#You could never have enough Adira

[antiquepearlss]

Since Adira’s whole mission was to find the Sundrop, imagine if she did…

Pre-series.

Adira, either intentionally or by chance, encounters a locked up Rapunzel and helps her escape.

[sunni-stuff]

People are judgmental. Some think they aren't, others don't mean to be, and then there are those who do it on purpose and simply don't care.

Parents are guilty of this.

Parents who pay you to teach their kids do this.

But the worst offenders?

Wives. 

Particularly those with too much free time—gossiping Gertrude's who'd rather nitpick and judge than deal with the boredom of daytime TV and their kids screaming in the background. You’ve dealt with a handful before—a crack in the system that always rippled right under your skin whenever one of those vultures threw out a backhanded compliment.  

“You’re so patient with the kids. I could never do what you do—how do you even manage?”  

“Must be nice having all that time off during the summer. A little vacation every year, huh?”  

“Teaching must be so rewarding. Though I imagine it’s not really about the money, is it?”  

Each one, a subtle dig disguised as flattery, like they couldn’t help but twist the knife just a little deeper. 

If there was one thing you’d learned about this job, it was to always kill them with kindness. The rumor mill among parents was ruthless, and the wrong rumor could ripple out and jeopardize your career. So, you’d mastered the art of the polite smile, the well-timed thank you, and the effortless small talk. It was a strategy that had served you well, keeping any overly curious mothers at bay.

Still, these women were relentless. They circled like hawks, always looking for an opening to pry into your life or make veiled comments about your parenting. You’d never given them the satisfaction of slipping up—until the day you almost did.

The sun was setting, the air brisk and tinged with the promise of winter as parents gathered their children. Little voices chattered away as teachers handed over day charts, neatly summarizing each child’s activities. Standing at the cubbies, you were bundling up Adira. Her small frame was snug in her sweater, jacket zipped up to her chin, and scarf tucked securely around her neck. She fidgeted as you worked, barely able to stay still with how much excitement bubbled in her tiny frame.

Her voice was high-pitched and animated as she launched into a story, her words tumbling over each other in her eagerness to share. “Messy man said, we play trains when he comes back!” she chirped, her dark eyes wide with delight.

You paused, your fingers lingering on the last button of her jacket. A soft smile tugged at your lips as you straightened her scarf. “Oh, did he now?”

Adira nodded vigorously, her curls bouncing. “Yep! He said, “Adira, we make the best train track ever!” Her imitation of Simon’s deep voice was laughably exaggerated, and you couldn’t help but chuckle.” We gonna play with the biiig track!” She spread her arms wide for emphasis, nearly toppling over from the effort.

The mention of Simon was enough to draw some attention from the other parents nearby. You could feel their eyes darting your way, their curiosity almost palpable. Simon’s occasional appearances to pick up Adira hadn’t gone unnoticed, and the whispers had already started. Who was this tall, broad man with a thick accent? Was he Adira’s father? A boyfriend? The air was thick with silent speculation.

Ignoring the countless eyes and ears listening in on your harmless conversation, you assured Adira. “Well, if messy man promised, he’ll keep it,” Simon had made it clear that he intended to be a constant presence in Adira’s life, and so far, he’d stuck to his word.

As you stood and picked up her small bag, a sharp voice interrupted the moment.

"Well, aren’t you just the picture-perfect little family?”

Your polite smile returned instantly, masking the irritation that flared at the condescending tone. Turning, you saw one of the daycare moms—Linda, if you remembered correctly—standing there with her perfectly manicured nails wrapped around her designer purse. Her son trailed behind her, nose buried in a tablet.

“Evening, Linda,” you said evenly, keeping your tone light. “How’s Ethan doing?

She waved a dismissive hand, her eyes already scanning Adira with that overly curious gaze that made your skin crawl. “Oh, he’s fine. But I couldn’t help overhearing... this ‘Messy man’ your little one mentioned. Is he... new in your life?”

Ah, there it was—the opening she was fishing for. 

Adira, oblivious to the undercurrents of adult conversation, grinned up at Linda uncharacteristically, the joy she felt for Simon completely expunging her normal glaring behavior. “Messy man makes pancakes! But they go splat!” She threw her hands out dramatically, mimicking the chaos Simon often caused in the kitchen.

Goddammit, poor Adira revealed too much to the wrong person, and you could already see the cogs turning in Linda's head. Forcing a chuckle, you reached for Adira’s hand. “Messy man is her nickname for Simon, her dad. He’s stationed overseas, so she gets pretty excited when he’s home.”

Linda’s perfectly arched eyebrow lifted slightly, clearly surprised. “Oh, I see. Military man, huh? I suppose that explains why we’ve never seen him around.”

You gave Linda your most neutral expression, taking notice of the other moms matching from behind her. “He’s been busy, but he’s doing his best to be here when he can.”

"Oh, I see. I simply would've never guessed you were married. You never wear a ring," Linda remarked, her tone dripping with subtle judgment.

You knew what she was doing. It was a carefully laid trap, baited to catch you in a corner. If you rebuffed her comment, if you made a scene, it would only give her more ammunition to spread rumors. These women didn’t care for nuances; they thrived on gossip, and the topic of marriage—or rather, the lack of a visible wedding ring—would be a field day for them. They’d ride that horse straight to hell, and you'd be left cleaning up the mess.

With the growing number of parents in earshot, you understood that this wasn’t just a comment; it was a test. You had to choose your words carefully. It wasn’t just about keeping things smooth in the moment—it was about protecting your future.

You gave a small, practiced smile, maintaining your composure as you slipped Adira’s bag onto your shoulder. “I don’t wear my ring because I work with children. It could get caught in their hair, or worse, I could lose it.” You met her gaze with a calm confidence that bordered on dismissive.

“That’s understandable, dear. We all have kids after all!” Lina laughed, her tone attempting to sound warm and genuine, but it was too polished, too forced. The laughter rang hollow, like a poorly executed attempt to mask her true intentions. “Does this mean we’ll finally get to meet him at the fundraiser this weekend? We’ve all been here for so long, and not a single glimpse of your beloved other half. Right, ladies?”

Her words floated in the air, sharp with insinuation. The smile she wore was one of practiced sweetness, but the glint in her eyes was anything but kind. She knew what she was doing—attempting to pull you further into her web, hoping to get a reaction that would either reveal more or, better yet, give her ammunition to fuel the rumors she clearly wanted to start.

A few of the other women murmured in agreement, their eyes flicking from you to each other, already whispering amongst themselves. They were all waiting for a response, and the pressure began to build in the pit of your stomach.

“Yes, he is.” The words slipped out of your mouth before you could even process them, your own response surprising you as much as it did the group of wives surrounding you. You felt a jolt in your chest, your heart picking up pace as the reality of what you had just said began to sink in. What the fuck did you just do?

The laughter from Linda faltered for a split second, her eyes narrowing slightly as she processed your words. The others exchanged glances, some of their faces lighting up with an almost predatory curiosity, while others masked their thoughts behind polite smiles. You could almost hear the gears turning in their heads—oh, this was going to be something they could use.

The tension in the air thickened, and you suddenly felt exposed, as if every secret you’d carefully kept tucked away was now dangling on the edge of a cliff. You’d just handed them the perfect piece of gossip, but what would it lead to? Would they use it against you, twist it into something worse? You hadn’t planned for any of this—hell, you hadn't even planned on saying anything at all—but now that it was out there, you had to somehow steer this conversation. 

You had to control the narrative, or risk letting it spiral completely out of your hands. 

Your mind races, trying to formulate a response, but everything seems so loud—your thoughts, the laughter, the eyes watching you. How could you backpedal without it seeming like a lie? How could you walk that fine line between the truth and keeping your personal life hidden?

"Yes, Simon’s coming," you added quickly, trying to steady your breath. "But, you know... he’s not really into the whole fundraiser thing. He’s more of a stay-at-home guy, a bit of a quiet one, really. I’ll be there though, and we’re looking forward to it." You tried to sound casual, but the flicker of doubt in your voice betrayed you. 

The women around you didn’t miss a beat, though. The moment had been set, and now it was only a matter of what they would do with the information. 

“Well, I look forward to seeing you.” Lina’s voice was dripping with a false sweetness, and you could feel the weight of her gaze as she gave you one last look. Her eyes lingered a bit longer than necessary, as if trying to peel back layers, searching for some crack to exploit. Then, with a nod, she steered Ethan away, her entourage of women following closely behind, their chatter rising in the air like a distant murmur. The click of their heels echoed as they disappeared down the hall, leaving you standing there, frozen in place.

"And so, that's what happened," you finished, your voice trailing off as you leaned against the kitchen counter, trying to gauge Simon's reaction.

Simon blinked up at you from where he was sitting on the floor, his focus still mostly on Adira, who was happily arranging her toy train with her blocks, making a makeshift kingdom. He didn’t seem phased, just a little confused. "You want me to pretend to be your husband?"

The question hung in the air for a moment before he let out a chuckle, shaking his head slightly, his eyes filled with that familiar warmth. "Out of all the things I've done in my life, this has to be the funniest, love.”

You blinked, momentarily thrown by the unexpected nickname. It felt oddly intimate, a shift in the dynamic between you and Simon that you hadn’t anticipated. Love. It wasn't what you'd expected to hear from him, not in this context, not when everything felt so messy and uncertain. But there it was, slipping out so naturally from him, like he'd always called you that, like he'd been in your life much longer than he really had.

Your heart skipped a beat, the sound of Adira’s laughter in the background making the moment feel surreal. It should have been funny—this whole situation, with you essentially asking Simon to pretend to be your husband for the sake of those gossiping women. But instead, you felt something else, something soft and unfamiliar tightening in your chest.

“Did you just call me that?” You couldn't help but ask, your voice a little quieter than you intended.

Simon paused, his playful smile faltering for a second as he caught the look on your face. “I—yeah, I guess I did,” he replied, his tone a touch more uncertain now. He glanced down at Adira, who was happily stacking blocks at his feet, then back to you. “It was just a slip of the tongue. Didn’t mean anything weird by it.”

“I’m not exactly husband material, you know,” he added lightly, his voice teasing. “I’m more of a... messy man.”

You chuckled at that, shaking your head. "A messy man, huh?"

He nodded, grinning. “Yeah, but I’m good at it. Just ask Adira.”

Adira, hearing her name, immediately let out a squeal of approval. “Messy man!” she giggled, throwing a block in Simon’s direction, her tiny hand pointing at him with delight.

"So, what's the plan here then?" That easy grin back on his face, his eyes still dancing with humor, but there was something underneath it—something you couldn’t quite place. “You want me to just walk into a room and act like we’re a picture-perfect couple?”

The way he said it made you laugh a little, though there was a slight edge of uncertainty to it. You found yourself shifting uncomfortably, knowing you had no real plan for what came next. It wasn’t like you had a relationship with Simon beyond the occasional dinner and time spent with Adira, and yet, here you were, asking him to play a role in your life, one that might end up blurring lines you didn’t fully understand.

“Well, you don’t have to pretend, exactly,” you said, running a hand through your hair, suddenly feeling all the weight of the day settling in. “I just... I just need you to be there. You know, to back me up, to—” You paused, glancing over at Simon again. “I guess I just don’t want them thinking I’m alone in all of this. It’s bad enough that has already started.”

Simon’s gaze softened as he leaned back in his seat, watching you with a quiet understanding. "You're not alone in this," he said, his voice steady. “And I’m here. You don’t need a ring or a title for that.”

The sincerity in his tone made your chest tighten again, but this time it was different. His words weren’t a joke or a half-hearted attempt to make you feel better—they were real. He was offering something more than just pretending for the sake of others. He was offering his presence, his support.

For a moment, you forgot about everything else. The plans, the expectations, the pressure. Instead, all that mattered was Simon sitting across from you, smiling at you like you weren't asking for something too much, like it wasn’t strange to think of him in your life like this.

“Thank you,” you murmured. "Really."

He gave a small nod, then grinned, shifting his attention back to Adira, who had managed to get half the blocks stacked to an impressive height. “It’s nothing. Besides, I think Adira’s got the best part of this deal anyway.”

You glanced over at your daughter, who was watching both of you with wide eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. Adira was your source of strength, a beacon that pushed you forward, her smile alone gave you determination.  “Alright, let’s figure out what married people do.”

"I know just who to call." Simon reached for his phone, the battered thing covered in scratches, an old case and sporting a broken screen from a hazardous drop. Upon seeing it, the first thought running through your head was, how the fuck was it still usable?

Price’s living room radiated warmth and history, a perfect mix of domestic coziness and military precision. The centerpiece was a sturdy stone fireplace, its mantle adorned with framed photos of Price and his wife, Melanie. In some, they stood arm in arm at scenic locations; in others, Price was in uniform, the edges of his cap sharp against the backdrop of distant skies. Above the fireplace hung a shadow box displaying medals and insignias, each one polished to a shine, speaking volumes about his service.

Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with everything from military strategy texts to well-worn novels. On one shelf sat a small globe and a model of a Spitfire plane, a nod to his admiration for history. A comfortable, overstuffed armchair, complete with a folded tartan blanket, sat near the fire. The coffee table bore faint scratches, evidence of years of use, and atop it lay an open newspaper, a mug of tea, and a small dish of biscuits.

You sat stiffly on the plush sofa, feeling distinctly out of place amidst this blend of home and honor. The ticking of a grandfather clock in the corner filled the silence as you watched Simon talk to Price in the adjoining kitchen. Occasionally, their eyes flicked toward you, and you pretended not to notice, your gaze wandering instead to a black-and-white photo of a younger Price standing with a group of soldiers, all grinning ear to ear.

The awkwardness of the situation weighed on you like a heavy blanket. This wasn’t exactly how you envisioned your day—asking Price, of all people, to help stage your fake relationship. But you were in too deep now to back out.

In the kitchen, Price rubbed his hand over his mouth, barely concealing the grin that tugged at his lips. A low chuckle escaped as he grabbed a cup of coffee, shaking his head at Simon, who stood across from him, arms folded, his expression far more serious than the moment warranted.

“You want me and Mel to help you two seem like a couple? That right?” Price’s voice carried an unmistakable note of amusement, his words tinged with disbelief.

Simon shifted his weight, rolling his shoulders back, clearly trying to maintain some semblance of dignity. "Yes, that’s the gist of it."

Price’s laughter broke free, a warm, hearty sound that echoed off the kitchen tiles. “Bloody hell, Simon. You’ve seen action all over the world, but this—this is what’s got you nervous?” He clapped a hand on Simon’s shoulder, his grin wide enough to light the room. “You’re in for a treat, mate. Melanie’s going to love this.”

From your seat, you caught Price’s amused glance, and you couldn’t help the way your face heated. This was going to be a long evening.

Price, still chuckling, crossed the room to the wide bay window, pushing it open with ease. The crisp evening air drifted in, carrying with it the scent of freshly cut grass and the faint hum of distant crickets. He leaned out slightly, cupping his hands around his mouth.

“Mel! Come on inside, love. You’ve got to hear this one,” he called, his voice carrying easily over the quiet of their backyard.

From where you sat, you caught a glimpse of Melanie in the garden. She was tending to a neat row of vibrant flowers, her hands gloved and a straw hat perched on her head. At the sound of Price’s voice, she straightened up, brushing dirt off her knees with a curious look on her face.

“Be right there!” she replied, her voice warm and lilting. She removed her gloves, tucking them into her apron pocket as she began making her way toward the house.

Price turned back to Simon, shaking his head in mock disbelief. “You better hope Mel doesn’t laugh you out of the house, mate.”

Simon groaned softly, rubbing his temples. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Price.”

Moments later, Melanie stepped into the living room, a radiant smile lighting up her face. She was the epitome of grace, her presence immediately softening the room’s atmosphere. Her gaze shifted between you, Simon, and her husband, her curiosity evident.

“What’s all this about, then?” she asked, removing her hat and setting it on a nearby chair. “You’ve got that mischievous look again, John.”

Price grinned, gesturing toward you and Simon. “These two need a favor, Mel. A big one.”

Melanie’s brows lifted as she looked between the two of you. “Oh? Do tell.”

Simon, looking equal parts determined and mortified, cleared his throat. “We... need help convincing a group of nosy parents that we’re married. Long story.”

Melanie’s smile widened as her eyes twinkled with amusement. “Oh, this sounds rich. Go on, I’m listening.”

You shifted in your seat, feeling the warmth of Melanie’s gaze settle on you. Her smile was kind but tinged with unmistakable amusement, and it was clear she was holding back a laugh as she took in your flustered state.

“Well,” you began hesitantly, clasping your hands together in your lap. “It’s a bit of a mess, really. One of the moms at the daycare cornered me, started asking questions about Simon, and… I might’ve let it slip that we’re married. Which we’re not. Obviously.” Your words tumbled out in a rush, and you glanced at Simon for backup. He was rubbing the back of his neck, caught between exasperation and amusement.

Melanie let out a soft laugh and gracefully sat down beside you on the couch. “Ah, I see. And now you need to sell the story before it falls apart. Oh, love, I’ve been in a similar pickle—not quite like this, but close enough.”

“See?” Price chimed in from his armchair, leaning back with an amused grin. “Told you Mel would get a kick out of this.”

Simon shot him a flat look. “Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for, mate.”

Melanie waved a dismissive hand at Price before patting your knee in a reassuring gesture. “Don’t mind him. Now, let’s think this through. If you’re going to convince anyone, you need to act the part. People pick up on the smallest details—how you talk to each other, how comfortable you seem together. If you’re too stiff, they’ll see right through it.”

Simon leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as he nodded. “Alright, so what do we need to do? We’ve got about a week before the fundraiser, so I’m open to ideas.”

Melanie’s eyes lit up with a mix of mischief and determination. “Perfect. We’ll start with body language—how you interact without saying a word. And then we’ll move on to the conversational stuff. You’ll need to know each other’s habits, quirks, and all those little details married couples just know.”

Price clapped his hands together with mock enthusiasm, a cheeky grin plastered across his face. “Right, then. Let the awkward training sessions begin. This’ll be one for the books.”

You groaned inwardly, glancing between Simon and Melanie. This bizarre charade was only just beginning, and while you couldn’t imagine where it would lead, one thing was clear—you were in for a wild ride.

Happy new years friends! The holidays were a riot and I spent most of it spending time with family instead of writing as I felt kind of burnt out from writing in November, sorry about that but I hope this makes up for it.

-

@midnight-blue-moon-princess @pipedream411 @frogofrg @loonagabs @ghostlythots @vixenshiftsvrs @devoetee @shorty-tolentino @aethelwyneleigh27 @ayesha-eroticax3 @emilia527 @danielle143 @maniacalbooper @awildewit @gifted-aurora @teenagellamaangel @julesjunimos @tacticalgirlboss @midnights-song @suzuki-18 @t3a-bag @latencygirl @krispymagazinepizza-blog @harperdoodle @odettecigno @sockertop @arrozyfrijoles23 @lovelystarfish @my-little-evil-blog @imastorytelleritsondvd @l1lpip @cringeycookies @identity2212 @balletbiscuit @mulletmcghee @maciswack @littleracco0n @oliver-1270 @weemansoap @cryingpages @connorsui @beebeechaos @gluttonybiscuits @strawberrygato @sozainturpal @echo9821 @blinca @illusionistlover @blubearxy @superficialfeelings @new-author3 @xanvasy @oniiloma @bankaixx @evie-199 @notsochillnerd @thatpersonnamedrook @hon3y-cloud @jaguarthecat @reinekoya @apixasflora @a-lovers-card @gloriousloveduck @aetherthetrashpanda @princess-vibes25 @vickykazuya @enfppuff @liliannamae @m0chac0ffee @flamehero-phoenix @bean-cream @realizemandi97 @almostdecadentstarfish @lunamoonbby

[casperth3ghost]

"mundane hcs" but its acc just shit i do on a daily basis

ANYWAYS, a list of random things i do that i think tts & vat7k characters would do‼️(this is like most characters btw, like not js the main ones this is like as many as i can remeber and that fit with my self projection

lance will get home from the busiest day ever and the first thing he does is make himself a bowl of ice cream, no matter what hour of the day, he WILL have a bowl of ice cream

varian tries to brush his teeth twice a day but usually how it goes is he takes a shower and then lays and bed lying to himself like "yeah ill js rest my eyes for a couple minutes and then ill get up" and then he actually falls asleep, but every morning he brushes his teeth with no problems

eugene used to brag about how many cavities hed get until he had to take care of them and started missing when he didnt have any

rapunzel can be mid convo with somebody while texting them and then out of the blue just space out and like "huh..." when she realizes what js happened

cassandra and yong are both lactose intolerant but cass tries to take care of herself(she drinks almond milk & eats frozen yogurt which are 10/10 alternatives for non-lactose free items BTW) but yong just keeps eating everything and then wonders why he feel absolutely diobolical 10 mins later

catalina says shell start a book and then reads 1 page then forgets about it for around 3 months ans then remeber and the gets so focused on it no one knows if shes okay, angry does the same thing but with tv shows

nuru tends to not stop what shes doing to go pee so shes suffered the consequences(shes had a UTI before)

rapunzel, despite telling everyone around her to drink water, shes always suprisingly dehydrated

ulla will wake up at random times at night wondering why the fuck shes awake and then go right back to bed like nothing happened

donella has thought of multiple schemes to kill people but has decided that for her own good she will not commit any of them

quirin forgets to say please and thank you at restruants and then says them last minute and then gets so embarrassed and akward he will just flat out stop talking, he passed this onto varian who seems to suffer with this to even MORE extent bcuz he doesnt realize when someone is complimenting him so he'll just stare at them and then be liek "oh!! oh my gosh thank you!!" but the person already walked away and now he feels like an asshole

adira will wear the same pair of pants for 3 weeks straight w/o washing them bcuz she wears other pairs in between that pair so she has a pant cycle, but none of the pants get washed until she can acc smell like dog shit on them or smth and realizes just how morbidly gross they are

hector says hes a hopeless romantic but has never fallen in love a day in his life

donella knows every word to satisfied from hamilton but she literallt doesnt relate to angelica in any way, shape, or form

catalina is a shameless taylor swift fan

angry is a taylor fan but she will always refuse to admit it bcuz idk she feels ashamed

rapunzel will find a band that scratches her brain and listen to that band until it is literally impossible for her to do so anymore

cassandra loves fettuchini alfredo

king edmund is an accidental social butterfly

queen ariana had attempted to drown willow in a pool more times than she can count

kind fredric will butt into random convos if even just 1 word peaks his intrest

hugo knows how to crochet but never has enough money or motivation to actually make something even mildly useful

hugo is a "booktok" girly but he doesnt and never has had enough money to invest in the shit ton pile of books he wants

varian would rather go to a meuseum then lay in bed at his house

ulla would do cartwheels in an aquarium if she could w/o getting kicked out

cyrus says goodnight and goodbye to everyone but can never muster up to say "i love you" after just bcuz he thinks itll be too akward😓

amber is the type of gay girl to say "ewww lesbian/gay" to her friend/gf bcuz they say smth gay knowing she is just as queer

uhhhh thats all i can think of rn, but like this is mostly based off shit i do... so take all that as you will🤺‼️ ill post any art i decide to shit out in the next couple of days on here but also a reminder i am painfully active on pintrest so uhhh ya:3!! BTW most of these hcs are just stupid and for fun so like pls dont get offended and feel free to add on or give suggestions:3!!

[abadbowlofsoup]

So some time I ago, I read and enjoyed Avatar of Victory by James Golen, a Mass Effect and Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover. Being me, I sat down and composed a list of what Star Trek characters would be under similar circumstances: If the World of Avatar was the Earth of Star Trek. I came across that list today and decided it deserved a bit of an overhaul as well as expanding to include Discovery, Prodigy, Lower Decks, and Picard.

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

TOS

Kirk: Water

Spock: Earth

McCoy: Badass Normal

Uhura: Air

Scotty: Fire

Sulu: Air

Chekov: Badass Normal

Yeoman Rand: The Avatar, discovered to be so only when well into her career, as she did not want to be known. (What, you thought KIRK would be the Avatar? Hell no.)

Nurse Chapel: Badass Normal

Star Trek the Animated Series Only:

M'Ress: Water

Arex: Badass Normal

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

TNG

Picard: Badass Normal. (Starfleet has an unconscious bias towards favoring benders in command positions, but Picard is just that awesome.)

Riker: Air

Data: No bending, but he’s surprisingly aware of the spirit world.

Worf: Fire

Troi: Badass Normal (Bending is incredibly rare among Betazoids)

Beverly Crusher: Water

Wesley Crusher: Badass Normal

Pulaski: Fire

Guinan: Air

Ensign Ro: Fire

LaForge: Water

Ensign Jae: Water (Jae Tribute Music Video, as some may not know who she is, but with more than a hundred appearances across TNG, DS9, and Voyager, actress Tracee Coco deserves to be acknowledged)

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

DS9

Sisko: Earth

Kira: Badass Normal

Jadiza Dax: Water

Ezerei Dax: Air

Odo: N/A (Note: The Dominion had never encountered bending until DS9. They’re very interested. Odo, on the other hand, regards it as a mildly useful trick)

Bashir: Badass Normal

O’Brien: Water

Worf: (See TNG)

Quark, Rom, Nog: N/A (Ferengi don’t have benders)

Garak; Badass normal

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

Voyager

Janeway: Fire

Chakotay: Earth

Torres: Earth

Paris: Air

Kim: Air

Doctor: N/A

Tuvok: Air

Neelix: Earth

Kes: Badass Normal

Seven: Unclear. Towards the end of her time on Voyager, Seven was begining to display signs of being an airbender, but also some hints of waterbending. By the time they got back to Earth, Voyager learned that Avatar Rand had been killed in action against Jem’Hadar fanatics in the Delta Quadrant around the time Seven had been freed from the Borg. Chakotay theorized that being set free of the Borg could count as being born, which means Seven could be the new Avatar. As of this writing, the White Lotus has refused comment.

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

Enterprise

Strangely enough, the crew of the NX-O1 were all non-benders save for T’Pol, an Earthbender, and Phlox, who’s species only produces Airbenders.

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

Discovery

Burnham: Fire (And How!)

Saru: Badass Normal

Book: Badass Normal

Lorca: Earth

Reno: Badass Normal

Stamets: Earth

Culber: Water

Detmer: Air

Owosekun: Badass Normal

Tilly: Earth

Adira Tal: Badass Normal

Vance: Normal

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

Strange New Worlds Pike: Water

Spock: (See TNG) Una: Due to Illyrian Genetic History, Una was not, strictly speaking a Bender, though she did display some form of energy manipulation following the Hetmit 9 incident, though these displays were only under moments of extreme stress. Uhura: Badass Normal

M'Benga: Badass Normal

Chapel: Badass Normal

Khan: Fire

Erica: Water

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

Prodigy

Janeway: (See Voyager)

Dal: Badass Normal

Gwyn: Fire

Rok-Tahk: Badass Normal

Jankom: Fire

Zero: Badass Normal

Murf: Badass Normal

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

Lower Decks

Captain Freeman: Earth

Jack: Normal

Shax: Fire

Mariner: Fire

Boimler: Normal

Tendi: Water (Bending is a rare talent among Orions)

Rutherford: Water

T'lyn: Earth

T'Ana: Fire

Bilups: Earth

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

Picard

Picard: (See TNG)

Raffi: Earth

Seven: Though the White Lotus officially hailed her as the Avatar, Seven continued to refuse the title, even to the point of attributing her long lifespan to her Borg implants and medical science, eventually dying in 2604, She was succeeded by Avatar Juros Boimler.

Jurati: Badass Normal

Rios: Air

Elnor: Badass Normal

Jack Crusher: Though officially a non-Bender, Jack displayed an astonishing awareness of the Spirit World and there were, reportedly, incidents of multibending, though 32nd century historians have suggested that these are examples of Q meddling and not Crusher being some sort of Co-Avatar, as Crusher died at the age of 86.

[chrstigx]

‘Do I wanna know?’ - Pt.1

a/n: hey guys! so i decided to post this in two parts, one where reader is in her teen years, the next where reader is an adult. I did this so that you guys weren’t reading too many words at once and getting bored. The first part of the fic IS happy.. at first. I would like to point out, there is a lot of internalized homophobia and lgbtq topics in this fic as well as a lot of angst. the grammar may be eh, so just let me know. i also made up a few things for it to make sense to the story.

warnings: none (i don’t think??)

words: 2.1k

——————————————————

Larissa Weems.

Your first love.

The name ran through your head for years, even after the break-up. The break-up that you caused. You had taken her heart and shattered it and at the time and being around seventeen years old while still attending Nevermore academy, you thought that it was a good idea. That you were doing yourself and her a favor.

How wrong you were.

You admittedly always had a hard time coming to terms with being a lesbian. It started at a young age, around thirteen years old. You could remember your friends always sitting with you at the lunch table and asking who you had a crush on, to which you would look around the lunchroom until you found a boy who seemed to be ‘attractive enough’, even if you never found him attractive. This unfortunate cycle continued into your teen years and even when you met Larissa in your early adult years. In the back of your mind, you always wondered two things, one, why couldn’t you seem to love men? Why didn’t they stand out to you like women did? And two, how could anyone even like men? These thoughts were always at a constant battle with each other, making you feel like you were crazy.

It all started in your first year of highschool. You were transferred from an average American highschool to an academy in the middle of nowhere that was twelve hours away from home. Your parents sent you away when your ‘unique’ abilities had become too out of control for anyone to handle.

At first, you felt betrayed, heartbroken, as if nobody would ever appreciate all of you. The good and bad. You mostly kept to yourself in school, rarely talking to other students and teachers, barely even participating in class unless you absolutely had to. You quickly became the laughing stock of the school for being a weirdo and outcast. You were clumsy, awkward and scared of literally any confrontation which unfortunately made you the perfect target for bullying and isolation. It was sort of ironic that you were outcasted in a school full of literal outcasts. It made you almost laugh. Almost.

Larissa was the first person who genuinely seemed like they wanted to talk to you. It all started when you were switched from your dorm in Adira Hall (which you had all to yourself), over to Ophelia Hall due to spacing issues. You couldn’t have a dorm all to yourself forever, right? You were escorted to the dorm by the principal at the time, dragging your bags almost pathetically before stopping in front of the room you’d be staying most likely for the rest of your Nevermore days.

Upon entering, there was a large colorful stained glass window which had an amazing view of the campus garden, followed by two sides of the room, one being decorated and organized, the other only having a bed, a chair and a desk with a barely working desk lamp attached to it. How homey. You obviously took the undecorated side, assuming that the decorated side already belonged to your new roommate. Your ‘future best friend’ as the principal liked to call it, to try and cheer you up.

After setting down your bags and listening to the principal explaining the rules of respecting the dorm campus (even though you had already heard them at least twenty times before), a young girl around your age with the prettiest blue eyes that you had ever seen, paired with long, curly platinum hair stumbled into the room. She seemed to be out of breath, as if she ran over to Ophelia Hall from across campus.

You stared blankly at her for a moment before she straightened up and walked over to you, holding out her hand and immediately starting to rant. “Hello! You must be Y/N!! I'm Larissa Weems, it’s a pleasure to meet you!! I can't believe I have a new roomie….” Her words slowly faded out as you slowly and hesitantly took her hand, giving it a weak shake and you would just stare at her while she continued to talk for the next two or three minutes before finally stopping and chuckling awkwardly. “Sorry, I talk a lot.. dang it..!!” she would chastise herself and you would just chuckle very quietly… and awkwardly, “It's fine.. Larissa, right? I'm Y/N.. as you know. Obviously. Uhm- I’m glad we're roomies?” You’d state, almost as if you were unsure of yourself.

Feeling the room shift into an uncomfortable awkward silence, Larissa would try to ease the awkwardness by walking over to her bed, picking up a moon shaped stuffed plushie, walking back over and placing it right into your hands. You would inspect it, flipping it in all different angles in your hands before looking at her with a raised eyebrow. You could see the nerves in her face so with a soft, mumbled ‘thanks’, you would toss it onto your bed. Your first decoration.

After Larissa gave you an in-depth tour of the whole school, it was time for dinner. She would lead you to the mess hall where everyone in all of the grades seemed to gather along with the professors and the principal to keep an eye out for any trouble makers. The whole scene made your stomach turn and instinctively, you moved closer to Larissa while waiting in line to receive your tray with whatever dinner slop they were serving tonight.

Unable to soothe your nerves, you would tap Larissa on the shoulder to which she would quickly spin around, a smile that seemed almost too wide to be real plastered on her lips and you would pause for a second before clearing your throat. “I think I am gonna grab my dinner and go back to my dorm.. I don’t like it here.” You would say with an awkward shuffle of your feet as you slowly progressed in the lunch line. Her expression would falter a fraction and you could’ve sworn you had seen a hint of softness in her eyes before she snapped out of it again. “Well- that’s fine.. But I'm coming with you!” She would declare with a determination you couldn’t really say no to.

Back in your dorm, you were both sitting on the plush rug in the middle of the room. After a few minutes of eating in awkward silence, stealing a few glances every so often, you would decide to speak up. “So.. I know you had a roommate before me. What even happened?” and the silence after was crushing. With a reluctant sigh, Larissa would place down the plastic fork on her tray before looking at you. “Morticia Frump was her name. We had a falling out after she basically stole the guy I had a crush on and left me in the dust, so we both requested for room change since we couldn’t even stand looking at each other. Since then, we have held this animosity toward each other and every chance she gets, she rubs it in my face that she took Gomez from me.” Your eyes would widen at the raw hurt in her voice and you would feel your expression soften sympathetically as you reached out to touch her hand. She would flinch at first before resting her hand against yours and you two would make eye contact. “I promise that I won't… steal your man and be a bitch?” You would promise, elicited a chuckle from the both of you. Maybe having a roomie was what you needed after all to make everything feel okay in this school.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since then, months had passed and you were both well into your school year now. It was getting closer and closer to prom time, both of you growing more and more excited. The theme this year was Midnight Garden. After weeks and weeks of dress shopping, you had opted for a deep maroon dress with the sleeves hanging off the shoulder while Lairssa chose a deep sea blue dress with no sleeves at all. Now the only mission was to find your dates.. Except, you wanted your date to be Larissa, but you weren’t even sure if she was into you like that– if she even was into women at all. After getting some coaching from a few of your mutual friends, 1. You found out that Larissa was bisexual, which was great for you and 2. You made a huge poster to ask her to prom, you just had to hope she’d say yes and also have the courage to not run away when she walked out and saw it.

Now, you were waiting in your dorm, awkwardly holding a poster up with the word, ‘PROM?’ spelled in rose petals because she loved roses and the theme was Midnight Garden. You thought it was creative, your friends thought it was cheesy but you didnt care what they thought, only Larissa. After a few hushed whispers, the door would be pushed open with a soft creak, revealing Larissa and id smile nervously and shyly, holding up the sign for her to see, “Larissa, will you go to prom with me??” You would ask nervously, the silence deafening before she squealed a loud and excited “Yes, I'll go to prom with you!!” and you could feel a huge weight being lifted off of your shoulders when you let out a big sigh of relief. When she walked over, you both hugged as you placed the poster down and before you could react, Larissa was cupping your face and leaning down, giving you a soft and tender kiss, full of love, and after the initial shock passed, you would kiss back. Your friends would all squeal in the background though you were more focused on Larissa than anyone or anything else.

The months leading up to prom were magical, full of love and passion between you, until the dreadful night directly two weeks before prom. You were on the phone with your parents discussing your time at Nevermore and you accidentally told them about yourself and Larissa being together. Big mistake. Your parents were definitely not the friendliest toward people who were a part of the LBGTQ community so when they found out, they immediately scheduled you to come home. To stop attending Nevermore and to never speak to Larissa again. Your heart had shattered into a million pieces at this, the fact you had to leave everything and everyone behind, your friends, your school, the love of your life, gone.

That same night, you dragged your suitcase out of the closet that you had barely touched since you first met Larissa. The sight of the suitcase made you sick to your stomach. Each drawer that was emptied was another crack in the damn that was threatening to burst, threatening to just make you spiral into a mental breakdown, until you saw the plushie Larissas had gifted you when you first arrived. Without even thinking twice, you grabbed the moon shaped plush and shoved it under your clothes in your suitcase. At least you would have something to ‘comfort’ you back home. Soon you would be looking at the three suitcase you had brought, all packed and zipped up. The sight made you want to crawl into a hole and never come out and the worst part hadn’t even happened yet.

You still had to tell Larissa.

Larissa would enter the dorm, seeing you standing there in front of your suitcases. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she quickly approached you with quick steps. “Y/N, what's going on?” She would ask, reaching up to cup your face, though you’d push her hand away and when you did, it felt like your heart had just been ripped out of your chest and stabbed with a dagger. “Don’t touch me.” You would practically hiss, venom dripping in your words, causing Larissa to recoil a step or two back. You would compose yourself, looking at the floor as you let out a shaky breath. “I’m leaving you, Larissa. I.. I found someone better. A man. What we are isn’t right. I am leaving Nevermore for good in two days.” You would say, each word shakier than the last and you could see the way Larissa’s expression fell, her face going pale. “Y/N, you can’t be serious.. Say this a lie, say it now Y/N!!” She would practically yell in your face. The room fell into a heavy silence, the silence feeling like a huge weight just crushed you. You would simply turn your back to her. This isn’t how you wanted it to end, you never even wanted it to end, but it was either this or your parents most likely beating the ever living hell out of you and more likely than not, disowning you. “Goodbye, Larissa.” You would say as you dragged your now packed bags out of the dorm. Silence.

You and Larissa’s heart’s shattered and torn.

@barbarasstar @milfsloverblog @gwenstulip @snakeskins-world

[sophiaforevs]

Between the early cancellation of Discovery, Seven/Raffi and Mariner/Jenn being erased in their respective shows, and SNW having queer coded characters but not confirming anything on screen, I'm really afraid that we're entering another "No Gays in Trek" era.

For those who don't know, 90s era star trek featured so few queer characters b/c Rick Berman largely held a policy of not wanting any homosexuality in his shows. And yes, we all remember the handful of episodes that slipped through that addressed it but the fact remains that there were no canonically queer main cast members before Into Darkness in 2016 gave us a five second shot that could be cut when whoever was showing the movie found the idea of two men in a loving relationship disgusting.

Then we got Discovery with multiple queer characters that allowed people to feel seen. And people never stopped bitching about them. The amount of times that I've had to listen to people complain that Adira's only character trait is that they're non-binary despite that literally being a single thirty second scene and never brought up again makes me understand that they very likely don't want to like the queer characters in that show. And it's not that there aren't criticisms to be made about the queer representation in Disco: Discovery Buries it's Gays before the end of the first season. Making your trans characters aliens who already have a history of gender fuckery is problematic b/c it somewhat plays into the idea that queerness is unnatural for human beings. But I never hear those complaints. Only the pronouns. Only the "We get it you're gay but don't shove it down our throats." But I don't want to get too off topic.

Now Discovery is being canceled early. And by early I mean, the writers weren't given proper notice that their show was ending. They were halfway through production and allowed to adjust the end episodes of the season to try to give a satisfying ending.

In Picard and Lower Decks, we got two sapphic relationships ("sapphic" meaning a romantic or sexual relationship between two women who aren't necessarily strictly lesbians) and they were pretty good. People had been asking for Seven to be queer and Jeri Ryan had been playing her as such since her introduction (see again: Rick Berman) and to see her finally get to express that was really healing. Mariner got off to rocky feet when the creators tried to pull a "Dumbledore is gay" where they said she was bi but didn't commit to it, but they she actually got a fairly satisfying relationship in season 3.

But in their most recent seasons, both were completely written out. Seven/Raffi gave us no explanation beyond that they "broke up." They went out of their way to keep them from being on screen together for most of the season. Mattis said in a Reddit AMA that he wanted Seven to be captain and Raffi to be first officer at the end of the season and that Starfleet would have regulations against relationships between the two despite the biggest reason Seven was promoted to captain was that she was a rule breaker. We didn't even get that much for Mariner/Jennifer. Jenn just wasn't in this season except for two background appearances.

And in Strange New Worlds there's just… nothing. SNW is the most recent new show and there's no queer representation. They code Ortegas as gay but don't actually confirm it on screen. There's just… nothing.

And this is how you loose the culture war. The bigots make enough noise that the show that is supposed to be a beacon of diversity doesn't necessarily side with them but they just kinda bow out of the conversation. They decide that it's easier to not bother than to take a stand. And so I and many many queer star trek fans are left wondering:

Does the franchise even want us any more?

[elisajdb]

Brotherly Love: Part One

Hidden away on Earth, Raditz wants a chance to make amends to his past and form a relationship with his estranged brother, Son Goku.

He was always avoided. No one dared look in his eyes. He was deemed scary. No one spoke more than a few sentences to him. He was deemed wild and savage. No one wanted to get close to him. He was a murderer. No one wanted to talk to him except two: the Ice Bitch and the Ice Queen.

They ran the facility he had been locked in for ten years. The Ice Bitch funded and built this facility while the Ice Queen ran it only cowering to the demands of the Ice Bitch. He has been in worse places and treated brutally on other planets but this place, even with all their amenities, was still a prison.

He was confined to a room the size of an apartment. He had access to food. He was given reading materials, music, movies and television to understand the world around him.

But it was still a prison. The air he breathed was tainted to keep him weak. Twice a week, he was allowed to leave the room but his wrists were bound in wristbands filled with kilotons of electricity.  One wrong move and he could be zapped like a bird on an unsealed powerline. He was away from his room for two hours. It wasn’t enough time to restore his strength. The Ice Bitch made sure of that.

The first three years, he tried to escape and in the last seven years, he resigned himself to this perilous fate. Seven years ago, Raditz lost his motivation to leave. Never did he imagine when the Ice Bitch visited, she would say the words he wanted to hear.

Goku is alive again. He’s back on Earth.

Thanks to the Ice Queen, Raditz knew of the Tenkaichi Budokai. He wanted to see how his nephews fare but the cameras were destroyed. The Ice Queen showed generosity providing him with a radio where they could listen to the tournament. It was here he learned Son Goku was a contestant. He thought it was a strange coincidence since that was the name his brother went by on Earth. Ice Queen was confused, too, but hours later when a monster calling himself Majin Boo destroyed cities, his brother battled the monster and disappeared.

That burned in Raditz’s mind for days and after the destruction and revival of Earth, the Ice Bitch visited. Raditz wanted answers.  

“I saw Kakarot! You told me he was dead! Why did you lie to me?!”

“I didn’t lie. Goku was dead for seven years but he was allowed to visit for a day. Because of Majin Boo, he was granted a new life and he’s back on Earth.”

“And you deliberately kept his visit from me.” Raditz wouldn’t argue years ago the Ice Bitch was justified to keep the knowledge of his existence quiet but not after these years where he showed change. “I want to see him.”

“Goku’s busy reuniting with his family.”

“I’m his family!”

“You’re not the family he wants or did you forget he rejected you?”

Raditz didn’t care his brother rejected him then. Raditz was disgusted at the weak Saiyan his brother grew up to be. Now… it did hurt. “Things were different. I’m not that Saiyan anymore. I want to see my brother!”

But the Ice Bitch wouldn’t hear anymore. She left with the Ice Queen who didn’t agree with the Ice Bitch. She voiced her difference when they walked away from his cell.

“I don’t think you should forbid him, Bulma.”

“Don’t go against me on this, Adira. I’m already pissed with you. How could you let Raditz know about the tournament?”

“Is this because of Son Goku? You didn’t tell me he was returning.”

“You didn’t need to know like Raditz didn’t need to know about the Tenkaichi Budokai.”

“His nephews were participating. I thought he’d want to see them.”

“He doesn’t have a relationship with them.”

“How can he when he’s stuck here?”

“He kidnapped his eldest nephew when he was four years old!”

“He doesn’t seem to be that man anymore, Bulma. I think the years mellowed him like it did Vegeta.”

The Ice Bitch snorted. “Don’t let the mellowing appearance fool you. It could be a trap to let our guard down.”

“I think you’re saying that because of what Vegeta did.”

The rejection left Raditz with one option. If he wanted to see his brother, he had to escape. Over the years, Raditz learned a few things about his brother. The Ice Bitch wasn’t aware during their conversations, he was gathering information he could use later.

“Are you Kakarot’s concubine?”

“I’m too rich and beautiful to be anyone’s concubine. I was gathering dragon balls when I met Goku. I convinced him to be my bodyguard and look for dragon balls with me.”

“How? By opening your legs?”

“No! Goku was a kid. He was too dumb to see how hot I was at sixteen. It’s not his fault. He grew up on Mount Paozu.”

With access to books and maps, Raditz found Mount Paozu but he needed information on where he is and how far he will have to travel to find his brother.  On the days he was allowed to step out of the facility, Raditz studied his surroundings. He noticed the trees and animals on the island. He had casual conversations with the Ice Bitch and Ice Queen to learn what food grew here and what food was shipped. He studied the seasons and discovered the weather varied from warm to hot. It never snowed and never received yearly water storms Earth people call hurricanes.   He applied all this knowledge to his books and discovered he was likely on an island off a large mainland. There’s nothing popular about this land except it was home to the Red Ribbon Army.  

Mount Paozu was on the other side of the world. It would be a journey finding his brother without his scouter but Raditz knew he could do it. This was his only chance to see his brother again. He couldn’t waste this opportunity like last time.

“He’s destroyed most of the world! What are you gonna do when he finds this place?!” Raditz was pissed. Some maniac was killing everyone on Earth. In the last twenty-four hours, television stations went offline. Phone coverage was spotty and only static was heard on the radio. Raditz didn’t care people were dead but he hated not knowing where Majin Boo was. That monster could find this place and Raditz wanted to be ready for him. “You may want to sit on your ass and wait for death but that’s not the Saiyan way. We have our pride. Even if it’s a lost cause, it’s better to go down fighting instead of doing nothing!”

The Ice Queen tried to reason with Raditz. “You could die against him.”

Raditz almost laughed. “Are you caring about me? The Ice Queen has a heart?”

“I’m being practical.”

“Practical,” Raditz knew he shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up. “Typical Ice Queen.”

“You’re still calling me that,” she huffed frustrated. “I hate that name!” The Ice Queen never cared when he called her that. She wasn’t rattled and nothing appeared to get under her skin hence his nickname for her but Majin Boo cracked her cool façade.  “So many people are dead, Raditz. My parents are gone. We’re probably among the last group on Earth. Call me by my name.”

“Fine….. Adira. Majin Boo will find this place and blow us up like he’s done all the cities on this planet. Give me my honor and pride back and let me die fighting.”

Raditz expected Adira to say ‘No’. Her stare could be cold and clinical but there were times her eyes gave away her thoughts. She wasn’t like the Ice Bitch. She was a genius like her but humble and reserved. Perhaps it was her being the only constant woman in ten years but Raditz thought Adira was attractive for an Earthling. Her sable hair reminded him of Saiyan women. Over the years, she changed it from short to long and curled to straight. Her hair was everchanging like her eyes. He was struck when he noticed how wondrously violet her eyes were under lights and away it appeared a cobalt blue as deep as the ocean. Sometimes he stared at her to see the colors bounce between blue and purple. She never noticed his stares. She was too cold and clinical.  

“All right,” Adira gave in. “I’ll let you go. I’ll free you.” As Adira typed in the code to open the door, showers of pink light doused the area. Raditz jumped around avoiding the light. He didn’t know what it was but instincts told him to avoid it. When the showers passed, Raditz saw pieces of his room charred. The door still bolted the room shut but the weird showers created holes in the glass barrier.  

“Adira?” Did the showers force her to run away? Raditz stepped out of his room. “Where are you?”  Raditz walked around the facility. How far did she go? Raditz knew from Adira the fully staffed facility was reduced to a skeleton crew. Majin Boo caused many workers to leave and be with their families.

Adira, despite having parents and siblings, stayed.

Raditz picked up a cell phone off the floor. He listened for a voice but heard nothing. Walking further, Raditz saw an open book and an iPad on the floor. The screen was scratched.  It gave Raditz a cold feeling. The pink shower was Majin Boo’s energy. He killed everyone touched by it.

“Adira.” Majin Boo killed her and he didn’t see it.

Raditz rationed his next move. Majin Boo wouldn’t return so soon after killing everyone here. He also needed to prepare. The room he was enclosed in had doctored air. It weakened him. Raditz needed hours before feeling at full strength. Until then, he ate to replenish himself and exercised. A couple of hours passed when Raditz felt strong enough to try flying. He stepped out of the facility to see the skies turning a dark pink. The ground under him trembled.

“What the----” Raditz gasped as a massive wave swallowed the island. Raditz swam while his body jostled in the ocean. His ears were deafened by the crashing waves and the facility structure breaking in the water. Bouncing around Raditz couldn’t tell if he was swimming up or down. He just swam hoping to reach the surface.

There! He saw it. Light! Raditz swam toward it thinking it was the surface. Almost there he told himself. A little further he--- The light was moving to him and getting brighter.

This wasn’t sunlight Raditz realized as the heat of Majin Boo’s energy swallowed him. It was instant and painless.

Raditz’s memories were fuzzy after that. He remembered a temple and a large man behind a desk. That was all he could recall before he found himself on the island again.

Raditz wasn’t alone. Adira and the rest of the staff were on the island, too. They were trying to piece together what happened when Raditz heard his brother and Prince Vegeta above them.

“Earthlings!! Do you want to be killed by Majin Boo again?! You have a chance to save your planet!!”

“Everyone! Please! Give all the energy you can! We can’t stop Majin Boo without you!”

“Is that Prince Vegeta and Kakarot?”

“They want us to raise our hands.” Adira raised her hands. “How will this help defeat Majin Boo?”

“Prince Vegeta and Kakarot found a way to defeat Majin Boo.” Raditz raised his hands. “We should do it.” Only he and Adira had their hands up. “What are you waiting for?!” Raditz barked at the other staff members. “Do it!”

Everyone raised their hands. Raditz was going to curse their resistance when he saw Adira smiling at him. “What?”

“You used to hate them. Now you’re helping them. You’ve changed.”

Adira’s smile was slightly unnerving. She smiled but never at him. Despite their loss of energy, everyone kept their hands up until the battle was over. Cheers broke out when Mr. Satan confirmed Majin Boo was gone, but when the cheers died, reality sunk in Raditz was not in his cell and not wearing the wristbands he was forced to wear outside.

Security quickly drew their guns on Raditz. Each gun had massive charges of electricity. Raditz rationed he could subdue them but he would suffer injuries, too. “Come at me,” Raditz challenged them.

“Wait!” Adira jumped between Raditz and security. “You need to go back to your cell.”

Raditz laughed. “That room can’t hold me. It received massive damage. I can kill you and finally leave this place.”

“You could.” Even Adira knew Raditz couldn’t be stopped. “But you proved you have changed. I can

present this to Bulma. You’ll be free to leave on your own.”

“I can do that now.”

“You’re still naïve to the world. You need a guide. I’ll help you,” she offered. “I’ll help you get a place and integrate. It’ll be easier with a guide than on your own.”

Adira’s offer was better than the alternative. It wouldn’t be easy and after ten years of confinement, Raditz wanted an easier life. Raditz stayed in a spare room while repairs quickly went underway to his cell. When he returned, Raditz noticed his room wasn’t secure. There was a hole not repaired. Fresh air leaked into the room doctoring the tainted air he was forced to breathe. Raditz kept this to himself as he waited for Bulma to return. He waited a month.

Adira went over a rehabilitation plan for Raditz. Raditz didn’t care about being around humans. He was excited to be free and he wanted to see his brother.

When Bulma returned, Adira excitedly explained Raditz’s behavior over the Majin Boo ordeal and her plan to integrate him into society. Years ago, Bulma offered Raditz a new life on Earth if he changed. Then, Raditz was vengeful, murderous and filled with anger. He didn’t want to change but ten years of confinement softened Raditz to consider her and now she reneged.

This drove Raditz to coordinate his escape.

It was still dark when the chime of Bulma’s phone awakened her. She was in a deep fog of sleep and didn’t recognize the tone. Who would be calling her this early?

“Shut that thing off before I shut it for you,” Vegeta sleepily threatened as he rolled over.

Bulma reached for the phone on her nightstand as the ringing stopped. 3:12 a.m. Calls at this time can’t be good but Bulma figured it was a wrong number. She didn’t bother to check the name on her missed call as she rolled back in bed.

Her phone rang again.

“Bulma….” Vegeta warned.

Bulma brushed off Vegeta’s annoyance as she rolled over. “It’s not as if you have to get up early for work.” Bulma picked up the phone again and bolted upright when she saw the person calling her.

Adira.

“What is it?” The room was dark but Vegeta noticed Bulma’s shuffling.

“Work.” Bulma swung her legs out of bed and stood up. “I’ll take it in the other room. Go back to sleep.” She closed off their bedroom door and leaned against it. “Adira?” Bulma whispered.

“Sorry, Bulma. This can’t wait until morning. We got a problem.”

“I figured.” Bulma fought off a yawn. “What did he do this time?”

“He almost broke out.”

“What?!” Bulma clamped her hand over her mouth. She stepped away from the door and settled on the sofa of her adjacent suite. “How?”

“Don’t know. Security is still looking into it. We had to gas the building. Security had to use three times as much electro charges on him. He’s contained but he was hurt.”

“Any fatalities?”

“No. He’s different now.”

“Different? Did you forget the outbreaks when we first contained him? Ten men died.”

“That was years ago. Raditz could’ve killed but he didn’t. He disarmed and knocked security out. Raditz won’t kill again. He wants out and to see his brother.”

Bulma wanted that to be true but recent experiences left her cautious. “It could be a trap.”

“He hasn’t tried to break out in seven years. He’s read books. He’s studied maps. He’s trying all kinds of cuisines. He’s watching sports games. He wants to embrace our world.”

Bulma flipped on a lamp and sifted the drawer of the end table for her cigarette case and lighter. “I made an offer to him years ago and he rejected it.  ‘As soon as I get out of here, I will kill everyone on this planet. Starting with you, Ice Bitch.’ Those were his exact words.”

“He’s mellowed since then.”

Bulma closed the drawer annoyed. Vegeta either hid or threw out her case and lighter. Again. “I thought the same with Vegeta until the Tenkaichi Budokai.”

Adira knew that was a sore spot for Bulma. Cameras were destroyed so no one outside the stadium saw the footage. Adira and Raditz listened to the radio broadcast of Vegeta killing people. Reports came out hours later people who were killed at the tournament were alive. It would’ve been a major news story for days if not for Majin Boo. Adira thought that was a good thing since it meant everyone forgot what Vegeta did. If the news researched and tied him to Bulma. It would’ve created a massive media mess for Bulma and her family. It could’ve put what they were doing with Raditz in the spotlight.

“You told me he wasn’t in his right mind. He’s not at fault.”

Adira didn’t know the full truth and Bulma didn't want to tell her. That day had Bulma second-guessing everything. “We should be extra cautious. Vegeta has lived openly among humans for years and he fell off the wagon. We can’t trust Raditz. He tried to break out again.”

“What choice did he have after you refused to give Raditz a chance?!” Adira lost her patience. “He’s been cooped here for a decade.”

“Oh, please!” Bulma slammed another draw shut. Did Vegeta throw away all her cigarettes? “It’s not a real jail. Raditz’s room is half the size of a gymnasium. He can exercise. He has a kitchen. He has a bath. He has a TV and access to books, music and movies.”

“It’s not the same as real experience and,” Adira braced herself for Bulma’s blowup. “….. he has a family.”

“A brother who would not want to see him.”

“I don’t know Son Goku, Bulma, but maybe he would want to see his brother. You have to give him that choice. Raditz should hear it from his brother.”

Bulma plopped on the sofa giving up her search for cigarettes. “You weren’t there, Adira. You didn’t see what Raditz did. He was heartless. He hurt Goku. He took his son. Goku died because of Raditz.”

“And you revived Raditz knowing all that,” Adira reminded Bulma. “You have to come clean with this. If you don’t, I will.”

“What?”

“You brought me on this project to reach a goal with Raditz. We did that. The least we can do is give Raditz what he wants. Let him meet his brother.”

Bulma knew that wasn’t as easy as it sounded. She was there that day when Raditz told Goku he wasn’t human, knocked him down with one punch and kidnapped his son. Bulma went into this with the best intentions but unintentionally created secrets that would hurt the people she cared for.  

If Goku finds out about Raditz and what I did, he’ll hate me.  What will Vegeta do?

“Raditz wants to see you, too.”

“I figured as much.” Bulma squeezed the bridge of her nose wondering how to work this out without drawing suspicions. Her father knew about it but not her mother. If her mother knew, this secret would’ve been exposed years ago and the first person she would have told is Vegeta. “I’ll let my parents know they have to get Trunks ready for school. I can be there in two hours.”

Bulma turned off her phone and pushed herself off the sofa. Dammit. What a mess. She had to shower and get some coffee in her before she left. “I need a cigarette,” Bulma yawned as she opened the door. She jolted when Vegeta stood on the other side. Bulma took a step back fearing the worst. He wasn’t Namekian but Saiyans do have sharp ears.

“Bulma, what the hell have you been up to?”

Bulma brushed past him and pretended she didn’t know.  “Up to what, Vegeta? It was a work call. Unlike Saiyans who train all day, Earthlings have to work.”

“Earthlings don’t get middle-of-the-night calls unless they are leaders.”

“And owners of billion Zeni companies.” Bulma pulled a dress from her closet.

“Where are you going?”

“There’s an issue at one of our facilities. An explosion,” Bulma lied. “I’m checking the damages. I’ll be gone for a few hours.”

Vegeta extended his arm in front of the bathroom. “Are you using this to get away from me?”

Bulma pushed but Vegeta wouldn’t move. “Not everything is about you, Vegeta.”

“I apologized. It was a mistake. I won’t do it again.”

“Because Bobbidi isn’t here? What happens when the next wizard shows up with unlimited power and all you have to do is sell your soul?”

Vegeta didn’t resist when Bulma pushed again. She brushed past Vegeta into the bathroom and shut the door. When Bulma stepped out, Vegeta was gone. He left a note on the door.  “Coffee and your airship will be ready for you. I’ll inform your parents to watch Trunks.”

Bulma smiled at the card tenderly. She was angry with Vegeta but he was trying to atone. Maybe when this Raditz thing is settled we can talk.  

Bulma grabbed her coffee and hopped into the airship Vegeta left running for her. She was unaware of Vegeta hiding in the back. The Saiyan knew Bulma was hiding something from him. Bulma always shared issues going on with Capsule Corporation. He didn’t offer an opinion but he noticed when Bulma didn’t share. He noticed when Bulma took calls in front of him and the rare times she left the room. He felt it in his blood Bulma was hiding something from him and with things strained with them, he couldn’t allow it to go further. So he stowed on the airship to find answers.

When the ship touched down, Vegeta immediately felt a Ki. It was familiar but Vegeta couldn’t pinpoint who it was. He stayed on the ship as Bulma greeted Adira and walked in the opposite direction of the Ki. This allowed Vegeta to track it alone. He followed the Ki to the lower levels of the facility. There was security around but no one questioned Vegeta’s appearance since they knew of him and his connection to the Briefs family.

Vegeta tracked the Ki to an iron door guarded by two armed men. They noticed Vegeta and acknowledged him with a nod. “Open the door,” he commanded. One armed man looked hesitant but did as ordered and unlocked the door.

“He’s dangerous,” the armed guard warned Vegeta. “We had a hard time containing him.”

“Understood,” Vegeta played along.  “But I can handle him.” Vegeta stepped into the dark room wondering who they were referring to and why his Ki felt familiar. Lights from the cell drew Vegeta that when he reached it, he froze.

It’s impossible. He should be dead!

In a cylinder cell, Raditz stood bound with chains on his wrists and collar. There were dark, red burns on Raditz’s chest. If not for his long hair, Vegeta suspected burns were on his back, too. He wore a mask over his mouth. His head was bowed and his eyes were closed. He hadn’t noticed Vegeta circling his prisoned chamber.

He hasn’t mastered sensing Ki.

“Raditz.”

Raditz’s tired eyes opened and widened slightly when he saw Vegeta. “Prince Vegeta.”

“Oh, shit.”

Vegeta turned at that soft voice. Bulma and Adira arrived. Adira appeared calm while Bulma was horrified. He could see it in her eyes her shock at him. “How did you get here?”

“Fuck that.” Vegeta wasn’t going to answer when she owed him an explanation. “What the hell is this, Bulma?”  

Earlier, Adira greeted Bulma on the heliport when she touched down. Bulma stepped out of the ship and looked around. From the outside, the facility looked in perfect condition. “I expected some damage.” Bulma removed her dark shades and walked with Adira inside the building. “Raditz’s last major escape damaged the East Wing for months.”

“We fortified things since but there’s heavy damage internally. He got the East Wing again. The armory received heavy damage. Two of the labs are destroyed.”  

As Adira talked, Bulma surveyed the damage. There were basketball-sized holes in walls and light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. Two hallways were unsafe to cross. The elevator wasn’t serviceable so they took the stairs to the underground area where Raditz was held.

“Any updates on how Raditz got out?”

“We found an air leak in his room. We did a rush job fixing Raditz’s room after Majin Boo no one caught it.”

“Ah, damn,” Bulma groaned. “He’s been getting stronger all this time and waited for the right moment. Is he properly sealed?”

“Yes,” Adira hesitantly answered, “He’s weaker again, bound and suffered some bruising from the electro charges, but, Bulma, I don’t agree with this protocol. It’s not humane.”

“Not humane?” Bulma gestured to the destruction around them. “Look at what Raditz did. We can’t go easy on him.”

“I know,” Adira agreed. “I was here when it happened but…..” how to explain she wondered. “It’s not right.”

“Is there something I should know?” Adira always followed Bulma’s orders on dealing with Raditz when he got out of line. This was the first time Adira questioned her authority. “Do you have feelings for Raditz?”

“Bulma.” Adira was offended. “I’ve watched Raditz over the years. I’ve seen him change. I’m speaking as a professional and his doctor.”

Bulma wagged a finger. Something wasn’t right about this. “I wondered about you since your divorce.”

“That was five years ago.”

“You haven’t dated much.” That was a red flag to Bulma. Adira was beautiful. She had a movie star face and a tall and statuesque model figure. A woman with her looks and brains would not be single long unless she wanted it or had eyes on someone. “Most of your time has been here with Raditz. He’s affecting you.”

They were approaching the iron door. Adira scanned her badge on the door. It opened. “He’s not affecting me. I think what Vegeta did is blinding you from rationality.”  

“Miss Briefs,” an armed guard tried to warn Bulma but she stepped into the room with Adira and ignored the guard.

“I have my problems with Vegeta now but he’s--- oh, shit.” Vegeta! He was standing in front of Raditz’s cell. What was he doing here? Did he follow her? “How did you get here?”

“Fuck that.” Vegeta brushed off her question. “What the hell is this, Bulma?”  

Her heart never beat so fast. She never felt so exposed. She never saw Vegeta so livid at her.

No. Not now. This wasn’t how Bulma wanted Vegeta to know. She wanted to ease him into the situation gently. “I can explain.”

“I hope you can because what the hell, Bulma?!” Vegeta roared. Bulma could annoy him but she never angered him. He never felt betrayed by her but that’s what he felt seeing Raditz chained and bruised. “Why is Raditz here? Why is he like this?!”

It galled him to see a fellow Saiyan like this. Years ago, he wouldn’t have cared but when Goku died and the remaining Saiyans were Gohan, Trunks and eventually Goten, Vegeta’s mindset changed. He felt a responsibility to the last of his kind and to see a fellow Saiyan in this condition and knowing his mate had a hand in it, sickened him.

“It doesn’t look like it, Vegeta,” Bulma began her story, “but I wanted to do the right thing.”  

Twelve Years Ago

Goku was dead. Gohan was kidnapped by Piccolo and wouldn’t return him for a year. Their reunion was a disaster and as Bulma. Master Roshi and Krillin stared down Raditz’s dead body, they were lost on their next move.

“What do we do with him?” Krillin wondered. “Can we leave a dead body lying like this?”

“Wouldn’t be a smart idea, Krillin. We passed that farmer on the way over. Someone will come looking for him. They’ll find Raditz.” Master Roshi had one solution to the dilemma. “We gotta get rid of him.”

Krillin caught Bulma and Master Roshi’s stares. “You’re kidding me!” Krillin protested. “Why do I have to bury him?”

“I’m not touching a dead body.” Bulma opened her pocket of capsules. “I’m sure I have shovels in here.”

Master Roshi removed his surcoat. “I’ll help you, Krillin.”

Once Raditz was buried, Bulma flew Krillin and Master Roshi back to the island. Burying Raditz sounded like the right idea but hours later, Bulma had doubts. “It’s a shame Goku had a brother and he turned out like that. We could’ve learned so much.”

“About kidnapping uncles?” Krillin quipped.

“About Saiyans. Imagine scientifically what we could’ve learned. Think of what Goku could’ve learned about his parents. His past is a blank.”

“Goku doesn’t care about that stuff.” Krillin pulled off his shoes and shook the dirt off. “I learned unless he’s from Earth, the only good Saiyan is a dead Saiyan. Bulma, we got two more of these coming to Earth to kill us. If you’re so curious, why don’t you ask them then?”

Vegeta couldn’t mask his disgust at how this story began. “If you buried Raditz, what the hell did you do? Dig him back up?!”

“No.” Bulma would never do that. “My Dad did.” Vegeta threw his hands up. “While Krillin and I were getting Yamcha and Tien caught up, I called my Dad and told him about Raditz. He agreed with me. He got the robots to dig up Raditz’s body and put him in the capsule I stored Krillin and Master Roshi in when King Piccolo was causing trouble.”

Vegeta was vaguely aware of that story and the preservation capsules. “So, when I came to live with you, Raditz was there?”

“Raditz was here. I thought about going back on my plan when you moved in but you were so closed off about Saiyans and you can’t tell us anything about Goku’s parents. When Goku was on Yardrat, I looked for the dragon balls with Yamcha.”

“He knows?!”

If Yamcha knew, he never would’ve helped. “I told him I wanted to collect dragon balls in case we needed them for an emergency.”

“Wait,” Vegeta remembered that day the skies darkened in the afternoon. “Was that the day you confessed using dragon balls to find your missing purse?!”

“Yeah,” Bulma confessed sheepishly. Vegeta wasn’t the only one to question her. Yamcha and Piccolo did, too. “Raditz was in a state of rage. He destroyed the capsule, robots and killed a couple of guards. It wasn’t easy containing him but we did. I offered Raditz a second chance and he rejected it so I kept him here.”

“I see.” Vegeta understood Raditz’s rage. He would’ve done the same. He looked at Adira. “And how do you fit into all of this?”

“I couldn’t be here monitoring Raditz all the time,” Bulma explained. “Besides, my genius level of science is in engineering and tech. Adira’s specialties are genetics, biology and physiology. She’s the best person to monitor Raditz and study Saiyans.”

“Study Saiyans.” It was so insulting to Vegeta. “He’s not a lab rat! He’s a Saiyan. A warrior!”

“We never poke and prodded Raditz, Vegeta. We provided him with a comfortable room. He had plenty of food, a bathroom, books and a TV.”

Raditz snarled. She spoke as if it was a paradise. “That room had tainted air to keep me weak. You let me out of that cage twice a week for two hours.” He raised his hands to show his steel wristbands. “I had to wear these whenever I left and if I got out of line, I was electrocuted!”

“I ordered that because the first three years you were out of control! You were constantly trying to break out. Ten men died because of you while more were injured.” Bulma knew the methods were cruel but felt she didn’t have a choice. Raditz could not be reasoned with. “When Vegeta came to live with me, he never acted like you even though he was a murderer then.”

“All right,” Vegeta intervened. If he hadn’t, Bulma and Raditz would be arguing with each other and blaming the other for Raditz’s imprisonment. “Did you check on him?”

“Every few months. I talked about you and Goku. I thought that would inspire him to change. He knows about you two being Super Saiyans. He knows Freeza is gone. He knows about Cell.”

“Kakarot is back. Dpes Raditz know?”

Bulma had her eyes on Adira when she said, “I would have broken the news differently but someone jumped the gun.”

Adira ignored the blame pushed on her. Instead, she noted Vegeta’s anger and thought to use that to Raditz’s advantage to bring the one who could resolve this. “Son Goku’s return triggered Raditz’s outbreak. When Son Goku died at the Cell Game, Raditz changed. He stopped trying to break out. He began accepting life on Earth. He was curious about his nephews. He wanted to fight Majin Boo and when he heard you and Son Goku ask for power, he raised his hands. He got the rest of us to donate, too.”

“Majin Boo.” Vegeta was still processing Raditz was alive. It hadn’t clicked he was here when Majin Boo was destroying the planet.

“Yes. The facility was damaged. Raditz could’ve left but he stayed to show he wasn’t a killer anymore. He wants to show he can be trusted.”

Vegeta had an idea what happened but he asked. “What happened after that?”

Bulma’s silence forced Adira to talk. “Bulma didn’t think Raditz was ready. Raditz lost hope he would get out and he broke out. He did it because he wants to see his brother.”

“It’s because of me, isn’t it?” Bulma didn’t answer but Vegeta knew it was true. “Dammit.”

“I was being cautious,” Bulma defended her decision. “I wanted to give Raditz more time to prove himself. His break out validates my concerns.”

“Validate. Validate,” Vegeta muttered as he paced. He was so angry. How could Bulma do this?  “You have the nerve to be pissed over what happened with Bobbidi while you’ve been hiding this shit for years?! I’ve been walking on eggshells around you! Fuck!”  Vegeta punched the glass cylinder holding Raditz. It shattered under his impact. Vegeta stepped over the broken glass and ripped the mask over Raditz’s mouth.

“Vegeta, don’t—”

Bulma tried to warn him but as Vegeta touched the manacles on Raditz’s wrists,  a charge of electricity ripped through Raditz and Vegeta. While Raditz screamed in pain, the electrical charges stung Vegeta as if pricked with needles. Vegeta rippled the chains off Raditz’s wrists and collar and tossed them away. Weak, Raditz fell forward. Vegeta stumbled slightly at the sudden weight of the tall Saiyan against him.

Vegeta carried out Raditz and laid him on the floor. “I’ll be back,” he vowed and stormed past Bulma.

“Where are you going?!”

“To do what you should’ve done!”

“Vegeta!!” Bulma called but he didn’t come back. “Dammit!” She knew where Vegeta was going. It’s over.

Adira gently pulled Raditz to stand. “Uhh!” she wobbled at the heavy Saiyan pressing his weight on her. “We should get him out.” She slipped on a cracked glass but smacked her face against the wall. It hurt but she caught herself. “Vegeta could’ve helped get Raditz out of here. Where did he go?”

Bulma looked back at Adira struggling to hold up Raditz. He nearly swallowed her body which was no easy feat considering Adira was nearly six feet in height without heels. Bulma grabbed Raditz’s right arm and helped Adira drag him out.

“Vegeta’s getting Goku.”

“Vegeta?” Goku turned off his tractor as the Saiyan Prince descended from the sky. Vegeta never came to the farm unless forced to by Bulma. Goku stepped out of his tractor and wiped sweat from his face and neck. Farmwork didn’t tire him but the summer heat was strong this week. “I wonder what’s up.” Vegeta wasn’t wearing his normal scowl but Goku could tell something was on Vegeta’s mind. “I can’t spar today, Vegeta. It’s harvest week for the tomatoes and cucumbers. Maybe the peppers, too. Chi-Chi’s gonna check on them when she comes with lunch.”

“I’m not here for a spar, Kakarot.” He had the entire time from leaving the facility to think of the right words but he still didn’t know how to say it. Probably because I’m still in shock, too. I can’t believe he’s alive.

“What are you here for?” Goku went around to the other side of the tractor. He opened the door to dig into the cooler of drinks Chi-Chi packed for him.

For years, Vegeta hated Goku. He wanted him dead. This man destroyed his pride and humiliated him with his skills and strength, but he also inspired Vegeta, helping him to attain Super Saiyan and showing him there is life besides fighting. Ten years ago. Fifteen years ago, Vegeta would’ve loved to drop this news on Goku. He would’ve loved to see the shock and horror on his face. Now, Vegeta was empathetic to Goku and what this news will do to him.

“I have something to tell you, Kakarot. It’s serious.”

“A new enemy?” Goku guessed as he guzzled his water. “It’s so soon. We usually get a few years break. Chi-Chi won’t like it since that means I won’t be working on the farm but I’m always up to fight a strong opponent.”

Kakarot can beat him now. “I don’t think he’s an enemy anymore and you’re stronger than him now. He is someone from your past and he wants to see you.”

Goku put the empty bottle into the cooler and reached for another one. “Hmm.” Goku shook his frozen bottle. He gently raised his Ki to melt the ice. “Someone weak wants to see me? Who and how do you know him?”

“It’s complicated, Kakarot.” Just say it! his mind screamed but Vegeta couldn’t formulate the words and it didn’t help Goku wore his charismatic smile and looked at him with innocent eyes that sent Vegeta into a panic. “I didn’t know he was alive, Kakarot. I didn’t know he was here but I’m doing the right thing telling you.”

“You ain’t told me anything!” Why was Vegeta so hesitant to say who wants to see him? “Do you wanna tell Chi-Chi so she can tell me? She’s good at breaking news to me.”

Ah, hell no! I refuse to be in the same room when she knows!

“No!” Vegeta panicked. “No,” he repeated calmer. Vegeta exhaled. He faced Freeza. He faced Majin Boo. He can tell Goku this. “I was shocked when I saw him, Kakarot. I thought he was dead. I can’t believe he’s alive.”

There was something in Vegeta’s voice that worried Goku. It wasn’t fear but Vegeta was bothered and the way he insisted he didn’t know….. “Who?” Goku probed for an answer. “Who did you see, Vegeta?”

“Raditz, Kakarot,” Vegeta finally said. “Your brother…is alive.”

[the-andromeda-effect]

25

Chapter 24

Sometimes the worst prisons are in our own minds....

Caliban set his coffee cup down on the nightstand, and picked up his phone.  He had an idea that might help Adira to relax and feel more comfortable.  Scanning his thumb to unlock it, he turned his head to look over at his wife.  His. Wife.  He was coming to like the sound of it, even though right now it was just in his mind, more and more.  “How about we call your family to let them know that you’re really not dead?  I bet they’re devastated at what happened.  Hearing from you might help them feel better.”

Coffee spilled onto the nightstand as Adira’s cup clattered down hard.  Her breath was coming hard and fast, her heart trying to escape her ribcage as she all but launched herself across the bed to grab and throw Caliban’s phone across the room, where it hit the door with a loud thud.  “NO!”  She grabbed his shoulders and looked in his eyes, barely holding onto control of herself.  “NO!  You can’t. They can’t know.  They can’t ever know.  You can’t tell them, ever.  Promise.  Promise you’ll never say a word, not even a hint, especially to my father.  I’m dead.  I have to be dead.  Always dead.  DEAD.  Do you hear me?  Promise me!  Promise me, Caliban!  I’m dead!”  

Adira’s eyes were wild, she was hyperventilating, and tears were streaming down her face. Just the thought of her family, especially her father, finding out that she was alive sent her into the icy grips of terror and panic.  Memories assailed her as she warred with the urge to get up and flee from the room, no thought to where she would go, or what that would accomplish.

Even though they were sitting in the middle of a king size bed, Adira most resembled a frightened animal that had been backed into a corner by a lethal predator.  Why?  That, Caliban did not know, but her grip on his shoulders was so tight that he was quite sure that her short nails were drawing blood.  The woman who had been ready to die rather than go with him in the basement was no in such a frenetic state he wasn’t sure what the best way to handle her was.

In shock, Caliban continued for a moment to simply stare into her eyes, her pupils blown wide in terror as he tried to figure out how to react without making things worse.  This was a reaction that he had not in any way anticipated.  Trying to help her feel more relaxed had backfired in the most spectacular way imaginable.  Day three of a married man, and so far this one was going as sideways as the previous ones, three for three.  At some point they had to start getting better.  He really did want her to calm down, lest one of her guards or Theron decide to sedate him and whisk her off somewhere.

Gently he took hold of her arms finally, his hands running gently over them to try and calm her.  His eyes kept on hers while he breathed deep and calm in hopes she would match him.  “Adira, my love, calm down.  Breathe with me, darling.”  He kept his voice quiet and soft.  He took deep breaths with her to try and help her calm, gently pulling her towards him so he could hold her until she was calm enough for him to find out more.  Thankfully her grip on his shoulders lessened and she started to let him guide her and come out of her blind panic.

Before he could say more, both Lars and Marcin threw open the door to the room and were in the doorway looking confused and concerned.  “Hey, uh, boss, uh, and, uh, Adira.” Lars started, then paused as he looked around the room for whatever threat had caused the commotion they’d heard from below, “we, uh, heard something hit the door, then it sounded like Adira yelling or screaming.  Is, uh, everything okay up here?”  His eyes were studying the scene before him, and he wasn’t sure what was going on, but he could tell Adira was terrified, and Caliban looked utterly confused.  This wasn’t good. What had happened?

“Adira was just about to tell me why we are never going to let her family know she is alive.  Weren’t you, sweetheart?”  Gently Caliban maneuvered her to be sitting next to him with his arm around her, pulling close against him. His free hand took one of hers, the thumb softly caressing the back of her hand.  “I made a bad suggestion, and what you heard was the response.  Unfortunately, I still have quite a bit to learn about my new bride.”  He clarified without taking his eyes off Adira who was trembling and now had a death grip on his hand with both of hers.

All she could do was nod and swallow, clinging to Caliban like he was her tie to life and sanity. “I’m sorry…”  It came out not much louder than a whisper, and Adira felt her husband pull her tighter against him and murmur some kind of reassurance.  All she could really hear though was the rushing of blood in her own ears.  The thought of her father finding out she was alive, and where she was, had so terrified her that she was having trouble calming back down from it.  The feel of Caliban’s lips against her temple caused her eyes to close and a couple of deep breaths to fill her lungs, she could do this. 

“My father knows what life was like for me,” finally she stuttered out then paused, taking several more deep breaths, “I tried to run away once, to go home.  When he found me, he beat me even more than…Mir…Mircea..and drug me back still bleeding.”  Adira’s whole body shook as she started to cry.  Memories assailed her as she began to recount all the times that her father had added onto whatever “punishment” that Mircea had thought she had earned.  Then there were the times that her father felt disrespected and took his anger out on her.  Or the times that he thought he saw her do something that disrespected Mircea, but Mircea wasn’t around or didn’t see, so her father took it out on her.  If it hadn’t been for Caliban’s strong hold on her, the way he would run his hand over her arm or thumb over the back of her hand, and the soft kisses on her temple when she stumbled over words, she wasn’t sure she would have had the strength to keep going.  Knowing he was there supporting her somehow gave her the strength to face the nightmares of her past.

The whole time Adira was talking, the three men said nothing.  Caliban was trying to reassure and comfort her, while also trying to digest everything she was recounting to them.  It was painful to listen to all she had endured, so he could only imagine how hard it was for her to relive.  His mind was having a difficult time comprehending how a parent could inflict such abuse on their child, let alone condone what Mircea had done and add further to it.  He knew she wasn’t lying, but he was still struggling.  The one thing he kept focused on was making sure that she felt supported and cared for.  There was no missing how hard it was for her to talk, and he didn’t mind being her rock to lean on for it.

More than once Lars and Marcin looked at each other as they listened.  Both men had worked for Caliban for some time and had carried out operations for him.  They might have inflicted the type of abuse that Adira was recounting upon men, but never women.  They knew few in their sphere of influence who would, even if the woman had done something to cause them great harm in one way or another.  Even death was brought more swiftly and painlessly to women.  It was the way that things had always been done, so to hear her speak of her father backing Mircea and being just as brutal, it was uncharted territory for both of them.  While Caliban currently just looked stunned, they had a feeling that when he had properly digested all she was saying that he would have much to say on this, and probably some actions that he desired to take.

When she had finished, the three men looked at each other, matching expressions of rage burned in their eyes, but they remained silent.  Caliban was the first one to speak.  His calm voice belied how enraged he was at all he had heard.  Now was not the time for that, that would come later.  “Lars, would you please get Adira some water?  Also, bring me the first aid kit from the supply room off of the kitchen?   I need to rewrap her hand.  Then, if you gentleman will please leave us, I think my wife needs some peace to fully calm back after the upset that I caused her.”

Lars nodded then headed towards the stairs to get what Caliban asked for.  Marcin stepped into the room to grab Caliban’s phone that was on the floor, and place it on the dresser, then mirrored Lars’ movements.  Neither man particularly wanted to remain, they had no idea what to say or how to respond without it being awkward.  Best to leave things to Caliban until it was needed that they do otherwise.

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[woodsfae]

B5 S03e15 Interludes and Examinations  previous episode - table of contents 

I don't think we've heard from Ivanova's personal diary before....it's totally possible that I'm forgetting one, but still! Exciting! Hearing a personal entry isn't common on B5 iirc. I will never turn down a peek into Susan Ivanova's head. 

And it's factual, bad news. The shadows have been attacking openly for ten days, randomly, all over the place. And there's an older guy looking suspicious on B5! The younger guy he's talking to I thought was Morden The Asshole at first, but that was just my moderate faceblindness tricking me, I think. 

Ooooo I am excited for the return of Adira! I'm tired, very very tired, of sad genocide Londo. Let's get some character arc in here, and I liked Adira. 

Wait no it is Mordan! Ah! That asshole! 

There's a new alien species reaching out for aid that Sheridan isn't giving much inspiration or help to. Well, I typed too soon: he has contacts and negotiations in his toolkit of resources. 

"I'm not questioning you, I'm saying you're flat wrong!"

is a great line. 

Dr Franklin is definitely still on the sims, but Garibaldi should have been yelled at. The security chief has no place tyring to talk to the emergency room doctors trying to save a patient's life. Get out of there Michael Garibaldi. No room for cops in the operating room, scoot. 

Morden: make your government start more wars or else Londo: I have stared death in the face and said "meh"

Elsewhere...

Garibaldi: I think you should do less legal speed and sleep more. Dr Franklin: I'm going to do more legal speed and sleep less, actually. 

Delenn and Sheridan's interaction made me laugh. And perhaps it foretells of the return of Kosh to the main storyline? 

This Garibaldi/Sheridan foreplay is getting intense. Garibaldi is staging a full-on intervention on the legal level. The hamfisted AA commerical is a little dull for me but could be way more annoying, as far as a storyline goes. 

Morden the asshole is continuing to be an asshole, charming the caterer slash personal shopped Vir was meeting with on Londo's behalf. 

lmao dr franklin. staring into the cold abyss of realizing you really really like coke. 

So Sheridan slash humans see an angelic, glowing figure when they see Kosh. Which doesn't explain why the original doctor from the pilot movie was so affected by a glimpse. Me, I'd be more "huh, glowing kinda looks like an angel...the universe is weird. Stitch him up!"

"You said you wanted to teach me to fight legends? Well you're a legend too." 

LEGENDARY. So legendary that's Sheridan's going to have to fight himself. 

"You do not understand. But you will."

Yeah I wouldn't like to hear that after making a bargain with an inexplicable and incomprehensible higher being. 

I'm too high to follow this space battle at all so it's great to hear Ivanova report that the Vorlons engaged the Shadows and were winning. 

o.O they brought back Adira just long enough to have her killed before she arrived! Morden, you asshole. 

Well, Lord whatshisface of Centaur who Londo half-poisoned. But Morden, ultimately, I'm sure. 

Bye Adira, sorry you got fridged. 

Sheridan's bargain with Kosh paid off, and now he will be alone and without Kosh's help when he goes to die on Z'ha'dum. 

Which is almost as ominous as Sheridan's dream vision. Seeing Kosh, Shadows appearing and disappearing, and then his father-bit-actually-Kosh apologizing for not believing him and ...dying? Seems like if Kosh could see this coming, then he could also arrange for some like, shielding, or some other Vorlon tech for protection. But it is about time for the stakes to be raised and the mentor figure to be killed off in this hero's quest, I suppose! 

The Vorlons think it's a bad idea to announce that Kosh slash a Vorlon? has died. So they're going to send a new Vorlon to replace him?? new character alert! I look forward to meeting Kosh-notKosh-Kosh. 

Londo still buying Morden's shit! Londo's revenge arc is, I glumly foresee, going to include more war crimes, and continue to be sad.  

Hmmm. I didn't expect Dr Franklin to resign! I'll be interested in finding out what he gets up to while he tries to do less speed. 

But not in the next!

[psychiatry-and-poetry]

A Court of Shadows & Healing

Part 1 | Part 9 | AO3 | ACOTAR Masterpost | Masterpost of masterposts |

Word Count: 1622

Azriel woke, panting, his hazel eyes blown wide open. Sweat ran down his body, having soaked through his nightclothes and dampening the pristine sheets.

And yet everything seemed to be in order. The hills and fields gleamed as the moon illuminated the lands beyond, the stars an eternal witness to the everlasting beauty of the continent. 

Pulling the covers back, he stood on shaky legs and ran a hand down his face. Adira. He had to find Adira- tell her what had happened. A part of his mind told him he didn’t need Adira, that she wasn’t his mother for Cauldron’s sake. He’d dealt with nightmares like these for a long time. He didn’t need to be coddled. And yet he was sure it was something Adira would want to know about. She’d cared for him until now, and he was certain that involved his mental wellbeing too. After all, how was she to teach a student who woke with such horrifying nightmares that would make any sensible person practically heave their guts up?

Navigating the mansion at night seemed to prove far more challenging than he’d initially expected. All the hallways looked the same, with the same wallpaper, identically carved doors, and perpetually spotless flooring, and it wasn’t long before he realized he’d rounded what looked to be the same corner at least twice. 

He was lost. Truly and utterly lost in this labyrinth of a house, and he had no idea how to get back to his room, much less find Adira. Perhaps wandering the house at godforsaken hours wasn’t the best idea. He could tell her about his nightmare tomorrow during his lesson. 

Just as he made a left that he thought would get him back to where he started, he heard two familiar voices. Pressing his back to the wall to avoid being illuminated by the light overhead, he recognized one of the voices as Adira. The other sounded familiar, though she spoke just as smoothly. 

- “doesn’t know, and I don’t know what to do.” All thoughts of telling Adira about his nightmare eddied from his mind, a newfound focus on the conservation just a few steps away from him. 

“Obviously. Have you considered actually telling him?” This voice was colder, and yet smooth. Polished, as if they’d grown up around nobility, or at least adopted their ways of speech. She. It was a she, he noticed, the way her voice seemed to flow around Adira’s in the otherwise empty room.

“I did. He panicked. He fainted, for Cauldron’s sake. I won’t speak a word of it until I know for certain he’ll be okay with hearing it.”

Him. Who was this person they were speaking about? Did he, whoever he was, know?

“He fainted?” the voice scoffed. “Well then, that just proves he’s-”

“Do not,” warned Adira. “Finish that sentence.”

“Honestly, Adira. You’ve got to stop being so emotional. You’re treating him like your own-”

“Enough,” she bit out.”I’ve heard enough. If you cannot hold your tongue and show a lick of respect when it comes to him, then get out.”  Azriel had never heard her voice sound like that before, and even from outside the lounge he felt goosebumps rack his body at her tone. He felt sorry for whoever was sitting in that room, though he supposed the female must be used to that tone of voice if she sat there, unbothered.

Azriel didn’t want to get in the way of whomever Adira was livid at. He had no intention of being caught in the crossfire should she lash out at him, too. It had happened enough times at Windhaven for him to know that it was better to stay away from whoever was pissed and wait it out. Turning around, he managed to take a few paces, when he heard Adira call out, “I know you’re there, Azriel.”

His eyes widened, and he froze mid-step. Shit. She wasn’t supposed to know that he was listening in. Mentally, he prepared himself for whatever punishment was sure to follow. Adira didn’t seem like the type to whip him raw, and yet she radiated power. She might even get someone else to do it for her, seeing as how she practically bathed in riches. No, Adira wouldn’t want to get her hands dirty on something like this. 

Swallowing his fear, he inched forward into Adira’s lair.

“Perfect timing. Come, sit with us,” she said, waving him over, either not caring or not willing to bring up the fact that he had been eavesdropping on them a moment before. “Caoimhe was just about to leave, though I suppose it’s good she hasn’t.” Caoimhe sat across from Adira with her legs crossed, wearing what looked to be expensively made trousers and a sweater that practically screamed royalty. The jewellery she had chosen to accentuate her High Fae features didn’t go unnoticed by him either, and Azriel thought recognized her from a few days ago, when he’d seen her and another female training. 

Azriel didn’t miss the sharp look Adira gave her apprentice, as he stood there and admired the female who had been insulting him. Caoimhe looked as if she couldn’t care less, simply rolling her eyes. Their hierarchy must be completely different to that of Illyria, if the female could roll her eyes at Adira without having a limb chopped off.

“Now then, darling Caoimhe, do tell Azriel what you were saying before.” He didn’t miss the smile or the edge in her voice, both of which held none of the warmth she had shown him before. No, this facade was pure intimidation, and didn’t reach her eyes one bit.

Caoimhe shrugged, looking directly at his teacher. Without missing a beat, she said, “I was just saying that if the boy can’t handle his own shit, what’s he to do when Adira’s not around?” Not waiting for a response to her rhetorical question, she continued, “I supppose he’ll hide in that little den of his and piss his pants at the prospect of leaving his sanctuary, all coddled and perfect.”

The words found their mark as Azriel fought to hold back tears. He was used to profanities being hurled at him in Windhaven nearly every other day, and yet this one hurt. He’d thought he was in a safe space where he would be respected, and it was in that moment his hopes that had been so carefully crafted out of glass came shattering onto the ground.

Thankfully, Adira decided to cut in at that exact moment. “He’s just over a decade old, Caoimhe, cut him some slack.” Ignoring her completely, Caoimhe turned to Azriel.

“Are you mute? Cauldron, she’d told me you were pathetic, but it turns out you’re just a coward.” Not waiting for a response, she threw back the rest of whatever it was she’d been drinking, and strode out, the sound of her heels a hammer to his heart. 

As soon as she was out of earshot, Adira turned to Azriel, concern limning her eyes. She lay gentle hands on his shoulder, and whispered, “I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve that. What she said-” He pushed her arms away roughly. Thankfully, Adira didn’t try to hug him again, and simply sat there, worry written all over her face. But Azriel couldn’t deal with her now. He couldn’t deal with anyone now. He was going to be sick. 

“Take me home,” he said, his voice cold and foreign, even to himself. “Adira, take me home. Now.”

“Look, I know-” “No, you don’t,” he practically snarled, whipping his head towards her. “You don’t. I thought I’d be safe her, that I wouldn’t have to deal with people like that. You told me this was a safe space, Adira. You promised.” His voice broke on the last word, and the dam inside his heart broke completely. As the tears he’d been trying so desperately to hold back began to flow freely down his cheeks, he hissed, “I don’t ever want to come back here. And if you try to make me, I swear by the Mother I’ll rip you and your entire damned palace apart.”

For the first time, he saw Adira look…sad. He didn’t care though, not in that moment. Not as the trust he’d built up so carefully had come crashing down. All he cared about was going home to his brothers.

She didn’t object further though, as she took his hand, more tenderly than she’d ever done, and whisked him home.

He’d had no desire to go back to the continent since the incident with Caoimhe. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He had, if he was honest to himself those nights when sleep evaded him, but the thought seeing the vile female again made his stomach roil with nausea and anxiety, and all desire was magically quenched.

He missed the beauty of those lands; that much he could admit. The city, the ocean. The piano. His piano. His heart ached, if only for the peace that the citizens of Qardala seemed to take for granted.

It normally hurt too much to even think about the continent now, and he avoided remembering as much as he could lest he burst into tears. He’d been training more than ever, and he could sense Cassian’s and Rhys’ unspoken worry for him growing day by day as he pummeled whichever sorry ass Devlon paired him up with into the dirt. Mother help the idiots that crossed his path. Was it healthy, what he was doing? No. Was he still going to do it? Yes. It was better than allowing his emotions to catch up with him and leaving himself vulnerable in the den of wolves that was Illyria. 

So he continued. The days bled into weeks, until thoughts of Adira and the continent no longer plagued his every waking moment, and breathing became easier. 

She had not tried to contact him. He had not wanted her to.

Part 10

Line dividers credit goes to @enchanthings

[oonajaeadira]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you for the tag, @insomniamamma. For the record, I think you write beautiful smut. I appreciate it for its realness and connection.

How many works do you have on ao3? Aw man, you made me log into my AO3 account? I haven't been around there recently because I feel bad about leaving some messages unanswered. Tumbletown is my main fic home and I haven't really had the time to post here, much less on AO3. (Answer the question Adira.) It says I have 19. I don't post there until they're here and sometimes don't crosspost. Mainly I've been posting over there only if I have a complete series, although sorry LMR readers both there AND here.

2. What's your total ao3 word count? 260,317. Seeing as how not even half of my fic is up over there, I cringe to think of what my actual wordcount is.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Pedro Pascal. Which is an umbrella for the actual fandoms contained therein.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos According to AO3? Losing My Religion, A Girl Walks Into a Bookshop, A Rare Treat, The Sweets Series, Eyes Closed, Comm Open. According to Tumblr: Good. Things. Take. Time. (this one's a Tumble exclusive, dunno if I'll ever AO3 that one), Losing My Religion, Dulces Suenos, The Sweets Series, A Girl Walks Into a Bookshop.

5. Do you respond to comments? I do. Every one. I know I'm behind on some and I'm sorry about that. I let that bother me enough that it's getting in the way of my writing and I shouldn't do that.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I don't like to leave angst hanging and only use it as a trampoline for a happy ending, but I guess the closest thing I have would be A Kiss Before Dying and in Death We Combine. Even if it ends in "death," at least they get to be together.

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? All of them? LOL. Of the multi-chapters I've actually finished, probably A Girl Walks Into a Bookshop.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Only in passing. There were the mean girls that were kind of being catty over on a few other blogs about GTTT when it blew up much to my surprise (yes, of course I saw all of that, mean girls gonna mean). I remember some comment about not trivializing massage therapists just because I have a shitty back.... and all I could think was, hey. First of all, I can tell you didn't even read it, you're just mad about it blowing up. Not my fault. Next. Don't talk about my back. You wouldn't like being injured and having people talk smack about a piece of your body that gives you pain beyond comprehension, y'bigot. Also not my fault. Once I realized they were just mean girls meaning, I let it roll off and got my own satisfaction by writing a pretty bomb series based on some of their prompt lists that I never would have seen if I hadn't been clued into the smack. Turn that hate into something great!

9. Do you write smut? I do. Not exclusively and it's never the main dish of the story. If it does show up, it's usually the result of a long period of longing and/or feelings exchange.

10. Craziest crossover? I'm not a crossover gal. Every once in a while I'll write an easter egg into another fic (there are several in GTTT), but nothing heavy duty. There was the time The Mandalorian got something of a cameo in a Sweet's fic tho....

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Oh gods, I hope not. That would suck. I hate blocking people.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? YES! But not in the way you might think! @katareyoudrilling did an amazing job translating the first chapter of Good. Things. Take. Time. into a sexytime roleplay script!!!! I'M STILL SQUEEING ABOUT IT.

13. Have you co-written a fic before? In a way. For a while when RP accounts were in full swing, I was falling very much in love with the adventure I was creating with @morally-gray-prospector. That account was so amazing, run by one of the smartest writers I've ever known here, but they were TOO good and poured themselves generously into their responses, which got them quite a following...and they burned themselves out! While my story with Ezra didn't have an ending, I never expected it to. I meant it when I said it to the writer: I'm just so happy to have an adventure with Ezra and every minute working on it was a joy that I will love forever. I'm glad they had fun too and didn't keep pushing themselves when it was no longer sustainable. <3

All time favorite ship? It's Din and Little Bird. Now that I know how that story is going to soft-end, they're my favorite couple of all time.

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will Oh, I'll finish them all. Right now, Branded is in the most danger of lingering, since I have to figure some stuff out with them. But if I could solve the puzzle of Losing My Religion, then I have no doubt that I'm eventually going to get on with that one too.

What are your writing strengths? I don't know what my strengths are, but I like the magic of showing without showing. I like pacing. I enjoy trying to get the characters' voices right and make the dialog real.

What are your writing weaknesses? I am slow. And I make a show of "not following the rules" as if I'm some kind of rebel, but really, I'm just bad at following rules!!!!

Thoughts on dialogue in another language I try to avoid it for the most part because I usually mess it up pretty badly. I generally don't write Din in Mando'a because I haven't really heard him speak it in the series and he seems to always default to Basic even if he understands it spoken to him, so I can't shake the feeling that it's out of character. But Little Bird is a Mandalorophile, so she'd definitely know it and use it. I do sometimes pull in Spanish for Sweets, but it's usually because it's two characters who actually would speak it when Sunday's not around, and even then I try to make sure it's basic enough for folks to follow. The one time I tried to put Italian in I messed it up pretty good, but a beautiful reader helped correct it for me and I'm so so so grateful. <3

First fandom you wrote for I know I have a Doctor Who piece in a notebook somewhere hidden away. And I most likely have a slew of Ranma pieces from my college days. Were there any before that? Possibly.

Favorite fic you've written I have too many. I write really slow, so if it's actually made it to Tumbles, that means I loved it enough to manifest it. Some of them I love because of the fandom, some because of the relationship, some because of the world building, some because of the interaction, and most because of the good time I had writing it. Right now I'm seeing people reading Losing My Religion, and I've had reason to dip into some of those chapters and re-read a little and it's reminded me how much I love writing for the Star Wars universe, how much confidence I have in it. That was the first fic I really wrote, and I put so much of myself into it... so if I choose a favorite, I'll point there first even if it's not really finished yet.

.

tagging: @blueeyesatnight @ezrasbirdie @missredherring @leslie-lyman @prolix-yuy

[sunni-stuff]

Adira and Mama have always celebrated valentines together. And now we have Simon, who in addition to wanting to create a connection with Adira, he also wants to recreate that "love" with Mom. So, this Valentine's Day, Simon and Adira team up to give Mom a wonderful gift!

Valentine’s Day.  

The holiday where people got all sappy, handed out cards, and smothered their significant others with roses and kisses. The streets would be painted in shades of red and pink, filled with the bustling energy of couples trying to outdo each other with grand romantic gestures. 

But for you, Valentine’s Day had always been about something else. Since Adira was born, it became a tradition to celebrate the love of your life in your own way. You didn’t need a partner to make the day meaningful; you had her. Every year, you’d gift her a small box of her favorite chocolates—indulgent, sweet pieces she’d greedily munch on, leaving her cheeks smeared with chocolate and her gummy grin brighter than the sun.  

You couldn’t help but remember the memory of how Adira’s love affair with that brand of chocolate started. Godiva Gold Collection—an unnecessarily expensive, fancy brand that had somehow become her favorite. You still had the box that started it all, tucked away in the closet of keepsakes, its shiny gold lid a time capsule of an unexpected moment from your early days at the daycare.

It was your first Valentine’s Day as an assistant, back before you had your own class. You’d been trying to keep a low profile, just another cog in the machine, but one of the dads had made that impossible. For weeks, he’d been flirting with you, persistent in a way that made you roll your eyes more than blush. Day in and day out, he’d linger a little too long during drop-offs or pick-ups, throwing out compliments like confetti. It was harmless enough, but you never entertained it beyond polite smiles.  

That Valentine’s Day, though, he decided to up the ante. Strolling in with his daughter on one arm and an elaborate, glittering box of chocolates in the other, he sauntered over to you with the confidence of a man who thought he’d already won.  

“I thought you might like these,” he said, handing you the Godiva box with a grin that was probably meant to be charming but mostly came off smug. “Figured you deserved a little something for always being so amazing.”  

You took the box graciously, murmuring a polite thank-you. And that’s when the moment turned unexpectedly sweet.  

Before you could even process the interaction, a tiny figure toddled into the room—Adira, barely one year old, her chubby legs carrying her as fast as they could toward you. Her little hand stretched up, fingers opening and closing in that unmistakable signal: I want.  

You smiled at her, heart melting as it always did. “Of course, little fox,” you murmured, placing the box carefully in her hands. She hugged it to her chest with the kind of pure joy that only a child could muster, her little fingers already fumbling with the lid.

The dad’s confident grin faltered as he watched the scene unfold. His brow furrowed in confusion. “Wait… You give chocolate to all the kids here? Isn’t that, uh, bad for them?” He gestured awkwardly toward Adira, who had now plopped herself onto the floor, fully engrossed in her mission to open the box.

You laughed softly, shaking your head as you stood back up. “No, I don’t give chocolate to all the kids,” you said, your tone gentle but firm. “Adira’s mine.”

The words hung in the air for a moment, and you watched as the realization dawned on him. His eyes widened, darting between you and Adira as if trying to piece together a puzzle he hadn’t even realized was in front of him.

“She’s… yours?” he asked, incredulous.

You nodded, glancing down at Adira, who had successfully pried the box open and was now holding a truffle in her tiny hands like it was a treasure. “Yep. My daughter,” you said, pride evident in your voice. “She’s the reason I started working here, actually. Thought it’d be a good way to balance work and being there for her.”

The man’s face turned an odd shade of red, and you couldn’t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction. He had assumed, just like so many others, that you were childless and ready to play along with his flirtations. But you weren’t. And that, in some small way, felt like a victory.

“Oh. Wow. I didn’t realize,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I, uh, thought you were single. And… you know, childless.”

“Nope,” you said with a small laugh. “Very much a mom.”

He began backing toward the door with an apologetic smile. “Right, well… I should get going. My daughter’s probably waiting for me. Happy Valentine’s Day!” And just like that, he was gone.

Wasn't he holding his daughter?

His swift retreat had you chuckling even as you turned your attention back to Adira, who was now blissfully munching on her stolen treasure. She looked up at you, her grin wide and sticky, chocolate clinging to her growing pearly whites.

“Yum!” she declared, holding up another piece as if offering it to you.

Now, every Valentine’s Day, when you handed her a new box, she’d squeal with glee, just like she did when she was a baby. And every time, it reminded you why you didn’t need flowers, cards, or romantic gestures to make the day special.

Adira was your Valentine. She always had been, and she always would be.

Valentine’s Day had arrived once again, painting the streets with an abundance of roses, teddy bears, and couples hand in hand. The air was charged with the energy of love—or at least, that’s how the advertisements made it seem.

For you, it was a different story. As a single parent, Valentine's Day didn’t come with the same excitement. Instead, it was a quiet reminder of the love you shared with Adira—the kind of love that didn't need gifts or fancy dinners. You had your own little celebration planned with her at home, but first, there was work.

The daycare was closing early that day, giving most of the staff the chance to spend time with their partners. But for the rest of you—those without a special someone—it was business as usual. The meeting, something about the upcoming budgets for the year, was mandatory.

As you wrapped up your workday, you felt a twinge of guilt. Adira wouldn’t have the patience to wait while you sat through the meeting. She never did, and today wasn’t going to be any different. So, in a bit of a spur-of-the-moment decision, you called Simon. He was more than happy to help, even though the idea of being with Adira all afternoon seemed like a challenge. Still, he was eager to do what he could, giving you time to get through the meeting without worrying.

Unbeknownst to you, your apartment was currently in a state of complete disarray.

It all started when Simon, while rummaging through the pantry for snacks, stumbled upon a familiar gold box tucked in the corner. He didn’t know why the sight of the Godiva box stirred something in him, but it did. For a split second, his mind conjured up the idea that you had someone special—someone who’d given you the overpriced chocolate. His stomach twisted at the thought.

Why did that bother him? It wasn’t like he had any claim over you. You were just co-parenting. But still, the idea of some other guy swooping in and winning you over with fancy chocolates rubbed him the wrong way.

The thought simmered in the back of his mind until he turned to Adira, who was running around, triumphantly waving around her Barbie head like a trophy . An idea formed, one that made the edges of his frown soften into something more determined.

“How about we make your mom something special?” he proposed, crouching down to her level.

Adira’s eyes lit up, her face brightening with an enthusiastic grin. “Yeah! Special for Mommy!” She bounced to her feet, already brimming with elation.

“Alright, lass,” he said, ruffling her hair. “We’ll need a plan. Let’s get to work.”

By the time thirty minutes had passed, your apartment was barely recognizable. Flour dusted nearly every surface, glitter and scraps of colorful paper were strewn across the living room, and the faint smell of something slightly burnt wafted from the kitchen. Simon was in over his head.

He had underestimated two things: the sheer mess a three-year-old could create when left unchecked and the complexity of trying to bake cookies with said three-year-old as his assistant.

His phone laid on the counter, a lifeline to Gaz, who had graciously agreed to walk him through baking cookies. "Alright, I’ve got the dough… I think. What’s next?” he asked, glancing at the slightly lumpy mixture in the bowl.

On the other end of the line, Gaz chuckled. “Mate, it shouldn’t look like that. Did you actually measure the ingredients, or did you just eyeball it?”

Simon huffed, frustration bubbling as he wiped a streak of flour off his cheek. “I followed the recipe! Mostly. Adira added her own… interpretations.”

As if on cue, Adira, perched on a stool beside him, giggled mischievously, her tiny hands gripping the now-empty container of sprinkles. She enthusiastically dumped half of it into the bowl, sending a white puff into the air. She giggled uncontrollably as flour settled into her hair, making her look like a tiny ghost.

“Looks funny!” she declared, wiping her flour-dusted hands on his sleeve.

Simon groaned, but he couldn’t suppress the chuckle that followed. “Yeah, you look like you’ve been rolling around in snow.” Glancing at the concoction they were making, pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering to himself, “This is a disaster.”

“Oi, it’s not a disaster,” Gaz chimed in, his voice crackling slightly through the speaker. “You’ve just got… a creative helper. Roll with it. Kids love messy projects.”

As they moved on to rolling out the dough, Adira decided to take charge of the cookie cutters. She pressed them into the dough with all the strength her tiny hands could muster, creating wobbly fox shapes that were more abstract than symmetrical. “For Mommy!” she declared with each press, her little voice full of pride.

Simon’s heart softened at her excitement. Despite the chaos, she was having the time of her life, and he couldn’t deny that it was… fun, in a strange, messy sort of way.

“Alright, Gaz,” Simon said, propping the phone closer to his ear as he picked up a cookie sheet. “What temperature do I need to set the oven at?”

“Preheat it to 350. And keep an eye on those cookies—you don’t want them to burn.”

“Got it,” Simon replied, sliding the tray into the oven.

While the cookies were “baking” (a generous term for the mess he’d shoved into the oven), Simon pulled out some paper, markers, and glitter he’d found in your supply cabinet. Adira jumped in eagerly, grabbing a red marker to scribble a heart on a piece of paper.

“Mommy likes red,” she informed him with absolute certainty, her tongue poking out in concentration as she drew wobbly shapes.

“Aye, red it is,” Simon agreed, his own hands now dusted with glitter as he helped her glue a few sparkly hearts onto the card. “We’ll make it the prettiest card she’s ever seen.”

By the time the cookies were done, the kitchen was a disaster zone, glitter was everywhere, and Simon had flour smeared across his cheek. Adira was thrilled, though, holding up her homemade card with pride.

Simon pulled the cookies out of the oven, sighing in relief when they actually looked halfway decent. Adira gasped in delight, clapping her flour-dusted hands together.

“They’re perfect,” she declared, though one cookie was clearly missing a chunk where she’d snuck a bite of the dough earlier.

Simon chuckled, ruffling her hair. “You’re right, they’re perfect.”

By the time you got home, the chaos was still evident—scraps of paper littered the floor, flour smudged on the counters, and a sticky trail of frosting led to the living room. But in the middle of it all were Simon and Adira, sitting at the table with the slightly wonky cookies and a handmade card, waiting for you with proud grins on their faces.

"Happy Valentine’s Day, Mommy!” Adira exclaimed, jumping up to present you with her card.

Your heart melted at the sight, the mess fading into the background as you took in the scene before you. This wasn’t what you’d expected, but it was perfect.

Your voice caught in your throat as you held up the card Adira had made. The inside was adorned with little foxes, and the words scribbled across the page were a mix of Simon’s careful handwriting and Adira’s wobbly, childlike scrawl. The sentence read: “Call me Swiper because I’ve stolen your heart.”

You couldn’t help but smile, your chest tightening at the sight of it. The card was so simple, yet so heartfelt. It was a moment of pure, unfiltered love from the two people who had, in their own way, quietly wormed their way into your heart.

"You guys did all this…?" Your voice a little shaky, as you looked from the card to Simon and Adira, who were both sitting proudly at the table. Simon had flour on his cheek, and Adira’s face was a picture of joy, her hands covered in frosting and sprinkles. It was clear they’d both put their all into this little surprise.

Simon rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish grin on his face as he shrugged. “Well, Adira here had the idea. I just... tried not to burn the cookies.”

Adira giggled, holding up one of the cookies as if it were a trophy. It was slightly misshapen, with sprinkles all over it, but it didn’t matter. It was perfect in its imperfection. “Mommy, for you!” she exclaimed, her voice full of pride.

Your eyes softened, your heart swelling with love and something else you couldn’t quite place—appreciation, gratitude, maybe even a little awe. The moment was small, yet so significant.

“Thank you, Adira,” you whispered softly, your heart swelling as you knelt down to scoop her up into a hug. She squirmed in your arms, giggling as she wrapped her tiny arms around your neck, her little fingers gripping your hair with an uncoordinated but tender affection.

Simon stood back, watching the two of you with a quiet smile. He didn’t say anything, but the look on his face was enough. He was content, knowing he’d been part of this moment.

“This is the best Valentine’s Day gift ever,” you murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple as she squished her cheek against yours, still grinning ear to ear.

Simon hesitated for a moment, a twinge of uncertainty crossing his face as he stood there watching the tender scene. He knew he wasn’t quite there yet, not in the way you and Adira had been all this time. He was a part of this moment, but he still wasn’t sure exactly where he fit in. His eyes flickered between you, your outstretched arms, and the small bundle of joy that was his daughter, so full of love and happiness—it made his chest tighten in a way he couldn’t ignore.

But then, your words cut through the haze of his hesitation. "Why are you just standing there?"

You were smiling, the playful hint of a challenge in your eyes, but there was something more in your voice too—an invitation. You didn’t have to say anything else; it was in the way you held out your arms, in the way you pulled him in with your gaze.

Simon took a slow, steadying breath, his heart beating a little faster. He moved forward, tentative at first, before lowering himself to kneel beside you both. Adira giggled as he wrapped his arms around the two of you, her laughter echoing in the warm air of the apartment. He wasn’t just trying to fit into a place anymore. He carved one out for himself—right there, with you and Adira. And that, more than anything, felt like home.

It wasn’t the romantic, picture-perfect Valentine’s Day you’d imagined in the past, but it was better. It was real. It was messy, sweet, and full of love. The kind of love that came in small, beautiful moments like these.

And for the first time in a long while, you realized that maybe this was exactly how it was supposed to be.

A/N: I just wanna say rq, I appreciate the love AND to the anon who sent this, your brain needs to be kissed. I said I wasn't gonna do long fics as often but this was too juicy to pass up. Thank you!

ALSO, pls yall don't have to send me asks to be on the taglist! If you comment I'll add u!

TAGLIST: @pipedream411 @ficcharsimp009 @frogofrg @loonagabs @lunamoonbby @vixenshiftsvrs @devoetee @shorty-tolentino @aethelwyneleigh27 @ayesha-eroticax3 @julesjuminos @tacticalgirlboss @teenagellamaangel @gifted-aurora @awildewit @emilia527 @danielle143 @maniacalbooper @t3a-bag @sockertop @arrozyfrijoles23 @azaleapeachberry @terry2227 @rip-cod-brainrot @montenegroisr @sweetheartturtle2007 @hepprine @kodokunarisu-blog

[cateyesinlove]

~Marigold flowers Bloom in Late Autumn~

AO3

“Clever as the devil and twice as pretty.”

Chapter 4; “The Garden of Autumn”

Observing the ceiling of the castle Elain realized that it would never stop mesmerizing her. The different hues of orange and yellow made the stained glass, the light that would shine through was so beautiful. She had of course seen it before some time ago but now she had the opportunity to not only see it but admire it. 

As the group made their way from the entrance to the war room, she could hear the high lord and her sister discussing the trip. She paid close attention to the art on the walls noticing that Eris had replaced many of the pieces Beron had. 

She abruptly stopped walking as she suddenly felt enthralled by a specific piece, A beautiful night sky with stars scattered through it, under it was the scenery of the Autumn Court with many different types of trees. Under one of them, she could spot two silhouettes, the shadows of two people, a female and a male. She could make the edges of her long gown and her hair, her arm stretched out towards the mal. 

“Elain,” Emerie called her name as she gently touched her elbow,  “ Are you okay” she whispered. 

Elain woke from her focus and turned to Emerie a bit confused, “What?” she asked Emerie with a frown.

Emerie turned back to look at the group who were starting to leave them behind, she turned back to Elain with concern all over her face, “You suddenly stopped walking and I thought you were looking at some art but when I called for you,” she bits her lower lip gently, “ you were looking at the bare wall.” she points at the space of the wall.

“No I,” she laughs nervously and shakes her head, “No, no I was looking at a painting” she reassures Emerie. 

“Elain,” Nesta calls her name a bit farther away from them. 

They both remain silent and join the group again.

“ How does it feel being here without having to sneak around, Seer?” Eris asked out loud without stopping from the front where he led the group. 

Elain’s face went red but she composed herself as quickly as she could. She did not answer Eris taunts and continued to admire the artwork walking next to Emerie.

Nesta turned to look at her shaking her head and continued to walk Next to Cassian. The High Lady and Lord walked alongside Eris with Amren behind them, a well-oiled machine. 

The leaders of the Night Court

Their second-in-command 

Their Generals 

And finally, their reinforces, the best Valkyries and the Seer 

“Regal and lethal in every way,” Eris thought amused sneaking a glance at his guest as he turned to face the High Lord and Lady when they reached the War room. A huge set of doors, decorated with different patterns in gold.

“Eris,” Rhysand called his name, “Should I worry about the amount of guards?”  he joked looking around and sliding an arm around his wife’s waist.

“It’s more of a precaution,” Eris explained, “With Beron out there I have too much at risk to not be careful enough” 

“I apologize for my son’s paranoia High Lord,” A voice made all the heads turn, walking towards them was the former Lady of Autumn. 

Elain froze.

 The impact of seeing the once bruised and beaten Lady in her son’s arms was too much.  How long had it taken her to recover from her injuries? She thought, Hundreds of pictures flashed through her mind, the lady being punished and tormented by Beron and his men. Her eyes scanned her body for bruises but her pale skin was smooth and perfect. Elain quite frankly had thought she might have been dead, she had hoped she was wrong but the former Autumn Lady’s state had left little doubt that Beron was aiming for a slow and painful death for her.

Catching Elain’s gawking at her body,  the Lady of Autumn approached her and gently held her hand out, “This must be the one and only seer, my son’s mate.” she examined Elain, “ Adira, former lady of autumn,” a polite smile bloom on her face as she introduced herself. 

Everyone tensed at the mention of Lucien, Cassian thought that Nesta was ready to throw Adira to the ground. Elain herself was irritated as it often went when people mentioned Lucien. Because everyone always only talked of her as his mate, the mate of the fire lord, the mate of the heir to Day, and on and on the titles came with being someone’s property. 

“Elain Acheron,” Elain answered with the best fake smile she could taking her hand. “Seer of the Night Court.” 

As Elain held Adira’s hand her vision blurred, one minute she could feel the hand on hers, and the next she felt like she was suspended in the air, she could hear her name being yelled but muffled by loud bangings of metal and screams. 

Adiras screams. Painful shrieks and sobs. 

( AGAIN TW; Violence, implications of torture and Emotional abuse)

“ You MONSTER!” Adira shrieked in pain as the whip hit her stomach, she tussled her feet and arms trying to fold into a fetal position but the restraints on both ends made it impossible, the guard designated to hit her looked up at a bored Beron sitting on an identical stone like the one Adira was being held on; Beron shook his head and the guard took a few steps back.  

“Tell me something I don’t know” Beron scuffed with a bored tone rolling his eyes as his wife recoiled in pain, her feet tied at the end of the stone table, her hands chained at the sides of it, stretching her arms, an extra ounce of pain added. 

Another scream erupted from Adira as Beron crushed her hand with his boot. 

“What I do want to know is where ” he explained calmly before increasing the pressure on her hand, “is the DAM LETTER YOUR BASTARD SON GAVE YOU!” He yelled as he took in his hand the crying face of his wife. 

Elain felt like she was pushed off a building, landing brutally on the floor. 

She gasped for air and reached for.. anyone. 

“ ELAIN!” Feyre yelled grabbing her arm as she placed her other hand on her older sister’s back and helped her regain balance. “What happened?” she questioned concerned, her eyes scanning Elain’s face. “Someone fetch Nesta,” she said raising her voice but her eyes never leaving Elain.

Some guards moved away from the feet of her bed and walked out. 

Elain perked up, realizing she was no longer on the floor in front of the war room but in a rather luxurious bed, she scanned the room realizing she was in a well-decorated and furnished suit. There were extravagant couches, and the golden patterns in the ceilings reminded her of Eris hounds, a hound surrounded by smoke. She looked down and a sigh of relief escaped her when she saw she was wearing the same dress. 

“Elain” Feyre said again concerned and fear filling her eyes. ‘What happened?”

“ I don’t know,” she whispered bringing her knees to her chest. 

“You had a vision,” Feyre said caressing her sister’s arm.

“I-” she stopped taking a big breath, the feeling of dizziness plaguing her just thinking about her vision. 

“ What did you see?” Feyre asked. 

She exhaled trying to keep the nausea in line. Shaking her head tears filled her eyes, “Something horrible Feyre,” she whispered. The 

An abrupt slamming of doors startled both sisters, entering through the doors was Nesta running, a smile on her face. 

“You’re awake, “ she said hugging her tightly, both arms around her.  

Elain immediately hugged her aback. The feeling of being in Nesta’s arms immediately calmed her, she was okay. She was with her sisters, she was in no cell, and she was okay.

Both of her sisters sat on the bed waiting for Elain to explain her vision and her fainting. 

“It was Adira,” she said looking around the room as if there was anyone else in the room with them, “I had a vision last night about Eris and Adira,” she explained but before her sisters could interrupt her, “ It was of the day Eris took down Beron. He had taken Adira captive and Eris was looking for her.” she stopped herself as the vision of a bruised and bloody Adira laid on her son’s arms. “ He went to the extreme of taking down his father that same day.”

“And?” Nesta prompted.

“He found her bruised and beaten.” She answered looking at her sisters. 

Both sisters gasped ignoring that a few hours ago they had been with the Lady of Autumn. 

“ What- ” Elain started with a curious tone, “Happened after I passed out?” 

Feyre wrapped her arms around herself, “ Adira caught you and of course, we all panicked,” she said, “ Nesta and I are were next to you in an instant,” She finished. 

“Eris offered this room for you while we talked to him,” Nesta scowled grew, “ He even offered to bring you in.” 

Elain arched an eyebrow, “What?”

“Oh yes,” Feyre said chuckling, “Rhysand and Cassian scared him, I am sure.” 

Elains blushed and chuckled she loved her brothers but the overprotection had gotten old. 

Nesta laughed softly relaxing a bit.

Feyre placed a hand on top of Elain's that was on her lap. “ I think that also a certain Spymaster told them to be careful around Eris.” Feyre said delicately, “ They are boys Elain, they probably think this means Azriel and you might be together again.” 

Nesta shrugged her shoulders sighing. 

Elain looked down at her lap, “I have no idea,” she whispered. 

Feyre raised Elain’s chin with her fingers, her eyes meeting those beautiful brown eyes of her sister. “And thats okay as long as long as you are happy.” 

“ He is not the only male in the world Elain,” Nesta said smiling placing her hand along her sisters.

Elain laughed and launched herself hugging her sisters. This is all she really needed. Them 

There was nothing in the world that could ever be as priceless as having her sisters.  

                                          ________________________

Hours later as the stars made their way out, Elain found herself walking along the castle hallways looking for the Garden. Her memories revolved around a small kiosk surrounded by flowers her eyes had caught last time, her mind had wandered back to it after her sisters had left, she needed to find it. It was calling to her and she intended to answer it. 

After a couple of minutes she finally reached the structure, there in all the glory stood the small kiosk surrounded by vines and flowers, covered from head to toe. It was a rather plain and simple structure, it wasn't big either, she thought it clashed with how huge the castle look. Part of her thought the small structure reflected her, a flower among the grandness of the Night Court. A flower among the splendor of a court, how her house compared to her sister was also a small structure with vines and flowers in contrast to the magnitude of the House of Wind and the River state. 

“Fancy seeing you here Seer,” a voice spoke from behind her.

It took everything in her to not roll her eyes. It matters not that Lucien and her never intended to complete the bond nor that she tried to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, enough people had warned her of Eris and she intended to listen to them.  

“Eris,” she said turning around and placing the fakest smile she could muster. 

“Why the scowl,” he asked approaching her, a wicked smirk plastered on his face, “Not happy to see the host?” he mocked her 

She turned around for a minute to climb inside the kiosk, turning to look at him once more. “ Of course not, I am thrilled to meet you,” she said

Eris stopped in front of the steps of the kiosk. Both hands were in his pockets as he observed her, “ You are more interesting than my dear brother gave you credit.”

Elain frowned. “Lucien talked about me?” she asked, she stayed silent for a moment and then asked again. “To you?” 

Eris chuckled and whistled a bit quietly, “ Wow he was right that you don't hold back,” he said. 

Elain observed him for a moment. “Can I help you with something? Or were you also just casually strolling through the garden?"

Eris's neutral expression was more concerning than his usual smirk, Elain realized. Not only did he look the part of High Lord but it stirred emotions on her, emotions she was not allowed to question nor unpack. She held her chin higher waiting for an answer. 

Eris walked from the outside of the kiosk until he was in front of Elain the only thing separating them was one of the half walls of the structure. “Be careful Elain,” he warned all amusement gone from his tone. “My father was is a bastard and deserves death but I am loyal to my court and the minute I see it being threatened I won't hesitate,” he threaten leaving Elain confused. 

“What are you talking about,” she quickly asked for an explanation. 

“I know Azriel stole more than what he came from last time,” he said eyes pinned on her own. “I invited you not only because of your power but because I need your help,” he said calmly. 

“Azriel stole nothing,” she growled furious, hands clutching at the top of the kiosk's small walls.

“Azriel stole something from Beron and gave it to Helion.” He said. “I want to know what it was and I have the suspicion that you may know what it is,” he accused.

“You are mad,” she whispered enraged. 

“Maybe,” he chuckled finally a smirk appearing on his face, “but I’m also right,”

Her eyes quickly scanned his face looking for something that could allied to him lying. 

“How do you know this anyways,” she crossed her arms feeling defenseless after being ambushed with the information, she was the spy, she was the seer, the one who knew everything, she was no longer the week fawn. “I am not admitting anything but Azriel is the best at what he does, even I didn't see him stealing how could you possibly know.” 

“Accept to help me and I will reveal all of the information I have.” He said stretching his hand.

“Why not go to Rhysand?” she asked suspicious of his motives. 

“Why involve more courts than already are.” he shrugged his hand still extended. 

“What do I get for this bargain,” she asked stepping closer, the kiosk wall still separating them, she had realized that the kiosk gave her the higher ground, she was taller than Eris from here, his head raising slightly to see her directly at the eyes. 

“Me” he answer simply. 

She looked at her hand and hesitated. “A bargain with the king of cruelty himself,” she thought but if he had asked for her for this reason, the visions might have been a push from the mother to accept this. A sign from her to help Eris. She inhaled and extended her arm. 

As her hand grabbed Eris she could feel the magic, The tattoo being formed from her knee to her hip. 

A deal with the villain of most of the stories she has heard since she turned fae. The thought made her recoil from his touch, the chilling sensation navigating her body and making the hairs rise. All her instincts screamed that she had begun a sinister game that she could never escape. 

“Let's talk,” he said as he walked to the entrance of the kiosk offering her his arms and a smirk that felt like a deadly weapon. 

[mallmarrdlc]

Cassandra teleported onto the balcony and looked through the window. Nothing much changed in the house. All the people still looked the same. They all sat at the table in the room that was Lance's bedroom. Eugene must have returned from work not long ago because he was wearing his police uniform.

Cassandra quickly murmured a spell to be able to hear their conversation better, hoping that it would be something of significance.

'That's crazy that Adira came in the middle of the night and I never heard anything.' Lance sighed.

'Well, I suppose you do sleep in the other room a lot now...' Eugene shrugged. 'But more importantly, what are we going to do now? This battle will be much more difficult.'

'Isn't Elsa just a ghost?' Lance frowned. 'Like, what can she do? Jump scare us?'

'Oh, Lance, you weren't with us when we were fighting my mother all those years ago.' Rapunzel shook her head. 'It took a whole crew from the Windenburg Inn and a few vampires to beat her. And a couple of sages, too.'

'And I died!' Eugene made a dramatic gesture and chuckled.

'What?!' Lance sat up straight on his chair, his eyes darting between Eugene's and Rapunzel's faces. He was not sure what question to ask first. 'What do you mean you died?!'

'It's a long story, man.' Eugene shook his head. 'But what's important is that that woman is no joke. We need to be ready for this battle or it will end really badly this time. How's your magical training going, dear?'

'Well, everyone's saying that I'm doing well. But is it enough? I will obviously continue to practise as much as possible. And I suppose I could visit the market in the Realm and possibly prepare the potions. Just in case.'

'Better safe than sorry. That potion helped immensely the last time.' Eugene nodded.

'Is there anything you need from me?' Lance asked. 'Anything I can help with?'

'Just stay brave, Lance.' Rapunzel smiled lightly. 'And be prepared to make some difficult choices if need be. We don't know what to expect from Elsa. What sort of powers she has now. And how Cassandra is mixed into the whole thing.'

'We don't know what sort of sacrifices we'll need to make.' Eugene added.

Cassandra took in a deep breath. What she'd just overheard shook her to her core, but she knew she couldn't let fear get to her.

'Difficult choices, you say...' she muttered. 'Interesting...'

[chrstigx]

sneak peak of 'Do I wanna Know?'

(this has not been edited/revised yet, nor is this the final product but enjoy thus far!!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Larissa Weems. 

Your first love.

The name ran through your head for years, even after the break-up. The break-up that you caused. You had taken her heart and shattered it and at the time and being around seventeen years old and still attending Nevermore academy, you thought that it was a good idea. That you were doing yourself and her a favor. 

How wrong you were.

You admittedly always had a hard time coming to terms with being a lesbian. It started at a young age, around thirteen years old. You could remember your friends always sitting with you at the lunch table and asking who you had a crush on, to which you would look around the lunchroom until you found a boy who seemed to be ‘attractive enough’, even if you never found him attractive. This unfortunate cycle continued into your teen years and even when you met Larissa in your early adult years.

You were transferred from an average American highschool to an academy in the middle of nowhere that was twelve hours away from home. Your parents sent you away when your abilities had become too out of control for anyone to handle. 

At first, you felt betrayed, heartbroken, as if nobody would ever appreciate all of you. The good and bad. You mostly kept to yourself in school, rarely talking to other students and teachers, barely even participating in class unless you absolutely had to. You quickly became the laughing stock of the school for being a weirdo and outcast. It was sort of ironic that you were outcasted in a school full of other outcasts. It made you almost laugh. Almost.

Larissa was the first person who genuinely seemed like they wanted to talk to you. It all started when you were switched from your dorm in the Adira Hall (which you had all to yourself), over to Ophelia Hall due to spacing issues. You couldn’t have a dorm all to yourself forever, right? You were escorted to the dorm by the principal at the time, dragging your bags almost pathetically before stopping in front of the room you’d be staying most likely for the rest of your Nevermore days. 

TBC.....

@barbarasstar

[catkin-morgs-kookaburralover]

@lacunasbalustrade OKAY SO this scene is one which I have since deleted and will never happen which is Sad because it has some incredible moments in it character-wise.

so all you really need to know is that in this story, Adira is the main character (who looks like Megan Follows, incidentally), Neil is her adopted uncle (originally a prickly sort of guy who had a marked aversion to his nieces, responsibility and religion, but who warms up to his nieces and religion and figures out how to deal with responsibility without spiraling into a depressive episode ANYWAY-). Neil is also a doctor. Emily is Adira's adopted sister and Neil's actual niece. Tom is Adira's love interest/at that point husband I think. I never fleshed out the scene within the timeline enough to know.

anyway, skipping past lots and lots of exposition, we get to where this scene originally came from.

my dad once had a dream. he's probably forgotten it by now but I remember when he described it to us: very vividly, a dream in which he and others were taking shelter in an old shack, and he saw clouds moving at a tremendous pace. he had just enough time to think 'oh that's gonna be wild wind' before, instead of the wind hitting, he woke up. that's all of the dream, but as he described it i could picture it in a way i still can even though it's years and years later by now. I've had a very similar dream since. it felt apocalyptic.

in this scene, Emily, Adira and Neil are trying to shelter from a violent storm. Adira is waiting for and expecting Tom back, but Neil is casting a very worried eye to the sky and telling her that she needs to shelter. she's terrified for Tom, who will have no or very little shelter. she keeps watching for him.

"you need to come in!" says Neil, because it's getting wild and the storm front is racing towards them. "like, two seconds ago!"

she turns around. "not without Tom," she says.

"you'll be killed!" he says, and without waiting for her to object he straight up grabs her and drags her inside to safety. in the process he is required to hit her to get her to stop fighting him, just on the off chance Tom is there. they shelter while the storm rages. Emily is fuming, and the moment it's deemed safe enough to come out, she snaps and yells at Neil, how dare he strike her sister, &c., and he retorts coldly that it was to save her life. Adira is refusing to contribute to the question, since she fully expects that Tom, who wasn't back in time, has been wiped out by the storm, so she's busy grieving. turns out in the end that he found somewhere else to shelter and wasn't injured, and everything is happy, but I really liked the way Neil and Emily's argument played out. Neil has a tendency to have two sides to him: the warm, loving, deeply feeling side of him, and the cold clinical side, like when he tells Tom things he doesn't want to hear about Adira's health. he's... really not good at combining them, and it's always a fun dynamic when he feels pushed into doctor!Neil for whatever reason. he can be utterly heartless, even though he'll pay for it in the feeling later. he's sabotaged several relationships due to this disparity, including but not limited to an engagement that was broken due to circumstance and he was the one that then kept them apart later. (this is its own post in itself, The Relationship has defined his life in a way and he only gets closure a couple of decades later after some pretty brutal emotional things are said to him by Her.)

anyway i hope i sold this moment to you. i probably didn't, but it's so special to me even though it's never going to happen in the story

tagging @stealingmyplaceinthesun neil mention