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caffeinewitchcraft · 8 months ago

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Cinderella Doesn't Believe in Fairytales (pt 10)

(part 1) (part 2) (part 3). (Part 4) (part 5) (part 6) (part 7) (part 8) (part 9)

Summary: There are many sorts of meetings. Meetings you dread and meetings you anticipate. Baron Ramsey is overdue for both.

“I did not expect you to return so soon,” the Queen says. Her coal-like eyes flick over the Baron, cataloguing every inch of him. Did she see the dust clinging to his trousers, evidence of his haste to arrive? Did she see the tightness in his jaw at her welcome? Did she see the new bead of sweat rolling down his cheek? “Another week at the earliest.”

“I—” The Baron has to summon moisture to his mouth to speak. He swallows. “I was already within our borders when your message found me. Of course, I had no choice but to return.”

The Queen’s expression doesn’t change, but her aura does. She leans back in her throne and watches him through half-lidded eyes. “Why is it you think I called for you, Baron David Ramsey?”

To torment me, he thinks and doesn’t say. He wishes he would have listened to his wife all those years ago. She told him they must go unnoticed. He thought he had rid himself of his arrogance when he married her, but he was wrong. It had been arrogant of him to not heed her warning.

“There is a new type of dye in the southern islands,” he says. He spreads his hands wide. “If I had known your majesty had already heard of it, I would not have delayed in finding a sample. I hope you will understand. I was returning home after so many years abroad.”

The Queen never admits to not knowing. Her expression flickers. “Yes, the new dye…I am interested in it.”

A wave of relief rocks through him. This is familiar territory. Every request for a new product she gives him is another handful of months he can keep her attention away from his home and the secrets he has kept hidden there for 19 years. “It would be my privilege to acquire some products using this new dye for you, your majesty. I have made a promise to the Baroness to return home this month however, so there will be a delay—”

“Returning home to an empty house?”

The Baron blinks. “Pardon?” Then her words register and a surge of sick fear makes him sway on the spot. What has she done? He swallows twice before he can speak. “N-no, to my daughter – my daughters. To the Baroness.”

The Queen studies him. The Baron desperately tries to hold himself still. The Queen always speaks vaguely. He is hearing a threat where none exists. The Queen’s domain may extend past his manor, but her magic doesn’t. She doesn’t know, she can’t know. She is testing him. Should he have denied knowing that the higher nobility of this land were, in fact, the Unseelie Court?

Sweat rolls down his temple and he feels the Queen’s eyes track its progress.

“Then rejoice,” the Queen says at last. Her nails trace the arm of her throne. “Your journey is at an end. Your family is in the Capital.”

“Wha—” What?! The Baron bites his tongue so hard blood wells. The pain does little to clear the panic from his mind. “I—I was not aware.”

“I can see that,” the Queen says. The sharp edge in her gaze softens. Calculation crosses her face briefly and settles into an unsettling amusement. She smiles. “Yes, that makes sense. You wouldn’t have been home to receive the invitation. There is a ball, Baron David Ramsey. All eligible ladies of the kingdom are in the Capital for it, of course. Your…daughters included.”

A ball? It’s been three decades since the Queen last a held a ball, perhaps longer. Why now? His wife told him that the Unseelie Court was confined to the very core of their territory after the last great war. She predicted that their power would not be enough to free them for another hundred years. So why a ball? Why invite the human nobles across the land to come into the heart of the territory before they were recovered? Why—

The Prince. These are politics the Baron knows. The Prince has come of age this year. This isn’t an ordinary ball. The Royal Line must continue regardless of the powers they may or may not have recovered. A Prince needs a Princess.

The Unseelie Court is hunting for new blood.

“Then I suppose,” the Baron says faintly, “that I am not going home quite yet after all.” The unease the Queen voicing his name evokes fades next to the sick fear roiling in the Baron’s stomach. “By your leave, of course.”

“Nothing would make me happier than having your attendance at the ball tonight,” the Queen purrs. She extends a hand and an invitation appears in the air between them. She crooks her finger and it drifts into the Baron’s chest. “I guarantee that this will be a surprise reunion that no one will want to miss.”

The Baron’s clammy hand presses the invitation over his heart. Is it his imagination or can he feel oily tendrils seep from it and into his heart? Is the air colder? Without thinking, the Baron says, “Thank you for your consideration, your majesty.”

A wave of weakness washes over him as soon as his thanks leaves his lips. He staggers and his vision wavers. The Queen’s nostrils flare as she breathes in deeply, eyes fluttering shut. Does the King laugh behind his hand? Or does he cough?

His wife’s voice echoes in his mind. Never thank the fae. Never apologize. And especially never give thanks nor apology to the Unseelie.

“Don’t thank me yet, Baron,” the Queen says. When she opens her eyes they gleam with an unearthly purple. Black stains her mouth when she smiles. “Tonight. Thank me tonight.”

The order slips around his neck like a noose. The invitation throbs like a second heart. “Yes, my Queen,” the Baron whispers.

---------.

Cinderella watches the colors of the sunset catch in the crystals embroidered on her dress, red and pink and gold against the eggshell blue of the silk. Helga’s hands are gentle as she weaves Cinderella’s hair into an intricate knot.

“There,” Helga says. There’s a faint press of lips on top of Cinderella’s head, the move so effortlessly affectionate that Cinderella’s heart sings. Helga gently lifts Cinderella’s chin. “Take a look. We can change anything you don’t like.”

This afternoon with Helga has been magical. Cinderella doesn’t remember the last time she felt so at ease with another person besides the Prince. They talked and laughed and commiserated over her friend’s lack of communication, about nature, about what type of jam goes best on what type of bread, about everything and anything. Good food and good company has healed something deep inside of Cinderella, another crack sealing tight and holding. She can’t imagine not liking something that Helga has done for her.

She is still surprised when she sees herself in the mirror.

Last night’s gold jewelry highlighted Cinderella’s hair and the deep green of the dress. She remembers feeling beautiful and elegant and so, so confident.

Tonight is—well, it’s everything Cinderella feels.

It’s as if Helga listened to Cinderella’s recounting of the previous night and manifested every hope and every joyful memory into what Cinderella sees before her. She feels like she’s glowing. Rather than focus on her hair this dress throws her light eyes into brilliant focus. She blinks quickly. She didn’t realize she had her mother’s eyes until this moment.

Her jewelry is still dainty, but it all shines as brightly as the crystals dotted like flowers through the skirts of her dress. A single teardrop pendant hangs from a silver chain around her neck and diamond earrings reflect firelight as the castle lights the sconces around her room. Silver thread holds Cinderella’s hairstyle in place.

“I’m the sky,” Cinderella says breathlessly.

“And more,” Helga promises. There’s a knock on the door. Helga meets Cinderella’s eyes through the mirror and she smiles. “Your carriage has arrived, my lady.”

Cinderella’s heart leaps as she rises. The Prince is here. Her friend. Suddenly she feels…not insecure, not quite. There is a fluttering in her stomach as Helga goes to the door, a breathless anticipation that makes her feel weightless. She finds herself following Helga to the door, stopping a few feet behind her when the older woman opens it.

Oh, Cinderella thinks as, unerringly, the Prince’s eyes meet hers. The Prince is draped in a deep, night-sky blue, the same crystals on Cinderella’s dress sewn in clusters on his jacket. His black hair is swept away from his face and a thin, silver wire twines around one ear like a vine.

“You’re early,” Helga chastises the Prince.

The Prince jolts as if he didn’t notice Helga at all. “I thought it best if we had dinner before—”

“We match,” Cinderella says.

Helga jumps, spinning on one foot with her hand presses over her heart. “Oh! I didn’t hear you come up behind me...”

“Why,” the Prince says and pretends shock as he looks down at his outfit. “I think we do.”

Cinderella fights against a smile. “You knew I would choose the blue dress.”

“I had an inkling.”

Cinderella slides around Helga, barely noticing as the older woman wordlessly gives way. She takes the Prince’s arm when he offers it. “You said dinner?”

“That I did.”

Cinderella is full on bread and jam and juice. “I’d like that.”

“You could have sent a note,” Helga mutters. But she drapes a buttery-soft shawl around Cinderella’s shoulders to protect her against the evening chill and does not protest when the Prince leads her from Emerald Castle and into the gardens rather than to the carriage.

The gardens are a different world at night, especially seen from the ground rather than the window of her guest room. Small, wrought iron torches mark their path past the flower beds and towards the hedge maze.

“If you get us lost and we wind up being late again, I’m not walking in with you,” Cinderella says as they enter. The hedges smell slightly floral and she breathes the fresh scent in hungrily. Jasmine, maybe? “I saw the look the Queen gave you last night.”

“My mother doesn’t give looks to me,” the Prince denies. He grins at her. “And we won’t be late. Or, if we are, neither of my parents will be upset.”

Something in his voice gives Cinderella pause. “Because they love you so very much?”

“Because if we’re late, they’ll be late too,” the Prince says and directs her around one last corner into the center of the maze where the Queen and King are waiting at a table set for four.

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(Patreon)

#my writing #cinderella retelling

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zosan-secondchances · 2 months ago

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The Pirate King of the North: Part 4

Main Themes: Villain Sanji, Alternate Universe, Zosan Ship

Warning: Long post ahead with One Piece spoilers. Contains strong language and explicit content.

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

Three days after the call, Sanji follows Zoro’s instructions to the book and waits for him at an island with a bustling town in the middle of the day. The blonde is well aware of the local Marine base in the area but he ignores this fact and turns up at the townsquare just as he promised, not wanting to disappoint his, hopefully, future fiance. Unsurprisingly, he is met by navy officers who tell him to come along quietly.

Law had refused to use The Polar Tang to contain their guest as he didn’t want to risk his submarine and crew to suffer any potential consequences as a result of the interrogation that they're planning. Zoro had to pull strings to borrow a room at the Marine base, stating that it’s for an official Warlord business. He and the doctor had been waiting for over half an hour overtime for the soldiers to return with Sanji. Zoro sends additional troops to investigate the delay. After another suspicious amount of time of having received no news, the two decide to investigate the matter themselves.

Zoro and Law make their way to the townsquare where the swordsman had instructed Sanji to be. Upon arrival, it was clear what had happened to the navy soldiers that he’d sent out. Deep red and severed body parts taint the white tiles throughout the block. A few had somehow made their way on top of trees and the shops’ window sills. Some float lifelessly in the fountain right in the middle–its sprinkling water had changed to a scarlet red. Liquid splatters grossly against the white marble sculptures that decorated the water feature.

Law grits his teeth, his knuckles turn white from gripping his sword tightly.

Zoro all but rolls his eyes. He hates the fact that he’s used to Sanji doing this sort of thing.

Zoro

What a waste.

They follow a trail. It’s not hard to find where Sanji had gone given how much blood there was, and Zoro had a sneaking suspicion that the blonde had purposely left his stained footprints to show where he’s going. He enjoys Zoro chasing him this way after all.

While walking, Law sends a message through his own den-den mushi to his crew, ordering them to check in on the citizens and make sure that everyone’s safe. Not long after, Bepo reports that the citizens are unharmed–extremely shaken but they’re untouched. The polar bear adds that a few witnesses say that it was only the Marines who tried to force the Pirate King into cuffs that had been torn apart. Some had apparently been allowed to flee.

Law looked to Zoro, as if expecting him to have a reasonable explanation as to why the Pirate King behaves the way he does. Cutting down local town Marines seems a bit too excessive in his opinion. The swordsman confesses that he's just as confused, and that over the years he'd just accepted that he's just mad because it's just the way he was born.

Zoro

All the more reason he deserves to die.

Zoro stops in his tracks, standing on the wooden pier of the docks. It looks like the rest of the bloody footprints lead right through to the very end. Looking at the ocean, he sees a distinct murky area of red on one spot. A head of blonde and white hair pokes out from the middle, the sun shining beautifully over it. Zoro felt–

Zoro shakes his head at the thought.

Law follows Zoro's gaze, ending the call on his transponder snail when he sees who's in the water.

Law

Speak of the devil….

Zoro

OI!!!

The blonde turns to look at the source of sound.

Sanji

MELLORINE!!!

Sanji waves enthusiastically at the duo staring at him.

From afar, Zoro could tell that the man practically had heart eyes bulging out of his eye sockets.

Sanji takes a plunge into the water, swimming away from the murky area then reappears next to the wooden pier just under where Zoro was standing. His head pokes out gracefully, then gives the swordsman a warm smile.

Zoro takes a step back to distance himself, suddenly feeling like a girl whose skirt is being perverted on.

Zoro

Don’t give me that, idiot. Your outlash may have cost me some pull from the Marines.

Sanji

Oh? Has it occurred to you that that may have been my plan?

Zoro’s eye twitches, clearly infuriated at being toyed with. He pulls himself together internally and lets out a defeated sigh.

Zoro

Is this for not meeting up with you in person like I said I would? I got stuck with all the bureaucratic paper bullshit.

Sanji

I don’t know…

Sanji had a teasing tone behind his voice. He effortlessly pulls himself up to sit at the edge of the wooden planks, shakes his head and starts wringing his hair over his shoulder.

Sanji

Next time, don’t make promises you can’t keep.

Zoro lets out an offended huff.

Zoro

Next ti–? NO! There’s no next time! We're enemies. And what, is this your way of punishing me? To make me feel guilty? By murdering a bunch of Marines?

Sanji

Oh please, it was out of self-defense! They came onto me first….

Sanji calmly stands on his feet. Slowly, he begins to strip off his top, revealing his lean but muscular figure.

Zoro’s eye trails from Sanji’s scar across throat, down to the defined v-shape below his waistline. He recognises the cuts and burns from their battles, and some he guesses are from his own volition. When the blonde turns to fix his hair, Zoro eyes a small red tattoo, located below the nape of his neck. For some reason, he’s never noticed it on him before–a red circle with four triangles, arranged to look like the claws of a dragon. It has a cluster of messy scars over it, as if it'd been attempted to be removed by means of violent scratching. Like all else, he’s wondered what the story behind this is–

Zoro almost slaps himself to shake the thoughts out of his head. He makes an effort to look the blonde in the eye before he notices him staring.

Sanji gives Zoro a side glance before squeezing the damp clothing in his hands to dry it. He closes his eyes and his mouth curves into a cheeky smile. He gives his top one last flick before tossing it over his shoulder.

Sanji

I gave them a chance to apologise but some of them didn’t have any manners and charged in. Really, they were quite rude.

Zoro

You could have just knocked them out. Some of them were fresh blood. They’re probably just trying to prove they can do a good job to impress their seniors.

Sanji

By overdoing it. And now that fresh blood is all over my poor clothes. All because they tried to force me into those…heavy, rusty fuckin’ pieces of–

Law clears his throat.

Zoro and Sanji look at him, annoyed at the interruption.

Law

If you’re done bickering like an old married couple….

Zoro’s eye visibly twitches, his brows furrowing angrily at Law's poor choice of words.

Sanji practically swoons, his hands slap his own reddened cheeks while the rest of his body squirm comically.

Sanji

OH, YOU–stop that! We’re not married yet, you bastard!

Zoro

WE’RE NOT GETTING MARRIED. PERIOD!!!

Law could practically feel the veins in his forehead pop.

—

They start the trek back to the Marine base, purposely taking the longer way through the shoreline to avoid panicked citizens after Sanji’s onslaught.

Sanji

Marimo-kun~!

Zoro ignores the man, and concentrates on walking quietly. He attempts to put his mind in a meditative state.

Sanji

Ma–ri–mo-kun~?

The shade under Zoro’s brows darkens. He focuses on his breathing–he inhales, holds it, then exhales. He repeats it several times more.

Sanji crumples his heavy damp clothing into a ball then throws it at the back of Zoro’s head, causing the other man to stumble.

Sanji

I SAID “MARIMO”, YOU ASS!!!

Zoro grabs the wet top and throws it hard onto Sanji’s face square on, knocking the man down on his butt.

Sanji

THAT HURT!

Zoro

DON’T THROW GROSS THINGS AT ME! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!

With a blink of an eye, Sanji’s demeanour changes. He bites his lip and looks up to Zoro with a large puppy eye.

Sanji

Why is he here? Isn’t this a date?

Zoro

Fuck off. I never said it is. We’ll tell you when we get to the base.

Sanji

Hmm…no, then I’m not going.

Sanji crosses his arms stubbornly. His legs do the same, planting himself firmly on the ground.

Law

Zoro-ya, can’t you just tie him up and drag his ass along? I just want this over and done with.

Zoro

You’ve seen what happens if you force him into things, idiot.

Sanji

Yeah, idiot.

Zoro

I’m not talking to you.

Sanji

Then do, otherwise I’m not coming along. You're taking me into a Marine base after all. I'd be at a disadvantage as soon as I step inside. You have to give me a good reason to go with you.

Zoro

You said you'd help me.

Sanji

You? Sure. I was hoping to gain your personal favour. Him? Ehh…. He's not exactly my type.

Sanji looks at Law, slowly dragging his eyes down his frame.

Sanji

Hmm…I guess he could be if he's willing to play.

Law nervously takes a step back, feeling hot and bothered.

Zoro sighs. He considers for a moment, trying to come up with a way to make sure that Sanji cooperates with them peacefully for as long as possible without sacrificing anyone to indulge in whatever sexual fantasies are in his head. After a time, he speaks firmly.

Zoro

Tra-guy, tell him everything you told me.

Law

Here? We’re doing this right here, right now?

Sanji

I'm glad you understand, Marimo.

Law

I… I don’t know.

Sanji

I don’t need the whole sob story, Trafalgar D. Water Law.

Law blinks in surprise that Sanji knows his name. Sure he had a bounty but he didn’t think it was anything noteworthy. He certainly wasn’t aware that the Pirate King would care enough to know about it. He opens his mouth as if to say something but gets interrupted.

Sanji

I have eyes and ears everywhere, love. What I don’t know is why the Surgeon of Death is looking for Doffy.

Zoro

Doffy? The same guy who gave you your new weapon?

Sanji

Aww! You remembered?! …Are you jealous?

Sanji gives Zoro a suggestive wink, taking the swordsman aback.

Zoro

Don't be ridiculous.

Sanji

If you like, I can call off my affairs with him and just make it exclusive with you….

Law

As much as I want to kill that monster, I don’t think I can right now. Not at my current strength.

Sanji snaps his gaze to Law, giving him a dangerous look.

Sanji

You’re right. You can’t.

Law

I’m just looking for my friend. It’s…it’s his brother, Donquixote Rosinante.

Sanji raises a brow.

Sanji

Corazon has been dead for years.

Law

Then you better check your sources, Mr. Prince-ya. Because I have letters from him from the last several months.

Sanji stands on his feet and approaches Law slowly.

Sanji

Show me.

—

Back at the Marine base, Sanji and Law escalated into a heated argument in the interrogation room. Sanji insists that if they truly want his insight into Donquixote Rosinante, the doctor should show all the letters that he claims to have.

Naturally, Law refused to show the blonde, stating that it’s all too personal.

Zoro knows he shouldn’t, but for once, he feels relieved that someone else is dealing with the mad king’s temper. He hides a smirk behind a bottle of sake, taking a swill.

Sanji

Don’t be an idiot. I don’t give a flying fuck what’s in them!

Law

Then there’s no reason for you to see a single one.

Sanji clasps both of his hands together, and gently sets them down the wooden table in front of him. With a deep voice, he speaks.

Sanji

Enlighten me then, how do you truly know it is him?

Law

If you must know, all his letters have…details that only he and I know.

Sanji firmly presses his fingers down the table, then speaks slowly but clearly.

Sanji

All the more reason that you could be in bigger danger than you think, doctor.

Law frowns.

Sanji

You're far too enamoured to think straight. How do you know it’s not just someone else messing with you? Hmm? Someone like Doffy?

Law crosses his arms then leans back against his chair, listening intently.

Sanji

Think about this… very… carefully.

Sanji shuffles in his pockets and fishes out a pack of cigarettes. When he opens the box, his eyes furrow in disappointment, seeing that all of his smokes are heavily damaged from water and blood. He throws the pack over his shoulder then snatches Zoro’s bottle of sake as the swordsman was about to take a drink.

Zoro

Oi!

Sanji takes three big gulps before slamming the bottle down on the table.

Sanji

Given how touchy you are about the idea of me reading them, I’m guessing you’ve become quite emotionally attached to the letters, haven’t you? Just consider, whoever wrote them knows an awful lot of details about you. What’s more, they know where to find you, and how to find you.

Zoro raises a brow at that. He notices that the doctor is starting to lose his composure slightly as a tiny bead of sweat falls on the side of his face.

Law

You assume it’s being sent to me.

Sanji

A trail, then? He’s leaving you clues and you’re more than happy to follow it.

Law

That’s…

Sanji takes another big drink, then explains his point further, waving Zoro’s bottle in front of him as he makes hand gestures to emphasize his speech.

Sanji

What if it’s a trap? If someone, say…I don’t know–like Doffy–is pretending to be Corazon, then you’d have been sold out for a fool.

Law slams his hand aggressively on the table, cracking its surface where his fist landed.

Law

You’re wrong!

Sanji stares at him unimpressed but doesn’t say anything, as if allowing him the chance to explain himself. He leans back against his chair.

Law

Look, I just know, okay? It’s him. I’m sure of it.

Sanji

You just know…?

Law

Yes.

Sanji

Then you’re hopeless.

As Zoro attempts to steal his sake back, the blonde slaps his hands away and takes several more swills from the bottle, as if telling the swordsman that he’s not done with his turn yet. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand then returns his focus back to Law.

Sanji

And how is it that you just know?

Zoro

Tra-guy, he’s not going to stop until you show him.

Law

You’re on his side, Zoro-ya?

Zoro

Look, you don’t have to show him everything, just show him one–like the bit where you’re stuck. It was enough to convince me.

Law pinches the gap between his brows.

Law

What you’re basically telling me…is that I should trust him with this information? That I should trust this mass murdering fucker with something extremely important to me?

Sanji

I told you, I don’t give a shit what’s in it–

Law

That’s what worries me! Because I care–a lot! I….

Law’s ears visibly reddens in embarrassment. He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, averting his gaze.

Law

He was… is… very important to me. The letter is from him. I’m sure of it. And if you don’t care about it then I’m not letting you get your hands on it.

There was a moment of silence. Sanji watches Law in his vulnerable state. After a while, the blonde takes another drink from the bottle and sets it in front of Zoro.

Zoro grabs the bottle enthusiastically. He raises it above his mouth and nothing but a single drop falls onto his tongue. His smile vanishes, and his shoulders droop sadly until his arms and face melt onto the table. He sets the bottle down, pushing it away from him.

Sanji

I apologise, doctor.

Zoro and Law both look at Sanji in surprise.

Sanji offers a warm smile to Law.

Sanji

I’m afraid I’m not so good at these things. I’ll help you however I can.

Zoro stares at him in disbelief, cocking his head on the side against the table, processing the genuinity behind Sanji’s tone. He detects no ill will or malice behind it. He tells himself he’s just a bloody good liar.

Sanji

However, I still need to see a letter–just one will do, like the swordsman said–so I can study it. I promise I’ll take good care of it. If it resembles Doffy’s writing in any way, I will tell you. If it’s not, I’ll see what I can deduct from it, given that you’re apparently…”stuck”.

Law

I…thank you, Mr. Prince-ya.

Sanji slightly bows his head at him in acknowledgement.

Law

However, there is one thing that still bugs me….

Sanji

Oh?

Law

Why the interest in Corazon? You seem very keen to find out if he’s really dead or not.

Sanji

Corazon was–is…Doffy’s brother after all. His death shook a number of undercover Marine agents, enough to blow their covers.

Zoro

How would you know that?

Sanji

Because it all happened under wraps, which I make it my business to know. Your precious World Government made sure to cover it up nice and snug to keep up appearances.

Meanwhile, everyone else who actually did the work started pointing fingers, accusing each other of who ratted out your mate, afraid that they’re next. Ultimately, they hunted each other down. Now, while I don’t give two shits about the Marines, this whole ordeal should not be taken lightly.

Sanji leans forward on his seat.

Sanji

If he is alive, then Doffy has lied to me, which violates the rules of our country’s alliance. I’ll need to look into this matter personally to keep this quiet. If you let me help you, this will be beneficial for the both of us, I assure you.

Law takes a moment to process everything that Sanji had laid out for him. Reluctantly, he nods. Thinking it takes a criminal to know one. He reminds himself that he just needs advice and nothing more. He leans forward and shuffles in his pockets. He pulls out a folded piece of paper but before he could stretch his arm to offer it to Sanji, the blonde raises his hands in front of him.

Sanji

Let me just wash up. I still have Marine blood on me and I don’t want to get them all over your letters.

Sanji stands, then walks to the door.

Zoro’s eyes follow him. His expression softens at the blonde’s thoughtfulness and unexpected change in character. It must just be the single sip of the sake that clouds his own thoughts. He makes it clear to himself that it’s just acting–no doubt to get on Law’s good side then at the last second stab him in the back.

Sanji

Marimo-kun, the door, please?

Zoro

Ah. Right.

Zoro unlocks the door, then hollers for a couple of Marines to take the Pirate King to the washroom, instructing them specifically to “be nice” if they value their lives. Hesitantly, they do as he says, even with the odd request, too scared to do anything out of hand especially after learning what had happened to their colleagues in the townsquare.

Law kicks back on his seat, placing his hands behind his head.

Law

He’s not what I expected.

Zoor closes the door behind him, and turns to the doctor, glaring at him.

Zoro

That may be the last thing in your head if you let your guard down. Remember what I told you earlier.

Law

His mind is his real weapon, not his claws. I know. But he–

Zoro

As soon as he charms you, he’ll make you do things you’ll regret. Luffy would kill me if he gets to you.

Law

You sound like you talk from experience….

Zoro

Don’t even go there. Have you forgotten that he’s just murdered a bunch of Marines not far from here?

Law

I…you’re right.

Zoro approaches Law, jabbing a finger on his chest.

Zoro

Don’t forget what I said.

Moments later, Sanji returns to the interrogation room, escorted by a couple of trembling Marines behind him. They bring him inside, then rush out the door, locking it behind them in a panicked state. The blonde looks and smells a lot cleaner this time, and his hair is damp again–presumably after having borrowed the navy’s shower room. Zoro and Law also can’t help but notice that he’s completely changed out of his blood-stained clothes, and is now sporting a Marine officer uniform worn with the coat buttons undone and no shirt underneath, keeping his front exposed.

Sanji saunters, twirls gracefully, then strikes a pose to show off his new outfit proudly. Zoro can’t help but let out an unexpected hearty laugh.

Zoro

That looks awful on you! You didn’t just pry it from the dead, did you?

Sanji

Goodness, no. They had spares. I admit, it’s a little loose, but you don’t have to be so mean.

Sanji flicks his hair, keeping his other hand on his hip. The small spray of water from his hair strands makes it look like sparkles in the air with the way the room’s light shone on it. He looks down at the swordsman, making the other man stop in his fit of laughter.

Sanji

Besides, I feel fantastic in it.

Hey, tattoo guy, let’s do this.

Sanji is back on his seat. The look of confidence he usually wears on his face has dithered away. He looks dumbfoundedly at the piece of paper that Law had given him. He flips the paper to check its back, looks at the front again, then flips it once more.

Sanji

This is it?

Law nods. His face had gone red.

Sanji

It just says “I love you.”

Law pulls out a stack of the similarly sized papers of varying shades from his breast pocket and lays it down in the middle of the table.

Law

Now you’ve seen one, you’ve seen it all. But uh… you can’t touch these.

Sanji slaps his forehead with the palm of his hand.

Sanji

I don’t know what I expected. THEY’RE NOT EVEN SIGNED!

Law

It’s something he’d do, okay?! You wouldn’t understand.

Sanji

No, I don’t!!! This is ridiculous! Is this seriously it?!

Sanji stops abruptly. His eyes stare at the stack of papers, shifting left and right, as if suddenly deep in thought–and he’s thinking fast. He inspects the one closely in his hand, then holds it close to the stack on the table, comparing the two.

Sanji

These papers are all not from the same place.

Law

Why does the paper matter?

Sanji

Because, my dear, this means that you’re always in his thoughts–or whoever’s writing it anyway. They didn’t write this all in one go then went about scattering it. They took their time, and wrote down a new letter each time they thought of you with whatever they could get their hands on.

Law freezes. Whatever thoughts he has, he keeps it in his head but it’s noticeably making his hands and lips tremble. After a few quiet moments, Zoro breaks the silence to help him out.

Zoro

Tra-guy, show him the other thing.

Law

Right….

Law pulls out a long envelope the length of his arm. He carefully places it in front of Sanji

Law

This came with the letter that you’ve got in your hand.

Sanji tilts his head curiously. He carefully sets down the letter he’d been given earlier, then gestures towards the envelope.

Sanji

May I?

Law nods.

Sanji gently lifts the flap, then pulls out a delicate feather from the envelope.

Law

The letters always come with a clue where to go next. My crew and I have been travelling for several months now, mostly in the Grand Line. This is the latest, and the reason why we thought Doflamingo may know something, or has got Corazon locked up somewhere. But we haven’t been able to track him down for quite some time.

Sanji pinches the hollow shaft, spinning the feather to admire its features.

Sanji

Hmm…I don’t think it’s Doffy. Though this would make a nice feather for a hat.

Law

What makes you say that?

Sanji claps his hands excitedly.

Sanji

Ooh, I’m glad you asked! There’s this hat that Zoro’s dad wears everywhere. It’s got this gorgeous white feather that makes it stand out nicely with–

Zoro

Not about the hat, stupid! Why do you think it’s not Doflamingo?

Sanji

Rude. But that’s a simple question. Doffy’s coat is pink. This is more purple-pink. Hmm… I think this might be from a South Bird. They’ve got a big body and an even bigger personality. They’re native to Skypiea.

Zoro’s brows shoot up.

Law

Skypiea? The legendary island in the sky? Isn’t that just a tall tale?

Zoro

I remember those birds. I can see why there’d be some confusion now.

Sanji

Have you been there, Marimo-kun?

Zoro smiles softly at the feather, then reaches out for it. Sanji obliges, handing it to him by the hollow shaft gently, their fingers brushing each other. The swordsman runs his hands through its soft barbs.

Zoro

Sure have, while travelling with my old captain.

Sanji watches Zoro admire the feather, taking notice of his brightened expression and hazel eye. He wonders what sort of tales he has in store. He doesn’t speak much of his old captain to him. Then again, he doesn’t really share a lot of things with him because why would he?

Only now did Sanji realise that he hasn’t really taken his time to admire the swordsman’s features up close. He makes a mental note to plan a sneaky peek under a different light–maybe outside during dawn or dusk when the colours of the sky would bring out his eye colour more.

Law

How do you know for certain that it’s from a South Bird, Mr. Prince-ya? I don’t recall you being an aviary expert.

Sanji

Oh, I’m not claiming to be a scientist in any way. But I have this thing for feather coats since Doffy likes to use it for sex.

Zoro drops the feather from his hands.

----------

Here's a more polished art to make up for the longer chapter.

#pirate king of the north #villain sanji #villain au #one piece #vinsmoke sanji #fanfic #opfanart #roronoa zoro #one piece fanart #one piece fanfiction #sanji x zoro #zosan fanfic #one piece zoro #op zosan #one piece zosan #zosan #old zoro #warlord zoro

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flemingology · 3 months ago

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morning cling ─ jessie fleming x reader

in which: jessie and you get cuddly on the morning of her day off

warnings: none, just a whole load of fluff

wc: 1.3K

a/n: feels good to be writing. just a short one this time. hope you enjoyed!

Jessie's schedule was relentless, and as much as it wasn't something that bothered her before she met you, it had definitely been a common topic of conversation the past couple years. She loved football, and she wouldn't trade the career she had for anything else, but – just as any other job – it came with its disadvantages. Whether she was away with Canada, or with Portland for away games, or just had a busy week at training, you would find your wife complaining about all the time she had to spend away from you.

That's why, on days off, or on prolonged time away from football, she loved just being together, just the two of you, soaking up each other's presence. Especially in the morning. Jessie didn't mind rising early. She'd grown used to early training sessions ever since she had made it professional, all the clubs she played for opting for the early day-to-day schedule. But whenever she had the opportunity to soak in the warmth of your embrace in bed for a bit longer than usual, there was nothing she would rather do.

You were quite the early riser yourself, and it's a habit you didn't shake on your days off. Ever since making it at one of the top steps at your corporate job you promised yourself you'd adapt to a fairly strict routine, including a 7am alarm every single workday. And much to Jessie's avail, you had a good biorhythm, so that meant you would wake up no later than 7:30 on weekends too.

Forever a sucker for your morning coffee and a couple pages of whatever book you were reading, it was often you found yourself up before the clock hit 8. Comfortable on the couch with a blanket or two wrapped around you, you enjoyed your quiet mornings. Your Canadian, on the other hand, did not enjoy your quiet mornings. Ever so the cuddler, you wouldn't get much more than half an hour because you'd hear a set of feet padding down the stairs, a tired frown etched on her face ushering you back upstairs for another hour of two.

Today was no different. It was the first Saturday of December, the start of Jessie's three-week winter break. You and your wife had arranged your plans for this day quite a while ago. You'd recently moved into a new apartment in Portland and while you managed to transfer over most of your furniture, this new apartment was quite a bit bigger so it didn't feel quite as homely yet as your other did. Today's plan was to go furniture shopping and Christmas shopping. Both you and Jessie were suckers for the festivities. Ever since being together, not a year had passed where you didn't decorate every single room in the house. Traditions of Christmas tree decorating, baking Christmas cookies or watching Christmas films were never skipped in the Fleming household.

As every other day of the week that had just passed, you stirred from your sleep at a little past 7. You stayed in bed for a couple more minutes before you carefully peeled Jessie's arm from your midsection and got up out of bed, successfully escaping the Canadian's grip without waking her up. You softly padded downstairs and made your way over to the kitchen to make yourself a coffee. You silently thanked your wife for having picked up a refresh of your favorite coffee beans the other day, when you noticed the package you were using was running empty. Coffee and book in hand, you made your way over to your usual spot on the couch and immersed yourself in the story at hand.

It wasn't long this time, probably only 15 minutes, until you were interrupted by the soft padding of fuzzy sock-covered feet making their way down the stairs of your shared apartment. The usual frown on your Canadian's face made way for a slight smile, it was a welcome sight on this slow Saturday morning. You softly closed your book and put it to the side while Jessie made her way over to the couch, opening your arms for her to fall into. She plopped down sideways on your lap with a satisfied sigh, her arms circling around you as she nuzzled her face into the crook of your neck.

"Morning, baby," you whispered softly against the side of her face as you pressed a tender kiss right beneath her ear, tracing soft patterns up and down her back with your fingers. "Morning," Jessie mumbled back, nuzzling her face impossibly deeper against your warm body. "Had a good sleep?" you asked her, to which you got a hum in response. You pressed another soft kiss against the side of Jessie's face, letting her rest for a couple more minutes in your arms before you inevitably had to get your day started.

"You're up early again," Jessie mumbled nearly incoherently into your skin. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, baby. Too good a biorhythm," you feel Jessie chuckle and you undo a couple knots as you run your fingers through her messy curls. "I'm gonna file a complaint at your work, I think", your wife said. "Oh yeah? Why's that?" you quipped back. "Because they're stealing my morning cuddles from me."

"Oh, are they now? I think we can't let that slide, can we." "Yeah, we can't. I'm gonna call them later, actually." "On a Saturday?" "Oh. Well, Monday."

You laughed breathily as Jessie mumbled further about her plans to sue your company. "Let me make you some breakfast, Jess, we have a busy day ahead of us," it took a bit of convincing, but eventually the midfielder slipped off your lap and let you make your way over to the kitchen. You downed the rest of your now cold coffee, and got started on some eggs. Scrambled, on toast. Just the way you knew Jessie liked them. It wasn't long before you felt a pair of muscular arms slipping their way around your waist. Jessie laid her head on your shoulder and watched you work, silently admiring the way you moved so effortlessly around the kitchen, even with a sleepy Canadian clutching onto your back. "Handsy this morning, yeah?"

"Can you blame me?" Jessie said, clutching you tighter against her. "You're lucky I love you, Jess". "I know. Very lucky," she replied, accentuating her words with a soft kiss to the nape of your neck. "Go sit down, baby. I'll have this ready in a couple moments. You want coffee?" Jessie hummed appreciatively in response and reluctantly let go of your body before taking her usual spot on one of the bar stools at the kitchen counter. You finished up on your breakfast and made the both of you another cup of coffee, plating all of it up and putting your wife's breakfast in front of her.

Before you could take a seat, Jessie pulled you back into her and squeezed your body against her. She wrapped one of her hands behind your neck and pulled you down to give you a proper kiss. You groaned in appreciation when her soft lips moved against yours, not urging for anything more, just a moment of affection shared between the two of you before you got your day started. Before any of you could get carried away and forget about the breakfast you had just made, Jessie started pulling away. She brought her hand down to your front and delicately brushed your bottom lip with her thumb, pulling it back a little before letting it plop back in to place. She pressed her forehead against yours, "I love you, thank you for breakfast," you grinned and pressed a couple more tender pecks against her lips before you softly spoke. "I love you more. Now get this food down so we can get this day going."

#woso #woso community #woso x reader #woso imagine #jessie fleming #jessie fleming x reader #jflem #portland thorns #canada wnt

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one-idea · 1 year ago

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I love a Roger/Rouge lives to raise Ace or a Shanks takes Luffy with him one-shot as much as anyone.

But the main problem I always have is that the ASL brothers would never meet in these circumstances. So my brain (being the mess that it is) has tired to find a solution.

What if Rodger never got sick or at least it was not as deadly as it was. Still chronic but not a death sentence. He lives and Rouge has Ace (she gets pregnant a little later then in cannon so that she doesn’t have the crazy long pregnancy but Ace is still the same age).

To keep his family safe they travel with him on the Oro Jackson. They stay to relatively calm waters that the marines can’t easily get to. Some of the crew also leave to make their own crews. This gives the marines something else to chase.

Shanks is one of the ones to set out on his own. He leaves when he’s around 17 right around the time Ace is born. It’s the push he needs to set out. He wants to distract the marines as much as possible from Roger’s family. (Buggy did the same thing. They decided to split up to cause more mayhem)

Ten years go by. Shanks visits Roger when he can but for the most part he’s making a name for himself. And he’s doing a good job at it. So good he has to lay low for a while. So he decides to go to the East Blue for a bit. Get away from the Grandline while also hiding somewhere different than Roger. (That way if the marines find him they won’t also find Roger)

It’s here that he meets a 7 year old Luffy. And it plays out much the same as cannon. He adores this little ball of sunshine. This is his boy. He doesn’t care who the boy’s blood father is this, is his boy. So he gives him his hat, has Luffy promise to return it when he’s a great pirate someday. But he leaves out the part about that being the next time they see each other because he wants to see his boy again.

When Shanks returns to the Grandline he seeks out Roger to tell him about their new family member. And Roger hears about this boy who is sunshine incarnate, who dreams to be the freest person alive, who wants to dethrone him as pirate king and goes, “I can’t not meet him.” And there’s no way he’s waiting till the kids on the sea. (Plus Ace needs some friends. Shanks and Buggy had each other, Ace has no one his own age and Rouge is starting to worry for their son.)

So they set out for the sleep island in the East Blue.

Meanwhile Grap has moved Luffy to Dadan’s care. While Luffy is out wondering around he bumps into a blond haired boy named Sabo. It takes a while but Sabo starts to warm up to the 7 year old that’s following him like a shadow.

Just in time for a new kid to wander his way into their jungle. Oro Jackson has Docked and Roger has been (discreetly) looking around for this Luffy while the crew restocks. Ace has already made his way into the jungle because even though he was raised by his parents, he’s still feral. (He was raised on a pirate ship go figure) the three boys bump into each other and through some shenanigans Ace and Sabo start to get along.

It doesn’t take long for Sabo and Luffy to figure out who Ace’s dad is. You know since they actually get to meet them.

The Bluejam pirates still happen.

Maybe Ace doesn’t like Luffy at first. He’s a little kid and is annoying in the way all older kids find younger kids that just want to follow them around annoying. But it’s more than that, because Shanks has claimed Luffy. Shanks, who Ace grew up around and looks up to, came back to the ship and didn’t want to talk about anything except for this ‘amazing’ kid. This kid who his uncle/older brother gave up his arm to save. This kid who is so ‘special’ his dad just had to come and meet him. This kid who has his dad wrapped around his finger in under a day. This kid, who is wearing his Dad’s old hat like a crown and talking about dethroning his dad like it’s his right. This little crybaby who’s not even that special. He can’t even swim!

Even Sabo has a soft spot for the kid, Sabo who is now Ace’s first friend, but he obviously likes Ace better because Luffy is such a crybaby.

But then the Bluejam pirates show up and they heard that the king of the pirates is here with his son. His son he would do anything for. Wouldn’t it be nice to get the bounty for the king of the pirates? If they have his son they can probably force the man into handing himself over. They wouldn’t even have to fight him!

They set out to capture Ace. They see him hanging around Sabo and Luffy. When they attack Ace and Sabo get away but Luffy gets caught. He gets tortured as they ask him to give up the location of the Roger Pirates so that they can capture Ace and by extension Roger. But Luffy won’t tell them anything.

Roger comes to save him. The whole crew comes along with Ace and Sabo. After this the three boys are inseparable. Ace steals some of the crew’s sake and the three swear to become brothers.

While the three boys are doing this. Roger sent some men to find the rest of the Bluejam’s crew and find out about their plan to burn Grey Terminal and how they were hired by Sabo’s father. And that settles it for him. If there was any doubt in Roger’s mind that he was taking Sabo with them when they left this island it was gone now. He thought the boy was oddly dressed for a homeless boy, finding out he was a noble explained a lot. He’s not leaving the boy in this situation. Mainly because Ace finally has a friend/brother. Finding out that adopting the boy would make a noble lose their mind was a bonus!

But what about Luffy? He knows Shanks thinks of the boy as a son. He’s know he is Ace and Sabo’s brother, and they haven’t left his side since the kidnapping. Rodger has no clue who the boy’s family is. At this point Luffy has only introduced himself as Luffy. He lives with the bandits but they are not his family. So it’s seems like he’s got no one truly taking care of him. Honestly Roger is shocked Shanks didn’t just take Luffy with him when he left.

So Roger leaves the island. Stealing one noble son. And taking what he believes to be one free child with him. (There are no parents around to claim him? It’s free real estate) they sail away right as a navy ship is approaching. And Roger would recognize that ship anywhere. It’s Garp! What is Garp doing here? Was Roger that careless with his location. The Oro Jackson hasn’t had a true Marine encounter in years (Rouge is just that good at navigating them under the radar)

Garp sees them, of course he does. Roger sees Garp grab a den den mushi, one that projects his voice across the open sea between them. Roger is expecting his regular speech about how Garp is going to catch them, about how they should surrender, really any of their normal banter.

What he is not expecting is the very loud, very panicked, very angry “give me back my grandson!”

Roger and the crew slowly turn to face the three boys. It’s not Ace. Roger would know if he or Rouge were related to Garp but he still checks Ace off the list.

It can’t be Sabo. Roger can’t imagine a reality where Garp lets his child marry a noble. Plus the kid looks nothing like him.

That leaves Luffy.

“Luffy, what was your name again?” Rouge asked ever patient

“Monkey D. Luffy!” The boy says with confidence. It’s the first time the crew has heard the surname. Well, at least that confirms somethings.

After confirming that yep this is Garp’s grandson. Who he is apparently trying to train to be a marine? Who he’s apparently hit with haki infused punches. (Roger’s been hit with those. They hurt.) Roger grabs their own den den mushi and just calls out “finder keepers.” And they sail away to cannon fire and cursing.

Anyhow the three brothers grow up together on the Grandline. Shanks visits when he can and calls once a week at least if not daily to check in on Luffy and the boys.

Whitebeard definitely crosses paths with Rogers at some point and tries to adopt the boys from him. Rogers would fight him if Rouge wasn’t already fighting Whitebeard over her babies. In the end he becomes the fun uncle. Ace adores him. This is Roger’s worst nightmare! (It’s not. There are way worse things that could happen than his son liking his rival. But Roger loves to be dramatic)

When it’s time to make their own crews Ace and Luffy both decide to start from the East Blue. Getting dropped off by the Roger pirates.

At some point Sabo found out about the revolutionary army and decided that he wanted to join rather than be a pirate. He has his family’s full support (as long as he calls once a week. If he doesn’t they will find him) When he meets his boss for the first time he almost loses his mind and immediately calls Roger’s with a “I think I just met Luffy’s dad!” To which he gets the hilariously confused response of, “You’ve known Shanks since you were ten. What do you mean you just met Luffy’s dad?”

#one piece #monkey d. luffy #fire fist ace #one piece ace #portagas d. ace #gol d. ace #gol d. roger #portages d. rouge #shanks #one piece sabo #revolutionary sabo #sabo #I have thought about this for days. I just want one timeline where they all get to be together #roger approaching Ace: we have to take these kids with us for a bit.#Ace: these are my brothers now. we are taking them forever wether you like it or not. they’re mine now #asl brothers

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ruggiezz · 1 year ago

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— CHRISTMAS SPIRIT : twisted wonderland

[synopsis] they couldn’t go back home for the holidays, so how do they spend them with you?

[characters] ace, riddle, kalim, vil, malleus

[content warnings] food is mentioned

★﹕ACE TRAPPOLA — building a snowman

The streets were decorated with colorful lights, lamp posts had ribbons wrapped around them, and kids were running around playing with the snow. You could tell it was Christmas season from a mile away just by looking at the huge Christmas tree that decorated the park.

Even if it was around 7 pm, the streets were full of people shopping at the last hour. The windows of the stores were all advertising discounts to get more sales, from expensive items to affordable ones.

Ace had already bought your gift weeks ago. It was something you mentioned you wanted once, you probably had forgotten about it, but he had saved for months just to see the smile on your face when you opened it.

While walking to a cafe Cater recommended, you saw some kids making a snowman together in a nearby park while their parents chatted while sitting on a bench. Grabbing Ace's hand, you rushed to a spot in the park and rolled some snow to make the body. He protested at first but he got to work almost immediately.

Helping you decorate it was the fun part. He collected some pebbles while you continued molding it. As he decorated the face so it would look like it was frowning, he laughed at you for protesting about the facial expression. Ace said it was ‘the best snowman in the park’ and that you both ‘won against those kids’. You grabbed your scarf and wrapped it around the snowman, claiming it was so it wouldn't 'feel cold'.

Sadly, you forgot the weather was below 0°; but before you could even say something or complain, you felt Ace wrapping his red scarf carefully around your neck.

“Sheesh, I’m your boyfriend, and you’re favoring a snowman over me. I'm going to freeze now, you know? …I'm just teasing, let's go or we won't find any tables available.”

★﹕RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS — decorating a gingerbread house

Usually, Sam makes Christmas sales in the Mystery shop around December, but this year it made a huge fuss because of the new items he added. The students that stayed in school grounds were buying almost everything, so you thought you could check it out.

All the items were eye-catching, but a particular gingerbread house set stood out the most. It was selling fast, and you wanted one, so why wouldn't you buy one to decorate with your boyfriend?

Riddle couldn't say he was surprised when you showed up in his room with a box of frosting sleeves and gingerbread walls. A few Heartslabyul students who stayed too bought some sets and decorated them in the common areas (and that got them collared, which made them have to go to their own rooms or the cafeteria tables). He thought about it and decided to give it a try, since he wanted to spend time with you and he already finished his book of crosswords.

His side of the gingerbread house looks neat, exactly like a model a company would use in an advertisement, following the instructions carefully paid off. Your side looks slightly messy, with the frosting dripping on the sides and some of the candy falling off. The best way to describe it would be like an earthquake happened, and it only affected half the house. But Riddle still liked it; he could see the effort you put into it; you could even say he felt fond of it.

Riddle had a lot of fun decorating and spending time with you. You handed him the colorful chocolate candy package as he gave the final touches on the ceiling.

It wasn't the perfect house, but it was one made by the both of you.

“It isn’t tidy or neat, yet it has a certain charm to it... Don't put frosting on my face!”

★﹕KALIM AL-ASIM — singing christmas carols

He really likes spoiling you, and you could tell that he was planning something big due to how big his grin had been since December started.

Kalim promised to walk you to Ramshackle after the end of your classes, promising to spend the rest of the day with you. He even finished his homework for the end of the break early so Jamil couldn't object!

The second the bell that indicated the start of winter break rings, Kalim rushes out of the classroom, going straight to the stairs so he could go meet you on another floor. Jamil had to yell at him from a distance to not walk too quickly or he would slip and fall off the stairs. Kalim looks like an excited puppy waiting for you in the hallway, wanting to receive that kiss you always give him as s greeting, it's the best part of his day.

He grabs your hand and starts walking to Ramshackle, excitedly telling you about his plans for the both of you for the winter break, talking about the gifts he will send to his siblings, and about the meal you can both have on the 25th. When the both of you run out of conversation topics, Kalim just hums the melody of a carol, swinging the arm, holding your hand back and forth, and walking as quick as he could.

Kalim looks back at you, giving you the brightest smile he can physically make, and asks you to sing along with him. He'll teach you the lyrics. Or maybe, if you want to, you can both sing carols from your world.

He's just a big fan of carols; he even tells you about how Jamil and he sang them together every Christmas when they were kids. He would love the idea of being able to sing with you together; he wants to know more about you and the traditions in your world.

“Come on, let’s sing together! We can be like a duo; it’ll be so much fun!”

★﹕VIL SCHOENHEIT — watching christmas movies

As soon as he found out you were staying at the school grounds during the holidays, he invited you to stay in Pomefiore. Vil can't have you getting sick or getting your skin dry; the coldness of the environment wasn't good for anyone's skin.

Vil arranged a room for you with all the necessary things you could need, even preparing a set of expensive pajamas he bought for you as an early gift, yet you still sneaked at night to sleep in his bed. It's not like he was complaining; it helped him sleep better at night. You are made to go to sleep early anyway, sleeping is important to maintain your natural beauty.

The second day you opened in your laptop the huge catalog of the (expensive) streaming service you bought especially for the holidays. You asked Vil to watch some Christmas movies with you and he agreed. He knew you weren't familiar with this world's iconic movies, so he would act as your guide.

The both of you made it a habit to sit in his bed a few hours before bedtime and watch some Christmas movies. You played a movie he recommended or that caught your eye, got comfortable, laid your head on his shoulder, and he got to speak about his thoughts on the actor's performance. This was the routine you both followed every day. But one particular movie caught your eye—one he starred in months before entering NRC.

It was good; it was a rom-com where he starred as a side character. You found yourself watching it multiple times, even in his absence. It was a movie with a good plot, your boyfriend starred in it, and he got to talk about the behind the scenes. It was a win-win.

“Did you enjoy my performance, hm? My acting is always on point; expect nothing but the best from me.”

★﹕MALLEUS DRACONIA — sharing hot chocolate

Since Malleus stayed behind because he wanted to spend the holidays with you, that meant the rest of the Diasomnia family did too, so they were all invited to a Christmas sleepover at Ramshackle. And he could never decline an invitation, especially from you.

Sebek was delighted to drink something sweet, just like Grim, who was happy to be able to eat whatever he wanted. Lilia was reminiscing over old memories of when they were younger, like a proud father would, and Silver was listening and adding more to what Lilia was saying.

There was something comforting about the heat coming from the mug he was holding and the sweater you bought specially for him. Malleus has never been sensitive to the cold weather, but the warmth he felt in his heart seeing how well you got along with important people in his life was more than welcomed. It was simple—nothing like the fancy celebrations at his castle back home—just the six of you spending time together while chatting about anything.

It wasn't a foreign feeling; he often felt this way around you, but he could never get enough of it. He smiled at you as you refilled Sebek's mug, who was discussing with Silver about their childhood memories, while you listened intently, clearly interested. Lilia noticed Malleus staring at you and teased him about it, but Malleus only smiled proudly at him and kept drinking from his mug; some of the marshmallows you added to his cup sinking to the bottom.

If any other student witnessed it, they would be speechless over how Malleus Draconia, the scary prince nobody wants to anger, was so content drinking hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows in a snowman mug. But they would be even more speechless if they saw the tender way he looked at you.

“This night has been nothing but delightful; you surprise me more and more every day. I want nothing more than to make more memories like this with you.”

#twisted wonderland #twst #ace trappola x reader #ace x reader #riddle rosehearts x reader #riddle x reader #kalim al asim x reader #kalim x reader #vil schoenheit x reader #vil x reader #malleus draconia x reader #malleus x reader #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader

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munnmolads · 15 days ago

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"Who are you?" - Rafayel's Nightly Stroll Theory/Headcanon

My thoughts about Rafayel's jabs about forgetting MC during Nightly stroll and theory on what might have happened before the game events. Spoilers for Nightly Stroll, Under Deepspace main story and Rafayel's story branch.

Recap from Nightly Stroll - Rafayel gets injured and gets into the hospital. He calls MC to visit him in the morning, and she arrives there late at night. Angry at her lateness, Rafayel pretends to forget MC.

Later in the story we learn that this is a jab at MC actually forgetting him. They met much earlier as kids and made a promise to meet again the spot next year.

Only later in the story branch MC gets to know about her forgetting Rafayel.

Something I want to point out with the branch relating to their meeting even if it's slightly off-topic, their meeting happened 14 years ago, so MC was around 7-8 years old, and Rafayel was 10. I believe MC is referring to the experiments that we can read more about "Sealed in Dust" World Underneath story, and her age during those experiments was specified in Under Deepspace Chapter 5-1. MC still doesn't know the full extent to her experiments and doesn't connect yet that those memory losses are related to them.

While Rafayel says that he didn't ACTUALLY wait for her, he still seemed to hope that they would meet again. As if this isn't heartbreaking enough, I have wondered one thing... How he knew MC truly forgot about him?

In main story chapter 2 when they meet "for the first time", he doesn't seem to be surprised about the fact that she doesn't recognize him. He seems like he already knows she has forgotten about him, and keeps up the facade of not knowing who she is. Only after chapter 7 he shows how bitter he is over it.

Then going back to him mentioning "settling a score with her"... While I feel that we might never know what that actually meant, I feel him "forgetting" MC back is one of his ways to get back at her, in a very specific way. In addition to Nightly Stroll, he very momentarily pretends to forget MC again because he's angry with her. If you don't log in for 30 days, you will get a new interaction with the guys in the cafe, he will say this:

(thanks to SORAII for uploading a video of it, I am way too obsessed with this game to do this)

While this moment is shorter than in Nightly Stroll, it has the similar theme: He asks who MC is, and mentions that she looks kind of familar. I don't know about in other languages, but in EN voiceover he also raises his pitch a teeny bit here, and in Nightly stroll it's obviously higher.

Here is where my theory/headcanon comes in; MC has said those words to him. They met again after MC forgot everything, and ironically, has forgotten about it. And he's mocking her for it.

I imagine Rafayel did approach her after finding her - being ecstatic that he finally found her, only to hear those words. It also makes sense considering how convoluded his methods of trying to involve himself into her life have been but still never approach her until the main story starts. Also, considering how bitter he is about it and how he sincerely wanted MC to use the bond to make him not to hold a grudge anymore.

And for her, she thought she just met some guy who mistook her for someone else.

#lads rafayel #love and deepspace #rafayel #love and deepspace rafayel #lnds rafayel #lnds lore #lads theories

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onlyhyunjin · 7 months ago

Text

⋆ I love you - Park wonbin ⋆

Synopsis- you're dating a very popular celebrity which causes you to get hate since you're a "nobody" but wonbin is determined to show you and the world just how much he loves you.

Pairing- celebrity bf!wonbin x non celeb fem!reader ______________________________________________

park_wonbin just posted a photo

liked by lee.sohee, hong_seunghan, and 1,234,843 others

park_wonbin lately

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user you look so good

hong_seunghan :)

user3 I'm obsessed with him

user8 can I bag you?

user6 he don't wan't you

user8 he don't want you either

user12 y'all fighting like he wants either of yall

jane5 how's that's shit ass company?

user4 Jane your so real for that

user1 I just wanna know what they're so interested in on hani's phone?

park_wonbin cat video's

user1 OMG wonbin replied to me

yourusername just posted a photo

liked by danielle, phamhanni, haerinnn and 173 others

yourusername late night study sesh and a lil music

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danielle exams?

yourusername always lol

danielle this is why I'm not a med student

user7 your so beautiful

user0 being a med student sucks

user72 are you single?

yourusername if you look at my bio you can tell I'm not.

phamhanni we should've studied together

yourusername you know you don't study

phamhanni do too

user1 who is she she's really pretty?

user3 just a random

park_wonbin just posted a photo

liked by yourusername, shotaro.saki, and 1,954,999 others

park_wonbin the boys 🖤

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user1 my visual kings

user3 I LOVE YOU GUYS ♥️

liked by creator

user8 my 7

liked by creator

user55 obsessed with these men

user2 잘 생긴 남자들

(handsome boys)

shotaro.saki 🖤

user87 my favorites

user21 oppa be my boyfriend?

user55 girl GTFO

user12 lmaooo

yourusername just posted a photo

liked by phamhanni, hhyein, haerinnn and 274 others

yourusername first week of summer break 🌞

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phamhanni Hawaii was fun!!

yourusername let's do it again soon

user98 still with this mystery man?

yourusername always.

user98 cute ig

yourcousin I still wanna meet him it's been 2 years.

yourusername soon I promise

yourcousin you better keep your word lol

user25 cute pics!

yourusername thank uuu

phamhanni besties for the resties

yourusername my day 1

User77 the boy looks familiar

this comment has been removed by creator

park_wonbin just posted a photo

liked by lee.sohee, yourusername, phamhanni, and 1,000,000

park_wonbin late night studio sesh 🎧

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hong_seunghan best feeling

user4 what you working on?

user1 cooking up new music?

user99 new album when?

user8 another song with his beautiful vocals pls!!

user2 can't wait

user I just know the new song is gonna be good

user55 !!!

user84 haniii

user21 this is random but wonder what his coffee order is?

user91 okay but the studio?

yourusername just added a photo

liked by danielle, phamhanni, haerinnn and 373 others

yourusername late night coffee date p.s he's a cutie!

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haerinnn cuteeeee

yourusername 😘

danielle I hate being single :(

yourusername I'll find someone for youu

danielle no thank you I actually enjoy it

phamhanni when's the wedding?

yourusername lol

minjeong._. so glad I introduced y'all

liked by creator

#1rinaa my babiess

yourusername 🤭🤭

user3 something looks familiar here

this comment has been removed by creator

aeriiii 🤮 couple (y'all so cute)

liked by creator

ningx2 cringeeee

yourusername stay mad bae

Dispatch just added a photo

liked by user3, user8, user99 and 1,632,838 others

Dispatch Riize Wonbin spotted on multiple dates with a non-celeb lady what are your opinions on this?

user3 noooo he really has a girlfriend :(

user12 so happy for him if this is true!!

user8 oppa seriously she looks disgusting

User938 your literally disgusting

user99 the dates looks so cuteee

user6 I'm disappointed in him for dating her

user38 embarrassing behavior

user4 I can't really tell the photos are so blurry I can't see the guys face that well but if he is dating congratulations 👏🏻

user last pic is the cutest

user272 I don't believe it you can't even see the guy plus wonbin wouldn't like that girl

user76 your embarrassing yourself

user838 she's not even pretty

user4 you just mad it ain't you

User12 literally like grow up

user90 these comments by some people are nasty

User636 I know it's really sad to see

User042 I kinda hope it's true I love to see idols dating.

@onlyhyunjin. Do not steal, copy, plagiarize, or translate my work, especially without my consent.

#park wonbin #wonbin #wonbin riize #riize wonbin #wonbin x reader #wonbin imagines #park wonbin x reader #park wonbin imagines #wonbin smau #riize #kpop smau #seunghancore

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curtis-corner · 5 months ago

Text

STAND BY ME (Darry Curtis) PART 7

Fic masterlist here

Fun fact: the end of this chapter was one of the first ideas I had when coming up with this story. Enjoy and I promise an update next week because I think y'all are going to want one!

Taglist: @lovelylegolas2123 @amnestyliketaz

PART 7

You never used to mind working the later shift on Friday nights, but ever since you had starting dating Darry, you dread the time spent away. Knowing he was at his house and you could be there too made you antsy and you looked at the clock more than usual.

The door jingles and you look up from organizing receipts when you hear someone say your name.

“Sally?!” You exclaim, coming out from around the register to greet your old high school friend. It had been over a year since you last saw her, she got married right out of high school to an army man and moved up to Kentucky.

“I meant to write, I’m back for a week to visit with my folks. Needed to pick up a few things,” she gestures to the aisles. You catch up for a few minutes and help her find what she needs.

You are ringing her up when the door chimes again and you glance up to see Darry walking in. Sally gives you a not so subtle look as he approaches the register, she knew about your old crush on Darry and you know she’s going to go wild when she finds out you are dating.

“Hey baby,” he says when he approaches, leaning against the side of the counter and smiling. He glances over at Sally, whose mouth is wide open as she looks between the two of you.

“Sally, you remember Darry Curtis,” You awkwardly wave between the two of them.

“Hi Sally,” Darry voice is smooth, a clear contrast to yours. Sally closes her mouth, but her wide eyes turn to you.

“Seems I ain’t the only one forgetting to write with important news!” You groan. “Oh don’t you groan at me, missy, I was there when your Curtis crush started-“

“Curtis crush?” Darry raises one eyebrow and now your face is really heating up.

“And it was like pullin’ a tooth to get you to talk about it, but you’d blush even harder than you are now-“

“Alright, here’s your change.” You shove a few coins into her hand. “I’ll ring your parents tomorrow, we’ll catch up this week, I swear it.”

She leaves and you turn to Darry, who is smiling like a cat with a canary, but he opens his arms and you go right into his embrace.

It had become a little tradition on Fridays to have a date night in, and you felt spoiled by the effort Darry always put into it. He poured you a glass of wine and went about heating up your portion of baked chicken, potatoes and green beans. Darry always ate with his brothers, but made sure to save enough for you, and you made sure to always share some of your plate with him.

You had been dating Darry a few months now, but you still hadn’t gotten fully used to the feeling of being taken care of.

After dinner, you snuggle into his side on the old couch and lace your fingers through his. Steve and Soda had gone out and Pony was working on his story in his room.

“I think I need to repaint the kitchen.” Darry says, his thumb tracing circles on the spot where it met your hand.

“A nice light blue would be pretty.” You offer and he presses a kiss to the side of your head. You fight the urge to turn and capture his lips – you had already been caught making out once tonight by Ponyboy, you didn’t need to make him blush any harder.

“You wanna help me pick out the color?” Darry murmurs and you nod, snuggling closer.

“I’ve always wanted to paint a room.” You tell him. “My house is all white, nothing pretty going on. When I was little I would ask my parents if we could paint them, but they always said no. Once,” You giggle a little. “Once I took crayons to my bedroom wall and started coloring it.

“How much trouble did you get in?” Darry asks, chuckling.

“None, actually. I moved the vanity so it covered it. It’s still there.” Darry looks down at you and smiles.

“Smart girl.”

“They didn’t come check on me a lot anyway,” You say and Darry presses another kiss to the side of your head. “When I was little, sometimes my mom would have to take me on her jobs. She cleaned houses for some Soc families. I always knew I wouldn’t have a big old mansion on the West Side. But there’s these neighborhoods you pass on the way – like near the high school?” Darry nods.

“More middle-class kind of ones. We do jobs there.”

“I always thought those are nice. Nicer than what’s on the East Side, at least. I would look at them from the bus window and the yards were all kept up and it just seemed…safe.”

“I like those houses too.” Darry says and you sit for another minute, just holding hands. A door creaks open and footsteps come down the short hallway.

“I’m coming in the living room. I better not be scarred for life again.” He announces and Darry rolls his eyes.

“Smartass.” He answers and Pony rounds the corner with a knowing grin.

“Can we watch a tv show? My hand is cramping up,” he lifts his right hand and gives it a shake.

“Sure.” Darry slides over and Pony sits on his other side, leaning in close and Darry tucks his other arm around him.

You knew Darry still worried sometimes about not being able to take you out as often as he would like, or the fact that your time together often included at least one of his brothers, but the truth was you loved it.

You loved how Soda would turn up the radio when he was doing dishes and dance around so much it would take twice as long for him to finish them. You loved that Ponyboy would sometimes ask you to check over your history homework since he knew it was your favorite subject. Even with everything the Curtis family had gone through, the house was still warm and bursting with love and you considered yourself lucky to be a part of it.

Pony fell asleep not twenty minutes after he sat down, and Soda and Steve came home tracking in so much snow that you though Darry was going to make them sleep outside. You talked with them for a few minutes while Darry walked a half-asleep Ponyboy to bed, and then Darry begrudgingly took you home.

It was freezing, but that never stopped Darry from walking you right up to the door. While you both pushed the line in private, at his core Darry was still a gentleman.

But not too much of a gentleman to give up pushing you against the front of the house and kissing you senseless.

“I hate sayin’ goodnight to you.” He murmurs into your neck and you sigh.

“I know the feeling.” He wraps his strong arms around you one more time before walking you to the door. His brows furrow.

“Doesn’t your dad usually leave a light or two on?”

“Only because he doesn’t remember to turn them off.” You reach into your pocketbook for your house key.

“He’ll be home in what, an hour or two?” Darry is still looking around. He had made it clear many times he does not like dropping you off at an empty house.

“Usually about that.” You hold off on opening the door and instead sneak one last kiss from your boyfriend. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” You two had plans to go to dinner and for a drive after you freshen up from your day shift.

“I love you,” Darry says, as earnestly as he did the first time. And just like the first time, it still nearly knocks you off your feet.

“I love you too. Drive home safe.”

The wind whips through the house when you open the door and you hear a few papers rustling on the table. You hope your neatly piled bills aren’t scattered all over the floor.

You do your usual bedtime routine – change into pajamas, brush your teeth, use a cold cream and washcloth to take off your makeup. It’s quiet but peaceful, and you are nearly snuggled into bed when you remember you forgot to get a glass of water.

You walk to the kitchen and catch the corner of a paper from under the table. When you pick it up, you see it’s not a bill but a note from your father:

In some trouble. Out of town. Lock the doors.

You read it again before an icy feeling starts to crawl down the back of your neck. You never locked the doors when your dad was out, he usually came home so loaded he couldn’t open them with a key. With the note clutched in your hand, you hurry to the front door and lock it.

You can feel your heart beating a little faster and you go back to your bedroom and try to take deep breaths.

You glance at the clock – nearly one in the morning. You’re having an internal debate on whether to call Darry when you hear glass smashing from the front of the house.

You hear a thunk, and then two male voices arguing, one sounding further than the other. Another smash of glass and the voices are slightly louder.

“You think he skipped town?”

“Better not have, boss will have a cow. Now find that money.”

There’s movement and shuffling and the terror that has gripped you since the first sound of breaking glass suddenly propels you into action. You grab your pocketbook from the nightstand and shove your feet into slippers before opening your bedroom window as quietly as you can.

You hear more banging, and it’s getting closer. You hoist your leg over the windowsill and climb out. Your back leg hitches on the windowsill and you fall the short distance to the ground, landing on patch of ice and gravel.

You ignore the throbbing in your right arm and without another look back, you run like hell.

#stand by me: darry curtis #darry curtis x reader #darry curtis fanfiction #the outsiders fanfiction

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expresso-bean · 25 days ago

Text

The Man Out of Time [A ShadAmy and Silver Story]: Chapter 27

Pairing: Shadow the Hedgehog x Amy Rose

Description: It has been seven years of peace following the grueling war with Eggman and his army. Though it took time to rebuild what they have lost, life for the Freedom Fighters could not be better. Whether it's finding love or trying to run from their past, celebrating post-war times has been different for each of them.

All is well until a silver hedgehog comes knocking on Amy Rose's door to deliver the tragic news about an incredible force that seems to be the cause of the future's destruction.

Will anyone believe the mysterious hedgehog's cry for help? Or will he be left to fight for his future alone? Read to find out!

Warnings: None

Word Count: 4.3k

POV: Third Person

!! I do not own any of the art/gifs/borders used in my chapters. All credits to the rightful owners !!

Masterlist ❀ Ch.1 ❀ Ch.2 ❀ Ch.3 ❀ Ch.4 ❀ Ch.5 ❀ Ch.6 ❀ Ch.7 ❀ Ch.8 ❀ Ch.9 ❀ Ch.10 ❀ Ch.11 ❀ Ch.12 ❀ Ch.13 ❀ Ch.14 ❀ Ch.15 ❀ Ch.16 ❀ Ch.17 ❀ Ch.18 ❀ Ch.19 ❀ Ch.20 ❀ Ch.21 ❀ Ch.22 ❀ Ch.23 ❀ Ch.24 ❀ Ch.25 ❀ Ch.26

The house was quiet. It had been long since Shadow, Silver, and Amy over Silver's cooking while drinking the fruit-flavored sodas Amy had brought back from her quick trip to the market. Though they talked for a while after their meal, Shadow had convinced her to go and rest while they clean up the kitchen and prep for the big spaghetti lunch he had promised her tomorrow before training.

He stood in front of her door and quietly cracked it open to see how she was sleeping.

'She looks so peaceful,' He smiled, softly closing the door. 'The things I do for you.'

Shadow crept downstairs where Silver was waiting for him in the kitchen. On the counter near the stove there was a walnut wood cutting board and a wide-cut knife next to it. When the silver hedgehog spotted him, a smile spread on his face. Shadow nodded to him in acknowledgement.

"So," Silver clapped his hand's together. "what do you know about making spaghetti sauce?"

"There are salt and tomatoes in it."

"Yes, that's true. What else?" Shadow just stared at Silver. There was nothing else for him to say. Silver pursed his lips until they made a 'pop' sound. "So I'll take that as nothing else. Lucky for you, this is actually pretty easy. Since you're a beginner, we'll start with the most basic tomato sauce anyone can make."

Shadow nodded as he sat in front of the counter near the stove. Silver started going around the kitchen. First, he grabbed a pot from inside the oven and quietly placed it on the stove. Then he started rummaging through the fridge. He looked over at Shadow and motioned him to come over. Shadow swiftly walk over to him. He held out his arms and Silver placed a clove of garlic, a branch of basil, and another of parsley.

"If you could just put those on the cutting board that would be great!"

Shadow nodded and placed the on the cutting board as directed. He looked over at Silver how was organizing something in the fridge. He then stepped away from it and closed it. He walked over to the stove and pointed at the bowl next to the stove.

"Usually, we would use fresh tomatoes to make sauce, but we're going to try and fix this, um," Silver smiled nervously while looking at the mess of tomato water and pulp in the bowl on the counter. "base. But don't worry, this is an easy fix!"

"How?"

"It's real simple," Silver reached out and grabbed a can off the counter. He popped open the can of paste and placed it on the counter. "So, for this, we're using some unsalted tomato paste. It's thick right now, but once you mix it in with this, it'll balance everything out. And remember, no more salt. Amy doesn't really care for salty food that much."

"And you know how?"

"I told you, I helped her out with grocery shopping," Silver reiterated. His tone slightly aggravated Shadow. But he knew if this partnership with him was going to work, he had to keep his thoughts to himself. For better, or worse. "This is all we need. Before we turn on the stove, we're going to prepare the ingredients,"

Silver rolled back his shoulders and dusted off his hands. He opened a cupboard and pulled out a pepper shaker, oil, a bag of sugar, a dry herb shaker, and a big and small can with red labels on them. After organizing everything on the counter near the stove, he grabbed the knife by the protective sheath and handed it to Shadow.

"When cutting with limited supplies, it's best to use a wide-cut knife like this one."

"Okay."

"Your going to want to finely mince the garlic. Here, let me peel it for you first," Silver picked up garlic and moved to the sink on the other side of the kitchen. Shadow took of the knife's protective sheath and began practicing different cutting motions.

'Seems easy enough.'

"You've done this before, right?" Shadow jumped a bit at Silver's sudden presence next to him.

"Yes?" Shadow nodded. Silver smiled and placed the naked clove in the middle of the cutting board.

"With the knife, you are going to want to cover the clove with the side of the knife and press down on it. Try not to use all your strength, just enough to mush it," Shadow nodded and turned the knife onto the side and softly pressed down on the clove. He then lightly striked the side of the blade with his other hand. He was relieved that he didn't break anything and even more relieved when he saw that the garlic split perfectly into three even parts.

"That was perfect. Now just chop at it until it's finely minced," Shadow carefully chopped at the gloved several times, careful not to let the paste of the garlic get ever where. It was a slightly tedious job, but the more the chopped, the easier it got. "In any other case, you would add a touch of salt, not only for added flavor, but to also to keep the garlic from separating while you chop it. But like I said, no more salt."

'I feel like I should be taking notes. I'll just have to write all of this down later.'

"Wow, you're a natural at this!"

'I am aware that my culinary skills are limited, but I could handle a knife pretty well all things considered.'

"That should be enough," Shadow nodded quietly and scooted the minced garlic to the end of the board. "Now just chop up a couple of the leaves of basil and parsley while I get the pot ready. Don't worry I'll tell you what I'm doing so that you know what to do for next time."

"Mhm."

"You want to lightly coat the bottom of the pan with oil. You don't need to much," Silver took the oil and lightly poured it into the pit. He grabbed the handles and tilted until the bottom was evenly coated. "When it comes to cooking, unless your rushing or reheating, you always want to set it to a medium to high heat," He turned on the stove and looked over at Shadow. "That looked perfect! Be sure to set some parsley aside for the end, okay?"

Shadow looked around and spotted a small bowl near the oil. He gathered some of the parsley and set aside.

"First, we'll add in the paste and the base you made. Let me get you a spoon," As Silver went to fetch a spoon, Shadow looked at the oil in the pot beginning to shimmer with the heat. Already the kitchen was beginning to smell like the beginnings of a delicious meal.

"Here. Pour in the paste and base and give it a stir," Shadow dumped in the paste followed by the mess of watery tomatoes and salt. He grabbed the wooden spoon that was neatly side on a small plate next to the stove and stirred it in carefully until it became one smooth concoction.

'Wow. You can't even tell it used to be an abomination.'

The more he stirred, the more the sauce began to boil and the aroma of tomatoes began to build up in his nose.

"When you hear it start to sizzle like that, it's your cue to put in the rest of the ingredients. If you let it sit for too long you're more prone to burn yourself with the hot oil."

'That is actually quite helpful.'

"Start with the items on the cutting boards. Just use your hand or knife to slide it into the sauce carefully. Then, you will want to stir it in for just over a minute. Burnt garlic will ruin the flavor of the sauce."

"Right."

As Silver instructed, Shadow slid the basil, parsley, and garlic into the red mixture. He then stirred it all into the red sauce.

"That looks good," Silver commented. Shadow could hear him in the back putting things he had used in the sink. He then walked back next to Shadow and grabbed one of the spice containers. "While you have an eye on that, I'll open these up for you. Trust me, the smell is going to be amazing."

Shadow was too focused on stirring to respond. He wanted it to be perfect.

'I'm doing everything right so far. I can't mess anything up now.'

"Okay, the sauce looks amazing so far! Now, add in these."

Shadow set the spoon on the small plate and looked at the other ingredients before him.

"Any particular order?"

"It doesn't matter, but you can start with the oregano for a bit more structure. You'll only want a pinch since we'll add the rest of the parsley later. Then a couple of churns of pepper. And finally, some sugar to balance everything out and to neutralize the salt."

"Oregano. Pepper. Sugar for balance," Shadow added the corresponding ingredient with each word. A thin layer of the three ingredients set itself on top. Shadow stirred it until it was finely mixed in with the red sauce.

'It looked better!' Shadow smiled to himself proudly. Something about accomplishing something that looks so delicious from something that not even a starving wild hog would eat fulfilled Shadow. 'I wonder what else I could make?'

"Ah, smells like home."

"Home smells like tomatoes?"

"It smells like my father on birthdays. He would always make spaghetti dinner. Though, he liked to add pepper flakes to his for a bit of a spicier taste."

'Oh. Adding in pepper flakes doesn't sound too bad.'

"Have I stirred it right?"

"Yeah, make sure to reduce the heat."

"Sorry."

"It's okay," Silver quickly looked over Shadow's shoulder and chuckled softly. "And there it is!" Shadow heard Silver rummaging around the cupboards underneath, and he planked down a clear glass cover. "Here's a cover for the pan. After this, we have to wait it out for the next half hour. Just stir it every ten or so minutes to make sure it doesn't stick, and then we can put it in the fridge to chill it until tomorrow."

"Hm." Shadow gave the red sauce a couple of gentle stirs. The aroma was amazing for something so simple. He made sure the heat was on the lowest possible setting before covering the pan. Silver had already started putting things away. 'It's a shame the kitchen won't smell like this forever.'

"Wait," Silver's hum was barely auditable. "Let me take care of the dishes and wipe the counters. Just make sure everything is put away."

Silver nodded. There was a thick silence in the air only broken by the sound of running water. The smell of soap filled the room. He had already missed the rich smell of tomatoes from before.

"S?"

"Hm?" Silver hummed, closing the cupboard gently. Shadow could feel his eyes lingering on him. He didn't break away from scrubbing the cutting board. "What is it?"'

"Thank you, for teaching me this recipe."

"No problem. I've never taught anyone before, I worried I wasn't going to do it right," Silver let out an airy chuckle. Shadow could feel his smile from where he stood. "But I'm glad you could get something out of it!"

Shadow felt the air become less thick. As if a weight was lifted out of the atmosphere. Shadow carefully rinsed the knife off until it was gleaming. He placed it in the dish rack. He walked over to the stove and leaned on the counter next to it. He watched as Silver lifted the lid. The steam rose to his face and his nose twitched from the warmth. He stirred it a bit before closing the lid and putting the spoon down in a little bowl next to the stove.

"I'll check on it again in another ten minutes."

Shadow hummed in response.

"Did your father teach you this recipe?"

"Actually, this is the first recipe my aunt taught me when I was really young. She loved making pasta and would make me a spaghetti dinner for my birthday. When she passed, to make me feel better, my father would carry out her tradition," Silver check on the heat again before moving to the counter across from Shadow and hoisting himself up. "But to answer your question, yes, he loved cooking. He would tell me stories about how his cooking won over my mother. It was so embarrassing to have to listen to him fawn over like that," A sad chuckle filled in the area. His once-broken gaze found its way to the glass of water in his hand again. "I'd do anything to hear those stories again."

"Your father taught you greatly."

"I truly am sorry."

"Don't be. We both knew the consequences of coming over here."

'I knew it.' He nearly whispered. Though, he wishes he could have been wrong.

There was something Shadow had been hiding. Something that he hadn't even told Rose.

He knows about the Time Stone.

He knows that once he is done using it and he attempts to go back, there will be nothing for him to return to.

The Time Stone often requires a sacrifice for each use. The doctor who created him would sacrifice his work to get Maria back. His sacrifice will be dying without seeing his father for one last time.

"Still. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. What you are doing here is noble. Never lose sight of that."

"I'm not scared of what will happen. A part of me is happy. I will have another chance in a different life. And you guys will have a new future to discover."

"That must be..."

"Difficult? I know. I haven't exactly come to terms with it either."

'I haven't exactly made it easier, have I?'

"I have faced worse enemies in my lifetime than the ones coming. Another battle would be nothing I couldn't handle. But I have come to realize that version of me had nothing to lose. I've built too much now. There are too many people I have to protect," Shadow looked up at Silver, who was staring at them, completely engrossed with Shadow's words. He was at least glad to have Silver's attention. Rarely has he shown the ladder this much vulnerability. "It was unfair of me to pick you as the bearer of my anger towards my own failure to protect what I cared for deeply. I'm sorry for that."

"Oh, um, it's okay, Shadow. I am in the prime of my life right now and I still haven't exactly processed everything completely," Silver held out his hand and Shadow watched as a cyan mist covered the empty cup next to Silver. The cup moved to hover itself over Silver's lap. It then began to slowly flip over itself. "But with everyone's help, I know there is nothing I can't do."

Now that we have that out of the way..."

Shadow readjusted his posture against the counter. Silver, confused, slid his finger over and lightly placed his empty glass in the equally empty sink.

"What is it?"

"I need you to start being more honest with me."

"But-"

"I could care less about who your parents are. But there is something I need to know," Shadow interrupted. "You aren't related to those villains, are you?"

"Why would you even think that?"

"I understand the secrecy behind it because it could be one of us. But the problem is that you look nothing like us or other people we may know."

"What are you suggesting?" Silver questioned with an almost offended tone.

"The girl you mentioned has physic-like abilities, as do you."

"Trust me; it isn't like that. I'm only following my father's orders. He didn't want anyone to know who he was."

'An anonymous being...?' Shadow pondered.

"Did you have siblings? Or at least a mother?"

"No, no siblings. It was only my dad and I. My uncle and aunt never had any kids," Silver went slight for a moment. Shadow tilted his head, not knowing what was on the other's mind. Then, Silver let a sigh. "I never met my mom. She passed away a little after I was born. My father talks about her a lot, though. He says I have her eyes."

'None of us have golden eyes. Unless it's Espio. But he's a hedgehog and has no signs of being a chameleon. Could it be someone new? What about an old enemy? Someone else?' Shadow shook his head slowly. 'No use in asking him. It's noble that he respects the wishes of someone he will never see again.'

"I'm sorry about your mother."

"It's okay. Can we just move on already?" Silver muttered out.

"Of course. About that plan," Silver's head perked up at the word 'plan'. Shadow cleared his throat slightly before continuing. "It makes little sense that we should train together. Both groups have different tasks to complete and other opponents to face. Would it not make more sense to have those groups dismantle and work with those same people?"

"That's actually a good point. And I'm regretting not thinking about that sooner."

"Do you even know everyone's abilities before planning everything out?"

"I know...some!"

Shadow rolled his eyes and sighed. He knew he had his work cut out for him with that one sentence.

"Each person has a unique fighting style, and through the war, we saw who worked better with one another. Despite many changes personality-wise, there are certain things that we both need to be wary of."

Silver nodded intently. He pressed some buttons on his bracelet before looking back up at Shadow and waving his hand for him to continue. Shadow chose to ignore his strangeness.

"Amy and Knuckles work well together as they have similar fighting styles, but their hot-headedness makes their strong personalities class. I've seen them stop in the middle of battles to dish one out at one another."

"They get along well now, don't they?" Shadow gave Silver a look. A look that he hoped would communicate some of Amy and Knuckles' last interactions. Silver's expression shifted, and he nervously chuckled. "Oh, right. Yeah, you've got a point."

"Knuckles works better with Rouge compared to Amy, but they are also prone to arguments. They need a buffer."

Silver typed out more things into his watch. The tip of his tongue slightly poked out from his mouth as he concentrated.

"So, Knuckles and Amy are a no-go, but I can put him with Rouge. Got it," He looked up at Shadow with a slight grin on his face. "What about everyone else?"

"Tails is the strategist. A genius if I ever saw one. His mechanical intellect was on par with the Doctor's. Though, he can fumble under pressure if doesn't have a fighter with him."

"Why not put Cream with him? She knows him best."

"Cream is a good scouter since she can fly. She can fight, though, she would rather avoid it if the choice was hers."

"Oh, hm, that's tough," Silver paused to think for a moment.

"Sonic?" He questioned haphazardly.

"That could work, but no. Not only is this serious, but Tails is too compliant with Sonic. Tails will allow Sonic's arrogance to rain freely and push the opponents past their limits to test his own strength."

"I remember. He's full of himself," Silver muttered. He shook his head in almost regret as he said that. "But what do we do with him then?"

"Put him with Rose and I. Unlike the others, I am not afraid to step in to prevent any conflict with him."

Silver nodded in agreement.

"That form of him. It's too dangerous to be let out again."

"What anyone has failed to tell you is that isn't as absent-minded as he appears to be. He is in full control of what he is doing, form or not."

"So you mean, if you hadn't stepped in, he would have...?"

Shadow shook his head. "No. Despite his anger, he would never dare to kill an innocent person. Which brings up his main issue."

"What is it?"

"His stubborn nature allows him to try and spare someone if they show any sliver of humanity. He will try and negotiate with the enemy to try and avoid killing someone. In any other predicament, I would agree with him. But from what you tell me, both of these beings are beyond redemption."

Silver went silent. His demeanor seemed to darken in a way Shadow had not seen before.

"You can't let him try and reason with them," Silver said in a low voice. He wasn't even looking at Shadow, which uneased the black and red hedgehog.

'This is strange, even for someone like him.'

"You have to promise me you will put an end to this. For the future of you and the people you love."

Shadow nodded, not entertaining the odd seriousness in the other's voice with a response. This seemed to anger Silver. His eyes gleamed with what seemed to be anger.

"Promise me."

'This is important to him,' Shadow bit back a sigh. 'I shouldn't…'

He rarely makes promises. He has only ever promised four people anything.

He promised the Doctor who created him that he would always look after Maria.

He promised Maria that he will always keep kindness in his heart even after she is gone.

He promised Sonic he would destroy him and everything he stands for.

He promised Rose to stay and protect Mobius.

Though it does not count, he even made a promise to him to protect those he cares about. That includes the things those people care about too.

He has only kept two out of the five. Both of which were Maria and Rose respectfully. All things considered, he has a 50/50 track record.

"Shadow?" Silver interrupted the silence. Shadow nodded again.

"I promise," Shadow reassured.

"Good," Silver whispered, relieved. "There is some evil that cannot be reversed."

'Something about that sentiment…'

Shadow tried not to let his real emotions show on his face. But he couldn't help but have this pit in his stomach. Usually, Shadow was more calm in these situations. Nothing phases him. But Silver's words have been spoken to him countless times before, even by the very people whom he calls his friends.

'It doesn't sit right with me.'

"Getting back to the plan," Silver interrupted. Shadow perked up and nod for him to continue. "What I’m getting at is Sonic, Amy, and you will take on Anti…”

"Rouge, Knuckles and yourself will distract Ace long enough for the three of us to neutralize the other. You said you came close to defeating her, correct?" "Yes, but-" Shadow help up a finger to signal for him to stop. Silver shut his mouth almost immediately and hummed a muffled 'yes?'.

"With training, you are only bound to grow stronger through these coming weeks. Not only that, you will have two other people to help you."

"Do you really think I can do this?" Silver's words were laced with uncertainty. He looked at Shadow, who could tell he was desperate for reassurance.

"I don't think you can, I know you can do this," Shadow moved slightly closer to Silver. He noticed the silver hedgehog's wandering eyes. The nerves were practically eating him alive. "Do not doubt you own abilities because of the pressure. You have experienced warriors on your team that rely on you as much as you are willing to rely on them in this moment."

"T-Thank you, Shadow. That's pretty nice of you to say."

"Well," Shadow smirked. "I'm not heartless."

Silver couldn't help but smile softly. Shadow tried to ignore the contagious happiness it brought to him.

"Wait, there still something I don't understand."

"What?"

"Why are there only two teams of three? What about Cream, Tails, and Sally?"

"Sally can be the fighter to complement Tails and Cream. We can still keep the aspect of the plan where Tails drops the enemy at our feet, but until then, the rest of the them will ensure the other’s army does not expand. I doubt they will come empty-handed. We have to set aside people who can care for that," Shadow paused for a second, trying to gather his thoughts. "If you didn't already know, Sally is no ordinary person. She's the heir to a kingdom and a natural-born leader. She will likely request aid from her father, the King, for the use of their royal guard and access to their technologies."

"Oh, wow. Really?"

"Hm." He hummed.

"I-I didn't know that."

"It isn't outward obvious, considering she lingers around us as if she isn't royal-born."

"It's so funny. I thought I finally figured everyone out. But it seems this timeline is full of surprises."

"Did your father not inform you of everyone?"

"Not really. I wasn't even supposed to stay this long. But he wanted me to meet of of you. He wanted me to help all of you. But after I informed all of you of what would happen, I was meant to go back in time and show up for the main fight."

"It feels like I'm living out the childhood I never had. That was his dream. To be surrounded by the people he loved."

"I'm sure he's very happy for you, even if you are not there with him."

"He has company," Silver reassured. Something in his expression changed when he did. Shadow tilted his chin up for a moment, trying to read his expression. "There is something I haven't asked you."

Shadow nodded. Silver seemed to hesitate, looking away to avert his gaze to his hand that was resting on his knees.

"There is still someone who's missing. I meant to bring it up earlier, but with everyone's emotions at an all-time high, I forgot to mention it."

"Missing?"

"Yes," Silver's gaze suddenly landed on Shadow. It was oddly intense for the usually aloof hedgehog. Shadow tilted his head upwards as he tried to read his expression. "There is still one person I haven't met in my time here."

"Who?"

"Where is Espio?"

24 notes · View notes

lovemesomeeddiemunson · 7 months ago

Text

The Proposal - Part 3

Summary: When Steve Harrington is threatened with deportation, he blackmails his long suffering assistant, Eddie Munson, into marrying him. Steddie! The Proposal Au, Modern Au, Part 3 of 7. 5166 Words

Series Warnings: Blackmail. Food mentions. Mentions of unhealthy relationship with food. Cursing. Self harm (by means of tattooing.) Homophobia. Death of a parent. Abandonment by parents. Shitty parents. Homophobic parents. Parents with entitlement. Classism. Eventual sexual situations (no actual smut!) Brief allusion to a panic attack. Minor spoilers for Flight of Icarus.

Authors Note: It should be noted that this is a fully completed fic, I've just broken it up for ease of posting. I can AND WILL be motivated to post faster, if readers find themselves engaged lol 😂

They had reached some semblance of normalcy by the time they landed. Slipping into their roles.

Wayne is waiting for them when they get off the plane, smiling huge when he and Eddie spot each other in the crowd, the latter immediately bolting for his uncle, leaving a bewildered Steve a few paces behind.

“Uncle Wayne,” he says happily as the old man receives him in a tight hug, and damn. It’s been too long.

“Hey Ed,” he greets with a chuckle, pulling back to get a good look at him. Clicking his tongue. “Don’t they have food in New York? You’re all skin and bones.”

Eddie laughs. “I’m eating good Wayne, promise.”

Wayne gives a shake of his head. “We’ll get you a Big Mac or something on the way.”

Steve, who's gotten close enough to hear now, is baffled by what he hears. In the Harrington home, Steve was often critiqued for how much he ate. Even in peak sports season - food was a means for fuel only, and carefully regulated.

Steve carried the guilt of it around with him even now - years later, and while he indulges himself in his morning lattes, he never let it go so far as to eat fast food.

But here Wayne offered it up to Eddie unthinkingly, the offer laced with kindness.

Steve finds it hard to wrap his head around.

Noticing him standing there in silence, Wayne glances his way, and Eddie whirls around then too. “Oh!” He blurts.

“Steve, honey, this is my uncle Wayne.” Eddie introduces.

Steve sticks a hand out to shake automatically, his smile plastered on as he tells him, “Pleasure.”

Wayne smiles back. “Well hello there…Now do you prefer to be called Steve or uh, Harbinger of Souls? I’ve heard it both ways…Actually I’ve heard it a lot of ways.”

Steve’s eyes widen as Eddie elbows his uncle, no malice to it. “Hey, come on now.” He complains.

Even despite this, the older man’s smile doesn’t falter, and he laughs good-naturedly. “I’m kidding. Mostly. It’s good to have you, Steve. I was surprised when Eddie said you’d be coming along.”

“Right, uh. I’m sure…Thank you for allowing me to be part of your birthday this weekend.” Steve manages.

Wayne waves his niceties off, wrapping his arms around his boy once again and ushering him along as they head to baggage claim.

Once there, Eddie rescues Steve’s things and piles them up neatly, muttering on the last bag for only him to hear, “You’re gonna wanna use your legs to lift that one,” Before turning and slapping his hands together.

“Where did you park?” He asks his uncle as he abandons Steve to his luggage.

Wayne looks miffed at seeing it, “Eddie! Help him with those!” He huffs, having thought he’d brought up a respectable gentleman.

Eddie pouts. “I’d love to, but he won’t let me do anything, uncle Wayne. He insists on doing it all by himself…So big and strong.” He sighs.

Wayne looks at Steve, unconvinced. Steve fakes a smile at him and gets his bags in hand.

Eddie chooses then to launch into a rapid-fire round of catching up with his uncle, telling him “Gareth and Jeff send their love, and presents, by the way.”

Wayne looks fond, “Ah, how are they? I ran into Gareth’s mom at Melvald’s the other day - she says since he left he never calls. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I know how well he’s doing since my kid keeps in touch.” He chuckled softly, the two of them talking more while the three of them head out.

Once they reach Wayne’s truck, Steve piles his things into the truck bed as Wayne offers for Eddie to get behind the wheel.

He takes him up on it, Wayne riding shotgun and Steve sitting in the back seat of the cab, melding silently into the seats. Answering when spoken to, in a friendlier manner than Eddie expected.

So far so good.

They do hit a fast food place on the way, and when it becomes apparent that Steve is completely out of his element, Wayne insists on getting a bunch of different stuff for him to try. Refusing to let Steve pay.

The three men sit in a booth with cracked red leather, Steve sipping a milkshake and downing so many fries that he’s sure he’ll die, but Eddie is feeding them to him, being all cute and domestic and Steve would rather perish than give Eddie a reason to stop.

Finally, Wayne clears his throat to interrupt the pair of them. “So uh, I was thinking…and uh, you boys don’t have to indulge an old man in his wishes, but-” And his voice is soft and humble, and Steve’s heart goes out to him.

“What is it?” He asks, at near the same time Eddie questions, “What is it, uncle Wayne?”

Wayne scratches his head. “Well now, I know you’re only in town for the weekend, but I was just thinking…that nice hotel you booked is a bit of a ways outside of Hawkins…and I see so little of you as it is…Well, I was wondering if you two wouldn’t mind staying in your old room. So we can spend the extra time together.”

Wayne gives Steve a look - like a kicked puppy, all sweet and innocent and Steve is helpless to turn him down. He looks to Eddie and finds that the other man is already looking at him - with a very similar kicked puppy look that makes his heart thud traitorously.

Not wanting to dwell on that, he dwells instead on a decision that was presented to him.

Considering that being in Wayne’s home means being under his scrutiny, he knows that the pair of them will have to be continually convincing. Something that Eddie doesn’t seem put off by, and so he chooses not to be either.

“Well, I don’t see why not.” Steve says finally before Eddie’s wobbly lip really does finish him off.

At his words Eddie whoops, and the sound, particularly when paired with Wayne’s crinkly-eyed smile, fuels a wildly unfamiliar fuzzy feeling in Steve’s gut. Something homey.

He could get used to it.

Later, Wayne uses the bathroom and Steve and Eddie toss their trash, meandering back to the truck as Eddie sighs. “I feel like I should warn you before we get home.”

Uh oh. “Yeah?” Steve asks him.

Eddie purses his lips. “When uncle Wayne said we would stay in my bedroom…it’s the only bedroom. We live in a single bedroom trailer. In a trailer park.”

Steve stares at Eddie - confused, baffled even, but not for the reason Eddie might think. “And…you’re telling me this…why?”

“I don’t want you to react poorly when we get there.” Eddie snaps back. And Steve feels that earlier feeling in his gut - the warmth - shrivel up and die. He clenches his jaw, back ramrod straight.

“I won’t.” He says quietly. Yanking the door to the back of the truck open and sliding in, shutting it aggressively behind him but not quite slamming it.

Eddie gets into the passenger seat and fiddles with his metal chain, Wayne hopping in the truck shortly after, oblivious to the mood between the two men as they get back on the road.

They arrive at the trailer park in the early afternoon, and Eddie’s spirits are lifted to see that everything is exactly the same, down to the ratty old couch he and Wayne used to share cigarettes on.

Steve, for his part, doesn’t bat an eye. Once they’re parked in the driveway he announces “I’ll get the bags,” going to grab them and taking too many in hand, his muscles flexing under his dress shirt that’s now got a dollop of ketchup on it.

Eddie isn’t too proud to admit how fucking sexy it is.

As Steve moves, Wayne heads around to the back of the trailer with a quick comment about watering his plants, but Eddie knows he’s really giving them both a moment alone to settle in.

Once they have, their things - or rather, mostly Steve’s things - piled into his room, they take it all in.

Even with all they brought, there’s space to spare, the room still mostly bare but for the bed. All cleaned out as Eddie had left it years ago, his posters lingering that Wayne must have kept up. Clearly never having resumed ownership of the room, something that stirs Eddie’s heart a bit.

Running from the thought of anyone loving him enough to save a place for him, Eddie clears his throat, taking advantage of the fact that they’re alone for now. Tells Steve, “I owe you an apology.”

Steve looks surprised. “What for?”

“When I assumed - about the trailer, it’s just…” he starts.

“Oh. That.” Steve waves a hand, dismissing Eddie as he often does. “You don’t have to apologize, I get it.”

Eddie’s eyebrow raises. “You do?”

Steve nods, “Yeah. I can be pretty…”

“Pretentious? Snobby?” Eddie volunteers.

“Particular.” Steve glares.

Eddie winces. “Right.”

“All in all, I can see why you said what you said. And now that the heat of the moment has passed, I’m not upset.” He swears.

“You’re not?” Eddie confirms.

Steve nods again, hums softly. “The trailer is fine. Really. And I mean, I’m not thrilled about the cancellation fee for the hotel-” he quips, but Eddie shakes his head in answer.

“Don’t worry about that. I canceled in plenty of time.” He promises.

Steve is confused at that, “You- but you only knew we would be staying with your uncle today.”

Eddie just smiled sheepishly, and understanding washed over Steve. “No you didn’t.” He says.

Eddie shrugs. “No, I didn’t.”

“How long-“ Steve starts.

“Wayne asked me about it before we left. But I knew you’d be all whiny about it if I asked you, so, I asked him to whip out some of the old ‘Munson-charm.’” Eddie chuckles. “I knew even you couldn’t say no to him. He’s like, stupidly endearing. Old bastard.”

Eddie sounds so fond, Steve can’t even find it in him to be mad. Or to correct him on how it was his puppy dog eyes that he’d found stupidly endearing. Even so. “That’s a rotten trick.”

Eddie gave a mocking curtsy. “I know that you are used to finer comforts, my lord, but I pray that my humble abode might please thee, until we might return to your luxurious castle.”

Steve is unamused, glancing around with a neutral expression. Changing the subject. “How long has it been…since you’ve been home?” He asks.

“Too long.” Eddie sighs.

He’s taking that in. Examining his surroundings. Eddie tries to soothe his worry, tells himself that this is fine, definitely not comparing himself to a bug beneath a magnifying glass, no sir…

Steve moves closer to the wall then, taking in the handmade Corroded Coffin banner proudly displayed. “This is your band. The one from the demo. You’ve been together this long?”

“Since high school. In some form or another.” He kicks his shoes off then, getting comfortable, slides them into the closet where a few hangers linger, and his old acoustic.

“Oh!” He pulls it out, the body adorned with ‘This Machine Slays Dragons’ in a crooked scrawl. “Forgot about this.”

He sits on the bed with it, tuning it to give himself something to do with his hands as his boss turns and leans against the wall of the bedroom he occupied in adolescence, arms crossed, scrutinizing him.

“This is good.” Eddie rambles at his piercing gaze, taking his guitar pick off his necklace to use. “That’s something you should know. You should ask me more stuff like that.”

When Eddie plays a chord, the sound that emerges is pure and clear and perfectly in tune. Walking his ﬁngers up the fretboard, he picks out a bare-bones acoustic take on the intro to "Number of the Beast."

Steve stares at his hands. “Okay. So, why music?"

It's such an oblique question that Eddie has to give up on Iron Maiden for a full 30 seconds as he tries to ﬁgure out what he means. "Everyone likes music."

"Not everyone likes it the way you do." He cocks his head thoughtfully. "But I’ll rephrase. Why this music?"

Eddie laughs a little, strums some more. "Because it's badass,"

"Sure.” Steve dismisses, once the sound has died away. "But that's not the only reason, right?"

Eddie glances up at him, inquisitive.

He huffs a sigh. "Help me out here, Eddie. If I'm gonna sell this package, I need you to give me something to work with. Something real."

Ah. Leave it to Steve to be all business. Even now.

Fine.

Eddie could give him real. So he thinks…Why music? Why this music? He ﬂips his pick around in his ﬁngers as he tries to put his thoughts in some kind of order.

He'd never thought hard about it before Steve asked him. For 26 years of his life, music has just kind of... been. Like eating, breathing, taking a piss...music. Listening to it, playing it, talking about it. Grinding away for a chance to get it out there someday…It's a fact of life. But why?

"My mom." He murmurs. He’s not actually sure he means to say it. It just kind of comes out. He presses on anyway. "My dad was the one who taught me how to play guitar, but my mom, uh." He clears his throat. "She was living in Memphis when she met my dad. She'd grown up there, 19 years surrounded by music, everywhere she went. Country, bluegrass, rock...but her favorite was blues. Like, Chicago blues, the hard kind that gets into your bones, you know?"

Steve had relaxed a bit as he answered. "Yeah."

"So - when she left, when she moved up to Indiana, she took the music with her. It's like a nine-hour drive from Memphis to Hawkins, and she and my dad spent all of that time squeezed into a tiny car with 20 boxes of records. And then when I was born, she started sharing those records with me."

He’s still plucking out a tune, but it's not Iron Maiden anymore. It's a Muddy Waters riff, and as it fills the small space, Eddie can hear the static from his Mom's record player buzzing underneath, as familiar and comfortable as an old sweater.

His voice turns bitter as he recalls not having those records to listen to anymore. “She called them her plane tickets. Even when she was stuck in Hawkins," Waiting on her husband to come home from some dumbass scheme, Eddie thinks. "That music told stories. It helped her see the world."

He looks at the roof, water stained, and much safer than the man here with him.

"I didn't get it when I was a kid," he goes on. "All I heard on those records were people singing about sadness, about how shitty life was. And then, uh. She got sick and died. When I was like 6. I got it then."

Eddie pauses. Typically there's a chorus of sympathetic crooning following that reveal, one that sets his teeth on edge. But Steve is still and silent, watching him. Listening.

So Eddie gives him something to listen to. The guitar line for Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" trips off his ﬁngers, half blues and half metal, and it might be his imagination, but Eddie thinks he can see the ghost of approval, of a smile, on the corners of Steve’s mouth.

"I like this music because it's about sadness and how shitty life is. And things are sad, life is shitty. It's real. But also, it tells stories. This music takes you on an adventure, to another world where you're, like, facing down demons. Traveling into the depths of hell. My mom's music was plane tickets. I guess that makes my music a portal to another dimension."

"You like it because it's badass," Steve fills in the blanks.

"I like it because it's really fucking badass." He ﬁnishes the riff and lets his hand fall away. "Is that real enough for you?"

Steve isn’t smiling, not really, but there’s a glow in his eyes, radiance that has nothing to do with the light. He says, “I think I can work with that.”

Wayne opens the front door more loudly than he needs to then, and a few beats later he’s standing in the doorway to Eddie’s old room, his expression soft.

“Now there’s a sight for sore eyes.” He says, seeing Eddie, in his room, with his guitar.

Eddie plays him an exaggerated song with full body movement, that Steve quickly makes out to be ‘Hot Cross Buns.’

Wayne laughs. “Feel free to get settled in kids, the party’s not for a few hours.”

Eddie and Steve offer him passable enthusiasm, and then Wayne is retreating to the living room. Eddie sets the guitar to the side. “You can hang in here if you want, we’ll probably just kick it on the couch. Watch some TV or something. I can tell him your jet lagged.”

“From a less than 3 hour flight?” Steve snorts. “No, but, thank you.” It sounds genuine.

Steve strides out of the room, beating Eddie to the couch, and taking a seat on it. At seeing where he’d chosen to sit, Eddie groans and Wayne winces.

Steve blinks in surprise. “What’d I do?” He asks.

Wayne’s expression becomes playful, “That there’s Ed’s seat.”

Steve raises an eyebrow, looking at Eddie with an almost smile, but not quite. Just enough to take the bite out of his words when he tells him, “You can’t be serious.”

“It’s optimal seating, Stevie.” Eddie whines. At his graveness, Steve moves to adjust himself, really wiggling into the cushion. “Huh. Now that you mention it, I see what you mean. Great choice on my part, really.”

Eddie gawks at him, spluttering. “You’re - you’re still sitting there?”

“So I am.” Steve is cocky. So cocky. Eddie loves to hate it.

“You’re not moving.” Eddie clarifies. Wayne is looking between the two of them with amusement.

A shake of Steve’s head. Eddie gives a faux gasp. “Not even for the love of your life?” He squawks.

Steve just raises an eyebrow, looking around. “Is the love of my life in the room with us?”

“Sacrilege!” Eddie shouts, before launching himself onto the couch beside Steve, gracelessly trying to manhandle the younger man out of his seat.

Steve is stronger than he looks though, and within minutes what should have ended with Eddie depositing him on the floor, makes way instead for Steve to maintain his ground, his powerful thighs locked around Eddie’s waist, keeping him from getting Steve off of the couch without taking himself out too.

Wayne is laughing nearly hysterically at watching them both wrestle, Steve spitting Eddie’s hair out of his mouth while Eddie wishes a plague on Steve and all his houses, tickling his sides, Steve fucking licking his neck to get him to stop.

And even then, it’s only when both men are on the floor, pushing and shoving to reclaim the lost territory, that Eddie knows he’s beaten.

Steve, powerhouse that he is, is fucking laughing. Actually truly laughing.

And damn it if Eddie doesn’t fall flat on his face, catching his breath yes but also - just fucking taking that fact in for a second.

“Victory!” Steve shouts as he sits once again in Eddie’s seat.

Eddie pops up, resting his head on his elbows, nearly panting like a dog. “You have bested me. I concede.”

Steve laughs again, face flushed and his once perfect hair all in disarray, and Eddie wonders if this is what he looks like after - Okay, nope. Nope. Between the wrestling and the neck licking - Eddie needs to think of gross, unsexy things, immediately. Lest he become visibly riled up in front of his surrogate father and his fake fiancé.

In that spirit, Eddie claims another part of the couch, groaning and oh yeah he’s in terrible shape.

Wayne chortles and flips through channels on the TV now that the commotion has died down, settling on an NBA game when Steve’s interest is piqued. “Oh, basketball, nice.”

“You’ like sports?” Wayne is surprised. Eddie is decidedly…not a sports guy.

Steve has the decency to look bashful. “I’m not like a super-fan or anything. We moved to the States when I was in high school and I got recruited for the basketball team. Coach would play us tapes. I only know the teams I like.”

“Who’s your favorite?” Wayne asks him.

“Probably the Knicks.” Steve answers.

“Get out of my house.” Wayne is not at all serious.

Steve laughs again. “Is that the wrong answer?”

“This here, is a Pacer’s family, kid. Ed, what are you doing? You dating your boss who’s run you ragged the last few years I can excuse - but I can’t tolerate a man who likes the Knicks.” He holds his hand to his heart.

Steve is starting to see where Eddie gets his…dramatic flair. He can’t wipe the smile from his face.

Eddie sighs, just as playful. “Well it’s a bit too late to kick him to the curb now, uncle Wayne.”

At that Steve glances at Eddie. Tries to communicate with his eyes. Is he going to…?

“Why?” Wayne chuckles. “You get’ him pregnant?”

Steve flushes. Eddie laughs. “Nah, nothing like that. But uh…we are getting married.”

Wayne freezes. Steve doesn’t miss it - for a solid few seconds the man has gone stiff, unmoving. Not even a dropped jaw or raised eyebrow. Totally and completely offline.

Steve can’t breathe. He vaguely feels Eddie take his hand. Squeeze. He inhales.

And then…Wayne smiles. Nice and slow, and fucking big. His eyes are twinkling. “Really?” He asks.

Eddie nods. “Really.”

Wayne jumps to his feet, smacking his knee. “Hah!” He’s absolutely fucking giddy. “Well how about that! We have double reasons to celebrate tonight it seems! My boy’s getting married!”

He wraps them both in a hug, and Steve is still fucking, just - paralyzed. No longer in fear, but something entirely different. Something that wants to creep up from behind his eyelids, wrapping its way around his throat.

Wayne pulls back from them, and he sniffles. Wayne clocks it immediately, “You alright there, son?”

Son.

“My uh,” he wheezes out. “My parents, they never…they wouldn’t have…I’m sorry.” He tilts his head back, unblinking and pinching his thigh, until he gets himself under control.

Then he smiles at Wayne with watery eyes, having missed the look the older man had given his nephew. “Sorry.” Steve laughs shakily.

Wayne hugs him again. “Don’t you worry about it, Steve. We aren’t worried about displays of emotion in this house. You should have heard Ed wailing when they freed Willy.”

A laugh bursts out of Steve, and Eddie gives Wayne a look of complete and utter betrayal, whining. “Wayne…”

To which his uncle merely offers him a shit-eating grin, Steve halfheartedly defending, “That scene got me as a kid too.”

“He was 19.” Wayne clarifies.

“Wayne!” Eddie is full on shouting now. “Oh my god stop talking or I swear when you get old I’m putting you in a home!”

Offended, Wayne barks back. “My new son-in-law Steve would never let that happen!” Shaking his head, he mutters in Steve’s general direction. “Unbelievable. Threatening to commit me, and on my birthday no less. Where is the respect?”

Eddie groans, but he apologizes, he and Wayne bickering quite happily, all while Steve’s gut feeling grows into an even more confusing tangle.

Thinking to himself that it was certainly going to be an interesting weekend here in Indiana.

That night as the trio arrives at a VFW that had been rented out by some of the gentlemen at the plant Wayne works for, Steve is mildly surprised to see the parking lot packed with cars.

Eddie glances at Steve’s expression with a little chuckle. “Small town.” He explains. “Everyone knows everyone.”

Add to that the fact that his uncle was also very well loved, and it makes for quite an uproarious slew of greetings when the three of them enter, the fake couple quickly losing Wayne to a swarm of hugs and well wishes.

By the time he’s passed back around, he’s got lipstick marks on both cheeks, in varying shades, and Eddie laughs and shoves at him playfully. “You dog!”

He rolls his eyes, “Come with me boys, there’s some people who want to say hi.”

Wayne leads them over to a table where Steve witnesses a gaggle of no less than half a dozen teenagers gathered. Most of them make no effort to hide how they lose their collective minds when they see Eddie.

The tallest of them, a teen with long black hair, is the most aggressive in his attempts to get to him, nearly elbowing a curly haired kid with a row of endearingly imperfect teeth, who complains extra hard at that because of something that he calls his cleidocranial dysplasia.

Whatever that means, it gains him the lead of the queue, the others groaning at his words and holding their hands up, letting him pass.

Behind them, a wide eyed girl looks on in amusement while her two companions - a redhead toying with a skateboard that probably shouldn’t be on the table, and another girl wearing an American flag like a cape, appear uninterested.

Eddie hugs the curly haired kid enthusiastically, greeting, “Henderson! You haven’t changed man.”

He scoffs. “Of course I haven’t, you specifically, asked me not to.” Eddie laughs at whatever that calls to mind, patting him on the back, and Steve decides that he likes this kid.

Eddie takes a half a step back then, and the kid squawks at Eddie’s shirt as he ignores it in favor of beckoning Steve closer. “Children, gather.” Never mind that they’re already encroaching on the men’s space as it is.

Eddie addresses Steve, “Allow me to introduce you to my…flock of little lost sheep.” He snickers, pointing as he introduces them. “This is Dustin, Mike, Will, Lucas - the one who looks innocent but could probably crush your head through sheer force of will is Will’s twin sister Jane - that’s Max next to her, and then there’s my undisputed favorite, Lucas’s sister, Erica.”

The kids all groan at his declaration, all apart from Erica who smirks in a familiar, bitchy way at them. And Steve likes her too. A fine choice in favorite, he thinks.

“Kids, this is Steve.” Eddie introduces.

“Steve.” Max repeats his name with a raised eyebrow, looking him up and down.

“Steve.” Eddie parrots as he nods, while Wayne adds proudly from behind them, “Eddie’s fiancé.”

The kids all stifle in shock - Mike blurting, “Wait. Evil-boss-Steve? Evil-boss-Steve is his fiancé?”

Steve wants to groan. His reputation precedes him.

“Hah!” Dustin, who is also the ‘Henderson’ kid, laughs. “Boom!” The exclamation echoes as he points at his friends. “Bada…bada…boom. I told you he had a crush on him. You guys totally owe me $20.”

“No one made that bet with you, man.” Lucas rolls his eyes.

“I’m happy for you, Eddie,” Jane smiles before looking hopefully at Steve. “Does this make you our new mom?”

Steve has to laugh, bewildered and also pleased to see Eddie flustered by not only Henderson selling him out - but by the question as well.

“Oh he’s such a mom.” Erica supplies. “Look at him. He has the hips for it.”

Steve’s laughter becomes a knowing smirk. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you better, Erica.”

She smiles - more of a show of teeth than anything. And Eddie has to skip over that interaction while the kids hit him with a million questions a minute. He waves them off. “Another time, kids. I’d much rather hear what you all have been up to.”

That starts another round of talking over each other, and Wayne gently grabs Steve by his elbow in order to lead him away from the commotion.

“Best give them a minute.” He chuckles. Steve tries to decide if he can ask - if he should know-

“Ed didn't mention his old club, huh?” Wayne asks him. He doesn’t sound surprised. Steve is mildly relieved, shaking his head.

Wayne sounds fond, “Yeah, used to run it in high school. They’d spend hours wrapped up in that tabletop roleplaying game - Dungeons and Dragons? Ed was the leader. The kids were devastated when he finally graduated and moved away. He left Dustin in charge, but it's not the same, you know? They missed him.”

Steve glances back - sees them animatedly talking and laughing with Eddie, and his heart. Oh his poor heart.

He would never admit it but…He’d always wanted six kids. Six little nuggets and a Winnebago to house them all and drive across the country, all crammed together, making memories…And here Eddie had fucking…seven children, who clearly adored him, calling Steve mom. It messed him up a little bit.

“Bob! Joyce!” Wayne calls, snapping him out of it. “Meet Steve, he’s Eddie’s fiancé.” Steve kinda likes how Wayne keeps saying it - proud, but factual. Like ‘he’s Eddie’s fiancé’ is his last name now.

He embraces it - out to charm the room. Working his way through it with Wayne, the whole place positively buzzed at the engagement news.

Besides the children, it seems that no one else was aware of his prior relationship with Eddie, and Steve is met with open arms and drinks bought for him just as readily as they do Wayne, who, unlike Steve, never declines, having the time of his life.

By the time Steve leaves him in a chair with a cup of water and makes it back to Eddie, he’s a little flushed at the effort he exerted to get Wayne settled there. That, and at all the well wishes being freely and genuinely offered. Those actually had left him feeling pretty good.

Eddie looks amused by it. “Having a good time?” He asks.

“Hawkins loves me, what can I say?” Steve shrugs in reply.

Eddie grins at him, voice spilling out sweetly as he says. “As do I.”

Steve does a double-take before he realizes that there’s an older woman lingering at a desert table within earshot, and replies automatically. “Love you too.”

That makes Eddie roll his eyes, where no one can see, moving in and leading Steve away from the woman with a hand on his lower back. “You’ll have to be more convincing than that, Harrington.” He purrs in his ear.

Steve is…affected. He clears his throat, asking. “And what would you have me do?”

Eddie has led them through the entranceway to a small hallway that clearly leads to the bathrooms, where they stop, Eddie leaning against the wall.

He’s looking at Steve, who can’t get a read on him, until he suddenly hits him with, “You should kiss me.”

Steve gapes at him. “What?”

Series Masterlist

Next Part: Part 4

Previous Part: Part 2

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hinatashiftz · 17 days ago

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. . . knock knock

WHO’s THERE ??

— BOYNEXTDOOR DR INTRO

Name : Hirai Minato ( ヒラいミナト)

Nickname : Mina, Natto

Stage Name : Minato

Birthday : February 6 , 2003

Zodiac : Aquarius

Age : 20 ( currently 2023 )

MBTI Type : ENTP

Position : Oldest, Producer, All-Rounder

Trainee Time : 4 years

FC ( Face Claim ) : &Team’s Yuma ( with minor differences that are similar to me in this reality )

S/O-

1st BND DR : Taesan

2nd BND DR : Leehan

BACKSTORY-

Following in his Older sister’s debut in TWICE, he decided to pursue his dreams as well in becoming a dancer. He made the big decision of moving out of his family home and live in an apartment close by to his aunt and uncle in South Korea. With his background in not only his dancing and growing singing abilities but his academic skills, he was accepted into SOPA, where he quickly was scouted and joined JYP. Many trainee’s criticized Minato for joining the same company as his sister Momo but he pushed past all the people and managed to get pulled under Bangchan’s wings where he joined the survival show “ STRAY KIDS “ , he grew close to all the members quickly despite his short training time prior to the show. Unfortunately, after their first busking event on the show he was eliminated after comments JYP had towards Minato’s overall performance and the elephant in the room, his age. He was 15 while the others were adults or close to becoming 18 which set him apart from the rest in JYP’s eyes. Within the week of him being eliminated, he got a call from a company called “ KOZ “, who gave him much praise for his performance that they saw on the survival show and promised him an audition spot and a high likely chance of being accepted. JYP called him to give him a second chance but it was too late, Minato already had his mind set, terminating his contract with JYP and walking onto his path of fate with his soon to be members, BOYNEXTDOOR.

— ALT. BOYNEXTDOOR DR

Name : Koga Hinata

Nickname : Nana, Hina

Stage Name : Hinata

Birthday : February 6, 2003

Zodiac : Aquarius

Age : 20 ( currently 2023 )

MBTI Type : ENTP

Position : Oldest, Producer, Choreographer, All-Rounder

Trainer Time : 3 1/2 years

FC : ENHYPEN’s Jungwon ( with minor differences that are similar to me in this reality )

S/O’s-

POLY BND DR ( except woonhak )

2nd ALT BND DR : Riwoo

3rd ALT BND DR : Jaehyun

BACKSTORY- ( TW ?? )

Growing up with parents in the acting industry ??who were not only physically distant but also emotionally distant wasn’t easy. Hinata spent his free time anywhere that wasn’t home, which from the ages of 4-6, that place was the local Gymnastics Academy where he competed and won a few awards with. From ages 7-16 he spent his time on the ice, he found his new passion in figure skating, if he wasn’t in his classes , you could always find Hinata at the ice rink practicing a new routine. Sometimes, you could even find him at local dance shops learning a new choreography when the ice rink was closed. However, Until one day, after a not so pleasant argument with his parents who had arrived home after long hours of filming, he decided not only was figure skating not enough to satisfy himself and the fact he was done with his home life, he remembered the big news that had been circulating around the internet about HYBE Entertainment having auditioning open. He set off the next morning on the earliest train to South Korea where he called and asked if his aunt had any space in her apartment for him to live for a while which she happily welcomed him into. After his conversation with his aunt and the news he had for her about wanting to join HYBE, she took it into her own hands to get Hinata into the process of getting accepted into SOPA, which he was accepted in the end. After 4 months of being a trainee under HYBE he was being highly suggested and pushed to join the upcoming survival show called “ I-LAND “ . Unknown to his knowledge, he was face to face with his older brother Yudai aka K. He had to now compete for his life and a place in the finalists spot, which he got to the finale, however, the universe had different plans. While he wasn’t given the final spot in “ ENHYPEN “, he was soon moved over to KOZ where his life finally began.

note - I didn’t script my family to be this way for the lore or to be quirky, I wouldn’t script in things like this towards myself. My family is similar to how they are in this reality and while I could’ve scripted them to be better and different, I kept them how they are to feel more familiar to my DR rather than feel VERY different and distant about my DR

#shiftblr #kpop shifting #shifting antis dni #shifting diary #shifting community #shiftingrealities #shifting blog #reality shifting #shifters #shifting script #boynextdoor dr #boynextdoor

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eastwindmlk · 5 months ago

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Another dubbel dip for Jilyweek? Don't mind if I do! The continuation station will depart to a little piece of The Everything Else from TB(itb)US. This little gem does require having read the first 7 chapters for full context. If you want to the full thing is 19.6k and can be found here

Though can be enjoyed as a standalone with a little TL;DR

Lily left Hogwarts in year 3 because her parents emigrated. Years later, she is given a potions apprenticeship with one Fleamont Potter. She moves into the bedroom across the hall from James. With a little meddling of his mother, they realize their feelings for each other. But now comes the hard part. They cannot be together until she is no longer his father's apprentice.

Once again, thank you to @kay-elle-cee and @sunshinemarauder for making all this possible and enabling me to dip back into this.

1.5k under the cut!

It was one of those quiet nights where Lily wanted to do nothing more than waste away her hours brewing. Staring down a cauldron, working towards her graduation, towards not having to sneak around any longer. Afraid to be caught sleeping with her teacher’s son.

But tonight she was barred from the lab and under strict instructions of her her potions master to enjoy herself.

The problem was, she really had no idea what or how.

Initially the redhead had planned go down into town, have a drink at the pub and maybe beat some of the old men at darts. Something that she’d been known to do from time to time. Her name now standing proudly near the top of the leaderboard. But she was about to shimmy into her one dressy skirt as the sky broke open.

Now, could she still slip and slide her way down the hill and have a good time? Sure. But she also could slip and slide her way right into the A&E, which was not something that she was all too keen on.

Which meant she was going to have to make new plans that did not require her to leave the Potter estate.

Lily’d wandered the hallways for a while, making idle chatter with some of the paintings before winding her way up to the small library. In the hopes of finding James there, reading or playing chess with himself. She even found him playing with Sirius over an enchanted mirror once or twice. She usually would slip out of the room before either of them would notice.

But she had no such luck. The room was empty, the fire dying in the hearth.

That was something to do, she supposed, finding the little rack of tools beside the fireplace, picking up the poker. Hoping to bring some life back to the flames, watching the embers glow and crackle at her insistence. Slowly but surely they were spurred into coming alive.

It was then, with her eyes trained on the embers that she remembered James talking about being out for a Quidditch match. She’d even sulked about the the fact that he was going to be out the whole night.

Lily reached up, letting her fingers linger on the spot on her jaw he’d kissed before leaving her with the promise of more when he returned.

When the flames danced brighter now as she placed a few more logs onto it. The warmth of the flames pleasant.

Lily took a deep breath, letting the quiet warmth wrapping around her like a blanket and the crackle of the fire persuading her to stay here. To curl up with a book. Research was almost as good as actually brewing.

It would not even really be ignoring instructions. She enjoyed research and just this room had enough rare books to keep her occupied for years to come. If the house had not offered another, more enticing, distraction she might have made more headway.

But alas, she would have to settle for reading whenever the distraction was too busy to distract her.

And so, gathered some pillows and one of the large throws that were in nearly every room and settled in with a modest selection of books.

Chewing on the end of her pen, Lily was studying a particularly chapter on transmutation when a folly of footfalls pulled her from her reading. Her eyes flicking to the door.

No one should be home until tomorrow. So who was in her house?

Heart hammering in her chest, she reached for her wand before remembering that she’d left it in her room. Never expecting to actually need it when she wasn’t going to be going anywhere.

Shit

Lily’s eyes darted around the room trying to find something, anything, to defend herself with. Landing on the fire and the little rack of tools that stood beside it.

She jumped to her feet just as the door began to rattle and scrambled over to grab the cast iron poker, brandishing it like a sword as she faced the door. She was determined to get at least one good wack in before she would let herself panic.

The door swung open, Lily’s eyes squeezed closed as she charged the fire poker raised up, over her shoulder going for a wide swing.

“Oh ho, ho! Careful there Little Red,” said a familiar voice, a hand wrapping around her wrist and easily stopping the momentum of her swing. “What in Gaia’s green earth are you trying to do?”

Her eyes flew open and instantly narrowed at a incredibly amused looking Sirius. “Defending myself,” she replied with a perturbed pout.

“Maybe next time keep your eyes open?”

“-Gee, thanks for that enlightened titbit,” Lily bit back, masking her embarrassment with snark and an eye roll, jerking the poker from his grip and waving it in his directions threateningly. “What are you two even doing here? I thought you were staying in Oxford.”

Her eyes shifted from Sirius to James, who clearly made an effort to not make the same mistake Sirius had and keeping his features schooled into a mask of nonchalance though he could not quite keep the glint from his eye.

James pulled up a single shoulder. Too casual to not be practised, she decided. “You sounded pretty disappointed that I wasn’t going to be around, so I thought we’d move our evening here.”

He said this with such nonchalance, like it wasn’t the most thoughtful thing a boy – man – had ever done for her. And without her even having to ask. It filled her with a warmth that spread from her chest, like a tight embrace.

So distracted by the little gesture by the casualness of it all that she almost forgot that Sirius was there when she threw her arms around James, their lips smashing together unceremoniously for a desperate kiss with too much tongue and teeth but neither of them seemed to care.

It wasn’t until Sirius cleared his throat that she let her eyes leave James’, keeping an arm around him. “Can I help you, Padfoot?” she snipped, turning her nose skyward when he chuckled.

“No, no by all means go on,” Sirius teased in return and gave them a superior look. “I was just under the impression you two were waiting for after graduation. New plan?”

Lily nodded doubtful, James eagerly.

Sirius snorted, giving his head a shake. “Good to see we are all agree here.” He wrapped his arm around the pair of them, the fire poker now laying discarded by the door and he steered them towards the couch. Wedging himself between them, much to the dismay of both of them.

“You two get to cuddle up when you decide what the plan is,” he informed them. Lily couldn’t help but groan, knowing full well this would end up in another argument.

Still, she took a deep breath and answered. “The new plan is the old plan, just because we fell off the wagon once, doesn’t mean we can’t give it another try.”

She could hear James scoff and she knew he was giving her a deadpan stare, not that she was going to look at him and give him the satisfaction of her flustering as he added. “Right, once. Every other day, sometimes twice a day.”

He wasn’t wrong, but hearing him say it like that sounded so much worse than she had compartmentalized it as. Maybe they did have a problem. “Right, maybe it is a bigger commitment than we anticipated, but I am sure we can rise to the occasion.”

“I think James is rising to several occasions by the sound of it,” Sirius quipped and coughed as Lily elbowed him in the side. Offering him her best glaring side eye.

James just laughed and she wanted to be annoyed at it, but is was just too damn funny.

She had to stifle a laugh as she leaned her head against Sirius’s shoulder. “Damn you, Black,” she made a poor attempt at not laughing at the innuendo.

“As long as nothing rises while I’m still in the room, I don’t really see the issue,” Sirius added with a shrug of his shoulders. “You’re both adults, legally speaking,” he paused to give James a look that made her wonder what inside joke she was missing before continuing “, you can make your own decisions.”

Lily was about to say something about her degree when she was cut off with a hand raised. “I understand the academia side of it all. I am not saying run and tell. I am saying, maybe just stop pretending to each other.”

Lily couldn’t help but be somewhat surprised at the thoughtfulness behind the words. Somehow she never quite expected the Sirius Black she knew in third year to actually speak wisely. But people change.

Just as she thought that, he had to go and remind her that they might change, but not that much.

“And me. Not that you could, I could tell by this one’s stupid smirk,” he joked, wrapping an arm around James to pin him to his chest and mess up the already messy hair. Like it would make any difference.

This set the tone for the rest of the night. They filled it with cosy banter and no actual potions. Which maybe was actually what she needed after all.

#jily week 2024 #jily

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ilreleonewikiart · 10 months ago

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TDIOBCB challenge - day 7:

First Meeting - The Wedding of Prince Viserys and Larissa Roagre in the Throne Room

"Many years later, the prince, reminiscing about how he and his wife had first encountered each other, would confess to his children, not without a blush, that even before laying eyes on her, the words Larissa wrote during those years were enough to make him fall completely in love with her. He almost dismissed the revelation of her true appearance as playing any significant role in his infatuation. According to Prince Viserys, it was the eloquence and magnetic personality of his then-fiancée that enchanted him to the extent that concerns about her beauty took a back seat. Whether this is the whole truth remains uncertain; however, it is worth noting that the marriage between Prince Viserys and Larissa Rogare, though not initially under the most auspicious circumstances, evolved into a great love story that culminated in a long and happy union. If, before the arrival of his promised bride, the mind of the young prince was primarily occupied with the company of beautiful courtesans and high-born prostitutes, from the moment the stunning Lyseni maiden graced King's Landing, no other woman crossed the threshold of the young man's bedroom except her. This continued until her demise in 165 AC. Every ounce of his energy, both physical and mental, from the day of their marriage, was devoted solely to his wife. She, no longer a girl, possessed not only extraordinary intelligence and culture but also breathtaking beauty, affirming the reality that the most beautiful women in the known world indeed hailed from Lys. Their union stood as a testament to the enduring power of love. Still, even if, want to believe him for the sake of historical honesty, I must report the multiple testimonies of some members of the court, present at this marriage at the time, who claim that the newlywed groom, who had never seen his bride before the ceremony, remained anything but indifferent to her appearance. According to them, during the grand entrance of the noblewoman, who arrived in the castle's Sept dressed in an exquisite and lightweight gown made entirely of golden silk that vividly revealed the perfect curves of her womanly form, accompanied by her fifteen ladies-in-waiting, the groom, was so dazzled by her dazzling beauty, that he needed to be supported by his brother Aegon to prevent himself from falling on the spot from sheer emotion. The young prince, who had always been famous for being an easygoing lad, remained dumbfounded in front of her like a statue of salt throughout the ceremony, unable to find the words to express his wonder, to the point that, for a whole minute, he mistakenly recited the marriage formula almost three times before starting to recite his vows correctly. It seems that the young prince was not the only one to be astonished by the entrance of the new princess. The same witnesses claim that even Prince Daemon was amazed by his new daughter-in-law, as evidenced by the widening of his eyes. During the celebration, he went so far as to congratulate his son conspiratorially, calling him "the luckiest man in the Seven Kingdoms."

- from TDIOBCB chapter 1

(warning: these illustrations are inspired by an AU Divergence and have nothing to do with canon (book or tv show) events and are not meant to be reposted outside of their contest)

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ladykailitha · 2 years ago

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Can Anybody See Me? Part 21

Executive dysfunction is a bitch and can go to hell. I had something I could have posted yesterday while I was working on this, but no...

I am starting to wonder if maybe I shot myself in the foot with my tag rant as engagement for the last Reconnect AU was WAY down. But oh well. I can only continue to move on and hope I find new people who like my stuff.

All righty, my lovelies. We have gotten to the part where I was going to end it originally before you absolute menaces said you wanted me to continue it through season 4.

But here’s the deal, this story has reached nearly novel length of 40k. So what I’ve decided to do is call this the end of book one. And then I will start up book two, which will be through to the end of the school year and probably through the events of season 3. And then book 3 should take us the rest of the way.

I hope that’s acceptable to all of you. I want to continue it, but I think from here on out the title doesn’t fit Steve anymore and he needs a new one.

Now if you’ve followed me long enough, you know that I don’t start putting out a story until it’s done (if it’s short enough) or if I’m three to four chapters deep. So hopefully by the end of the month (if not sooner) you should start seeing book two.

I will run a poll on how you think I should do the tag list for it. But thank you all for coming with me on this absolutely wild ride. And hope you’ll stick around for the next two parts.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20

***

Word had been handed down, Mindy Jones, Ollie Anderson, and Kyle Carver had been suspended with word that Kyle being the instigator might be expelled. For sure he wasn’t going to be able to walk in his cap and gown at graduation.

Steve felt a sense of relief and strangely justice too. Yes, all right suspension wasn’t getting expelled, but the kids had been punished. They didn’t try to hand wave it away.

Steve had heard that Mr Vinke, the math teacher, Mr Cole, Miss Lucy, and Chief Hopper had all gone to the principal and superintendent for all three of them to be expelled.

The suspension was a given, but the school district wanted to do their own investigation and then expulsions might be handed out after it was complete.

Steve didn’t have much hope.

Marty, Gethin, and Janice all sat with the Corroded Coffin boys at lunch, something they didn’t normally do.

“Fuck,” Janice swore. “Why I am more nervous about tonight than I have all week?”

Steve nodded, poking at his food. “I haven’t been this queasy since I took a plate to the head.”

Everyone winced and murmured sympathetic platitudes and other noises of sympathy.

“I think it’s because it’s your last performance,” Gethin murmured. “Your last chance to completely biff it on stage.” Steve and Janice looked at him in wide-eyed fear. He waved his hands placatingly. “Not that I think you will. Just that your brain thinks you will.”

Steve and Janice looked at each other and then nodded.

“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “That tracks.”

Eddie slid his hand under the table and gripped Steve’s knee. Steve covered his hand with his own and gave it a squeeze of thank you.

Steve scanned the crowd the second night. He spotted Jeff and all his family, Gareth and Gethin and their parents, Brian and all of his younger siblings, and what looked like his dad. Wayne shuffled in his seat nervously, having never been to a musical before. But still no sign of his parents.

His mom promised that at least she would be there, even if his dad refused to come. And he held on to that. He managed to make it through the show and held it together.

He went out to be congratulated by his friends and their families. Wayne brought him flowers.

“You did good, boy,” he said gruffly, after giving him a hug. “I looked it up and flowers are the gift you give someone after a well-done performance.”

Steve looked down at the bouquet of wild flowers and smiled. “Thank you. I love them.”

Jeff clapped him on the shoulder. “They might be a tad wilted by the time we’re done, because we’re taking you out to eat in celebration.”

Steve teared up a bit. “Thanks, guys.”

Gareth smiled. “You deserve it, man. That was awesome!”

Gethin nudged his shoulder. “We’re just waiting for Janice and Eddie to get done.”

Steve nodded. Eddie had to reset the stage for tomorrow and Janice had to get out of a corset and that took some time.

“Yeah, no problem!” he enthused.

Eddie finished first and came out to meet them.

“Hey, Steve!” he said. “Feeling famous yet?”

Steve laughed. “I’m going to get fat if this keeps up. First ice cream last night and then dinner tonight.”

They all laughed. “It’s impossible for you to gain weight, man,” Brian huffed. “I’ve seen you eat a whole pizza and didn’t even get bloated.”

Steve laughed. “Playing three sports does that to you. Hell, I still life guard at the rec center every summer.”

Brian eyed his lean form skeptically. “I suppose so.”

“Swimming’s fun,” Steve said. “And it’s not just for us jock types.”

Janice finally came out. “Sorry to keep you waiting guys. Sharing with Tammy Thompson is hell let me tell you. I don’t know how someone so tiny can take up so much room.”

“At least you don’t have to share the choir room with twenty sweaty dudes that wouldn’t know deodorant if it bit them in the ass,” Steve grumped.

Gethin shook his head. “Shouldn’t you be used to that from sports?”

Steve rolled his eyes. “At least there are showers after basketball. Can’t say the same here.”

Gethin’s lips curled. “Fair.”

Wayne clapped his hands. “All right, I’ve got us a place reserved, so we need to hustle. Eddie and Steve are coming with me.”

Eddie and Steve filed out with the rest of them and followed Wayne out to his truck.

Steve slid into the middle between Eddie and Wayne.

“Thanks for this, Wayne,” he murmured. “And the flowers, too.”

“You’re welcome, Stevie,” he said. “I didn’t see your parents. Did they show up last night?”

Steve shared a glance with Eddie and then shook his head. “There’s still tomorrow.”

Wayne and Eddie shared a glance of concern over Steve’s head.

“I’m sure that’s the case,” Wayne agreed.

An uneasy silence settled on them as they drove to the restaurant. Wayne parked and turned to Steve.

He pulled him in for a great big hug and then opened the door. “It’ll be all right.”

Steve nodded and slid out after Eddie.

The dinner was just as ruckus as the ice cream parlor the night before. With just as many people. Steve looked around and smiled.

Yeah, 1985 was his year and it was just getting started.

Steve looked out to the audience and knew, even in the dimmed lights his parents weren’t there.

“Tell me, Mr Thomson, out of curiosity, do you stand with Mr Dickinson, or do you stand with me?” Vince asked.

Steve could feel the sting of tears in his eyes. He held up the dispatch. “I stand with the General. Lately–I’ve had the oddest feeling that he’s been–writing to me…”

He slowly rose to his feet as he sang,

“I have been in expectation Of receiving a reply On the subject of my last fifteen dispatches. Is anybody there?”

His voice cracked with emotion as he stepped half out of the spotlight.

“Does anybody care? Does anybody care? Y’r humble & ob’d’t–”

The drum rolled and Steve looked up into the eagle’s nest where Eddie was doing the spotlight. A single tear ran down his cheek.

Steve looked down at the paper in his hand and then back up at Eddie. And then he exited the scene on cue.

Eddie swore he saw more tears in that moment then for ‘Mama Look Sharp’ that night.

But that performance of Steve’s brought out something in Vince in that moment. Vince’s John Adams bid Hancock good night, but then it changed. All the emotion and fear of not being seen or heard. The loneliness that Adams must have been feeling in that moment, borrowed from the loneliness of both Washington and Thomson.

“Is anybody there–”

Silence.

“Does anybody care–?”

Again, nothing.

“Does anybody see–what I see?”

And then Kenny came on and delivered the line with a sharpness that hadn’t been there before.

“Yes, Mr Adams, I do.” As if to banish all the fears and insecurities that John was having in that moment.

And Steve could almost hear it as though it was coming from Eddie. As if it was coming from his friends. The party. Wayne.

Yes, his parents weren’t there. They never were. And probably never were going to be. But that didn’t mean that no one was listening to Steve. That no one cared.

They all cared. Every last one of the dozens of people that showed up the last two nights. They cared. They brought their families. Brought flowers. Thought he was worthy of celebrating. Worth treating.

For the boy with the bat.

The boy that never knew what love really was until he looked up from a god damned garbage can into those warm and friendly brown eyes. A warm hand on his back and a gentle ‘Are you okay?’

In that moment, Steve’s life had become changed. Different. Better. All because a teacher took pity on Steve and chose Eddie Munson of all people to be Steve’s protector.

And he looked up at Eddie in the rafters and though he couldn’t see him, he knew that Eddie was looking back at him. Smiling back at him. Loving him for all his worth.

And if you had asked Steve what his worth was back in December he would have told you nothing. He wasn’t worth anything but being the baby-sitter. But now?

Now Steve was a baby-sitter, chauffeur, groupie, actor, chef, swimmer, friend, brother, and most importantly boyfriend. And maybe if he was really lucky, someone’s son.

***

Fin.

Fuck, rereading this to add back in the formatting made me cry. My apologies if it makes you cry too.

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