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clumsiestgiantess · 19 days

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The Walls Won’t Be There Forever, part 2 (Similarly to the first part, this story deals with the pet trope and has some themes of dehumanization — however condemning of them as the story itself may be. So if things of that nature trigger you, please DO NOT read!) If they don’t, and you’re prepared for angst, then welcome to part 2! It’s been a while, but I hope you still enjoy!

It’s been five months since I escaped. To my thankful surprise, the terrifying little human hadn’t sounded the alarm the moment she couldn’t find me. My guess is that she didn’t want to get in trouble for losing me. Ironically, her older sister also lost her ‘pet’ too, just a few days ago. I was thrilled to have someone else to talk to, and heartened that I could be there to help them transition out of pethood. I wish I had someone who could've helped me with that. Through tedious trial and error, I figured out what areas of the house to avoid. It took me months to build up a decent living space for myself, far from any wall traps.

However, when I traveled up to the older sister’s room to welcome the newcomer, they were nowhere to be found. I searched the whole day, quietly calling out to them. I knew they would be scared, but I didn’t think they’d be so scared they’d avoid their own kind. Later, I checked the traps to see if they’d fallen into one. Still nothing. What if they ran all the way outside, searching for another house entirely? I’d thought of doing that myself, but it was too cold outside to get very far. If they had gone outside, they were a lost cause.

Another, more sinister option sprung into my mind days after searching for the missing person. The older sister human had seemed almost averse to having a pet. What if she got rid of them and claimed she lost them? This notion got me thinking. It had seemed as though they’d disappeared rather than escaped.

I felt awful for my fellow ‘pet’. Humans release creatures back into nature, even if they might not belong there. I couldn’t help but imagine someone like myself, who’s never been so much as a few steps outside a house, suddenly cast into the vast wilderness that even humans couldn’t tame. That was probably the worst case scenario. Even being straight up murdered would be better than slowly freezing to death outside, or eaten alive by some giant creature. There’s a good reason we live in human houses. It was disheartening finding no one to welcome, but I’m used to bad news by now.

After avoiding the upstairs and its residents for another few weeks, I was forced to sneak into the older sister’s room. For some reason, the humans moved the sewing box from its usual spot in the closet to beneath her desk. This was just more bad news. I like to go on supply runs in empty, dark places where humans have no chance to catch me. I never actually stole from humans before all this, so the only times I ever feel at ease enough to go out are when the room is desolate.

My father did all that dangerous stuff when I was younger. I stayed in the walls, cooking and cleaning and practicing medicine. Having to hide from humans is a new concept for me; I’ve always been hidden from them, which made it all the more shocking to have one so close. Especially my awful ‘owner’.

At first she treated me carelessly, like a doll. In the first few days alone I’d been more bruised than I ever had in my life. I couldn’t even ask her for the proper things I needed to heal them. I couldn’t even speak in Aubrey’s presence, which is awful because I was in her room. She was always there.

Fortunately, she handled me with a fraction more care after she’d nearly taken off my arm. It was so much more terrifying than even being caught. I always tried not to struggle against her, but she just kept trying to stuff me into a toy car that obviously wouldn’t fit me. Her grip was so rough I really thought I would be crushed — snapped apart and broken up to fit inside a tiny claustrophobic space. I’d panicked — I’d struggled — my flailing arm was snapped out of the socket caught on a piece of cheap plastic, slicing it wide open.

I remember screaming only briefly before I was silenced by a cloth held painfully tight against my face, and orders to be quiet. My screams came to a choked halt, but I don’t think I stopped crying the entire day. I never liked my human captor; after that day I decided to hate her.

Thankfully, after Aubrey realized she couldn’t get me out, she at least told her sister. Her sister… I was so sure she’d actually kill me getting me out. Her fingers were so much stronger than her younger sister’s — I could feel the bone-crushing tension in them as she cut me out of that awful thing. She tortured me with rudimentary ways to heal my wounds in the least amount possible, leaving a long scar across my arm that I still have to this day. I can’t even think about her cruelty now, but back then I was actually thankful for something like that. Her sister would’ve left me stranded.

There was a single good thing that came out of that ordeal, however. Aubrey had been so upset by the thought that I could actually die if I was mishandled — something I could’ve told her day one — that she refused to handle me for very long afterwards. That didn’t stop her from accidentally harming me again and again during the times she did handle me, though. One day, she accidentally left the top off my cage after bringing me some food, and I made a quick escape.

It was almost too much for me to handle. I lay in a dust-covered corner of the walls just past my threshold to freedom — the wall outlet — curled up into a tight protective ball for hours. My nerves and brain were so overwhelmed by fear that I couldn’t even cry. I just lay there and shook, staring at the interior of a wall as tears quietly leaked out of my eyes and down my cheeks.

Almost a full day later, I finally got up and stumbled through the labyrinth of wall corridors and traps to find some food and water. Thankfully, the traps I’d encountered weren’t any of the deadly varieties. If I’d stumbled across those I might not have lived long enough to figure out how to avoid them.

Eventually, through a lot of outings in the dead of night, I slowly built up a little place for myself deep within the human family’s walls. I wanted to get far far away from the torturous monsters who had bought and hurt me, but it was too risky to take that kind of trip with the humans on alert after my escape. The hidden code didn’t have anything about what to do after escaping a human. It was assumed that if a human caught you there was no need for escape — you were dead.

I postponed my journey out of the house for a fair amount of time since I was uncertain about any sort of procedure for escape. However, the longer I waited, the better I’d built my house until eventually I decided to stay. None of the humans even seemed to notice my disappearance; even Aubrey acted like nothing was wrong — stuffing little pillows beneath my bed to make it look like I was sleeping, and covering my old cage with a light blanket so no one could look in too closely for too long to tell I wasn’t there.

Now, five months later here I am — stealing supplies like a pro. Or.. at least better than how I’d started out.

When I stepped up to the electrical cover of Aubrey’s older sister’s room, her voice spoke happily — revertibrating across the space. I scanned the room, but I couldn’t see any other humans. I guess she’s on the phone, I realized, slowly lifting the cover off the wall. Humans are awful, for the most part, but their inventions are beyond belief. Apparently, the other human she’s talking to could be on the other side of the world. It was mind-blowing to think about. How do they even get their voices to travel that far?

Once I was certain that she was distracted, I slid down to the floor and ran for the nearest hiding place. The human was sitting at her desk, and the box I needed was just beneath it. I waited for her to speak before I dashed beneath the desk from behind, coming to a halt beside the box. It was open, lid strewn to the side, and the quiet voice that I assumed was another human on the phone spoke at full volume now. Something shifted around, pushing items to the sides. I froze, too scared and confused to move.

A person my own size hauled themselves over the top of the box. She began talking to the human, but stopped abruptly when she noticed me. There were a few seconds of stunned silence where neither of us moved, before the human pulled back in her chair, confused why the conversation halted.

The thundering sound of the human moving her chair back brought me out of my trance. I raced to the outlet as fast as I could. My mind reeled. Who and what was that!? Were there normal-sized humans as well as giant ones?

Before I could get back up and into the walls, the strange smaller human ran after me. I yelped in terror — running as fast as I could to the opening in the wall. “Wait! Come back!” Picking up the pace, I threw myself into the cut in the insulation without even replacing the outlet cover. Hopefully, I could lose the strange mini human in the maze of wood and ventilation. I expertly navigated the labyrinth of wooden supports, the strange human chasing me all the while, calling out for me to stop.

Suddenly, a snap rang out and her calls ceased with a pained cry. I cautiously slowed to a halt, tiptoeing back the way I’d ran to listen. Labored breaths echoed from further back down the wall. No, I scolded myself internally, you are not going back for that strange small human. However, another desperate groan of agony rang out, and I found myself slinking towards the sound.

By the time I found her, the little human lay unconscious beside an awful trap. Most likely, she'd passed out from the pain. Her leg was twisted all wrong, bent out of place by the metal jaws that hung on either side of the wall. The trap she was caught in looked brutal. It consisted of two poised bands of metal, hanging on either side of an older pathway inside the wall. They were held open by a thin wire that stretched between them. I knew how to catch tripwires before triggering them, so I swiftly evaded it and kept running. This strange human couldn't have seen it coming.

Though she'd been chasing me only moments ago, I knew I couldn't leave her like that. I never intended for her to get snared by a trap; I just wanted to confuse her so I could get away. Using my small walking staff I usually used to avoid traps, I pried open the clamp’s metal jaws and moved the strange human's leg out from inside it. I sucked in a shocked breath of air as I brought my light over her. It was worse than I thought. Her leg was bloody and mangled. I gagged at the sight.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, though I knew she couldn't hear me, "I didn't mean for this to happen." Carefully, I bent down and hoisted her up, draping her unconscious form halfway over my shoulders. In a slow shamble, I headed back home. My thoughts raced during the silent journey. Was this person my own height really a smaller human? Logically, it made more sense that she was one of my own kind, specifically the person that the other human kept as a pet — but that made just as little sense. The two were talking happily, as though they'd been friends for a long time. If this person really is the 'pet' that the human had kept, I doubt that they'd be so close.

Eventually, I made it back to my home. I collapsed into a chair the moment I got my new guest into bed. It isn't really a bed, per se. Technically, it's a knitted mitten that one of the humans used to own, just like my chair is technically an upside-down plastic coffee pod, but what does it matter? That’s what I’m using it as, so that’s what it is.

After catching my breath, I got to work setting my strange guest's leg. I'd barely moved the limb when she suddenly sprang to life. I jumped back as she grabbed my arm, yelping in pain. She assessed the room at lightning speed, trying to process what happened and where she was.

Her behavior was baffling. Incredibly fast reflexes like those only came with proper thievery training. She isn't a smaller human after all. Finally, her wide-eyed gaze rested on me, and she hesitantly released my arm.

"You.. You're the- Ahhg!" she cut herself off with another cry of pain. Now that she actually took notice of her injury, her mouth opened in silent horror. "It's alright," I told her out of the blue. Slowly, her stricken gaze turned back to me. "I can fix this. It'll take some time, but I can help. If you're lucky, all you'll have is a limp afterwards."

Her perplexed stare became pained again and I rushed off to get some pain reliever. When I returned, my strange guest gave me a baffled expression. "That's.. human medicine. Won't that just.. I don't know, kill me?" I shook my head, taking the small tablet and crushing it into a sizable piece. "It won't kill you, so long as you take the right dosage." Her blank stare suggested that she had no idea what I meant. I doubt she'd been taught much about healing if she was one of the thieving types.

Handing over the small piece of medicine and a cup of water, I ordered her to swallow it, then went to get something to act as a splint. "Are you.. one of us?" I asked hesitantly, still disbelieving that she’d actually been conversing with a human. Pain no longer distorted her face, all that was left was a look of pure confusion. "Obviously, I mean… What else would I be, a tiny human?" Her sarcasm died off as she realized that's exactly what I'd thought. "You were talking with that human,” I replied, “We're not even supposed to let them know we're smart, never mind having a conversation with them!"

This got her quiet. She watched in silence as I pulled up a chair to the edge of the bed and reached for her leg. "Wh- What are you doing?" The tiniest spark of fear lit her eyes. I was the one who inadvertently lured her into that trap, after all. "I'm going to have to reset your leg," I explained, "I'm not going to lie, it'll hurt a lot." I grabbed a clean piece of cloth and handed it to her. "You might want to bite down on this to keep from yelling. I don't want the humans to hear."

There was a long moment of silence as the other Hidden-being stared me down. "Who are you?" she asked, "How long have you been living here for? Why haven't I seen you around?" All good questions, but I didn't have the time. The quicker I set her leg, the better. "Later," I told her, "Let me do this first. Just bite down on that cloth and please don't attack me. It'll seem like I'm purposefully hurting you, but I swear I'm just fixing your leg." "Alright," she said quietly, "I'm ready."

Both the sounds of the bones in her leg and her muffled cries of pain made me squeamish, but I had to press on. I felt awful for doing this to her. I could’ve warned her the trap was there, but I didn’t; I hoped it would slow her down by blocking the hallway. If she’d been running any slower, she would have been completely crushed by the metal clamps. To think that humans wanted us gone so badly, they were willing to create such terrible contraptions in order to kill us. There was a time when I believed the walls were the safehaven of a human household. Nowhere is safe anymore.

A long hour passed as I did my work. I bound the Hidden’s leg with a split, and dressed the blood-crusted gashes. She’d slipped out of consciousness sometime during the ordeal, so the room became eerily quiet when I finished, save for the labored breaths of my guest. I fixed us a meal while waiting nervously for her to wake.

Alone with my thoughts, I found myself again wondering about her origins. Was she really the other ‘pet’? Had she really done the impossible and befriended a human? If I’d spoken to Aubrey, and let her see that I was a sentient creature… Firstly, I’d be breaking a core rule of my kind. Secondly, I’d be so terrified by the human’s presence that I probably couldn’t have said much anyway.

A groan rose from the other room and I rushed to the bed. The other Hidden-being was awake. She sat up slowly, taking in a pained breath of air. “I probably shouldn’t get up, should I?” she asked me, resting her back on the wall behind her. Hesitantly, I placed a plate of food beside her on the bed. “Are you well enough to eat?” She nodded and took a few small bites. “Who are you?” she asked again, “Where are we?” I sat in the chair I put beside the bed earlier. “I’m June,” I answered, “This is my home; I built it just above the kitchen. Don’t worry, you’re safe here.” My comforts were met with a rather pensive look. “I’m Wren,” she introduced herself. An awkward pause hung in the air. It was late, and I turned away, trying to hide my yawn.

“Do you know about the other person here, the other.. pet?” she asked quietly, “Aubrey, the smaller human, is keeping one of us locked up! Have you seen them? Are they alright?”

I took a sharp breath. “I was Aubrey’s pet,” I responded, “Are you her sister’s?” Wren shook her head harshly, “I’ll never be a pet. No one, not even a human, can tell me what to do.” I was going to ask if the human she’d been speaking to told her what to do, but I didn’t get the chance. “What about you?” she continued, “I thought her sister still had her pet. How are you here?” “I escaped,” I said simply. “And the human didn’t tell anyone?” “No, I think she was trying to stay out of trouble.”

Wren seemed to understand that. “Oh yeah, my human got in a lot of trouble when she ‘lost’ me,” she said, making air quotes for the word lost. “Her parents had her do so many chores, she didn’t have an ounce of free time to see me that whole week.” I glanced at her skeptically. “Your human?” I repeated. “Well, it’s-“ she thought for a moment, “We’re friends; it’s complicated.”

“No.. it shouldn’t be. Humans and us Hidden can’t be friends,” I spat suddenly, “That’s insane! Look at what that human trap did to you! How could you trust that human enough to be friends with her?” Wren tried to explain, but I stood up and went to the doorway. “I’m tired. It’s late. I can’t process this right now.” It was horribly rude of me, but I’m not in the mood to argue tonight.

I ended up sleeping on the floor with a blanket. Wren had taken the only bed, and she certainly needed it more than I did. In the morning, I had to help her over to the bathroom so she could get around without putting weight on her leg. When at last she settled down, I went to get some more medicine, but she spoke.

“I haven’t heard that name in a long time…” I paused in the doorway. “Hidden. I stopped calling myself that the day I was captured. We aren’t exactly ‘hidden beings’ anymore.” Sighing, I turned to her and leaned on the doorframe, “That’s what we are, Wren.” She shrugged, “Humans call us ‘Borrowers’. I think I like that name.” I grumble and grudgingly go get the medicine. When I return, Wren stays silent for a bit.

“Hey, about last night…” I glanced up at her tiredly. “Just hear me out, please? Liz, the human I was talking to, she’s not like other humans.” “How?” I challenged, “Why?” “It.. was an accident, her finding out about us being smart and whatnot. I screwed up and spoke in front of her. She had every opportunity to call me out on it — to tell the other humans and ruin our secret. But she didn’t. Liz found out I was just like any other person.. and treated me like one. I don’t know why or how she’s like that, but she is.”

I doubted it; it went against everything I’d been taught about humans. “So, when she ‘lost’ you…” “Liz pretended to lose me so she could free me. And-” Wren paused, giving me a look that was almost sorry. “And I have to tell her I’m alright.”

“What?” I asked, confused. “You can barely stand on your own! How are you getting all the way to her room?” “I don’t know, how did you get me here?” I sighed, “I can’t take you all the way back, it’ll mess up your leg.” “Then you need to go for me.” I blanched at the mere thought of being in front of another human. “No,” I replied forcefully, “I am NOT going anywhere near that human, or any other human. I don’t care what you say, I don’t trust them, and you shouldn’t either!”

“Well, I do!” Wren shot back, “And you don’t have to talk to her at all. Let me write her a note. You can leave it out somewhere she’ll see it. Please.” Her voice grew softer, “I don’t want her to worry about me. What if she heard me get caught in the trap? I could be dead for all she knows!” My eyes closed tightly, and I sank into a chair. It felt like my body was shutting down on itself as my head fell into my hands. “If I do this.. you owe me.” Wren nodded eagerly, “I can have Liz get whatever you want. I’ll deliver it for you when I’m better.”

The deal was beyond tempting. If Wren and that human are really friends, I have no doubt that she could get just about anything I could dream of. I reasoned that it couldn’t hurt if I simply delivered a letter. Get in, leave it on the floor by the electrical socket, get out. It would be easier than a supply run.

Wren could tell that I’d given in. She reached out expectantly, waiting for a piece of paper and something to write with. With a long sigh, I got up and gathered a scrap of paper and a piece of pencil lead I’d taken. Handing them over, I sat waiting nervously for her to write the letter. It seemed like forever and no time at all before she’d finished. “Put it somewhere she’ll find it,” Wren instructed. “I will.” Soon, I began the trek to Liz’s room. Everything went smoothly until I got to the electrical cover. I stood in front of it, staring blankly at the slits of light beaming in from the other side.

This was it. Get in, leave the letter, get out. Simple. Taking a deep breath, I pulled the cover aside and peered out. The room was silent and empty, which put my racing heart at ease. I slid down to the floor and snuck out to the edge of the room. Digging into my bag, I pulled out the letter. Footsteps echoed outside the door, and I froze in fear. Thankfully, it sounded like Aubrey’s footsteps, meaning that she was on her way to her own room, not this one. I’d just set the letter down when a new set of footsteps rang out. At that same moment, the door to the room swung open.

It was Liz. I dashed to the electrical socket, but she was bigger, and I was so scared that I fumbled with the climbing rope. In no time at all, I was met with a wall of flesh. I scrambled backwards, terrified. I could do nothing but watch in horror as hands larger than myself squeezed in around me. “No! Wait!” I cried out. However, my pleas weren’t even acknowledged. Liz held me in one gigantic fist, dragging me through the air towards her desk. I screamed, thrashing in her grip. Suddenly, I was let go. I fell roughly onto the surface of the desk in front of her.

Immediately, I scrambled behind a stack of books that were piled on her desk. My attempt to hide must’ve been laughable to the human. She simply pulled the books away from me.

“What did you do with Wren?” Her voice echoed in waves through my head while my vision swam. “N- Nothing,” I whimpered, pressing myself to the wall behind me. Liz leaned over the desk, inching menacingly closer. “I don’t know what the punishment is for befriending a human, but I heard her in the walls, crying in pain. So I’ll ask you again. What did you do with her?”

I could barely focus. Not only had she heard Wren get hurt, she thought I’d hurt her, as punishment for breaking a crucial survivalist rule. “I didn’t do anything to her, I swear! She chased after me, you saw that, right?” Liz’s narrowed eyes widened slightly. “I did.” “S- She ran through a trap while she chased me. Please, you have to believe me! Look at the letter!”

Liz sat back; her face rapidly lost color. A wave of silence drifted over the room. “She.. got caught in a trap? Is she alright?” Liz asked, suddenly sobered by my news. It took me a moment to realize that the human looked awfully worried about Wren — interest in me completely lost. I opened my mouth to speak, but tears welled in my eyes. Despite my best efforts to calm myself, I began crying. A few moments ago, I saw my life flash before my eyes. Wren was very wrong. Liz is terrifying. I sank to the ground, curling up with my back pressed into the wall behind me.

“Hey, I- I’m sorry,” a voice spoke softly from above. I was so shocked by the shift in Liz’s tone, that I managed to look up at her. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You’re my sister’s…” She paused, unwilling to call me what I’d been. “I escaped,” I confessed meekly. “I remember you,” her voice dropped to an almost whisper. “I… helped you out of that toy car. God, I wanted to take you away to safety the moment I saw you.” I blinked. Then.. why didn’t you?

It suddenly occurred to me that she could return me to Aubrey — to my little personal hell. “Please don’t bring me back!” I yelped. Liz smiled sadly, “Of course I won’t. You shouldn’t have had to endure that to begin with. I’m sorry I scared you, but you’re safe here.” I hesitantly wiped the tears from my face, “Safe?" I repeated, confused. "You just grabbed me.” Liz glanced guiltily at the spot on the floor where I’d been standing. “What’s that?” she asked, nodding to the letter on the floor. “A letter. Wren wrote it for you.”

Liz went over and picked it up. I watched as she carefully read the note, which suddenly looked tiny in her hands. When she turned back to me, her expression had shifted entirely. “Thank you,” Liz said earnestly, coming back to sit at her desk. “Thank you for taking care of Wren. I’m honestly glad she’s with you, and not only because you know how to help her.” Liz backed off slightly, allowing me more of a distance between us so I wasn’t pressed against the wall. “Wren’s been.. homesick, I think. She needs another Borrower in her life. I can’t imagine living without any other humans around; it can’t be much different for you.”

I stood on the desk in thought for a while. There was that name again, ‘Borrower’. We don’t even borrow, we steal. Is that some kind of demeaning term humans like to use? Why was Wren ok with it? Why is Wren ok with any of this!?

Liz offered me a small meal to calm me down some. I tried a bit of the food to satisfy her, though I could barely stomach it. “Is it true?” I asked, needing to know the answer, “Did you really free Wren?” Liz sighed, “It’s one thing to own some creature that looks like a person, but when I realized what Wren and the rest of you are, I.. I couldn't leave her trapped in there. I didn't even want a Borrower because I thought it was unsettling how similar you are to us."

"I remember," I agreed quietly, "Aubrey was upset that you got to have a.. pet too." Liz nodded, "But you escaped! That's impressive! I was beginning to wonder what happened to you because my sister never mentions you much anymore. Now I know why. How did you manage that, anyways?" Thinking back, I suddenly became defensive. Humans are awful. Liz was awful to me.

I don't know why she’s deciding to be so nice right now, but she could easily switch back to the horrifying personality that snatched me off the floor and accused me of hurting someone. Liz is the sister of my previous captor. I don't particularly feel like sticking around to make small talk.

"I have to go," I said decisively, a bit more harshly than I intended. "I'll heal your friend, but then.. I have to move now. It's my people’s code." "Wh- What?" Liz stammered, "You aren't leaving soon, are you? It's freezing outside!" "I have blankets," I replied curtly. I stormed over to the edge of the desk, reaching for my bag and my climbing rope. "You don't have to leave! I'll keep your secret like I'm keeping Wren's, I promise!" Liz told me, still trying to convince me to stay. Why does she want me here so badly? Maybe it's a trap — using Wren as bait to lure other Hidden-beings out of hiding.

When I got to the floor, I turned my back to her and walked off toward the outlet cover. It was a risky move, but I wanted Liz to know for certain that I made up my mind. She stammered a few half-baked excuses as I slid back into the outlet. I didn't stop marching away until I was deep within the walls. With a shuddering cry, I sank to the ground. I've worked so hard to make a home for myself here — to avoid the freezing temperatures outside — but now I have no choice.

Wiping the mist from my eyes, I plastered on a nonchalant expression and returned to my home and Wren. "Did she find the note?" Wren asked me the moment I stepped into the room. "Yeah, I watched from behind the outlet. She read it and looked relieved. That was about it."

Of course I lied to her. I didn't dare tell her how horrifying her beloved human had been to me. I also hadn’t told her my plan to leave the moment she was out of my home. I wanted to heal her; no matter what she thought of humans, she was still my own kind, and I felt responsible for her. Over the next few days, I did everything in my power to stay as far away from Liz as I could until I could get away from her for good.

Nightmare after nightmare stalked me down nearly every night, and I rarely went out to gather supplies anymore. What did it matter if I had stuff saved? I’d be leaving most of it behind when I left anyway. I cried a lot, too — in a little crevice far away from Wren or any of the humans. I just.. don’t know what to do anymore. At this rate it only feels like I’m delaying another mortifying inevitable capture.

A week or two after I took Wren in, her leg had healed enough that she could walk on it, with the help of a walking stick, that is. When she was well enough to make the journey, I helped her to the electrical socket in Liz's room, but stopped there. "Well, this is as far as I take you. Thanks for keeping me company these past few days, it's been.. nice." Though Wren's human seems suspicious, Wren herself was not all that bad to have around. Her company had been a good change of pace for me. I hated to think that I would soon be alone again.

"Thank you for healing up my leg," Wren replied, "I'll come by to visit you soon, ok?" I nodded silently, knowing that she would be walking into an empty room. "Take care, and try not to fall into any more traps. Go enjoy freedom, I guess." Wren quickly tried to convince me again that I could have 'freedom' too, but I reminded her that I do have freedom. Real freedom. The kind I created myself instead of relying on some human to give it to me. I didn't tell her that last part.

After another round of goodbyes and thank yous, Wren went to wait for Liz and I went back to my home to pack. A sour feeling rested in my throat as I began dividing things up between what I could bring and what I couldn't. Once everything I could possibly take was packed, I slept one last time in my bed here before my journey. I woke when I sensed that night had fallen. It was time for me to go.

It took me a half-hour to get out of the house, but I eventually found a vent that left me standing in the side yard. The moment I slid outside, a freezing wind rushed over the ground, cutting right through my meager coverings and stitched-together blankets. I desperately wanted to go back inside to the home I'd made for myself, but thanks to the awful human, I can't.

One chilly step at a time, I began the long journey across the backyard to the next house over. I nearly set off a trap as I rounded the perimeter of the house, scaring me to my senses. It was rapidly growing dark and I was only about a quarter of the way through my trip. The cold had made things harder than I'd planned, and it was only going to get colder as the night wore on. Please, just let me make it there without getting frostbite. The universe only laughed at my pathetic plea. Minutes afterward, the sky completely darkened. It began to snow.

My heart seized painfully in my chest like the day I'd been caught and the day I'd been sold. It was an instinctive feeling of my body telling me there was a very good chance I'm going to die. Quickly, I fought back tears and continued onward. Even if I had gone back, I couldn't have gotten inside the house. The vent opening was too far above my head. Heavier flakes began to pile up, and I shuddered each time one landed on me — soaking freezing water through my clothing. Soon, there was a light dusting of frozen crystals of water over the entire ground, and my feet were starting to lose feeling.

How long can I last? Is there even a point in trying to trek to the next house when I’m clearly not going to make it? Though I knew for certain that it would be my last night alive, I kept moving forwards, refusing to give up. If I stopped moving, the cold would only take me faster. My persistence was met with deeper and deeper snow as the night wore on. Eventually, it was up to my waist, and I didn't have the energy to continue wading through the bitterly cold substance any longer.

Crying out in anguish and despair, I fell to the ground, numb and completely exhausted. Curling up in a tight ball, I shivered against myself, desperately trying to generate at least a little heat. My eyes grew heavier by the second, and I began drifting in and out of bitter darkness.

After my eyes had been closed for some time, a faint light shone behind them. Is this what happens before you die? The light became brighter and my numb body moved just slightly, reaching for it. "June?" Death was calling to me. I was so sure of it. I opened my mouth to respond, but no sound came out. The last of my energy drained, I fell back into the inky black void of unconsciousness.

What felt like instantly, I was lightly jostled awake by the feeling of rising into the air. A sudden warmth engulfed me, and I greeted it eagerly, only for the heat to become burning against my frostbitten skin. I groaned and tried to escape it, but the heat seemed to be all around me at once. Weakly, I shoved at the space. "It's ok, I'll put you down in a second," a voice spoke from high above me, "Let me get somewhere safer first." A few moments later, I was deposited on something cooler, and I gasped, soaking in the ambient warmth as my vision swam.

The entire time, and for some time afterwards, my mind was trapped in a constant fog. I didn't feel like opening my eyes, but when I did, the only things I could make out were vague shapes and colors all swirling together almost nauseatingly. Quickly, I closed them again. Voices spoke to each other, but I could barely comprehend the words. Laying in almost total disorientation, I silently thanked the universe for letting me live, and begged it to have landed me somewhere nice, with people that I could trust. Was that too much to ask after my near-death experience? I hoped not.

After initially being brought inside, I basked in the warmth that came from simply being in that place. But as I began to warm up more, I started to shiver again. I tried to speak, to tell whoever had taken me in that I was getting colder, but all that came from my lips was a weak cry. Thankfully, one of my saviors realized what I wanted and spread a blanket over me. I pulled it in closer and tried to sit up, but my arm quickly gave out beneath me.

“Here, don’t strain yourself. I’ll get you something for you to sit up on.” Still in a fog, I wasn’t sure if I recognized their voice, but their hands were about the same size as my own, so at the very least I’d been found by one of my own kind. Relief let me relax as I was propped up slightly and offered a drink. Soon my head cleared enough for me to open my eyes.

My heart nearly flew from my chest when I took in the sight in front of me. I was back on Liz’s desk, in the exact same place I’d been before.

“No!” I rasped, trying in vain to get up, “I did all this to get away from you! Why are you here?!” Liz backed away looking hurt as Wren came over and tried to calm me down. “She’s not going to hurt you,” she assured me, “I won’t let her.” “Like you can stop her?” I spat. “She could grab both of us and stuff us back in a cage and neither of us could do anything about it! Why, why do you trust her!? How can you trust someone who can do that to you!?” “She wouldn’t.” “She did!” I nearly screamed, “She almost crushed me the moment she spotted me!”

“And that was her mistake!” Wren shot back, “I’ve scolded her and made her promise never to touch you without your permission.” My mouth opened and closed silently for a second. “Do you really think she’ll keep that promise?” “I do.”

I glanced at Liz, standing quietly to the side with a chastised expression. Her gaze wandered anywhere but the desk where Wren and I stood. “Liz told me what happened when I got back; what you conveniently didn’t tell me. She only threatened you because she thought you’d hurt me. She was only trying to protect me.” “Well, that’s good for you,” I huffed sarcastically, glaring at the gigantic girl. “You can have your protective little human all to yourself, then.”

I could tell Wren was trying extremely hard not to continue our yelling match. Her expression remained calm, but there was an angered sharpness to her gaze. “You could have at least waited until it was warmer. You must know better than to leave in the middle of winter,” she said. I scoffed, “Have you forgotten all the rules? I had to leave! She saw me!” I replied, jabbing a finger at Liz. She flinched as I did. “I know you don’t really care anymore, being a pet and all, but those rules have kept us free and safe. The only reason we’re in this situation is because of people like you who choose to break them!”

Loud silence suddenly fell over the room. I was frightened by it. I’d expected Wren to finally snap and reply with something hurtful in return — maybe even sick her terrible human on me — but she just stood there, staring out at nothing.

“I didn’t choose to break the rules,” she finally said in a quiet breath. “I didn’t choose to reveal anything to the humans. When Liz found out the truth, it scared me just as much as it scares you. But she used my moment of weakness to help me rather than hurt me, and I owe every good thing I have now to her.”

Liz suddenly burst into tears. The sound sent me on high alert. A sad human was only one wrong word away from an angry one. Wren whirled around, shocked. “Liz, what-?” “I’m so sorry!” she sobbed, “After all the time I’ve spent with you, my first instinct was to hurt the only other Borrower I know! M- Maybe she’s right! You don’t belong with me. You deserve to have safety without having to fully rely on one person with power over everything!”

Wren turned away from me, rushing to the edge of the desk that was closest to the human. “Liz, no! Y- You can’t be serious! I do belong with you! Our way of life doesn’t work anymore. This is the new way, the better way, to live! I don’t completely rely on you; I still borrow supplies for myself every day, and you don’t even know. With the right humans and borrowers working together, we can change history for the better!”

“Better?” I questioned bitterly, causing both sets of eyes to turn to me. “How can living with monstrous beings like humans make our lives better? They were the best they could be without them. The only reason we would need them at all is to convince other humans not to kill us on sight.”

Wren rubbed her temples tiredly. “You just… You don’t understand,” she told me — voice falling. “Humans have so much more freedom than we ever did, even in our old lives. We rarely got to communicate with others of our kind; stepping outside was like being in another world; and we had to get by on so little that we had to starve ourselves to continue living sometimes. You call that the best life we can live? Really? We aspire to be slightly advanced rats? That’s what you want to be?”

Tears welled in the corners of my eyes, remembering my younger brother, who starved himself to sickness and eventually death trying to let the rest of us have a bit more to eat. Then there was my mother, who was impaled trying to cut into the water pipe so we could have access to the humans’ supply. “No,” I whispered on the verge of tears. “It isn’t what I aspire to be, but what other choice do I have when they control everything?”

Slowly, Wren came over and sat beside me, offering me a gentle hug. I broke down in another fit of tears, and watched out of the corner of my eye as Liz fled the room.

“We do have a choice,” Wren told me after I’d calmed. “All our kind needs is enough good humans to vouch for us. They could end everything we fear, but they don’t know we’re even capable of thinking the same way they do. If we can’t speak for ourselves, they’ll have to.” It pained me inside and out, but I had to ask. “What if we break the rules? What if we show the whole world of humans just how similar we all are to eachother? Then we can vouch for ourselves.” Wren was quiet for a while, thinking, then turned around.

“Liz, what if we-” she stopped, realizing the human was gone. “What..? Where did she go?” I shrugged, “She ran out of the room a while ago.” “Dammit I keep telling her she shouldn’t group herself in with the torturous ones of her kind.. I- I don’t want to leave you here alone, but-” “Go,” I told her in a sudden flare of certainty. “I’ll be fine now that I’ve warmed up.”

Wren glanced between me and the doorway. “I’ll be right back.” Then she turned and slid down the side of the desk with expert movements — not even needing a rope or grapple. Now that was the work of someone who was trained how to traverse human spaces.

I still can’t believe it’s come back to me being in a human’s clutches again. Though, I guess if I’m being kept here by anyone, it’s Wren. I want to help her. I want to help myself. However, the prospect of helping myself no longer included running away to hide in a different home — that was clearly a horrific idea that would’ve killed me if it weren’t for the human looking out for me.

All I did was follow my people’s code; it’s supposed to keep me alive, not put me in danger. Yet.. everything that saved me just now was against those rules. Just like everything that saved Wren went against them. Maybe things really do have to change. The thought frightened me just as much as it exited me. Something had to happen, but would it be for better, or for worse?

#welcome to angst town yall!#man these tinies just can’t catch a break…#g/t #giant/tiny #g/t writing

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bigfootsmom · 1 year

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my love, might i request 12. ‘you could say I’m fond of you.’ 🥺🍄 👑

“Eddie, save yourself. Go home,” Buck urges, but it comes out as nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

It immediately sends him into a coughing fit, the air rattling painfully in his chest as he hacks into a fist. He grimaces, throat feeling raw like sandpaper was dragged over it.

The bed dips as Eddie sits on the edge, a sympathetic frown on his face as he smoothes Buck’s curls back from where they’ve stuck to his sweaty forehead. Despite his warning, Buck can’t help the way his body naturally moves towards Eddie, curling around him and seeking the comfort of his warmth.

“I’m not gonna leave you like this, babe.” Eddie keeps pushing his fingers through Buck’s curls. They’re probably sweaty and gross — Buck can’t remember the last time he showered, but it feels nice and he finds himself relaxing into the gentle scratch of Eddie’s nails over his scalp.

Sniffling, Buck grimaces when he feels a glob of mucus slide down the back of his throat. His already queasy stomach flips and Buck waits with bated breath to see if he’s going to have to throw the covers off and rush for the bathroom. But his stomach settles again, leaving him sagging back against his pillows.

“But I don’t want you to get sick too.” Buck turns his head, looking up at Eddie and dislodging his hand from Buck’s hair. He mourns the loss of contact, but tries not to let it show.

There’s an ache deep in his bones that has left him feeling exhausted down to his core. He feels gross and miserable — skin covered in layers of fresh and stale sweat. His fever broke during the night, but he can still feel the tacky marks of fever-induced tears drying on his cheeks and in the corner of his eyes, the saltiness clinging to his lashes. The last thing he wants is to be left alone, something in his chest feeling hollow — an echo chamber for the creeping loneliness and vulnerability he always feels when he’s sick. But he wants Eddie to get sick even less than he wants to be alone. Buck would hate himself if he was the reason Eddie felt even a fraction of how awful he feels now.

“Pretty sure I was the one that got you sick,” Eddie murmurs, resuming his gentle petting over Buck’s hair. “Remember? Chris came home with that bug from school— had me in bed for two days.”

Buck hums a noncommittal response, pulling away from Eddie when it triggers another coughing fit. Eddie holds him through it, a big hand curled around Buck’s ribs to keep him from folding in too far on himself and disappearing. When the coughing subsides it leaves Buck feeling completely drained, even more exhausted than before which seems impossible.

“Well, if it’s your fault—” Buck doesn’t miss the way Eddie flinches at that and he rushes to try and erase the worried crease from between Eddie’s brows. “I know how you can make it up to me.”

“How is that?”

“Come cuddle, I’m cold.” Buck tiredly pats at the empty expanse of bed next to him, waggling his eyebrows to try and draw a smile from his boyfriend.

Eddie takes a moment, looking like he’s actually deliberating about what to do. For a split second Buck worries Eddie is actually going to say no, his sick brain irrational and panicked. But Eddie turns to Buck, face breaking into that sun warm smile of his.

“I guess I could do that for you,” Eddie sighs, sounding put upon. But he’s already shuffling out of his shirt, his shoes getting kicked off and closely followed by his socks and jeans.

When he crawls under the covers, Buck greedily chases after all the warm skin, tucking his hands against Eddie’s chest. Eddie flinches at the chilly touch but quickly engulfs Buck in his arms.

“Jesus, Buck — you’re freezing.”

Shoving his cold nose into the hollow of Eddie’s throat, Buck hums, “Yeah, and you’re so warm.”

“Oh, I see how it is.” Buck can feel the rumble of Eddie’s voice more than he hears it with the way he’s wrapped up in him. “You just want me around to be your personal furnace,” Eddie says with mock offense.

“You’re a great furnace. But, I guess I’m pretty fond of you as a person.”

Eddie’s arms tighten around him. “You could say I’m fond of you too.”

Buck smiles, craning his neck to look at Eddie. “Even when I’m all sick and gross?”

“Even when you’re all sick and gross,” Eddie says easily, pressing a kiss to the crown of Buck’s head.

send me a soft prompt and I'll write a little something!

completed prompts can be found on ao3!

#my beloved my ride or die my baby angel i hope you LOVE THIS <3 #i'm scampering through your window and leaving this on your bed like a cat coming in with a dead mouse #molly writes #buddie #evan buckley #eddie díaz #911 fic #911 #911 fox #soft prompts #molly got mail #honestlydarkprincess #princess tag

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imaginesmai · 1 year

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Once upon a fairy tale - Ubbe Ragnarson (7)

Barely alive, it’s been a couple of rought weeks BUT I’M BACK. Other parts: Once Upon A Fairy Tale Masterlist

Plot: Ubbe and you take important decisions, about your future and the future of your kingdoms, not knowing that something bigger than you is happening outside the castle’s walls.

When Ecbert told Ragnar about your decision to stay, the king didn’t look surprised at all. He humored you with your father, agreeing about the old age and bad knees. They both exaggerated their physical conditions between laughs, and concurred that they needed to take the hunting trip easy.

From behind your father, you watched with a soft smile the interaction.

You hadn’t noticed until that year how close your father and Ragnar were. Back at Wessex, you didn’t have many friends, and not a relationship as close as them. As you stared at their interaction, you felt your heart growing bigger, feeling that you had taken the right decision.

The moment was cut short when Ubbe and Sigurd appeared. Apparently, Aslaug had had a bad night and wouldn’t be gracing you with her presence. And, since Hvitserk hadn’t shown up for breakfast, he had declined going with them.

The hunting raid was complete and ready to go, you guessed. And it was time to share with Ubbe the news.

Both kings looked at you when the brothers arrived. Before you could notice the difference between them, Ubbe talked.

“I’ve been looking for you” he lifted the corner of his mouth, not completing the smile. “Good morning, father. King Ecbert”

“Ubbe” your father nodded in recognition.

“Where is your saddle?”

Indeed, while Sigurd was wearing his riding clothes, Ubbe was still in his usual, prince-ish robes. Not only he was wearing a long, cobalt tunic with silver embroidery, but he didn’t carry the usual smell of staying in the barn for hours.

When his brother rolled his eyes and walked away, Ubbe smiled. He had had enough time to prepare his horse, clean his riding boots and choose his favorite saddle. If he had wanted, he could have gone to the hunting raid, just as it was planned for him to go.

He liked to hunt. Like the adrenaline of chasing a prey and the silence of the forest. When they hunted, his father and him went back to his childhood, where they shared a deep bond. But he had decided against it.

“I won’t be accompanying you today, after all” Ubbe explained. “There are… matters I need to take care of. Maybe I can help princess Y/N packing”

“You won’t have to” Ecbert interrupted him.

“Oh”

Looking at your father, Ubbe lowered his head. His idea had been to stay behind with the excuse of helping you to pack. He didn’t know why, but after you were interrupted in his chambers, he had felt the need to spend one last day with you. Hvitserk had left the castle early in the morning to complete his weekly activities in the cabin, which included two brunets’ servants and the daughter of the baker.

So there was little chance of being interrupted.

He tried not to show his disappointment, because if you didn’t have to pack bags, then he didn’t have a reason to stay.

“We’ll be… staying. For another day” you explained, not meeting his eyes. “Because my father might get tired in the hunting raid, and it’s a long way back to Wessex. If it’s not a problem”

When Ragnar didn’t answer, Ubbe realized you were talking to him.

It took him by surprise that you were staying, but it was even more surprising that it was just for a day. Because he had known, deep down, that his intention today was to convince you to stay. That, during the last seven days, he had tried; first unconsciously, then as a choice. He started the summer mildly convinced that he had to marry you, and now he didn’t know what he wanted anymore.

Just that a day was an awful short amount of time.

“You could always check the old storage room” Ragnar proposed finally, breaking the silence. “It’s full of games and objects you used as children, and I’ve been asking you to take a look for a while. Maybe Y/N can help you”

“She can. She’s really organized” Ecbert contributed. “Besides, it is a bad day to stay outside. Just let these old dogs enjoy the hunting raid and find something to do. We will be back soon. Don’t want to get too tired”

“Indeed. Only God knows how many days in bed will earn us the hunting trip” Ragnar started at you with an amused smile. “Might be weeks”

“Might be, my dear friend. Shall we go?”

Both kings turned around and walked towards the carriage, that would take them to the designated part of the forest. Where the rest of the town would be waiting, with their dogs and bows ready.

While they walked away, you thought about how lucky you were. Your father would willingly stay for the whole summer if that’s what you wanted to, if that made you happy. He would also cancel the hunting raid and ride back to Wessex himself.

You stayed in silence as they got into the carriage and told the driver to move, until they drew up dust from the path and Sigurd kicked his horse to lead the way.

You had never had any problem talking with Ubbe. With remarks or mean words, you always kept the conversation going until you were torn apart by the adults or one of you couldn’t physically talk. But while the first drops of rain hit the ground, you kept quiet, not knowing what to say.

The meaning behind your decision was clear – that you wanted to try again, that you were willing to finally accept his hand. That you had consciously turned away the chance of changing your fate, consciously had chosen to marry him, without a proposal or weeding plans.

Staying meant you had admitted your intention of moving forwards, to whatever future you could hope for, and now it was Ubbe’s turn to answer. The decision of staying instead of going to the hunting raid could be an answer, but he didn’t know your decision yet.

So you waited, as rain started to wet your hair and soak your dress.

You waited in silence, until a cape was wrapped around your shoulders and a pair of hands turned you away from the path your father had just disappeared from.

“We should get inside” Ubbe spoke through the rain, that had gotten heavy a matter of seconds. “Fuck. It’s – fuck!”

“Oh my god” you couldn’t help but laugh when suddenly you were hit with what felt like a gallon of water.

You let yourself be lead away from the main door while Ubbe wrapped an arm around your shoulder. With a natural instinct, you shifted closer to him until you fit under his arm.

It wasn’t funny, but you couldn’t stop laughing, and soon, Ubbe was laughing too. It wasn’t the pearly smile you had seen that day at the courtyard, that flashed in your mind without your permission. It was different, and at the same time, wonderful.

You ran through the rain, not tripping against each other’s feet by luck. Servants that were taking cover in the barns stared when you passed by, and a man with bulky clothes tried to stop Ubbe with a scandalized scream.

Once you finally took cover, you were soaked. The rain had drenched Ubbe’s cape, now heavy on your shoulders, and the bottom of your dress was full of mud. Even your socks, under thick books, were wet. Still smiling, you stared at Ubbe as he moved your hair out of your face, letting you see his full smile. It was beautiful, his chipped front tooth a reminder of you.

Although he was too drenched to the bones, his hands felt warm, or maybe it was your cheeks. Or maybe you were running a fever and you were hallucinating, because suddenly, it was a déjà vu from that morning. He was looking at your lips and you were wondering what it would feel to stay forever, not just for a day.

His finger hovered over your mouth, a ghost touch.

“You look like a wet rat”

“And you smell like a wet horse”

He scoffed and for a second, you thought he was going to actually kiss you. That he was going to move forward and you were going to meet him at the middle. In a perfect fantasy, he would ask you to stay and you would choose to, not using excuses or prologues.

You would never know, because thunder roared in the sky and the moment was broken.

What Ragnar defined as an old storage room was everything but that. It could have been a room, a long time ago, with high windows and a clear view of the forest. But someone had decided to start accumulating things inside, and now you could barely take two steps straight.

You hadn’t bothered bathing, neither had Ubbe. As if not spending every minute of the day together was an offense, you changed clothes with your backs to each other, not even using the bathroom. You chose a dark green dress that showed your boots, comfortable to move, and Ubbe had put on a different tunic.

He showed you the storage room, moving the curtains. Everything was covered with white, dusty sheets, and you were in for a long morning.

“I threw Hvitserk down the stairs with one of these” Ubbe said from behind you, breaking the comfortable silence in the room. “He broke through a window and didn’t even get a bruise”

You looked away from the pile of children’s clothes that you were trying to organize. He was holding up a large piece of wood attached to one wheel, the other missing. Indeed, you remembered using a similar one in some occasions, although you didn’t have a specific memory with it.

Between mountains of garbage, you had found many children’s toys and clothes. After spending a lifetime of summers together, you had gathered a good amount of entertainment options. In a useless attempt of bringing you closer, your fathers had brought you everything a child would want or need. Not realizing until it was too late that you would hit each other with it before sharing.

“Didn’t you race me with one of those in the gardens?” you tried to remember, getting closer.

“You were winning so I tried to shorten through my mother’s roses” he chuckled. “She got mad, but you were furious”

“You destroyed every last of them!” you laughed too, remembering that summer.

It was one of the first ones you spent in Mercia, and you had never used a toy like that one. Thinking you wouldn’t know how, Ubbe had raced you and you had won, and in the meantime, he had destroyed half of his mother’s garden. You remembered her scolding and feeling furious at him.

So angry, that you used his favorite wooden sword as a throwing dagger during the next day.

You moved closer to him, looking at the piece of wood. Even if you had argued more than talked, it wasn’t always boring. There were games and competitions. When you were all young, Ubbe didn’t discriminate you from being a girl, and included you in the games where he thought he could win. Somewhere in the way that changed and your worlds drifted apart.

“You care too much about flowers” he said, raising from where he was sitting.

“It’s not I have many things to care about in here. I can’t cook, train or ride, and needlework is definitely not one of my passions. No matter how much your mother tries” you explained. There was only a foot between you two. “Flowers are… nice. They are beautiful”

“If you want to, I could assign some more servants to the garden. So they can help you take care of them”

If you want to stay, I could make you happy, just so you know

Ubbe let the hidden meaning clear. Because if you left after your father rested, then the garden was the least of your concerns. He couldn’t care less about the flowers or the garden, and he knew right then, that if it made you stay, he would send his whole army to take care of those flowers.

In that dark room, crowded with objects from your past, he waited for you to answer. It was impossible that you hadn’t understood what he meant, and by the way you stared at him, he knew. In just seven days, he had made a decision that had been asked from him for sixteen years. Sixteen years under the pressure of getting to know you and take you as his wife.

Only when you were no longer under that much pressure, he finally saw it clear.

“It would be nice” you answered, your voice small. “You could help me sometimes. If you want to”

Through the window, another lighting broke the sky. The storm was now loud and wild, thunders and lighting accompanying the rain. Someone appeared through the trees riding a horse at full speed, towards the castle. It would take them a while to reach the gates, and you didn’t notice them.

Not when Ubbe’s blue eyes were staring right into your soul, and when yours couldn’t decide where to look – to them or to his mouth.

“You’re staying” he tried, not a question but a fact. A need.

“If you want me to”

Before you could notice the smoke that was raising from the middle of the forest, he crossed the invisible line he had drawn sixteen years ago and pressed his lips against yours. They were rough and demanding, not like the shy, first kisses you had shared with boys in your kingdom.

You could have fallen if it wasn’t for the table that was behind you, or for his hand that pressed your hips against his. There was no air between you two, no space for second guesses. Only his lips and hands on your body, and yours on his neck.

One of yours caressed the back of his head, your thumb brushing the soft hair where his braid started. Not knowing what to you with the other one, you held yourself together by holding onto the desk. Afraid he would let you go and you would crash into the ground, knees turned into jelly.

But he didn’t let you.

With his free hand holding your head straight, demanding more of you, he broke free for air. His pupils were blown, almost no trace of blue behind them. No one had ever touched you the way he was, and you understood that no one would in the near future, if you had a saying in it.

Ubbe didn’t move his hand from your face. Instead, giving you time to push him away, he lowered it down your neck. Something inside him screamed to let go, to forget about what was expected from him and lower his hand more, until there was no turning back. The way you were looking at him, the way you weren’t moving, made it harder.

But he resisted and let his hand go to his original place, to your cheek.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked after a long minute, his voice rough and deep. “We don’t – you don’t have to. Not even if you stay”

“Shut up”

Once more, you crashed your lips against his and he let you, smiling against them. You could feel every curve and corner of his body that you had guessed that morning under the covers. The room’s temperature grew in seconds, and when the hand on your waist moved lower, you let him.

Sixteen years of frustration, hate and disagreement were forgotten as you felt your skirt move higher, his leg making its way between yours.

One thing was to sleep in the same room, to let people assume you were together, but another one was to actually do it. Before you could regret your decision or let your brain caught up with your heart, someone knocked at the door urgently.

“It’s the king! The king is dead!”

Want to read more? Check out my side blog @imaginesmaimasterlists, where I keep all the masterlists! Feedback is always appreciated

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sarakingdom · 1 month

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tonight I felt like writing about stevensara and so I came up with this sloppy little draft of a scene that could fit nicely into an ordinary life - i’m currently half asleep and typing this on my phone so please do forgive any spelling / grammar errors !! 💗

~~~

She sits with Steven in a cold room in London. It’s 1952, and the snow is so thick that it’s began to fall through the cracks in their thin windows. He hands her a mug of hot chocolate, and she sighs contentedly as the smell reaches her nose.

‘Do you think we’ll win?’ he says, looking away from her and instead out into the icy pavement outside where two boys pelt snowballs at one another.

Sara stops mid sip, holding her mug in both hands. Normally it’s her that brings this up - her paranoia, the repeated checking of her weapon and the taranium happening far more frequently than she’d like to admit. Steven has always seemed far more capable of truly taking to their new lives which for Sara seem as though they could never be anything more than temporary. Maybe that’s why his question shocks her so much.

Sara studies Steven’s face, or the little of it she can make out from her angle. He looks worried, eyebrows furrowed and jaw clenched.

‘I…I’d like to think so…’ she trails off, unsure of how much she believes it. It is a very un-Space Security Service answer, she thinks to herself. No reassurances, no platitudes.

He turns to face her, and Sara realises that she must have sounded more confident in her answer than she felt - or Steven is just desperate for reassurance on the matter because a small smile has found its way onto his face, his eyes seeming brighter. Sara feels that odd twist in her chest that has seemed to be happening more and more frequently, but swallows it down.

‘So do I. Especially when we find where the doctor’s got to…I’m sure it’ll be for good reason and we’ll definitely have some stories to tell him, won’t we?’

A smile sneaks its way onto Sara’s face at this. It hasn’t been a long time they’ve spent together without the doctor, but it feels as though it’s lasted years. She’s gone to sleep every night with her head spinning from a world of completely new things - some good (ice cream) and some bad (her attempt at finding g a job was definitely a point she’d keep to herself upon their reunion with the doctor).

Steven is looking at her even more intently now and Sara berates herself for noticing the slight pink dappled across his cheeks - something that she thinks makes him seem newly vulnerable to the extent she worries it’s an invasion of privacy for her to note it.

‘I guess…why I asked about us winning-‘ he trails off, fiddling with his hands and then the mug he holds.

Sara gives him a searching look which she hopes urges him to continue.

‘I just…god…I can’t stop thinking that something awful is going to happen. To me, or worse…to you.’

Sara’s soft smile is replaced by a raised eyebrow and a frown. ‘Why would it be worse if something happened to me?’

Steven sighs, placing his mug on the small rickety coffee table and standing up.

‘I don’t know what I’d do without you, Sara.’

He walks out of the room before Sara can say another word, and she is left alone on the sofa. The temperature drops as he leaves, opening the door, but her face is flushed and she worries there’s the beginning of a winter fever setting in. She wraps a blanket around her, feeling her heart beat so fast she thinks it might burst out of her chest.

#steven taylor #sara kingdom #steven taylor / sara kingdom #stevensara #kat’s stevensara posting #an ordinary life #daleks masterplan

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starshine-effendy · 2 years

Text

Vengeful

Ok so I don’t own any MHA characters they belong to their rightful author.

OK NOW DOWN TO BUSINESS!

Water manipulation Quirk but super easy to control + increased distance and increased speed.

You’re basically unstoppable.

Now. POV: You Deku and Kacchan= childhood friends but after your quirks things started going south. He’s the reason why you didn’t go to UA and instead to the wonderful school of Shiketsu High School. Now you’re in your Hero license exam and... There like 2 versions of this. One where you’re vengeful and one where you’re just... shy. In the vengeful one you’re seeking revenge for bullying you.

“Kacchan! Kacchan!” You heard young Deku yell. “I wanna be the hero too Kacchan! I wanna be like All Might!!”

“Shut up Deku you’ll never be as amazing as all might,”

“Why do you have to be so mean?” Deku pouted.

“No one’s as cool as All Might dumb Deku,” Young Kacchan declared.

“Aww I guess you’re right”

“ I’m always right,” the tiny blonde announced, proudly.

"So then I wanna be a hero!”

“No, I’ll be the hero and you be the sidekick,”

“Aww.. Alright then,”

“You be the princess,” He pointed at you with a childlike grin on his face.

That’s how it always was. You’re the princess who needed saving and Kacchan would always save you. Somehow things changed when he got his quirk.

Pop! Pop! Little miniature explosions came out of his palms. This was the moment Kacchan got his quirk. Everyone awed how awesome it was. “Awesome!” One of your classmates cheered.

“You’re so lucky!” Deku yelled out.

“Yea,” Your classmates agreed.

“Impressive, I betchu that’s gonna grow into an amazing quirk!” one of your teachers commented.

“Definitely,” Your other teacher added, “A flashy quirk for a future hero! It’s perfect,”

‘Yea you’re right! I AM amazing! In fact I bet there’s NO one as Great as I am’

His thoughts were cut off when.

A Giant arm appeared. The arm was as big as Kacchan. One thing about it? It was made entirely of water.

“Oh it seems another quirk’s been manifested,” Your female teacher acknowledged.

She and the other teacher looked around for the kid responsible for the water arm. You placed your arm down after cheering for Kacchan and the hand mirrored your movement. The hand dropped to the ground.

“Ah- it’s you! Y/n that’s an impressive quirk!” She commented.

“A hand that big especially in your age is quite incredible,” Your male teacher stated, “I can’t imagine how your quirk will progress in the future but I bet you’re mostly likely the next number 1 hero,”

Kacchan stared at you. His brows were turning to a frown. His little explosions were getting louder. You stole the attention from him and you developed a more powerful quirk. You weren’t supposed to be strong. You were supposed to be the princess. The damsel in distress. This made Kacchan mad. He started bullying you ever since and it was you and Deku for the rest of your school life. That is... until highschool.

Bakugou gave you a swift kick on the gut. You were knocked back against the wall. You held your gut as Bakugou grabbed your collar.

“Listen up 'princess’,” He yelled, “Don’t you DARE try to apply for UA. I’M Going to be the First And ONLY student from this crappy school to get into UA! So you better not Screw that up!”

You only winced at his scary tone. You weren’t planning to get into UA. Even if you did it would be because of Izuku. You could feel yourself trembling. You couldn’t even look him in the eye anymore.

“LOOK AT ME WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU!!” He yelled, explosions coming from his hand.

You drew back further and started trembling harder. You didn’t want to hurt Bakugou. He let your collar go and you fell back slowly.

“Pathetic losers like you shouldn’t even be a hero,” He commented before leaving your line of sight.

That’s the entire thing though. That was never your role. You were never wanted to be a hero. You were supposed to be the princess who Kacchan and Deku saved. You picked yourself up knowing that isn’t your role anymore. You obeyed Bakugou and didn’t apply for UA. You instead went for Shiketsu HighSchool.

Walking home you encountered a commotion. You usually would walk past it and let the heroes take care of it but there’s when you heard a familiar voice. “KACCHAN!” It was Deku. Damn it Midoriya. You didn’t want to lose one of your friends now. Your quirk was water manipulation and the villain was mostly made out of water so quickly took control of the sludge monster and separated it from Bakugo while grabbing Deku to keep him in a safe distance with an ice chain. You controlled the sludge villain to be as small as possible and locked him in an ice dome. You quickly walked away sparing a quick glance at Deku to make sure he’s alright.

You got accepted to Shiketsu Highschool. You kept it a secret from your old friends. Until the day of your hero license exam. You hopped out of your bus with Inasa. An enthusiastic boy who’s loud but he meant well. He was your best friend.

“The usual you guys” A red boy announced.

Inasa sneaked up behind them.

“On my mark,” The red boy continued.

Inasa walked closer towards them.

“Go plus-”

“ULTRA!” Inasa yelled.

You stood next to Camie and watched him with a smile.

That caught the attention of half the UA students there.

“You know it’s pretty rude to barge into other peoples huddles like that Inasa,” Seiji Shishikura, the second year boy, pointed out calmly.

“What? Pardon me,” Inasa raised his head, “I AM” His arms tucked to his side as he continued, “SO” He bowed his head till it hit the ground “VERY EXTREMELY SORRY!!!”

You giggled. That caught the attention of both Izuku and Bakugou. They haven’t seen you smile for a while actually. Especially Bakugou. Since he always tormented you before. You looked like you were glowing.

“Y/n!” Deku called out. He ran towards you.

“Oh Deku!” You responded. You were bombarded with questions from the green nerd.

“Hahaha.. Calm down I have several questions for you too. We can have a chat after the exam,” You cheerfully suggested.

“OH Y/N you know this guy?” Inasa asked in his usual loud enthusiastic voice.

“Yea he’s my middle school friend! Izuku meet Inasa,” You said.

Unbeknownst to you there was a blonde looking at you. He watched as you kept... glowing as you smiled. You never glowed during middle school so this view was definitely new to him. He... liked it.

You waved at Izuku as you, Inasa and your other schoolmates walked into the exam location.

"Vengeance is clouding your vision," Seiji quietly mentioned.

You took a glance at him before ignoring his words.

The exam began and you watched as Bakugou left his classmates with some others following him. You conjured up an ice platform that floats you up into the sky. You followed them and led you to your schoolmate. What a coincidence. You were floating so you got there before they could.

"HEYA SEIJI" You called out.

"Y/n why are you here?" He asked, looking up and shifting his body to face you. You were still floating with your ice platform

"Thought you might need some help," you looked to your side.

He followed your gaze. Bakugou and 2 if his other classmates were running towards you. You have a mischievous smirk and you charged towards them.

"I'LL HANDLE THE BLONDE YOU CAN HAVE THE REST," You yelled.

You heard Seiji yelling at you but you couldn't care. You charged towards Bakugou. Since your quirk has less limits you were faster so you captured him with ice chains that covered his torso and hands sending him flying backwards. Kirishima and Denki were going to attempt to save him when Seiji called out to them. Since you were faster you took off his gauntlets and controlled his sweat too. This happened so fast that he didn't have time to react. The ice restraining his hands slowed down the sweat he was producing too.

"I thought I felt someone following us," Bakugou growled.

You chuckled. You unfroze the positions of his targets and hit 2 of them.

"BASTARD!! I'LL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!!"

"You're all bark but no bite when it comes to me huh?" you questioned with a pout. You thought he changed but you were wrong. You saw Bakugou aggressively squirming around trying to free himself. You tightened the ice

"You know… thanks to Deku I know how your quirk works. So stop squirming, it's useless,"

Bakugou was grunting angrily before he finally stopped."Shiketsu huh? You didn't go to UA so you went to Shiketsu" He growled.

He took a moment before continuing, "WHY? YOU DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO BECOME A HERO!"

Your ice tightened. Bakugou was smart. He knew he was basically quirkless without his sweat or gauntlets. Hell he couldn't even reach his grenades. So he had to resort to negotiating.

"That's true. My role was never the hero Kacchan," you said his name in a mocking tone. "That was yours... But I guess you can't be a hero without passing the exam,"

You paused.

"You never deserved the title anyways,"

"THEN WHY?!" He yelled, "WHY'D YOU BE A HERO WHEN YOU DIDN'T WANT TO IN THE FIRST PLACE?! WHY GO TO SHIKETSU?! WHY TAKE THIS DAMN EXAM?!"

You could feel him struggle in the ice.

"SO I CAN SEE THE LOOK IN YOUR EYES WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT I'M THE NUMBER ONE HERO!" Your words had some venom in them.

Bakugou scoffed. He looked down. "I'm not an idiot! I knew if you were in the picture I'd never be number one. Dammit. I knew you were stronger than me.So I berated you. My helpless princess whom I was supposed to be saving,"

You flinched at the nickname. Looking back at it now he's never called you anything else except your name or that nickname. But it's been so long since you've heard it, it surprised you. "I'm sorry," He mentioned.

This. This. Caught you by surprise. The Katsuki Bakugou just Apologized. To you nonetheless. Sure you had to beat it out of him but this was still surprising. You sighed.

"Better have enough firepower to fix your landing," you said before not dropping him but throwing him in a random direction.

After this he started trying to atone for his past actions like taking you out for your old favorite drink.

Extra: Shy version. (above was vengeful version)

“What? Pardon me,” Inasa raised his head, “I AM” His arms tucked to his side as he continued, “SO” He bowed his head till it hit the ground “VERY EXTREMELY SORRY!!!”

You hid behind Camie jittering in place. Inasa was usually the person you’d hide behind from. He was tall and he made you feel safe even with his loud behavior. Deku caught a glimpse of you and waved at you. You waved back shyly.

“Let’s go” Seiji directed. You followed.

Inasa in an attempt to cool your nerves gave you a challenge to who’s going to pass first. It worked. During the test you took out 12 people with your water powers. You didn’t really want to take too much people out because you didn’t want them to be mad at you. You just attacked some people with a tidal wave which managed to take their balls and at the same time hit their targets. Once you got 3 you tried to stop the wave but before you could you accidently got another 9.

“YEA! YOU WERE AWESOME THERE Y/N,” Inasa cheered. You blushed and nodded at the comment. He kept talking you up and you just stood there face red shyly thanking him every now and then.

#mha #mha bakugou #inasa #yoarashi inasa #fanfic #bakugou katsuki #katsuki bakugo x reader #inasa x reader #katsuki x y/n #inasa yoarashi x reader #bakugou x y/n #bakugou x reader

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sweetfirebird · 10 months

Text

Christmas Shit

The next of the Christmas charity prompts. @orbisonblue generously donated and asked for some Jimmy and Javier from From Better or Worse.

Content tags: some mention of Jimmy's (absent) awful, homophobic family, complete with how they think/talk about gay stuff as well as Jimmy. This is futurefic, so I guess book spoilers.

All characters are mine blah blah.

Christmas Shit

Javier let himself into Jimmy’s place through the back door like always, narrowly avoiding Baci as she bolted outside to chase leaves, one of the bags in his arms smacking into the wall hard enough to make him freeze and listen for any glass breaking. But he forgot the spun glass white egret intended as a Christmas present for Peyo to put in the yard that was now possibly shattered into a thousand pieces, because Jimmy sprang up from where he’d been lying on the couch and flailed around until he found the remote.

He waved it at the TV while forcefully pressing buttons, probably intending to turn it off but only pausing the screen. Javier glanced at the image of several white people in period costumes lined up opposite each other for what he assumed was a dance, then faced Jimmy, who was staring at him with eyes a little too wide. As though Javier had just walked in on him watching porn—no, Javier had walked in on him watching porn and also had watched some with him, so this was something else.

He realized what only a second after his first thought. Trust Jimmy to still have hangups about doing anything that might be considered ‘weak’ or ‘gay’ where anyone in his family might see.

Javier was not someone who raged or held grudges, but he had a collection of things he was waiting for a chance to say to the Rizzo family if he ever met them.

Not that he ever would. That was why Jimmy was out here, and why he volunteered to work on every holiday, and probably why he’d made up reasons to not go to Christmas shopping at the mall in Riverton with Javier and Peyo today.

“You’re home earlier than I expected,” Jimmy said, almost breathless. He was not looking back at the TV screen. Javier couldn’t let him go on being nervous, even though if he waited, Jimmy would remember on his own that Javier was one of his asshole relations back in the Midwest who would insist something like that was for fags.

But Javier didn’t feel like letting Jimmy suffer even for another second. “Is that Pride and Prejudice?” He calmly closed the door behind him; Baci would let them know when she wanted back inside.

“I don’t know,” Jimmy answered immediately, then seemed to realize how childish he sounded and frowned at the couch for a moment. “I guess,” he amended. “Probably.”

Javier gentled his voice but made his point anyway. “Everyone knows who Colin Firth is. Because of that thing.” Jimmy set his jaw as though he had an argument he wasn’t going to make, so Javier added, “and that Bridget Jones or whatever.” And then, because it would make Jimmy’s relatives squirm, “And Mamma Mia.”

“Rhonda loves that movie. Fuck you. She put it on when I was over there.” This was muttered, but at least Jimmy was starting to look less squirrely.

Tiny’s wife did love Mamma Mia. But Javier suspected that Jimmy’s opera-loving ass was fond of it too, and would probably enjoy more musicals if given the chance.

Javier left that unsaid. “You can keep watching. I’m going to go stash this stuff in the bedroom.”

It was not, technically, his bedroom, or even their bedroom. Not on the lease anyway. Javier still had his bedroom in Peyo’s house next door. But when he’d told Jimmy he’d be hiding presents in their bedroom, Jimmy hadn’t objected. He’d even cleared out space in the closet.

“Nah, I don’t need to watch the rest, it’s okay,” Jimmy denied anyway.

Javier studied him without moving, letting shopping bag handles dig into his arms. He stared until Jimmy fidgeted and said, “What? It’s fine. I don’t need to keep watching.”

Then Javier just said, very softly, “It’s okay if you’d rather watch it by yourself. But I wouldn’t spoil it for you if you let me join you. I’ve never seen it. Just that other one.”

Jimmy put his head back like this was an unexpected blow. “You saw that one?”

Javier nodded. “In the station believe it or not. And no, it was not me or Scotty who put it on. Hmm. I did read one of her books, Austen’s I mean, in college, but not this one. So definitely no spoilers from me.”

“Oh.” Jimmy shifted from foot to foot once, restless or indecisive. “I didn’t put this on either. But it came on.”

“And it was so good that you stopped what you were doing to watch?” Javier couldn’t help his smile or the teasing, but getting Jimmy to forget his fight-or-flight reactions to these things always felt good. Like a reward or a gift shared between the two of them. But he didn’t push the teasing despite how he probably could have now. “You want something to eat? I can do that next and bring it to you while you watch.”

Jimmy narrowed his eyes, but then dipped one shoulder, looking so adorably bashful and fierce at the same time that Javier hid a sigh. “Yeah. Thanks. You don’t have to, but thanks. I… you can join me, if you want. I can start over.”

“I’m not going to make you do that.” Javier wouldn’t have anyway, but also he vaguely thought that version was long and he had already worn himself out with the drive to Riverton and then shopping, and was probably going to take a nap even if he tried not to. It wasn’t worth it to start it all over for him now. “But you could fill me in while I make us some sandwiches?”

Jimmy wiped the amazed look off his face quickly, but Javier still caught it. He didn’t comment, though. He went to the bedroom, then came into the kitchen to wash his hands and get out what was left of the roast they’d made the other day and every condiment within reach.

“You want me to make you some coffee?” Jimmy asked from the kitchen doorway, watching Javier with his hands in his pockets, somehow still looking bashful and fierce. He accepted that Javier wasn’t going to laugh at him or mock him, but was unable to quite shake old fears. “You look tired. The old man drive you crazy today?”

“Tempting,” Javier admitted. “But I had two coffees at the mall already.”

He was focused on slicing bread and so didn’t realize Jimmy had moved. He put down the knife to reach for some onion and felt Jimmy’s breath on the back of his neck a second before Jimmy wrapped an arm around him.

“Thank you.”

Javier didn’t think Jimmy was talking about the food with that soft, sweet whisper, although it was just possible. He turned until he could press a quick kiss to the side of Jimmy’s face. Jimmy’s cheek was hot and held the faint impression of one of the couch cushions, as if he’d been watching Pride and Prejudice with his face smushed against a pillow.

Javier kissed him again. “So, what were you watching before to make the channel suggest this?”

It got him a whine and more grumbling. “Javi.”

“It’s just a question,” Javier answered with innocence that might have seemed false to Jimmy, because he sighed deeply.

Then, without meeting Javier’s eye, said, “I wanted something Christmas that wasn’t anything I used to watch with them.”

Them being all the Rizzos except his ex-wife, who was a Rizzo by marriage-of-convenience and so didn’t really count as a Rizzo to Javier. Not like the rest of those assholes. She had sent them a Christmas card.

Javier held all those thoughts in, waiting for Jimmy to continue to explain, which he would if he wanted to.

Which he must have, because he angled his face to keep his gaze away but ask for another kiss, and then muttered, clearly embarrassed, “So a few years ago, I got in the habit of watching those holiday rom coms. The bad ones.”

“The bad ones?” Javier echoed, mostly because his impression of those Hallmark TV movies was that they were all bad.

Jimmy gave a tight shrug. “You know, the ones with the city girls, and the small towns covered in Christmas shit that nobody in their right mind fucking does. Like not even people who live in towns with Christmas tourism go that fucking nuts for it. But… they’ve got the colors and everything, and snow in ‘em a lot of the time and it don’t snow here. And they’ve almost always got really welcoming families in those insane Christmas towns and I…”

He stopped, abruptly and obviously.

“Ah.” Javier grabbed Jimmy by the collar of his t-shirt and pulled him closer until their eyes met.

“Aw, Javi,” Jimmy whined again, but apparently for a different reason. “Now, I gotta kiss you. It ain’t fair.”

Javier didn’t have time to get offended. Jimmy put hands on either side of his face and kissed him, slow and careful, without the hunger Javier had been expecting. He pulled back, then came in again to offer Javier another, even softer kiss, before saying, “You didn’t get out the good mustard.”

“Sorry,” Javier answered automatically.

Jimmy bobbed his head, cheered by food and the preparation of it, or the kiss, or being in the kitchen with Javier, which he had said many times was his favorite place to be “in the whole goddamn world.” He went to the fridge himself for the mustard, leaving Javier to watch him and shiver and think about what was left of the afternoon.

He cleared his throat. “We can eat, and I’ll tell you all about Peyo ditching me at the mall for a date,” or a hookup, “with his current old lady romantic partner.” It made Jimmy snort a laugh, so Javier continued. “Then, if you want, we can go back to your movie. Or wrap presents. Or and wrap presents, if you want. Whatever you want, Jimmy.” Javier had just heard enough carols in the mall to last him until next Christmas, but, “We could even listen to carols. There’s sure be a playlist somewhere. Whatever you want. I mean it.”

“I do not want carols,” Jimmy huffed. He went stiff, then relaxed. Not completely, but enough. “It’s a tough time of year for people like me. That’s all.”

Javier forced himself to turn back the counter so Jimmy wouldn’t have to keep inventing reasons to go hide his face in the fridge. “I know, baby.”

That was said just to hear the grumbled, “Fucking baby, he says. Il mio coure.” Jimmy closed the refrigerator door, though, then paused. “You need anything else for these?”

Javier made his voice overly sweet. “Peppers if you want them, baby.”

He got a pissy look for it, but Jimmy did go back into the fridge for the jar. He put it on the counter. “How about a tea if not coffee, huh?” he offered. Then, while fussing with the kettle said over his shoulder, as if it were no big deal, “So—there is this family that has all daughters, okay? Like five of ‘em and none of them are married.”

“Okay,” Javier agreed, and hid his smile.

#charity prompt #charity prompts 2023 #for better or worse

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straightupsickfics · 1 year

Text

something sweet and full of care

ed/stede - ~4k - modern college au

i managed to finish something i started in january... who IS SHE?

college au stede is suffering and missing his boyfriend very much and really not having a good time at all <3 too bad ed's school is soo far away :(

****

Stede Bonnet is… well, he’s not doing very well, honestly. The spring semester is just getting started in earnest, which means he’s got about a million assignments to complete and studying to get done. He's also coming down with the cold he always gets this time of year, and to top it all off, he’s missing Edward more than ever. It’s always ten times harder getting used to being apart again after being together through the entire three-week winter break, and Stede feels his absence so acutely he wants to cry.

Now, Stede is back on campus, back in his single room that feels like both a blessing (not sharing with strangers) and a curse (not having anyone to study and commiserate with), and missing Ed so much he thinks he might just let himself wallow in it for a bit. Crying sounds both necessary and entirely unavoidable at this point, what with the way his head is throbbing, his stomach is growling, and his laptop seems to glare at him with a particularly threatening energy.

Stede: I miss you :(

Ed: I miss you already is that pathetic

Ed: Okay, that was weird <3 i love you

Stede: Somehow this makes me miss you MORE

They would text each other the same thing at the same time, Stede thinks, sighing heavily and sinking onto his bed. He’s made the best of the small bed, covered it in the highest thread-count sheets he could find and covered it in an admittedly absurd amount of soft blankets and pillows, trying to make up for the absence of Ed, the softest thing he’ll ever find in his bed, really. His small creature comforts help for a minute, but as soon as he lays down, Stede knows he’s made a mistake. He’ll never get back up now, he’s too tired, his head pounding too hard for him to be of any use this evening. He stretches and groans, blinking up at his phone as another message from Ed comes through.

Ed: Me too, I have so much work to do I’m about to say fuck it and go to sleep

Stede: Ha. I’m in bed having the same thought. I wish you were here, though

Ed: Let’s see then

Stede: [img]

Ed: I always ask thinking it’ll help but it also makes it worse?? How is this possible? You look fucking exhausted, sweetheart

Stede’s eyes prick at the easy endearment, and he squeezes them shut to push away the tears he knows are coming. No one is even around to see him, there’s no reason he should feel so… ashamed about crying in his own room, but, well.

Stede: think I picked something up, a cold or something. My head’s killing me and my throat’s all scratchy :/

Ed: Poor Stede. Though I guess it’s that time of year… I could set my watch to it

Stede: Could not

Ed: Totally could. How do you know I haven’t?

Stede: Did you actually??

Ed: No 💜 I just know you

Ed seems set on inadvertently making Stede cry tonight.

Stede: That you do :(

Ed: Aw, hey, I miss you, I love you, I wish I could come cuddle you better. You should take tonight to relax and see how you feel in the morning. Don’t force yourself to stay up and study!!

Stede: 😇

Ed: You already said you’re in bed! Order takeout and stay there… doctor’s orders

Stede: Twist my arm

Takeout consists of hot and sour soup that tastes delicious but makes Stede’s nose run, fried rice he only pokes at, and a chicken thing he ordered by accident that Ed usually eats.

Stede dabs at his nose and takes a picture of his dinner and sends it to Ed, explains about the chicken, and manages a smile when Ed sends back a running emoji.

By the time he’s finished and the leftovers are stashed in his fridge, Stede feels marginally better. At least he’s eaten, which means he can take some cold medicine and hopefully knock himself out for the night.

Tomorrow’s another day.

Ed: goodnight 💜

Stede: goodnight 💙 I love you

Ed: love you more, no arguments 😇

When Stede wakes up the next morning, he knows immediately that today isn’t going to be any better than yesterday. In fact, if the immediate rush of sneezes is anything to go by, today is going to be infinitely worse.

“hhIH… hIHh’NDGt! hiH!…’NGDshH! Hh!” Stede manages to stifle two ticklish, insistent sneezes against the sleeve of the sweater as soon as he tugs it over his head, grimacing with the knowledge that this will hardly be the last time he does that today. At least it’s Friday, and there’s a long weekend, so he can sequester himself to his room if he has to.

He knows, deep down, that he’ll end up doing exactly that once he gets through the three classes he has today.

Ed: Good morning, love of my life

Stede: Bet you say that to everyone <3

Ed: Caught me, you’re one in a long, long list, Bonnet

Stede: Okay, I know it was my joke, but I regret it immediately

Ed: I love you the most. How are you feeling this morning?

Stede can’t text and make tea and walk to class and keep his nose in check all at once, so he pops his headphones in and calls Ed while he finishes getting ready. He’s downing a dose of liquid cold medicine when Ed picks up, and Stede’s heart swells a little when he hears the smile in his boyfriend’s voice.

“Good morning, darling,” Ed says in greeting.

Stede would love to return the sentiment, he really would, but his nose gets the better of him at the exact wrong moment, so what Ed actually gets in return is a flurry of damp sneezes, an entire fit of them all in a row.

“Hih! Iiiidshh! Heh’ushhh’ue! MmptshhH!” Stede has to set his phone down to blow his nose a few times, and is a little breathless by the time he picks it back up again.

“God, so sorry, that was gross,” Stede says immediately, but Ed is already making sympathetic sounds into the phone.

“God bless you! You’re not feeling any better, I take it,” Ed says. It’s not a question, and Stede just sighs again.

“N’dot quite,” he sniffles. “It’s going to be a…heh! Snf! long day.”

“Bless you?”

“Hdt’UdshhH! IIshhiiew!”

God, Stede really has to get a grip before class. His cheeks heat at even the idea of sniffling and sneezing through the lectures he has this morning, all back to back with hardly enough time to grab tea in between. He'd thought it was smart, when he’d registered, getting all of his end of the week classes out of the way at once, but now that he feels like this he’s having his doubts.

“Why don’t you just skip and email your professors? Not like you’ll use absences to skip class,” Ed says, voice gentle but teasing. “Too smart to slack off like the rest of us heathens.”

Stede smiles. That much is true, he rarely (fine, never) skipped class, but that’s more to do with the fact that he doesn’t have many people to skip class with than some outstanding academic record. Still, though, his Oceanography paper is due soon, and they were doing a peer review today that he didn’t want to miss. His paper is solid so far, but he could really use the feedback, though Stede already feels bad for the poor person assigned to swap with him.

He explains the situation to Ed, and notes that his throat already hurts, and he’d only been talking for a few minutes. He really is in for the longest day ever. Stede listens to Ed talk about his own busy day (class starting at noon, followed by a few hours of tutoring, and a warning that Stede might not hear from him for most of the day, but to please call or text him if he starts feeling really bad).

Stede makes himself a travel mug of tea while he listens, his throat feeling heavy and tight with emotion right along with the sore throat. Ed really is sweet.

“Still there?” Ed asks as Stede locks his door and sets off down the stairs and towards his first class of the day.

“Mm, yes, sorry! Just thinking…”

“Uh oh,” Ed smiles.

Stede laughs, then winces, because that hurts his throat, too, as it happens. “Maybe once things calm down and I don’t feel like I’m going to infect everyone in my path… I could come visit? I have some money saved, and…”

Ed’s quiet on the other end of the line. “That would be amazing,” he agrees after a beat. “But let’s cross that bridge when we get there, yeah? You focus on getting through today and feeling better for now, alright?”

Stede wants to cry. Deep down, of course he knows Ed wants to see him as badly as Stede does, knows that he’s just being protective, but still, that nagging voice at the back of his head, the one that never leaves him alone and hates to see Stede happy, pokes at him. What if Ed doesn’t want him around? His friends are more fun, cooler than Stede, and what if Ed doesn’t want Stede around them again?

No. Stede forces the thoughts from his mind as he huddles into the soft fabric of his coat, tugging his sleeves down over his gloved hands. Ed’s right. One thing at a time. Focus, Bonnet.

Stede repeats that to himself until he gets to his first class, sniffling as he takes his usual seat and sipping his travel mug of breakfast blend tea to keep himself from falling asleep in his chair.

Oceanography goes well enough, though his partner Lucius makes almost no effort to hide his grimaces every time Stede has to turn away to cough to sniffle or blow his nose. As if Stede himself prefers it this way, he thinks, miffed.

He gets the feedback he wanted, though, and despite his dazed, stuffy head, Stede manages to provide Lucius with some helpful direction, too, he hopes.

“Here, you look like you need these more than I do,” Lucius says at the end of class, holding a travel packet of tissues out with the tips of his fingers, as if even a brush of their fingers will ensure transfer of Stede’s cold.

God, maybe it would, Stede really does feel bad.

“Thanks, Lucius. Sorry about all this,” he says again.

Lucius has the decency to look sympathetic, even momentarily. “No problem,” he chirps. “Feel better. And maybe don’t leave the house this weekend. See you!”

With Lucius gone, Stede lets himself outside and proceeds to fall into the coughing fit he’d put off for the duration of his class. Best to get it out now before the next one starts. That’s the goal, anyway, though he knows, deep down that it will be impossible to keep all of his cold symptoms in check for another four hours.

Four hours. The idea of it is enough to make him want to turn right around and head back to his room. It feels like a marathon. He really can afford to miss the classes… but…

But he’s stubborn. Stede can almost hear Ed telling him as much over the phone, and smiles a little to himself as he makes his way to his Earth Science class. Maybe he is stubborn, but it’s also the busiest time of the semester, and besides, Stede likes his classes. He loves to learn and always has, and finally having the ability to study exactly what he wants hasn’t worn off just yet.

So, Stede blows his nose a final time, thankful for the backup tissues from Lucius, as he’s sure he’ll be running through his own in no time, and trudges across campus to his next class.

He can do this.

By the time the day ends and Stede finds himself back in his room his head is throbbing with congestion and he can hardly think straight. Fever, he thinks dimly, but he doesn’t have a thermometer that he can find, so he settles for a lukewarm shower that leaves him shivering, a glass of water, and a dose of cold medicine. He’d been hoping to make it through some of the reading he needs to get done, but anything more than a glance at his laptop sends his eyes swimming with tired, irritated tears.

He’s pressing his face into yet another handful of tissues, his eyes and nose seemingly in some kind of contest for which can run the most, when his phone lights up with a text from Ed.

Ed: How’re you feeling now? Make it back to your room okay?

It’s the first Stede’s heard from him in hours, he realizes sullenly. Ed mentioned his busy day this morning, and Stede had completely forgotten. He knows it’s silly to think that he’s the only one of the two of them trying to slog through the rush of the semester, but he feels just bad enough that he lets himself get away with it.

Stede: Pretty bad :( I’m back, yes, probably just going to end up falling asleep and hoping for the best. How was your day?

Ed: Good :) busy

Stede frowns down at his phone; nothing to smile about as far as he can see.

Stede: Good

Ed: ;)

Stede: What

Ed: Nothing, you get comfy and maybe we can FaceTime in a bit. Don’t fall asleep without me!

Stede’s heart gives a little squeeze. He wishes he could fall asleep with Ed here. He feels a little better about the doubts he’d been having earlier, too. Ed misses him, too, of course he does.

Stede: Wouldn’t dream of it

Ed: <;3

Stede does drift off, though. Almost immediately, in fact. He’d sprawled onto his bed after his shower, wanting nothing more than to get warm as he texted back and forth with Ed, but surrounded by his blankets and the beloved stuffed animals Ed had bought for him over the years, well, he didn’t stand a chance.

It’s his phone that wakes him up. Shit. He was supposed to FaceTime with Ed. Stede coughs into his shoulder, catches his breath, and rubs at his face before he picks up the call. It’s unlikely to do any good, but it’s worth a shot.

“Edward!” Stede says when he answers.

“Stede?” Ed’s somewhere dimly lit, his face pressed in close to his phone.

“Where are you?” Stede asks, yawning. His eyes feel so heavy. His whole head feels heavy, really, thanks to this monster cold. He hadn’t even taken NyQuil, but he might as well have for how overwhelmingly tired he feels.

“Mm? Nowhere,” Ed says quickly. “You fell asleep,” he smiles. It’s not even a question, and the fond tone of his voice makes Stede smile right back. He can’t help it, not when Ed looks like that, warm and smiling and happy, no matter how shitty Stede himself might be feeling.

“Maybe?” Stede says, rummaging around on his bed for the box of tissues he had beside him before he fell asleep. “H-hh! Hang on’d…Snf! Snf!” Sniffling helps for a minute, if that, but Stede finds the tissue box just in time to grab two tissues out of it before he sneezes. “hDT’SSHH! Ii’eishh’uh!”

“Bless you,” Ed says, his voice sympathetic and a little tired-sounding.

“Snf! Thanks,” Stede says. “And sorry,” he adds. “All our conversations today have involved mbe sndeezing at you…”

Ed laughs and Stede wishes he could bottle up the sound of it, let it out whenever he’s feeling bad or missing him. “You’re sick,” Ed reminds him gently. “Don’t need to be sorry for that.”

Right, well. The thing about that is Stede’s still getting used to it, even after two years. Not being an annoyance when he’s sick… having someone to remind him to take medicine and give himself a bit of a break… It's a lot. Stede’s tired and sick enough that his eyes and throat burn with the threat of tears at Ed’s words, and he forces himself to swallow them away.

“Think this cold’s gettin’g worse somehow. I really do miss you,” Stede says. It sounds pitiful and he knows it, but at this moment, he can’t bring himself to care. Ed’s seen it all by now, and nothing’s managed to scare him away so far.

“Mm, yeah, about that,” Ed says, smiling widely now. “I missed you too. And I know how you feel about being alone when you’re sick. So you have to promise not to get mad at me for doing something crazy, yeah?”

Stede sits up, suddenly wide awake as he tries to make sense of Ed’s words. “What do you mean?”

There’s a knock at his door and Stede’s heart leaps as his stomach swoops because of course.

“You’re… no! No way. Ed?? What did you do,” Stede’s sputtering, caught in a tangle of blankets on his narrow bed, and Ed’s laughing as he tumbles out of bed in a surprised little scurry.

“Let me in, you lunatic.”

Stede throws his phone onto his bed and moves as fast as his over-tired, cold-ridden brain will allow him, and then the door’s open and Ed’s here right where Stede’s wanted him every moment of this neverending day. Ed wraps himself around Stede without a second thought, pressing himself in as tight and close as he can manage, Stede’s face tucked into the warm skin of Ed’s neck, breathing each other in for one long, endless moment.

“You’re here,” Stede says without pulling away.

Ed laughs, the sound as warm and familiar as always, except now Stede can feel it vibrating right through him, and even this is enough to make him want to cry all over again. Everything about Ed feels so warm and safe he wants to sink right into him.

“I’m here,” Ed repeats. “Some of us don’t mind skipping the occasional class,” he teases. “D’you know the panic you sent me into this morning, talking about visiting soon when I was literally on my way to you?” He brushes his nose against Stede’s, then smiles when Stede has to sniffle a few times as the contact. “Thought you were about to come to me and we’d be in one of those movie situations where I’m here and you’re there.”

“Don’t think I could’ve managed a drive like that feeling like this, to be honest. And.. I thought you didn’t want me there,” Stede admits, a little ashamed.

Ed looks at him, brushing his thumb gently beneath Stede’s eye and then turning Stede’s face in his hand until Stede’s looking at him.

“Stede Montague Bonnet,” Ed says, and Stede is already smiling and feeling silly for all of it. “I always want you there! Anyone who didn’t want you around before didn’t know what they were missing. Fuck ‘em.”

Ed’s right, Stede knows. None of it matters now, not when Ed’s here in his small single room, wrapped around him and kissing him everywhere he can reach.

Stede does his best to make Ed at home, tucking his bag away and fussing until Ed pushes him gently onto the bed, insisting he can manage two cups of tea while Stede “rebuilds his sick person nest.”

“S’not a nest, really… more of a fort,” Stede huffs, gesturing to the warm white Christmas lights he still has strung from the ceiling. They give the whole place a more cozy vibe, and he keeps them up year round.

“Yeah, yeah, budge over, let me into the Stede Bonnet Fortress of Germs,” Ed says, making his way over to the bed with two steaming mugs of tea.

Stede shifts, rolling over towards the wall and letting Ed settle in against him until they’re pressed in warm and close, wrangling the blankets over themselves. It’s a small bed, but they make it work — Stede tends to sprawl out over Ed anyway, and this time is no different. He’s not inclined to leave even an inch of space between them when he’s spent the last few weeks dreaming of exactly this.

“Koala mode,” Ed murmurs, one hand stroking softly through Stede’s hair, the other drawing patterns over his back.

“You’re going to put me to sleep if you keep that up!”

“That’s the point, darling,” Ed tells him.

Stede shakes his head. “Want to enjoy having you here, not sleep through it.” Stede’s eyes feel heavy though, the events of the day catching up with him all at once. Everything melts away with Ed holding him like this. And, for a rare moment, Stede realizes can breathe through both of his nostrils at the same time, making sleep actually possible.

“We have all weekend, and you’re sick,” Ed reminds him, as if he can possibly forget. “It’s late. You’d be asleep already if it wasn’t for me.”

“You did try to warn me,” Stede smiles, leaning up just enough to brush their lips together.

“So I did. Didn’t want to be locked out, banging away at your door like a jilted lover.”

“Never jilted,” Stede says with a yawn.

“Mm, hope not. Drove a fucking long way; you’re stuck with me.”

Stede can’t imagine ever feeling stuck when it came to Ed, but that was an argument for another day. He lets Ed take charge of the remote, putting on a Planet Earth episode they’ve watched together before but both enjoy, and it really is no time at all before they’re both asleep, lulled by the company, the warmth, and the soothing voice of the TV.

Tomorrow’s another day, after all.

#of//md #my fic #it might not seem like a big deal but #I am actually so proud that I finished something older because 99.9% of the time it I don’t finish something in two days #it’s dead #and I even like the result so 😌 happy Friday to me

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lilac-udon · 8 months

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oh no I’m clowning myself again

As a basil defender

Most people stand w sunny and how often I see online is “basil ruins Sunny’s life ” . Would argue sunny ruined his life unintentionally, and basil actively chose to jump into the water with him. I can imagine basil never think that far into the consequences of his actions but the first instinct is to help Sunny. I can’t understand why basil did what he did ,and for me I do felt it’s overkill. My explanation is the writer needs it to be this extreme to connect the plot(and shock value . If sunny and mari are both basils friends, I cannot think of why he would throw Mari into the bus like that(I’m saying, thinking mari is already dead, need to save Sunny, but not in the point or any idea of, saving mari. He see Sunny action , but on the other hand he accepts mari is dead already too quickly in my taste)(I mean I don’t understand basil a lot a lot, I just don’t make sense but also he probably get push to do something because he think he is the only one to rely on when Sunny is suffering at that moment,add the point of he never really have parents supervise him, I guess that add a possibility of him not seeking others (parental figure) help but trying to fix stuff on its own. I have theory of he mostly solve stuff on his own, and no one helps or guides him, and he might be the one taking care of his grandma more than his grandma taking care of him

(((no , I will tell u this, a lot of people don’t like to think about any reason for basil bc they “hate basil” . I read other ship involving sunny and see how many write basil should get hate by his actions))))(((not that u can’t hate a character but , write it from another character lens(besides hero), ok cool?) (ah I know I ask too much, cute ship fluff no canon involved because it’s too much sure whatever)

I want to point out how much he valued to “help ”Sunny in that moment than anything else. Even it’s a very very awful idea. But I also want to say, as passive as Sunny is, didn’t he also ruined basil life. And the lack of people see it this way just annoys me, what did you mean basil deserved it, where if basil never met sunny he could at least had a normal childhood ; but for Sunny , sunny still needs to face the reality of mari is gone, wether or not basil is there to help him “cover up ”?

I always see both of them are in the wrong, even though so many people see them as cute little meow meows , nooo . Especially sunny, sunny is passive, but he is not entirely blank(I don’t know how to explain but I always use “cute” to explain?) this is more of my taste I guess, but I really like to put Omori characters into sunny as well, I see omori as what he is thinking, sunny just has the issue to showing all those thoughts he have. They are good kids but sunny has this attitude (read Omori note) removing it from him making him so cute and eepy as soft is just not how I imagine sunny I guess; ; ( where is his dark thoughts and edginess?

Basil being overall kind ? Huh, there is also this very weird thing of Basil literally shut off himself to only interact with sunny a tiny bit. After the incident he cut off from most of his friends. I think I don’t know how to think about him because there is too little information then from Omori point of view of dream basil (I can believe omocat probably don’t know too or probably very simple but I or the fandom over complicated him) I just always felt he do favor sunny, but that also can be explained he doesn’t know what to do and can only open with sunny because sunny literally causes them both in the dumpster. Or can think as he IS really this kind, waiting for sunny to do something than just snitching sunny, you know if he hate sunny or anything, he can twist the story or just tell it before sunny think through his trauma but he didn’t

Also to point out, sunny at the end of the game did somehow get a conclusion of his thoughts but not basil, just pointing out, we don’t know how he feels, he probably has unresolved trauma +the guilt of hurting sunny, also we are not sure if he is ok sunny just spell the beans like that, he might just want to talk with sunny but haven’t prepared to share it w his friends yet so yeah, I hope they are on the same page (someone reminded me that his something disappeared , so they are both fine)

Add

So sunny eye, I always see it as an apology of ruining basils life, but most people think it’s too much

#my internet cut off and I forgot what I was typing #internet tell me no more hate speech

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lissasmemes · 1 year

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𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

from taylor swift’s 2022 album midnights. feel free to change pronouns as needed!

001. lavender haze

“meet me at midnight.” “you don’t ever say too much.” “you don’t really read into my melancholia.” “i’ve been under scrutinty.” “you handle it beautifully.” “all this shit is new to me.” “i’m damned if i do.” “i’m damned if i do give a damn what people say.” “they keep asking me if i’m gonna be your bride.” “the only kinda girl they see is a one night or a wife.” “they’re bringing up my history.” “you weren’t even listening.” “get it off your chest.” “get it off my desk.”

002. maroon

“we were cleaning incense off your vinyl shelf.” “we lost track of time again.” “you were my closest friend.” “how’d we end up on the floor, anyway?” “i chose you.” “ain’t that the way shit always ends?” “i feel you, no matter what.” “i lost you.”

003. anti-hero

“i have this thing.” “i get older but just never wiser.” “all the people i’ve ghosted stand there in the room.” “i wake up screaming from dreaming.” “you got tired of my scheming.” “it’s me, i’m the problem.” “it must be exhausting.” “i’m a monster on the hill.” “one day i’ll watch as you’re leaving.” “i have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money.” “she thinks i left them in the will.” “she’s laughing up at us from hell.” “everybody agrees.”

004. snow on the beach

“i saw flecks of what could’ve been lights.” “it might just have been you.” “life is emotionally abusive.” “time can’t stop me quite like you did.” “my flight was awful, thanks for asking.” “tonight feels impossible.” “to hide that would be so dishonest.”

005. you’re on your own kid

“summer went away.” “he’s gonna notice me.” “it’s okay, we’re the best of friends.” “i hear it in your voice.” “i waited ages to see you there.” “you never cared.” “you’re on your own, kid.” “i gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this.” “the jokes weren’t funny.” “i took the money.” “make the friendship bracelets.” “you’ve got no reason to be afraid.” “you can face this.”

006. midnight rain

“he wanted it comfortable.” “i wanted that pain.” “it was paradise.” “i broke his heart cause he was nice.” “he was sunshine.” “i guess, sometimes we all get just what we wanted.” “he never thinks of me.”

007. question...?

“i remember.” “i swear that it was something.” “one thing after another.” “fucking situations, circumstances, and miscommunications.” “i just may like some explanations.” “can i ask you a question?” “what did you do?” “did you leave her house in the middle of the night?” “oh...” “did you wish you’d put up more of a fight?” “do you wish you could still touch her?” “it’s just a question.” “you’re not sure, and i don’t know.”

008. vigilante shit

“you did some bad things.” “i’m the worst of them.” “sometimes i wonder which one will be your last lie.” “they say looks can kill, and i might try.” “lately i’ve been dressing for revenge.” “i don’t start shit but i can tell you how it ends.” “don’t get sad, get even.” “she needed cold hard proof, so i gave her some.” “she looks so pretty.” “the lady simply had enough.”

009. bejewled

“i think i’ve been a little too kind.” “putting someone first only works when you’re in their top five.” “by the way, i’m going out tonight.” “when i walk in the room i can still make the whole place shimmer.” “they ask ‘do you have a man?’“ “i don’t remember.” “i polish up real nice.” “i think i’ve been too good of a girl.” “i think it’s time to teach some lessons.” “i miss you.” “i miss you but i miss sparklin.” “some guy said my aura’s moonstone.” “you can try to change my mind.” “what’s a girl gonna do?”

010. labyrinth

“it only hurts this much right now.” “breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, breathe out.” “i’ll be getting over you my whole life.” “you know how scared i am of elevators.” “it can’t last.” “uh oh.” “uh oh, i’m falling in love.” “oh no.” “oh no, i’m falling in love again.” “oh.” “oh, i’m falling in love.” “you know how much i hate that everybody just expects me to bounce back.”

011. karma

“you’re talking shit for the hell of it.” “you’re terrified to look down.” “you wouldn’t know what i mean.” “karma’s a relaxing thought.” “i’m still here.”

012. sweet nothing

“i spy with my little tired eye.” “we almost forgot it.” “they said the end is coming.” “everyone’s up to something.” “i find myself running home to your sweet nothings.” “you’re in the kitchen humming.” “this happens all the time.” “you should be doing more.” “i’m just too soft for all of it.”

013. mastermind

“once upon a time...” “you and i ended up in the same room at the same time.” “i couldn’t lose.” “what if i told you none of it was accidental?” “the first night that you saw me nothing was gonna stop me.” “nothing was gonna stop me.” “what if i told you i’m a mastermind?” “no one wanted to play with me as a little kid.” “i’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since.” “this is the first time i’ve felt the need to confess.” “‘cause i care.” “i told you none of it was accidental.” “you knew the entire time.”

#rp meme #rp prompts #rp sentence meme #rp sentence starters #rp sentence prompts #lyric starters #lyric meme #lyrics: taylor swift

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hihopelessromantics · 1 year

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Can clever plotting end the Holy War? Sure. But this time the plot’s just, “Meliodas decides to fuck around and find out and drag everyone he can think of into it."

ah yes another drabble that I got too shy to put in the reblogs. this meme format gives me so much joy

from that reblog chain: Yet another reason why the Demon King ducked up by making his preteen son a war commander. The amount of strategy he displays by doing that is… might I say god awful. He consulted ZERO people on the development of children. Probably freaked out when he saw baby Mel for the first time. Like "STOP SCREAMING I COMMAND YOU TO STOP." *even louder infant screaming* "YOU CANNOT GET AWAY WITH THIS INSOLENCE!” levels of ignorance.

The only thing stopping Ten Commandments Meliodas from getting the audacity to kill him sooner was a lack of a support system. This kid saw the slightest hint of hope and went OH YEAH. PEACE. ALL THE WAY LETS GO. and immediately was such a disaster about it that he sent shockwaves through history. Imagine if he had been allowed to properly communicate with his brother and others even once every several weeks. The hijinks TC Mel would get into.

Prompt:

The traumatized teen leader of the Ten Commandments finds a little hope in his own home. Throwing as much caution to the wind as he can possibly afford, he drags his precious little brother around the Demon Realm and the battlefields of Britannia to find a solution to the war that’s fucked up their lives from the beginning. More and more happless souls are yanked into the rebellion as impulsive kid shenanigans ensue. Then Meliodas and Zeldris accidentally open up a litttle too much to their new friends and news of their (and Elizabeth’s!) home life goes viral, roping in the four archangels and the ten commandments who are not fucking stoked to hear what they’ve been left in the dark about. This is the aftermath. In meme format.

________

Zeldris: I remember last time we got the chance to talk like this you asked me why I always work so hard. And I got too nervous to answer

Meliodas: uh huh

Zeldris: well… the truth is… I have this dream. That one day I’ll be able to make the demon realm a peaceful place. No more reliance on violence to prove our value. Just, just us demons, working to be the best we can be.

Meliodas, feeling a lil bit of his soul revive as his third eye is being pried open with a chainsaw: ‘keep it cool Meliodas don’t be a blubbering weakling in an important moment’ d-damn Zel…that...

Zeldris: I know it’s strange. To imagine a world where we could give up satisfying our vengeance against the goddesses. But it’s doing so, so much more harm than good. I can see it. I know you might not understand why I would be willing to give it up, with what the goddesses have done to us… to you… to mom. You think I haven’t guessed what happened to her, but… unless father killed her… no, that’s not important now. What’s important is how we move forward… if we just… stay stuck like this, then what’s the point of it all?

Meliodas: nah FUCK the war. It’s all pointless BS. Mom knew it too

Zeldris: please don’t - wait what

Meliodas: don’t what?

Zeldris: um. I thought you might be really angry

Meliodas: what, for being stronger than me? Strong enough to hold onto hope even after all this time?? Zel. I’m glad you could share that with me

Zeldris: 🥹

Meliodas: That dream... I would love to make it come true. even if trying to make this place less of a hellhole is a big hassle and doesn’t work out like exactly like we thought, I don’t think I could regret trying. You’ve shown me love can grow here after all... I have a reason to try

Zeldris: Big brother… do you… doyouwanttorulethedemonrealmtogether one day?

Zeldris: I’m the second prince, and I know father expects much less of me. But I’m capable. I’ll be of use right by your side. You’re the heir. The one everyone expects will be king. Fullfilling that... Is that the path you’re dreaming of? Is that what you want to do?

Meliodas: ! Weeelll. Actually. It never meant anything to me, being the heir. Except more pressure from the Demon King. If there’s gonna be a new Demon King, it should be you. That’s what I think.

Zeldris: Ah. So that’s how you feel... in that case, are you still willing to continue on as a prince at all?

Meliodas: like I’d let you shoulder all this BS all by yourself if I could help it. I trust I’ll... “be of use”?

Zeldris: No-no-I-that sounds- use? No- I don’t think like that -!

Meliodas: Aw, Zel, your face is all reddddd. Hehe. Always wanted to turn the tables on you like that! Don’t worry. I know it’s because father makes you so unsure, and I unwittingly helped out with that for a while.

Zeldris: Hmph. You just can’t restrain yourself. Don’t make me so anxious when you know I already am!

Meliodas: I’m sorry, I’m sorry. But you know-

Zeldris: Yes, I know. You love me. When do you think we’ll be capable enough?

Meliodas: hm *remembers a certain silver haired goddess*

Meliodas: Well, that depends…. How much into the realm of crazy are we willing to let this revolution become?

Zeldris: I’ll do anything I have to for our people.

Meliodas: great. great. How good are you at Public Speaking by the way

*some time later*

The demon king: 👁️👄👁️

Assorted people from all five clans, several Induras, a bucketload of dragons and miscellaneous creatures from all over Britannia, Bloody Ellie and some archangels, all of the vampires under a newly crowned queen, and the demon army, including Gowther who somehow broke out of prison and found Glariza along the way:

. . . you’ve been staring at us for five minutes. That’s gratifying and all but I hope you don’t expect us to explain. Trust me, you don’t want to ask how we all got here. No time for that anyway. We also have questions. So many questions... Questions we prefer you answer before we all kill you. For starters, why are your sons lolis and how the hell are they talking to those CREATURES in the back. Do you see those? Please tell us we’re hallucinating at least some of them. Is that a pig?

Zeldris: rude. Karen has been dragon queen for eons. She knows more languages than I do and probably understands every word you are saying. I’m just doing my best to translate, that is all.

Meliodas: his name is Wild :D isn’t he cute?

Wild: Meliodas-sama why is your father’s face so red? I think he needs a healer.

Ludociel: a pig that speaks? this truly IS hell. Why the fuck did you summon all these untrustworthy creatures from purgatory. Meliodas, I can’t wait to punish your father for bringing you into this world. I can’t believe his mistake is working in our favor right now. MAEL STOP HUGGING THAT THING

Mael, choking on the fluff: this is the best day of my life for so many reasons

Wild: Good to hear, my friend!

Elizabeth, removing her face from the fluff: AMEM. Thank you for having an audience with us, demon king. We have important news. We are ending the Holy War once and for all. Die or die. I'd give you the option of living, but you'd die anyways. Your people are really pissed that you sent your own kids to war and lied to them about it. Whether you live or die, whatever your punishment for prolonging this war will be, that is their call, not mine.

Demon King: FOOLS. DO YOU REALLY INTEND TO KILL ME? when the dust settles here, you will all be dead, and the Holy War will begin anew!

Elizabeth: when the dust settles, I'll be making love to your son on my golden throne, and you'll be a scorned, forgotten memory.

Meliodas: looking forward to it!

Zeldris: I’m gonna kill you brother

Demon King: you mortals cannot POSSIBLY fathom the thoughts of a God. Why I've done the things I've done is beyond you.

Random demon: could say the same for any other child abuser...

Ludociel, shouting at the demon king with equal ire: YOU could not possibly fathom how MUCH I have had to deal with ever since Lady Elizabeth brought that horrible demon and his gaggle of abominations into our camp! I have seen things. Felt things. Even tasted things. That no goddess should ever have to again. (*Meliodas grins evilly*) I don't even care anymore. What is strategy? What’s logic? We ate rocks made by a 5-year-old to get in here safely

Merlin: I'm 12

(Bloody) Elizabeth to the demon king: touch her and ill torture you to death

Demon King, trying desperately to figure out why there's a small child here and why Bloody Ellie is being weird about her, she LOOKS FAMILIAR, oh god is this her child, HOW LONG HAVE THOSE TWO BEEN A THING, this isn't their weird fucked up love child is it??:

I AM GIVING YOU FIVE MINUTES TO LEAVE THIS REALM

Rou, completely ignoring the 200 ft tall giant: oh my God Mel he fell for it!

Ludociel, also completely ignoring him: WHAT??

Meliodas: that was frozen tree blood. And a prank. Your goddess magic is adequate to protect you that's why we had you all cast Saint's Coat

Merlin: Maple Syrup. It’s called maple syrup. And magic potions don't taste nearly that good. I'm shocked you fell for that Ludo. you really are losing it

Gowther: technically, he isn’t wrong. The potion to combat the miasma is partly made from organic material from purgatory. There were some rocks in it. And also bone.

Sariel: when did you go to purgatory???

Mael (muffled by Wild's fur): rock is organic?

Zeldris: 84% of native purgatory rock is!! It’s even been linked biologically to a demon’s darkness. It’s fascinating. I read a whole book about it

Sariel: hello??? who took this man to purgatory without saying shit to anyone??

Tarmiel: I don’t even know who that is. I can’t remember when he got here

Demon King: YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW YOUR ALLIES?! YOU SNIVELING NAIVE FOOLS! STOP THIS.

Mael: not true, we know who he is! that’s the boyfriend of the demon I found trapped in a magic circle in the woods, remember? And I was like, I’m kinda having an exestential crisis right now so it could just be me, but if a goddess and a demon can really be friends and being a pacifist is okay actually and everyone was just being a bitch to me for no reason, then fuck it, who cares why the demon king put you in here? I’m setting you free. just promise you won’t wreck anything. make a demon contract with me or whatever and let’s end this cursed war. and she went “yea actually i’m directly an enemy of the demon king. he threw my lover in jail :(” and then me and Elizabeth and that guy over there *Doll Gowther throws up a peace sign* did a jailbreak while you lot were arguing over whether you could trust Mel or not? Remember that guys?

Ludociel, who did NOT remember, on the verge of fainting:

Mael: Wait did I not tell you ANY of that?!? BROTHER I’M SO SORRY

Doll Gowther: Don’t be. He would not have let you contribute in a substantial way again.

Ludociel: I HATE YOU ALL. EVEN YOU ELIZABETH YOUR VIRTUE IS UNSALVAGEABLE

Elizabeth: do I owe you dessert Mel or does him insulting my virtue in this context not count

Meliodas: I’m not actually sure…might have made that bet too vauge

Zeldris (to Merlin): I’m not letting them adopt you. You can be my little sister

Demon King, finally realizing who Merlin is and that he’s not getting out of this unscathed unless he gets serious: THAT’S IT. YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFY ME? BARGE INTO MY REALM UNINVITED TO CHALLENGE ME ONLY TO BANTER AMONGST YOURSELVES? GUESS WHAT. YOU CAN’T. EVEN THE MAGICAL POWER YOU RELY ON SO MUCH COMES FROM ME!

The ground begins to shake violently. Besides the obvious, nothing else happens.

Demon King: MY COMMANDMENTS. HEAR AND OBEY. END THIS NONSENSE REBELLION. RIGHT NOW!

The Ten Commandments, permanently scarred from realizing that Meliodas the Destoryer and Zeldris the Executioner were kids this whole goddamn time, and not just weirdly short: ...loooooook...uh...here’s the thing. we’re gonna kill you now and we don’t need your power to do it. We got rid of it already. We have the power of, uh, *checks smudged writing on hands, dilligently inscribed by Elizabeth* ... teamwork

Wild: AND OUR MIGHTY BODIES!

TC: and what ... what the pig said

Mael, extracting himself from Wild’s fluff, noticably buffer than 5 minutes ago: Plus the power of the gods! It’s almost noon :)

Zeldris: Damn, we timed this wrong. You better not destroy the castle

Yeah this has been sitting in my drafts for weeks because I don’t know how to end it. Anyone who wants a part 2 let me know lol

#happy on the internet on exam weekend to everyone!#nnt drabble #holy war au drabble #yet again imagining the little fictional people saves me from the tedious boredom of being super anxious #ah yes daydreaming when I have things to do - one of my favorite things #nnt pack mentality #this sat in the drafts folders for weeks. am I too shy for this website #hihopelessromantics writes a drabble

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