#(dee is NOT happy when she finds out but for now what she doesn't know wont hurt her)

[dennisboobs]

i habve been drawding icky vicky

[discordiansamba]

katara finds zuko tucked away in the corner of the villa, curled up in on himself. he's clutching his head, and visibly flinches when she draws closer. katara stops in her tracks, even backing up a few steps.

he's terrified of her- and she can't even blame him.

they should have known azula would have tried something like this. that she would lie to him. she just doesn't understand how she could do this. she tries to think about sokka becoming a different person, and it makes her shudder. she can't imagine asking for it herself. and then making him become her servant?

she doesn't think she'll ever understand azula.

"lee," katara keeps her voice quiet, "-i'm not going to hurt you."

zuko shakes his head. he doesn't look at her.

katara sighs, and sits down. zuko somehow manages to force himself more into the corner. it was beyond surreal to see him like this. it had been beyond surreal the entire time. she'd really rather he go back to yelling at her and calling her a water tribe peasant. she could deal with that.

"listen," katara says, "-I know this is scary, and I know what Azula told you, but none if it's true. the only thing I want to do is help you."

zuko looks up at her. he asks her why they've locked him up here if that's really true. why keep me prisoner if all you want to do is help me? katara bites her lip. he has a point, but... he's made it obvious that he'll run if he gets the chance. she can't blame him for that either. he doesn't know any better.

zuko is completely convinced he's lee. he's spent two years caught in a web of lies, enforced as much by innocent bystanders who have only ever known him as lee as it was by lan-wei. he'd built a life for himself in ba sing se as lee. he'd been... genuinely happy there, she thinks. and it's enough to almost, almost make her try and convince iroh to just let him live like this. to just be lee.

she doesn't think zuko was ever happy.

it's funny. she's spent so long resenting him for his betrayal at ba sing se. but these past few months, and getting to know him as lee... she thinks she's ended up with a better understanding of zuko than she's ever had before. she doesn't think he deserves to endure azula's constant mockery of him, but... a nice, peaceful life at the ba sing se tea shop.

but it wouldn't be right.

katara took the chance while he was unconscious to check out his brain. she'd spent weeks after the war, systematically freeing the brainwashed joo dees. it had been a struggle at first, but once she'd found the rhythm, she'd practically been able to do it in her sleep. she'd already known lee would be different, but...

...it had been worse than she'd thought. so much worse.

they were so, so lucky she'd found zuko when she did. a year or two from now? she didn't even know if water from the spirit oasis would be enough to save him. there wouldn't be a zuko anymore. he'd just... become lee. completely and utterly. he already was lee, completely and utterly... but they still had a chance.

the window of opportunity was very much closing.

"please, katara," zuko says, "-I just want to go home."

he doesn't even know this villa belongs to his family. iroh told her that they had many happy memories in this place- memories that zuko has forgotten entirely. no, not forgotten. just... locked away. inaccessible. she sighs.

"lee," she says, "-i know this isn't going to be easy to hear. but you need to the truth. all i'm asking is that you listen."

"what?" lee spits. "you're going to tell me I'm brainwashed again? I know who I am, katara."

"no," katara says, "-you don't."

[riality-check]

1.

There were scissors, once. Maybe. She thinks.

That time, the In-Between, has always been kinda nebulous. Floaty, like smog. No substance, like the colored fluff she’s sometimes seen topsiders take bites of.

Why the people with air decided to pay stupid money to eat it, she’ll never understand.

What was she talking about again? 

Oh, the In-Between. The maybe-scissors.

She remembers something sharp coming towards her, and then she bit on something like a carrot, ‘cept it was warmer and tasted way worse, and then there was yelling and red and her head hit the wall, but that didn’t really matter, did it? She had more than a few screws loose, and trying to tighten them was like using a staple gun instead of a screwdriver. Didn’t work all that well for how loud and painful it was. Might as well let all those loose screws rattle around up there. Might be the only thing loud enough to drown Them out.

No more scissors in the In-Between after that. Not that she remembers. She’s just going by the length of her hair.

2.

The scissors Before were dull. Vander - back when he wasn’t rotting with the rest, thankfully he’s not one of her ghosts - used to swear when he had to use them. She used to peek out from under the bowl he put on her head, and he’d laugh but swear again when he realized the whole haircut was crooked.

She made it crooked. Because she couldn’t listen.

Maybe that should have been the first sign.

But that was before actions had consequences that went boom and meant blood. That was when all her fuck-ups could be fixed by going to Vi, who had hands like Vander’s - big, brawny, bruised, lotta other b-words - but actually had the dexterity to braid the long, choppy parts back.

3.

Soon After, Jinx gets used to her name, and she gets frustrated with her hair.

It’s longer than it’s ever been, mostly evened out from the last crooked bowl cut she got from Before - the last one she’d ever get, which, hey, she can’t fuck those up anymore, one less thing, whoop dee doo - and it falls into her face ever time she hunches over something with her tools.

She does a lot of that. Focusing on something that Silco needs her to do, something that grinds and squeals in time with the screaming music she blasts is the only thing to make Them quiet.

They’ve been quiet, her ghosts, for a few days. Jinx knows better by now than to think they’ll be quiet forever. They always come back like they never will.

When her hair flops into her face again, she screams. She shoves everything off her bench and hunts viciously for a pair of scissors.

She doesn’t find any. Instead, she grabs a pocket knife. It’s from After, from now, and it doesn't matter that she can’t remember if Silco gave it to her or if it was a begrudging castaway from Sevika or one of the others. All that matters is that it’s sharp. It’ll be quick. Quicker than the Before cuts. And then she can get back to work. Back to good noise.

She holds it up to the first hunk of hair she can grab, about to cut it, about to do something actually useful, something that works for once, shut up They’re back shut up-

And then Jinx catches sight of herself in the mirror.

Faces flicker: hers, now, angry and wide-eyed and twisted into something painful, very nearing animal, and that girl from Before’s. Young. Happy. With hair the length Jinx was just about to cut hers to.

The faces will keep flickering if the knife has its way. She can’t put the knife down. The faces keep flickering, back and forth so fast Jinx can’t tell which one of them is crying.

The door of her workshop opens, and without thinking, she hurls the knife toward the sound.

She pretends she hears it stick in the door and not clatter uselessly to the floor.

“You know, you really should look as you throw it if you want it to do anything.”

This voice, not one of Theirs, gives her the strength to tear away from the mirror.

Silco straightens from where he’s picked up the pocket knife. He wipes it delicately on the leg of his trousers and flips it once, twice in his hand.

Jinx braces herself. She’s seen this sort of leadup before, watching from rafters in places she’s not supposed to be but are so easy to climb, knows it’s only a matter of time before he releases that knife aimed right at her.

She hopes he’ll miss on purpose. He does that sometimes, just to scare people. It’s funny. When it isn’t her.

But the knife never comes. Somewhere along the way, she closed her eyes, and she opens, them, startled, at the clatter of the sheathed knife on her workbench.

She follows the line of Silco’s open hand up to his face.

“Would you like to tell me why you threw that at me, Jinx?” he asks softly.

He’s the only person besides the ghosts when they’re mean and sister-not-sister, that makes her name sound natural. He uses it often. It sounds like a curse-not-curse.

Like me, she sometimes thinks.

“My hair,” she says because he doesn’t like liars.

A furrow appears between his brows. “Could you not cut it?”

Jinx knows Pow-the girl and not herself, thank you very much, ladies and gents, will be staring back if she glances in the mirror.

She turns away from it.

“No.”

“Would you like me to-” Silco starts as he picks the knife back up.

Jinx can only think of the In-Between, the maybe-scissors, the taste of iron on her baby teeth. She slams her hand down onto Silco’s, on top of the knife.

He stares at her. His left eye is cloudy. He should fix that soon. Jinx would do it, assuming she’s allowed to keep her hands after this.

She gulps and tries not to glance down at her painted nails, how much she’d miss having those.

Silco raises his eyebrows. Jinx puts her hands into her lap.

“Well,” he says, leaving the knife on the workbench and peering down at her. “It seems we’re at an impasse. If you can’t cut it, and you won’t allow me to, then-”

“I need,” Jinx begins, but her words are as scrambled as the screws in her head. “I need it back, out, not gone, because she had it gone, I need it-”

She didn’t have that way, not really, and it’s the only thing she can think of to make it go away so she can work and it can be loud-good-quiet again, please don’t come back please do-

“Braided,” she finally lands on. It’s right, and she feels bile rise up in her throat. She swallows it back down and looks up at Silco.

He looks satisfied by her answer. “So braid it.”

“I can’t. I don’t know how.”

Before, back when sister-Vi-not-sister did it, that girl never learned. She was happy. Helpless. Dependent.

No wonder I keep seeing her face in the mirror, Jinx thinks, barely keeping back a giggle. None of that has changed.

A stool rattles as it’s wheeled behind her. She glances up in the mirror, sees Silco’s face over her shoulder. That’s good. If she keeps her eyes on him, the faces don’t flicker.

The music is still loud enough to drown Them out, but not so loud she can’t hear him if he talks.

“I’ll try,” is all he says before he neatly parts her hair down the middle. His hands are cold like his voice, but his grip is light like his breathing.

Jinx waits far too long, staring at his focused face in the mirror, before not even that helps with the faces. They switch in and out again like candle flame moves, and it’s only a matter of time before one-both-neither-who-cares starts crying again. She grabs a small box on the bench, props some childish mechanical trinket on top of it so she doesn’t have to tilt her head down, and takes it apart to have something to do with her hands and her eyes.

She works. If it wasn’t for his breathing, she wouldn’t know Silco was even behind her. He moves slowly, never speaking, and never tugs once.

(Before, Vi-not-sister would sometimes get frustrated when that girl would mess with her, and she’d tug on purpose. The girl would smack her back, and that was usually the end of it.)

It feels like forever between the longer hair and the glacial speed. Jinx takes apart three little toys and sorts their parts by size and function when Silco finally speaks again.

“How is that?”

She looks up in the mirror. 

The faces stop flickering.

She just sees herself with her hair bound back into two long braids just past her shoulders.

They’re a little loose toward the front, where her hair is shorter, but she can deal with that just fine.

She can work. She’s herself.

She’s Jinx, everybody. Hell yeah.

She spins on her stool and wraps her arms around Silco’s waist just like she did that first time, when she was smaller. (Contrary to how he looks, he really is great to hug. Solid. Safe.)

Silco’s arms settle around her after a beat. He doesn’t let go until she pulls back.

“I’ll get you the new model tonight,” she says, because now she can work and think and focus and wow her hands need something to do right now and she might as well be productive with her hair out of her face and the energy and the drive-

“Anything else?” Silco asks, already rising.

“Nope,” she says, popping the p, already focused on figuring out how to make things work.

That’s something that girl from Before could never manage.

She’s already turned back to her prototype by the time she hears him shut the door on his way out.

Only then does it occur to her to dry her tears.

4.

By the time Jinx lowers Silco into the water, he hasn’t touched her hair in years.

He braided it a lot when she was young, when she still had to learn by watching because he never talked as he did it. Always so focused. So smart, she had to admit, despite him being a liar, but he needed all of his brain to braid her hair.

To be fair, it was a lot of hair.

He never tugged, and it never hurt, and no matter how exactly she mimicked the deftness of his fingers, she could never match that painlessness.

As he sinks, she gives one of her floor-length braids a little tug. Better get used to it now. Scissors and cutting it are a no-go, yessir, thanks so much but she’ll pass on wanting to stab someone on instinct instead of meaning to.

Just the braids now. And, as she pulls herself out of the water, Jinx reminds herself that without Silco, they’re always going to hurt to do.

Read it on AO3 if you'd like as well!

[meeludrawz]

SO I RECENTLY FINISHED READING "Sooner or Later you're gonna be mine" by Staringback on A03

Since A03 keeps refusing to let me in, I downloaded it as an Epub to read it on my kobo

Anyways, for the one who knows, it was sadly unfinished And my brain thought about some headcanons of what happens next >:3 The hc's under the cut (I tried to follow the story as much as I could)

After Sans learns that Frisk is Asgore and Toriel's "prisoner", he gets fucking pissed, because why wouldn't he? Jerry then reminds him that he can't fight them on his own

So Sans goes back to his home in Fell City, with Grillby, and tells Wingdings about it

He doesn't have any other choice but to go to sleep for his plan, to fully gain his magic back. (Wingdings promised him he could kill both Goats if HE WENT TO SLEEP) Sans of course despised to go to sleep while his little lady was captured but he knew better than to piss his older brother

Next morning, he teleports to his home in Surface City and deals with the angry humans who tried to kidnap/interrogate Papyrus

Sans and Pap then go back to Fell City to get his older bro

Before leaving, Wingdings has fun torturing and FINALLY killing Grillby (because THAT'S WHAT HE FUCKING DESERVE)

The three Gaster brothers, Sans, Pap and Wings teleports right into the Dreemurrs home and fight the Goat couple to save Frisk!

Undyne, Asgore's guard, decides at the very last moment to join Frisk's side

Alphys is unable to fight due to her asthma but still helps Undyne and Frisk escape this hell of a house while the skeletons and the goats fight

Even thought the fight was difficult, the skeleton brothers won

Sans was really fucking pissed and disgusted when he learned that Frisk had to act like the goat couple's child. So he killed them. No MERCY (They deserve it too)

Wingdings then completely has control over Fell City and now, no one will stop him from taking control over Surface City

It will take time before the plan would be a success

For now, Frisk, after telling Sans about Whisk/Burgerpants, they save the kitty

Whisk and Tops/Nice cream guy eventually become a couple again :D They'd also move in Surface City

After longs days of rest, because they CLEARLY deserved it, Frisk and Sans get their official date

Over months or years, Wingding's territory in Surface City gets bigger and bigger. He still works for Don Dee but that's only a matter of time >:)

After lots and lots of dates later, Sans and Frisk gets married. And now she lives with the Gaster brothers. In the beginning, they all find it weird but hey, it makes the house lively so they don't mind

Frisk is pregnant! It wasn't planned but Sans and her are still happy about it!

Sometimes when Sans looks at Frisk's round belly, he regrets not having been able to save her from her ex. He still thinks that maybe he could have saved the baby and Frisk before Derek (her ex) causes de "miscarriage"...

Welp, and then they lived happily ever after! I guess? I ran out of ideas but I sill really love the ideas that I got And I really really had to share those hcs to get em out of my head

[rubykgrant]

I don't have the energy to draw them, but; RVB couple ideas that intrigue me-

Tucker and Carolina; at some point she realizes she's into him and decides to express this interest by just sitting in his lap one day while they're waiting for a pizza or something. his whole thought process is "WHAT IS HAPPENING, I'm scared, I'm aroused, I'm SCAROUSED, wait hold on- Carolina is objectively hot and cool, plus I respect her, but also fear her, NOT NOW BONER". Carolina kinda started by thinking "You're stupid. I like that in a man", but it actually clicked for her because when Tucker doesn't try so hard, he's genuinely funny and charming~

Church and Sarge; Blood Gulch solidarity, but also Sarge's whole deal is "His anger issues have captivated me". he LOVES a man with an attitude problem, and Church has like... 20 different attitudes, and they've all got their own problems. meanwhile, Church realized he's got a captive audience for his rants, somebody who will always "Yes, AND" with him, and finds it extremely funny the way all the others act like their divorced step-dads started dating each other and complain out of embarrassment. oh, but then he finds out Sarge is very doting, so this is a legit relationship now

Kai and Kimball; very much started as a "Hey president lady, you need to unwind~" kinda thing, and while they don't get especially serious, they really do enjoy each other's company. Kai makes her laugh, and Kimball will tell her about lots of interesting topics. now every time Kai is in range of Chorus, she drops by to encourage the people to party (who needs a temple!), and helps Kimball relax. All the people who work with Kimball are initially intimidated, because Kai flirts with them too??? Grif wants to complain about how obnoxious his sister is, but he can't deny that Kimball is happy, so he tries to be very mature and supportive

Gary and Santa; nobody knows how the heck this started or WHY, but now it goes like this-

Gary; Would you like to hear a joke?

Santa; I fail to see the relevance, but very well

Gary; Knock-knock

Santa; Who's there?

Gary; A little old lady

Santa; A little old lady who?

Gary; I didn't know you could yodel, ay-liddel-oh-lay-dee-hoo

Santa; I see. The question was formed in such a way that when I repeated it, I involuntarily spoke words that sound similar to a form of singing, thus creating pun

Gary; Yep

Santa; Fascinating. More than just humor, these deceptive riddle of yours require thinking in unconventional ways, which only make sense after a reveal

Gary; Yep

Santa; Tell me more of these jokes

[kayhi808]

Krewe of Boo

Written for Mandy's Sweater Weather Challenge by @she-likesorchids

I used an autumn activity - Halloween with Bucky Barnes. Please enjoy.

*moodboard photos from Pinterest.

Bucky is leaning in the bathroom doorway watching you get ready for the Krewe of Boo Halloween Parade. "I thought we weren't going??"

"Uh, YOU didn't want to go. I'm going." Leaning back from the mirror to study your placement of glitter and crystals on your face. "Just because you don't want to go, I have to stay home??" You look at him like he's crazy. "Besides, I told Sarah & the boys I'd meet them. Sam has been invited to ride the owner's float." You move past him into the bedroom to put on your rabbit ears.

"Who are you supposed to be?"

Frowning, "I'm the White Rabbit," you slip on your coat tails jacket with pocket watch. "We're doing Alice in Wonderland. Sarah is the Queen of Hearts. We tried to get Cass & AJ to go as Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum, but they weren't having it."

"I don't think the White Rabbit wore shorts."

"The White Rabbit is sometimes pantless. Would you prefer that?" You start unbuttoning your shorts. Bucky glares at you & you laugh, unintimidated. You shrug, "I don't know what time I'll be home. But before midnight. I love you." You give him a kiss & leave.

*****

"Throw me Somethin', Monsta!"

The crowds, both adults and kids alike chant this, as the floats roll pass. Beads, candy, doubloons & trinkets are thrown out at the crowds. The colors and sounds are over whelming, but you can't help but get caught up in the crowd's enthusiasm. You, Sarah & the boys are having fun. AJ & Cass met up with a few of their friends, so the bunch of you are singing and dancing & having fun.

*****

Bucky said he didn't want to go, but not 30 minutes after you left, he got up to look for you. He tells himself he just wants to be sure you're safe. It was easy to find you, so he just leaned up against the building to keep an eye on you.

He smiles to himself watching your antics with the boys. He doesn't know how he got so lucky. You love him so freely even when he's difficult to love. Sam's family has adopted him as one of their own. He's become another uncle to Sam's nephews. From having nothing and no one, he's really found a home in New Orleans.

******

You're dancing with Sarah to the music when you feel hands on your hips. You stop dancing to turn, thinking someone needed you to move out of their way. An unfamiliar voice in your ear says, "Keep dancing, baby."

You look up into the face of a pale doughy stranger. You frown, placing you hand in the middle of his chest, pushing him firmly back. "Stop." His hands drop from your waist, and you turn back to Sarah & the kids. You know the man hasn't left because Sarah is glaring over your shoulders. That glare runs in the family because she reminds you so much of Sam in this moment. She grabs your hand and pulls you closer to her.

"Hey, Dollface." Now, that voice you recognize. You turn seeing Bucky glaring down at the man. "Sorry I'm late. Who's your new friend?" Bucky purposely steps into the man's personal space. He hitches his left shoulder & the man's eye drops down to Bucky's Vibranium arm.

"He's not our friend."

"Look man, I wasn't looking for trouble." He holds his hands up in surrender & quickly backs up into the crowd.

You step into Bucky's arms, "I thought you didn't want to come." Bucky just shrugs and places a kiss on your lips that makes you crave more. You pinch his arm knowing he's being a tease. He dramatically flinches & gives Sarah & the kids a wave. AJ runs up to Bucky to touch his metal arm. He's always so fascinated by it. He proceeds to tell Bucky about everything he saw tonight.

Sam pulls up on the next float and you guys go CRAZY for him!! Sam is a total goofball, playing up to the crowds. "Throw me somethin', Monsta!" The chant is deafening for Captain America.

Sam sees you all in the crowd and you can't mistake the happiness. He gives a surprised look to see Bucky in the crowd with you and you laugh and feel Bucky's arm around your waist squeeze you tighter. Sam sends a bunch of beads and candies your way.

Later, as you and Bucky walk home, he's adorned in beads and stickers all along his vibranium arm with a heart filled with love.

Bucky Barnes Masterlist

[cryptids-of-spielzeit]

Candles

Present 3: Sharing

(A Marching Hare Story)

For the past month leading to her 5th birthday, Charlotte had been preparing for when the Marching Hare would return. She invited everyone she knew, pretty much the entire town, to the party. Now, the reason why everyone was invited wasn't given to them, they just saw it as a gesture of goodwill. But Charlotte had something in mind, something that she'd show everyone, and hopefully, they'd join in.

Susan and Grant had been helping their daughter prepare for the party, getting the cake ordered, making the decorations, the like, while Dee had handed out the invites. Everything was coming up nicely.

The day before the party, most of everything had been set up. The cake had been completed, sealed up tight, and their yard was adorned with streamers and brightly colored lights. There was only one more thing that was needed. A gift.

Charlotte had gotten a piece of construction paper and a marker, and went to work. She had her mother make sure it was readable, it was important for the receiver of the gift to understand. She spent all night trying to find the right words, what to write down. And, finally, with a finishing touch, the gift was ready.

It was the day of the party. A majority of the town was there, all the kids that could make it were there, they were playing, and all the parents talked amongst themselves. Susan was the only one still out of the loop, even after the night she returned home she still had no clue what this "birthday bunny" was, and why everyone else seemed to take it at face value.

"Oh, it's just a little thing the kids made, I believe."

"Are you sure? They all take it so seriously."

"Well of course they do, mein freunde, what child doesn't?"

Susan took a moment to reflect. Why question this, it's just kids being kids, after all. But why go through so much effort, inviting all of these people, just for something made up? Why not, if everyone has a good time?

Charlotte was anticipating his arrival every second she was there. She had her gift for him in hand, never letting it go, even when playing with the others. She was optimistic, why wouldn't he show up? It was her birthday, he had to.

She waited. An hour passed, no sign, lunch had been served. She waited. 2 hours, no sign, all the games had been played. She waited. 3 hours, no sign. All there was left were cake and presents. Her optimism withered with each hour. If he didn't show before the party was done, then what was the point.

"Alright honey, do you want to do cake or presents first?"

"Cake, please. Just in case he arrives."

"Alright, Charlotte, go and sit at the table. Daddy and I will light the candles."

She took her seat in front of the cake, 5 long, rainbow candles adorned it.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, all were lit up.

"Alright everyone, are you ready? 🎵 Happy bir-"

A loud clang was heard in the distance, silencing everyone. Another clang, and another, the faintest sound of static alongside them.

"HE'S HERE! MOMMY, DADDY, DEE, EVERYONE HE'S HERE!"

Indeed, he was. The Marching Hare, there for everyone to see. As he took his steps, he started to notice just how many people were there. So many, just to celebrate that little girl's birthday. The static almost sounded like giggling. He marched only a tiny bit quicker, before finally stopping right in front of everyone. All but the children stood in shock. The parents couldn't believe it, Susan especially. He was real.

It had a great, big pinecone in its mouth, dropping it. He bowed, slowly starting to turn around.

"WAIT!"

Charlotte cried out, stopping the Hsre in its tracks. She stepped down from her chair and walked over to him, her gift in hand.

"Can you read, Mr. Bunny?"

He nodded slowly, tilting his head in confusion. She handed him the gift, a note.

"Dear Mr. Bunny. When you first visited, I was very happy. And when you visited everyone else, you made them happy. You gave all of us gifts, but you didn't get anything. I want to fix that. I don't know when your birthday is, so all of our birthdays are yours too. And presents are included. Thank you, Mr. Bunny.

From Charlotte Reed"

And below, a little drawing of the Hare, a big smile on his face. A tear started to form on his beady eyes. The static was increasing in intensity, he wanted to say something. After a bit, he managed to get it out, as warbled as it was.

"T̸h̶a̷n̵k̶.̴.̶.̷.̶y̷o̷u̴.̷.̸.̴.̶ "

He put the note in his mouth, and then marched away. Charlotte walked back to the cake, blowing her candles, the pinecone in hand. Everyone turned around, clapping as one would at any other birthday party. Charlotte, with a few tears of her own, stood in.her seat, shouting.

"Happy birthday, Mr. Bunny!"

Bunzo giggled. He'd be getting really old, wouldn't he? A few more tears wouldn't hurt.

[crashdevlin]

Losses and Gains 5- Messages

Author’s Note: This is the fifth chapter of Losses and Gains, the second part of To Have it All. This is Something More...from Jensen's side!

Summary: Songs can convey messages...and sometimes they convey the exact one Jensen wants conveyed.

Pairing:  Jensen x Reader, background Reader x Tom Hiddleston

Word count: 3191

Story Warnings: open marriage, mentions of depression and heartbreak, bad things, alcohol as a crutch, anger, fighting, mentions of divorce

~~~

Drunk on set is not a good look for anybody, but sobbing on set isn't a good look either, and I knew I had to numb the pain in my heart to get through a workday. Having seen Y/n with Tom on the Late Show and in several red carpet interviews where he didn't let his hand stray from her lower back, it proved that Y/n and Tom were going to last. They were stuck on each other, and I lost her.

I got bitter with Danneel again pretty quickly. As soon as she mentioned my drinking, I stopped holding it back.

"So, what, you're gonna take away my liquor like you took away Y/n? I'm not allowed to have anything I want?"

Dee scoffed loudly. "I didn't take Y/n away from you! She chose to leave you to find happ-"

"She left because you were a bitch, and you made her feel cheap and used when I made her feel appreciated and loved, and now she's with a guy that holds her hand and touches her possessively on red carpets, and you drove her there because you got jealous of her when it wasn't-"

"You fell in love, and she was ruining everything! I was within my rights to put her in her place and-"

"I never should have let you meet! You ruined everything. I ruined everything. She did nothing, but you ran her off, and that's not okay!"

"No, she was a complete angel who did nothing but steal you from your wife."

"She didn't steal me! You gave me away! You encouraged me to be with-"

"I gave you what you wanted! And, ya know what, I'll give you what you want now, too," she said before hanging up on me. I was too hammered to be worried about what that might mean.

Gino messaged me a couple of days later. What did you do? Why is D talking to a lawyer?

Shit.

There was no positive thinking my way out of this. Danneel was going to divorce me. Y/n was happy with Tom. I had fucked myself out of everything good in my life. So I doubled down on my drinking.

Jared must've gotten worried when I stopped answering the phone. I mean, it died, I didn't charge it, so there was no way to answer his calls or texts. I was busy with my scotch anyway. He came by the condo, used the spare key I gave him before Y/n even moved in, and picked me up off the floor in my bathroom. How I ended up there is a mystery for Glenlivet and me.

"Jesus, Ackles. What have you done to yourself?"

"Doesn'even madder, man. Nuffin madders."

Jared sighed, a sad understanding in his eyes as he set me on the edge of the tub and kneeled in front of me. "What happened?"

"Danneel’s done. Y/n's done. I'm done. Nothin' madders."

"What, the show doesn't matter? The fans don’t matter? I don't matter?"

"I didn't say-" I started to argue as his phone beeped with a message. He grabbed me a glass of water and handed it to me.

"You've fucked everything up, but that doesn't mean you get to fuck my stuff up. You're gonna sober the hell up and get dressed, and we're gonna go to work, Jensen, because when you're down this low, you have to find something to fight for. It's not Dee or Y/n, so let it be me. Let it be your kids. Let it be your goddamn dog if you need. But you're gonna find something…" His words trailed off as he pulled out his phone. "...to fight for. Gimme a second. Drink that," he said, pointing at the water as he dialed a number and walked a few feet away.

I strained to hear him, curious about what could steal his attention from me at that moment. "You okay?” he asked quietly. “What’s wrong? What’s the problem?”

“Whossat?” I asked, cringing a bit at how slurred the words were.

“Doesn’t matter, dude. Drink your water.” Jared snapped, looking over his shoulder at me as I tried to stand. He turned his attention back to the phone, and his tone softened a little. “You better not hang up on me. I have time and energy enough for both of you. Tell me what’s wrong.”

He doesn't talk to a lot of people like that. Firm, supportive, brotherly. I knew it was her. I needed another drink, and water wasn't going to do the trick. “Okay. I understand that. Where are you right now?” he asked. I imagined she responded that she was in London or somewhere far away with Tom. Far away from me, from Jared, from anyone...and she seemed to be having trouble too. But not me-trouble...her-trouble, brain-trouble. I used to be the one who'd help her.

“Did you talk to him?” Jared asked as I picked up the bottle from where it rolled under the sink. He pulled the phone away from his ear when he noticed me. “Damn it, Jensen, put down the scotch.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Padalecki. I’m fine.” It was a lie, but who cares?

“We have to be on set in three hours, and you need to sober the fuck up.” That was the truth, though. Unfortunately. Jared turned his attention back to her, and I set the bottle on the bathroom vanity. “Sorry about that. Have you talked to him?” He nodded as I ran warm water and splashed my face. “Okay. How have you been sleeping?”

He listened to her answer, nodding. “You're not drinking, are you?” Jared cleared his throat, seeming purposely to avoid looking at me. “Not anything? When’s the last time you hit the gym? You know that can help a lot.”

He nodded as I took a drink of my water. I contemplated a sandwich or a bagel as he adjusted the phone. "Look, I know that hotel has an on-site gym. Get some sweats on and go jump on an elliptical.”

By the way he smiled, I knew that she’d agreed. He was good at making people take care of themselves. I looked down at the water in my hand and took a drink.

“You know that you can call me anytime you need me.” She said something that made him look over at me. “Yeah. Hey, are you going to be making it to Toronto?”

I scoffed and stood. “She’s not gonna be there when we’re there, Padalecki. You’re not gonna get to see her. Nobody gets time with her except Loki.”

Jared gave me a look between tired and sad and kept looking at me as I leaned against the sink and took another drink of water. “Is there any possibility that I can convince you to stick around and have lunch with me on Sunday?” I was eager to know what she’d say, so I leaned a bit toward him. I couldn’t hear the words, but I knew she responded that she’d have to ask Tom. “Well, come on…he doesn’t own you, Y/n. If you want to see me on a Sunday, you should be able just to do that.” Jared sounded just as irritated with that answer as I was. He sighed and adjusted his beanie. “Okay. Feel better. Text me when you know if you can make it to lunch. Bye.”

I cleared my throat and left the bathroom, heading for the kitchen to get myself something to soak up the whiskey. “Trouble in paradise?” I asked, pulling open the fridge as Jared followed me.

“It’s none of your business. You need to focus on your own trouble.”

“Right. Which trouble is that gonna be?” I grabbed a takeout container from the diner I ordered from three days before and tossed it in the microwave without looking at the food. “The fact that Danneel is gonna divorce me? The fact that I can’t go a day without crying lately? The fact that I’m ruining your life too, just by being attached to you? Which trouble should I focus on?”

“Danneel is gonna divorce you because you couldn’t get your head out of your ass.”

I shrugged. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter.”

His eyebrows went up. “It doesn’t matter? It doesn’t matter that your wife is going to divorce you?”

I shook my head. “Nah. I’m too tired for this shit.”

“You’re too tired? To fight for your marriage?”

“I’m too tired to fight for any-fucking-thing.” The microwave beeped as it reached 0, and I pulled out the pancake breakfast. “I’m just physically and emotionally exhausted, Jared.”

He scoffed and scratched his eyebrow. “This is the stupidest shit you’ve ever said, man. You need to fix this.”

I nodded and flipped open the takeout container. “Yeah. Would’ve been easier before all this shit.”

“Yeah, probably, but you gotta think of your kids and your future. Y/n isn’t part of that anymore. Dee…well, she might not be either, but you gotta make things easier. Do me a favor, Ackles…if you have to drink, do it on the off days…and less hard liquor. You might be Dean Winchester, but you don’t have his plot armor liver, right?”

I scoffed and nodded. “Yeah, okay. Beer, it is.”

“Thank you,” he said, and then he hugged me. Jared’s got magic hugs…and I almost felt better for a few minutes.

Just for a few.

~~~

<<Are you singing for Toronto?

I stared down at my phone for a while. It was a perfectly normal question that Steve Norton asked before every convention. Am I singing for the Saturday Night Special? Used to fill me with apprehension, then with giddiness, now though…sadness. I used to get up and listen to Y/n. I used to sing with her. We used to have the time of our lives backstage and then head to my damn hotel to make love. What was I supposed to do?

But Y/n was going to be there. She always was. She loves singing…and I could at least listen to her and get lost in some memories of the better times…and maybe I could get a message across in the meantime. Maybe I could use Saturday Night Special to get her to understand how much pain I was really feeling…in a gentle way. In a way that wouldn’t hurt her. In a way that said I was hurting, but I was gonna be okay. Maybe.

>>Yeah. I’ll sing one.

I kept tabs on her through Twitter and stuff for Friday. She seemed good. She seemed happy. She always seemed happy. I had to wonder how much of that was bullshit, though, because she had just been on the phone to Jared less than two weeks ago. She was just having troubles bad enough to call on the moose. But she did the karaoke, and she took pictures in the green room, and she smiled and laughed with the fans at her panel. She seemed put together.

I wasn’t even close, but I put some concealer on under my eyes and gel in my hair. I put on a leather jacket, and I went to SNS. I made a point to stay by the door so I could see her when she arrived, but Jason pulled me away to talk about something completely insignificant that completely distracted me, and I barely noticed when she walked in. Rob walked up to confirm what I was singing, and I acted like I had hardly thought about it.

“I dunno. I’m not really feelin’ upbeat music. Want somethin’ powerful, painful. So, no ‘Whipping Post’ or anything Eagles or whatnot. I’m thinking…Johnny Cash’s cover of ‘Hurt’.”

Rob nodded. “Sure. We can pull the acoustic out. I think that’ll sound awesome. You, uh, you doin’ okay, though?”

I smiled as bright as I could. “I’m great, Rob. It’s gonna be an amazing show.”

Rob smiled back and turned to look at Y/n, and I couldn’t ignore her anymore. She was standing just ten feet away, and she had to have been listening to us. “Y/n, are you gonna do ‘Gunpowder and Lead’?” he asked.

“No. I-I told Stephen a week ago that I was doing ‘Dead Flowers,” she squeaked. She was stumbling over her words and singing a depressing song. She was all out of sorts. For some reason, seeing it up close made me feel a bit better. She wasn’t happy…and that meant I didn’t have to work to maintain her happiness. I didn’t have to let her be happy with Tom because she wasn’t fucking happy.

I looked away, angry with myself for even thinking that shit. It’d be petty to rub it in her face. It’d be shitty.

“Oh, yeah! Sorry. I forgot. It’s on the setlist and everything. Shit.”

“It’s cool. There’s a reason there’s a setlist,” Y/n said with an awkward smile. Rob just nodded and walked away, leaving Y/n and me just standing there. “Well, this is gonna be a depressing set. Swain should cover it with ‘Mama’s Jam’ or something.” Her trying to break the tension made me wanna have a big ol’ glass of Jack, so I walked away toward the plastic folding table they set up a makeshift wet bar on. I had just gotten there and was about to pick up a Solo cup when I heard, “Don’t drink.” I could almost feel her forcing herself to say the words; the way she spoke was so apprehensive and sad. I set my hands flat on the table, forcing myself to stay turned in the opposite direction, facing away from her where I couldn’t see her face, and she couldn’t see mine. “It’s not helping you.”

“That’s not any of your fucking business now, is it?” I spat out in a kneejerk reaction. But it gave me a chance to remember that I’d told Jared I would lay off the whiskey. I grabbed a beer from the cooler next to the table and walked away to let the others distract me.

The night went by pretty easily, but then Y/n got up on stage. ‘Dead Flowers’. “I feel like the flowers in this vase…They’re sittin’ in a vase, but now they’re dead. Dead flowers.” Shit. I felt that in my soul. The worst part was that I could tell that she felt it in her soul, too. She wasn’t happy. She missed me. She felt like dead flowers, so why wasn’t she coming back?!

Was it too complicated now? Was she still scared that Dee was leaving because fuck, that was already pretty much a done deal? Was she afraid of the backlash if she left him? Was he just…better even if he made her sad?

Her voice started wavering in the second verse, but that’s when the band came in hard, so they covered her for the audience…but not for me. Not for Kim or Bri. Everyone could tell that she had wrapped herself up in her emotions, and it was hitting her. As soon as she got down from the stage, Kim and Briana ran over to be with her. They took no time holding her and whispering to her. It made things a little better for me because I couldn’t comfort her, not that I was in a comforting mindset in the first place, but they could. She still had other members of the Family that would lift her, even when Jared wasn’t around. That was good…and it meant that there would be support for her when I got up there and sent my message.

Looking out at the audience as Rob grabbed his acoustic and stepped to the side, I saw a sea of people who just adored everything about me. Of course, none of them knew the mess I was underneath the mask, under the smile and the makeup and the leather jacket. Fuck, some of them would have adored me more if they knew I was falling apart. They would have loved the emotional honesty of the thing…and maybe that’s why so many of them went star-eyed when I started in on those painful lyrics. “I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel. I focus on the pain, the only thing that’s real.”

I put every ounce of my emotion into those words. Every drop of misery and heartache into “And you could have it all, my empire of dirt. I will let you down. I will make you hurt.” because I wanted her to feel it. I wanted her to know. I wasn’t drinking to put some guilt trip on her. I wasn’t drinking to help me. I was drinking because I had to…because it was the only way.

I waved at the fans, gave a slight bow to them to show my thanks, and then I slowly descended the stage area. Y/n was frantically wiping at her eyes. Her cheeks were wet, and she had obviously been bawling by the puffiness and redness in the whites of her eyes. She got the message. She felt it. Good.

~~~

“So, you got the chance to see her tonight, right?” Jared barely greeted me on the phone call before he jumped into the hard stuff. “Are you okay?”

“She’s not okay. Jared, she’s not happy.”

I could hear him sigh. “She said she’s-”

“She’s lying!” I insisted.

“How do you know?”

“Because I know her!” I rubbed my eye and licked my lips, feeling guilty about snapping at him. “I know her, and she isn’t okay. She’s singing about dead flowers and crying…and she called you a few days ago so I know you know she’s not-”

“She was having a bad day. She’s allowed.”

I rolled my eyes. “No, she wasn’t having a bad day. She’s having a bad life, but she knows she made her choice. She’s not happy. She’s not-”

“What do you expect to do about it? Like you said, she made her choice. Did she give any indication that she regretted making that choice?”

I shook my head and sat on the edge of my hotel bed. “No. But…come on, Jared. You know this doesn’t sit right. You know she’s not happy.”

“I know that she’s had a few low moments, but that doesn’t mean she’s not happy. I have low moments, too.”

“It’s not the same.”

“How exactly is it different?”

“I…I don’t know, but it’s different. This isn’t…Jared, just…when you see her tomorrow, fix it. Make her tell you what’s actually wrong.”

“I’m not going to make her do anything. But I’ll figure out if she’s okay and do what I can to help her. That’s the best I can promise.”

“Guess that’ll have to do.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Right.” I hung up and flopped backward on the bed. I stared at the ceiling for a few moments before I let my eyes close.

[dee-in-the-box]

okay screw it, i'm doing it anyway

so, my friends, get ready for my AU Version of Blackjack. or, as he is also known:

The Physical Manifestation of The Tragedy of The Kennedy Siblings.

so, to give you an idea of how that ended up being one of his titles, let me go step-by-step with this:

when Jack first died, Blackjack first formed as a skin and bones, pale purple dog. he looked small too, like he was also not a full grown dog, either. yet another odd thing about him: his eyes were entirely white, and he had similar white tear tracks falling down his face. he looked...uncanny, to say the least.

he hung around Fredbear's for a little bit and ran into Dee. upon learning about what had happened to her, he grew angry. really angry. sure, Jack had checked the camera footage before he died and saw Henry leading her to the back, and thus had a clue of what happened...but now he knew for sure. and not only that, he knows details of what that SADISTIC FUCK did to his dear sister.

and he was pissed.

as more and more murders piled up over the years, Blackjack started turning a deeper and deeper purple, to the point he appeared to be a shadowy black color. it was almost like he was a Sponge of Suffering for Freddy's. his body was almost fog-like in the way it worked and appeared, wisps of his fur coming off of his body like smoke. his eyes glowed, and his tears actually felt wet. however, those that touched them discovered that the tears were scalding hot, as though they were heated by hellfire itself. every bark the dog released sounded angry, threatening, even if he was clearly happy or calm.

customers began to view Blackjack as Death Itself, coming to guide the souls of the missing children to the afterlife. oh, how Blackjack wishes that were his purpose.

(no, that job has been delegated to someone else)

it is after Peter dies that something...changes.

Peter, as he died, saw a shadowy dog run up to the Saferoom door after Henry closed it. the dog clawed on the door, snarling and growling at the man behind it. he sounded enraged, like he was cursing Henry out for his crimes, for even daring to hurt Peter or those children. Peter believed that this dog would guide him to the afterlife. he believed it to be Sparky.

(years later, as he recounts the story to Jack as a Phone Guy, he doesn't understand why Jack has an unnerved look on his face as he mentions the dog. the dog didn't seem bad; it actually seemed to want to help. so why does he act like the dog being there was a bad thing?)

Peter's death changed Blackjack. his every breath came out as a growl, he'd watch Henry from a distance, glaring at him and growling at him if he ever got to close. his words were garbled, and very few could understand the words with perfect clarity. but...something else happened, something that disturbed customers even more. the dog would howl, and a sound that many could only describe as "screams of the damned" would accompany it. however, some could pick out three distinct "voices" from the screaming.

a young girl, screaming bloody murder as she begged for two men, her brothers, most likely. a man, groaning in pain along with the sound of metal scraping on tile. the sound that rose above the other two, however, was the sound of another young man screaming in agony quite suddenly, only for it to be cut off as the other two rang out like an echo.

Henry just politely ignored Blackjack's existence. he wouldn't mess with Blackjack if Blackjack didn't mess with him.

after all, why would he bother with the spirit of a dog?

and then 1983 happened. he had simply stayed after hours to clean up after...well, simply put, some kids decided to shove a young boy in Fredbear's mouth.

he remembered hearing the sound of angry snarling behind him. he whipped around, only to find it standing behind him. Blackjack was growling and snarling at him, looking about ready to pounce and tear him to shreds where he stands. the dog howls, and suddenly Henry learns what everyone meant by "screams of the damned."

he hears them clearly. he recognizes at least two of the voices: a girl he murdered and a man whose death he was responsible for. the third...the third he didn't recognize, but was one he had a hunch about, given the context of the other two.

it was the voice of a man he left to die.

(he remembers. he remembers looking that man in the eyes as his life was slipping away from him. he remembers how that man looked up at him, and with all of the voice the man had left, he wheezed out "h..elp...m..e....." Henry remembers laughing in the man's face as he left him to die.)

(Henry remembers returning to that accursed suit and finding it blood-soaked....but scarily empty. because it shouldn't be empty, it's literally impossible for it to be. he was the only one who knew about...him. so how...?)

it hits Henry, the voices he's hearing.

Dee. Peter. Jack.

The Kennedy Siblings.

Henry doesn't get much time to process what that all must mean. he steps back from the clearly aggressive dog. turns out that small movement was a mistake.

Blackjack lunges at him, barking wildly and snarling. Henry braces himself; he'd not sure what a ghost dog would be capable of doing to a person.

he feels pain as the dog sinks its teeth into his skin, and he feels himself...sink? what-?

he finds himself in a place he could only describe as...The Void. he finds the dog standing in front of him, still snarling and growling at him. but...then something unexpected happened.

Blackjack spoke. and Henry knew exactly who this was.

he doesn't know why Jack's soul took the form of a dog. it's something he's never really seen before. with the exception of Dee (she'd take the form of either the puppet she was trapped in, or a regular human-shaped ghost). but....an animal? he'd never seen that before.

regardless, Blackjack practically cusses him out, angry about what Henry had done. to his sister, to his brother, to him. Henry left him to die. he framed him for his sister's murder. he killed everyone he loved.

but he wasn't going to kill him, not yet, anyway. death was too good for him, in Blackjack's eyes.

he left him to rot, believing that, eventually, enough time in The Void would cause Henry to die. because maybe he would still age. maybe he would start to waste away. something.

...safe to say, he was wrong.

it somehow made him stronger.

anyway, there's the timeline 'til about...maybe around DSAF 1? i dunno.

but yeah! Blackjack basically absorbs the Suffering Vibes™ at Freddy's locations and it ended up fueling him and his rage. he got fueled more by Dee and Peter's deaths, hence him being the embodiment/physical manifestation of The Tragedy of the Kennedy Siblings.

also, i did a Minor rewrite of how Blackjack works. i somewhat based him off of how i write Cassidy in the Fnaf Canon: Angry, Vengeful Older Sibling Who Lost Their Loved Ones AND Their Life To The Same Man, Who Lashes Out In Anger At What Happened, And Ends Up Making Bad Decisions In Order To Get Vengeance For Their Murder.

i mean. Jack was a young adult who had his younger sister get murdered by a man who (potentially at this point) was his boss, got framed for her murder, and then was left to die by that same boss. like...realistically speaking, while Blackjack might act all mysterious and wise (and to a certain extent he is), he's really just the soul or a scared, angry, and vengeful young man whose life was ruined for effectively no real reason. so i wanted that to come across more.

[livelovesimallways]

"Prayed Up...." Pt. 2

Previous/Next

Read more under the link.

*after giving her a hug* "Congratulations..."

"Thanks, I guess."

*smirks* " I'm ignoring that. So anyway, how far along do you think you are?"

"Umm, after my ultrasound the doctor said I was about eight weeks. That was a some days ago so I'd say almost nine."

"Well, damn! That's pretty far, Dee!" *agitated* "When were you gonna tell me? And to have your first ultrasound too? Did anyone go with you at least?"

"No." *in a low tone* "Mimi was out of town and..."

"...Your sister wasn't an option?? I just don't get why you didn't tell me. I would've been by your side, no questions asked. To find out from friends after you had some issues is insane."

"I know..." *trying not to cry*

"Look, I'm sorry for getting all riled up. Even though you're an adult, you're still my baby. As a parent you'll always want to know what's going on with your child. And as my child, I will always have your back. You don't have to go through this alone. You have a village: Me, Mimi, and Sean." *looks at him* "Right Boo??"

*clears his throat* "Yeah..."

"Speaking of support, does your sugar daddy know he has a baby on the way? With all the gifts he buys you, he can surely step up."

"It's not his..."

"Okay...Well, did you tell the father then?"

"No..." *low toned*

"Shit..." *starts rubbing her back* "Listen, I know this is hard for you, but you have to at least tell him. Every child deserves both parents. Now if he doesn't want to be there, then that's on him. You have us." *rubs her back again* "Okay Dee??"

"Fuck..." *starts crying* "I am so sorry Dana. This isn't how either one of us expected things to turn out. If I didn't foolishly fall in love with him, none of this would've happened. I met him freshman year, fell head over heels that summer, and then was ghosted in the fall. I never thought I would see him again but I did and those feelings came back. I even justified shit. It was not supposed to go this far and now..."

"Listen, first you need to calm down. Shaking and stressing like this ain't good. There's no need to beat yourself up. We've all gone back to an Ex."

"You don't understand..."

"Alright...Then help me. Start with who this guy is and why this situation has you so stressed."

*starts crying again* "...It's Sean."

"Hold up...I think I heard wrong. I know you don't mean...?" *stares at him*

"I do..." *sobbing*

"Wow...Okay." *immediately gets up*

"I know you're not standing there nonchalant like that! Are you for real!? My mothafuckin sister!??" *slightly pushes him* "I met you that fall after y'all little fling. Why the fuck did you involve me!?" *pushes him again* "What kind of twisted shit are y'all on?"

"It wasn't the whole time, I swear. I'm so sorry Dana!" *still sobbing*

"So you're really not gonna say anything!?" *ignoring her*

"There's nothing I can say to help any of this. She was easy access, that's all. I don't know shit about a baby."

"Well now your disgusting ass does." *turns around* "And you! You need to cut that sorry shit the fuck out.! You're not sorry and you ain't a victim of love. You knew you were wrong and didn't care until shit blew up in your face. You're only stressed and scared because you're about to be alone."

"Here!" *throws her ring* "You earned it. I hope for your child's sake things work out." *leaves out*

"Are you fuckin happy now!? You've been dying to get her out of the picture so why all this crying?"

"I just wanted to be with you. Not have all this happen."

"How many times did I have to tell you to cut that delusional shit out? Why the hell did you tell her if you didn't want this to happen? And what the fuck is up with this baby shit?"

"I told her because I'm pregnant, Sean! I've only been with you and the guy I've been seeing. He had a vasectomy so it's obviously yours."

"Fuck! This is crazy." *starts pacing* "I hope you know shit ain't gonna go the way you want. We're not gonna be a family. I'll be there for the kid but that's where it ends. No one can know, Dee. I'll lose everything and that affects more than just me now. I'm gonna call my lawyer and get some things in place. Make a list of all the things your gonna need and I'll have it sent. Once the baby gets here, we'll figure out visitation and support, but until then, you're on your own.

To Be Continued......

[ask-dametagala]

Infiltrating the castle!

▪︎Prologue.

▪︎Chapter 1: Stay in line!

▪︎Chapter 2: Inside the castle(s).

▪︎Chapter 3: The mysterious threat, Part 1:

"Hey Kibble, don't ya think this year's party is a little different than the ones we've had before?"

"Well, I find it odd that we're still celebrating the birth of an actual, real death god that tried to spread darkness all over Popstar but- What do you mean, Burning Leo?"

Balancing two plates on both hands, Leo swiftly maneuvers around the guests, walking to Sir Kibble's side.

"Well I mean, there's a bunch of strangers here, I don't think they're actually here for the party itself to be frank."

"That is true…I saw a team of cameramen snooping around the castle earlier, as if they were looking for someone."

The two reach several food stands placed in the Castle's courtyard. Apparently the buffet was being held outside, which provided the guest a nice view of the night sky.

"Are they trying to interview King Dedede, perhaps?"

"Deeefinitely not, they could've done that in the throne room! Heck, I don't even think anyone here cares for his majesty! When King Dedede made his opening speech, I swore I heard gossip about him!"

"Hmmmm….and when he went down to greet the guests, they looked bored. As if they only came for something else…"

"It must be the buffet! I swear, the waddle dees make the BEST food!"

"I don't think that's their motive, Burning Leo….haven't you figured it out yet? Ever since word of sir Galacta Knight being here was spread across the galaxy, outsiders have been traveling to Popstar nonstop recently. Everyday, there'd be at least 3 visitors from stars we don't even know about! But they'd all leave disappointed when they couldn't find him. Do you know what this means, Leo? This means they're using this party as an excuse to find sir Galacta Knight! "

"Huh? Whazat?"

Leo turned around to Sir Kibble, now with plates full of food. He was too busy grabbing servings the entire time the suit of armor was monologuing.

"Nevermind…."

"Eeeh?!?! What's with this sign?!"

A sudden shout was heard from afar, it was Kirby! Finally, after kicking all of the unwanted travelers away, he could enjoy the party with Bandana Dee. However, as they were about to step into the yard, Kirby spotted a sign plastered on the side of the brick wall:

No kirbys allowed!!

"Ah….right. The king didn't want you to eat here."

"Whaat?!? That selfish prick! How stingy could he be?!"

"Sorry Kirby….but he was probably afraid you'd eat all the food and leave nothing left for the guests!"

"Boooo…."

"B-but don't worry Kirby, I'll make it up to you. I'll cook anything you want tomorrow!"

"Thanks Dee…but I'm hungry now! I wanna eat!!!"

Kirby starts throwing a tantrum, somersaulting all over the place. He came all the way here for food and yet the King didn't let him have any, how unfair!

"That's it, I don't care about Dedede! I'll eat anyways!"

"W-wait Kirby!!! Control yourself!! D-don't inhale!!!!"

The pink puffball shoots out to the buffet, cheerfully running to the places with food. Bandana Dee immediately follows him, trying his best to make sure Kirby doesn't eat too much.

As they pass through tables, Kirby suddenly spots somebody familiar and stops. He looked up to see his old friends, Ribbon and Adeleine!

"Ribbon! Ado!!"

"Kirby! You made it! I'm so glad.."

Adeleine lets out a sigh of relief and jumps down from her chair to give Kirby a big hug. She was happy to see him again, especially after what happened earlier. The fairy giddly zips to their side, giving Kirby a huge smile.

"I knew those big jerks wouldn't stand a chance against you! They were so rude!"

"Ehehehe! Yeah! I beat them all up in no time!"

"Oh don't remind me of them…we've never dealt with anything like that before, it was horrible! Luckily, Sailor came out and helped us!"

"Who? Sailor Dee? The waddle dee who works for Meta Knight?" Adeleine asked with curiosity, she had only heard of him a few times when she and Ribbon were talking to King Dedede.

"Mhm, he came out with a microphone and a few speakers, said a few words and they all just…left!"

"Gee…I wonder what he said?"

Meanwhile, at the tower...

Despite Galacta Knight taking control of the situation, Meta Knight still felt uneasy. He had never felt anything so…dangerous before. Not only that, what he initially thought was his intuition was actually something else entirely. This feeling got more clearer every second, as if he was connected to something outside. He had never felt this way, not since he met……his dark counterpart. Meta Knight immediately realized what this meant and turned his head to the glass doors leading out the balcony. Perhaps he should stay nearby and see if he was correct…..but it would mean going against what Galacta Knight said earlier. However, he was far too curious to let this go.

Suddenly….

Something flew up the tower with great speed, before soaring back down towards the balcony. The warrior's eyes beam up at the sight of it, as if he was excited for its presence.

Galacta Knight reaches out, grabbing a hold of the other knight's hand as they gently land on the marble fence of the balcony.

It…was…..Dark Meta Knight…..his mirror counterpart……his shadow. Did Galacta Knight mistake him for….him? No, that's impossible. Anyone could tell them apart! Then why….why was he acting so familiar with him? He couldn't turn back now, he had to know what their relationship was like. Meta Knight quickly conceals himself just behind the walls next to the doors, quietly listening to what their conversation was going to be.

"Dark, you came!!"

"Indeed, I did."

[NEXT]

[dee-voss]

9, 13, 20, 24, 27, 30, 34, 42

9. what do they smell like? do they use perfume or cologne?

Whatever job he just came from, usually - soot, drywall, sawdust, paint... the soap he's used to scrub up, if he got the chance, or the ocean, if he stopped by to swim the day off.

But, if Dee has any actual say in the matter? Clean laundry, a simple aftershave, his cigarettes, and a little cologne. He grew up with a bottle of that 4711 stuff in the house; not as a "nice thing" so much as part of a tidy, self-respecting part of getting ready to go out into the world. It's a bright, botanical sort of scent, citrusy and herbal. Very presentable.

13. see here!

20. what do they hate being teased about? are they teased often?

Dee is real goddamn sensitive about how hard it is for him to read and write - so much so that even people who know him decently well may not realize how much of a struggle that is until they see it happening live. Which could take ages of knowing him, really - he's been finding ways to hide and work around that kind of thing all his life. I doubt anyone who likes Dee has teased him about it more than once; just how funny it fucking isn't would be pretty obvious, real fast.

24. do they have a short temper? what's most likely to set it off?

Nope. He does feel strongly, but it's almost like he grew up trying to shake his family's reputation for being volatile - Dee has his emotions on lock pretty tightly, most of the time. Even when he does snap, it tends to be over with quickly and quietly. Usually, he can patiently wait out a little bullshit until whoever's serving it moves on; but he has his limits. He started a few fights at school over people opening their big goddamn mouths about his family, and would again. But he's had to withstand a certain amount of crap from the Meadowses and friends, over the years. Ask Dee if he tests well, and he'd laugh; no. Man, though - have his almost-in-laws tested him...

27. what do they never, ever want to speak of, ever?

Finding his father, dead. 'Nam. The burn unit, in Yokohama. How afraid he is of not being able to turn up and keep some kind of work that'll make sure Elly gets to achieve all those dreams she's held onto for so long, and the both of them can live well, together, after all the waiting they've done. A lot of things, really...

30. is there something about their personality they want to change?

Until he got drafted, Dee wouldn't have had much of an answer for this one; not because he thinks he's flawless, personality-wise. Not at all! Just, he'd grown into who he had to be to live the way he was, and it seemed to be working out more or less.

Now, though... he wishes he'd given less of a shit about doing things the right way, whatever the hell that means. Why did him and Elly wait so damn long to get married? Not because they weren't ready. Just in some ultimately useless goddamn attempt to prove something, everything, to her family. Even if he does understand that those are Eloise's people, and she's struggled with their expectations... God, why couldn't they just live? He wishes he'd cared less about what the Meadowses and Stillwater had to say about the two of them, and that Elly had, too.

34. see here!

42. are they happy in their current living situation? why or why not?

Abruptly and incredibly - Dee came back expecting to have just about nothing left for him in Stillwater. He still doesn't understand what went on in the goddamn mail, but... Elly's been pretty damn clear that she wants him, wants to face the future together. It's something of a honeymoon period. Reality's already pressing in, though; Dee's just not used to being out of work. And now, like most vets, he's struggling to find any. Nevermind any he can reasonably hope to sustain, physically, with his injuries. Never-nevermind anything that'll do more for Elly and her hopes, their hopes, than what he used to do.

[fevertowrite]

Hi so I was the one who sent the ask about taking requests and if you're interested here's my ask: Ok so you know how donnie disguises himself to go tech club with the purple dragons? So how about one where mikey disguises himself too so he can go to art class since he loves art. And one day he comes back to the lair looking down and all his brothers notice. He tells them that he's being picked on in class because of his art by an obnoxious classmate. And after he does so his bros look ready to throw down, with raph punching a training dummy straight in half, donnie trying to air-strike the kids house and leo ominously sharpening his swords. Just an idea I'd love to see but please don't rush if you decide to do it.

When Mikey goes up to Donnie and asks him about signing up for an art class, Donnie hesitates.

"It didn't really work out for me," Don shrugs in a monotone voice, "they're now my sworn enemies." And it's true when he did disguise himself to appeal to the humans and get into some tech club, he now cringes; the Purple Dragons turned out to be evil. So maybe it was just shit luck on his end.

"Okay, but Dee," Mikey starts, "you don't understand, I want to grow as an artist, and I feel limited with my art skills without a teacher."

And Donnie wants to tell him that his art is perfectly fine, but as someone who's into tech, he wishes he could blab about it with someone who understands – like the Purple Dragons, he thinks to himself, and maybe even learn more. But, of course, he's already good at his skill, but another opinion wouldn't be so bad. So, he gets Mikey in a way.

Maybe April can help with this, sign up for the class under her name, and he'd disguise himself.

"Okay, I'll talk to April and see what we can do."

"Ohmigosh, thanks, Dee!" Mikey goes into a hug, but Donnie doesn't hug back; he just gives him a faltered smile.

X

With Donnie and April's help, they manage to get Mikey into this class in her high school. April said something about how she's supposed to take art for credit but didn't actually want to, so she's happy that Mike can take it for her.

But of course, Mike has to disguise himself. He's wearing his signature orange hoodie and has the hood over his head. In addition, he has these neon green joggers and red crocs; they're Raph's and fit a little too big for him, but he has them in sports mode, and they don't look too bad on him. He's also wearing a neon orange mask like the other kids have to wear during class; thanks to Rona, he has a clip holding it back since he technically has no ears. But he's happy they have to wear masks, so he can hide from the other kids.

 He sits in the back of the class and limits himself from talking. He came to learn, not socialize. As much as he'd love to, he reminds himself he's not human, and they're not like April. The kids will freak out if they found out.

But he's slowly accepted in the class; despite being the "quiet kid," his art is excellent, and his teacher, Ms. Estrada, always puts up the kids' artwork one by one to talk and critique it.

Mike comes to find out that he does more graffiti-style street art. It's never criticized and quite accepted by Estrada. He feels more confident in his work.

X

"How was your class, Miguel," Leo asks behind a comic book, looking over at him.

"Good," Mike answers, pulling down his mask, "Ms. Estrada likes my style!"

"Sounds good, Hermano," Leo looks away and goes back to reading, and Mike sits next to him, having a bunch of stories to tell him in the 40-minute class.

Leo beams, setting his comic book down to listen to his brother's ramble.

X

Coming home from class, Mike usually has all this pent-up energy. His brothers know him very well, so when he comes home, his hand is on the opposite shoulder and sagging. Raph instantly knows something wrong.

"Hey, Mikey." Raph greets his brother, but Mikey faces away from him.

"Hi." Comes the quiet voice.

Raph looks over to Leo and makes eye contact with him, eyes shifting to Mike's. Leo instantly gets up from the couch and joins him. Donnie stays behind and, on his phone, but he's there and listening.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Raph's voice is soft and in big brother mode. He bends his knees to look at Mikey better.

Mike's heart is on his sleeve; no matter how hard he tries to hide his feelings, it always bleeds through. He's kind of ashamed; he thought he could handle this himself.

"I think a kid is being rude to me." He wants to say bullying, but it sounds so cliché.

Donnie stops and looks up from his phone.

"Who's being rude to you?" He asks before Raph and Leo can.

"I – I don't know, really. I think this kid is, but he doesn't say anything to me. When Estrada shows my artwork, he's pointing and laughing at it." Mike still won't make eye contact, and he feels the tension in the air. But he continues, "at first, I thought he was laughing with me, so I'd chuckle too, but then he'd stop. After a few times of showing my artwork, I realized he's making fun of my art, and maybe… maybe me?" He shrugs half-heartedly. He feels the tears threatening to spill, but he's holding it back, but he can't control his voice wavering.

"Mikey, hey…" Raph puts a hand on his shoulder and looks ready to say something. Leo beats him to the punch.

"Why don't we go and teach this kid a lesson?" Leo says dramatically, punching his fist on his palm.

"Leo." Raph threatens, "he's like 14; we can't just beat him up."

"No, no," Donnie interrupts, "I agree with Leon. Violence is the answer."

"Donnie," he hisses, but he wants to teach this kid not to mess with their brother.

"Guys, guys. It's okay." Mike wipes off a tear, "this is just…new to me."

"It shouldn't even be happening to you," Raph tells him, and Donnie's wielding his tech bo glaringly with a chainsaw sticking out.

"Donnie." Raph threatens again.

Donnie turns off the chainsaw, but he still has his bo in his hands. "Look, this punk kid will continue unless we do something."

"I think I have an idea," Leo says, a smile on his face.

Raph's not sure what his idea is and doesn't want to know. All he knows is that the next day, the three of them focused solely on Mike's bully.

X

Raph throws a hard punch at the dummy in the dojo. It swings, creaking under momentum, and comes back to him. He punches again, and this time, the dummy falls to the ground with a broken chain.

"Cool it, Hermano," Leo tells him, sharpening his Odachi; the smell of honing oil is strong, and Raph picks up the discarded dummy.

"Sorry," Raph says half-heartedly, he tries to put the chain back on, but it's broken. He sighs, frustration wrinkled on his forehead.

Leo lifts his Odachi from the whetstone, looking over to Raph. "Donnie can fix that," he tells him, "But you losing your cool can't."

Raph nods heavily; he hates seeing Mikey upset. He'd rather try and lift a school bus than see his brother sad. When Raph was appointed leader, he told himself he'd protect his brothers, but this? A grade B bully? They all are wearing their disguises, it only being 10 in the morning, Mike’s class is starting soon.

Mikey enters the dojo and sees the fallen dummy and Leo sharpening his Odachi. "You guys…" He pleads quietly, tired and over it, "you don't have to."

"Oh, sweet child," Leo looks over glaringly, "but we will."

Mikey sometimes is thankful for his brothers; it may be meddling, maybe a little petty, for the younger one to bring his big brothers to rescue him. But he's thankful. Donnie comes out of nowhere, mumbling and typing on his sleeve, asking for the kid's name to target him. Mike can barely hear what Donnie's saying, but he knows he heard something about an airstrike and laughs.

Mikey looks over at them and smiles. He knows his brothers have his back.

The poor kid doesn't even know what's coming.  

[cat-vase]

Hellooo. I came here to ask away about Metals Family!! Sooo, any ships you're into apart from Vicky/Glam? Do u like ChesGlam romantically? Maybe you've heard about Anna/Vicky? I'm personally VERYYY into VickyChesGlam as a polyamorous ship! I've drawn them SO muchh. I just think Ches as a father figure for the kids is so so adorable, plus the dynamic between Ches and Vicky??? The POTENTIALL??

Yesterday at work I literally thought about Ches and Glam doing the tango together (one of THE most romantic dances, I headcanon Ches to be Hispanic like a lot of other people), I love them so much YESSSSS!!!!! And during it I think it was Glam who whispered to Ches that if he could have Vicky as his wife and Ches as his husband/boyfriend he would be the luckiest man in the world. So then they both talked to Vicky about trying out a poly relationship -- Are you reading my mind??????

So YES on Glam/Ches (especially when they're kids I think it's cute, in high school I had this friend who literally gave me a hickey but we weren't dating. Them energy. But like... they don't even have to be romantic to be the best you know what I mean?) And YES on Glam/Vicky/Ches and YESSSSS on Vicky/Ches I think it would be really interesting since obviously Vicky doesn't meet Ches until later in life and she knows he means a lot to Glam and Glam means a lot to HER so!!!! aaa!!!! Them just.... slowly coming together over the man they both love and finding out they also love each OTHER AA!!!!!! There's art somewhere of Glam and Ches kissing Vicky on the cheek because she deserves to be appreciated I'll try and find it!!!!

I don't think we know enough about Anna yet for her to be shipped with anyone? We don't know a whole lot about anyone other than Glam and a little bit about Ches right now (that isn't an insult, just the series isn't finished yet). But i think it's really implied that Anna is a lesbian or maybe bi with a super female lean? (Good!!! If there's more to her besides being mean) And if Anna and Vicky are childhood friends like Ches and Glam....... idk I think that's really interesting! And also that would make Vicky and Glam so SO bisexual. bi4bi fuck yeah

Speaking of Anna i need Glam and Anna interaction right now RIGHT now!!!!!! Anna and Vicky are friends, Anna and Ches are implied to be friends with benefits, so that leaves Glam!!!! and his super weird self!!!!

Glam has an electric violin shut up. And he uses it to impress his future-wife even though she's not a music person. And that's how he and Anna learn to tolerate each other, like how she said she tolerates Heavy in canon. Because he makes Vicky happy and she wants Vicky happy too :)

CHES BEING A FATHER FIGURE TO HEAVY AND DEE.... T-T I loooove him as the weird fun uncle-dad who used to have so so much energy but now he's just chilling. But also he KNOWS. He totally knows Dee sneaks out and he knows all of Heavy's school crushes and the cat he smuggled into his room (it just sounds like something Heavy would do). Ches acts oblivious but he notices things just like Glam does! And unlike Glam he actually lets himself feel his emotions! And that's why I like thinking about them together!!! And Ches and Vicky together!!!! They're all so good ack!!!!!!

Note: I wrote most of this while I was at work again (on break!) so it was like... 2am please forgive me if this is rambling. I have more but I need to pace myself haha :3 Please talk to me more aa!!!!! I love this little family !!!!!!

[razzle-zazzle]

Dion x Adam Hc's?

This got longer than expected so I'm putting it under a cut whoops

It'd take them a while to even become friends, I think. Adam's perfectly amicable when interacting with the Aquatos, but he doesn't really go out of his way to interact with Raz' family—he's busy with his history project and the new responsibilities that come with being a junior agent. And Dion's still working through his own issues, so he's not going out of his way to interact with the junior agents, either.

It's not a single moment that brings them together; it's a bunch of small things. Dion bringing Raz food he cooked as an apology, and Raz sharing it with the other junior agents. Adam going to interview Lucrecia and the other Psychic Seven for the sake of his history project, and finding her and Dion hanging out. Maybe they're cooking together, maybe they're just talking, great aunt and nephew. Dion hanging out with the junior agents more often due to his connections with Raz and Gisu (and later Morris, as Queepie's "boss"). The junior agents being invited to a show the Aquatos put together in the Questionable Area.

Dion and Gisu continue to hang out and make googoo eyes at each other. Dion and Frazie get sucked into the junior agents' friend group. Morris and Dion's stupid little rivalry catalyzes into a genuine (if vitriolic) friendship.

Slowly, Adam and Dion start to interact more. Maybe there's animosity between them over Adam starting to act as another big brother figure for Raz. Maybe they're starting to develop a small but genuine friendship. Maybe the potential drama ends up with them reconciling over the fact that they both care about Raz, if in slightly differing flavors.

Dion and Gisu's attraction turns into a genuine friendship; they're just happy to be in each other's company. Maybe there's drama over them not realizing that they're not actually into each other romantically at first, maybe they have a brief falling out because they're teenagers who don't fully know what they're doing and don't have the experience to really know what's going on with them. But I'd like to think that, whether there's drama or not, they manage to come out the end of it as genuine friends.

And then this is only tangentially related but I'm going to drop some of my genderfluid Dion headcanons. Trust me this will tie into the Adam/Dion ideas I have you just gotta bear with me for a moment.

So. While all of these other post-game developments are going on. Dion's grappling with feelings he's had for a while. Some days he's perfectly fine with being called a boy and he, some days it makes him want to crawl out of his own skin. He's never really known what to do with this, though, so he just kinda assumed everyone felt that way during puberty (because everyone feels uncomfortable with their body and look and face during puberty, right? it's what he keeps hearing in all of the books he reads, anyway, and every puberty pamphlet he's ever looked at when visiting a library has gone on and on about how the changes can be scary. so clearly what he's going through is Normal and Not Worth Talking About. Clearly.).

But post-game, now that Dion's developing all these friendships and not-enemyships with the junior agents, now that he's starting to close the divide between him and Frazie and actually be close with her again, now that his life's been flipped upside down for both the better and for worse—now Dion's being hit with these feelings full force, and more often. He mentions them to Frazie, once, in an offhanded way. Mentions that sometimes, he wishes he was a girl instead.

"But you've probably felt that way a thousand times, haven't you? Since it's, like, perfectly normal to want to be the other gender during puberty."

"Dion what the fuck are you talking about. I have never wanted to be a boy. Dion."

",,,What."

"Dee I think this is something you need to actually look into."

So they do. And Dion comes to the conclusion that,,, he she wants to be a girl.

Frazie is delighted at the idea of having another sister. Especially one who's her age and thus understands the trials of teenagehood. She's standing with him when he tries to explain it all to his parents, she's helping Lucrecia fix one of her old dresses so it'll fit Dion, she's helping Dion restyle her hair to fit her better.

Augustus and Donatella ask if Dion wants to change her name, but Dion says she'll keep it. It's hers, and she can't imagine herself with any other name.

And things are going great! Dion starts to feel comfortable in her own skin, and her parents are looking into transition options and trying their best to be supportive. All of her younger siblings are supportive; Mirtala paints her nails and braids her hair.

But, just as Dion had days where she wanted nothing more than to be a girl, she also had days where she was fine being a boy. And now she's experiencing the reverse; some days, being a girl is great, but others, it just. doesn't. fit.

And all of this self-exploration gets tangled up with Dion's growing friendships with Gisu and Morris and Adam and the other junior agents. With her growing crush on Adam that she didn't even realize she had.

Meanwhile, on Adam's end, he's slowly become better friends with Dion. When Dion came out as a girl, he supported her. When Dion came out as "I don't even know anymore," Adam described his own experiences with gender in an effort to convey "hey gender is weird and it's okay that you don't have it all figured out right away."

And that, plus Augustus & Donatella promising to support her regardless of what pronouns she uses, helps Dion realize that,,, maybe she's both. Maybe he's a girl and a boy and maybe sometimes she's something else entirely. It's not a fast realization, not a sudden epiphany, more just Dion experimenting with different styles trying to find the "right" one for herself and realizing slowly that he actually likes a lot of them.

And also realizing that she's really fucking gay for Adam. He wants to be Adam's girlfriend boyfriend whatever, just so long as it means being able to lean against and spend time with him. Dion starts purposefully asking Adam questions about history just so she can hear Adam ramble about a subject he's passionate about.

And Adam,,, starts to catch on. Gisu's actually the first junior agent to notice, and being the romance fan that she is, decides that she is going to be the best wingwoman. Operation Get Adam and Dion Together is a go, and she is 100% dragging Morris into this.

Shenanigans will be ensuing.

tl;dr it'd be a slow burn friendship coupled with dion doing self-exploration that turns into a crush on dion's end and potential attraction on adam's end. and then gisu notices what's going on and starts scheming ways to get them together.

[barnesbabee]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱɪx - ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀʟᴀɴᴅ

WONDERLAND MASTERLIST ⇜ ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜꜱ - ꜱɪx-  ɴᴇxᴛ ⟿

CHARACTER LIST:

White Rabbit - Choi Jongho Absolem (Blue Catterpilar) - Kang Yeosang Cheshire Cat - Kim Hongjoong Mad Hatter - Choi San Haigha (March Hare) - Jung Wooyoung Tweedle Dee - Song Mingi Tweedle Dum - Jeong Yunho Bloody Red King - Park Seonghwa

ᴛᴀɢʟɪꜱᴛ: @myunvillage @mirror-juliet [Send me a DM, an ask or comment to be added to the tag list]

“Would you listen to me!? You can’t physically leave Wonderland. You can’t go back. The Wonderland is the wasteland of every other lands. You’re here forever.”

Everything from the moment the King said those words was very blurry. You remember getting dizzy, yelling some more, and then being carried to the bedroom you were now in, sobbing uncontrollably with Seonghwa by your side, sitting on the bed's red silk covers, unsure of what to do.

"I'm sorry Y/N..."

The only reply he got was ugly sobs. He gently placed his hand on your head and caressed your hair. The King wasn't sure of what he was doing, but it seemed to calm you down ever so slightly.

"E-explain it to me... Please..."

"Explain what?..." He asked, not quite understanding what you meant.

"What is Wonderland."

"Well... As far as I know, Wonderland is supposed to be the wasteland from other places. Unwanted people are sent here: criminals, freaks, people who displease Kings and Queens... It used to be a lawless land, anyone who came here would be met with a grey land of death and despair. Everyone scavenged for food and for hideouts, trying their best to survive. A lot of beings just killed themselves, tired of living a life of running and hiding, but most starved, or perished in the claws of the Jabberwocky."

"Jabberwocky?" You asked, as you sat up on the bed and crawled over to sit next to the King.

"Hm hmm, a hideous monster, with a dirty, scaly green skin, several rows of sharp teeth, an enormous tail, wings, and feet with claws so long it could grab you while flying high. He was the reason people sent the unwanted here because they were being sent to a slow, painful death at the hands of a monster. However when my dad was sent here he met my mom, by accident, and he fell in love. He couldn't bear to see my mom hurting and afraid, so he slew the Jabberwocky. My dad was severely injured, but he was able to make a speedy recovery, and everyone in the land recognized him as their King. And with the Jabberwocky dead, people were able to bring Wonderland back to life. It's a story with a happy ending, but I'm afraid yours," he paused, gently placing his hand on your thigh "doesn't have one of those."

Your sadness and grief turned into sudden anger and disbelief. The Hatter, Cheshire, Absolem... They all lied to you. They promised you something they knew they wouldn't be able to accomplish, for their own gain!

You wiped your tears and got up from the bed roughly. You looked over your shoulder and stared at a confused Seonghwa.

"I'll be back. There's someone I need to talk to."

Seonghwa didn't want you to go, he was afraid you wouldn't come back. But he knew that if he stopped you from going, you'd certainly feel betrayed by his actions, and would change your behavior towards him. The King didn't want to lose you, physically or emotionally. However before his conflicted mind could make up a choice, you were already gone, on your way to find those crazy bastards.

The second you saw the large table in the distance you sped up the pace, even though your legs already hurt from walking so much.

When the hatter heard the sound of dry leaves being stepped on, he turned around, and greeted you with his usual big smile, heart thumping out of his chest at the sight of the lady that caught his eye. He jumped out of his chair and walked towards you, immediately embracing you in a big, tight hug.

You wiggled your way out of the hug and shoved him away. The Hatter's wide smile turned into a frown, as his eye's colour faded away slightly.

"You motherfuckers! You lied to me! The King told me the truth about Wonderland! You lied to me so I could do your dirty fucking work! Looks like the King isn't the untrustworthy one here."

Angry tears formed in your eyes as you yelled every single word. You pushed your index finger harshly against the Hatter's chest at every word you said.

"I- I... Y/N please, I'm sorry, you must understand I had no choice but to agree with them! We need our freedom."

You messily wiped away your tears with your forearm and titled your chin up.

"I don't ever want to see you again." You said, in a bland, emotionless voice.

Even the March Hare had stopped laughing. You turned around and were about to walk away when the Hatter grabbed your arm.

"Y/N, please! Where will you go?"

You freed yourself from his grip.

"I'll be staying with the King. And if I were you I'd stay far from the castle, if I see any of you walking around I'll tell the King about your plan."

The Hatter watched you walk away, as your pompous dress followed your body's movements.

"Hmm seems like you really messed up this time." Chesire mocked, in his usual mellow tone, as he inspected his claws that had been long replaced with nails.

The Hatter's face scrunched up in anger.

"It's Absolem's fault."

Cheshire scoffed.

"Oh yes, and he will be oh so upset by finding that this absolute stranger is mad at him. You're the one who has a little crush."

"Nonsense. I feel bad for her, that's all. The second she got here we lied and used her."

Cheshire laid on his back and played with his purple strands of hair.

"Too bad. From what I've hear Y/N and the King are getting along quite nicely..."

The Hatter's eyes got as big as two strawberries.

"Chessie how do you know!?"

Cheshire shrugged and vanished into thin air, leaving the Hatter alone with his two mad friends, as he watched you disappear in the horizon.

It was pitch dark outside once you stepped foot in the garden. The cards, although emotional, somehow seemed to be relieved. You pushed open the big, heavy, brown doors, to find Seonghwa pacing back and forth in the entrance. As soon as his eyes landed on you he smiled, a wide smile you weren't so sure you had ever seen. His teeth were beautiful, pearly white and straight, and the way his eye sparkled and turned into a crescent moon was amusing to watch. The male embraced you immediately, as a sigh left his mouth.

"Oh, my dear, I was so afraid you wouldn't come back."

You smiled faintly and looked into his eyes.

"You won't have to, not anymore."

The King tilted his head cutely as if asking 'what do you mean?'.

"I'll be your Queen."

Seonghwa smiled widely, just like before, and you could swear the little heart under his eye twinkled. His large hands grabbed your waist and spun you around.

"Oh, this is what happiness feels like! Oh my... It feels like a million fireworks are exploding inside of my chest! I want to feel this feeling forever, and I've only ever felt it with you."

It was the right choice. You were sure. You had only met a handful of people, and 90% of them lied and betrayed you, and this one man had offered you everything, had showed you support, promised to change, and showed true happiness around you. Yes, the choice was clear. He'd keep you safe and he would give you a good life, at least good enough to drown your tears at night and make you forget what you left behind unwillingly.

You placed your hand on his cheek and smiled.

"I like to see you happy."

You stood in the hall, looking into each other's eyes. Seonghwa was new to affection, he didn't know what was happening, and you could see it in his eyes. You got on your tippy-toes and placed a soft kiss on his red lips. Seonghwa stumbled back a little. His cheeks grew considerably red, and his middle and index finger touched his own lips.

"I... liked that. A lot. Can you do it again?" He asked, getting close to you once more.

"How about you do it to me?"

Seonghwa pursed his lips and looked to the side, trying to work out in his head how he'd do it. Slowly, he cupped your face with his hands and bent down slightly, placing his lips on yours, for a little longer than the previous kiss.

"So?" You asked, wiggling your eyebrows.

"I really liked it."

You chuckled at the supposed tyrant blushing like a teenage boy right in front of you. You embraced the man, your ear to his chest, listening to his fast heartbeat.

"Teach me..."

You looked up at his fearful eyes.

"Teach you what?"

Seonghwa hesitated, afraid of his own request.

"How to be a better man, how to have mercy, and compassion."