#Guess we’ll find out together haha

[lichen-teeth]

Mlem

more Narfi ;}

[ssreeder]

“I like this new habit! We can be sunrise pals - “

“No. We will not. Don’t call me that.”

Aww Sokka is exclusive….

-ly a prison pal

awwww he is an exclusive prison pal! the one & only!

[crocodile-tears-and-a-dream]

excuses..

summary: the two of you stopped at an inn after a long night of travel, but there was only one room..

pairing: geralt of rivia x gn!reader

warnings: they're stupid, fluff

word count: 1.6k

a/n: i haven't written anything that's not a crack fic or a screenplay in ages. this is my attempt at fixing my bad writing, any constructive feedback is welcome!

it was stupid, borderline pathetic, how the two of you tried to find any reasoning at all that cold winter night.

you and geralt had been traveling for quite some time trying to get to the famous kaer morhen. he needed to gather more elixirs and supplies for future battles and monsters, but the weather became too harsh to keep going up the mountains. tonight seemed particularly frigid, so you both decided to stop at an inn rather than camping outside like usual.

as you walked in, the warmth from the fireplace consumed the small space of the room, a stark contrast from the conditions you came from. a frail-looking old man sat at the counter bored, instantly sitting up as he watched geralt’s large form stomp through the quaint lodge. you followed closely behind as he made his way to the reception desk.

“we need two rooms.” the white wolf grunted tossing a bag of coins on the counter. (haha.. I'm not funny)

“yes of course,” the old man says snapping out of his stupor. he flipped through his log book and lets out a sigh. “unfortunately we only have one room left”

“we’ll take it”

you weren't given much of an option and the innkeeper had already handed you the key. it's not like you were disappointed though. you had developed quite the attraction for the silvered-haired witcher during your travels together. you would never admit it out loud, but the longing gazes and lingering touches the two of you often shared meant something more. at least to you it did.

it was a silent walk up to the room. neither of you knew what the other was thinking, but maybe that was for the better. it was selfish the way you hoped there would be an excuse to hold him close as the night grew colder.

the door creaked open and your heart sunk a little as you took in your surroundings. the room was beautiful, yes. the nicest thing you had stayed in for months but, there was one problem.

there were two beds.

geralt, oblivious to your internal conflict, stepped further into the room and dropped his belongings onto the bed nearest the window. the soft creak of the mattress, as he sat down, snapped you out of your thoughts, and you busied yourself by removing your cloak, shaking off the snow that clung to the edges.

“we should get some rest,” he said, his deep voice breaking the silence. “the snow will calm by morning, and we’ll need to leave early.”

you nodded, avoiding his gaze as you placed your things on the other bed. the room was quiet except for the sound of the wind howling outside and the faint crackle of a small hearth in the corner. the heat was soothing, but it did little to calm the restless energy swirling within you.

as geralt began to undo his armor, his movements slow and deliberate, you couldn’t help but steal a glance at him. the firelight danced across the sharp lines of his face and body, casting shadows that only made him seem more otherworldly. he caught you staring, and for a moment, his golden eyes met yours.

“you’re quiet tonight,” he observed, his tone softer than usual. never in a million years could you have imagined a time where geralt spoke more than you. i guess there's a first time for everything you thought to yourself

“i’m just tired,” you lied, forcing a small smile.

he nodded but didn’t look away, as if he was trying to read something hidden in your expression. the weight of his gaze made your heart race, and you quickly turned back to your belongings, fumbling with your pack.

“get some sleep,” he said finally, his voice low but gentle. “we’ve got a long day of travel tomorrow.”

you nodded again, slipping under the blankets of your bed and turning your back to him. but as you stared at the wall, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing, you couldn’t help but wonder if he was just as restless as you.

a couple of hours passed, and the two of you drifted into a deep slumber. your dreams took you to familiar places—snow-covered trails, battles against monsters, and the quiet moments by the campfire when words weren’t needed. but more than anything, you dreamed of him. his sun kissed eyes, his rare smiles, and his strong presence always keeping you safe.

then the dream shifted. the warmth of the campfire turned into an oppressive heat, the orange glow becoming flames roaring at the edges of your vision. your heart raced as the bed beneath you ignited, the fire consuming the blankets and wood. the panic felt so real, and you jolted awake, gasping for breath.

except it wasn’t just a dream.

flames flickered at the edge of your bed, small but growing, their heat unmistakable. you scrambled out of bed, the pounding of your heart echoing in your ears. the realization hit you like a cold slap: you had caused this. your magic, tied so deeply to your emotions, had manifested the fire from your nightmare.

“geralt!” you called instinctively, but you didn’t wait for him to wake. your hands moved on their own, summoning a stream of water from thin air. the magic poured from your fingertips, dousing the flames before they could spread further. steam rose in a hiss, and the smell of scorched fabric lingered in the air.

geralt sat up abruptly, his sword already in hand, instincts sharp even in the haze of sleep. his eyes darted around the room before settling on you, still standing with trembling hands and remnants of magic fading from your fingertips.

“what happened?” he asked, his voice low but alert, eyes narrowing in concern.

“i—i had a nightmare,” you stammered, your voice shaky. “and I... i think my magic got out of control.”

he stood, crossing the room in a few quick strides clearing some of the smoke with his arms along the way. his gaze flickered between you and the damp, charred edge of the bed, realizing the situation.

“are you hurt?” he asked, his tone softening as he placed a hand on your shoulder.

you shook your head, swallowing hard. “no. i’m fine. i put it out before it got worse.”

he studied you for a moment, his hand lingering as if to steady you. “you should’ve woken me,” he said finally, his voice calm but firm. “fire magic is dangerous if you’re not careful.”

“i didn’t mean to,” you whispered, guilt creeping into your voice.

“i know,” he said, his thumb brushing lightly against your shoulder before he stepped back. “but you handled it well.”

he looked at the scorched bed and then back at you. “you need rest. take mine.”

“what about you?” you asked, still shaken.

“i’ll manage,” he said simply, dragging a chair toward the hearth and settling into it, his sword resting across his lap. “just... sleep. i’ll keep watch.”

you hesitated, the weight of his gaze grounding you. slowly, you nodded and climbed into his bed, the lingering warmth of his presence oddly comforting. his scent lingered on the pillow and you found yourself wanting more.

"wait-" you called, your voice wavering slightly as you sat up in bed, unsure of the words you were about to say.

geralt looked up at you, his honey-dripped eyes still sharp but softer in the dim light. he waited, allowing you to speak, though there was a flicker of something unreadable in his gaze.

"you're going to be tired tomorrow if you don't rest now..." you hesitated for a moment, but the quiet need gnawing at you grew stronger. "we can share the bed, i don’t mind."

you could feel the tension between you two, both of you trying to navigate the line between comfort and something more. geralt's gaze flickered to the bed, and for a moment, you saw a flash of hesitance cross his face. but it was gone in an instant, replaced by that familiar stoicism.

“are you sure?” he asked quietly, his voice low and careful, like he was weighing the words carefully.

you nodded, not trusting yourself to speak again. you didn't need to, though; your eyes, pleading and vulnerable, said enough. there was no turning back now.

geralt gave a soft grunt of acknowledgment, settling back slightly as you climbed into the bed next to him. his body remained rigid, keeping a respectable distance, but the air between you was charged with something unspoken. neither of you said anything, but the shared warmth in the bed was all that mattered. you could feel his presence beside you, close enough to touch, but not quite allowing it. as you lay there, facing your back to him, your heart raced with the knowledge that, despite the stillness of the night, something had shifted.

before long, the warmth and the sound of his breathing lulled you into a deep, dreamless sleep. the tension in your body melted away, and the darkness of slumber took over.

but geralt stayed awake a while longer, his gaze never leaving your form. he couldn't help but watch, the softness in his expression betraying his usual guarded demeanor. as the hours passed, something inside him shifted, a quiet longing he’d tried to ignore.

slowly, he moved, as though pulled by some invisible force. he gently shifted closer, his arm slipping around you instinctively. his body molded to yours, and without a second thought, he held you close, his warmth wrapping around you like a shield.

the movement was so subtle, you barely registered it in your sleep. but your body, so attuned to his presence, naturally relaxed against him. his heart beat steadily behind you, his grip possessive but not tight, just enough to keep you there, pressed perfectly against his chest.

and maybe- just maybe, you would never find out that it was him who set your bed ablaze finding it the simplest excuse, in his mind, to hold you close.

[mingis-orangejuice]

Love and Deepspace Boys with an MC that's good with children Part.2: Xavier

Summary: You and Xavier help a little boy find his mom. Xavier loves the thought of one day starting a family with you

a/n: this one was really cute, I almost made it way longer. i was gonna add so much more banter back and fourth with the cotton candy vendor but it would have made this fic super long

Genres/Warnings: just pure teeth rotting fluff

Word count: 831

Previous parts 1, 3, 4

You and Xavier were walking hand in hand down the streets of Linkon City. just enjoying each other’s company. You can hear faint crying coming from an alleyway. “Do you hear that?” you stop and hold onto Xavier’s arm for him to stop too.

“I don’t hear anything.” he pauses and cups his ear to try and hear better.

“It sounds like crying. I wonder where it’s coming from?” You start to follow the sound, Xavier close behind still trying to hear what you hear.

You turn down the nearest ally and see a little boy sitting on a box crying. You quickly move towards him. You bend down next to him “What's wrong buddy? Are you lost?”

Without saying a thing he grabs you into a hug and starts crying even more. Xavier standing behind you tries to ask again “Hey friend do you need us to help you find your way home, we’re Linkon City hunters and we’d love to help.” The boy stops crying for a moment and looks up at you two

“You’re hunters? That means you can help me find my mommy right? She’s lost and I don’t know where she is” His eyes start to well up with tears again

“Don’t worry hun” you say as you take a tissue out of your pocket to wipe his tears. We’ll definitely find your mommy, hunters are always here to help.” You say with a smile. You pick him up, stand and you all head out of the alley. 

“What does your mommy look like?” you ask the boy.

“She’s really pretty, just like you,” he said squeezing your cheeks together

You laugh “and what else? Is she tall, or short, what colour is her hair?

“Umm she’s tall and has long black curly hair, and umm…” he says trying to think of more descriptors.

“So when did you last see her?” Xavier interrupted

“I don’t know, we went to the market together and I said I wanted cotton candy from the cotton candy stall and I went to go get some but then Mommy disappeared.” the boy explained

“Hmm, so we’re looking for a tall curly-haired lady at a cotton candy stall.” at this point, you 3 are now just across the street from the open-air market and it's swarming with people “This is gonna be harder than we thought.” Xavier thought out loud.

“What?” the boy says tears starting to form again. “I thought you said you were hunters and you could find my mommy?” the little boy starts to cry again. 

You shoot Xavier a look. “Why would you say that?” you lightly slap Xavier’s arm “We’ll definitely find your mom, don’t worry. Even if we have to search all night we’ll find her. You have my word as a hunter” 

The boy seemed to brighten up after that. You crossed the street and into the marketplace. You searched for about an hour when you came across the cotton candy vendor. “Oh hello, son did you come back with your mom and dad for more cotton candy? The vendor asked referring to you and Xavier. 

“No this isn’t my mommy and daddy, they’re hunters and they’re gonna help me find them. The boy informed.

“Oops I’m sorry, but…” the vendor looks at both you and Xavier. “Though, you have to admit you 3 make a cute family.”

Xavier’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink picturing being with you and your own baby as a little happy family. “Haha yeah I guess we do” he rubs the back of his neck

You look at Xavier and smile, but quickly get back to business and give the vendor the description of the boy’s mother, but before he can answer…

“There you are!” a voice from behind you calls out. You all turn around to see a lady just as the boy described.

“Mommy!!! The boy quickly reached out to his mom to hug her almost falling out of your arms, but thankfully she caught him. “These cool hunters helped me find you!” he exclaimed

His mom looked at both of you with a smile. “Thanks so much for helping him, Linkon City should be proud to have hunters like you two.” she thanks you again by buying you each some cotton candy and leaves with her son.

You and Xavier are now walking out of the market together eating your cotton candy. “That was nice of her,” you say looking at Xavier.

“Yeah next time we should help a kid next to a meat skewer stall” he laughs and you playfully nudge him. “But the vendor was right about one thing”

“What's that?” you turn to look at Xavier as he reaches for your hand.

“We did look like a family back there, it was nice.” he looks lovingly into your eyes for a moment.  “And hey, maybe if we come back as a family he'll give us a discount” Xavier winks at you mischievously.

[lulublack90]

Prompt 11 - Fake Date

@wolfstarmicrofic May 11, word count 875

“Eugh, my mum keeps asking who I’m bringing to my cousin's wedding!” Remus groaned as he checked the new message on his phone. “She’s getting worse. Ever since Oscar and I broke up it’s all she cares about.” He shook his head and put on a high-pitched voice, imitating Hope. “Reemuss,” He elongated his name like Hope did with her lilting accent. “Remus, why don’t you have a nice boy to bring to Gwen’s wedding? You should go find yourself someone, Remus.” He grimaced. “Like it’s so easy. She met dad in the middle of a forest when that guy jumped out of the trees at her and dad came to her rescue. Knowing my luck, the would be murderer would fall for me.” He leaned his head back and cursed the heavens. 

Sirius had sat there patiently listening to Remus grouse. He snatched Remus’s phone from his lap and typed a quick message to Hope. 

“There,” He said. “Now you have a date.” He grinned mischievously. Remus paled. 

“What did you do?” He picked up his phone and gasped. “Sirius! What the actual?!” His phone pinged as Hope started gushing about how happy she was and how much she’d always loved Sirius. He had to put his phone on silent to shut it up. Sirius had messaged Hope telling her that he was bringing Sirius as his date. Sirius who he’d had a crush on for years and told his mother every little thing about it. Oh gods, this was going to be a disaster. 

“It’ll be fine, Remus. I’ll pretend to be your boyfriend for the day, and then we’ll mysteriously break up, none of them will be the wiser, and it'll make your mum happy.” Remus groaned into his hands. 

They travelled to Wales the day before the wedding and stayed at Remus’s parents house. Lyall greeted them at the door but then disappeared into his study. He was happy in there and Remus was happy he was in there, to be honest. They’d never quite seemed to quite understand each other and this way was easier, much to Hope’s annoyance. 

Hope, on the other hand, wrapped them both in her arms and cooed over Sirius.

“I knew you’d end up together. You’re perfect for each other.” Sirius lapped it up. The only problem they had was Hope put them in Remus’s old bedroom. They hadn’t thought of that when they’d agreed to stay there. There wasn’t even another spare room. 

“It’ll be fun,” Sirius beamed. “Like being back at school.” 

“We never shared a bed. That was you and James,” Remus reminded him. 

“Well, better late than never then, I guess,” Sirius responded. So that was how Remus found himself in bed with Sirius. 

Thankfully, morning came quickly and then it was time for the wedding. 

Everybody made a fuss about Sirius.

“He’s so handsome Remus,” His grandmother had declared when he’d introduced him. “You ought to put a ring on his finger, so he doesn’t get away,” She’d said loudly. Remus went beet red. 

“Nain, you can’t just yell that out!” He hushed her. 

“And why not? I want to see some great grand kids before I pop my clogs, and you aren’t getting any younger,”

“Oh my god,” He didn’t know how to handle her apart from with a gin and tonic and the bar wasn’t open yet. 

“Don’t you worry, Mrs Howell, I’ll make an honest man out of him.” Sirius said, linking her arm with his and leading her away to her table. He turned and winked at Remus. Remus wished he could turn invisible. 

By the end of the wedding, Sirius had won over all of Remus’s family and all of the grooms. In fact, more people knew who Sirius was at the wedding than knew who Remus was. 

Remus was glad when they were on their way back to his parents house. It had been a long day. “So,” Sirius asked him. “When are you going to pop the question? Your Nain’s promised me her engagement ring.” He grinned, fighting back a laugh at Remus. 

“Oh, haha, Sirius,” Remus rolled his eyes and said no more about the subject. 

That night, much to Remus’s surprise, Sirius snuggled under his arm and rested his head on Remus’s chest. 

“I had fun today.” Sirius told him with a sleepy voice. “Your family is really nice, and I might just steal your Nain. She was brilliant.” He turned his head to look at Remus. “Thank you for letting me come.” He said quietly. 

“You invited yourself. I had nothing to do with it.” Remus huffed. 

He closed his eyes hoping Sirius would take the hint. But instead, Sirius pushed up and kissed him. Remus’s eyes shot open, and he stared at Sirius. 

“I was serious about that ring, Moony. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be there.” Remus didn’t know what to say, so he dragged Sirius’s face back to his and kissed him deeper than their first. He melted as Sirius kissed him back. “Took you long enough,” Sirius murmured against his lips. Remus had never been happier. He made a note to send a bottle of champagne to his cousin, because without her this might never have happened.   

[dark-frosted-heart]

Roger's 2nd Birthday Story (part 1)

As usual, can’t guarantee 100% accuracy on this

Let’s celebrate my lover, who devotes his life to researching Cursed Ones, for being born into this world.

As thanks for always giving me encouragement.

I’m determined to fight against despair alongside him and help him in his insatiable research.

Let’s hope that we can live together for even just a minute or a second longer.

I want to celebrate his birthday next year, and the year after…and many more years onward.

I was still holding on to these greedy thoughts when the day before Roger’s birthday arrived.

I’ve been in the kitchen since noon—

Kate: …Yep, I did a great job!

Roast beef, lamb chops, duck simmered in wine, grilled venison…

I did my best to make Roger’s favorite meat dishes.

Kate: And the cherry on top, this beer.

A bottle of barley wine was packed into a wooden box.

I was able to specially order this beer after discussing it with the bar owner.

—All because I wanted to celebrate Roger’s special day to the fullest. 

Kate: …I hope this will make Roger happy.

Roger: What was that about me?

I turned and saw  Roger leaning against the door with a smile.

Kate: What are you doing here?

(I even made sure he didn’t know I was making him dinner)

He couldn’t hold back his laughter when I froze in place.

Roger: Did you forget about my ability?

Kate: Ah!...Did you find out about everything I was doing today?

Roger: Who knows?

(He was definitely listening in!)

Kate: It’s written all over your face! Picking up on the noises a person makes is an invasion of privacy!

Roger: Can’t help it. My ears just happen to perk up at the noises you make. Guess this is what “love” does to you.

(...Sneaky)

When he talked to me like that, I felt so happy that my anger faded away.

Roger: Haha, you’re such a cutie wagging your tail. There, there.

Kate: Geez! I’m not a pet dog anymore?! 

I found it hard to stop myself from smiling when he ruffled my hair with that hand I loved.

(It’s annoying how happy this makes me…!)

Roger: …You’re right. You’re the one that taught me about “love” and now you’re my precious lover. 

The hand that was ruffling my hair stopped and slid down to my cheek. His amber eyes glowed in the soft light as they got closer.

Kate: Mnn…

The warm, affectionate kiss made all my annoyance and stubbornness disappear.

(...He’s being unfair again)

This teasing egoist.

It’s annoying how I always play into his hand—it makes me happy though.

Our lips parted and whispers sweetly, as if to coax an answer out of me.

Roger: So, what was my cute love mentor doing?

Kate: Well, since I’m done. Since tomorrow’s your birthday, we’ll be having a party with Crown. So I made you dinner as a way to celebrate beforehand.

Roger: Hm, thanks. These are all my favorites. Just looking at them’s making me hungry. It’s about time for dinner, isn’t it?

Kate: Yes, I was about to get you. I’ll bring these over to the dining room.

As I place the dishes on the wagon, Roger suddenly grabbed the handle.

Roger: I’ll push.

Kate: Huh? But you’re the birthday boy.

Roger: Don’t worry about it. It’ll be heavy with all this food so I’ll take care of it.

I’m moved by that boyish smile of his.

Kate: Then…please.

As he happily walked off, I trailed after him with a spring in my step.

However—

Roger pushed the wagon in a direction different from the dining room.

Kate: Um, Roger? Where are you going?

As I followed him in confusion, he turned and looked at me mischievously.

Roger: If all this delicious food’s laid out in the dining room, they might end up getting offered to Ellis and the others. I wanna enjoy your cooking in peace.

(A place to enjoy it in peace…wait, this hall leads to)

-- Roger: No one will bother us here. We can celebrate all we want without worrying about the others. —You’ll teach me how lovers spend birthdays, won’t you?

[toothpastecanyon]

The Beautiful Lies We Tell of the Dead

Wirt drowned that night in the lake, but that's not the way Greg tells it. Weeks later, Sara has to find out for herself the truth in all the stories she's been told.

See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.

______________________________________________________________

It’s weird, when a kid dies. Sara doesn’t know if all highschools are this bad about it, or if hers is just uniquely awkward.

Whispers in the classrooms. Teachers she never knew that well pulling her aside, asking her how she’s feeling. One excruciating assembly in the gym, the principal stumbling over his words as he addresses ‘what you’ve probably already heard’.

Yeah. Yeah, no worries, she’s heard. A glare off to the side, where a desk sits empty in the middle of English class.

The ghost desk, people are already calling it. It’d only been a few weeks, and it’s like Wirt is already just… a story. A creepy rumor about the quiet boy their friend’s friend’s cousin had spoken to once, a chair they dare each other to sit in during lunch. He’s all of those things now… all of them, except a person.

She sighs. Well, that’s not completely fair.

As much as all the new graffiti on his desk annoys her, there are hearts among the ghost drawings, ‘WE MISS U’s alongside the ‘DEREK WAS HERE’s. There’s a clumsy sort of sensitivity to the way people hush up around her; she’ll enter a room and feel like she’s naked in a dream the way conversations would just stop - kids would shush their friends and gesture not-so-subtly at her, the Girl Who Was Actually There - but no one asks her about him, and that’s good, she thinks. She doesn’t want to talk about him, probably.

It’s weird when a kid dies… but, you know, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?

From the teachers to the students, everyone is new to this.

_____________________________________________________________

“Brrr, it’s cold outside - aww, thanks Jason! You’re so sweet.”

“N-n-no problem, Lucy.”

Sara breathes a cloud of fog as she walks down the school steps - it sure is getting cold. She casts a glance over at her friends holding hands, and gives a little eyeroll. It’s with a smile, though; took him long enough to notice how much Lucy was into him.

“H-hey, Sara,” he waves at her. “Y-y-you wanna come to m-my house?”

Lucy grins. “Yeah, we’re gonna watch some scary movies! Jason says he hasn’t seen The Ring.”

“Yeah, i-i-is it really scary? I get kind of sweaty-y when I-I get scared…”

“That’s okay, I get sweaty too! So, uh, I guess we’ll just be sweaty together, haha!”

Then they both giggle at each other, and Sara makes a face. “Uh, no, I’m good - you guys have fun, though!”

“Oh, okay! See you tomorrow!”

“Y-yeah, see you tomorrow Sara!”

Sara waves as she splits off from them, and starts the walk home. It’s just a bit longer than she likes; in summer she’ll wait for the bus, but it’s not bad this time of year. The dead leaves are crunching under her feet; all but a few stragglers are gone from the trees. Most of the Halloween decorations are down, but she passes scattered houses with sagging pumpkins out front. One earlybird’s already put out their Christmas lights, and she grins at that.

It’s a strange time of year, isn’t it? Not really fall anymore, but it’s like no one wants to admit it’s winter until Thanksgiving. No one wants to let go - not yet.

Sara stops at the corner of a street, and her smile fades from her face.

She used to take this route home. It added a few minutes to her journey, but she’d see Greg playing in the yard, or one of their parents out on the porch… or, once in a while, she’d see him.

She’d see Wirt.

Maybe the wind picked up for a moment - maybe that’s why the world felt just a little colder, now. Maybe that’s why she doesn't take this way anymore; she never knew for sure if she'd see him slumped against a tree in his yard, 'watching' his brother as he worked on his poetry, but there’d always been a chance she would.

There always used to be a chance, but… well.

Well, it didn’t matter anymore, did it.

The cold is really getting to her, now; she shouldn’t stand around. With a shiver, Sarah turns, and makes to leave-

“Sara!”

A voice. Sara blinks, and looks back. Is that…?

“Hi, Sara!” The little figure of Greg skips up to her, and sticks his arms out. “Pshoom!”

“Haha, hi, Greg!” Sara manages a little smile. “Whatcha up to?”

“I’m a lantern!” He keeps his arms out. “You’re blinded-ed!”

“Wha- oh, haha, oh no!” She covers her eyes. “You’ve got me! You’re one bright lantern, aren’t you?”

He beams up at her. “Uh huh! Hi Sara! I haven’t seen you in aaaages!”

“Uh-“

“Will you go frog hunting with me?”

The twisting feeling in her gut pauses for a moment. “Frog hunting?”

“Yeah!” Greg puts his hands on his hips. “My Mom says I can’t go on my own, and she won’t let Wirt take me anymore. But I’m sure if I ask she’ll let you take me!”

Wirt - and that twisting feeling rushes right back. Sara looks away. “I don’t know, uh, sorry Greg-“

“Pleaaaaase?”

“I should really get home-“

“But Jason Funderburker needs a friend!”

“What?”

“Jason Funderburker!” Greg turns around to show a big frog sticking out of the hood of his coat. “I think he misses his friends from the boat. And that record deal - man, he walked out on the contract of a lifetime to come back with us! We gotta make sure he's happy here!”

At that, Sara can't help but laugh. “Jason Funderburker, huh?” She glances back… but after a moment, gives a nod. “Okay, okay. If your Mom says yes, I’ll take you out for a bit, okay?”

“Aww, yes! Come on, follow me!”

Then he takes off down the street as fast as his little legs can take him - and boy, Sara thinks, that’s faster than you think.

She’s really doing this, huh? A little hesitation… but yeah. Yeah, she is. Greg deserves to have a some fun - however hard it’s been to lose a friend, it’s got to be nothing compared to losing your big brother. All Greg ever talked about was Wirt, and now, now he’s-

“Come on, Sara!”

Sara blinks, then shakes herself out of it. “Uh, I’m right behind you!”

“Haha, you’re not right behind me, you’re waaaay behind me! Follow the lantern, pshoom!”

With a snort, she jogs to catch up. Well, she’s glad he’s his still chipper little self.

Wirt’s - Greg’s house is a ways down the street, and Greg is already on the porch. Sitting outside is a still figure wrapped in a black scarf; Sara feels a pit in her stomach at the sight. Greg’s holding his mother’s hand, gesturing wildly and saying something about frogs… but his mother doesn’t really move, doesn’t do anything but stare vacantly through him, like a ghost.

“So can I go? Pleaaase? Look, she’s there!”

Standing at the foot of the driveway, Sara sees the mother finally move; she turns to look at Sara, and gives a hollow smile, a slow wave. Sara waves back - she wants to say something, she should say something… but what’s there to say?

Before she can think of anything, though, Greg’s mother turns to him, wraps him up in a big hug… and then lets him go. Greg trots back to Sara, a big beaming smile on his face as he takes her hand.

“Ehehehe, she said yes!” He starts dragging her forwards like a dog on a leash. “Come on, let’s go!”

“Wha- oh! Hang on, Greg!” She glances back over her shoulder, and sees Greg’s mother watching them go with a smile. “Uh, we’ll be back soon!”

And then they were off, Greg humming a tune as he skips along the sidewalk. Just as Sara starts to catch up to him, he stops and leans down.

“Look! It’s a snail!”

“Oh, yeah!” She watches it inch across the pavement. “Hey, little guy.”

“Snails and frogs are friends,” Greg states, in that very definitive tone kids like to use. “So we must be getting close! This way!”

“Haha, slow down, won’t you? There’s no rush.”

“There is too a rush! Mom said we need to be back by dark, so that’s like… barely any time! But don’t worry,” He tries to do a wink, but it’s more of an extended blink. “I know the perfect place.”

“Hah, well, I can’t wait to see it.” Sara says, and then pauses; what do you talk to a five year old about? “So, uh, how’s school?”

“School? Booring - oh!” He looks up at her. “Did you ever listen to the tape?”

“The… tape?”

“Yeah! The one Wirt wanted you to listen to so he gave it to me to give it to you, but then he didn’t want you to listen to it so he tried to get it back. Did you listen to it? Did you?”

Sara stops dead, her smile freezing on her face. That tape, the one she found in her jacket the night they… Greg’s tugging on her sleeve.

“Hellooo?” He sees her blink, and leans in closer. “Well, did you?”

“Um… oh, no. No, I didn’t.” She swallows the lump in her throat. “I, ah, don’t have a tape player! Haha, so, yeah.”

“Oh. We have a tape player!”

“No, no, that’s… that’s okay.”

“Okay! Wirt didn’t want you to listen to it anyway, I guess. He said it’s got clarinets and poetry in it!”

Sarah manages a smile. “Of course it does.”

“I’ll tell Wirt you didn’t listen to it then!” He says, and before Sara can open her mouth he’s skipping along again, humming as he kicks the leaves. “Potatoes, and molasses…”

“You’ll tell…?” She starts, but he’s off in his own world. With a sigh, she lets it go, sticks her hand in her pocket and stares down.

That tape - she always knew it was Wirt’s; it was his handwriting. After the craziness of that night, Jason had brought it up again, asked her if she wanted to listen to it.

“I-it’s like, his last words!” He’d said. “K-kinda creepy, huh?”

And Jason… Jason’s a nice guy, but something about that really rubbed her the wrong way. It wasn’t going to be creepy.

It was going to be Wirt.

A sigh. Clarinets and poetry… she had a horrible feeling it didn’t really matter what it was going to be, anymore. It’d just make her sad.

“We’re here!”

Sara doesn’t hear him at first; but she looks up when he lets go of her hand. “Huh? Where are you-“

And she gasps. Greg grins at her.

“It’s the graveyard!” He says, standing under that sign. “This is where we found Jason Funderburker! Come on!”

Then he takes off; Sara blinks, and then sprints after him.

“Hey, hey, wait! Greg! Greg!” She sees him skipping down the path, and races to catch up. “Hang on, Greg, let's, uh... let’s go somewhere else!”

“Why?”

“You don’t-” she sees the spot they’d been sitting around, so unremarkable yet burned into her memory. A hard swallow. “Your parents wouldn’t want you here. Come on, let’s go somewhere else.”

She makes a grab for his hand, but he dances away. “Hey, no way, this is the best place to find frogs!”

“Greg, come on…”

“Aww, just for a little bit! I go here all the time, it’ll be quick!”

“Well it’s, it’s different if your parents bring you here…”

“Haha, they don’t bring me here!”

A pause. A blink. Sara watches him sprinkle grass on a grave, and frowns. “Your parents don’t- wait, what?”

“Uh oh. I probably shouldn’t have said that.”

For the first time, Greg looks a little shifty. “What do you mean?” Sara says, and then crosses her arms. “Greg, what do you mean by that? Who do you go with?”

“Uhh… my parents?”

“Greg.”

“You’re gonna tell them, aren’t you?” His smile seems to dip for a moment… and then he suddenly brightens. “But wait! If I tell you why, do you promise not to tell them I sneak out here at night?”

“You-” She blinks several times. “You what? Uh, no, I am definitely telling your Mom - you can’t be out here by yourself!”

“I’m not by myself, obviously. I’m going to see Wirt!”

“Wirt…” She grimaces - this is so far into get-a-parent territory. “Uh, look, bud, let’s take you home, okay?”

“You don’t believe me,” he says - but it’s with a sunny smile on his face. He leans in closer. “That’s okay, Mom and Dad don’t either. I can show you, but only if you promise to let me keep coming here!”

“What? No, I am not making that promise.”

“Oh, well… I’ll show you anyway! Come on!”

“Wait - wait, Greg, don’t-!” She watches him take off down the path, and groans. “Ohh, jeez, your Mom’s gonna kill me… Greg!”

The shadows are lengthening as she runs through the graveyard. The sun is starting to touch the hills in the distance. Greg almost disappears between the gravestones, but she can hear him every time she gets lost, saying, “Come on!” or “This way!”

“Greg! Seriously, we gotta get you home!”

“Pshoom!” She hears in response, and it sounds strangely… higher? “Up here, Sara!”

So she looks up. Up, up, up, to a little silhouette waving from the garden wall.

“How did you…?” She starts; and her heart goes to her throat as he starts to turn. “No, no, no, don’t-! Just stay there, I’ll-”

“I’ll meet you down here!”

“No! No, don’t-”

But it’s too late; he disappears down the other side. For a moment she can only hold her breath, and then she hears his voice.

“I’m okay!”

“Oh, my god, just- just stay put, dude!” She grabs the branch of a nearby tree. “Don’t move!”

“Well I’m gonna move a little.”

“What? Greg, please, just don’t move-”

“Oh… okay. But there’s train tracks here.”

“What?” She nearly slips. “Okay - nevermind, move!”

“Okay! I’ll meet you at the lake, then!”

“Not that much! Greg, not that…!” But she could already hear him shuffling off. Panting hard, Sara grabs the edge of the wall. “Whoo… how the heck did he, did he climb this so fast - Greg!”

Scrabbling to the top, she sees him - thank god - as a little speck next to the shore of that lake. And wow, there’s a part of her that physically resists the idea of jumping over, of getting any closer to the black void she saw that night, like it’s a monster that can drag her in like it dragged in Wirt… but it’s a monster that Greg is dipping his little fingers into, so she takes a breath and sucks it up and jumps.

She lands on the rickety tracks of a rail line, quickly gets out of the way, and hurries down the steep slope as fast as she dares.

“Greg!” She snaps, and the boy looks up with a grin.

“You’re here!” He lets her take his hand, but digs his heels in when she pulls him back. “Hey, wait, I haven’t shown you yet!”

“Dude, I am in so much trouble when we get back to your Mom. You can’t go running off on me like that!”

“But wait! If you look at the water-”

“Seriously, Greg, you’re going home. Don’t make me carry you, okay?”

“But-”

And then there’s a loud noise - a horn? Sara blinks and looks up at the hill; she can see a light coming through on the far edge of the wall. Is that a train? She’d never heard a train pass through her town before.

But a moment later, there it is. An old black steam train puffs its way around the corner, followed by car after car of heavy freight. She can’t see the end of the line anytime soon; she can only hear Greg’s excited giggle.

“We’re stuck!” He says, like that’s a good thing. “Now you can look at the water!”

“Wh-” Sara starts; she glances around them, but it’s thick forests to either side, and with a groan, she realises he’s right. “Ugh, okay, fine. I’ll take a look, alright?”

She needs to take a deep breath first; she feels Greg squeeze her hand a little tighter. And then, letting it out with a puff of clouded air, Sara looks at the lake.

It’s… not the void she remembers. Not right now, anyway. Right now, the red-gold rays of the sun are shining down on it; ducks are drifting across, sending tiny ripples over the mirrored surface. She can see the not-so-far shore reflected in it, and all around them there’s the gentle rustlings and buzzings of nature.

It’s not a void, and that might be worse, she thinks. It’s a beautiful place, but it’s beautifully… ordinary. There’s nothing special about the place her friend drowned in.

It’s like it could have happened anywhere.

“I…” Sara looks away. “I’m sorry, Greg. I don’t see what you mean.”

“Hmm, yeah, I usually come later.” Greg scratches his head. “He probably wasn’t expecting me - but he’ll come, he will! He always does!”

“Who’s gonna come?”

“Wirt!”

And he looks up at her with that smile that stabs her right in the heart. She looks away, checks to see if the train’s gone yet. It’s not, and she sighs. “Greg, I… I’m really sorry about your brother.”

And she feels his hand, gripping hers so tightly, slacken just a bit. She doesn’t look at his face; her eyes are going blurry.

“I miss him too, you know? I wish he was still here, but he’s… he’s not.” She sniffs, wipes her eyes. “I shouldn’t have invited him to that graveyard party. I should’ve, I could've… I could’ve done something, it’s like… like everything lined up in the worst way, and I keep thinking a-about how if one of those things happened just a little different…” She glances over at him, sees him staring up at her with those wide eyes, and tries to put on a smile. “B-but I’m just rambling, um, hey, you wanna, you wanna sit in the grass?”

Greg shakes his head. “I miss him too,” he says, after a moment, and he looks back to the water. “It’s weird that he doesn’t live with us anymore. He says he’s got Beatrice, but I think he misses Mom and Dad. And they miss him - I’ve tried eeeeverything to get them down here, but they won’t believe me!” He kicks at the grass. “It’s not fair. We had a whole adventure together, me and Wirt, and I went home and Wirt stayed there, but no one believes me. What am I s’posed to do? Oh, Jason Funderburker, can’t you just sing again? Just a little bit? I’d give you all my candy.”

The frog lets out a low ribbet, and Sara doesn't know what to say. She stares into the lake as the sky starts to dim, as the lake waters begin to darken, begin to resemble that void once more. The crickets come out, the moon starts to pick up its shine, and as she stares… Sara notices a strange light emerging from the other shore.

She looks up from the reflection, but it’s the oddest thing: it doesn’t show up when she takes her eyes off the lake. In her world, the trees at the other shore are still and black, but in the reflection, they seem to glow. Seem to rustle.

She feels Greg grip her leg; from fear, she thinks at first, but then she hears his voice, full of wonder, as he whispers:

“He’s here!”

And Sara, mouth open wide, heart hammering in her chest, watches a figure with a lantern emerge from the rippling trees and step onto the far shore.

Wirt. She doesn’t recognise him by his glowing white eyes, nor by the twisted antlers poking out from underneath that Halloween costume he still wore - no.

She recognises him by the way he acts when they lock eyes, the way he always acted on those rare days when she’d walk by his house and catch him outside: he gives a little silent yelp and backs away to hide behind a tree.

Sara can’t believe her eyes; she opens her mouth but she’s speechless. As ever, though, Greg is full of them.

“Wirt! Wirt! There you are! Hi!” He runs a little into the water, and the surface ripples. “I knew you’d show up - look! I brought Sara, isn’t that cool! And guess what? She said she didn’t listen to that super embarrassing tape you left in her jacket!”

Wirt looks like he’s trying to melt into the tree; despite everything, Sara finds a little chuckle bubbling up in her throat. Only a little one, though, and then she steps closer.

“Wirt? Is that - I can’t believe it, i-is that really you?” She glances down at Greg. “Can he… talk to us?”

“Ehh,” Greg makes a so-so motion with his hand. “It’s harder, but that’s okay, because I do most of the talking anyways! Hey, Wirt! Hey, where are you going!”

The light’s already disappearing, and her eyes go wide.

“Wh- no, wait! Wirt!” She shakes her head, then steps with a splash into the lake and the whole image ripples. The water is freezing. “Greg, what’s happening to him!”

“Aww, don’t worry, he’s just leaving.” Greg checks his wrist like he has a watch. “But that was an awfully short visit. S’probably the sticky-outy things on his head, he thinks they make his face look small.”

“But…”

“He’ll come back!” Greg grins at her. “And see? I was right! You believe me now, don’t you?”

The light is gone. Sara watches the ripples still. “You were…” she looks back at him. “You were right, but… how? How is this possible? Wha-what happened to him?”

“Well, it’s a long story-”

She swallows, hard. “Why can’t he come home?”

“Oh. He says that's ‘cause of me.”

“Because of you?”

“Yeah! That lantern he’s carrying?” Greg leans in closer. “He says that’s got me in it! And he’s gotta, he’s gotta keep me lit, or I’ll go out!”

“Go… out?”  Sara says, slowly.

She looks at Greg, looks at him, and it’s strange, but in the first pale glow of moonlight, he seems… fuzzier, somehow. It’s like she’s looking at him through a lake of mirror stillness, and though he seems so present in this world, the slightest ripple could rip the curtain away and reveal him to be but a reflection of another place entirely.

“Yeah! Pshoom!”

But then he takes her hand, and it’s warm, it’s real. He smiles at her, and the odd ghostly pallor to his face seems to melt away entirely.

“I’m so glad you got to see him!” He says. “You should come back! We can try again tonight! I’ll sneak out!”

Try again… Sara looks down at the big beaming grin on his face, and sighs. She gets down on her knees. “Greg…” she starts. “You… shouldn’t come down here anymore. Not on your own.”

“Huh?”

“You can’t be sneaking out and coming here at night, it’s… dangerous! I mean there’s a big wall, there’s a train line-” she turns to look at the train and realises it’s gone - huh, she thought she'd hear it leave. “Uh, and, the lake, and all in the dark? Your parents would be so worried if they knew you were doing this!”

“But they won’t let me come visit!”

She grimaces. “I know.”

“What if - what if I sneak out with you! Then I’m not on my own anymore, right?”

“I… I can’t do that, Greg.” She watches him look down, and squeezes his hand. “I’m sorry. I believe you, I’m just… worried about you. Your parents would be worried about you too.”

“So’s Wirt,” Greg mumbles; he looks up again with a little smile. “But he can’t stop me from visiting, so I do it anyway, hehehe!” Then that smile falls. “But… you’re gonna tell my Mom and Dad, huh?”

A silence. Greg looks at the lake, and then closes his eyes.

“Okay,” he says, quieter than she’s ever heard him. “But you have to promise something, okay? You have to promise you’ll visit him.”

“Huh?”

“He’s all lonely here - if Mom and Dad won’t visit him, and I can’t visit him… then you have to visit him! You promise?”

Sara gives a watery smile. “Of course I do. You’re a sweet brother, Greg - Wirt’s lucky to have you.” Rising to her feet, she feels him latch onto her legs, and hugs him back. “I know. I’m sorry. You… you ready to go?”

He just squeezes her for a moment… but, eventually, he lets go, looks at the lake one more time, and takes her hand. “Okay,” he says, and wipes his eyes. “Bye, Wirt. I’ll come back with Mom and Dad soon, okay? But they’re probably worried about me now, so… I’ll go now. I don’t want them to get worried.”

With a sad smile, Sara takes his hand, and leads him gently up the hill.

“Thanks for coming frog hunting with me, Sara,” he’s saying. “We should do this again!”

“Haha! No.”

“But we didn’t even find any frog friends!”

“I think Jason Funderburker’s already got a friend.”

“Who’s that?”

“You, silly!”

“Oh, hehe, that’s right!”

And so they leave together, and the ripples they’d made in the lake behind them slowly smooth out with the last lights of the sun.

[cassieisinthebasementt]

Linked universe X Epic: the musical

Legend should have known something bad was coming from the moment he showed up. He should have been able to guess what was about to happen. When he showed up. 

They were in his own Hyrule, setting up camp after a battle with black blooded monsters. Legend had offered to find firewood. That’s when he showed up.

“Have you forgotten the lessons I taught you?”

Legend knew that voice.

“You.” He spit out the name like a bitter tasting fruit.

“Have you forgotten to turn off your heart?”

He appears. A child. A small, blonde, child in a green tunic. His eyes were fully red and his skin was paler than a ghost. Anyone could tell this was a spirit.

“This is not you.”

He slowly walks around him in a circle, 

“I see you changing from how I’ve designed you.”

The child is directly in front of Legend, pointing his finger at him.

“Have you forgotten your purpose?”

The child shifts from a kid to an adult, red blood seeps through the green tunic he is wearing. 

“Let me remind you.”

Legend could feel the ground beneath him giving in and letting him fall into the great abyss. When he lands, he lands next to another spirit, one who looks like Warriors with a red scarf.

“Spirit of heroes,”

“Master of war,”

He holds up a sword. Similar to the master sword, but very, very different.

“My life has one mission…”

The spirit thrusts the sword forward, and a path of heroes appears behind him. Legend recognizes a few. Sky, Four, Time, Wind, Twilight, himself, Hyrule, and Warriors. The rest he does not know.

“Create the greatest warrior~”

Above him, the sky cracks. Falling through those cracks were books.

 “I had a challenge, a test of skill,”

All those books flew together and created a silhouette of a familiar pig. 

Ganon.

“An accursed boar only the best could kill,”

Pages from the remaining books flew together and formed another silhouette.

Him.

Younger him to be more specific.

“One day a boy came for the thrill,”

It drew its sword…

“A boy whose mind rivaled the boar’s own will.”

…and thrust it skywards.

“Maybe one day he’ll follow me, and we’ll make a greater tomorrow,”

Legend watched the recreation of his first Ganon fight.

“Then they’ll see I know he’ll change the world, cause he is a warrior or the mind,”

It ended.

“Maybe one day I’ll reach him…”

“And we can build his skills as I teach him. If there’s a problem, he’ll have the answer,”

The books flew towards the cracks in the ceiling and mended them.

“He is a warrior of the mind~”

Shadows seeped from the ground; creating a forest. A young boy was running through that forest when he came to a halt.

“Show yourself, I know you're watching me, show yourself…”

“…”

“…I can see you?”

Another person appeared.

“How can you see through my spell?”

The young boy flinched and turned around, to where the other person was standing.

“Haha! I was lying, and you fell for my bluff! Hehehehe!”

Opposite from him, the person smirked and stepped towards him.

“Well done, enlighten me, what’s your name?”

“You first and maybe I’ll do the same.”

“Nice try, but two can play this game.”

He smirked back.

“Nah, don’t be modest, I know you're a spirit, so let’s be honest…”

“You are the heroes spirit,”

The man does not flinch. If he did not have as much control he would have.

“Badass in the arena, unmatched, witty, and king of, the best heroes we’ve seen,”

“If you're looking for a mentor, I’ll make sure your time’s well-spent.”

The boy does finger guns.

“Sounds like a plan, spirit and man, bestest of friends!”

“We’ll see where it ends,”

“Okay.”

Maybe one day they’ll follow me…

Legend sees the events of his other adventures.

And we’ll make a greater tomorrow…

Every moment

Then they’ll see I know we'll change the world 

Every victory 

Cause we are the warriors of the mind

Every loss

Maybe one day we’ll reach them 

And every end

And we can build their skills as we teach them

If there’s a problem we’ll have the answer 

We are the 

Warriors of the mind

Time returns to the present, and the hero's spirit is towering over Legend. He grips his shirt and tugs it towards his face.

“I still intend to make sure you don’t fall behind,”

The hero's spirit pushes him to the ground. 

“Don’t forget that you're a warrior of a very special kind.”

He points his sword skyward.

“You are a warrior of the mind.”

Legend is now standing back in the forest where he was instructed to collect firewood.

“Don’t disappoint me…”

A voice leaves that instruction in his head. Legend returns to camp.

“You good?” Wind, who is sitting on a log by the fire, glances up at Legend with concern. He was gone an awful while, long enough for Wild to forget that he was supposed to grab the firewood and gather some himself.

“I'm fine, sailor.” Wind didn’t buy that for a second, but he also didn’t want to push. So he didn’t. Everyone dug into dinner.

First watch was given to Legend. He volunteered for it as an excuse to not fall asleep. Their veteran did not want to take the risk of another godly encounter. That’s exactly why it’s his fault when a blue portal swallows their group and spits them out on an island in an unfamiliar land.

[whiskey-tango-matcha]

I can picture sooooo many of those Feveruary prompts for your guys! (8, 13, 24, 26, kinda 6 and 19)

Buuuut... I think the ones I most would like to read are 16 and/or 28. Consider those my request if they suit your fancy ^_^ as always, no pressure though!

oh hell yeah i absolutely LOVE 16, so that's what we went with! elijah is sick in this 'drabble' (a little over 900 words OOPS), aaaand that's basically the whole plot lol. it'll be under the cut! thank you for sending this!! i hope you like it!! it was a fun little write :)

Prompt: "Is it me, or is it really warm in here?"

cw: male snz, fever (duh i guess haha), coughing

Heat

The heater went out on a Friday because of fucking course it did.

“Yeah… yeah, I know it’s a Friday, but this is an emergency. Don’t you have, like, an emergency guy?” Greyson pulled a gloved hand down his face in frustration. He’d been on the phone with the company that put the heater in for over an hour now, and the woman on the other end, God love her, just couldn’t seem to find it in her heart to push him through to a higher authority.

“We do, but he focuses on residences, not businesses,” she said, curt. “I’m very sorry, sir, we’ll put an order in, but like I said it probably won’t be filled until Monday.”

Monday. Three days without heat in the restaurant – three days around the holidays, when they were booked solid through the new year. Three days of lost revenue during their busiest part of the year. Fuck, Elijah was going to be pissed.

“Alright,” Greyson said, defeated. “Okay. Yeah, please put in the order. Appreciate it.”

The woman confirmed the address and hung up, leaving Greyson with his head hung between his legs staring down at his phone. Elijah still hadn’t texted him back – where the hell was he?

“Christ, it’s freezing in here,” a voice from behind his startled Greyson back into reality – Mark.

“Heater’s out,” Greyson said, turning in his seat. Mark cringed.

“Elijah’s gonna be pissed.”

Greyson nodded. “Yeah, he will be, if he ever answers my fucking texts.”

Mark’s brows knitted together. “Shouldn’t he be here? It’s almost ten.”

As Greyson was about to shrug his misunderstanding, they both heard the back door blow open and slam shut. “Speak of the devil,” Greyson muttered, pulling his coat tighter around himself. “Let’s go ruin his day.”

The chef and floor manager made their way to the back of the kitchen, bracing for Elijah’s anger, only to be stopped cold in their tracks. “Uh,” Greyson said, on seeing his boss. “Are you… okay, Lij?”

Elijah’s face crumpled into his elbow before he could answer, but Greyson had seen enough. His boss was as pale as he’d ever seen him, lips chapped, nose rimmed red. He assumed Elijah didn’t know that he was shaking. “HHRSTTHH-ue! HITSZCH-ue! Fugck, snrf.” The GM wiped his nose on the sleeve of his button down and nodded. “Yeah, finde. Is it kinda warmb in here, or is it just mbe?”

Mark and Greyson, clad in winter coats and hats, exchanged a look before glancing back at their boss. “Uhh, it’s definitely you,” Greyson said, attempting to stifle a laugh. “Elijah, where’s your jacket? It’s twenty degrees outside.”

“Not to mention the fact that it’s like… thirty degrees in here,” Mark mumbled.

Elijah shrugged. “Wasn’t cold, so I left it at ho- ohh… hhhITSZHH-ue! Huh-! HHRSH-ue!”

Taking the opportunity while Elijah was once again collapsed into his sleeve, Greyson stepped forward, yanked one of his gloves off, and placed a cool hand on the other man’s forehead. Elijah tried to pull away but – “HTSHH-uh!” - remained preoccupied.

“Yikes,” Greyson said, pulling his hand away to try to avoid the back-splash. “Were you getting sick last night, or did this somehow come on in the last twelve hours?”

“I’mb okay,” Elijah croaked, punctuating the statement with a cough. “Mbaybe a cold or something. Why’re you guys so… bundled up?” he asked, pushing past the two of them and heading for the office. It was an interesting way to continue a conversation, asking a question and then immediately walking away, but Greyson figured Elijah wasn’t exactly in his right mind at the moment, so he just followed behind with Mark on his tail.

“We’re bundled up,” Greyson said, quickening his steps to get in front of his boss again, “because the heater is broken in here.”

“The what?” Elijah asked, stopping in his tracks to whip around to the thermostat next to the office. The gauge had stayed at a nippy fifty-one degrees all morning, but Elijah still couldn’t seem to believe it. “It’s ndot even cold in here,” he mused, mostly to himself.

Enough was enough; Greyson took the reins and helped Elijah into an office chair. He unzipped his outer coat and placed it over Elijah’s shoulders. He sat across from his boss and once again placed a hand on his head. “Elijah,” Greyson said, voice low, “you’re burning up, man.”

Elijah blinked, rubbed his eye, and coughed – a gravely, productive sound that made Greyson wince. “I… yeah, I guess that mbakes sense,” he said, finally. Greyson couldn’t help but laugh.

“Like I said, the heater is broken,” Greyson said, turning back to look at Mark, who shrugged, not knowing what to do. “The repair service can’t come out til Monday. But I mean… we should probably get you to, like, urgent care or something. I think it would be best if Mark called and canceled the reservations. At least for tonight.”

The GM was almost certainly about to protest – say he was fine, he’d take some ibuprofen and be good as new, blah, blah, blah – but instead his eyes fluttered shut and he wrenched into his elbow once again. “Hhh-! HRTSHHZ-ue! ITSZHH-ue! Huh… huhhhETSHZH-ue! Fuck, sorry Grey that definitely got ond your jacket.”

Greyson closed his eyes and shook his head, lips pressed together to keep from laughing again. “I’ll take that as a yes to closing for the night. We’ll figure out tomorrow… tomorrow. Let’s get you out of here.”

[target-core]

(about your latest billford post) i find that the more fluffy content with the characters (in a canon-like context, not a post-reincarnation au) is so fun specifically because it has this insidious undercurrent that also feels like waiting for the trainwreck to happen, in a way? dramatic irony ig, the contrast is fun. i know that isn't necessarily what the artists had in mind on any given piece of fanart, but it's how i see it haha. and sometimes it's just nice to imagine the whole situation if what it was pretending to be actually was the truth, if bill actually was a well-meaning friend and mentor who helped connect ford with the world and his goals. 'cos the general dynamic these two characters have even if you remove the abuse is also just really interesting, too, and seeing how it might go if that played out instead of getting interrupted can be neat. i think a lot of fan content turns their dire situation into a lighter rivals/archnemesis cat-and-mouse situation since people enjoy the idea of ford and bill being equals, like equally able to fight and bother each other significantly, as opposed to how onesided the power in their dynamic really was in the 80's especially. i'll always like darker depictions of these two the most, but i've softened up on other depictions over time because i like the two of them in so many different ways, in the end. that might just be my ford fixation talking though, i just love seeing that guy legit anywhere in any way. a lot of the lighter content stands out as appealing to me specifically because the canon is so dark. like, it's a great thing that canon is dark, but now seeing the opposite is interesting, too, similar to how it's fun to see takes on the show's ending that are way more depressing or unsteady. i love that the show's ending is so positive, but imagining opposite outcomes i guess feels a bit novel. a bit of a similar situation to stories that go even darker, where ford doesn't escape from bill and his family are unable to help him with his guilt and shame, despite those being aspects of canon that i adore and wouldn't change for the world. now that i think about it, the concept of 'doing the opposite of what the show does' is possibly part of why there's so much fan content about ford and mabel bonding (my drifting stars bias is showing) but it's harder to find as much for ford and dipper, since people feel like the show already does that so they feel less of a need to make it and seek it out? hmm i think bill being a silly chaotic guy makes people want to spin him in other angles from canon too. he's a fun character type to just have pester people even without a more abusive context, and then it's fun to see ford and other characters pestered, in turn. sorry for the wall of text, haha

I’m really loving the long anons, don’t worry! I appreciate people being so thoughtful in their responses. It means a lot to me and it’s what I was hoping for!

I do actually like viewing the fluff in a more insidious context lol, sorry I implied otherwise 🥲 it makes me feel bad because that’s usually not what was intended by the author (although… I do have my own ideas for “fluff” with that kind of dark undercurrent. We’ll see if I draw it). And sometimes I just enjoy it for what it is too!

Bill could be doing anything and I’d still like it, same with ford, and especially together.

I guess I was just trying to say that I’m surprised how popular that kind of interpretation is. I understand why but I do find it kind of funny… imagine engaging with fanon Billford first before reading TBOB and seeing what they’re actually like 🥲　lol

Thank you for your response!

[fan-a-tink]

Young Royals S3 thoughts

EP5

Even just hearing this scene’s echo was horrific. It must have been so much worse to actually go through it. 

It must be so hard for Wille to reconcile how he knows Erik which what he now knows about him. And he is not here anymore to defend himself. Uuuurgghhhhh!

Please talk to Simon. Please talk to him. Shutting him out will not make anything better.

Sara and Felice doing desserts together, that’s the best idea anyone has ever had :) A chance for them to talk, yay!

This Micke is starting to be a dad too good to be true. This is sketchy behaviour. He is too happy, this is going to spiral out of his control. Oh Sara I am worried for you….

Ok, I am just going to say it (even 2021 me would judge me so hard for this) but August „redemption arc“ is working. Like I honestly believe that he is trying to be a little bit better as a person. I want him to be alright. And yes, I am shocked that I think this. 

Whose locker is number 60? Is that Sara’s? 

Wille once more calling his parents because he needs support. And his dad once more not stepping up. Nobody is perfect, not even Kronprins Erik….!

Edvin Ryding, the actor you are…

This episode it’s Wille’s turn to look as if his soul has left him. 

Oh shit this will be the music room fight. I am not ready. I am not ready. No no no no no noooooooo.

RIP Wille in the choir. Those scenes in episode two were worth it though :)) 

It is so typical for Simon to think that he has done something wrong. Simon, my love, you are not ‚difficult‘ for asking questions!! You are wonderful. 

Wille, those are your thoughts, not Simons. They are your fears, your doubts, your anxieties. And they are completely valid. But please don’t put words in Simon’s mouth and push him away like that. „Maybe he gave in to peer pressure. What do you know?“ Like, Simon is trying to help you here, he’s trying to talk it through with you and help you out. Nooo, don’t walk out on him?!!!

Simon being left behind in the music room is just as devastating as Wille being in there after their fight last season. I am done with this music room. 

The 36 on Simon’s locker is now always going to remind me of that fan exam :)) I was sooo unsure about that question haha

So she takes the letter, but is she reading it? Should we assume she read it? Or is she just not going to read it? I am confused…

Oh no. Micke has forgotten. The hope and desperation in her voice that she’s trying to conceal while leaving these voice messages for her dad is killing me. Also, ruuuuuun! You can still make it :) 

Why is Wille only ever with Felice when he’s had a fight or something with Simon? Like, when they’re good, he never hangs out with her. 

I also do believe he would have accepted and embraced Wille’s queerness. But I guess it’s the fact that we’ll never know that is so hard to deal with.

Purple nail polish ✨ slay :)

Sara made it :) But also, it’s stressing me out that she just puts her id back into her bag and doesn’t close it properly. It could fall out!

That is so heartbreaking seeing that Micke is falling back into the habit of drinking with his friends. And the worst possible moment for Sara to find out, mid-driving test, in the middle of the road. 

Linda giving Simon the long overdue hug and telling him he’s not doing anything wrong. YES!

„Love shouldn’t be this difficult“ - Linda, I trusted you!!! Don’t give Simon ideas.. 

Sara turning up at the house, breaking down. Simon hugging her. Forgiving her. I am in actual tears now. Can’t handle it. I’m sooo glad he is forgiving her. This was soooo necessary. Finally some healing…. 

That’s a decent apology text, Wille, I’m proud of you :)

The nail polish looks sooo good!!

And its off 😂 That was shorter than Wille’s career in the choir..

The Happy Birthday Song Scene will forever be my favourite Wilson scene. I am crying my eyes out because I know it’s all going to go wrong soon, and this might be one of the last moments of happiness. And it is SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!! 

Also I am sooo glad the ‚Is everything ok between us?‘ line happened here and now was immediately answered with a ‚yes‘ - that takes away one of my biggest fears from the trailer… 

Also, he made him a sandwich? Asjdnä oajbef lskdfb .sjdnfsldnf lsdn 💜

I like Farima. Also her green suit is gorgeous :) 

They are holding hands in the car !!!!

„Maybe it was stupid to tell you that thing about Erik. I get that it must’ve been tough to hear.“ Yeah, no shit, August.

Simon is just chilling, living his best life eating cake :) 

„Cause there’s a risk of poisoning.“ Oooff. Simon’s expression is golden :))

I think Simon will never get used to having staff to take care of everything. And to Wille being absolutely ok with that and not even noticing it. 

Spotted Lisa Ambjörn, hihiiiii :))

Please make Simon feel welcome. Please. 

Why are they all pretending like everyone’s happy and fine? 

August is just so happy to be near Sara, it is actually adorable. 

Felice and Sara working side by side. I have so much hope that they can find their friendship again. Like, they are both loving being in each other’s company..! And Felice wanting to be a chef? I am here for it!!!! That whole little scene was beautiful :))

That is the most awkward dinner conversation ever. Poor Simon. Poor Wille. And they really don’t make it easy for anyone just bringing everything back to Erik. Like, that just adds so much pressure on Wille, and also this is such a vulnerable topic for him right now… 

Class Bad Boy. Lol

I love that he hates the title. Like, season 1 August would have loved it! That is GROWTH, ladies and gentlemen!

„It’s not very long. I’ll read it to you“ - dude, she can read, she just didn’t want to! 

His voice breaking up a little while he reads the letter. Malte is really on the next level this season…

The way he leans his head into that hug…! I have so much hope for them…. Please, please, please!

Yes, I can see that from Frederike’s point of view this looks bad. But you don’t know anything about the situation. And you’re just going to cause problems. But of corse she runs straight to Felice. Uuughhh, and things were just starting to look like they could be friends again someday. 

Wille playing a bit of the school song. Is that the only thing he remembers how to play, because he taught it to Simon? 

Wille, you’re being unfair. Yes, it’s hard for you. But Simon is also allowed to find it hard. And he is only trying to support you.

I’m sorry, but Wille’s parents could not be more useless right now. I am so glad Wille is finally speaking his mind. Maybe the delivery is not the most productive, constructive, diplomatic, but a child should not have to beg for his parents to be there for him. And they should not just leave the room when he does. Like, I understand that you are ill and struggling and that it must be absolutely terrible to deal with your eldest son dying tragically in a car crash, but Wille is right, you still have a son, and he needs you!!! 

The way Simon looks horrified and genuinely scared when Wille smashes the gifts. Like, he looks kind of scared of Wille. I bet he witnessed these kind of violent outbursts from his dad when he was younger. Oh Simon….

There it is: „Love shouldn’t be this hard.“ And it hurts just as much as I thought it would. 

Wille’s cheek is so wet, he must have been crying a lot already. 

Simon’s voice cracking when he says „Maybe it just can’t work.“ - he is breaking his own heart admitting this. 

The lyrics just before the cut „I got addicted to a losing game“ - KILL ME NOW!

I am in tears. Like, I knew they were going to come to a point like this, but that doesn’t mean it’s ok!!!

[starrysimps]

Let The Wind Guide Us [Venti x (f)Pregnant Reader

A/N: A little bit of angst, not too much. I loved this plot too much to not write this. Let me know what you think and if I should do more next. Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it. Also C/n stands for child’s name. Also this isn’t proofread yet I’ll do it later today or tomorrow.

Word Count: 1.09k

Pairing: Venti x Fem!PregnantReader

Warnings: Drinking I guess

  “Venti, we’ve talked about this already. You can’t keep coming home at two in the morning because you want to drink all night.” You said to a drunk Venti. “Ehe~” Was the only response you received. Getting even more frustrated with Venti, you snapped. “You know what, I’m done with this! I’m done with you Venti!” You yelled, and left your shared apartment.

1st POV 

     I knocked on Rosaria’s door, hoping she would answer. Luckily she opened the door. “Y/n, what are you doing here at this time?” Asked a sleepy eyed Rosaria. “Well I ended things with Venti, and I was wondering if I could stay here for a bit.” I stated bluntly. “I guess, come in and we can talk about what happened between you and Lord Barsibato.” Rosaria said, being the only one knowing that secret besides the traveler. “It’s Barbatos.” I said, laughing as I went into Rosaria’s house.

     “Do you want any wine?” Rosaria asked. “NO!” I yelled. “Sorry, that's why I left Venti. Plus it wouldn’t be good for the baby.” I said. Rosaria’s eyes widened and she almost spit out her drink. “BABY?!” She asked, still shocked from the news. “Oh yeah, that…haha…” I said nervously. “Does Venti know?” She asked. “We had a dinner date planned for tonight, I was going to tell him then. He didn’t come as usual.” I said. “Oh, so he was drinking again.” Rosaria said. “Yes! I wish for once that he would take things seriously! Especially my concerns for him!” I said, getting frustrated. “Well it’s alright Y/n. You can stay at my place for as long as you need to.” Rosaria said.

     “Thank you Rosaria.” I replied. “Although, it probably won’t be long before he finds out that you’re pregnant.” Rosaria said, stating a good point. I sighed. “I know, I plan to move to Sumeru so that he doesn’t find out. Plus I have a good friend who lives there.” I said.

*Two weeks pass and I wave goodbye to Rosaria as I head off to Sumeru.*

[TIME SKIP-6 YEARS LATER]

     “I can’t believe this little girl is almost six!” Collei said. “I know, she’s gotten so big!” I said, smiling. “Mommy, where are we going?” C/n asked. “We’re going to the Windblume Festival in Mondstadt. Auntie Rosaria invited us to come.” I told her. “6 years later and you’re finally going back?” Collei asked. “Yes, I miss my home, plus the festival is a great way to have fun.” I said. “Well since I’m going too, we’ll have extra fun!” Collei said. “Yay Collei!” C/n said excitedly.

*Y/n, Collei, and C/n go to Rosaria’s house in Mondstadt.*

     Once we met Rosaria at her house, I let Collei take C/n out to play for a bit until we met up with them later. “C/n sure has grown a lot.” Rosaria stated. “Haha yeah.” I replied. “She looks a lot like Venti too.” She said “I know, she has his personality too.” I said as I sighed. Rosaria laughed. “Let’s go meet up with Collei and C/n before they cause any trouble together.” I said, as me and Rosaria left to find Collei and C/n.

……………

     Once we met with Collei and C/n, I took c/n to play with the small group of kids near the Barbatos statue. I sat on a small bench as I watched C/n play with the other children.

     A few minutes later C/n ran up to me and grabbed my hand. “Mommy! Mommy! Come look at this man singing! He’s so good! He likes music just like daddy!” C/n said. By the time she had finished talking, we were standing in front of him. My eyes widen as I realize who it is. It was Venti. “Y-Y/n, is that really you.” He asked. “Yes.” I replied, mentally face palming myself for answering him.

     “Who’s this?” He asks, pointing to C/n. “Oh, this is C/n.” I said. “Mhm! My birthday is tomorrow! I’m turning six!” C/n said. “That’s right, you’re so smart.” I said, as I laughed at C/n. “Six years old…?” Venti said, confused. My eyes widen as I realize what C/n just said. “But that would mean…” Venti continues as he looks at me with slightly teary eyes. 

     “Y/n… Is C/n my daughter…?” Venti asks. “Yes.” I say as I bite my lip, waiting for a response. “W-why didn’t you tell me?” He asked. “Well I was going to, but you never showed up for our date that night.” I replied. “I’m sorry Y/n. I truly am. I hope you can forgive me for my foolish decisions. I would like to be a part of C/n’s life.” Venti said. “What about your drinking problem?” I asked.

     “Oh, hello Y/n, Venti. It’s been quite some time since I’ve last seen you both. I’m surprised I haven’t seen you at the tavern in a few years Venti.” Kaeya said as he passed by. “What…?” I asked. “Yeah, after you left I stopped drinking. I realized that I made a stupid decision. I put wine before you, and I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry for everything Y/n. I really do hope that you can forgive me.” He said. “I do forgive you, but this doesn’t mean things can just go back to the way they used to be.” I said. “Yeah, we have a kid this time.” He said as he laughed. I rolled my eyes.

     A few seconds later, I called C/n over. “C/n, this is your dad.” I said. She smiled and her face lit up. “Yay! I finally got to meet daddy!” C/n said. Venti smiled. “I like the sound of that.” He said. “Mommy and Daddy should get married!” C/n said. “Woah there, slow down a little bit.” I said. “Ehe~” C/n laughed. Me and Venti both laughed with C/n.

     Rosaria and Collei watched from a distance. “Are you crying…?” Rosaria asked Collei. “It’s just so sweet.” Collei said, wiping her tears. They both smiled. “So I take it that we’re not telling them that we set this up?” Rosaria asked. “No, but C/n is really the one to thank. Without her being as smart as she is and following directions, this wouldn’t have worked.” Collei stated. “Yeah, that’s right.” Rosaria said. They both laughed.

*A few months later Venti proposed, I said yes and we got married at the Cathedral.*

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

"Comfort in a Thunderstorm"

Happy Wholesome Sonic and Tails Wednesday!!!! 🥰 So I've actually drawn a ton of things for them but obviously gotta post them one at a time 😂 I had something else planned but then another fic suddenly materialized in my docs so I was like "welp"

Haha, enjoy!

Quick desc: "Sonic & Tails' first thunderstorm experience together."

------------

Sonic didn’t like the rain.

For one, he wasn’t a big fan of water in general, although he mainly didn’t like being in it. But rain often made it harder to run. He’d lost track of the amount of times he’d slipped in wet grass, or crashed into a mud puddle, or been blinded by a downpour and ran into a tree or something.

He didn’t like it, but he wasn’t afraid of it.

As he was soon to learn, it was a different story for Tails.

It had started sprinkling around the late afternoon, and by sundown it was pouring. The skies were overcast with dark, almost black clouds. They’d need to stop and find shelter somewhere, Sonic decided. It was already hard enough to keep moving during the day in the heavy rain. It would only be worse to try and get through it in the dark.

Tails had seemed unusually quiet. Sure, he didn’t talk a whole lot to begin with, but sometimes his little brother would go on rambles about something new he’d discovered; usually about mechanics and technology. The kid had taken a liking to such things the moment he’d first discovered them, and although he didn’t have any of his own tools and techy stuff yet, he was taking every opportunity to learn as much about it as he could. He’d been fascinated by Sonic’s plane, the Tornado, ever since he’d first laid eyes on it. Sonic had been thinking about buying him a computer or something for his birthday, whenever that was.

Did he actually understand all the stuff Tails told him about? No, not really. But it was fun to listen to him go on and on about his passions.

Tonight, however, his little brother had been silent for a couple hours at least. When Sonic glanced back to check on him, the little fox’s blue eyes were wide and nervous.

He cleared his throat as he stopped for a moment. “You okay, buddy?”

Tails jumped and looked up at him. “Yes!” he answered, a little too quickly. “Where are we gonna sleep tonight?”

Sonic looked up and scanned the horizon. “Dunno yet. I don’t see any trees. We might have to settle for burrowing tonight.”

“We shouldn’t go under a tree, anyway,” Tails protested. “If it starts making thunder, we might get struck by lightning if it hits the tree.”

Sonic looked down at him, surprised. “Oh, okay.” He glanced around. “I just don’t want to get flooded if we go underground is all.”

The little fox stared around for a moment. Something still seemed off about his demeanor, but Sonic couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Well, guess we’ll just keep moving until we find somewhere safe to stay for the night.” He sighed, then held out his hand. “Stay close, kiddo.”

It had taken him a while to get Tails to be comfortable with touch when they’d first met— which, granted, hadn’t been too long ago. A little under a year, perhaps? But Tails had been sensitive to it as a result of the bullying he’d had to endure before Sonic had met him and intervened. So it was safe to say that Sonic was a little taken aback when Tails not only took his hand immediately, he grabbed his entire arm and clung to it with both hands, standing barely a couple inches away from him.

They started walking, although Tails was more shuffling to keep up with Sonic’s longer paces. “You feeling okay, bud?” Sonic finally made himself ask.

His little brother hesitated for several seconds, then mumbled, “I’m just sleepy.”

It had been a long day. “Want me to carry you?”

“…Yeah.”

Sonic stopped walking, turned to crouch down, and held out his arms. Tails quietly climbed into his grasp, and as Sonic stood up again, this time holding his brother against his chest and one shoulder, he realized Tails was shaking. His heart rate seemed a little too fast, too.

But his little brother had already shown he didn’t want to talk about whatever was bothering him, so Sonic just held him close and continued walking, occasionally rubbing one hand over the fox kit’s back.

Maybe five minutes of silence passed before thunder started rumbling in the distance. Sonic kept moving, but he felt Tails stiffen slightly in his arms.

Finally, he spotted a few small caves just beyond the hill they were approaching. “Eureka!” he cheered quietly, and Tails made a tiny noise of acknowledgment. They were just entering the mouth of the biggest cave when a loud crack of thunder exploded just over their heads.

To Sonic’s surprise, Tails yelped at the sound and clung to him ever tighter, whimpering. Sonic just continued to hold him, even as he walked in deeper and sat down against a wall. He was tempted to ask some questions, but figured it was better to just stay quiet and be there for comfort.

Four cracks of thunder and four mini screams from Tails later, his little brother finally said something.

“I-I don’t like thunderstorms.”

“I got that, buddy,” Sonic replied quietly, trying for a teasing tone, but instantly regretted it. Tails probably wasn’t in the mood for jokes and sarcasm.

“That’s okay,” he added, after another few seconds’ hesitation. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. Everyone has fears.”

“Not you,” his brother mumbled.

Sonic paused. While it was true he liked to go about boasting that he feared nothing, it . . . wasn’t necessarily all true. He didn’t fear Eggman. He didn’t fear pain. He didn’t fear death. But . . .

He sighed. “No . . . I have fears too, buddy,” he forced himself to admit, and one of Tails’ ears perked up.

“Really? What is it?”

Oh boy, this was painful, but anything for your family, Sonic supposed. “A couple things, actually,” he confessed, albeit very softly. “I . . . had some bad experiences with water when I was younger. And I never learned to swim, so . . . you could say I’m afraid of drowning.”

Tails’ big blue eyes were bigger than ever. “Really?”

“Yup. That, and . . .”

“And what?”

Sonic exhaled heavily, then leaned back a little so he could meet the fox kit’s gaze more easily. “Losing you. Anything bad happening to you, actually.”

It took a moment, but that actually put a huge smile on Tails’ face. He was still shivering from his own fears, but he looked downright warm and fuzzy inside as he lay back down against Sonic’s chest, a light purr rumbling from his chest. “I love you,” he mumbled through a tired smile.

Sonic had never been one to express emotions or be all sappy, but dang it, everything was different with Tails. “Love you too, bro,” he whispered back, hugging him just a little tighter.

And they stayed like that for the rest of the night. Tails still jumped at every clap of thunder and whimpered here and there, but Sonic just kept holding him. Eventually, surely after another few hours had passed, Tails had fallen asleep, still cradled in his older brother’s arms. Sonic took a few minutes to enjoy the peacefulness of the moment before surrendering to sleep himself.

(again, I made the art before I wrote the fic, so that's why it's a different setting. Although the pic could also just be a general occurrence, not this specific one 🤷‍♀️😂)

---------------------------

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!

[sasagero]

A3! Tenma Sumeragi SSR: "Treasure Hunt: TENMA" (1/3)

Even though nothing comes to mind when I think about something like a “treasure,” I remember the events related to that stuff well. Maybe the “treasure” is that memory itself.

Lead skill: A child actor's envy Adlib skill: Something that satisfies two people's appetites

Kumon: This sauce senbei is yummy!

Muku: This one is a muscat-flavored soft candy.

Izumi: Ah, everyone from Summer troupe is here. —That’s an amazing mountain of sweets! How’d you get so much?

Kazunari: Ahaha, it’s awesome, right? There was a lottery in the shopping district and we won these.

Yuki: There were multiple tickets for the lottery so we all pulled, and we ended up with a bunch of different sweets.

Tenma: I didn’t think that we’d end up with all of this candy.

Izumi: I see, so that’s what happened. Makes sense how you’d end up with this much.

Misumi: Not just candy—there’s onigiri, too~!

Misumi: Thank you all for waiting! I put on everyone’s favorite toppings. Tenma’s has okaka kombu, and Kazu’s is basil cheese.

Kazunari: Yey! Sumi~, thanksies!

Kumon: It’s all warm and yummy! There’s a lot, so Director, eat with us!

Izumi: Thanks. When you describe it like that, I guess I have to join you.

Misumi: Here, eat up~.

Yuki: A mountain of sweets and onigiri… Somehow, it’s like we’re throwing a little party.

Kumon: Haha, right?

Muku: There’s so many different types of sweets. With all of them together, it’s like you could make a jewelry box out of them.

Kazunari: Of course Mukkun’s thinking like a fairy-tale! That’s super cutes!

Kazunari: Instead of just an “assortment,” you could def say this is like a jewelry box, too.

Izumi: Speaking of jewels, Tenma-kun’s “treasure hunting” is coming up, yeah?

Tenma: Right… That project, huh. It was inspired by the costumes from our birthday bromides, wasn’t it?

Kazunari: Yup, yup! The costumes are so sparkly that they give a treasure sort of vibe, so we decided to have a treasure hunt ‘cause of that.

Yuki: For the birthday person, they’ll have to go off a memo written by one of the theater’s members to find the present prepared for them.

Muku: Figuring out who picked out our present is exciting.

Kumon: Searching just from a little hint seems suuuper fun!

Misumi: Mhm! It sounds like lots of fun, so I’m happy~!

Kumon: Nice, right—, I want my turn to come quick!

Izumi: Wondering what kind of treasures we’ll find… It’s got me looking forward to Tenma-kun’s birthday.

Tenma: Well, you know. I’ll use the hint I get like a treasure map and find my present.

Izumi: Alright, here’s the paper with your hint and Kazunari-kun’s camera.

Tenma: I’m not used to using the camera on my own…

Izumi: Well, as I said before, this is just for our own memories and record-keeping, not for the public eye.

Izumi: Kazunari-kun said to just have fun and take it easy like you’re filming a home video.

Tenma: Okay, I got it.

Izumi: Then I’ll leave you to it. Good luck searching!

Tenma: Thanks.

Tenma: Well then, I should go ahead and start. Filming begins now…

Tenma: …Alright, the picture’s coming out.

Tenma: The hint on the memo says…

Tenma: “Two people’s memories of sweets…” …….

Tenma: (If we’re talking about sweets, Summer troupe held a sweets party the other day, but… there was no mention of memories associated with sweets at all.)

Tenma: …The hell’s this supposed to mean.

Tenma: (I can’t remember anything… hmm.)

Tenma: For now… I guess I’ll see if I can get anything by searching it up. “Sweets of memories,” there.

Tenma: (Well, it wouldn’t be a challenge if you could just search it up like this, huh.)

Tenma: Lots of topics and pictures are coming up. …Hm?

Tenma: The photo of this candy…

-

TL notes: okaka kombu is a furikake seasoning made out of kombu kelp and dried bonito flakes

next

[kagedbird]

Cicero Loves You, Listener!

TESSDE AU - Dark Brotherhood route

~ [First] ~ [Next] ~ [Prev] ~

I awoke to the same ceiling I’d been seeing for nearly half a month, a pounding in my head once again.

Not seeing Cicero by my side when I looked around, I sat up and pressed my hand into my forehead with a groan. What the hell happened to me? And why did I keep waking up this way?

Deja vu…

Turning once more, I saw a plate full of food and a cup of water settled on the nightstand, alongside a note.

The note read, “Dearest Listener! You had not listened to Cicero! Haha! He warned you you were not yet well enough to be up and whatnot, but he will forgive you as you had been seeking him out for Mother! Such a generous thought from you, my Listener.

“He will be taking care of Mother just outside your door if you find yourself up and I am not there. Do come by! I am certain she would love to see your beautiful face in person! Though I have told her much about you all ready, I am certain she wishes to see it for herself.

“See you soon!

-Your Dutiful Keeper, Cicero.”

I huffed softly, shaking my head slow. Well, that explained things a little. Guess I’d over done it. I just hoped I didn’t make too bad of an impression on his family… though I get the sense that they’re hard to please anyways.

Settling down the note and downing the entire cup of water very quickly, I managed to shimmy out of bed and test myself getting up. It was slow going, but I managed to stand on my feet, and I was pleased.

Grabbing an apple from the plate, really not wanting to take the sweets Cicero seemed to like so much, I bit into it and made my way to the door, poking my head out once more.

I found Cicero indeed kneeling down in front of that coffin from before, settled in a prayer position with his head low. But as I had creaked open the door, his head snapped up and he turned to me, mouth splitting into that smile I began to know so well.

“Listener! Good evening! You were asleep for some time. Did you rest well?”

“Um… sure. We’ll say yes.” I hummed softly, chuckling as I stepped out into the small sanctuary. “What are you doing?”

“Praying to Mother, of course! Come, come, you can pray alongside me!” Cicero offered, shifting to the side to pat where he once kneeled.

“Do I need to kneel? My knees aren’t the best.” I asked, moving closer. I took one more bite of my apple before settling it on a nearby empty plate, wiping my hand on my shorts to rid myself of the sticky juices.

“However is most comfortable for the Listener! It’s what Mother would want!” Cicero replied cheerily, happily watching as I settled down with my legs crossed.

“What… do you pray to her for?” I asked, finally seeing ‘Mother’ in her coffin. That was a dead woman all right. Yikes.

‘Uh. No offense.’ I quickly corrected myself in my head, unsure if she could hear me.

“We pray for her wisdom to guide us to a better life!” Cicero says, clapping his hands together. “With you here to hear her guidance, it’s all the more possible now!”

“Happy to help,” I smiled back, nodding. “She’s only able to talk to a Listener, right? How long have you all been without one?”

“Oh, Cicero isn’t entirely sure about this Sanctuary!” He says, tapping his chin. “Cicero arrived not long after you helped him on the road! And there was no Listener then! But Cicero’s last sanctuary was a handful of years ago. Our Listener died protecting the Night Mother from an attack! Very brave, very brave.”

I paused, frowning. “So… you’ve just been unable to hear her since?”

“Yes! Well— Cicero has never been able to hear her in the first place.” He chuckled a little manically, that strain in his throat again. “But now Miss Allora is here! And all is well in the world!”

I hummed, looking up to ‘Mother’ thoughtfully. What kind of mother just… waits and leaves her children waiting for her? What was the point?

Surely I was missing something.

“Is she speaking to you?”

I jolted, looking over to see Cicero leaning in closer than before, gaze holding me tightly in place. The manic look was amplified in a way— his eyes begging to know.

“Uh— no. I was just lost in thought. I’m sorry.”

Disappointment dusted in his eyes before they flickered back into the mask of joviality. “No worries, none at all! Cicero understands gazing upon Mother and just thinking! He’s done it enough over the years! He has!”

“How old are you?” I asked curiously, stretching my back slightly. It popped and I let out a small puff of relief. That felt good.

“How rude! To ask Cicero his age!” The jester huffed and puffed dramatically, crossing his arms. “...Kidding! Cicero is nearly in his thirties! Getting up there in age, he is!”

“I’m nearly in my thirties… too…” I said, blinking. “Wait. I am?”

“You are?” Cicero asked, tilting his head. “How sad that the Listener cannot even remember. Perhaps praying to the Night Mother or Dread Lord will alleviate the addlement! Cicero wouldn’t want you like he is— with others always calling him crazy.”

“You’re the farthest thing from crazy,” I frowned, gently placing my hand on his arm. “Don’t listen to that kind of crap. You’re clearly devoted to your cause and your family, and it shows. Sure, you’re a little loud at times, but I think I am too. It doesn’t make us bad people, and definitely doesn’t make us crazy. Jeez.”

Cicero is frozen in place as he stares at me, glancing down to my hand. I quickly pull it away, embarrassed for getting so caught up in trying to make him feel better that I invaded his personal space.

“Sorry. We should… get back to praying.”

“...Yes.”

I’m more unnerved by his quiet response, and quickly adjust my sitting position on the cold, hard floor, before clasping my hands together and closing my eyes in a vain attempt to ignore his continued staring.

Was what I said that strange?

‘This is what I get for trying to be nice,’ I bemoaned in my head, letting out a quiet sigh.

Oh well. Could be worse, I guess. He could be reacting like that woman who tried putting a knife to my throat.

“That pretender…”

I jolt, snapping my eyes open at the voice that pervaded my mind again, looking up to ‘Mother’. She never moved, nothing changed, save for a subtle red glow in her eyes.

“You are in charge of this guild, my sweet Child. My Listener. Fear not your brothers and sisters under Sithis’ arms, for his wrath will quell their injustice well.”

I swallowed thickly, nodding my head. That was… good to know.

‘Is there… anything you need of me, Mother?’ I asked in my mind, unsure if I should be speaking out loud or not. It felt… personal, to have her address me. Secretive.

“There will be a job for you in the future. You are still weak, however. Instead, inform my dear Keeper Cicero that Mother wishes for you to hand out tasks in the meantime.”

“Cicero,” I whispered, eyes never straying from Mother. I couldn’t. “...Mother has jobs for the others.”

I could feel him move next to me, his face nearly over taking my view of Mother. His hands took mine and held them tightly— almost too tight— excitement in his voice.

“Yes? Yes?! What tasks await us? Oh, do not keep the Keeper waiting!”

“A grieving boy in Windhelm cries out to me…”

“He is asking for Grelod the Kind…”

“To be murdered in Riften.”

“A scorned woman in Markarth…”

“Craves the ending of a man named Alain Dufont in Raldbthar…”

“As well as a woman named Nilsine Shatter-Shield in Windhelm…”

“And an Indolent Farmer in Ivarstead…”

“Craves the blood of a pitiful farmer in Ivarstead.”

I feel myself slump forward against Cicero, a cold sweat breaking out over my skin as whatever held me aloft whisked itself away like smoke blown from a candlestick.

Murder. The tasks were about murder.

But Cicero was all smiles as he helped me sit up, beaming so wide, it had to hurt. “Splendid, splendid! To hear her through you— it’s enough to forget all those silly years of silence! Maddening silence! Oh, but it’s all broken now, yes it is! We must tell the others the good news!”

Cicero pulled me to my feet and guided me out of the sanctuary— after thanking Mother for her guidance and closing her coffin once more— and led me out into the main hall of the… whatever we were in.

It felt like a den with how strange the shape of the interior was. I could only hope it wasn’t a den of wolves.

I froze lightly as all eyes turned to us from various places all over the room and carefully kept myself close to Cicero. He had mentioned protecting me before. I could only hope that continued to be true.

Their eyes… it made all the more sense now.

Bloodlust.

“Looks like the tidbit finally woke up.” The giant man growled out, pulling his sword from the grinding stone he had been using.

“Who?” A small girl asked, tilting her head curiously.

Something inside me ached at the sight of her pale skin and darkened eyes. Violently I am reminded of undead creatures of the night that consume their victims blood until nothing is left.

Vampires.

“The clown’s pet.” The giant man grunted, standing up. “Taking her out for a walk, Keeper?”

“Haha! How very funny of the sheepdog!” Cicero spat back with a high pitched chuckle. “Surely he recognizes the importance of the Listener’s position! Especially! Since Mother has given us contracts!”

“What?” An older man asked, eyes wide. His gaze turned to me, looking me up and down slowly with an agape look. “You heard her speak? What did she say?”

“Oh, Mother dearest had several contracts to dole out!” Cicero said, slipping my tight hand from his to clap excitedly. “Our Listener told them all to me, so that I may in turn share them with you! She is still recovering, the poor thing!”

“Recovering?” A dark, ashen skinned woman asked, frowning. “I could have helped speed along her recovery, you know. I’m not the most adept with healing magicka, but…”

“Cicero had it under control!” The jester interrupted, still smiling genially. I could tell there was an underlying threatening tone, if only from how long I’ve spent in his company alone. Seemed he was very protective of me, in every sense of the word.

Now to know if that was a good or bad thing.

“How do you know she’s really the Listener? Not that I distrust you, Keeper,” a lizardman asked, faintly shocking me from his presence. “But it’s all rather sudden…”

Where the fuck was I? Was this normal? Why did I feel more deja vu?!

“She spoke the Binding Words to me! Oh yes, oh yes! Tried coming straight to me once she heard them, but Astrid held her with a knife to her throat!” Cicero guffawed, looking tickled pink despite my almost murder. “But of course, dearest Mother would not have let it come to that! No, no!”

“She looks weak.” A dark skinned man from the back wall bluntly remarked, biting into my insecurities deeply.

“Quite rude! Miss Allora has been on bed rest for two weeks! Anyone would become shriveled at that point, indeed!” Cicero huffed, ‘defending’ my honour.

“Gee, thanks Cicero…” I sighed, looking away from everyone.

“Of course!”

“Enough joking around. We got contracts? Give them. Now.” The giant man said, standing up and stomping over to tower over me.

I shrunk instinctively, feeling my chest tighten as my vision flickers from man to wolf repeatedly, reaching out to clutch Cicero’s jacket tightly in my hand reflexively. Said jester immediately positioned himself in between us, pressing his back to my front.

“Night Mother requested I hand out the tasks, according to our wonderful Listener! Isn’t that correct, Miss Allora?”

“Mhm,” I forced out, nodding quickly and dropping my eyes to the floor as a shudder ran through my body. My headache was getting worse.

The giant man huffed loudly through his nose before crossing his arms. “Get on with it then.”

[i-am-irish1993]

hi! apologies bc this is going to be a long ask lol. i just found your blog and am loving seeing your opinions on this whole hugh and sutton thing. i personally am still up in the air. i feel like there are things on both sides that don’t really add up you know? i think everyone has provided endless evidence for the affair, so i just wanted to share some of the things that make me think maybe it wasn’t an affair. first it was confirmed that deb went out w him for his bday after the divorce, and if she was as hurt and angry and blindsided by the affair as everyone’s claiming, why would she do that? second i find it incredibly hard to believe they kept it secret for so long. he’s the wolverine and she’s broadway royalty. this was going on for years and they were never ONCE photographed together? third they were talking about each other a lot around music man and i can’t speak to sutton but i don’t think hugh is dumb enough to be very public about his affection for his mistress you know. it’s clear his pr team is very on top of things and if there was anything to worry about i think they’d advise him to keep mostly quiet. plus to get really parasocial, knowing the way his parents’ split affected him i have trouble thinking he’d do that to his kids (or her daughter) and there were all those reports around the time of the divorce that his and deb’s relationship started to deterioriate during the pandemic… idk. this isn’t meant to be “cope” or anything just some inconsistencies and things that make me wonder what the truth is. it’s really easy to get lost in the affair barrage but there are some things that like i said don’t add up. i know a lot of us don’t want to see hugh as a bad person so that’s why i sent all this in. i personally would like to believe he didn’t cheat on deb, but if i’m wrong i’ll eat my words. it’s obviously up to everybody individually what they want to decide. if he cheated, that sucks! if he didn’t, that doesn’t suck! i’m afraid we’ll never really get the full story. anyway sorry for such a long ask haha i hope you and everyone reading this has a great day!!

The whole story is messy to me. Did they cheat? Did they not cheat? Like you said I guess we will never truly know the full story. I don’t want to see Hugh as a bad person, but with what I’ve heard about her, he seems guilty by association. I’ve said this before, I just like to put my thoughts out there and hear everyone else’s.

I hope you have a great day too!!