#and i was like oh my god i hope the last thing pac ever saw of tommy was that im just ken parody | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

niqhtlord01 · 5 years ago

Text

Humans are weird: Video Games

Alien: What is this game about? Human: It’s about being a soldier in a war that reduces you to nothing more than a cog in a larger machine ever churning onwards regardless of any personal dilemmas the characters have. Alien: And the chainsaw guns? Human: Oh those are just frickin bad ass. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alien: I feel this game’s title is misleading. Human: Why do you say that? Alien: Because every enemy and character you meet in game is either screaming, shouting, or loudly yelling. Human: How does that make it misleading? Alien: This is clearly not a silent hill. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alien: I feel terrible for this pac-man. Human: Why do you say that? Alien: He must keep devouring pills to keep the ghosts of his past from getting him and destroying any semblance of a hopeful future. Human: .......... Human: On one hand I think you’re reading way too much into it, and on the other you’re about to make me feel sad for pac-man which has never happened before in my life. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alien: This commando is amazing! No wonder you’re military is so good when you have augmentations such as this. Human: Yeah. It’s even more impressive when you take into account his robot arm is made out of his wife. Alien: *Drops controller* Alien: WHAT?!?! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alien: I challenge you to a battle with this game! Human: *Sees game, smiles* Human: A classic for sure, but I’m the best at it. To be fair I’ll let you pick first. Alien: I pick Oddjob. Human: You son of a- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alien: This game is too complex! Human: Why do you say that? Alien: You must manage your resources, military, population capacity, and research all while fighting other player’s armies! Human: It’s easy once you get the hang of it. Alien :Only the insane would play these strategy games! Human: Well why do you think we keep winning every space war!? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alien: How do you play this “minesweeper”. Human: It is a secret my people have long since lost. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Human: Would you like to play some Mario? Alien: No. Mario is a terrible person and I hate them. Human: That’s a bit harsh. Why do you think that? Alien: He’s a plumber that never does their job! When was the last time you saw him unclog a pipe? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Human: You sure you don’t want to play? It’s a great game. Alien: *Watches in horror as they play Halo: CE* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alien: So this is a team based survival game? Human: Correct. Alien: And everyone is trying to escape their terrible situation. Human: Indeed. Alien: What if one of them can’t keep up? Human: Then I guess they’re *lowers sunglasses* left for dead. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alien: Why do animals like dogs and horses hardly ever die in your games. Human: In video games they only have one weakness. Alien: What is that? Human: The plot. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Human: How are you enjoying the game. Alien: It is nothing more than an alien dating simulator. Human: So...... Alien: It is wonderful! Human: Thought you might like it. Human: Fair warning though. If you make Tali or Garrus cry I will break your spine. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Human: How are you en- Human: (sees alien not touching the controller) Human: What’s wrong? Alien: I do not like this. The bad humans won the war. Human: (sees game. sits down next to them.) Alien: The things they do to people that look different....that don’t believe what they think.... Human: I know buddy. They did terrible things. Human: But that’s part of the reason you can’t stop playing. Alien: (looks at human) Human: The game is about fighting the bad people. If you stop fighting them, then they will win and do even more terrible things. Human: (puts hand on alien’s should) Human: And you don’t look like the kinda person that’d just sit back and let that happen. Alien: (nods, picks up controller) That’s not me. Human: (Smiles) Damn right. Now go kill some fucking nazi scum. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alien: What is the point of having a gun in this game if the enemy can kill you with a simple kitchen utensil!? Human: You got it all mixed up. The frying pan is the most powerful weapon, not the gun. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alien: Are all you subway tunnels filled with giant monsters?!?!? Human: Only the ones in Jersey. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Human: Did you win the war yet? Alien: I haven’t even started it. Human: but it’s been three hours. What have you been doing? Alien: I’m trying to get my knight to fall in love with my mage but the stupid archer keeps getting in the way. Human: I see you’ve discovered the real enemy then. Human: Love triangles. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Human: You sure you’ll be able to play this alone and in the dark? Alien: I’ve been to your offspring entertainment areas. I have nothing to fear from them at night. Human: Suit yourself. (Leaves) (Next day) Human: So how’d it- Alien: KEEP THE DOORS CLOSED! THEY CAN’T GET IN IF THEY’RE CLOSED! Human: (under breath) probably shouldn’t tell them about the forth game when they pop out of the closet..... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Human: You don’t seem surprised by the fighting game. Alien: In truth most of the universe thinks you humans actually hold such death tournaments. Alien: The only surprise was coming here and finding out you actually don’t. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alien: Friend human! I have discovered the secret to beating your video games! Human: Really? What is it? Alien: They are called “Loot Boxes”. Human: Mother-of-god; they’ve gotten you too! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Human: What do you think? Alien: I think you humans have it backwards? Human: How so? Alien: Most of your games have aliens attacking your planet. Human: And? Alien: Do you realize how many planets you human’s have invaded in the last month alone? Human: (ponders, then realizes something) Human: So did you cut us open as well for research on how to defeat us? Alien: At first we did, but then stopped when we realized you are either indestructible or killed by slipping on soap. It was one or the other and was very frustrating. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alien: Help! I’m being chased and don’t know what to do! Human: Just sit on that bench. Alien: How will that help!? Human: Trust me. Alien: (Has character sit on bench, watches in amazement as pursuers pass by) Alien: How did that work? Human: We humans are often blinded from what’s right in front of us. Alien: You can not be serious. Human: Yesterday I spent a whole hour looking for my keys before I realized they were on a bungee cord on my wrist. You alien’s give us too much credit.

7K notes · View notes

iamtrebleclefstories · 4 years ago

Text

it’s all because of you

So I FINALLY finished Coco’s bday fic. Sorry it’s so late, but I hope you enjoy this one-shot @cicinicole-14

Alex tells Jo about Eli & Alexis immediately after finding out about them

—————————

“Hey so, I wasn’t able to find the chips that you wanted but I did buy some of that ice cream we both really love,” Jo walked into the loft and paused when she saw the distraught look on Alex’s face. “Oh God. What happened? Is something wrong? Did something happen with Meredith’s trial? Alex?”

“Huh?” Alex looked up from where he’d been staring at the floor for the past thirty minutes after he made the phone call that rocked his entire world.

“Alex, what’s going on? Who died?”

“No one—no one died,” Alex shook his head.

“Then why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Jo placed the bags of groceries on the counter and moved to sit next to him on the couch. “Alex. Baby, what’s going on? You’re worrying me. Please tell me. I want to help you.”

“I... I don’t even know how to say this,” Alex buried his head in his hands. He let out a nervous breath. “I have kids. Two of them. Twins.”

“What?” Jo’s eyes bulged. “Oh my God. Who did you—when... Alex did you cheat on me? Or was this when we were broken up? I won’t yell, just please tell me.”

“No, no, Jo!” Alex’s eyes shot up to her terrified expression. “I didn’t cheat on you. I didn’t sleep with someone else. Not even when we were broken up a few years ago. Babe, I haven’t been with anyone other than you in the past eight years.”

“Oh,” Jo sighed in relief. “Okay. So, how...”

“You remember the embryos?” Alex stared up at Jo who looked like she might puke at any given moment. He hated that he was doing this to her. She had just gotten better after a tough depressive episode. Jo didn’t deserve the stress of this burden that was his to bear. But he also knew that she deserved the truth and he’d be damned if he wasn’t completely forthcoming with the one person who’d been there for him through it all. “I called Izzie. I told myself it was just for the trial. To get Mer a letter of support. And at first, that’s exactly what it was. But then we started talking and it felt nice, normal. I felt all the nostalgia while talking to her and I can’t lie to you Jo, but it made me kind of miss her.”

“Oh God,” Jo pressed a hand to her mouth and ran to the trash bin and threw up. She felt Alex come behind her, held her hair, and rubbed her back lightly as he waited for her stop vomiting. Jo took a deep breath and straightened her back. She leaned against the wall and slumped down onto the floor, eyes closed. “You’re going to leave me, right? You’re gonna leave me for Izzie and the babies she has with your face on them. It’s over isn’t it?” Jo lost her fight with her tears. “Well it was good while it lasted, wasn’t it? I should’ve known. You can’t hold on to anything you don’t want to lose.”

“Jo, baby, I’m not leaving you. I swear to God. This doesn’t change the fact that I love you more than life itself, or that I want to be your husband and grow old with you. This changes none of that,” Alex crouched down in front of her and squeezed her knee. “Let me finish what I was trying to say.” Jo nodded at Alex to continue. “Then she told me all about her job as surgical oncologist and all of the things she’d accomplished. I told her how proud I was and shared that I got into peds and that I’m Chief of Surgery at Pac North. I told her all about how I’m cleaning the place up. Then she asked me if I’d met anyone and that’s when I told her about you. About how we met and fell in love and got married, and she was happy for me, for us. Really happy. She was asking me to send her a few of our wedding pictures when I heard them.”

Alex clutched Jo’s hands tightly within his own, “I heard kids laughing in the background, so I asked her if she had kids. She said yes. She has five year old twins, Eli and Alexis Stevens. They’re mine. She used our embryos.”

“She used the embryos. They’re five years old,” Jo repeated, attempting to process the information she’d just been given while staying strong for Alex. “So, it turns out when I found that form all those years ago, you already had not one, but two Izzie babies crawling around with your face on them.”

“Yeah,” Alex had a pained look on his face. “I’m sorry Jo. I should’ve—I should’ve called her years ago. Before we—because then I would’ve—“

“Before we got married,” Jo looked at Alex intensely. “That’s what you were gonna say right? You wish you would’ve known before we got married, or better yet, before we got serious, so that you could be with them. So that you could be their dad and be with Izzie and have the family you always wanted.” Jo wiped a couple tears. “But you didn’t call. I told you to call her two years ago and you didn’t do it. And now you’re stuck with me.”

“Jo, you know that we were never not serious. From the minute I kissed you, I knew you were it for me. I’m not stuck with you. I chose you and I’ll always choose you,” Alex shook his head and stared at their joined hands. “I gave up my rights when we got divorced, so she had every right to use them. But I just keep thinking about how I have kids and I never knew. I just wish I would’ve known. I would’ve done things differently. I wish Izzie would’ve told me. But she didn’t, so now I’ve lost five years of my kids’ lives and I don’t know how to even feel about it. I don’t know if I’m allowed to feel upset about it. I’m basically just their sperm donor.”

“Of course you’re allowed to be upset, Alex,” Jo placed a hand on his cheek. As much as Jo was in pain and as scared as she was to lose him, Jo knew that she had to be there for her husband. “When you and Izzie made those embryos, it was always under the understanding that you’d do it together. You never thought she’d use them after the fact.” Jo took a deep breath. “So, are you going to do anything about this? Are you going to meet them?”

“I don’t know,” Alex shook his head. “Iz said I could go see meet them. They live on a farm in the middle of freaking no where Kansas. They don’t know about me, though. Izzie never told them and they never asked. It’s just her and the kids. Well, she’s got this detective boyfriend now, but he doesn’t try to pretend to be their father.” Alex ran a hand over his face. “It doesn’t matter right now, though. What matters is Meredith’s trial. I can’t—I can’t focus on that and focus on the trial. After the trial is over, maybe I’ll revisit this, but I can’t Jo. I can’t.”

——————

In retrospect, Jo thinks maybe she should’ve thought things through a little better before packing a bag and flying out to Kansas in the middle of the night. It was an impulse decision, and like most impulse decisions, probably not the most wise one. But as soon as she touched down in Kansas at 8am the next morning, Jo knows that she made the right choice.

Jo walked out of her terminal and hailed a cab to take her to the nearest coffee shop or diner. She got dropped off at a small local diner that looked like it had been frozen in the 1960s. Finally mustering up what little courage she had left, Jo took her phone out of her pocket and dialed the number she had been dreading to dial. It rang four times before someone answered.

“Hello?” It was a woman’s voice in the background. “Hello? Can I help you?”

Jo cleared her throat, “Hi. Is this Izzie Stevens?”

“Yes, this is she,” the woman on the other line responded. “Who’s this?”

“Hi. This is uh—Jo, Jo Karev.”

“Oh my goodness,” Izzie’s gasp of surprise was heard over the line. “Jo! Alex’s wife Jo?”

“Yeah. That’s me,” Jo let out a breath. “Look, I don’t want to cause any issues or problems. Alex doesn’t even know that I’m calling or anything, but I was hoping you and I could meet. I’m here in Kansas.”

“You’re—you’re here?” Izzie asked, some shuffling being heard in the background. “Yes, of course. Where are you? Where should I meet you?”

“I’m at a diner in Kansas City. I can send you my location, if you’d like,” Jo suggested.

“Yeah, that’s perfect. I can be there in an hour,” Izzie replied. “I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon.”

—————

“Jo! What the hell? Where are you? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for the past ten hours. I woke up and you were gone,” Alex shouted angrily over the FaceTime call. “You didn’t leave a note or anything. No one knew where you were.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Jo sighed. “I didn’t mean to scare you. There was just… something I had to do.”

“Where are you? Please tell me. Jo, I don’t want to lose you, ever and right now you’re scaring me,” Alex’s brows furrowed. “Just… tell me you’re okay. Tell me that you’re not gonna leave me or hurt yourself.”

“What? Alex, no,” Jo shook her head. “I would never leave you. And I wouldn’t hurt myself. I swear.” Jo bit her lip nervously. “I’m not in Seattle. I caught a flight in the middle of the night last night, to Kansas.”

“Kansas?” Alex’s eyes widened. “What—why—what are you doing in Kansas?”

“I’m in Baldwin City,” Jo answered simply, knowing that Alex would immediately know the exact reason.

Alex’s face grew serious, “Why are you there Jo?”

“I spoke with Izzie. I’m actually in a guest room at the farmhouse right now,” Jo confessed. “I just… I couldn’t stand around and watch you feel conflicted. The trial was a week ago and you still haven’t made a decision about what it is that you want to do. And I’m not trying to rush you, I swear. But, you’ve been there for me when I needed it. You spoke for me when I couldn’t speak for myself. You reacted when I couldn’t demonstrate things effectively for myself. So, I wanted to do this for you. I wanted to come out here and talk to Izzie and tell her all the feelings that you’re not quite sure how to express.”

“I never asked you to do that for me,” Alex had an unreadable expression on his face.

“You didn’t have to,” Jo looked at his face over the video call expectantly.

“So, what’s the verdict?” Alex asked after a couple moments in silence.

“You have really cute kids. Your son looks exactly like you and your daughter might as well be a miniature evil spawn from how Izzie described her,” Jo chuckled and averted her gaze from the screen. “I didn’t meet them. Just Izzie. I didn’t think it would be right for me to meet your kids before you do or before you even knew I was here.”

“Izzie wants me to meet them?” Alex questioned.

“Your kids want to meet you,” Jo stated quietly. “They know about you. They’ve seen pictures. Izzie asked me to send her a few pictures of us two when she and I met. She texted me about an hour ago. Eli and Alexis are very eager to meet Dad and JoJo.” Jo watched as Alex’s face contorted in a variety of emotions. “I bought you a ticket to Kansas City Airport. It leaves first thing tomorrow morning. I hope you’ll take it.”

—————

“JoJo!” Alexis shrieked as Jo opened the loft door, throwing her arms around her stepmother’s now protruding abdomen. “I missed you!”

“I missed you too,” Jo placed a light kiss on the young girl’s forehead. She laughed at Alexis’ widening eyes as her tiny hands were met with strong, powerful kicks. “And it looks like someone else also missed you.”

Alexis pressed her face up to Jo’s belly, “Hi baby. I missed you too.”

“JoJo!” Eli jumped forward and squeezed Jo as best as he could with her round belly in the way. “I couldn’t wait to see you!”

“And I couldn’t wait to see you,” Jo ruffled his hair as he and Alexis went off to play in the living room.

“Hi, Jo,” Izzie smiled warmly.

“Iz!” Jo wrapped Izzie in a hug. “How was your flight?”

“It was pretty smooth, which is surprising considering these two are definitely all Karev,” Izzie and answered and pointed to the twins. “I was convinced they’d pull off some prank or joke that got us kicked off the airline forever.”

“Well, I’m glad the kids didn’t cause you too much trouble,” Jo laughed. “Sometimes I get really worried about this kid’s temperament because Alex and I weren’t exactly the most well-behaved children. At least the twins have you.”

“I wasn’t exactly the best example either,” Izzie shook her head. “I got pregnant at sixteen. As long as I can make it through their teenage years without Alexis getting pregnant or Eli getting someone pregnant, I’ll consider that a victory.”

“Setting the bar really high, I see,” Alex spoke from behind the two women as he walked inside the door with grocery bags in his hand. He leaned down to kiss Jo. “Hey, babe.” And gave Izzie a quick hug. “Hey, Iz.”

“Daddy!!” Alexis and Eli shot up from the couch as soon as they noticed their father had walked through the door and begun to place the groceries on the table.

“Hey kiddos,” Alex lifted the two of them up in his arms and peppered light kisses on their faces. “I missed you guys so much.”

“We missed you too, Daddy!” Alexis squeezed her dad’s head tightly. “Two months is too long.”

“I agree,” Alex grinned.

“You know, that was actually something I wanted to talk to you two about,” Izzie sat down on one of the stools at the table. “I broke up with Carter last month.”

“Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry, Izzie,” Jo placed a hand on Izzie’s arm.

“No it’s okay. It was a mutual thing,” Izzie waved it off. “Anyway, I don’t really have anything left for me in Kansas and my mom is here in Chehalis. Also, you guys have a baby on the way and I’d really love it if Eli and Lex grew up next to their sibling. So, I was thinking that maybe the kids and I could move back to Seattle.”

Jo and Alex exchanged a look before simultaneously answering.

“Yes! That’s a great idea!” “We’d love it if you moved back.”

“Really?” Izzie beamed. “That’s amazing! Okay, I’ll start making arrangements for the move and look into buying a house here. I can’t wait to tell the kids!”

“We can’t wait for you guys to make Seattle your home,” Jo made a little noise of excitement.

————

“What?” Jo asked as she looked up from the book she was reading later that night to find Alex staring at her strangely.

“Nothing,” Alex shrugged and placed his hand on her stomach. “Just thinking about how much I love you and how grateful I am that you’re my wife.”

“Really now,” Jo hummed. “You do know that it doesn’t matter how many sweet words you say to me tonight, we are not having sex. The twins are asleep on the couch in front of us.”

Alex laughed, “I’m not trying to get in your pants.”

“Huh. What a miracle,” Jo raised an eyebrow. “You’re always trying to get into my pants.”

“That’s true,” Alex smiled smugly. “I normally get in them, too.”

Jo slapped his shoulder playfully, “Perv.”

“Seriously, though. I’m very grateful for you,” Alex brought Jo closer to him and looked deeply into her eyes. “If it weren’t for you, those kids wouldn’t be knocked out on our couch and snoring like truckers. If it weren’t for you, I probably never would’ve gotten the balls to go meet them or maybe I would’ve met them and done something stupid in the process. But you went to Kansas and talked to Izzie and assured me that this was a good thing. And it is. It’s the best thing. We have a family, Jo. A real family. And it’s all because of you.”

“I love you,” Jo replied, eyes shining. “And I love our kids.”

“I love you, too.”

36 notes · View notes

ughgclden · 3 years ago

Note

bee, love, i am so happy you had a good first day, you deserve calm and loving days, and you deserve people, deserve friends. i’m so happy for you.

as for apologising, i’m a terrible hypocrite every time i tell you not to worry about it, as i also apologise for anything, most notably existing, but i want you to know you don’t have to apologise to me, i understand the impulse but there’s no obligation or anything.

i’m glad you’re feeling better, and that it was just a little ick, well not glad that you were ick but glad it wasn’t too bad.

when it comes to being in welton, i fantasise a lot about these things, i think something especially about boarding schools is appealing to me. being away. that’s why my plans are new york or wales or if my friend is to be believed, quebec. sometimes though, those realities all feel more and more like tissue paper soaked in water, just waiting for a reason to fall apart

i read really quickly, it’s probably an issue, i read red white and royal blue in about an hour and fifteen minutes. neil and i. kindred spirits. today at lunch i watched the last thirty minutes of dead poets society, going back to rewatch “i was good, i was really good.” like ten times.

imposter syndrome is slowly getting the better of me.

i actually dressed up as leia for the midnight premiere of the force awakens. i’m that person. if i’d been with you in the cinema i would have cried too, you’re not alone there, i cried watching it on the floor.

i don’t deserve the nice words you give me, but i’m happy i make you feel comfy and cosy, and ironically enough, writing with a quill or fountain pen never ends in pristine and unsmudged ink, you can thank my being left handed for that. i think there’s something nice about writing with fancy pens, maybe that makes me seem pretentious as well. oh well.

as for dps tattoos, if i can ever get any tattoos, i want the neil crown, “i was good, i was really good.” somewhere, probably my wrist who knows, and some art that alludes to the first unmanned flying desk set. among others. the “and still we sleep” thought, and the outline of meeks and pitts both sound so lovely. so so lovely. i really hope you can get every tattoo you wish. although your bank account may hate me for saying so /j i want more piercings, mainly on my ears, i have something of an earring addiction, my favourite pair at the moment is probably my howl drop earrings that look like howls from howls moving castle.

honestly the outfit/hair colour distraction rule is dumb. it’s dumb. i just don’t get it. abuse of power ig. and yeah. we were like hugging and sorta just leaning on each other while talking and the administrator got angry, for whatever reason. the straight couple making out behind us, she didn’t seem to mind, however. it’s dumb, and im glad i don’t go there anymore.

im clearly very articulate today (sarcasm) my mind is ehhhhhhhhhhh and feels like a squirrel laying on its stomach.

maybe i will call you ramona flowers, bee /j did you know the original name for pac man was puck man… /j hiding in the back of the music room to avoid a maths test sounds like something i would do. i say this, knowing full well that i’m such a neil kinnie that i end up feeling like a teachers pet because i want to do well, both for myself and simply to avoid trouble with my mum.

a new york times best seller, huh? well if i ever publish anything i’ll dedicate it to you, both for being the only person who thought i could be a storyteller, but also for being a lovely person in general.

sometimes one day after another feels impossible. tomorrow feels impossible. but oh well. i think younger me would be disappointed, to some degree. on the other hand, i think they’d think it’s cool how much i know. if nothing else, they’d love that i have a typewriter. also, i’m sure young you would be proud of you, i am. i’m so proud of you.

i mean bee, i could teach you to shoot a bow /hj YOU CAN WIELD A SWORD????? here i was thinking you could not possibly get cooler or hotter omg i’m in love /hj

thank you for being proud of me, really bee, thank you. and thank you for being the only one. i’m hardly changing the world, but i guess if i don’t burn out and lose this fight, changing a few points of views in the process of growing wouldn’t be terrible.

p.s. it’s certainly something, i feel bad because i always pull away from people when i get numb and it’s so new that me doing that could be detrimental to everything, but me forcing myself not to could have a bad effect on me. who knows what’ll happen. i’m just gonna try and keep them happy no matter what.

p. p. s. bee you brought this upon yourself /lh

all my love, bee, and that pun was the out of this world part of that sentence. you’re so cute omg.

that quote is beautiful, and since i, once again, had to translate french and smile about it, i’ll leave you with this

no importa que nos separe la distancia, siempre habrá un mismo cielo que nos una.

p.p.p.s. thank you for saying what you do, and i know that i don’t owe you anything, but writing to you is easy, and makes me happy, when i manage to get myself to sit down and think about it. i’m sending you back hugs, gentle forehead kisses and mugs of tea, a soft blanket and a narnia movie marathon, where we argue about how i am definitely not better than susan pevensie, but you almost certainly might be.

i’m so happy uni is going well thus far, love. and i hope you love your classes. learning.

thank you for everything bee.

yours, always,

star✨

star sweetheart, thank you so so much, honestly. i can't tell you how much that means - i know you said not to apologise, but an apology seems in order for the lateness of this message- im terrible i know /lh thank you sm though.

i'm writing this whilst listening to one of my favourite albums (hypersonic missiles by sam fender, if you were curious) and curled up in bed, so this really adds to the comforting vibes.

i'm with you on that, boarding schools do have a certain something about them, don't they? i hope you can get to one or all of these places in your life - i can speak from experience wales is especially beautiful, but i can really see you in new york, too. wherever you end up star, i truly hope you're happy there.

an hour and fifteen mins?!!? the fastest i've read something was a clockwork orange in two and a half hours or so- you are so strong star, i've watched that film 20+ times and only watched the last half an hour maybe 4 /lh

that is SO CUTE oh my god- i will admit, for it chapter two i did channel my inner bill denbrough and wore some flannel (i luv that limbo <3)

you deserve all of these words and more, i promise you. you deserve something a lot less clumsy, but i offer you my best. left handed.. you rly are neil huh? /j

all of those ideas; absolutely lovely. the i was good tattoo breaks my heart in the best way possible. im hoping you get all of these tattoos, love. you'd suit them more than anyone, i'm sure. those earrings sound like the coolest fucking things ever? i did have a pair that had a little vodka bottle on, but i lost one in a club and haven't gotten round to replacing them. i definitely want more piercings too,, my conch is looking pretty bare as of late...

that is just. so disgusting? im so- god that makes me so angry i can't even explain. i think i should punch all homophobes straight in the mouth, actually /hj

love, i bet younger you would be so so proud of all you've achieved. from only what you've told me, i am. they'd be over the moon at how intellectual, kind and strong you are, i know it.

I CAN!!! ITS ONE OF MY MOST ESTEEMED TALENTS!!! lets make a deal. you teach me to shoot a bow, i teach you to wield a sword.. we're giving very narnia power couple if i may say.. /hj

i will always be proud of you star, for even the smallest of things you achieve. you're actively making a difference and a change, take bringing this positivity into my life for example. you've got this, star. i know you have.

ps; im wishing you all the best my love, seriously. take every day as it comes, and listen to your mind and wellbeing. im sending you so much love

pps; that quote. is so fucking cute. god im breaking down,, its so pretty and so DHJHFJKNFKKN yeah.

this is me, making you a cup of coffee and your favourite comfort meal, with a kiss on the top of the head. we will have this argument - as much as i love susan, she's no match for you <33

all of my love and happiness, star. you truly are one of a kind.

if i may, i'd like to leave you with an excerpt from a poem i saw earlier that i fell in love with;

"and you laugh. / loudly- / head tipping back. / and while your eyes / are on the ceiling, / i am mouthing / something too heavy even / for this steady night to shoulder. / "this is not a joke." i mouth. / "love me. love me." - letters from medea, salma deera

#asks <3 #anon asks!#star anon #long post

1 note · View note

thehelleniclunarwitch · 5 years ago

Text

Dark Desire [Chapter Four]

Billy Hargrove x Reader x Steve Harrington

Warning: Language

This is 16.5 pages long. Forgive me.

Tagged: @justgrits @fandomfaery @billysgodcomplex @asheseiler @charmed-asylum

Ch. 01 Ch. 02 Ch. 03

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Can we go to lunch afterward?” El asked.

“Sure, where do you want to go?” You asked as the two of you walked down the street towards the police station.

“I’m craving waffles,” El grinned.

“Of course, you are,” You laughed pulling open the door.

The two of you entered the police station. El followed behind you as you headed over to Callahan’s desk.

“Alright, jerkwad, give me my car back,” You said.

“Good afternoon to you too, Y/n. El,” Callahan said.

“Jerkwad,” El echoed her aunt.

You smirked at your niece. El beamed up at you. It was scary how much she was like you. Callahan cleared his throat drawing your attention back to him.

“Well, before I can just hand over the keys, I need to have you fill out some paperwork,” Callahan said handing over the clipboard.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” You groaned.

“Rules are rules, Y/n, just because the Chief is your brother doesn’t mean you can get out of it,” Callahan said.

You yanked the clipboard out of his hand. El followed you as you headed over to the counter. The two of you leaned against it as you started to go through the pages attached to the clipboard.

“You know he isn’t looking, I could just swipe the keys,” El offered.

You laughed. “Now, that would be a very exciting start to our day, but my brother is already mad enough at me,”

El sighed.

Outside, Billy was driving downtown. Max was in the backseat oblivious to the world around her while jammed out to her phone. Steve sat in the front seat staring out the window. Billy noted the way he perked up in the seat.

“You okay?” Billy asked.

“That’s Y/n’s car,” Steve said.

Billy didn’t even think twice. He yanked the wheel cutting off a car so he could pull up to the curb behind Y/n’s car. Steve whipped around to look at him.

“What are you doing?” Steve asked.

“I’d like to meet this Y/n of yours,” Billy grinned.

“At the police station?” Steve pointed out.

Billy winked. “What better place?”

Steve groaned as Billy climbed out of the car. He looked back at Max her eyes were wide with confusion. Steve and Max acted quickly, climbing out of the car and dashing after Billy as he sauntered towards the front of the station.

“Give me my keys,” You growled.

“Just a few more things,” Callahan said.

You reached across the desk and grabbed Callahan by his tie. You yanked him forward until the two of you were nose to nose.

“Stop stringing me along, Callahan before I turn this whole precinct upside down and end up giving your badge to El to use for Halloween,” You snarled.

“God, you and your brother spookily too much alike,” Callahan sighed as he held out your keys.

“Thanks,” You grinned plucking the keys from him.

Letting go of Callahan you stood. Callahan stood as well to walk the two of you out to the main lobby.

“Just listen to your brother and these things wouldn’t happen,” Callahan said.

You narrowed your eyes at him. “Maybe my brother needs to mind his own business,”

“You know he’s just looking out for you,” Callahan said.

“Do you ever struggle to breathe?” You asked him.

“What do you mean?” Callahan replied.

“Well, with you being so far up my brother’s ass I thought maybe it was hard to breathe,” You shot back.

There was a sudden burst of laughter. The three of you looked over to the doorway. Your face softened at the sight of Steve standing there. He was standing with a dark blonde haired guy and a girl around El’s age with flaming red hair.

“Steve?” You said in confusion.

“Hey, Y/n, we saw your car outside. I just wanted to make sure you were getting your car back,” Steve said.

You and El tossed Callahan a look.

“Callahan was just walking us out,” You said.

Callahan looked nervously between all of you.

“Steve, don’t be rude, who’s your friend here?” The blonde-haired guy asked.

“You know, Y/n, I actually forgot a few things,” Callahan interrupted.

“Take it up with Jim,” You scoffed, you turned back towards Steve and his friends. “Sorry,”

“This is my little family. My best friend Billy Hargrove and his sister Max,” Steve introduced.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Billy grinned. “Steve has talked so highly of you,”

You took his hand. He brought your hand up to his lips and kissed it softly. You couldn’t help but giggle. He moved onto El where he did the same thing.

“Y/n,” Callahan interrupted.

“Callahan!” Florence shouted. “Leave that poor girl alone. You have plenty of things to do to keep yourself busy,”

You looked over your shoulder at Flo. You mouthed a thank you and she winked at you before heading back towards the bullpen. You returned your attention to Steve, Billy, and Max.

“Billy Hargrove?” You questioned.

Steve and Billy looked at you with wide eyes.

“Your friend from private school?” You asked once everything started to come back to you.

Steve and Billy released a breath they didn’t realize they were holding.

“Yeah,” The two of them smiled together.

“Y/n, I’m hungry,” El interrupted tugging on your sleeve.

“Sorry, I promised monkey I’d take her out for waffles,” You said apologizing for your niece’s rudeness.

“Well, why don’t you come with us to Millies?” Steve asked. “Since we didn’t get to go out last night it will be my treat,”

“Oh, we couldn’t intrude on your guys’ family time,” You began.

“Yes, we can,” El said cutting you off.

Billy and Max laughed. They sounded so much alike it was crazy.

“See Y/n, you’re outvoted. You’re coming along with us,” Steve said.

“Alright, we’ll meet you guys down there,” You said.

“Great, Max let’s go,” Billy said.

Steve stayed back and walked the two of you out to your car. He opened the passenger door for El. She smiled her thanks to him before popping in and he shut the door behind her. Steve walked around to the other side of the car with you.

“I hope you don’t find it weird that we stopped in to see you,” Steve said.

You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. “No, not at all. I’m glad I got to meet your little family. Max is darling and Billy, well, he seems to be like a charmer,”

Steve tipped his head back and laughed. “That’s what everybody likes to say about Billy,”

You tilted your head to the side. “Do you disagree?”

“Absolutely, but in a good way,” Steve teased.

You shot him a look. “Let’s just say you have nothing to worry about,”

“Right,” You sighed.

Steve opened the door for you. “Don’t tuck tail and run,”

You looked up at him through your lashes. “Now why would I go and do that? You’re the one that likes to run away,”

Steve deserved that little ding. “Alright, fair play,”

Smirking, you climbed into your car. Steve shut the door for you before heading to Billy’s car. El watched you with careful eyes as you buckled.

“Why are you staring at me?” You asked her.

“So, this will be interesting,” El grinned.

“This is all your fault,” You said.

“Oh come on, this is going to be great,” El countered.

You shot her a look before pulling away from the curb. You followed Billy’s pristine car down a few miles until you reached Millies. You parked a few spots down. You sat there for a second. El watched you carefully.

“Y/n, it’s going to be okay,” El said.

“Yeah, of course, I know,” You lied.

El reached over to take your hand in hers. “I’m right here and we can leave whenever, okay?”

“Right, let’s go,” You said.

The two of you climbed out of the car and made your way over to where the three of them were standing. The five of you entered Millies where Billy leads the group the back corner to the last table. You, El, and Max sat opposite of Steve and Billy.

Jane, your waitress, who was also the owner of Millies walked over to the table with a smile plastered on her face.

“Y/n. El. It’s so nice to see my two favorite girls again,” Jane grinned.

“Hi, Jane,” You and El echoed in unison.

“I see that you brought some guests this time,” Jane said.

“You remember Steve Harrington?” You said.

“Why, Steve I didn’t even recognize you,” Jane gasped.

“Hey, Jane,” Steve smiled standing up to give the older woman a hug.

“I didn’t know you came back home,” Jane said.

“It’s been only about a week,” Steve replied.

“And it took you this long to find your way back here?” Jane asked.

Steve laughed.

“Right, so what can I start you guys off to drink?” Jane asked.

Billy, Steve, and Max gave Jane their order.

“Lemonade for monkey and hot tea for Y/n,” Jane said without looking up from her pad.

“You know it,” El said.

“I’ll be right back,” Jane said.

Billy’s blue eyes sparkled as he turned to look at you. “You two come here often?”

“Every Sunday for breakfast and a couple of times during the week,” El answered.

“It’s our favorite go-to place. Steve and I used to hang out here on the weekends with our friends. Then once El came around it became our place,” You explained.

“Do they still have the few arcade games in the back?” Steve asked.

“Yep, including my high score on Street Fighter,” You said with a wiggle of your eyebrows.

“You like arcade games?” Max asked in surprise.

“Y/n loves all the games. She has a few of the high scores at the arcade place too,” El pointed out.

“Wait, are you Queen B on Galaga, Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Asteroids?” Max asked.

You laughed.

“That’s her!” El exclaimed.

“Okay, your aunt is like a living legend in the arcade world,” Max said in disbelief.

“You should see her collection at her place. It’s sick,” El said.

El and Max quickly fell deep into conversation. Jane came back over to drop off their drinks and to take the rest of their orders. Max and El ordered breakfast while the adults ordered lunch.

“So, Y/n, Steve tells me that you own your own flower shop,” Billy started.

“I do. It sits down on Main St nuzzled between Frankie’s Bakery and Willow’s bookshop,” You told him.

“Were you always interested in owning your own shop?” Billy asked.

“I can answer that. I remember you always wanting to be an English professor,” Steve piped in.

“That’s what she went to school for,” El interrupted.

“You did?” Steve said in confusion.

“Then why are you not a professor?” Billy asked.

“Because my dad is a jerk,” El said slamming down her glass of lemonade.

“Eleven!” You growled.

“I’m just being honest,” El said under her breath.

You shot your niece a look. “Honestly, it made more sense to stay here and work. Jim needs me around here and after El’s mom died it was easier on all of us. So I opened up my flower shop,”

Billy and Steve glanced at each other.

“More like Y/n keeps sacrificing things for my dad and me,” El said.

“You know Eleven, I’ve had enough of the attitude,” You snapped.

“Well, you don’t listen to me. Or Jonathon and Nancy. So maybe you’ll listen to your good ole pal from childhood, Steve. She gives up everything for my dad and I. Y/n gave up her dream job so she could live here in Hawkins and be at my dad’s beck and call. Whenever he needs a sitter, she’s always a call away. I have my own bedroom at her place because I end up staying there more than with my dad,”

“Y/n comes over and cleans our house, does our laundry, does the majority of the grocery shopping and cooking. I love my dad, but my Auntie has to give up all of her hopes and dreams because my dad is too afraid to do stuff on his own or to ask somebody else for help,” El explained.

“That’s enough, El,” you said.

“Take today, for example, it was supposed to be my dad’s day off. He and I were supposed to have a daddy/daughter day together, but as you can see that he once again chose work and Y/n had to rearrange her plans so she could take care of me,” El said.

“What El is forgetting to mention,” You interrupted your niece before she could go on a full tyrant rant about her dad.

“Is that I chose a lot of the choices I made. I saw what the death of my sister-in-law did to him. But most of my sacrifices aren’t for my brother they are for El. I want her to have the life that I didn’t really get to have. Sometimes, giving up your dreams for your family has to happen. And if I had to make all of those choices all over again, I would,” You explained.

“That’s the point you shouldn’t have to,” El sighed.

“El mentioned something about giving up your dream job?” Steve asked.

“I was offered one of the English positions at Harvard,” You answered.

Steve’s mouth fell open. Billy elbowed him and he quickly shut his mouth.

“Y/n, can I ask why you’ve never fought for legal custody of El and moved? You could have taken her anywhere and got a good enough job to support both of you,” Billy asked.

“I couldn’t do that to my brother,” You lied.

“No, she’s lying. She never thought about that because why would she put herself first?” El shot back.

Jane came back and filled the table with the food. She could sense the negativity at the table, she asked if there was anything else that the table needed before running off.

Billy looked down at El. “You hold a lot of anger and resentment towards your dad,”

“Yeah, well, I don’t think it’s fair that Y/n has to give up everything. She’s not even my mom,” El huffed.

The table fell quiet. All eyes were on Y/n. You pushed away from the table.

“I need some fresh air,” You said.

El’s eyes widened. “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that!”

You ruffled her hair, but still turned away from the table and quickly fled the diner. Steve began to stand up, but Billy put his hand on his shoulder.

“Let me take this one,” Billy said.

Steve nodded and sat back down. El sighed and dropped her head in her hand.

“It’s okay, El,” Max said softly.

“I hurt her feelings,” El grumbled.

“I think Y/n loves you so much and wants the best for you,” Steve said.

El looked up at her. “I didn’t really mean anything by it,”

“I know, it will be okay,” Steve said.

Max leaned over to pat her new friend on the back. Billy had weaved his way through the diner. Outside, he pulled his jacket a little closer as he looked around for Y/n. He found her sitting on the curb not too far from her car. Billy tucked his hands into his pockets as he made his way down to her.

“You okay?” Billy asked.

You didn’t even bother to look over your shoulder at him.

“Yeah, I just needed to cool off,” You replied.

Billy sat down beside you.

“I get it,” Billy said.

You finally looked over at him. “Get what?”

“Max is my kid sister. So I get it. You’re not the biological parent, but a parent in your own right. It’s hard,” Billy said.

“Can I ask what happened to your parents?” You asked him.

“My dad was a drunk. A mean one. He got what he had coming to him. Max’s mom, it was a car accident,” Billy said.

“Because of your dad?” You asked.

Billy nodded.

“How long have you been on your own taking care of Max?” You said.

“Not too long after Steve and I left here,” He told you.

“She seems like a great girl for being raised by two rough and tough men,” You pointed out.

Billy laughed.

“Steve and I have done our best,” Billy said.

“Thanks for coming out here. You didn’t have to,” You told him.

“I know, but I figured since I kind of understand what you’re going through I’d check on you,”

“So where’s your mom?” You asked.

“Hmm,” Billy hummed.

“Well, you said Max’s mom so I was just curious what happened to your mom?” You said.

“Oh, she left my dad and me a long time ago,” Billy answered.

“Oh,” You said.

“Don’t worry, I’m over it,” Billy smiled.

You sighed as you ran a hand through your hair.

“Come on, we better get back in there before Steve thinks I ran off with his favorite girl,” Billy teased.

You couldn’t help, but smile. Billy easily jumped up to his feet and then helped you up. He hooked your arm around his and then lead you back into the diner. You dropped back down next to El. She looked up at you with her big brown eyes. Hooking an arm around her neck you pulled her in and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

Steve smiled at you and then you all started to dig into your food. Max and El kept up the conversation. The girls compared their school schedules and discovered they had every class together.

When the bill came you remembered that Steve had said it was his treat, but you still reached for the bill. Steve and Billy both slapped your hand away. You glared at them both.

“I told you my treat,” Steve said.

You rolled your eyes. Steve slid in a few hundred bills under the bill and then placed it off to the side. When Jane came back to collect the bill Steve told her to keep the change. Jane squealed in delight when she realized the kind of tip she had just received.

“So what’s on the agenda for the rest of the day?” Billy asked.

“The museum is on our list for this afternoon,” You said.

“There’s a vintage arcade/video game museum a few towns over that is here for the weekend. So we’re heading there this afternoon,” El said.

Max’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Did you want to come?” You asked her.

Max whipped her head over to look at her brother and Steve.

“Why don’t we make this a thing. Steve and Max can go with you guys. It will be good for the girls to keep bonding and it will give you guys some alone time,” Billy suggested.

“What about you?” You asked.

“I have some business meetings I need to attend to,” Billy said.

“If Steve has work to do I can just take Max,” You began.

“No, Steve can go and enjoy the day with his girls. I’ll handle business for today,” Billy said with a smile.

“Sounds like a plan!” El grinned.

You smiled. “I guess we better get going,”

Billy walked out with you guys. Steve and Billy opened the doors to your car so all of you could climb inside. The three of you talked excitedly about the day while Steve and Billy exchanged words outside.

“What are you up to?” Steve asked.

“It’s time I introduce myself to Chief Hopper and it will be easier if Y/n and El aren’t around,” Billy said.

Steve smiled and let out a soft chuckle. “Got it. Don’t worry, I’ll keep them far away from Hawkins,”

Billy squeezed Steve’s hand. “I’ll see you tonight,”

Steve sent him a wink and then climbed into your car. Billy stood there smiling and waving. He watched your car disappear into the distance before he went over to his own car and headed back to the police station.

Billy drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel as he parked in front of the station. Climbing out of the car he pushed his hair out of his face before heading inside. Just his luck Callahan was at the front desk.

“Callahan, just the man I was looking for,” Billy said.

Callahan looked up from the computer. His face paled.

“What can I help you with?” Callahan forced himself to ask.

“I know Hopper is your boss but if you’re smart you’ll stay clear from Y/n,” Billy warned.

“I’m only doing my job,” Callahan gulped.

“You really don’t want to get in mine and Steve’s way,” Billy informed him.

“Hey, we are trying to keep her safe from people like you,” Callahan snapped.

Billy chuckled and then leaned against the desk.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the stories about me, Callahan. You seem to be the smart type. If I were you, I'd do what I’m telling you,” Billy said.

“Billy Hargrove. I was wondering when I was going to see your ugly mug up close and personal,” Hopper said from behind him.

A smile tugged at his lips as he pushed away from the desk and turned around.

“Chief Hopper, it’s so nice to finally see you,” Billy grinned.

“What are you doing here, Hargrove?” Hopper asked.

“Just having a little conversation with Callahan here about your baby sister,” Billy said.

Hopper’s face twitched.

“You need to stay away from my sister,” Hopper snarled.

“See, I was just telling Callahan the same thing. The two of you abusing your power as a police officer is quite disgusting,” Billy smirked.

Hopper had to keep himself from crushing the coffee cup he held in his hand.

“I don’t know what your play is here, Hargrove, but you and that Harrington kid aren’t going to involve my sister or my daughter,” Hopper growled

Billy walked over to Hopper. “You’re a little too late for that, Hop,”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Hopper asked between clenched teeth.

“Well, after we left here earlier today we had a nice brunch at Millies. Currently, Y/n and El are with Steve and my sister heading out to spend the day together,” Billy said.

Hopper’s hand began to shake in anger.

“Callahan, call my sister and if she doesn’t answer start tracking her location,” Hopper ordered.

“Oh, you can’t track her,” Billy said.

“Why?” Hopper asked.

“Because when Y/n and El weren’t paying attention I swiped their phones so they could enjoy the day away from you,” Billy said pulling their phones out of his jean jacket.

“You’re really pushing your luck here,” Hopper warned.

Billy smiled from ear to ear.

“Hargrove, I’m going to wipe that smirk off your face,” Hopper said.

“Good, swing first, please,” Billy taunted.

“Boss,” Callahan said in a warning tone.

“This isn’t going to end well for you,” Hopper said.

“No, this isn’t going to end well for you, Chief. You have no idea who you are messing with,” Billy said.

Flo came out of the small break room. She stopped when she noticed all three men staring at each other.

“Do we have a problem?” Flo asked.

“No, ma’am, I’m just heading out,” Billy said.

Hopper watched as Billy walked out of the police station with a smile on his face.

“Callahan, my office, now,” Hopper growled.

“Jim,” Flo said.

“I need a minute,” Hopper snarled.

Callahan just barely made it into his office before Hopper slammed the door. Callahan jumped but then turned to look at his boss.

“What’s our next step?” Callahan asked.

“Firstly, we need to find my sister and my daughter, now,” Hopper said.

“I’m on it,” Callahan said before scrambling out of the office.

Hopper sat down in his chair behind his desk and let out a sigh. He hated that he had to admit, but he had met his match in Billy and Steve. He had no idea how he was going to be able to stop them plus protect Y/n and El. As of right now, Hopper needed a miracle.

Down the road, on the edge of town, a black SUV pulled outside of the hotel. The door opened and a tall figure stepped out of the vehicle. They adjusted their coat and smoothed out their suit. They looked around with a soft smile on their face.

It had been so long since they had this much fun hunting somebody down. He had been hot on Billy and Steve’s trail for months. He never thought that they would be dumb enough to come back to Hawkins. But here he was. And now he was so close to catching them that he could taste that sweet sweet victory.

#Billy Hargrove #Steve Harrington #Billy Hargrove x Reader #Steve Harrington x Reader #Billy Hargrove x Reader x Steve Harrington #El Hopper #max mayfield #Jim Hopper #Stranger Things #mafia au

103 notes · View notes

jazy3 · 5 years ago

Text

Thoughts on Grey’s Anatomy: 16X13

I watched the new episode of Grey’s Anatomy over the weekend. I hated the opening, but I liked the rest of the episode. This episode made me laugh a lot too and I’m glad they’ve brought the humour back to Grey’s! After last week’s standalone episode were back to our regularly scheduled program! Meredith and DeLuca are making out in bed together. Yuck. A phone goes off. It’s DeLuca’s. His incurable patient Suzanne is being moved to the CCU. Suzanne still isn’t getting any better. DeLuca says he hopes Dr. Riley can help. Meredith asks who that is. DeLuca says she’s the doctor from San Francisco that he’s bringing in to help with the case. He thought he told her.

Mer points out that they didn’t do a lot of talking last night. I’m trying to understand her actions here. DeLuca breaks up with her over his own insecurities, then refuses to talk to her about it, and then barks at her about his case and so she sleeps with him? I get that she’s lonely but come on! He treats her like crap, they have nothing in common, and he told Maggie he meant what he said. This is why I hate them together. They make no sense and yet they keep breaking up and getting back together. DeLuca tells Mer that Dr. Riley is a diagnostic genius and that he used Mer’s name to lure her to here. Again, he broke up with her because he couldn’t handle that she was better than him but now that his patient is dying, he’s fine with it? WTF?

As usual DeLuca is only interested in Mer for what she can give him. He wants to be with her not be a part of her family. Her superiority is a problem until he can use it to his advantage. What a leech! That being said I do know people who slept with or temporarily got back together with an ex because they missed them or didn’t want to be alone or because it was easy so I do kinda get that from Mer’s perspective. It’s still dumb though. Mer thinks DeLuca’s move was resourceful luckily for him. He follows that up with, “Look at some point we should probably talk about us.”

NOW he wants to talk? He couldn’t give Mer the time of day last we saw him. What an ass. That’s one of the things I hate most about them. When DeLuca wanted to talk Mer wasn’t interested then when Mer wanted to talk DeLuca wasn’t interested. They’re never on the same page. It’s exhausting to watch. Just move on already. Mer says they will talk about where they stand but he should go save Suzanne’s life first. They kiss and he leaves. Thank god. We get a sweet Ben and Bailey moment and then Bailey goes into work and Ben goes off to sleep all day! LOL!

Owen comes to talk to Richard at Pac North. Richard tells him that the hospital has been purchased by the Fox Foundation. Owen thinks he’s joking. He’s very much not. Richard tells him about his and Catherine’s fight and that now everyone has to report to Grey Sloan and interview with Tom Koracick to keep their jobs. Seriously? What is her problem? Owen asks if Alex knows. Richard says he’s still in Iowa dealing with family issues. He said he called to tell him Pac North was closing and in response Alex texted him a laugh until you cry emoji with a party hat! LOL! That is so Alex! Then Maggie walks in excited for her first day! Oh jeez! They have to break the news.

Meanwhile over at Grey Sloan it’s Schmitt’s first day back. He’s nervous. Nico’s unhappy that Schmitt is still crashing at his place. He wants Schmitt to move out and get his own place because they’re not at the cohabiting stage yet. To be fair Nico’s got a point. Levi’s never lived on his own and that’s an important step in adulthood that everyone needs to take. I’m with Nico on this one. Next we see Hayes and his boys coming down the main staircase. He introduces them to Meredith. They’re bored and disinterested as teenage boys usually are.We learn some very important information about Hayes in this scene in that he and Mer have something else in common. They’re both white parents raising black children as both of Hayes boys are black.

I find this really interesting as it adds a level of complexity and commonality to Hayes’ story and to his and Mer’s relationship. And look at that smile! Look at how her face lights up when she talks to him! Swoon! It also tells us more about Hayes’ family because this means that either his kids are adopted like Zola was or he was married to a black woman. Being a part of a biracial family comes with its own unique challenges and seeing the characters explore that I think could be really interesting. It could also be good for Zola in that she would gain older siblings of the same race that could help her through stuff that her white family members can’t. Derek always said that he wanted her to have black people in her life that could help her.

I love the idea of them all becoming a family. Derek always said that if something happened to him he didn’t want Mer to be alone which is why he encouraged her to connect with her sisters and have kids and wanted Maggie to be there for Zola. Hayes fits the bill perfectly in that he’s exactly the kind of man Meredith needs in her life and that Derek would have wanted for her and I love that! Plus, he’s got Cristina’s stamp of approval! Hayes tells Mer that his boys used to love getting a tour of whatever new hospital he was working at. Now they just want to know where the cafeteria is. LOL! Mer asks why they’re not at school. Hayes tells her it’s parent teacher conference day. Hayes tells the boys to put back whatever they’re messing with and carries on.

After he leaves Amelia walks up to Mer and says she saw DeLuca leave the house this morning. She asks if they’re back together. Mer says she doesn’t know and asks why she’s so interested. While I’m sad that we didn’t get to see more of Meredith and Hayes this episode and that Mer and DeLuca slept together I do like that they’re building Mer and Hayes’ friendship organically. One of my big pet peeves is that following her relationships with Derek and Finn every relationship Mer had was something they threw her into. There was no build up and they always pursued her. I like that they’re building her relationship with Hayes slowly over time. They’re becoming friends. We’re seeing all that they have in common and he’s not pursuing her like a cheetah chasing a gazelle on the savannah.

Amelia tells Mer that she’s anxious and so she’s deflecting and looking for examples of love enduring hardships. Mer laughs and says she wouldn’t go that far yet concerning her and DeLuca but the sex is great. She asks if that counts. Amelia says it doesn’t hurt. I like that Amelia and Mer are friends now. It’s so much more interesting than watching them fight. And again we’re back where we started with Mer and DeLuca. She’s having fun and enjoys sleeping with him. He’s head over heels for her and wants a serious relationship with none of the strings. The strings being her family, friends, and kids. Sigh. Amelia runs into Jo. We find out that Amelia is getting the paternity test results back today and that she’s been avoiding Link ever since he asked for the test. Jo is upset about how Amelia’s been treating Link and makes this speech about how couples need to have all of the available information because if they do they can work things out and rise. Amelia asks Jo if she herself is going through something. Jo says Alex hasn’t been returning her calls. That he said that he’s going through something and needs time.

WTF? Seriously? Are they really going to break up Jo and Alex because the actor has moved on? That’s so dumb! Why not just kill him off then? God this is stupid. Jo says she’s deflecting because she’s anxious. Her and Amelia have that in common. I like that they’re becoming friends. Next we see Jackson asking Tom for more information. Bailey asks what’s going on. He tells her the Foundation is absorbing Pac North and its employees. Bailey didn’t know. Seriously how could Catherine not tell her? She’s the Chief of Surgery! I get that Tom is everyone’s boss now but still.

Following that Bailey walks into a patient room to find three very smelly residents. Helm and Simms are still recovering, and Brody is there helping them do research Suzanne’s case. Bailey is not amused, “Oh god lord people just because you’re injured doesn’t mean you can’t shower!” Simms replies that, “Dr. DeLuca said we could only eat and sleep.” Okay seriously? That’s abusive and also foolish. They’re still recovering! What does Mer see in this asshole? As funny as that line from Bailey was the fact that DeLuca forbade the sick residents he’s in charge of from showering until they figure out what’s wrong with Suzanne is super messed up! No one knows what’s wrong with Suzanne at this point and a bunch of smelly, tired, and sick residents are not going to be able to solve it.

We cut to a patient room to see Suzanne’s sister telling her about how her daughter kissed someone named Taylor at school. We then find out that her sister’s been digging up dirt on DeLuca and Grey Sloan. She’s not happy. She’s seen the hospital hell article. Yikes! That’s when Dr. Riley walks in! She sets up her tablet and DeLuca is confused. Then she starts signing. The tablet is to connect her to her interpreter so she can communicate with them. She says she’s here for a consult with Dr. Grey who as you recall has no idea who this woman is because DeLuca didn’t tell her!

I love that they’re showing the different ways Deaf people working within the health care system can communicate. The Deaf community doesn’t get as much authentic representation as it should! Very cool! Dr. Riley introduces herself and DeLuca explains why she’s there. Suzanne warms to her immediately. Riley has no time for DeLuca’s nonsense and I love that! She asks him to tell Dr. Grey that she’s here already. She clearly thinks this is Mer’s case and it’s not which is going to cause a problem sooner or later. Also, there’s a big difference between using someone’s name to entice someone and saying they’re going to be working with them which is apparently what DeLuca did. Idiot.

I loved Suzanne’s sisters comment, “Wow. The competency is just slapping me in the face right now.” She is having none of DeLuca’s crap right now and I love it! Tom comes to interview everyone. Owen tells him that since Alex took a personal leave he’s been filling in as interim chief. To which Tom replies, “Cool story bro.” Oh Tom. He’s like an elephant. He never forgets and he never forgives. Tom tells Richard what he thinks is good news. That his job is safe. Richard doesn’t see it that way. Tom tells him that Catherine wants him at Grey Sloan enough to buy a craptastic hospital and pretend it’s an investment. Richard’s a hard no on that one. He says, “I thought I could do this because I miss Grey Sloan. Because I miss Bailey and Meredith and Bokhee and OR 2. God how I miss OR 2! But if Catherine thinks she can just move me where she wants like she’s playing chess?”

Richard refuses to be Catherine’s pawn. Tom tries to talk him down and does a terrible job of it! “You tell Dr. Fox she can go to hell!” Checkmate bitch! You go Richard Webber! Meanwhile in the ER Levi treats an old married couple. They’re in town to attend the Seattle Ballroom Dance Championships. They won 5 Championships back in their day! It turns out the wife has cancer and it’s terminal so they’re out living their best life. They’re very sweet and it’s very sad. Maggie is interviewing to get her job back. Tom’s on his phone. LOL! He hires her back but as an attending working under Teddy because she ghosted them.

Bailey comes to see a patient of hers who’s a foster kid that Ben brought in. He wants to know where his siblings are. Bailey has to tell them that they were taken by child services because legally she has a duty to report. He’s understandably distraught. Maggie examines Suzanne at Dr. Riley’s request. She needs another procedure. Her sister is pissed. Dr. Riley explains their approach and Suzanne agrees to the procedure. Out in the hall Dr. Riley asks DeLuca where Dr. Grey is. He says she’s in surgery. Maggie walks up and says she’s not in surgery she right there and points to her. She leaves to book an OR.

Okay it’s one thing to lie to get someone to consult on your case which is bad enough but it’s quite another to lie and say someone is in surgery in front of their sister whose your ex when they’re actually standing two metres away. What the hell? DeLuca’s defining characteristic at this point in the series is that he’s an asshole. He does whatever he wants to get what he wants and he doesn’t care about the consequences. I wish they’d just write him off already! Dr. Riley walks over to Mer. She introduces herself and says it’s good to finally meet her. Mer thinks she’s her consult from UCLA. DeLuca tries to correct her and says she’s from UCSF. She asks if Suzanne is her patient and Mer tells her she’s consulted but that’s it.

Mer says she’s at a loss and that she’s heard great things about her. She says it was great to meet her, but she has to go because she’s being paged. She leaves and Dr. Riley is livid. She calls DeLuca out on the fact that he lied to her. DeLuca says he prefers the word lured. What an ass! Dr. Riley’s had enough. She’s leaving. DeLuca really has no redeeming qualities at this point. DeLuca stops her and says that if she leaves now the case will drive her crazy because it will keep her up at night because it’s too rare, they’re too lost, and she’s too good to just walk away. He’s projecting here. That’s how HE feels not her. God he’s such an ass.

Meanwhile Tom is making Owen wait till the very end to be interviewed because Owen was an ass to him and Tom’s petty like that. Amelia and Link talk in the green room. She says she’s getting the results back tonight. She wants to know what’s going to happen with them when they get the results back. Link says he doesn’t know. She asks him if he can try to know. She says he told her he loves her and asks if that’s true and if he wants to be with her and be in her baby’s life. He says that her and Owen have a complicated history and he feels that will shape her future if Owen’s the father. Links says he loves her, but he needs to know. Amelia says okay and leaves. I’m struggling to understand Link’s behaviour here. If he loves her it shouldn’t matter who the biological father is.

Jackson runs into Maggie and they talk about Koracick as well as Catherine and Richard’s break up. They banter and laugh. I’m glad they’re not fighting anymore. I always liked them better as friends. I hope they get back to that. Meanwhile Hayes catches up to Meredith in the hallway. The way she smiles when he calls out to her makes my heart melt! Hayes asks Mer if she’s seen his boys by any chance. She says no and asks if they’re hiding or maybe just wandering? He says they’re trying to torture him by making sure they’re late for the parent teacher conference. The way she smiles while talking to Hayes about his boys and her kids gives me butterflies! She looks radiant! THAT is what true chemistry looks like!

Hayes says that sometimes he thinks he hates them. He says he doesn’t know how Mer does it. The kids, the job, staying sane. Mer’s response is “Who says I’m sane?” She says that the city shut off her water once because she forgot to pay the bill and she didn’t even notice. Her daughter had to tell her. Oh Mer! Never change. The two of them laugh about the joys of parenting and having to juggle it all. Just then Levi calls Mer to look at some scans. Hayes says he’ll leave her to it and goes to find his boys. I love the easy rapport they’re building between the two of them and I love the way she smiles when he’s around.

Levi brings Mer in to talk to the old couple. The wife’s cancer has spread to the rest of her body. If they tried to operate it’s unlikely she’d recover. This is it. Levi is moved to tears as are we. Maggie goes to operate on Suzanne. Dr. Knox welcomes her back and Suzanne is concerned. She tells Maggie that the Taylor her daughter kissed is a girl. She needs her cool supportive Mom not her uptight Aunt. And her other daughter was already an orphan once and she won’t recover if Suzanne dies so she really needs Maggie to save her. Maggie reassures her. They’ve got her. Suzanne’s speech made me tear up. She really loves her kids. The husband of the dying woman Levi’s been treating comes to talk to him. He says Levi reminds him of his grandson and asks him if he can help a sad old man with a very big favour. Levi says he’ll do anything. My heart!

Maggie and DeLuca operate on Suzanne. Is this guy who can barely do his job seriously trying to backseat drive the head of cardio? For real? Who the hell does he think he is? As Maggie says Suzanne isn’t here for her feelings she’s here for her hands and her expertise and that is her focus and it should be his too. That is what separates a great surgeon from a hack. Maggie gets that, but DeLuca never will it seems. Following the surgery Maggie and DeLuca come to see Dr. Riley. She decided to stay after all. Dr. Riley says that when Suzanne wakes up they need to withdraw all treatment. Dr. Riley believes the medication is masking the cause of Suzanne’s illness and they need it to present itself so they can treat her properly. DeLuca is concerned because if they do what she’s asking Suzanne could go into septic shock and die within a short period of time. Maggie thinks Dr. Riley’s suggestion is reckless and cavalier. But it’s not her case or place to decide. She leaves and tells DeLuca to follow up.

DeLuca still disagrees but as Dr. Riley points out he asked for her recommendation and this is it. Levi comes in and asks to borrow the other residents. DeLuca tells him to go in his typical dismissive fashion. Owen is still waiting to find out if he has a job. Amelia comes to talk to him. Owen is enraged but as Amelia points out Tom hates him because he stole his girlfriend. He won. He got the girl, the family, the whole Megillah. Tom’s messing with him because he’s in pain and he’s lonely. Her advice is to let him have his fun. Owen asks how she does it. Feel everyone’s feelings so deeply all the time. Owen says it must be exhausting. Amelia says it is. She rests her head on his shoulder for a minute and then leaves. This scene was not as bad as I was anticipating from the thumbnail I saw. It was actually quite sweet.

Over in the cafeteria the residents have lit candles and put out flowers. They bring the dying woman out to meet her husband who’s in a tux. They reminisce about the day they met. He asks her to dance. His wife is worried because she doesn’t have a gown and looks terrible. Levi hands her a floral bell sleeved feather trimmed robe that she can put on over her hospital gown. Her husband tells her she looks exquisite. Helm puts on the song Moon River and the two of them dance in a candlelit cafeteria like they’re on the world’s best stage! My heart! More people come to watch them dance including the cafeteria staff, some of the nurses, Nico, and Meredith. We find Richard sitting outside on a bench. Jackson comes to talk to him. He says he’s already been to a meeting, he doesn’t want to come home to an empty house, and he’s not sure where he works so he’s just sitting there.

Jackson says he works here and Richard says it’s not by choice. They were building something at Pac North and Catherine took it all away with a phone call to the bank. Jackson says it’ll pass. It’s bad now but soon enough him and Catherine will be joking about it over coffee. Wow. Jackson really doesn’t get it. Shaking my head over here. I loved his line, “Son, After Godzilla’s done stomping all over Tokyo the Mayor doesn’t take Godzilla to brunch.” Sing it Richard!

Next we find Meredith in the Attending's Lounge. Bailey walks in. Mere talks about how she’s feeling. She says, “There was a time when I would have made a dance floor for the dying old lady. Andrew and I broke up the night of my trial and there was a time when that would’ve meant months of drama for me. But instead I went home and went to bed and I woke up and I was just excited to go practice medicine. I used to be a romantic. I would’ve been the one to build the dance floor in the cafeteria.” And now she’s leaving the dance floors to the residents. Bailey says she’s not lacking in passion she’s just grown up a little. I’m so glad they’re friends again! Next she asks, “What would you do if Ben dumped you?” “I’d burn him to the ground.” Sing it Bailey! They’re called exes for a reason!

That’s what Mer needs to do. Burn DeLuca to the ground, move on, and start over. I like their talk here. Mer used to be a romantic. She used to be the person who built houses of candles and did big romantic gestures. But when Derek died she stopped being that person. She deserves someone who makes her feel that way again. And no one. Not Riggs or DeLuca or Thorpe or that transplant surgeon or anyone else has made her feel that way. The way that Derek did. She deserves to feel that way again with someone who truly loves her and wants to be a part of her family. I hope she finds it. I do. I hope she finds someone that makes her want to be a romantic again. I think Hayes could be that person and I hope that we get to see it!

Because she deserves it and that’s what Derek would want for her. He wouldn’t want her to close herself off or settle for second best or some fling. He’d want her to find love again, true love, with someone deserving of her. Jackson comes in and tells them that Richard walked because he doesn’t want to work on Koracick’s terms and honestly neither does he. He asks if they’re just going to let this happen. Bailey’s all hell no! She’s not going to sit by helpless while her family gets split apart again. They’re going to do something about this. Finally!

DeLuca’s speaking with Suzanne and her sister. They’re explaining what they want to do. Her sister is pissed. She thinks they’re giving up. She pleads with Suzanne to let her transfer her to another hospital. That’s when Dr. Riley steps in. She explains that she has three sisters. She talks about each of them and then talks to Suzanne’s sister directly. She explains that she’s too sick to be moved safely and even if they could there’s no one better than her. She explains that because she’s Deaf she’s learned to listen with her whole body and that when the medications are gone the disease can start talking so she can figure out what’s wrong with her and hopefully save her life.

With that she convinces them. Suzanne consents to the withdrawal of treatment. Dr. Riley leaves the room and DeLuca follows her. He tells her that he also has a sister and starts to compliment her. That’s when Dr. Riley stops him. She’s an only child. Daaaamn. Look at her. Getting the job done. I did not see that coming. Dr. Riley you continue to surprise me. Well done! I really like the way they’ve written Dr. Riley so far. Her Deafness is one part of her but it’s not the sole focus. As it should be. She’s a real character with complexity not a stand in and that’s cool.

We cut to the boardroom. Where Tom has just been paged by Bailey, Jackson, Richard, Meredith, and Owen. Shit is about to go down. Buckle up. They tell him the hospital board of which most of them are members has come to a decision. They’re all prepared to quit. Mic drop! “I’m sensing a but.” Right you are Tom! They explain that Dr. Fox wouldn’t really like that as she wants them here at Grey Sloan and she’ll wonder why Tom didn’t do more to protect her Crown Jewel hospital. They’ve only just recovered from the hospital hell article and as Meredith says, “We could blame me for that or we could just remember that I’m a Catherine Fox Foundation award winner and a media darling and I mean you want me here.” Like a boss! And that’s why 16 seasons later we still love her. She gets stuff done like the badass she is.

As Bailey as Tom can’t afford to lose all his best doctors and his inability to see that could cause Catherine to rethink the whole Chief of Chiefs title, salary, and benefits. Tom concedes. He asks them to name their terms. Bailey says they’re a family. He doesn’t get to rule with an iron fist, not anymore. Their terms are as follows. Owen and Richard get their jobs back. Teddy and Maggie become co-chiefs and he finds the money to cover it. Alex and Hayes become co-chiefs as well or they all quit. Boom!

If Justin Chambers was still on the show this is definitely a scene he’d been in. Fighting for Grey Sloan with the rest of them no doubt. Their deal is this: he agrees to their terms and gets to take all the credit with Catherine. They get their hospital back and he gets to save face. It’s a win win. Tom agrees. It’s a triumphant moment! Tom leaves the room and we hear everyone cheering. It’s great for our heroes but not for Tom. It must be hard hearing everyone cheer at your destruction. Amelia’s right. Tom’s in pain and he’s taking it out on everyone else. Tom is such a complex and interesting character. Greg Germann brings such beautiful complexity to his portrayal.

Nico and Levi are getting it on in an on call room. But soon Levi stops. He says he doesn’t just want sex. He says he wants a dance partner. He wants what that old couple have. Nico asks if he’s reciting a poem or if he’s being literal. Levi is frustrated. Nico is confused. Next we see Link in the green room. Jeez there are a lot of plants in there! They’ve definitely added more. It’s getting a bit excessive in my opinion. I mean how many plants do you need? Amelia looks through the window at him. He doesn’t see her. She takes a shaky breath then walks away. Link gets a text. It’s from Amelia. She says she’s sorry but she didn’t run the test. She needs more time. This part really pissed me off. I get that she needs more time but Amelia should have told Link that sooner. I hate that they’re drawing this storyline out. Just get the damn test already! Ugh!

As Meredith’s voice over plays we see Jo come home to a dark empty flat. The future for her and Alex uncertain. Meredith's voice over in this episode is about time and how we're struggling to overcome the simple inescapable truth that eventually everything ends. But that for every clock that counts down another restarts and when one thing ends something new always begins. I feel like this is one of those voice overs that can be taken in a variety of ways depending on how you look at it and which ships you're rooting for. You could take it as Meredith realizing that her relationship with DeLuca has ended and that she needs to move on. Or that Amelia and Link's relationship might be ending. Or that Jo and Alex might be over. Or you could take it the opposite way. It's very open ended.

Until next time!

19 notes · View notes

whumptasticwednesday · 6 years ago

Text

Insult to Injury ft. Dadneto (Peter Maximoff - X-Men)

Author’s Note: Hey, ya’ll. I’ve been burning the midnight oil to get this fic out on time, AKA 2 consecutive nights of staying up till’ 3 am. I’ve had the idea for a Peter-centric Dadneto whump fic for a decent amount of time, and after receiving a lovely anonymous prompt, I decided to incorporate both my idea and theirs. Here we’ve got Peter after the events of Apocalypse, debilitated, and accidentally giving himself a nasty case of salmonella, before Erik comes to help. I’m pretty proud of this one, so I hope you enjoy it! This fic is unedited, sorry, so please let me know if there’s any glaring issues. For my next fic, I’m shifting away from X-Men for a hot sec so I can write a nice Detroit: Become Human whump fic with our favorite android son, Connor. I’ve been super excited about my plot concept, so I’m ecstatic to start writing it. Anyways, I hope you like this one, I worked very hard on it, and I hope you’re all excited for the DBH fic coming soon!

-Ash

Word Count: 6299

Warning: Emeto and decently graphic descriptions of physical illness

Setting: Post-Apocalypse/Pre-Dark Phoenix

If there's anything Peter Maximoff knew in this moment, it was that not being able to do the one thing your body was genetically enhanced to do, sucked. A lot.

It had been only a few days since the X-Mansion had been rebuilt and things all fell back into this synonymous routine as if the entire building hadn't exploded a short while ago. In Peter's opinion, it was all kind of creepy how easy it seemed for these kids to all just go back to learning when their home and school just got eviscerated in a hellfire, but he didn't think much of it.

All he could think about in this moment, was how immensely bored he was. Peter always had something going on with him; he was either thinking about his impending dad-related issues, plotting a prank, or deciding to go off and steal an entire Walmart's worth of Twinkies in the blink of an eye, there was always something.

Yet now, the rest of the X-Men were off with Charles helping cover up heat from the international press by cleaning up all the damage and destruction in Cairo and showing what Charles had dubbed: "diplomacy", which was too huge of a word for Peter to ever use in an everyday sentence; too many letters, and Peter was left back at the mansion since he really couldn't use his powers effectively at the moment, so it would be pretty useless for him to be tagging along.

Peter normally wouldn't have given a damn, maybe even excited at the prospect of being able to rig his friends' rooms with elaborate traps with Jello and staplers or something of the sorts while they weren't around, yet now, when faced with inescapable boredom that followed him wherever his broken leg did (everywhere), he was dying to have anything to do. As the team was suiting up to get on the jet to go back to Cairo, Peter had pathetically hobbled down to the X-Men bunker on his crutches, begging to be taken with. But they'd simply gassed up the plane and flew off, leaving Peter alone, and oh so very bored.

Which brings us to Peter now, attempting to create an omelette with 6 different cheeses, 8 different and poorly-diced peppers, a heaping assortment of minced tomatoes, and a sprinkling of those off-brand fruit snacks that are always better than the on-brand ones for some reason. It wouldn't be a Peter breakfast without some form of sweet, and in his eyes, it stuck to the healthy-ish theme. It had fruit in the name for a reason, didn't it?

The kid always had a massive appetite, and everyone that knew Peter knew this as well. You'd be hard pressed to find him without some snack or form of sustenance in his hand, scarfing it down like there was no tomorrow. It was all a byproduct of his enhanced metabolism. All that energy to run had to come from somewhere, didn't it? Little did he know, this super stomach of his would come to kick him in the ass in a few short hours. But for now, the silver-haired man child of a mutant was limping around the mansion's kitchen making a very... exotic breakfast for dinner meal.

Peter plopped the strange looking (decently gooey) excuse for an omelette into a large plate with some Twinkies and orange juice on the side. As he devoured his dinner, Peter thought anxiously about Erik. It had taken him 10 years to connect the dots, work up the courage, and even think of confronting the man to tell him of his true parentage, yet wimped out at the last minute, leaving the ambiguous: "I'm here for my family too." Peter groaned audibly to himself as his mind once again replayed the events he'd already replayed a million times before. It was embarrassing as all hell. Luckily, nobody that did know told Erik anything, which Peter was very grateful for.

Imagine learning about a woman you left 2 and a half decades ago actually birthing a son you had no idea existed and just now learned of... but not from him, despite several encounters beforehand where he had ample opportunities to do so. It'd make Peter feel like even more of a loser than a 27 year old who still lived in his mother's basement. But, to be fair, Peter was no longer a grown man living with his mom, he was a grown man living in a school where he was many years past the oldest enrolled student, while not teaching a single class; it was a step up from the basement, trust me.

Once finished with his omelette, Peter quickly washed his dishes and made his trek up the small flight of stairs to reach his room on the second floor. Over the past few days, Peter had learned just how high a set of stairs could be, especially when you end up falling down them on several attempts to slide down the handrail (and failing miserably while being laughed at by dozens of impressionable pre-teen children.) What a loser.

After reaching his room, particularly winded from this dinner excursion, Peter was grateful to see that he hadn't unplugged his television from the wall after his embarrassing fall in an attempt to get to the bathroom by himself, without his crutches, or the lights on. A simple recipe for disaster in nearly all circumstances, yet for some reason, the universe held pity for Peter and his debilitated state, and decided to not make his day any worse than it already was.

Peter ultimately decided to entertain himself with a good night-long play session of Pac-Man on his Atari 2600, also still miraculously undamaged from last night's fall. He booted up the inferior version of the game (seriously though, he'd have to get Kurt to help him teleport his arcade cabinet from his basement to the school, playing this one was getting a bit tiring on the eyes.) It sufficed, he thought as the TV harshly flashed on.

Now normally, Peter would have been up all night with his video games and rock music blaring in the background, yet tonight, something (besides his immobile leg) felt really off. Each distinct 'WOMP' from the console as the yellow circle man consumed the dashes and dots felt like a sledgehammer into Peter's eardrums, leaving a resonating ache at the base of his skull. He didn't think much of it and brushed it off, simply turning down his music a notch and backing away from the TV a few inches.

The next confusing sign that something wasn't quite right was the disconcerting shivers wracking his body. A chilly breeze seemed to sweep the room as if the AC was on full blast with the windows open on a November midnight, yet it was July and all the windows were closed and when he went to check if his AC unit was acting up, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That's whack, Peter thought to himself as he plopped onto his bed, Atari abandoned on the rugged floor.

He didn't know how long he spent staring at the unmoving chandelier hanging lamely from the ceiling, but it felt as if seconds later, the room was not only freezing, but spinning, and suffocating. Everything felt way too close. Peter could feel every fiber of his shirt rubbing against his jacket, the itchy inside of his cast pressing up against the entirety of his right leg, and the presence of his goggles resting on his neck, now seeming like a noose closing in on his throat. He hastily tore off the eyewear and tossed them on his nightstand before deciding to shed his jacket and weakly throwing it across the room. Another move he regretted.

Without the jacket to keep his arms warm, the newfound seemingly frosty atmosphere felt like a icy flurry against his skin. In spite of his mind's confused wishes, Peter ripped the heavy blanket off the end of the bed and closed it around himself like a caterpillar ready to emerge as a butterfly the next time it saw the daylight. Peter sure as hell didn't feel like a caterpillar, but if the feeling of metamorphosis was a growing sense of intense nausea and cramping in the stomach, then hell yeah, he was crushing this butterfly business.

Fuck, what's wrong with me?! He thought to himself as he rolled onto his side. Peter rubbed at his eyes, hoping to clear the dizziness, yet only further irritating them. God damnit, he sighed internally as his face scrunched up in discomfort, releasing one of his hand's hold on the blanket to cradle his aching stomach.

"Is this karma for all that shit I stole when I was younger? That's just mean, man," Peter rasped to nobody in particular. He thought about it more though and responded to his own question, "Then again, I think that's pretty fair. Haha...Shit, man. Never thought I'd say this, but I think... I think I need help."

The sledgehammer-like headache was pounding with every bass drum beat lightly emanating from the sound system Peter hadn't turned off, another move he regretted. He couldn't decide if the pros outweighed the cons: hobbling through the dark to possibly remedy a source of his suffering, but relinquishing his hold on the only thing keeping him from feeling like freezing. Peter played it safe, much to his cranium's dismay.

Peter stared off towards the wall at nothing in particular as he tried oh so hard to draw his mind's focus from how terrible he felt to literally anything else. It wasn't working out so well. And so, Peter laid there, blanket tossed over himself, single leg drawn up to his chest, shivering like a leaf in a rainstorm, as nauseous as a toddler who just rode their first roller coaster, feeling like he was about to cry, and alone. What a miserable way to spend the night.

------

If there's anything Erik Lehnsherr knew in this moment, it was that he was beyond irritated that Charles wasn't at the mansion to run his own school. Despite leaving the school once he'd helped rebuild it to try and seek solitude to wrap his mind around his place in the world and everything that'd happened to him, Erik was back at the mansion once again. He was ready to lay down the foundations for his new mutant hideaway, Genosha, and needed Charles's connections to the government to help smooth over his charges and get clearance to have his isolated society where he might truly find happiness and solace. The universe had spoken, and he obviously wasn't cut out to be a nuclear family kind of guy.

Unbeknownst to him, Erik had once again meandered into a setting with his unrealized son. Also unbeknownst to him, that son was currently cooped up alone in his room, feeling like death.

Erik uncomfortably paced around the mansion, checking Charles's office, the X-Men bunker, and all the other places he might have been, yet the telepath was nowhere to be found. Erik sighed, he knew coming this late was a bargain, one, it turns out, he'd come to lose. The school itself was eerily quiet. It was if the entire mansion was empty or something. Peaceful, yet unsettling for a man who knew nothing but chaos.

Erik was about to borrow a book someone had abandoned in the foyer when he heard the muffled melodies of American rock music echoing from the upstairs floor. It must be that problematic Peter child, Erik thought to himself. From what he told himself was a civil duty to the rest of the sleeping kids in the school (but was actually his own way to cope with his curiosity) Erik decided to check up on the snarky young man to ask if he'd turn down the tunes.

As he approached the door, Erik was bracing himself for something extremely untamed. Perhaps a messy, greasy slophole of a living area, or maybe a drunk and uncontrollably obnoxious man dancing to his music in the nude. You never really knew with Peter, and Erik had come to expect the strangest out of the boy from the few genuine interactions they've had.

Erik gently tapped his knuckles against the door, waiting patiently for a 'come in', or something along the lines of those words, yet it never came. Raising a questioning yet not too surprised eyebrow, Erik knocked again, using slightly harder bangs, not wishing to make a ruckus and wake anyone else in the hallway up. Again, nothing. Although it could have simply boiled down to Peter not hearing him from his loud and abhorrent music, Erik was growing slightly irritated with the lack of a response. So with his last reserves of patience, he knocked one final time, once again listening for a signal or cue to enter. He was met with nothing yet again.

Wondering for the worst and fully expecting to meet a blackout drunk Peter when he opened the door, Erik tentatively jiggled the doorknob, which just so happened to be unlocked, and stepped inside. Thankfully, he was not met with a naked dancing or woefully drunk mutant speedster, but most would probably argue that what he was met with was quite worse. And that being a rancid stench of sick and sour nastiness lingering in the air, a poorly plopped pile of blankets draped over the culprit of the odor, and the culprit himself lying pale and flushed on the floor beside his bed, covered in his own vomit.

Erik's nose crinkled up from being met by the strongly nauseating smell of the room, reaching for the light switch on the wall to aid the sad little table lamp and glow of the TV in illuminating the room. Now he truly saw the pity-worthy situation for what it was. Peter laid in a heap on the ground next to his bed; he'd clearly trying to make it to the en suite bathroom just a few feet away. However, with his dizzy mind and immobile leg, he didn't make it very far and ended up expelling his dinner in a much less... dignified location (if you could consider a toilet bowl a very dignified location), that undignified location being all over his lap and onto his faded Pink Floyd t-shirt.

Not knowing how to really handle the situation, Erik called out a soft, "Peter?" hoping to elicit a response. Yet, just like at the door, he was met with nothing. As he approached the boy, thoughts of anxiety and panic circled through his mind. What would he say to him when he woke up? Would he be uncomfortable with Erik of all people coming to help? Would he be confused? Would he not care? He felt undeniably and inexplicably awkward. Erik shook the thoughts from his conscious as he knelt down to try and meet Peter's face.

"Peter?" he asked again. Erik tentatively reached over to tap the boy's face, which was contorted in a pinched expression of discomfort, marred further by the vomit drying in a trail down his chin.

Once Erik's hand made contact with Peter's cheek, he wanted to retract it. From the split second interaction, Erik had felt the clammy, sweaty, and scorching hot skin and was growing concerned. The slight physical prodding finally made Peter respond.

"Mom?" he asked groggily, voice cracking, "I'll put my dishes in the sink in a minute... I'm tired..."

Erik let out a harsh sigh, bending his neck in an attempt to make eye contact with the boy.

"Peter, I'm not you-" Erik was cut off.

"Yeah yeah... I'm not your maid. I know, Ma. Just... give me five."

"Peter." Erik stated bluntly yet with a hint of unease, unsure if Peter was delirious or just messing with him, "look at me, please."

Peter cracked open his eyes and blearily met Erik's stoic and collected face. He blinked a few times, slowly and deliberately, calculating who was kneeling in front of him, before letting out a weak and wheezy chuckle, "hey there, refrigerator ornament. Wassup?"

Erik rolled his eyes, responding with, "I came to ask you to turn down your atrocious music so you won't wake any of the other children who are trying to sleep. When I came in here, you were passed out on the floor. Would you like to explain to me what happened?"

"Nah... it isn't all too interesting"

"Peter, can you please act like an adult for 2 minutes? Please?"

"Oh man, the Nazi-hunting, president-killing, horseman of the Apocalypse is bustin' out the PLEASES. Look out, world, Lord of the Vacation Souvenirs has a new tactic... MANNERS!"

Peter burst out laughing at his own adolescent joke, ending in a wheezy struggle to catch his own breath. Erik couldn't tell if he was just screwing with him or genuinely needed help. This behavior seemed pretty normal for the immature mutant.

"Look, Peter, I really just need to know if you're okay. Can you answer that simple question, please?"

"Man, your tactics are workin' like a charm. I guess I'll tel-" Peter was cut off by a repulsing gag, hunching over and expelling his stomach's contents... again, this time, however, onto Erik's shirt, quickly travelling in a sad trail down onto his freshly-ironed pants. Peter's bloodshot eyes went side with embarrassment as he quickly transitioned his gaze to the floor.

Erik's face was caught frozen still as his mind caught up with what had just happened. As repulsed as he was, it wasn't like he hadn't seen worse. But that still didn't make the fact that he was just puked on any less disgusting. After audibly exhaling through his nose, Erik once again focused on the miserable man child in front of him, who was now anxiously tapping his fingernails on the hard plaster of his cast, deliberately trying to avoid eye contact.

God damnit, Peter, He thought to himself as he continued tapping, it's bad enough leaving him with a painfully ambiguous response during a battle to save all of humanity, ultimately ruining a perfectly good chance to fess up, but now look what you've done. You fucking threw up on him. Peter felt himself growing smaller as his subconscious shamed him for his uncontrollable bout of illness. It was stupid and ultimately all in his head, but it didn't make him feel any less shit about his situation.

After taking the few quiet seconds, Erik stood up, and whether it was out of pity or some subconscious moral quest, grabbed Peter by the armpits and dragged him to the bathroom.

"W-what the?" Peter asked, confused by the harsh white light of the bathroom and the sudden shift in scenery.

"Well I'm not going to let you sit in your own disgusting clothes. I have standards, you know. Can you undress yourself? I'll get us both some clean clothes."

Peter grunted in response. It meant: yeah, I think I can take off my own clothes, bro... once the room stops spinning. Erik, however, had already up and left, stripping off his own soiled shirt and rifling through Peter's dresser drawers, and taking the opportunity to flick off the television and silence the music that had been awkwardly filling the room's background space up until now.

Peter didn't have much variety in his clothing, dark jeans and band logo t-shirts were most of his dresser's arsenal. Not wishing to be clad in a Metallica shirt for the rest of the night, he dug a bit further into the seemingly endless assortment of shirts till he found a plain white short sleeve, sighing in relief. He grabbed a random shirt from the top of the assortment which just so happened to have the Journey logo on it, and set off to find new pants for the boy.

Back in the bathroom, Peter was still laying slumped against the bathtub, shivering. Everything around him had seemingly slowed to a halt, not unlike when he was running past the speed of sound, but this time deceleration just felt... wrong.

The crashing rhythm of the rock music had come to a halt, yet it didn't cease the incessant throbbing ache in his head, as if the bass riffs and the harsh taps of the snare were on a permanent loop with earbuds permanently glued to his ears. He was trying his best to prevent himself from groaning or whining as to not sound like even more of a child in front of Erik, but honestly, he didn't want his nonexistent father right now, he wanted his mom.

Peter was snapped from his self loathing by Erik's footfalls growing progressively louder as he approached him. Erik had thrown on a pair of track pants and a random white shirt. He was holding a pair of sweatpants and another shirt for Peter so he could be free of his sweat-slick and vomit-covered clothes.

"Hey, you don't get to keep those. I like those pants," Peter stated sarcastically, still trying to put up a front, although he was unsure why. He'd needed help, it was painfully obvious, so why was he still pushing his father away? Resentment? Anger? Pride? No... fear.

"Arms up," Erik instructed, preparing to take Peter's shirt off for him.

"Yo, you know I'm not a toddler, right? I can take off my own god damn shirt."

"You sure don't act like you're a day older than one, and I don't wanna risk you accidentally suffocating getting stuck in your own clothing so... arms up."

Peter sighed and did as he was told. Erik swiftly peeled the top off the boy and felt around his back, finding it clammy and warm. As if he'd just went from the tropics to Antarctica, the shirt leaving his skin exposed his skin to a whole new level of cold. The sensation ripped through his spine as his teeth started chattering. Hoping Erik had a brain underneath that skull, Peter was (im)patiently waiting for the man to save him from the frosty winds of his newly installed Arctic bathroom and slip the new shirt over him already. However, much to Peter's dismay, Erik turned on the tub's faucet, soaking a hand towel in cold water before leaning over and placing it on Peter's exposed back.

The second the frigid cloth made contact with his skin, Peter recoiled, back arching backwards, arms frantically bending to try and remove it. Erik sighed, slightly out of pity, and continued holding it down.

"Is this some cruel punishment? What did I do?" Peter pleaded, hoping to distract himself from crying by use of humor.

"You're scorching and sticky and it's just disgusting. I'm cooling you down, so relax," Erik explained. "It'll be a few more seconds, I just needed to get all the sweat off of you."

And as quickly as it had begun, the endeavor was over and Erik was threading Peter's strikingly pale and flimsy arms through the shirt holes. Peter audibly sighed, feeling like he'd just spent an hour in an industrial freezer and was now back into a normal temperature.

Erik's eyes drifted to Peter's legs, immediately noticing a flaw in his plan. How was he going to change Peter's pants with that full leg cast?

"Peter, how do you typically change your pants considering your current... situation?" Erik asked.

"It's pretty simple. I don't," Peter replied bluntly.

"W-what?"

"Well, after I got my leg set a few days ago, I changed into jeans, not wanting to be in flight suit pants for the next week of my life, and I haven't swapped since. It's like, physically impossible."

"So... you've been wearing the same (disgustingly dirty) pants all week?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Hank says I should be grateful that it'll heal in a couple days, most people you'd find passed out on their floor covered in vomit with a full leg cast would have been wearing their nasty pants for weeks."

Erik sighed, tossing Peter's soiled shirt and the sweatpants back into the bedroom before meeting his gaze.

"Alright, Peter, I'm going to set you up in bed now."

"Sounds grea-" Peter was once again, clamping his hand over his mouth, pathetically dragging himself over to the toilet to prevent throwing up all over himself again.

Erik saw his distress and lifted the toilet lid and seat, prompting Peter to start heaving into the sad and dreary porcelain bowl. Each dry or productive heave sent another pulsing wave of pain and violent nausea from his stomach to seemingly every conceivable inch of his body in a viscous cycle of suffering. Erik could do nothing but watch as the silver-haired boy wretched in agony, each heave causing his breath to hitch, caught in his throat, as another bout of sick rushed up past his lips, crashing into the toilet bowl.

Erik wanted to reach over and rub Peter's back or offer a semblance of physical comfort for the anguish he must have been feeling. He'd often do this for his daughter, Nina, whenever she had a stomach bug. Erik reached out his hand, only to quickly retract it, shaking haunting thoughts from his mind. This boy was not his child, and in no way would he ever come close to being Nina. What was he thinking?

Guilt quickly overtook the memories as Peter finished his session of sickness. He sagged limply against the side of the toilet, face still partially hidden by the rim of the bowl. When he looked up at Erik, he looked awful. Beyond awful.

Red-rimmed eyes, clearly there as Peter attempted to stop the obvious tears from spilling over, met cool yet collected ones, the former's being full of pain, not just from this embarrassment or the physical turmoil he'd just endured, but something else. Erik knew those eyes. He knew them because for so long, they were the ones he'd stared at in the mirror, day after day, for years, until he'd found Charles, only to come face to face again with those demonized eyes in the form of an immature mutant puking his guts out on his bathroom floor. They were the eyes of a young man who was lost, feeling alone, hiding a part of themselves they wanted to let go, to set free, so they could truly be happy, yet he couldn't possibly decipher what could be internally destroying the boy.

"I-I'm sorry you had to watch that..." Peter said softly as his head lolled over.

"It's fine," Erik replied with a tone to match that of Peter's.

"I'm pretty sure... that I'm done. For now?" It came out as more of a question, but at this point, Peter wasn't trusting any signal his body was sending him. Every impulse had been smudged and cloudy in his mind, and paired with the seemingly endless headache and the relentless chills racking his body from the fever, Peter was sure that if his mind were a computer hard drive, it would have self destructed out of a deadly virus slowly hacking into the hardware.

But alas, Peter was no computer, and so he was stuck with this mystery illness, cooped up in his room, unable to run, with Erik mother-hecking Lehnsherr. His fever-addled mind was barely functioning at this point, so he didn't register anything but dizzying blurred images swirling around his head and slightly-grumbled voice swimming in his ears as Erik scooped the kid up like a newlywed bride and carried him off to bed.

Peter had never been more grateful to grace the comfort of his duvet, ready to sleep. He halfheartedly grabbed at it in an attempt to cover himself and finally warm up. Erik sighed with pity, grabbing it for him and draping it over his shoulders before moving over to stand by the nightstand and awkwardly watching Peter try and get comfortable.

Despite the obvious fact that his body wanted him to sleep, Peter's mind was racing everywhere except the realm of unconsciousness. Every thought was emphasized ten-fold as it bounced around his head until the only things remaining were his want, heck, his need, to tell Erik the truth, and the hesitant and unsure anxiety lingering in the background of his subconscious that was stopping him from doing just that.

Fevers, though, as Peter was quickly learning, tended to do weird shit to what your brain was really trying to accomplish, often scrambling any message you tried to expel to the point where it may or may not have even been your true intentions. And hell, it was an even bigger gamble if you'd remember any of the dumb shit you'd done or said. It was as if the heat had boiled all the potentially embarrassing memories away, which was at least kinda nice.

With everything happening, Peter thought it best for Erik to just pack up and scoot from the premises, as not to accidentally say or do something stupid that might come back to bite him in the ass later, but Peter wasn't about to pull an asshole move on the man who'd just helped him despite not being obligated to at all.

So, instead of verbally asking, Peter did the next most "mature" thing he could have in his debilitated and helpless situation. He pretended to be asleep in a pathetic hope that Erik would leave on his own. He didn't. Peter ended up looking like he was trying way too hard to be asleep than any real asleep person, and after a few minutes, Erik caught on.

"Peter, I know you're not actually sleeping," Erik said, not putting on any sort of specific emotion.

Peter cracked one red and tired eye open, meeting Erik's gaze yet again. Peter sighed and turned over onto his side, back to the other man, bleary eyes trying to focus on anything that wasn't Erik. Sleep, a seemingly effortless task for most, eluded Peter as he let out an a low whine. This was miserable.

"Hey, Erik?"

"Yes?"

"I umm... never mind..."

"What were you going to say?"

"It's nothing... I just feel stupid since I can't even do the easiest thing on the planet."

"Is there anything I can do?"

The question struck Peter like a cold dagger to the heart, it sounded so much like something his mom would say, who was practically the only person he wanted in that moment. Peter didn't like to be weak or expose any of his fears. He preferred to be distant and reserved, to hide all that insecurity with stupid dry humor and sarcasm. His mom and his sisters were really the only ones who he'd truly been open with, and when faced with these new circumstances, finally able to reconnect with the father he never had, he was frozen in place, and after pushing people away and closing himself off for so long, not knowing what to do to reach out and truly face what he needed to.

Completely internally and externally overwhelmed, Peter let his dam of pride burst, letting his emotional flood pour out of his eyes in the form of earnest, choked sobs. He bit his lip and weakly rubbed at his eyes in an attempt to hide his distress.

Erik was taken aback, taking a step towards him, before backpedaling as fast as the initial paternal instinct had seized him. He didn't know what to do. Erik was conflicted, scared of overstepping boundaries, but wholeheartedly wanting to comfort the clearly suffering boy lying in bed in front of him.

And in a flash of instinct, an unspoken, deep-rooted, yet unknown draw towards the silver-haired boy, Erik sat down on the mattress, back meeting Peter's, and leaning over his shoulder to rub his back

Erik's hand was shaky, unsure if it should truly be there. He felt the heat radiating off Peter's skin through his t-shirt. Erik glanced down further to Peter's face, and despite the hands trying (and failing) to cover his eyes, saw it covered in a new sheen of sweat quickly mixing with his tears, pale and pasty with angry crimson patches sitting pretty as pictures on his cheeks and forehead. Everything in that moment accentuated both how awfully awkward Erik and truly terrible Peter felt.

Erik didn't even know if Peter was lucid anymore. He was breaking down into tears, shivering and being comforted by someone who was practically a stranger. Eventually, the sobs dwindled into whimpers and Erik's nerves were starting to taper off himself. The room fell into a weirdly calm silence as the two decided to not say anything. Until Peter's shaky voice cut through the room.

"Y-you know... when I was a dumb little kid, I thought I-I could outrun germs. Look at me now. I can't even cook a f-freakin' omelette without making myself sick... I never needed to cook for myself, it was always my mom, or Hostess cakes."

"..." Erik wanted to say something, anything, but he was unsure what, or if Peter would understand.

"I can't do anything right... life tosses me chances and I just fuck em' all up."

Erik soon realized Peter was no longer talking about his omelette, but something deeper.

"I just wish... you could've d-done this for me when I was still that dumb little kid. I wish for so much to be different. I'd always wanted a d-dad, and when I finally figured out who he was, I learn he'd gone off to kill the president! I-I don't know..."

"W-what?"

"I m-might not be able to outrun germs, but my entire l-life, I've outrun everything. The law, my responsibilities, adulthood... But now, the one time when I finally can't run from anything, out of all of my problems, I gotta face you of all things. N-not the way I thought this would happen..." Peter's words died out as he fell silent.

Erik wasn't sure he'd heard Peter properly. Until something in his mind clicked. Everything he's done up until now: "my mom once knew a guy who could do that..." and "I'm here for my family too..." Oh my god, he thought, I'm... I-I'm Peter's... father? Who else had he been with before his wife... Magda. Oh god.

Erik pulled his hand away from Peter's back. This caused Peter to moan and flip onto his back, staring directly at Erik, eyes cutting straight to his heart like knives.

"W-why'd you stop? It was nice..." Peter admitted shyly.

"I-I need a second, Peter. I'm sorry," Erik sighed as he pushed himself off the mattress.

Peter said nothing as his eyes drifted back to his bedspread. Disappointment lurking behind his bloodshot irises.

Erik walked off to the bathroom, closing the door behind him with a soft click. He stared up at himself in the mirror, hands gripped tightly around the basin. This couldn't be happening. Not after Nina, not again. Erik was just... terrified. Terrified of the idea of getting close again. Anyone who's ever been a part of Erik's family... had died. His parents, his wife, his daughter; he didn't want Peter to join the list of people the universe was just deemed to kill. He knew that Peter was far from dying, it was a simple fact that the kid couldn't cook and he'd fed himself something underdone. Yet, it was all happening, it was all too fast, and everything felt so damn scary.

He knew, deep down, that this was the truth. It only made sense that the Magda didn't wanna tell her son that his dad was an internationally targeted terrorist that's murdered dozens of people, and this kid had no reasons to lie about it. God... Erik didn't know how to feel, what he should do, but he did know that had a need to comfort Peter, who'd just confessed a secret he'd been hiding for who knows how long, and was now laying alone, probably feeling abandoned again, after pouring his heart out knowing full well it might be shot down.

Whether it was all intentional was yet to be seen. Again, fevers did weird shit.

Erik let out a low sigh and opened the door, finding Peter curled up on himself as best he could, softly whining, mumbling incoherently to himself. Erik stepped over and sat down on the bed again, the entire mattress dipping from his weight.

"I'm sorry, Peter. I am very happy you told me..." Erik was searching for the right words, "the truth."

" 'r welc'm" Peter mumbled as his puffy eyelids slid over his tired brown eyes.

"Is there anything you need me to do for you right now?"

"J'st... stay please. I-It's embarassin', I know, but I just... my mom used to do it..."

"Alright, Peter. I'm not gonna leave, so just try to sleep, okay?"

Peter didn't need to be told twice as his mind and body worked in harmony, finally allowing Peter to be lulled off to the realm of unconsciousness. And although he knew it wasn't necessary, Erik wished to add to the intimacy of this quiet moment, a type of moment so rare and inconstant in both of their lives, so he pushed himself up against the headboard, laying out flat on the bed, and carded his fingers into Peter's silky silver locks. And out of habit, maybe a sort of tendency he'd developed from doing it with Nina, or an obligation to share what he felt Peter deserved, he began to hum his family lullaby, ever so slowly and softly, drowning out any other thing the world wanted to toss at them. Because in that moment... Erik and Peter had found something they'd both been missing for so long, peacefulness and contentment. And for that short night, it was all they needed.

140 notes · View notes

bastardnev · 5 years ago

Text

Cheat Day

in which i inexplicably decided to write a fic about mustafa’s cereal-nutella-oreos breakfast combination

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: World Wrestling Entertainment, Professional Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Mustafa Ali/Pac | Adrian Neville Characters: Mustafa Ali, Pac | Adrian Neville Additional Tags: damn i guess i gotta start tagging aew in my nevstafa fics huh, Fluff, Silly, mischief involving nutella and oreos Series: Part 1 of Jess Has Too Many Fics In Her Notes Summary: Neville wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the scene in his kitchen that morning.

(ao3 link)

i ended up making a new tag list bc its been so long since i last posted a nevstafa fic + i didnt wanna tag ppl who might not be interested anymore -- im going off the likes/replies to the post i made abt this yesterday so if you’re not on the list and you wanna be added lemme know !! i’ll add you 🥰

tag list: @sailor-slam-dunk @residentjoth @riveliciousx @lambchopviking @storyranger

Neville wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the scene in his kitchen that morning.

He had heard Mustafa get out of bed earlier, but he figured he was just going to get breakfast started — it was his turn, after all. Technically, he still was, but not at all in the way that Neville anticipated. Rather than finding him cooking the pancakes they’d agreed upon the night before, Neville instead walked in on him preparing a bowl of cereal in a large serving dish he’d placed on the island. This in itself wouldn’t have been so odd (other than his choice of bowl) if he didn’t follow up his milk pouring with a big search around the kitchen. He was rummaging through the cabinets that lined the walls for... for something. Something that Neville couldn't quite figure out, especially since the only thing he could plausibly be looking for was a spoon. What a can of olives had to do with anything, Neville had absolutely no idea.

And so, he choose to ask him about it. “What the hell are you doing?”

Mustafa glanced over at Neville quickly before putting the can back and going right back to his hunt. “Oh, good morning. Where’s your snack stash?”

Neville blinked, confused. “My what?”

“Your snack stash. Y’know, where you keep the snacks?”

“I— I know what a snack stash is, Mustafa.”

“Then where’s yours? I know you have one — everyone does. Fess up.”

What was he trying to do? The fact that he still hadn't given Neville a clear answer was a bit concerning. “What does it matter where my snacks are? Wait, forget about that, aren’t you supposed to be cooking pancakes?”

"Who said anything about me making pancakes?"

"You did. Just last night."

"Ehh, that was just pillow talk."

"You told me about how badly you were craving them when we were eating dinner." Why would they be discussing pancakes during pillow talk, of all things?!

Mustafa scoffed, and he offered no further response other than continuing to push aside the items stacked up on the shelf. "Are you planning on answering my question at all?" Neville crossed his arms. "What are you doing?"

“You'll see!" Mustafa responded when he finally decided to speak again. "I’ve got something even better than pancakes in mind."

Mustafa placing a breakfast food above pancakes was almost enough for Neville to consider the idea that he'd been replaced with an imposter. Almost. “And, that is...?”

“A secret — until you tell me where your snack stash is, of course.”

Neville sighed, rolling his eyes. He knew there was no getting out of this no matter how hard he tried. “Oh for the love of God, it’s the one under the microwave,” he at last confessed.

“The only one I didn’t check!” Mustafa grinned, and he darted over to the appropriate cabinet, digging around excitedly. “Ooh, you’ve got a lot of good stuff in here!”

“No need for the commentary, just take what you need.”

“You’re pretty defensive over your candy, huh?”

“You’ve got the biggest sweet tooth out of anyone I know — how can I not?” Now that he thought about it, seeing as Mustafa now knew where he hid all of his sweets, Neville would probably have to find a new hiding spot once this visit was over...

“Hmm.” Mustafa pouted as he moved a variety pack of mini candy bars aside. “You bought the Oreos I asked for, right?”

“Of course.” Like Neville honestly wasn’t going to do so after Mustafa practically begged him to pick some up when he went on his most recent grocery run.

“You do love me!” The package of cookies in his hands, Mustafa triumphantly brought it over to the island, pulling back the seal.

“Can you tell me what you’re doing now?”

“Patience, Nev! Geez. You can’t rush these things, you know?”

Neville wanted to retort, but the distinctive crunch of Mustafa crushing a fistful of Oreos over the serving dish interrupted him, and all he could do was watch in silent awe (and confusion). Mustafa repeated this process over and over again, unblinking, until he’d gone through one of the sleeves. “There...” He muttered, sealing the pack back up and putting it aside. “Now for the last part...”

Last part? Neville found himself a little afraid to say this out loud. His question received an answer anyway, however, as Mustafa then returned to the cabinet, pulling out the large jar of Nutella that Neville was secretly hoping he wouldn’t notice. (Man goes through jars quicker than I can count.) "Not really much I can work with here..." Mustafa mumbled as he put the lid aside, looking at the jar's contents. "You ate it all on me. Naughty boy."

"I'm... sorry?"

"Better be." Mustafa then went to the silverware drawer and pulled out a big spoon, and before Neville could wrap his mind around what was happening he'd scooped out a healthy amount. "This'll work, though."

"What—"

Neville wasn't able to finish this sentence, as just as he was going to Mustafa let the Nutella drop right on top of his cereal. Neville looked back and forth between the bowl and Mustafa, who appeared to be debating what to do next with his messy spoon. Rather than put it in the sink like Neville assumed he would, however, he shrugged, dipping it into the bowl.

It was right as he was about to put a spoonful of cereal into his mouth that Neville decided to go through with asking his question. "Okay, what the hell?!"

Mustafa paused, spoon hanging in the air. "What?"

"What is this..." Neville gestured towards the bowl, trying to find the right words to describe what he was seeing. "This... concoction?"

"It's... my cheat day breakfast?" Mustafa said this as if it were the most obvious thing ever, like he couldn't understand why Neville so was baffled. "Duh?"

"How did you even come up with this?"

"Easy — I woke up one morning, couldn't decide what I wanted for breakfast, so I just mixed everything I wanted together. It's better than you think it is, really."

Neville pointed to the package of Oreos. "You wanted to eat those for breakfast?"

"You haven't thought about eating cookies for breakfast before? What are you, an amateur?"

"And— And the Nutella, what were you planning on doing with that if you hadn't thought to throw everything together?"

Mustafa didn't respond, instead choosing to avert his gaze. Suspicious, Neville followed up with, "You weren't seriously considering eating it straight from the jar, were you?"

Mustafa made eye contact with Neville again, and neither of them said anything for a solid few seconds. Eventually, though, Mustafa shot Neville a sheepish grin, and the latter brought his hand to his forehead, slowly shaking his head. "Oh, God..." He let out a breath. "All this, yet you still have those abs..."

"I sure do." Mustafa brought the spoon back to the cereal and mixed it up a bit. "Now, maybe instead of pickin' on me you can come give this a try. You might like it."

"I have no use for any of that."

"False — everyone needs this in their lives."

"Not everyone needs something loaded with sugar so early in the morning."

"What are you gonna have instead, then? Egg whites?" Mustafa shuddered at his own suggestion, and he held a spoonful out towards Neville, who leaned away. "You know you want toooo..."

Neville looked at the spoon with a narrowed gaze. He knew damn well that he gave in to Mustafa way too often (something about the look in his eyes, he figured). He'd told himself that he would stop being such a pushover when it came to him, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity for him to stick to his word for once. Mustafa wanted him to try some food combo that he swore was amazing, something that Neville thought was completely ridiculous. He would be lying if he said he found it to be anything but.

...But he would also be lying if he said that he wasn't at least a little curious as to what Mustafa saw in it. Not to mention that he was giving him the dreaded eyes...

Neville said nothing. Instead, he took a few steps closer to Mustafa, allowing him to put the spoon into his mouth. "There we go..." Mustafa took it out a moment later, giving Neville a second to chew and swallow before asking, "It's good, isn't it?"

It was. "It's fucking disgusting."

"Liar, liar..." Mustafa singsonged, and Neville huffed. There was no point in denying it.

"Maybe you're right..."

"Ha! I knew it."

"Why do I always agree to go along with your nonsense..." Neville lamented, and Mustafa chuckled, leaning over to give him a kiss.

"Because you love me," he replied as he pulled away, and Neville struggled to hide the little fond smile that forced its way onto his face.

"...Yes, I do."

#also i think the likes on that post got a bit messed up so if u liked the post but i forgot you then lemme kno !! i'll add u to the List(TM)#mustafa ali #pac #wwe fanfiction #aew fanfiction #is that a tag??? it is now #jess.txt #long post #just in case the read more decides not to work

15 notes · View notes

thechocoboos · 5 years ago

Text

Coffee Shop Au: Prompto’s Ending

Catch the first part here (Note: this strays very much from the coffee au beginning)

Catch Noctis’ ending here

You elected to stay with Prompto. He was a kind, passionate young man who you were having genuine fun with.

Noctis was your best friend, but you were starting to develop genuine feelings for Prompto, and you quietly knew that Noct was trying to give you the chance to act on them.

As you saw Noctis leave the pizza joint, you turned back to Prompto, greeting his bright smile with one of your own. In the dim lighting of the pizza place, you could just barely make out a light blush on his cheeks, although you weren’t sure if it was for the same reasons as you.

There was a slightly awkward silence now that Noctis was gone, and you found yourself just a bit unsure of what to say now that it was you two alone. Prompto seemed a little flustered as well, but he was quick to try and talk to you.

“Oh, earlier you mentioned you like games other than King’s Knight, right?” Prompto asked, turning his body to face you in the booth. He seemed so much closer than before, especially now that there was nowhere else to divert your attention to.

You flashed him a smile despite your growing blush, “Yeah, it’s kind of hard not to, especially being friends with Noct.” You told him, suddenly having a hard time looking him in the eyes.

Prompto beamed, “Well, I know a good 24 hour arcade that’s only a few minutes from here if you wanna hang out there?” He asked, doing his best to sound nonchalant. “I heard they just added a few new games, too!”

You hummed slightly, a small smile growing across your cheeks. “... Sure. I haven’t been to one in ages.”

Prompto’s smile grew as he eagerly climbed out of the booth. He smiled at you, extending a hand to help you out, “Let’s go, then,” He said, his cheeks flushed with excitement and his voice positively bubbling.

You smiled right back at him when you took his hand, and the awkwardness faded as you both grew excited. As you two left the building, you realized with a start that he never dropped your hand.

Prompto glanced at you curiously at your moment of silence and followed your gaze, catching sight of your interlocked hands. He jumped slightly, his eyes big and cheeks flushing as he dropped your hand, “Shit--sorry! I hadn’t realized, uh, sorry…” He managed, stuttering left and right as he scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry, I uh, don’t usually do things like that…” He let out an awkward little chuckle, looking at you nervously.

You felt your own cheeks heating up, but you managed a small smile. “That’s alright, I didn’t mind.” You said with a shrug, meeting his eyes.

Prompto jolted again, caught offguard. He was quick to recover, smiling at you as you both headed down the sidewalk and launching into another conversation. Neither of you said anything when his pinky brushed against yours and you gently slid your hand into his. Your cheeks flushed a bright red as he gently squeezed your hand, smiling away while he talked despite his own flushed cheeks.

The arcade was all colors and blinking lights, full of aged game themes and decade old carpeting. It felt perfect, capturing the full arcade feeling from your youth, as though you were standing in a piece from a time capsule.

You looked up at Prompto, your hands still clasped with his as your smiled. “Should we try Pac-Man, first?”

His responding smile and the twinkle in his eyes were bright enough to light up the entire arcade. “Let’s do it.”

The two of you bounced from machine to machine, falling over each other and laughing away as you both either failed horribly or feigned competitions. Sometimes you would reach over and nudge his joystick or block his view just to try and win, and he would always gasp as if it were a surprise and try to push you away with a massive smile spread across his flushed cheeks.

Eventually, you two found your way to the claw machines. You were pointing to a cute chocobo plush through the glass, smiling at it and gushing about how adorable it was.

Prompto took one look at it, agreeing wholeheartedly. “I’m gonna win that--just for you!” He announced, getting that same determined glint in his eye from earlier.

You smiled brightly at him, your cheeks heating up again as he pushed a few coins into the machine. Prompto was incredibly focused on trying to win that chocobo, his brows furrowed and his tongue sticking out of his mouth. You found yourself watching him more than the machine, wondering if it would be too weird to take a picture.

“Damn! I missed it…” He huffed, frowning. He paused. “I’m gonna try again.”

Prompto ended up trying three more times, losing each and every single time. You ended up dragging him away from the claw machine as he whined about that stupidly cursed game. You hoped that he would forget about it, but when you stopped to visit the restroom, you came out to find that Prompto had used up another three games-worth of tokens trying to win you a chocobo.

This walk away from the claw machine was much more shameful than the last, although you managed to distract him with a surprising kiss on the cheek, blushing away. “You’re sweet, Prom. I can’t say anyone else has tried to do something like that for me, especially not that many times,” You said the last bit with amusement, although you were sure that the kiss on his cheek overshadowed anything else.

Prompto was blushing, too. “I can’t see why they wouldn’t.” He said softly, looking at you with his own sheepish expression. “Though it would be a bit better if I actually won.” He said, looking sadly back towards the claw machines.

You smiled up at him. He didn’t need to win you anything at all, just the effort and attempt was way more than enough for you. It was such a sweet thing to do, and the more you thought about it, the more you wanted repay the favor somehow. There was only one way to do so.

When it was his turn to run to the restroom (saying something about a tiny bladder and too much soda), you were quick to run to the claw machines. You saw the tiny chocobo that he had been trying to get, but you wanted to go bigger.

And then you saw the unreasonably large, absolutely ridiculous sized plush toys in the largest of the claw machines. And there was a chocobo. It was easily the size of your torso, but you had never seen such a perfect stuffed animal for Prompto.

And unlike him, the Claw Machine Gods were in your favor. By the time he found where you were, you had a massive grin on your face and the world’s largest, plushest chocobo in your arms. And--it only took one game to win!

“Hey, Prom.” You beamed, “I got you something.”

He looked like he was going to cry. There were genuine tears in his eyes as he gently took the massive chocobo from you, giving it a massive hug and smiling as though it was the best thing to ever happen to him. The sight of his cute smile, the flush on his cheeks, and his glistening, cornflower blue eyes made your own smile stretch so wide that it hurt. “It’s so… fricken… CUTE!” He exclaimed, his grip on it tightening. And then, his arms were around you, giving you a bone crushing hug. “Thank. You. So. Much! This is--the best thing ever, oh my gosh!”

You were blushing like crazy, your own smile bright as he let go. The hug had caught you off guard, but you craved even more of it the second his arms left you. “No problem, I’ve always been pretty good at those things,” You smiled awkwardly, feeling rather sheepish. “I would always win stuff for me and Noct when we were kids, it’s nice to see that I haven’t lost my touch.” You tried to brush it off like it was no big deal, but even your lackluster acting couldn’t keep down the butterflies in your stomach.

Prompto looked like he was about to say something else--something big, judging by that determined look in his eyes and the blush on his cheeks, but you were too shy to dwell on the subject.

“Uhm, come on, I think there’s a ski-ball game calling our names!” You managed to say, grabbing his hand and tugging him away as you blushed furiously. He went along with you, dropping whatever it was he was going to say. You weren’t sure if you felt better or worse for it, but within a few more games, the thought was out of your mind.

By the end of the night, you were both leaning on each other, smiling away as you ate slightly stale arcade nachos, dipped in equally questionable queso dip. It was a mediocre snack at best, but it was the kind of mediocrity that helped make the moment so special.

“You know,” Prom began, “I always have fun at these arcades, but I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun.” He threw a smile towards you, grabbing another stale chip.

His statement brought a light blush to your cheeks yet again. “Me, too,” You said, looking at him. “I love these places, but I dunno, I guess tonight was a little different?” You leaned back a little bit on the floor, your hand a few inches away from his.

You almost jumped when you felt his hand against yours again. Prompto’s smile was more gentle as he looked at you. “Yeah, I guess it was. You know, no one’s ever won me something before. Let alone a big, puffy chocobo.” His gaze slid to the third member of your apparent trio: the overstuffed chocobo that seemed to be precariously perched next to the cheese dip. It seemed to be remarkably indifferent to the mood of the situation.

“Well,” You said, throwing a smile at him, “I promise to win you all the chocobos, Prom.” You told him decisively, grinning.

He groaned, “But now I feel bad! I should at least win you something to remember tonight by!” He exclaimed, pouting.

You laughed a little, admiring the way his lips curled under his pout. Even now, you couldn’t help but gaze at him as though he were the most beautiful thing in the world. Although, you could easily argue that he was.

"It’s okay, I think the memories themselves are good enough for me,” You told him, grinning. “That and… stale, questionable nachos.” You added, taking a massive bite of a chip.

Prompto smiled, but he gazed at you thoughtfully, humming slightly.

“What?” You asked, laughing slightly as you swallowed.

“You know? I think I do have something for you!”

“Oh, yeah?” You asked, playfully nudging him.

“Yeah, although technically you did win it--”

“Oh my gods, I am not accepting that chocobo--”

“It’s not the chocobo!” He laughed, “Just, close your eyes. Trust me.”

As you looked at him, your own eyes meeting his blue ones, he looked serious. Far more serious than he had earlier. “Alright,” You began, closing your eyes with a smile on your face, “But if it’s that chocobo or those nachos--”

You were cut off by a pair of lips capturing your own. They were soft and slightly chapped, but you easily leaned into the kiss. It was slow and gentle, but a muffled sense of excitement followed it: the excitement of a new love and the energizing delinquency that accompanied an arcade late at night.

You two parted with reddened cheeks and wide eyes, foreheads still touching.

You only barely managed to stutter out a response, “I--thought you said that it was something I won?” You asked, stumbling over your words.

He managed a cheesy smile, “Maybe you won… my heart.”

There was a beat of silence as you stared at him, silent. Even the stuffed chocobo’s permanent gaze of gleeful ignorance showed its disappointment at his joke. And then, you cracked, a dumb smile appearing on your face.

“Oh my gods, you’re an idiot.” You managed, despite your massive grin. He was an idiot, but now he was your idiot.

#ffxv #final fantasy xv #final fantasy #ff15 #final fantasy 15 #prompto argentum #prompto #ffxv prompto #oneshot #fanfiction

31 notes · View notes

whenimgoodandready · 5 years ago

Text

You ever lost something in your life? Like a prized possession? Or a great opportunity that would’ve changed your life forever? Or even a loved one? I know I did, I lost all three of those! (mostly the third option). I had some nice treasures of mine that might’ve been misplaced, a lot of situations where I could’ve come out victorious and happy and even met some really nice people throughout my life only to lose them and never see them again. It’s sad. (sigh) That’s life, you love, you lost and it repeats. We must enjoy it while we can and if we do end up losing it, we still have our memories to look back on it and learn from our mistakes. Besides, we can still look forward to the new joys we’ll experience in life and if we’re lucky, we can keep it! Have our heroes learned to do that? Check it out!

Battle of the Miraculous

*Part 1:Heart Hunter-For the longest time, this was titled as “Loveater”, but now it’s just Heart Hunter....I don’t know why, maybe cuz of the copyright, I was just naming what was accurate. Anyways, it’s the Bourgeois’s anniversary and Gabe deliberately upsets the two by getting them into an argument over his present which is a type of “Get-Along sweater” and them becoming a giant Pac Man akuma that shoots/eats love cuz they seem to lack it between each other. They looked pretty stupid, I had a better image in my mind. I mean, it was built up to be this badass like villain that could destroy love and that got us all concerned for the love square and yet, w-we got a two-faced video game parody baddie! It’s a juvenile show, whattaya gonna do? Another thing is why the f*ck was Mayura in this! I thought Hawk Moth deliberately made it clear in “Ladybug”, which came after this, that she had to stop cuz it was worsening Nats health! (throws hands in the air) He doesn’t care, I give up with this guy, why the f*ck would I believe him!? HE’S MAD AND DESPERATE! F*ck Gabe/Hawk Moth! During that time, we see some nice moments of Lukanette, Adrigami and some Adrigaminette! We also see things we were dying for such as Marinette with her hair down (spoiled by “Cat Blanc” unfortunately) and Master Fu as Jade F*cking Turtle! Hallelujah! So they were savin’ that up for this finale huh, well, it’s about f*cking time! :P. This also marked as the death of the love square since Adrien/Cat Noir has finally learned to move on from Ladybug and pursue Kagami/Ryuko and Marinette/Ladybug considering the same for Adrien. Now you would think that since it’s the Bourgeois family akumatized, it would be the appropriate opportunity for Chloe to be given back her miraculous already, but she’s ignored yet again and this was the last straw for her. This can go about two ways: A.Ladybug refused to have Queen Bee cuz either she was exposed or she couldn’t stand her nagging her about giving her a miraculous or B.She chose Ryuko instead, despite her being exposed as well, either cuz she really needed her power to stop the villain or cuz she was trying to c*ckblock Adrigami (possibly the latter). The end I could relate to on Marinette breaking down over her full plate of responsibilities (and accidentally letting Hawk Moth know that Master Fu was the guardian when she forgot to detransform to meet up with him cuz she had a lot on her mind) cuz I’ve been through the same thing where I had to put up a tough front after making a huge mistake only to be unable to bottle it up for long and just burst into tears and have to be comforted by a loved one. It’s not easy and it doesn’t feel so good and you’re gonna need support to let it all out and let people know how you really feel.

—————————————

*Part 2:Miracle Queen-I had an entirely different look for Miracle Queen in my head, but the canon look for her was basically what you can call as “Malibu Stacy with new hat”....yeah....just like that....Lame. Hawk Moth manipulates her anger at being constantly denied the bee miraculous and it’s what akumatizes her willingly as her third villainess form. Since she was forced to give up her superhero duties, she went with the idea of “If I can’t be a superhero, then there will be no superheroes!” and uses her hornet army to brainwash everyone in Paris and have all the members of Team Miraculous (minus the dynamic duo and Bunnyx) to expose themselves. (sigh) Well, guess we won’t be seeing them anymore in the show.......I think. The thing about it is, we need to remember that Chloe having a miraculous didn’t make her a better person like Marinette/Ladybug hoped, it made her worse! Everything she did as Queen Bee was mostly to help benefit herself. Unless she starts learning to think of others before herself, she’s banished from Team Miraculous! At last, we saw Dragonbug and Snake Noir in their combined Kwamies and I gotta say, Snake Noir was an improvement from Aspik, least in this case he had his own power to help save the day with the snake miraculous instead of just the snake. Much better! Now in the end, Master Fu passed on his guardianship to Ladybug and by doing so erased his memory of the miraculous duties to keep them a secret and what made Hawk Moth give up when it got too much for him to handle. Ha! Ha! Loser! Farewell, Fu! You will be missed, Thank you! It’s implied in the end that Adrigami and Lukanette just might be canon now that the heroes have moved on, but it’s probably for their future character developements until the true ship becomes endgame *cough*theicecreamstheclue*cough*.

My final thoughts on this ep before the whole season here, after what Cat Noir learned in the previous ep, “Ladybug”, he finally got the hint that there was no future between him and his lady (which he also stopped calling her!) and that he should settle for what he can get. Marinette however, was reluctant to move on from Adrien as she’s still insecure about herself, but did so so she won’t interfere between Adrigami and make herself look bad for trying to seperate them (Pssst, it’s not permanent so you can calm down). It might be good for them though, they did a good job saving the day without all that love distracting them. Maybe they’ll be more competent than ever! Ryuko had come back! My friend was right! Lol! Here I thought she wasn’t gonna return! But is it serious now along with every other hero that’s been exposed!? (they’re on the poster for Season 4! (shrugs)). What we learned from Master Fu was when you pass on your guardianship, you lose your memories of what was related to it for safety reasons! Whoa! Now that it’s passed onto Marinette/Ladybug, does this mean she’s gonna suffer the same thing when she passes it on! That’s tearjerker worthy! :’(. Oh boy! As if balancing her social/love/school life and her superhero duties weren’t bad enough, she’s now the new guardian of the Miracule Box! Poor thing. Here come the headaches! Kinda feel bad for Chloe. Sure she was manipulated by Hawk Moth over her ignored hero duties by her own idol constantly, but she still willingly took the bait, after she refused the other time!, and now she renounced her worship of Ladybug and hates her as much as Lila does! How will this go next season? Well, rumor has it she’s getting akumatized yet again! (is this a seasonal running gag for her?). We are getting a new Queen Bee and I know damn well Chloes gonna hate that. However, maybe that means she’ll finally get that redemption arc the fans have been praying for? Fingers crossed. Gabe fixed the peacock miraculous though cuz he now has the deciphered notes Nat stole from Master Fu! Now he’ll be stronger than ever with Mayura! Don! Don! Don! This has been yet another “interesting” season. We got some answers, we got some questions still left answered and we got some new questions we need answers to! Let’s recap on went on:Lila is back and is finally a reoccurring character (only when we need the plot to be drivin’) and she’s gone to the dark side working both for Gabriel and Hawk Moth, we saw Thomas Astruc in animated form and the original concept work of “What-Could’ve-Been” for the show which is now a show-within-a-show using the “Ladybug PV”, we saw new villains and the new beings, sentimonsters, by Mayura and how they’re created/destroyed and some returning villains that came back stronger, new heroes from the miraculouses the fans predicted, Chloe was forced to retire as Queen Bee cuz her identity was exposed and now she too went to the dark side, we almost got the love square complete a few times before the reset button was pushed, we learned the history of Master Fu’s big mistake, Marinette and Kagami became friends, there’s gonna be a new Hawk Moth in the future! We finally saw the long awaited Cat Blanc that was major! and even (disappointedly) Felix (sadly no “Bridgette”) and much more. News from the next season, Luka and Kagami will be akumatized again, we’ll get new heroes, Kwamies, outfits and powers, we might still get the Halloween and Chinese Legend specials (Oh God! Please do!), there will be an episode with the the “OMG” factor as “Cat Blanc” and a new location called Swan Island! Sweet! Can’t wait! See you guys in the Fall when Season 4 comes out! I’ll be back with new ladybug frames for the reviews and gifs! Good-bye for now dear Miraculers!

#miraculous ladybug #battle of the miraculous #heart hunter #miracle queen

5 notes · View notes

garecc · 7 years ago

Text

The Hidden Oracle+1

Chapter 11

Chiron the centaur / Meg eats final oreo / I wanted it though

Meg’s eyes just about bugged out of her head when she saw Chiron. “He- He really is a centaur!”

“How observant of you Meg. Do we assume him having the lower body of a horse is what gave you that startling realization?” I joked. Meg glared at me.

“Shut up!” Meg snapped.

My mouth snapped shut against my will, I found myself unable to speak. How to describe it.. I felt like my voice just stopped, and my jaw locked into place.. I can't describe it. I glanced at Apollo helplessly, he took a deep breath before turning to Meg.

“Meg,” He sounded annoyed. “Shut up, is, in fact, a direct order. So unless you want my sister to be mute for the foreseeable future, I’d advise you to allow her to speak.” Apollo’s voice was clipped and furious.

Meg nodded, a surprised look in her eyes.

“Um- You can speak, Artemis” I took a deep breath, Apollo looked something between furious and pained..

“Thank you. Never do that again.” I massaged my jaw, wincing. I turned to Chiron. “ Anyway. Chiron, This is me and Apollo’s new.. master. Meg. Meg McCaffrey.”

He looked amused. Does he find this funny?!

“You were saying something about disappearances? Apologies for taking forever to get here.. We had a slight issue with the fact that I’m hurt.” Apollo muttered sheepishly.

Chiron’s tail flicked as he glanced between us, last I had seen Chiron he had looked much younger, his hair looked greyer and he definitely didn't have so many wrinkles. Whatever is happening must be taking its toll on him.

“Welcome, Meg.” He attempted to sound friendly, and surprisingly, he managed. A feat considering the havoc she has been causing all day.

“I understand you showed great bravery in the woods. You and Artemis got Apollo here in one piece, despite the many dangers you made it. I’m glad to have you at Camp Half-Blood.”

“I helped” I muttered.

Meg snorted. “No, you were crying and panicking and generally freaking out. I got you two here, you just helped carry him.”

Apollo looked concerned, I forced a smile.

“And thanks,” Meg said. “Also! You’re really tall. Don’t you hit your head on light fixtures?”

Why? How was that relevant? At All?

Chiron chuckled. “Sometimes.” Wow. Just… just wow . “If I want to be closer to human size, I have a magical wheelchair that allows me to compact my lower half into…Actually, that’s not important now.”

“Disappearances,” Apollo repeated. “Please continue.”

“What has disappeared?” I added.

“Not what, but who,” Chiron said. Oh shit. “Let’s talk inside. Will, Nico, could you please tell the other campers we’ll gather for dinner in one hour? I’ll give everyone an update then. In the meantime, no one should roam the camp alone. Use the buddy system.”

“Understood.” Will looked at Nico. “Will you be my buddy?”

“You are a dork,” Nico announced.

The two of them strolled off bickering.

If you’re wondering how I saw them as a couple? I couldn't care less. No matter their gender, I’ve sworn off romance of all forms, I know what your thinking, No . Orion does not count. That was one time and resulted in one of the worst mistakes of my life. No , I'm not elaborating.

Chiron led us to the living room, There were two couches arranged in a V facing towards a stone fireplace. Above the mantel, a stuffed leopard head was snoring. Probably Dio’s work.

I steered Apollo to the couches, the trek to the big house had clearly taken it out of him.

He didn't even try to protest when I practically pushed him onto one.

“Lie down ‘Pollo, you look like you're about to fall over.” I plopped down on the couch next to him. He tried to look annoyed but he was smiling.

“Move over, your big ass is taking up the entire couch!” He shoved me over. I fell sideways, I hadn't been expecting him to push me.

“Apollo!” I was laughing too hard to even pretend to be offended. My eyes were watering and I was smiling so wide my cheeks were beginning to hurt, Apollo maneuvered into a more comfortable position as I got ahold of myself, I could hardly remember the last time I laughed like that. Apollo had his head rested on my lap, I felt a smile tugging at my lips.

Meg was throwing things at Seymour the leopard head, trying to wake him up, while Chiron got into his wheelchair. I couldn't care less about what they were doing.

At least, I didn't care, not until I glanced at Chiron. His legs were… very feminine. (Fishnet stockings? Really?) “Chiron- Your er.. Legs” I stared at them. They did not mesh with his professor aesthetic.

Chiron glanced down and sighed.

“Let me guess… The Stoll brothers? Connor and Travis?” Apollo guessed. “I've heard about them from Hermes.”

“No, I doubt it.” Chiron reached for a blanket from a nearby basket and covered his “Legs”. “Connor has mellowed ever since Travis left for college last autumn.”

“I poked that Connor guy in the eye.”

Chiron winced. “That’s nice, dear….At any rate, we have Julia Feingold and Alice Miyazawa now. They have taken up pranking duty. You’ll meet them soon enough.” Those girls in the Hermes cabin doorway came to mind. The ones who were giggling at us.

Meg looked over from playing on the Pac-man machine. When had she even gone over there?

Meg stepped away from the Pac-man game, it entertained her for a full twenty seconds. Apollo spoke up when she began to climb on the walls. Literally. She was scaling it by the grapevines. “Meg, Why don't you go watch the orientation video while we talk?” Apollo asked, pleaded, something along those lines.

I actually wouldn't mind watching it myself, if only to see Apollo’s normal form. It took him ages to make that film. Guess who had to man the camera? Me.

“I know plenty,” she said. Welp, we’re stuck with her. “I talked to the campers while you were passed out. ‘Safe place for modern demigods.’ Blah, blah, blah.”

“Oh, but the film is very good,” He pleaded. “I shot it on a tight budget in the 1950s-”

I cleared my throat. “You shot it?” I asked rhetorically. “Because I remember it differently. Didn’t you come barging into my camp because you broke-”

“Shhh” He reached up and covered my mouth. “As I was saying-” I bit his hand. “ARTEMIS!”

“Don't cover my mouth. How many times have we gone over this.”

He squinted at me. “ As I was saying, some of the camera work was revolutionary. You should really—”

The grapevine gave out from her weight, and Meg crashed to the floor she shot up directly after, her eyes honing in on a platter of cookies. “Are those free?”

Meg. Meg, it's a plate of cookies. Why wouldn't they be free? “Yes, child,” Chiron said. “Bring the tea as well, would you?”

Meg laid down on the couch beside ours, her legs hanging over the armrest. She was holding something like 8 cookies in one hand and was eating them religiously. Throwing crumbs and Seymour when Chiron wasn't looking.

I helped Apollo into a sitting position as Chiron poured us cups of tea. “I’m sorry Mr. D is not here to welcome you.”

“Mr. Dee?” Meg asked.

“Dionysus,” Apollo explained. “The god of wine. Also the director of this camp.”

Chiron handed Apollo his tea. “After the battle with Gaea, I thought Mr. D might return to camp, but he never did. I hope he’s alright.” He passed me my tea.

The centaur looked at us expectantly, Apollo shrugged and I tried to think of where Dio was. “Apollo here can't remember anything from the last six months.. As for me, I was to busy trying to appeal his- our punishment. I guess I was hoping for you to fill us in.” And my memories are startling blurry. Why couldn't I recall where Dio is?

Chiron did a poor job hiding his disappointment. “I see….”

I quickly realized he was hoping that we could assist him, he was looking for advice. I mean, he shouldn't have expected much, especially considering that we arrived beat up, soaking wet and half dead. I mean, just look at us. Bruised, beaten, cold, mortal. Hell, Apollo still looks like a gust of wind could knock him over. I might look the same, forgive me but I haven't looked in a mirror recently.

In a strange way, Chiron looking at us for advice was a little overwhelming. As a goddess, lesser beings relied on me, but now? The idea of people begging and praying for me to assist them felt a tad terrifying.

“So Chiron, what's going on? You look distressed.”

“Like Cassandra when Troy was falling,” Apollo grumbled. I would have elbowed him if not for the fact I feared hurting him.

Chiron didn't comment on his comparison, he cupped his hands around his tea.

“You know that during the war with Gaea, the Oracle of Delphi stopped receiving prophecies. In fact, all known methods of divining the future suddenly failed.” “Because the original cave of Delphi was retaken,” Apollo said with a sigh.

“Not his fault,” I said immediately. Apollo glanced at me warningly, like Do not have a repeat of earlier.

Chiron raised an eyebrow.

Meg threw a chocolate chip at Seymour the leopard’s nose. It bounced off. “Oracle of Delphi. Percy mentioned that.”

“Percy Jackson?” Chiron sat up. “Percy was with you?”

“For a time,” Apollo replied.

“There were some monsters-” Chiron looked concerned. “No, he did not die, don't think like that, he just got a head cold. Nosoi are nasty things.”

“Basically, to sum it up quickly, Artemis saved my life,” Apollo glanced at me pointedly. “Meg used fruit as missiles, Yes Meg, that was you, and Percy also saved our lives with his water bending abilities, and-”

“A demon fruit toddler devoured the Nosoi in the end” I Interrupted.

“A…. Demon fruit toddler..?” Chiron inquired

“His name is peaches.” Meg cut in. “I think Percy called him a carp-oy.”

“Karpoi” I corrected.

“Whatever.”

“Anyway, Percy said he would drive up here over the weekend if he could.”

Chiron looked disappointed. Was Percy that much more pleasant than us?

“At any rate,” he continued, “we hoped that once the war was over, the Oracle might start working again. When it did not…Rachel became concerned.”

“Who’s Rachel?” Meg asked.

“Rachel Dare,” Apollo said. “The Oracle.”

“Thought the Oracle was a place.”

“It is.”

“Then Rachel is a place, and she stopped working?”

Apollo groaned, then sipped his tea.

“The original Delphi was a place in Greece,” Apollo told her. “A cavern filled with volcanic fumes, where people would come to receive guidance from my priestess, the Pythia.”

“Pythia.” Meg giggled. “That’s a funny word.”

“Yes. Ha-ha. So the Oracle is both a place and a person. When the Greek gods relocated to America back in…what was it, Chiron, 1860?”

Chiron seesawed his hand. “More or less.”

“18...1856 I think it was” I answered quietly

“I brought the Oracle here to continue speaking prophecies on my behalf. The power has passed down from priestess to priestess over the years. Rachel Dare is the present Oracle.”

Meg grabbed the only Oreo, the cookie I wanted.

“Mm-kay. Is it too late to watch that movie?”

“Yes,” He snapped. “Now, the way I gained possession of the Oracle of Delphi in the first place was by killing this monster called Python who lived in the depths of the cavern.”

Oh.

I have to feign indifference. How does one pretend not to know that their brother’s mortal enemy nearly defeated him and that he’s terrified of the snake, I have no idea. I made my best slightly worried face.

“A python like the snake?” Meg asked.

“Yes and no. The snake species is named after Python the monster, who is also rather snaky, but who is much bigger and scarier and devours small girls who talk too much"

"That's cold,” I muttered, sipping my tea.

“At any rate, last August, while I was…indisposed-”

I coughed.

Apollo sighed. “While I was stuck on Delphi, my ancient foe Python was released from Tartarus. He reclaimed the cave of Delphi. That’s why the Oracle stopped working.”

“But if the Oracle is in America now, why does it matter if some snake monster takes over its old cave?”

“It’s too much to explain,” Apollo said. “You’ll just have to—”

“Meg, The original site of the Oracle is like the deepest taproot of a tree. The branches and leaves of prophecy may extend across the world, and Rachel Dare may be our loftiest branch, but if the taproot is strangled, the whole tree is endangered. With Python back in residence at his old lair, the spirit of the Oracle has been completely blocked.”

“Oh.” Meg made a face at Apollo. “Why didn’t you just say so?”

Apollo looked livid, I set my hand over his. Chiron refilled his teacup.

“The larger problem,” Chiron said, “is that we have no other source of prophecies.”

“Who cares?” Meg asked. “So you don’t know the future. Nobody knows the future.”

She.. really shouldn't have said that.

“Who cares?!” Apollo shouted. “Meg McCaffrey, prophecies are the catalysts for every important event—every quest or battle, disaster or miracle, birth or death. Prophecies don’t simply foretell the future. They shape it! They allow the future to happen.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Apollo. She’s 12.”

He grunted in response.

Chiron cleared his throat. “Imagine prophecies are flower seeds. With the right seeds, you can grow any garden you desire. Without seeds, no growth is possible.”

“Oh.” Meg nodded. “That would suck.”

“So where is Rachel Dare?” Apollo asked, forcing himself to sound calm “Perhaps if I spoke with her…?”

Chiron set down his tea. “Rachel planned to visit us during her winter vacation, but she never did. It might not mean anything….”

Apollo leaned forward. From the little I've heard of Rachel, it wasn’t like her not to show up at all.

“Or?” Apollo asked.

“Or it might be part of the larger problem,” Chiron said. “Prophecies are not the only things that have failed. Travel and communication have become difficult in the last few months. We haven’t heard from our friends at Camp Jupiter in weeks. No new demigods have arrived. Satyrs aren’t reporting from the field. Iris messages no longer work.”

“Iris what?” Meg asked.

“Two-way visions,” I explained. “Demigods throw a drachma into a rainbow as an offering the rainbow goddess, Iris.”

“Iris has always been flighty….” Apollo murmured.

“Except that normal human communications are also on the fritz,” Chiron said. “Of course, phones have always been dangerous for demigods—”

“Yeah, they attract monsters,” Meg agreed. “I haven’t used a phone in forever.”

“A wise move,” Chiron said. “But recently our phones have stopped working altogether. Mobile, landline, Internet…it doesn’t seem to matter. Even the archaic form of communication known as e-mail is strangely unreliable. The messages simply don’t arrive.”

“Did you look in the junk folder?” Apollo offered.

“I fear the problem is more complicated,” Chiron said. “We have no communication with the outside world. We are alone and understaffed. You are the first newcomers in almost two months.”

“Huh. I mean.. I’d assume my relatives have more children out there. But who knows, the titan war sent the population of demigods lower than it's been in generations."

Apollo frowned. “Percy Jackson mentioned nothing of this.”

“I doubt Percy is even aware,” Chiron said. “He’s been busy with school. Winter is normally our quietest time. For a while, I was able to convince myself that the communication failures were nothing but an inconvenient happenstance. Then the disappearances started.”

In the fireplace, a log slipped from the andiron and into the fire. Beside me Apollo practically jumped out of his seat, tea spilled from his cup into his lap. He visibly deflated as he weakly attempted to brush the drops off. A pointless endeavor.

“Oh dear...” I murmured, standing up to fetch Apollo a napkin, then I realized I didn't know where any were. “Do you have any napkins? Paper towel?”

“Yes, paper towel. Around the corner on the counter.”

I had.. A difficult time finding the paper towel, but I managed. I may or may not have required more information from Chiron. But I managed, bringing a few back to Apollo, who was trying to ignore Megs snickering. “Here”

“Thank you.” He murmured, fervently attempted to dry his pants.

“Don't mind me” He grit out. “Please continue”

“Alright.. Three demigods have gone missing in the last month Chiron said. “First it was Cecil Markowitz from the Hermes cabin, One morning his bunk was simply empty. He didn’t say anything about wanting to leave. No one saw him go. And in the past few weeks, no one has seen or heard from him.

“Children of Hermes do tend to sneak around,” Apollo interjected.

“At first, that’s what we thought,” said Chiron. “But a week later, Ellis Wakefield disappeared from the Ares cabin. Same story: empty bunk, no signs that he had either left on his own or was…ah, taken. Ellis was an impetuous young man. It was conceivable he might have charged off on some ill-advised adventure, but it made me uneasy. Then this morning we realized a third camper had vanished: Miranda Gardiner, head of the Demeter cabin. That was the worst news of all.”

Meg swung her feet off the armrest. “Why is that the worst?”

“Miranda is one of our senior counselors,” Chiron explained. “She would never leave on her own without notice. She is too smart to be tricked away from camp and too powerful to be forced. Yet something happened to her…something I can’t explain.”

The old centaur turned to face us, a haunted look in his eyes. “Something is very wrong Letoides, These problems may not be as alarming as the rise of Kronos or the awakening of Gaea, but in a way, I find them even more unsettling, because I have never seen anything like this before.”

Apollo seemed to be lost in thought. “These demigods…” He said. “Before they disappeared, did they act unusual in any way? Did they report…hearing things?”

Chiron raised an eyebrow. “Not that I am aware of. Why?”

I turned to face him, he never did say what happened in the woods.

He seemed reluctant to say more, I understood where he was coming from. Causing a panic was a bad idea. Chiron studied us.

“Nevermind. Our first priority should be helping us regain our divinity. Then we can assist with other problems.”

I couldn't say I didn't agree, but we would be a mortal at least a year. “Apollo. You know these punishments last a year. There isn't much point in trying to sway Father.”

Chiron stroked his beard. “Artemis is correct, but on the other hand, what if the problems are connected, my friends? What if the only way to restore you both to Olympus is by reclaiming the Oracle of Delphi, thus freeing the power of prophecy? What if Delphi is the key to it all?”

That… made sense. Python controlled Delphi. Meaning we had to kill the serpent. Meaning many things that I will think about later.

“In our present state, that’s impossible.” I pointed at Meg. “Right now, our job is to serve this demigod, probably for a year, as Artie pointed out. After I’ve done whatever tasks he assigns me, Zeus will judge if our sentence has been served, and we can once again reign immortal.”

Meg pulled apart a Fig Newton. Why? I couldn't tell you.Those are the best cookies.. Eat them normally child. “I could order you to go to this Delphi place.”

“No!” Apollo’s voice cracked mid-shriek. “You should assign us easy tasks—like starting a rock band, or just hanging out. Yes, hanging out is good.”

I glared at Meg, Strike one. I reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. “Meg. We are currently in no shape to fight anything. Much less get to Delphi"

Meg looked unconvinced. “You could take a plane”

Apollo stiffened and I laughed humorlessly. “You mean get thrown from the sky by our father so we die in the flaming wreckage of a plane. No.” Chiron glanced at me curiously. I ignored him.

“...well, Hanging out isn't a task.” Meg resorted.

“It is if you do it right. Camp Half-Blood can protect us while we hang out. After our year of servitude is up, we’ll become immortal again. Then we can talk about how to restore Delphi.” Apollo argued.

But I knew immediately after he’d order some demigods to do it for him, and Zeus wouldn’t like that.

“Apollo,” I sighed. “We may not have a year.”

“What do you mean?” He questioned.

“If demigods keep disappearing, the strength of camp weakens, and then they can't protect us. Besides, you are far from helpless.”

“I’m mortal ” He responded.

“I’m mortal.” I repeated, gesturing to myself. “‘Pollo, we are both mortal, we’re in this mess together,”

Apollo gestured angrily. “Artie we can die-”

“and! Apollo, Delphi IS your responsibility.” I added.

Chiron nodded thoughtfully.

Apollo groaned and put his head in his hands. Even he can't argue with logic. “Why us?” He asked rhetorically. “ I didn't open the doors of breath and let Python out! Zeus’s bad judgment got us in this mess in the first place!”

“Apollo..”

“When the giants started to wake, I drew up a very clear Twenty-Point Plan of Action to Protect Apollo and Also You Other Gods, but he didn’t even read it!”

“Yes. I do remember. ‘Pollo. You refused to let me edit.. But, to be honest, your plan was better than Zeus’s ‘wait till the last minute plan’.”

“Thank you.”

Meg tossed half of her cookie at Seymour’s head. “I still think it’s your fault. Hey, look! He’s awake!” Meg spoke in a way that made it sound like the Leopard had woken up in his own, was like he wasn't nailed in the eye with a Fig Newton.

His fault? I bristled at her statement because this so wasn’t his fault. Before I could argue Apollo just looked at me and shook his head. His message was clear. It's not worth it.

“RARR,” Seymour complained.

I felt the same.

Chiron wheeled his chair back from the table. “My dear, in that jar on the mantel, you’ll find some Snausages. Why don’t you feed him dinner? The twins and I will wait on the porch.”

~0~

I helped Apollo to his feet, a task in it'self. He didn't fall like earlier, thank the gods, but he swayed for a moment, almost falling, he steadied himself on the back of the couch.

Chiron looked wary.

“Do you think you can walk?” I asked quietly, he nodded quickly, staggering into a standing position. Once we reached the porch, Apollo started leaned on the railing heavily.

Chiron turned his wheelchair to face us. “She’s an interesting demigod.”

“Interesting is such a nonjudgmental term,” Apollo stated.

I smiled weakly.

“She really summoned a karpos?” Chiron

“Well…the spirit appeared when she was in trouble. Whether she consciously summoned it, I don’t know” Apollo replied.

Chiron scratched his beard. “I have not seen a demigod with the power to summon grain spirits in a very long time. You know what it means?”

Apollo’s legs began to tremble. I immediately took a step closer to him. “I have my suspicions. I’m trying to stay positive.” He muttered.

“She guided you two of the woods,” Chiron noted. “Without her—”

“Artemis would have gotten me out.” He interrupted, looking at Chiron.

“Apollo-” I attempted to speak.

“You would have gotten us out, Artie. I trust you.” He replied I felt my lip twitch upward.

Chiron chuckled. I turned to him. He had this.. Look in his eyes. A look I've seen mirrored in my previous lieutenant’s eyes as she looked over recruit's. The look of someone scanning for new talent, I’d never imagined someone would look at me like that. It felt.. Objectifying.

“Tell me,” Chiron looked at Apollo, “what did you hear in the woods?”

Apollo froze, he laughed dryly. “I- well.. When I was in the woods.. There was a distinctly feminine voice.. And she was.. Screaming. Screaming from inside my head, I think. You couldn't hear it… Screaming stuff about fires and finding her and-” his voice was trembling. “She said- I'm quoting here- “The sun's fall, the final verse” and-” His voice broke, I reached over and grabbed his hand.

“I won't let you die,” I said quietly. “I’ll continue with the dream, okay?”

“That.. That would be nice” He looked out of it, his eyes on the ground. I squeezed his hand, hoping I was reassuring. I'm not going to let him die.

“When.. When I took a nap in the cabin while Apollo was unconscious, we shared a dream. In the dream we were in the sun chariot, a lady was there. She.. Looked like a queen. Not Hera. Hera doesn't smile. She was talking about following the voices and finding some gates.” I said. “Apollo you said something about a prophecy didn't you?”

“Uh- Yeah. I just- I don't know what I meant by that…”

“That's fine ‘Pollo. After that, she disappeared and the Chariot went into bus form. There was this… man in the back. I don't know why but.. He’s bad news. I know he is. The chariot was in a death spiral and he said something about burning down an Oracle. He was laughing.” Apollo’s grip on my hand tightened as I spoke.

Chiron’s hands curled into his lap blanket. He looked about as worried as it is possible for a man to look while wearing fishnet stockings.

“We will have to warn the campers to stay away from the forest,” he decided. “I do not understand what is happening, but I still maintain it must be connected to Delphi, and your present…ah, situation. The Oracle must be liberated from the monster Python. We must find a way.”

I translated that easily enough: Apollo and I must find a way.

Chiron smiled weakly at us.

“Come, come, Apollo,” he said. “You have done it before. Perhaps you are not a god now, but the first time you killed Python it was no challenge at all! Hundreds of storybooks have praised the way you easily slew your enemy.”

I winced. The biggest lie my brother has ever told. Apollo glanced at me curiously.

“Yes,” He muttered. “Hundreds of storybooks.”

As I've said before, Python was not an easy fight for my brother. I saw the aftermath. He doesn't know I know how badly he was injured, but he’s had nightmares about the Serpent forever. My brother told everyone he killed it quickly, called out the serpent, and BAM! A dead snake, Apollo became lord of Delphi, and everyone was happy. From the bit's I've heard, and what I've seen, Python was no pushover. I doubted we could even pose a threat without our divine powers, the ability to teleport and our bows. We would die in mere minutes.

What kind of chance would we have as a sixteen-year-old mortals? We are not going to charge off to Greece and get ourselves killed.

Apollo looked frustrated, anxious, and angry. He looked like he was going to speak but before he could speak a conch horn in the distance.

“That means dinner.” The centaur forced a smile. “We will talk more later, eh? For now, let’s celebrate your arrival.”

[FIRST]

[PREVIOUS]

[NEXT]

#what the hell #the hidden oracle+1 #the hidden oracle plus one #hahahahahahahhaHAHHAHAH #lester papadopoulos #apollo #artemis #trials of apollo #my fic #my ficc #my ficccccc #help me

8 notes · View notes

fearofaherobrine · 8 years ago

Text

Roleplay Server Log #240

“Death Of A Herobrine, One Pixel”

[CP] After a few days he's traversing the overworld, searching for where his mobs had vanished. He was baffled by what he had found. In the server's system, there was no sign of the mobs having even existed ever, which CP knew was wrong, he had spoken with some of the mobs before. He was so focused on trying to figure out what had happened that he didn't notice the figure which had begun stalking him until an overwhelming sense of dread overtook him. A growl forms deep in CP's throat as he scans his surroundings- I KNOW YOU'RE THERE!

[NOTCH] - Oh do you?- The cruel NOTCH steps out from the shadows, a diamond blade glittering in his hands

[CP] Growls as he summons both of his weapons only to remember the scarf around his sword, he quickly dismisses the sword- What have you done to my mobs?

[NOTCH] - I had need for test subjects

[CP] Readies himself to attack- Test subjects? My mobs are not your guinea pigs!

[NOTCH] - Oh but I believe they are, you pathetic excuse. I suspect your brother is with you, the fact he hasn't alerted me to where you've moved to makes me think that you've finally convinced him to join your side... Perhaps he needs to be removed as well

[CP] - You won't lay a finger on Stevie

[NOTCH] - Watch me

[CP] Charges forwards swinging his pick at the NOTCH which artfully dodges, keeping the sword at the ready-

[NOTCH] - Was that a sheath I saw on your sword? Are you hindering yourself now? It almost appeared to be made from hair!

[CP] - Shut up!

[Notch] Is watching carefully for an opening, knowing he has a better chance of finding one since CP isn't using his sword-

[CP] Swings at the NOTCH's legs and just barely misses, he over stretches himself and the NOTCH strikes quickly, barely scraping CP with the sword, but that's all he needs. A searing pain erupts through CP where the sword hits and begins spreading across his body. He hears NOTCH laugh coldly as the being steps away-

[NOTCH] - That should finally take care of you, now to move onto everything you love. Your mobs were test subjects to finding a new way to remove you. I'll be ever so glad to see you gone

[CP] Falls to the ground, unable to speak due to pain and he watches as his body begins dissolving, pixel by pixel, his code being unraveled and ripped apart before his very eyes. It isn't long before he actually passes out from pain, his last conscious thoughts of his wife and begrudgingly, his family, including Markus-

[Lie] Is moving some things in her workroom and just freezes, her mind feeling as if a whip had snapped and broken in her mind, she lets out a scream which can be heard halfway across the village as she collapses to the ground. She curls up, sobbing loudly and around the outside of the house her black vines erupt and practically smother the house-

[TLOT] Runs to her house

[Steve] Is huffing along a few steps behind him-

[TLOT] Lie! Oh my Gods....LIE!

[Lie] - Can't hear them-

-A few offensive pods move amongst the black vines around her house-

[TLOT] Focuses his mind on getting through to her-

[Lie] Her mind is in confusion and pain, seeking something familiar which had been yanked away-

[TLOT] Grabs Steve as he comes up and tps inside- Lie? Where are you Lie?!

[Hope] Goes rushing past them to look into the workroom-

[Lie] Is just sobbing-

[TLOT] Goes to her and instantly feels the loss -

[Steve] Feels the echo of it through his husband. He doesn't hesitate to run to her and hug her.

[TLOT] Joins his mate- Lie...

[Lie] - I... I can't feel him... It.... It just... Stopped...

[TLOT] Searches hard- But I can still feel him... It's small but present.

[Lie] - It was... Was just so sudden...

[Steve] Wails- Poor Cp!

[TLOT] Moves his hand over her, expecting the feeling to be coming from the redstone heart, but it's a bit higher. He hovers a hand over her breast and feels the little bump of the pendant- It's coming from here?

[Lie] - I... I had Doc give me one of his pixels... After he told me what he might have to do...

[TLOT] Rocks back on his heels. - Ah. Then he isn't lost to us. You just have to be patient. You have everything he needs.

[Lie] - But... My mind feels so empty...

[TLOT] Give him some time. He just needs to regenerate. You trust Doc's work don't you?

[Lie] - Y-yes...

[TLOT] Hugs her warmly - It'll be alright Lie. Just keep that little piece safe, and you'll have him back.

[Lie] - I just... Don't want to be alone right now...

[TLOT] You're never alone Lie.

[Steve] We're all here for you.

[TLOT] Just clear away the vines and I think, judging by what I'm feeling outside, you'll soon be the opposite of alone.

[Lie] - Vines?

[Steve] The whole outside of the house is covered Lie...

[Lie] - Oh...- She concentrates and the vines slip away

-There's an immediate bang as the front door swings open and closed-

[Notch] Skids hard on the floor and almost slams into the wall trying to get to her.

[Doc] Runs in the opposite way with Herabrine close on hir heels-

[Herabrine] Lie.....!

[Lie] Sniffles and rubs her eyes clear-

[Notch] Sits next to her- It's okay Lie...

[Doc] A bit urgently- do you have the piece?!

[Lie] - Yeah, I have the piece

[Doc] Thank goodness.... Fuck his fucking NOTCH bastard...- is quite angry-

[Lie] - He... He knew there was a chance of having to face him... That's why I asked you to get me the pixel...

[TLOT] Thank goodness for that.

[Doc] I would have done it sooner if he'd been willing. Gods know I've hidden a few pieces of myself just in case.

[Lie] - He... He figured his NOTCH was behind the new leaders which were emerging, attacking his generals, and then vanishing...

[Doc] I'm not suprised.

[Herabrine] It's not like another brine would go to that much trouble to fuck over one of their own....

[Lie] Sobs softly- It was so sudden...

[Herabrine] At least he didn't suffer...

[TLOT] I know it hurts, but he's not gone.

[Doc] Yeah, he just needs some time to rebuild. Once he's regrown enough pixels to form a mouth you can feed him stuff to speed it up.

[Hope] Comes closer and mews softly-

[Lie] - How long though? How long before this pixel finally starts growing?

[Doc] It probably already is. It'll sorta pop into a bigger shape when it hits enough stored pixels to make something substantial.

[Notch] What kind of shape?

[Doc] Honestly, I don't know... when I was really small I think I was probably kind of like a... pac-man? Something very simple. Just a few pixels.

[Lie] Her hands come up to cup the locket and she whispers to it- Please... Hurry...

[Hope] Crawls into Lie's lap-

[Herabrine] Well... I'm going to make you some dinner Lie.

[Steve] I'll feed the animals!

[Notch] I'll get you a blanket-

[TLOT] I'll be right back with alcohol and bacon. - tps away-

[Doc] Looks around a bit helplessly for a moment- I'm... not going to leave you alone Lie.

[Lie] - Thank you, help me up to my room?

[Doc] Does so -

[Notch] Meets them halfway and drapes a blanket over her shoulders-

[Lie] - Thanks Notch..., guess I probably scared you with that scream...

[Notch] Very much so. I was retrieving an item that fell under my desk and whacked my head on it bolting upright -

[Lie] - Sorry...

[Notch] It's okay. I can't remember what I was reaching for, but it probably wasn't important.

[TLOT] Reappears with a cloud of bacon-y steam, a tray of cinnamon rolls and several bottles of booze. - Rolls courtesy of Sam.

[Lie] - I'll have to thank him later- They reach her room and she sits on the bed which seems a bit to large for comfort at the moment

[Herabrine] Reappears with a huge plate of chicken, it's cooked simply but falling off the bone. - Hey, what's with the breakfast stuff?

[TLOT] Sam sent it over

[Gk] Clatters into the yard wailing - Cp!?!??! Buddy!?

[Lie] Looks out her window and shakes her head-

[Gk] Bangs his horned head on the window- Argh!

[Doc] Gk! Don't hurt yourself!

[TLOT] It'll be okay! We still have a little piece!

[Gk] Is crying anyway- BAWWWW

-There's a bit of a commotion from down in the workrom-

[Steve] Runs up outside and pats his leg- He'll be back. It's okay!

[Gk] Grabs Steve reflexitively and cries on him-

[Doc] Uh... I'm gonna go check on that- Runs off to see-

[Endrea] Is standing at the base of the stairs blocking Winston form going any farther- The Mistress doesn't need to be bothered right now Winston

[Winston] - Endrea, the Master has vanished into nothing. The Mistress is next in command and should address the mobs, they are panicked and confused right now!

[Doc] Comes up behind her- Winston!

[Winston] - Oh, Doctor.

[Doc] Winston. Lie is really distraught right now. She needs the support of her friends. And Cp isn't gone. He's just in a really diminished state.

[Winston] - Then what are we to do? The mobs have no idea what to do. According to one of Eliza's children the Master was merely scratched by NOTCH's sword before he dissolved into nothing. They are scared about what could happen if that has happened to their Master. They also want to make sure that they don't lose their other leader!

[Doc] NOTCH did kill him, that is true. But he's recursive because of my alterations. We still have a bit of him he left here as insurance against this very thing. He just needs some time to get back on his feet.

As for the mobs? Do you want me to hide them?

[Winston] - Bringing all of them over here would be a hassle, and without the Master's command they would be rather destructive

[Doc] I wasn't proposing that. But I know you guys move around a lot anyway. I could make a fresh seed next door and you can wreck it up until Cp is back on his feet.

[Winston] - No... For now I'll do what I can, but please, as soon as the Mistress is able to, please have her come speak to them

[Doc] I'll let her know. Just try to keep everyone else as hidden and safe as you can in the meantime.

[Winston] - I will do what I can- He turns to leave and slips through a portal

[Endrea] Huffs a little-

[Doc] Easy Endrea, you can't really blame him for being upset.

[Endrea] - No, but I am the one contracted to the Mistress, thus part of my job is to protect her

[Doc] Then be there for her please. She's really upset right now.

[Endrea] - I still have my children to watch though, and I believe her room is crowded enough at the moment

[Doc] I understand. - Turns to go back to her-

[Lie] Has eaten some of the food and has managed to stop crying-

[Doc] sits on the edge of the bed-

[TLOT] Has taken up a meditative pose and is trying to spread some calming energy-

[Lie] Jumps a little as she feels the locket twitch-

[Doc] What is it Lie?

[Lie] Pulls the locket out- It twitched...

[Herabrine] Hey Cp? You gonna come out?

[TLOT] Opens one eye-

-The locket twitches again-

[Doc] You might want to take it off and hold it or set it on the bed....

[Lie] Lifts the locket so the string slips off over her head and holds it gently in her hands as the movements become a bit more frequent-

[Doc] Actually, you should probably open it. Just press the side and it'll pop open like a normal locket-

[Lie] Does so and there's a bit of a popping sound as a spawn egg jumps out- A... A spawn egg?

[Doc] Not a bad shape to rest in while you heal-

[TLOT] Gets up to get a closer look. He runs a hand above the surface. - He is in there....

[Lie] - Thank goodness...- She cradles the egg close to herself

[Gk] sobbing suddenly stops- What the fuck?

[Steve] Let go of me!

[TLOT] Moves his hand in a sweeping gesture. He's mumbling softly soothing words.

-There's a lot of murmuring from outside-

[Doc] Goes to the window. - Umm...

[Lie] - What is it?

[Doc] You should probably see for yourself...

[Lie] Pushes herself up off the bed to look out the window-

-There's a rather large pile of picked flowers on the ground under her window and a great deal of Testificates looking up at her with worried faces-

[Lie] She smiles sadly at them, holding CP's egg a bit closer-

[TLOT] Is letting them know mentally that it will be okay. That Cp was hurt and his wife is upset.

[Testificates] Nodding and offers of help-

[Steve] Comes back upstairs a bit out of breath and damp from being cried on - Whoah... is that?

[Doc] Yes.

[Lie] Returns to the bed and sits down- Yeah

[Notch] Holds up the discarded blanket - Do we need to incubate it?

[Lie] - I don't know,..

[Doc] No. It's just a shell.

[Lie] - Hera... Would you mind staying here for the time being? You can build a pen for Maggie in here

[Doc] You don't want to come stay with me?

[Herabrine] Of course. Whatever you need Lie.

[Lie] - I'd rather stay here, but I will call for you if I need you

[Doc] Understood.

[TLOT] Say my name Lie, and I'll be here in a matter of moments.

[Lie] - I know, thank you

6 notes · View notes

dorkforty · 7 years ago

Text

Art by Tom Kelly: https://tomkellyart.deviantart.com/gallery/

So it’s been a while since we did any Fantastic Four Re-Mix. A full year, in fact. What can I say? I hit a snag in the plot and let myself get tripped up on it. And I’ve always felt just slightly silly doing these things, anyway, so it seemed better to just wander off. But I re-read the earlier chapters recently, and realized that I liked them quite a bit. That lead me back in, and I had enough story left to tell that I decided to unsnarl my plot and keep going.

(And then, of course, they announced this week that they’re finally launching a new Fantastic Four book this summer. So I figured that, if I was going to finish this thing, I needed to go ahead and do it.)

But like I said… It’s been a while. So I suppose some explanations are in order. If this is your first time encountering the Fantastic Four Remix, for instance, I’m sure you have some questions…

WHAT IS IT? A far-more-complicated-than-I-imagined working-through of some ideas I had to relaunch the Fantastic Four from scratch, in the present-day.

WHY WOULD ANYONE DO SUCH A THING? Because I love the Fantastic Four. And since there hasn’t been an FF book in a while, I figured I might as well fill the gap.

WHY NOT JUST WRITE STORIES THEN, YOU FREAK? Because I had a lot of ground I wanted to cover, and wasn’t willing to devote that much time to writing characters I don’t own without getting paid for it. I love my readers, but I don’t love them THAT much.

IF YOU REALLY LOVED US, YOU’D WRITE MORE FUNNYBOOK REVIEWS! Piss off! I’m just having fun here, okay?! Gahd! Get off my back!

ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT. SO WHERE COULD I READ THE REST OF THIS NONSENSE? IF I WAS INTERESTED? WHICH I’M NOT. Nope. Sorry. Not gonna tell ya. You were rude.

OH FOR GOD’S SAKE! I’M SORRY, OKAY? I’D REALLY LIKE TO READ THEM. IF ONLY TO SEE HOW STUPID YOU ARE. Well… Okay. Previous chapters of the FF Remix can be found here:

https://dorkforty.wordpress.com/tag/fantastic-four-remix/

ALRIGHT, THEN! Alright!

Ahem. Sorry about that. These new readers can be SO touchy. For the rest of you, though…

WHAT HAS COME BEFORE: Oh, lots of stuff. I am nothing if not a complicated plotter. To really steep yourself in all the various details, you’d have to go back and read the whole thing. I’ll try to fill in background where I can, but here’s a rough overall picture to get you started:

Reed Richards put together a team for a mission to explore the Negative Zone: Ben Grimm (pilot)! Johnny Storm (mechanic)! Susan Storm (the journalist who tells their story to the world)! But upon arrival, they collided with an alien artifact and were bombarded with THE POWER COSMIC! This gave them their familiar powers as the Fantastic Four. They uncover a SECRET INVASION plot by the shape-shifting alien SKRULL, which is an on-going subplot. Reed’s friendly rival VICTOR VON DOOM hires the team to test his experimental TIME PLATFORM, and in the process, Ben becomes Blackbeard (dubbed THINGBEARD by Johnny)…

…an incident that’s still echoing through the story now. Doom is a continuing character in the Re-Mix, a villainous foil to the team, ala John Bryne’s Lex Luthor. He has an on-going scheme to wrest control of Latveria from the tyrannical regime that killed his gypsy family, and a growing suspicion that the FF represent a dangerous threat to mankind that must be eliminated. Likewise, PRINCE NAMOR the SUBMARINER is a continuing character, a noble-but-arrogant anti-hero type who has until recently been romancing Sue. As in the original story, he was discovered as a wandering amnesiac, who’d been missing since the end of World War II. But he’s since found lost Atlantis, saved it from the barbarian Attuma, and been rejected as their monarch (they adopted democracy in his absence). He’s currently serving as Atlantis’ ambassador to the UN, and is romantically entangled with the Lady Dorma.

Re-Mix Dorma is the former consort of Attuma, a fierce barbarian woman tossed aside in favor of “soft Atlantean women” when Attuma conquered Atlantis. She helped Namor defeat him, and has since been wrapped up in a quadrangle of sorts with Reed, Sue, and Namor (weird romance having become an unexpected theme of the Re-Mix). That’s all ended recently, and Reed and Sue are finally starting to look like they might get together after all (though throwing roadblocks in front of that inevitable relationship has been perversely pleasing, and I’m not quite done doing it yet).

But, Dorma. I’ve been struggling to find a decent image that matched the slightly unearthly look I wanted for her (and the Atlanteans in general), but here’s a Photoshop job I stumbled across recently that does a fair job of it. I couldn’t find reference to the artist, unfortunately. But the eyes are really striking, I think:

At any rate.

In recent issues, the Thing was captured by THE INHUMANS, who want to put him on trial for the murder of a crew of Inhuman scouts back during the THINGBEARD INCIDENT. That murder didn’t happen, however, so the rest of the team freed him, causing incredible strife within the Inhuman ruling class in the process, and then escaped from the SECRET CITY OF ATILLAN with the queen’s little sister CRYSTAL in tow. They were pursued by KARNAK and GORGON, but then there was a whole huge incident with the newly-awakened FIN FANG FOOM, and everybody teamed up to deal with it. In the aftermath, Karnak shook Ben’s hand… AND SPLIT HIM IN HALF WITH THE DEADLY ONE-INCH PUNCH! Quickly teleporting out with the aid of Lockjaw, Karnak informed the team that they were welcome to offer up a defense of Ben at his trial, in one week’s time. And that’s where we pick the story up now…

ARC FOURTEEN: THE TRIAL OF THE THING!

This will be a two-pronged arc, with one side giving a more realistic picture of Inhuman society as Crystal and Johnny return to Attilan to prepare for Ben’s trial, and the other following Reed and Sue as they search for evidence of what happened to the Inhuman scouts. But first…

PART ONE: INTERLUDE

After the all-out action of the last story arc, we take an issue to catch up with the supporting cast and our various subplots:

When last we saw Frankie Raye (Johnny Storm’s girlfriend/rival on the outlaw racing circuit)…

…she’d had a drunken make-out session with rival driver Tura. Frankie broke it off before things got too heavy, but she’s still a little shaken up by it. For one thing, she’s surprised at herself for showing such loyalty to Johnny. I mean, they’re just havin’ some fun, right? RIGHT? Hurm. Heading to the garage the next morning, she hopes to commiserate with her BFF/mechanic Wyatt Wingfoot, but instead walks in on him in the aftermath of a night of passion with Jean-Paul Valley, driver for the Northern Lights racing team (who, in another world, is the mutant super hero Northstar). This is primarily a comedic scene, but Frankie’s confusion and frustration plays off Johnny’s increasing infatuation with Crystal, setting up the inevitable triangle.

Meanwhile, Namor sponsors the Latverian rebels in their bid to be recognized by the UN. It’s a controversial choice, considering Namor’s attack on the country’s legal government alongside Latverian expatriate Dr. Doom. But Namor handles the situation with an uncharacteristic elegance, explaining that his attack is what first brought the rebels’ plight to his attention. “My actions were misguided, based on poor intelligence about a Latverian attack on Atlantis. But the Hammerfell government is tyrannical nonetheless. And just as we in Atlantis have learned to embrace democracy, I believe that the Latverian people deserve the same chance.”

Alicia Masters (blind sculptress, lady friend of the Thing, and possible Skrull) gets a visit from her father Phillip (aka the Puppet Master, a famous stage puppeteer, and a secret Skrull agent).

As he promised he would, Phillip asks Alicia if she’d have a word with the FF about making a public appearance with Gabriel (charismatic evangelist and anti-Skrull activist). Alicia looks suspicious (“Dad, what are you up to?!”), but he assures her it’s all on the up and up. “Nobody wants the Skrull off Earth more than me, honey. You know that.” The two of them exchange a meaningful look, but Alicia remains ill at ease.

Of course, WE know that Masters only met with Gabriel to give his psychoactive clay time to bond, so that he could make a puppet of the man, under orders from the Skrull high command. But Alicia evidently does not. How much she knows or doesn’t know is – hopefully – the subject of much reader speculation at this point.

We also get back to the mysterious Men in Black (who’ve been going around asking questions about the FF for purposes unknown). Somewhere in the American Midwest, the dark-haired Man in Black (the one who seems to disapprove of the team) approaches a tidy home in a small town. The name on the mailbox reads “Grimm.” A sturdily-built elderly woman answers the door. Tall, with steel-gray hair, she’s a handsome woman in spite of her age (think Big Barda as somebody’s grandma). She’s wearing a leather workman’s apron, with a pair of leather gloves tucked into the waist and a pair of safety goggles resting on her head. “Miss Petunia Grimm? I’d like to ask you some questions about your nephew…”

CUT back to Namor, relaxing in his chambers with Dorma after his speech. He expresses distaste with it. “Embracing Democracy,” it seems, is not really something he’s very interested in. Dorma (ever conniving) soothes him, reassuring him that the deception, though necessary for diplomacy, will only be temporary. “If Doom can really deliver on his promises, darling, you’ll be back on the throne again soon. And then you need never worry about lying again.” They kiss, but their embrace is interrupted by a call from Hong Kong. Namor’s annoyance turns to shock, however, when hears a voice he never thought he’d hear again: his cousin Namora, ruler of the Atlantean splinter city of Pacifica, and protector of the Pacific Rim!

(She was introduced in the Fin Fang Foom arc, but that’s wwaaayy too complicated to explain here.)

The issue closes on Dr. Doom, watching news coverage of Namor’s UN speech from multiple different international sources, to gauge world-wide reaction to his scheme. His phone rings (though a phone seems like an awfully prosaic device for Doom to be using – maybe it’s some kind of cell access built into his mask?). It’s his lawyers, telling him that his strategy for dealing with the charges against him for his part in Namor’s attack on Latveria (long story) has worked. There are a few details left to clean up, but it looks like he’ll walk away clean. Pleased, Doom turns to a computer screen and opens a document labeled “Time Drone Analytics: Latverian Overthrow Stage Two.” His reverie is interrupted, however, by an unexpected visit from Reed Richards and Susan Storm!

REED: “We need your Time Platform, Victor! Lives may depend on it!”

TO BE CONTINUED!!

TWO: HOMECOMING

This issue deals with Crystal and Johnny, returning to Attilan to prepare for the trial. Its events take place over the course of a week, as they get things in order and await Reed and Sue’s return, hopefully with evidence that will clear the Thing.

It’s an awkward homecoming for Crystal; when she fled the city with the FF, she flouted generations of cultural tradition, and abandoned her duty to Inhuman society, as well (she was betrothed to Triton, Lord of the Undersea, and Black Bolt’s only equal). If it weren’t for Karnak’s judgment of her moral superiority in the Fin Fang Foom incident, she might be tossed in a cell upon her return. But Karnak’s word holds much sway, and so she is tolerated, if not welcomed back with open arms. Her sister Medusa, in particular, treats her coldly.

Visual Note: I haven’t found many Inhumans redesigns I liked all that much, but here’s a Crystal design I stumbled across that I do like. It’s alien, but still attractive, and the pose gives her a bit more fire to boot:

It’s through these various conflicts that we gain a more balanced view of Inhuman society. Black Bolt is far from the tyrant he seemed in the first Inhumans arc. He actually rules wisely and justly, and is beloved by his people. Gorgon is revealed as a melancholy poet, rather than the brute he pretended to be in pursuit of the FF. And Karnak… His final attack on the Thing has filled him with guilt and (worse for a man of his station and abilities) doubt. He spends every minute in deep meditation, emerging only to tend Ben’s wounds.

Ben, for his part, is doing as well as can be expected. After the attack, he’s undergone a shocking physical change: his rocky outer shell having been split in half by Karnak, his body shed it like a crushed fingernail, revealing a soft “nail bed” beneath. His exposed flesh is reddish-orange and very sensitive to touch. Inhuman medicine has helped as much as possible, but he’s still obviously quite uncomfortable. He faces it with a surprising humor, however, and little of the self-pity that’s haunted him since his transformation. Over the course of the week, he endears himself to many in Attilan, and eventually confesses to Johnny that he feels comfortable there. “For once, I’m not the ugliest guy in the room.”

Part of Ben’s change stems from the time he spends with Karnak. He applies healing unguents to Ben’s sensitive flesh, his abilities allowing him to apply the medications with only the slightest discomfort. But he also teaches Ben some of his meditative techniques, teaching him how to mentally overcome the pain, and in the process, helps him find peace within himself. (Note: this is a good opportunity for some cool trippy visuals. Specifically, some of Ben’s meditations could be built around the patterns of the Thing’s rocky hide.)

Meanwhile, Medusa, Crystal, and Johnny travel with Lockjaw to contact and gather witnesses. Black Bolt (speaking, as always, through Medusa) places a strict limit on the number of outsiders allowed into Attilan, however, and vetoes any of Ben’s military buddies, arguing that agents of human governments would be beholden to reveal Attilan’s existence to their superiors. That leaves them with three options: Alicia Masters, Ben Baxter (builder/owner of the Baxter Building, and mentor to Reed), and (gathered at Ben’s suggestion) his Aunt Petunia. Alicia and Petunia come immediately, with the others agreeing to testify on the day of the trial.

We see Johnny and Crystal grow closer through all of this. His attraction is obvious, and he makes her laugh in a situation that’s otherwise very difficult for her. Triton (to whom Crystal is still technically betrothed) stands between them, making Johnny reluctant to act on his feelings. But Triton hasn’t been seen in the upper city since the confrontation in Black Bolt’s throne room, and Crystal hasn’t attempted to contact him. Her desire for freedom has only intensified since her Terrigenesis, her emotions coming more and more to mirror the tempestuousness of her elemental powers. Eventually, as the week is winding down, she makes the first move. They kiss… And are interrupted by Medusa.

In a cold fury, she informs them that, even though Reed and Sue have not returned, the trial will go on as scheduled. And Crystal has been assigned to speak for the defense.

TO BE CONTINUED!!

THREE: PLUNDER

So where the hell are Reed and Sue? The next two issues answer that question.

We open with the two of them, and Dr. Doom, preparing for a jaunt into THINGBEARD TIMES to discover the fate of the Inhuman pirates Ben is accused of murdering. They’re dressed in clothing appropriate to the era, with Doom in his more subdued “Phantom of the Opera” style mask (Re-Mix Doom has several different costume variations to suit various social situations), and a few subtle accouterments that function like his full armor, but at only a fraction of the full suit’s power level.

(I’m told these are props from one of the bad FF movies, but they give you the general idea.)

He’s also improved his Time Platform since the last time we saw it, moving on from the prototype to something more streamlined and easier to control. He’s agreed to let them use it, but only on the condition that he himself goes with them, to ensure that they do nothing to alter history… “this time.”

(In flashback, we see how Reed and Sue got from Hong Kong to New York so quickly: they hitched a ride with Aged Genghis, who transported them magically back to the Baxter Building. When they thank him for his aid, he just smiles a vacant smile and says, “Anything for Wise Grimm.” Then he disappears in a puff of smoke.)

And so they’re off! Reed has brought along a sensor device that he’s attuned to detect Terrigen energies, which he hopes to use to find the Inhuman ship and its cargo. But first, they need some idea of where to start looking. That trail begins with the historical Blackbeard, Edward Teach (who capitalized on the fear surrounding the Thingbeard Incident to take the name for himself). Teach has no idea where the Inhuman crew is, but he gives them the name of another pirate who might: Lord Plunder, who’s most likely to be found across the Atlantic along the Gold Coast of Africa.

(Plunder is, of course, a long-standing Marvel name. If you want to assume this guy’s an ancestor of Ka-Zar, I’m not gonna stop you.)

They find Plunder freshly-returned from a trip to the Savage Land, selling live velociraptors to the highest bidder. They attend the auction, hoping to use it as an in to get information out of Plunder. Reed places bids (much to Doom’s chagrin – that could alter history, after all). But luckily, he’s outbid by… THE BLACK PANTHER! This is our first glimpse of the Panther, an ancestor of the modern-day T’Challa (who we’ll see in a later arc). He uses the raptors to destroy a slave port and free some captured Wakandans. Our Heroes get swept up in that action, aiding the Panther, but being helpless to stop the carnage he unleashes in the attack. Once that’s resolved, Plunder tells them what he knows. He has done business with the Inhuman crew in the past, but last he knew, they were heading round the Cape of Good Hope and back up toward Singapore.

An aside: Among Plunder’s crew is a Savage Land native who bears a striking resemblance to Reed’s mother. Reed (who spent time in the Savage Land when his parents took him there as a child) speaks to her in her own language, asking about her heritage. She tells him that her grandparents came to the Savage Land mysteriously one day, and disappeared just as mysteriously when she was a child. And Reed, she says, looks a lot like her grandfather… (TO BE CONTINUED!!)

(Note: Other Marvel Comics pirates who could be in Plunder’s crew: Patience Drew (aka the Queen of Spiders) Jebediah Fate (an immortal) Long John McGurk (a stranded space alien) Raza Longknife (another stranded alien, posing as a Pacific Islander) Jim Spliny, Black Mike, Maura Hawke, Slug McCarthy, Fredric Falkon, Heinrich Von Grubb

Most of these would just be easter eggs, names assigned to various background characters. But since I crawled down an interweb rabbit hole to get them, I thought I should share.)

FOUR: SHIPWRECKED

Plunder’s information leads Our Heroes to the South Pacific, and the Terrigen detector leads them to the future Monster Island, where they find the Inhuman ship run aground. There’s no sign of life, or of the ship’s Terrigen cargo.

Reed, Sue, and Doom split up to search the island for clues. Reed heads immediately to the volcano at the island’s center, and confirms his suspicions: the Terrigen has already been dumped inside. Searching for the cave the team found in the last storyline, he also finds the dormant Fin Fang Foom slumbering in peace, the Terrigen’s mutagenic effects not yet birthing monsters from his flesh.

Doom, meanwhile, finds a survivor of the shipwreck in the jungle. He’s just finished covering up a mass grave, in which he’s buried the bodies of his fellow crewmen. Delirious and half-crazed, he tells Doom the story of how the ship came to be there. They were caught up in a vicious storm, the worst any of them had ever seen. Conditions were so bad that communications with Attilan became impossible, and they feared they might be lost at sea. Struggling to keep afloat, they were then set upon by an armored warrior who came out of the storm itself and slaughtered everyone. This lone survivor lived only because he was pulled overboard during the attack, and brought to the island. He was delirious through much of the experience, but he claims that his benefactor was the man who helped them retrieve the Terrigen cargo in America: Benjamin J. Grimm, the man they dubbed Blackbeard!

Because, again, I can’t post this picture enough.

Elsewhere, Sue explores the wreck of the ship. Using her ability to make other things invisible, she looks around for secret compartments, or even just things they might have overlooked on their quick initial search. After poking around a bit, she finds the ship’s log tucked away in the captain’s quarters. It confirms the FF’s departure (Reed coming off far worse than Ben), then reveals the same story just told to Doom, but (crucially) ending before the arrival of the armored warrior. She finds a knapsack among the captain’s gear, puts the book in it, and is about to leave, but stops when she hears something. Turning toward what appears to be an ordinary part of the ship’s hull, she reaches out to make it invisible. We don’t see what’s inside, but she gasps as we…

CUT to the jungle, where Doom pumps the pirate for more information. But, exhausted from his exertions and nearly dead from exposure, he instead collapses into Doom’s arms. Doom lowers him to the ground and, holding him in a soothing manner, calmly snaps the pirate’s neck.

CUT back to Sue as she exits the ship, carrying the knapsack, but nothing else. She seems pensive, but none the worse for wear. Reed’s arriving on the beach at the same time, and, brandishing the bag, Sue tells him that she thinks she’s found what they need to clear Ben. Doom, however, is nowhere to be found.

CUT to Doom, emerging from the Time Platform back in his Time Lab in the present. Stepping calmly to a computer console, he begins reviewing records of previous time jaunts, revealing that he was the one who killed the Inhuman crew! He was positive, in fact, that he’d gotten them all. But his review of the tapes reveals something he’d missed in the heat of the battle: a scaly orange hand pulling one cowering pirate overboard, and away from Doom’s wrath.

“Grimm,” he says. “Obviously more resourceful than I gave him credit for.”

He pauses, thinking. Weighing his options. Then he goes over to the Time Platform control panel, and cuts the tether to Reed and Sue.

CUT to the two of them on the beach, at the exact moment we last saw them. Suddenly, they’re ripped out of spacetime, screaming in a psychedelic void.

TO BE CONTINUED!!

FIVE: MADNESS

A Few Words on Inhuman Justice: In a society that regularly spawns psychics and empaths, it strikes me that trials would work a bit differently. The truth of any testimony could be determined on the spot. But because memory is faulty, truth is relative. Two different people can testify to the same events, tell different stories, and both be truthful according to how they remember things happening. So the Inhumans depend on something I’m calling “Psychic Forensics.” A jury of psychic sensitives listens to testimony from as large a pool of witnesses as possible, and collates all the various stories into one narrative that’s then accepted as truth. Hard evidence trumps this, of course, and the arguments of the prosecution and defense can help shape these narratives, as well. But in a case like Ben’s, where there is no hard evidence due to the great length of time that’s passed, testimonial truth is enough to convict.

That would seem to make this a simple matter, then. Both Ben and Johnny were there when Reed forcibly removed Ben from the Inhuman ship, when the crew was still very much alive. But things are more complicated than they appear…

(Storytelling Note: We get varying degrees of detail on all testimony, seeing it filtered through the lens of the psychic jury. This allows for some trippy visuals (always a good thing), but also for us to avoid going into too much detail about things the reader already knows. So it’s conveyed through snippets of dialogue, flashback, and warped, hazy remembrances shaded by each speaker’s own perspective.)

The trial begins at dawn. Black Bolt serves as judge, with Medusa as prosecutor, and Crystal on defense. Karnak sits at the head of the jury, vigilant for flaws in their understanding of events. The prosecution goes first, establishing their case against the accused, leaving the defense to argue against once the case has been laid out.

Medusa opens by calling Ben and Johnny to the stand. They testify to their leaving the ship, and are found to be telling the truth. But Medusa seems unperturbed, and presses on to establish Ben’s history of violence, arguing that he is not always in his right mind, or in complete control of his own actions.

Petunia fills in some childhood background on Ben. She raised him from around age 10, when his parents were killed in a car accident. Young Ben struggled with depression and anger throughout his adolescence, constantly getting into fights and becoming increasingly aggressive before finally finding an outlet for it in football. Johnny and Bob Baxter pick up the narrative with the Breach Craft team, and Ben’s history as The Thing, with Medusa emphasizing his erratic behavior throughout.

She finishes this line of questioning with Ben’s most recent rampage, when he was (unknown to anyone) under the control of the Puppet Master. Ben himself testifies to that incident, and his memory of it is fractured and hazy. He remembers only parts of it, and in those memories he’s like a spectator to his own actions, watching impassively while his body does things of its own accord.

We give special focus to Karnak during this testimony. Something is troubling him, but he’s not quite sure what. Everyone else, though, is shaken. The team’s been buffeted from adventure to adventure so much since this last rampage that none of them have taken time to really think about it. But when it’s laid out like this… There’s clearly something wrong with him. Even Ben himself starts to wonder if he’s too unstable to be allowed to roam free.

Her argument having been rather convincingly made, Medusa then closes the first day of the trial by lowering the boom: her ally Victor Von Doom (who, like Reed and Sue, is unavailable for testimony) has given her Time Drone video footage, which she shows to the court. It mirrors that of the footage we saw at the end of last issue, with the Inhuman ship in the midst of a terrible storm. But instead of Doom slaughtering the crew, it’s Ben!

This, Medusa argues, is incontrovertible proof. Not that Ben killed their scouts during the Thingbeard Incident, but that he WILL do so, in some future time jaunt rampage that’s yet to happen. The question before the court, then, is not one of guilt or innocence. It’s whether they will execute him for crimes he has yet to commit, or prevent him from committing them in the first place, by simply imprisoning him in Attilan… forever!

SIX: REVELATIONS

We pick up the night after Medusa’s devastating prosecution argument. The first day of the trial has ended with things not looking good for Ben. Alicia tries to comfort him, but he’s fallen into despair. He no longer trusts his own sanity, and tells her to leave. “I might hurt ya, baby, and not even know it. So scram. Get outta here. Go back to New York and forget you ever knew me.” But she’s not having any of it. She knew the risk when she started dating him, and honestly kind of likes it. “So you don’t get to push me away, you big orange bastard. Not over this.”

CUT to Crystal’s chambers. Medusa comes for a visit, and they have it out over Crystal’s abandonment of her duty to Attilan (and Triton) over what Medusa calls “lust for a pretty young human boy.” Crystal bristles at that (visual note: her elemental powers flare up around her dramatically when she gets mad), but ultimately Medusa’s concern is well-intended. She doesn’t want to see her sister become an outcast because of a youthful indiscretion. They part on better terms, but Crystal is left confused and upset. She doesn’t want to marry Triton, but should she really throw her lot in with a bunch of outsiders because of that? She worries about her sympathies in her upcoming defense, as we…

CUT to Karnak, deep in meditation once again, replaying Ben’s testimony in his head with the aid of an elderly Inhuman named RANDAC the ORACLE, an experienced and highly-skilled psychic. Karnak doesn’t believe that Ben was lying, but he noticed something, and its exact nature escaped him. But now, with Randac’s aid, he spots it: a flash of something, just as Ben is talking about blacking out in advance of his last rampage.

Visual note: the “flash” could be expressed as a very narrow panel, showing a sliver of whatever it is he gets the impression of, but not enough to identify it. They continue working to uncover it, through the night and all the way until…

DAWN! Though Karnak has sent word that he is unable to serve with the jury, the trial continues, and Crystal begins her defense. She starts by casting doubt on Doom’s video. Johnny testifies to the bad intelligence Doom gave Namor (which caused Namor’s ill-advised attack on Latveria), and Baxter reveals Doom’s threat to “deal with” the FF if he ever deemed them too dangerous to live. “Without this man here to submit to questioning, the truth of his work can’t be confirmed! So can we really condemn Benjamin Grimm to death for a crime that even the prosecution admits he has not yet committed?”

CUT to Karnak, zeroing in, the narrow flash panel getting wider… wider… but still not wide enough.

BACK to the courtroom! Crystal cites Ben’s many acts of heroism, and explains the torment his transformation has caused him (something the Inhumans, whose entire culture is built around such transformations, don’t really understand at all). Johnny and Bob Baxter act as character witnesses, guided now to discuss Ben’s positive qualities. They admit to Ben’s instability, but stress the great good he’s done, and can still do. This terrible future – if that video does, indeed, show the future – can still be averted with the support of friends and advisors, and a woman who loves him.

That’s Alicia’s cue to take the stand, and she gives eloquent testimony to Ben’s heroic soul. Even Medusa seems moved by it. In the background, we see an Inhuman court official conducting a genetic scan on her (as he’s done for every other witness), looking first puzzled, and eventually alarmed. Just as she finishes her speech, the Gene Lord leaps to his feet, and makes a shocking proclamation: “THIS WOMAN IS A SKRULL!”

CUT to Karnak. Finally, something clicks, and the flash panel stands fully revealed: it’s Alicia’s first statue of Ben!

BACK to the courtroom! Alicia tells her story. Sent to Earth as a far advance scout decades ago, Phillip Masters (the Puppet Master) settled, married a human woman, and gave birth to a daughter: Alicia herself. Her parents kept her father’s true nature from her until she hit puberty, when her Skrull genes began to manifest. Full shape-shifting isn’t possible for her, but she can slightly alter her form by shifting mass from one part of her body to another. It’s useful for retrieving things she’s dropped into tight spaces (and for her love life with Ben), but otherwise it’s not something she even thinks about very much. As far as she’s concerned, she’s human.

She knows nothing of the Skrull beyond that. As far as she knows, her father severed ties with his people after she was born, and hasn’t worked for them since. She doesn’t know the details, but he’s told her not to worry. His loyalty lies with her, and her loyalty lies with Earth. The jury verifies the truth of her statements, but the revelation still unsettles the courtroom. Alicia looks plaintively at Ben, but his expression is impossible to read.

Black Bolt signals for a recess, but before court can adjourn, there’s a flash of energy as a portal opens in the center of the room. Out of it step an elderly Reed Richards and Susan Storm, dressed in primitive tribal garb, and seeming to have aged 40 years since their departure. With them is a strange young woman, tall and thin, with pale green skin and bulbous black eyes. Reed is holding a device that looks like a modified version of one of Doom’s Time Platform remotes. He turns a dial on it, then looks around and smiles. “We made it, Sue! We finally made it!”

The portal collapses behind them, and Sue steps forward, holding the knapsack she collected from the Inhuman pirate ship. “Lord Black Bolt. We apologize for our tardiness. There were… difficulties on the road. But we have important information for the court!”

TO BE CONTINUED!!

And that, believe it or not, concludes The Trial of the Thing. Yes, there are still issues to be resolved. But the story goes somewhere else for a while first, so that’s what we’ll deal with next time. For now, though, all we’re left with are…

ARC FOURTEEN NOTES

The long break between posts masks this somewhat, but I’m slightly concerned that I may be giving the audience “adventure fatigue.” I very much wanted to emulate the great Steve Ditko Dr. Strange run through this part of the Re-Mix, with its string of endless cliffhangers, new creations, and excitement. But readers eventually need an ending, and we’re now roughly 26 issues into never-ending adventure. Seriously. We’ve gone from the introduction of the Frightful Four (6 issues) to the introduction of the Inhumans (6 issues) to Fin Fang Foom (8 issues) to the trial (6 issues), with each arc rolling right into the next, and the only true resolution being the defeat of Foom.

Even I’m getting tired at this point, which may be an additional reason I stalled out on the series last year. So I think it may be time to wrap things up a bit. I still have a good bit of story left to tell before I’m done with my ideas for the Re-Mix, but it might be wise to have some clear beginning-middle-and-end arcs before we launch off into the grand finale.

(An aside: I just went back and did a rough issue count for the Re-Mix to date. This arc takes us up to issue 82! Insanity! I had originally thought this might take around 100 issues total, but I’ve got enough for another 50, easy. More, if I explore a few half-formed side concepts along the way. Hmm. Maybe I should go for 200 instead. Hmm…)

One last thing: In re-reading the previous installments of this series, I became acutely aware that I haven’t focused enough on Sue. I have to keep reminding myself that she’s our narrator, so we’re getting her perspective on everything as we go. But I had this idea at the outset that she would become more self-confident as time went on, and that her powers would grow accordingly. But she doesn’t even have her force fields yet! So I need to give her some attention. And soon.

But speaking of the future…

In Our Next Exciting Episode: Adventures in Time and Introspection! Past Peace and Future War! Politics! Wakanda! Plus… INFINITE THINGBEARD!

Fantastic Four Re-Mix, Part Seven: The Trial of the Thing! So it's been a while since we did any Fantastic Four Re-Mix. A full year, in fact.

#comic books #Crystal #Dr Doom #fan fiction #Fantastic Four #Fantastic Four Remix #Inhumans #Lord Plunder #Namor #The Thing #Thingbeard

0 notes

2paclegacynet · 5 years ago

Text

MTV News Spends a Day with Tupac at Venice Beach [October 27, 1995}

In 1995, Tupac Shakur and MTV News correspondent Tabitha Soren as they walked down Venice Beach in California. During the 20 minute conversation, Pac gets personal: talking about his Baltimore upbringing, his relationship with his mother and father, starting a community center with Mike Tyson, and more. See also: 1995-10-27 / Tupac Interview With Tabitha Soren (MTV) 0:01 What does Tupac Amaru Shakur mean? 0:41 Moving to the West Coast and dropping out of art school 3:07 Moving out to the West Coast and being broke 3:53 Tupac on his mother, Afeni Shakur and drug addiction 5:16 Childhood and growing up 5:41 Dealing with traumatic experiences 7:42 Going from making pizza to joining Digital Underground 9:14 Tupac gets a tattoo 9:43 Getting introduced to the 'thug mentality' 10:51 Growing up without a father 13:34 Working hard and success 14:27 Justice and finding the person who shot him 16:02 How life would be different if Tupac had a father 16:32 Tupac on being a father 17:46 Being in touch with his feminine side 18:15 Starting a community center with Mike Tyson 19:11 Distancing himself from a 'thug life' mentality 19:39 Being able to live a 'normal' or 'happy' life TRANSCRIBED Tupac: They call this place weirdo beach. I don’t know it ain’t that weird to me. MTV: Alright, give me a characterization of your childhood. Tupac: was the total opposite of what I am now. I was quiet, withdrawn, I read a lot, I wrote poetry. MTV: At what point in your early life were your exposed to this quote unquote thug life mentality? Tupac: When I was out there by myself with no where to stay and no money MTV: Which city? Bits of it was in Baltimore. Pieces of it was in Marin City and then the rest came in Oakland. MTV: And what was your first introduction? Tupac: Drug dealers, pimps, prostitutes. That’s really it. Criminals. They just the only people that cared about me at that point when I had nowhere to go and I was hungry. MTV: But you said your mother always cared about you. Tupac: She did but she was lost at that particular moment. She wasn’t caring about herself at that particular moment. MTV: What was that like? Tupac: I love my mom. She the bomb to me so. MTV: I know she is now but what about then? Tupac: It was hard. It was hard because, you know, she was my hero. MTV: And what did you do when you stopped going to school? Tupac: I only had two jobs ever in my life. One was at Roundtable Pizza, I used to make the pizza but it was good, it was the perfect job, Tabitha, ’cause I was hungry and I got to like eat all the toppings of peoples pizza. That’s where I ate ’cause everything is right there. If you imagine I was making pizzas on the side, bringing pizzas home, I’m calling in my own deliveries. MTV: Hello? Tupac: I’m saying we’re on Venice Beach that’s what you’re supposed to do. I’ve been in jail for 11 months, Tabitha. You got let me get a look once or something . MTV: Do you think it’s important to tell your fans that it’s not cool for you to end up in jail? Tupac: I don’t have any problem telling people it’s not cool to go to jail ’cause I’ve been there and it’s not cool. MTV: So just tell me how you have been feeling with all the stuff that’s been going on in the last couple of weeks. Tupac: Good. Relieved. Happy to be home. It’s a trip when you know that last week you were in jail and I was in this little cell and it was real dirty and not have any hot water and dudes were telling me when to shower and when to eat and all of that and then next week I’m up “Manny’s” with champagne, filet mignon and lobster and shrimp. MTV: Did you feel like your life was ever threatened in jail? Tupac: By the guards not by the inmates. ‘Cause they did just everything they could do to try to break me because I used to talk a lot of shit, you know, coming out of jail. MTV: No, not you. Tupac: I know, I know it’s hard to believe, Tabitha, but you just got to picture it. But, uh, you know, they would say things ’cause they would call you, uh, jail was the first place where I can go and they just went as soon I got there they went, “There he goes.” He goes, “Who?.” “There is the rich ****.” I was like, “Oh shit, he said ****, he said ****!” and everybody was looking and me like, “So?.” I was like, “Oh my God, this is where I’m gonna be staying. He said ****.” MTV: Well you got s in one of your records. Tupac: Nigga. They’re talking about s. s was the ones on the rope hanging out on the field. Niggas is the ones with gold ropes hanging out at clubs. MTV: Well maybe not everyone is not aware of the differention. Tupac: They don’t have to be. Everyone if your not a nigga and you don’t use that word you don’t have to understand it. It’s not one of those things. MTV: How did you meet the girl in the alleged rape? Tupac: I met her in the club. Some guys introduced me to her. MTV: And she was very forward with you? Tupac: Extremely MTV: And what happened? Tupac: She did some things and… MTV: Sexual things? Tupac: Yeah, she did some things there at the club and we got together later that night. I saw her again another time with the guys that introduced me to her, um, everybody was having a good time. Not we didn’t do anything sexual, just having a good time. Me and her went in there, she gave me a massage, came out, went to sleep, woke up. She’s screaming, “Rape, rape.” I raped her and the next thing I know I’m going to jail. MTV: So in your opinion there was no truth to the sexual abuse charges? Tupac: Not on my part at all. MTV: If you could go back to the night when the sexual abuse occurred is there anything you would do differently? Tupac: Yeah MTV: What? Tupac: I would not have closed my eyes till she was out of the room, until everybody was out of the room. MTV: I’ve grown up with tons of wild stories from lots of legendary rock bands and things they would do with their groupies. Do you feel like there is a double standard for black artists and white artists and how they entertain their groupies? Tupac: Yes it is a double standard because America is scared of a black mans sexuality. and they only see us as groups who could only go, “Ugh, ugh,” and they just can’t imagine us being another way and that’s why it was so easy for people to believe I could do this. MTV: It seemed like there was a time though that you were definitely reveling in the image of being wild and crazy. What got you off that path? Tupac: Five hot bullets. MTV: Tell me what happened at the recording studios in Time Square. Tupac: I got shot five times. I walked in, some dudes walked in and shot me up, um, took some jewelry. MTV: Do you know who shot you? MTV: No? Is that a no or is that a maybe? Tupac: No, I don’t know who shot me. MTV: So does that mean that you also have no idea why they shot you? Tupac: No, I have no idea why they shot me. MTV: Do you think they shot you just to get your jewelry? Tupac: I don’t know. It’s like anybody’s guess. I don’t know. I don’t really like to talk about it. MTV: At any point did you think you were going to die after being shot five times. Tupac: No. No, I didn’t. Immediately I was like, “Oh Man.” I know how it’s gonna be when I die it’s gonna be no noise you know you won’t hear people screaming. I’ma fade out. MTV: You were on trial for sex abuse charges at the time of the shooting. Tupac: I was on trial for rape and sodomy and gun possession and forcible kidnapping about 18 charges that’s why I wanted to die at that point. ‘Cause I was like you know I mean I’m tired but I lived and I was like well I can’t check out. MTV: So you felt suicidal? Tupac: Oh, definitely. It wasn’t like I was one day waking up and wanted to commit suicide just all around I felt suicidal but I couldn’t kill myself I just wanted somebody to kill me for me, you know what I mean? MTV: Yet you were still happy you survived the five gunshot wounds. Tupac: Only reason I was happy was I didn’t want them to take me out. You know I want honor man. These suckers that wanna rob you, taking you out, you know what I mean? That’s cowardly. MTV: Do you feel rehabilitated? That’s what they try to do in jail. Tupac: Nah jail is not a rehabilitation thing. I feel like I’ve grown and matured I don’t think jail had anything to do with it. MTV: Tell me what you’ve been recording in the studio since you got out of jail Tupac: Euphanasia is the name of the album. It’s a double album I’ma release it for Christmas. It’s gonna have Snoop on it, me and him did a song called “Amerika’z Most Wanted.” MTV: Do you feel like rappers should be more responsible for their lyrics? Tupac: Um, yes. MTV: What would you define as irresponsible? Tupac: You talk about murder and death and you don’t talk about the pain or you talk about killing and robbing and stealing and you don’t talk about jail and death and betrayal and all things that go with it. MTV: A lot of people would characterize your music as gangsta rap. Do you? Tupac: No MTV: Why not? Tupac: Marlon Brando is not a gangsta actor. He’s an actor. Axel Rose and them are not gangsta rock ‘n’ rollers. They’ve got rock ‘n’ rollers right? So I’ma rapper. This is what I do. I’m an artist. MTV: Does anything that Bob Dole says make any sense to you as far as rap is concerned? Tupac: Nah, I have no disrespect towards Bob Dole. I know he don’t know what he’s talking about. He’s just talking. Some card that somebody gave him he’s just reading off that card. But he’s cute, you know what I mean? He’s my grandfather. MTV: One of the characterizations made of rappers often is that they’re very boastful. It seems like right now you’re taking pain to be humble and look at things from a very realistic perspective. Is that accurate? Tupac: Yes, I think being humble is sexy. That’s my new put I’m pushing humble. MTV: You’re being humble to get chicks? Tupac: I’m starting to turn you on, Tabitha. As a matter of fact, I’m hoping my humble thing is gonna get to you . MTV: So you got married in prison? Tupac: Yeah MTV: What happened with that? Tupac: It didn’t work. Not because of her or me or jail it just wasn’t the right thing to do at the time. I married her for the wrong reasons. MTV: What were the reasons? Tupac: I cared about her but I married her because I was in jail, I was alone and I didn’t want to be alone. MTV: How would you compare to fame and fortune in 1995 to how you did a couple years ago? Tupac: I believe I’m more responsible, more mature and more focused and I will be more focused and even more responsible and even more mature in time. MTV: It seems like the two sides of Tupac are constantly battling with each other. One minute your spitting at TV cameras, the next you’re talking about Shakespeare. Have you reconciled those two? Tupac: Hopefully. I’d like to think so. I think that I’m really I was a reactionary and now I don’t do that anymore. Same person, just I don’t react. Before I reacted I didn’t like the cameras, I’d spit. MTV: The last time we talked you said that you were best known for your big mouth. What do you feel you’re best known for now? Tupac: Taking five bullets. Surviving. I’m known as a survivor now. I hope so for the jail thing, bullets, and the everything. Controversies and everything. I hope so. And I wanna be in the future known as somebody, you know, I want people be talking about me like, you know, “Remember when he was real bad? Remember when Tupac was real bad?” You know what I mean? They do that about a lot of actors now. Like John Travolta I read stories and it’s like, “Remember when you were wild?” And all these other people they now are sweethearts. We all should get that chance. I just want my chance. Read the full article

#MTVInterview #TabithaSoren #Timeline1995 #TupacRareInterview #VideoInterview

0 notes

bastardnev · 7 years ago

Text

Grinch

the first of two fics that i’ll be posting today!!

(link to ao3)

tagging: @heelneville @tyedillinger @rivela @aliciasfox @oh-baby-a-triple-oh-yeah @kidvoodoo @smolsammich @saml-zayn @simulated-heat (lemme kno if you wanna be added to my tag list!!)

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: World Wrestling Entertainment, Professional Wrestling Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Mustafa Ali/Pac | Adrian Neville Characters: Mustafa Ali, Pac | Adrian Neville Additional Tags: Holidays, nev really hates holiday lights and lawn ornaments, mustafa just likes the aesthetic Summary: Neville wouldn’t go as far as to call himself “205 Live’s Resident Grinch” or anything, but it was no secret that he wasn’t very big on holiday cheer.

Neville wouldn’t go as far as to call himself “205 Live’s Resident Grinch” or anything, but it was no secret that he wasn’t very big on holiday cheer. Sure, having a few days off to spend with Mustafa at their home was nice, but other than that the whole time of year seemed very overrated to him. It was too damn cold out, the music was tacky and overplayed -- it was everything that Neville hated rolled into one supposedly “wonderful time of year”.

So naturally he was the one hosting the annual holiday party.

The easy route was to blame Mustafa, so that was exactly what he did. Hosting Thanksgiving simply wasn’t enough for him, and he just had to host the holiday party too (despite the fact that he didn’t even celebrate). Neville had tried to tell him that if there was going to be a party then it was only fair that someone else be the host since they hosted the last event, but he insisted that that “someone” should be the two of them. As such, they needed to make their house look appropriate before the date arrived.

Which meant it was time to go shopping for decorations.

Add ‘stores around the holidays’ to the list of things I hate about this time of year… Neville pouted, glaring down towards the white tiles of the store’s floor as the loud sounds of people chattering and kids complaining to their mothers filled his ears.

“Nev, which ones do you think we should get for the front of the house?” The next sound that he heard was that of Mustafa talking. He was currently holding up two different boxes of string lights -- one with white lights and one with multiple colors -- his gaze shifting between them.

“I really don’t care. Go with whatever you want.” Neville leaned forward and rested his arms on the cart handle, looking bored out of his damn mind. He loved Mustafa to death, but there were so many things he would rather be doing at that moment besides shopping for lights of all things.

“But it’s our house. It’s not fair if I have all the say. Come on, just pick one.”

“I don’t know!”

“Pick one at random, then!”

“Oh my God, Moose, why do you make me do these things…” Neville rolled his eyes before tapping the box of the multi-color lights. “This one.”

“Great choice!” Mustafa grinned that one grin of his that never failed to make Neville’s heart skip a beat (even in harrowing circumstances such as these), and he dropped the box into the cart before returning the other one to the shelf. After a moment of consideration, he took it back off, grabbing a few more boxes of the multi-color lights and dropping them all into the cart as well.

“Moose, seriously? What was the point in making me choose if you were going to get both kinds anyway?” He was met with a shrug. “Do we really need this many?”

“There’s no such thing as too many!”

“Ever hear of something called ‘overkill’, lad?” Neville counted the boxes -- six . Did they even have enough space on their home to fit all of these? “God, can we go now?”

“Are you serious? We’re just getting started! We still need to get lights to hang in the windows.” Mustafa looked down towards the end of the aisle. “I can see this really cool big snowflake over there. Let’s go look at it.” He motioned for Neville to follow as he started to walk off.

“Let’s not …” Neville said this, but he still followed along behind him, pushing the cart and grumbling the whole way.

“Moose, what the hell is the point of this thing?” Neville was standing on their snow covered lawn, hands shoved in his coat pocket as he glared at the inflatable snowman standing in front of him. “Something about its smile creeps me the fuck out.”

Mustafa had been in the middle of stringing some of the lights they had bought around the railing of the front steps when he stopped and frowned at him. “It only has to stay up until after the holidays.”

“Define ‘holidays’, please.”

“Hmm… New Year’s?”

“Oh God, this thing is gonna be on my lawn for that long?!”

“You two can co-exist for a couple of weeks.” He looked back down at the lights, continuing his work and saying, “Oh, and don’t kick it, please. You did the same thing with the inflatable pumpkin on Halloween and destroyed it. Remind me to pick up a new one for next year.”

“I’ll be sure to not do that.” Neville believed that the lights were a hassle, but these giant inflatable… things were arguably even more annoying. What in the world was even the point of them? All they did was take up space on the lawn and look ugly as hell. Whenever they would be on the road and would pass by a house with one of them outside, he would judge them. Never once did he think he would become one of those people.

Neville looked over into the front yard of their neighbors, noticing that they also had one of these accursed decorations. All that time spent laughing behind their backs was for naught. This one featured elves -- three elves to be exact, all sitting gleefully around a bright red cannon that just so happened to be pointing directly towards him. What the fuck is that supposed to be? He thought as his eyebrows scrunched together.

“Moose, does that look weird to you at all?” Neville marched up to the stairs, thumb pointing in the direction of the cannon.

Mustafa took a look over his shoulder at it, only to turn back to Neville a moment later and shrug. “Not really. Why, should it?”

“Those damn elves have a weapon! Lord only knows what they plan on firing out of that thing.”

“Maybe… gee, I dunno… presents?”

“Okay, but what kind of presents, huh? Cute toys? Or something potentially harmful?”

“You’re looking too deep into this, love.” Mustafa shook his head, patting Neville’s cheek. “Maybe you should go inside and have hot chocolate or something. I think the cold is starting to get to you.”

“You say that now, but don’t come crying to me when those little fuckers start firing shit at our house.”

Neville plopped down heavily on the couch, letting out a sigh and leaning back into the cushion. After a long day of holiday bullshit, this was the only place he wanted to be. “Please tell me that we’re done now,” he whined as he rubbed his face with one of his hands. “I’m hungry.”

“Well…” Mustafa crossed his arms as he thought. “There is one last decoration I think we need to put up before we’re officially done.”

“Dear God, what?” Neville threw back his head shutting his eyes. He just wanted to eat dinner… “What could possibly be left?”

“You’ll see!” Mustafa’s voice was farther away now, and Neville opened his eyes, realizing that he’d left the room while he wasn’t looking. He resigned himself to his fate and shut his eyes again, wondering where it was that his lover had run off to.

Don’t even tell me that it’s more lights … Their house was so brightly lit that his family over in England could probably see it. Or is it another one of those freaky lawn things? Neville recalled the way that those elves were looking at him and was hoping to God that nothing like that was to be infiltrating their home for the holidays. Or maybe it’s--

“Oof!” Neville’s thoughts were suddenly cut off when he felt a weight on his lap, and he opened his eyes to find that Mustafa was now sitting on him. “What the hell are you doing?”

Mustafa didn’t reply and only batted his eyelashes, slowly raising one of his arms above Neville’s head. He was holding something, though Neville couldn’t see what it was. He eventually took the bait and decided to look up, and his mouth dropped open when he saw that Mustafa was holding a mistletoe. “You’re joking,” he said.

“I’m not,” Mustafa replied, giving it a little shake.

“So I’m guessing you want me to kiss you now?”

“No, I want you to break up with me. Of course I want you to kiss me!”

Neville sighed, pursing his lips. He gave Mustafa kisses all the time, why in the world did they need this silly little plant to tell them when they should kiss? It was so silly — too silly, for that matter.

...Then again, Neville had been acting like a pain in the ass for the entire day. He’d done nothing but whine about decorating. The least he could do was play along and give him a kiss.

“Alright, you win,” Neville replied with a little shrug before leaning in, planting a quick kiss on Mustafa’s lips.

Mustafa blinked at him, looking almost disappointed. “Is that it?” He asked.

“What?”

“I expected a little more from the King…”

“Am I not good enough for you?”

“You’re excellent!” Mustafa cupped Neville’s cheek, gently stroking it with his thumb. “I just thought that the King was capable of more than a little peck…”

“Is that so?” Neville raised an eyebrow, encouraged by his goading, a small smirk beginning to work its way across his face. “Well then…”

Before Mustafa could do anything more, he was suddenly pushed down onto the couch, and he yelped at the sudden movement. “If ‘more’ is what my Prince wants,” Neville started as he straddled his hips, “then I guess I’ll just have to give it to him…”

Dinner could wait a little longer.

Mustafa had always told Neville that if he went into something with a negative attitude, then naturally he wasn’t going to have a good time. It was better to have a positive outlook on things so that he would actually enjoy himself for once.

Then again, Neville was pretty sure that even if he’d been the most positive man on the planet, he still wouldn’t have been any less miserable at that godforsaken party.

“I think you’re being just a little bit dramatic,” Mustafa said as entered their bedroom, moving over to the dresser and digging around inside of one of the drawers as he searched for something to change into.

“I am not,” Neville replied from the bed.

“Aren’t you, though? This really isn’t that big of a deal.”

“Tozawa is currently sleeping in our guest room, and you made me tuck him in! It was one of the most painful experiences of my life.”

From the mirror that was hanging above the dresser, Neville could see that Mustafa had rolled his eyes. It was more or less as Neville so eloquently put it -- Tozawa had stumbled into their guest room and passed out on the bed. Neville had wanted to wake him up and kick him out like he’d done with the other guests that evening, but Mustafa insisted on leaving him be and letting him sleep. “I did not make you tuck him in. I suggested that it would be nice of you if you did.”

“Yeah, and then you gave me that goddamn look. I knew damn well you weren’t gonna let me leave that damn room unless I tucked him in first.” Neville grimaced. “Now he’s spending the night here. Do you have any idea how weird this is? The man who once beat me for the Cruiserweight title is currently sleeping in my damn house.”

“Yes, and the man who you used to call ‘the ultimate thorn in your side’ is currently your damn boyfriend.” It appeared as if Mustafa finally found something to change into, and he began to undress, tugging his shirt over his head.

“And thank God for that.” Neville smirked as he watched Mustafa closely. “I never get tired of looking at your body, you know that?”

“Oh, stop that.”

“It’s the truth.” Neville put his arms behind his head, shutting his eyes as he waited for Mustafa to finish getting dressed and join him. “Hurry up, I’m cold.”

“There’s a blanket literally right there that you can use to warm up.”

“Why use that when I have a perfectly good Prince at my disposal?”

Mustafa joined him on the bed a moment later, and Neville felt as something was placed down on his lap. He opened one of his eyes and saw that it was a medium-sized box, poorly wrapped in dark purple paper. “Moose, what’s this?” He asked, sitting up and holding the box in his hands.

“A horribly wrapped present.” He chuckled self-derisively.

“I thought we agreed that we wouldn’t be exchanging gifts.”

“I know, but… I just wanted to give you something. After having such an amazing year career-wise, you deserve it.”

Neville looked between him and the present, chewing his lip. “Should I be afraid? Because I feel like I should be.”

“Nothing to be afraid of. Just open it!” Mustafa gave him a little shove, wearing an encouraging smile. “I think you’re really gonna like it.”

Neville looked down at the box again before finally shrugging and beginning to tear away the paper. He could feel Mustafa’s eyes on him, watching his every move closely. “Must you stare? You’re making me anxious.”

“I’m excited to see how you’ll react! Is that a crime?”

“Well, no… But it just makes me worry about whatever this gift is. Is this one of those pranks where a boxing glove bursts out and hits me in the face?”

“Would you just open the damn thing already?”

Neville ripped away the last few bits of paper, and he took the top of the box off. Whatever was inside was black -- and very soft, too, as he’d discovered once he’d touched it. Taking it out revealed that it was an over-sized sweater, the word “KING” written in bold white letters across the front.

“It took me forever to make, but I think it came out pretty good,” Mustafa said. After a beat of silence, he said, “Well…?”

Neville was still just staring at it, clutching the soft fabric in his hands. He couldn’t even remember the last time someone had actually given him a present, especially one as nice as this. “I…” He started. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Do you like it?”

Neville swallowed and brought the sweater up close to himself, burying his face in it. He took a shaky breath. “Y-Yeah… I do… Thank you.”

“Nev, are you… are you crying?”

“No,” he snapped with a sniffle, keeping his face hidden. “I’m not. I never cry.”

“Are you sure? It sounds to me like you are.” Mustafa rested a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

“I-I just…” Neville finally looked at him, his cheeks still a little damp. “I love you. So much.”

Mustafa smiled, and he gave him a kiss, pressing their foreheads together. “I love you too, King.”

#neville #adrian neville #mustafa ali #205 live #mustafa x neville #this is honestly one of my fave ones i've ever written?? i think it's So Cute #jess.txt

29 notes · View notes

bastardnev · 7 years ago

Text

Until He Met The King

fic #2!! this one is a gift for @cruisingforcruiserweights, hope you like it!!

(link to ao3)

tagging: @rivela @oh-baby-a-triple-oh-yeah @kidvoodoo

i wasn’t sure if anybody else on my tag list wanted to be tagged since this is a fic for a ship that isn’t nev/mustafa?? if you’re on my nevstafa tag list and wanna be tagged in anything else then plz lemme kno!! (and ofc if you’re not on either list and still wanna be tagged then just message me!!)

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: World Wrestling Entertainment, Professional Wrestling Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Austin Aries/Pac | Adrian Neville Characters: Austin Aries, Pac | Adrian Neville Additional Tags: Shopping, nev may be a little shit but he's AUSTIN'S little shit and that's all that really matters in the end Summary: Austin had never been the type to believe in that cliche “love at first sight” bullshit that everyone else seemed to cling to so desperately. How could you fall in love with someone that you’d only just met? Unlike some people that he knew, he was never a goddamn softie.

...That is, until he met the King.

Austin Aries had always been his own person. He knew exactly what it was that he wanted and wasn’t afraid to go out and take it. He had a smart mouth and strong opinions, and he wasn’t afraid to let others know about them, even if he knew that they weren’t going to like what he had to say. This may have earned him a bad reputation, but he didn’t care. He cared more about standing up for what he believed in and demanding respect than going along with what everyone else was saying and blending in with the crowd.

Naturally, this behavior carried over to his dating life. He had never been the type to believe in that cliche “love at first sight” bullshit that everyone else seemed to cling to so desperately. How could you fall in love with someone that you’d only just met? Unlike some people that he knew, he was never a goddamn softie.

...That is, until he met the King.

Austin was leaning back against the bricks that made up the store he was standing outside of, his arms crossed as he tried to protect himself from the cold. He heard the little jingle of the bell hanging above the door, and he watched as Neville bounded out of the building, carrying some brightly colored bags on each of his arms. “How-- How much stuff did you buy?” He gaped.

“Not much.” Neville shrugged. “Just a few things.”

“This is more than just a few, King.” Austin looked inside one of the bags, spotting numerous little trinkets that he knew upon questioning Neville was going to swear that he needed (he really didn’t).

Neville huffed, his pale cheeks growing rosy now that he was faced with the mid-December chilliness. “Here.” He stuck out both of his arms, bags dangling and swinging a little from the movement.

“What am I supposed to do with them?”

“...Take them from me?”

“Oh my God…” Austin rolled his eyes, though he did as he was told without further complaint, holding them by the handles in one hand and propping the free one on his hip. “Are you sure you really need all this stuff?” He asked once he realized how heavy a few of the bags were.

“Of course. What, do you think I just buy random shit for the hell of it? Everything I do has a purpose, Aries.” Neville waggled his finger at him.

Right. That response was about what Austin expected. He sighed and decided to drop the subject, resigning himself to his fate. “So where to next, King? What’s the next place you plan on spending all my money in?”

“Excuse you, I’m only using some of your money,” Neville corrected him. He shoved his hands into the pockets on his hoodie and began looking up and down the street, standing on his toes and trying to look over the crowds of people as he searched for their next destination (Austin considered making a smart comment about his height once he saw this, though he stopped himself once he realized that he, too, could not see unless he stood on his toes).

“Any day now, King.” Austin shifted on his feet after a few moments of silence. The cold air was beginning to get to him -- maybe choosing to stand outside while Neville shopped when it was this frigid out was a bad idea after all…

“Oh give me a minute, would you?” Neville frowned at him. “I’m still thinking.”

“Think any longer and I’m gonna freeze to death.”

Neville let out a breath, Austin watching as it escaped his lips and faded away, and he nodded, “Okay, so how about this: Since you’re so cold, we should go to Starbucks and warm up. I know there’s one not too far from here.”

“Do you actually care about me being warm, or do you just want coffee?”

“That’s for me to know and you to never find out. Come along.” Neville took hold of his hand and squeezed it tightly as he dragged him up the street. “Christ, your hands are cold.”

“Did you expect anything different?” Austin replied, gripping his hand back as if his life depended on it. He usually wasn’t big on holding hands in public, but Neville’s hand was so warm…

Neville led him to a street corner and paused, looking to the left and right. “Which way was it again…?” He thought aloud.

“You don’t even know which way it is?”

“I do know, I just… momentarily forgot, that’s all. I’ll remember, just hold on a sec.”

As he waited, Austin took a look over at the shop they just so happened to stop outside of -- a jewelry shop. All sorts of products were displayed in the window, glittering in the sunlight, though there was one item in particular that had caught his eye, sitting front and center for all who passed by to see.

An engagement ring.

Yet another thing that Austin had previously not been a very big fan of was the idea of getting married. It wasn’t that he hated it or anything -- quite the opposite, in fact -- it was just that he personally could never see himself doing it. He had loved people before, yes, but never once did he ever feel close enough to them to even consider spending the rest of his life with them.

But this was all before he had gotten with the King.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Neville had truly made a major impact on his life. This little date that they were currently on -- freezing their asses off as they wandered aimlessly from store to store -- was something that Austin would never even consider with any of his previous partners. Something about the look in Neville’s eyes when he proposed this idea, about how much he truly wanted to do it, made Austin go along with it. No matter how hard he tried to resist, he was hopelessly wrapped around Neville’s finger.

And he loved it.

The longer that he stared at the ring, the more Austin began to wonder about what married life with Neville would consist of. Would he change at all? Would he still be the grumpy yet charming man he’d grown to love? Or maybe he would be sweeter and more affectionate? While there was still a part of Austin that was unsure if marriage was the right thing for him, he couldn’t deny that the thought of being with Neville forever was certainly enticing…

“Would you pay attention to me?” Austin felt himself being lightly shoved all of a sudden, and he noticed that Neville was speaking to him, looking impatient. “I know where we have to go.”

“My bad,” Austin replied. “Just got distracted for a second.”

“Clearly. I’ve been trying to talk to you for the last half hour.”

“Oh it has not been that long. It's been a minute at most. You’re being dramatic.”

“You know damn well that I’m not the type of person to be dramatic, Aries.”

“Is that so? Then why do you want everyone to call you ‘King’? You have a perfectly good name that people could use instead.”

Neville blinked at him, his mouth opening and closing a few times as he attempted to come up with a rebuttal. “Can we go now, please?” He finally said, clearly not wanting to continue the discussion.

Austin smirked, satisfied that he’d won that little argument. “We may.”

With that, Neville gripped his hand tighter and began to lead him in the direction of the Starbucks. Austin took one last look over his shoulder at the jewelry display, the smirk still on his face.

Whether or not there was a wedding in Austin’s future remained unclear, though one thing was for certain -- he planned on being with Neville for a very long time.

#austin aries #neville #adrian neville #aries x neville #jess.txt #cruisingforcruiserweights #❤️❤️❤️

13 notes · View notes