#- also because something in Padre deeply reminded her of her father.

[cyberrats]

Minave 'Minnie' "I was dead for like 24 hours when I was 9 but I got better" Walker.

[lovelivingmydreams]

What is a happy ending?

So someone (looks sternly at @rondoel) thought giving me insight in a certain OC of theirs and making me feel things is an okay thing to do. That I won't proceed to write a heartbreaking epilogue to my two part Virgil king story. This one not as long. But still. Enjoy:

What is a happy ending?

"Why happily ever after?" King wondered aloud as He studied their latest piece of art.

No one had ever answered that question for Him. Not in a meaningful way at least. And it never truly stopped bothering Him.

"Your majesty?" Anxiety asked carefully. Probably not sure if he had been meant to hear. King wasn't so sure Himself.

Oh well. He might as well finish the thought. Something interesting might come from it.

"Happily ever after. It's so... boring. Why does everyone like it so much?" He had wondered so often...

Anxiety shrugged. "Princey loved that crap. He hated it when I called out the flaws, though he could be just as bad with plot holes.

It's not realistic at all and... well boring is one word for it." His tone and face could almost be mistaken for dismissive, but King could swear He spotted fondness in the upturn of Anxiety's mouth and a slight wistfulness in the shine of his eyes.

King however was more interested in this more nuanced perspective on the story trope. Answers at last?

Anxiety noticed his king desired for him to elaborate and immediately started fidgeting as he tried to find the words to express his thoughts sufficiently.

"I suppose... everyone thinks that's what they want?" His nerves turn the sentence into a question. "When they are little it's an easy goal. You find the one who'll make you whole, or defeat the villain, or both. And then nothing ever bothers you again.

It's not how life works though... and growing up... I think everyone still has a part of them that wants to hold on to things being that... simple..." Anxiety trailed off and looked up at king curiously. His face strangely focused as if he was looking for an answer himself.

"Simple?" King urged wanting to hear more. Anxiety was so close to making sense. So close to bringing about that wonderful feeling when curiosity was sated. A story complete at last.

"Um... yeah... I mean even I feel a little... I don’t know... it feels right?

When you do the right thing, even when it's hard and you get the stuff you want anyway. And when people who hurt you don’t win. You want the world to work like that. If not for you then at least for the servant girl, who just wanted a night off, or the waitress who just wanted to buy her father's dream restaurant. Hard work, kindness, patience... they should be rewarded right?" Anxiety explained. Sounding frustrated. "And..." he let out a resigned sigh before straightening up and continued more decidedly. "Since the world doesn't work that way... why not escape somewhere where it does?" It was passionate. Perhaps in defense of Roman's favorite thing in the world. Then that fight and righteous defiance fell away in favor of a nostalgic fondness. "Thomas did it all the time growing up," Anxiety sighed before returning his attention to the painting that had prompted the question. A Father's Day movie night.

Hugs and snacks and movies with happily ever afters galore. All of Morality's favorite things.

King had to admit it had... stung to discover that Morality had taken up the role He'd given him even after he betrayed everything that title stood for.

Had he ever felt even the slightest bit conflicted when hearing Roman calling him 'Padre'?

Or was it supposed to be fine, since he thought Roman was the only half of Him who felt attached to him that way?

Had it truly never occurred to him that while he took in the confused Roman, he left behind a disoriented and heartbroken Remus who didn't understand why daddy was ignoring him.

What had he done wrong?

Why did he never get bedtime stories or hugs from dad? Why was he shoved away, scolded, ignored?

Why was he not allowed to play in the imagination with his brother?

The last thought had plagued both halves for years.

Even Roman who had stopped admitting to it to please Morality felt conflicted during story times and hugs to this day.

Telling Thomas that he didn't want anything to do with his brother had hurt more than the bump on his head...

But all of that was in the past. They were gone and their unresolved issues were a waste of His time. He had berated, tormented, Anxiety over this. He would not fall victim to such sentimentalities Himself.

"I see... escapism then?" He muttered, trying to get back on topic and not to show the... somewhat emotional turn His thoughts had taken.

Like His halves, His 'Padre' was gone. He probably never existed in the first place.

And Morality would pay for that betrayal and the way he abandoned Remus and how he made Roman fight to earn his love, only to abandon him as well. His suffering had only just begun.

Not because it still mattered. But... any excuse to justify and fuel His wrath even a little bit more was good enough for Him.

He'd probably avenge slights against his minister simply to feign kinship and watch the traitors squirm under his rule just a bit more. Not that he needed a reason to do anything. But justified rage was so much more satisfying to set loose. Because the targets would feel, deep down, they brought this upon themselves.

"Yeah... there's enough crappy stuff going on in the world right? Thomas... wants to use his talents to make people smile. And while that's cheesy, it's also... well it's him," Anxiety shrugged. King hummed in agreement as He framed the picture and put it away. He'd barely paid attention honestly. The answer was satisfactory. But there was a new question on His mind. As He mused over His minister's attachments to His enemies and how to sever them He recalled something intriguing about his recent behavior.

Anxiety had been pulling away from Morality. Why? What had caused a crack in 'the bestest most dynamicest duoest duo'?

And was this something he could use to forge an allegiance. Or to hurt Morality as deeply as He'd been hurt. Or, ideally, both?

King smirked to Himself as He laid a gentle hand on Anxiety's shoulder. He asked about a drawing of the young side and Thomas. He was pleased to note that His minister no longer shrank away every time He moved in his general direction. He might not be comfortable with His touch yet, but he was getting used to it. Something that would surely get to the others who still tiptoed around Anxiety's boundaries.

Maybe, at some point, he could be made to truly see things His way. To see the traitors for the villains they were. Just the thought of the chaos that this realization would unleash... It would be magnificent.

Morality had forgotten something important about 'happily ever after's.

Bad guys don’t get them. And the victor is always the hero.

It was only right that King reminded him of the shadow side of his favourite ending.

By making him live it.

Virgil knew that it was a bad thing that he found himself enjoying talking about his memories to the king and watching them turn into pretty cool paintings.

He was Anxiety, this was definitely a crisis. He can't relax now, not around the reason of said crisis... but if he doesn't relax a little his thoughts might do something really bad. And if he doesn't do whatever the king wants, then the king might do something bad.

So he had to balance on this weird edge of anxious, but cool with it.

The others were counting on him. To stay safe, to keep it together, to keep King distracted, to find a way to get him to lay off a little...

"Worthless." And... the thing is back.

"Dude, seriously, not now!" He snapped at his... shadow.

King just looked on intrigued. Great. Now the shadow had King's attention.

"Failure," it hissed. Right... King is not his biggest problem right now.

So far the shadow had only been mildly annoying even quiet for the most part. But clearly anxious thoughts made it remember it could be a pain in the behind. And worst thing is it got to Virgil even more because it laid out his true fears for King to see and use against him.

"You... you are just... you're just a thought. You can't hurt me." Virgil insisted.

Thomas could deal with his irrational fits. Surely he could manage this thing, right?

"Monsssster," the shadow hissed. No he didn't think that anymore!

"Guardian!" Virgil bit back. Patton said so, Logan said so, Roman said so, Thomas said so... why cant he just believe them?

He found himself struggling to breath again. The thoughts... they were real now... what if they could hurt him...? Can he die? What would happen to Thomas?

"Begone!" Virgil snapped out of his near attack at the sudden outburst from King.

What...?

He looked up just in time to see a flash of metal and shadow's dissolving figure.

"It'll reform later," King muttered as he sheeted his sword.

"It became too bothersome. You should not let your creations have power over you young one. You are their master, don't forget that," he instructed calmly, not looking at him.

Did he just...?

"Return to your business now, I find that I am in need of a break," he then declared as he walked away, still not looking back.

"But..." he came to a halt. "Should you wish to finish our gallery... I might be willing to indulge your presence later."

Virgil didn't quiet know what to do, so he bowed, just in case the king could see it somehow. "Y-yes my king. Thank you," he stammered hurriedly.

When he looked up, the king was gone.

And Virgil ran. He needed to find Lo and Pat before the shadows returned.

His thoughts were a confused mess... he hadn't imagined that right?

King had really stepped in to save him instead of letting Virgil's punishment, gift, curse, whatever run its course...

And then he left it up to Virgil to decide if and when they'd finish up.

There was probably some messed up reason behind it... but still.

Virgil wasn't stupid though. Even if saving him had been a purely noble impulse, King hadn't undone his 'gift' to make sure it wouldn't happen again. Telling him to put his foot down with 'his own creations' didn't really count.

King still messed up real bad and would have to do something pretty impressive to make up for all of that.

And Virgil was pretty sure that it wasn't just his pessimism talking when he thought that the king was no where close to wanting to make nice with any of them.

Or not for the right reasons anyway.

He shook his head. He can worry about all that later. Right now he has to find the others. Before King runs into one of them.

Virgil's trip down memory lane might've been deemed 'entertaining' or whatever, but he hadn't be around for whatever had happened to make the king be out for blood in the first place.

He didn't want to find out what King's idea of 'having fun' was when it came to Pat, Lo or even Janus. Whatever they did, it was still his duty to protect Thomas. Physically, socially, mentally and emotionally. Whether he wanted him to or not.

And not even King was going to stop him from fulfilling his purpose.

@antiredhuman you wanted to be tagged if I wrote more for this au so here you go! Hope you like it!

[blue-angel-wings]

Bishop Drabble - take your times

18+ (because I got a little nasty for a brief moment hehe)

Characters: Bishop Losa x Reader (Y/N), basically all the Mayans briefly but mainly Angel, Coco, Gilly.

Summary: Reader is a single mum and close with the Mayans specifically Bishop, because they crushing on each other. And Emily Galindo being a bitch because I don’t like her 😊.

Warnings: Cursing, horny talks but not full blown smut, slight talk of injuries.

Word count: 3,768 it’s longer because I got carried away 😈

You had known the Mayans since you were little, although your Father wasn’t a patch he always helped them.

As a day job your Father owned a small car dealership and would often frequent Romero scrap and salvage for odd pieces to use on whatever new vehicle he was working on, but behind the calm face of a man who liked cars and bikes, was a trained assassin, murder for hire, hitman, whatever you wanted to call it. So over time your Dad did jobs for the Mayans. Through that they met you and whilst your Mother didn’t really like the Mayans knowing your family she had to admit it was useful always having a group of knights in shiny leather to hand.

Your father had been killed one a run with them when you were sixteen years old, and ever since then the club had take your Fathers place with you and your mother. She worked the bar sometimes and whilst you chose to work elsewhere you always attend the parties, well as much as you could whilst also being a single parent. At the age of eighteen you became a mother to a beautiful baby boy you lovingly named Rio. The guys were shocked but supportive and excited for the new little baby in their lives. The Dad of your son decided that a baby wouldn’t work for him so he ran. Not like you needed him.

Yours and Bishop’s relationship had only just started, you had been on a few dates but you spoke constantly and you may have slept with him on a few occasions, because who could resist a man like that. He had started to find you attractive once you showed up more. For your safety and now Rio’s your Mother kept you away from the guys until you were in your twenties, so when you turned twenty one and could legally drink you knew exactly where you were going to get wasted for the first time. The clubhouse.

Ever since Bishop saw you in a tiny black dress that made your body just look too good he knew we wanted you but stayed back not wanting to look like a perv who only dated girls half his age. He admired you for years, how you raised Rio somewhat alone, how you always helped the club without a complaint, how you deeply cared for the guys and he just couldn’t helped that he fell for you more and more.

But he was done waiting and at Rio’s eighth birthday party, whilst you stood there playing nice with the other parents from the prestigious school you sent Rio to, and whilst wearing jeans that Bishop swore were painted on, he asked you out.

You thanked the heavens he did because you were getting sick of the waiting game.

A few months had passed and although you had been on dates, Bishop was yet to ask you to be his. It was almost like he was still scared that you would reject him. During the day he was almost shy around you not saying much or interacting with you as much as you hoped almost like he feared he would say or do something wrong, but at night he’d have you shaking in ecstasy on a bed drenched with your arousal, whilst whispering the nastiest shit you’d ever heard.

You didn’t think too much about it you knew he loved you deep down he was just struggling to say it, he had no problem showing it through his actions and you saw the way he looked at you when he thought you weren’t looking. But saying the words that would make you his girl officially, he just couldn’t manage do that.

At Rio’s birthday he had been gifted a skate board. A small red plank of wood you swore would be the end of your son. And although Angel had also purchased a helmet to go with it, your son seemingly refused to wear it. He constantly rode it without the helmet no matter how much you asked him to, it was like he was allergic.

You had taken the board away once he started to show zero regard for himself and others. Swerving through people on the sidewalk was okay if it was quiet and people moved out the way in time, but once he started heading towards the roads without his helmet you called time on his little Tony Hawk phase.

A few weeks passed before he grew restless and bored without it. He had come looking for you with full safety gear on, helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and little gloves. And you cracked, you gave him back his death board and sent him on his way.

Rio’s school was just out of Santo Padre and about 45 mins away from your home, it was a bit of nuisance being so far from you but your son was smart, too smart. He had eidetic imagery or as some would say photographic memory. He had shown signs when he was little, about 4 or 5, when he was able to recall in perfect detail his toys as if they were still there in front of you. It was terrifying to you but when the doctor explained what it was you were stunned. Due to his abilities you sent him to a school that burned a whole in your pockets each month but was perfect for your little boy. He loved it, he excelled at all subjects aced every test and had a big group of friends that were surprisingly pleasant children.

The Mayans clubhouse was only twenty minutes away from Rio’s school. And when work had started to get busier, you couldn’t pick him up from school anymore. You generally finished worked at the boutique in town at 4:30 an hour after Rio had finished school, you hadn’t given him a key to the house out of fear he would lose it, so you suggested he’d ride his board to the clubhouse and then once you were done you would pick him up. It worked out great, the guys loved having him there and you got to see Bishop more.

The guys were just chilling at the club, the younger ones were playing poker and smoking whilst the elders were in templo.

‘What the fuck prospect!?’ Slamming his cards on the table in a frenzy, Coco practically threw his money at the chuckling Ezekiel who in return shook his head at the snipers antics.

‘Not a prospect anymore bro, imma patch now.’ He said smugly, pointing lazily at the patch on his kutte.

‘Keep taking my money and I will change that real quick.’ Coco was pissed, he owed Ez about $300 from just this afternoon alone.

At the front porch Angel and Gilly were working the yard when they heard the slight rattling of small wheels of the stones, lifting their heads just in time to see the arrival of Rio on his board. They had to admit when they purchased the board for him they were worried he’d be crap at it and give up, but we wasn’t. The guys sometimes rode behind him on their bikes just to watch his skate. It was mesmerising.

Happily finishing up their work, Angel nudged Gilly towards the clubhouse to tell the others of your son’s arrival.

‘Hey, Rio’s here.’ The larger man bellowed into the space causing the other Mayans to stop what they were doing and follow him out.

Outside Angel had Rio swinging from his neck, when Rio was around the Mayans he deliberately acted younger to get more attention, the guys didn’t do anything to stop him they enjoyed him acting all silly and somewhat babyish, it stopped the sad truth of him getting older right before their eyes from rising to the surface.

‘Hey little guy, how was the ride in?’ El presidente asked the boy whilst messing with his hair, that he spent hours getting perfect for school.

Bishop was closest to Rio, well joint with Angel. Rio saw Bishop as a father figure, much to your delight, and Angel as a brother figure.

‘It was okay, some car was following me really closely and honking at me.’ He pouted whilst spinning the wheels on his board.

The men perked up at the sound of somebody pestering the young boy.

‘ I don’t know why though, mama says I can ride in the road if I stay to the side out of the way with my helmet on.’ Rio didn’t seem to be upset, more worried he was defying your rules of riding his skateboard.

‘Well, what did the car look like?’ Creeper asked whilst blowing the smoke from his cigarette behind him, being mindful of the small child in front of him.

‘A black Lexus RX Hybrid, black tinted windows, driver was a middle aged male, bald, tattoos up his arms.....’ the boy rambled on, his memory working overtime. The guys stopped him mid way through not wanting him to worry himself with the stranger who was bothering him. They assured him he did nothing wrong and took him into clubhouse.

None of the other guys recognised description of the car or driver, but Ez did. He knew who was sat in the back of the vehicle, whilst they texted him and continued to call upon him every waking second of the day. He heard the sound of a car coming to a halt at the front of the scrap yard, he knew this was the car that was following Rio plus he saw the man Rio had described in great detail. He glanced at his phone to check if his suspicions were true. His screen was flooded with notifications of texts and calls, and some social media notifications, all from the same person.

Emily Galindo.

She had been contacting Ez, at first he didn’t mind the contact from his ex, he selfishly used to want the relationship to rekindle with the married woman, but now with Gabby in his life he didn’t, he wanted her gone. She nodded to his trailer, with a pleading look is her eyes he succumbed to her request, checked nobody was around and headed to his trailer.

‘Do you have any Capri-Suns i’m kinda thirsty?’ Rio asked, cheekily checking behind the bar for something to eat hoping one of guys would fulfil his request. Bishop smirked reached into the fridge round the corner and retrieved two orange Capri-Sun pouches and grasped the bag of Doritos they kept on top of the fridge for him to munch on as well.

‘How’s school going mate?’ Bishop genuinely enjoyed talking with Rio because he reminded him of you, he much like yourself, was so passionate even over the little things.

Bishop played with Rio’s discarded school tie, folding it neatly knowing you hated ironing it.

‘It was alright, we learning about dinosaurs in science which is cool cos I really like Jurassic park and I’m gonna ask mama later if we can watch it.’ Rio exclaimed loudly waving his hands around wildly. He continues to tell Bishop about school, avoiding telling him about the masses of homework that was set knowing the older man would tell him to do it and wouldn’t drop it until it was done. The conversation was interrupted by Angel who had just got finished on a call.

‘Hey Rio, your Mum just called saying she got caught up at work and won’t be picking up til 5.’ The oldest Reyes told the child who was seemingly unbothered by the change of plans, but the news had Bishop frowning, why didn’t you call him, you knew he didn’t have Templo today so he would have his phone on him?

‘Okay, can I go practice my kick flips out front?’ He asked the president.

‘Yeah sure, take one of guys to watch you incase you fall, and remember to map out where your skating with the cones.’

‘Yeah I think I can remember that.’ He teased the older man, by referencing his condition.

The guys had bought these little orange cones for him to use when he was skating in the yard so he didn’t get in the way of them working.

Bishop lightly shoved him in the direction of the door with a shake of his head, he needed to call you, the jealously he felt when you called Angel instead of him was growing unbearable. Was it Angel stretching out your tight little pussy each night? Was it Angel that had you screaming with his head between your legs? Was it Angel that you called Daddy? Was it Angel that had you making the most delicious moans?

No it wasn’t, it was Bishop.

So why weren’t you calling him?

It was 5:30 when you pulled up to the scrap yard to retrieve your child. You surveyed the grounds looking for Rio once you had parked. But when you were greeted with the noise of laughter, you opted to follow that. Turning off your car you headed to the front porch where a groaning Coco was laying on the floor clutching his arm. You walked over not too worried seeming as the sniper had sustained worse injuries than a scrape on the arm.

‘You okay there Coco baby?’

You squatted beside the man and glanced as the injury on his arm, there wasn’t more that’s a slight graze on his elbow however from he noises he was now making you’d think he’d been shot.

‘No! This piece of sh-‘ you clapped a hand over this mouth before he could finish once you realised that the giggling you heard earlier came from your son, who sat comfortably in Gilly’s lap at the bench a few feet away. Standing up, leaving Coco to get on with it, you walked over to your son to kiss his forehead.

‘You okay baby? School was good?’

‘Yeah it was good we are doing dinosaurs in science so I was wondering if I can watch Jurassic park tonight to learn more about T-rex’s, please? ‘ he pleaded with both hands clasped together.

‘Of course baby.’ You went to say more but you saw Bishop on the step, looking at you with an unreadable expression on his face.

You knew why though, in an attempt to push Bishop to ask you to his girl you messed with him a little by deliberately calling Angel instead of him to inform the guys of the change of plans. Normally you wouldn’t mess with the man who so clearly had control of the reigns in the relationship but you were sick of waiting, you wanted him and he wanted you, the hickies on your breasts and inner thighs confirming that.

You kissed Rio’s head and Gilly’s, once he jokingly pointed to his forehead, and headed towards Bishop. He turned without a word and heard towards the clubhouse, the guys waited a few minutes before following suit, not wanting to miss the potential start of your long awaited romance. Rio was left alone to skate outside after he said he wanted to practice a little more, Angel was happy to leave him out there alone knowing he could ride perfectly fine.

Bishop sat on a couch in the far corner and when you went to sit next to him he grasped your wrist and manoeuvred you onto his lap, well this is a good start you thought.

‘How was work?’ He asked whilst sneaking a peek at your cleavage that you pushed up slightly before you left work.

‘It was good, busy which is good. A little tired and my feet hurt.’ You answered, slightly wriggling your feet. Bishop caught on quickly, removing you shoes and and starting to rub your feet slightly, causing a slight moan to slip from your lips.

‘Y/N I want to ask you something.’

Here it comes, you acted calm almost ignorant to what he was saying but inside you were screaming.

‘I really like you and I love spending time with you, you make me feel like a little kid with his first crush. You’re my first thought in the morning and last thought at night. I wanna be with you always and forever, so i was won—‘

‘Hey!’

Bishop’s monologue was cut short by a small voice you recognised to be your son’s. Every head in the clubhouse turn so quickly you feared they all get whiplash.

Grabbing your shoes and placing them haphazardly on your feet you all but sprinted to the front porch, where the now female voice could be heard.

Running out you saw your son sat on the floor fighting back tears and Emily Galindo standing over him slightly. She obviously was leaving Ez’s trailer, because that’s what married women do, they meet with their ex’s in trailers behind their husband’s back.

‘Hey baby you okay, are you injured?’

You rushed to your sons side as well as Bishop, who carefully picks up Rio’s skate board that was currently sporting a large crack in the middle of the wood.

‘No, I’m okay mama.’ He whispered growing embarrassed at the crowd around him, his bottom lip started to tremble telling you that tears where only moments away. Bishop started brushing the hair off of Rio’s face to calm the young boy, he too knew Rio hated crying in front of crowds.

‘What happened sweetheart?’ You spoke quietly not wanting to blow up too much in front of your son, you’d had a long day at work and you didn’t have time for a confrontation today. You wanted this sorted so you can go back to Bishop and then go home.

‘He wasn’t watching where he was going!’ The blonde woman spoke, the venom in her voice unnecessary in this situation.

‘I wasn’t fucking talking to you!’ Apparently you did have time today. All heads snapped to you and Gilly managed to scoop Rio into his arms before you whipped yourself in front of the culprit of your son’s upset.

‘So that warrants you to push him!? A small, eight year old child!? Did you not see the cones hun? They are bright fucking orange, maybe if you lifted your head of your ex’s dick for a moment you would see my son skating out here.’ The guys were loving it, watching with smirks on their faces.

‘Somebody should’ve been watching him.’

‘Hah okay sweetheart.’ You scoffed, you worked in retail you could handle opportunists like Emily Galindo.

‘I’m hardly gonna take parenting advice from you, am I? Mrs Galindo.’ You emphasised her name in the hopes she’d remember her marriage and start acting like a wife.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Well you’re hardly mother of the year, not after your practically gave your son away to a terrorist.’ You weren’t backing down, gasps were heard throughout the yard, the hang-arounds emerging in the hopes of a fight.

‘Thats not fair, they were armed and I was terrified.’ She tried to reason with you, who would try to rationalise their son’s kidnapping?

‘See that’s the difference between you and me, Emily, see they would have to pry my son from my cold, dead hands.’

‘They were shooting people right in front of me!’

‘I’d let them shoot every motherfucking bitch in this town before they ever laid a hand on my child!’

You screamed in her face, women like Emily didn’t deserve the love or attention they received.

‘I just hope his four nannies that actually raise him coped alright during that time.’ That was it, the final straw. She raised her hand but you never cowered, she went to slap you but al she could do is try. You got there first taking the board from Bishop’s hands and slapping her in the stomach, so it’s not as obvious as a face injury, you didn’t fancy having the cartel on your ass.

She doubled over in pain and screamed, clutching her ribs. You didn’t hear a crack but you knew it mustn’t of ickled.

‘Ez take the whore back to her car, tell the driver the pain is due to her period that’s just started, and it’s nothing to worry about.’

Ez nodded and quickly moved Emily from the scene, not daring to speak a word incase he got the same treatment.

You spun around and thanked heavens that Gilly had taken Rio inside, although you knew the Mayan would be pissed that he missed the altercation.

‘Damn Mamas you got some claws!’ Taza was the first to break the silence, beaming at you and your display of violence. You pulled into his embrace and chuckled.

‘Yeah it was kinda hot seeing you all angry’

Of course Coco was the one to turn it into a dirty joke. All the guys gathered round you and starting joking about you joining UFC.

But one man was quiet, too quiet. Bishop was yet to move a muscle let alone say anything, you worried it was too much and that your outburst made him change his mind.

The guys followed your eyes to the president behind them.

‘Let’s go inside and check on Rio, yeah guys?’

Riz encouraged the guys to move, catching on that you needed a moment alone with their president.

‘Bishop I’m so sorry about that, I just freaked when I saw Rio on the floor, I know this probably fucks things up with Galindo. And I get it if you take back what you said inside, it’s just I—‘ you were stopped short by a pair of lips on yours, you took a few seconds or realise they were Bishop’s, you moved your lips in sync with his and after what felt like a lifetime you pulled away for air.

‘I guess I gotta make you mine to watch over you now. Can’t have to terrorising the streets with the this can I?’ He joked whilst holding up Rio’s now fully snapped board

‘You still wanna be with me after that?’

‘Yeah I do because I’m in love with you.’

You melted right there on the spot, you laughed a little at your previous panic.

He leant in close to whisper in your ear

‘Plus Coco was right, it was fucking hot.’

You groaned and palmed his chest playfully. You finally had it, a perfect little family, it was about time. You went back to kissing Bishop and at this moment nothing could go wrong.

‘Hey, my board! What the hell Mom!’

Taglist: @mayans-sauce @one-shot-plus-size

[ninjazaku]

Windows to the Soul (Chapter 1)

A My Hero Academia OC Fanfiction

A melancholy layer of gray clouds loomed in the sky of Denver, Colorado. The city bristled with commerce and business as the afternoon rolled onward, the chill of the January air doing little more than giving people further reason to hurry about their business. In the northwest of the capitol city of the Centennial State was the suburb of Atlas; a relatively new community which was built between the second and third generation of Quirk users.  In a time before Quirks took over as the dominant population, Atlas was meant to serve as a community for families composed either entirely of, or predominantly of, Quirked people.

Nestled within this community was Aeternus High School. Once serving as a school for Quirked people only, the marble building’s cold surface and Pantheon-esque architecture reminded many of the days of civil unrest before Quirked humans had rights in the United States. A shrill bell pierced the frigid air and a swarm of teenagers dashed hurriedly into the world.

Among the stragglers that exited the building later that afternoon was two Freshman: Ian Allistair, bundled in several layers of insulated clothing, a large canvas satchel containing all his belongings slung over his shoulder. He towed behind him a translucent golden wagon (a construct of solid light, created by Ian’s Quirk: “Lightsmith”).

Inside the wagon was his best friend and godsister, Gabrielle De La Luna. Ian’s sister was nestled into the wagon with not a care in the world. Like Ian she was wrapped in several layers of warm clothing, with a large pair of striped cat ears poking out of holes cut into the top of her beanie, contrasted by her bright blue bangs that hung low on her forehead.

“Remind me again why I have to tow you home in a wagon, Gabbie?” Ian grumbled as he began their uphill walk home.

“Because I’m the big sister and you have to listen to what I say.” Gabbie replied with snark “And today I say that I’m too cold and too tired to walk. So, you get to pull me all the way home in one of your wonderfully warm creations.”

“You can turn into a cat! With fur!”

“Yes, but that requires effort. All I had to do to get you to do this was give you my best pout and say please.”

“I hate you, Gabbie.”

“I love you, too.”

  The two Quirked teens shook off the cold air as they entered the warmth of their home a few blocks away, in the heart of the Atlas suburb. As the two made their way through their home, discarding layers of coats, they found a customary note from Ian’s parents on the countertop in their kitchen noting when their family would be home from work. The two took a few minutes to raid their cabinets, with Cabbie making herself a bowl of a sugary chocolate cereal and Ian making himself a rather large sandwich containing a variety of meats, cheeses, etc.

The two rummaged through their bags and after roughly an hour of discussing Algebra, History, and other subjects, the two pulled out a single piece of paper from their respective bags; a permission slip for a fieldtrip to Japan so that the members of the Future Heroes of Colorado Club could participate in the UA entrance exam.

“Do you think we’re ready for this, Gabs?” Ian asked, his voice almost a whisper

Gabbie’s ears twitched atop her head as she heard her childhood nickname. She swallowed her mouthful of food as she began to speak.

“We’ve been raising money since last May. We’ve been preparing our Quirks since we were ten. I think we’ll be fine, Ian.”

“I know, I know. I’m just nervous. It’s UA, you know? All Might could be watching the exam for all we know.” Ian stuttered, fidgeting with a Rubik’s cube he pulled out of his bag.

“So, we’ll just have to knock his socks off too.” Gabbie retorted through another mouthful of cereal.

Ian scoffed and chuckled nervously. “I don’t get how you can be so nonchalant about this.”

“Ian.” Gabbie began, setting down her food and walking over to her brother on the other side of the room. “You and I have been dreaming of this for the past five years. As long as we have each other, nothing can stop us from becoming the best heroes the world’s ever seen.”

Ian looked into his sister’s brilliant green eyes, and watched as her sharp-toothed smirk spread across her face. Ian’s own ever-changing eyes shifted from a murky, nervous brown to a radiant blue color as he let out a deep sigh.

“You always know how to calm me down, Gabs.” Ian said with a soft smile.

“That’s what family is for.” Gabbie replied with a toothy grin.

  Later that night Ian’s parents, Kevin and Samantha Allistair sat at the dinner table with their child and godchild and ate dinner. Kevin was a tall, lean man. His hair was blond, fluffed up into what many would call a pompadour, despite his objections. His eyes were a deep forest green color, and on his palms, were two crystal-like growths related to his Quirk. Samantha was slightly shorter than her husband, her platinum hair coming down in wild curls to chin-length. Her eyes were ever-changing in color as her Quirk analyzed the light spectrum around her. As the family’s evening began winding down, the teens seized the opportunity in the quiet.

“So, we got our permission slips for the UA field trip today.” Ian murmured quietly.

Ian’s parents almost choked on their final bites of food, surprised at the sudden shift in the room’s tone.

“Have you guys raised enough funds already?” Samantha asked, coughing softly under her breath with one hand covering her mouth.

“Moms we’ve been raising money for a little under a year. Ian and I have been at every single fundraising weekend. The club has raised something what like, $20,000?”

“$20,562.37” Ian confirmed

“We have enough for the whole club to go. That’s 8 people. Round trip, 7 days. The exam is next month. February 26th.”

Kevin, Ian’s father sighed deeply. “We know. I guess we just…didn’t realize how quickly it’d crept up on us. You guys are growing up so fast.”

“Ew. Don’t get all mushy on us pops.” Gabbie teased, sticking out her tongue as she gathered the family’s dishes and placed them in their dishwasher. Kevin smiled and returned the teasing gesture.

“Have you called your parents, Gabbie?” Samantha asked.

Gabbie stopped in her tracks and stared through the window above it, her gaze blank as she looked out into the stars.

“I wanted to make sure you guys were going to be ok with this first. Didn’t want them fretting too.” Gabbie said nervously.

“Madre and Padre just worry about you Gab.”

“I know.” Gabbie said with a nod, taking a deep breath and whirling around with a nod. “So that begs the question. Are Ian and I going?”

Kevin and Samantha chuckled, ushering the two teenagers to come closer.

“We promised you guys could take the test a long time ago. We’ll sign it so you guys can get things ready with your club. But we should also have a sit down with your parents before the end of the week so that we can have a plan, Gabbie.”

Gabbie nodded and hugged her adoptive family close, Ian also getting wrapped into the group hug. The two soon were ushered off to their respective bedrooms to go to sleep and prepare for the next day.

As Gabbie lay down to sleep looked up at her ceiling and looked at a spot in her wall that had a different pattern than the wall around it. She ran her hand over the spot, feeling the smoothed-out texture of dried spackle and hastily applied paint. She could feel four distinct curves where the spackle had been carefully applied to hide deep gashes. Gashes that had had come from her claws, during one of her transformations when she was younger and less experienced with her Quirk.

Her hand recoiled away from the spot as she remembered Ian’s reaction the morning after her first full transformation; tired, defeated, and worried sick. She remembered their parents catering to her every whim the entire day. She remembered Ian shaking as he recounted the previous night’s events. She remembered her and Ian hugging each other close, and crying until neither of them could cry any more. She remembered the promise that they made to each other. But she also promised herself that she would never make her family worry like that again. That she would make them proud and become strong enough to overcome every hardship.

Across the hall Ian had finished closing all the blinds and locking his door, making sure that his room was sealed from all light sources. He took off his protective glasses and settled into his bed and looked up at the ceiling. He then reached over to a lamp on the nightstand next to his bed and turned it up ever so slightly. He watched as various types of light danced across his field of vision. He reached his hand up into the aurora and watched the infrared waves radiate from his fingers. As his head began to ache, he slowly reached over and turned off the light. He nursed the headache for a moment, rubbing his temples as he contemplated the coming weeks.Ian, like his sister, was thinking of the first time Gabbie used her Quirk to its full extent. He remembered it was also the night he discovered his quirk’s full power as well. Ian remembered hearing painful screaming from the room across the hall and how he ran to check on her, only to find her writing in pain as her bones popped out of place and she shifted into a feline shape.

He remembered a light shield popping up just in time to repel the now-feral creature that was inhabiting his sister’s mind away. He remembered how long it took both Gabbie’s parents and his own to restrain her. And he remembered staying up watching her the hole night and crying with her all day. The promise he made to himself that he would become a hero so that everyone he loved would be safe, always.

As the two went to sleep, though, it was the promise to each other, rather than their own goals, that held firm in their mind. They thought of their younger selves locking their pinkies together and swearing to never give up on each other, and to always love each other no matter what. As they drifted off to sleep they knew that no matter what hardships they would be enduring in the coming weeks, they had each other.

  Several days later, on Thursday, the two rushed out into the frigid air of a snowy day. Ian projected a large umbrella over their heads to shield them from more snow and provide a bit of warmth. They hurried home, their legs burning as they rushed their usually casual walk. As they opened the door, they began wiping the snow from their boots and tossing aside their jackets. The warm glow of Ian’s construct retracted and they suddenly noticed the occupancy of their living room.

Gabbie’s parents, Daniel and Claudia, were visiting. Daniel was a large, physically imposing man with several feline features including whiskers protruding from his face, large yellow eyes, and cat ears. Claudia was a small, curvy woman with hair down past her shoulders. Her eyes were soft and she had a kind smile.

“Mamá! Papá!” Gabbie yelled, running to her parents and embracing them. Ian walked behind her with a smile of his own as the family embraced.

“We missed you so much mija. You’ve grown even more since Christmas. You’re almost as tall as I am now.” Daniel said happily, holding his daughter close.

Gabbie groaned obnoxiously. “Papá! Not in front of Ian! You’ll only encourage him to be more affectionate!”

This prompted Daniel to charge over and pick Ian up in a bear hug, laughing a hearty laugh. “Oh, I haven’t forgot about him! How are you mijo? Keeping out of trouble?”

“You still think I’m the one that’s going to cause trouble, padre?” Ian joked with a soft chuckle

“How many times do I have to tell you, I’m not a priest!” Daniel growled playfully, rubbing his hair

Claudia, meanwhile, cupped her daughter’s face and looked into her eyes. “You look more beautiful every time we see you, Gabriella.”

Gabbie nuzzled her mother’s hand affectionately. “Thank you, mamá. I was fortunate enough to get your good looks.”

“I heard that!” Daniel objected as he continued wrestling with Ian. The two women giggled as Kevin and Samantha stepped out from the Kitchen, beaming at their family.

“Come on everyone” Kevin invited “Let’s sit.”

The adults sat opposite the two teens and set the permission slips on the table.

“So, straight to business?” Gabbie joked as she plopped into a chair, assuming a lounging posture as she tossed a leg up on one of the chairs in their living room.

“We’ve already talked it over, Gabriella” Claudia told her daughter. “We talked about this with Kevin and Samantha a long time ago, and told them that we wanted you to go to UA if you ever got the opportunity.”

Gabbie suddenly tilted her head. “Then what-?”

Kevin stopped his goddaughter. “Let them finish, Gabbie. You listen, too, Ian.”

Daniel fidgeted in his seat. “I know it’s been hard on you, mija. Having to be apart from us for the past few years. You understood and went with it, trusting us. Trusting your godparents, even though you didn’t know them well. And we couldn’t be prouder of the woman you’ve become.”

Daniel turned to his godson. “And we couldn’t be prouder of you, either, Ian. For becoming the brother Gabbie never had, and the son we didn’t know we needed. You’ve supported Gabriella when we couldn’t, when your parents couldn’t.”

Daniel wiped tears from his eyes with the pads on one of his large, fur-covered hands. “You and your parents are family to us and have done more for us than you could ever imagine, Ian. We wanted you to know that.”

“And you’ve done the same for us, Gabbie.” Samantha said, her voice quivering, and her eyes changing to a deep indigo color. “You took us by the hand and pulled us on an adventure we didn’t know we needed to go on. You’re a shining star we will always cherish. And this family knows what shining is all about.”

Ian began to tear up and when he got up to comfort his own godparents, they stopped him.

“That’s not the only reason we wanted to talk.” Claudia stopped Ian.

“Then what?” Ian asked.

The two couples looked at each other and nodded. They took a deep breath as Kevin began to speak.

“The four of us have been saving ever since you were children. We put a lot of money away for the sake of the two of you. It was for this very purpose.”

“We want you to go to UA next month.” Daniel said, firmly “We want you to win your way in. And when you do, there is enough money in the accounts we have put away for us to find a good apartment and stay there until your education is complete.”

“But…papa…how did you?...” Gabbie wondered allowed

“It’s been rough, mija. Sometimes we didn’t have much to put in there. We knew that a child of ours would develop a Quirk that could do great things, but we didn’t have the money to raise you and prepare your future. So that’s how we made this deal with Kevin and Samantha. This has been in the works for years. We should have explained this all a long time ago but---”

Gabbie put up a finger and stopped her father. “I get it. You’re right. You should have explained this, somehow. But I get it. Just…give me a minute.”

Gabbie took a deep breath. Ian took his sister’s hand and Gabbie stared at the floor for a minute or two, dumbstruck.

“Gab. Does this mean we’re gonna be Heroes?” Ian asked after a moment, squeezing his sister’s hand.

“Yeah, bro. Yeah it does!” Gabbie exclaimed, embracing his brother. As laughter erupted throughout the house, the entire family joined in on the group hug.

In the excitement of the moment, the two had failed to notice that the permission slips had been signed from the moment they walked in the door.

All that remained was for them to go to Japan and pass the exam.

[thefifthbusiness]

Group Discussion

The other day, I met with my group member Carolyn to discuss Fifth Business. We discussed a variety of topics, including Freudian/Jungian psychology in the novel and how the novel reflects Canadian identity.

Freudian and Jungian Psychology

After studying some Freudian and Jungian psychology in class, we became acutely aware of how pertinent Freud and Jung’s theories are in Fifth Business

Archetypes

Many of the characters fit into specific archetypes. This could be attributed to the fact that Dunstan, who is obsessed with stories and myths, is the narrator. Applying archetypes in his recounting of the novel could be him trying to place himself and his life into a story of his own.

The Rich Young Prince: Boy Staunton

Boy comes from a reasonably wealthy background, and rises to become one of the wealthiest and most successful people in the country. He is preoccupied with satisfying his material needs, as well and his thirst for power.

He looks up to Prince Edward of Wales, and he likes to portray himself as a good-looking, vivacious young man.

The Bully: Boy Staunton

From the snowball incident during his childhood, to his abuse of Leola, to his treatment of his son, to his interaction with Paul, Boy is always a bully.

He puts his own needs above everyone else’s.

He likes to be dominant and in control.

The Hero: Dunstan

The town views him as a war hero when he enlists and when he returns to Deptford with a Victoria Cross.

He also willingly plays the part of the hero when he receives the Victoria Cross for clearing the machine gun nest at Passchendaele. He does not believe that he is a hero because he believes that what he did was purely due to luck. I also suspect that he feels guilty that he is being honoured for killing innocent men without even giving them a chance to surrender, which demonstrates his heroic values.

The Fifth Business: Dunstan

He spends most of the novel telling the stories of other people’s successes, while he himself remains a humble scholar. (see more about Dunstan’s role as Fifth Business below)

The Damsel in Distress: Leola

She is the victim of Boy’s bullying and ends up dying in despair when she can take his abuse no longer

She makes a feeble attempt to reach out to Dunstan for salvation when she addresses him in the suicide note that she writes when she fails to kill herself.

The Great Mother: Diana

Diana takes care of Dunstan when he wakes up from his coma. She feeds him, changes him, and re-teaches him how go about doing ordinary things, such as eating, with his physical disabilities.

Diana renames him Dunstan instead of Dunstable.

Dunstan refuses to marry her because she reminds him too much of his mother and he does not want to be tied down to another woman who will be in control of his life.

The Great Mother: Mary

Dunstan treats Mary like his own mother, by caring for her unconditionally as she ages.

Dunstan mourns her death as deeply as a son would mourn the death of a mother.

Mary is one of the only people that Dunstan trusts, especially during his childhood in Deptford. Dunstan associates her with safety, trust, and even love. It is clear that Dunstan looks towards her for motherly affection when he is about to die at Passchendaele and sees her face in the face of the Madonna statue.

Wise Old Man/Father Figure: Padre Blazon

He gives Dunstan advice on life, such as “learning to grow old”, and well as advice on what Dunstan should do about Mary Dempster.

The Magician: Paul

Paul is literally a magician.

Although he comes from a dysfunctional family and was bullied during his childhood, Paul rises to create a successful life for himself. He runs away to join the circus and develops his talent until he is able to put on his own show and travel the world in fame. Because Paul created a life for himself when he was given so little, you can say that he created something out of nothing, just as a magician would.

Rebirth: when Dunstan awakes from his coma in the hospital

Dunstan “dies” in the fall, which is considered to be the season of death, and awakes in spring, the season of birth and renewal.

He has suffered injuries which have disfigured his body, physically making him a new person.

He must relearn how to do everyday things such as eating, walking, etc.

He is renamed Dunstan instead of Dunstable

Diana acts as his mother (see above)

Oedipus Complex

The Oedipus Complex is the tendency for a child to be attracted to his mother. Dunstan demonstrates an Oedipus Complex with two different women: Diana Marfleet and Mary Dempster. When Dunstan awakes from his coma, Diana acts as his mother by caring for him and re-teaching him basic skills. Dunstan and Diana later pursue a romantic relationship, and they even consider moving to Canada together to get married and live on a farm. Dunstan’s obvious attraction to Diana, who he even admits reminds him of his mother, shows that he is attracted to mother figures in his life. Moreover, Dunstan admits to being in love with Mary Dempster when he was a child. This could easily be dismissed as a boyhood crush on an older woman, but Dunstan sees Mary as a mother figure to him, which is evident in the fact that he cares for her unconditionally, and when he sees her face in the face of the Madonna when he is about to die. Because Dunstan admits to being in love with two mother figures in his life, it is obvious that he has an Oedipus Complex.

Anima and Animus

It is believed that each person has both Anima (female attributes) and Animus (male attributes) in their shadow. If a person suppresses either one, they are likely to become bullies or to have other deep character flaws. In the novel, Boy can be considered as someone who completely rejects his anima. He is very dominant, and is only focuses on feeding his physical needs. He is materialistic, has multiple affairs, and wants to occupy a powerful position, first in his business, and later in the government. At the end of the novel, he refuses to submit to Paul as they undergo a battle of dominance, each one trying to demonstrate that they are superior to the other. His refusal to admit that Paul has dominance over him also leads him to refuse to admit ever throwing the snowball that caused Paul’s premature birth, which in turn leads to death, either directly or indirectly depending on interpretation of the novel.

The Shadow and the Persona

Mary is one of the only people that Dunstan trusts. Because of Mary’s brain damage, she does not feel shame and is therefore always honest about her thoughts and intentions. This is shown in her interaction with Joel Surgenor, a tramp whom attempts to rape Mary, but whom Mary ends up willingly having sex with as an act of charity to the poor man who “wanted it so badly”. Mary is shunned by the rest of the town because this was seen as scandalous, especially since she is married and was having sex in a public place. Mary is not preoccupied by the whispers from the other townspeople and is only concerned with doing this poor tramp a favour. Mary’s lack of filtering and pure intent demonstrates how Mary is all Shadow. The Shadow is also known as the unconscious, and contains all of the wide abundance of characteristics that make each person who they are. The Shadow is normally filtered by the Persona, which only allows certain elements of the Shadow to be seen in a personality. These selective elements of the shadow changes depending on the situation that the person is in. In contrast, Dunstan does not trust his mother at all after the egg incident, during which his mother became hysterical with anger at him for no apparent reason, and then went right back to being a loving mother just as quickly. His mother’s mercuriality causes Dunstan to mistrust her, since he does not really know what her true intentions are. This is because Dunstan’s mother, like every other person in the world, has a Persona that changes in different situations.

There were many other elements of Freudian and Jungian Psychology that we wanted to explore, but we ran out out of time and decided to discuss other topics.

Canadian Identity

Since our interviews are going to focus mainly on how the novel relates to Canadian identity, Carolyn and I shared our ideas on this subject. We both came to the conclusion that Canada is the Fifth Business of the world. Fifth Business is defined as a character who is not important in and of itself, but is still crucial to the development of the plot. Because Canadian achievement on an international level is often neglected, Canada can be considered Fifth Business. First, Canada is often seen as Britain’s child or America’s little brother, and is often forgotten because of the prominence of it’s allies. For example, Americans claim that they were instrumental in turning the tide of the war, when in reality, they only joined when the war was pretty much decided. Meanwhile, Canada followed Britain’s call to action, and, even though the Canadian army was small, it was also recognized as having some of the most fearsome fighters. Canadian influence during the First World War is anything but negligible. Second, Canada does generally not fight its own wars; rather, Canada provides supports to other countries such as America and Britain as they go to fight their own battles. This means that Canada does not often take centre stage in international conflicts, but we are still instrumental to the course of the historical events. Canada’s quiet importance on the world stage is similar to Fifth Business characters in plays and opera, or in this case, it is similar to Dunstan in the novel. Dunstan is the Fifth Business of Fifth Business, which is demonstrated by the fact that he does not have a particularly remarkable life on his own. He is somewhat of a loner and spends his days developing his spirituality and knowledge. Nevertheless, he has a lot of influence on more important characters such as Boy and Paul, and his friendship with the two men is what brings them together before their reunion brings about the end of the novel. Even though Dunstan does not stand out as a remarkable character, he is still a vital character in the novel, just like how Canada is still a vital player on the world stage.

We discussed so many different aspects of the novel, that I do not have time to write all of them down here. In addition to discussing other elements of Freudian and Jungian psychology, we also elaborated on different Canadian aspects of the novel such as the setting, and different themes in the novel relating to isolation, coming to terms with one’s past, guilt, and deception.