#Foreign Help

[naminethewriter]

Foreign Help

Hello! I'm a barista at the Sleepy Bean Fanfic Café run over at @tsspromptmonth and this is an order for @kieraelieson! It involves Janus centric angst, a happy ending, only one bed and a language barrier. Hope you enjoy!

Summary: Janus came along to his future stepfathers' cousin's wedding in hopes of getting to visit Germany and see some interesting things and not to have to share a bed with another cousin's son. Especially since they don't speak the same language. Literally.

Content Warnings: Human!AU, Angst, Happy Ending, Flashbacks, Nightmares, Language Barrier, German

Read here one Ao3!

German translations at the end.

~~*~~

“I didn’t agree to this!” Janus growls into his phone. His future stepfather sighs on the other end of the line.

“I know, Jay. But there’s nothing I can do about it! The hotel’s booked out, there are no other rooms. It’s just one night,” Remus tries to reason. Janus can hear the dull sound of more voices in the background.

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem for you to switch with me. I can sleep with my dad, and you can sleep with him!”

“Look, I know you’re frustrated, but you can’t actually believe that it’s appropriate for me to sleep in the same bed as my 15-year-old nephew who I hardly know. Especially since we’re out at a bachelor party right now and will be back late and intoxicated. Neither you nor Patton want to sleep next to us afterwards, I promise you.”

“Who thought it was a good idea to have the bachelor party the day before the wedding anyway? Aren’t you all just going to be hung over tomorrow?”

“Never mind that, we’ll deal. Now, you said you’d be okay earlier, what changed? I may not know Patton super well but he’s a good kid. I can’t imagine him doing anything that would upset you this much?”

“It’s the fact that the dude doesn’t seem to speak a lick of English! How am I supposed to tell him what not to do if he doesn’t understand me?!” Janus glances inside through the glass door that leads from the balcony back into the room. Patton is sitting on the bed with a DS in hand, concentrating on whatever game he’s playing.

“He can speak a bit of English, and I taught you a bit of German, you can figure out the rest. Plus, you both have phones, use google translate if you must. Patton knows how to politely share a room, it’ll be fine.”

“Siblings sharing rooms isn’t the same, Remus.”

“He’s an only child. He’s—” Remus breaks off and for a moment Janus thinks the line died. “Look, I don’t want to go into detail, but Pat’s been through a lot. He’s been sick since he was young and spent a lot of time in the hospital. That’s also why he doesn’t speak English all that well, he’s been homeschooled and his parents reasonably decided to focus on other subjects. He’ll be cordial, you can do the same, I’m sure.”

Janus doesn’t say anything but groans maybe a bit dramatically.

“I promise you, Jay, I talked with my cousin, and she made sure that at the wedding venue tomorrow you’ll have two beds. One night. That’s all I’m asking of you. Go to bed early and it’ll be even less of a problem.”

“Urgh, fine! But you owe me.”

“Sure thing, champ. See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Janus hangs up, though not before he hears Remus chuckling on the other end. The guy is so lucky that his dad’s infatuated with him or Janus would hit him in the morning. He lets out another sigh before returning back inside.

Patton looks up from his game at the sound of the door sliding open.

“Okay?” he asks, his head tilted to the side.

“Yeah. Has to be apparently.” He mumbles the last part under his breath and ignores the confused look on Patton’s face. Instead, he tries to recall what little German phrases Remus had taught him before they came here.

“Dein,” he says, motioning towards the side of the bed Patton is sitting on. “Mein.” This time he points at the unoccupied side. “Kein fassen.”

Patton blinks at him before repeating the gestures.

“Me. You. No touch?”

Janus nods.

“No touching my stuff.”

“Natürlich. Would never.”

“Good.” With that, Janus decides to ignore his reluctantly accepted companion and gathers his stuff to go take a shower. Thankfully, the bathroom door locks.

~~*~~

He smells the fire first. Then he feels the heat.

Oh no.

His eyes snap open.

The smoke is surrounding him from all sides.

Not again.

He can’t do it again.

Wasn’t once enough?

What kind of sick joke is this?

He tries to call for help but the air, thick with ash, chokes him before he can muster up a single sound.

Where even is he?

He hears wood groaning and splintering. Something crashes to the ground.

“Janus? Janus!”

A voice he doesn’t recognize rings through the dark. It’s calling his name, but the pronunciation is off.

“Janus! Wach auf! Komm schon, wach auf! Du musst atmen!“

He doesn’t understand. What kind of a language is that?

He has no time to dwell on it as something next to him falls. He flinches away but that only leads him closer to the heat. He turns around and is face to face with the flames.

“No. No. Please. I can’t,” he whimpers, unable still to raise his voice. His knees give away under him and he falls to the ground.

The air is thick down here as well and he starts coughing.

Is he going to die this time?

“Janus? Tut mir leid, aber Remus hat gesagt das würde helfen…“

What is the voice saying? He doesn’t—

Suddenly there’s something cold on his hand and Janus gasps.

His eyes fly open, and he sits up as if stung.

“Oh, Gott sei dank.”

Janus is still trying to get his breathing under control as his eyes find Patton sitting next to him, a water bottle in his hand. A drop of water is running down its side.

Ah, so that was the cold thing.

“What—” He gasps for more breath. “What happened?”

“Oh, uhm… Moment, please.”

Janus watches as Patton sets the water bottle aside on his nightstand and grabbing his phone instead. He types on it for a moment.

“You niktmare?” he asks, holding out his phone for Janus to see. It takes him a moment to get his eyes to focus on the screen, his breathing finally calming down. Patton has pulled up google translate, one side reading Albtraum and the other nightmare.

Oh yeah.

That would explain things.

His scars itch at the memory but he pushes the sensation away.

Patton is still looking at him, concerned.

“Yes,” he nods. “Nightmare.”

“Guessed. Called Remus. Coming here. With Logan.”

Janus sinks back down onto the bed with a sigh. So, his dad and soon-to-be stepfather were on their way back to check on him. He doesn’t like to admit it but he’s glad. He likes to pretend that he’s 16 and totally independent but staying in a foreign country with a guy he doesn’t know seems to have stressed him more than he thought if it brought back the worst memories of his life.

“Danke,” he says and Patton smiles.

“Kein Problem. Ich hoffe es geht dir bald besser.“

Janus can only guess what that means but he doesn’t press.

It’ll be okay.

A tap on his shoulder makes him flinch and he looks to Patton who’s holding the water bottle again.

“Drink?” he asks.

Janus wonders for a moment where the bottle had even come from but then he remembered the mini fridge. They’d have to pay extra for using it, but… He could really use a cold drink right now.

He nods and Patton brightens, eagerly unscrewing the lid.

Janus watches him and thinks that maybe the next few days aren’t going to be that bad.

~~*~~

Natürlich - Of course

Janus! Wach auf! Komm schon, wach auf! Du musst atmen! - Janus! Wake up! Come on, wake up! You need to breathe!

Janus? Tut mir leid, aber Remus hat gesagt das würde helfen… - Janus? I'm sorry, but Remus said this would help...

Oh, Gott sei dank. - Oh, thank God.

Danke - Thanks

Kein Problem. Ich hoffe es geht dir bald besser. - No problem. I hope you feel better soon.

[adj-thoughts]

Like and follow for expanding your knowledge!

[critterbitter]

Language divides and building bridges.

Elesa’s feeling homesick. Emmet, bless his heart, tries to help by infodumping while Ingo frantically runs off to find water (crying is a very dehydrating experience).

((Would you look at that! The kids are picking up kantonese and galarian from each other!))

BONUS:

Heh. Callback.

Want to see more? Here’s the masterpost for submas!

[clarabosswald]

to the 10 non-israeli hostages still in hamas captivity (listed from top left to bottom right):

bipin joshi, 23, nepal. an agronomy student, bipin arrived at israel to study citrus cultivation, only 3 weeks before 7/10. he was staying at kibbutz alumim when the attack started. at first, when the rockets started, bipin sheltered in a bunker with 16 other nepalese foreigners. thinking this was a "regular" attack, and will pass soon, they've even taken a group selfie, which one of them had uploaded to facebook with the caption "bunker time". bipin can be seen in this photo.

fear settled in when the sound of gunfire was getting closer. terrorists briefly entered the bunker at first, shooting at the men. two were instantly killed - one who was filming with his phone, and one who shouted "we're nepalese!" the terrorists have then started throwing grenades into the bunker. the men have crowded against the wall - except for bipin, who jumped at the grenades to throw them away. he was successful with the first grenade; but the second one exploded before he could get to it, and left several of the men injured and unconscious. the terrorists have moved on from the bunker, and later the men heard distant shouts of israeli officers, who arrived at the active scene of the attack, instructing them to come to a nearby kitchen for better shelter. while a few of the men immediately went there, bipin and a few of his friends tried to first aid those who were injured by the grenade. it was during this time that he quickly texted his cousin, in english: “If something happens to me you have to take care of my family. Be strong and always see the future.” it was then that two terrorists broke into the bunker. one, pointing a gun at the men left inside, instructed them to come outside with him. the other filmed them with his phone - with the footage being the last time bipin was seen. bipin's phone was later located in the gaza strip.

2. sudthisak rinthalak, 43, thailand. a farm worker, he was working the orchards of kibbutz be'eri on the morning of the attack. he was murdered on the spot, and his body kidnapped into the gaza strip. his death was confirmed to his family on may 16, 2024, following an investigation of the available evidence. may he rest in peace.

3. watchara sriaoun, 32, thailand. a farm worker, he was kidnapped from kibbutz nir oz, where he was working. watchara arrived in israel back in 2020 with his brother, in order to cover their family debt and pay their father's medical bills. apart from his mother and brother, waiting for him back home is also watchara's 9 year old daugher, irada, whose mother died in august 2024.

4. sathian suwannakham, 35, thailand. a farm worker from kibbutz nir oz, he arrived at israel in 2020. sathian was seriously injured during his kidnapping. his mother found out about it via a video on facebook; she, alongside sathian's father and sister, are still waiting in thailand for any word on him.

5. pongsak tanna, 36, thailand. a farm worker, he would often livestream while working, talking to his father wilas, or his 14 year old daughter. on the morning of 7/10, pongsak video called his father. during the 10 minute call, he described the chaos of rockets and gunfire, shouting at people around him to hide from the terrorists. eventually the signal was cut. pongsak was kidnapped into the gaza strip. during the weeks after 7/10, wilas spent days riding his bike around his home province, alongside the thailand-cambodia border, looking for anyone with a relative in israel who could help him search for pongsak. he had spent thousands of bahts (hundreds of dollars) repeatedly submitting legal documents to the government, in hope for any news on his son. “if my son is alive, whenever israel can get the hostages released, I want (him) to come home quickly to (his) hometown," silas said in an interview back in october 2024. “most importantly, i want my son to be ordained (as a buddhist monk) for his mom who died when he was away."

6. bannawat seathao, 27, thailand. a farm worker, he was shot in the leg before being kidnapped.

7. nattapong pinta, 35, thailand. nicknamed "nick", nattapong, a farm worker, came to work in israel a year and a half before 7/10, leaving his wife and young son, in order to pay off a debt and help his wife fulfill her dream of opening a coffee shop. he worked the avocado groves in nir oz. during the occasional rocket attacks, nick would call his older sister, reassuring her. "i’m just saving up a little more money, then i’ll be coming back.” on the morning of 7/10, nick called him wife, narissara. there was shooting, he said, and he was running away. that was the last she heard from him. "i felt like my heart was being squeezed when i learned that he hadn't been freed yet," narissara said. "i will definitely go to the airport [when he returns]. nothing will stop me."

8. suntaya akrasi, 20, thailand. a farm worker, suntaya was murdered on 7/10 while working near kibbutz be'eri, then his body was kidnapped into the gaza strip. his death was confirmed on may 16th, 2024. may he rest in peace.

9. joshua loitu mollel, 21, tanzania. an agronomy student, he arrived at israel 3 weeks before 7/10, planning to stay for 11 months. both joshua and his roomate, clemence felix mtenga (22), a fellow student from tanzania, were murdered in nir oz. at first, the pair had managed to text a fellow tanzanian intern in the kibbutz, ezekiel kitiku, telling him that they were running for shelter. but after a few hours, the texts have stopped. joshua's violent kidnapping was filmed and posted online, showing the terrorists stabbing and shooting him several times. joshua's body was kidnapped into the strip; clemence's body was identified a month later. joshua's death was confirmed in december 2023. joshua was the oldest of 5 children, and his stay in israel was his first time traveling outside of tanzania. joshua's father told of joshua's younger siblings that they "ask me every morning and night: ‘Dad, we want to talk to our brother.'" may joshua and clemence rest in peace.

10. surasak lamnau, 30, thailand. a farm worker at first, surasak's mother, kanmee, had no idea what happened to her son. in the chaos following the events of 7/10, his colleagues in israel told her that they did not see him. but after she posted about him online, she was told that he was one of 5 people - an israeli employer and his 4 thai employees - who were kidnapped. his fate is currently unknown.

none of these 10 hostages are expected to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire deal between israel and hamas.

of the 82 foreign nationals who were killed during the 7/10 events, 46 were thai, 10 were nepalese (all agronomy students who were murdered in kibbutz alumim), 5 chinese (3 were murdered in sderot); 4 were from the philippines (3 were working as nurses in the gaza envelope, one was killed in the nova festival massacre); two nurses from sri lanka (both murdered in kibbutz be'eri); two were from tanzania; 2 were from the uk; 2 were from the usa; and the others were from germany, moldova, canada, cambodia, eritrea, india, mexico, ukraine, and geogria. 32 foreign nationals were kidnapped. most of them thai. 647 foreign nationals were injured.

[keikeiluv]

THIS IS IMPORTANT YET WHY PEOPLE ARE TURNING BLIND EYE ABOUT THIS?!

It was broadcasted that Americans only sees Philippines as a 'tool. We are in a verge of war with China yet why are you people turning a blind eye about this? They are literally invading our seas, and our fisherman cannot even fish. China claims that it's their territory and even harassed our vessels, and they used the water gun to shoot our flag. This is outrageous. We considered America as an ally yet they publicly denied us calling our country a 'tool'. This means that they only sees us filipinos a pawn for their strategies and if ever we are no longer needed, they will surely toss us away.

China's aggression towards the Philippines. one Filipino navy had lost his fingers and others comrades are injured (17) after China vessel boarded the boat of Philippine navy. They stole the firearm of the navy, yes they grab the guns from the hands of the navy. The Filipino can't do much, because of the fear of escalating the tension. Reports from news outlets revealed that the personal mobile phones and other usable equipment was also stolen. This really saddens me a lot considering that many people are turning a huge blind eye about this issue.

We may have different race, cultures, religions but we are all same species.

PLEASE SPREAD AWARENESS WE ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF HELP

[jellystreet]

zutara week 2024 | #3 echoes

echoes of the past are slow to fade

[dopehologramkid]

My child is very tired from drinking polluted water😭💔.I am very tired of our bad conditions. We are dying every day because we do not have money to buy filtered water and fresh milk for my child. Look how I prepare my child's meal on the fire so that he does not Because I don't have money to buy cooking gas, look at the suffering I'm going through. Look at how polluted and dirty the water is, and my daughter drinks it to satisfy her hunger. Help me with money to protect my child from diseases and provide healthy food and drink. Please help us with donations. Share our help link and help us stay alive 🍉😭🍉💔😭

[aire1111]

خطوة للأمام

official municipality of gaza campaign.

Help Malak and thousands of children walk again. The Artificial Limbs and Polio Center, operated by Gaza Municipality, is the only facility providing free artificial limbs in the Gaza Strip right now. Your support can give a child the chance to walk again

[cubelogic]

afreecatv added a shortcut to acaus stream on their homepage!

[blluespirit]

i wish that there was more time between the day of black sun and sozin's comet bc zuko's official desertion from the fire nation would have the most insane ripple effects (and it would be nice to see the gaang interacting a bit more than we got but hey i'll take what i can get)

zuko's desertion would have been essentially impossible for the fire nation to bury since it was such a big deal that he returned at all. so i imagine the smear campaign against zuko would have been craaazy. i think it would have been interesting for the gaang to try and deal with that when navigating the FN. zuko would be very recognisable i think at this point, and it would have made staying hidden much harder. would they still have chosen ember island? maybe the kids didn't recognise zuko and azula during The Beach , but with the prince of the fire nation committing treason would there be more wanted posters? would there be more talk around the island? would zuko have to remain hidden while the rest go out and get food?

i wonder if zuko deserting and very meaningly committing his loyalty to the avatar influenced other soldiers in the FN to also desert? or would it have had the opposite effect and made people feel more patriotic since zuko was banished, returned under the guise of having killed the avatar, and then left when aang announced his survival to world during the failed invasion?

SPEAKING OF THAT!! the rumours around this would be INSANE. we know what really happened, but the public don't. did zuko and the avatar plan this so that there would be an inside man during the invasion and then zuko used that chaos to escape? what really happened in ba sing se if zuko didn't kill aang, but azula thought that he did? (again: we, the audience know the truth, but the general public don't). if zuko and the avatar where working together... for how long? was iroh involved somehow since he also disappeared the same time that zuko did? did iroh get captured on purpose to be close to zuko to possibly help him if needed? did zuko break iroh out of jail or did one of the guards or was iroh alone? you could spiral on this as just an average person in the avatar world for years like. if youtube existed in atla imagine the video essays breaking down all the conspiracies

its a kids show so obviously Nothing Bad Happened BUT in the Boiling Rock, zuko getting found out as not only an imposter (already, a very bad situation), a traitor (extremely bad), AND the traitorous (ex) prince of the fire nation (devastatingly terrible) would have been... incredibly dangerous for zuko. in zuko and iroh's original wanted poster, the official translation says “Permission is granted to kill them on sight” and this was before zuko has gone right ahead and committed Treason On Purpose. the warden is not going to be nice. when the warden visits zuko in his cell he literally tells him "If these criminals found out who you are, the traitor prince who let his nation down, why they'd tear you to shreds." the boiling rock would be hell trying to survive. it also puts a lot more weight on zuko refusing to leave sokka in their first escape attempt. also ozai obviously knew that he has his son was in prison bc he... broke in to the prison bc azula was there but then zuko manages to escape with sokka (another imposter) and suki and hakoda (POWs) and chit sang (a prisoner) and two of azula's trusted friends end up in prison for treason as well i just. that is literally insane for the average person to hear about. again, THE CONSPIRACIES!!

when zuko eventually does take the throne there's a lot of conjecture around what zuko did while he was banished and moreso, what he did the second time he left, this time voluntarily. i think zuko's loyalty would be questioned a lot; by other world leaders who are understandably wary about the fire nation and its motivations, but also by its own people - some who believe that zuko is a traitor to his country and is trying to sabotage it since he helped end the war.

idk these are all just me rambling but it would been so interesting to explore the implications of zuko leaving the fire nation and how that would have impacted the gaang and how they interacted with others in their travels. there are so many fic where zuko joins the gaang early, but neither myself with the aus that I have written, nor many that ive read have explored this very much or at all.

[jayzioxx]

Cuz i cant sleep... some slight angst following up this and this fic isn't the follow up from the poll im just sleep deprived and sad

Also WARNINGGG ooc soft emotionally ✨️mature✨️ wanderer~

Wanderer who tries to atone for his past sins realized how much he's broken [name] throughout the years. [Name] who was undeniably loyal and trustworthy, [name] who nearly gave his life away to help him reach godhood.

"You..." Wanderer muttered as he looked at [name] who was fast asleep on the sofa in his living room. He wondered if he should bring a blanket to cover that scrawny, malnourished body resting so peacefully, but he couldn't take his eyes off the bruises, cuts, and old battle scars littering the skin of those once strong limbs.

"Idiot. Nothing would have changed even if you died for me." He thought. And he was so glad that didn't happen. He couldn't have lived with himself if he caused pain for another he loved.

Wanderer's cold fingers traced around a healing wounds on [name]'s face, which was one of the many he'd gained during his final battle fought as the right-hand man of a fatui harbinger, likely from when he foolishly intercepted the rough attacks from the traveler just to buy some more time for Scaramouche.

Wanderer absentmindedly continued to carass his scarred skin, not noticing how [name] was waking from his afternoon nap.

"Sorry." He croaked, bringing a thin hand up to rub his tired eyes. "It was warm. I didn't mean to fall asleep here."

Wanderer felt a pang through his heart (despite not having one). He'd gained a lot of emotions and grew to feel things during the months he spent under Nahida and at the akademia, but [name] had only spent 3 days in this new setting after roaming around homeless for so long.

Wanderer didn't realize how lucky he was in that aspect, for being given a chance to overcome his past when his counterpart was suffering the entire time.

"Lord Scaramou- Forgi- Sorry, Wanderer." [Name] spoke, stuttering to correct his words as he was still struggling to adapt to his new life. "You were zoning out."

He was. He only noticed how much he had been thinking over things when [name] pointed it out.

[Name] was still laying on his side on the sofa with Wanderer's hand on his cheek, staring at Wanderer's face with his sleepy eyes.

The puppet moved his hand from [name]'s face to his back to gently help him sit up. Truth be told, Wanderer was scared. The man in front of him was far too thin and far too weak. Almost to the point he would fracture at a light breeze.

Without a word, Wanderer got up and went to make some tea, and the other sat perfectly still, eyes unmoving, not even turning his head. He almost seemed like a porcelain doll.

When Wanderer got back, [name] sat in the same position he had been, faced the same direction, with only his eyes following the one who had just come back from the kitched and placed a warm cup of tea in his hands.

"He's like a doll." Thought Wanderer, which only made him feel more upset. He knew he shouldn't be frustrated, that he was the one responsible, but he just wished that [name] would at least move his head a bit more, or maybe shift in his seat. Act a bit more alive.

Or, at the very least, not act like he was living dead.

"Hey." Wanderer said, carefully choosing his words and speaking as gently as he could. [Name] had a slightly uncomfortable look on his face, seemingly confused with how to respond.

"You can respond however you'd like to. Or dont if you don't feel like it." Wanderer spoke softly, noting [name]'s discomfort. [Name] just smiled, a bit relieved. He found it a bit strange to see Scaramouche so... kind.

"I'm not Scaramouche." Wanderer said. He looked apologetic.

"I won't be either." He felt like his words didn't get through to [name], but the sunken look on [name]'s face told him how much impact his words had.

"I'm sorry." He finally apologized. He didn't exactly understand why he was apologizing, all he knew was that there was a lot to say sorry for.

"If you're not him, then why are you apologizing."

[Name]'s words stung like salt on a fresh wound.

"Because I stopped being him without considering you."

Wanderer couldn't stop the bitter tears falling from the other's eyes. He seemed to have a knack for making him cry. Scaramouche's strongest general and the broken human marionette wanderer picked up.

"I'm sorry for how I used you."

...

"I'm sorry for how it broke you."

...

"I'm-" Wanderer choked."...I'm sorry for not telling you I loved you when it mattered the most."

He wasn't crying. He had much better control over his feelings than [name]. But being unable to stop [name]'s tears made him feel as helpless as he felt when he was first abandoned.

The tea had become cold and untouched, and Wanderer gently took the teacup from the other one's hands and placed it aside, engulfing him in as warm a hug he could provide. [Name] too allowed his skinny frame to be held as he quietly sniffled.

For the first time in a long, long time, both Wanderer and [name] felt as normal and human as the rest.

Meanwhile nahida accidentally spying on then through whatever weird magic she's got crying her eyes out with kaveh who's crying cuz he saw nahida crying so now the two of them dont know why the other is crying and they're crying togerther because of that.

Al haitham in the back wondering what the 🦆is going on...

[ultimatraditor]

Fucking hell

Russians blew up the Kakhovka Dam and basically destroyed the entire hydroelectric power plant.

Some regions in southern Ukraine are being flooded right now, others are going to lose access to fresh water. Even after the war ends, it will take years to rebuild the destroyed structures, and it will take decades (and enormous amount of resources) to reverse the ecological damage. Some things are going to be irreversible.

This will change the face of Ukrainian south for decades to come.

I want those responsible for this ecocide to eat glass, shit glass, sweat glass

[thistransient]

Very into this book stand

[chicken-blitz13]

So scrolling through pinterest, I'm wondering.. All the KoH fans I need help finding this film

[lollytea]

I need to watch Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure to reach my final conclusion on if she's even attracted to men

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

Just read Lilly Jay’s divorce essay and wow, even though the circumstances are wildly different, the loosely similar theme to TTPD of speaking your saddest story to reclaim your personhood (in the public eye) and share your truth with others to help heal are quite striking to me.

The “sponge works best when it’s wet” metaphor seems pretty apt too.