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halfway-happyyy · 4 years ago

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Coming Home

AN: hello friends! it’s me again! and back (again) with something that no one asked for, but if this thought has to live rent free in my head... then it might as well in yours, too.

tw: nothing but fluff, since that’s all i can get my brain to create these days.

She awakens in the morning's hush to a dull throbbing in her head, her throat like sandpaper. Shuffling through a mental rolodex of the previous evening’s drinks, she swallows hard to keep the roiling waves of nausea at bay. An idle glance to the clock on the spare room night side table tells her that it’s later in the morning, and she waits until she hears the familiar sound of water hitting the metal drain of Alexander's shower before she lifts the duvet from her body. A cool, hardwood floor greets her bare feet as she pads to the closet in search of something to throw over her figure before she heads downstairs. Settling on a worn, crème cashmere sweater of his that falls to her shins, she stretches her arms high above her head to limber up. Stepping out into the hallway, the heady aroma of freshly ground coffee beans greets her as she makes her way down the spiral staircase towards the much-needed liquid. Muffled pieces of Swedish find her from the kitchen.

“There she is,” Gustaf beams at her, his wise, knowing gaze twinkles merrily in the sunshine filtering in through the open kitchen window.

Bill is already reaching for a coffee mug for her.

“Morning Goose.” She smiles, sleepily. “Good morning, Bill.”

He smiles at her, wryly. “Good morning kid. How are you fairing so far?”

She shifts from foot to foot- remembers the shots taken, the beers consumed, the martinis sipped, and she grimaces. “I’m uh… definitely feeling a little rough for sure, but it’s really nothing a couple cups of coffee and some food won't cure.”

Gustaf laughs heartily before taking a deep sip from his own mug. Setting it down against the oak tabletop, his smile bears a teasing lilt. “I confess I am impressed that you're even upright at the moment.”

She accepts the coffee from Bill graciously, notes that he has made it exactly how she likes it, and thanks a higher being for the Skarsgårds. Taking her first sip of the day, she savours the creamy bitterness of it on her tongue, and the warmth of it as it settles in her tummy and turns to Gustaf. “Me too, Goose. How did last night get so out of hand?”

Bill rolls his viridian eyes. “The same way it always does.”

She remembers the text she received from Alexander yesterday afternoon vividly: ‘Hey kid- I’m back on home turf for the next week. Having some friends over tonight to celebrate. Bill and Gustaf miss you. Maybe I do too. If you’re not doing anything, please consider dropping by. Don’t bring any liquor. I already have too much. Hope to see you soon, xx – A’ Her cheeks warm at the thought of it, and she swallows hard. “Yeah, I have no recollection of like… the last two hours of the evening.”

Bill chuckles into his mug. “You were pretty entertaining. Uh but eventually, and unfortunately for the rest of us, Alex hauled you into his arms and tucked you into bed a little after midnight.” Alex hauled you into his arms… And just then- a flash of a memory; his impossibly warm, sure arms around her, the softness of a bed, the sheer relief of him pulling a duvet over her body, a pair of tender lips against her temple, a sliver of pale light from the hallway on her arm, the sound of a door shutting softly. “But hey,” Bill murmurs, taking notice of the expression on her face. “You had fun, right?”

She’s about answer in the affirmative, when the water stops, and she clears her throat. “I wanted to run something by you two before Alex comes down.”

Gustaf sets down the script he had been reading and turns to her, his attention now suddenly all-consuming. Bill sets his empty mug against the marble counter and folds his arms across his chest. “Go on, then.”

“What do you think the chances of Alex setting me up with Joel are?” She picks anxiously at a patch of chipped lavender polish on her pinkie finger as she awaits their responses.

Gustaf speaks first, his expression deadpan. “Joel who?”

She has to fight the urge to roll her eyes. “The other Scandinavian giant who likes to hang around with you guys sometimes. He and Alex go way back apparently…”

“You don’t mean Joel Kinnaman?” Bill asks, tone incredulous.

Her cheeks grow ever warmer. “Yeah, that’s him.” He had made an appearance last night for a couple of hours- and she thought that they had hit it off well, all things considered. “But if you guys don’t really think it’s a good idea, I’ll just… leave it.” Gustaf opens his mouth to say something, but in place of any actual words, a booming laugh tumbles out and soon the pair of them are laughing so hard, they’re both silent. She folds her arms across her chest, suddenly defensive, and waits for their laughter to subside. She listens for Alexander’s weighted footsteps above her. “Alright you two, that’s enough. I get it, I’ll drop it.” She snaps.

Gustaf sighs, his eyes still glitter just as brilliantly as before. “Listen, little one. I don’t think it’s a bad idea at all. I just think that it’s precarious territory.”

“What’s precarious about it? Apart from the fact that you both clearly don’t think that I can make it happen.” She gets it before they confirm it for her. One of his ex-girlfriends was Olivia Munn for crying out loud. She suddenly feels ridiculous for even considering it.

Gustaf clears his throat and stares at her, and she feels like he’s peering into her very soul. “You are a very capable and brilliant young woman, my dear. So, you will excuse me if I find it difficult to believe that you truly don’t know.”

She stares at them both, expectantly. “Don’t know what?”

Gustaf shrugs and takes another sip of his coffee. “Alex carries a massive, blazing torch for you.” His admission hangs heavy in the air before them and she barely has time to register it before the sound of Alexander on the staircase rouses her. “So, you can absolutely ask him to set you up with Joel, but I doubt very much that it will go in your favour.”

She’s about to shake her head, to protest, but Alexander enters the kitchen. His dark blonde hair is still wet from the shower, and water droplets glisten above the collar of his blue t shirt. “What’s all the fuss about? I could hear you two yahoos laughing from the washroom.” His gaze turns to her, and he smiles. “Morning kid. Good to see you up and at it.”

“Good morning, Alex,” She mumbles. “I’m sorry about last night.”

His expression softens evermore, and he shakes his head. “Nonsense. I just hope you’re feeling alright today.”

She swallows hard, the throbbing in her head still apparent, but more tolerable after coffee. Gustaf’s words echo in the back of her mind. “Hanging in there.”

“It is suspiciously quiet in here now, boys.” Alexander murmurs as he procures an espresso cup from the same cupboard.

Gustaf clears his throat and closes his script. “Just an inside joke between the three of us. I'm off. I've got an audition with HBO on Thursday that I'd like to feel at least somewhat prepared for. Thanks again for your ever-generous hospitality, brother.” He stands up from the table, and slings an arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head as he does so. “You remember what I told you, hm?”

She nods her head. How could she possibly forget? “Yeah, Goose.”

“You coming little brother?” He cocks an eyebrow at Bill. The middle Skarsgård nods his head in the affirmative and leans over to tell Alexander something in their native tongue. It makes the eldest brother smile, and he throws an arm around Bill's shoulders to bid him goodbye.

Bill wraps his arms around her, and this is always when the full gravity of their stature hits her. “Good seeing you again, kid. Take care of yourself, hm?”

She beams at him and nods her head. “’Til next time, Bill.”

She listens for the familiar chime of the front door closing, before lifting herself onto the counter next to Alexander. “I found this in the spare room closet,” she murmurs, gesturing to his sweater. “If you mind, I can go change-

“I don't mind at all, kid.”

Alexander had been an integral part of her life for the better part of five years now, and in all that time she was simply grateful just to call him a friend- a wonderful one at that. But then she remembers the lingering touches, the playful- yet somehow scorching teasing of any new love interest, the general (and sometimes overpowering) sensation of sheer want for him at the end of a long night. She views him in a new light now; the crystalline water droplets from before have evaporated into his sun-kissed skin, but his hair still bears the weight of moisture and the sudden urge to card her fingers through it is overwhelming. “I have something to tell you,” He murmurs.

This is it, she thinks.

“It's about last night.”

And suddenly, the nausea that had been so persistent an hour ago, returns in full force and she swallows hard to keep the coffee from rising in her throat. “Alex, if it's something I did or said… I'm sorry.”

He shakes his head and lifts his gaze to hers, her azure orbs are alight with a fire she doesn’t quite recognize. “None of that, kid. It's Joel. He wants to take you out for dinner sometime soon and I guess he wanted my blessing first.”

“Oh.”

“Mhm.” He confirms. ��Seems you made quite the impression on him last night.”

And god, she thinks this news would have been the best news to receive an hour ago. But then sixty-two minutes elapsed, and in that space of time, Gustaf handed her his eldest brother’s gift-wrapped secret, and here they are. “I didn’t mean to,” She mumbles.

And Alexander laughs at this, and in that moment, she swears it’s her favourite sound in the whole world. “You never do, kid. There’s just something about being around you that’s as effortless as breathing. You take up the perfect amount of space. It’s quite a thing to behold, actually.” He sips his espresso, his intense gaze on her makes her feel more naked than she’s ever been before. “So, what do you say?”

She offers him a half-shrug. “What do you say?”

He blanches now. “What do you mean? This is entirely your decision.”

“You know him better than I do. You also know me, Alex. What do you say?”

And like grains of sand through fingertips, his resolve crumbles before her very eyes. “I can’t quite articulate what it’s like to watch someone accomplish in a night, what I’ve thought about for nearly five years. That is entirely on me, though,” He trails off, setting his empty cup against the counter. “But he’s a good guy, kid. I’d be lying if I said anything to the contrary.”

Her throat constricts as she mulls over what to say next. “Why did you wait, Alex?”

There is a vast vulnerability to him that she hasn’t been privy to until now. And in this moment, he isn’t Alexander Skarsgård the movie star- Hollywood and Sweden’s most eligible bachelor. He is her best friend; the six-foot-four dork with the adorable overbite, the guy who can’t pronounce his ‘ands’ properly because of his accent. He is the man who would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need. A true, golden heart beats in his chest, it keeps him alive, propelling him towards greatness. “I don’t operate the way normal people do, and you know that. It’s like… I repel relationships. It’s the distance and the timing that throws people off, kid.” His eyes darken. “They’re drawn to the glitz at first; the premiers, and the award ceremonies, the tropical vacations. But then I miss birthdays and weddings and engagement parties, and no one ever seems to want to stick around after the dust settles.” He allows himself a deep, steadying breath. “And I’ve never blamed them at all for that. But then you came into my life, and we weren’t ever in a relationship in the traditional sense, but you became a really good friend- one of the best, and you stuck around." He sighs heavily. "You just... feel like coming home, kid. And in all this time, that feeling has never wavered or changed."

“Alex, I-

“So why did I wait? It’s a good question,” He clears his throat. “I waited because I thought that the minute I laid everything out on the line for you, you wouldn’t want it.” And god, she can feel her heart cracking under the weight of his honesty. “And even saying it now, I know I should have automatically given you the benefit of the doubt. But you’ve been around for all of it, kid. You've picked up the pieces. You know how ugly it can get.”

She swallows hard, heart thrumming wildly in her chest. “Come closer,” She murmurs. Alexander hesitates a beat before settling into the space between her legs, his denim jeans tickle the velvet softness of her inner thighs, and she shivers into the sensation. His face is mere inches away from hers now, and she can smell the refreshing scent of bodywash on his skin, the sharp citrus shampoo from his damp hair. “I want to try Alex,” It comes out as a whisper, but he catches it because his lips twitch into a small smile. “If you want to.”

His gaze travels to her lips, and he closes the distance between them to kiss her. His massive, warm hands find purchase in her hair as their kiss deepens, and every fiber of her being screams at her that this is it- this is what they’ve both been waiting for. When he eventually pulls away, he rests his forehead against hers to try to regulate his breathing. His gives her thighs a gentle squeeze and places a tender kiss to her forehead. “I absolutely want this, kid.”

And she believes him because she wants it just as bad.

#forever soft #alexander skarsgard #alexander skarsgard x reader #alexander skarsgard imagine #alexander skarsgard oneshot #alexander skarsgard fanfic #alexander skarsgard fluff #alex sstuff #writing #drabble #fluff #alexander skarsgard rpf #rpf

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aggresivelyfriendly · 4 years ago

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Chapter 1- I saw Emma Kissing Santa Claus!

Hi all! If anybody is still there/ I’m caught up in this song. It’s given me the idea for like seven chapter- here is the first. MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄🎁! The rest will be late, like those gifts that trickle in when the glow of the holidays is getting hazy. We need Christmas cheer to linger after this year, so I’m gonna publish as I write! Enjoy! And share!

They talked about it later, years after their lives had taken off into space in opposite directions, the moment they knew.

Well, the moment he knew.

"Wait, what?" Emma asked, looking up from the hollow she'd found between his arm and chest when the December air found the crevices in the windows and chilled their skin. She'd get goose flesh and he'd run his hands up and down her limbs to warm her, then pull the flannel up and over them, no matter how warm he was from doing all the work near their end. "We kissed? When we were TEENAGERS?"

"Well, I was technically a teenager the first time we slept together too."

"We didn't sleep."

Harry wiggled his eyebrows at her and smirked, "Oh, I know."

"Oh my god, I really don't remember this!" She turned all the Christmas parties she'd attended at his mum's house over in her head. Emma figured she'd been at the annual event every year since she was 15 or 16, the age he says he was when they kissed. She has almost three years on him. Maybe she was 14 at the first one. That one she recalls well, She's pretty she still had braces. Nobody kissed her. If her math is good, it's her last Christmas before moving. "No wonder you were so ballsy last year!" She slapped at his chest and he grabbed her hand and kissed her fingertips.

"Nah, that was more to do with last year. I was just flush and nobody had turned me down in so long I didn't think anybody ever would again."

"I did!" She at least pretended she wasn't captivated.

"You did. At first!" He reminded her and bit her fingertips before sucking them into his mouth. "Made myself irresistible evidently." He wiggled his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes thinking back at his dogged flirting. He'd found multiple reasons to be near her and had found her close enough to the mistletoe and was charming enough that she accepted the kiss he negotiated out of her as inevitable. Negotiated, that was laughable, he laid one on her and it overwhelmed her reason. Emma thought she played it cool enough, though she remembers they held hands for the the 10 minutes after, at least.

She accepted the other things he was offering on the strength of that kiss, and the fact that since he'd slipped his tongue into her mouth so seamlessly, convincingly, all she could think about for the hours intervening was what else his mouth could do.

While she replayed the memory of that first kiss, the one that counted for her, another blurry memory flashed in her mind.

"Oh! Was it underneath the mistletoe, too?"

Harry rolled his eyes, and her beneath him in the same breath. "You were under the mistletoe the second time!"

"I was mistletoe adjacent, at best." She sighed, she meant to jest, but his long lean body pressed along the length of her clouded her mind and convinced her she wasn't tired anymore or too tipsy off champagne.

"The first time, was me under the mistletoe."

"I kissed you?"

"You did." He confirmed with another kiss.

"How'd I kiss you? Like full on?" She was a little mortified she'd kissed little Harry.

Gemma would have killed her. Would still! That was why she and Harry always just flirted at the party and met up at the inn when the wine had everybody off their head. Nobody knew, it was their Christmas surprise. The secret she looked forward to all year.

"Well, you weren't brave enough to slip me the tongue." He stuck his tongue into the corner of his mouth; that was too attractive by half.

"Hmph." Was all Emma could come up to answer with. "Did I say anything?" She smoothed her hands up his back.

His face got dreamy, and he seemed to be reliving something. "Yeah, you told me 'you're getting cute little Styles.' I always hated that nickname, but I felt a little taller that night."

Harry was descriptive, which was funny considering he could be so quiet at times, but he was quick and he knew a lot of words, more than her. He was working on his third language. He would basically narrate while they fucked and it drove her crazy when he'd describe how she looked and felt and what it was doing to him.

"What do you want to ask?" He pressed his nose to the place her collarbones met and she could fill him growing between her legs.

"How'd you know I want to ask something?" He was too observant.

He reached up and pulled the lip she didn't realize was between her teeth free. Ahh.

"Ask." He kissed the lip still imprinted with her teeth marks.

"Tell me about it. Describe it, like you do for me when you're inside me."

He blew out a breath, "Should be easy, I obsessed over it for ages after, before even."

"Before?"

"Yeah, I have had a crush on you since you were 12 and started coming round with Gem." He revealed.

"No, I don't believe it!"

"I loved that you already had your whole life planned out and you were sooo smart and then the next year you had boobs."

"That started out so well." She almost protested, she had boobs at 12!

"I was very impressed by the boobs, you wore this sweater—" she clapped a hand over his mouth.

"No more talking unless it's about that party."

He smiled at her and his eyes went soft at their corners, his dimples were suggestions of a deep feeling. "I think you had this idea, like this was your last Christmas here, in Holmes Chapel—"

She had had that idea. She'd intended to leave for a summer term in Sweden that spring and wasn't sure she'd be coming back. And she'd always loved that party, and Gemma's family. Even Gemma's goofy weird brother who was getting cuter and more confident. "Why do you say that?"

"Dunno," he tilted his head and his mouth flattened out and his eyes went somewhere else, he was looking at her but not the version in front of him. "I think you reminded me of my cousins' when they could first drink. Seemed like you were just throwing caution to the wind, letting it fly. Like you had nothing to lose, cuz this place was about to be a memory."

Emma could only find the energy to stare, she thought she nodded. He was spot on, but she wasn't even sure she could have articulated those feelings then. And she hadn't been that reckless ever before or after that day.

"I'd been watching you, and like I said, had a crush for years, um, and like, you were wearing that shiny top, like liquid silver and your long brown hair was all curled up and your cheeks were red with your merry making and I'd always loved your laugh. You're usually so calculated—"

"That's not a nice word."

"I don't mean it like a bad thing, like maybe a better word would be careful. Like all your moves were preparation for the grand future you were working towards. But when you laugh, it all falls away. Tears leak from the corners of your eyes and you bend at the waist and just lose it. That night you did it a lot." He kissed her knuckles. "Did you notice I was kind of shadowing you that night?"

"Honestly, not really, I was kinda out of it, or maybe really in it instead of 5 years ahead." She always was at least a week ahead in her mind. In the actual moment, she was usually just ticking that day's checklist off to get to the next thing.

"Yeah. I could see it, you were really in your body, and it made me want you more." He laughed. "The only other time I ever see you like that is...ah..."

"Go on!" She jostled his shoulder.

He bit his lip like the imp he was and said, "When we fuck, it's like when you laugh, there's no tomorrow, or next semester, or internship you have lined up, just the next orgasm on the horizon."

She knew she was blushing but she ducked her chin and shrugged. She couldn't deny it. She could feel that when he moved inside her, when they moved together, it was like when she really lost her head and laughed at something. Better, more. Emma definitely did not tell him it was never like that with anybody else.

Not her college boyfriend, or the Danish guys she'd enjoyed over their version of freshers, and certainly not the completely nice guy she'd been dating for two months back in Amsterdam. Not one of them made her get out of her head the way Harry could. They'd be following every direction she gave them from tongue placement to tempo and she'd be observing the feelings as opposed to experiencing them. But even remembering her first kiss with Harry was a sensory experience. She gave him direction because that's who she is, but she's fairly certain even if she didn't, he'd be able to get her off just by watching her.

She wondered if it was the same as her. He was more cerebral than anybody gave him credit for. Maybe if he talked more about the kiss she'd find out.

He caught her chin, "Where'd you go?" He asked with dopey green eyes.

"I'm just trying to remember." Emma lied. "Tell me more, maybe it will come back to me."

"Oh, from my memory of the proof of your breath you may never remember." Emma could feel her cheeks heat. She had really tied one on, she was absolutely rough the next day. Utterly useless.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure I'd ever be here again."

"In Holmes Chapel? Really? You thought you'd never come back?"

"I always wanted to leave so bad, I genuinely thought I wouldn't miss it."

"But you did? You do?"

She nodded. She didn't want to explain that the first time she was way more homesick than she expected and this year, well, this year she wanted him for Christmas again.

He gave her this face then and a kiss that made her think he really was a mind reader, his crystal ball in the shape of her body.

"Not everyday." Take that Mr. Intuitive.

He gave her a smile that looked like a wink and started talking, "Like I said, I'd always just found you so impressive and you were always so pretty. But you came back from Amsterdam different."

"It was all the bike riding," she deflected and ran her hands down his arms to his lower back.

"Nah, it wasn't your body. That's always been nice. You just seemed like you were so happy and it was coming out of your pores."

"With the mulled wine?"

"Yeah! Definitely the mulled wine." He kissed her one then pressed his mouth to hers," Might have been your legs."

She snorted, "See it was the biking."

"You also had them out!" He defended. She had worn a daring skirt. "And maybe the biking." He laughed with her. "You also did that snort laugh I'd only heard through the walls during sleep overs and I was kinda tracking you."

"Stalker." He made a face. "Sorry probably not a joke to you." They didn't really talk about the peculiarities of his job. He was just Hometown Harry to her. Gemma's little brother. Her Christmas gift wrapped in deliciousness the last two years.

"I didn't really mean to, honestly. Was just like water to it's path."

"That's poetic." She teased.

"Hey, I'm a songwriter."

"I'd like to see evidence of that." Emma raised an eyebrow.

"You will." She wanted to ask but he just kept going. "Wanna know the funny thing? I never really had to look hard to find you." He went on. "You always seemed to be in the corners of my eye, like a dream I was trying to remember.

"I kind of remember that." She rolled her eyes and summoned some courage, "You looked different, and I tried to ignore it, but the more wine I had, the more I found myself comparing you to the boy I remembered from two years before."

"Hadn't been that long. I was with Gem when she told you goodbye."

She cringed. "I don't think I really looked at you that day."

"Oof, good thing I have crowds of people to stroke the old ego." At least the laugh seemed genuine though his eyes were a little dull.

"I was really remembering you in your red jumper from two parties before."

"Tell me about that party- we got off track talking about the last one." Last year she remembered In technicolor.

"Where were you the year after?"

"Studying, of course."

"Yeah makes sense." He pinched his lip, then bit hers.

"I remember thinking your jumper suited you so well and—"

"Matched your eyes."

"Yeah." She could feel the wonder of his eyes.

"But by midnight I saw that guy Spencer with his arm around your waist. Went to get a drink and was sulking with my own wine when you passed me. You had this look."

"Drunk?"

"Mischievous." He raised his eyebrows and bit his lip, "And then you pointed to the mistletoe."

"And said, 'caught you.'"

"You do remember!" He accused with a still annoyingly attractive chicken neck.

"I didn't, but I'm having a sense memory now." She widened her hips so he fit in like a piece of ikea hardware.

"Care to relive it?" He was trying to sound nonchalant, but she could see the hopeful blush.

She answered him by fitting her lips between his perfect ones and giving a lighter pressure than she had for two Christmases, waiting for his direction of how her bold move had turned out. He moaned and she sucked just a bit like she suddenly recalled. She really thought that was a wine fueled daydream, she swears. And then her mouth opened on a gasp and she slid her tongue against his and licked into his mouth before sliding her nose to the other side of his. The kiss depended until it was all over them and they would have wound up naked if they hadn't been already.

"This is different."

"We can re-enact it a little bit more faithfully later. It can be your Christmas present." Emma whispered between kisses.

"Nah." He was actually blushing, all the way down. "You're my gift."

#harry styles fanfiction #harry styles #harry styles fanfic #tis the damn season #chapter 1 #i saw Emma kissing Santa Claus #christmas fic #that nobody asked for

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itsivyberry · 4 years ago

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always forever

Sokka x f!Reader

a/n: HI this is a request !!!! it’s a long fic because I couldn’t help myself !!!! there are also quite a few time skips because it was getting too long and I didn’t want to kill my fingers trying to finish it LMFAO enjoy ❤️

warnings: jealousy, heartbreak, major character death, hella long for no reason so sorry also TIME SKIPS!!!!! I take out important parts of the sotn episodes!!!!, also blood my bad I added that in last minute

word count: 4556

request: -hi! i saw that your requests were open, i hope i’m not bothering you but may i request sokka x jealous female reader x princess yue, and can you end it with fluff with sokka and the reader confessing their feelings for each other and getting together ^-^?

to anon: I love you and I love this request, thank you<3

music recs: lookalike - conan gray, f song - strawberry guy

taglist: @tomshollandz

gif credit: @fireladyazula

“I’m not one to complain, but can’t Appa fly any higher?” Sokka called from the back of the saddle.

“I have an idea! Why don’t we all get on your back, and you can fly us to the North Pole?” Aang turned around, sounding rather agitated.

“I’d love to. Climb on, everyone. Sokka is ready for takeoff.” Sokka pointed to his back, shaking his bum at his companions.

“We aren’t even that far, Sokka.” Y/N lay on her back, staring up at the sky and watching the clouds drift.

“Look, we’re all just a little tired and cranky because we’ve been flying for two days straight.” Katara tried to reason.

“And for what? We can’t even find the Northern Water Tribe.” Sokka argued back. “There’s nothing up here.”

Almost as if on cue, a giant shard of ice formed just in front of Appa. Aang yelled, steering the bison away from the hunk of ice.

Y/N, Sokka, and Katara were all holding onto the saddle for dear life as Appa flew away from the forming shards of ice.

The tip of a newly formed iceberg managed to snag one of Appa’s paws, and he was sent spiraling into the cold water below.

Multiple rafts full of water benders came out from behind the large icebergs, freezing Appa in place.

“They’re water benders! We found the water tribe!” Katara exclaimed, looking around.

~.•*✰

“There it is!” Aang stood, pointing at the massive ice walls ahead.

“The Northern Water Tribe.” Katara confirmed, awe written all over her face.

“We’re finally here.” Sokka said, almost in a trance.

“See! I told you Sokka, we were almost there that entire time.” Y/N punched his shoulder playfully, earning snickers and giggles from the boy.

~.•*✰

A raft was soon leading Appa through the icy river, giving all the citizens of the Northern Water Tribe a chance to see the avatar.

As the four kids drifted through the water, Y/N couldn’t help but find herself lost in the beauty of the structures.

Everything was an amazing shade of blue, ice everywhere.

A boat with a young girl, about Y/N’s and Sokka’s age drifted just past them. Y/N was snapped out of her thoughts when Sokka jumped off the saddle, sliding down Appa’s tail.

“This place is beautiful.” Katara pointed out the obvious.

“Yeah, she is.” Sokka mumbles just loud enough to where Y/N could hear.

It hurt quite a bit, seeing her crush fall for yet another girl so quickly. Another girl, that wasn’t her.

The girl in question, however, was breathtakingly beautiful. She had icy white hair, beautiful tanned skin and these beautiful blue eyes.

Y/N understood why he was so entranced by her, but it didn’t hurt any less. Katara must’ve noticed how sour Y/N’s mood had turned, and gave a sympathetic look to her. She shrugged, standing up and plopping down right next to Aang on Appa’s head.

This was going to be a long trip.

~.•*✰

Y/N watched quietly as four members of the water tribe brought out a large platter of food for Appa. She giggled to herself as Appa growled loudly, scaring the four men off.

“Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sister from the Southern Tribe.” The Chief motioned the Katara and Sokka. “We are also welcoming a friend from the Earth Kingdom. And they have brought with them someone very special, someone who many of us believed disappeared from the world until now... the avatar.”

Cheers erupted from the citizens surrounding the main table. Aang smiled and waved, the rest of the gaang clapping along.

“We also celebrate my daughters 16th birthday. Princess Yue is now of marrying age.” The Chief stepped aside to welcome the girl who the group saw from earlier. It all made sense to Y/N now. She looked regal because she was royalty. No wonder Sokka likes her and not Y/N.

“Thank you, father. May the great Ocean and Moon spirits watch over us during these troubled times.” She announced, looking over to the members of her tribe.

“Now, Master Pakku and his students will perform!”

Y/N fell silent again. She disconnected, watching lifelessly at the waterbending show before her.

It was embarrassing to her, watching her crush of many months pine after a girl whom Y/N could never exactly compare to.

Before she knew it, the food was served and everybody was digging in. Well, everyone except for Y/N.

“What’re you doing, Y/N/N? Eat! We have all this food now.” Aang pushes her plate closer to her.

“It’s okay, Aang. I’m not hungry.” Y/N pushed the plate back.

“It’s Sokka, isn’t it? That’s why you’ve been oddly quiet since we got here, and why you’re not eating.” Aang lowered his voice, leaning a little closer. Y/N gave a shallow nod, dropping her eyes.

“I’m pathetic. I just want to leave already.” Y/N said. “But you and Katara need a waterbending master. So I’m stuck here with my stupid crush.”

Aang fell silent once again.

Princess Yue walked over and sat beside Sokka, and the dull ache in her chest grew.

“Hi there.” Y/N heard Sokka say. “Sokka, Southern Water Tribe.”

She cringed, listening to how this boy tried to act cool in front of a pretty girl.

“Very nice to meet you.” Yue bowed her head.

“So, uh... you’re a princess, huh?” Sokka attempted to continue to conversation that was already slowly dying. “You know, back in my tribe, I’m kind of like a prince myself.”

“Ha! A prince of what?” Katara scoffed.

“A lot of things! Do you mind? I’m trying to have a conversation here.”

“My apologies, Prince Sokka.” Katara dramatically bowed, sarcasm lacing her voice. Y/N and Aang snicker from beside her.

“So, it looks like I’m gonna be in town for a while. I’m thinking maybe we could... do an activity together?” Sokka asked the princess.

Y/N choked on the piece of bread she was chewing on. Aang lightly patted her back.

Did he really just ask a princess on a date? Right in front of everyone, right in front of me? Y/N thought.

“Do an activity?” Princess Yue asked, and Y/N could tell she was trying not to laugh at the boy.

Sokka stuffed his mouth with food, coughing in the process in attempt to escape the embarrassing conversation he was so eager to continue before.

“Very smooth.” Katara leaned over to her brother.

“I’m heading back to where we’re staying. Anybody need anything? No? Okay, bye.” Y/N stood abruptly, not giving her companions any time to respond before she bowed at the chief and his daughter.

“What’s up with her?” Sokka asked, watching as Y/N scurried off.

“You did just ask out a princess in front of her.” Aang leaned over the table to speak to him.

“So what? It’s not like she likes me, or anything.” Sokka rolled his eyes. Katara and Aang shared a look, before continuing eating the lovely dinner.

~.•*✰

The following day, Aang and Katara made there way to Master Pakku’s waterbending lessons. Y/N stayed at the small house they were given, along with Sokka.

“I really like that princess, you know?” Sokka said for the tenth time in the past five minutes.

“She’s pretty. You deserve someone like her.” Y/N said despite every cell in her body screaming at her to just say she likes him then and there. She was drying off his coat with was soaked because he allegedly tripped into the ice cold river.

“I get to see her tonight.” Sokka said again, tucking his arm underneath his head as he watched Y/N dry off his coat.

She didn’t respond.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She answered just as quick as the question left his mouth.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Y/N huffed, laying his jacket on the back of a chair. “I’m going for a walk.” She stood, slipping on her own winter coat and walking right out the door.

Part of her hoped he would follow her, pressure her into telling him what was truly wrong. But the door never opened behind her, and her heart broke a little bit more.

~.•*✰

Y/N didn’t return until sundown. She walked on the icy paths back to where her and her friends were staying, smiling warmly at citizens she passed by.

As she approached the bridge that led straight to where the gaang was staying, she saw two figures leaning over the railing. Y/N stopped for a moment, not wanting to interrupt them.

That was, until, one of the figures ran away from the other.

She could feel the anger radiating off of the other person, and she barely had time to register the small wooden carving thrown directly at her.

There was no way the person on the bridge could’ve seen her, the only light available was the moon above. Nonetheless, it smacked her right on the side of her head, and hard.

“Ow..” Y/N groaned, rubbing her temple. She leaned down to inspect what had just hit her, and it looked to be a messy carving of a fish.

~.•*✰

“Y/N! Oh, I’m so glad you’re back. You’ll never guess what happened- oh spirits! What happened to your face?” Aang exclaimed, standing from his place in front of the small fire.

“Somebody threw something at me and now I have a big goose egg on my forehead.” Y/N frowned, unbuttoning her jacket.

“What hit you? It’s already bruised..” Katara trailed off, lightly touching the side of her face. Y/N winced and smacked her hand away.

“Some weird wooden carving thing. I was trying to get up on the bridge but it smacked me right when I turned the corner.” She pulled out the messy carving to show them.

“Oh, Sokka made this. Maybe he dropped it and somebody tried to throw it in the water.” Katara took it from Y/N, inspecting it.

“Oh, right. Made it for Yue. How could I have forgotten.” Y/N’s voice began to waver.

“He’s just a stupid teenage boy, Y/N. Don’t worry about it, he’ll come around.” Katara consoled her friend.

Aang was confused as to what Katara was implying. “Come around to what? Katara, what is Sokka going to come around to?”

~.•*✰

Y/N was already fast asleep when Sokka returned. Her sleep was light, though, and she could faintly hear them talk about warrior training.

As Aang listened to Sokka ramble about Princess Yue, something clicked in his head.

Y/N likes Sokka. Sokka likes Yue.

This explains Y/N distancing herself from everyone and disappearing every couple of hours since they arrived.

He thought for a moment, about how he could’ve missed this, even after consoling her at the feast. And how Sokka was so oblivious to Y/N’s feelings.

Aang understood completely why Y/N was suddenly standoffish and jealous.

He would just let it be for now, though.

~.•*✰

Y/N had fallen into a deeper sleep, and found herself trapped in one of the worst scenarios her brain could’ve come up with.

After Aang and Katara left to train, Sokka had decided to get some rest along with Y/N. He was awoken by the small cries, and the thrashing of a sleeping bag across the room.

He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes and looking around for the source of the noise.

Then he spotted Y/N, whipping her head back and forth, her eyes squeezed shut.

“Y/N- hey, wake up- Y/N, it’s a dream-“ Sokka attempted to wake her, shaking her lightly. She woke with a gasp, sitting up so quickly he was sure she was going to have whiplash.

“You were having a nightmare.” Sokka kneeled by her sleeping bag, softly rubbing her back up and down.

“Spirits, I’m sorry.” She whispered out, not meeting his eyes.

“Do you want to go for a walk? Maybe it’ll help clear your head. I noticed you haven’t been getting much sleep, maybe it’ll tire you out a bit.” He offered, standing up. She nodded lightly, slipping out of the sleeping back.

Sokka handed her the soft winter coat she brought, slipping on his own right after.

They walked silently through the icy paths, eyes stinging from the cold breeze.

“What was your nightmare about?” Sokka asked once they reached a bridge, overlooking the entrance of the Northern Water Tribe.

“Don’t want to talk about it.” Y/N mumbled, leaning over the ledge to prop her head in her hand and closing her eyes.

“You know you can talk to me, right?” Sokka’s voice almost sounded offended, like he knew Y/N was holding back.

She hummed lightly, nodding with her head still in her hands.

“I know you don’t like Yue.” Sokka said after a few moments of silence, letting out a breath he seemed to be holding for hours.

“Why would I not like her? She’s a princess, the nicest one I’ve ever met. I don’t have a reason to not like her.” Y/N furrowed her brows, turning to look at him.

“I bet it’s because you want to hang out with me, but I’ve been hanging out with her.” Sokka said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He was right,

Y/N did want to hang out with Sokka. And as much as she wanted to hate Yue for stealing him away, the princess didn’t know. Y/N was jealous, and it was bad.

“Don’t flatter yourself. I would much rather hang out with her than you.” Y/N smirked playfully, punching him lightly in the shoulder. He laughed, leaning away from her touch.

This is nice, she thought. Seeing him laugh because of her was a really nice feeling.

“Are you okay, though? You haven’t been yourself since we got here.” Sokka said, putting his head in his hands in a similar manner to her.

“Yeah. Not used to being in the freezing cold all the time.” Y/N gazed at the reflection of the moon in the icy water.

“We should go back.” Sokka’s voice snapped her out of the trance she was in. She muttered a soft ‘okay’, following him back down the stairs and to the building they were staying in.

~.•*✰

Y/N could barely comprehend what happened the following day.

Katara challenged the waterbending master to a duel. Y/N knew what was coming and was preparing to console her friend.

But, Katara ended up making an impact on the entire tribe. It was revolutionary, the way she singlehandedly destroyed a major gender norm and tradition.

On the other hand, both Sokka and Katara learned about how their grandmother ran from an arranged marriage. Aang and Y/N were beyond confused, and the day had barely started.

When Yue was brought to tears about the realization, Aang didn’t hesitate to tell Sokka to go after her.

It hurt Y/N to see him care for her so dearly, knowing he would never treat her that way.

The moon was high as Yue sat on the bridge her and Sokka first talked at.

“What do you want from me?” Yue asked through years as Sokka stepped up next to her.

“Nothing. I just want you to know, I think you’re beautiful. And I never thought a girl like you would even notice a guy like me.” Sokka said quietly, avoiding her gaze.

“You don’t understand.”

“No, no. See, that’s the thing. I think I do understand now. You’re a princess and I’m... I’m just a southern peasant.”

“No, Sokka-“ Yue tried to reason, but he cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. I’ll see you around, okay?” Sokka turned to walk away before Yue grabbed his arm and pulled him into a kiss.

Y/N watched below in tears. She didn’t know how she kept finding herself watching them together, it just kept happening. What she didn’t hear, was what came after the kiss.

“Oh, I shouldn’t have done that. I’m engaged! And somebody else is in love with you...” Yue’s cheeks took on a red hue underneath the moonlight.

“Somebody is in love with me? What are you taking about?” Sokka’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, completely forgetting about what was happening moments ago.

“I see the way that girl in your group looks at you. I can’t do that to someone else. I’m sorry. She’s pretty, you deserve her, not me. We can’t see each other anymore. I’m sorry.” Yue’s voice broke as tears formed in her eyes again. Similar to the night before, she ran off, leaving Sokka alone on the bridge.

Y/N... in love with him? He couldn’t wrap his head around it. Then, it clicked. Sokka knew why she was acting weird.

He couldn’t just march right up to her and say he loved her, too. It wouldn’t be a complete lie, considering he had always thought she was a beautiful soul and a strong fighter since the day she joined them on their journey. Sokka was conflicted. He was just kissing Yue underneath the moon, but now he could only think of Y/N, and how miserable she must be, having nothing to do but watch and hear Sokka pine over a princess.

He needed to do something.

~.•*✰

The attack on the tribe was frightening. Y/N didn’t know her place, where to fight. She barely had the suitable weapons for the environment she was in, and she was badly outnumbered.

Escaping to the oasis, she spotted Yue and Katara. It started off as such a beautiful day, the sun shining bright above the tribe, making the ice glitter.

The snow turned black in the blink of an eye. Sokka and Yue came barreling down on Appa, rushing back to the tribe. It was frightening, seeing the once sparkling fountains turn a musty grey.

But, here Y/N was, rushing to the two girls in the warm oasis, moonlight leading her on the path.

“Katara!” Y/N called, sliding as fast as she could along the walls. She crossed the bridge, skidding to a stop when she saw both Yue and Katara standing over Aang. “Oh- Princess,” Y/N bowed clumsily, so out of breath she could barely still herself.

“No need for formalities, Y/N.” Yue said kindly.

“What’s going on? We’re being attacked bad out there!” She exclaimed, pointing over the entrance wall to the oasis.

“The Avatar is communing with the spirits. He’s looking for help.” Yue stated, looking almost solemnly down at Aang.

“He’s fine. We just need to make sure his body doesn’t move.” Katara slid down the base of a tree.

Y/N gave out a groan, feeling just as helpless as before. “He’ll be fine, Y/N. He got out all those people back at that village because of Hei Bai, remember?” Katara reassured her as she sat down next to her, staring at the back of Aang’s head.

“Maybe we should get some help.” Yue began to walk over to one of the bridges. “No, he’s our friend. We are perfectly capable of protecting him.” Katara stated, giving her a hopeful smile.

“Well, aren’t you a big girl now.” A scary familiar voice called from the other side of the oasis. “No...” Katara said, as if it would simply make the figure walking towards them go away.

“Yes.” The banished prince said, stopping at the end of one of the bridges. “Hand him over and I won’t have to hurt you.”

Katara readied herself, getting into a fighting position as Yue ran to most likely get help. Y/N jumped up, putting herself in front of Aang in a poor attempt to guard him. She was defenseless, all her weapons no match against the firebender.

Zuko began throwing punches of fire to Katara. She fought them off gracefully, using water from around the oasis pond to burn off each hit. Y/N drew one of her swords, readying herself as the two fought closer and closer towards her.

“You again, huh? I thought you would’ve backed off the last time you fought me.” Zuko snarled, bringing back a painful memory of Y/N’s, when he burned the side of her neck and part of her shoulder. The scar was faded now, just discolored, but still noticeable.

Y/N swung her sword out of instinct, fighting him off of both her and Aang. Katara brought out a thick pillar of water, slamming Zuko right in the middle of the chest, throwing him back from her friends. “I see you’ve learned a new trick. But I didn’t come this far to lose to you-“ just as he was about to throw another punch, Y/N ran and tackled him, pinning him and his arms to the ground.

“Do you ever stop monologuing, like ever?” Y/N scoffed, keeping her grip tight despite his skin growing almost unbearably hot. He growled loudly at her, trying to fight her off, but it was no use.

Just as Katara was settling down, Zuko managed one hand out of Y/N’s grasp, throwing her so hard towards a wall. She slammed into it, knocking her out. As she rolled onto the grass, Katara watched as blood began to seep from her ears.

Katara couldn’t do anything. She needed to protect Aang, but she was watching hopelessly as her two defenseless and unconscious friends lay far away from her. Zuko began fighting Katara again, slipping past her with just enough time to grab Aang and escape.

“You rise with the moon. I rise with the sun.” Zuko said, holding Aang by the collar of his shirt. Katara watched, all hope dying from her eyes as he dragged her best friend away. She looked around, locking her eyes back on Y/N. The sun began to rise, lighting the injuries she had endured with the small fight.

“Y/N, hey- come on, wake up.” Katara shook her, helping her sit up. “Where’s Aang? Where’s Zuko?” Y/N said after mumbling something incoherent, blinking from the rising sun.

“He took him. They’re both gone.” Katara’s voice was wobbly. Appa landed just as Y/N was registering what had happened before she was slammed against the ice. “What happened? Where’s Zuko?” Sokka jumped off Appa’s head, helping Yue down too.

“He took Aang. He took him right out from under me.” Katara looked at the ground in defeat. “Y/N! You’re bleeding! Oh, no...” Yue drawled, rushing up to the girl to look at the side of her face.

“Are you okay? What did Zuko do?” Sokka did the same as Yue, inspecting her for any further injuries. “He slammed her against a wall just when she had him pinned down. Then he took Aang.” Katara had tears in her eyes.

“Where did they go?” Sokka asked, more to himself than the three girls and flying lemur beside him.

~.•*✰

Y/N was devastated. The moon spirit was dead, Tui and La were no more. The sky was dark, everything surrounding them was now black and white. The moon was gone.

She could see the pain in Yue’s eyes. After being told her life story, Y/N felt so guilty for not protecting the koi spirits as much as she could’ve.

Katara screamed after Aang as he stepped into the pond. Y/N held her back, allowing him to commune with the spirits again and avenge the fallen spirit. Waterbenders bowed down to the water spirit that was protecting their tribe.

~.•*✰

Iroh solemnly placed the dead koi back into the pond.

“It’s too late. It’s dead.” Katara leaned over to look at the spirit. Iroh’s face lit up with an idea, and he looked over to Yue.

“You have been touched by the moon spirit. Some of its life is in you.”

“Yes, you’re right... it gave me life. Maybe I can give it back.” Yue spoke softly, her voice contrasting against the silence that filled the oasis.

“No!”

“Yue, no!” Sokka and Y/N called at the same time. Sokka reached for her hand, trying to pull her back.

“You can’t do this, Princess.” Y/N pleaded.

“You don’t have to do that.” Sokka tried to tell her.

“It’s my duty, Sokka.” “I wont let you! Your father told me to protect you!”

“I have to do this.” She walked, her hand slipping from Sokka’s grasp. Yue delicately placed her hands atop the fish, letting the life it gave her pass back through to it.

The bright light went out just as quickly as it shone. Yue fell limp, one last breath passing through her lips. Sokka caught her just before she hit the ground, and Y/N had to cover her mouth to stop the sobs.

“She’s gone. She’s gone.” Sokka found his voice, hugging Yue’s body close to him.

“Oh, spirits.” Katara whimpered, hugging Y/N close. It was as if all of them had lost a close friend, even though they had all only known her a few days.

Y/N turned to the sound of soft humming, seeing Sokka’s arms now empty and a puzzled look on his face. She wiped the tears from her eyes, sniffling in confusion.

The fish, now alive, was placed back into the pond, allowing the water to glow a bright white. A misty figure rose from the water, and took the shape of a beautiful young woman that Y/N recognized as Yue. She looked ethereal, practically glowing.

“Goodbye, Sokka. I’ll always be with you. Don’t be afraid of loving the right person, ever.” Her voice echoed across the oasis. Y/N watched quietly as her spirit traced the side of his face, before turning to where she and Katara stood.

“Thank you for showing me kindness. I’ll miss you all dearly.”

Her presence was gone as Sokka looked where she once was. Y/N couldn’t feel any more guilty, walking up to Sokka and pulling him into a hug. He cried quietly into her shoulder, squeezing her so tight she thought he might break one of her ribs.

Sokka has just lost another girl he loved, and he wouldn’t be letting this girl go anytime soon.

~.•*✰

Team Avatar now flew on the back of Appa, riding silently as the sun rose once again.

They all recounted the previous couple of days’ events, from the Fire Nation attack to losing a Princess.

Y/N hadn’t left Sokka’s side, and was there whenever he needed comfort. She had come to terms that he needed time, and that he wasn’t going to be okay for a while.

Little did she know, that his feelings for her has resurfaced since they left. Sokka was grieving, of course, and didn’t want to dump his feeling into Y/N in fear of her not taking him seriously. But Yue’s words stuck with him, and he truly wasn’t going to be afraid of opening himself back up for love.

Weeks passed, and he was growing closer to her every night they camped out. Katara picked up on his feelings, and didn’t hesitate to tell Aang.

The first night he kissed her was under the stars. The two teenagers were stargazing, Y/N telling Sokka everything she knew about each constellation in the sky.

She turned her face to find he wasn’t looking at the sky with her, but rather studying her profile. Before she knew it, he surged forward and pressed his lips to hers. Y/N barely hesitated before kissing him back.

“You will be my always forever.”

A whisper, a promise in the wind. And he meant it.

~.•*✰

a/n: god this request is literally five years old I’m so sorry anon I really tried my hardest. I love this tho lol hope y’all enjoyed

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tiramisiyu · 4 years ago

Text

【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: 【千灯如昼】 Xia Yan’s A Thousand Lanterns like Daytime Date/Phonecall Translation

Translation Masterlist | Xia Yan Masterlist

Video: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV13k4y127hd

My new laptop just came in today, so I was finally able to finish the last bit of the translation for this that I was missing out on!

This particular date story is very cute but also really hits you with the angst every so often. It’s hard being a Xia Yan fan, with pain lurking at every corner lmaoo

PART 1

Star Bridge Light Event

A gentle cool wind blew away the scorching summer heat, accompanying the moon-tinted sunset. The curtain formally rose on the Star Bridge Light event tonight.

MC: It’s so lively.

The street vendors on the two sides of the road gave their all in announcing their wares. Tourists were squeezed in everywhere, in high spirits. The crisp sounds of rattle drums and windchimes assimilated with the racket of the crowd, so much that I couldn’t resist feeling the joy myself.

Ever since the incident from when we were young, I’ve never attended a light festival event again. If not for Xia Yan’s invitation this time, I probably wouldn’t have had this chance as well…

[Flashback]

Home

Last Sunday night, I received Xia Yan’s call not long after I had finished eating dinner.

Xia Yan: MC, quick, look outside the window.

He had just spoken when I saw gorgeous colours exploding far away in the night sky through the French windows.

MC: Such beautiful fireworks – what’s being celebrated?

Xia Yan: Did you forget? Today’s the once-a-year summer festival – the opening ceremony for the Star Bridge Light event.

MC: Is that so… looking at the direction of the fireworks, the event this year should be at the quaint block on Stellis River’s shore.

MC: It must be very lively there, right now.

Xia Yan: Yeah, I heard that the hosts started preparing for this event one month in advance.

Xia Yan: Now that I mention it, for related light festivals… have you gone with anyone in the years that I wasn’t here?

MC: I didn’t.

Xia Yan: Really?

MC: Really, I’ve never gone ever since a certain someone nearly got lost at the light festival.

Xia Yan: Ahem – didn’t think that you would still remember…

MC: That’s for sure. After all, we even alerted the police back then.

Xia Yan: Ah, I’m begging you to be magnanimous and forgive me for being young and clueless back then.

Xia Yan: To wash away this dark history, how about… we go again? To make up for it, I’ll cover all the costs for eating, drinking, and playing games.

Xia Yan: And I can take the chance to let Peanut get some fresh air. He hasn’t seen you in a while.

MC: That should be fine…

Xia Yan: Then it’s confirmed!

[Flashback end]

At the end, we agreed to meet on the day of the closing ceremonies. According to Xia Yan, there would be an even more magnificent show then than at the opening ceremonies. Maybe it was because they wanted to catch this final chance, but the Star Bridge Light event was still filled with an endless stream of guests.

Xia Yan: Come closer to me – don’t get squished.

Saying this, Xia Yan blocked my front side, isolating a safe zone for me.

MC: Ah, Xia Yan, you don’t have to help me by blocking them off. With so many people, be careful that you don’t fall.

Xia Yan: Don’t worry, how could I fall? I’m a front-liner, after all. Trust in my skill a little more.

I hadn’t had the time to respond when I suddenly heard him give a muffled grunt, frowning.

Xia Yan: Ngh…

MC: What’s wrong? Were you stepped on?

Xia Yan: Nothing’s up – I was just accidentally poked by the toy in that kid’s hand.

MC: Poked? It must hurt a lot… let me see if there’s a wound.

Xia Yan dexterously dodged my hand, then rubbed his waist, deliberately putting on an embarrassed look.

Xia Yan: It doesn’t hurt – I was just startled. Do you really want to look in a public place with so many people?

MC: Yeah, I shouldn’t look.

Xia Yan: Don’t worry – I’m thick-skinned.

Xia Yan: Since they set up a lot of parent-child events for this light event, lots of parents are bringing their children over.

Xia Yan: Unlike me, you have to be somewhat careful. Though the children aren’t doing it on purpose, it’s hard to prevent them from being reckless or uncareful.

MC: Sure, I’ll be careful.

MC: Although looking at them right now, I keep feeling like I’m looking at us from the past…

MC: Right, Xia Yan, do you still remember what happened when we were little?

The suddenly-addressed Xia Yan startled, like a child who’d done something wrong, and met my gaze with particular sincerity.

Xia Yan: That time when we were little was a special situation. I’m not someone with a bad sense of direction – I definitely won’t get lost again.

He really was ahead of the game with his crisis awareness, but…

MC: I’m not talking about that.

Xia Yan: Huh? Then what is it?

MC: Ever since last week when we brought up that matter about getting lost, I suddenly remembered something that has never been clarified.

Xia Yan: Eh? What thing?

MC: I faintly remember that the reason that you walked off from us back then because you were looking for something.

MC: But at the end, you only said that you couldn’t find it. From start to finish, you never told us exactly what you were looking for…

Xia Yan froze, then immediately made an “ah” sound, as if he’d come to a sudden realization.

Xia Yan: Ah, something like that did happen.

Xia Yan: Though it’s been so long, so I actually don’t really remember.

MC: Is that so…

Though this was pardonable, I couldn’t resist sighing. I’d pestered Xia Yan a lot back then to make the truth clear. I never thought that, with the passing of time, this would be a completely unsolvable mystery. Seeing my disappointed expression Xia Yan immediately began to comfort me, half-soothing and half-persuasion.

Xia Yan: Don’t sigh. Maybe I’ll think of it after walking around soon.

After saying so, he showed an impatient expression, as if he was waiting for me to cheer up. Seeing Xia Yan like this, the disappointment in my heart was swept away in an instant.

MC: Makes sense – since we’re at the light event, then the probability of remembering it all again is very high.

Xia Yan: That’s right. This is a rare opportunity, so let’s go on this light event trip to find those memories.

Xia Yan: Follow the great detective, and let’s head out, my Watson!

Circling in the air, the myna bird Peanut responded in squawks for a few times, thinking that it had heard its own name*. It flew far outwards, following the lights of the converged lanterns. Laughing, Xia Yan whistled to it in response, then walked into the boisterous crowd, leading me by my hand.

I didn’t know if the answer from back then would be hidden at the end of this long road, brightly-lit by lanterns.

TL Note:

* “Peanut” and “Watson” sound nearly identical in Chinese.

PART 2

We followed the river of people forward, doing our best to not pass by a single shop.

Exactly what was Xia Yan looking for when he was little… was it a special snack, or an interesting toy? I tried to find an answer in this year’s light festival, but I couldn’t help feeling that I was being ridiculous.

MC: (In a blink, so many years have passed…)

MC: Xia Yan, have you seen anything you’re particularly interested in?

Xia Yan: About that… I feel like it’s all pretty interesting.

Just then… I heard a stream of loud and clear geese honks.

MC: Geese? Did I imagine that?

Xia Yan: No, I heard it too. It seems like it came from there.

Xia Yan pointed to the nearby stall. After passing through the gaps in the crowd, I could see that there were many big white geese in a fenced area. They extended their long necks, cleverly ducking away from the crowd of people who tossed out rings. Sometimes, they’d even strut around, fanning out their two wings.

MC: So this is a ring toss game? I didn’t think that the light event would keep up with the times. They’ve come up with new tricks…

Xia Yan: It seems pretty interesting.

MC: … If you looked clearly at those rows of jagged teeth in their mouths, you wouldn’t say that.

Xia Yan: Haha, if I remember correctly, didn’t you get chased and bitten by a big goose until you fell in a mud pit when we went to the countryside to visit relatives?

Xia Yan: I think it was me who noticed it first, so I pulled you out.

MC: Stop talking, stop talking – those memories are going to surge out!

Xia Yan: Calm down – it’s about time for us to take our revenge.

Xia Yan: Plus, it looks like the prizes are pretty good!

I hadn’t even had time to look at what the prizes were when Xia Yan directly waved and shouted at the boss.

Xia Yan: Boss, ten rings here.

Ring Toss Stand Boss: Sure!

MC: Xia Yan, you couldn’t be wanting to…

Standing in the established area, as set by the rules, Xia Yan held the rings. After comparing the distance a few times, he directly flung one out. The ring flew straight to its target, and right when it was about to land, the big white goose suddenly extended its long neck, squawking a few “caw caw” sounds at Xia Yan in demonstration.

Xia Yan: Oops.

Because of the height difference, the ring that should’ve been able to land right on the head of the big white goose, hit its neck directly. Following a severe “caw” sound, the big white goose fluttered backwards, staggering several steps before it firmly stabilized itself.

Xia Yan: Hey, are you… okay?

Accompanying Xia Yan’s gradually freezing expression, I noticed that big white goose’s attitude seemed a bit off.

In its two beady eyes… there seemed to be killing intent.

MC: Xia, Xia Yan! I think it’s angry!

Xia Yan: Eh?!

The big white goose stuck out its neck, then rushed towards us. When it reached the fence, it jumped up with a flap of its wings, then descended in a mission-accomplished way. With a cry, the crowd of people dissipated all at once. The big white goose didn’t chase them – it just pinned a death stare on Xia Yan in front of him.

Xia Yan: MC, stay away from me.

Just when he said this, the big white goose twisted its neck as if warming up, and with a “caw caw”, it rushed at Xia Yan.

Xia Yan: Br-brother goose! Let’s discuss this nicely!

The beady eyes of the goose had been completely clouded by anger. It ruthlessly found every opportunity to peck Xia Yan with an iron beak. The boss probably had never seen a goose so intent on revenge, and was shocked silly during then.

Xia Yan: Stop your mouth! Don’t! Don’t bite there!

MC: Xia Yan, hurry and run! Don’t get caught! Or else…

Xia Yan: Don’t talk about it! If an accident happens to me, I’m handing my antiques shop for you to take over!

Xia Yan: In there, I’ve left for you… wait, don’t peck my behind!

MC: Here, there’s a basket! Hurry and trap it!

Maybe it was because the goose had gotten tired of pecking Xia Yan, or maybe it was because my words attracted its anger, but it changed its target and rushed towards me.

MC: Ahhhhhh don’t come over here –

Seeing the direction that the goose had changed to, the aura surrounding Xia Yan immediately changed. He stared at that goose “murderously”, as if the person who cut a sorry figure fleeing just now wasn’t him.

Xia Yan: You better slow down!

I hadn’t even had the chance to escape when Xia Yan seized the goose’s neck from behind, then turned around, sending it straight back into the fence with a fling of his hand. Right then, not just the crowd of people, but even the originally restless goose crowd became still.

MC: !!!

It took me a while to regain my bearings from the shock.

MC: Xia Yan, did you get any pecking injuries on your body? Does it hurt?

Xia Yan: Nothing’s wrong. Though that big white goose looks scary, compared to people, its ability to hurt is limited.

MC: That’s good. I’d originally thought you wouldn’t be able to handle it.

MC: Didn’t think it would end up being the opposite. Your posture when throwing the goose was just like that “Discobolus” sculpture.

Xia Yan: Hahaha, it wasn’t that exaggerated, right…

Xia Yan: I’d originally wanted to let it peck me so it could let go of its anger, but I didn’t think that it would actually rush at you. Good thing that in the end, it just looked scary without actually being dangerous.

Xia Yan: Otherwise, this goose might have been sent to the dinner table.

Hearing Xia Yan’s last sentence, I couldn’t help but flinch for that goose.

In the end, though we didn’t get a ring on a goose, the boss gave Xia Yan the right to choose a prize for capturing the goose.

Xia Yan: I’ll have this one.

MC: A comb?

I looked at that sandalwood comb, feeling somewhat surprised at his choice.

Xia Yan: Yeah. The craftsmanship of this comb is pretty good – it’s not like those assembly-line-made wholesale ones.

Ring Toss Stand Boss: Young people sure have good eyes for these things. I found this batch of ours from an old craftsman in the village – it was completely handmade.

Ring Toss Stand Boss: This craft has already been passed down through several generations. Legend says that the god of the land used the combs made by his family, before he was granted godhood.

MC: The god of the land?

Ring Toss Stand Boss: That’s right. Young lady, you must not have known that the origin of the Star Bridge Light event has to do with the god of the land.

The boss started chattering, and was just about to unleash a torrent of local knowledge on me when he was cut short by Xia Yan in a timely manner.

Xia Yan: Boss, you should focus on watching over your stall, lest those geese run out again.

As he spoke, Xia Yan stuffed the prize straight into my hand.

Xia Yan: For you.

I held the comb that he had exchanged for the peril he’d faced, and suddenly felt that it had some sort of heavy weightiness.

MC: You’re giving this to me?

Xia Yan: Mm. You said before that recently, you’ve been losing sleep. Aside from chatting with you, there doesn’t seem to be much else that I can help with.

Xia Yan: I consulted a doctor, and he said that lightly combing your hair before sleeping can improve your sleep…

As Xia Yan spoke, his gaze started becoming erratic. Seeing this, the boss on the side laughed.

Ring Toss Stand Boss: Young man, you didn’t need to bother with that.

Ring Toss Stand Boss: The comb is a personal item. Rather than some health benefits, its more important use is…

Xia Yan: Boss! If you talk too much, you’ll affect your profit prospects.

Ring Toss Stand Boss: Alright, I’ll stop talking about it.

Xia Yan turned around with some awkwardness. Though he purposefully blocked his face with his hand, I could still see the slightly-flushed tips of his ears from my angle.

MC: Alright, Xia Yan, the boss was messing with us, don’t take it seriously.

MC: I’ll remember to use it every night to comb my hair. If it works, then I’ll definitely tell you right away!

Xia Yan: …Okay.

After hearing my words, the boss suddenly started laughing even louder. After glaring at him, Xia Yan immediately tugged me away from the stand.

Why did I feel like… he was somewhat in a huff?

Having returned into the crowd, I had a somewhat clear target this time.

MC: Xia Yan, let’s try some events that kids can safely play next time.

MC: I feel like you wouldn’t have provoked a big goose when you were little. Otherwise, if you encountered a situation like just now, I reckon you’d be gone…

Xia Yan: How am I that weak? I was the one who scared off that goose that made you fall into the mud pit back then.

MC: Let this topic go!

Although, it really was as Xia Yan said – he scared off the goose, and afterwards, I never saw it in my vicinity. I even vaguely remembered that, in the few days after, the food on the dinner table were all abnormally sumptuous – and among them, one of the permanent dishes seemed to be…

MC: Eh?! That goose ended up getting eaten?!

Xia Yan: Hm hm? What did you say?

Xia Yan: Ah! There are a lot of kids surrounding that stand – let’s go over and look.

MC: You must be deliberately forcing away the topic, right…

So it turns out that Xia Yan’s threat from just now was for real. If some geese gave chase… they’d end up on the dinner table.

PART 3

Following the joyful cheers of children, Xia Yan and I arrived in front of a shop.

MC: They’ve even got sugar people*!

The boss was a kindly grandpa. Though the hair on his head was white, his hand movements were natural and unforced. With a few movements, he had created a vivid and lifelike phoenix. I couldn’t resist exclaiming along with the children.

MC: Whoa – so amazing!

Xia Yan: Yeah, no wonder he attracted so many little fans.

Xia Yan: Although looking at the situation right now, it seems like he’s a little too busy…

Just as Xia Yan said, the boss had no time whatsoever to consider us. After a hurried glance over, he only had the time to send a greeting in our direction.

Sugar Person Shop Boss: Come, I don’t have time to do it for you, so you two can do it yourselves.

MC: Eh? Was the boss talking to us?

Xia Yan: Eh… seems like it.

The boss’s abnormally familiar attitude as if he knew us from the start, as well as Xia Yan’s unnatural expression, made me feel somewhat strange.

MC: Xia Yan, do you know the boss from before?

Xia Yan: Ah? I’m not familiar with him. Maybe the boss is too busy and just didn’t realize.

Xia Yan: Aiya, let’s not talk about this. Either way, since the boss is letting us do it ourselves, how about we go for it.

With a grin, Xia Yan pointed to the side of the boss where there was a small candy-making stall, eagerly pulling up his sleeves.

MC: Making sugar people is the work of a craftsman – I probably won’t be great at it.

Xia Yan: No problem – I’m here.

Xia Yan: You didn’t get to eat it because of a cavity when we were little – this time, you definitely won’t miss it.

MC: You’ve forgotten your own matters so completely, yet you still remember these little things…

Xia Yan: Because they’re things about you.

After winking at me, he took off his jacket and tied it around his waist, then crouched at the candy-making stall. He held up the steel spoon, scooping out some syrup from the heating stove with familiarity, and smoothly started to draw with seriousness on the steel counter.

Thin threads of sugar meandered off the steel spoon, following his movements to take form, finally converging to become a playful-looking little person.

MC: It’s so cute!

Hearing my praise, Xia Yan waved the cute sugar person he was holding. His smile bloomed from his eyes, bringing a joy as if he was waiting to be praised.

Xia Yan: Here – can you guess who I made?

Looking at it carefully, the sugar person’s hairstyle and hair décor seemed to be quite similar to how I was dressed up today.

MC: Could it be… me?

Xia Yan turned his wrist, holding the sugar person in front of his eye.

Xia Yan: Mm, it’s you.

Through the crystal-clear sugar person, his coral eyes looked like rich honey, mixed with thoughts that had been mulled over for a long time.

Xia Yan: I was thinking of you when I made this sugar person.

Drums sounded from far away, accelerating my frenzied heartbeat.

As he was now, Xia Yan looked like he was doing his best to impress everything into his sight. He didn’t pay attention to the surrounding noise – he just looked at me with a clear gaze, letting the light shine a gentle layer of brilliance on his body.

Little Boy: Big brother! Could you also make one for me?

Little Girl: I want one too!

The surrounding kids eagerly watched the sugar person in Xia Yan’s hands, outdoing each other in squeezing over here.

Xia Yan: Little friends, we’re not selling over here. If you want sugar people, go find the boss over there and buy from him.

Little Boy: Aw – big brother is so stingy.

Little Girl: But I want one that you’ve made…

Xia Yan: Sorry, sorry – I’m only making them for one person today.

Xia Yan apologetically patted the kids’ heads, then walked over to my side proudly.

Xia Yan: How is it – I didn’t disappoint, right?

MC: As expected of Great Detective Xia who knows how to do everything. But with so many longing gazes surrounding us, I’m feeling somewhat embarrassed…

Xia Yan: Being the target of admiration is a good thing.

Xia Yan held the sugar person in his hand in front of me. It was like the honey-coloured gloss and the fragrance of maltose had a sort of magic that could uplift people’s moods.

> Directly taste it > Solemnly accept it

MC: Then I won’t be courteous.

I got close to the sugar person and directly took a bite.

Xia Yan: Eh?!

The clear sweetness of the sugar filled my mouth, and I was immediately filled with happiness.

MC: Hoo… so good.

Xia Yan: Th-the head is almost gone!

As if he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, Xia Yan looked at the sugar person that was nearly missing half its head in his hand, then held out his hand to wipe the sugar stains on the side of my mouth.

Xia Yan: … Haha, you really don’t have a single mental burden about this.

MC: Hm? Why would I be burdened?

Xia Yan: It’s nothing. As long as you like it, I’ll make you another if there’s a chance in the future.

> Directly taste it > Solemnly accept it

I carefully took the sugar person, fearing that someone would bump into it and shatter it. Or at least, that’s what I said, but I saw that Xia Yan’s expression was extremely surprised, with a trace of happiness.

MC: This was personally made by Great Detective Xia – it definitely is different from typical sugar people.

MC: Let me think… how should I hang this up when I get back?

Xia Yan: It’s been quite hot recently. How about making a freezing glass display case for it?

MC: Ah… something this troublesome…

Xia Yan: I’m kidding.

Xia Yan: If you like it, I can make it for you again whenever. You don’t need to specially collect and treasure it.

Holding the freshly-made sugar person in my hand, I once again fell into a daze about the next target.

MC: Looks like the thing you were looking for back then wasn’t a sugar person… then what exactly could it be…

Xia Yan: You really are persistent about this. It might not even be anything that’s that big of a deal.

MC: I still want to know.

MC: Back then, I thought you were never going to come back, and I cried while searching for a long time with mom and dad. To me, this matter is just like a knot in my heart.

Xia Yan: A knot in your heart?

MC: That’s right. I keep feeling like if I don’t find out what you were looking for back then, you’ll disappear again…

Xia Yan: …

Xia Yan: Even if I really did disappear, it wouldn’t be your fault anyways.

Xia Yan whispered this sentence almost inaudibly, and it dissipated in the surrounding boisterous holiday atmosphere.

MC: What?

Xia Yan: Nothing. Let’s keep thinking of ways – maybe I’ll be able to remember what it was I was looking for very soon.

Seeming to have become aware of our troubles, the sugar person shop boss on the side started talking to us warmly while making the sugar person he was working on.

Sugar Person Shop Boss: If you're talking about looking for something, could it be that you’re looking for the god of the land?

MC: Eh? Why do you say so?

This was already the second time that I’ve heard of this “god of the land” name. If I wasn’t remembering wrong, it had to do with the legend of the Star Bridge Light event.

Sugar Person Shop Boss: Haha, because in this light event, it most likely has to do with the god of the land if you’re talking about looking for something.

Xia Yan: Mm, it’s because of the legend in the folklore here.

Sugar Person Shop Boss: Look at you – if you know, why not tell the young lady?

As he spoke, the boss drew up a completely new sugar person. Looking at the figure, it was a celestial being in fluttering clothes.

Sugar Person Shop Boss: Legend says that the god of the land will wear a mask and mix with the crowds, on this day in the Star Bridge Light event, to look for the lover he was separated from before he became a god.

Sugar Person Shop Boss: As long as one recognizes him, the wish they hold at the bottom of their heart will definitely become reality.

MC: I didn’t think that the Star Bridge Light event had such a romantic legend – I didn’t know about it before.

Sugar Person Shop Boss: This isn’t your fault, young lady. As time flows on, some things are destined to fade away and be forgotten.

Sugar Person Shop Boss: I also had suddenly remembered the light event back then – there were very many visitors wearing masks, and all the kids would excitedly guess who was the real god of the land.

Sugar Person Shop Boss: Maybe what you were looking for back then was him.

MC: Thank you, boss. I will definitely remember this legend.

As if he saw through my thought process, before I even opened my mouth, Xia Yan rushed to be the first to suggest a direction.

Xia Yan: I just saw a stall nearby that sells masks – let’s go and take a look.

MC: Ah, okay!

At this moment, I suddenly had the strong feeling that what Xia Yan had been searching for back then wasn’t something that could be seen or felt. Instead, it was an opportunity to make his wish a reality.

TL Note:

* You may have seen these before – sugar people (“糖人”, tang ren) use melted sugar to create fragile, edible figures!

PART 4

Maybe it was because they weren’t like the cartoon masks favoured by children, as most of the masks sold at the stand were all wooden masks with traditional features, but compared to the other stands that were busy with many visitors, the front of this mask shop was clearly much more deserted.

MC: So the god of the land wore this kind of mask to hide among the crowds…

Xia Yan: That’s just a legend. There doesn’t actually exist any god of the land.

MC: So you couldn’t find him back then?

Xia Yan: …

Seeming to be surprised by my sudden question, Xia Yan froze for a moment, then finally laughed.

Xia Yan: Haha, didn’t think you would ask about this so suddenly…

Xia Yan: You’re right. I really was looking for the legendary god of the land back then.

Like he was slowly unearthing past memories, Xia Yan’s gaze wandered over the rows and rows of dazzling masks, finally coming to a stop on my face.

Xia Yan: I’m sorry for making you worry back then. Now that I think back, those kinds of thoughts were pretty childish.

MC: No worries. As family members, we should take care of each other, after all.

MC: Plus, I think that believing in legends has nothing to do with whether you’re childish. This is a way to place your hopes on something.

If so, exactly what was it that Xia Yan had placed his hopes on back then? Up till now, he’s never brought up this matter. It must be something that’s hard to say, so he kept it hidden…

MC: Although, being able to remember exactly what you were looking for is already very difficult. The exact wish should be even harder to remember, right?

Xia Yan: About this…

Xia Yan opened his mouth a few times, finally choosing to maintain a tacit mutual understanding with me.

Xia Yan: How about we buy the masks first? Let’s leave the wish matter to think about later.

MC: Okay, prepare to pay up – with such a rare opportunity, I’m going to choose the most expensive to keep.

Xia Yan: Sure – I’ll take it as helping with the boss’s business.

The boss, who was originally swiping on his phone on the side, straightforwardly raised his hands.

Mask Shop Boss: Why so courteous? I just came here to join in on the liveliness. If there’s anything you like, just take it.

MC: … Eh?

MC: (It seems like I’ve just heard this kind of familiar tone.)

Xia Yan: Ahem, boss, you can’t do business like this. If you gave one to everyone, wouldn’t this become a charity?

Right then, I suddenly felt someone squeezing past my back. Though it was just a few seconds, and I hadn’t planned to pay it any attention, but Xia Yan ceased his movements in making payments, frowning at the crowd while asking me.

Xia Yan: MC, hurry and see if you’ve lost something.

MC: Ah? Okay.

I reached into my pocket, and sure enough, I noticed that I’d lost something.

MC: My phone’s gone! Was it that thief just now?

Xia Yan: Don’t worry, he can’t get away. Wait for me for a bit.

After he finished speaking, Xia Yan whistled towards the sky. In response, Peanut arrived, following Xia Yan as they gave chase towards the crowd together.

In a flash, over ten minutes had already passed, and Xia Yan still hadn’t returned. Because I didn’t have my phone, I had no way of contacting him. I could only incessantly look around everywhere, hoping that I’d see his figure in the crowd.

MC: (It couldn’t be that something happened to him, right…)

My mind quickly came up with many similar cases, getting all the more anxious. As if affected by my mood, the visitors coming and going revealed more heavy expressions than before, accompanied by worried whispers.

Visitor A: Husband, the person you were talking about is alright, right…

Visitor B: I’m not sure. I saw blood all over his face, and he was lying there, unable to move. The wounds he got probably weren’t light.

Visitor A: Ah, I hope that his life isn’t at risk.

Visitor B: Yeah, although people nowadays are too quick to act. It was just a little matter, so why bother making a mess of it to this point…

MC: (They couldn’t be talking about Xia Yan, right?!)

When I thought this, I rushed straight out and blocked that couple.

MC: My apologies – the person who was hurt that you just brought up, may I ask for an approximation of what he looked like?

Visitor A: Looked like… because there was blood all over his face, I could only just barely see that it was a fairly young boy.

Visitor B: That’s right, and he was wearing a white shirt, and he didn’t seem to have a companion with him.

MC: Could you tell me approximately where it was?

Visitor B: Right turn at the front. You’ll be able to see it after walking straight for a bit more.

MC: Thank you!

After hurriedly giving my thanks, I forced myself into the mass of people, rushing towards the direction they had indicated.

The heat in the crowd, as well as the dazzling lanterns all around, made me feel abnormally restless in this moment. As I staggered, rushing towards the scene, I suddenly felt a familiar feeling. It seemed like I had been like this when I was little, anxiously looking in all directions for Xia Yan who’d gotten lost…

In the end, the place where we found him was a forest in the corner of the light event.

Xia Yan curled up, burying his head past his shoulders, crouching without a single sound in the corner beside the shrubbery. Sounds of lively mirth came from the light festival not too far away, but all of these seemed to have been isolated outside of this still area, like it had nothing to do with him.

After, only when I walked closer did I hear the quiet sounds of his sobbing.

Back then, I was still young, so I’d always thought that he was terribly scared because he had gotten lost from everyone. But now that I think about it carefully, that didn’t seem to be the case…

Xia Yan has always been very courageous since he was small. He’d even drive away a goose that was taller than him to protect me. If so, how could he have cried to that point just because he had gotten lost? He’s so smart, so he definitely also knew to ask the light event staff for help.

MC: (Could it be that he purposefully hid away back then…)

MC: (Or does it mean…)

MC: (No good, this isn’t the time to think about these. I need to find Xia Yan fast and confirm that he’s safe!)

PART 5

When I found the scene of the accident, everything was already reaching an end. The light event staff had placed warning signs in front of the stall where the conflict had occurred, and were now methodically cleaning up the scene.

Staff Member: Could all visitors please be aware of the shards of glass on the ground. Please aim to take alternate routes where possible.

I paid little attention to the shards scattered all around with traces of blood on them, directly stepping over the warning signs.

Staff Member: Ah, dear visitor, please move back to avoid injury.

MC: My apologies - may I ask if you know about the condition of the one who was injured just now?

Staff Member: I came fairly late, and I’m not too clear on the detailed situation.

Staff Member: I just know that the one who was injured is a young man. Because he thought that the other person, a middle-aged man, had stolen something of his, the two got in a dispute.

Staff Member: During this, he accidentally collided with the adjacent goldfish stall, and his eyes were scratched by the glass. It seems like he lost a lot of blood…

MC: (Stole something… could the one who was injured really be Xia Yan…)

MC: Then has he been sent to the hospital?

Staff Member: Ah, he was just lifted out by the stretcher. Is he your friend? If so, you should be able to make it if you rush over now.

MC: Understood!

After finishing speaking, I immediately ran toward the entrance of the light event.

MC: (I hope nothing happened to Xia Yan… he must not have had anything happen to him…)

Just as I passed through the crowd of people, moving against the current, the loud, clear sound of a birdcall suddenly rang through the air. I lifted my head and saw a black figure anxiously circling around my head.

MC: (Why is Peanut over here? Is it hastening me to hurry to find Xia Yan?)

Thus, I was unable to focus on protecting the sugar person I was holding, as I threaded through the flow of people in front of me with increased anxiety.

Right then, I suddenly heard a familiar sound behind me.

???: Found you.

Hearing this voice, I immediately turned around -

Where…

Is that you, Xia Yan…

Where are you…

The multicoloured lanterns threw my vision into chaos. I felt like I was in a blurred illusion, unable to distinguish between anything…

Until… a warmth wrapped lightly around my wrist.

???: …

The sound of a light laugh directed my vision. I saw a young man…

He lifted the complicatedly-carved mask, revealing a handsome and gentle expression. That moment, reality and fantasy split apart. Between heaven and earth, only you and I are real.

MC: …

It really is you… that really is great…

I looked at him, and all the fear and unease in my heart was completely vanquished and dispersed, right then and there.

Xia Yan: What’s wrong? Staring at me in a daze - were you startled by the mask?

His eyes shone bright, looking like they could dispel all hurt in the shadow behind that brightness.

There was a moment when I felt like I had gotten something wrong… was it him? The god spoken of in legends was him, right? Peeling back a thousand years’ worth of mist, he stepped in the waning lantern light and gradually walked over, solely to find the image of the woman that was branded in his heart.

MC: I was just thinking that… if there really was that god of the land in the light event, he might look like you.

Xia Yan: But the god of the land searched for several hundred years, and still hasn’t found and reunited with the person he loves, even until today. I can’t be like him.

Though it was dialogue that could not get any more mundane, when placed in this moment, it was like a hidden promise, concealing a hard-to-express sentiment. When associating this with his “Found you” just now, my cheeks started to gradually heat up.

But Xia Yan continued to gaze at me, never once shifting his vision away. The hot air grew steadily warmer. Only until I lowered my head in embarrassment did he laugh and change the topic.

Xia Yan: Although, if I hypothetically really was him, do you have any wishes you’d like to make a reality?

Xia Yan: Do you want to recover a certain thing that was forgotten?

He raised the phone in his hand and winked at me, brimming with anticipation.

MC: I don’t…

Xia Yan: Eh?! Why?

MC: It’s alright as long as you’re fine. Just now, I’d thought the one who was hurt was you…

Xia Yan: It’s no big deal - just catching a thief. I definitely won’t let myself get caught in danger.

Xia Yan: You’re still waiting for me, after all.

MC: Xia Yan, your body is yours. Even if I wasn’t waiting for you, you have to be careful.

After listening to me, Xia Yan froze slightly, then immediately revealed a smile that was even more dazzling than before.

Xia Yan: Mm, you’re right. Here - your phone.

There was still some of his residual warmth left on the phone, and it was slightly hot. It was only then did I suddenly realize that it wasn’t that he wasn’t anxious - he was just pretending to be calm, and hadn’t shown his panicked expression.

MC: Sorry, Xia Yan, I was too reckless just now… I didn’t carefully think before running around, making you search for that long…

Xia Yan: Don’t apologize, this isn’t your fault.

He’d just dealt with an issue just now with skill and ease, but seeing me apologize, Xia Yan was immediately in a fluster.

Xia Yan: It’s actually all my fault. After getting delayed by that accident, I didn’t get Peanut to contact you immediately.

Xia Yan: You didn’t have your phone at the time, and you must have been very anxious. I’m sorry, I didn’t give enough consideration to this…

MC: It’s no problem. Something that delays you must be something that’s very important.

MC: Wait, the accident you mentioned - could it be… the accident where someone collided into the goldfish stall and got their eyes scratched?

Xia Yan: You saw it too?

MC: To be honest… I thought that person was you…

Xia Yan: Then haven’t you underestimated my strength a little too much?

Xia Yan: Although, I was on scene at the time. I somewhat helped the person who got hurt to apply some emergency blood-staunching measures. Otherwise, his eyes would be in danger.

MC: So amazing - I didn’t think that you also had professional first aid knowledge!

Xia Yan: I’m just alright - preventative measures and all.

Seeming somewhat embarrassed, Xia Yan scratched his head, then directly changed the topic.

Xia Yan: All in all, if something happens like this next time, I definitely won’t let you worry about me like today.

MC: Wrong! Even if it makes me worry, you should do what you want to do first.

MC: Saving people is the most important, right?

Xia Yan: Mm. As expected, this is something that you’d say.

Xia Yan’s always like this. He’s used to putting himself last, placing priority on considering my feelings first. Ever since we were young, up till now, he’s always been careful like this. Looking at his smiling expression right now, I suddenly had a strong hunch that the reason why he had hid away back then might also have to do with me…

MC: Actually, the process of finding you this time wasn’t a bad thing to me.

MC: It let me remember things that happened at the light event when we were little…

Xia Yan: Does… it have to do with me?

MC: Mm, I suddenly remembered that I found you in the corner of the woods, after that time when you got lost.

MC: Back then, you didn’t ask other people for help. Was it because I did something that made you unhappy, so you deliberately hid away…

Xia Yan: No, it had nothing to do with you! Wait, that’s wrong… I can’t really say that it had nothing to do with you…

MC: Look - sure enough, it has to do with me!

MC: I’m sorry, Xia Yan… it’s all my fault…

Xia Yan: Wait wait! Don’t rush to apologize yet! That thing really wasn’t your fault!

MC: Then exactly why was it that…

Seeing me cover my face, maybe Xia Yan thought I was crying. He hurried to take out a paper napkin and edged over to look over my expression as if trying to curry favour. Only after seeing that I was just bluffing did he release a breath, as if he didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.

Xia Yan: Alright alright, I’ll talk. I really can’t deal with you.

Xia Yan: Actually… back then, I really did think about not going back, but it wasn’t your fault.

Xia Yan: I had heard and believed some of the rumours and slanders from relatives back then, and I felt that I had snatched away the attention and affection that uncle and auntie gave to you.

Xia Yan: So I wanted to return these to you… looking at it now, it really is very childish, right?

MC: It’s beyond childish! It’s simply stupid!

Xia Yan: I know, so that’s why I was too embarrassed to tell you the whole time…

After my shock gradually faded, I suddenly felt a sort of hard-to-explain anguish in my heart. I never thought that Xia Yan would have had these kinds of thoughts. It was ironic that I, who had been with him morning and night, never noticed the slightest bit of this…

MC: So… the wish you wanted to make by finding the god of the land also has to do with these thoughts?

Xia Yan: Mm, I hoped that he could make me completely disappear - from this world, and from everyone’s memories.

Xia Yan: Although, good thing I didn’t find him. Otherwise, I definitely would’ve regretted it a lot.

MC: It’s all my fault… if I had noticed this earlier, you wouldn’t have had it so hard.

Xia Yan: Alright alright, I’ve said this already - this isn’t your fault.

Smiling, Xia Yan patted my head. Looking at his face right now, I couldn’t see the slightest bit of his past haze.

Xia Yan: It’s the opposite - I should thank you.

MC: Thank me?

Xia Yan: Mm. Though I didn’t find the god of the land, you found me.

Xia Yan: Starting from then, I made a decision.

Xia Yan: I will return several times over the attention and affection that was split for me to you, using my methods.

MC: Xia Yan…

Right then, innumerable fireworks suddenly burst in the sky, enveloping everything in gorgeous colours.

Xia Yan: Alright, it’s almost time.

PART 6

Following the nonstop fireworks sounds, Xia Yan brought me over to the river shore beside the light event.

MC: Whoa—

I couldn’t help exclaiming in admiration. On the water surface that reflected the fireworks, innumerable river lanterns floated and drifted. Right at that moment, they looked like specks of stars shining in the Milky Way, far away in the sky.

Xia Yan: How is it? We didn’t come here this time for nothing, right?

MC: Mm! It’s way too gorgeous. Were these river lanterns prepared specifically for the closing ceremony?

Xia Yan: That’s right, I set them up specifically for today.

MC: Eh?! You did this?

Xia Yan: Why so surprised? My hands-on ability is more than enough for these kinds of things.

MC: But there are so many of them. You must have spent a lot of time…

Xia Yan: It was alright. Placing river lanterns is one of the customs of the Star Bridge Light event, after all. It also indirectly promotes traditional culture.

Following the slight breeze, some of the river lanterns slowly drifted back to shore, stopping by my foot. If I looked carefully, it seemed like a row of words was written on each lamp. I crouched down and randomly took one of the lamps, and noticed that “Hope her work goes smoothly and that she wins every case” was written on it. Another lantern had “Hope that she will be healthy, and that she won’t be infected by all illnesses” written on it. There were even more lanterns like these, but the blessings written on each lantern were all different.

MC: Xia Yan, were the blessings on them also written by you?

Xia Yan: Mm, they were all written for you.

Xia Yan: I brought you here because I wanted to have you believe that the wish from when we were little no longer counts. These are my real wishes now.

MC: But…

I looked at the numerous lanterns and couldn’t help wrinkling my brows.

MC: Why are all these blessings for me? Are there none for you?

Xia Yan: Because I…

He forcibly swallowed back the words he had opened his mouth to say. With the change in topic, his tone deemphasized the matter at hand.

Xia Yan: There’s actually no reason. Back at the beginning, when I was preparing the river lights, I racked my brains for a long while because I didn’t know what to write.

Xia Yan: After, I thought about you, and I ended up writing on all of them without realizing it. I even felt like I hadn’t made enough river lanterns.

Xia Yan: It’s a pity that there weren’t enough materials already, so I could only make do with those.

But, even if there were enough materials, he probably never intended to write some blessings for himself. There were clearly so many river lanterns, but he didn’t leave a single one for himself… now that I thought about it, I suddenly felt very upset.

MC: Xia Yan, wait for me here for a bit!

Xia Yan: Eh? Where are you going?

MC: I’m going to borrow something - I’ll be back immediately!

After finishing speaking, I ran towards the mask shop. If I hadn’t remembered wrong, there would be what I needed there.

—

Seeing me from far away, the boss waved to me, greeting me warmly.

Mask Shop Boss: Eh, young lady, why did you return on your own? Did that young man not bring you to see the river lanterns?

MC: That young man… do you mean Xia Yan? Boss, how did you know about it?

Mask Shop Boss: This isn’t some secret - all the shops around here know that that young man was going to bring his girlfriend here today.

MC: Girl-girlfriend?!

Mask Shop Boss: Ayo, looking at the young lady’s reaction, you haven’t gotten together yet.

MC: We actually don’t have that kind of relation between us…

Mask Shop Boss: Regardless of how it is, let me speak some fair words - that young man really is a good person.

Mask Shop Boss: To convince the light event host to rent the space out and let him set up the river lanterns, he worked for us for several days. That’s not some average-level conviction.

MC: So this was also the case… thank you for telling me these things, boss.

If not for this accidental occurrence, I probably would have never known about the effort he had put in behind the scenes.

MC: Right, boss, can I borrow a writing brush from you? I promise I will return it immediately after using it.

Mask Shop Boss: No problem, take it as you please. Remember to bring the pigment with you. Although this is what I use to paint the masks - I’m just afraid that you might not be used to using it.

MC: Thank you, boss!

Holding the tools I had borrowed from the boss, I jogged back towards the shore.

—

Xia Yan: What did you bring these for?

Under Xia Yan’s dubious gaze, I held up a river lantern.

MC: To write blessings.

MC: Look, the river lanterns have so many sides, so I can still write a lot of words.

As I spoke, I lifted the writing brush, writing on the empty side of a river lantern - “Hope Xia Yan will be healthy, as well as happy”.

Xia Yan: Eh? Are you writing this for me?

MC: Of course. You’ve busied yourself for so long for these river lanterns, so they must have your name!

MC: Didn’t you ask me earlier about what wishes I wanted to make into reality? More than finding my phone back, this is my actual wish.

Xia Yan: …

Xia Yan looked at those two rows of simple, short wishes on the river lantern, sinking in a short moment of silent contemplation. Right after, he took the brush from my hand, also writing a few rows of words.

MC: What are you writing? Why’d you even cross out a row - let me see.

Xia Yan: No can do - if it’s seen, it won’t come true.

MC: Eh?! Then does that mean that the ones I saw just now won’t come true?

Xia Yan: It won’t be a problem. Either way, there are so many of them, so some of them have got to come true.

MC: That’s true… then I’ll write a few more for you as well!

Xia Yan: No need - this one is enough for me.

He winked at me, then immediately placed the river lantern lightly, back into the water. Right then, magnificent fireworks burst successively in the sky, radiantly breaking apart the darkness, as if to draw all sceneries into an enchanting dream. Following the current, the lanterns drifted further and further away, gradually bringing the wishes to the distant horizon.

“Rather than the excessive wish of being able to always stay by her side, I hope more to protect her as she peacefully, prosperously lives her life - regardless whether I’m there, and regardless of in what way.”

PHONE CALL

Sorry, I was just feeding Peanut and couldn’t respond to your message in time.

I’m also just like you - I’m feeling very reminiscent about the taste of sugar people. The sugar prepared by that boss really was unique.

You liked it because I made it? Hehe, you’re probably saying this to make me happy.

Right, if you like eating it, how about I go find the boss tomorrow to borrow his equipment and make you another one?

Other sugar people shapes… about this, it might have to wait for some time. I have to practice.

You also know that I’ve never been good at drawing since I was small. I’d drift off each class and the teacher would always use my works to make everyone laugh.

The reason why the sugar person I gave you was made well, was because I made it according to you.

During the time when I went away, I would think of you often. Over time, you became branded deep in my head.

I got caught… I didn’t agree to those kids back then because I only knew to make one kind of sugar people. I can’t just casually give “you” away to other people.

You’re talking about working for the stalls? I was just in charge of working the cash register and hawking the wares - the sugar person I gave you was my first official work.

As long as you like it. I’m willing to try anything you like.

How about we make a big sugar person family next time, with uncle and auntie, and me and you.

In fact… this is, by far, not the only thing I want to do with you. I want to make more memories with you.

I will make up for those lost eight years’ worth of time.

#weiding shijian bu #tot translation #tears of themis #xia yan #未定事件簿 #夏彦 #the first time i was setting up the tumblr post #the page froze when i was almost done all the formatting #wanted to just yeet myself off somewhere then #mihoyo

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theonetheycallhannah · 4 years ago

Text

The Treatment of Captain Syverson-Chapter Six: Sensory Integration 2

Pairing: Captain “Sy” Syverson x OFC (Shane Benton)

Summary: It’s a fine night for a walk by the water with a handsome vet holding your hand. I think that says it all.

Behind on your sessions? Want more from the author? Click Me

Word Count: Almost 1.9k (a bit shorter, hopefully y’all don’t mind by the end!)

Warnings: Basically still fluff, but also some saucy morsels near the end…not full on smut, though, so don’t get too excited. We aren’t there yet, my little lovelies. Soon, though…soon.

Author’s Note: As I said before, this date totally got away from me, nearing a whopping 6k in total. Thanks again for all the love. And in other news, I told a couple of my PT friends about this story, and one of them agreed to be my official technical consultant on the project for future chapters and even if I wanna flesh it out, modify it to include strictly “original” characters, and eventually take it to a publisher! I sent what I’ve done so far to her just before I started drafting this post, so hopefully she’ll have good insight for me! She said it was about time someone wrote a story like that! Lol! (She reads a lot, so I guess people really don’t think of PTs as the heroines of love stories. Sad, really! Most of the ones I know are lovely and loving people!) The other was just instantly excited and can’t wait to read it.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Henry is not mine, le sigh, and all mention of him, his characters, any characters from his films, or his precious doggy, Kal, are strictly for transformative and recreational use. I neither ask for, nor accept payment for the work I post on Tumblr or AO3. Unbeta’d because this is for fun and escapism.

Tags:

@onlyhenrys

@cavillryarchive

@summersong69

@titty-teetee

@bloodyinspiredfuck

@agniavateira

@oddsnendsfanfics

@omgkatinka

@thisismysecretthirstblog

@misslaland

@speakerforthedead0@tumblnewby

@suavechops

Hope I’m not forgetting anyone! If you want to be notified when I post a new chapter or work, I’ll be happy to add you to my tag list! Stricken blogs are getting personal messages from me when a new chapter is uploaded because Tumblr’s faulty tagging system will not stand in the way of me delivering what the people want!(?) lol! (Although...their lackadaisical notification system might...sorry for that. I have no control. lol!)

The lake was fairly near her clinic, not two blocks away. He wasn't wrong about her feeling up to a walk when the time came. She was looking forward to the fresh night air near the lake. It was a deep-seated part of who she was to love the water.

He'd pulled into the small, empty gravel lot at the head of the paved walking trail. It was well dark since it had just turned 10:00, and the moonlight danced off the water, calm, but with a faint shimmer from the light breeze. The stars danced, winking at them as if they knew the romance that surged between the couple was burgeoning right here below them.

"Now, last time I walked this trail, I'll warn you…I got approached by a gang. And they were…pretty vicious. I had to resort to some guerilla tactics that I'm not too proud of to fend 'em off."

"Oh no!" she wasn't aware of any gang crime in their fairly peaceful city! "What kind of gang?"

"A goose gang." He looked at her gravely. Before they both burst out laughing in hysterics.

"I thought you were serious!" she wiped tears carefully from her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I was! They are stupid territorial! I had several of them tryin'a bite at my legs at once. It was quite the ordeal, I assure you!" he said, serious, but still laughing.

"Well, you'll save me if the Ya-Gooz-ah descend on us tonight, wont you?" she teased, clutching at his arm in mock fright at the thought of a band of Yakuza Geese being an actual thing, but thinking it was a great way to keep him touching her.

"As long as you stay real close to me, sunshine. I'll protect you from the devil himself." He kissed her on the top of the head, sealing the promise and warming her from the point of contact all the way to her toes.

As they traipsed along the pavement path, they talked about everything and nothing, the gentle night wind a whisper against their skin, which had been made slightly dewy from the walk and the humidity. They had made two laps around the small body of water when they came back around to one of several benches placed at intervals on the trail running its perimeter. Without breaking their conversation, she pointed to the nearest one, indicating her desire to sit, which he understood and lead them there.

“See, the problem I have with sports at that level, especially football is the harm I’ve witnessed it do to a kid’s body. We’ve treated athletes in high school and as early as 7th and 8th grade that the coaches are completely obsessed with getting them out on the field or court again. These kids are taking more impact than their bodies are ready for. They can’t miss a game, or even practice for therapy even if they’re just riding pine. And the parents are so laser focused on that potential college scholarship for that sport that they can’t see that if their child doesn’t get better, no scout is gonna want to dole out a free ride. Not to a broken-down athlete. Did you feel that kind of pressure when you were playing football? Because I don’t remember it at my school.” She went off a on bit of a tangent because she’d just been told by Heather before she left that her torn meniscus, Jason couldn’t get in for several weeks because of his practice and game schedule limiting his availability.

“I mean, I felt pressure, I guess, but not outside of practice or the games. I’d hurt my knee my junior year early, same one we been workin’ on, and they just had me sit out a few weeks and work with a PT, but I don’t remember it being a problem to miss out on anything related to football if it was because of my health.” He sat down next to her on the fiberglass bench, which was molded to have the look of fine blonde wood, and put his arm around her shoulder. No pretense of the reach, no awkwardly sitting for a while beforehand, just continuing to touch her as he had been their whole walk.

She leaned into his shoulder, comfortably, as if they’d done this a thousand times and this wasn’t their first date. And continued their discussion.

“What has gotten into people these days? It’s like they’re not satisfied with anything. Nothing is ever enough for a single person on this good earth!” She sighed, frustrated by the neediness of people that seemed to come with her own job and projecting that on to the world…not that there wasn’t at least a measure of truth in it.

“Personally speaking, I think you’re wrong.”

“You don’t think that the world is full of dissatisfied Karens?” She laughed.

“Oh I do. But it’s not every person. You’re sitting next to one very content man right here.”

“Yeah?”

“Mmhmm.” He confirmed.

“Was it the steak, or the lobster mac?” She’d be fantasizing about them both until the next time they went there. Yeah, she was already thinking about “next time” and “they.” She was in trouble.

“Not to knock either, but I’m a hun’ert percent sure it was the company.” He pressed a kiss to her temple.

She smiled, nuzzling into him, feeling the downy softness of his shirt again and smelling his intoxicating cologne. She suddenly remembered a promise from their session.

“Oh, hey. I was gonna have a response for you…to your 'question' from earlier.” She said, mischief burning in her eyes. She kneeled up on the bench and turned his face to hers, brushing a hand against his impossibly soft beard before descending slowly in for a kiss.

It started sweet, a few languid, full pecks, then she parted her lips barely enough for her tongue to venture out to explore his full mouth. They were met after several attempts with a reciprocal openness from him. She dared, then to search him with her tongue. It was simply browsing now. Feeling no rush to complete its quest. Only a sense of the need for due diligence. She was surprised at the flavor she'd encountered. She hadn't seen him pop a mint, and she hadn't left his side all evening. He was sly. It was a sweet and strong taste. Wintergreen on steroids, with the mildest hint of vanilla. She wanted more. Of the flavor. Of him.

She let her tongue find his, knowing what would happen, somehow, even though they had never kissed like this before. Never when it wasn't rushed and needing to be…PG. Here in the dark of night, with no one but the celestial bodies as witnesses, they didn't have to worry about her job, or the public. The judgement of the outsider's gaze.

She knew, by instinct alone, that this would spark him into more than latent participation. And that's exactly why she did it. As previously stated, she was definitely an intentional beast when the occasion called and mood struck.

He did as she'd expected, his own tongue waking, beginning a playful dance with hers, exploring her mouth with more urgency and desire, pulling a ragged gasp from her lungs. She broke away to give some attention to his neck. She held him by the base of his head, thumb playfully brushing into his thick facial hair. A breathy moan that sounded very much like her name escaped his lips. This was the reaction she had been dying to get from him for so long. A surrendering bliss that only came from this kind of personal, intimate, and one-one connection. She'd gotten hints of it when she'd helped him stretch, when she heard those stifled groans he felt at the good hurt she brought him with her expert touch.

She bit his earlobe, and sealed her fate. He growled and pulled her up to his lap in an immodest straddle. Not that she cared in the empty dark. He seemed to need her lips back on his, desperate to find a purchase that would never present itself. The paradox of a kiss.

His hands roved over the back of her from neck to behind, very much favoring the latter. It was an odd sensation. Most of her experience with ass-grabbing had been less than pleasant. Either dirty old men had touched her without consent, or boyfriends had done essentially the same thing as a show of their dominance over her, also without her strictest consent. The way Sy held her was tender, exploratory, and…she couldn't help but think the word loving. "Love" wasn't a word they were ready to even bring up. But she thought he was showing it in his feather touch and hungry kiss.

The breeze was cool, and felt extra cold where she seemed to be warmest. Her position had her…very exposed to the elements, covered only by the fine layers of her underwear at some angles. She was suddenly very aware that they were on a precipice here. If they carried on much longer like this, she wasn't going to want to stop. She already didn't. And she was just out of practice enough to be unsure of where her point of no return was. Dammit. She broke away, in agony from it.

"Sy, I…I think …you should take me back." she stuttered.

"Okay." he pulled her back in for another kiss, pretending to misinterpret,which she indulged a moment but quickly escaped.

"No, sweetie." she chuckled. "You know what I mean."

"Or…I could bring you home with me." It was only a suggestion, but there was a plea in his eyes that pulled at her guts. He wanted her. And she wanted him. With every single cell in her body, she wanted every singe cell of his. But she truly felt that taking things slowly was the best option given the complexities of their situation.

"You don't know how badly I want to accept that invite, Sy." she rested her forehead on his. They were both breathless.

"It's just two little letters, sunshine. O. K. Easy as granny's peach pie."

"I'm terrible at pie crust." they laughed.

"Let's go." he said, helping her off his lap, and preparing to stand, but sitting back down immediately.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned. "Is it the knee? Did I hurt it?" she was already mad at herself, and at him a bit, if this indiscretion had caused him a setback…how ironic it would be!

"Nope, knee's great. Dandy."

"Did you get lightheaded?"

"No, but uhh…it's definitely SOME sort of blood flow issue. Gonna need a minute." he explained without explaining with a sheepish expression on his face…it hit her like a speeding bus.

"Ope." she looked to his lap without thinking, and immediately averted to the water again, as she sat beside him, hands clasped over the seat of the bench. His hand found hers, and covered it, asking to hold it, and getting its way.

"I had…the best time tonight, Shane." he told her, staring at the opposite bank where the maple, oak, and sycamore trees swayed to the tune of the gentle night's breeze.

"So did I, Sy."

"You free tomorrow?" he asked, hopefully.

"You tell me!" she replied…hopefully.

Up Next: Chapter Seven: Non-Productive Time

#netflix sand castle #sand castle #henry cavill #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill x ofc #captain syverson #captain syverson fanfic #captain syverson x ofc #sigh for sy #is that a new tag i started? idk maybe...lets use it. teehee!

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r6shippingdelivery · 4 years ago

Note

Outsider pov of a cashier at a shoo near the base has a crush on kapkan or glaz/chanka and slowly over time realized they are together, either by learning russian, seeing them be cutesy or smthn idk

I was about to go for the easy option, but then Tachanka's rework and elite came out, and with so many people thisting openly after him, I took this route instead, because Tachanka deserves at least one (1) lovestruck cashier fangirling over him :D

And as always, you can read this on AO3 too, second chapter of the Tachanka/Kapkan ficlet colletion, woo!

Being a shopkeeper was terribly dull work, especially in a small town like Hereford. Same faces day in day out, same old stories. It was all so repetitive, she could have gone through it with her eyes closed. The most exciting thing she remembered was when old Daniels’ goose escaped from its pen and got inside Harriet’s pub. That was six months ago, and people still talked about it like it happened yesterday.

Then one day more people started appearing around. More often than not, foreigners. Everyone whispered about the nearby military base, looking at the newcomers with distrust, but she was over the moon. New and interesting people, that was exactly what the town needed. Who cared if they were military, they bought stuff like everyone else, right? And since her little shop was at the edge of town, it was often a place these people visited. That and the pub.

She liked to observe them and make stories about who they could be. For example, the young one with the Yorkshire accent, she could see him being the son of a general, and was following in his father’s footsteps. Of course, she knew the likelihood of getting any single detail right was minimal, but it was a fun way to pass the time.

_ _ _

It had been a boring day, and she was on her phone, browsing Instagram, when someone dropped a few items by the register. Anyone would admit the guy cut an imposing figure, being so tall and wide. And while most people would eye him warily, both suspicious and afraid, her mind had turned to mush in an instant.

Those arms looked like they’d make the sleeves rip if he flexed, and the hint of tattoos she glimpsed from his open shirt, oh goodness! Who cared he was a bit too old for her, looking was free and it hurt no one. Because yes, she was aware she was drooling over a stranger, but as long as every saucy thought remained in her head, there was no harm and she wouldn’t come off as a sexualizing creep. She barely paid attention to the items she rang, mostly beer and pickles, too busy stealing glances at this adonis in front of her.

“How much is this?” The man asked.

The first thing she noticed was the deliciously deep voice and the heavy Russian accent. Second, he was pointing at a cheap kid princess set, with a plastic tiara and wand. So not only was he sinfully attractive, he was a dad who thought of his girl too. She almost wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

Luckily, she didn’t stammer when talking, but after that everything was kind of a blur. He left, and she kept a dopey smile on her face for the rest of her shift. Holy shit, you didn’t see men like that around this little town! _ _ _

Next time the big guy came to the shop, another dude accompanied him. One who had really nice eyes but looked like he was sulking or trying to hide from everyone. Mr. Grumpy, as she dubbed him, was quite handsome too, but not as much as his companion.

They wandered around the shop, talking in Russian and loading their basket. Despite not understanding a thing, she strained to hear what they were saying. She felt like a gossipy old woman, but at least she was able to catch their names: Sasha and Maxim. Pretty sure the absolute hunk was Sasha, and Mr. Grumpy Maxim, but she couldn’t be certain. Sasha didn’t sound very fitting for him, though.

This time she paid attention to the purchase, a ton of booze, and couldn’t help herself from asking, “Did you little princess like the toys?”

He laughed, which made Mr. Grumpy scowl, and answered, “It was perfect.”

_ _ _

A quick research showed her that Sasha was actually a nickname for Alexander, and that was a much more regal name, befitting of him. For some reason she had thought Sasha to be a feminine name, although it possibly was a nickname for Alexandra too. Armed with that knowledge, she was now totally confident in dropping her made up nicknames and using Sasha and Maxim instead.

However, neither of them showed up at the store for two long weeks. When she finally saw them again, they both looked dead tired. Maxim stayed by the door, looking grumpier than ever, while Alexander went to buy some cigarettes and assorted snacks. She gathered the courage to say “Welcome back” to him, in what she considered a subtle attempt at letting him know she noticed his absence. Alexander just nodded, but she liked to think his eyes brightened up a little.

On the way out, he handed a candy bar to Maxim, who looked surprised and hesitant to grab it. Alexander wouldn’t take a no for an answer though, and Mr. Grumpy smiled at him while unwrapping the chocolate. How sweet, Alexander was such a considerate friend.

_ _ _

After that she saw them much often around, much to her delight. Sometimes it was just Alexander, others he came with some other Russian guys, but most often he was with Maxim. These two seemed almost inseparable.

The purchases were mundane yet never the same, which sparked her interest. Most people had stuff they bought often, what she called “the usual” of each customer. But not them. It was like they wanted to try everything or get a sample of all the items available, one by one. Although watching them interact was far more entertaining than what they bought.

These two bickered constantly, like an old married couple, and she was dying of curiosity to know what they talked about. However, short of learning Russian, she would have to live with that mystery. Observing their body language sometimes offered a little insight, but not much. She noticed they were quite touchy, more than the average guy friends around here, but it was probably a cultural thing. There was also the time she could have sworn they kissed.

It was just a peck on the lips, so fast that she even doubted what she’d seen. But then Maxim scoffed and half-heartedly punched Alexander, shoving him away. Alexander didn’t take it badly. In fact, he was laughing, which only added to her confusion.

She even watched the security footage to make sure she didn’t just imagine that. And there it was, a fleeting contact that lasted a few seconds. Friendly mouth kisses were a thing in the ex-soviet countries, right? At least that was what she heard...

_ _ _

For the next few weeks, every time she saw them, she kept thinking about what their relationship was exactly. And they came to the shop pretty often.

All their interactions showed a certain closeness between them, yet a friendship could easily explain it. Aside from that one time, she never saw them kiss again, but she kept wondering. At first she assumed he was married and with a kid at least, a little girl. But maybe he was divorced. He could be unfaithful, but she didn’t like to think about that possibility. Perhaps he was with his grumpy partner and… they adopted? No, this was far fetched, she felt. They were Russian and military, no way.

The confirmation that these two were together came in two parts. First was the time Alexander bought condoms. She couldn’t help noticing it was the XL kind, and wow, whoever was the lucky one, she low-key envied them. The most revealing thing that day was the smirk Alexander gave to Maxim, whom for once didn’t look grumpy, but flustered.

The second and final confirmation was only scant days later, when Maxim got a phone call while they were shopping. The conversation was in English, and at one point he asked for Alexander’s opinion on what option he preferred, to which he asked “Whatever you like best, princess.“

In that moment, everything clicked into place. She had always known she had no chance with him, mainly because she thought he was married and she was no home-wrecker. And yes, he was taken, but not in the way she imagined at first. That was fine; looking was free and she was always discreet in her ogling. Besides, while imagining Mr. Grumpy being gifted a cheap princess crown was hilarious, it was also cute in a certain way.

“You better treat this man like a king,” She mentally addressed Maxim. Because from what she had seen, Alexander definitely seemed the type to treat his partner like royalty.

They looked happy together, though, and that was always nice. Good relationships were hard to find, and she wished them the best. But it would also be great if she had the chance to see Alexander shirtless, at least once. A gal could feast her eyes and daydream, right?

#rainbow 6 siege #r6s #rainbow six siege #kapkan #tachanka #fanfiction #Anonymous

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potestessemagishomosexualitatis · 5 years ago

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LAOFT but make it a pregnancy romcom

okay so this is based both on this post and my pre-existing idea that gage witches can reproduce through magical parthenogenesis (self-cloning) and roman is a clone of abby and therefore a trans guy

so: let’s re-write laoft as a fairy tale pregnancy romcom

first change: virgil never got cursed. however, shortly after greta’s death, durant somehow tricked him into a semi-permanent banishment/exile from wickhills. trudi and may assumed his disappearance was grief-based and by the time they got concerned the trail was long cold.

so now, when roman is planning to make a deal for logan’s freedom, he instead semi-accidentally manages to summon virgil back instead, breaking his banishment.

roman makes a deal for logan’s freedom in return for his firstborn. not to keep, virgil assures him, but for virgil to be godfather to (he might still be missing trudi & may, oops)

however, virgil first has to win back his forest. it takes several years for him to do that, although in the interim he and roman meet sporadically in the clearing in the woods. as soon as he learns about logan and patton’s situations he insists on meeting them and helping to teach them about magic whenever he can

so basically, the entire group is a complete mess of pining and unrequitement angst

everyone thinks that different subsets of their friends are together and therefore “taken” and/or uninterested and/or unsuitable

roman thinks that l&v are endgame as the Fae Power Couple but that patton is pining for logan and would never choose roman over him

logan thinks that p&r are borderline-already-dating (and still has the immortal angst thing) but that virgil is way out of his league because Fae Politics

patton is aware that they all have a thing for each other but feels like he is out-of-place as the only non-magical being and fears that he doesn’t contribute anything to the group and he’s scared that if things change it will end with him being left behind

virgil is completely enamoured with all of them but would rather die than make them feel even 1% pressured and is thus physically incapable of making a move. also has no idea that the other three aren’t already dating.

this is where we’re at when virgil finally manages to help logan shake off the last threads of eirwen’s control

“my half of the deal is complete,” virgil says. “i guess there’s no reason we have to keep meeting up. unless you’re planning on having that baby any time soon.”

roman laughs, of course. but in the back of his mind he imagines having a baby – having virgil’s baby, a child for the two of them to share, and… well. that’s very much not a thought he minds having.

and thus, six weeks later: a positive pregnancy test.

roman, who is very much still a virgin: what the actual fuck.

roman now recalls the conversation with virgil and it takes on a very different tone. he assumes that this is his side of the deal which – was not what he expected, but okay that’s what you get with fae, clearly he and virgil misunderstood each other.

of COURSE he tells pat and lo fairly immediately, the only reason he doesn’t tell virgil is because he assumes it’s virgil’s fault

roman does not realise how describing the situation as “virgil’s fault” will sound to the others because roman does not have the sense god gave a goose

he does notice that the others seem shocked/upset but assumes they, like he, are pissed at virgil’s violation of boundaries (don’t get people pregnant without asking first! even if roman is… kinda into it, actually.)

logan & patton of course think that ro & v made the baby the old-fashioned way

patton is completely gut-punched. change has come without his permission and it doesn’t include him, he only just manages to hold it together long enough to make supportive noises.

logan of course is doing the “this is fine it is perfectly reasonable they can do whatever they want what do you mean i’m growing whatever-flowers-symbolise-jealousy everywhere”

virgil notices that EVERYONE is pissy and roman is showing symptoms and puts two and two together and gets twenty-five, i.e. assumes it’s an unplanned pregnancy between the three of them and there’s some dispute about what to do about it

(roman hasn’t even really thought about that, because even though he’s only about 19-20 there is a part of him that craves family that says “yes, this is what i want”)

(he hasn’t really thought about a plan because he just kinda… assumes that lo & pat & v will always be there for him. and also he would fight a grizzly bear armed with a spoon for this child already so even if they aren’t he will make it through on sheer Gage Stubbornness)

roman puts off telling may with the excuse that “she probably already knows” because he doesn’t want her to be disappointed in him

but everything is really weird and brittle in the friend group now and roman is Struggling a bit

and now he suddenly gets very scared that he might actually lose his friends and be alone raising this baby

(okay except mamaw but that’s Different, obviously)

roman breaks down one day b/c hormones and feeling overwhelmed and of course does it in the most awkward possible place: all over logan

logan is panicking a lot but he is trying his best to comfort roman and then roman sobs something about “didn’t even get to do the fun part of making babies -”

wait what

so roman explains the whole magic deal thing and logan is like Oh Okay I See, There There

two minutes later: logan kicks down virgil’s door like WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO

virgil has never seen logan so pissed and he is genuinely a little scared

logan starts giving him the talking to of his LIFE and of course virgil has. no idea what he’s talking about.

fortunately this very quickly becomes apparent to logan who calms down and catches virgil up on the situation.

and okay, now everyone is very confused because Where Did This Baby Come From???

but you know what, that’s 3/4 of the group up to speed and we’ve barely had any misunderstandings so -

logan gives patton a call and says something about how they have to talk about roman’s baby and something about magic and pat is like “you’re a part of this?” and logan is like “of course i am”

patton’s worst fears confirmed: all three of them are involved, and he isn’t part of it. isn’t powerful enough for them, just a weak little human -

he hangs up the phone immediately because he doesn’t trust himself to speak any more

logan and virgil are FLIPPING OUT about the mystery baby. roman is pretty chill about it actually and gets downright pissed if either of them gets too close to insinuating that maybe the pregnancy is too dangerous…

also virgil is now fussing over roman so much “stress isn’t good for you right now” “you telling me that every five minutes is not helping my stress levels”

no-one really notices that… they were expecting patton to be joining them… several hours ago…

when they do realise there is a small argument of who should go over: roman: “i think he’d rather hear this from you, specs” logan: “you’re being ridiculous. he clearly prefers your company” virgil: “uhhh…. does it make a difference? aren’t all three of you… y'know?” ro & lo: “we’re WHAT NOW”

so yeah virgil spills the beans that they’re all hearteyes for each other and the other two are like “oh fuck” and go to patton together

(virgil stays behind… of course he does. he’s always the one left behind.)

logan and roman go to patton and tell him how important he is and roman winds up giving a big speech to both patton and logan about how he can’t imagine raising this baby without either of them there and he knows it’s a lot to ask but -

of course they are both on board. they have been since the moment roman told them the news.

(although logan makes a comment about how much he’s going to miss when he goes away to college, he’ll have to defer a couple of years -)

so yeah, a round of love confessions followed by a round of “uh. and virgil too, right?” “yeah of course.”

they all fall asleep crammed together in patton’s bed, finally at peace again.

mamaw comes to pick roman up the next morning like “you can’t stay out all night without telling me, not in your condition”

roman is Busted, of course she already knew, and she invites all four of the boys over for tea that afternoon to explain the Gage Parthenogenesis Witch Magic thing

(may does NOT know who the “father” is and would rather die than ask)

when she explains that it’s triggered by the witch wanting to have a baby badly enough, roman gets very very blushy and then goes outside and virgil follows and roman explains that it was the conversation they had about the deal that triggered all this

logan is like 5% jealous that it wasn’t him or patton but roman quickly points out that he’s had years of practise suppressing those thoughts about the others but much less exposure to virgil

virgil is Surprised Pikachu at roman’s confession

the others are Surprised Pikachu at his surprise

everyone gets together

roman gets fussed over and pampered for the rest of his pregnancy (to the point where he sometimes threatens to stab his loves if they don’t give him breathing room)

he gives birth to a healthy baby girl, linda, who very clearly takes after all four of them so that’s okay then. and is also a fae somehow, not a witch (shh its magic)

may grumbles a little about not having a Witch Heir and roman’s like “hey, we can do it all again in a few years”

and the others? are very okay with that.

#tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors #laoft #love and other fairytales #lamp #my fics

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my-soul-sings · 3 years ago

Text

just my luck: chapter 13

Fandom: Wannabe Challenge Characters: Taehee x Reader

|| chapter 13: a fresh start ||

Read on AO3!

full chapter

***

It took only one more day for Taehee to be discharged. The doctor had been amazed at the rate of Taehee’s recovery, and the both of you had said nothing, only nodding in agreement while exchanging sheepish, knowing glances.

Hansol drove the car to pick you both up from the hospital, and when he arrived he was cheery as ever. It looked like he hadn’t been worried about Taehee at all, which made you wonder if getting injured like that was a common occurrence for this man. Or maybe it was simply the fact that it was impossible for Taehee to die or get gravely injured in the first place. Thinking back now, it made sense that Hansol and Biho had been more concerned about you than Taehee when they came to visit that day.

Once everyone was back at the apartment, the first thing Taehee did was make two announcements to his friends.

The first was that you now knew that they were all goblins. Biho and Hansol’s eyebrows had both shot up at that, but otherwise they looked like they had expected something like this to happen eventually.

The second thing was that you would be staying with them longer than expected. When Biho asked why the change of heart (none of them were unfamiliar with your stubbornness by now), all Taehee did was interlock his fingers with yours. The man didn’t know the meaning of being discreet or subtle.

Hansol and Biho instantly understood, brightening with smiles and words of congratulations. Embarrassed, you had pulled your hand away from Taehee, who only laughed and rested his hand against your warm cheek.

Hansol had complained loudly, wondering if this would be the amount of PDA he and Biho would have to put up with from now on.

Biho had been more opportunistic—while Taehee went to unpack in his room, he pulled you aside to request you to distract the clean freak while they tidied their rooms and did the pile of dishes in the sink. Apparently, they thought they would have one more day with the house to themselves, so they hadn’t bothered cleaning up after last night’s dinner.

You had agreed easily—Biho wasn’t the kind of guy people could say ‘no’ to without feeling a prick of guilt.

However, the plan backfired quite quickly when they weren’t able to clean up in time, and even you were powerless to stop Taehee from going on one of his tirades once he started. Soon, the house was filled with the sound of Taehee’s scolding, Hansol’s defiant retorts and Biho “accidentally” dropping a few dishes while washing them, adding to the heightening noise levels.

It was just another day of living in a house with three goblins.

The funny thing was, you had grown used to it. You liked it even—the bickering, the nagging and the bantering.

It was starting to feel like home.

***

Taehee was happy.

It had been a long time since he felt like he could breathe without feeling heavy iron chains around his chest. He couldn’t recall the last time he could smile so much without realising it until his cheeks hurt.

Actually, he did remember. Somewhat. His memory had weathered, chipped away slowly like rusted metal as time went by, and now all he had left were scattered bits of the time spent with her back then.

But the memories were slowly coming back to him as he spent more time with her. They had to stay at home for a week or so, since he was still on medical leave and she had to work from home while the office was being fixed. And as the days went by, Taehee was quickly learning that she was the same woman that he had come to know and love a long time ago.

Things were completely different now—the era they lived in, the world that had changed so much from the conservative town he had grown up in—but he was relieved that some things could withstand the test of time.

For one, she still had that habit of saving her favorite food for last—and that applied to his cooking now. Cooking was only something he had picked up after becoming a goblin, and for the longest time he had regretted not learning sooner and cooking a meal for her when she was alive. It was why he had nearly cried when he got to cook for her for the first time after meeting her again. Fortunately, no one had noticed.

She also still found the most peculiar things amusing, even when he didn’t mean to make her laugh. There was one time he almost wore his apron to sleep by accident and she had laughed for a full minute, bending over and clutching her abdomen while he scrambled to take it off.

Then there was her caring side. Occasionally she’d forget that he was a night goblin and chastise him for staying up late instead of resting. Sometimes he would be engrossed in cooking or reading something, and when he looked up, he’d find her staring at him with a curious smile playing on her lips. While she wasn’t usually the one to initiate hugs or skinship, she would do it sometimes when she thought he was sleeping—running her fingers through his hair, patting his head, pressing a kiss to his forehead and whispering, “Sweet dreams”...

It really did feel like a dream. Everything did. He couldn’t remember the last time he dreaded sleeping and was excited to wake up.

And so it was ironic when Taehee remembered one day that soon, his time would start running again. Falling in love with a human and pledging to love her for the rest of his life meant that he would now have a limit on his life—one that he had wanted to lose for so long and was starting to cherish and desire again. The thought of death now scared him rather than relieved him.

But then she would hold his hand, and the worries and fear would scatter. He would notice the lines on the palm, the ones on his, and imagine the wrinkles that would form in years to come. The one thing that he didn’t want to change was their intertwined fingers, her hand held tightly in his.

And Taehee decided that he finally had a new goal. This time, it wasn’t to be the top scholar of a national examination, nor was it to place a flower crown on her head.

This time, the goal was far more pressing and urgent: he had to find a way to protect her from her misfortune… or attempt to change it entirely.

***

Two weeks later, your wrist healed, which brought your recovery period to a total of seven weeks. The three goblins were ecstatic on your behalf and Taehee cooked up a feast that evening to celebrate. This time, you were able to help them out with the cooking and the washing.

It wasn’t until later that night that you realised Taehee was being unusually shifty and restless around you. He seemed to be making rounds around the house, walking from his room, passing by the couch where you were, drawing near but then taking an unnatural turn towards the kitchen, before returning to his room. The process repeated quite a few times until it became too obvious not to notice him circling you like a scared shark.

Eventually, you called his name to get him to talk.

“Do you need help?” he asked, eyeing your recovered wrist as you set up your “bed” with the blankets. You had vehemently refused to move into his bedroom despite your new relationship status—it was more out of embarrassment than anything else, especially with Biho and Hansol around. Making things awkward was the last thing you wanted in this house, especially when you were perfectly happy with the way things were at the moment.

“I’m fine,” you smiled, waving that hand around to show that it didn’t hurt anymore. “The exercises you told me to do were very helpful.”

A small breath escaped him. You couldn’t tell if it was a sigh or a laugh. You continued setting up the blankets while he watched quietly. Something felt off; he clearly had more to say than ask if you needed his assistance with a piece of cloth.

“Taehee.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you okay? You’re being awfully quiet and you’re just staring at me.”

“Oh…” He looked away sheepishly, as if he hadn’t realised he had been boring two large holes in your head. “Sorry. I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“I, um… Well, your wrist has healed, but you’re still going to stay here, right?”

You blinked at him, confused. “What? Didn’t we already talk about this? I’m not leaving, unless… you want me to?”

“No! No, I didn’t mean that.” He exhaled in relief, almost as if he had been holding his breath for a long time. Then without warning, he wrapped his arms around you in a tight embrace, squeezing you until it was hard to breathe. “Thank you,” he said, his breath tickling the shell of your ear.

He was acting like a puppy with abandonment issues—probably because of all the things he had been through before. You hugged him back, a hand running up and down his back.

“You worry too much.”

He nodded in agreement. “I know, I’m sorry.”

“Were you pacing up and down the house for the past thirty minutes because of this?”

“...Yes.”

The reluctant admission made you chuckle. It was tempting to tease him further, but you decided to cut the poor man some slack.

“If that’s all, you should go to sleep now. You have work tomorrow.”

“Actually... there was something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

Your brows arched as he released you from his embrace, although he held on to your hands. You had learned over the past two weeks that Taehee was much more clingy than he appeared to be—not that you disliked it.

“It’s not confirmed yet and it’s just a theory for now, so I don’t want to get your hopes up for nothing, but I thought you should know.”

“Okay…”

He sounded serious, in the same way he did when he shared about his past that night in the hospital. Goose pimples began to rise on your forearms, but you couldn’t make any likely guesses as to what he was about to tell you.

Taehee stared at you hard for a moment, as if to assess if you were truly mentally prepared for this. Conflict was written in his eyes and it was making you nervous as well. It was hard to tell if this was even good or bad news based on the constipated face he was making.

Finally, he spoke. And it was the last thing you would have ever expected to hear in your life.

“There might be a way to get rid of your bad luck.”

#wannabe challenge #wannabe challenge fanfiction #wannabe challenge taehee #wannabe challenge fanfic #taehee fanfiction #taehee fanfic #kim taehee #my writing #just my luck

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halfusek · 5 years ago

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1) I have a theory regarding what happens in Abomination. As you had explained, both timelines, both in Real World and Story World were connected until the break in Story World occurs with the death of S!Thomas, but there are some details that I consider important to understand the reason why Magenta did that. You mentioned that that death altered what was going to happen in the future in Story World, what if it happened... But what if S!Joey did it on purpose to avoid the same fate as

Hey ho hello there! Thank you for submitting this theory, it definitely isn’t a nuisance to me, I absolutely love it when people dive so deep into my story and have so many thoughts about it, I’m flattered! :D

And while it’s an interesting theory, I’ll tell you right off the bat that Magenta doesn’t really have that kind of insight to the reader’s mind nor mine. The 4th wall breaks indeed are supposed to be meta but it also was kind of a jab at the real Joey in that moment from him. There is no input from me as a “character” in the story, as Abomination was supposed to be a theory turned into a comic all along I’m only including there events which I have thought to be possible to be canon [with exceptions for a few “OCs” I had to make - random employees to fullfill other roles].

But there is of course a reason why story Joey is aware of, well, being in a story as there is a reason for him to act different than the real Joey! :D

Characters from the real world being now in the story world are more exaggerated, more “cartoony” as in the values that pop out most about them in reality, pop out here to the max. As for the story itself, their reality consist only of things relevant to the story. And finally, there’s this whole thing with the objectives these characters have and how they interpret them.

In a sense they are different characters. Especially those that haven’t died in real life.

But at the same time they are kind of the same person. Especially those that died in real life.

With a few exceptions here and there. :)

And this is where my answer is gonna get long with pictures attached and rambling so I’m gonna put the rest under the cut~

So, you know how there’s the Tombstone Picnic cartoon with it’s missing ending, right? As in - in the canon Bendy universe - when Bendy runs away from a skeleton and there’s a shadowy figure standing over him which he looks up and smiles and the screen goes black.

I’ve referrenced it a few times throughout the comic because it’s really important.

Like this old-ass panel comes from Part 2 and some events happening in it are Joey and Bendy watching the episode with Bendy getting uncomfortable about being imperfect - he looks at what’s supposed to be his arms and legs.

Generally parts 1-4 aren’t my proudest work art-wise nkjdf but there’s some things Very important to my little universe here.

I’d say especially pay attention to panel 101 in this batch.

Then, eons later, there’s part 33 and it’s one that got a few people confused that the comic is ending because this is the title I gave it when posted:

With the last panel of this part like this:

Because, technically, this is where the story of the real studio ends and is a turning point of the comic. So, in a way, it is the end. But not the end of the story.

What I assumed with the world of Bendy was that there are two worlds: the real one and the story one which is more like a cartoon. Not just because the story world looks cartoon, it even acts like one with repeating over and over again and not being able to change what’s been done in it [save for few details].

An ending of a very important cartoon episode is missing and never comes and that’s probably what is on the end reel that Henry plays when he comes around but playing the end doesn’t stop things from repeating, it simply puts an end to the current iteration of the cycle.

Back to the comic’s timeline - the story world is created.

I’m a silly goose, I know. :^)

Story Joey gets created and yeeted into the story world asmr - that’s panels from part 35 and it’s very short and weird. It’s not entirely meant to be taken literally.

It starts from little parallels between story Joey and story Henry - at least for how it is in my universe, they are both looping and starting from reading a letter from each other’s real life counterparts.

In the next part [36] this is what story Joey is looking at when he breaks the 4th wall and this is where the events start changing and he kills Thomas before he quits - generally part 36 is the “equivalent” of part 18 with some repeated panels and some a bit edited and these entirely new from the new timeline. But this is all for laying down the differences betwen real and story Joey off the bat.

You could say that real Joey “would do anything to make his dreams possible” but reastically speaking you’d expect a person to have some kind of brakes, that stop them from doing literally anything. Well, as story Joey is an exaggerated version of real Joey, those brakes kind of get done. He’s dead pan fixated on doing literally anything. And as real Joey on his way of moral decay accepted murder as a solution sometimes, story Joey kind of just doesn’t hesitate.

Another thing about parts 18 and 36 is the mention of Henry.

I haven’t gotten on it quite yet with the story Joey but what I’m gonna say is this: take real Joey’s obsession with blaming Henry for leaving mixed with leftover feelings he has for him and try to... simplyfy them and turn them Up.

Spoilers: it’s a mess.

OKAY BUT GOING BACK TO THE TOMBSTONE PICNIC WHICH IS REALLY WHAT MATTERS IN THIS RAMBLE-

In part 35 I lay down that I chose Joey to be the shadow in Tombstone Picnic.

At the time I took this decision I did it because I figured it just suits my version of the story better but honestly as of now I’m ever more convinced that it’s the case.

Because the reason why it being Henry would be cool is that if he was in a cartoon then he could be imprinted from this part of the reel - as this is apparently what’s needed in universe to print ink figures - so this is how in-game Henry would come to be.

BUT

Now DCTL has confirmed that regular humans can get inked and in BATDR trailers we met Audrey that kinda just looks like a cartoonified person which is very likely what happened to Henry. Also there’s this part in DCTL:

When Buddy Boris wakes up after being turned his Boris - cartoon - part of their mind is awoken. He sees a shadowy figure that seems dysproportional to him implying he sees someone with human-like proportions.

Then Buddy wakes up and he sees... Joey.

To me the parallel is pretty straight-forward tbh ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But, of course, I decided for it to be Joey long before DCTL came out so I guess it’s just a cool thing to point out lol

The one thing with how I presented it in part 35 is that Joey wears the labcoat - technically he shouldn’t be wearing it, he should look like Joey usually looked like when the cartoon was made - in 1929. But not gonna lie it makes more sense for the shadowy figure to look like that with the coat included :P

And so story Joey takes away the ending by... literally ripping it away, tearing it from the reel. It’s kinda literal and kinda a metaphor.

The explanation for it is my main point here. Why I brought up that story characters are kinda different from real characters.

Because story Joey IS his own character. He’s been his own character since 1929. He’s literally a print of the cartoon. Right from the Tombstone Picnic reel.

Both he and THE END.

And here’s a little theory/headcanon - I’d like to think that cartoon reels/parts of them used for printing cartoon figures kind of just... get erased from the universe. It would explain why we never get to see that part of the cartoon and why things like that happen in the Handbook:

Ah, a convenient random splash of ink.

So, that’s why story Joey is literally ripping the end away from the cartoon world, because this part is being taken away. Forever.

And what happens with Henry ending the story is that he... imprints the ending itself.

The end is brought to life, and the end = death and welp to me it appears that Henry has the role of the “reaper” as he’s connected to maaaaaaanyyyy death themes, literally called to “be one to bring death” and can get a cool scythe.

Soooo story Joey isn’t just story version of the real Joey, he’s not just Joey 2.0.

He’s the shadowy figure and essentially - a toon.

That was the main thought of this ramble but as I’m on it I’ll throw more stuff linked to this:

In part 41 story Joey visits Bendy for the first time in the story world - real Joey did it right after Thomas tried to quit, but again, story Joey had different priorities.

And. Throwback. Remember part 2? Where Bendy and real Joey watched the Tombstone Picnic? The reason here it’s Tasty Trio Troubles is kinda because in part 40 Butcher Gang figures were created from Lacie, Shawn and Grant so this is like a follow-up.

But back to part 2. Bendy was uncomfortable with his lack of limbs back then.

Parts 1-2 and 41 have a few panels that are intentionally drawn to look similiar or almost the same even, same with dialogue, like that:

Never trust me when I do that.

The reason is because-

I’m a clown. :o)

#WOW THIS GOT LONG IM SORRY FDNFDLK #im very passionate about me lore #bendy and the ink machine #abomination #joey drew #bendy the dancing demon #the ink demon #story!joey #halfpost #long post #body horror #squish #magenta #halfask

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skeeter-110 · 4 years ago

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Don’t Worry Darling (I’m Right Here)

Chapter One: Home’s Where You Go When You Run Out of Homes

By: Skeeter_110 for @joyful-soul-collector

@friendly-neighborhood-exchange

Rating: General Audiences

Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark

Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Ned Leeds

Summary: It’s been a year since the Vulture incident, and Peter and Tony have thankfully gotten closer since then. Because of this, Tony’s noticed for the past month that Peter has been acting weird and decides to get to the bottom of it.

Tony knew that this was a bad idea. A terrible idea; one filled with multiple accounts of invaded privacy and possible stalking. But, Tony didn’t know what else to do.

For the past month, Tony has noticed that Peter has been acting strange. Tony hasn’t been getting voicemails lately from Peter and - when he checked the suit logs - has noticed that Peter hasn’t gone out as Spider-Man.

The teen also has been a lot more withdrawn during their internship days. Tony just brushed it off as Peter being exhausted from school - lord knows just the memories of high school was enough to exhaust Tony - but eventually Peter began calling and cancelling lab days. Which turned into him just plain not showing up a few weeks ago.

Tony knew he was risking nothing short of getting the cops called on him from sitting in front of a high school filled with kids, waiting for said kids to come out, but he didn’t know what else to do. He had to see Peter and make sure the kid was okay.

Tony waited with a baited breath once the bell rang, instantly searching for Peter through the sea of kids that were running out of the building.

“FRIDAY, look alive, Baby Girl.” Tony says after a few minutes when he realizes that Peter wasn’t coming out of the school. “I need you to help me get into the school’s systems. Check Peter Parker’s attendance record for the past couple of weeks and see what we got.” Tony commands, typing away for a bit on his phone before letting FRIDAY do the rest.

‘It appears that Peter Parker has no attendance record for the past thirteen days.’ FRIDAY informs, confirming what Tony was afraid of to be true.

He honestly didn’t know where to go from there. It wasn’t like Peter was going out as Spider-Man, so Tony couldn’t track his suit to see where he was, the Parker’s apartment was empty when he knocked on the door, and Peter hasn’t been in school for weeks.

Peter wouldn’t move away without letting him know, right? Even if the teen didn’t know how to tell him, May at least would have been able to; but she’s not answering her phone either.

Tony had a really bad feeling stuck like a pit in his stomach about this whole situation, and for once, he had no idea where to go from here.

Or, well, he didn’t, until he saw a familiar friend of Peter’s walking out of the school.

“Hey!″ Tony shouts, quickly scrambling out of his car, not quite caring that he seemed a little too desperate to want to talk to a high school student. “Ed, or Ned, or whatever the hell your name is, wait!” Tony says as he runs up to Ned, gaining the teen’s attention.

"Uh, M-Mister Stark. What - uh - What are you doing here?" Ned asks, looking around a bit with shock and a little nervousness.

"Well, I was looking for Peter, but apparently - not only has he not shown up to his internship - he hasn't even been in school for the past couple of weeks. Do you know where he is?" Tony explains.

"O-Oh, he hasn't told you." Ned murmurs, making Tony's eyebrows furrow.

"Hasn't told me... what? Did the Parkers move or something, because their apartment was empty when I stopped by." Tony continues to pry, knowing that he was going to hate the answer by the way Ned was shifting on his feet.

"May died a little over a month ago. Car accident." Ned quietly informs, making that pit in Tony's stomach tighten even more.

"Where's Peter?" Tony hesitantly asks, selfishly praying to any higher being out there that Peter wasn't in the accident with her.

"I'm not sure." Ned tells him, not helping quell the man's worry.

"What do you mean 'you're not sure'?"

"I mean after the funeral someone from social services came and took him to a foster home. Apparently the guy who ran the home was abusive - I don't know, Peter didn't give me many details. The last thing I knew, he got a job at Delmar's and found a new place to stay. At least, that's what he's told me, I haven't really seen him either." Ned rambles.

"Alright. Good talk, thank you for this." Tony says, beginning to walk away now that he has the information he needed to find Peter.

"Uh- M-Mister Stark!" Ned calls out before Tony could go too far. "You- Can you keep me updated? Please?" Ned requests, Tony softening at the clear concern Ned had for his friend.

"Of course."

* * *

Well, it's official. Two extremely creepy things relating a minor in one day; it was a new record. Not that Tony was actively trying to break that record. But seeing how his day has been going so far, who even knew at this point. Currently he was staking out the bodega that Ned had told him Peter was working at.

Tony couldn't stop his spiraling thoughts as he waited for any sign of Peter to show up. He couldn't help but wonder if the boy had actually managed to find somewhere warm and safe within that short period of time. He couldn't help but wonder if the man that ran the foster home had hurt Peter. He couldn't help but wonder about Peter.

Apparently all of those crazy scenarios his brain was making up passed enough time for all of the lights be turned off in the bodega. Tony waited for a bit, but the only people that walked out of there was two other men with no sign of Peter around.

Tony just sighed, leaning back in his seat and waiting for a few minutes just in case Peter came out also. When it was clear the teen wasn't there, Tony pulled his phone back out again.

"FRIDAY, is there any way you can get in touch with Karen and pinpoint her location?" Tony asks, silence filling the car once again before the A.I'S voice echoed through.

'I've managed to locate Karen's location. I've taken the liberty of putting the address in your GPS.' FRIDAY tells him. Tony just let out a long breath, berating himself a bit for not doing this in the first place and sending himself on some wild goose chase.

It only took twenty minutes for Tony to wind up parked in front of some abandoned warehouse. Tony just sat there and stared for a while, trying to choke down the lump that formed in his throat.

Peter could be in there. This is where Peter's been staying for the past month. No doubt hungry, cold, scared, and alone the entire time; and Tony had no idea. That fact alone was enough to make Tony feel sick.

Steeling himself, he slowly got out of the car for - hopefully - the last time that night and began making his way into the building.

Once he got inside he could hear shuffling coming from the upstairs so Tony quickly found the stairs and hoped that it was Peter and not some crack-head who manage to find Peter's suit and was planning on how to sell it for crack.

What Tony didn't take in account for, was the fact that this building looked to be abandoned for about ten years and no doubt would be falling apart. It wasn't until his foot fell through one of the steps that it actually crossed his mind.

The loud noise echoed throughout the whole building, making Tony cringe as footsteps rapidly came running towards him. All he could do was pray that it was Peter not actually someone on drugs.

Sure enough, the teen was soon standing at the top of the stairs, staring down at Tony in complete shock.

Tony took this opportunity to look Peter up and down, taking him all in and taking a mental log of his physical damage. Other than looking beyond ran down and exhausted it was clear that Peter had lost weight within the month.

His cheek bones looked a lot more prominent and his eyes looked sunken in. the kid also was filthy; Tony was barely able to pick out some scrapes and cuts Peter had through all of the dirt and grime. Which was another thing. The kid clearly wasn’t getting nearly enough nutrients if his super-healing wasn’t able to super-heal.

“Hey, Kid.” Tony whispers when it became clear that no one was going to say anything. Peter just continued to stare at Tony in shock, his skin pale like he was looking at a ghost.

"So, uh, I went to your school today - to look for you - and I ran into your friend Ted. He explained everything to me when I told him I hadn't heard from you in a while. Peter, I am so sorry. I wish I had known, I would have done something sooner." Tony continues. Peter just kept right on staring at him, which definitely got real uncomfortable real fast. Especially considering his foot was still stuck in the step.

"Do you think you could help me get my foot back so we can go somewhere and talk?" Tony asks, Peter blinking a couple of time before seemingly snapping back into his body.

Peter quickly ran down the steps, avoiding the ones that would assumingly break also, helping Tony free his foot out of the one it was trapped in. Once Tony was finally able to move freely, he didn't hesitate to pull the teen into his arms.

He couldn't help but cringe at how bony the kid was now, and how freezing his skin was to the touch. It was getting a little too close to the beginning of winter for the kid to only be wearing only a short sleeve, and with Peter's thermoregulation issues, Tony's just thanking whatever deity out there that kept his boy alive until he was able to find him.

"Come on, Kid. We can talk in the car where we can blast the heat and get you warmed up." Tony says, rubbing his hand up and down Peter's arm before releasing him.

"Do you have stuff you need to grab?" Tony asks, getting a nod in response. "Alright, you go and get everything all gathered and come meet me out in the car." Tony tells him, leaving him to do so.

Tony allowed himself promptly two seconds once he got back in the car to freak out and process everything. He didn't quite know where to go from here, but he knew that he couldn't bring himself to send the kid back on his way. Every instinct inside him was screaming to take Peter home and let him live there.

Tony quickly pulled it back together again when the passenger side door opened, placing a small smile on his face as the teen climbed in the car. The smile slowly slipped off when he realized that Peter only had a tiny backpack and that all of his belongings managed to fit.

Deep silence filled the car, both of them trying to figure out where to go from here. Peter - thankfully because Tony still didn't have all of his thoughts together - was the first to speak up.

"How did you find me?" Peter asks, his voice sounding a bit worse for wear.

"I had FRIDAY track Karen's location. Even if you're not in the suit FRIDAY can get in contact with your A.I." Tony explains, allowing another short silence fall on them before speaking again. "Pete, why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you."

"Because if you had found out, you would have called my social worker and she would have sent me back to the foster home and - I can't! I can't go back there, I just can't." Peter tells him, his tone getting a bit hysterical at the end.

"Why can't you go back there? What happened?" Tony questions, already feeling sick at whatever the answer could be.

"The man that ran the house - Steven Wescott - He touches the kids there." Peter whispers, refusing to look up at Tony.

"Did he touch you?" Tony lowly asks, bile and rage rising up his throat at the mere thought of someone doing that to Peter.

"No. He tried, but I fought him off and ran before he could do anything." Peter quietly says, still looking down at his hands.

Tony just nodded his head, allowing himself to take everything in and figure out the game plan from here.

"Okay, so here's what I would like to do; you can accept or deny afterwards, just hear me out right now. We're going to go to my place, we're going to get some nice food in you, get you a nice hot shower, and then we're going to call your social worker-" Tony begins to list out, hold a hand up when Peter began to protest.

"Just hear me out for a second. We're going to tell her about this Wescott guy, report everything he's doing and make sure all of those kids there get put into different homes and that he'll never be able to foster anyone again. Then I'm going to talk to her and see what needs to be done in order to get you to stay with me." Tony finishes.

Peter just blinked at Tony for a bit before what he said actually clicked. "You want to adopt me?"

"Well, if it's okay with you and if your social worker says that adoption is on the table. If not I could become like a temporary guardian, or a foster parent, or something else that allows me to-" Tony rambles before getting cut off by Peter slamming his body into Tony's.

Once the shock wore off and he could breathe again, Tony wrapped his arms around Peter also, hugging the kid tight to him when he felt the teen's shoulders begin to shake.

They sat there for a while, just simply holding each other. Tony held Peter close to him, allowing the teen to get all of his pent up emotions out.

"Can I please stay with you?" Peter cries, taking stuttering breaths afterwards to try and stop the flow of tears.

"Of course you can, Buddy. Of course you can." Tony comforts, rubbing Peter's back while he tries to regain his composure.

"Why don't we go pick something up to eat and then go home." Tony offers once Peter pulls away. The teen gave a nod accompanied by a shaky smile. Tony gave a small smile in return, wiping away the tears under Peter's eyes with his thumb before giving the boy's hair a ruffle.

"Thank you, Mister Stark." Peter whispers as Tony turns the key in the ignition.

"Of course, Underoos. We'll figure everything out, it'll be okay." Tony reassures, pulling away from the warehouse.

"Now, lets go home."

#irondad #spiderson #peter parker #tony stark #gift exchange #fanfic

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dalekofchaos · 4 years ago

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The Fireflies’ vaccine wouldn’t have worked or why Joel did the right thing

In the last part of The Last of Us, Joel kills all the fireflies and saves Ellie but by doing so he may have doomed humanity by ending the possibility of a cure being made, making the ending bittersweet and morally ambiguous. The thing is, Joel didn't really do anything wrong, and saving Ellie was the right choice, here are my reasons:

The doctors would remove Ellie's brain to try to create a vaccine, but that's not how vaccines works, a vaccine is a tamed version of a pathogen that "teaches" your body to defend against it, to do a vaccine you need to use the pathogen in small quantities or a modified version of it, Ellie is immune to it, you don't create vaccines from the immune system, that's called a serum, and it works differently, a serum is used when someone comes in contact with a disease and it contains a series of antibodies that fight the infection, but it doesn't make anyone immune. So what they were trying to do was pointless;

Even if the doctors know what they were doing, it was a wild shot a with no guarantee that it would work;

Even if a vaccine was successfully made they wouldn't save the world, the world was destroyed 20 years ago, society collapsed and was rebuilt again on a new way, and everyone already new how to deal with it, also the greatest threat were not even the cordyceps fungus anymore, it was the infected (that the vaccine couldn't do nothing about) and the crooked humans that walked the earth. Besides that, the fireflies had no way to distribute the vaccine worldwide, not even in a national level.

If you listen to the tapes in the Colorado segment, it pretty much confirms that Ellie is not unique and they wouldn’t be able to make a vaccine anyway. The doctor has practically lost his mind and Ellie is just his white whale. Ellie was not the first subject and she most likely wouldn’t have been the last.

The doctor pretty much went against the common ethical code of all medical practitioners just for a CHANCE at a vaccine/cure.

And wouldn't it take a lot of time to study her? A day to do all the tests is outright impossible. Just look at the corona vaccine. With all the tech the world has the biotechnologists are going to take more than a year to make a vac.

Vaccines for Fungal infections are nearly impossible and are a logistical nightmare.Even in today’s world,they can only be treated with antibiotics and anti-fungal medicine. They didn’t even bother with thoroughly researching Ellie’s blood and trying to extract the fungal specimen without killing her. The tests were blood samples and samples from the area where she was bit and then only cutting her brain open as THE LAST POSSIBLE USE for her, then when their step 1 was "lol just kill this incredibly rare specimen" I was shocked.

BTW, PS4 version actually removed a piece of paper that's available in all the other forms of the game. What is this piece of paper? Just the one that describes how they've tried this process dozens of times before and how they've NEVER gotten any useful info.

The Fireflies are terrorists. The Fireflies are terrorists, and not even competent ones. Here we go. We first hear of the Fireflies in credits, where they are taking credit for attacking the Federal Disaster Response Agency. Not a good start.The next time we start to see hints of them is through graffiti in the quarantine zone. What does this graffiti say? Fireflies will take it all back. That sounds great! Burn it all down. ...oh. That’s, uh, a little less great. Fucking die, pig. Um… Uh, that’s uh, not a great look here guys.And that goes on and on. The graffiti does not exactly inspire. All it does is get angry.Next time we see them, it’s when they literally bomb a checkpoint and supply truck, then begin firing wildly all over the place. This is straight terrorism. They don’t care if there is collateral damage, in fact, Joel gets injured in this scene.Then we meet Marlene, the so-called Queen Firefly. Injured and on the run, the military is slowly wiping them out. This leads to a line of dialogue that is absolutely hilarious. Marlene starts to preach about “We’ve been quiet. Been planning on leaving the city, but they need a scapegoat. They’ve been trying to rile us up. We’re trying to defend ourselves”Those are big words from someone who just bombed a checkpoint.This clearly shows us that Marlene cannot be trusted as a narrator. She has an agenda and is lying to Joel and possibly herself. And that despite how effective guerrilla tactics usually are, her group is still managing to get absolutely devastated. They are failing so badly that they have to recruit smugglers just to try to get Ellie out of the city.So begins the trek showing dead Fireflies at every turn. Downtown subway station? Dead Fireflies. The Capitol building? Dead Fireflies. Pittsburgh? Oh, let’s talk about Pittsburgh.Pittsburgh is a monument to Firefly failure. Pittsburgh was originally another Quarantine zone held together by FEDRA. So what happened here? Well, times got hard, and the Fireflies instigated a civil war or insurrection. This fighting lasted for months, with Fireflies lynching soldiers that they caught alone, burning soldiers alive after dousing them in gasoline, and FEDRA retaliating by executing Fireflies. FEDRA finally gave up and retreated from Pittsburgh, putting the Fireflies in control- and then it all fell apart. The people of Pittsburgh discover that the Fireflies had planned to move right into the space FEDRA had previously occupied. And so, after this was discovered, the Fireflies were driven out just like FEDRA had been. Only much faster, and with less fight. And now Pittsburgh is nothing but anarchy. People gunned down in the streets for nothing. Rooms full of bodies, clothes and shoes. Almost looks like after images of Dachau. Bravo, Fireflies. Excellent revolution.Next up, we meet Tommy, Joel’s brother, and disenfranchised Firefly. He worked for them for years, going all the way to Colorado for them. Somewhere along the way, he lost faith in them and left their cause. He doesn’t specify exactly why, but it seems he might have lost faith in their methods.Then we come to the University. This is where we really discover how incompetent the Fireflies actually are. One of the first notes you see at University is about a guy who is angry he got yelled at for falling asleep on guard duty. Real professionals. This same note indicates that while they’re still getting some supplies, it’s not enough for what’s needed, with gasoline being particularly short. The next note comes from a recording, telling us that they’re losing more guards, with the doctor clearly concerned about how much equipment and data will be lost if they have to move. The doctor even calls the Fireflies incompetent in this note. And then we have this genius.. That’s right. Bitten by his own lab monkey. Because he just had to set it free, rather than putting it down humanely. Brilliant work sir. Brilliant. He kills himself before turning though, but not before informing us that they hadn’t accomplished anything for over five years. And even that small breakthrough was ultimately a failure. And now the entire lab is compromised, and abandoned.And then there’s a long break from Fireflies until Salt Lake. Ellie, having just gone underwater, isn’t breathing. Joel attempts to perform CPR on her when our hero Firefly shows up, and knocks Joel unconscious. Ah, violence. The first solution. Willing to forgive it, since it strongly mirrors the scene with Sarah, only the Firefly is in the soldier’s shoes this time. But still. Military was gentler.And now for the hospital. The final failure of the Fireflies. This is where so many people are convinced that Joel screws the world by preventing a vaccine. But somehow, I just don’t think so. This is one last desperate bid by the Fireflies for control. How do they intend to do this? Comprehensive bloodwork? No. Vigorous testing with laboratory animals, like, oh, maybe monkeys? No, someone let all their monkeys go. Crack open her head and hope for the best? Hell yeah! Does the fact that they’ve lost their biologist concern them? Nah, it’ll be fine! Does the fact that this is the only time they’ve seen immunity to this degree even give them pause? Pfft, crack her open! Does the fact that there has never been a successful vaccine against fungus give them pause? PASS THAT SCALPEL! No need to think this over, let’s blow our whole load on this once in a lifetime lucky strike as fast as possible. No, I’ve never heard the story about the goose who laid the golden eggs, tell it to me after I finish butchering surgery. Even if we make this vaccine, how will we deploy it? You're thinking too hard, hand me the saw!This is just bad science. Done by bad scientists. Cheered on by fools. Fools who wanted to murder Joel after he made that long trip.And for people who insist on government and democracy, it’s funny how they didn’t risk telling Ellie their “plan” and just sedated her and rushed her to the table.

Even by SOME MIRACLE they managed to make a vaccine, the world ain't gonna automatically return to what it was. It's a dog eat dog world and that is the new normal. Infected, cannibals, more psychos like David and raiders are still there and it ain't going away soon or maybe ever. On top of that, mass production and distribution of a vaccine is an absolute logistical nightmare in a post apocalyptic world- they simply don't have enough resources for that. And who's to say The Fireflies wouldn't use it to as a bargaining tool to put everyone, willing or not, under their new rule? And even given all that, they debated killing Joel after he delivered Ellie. He did the job and the payment he received was getting knocked out and being marched outside of the safe zone AT GUNPOINT WITHOUT HIS WEAPONS AND SUPPLIES! The Fireflies broke their deal and fucked Joel over. Joel had ever right to kill them and save Ellie.

So I believe what Joel did in the end was the right thing, the fireflies was an extremist group that was willing to do anything not to save the world, but to prove their point, even kill an innocent girl under a delusional precept.

#The Last Of Us #Joel Miller #Ellie Williams #The Fireflies #Marlene #Jerry Anderson

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convivialcamera · 5 years ago

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Medical Doctor Attempts to Make Penicillin | Outlander Makes

CLAIRE: Hey everyone, I’m Claire, we’re on Fraser’s Ridge and today we’re making .... penicillin!

PART ONE: WHAT IS PENICILLIN?

CLAIRE: Penicillin has been on my list for Outlander Makes for a very long time, almost since the beginning. It’s one of my favorite medicines. I just love that it can kill bacteria and save lives. It has that unique property of being made from mold, and I think it will be a cool learning opportunity for me because I just love penicillin.

Penicillin is effective against staphylococci and streptococci bacteria, some of the most common bacterial infections seen on the Ridge. It was the first modern antibiotic, which I suppose is relative. But penicillin itself comes from a secretion of molds in the genus Penicillium.

I can’t believe how much Outlander Makes makes me think about my university science classes.

It’s time for my favorite part: reading the ingredients. And wow, this is a short list: benzylpenicillin.

Time to go do some research. All of which is stored in my brain because it’s 1771 and penicillin won’t be officially discovered for 157 years.

Anyways, molds have been used to fight infections since ancient times. There’s evidence ancient peoples in Egypt, Greece and India used certain fungi and molds in their medicine, according to my Uncle Lamb’s research. But penicillin as I know it, in the future, was first discovered in a bread mold in 1928 by a Scot named Andrew Flemming, but then it wouldn’t be used in human medicine until 1942.

So, I think I’m going to start with bread. But the mold spores are just in the air, and there’s no reason another food couldn’t be a growing medium. So we’ll just have to see what works best. I’m excited. I think this is going to work.

PART TWO: HOW DO YOU MAKE PENICILLIN?

CLAIRE: I’ve got a whole bunch of extra bread, so I’m going to tear it up and leave it out and see what it grows. Marsali is also out collecting food scraps from the other settlers, things destined for the pig trough, that we’ll test as well.

I’m tempted to put my samples under glass cloches to keep mice and bugs and other pests out, but I’m concerned that they will prevent mold spores in the air from getting to the bread, so we’re going to try both.

MRS. BUG: She’s gone mad, she has. Up all night baking more bread than the Lord when he fed the multitudes with the loaves and fishes.

BRIANA: Woah. You’re not planning to eat all that, are you?

CLAIRE: No, I’m going to let it go moldy.

MRS. BUG: What a terrible waste.

BRIANA: Please tell me you’re being sarcastic.

CLAIRE: What, me? Never. I’m making penicillin.

BRIANA: Then Mrs. Bug is right, you have lost your mind. You can’t do that.

CLAIRE: Yes, I can. And not just with bread, we’re going to test other food scraps too. Then, we’ll find the right strain.

BRIANA: This is dangerous. What if it messes with some cosmic balance? Or breaks some rule of space and time? Isn’t this playing God?

CLAIRE: I change the future every time I save a life here. And now I’m going to do it even better. So, time, space, history be damned.

See, now all the bread is set up. Marsali will be back soon, and we’ll set up her scraps the same way, and then we wait.

THREE DAYS LATER

CLAIRE: It’s a little dark in here because I wanted to keep the samples out of the sun. The bread and other samples have been left to mold for three days, and now we’re going to check and see how it went. I’m in that delusionally optimistic headspace where I think this might work on the first try.

I’m looking for a blue-green mold, maybe with a white outer ring. I’ve got my microscope and candles ready, so I can examine the mold more closely. What I don’t want is Aspergillus, another type of mold that grows under similar conditions but is very toxic and instead of curing infections would actually … kill my patients faster. So, if we see any fuzzier molds that are green, gray or black, that would be bad.

So, on a few of these samples I very clearly lost the battle against ants and some mice. The ones under the cloches fared better, but there’s not yet anything that looks like mold yet. This is going to take longer than I thought.

In the meantime, I’m going to work on the incubation medium that I’ll use to make even more penicillin once we grow the mold — which, we absolutely will. And for that I need Jamie.

JAMIE: Yes, Sassenach?

CLAIRE: Could you go kill me something I can make into broth?

JAMIE: You canna slaughter a chicken yourself?

CLAIRE: I can, but could you just help out for the common good? And if you don’t want to kill a chicken you could go hunt something else, right?

JAMIE: Claire, what if you waste all this food and you don’t get your medicine?

CLAIRE: I want you to know I can accept zero criticism right now.

JAMIE: Then I’ll be back with some meat for your broth.

FOUR DAYS LATER

CLAIRE: It’s day three! Well, it’s been a week but it’s day three of work. No, there’s no curse. Stop trying to make a day three curse happen.

Jamie shot a goose, and Bree plucked it for me, and Mrs. Bug made it into this broth. I’ve got to check out our bread and food samples and see if any Penicillium molds have grown. And … there are a lot of molds here! Turns out more than one mold can grow on bread. I’m looking for the classic blue-green color, and there is more than just blue-green here. This pie crust did a little better — see the white outer ring, and there’s no black, like on this bread sample. This is promising.

If I remember my textbooks correctly, Penicillium will look like a stalk of wheat with a branched end under the microscope. If the end is more like a fuzzy ball, it’s the killer Aspergillus mold that I talked about earlier. I’m going to make slides and see if I can positively identify any of these as penicillin.

TWO HOURS LATER

CLAIRE: OK, I’m down to the last two slides, and so far it’s a big fat nothing.

ROGER: What is going well right now?

CLAIRE: Nothing. This whole thing is a disaster. If these don’t have the right mold, I’ve wasted this whole week and all this food and will have to start over.

ROGER: Oh.

CLAIRE: Say a prayer, Roger. And…. got them. I was right about the pie crust — that’s definitely a Penicillium colony growing. I love it when I’m good at stuff.

ROGER: We all knew you could do it.

CLAIRE: Bree thinks I’m breaking the time-space continuum, but there it is! That’s penicillin!

So, my next step is to prepare the incubation mediums. I’ve got the broth Mrs. Bug kindly prepared, and I’m going to strain it and then boil it. I also need to sterilize the bowls, so I’m boiling some water for that. And then I have these muslin cloths that I’ve also boiled and air dried as best as I could, which will keep things like insects, bugs, mice and other critters out. It’s nearly impossible to achieve true sterility in these conditions, but it’s important to try.

And then I’m going to use these confirmed Penicillium samples and use a sterilized knife to put them into the broth to incubate. The thing about penicillin is that the mold itself isn’t antibiotic, but the mold’s secretions, so that’s what I’m trying to produce and capture.

So, I’ll leave this to do its thing. We’ll check back in a few more days.

ONE DAY LATER

CLAIRE: WHAT DO YOU MEAN ONE OF THE CHILDREN GOT IN HERE AND KNOCKED OVER ONE OF THE BOWLS?

THREE DAYS LATER

CLAIRE: ADSO! GET AWAY FROM THERE! NO, STOP DRINKING IT!

JAMIE: Are you done with your experiment, Sassenach?

CLAIRE: Noooo. I can’t believe that you can’t sense right now that I am not in a good place.

JAMIE: Oh.

CLAIRE: I guess it’s time to check the remaining bowls and see how incubation went. Like with the bread and food samples, I’m looking for Penicillium’s distinctive blue-green coloring with a white ring around the outside. So, the first bowl: nope, that’s not it. See those hairy, green clumps that look like submerged sea beasts? It could be another mold, bacterium, or maybe a colonial alga, but it’s not at all what I’m looking for.

But this second one, yes, this looks promising. See the colony in there? Looks like Penicillium to me. And, it’s worked in two more of these bowls. Three out of six isn’t a terrible average, even if two of my bowls got canned.

I’m going to have to check under the microscope again to be sure, but I’m, like 98 percent sure that’s it. I’ll strain the broth once more, to get the solid mold parts out. It’s the mold’s secretions you want, not the mold itself.

JAMIE: So what you’ve got there is broth that the mold has pissed in, is that right?

CLAIRE: Well, if you insist on putting it that way, yes. This was so much work, and it’s so unsure. This is a huge advancement in medicine for this time. It was way easier to mix up gentian ointment, or to set up the beehives, but maybe it was less satisfying. Is it better to not work that hard and not be that satisfied or to work really hard and be exhausted and somewhat more satisfied? I don’t know. Basically, there’s no way to win.

PART THREE: HOW TO MAKE PENICILLIN

CLAIRE: Here’s how you make penicillin.

Tear up pie crust and other food scraps, including bread, and leave them out to mold under glass cloches for five to seven days, keeping the cultures out of direct sunlight and away from pests. When the food starts to mold, identify Penicillium by its coloring and then under a microscope, looking for the mold’s distinctive branching pattern. Use a sterilized knife to distribute samples of your Penicillium into sterilized bowls of strained and boiled broth that has been cooled. Cover with sterilized muslin cloths and leave to incubate for several days. To use, check that broth has grown more Penicillium mold, by both the mold’s coloring and by shape under magnification. Strain the mold out of the broth, and use it to treat infection.

#outlander makes fic #Outlander #outlander fanfic #dr. claire fraser #gourmet makes #cracklander

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starshine583 · 5 years ago

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Le Paon Part 1

(Alright! So we’re gonna try this! here’s chapter one of the Le Paon AU. I used origins for the beginning, but I’m gonna try to veer off the cannon plot for the rest. Tell me what you guys think or if you want to read more!)

Part 2

~WHY IS MY LIFE LIKE THIS????~

Felix sighed. Adrien was always so dramatic.

~What happened this time?~

~I was so close Fe SO CLOSE! Like I was on the stairs and at the door!!~

~And?~

~and then I saw this poor old guy who fell and lost his cane 😓~

Felix face palmed.

~You wasted your 13th attempt at a school life for an old man who was probably dying tomorrow anyway?~

~I couldn't just leave him there! How can you be so heartless?!~

~Call it a family trait. All I'm saying is that that was our closest shot, and Father is starting to suspect that I'm the one disrupting the video feed on the security cameras.~

Why Adrien wanted to go to public school so badly was beyond Felix. They were already surrounded by people daily for photoshoots. He, personally, wasn't interested in seeing more humans than necessary at this point. They only think about themselves and cause drama. Goodness knows he has enough of that with the reporters constantly looming outside the front gate.

~I know I know. we're coming home now~

~I will see you soon then.~

Felix set down his phone, gingerly going back to his book. He wanted to enjoy the quiet as much as possible before his little brother got home.

Adrien sulked through the front door around twenty minutes later. Nathalie and Gorilla were right behind him, indifferent as always.

“Your lessons resume in five minutes. Go to the dining room to prepare.” Nathalie ordered, glancing at Felix before moving towards their Father’s office.

“Yes, Nathalie.” Adrien sighed, pulling his bag over his shoulder.

Felix sent a glare to Nathalie and Gorilla as Adrien passed, then followed his sibling into the dining room to show him what they were doing for today’s lesson.

Nathalie came in a few minutes later. Felix had already finished the homework he’d been assigned. Therefore, he continued reading while they started review.

“Who was the first president of the fifth French republic?”

Adrien propped his arm up on the table, resting his chin on his palm as he recited the answer. “Everyone thinks it was De Gaulle, but it was actually Rene Cote before the first elections.”

Felix nodded to himself. He remembered learning those names last year in school.

“Excellent, Adrien!” Nathalie praised, turning to him with a smile.

Felix rolled his eyes. If she really cared for the boy, she would do something about his wish to go to public school. Adrien had only begged her a hundred times.

“Give me a minute, would you, Nathalie?”

A chill ran down Felix’s spine when his Father spoke from the doorway. His gaze flicked to Adrien, who suddenly looked stiff.

“Yes, sir.” Nathalie replied, submissively standing to the side.

Gabriel turned his hollow eyes on Adrien, and Feix tensed. He didn’t mind helping Adrien out with his schemes, but standing up to their Father was still hard.

“You’re not going to school, Adrien. I’ve already told you.” He stated sternly.

Adrien stood. “But, Father-”

“Everything you need is right here where I can keep an eye on you. I will not have you in that dangerous world.”

“It’s not dangerous, Father. I’m always stuck in here by myself-”

“You have Felix, don’t you?” Gabriel countered, and Adrien flinched.

He didn’t mean it. He didn’t mean alone alone. Felix knew that. It was just different, being with family and being with friends.

“Why can’t I just make friends like everyone else?” Adrien continued to argue. Felix couldn’t decide if it was bold or stupid.

“Because you’re not like everyone else. You are my son.” Gabriel snapped. “Continue.”

With those final words, he walked away, leaving them in a heavy silence.

After a moment, Nathalie spoke, “We can leave it there for today if you-”

Adrien ran out of the room before she could finish. Felix sighed, standing and picking up his books. No doubt he’d be pouting about this for the rest of the day.

“Wonderful work, Sancoeur. You’ve collectively ruined everyone’s day.” Felix bit out, sending her another hateful glare.

Nathalie straightened, returning his glare with an impassive expression. “I was only doing my job.”

Felix rolled his eyes again. “Keep telling yourself that.”

He slipped his books into his brown, leather bag, and headed for the door.. in the opposite direction of Adrien.

“Where are you going?” Nathalie asked, a strange sense of panic rising in her voice.

“To talk with my Father.” Felix answered shortly, not even stopping or looking in her direction.

“Wait! You can’t, he’s busy!” She said, her heels clicking on the floor as she ran to him.

Felix scoffed, picking up his pace. “Don’t act like you can order me around like you do Adrien.”

He barely made it to the office door before Nathalie, throwing it open and ducking inside.

“Father, I wanted to-”

He stopped. The room was empty. Didn’t Gabriel just come in here, though? Where else would he have gone?

Felix scanned the room, his eyes landing on a small hole in the floor next to his mother’s portrait. As soon as he noticed it, though, the hole vanished.

He blinked, rubbing his eyes and looking at the floor again. This wasn’t some trick of the light, right? He’d definitely seen a hole.

“Felix!” Nathalie scolded, pulling him out of the room and closing the door. “I told you not to go in there!”

“And I told you you’re not my boss.” Felix hissed, yanking his arm out of her grasp.

Before Nathalie could reply, the two were thrown off by something he assumed was an earthquake, except it had rhythm. It vaguely reminded him of.. Footsteps?

“What’s going on?” He thought aloud, glancing towards the window. Adrien- when did he come downstairs? -ran past him, opening the front door. Felix followed him and they both stopped on the front steps, watching the scene before them slack-jawed.

Police men and cars lined the streets. He didn’t understand why until this- this thing came stomping towards them.

“Ready?” The main officer called, holding his arm out to his comrades. “Fire!”

Felix watched as they shot at the giant rock monster. It growled and curled in on itself. Then, to everyone’s horror, it got bigger.

Adrien and Felix closed the doors, retreating back to their room to see what was happening.

As incredible as it seems, it’s been confirmed that Paris is indeed being attacked by a super villain. A reporter Felix recognized as Nadja Shamack said over the TV screen. The police have been struggling to keep the situation under control.

“Stay here. I’m going to lock down the house.” Felix instructed, hurrying out the door as the main officer from earlier appeared on the screen.

To his annoyance, Nathalie and Gorilla were still standing by the window, doing nothing.

What did we even hire them for! He thought bitterly, marching down the stairs. He didn’t bother acknowledging them as he got to the control system and began putting the house on lockdown. Where would the safest place to hide be? They didn’t have a basement. Not one that he knew of, anyway. Perhaps they could hide in a bathroom? What do you even do in these kinds of situations?

Felix finished locking down the windows and doors, promptly going back to his room to grab Adrien.

Panic twisted in his stomach when he opened the door, only to find Adrien gone and the window open. It must have been open before he got to the system, since it was the only one without a metal plate in front of it.

No, no, no, no, what was Adrien doing now?

“Adrien Agreste, if this is some sort of joke, I swear I’m not laughing!” He yelled, leaning out the second story window. How would Adrien even get out this way?

A groan of exasperation escaped him when there was no answer. This kid was going to be the death of him!

Now in full-blown panic mode, Felix raced back down to the control systems. As soon as he had the front doors unlocked, he was gone, darting down the streets and shouting for Adrien.

~~~~~

Two hours. Two. full. Freaking. Hours. That’s how long he searched for that boy. And he still hadn’t found him. Not a trace.

After seeing the reports of a “Ladybug and Chat Noir” over the news and hearing the danger was over, Felix finally decided to head home. If Adrien was dead, he deserved it. If he wasn’t, he would be when Felix got his hands on him.

He trudged up the mansion steps- which he was getting real tired of, by the way- and headed for their bedroom. Once inside, he made a point to slam the door behind him, and just fall onto the couch. He was so done. So tired from walking around all of Paris for nothing.

“Felix?” A voice inquired.

He froze.

No.

Slowly, Felix rose from his position on the couch. It better not be him. If he was here this whole time-

There Adrien stood. Innocently staring at him as if he hadn’t sent Felix on a wild goose chase for two hours straight.

“Where have you been?” Felix bit out, getting to his feet.

Adrien took a step back, the only smart decision he’s made all day.

“W-what do you mean? I’ve- you know -I’ve been here, haven’t I?” He stammered, scratching the back of his head and moving back again as Felix got closer.

Dang right, he should be scared.

“Adrien, I am going to throttle you myself!” He growled, lunging for his poor, defenseless sibling.

Adrien yelped, ducking away from Felix and jumping over the bed.

“Boys!” Nathalie suddenly interrupted, causing the two to pause mid jump.

“You’re dinner is ready. Come downstairs.” She instructed, leaving as quickly and quietly as she came. Felix huffed, crawling off the bed and glaring at Adrien.

“Soon.” He warned, smirking when Adrien shivered.

“Sorry I made you worry.” The blonde apologized, maneuvering around him to get to the door.

Felix sighed. “Just save the escape tactics for tomorrow morning.”

“We’re trying for school again tomorrow?” Adrien grinned.

“If you’re done wailing like a Disney Princess.” He teased.

Adrien scoffed. “Whatever, Fe. what’s the new plan?”

~~~~~~

Felix pulled back the curtain to one of the front windows. Still no cars in the driveway.

He checked his phone. Despite Adrien leaving half an hour ago, he had no new messages.

“I guess he succeeded then.” Felix shrugged to himself, putting his phone in his back pocket. Then he felt a buzz.

He winced, taking his phone back out to see Adrien had indeed sent him a message. They were probably in the car again.

Felix opened the app, ready to read an essay on how the plan failed this time or why Adrien couldn’t just be a normal kid. To his surprise, there was only a picture. A picture of a classroom with students filling the seats.

A few more pictures were sent, one being a selfie with- ugh -Chloe Bourgeois. He hated that girl. Another picture had the rest of the class in it, then there was one with a single girl. She had a black, half sleeved jacket, and raven-colored hair, which was pulled into pigtails. Her eyes were hard to catch in the photo, but they seemed to be a blue-ish color. She was, in a word, pretty.

Felix was pulled from his thoughts when the front door creaked open. Ah. good. They were home.

He quietly stashed his phone in his bag of books, creeping to the door of the dining room. Peeking around the doorframe, he saw Gorilla go upstairs- probably trying to find him - and Nathalie slip into Gabriel's office. What excuse was she going to give for not getting Adrien?

“Sir, we didn’t get to Adrien in time.” The secretary informed in a monotonous tone.

What! His father’s voice growled. It almost sounded like it came from a screen. Shouldn’t he be home?

Glancing at the stairs to make sure Gorilla was still absent, Felix carefully cracked open the door. Not much, just enough to see inside.

Nathalie faced the computer screen across from his mother’s portrait.

I’m coming up there and I want an immediate explanation!

Up there?

Nathalie nodded. “Yes sir.”

The screen flickered off, and she sighed.

“You’re lucky.” The women said out of the blue. Felix thought she’d seen him, until she turned to the painting of Emilie.

“He’s risking everything for you, to bring you back.”

Bring you back. What does that mean?

Nathalie shook her head, hugging her tablet to her chest and leaning against the desk. “I wish he loved me that way.”

Felix’s nose scrunched up in disgust. Nathelie and his father? What a wretched pairing.

Something in the room clicked, and Nathalie straightened. A circle in the middle of the floor rattled, before descending into the ground.

So it hadn’t been a trick of the light! There was a hole! But why?

Gabriel rose from the “secret elevator” a few seconds later, a nasty look on his face.

“I give you one job to do!” He huffed, clasping his hands tightly behind his back.

“Adrien just wants to go to school, sir. He’s not going to stop running away until that happens.” Nathalie defended.

“Then double the body guards! He’s no time for school with everything else he has to do.”

“I could reorganize his schedule?” Nathalie offered, already unlocking her tablet to do so.

“Then what about while he’s there? He won’t agree to Gorilla going with him, and neither will the school. I don’t trust them to watch my son properly!”

Felix drew in a breath to calm his nerves. If Adrien was to ever have a school life, it was now or never.

“If it’s supervision you’re worried about,” He started, opening the door fully, “Then send me to school with him.”

Nathalie jumped. “Felix, how long have you been there?”

“I’ll personally see to it that Adrien stays in line.” He finished, ignoring Nathalie’s question.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “You would go to school with him?”

Well, that wasn’t a no.

“Yes.”

“I thought you hated any form of public outings.”

Felix shrugged. “Will you let Adrien go to school or not?”

Gabriel pressed his lips together, thinking it over.

“Alright.” He relented. “But make sure you keep an eye on him. If I hear anything regarding bad behavior, you will both be pulled out of the school immediately.”

Felix nodded, hiding a triumphant smile as he exited the room. No need to stay longer than necessary and ruin his chances.

~~~~~~~

Felix stared out the car window, watching the buildings pass. The rock monsters from yesterday suddenly sprouted up again that morning. They rampaged through Paris, destroying everything in their path. Thankfully, the new superheroes saved the day, but something still plagued his mind.

A face constructed of butterflies had appeared around the end of the fight, announcing itself as Hawkmoth. That was concerning on its own, yes, but the voice sounded so.. Familiar. He couldn’t place where he’d heard it before, but he’d definitely heard it.

“Where are we going again?” Adrien asked dejectedly, slumping against the car door. It was pathetic really.

“We’re almost there.” Felix answered vaguely.

The car rolled to a stop in front of the school a few minutes later, and the screen in front of them flickered to life, revealing their Father.

You disobeyed me, Adrien. Take a look at that school.

Adrien frowned, looking at the building as he was told, then bowed his head. “Yes, Father.”

You will never, I say never, go back there again.

“Father, no-”

Without your bodyguard. He will drop you off and pick you up everyday. Nathalie has offered to organize your new schedule, and Felix has agreed to attend with you in case something should happen. You’ll be continuing your music, Chinese, and fencing classes and your photoshoots.

The grin on Adrien’s face erased any doubts Felix had about going to school with him. Considering his brother hadn’t been that happy since their Mother went missing, he supposed he could put a little effort into this whole “public school” scenario.

“Thank you, Nathalie! Thank you, Father! Come on, Fe!” Adrien beamed, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the car. “I’m gonna show you all of my new friends!”

“You have friends?”

Then again, it was Adrien. Why should he be surprised?

As they neared the classroom, Felix heard a revolting voice he distinctly remembered as Chloe Bourgeois.

“What is that supposed to mean?” She sneered.

Another voice, one he didn’t recognize. “It means that I’m not putting up with your crud anymore, Chloe, and neither is anyone else around here, so take your attitude and go on! Get lost!”

Bold words for someone speaking to the Mayor’s daughter. You could get in a lot of trouble for that. In other words, Felix already liked whoever was responsible.

They walked in just in time to see Chloe begrudgingly sit down in the front row. He also noticed a ravenette in the second row sitting down. Felix smirked when he realized it was the same girl from the picture Adrien sent him earlier.

“Yo, dude! Who’s the second Adrien?” A dark-skinned boy greeted them, smiling towards Felix.

“Nino, this is my brother, Felix.” Adrien introduced, patting Felix on the back.

“Good to have you in class with us.” The red-capped boy grinned, politely offering his hand.

“I’m only visiting today. Tomorrow, I’m going to Mr. Chevalier’s class.” Felix replied flatly, shaking Nino’s hand.

Adrien waved the girls in the second row, only for the pigtailed girl to humph and turn away.

Looks like she’s also the one Adrien had that misunderstanding with.

His brother sighed, sitting next to Nino who nudged him encouragingly. Speaking of which, where was he going to sit?

Felix’s eyes glazed over the room. The seats appeared to be full, except for the one in the back. At least he’d be the furthest away from anyone.

~~~~~~~

Marinette held her hand out towards the grey sky, sighing when she felt the steady rhythm of raindrops on her palm. Great. Rain. That was exactly what she needed right now. Not only had the responsibility of saving Paris been dumped on her, but she also had a new bully to deal with at school. And both of those instances happened in the span of two days! Now, it was pouring and she really didn’t feel like getting soaked on the walk home.

A scoff of disgust came from her right, and she jumped.

“How convenient.” A boy said sarcastically, reaching out his hand like she’d done moments before. His dark grey and black attire matched the colors of the clouds, which she would have found humorous if she didn’t remember who he was from roll call.

“You’re Adrien’s brother, right?”

The blonde glanced in her direction, his silver eyes looking her over. “Yes, that’s correct.”

Marinette frowned and crossed her arms at the answer. “Then I guess that means you’re Chloe’s friend, too?”

His scowl surprised her. “Hardly. I would quite literally rather die than be friends with that spoiled brat.”

A small pause ensued as she took in his answer.

She then smiled, extending her hand to him. “Well, any enemy of Chloe is a friend of mine. I’m Marinette. Nice to meet you.”

He didn’t respond at first, simply staring at her with a strange expression.

“Felix.” He finally said, taking her hand in his. For some reason, her heart skipped a beat when he did.

Thunder crackled across the sky, and the two pulled their hands back.

“Hey, Fe! Sorry I made you wait.” Adrien suddenly called, stopping between them.

Felix shrugged, catching Marinette’s eye one last time before walking down the steps to a silver car.

Adrien turned to her then with a smile. She huffed and looked away. His brother may be nice- and sort of handsome, though she wasn’t going to address it -but Adrien had still tried to stick gum on her chair the other day. And he was friends with Chloe! She couldn’t trust that.

The model sighed, wistfully looking up at the sky.

“I just wanted you to know, that I was only trying to talk the chewing gum off your seat. I swear.”

Marinette blinked, certainly not expecting the apology.

Nevertheless, he continued. “I’ve never been to school before. I’ve never had friends. It’s all sort of.. new to me.”

He glanced back at her and shrugged, holding out his umbrella to her.

She took it, still staring from shock. That is, until the black umbrella snapped shut around her.

Adrien laughed at the scene, causing her to laugh as well, despite the embarrassment.

“See you tomorrow.” He smiled, started down the steps again.

“R-right, tomorrow..” She replied absently.

Maybe the Agreste boys weren’t so bad, after all.

Tag list: @im-here-for-the-content @novicevoice @mewwitch @minightrose @frostymoon11 @multishipper1needshalp @unabashedbookworm @unholykrow @trubel43 @kaydenth3gayden @stardustrevoutionx

(these are just the people who confirmed they would want to read it. If you want taken off/put on the tag list, send me an ask and I will gladly oblige)

#Felinette #Le Paon AU #Felix Agreste #Miraculous Ladybug

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