bruce to, but his relationship with Talia too as well.....not feeling as lacking or insecure by whatever choices Talia made in regards to him, assuming that most of the rest of DC events and choices other than Dick and Kory stay relatively the same and DC sucks at writing her. Its likely Damian never dies.

Before that point, again during the year Bruce was gone....things could have gone dramatically differently, smoother for the entire family just by virtue of Dick having Kory’s support and could bounce things off her as a sounding board the way he didn’t have anyone at the time.....the transition of Robin to Red Robin could have gone a lot smoother and with less resentment, Dick might have had the mental and emotional SPACE and presence of mind to be a lot more understanding of Tim’s insistence Bruce was alive instead of just focused on the pain he’d feel if he gave into temptation and believed Tim only to have those hopes crushed later down the line. Again, in this AU I’d posit that due to Dick and Kory never breaking up, Dick never grows distant from the Titans period, which makes it all the more likely they’d have remained a constant presence in his life at this time and he’d have been more willing and trusting about relying on them to help out in Gotham, because the way he did things wasn’t the way Bruce did things and that was always a strength in the past, they’re different men, they have different approaches and trying to do things the way the other did was NEVER going to work for Dick or be to his advantage.

All of which means Dick had help and OPTIONS for dealing with Jason and getting through to him, that is, if he wasn’t already closer because of how differently his initial return had gone down. Cass likely wouldn’t be in Hong Kong, because she’d have more reason to be around if it wasn’t just her and her brothers and Babs (who wasn’t even IN Gotham by that point). I’ve always headcanoned though that Cass and Kory would get along GREAT, and be really close, and again, if Ma’ri and potentially Jake are already born by that point, no way Aunt Cass is leaving her niece and nephew behind in this trying time in particular.

And then again, maybe Steph never died or was believed dead either, because War Games didn’t play out the same with Dick not in Bludhaven and with Kory’s potential intervention.

(Of course, by that line of thinking, its possible Tim was never fired as Robin and Jack Drake was never murdered and we’re just gonna gloss right over this here, see, because despite my frequent Tim Ire, he IS a part of this family, dammit, and no second rate sperm donor is gonna stand in the way of that, so whoops, in this AU Jack Drake tripped and fell down the stairs and like. He still died. Oh no, very sad, much regrets, Siri plz send flowers, end tweet.)

And then of course, eventually you get the next generation old enough that Ma’ri, Jake, Cerdian, Lian, the twins and a Robert Long from a parallel Earth who just dropped out of the sky one day because Who Cares and never left, like....are all bursting at the seams to start their own team and go out and have their own adventures, and Ma’ri turns on the Grayson charm to be like “Pleeeeease, Uncle Dami, enable us, please, it’ll piss off Grandpa Batty, and you know you love making him do the scrunchy face of doom, c’mooooooon, we just wanna borrow the Batplane for a little trip and we’ll bring it right back and wash it and everything, NOBODY HAS TO KNOW.” 

Kory, from the other room: I already know.

Ma’ri: Curses! Foiled by my lack of an indoor voice yet again.

Uncle Dami just winks at his niece though, in that way of his that isn’t actually a wink cuz he’s still Damian, and he doesn’t Do That, but he does twitch his eyebrow in a downward direction at least, and that’s basically the same thing, it totally counts: Don’t worry, Little Star. You had me at enable.

And just. Yeah. More of that. All of that. Selina and Bruce probably actually walk down the aisle at some point too, by the power invested in me Cuz I Said So.

In conclusion:

This would be amazing and excellent and DC sucketh for denying us it, The End, roll credits, and SCENE.

[neoarchipelago]

Her Teacher (Teacher!John Wick x Reader) part 4

A/N: ok… i'm like so pissed cuz I wrote this like 5 hundred times and I'm still not satisfied with it but hey. Here you have it my darlings it's short, not very good, so I apologise annnnd no real smut in this one...

Word count : 3 207 

Warnings: blood, light 18+ content, violence 

---------

The sun was barely visible in the sky when you opened your eyes. Looking at your side at the man sleeping, you smiled to yourself. You didn't entirely understand how things happened this quickly but you were in bliss at the moment. You watched him as he slept, his back shown to you. You took notice of the tattoo on his back and bit your lip. The way his toned back and tattoo made you feel was ridiculous. He was full of surprises. You were tempted to touch his back, to let your fingers run across his skin… where a few light scratches covered his shoulders. You blushed heavily, knowing exactly where did those come from. You let your eyes close for a few seconds, the tiredness getting the best of you once more. 

The sound of a phone ringing made you frown and moan. This was a rude way to wake up. However the strong arms you were wrapped in seemed even grumpier. You heard him groan as he lifted himself up on a arm to grab his phone on the nightstand. 

"Yes, Winston?" He let out in a husky voice. 

You smiled up at him as he glanced down at you. His features seem to soften, making you blush. 

"Today?" He asked, frowning again. 

Another pause while you cuddled up in his arms, hiding away your blush. 

"Alright. I'm on it." The last words were spoken in a hurry as he hung up. 

The phone was throne a bit harshly on the nightstand as John wrapped his arms around your body once more, making you giggle as he ducked down to plant light kisses on your neck. However the soft bite that followed changed the mood entirely, as you let out a soft moan. Another groan was let out by him as you shifted position. He was hovering over you, your legs around his waist and your arms wrapped around his neck. You were already both naked from the long night you spent and it was making the temperature rise quite quickly. He stared into your soul, making you drown into his deep brown eyes. 

"John…" his name rolled off your tongue as if it was always meant to be. 

You loved watching his reaction every time you spoke it out, the way his gaze seem to darken. Leaning down to kiss you, you let yourself lose yourself once more unto his touch. He pulled away making you moan in disappointment. You could see it in his eyes, how he wanted to pursue this to much deeper and enjoyable moments. But he was holding back. 

"(y/n)... I gotta get up…" he let out in a breath. 

You sulked a bit, acting cute. He smirked at your attempt to make him stay. 

"I really have to go. I have to... some things… to take care of." He added seriously. 

"Do you really have to go now?" You asked your voice still a bit sleepy. 

He seemed to ponder the idea for a few seconds. You used that moment of unawareness to beg one last time. 

"Don't leave before making love to me at least…" you let out in a soft whisper, looking at him directly. 

You were always mesmerized by the way you could see how he broke down to your pleading everytime. Like if something broke inside of him every time you asked for more of him. The reaction you were begging for didn't took long to show. 

"Wouldn't think of it…" 

His rough whisper made you shiver under him, as he kissed you once more, your tongues melting together as you pulled him closer to you. His rough hands ran across your skin, leaving a trail of fire behind, as your own hands tangled in his hair. You breath caught in your throat as one of his hands reached in between your legs. However the moan you let out mixed with the sound of another phone ringing. 

You mentally cursed whoever was calling you as John chuckled, unfortunately pulling away. 

"You're not gonna answer that?" He asked with a smirk. 

You shook your head. No. You didn't want to answer that. 

"No.." you let out in a whine. 

He chuckled once more, leaning back down to kiss you. But he was unreachable once more. He pulled back, just a few inches. 

"I'm not going to fuck you right now…" he whispered looking into your eyes. Making you breathless. 

"You're gonna have to wait until I come back." He added.  "And you are not allowed to touch yourself, unless I allow you to." He finished in a tone that left no room for discussion. 

You whined, but you knew it was pointless. 

"Yes sir…" you simply let out, feeling a bit breathless. 

He kissed you once more making you melt one last time. You felt cold when he got up from the bed. You watched him as he got dressed, noticing the amount of scars on his skin, making you wonder how some of them were even possible. He glanced back at you, as you faked a pout. He sat on the edge of the bed, letting his hand run through your hair. You heart was drowning in the amount of feelings this man made you feel. You watched as he grabbed your phone. 

"Code princess." 

You blushed at the pet name but complied, showing him the code to unlock your phone.

"Your friend Leia called you." He let out as he typed something on your phone. 

"I'll call her back after." You said, snuggling your blanket and curling closer to him. 

He threw you a side glance as he paused for a second, before turning back to your phone. You wanted to giggle and melt away like a child but refrained from acting like that in front of him. His phone buzzed and he put down your phone, checking his. 

"When will you be back? Do you think… we can see each other again this weekend?" You asked, not wanting to ask for too much either. 

"I don't know princess… I'll try my best. I'll text you, okay?" 

You nodded before sitting up suddenly as he stood up. 

"But I don't have your-" 

" Yes you do." He let out in a smirk. 

You gasped, before he leant down, kissing you one last time. 

"See you later princess." 

"See you…" 

And just like that he was gone. 

The silence that filled the room was almost suffocating. You still felt like your body was burning up. The memory of his hands touching your skin was slowly making you wetter. You wanted to touch yourself, relieve at least a bit of the tension he built inside you, but playing his game was much more tempting. And as if he could read your mind, your phone buzzed, with a message sent from him. 

'Don't touch yourself.' 

You giggled and decided to obey nicely, getting up instead of lingering in your tempting bed, where his smell seemed to trap you into a land of dreams and memory you didn't want to leave. Putting on an oversized shirt and just some panties you decided to take a breakfast before running a bath. You felt too hungry at the moment. 

While you poured yourself a cup of coffee and grabbed some toast, a knock was heard at the door of your small apartment. Little time had passed since John left and you wondered if he had left something. You glanced around the room frowning and walked to the door. As you opened it you froze in place, and almost choked on the piece of toast you were chewing. 

"T-Tommy?" You called out. 

The boy smiled up at you as you tried to hide your confusion. It was maybe 9 am, and you weren't used to see him come to your house, uninvited. 

"Hey there sunshine!" He rang, in his usual good mood. 

You tried to smile as he pushed passed you to walk in. You closed the door and walked behind him. 

You followed him into your small kitchen where he sat in one of the chairs of your small round table. 

"What brings you here? Did something happen with Leia?" You wondered truly confused with the situation. 

"Oh, no. I just wanted to check up on you, you know? Wanted to see how you've been." 

You smiled up at him, finding back that feeling of a brother's affection in his words. He had always been protective of you and Leia like this and you truly found it adorable. Growing up you didn't have any siblings and Tom had always played that part in your life. 

"I'm fine. I've been much better lately, thank you for worrying tommy…" you spoke out, before taking a sip of your coffee. 

"I'm glad, bunny." 

You giggled at the pet name. He always seemed to find new weird or cute pet names to call you. 

"Yo, you got that book… hum … you know from that English dude who writes theater?" He asked making you giggle again. 

"Romeo and Juliet, from Shakespeare tommy." You let out in an amused tone. 

"Yes, that! For my English literature class" he added in a smirk. 

"Yes sure it's in my room, on one of the book shelves" you said while standing up. 

"Wait, I'll go, eat your breakfast little mouse." 

You chuckled once more as he stood up, throwing you a wink. You sighed, sitting back down as you watched him disappear into your room. Grabbing your phone, you pondered on the idea of sending John a message. You missed him already, but you didn't want to bother him if he was busy. The sound of Tommy's voice brought you out of your dilemma, as you put your phone down again.

"Did you have a sleepover?" He asked, a smirk on his face yet a small frown. 

You felt your blood run cold for a second. You were sure your face had whitened at the question, as your mind raced over what could have possibly gave him this idea. 

"H-hum… no, not really..." you said, trying to smile away your sudden panic. 

He stared at you for a second before smiling. You shivered at the sight. It wasn't a warm smile, it felt… cold. Something inside you was screaming that this wasn't a safe situation anymore. Trying to change the subject and the mood you spoke out. 

"Do you want some coffee tommy?" You asked, rising from your chair and walking to one of your cupboards.

"No. Thanks." His tone was empty, yet the smile hadn't left his lips.

"Some toast? Orange juice?" You added. 

"I want to know the fucking truth." 

You glanced at him in shock. His smile was gone and he was looking at you angrily. 

"Excuse me?" You added, frowning. 

"I want to know who you been fucking with?" He spoke coldly. 

"Tom!" You half-yelled. 

Fear started rushing through you as you felt tiny under his angry and cold stare. He took a step forward, and you could suddenly hear your heart pounding in your ears. 

"Your room stinks of that fucker's perfume." 

What? You frowned. He smelt John's cologne? On your sheets? You could feel yourself getting sick at the thought. 

"I-I don't think it's any of your business…" you let out, trying to sound brave. 

He let out a cold snicker, as he looked down at the book in his hands. He turned around, and slammed the cup of coffee on the table, sending it crashing against the wall. You let out a yelp, now fully scared. You were expecting him to turn to you, but he simply walked out of the room, and you heard the front door slam shut, making you jump in the process. The tears blurring your eyes as you tried to process what just happened. Trying to figure out how did the the situation took such a dark tone. You wondered if he would come back, and adrenaline ran through you as you rushed to your front door to lock it. Letting yourself fall down, your back against the now secured door, you tried to catch your breath as you sat on the ground. How of breath from the panic you looked around your empty apartment and you wished John was still here. 

----

"Hello?" 

The voice was shaky and John frowned. 

"(Y/n). Is everything ok?" He immediately asked. 

The small moment of hesitation made him worry. 

"Hum… y-yeah… it's just… I've had a rough morning" you tried to finish in a chuckle. 

John didn't buy it once. You voice sounded hoarse, like you had been crying. John was already having a bad feeling. 

"Have you been crying?" He asked, his tone revealing a bit too much the growing anger inside him. 

Again. The silence that followed only made it worse.

"A bit.. yes." You couldn't lie. Not about this. 

John closed his eyes, anger and worry rushing furiously through him. 

"What happened?" He asked. 

Every second of silence that fell before you answered made John want to rush back to your house. 

"Can.. can we talk about it when you'll be here?" You pleaded. 

John set his mind immediately. 

"Yes, I'll be here tomorrow night, don't stay alone. Call your friend over. Alright?" 

"Hm hm." You agreed. 

"Hey baby girl. I'll be there soon. Alright?" 

"Alright…" 

Hanging up, John changed his attitude immediately. Suddenly, he felt extremely annoyed he had to take care of this job. His goal was to finish it as soon as possible and go back to you. The thought of someone hurting you… he closed his eyes for a second. Loading his gun, he didn't wait another second before starting his job.

His moves were angrier than usual. Faster. They were set to kill, and to kill as fast as possible. His focus didn't falter. Yet he was messy. This time there was much more important to do.

----

You looked at your phone after John hung up. He had somehow immediately noticed something was up. Sighing you still did your best to do as he advised. Looking down at Leia's missed called you decided to call her back, and maybe propose some sort of actual sleepover with her. 

You were glad she immediately accepted. You tried your best to keep your mind of the morning's events. Cleaning up the house and studying all day, you did your best to keep your mind busy. 

The sun slowly vanished from the blue sky, and you knew Leia would soon get home. You had prepared your room for the perfect sleepover. Fluffy blankets and pillows and a movie on a small projector. Snacks and of course, you had ordered pizza. 

You just wanted to enjoy the night and forget about the 'tommy' incident. But things weren't exactly your side. It was such a shame. You were so happy to hear the door ring. Jumping on your feet you ran to the door. But as soon as your eyes landed on Leia's red eyes. You knew something was up. 

"Leia? Honey… what's wrong?" You asked, pulling her inside softly and closing the door behind you. 

Grabbing her bag, you both walked into the bedroom and sat on the bed. 

"(y/n)... You don't even know…" your sweet friend whimpered. 

Grabbing her hand in yours, you tried to calm her down. 

"Hey, tell me, what's going on?" You asked, truly worried. 

"It's tom…" 

You felt your heart jump for a second. Did she know? Squeezing her hand, you tried to look as calm as possible. 

"He..he went out this morning… and...when he came home, he was so angry. He yelled at everyone at home… he broke a lot of stuff in his room… and then he left..." 

The tears were falling from her eyes, and you pulled her in for a hug. Should you tell her? The behavior of her brother was entirely your fault. You couldn't hide this from her. 

"Leia… this morning…" you said pulling away, and looking down at your hands. 

Wiping her tears she frowned looking at you. 

"(y/n)... What's wrong?" She asked. 

"He passed by my house this morning. Everything was ok until… I mean… Last night… I wasn't alone. And I don't know how, but he figured it out, and got furious. He was rude and smashed a cup in the kitchen. I-I'm sorry… It's my fault…" you stuttered. 

"W-what? N-no… it's his fault! You two are not together… you never even showed him any interest…"

"I-I know… I was just as confused as you… and… I didn't even know how to react…" you let out. 

"Wait...what do you mean? You weren't alone?" She asked, curiosity getting the best of her. 

You blushed heavily. The conversation was definitely taking  another turn when Leia sent you a knowing look. 

"Oh my god! You need to tell me!" Her excited tone made you smile. At least you could make her forget her sadness. 

"I don't know… If I can tell you yet…" you said, blushing a bit. 

"It's ok… we don't need to go over the details." 

You both laughed. Eventually the conversation grew over your new 'secret lover' like you both decided to call him. You obviously did your best not to give any hints on the possible person. The pizzas arrived and you were glad you asked Leia to come. She made you forget the trouble that seemed to loom over you. After choosing a movie, a comedy, you threw on the fluffy blanket, and enjoyed the show. You both laughed and eventually fell asleep. 

But something felt odd. Your mind raced over the events in the morning. You felt like Tom was only starting to be a problem. And you didn't even know how would John react to it. 

----

Blood was dripping from his hand. Looking around at the bodies laying on the ground, John felt slightly less angry. He walked out of the building by the back door and got in his car. Looking at his watch, he chose not to send you a message. You were probably sleeping and he wanted to clean up first. He wanted to look normal for you. Thinking back to your tone during his phone call John frowned. He wondered what could have possibly made you feel like this. 

His grip tightened on the steering wheel. Yes. He had to make it to your house as soon as possible. 

----

In the shadow of the night, a lonely soul stands against a tree. The darkness of the night hiding his features. But anyone could have seen the dark look he kept sending towards a single window of the building he stood in front of. His hands roughly tightening around a book. The title known to many, as the love story inspired so many lonely souls. But Romeo and Juliet had always been more of a tragedy than a perfect love story. A perfect illustration of love, blood and death. 

The boy grinned sheepishly to himself.

"Love is heavy and light, bright and dark, hot and cold, asleep… and awake, it's everything except what is is…" 

Yes. Romeo and juliet were known to many... and sometimes even love sparks darkness. 

----

Tags: @thatbemyhouse @magdazwolska @crystalchrysalis19 @mblaqgi @lowkyvoid @fanficsrusz @lunilate @faralasunita @cap-just-said-language @lovelypapug

[girltomboy]

crying with my whole heart rn... my bf has been staying up entire nights and sleeping all day like waking up at midnight etc. and i just want to spend normal time with him again instead of going to bed at 5... and i feel like he doesn't love me anymore even tho he says it i dunno we don't interact when we video call cuz he plays video games, he doesn't like to play with me so i haven't asked him to in a long time... the last time he told me he was in game i was like "well why don't you say so" and i went online too but not because i wanted him to play with me but bcz i wanted to play too but had forgotten... and he immediately replied "NO i won't get in a match with you" then gave me some excuse and i was like it's cool don't play with me then when i went online he sent me like 10 chats telling me "go away go away go away go away" like... i already knew u don't like playing with me and i already said i don't want to so there was absolutely no need for that. and since then i haven't played with him and he hasn't said anything either. so i just watch him play something else or when we're both online we mind our own matches and don't even mention playing together :/ and i just feel far from him rn i wish i could see him soon but it's like... this is another problem he's so lazy and careless about everything including our relationship... he doesn't check our uni website to see what he has to do next about his dorm, he doesn't care at all he doesn't try at all . it makes me super scared and unsafe for the next year and the future in general. i NEVER in my life thought i'd ever reach this point... where i'm just crying in bed in the dark missing a person who doesn't seem to care about anything in this life anything at all. i mean... it's not like i haven't experienced this before. crying in bed in the dark this has been my specialty but not over a person like this... had to reach this low too i guess for character development or whatever. i wish i was still in touch with adele but i'm not even in touch with my best friend currently. my friends barely go on discord anymore nowadays... when we do it gets awkward after a while. he used to leave discord and call me instead ... he used to tell me cute things he used to send me text kisses and pics of himself and n****s sometimes and memes daily and tag me in cute posts on ig ... i really hope i'm just pmsing cuz i'm overthinking like mad and i tried to go on fb but everything i see makes me cry. i was just thinking this weekend about how i hadn't cried in a long time but here we are now. i'm really empty i want to talk to him about this but i don't want him to think i'm overbearing or ruining his fun... just wish he would take better care of himself and do something else sometimes idk. take a walk or put stuff in order for uni if he really wants to reapply. inform himself or just something else that isn't sitting down and playing video games for over 24 hours at a time :(