#and Ryker talking nice about us it would be better

[lenacopperleaf]

Obligatory first reminder of the season: it would be so much better to mix the teams’ commentators together on national tv than to listen to “unbiased” commentators who are just mean to both sides.

Also, it would be way easier to have enough commentators on the nights when all the teams play.

TNT and ESPN I’m right and you know it. Try it one hockey night. Please I’m begging

[chaosduckies]

Restoration (Chapter 7)

I was in a fluffy mood this time. So, enjoy some with Angela because she’s just a littol baby plus Nathan and Ryker acting like responsible parents.

Word Count: 5.2k

CW: None! (I think)

7-Nathan 

It’s been a chaotic week. Well, at least for me. I don’t know about anyone else. But it’s the end of the week again. Yesterday’s counseling was fine. We had mostly talked about how things between Ryker and I were. They were… awkward. To me. He always looks like he wants to talk to me about something, but never says anything to me besides “Hi,” and, “Hey,” when we’re at lunch and last period. Otherwise, I just kind of sit there trying to ignore the bad thoughts in the back of my mind. It never works. 

It was a cloudy day, sort of smelling like it was going to rain as soon as I stepped outside. The bus ride to school was just as loud as usual. When I walked into the halls, they were crowded just as always. So why did I feel like something was off? Oh well. When has something ever worked out in my favor anyways? Nothing new to me. 

Classes were the same. The rain had started, but only lasted for about an hour before the clouds were clearing up. Everything so far had been the same. I don’t know why I was so on edge, but I was always like that. 

Lunch was just as loud and crowded as always. But somehow, Lucky had always found me before I found him. Of course scaring me before he revealed that he was behind me the entire time. I was never going to get used to that, but it was a nice feeling for some weird reason. 

“Hey!” He greeted me, showing off a big smile as always while he guided me through the mass horde of people. I just did a tiny wave back. I’ve felt a little bit better since those counseling lessons had started, but I haven’t really felt the same either. Actually, Mr. Smith says that he might recommend me taking some medications, which I didn’t even know counsellors could do that but he says he’s licensed and able to do so. I wasn’t entirely too excited to see how many medications he’ll have me take. 

As the table we usually sit at came into view, I noticed that Ryker wasn’t even there. Instead, Dylan was sitting across from where Ryker usually sits, on his phone and biting right into an apple. I stood in place. I’ve only really met him once, and even then we had never talked. Just that Friday two weeks ago. It wasn’t really that bad, but I just don’t what to expect when being around him. Dylan loves teasing with Lucky, and I already know I could never handle anything like that. What if he tries anything with me? Where was Ryker anyways? Wait… just breathe. Don’t want to have a panic attack. 

“Right… Ryker is taking care of Angel and Isabelle. They’re both sick.” Lucky had explained, answering one of my questions. The other being why Dylan was here in the first place. He had never sat here this entire week. Nor any of the weeks before. So why now? I wasn’t going to get an answer. 

Lucky stayed beside me when the elevator gate had opened. We walked out, I surprisingly didn’t stumble like I always do, and I was now in full sight. That didn’t sit right with me. At all. 

Dylan placed his phone on the table, smiling when he caught sight of Lucky and I. I took a few steps back. Everything will be alright. Everything will be alright. Everything will be-

“Oh hey! It’s Nathan right? I’m Dylan, I’m sure you know that though.” He laughed before stretching out his finger and thumb like he was about to give a handshake… Oh wait. It was a handshake. Or a makeshift one at least. 

I looked over to Lucky, hoping he would give some sort of hint to Dylan. Instead, he just gave a nervous smile and held his hand slightly out to me. He was giving the hint to me. I mean, it’s like like I haven’t done this before. Just one other time with Mrs. Kay. It’s just… kids are different. I learned that the hard way. I’m not trying to say Dylan would be like that though! It’s just not out of the question. From what I’ve seen, Lucky hasn’t been hurt. Yet. But I have no idea how long he’s lived there. 

Taking deep breaths, I extended a shaky hand. I watched my hand disappear under the surprisingly soft grip, nearly wincing as I had expected to hear a loud pop! Noise only to find out that my wrist or some other part of my hand was broken. That fear didn’t last long though. Dylan let go, my hand still fully intact with the rest of my arm. I shuddered at the thought of having another broken hand. That was not fun. 

Lucky was facing me with a wide smile with two thumbs up. I felt accomplished, but at the same time I mentally kicked myself for ever thinking that one of Ryker’s siblings would have purposely hurt anyone. Even if they haven’t really met me. 

Dylan chuckled, taking another bite out of his apple then throwing it away in the trash can by the wall. I sucked in a shaky breath, wondering what I was even doing here. I just thought that Lucky would be sad if I didn’t come, but now that I think about it, he knows that I’m afraid of giants. Is this his way of helping me? 

“You’re quiet,” Dylan tilted his head in confusion, “Shy?” I bit the side of my cheek, blinking a couple of times before nodding my head. He must think I’m crazy. Absolutely crazy. There was no doubt about that. 

Dylan just flashed a soft smile before talking to Lucky. I sat down where I usually did. Just a little closer to Lucky since he was laughing and having the time of his life with Dylan. Who was the older one? I couldn’t tell. They were obviously really close though. I wasn’t entirely paying attention to their conversation, just some bits and pieces. Who has the answers for their algebra homework. Lucky complaining about making something for dinner. 

My phone went off while I was reading a book the school librarian recommended to me. During those two weeks the librarian always asked me why I stayed in the library. I just explained that I had nowhere better to be. Ever since then we’ve talked more and more. She says she’s read almost every book in this library since rarely anyone ever goes in there unless they needed to print something or watch a movie while playing board games in their free period. Otherwise, she had always recommended me books to read and she’d always have the mini pretzel bags while I helped her place books back on the shelves. It kind of felt peaceful. 

Checking my phone, I read a text message from my mom. 

Mom: Work called me in. I won’t be home until around nine in the morning 

Mom: Will you be fine on your own for the night? 

Me: yeah 

I would not. Just something about a quiet house without hearing the sounds of the tv playing an episode of The Golden Girls while my mom lay asleep on the couch? I honestly didn’t like the idea of being alone at night. It freaked me out. Is it stupid that I was afraid of the dark? Yes. Do I care? A little. Okay, a lot. But it’s not like I can help it. I’m so used to knowing that someone was in the house with me. Oh well. There’s a first time for everything. Plus, It’s embarrassing for someone to find out that I was afraid of the dark. Doesn’t really come as that big of a surprise coming from someone like me though. 

Mom: Okay 

Mom: I love you I’ll call you when I can 

I sighed, standing up and seeing that the bell was about to ring. I checked my phone for any other nonexistent messages, but I wasn’t able to get a good look before Lucky snatched up my phone and started typing something. Panic rose in me, thinking he was texting my mom. Now that would be awkward for me to explain to her. I tried stealing a couple looks, even reaching for my phone, but it was useless given the fact that Lucky was practically an entire head taller than me. 

“Andddd here you go.” Lucky handed me my phone back, a smirk on his face. I gave a questioning look before seeing that he added a new number. Ryker’s number. What? Why would he give me this? I already I annoy him enough at school, I’m not going to do that outside of school. It’d be wrong. Plus, he’s watching his younger siblings, I don’t want to bother him. 

The worst part about this was that Lucky had already taken the time to text him. Saying that this was Nathan. Aka me. Panic took over my mind. I wasn’t really mad at Lucky per se, more a little sad because he didn’t ask me first. I don’t think I could be mad at someone even if I tried. Still, I wish that he hadn’t texted him for me. I would have preferred not having his number at all if I’m being honest. Not because I don’t like him as a friend though! 

I looked over to Lucky with a nervous look on my face. He just laughed, “You’ll thank me later.” 

“Gave him Ry’s number?” Dylan held back a laugh behind his smirk. He stood up and held his palm out, waiting for Lucky to climb on. Was this some kind of plan of theirs? What if I didn’t want his number? I can’t exactly get rid of it since he already texted him… But maybe this could be a good thing? No. I don’t think so. Never mind. 

“Anyways, if you’re not too mad at me, we should probably get going.” Lucky pointed towards Dylan, and with seemingly no effort, climbed onto his hand, waiting to help me up. I was not expecting this in the slightest. Wait, no, he won’t do anything while Lucky’s with him, would he? It wouldn’t make any sense at all. I mean, they are brothers, right? 

After a couple seconds of going over the pros and cons and all of the endless negative outcomes, I just decided that I would go. Nothing could happen while we were at school, and there was no way that Dylan would ever do anything harmful while Lucky was with him. Right? That was my way of thinking. 

Lucky helped me up, flashing an excited smile. I guess his way of helping is actually working. Huh. Wasn’t expecting that. 

———Ryker———

Isabelle was stuck in her bed, too weak to pull the blankets off and stand on her own two feet without falling. Meanwhile, Angela was snuggled up in my palm with her new stuffed animal she’s named Livvy. They both had a fever. A bad one at that. It’s gone down since this morning, but it was still burning hot. I couldn’t really tell with Angela since I didn’t want to make her too uncomfortable, so I had no idea how she was doing. 

They both insisted on waking up and then heading back to sleep after I tucked them back in, making sure they couldn’t pull the blanket off too easily, even if they tried. How they even managed to get sick? I had no idea. But, they were the only ones who didn’t go to high school, so I kind of thought that other kids at their school were sick too. 

Me? I felt fine. Well, almost fine. This morning I was worried I might have to take them to the doctor, or that I might not have any medicine to help them out. Turns out I did, and Lucky, given his name, was lucky to find some in the back of their medicine cabinet and gave some to Angela. 

Now when everyone had left was a different thing. The night before they had me work later than before, so I barely had any sleep. Then, of course, I had to make Isabelle something to eat that I knew they wouldn’t throw up. Turns out it never worked in the end because she forced herself to go to the restroom and vomit, thankfully, in the toilet. Then there was Angela, who had a slightly less severe case, and I couldn’t make her anything to eat. It didn’t really seem like she was up to the task either, but still. 

They’ve been sick before, just never this bad. Maybe just a little cough or a slight fever, but otherwise they’ve been fine. It’s been hard taking care of them, but I didn’t mind. Just as long as they feel better in the morning. 

Isabelle was fast asleep after I gave her another small dose of medicine. She was doing a lot better now, but I was more worried about Angela. I can’t exactly give her any medicine because I don’t know if it’ll do more harm than good. So I’ve just been holding her tiny body in my palm for the entire. Mostly because she refuses to get off for some reason, and another because I wouldn’t be able to hear her if she woke up and needed something. 

I was laying down in the living room, the tv on a low volume rewatching a horror movie that was supposedly supposed to be scary. So far it was not. At least to me. Angela had been stirring in her sleep, trying to find a comfortable position for a solid five minutes. I knew she was going to wake up soon anyways, so I just lightly pulled the blanket off, pressing the back of my finger into her tiny frame. She was burning up. I guess it was a good thing I pulled the blanket off of her then. 

My heart fell seeing her curl up on herself looking so uncomfortable. There was nothing I could do though. School didn’t end for another hour and Angela hasn’t eaten anything since last nights dinner. Even then she didn’t eat much, saying that she didn’t feel too good. I probably should have seen this coming. 

I paused the movie for a little, waiting for Angela to wake up and ask for a blanket. She stirred, turned, and I finally saw her rub her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time today. It’s been off and on. Again, nothing I could do about it except just let her rest. 

“Mmm… Ry?” She groaned, still holding her stuffed animal. I smiled softly, rubbing her back with the pad of my thumb. She slightly leaned into the touch eyes opening and closing, trying to stay awake. 

“Just go back to sleep, Angel. I’m right here.” I whispered, watching her snuggle up close and point to the human-sized blanket pinched between my thumb and finger. I didn’t want to give it to her. Her fever might just get worse like that. Dylan had texted me earlier to crush up an ice cube and wrap a tiny piece for her, but that wouldn’t work. 

“Aren’t you hot?” I frowned, seeing Angela shake her head and reach for the blanket in a futile attempt. I gave in, letting her wrap herself comfortably and snuggle closer to me. 

After a couple minutes, she was out cold once again. Didn’t matter when she was just going to wake up in an hour again. I unpaused the movie, and glanced to my phone. I grabbed it off the charger, seeing that I had an unknown number text me and a few from Lucky saying that he may have given Nathan my number. Of course he did. He brought the idea up last night after I came home from work. I only said no because what if Nathan didn’t want it? I mean, what if he wanted nothing to do with me. I’d understand if he didn’t, but then it’d be awkward just having it. 

I guess texting him wouldn’t be so bad though. As long as I don’t ruin it. 

———Nathan———

Last period was another free day. But Mrs. Kay says that she has another “project” she wants to try with us. I was not at all excited, but I just had to take this class for the next eight months and then I could go an do what I wanted… what did I want to do again? Didn’t matter. Still have eight months. I’ll be fine. 

As I sat at my desk aimlessly trying to pick a move to watch on my phone, there was a text. From Ryker. What did it say? Would it say not to text his number? That he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore than he already has to? That doesn’t really sound like him, actually. Why would I think that about someone? I bit the side of my cheek, opening the messages app and reading what he texted. 

Ryker: Hey! 

Ryker: I’m guessing Lucky gave you my number 

What do I text back? I’ve never really talked to him. I don’t want to say something stupid either. I can’t leave him on read. That’d be harsh. I groaned silently to myself, typing something out and immediately deleting it. Over, and over again. What do I say though? I ended up just typing something out and hoped he would say anything about it. 

Nathan: He did yeah lol 

Ryker: Of course he did 

He sent it along with an eye roll emoji. 

Ryker: It’s a good thing though 

So he does want to talk to me? I was so confused. 

Nathan: Yeah 

Ryker: Are things boring in last period without me? 

A smile took over my face. This was actually going pretty well considering I never text anyone but my mom. Or call anyone but her. A sad, sad life, I know. But it’s the story of my life. 

Nathan: Yup

Nathan: I heard your sisters were sick 

Ryker: Yeah I’m pretty sure they have the flu  

Nathan: Well I hope they get better :)

I’m pretty sure the conversation ended. That was short lived. Even in real life I can’t keep up a conversation for long. I either go silent or say something that ends it. Great, right? So I couldn’t even be on call until midnight because people lose interest in me fast. I’m surprised Ryker hasn’t yet. 

Ryker: They’re both asleep right now 

Ryker: If you wanna come over you can 

Ryker: I’ll just ask Lucky to take you or something 

Ryker: If you’re comfortable with it 

Going over to his house again? I mean I’m okay with it. It’s just that he’d have to hang around me while also taking care of both Angela and Isabelle. But maybe I could bring them some soup to make them feel better? It would be the right thing to do. I don’t want to go over there just to create more problems. But now that I think about it… why didn’t their parents take care of them? I feel like they can’t just keep Ryker away from school to watch his siblings. Don’t get me wrong I think it’s great that he does! But… they’ve never once mentioned anything about their parents, and I just feel like they should be taking care of their own children. It’s not my place to ask them though. I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually. 

Nathan: Sure

Nathan: Is it okay if I grab something for Angela though

Nathan: Like soup or something? 

There was about ten minutes until the last bell of the day rang, and I would have to find Lucky before he just walked out of the school. I have no idea where they live, and there was no way I wanted to get lost on those terrifying streets. Especially with all of the riots lately. I just hope I can go home this time. 

Ryker: If you want 

Ryker: I’d really appreciate it 

Nathan: Will do then 

I sent it with a smiley face, hoping that he wouldn’t tell me anything otherwise. I’m sure my mom would be fine with me staying over for a couple hours. I doubt that they’ll have a movie night when their two youngest were bed-ridden. Or at least I think Ryker kept Isabelle in her bed. I don’t know how he’s been taking care of Angela… Maybe I could help out? Seems like a plan. 

Ryker: Tysm 

Ryker: I’ll tell Lucky to wait for you by the exit 

Ryker: Thank you, again 

He sent a smiley face back to me. My lips twisted into a small smile

Nathan: No problem 

——————

I was expecting for Lucky to be waiting for me. Not Dylan. But I guess it makes sense because they kind of live together. Duh. I’m so stupid sometimes… 

“You’re coming over!” Lucky excitedly announced, Dylan rolling his eyes and waiting for us to climb onto his palm. I bit the side of my cheek, thinking that we were going off of school grounds. Anything could happen. Does Dylan even like me? Probably not. Do I care? Yes. A lot. 

“U-Um… yeah,” I stole a glance to Dylan, who was texting someone, “S-sorry for making you b-b-both wait on m-me.” I whispered to Lucky while pointing to Dylan who wasn’t paying attention to either of us at the time. Lucky nodded his head, seeming to understand. 

“It’s all good. We’re stopping by the store first, right? We need groceries anyways.” Lucky had asked. I hesitantly nodded my head, letting Lucky lead the way as I followed. This was a familiar sight. I was getting to used to being around giants. Was that a good thing? I’d have to ask Mr. Smith about that later. 

About five minutes into walking, and watching in horror as Lucky quite literally had half of his body hanging from the edge of Dylan’s hand, Dylan had decided to start a little conversation. Mostly towards Lucky.

“You’re gonna fall.” He sighed, cupping his hand a little more to prevent Lucky from falling to his death. I shuddered just at the thought of looking over the edge. It’s taken literally almost everything in me to not look over the edge and pass out. 

“No I’m not.” Lucky stuck out his tongue, fixing his position so only his arms were dangling. I could practically hear Dylan roll is eyes. We made eye contact for a while, him giving a smile and opening his mouth to speak, “So what made you want to come over?” 

I jumped at the sudden question directed to me. It’d be pathetic to speak and stutter in front of Dylan, but then again the same goes if I don’t speak. What would he think? Choices are so hard to make. What if I just shrugged? But then he might want to bring it up again and then I’d have to answer. 

Out of nowhere, Lucky sat beside me, wearing a sympathetic face that said, “I’ll tell him for you.” And I’ve never been more grateful in that moment. I would have hugged him if I knew how to. Also I might step over a boundary. Not something that I’d like to do. 

I whispered to Lucky what I wanted him to say, noticing that Dylan looked so confused. I would have scooted back had I not remembered that there was about a hundred foot fall from where I was. If the fall doesn’t kill me the injuries would. 

“He say he just wanted to help out. I told him Angela and Isabelle were sick earlier. Plus, apparently Ryker asked him first.” Lucky shrugged like it was nothing. I admit, I was jealous, but that was shortly lived. I’ll be able to talk someday. Hopefully. Maybe. I’ve done it once I could definitely do it again. If I really wanted to anyways. 

“Makes sense,” Dylan shrugged, “That’s also oddly… nice?” He raised an eyebrow, suspicious of me. I nearly let out a squeak as I brought my knees closer to my chest. I really wasn’t trying to trick anyone… I’m just a really nice person trying to help a friend out. Please don’t hurt me. Please don’t hurt me. Please don’t- 

“I was just messing with you. You should have seen your face.” Dylan laughed along with Lucky. Oh thank goodness. The last thing I needed was to be ditched on the side of the concrete not knowing where I was. I was pretty sure we were close to their house though. 

“But seriously, that’s amazingly nice of a stranger. Ry could actually use the help too.” Dylan told me. A tiny smile formed at the corners of my mouth. Maybe he really didn’t see me as a bother. 

——————

It didn’t take us long in the store. Only a couple minutes tops. Though, I didn’t know that the human-sized part of the store was connected. It really made things easier for Dylan since he didn’t have to wait outside awkwardly. Plus, he could grab one for Isabelle too. I was paying anyways. 

We checked some things out, I paid for the things I was getting, while Lucky kept on insisting that I just let him pay for everything. We agreed that we would pay for our own things in the end. It only took a couple minutes to reach the familiar neighborhood I saw two weeks ago. 

Dylan walked up to their house, unlocking it and announcing his presence to practically the entire world while he was closing the door behind him. Ryker turned his head an glared at Dylan, making him whisper a sorry and let both Lucky and I on the ground in front of the same human-sized door that led to their rooms before silently walking back to his own room. It was intimidating to see him from this point of view, but I sucked in a breath, and walked through the open door. I came here, so I’ll just have to deal with it. 

It looked the same as before. Just that there were a ton of blankets thrown onto the couch. I didn’t think about that too much. 

“So do I get a thank you?” Lucky teased. For the phone number? I just laughed to myself, “Y-yeah. Thank you.” 

Lucky was putting away some groceries he had bought. I helped clean up a bit before we both decided to head back outside. It was a long walk from the hallway to the couch, but that’s no surprise when you’re two inches tall to these people. Now I get why Lucky and Angela get carried around almost everywhere in here. 

“Are you staying for dinner?” Lucky asked, now walking backwards to keep up a conversation with me. Was I? I still haven’t told my mom that I was here. I’ll tell her when she texts or calls. She’ll probably be so happy to hear that I was here anyways. 

“I don’t know.” I replied, shrugging my shoulders. 

“You should. You could teach me how to make actually good food.” We both laughed. 

“If you want me to.” 

Lucky silently cheered, thanking me several times before we reached the elevator to get on top of the side-table by the couch Ryker was currently sitting down at trying to find something to watch. 

“Hey Ry.” Lucky grabbed his attention, standing near the very edge of the table. Nope. Could never do that. How is Lucky so brave? Does he really have that much confidence in himself that he won’t fall? Just one wrong step… No. Don’t think about that. I’m not the one on the very edge. 

“Hey” Ryker replied, letting down his free hand. We climbed on and slid back off onto the arm of the couch where there were human-sized blankets and pillows making a makeshift bed. But there wasn’t anyone there. Where did he have Angela then? She wasn’t in that room earlier. I sighed, sitting down. I’d just have to wait until she wakes up. 

“How are they doing?” Lucky asked, sitting beside me. 

Ryker let out a long sigh, “Off and on. Isabelle’s been asleep for a while and I managed to get her to eat some toast. I haven’t been able to check Angela’s fever, but I don’t think she’s getting any better.” 

He brought his other hand towards us, revealing Angela wrapped up in a pink blanket. She didn’t look like she was having a peaceful dream either. She kept moving around and mumbling things that I didn’t understand. Lucky went to check if she still had a fever, which she did. I just have to wait for her to wake up so I can start making something for her. It’s the whole reason I came anyways. My mom’s a nurse, you learn a thing or two. 

“Oh, um, thanks for coming by the way, Nathan.” Ryker thanked me, looking concerned for his little sister who looked like she was about to wake up. 

I came back with a small bowl of chicken noodle soup and some crackers, hoping that this would help in some way. Angela was struggling to keep her eyes open, but after she ate something she already looked a lot better. She didn’t go back to sleep either so I guess that was a good thing too? All I can say was that Angela was excited to see me. We were sitting on the arm of the couch where the pile of blankets and pillows were. 

“Nathan!” She forced herself up and wrapped me in the tightest hug she could manage. I laughed nervously, debating on returning the gesture, but she let go before I could. Thank you. That would have been one awkward hug in front of so many people. Though, I noticed Ryker trying to hide his smile. I didn’t know if that was directed to Angela or me. Or both. Nope. Not going to think too much on that. 

Angela let out a series of coughs and sat back down, wrapped up in her blanket once again. I noticed that she was also hugging the panda I gave her two weeks ago. My heart fell. I didn’t expect her to like it so much. 

Her fever had gone down a lot. Which was a good thing. She ended up falling back to sleep eventually. Then it was just back to the little one sided conversations with Ryker. Dylan and Lucky were hanging out in their own room, probably playing a game or watching tv. So it really was just us. 

It was nice, really. Even if I could only listen and react. I didn’t mind. There was nothing to say anyways. I loved listening though. 

Ryker mentioned something about Jasmine having a game to go to tonight, which explains why she wasn’t here. Then, he said he should probably get started on dinner, which, wow, I probably should start helping out Lucky. 

I helped Lucky with dinner, and once again he praised my cooking abilities, which weren’t even that good. At least to me. Afterwards, Ryker took me to the bus stop by my house and thanked me again. I walked back to my house, changed into comfy pajamas and fell asleep. 

Today was a good day.

——————

I think this was a good chapter. I think. I don’t know. I love how Ryker is trying his hardest to be a responsible parent and how Nathan tries his hardest to take care of Angela and Lucky as much as he can.

Anyways, thank you guys for reading!! Love you guys ❤️

[a-crumb-of-whump]

A New Beginning #16: Burns

Masterlist | AO3

Content: Recovery, burns, vampire whumpee, childhood trauma, multiple caretakers, non-sexual nudity, wounds/injuries, PTSD/trauma, begging, blood [for the sake of feeding].

-

Carlos was insistent on cooking the two humans breakfast this morning. Neither of them could figure out why until the vampire excitedly skipped into the room with a plate of freshly made pancakes in his hand.

“These look incredible,” Adam commented as the vampire set the plate down in between them. He glanced up at him and smiled, already serving himself two. “What’s the occasion? You tryna butter us up before you tell us you did something terrible?” 

Much to his surprise, Carlos’ eyes widened and he rushed to defend himself. “No! Of course not, sir. I would never misbehave.” 

While he used one hand to serve himself his own food, Ryker reached out to squeeze Carlos’ arm. “You’re all good, man. He was just joking.” 

“Oh.” Carlos blinked a few times. “I’m… I’m not sure I understand jokes all that much, sir. I’m sorry, but- but about the pancakes; I found a recipe book while I was looking through the bookshelf last night!” 

He seemed so proud of himself as he hurried off to grab said book from the kitchen. The humans watched him go, both with a forkful of pancake in their mouth already, and smiled when he came back holding a large recipe book that had been created and given to the boys back when they first left home. It was old and the pages were wrinkled by now, but it’d been unbelievably helpful when they had no idea how to cook. 

“I wanted to practice my reading,” the vampire admitted as he held the book out towards them. “I never got to do much of it, back, uhm… before. Then I found this, and it has pictures in it and the recipes are very fun! It even shows you how to put smiley faces on the pancakes.” 

Adam grinned. “I saw that! These are delicious, Carlos. You get better and better every time you cook.” 

“Really?” Carlos visibly lit up. “Thank you! I know I am not the best at expressing my feelings, but I really want to show you how grateful I am to be living here with you both, and Murphy and Luca. So… uhm, consider my meals appreciation gifts?” 

Using his foot, Adam pulled one of the spare dining chairs towards him and patted the seat with a smile. “I’m glad you’re happy. Come sit with us for a bit? I actually have something I wanna talk to you about. You’re not in trouble,” he made sure to assure him. The worried look on Carlos’ face dissipated and he obediently did as he was told, still holding the book close to him. “Have we ever told you about my sisters?” 

“I don’t think so.” Carlos shook his head, fiddling with the corners of his book as he watched the two men eat. Ryker smiled over at him for a brief moment while Adam talked, cheeks stuffed with pancake in a way that made the vampire grin.

“They’re very nice. Sorta the reason we were able to leave and get on our feet in the first place. They bought us our plane tickets and gave us some old furniture until we were able to get some of our own. Even paid our rent for a while so we could find jobs.” 

“That’s so nice,” Carlos whispered, glancing down at his lap. “Sometimes I forget that you and Ryker aren’t the only people in the world who don’t want to hurt others.” 

Adam gave him a small smile, reaching out to squeeze his knee. “Well, they’d like to plan a trip down here for a few days. Ryker and I have already decided that we want them to come, but as you’re a part of the family now, we wanted to get your permission.” 

“You don’t have to ask me, sir. It’s your house.” 

“You live here, too, man,” Ryker was quick to point out. After another small forkful of pancake, he set his knife and fork down on the plate and cleared his throat. “Your opinion matters to us.”

There was a small pause as Carlos thought about it a little deeper. Both Adam and Ryker resumed eating as he did so, and it was only when he looked up as an indication that he was ready to talk again that they both diverted their attention back to him once more. 

“I appreciate your consideration,” he whispered, his voice returning to that small, timid one he often used. “I don’t think it will easy, but I don’t want you to miss out on seeing the people you love because of me. So, let them stay? They can even take my bedroom if they wanna. I can sleep on the couch.” 

“That’s very kind of you,” Ryker commented, reaching out to squeeze Carlos’ shoulder, “but they’ll most likely take the couch. It folds out into a bed and they’ll be bringing their own bedding.” 

Carlos offered the two humans a smile. “Okay. I can’t wait to meet them, then. Will you tell me when they’re coming?” 

“Of course,” Adam nodded. “We don’t know all the details just yet but I promise, we’ll let you know when we do. On the off chance that we forget, you are more than welcome to ask again. Sound good?” 

Carlos was happy with what had been arranged. As he stood up again and ran his hand over his head, he gave the two humans an enthusiastic nod; resting his free hand on Ryker’s shoulder. The human didn’t hesitate to tilt his head back and smile up at him. 

“Yes, sir,” he agreed, the recipe book still held close to his chest. “Sounds good. Thank you for including me in the decision.”

It clearly wasn’t often he got to have a say in matters. Adam had known that, but not to the extent. From what he could tell, Ryker seemed to leave out parts of what Carlos had gone through when they spoke about it. He felt like he was learning something new about Carlos every day, even on the days where the topic of his past didn’t even come up. 

He wondered if that’s how Ryker felt about him when they first met. 

After another minute or two, Carlos excused himself from the table and left to take a shower, leaving the book he’d so fallen in love with in his spot for someone to put away later on. It was only after he’d left that Ryker reached out to grab his empty plate and cutlery, leaning over the table to press a light kiss to his forehead as he went.

“I don’t know what your schedule is like, but I have next weekend off if you wanna invite them over then?” he suggested over the sound of plates being stacked on top of each other. “There’s a few nice places open during the evenings - we could even take them out for dinner and bring Carlos along.”

Adam couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? He’s not fond of crowds and loud noises - that’s pretty much all restaurants are. It’s not like he can even eat anything.”

“It was just an idea,” Ryker shrugged as he stood up. He picked up the plates and the cutlery before heading off to the kitchen, still talking as he went. “Maybe not a good one, but it was an idea.”  

“I’m not saying it’s a bad idea, I just think we might need to pick a place that’s more quiet. Like… I dunno, the park or something. I wanna make sure it’s enjoyable for all of us, not just the humans.”

For a moment, everything was silent apart from the sound of the dishwasher being stacked with dishes. Adam almost began to wonder if he was even going to receive a response, until Ryker finally poked his head out with a smile. 

“I know you do. Look, It’s not for another week at least. So, we don’t need to decide on anything right now, yeah?” 

Adam considered his words before nodding, absentmindedly tracing small lines into the dining table with his nails. “Yeah. Okay. I guess I’ll send ‘em a message before I leave for work.” 

“Sounds good, my love.” Ryker sat back down at the table as he wiped his hands on his jeans. For the life of him, Adam couldn’t understand why he was so against using the many tea-towels they had sitting in the cupboard. He’d done it ever since they got together, and it never failed to confuse him. “What time are you heading off today?”

Adam thought about it for a moment, trying to remember what was on his roster for that week. However, before he could even begin to get the words out, a shrill scream erupted from the bathroom that had both humans jumping out of their seats within seconds. 

They only needed to be at the entrance to the hallway to figure out what had happened, and Adam was mortified by what he knew in an instant was his fault. 

He hadn’t closed the blinds in the bathroom that morning.

-

Carlos couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt a burn so bad. Much to his relief, it had only been a few seconds, but even such a short amount of time was enough to cause blistering and swelling across his entire front area. His biggest regret out of it all was not wearing clothes to the bathroom. It was just across the hall from his bedroom, so he hadn’t thought it’d be a problem. However, every second he spent in pain was another reminder that he’d been so very wrong. 

With a raspy inhale, he pressed his back against the cool wall behind him and tearily glanced up at the humans hurrying down the hallway, forcing himself to swallow any more noises that threatened to escape. He was in so much pain. 

He realised after a moment that Ryker had a blood pack and an ice pack in his hands as he knelt down beside him. “Hey, you’re all good, man. It’s- I know you’re in a lot of pain, but this isn’t gonna last more than a few days, yeah? It’s not gonna take weeks to heal anymore.” 

That sounded good. 

The human pressed the ice pack in his hand against the worst of Carlos’ burns, and he could have sworn he saw him gag a few times at the smell of his burning flesh. It was that or the sight of him, and he wasn’t sure which he preferred. 

“Hurts,” he found himself whimpering after a moment. He reached out to grab hold of Ryker’s shirt; struggling to get away from the discomfort of the ice against his skin, and the sweltering heat on his body at the same time. “Hurts. Why does this hurt so much?” 

He’d spent so many years trying to desensitise himself to pain. How could a mere month without it be enough to undo all his hard work? He wasn’t supposed to cry. He wasn’t supposed to make noise or complain about it. He was supposed to take it as it came and be good until it stopped. 

So why was such a simple rule so hard to follow all of a sudden? 

He could see the look of confusion written on Ryker’s face as he struggled to understand the question. He had no idea what part of it was so hard to understand, but the question clearly made no sense to him. He seemed to choose not to respond to it, and instead focused on picking him up in a way that minimised the amount of pain it caused. 

Before he knew it, he’d been moved back to his bedroom and set down on the bed, above the covers to avoid irritating his wounds. Having heard the commotion, Murphy was now in the room as well, while Luca had likely gone to hide somewhere more quiet.

Carlos just wanted the pain to end. 

“Hey.” Ryker nudged him after putting Murphy on the outside of the door. He offered a small sympathetic smile and held out the blood packet to him. “We bought these a while ago in case you needed some more blood throughout the day. I know you’re in a lot of pain, so perhaps the extra blood’ll help with the healing process?”

“Please,” the vampire practically begged. “Yes please. I’m sorry.”

As soon as it was handed to him, Carlos sank his fangs into the packet and drank the entire thing in one go, ignoring Ryker’s concerned reminders to take it slow before he inevitably choked on it. 

Then, once it was all gone, he shakily gave it back to the human sitting beside him and sniffled; rubbing his eyes like a child. “Hurts so much,” he whispered, tilting his head to the side after lying back again so he could look the human in the eye. “It’s so much worse than I remember.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

There were so many things Carlos wanted to say, and yet he felt like he couldn’t say any of it. It was near impossible to form words with how much everything hurt. Every breath made his skin feel like it was being stretched beyond Its limits, and his hands shook as he held the ice pack against the same wounds Ryker had been before.

“...I don’t want you to be here,” were the first words he spoke after the pain began to settle into a dull throb. He sniffled, watching as the human’s face somehow fell even more. He knew how awful those words must have sounded. He’d heard them more times than he could count, but he truly had no more energy to elaborate. “Please. Please understand, sir.”

Ryker reached out to grasp his hand. “No one did this to you on purpose, Carlos.” 

“Please?” Carlos tried again. He sucked in a tight, raspy breath and squeezed Ryker’s hand as best he could; doing his best to ignore the way his body ached in protest at even the small movements he made. “Please go? I don’t want you to see me like this. I don’t…” 

Ryker’s confusion only seemed to get a whole lot worse. “It’s not the first time.”

“I know. I didn’t have the choice to stop that from happening, b-but I do now and I want you to go. Please. I’m not mad at you,” he tearily shook his head. “I could never be mad, but if you really say that I’m in charge of my own body and- and that I get to have an opinion, like you and Adam, then you’ll listen to me.” 

Granted, Carlos could see him hesitating. He averted his eyes towards his lap rather than at him and started to fiddle with the bottom of his sweatshirt, occasionally chewing on the inside of his cheek. Carlos had never felt worse. Perhaps he just wasn’t meant to make his own requests. 

“As long as you’re not mad at me,” the human eventually mumbled as he got out of his seat. “Can I at least send Adam in here to check on you throughout the day? It would make me feel a lot better knowing someone is looking after you.”

“Yes, sir.” He could live with that. “I didn’t mean to make you sad.” 

“Done nothin’ wrong. You’re all good.” Ryker bent down a little to affectionately nudge his shoulder. “Feel free to come and hang in the living room when you’re ready, yeah? Everything’ll be shut so you don’t have to worry about the sun.” 

Carlos gave him a small nod, already feeling himself reverting back to old habits before he could stop himself. “Yes, sir.” 

-

Both Ryker and Adam had originally been planning on going out for lunch that afternoon, but it was an unspoken agreement that neither of them felt like leaving the house anymore. Adam went to see the vampire in short fifteen minute bursts, occasionally bringing him some extra blood in hopes that it would help with healing. By the time he was finally feeling well enough to leave his room, the humans had eaten dinner and it was well and truly night. 

Ryker had taken to gaming out in the living room after Adam fell asleep in their bedroom. All the lights were off, so the TV was the only thing that provided any light, and he was curled up inside a blanket from the closet while several of his favourite stress toys sat in his lap. He wasn’t sure he’d experienced anxiety this bad in quite a while. It felt like he was drowning in it, and it was preventing him from doing anything other than sitting there and wallowing in it. 

In fact, it took him several minutes to even realise that Carlos had sat down beside him. It wasn’t until the vampire gently touched him on the arm that he jumped; inevitably disrupting the two sleeping animals who’d been lying beside him since he sat down.

“I’m sorry,” Carlos apologised, looking almost just as surprised as he was. “You looked so invested in your game, I wasn’t sure if you’d hear me.” 

Ryker paused his game with a small wave of his hand and set his controller down on the coffee table. “You’re all good. I just wasn’t expecting to see you until tomorrow, is all. How’re you feelin’?” 

The vampire gave him a smile. “Better. My burns don’t hurt as much. I think they’ll be better by tomorrow.” 

“Yeah? That’s great, man.” 

After a small silence had passed, Ryker slowly started to unravel himself from his blanket before lying it across his lap instead. He then lifted it up as an invitation for Carlos to join him and grinned when the vampire shuffled over without hesitation. 

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he whispered as he crossed his legs beneath himself. He still seemed to be in some pain, but the fact that he could move at all meant that he was getting better. He was grateful that they’d bought those extra blood packs for emergencies. “Adam said you were having some anxiety. Was that caused by me? When I asked you to leave?” 

Ryker thought about lying. He thought about telling him that it was just general anxiety, or that something had happened at work while he was away, but that felt wrong to do. Surely he was past the point where he felt the need to lie like that?

“A little,” he eventually admitted. During his little pause, he offered Carlos one of his stress toys and found himself smiling when the vampire took it. “I feel like an idiot because I know you told me you’re not, but I guess I’m still convinced that you’re upset with me. That you asked me to leave because I did something wrong.”

“Please don’t call yourself that.” He reached out to hold Ryker’s hand with his free one. “I feel that way a lot, too, when people use a certain tone or use certain words when they’re talking to me. It’s scary not being able to tell what someone’s true intentions are.” 

Ryker took a moment to respond. “Yeah… So, you’re really not upset with me?”

“Not at all,” Carlos shook his head. He gave him a warm smile, fingers still holding onto the human’s hand tight. “You took care of me so much when you were a kid. You saw my body in states that should have been horrifying to someone of such a young age, and yet after a while you didn’t even seem to care. I hated it, and now that I’ve got a choice, I’m choosing to save you from having to experience it again.”

Truth be told, Ryker still thought about a lot of the things he’d seen Carlos be put through when he was a child. He hardly ever spoke to anyone about it, Adam included, but it had haunted him for years. There was even a period of time where he remembered blaming Carlos for his trauma, though that thankfully lasted no more than a few months. He knew it wasn’t Carlos’ fault. There was no one to blame but his parents.

Ryker finally nodded, though he didn’t exactly agree with him. “Thank you. You… you know I’m not a kid anymore, though, right? I know you feel bad for not always having the ability to protect me as a kid or whatever, but I’m giving you permission to let that go. I’m not upset about it, nor do I resent you, so there’s no reason for you to either.”

Before Ryker could look up to see why it had suddenly gone quiet, Carlos had shuffled over even more and wrapped his arms around the human’s neck in somewhat of an awkward hug. He held on tight, seemingly forgetting once more that his strength was much more prominent that it used to be, but Ryker couldn’t bring himself to mind. It was just another reminder that things were slowly getting better. 

For both of them. 

-

Taglist:@alexkolax @emcscared-whumps @espresso-depresso-system @inkkswhumpandstuff @pigeonwhumps @pumpkin-spice-whump @roblingoblin285 @sacredwrath @some-thrilling-heroics @stabby-nunchucks @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @trans-writes @whump-blog @whumpsday @whumpshaped  @whump-things @whumpycries @whumpdreamz @why-not-ask-me-a-better-question @thekittyburger @choppedflowermuffinchild

[ryker-writes]

hey hey ! how you doing? hope you're doing good ,i just wanted to say that i really like your works and that it's really cool and nice

but i did want to participate in the flower event hehh

so describing myself : i'm an introvert,i te'd to be really shy and i wait for people to come to and not the opposite. i get anxious really easily,i overthink and bottle everything inside but the moment i'm comfortable i'm a real dumbass . i like to tease and just talk nonstop ! i like trying new stuff like : learning all the countries on the map, drawing , diamond painting, making necklaces... but get frustrated and stop when i don't get it perfect in the first try 🤡

i don't really know what to talk about but i guess this sums up how much of a handful i am 😅

thank you in advance if you end up doing mine and i wish you a good day :)

I'm doing well! Thank you! I've noticed you a while back when you've liked my posts and I've seen you over on Auburn's blog too! I actually still have a request from you that I'm going to get too soon! You actually sound a lot like me, and please don't think of yourself as a handful!

Anyway

Ryker's flower garden event

I would give you...

A hellebore!

This flower has a sort of double meaning to it. In the language of flowers, it means anxiety. But it's also a symbol of hope because it's a flower that blooms during winter and can withstand frost! Anxiety is tough to deal with, but like this flower, you can bloom and fight through it! I believe in you! The flower is a great symbol for fighting through the darkness. While it's a beautiful flower that comes in many colors, it also has a bit of a dark past with being used as poison, and yet we still put it in our gardens. But funny enough, it also means to tranquilize my anxiety, so it's a double meaning flower all around.

A bluebell!

Bluebells mean humility, which is something I can see coming from you. You're humble and your view of yourself should be better. Those traits you gave aren't the traits of someone who's a handful! While it's good to be humble, you should love yourself more and take more pride in what you do!

A yellow poppy!

Poppies are one of the flowers that the color changes the meaning. A yellow one means success and looking at the bright side of things. I chose this because of your willingness to try new things, even if you don't get it perfect. The fact that you're willing to try even if you don't quite get it right is amazing! I wish you the most success in your projects!

And of course, thank you so much for sending in a ask for the event! Also thank you for supporting me as a writer and I'm looking forward to writing your request!

[du-buk]

8:11 Questions+Answers Pt.2

Got behind again:,D Thank you all for the questions and support though! I hope these don’t disappoint!💙✨✨✨🦭

General Characters Asks;

I’m SOOOO behind on these asks, I apologize to you anons😭💙 But thank you so so much 2nd anon! I love rambly asks, so no worries💙 Thank you for supporting BOTH versions of the game, and liking it! I am honored and I hope you enjoy the sequel; and Gabriel’s next upcoming content then! Thanks again!

For anon 1; hahahaha, I love that! What a cool dream......... I would love to try making such a thing in real life...... but no idea how to structure jokes into four-panels......

But it would be really cool! Newpaper comics and the like were some of my biggest drawing inspirations as a young kid. It would be so nice to give it a go:)

I’ve thought about it, and, sadly no 💔 I’m incredibly busy, especially as of late due to family tragedy, and my health makes it hard to be online all the time.

I’m a mod for one discord server my friends made, and, I do a terrible job at being a mod. I’m never online and just don’t check in with servers, sorry! But I can always happily promote a fan one👍✨

Hmmm......

There’s a small linkage to this. To be honest there was an grand, but old concept for this; but I might drop it as it doesn’t really impact the story in a positive way (as I see it). Or maybe I’ll continue with this, and see what I can do with it in the future.....! Maybe I’ll surprise myself, hahaha. Let’s find out!

But in general it was used before to signify angels, or death’s presence. I don’t know if I like this as I didn’t really use it for every angel in chapter one. For fun, this is what the map looks like when Gabriel and Vittorino talk and the static occurs. The Basilica walls change, and some angels appear.

Hmmm..... oh boy. I think there were a few changes, so I will attempt to remember, but I believe I changed;

Gabriel’s co worker plot line: Meh. It’s a good excuse for him to get to the Basilica. But it’s not so heavily talked about anymore. She is most likely just dead, or missing, and Gabriel can now use Vittorino to help regain his memories. Gabriel’s past overall has done a lot of last minute changes; I think all for the best.

Gabriel’s age: I made him younger. Just to look more helpless and you feel sorry for the guy.

Vittorino and Gabriel dialogue; Vittorino is meant to be ambiguously-taken by the audience when he meets Gabriel. You can decide to trust him, or not.

Accardi and Vittorino’s dialogue in Act 3: I believe I changed some things when they talk about Dante. The old version, I believe, there were indications that Accardi knew who Dante was? He still does for the updated full game, but, now with V2 he claims he can’t remember specifically just Dante’s appearance/face. Lots of face imagery here hahaha

Lots of little details I believe; like what notes Ryker found and such.

The static noise. Also is the reason why in the demo; Leon told Ryker to ignore the static noises; and why it’s not in the full game now. I really just didn’t care for that concept, and wish to use something better.

In the future, if given the chance; I would like to re-make the town and the townspeople. In general just change NPC outfits, way of speech, beliefs, etc. to really give the town a stranger feeling and making the player feel so out of place.

Hmmm..... sometimes I throw an intentional curve ball. Sometimes I don’t give a yes or a no to not spoil the future fun.  And yet, I have also deleted some asks that said too much. I try to delete outdated asks but I’m also just..... not online much and forget to go through my archive, hahaha^^;

Off the top of my head; nothing was spoilered in my answers, but, a lot of people ask me about “how will X character react to Accardi being outed as a cannibal?”

Well.... I’ve already decided to change someone’s reaction. I think this will be fun to write dialogue for, when I’m at that scene, hehe.

To give an idea; 8:11 is has been fully written for years now. But, it’s been a struggle to create a game with my health, busy schedule, etc. as a one-man-team. So, sometimes bits and pieces of the story, or characters, change over time like I do. New things inspire me, challenge me, etc. and I like to implement it in my stories. So far, the ideas and sets I’ve made for 8:11′s sequel overall make me extremely proud, and I hope to show it sometime in the near future when completed. 💙👍💙🦭💙

Hmmmm...... only recently! As a challenge I wish to find voices in the same language characters grew up speaking (i.e, Ryker = French, Gabriel = Italian, etc.) My girlfriend actually pointed out a really nice headcanon voice someone had for Ryker, which is this video;

I’ve shared before that I think Leon sounds like this, but, other than these two, I have no ideas yet on voice claims.

Hmmm...... I don’t know much about instruments, so, I might leave it up for fans to think about, hahahah^^;

I like to think Juliek was forced by his parents to learn violin or something; but he didn’t care for it. So he doesn’t pressure Amalia to pick up instruments if she doesn’t want to. But he loves to hear Accardi play. Maybe Susan knows how to play as well? Maybe instrument-playing is reserved for more upper class people in this world, as it sounds with above hahahaha.

Hahahaha, weeeeell...... ummm.... [weapons/guns talk below warning]

Sorry for a disappointing answer anon, but, I just like arrows! They are often in my dreams, and fun to draw, so it’s common to just see in my artwork and stories hahahaha. I’ve had practice with shooting arrows and guns; and just like them. So I like to draw characters with weapons. Nothing much to it for 8:11′s story(symbolism wise); but maybe for future stories of mine.

Yep! But I cannot say who ;) But I find the secret couples cute

I’m glad you like them anon, thank you!!

After playing Pathologic, and re-watching Twin Peaks, I really wish I developed Dakota and Wankou more. Side characters can be so fun to talk to and interact with. I hope in the future to develop them more 💙💙💙

Yep! Go ahead anon, please help yourself to any of the ADULT characters! Have fun!

Ryker asks;

Are you referring to this?⬇️

Then yes! My dear best friend @jirachi​ made that for me, in support of the game! I actually have it up on my wall, next to my work station 💙😭 So everyone say thank you to her! And since time is played around with in the Basilica, like loose strings, I figured it fit best there:)

He would, if you’re Ryker. If not, but you can see him, he might be alarmed (”why are you able to see someone else’s guardian angel?” he’s thinking) but if you are friendly......he can hug you. He would be so warm, yet probably smell like soil.

They certainly smell bad. They were going to take a bath in act 3, but then found Beetle in the tub instead.

Hi anon! Well.....

It wasn’t my intention, but, if you see fit; then who am I to stop you? Ryker wasn’t written with anything like that, but in general if I write a character with something; I will state it in text. (Which is why there’s so much talk about depression and anxiety disorders hahah)

Leon asks;

Hello anons! He technically had someone he was very close with, but, NOT in a romantic sense. Just a friendly way.

I’ve never written a love interest for Leon, sadly. If you want him though, you can have him. Just be gentle....

He also has no canon last name, so, you can give him yours. 👍💙💙💙

Hahaha, surprised (but glad) to hear! I didn’t think Francis would gather any fans until chapter two. Here���s some fun facts;

He was a morning person until the incident

He enjoys □ □ □ 

□ □ □ □ □  □ □ □ □ □

Yes! Francis is just spoken with in a non-human form, so, it can be tricky to tell.

Accardi+Juliek asks;

He probably had to drag them around, got dizzy, and threw up on them. What’s a few more bruises to Ryker when they’re covered in them, hahahaha.

Hannibal, definitely. Your mom is very right👍 I love Mads Mikkelsen’s portrayal of him. Other than Hannibal, Accardi was inspired by other characters like Koito from Golden Kamuy and Westley from the Princess and the Bride.

Are you referring to his pixel sprites? It honestly might have been a mistake, as, pixel art hurts my eyes 😭 I think 8:11 will be the last game I make with pixel art, as, the little details are too difficult for me to keep up with. My bad!

Hello! Yes, I confirmed it over on Twitter a while back I believe. But don’t be fooled........it’s not a long history between them, and anything about them will just be implied. Juliek just likes to fuck.

Uh, no clue, sorry anon. He’s just always had that.

Remember when Accardi told Ryker he gave stitches to Vittorino once? When he bumped his head on a table? Maybe Accardi had to do something similar with Juliek after a crazy night with the boys..... who knows....

Vittorino+Gabriel+Dante asks; 

There’s no cure. We’re just going to have to put you down. Sorry.

He would chase you with an axe.

I don’t mind! I’ve never really thought about it myself.... but I don’t mind it, hahaha. Chapter two might be a wild ride though if you do ship them ;P

Dante enjoyed hunting as it relieved stress, and a way to escape from the madness at the Basilica for a moment. Though, he was never taught proper gun safety (no surprise).

🔞🔞🔞🔞Asks;

....Or in the past, possibly. I doubt Gabriel would want to do anything in a sewage area.

Hello! I am, thank you for asking! You’re free to draw whatever you want, I don’t care.

You might have to ask off anon. I don’t know exactly how to send these images, as, I don’t want to upload them on my archives 😭Just a heads up, I don’t think anything other than bare chests are shown so don’t get any hopes up👍I believe for the priest zine I only drew Leon and Vittorino.

LOOOL yeah okay, pretty funny. But we will have to see, hahha. I don’t really draw NSFW images but I can try my best.

Well.... in honor of Noda, the author behind Golden Kamuy ranking  sizes.....sure. I will do that too 👍✨

Wankou (the biggest)

Dakota

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□ □ □

[my-current-obsession]

Taking a break from Rune Factory 4 Special to fantasize about a potential Rune Factory 5 Special. Which probably won’t happen, but I can dream. This is basically just a list of updates/changes/etc. that I would like to see.

- (re)incorporate a lot of the stuff found in datamining, like the ability to run a shop and the DLC love interests - Livia, Radea, & Terry. Whether those three remain DLC or are just added in as new options, I would LOVE to have them. I wouldn’t even care if I have to wait until post-game to properly romance one or both of the girls, since it would be worth it. I’d also like Misasagi to be a love interest but I just don’t think that’s feasible since she has a child already and the writers/developers won’t want to have to deal with you marrying & moving in with someone who already has a kid.

- Speaking of Hina, she and Julien ABSOLUTELY need to grow up some after you’ve had kids. Those two are like... somewhere around 7-11 initially, and there’s at least a three or four year timeskip after having a kid (plus ANOTHER timeskip after the twins). It’s REALLY jarring to see those two looking/acting barely older than your own kids when at minimum they’re seven(ish) years older. Ideally I’d like the “young adult” models/sprites (as in, all the marriage candidates basically) to get a bit older too but that’s less of an issue than the two kids who noticeably Don’t Age.

- Bring back the “reverse” proposals from RF4S. I understand giving the player the agency to choose when to propose, but having an event that ends with their love interest proposing is SO GOOD, and it’s not forcing you to accept, so you can still propose on your own terms later. And several love interests make it clear they WANTED to propose when you do it, so just... let them do it! I think ideally I’d want MOST of the guys (3-4?) and at least one or two girls to do this, while the others still leave the proposing to you. In all cases, they’d need either one more new event or tweaks/add-ons to their final event to flow more naturally into this.

- Make sure the game is actually optimized and performs well on the Switch this time. I’ve heard the PC version is much better, but I got the game when it first came out on Switch, and it’s... not great. Lots of lagging, random crashing and visual glitches... Fix all of that.

- I ASSUME this was an oversight and not intentional, but definitely fix the issue where if you date multiple people in one run and then get married the other love interest(s) still act(s) like you’re together. The pet names are dropped but the romantic dialogue is not. It was SO awkward when I talked to Martin like the day after I married Ryker and he contemplated whether Cecil would approve of “our” relationship. Well, considering I’m married now, and not to you, probably not!

- This is a little less important, but along a similar vein I’d like if the game actually noticed and slightly altered some events depending on who you were dating, or if that’s too difficult make an effort to NOT have “date” events feature multiple potential love interests. Once again, on my first date with Ryker, Martin strolled up and interrupted us which embarrassed Ryker SO MUCH he left. I was pretty embarrassed too, considering Martin then casually said “Sorry I interrupted your date, Love.” Ideally either change date events so other love interests DON’T casually appear, or go immersive and have them react DIFFERENTLY if they also happen to be dating you. There’s also a non-date event where you and a few others play the King’s Game but Ryker is rigging it to help Ludmilla flirt with you. Again, odd to see it when I’m dating him and NOT her.

- It would honestly be nice to set your sexuality/preferred love interest gender at the start of the game simply so you’re not bombarded with EVERYONE’s events and not getting hit on by everyone when you’re talking to them every day. This way you’re only given the events and flirting by the gender you want.

- Bring back dungeon seeds/field dungeons! That’s just a simple and fun way to spend a lot of your time and get random rewards.

- Include more random conversations between townspeople! Literally the only “group” conversations in 5 are between the 6 boys and 6 girls at festivals. Let two or three people meet up during the day and have conversations. I miss that from 4 so much, it really helps flesh out the town and how certain characters interact with each other.

- Newlywed Mode would be nice.

- Murakumo being the only person running the bathhouse often causes problems. Any time he’s NOT there, such as festival days or just when he’s eating lunch/dinner, you can’t take a bath even though the inn is technically open/available. He has an in-universe reason to work alone so you can’t give him a helper, but you COULD do something like leave a note at his desk that we can investigate which says how much to pay. Bado in RF4 had something like that for whenever he was slacking off. Basically, we need some way to access the bath even if Kumo isn’t doing his job.

EDIT - thought of one more! Give us a way to access the flower shop earlier. Having Ludmilla be the sole person running it when she doesn’t even join the town until halfway through the game is... A Choice. It is RIDICULOUS how late in the game this shop becomes available. I think you could have Priscilla run it initially, and just decide where Lucy works between the shop and the bakery. Then when Ludmilla joins and takes over, Priscilla takes the other open job.

[just-my-fandom]

Reader being the one to fight Matt and they reunite!!

Request 2: Hi. So uh, can I request a Voltron story? Where the reader used to date Matt Holt, but after he disappeared reader changed from the nerdy quiet girl she was to like a badass, and starts dating Keith. Thank you. Have a great day.

Request 3: any thing Voltron where reader gets hurt!!!

Summary: Now that Matt is back, he can’t help but feel that his (ex) girlfriends teammate is taking her away from him. Reader has to break to Matt that she has moved on after his disappearance and is now with the paladin of the black lion.

Date started; February 2, 2021

Date posted; March 1, 2021 (Jezus)

Warning(s); Cursing, fighting, blood, jealousy, angst.

Was not proof read.

Matt and reader have a past. This story is a Keith x Reader.

A/N: We’re slowly but surely getting things posted. Life’s been a bish lately so I haven’t been motivated to write. I had absolutely no idea how to end this, so it just cuts off.

Tagged; @boiled-onionrings

“What is this?” Your eyes narrow in thought. Narrow at the footsteps that close in behind you. Widen when you turn, and a man is swinging his blade straight at your head.

Your body is quick to push back, into the control panel so it flickered and powered off, your hands pushing off in an attempt to roll to the side.

Your hand pulls your bay-yard from your belt, twisting in time for your weapon to collide with your opponents, both grunting at the impact.

The figure shoves forward so you fall onto your back, gasping as your bay-yard slides feet from your reach, pushing to sit up and reach for your weapon.

The quick swipe of the males blade causes you to hiss and clutch your shoulder, lifting your foot high enough to kick him backwards, into the control panel like he had done to you prior.

You reach out and lift your bay-yard, slinging your arm out so it hit your opponent in the jaw, knocking his mask off and over his shoulder.

You lift your head, jaw clenched and weapon drawn, eyes widening as your lips part in a gasp, when you meet the gaze of your opponent,

“Matt?” You squeak, dropping your bay-yard so it clattered on the metal floor and quickly retracted into its holder, free hand pressed hard to where your fingers slowly held blood,

“Y/N,” Matt breathes, his body pushing to stand up from where he fell to his knees, arms pulling you tightly into his chest so you hissed a second time, his hands holding your arms as he leans back, examining your injury,

“Shit, I’m so sorry,” He exhales, your head shaking as tears burned your eyes from behind your helmet,

“Oh my god,” You heave, bloodied hands pulling your helmet off so he could fully look at your face, “Oh, god, you’re alive,”

“I’m alive,” Matt nods, hands caressing your head so he could lean his forehead to knock against yours, your eyes pinching shut before you lean back, opening your eyes.

“Just wait until Pidge sees you, and-and Shiro,”

“Wait, they’re with you?” Matt knits his brows together, as you glance down at the blood through your amor. It’ll be fine.

“Well, on their own mission,” You exhale, “Any chance you’ve heard of Voltron?”

“Of course I’ve heard of Voltron,”

“Well,” You repeat, smiling shyly as you look up at him, “We’re all Paladins,”

“No way,” Matt shakes his head, “That’s so cool!” He reaches forward to twirl you around, pausing when noticing you flinch at the movement of your shoulder.

“Come on,” Matt pulls back, hand at your arm, “Let me fix your shoulder,”

“Actually,” You lift your helmet off the floor, placing it over your head, “I have somewhere we can go,”

“HEY, look, Y/Ns back!” Hunk and Lance turn at the white lions appearance, the team of five moving forward as the lions jaw opened, your figure stepping out with a hand on your shoulder,

“Whoa, what happened to you?” Pidge asks, eyes narrowed as she moves up to you, but you smile, her brows pinching as footsteps sound behind you, her gaze looking over your shoulder and widening at Matt’s figure,

“Matt!” Pidge gasps, your smile softening as you step to the side, Shiro crossing his arms as he moves up to you,

“How’d you find him?” Shiro asks, calmly, your eyes flicking up to him.

“That so called secret base?” Shiro nods, “It was Matt’s. He returned as soon as I went in. Started fighting before we realized each other,”

“You did a good job,” Shiro smiles, and you nod, looking over at Pidge and Matt pulling out of their embrace, “Does he know?”

Shit. No. He doesn’t. He hasn’t even met Keith yet. “No,” You murmur, sighing as you turn, “I don’t know how to tell him,”

“That might be something you talk about in your own time,” Shiro raises his eyes from your shoulder to your eyes, watching you nod and brush past him, missing Matt’s worried glance.

“FOCUS, Keith!”

“I am focusing! You’re the one not focusing!”

“Now you’re just fucking with me,”

Matt stops at the doorway of the training deck. By now he had gotten a feel of where each room was located on the ship, which lead him to sneak off and search for you.

He watches silently as you slung your bay-yard at the red paladin- Keith, Matt thinks- leading Keith to jerk back and knock his own weapon to the metal, pushing you away from getting a hit on him.

It’s a quick tuck and roll as you duck away from Keith’s swing, your foot hooking around his leg to knock him on his back, your teammate grunting loudly at the impact his body made.

Knees pinned at his sides, your hands pin his shoulders down, lips pulling upward in a snort as Keith rolls his eyes, head dropping against the floor in defeat,

“You win,” Keith huffs, hands at your thighs as you raise your eyebrows, eyes flicking between his.

“Nice,” You grin, dropping one eyebrow, “Rematch?”

Matt frowns as Keith lifts his head, lips nearly against yours, “Absolutely not,”

“So you admit I’m better than you,” You lean back, sitting up so you were sitting on his legs, “I’ll take it,”

Keith narrows his eyes, gaze then shifting to the side, so you turned and your smile dropped.

“Matt,” You call, when the dirty blonde turns and exits the deck. You send a short glance down at Keith, pushing to stand up, “Matt, wait,”

Huffing at his refusal to turn around, you fasten your pace, “Matthew Holt, look at me!”

“Oh, so now you care?” Matt turns, sharply, arms crossed as he watches your brows furrow and footsteps stop.

“Matt, I always cared,” You breathe, shaking your head, “You’d been gone for years. I had to do what was right for me and move on. I should have told you when you first came back, but I didn’t know how,”

“So you two?” Matt’s eyes flick to the door of the training deck, and you nod, gazing down.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” You say, lifting your gaze, “As the paladin of the white lion, my main focus has always been saving earth. Im not the girl you once knew, who only read books and was afraid to talk to anyone outside my little circle. I’m a paladin now. I save people,”

You glance to the side, silently moving back to the training deck where Matt frowns, jaw clenching in defeat. He had lost you, years ago.

“ARE you two okay?”

Lance and Hunk skid to a stop into the abandoned ships control room, both breathing heavily through their helmets, “We’re fine,” Lance heaves, “But we need to get out of here, now!”

“Why?” Pidge rushes, “What happened?”

“It was-,” Hunk pauses, shock still in his system, “Monster- blue flash- I had rotten food goo,”

“Wait,” Lance stops his teammate, eyes narrowed in thought, “Where’s Keith and Y/N?”

YOUR eyes scan the empty hall. Galra bots float, lifeless, Keith and Kosmo floating beside you, “Hello?” Keith calls, Kosmo growling in defense,

“What are you?” The robotic voice of the remaining Galra bot causes you to pause, eyes squinting. The bot repeats his question, Keith raising his flashlight to the bots face,

“My name is Keith,” Keith starts, head barely tilting towards you, “This is Y/N. We are Paladins of Voltron. Paladins of the Black and White lions,”

“Wait,” You speak, “Yordum Bering Exus. Is that you?”

“Where are the rest of the Galra?” The bot asks, your head turning to look at Keith,

“They’re still on Planet Ryker. Why?”

“Planet Ryker,” The robot repeats, before it pushes forward, your eyes widening at the large monster behind it.

“Keith,” You alert, reaching to grab his arm so he tugged you into him, sharply, avoiding the sudden purple blast ray that the monster- Sentry- send, his shield coming up to block the second shot, shoving you and him both into the metal wall beside you.

You grunt out in pain at the impact, Keith pushing you to the side so you rammed into Kosmo, who quickly teleported next to Keith, Keith grabbing your hip protectively as you vanish.

“Keith, Y/N and I were in communication before we got disconnected,” Pidge explains to Lance, hearing Matt in her earpiece ask in a panic,

“You lost contact with them?”

“Keith and Y/N can hold their own together,” Allura breathes, “We need to figure out what that thing is,”

You reappear in the control room, gasps wheezed in fear before you push away from Keith, eyes wide, “What the hell was that?”

“What?” Pidge rushes, “What did you guys see?”

“Some- monster!” You heave, hearing Matt’s voice glitch in your earpiece as it gained connection,

“Oh thank God,”

“The base you sent this fleet to plunder, was it Warlord ranveigs?” Keith rushes, flying up to Lahn.

“Yes. It was,” Lahn answers, shortly, Allura glancing at you in alert.

“Keith, what’s going on?”

“The creature on this ship is a superweapon designed to destroy the Galra, and only Galra,” Keith starts,

“Warlord Ranveig would never create such a thing,” Lahn hisses, Keith shaking his head.

“Ranveig found the creature in the Quantum Abyss and experimented on it with Lotors Quintessence,”

“How do you know so much on this, Keith?” You ask, floating up between Pidge and Allura.

“Krolia and I let it lose so we could escape Ranveigs base,” Keith sighs, eyes fluttering shut, “This is all my fault,”

You shake your head, ignoring the glare Lahn sends your teammate, “Pidge, can you set a protocol that could self destruct this place? We need to get rid of the ship, and that monster,”

“Once I set it we’ll only have two minutes to leave the ship,” Pidge rushes, fingers pressing buttons, before she turns, waving a gloved hand, “Go. Go!”

You turn, jaw clenching at Sentrys appearance at the side door, “All Galra must perish,”

You yelp as the monster lunges forward, darting to the side before flying up with your jet pack, rushing for the door. Your front slams into the now shut door, fist curling to punch the metal before you look over, realizing Keith, too, had been trapped.

“Guys!” You shout, eyes wide in terror as you face Sentry, pulling out your bay-yard as he flew forward, you and Keith dodging in different directions so Sentry slammed into the doors front.

You hiss as Sentrys tail wraps around your body, pinning your arms at your sides, your gasp cut short as his tail flicks, hard, sending you into the metal wall feet away.

Your vision swims black, growing blurry as your lungs gasp for air, the sudden pain in your ribs causing you unable to move. Keith looks over as Sentry roared, rushing to you, Keith’s body protectively shielding yours as his shield protects himself, shoving you both into the wall a second time.

“Stay awake, Y/N!” Keith demands, rushes, arm at your lower back keeping you from floating away from him. His bay-yard shifts into a large gun, blasting at the monster before he turns and aims, shooting a hole into the locked door.

“Go!” Keith demands to his team, jet pack activating as he rushes forward,

“What happened to Y/N?!” Lance rushes, looking back at the distant explosion, where his eyes widen at the fire rising.

With a heatwave, the team of seven are thrown into space, the black lion quick to catch you and Keith so Keith landed on his feet, looking out his front visor where the white lion floated in front of his own.

“Let’s get her to the castle,” Keith demands, looking down at where your hand pressed to your rib, blood at your lips, “Stay with me, okay?”

You whimper, head tilting back before it leans to the side, dropping onto his shoulder.

“WHAT happened?” Matt and Shiro move forward towards their friend, Keith moving past them with you in his arms,

“The thing we had to destroy, attacked us, twice,” Keith hisses, teeth bared as he bends down to stand you on your feet inside the healing pod, stepping back in time for it to zap shut,

“She only seemed to be in danger around you,” Matt seethes, Keith looking over his shoulder to glare at the dirty blonde,

“What was that?”

“Do I need to dumb it out for you?” Matt steps up, ignoring Shiros call, “You’re the reason she got hurt. You’re the reason she left me!”

“Y/N left you because you ran off into space,” Keith snarls, Shiro and Pidge both jumping between the two so Keith stepped back, jaw clenched.

“Now is not the time to be fighting,” Shiro orders, Pidge nodding then shaking her head as she points to your unconscious, healing figure,

“Y/N needs you both right now, as much as you might hate it. So shut up and be here for her when she wakes up,”

Matt’s eyes shift from Pidge to Keith, Keith firmly crossing his arms over his armored chest before facing the healing pod.

Matt watches as Keith’s eyes drift to his bloodied gloves, glare faltering before looking back up to you.

Pidge exhales a heavy breath and follows Shiro, reluctantly, out of the med-bay, Matt crossing his own arms and scanning his eyes across your face.

“I’m sorry I came out rude,” He starts, Keith barely side glancing him, “It just, sucks. Coming back from being in space prison to find out your girlfriend moved on,”

“Y/Ns a lot different now than she used to be,” Keith reminds, “When I first met her I was an asshole and she was quiet. We didn’t click right away. But I found a meaning to my team and she’s apart of my team. It just- happened,”

“She’s definitely different,” Matt chuckles, Keith raising an eyebrow, “When I ran into her, I didn’t know she could fight like that,”

“She didn’t learn from me, that’s for sure,” Keith smirks, which instantly falls as the heal pod beeps, opening so Keith’s arms shot out to catch your leaning figure,

“That was quick,” Matt mutters, Keith shooting him a glance before you lift your head, brows pinched in discomfort,

“What happened?” Your eyes shift from Matt to Keith, who’s muscles visibly relaxed to see you up and moving. Matt noticed.

“We’ll tell you about it later,” Matt steps up, smiling lightly, “I’ll let the others know you’re okay,” Matt’s eyes meet Keith’s, his nod short before he steps back and out the door.

Maybe, just maybe, Matt forgave him.

[zackmartin]

Please ignore my banner, I got lazy and didn’t want to spend the time to make it actually look like. decent alskdjf.

I met and started talking to some really cool new people this year and I’d love to include you, but I have this weird anxiety of coming across as overzealous and clingy but just know if we had at least one conversation, I consider us friends and I hope we become even better friends in the new year and if it wouldn’t be like, weird to you, you can definitely include yourself in this alsdkfj 💗

If I forget anyone please understand that I have really extreme Brain Fog right now but it obviously has no bearing on my love for you, y’all know who you are 💕

Even though I can’t say it to each of you this year, I still want to say how much I love you all. This past year and the year before have been two of the most difficult years I’ve ever been through, both because of stuff happening in the world and just everything going on in my personal life/health wise, and I don’t think I would’ve made it through had it not been for this website bringing me to some of the most incredible people. 

To the ones that let me dump 6,000+ word essays in your DMs on a random idea I came up with, to letting me brainstorm and talk things out even though we all know it probably won’t turn into anything, to getting into something I adore and live-blogging in my inbox, to just random check-ins/asks, it all means the absolute world to me. And on that note, I want to thank you all for continuing to indulge me; I know i wouldn’t have seventeen different AUs for one random crossover I came up with almost three (!!!) years ago, nor would I have written 2k words today of my latest one if y’all didn’t at least pretend to care jsfjsj 😅😅 and I know Izzy and Felix wouldn’t exist and I wouldn’t be contemplating adding yet another sibling if you guys hadn’t been so supportive. 🥺 I also know I definitely would’ve quit gifmaking if you guys didn’t reblog all my stuff (even some of you when you aren’t in the fandom?? 🥺🥺 idk how to thank you for that) and leave little nice tags 💕💕 And I want to thank a lot of you for the opposite, to the ones that let me in on their ideas, and their universes and their OCs, I love it all so much, like just getting a glimpse into all that is a great source of joy for me, and I hope you all know that you can always come to me with ideas, you don’t even have to ask, because I want to hear it all 💖 

and honestly I just want to thank y’all for being you. I feel like I know some of the best the world has to offer. I know I sound like a broken record, but it really does give me so much joy to see y’all excitedly gushing about something on my dash, even if it’s something I know nothing about. And I love getting into new things through all of you, and I definitely plan to continue that in the new year. I love watching you all grow and change and experience new things. 2022 better be kind to you all of you, and that’s a threat.🔪😤 Anyway, my brain is getting cloudy so it’s gonna start getting difficult to form coherent sentences so I gotta stop here alsdfkj but just know that I love y’all with my whole heart and I feel so honored to know each and every one of you, and I feel so beyond thankful to call you friends 💕

If I forget anyone please know that has all to do with the Brain Fog, and nothing to do with my love for you.

Also, honorable mention to Ryker; even though you don’t have an account for me to tag anymore, you’re definitely included in this 💗

@taylorswiftrulestheworld @willexs @harts-on-friar @sunsetcurve @legendaryjohnmarston @bitchmilsky @neshatriumphs @perhapspearl @dashingmoonlight @symphonic-concert @mistyskiesrambles @owenjoyners @youngbloodthekilljoy @the-nerdy-fangirl @ciara-knightly @unsaid-emily @hoovii @cactus-con

[finnofamerica]

How would your OCs react to their GF/BF having a bad day? Like really shitty rainy bad day

James "Dix" Dixion

Dix would immediately try to make you laugh. Probably telling you a story of something stupid he did as a teenager.

He's so animated when he tells you too. Making up voices, using a comb as a mustache.

"And Josh's dad was so pissed at me! It's okay tho Mr. Vaughn can't resist me, he forgave me after a week. Moved all his old trophies though."

He'll keep you laughing until your bad day is completely forgotten.

Joshua Vaughn

Josh would offer you an oversized sweater and some boxers while he washed and dried your clothes. No one wants to hang out in sopping wet clothing on top of their already shitty day.

"Tell me about your day, baby."

He'd just sit and listen to how shitty your day was. Once you tired yourself out he'd ask

"Do you want a ride home or a sleepover, baby?" "Sleep over." "Yeah, I figured. Up to bed, I'll tuck you in."

Everett Reed

Everett would be so pissed on your behalf.

"Next time you tell Patricia from accounting that if she has a goddamned problem then she can take it up with me. What the fuck is she talking about? 'yOuR sLaCkInG'. Shut the fuck up Patricia."

He'd be pacing back and forth cursing out whoever made you cry.

Devon Reed

He'd see your tears and your soaking wet clothes and immediately pull you into a hug.

"Do you want to vent, be distracted, or have a problem solved?"

Whatever you decide he'd be all too happy to help.

He'd cuddle you the whole time too, helping you relax.

"Do you wanna hear a new song I wrote?"

Ryker Jones

"What's wrong? Talk to me."

She'd listen as you talk about the shitty Karen who ruined your day, massaging your scalp.

She'd have to resist the urge to hunt down that Karen, but ultimately she knew that it wasn't something in her jurisdiction.

She'd give such light kisses all over your face, helping melt away the stress.

Ava Reyes

Runs you a bubble bath with nice-smelling candles and makes your cocoa.

"Listen, they can only bother you if you let them. At the end of the day, they are just bitter. You are stronger than them for not reacting out of aggression or jealousy."

She'd definitely wash your clothes for you and provide some nice PJs to sleep in.

"Do you wanna watch a movie with me?"

Magdalyn Rose

She'd take you in her arms and soothe your crying.

"Come, my love, prep breakfast for the shelter with me. Cooking is as good as therapy, no?"

You would act as her sous chef as she instructed you on prepping the meal.

The longer into the meal prep the more your worries were forgotten.

She served you up some nice hot biscuits for dinner, instructing you to eat.

If you crashed out at her place, she'd take you home in the morning.

Aaron Jones

If you came to Aaron after your bad day, he'd pull you to his reading nook, serve you up some coffee and sit with you while you talked about it.

"Feeling better?" "A little." "Good. You're not allowed to be sad in my presence. Only happy thoughts."

He'd kiss your forehead, pet your hair.

"How about I make you forget your worries?"

Samuel Lowe

Sam would cuddle you, let you cry it out.

"Let's watch a movie. You can tell me all about it when you're ready."

He's very patient, but usually very tired. He'd want you to talk about it, but knows patience is key with you.

"Can we just go to bed, please?" "Of course. Anything to make you feel better."

Greyson Reyes

"You know, typically I'd think your tears are hot, but I don't think that'd fly in this situation."

He'd sit you on his lap and soothe you. Offer his advice.

"You need a hot meal and to rest."

He'd check on you throughout the night to make sure you were sleeping peacefully.

[tinyboxxtink]

"Doppelganger" *Part 12*

I give you this my babies, because tomorrow I have tons to do and I don't know if you'll get a chapter during the day, it might just be tomorrow night after most of you are asleep. So enjoy the plethora when you can!

Also, I hope you're not getting whiplash from the twists and turns. I'm just making it as dramatic as possible, apparently.

Please still read my stuff.

Part 11

Part 13

Tag List

@madamsnape921

@lolliepopsicle

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@word-scribbless

@gibbs274

@sassyada

@aprildecker-blog

@bookishfanfic

@stars-in-the-skies-world

@stars-trash-18

@omgsuperstarg

@objection-argumentative

[Once again top is Nevada as 'Rafael', Bottom is Rafael]

---------

You walked silently through the park while crying. You were fuming, you felt guilty, but mostly you were heartbroken. You knew Rafael didn't mean what he said, he was just hot headed. But you did mean what you said. You didn't know if he could ever get past what happened, and you weren't positive you could either.

You wanted to, but just knowing the damage was done to Rafael's heart killed you inside and how you could spend the rest of your life just feeling guilty?

You were so lost in your own thoughts you didn't notice cops running through the park towards the cave.

-------

"FREEZE!!!!" An NYPD officer yelled at Rafael as several more surrounded the cave and him.

"Okay gentlemen, I try that you're doing your job but there's been a mistake--" Rafael put his hands in the air.

"Save it, Ramirez. Barba told us everything,"

Olivia had told him over the phone that Nevada had gotten to the people at Ryker's and they had alerted the NYPD but he didn't expect them to be this fast.

"Look if you go into my jacket pocket you'll see my wallet with my ID," He assured them.

"Yeah how dumb do you think we are?" One cop scoffed. "Even my fifteen year old sister has a FAKE ID,"

"Fair point," Rafael nodded.

"Now where's the girl?" Another police officer barked.

"Girl?" Rafael’s brows furrowed.

“Barba's girl. You know it takes some balls to kidnap the ADA's fiancée, I'll give you that,”

“Wha---he DID! I just rescued her!” He insisted.

"Yeah, before you got what you wanted?" The cop asked him suspiciously.

"And what did I want?" Rafael asked.

“You wanted your boys free,” he replied.

“No HE did. That's why HE was there. Come on guys you're smarter than this,” Rafael started to take a step forward.

“DON'T move,” The cop cocked the gun closer to Rafael.

“Really then how did he explain why he was there breaking them out and not me?”

“He said you had the girl and when he brought you the boys you'd let her go.”

"What would be the point of that if we look identical?!" Rafael exclaimed in exasperation. This was ridiculous.

“You think we're gonna buy you're that stupid to walk into Ryker's completely unarmed, just because you look like the ADA?”

“No he's just that cocky,” Rafael rolled his eyes at Nevada’s ego.

“Alright enough, where is she?” The cop ordered.

“She just ran away….” Rafael realized this didn’t look good.

“Oh really? She just ran away from the love of her life, who just rescued her from an evil man?” The officer asked sarcastically.

“Yeah she--we--- it's a long story,” He sighed. If he had just kept running after you, you’d be together right now. God knows what was happening to you right now.

“Right, well you can tell it downtown,” One cop nodded to the others to handle him.

“Well fine, Olivia Benson will vouch for me,” Rafael was talking a tough game, but secretly praying he was right. Olivia would know he was himself, right?

“Whatever you say Nevada,” Two cops grabbed by the shoulders and dragged him out of the cave.

---------

You suddenly realized as you reached the end of the park that you had no cell phone, no money. You didn’t even have shoes. You really didn’t want to continue to fight with Rafael, but it seemed you had no choice in the matter at the moment. You started heading back to the penguin cove when you saw a bunch of NYPD officers surrounding the place, and after a few minutes they were dragging Rafael out in handcuffs.

You were just about to run and tell them there was a mix up, when a hand clamped over your mouth. And then everything went black.

When you woke up, you were back in Nevada’s limo.

“Are you fucking kidding me…” You muttered to yourself, but you quickly realized you were not alone. Two more of Nevada’s men that you had never seen before were sitting across from you, huge evil grins on their faces.

“Hola, mami,” One rubbed his leg up and down your bare leg but you kicked him away.

“Now that’s not very nice, mujer,”

“Especially when we brought you refreshments,” The other one pulled out the champagne bottle of mind serum Nevada had on him the last time you saw him.

SERIOUSLY?

-------

Rafael was dragged through the precinct, glares from every single cop and detective, finally reaching the squad’s room. Olivia rushed over, trying to help Rafael out of the cuffs.

“What are you doing? THIS is Mr. Barba!” She exclaimed.

“No offense, Ms. Benson, but this man is very good at fooling people, you’re no exception,” One officer told her.

“Then why did he have Mr. Barba’s phone?” Olivia asked them with an attitude. The officer’s looked between each other, not really having an answer for that. Maybe they had been mistaken.

“.....Because I dropped it when I was running for my life with my fiancé,” A voice came from behind them. Everyone turned to see ‘Rafael’ with you draped on his arm.

“No….” Rafael whispered. This couldn’t be happening again.

“Ah, Mr. Barba,” One of the cops nodded. “Thank you so much for helping us catch this guy. That’s a decade of fine police work’s worth,” He shook ‘Rafael’s’ hand while Olivia circled around them to talk to you.

“What are you doing?!” She hissed.

“What are you talking about?!” You hissed back.

“Why are you vouching for Nevada?”

“What are you talking about? This is Rafael,”

“....Seriously?” Olivia was taken aback.

“Yes Olivia, SERIOUSLY. Don’t you think I would know my own fiancée?” You gave her an offended look.

“Yeah well from what I heard, you’re not that great at it,” She smirked.

“OLIVIA,” ‘Rafael’ suddenly stepped in between you two. “This vendetta you have against Y/N has got to stop, I thought we talked about this,”

“I...she...you…” Olivia looked from him to you, her eyes searching both of your eyes for anything telling.

“Do you have any idea what she’s been through?!” ‘Rafael’ barked, you laid your head on his shoulder looking very scared and traumatized.

“Yeah, I don’t know why you’re so mean to me,” You pouted, making Olivia gag.

“Oh my god, there is no way you are--”

“We’re done here, Olivia.” ‘Rafael’ shut her up. “If you can’t tell the difference between a hardened criminal and your ‘best friend’, then clearly we’re not as close as I thought we were.”

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

Inside your mind prison, you were watching all of this go down with absolute horror. How could this be happening again? How did you do this to yourselves AGAIN? What is WRONG with you? And now, now it was worse than ever because now Rafael was actually in trouble, and it was your fault.

“OLIVIA!!!!!” You screamed. You couldn’t believe out of all people, you would need her help. But here you were.

Olivia watched in shock as you and ‘Rafael’ walked arm in arm out of the station, leaving ‘Nevada’ in cuffs, with the most pitiful look on his face.

“Alright Ramirez, you can drop the act. It’s gonna get you nowhere, the jig is up,” Olivia sneered at him, with a wink.

“Olivia,” Rafael looked at her sadly. “I know you know me better than that. You know about….things that would convince Y/N that Nevada is me,” He muttered softly, looking around them.

“I know,” Olivia pressed her forehead to his. “I never doubted it was you, Rafa,” She smiled; now that you were completely out of the way, and turned against him, he needed her. For the first time, he needed her. And she was going to take every advantage of that.

“But they’re not going to take my word for it,” She sighed. “You might just have to wait it out in Ryker’s a bit while I sort this out,” She shrugged apologetically.

“Oh no, he won’t be going to Ryker’s Detective,” The mayor had entered the station, and heard the last part of their conversation.

“...Excuse me?” Olivia asked worriedly.

“For all the bad things this man has done-- murders, rapes, pillaging, for a DECADE now. No for that he’s not just going to ‘wait it out’ in a cell, wasting our taxpayer dollars. He’s getting the chair as fast as I can sign the release,”

Both Olivia and Rafael’s faces went white; Oliva fell back as if she was going to pass out.

“Mr. Mayor, please-- I understand this is a serious manner but this is a man’s life here. Don’t you want to make absolutely sure that you have the right man?”

“I’m pretty sure Miss Y/N knows her own fiancée,” The mayor pointed out.

“Well no offense to Miss Y/N but that’s how she got herself kidnapped, sir. By NOT recognizing her fiancé,”

“....I’ll take that under advisement,” The mayor nodded.

“Liv,” Rafael looked at her seriously. “Look whenever someone’s under….the influence,” He whispered looking around the both of them.

“They are still ‘there’. I know it. I know Y/N is there, she's just...trapped,”

“...I’ll see what I can do,” Olivia nodded. “Don’t take him anywhere until I come back,” She instructed a cop, before running out of the station.

---

“Nev---Rafa!” Liv came running out of the station where you and ‘Rafael’ were waiting on an Uber.

“Liv,” He nodded curtly.

“Look you’re right, I need to talk to Y/N, give her a proper apology,” Olivia looked between the two of you. ‘Rafael’ eyed her curiously, but then addressed you: “Go on baby, I’ll wait here for the car,”

Olivia took you to the side and lowered her voice so ‘Rafael’ couldn’t hear.

“Y/N, Look--” She put both hands on your shoulders. “They are going to put Rafael to DEATH,”

Inside your mind prison you let out a blood curdling scream, making ‘you’ wince in pain. Olivia stood in front of you so that ‘Rafael’ wouldn’t see, but she tried to talk to you.

“Yes, exactly. You should feel bad, because we both know that that--” Olivia pointed to ‘Rafael’. “That is NOT our Rafael,”

“Okay, ‘our’ Rafael is pushing it, Olivia,” You rolled your eyes. “But whatever-- this, this cannot be happening. My body cannot be this vulnerable. I have GOT to love Rafael more than this, GOD DAMMIT!!!!!”

You pulled at the bars until your arms felt like they were going to fall off, you sobbed until no water was left in your body. How could this be happening? How could you be failing him this hard? How could you keep hurting him like this, and now you were going to get him killed!

“Please,” You looked up to the sky, whimpering softly.

“Please, I don’t know-- I don’t know who or what is up there, I’ve never really believed in a lot. Hell I’ve never even believed in myself. But I believe in Rafael, and I believe in our love. I really, really do. And I believe that our love can beat anything, I just-- I need, help.”

Suddenly a blinding light appeared, and when you adjusted your vision, you were back in your body. You looked up at Olivia, who was apparently comforting you from another ‘migraine’. Before you could say or do anything, ‘Rafael’ came walking up to the two of you.

“Carino, our ride’s here,” He smiled at you sweetly. You wanted to vomit; But as long as he thought you were under his spell, you were safe.

“Coming baby,” You kissed his cheek sweetly, over exaggerated. You know his ‘version’ of you was over the top, like a freaking trophy wife stereotype.

“You have to get him out of there, Liv,” You whispered, tears in your eyes. "This is all up to you now,” Then you turned and followed “Rafael” to the car.

Olivia stared at the car as it drove off. How had you just...woken yourself up like that? But you were right. It was all up to her now. She bolted back into the station where they were processing ‘Nevada’.

“Ahem, gentlemen,” Olivia nodded to the officers, then the mayor. “Sir if I might have a moment,” She motioned him to the side.

“Sir, like I said you want to be absolutely sure you’re going kill the right man. And I have a way,” She told the mayor.

“Which is…?”

“Let me take him and get a DNA test,”

“A DNA test? Right now?” The mayor laughed.

“The lab doesn’t close until eight, it’s six now,” Olivia looked at her phone. “I can get to the head of the line, and you can get your results instantly. Then if it turns out this is indeed Nevada Ramirez, then you can execute him tomorrow,” She explained.

“....I suppose that is the best course of action,” The mayor nodded. “Do you think you can handle him all on your own?”

“Trust me sir, I’ve handled worse,” Olivia shook her head, showing her gun.

“Alright,” The mayor walked over to the men holding ‘Nevada’.

“Men, Detective Benson will be taking Mr. Ramirez to a genetics lab to get a DNA test, to make sure he is in fact Nevada Ramirez,”

“Seriously? Sir, come on--”

“Did I stutter, Donahue?” The mayor narrowed his eyes at the cop.

“Alright fine,” The officer shoved ‘Nevada’ towards Olivia.

“Let’s go, Ramirez,” Olivia grabbed ‘Nevada’ roughly and dragged him out of the station to a squad car. She threw him in the back and got in the driver’s side.

“Liv, I appreciate you getting me out of there, but we need to go to Nevada’s place and get Y/N,” Rafael instructed.

“Screw that, I’m proving your innocence before anything,” Olivia scoffed as she drove towards the lab.

“OLIVIA,” He emphasized.

“RAFAEL.” She emphasized harder.

“Come on, Liv I know you don’t like her but--”

“Nevada’s not going to hurt her, you know that. I know that. She’ll be fine,” Oliva rolled her eyes.

“She won’t be FINE,” Rafael pounded on the glass between the front and the backseat.

He thought about your last conversation-- your last fight. He had told you that you hadn’t been ‘assaulted’, that you ‘enjoyed’ being basically raped. And now, you were back there.

You were probably just thinking how he’d be upset, how he’d react, when really he was just scared for you. He realized none of the other bullshit mattered. All that mattered was you, and him, and the love you both shared. And that had to pull you through, didn’t it?

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

Back at Nevada’s place, ‘You’ changed into a see-through red teddy, and waited on Nevada. You knew that you were supposed to be under the elixir, so you had to act obediently, at least until Olivia showed up. She’d show up, right?

She had to show up.

[sunsetcurve]

learn to love without consuming (1/4)

fandom: knight squad relationships: arc / ciara, minor or one-sided arc / oc and ciara / oc word count: 4,603

a/n: eek. it's finally here. if you follow me here you know that i've been working on this for a few weeks (months?), but the idea has been sitting in my drafts for basically forever. almost since i watched the show to begin with. the recent resurgence of the ks fandom prompted me to dig this back up and gave me the motivation to actually try and finish, because fuck it! i love my babes and i want more of them.

so quick note is that this picks up pretty soon after the season 1 finale but disregards basically,,, everything that happens in s2. s1 and the finale proceed the same way except prudy never finds out ciara's secret, so she and warwick don't know at the moment. this chapter was initially gonna have more scenes that drove the plot/romance arc but once i got upwards of 6k with a few major scenes left i decided it would be best if i split the chapter up, so for now it’s just a lot of me trying to work around the convoluted knight squad lore to establish my own. i know that's not exactly what everyone is here for, but i promise things on the romance/action front will pick up soon. i'll place warnings as detailed as i can get without spoiling in the tags and notes as i go, but just anticipate fairly significant violence by chapter 3.

anyway! i have talked enough. the title is from thus always to tyrants by the oh hellos, the rating is t for swearing/violence, there are three more chapters that are in the process of being written, and reviews are like crack as far as i'm concerned. i really hope you like this! thanks for reading <3

dedications: this fic is first and foremost for @ciara-knightly, who is not only my amazing beta but also the whole reason this fic exists. she helped me so so much with the development of the plot and worked through it with me even way before i decided to really start writing it, and i wouldn’t have been able to do this without her. all of the notes she left after beta-reading were so so helpful and really made this whole fic make sense so basically i owe her my entire life. she inspires me to be a better writer all the time and i love her. everyone say thank you shona!!! also tagging my lovely friends and some people who have expressed interest, who are in no way obligated to read this; @juliesdahlias @mistyskiesrambles @dr-rigatoni @willexs @taylorswiftrulestheworld @onplanetmars @neshatriumphs @zackmartin @julies-molinas @soni-dragon @yagorlemmalyn @hopefulbeautifulfool @cactus-con @waterisntreal @onetwothreefarkle @bitchmilsky

summary: “Now that Ryker isn’t a threat anymore, the councils are supposed to resume as planned, and Astoria is set to hold the first one two weeks from now.”

“Okay,” he says slowly. “That sounds exciting.”

Ciara nods. “It is! I finally get to meet some of the other nobility, and actually get to be involved in Astorian politics for once. But my dad won’t let me go without an escort,” she says, and then hesitates. “Which is where you come in.”

read it on ao3

The morning before training that day, Arc is testing his skills against a heavy bronze padlock when Ciara enters the squad room and drops a brown paper bag on the table in front of him. 

“These,” she announces as he raises an eyebrow at her, “are for you.”

He pulls open the package and is instantly greeted with a rush of warmth and the smell of vanilla. “Dragon puffs?” he says, half in awe. It’s a clear bribe, but he can’t help but shove a sugar-coated sweet in his mouth anyway. They’re an Astorian original and possibly the best thing he’s ever tasted; he’d tried them once at a bakery near the castle and hasn’t stopped thinking about them since. 

“Okay, what do you want?” he says then, words muffled around the cream and pastry.

Ciara pulls a face at his manners, but still manages to blink innocently at him. “Can’t I just do something nice for a friend?” she tries, but it’s half-hearted.

He swallows and grins at her. “Nice try, Princess. Your dessert deliveries always come with an ulterior motive.”

Huffing a sigh, she sits down next to him. There’s this subtle air of anticipation lingering around her, one he can only sense based on how in tune they are after so long of being teammates. The two of them have this easy way of reading each other now; they’ve been spending more and more time together, something having shifted in their dynamic after the battle against Ryker. He can’t quite place what it is, but he knows it’s only brought them closer. “Do you know what the Council of the Five Kingdoms is?” she asks finally.

He shrugs. “Sure. Nobles from each kingdom used to have a big ball every year to talk trading and politics and other boring stuff…”

“Except there hasn’t been a council since Ryker’s invasion, because the kingdoms have been isolated and preoccupied with their own safety,” she finishes for him. Her fingers tug at the lacing of her leather gauntlets; she’s nervous, but he still isn’t sure why. “Now that Ryker isn’t a threat anymore, the councils are supposed to resume as planned, and Astoria is set to hold the first one two weeks from now.”

“Okay,” he says slowly. “That sounds exciting.”

Ciara nods. “It is! I finally get to meet some of the other nobility, and actually get to be involved in Astorian politics for once. But my dad won’t let me go without an escort,” she says, and then hesitates. “Which is where you come in.”

Arc chokes on his second dragon puff. “You want me to be your escort,” he says flatly, once he’s finished coughing, “to the Council of the Five Kingdoms?” Normally he’d jump at the chance to spend a night dressing up and eating castle food. But the council is a decidedly different scene; there’s a set of formalities, politics underlying everything, and too many chances for him to expose his lack of knowledge when it comes to Astorian customs. Not to mention that Catalias’ royals will be there. He doesn’t know if he can stomach looking them in the face, knowing what they did to Seagate.  

Ciara grimaces. “Look, I know it’s not exactly your thing, but my dad won’t let me go alone. And this really means a lot to me.” Her eyes are pleading, and Arc feels his resolve chipping away.

“Can’t one of your actual guards go with you?” he tries. “Or, Prudy or Warwick or someone?”

“I’ve already talked to my dad about it,” she explains. “You’re the only Knight School student he’d let protect me, because you already proved you could when Ryker invaded. Besides, if something were to happen…you’re the one person who knows I can handle myself as Ciara.”

There’s this brief stretch of silence where Arc works his bottom lip, and Ciara looks as though she’s debating something. “Also,” she adds finally, with the soft flicker of a hesitant smile, “I thought it might be fun to go with you.”

Arc blinks at her, caught off guard by the admission. There’s this sudden buzz in his chest that he can’t push away; in truth, he doesn’t like the idea of her spending the night with someone else either. Maybe, by some miracle, this will actually be a good thing. “Alright,” he relents. “I’ll be your escort.”

Ciara’s face breaks into a grin. “Yes! Thank you!” She throws her arms around him, and he’s shock-stilled, a rush of warmth flooding through him as he hugs her back. When she pulls away, her eyes are shining with excitement. “Okay, I’ve gotta go tell my dad you said yes, and there’s a million things to do, but I’ll see you at training later. You are the best.”

“I expect dragon puffs for life!” Arc calls after her as she disappears through her passageway. He leans back into the couch, lightheaded, and in that moment, he realizes abruptly that there’s almost nothing he wouldn’t do for her. 

And he is so completely screwed.

*

Two weeks later, Arc is standing outside Ciara’s bedroom, waiting for her to finish getting ready.

It feels odd to be out here in the open. Generally his visits to her chamber are accompanied by an air of secrecy, but tonight, he’s a guest in the castle. He’s dressed like it, too, decked out in the guards’ typical formal wear: pressed brown pants, a white shirt laced up the front, and a navy leather jacket trimmed in gold, with Astoria’s crest on one shoulder. He looks kind of dashing, honestly.

Despite the confidence boost his new look offers him, his hand keeps drifting to the hilt of his sword. It’s sheer force of habit; he only associates this brewing sense of apprehension with battle, and his muscles are responding in kind. He’s glad, at least, that he turned down the other guards’ offer to lend him one of their ceremonial blades and instead has the familiarity of his own. Hopefully he won’t need it, but it’s a steadying presence all the same.

“Almost ready!” Ciara calls from inside, and Arc carefully unclenches his fingers from around the leather grip of his sword. He has to keep it together tonight; she’s made it clear how much this means to her. The last thing he wants to do is embarrass her in front of nobles from all five kingdoms.

Well, four, he reminds himself. Seagate won’t be attending. There isn’t anyone left to represent them. 

The thought makes his stomach twist. 

He’s saved from having to dwell on it by the sound of Ciara’s door unlatching. “Better prepare yourself, Princess,” he teases, leaning against the wall, “I look pretty good, and the last thing we want is for you to get too smitten—”

He breaks off as she emerges from the doorway, all the air in his lungs leaving in a sudden rush. He’s trying hard not to be the cliche of a guy scraping his jaw off the floor at the sight of a pretty girl in a dress, especially not like this, with Ciara—but he can’t help but think that it’s ridiculously unfair of her to come out looking like that. Her dress is a pale blue, falling gently off her shoulders and cinching at her waist, and her tight curls are weaved with strands of gold and tied into a low knot, some of them falling loose to frame her face. There’s a crown of gold leaves and rosebuds settled in her hair. 

“You...um…” Arc searches for his voice, “you look amazing.” His mouth feels dry.

Ciara smirks and reaches up to adjust the collar of his uniform. “You don’t look so bad yourself. I’m definitely smitten,” she jokes, like it’s nothing for them to be flirting openly. It should be nothing. Except his skin burns where her fingers brush against his neck, and he suddenly wonders if she can hear his heart pounding.

He clears his throat. “We should probably get to the ballroom.” 

She nods. “Give me your arm,” she says, looking at him expectantly. When he raises an eyebrow, she continues, “You’re my escort, remember?” 

“Oh, right.” He lifts his arm obligingly, his cheeks warm.

“I really wish we’d had more time to go over Astorian customs,” she breathes as she takes it, more to herself than anything. “Between training and helping with preparations, I’ve been so busy…” His nerves must show on his face, then, because she squeezes his arm gently and amends, “Sorry. You’ll be fine, don’t worry. Just stay close to me, okay?”

“Not a problem,” he grins without missing a beat, and Ciara scoffs and shoves him, the smile tugging at her mouth taking all the bite away from it. 

They can do this, he thinks. The two of them have kept up appearances for each other for months now, have fought and trained and battled Ryker together. They’re Arc and Ciara, unstoppable duo. One little party should be nothing.

As they make their way down the hall towards the ballroom, flanked by guards, Ciara lowers her voice. “When we get there, most of the nobles should be inside already. The herald will announce my father first, then us, and then each of the other three kingdoms. We’ll be beside the thrones as they come in—you’ll stand by me, left side—and once they’ve all been announced, we can leave the thrones and mingle. Bow to each of the rulers as they come by.” 

They had, at least, practiced his bow. Arc swallows back the dread in his throat; all he has to do is stand beside her and greet the other royals, it’s easy enough. For a moment, they linger outside the entrance to the ballroom, until an official-sounding voice announces the King. “We’re next,” Ciara whispers to him, eyes glinting with excitement. “You ready?”

He nods back at her, and the voice calls, “Accompanied by Sir Arc...Princess Angelica of Astoria!” They step into the ballroom, greeted with applause. Arc doesn’t think he’s ever been in a place this lavish; the walls are white, accented in deep gold, and the floors are polished to a gleam. The ceiling looks hand-painted, ornately decorated in constellations and swirling designs, and crystal chandeliers dangle over their heads, casting a golden glow over the whole room. He tries not to look too awe-struck. 

They make their way to the platform on which the thrones rest, Ciara nodding and smiling and waving at the other nobles as they pass. She stands next to her father, and Arc takes his place on her other side, placing his hands behind his back and trying, for all the world, to look like he belongs there. He wonders suddenly if he’s stood too close to her, and if it would make things worse for him to shift over now, and if his indecision is showing on his face—

And then, almost imperceptibly and hidden from the ballroom’s view by the folds of her dress, Ciara reaches over and links her pinky with his. It’s a tiny gesture, a friendly reassurance, but Arc feels a tide of warmth swell in his chest all the same. He lets his gaze flit to her for just a moment, and her lips are graced with a small smile as she tugs his finger gently. 

His breath hitches, and he fights to keep his face a passive neutral as the herald announces the next kingdom and he turns his attention back to the doorway.

“Presenting King Hugo, Queen Luciana, and their son Prince Isaac of Catalias!” 

Arc’s stomach turns as the couple enters, trailed by their son, all three of them swathed in lavish red and gold. Their reputation precedes them; he knows little about the prince, but the king and queen are infamous for their hoarding of wealth, their favorance of the rich nobles and landowners of their kingdom over the common people. Arc knows them best for what they had done to Seagate. 

His hand twitches for his sword, but he fights against the instinct.

True to form, the two have a haughty look about them, all starched clothes and stiff smiles as they bow to Ciara and the King. The two of them return the greeting with Arc following their lead—grudgingly.

“I am so pleased you could join us tonight,” the King smiles, a little tight-lipped. “It is high time that Astoria and Catalias united again.”

King Hugo nods back. “I couldn’t agree more. The honor is ours.” 

Arc detects a veiled sort of tension between the two of them, hidden well underneath the cordial formalities. He glances at Isaac, whose eyes are trained intently on Ciara even as he and his parents move to greet the other guests. Something about it is unsettling.

He’s so focused on Isaac that he almost misses the herald’s announcement of the next kingdom. “Queen Damyanti, and her children Princess Aadhya and Prince Kavan of Khurjan!”

Queen Damyanti is the picture of elegance, draped in silver silk that almost seems to glow against her dark skin. Aadhya looks around fifteen, with the same deep eyes and regal expression, and Kavan must be ten or so. He grins toothily as the three of them approach the thrones and bow.

The King’s expression is much warmer now. “Queen Damyanti. It has been too long. I trust Khurjan is doing well?”

“Not quite as well as Astoria, perhaps,” she replies, and it’s teasing, no sharpness to it. “This ball is absolutely lovely. Princess Angelica, you look so beautiful. Just like your mother. I was so sorry to hear of her passing.”

Ciara’s eyes go soft. “Thank you, Queen Damyanti,” she nods back. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”

“You as well. It’s a shame your sister couldn’t make it, but hopefully we’ll all gather again soon.” She gives a small, departing nod and joins the rest of the nobles, Aadhya giving them a bright-eyed smile and Kavan waving enthusiastically as they follow her. Ciara laughs. 

“And finally...King Jesper of Vysalt!”

Arc is confused for a moment; he wonders if he had remembered the name of Vysalt’s king wrong. Then a young man with a head of dark curls and a smattering of freckles against tawny brown skin enters, his crown just slightly crooked. His eyes are wide and dark, and a jagged, white scar cuts across his cheekbone. He can’t be much older than they are.

“He’s the king?” Arc whispers to Ciara under his breath as Jesper makes his way over to them. “How old is he?”

Her expression twists a little in sympathy. “Seventeen. He wasn’t supposed to inherit the throne so soon. His parents were killed when Ryker’s army took over his kingdom.”

Arc isn’t sure what to say to that. He knows what it’s like to lose everything to Ryker—he can picture the flames every time he shuts his eyes. But he hadn’t known about Vysalt or the fate of its royals. They had been close allies with Seagate at one point, one of the only other kingdoms without much wealth, and their king and queen had been known for their generosity. 

Somehow Arc had thought the damage had been done to Seagate alone, but now he wonders how the other kingdoms fared, if they suffered just as much. If any of them came out as unscathed as Astoria did.

“Your Majesties,” Jesper says as he bows, and there’s a note of pity in the King’s expression as he returns the gesture. Arc can only imagine how he feels about someone so close to his daughter’s age having to run a kingdom on his own. 

“King Jesper. How are you doing?” 

It’s a more personal question than he had asked the other royals, Arc notes. Jesper smiles easily; it’s soft, highlights his deep dimples and makes his dark eyes glimmer. “Well, thank you. Vysalt is recovering with time. As am I,” he adds, voice quieting for a moment.

The King nods back. “That’s good to hear. Let us know if there’s anything Astoria can do to help.”

Something flickers in Jesper’s expression, hard to read and gone so quickly that Arc wonders if he imagined it. The young king bows again before moving to join the others, but not before he catches Arc’s eye and smiles warmly. It surprises him—the other royals had hardly given him a second glance—but he returns it with one of his own. Beside him, Ciara lifts an eyebrow, her expression a mixture of amusement and something else he can’t place. 

“What?” he asks quietly, and she shakes her head, glancing away. 

“Nothing.”

He wants to pry, but the King is clearing his throat, getting ready to address the room. The chatter dies down as all eyes turn to him.

“My fellow Astorians,” he says in his deep, booming voice, sounding more formal than Arc has ever heard him, “and my guests from our neighboring kingdoms...I am honored to welcome you to our castle, and so pleased that we could all be in attendance tonight.”

Not all of us, Arc thinks, but no word of Seagate comes up. 

The King continues, “For decades, our kingdoms have been isolated and divided by Ryker’s armies. We have long suffered under his forces, but his threat is gone for good. Thus, tonight is more than a council; it is a symbol of our victory, a symbol of our unity as we move forward and rebuild. So enjoy yourselves! After all, we have so much to celebrate!”

To Arc, the sentiment feels hollow. He got his revenge, and of course he’s glad that Ryker can’t hurt anyone else, but it doesn’t change the fact that Seagate is in ruins. It feels suddenly difficult to celebrate with the weight of his village’s absence lingering in the air around him. The rest of the partygoers don’t seem to share his hesitance, though; the room breaks into applause and cheers, several of the guests raising their goblets jovially. 

Ciara gives him a subtle nudge, jolting him out of his thoughts. “Now we get to mingle,” she grins, leading him off the throne platform and towards the crowd. 

He follows dutifully as she heads toward the table where the other kingdoms’ royals have gathered, Astoria’s king staying behind to greet the other royals. Queen Damyanti is in conversation with King Hugo and Queen Luciana, but she doesn’t seem entirely pleased about it, and Jesper and Kavan are laughing at something Aadhya has said. Isaac hovers next to them, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. He has his father’s golden hair and clear blue eyes, but the frown on his face is entirely his mother’s.

It disappears, though, the moment he sees Ciara approaching them. “Princess Angelica,” he greets her, with a little too much enthusiasm for Arc’s liking, “I’m so honored to finally meet you. You’re even more radiant in person.” Before she can say anything, he takes her hand and kisses it swiftly. Arc narrows his eyes.

Ciara gives a forced-sounding chuckle and curtseys, pulling her hand back. “Thank you, Prince Isaac. I’m glad you could make it. Allow me to introduce Sir Arc, my guard and escort for the night.”

Arc bows—and if he never has to bow to another pompous royal again, he thinks, it’ll be too soon—and Isaac offers him a dismissive sort of half-smile. Any further interaction they would’ve had then is thankfully avoided by the other royals noticing Ciara’s arrival.

“Hi, Princess Angelica!” Aadhya says brightly, with a neat little dip of a curtsey, “I’m Aadhya.” When Ciara and Arc begin to return the gesture, she waves her hand with a tiny scoff. “Oh, you don’t have to do that. Formalities. Just come sit.” She returns to her chair and pats the seat next to her, and Arc decides right there that he likes her.

Ciara takes the offered chair, and Arc takes the only other open spot, in between her and King Jesper. As Ciara launches into conversation with Aadhya, Jesper turns to him. 

“Hi,” he says, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I’m Jesper.”

Arc bites back a laugh at the unnecessary introduction. “I know who you are, Your Highness,” he replies lightly.

“I know. I was just trying to give you an opening to tell me who you are.”

Oh. That’s unexpected. There’s no prerogative behind his words, no assertion; Jesper’s grin is almost bashful, his voice easy and bright. He doesn’t sound like a king, just a seventeen-year-old boy trying to flirt. Arc can’t help but return his smile.

“I’m Arc,” he says. “Normally I’m a student at Knight School, but I’m the princess’s guard and escort for the night.” 

“Wait,” Aadhya pauses her conversation with Ciara to lean over and look at him, “You’re the Arc who defeated Ryker?” 

“I helped,” Arc says with a shrug, and the princess’s eyes go wide. She turns to Ciara.

“Were you there too?”

“I was—” Ciara pauses for a moment, “hiding. I was hiding. Arc got me to safety.” 

He grins a little at her, tongue between his teeth, knowing it must be killing her to hide what she was actually doing. She narrows her eyes and kicks his leg under the table in response, a silent shut up. He lifts his eyebrows, like, I didn’t say anything, and she rolls her eyes in an entirely non-subtle manner. 

Across the table, Queen Damyanti is watching their exchange with a raised eyebrow, Arc notices belatedly. She has a mildly amused look on her face, but doesn’t say anything about it. Instead, she states, “Battling Ryker face-to-face must have been quite the experience.” 

“What was it like?” Prince Kavan asks eagerly from beside his sister.

Aadhya elbows him. “Kavan,” she hisses, but Arc just grins.

“No worries. It was…” he trails, trying to think of what to say and suddenly aware that all the royals’ eyes are on him. He shifts in his seat. “It was scary, obviously. He had the Armor of Astoria, and a whole army with him, and most of the Astorian knights under his spell. But, y’know. We Knight School students are pretty formidable. We all took him on together. Wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise. I wasn’t half as scared as I would’ve been without my squadmates watching my back.”

He glances at Ciara, who smiles softly and nudges his foot, gentler this time. Jesper has that same unreadable look on his face and Aadhya has her chin propped in her hand, her expression amazed, but Queen Luciana gives a snide sort of scoff. 

“It’s a wonder it took so long to defeat him, then, if a group of students cut him down so easily,” she says. “Perhaps Ryker was never as great a threat as we all made him out to be.”

There’s a cut of silence across the table in which Jesper visibly stiffens. “With all due respect, Queen Luciana, Ryker’s attacks were devastating. Or have you forgotten what happened to my parents?” he demands, without any respect at all. His eyes are blazing. 

“I’m merely pointing out that the only real damage done was to the less...fortified kingdoms,” she sniffs. “Ryker only breached Catalias’s walls once, and he was driven out rather quickly.”

“Well, not every kingdom has Catalias’s resources.” Ciara sounds like she’s choosing her words carefully, frustration masked well behind them.

King Hugo gives a huff of a laugh; his blue eyes are cold. “My dear princess, you have no cause for indignation. Astoria lost the least to Ryker, what with your,” he waves a hand, “magic bubble.”

Ciara opens her mouth but falters, brow furrowed, and across the table, Queen Damyanti speaks up. “Nevertheless, Ryker was still a formidable enemy to all of us. We were only prepared for his attacks because he targeted Seagate and Vysalt first. And Seagate’s destruction is a clear example of his power.”

“Oh, even you can’t argue that Seagate was rotting long before Ryker got to it, Damyanti,” Hugo replies swiftly, and Arc’s breath catches in his throat. Queen Damyanti shrugs in agreement, her expression passive; Arc almost stands up, but Ciara’s hand on his leg underneath the table stops him. 

“Don’t,” she hisses, just barely loud enough for him to hear, “Let me handle this.”

Though as it turns out, she doesn’t have to. Before she has a chance to speak, Jesper is already bristling, his voice sharp: “As if Seagate’s corruption justifies the destruction of its people?”

“It’s thieves and criminals, you mean?” Isaac scoffs. “Seagate was a wasteland. The kingdoms are better off.”

The words ring in Arc’s ears, alongside the pounding of his blood. They sound painfully similar to what Ryker had said to him on the mountain—rats and thieves, I did the five kingdoms a favor—and he thinks fleetingly that he’s going to be sick. He’s always known that Seagate was looked down on by the other kingdoms, but hearing them say so casually that what happened, the flames and the destruction and all of the death, was deserved—

“The people were only thieves and criminals because Catalias took advantage of them,” Jesper argues. “I hope I don’t have to remind you that it was your government that poured money into the gangs of Seagate for their own profit and allowed them to stage a coup in the first place.”

The words are deadly and cold, but Arc feels a flash of admiration for Jesper; the king has no obligations towards Seagate, and yet defends it like his own. King Hugo’s gaze hardens. “You’re blaming Catalias for Seagate’s problems?” he says with a derisive laugh. “If anything, Ryker’s attacks only revealed that Seagate was a kingdom full of people that weren’t worth saving.”

“That’s enough,” Ciara says abruptly. Her hand tightens on Arc’s leg, and he can no longer tell if he’s the one trembling or if she is. There’s this burning fire behind her eyes; she looks, Arc thinks briefly, the same way she does in battle. “What happened to Seagate was a devastating tragedy, and I won’t let you treat it as otherwise. Those who disagree aren’t welcome here.”

It’s a weighted statement, one she doesn’t entirely have the formal authority to make, but no one dares to contest it. A heavy silence settles over all of them. Arc doesn’t know how long he can sit there with all the heat under his skin; he doesn’t remember when his hand found the hilt of his sword, only that he’s gripping it tight enough that the leather bites into his palm. He wants to stand up and tell them that none of them would be here if it weren’t for him, a thief from Seagate. In truth, the only thing holding him back is Ciara. In a battle between her steady hand and the storm in his chest, she wins without even trying.

He doesn’t say anything or look at her, but her gaze flits to him for a moment and she just knows, standing up. Before she even opens her mouth, Isaac is on his feet too. “Going so soon?” he asks. “Would you care to dance, Princess?”

She looks at him coolly for a moment. “I would, actually.” And then, she turns to Arc, offering him her hand, “Sir Arc, dance with me?”

Arc blinks up at her and takes it as he stands. “Absolutely, Princess,” he says, letting her lead him away from the table and glancing back only long enough to catch the dumbfounded expression on Isaac’s face.

[sincerlypadfoot]

Seconds (3)

~During the time of the order of Umbridge and the dumbledore army, you have no problems summoning your Patronus, doing it on the daily, watching the dragon fly around your room, but once you see someone who catches your eye who has troubles, you’re determined to find his happy moment

Word Count-1983

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My eyes flung open and excitement rushed through my body, quickly flooding away with the sound of my alarm cloak humming my whole room. “It’s Christmas,” I whispered to myself leaning over and shutting my alarm off.

I didn’t get out of bed or move around, I just enjoyed the quiet of the house, before everything went to chaos in a couple hours.

“Good morning,” Ryker whispered walking into the room, not knocking. “Millys asleep but do you want anything to eat before our family comes over with the kids?” He asked.

“Please, I’ll take whatever your cooking, Merry Christmas Ryker,” I smiled tossing my blanket over me. “I’ll be here admiring the snow outside,” I chuckled watching the slow melt hitting my window.

“I’ll start cooking, Merry Christmas to you too,” I said to Ryker crawling out of my bed and opening my window. “Hey wanna do me a favour,” I cooed at the owl that laid outside on the tree. I turned around and grabbed a wrapped present that laid in a bag carrier. “Neville Longbottom, it’s his Christmas present,” I placed the carried in the owl's claws, watching the black owl fly away quickly.

“Wanna match?” Milly croaked walking in, she walked in holding a purple and blue short Christmas dress. “You’ll just need a belt, it’s an earlier Christmas present from me,” She smiled walking into my room. 

“Purple, I know blues your favourite colour,” I said walking over to Milly and pulling her into a hug. “Merry Christmas Milly,” I whispered.

“Merry Christmas Lia, go have a shower, your family will be here soon,” Milly said plugging her nose. “I can smell you from my room,” She joked smiling and walking out of the room. 

I shook my head and walked towards the bathroom, getting caught up and wasting time. “Thank you!” I shouted at Milly hearing her in her bedroom just beside the shower, I heard her knock on the wall, I chuckled and continued washing my hair.

“Goodmorning,” I cheerly said to Ryker and Milly who were placing a couple things under the tree before everyone had gotten here. “How do I look?” I asked spinning around for the two.

“Like a million dollars,” Ryker said smiling. “You both look like a million dollars,” He smirked planting a kiss on Milly's cheek. “Cooking is almost done, family will be here soon, presents are planting, everything is perfect, just mom and dad won’t be here this year,” There was a hint of disappointment in his words.

“I’m sure they’ll be back soon Ryker,” Nothing in my voice helped any better when I walked over and wrapped my arms around my brother. “I’m sure,” I whispered in his ears.

The door knocked, breaking the both of us from our strange thoughts. Milly didn’t say a word but walked over to the door, leaving Ryker and I alone in the living room.

“Merry Christmas!” Luna Lovegood called out catching me off guard, I looked at her and smiled, running over and wrapping my arms around her. “Your clear of Nargles,” I heard Luna say taking a glance around my house.

“Merry christmas,” I chuckled smiling. “Where is your dad?” I asked looking around, a tall blond man who walked in. “Hello uncle Xeno,” I smiled happy wrapping my arms around him.

“Hello little one,” Xeno Lovegood smiled hugging me back. “Merry christmas,” His arms loosened and a tiny wrapped box shaped present laid in his hands. “Open it, your gonna love it,”

I took the perfectly wrapped present from my uncle and opened it up, a deathly hallow necklace laid infront of me, I smiled and took it out. “I love it,” I smiled hugging my uncle once again.

“I know you would, ever since I had met you when you were just a wee girl you loved my necklace, and I had to you your own,” Xeno said smiling. “i’m glad you like it,” he placed his hand on my head smiling down then walking away with Luna, followed by Milley.

I smiled walking towards our fireplace watching green sparks fly out, a woosh of green flew out and a plumped old woman walked out followed by three teenagers, recognizing them from schools.

“Oh my Lia, you look just the same as you did years ago,” My grandmother Lucille chirped wrapping her arms around me. “I heard about your parents, what a shame that they won’t be here this year,” I felt angry as the words came out of her mouth.

Ryker wrapped his arms around my shoulder before I could say anything else. “Hey Mema,” He said letting me go and wrapping his arms around her. “Missed you,” I heard him say, my anger left and I had felt a bit better.

“Come on, dinner should be ready soon,” I said to the group that stood infront of me, I didn’t wait for them to finish talking but walked away to our dining room were Luna, Xeno and Milly all were talking amongst themselves.

“Hey,” Milly greated pulling out the chair beside her. “Sit, we were just talk about your favorite topic, school,” I rolled my eyes and smiled, walking to the sit beside Milly and sitting down, placing my hand on my necklace that I had just gotten moments ago.

“Oh yes my favorite topic,” I mocked sitting down and having a drink of water that sat infront of me. “Continue your conversation,”

“Well,” Xeno started to say. “I hear that you made friends with that Longbottom kid Milly was saying,” My hand started patting my leg nervously.

“Yeah well I thought making new friends would be nice, I brought him to the carnival, I looked for you two but didn’t see you,” I smiled at the thought of Neville and if he had received my present yet.

“We didn’t see you either, must have missed each other,” Luna said smiling. “How is Neville, are the Broom Flies getting to him?” She asked making me tilt my head but I went with it.

“No I think he’s okay, no Broom Flies have gotten to him, how are you doing Luna?” I asked changing the topic from Neville to her.

“I’m doing good, though my shoes have gone missing again, suppose that the Nargles will have something to do with it,” Luna was the laid back cousin that I admired, she was calm and I had never seen her angry, and she always saw the good in people before the bad.

“Dinner shall be served,” Ryker happily said walking into the room, food appeared on the table and our Mema and her two grandkids we hated.

“So,” Lucille said breaking the silence at the table. “Good afternoon Luna dear and Xeno,” she nodded her head taking a bit of her food. “Any boyfriends?” her face turned to me.

“No don’t need one, I like it that way,” I bitterly smiled taking a drink of my water. Ryker kicked my feet but I hadn’t budged.

“Shame, i’m sure you parents want you to get married, have you thought about marriage yet?” 

Before I had been able to answer the doorbell rang and I shot up from my seat. “I’m more than happy to grab that,” I smiled looking at Ryker and Milly then making my way to the door. “Nolans residence,”

“Lia,” Neville said catching me off guard, I double looked then smiled. “I ugh Hermione told me where to find you, thank you for the snowglobes, I brought you something,” His voice trembled as he had pulled a present out from his back.

“Neville,” I smiled stepping outside and shutting the door. “You didn’t have to,” I picked my nails a bit nervous.

“My grandma insisted, open it,”  Neville pushed the gift a bit closer, I took the gift in my hands, feeling it a bit flat instantly knowing what it was and putting a bigger smile on my face.

I tossed the wrapping paper on the porch and looked at the picture frame in my hands, Neville grandmother must have taken a picture of us, I watched as Neville and I walked up the stairs with my big stuffed animal in hand, at the end with both hugged.

“I love it,” I cried out holding the picture tightly in my hand and using the rest of me to wrap my arms around Neville.

“I’m glad, I was a bit nervous, didn’t think you would like it,” Nevilles arms wrapped around me and we just stayed still for a couple seconds.

“Lia dinners getting, oh hello,” Rykers voice shot me up and I turned around looking at him. “I think we have a extra chair if you’d like to stay,” my cheeks went red.

“Neville’s grandma is waiting for him,” I started to say but stopped looking at Neville.

“Actually she’s gone visiting my parents for the night,”

“Perfect, Neville come on let me introduce you to everyone,” Ryker happily said tossing his arm over the poor boys shoulder and bringing him in the house before I could decline.

“Ryker,” I hissed picking up the wrapping and walking inside stopping the pair before entering the dining room. “Mema isn’t the nicest person, you really don’t think this through,”

“Fine,” He huffed taking his hand off Neville. “Whenever you two are ready dinner won’t be paused,” 

I placed my hand on my forehead listening to Ryker walk away. “Sorry, my brother is just dumb,” 

“It’s okay, you’ve said that a lot,” Neville chuckled facing me. “So, dinner sounds nice,” he smiled a bit.

“I’ll show you around first, my Mema isn’t my favorite person, I can go a bit, but Lunas here, she’s my cousin,” I turned from the dining room with Neville and walked up the stairs towards my room.

“Weird I never knew that, I guess her mom was your aunt?” Neville asked following me up the stairs.

“Yep, she was my moms sister, Luna and I were never close until hogwarts, now we’re like sisters,” I stopped and turned to Neville catching him off guard. “My room isn’t the best also, didn’t expect anyone to come in,”

Neville and I walked into my room, my owl Uni sitting on my desk asleep making me smile knowing he was already back. 

“Trevor isn’t nearly as cool as your owl, look at her,” Neville said walking over at Uni who opened her eyes, cooing excitedly at the sight of Neville. “I saw her this morning at my window,”

“I just thought a snowglobe would be a nice gift, something simple,” I paused walking over to my shelf and clearing a spot. “I really do like this picture, we look nice,”

Neville walked over and stood beside me, we both looked at the picture, admiring each other. “I do too,” his eyes grazed from the picture to the corner of my bed where the pink stuffed bear laid. “And that,”

I laughed rubbing the back of my neck. “Well I guess i’ll have to face my grandmother sometime, im warning you, she says whatever she likes without a care, so i’m sorry in advance,”

Neville smiled and nodded his head, we both walked down the stairs, my hands started piking at my skin but warm hands leaned into my palm and I stopped and felt a sense of calm.

“We have a extra dinner guest,” We walked into the dinning room, everyone shot their heads in our direction, Luna and Milly smiled, she was already moved beside Ryker saving a seat for Neville and I.

“Hello Neville,” Luna greated, we sat infront of her with the food already served and on our plats. “Glad you’ll be joining us tonight,”

“Neville is it,” Lucille said leaning forward a bit and putting her hand out. “Nice to meet you, I hope your treating our Liana here very well,”

“I am,” Neville smiled shaking her head. “This looks really good, thank you for having me,” he nodded his head and started eating the food.

I smiled not helping myself, glad that everything was okay and food was infront of me, Neville I took one more glance at each other letting out a chuckle then eating again.

[yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy]

Hearthway Hollow Chef Ryker Chapter 2.5

Again, a huge thank you and shout out to @momolady​ for letting me write fanfiction of my own commission. Yes, that’s the real camaro featured in this story with my real daughter and one thing chefs and cooks LOVE to do is share food great food with each other and to have that connection would be amazing. 

Heathway Hollow Chef Ryker 

Ryker left and watching him walk away in wolf form made me smile. I was able to recover from crying long enough that even Del couldn’t tell I had been crying. My parents came and dropped off my car and stayed the night with us, enjoying the cabin and left in the morning.

Once they did, I went back to town and went to Big Billy’s hardware store where Jack was practically drooling from behind the window as I parked out in front of the store. 

“So that’s the camaro.” Jack noted. 

“Yup, that’s the camaro.” I confirmed. 

“So I went to Guillermo’s and met Ryker and um...befriended him, he said that there’s a kids camp going on soon? Is it too late to get Del into that?” I asked hopefully. 

“No not at all,” Jack smiled before he got another form for me to fill out for Del before he revealed that the camp was for the next day so we spent some time shopping and getting Del proper gear then went home to make the best feast I could for Ryker, I had to go back to the butcher shop to get bone marrow though. 

“Hey,” Adam greeted brightly. 

“Hey, I need bone marrow.” I informed him, not seeing the split bones in the meat case, but hoping that they had some anyway. 

“What kind?” Adam asked and I’m taken aback by the fact that they would have more than one kind to offer. 

“Beef and if you have beef femurs I’ll need the shafts halved so I can scoop out the marrow easier.” I tell him. 

“Ok, how much will you need?” Adam asked. 

“Like whole femurs? 2.” I tell him as he nods and then he goes back into the back and relays that information before I hear the bone saw turn on and start whirling as I take my phone out and check my emails and messages and such while I wait. Not seeing how Ryker has driven past my car slowly, ogling it before he pulled his truck around to the back to pick up meat order real quick for the restaurant. 

“Hey, who’s old camaro is out front?” He asks the other butchers before they look to each other and then come out front to see the lime green glittering jewel parked in front of the shop and me and Del sitting in some chairs lining the wall as we wait for our order. 

“Ma’am is that your car?” Harun asked. 

“The green one? Yeah.” I nodded before Ryker recognized my voice and peeked around the corner to see me. 

“Hey,” He greeted happily which made me smile brightly. 

“Hey, I was just about to text you, do you like mushrooms?” I asked. 

“Oh yeah,” he nodded which made me grin. 

“Do you like steak?” I asked. 

“Oh yeah,” he nodded eagerly. 

“Lean or fatty?” I tilt my head. 

“Fatty.” He answered as I beam a proud smile at him. 

“Awesome. Are you allergic to anything food wise? Like nuts, gluten, pineapple, dairy, shellfish?” I asked. 

“No,” he shook his head with an amused smile. 

“Do you drink alcohol?” I asked next. 

“..occasionally.” He admitted. 

“Good, beer, wine or hard?” I asked next. 

“Beer and I guess harder stuff occasionally.” He answered tentatively. 

“Stouts, imperial stouts, porters, lagers, pale lagers, ales, dark ales, brown ales, pale ales, india pale ales, pilsners or bocks?” I asked next and you would have thought I was I was suddenly a pin up in a magazine the way all the butchers in the shop looked at me before they looked at Ryker to answer such a great question. 

“Uh...all of those.” Ryker nodded, impressed. 

“Good, dinner should be ready around 6 then.” I smile as Adam and Harun look from Ryker to me before they grinned knowingly at each other since they could smell the partial scenting Ryker had given me the day before when we were holding each other and got the others to go back into the back and get back to work. 

“Hey what is she getting?” Ryker asked them as he pulled himself away to continue to gather his order as I get the best steaks in the shop for Ryker and myself and a leaner new york strip for Del who loves marbling but not chunks of fat from Adam who stayed in the front with me. 

“Two beef femurs for bone marrow.” Harun answered as he continued to slice the femur shafts in half after cutting off the ends. 

“Ooh, ok, give her another femur and put it on my tab please,” Ryker insisted. 

“Ok,” Harun nodded as Ryker quickly got his order and put it in his truck before he got back in time for Harun to finish with my order. 

“I got it.” He said as he took the box that the split femurs had been put into after they got weighed and brought it out. 

“Did you need or want anything else?” Ryker asked hopefully as he gestured to the selection before I put my wrapped steaks that I had got into the box so I didn’t have to carry them separately.  

“No,” I shook my head as I went to take the box from him. 

“No, I got it, I’ll help you carry it out.” Ryker took a step back to keep me from taking it. 

“Ok, Adam how much…” I asked as I turned my attention back to Adam. 

“Dont’ worry about it, he took care of it.” Adam grinned as he nodded to Ryker who turned bashful. 

“Aww, thank you so much.” I fawn before I lead the way and open the trunk for him before I get a cold bag to put the femurs and the steaks into that to stay cool as Ryker got a peek at the other groceries in the trunk, his curiosity piqued to see what I would do with them all. 

“So this is your car?” Ryker asked. 

“Yup, Michael restored this himself as a teenager, I’m talking like 12/13 kind of teenager because his grandfather was a mechanic. It’s pretty but it just doesn’t have air conditioning and I haven’t really gotten around to getting an air conditioner to retro fit it.” I answered. 

“Are you into cars?” I asked curiously. 

“Not really no.” Ryker confessed. 

“Good.” I nodded. 

“Wait what?” Ryker asked in confusion. Weren’t most women into guys who were into cars?

“This car was my husbands other woman our entire married lives.” I revealed. 

“Oh,” Ryker replied then looks disgusted. “I mean this car is really nice but not compared to…” Ryker gestured to me. “You know, goddess divine.” Ryker finished as he pretended to bow in front of me and my jaw dropped before I just closed the difference and kissed him. Just a quick peck on the lips, but it was all I needed.  

“I can not begin to tell you how much I appreciate that. Thank you.” I just have to thank him. “I’ll see you later Handsome.” I wink as my cheeks are burning red before I get back in the car where Del is still sitting there playing games on her phone and thankfully oblivious before Ryker waives and watches me drive away, his heart swooning because his mate just kissed him and he felt like he was floating on air back into the butchershop. 

“So explain to me how she’s been in town for two days and she’s already half scented.” Adam put to him. 

“Yeah about that...” Ryker began before he explained what the situation was and what had happened and what he witnessed and what you just revealed to him before Adam was satisfied that things were going as well as they were. 

I spent the rest of the day cooking some of my best dishes and Ryker thankfully texts me before he comes so I have time to get myself ready because while I like surprises, when my dinner guests are coming- is not one of them and he comes with two huge bouquets of flowers which please Del and I a lot because the only time Michael got me flowers was our anniversary and even then it was begrudgingly. 

“Ok, so this is some of my better cooking so please judge kindly.” I warn him as we sit down at the little table which is big enough for our plates and drinks and little else and Ryker was actually tickled that I had gotten him really good beer to drink, a growler from the Silver Bullet because they crafted their own beer there.  

“You’re not having any?” He asked when he noticed I was drinking the wine he sent instead. 

“No, I can have one every once in a while if I’m not eating anything else that is going to tax my system, but otherwise the brewers yeast in beer blows me up like a balloon and it’s very painful. Just...yeast in general does that to me, one of the challenges of having Crohn’s disease.” I shrugged. “But everyone else in my family quite enjoys beer , really good beer especially because they’re all beer snobs so that’s why I know as much as I do about it. That and I just don’t like the taste or the bitterness of it. I like sweet and fruity much better anyway which is exactly what this is- so it’s not like I feel deprived or anything.” I explained as I gestured to the wine bottle as Del drinks her caprisun in a wineglass because she wanted to feel fancy too.  

“Oh, ok.” Ryker nodded before we dug into the meal.

 I nearly fell out of my chair laughing at the faces and noises Ryker made eating my food. He was moaning at my death by cheese mac and cheese, he was practically drooling at my twice baked potatoes, he was keening at my alcoholic's candied yams, he was doing the Home Improvement grunting growl at my mushroom risotto and his eyes were nearly rolling into the back of his head eating my perfectly cooked tomahawk steak with a bone marrow and butter mix that I let melt over the steaks before I heaped the steaks with the most amazing blend sauteed mushrooms that featured portabello, oyster, shitake, trumpet and porcini along with the king- morelles that were cooked in the same butter bone marrow mix and that were put not only into the risotto but on top of the steaks and the bone marrow butter left over was the butter melt for the steaks. He felt he had died and gone to food heaven because he could literally taste all the love and comfort in each bite. 

“I don’t know what your definition of fairly decent is, but you are like leagues and miles and fathoms so far above “fairly decent” in my book. Like I’m ready to sell all of my earthly possessions just for these recipes.” Ryker praised when he managed to come up for air which made me incredibly happy to hear and the kind of praise I thrive on. 

“Well are you willing to trade recipes?” I asked hopefully. 

“Yes,” Ryker immediately agreed before I took out the papers I would need to write down the recipes on and handed the rest of the notebook to him along with an extra pen. 

“Start with that cheesecake.” I urge him before he eagerly takes my pen and writes down all the other recipes he knows off the top of his head as I do the same for the dishes he’s eating as Del just looks between the two of us curiously. 

“So...are you dating my mom now?” Del asked Ryker. 

“Are you ok with that?” Ryker asked tentatively. 

“Depends. Are you violent?” Del asked and the look on Ryker’s face told me he was both shocked and heartbroken that that was the first question she would ask. 

“No.” Ryker shook his head no before he looked at me to either confirm or deny what was going through his head. 

“Good, neither was Michael and violence will not be tolerated in our family.” I simply explain before Ryker blew out a breath of relief. 

“And let me assure you that I would never bring it into your family either.” Ryker assured both me and Del which pleased us both.  

“Do you get frustrated easily?” She asked. 

“No.” Ryker shook his head. 

“We do, we need someone to be the cool calm collected one.” I explained as he nodded in understanding. 

“Do you smoke? Or use any tobacco products or illicit drugs of any kind or even misuse prescription drugs?” She asked. 

“No.” Ryker shook his head. 

“Good, neither do we, also something we won’t tolerate.” I note as he nods in agreement to that. 

“Obviously you drink, how often do you get drunk?” She asked as she looked from his beer to him, her own judgemental looks weighing him as she grills him harder than I grilled dinner. 

“Very rarely.” He answered truthfully. 

“Thank God.” I mutter in relief.

“How often is “very rarely”?” Del questioned. 

“I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve gotten drunk. Once when I was 16 when my dad died and I found a bottle of vodka to drown my grief and the second time was when I turned 21, that’s it.” He answered truthfully. 

“And were you a mean drunk?” She asked. 

“No.” He shook his head no. “Apparently I just talked nonsense when I did.” 

“Ok, my mom gets sick a lot and can’t clean the house all the time and my dad had to do the laundry and stuff. How do you feel about housework, is it beneath you at all?” She asked. 

“I can definitely do laundry and dishes and all that no problem, plus, you know I am a chef, I can cook too.” He offered. 

“Good. My dad couldn’t cook and could barely make mac and cheese. My dad spent all his time on the car and our other vehicles and his computer playing games and watching things I was not allowed to watch and alienated us, will you do that too?” She asked with sorrowful eyes and Ryker’s own eyes got a little glassy. 

“No,” Ryker reassured her. 

“Do you hunt?” She asked hopefully. 

“Uh, sort of?” Ryker answered. 

“Do you hunt with a gun or a bow and arrow?” She asked as she tilted her head. 

“It’s a secret.” Ryker decided. 

“Tell me.” Del’s eyes went wide with excitement before he leaned down and got really close and told her all about Hearthway Hollow and how it’s actually a community of werewolves and how it all worked which she soaked up like a sponge and was completely invested in everything he told her before talked about how he lost his dad and his mom and how he lived with Shahan and his family for a while then talked about how he became a chef and opened the restaurant before we traded stories about our lives as the three of us got to know each other better.

Ryker stayed and helped clean up and I can not begin to tell you how nice it was to have someone to do the dishes with side by side. And after dinner we sat in the living room before we watched a movie- Ratatouilie of all movies and when Del fell asleep- Ryker picked her up and carried her upstairs and tucked her into bed since she was too big for me to carry and even though I really wanted him to stay over- he remained a gentleman and simply kissed me sweetly goodnight. 

The next day I dropped Del off at the camp and got to meet more of the community before I decided to go to the pool because while I love to fish in ponds, swimming in them with all the algae- not so much. Plus I did just get a new bathing suit and beach gear, can’t have it go to waste.

I can’t help but smile as I see all the heads turn when I get to the pool which is located right next to the park and when I get there I see a group of teenage boys get a pizza delivered- I have a wicked idea. I wonder if Guillermo’s would deliver here so I go online to get the number of the restaurant and call to ask and to my surprised delight, not only is the waitress taking my order the same waitress I had when I was there the other day, I found out that they do deliver and I order tacos. 

“Ryker!” Aime called out. 

“Yeah?” Ryker called back as he was in the middle of prepping ingredients. 

“Take out order.” She said as she handed the ticket itself to Ryker to look at. 

“Ok..” Ryker frowned before he read the ticket and realized who the order was from and where the order was going to. 

“Yeah I got this.” Ryker nodded to her as he made the tacos in addition to more surprises before he quickly made the order himself and quickly left to deliver it. 

I patiently waited as I floated on the pool noodles in the pool, being mindful of the other patrons as I kept my eyes fixed on the entrance, hoping and willing I would see Ryker coming through and nearly ran on the water’s surface when he walked through the door, his eyes searching for me before I waved at him as I eagerly got out of the pool to meet him. 

Ryker felt like he was watching me in slow motion as the water seemed to cling to my voluptuous curves before cascading down my body as I noticed those boys seemed to have gone silent all of a sudden too because my breasts were jiggling from my effort too.  

“Hey Handsome.” I greeted as I took off my sunglasses to look up at him as my sunhat was like a halo around my head. 

“Hey Beautiful, you know next time- you could just text me.” Ryker grins as he hands me my food. 

“I will,” I nod. “How much do I owe you?” I ask as I nod to the food. 

“Nothing.” Ryker shook his head. 

“Can I at least give you a tip?” I ask coyly and bat my eyes suggestively before he flipped his baseball cap backwards to duck his head down and kiss me firmly, grabbing me up in his arms and squeezing me to him until I run out of breath and have to break the kiss to catch it again before he pulls away and I see that I got him all wet and we both laugh. 

“Eat up before it gets too cold.” Ryker urges me before he pulls himself away from me. 

“I need to get a job as a delivery boy.” One of the boys said to the others before I strutted over to my sunchair and dig into what Ryker brought me, knowing I have unleashed the monster now. I’ll have to be careful to choose when I call for him because I have no doubt he will come when I call and I know I will do the same.

[iamvegorott]

Undercover Love Ch. 40

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Welcome Back

“Anti, what’s in your jeans?” Dark asked when he noticed a strange bulge in the back of Anti’s pants.

“My dick, duh.” Anti tried to walk faster than Dark and head into the library but Dark caught him first.

“Anti, I’ve seen you naked, you don’t have a dick above your ass.” Dark flipped the back of Anti’s shirt up and saw the handle of a gun sticking out of his pants. “I thought we agreed on no guns and do I really need to explain to you the dangers of keeping a gun tucked in like that?” Dark took the gun out and tossed it into a nearby bush.

“Yes, the best hiding spot for a loaded weapon.” Anti scoffed.

“I don’t have much to work with,” Dark muttered and wrapped his arm through Anti’s and walked into the library before Anti could say anything else.

“Hello.” The man behind the reference desk greeted as Dark and Anti went up to it. Anti found himself looking around the room, the bright colors distracting him for a moment.

“We’re looking for a young man, red sweatshirt, green hair.”

“You must be Jackie’s parents.” The man smiled. “He’s usually on the second floor with Alice, I can call-”

“Alice?” Both Anti and Dark said together.

“Well, that answers the question if you knew about his girlfriend.” The man chuckled.

“Girlfriend?” The two spoke together again.

“Do you need me to page him down?”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Dark gave a smile back to the man while Anti looked like he was going to pass out. “We just wanted to know if he was here since he forgot to tell us, we’ll let him be with his girlfriend in peace.”

“Girlfriend?” Anti squeaked out.

“Thank you for your help, have a great day.” Dark was, once again, guiding Anti but this time it was out of the library.  

“He has a girlfriend?” Anti placed a hand on his cheek. “How did I not know? He wears his emotions on his entire body. How could we not tell he was seeing someone every time he went out?”

“Most of you are pretty clueless,” Dark said.

“You Ipliers aren’t any better.” Anti protested.

“You’re right.” Dark shrugged in agreement.

“I should be nice and not tell Chase...right?”

“Probably.”

“Damn.”

x~x~x

Weeks passed and the house was finally starting to look like it did before everything happened. Robbie was sitting in the living room coloring with Dark sitting on the couch behind him, reading the newspaper, while Chase and Marvin were cooking dinner in the kitchen. Marvin was talking again, but he was still a little jumpy when it came to sudden noises. The others were starting to plan their revenge. They were ready to make them pay.

“I’m home!” Jackie called as he came into the building.

“Hi, Jackie.” Robbie greeted with a wave before getting back to his coloring.

“Jackie’s home?” Anti popped his head into the room from the hallway, grin wide and mischief in his eyes. “How was the library?” Anti asked, going over to Jackie. “Did you have fun at the library doing library things, like reading?” Jackie just looked at Anti with wide eyes, weak croaks of protest were caught in his throat.

“Robbie, I got you a book.” Jackie slipped away from Anti, taking off his backpack and reaching into it.

“He got you a book from the library because he was doing library things and nothing else, right?” Anti went next to Jackie and wrapped his arms around his shoulder, grin even larger than before, showing off his teeth.

“Y-Yep.” Jackie squeaked, handing the book to a clueless Robbie, who giggled thanks and immediately opened the book.

“If you were any more obvious, you’d just say it outright,” Dark commented, flipping to the next page and looking over it at Jackie.

“Can I talk to you guys? In private?” Jackie asked.

“Your room or ours?” Anti asked back.

“Mine,” Jackie stated and walked off, Anti waiting for Dark to get up and holding his arm as they followed. Jackie opened his door and as soon as Dark and Anti entered, he closed it and spun around to face them. “How long have you known?”

“Few weeks,” Dark responded, knowing exactly what Jackie was referring to.

“I can’t believe our little Jackie has a girlfriend,” Anti said, using his hands to squish his face.

“You haven’t told anyone, right?” Jackie asked.

“I’m an asshole, not a jerk.” Anti scoffed. “And I’m pretty sure you’d know if the others did. Do you know how hard Henrik was on my ass about Dark before we got together? He’s still on it.”

“Why don’t you want the others to know of Alice?” Dark asked.

“I’m just not ready.” Jackie went over to his desk, unable to look Dark in the eyes.

“Not ready to let everyone know that you’re happy and in love?” Anti put his hands on his hips. “You know everyone would be supportive.”

“It’s not them I’m worried about, it’s Alice.” Jackie slumped down into his desk’s chair, getting Dark and Anti to go over to him, Anti sitting on the desk and Dark standing next to him.

“What’s wrong with Alice?” Dark leaned against the desk.

“She just...she’s shy.” Jackie shrugged.

“Shy?” Anti raised a brow.

“It takes her a while to get used to new people, it took me a week to get her to even say hi.” Jackie sighed. “This is my first girlfriend and I really like her, fuck it, I love her and I don’t want to scare her off by pushing her.”

“You’re a good kid.” Anti patted the top of Jackie’s head, chuckling when he slapped it away.

“Thank you for not telling anyone,” Jackie said softly.

“When you’re ready, you’re ready,” Anti said. “Just don’t get your ass kidnapped with a bomb on your neck.” He added with a wink and a click of his tongue.

“I mean, it makes you skip a few courtship steps.” Dark rubbed his jaw.

“But he’s already courted her,” Anti said.

“Don’t call it that.” Jackie groaned.

“What steps would he be skipping?”

“Straight to marriage,” Dark answered.

“Guys!” Jackie yelped, face going red.

“I’ll go get the bombs.” Anti laughed.

“Guys!” Dark, Anti and Jackie both stopped when it wasn’t Jackie that shouted that time. “Guys, get out here!” It was Chase. Jackie was the first one out the door and the three rushed back to the living room.

“Is everything okay?” Bing asked.

“What’s going on?” Google added as everyone in the house gathered into one room.

“Move.” Anti pushed his way through the small crowd, going stiff when he saw why Chase was calling for everyone. “Blank?”

“Hi, Anti.”

——————– ——————– ——————–

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[truthbeetoldmedia]

The 100 6x10 “Matryoshka” Review 

You know, when I was assigned this episode to review, I wasn’t expecting to be discussing a moment like THAT (you all know what I’m referring to), so please, be kind while I process by obsessively refreshing Twitter and try to put my thoughts together. 

There’s definitely a lot going on in this episode, some of which I LOVED (take a wild guess on what part that is folks), and some of which I was less than fond of. It’s all high tension and high stakes, even more than the last. I’m a big fan of the moves they made to set everything into place; this is probably one of my favorite episodes of the season. 

Action and Reaction 

Here’s the thing. Putting almost all of your characters in one place forces conversation and development, which can turn out fascinating, or it can illuminate the truly unnecessary plot points and characters that have been hanging on all season. 

Raven and Abby are back from space and being taken prisoner like the rest of the Arkadians when Simone, angry about the loss of both the synthetic nightblood and the mind drive they used for Kane, tells Abby that Clarke is dead. As the audience we know that this isn’t exactly true, but Abby has no reason to think she’s alive, since every other host body is completely taken over by whoever’s mind drive is put in that body. 

I was pretty peeved with both Raven and Abby’s reactions to Clarke’s “death,” even though it’s been an ongoing joke online that Josie!Clarke could basically say and do anything and Abby still wouldn’t notice that something was up with her daughter. Raven’s been mad at Clarke for the entire season, so I guess I understand a lack of reaction on her part — but Abby? Her lack of reaction is only so off-putting because just last episode we saw an absolute outpouring of grief over Kane. It makes no sense that the news of her only child’s death wouldn't even garner 10% of that. 

The thing is, that’s poor characterization either way. Failing to show an emotional response that makes sense is a failure of the writing, and making her grief over Kane much more significant than over Clarke on purpose only highlights how far gone she is. That’s not a character worth keeping around, especially if this difference in emotion and priority is never addressed (and I don’t think it’s going to be). If the writers room is so keen on keeping her around they need to put some effort into showing the audience why that’s worthwhile. I know there are people who like Abby, but when it comes down to plot, what purpose does she serve? In a cast so large they need to trim loose ends or suffer for it, and I think hanging onto Abby for so long is an example of that. What has she done all season besides hole up in the library looking for a way to heal Kane, who’s been technically dead since the Season 5 finale? You could argue that they need her for the synthetic nightblood, but giving Becca’s notebook to Raven and having her do it also makes sense, especially since Abby doesn’t even leverage that ability when she should. Case in point: when Russell decides to burn them all at the stake after Simone’s murder, Murphy is the one who brings up being able to make nightblood from bone marrow, thereby saving everyone from a super vintage execution (for now). 

While we’re at it — I can’t believe Abby is actually mad at Murphy for helping the Primes, even though he and Emori explain that they both thought Clarke was actually dead and nothing could be done about it. Sure, what Murphy did was a little cold and sketchy at best, but it’s right on brand. Clarke’s dead? Nothing can be done about it? Better leverage this to my advantage. Self preservation, baby. That’s much less than Abby did literally ONE episode ago, being fully complicit in Gavin’s murder and actually recruiting him to host Kane’s mind drive even though she knew exactly what would happen. 

That’s exactly why these scenes with everyone felt stale: not every character is pulling their weight, and when that happens the scene gets bogged down with unnecessary interactions. There’s too many characters that really only take up space. Characters like Jackson, Miller, Niylah, and even Echo are dead weight at this point. Again, I know that these characters have their fans. That doesn’t change the fact that as far as the narrative is concerned, they're all relatively useless. Just being a named character doesn’t automatically give them significance, that significance has to be shown. What exactly does Miller bring to the show? Or Niylah? Even if they were once important that importance is dwindling if not non-existent. Miller could have been a compelling character: he was Bellamy’s right hand man in Season 1. He’s one of the original hundred. They could have done more with him, but in reality he’s replaceable. If you took Miller, Jackson, and Niylah out of the show, nothing would change. You could even say the same for Abby and Echo; they have more screen time than the rest, but Abby’s continued presence on the show feels forced and Echo is far from a developed character. Their “skills” can easily be transferable to other characters. Characters like Jordan and Emori are MUCH more compelling. 

Another thing that drags the episode down (and the season, if I’m being honest)? The whole “Sheidheda” making Madi a murder princess. I absolutely cannot fathom WHY grounder culture is still a thing on this show. They are on another planet, over a century later, with a thousand better things to focus on. I understand that Madi’s nightblood is significant, and the flame might be as well (from a technology standpoint). But why introduce this “dark commander”? if they wanted Madi to go full assassin, the pain of losing Clarke would have been enough to justify it. Also, what point does Madi/Sheidheda being so threatening towards Gaia serve? Having to listen to anything about the commanders is honestly exhausting, and it’s holding the show back. They’ve moved on (literally) in almost every capacity, and the show’s tendency to beat a dead horse only ever backfires. 

Not to sound too harsh, but that feeling I get whenever someone calls Madi “heda” is the same feeling I get if I’m at a party and this one person can only talk about how great high school was. This again? We’re in our late twenties. High school wasn’t great. Please, let it go. 

With that being said, they are setting up the next episode in a way that makes me think they might take the flame out of Madi for good, so we’ll see how that goes. 

Now, there are some compelling pieces here: it was nice to see Raven go back to being sciencey and a little bit philosophical after almost a full season of nothing but self-righteousness. Her conversation with Murphy about morality, not immortality, as a way to avoid hell was well done. The 100 loves a good morality conversation, and with things getting more dire in Sanctum and the growing comparisons between the Primes and Arkadians I’m sure that’s not the last we’ll hear of it. 

Getting almost everyone in one place, setting the stage for getting the dark commander out of Madi’s head, and setting up one last ditch effort to appease the Primes was great. The pacing in this case was well done and well executed, despite the issues that I did have, and I know that the final showdown will be epic. 

The hold that the Primes have over Sanctum is disintegrating, to put it mildly, and my guess is that a mass witch trial-esque execution isn’t exactly the way to put the populace at ease. 

There’s even an internal rebellion being incited by Ryker, who tells Delilah’s parents and another man that their loved ones aren’t “one with the Primes,” that nothing is left of the original host when the Prime’s mind drive takes over, and they’ve been lied to for decades. I’m curious to see the reaction when everyone in Sanctum learns the truth. 

The Primes are Dead. Long Live the Primes.

Here’s the thing about the Primes and the Arkadians — they’re so concerned with not being like each other that they conveniently ignore or justify what they’re doing. Russell is hellbent on not ending up like the Arkadians, but how, in any way, are the Primes better than the Arkadians? At their current positions, I’d say that the Primes are decidedly worse. Here’s the thing, though — they’ve had time. Josie said it herself — she wasn’t always like this. Give the Arkadians a few centuries, and who's to say they wouldn’t devolve into something similar? 

The driving force for both groups has always been taking care of “their people.” What’s not usually discussed is that in order to put your people first you need to put other people last. Someone almost always suffers, it's just about prioritizing that suffering. 

It circles back around to that question of trying to save humanity but never bothering to question if it even should be saved. Sure, the Primes can live forever. Should they?

Clarke even gets a glimpse of Josie’s morality, or the morality she used to have, as their minds start to disintegrate and Josie’s memories bleed into Clarke’s mind space. We see Josie in love with Gabriel, watching that memory fondly until she absolutely has to let it go. In another episode, Clarke already discovered that memory of Josie’s from that diner on Earth. 

Finally, when Gabriel and Octavia find Bellamy and Clarke/Josie and Gabriel is about to take out her mind drive, almost all of her memories are gone. Eliza Taylor absolutely kills this whole scene, and I actually could have shed a tear for Josie when she speaks through Clarke, saying she can’t remember, but she’s sure she did terrible things.  

Josie had morality. Josie lost it. 

The entire run of the show has been exploring morality and what it means — no simple task, I know. I think, however, that Gabriel really embodied that when he let Josie die. He said it himself, he’s been in love with her for centuries. But he needs, everyone needs, the cycle to stop. Putting an end to using hosts is the only way to do it. 

That’s Love, Bitches 

I mean… come on. Come ON. 

This scene was everything. Well acted, well written, well directed. I cried, you cried, everyone cried. Twitter imploded. I’ll go to my grave being adamant that Bellamy and Clarke’s relationship is THE best and most well done thing about the show. The entirety of the sixth season is built on Clarke being gone and Bellamy fighting for her to come back. Love, sacrifice, forgiveness — all are main tenets of The 100, and all are wrapped up in Bellamy and Clarke. 

It’s crystal clear that they’re paralleling Gabriel and Josie with Bellamy and Clarke. Josie dies, Gabriel letting her go while saying that their time is over, only for Bellamy to immediately bring Clarke back? Josie and Gabriel’s time is over, and Bellamy and Clarke’s is starting. A literal new life.

They really threw every romantic trope at them this episode. Clarke’s heart stopping in front of Bellamy and him pleading for her to come back? Bellamy saying he needs her? The CPR? The remnants of Josie try to kill Clarke, and she only comes back when she hears Bellamy’s voice? The first thing she sees when she comes back is Bellamy’s face? Octavia’s smirk in the back? The audacity. 

This scene was lead up to with a full six seasons of development — from the beginning they were the head and the heart. Gabriel said it, the heart needs the head to tell it to beat. Clarke, clinging to her mind space, only came back because Bellamy restarted her heart. He’s her literal heart, guys. 

Bellamy has thought Clarke was dead three times now — the first was during Praimfaya, the second when he discovered Josie was inhabiting Clarke’s body. Both of those times he could only witness and not do anything, so you better believe he wasn’t going to let Clarke die if he had anything to say about it. 

There is a clear stage for romantic Bellarke being set here, and anyone who says otherwise is not watching the same show. You don’t have to like it, but it’s happening.

Honestly, anything I could say about this has already been said. Just know that this episode killed me, and I’ll be watching the next one from the afterlife. 

Alyssa’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝

The 100 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on the CW.

[tysonrunningfox]

Ripped: Part 12

So I was going to write more sacrificecup before this but I woke up yesterday morning like like...18 jokes in my head and had to get them all out before I lost them, so here is this.  

Ao3

Hiccup tried valiantly to talk Mr. Grisly into a Grimborn book containing actual information but all attempts were brushed off repeatedly with the insistence that he’d been given a budget to hire experts for that.

Hiccup didn’t miss the dig that he is not considered an expert at the level of A. M. Mildew, but he wanted Grisly out of the library more than he wanted to argue. He knows Astrid doesn’t need his protection, but the way Grisly looked at her was uniquely sinister and the lopsided kind of glee in his voice when he talked to her is stuck in the back of Hiccup’s mind like a popcorn kernel in his teeth.

By the time he finally gives up and watches Grisly leave the library with a single beloved but largely sensationalized book, the archives are closed, and Hiccup finds himself suddenly completely underwhelmed. Given that he has not shifted his schedule back while his tours are…temporarily postponed, he texted Astrid pretty soon after waking up.

All in all that was a pretty landmark start to the day.

He starts the long walk home, glancing wistfully into alleys as he crosses them. He can’t help but feel disconnected and exposed on the main streets, surrounded by false modernity made out of plywood with a million percent markup. He knows Snotlout is right. He does look suspicious and he’s hiding enough by not telling Eretson where Dave’s prosthetic came from, but he’s sick of it taking so long to get everywhere.

Plus, assuming a Grimborn copycat working backwards, doesn’t he just have to stay away from the second murder site?

Unless the order of the two murders was a fluke and he should be staying away from the first site, a stomach clenching thought that’s categorically impossible. He couldn’t stay away from Astrid now if she lived in a volcano or had a loft in Atlantis, not after she told him that she likes him. Him. She likes him. Astrid. The beautiful, violent toothbrush assault artist who makes sure he sees what she does likes him.

His phone buzzes with a slow to download text message, lagging from the library’s thick brick walls.

Astrid (5:21pm): how’d that go?

He stops short and a man in a suit slams into his back, glaring at him for interrupting the flow of pedestrian traffic. Hiccup would thank the guy for restarting his heart, except talking is a little hard with it pounding in his throat.

How’d that go? Does she want…a review of some kind? Should he inform her of her 10.0 perfect score kissing skills but deduct a half a gold star for startling the hell out of him? Not that he minded being startled, really, but Astrid seems like a tough love type.

“On your left,” a bike whizzes by and he stumbles, still staring at his phone and barely snapping out of the haze with the insult that follows, “fucking tourist!”

“No bikes on the sidewalk, asshole!”

If he critiques her, does that mean she’s going to critique him? She doesn’t let him get away with anything else, after all. If he weren’t so giddy about her kissing him, he’d be more confused that she still wanted to after all that murder site sex idiocy that fell out of his mouth at Gruff’s.

Hiccup (6:04pm): I thought it was nice

He settles for neutral or something like it.

Astrid (6:05pm): I meant the creepy guy making you find a book for him

His heart drops. Of course she meant the whole Grisly thing, not—why would she be asking him how kissing was? She was there.

It’s a twisted kindness that he knows he’s said and done dumber things to and around her, so this probably won’t be the instance that scares her off.

Hiccup (6:06pm): right that makes more sense than you asking me to critique your kissing Hiccup (6:06pm): which was top notch by the way no comments, don’t change a thing Hiccup (6:07pm): so I do it anyway, fuck, anyway grisly is creepy as hell and I really hate that he’s investigating murders, it’s not fair because his breath’s death count is probably higher than any small time grimborn copycat

None of that made it better.

Astrid (6:07pm): I thought it was nice too Astrid (6:08pm): so you really think it’s a copycat then?

The morning’s roller coaster of emotions repeats in miniature and Hiccup pauses to unlock his front door and set his stuff down inside. Maybe his dad’s old chair has enough common-sense energy left to keep him from making more of an ass of himself and he flops into it.

Hiccup (6:11pm): no, we aren’t talking about grimborn, I forgot sorry

Astrid (6:12pm): it’s fine

Hiccup (6:12pm): no, we said we weren’t, let’s…talk about the next time we can not talk about grimborn

Astrid (6:14pm): is that a euphemism?

He blinks at that text for a second, trying and failing to shove his comprehension of it back into a neat little cube that will let him think or breathe or do anything but burn remembering how she felt against him.

Hiccup (6:15pm): Tomorrow?

And he has no money. Very minimal money at least. Not the kind of money that adults have for dates when there are euphemisms involved. Not that he’d pay for them like Viggo Grimborn luring some unsuspecting woman into an alley—this is why he’s single.

Astrid (6:16pm): Sure, what do you want to do?

Everything. Nothing. Ask questions and actually let her talk, for once, but that would require a personality transplant apparently and he doesn’t have time for one of those. Plus those probably cost money. Maybe he could pay for it with that frozen yogurt gift card, hell using a frozen yogurt gift card would practically be a personality transplant in and of itself—

Hiccup (6:16pm): frozen yogurt!!!

Astrid (6:17pm): so you’re…adamant about frozen yogurt, alright

Hiccup (6:17pm): oh no, I hate frozen yogurt, but I have no money and a gift card

Astrid (6:18pm): you know I can pay, right? This isn’t the middle ages, you don’t need to demonstrate your chivalry to me.

Hiccup (6:19pm): oh, I know, plus I’d cry if you expected me to put my hat down on a puddle so you could cross it Hiccup (6:20pm): I guess…this sounds weird but bear with me

Astrid (6:20pm): I think you just defined every interaction we’ve ever had

Hiccup (6:21pm): In a roundabout way, getting frozen yogurt sounds like a good idea because taking you places that I love has had really weird and complicated results, so maybe the answer is to take you somewhere that I hate

Astrid (6:22pm): it’s a date

00000

“Anything for me?” Hiccup yawns on his way out of his bedroom the next afternoon when they wake up, watching Snotlout juggle a shoebox sized cardboard box and a handful of envelopes through the door.

“Looks like a credit card offer and a student loan notice,” Snotlout holds out the box for Hiccup to take his mail.

“Two of the four horsemen of the adult apocalypse,” he tosses the credit card offer and opens the loan statement with a grimace.

“You know you can get those online right?” Snotlout sits down on the couch with the box in his lap, using the butter knife from his morning toast to open it.

“Hey, I sold my soul to the devil for an Art History degree, I want the hard copy receipt.” The number on the notice looks worse than normal though and it takes Hiccup a second to put together why.

It’s not about being able to pay for Astrid, she’s obviously not someone who cares about stuff like that. It’s about not…dragging her down. It’s different when Snotlout is the only one who sees him survive on ramen in the summer when tour interest goes down, Snotlout has seen worse. It’s different when he has a pocket of cash too.

He started doing tours for his own entertainment, he helped Heather start her company when it was all about the mystery for both of them. It was the notoriety that bugged him and that only amped up when the crime scenes got a fresh coat of caution tape.

But right now, staring at that number that really does keep growing when he doesn’t pay it, he’s reminded full force that he also does tours for the money.

“I’ve been thinking, I should start tours up again,” Hiccup sticks the mail to the fridge and nods to himself, “yeah, that’s a good idea, Berserker tours must be booking months out by now, I could get full share of the spontaneous customers. Any idea if there’s any issue at the crime scenes?”

Snotlout doesn’t mock him, which should be his first clue that something isn’t right, and when he turns around, Snotlout is staring into the open box on his lap with a pale face and wide eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“This isn’t my self-tanner.”

“You ordered self-tanner?” Hiccup raises an eyebrow and crosses the room to see what is so offensive to receive in self-tanner’s stead.

It’s not skin bleaching cream, which would have been apt.

It’s a foot.

A foot standing disembodied in the shabby cardboard box, almost waxy in appearance, harmless except for the dread emanating off of it. Hiccup’s never seen an unattached right foot before, and he can’t say it was on his bucket list. There’s a note taped to the lid of the box and smeared with streaks Hiccup doesn’t want to think about, so he tries to focus on the letters. They’re blurry either from damp paper or his struggle to keep his eyes still on them, but he can see they line up in neat rows.  

It reminds him of a letter he saw in glass in a collector’s museum. A letter that had been delivered wrapped around a victim’s finger and sent to Deputy Detective Ryker over a hundred years ago. A letter that had led to his eventual stint in custody.

“Is that a poem?”

“It’s a foot!” Snotlout jumps up, holding the box at arm’s length and shuffling towards the kitchen, “I know you only have one but you should still recognize it!”

Hiccup leans over the box when Snotlout sets it down, squinting at the writing and willing his heart to slow down enough to let him read, “is that in comic sans?”

“It’s a fucking foot,” he starts pacing, pulling his phone out and presumably dialing the station. “Yeah, I’ve got human remains in a fucking box—no, they were shipped here, are you crazy, Johnson? Yeah, maybe send a car, that’s a fucking brilliant idea, great job!”

Thoughts of Grimborn letters, fingers, Snotlout’s badge, and disconcertingly, of Astrid wondering what he’d do if the murders continued rush through Hiccup’s head as he fumbles with his phone, snapping four or five quick pictures of the box, as close as he can to the message.

“What are you doing?” Snotlout snaps as he hangs up and Hiccup holds his phone up.

“Oh, you mean—”

“Yes, I mean, are you taking pictures of evidence for your creepy collection? Because it’s bad enough that I touched the box,” he shudders, “oh shit, I set it on my lap, did I get dead foot juice on my junk?”

“No—”

“Are you sure?” Snotlout is more preoccupied with his lap than Hiccup’s phone now, but it’s still better to pad the lie.

“No, I’m not taking pictures of for my creepy collection.” He’s taking pictures for another reason, so it’s not technically a lie, “I’m texting Astrid that I doubt I’ll be able to make our date today.”

Hiccup (4:00pm): I don’t think I’m going to be able to do anything today, do you want actual reason or wild excuse?

“Yeah, they’re sending a car over,” Snotlout huffs, “goddammit, I thought I had one day without Eretson’s smug face—but no, some creep had to send us a hacked off foot, great.”

Astrid (4:02pm): actual reason

Hiccup (4:02pm): snotlout received a package that he thought was the self-tanner he ordered, but actually was a disembodied foot, and there’s a blurry message with it in a font I believe to be comic sans

Astrid (4:03pm): I had to read that three times to make sure I didn’t accidentally say wild excuse

Hiccup (4:03pm): raincheck?

Astrid (4:04pm): Don’t go spending that gift card without me

“Dude, put your shoes on,” Snotlout throws Hiccup’s shoes at him, one of them hitting him in the side.

“Hey!”

“They’re outside,” he points at Hiccup’s plastic left foot, “that’s a secret, remember?”

“Shit,” the rush to yank his shoes on is a perfect capsule of the anxiety that multiplies over the next hour or so as a forensic team takes the box and swabs what feels like every inch of the apartment. Snotlout isn’t happy to be in the back of a police car, even if he knows the officers in front, and he’s less happy to be plopped in Eretson’s office on the wrong side of the desk.

It doesn’t help anything that they’re both still in pajamas.

“About the self-tanner, dude,” Snotlout clears his throat, looking out the office window and presumably checking if Eretson is on his way, “it’s going to be really natural and gradual, you weren’t even going to notice.”

“That’s what you want to talk about right now?” Hiccup’s phone burns a hole in his pocket, and he hates how much he hates Heather. He needs to show it to someone. Then again, Heather wasn’t trustworthy when he trusted her.

“I watched a video on how to apply it—”

“Yeah, did it include directions to the jersey shore?”

“You mix it with your moisturizer for the first week and the color grabs slower, plus I have black chest hair, it was going to blend!”

Eretson opens the door somewhere between jersey shore and moisturizer, as stony faced as Hiccup has ever seen him.

“Mr. Haddock, Jorgenson,” he sits down and starts typing efficiently, not so much avoiding eye contact as metering his attention where he sees fit.

“It’s Officer Jorgenson to you, thanks,” Snotlout crosses his arms, flexing too obviously, and Hiccup elbows him. Officer doesn’t make anything seem better right now. The whole reason Deputy Detective Ryker spent two months in custody as Grimborn was because they could blame the bungled case on him.

“You’re not on duty, Mr. Jorgenson, in fact I believe I overheard you planning a beach vacation, don’t let my investigation interrupt it.” When he does look up, it’s at Hiccup in particular, “at five o’clock this time?”

“I know how you love your job?” Hiccup shrugs and Eretson sighs.

“So, Mr. Jorgenson, you received a package of unknown origin—“

“I thought it was from Amazon,” Snotlout tries to kick his feet up on the desk but they don’t quite reach and Hiccup rubs his eyes to avoid seeing Eretson’s reaction.

Hiding his eyes doesn’t help, every ounce of repressed irritation comes through in the detective’s pinched voice.

“Was the package addressed to you?”

“I was expecting a package so I opened the package,” Snotlout scoffs.

“You didn’t check if your name was on it?” Hiccup hisses at him and he flings his arms up, still trying to look bigger.

“I ask the questions,” Eretson doesn’t quite pound his hand on the table but the intent is there, and Hiccup tries to mentally will Snotlout to behave but his skull has always been too thick for that. “The package was addressed to an SG Jorgenson, is that you?”

“Those are my initials.”

“And they stand for?” The detective readies himself to write it down.

“My names,” he deflates, “Snotlout Gary Jorgenson, but—wait, someone sent me a cut off foot? That’s super fucked up.”

“Yes, you’re getting it, murder is fucked up” Eretson sets down a picture of Dave, or his body, coroner sheet thankfully pulled up directly under his chin. “The foot was an exact match to Dave Ralston.”

“Well I don’t know that guy,” Snotlout lies semi-convincingly, “I definitely don’t know why anyone would send me his foot.”

Eretson turns to Hiccup, “I understand you knew Dave Ralston from the homeless shelter.”

“Are you saying I mailed Snotlout a foot of a homeless man I knew in passing?” Hiccup’s fear manifests as it always does, a reason to be indignant and loud. He thinks of that leg and how he can remember having it fitted, learning to hobble on it and imagining toes. “Because no, that didn’t happen.”

“Your alibi for—“

“I was at the archives, you can talk to Astrid, you can talk to Fishlegs—“

“The package was mailed from the archives yesterday in the last package pickup at 4:30,” Eretson glances out his office window and Hiccup does the same, trying not to wince when he sees Mr. Grisly, talking to someone he can’t quite see.

He can’t lie.

“I was—“

“With Astrid,” the detective fills in, “of course.”

“I have texts,” he fumbles with his phone, but of course his camera is still open, the bloody note tiled in the corner as the last picture he took and he shoves it back into his pajama pocket. If he starts tapping his foot, it might creak, he didn’t fully tighten it down before they had to leave. “I can send them to you or something. To keep the um…encrypted dates for official—“

“Well Grisly was there too, right?” Snotlout trusts the office’s soundproofing far more than Hiccup would. “Who says he didn’t do it? It seems like the kind of creepy shit he’d do—“

“That’s enough,” Eretson booms, the sound reverberating like a ghost off of the walls. Snotlout opens his mouth to continue and Hiccup smacks him in the arm, shaking his head.

“Guess that beach vacation is cancelled, huh?” He nods at Eretson in understanding, “good thing you can get the same golden glow from a handy bottle that won’t take us out of town.”

“I’ll be following up.” Eretson gestures at the door and Hiccup leans carefully on Snotlout’s shoulder to stand, making sure his leg doesn’t creak or buckle or give itself away when it takes his anxious weight.

“Sure thing,” Hiccup drags Snotlout from the room before he can decide to go back onto tiptoes or something equally stupid.   Of course, that means it’s Hiccup’s turn to be stupid and he balks outside the door, eyes widening when he sees who Grisly is talking to, “Heather?”

“Hiccup,” Heather cocks her hip, holding a thick, official looking file that isn’t labeled with her usual red sharpie. Someone else’s file. A police file. “Nice…jumpsuit.” She looks down at his plaid pajamas and he knows her too well to ignore her concern. It’s deeply buried but there and he glares at Grisly. Not even Heather deserves to deal with Rasputin’s mangy ghost.

“Miss Berserker is the Grimborn expert we hired, she’s already been explaining the concept of Trader Johann to me,” Grisly grins and maybe he’s exactly what Heather deserves, “very concise and articulate.”

“Yeah, easier to feed conjecture in small bites—“ Hiccup starts, but Snotlout grabs his arm. “I don’t know though, ‘Zombie Trader Johann’ is a little hard for anyone to swallow.”

“When solving a mystery of this magnitude,” Grisly chuckles, “we must consider all angles. Right down to resurrection.”

“Hiccup, let’s go,” Snotlout tugs and speaks a little too loud, clearly for Heather’s benefit, “don’t you have that date to get to?”

“Are you still doing tours?” Hiccup ignores him.

“Dagur’s taking over some of them,” she tries to sound professional and he remembers her wide grin when he showed her the ‘All Safe’ wall for the first time. Astrid’s picture is a piece of proof she doesn’t have, and it doubles his compulsion to get it out there. “Are you still—“

“I will be,” he nods, “I’ve got some new evidence.”

“I’m sure you do,” Grisly cuts off the conversation and points at the door, “official police business, I’m sure you understand.”

“He does,” Snotlout grumbles, glaring up at Grisly as he shoves Hiccup along, either barely remembering to mind his leg or getting lucky that he’s not causing a limp. “When we get home, I’m going to take a shower, because I swear I got dead foot juice on my lap, and then I’m going to look up ‘how not to be weird and morbid’ in your freaking office, and shove whatever book I find that definition in up your—“

“Gobber?” Hiccup once again stops short as Snotlout tries to forcibly drag him from the police station yet again. Eretson must have snuck around while they were talking to Heather, because he’s at the front desk with Gobber, discussing some notes.

“Can’t say I’m glad to see you here,” Gobber chuckles, “but I’m always glad to see you. And oh, you have Snotlout with you.”

“Yeah, I know, you must be thrilled to see me too,” Snotlout grins, apparently finding a new thing to hold over Eretson.  

“Eh.”

“Well, I can’t say I’m glad to be here, not really my choice,” Hiccup glances at the detective.

“Oh, I’m sure you look guilty for something,” Gobber leans sideways and whispers loudly to Eretson, “it’s his specialty.”

“No, assuming I’m guilty is everyone else’s specialty,” Hiccup crosses his arms, leg feeling shaky like it never does.

“Aye, cops especially, so it’d be fastest if you let the handsome detective do his job—“

“Handsome?” Eretson isn’t used to being caught off guard and it doesn’t last long. “Of course, you were making a pass at me, and here I thought you were the only one in this damn town trying to help.” He collects his files, mumbling under his breath as he stalks back towards his office, clearly further from leaving the office than ever.

“Can’t it be both?” Gobber shrugs and Hiccup shakes his head.

“Twenty five years of friendship and you sell me out for a hot piece of ass?”

“I don’t think it counted as friendship when you were a baby.”

Snotlout scowls back towards the offices, “who cares about friendship? I’ve been working out just as much as he does, why does he still get everything?”

“For the best probably,” Gobber shakes his head, “you couldn’t handle me.”

Hiccup blinks at his father’s best and oldest friend, “you know, Gobber, thanks for that. Now I won’t have nightmares about mutilated body part mail.”

“Anytime.” He nods and this time it’s Hiccup dragging Snotlout outside.

Snotlout wasn’t kidding about the immediate shower, and he must have been serious about the ‘dead foot juice’, as he put it, because he throws his pajamas in the kitchen trash on the way back to his room to get dressed. Hiccup doesn’t like thinking about them in there and Snotlout agrees as he ties up the mostly empty trash as soon as he’s dressed, looking around at the ghost of forensic swab marks on almost every surface.

“Yeah, no, I don’t want to hang out in the foot-mail apartment right now,” he shudders, “Gruff’s?”

“Uh, sure,” Hiccup glances at his dad’s office door, wanting to print out one of the pictures he took and start deciphering it, but knowing if he wants to research right now it’ll be suspicious.

“I’m sure a girl as hot as Astrid already has another date lined up, you can talk to her tomorrow.” Snotlout sighs, “just put on some actual pants and come hang out until I stop thinking about…saw marks and—”

“Yeah, ok,” Hiccup doesn’t make him say it, swallowing hard against his own repressed memory as he changes. For the first time ever, he avoids looking down at his right foot and trips a little getting into his jeans because of it, but he shakes it off to engage full scale Snotlout distraction mode. “So, did you notice Eretson had a mustard stain on his shirt?”

“What? Where was it? Was it on his tie?” Snotlout snorts, “I bet he eats sandwiches like an idiot.”

Hiccup makes up enough details about the imagined stain to preoccupy Snotlout the entire walk to the bar, even throwing in a few fake laughs at a very bad impression of a British accent. He’s not quite cheerful by the time they’re sitting at the bar, but he’s cheered enough to start his version of the standard cop lecture.

“As little as possible actually means as little as possible in this situation,” he gives Hiccup a disappointed look, “like if you want to make Heather jealous, just tell her you have a date like a normal person, don’t say you’re going to start your creepy tours back up, especially at a time when that Grisly dick thinks Venison Greenland has something to do with the murders.”

“Ok, I’ll work backwards on that,” he numbers on his fingers, “Venison Greenland isn’t even clever, I am going to start tours back up, and I don’t care about making Heather jealous. And my date was cancelled by a surprisingly efficient postal shipment, which makes me wonder—”

“You can’t start tours back up right now, dude.”

“As I was saying, it makes me wonder if the person behind all of this has some sort of government sway,” Hiccup nods importantly.

“I can’t tell if you’re bullshitting me to avoid talking about Heather or not.”

“I don’t know why you always want to talk about Heather.” Hiccup stares at the row of dusty bottles above the bar and tries not to think about their comfortable nights at the Ripped Tavern, before things got contentious. Heather’s pet theory was Ryker before it was Johann and it makes his stomach churn.

“Because she was my friend too and I always thought shit would get weird in the group because you two paired off to have a murder themed wedding or something,” he shrugs, “not because you disagreed about research.”

“Snotlout, my issues with Heather are with her, if you want to be her friend that’s between you guys.”

“Are you kidding?” He snorts, “even before she teamed up with Mr. Grisly she screwed you over. Not a chance.” It would be sweet if Snotlout didn’t punctuate it by punching him in the shoulder so hard he almost falls off of the stool.

And if that package didn’t neatly line Snotlout up with Ryker.

“I’d have way better luck getting back at her by restarting tours than by making her jealous with some cancelled date.”

“You know what sucks? I used to be able to explain to you that girls care more about you moving on with another girl than they do about hundred-year-old murders, but now you’ve got Astrid whispering Grimborn in your ear—”

“Oh god, don’t go there,” Hiccup winces, “not today, haven’t I been through enough? Didn’t you hurt me enough by hitting on Gobber—”

“I wasn’t hitting on him, I just don’t know why he was hitting on Eretson when I was right there.”

“Probably because he’s known you literally your entire life.”

“Yeah, and so has your mom—”

“I’m restarting tours,” Hiccup cuts that off, “I need the money, for one—”

“Amen to that, Hiccup,” Gruffnut leans on the other side of the bar and glares at Snotlout, “it’s tough not being employed by the government to be a narc, isn’t it?”

“Just because I’m the only one with a job that makes money doesn’t make me a narc.”

“Oh, I do plenty for money,” Gruffnut numbers off, “I dress up as my dumb boy cousin and scam people, I wipe the counters, I pour beers for people, I sell alcohol for way more than I pay for it—”

“Except for the first thing, those are all just part of being a bartender,” Hiccup points out and Gruffnut shakes his head like it’s heavy with exhaustion.

“I know, right? I go above and beyond and I still barely make rent,” he whispers conspiratorially, “all the toilet paper in the bathroom is stolen from McDonalds.”

“I can hear you,” Snotlout shoos him, “so if you don’t want me to tell McDonalds—”

“See? Narc.” Gruffnut shuffles off to the other end of the bar.

“You could get a job, you know, with a boss and a paycheck and insurance that you don’t have to pretend to be my domestic partner to get.” Snotlout doesn’t need to know how much he sounds like Hiccup’s dad sometimes, it would go to his head.

“Yeah, I’m sure the five-year gap in my nonexistent resume would be great for that.” He sighs, “I guess I’m worried about…if I’m not giving tours, Heather’s basically controlling the whole Grimborn narrative in Berk and now she’s apparently working with Grisly, who—I didn’t tell you this because I didn’t think it mattered but he came by the archives yesterday—”

“I know,” Snotlout rolls his eyes, “Astrid told me.”

“Anyway, Grisly wanted a copy of that Admiral Haddock book, which means that the so called ‘experts’ at the station aren’t exactly people I trust with the truth.”

“Just a couple of weeks ago you were saying how shitty Heather was to be giving tours to active crime scenes.” Snotlout orders another beer, foot tapping against the rung of his stool, and Hiccup still never knows how to act when his cousin is worried about him.

It’s even harder when the feeling is mutual.  

“I guess I was really hoping that this wasn’t connected to Grimborn,” Hiccup shrugs, “but now with the modern equivalent of the Ryker finger showing up at your—our door. Our door. I guess that me not doing a tour didn’t prevent the body part mailing, but maybe I could calm down the hysteria a bit while Heather is too busy to dump gasoline on the flames.”

And he can see what kind of information is spreading. Call him paranoid but this is all starting to circle a little too close to home.

“That’s stupid.”

“Well, I’m stupid,” Hiccup is at least keeping his promise to Astrid with that one.

“Yeah you are, given you’re actively deciding to harass Astrid’s apartment nightly when she’s your alibi for a bunch of sketchy shit.”

Hiccup opens his mouth to tell him that Astrid doesn’t mind, but then he remembers something she said when he thought she wouldn’t read a book, let alone go on a private tour with him.

“Can I borrow fifty bucks?” He stands up, “and I mean borrow, I will pay you back when this all works out.”