#amusing tales of my awful aunt

[callipraxia]

Context: the books under discussion are the two supplements for the TTRPG “Monster of the Week.” Also, since I am occasionally not quite sure where standard American English ends and Southernese begins, I will add that the word “booger” has two meanings here: one involves unsightly stuff that originates inside your nose, and the other is shorthand for ‘any frightening entity; monster,’ presumably a derivative of “bogeyman.”

Aunt, in tones of deeply judgmental fake concern, on Christmas: “those books you said you wanted, they looked awful! The titles, and the pictures, they were all boogers! What would you want stuff like that for?!”

My mother, dryly and surprisingly: “Guess she’s reading about boogers these days.”

Me, thinking privately while I murmur some excuse: “Thank goodness I had better sense than to ask for the Malleus Monstrorum….”

[cremedensada]

something in my drafts that i actually got the energy and motivation to finish. it's not really my best work but i *did* try so!! also 600+ of yall?? (⁠(⁠(⁠;⁠ꏿ⁠_⁠ꏿ⁠;⁠)⁠)⁠)

Yandere Ocean Spirit who the local sailors and fishermen tell tales of. Some say he takes the form of a charming young man talking with the grandmothers, letting himself be entertained by their tales of when they were younger.

Some say she takes the form of a beautiful young lady walking down the shore as the sun sets down the horizon, colorful gold and orange painting the sky with awe - a vision of beauty and elegance.

Some say they take the form of an individual whose beauty goes beyond genders and labels, taking a dip in the ocean - glowing moonlight behind them. Locals who saw a glimpse of them would often murmur about their long cascading hair as dark as the ocean's waves in midnight; no one truly knows where the tips of their hair ends and the ocean begins.

Yandere Ocean Spirit who, despite his contentment with life at the seaside, finds himself curious with you - a new face, a visitor, in his home.

You were staying at the seaside for the summer, spending time with your relatives per your parents' decisions. You're not all too happy with being plucked out of your comfort zone, but you suppose you might as well make it work - a chance to destress before you'll have to come back and face the reality of life's hustle and bustle, like the unforgiving ocean waves crashing against the shore, hah.

The ocean waves are inviting today - not too huge and overwhelming, but neither too placid and calm. You spend a huge chunk of your afternoon watching the waves - something so routinely was so pleasing to you.

The beautiful stranger approaches you in one of your ocean-watching ventures, a sweet smile adorning her beautiful face - asking permission to accompany you. And who are you to deny her? Not when she looks at you looking like the most breathtaking woman you've ever met in your life and you are just a human being with a huge appreciation for beauty.

"I like the ocean," she says, after a moment of silence, eyes trained on the waves, "everything in life can change - things come and go, but you can always count the ocean to be there."

You chuckle. "Even the ocean can be unforgiving, you know. Especially during storms."

"Ah," she laughs, "that, I'll have to agree... we're all victims to the whims of the weather."

You smile in agreement, and the silence that follows is pleasant and welcome - like the ocean breeze gently blowing against your skin.

The next few days you busy yourself with familiarizing around town. While running an errand for your aunt, you come across a huddle of fishermen - gazes grim.

"Looks like it's about to rain," one of them says, "can't go fishing at this weather."

You hear another fisherman let out a grunt, just as you near their huddle.

"We can't always hope for a fair weather all the time. The ocean spirit can only do so much for us common folk."

An ocean spirit? You halt in your steps unconsciously, curiosity urging you to listen more. One of the men seems to notice, and lets out a hearty laugh.

You feel yourself flush in embarrassment at being caught listening.

"Curious, eh?" he says as the others turn to you as well, wearing matching amused smiles - at the very least, they didn't look like they were mocking you. "Never heard of an ocean spirit before?"

"Spirits aren't... exactly common in the city," you find yourself responding.

They nod in understanding. "Too urbanized," one of them says - a man sporting a huge scar underneath his left cheek, "they're more powerful and stronger when they're in their natural habitats."

It's your first time hearing of the existence of such spirits. "What does the spirit look like?"

They share amused glances, like you've just asked them of an inside joke you didn't know they had. "Well it depends on how the spirit wants to look like. But you've already met her, if that's what you're asking."

Their words echo in your mind until the next day as you watch the waves once more. It crashes against the sand and washes towards your feet - you watch it retreat.

A smell of the ocean breeze creeps up on you, and you feel a presence beside you.

"Mind if I join?"

His voice is deeper this time, different from her softer lilt - the one that reminds of you of early morning rays, the calm rippling of the ocean accompanied by the glittering sunlight. His voice feels like the warm ocean water soaking you to your thighs, gently swayed by the waves moving to and fro.

You turn to meet his gaze.

"You never told me you were an ocean spirit."

Unfazed, he smiles. "You never asked... plus, I didn't intend to hide it in the first place."

You entertain him with your company - his eyes gazing at you with keen interest as you share about your life in the city.

"—and what brings you to this peaceful little town?"

"Just... vacation," you shrugged, "I'm heading back to the city after a few weeks."

He frowns, but quickly covers it up with a serene smile. "That's a shame. Can't you stay a little bit longer?"

"I'm not meant for the seaside life," you respond; and it's true. You were not born with the ocean breeze to greet you in the morning, and the sound of birds singing the days away, nor the sound of waves lapping against the shore. You were born with the hustle and bustle, the sound of heavy traffic and hurrying men and women getting to one designation to another, and the smell of smoke permeating in the air.

It can be said, yes, that you can get used to a simplistic life at the beach but could you really? Not when your subconscious mind tells you that there's more to do at home, things to finish, projects to oversee, friends to keep up with, a life that you cannot afford to upend because your comfort has already rooted in the city, and it would be foolish to uproot it in an environment that it has to get used to after it has already matured.

"Oh."

He quietens after that. The waves are audibly more harsher as they crash against the shore, thrashing and lashing even beneath clear blue skies. The ocean spirit is not mad, but it rolls off of him in the waves.

And days turn to weeks — the waves only get harsher. Fishermen stand by the shore, scowling and frowning as the rough waters force them not to travel the nasty waves. What good is their livelihood if they do not live to return anyway?

The ocean spirit is nowhere to be seen, and there's no way to bargain or to ask what's wrong — like he has just disappeared down the depths.

The day of your departure comes, bags packed and a sense of anticipation to be back home thrums in your veins. As the car rumbles to life, thunder crackles in the air and lightning strikes — a flash flood comes surging towards the shore.

Cries of surprise and fear erupted from the villagers as the waves slammed against them, like claws tightening their hold on their prey. Was this the work of their ocean spirit? The gentle soul who would listen to the grandmothers' tales of their young love and misadventures like a child listen's to a fisherman's tale of braving the storms.

Or was the ocean spirit holding themselves back all along, now only deciding to let go of their restraints and let the humans feel the full blow of the ocean without their careful watch. Humans, who have since been uses to their less than concerning storms, unfit to respond to such a devastating occurrence — too panicked and fearful to flee away to higher ground.

You watch as the waves continue to drown more and more people, and a lone figure standing on an elevated rock formation. Has it been there all along?

Your feet moved before your mind can catch up to it, wading through the waters to reach the figure. They notice your presence and, serenely, smiles at you.

"Hello," they greet, like the storm all over them is not happening at all, "wanna watch the ocean with me?"

"You need to stop," you insist instead, ignoring their invitation. "The villagers are drowning."

They merely watch, and hum. "That's a shame, isn't it?" they murmur. How can they be so cruel? No — have they been this heartless all along? What of the person who the people sing praises of? "Perhaps they should start to learn to get used to it."

You hear the wail of a mother. You can only imagine what made her cry with such devastation.

"After you've given them protection?"

"Aren't we all victims to the whims of the weather?" They hum, "then perhaps, we're all also just victims to the whims of the ocean."

"And what would change the ocean's whim right now?"

As though waiting for that inevitable question to be asked, they smiled. "For you to stay."

Another harsh wave ravages the village, and they smiles at you with a calm smile — calm as the waves of the ocean should be — as more cries and sobs, pleas for help fills your ears.

"Well? Will you stay, or will you let everyone drown?"

[gudvina]

The sea fig, ch. II, Adela.

(second chapter <3)

The sun was setting when Adelaide returned to her room. It had been a week since she first stepped into her aunt’s homestead, and she was still adjusting to how different London was to her homeland. The room was still showered with remnants of twilight, brightened by the light green of the walls. It didn’t have much furniture; by the south side was a bed, supplied with a swan feathered mattress and pillows and furred covers that contrasted nicely with the wood of the headboard. A wardrobe stood by the west well, and where the floor raised in a platform sat a simple bathtub. The north side held most of the windows, and a desk with a looking glass and some parchment alongside it. Though it was different from her room in Normandy, she enjoyed how simple it was.

Had she been in Normandy she would have lulled herself to sleep listening to the crashing waves, or the sounds of the city filling the air. London wasn’t much different, admittedly. While during the day it seemed dull and uninteresting, when darkness set its rule and the moon showed her face the city lit up. The alehouses represented much of the night’s entertainment, and the bustling sounds reached her windows, leaving her longing for something other than the stillness of the castle.

Her aunt and her ladies in waiting provided a good distraction, and quickly she had sparked up a friendship with Gytha, with which she spent the nights in pleasant conversation. Sometimes they were joined by  Aelfwynn, though she appeared busier than Gytha.

Adela undressed and put on her nightgown, waiting for Gytha’s company as she brushed her hair by the desk. After a few minutes of silence finally the door opened, and she smiled as she saw Gytha enter her room.

“I am sorry if I couldn’t wait for you, I just needed to get out of that dress”.

Gytha let out a soft chuckle as she closed the door and she sat on her bed, her blonde hair now goldened by the candle’s lights.

“I imagined, sorry if I was late, your aunt needed me and Aelfwynn to sort out some fabrics.”

In a moment Gytha and Adela were deep in conversation, talking about each other and their lives until then. Gytha had much to tell about Denmark, how different it was from England and its people, and Adela in return talked about Normandy and how different they were from Frankia as a whole, how her people lived in relative peace and convivence.

“Of course it isn’t all sunshine, admittedly many Frankish Lords dislike us, but we also have some powerful allies like our cousins in Aquitaine”.

“Oh, so I guess there are Earls like Godwin everywhere”.

Adelaide’s interest was sparked when Gytha mentioned that name, and she couldn’t help but want to satisfy her curiosity.

“Isn’t he the right hand of the Queen and King alike?”

Gytha scrunched up her nose, shaking her head. “He certainly plays the part. He does his job well, but never trust him too much”.

Adela’s mind went back to something her Aunt Maude once told her. It was about her grandfather’s father: William Longsword. He had been a good ruler, but too trusting of the other. That was his demise.

Gytha suddenly shifted and looked at her with a glimmer in her eyes.

“You ask an awful lot of questions, but never tell anything about yourself. All this talk of Normandy won’t fool me! Now you shall tell me about this Duke of Lyonnaise”.

Adela laughed a little and shrugged, not very entertained by the tale of the less amusing nuisance in all of Frankia.

“There is not much to tell, he is uninteresting but a good party. There is a man who I like much more, the Duke of Blois. But my family dislikes his, and my father would not have that union.”

“Did you love him?”

“No, I wouldn’t say I did. I just liked him far better. It wouldn’t be wise for a woman such as me or you to do more than like any man”.

“And yet Queen Emma and my uncle seem to have found more than just liking in each other”

“You are not wrong. But that’s rare, and the one exception that confirms the rule.”

“And don’t you hope to have… something more?”

Adelaide moved to answer but stopped herself. She had never thought about something more; yes, she had many examples in her family of people who married and loved each other, namely her forebearers Duke Rollo and Princess Gisla. She had been married to him by her father to form an alliance, and had fallen so deeply in love with each other that many Norman tales and songs still told of their love and how beneficial that union had been for both Normandy and each other. Their son William Longsword had found love in both his first wife Sprota and then Liuthgarda, who responded in treachery. Her grandfather Richard the Fearless had loved her grandmother Gunnora, and then his many mistresses, with which he had produced some of her uncles. And her parents themselves were very happy with each other. Despite coming from a line of people who had found love in their partners, that something more wasn’t what she saw in her life. Since she was a girl, she had been educated in all matters regarding the politics of her lands as was Norman costume. Her greatest desire had always been to form a beneficial alliance for Normandy, and maybe marry in the confines of Frankia, as to not stray away from her beloved Rouen.

Gytha’s question wasn’t one she had ever considered, that something more for her looked more like being fortunate to find a man who’d allow her to rule beside him whatever land would welcome her as its own. She found herself grow uncomfortable, her guts stirring for a question that had been innocent and yet had cracked a chasm where she had always found sure footing.

“I don’t know what’s more, Gytha. It isn’t in me. My Aunt was kissed by fortune, but I have never thought of more and I… don’t even know if I want it”.

Gytha looked at her with a knowing look, and smiled a little.

“Let me tell you, you resemble a lot your aunt when you make that face”.

They ended up giggling and changing subject, concentrating in lighter chatter. Adela was grateful to have Gytha with her, a friend with which she could be herself and not be judged as too harsh to be ladylike. Maybe her exposure to her aunt as her lady in waiting made it easier, or the fact that she was a Dane, but she didn’t seem to mind Adela’s sharp words and observation. And she genuinely liked Gytha, who was fun and gentle and kind.

When it was late enough they realized it was time to retire, and though they didn’t want to put a stop to their fun it was time to rest. They were exchanging the last few words before Gytha’s exit when a sound caught their attention.

They stopped talking and realized it came from the city. It was the scream of a woman, a horrifying wail that made Gytha and Adelaide rush to the window and open it. A few guards were already covering the area, and they couldn’t see what was happening behind the entrance arch that sheltered them from the view. In a mix of curiosity and fear the two made for the door so they could at the very least ask the guards some informations, when outside their corridor they met Earl Godwin.

“Ladies, stay in the room and do not get out for any reason. If in need of anything I will place guards outside your doors, though now I must hurry and call Queen Emma”.

Gytha nodded and moved to close the door, but Adela prevented it by holding the door in it’s place.

“What is happening?”

Earl Godwin was taken aback by her questioning, recognizing in her the same mannerisms he had only seen in the Queen before now.

“The Dane priest Cynleaf was killed; we are assuming the attack was provoked by another Dane in the alehouse”.

Adela could sense Gytha gasp and tense behind her, and soon the Earl left them. They ended up spending the night together in Adela’s room, with guards outside the door and the chaos of the city muffled by the windows now closed.

Gytha had succumbed to sleep almost instantly, leaving Adela alone with her thoughts. Before she fell asleep, her agitated mind kept circling between the events of the night and Gytha’s words.

He certainly plays the part.

[miyaagis]

run from me (and from us)

an experienced wolf will always end up drawn to the innocent sheep.

+ pairing. draken / fem reader

+ word c. 1.5k

+ warnings. age gap, public sex but not really, clit stimulation, edging, implied jealousy and 3some

“c’mon, auntie! just for tonight, i promise i’ll behave.”

growing up listening to the tokyo manji stories through auntie hina was bound to leave an impression on you. everyone knew that no one else could match their power and even if they were delinquents, being part of the gang brought respect to your name.

however, it was still dangerous to get involved, which only made your curiosity peak.

the older woman squinted at you while considering her options. she might not be your biological aunt but she treated you as if you were family, and you knew her enough to know that the tired sigh meant that you had won.

“we leave when i tell you to, these things go south in seconds. understood?”

you squealed and kissed her cheek loudly, her warning fading into the air, “i’ll go get ready!”

—

the bōsōzoku scene had always amazed you but seeing it up close was a whole other story. there were bikes all over the street with dangerous-looking men on them, the roar of the motors and the coldness of the night making your limbs shake in excitement. 

from an experienced one’s perspective, you had all the tell-tale signs of being a newbie—and draken was quick to notice them.

it had been years since he had retired, but as a veteran and founder, it was hard to abandon toman in its entirety. the awe in your eyes reminded him of when he first saw a biker gang, which brought an amused smirk to his lips.

as soon as you arrived, hina was pulled away from you by her old friends, so you had no option but to wander between the numerous attendants looking for uncle ‘michi.

“looking a bit lost,” you jumped at the unknown voice, quickly turning around only to be met with a tall man, “i recommend leaving before a bike runs you over.”

the tattoo on the side of his head was the first thing you noticed, his dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail which allowed you to get a good look at his handsome features. his clothes were different from the uniform, only wearing a toman jacket instead of the full attire. you were sure he was toman’s first vice-president and your uncle’s friend, which only made things way more interesting.

“i’m not lost. my aunt’s here, tachibana hina.”

you would’ve mentioned uncle ‘michi, but you weren’t sure if he was around and you deemed it dangerous to mention him so lightly.

his stance immediately relaxed, his eyebrows arching up as he let out a low chuckle, “takemitchy’s here?”

as you were about to reply, the floor trembled as the bikes around you began to move and lined up on multiple rows, men and women riding on top of them.

“c’mon, you’ll ride with me,” the man said as he hopped on his bike, quickly starting the engine. he had already lifted the kickstand when he noticed you still standing next to him, “or would you rather stay here?”

“won't i get in your way?”

“huh?” he pulled you closer with a single arm before lifting you from the ground and sitting you in front of him, clearly ignoring your question, “careful with your calves, don’t want you burning yourself.”

you could feel his breath down your neck as he leaned forward to grip the handlebars, testing the motor before accelerating and driving between the rows of bikes, only stopping right next to a familiar face.

“uncle ‘michi!”

relief or excitement, you weren't sure what you were experiencing but seeing your uncle between the sea of strangers put you at ease.

“i see draken-kun found you, hina was worried,” he laughed sheepishly while said woman seemed ready to scold you.

“i’ll make sure she has fun,” your heart jumped at draken's words, extremely aware of how one of his hands moved to your waist, “there's no better way to experience toman's grandiosity than on a front-row seat.”

after a quick goodbye, draken maneuvered and stopped right in the middle of the group, successfully blending yourselves. it didn’t take long for the gang to start moving, the speed picking up until the cold wind blew harshly against your bodies.

“so, what do you think?”

you had been quiet since you left your uncle’s side, intimidated by the big man behind you. but even with the loud noise coming from the motors and the wind thrumming in your ears, you could hear the smile in his voice.

“it’s impressive,” you turned your head to the side and he caught your eyes gleaming under the streetlights, a wide grin on your lips, “i wish i had come sooner.”

“guess i’ll have a serious talk with your uncle.”

even in the middle of the night, shibuya’s streets were busy, leading you to expect a crash or some sort of accident between the bikes and pedestrians and thus, raising your levels of nervousness.

“you’re too tense, here,” his large hands grasped yours and moved them to the handlebars, lurching your upper body forward with his chest pressed close to your spine, “much better.”

he was practically on top of you, not a smidge of space between your bodies. with his hands still resting on top of yours, his left hand twisted back on the right handlebar which caused the whole bike to vibrate. soon you realized how the position left your core vulnerable to the tremors caused by the motor. 

a yelp got stuck on your throat at the stimulation on your clit, unconsciously bucking your hips and seeking more of it.

“hm, i knew you’d like that.”

your heart dropped as your entire body froze up at his words, “w-what?”

“more?” he twisted the grip twice, this time pulsing straight on your clit and making your hips buck again, “there we go. go on, princess, no one’s looking.”

it didn’t take long for you to notice the growing bulge rubbing against your ass, increasing the wetness between your legs as you imagined how it must feel to have his length inside of your pussy with your clit pressed against the leather seat.

finally letting a small moan slip past your lips, your eyes closed when his hand wrapped around your waist and pushed his hips upwards. 

“louder.”

doing as you were told, you allowed your whines to reach his ears while you pushed your pussy against the seat, purposely rubbing your ass against his front. each time you felt your high getting close, draken would slow down until you calmed down, an endless cycle of feeling the familiar warmth within reach only to have it snatched away from you. 

“how’s your little clit doing? think you can cum just from this?” his mocking tone earned him a mewl from you, his lips placing a kiss on your shoulder before moving upwards and gently biting on your earlobe.

your body reacted to the raspiness of his voice and combined with his actions, he had you ruining your panties in seconds—already desperate for more.

“please, i wanna feel you,” you begged pathetically, turning your head around and giving him the best puppy eyes you could.

“sorry baby, but i’m the one in charge here,” his hand moved down to your thigh, squeezing the flesh before moving back to your waist, “keep behaving and i’ll make sure you’re satisfied by the end of the night.”

when you realized you were making your way back, you sighed contentedly, and once again excitement pumped through your body. he smoothly parked his bike and with a hand on your lower back, pushed you between the crowd towards an unknown location to you.

you were about to round a corner when you felt him halt abruptly next to you, a man with lilac and black hair looking between you two as he held draken by the shoulder. it was clear they knew each other, no one would greet draken like that. 

with a silent nod, the taller man indicated you to keep walking, deciding to deal with his old comrade first.

“i saw you.”

draken’s patience was running out and he made sure to show it through his scowl, “and?”

“mother fucker,” mitsuya hissed as he shoved him away, “are you gonna take advantage of takemichi’s trust like that? she’s like a daughter to him!”

always the protector.

“that’s why i gotta make sure she enjoys herself. it’s her first time here, y’know?” his scowl turned into a smirk, faux innocence pouring from his words.

draken knew how mitsuya's mind worked, which meant the latter was only losing precious time with the act he was putting up. and since he knew exactly how to get him to stop wasting their time, draken went straight to the point and gave him what he wanted.

his eyes quickly surveyed their surroundings, leaning closer to his ear once he made sure there were no intruders nearby, “keep your mouth shut and i’ll let you join.”

it was sick how the indignant look in mitsuya’s eyes quickly went away, a satisfied smile taking its place upon hearing the tempting offer.

“only if i get to fuck her first.”

but it’s not like draken could blame him. after all, they both were about to get a taste of takemichi’s beloved niece.

“deal.”

[emixion]

Story - Day 24 -  Maribat March 2021

man, i got SO stuck on this one, but i think it ended up being one of my favorites thus far. enjoy! @maribatmarch-2k21 ao3 link Marinette didn’t know a lot of things.

She knew her name, she knew she was born in 2003, that her favorite color was pink and that the year was currently 2088.

She also knew that her favorite day of the week was Thursday.

Thursday was when the green eyed man would come visit her and tell her stories.

Every week for the past two months he would come and tell her tales about a boy and a girl, two heroes that fell in love while they saved the world.

She was an aspiring designer with a heart of gold and he was a troubled trust-fund kid with a dark past.

He’d told her how they met, how her class took a trip to his city, how the bus left her at the hotel, how they bumped into each other in the street and how he escorted her to her destination.

How it was practically love at first sight.

The two teenagers fell for each other hard, all while they also met up as superheroes, but didn’t know it yet. Their hero names were Robin and Ladybug.

Marinette had chuckled, she found the animal names amusing.

Eventually, the two found out each other’s identities and their love. grew stronger. They became an unstoppable duo. He was even bestowed a power from the same source she gained hers from and together they protected the cities of Gotham and Paris.

His family was big and chaotic, hers was small and quiet, together they were filled with so much love.

The years went by, the two got older. They graduated, went to college together, found an apartment, started their careers, all while fulfilling their duties as heroes.

Villains came and left, some tougher than others. Limbs were broken, skin was cut, but despite everything, they made it out alive and together. They were even promoted to members of the team led by the boy’s father.

One day the boy went out and bought a ring for his sweetheart. He proposed to her the next week at a family dinner and she tearfully accepted, both of their families exploding in celebration.

The two married on a sunny June afternoon, surrounded by friends, family and teammates.

She became one of the biggest names in fashion and he took over his father’s business along with his siblings.

A few years later they found out that they were expecting.

They were ecstatic, happily making plans for their new arrival.

It was hard for the girl, she had to give up her hero duties for a while, but she had her husband there to keep her company.

She would make tiny clothes for their baby and he would speak to them in his wife’s belly.

A few months later they welcomed a daughter into their family.

They loved their baby girl so much, she was the light of the couple’s lives.

The little girl had so many aunts and uncles and grandparents that loved her, even a great-grandfather who saw her as the apple of his eye.

The two heroes kept up their duties, but now they had an even more important role as parents.

A few years passed, and the couple welcomed another little girl into their family.

The two sisters became best friends, bickering like all siblings do, but they loved each other nonetheless.

Their oldest was nearly six when they had their third and final child, a little boy this time.

Years went by and once the children were old enough, they were told who their parents were and what exactly they did.

The children were shocked, awed and confused by the news, but eventually adjusted and even became heroes themselves.

They possessed the same power as their mother and were trained by their grandfather, so they were a perfect blend of their parents.

The family was well known and beloved by both cities they inhabited, in and out of uniform. They used their wealth and good fortune to help as many people as they could, teaching their children the importance of good will and justice.

In a blink of an eye, the children grew up. They were soon full adults, older than their parents were when they met, making the couple feel awfully old. They were amazed at how fast time could fly.

Eventually, their children had children of their own, and the couple became grandparents. Their large family expanded even more, and those children became heroes one day as well.

As the girl grew older, she knew her time was running out.

The power she possessed, the power that her children and grandchildren shared, was given to them by magical jewelry. The jewelry was so special that it needed a guardian to protect it. That responsibility was given to the girl when she was young, before she even met her husband, and she was told that one day she would have to transfer that guardianship to someone else.

The jewelry would not be the only thing that left her when she passed guardianship.

Her memories, too, would leave her, not only of the power she once had, but her whole life.

She was scared, she was sad, but at the end of the day she always knew the day would come.

Guardianship was transferred to her granddaughter’s partner, a bright young woman who reminded her of her friends at that age. She took the honor gracefully and became the new guardian of the powerful jewelry.

The girl, now an old woman, lost all of her memories of her life.

But, she was never alone. She still had a big family that loved her. Even if she’d lost people over the years, she would never be truly alone.

“Is that the end of the story?” Marinette asked the green eyed man, her face sad. It was such a tragic story.

The man simply shook his head and smiled. “No, the story isn’t over yet. It’s still being written.” he told her. “Because no matter what, even if her memories stay gone forever, her husband will always be there to tell her their story.”

Marinette stared at him a moment, then her eyes lit up in recognition. “…Damian..?” She asked softly.

“Yes, Angel.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her head. “I’m here.”

“Don’t go..” She quietly begged, leaning into his touch.

“Never.” He promised. And he meant it.Even if it never stuck, he would tell her the same story a million times if he had to.

It was their story, after all.

[spaceorphan18]

99 Perspectives on a Single Love Story #78

A/N: The Story of Kurt and Blaine told through the eyes of everyone else but them. Each chapter is a different perspective in the ongoing tale of their love story.

I started something like this a while back - and now I’m taking the idea and really running with it. Each chapter is a ficlet of a different character at a different point in Kurt and Blaine’s life - documenting their love story. This starts in Audition, and each chapter will be paired with a different episode until reaching Dreams Come True.

[Ao3]

***

April Rhodes (100)

April Rhodes is feeling fine.  She’s finished up her bubbly, and giggling like a little school girl.  Who said coming back to your high school couldn’t be so fun? She’s happy that Will Schuester’s called her, and partying down with these students in the choir room has been an absolute de-light.  And, oof, if these boys aren’t cuter than they used to be.  Almost enough to give her a hot flush.  Ha! As if she’s old enough to have hot flashes.

Speaking of cuties, she spots Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson huddled together in the back of the choir room.  Their foreheads are touching, and they’re laughing with each other.  April can’t resist checking in on them - especially since they’ve kept mostly to themselves during the whole party.  Sweet little love birds.  She’s already given them a worthy present, but she can’t resist dropping in on them again.  

“Howdy boys, whatcha up to?” she says, bouncing up to where they’re sitting.  They both seem startled to see her.  She pinches their adorable cheeks. They both wince at her touch, but they’ll get over it.  She’s the fun aunt.   Or she would be if she had siblings.  “Thinking about how quickly you can sneak off to have some premarital sex?” She cackles at their awed faces.  “You know, once I about got pregnant in the janitor’s closet across the hall.  Scared me half to death.  Good for you that the two of you have two ying-yangs and no baby maker.  If I had one myself, I’d be having so much more sex.  Wouldn’t want to have the balls, though.  Don’t know how you guys sit with those things.”  

Neither of them speak, just remain their wide-eyed, innocent little selves.  April has always known how to leave men speechless.  She considers it one of her gifts in life.  She should really put that in her next resume.  Ha! Like she’ll ever get a real job.  

“You know,” she says, pushing right between them.  “If you kids were ten years older - I’d be propositioning you for a lovely evening, if you know what I mean.  I just want to smack those little tushes.  Oh goodness, did I say that or think it?” 

A bewildered Kurt answers her.  “Said it.” 

“Damn, still haven’t mastered using the inside head voice,” she laughs again.  Not helping herself, she grabs onto Kurt’s arm and gives it a bit of a squeeze.  “Ooh, feels like you’ve put those old magazines I gave you to good use - though I hope you used them for their intended purpose.” She gives a wink and a nudge to Kurt, who rolls his eyes.  

Blaine looks utterly confused.  “What is she talking about?” 

“Pretty sure she’s consistently too drunk to know,” Kurt replies.  

“Bah,” she waves her hand at him.  “Blaine, I’m disappointed that Kurt hasn’t shown you his secret stash of the porn.  Well, it’s like PG-porn, but still.  A kid has got to get started somewhere.  I’ll have to send more for your first anniversary.  Which reminds me - I need to bestow on you my three rules for having a good marriage.” 

Kurt raises an eyebrow at her.  “Have you even been married?” 

“No!” She laughs, and shakes her head, amused at herself.  Then looks over to Blaine.  “First rule, sweetie, you have to get this one to lighten up.  I recommend a really nice bottle of Chardonnay.  MMmmm, can’t go wrong with that.” 

“Really?” Blaine says with slight interest.  

“Don’t encourage her,” Kurt scolds.  Gah, she remembers when he was younger and a lot more fun.  

“Two,” she continues.  “One of you is going to have to make a lot of money, or you both will be straying to a couple of sugar daddies.  I mean, I’ve had plenty of loves in my life, but Buddy really was the best one.  He had money coming out his butt, and he didn’t mind just a hand job now.  I mean, hell, I only saw the guy once a week.  Which brings me to my third rule - separate houses.  They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.” 

Blaine looks fearfully to Kurt.  “This is sounding like terrible advice.” 

“Well, it’s not like people are coming in droves for my good advice, sweetie,” she says, pinching his cheek.  “If I’m being completely honest, I don’t miss Buddy all that much.  I’m free as a bird and preferring it that way.  Will Schuester says I don’t need a man, and even though I’ve always had one, maybe it’s time to really spread my wings.  Getting hitched makes for a nice moment in a scrapbook, but then you’re stuck with that person until divorce or death and neither one is pleasant. Listen to me go on like the sad, old broad that I am.   Oh god, I think the buzz is wearing off -- can I get back that hooch I gave you for a wedding present?” 

“No,” they say in unison. 

“Damn.  I’ll have to go grab the bottle I left back in that bush next to the entrance.  I’ll be right back…” 

[astriefer]

Please have this messy, badly written scenario as a humble gift to you, because I wanted to do something since I reached 200 followers!

Bits of Truth

They stood in front of the Carstairs' townhouse in Cornwall Gardens. Christopher seemed mildly confused about what they were doing there as if he had not been paying attention. James shared one last glance with Thomas before he knocked on the door.

A few bits of silence flew by, in which they had held their breaths. Then footsteps tapped on the floor, and the door cracked open.

A wave of relief passed through James that not Sona nor Risa or any other maid came to open the door. Then he thought what a peculiar thought it was for him to be relieved by. Alastair looked at them, frozen in place, blinking a few times as if he didn't believe they were truly there. He rejoined his composure hastily. He didn't let them in - he stood in the front door and his eyes searched theirs for an explanation. It was like a weird staring contest. Eventually, Alastair spoke first. "Cordelia is not here. You know it fairly well."

He moved to close the door. "We haven't come for Cordelia," he said quickly, which received another incredulous glance from Alastair. "Well, we have. But not because we thought she'd show up here. We came to talk to you."

Alastair narrowed his eyes, expressionless, and considered James. Then he glanced at Christopher and Thomas, noting their desperate eyes. "About my sister?"

"We won't take long," promised James, despite he wasn't sure it's true. Alastair studied him, and James felt himself going rigid. He leveled Alastair with his indecipherable gaze.

Then Alastair had stepped back from the door and ushered them in. "My mother is in her bedroom, resting, and Risa went shopping for supper. So, you have to be quiet. Make it quick.'

~~~~

Alastair took their coats and tilted his head towered the parlor. A kettle whiselted in the kitchen. As he gestured them inside he turned the other way. A fire burned in the chimney, and a book rested peacefully on the armchair. When James examined closer he discovered it was written in Persian. Thomas mumbled something about Persian poetry.

Alastair came inside with a tray and James thought he was, for a change, being hospitable, but he ignored them and disappeared up the stairs. When he got back, empty-handed, James assumed the tea was for his mother. Alastair placed the book on the table as he sat down in front of them. Thomas and Christopher set on a love sofa and James set stoned on another armchair. He didn't waste time being the kind host, James presumed. "What it is about my sister?"

The golden-eyed boy decided the best tactic was started from what he knew. That wasn't much, but it was the most important thing, and he was certain about it, at the very least. "I love your sister."

Alastair raised his eyebrows, amused. "Yes, that's something that tends to happen between married couples, I've been told."

James shook his head. "This marriage, of Cordelia and I," just saying her name on his lips made a treacherous skip of his heartbeat, full of hurt and love. "It was a sham marriage."

Alastair pools of dark marble were fixed on James when he explained, rather awkwardly, the events that led to their marriage. And then events that led to Cordelia leaving the country. He prospected Alastair would be outraged, throw spears at them, maybe even recite some very angry poetry phrases in Persian. Instead, Alastair was very still for very long. When he did speak, the words weren't the James expected them to be. "I knew the marriage wasn't out of love," Alastair said calmly. "But I didn't expect you to tell all that rubbish."

James blinked. "It's the truth."

"Oh, I know," Alastair returned with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I doubt you would come up with such a ludicrous idea on your own, even if just to spite me. and I also know Cordelia wouldn't have slept with you unwedded, no matter how much she loved you."

All the thieves caught their breath when Alastair leaned forward, his month curving in an odd angle. "I also know being married to you was a wish she never thought would come true, and that you cared for her. You claimed her as yours and you defended her. It was good for Cordelia, and so I said nothing."

James snorted, although he hadn't found the conversation funny. Not the least. "I thought I loved Grace at that time. I felt bad when the thought of living with Cordelia was more appealing than I expected." The thought of Grace made his features harden. "And because of Grace, for years I've been blind. Manipulated. I lost my wife and Parabatai. She played with me like a doll; messed with my feelings, messed with my life. This is unforgivable."

He did not notice Christopher who tensed up and fixed his spectacles on his nose. "She did some bad things," he said, surprising them all. "But I don't think she's evil."

James furrowed his brow. "She's like a siren: beautiful and compelling, but going after her will only end in you being drowned."

"I see," Alastair said, turning back to James. "But why? Why did she do it?"

"Does it matter?" James asked. "She hurt so many people. She doesn't even deserve to apologize. It won't matter anyhow - the damage is done. After all she has done...sorry will never be enough. Nothing will."

"It matters," Alastair said. "Because you don't know her side of the tale. You don't know what she thinks. What she feels. You don't know if she had to do what she did."

He was tempted to say Grace has no feelings at all. "I believe I'm allowed to be angry."

"I do agree that what she had done to you is far above a jest or a play with hearts," there was a strange flame burning in the deep ponds of Alastair's dark eyes. "And you have no obligation to forgive her. But why not hear what she has to say? You are the one with the power. You know the truth. She can not affect you any longer."

James shook his head. "You don't know Grace," he said coldly, gravely. "She will try to use me. She will try and make me do as she wishes. I will not be a pawn in her game again. She controlled my life long enough."

Alastair glanced away, pondering over something. Thomas turned his head nervously between James and Alastair. For the first time since the beginning of their conversation, Thomas inquired, "Why do you insist James will hear her out?"

"You have no idea of her motives," Alastair retorted. "What she's done - she must know it's wrong. And she will have to live with this knowledge for the rest of her days. You are allowed to be angry, James, and rightfully so. But don't let it blind you. That you have been kept from certain kinds of evil doesn't mean everyone else had. You have no clue what led her to those decisions." Alastair looked distanced. James managed to guess he's not been talking only about Grace. "You should talk to her. You may not forgive her, but you deserve to understand, to know why to hear the plain truth. And you should let her mourn what she could have had and lost."

James wasn't sure he fully comprehended. "I wouldn't have loved her. Even without the bracelet issue - my heart belongs to Cordelia."

"What do you mean?" Christopher asked. "That not everyone had been kept from evil."

Alastair shrugged. "I met Tatiana Blackthorn only once. She's a madwoman. She doesn't seem like the kind of caring, kind mother to pet her daughter's shoulder. Besides, Grace seemed to be controlled by Tatiana, rather than working alone or alongside her."

"She took the love of my life away from me," James growled. "Nothing can atone for that."

"The love of your life is my sister," he reminded James. "I can hardly find the idea of her being heartbroken a good thing. And the one who caused this pain is not much liked, as well. But you shouldn't think that just because you would've done it otherwise, it was an option for her. You can't know what are the options in front of people. You can't know how they feel unless you talk to them. So talk to Grace, James. Then seek out my sister. If you love her like you claim you do, will you give up on her so easily?"

"No," James stood up, "I will not."

Alastair nodded. "why did you come and tell me about your little schemes? Why now?"

Now, after so much time of lying, why tell the truth? Why not keep it in its cage of delicately made lies?

James cut his gaze to the book on the table. Thomas answered instead in a quiet voice. "She is your sister. You must have been worried about her. We wanted to tell you because - because you deserve to know the truth and understand why things happened the way they did."

What Thomas did not say was what none of them wanted to admit. Cordelia ran away to Paris with Matthew. Even if she'll be back in only two weeks - they all were worried sick. James couldn't blame her, he was awful and blind. All of this was a mess. If she needed time to calm down in Paris, he couldn't deny it of her, even if he had a say in this choice.

Alastair studied Thomas, and James felt the half-Persian hadn't quite believed them. It was true - they needed his help in the future. But it was a start. "Anything else? A ghost friend? Another evil aunt?"

"No," Christopher affirmed.

"Good," Alastair said. James might have imagined it but he thought he saw Alastair sneak a glance at Thomas before standing up. "Now get out of my house. Risa will be here any minute."

~~~~

I- how?? Thank you so much, everyone!! 🙈 Thank you, you can't understand how much it means to me. 🥺

This is mind-blowing. Truly. For whatever reason you follow me, know that I love you <3

Tagging some of my mutuals, you are all wonderful and make my time here so much better (not all of them because my brain is all wonky, but I mean all of you): @kit-12 @littlx-songbxrd @pink-party-dino @shadowhuntertrash @gummybears-4u @itsdaughterofthemoon @mcrrythievcs @fictionally-fantastic @reyna-herondale I'll tag more but I don't want to bother anyone so... thank you!! I don't know what people find in my blog, but I am grateful, and I appreciate all of you endlessly.

[percywinchester27]

A lot like ‘Us’ (Part-34)

Word count: 3.4K

Pairing: Sam X Reader AU

Warnings: Feels, fluff

Series Summary: Y/N Y/L/N is eager and honestly, still in awe that she managed to get herself an acceptance from Stanford Law School. On the face of it, her life seems as put together, mysterious and independent as one might hope for. On the insides, she carries the burden of past that haunts her till date. Seemingly, she’d left it all behind; that is until she sets foot in the class of the Law School’s youngest, most promising professor.

A/N: The story employs two different timelines. The present timeline for the story takes place in 2014. Please let me know what you guys think :)

Beta: @deanssweetheart23​​. I love you so much, darling <3

A lot like ‘Us’ masterlist

The rest of the week was hard.

There were things you wanted to do and then things that you had to do. Unfortunately for you, the Venn diagram of those two things were two circles that did not touch.

Normally, you loved your job, you loved studying and your classes. But sitting through Sam’s class was becoming a new, different type of torture. The pretension was wearing you down. You could see it grating him, too. You rarely spoke up in his class now, trying not to draw attention, neither did he call upon you like he did with other students. 

The library was still your second home, though, thanks to the untimely desertion of the other odd shifts librarian, you were left to run double shifts. Molly was sorry about it, but she didn’t have a solution for you, not until she had a new hire. That meant you were stuck in the library all the time. The guys in the apartment were starting to miss you. Kevin came over one evening to inform you everything sucked when you weren’t around. His face had made you hug him.

As for you? Without the free evenings, you couldn’t go over to see Max. You missed him terribly and it would do no good to whine about that to Sam, since you were still unsure about how he would take your excessive attachment to his son. 

Not that you didn't have the chance to talk to Sam. After Sam put Max to bed, each night he’d call. You would sit in the alcove of the library widow and talk to him for hours- about the day, the classes and everything under the sun. Sam told you about the cases he was working on, the judges he really disliked and the girl Chase was chasing. Sam thought he was named aptly. He was also your faithful informant about Max. Apparently the playground bullies were back at it with the mean words. You blurted out loud how you wanted to punch the kids and Sam piled on top of that. Cheerful conversations about shaking kids followed.

It felt so juvenile to talk with him over the phone, like when he worked in New York and you were stuck in Lawrence, but not quite. Now, it was exciting to imagine him blushing on the other end when you accidentally said something complementary. Or if a student decided to stay in the library late night, you had to giggle in hushed voices so they wouldn’t overhear your conversations. The thrill of it was exciting. Those few hours had become the highlight of your day.

So, when Madison asked you what you were smiling about in the last lecture on Friday, you had to make up a reason. You couldn’t very well tell her that the bruise Sam was sporting on his cheek was because Max outran him on the basketball court and Sam slipped and fell.

“Just thinking of something funny.”

“Wouldn’t have to do with the green eyed hottie from Monday, would it?” Madison wiggled her eyebrows.

“Who, Dean?” You burst out laughing. “Maddie! He’s married to my sister.”

She laughed with you, face apologetic. “Dang! He’s really hot. Is it bad that I’m sorry he is married?”

“Definitely not,” you giggled. The good old Winchester genes had caused many casualties.

On the dais below, Sam collected his things.

“Ooohh, Professor Winchester is heading out. I better catch him before he leaves. You wanna come? Talk about the assignment?”

“No, you go on.” Sam had given you a run down of the assignment last night. You wanted to pout that he was right. You could have done better.

“Still awkward about the whole drowning thing, huh?”

You looked away, not wanting to remember the pool.

Madison wasn’t paying attention. “You were… I don’t know, delirious. You kept calling him by his name and…” Madison looked at you warily. She did not complete the sentence.

“Y/N saw the opportunity and took it,” said Rebecca from the next row. “I would sell my soul to be lifted like that.”

You slung your bag around your shoulders and made a move to get up. For all you cared, Rebecca could get hit by a truck. Not only were you furious at her for planning that prank with Brad, it made you feel murderous when she objectified Sam like that, reducing him to some greasy creep of a professor. It was insulting.

“Wait up now, sweetie!” She came up from behind. “Don’t act so prissy now. We all know you’re not as innocent as you make yourself out to be.”

“Excuse me?”

“You think I’m blind? To not see how you’re playing with all these men to get what you want? First, you have Brad panting after you, so you get the attention? Then you’re dancing with some random blue eyed man at the induction dance. The very next day you’re swaying in the arms of Chase Lincoln of all people. The moment you touch the pool water, somehow Sam Winchester is miraculously saving you… and two days later you’re crying like a damsel in distress in the arms of yet another man!” She was counting off her fingers. “And people call me slutty! I’m going to find out what your secret is, Y/N. Because I know you have one! And when I do...”

“You know what, Rebecca?” You said as calmly as you could. “Why don’t you go screw yourself.”

With that you headed straight for the library. When Madison caught up with you, her face was red. “Can’t believe I was ever friends with that hag! Gave her piece of my mind.”

“Madison, you should catch professor Winchester before he leaves. I’ll be okay.”

She assessed your words against your expression, then nodded and left.

You wanted to be by yourself. 

Thankfully, cataloging was time-consuming and tedious. It took your mind off of Rebecca’s awful words. For the life of you, you couldn’t understand why she was so mean to you. 

“Excuse me, miss, can I borrow this book?” Enquired a sweet voice. 

You dropped the marker in your hand and looked up. Max was standing beyond the desk, a huge grin on his face. You gave a little yelp of your own and hurried from behind the counter to throw your arms around him, kissing him on his cheek. 

“Gosh, I’ve been dying to meet you,” you said, pulling back to look at him. 

He was wearing a plaid shirt over a small faded t-shirt and jeans. Such a mini-Sam. You couldn’t resist the urge to lean over and kiss his other cheek.

Max started blushing, looking down at his shoes.

“What’re you doing here?” You asked, leading him to one of the benches.

“Alex broke her arm last night. She couldn’t come over today. Dad’s got work. He asked me to hang out here.”

“Oh, no, is Alex okay?”

Max snickered. “Yeah. She was trying to sneak out for a party and fell out of the window.”

You pursed your lips trying not to laugh with him. “Poor girl.”

“Aunt Jody’s super-mad!” He added and you couldn’t help the giggle that burst through your lips.

“Max, is that you?” Molly asked, sticking her head from behind the shelves. “Darn kid! It’s been ages. Where did you run off to?”

“Mechanics camp!” He told her. “I know where an engine goes now. And how to hot-wire a car.”

“They taught you that at the camp?” You asked, skeptic.

“No, uncle Dean did.”

This time you laughed in earnest.

“You know Max?” Molly frowned.

You nodded. “Remember my little friend I told you about?”

“The one you were holding a bake sale for?”

“Yep, he’s the one.”

Molly put her hand to her lips. “Well, no shit! Do you know who his father is?”

You and Max immediately looked at each other, confirming your secret with a tiniest of nods. 

“He’s Sam’s boy, this cute little nugget here.” Molly pulled his cheek. To Max’s credit, he didn’t rub his cheek afterwards.

Which reminded you. “You wait right here, Max. I’ll be back in a minute.” You quickly found the stash of cookies you were saving for tonight's dinner and hurried back to him. Eating at the library wasn’t allowed, but Max was an exception to every rule. “Cookies for you. I know these are your favourite.”

Max’s entire face lit up. True to his nature, he offered you one before digging in. You watched as he took a few bites, sneaking looks to the book he was holding- Adventures of Sinbad. 

“I read one of those when I was kid. It had a monster bird that carried Sinbad away to its nest.”

“Oh, the Roc! That one’s my favorite!” Max clapped his hand and the cookies clattered to the floor.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, trying to pick up the bag.

You stopped him with a gentle nudge. “Let me.” After cleaning the cookie crumbs from the carpet, you unwound the scarf from around your neck and used it to clean the crumbs stuck to Max’s mouth and shirt, fussing over getting it all away.

When you made him stand up to clean the hem of his pants, you noticed Sam standing behind you, arms crossed over his chest. He had a peculiar expression on his face- tender but also guarded.

“You’re not supposed to eat the library, young man!” Sam tried for stern, but ended up sounding amused.

You straightened up. “I make the rules here. Max can do whatever he wants.”

Max gave Sam a smug look, before running to him. In a motion that must have been more of less a reflex, Sam reached out and hefted Max up in his arms. 

“Look, what I found!” Max showed him the book.

Sam made a face. “Sinbad again? That sixth voyage was lame.”

“I wanna find out how it ends. There’s only one adventure left!”

“Alright, but this is the last of Arabian tales for the year. I get second hand sea-sickness just reading about it. I’m starting to miss Charlie and the chocolate factory.”

“You hated Charlie and the chocolate factory!”

Sam smirked. “You’re this close to getting my point.”

Max turned the book over. “We’re out of authors,” he told you.

The words shook you out of your quiet and you smoothened your expression. The scene before you was making your throat close up. You had never seen them together before. Max’s entire body language changed- his shoulders relaxed and he became less polite… just a bit more demanding, the way a child should be. Sam on the other hand radiated contentment. His voice changed, becoming softer, loving when he spoke to Max. You were sure you had been staring at them hungrily as if you couldn’t get enough of the interaction.

“Any suggestions?” Sam asked, tone still mild.

“T-Tolkein,” you stuttered. “You should try The Hobbit.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Elven songs. Wonderful.”

Molly came over to greet Sam and you excused yourself to go back to the desk and take a stock of the emotions coursing through you. At any point it could get too much and you didn't want either of them to see that.  

On their way out, Max waved at you. “Bye, Y/N!”

“Bye, Max.” You blew him a kiss. “You turned my day around, bud!”

There were too many people in the vicinity, so when it came to Sam, you nodded. “Professor.”

He mirrored your gesture. “Ms. Y/L/N.” And with a look full of promise of later, he walked away. You waved at Max till he was out of sight.

“Such a lovely boy,” Molly sighed. “Horrendous business what happened to him.”

“Yeah.” You cut the topic short, still unable to think of Max’s past without feeling faint. Thinking about it was so hard for you, Max had lived through it. 

Molly was in no mood to change the subject.

“Sam’s an amazing guy to give up the lawyer life and settle down here for that kid.”

You narrowed your eyes. “What do you mean?”

Molly threw out her hands, slightly embarrassed. “It’s Sam’s personal choice and all that, but he had a solid career in LA. After that Simmons affair blew up in the media, he could’ve stuck around and bagged A-list celebrities as clients. He moved out to this place for Max’s sake- so there was some normalcy and stability in his life. Then, again, Sam’s had his share of downs.”

Your back felt like ice, knowing what was coming.

“I’m not supposed to talk about it but it’s just you.” Molly leaned in closer. “Did you know his wife left him?”

She must have interpreted whatever your face showed as shock, because Molly continued. “Don’t know much about the whole thing. I heard bits and parts from the grape wine. Some girl he met in Kansas straight out of Yale. Took a plunge in a couple of months and this girl bolted not even a year into the marriage. Can you believe that? I mean, look at him… What the fuck was she looking for that he didn’t have!”

You could taste the blood by biting into your lip too hard.

“Never heard of him dating anyone since. I think he’s still in love with her.” Molly whistled. “At least they have each other- Max and Sam. That kid spends a lot of time here. You’ll keep finding reasons to feed your little friend cookies.” Molly flashed you a grin. You couldn’t quite return it.

It was past twelve when your phone rang. You’d just locked the library behind you and had given up on all hopes of the call.

You hurried to pick it up.

“Hey,” Sam breathed. “Sorry it took me so long.”

“It’s alright,” you sighed in relief at the sound of his voice. The sinking feeling in your stomach since the talk with Molly began to dissipate. 

“It’s your fault really,” Sam said. “Max liked The Hobbit too much and went to bed real late. How am I supposed to wake him in time for his class tomorrow?”

His concerns were so normal, comfortingly mundane. Sam made it sound so easy, when in fact, all this must have been so hard. One time you heard someone say a mean thing about Sam’s wife and it had you rankled. Sam must’ve lived through years of whispers, stories and ugly rumours. He must’ve had to defend his choice of staying committed so many times. Hadn’t the words shred his heart?

“Y/N? Everything okay?”

You cleared your throat. “Uh it’s just… it’s good to hear your voice.”

He was immediately on alert. “What happened?”

“Nothing. Weird day.”

“Where are you?”

You looked about your dark surroundings. “Crossing the playground, almost to my building.”

“Do you want to come over?” He asked, voice hopeful but unsure. “We can sit in the front lawn if you want.”

You made an impulse decision. “Yeah okay.”

Ten minutes later you were sitting on one of Max’s swings. Your tan sweater wasn’t helping much as you shivered in the chill, waiting for Sam to show up. Weird how you made it before him. He lived right there!

Noiselessly the front door opened and closed. Sam walked briskly towards you. He was dressed in dark grey sweatpants and a black full sleeve t-shirt. In his hand he carried an afghan, a thermos and two mugs.

“Here,” he handed you the afghan. It was the same one that was wrapped around you on the night of the pool party. The memory brought blood to your face.

“We don’t have adult juice around here today, but we do have hot chocolate.” Grinning impishly, he tilted the thermos in your direction. He sat on the ground in front of you, carefully filling up the two mugs with the rich, brown liquid while you wrapped yourself in the Afghan. 

Eagerly, you took a sip and moaned indecently.

“Good, isn’t it?” Sam chuckled. 

This was very close to what heaven would feel like. 

“So, what’s the deal, huh?” He asked after a few sips. 

You hesitated, not wanting to admit what the real problem was. It would be the case of a teapot crying to a boiler.

“You know you can tell me things, right?” His voice was soft, beguiling. 

“It’s something Molly said after you left.” You gave in, selfishly spilling it all. 

Sam listened to the whole story, then shook his head at you in exasperation and beckoned you with his hand. You blinked a couple of times, then gave up and went in willingly. 

What the hell, right?

 Sam tucked his arms around your shoulder once you slid on the ground next to him.

“You and I, we know what the truth is,” he said. “How does it matter what anyone else says?”

“Is that what you told yourself all these years?” You asked in a small voice, unable to meet his eyes.

Sam sighed. “Why are you doing this to yourself, Y/N?”

“You didn’t answer me.”

His fingers curled around your shoulder over the afghan. “No, I didn’t have to tell myself anything. I knew I loved you. That was enough.”

“I don’t know if I can be as strong as you.”

“That’s because you’re so much stronger,” he said. “None of those people have lived your life, they don’t know what you’ve been through. I can bet my ass, they wouldn’t have made it out of half of it in one piece. It’s easy to judge.”

“That’s not my problem,” you argued. “I don’t care what they think about me. But I can’t stand how it makes you look!”

Sam surprised you by chuckling lightly. “You’re cute when you’re indignant. Especially on my behalf.”

“Quit making this into a joke, Sam.”

“I seriously don’t know what else to do.” He put a finger under your chin, tilting your face up. “Look at me. I’m the happiest I've been in years! Do you really think I give a rats ass about what anyone’s got to say about me? My personal life has never been anyone’s concern except mine and yours. The only other person who has any say in this is Max. And that kid doesn’t shut up about you.”

Sam’s eyes were scorching, melting against the night sky.

“Molly’s wonderful, and I know she has a soft spot for me. But by the end of the day, it's just gossip. There’s no substance to it. So will you please drop it?”

At long last you nodded. 

“That’s like my Y/N.”

A rustle from the other side of Sam’s fence made you stiffen. The bushes behind the planks began to shake.

“What’s that?”

Sam shrugged. “Probably Alex sneaking out.”

You frowned at him. “Didn’t she break her arm doing exactly that?”

He snorted. “When has that stopped teenagers? It does make life a bit difficult. Jody’s grounded her. She can’t babysit Max for a while and I got work tomorrow.”

You saw Alex creeping on the sidewalk in front of the lawn. She saw the two of you huddled and froze like a deer caught in the headlight. Sam winked and waved a salute at her. After a minute she unfroze, returned the gesture and went off on her way. 

“Why don’t you drop him off at the library in the morning? I’ll keep an eye on him. I’m covering the first shift.” You worked to not sound too excited.

“Yeah, that still doesn’t fix the afternoon. I won’t be back before four.”

“Easy. I’ll wait with him here.”

Sam looked at you, hazel eyes wondrous. “You’d do that?”

“Sure. I owe him a pie anyway.”

“You’re a lifesaver!” He exhaled. “Seriously, I could kiss you right now!”

All you had to do was look up. Sam was right there.

Another crash sounded over the fence, louder than the first, followed by a muted ‘ow.’  You saw lights flare up in what must be the living room. From somewhere inside you heard Jody curse. “Jesus fucking Christ! Claire, what’re you doing on the ground.”

“Why do you always have to catch me!” Claire whined in the darkness. “Alex just left!”

“What. The. Fuck!” Jody yelled. “Get in the fucking car! We’re going to find your sister.”

That did it for you as you buried your face in Sam’s chest, smothering the giggles. His arms wrapped tightly around you. Sam himself was shaking with silent laughter over you.

Yeah, this was pretty close to heaven.

*********************

A/N 2: Thank you for all the support over the last week. 

Sam was right when he said-  “You and I, we know what the truth is. How does it matter what anyone else says?”

I’m going to take his advice :)

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[oh-for-fic-sake]

Under His Eye

Masterlist

You and Henry move in to your new district and Henry wastes no time in putting his foot down these commanders need to know who the new boss is around here!

Warnings: Swearing, handmaids tale patriarchal bullshit, BDE Henry? A/N: so here is the first of my Handmaids tale au, just for reference your driver is Jai Courtney, guard is Chris evans. This is more to set up the story a bit of info ect mostly just seting things up! I took some liberties with the new Gilead arch-types I hope they make sense...Any way enjoy Taglist: @promptandpros​ @isitmine​ @runawayolives​ @two-unbeatable-beaters​ @thatgirly81​ @angelofthor @iloveyouyen​ @sofiebstar​ @thefangirlsblog​ @tinabean37​ @viking-raider​

You sighed looking out the window as your driver-Jai moved the large black car through the streets two black moving trucks and another three cars holding a Martha- Molly and your handpicked guard for the household Chris then just a few of Henry's loyal soldiers who would help oversee the district followed drawing the attention of the locals. Handmaids ,Martha’s ,Aunts, wives and guards alike they all looked. All wanted to see the newcomers. They couldn't the windows were blacked out, for your privacy Henry had said but It wasn't, he liked getting the first look not them. It was rare someone moved home in Gilead. If they did it was because they either got in trouble...Or they got a promotion. Not you, not your husband. Henry was a commander, a son of Jacob but he was more then that he was what they now called an apostle. An elite commander who had proved to be the best of the best on and off the field, he had been an angel- one of Gilead’s best soldiers and was pulled from the front lines after yielding incredible results, not that he really believed all of this shit! God no he did what everyone did in the god forsaken place. He survived. In doing so he worked his way up into the top ranks there wasn't many above him in Gilead now. He was used to bring order in to unruly areas, unruly commanders. And he wasn't idle no he spared who he could ,saved who he could usually women...He spared you saved you from a fate worse then death. You looked from left to right down the road and Henry moved a large hand to yours on the seat between you. He gripped it lightly smoothing his thumb in circles across your skin. You sighed again at him. Curling your slim fingers around his weakly, you hadn't wanted to move not again you wanted a home to settle and just live. "Love...Stop worrying everything with be fine, I'm sure you will make friends here...We will be here for years this time not months" you looked over to him and rolled your eyes at him making his lips twitch in a grin revealing his immaculate teeth. "Friends you mean the lesser wives? Who have probably never seen a Royal blue? And will want to scratch my eyes out at the sight of me?" He laughed a deep baritone sound at your little jab. Yes it was true being a royal blue wife was rare and the regular Teals didn't like it. A fertile wife of an apostle? Yes there was only four of you in Gilead. You were called Royal blues allowed to wear darker and brighter blues then your teal counterparts, darker to show your higher ranking and brighter to show off your fertility...Red was taken. Henry turned to you taking you in he knew how you felt about the move. You didn't want to leave again but it was necessary this district had it all! And the powers at be had enough for so many sons of Jacob this district was in all honesty taking the piss. Suicides? Bombs? Handmaids going insane?, wives reading? Sex out side of the ceremony? To many infringements in such a short time Henry was here to cleanup house and he started with the top. These commanders had no idea that he was coming this was his turf now and he was going to 'tear shit up' as they used to say. He smiled leaning over to his staring little wife kissing her cheek making her blush and go shy. He pulled back and spoke. "Well if they were ever stupid enough to do such a thing you know I'd handle it y/n" you cast him a shy glance and smiled at him you'd be the first to admit you were lucky to have your husband. He was a fine man even with that fuzzy face, the kingstach hid a perfect jawline and dimpled chin strong and defined. His bright blue eyes that were always playful and warm when he gazed at you, yet cold and biting frightening to others. He had his curls looser today one or two skimming his forehead. You couldn't help staring at him...You did at least once a day still in awe of the man. He was masculine strong in every sense of the word he had not dropped his training since being and Angel of the faith he kept it up going for a run and works outs each day. The training he had kept him wide and built more so then the eye's and guards he was just...An incredible male to behold. "My little wife you wouldn't be over come with sinful thoughts now would you?~" you giggled looking away blushing as he teased you bringing your hand to his mouth kissing your palm. "Sinful husband? No I am merely appreciating the good lords handcraft. You are an angel~" Henry scoffed at your teasing and moved his hand tickling your side making you squirm and giggle batting away at him. "Come here you~" you squeaked as he pulled you over to his lap still tickling you before moving in to kiss your lips fully. This is what you loved to the world he was a big scary Apostle but to you? He was your big teddy bear how you had found the love of your life in this wretched place you didn't know but you were thankful for it! You were treated as an equal in the comfort of your own home, sure you followed the laws....Well you did follow most; you didn't read ect but he was adamant that ha healthy sex life determined a healthy marriage and since you had proved fruitful you had no real setbacks now, which was a god send. Henry as it turns out was a randy boy~

Your car rolled to a stop in front of a huge house a gated courtyard it was the largest on the street. It looked light and airy like one of those house posh people had on reality tv...Then again you supposed you were posh people now? You looked seeing a few wives come out into their gardens deciding now was the perfect time to inspect there precious flowers whilst stealing glances to the convoy. "I'm afraid I have to get to work right away...Introduce myself to the local government...I hope you like the house I had it cleaned already and it is mostly furnished hand picked by me of course~" you laughed at him as he wriggled his brow. "Mix and match then my love? Tell me will anything match of do I have to go shopping again?" Henry frowned at you playfully and swooped in for another kiss deepening it cupping your face molding your lips together in an obscene twist of tongues drinking one another in. You moaned softly as he moved crouching over you getting far to invested not that either of you cared Jai didn't he just sat there looking back rolling his eyes at the two of you hand on head. You grunted when he finally pulled away he had a shit eating grin as you whined embarrassingly and pouted at his teasing. "You are lucky we are in the car my love~" you moved up closer breath ghosting his lips taunting him and raised a brow. He hummed a quiet chuckle at you as you kneeled up beside him to be level with his eyes twinkling in amusement. "Luck is that what they call it now Mr Cavill?" He laughed wrapping you up in his arms moving to tuck his face into your neck groaning as he took a breath your scent was of the clean rosemary infused soap you'd began using. He loved the fresh scent just as your fingers began to wander he pulled back with a soft grunt. "Oh come now love your audience awaits we can't get away with having sex in the car...Jai wouldn't appreciate it~" Jai scoffed laughing from the front. "Don’t mind me Henry! Closest thing to action I'm fucking getting, by all means plunder away little hanky panky don't do me no harm ~" you rolled your eyes at his sarcastic reply you kicked his seat making him groan with a laugh you crossed your arms at the two chuckling men. They were close made brothers on the front line Henry had pulled him out as soon as he could he was a very loyal man and you cloth called him family. "Well you'll be pleased to know there is a jezebells here...Just don't fuck around be mindfull-" Henry began to warn Jai waved him off. "Henry fuck man! Consent is consent shit I don't need that lecture besides I will walk in there and have them biting at the bit to see my goods...They will be climbing the walls to let me in theirs they’d be-" "Alright Jai you have a penis well done!" Henry smiled as you cut off the sordid ramblings of a horn dog. He relaxed he knew that Jai would never force himself on a woman its why he hired Jai and Chris like minded men who protected women when they could.

Jai got out placing sunglasses on and moved to the door to let you out. The neighbors held there breath a you were helped out of the car. The bright blue of your dress was the first thing they noticed. You cringed a little at the titters and hisses of the women around the street, you knew what was going on they were asking each other why you were decorated in such a bright color. A lot of women didn't realize even wives had ranks well not out here anyway and as far a ranks got they didn't get higher then you hence why there is only four of you even apostles had to use handmaids. You tucked your hands in front of you demurely just as you'd been taught and turned to the car smiling. "Go in grace husband I eagerly await your return~" you finished with a wink that made him roll his eyes and shake his head at you. It always gave him a chuckle watching as you fell into the Gileadian wife so easily. You stepped away smirking as Jai closed the door and entered the car pulling away fro  the curb. You watched for a few seconds then subtly scanned the street that now had quite a few people outside. It seemed everyone wanted a look at the newcomers. You twisted on your heel your long flowy dress swinging delicately the blue satin almost shimmered making you stand out especially against the dreary back drop of the autumn street. You took a deep breath and stepped to the house making your way to the gate which the other guards had opened and was already carrying things into the house. Molly came and stood next to you as you looked up at the house. "They are staring" she said casually making you sigh closing your eyes feeling the envious and curious stares of your new found neighbors none approached you. Either to shy or frightened no one would come near you yet it wasn't done. Women do not make freinds with other women...Well not the elite anyway, teals were bitter they all had a belief that they would not be held to the same laws as the others and were very put out when they realized just what they had to give up. You held no sympathy for them, they helped create this world they made there bed they can lay in it! "Yes they always stare...Anyone I should be wary of?" She hummed nodding and moved alongside you tipping her head subtly to motion to the street as you made your way across the court yard to the house. Taking slow steps being sure to let the local have a good look, get there fill so they can gossip to one another because really gossip is all women had now. "Well not much in the way of neighbors...Only two you need be concerned about....Mrs Putnum across the road, nosy old bat just had a baby- well handmaid, her husband lost an arm fornication with said handmaid ...Blowjob literally cost him arm haha..Well half an arm at  any rate I just hoped she swallowed at least." You smirked Molly was another of your family though to the word you were the perfect household ruled by a strong patriarchal commander and his iron fist.

The truth was you were all a family you ignored each others slip ups and were free to do as you pleased within reason. You played your silly Gileadian roles, Martha, Wife, Husband and so on but you did not think you were better then anyone none of you really believed in Gilead or its ideals but abided by them on the face of it. Molly moved to look at you letting you enter the house first and continued talking quietly. "But seriously Commander Warren Mrs Putnums husband will probably try to kiss ass with Henry terrified of getting another reprimand...He will be a good tool for him...Watch out for her though because she is stuffed up the local matriarchs ass...One Serena joy Waterford...Up until recently she thought her husband ruled the roost...Snippy she is a shell of the woman she once was reduced to a angry frustrated baby obsessed house wife....She has a baby on the way...Again a handmaid" you nodded as you entered the home it was dripping in marble light and airy just as you'd thought it would be you smiled and turned to Molly. "Lets get begin shall we?" She smirked nodding ready to 'set up shop' as it were you left her to the kitchen and moved through the house alone eyeing the rooms appraising them. Henry had listened this time in selecting your home the rooms were classy and airy nothing really needed to be changed whites and accents of black and gold ran through the house some rooms had pale blues and pinks. It was nice elegant and free you liked it much better then your decadent yet dark home in the capital. You nodded and took a seat On a dark grey velvet love seat in front of a large open fireplace in the small den needing to take the weight off your feet for a few minuets the house was very large and it had taken you a good half an hour to really get your bearings. This would do, you could make this home.

Henry strode into his new workplace dreary old government office posh and smelt of old git, Jai smirked walking beside him he loved this! Henry knew he did its why he brought him Jai liked front row seats to these things. Both men argued over who got to come sadly one of them had to stay and guard you Chris was taking a back seat. Henry nodded to Jai and they both slipped into the 'court room' that in his opinion looked like they had read a bit to much harry potter. Henry stayed in the shadows watching them bicker they had the typical uppity cunts thinking they owned the place, the sniveling cowards who simpered choosing to be neutral in every debate and decision. Then the few who honest to god believed in Gilead regime...There were three one was about to get a very abrupt wake up call. He was going for particecution today under Henry's orders he scoffed watching as all the men panicked amongst themselves a few he knew by name. Warren little weasel of a man already had the fear of god...or more correctly Gilead put into him, Lawrence who had made an unusual appearance he was the only one who knew of Henry's arrival and a close friend...Well close enough that neither ratted each other out. Then there was Cush, well what can we say the man is another weasle used Gilead to gain wealth and fame...Very close to the Waterford's even before the war and then the other one he recognized one of the main reasons he was here. Waterford an original son of Jacob but all bark and no bite...Henry couldn't tell if Fred Waterford actually believed in Gilead or if he just wanted a title without the leg work but yes. Waterford was the one to watch one of Gilead's poster boys that was now pretty much obsolete now that the regime was up and running.Much like his and wife Selena pretty little thing, the perfect image of the perfect woman useful spreading the ideals but now fucking useless waiting around for her prize; A baby.

Henry smirked crossing his arms nodding to an older male a seat away from Waterford. Commander Feaver he was fighting with the Eyes and guards that were taking him to his very own cell ready for his salvation. Death by handmaid particecution. Hanged by the ones he had wronged and raped. A fitting end. "You can't be serious! Who? Who ordered this?!" The desperate man twisted screaming out for anyone to help him explain to him what was happening. But no one knew. Henry did. They didn't. The smiled creeping across Henry's face was wicked and sinister. He watched as others began getting nervous. "The orders from Commander Cavill Apostle of Gilead's righteous ruling government" The room went silent as Henry's name was mentioned, it seems his reputation proceeds him. The commanders looked panicked to one another Waterford was the first to speak. "What?! From the capital?! He's here why wasn't we told of his arrival?!" Henry smiled tucking his hands into the pockets of his woolen coat and placed a foot on the wall behind him as they now spoke quickly and panicked amongst themselves. "And what is he doing poking here-" Finally when a few of the  Commanders stood trying to speak hurriedly wanting to be out Of the building before Henry arrived and that was his cue. "Because as of now I am the one calling the shots in this district..." he spoke loud and clear there was a deafening silence no one moved or breathed. Jai followed casually behind zig zagging across the floor.the only sound was the clicking of his shoes on the polished wood floor as he slowly made his way down to the 'podium' he rested the heels of his palms on the wood leaning forward with a predatory grin

"Gentlemen you have all failed to maintain order! And as a result of your failings you are now all under my jurisdiction" "you?! They called you in?" "Yes I am an Apostle, a messenger here to teach and enforce his word upon all those in this rebellious district... I have a perfect track record of cleaning up the unruly districts...The capital decided to call in the Cavillry as it were~" he chuckled at his own play on words scanning the men now shaking in their boots looking to one another they were used to being the fish fish and now they all looked like fucking tadpoles! Henry took another breath moving around the podium shoving his hands back into his pockets. "I like any good leader start with the top...For those of you not aware of what that means well it is simple you are all in my district..As of now I'm running the show and in my districts we as commanders lead by example or you don't lead at all...bare in mind gentlemen the colonies are always looking for strong laborers and failing that the wall here is very bare~!" Now that caused a few shocked faces he smirked up at the old toffee nosed pricks and made a slow sweep immediately picking out those who looked a little too panicked he would have them looked into. Fred stood up trying to placate Henry with a man to man type of reasoning. "But surely Mr Cavill there should be consetions for us...Diplomatic immunity so to speak" he finished with a laugh he was confident. He shouldn't be. Henry tipped his head back and made a huh. He turned looking to Jai. "Waterford?" He saw the man flinch in his seat, Waterford did not like being known by name by this Apostle. Jai nodded to him with a sly smile fuck he loved being able to watch Henry shit shaft these cunts. Henry nodded humming then pointed a finger at the nervous man sitting on his little 'throne' "Well commander Waterford I’m not sure what kind of Gileadian circus your running here but I’m not her to play a fool, you are to refer to me as commander because that sir is what I am...I'm your commander, your apostle and you now answer to me am I understood commander Waterford?" Henry smiled he could feel the others tense as Henry slapped him down a few pegs swiftly dominating the 'bravest' in the room Henry tipped his head 'politely' to the furious man who swallowed harshly and gave a stiff nod. Good he can learn to behave. Henry opened his hands and clapped loudly pacing from side to side before them. "Gentleman this is how exactly the type of thing we need to stamp out Gilead would fall to ruin if weak willed leaders were left unchecked and that is my job...To remind everyone of their place...These types leaders of have no place in Gilead's elite, we are to lead with strength and honor obey the laws! obey his word and he will reward us..Those are now our values...I suggest to anyone here that believes in the cowardice of hiding behind diplomatic immunity step down as a commander immediately...This is your only warning because as of now there is no place to hide, you will find very quickly that your childish games will not get very far with me..." A hush fell over the room again Jai had to bite his lip it was the best bit! When they began to realize that the rumors were true Henry took no prisoners he came in and dominated he treated everything like a war, every room was a battle field and he was always armed. Not with a guns but with knowledge, he had balls of steel and he didnt mind swinging them around either he was untouchable and everyone fucking knew it. "But a particucution? For sleeping outside of the ceremony?" Oh? Waterford was going for round two? Trying to save face no doubt Jai had to look away as Henry smiled unamused but secretly thrilled. It was rare he got a second go at one Fred really wanted to be a big boy. Henry stood pin straight staring evenly to the now anxious commander. "She was pregnant and lost the child! Tell me is the death of and unborn child not the greatest sin! Would you allow that to go unpunished?" Fred was taken back and flicked his gaze to commander Feaver and frowned before slowly looking back to Henry. "I...we did not know that detail" "You wouldn't have commander information like that is above your pay grade" Henry snipped making another hit on Fred’s ego. His attention was brought back to the sniveling Commander Feaver whining and begging with the guards..Oh how the mighty fall~ to say Henry didn't love this would be a lie, in many ways he was like these men but he made the guilty pay not the innocent. His drive to have those in power that make the laws follow them was unshakeable its what got him here. Gilead central government mistook it for loyalty it was..They destroyed his home and he would make them pay for it until he took his last breath! "She wasn't pregnant! She wasn't! I swear!" Jai rolled his eyes and shifted his feet waiting for a more desperate man to go toe to toe with his brother in arms. Henry sighed and blinked slowly looking up at the restrained man. "She was at the Drs two days before there was a delay in the blood tests she had to do them again did she not?" Feaver nodded whimpering and went to speak but Henry held up a hand silencing him. He was trembling Henry wouldn't be surprised if the man pissed himself. "And these results showed that before your sinful coupling she was pregnant! After your Martha found you with her she was tested again and found to be not pregnant...Your fornication terminated her pregnancy! And for that harm the penalty is death!...now does anyone else have anything else to say?" Henry looked straight at Waterford he was daring him to speak up, the others watched slowly moving sitting back in their seats looking thoroughly fucked. Henry smiled and clapped his hands again this was going to be fun at least half of them were guilty of something he just knew it fro  the terrified looks on there faces. No? Good now take him away, we have other business to attend to!"

[pikapeppa]

FenHawke &Varric friendship fluff: History

I was casually playing DA:I the other day and wandering around in the Hissing Wastes, and I got inspired to write some friendship fluff between Fenris, Rynne Hawke and their beloved BFF Varric. Set in my Fenris the Inquisitor universe.

~1700 words; read on AO3 instead.

************************

Fenris trudged over to the fire and sat next to Hawke with a groan. “I have finally succeeded in beating the sand out the creases in my clothes,” he announced. “For now, at least.”

Varric huffed. “At least you didn’t wear boots. I’m pretty sure I had enough sand in mine to build a castle.” He eyed his own bare feet in disgruntlement, and Fenris smirked; seeing Varric without boots on was a very rare occurrence. 

“Told you to wear sandals,” Hawke said without looking up from the tattered book in her lap.

Varric gave her a long-suffering look. “When have you ever seen me in sandals?”

“There’s no better time to start,” Hawke said. “Bare chest, bare feet — it’s a natural pairing, like peas and carrots.”

Despite her jocular tone, she didn’t lift her eyes from her book. Fenris eyed her curiously. “What are you reading that has you so preoccupied?”

She finally looked up, and her amber eyes were wide and bright with interest. “It’s the journal we found on that poor dwarven fellow who got bitten by a spider. It’s pretty incredible, actually. I mean, sad because he died, poor sod,” she said quickly, “but incredible what he was figuring out.” She turned to Varric. “Did you know there was an entire dwarven house that purposely left the deep roads to set up here on the surface?”

He shot her a chiding look. “Have you ever seen me write anything much about the Orzammar dwarves?”

Her smile became sheepish. “Er, no.”

“Then that’s how much I know about a dwarven house leaving the deep roads to set up on the surface,” he said dryly.

“All right, fine, it was a stupid question,” she admitted. “But listen to this: this Paragon Fairel fellow took his house out of the deep roads before the First Blight to hide some incredible weapon he invented, so the rest of the dwarves would stop using it against each other. Before the First Blight! That’s how many years ago now?” She frowned. “Wait, when was the First Blight again?”

Amused, Fenris answered her question. “In -395 Ancient.”

She batted her eyelashes. “Maker’s balls, you’re so smart. No wonder I married you.”

Varric rolled his eyes. “All right, so some dwarves settled on the surface over a thousand years ago.”

“Yes, but that’s not all,” Hawke said. “It sounds like they were prepared to fight a dragon even before they left the deep roads. The fellow who wrote this journal found an inscription and translated it like this:

From the Stone, have no fear of anything,

But the stone-less sky betrays with wings of flame.

If the surface must be breached, if there is no other way,

Bring weapons against the urtok, and heed their screams.

She looked at Fenris and Varric with wide eyes. “Urtok means ‘dragon’, according to this. And ‘wings of flame’? That can only mean a dragon too, right? They knew before they breached the surface that there would be a dragon to contend with. How did they know that?”

“A good guess, maybe?” Varric said.

Hawke lifted an eyebrow. “But if they had never left the deep roads before, how could they even guess at what they’d find on the surface — and with enough accuracy to know they’d find a fire-breathing dragon?”

Fenris tapped her knee. “Perhaps they knew already of the archdemons, even if the First Blight had not yet happened.”

Her eyes grew even wider. “Shit. You’re right. Maker’s balls, I didn’t even — I never thought about the archdemons breathing fire underground. Do you think they breathe fire underground?”

“Probably,” Varric said. 

She stared at him incredulously. “That’s insane.”

Fenris scoffed. “After everything we’ve seen, with the Titans and those ancient Sentinels at Mythal’s Temple and falling into the Fade, you think that a dragon breathing fire underground is insane?”

“I have to agree with the elf on this one,” Varric said.

Hawke burst out a laugh. “Listen to the two of you! Such grizzled and jaded men of the world! Maybe I’ve just retained my sense of childlike wonder.” Her smile widened. “Or maybe I’m just an idiot.”

Fenris tsked. “A very beautiful idiot,” he said, and he pinched her waist.

She squeaked in amusement and smacked his hand. “You certainly know how to flatter a girl. But really though, think about it: the entire history of this thaig, lost until now. And the Shaperate doesn’t know about it, or covered it up on purpose.”

Varric gave her a funny look. “Since when are you so preoccupied with dwarven history?”

“It’s not just dwarven history,” she said. “It’s… I don’t know.” She twisted her lips ruefully. “It’s rather fucked up how many people have lost such huge chunks of history, isn’t it? The dwarves, the elves… everyone who isn’t Chantry, really.”

“The Chantry is also unreliable with their history,” Fenris said. “They struck Shartan from the official Chant.”

She pulled a face. “Ugh, you’re right. That’s so fucked up, though. Everyone is so bloody casual with their histories. It’s so…” She trailed off with a frown, and Fenris eyed her with a pang of affection. Hawke was by no means the idiot she said herself to be, but it was unusual for her to get this pensive about history in particular. She tended to favour a happy-go-lucky focus on the present or the future, preferring to reserve her mental energy for discussions of magical theory instead of history.

She looked up at them with a little frown. “Even family histories or personal histories. There’s so much shit we can forget. I was named after a great-aunt or a grand-aunt or something, for example, but fuck knows who she even was anymore. Not that that’s any great loss of information, I don’t really care who I was named after. But at the same time, how can we say now what’s going to be important or not a hundred years from now?”

A rather melancholy silence ensued, which Fenris wasn’t sure how to break. He was starting to feel a bit melancholy and pensive himself. Hawke was right, after all; he, for instance, knew nothing more of his own family history than what Varania had told him at the Hanged Man several years ago. As he and Varania had never again contacted each other, it seemed that that was all Fenris would be fated to know.

“Oh balls,” Hawke said suddenly. 

Fenris looked up to find her face crumpled in apology. She sidled closer to him and took his hand. “Oh, Fenris, I’m sorry. I’m being an ass, aren’t I, talking about this family history shit?”

“No, it’s…” He trailed off before he could say it was all right. His lost memories would never really be all right, but they were also no longer the gaping wound that they once were. “I’ve made my peace with my lack of history,” he said instead. “You know this.”

She winced. “I know, I just… ugh, I’m sorry.” She looped her hand through his elbow and hugged his arm. “I’m being so boring and mopey.”

Varric chuckled. “You really are. You and the elf here trading roles for a while?”

“I’m not sure that’s possible,” Fenris said dryly. 

“It really isn’t,” Hawke chirped. “No one but Fenris can fill the role of ‘most gorgeous elf in Thedas’.”

Fenris eyed her chidingly. “It is impossible for you to fill that role. You’re not an elf.”

She widened her eyes playfully. “Nothing gets past you, does it?” 

Fenris huffed in amusement, and Varric chuckled as well before speaking. “Well, I can cheer things up a little. At least we don’t have to worry about losing any of our history.”

“What do you mean?” Hawke asked.

“I mean that we have a perfectly accurate and compelling historian right here.” He raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Fenris chuckled, and Hawke barked out a bright little laugh. “You’re talking about yourself. Of course you are.”

Varric did a little bow from his seated position. “You can both thank me anytime.”

Fenris raised an eyebrow. “For what? Making Hawke a notorious Thedas-wide celebrity?”

“No!” Hawke retorted. “For painting me as a charming hero and not the complete fool that I am, of course!” She shifted over and hugged Varric around the neck. 

He patted her back and smirked at Fenris. “Don’t worry, buddy, I’ll make you look good too in all of this Inquisition shit.”

Fenris sighed. “I appreciate the sentiment, I suppose.”

Hawke smiled sweetly at Varric. “When you write about the Inquisition, can you put in the story about how Fenris and Sera almost knocked Krem out with a stale cookie when they were on the roof that one time?”

“No,” Fenris said hastily. “Absolutely not. That was an accident!”

Varric ignored him. “It’s already written down, don’t worry,” he said to Hawke.

Fenris grunted. “Then you ought to include the time that Hawke asked Bull to teach her to throw a proper punch and nearly sprained her wrist on his unarmoured chest.”

She laughed and poked his thigh. “Hey, that’s unfair! Bull’s tits are so hard they might as well be armour. Dorian should have warned me!”

Varric snickered. “Don’t worry, I’ve got that one written down as well.”

Hawke clicked her tongue. “Well, in that case, you have to include that time that you tried to gamble against Solas and lost so badly that he took mercy on you by not taking your coat and your boots.”

Fenris snorted, and Varric pulled a face. “Aw, now that’s just mean to bring that up,” he complained.

Hawke giggled. They continued to tease each other with favourite stories of the past, both recent and remote, and Fenris smiled to himself as he listened to their laughter and their tales. In the grand scheme of things, the ties between a human mage, a Tevinter elf and a surface dwarf were too humble to survive the fickle nature of history and time. Not all histories were important enough to be written in the pages of a Chantry tome or carved in lyrium into the walls of Orzammar, after all. 

But as Fenris listened to Hawke and Varric laughing and exchanging tales and playful jabs just as they used to do ten years ago, he realized that even the most humble of histories could be infinitely precious. 

[meikodenji]

CODA

Part 1, 2, 3, 4:

Outcast

"Hey Joey!" The boy's dad knocked on his bedroom door. Joey lowered the volume of his speaker that played a song by Guns N' Roses as he continued with the workout. "Yeah, Dad?" "Your cousins are here. I have to go with your tíos." His son opened the door. "Let me guess, the ol' Buffet Night." Joe raised an eyebrow.

"Sure is, cous." His blued eyed cousin, raising his hand with a take out order. "Got your favorite." "Thanks, Carl." He turned to his dad. "Okay, I'll see you later, bud." With that, his dad went out the door to join his siblings and in-laws. ...

"Oh, come on!" Joey exclaimed as Benny won the gambling they were doing. LJ laughed as she and her brother split the money. Mickey and Carl ate, watching in amusement.

The cousins, who saw themselves as siblings, had a great time until it was time to hit the hay.

---

The lunch server slipped the balanced tray over to the hazel eyed teen. He and Miguel tried to find a place to sit, their eyes catching Kyler and his group at the vending machine. They walked around and almost every table was full. They saw two boys their age sitting at a pretty empty table. Joseph kindly greeted, "Is it cool if we sit here?"

One of the boys who was in a yellow plaid shirt, sarcastically replied, "Sorry, table's really blowing up right now." The other boy in a green sweater smiled at his friend's words. "I can put you on the waitlist, but it's probably next semester at the earliest." The standing boys nodded their heads, "Uh, okay." But they were stopped by him. "No, I'm kidding. Sit."

They sat. "Miguel." "Joseph." "Demetri. This is Eli." Miguel nodded at him as Joey said hey, Eli kept quiet but gave a nod. "He's a man of few words." Joey noted that and ate his lunch as he thought to himself. He got little sleep from all the ruckus his father made when he was dragged into the apartment by his older brother and brother-in-law. It sounded like he was laughing, sobbing and singing? very out of character. The only thing Joey knew is that Dad had a long day yesterday. Demetri stopped his train of thought, seeing a group of rich looking girls pass by. "Dude, don't torture yourself. Those are the rich girls." He darted at Miguel.

Miguel questioned, "Do you talk to them or..." "Oh, yeah! All the time." The boy jokingly said. "We hang out after school, make out, give each other hand jobs." Joey snorted at the joke. "Eli here is the homecoming king. Gets laid more than anyone. Isn't that right, Eli?" Eli smiled turning to his new friends.

"Talk to them? You realize what table you're sitting at, right?" Dem explained, "You've pretty much signed away all hopes of losing your virginity before college." Joe shrugged his shoulders, "What's the deal? My dad didn't lose his until his late 20s. We've got time." The boys nodded. Eli's voice stopped their nodding, "Oh shit, Yasmine's looking at us." They turned to see a blonde looking right at them. "Probably just making fun of me."

Joey patted him on the shoulder, "Don't let it get to you, man. Give 'em a few years and they'll wise up." Miguel agreed, "Yeah, I don't think she's making fun of you. I mean, just because they're hot doesn't mean they're mean." Demetri shook his head at that, clearly Miguel has no clue what those rich kids really are.

Yasmine talked to her friends, "Oh my God, you guys, you see that guy over there who looks like he went down on a lawnmower?" The group kept eye contact with that group of girls, Joey giving a killing side eye look at her. "He's literally wearing the ugliest sweater I've ever seen." They laugh, one of them commenting it as wrong. "Speaking of wrong, check out Fug-lisha." A girl in a red plaid vest sat at the tale close to the one with the new friends. Aisha smiled at one of them.

Demetri looked at her in awe. "I don't care if Yasmine is the meanest girl in school. I'd kill the  three of you just to get her to spit in my face." Joe chuckled. "If you don't make a move, you'll never have a shot." Miguel said. "True, but I'll also never suffer a humiliating rejection." Dem pointed out. "I'm at peace with my depression. Last thing I need to be is suicidal."

Miguel stood, confusing the three. "What are you doing?" "He's striking first." Joe answered. "Oh, shit." The boy winced. "Hope we don't get hit with the shrapnel." "Eh, he'll learn."

Diaz walked to the table with peaking confidence. One of the girls noticed him and smiled. Then the moment was cut short when the group of Kyler came to their table. It seemed like the girl was seeing the douche, he laughed at him. "See you later, Rhea." Brucks laughed as he went back to his friends. Sitting down and taking a sip from his chocolate milk,  Demetri questioned the obvious, "So, how'd it go?" Joe gave a sympathetic pat on Miguel. "You'll get her next time, Migg."

The lunch block went on and the bell rang.

"Hey, Eli?" The boy hummed. "Do you know where Chem Honors is?" "I, uh, Dem and I have it next. We can walk?" "Yeah."

About 45 minutes into the class, the three were talking about their favorite things. Turns out, they had a lot in common along with Miguel. Their commotion stopped when the teacher's voice called, "Joseph Byers!" They looked up at her. "Joseph Byers to the office." He put his stuff away, "Can you tell Miguel when you see him?"

"Yeah, for sure." "Thanks. Fue un placer conocerte. See you." He left both in confusion and

Joseph walked into the office to see his aunt and Carl. "What's going on?" "Sweetie, it's an emergency. We have to go, okay?" They quickly made their way out of the school and into his aunt's car. Joe, in the backseat, spoke, "Carl? What happened? Are my yayas all right? Pa?"

"Your daddy was in a terrible hangover that your uncle had to take him to the hospital." His aunt explained, letting her son take it.

"They have no idea how much your dad drank last night or that he even drank." Lucien continued. "The doctors said he was hallucinating, almost like a lucid dream? But he really, really wants to see you."

Joseph's mind raced. What the hell is happening?

Boom! Crossovers galore :)

[littlegoldenbirdie]

Time's imagined salve: the second dose

First off, let me say that time passes strangely in the Afterlife. The Night Songs 'verse will continue to be expanded upon after this, but this happens after everything else. The house with the red door receives a new arrival. Someone new has come to the Night Lands.

Warning: long story is long, and could have been longer.

Dawn, morning, noon, afternoon, dusk. Time itself was a formless infinity in the moon-drenched hills of the Night Lands. Such was an accepted fact in the house with the red door. So no thought of 'when' entered Daenerys Targaryen's mind as she opened the door; only gratitude for the fact that the door opened inward. A wall of slate-gray scales took up half the doorstep, passing beyond it and above it in all directions. An absolutely colossal beast, so huge it could have probably bitten Balerion the Black Dread in half without trying too hard, was sound asleep in front of the house, resting the left side of its massive chin on the doorstep. It was a dragon, yes, but the sheer size of it! Looking the beast over, she saw that no scars marred any part of its body and it showed no signs of ever having suffered any form of hardship. It had grown old, immensely old, and its body had simply decided it had lived long enough. That was why it was so huge, she knew. Dragons never stopped growing as long as they lived, and this one was ancient. Its body was slate gray, with fins of a dusty salmon hue, but something about it made the back of her mind scream at her with some strange realization known only to itself...

Two more screams, these out loud, broke through her thoughts. Her son was squealing unhappy surprise as Rhaegal, who had increased his size to that of a pony to give the young boy rides on his back, came screeching by with a wordless cry of delighted disbelief. She quickly stepped aside to avoid being trampled as the shrieking became words. "BROTHER! BROTHER! MOM, LOOK, IT'S DROGON! DROGON'S HERE!" She started in surprise. Drogon, her black dragon son who had survived them all, had grown into this massive beast? Letting the boy off his back, Rhaegal turned his head to the sky and called out again. "Viserion! Come down! Our brother's here!" A golden thunderbolt descended from the heavens with a joyous shriek and did its best to tackle the huge beast their brother had become, which served to finally, finally awaken him from the sleep that had obviously preceded his death. "...Where am I?" His voice was a roll of thunder from a seaborne storm. "This isn't where I... Mom?!" She clapped her hands over her ears and yelped at the utterly deafening shriek of joy that followed. His attempts to nuzzle her nearly laid her out flat on her back. Another yelp escaped her, which drew the attention of Khal Drogo himself in full battle mode, fully ready to kick ass, no matter the size of the opponent that presented itself.

Seeing his mom on the ground and the strange man glaring at him, Drogon realized how much he had grown and changed over time. Seeing Rhaegal so tiny and young-looking, he realized he could reshape himself. Concentrating on how he had looked when his mother had last seen him, he shrank down into the sleek black beast he had once been. His next few nuzzles were much gentler. "I'm sorry about that, Mom. Please, get up." Looking up as Daenerys stood, he met Khal Drogo's gaze, the fiercest glare he had ever seen from someone so confused. "Mom told us about you..." the black beast murmured. "You are Khal Drogo, whose name I bear. I am Drogon."

Jorah came out of hiding next, which made Drogon's joy become a mixture of relief and shame. Relief at seeing him again, and the accumulated shame of years of self-blame for sending him to the Night Lands so soon. "Oh, Uncle Jorah..." It was almost amusing to see an adult dragon burying his face against Jorah's chest like a frightened child. "I... I didn't mean for Mom to fall that day... The Dead were all over me! I couldn't get them off! Couldn't..." A sound very like a sob escaped him. "Was it... was it my fault you died that day?" All present could tell that this was a guilt Drogon had carried for a long, long time. Jorah, for his part, saw no need for words. He merely hugged the great dragon's head despite their size difference. All had been forgiven a long, long time ago.

Peeking out from the doorway, Missandei couldn't hold back a giggle. Had Drogon had a dog's ears, they would have pricked up. "Aunt Missandei! I missed you too!" He tried to force himself through the door, size issues be damned. "It was so awful watching those bad men chop your head off! Mom got so mad, and then... and then..." He shook like a huge leaf, and this time he lost whatever composure he had. Wailing in utter desolation, the uncounted years since that day melting away like so much springtime snow, the only words he could manage were "The bells... the bells..." Forgotten for the microsecond and feeling the sudden weight of blame though none had been sent her way, Daenerys realized she had never thought about what Drogon might have thought of her decision to burn King's Landing.

A second later, she was back in the conversation. "And then, losing you, Mom..." He sighed. "That's when I wished I could talk like I'm talking now. I let Jon Snow by, Mom. I... I thought he could get through to you, make things go back to normal. The two of you looked so happy when you were together. I thought he could make you be happy again. But he... he..." He turned away. "...I let him go. I saw what he did, and I let him go. He didn't matter anymore. I burned the metal chair you talked about wanting so bad. The Iron Throne, you called it? I melted it into a great big puddle. A thing that causes that much trouble should not be allowed to exist!" He huffed, angry that the desire for a lump of metal and what it represented could cause so many problems. "I took you with me when I left, Mom. I decided I was done with the lands of Men. I remembered the tales you told me of Old Valyria. That your kin once ruled there. That's where I went, and I found the capital city. It took a bit of doing and a lot of patience, but I was able to get your, uh, remains to sit on the Emperor's throne. You're the Empress of Valyria now, Mom. Now and forever."

Young Rhaego yawned. "You're all being boring! Can't we have story-time instead?" Drogon butted him gently. "Sounds good to me, my new brother! How would you like to hear a story about a whole kingdom of dragons?" Daenerys started at hearing that. "You must have found more eggs!" He nodded. "Indeed I did."

The stories began there. He told of his arrival and how it all started, of the Sea Without A Shore and the many Pinnacle Peaks where those with the sharpest eyes watched the horizon for ships, of the Barrier No Eyes May See, which kept Men away. He spoke of how a strong red-scaled male and a swift female with blue wings discovered the secret of creating new eggs(*), and of the markings left behind on ancient walls in the great city that had become an even greater nesting ground, and how the smartest of his children had realized they were words, and the system that had been devised for reproducing them via gouging wing-claws into dirt or crumbling stone(**). Daenerys, for her part, started with a story of tricking Khal Drogo into eating a whole lemon, peel and all. Other stories followed. Soon the Night Lands resounded with the laughter of a happy family, reunited at last.

---

(*)-- I'll share this story later.

(**)-- This will be a story and an outline.

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: Haven (18/50)

Summary: They say Resembool is a haven, and they’re right. Lush pastures, quaint country town, farmers’ markets on Saturdays: a bucolic paradise.

But it’s more than that. Resembool is a haven for the runaways, the deserters, the people who don’t want to be found…

The Resembool community knows there’s something odd about Hohenheim, but they’re not going to let that stop them helping him out. This is Resembool after all, a place where no one has to hide and neighbours help neighbours, be they building a fence, chasing a sheep, or trying to save the country from an evil they inadvertently helped release centuries ago…

Or: A series of slices of life in an AU in which Hohenheim never leaves, and several broken state alchemists find hope and home in Resembool.

Rated: T

==

Haven

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [AO3]

Summary: Trisha realises that her sons are growing up, which leads to some very awkward conversations.

Characters: The Elric family, the Rockbell family

Pairings: Trisha/Hohenheim (Yuriy/Sarah in the background)

==

“Mom, where do we come from?”

“Pardon?”

“Me and Al. Where did we come from?”

“How do you mean, honey? You come from Amestris, like me. This is where you were born. Your dad comes from Xerxes.”

“I know that.” Ed gives an exasperated sigh. “I mean before we were born. Winry says we came from the stars and that a stork brought us to earth.”

Oh. So that’s what he means. Not where he comes from per se, but where babies come from in general. 

Are he and Al old enough for her to be having that conversation with them?

“Tommy at school says babies grow under cabbage leaves,” Al adds. “But I checked all our cabbages and I couldn’t find any.”

“There aren’t any babies under our cabbages, I can assure you of that.” Trisha looks to Van in desperation, but he’s wearing the same ‘rabbit faced with a fox’ expression that she knows she is.

“Babies grow in their mom’s tummy,” Van says eventually. 

“Huh.” Ed stares very hard at Trisha’s midsection. “How did we fit in there?”

“You were a lot smaller at the time,” Trisha points out. “And I stretched quite a lot.”

“Huh.” There’s silence for a moment and Ed goes back to staring at his plate rather than staring at his mother, and for a few minutes, Trisha dares to hope that the conversation is closed. Unfortunately, she and Van raised two scientists and they’re not going to be happy until they have the answers they want. 

“How did we get there in the first place?” Ed asks eventually.

Trisha exchanges another ‘how are we having this conversation at the dinner table with no prior warning?’ look with Van. 

“Erm, that’s what Dad’s for,” Trisha says quickly. Van glares at her with the same ferocity that Ed glares at his milk as the boys look to him innocently for an explanation.

I hate you, he mouths. 

“I don’t think this is a conversation for the kitchen table,” he says. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Once Mom and I have had a very long discussion. And possibly roped in Aunt Sarah and Uncle Yuriy.”

For all he’s usually extremely mild, Van’s tone brooks no arguments and the boys accept it easily, the talk moving to other subjects until the meal is finished and they get down from the table. 

Van groans and faceplants into the scrubbed wood. 

“Why?”

“It was going to happen sooner or later.” Trisha resists the urge to join him in his very close contemplation of the table. 

“Why couldn’t it have been later rather than sooner?”

“I maintain that’s your fault.”

Van looks at her indignantly. “How on earth is it my fault?”

“You’re the reason we have two such incredibly precocious children.”

“Their ability to do alchemy and read Ancient Xerxian has absolutely nothing to do with them asking about the birds and the fleas.”

“Bees.”

“What?”

“It’s birds and bees, not birds and fleas.”

“Right.”

There’s a long silence, both of them trying to find a way out of this that doesn’t involve actually discussing the situation. 

“What do we do now, then?”

“I think your idea of roping in Sarah and Yuriy is probably a good one. Maybe Winry’s been asking the same questions. We can get them all together in one room in one go and maybe the ordeal won’t be as nightmarish as we think it might be.”

“And they say I’m the one who lives in cloud cuckoo land all the time. You’re kidding yourself if you think this is ever going to be anything other than awkward.”

“I have hope.” If there’s one thing that Trisha is never short of, it’s hope. 

X

The next day, Trisha’s hope is not buoyed up by Sarah bursting out laughing when she tells her the tale of what went on over dinner. 

“Sorry, I’m just imagining the look on Hohenheim’s face. It must have been priceless.”

“It was, but that’s kind of beside the point. I have the unfortunate situation of having a family of scientists and if I don’t give them answers, you can bet they’ll go looking for them. Not that any of Van’s books contain anything that will help them, so they might be there a while, but time is still ticking and I think they ought to learn these things from parents rather than anywhere else.”

“Are you saying there’s no such thing as erotic alchemy?”

“If there is, Van’s been keeping it very secret for the entirety of our relationship.”

“Ask him. You never know what you might be missing out on.”

“I am not bringing alchemy into our bedroom. I have enough trouble getting him to leave it alone and come to bed as it is, and this is all beside the point, Sarah!”

“All right, all right, I’m sorry. I’m having way too much fun with this.”

“I’ll say. Have you got any ideas?”

“Nope. None at all. I’m trying to remember the discussion I had with my own parents but to be honest I think I must have blocked it from memory.”

“Same.” Trisha sighs. “Do you think they’re old enough?”

Sarah nods. “Yes, I think so. And you’re right, we might as well get all three of them together.” She pauses for a long time. “It just goes to show the mundaneness of everyday life. Your husband is immortal and pretty much on a one man mission to save the world as we know it from imminent destruction and yet you still have to worry about giving your kids The Talk.” Suddenly she bursts out laughing again. “You know, I think I got most of my education from trashy romance novels. Heaving bosoms and quivering thighs, that kind of thing.”

Trisha snorts. “Yeah, I know the type. Then you get to the real thing and it’s nothing like the books, and you can’t decide whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

“It’s a good thing. I’m a doctor. I know that heaving bosoms aren’t usually healthy.”

“I think this is going to be one of those occasions where I walk straight back out of the kitchen and pretend I never heard any of that.” Yuriy is halfway out of the door again when Sarah calls him back. 

“Wait, wait. We were talking seriously about things before you came in.”

“We were?”

“Yes, we were. We were talking about giving the kids The Talk. Ed and Al have been expressing an interest in learning where babies come from.”

“Ah.” Yuriy sits down at the table with them. “Right. I see.” 

There’s a long silence and then Yuriy gets up again. “If I have to be here then Hohenheim does too; he’s not getting out of this.”

Half an hour later, all four of them are sitting around the Rockbell kitchen table whilst the three kids play in the garden and Pinako watches them all from the doorway with barely concealed amusement. 

“For two doctors, a farm girl and an immortal who’s seen everything, you aren’t half squeamish about the topic,” she remarks. 

Yuriy and Sarah protest that it’s a sensitive subject that requires deliberation, Trisha protests that animal husbandry is very different, and Van protests that he definitely has not seen everything.

“Well, before you resume your debate as to the best way to go about this, I’ll draw your attention to the kitchen window.”

They all look out into the garden, where the three children are staring open-mouthed at the field next door, where a particularly virile ram has decided that now is the time to vigorously perpetuate its species.

Trisha just groans and resists the urge to faceplant into a kitchen table for the second time in two days. Yuriy does not resist the urge. Sarah is back to giggling, and Van appears to be trying to reach a higher plane of existence. 

“Granny…” Winry comes to the door. “What are the sheep doing?”

“Mom, if you answer that I will kill you,” Yuriy mutters, muffled by the table. 

Pinako just rolls her eyes and shepherds her granddaughter out of the house again. “Winry, I think it’s time you and Ed and Al learned where babies come from, and since the thought of telling you seems to have made your parents short circuit, I suppose the task falls to me…”

Trisha supposes she should be grateful that the talk is out of her hands.

She’s absolutely not grateful when Ed asks questions about the circumstances of his birth the entire way home. 

“Does it hurt?” 

“Which part?”

“Any of it.” 

“It hurts when the baby comes out.”

“Huh.” There’s silence for a while and Trisha dares to hope she’s past the worst. “I’m glad I don’t have to have babies.” Another pause. “I hope Winry never has to have any.”

Al agrees wholeheartedly, and Trisha catches Van’s eye. He smiles. Things could have been an awful lot worse, after all. He finds her hand and she goes up on her toes to kiss him. 

“Are you making us a sister?” 

They break apart to see Ed standing with hands on hips, watching them.

Trisha can only sigh. It’s going to be a long evening.

[pxnk-velvet]

The Dancing Warrior: Water, Chapter 7

(Sokka x OC Reader)

It had been some time since Navani had joined her friends on this crazy journey. Growing to know more about each other, building trust, making good memories and not so good ones as well. But despite everything going on around her, Navani knew this is where she was meant to be. She felt in deep within her soul that she was destined to help the Avatar.

Just like in the legends and myths. She knew her dual bending was special and one of the rarest forms know to human kind. There had only been a hand full of dual benders before her time. There were multiple tales of how dual benders came to be. One being that when a mother and father had a deep connection, deep within themselves, and how they balanced each other out perfectly that it was shown through their creation of new life. Or when the planets were aligned just right, the universe would pick a soul so pure at heart, bestowing upon them the power of unity between two elements. Which only happens every couple thousand years. Another being that when the Avatar is faced with a near death situation but the time for the cycle to start anew isn’t right, producing a new life and soul to carry on a piece of the Avatar but not reincarnating entirely.

The only problem was that she didn’t know exactly how she was able to bend two elements. There were so many theories that it just hurt to think about it too much. Of course this had been a reoccurring thought throughout Navani’s whole life but more now then ever for some reason. At one point, she had tried meditating with Aang to try and figure out where her power came from. This and the Water Tribe boy were the only two things on her mind and she hated how easily distracted she had gotten. Tuning out the rest of the world and drifting mindlessly into whatever daydream she was having.

At the moment she was laying with her arms behind her head, starring up at the clouds, lost in her thoughts. Aang, Katara, and Sokka all sat around her in the little camp site they had set up by a river. She sighed, eyes on the blue sky. Blue like her mother’s eyes. The blue that matched her single eye and the eyes of Katara and Sokka. She turned her head to the side, looking at him. Thinking about the fact that she still hadn’t received the kiss he had asked her for.

She wondered what his lips felt like, tasted like. What his hands would feel like on her skin....

“Hellooo! Earth to Navani!” Sokka shouted, leaning right over her face, startling her.

She yelped, jerking to sit upward, smacking their heads together.

She groaned, holding her head, “Sokka!”

He chuckled, “Sorry.”

Then a big fish started floundering in the river, catching everyone’s attention.

Sokka leered at the fish jumping about, “He’s taunting us,” he ran over to grab the fishing rod, “You are so going to be dinner.”

Navani jumped up, “Not if I get him first!” She ran towards the water.

“Hey,” Sokka whined, stopping Navani in her tracks, “Where’s the fishing line?”

“Oh, I didn’t think you would need it Sokka.” Aang smiled, showing off his creation.

Navani stepped back towards the group as Sokka complained about the line being tangled.

“I made you a necklace, Katara. I thought since you lost your other one.” He cheesed again, handing over the necklace.

“Awe! Isn’t that sweet.” Navani cooed as Katara thanked him. Sokka made another snarky comment, heading back towards the river.

Then the fish made another interruption causing Sokka to throw the fishing rod at it and Navani to take off towards the water.

The two wrestled in the water, each trying to catch the fish while stopping the other from doing just that. At one point, Sokka had gotten hold of her leg, thinking it was the fish, holding it to his chest while her head was still under water. She struggled to come to the surface, so she bended Sokka back into the water. Laughing as he flew backwards.

However while she was laughing, Sokka had been able to catch the fish, making some remark about Aang being in love.

She snorted, “Look who’s talking. Yours the one who’s wrestling in the water with a girl!” Katara retorted. They all laughed even harder as the fish wiggled out of his grip, smacking him in the face with it’s tail, managing a successful escape. She decided to let the fish go, making her way out of the water with Sokka. She swiftly bended the water off of her clothes, aiding Sokka as well.

Then a tremendous roar came from further down the river. The group took off after it, stumbling upon a man faced with a platypus-bear. They all yelled suggestions at the man but they just flew over his head as he dodged every swing from the animal, mocking with with funny remarks. He had insisted he was completely fine and that everything was under control. Until Aang took things into his own hands.

“Thanks but everything was already under control.” The man said, standing swiftly with a smile, “Aunt Wu predicted I’d have a safe journey.”

Navani’s eyebrows came together, “Huh?”

“Aunt..who?” Aang asked.

“No,” the man laughed, “Aunt Wu. She’s the fortune teller from my village. Awful nice knowing your future.”

Navani scoffed, “Yeah, right.” She stood slack with her hands on her hips. Katara and Aang were fascinated while Sokka and Navani thought so other wise.

The man said his goodbyes, handing Aang a package on account that Aunt Wu said so. Aang quickly opened in, revealing a little orange umbrella. Then it started raining, “Well isn’t that just perfect.” Navani huffed as the rain seeped into her freshly dried clothes.

===

After a short walk, they had all ended up, sitting on the floor, waiting for Aunt Wu to see them. They had been greeted by a younger girl named Meng, who had an obvious liking towards Aang. Navani watched from afar at their little interaction, quite amused as she observed from beside Sokka.

“I can’t believe we’re here at the house of nonsense.” Sokka groaned, sitting back on his hands with his legs stretched out in front of him.

“Try to keep an open mind, okay?” Katara pleaded, “There are things in this world that just can’t be explained. Wouldn’t you like some sort of insight into your future?”

Things that just can’t be explained, Navani thought in her head....maybe, just maybe she could find out the truth as to why she could bend two elements. Opposites for that matter. And maybe knowing a bit about her future would hurt either.

Soon after another girl came out of a set of doors, gushing about how she was going to meet her true love and that he was going to give her some sort of rare flower. A little after Meng came over with some tea and snacks, nearly tripping as she handed Aang the platter. Navani chuckled lowly at the blush on the kids faces as Meng rushed away.

Sokka took the platter out of Aang’s hands, stuffing his face with the puffs. Navani leaned over to get a closer look, only for him to smile with a mouthful of puffs and offer her some from the bowl. She giggled, taking a puff and tossing it into her mouth.

“Welcome young travelers,” An older woman greeted, “Now, who’s next? Don’t be shy.”

“Me!” Navani jumped up all to excited, “Uh, I mean, I guess I’ll go.” She stuttered as her cheeks flushed, walking slowly behind to old woman into a separate, closed off room.

“Well my dear, you can sit right over here.” Aunt Wu instructed, gesturing towards a pillow on the floor.

Navani sat gingerly, taking in the space around her. It was very....interesting to say the least. Aunt Wu rustled around for a little bit before sitting in front of the young girl.

“I don’t mean to be rude but,” Navani began, wringing out her fingers nervously, “How do I know if anyone of this is real?”

Aunt Wu gave a warm smile, “Well, my dear, your future is constantly changing. With every little decision you make. If you choose to believe, then what I tell you has a higher possibility of becoming your reality.” She reached for the young girl’s had, flipping it to gently run her fingers over her open palm.

After a moment, Aunt Wu looked up with wide eyes, “My goodness dear. You’re in for quite a ride.”

[][][]

Taglist

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[rocksandrobots]

Of Rocks and Robots Ch. 21 - Fishing Trip

"So what do you wanna do this weekend?" Hiro asked Varian.

The other boy only shrugged his shoulders as he had no idea.

It was Friday and they were both walking home from school while trying to make plans for the weekend. All of their other friends were either away or busy due to Father's Day coming up. Fred was going to accompany his dad on a mission. Gogo was driving down to her father's for a few days. Wasabi had bought plane tickets to fly back to his hometown of Seattle. Karmi went back upstate for the weekend with her parents, and Megan was still grounded, but had a full day planned to butter up her dad. Even Honey Lemon was going home to spend time with her abuelo.

This left Varian feeling a little awkward. In Corona they had a Guardians Day, which was meant for both parents or caretakers in general, but for Varian it was always a day for just him and his dad to spend time together. One of the few times in the year when his father wouldn't work in the field, or go to market, or have business at court.

Varian knew precisely what a day like Father's Day meant and how special time spent with the man who raised you could be. He envied his friends, but mostly, knowing this would be the second year without his dad pained him.

In a way, he was thankful that Hiro shared his delima. Though he certainly wouldn't have wished his predicament upon anyone, it was still somewhat comforting to know that he wasn't alone.

They were a less than a block away from the Lucky Cat, still discussing things to do, when a sleek car pulled to a stop beside them. The window rolled down to reveal a man with blonde hair, a large nose, and a wide smile. He was wearing a plaid shirt and a tan floppy hat.

"Hey Hiro! Go grab your overnight bag and some sunscreen!" He joyously ordered. "Your new brother, cousin, thingy too. We're going fishing!"

Varian could only look on confused, he didn't know this man nor why he wanted to him and Hiro to go on a fishing trip with him. However, Hiro apparently did know him and was also apparently not onboard with this idea at all. He stood with his mouth a gape with a look of horror in his eyes.

After processing this terrible news, Hiro could only sputter out, "But.. but why?"

The man in the vehicle began to offhandedly list his reasons. "Because fishing by oneself isn't any fun unless there's someone else around to show off to. Because I had an awful childhood, whose own father would never take fishing, and now I'm living vicariously through you. Also, you're still my intern and for the rest of the year, I still own you."

The man flashed another wide grin and Varian began to put the pieces together. This must be Krei. Owner of Krei Tech, the man in charge of the portals that brought him here, and also Hiro's boss. Though, this new revelation did nothing to stem the confusion in his mind. He couldn't for life of him see why he was being invited along on the trip nor did he understand Hiro's objections.

"But...but...b, but…" Hiro suttered desperately trying to think of way out of going.

"No buts! I've already talk with your aunt and got her permission, reserved the campsite, and I even bought you both fishing poles!" Still grinning, he reached down beside him and lifted the new poles up for Hiro and Varian to see.

Hiro let out a wordless half groan, half whine in defeat, before turning around and slumping towards the cafe. Varian blinked and looked back and forth between the two of them unsure what to do. Krei waved to him cheerfully, clearly excited for the upcoming trip, and Varian numbly waved back before deciding to follow Hiro and pack his own bag.

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

Varian found himself enjoying the fishing trip more than he had expected. The first day was spent mainly getting there and setting up the campsite. The second day was spent fishing, exploring, and just taking in the scenery.

Varian had been allowed to bring Ruddiger along, as Hiro had also brought Baymax. His pet was overjoyed to be back in his natural environment and Varian had to admit that he felt more at home here in the great outdoors than in the crowded streets of San Fansokyo. The big city was fascinating but he'd always be a simple farm boy at heart.

Krei felt much the same way. The businessman hadn't been raised in the countryside the way Varian had, but he had a great love of camping, fishing, and being out in nature. His passion stemmed from childhood summers spent on vacation at something called 'summer camp'.

Varian found he got along with older man well. They spent the ride up chatting about science and it's more practical applications, spent the trip sharing wilderness tips, and fishing out in Krei's boat. Fishing had never been Varian's favorite activity, but he now found a new sense of nostalgia for it and the praise Krei would send his way whenever he caught one helped to fuel his enjoyment of the sport even more. Plus he got a chance to show off his cooking skills after they had cleaned their catch. Not the most pleasant task ever, but Varian could stomach it much better than butchering other kinds of meat.

Hiro however did not enjoy fishing, or camping, or anything to do with the outdoors really. The other teen mostly sulked the whole trip. When he wasn't busy gagging at the worms used for bait or getting scared by the unfamiliar sounds of the local wildlife that is. Mainly he stuck close to Baymax and the tent, bored out his mind and annoyed he had been forced to come long. Varian's enthusiasm only aggravated him further and, if he was being honest with himself, he was a little jealous by how easy things came to the other boy. He'd spent half a year trying to get on Krei's good side and impress him, while Varian had managed it in mere minutes of meeting the CEO.

The only time Hiro came out of his grumpy shell was at night, when they built a campfire and roasted marshmallows. Varian had never had smores before, but they were tasty, if also sticky and a little too sweet. Ruddiger however went nuts over the fluffy sweets and had to be kept from stealing the whole bag of them. Hiro didn't really care one way or the other about the traditional treat, but was more than eager to share ghost stories with the rest of the group. Gleefully recalling with gory detail about the spirit of an ax murderer who apparently stalked the woods. Perhaps it was a little vindictive of him, to try his best and scare the other teen, but Hiro couldn't help filling a little thrill whenever Varian gave a little jump or clutched his pet raccoon even tighter in comfort.

Keri was only amused by the story. He'd heard similar ones growing up at camp. He laughed at the end of Hiro's tale.

"Ha! Kids are still telling that one? Let me tell you a real horror story."

It was about tax audits.

Both boys could only shrug at each other.

"I do not understand the purpose of a 'ghost story'." Baymax observed.

"It's suppose to be for fun." Hiro informed him.

"I see; an adrenaline rush within a safe and controlled environment can be considered a pleasant feeling for some people. However I do not understand how taxes figure into that."

"Uuuuh, neither do we." Hiro admitted, "but I guess fear is subjective. Do you have any stories to share, Varian?"

Varian had to rack his brain on that one. His own life was more of a horror story then most ghost tales he knew, but he didn't want to devel into that. Instead he told a folk legend that his dad had once told him. It had been an old story from his home country; a parable about a rich man who was so greedy that he hoarded a well from the poor townspeople during a drought. Forcing them to pay him tribute lest they die of thirst, but he made the mistake of refusing water to a witch and so was cursed to become a vampire. To spend an eternity in thirst himself and to be forever alone, because he could no longer get close to other people without risking harm to them.

"And so a leader must care for his people, son," he remembered his father instructing him at the end of the tale, "He must share and give back to the community. He who sacrifices love for his fellow man in exchanged for selfish possessions, forfeits his right to live among mankind and to even be called a 'man' himself."

If only his father's words had been true. If real life had been as simple as stories, then Corona would have sided with him and not the evil king who kept the wondrous healing flower hidden away and who turned his back upon people need. But Varian conveniently left out this more personal anecdote.

"Wow." Hiro said flatly. "That's deep."

He wasn't used to horror stories having explicit morals attached to them and didn't know how else to respond. The tale hadn't been scary so much as eerie with an unnerving ending. Unlike his serial killer story, it wasn't anything you could be afraid of happening to you, yet questioning your place in the world was somehow more off putting than simple dismemberment.

The mood was broken however, by Ruddiger stealing Hiro's marshmallow off his roasting stick. It turned out to be last one as Krei had spent the majority of Varian's story battling the gluttonous raccoon over their food stores.

"I know racoons aren't 'mankind', but does this mean he's doomed to be a marshmallow vampire now?" Hiro joked as Varian got onto his pet.

"I don't know. Your robot looks like a walking marshmallow though." Varian shot back good naturedly.

Now out of food, save for leftover fish, they all decided to tuck in for the night.

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

Hiro hated the woods. He hated how unfamiliar everything was, how inconvenient it was, and most of all he hated how gross it was. He woke up irritated and sore from sleeping on the thin sleeping bag inside the tent. He couldn't find anything decent to eat for breakfast. He never stopped grumbling while he was forced to use the bathroom outside. To make an awful morning even worst, he couldn't shake the feeling of being stalked as strange animals hooted and howled. One bush in particular shook right when he pasted it. He nearly jumped out of skin when Ruddiger pop out of it holding the last of the fish in its mouth.

He groaned as he watched the raccoon scurry away and climb up a tree a little ways off from the campsite. He didn't much care for the creature, or for wild animals in general, but he knew how important the pet was to Varian and so had tried to be polite about having it around. Still Hiro's patience was wearing thin. The walking bottomless pit had eaten practically everything in the camp.

Hiro reluctantly followed after, debating if it was worth trying to get the fish back. Probably not, he didn't even like the taste of fish all that much to begin with. He stopped in surprise when an apple core fell from tree and nearly hit him. He looked up and found Varian sitting in one of the top branches, raccoon by his side, and reaching up to pick another apple off the tree.

The other teen paused when he saw Hiro. "Hey! Morning! You wanna an apple for breakfast?"

Hiro's stomach growled in response but all he actually said was, "How did you get up there?"

Varian laughed, "Climbed up here. How else you do think? Fly?"

Hiro looked up at him blankly. It was an obvious answer, of course, and he felt silly for having asked it.  

"Come on up!" Varian encouraged. "There's plenty of apples to go around."

"I..I can't." Hiro admitted sheepishly.

"Why not?"

"I don't know how to climb a tree." He mumbled.

Varian looked surprised by this revelation and before Hiro could do anything else, the other boy quickly climbed back down to join him.

“You never climb a tree before?”

‘Well, I did once, with Baymax’s help.” He rubbed the back of his neck self consciously.  

“It’s not like there’s a whole lot of trees in San Fransokyo to climb.”

“Oh, well, it’s easy. Here, I’ll show you. Just put your foot there, in that knot, and place your hand here on this bump in the bark.” Varian instructed, helping Hiro find the footholds. “Now you see that groove up here, place your other foot there, and as you hoist yourself up grab that lowest branch with your other hand, like climbing a really uneven ladder.”

Hiro did so, though not without some struggling, but eventually he pulled himself up onto the lowest branch.      

“Great!” Varian cheered and followed after with practiced ease. “The hardest parts done. Now all you gotta do is swing up the rest of the branches, like so.”

Varian took off, showing Hiro the best way to navigate the tree top. Hiro followed him, mimicking the other boys actions. With great effort he hauled himself up onto the final branch and heaved a ‘wooooph’ in relief of having made it up.

His sigh quickly turned to awe though when he caught sight of the view. The early morning sun sparkled on the lake. Further out a misty fog was beginning to disperse and you could see the opposite shoreline reflected in the water like glass. Beyond that giant redwoods poked out of the canopy of trees and way, way off in the distance you just about make out the tips of blue mountains.

“Woah.” He breathed. Hiro had to admit, you didn’t get scenery like this in the city.

‘Here.” Varian handed him an apple. It was smaller than the ones you’d buy in the store, with pink and yellow skin. Hiro tentatively took a bite. It was crunchy and very tart, but edible. Not to mention it was practically the only food they had left in the camp, so Hiro wound up eating it all and started in on a second one.

“So, where did you learn to climb?” Hiro asked taking another large bite of the wild fruit.

“Oh, I’ve been climbing trees since I could walk.” Varian laughed. “We owned an apple orchard along with the farm. Also the forest is right next to my village.”

Ruddiger joined them, procuring his own apple and sitting right on Varian’s lap to enjoy his meal. Varian scratched his pet’s ear.

“Does he ever get full?” Hiro asked.

“Nope.” Varian replied, and then they both broke into giggles.

Once the laughter had subsided Hiro commented, “I guess that’s why you’re so good at this outdoors stuff. This is the first time I ever been fishing, and with any luck, it’ll be my last.”

“My dad taught me.” Varian quitely confessed. “He’d take me on trips like this sometimes. Try to teach me how to hunt and fish. The fishing is a lot better than the hunting, let me tell you. I never could fire an arrow right and I can’t stand the sight of blood.” He cringed as if recalling a gruesome memory. “But, I guess he was just looking out for me. He taught me the skills he had to live on to survive. Apparently there were no farms where he grew up, the land was always baren. I guess that’s why he prefered gardening to being a knight.”

“Wait, your dad was an actual for real knight?”

Varian nodded, “Yeah, I found his armor after...after the accident. Along with a bunch of other important stuff he never told me about.” He added bitterly.

Hiro didn’t know how to respond to that. So he stayed quiet and let Varian dictate the conversation.

“Anyways, it worked. The fishing did come in handy. I had to do a lot of that, when.. when I was on my own.” He worked his jaw as he mulled over that last confession, his eyes gazing out to into the distance, clearly not seeing the breathtaking view before them.

Hiro’s heart dropped. He had a vague idea of what happened to Varian, but this was the first time it really hit home just how messed up the other’s teen’s life had been before now. He could empathize with losing a loved one, but he had always had his aunt and his friends to depend upon. If nothing else to be there and take of him as he sank into depression. But Varian had to do everything for himself, even while battling that same depression. The idea of having to catch or scavenge for your own food on top caring for you ill father was a nightmare that Hiro could barely comprehend. A nightmare that only somehow got worse.

“Fortunately, there’s a river that runs through my village, and I could set up lines overnight and just go check them in the morning, and we had food stored up for winter. Like oats, bacon, dried peas, that sort of thing. That is, until spring rolled around and the king's guards run me out of my house.” He said irritably.”Then I just had to forage or steal to survive.”

“Be...because you stole medicine?” Hiro asked disquietly. He couldn’t imagine a world so cruel and yet to his surprise the story got even worse.

“Oh no, this was before I stole the flower.” Varian said matter of factly and Hiro just stared at him in horror. Varian heaved a heavy sigh and went on to explain. “My father was the only other person who knew about the sundrop. The king kept it hidden from everyone. I guess when he found out that my dad, was, was ‘gone’, he decided to try and remove me from the picture, so as to keep his secret safe. He made a bunch of false charges about me ‘attacking the princess’ so that no one would believe me when I asked for help or told them the truth about the flower. Then he sent his elite guard to arrest me and I had to run.”

Varian gave a little shrug and added, “I guess after that, ‘treason’ didn’t seem like that big of deal. I mean they were going to throw me in jail either way, and not many people leave those dungeons alive.”

Hiro could barely process what was being told to him. He didn’t know what to say. His stomach churned and his breath shallowed. Varian’s past was far scarier than any ghost story.

Then suddenly he felt guilty. He’d been so caught up in his own grief and his own struggles with readjusting, that he hadn’t actually stopped to think about things from Varian’s perspective. He had thus far grinned and bared the discomfort of having his life turned upside down, because, well because that's what he thought he needed to do in order to be a mature decent person. And while that was true in part, it never occurred to him that this move was yet another upset in Varian’s life, in a long, long string of seemingly never ending upsets.  

Hiro found himself so easily annoyed by the other teen, yet he really had no right to be. Varian was readjusting to whole new culture and way of life in addition to struggling with his grief and trauma. So what if he cooked weird food sometimes, didn’t always know the appropriate conduct to certain situations, or was so super confident in nearly everything he did that it made Hiro self conscious and a little jealous at times. Deep down, Varian was suffering through something that no one in Hiro’s little corner of the globe could fully understand, and the least that Hiro could do was try to be a little more patient and a little more open about letting Varian into his life.

“You know,” Hiro slowly said, trying to ease the conversation and offer a little understanding, “I never really knew my dad. I was just four when he and my mom died. It was always Tadashi who taught me things, like how to ride a bike or how to hotwire a robot. Though he never taught me to climb to tree, so I guess that’s one I owe you.”

He smiled encouragingly at Varian, who nervously returned it. Once again Varian wasn’t used to praise or acknowledgement that he anything ‘right’.

“Maybe, you could teach me more outdoorsy stuff.” Hiro offered. “And I can teach you more about more modern stuff, like how to play Mind Smith II Turbo .”

“That..that’s that video game you like, isn’t it?” Varian asked as he tried to remember what Hiro even talking about.

“Yeah!” and with that Hiro eagerly launched into a detailed description of the game.

Soon the boys were interrupted by Krei emerging from the tent. He stretched sore back and tried to reheat the leftover instant coffee he’d brought. He then promptly spit it back out in disgust. The boys tried their best to suppress their snickers. Keri spotted them anyways.

“How ‘bout we pack it up and go get tacos instead?” He asked them.

“Yeeesss!” Yelled Hiro, who was more than ready to go.

“Sounds great!” Agreed Varian. “We’ll be right down!”

Keri went back in the tent to start packing and Ruddigger scurried down after him, hoping to maybe steal another treat from the camp.

Varian stood up and started to also make his way down when Hiro’s voice stopped him.

“Ummm...Sooo how do you get down exactly?”

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

The day ended with a trip to Yaki Taco and a huge feast of fast food nachos and deep fried burritos. Rudiger was once again confined to his carrying cage, but was allowed a cup of some cheese sauce to snack on. Baymax was let out of his charger case to kept an eye on the mischievous raccoon. All agreed it was actually the best part of the camping trip.

“Say, ‘cheese’.” The robot said, as he took a photograph with his internal camera.  

The three guys sing songed the the word even as actual cheese dripped off the burritos they held in their hands, plastering on dopey grins for the camera. Then a few more pictures with silly faces to complete the set.

“Fantastic!” Krei said. “I want copies for the office.”

“Why?” Hiro asked.

“So if any clients come in I show off ‘my family’ to them instead just the photo of my mother. I love the woman but she doesn’t necessarily impress the image of ‘family friendly company’.”

“I knew there was a catch.” Hiro scoffed.

Keri looked wounded. “Hey, I told you, my employees are my family.”

Hiro rolled his eyes but he couldn’t help giving a little smile at that. He knew Krei well enough by now to know that, underneath his seemingly conviving self-serving self, he had a heart, and he wouldn’t have invited Hiro and Varian along if he didn’t care.

“Aunt Cass put you up to this, didn’t she?” He prodded.

“I’m sworn to secrecy.” Krei insisted and they gave Hiro a knowing wink. Then more seriously he said, “I know what it’s like not having your dad around on Father’s Day. So, I figured, why not a fishing trip? It’s better than being stuck at home while your father’s away on a business trip to Tahiti that weekend.”

Hiro raised in eyebrow. Keri had a tendency of oversharing at times.  

“Buuut, enough about me. Who wants dessert!?”

[goldleafacrossyourlips]

Uneasy Lies the Head - Dark Lord/OC - CAOS - Chapter 2

Chapters - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13

Chapter 2 - A Spoonful of Cyanide Helps the Medicine go Down

Nothing helped strengthen family bonds like good ol fashioned murder. So when her Auntie Hilda asked for help lacing her almond cookies with cyanide, Samara hopped to it. Most people would expect Zelda of being the family member to lean towards murder, and they weren’t wrong. Many people overlooked cheery Hilda, expecting her to sooner burst into tears rather than take a violent course of action. How wrong those poor souls were. Aunt Hilda’s advantage was that people underestimated her and didn’t expect much from her. 

So when Aunt Hilda brought her guest into the parlour, Samara made sure to stick to the shadows that always welcomed her, to watch. 

Will you walk into my parlour said the spider to the fly. The poem passed quickly through Samara’s thoughts and she held back a snicker. It felt like watching the poem come to life as she watched their guest and Hilda sit. The plate of cookies sat so unassumingly between the two and Samara was practically vibrating in anticipation. Hearing about how this jealous woman had tried to bully her Aunt Zelda made the oncoming revenge that much sweeter. Watching Sister Jackson bring the innocent looking cookie to her lips, Samara felt unholy glee mounting within her and then a royal sense of satisfaction as the cookie crumbled into her mouth.

She could sense the shadows around her becoming affected by her mood. They twisted and twirled around her, wishing to partake in what she was. Samara gathered power to calm the shadows and bring them back to peace. She used them to slip into the kitchen and whispered to them as she always did.

Ever since she could remember the shadows had always been an entity to her. Yes, as witches they often used shadows to do their bidding; however with Samara it was like the shadows were a creature all of their own. When she had still lived with her mother Samara had often used the shadows as a way of hiding from the quick-to-anger woman. They were actually the reason she had ended up with the Spellman’s. 

She remembered how the shadows had been quick to wrap her up when her mother had struck her one time too many. They’d made everything dark and quiet, but she could still sense the penny copper and the slick warmth of blood as they did what they wanted to the evil woman. She remembered the way they teleported her through themselves, it was like sliding through clouds with ice nipping her toes and sun warming her cheeks. When she’d been able to blink her eyes and see, she’d been in a cozy parlour with two women staring at her open-mouthed. 

From then on she’d been Samara Spellman. Zelda and Hilda took a child materializing in a cloud of shadows quite well. Once the little girl had given information on who her mother was and they’d found the woman dead, Zelda, Hilda and Edward had easily taken her into their fold. So at the tender age of 4, she’d become a Spellman and the family had accepted all of her little quirks.

Edward out of the 3 siblings, had been a bit more cautious with or of her than the others. Internally he was bothered that he found a mere 4 year old to be cautious of. But, he could sense something strange about her. Setting aside the fact that oftentimes the girls visage would seem smothered by shadows; which he and his sisters learned were not just effects of the light, but seemed to react to the toddler like a creature all of their own. Not only did the shadows seem to warp her with physical darkness, there seemed to be some type of darkness that clung to and surrounded her aura. The reason Edward Spellman had accepted the estranged toddler in so easily, was contributed to when her quicksilver eyes had met his. In that moment, he felt like he could see all. He could see the darkness that lingered in her soul, the pain she had endured, the hope of her future with them, the loneliness, the gentleness and the sheer intelligence she’d stand to gain. What little he could sense of her aura and power, Edward knew that Samara would grow into a fearsome Witch that would one day do great things with the darkness that clung to her. So she became a part of the Spellman family and the rest was history.

“Sweetheart? Help me take out the trash please!” Aunt Hilda’s voice broke her from her reminiscing. Samara laughed to herself at her Auntie’s choice of words.

Samara took herself into the parlour where their undearly departed guest wait. She looked at the woman dispassionately and praised her Aunt for a job well done.

“Did she have a hint of what was happening?” Samara’s voice still held some of the unholy glee that filled her before Sister Jackson ate the cookie. Hilda looked up in slight confusion from where she was beginning to dispose of the rest of the sweets.

“Weren’t you in the corner the whole time, darling? I could’ve sworn that’s where you were when I brought her in.” Hilda mumbled the end to herself. Samara felt herself tense slightly as she normally did whenever she had to explain something about her Shadows.

“I was in the beginning. But They started to get unsettled so We went into the kitchen so I could calm them down. I didn’t want Them ruining the fun.” Samara’s voice was soft as she busied herself with getting ready to grab the dead woman to drag her to the cemetery. 

“Ahh, I see. Well, I’m sorry you had to miss the fun. Now, let me get these in the bin and we’ll start digging, yes?” Aunt Hilda had always accepted any of Samara’s quirks in stride and Samara was always grateful for it. Sabrina was always uncomfortable when Samara mentioned her Shadows. Ambrose and Aunt Zelda were on the accepting but cautious side. They understood that the Shadows were a part of Samara but they’d rather not hear any tales of what they’d done or could do. Samara was easy to oblige.

She didn’t wait for her Aunt to return from cleaning up their afternoon activity. Samara grabbed the dead body by the arms and with gentle coaxing to her Shadows, they helped her lug the woman outside. She had just settled the woman next to where her resting spot would be when Aunt Hilda joined her outside. Her Aunt brought with her two shovels. With a quick smile towards one another, they began to dig. Samara felt irritation rise as her black hair kept falling over her shoulder and getting in her face. By the time she’d made the decision to pull it up, 6 feet of dirt had already been moved and they were rolling the body into the emptiness. 

Samara and her Aunt chatted idly while they replaced the removed dirt. Zelda’s wedding the next day was a frequent topic. They spoke of how Hilda was going to help her prepare tonight and what to expect of the next day. By the time they finished replacing the soil, they were both covered in smears of dirt and grim. They parted to their separate rooms to freshen up, or in Aunt Hilda’s case, to get ready to leave.

“Alright, there’s some pasta in the pantry and juice in the fridge, and sweets on the counter. Non-poisoned sweets I mean. And I’ll just be at the Academy if you need anything. Oh, I feel awful leaving, my love. You just got here and here I am, leaving you all on your own.” Aunt Hilda was fretting. Samara giggled at her Aunt’s antics.

“I’m not a child Auntie. I’m sure I’ll be able to manage. Besides, Sabrina will be here with me tonight. And I’ll see you first thing tomorrow. I want to see Auntie Z before she walks down the aisle.” Samara wrapped her Aunt Hilda up in a tight hug and wished her luck on helping Aunt Zelda prepare. Aunt Hilda departed with a kiss to the forehead. Silence descended the house. Samara sighed heavily and leaned against the kitchen counter. She gazed out the window as the sun began to set. Phlox sat at her side and took in his surroundings. Samara perked up as an idea crossed her mind.

“Let’s go look and see what Aunt Hilda has in her garden before it gets too dark, Phlox.” Samara leaned down to pat her familiar on his head before walking outside. The air was cool but she didn’t plan on staying out too long to need her coat. Phlox bounded ahead of her and disappeared into the foliage. Samara shook her head with a laugh and strided over to the garden. She felt her Shadows brush her legs as they darted from under the flower bushes in the dying light. Amusement tingled her as she pursued the lovely collection of flowers, herbs and nature her Aunt tended to. 

A beautiful purple Crocus caught her eye as she’d been fawning over the Belladonna. She was leaning down to inhale it’s delicate scent when some Edelweiss floated before her. Samara caught them and looked at the flock of them to her right. She was curious as to how they’d managed to float towards her but chucked it up to her Shadows being mischievous. She gathered the loose ones into her hand and headed back inside. She called to Phlox to let him know where she’d gone but the fox familiar remained outside, probably chasing some poor rodent or another. 

Samara decided to spend her time waiting for her cousin to come home, by using her newfound Edelweiss and brewing some anti-nausea potions. She gathered all her supplies and set to work. As she quickly got lost in the flow of her favourite pastime, time flew by. Before she knew it, just as she was bottling up her brew, Sabrina was gliding through the door. Samara smiled at her white-haird cousin. And wasn’t that something to get used to. 16 years of her cousin being blonde and all of a sudden over one evening, her hair is white as bone. Samara quite liked the new look. As well as the bold red lipstick she religiously applied now too. Samara liked to contribute the red lipstick to being something she wore off onto her cousin, seeing as she had been wearing dark red lipstick for as long as she’d started wearing makeup.

“‘Mara! I forgot you were coming in today! I’m so glad you’re home.” Sabrina rounded the counter to embrace Samara. With a ladle in one hand and a sealed bottle in the other, Samara wrapped her arms around her cousin and squeezed. Samara had been close to her little cousin as they grew up, no matter the 5 year age gap. They’d formed a friendship outside of the familial one they shared as cousins. They’d been thick as thieves growing up and had given their family plenty of headaches. They’d become less in tune with one another since Samara had left Greendale, but the love and safety they’d shared with one another still remained. 

“I’m glad to be here too ‘Brina. How’ve you been?” Samara pulled away from Sabrina and set her instruments down and began to clean up her mess. Sabrina sat down across the counter and filled her in on what had been happening.

“So I found out that my dad created a manifesto. He was trying to modernize the Church and have the Coven become more progessive! He went on about how it’s not only okay for Witches to be with Mortals, but it’s encouraged! How Mortals and Witches share a home and destiny. How women should be revered as matriarchs. And so much more! I presented it to the Anti-Pope before Father Blackwood could present his manifesto.” Sabrina’s eyes lit up as she talked about her father’s ideals. Samara felt herself warm as she learned of her uncle’s thoughts. However, any warm feelings she might have felt were purged as Sabrina spoke of Blackwood.

“Blackwood’s manifesto. What manifesto? What did it contain?” Samara’s voice could not conceal her loathing towards the man. Sabrina’s face fell into a frustrated frown.

“He’s created a society, called the Judas Society. It’s named after his son and made up of only Warlocks. He wants to throw the Coven into the Old Ages and traditionalize it. His manifesto is full of Witches subjugating themselves to the Warlocks. How Mortals are disgusting and we shouldn’t interact with them. How Warlocks should rule over the Mortals. Ridiculous, vile thoughts.” Sabrina spat out Blackwood’s terms. Samara’s face held disgust as she heard her cousin’s words. Satan help her before she ever bowed before a man like Faustus Blackwood. Samara could see her Shadows swirl on the walls around them as they reacted to her mood. She was quick to calm herself so they wouldn’t off put Sabrina. 

“Well, if the Anti-Pope has a lick of sense, he’ll pick your father’s manifesto. Heaven, he might even get rid of Blackwood.” Samara grinned at her last statement. Both girls knew it wouldn’t happen but who could blame them for hoping.

The two young women began catching up on what they’d missed in the other's life. Sabrina had had many life changing experiences within the time they’d last mirror-scryed. Samara was content to hear all the changes. Her cousin told her about her Mortal and Witch friends. Samara was happy that she had both and to hear that Sabrina had a new crush. Nicholas Scratch sounded like a good Warlock for Sabrina.

“What about you Samara? Anything interesting happen in your life lately?” Sabrina prodded at her cousin. Samara had a smile gracing her lips.

“Nothing interesting really happens in Vain, Sabrina. It’s pretty much the same day in and day out. I go out and collect ingredients for my brews and craft. I make my potions and such. Sell them to who needs it. And that’s it. I might get the occasional curious mortal trying to snoop about but Phlox takes care of them.” Samara kept her boring proceedings short and to the point. There really was nothing extraordinary that happened in her life since she’d moved to Vain. She was sure that there was enough extraordinary things were happening in the Spellman household and hoped it’d stick to the rest of them and spare her.

“Seriously? That sounds pretty boring ‘Mara. You don’t have anything else to pass the time? Nothing even like a guy to occupy your time?” Sabrina tried to sound sly with her questioning of Samara’s lovelife; or rather non existent one. Samara hadn’t dated while she’d lived with the Spellmans. And that hadn’t changed once she’d moved either. She’d tried, don’t get her wrong. She’d met plenty of handsome Warlocks, especially during her time at the Academy. But anytime she’d been approached she’d been overwhelmed at her brain screaming at her wrong, don’t touch, run away, not safe. The red alert sirens and lights going off in her head had been more than enough to deter her from interacting intimately with any potential lovers. While she did occasionally get struck with envy when seeing couples act so lovingly towards one another, Samara believed that when the time was right, she’d find her partner. 

“You know as well as I do Sabrina that there hasn’t been and isn’t anyone. Enough about me, tell me about your Nicholas Scratch!” Samara commandeered the conversation onto a topic she was more comfortable about; which was anything other than her lovelife. Sabrina happily ran along with this topic and hearts filled her eyes as she began telling Samara about Nick. As Samara listened to her cousin ramble on about her Warlock, her mind began to wander. She felt angry that she wasn’t here to constantly support her cousin through the many changes that had happened over the past months. She wanted to be here with her family more than anything, but her fear and hatred of what caused her to leave Greendale prevailed.

Samara remembered what it was like before she left. How happy and content the family was to all be together under one roof. While Ambrose might have been in exile and under house-arrest, he still treated his family like gold. Samara had been young and excited about the rest of her life; all the untapped possibilities. She’d been overjoyed to start her studies at the Academy of Unseen Arts. She’d already shown an affinity to brewing and herbology under her Aunt Hilda. 

Her first few months there had been a whirlwind. Meeting new Witches and Warlocks had been exciting. While Samara had excelled in herbalism and ritual magic, she had struggled in sacred geometry. Lucky for her the High Priest Father Blackwood, Dean of the school, had offered his own help to her studies and what she struggled in. Her Aunt Zelda had been ecstatic for Samara and considered what fortune it’d bring to the family that the High Priest was helping a member of the Spellmans. Samara had thought nothing of it and continued on with her studies and private tutoring with the High Priest. 

It was during her second year that her world tilted on its axis. Samara had continued to go to Father Blackwood’s office to study. It had simply become routine for her to. While she no longer required help with her sacred geometry, she’d often prod the High Priest for his thoughts on topics she was studying. She’d never thought it odd that out of every student in the school, she was the only one he’d offered tutoring to or let lounge in his office. She thought nothing of it until the night after her 17th birthday. 

She’d had her journals for herbalism laid on the table before her; her mind racing a mile a minute as she crafted ideas and theories for her next lecture. She didn’t take notice of the way the High Priest had sat in the chair at her side. She listened with half an ear as he praised her for her thought and dedication to her studies and Church. She hummed her answers as she continued with her work. He went on about how she’d become one of the strongest Witches the Academy had ever seen; he could sense it in the darkness and power that surrounded her he’d said. She half ignored his ramblings, that is until he’d placed his hand atop her thigh. She’d frozen and pinched the quill in her fingers.

He’d gone on about how wrong it was for a Witch her age and beauty to be without companionship. How he’d be more than willing to oblige her. As he said this his hand had started to creep higher. If Samara had thought the feelings of wrong, run away were strong before when she was merely approached by an interested party; they were nothing compared to what was flooded with at that moment. Fear and betrayal had solidified her spine, her stomach and heart had dropped through her shoes. It felt like she was starting to float outside of her body, like she was watching a movie of this happen to her. She started to fear for the worst. Just when she thought everything was going to escalate, her body’s emotions were choked out by a hellfire rage. She felt this all-encompassing fury snuff out her other feelings, like an entity of itself. She could see her Shadows write along every surface they could, ready to act. Then nothing. 

She couldn’t remember anything past that. The next thing she remembers is being at home, explaining to her Aunties that she was no longer physically attending the Academy. That had been the one and only blow out her and her Aunties had ever had. They’d been ready to force her to go back before she’d collapsed on the ground in hysterics. To the present neither woman knew what caused her to leave the Academy. They figured it had something to do with the High Priest, but any questions they asked were either brushed off or blatantly ignored. 

Samara had excelled in her studies at home and finished them much earlier than had been planned. She had hoped that leaving the Academy would be enough for her to heal and avoid the High Priest. But she didn’t take into account the many gatherings they’d have at the Desiccated Church and his need to be there. It was soon after she’d finished her studies that she’d announced to her family that she’d be completing an apprenticeship with a Potion Master towards the South. They’d been devastated to see her go, but were content in the knowledge that she’d be following something she’d love. Her family expected her to return to Greendale once her apprenticeship was complete, but were saddened at her decision to completely leave Greendale and it’s Witch Community and to move to Vain, Colorado. Luckily for them, magic had made the separation much easier, scrying, astral projection and much more helped with the distance. 

“‘Mara. ‘Mara. Samara!” Sabrina’s voice ripped Samara from her dark memories. Samara felt her Shadows gathering around her as she forcefully reminded herself to release her white-knuckled grip from the arms of her chair. Sabrina was leaned forward, concerned and wary glances being cast towards her and her Shadows. 

“I’m fine. Sorry! Got lost in my head. It seems to be a common thing since I’ve arrived.” Samara grumped, taking a deep breath and relaxing back into her seat. She noticed that Phlox had settled himself on her lap and was chittering softly. She smiled softly and stroked his head. She sent out pulses of calm to her Shadows and watched as they receded and stilled.

“It’s been a long day, especially since you’ve travelled so far. Why do we head up to bed?” Sabrina soothed, standing and extending her hand towards Samara. Samara blinked at the limb for a moment before grasping it. She gathered Phlox up with her other arm and allowed herself to be corralled towards her room. 

“Sorry we couldn’t talk longer. Hopefully we can more tomorrow. It really has been a long day.” Samara’s voice was a mixture of sorrow and hope. She grinned as Sabrina gave a squeeze to her hand as they reached her room.

“It’s okay ‘Mara. It’s good to have you home. Goodnight”

“Night, ‘Brina.” She gave her cousin a parting smile and hand squeeze before disappearing behind her bedroom door. Samara set Phlox down, who quickly scurried to the bed and began to nest. She sat on the edge of the bed, rubbed her temples and blew out a deep sigh. She was just starting to contemplate if it was worth the effort to rummage around in her bag to find a headache relief potion or not when she was distracted by a loud thump down the hall.