#and i’m not about to stay quiet while what happened to my GRANDPA (not distant relatives! my literal grandfather!!) happens right now | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aphrodite-would-be-proud · 4 years

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Hey hey I saw your Armin like erens S/o and that made have feels😡😡 so now please...give more angst- Like Eren finding out Armin likes reader and decide s to talk please 😩😩✌️

You asked for angst so...i went the whole way there.

I think this can technically count as my first Eren x reader fic but i don't think I'll list it as an Eren's fic. He still ain't getting his own subcategory.

You're dating Eren, he finds out Armin likes you.

{ Armin x reader, Eren x reader | tw:cheating accusation, tw:arguments, tw:unhealthy-frienships, tw:lowkey-toxic, tw:bad relationship, tw:angst without comfort | heavy angst, no comfort, drama | modern }

{ "Calais Pier" 1801 by Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 }

Laying on the couch, Eren was scrolling through his phone while occasionally taking bites of the chips he digged out of Armin's kitchen. His finger stopped just as he reached a certain post from Historia

"Ymir's birthday is this Wednesday?" He said, glancing to where Armin was sitting on the Armchair.

Still typing on his laptop "yeah" Armin said, eyes focused on the screen.

"Huh...didn't take her for a birthday party kind of person" turning off his phone, Eren headed towards the nearby kitchen.

"Historia's the one planning it." Looking at the half full bag of chips Eren left, he frowned, "aren't you going? Also why do you keep eating my chips when you don't like the taste."

"Already went to Mikasa's birthday 4 days ago, and because I forget how bad they taste each time." Closing the fridge, Eren went to look through the cupboards instead. "Why do you have so much fruits in your fridge?"

The sound of typing slowed down, "that's the thing about birthdays Eren, each person gets their own day." Soon the typing stopped as he began proof reading his email, "my grandpa sends them to me."

Coming back to the living room empty handed, Eren sat back on his spot. "Either way, I have a date with y/n on that day"

"Oh" Looking away, Armin couldn't focus on the words on his screen anymore. "I hope you two have fun."

"We will." Eren said, staring at him for a second before looking away too.

Finally finishing his work, Armin set the laptop aside. "i just think it'd be nice to hang out more."

"hang out?"

"yeah like we don't see each other as much as we used to, a birthday is a nice excuse to hang out."

Staring directly at him, Eren crossed his arms. "uh huh, and just hang out?

Scratching the back of his neck, Armin met his gaze. "...well what else is there?"

The silence lasted seconds too long, an uncomfortable feeling growing slowly between them. It was Eren who broke it first "nothing, just... nevermind."

Not satisfied with the asnwer, Armin moved to sit next to his bestfriend on the couch, attempting a form of comfort. "Eren are...are you okay, you've been acting pretty...uh strange lately."

Resting his cheek on his hand, "what do you mean?" Eren said.

"You've been...distante lately, not spending as much time with us and being late or canceling last minute whenever we agree to meet up." Armin tried touching the other's shoulder, only to let go when Eren stiffened up.

His reply was so quiet, Armin wouldn't have heard if he wasn't sitting as close. "you're one to talk."

"what?" Armin tilted his head, wondering if he misheard something.

"I'm just saying, isn't it hypocrisy to criticise me for something you're already doing?" With narrowed eyes, Eren doubled down.

"I'm not criticising you, I'm just concerned for you."

"when's the last time you visited Armin? My mom has been asking why you suddenly stopped showing"

Feeling like something's stuck in his throat, Armin swallowed. "...I've been busy, work has been piling up and-"

Getting up from the coach to stare down at his friend, Eren didn't let him finish talking before saying. "yeah don't give me that work bullshit, I know for a fact it's just excuses. It never bothered you before so why now, it's like you've been lying to get out of things ever since…"

Fist grabbing in the pillow near him, Armin just stared up at Eren, the feeling in his throat intensifying.

Stepping closer, Eren was almost towering over the other while standing up. "Ever since y/n and I started dating."

"What are you talking about" Not wanting to face him, Armin stared at his feet instead.

"you know exactly what I'm talking about" Eren said, jaw clenched, "Jean told me everything."

That seemed to get Armin to meet his gaze "Jean?"

"yeah, of all people. Why did I have to know about this from someone else?" Putting space between them, Eren looked away in disgust, "all the letters, late night calls, good morning texts, gifts... I'm not stupid"

"believe me you've got it wrong" desperation in his voice, Armin was struggling to stay calm, "whatever Jean told you it's probably things Mikasa didn't know how to explain well-"

"Mikasa ? I didn't hear it from her." Interrupting him again, Eren seemed to be growing more agitated by the second.

Looking lost, Armin said "what? But I only told-"

"did she know about this too? And still kept it from me?" running his hand through his hair, Eren took another step back.

Standing up, Armin took a few steps towards him. "I asked her to, she was just trying to help."

Just looking at him made Eren's blood boil. "helping you with what Armin? Sleeping with y/n behind my back? Yeah what a real good friend she is." Not wasting any time in cutting the distance between them, "Keeping the fact y/n has been cheating on me with my best friend." He said in Armin's face.

"That never happened! Mikasa would never do that and you know that." Not backing away, Armin stood still.

"Mikasa would never, but I'm not stupid enough to believe you wouldn't do it Armin." Pressing his lips into a thin line, for a second Eren looked more hurt than angry, "I thought we were best friends, were you ever going to tell me?"

Attempting to touch his shoulder again, Armin said. "do you really think I would do that to you? Do you really think y/n would do that to you? Is this how little you think of me?

Only to be pushed away again.

"I don't know what to believe anymore" putting back the space between them, "I didn't want to believe Jean till I've seen proof with my own eyes. You're lying. "

Hands tightening into fists, "if you'd just calm down and listen then maybe-" Armin stayed near the couch.

Getting impatient, Eren said. "No. Don't-" only to be interrupted by a pillow thrown next to his head.

"You think y/n would cheat on you with ME? Really Eren? You think y/n would choose me over you? In what world would that happen, we both know i have no chance." Struggling to hold back his tears, Armin felt all his frustration pouring out.

Seemingly unimpressed with the other's outburst, Eren just scoffed. "There you go again with that self pity! I Don’t want any of your pathetic excuses, all you do is whine."

"Yeah? And all you do is get angry and yell." Shaking his head, before continuing, "that's why Mikasa didn't tell you, she knew you'd act exactly like this."

"I have every fucking right to be angry-"

"stop pushing everyone away, you're acting like a selfish self centred child throwing a tantrum." Interrupting him again, Armin didn't look away this time, "You just want to pick a fight without listening to what I have to say.

Attempting to lick his lips, Armin tasted saltiness, only realising then his tears have been pouring for a while.

Not wasting the chance, Eren pushed even more. "I'm the child ? At least I'm not the fucking crybaby in here. Remember Armin? When you grandpa-"

His eyes were burning again, throat aching in shame. "Don't- please don't bring it up."

"why? What are you going to do about it? Are you going to cry even more?"

His vision getting too blurry to see, Armin wiped his face with his hands. "now you're just being-"

"I don't care about your opinion on how I'm being, no one asked for it." Whatever guilt Eren might have felt he pushed away, "You didn't seem to care about mine before going to fuck the person I'm dating-"

"I DIDN'T, WHY CAN'T YOU BELIEVE ME." Having used all his remaining energy to yell that, Armin sat back in defeat on the couch feeling too overwhelmed.

Eren stared him down as he collected himself, waiting for an explanation to follow as he leaned back against the wall.

After a minute, Armin began talking again. "yes I wrote y/n peoms and letters, yes i called really late at night and yes I looked at them in a not so innocent way, but I've never ever done anything inappropriate."

Eren stayed silent, only looking at him in an unreadable expression.

"Yes I liked y/n while knowing you're dating , and i fucking wished they'd like me back. Yes i have feelings for them but y/n did nothing to betray your trust neither did i cross any lines. "

"...how long have you been bottling this up."

Hesitante to answer, Armin couldn't meet the other's eyes anymore. "Before you started dating...even before you met actually. I've been planning to confess to them but...it was too late. I take full responsibility for this I'm really-"

Finally seeming to calm down, Eren moved from where he was standing. "I don't want your apology. So y/n didn't cheat on me?"

Shaking his head, Armin replied. "No...it's just me."

Another full minute of silence passed before Eren grabbed his Jacket from the couch, his phone too. "would...you've told me if y/n did it?"

Armin look at him, confused. "What?"

"Cheating on me, from your speech you seemed to be hoping for it to happen." Walking to the door, he began putting his shoes back on.

Armin didn't know how to reply, he just sat there.

"can you deny it? Can you say you've never hoped for y/n to leave me for you?"

He was speechless, Armin couldn't even attempt to form an answer.

"that's what i thought, what kind of freind are you? You act like you're the bigger person yet you were just waiting for me and y/n to break up for your own selfish desires" Opening the door, Eren stepped outside, "And instead of talking about it you just try to avoid me forever? That's your genius plan Armin?"

Having followed him at the last second, Armin was standing next to the doorway." I didn't know what else to do, i couldn't just watch you and y/n from afar knowing i could've had that! It was torture!"

"real mature, attempting to steal the person your best friend's dating"

"Steal? You're the one who got between us in the first place. Since day one you've done nothing but hog y/n at every chance you got."

Getting up in his personal space, Eren said. "If you had a problem with it then why the fuck didn't you speak up Armin?"

Why didn't he speak up? That's something he's been asking himself every night before falling asleep. "I wanted to, I just-"

"just what? Be honest for once in your life, no one forced you to stay silent, you chose to." Eren looked at him.

Did he? Every action you don't change is something you're choosing...Armin couldn't even look at him.

But instead of waiting for him like every time, Eren just stepped back, slammed the door shut before walking away.

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fools-of-wna · 3 years

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walpurga-nacht-academy: 👑🏹🐾 for Dwyn?

Thanks for the ask! :3c

👑 what relationship does your oc have with Vil?

Dwyn holds a general respect for Vil, admiring his work ethic and performances both for school and his career. They don’t quite understand Rosa’s obsession(?) with Vil, but he’s someone Dwyn does look up to. They don’t interact much, but they’re polite and courteous to each other.

🏹 what relationship does your oc have with Rook?

While Dwyn does agree with Rook on certain aspects (Beaute), they have an intense…dislike for him. They’re constantly annoyed by his presence in some way, and disapprove of his rather unique and eccentric observations of certain characters. They’re not the type to be often outright mean to people, but Rook does annoy them enough that they snap a little with a small amount of effort. I imagine it gets worse if Rook finds out Dwyn is half-fae, since they also become a target of sorts. Overall, Dwyn doesn’t like Rook, and he easily ranks the top 3, if not the most annoying NRC student in Dwyn’s mind.

🐾 what relationship does your oc have with Ruggie?

Ok this is a little long, cause I didn’t bother making a simplified version of the whole chunk of relationship stuff that was in my docs and just copied and pasted the whole thing bc I’m lazy so enjoy lmao

The two first met unofficially during the Interschool MagiShift Tournament in their first year. Ruggie had a bit of time on the pitch due to his athletic ability and trickster-like play style. He spots Dwyn, a tall lanky first year, dressed in the WNA cheerleader outfit for NRC and seeming as though they’re out of place. They also happen to be sketching something, looking up every once in a while, and Ruggie, for all his humbleness, feels as though they’re looking at him.

They officially met around the time of the Spring Debutante Ball of that year. The quiet, awkward Dwyn had mainly been sketching Ruggie while the Savanaclaw student seemed lost among the small crowd of fellow first years and even second years who found him adorable and intriguing. Dwyn offered some reprieve due to their penchant for being alone, though Ruggie eventually went with a Rosenhex girl while Dwyn skipped attending that year.

For the most part, Dwyn and Ruggie had a comfortable friendship of sorts, albeit they were more like friendly acquaintances than friends as they were still rather distant. They exchanged the occasional letter and greeted each other at any events that both of their schools attended.

Their friendship didn’t start progressing until the Spring Debutante Ball of their second year. Dwyn had attempted to invite Ruggie, but Ruggie had already promised to go with another girl who had asked him earlier. He notices the girl become a little quieter for the days leading up to the ball, unlike the friendly, somewhat outgoing self that they’ve become over the past year. Still, he doesn’t think much of it until the ball itself.

During the Ball, Ruggie notices that Dwyn looks uncomfortable and the next thing he knows they’re gone. He wraps up his business with whoever he’s dancing with and slips out. He smells the salt and he already feels the dread building. The scent just gets stronger and he starts to notice a few drops of tears on the floor here and there. He walks just a little faster until he breaks into a small jog and reaches the gardens.

He finds Dwyn, looking disheveled. Their hair looks grossly textured with obvious marks where they tied it up for the ball and crusty bits of hairspray. Their makeup has smeared on their face and onto their arm, and their heels are haphazardly thrown off to the side. Dwyn tries to make themselves look more put together and asks Ruggie to leave them alone for a bit. Ruggie knows he should but hearing them sound so broken for once only reaffirms that Dwyn is in no state to be left alone. Ruggie doesn’t know how to comfort Dwyn, so he just ends up sitting next to them and letting them lean on him. He asks Dwyn’s little friends to get makeup remover somewhere and he gently gets rid of their makeup. They generally just stay in a comfortable silence for the rest of the night, with Ruggie singing a little folk song popular with the neighbourhood kids to lure Dwyn to sleep.

After the rather awkward scene, Dwyn goes to apologise the next day, which leads to them taking Ruggie out for donuts to make up to Ruggie. The boy doesn’t actually mind, but he’s not about to turn down free food when offered. They bond over casual talk about schoolwork, classmates, and their hobbies. One outing turns to two, then four, then regular ones whenever Ruggie’s free. They become to get closer, and Dwyn off-handedly mentions their bad experiences with the Balls for 2 years, being too self-conscious to attend the first year and their breakdown during earlier.

Later on, Ruggie plans a makeup dance of sorts for Dwyn a few weeks after the Ball. He gets some of the Savanaclaw boys as well as a few WNA girls to set up a simple setting for a recreation of the dance Dwyn didn’t get to have at the Ball. Neither of them really pay attention to the “correct” dance steps, opting for fun, impromptu random dance moves ranging from adorable to madness. They grow closer over the makeup dance, and have a comfortable friendship. Dwyn’s crush starts about this time, seeing Ruggie smiling widely underneath the moonlight as they dance together. Ruggie notices his own during another outing between the two of them when a Savanaclaw member mentioned Ruggie’s “date” and he had that in mind when he saw Dwyn laughing.

Dwyn starts having trouble confessing because their relationship with Ruggie started off with them relying on Ruggie in a way as well as money and they’re not sure how to approach the entire thing in general. Ruggie’s also having some issues because he was initially in for the money and he still kinda is in a way but he’s also developed a crush and he doesn’t want Dwyn to think he’s only in for the money.

Ruggie offers to treat Dwyn to a meal, using Leona’s money/money he got with pawning Leona’s gifts, to sort of try and progress things but there’s Dwyn who knows Ruggie’s household struggling with income (plus feeding the neighbouring kids too) so they don’t want Ruggie to have more expenses when they’re not really necessary ones. They end up with a compromise of sorts which is Ruggie offering to cook using stuff from NRC so he doesn’t have to spend a lot of madol even if he has to, while also taking some of the burden off of Dwyn BUT while their feelings are evolving into something more, their relationship barely has any progress at all.

Dwyn is starting to feel guilty because they haven’t actually been accepting anything positive Ruggie has said about them, they only seemed to do so because they don’t want Ruggie to worry (especially knowing that he saw how they were like during the ball) and they don’t want Ruggie to feel guilty for not being able to help them when they’re the one going around in circles. Ruggie sort of picked up on Dwyn’s struggle but he’s not entirely sure what’s Dwyn’s issue with themself so he doesn’t want to say anything. He eventually asks Dwyn to tell him, to which Dwyn isn’t sure how to respond and they drift apart for a bit as a result of awkwardness. Ruggie knows that Dwyn has unaddressed issues but not he is unable to help when Dwyn doesn’t want to address those issues, and they ended up drifting apart out of comfort.

Dwyn is the first to break the silence after mulling it over for weeks as they give Ruggie a poem that talks about their struggles. it’s simple enough to convey the basic idea for Ruggie to understand but they also write in more details about their problems. Ruggie goes to Leona for help at first but Leona takes one brief look at the poem and tells Ruggie to try deciphering it himself because Leona can tell the poem is clearly meant for Ruggie’s eyes only, so when Ruggie finally gets the last detail after weeks of hard work, he hands the poem back to Dwyn along with a simple, not really poetic response at the back (which is his attempt at poetry of sorts) and the two make amends.

There’s no verbal confession until months into them dating. The beginning of their romance starts with Adyna having an important study to do elsewhere. Dwyn was going to be left home alone for the holidays, and Ruggie invites them over to his house to spend the holidays together to take advantage of the opportunity.

Teasing aside, Dwyn gets along really well with everyone. Ruggie comes back and sees Dwyn having sat for hours listening to the old grandmas and grandpas of the neighbourhood telling stories about their youth. The next day he comes back to Dwyn all sweaty and glowy in the sunset from playing with the kids. The day after that it’s Dwyn helping the adults mend stuff, or helping people look put together for job interviews while on a limited budget.

One day, he comes back to Dwyn resting alongside his grandma, who’s telling stories about Ruggie and the rest of his family. he’s there hidden for long enough to hear how soft and, dare he say, infatuated Dwyn sounds, and he’s blushing for the rest of the evening while trying to act normal around Dwyn. He hears Dwyn quietly whispering little poetic prayers to his mum late at night while they think he’s asleep, since Ruggie refers to his mum as having “returned to the stars” when he mentioned it to Dwyn. He doesn’t understand half of the prayers, especially since it’s by ear and it’s not like he has a physical copy for him to write down notes on, but they commonly revolve around a trait of Ruggie’s that Dwyn admires, which comes through quite clearly.

Dwyn, on the other hand, hopes to get the approval of the neighbourhood by helping them out. they want to confess to Ruggie but they’ve been debating on how to confess. No method seems right or perfect for the occasion, and they struggle with putting their feelings into words.

Ruggie uses the last few days of the holidays to put together a nice little date under the stars where they can just relapse into the comfortable silence they’re so familiar with. they don’t say anything but the physical contact gradually evolves. they intertwine pinkies, and it becomes hand holding (like basic hand holding) and then lacing fingers together, and by the end of the night they’re cuddling, still holding hands with Ruggie’s face buried in Dwyn’s neck

Dwyn later hands over another poem which basically boils down to them confessing their love and attempting to ask Ruggie out. Ruggie has it with him all the time for the few days afterwards, mulling the offer over while simultaneously freaking out about the fact that his crush is requited. He thinks up all sort of scenarios to return the confession: taking Dwyn out on a date, planning out whole scripts of confessions and all the things he likes about Dwyn…However, the second he sees Dwyn he runs over and hugs them. Dwyn is surprised, but returns the hug, and they spend the rest of the day being fluffy and cute. While the confession wasn’t exactly confirmed, they became much closer with each other.

TL;DR: Much slow burn strangers-to-friends-to-lovers. Ghost Donuts is just all the slow burn

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland oc #twst #twst oc #oc ask meme #dwynwen philautia #vil schoenheit #rook hunt #ruggie bucchi #ghost donuts #ghost donuts brainrot is real #walpurga-nacht-academy #girl-in-the-tower #ask answered

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sxveme-2 · 4 years

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blueberry pancakes // bucky barnes

MASTERLIST

Description: A single mother. Juggling being a mom, a full time pediatrician, and a difficult ex who believed now would be the best time to finally be a father. A soldier ripped out of time. Ex-assassin turned superhero. Learning how to balance a new domestic life with handling demons of his past, while facing the trials of the future. a love story began over something as simple as chocolate chip pancakes with hidden blueberries.

Disclaimer: I do not own any original Marvel characters! All canon plots and canon characters belong to Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios. This is an original work. You may not publish it anywhere else

Status: Edited

Note: Takes place after endgame. I have elected to ignore Tony's death and Steve's leaving. Did not happen. Quick Reminder! My works are only published here, AO3 and on Wattpad, thank you.

Chapter One: The One Where it Starts

Warnings: N/A

Word Count: 1615

Being an adult in general is a wild roller coaster. Whether it be balancing bills, expenses, keeping a proper career, all together it was a stressful period. Going to the bank or answering phone calls was difficult enough. Seriously, what is with people and constantly calling? It’s so much easier to just text. Not to mention it keeps the incredibly anxiety ridden people at bay, and leaves them in a sane state of mind without worrying about anything.

That brings us to the protagonist of our story. Lily Briar Osborne. The 33 year old child of Abel and Alicia Osborne. She was the sister to two younger siblings, Rose and Cedar. Can you sense a theme with the children's names? Even Lily herself seemed to carry on that legacy with her own son. While balancing her busy work and just life in general, Lily mothered a young boy named Hunter. Hunter Osborne-Harvey. The eleven year old boy that was the result of a much too early marriage of two young kids who believed this was it, they had found the one. Well, that was not exactly the ending of their fairy tale. It instead involved a mistress, many trips to Grandma and Grandpa's, and a few too many shots in order to handle one another.

Lily was more-so a quiet girl. Definitely more of the silent type in comparison to the majority of people in her profession. She was a pediatrician, and the only time you really see her talk or even crack a smile, is when she was with the kids. She was always found making sure they felt comfortable. When the young ones were gone, she seemed to shut down. Giving straight and to the point answers. Not elaborating unless asked, and strictly sticking to just the facts.

Lily and Hunter had found home in a small colonial home in the suburbs of Manhattan, New York. There, they can be found in the company of a German Shepard named Joey, after the beloved sitcom, Friends. You could always find the small family laying in Lily's bed with the comedy illuminating the room around them. Every other Sunday and Saturday before Hunter's father came to pick him up for the weekend, they'd lay in bed before going out for brunch at Lily's best friends cafe further into the city.

Which is where the story began. a sunny Saturday morning in September.

-----

"If he doesn't like you, it's a moo point."

The two Osborne's laughed softly at the comment made by their favourite sitcom character. Lily's fingers gently ran across the arm of her son, creating a soothing rhythm as they watched the sitcom, his head laid comfortably against the pillows. The large dog laid spread down at the edge of the duvet where his breathing radiated gently through the room.

"Alright why don't you head in to get dressed and we'll go to Aunt Gen's cafe, hm? Sound like a plan kiddo?'' Lily's feather light voice cooed as her hazel eyes moved to glance over at her son.

"But I wanna stay home all day and watch friends." Hunter whined as he nuzzled further into his mom's bed.

"No love, I'm sure your dad has lots of things planned for the weekend. And we can watch more episodes when you're back tomorrow, okay? I promise." Lily sighed while lifting her pointer finger to her son.

The pointer finger promise was Lily and Hunter’s signature thing. Instead of making a pinky promise, which was the weakest finger, they used one of the strongest. to make the strongest promises. That is exactly what they would do. And they'd know that if they broke it, trust would be something that had to be earned back. And luckily for Lily, she trusted her son with her whole being. He told her everything, as far as she knew. Seeing as she wasn't in his head, who knew? Though he was very vocal about his distaste for visiting his father, and it did hurt Lily to hear the pain he felt. The separation agreement allowed Scott Harvey, Hunter's father, to have the young boy every other weekend.

Lily was lucky enough to have primary custody. Mostly because Scott was never a fully invested father before the divorce, so the court had no issue granting Lily the majority of the custody. But of course, Scott could come by whenever to see Hunter, as well as if he had something planned, he could pick up his son. But...Hunter wasn't the biggest fan of his father.

Neither was Lily.

Lily and Scott got divorced a few years ago when Hunter was a ripe 7 years old, and now he was 11, and still lacked the father figure he longed for. In those 7 years, Scott never really put an effort in. and hunter was a smart kid, and already harbored a distaste for the distant nature of his father. and it annoyed him, and Lily, that all of the sudden, after the divorce, Scott wished to be the great father he never was before. Despite his many attempts, it never worked out well for him.

"Promise." Hunter smiled gently and wrapped his pointer finger around Lily's, before sliding out from underneath the white duvet that covered the two of them, startling the dog that laid at the end of the bed.

As Hunter left the room, a small sigh escaped the blonde doctor's lips. She hated these days, when Hunter had to go visit his father. But she knew it was important for a child's psyche to have at least a relationship with their father. Picking herself up as well, Lily heaved herself into her closet. She picked out a white spring dress with blue baby's breath designs splayed across the entire piece of clothing. It was a tank top strap, and it was the end of summer and a small breeze danced through her window. She slid a blue jean jacket over her arms before stepping into her bathroom to complete her basic routine.

After she pulled her hair into a pony, lily stepped out of her room after calling Joey out and down the wooden stairs to the main floor, where Hunter sat at the front door with his backpack and Converse on. Lily couldn't help but smile gently at her punctual son and felt proud of how she had raised him. And how he had grown to be a self-sufficient boy who was also able to ask for help when need be.

"You gonna get the pancakes again today kiddo?" Lily wondered while stepping into her ballet flats and ruffling the fur on Joey's back before opening the white door for her son.

"Aunt Gen keeps putting secret blueberries in them and acting as though they're chocolate chips. I don't trust her anymore."

-----

Lily and Hunter stepped out of the silver 2019 Honda passport, the two Osborne's took a deep breath of the muggy New York air. Hunter stood by Lily's side as she paid for the parking spot they were lucky enough to grab in the busy streets. She slid her arm around the boy's shoulders, before leading the two towards the fairly busy cafe her best friend owned.

Genevive Fairchild. Lily's best friend for close to 20 years now. The two had met during their highschool orientation back in 2005. Gen was the extroverted hippy with conservative parents who disagreed with their child's decisions and mannerisms. She was always wearing what was to become her signature dreadlocks with golden decals littering her hair. Baggy shirts with fishnet cardigans and ripped jeans, the necessities to embody Gen. She entered the school loud and unbothered by others opinions or thoughts on how she acted or what she wore. But somehow, she was taken with the quiet blonde who kept her opinions to herself, hands tucked behind her back.

Lily hadn't changed much in these twenty years, much to her parents dismay. Her parents were elated when their timid daughter brought home the boisterous and carefree Genevieve. Lily's parents were the same as Gen, unbothered and one with the Earth, no real care about people's opinions. Her father was a botanist and her mother a conversationalist. Plants and crystals littered the eco friendly home of Lily's childhood in the rural area of Long Island, New York. To see their studious, goody-good, daughter who wore knee length dresses everyday and cardigans, to bring home such a carefree spirit, was a breath of long needed fresh air for them.

Ever since then, the two were inseparable. Lily even made her the godmother of Hunter. They both had keys to each others places, and nothing ever seemed to get in between the two of them. Other than those many years Scott wreaked havoc on their friendship. He kept Lily under some sort of spell, no matter how many times Gen attempted to convince her of the terrible manner of their relationship. Eventually, Gen gave up on the fight. until the young chocolate skin girl caught her best friend's husband getting it on with some girl at a party Gen was invited to.

And that was the end of that marriage. Gen stayed with lily almost every night while everything was happening. And when her or Scott couldn't get Hunter up to Lily's parents, Gen would take him. Make sure he wasn't too focused on the broken state of his mother.

As the two pushed open the door to the cafe, they were greeted with the fresh smell of coffee and pastries. That is, before they were practically being tackled by the woman earlier mentioned.

"You two will NOT believe who is here right now."

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us2dinosaurplanet · 3 years

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The Stay on Dinosaur Planet: Chapter 4-Guess Who’s Coming?

Meanwhile back on Earth, a phone call just occurred a few days ago, but not just any phone call. Ash: “Good morning, Professor.” Prof. Oak: “Ah, good morning, Ash! How are you doing today?” Ash: “I’m fine. How are you today, Professor?” Prof. Oak: “Why, I’m fine, too, thank you for asking.” Ash: “You’re welcome. Say, has Pikachu returned from her visit, yet?” Prof. Oak: “Well, no. Pikachu has not yet returned, and neither has Misty or the Powerpuff Girls as far as I can tell.” Bow: “Princess Peach hasn’t returned yet, either. I’ve received a phone call from a concerned Toad that she’s not back at the Mushroom Kingdom.” Ash: “I’m worried, Professor. It’s not like Pikachu or Misty or the girls to stay off the Earth this long. I think something has happened to them that prevented them from coming home.” Prof. Oak: “I think so, too, Ash. Get Brock and meet Lady Bow, Tracy, Gary, Ribbon, and me outside my front gate. We need to get to the bottom of this immediately.”

Later, Ash and Brock met the professor and the other near the professor’s front gate. Bow: “It’s about time you boys got here. The professor’s grandson is getting impatient.” Brock: “I’m not surprised. The girls should have been home a few days ago. This has certainly gone out of hand.” Ribbon: “I miss Misty!” Gary: “I told you we shouldn’t have trusted that Fox McCloud! If we had just left with the girls, none of this would have happened!” Ribbon: “I miss Misty!” Prof. Oak: “Now, now, settle down, everyone. I’m sure Fox has a good explanation to why the girls haven’t returned home, but we won’t find out if we just stand here, complaining about it.” Ash: “The professor’s right! If we just ask Fox, I’m sure he could tell us what’s going on.” Gary: “I highly doubt it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.” Prof. Oak: “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get going.”

The professor called upon the space taxis, then he and the guys left the Earth along with Ribbon and Lady Bow.

Later they arrived on the planet Corneria at their usual spot. They found that the girls and the Starfox team are not there. Ash: “Professor, this doesn’t seem right, I don’t see Fox, Misty, Peach, Pikachu, the girls or any of the members of the Starfox team here at all.” Prof. Oak: “Hm, you seem to be right, Ash. Let me check my radar.”

He opened a radar from his communicator. Prof. Oak: “Hm, this may seem a bit silly of me to ask this, but this is Corneria, right?” Gary: “Of, course this is Corneria! I recognize this place anywhere. I did you ask, grandpa?” Prof. Oak: “Because, according to this radar, they’re not here.” Tracy: “But if they’re not here, then where are they?” Prof. Oak: “Well, it says here that they’re on a distant planet far from here.” Ash: “You mean they’re on another planet? Pikachu, too?” Prof. Oak: “I’m afraid so, Ash.”

Suddenly, Ribbon started bursting into tears. Ribbon: “Misty!” Gary: “That Fox needs to be taught a lesson! I thought leaving the girls off the Earth this was bad enough, but bringing them to another planet, he’s gone too far this time!” Prof. Oak: “Now, now, settle down, Gary. I’m sure he has nothing to do with all of this.” Ash: “The professor’s right, Fox is a good friend of Pikachu and the girls. He would never do anything to them.” Gary: “Yeah right! He’s probably using that fact to completely throw us off course! I don’t trust him one bit! I never did and I never will!” Prof. Oak: “That’s enough out of you, Gary! Fox McCloud is a good person. He would never do anything to hurt those girls or deceive us. Now, until we find this planet, I don’t want to hear another word out of you. Understand?” Gary: “Hmph! Fine, but if anything ever happened to those girls, I won’t stay silent.” Prof. Oak: “Fair enough, let’s go, everyone.”

They left Corneria on the space taxis.

Many hours later, they finally reached Dinosaur Planet. Prof. Oak: “According to my radar, the girls are on this planet.”

They landed in Thorntail Hollow and the space taxis returned to space. Meanwhile, a certain little Earthwalker prince watched all of it occurred and ran back to Cape Claw. Tricky: “Fox! Fox!” Fox: “Hm?” Tricky: “Fox!” Fox: “Tricky?” Tricky: “Fox, you’re not going to believe this, but some humans landed on the planet. They’re at Thorntail Hollow, right now. Come on.” Fox: “OK, OK, I’m coming.”

Fox followed Tricky back to the hollow.

Meanwhile, the guys were still in Thorntail Hollow. Ash: “Professor, are you sure they’re on this planet? I don’t see them anywhere.” Prof. Oak: “100%, Ash.” Gary: “I hope so or else we’re on a wild goose chase no thanks to that no good Fox.” Brock: “We may not have any real proof that the girls are here, well, except for the radar, but one thing’s certain, Fox is definitely here. His Arwing is parked right there.” Gary: “Perfect, even if the girls aren’t here, at least we’ll have a score to settle with that Fox.” Ash: “But where is he?” Tricky: “There they are. That’s them, that’s them!” Guys: “Huh?”

Suddenly, Fox and Tricky came out from behind the Arwing. Fox: “Thanks, Tricky. Well, well, well, if it isn’t some old friends of planet Earth. Didn’t expect to see you guys here. What’s up?” Gary: “I’ll be asking the questions, here. What have done to the girls?” Fox: “What do you mean by that?” Gary: “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m saying. I know you did something to prevent those girls from coming home. Admit it, Fox!” Fox: “Excuse me? You’re trespassing on an ancient planet home to many species that are extinct on your planet and yet you have the right to accuse me of a crime I never even committed? You humans have a lot of nerve.” Gary: “Lies!” Prof. Oak: “That’s enough, Gary. I apologize for my grandson’s behavior, Fox. You see, he…” Fox: “Still hates me? That’s OK; I don’t feel very differently about him, either. Anyway, I’m guessing that you’re obviously here for the girls, right?” Prof. Oak: “Correct, it’s been weeks since they left for your home world and we’ve been quite concerned…” Gary: “Try outraged!” Ash: “I’m not outraged.” Gary: “Shut up, Ash!” Ribbon: “Gary!” Bow: “DON’T INTERRUPT THE PROFESSOR WHILE HE’S SPEAKING!!” Fox: “QUIET! Listen, I’ll take you to see the girls, but only if you guys remain silent. Understand?”

Everyone remained silent. Fox: “Good, now if we could just keep it that way, you’ll see the girls in no time. OK? OK, let’s go. Come on, Tricky.”

They followed Fox out of Thorntail Hollow and through the Lightfoot Village. Tricky: “Fox, are these guys really trespassing here?” Fox: “Nah, I was just kidding. I knew why they came all along.” Tricky: “Oh, hey, Fox, are you really going to show them what they came here for?” Fox: “Of course I am. If I don’t, then they won’t leave me alone.”

Eventually, they arrived at Cape Claw. Fox: “OK, there they are, safe and sound. Are you happy, now?”

Suddenly, Ribbon’s eyes began to sparkle after spotting Misty. She flew towards Misty and landed on her heavily. Misty: “Huh? Ribbon?”

She laid her head on Misty and began to cry on her. Ribbon: “Oh, Misty, I’ve missed you so much. You’ve been gone for so long; I thought I would never see you again.” Misty: “Oh, my stars! I’m sorry, Ribbon. I didn’t mean to get you upset. I guess I lost track of time. Well, you don’t have to worry, now. I’m OK.”

Ribbon then looked up at Misty, her eyes were still sparkling. Ribbon: “Oh, Misty…” Fox: “Looks as if somebody’s happy, ay, Gary?”

Gary groaned and looked away. Fox: “Come on, Gary, admit it.” Gary: “OK, I’ll admit it, but don’t think you’re off the hook, Fox. I’m not finished with you, yet.”

Gary walked away. Bow: “That grandson of the professor gets more stubborn each day.” Fox: “Don’t remind me; I’ve been keeping track.” Bow: “Now, then, if you excuse me, I’ve got a group to reunite with.” Fox: “Knock yourself out.”

Lady Bow slowly floated down towards where Misty and Ribbon were. Fox returned to the beach and watched as Bubbles and Princess Peach regrouped with Misty, Ribbon and Lady Bow. He has never seen a more beautiful sight. Fox: “Looks as if the Friendly 5 is back together again. So, how does it feel, girls?” Ribbon: “It feels great!” Bow: “I’ve waited a long time for this moment. I thought it would never come.” Ribbon: “Thank you, Fox.” Fox: “No problem.” Prof. Oak: “Well, will you look at that? I told you Fox was a nice person.”

Gary groaned. Fox: “Hey, guys, why don’t you come down from there?”

The guys descended from the cliff and the pier onto the beach and towards Fox. Misty got up from her lounge chair and walked next to him. Ash: “Hey, Misty! Long time no see!” Misty: “Same here, Ash. I’m sorry to worry all of you, but we’ve been very busy since we last left Earth.” Brock: “But why were you off of Earth for so long and what were you guys doing on this strange planet?” Misty: “Well, it’s a long story and I don’t think I have any time to explain.” Gary: “Nonsense! We have all the time we need and we’re not going anywhere until we get some answers. So start talking, princess!” Fox: “Don’t talk to her like that!” Misty: “Alright, already. If it means that much to you, I tell you the story. It all started when Fox became bored of our usual Cornerian-Saturday spot, so we…” Gary: “Ah-ha! I knew it! I knew you were responsible for the girls not returning home, Fox. You WERE up to no good!” Fox: “Gary!” Misty: “Gary, please! It was my fault to begin with. I was the first to agree and convinced everyone else to join in.” Prof. Oak: “Hmmm…” Gary: “Yeah, well…it was Fox’s fault for even mentioning it in the first place. That proves he’s guilty. I should has never trusted you with them, you worthless animal!” Misty: “Gary!” Prof. Oak: “That’s it, Gary! I’ve heard enough out of you. Ever since we left the Earth, the only thing I’ve heard out of you is how terrible Fox is by preventing the girls from returning home. Now, I don’t want to hear another word out of you until Misty finishes her story.” Gary: “But grandpa…” Prof. Oak: “No buts! You’ve pushed this issue too far! Sorry that had to happen you guys. I just can’t seem to control my grandson, anymore.” Fox: “It’s OK, professor. At least somebody shut him up.”

Gary glared at Fox. Misty: “Now then, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I expected the trip to take a few hours, but I was wrong. We found ourselves traveling the entire Lylat System for weeks. I thought it would last forever until General Pepper contacted us. He told us about a planet that was falling to pieces, literally. He asked us to find a way to fix the planet before it got worse. It took us days to complete the mission, but we were able to pull it off.” Brock: “Sounds like you’ve been through a lot.” Misty: “I’ll say. And do you know the best part? We made a new friend.”

Misty kneeled down and picked up cute little Prince Tricky. Misty: “Guys, I would like to introduce you to our new ally and newest best friend, Tricky, prince of the Earthwalker tribe.” Prof. Oak: “Earthwalker, Don’t you mean triceratops?” Tricky: “What’s a triceratops?” Fox: “It’s just a name humans have for your kind. Sorry, guys, but on this planet, the dinosaurs have different names. The pterodactyls are called Cloudrunner, the brontosauruses and Brontosaurus are called Hightops, the ankylosauruses are called Thorntails, Lightfoots are close to raptors and the T-rexes are called Redeyes.” Misty: “There are Woolly Mammoths found on this planet, too.” Fox: “Right, but here, they’re called Showhorns.” Prof. Oak: “Fascinating!” Gary: “Blah, blah, blah!” Prof. Oak: “Gary!” Fox: “Well, that just about sums it up.” Misty: “As I was saying, Tricky helped us out during our mission. He was able to help us through many obstacles that Bubbles and I can’t reach even with our powers. Bubbles and I love Tricky. Right, Bubbles?”

Bubbles giggled a little. Bubbles: “That’s right. He’s such a cutie.”

Misty gently dropped him as Bubbles descended to rub his tummy and giggled while doing it. Fox: “Yeah, I, on the other hand, think he’s a menace. But the girls don’t care that he’s a menace; they only care about how adorable he is.” Brock: “I’m not surprised.” Ash: “Aww!” Bubbles: “Oh, I forgot to introduce you to Tricky’s little sister.”

She picked up Beauty and ascended to the air a little. Bubbles: “This is Princess Beauty.” Fox: “Beauty hatched a couple of days ago; not long after we fixed the planet. She grew up pretty fast and she’s better behaved than Tricky.” Tricky: “But I look out for her.” Prof. Oak: “Sounds as if you got along pretty well with the inhabitants of this planet.” Misty: “Yep! We found many friendly creatures here on Dinosaur Planet.” Prof. Oak: “Dinosaur Planet, ay? What an interesting name!” Misty: “I know, I like it, too.” Brock: “By the way, that other journey you had before you came here, did you finish it?” Misty: “Well, of, course, we did! We’ve decided that we wanted to stay here on Dinosaur Planet.” Tracy: “So, it was like killing 2 birds with 1 stone by coming here.” Misty: “Exactly, not only did we save an entire planet, not to mention the entire Lylat System, our quest has ended. We love it here!” Ash: “That’s great! By the way, it’s been a long time since I’ve last seen Pikachu. Is she here?” Fox: “Pikachu? Oh, yeah, she’s still here. Pikachu, Ash is here!”

Pikachu responded to Fox’s call and ran towards Ash and climbed into his arms. Ash: “Pikachu, I’ve missed you so much.”

Pikachu began to speak. Ash: “I understand you don’t want to leave, yet. I’m only here to check on you, to see how you’re doing. You’ve been gone for so long I was worried that something may have happened to you. I’m just glad to see you’re OK.”

Pikachu spoke again. Ash: “I miss you, too, Pikachu. Thanks for letting me see Pikachu again, Fox.” Fox: “Don’t mention it.” Brock: “Now that that’s settled, I think we should head back to Earth.”

Ash nodded and summoned their space taxis to return to Earth. Prof. Oak: “Tracy, I suggest you follow Ash and Brock back to Earth.” Tracy: “But, what about you, professor?” Prof. Oak: “I think I’ll stay here for a while. I’ve got some unfinished business that I need to take care of.”

Tracy nodded, hailed a space taxi and left the planet. Prof. Oak: “Gary, I want you to stay here.” Gary: “So I can keep an eye on Fox?” Prof. Oak: “Yes! There’s something that you must know about Fox and Misty. I don’t want you to leave until you find out what.”

#Ultimate Story 2 #Dinosaur Planet #The Stay on Dinosaur Planet #Fox McCloud #Prince Tricky #Thorntail Hollow #Cape Claw #Misty #Bubbles #Ribbon #Princess Peach #Lady Bow #Ash Ketchum #Brock #Professor Oak #Gary Oak #Tracey Sketchit #Pikachu #Princess Beauty

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the-sarcastic-trashmouth · 5 years

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Only miss the sun when it starts to snow

Summary: “Nuh-Nuh-Nothing is going to make tuh-tuh-tomorrow easy, Mom. Yuh-Yuh-You and I both know th-th-that.” He exclaims, tears flooding down his face as he looked to her.

“Bill, what happened… It wasn’t your fault.” She whispered getting off cut at him abruptly from his chair, causing it to thump against the carpet.

“It was! It wuh-wuh-was my fault! I duh-duh-didn’t go with him! I shuh-shuh-should have been with him!” He argues as his mother’s eyes widened.

“Baby… No, no.” She finally stepped into the room when Bill slumped against his desk while sobbing. Her arms enveloped him in a warm embrace as his body trembled against her. “Oh Bill, why didn’t you tell me that’s how you were feeling?” Her fingers combed through his hair gently as Bill buried his face deeper against her chest.

Pairing: Bill Denbrough x Mike Hanlon

The Denbrough house was very quiet tonight. They had sat together and eaten dinner together for the first time in a long while, but the air was tense and hard to bear. It had been about a week since the defeat of Pennywise and almost a month since Georgie disappeared. It was like the life had been sucked out of every single one of them.

Bill was trying to focus on his homework, but his mind kept going back to Georgie’s voice, echoing heavily in his head. He wanted nothing more than for everything to just be quiet for a little while so he could just hear himself think.

“Bill?” His mother’s soft voice called as the brunette boy glanced back to see her head peeking through the door. “You have your suit pressed? You know tomorrow is the funeral.” She explains as Bill nods.

“In-In-In the closet, Mom.” He assured softly as she offers a watery smile.

“You need anything?” She questioned when he shook his head.

“Nuh-Nuh-No, I’m good. Puh-Puh-Promise.” He smiles back, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Did you ask any of your friends to come?” She whispered when Bill looked down at his math book with his trembling chin.

“No, I-I-I didn’t actually. Th-Th-They have enough going on.” He assures softly, earning a frown from her.

“Sweetheart, they’re your friends. If they care… They’d drop everything to be there.” She comments when Bill gripped his fist.

“Muh-Muh-Mom, please. Juh-Juh-Just stop. I didn’t in-in-invite them.” He huffed as she winced before nodding gently.

“Okay, I’m sorry. I just… I just thought tomorrow would be easier if you had friends.” She explains when Bill ruffled his own hair messily.

“Nuh-Nuh-Nothing is going to make tuh-tuh-tomorrow easy, Mom. Yuh-Yuh-You and I both know th-th-that.” He exclaims, tears flooding down his face as he looked to her.

“Bill, what happened… It wasn’t your fault.” She whispered getting off cut at him abruptly from his chair, causing it to thump against the carpet.

“It was! It wuh-wuh-was my fault! I duh-duh-didn’t go with him! I shuh-shuh-should have been with him!” He argues as his mother’s eyes widened.

“I’m suh-suh-sorry…” He whispered as she sat down onto the bed and pulled him into her lap as she used to when he was a lot younger.

“Don’t apologize, Bill. What happened wasn’t your fault. You had no way of knowing that this would have happened… I just wish we would have found his body so I could bury my baby and not an empty casket.” She whispered as Bill’s fingers tightened against the fabric of her nightgown.

“Muh-Muh-Me too.” He whispered with a blank expression. I wish I would have found him alive was left unsaid.

“Come on, how about I get the ice cream out and you and I go downstairs to watch some movies?” She offers, brushing the hair from his slightly swollen face.

“Yuh-Yuh-Yeah, I’d like that.” He assures softly with a gentle smile spreading across his drying lips.

“Okay.” She smiles before standing up with him still nestled in her arms. He was going to protest since he was practically her height, but his mother was bound and determined to carry her baby down the steps.

The look on her face is why made his mouth shut. It was a look of… let me baby you for just a moment longer. I lost my youngest and you are all I have so let me do this, please.

Bill slowly wrapped his arms around her neck and laid his head against her chest while she walked down the steps. His eyes already felt heavy from the lack of sleep these past few weeks. Yet, being in her arms like this made everything just disappear and he didn’t have to face his brother’s death tomorrow and he didn’t have to listen to everyone’s I’m sorry.

What the fuck was I’m sorry going to do? It meant nothing to him. It didn’t bring back Georgie. It didn’t help kill the damn clown that had slaughtered him and it certainly didn’t ease the ache in the Denbroughs’ hearts. They could take their ‘I’m sorry’s’ and shove it.

Bill’s eyes snapped open when he felt his mom shift and lay him down on the couch. She offered him a gentle smile, murmuring about the ice cream before walking off to the kitchen. Bill slowly looked around the room in silence feeling this heavy weight slowly being lifted off his shoulders.

He felt the couch dip above his head as he looked to see his mother hunkering down before gesturing to the giant bowl of ice cream they would share. Bill merely shifted before laying his head on her lap while she turned on the tv before letting her fingers comb through his hair again. Bill’s eyes struggled to stay open before he finally blacked out long before she had found a movie to watch.

It was a few hours later when Bill’s eyes fluttered open, his ears were ringing loudly as he tried to adjust to the glow from the TV. The other was dark and the faint hum from the TV was the only sound that echoed the room aside from the gentle breath of his mother who had him in her arms.

Somehow she moved him to where his face was on her stomach so that she could lay on the couch with him. He took in the familiar scent of laundry detergent that seemed to calm his frantic heart rate with the soothing scent. He wanted to stay in this moment forever if he could, but he felt sweaty, hot and his arm was bent awkwardly between his mother’s side and the couch.

He slowly peeled himself off the silk fabric of her nightgown, wiping at the drying drool on his face as he stood up. He snagged the remote of the coffee table and shut off the TV before grabbing the afghani off the back of the couch. He draped it over her sleeping form as he started up the steps to go back to his room so he could sleep some more.

Then he noticed a light shining from Georgie’s room as Bill’s heart dropped down into his stomach. He felt something inside of him snap as he ripped open the door, ready to kill that fucking clown again if he was there. Yet, the moment he was inside, he realized that it was the small nightlight that aluminated the room in stars.

Suddenly Bill felt his chest tighten so hard that he couldn’t breathe. He needed to get the hell out of this house before it suffocated him slowly. He immediately backed out of the room and rushed into his room before slipping on his shoes and snagging a jacket. He felt his stomach turn violently, feeling the stars slowly creeping out of the room towards him as he flinched.

He thrusted open his window before tossing out the rope ladder he made for the other losers’ whenever they needed him. He climbed down from his window and rushed for his bike, glancing back to the darkened house with a look of utter despair.

Honestly, Bill had no idea where the hell he was pedaling until he reached the road that led to Mike’s farm. His thundering heart was calling for him to see the homeschooled boy because right now… he just needed to hear his voice. The moon’s light guided him down the dirt path before he finally made it to Mike’s home.

Why? Why did he need to see him? Why can’t he just let it go? Mike’s sleeping.

Bill dropped his bike down in the grass before walking up to the window he knew was Mike’s. He glanced around before rushing back to the road, snagging up some small rocks before returning to the window. He gripped the rocks in his hands for a moment longer before finally chucking the first pebble that hit the side of the house.

“Fuck.” He growled and threw it to the left a little more before making a gentle tink sound to the glass. “Cuh-Cuh-Come on.” He pleaded softly to Mike as he lobbed a few more rocks, making contact with the glass.

Suddenly the curtains opened as Mike lifted up the window, looking down at his friend in shock. Bill had never felt such relief course through him at the sight of the other boy than he did right now.

“Bill? What in the world are you doing here?” He asked, frowning. “Do you have any idea what time it is?” He questioned as Bill glanced sheepishly to the moon.

“Th-Th-Three?” He offered softly, earning a snort from Mike.

“Close enough. What’s wrong?” Mike asked, crossing his arms when he noticed the distant look in Bill’s eyes.

“Guh-Guh-Georgie’s funeral is tomorrow and I… I don’t think I can face it. I ruh-ruh-really don’t wanna buh-buh-be alone.” He explains as Mike’s eyes softened.

“Oh, jeez dude, here. Let me get the door unlocked.” Mike comments, nudging his head back in his room as Bill nods.

Bill walked over to the porch, standing there as he shivered slightly now that the cold air was settling over him. He didn’t even think about pants when he went downstairs with his mother, because he thought he was just gonna do homework and go to bed. Now here he was, standing in thirty-degree weather in boxers, a t-shirt and a light jacket that did a lick of shit to block out the gentle breeze.

“Come on in.” Mike comments, opening the door gently before holding a finger up to his lips. “Be quiet. My Grandpa is still sleeping.” He gestured to the recliner where the old man snored loudly away.

Bill followed Mike up to his room as he rubbed his hands up and down his biceps in order to get some friction to heat up his body. He glanced sheepishly to Mike who held a look of worry before he opened his drawers and pulled out some sleeper pants.

“I-I-I shouldn’t.” He comments, earning a quirking brow in response.

“Bill, you’re lips are turning blue. Put the damn pants on.” Mike huffs as Bill felt his face heat up before he took the plaid pants from Mike and slipped them all. Mike’s waist was a lot bigger than Bill’s since he worked on the farm for all his life so he had bigger bones.

“Thuh-Thuh-Thanks,” Bill whispered before sitting down on the edge of the bed when Mike joined him.

“So, what’s going on in that big brain of yours?” Mike asked quietly, glancing at Bill who stared at the flooring.

“I… I suh-suh-seen a light in Georgie’s room. Puh-Puh-Panicked because I thought It wuh-wuh-was back.” He explains as Mike’s eyes softened before he unconsciously reached out and squeezed Bill’s trembling hand. “It’s all muh-muh-my fault.” He whispered, feeling tears burning his eyes. His nose was burning and dripping as he wiped away both tears and snot with the end of his jacket.

“What? No! Bill, it’s not. Look at me.” Mike begged, locking eyes with Bill’s watery gaze. “It’s that dumb clown who did this. Georgie didn’t deserve to die like he did… And… And you deserve some closure. Tomorrow you know that despite it being an empty casket buried… that Georgie’s soul can be at peace.” He explains softly.

“Buh-Buh-But if I had gone wi-wi-with him that day… He could buh-buh-be alive.” Bill comments with an angered expression.

“Or you could both be dead. Your mother would have lost both her boys and never known what happened. Pennywise would have slaughtered a lot of more people… You saved so many, Bill. I know it hurts, but it’s okay. Georgie doesn’t blame you.” He promised before pulling Bill against him as Bill immediately buried his face into Mike’s neck.

“It shuh-shuh-should have been muh-muh-me,” Bill whispered when Mike jerked Bill back, cupping his face as Bill’s eyes widened.

“Don’t you dare ever say that again, do you hear me Denbrough!” Mike snapped angrily, unshed tears flooding his own waterline. “You and the others are my best friends!! I don’t know what I would have done had I not met any of you… So don’t… please don’t say that.” He begged softly.

Bill’s swallowed as much as he could with how tight his throat was as Mike pants heavily, warm breath fanning over Bill’s face. His eyes flickered down to Mike’s slightly parted lips before going back to the heated gaze of Mike’s eyes. He shivered gently before leaning forward as Mike froze when Bill’s lips brushed over his own.

“Fuh-Fuh-Fuck!” Bill gasped, pulling away with wide eyes as he started to stand up only for Mike’s hand to wrap around his elbow. “Muh-Muh-Mike, I--” He’s cut off when Mike’s lips smashed awkwardly against his own.

Bill’s entire body jolted before his eyes fluttered shut as he immediately deepened the kiss, tilting his head so he could. Bill moaned gently at the feeling of Mike’s arms slowly snaking their way around his body until the two teen boys were flushed against his other.

“That was… Holy shit.” Mike whispered, breathlessly as Bill nods dumbly.

“Yuh-Yuh-Yeah… I… Duh-Duh-Does this mean you feel the suh-suh-same?” Bill asked, glancing up at Mike who smiled.

“I think so… I mean… What I feel for you is definitely different than what I feel for the others.” Mike comments when Bill smiles softly before their forehead touch.

“Hey… Wuh-Wuh-Would you come with me tomorrow to the funeral? I th-th-think I’d like you there.” Bill whispered when Mike nods softly.

“Yeah, I can be there. Do you… Do you wanna spend the night?” He asked quietly as Bill nods immediately. “Um… We have to wake up really early. Your mom will freak out if she sees you gone.” Mike explains when Bill’s face flushes before he nods again.

“Fuh-Fuh-Fuck… Forgot.” Bill murmurs when Mike pulls the covers aside and lays down before offering out the open blanket to Bill who immediately crawled underneath. He buried his face against Mike’s chest, taking in the scent of hay and other things that can only be labeled, Mike.

“Good night, Bill,” Mike whispered as Bill’s arms snake around Mike’s body.

“Nuh-Nuh-Night, Mike.” Bill’s voice was muffled thanks to him trying to bury himself into Mike’s skin.

Not a few minutes later and Bill was already out like a light… And God was he glad that he decided to go and visit Mike.

#Bill Denbrough x Mike Hanlon #Hanbrough #Fluff #Angst #Crying #Getting together #First kiss #Mentions of dead character #Funeral #Mrs. Denbrough is sunshine #She's a momma who wants to protect her baby #Bill blames himself #Hurt and comfort #Emotional baggage #Mike is a bean #The world doesn't deserve him

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daydream-hobii · 6 years

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BTS Reaction to: Crushing on a K-Dance Squad Member | K-Dance Squad OCs

Authors Note: Thank you so much for the request! Ooooooh boy! Am I so excited about writing for K-Dance Squad!!! I hope you like it!!! ^_^ @sugacxndy

TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of Sexual Harassment, read with caution~ <3

Warning: All fics with K-Dance Squad may be offensive to some people, humor wise. If you are easily offended, please do not read. <3

SEOKJIN:

Seokjin has never seen a beauty like Quinn before. She was so elegant and soft, he couldn't believe his eyes. He felt these feelings towards her that he didn't really understand, he just knew he wasn't thinking of himself as worldwide handsome anymore.... He was, instead, viewing her as worldwide beauty, because that's truly what she was. He began to like her when she was officially to work in their dance studio, after their meeting on the Run!BTS episode. When he realized the feelings he felt, he was just casually watching her practice the backup moves for Blood, Sweat, and Tears when she paused and turned to smile at him. Her smile floored him, and he gave a soft one back, with a small wave.

"You're doing great, Quinn!" He said with a smile.

It's all fun and games until Seokjin learned that Quinn had a fiance back home in America, then he tries desperately to get rid of his feelings for her with no prevail.

YOONGI:

Yoongi has a bit of a fake, hard exterior, so when he first started having feelings for Roxanne, he didn't really believe it. Roxi was similar to Jimin, very bubbly, cool and a beautiful smile. Surely he could never like someone so happy, right? Right? But alas, he fell for her, and quite hard at that. Roxi began to compliment him on his dance moves or told him how inspiring his music was to her, his heart couldn't help but flutter at every compliment. He actually liked her before he started to admit it to himself. The real kicker is when he invited her into his studio, the same studio that has two doors and two locks. The boys actually had to explain to him his feelings for Roxi, and when he finally admitted it to himself, he became very bashful around her.

"Hey, Yoongi! Did you get some sleep last night?" Roxi asked with a large smile.

"Y-Yeah, I did.... Thank you for checking on me," Yoongi replied, a blush forming.

HOSEOK:

Hoseok realized that he liked Jojo during unfortunate events. Since Jojo is the head choreographer, he was already attracted to her dancing ability. She has to teach the male backup dancers the new moves for their songs, and one of the boys, who happened to be the son of one of the big dogs of the company, was harassing her. He would give her with rude compliments, constantly ask her out on dates even though she has a boyfriend, and even went as far as slapping her butt. Jojo is a strong woman, so she doesn't initially ask for help, she thinks she can handle it. When the girls are telling her off for not saying anything, Hoseok overhears with the boys. He recruits Yoongi and Taehyung, who were pretty close to Jojo, to go and watch them practice, even when it's one of their days off. This boy was out of control, and once he touched Jojo wrong, anger ran through his veins. He knew in that instant he may have liked her more than he initially thought, and he went over and got in the boys face.

"You touch her again, I'll fire you right on the spot...." Hoseok spat at him.

Even if Jojo had a boyfriend in another country, no one deserves to go through that, and he still stands by that, but finding out she has a boyfriend made him really push his feelings down, not wanting to get her or himself hurt. It only gets worse when they dance together....

NAMJOON:

Namjoon didn't really notice Emily at first. He saw Jojo, Roxi, and Artie since they were the new choreographers, but Emily was quiet, distant. When he really noticed her was the late nights she'd stay while he worked in his studio, practicing all her dance moves. Eventually, instead of going out to get one meal or one coffee, he went to get two. She seemed to be just as hard of a worker as him, and that attracted him to her. When he got the courage to ask her why she stays so late practicing, she was already a great dancer, she'd just smirk and chuckle.

"I've got to," Em said, taking a drink of her coffee. "I wasn't a dancer when we started this group. Quinn, Roxi, and Artie were for years, Jojo, Zee, and Lavie are naturals.... I just have to work a little harder than the others, show that as their leader, I'll work hard for them."

"I admire that," Namjoon said, a small smile showing on his lips. "Being the leader can be difficult.... It's nice to have someone around who understands that." Em would smile softly, nodding her head.

"I agree," She said, sipping her coffee as Namjoon took his leave, his heart swelling in a way that he'd only ever read about. This was when he really began to like Emily.

JIMIN:

Jimin's experience with the K-Dance Squad member of his dreams was actually so embarrassing.... He knew he thought Zaylee was pretty, but never thought much of it. He thinks lots of people were pretty. When he found out he liked her, however, was when he was walking around backstage at one of his concerts, and went into the wrong room. It was the girls dressing room, and Zee was the only one in there, in her underwear. He would immediately cover his face, turning to walk out as he apologized, when the door had shut behind him and he ran smack into it, falling backwards and to the floor. Zee would yelp, more so for him, and quickly run over, kneeling beside him and asking if he was okay as his eyes were so wide.

"Yeah, I'm fine! God, I'm so sorry," He said fast, a blush forming as he covered his eyes again. Zee giggled, standing up and rolling her eyes.

"It's not like you're the only person. I'm a Victoria Secret model, people see me in my underwear all the time," Zee said, smiling as she continued to get dressed.

Jimin quickly left the room, his heart going a hundred miles per hour. This was when he realized how much he really liked her... but Zee is in a polyamorous relationship back in America with a man and woman, and Jimin's heart practically breaks when he finds out....

TAEHYUNG:

Taehyung is a very friendly and sweet guy. Hell, he might as well be dating all the K-Dance Squad members with how generous he is, but only one girl caught his eye. Lavender is a different kind of girl, one who is cold and blunt, but goofy and weird. At first, he was a bit intimidated by her, I mean, it made sense why Yoongi was the one she'd dance for, but he really started to like her when he saw how important her friends were, along with her family. He didn't know English that well, but when Lavie would talk to her grandpa on the phone, he could hear the love in her voice. Taehyung could really relate to this, he absolutely adored his grandparents, and this is what really attracted him to her.

"That was your grandpa?" He asked when she hung up, eyes wide and innocent with curiosity.

"Yeah," Lavie said with a frown. "He's just pretty sad today, said he really misses me. I just hope he's okay...."

"Ahh," Taehyung said, biting his lip. "Why don't you call and send him flowers? Or his favorite meal...? I do that for my grandparents when they miss me." Lavie would smile at the idea, nodding her head.

"That's actually a great idea, thank you, Tae," She said, walking away to call somewhere for her grandpa. This made Taehyung's heart flutter because, not only did she take his advice, but she had a similar love for her family as he did.

JUNGKOOK:

Jungkook may seem like a bad boy on stage, one whose outgoing and confident, but he really can't talk to woman. The only reason he was able to talk to Jojo first was because they were the same age and connected as siblings. Even if Artemis is three years younger, he was smitten when he saw her. Alas, it took him quite a while before he could talk to Artie, but when he did, he fell head over heels when he got to know her. She was bubbly and outgoing, loved video games and was competitive. He's had crushes before, but nothing like this, so he didn't really know he liked her until they had a solo stage together. For Euphoria when it first came out, before the full version, Artie and Jungkook had to dance together, and it was sort of sensual. His face would be as red as a tomato during the whole dance.

"You may need to fix that redness before the concert, buddy," Artie said with a giggle.

"Heh, you're right," He replied, scratching the back of his neck and only getting redder as she chuckled and walked away. How was she so charming?!

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mythicamagic · 6 years

Text

Terracotta Teeth - Chapter 8

During a long drive to Tokyo, Kagome’s car is totalled by a monstrous silver dog. She now finds herself stranded in a remote village, where the residents appear kind, if slightly distant. However something or someone seems a little too keen on making her stay, permanently.

Rated M for later chapters

Horror/Romance/Drama

You can read this story on Ao3, Fanfiction.net or Dokuga

Chapter One - here Chapter Two - here Chapter Three - here Chapter Four - here Chapter Five - Here Chapter Six - here Chapter Seven - here Chapter Nine - here

Purgatory ~

Treading the nostalgic path down to her old school in a haze, Kagome walked amongst the sea of students. That uniform that she'd worn almost every day only made more memories resurface. She glanced behind her dimly, seeing an afterimage of a boy struggling to keep up, a football tucked under his arm.

'Hurry up, squirt. I don't want to be late for my exam again.'

He just smiled sheepishly. 'Sorry! But hey, it's not like you want to go in the first place. I'm doing you a favour.'

Kagome blinked slowly. The image was suddenly gone. Turning, she continued on, still dragging her feet. Souta always made her late, it felt only right to do so.

Of course, she was much too old to be going to school. Kagome walked there for an entirely different reason. As the school bell sounded, signalling the start of first period, she walked across the courtyard. Opening the door to the archery range, she stepped inside like she belonged. It almost felt like she did. Taking a bow and lifting out an arrow from a quiver, Kagome tested it's weight on her fingers.

She'd used to practice all the time.

'I'm not too shabby with a bow, if I do say so myself!'

'Don't puff up with pride so much, girl! Only pigeons strut like that!' Grandpa huffed fondly, turning a page of his newspaper.

Kagome's lips curved up, the action hurting her face. Exhaling, she notched the arrow, taking aim. Letting it fly, a soft 'thunk' sounded out as it met it's target.

A little off bullseye.

She turned, shouldering the bow and taking the quiver of arrows with her. It would do. She wasn't going hunting.

The scenery passed by in a series of blurred images. Kagome barely noticed them, staring straight ahead. Brain on autopilot. Sitting like a passenger in her own body, she tried to suspend her mind free of all thought. To not think about how stupid this was. About her family. About burning shrines or silver demons. But the memories she'd pushed away for so long refused to leave, sinking inside her insidiously. Kagome's grip tightened on the steering wheel.

She was almost grateful when something thudded onto the back of the truck. Kagome gasped, lurching forward and slamming her foot on the break. Slowing to a crawl, she whipped her head around, glancing behind her through the window. In the open topped cargo bed, silver caught her eye. Fur danced in the breeze. The inuyoukai sat down, staring at her as she slowed, pulling the truck to a stop on the side of the road.

She watched him through the murky window, swallowing. Her pulse jumped at the sight of him. Red eyes stayed locked with hers, until he quietly huffed, shifting down to lay his great head on his paws.

Kagome's lips thinned, and with a sigh- opened her door. Climbing out, she walked around the side of the pickup truck, the road completely silent. Opening the latch to lower the back of the storage side revealed his large form.

"…You may as well come and sit with me in the front," she murmured.

His ears pricked, tail sweeping out. The dog demon lifted his head and tilted it slightly.

"Let's not make this a big deal," she turned, walking back to the drivers side. Returning to her seat, she shut the door. I hope he didn't notice the bow and arrows...

She'd hidden them under a cover. Of course it was pointless to hide them if he'd followed her to the school as she'd suspected.

"You are not as frightened as I'd expected," came a velvety voice at her ear.

Kagome turned to look at him in the passenger seat. "Should I be afraid?"

"Perhaps normal humans would be," he uttered, shifting. She noticed he wore normal attire, rather than his old traditional red and white clothes. In the small space, he felt that much more real and close. Thinking back to her conversations with Souta, and how clear his voice had been over the phone, she sincerely hoped the demon was not imaginary.

She started the engine, glancing at his deceptively handsome, calm features. "You've been following me," she murmured. "Why?"

"I like following you."

Kagome didn't have it in her to be alarmed as she pulled away from the side of the road. He said it like it were a natural occurrence. "Normal girls don't appreciate getting followed, you know."

"We established just a moment ago that you are not a normal mortal."

She touched her neck. Normal. She certainly hadn't felt like it since the graveyard. "Koga…he told me everything," blue eyes shifted to him carefully. "Is Rin alright?"

Silence flooded the small space, before she was rewarded with the rich cadence of his haunting voice. "She is well. Is that why I have found you heading towards my village? You are returning for her sake?"

Kagome focused on the road, biting the inside of her cheek. "Sort of. I'm guessing you followed me out here to drag me back?"

He nodded, intent gaze never leaving her. He had no interest in the world outside when she was the only sight he wanted to gaze upon. "At first this one intended to take you before you found out about what happened to your family. But Rin's condition detained me longer than anticipated. I was too late to prevent you knowing," he inclined his head slightly, as though apologising. "This one could only observe afterwards."

Kagome's eyes widened, tears stinging her eyes as something slammed it's fist into her abdomen. It made her nearly buckle with the onslaught of emotion. She quickly blinked, trying to restore her suddenly blurry vision. "You knew the whole time, didn't you?" She murmured faintly. "About my family. I guess you would if you've been following me for a good year," she laughed, the sound strained and pathetic in her ears.

She summoned her bravery and looked at him, hot tears running down her cheeks. "In your own way, I think you were trying to be kind by not telling me."

His palm closed over her shaking hand on the steering wheel. "Pull over," he said quietly.

Kagome only did as asked because her body was shaking too much to do anything else. Stopping the car, she closed her eyes against the onslaught of tears, trembling.

Feeling his hand shift to her shoulder, sliding behind her to pull her closer- she jolted and slapped it away. "Don't touch me," she grit out, shying away. "Please don't, I don't have anything left. I can't afford to latch onto you just because you're being nice right now!"

Sesshoumaru stared at her silently, clawed hand still outstretched and hovering uselessly in the air.

Kagome looked away and gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "You want to know why I'm really going back to the village? It's not for any honourable reason- it's not to save people or help you. I just need something. Anything, to distract me right now. I'm just looking for the next thing that can function as my pills. Something to make me stop thinking about them, picturing them!" She sobbed, continuing to hear the phone call. The sound of the authorities telling her to sit down, because the news might be a shock.

She remembered her friends faces at the university, slowly becoming more concerned as Kagome heard the words scramble over and over in her mind.

'There was a terrible accident…'

"I'm alone…" she realised quietly, tears dripping off her chin to land on her knees. Her aunt had taken her in, but the older woman was practically a distant relative. It was more like sharing a house with a room-mate.

"You are not alone."

Kagome numbly turned to look at him.

The gold of his eyes glowed fierce and bright. "You are not alone," he uttered again in a viciously low tone. "The humans who took you in after your families demise failed you. They didn't seek to help you. But this one is here. I have been here, and will continue to be."

She sniffed, holding her arms and drawing her knees up. "Why…?"

The demon looked away slowly, as though he loathed to do so, gaze clouding with remembrance. "Perhaps it is not for any honourable reason, but I remember first laying eyes on you."

Searching with single minded intent may have sounded obsessive or serious, but the process of finding Rin a priestess did not feel so to Sesshoumaru. He took his time travelling, keeping in contact with the village and making certain Rin was well. Aside from that though, he flew across the country at night, travelling to the nearest shrines and then moving on from there. Sometimes he found priests instead of holy women, or mikos that were too old to be his companion. Some that had too little spiritual power to strengthen the barrier of the village.

Other times were far less easy to explain away why they were unsuitable. A young woman had been sweeping the steps of a shrine outside of Tokyo. She had desirable features, a quiet baring and kind demeanour. For all intents and purposes, Sesshoumaru could have approached her and set out to take her to the village.

Could have.

Something made him continue on, renting a car once he got to Tokyo and travelling from shrine to shrine by day. Sometimes it was the same, and he had no discernible reason for passing over them.

He stopped at a burned down shrine. The once proud structure had been reduced to ashes and waste. He walked around it's ruins, taking in the quiet devastation that was so like his own fallen home.

Learning what had happened, he'd focused on the headlines of the newspaper article on his laptop while sitting in a coffee-shop one afternoon. Apparently a woman and her son had died in the fire, an elderly relative of theirs passing away a mere few days later. Some suspected he'd died of heartbreak, but the old man had been sick in hospital for a while.

A daughter remained alive, the sole survivor of the Higurashi shrine. She'd been staying onsite at university when the accident had occurred. Sesshoumaru stared at the picture of the young woman with dulled blue eyes in the article. Obviously the press had taken it without permission.

She looked how he felt. Something unnamed had stirred within him.

Sesshoumaru set out to find her the next day.

It took some time to track down Kagome Higurashi. She'd been taken in by her aunt that lived many hours away, and Sesshoumaru had to do some digging to find out exactly where. When he finally arrived the sky had dimmed into bursts of lilacs with the chilled dusk. He kept to the garden, looking through the large dining room window while in a smaller version of his true form. He hunched low but listened keenly, hearing scraps of conversation.

A middle aged woman was seated at the head of the table, an air of awkwardness about her. "How are you enjoying the soup?"

"Oh, it's great, thank you."

Spoons clinked against the sides of bowls, and he heard the tell-tale blow of lips on steam.

Her voice sounded kind. Sesshoumaru couldn't see her clearly from the angle, so decided to focus only on listening.

"I suppose you're used to better cooking at home- ah! Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, no, it's fine." Kagome cut in gently. "Mom's a great cook. I wish I'd inherited her skills, my dishes are always either too bland or too strong."

The awkward air surrounding her aunt only seemed to double. "Yes...she was a great cook."

Sesshoumaru's ears pricked when Kagome's spoon paused. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, but distress fanned briefly into her vibrant scent. He inhaled and blinked, feeling it be smothered. The miko seemed to fold her pain neatly, smoothing over the crinkles and tucking it away.

"May I please be excused?"

A chair scraped back and footsteps took her to the kitchen. Paws shifted as Sesshoumaru padded closer, changing into his humanoid form and taking to the trees when she made her way upstairs.

The first time he truly set eyes on the miko, she was laying on her side. Knees drawn up to her chest, she held a phone up beside her pillow. She had doleful blue eyes, and hair that spilled chaotically in long tumbles of dark waves. She pressed something on the device and held it to her ear.

'Hi there, I'm not here at the moment. Um- could you leave your name and number and I'll phone you back as soon as possible? I think that's how it works- Kagome, how do I-'

Full lips tugged up into a pained smile. Sesshoumaru watched while the girl pressed the return call button again and again, listening to her mother's voicemail. He did not think himself a man of feeling. He was not a man at all, but demon. However in those minutes, his instincts roared to life, having remained dormant for years.

Something recognised her pain as an experience long ago felt. He remembered standing in the crumbled foundations of his own home. Recalled the scent of blood soaked ash that had festered in his lungs and never really left.

Her distressed scent called to him, to the point that his claws sank deep into the branch of the tree, splintering. He wanted to look at her. Face to face. Wanted to see what that agony looked like reflected back at him like a mirror. And yet a part of him knew their experiences were not the same. He should not steal away a woman just because he felt a connection.

"You did it right the first time, mom."

Sesshoumaru's gaze turned back to the girl lying on her bed. She stared at the phone, a hazy smile on her lips. The call button was pressed once more.

'I think that's how it works- Kagome, how do I-'

"I explained it before, just talk when it prompts you and hang up when you're done," an airy giggle escaped the miko. Her blue eyes had strayed far away, a faint, tenuous tone to her voice. "No, you're not getting better. You're allergic to technology. Souta, tell her."

Gold eyes flickered as he watched the girl carry on a conversation with herself. She only seemed to get more emboldened the more she continued. Soon she was happily comforting herself with their imaginary voices.

And then it clicked for the demon. He didn't need to look her in the eye, face to face, in order to know. This girl was just like him.

Kin.

There was kin in that room. She lay alone and isolated, but he would not let things remain so. He would find a way to forge their bond in blood and flesh so that neither would be separated and lonesome again.

Sesshoumaru sat for the remainder of the night, listening in silence. He did the same many nights after.

After finishing an abbreviated version of the story, Sesshoumaru's gaze slid back to Kagome's shocked features. "This one has not wanted to leave you since, illogical though it is."

Her mouth opened and closed. Wide blue eyes continued to stare. "But I-" she swallowed, eyes lowering. "I don't even know what's real anymore…"

She inhaled sharply when her chin was seized, tilted up by a warm, firm hand. Slit pupils bore into her. "This one is real, flesh and blood. Just as you are."

His thumb strayed, sliding up and smoothing over her bottom lip. Kagome made a noise, frozen stiff. A long, sharp nail pried in-between her teeth, forcing her mouth to part. "I will not be parted from you again- no matter how you choose to run," he uttered in a hushed rumble. His claw scraped over her tongue lightly, dragging his thumb over the blunt of her teeth.

"You will have to destroy this one first if you intend to escape again. Be it with teeth and claws...or bow and arrows, miko."

Kagome jolted, heart stuttering in alarm and hammering in her rib-cage. She remained frozen even as his face drew nearer, until all she could see was magenta lids and burning gold. And then his mouth was on hers, stealing a searing kiss that left her mind reeling.

The demon pulled away after a moment to rest his hand on the steering wheel, looming close. "You walked willingly into my jaws tonight, Kagome." He reminded her quietly.

Kagome glanced in the mirror, seeing herself in the drivers seat. That's right, she had. And without much of a plan. She really was a dumbass.

"Jerk..." she whispered, breath halting.

"Hello again, Kagome."

The faint greeting had instantly given her pause. Searching Rin's gaze for any judgement, she instead found an empty, placid look. It was almost as though the girl had expected her return. Kagome glanced at Sesshoumaru as he exited the truck. No doubt it would shock the girl if she knew the decision had been Kagome's.

"Hi Rin," she greeted softly. The drive into the secluded village had certainly been...strange. She hadn't thought she'd be returning under any circumstances, let alone free will. The little girl stared up at her, lingering in the threshold of Sesshoumaru's house.

Kneeling down, she gestured to her own cheek. "You okay?"

The little girl nodded mutely, a melancholy look in her faded brown eyes. Kagome's brows drew together. Reaching forward, she clasped her small, freezing hands in her own warm ones. Unlike before, she forced herself to push past the instinct to rip her hand away.

"You don't have to worry. I'm going to...make things right. What do you think? Can we be friends again?" Kagome asked, looking into her eyes to try and convey her meaning.

Rin's eyes gained a little more life to them, and she nodded eagerly. Kagome followed her gentle tug inside, glancing behind her to catch Sesshoumaru's interested gaze. She inwardly winced.

Strangely, the days eerily slipped back into a routine. Sesshoumaru continued to chaperone her around the school, though not as intently as before. Kagome remained calm, suspending her mind when it wasn't needed.

She hadn't been able to find her pills in her bag.

The first thing Kagome worked on in private was drawing up a map of the village. In the late hours of the night, she crept to Rin's room and asked for any possible locations Sesshoumaru may have hidden the sword Tensaiga.

"Obviously it's planted in the earth somewhere no one ever goes," Kagome mused in a hushed voice. The map was spread out over Rin's bed like a cover. The little girl crossed out various locations with a red marker. "Only Sesshoumaru knows where it is right?"

Rin nodded slowly, "I think since a few of us...wanted to break ourselves for good, he knew not to tell us it's location."

Wincing, Kagome looked at the map in the faint night light. Placing her hand on her stinging neck, lithe fingers brushed the bite marks. Frowning, she felt her attention be tugged towards the marks of raised land. The hills thickest with trees slightly beyond the school. Kagome tapped her finger on the unmarked area.

"I'm guessing nothings over here?"

"No. Some of us have tried to go up there in the past, but Sesshoumaru says the ground is unstable. Lots of landslides."

Kagome scoffed. "Convenient," she prodded it. "I'm heading there next chance I get to check it out. See if you can buy me some time by distracting your father."

"What if you're caught?"

"I'll just say I'm trying to escape again," she shrugged. Pausing, a guilty look flitted across her expression. "Rin, this is what everyone wants. Isn't it?"

Unfathomable apathy gazed back at her. Rin nodded slowly, sighing and wringing her hands. "I've spread the word over the past few days. Everyone is in favour of it and will help in any way they can. Even Sango."

"R-really?" Kagome paused. The burning embers of a shrine wafted over her nose briefly. She breathed in and viciously pushed down the swell of feelings. "She...wanted to bring her brother back, didn't she?" Her voice wavered, becoming fragile.

Rin nodded, folding up the make-shift map. "Kohaku was one of us. But sensitive, almost too full of emotion. He was a wonderful friend, but...he couldn't take it anymore. He fled outside the barrier and became dust. The wind carried his remains away before Sesshoumaru could bake them into clay again."

The miko shivered and rubbed her arms, hearing Souta's carefree laugh resound in her mind. Rising, she took the map and turned. "Right. Good thing we're gonna help everyone so that they don't have to worry about that again!" She forced cheer into her tone.

Saying a hasty goodnight, she stepped out of Rin's room and slid the door shut. Bringing a hand to her pulsing heart that throbbed with little squeezes- she quickly padded to her room.

Rummaging roughly through her bag again, Kagome threw it down when she predictably found nothing. She needed something. Anything. She couldn't stand the memories. They kept trickling in without warning, triggered by stupid things. How was she supposed to guard against them when the mere mention of Sango made her remember her own little brother? Even a cringe inducing pop song over the radio made her recall Mama swaying around the kitchen, spatula in hand.

Kagome held her arms, bowing forward. She began to tremble, teeth clenching-

"You are not alone."

She blinked slowly, exhaling. It felt...underhanded. Slowly rising, she walked with fragile steps to a certain door. Knocking on it gently, she couldn't bare to raise her head when it slid open.

Kagome's hands squeezed into fists. "I'm sorry," she murmured. I'm sorry I'm such a coward.

"Did I ask for an apology, foolish woman?" He uttered quietly.

Feeling a warm palm settle on her cheek, Kagome blinked away her tears. It felt nice. Real.

Please hold me.

She followed Sesshoumaru into his room and tried not to feel despicable doing so.

All Hallow's Eve arrived.

Sesshoumaru made no mention of any plans to strengthen the barrier. Kagome attended to her duties as a cleaner that day just as always. She figured if he was going to try something, it would be that night. Her heart continued to flutter like a caged bird in her chest. Her body hummed with new aches, particularly in-between her legs. A few fresh bite marks lined her shoulders and lower back.

They didn't feel unpleasant.

Kagome glanced at him while dusting the shelves. He sat at a desk, reading calmly. She bit her lip, considering.

Just as she opened her mouth- Rin burst into the classroom, panting wildly.

"Father!" She gasped, eyes wide. "It's Sango!"

Sesshoumaru looked up, raising a brow. The book shut with a sharp snap. "What is it?"

"Sh-she's uh-" Rin glanced at Kagome, swallowing, before turning back to him. "She's on the school roof. I think she's going to break herself."

The chair lurched back with a distraught scrape of it's legs. Sesshoumaru strode to the door, glancing at Kagome, who remained frozen. "Remain here. Do not leave under any circumstances," he rumbled.

She could only watch, swimming in confusion while he left. Rin glanced back at her and nodded firmly, before hurrying after him.

Snapping out of her state of worry over something clearly false, Kagome automatically left the room. Peering around the corner into the hallway, she checked it lay empty. When it remained quiet, she speed-walked away. Taking the stairs two at a time, she continued until she were sprinting to the back exit and further still into the cover of the trees.

Picking up a pack, along with her bow and arrows Rin had stashed for her in a tree trunk the day before, Kagome hurried up the forest trail. Autumn tinged leaves scraped and lashed at her exposed knees. She cursed her penchant for skirts. Damn comfy clothes would make her catch her death before she found the stupid sword.

Oddly, the bite marks on her neck kept throbbing. Every time she stepped a certain way, the feeling would either fall faint or grow into a fierce ache. It felt much like when she'd looked at the map. Letting it guide her, Kagome poured everything into sprinting until she felt herself move uphill. Her ears popped after awhile of trekking upwards and Kagome breathed out, catching herself from falling.

Holding a stitch in her side, she stopped, panting hard. Glancing behind her on the incline, the village peeped out through the vast trees, somewhere below her. Spying the school, she felt mild worry. Had Sesshoumaru given chase already?

Turning on her heel, Kagome decided to keep pushing on-

Something slammed into the back of her head.

Pain assaulted her senses. Yelping, Kagome lost her footing.

Someone scooped her up, a cold hand supporting her legs as she felt herself be jostled. Resting her cheek against something, her vision swam. Closing her eyes helped. Kagome tried to regain her bearings even as she sank further and further into the comforting waters of darkness.

Tasting something metallic on her tongue, Kagome dimly realised her mouth must be bleeding. Coming to slowly, she groaned. Groggily opening her eyes, blurry shapes of dark murky browns and a single blaze of harsh orange made her wince. She blinked rapidly, squinting. The room came into focus slowly.

The bright orange turned into a single light hanging from a hook in the ceiling. Dark browns and shadows made up the strange circular walls of the room. There were no windows or other sources of light in the claustrophobic room.

Kagome's stomach dropped the moment she lay eyes on them. Clay pots lined the walls, some sloppily made. Something else was covered by a white sheet, propped up against the wall, but she couldn't make out what. Sitting up, Kagome noted the bed felt like a normal house bed, not the slab she'd seen Rin lay on in the workshop. In fact, the whole room looked different from the workshop. It felt like the time her class had gone caving. Sweat pricked the back of her neck. Was she underground then? Judging by the circular structure of the uneven, earthy walls, it could certainly be a cave or cellar. She didn't know, she wanted out.

Kagome made to move off the bed- only to feel a harsh tug yank her in place. Looking down at her wrist, she found a plastic cable tie had been tied around it, binding her to the bed.

Her breathing was starting to pick up now, chest rising and falling quicker. Tugging, realised both hands were bound to either side of the bed.

"S-sesshoumaru?" She tried calling out weakly. "H-hey, where are you? Let me go, please. I didn't even do anything yet!"

Glancing behind her, a long passageway stretched from the room, down around a shadow drenched corner. Figuring that to be the only way out, Kagome yanked her wrists up, tugging at the ties and trying to find a sharp object to rub the binds against.

Lifting her legs revealed them to be unbound, and she shifted onto her knees, gritting her teeth. Tugging with all her might at the strong ties, the material dug harsh red rivets into her skin. Kagome tried sliding her hand gradually out of them but the cable wouldn't budge around her wrists. Gasping out in pain and exertion, she whipped her head up.

Footsteps were drawing closer, echoing down the passageway. Kagome sat down, heart thundering in her chest. Sesshoumaru had never gone this far before. For some reason, she hadn't thought he would. He'd never locked her in a room, in fact her escape attempts never seemed to vex him. So why now? Why imprison her like this?

Kagome glanced at the clay pots with wide eyes.

Dark strands of hair caught the light first, before red overalls were bathed in the orange glow. Kagome stared at him in surprise.

"Inuyasha?"

#sesskag #sesshomaru #kagome higurashi #sesskag fanfiction #inuyasha fanfiction #sesshoumaru x kagome

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puppycat714 · 6 years

Text

The Secret in the Garden part 1 James Potter x Hufflepuff reader

Requested: no

Word count:~1.9k

Warnings: swearing, mentions of death

A/N: okay this is the first official chapter! It's an important chapter, but you won't "meet" the marauders until the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Masterlist Prologue part 2

Gif isn't mine nor are any of the characters that belong to ikr.

Chapter 2: What the hell is this doing here?

Today marks one year since your life changed. One year since you moved into your grandma’s house.

The biggest issue about moving to London was adjusting to living in such a big home. When you lived in America, your home was a tiny 2 bedroom, one bath cottage outside of California. It was small, but it was comfortable. Your grandmas house was five times the size, if not more. It’s a two story house with a total of seven rooms, and three bathrooms. Not to mention a kitchen as big as half your home in America, and a living room twice the size if the kitchen. It also had an attic, and a basement. When you moved in the house your dad allowed you to have two of the seven rooms. One could be an office, and the other as a bedroom. The rooms were next to each other. You choose the one closest to the kitchen. Your bedroom was the room you’d sleep in when you came to visit, so it was mostly set up for you already. The bigger of the two rooms (which was your bedroom) contained a walk in closet, a personal bathroom, and a balcony.

The other room was your office, but it also contained your own personal library. Speaking of which your favorite room was across the office. The library. That’s what you called it. It was so huge, it could be one. There were shelves so high they touched the ceiling, so there was a ladder. The books weren’t the only reason this was your favorite room. There was also a bay window. The view showed most of the garden, and if you looked far enough you could see some of the ocean. Plus the sunsets and sunrises was a sight to die for. It was the perfect spot to hide and read a good book.

Today should not have been different than the past year. It started out like any day before. You woke up early even though it was summer. You’ve always had a habit of getting up early. Which your dad had no idea who you got that from because both him and your mom were more night owls than morning people. You think it came from your grandma, she was always up before you. Which says a lot because you get up pretty early. Then he would get up about an hour later. You would make breakfast so that by the time he got up it would be ready, and made. Then you’d eat together. Afterwards he’d leave for work, and you’d be home alone for the day, which is nothing new to you.

Your grandmas pride and joy was her garden, so when you moved here you decided to take over. She had shown you all her tricks, and always told you about how she wanted her garden to be. After breakfast you’d go work on the garden. You never minded helping your grandma when you stayed. It was one of the ways you two bonded. Over the year you’d been here it became one of your outlets. Even if it was just pulling a few weeds. It was one of the few ways you still felt connected to your grandma.

She had a total of fifteen plots. Each with different types of plants. Ranging from potatoes and carrots to roses and tulips. Fourteen of the fifteen plot you’ve replaced with new plants to thrive and grow. There was one plot located at the far left corner of the garden you still hadn’t tended to in the year you’ve been here. Unfortunately you couldn’t bring yourself to change it. The plants were dead by now, but it meant so much to you. It was the last project you and your grandma worked on together. Not to mention the last location you had a conversation with her. You remember it so clearly.

* FLASHBACK *

You were planting your grandmas favorite flowers with her. They were lilies. Pink lilies to be exact, which happens to be her favorite color. While you were working on preparing the soil, you two were talking. You had a few questions burning your mind, and you finally had the courage to ask a few of them.

“Hey grandma, what was grandpa like?” you asked her. She looked at you with a smile on her face. You noticed that her smile didn’t reach her eyes. Her eyes were soft, but sad. It was quiet for a few seconds.

Then she said, “He was an interesting character,” she chuckled to herself. “Your grandfather was one of a kind. Bloody hell he was stubborn and obnoxious at first. We fought a lot too. In the end though we fell madly in love with each other. He knew just what to do. How to make me laugh, smile, comfort me, support me, and love me with all his heart. Of course I reciprocated all the same.” Her eyes were sad.

You knew you shouldn’t have pried anymore. You could see the hurt she felt, but you were just to curious for your own good. You decided to push your luck one more time. You asked, “so what happened between you two? If you both loved each other then why isn’t he here?” You felt bad for asking, but you had to know. Was he dead? Did he leave her? Did she leave him? Or was there something more?

Your grandma sighed, “ I knew you would ask me one day honey. We may have loved each other, but sometimes love isn’t strong enough.” She left it at that. The rest of the time we had little conversations, but nothing as serious as before.

* FLASHBACK ENDS *

As you were weeding and thinking about this memory, you didn’t realize you were crying. As soon as you did though, you wiped the tears away. You glanced at the now long dead lilies. After that episode, you knew it was time.

You walked over to the plot and began to dig up the old lily roots. You had bought more seeds long ago, but you could never bring yourself to plant them. At least not until now. Before you knew it, there was only one lily left. You knew that the moment you pulled it from the ground symbolizes the end of an era. You reached your hand out. You warped your fingers around the fragile stem. Then you pulled. It was over. You sat there for what felt like forever, staring at the bare four by four foot plot.

It took some effort, but eventually you came back to your senses. You grabbed the seeds to plant some new lilies. You began to dig some holes to put the seeds in. As you were digging a hole around the middle of the plot, you felt something. As you dug further, you realized it was a paper. You pulled it out of the ground. After you pulled it out, you unfolded the paper to find a blueprint with a note attached to it. You took the note and opened it. It read, “Dear (Y/N), if your reading this, then I must be dead. First off I want to apologize for putting you through so much. I’m sure you were shocked when I died. I wrote this letter because unfortunately my cancer came back, and your probably wondering ‘but grandma they said you died of a heart attack’ well I didn’t. I wanted you both to believe my death was sudden. I knew I wouldn’t be able to fight it off this time so I talked with my lawyer and he agreed to tell your father I died of a heart attack. If your reading this note then by now you’ve seen the blueprint to. I decided to hide it here so that in case your father decided to sell this place, so that this wouldn’t be lying around for others to see. If your not my granddaughter, then I hope your up for an adventure. In the blueprint, it shows a room that should not exist, and doesn’t. In case someone else is reading this, I’m give my granddaughter a hint. Only she could know this. ‘A house can hold many secrets unless you have a keen eye, and a bright heart.’ Whoever reads this and figures this out, I hope the results benefit you. A warning to you, this room is… magical to say the least. I wish you a good life. (Y/N) I want you to know that I will always be with you. You’re gonna experience many hardships to come, but know that it will all be worth it.

Love Your Grandma Jesse Karon Henderson

Your eyes were teary by the end of the letter. Losing your grandma was one of the hardest things you had to go through. To read a letter from her meant everything to you. As you were thinking about the hint, you remembered something your grandma told you a few years ago.

* FLASHBACK *

You were sitting at the bay window reading the Half Blood Prince for the first time. As you were in the middle of one of your favorite parts in the book, you heard footsteps. Then you looked up and saw your grandma. She noticed your book, and smiled. Her eyes were distant. She asked, “Good book?”

“yeah its definitely my favorite series. Have you read it before?” You were curious.

“Honey at this point I have read it more times than I can remember. Who’s your favorite character?” she asked. Damn that was a good question.

After a moment of thought you answered her question, “I’d have to say my favorite would have to be (Y/F/C). What about you?”

She looked at you and said, “I love all of the Weasleys, but my favorite is Fred Weasley.”

You looked at her with a confused look on your face. You asked, “how can you tell the difference between Fred and George?”

“If you read closely enough, you can tell that Fred is a bit more energetic than George. You just have to have a keen eye to see it. Both twins have bright hearts full of mysteries. Like exploring a new house. Two houses could look exactly the same, but they can never have the same stories.”(A/N: pun intended)

* FLASHBACK ENDS *

You ran to the library. You knew exactly where to go. You burst through the doors to the library and went straight for the bay window. You pulled everything off of it. After everything was off, you put your fingers on the trim and lifted up. After a little effort, it began to lift. After lifting it, you took your phone out of your pocket and turned the flashlight on. You shined the light over the dark hole revealing a ladder. You put one foot on the ladder to test the stability. It was fine so you put all your weight on hit and went down the ladder with no idea what was in store.

~End~

@roxytheimmortal @rachelscosplay

#james potter x reader #harry potter #harry potter x reader #remus lupin x reader #draco malfoy x reader #sirius black x reader #i hope this is okay!#enjoy #james potter #remus lupin #draco malfoy #sirius black

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talesofealdancynedom · 3 years

Photo

The aforementioned beach house deck, before the misty beach

Tale 31: If We Lost The Sea Wives (chapter 5 - Rising Tides 5/5 ) part 7. Stories of Magic Forests

no warings

Hara, Woodwick, Dominique, and Dragon Princess Fleogenan, arrived late in the afternoon. They had just taken a long and exhausting train ride to Isfisceard, from The Grand West. So many trains, transfers and ferries; Just to get to this isolated magic island. The family beach house was near the train station, on the road leading into Isfisceard’s village area. The place was quaint as ever, and the local academy was much smaller than Pepperidge’s, where Hara now worked. It made him feel warm, and he couldn’t help but passionately describe his home to Fleog.

Though Saturn was enjoying retirement, his best days were still the ones where he was hugged by his grandson. The beach house had room enough for Fleog and Hara, but Dominique and Woodwick stayed in an inn by the coast. Saturn was pleasantly surprised to see Dominique, his first grad student, looking youthful as ever; And finally requiting Woodwick’s infatuation. She had been sharing an annual bath with Woodwick, as fountain nymphs do, to keep their true loves forever. It simply warmed Saturn heart. Both Hara and Woodwick had found true loves; And Saturn’s heart beated with ease knowing it. One true love, is something both rare and everywhere it seemed. But everything was starting to change when, Hara began sharing his research at dinner.

“The school teaches mages like me now, Grandpa. My prime student is no exception. Pepperidge’s best young seer, saw that Woodwick was a fountain nymph instantly! He’s an avid naiad enthusiast, and historian. The boy suggested I use royal fey, to make the magic forest a conservation and heritage site.” Hara began. “So, when it came to showing the human side of fey, and the value of Pepperidge, the power of empathy was the way to go. I even published your notes on Woodwick! He had fooled the entire magic community, as the best transmutation teacher in the land. Lost his job though; But me and Dominique hope our efforts can get him reinstated by next semester.” He chimed. Dominique was principal of the academy, and looked uneased by the rant. Everyone felt disturbed by hearing that Woodwick being a fey, was leaked.

“Hara. Why would you do that? Those were kept in the library archives for a reason. I trusted you with those! Now Woodwick lost his job and identity, which I worked hard to give him. Domanique got her familiar killed for covering it up; And almost lost her job as well!” Saturn snapped, standing up. “Can you imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t gotten Pepperidge legally protected? I’m proud of your success, but disappointed in your lack of care.” He yelled. It took everyone aback. Saturn was normally calm and content. Everyone held him in high regard, as an elder, father, grandfather, and mentor. The air began the thicken and sink, as Saturn’s rage bubbled up. Hara was in near tears, as he believed that publishing his beloved grandpa’s research, was an inedible good. He couldn’t stand knowing he had disappointed someone so important to him. When Hara imagined coming home, he expected a more merry ruinion.

“But its ok now…” Woodwick said, trying to settle the tension. The atmosphere was scaring him; Fey can be driven by fear, as it is on of the emotions they share with all living things. Woodwick had already accepted the matter, and hoped to comfort everyone with that fact. But Hara looked like he was about to cry, and Fleog could not read the room; She looked around in confusion, while beginning to worry. Electra kept eating, as Jasper just stared at Woodwick, as his face cycled through the stages of grief in under a minute. Dominque, however, looked away and stayed quiet. Saturn then took his seat.

Fey are magic, know magic omnisciently, and sense it’s flow and presence. They were made of it, and came from the shadow veil which is formed by it. Any source of magic reminded them of home, and their parents the King and Queen of their fey kingdom. Other fey are like siblings or cousins, and royal fey like big brothers and sisters. That is how they perceive family. That is how fey understand magic. Thus, it is also how they tell if humans can use magic, are mages, or even if they are enfeyed with one of their kin. The flow and feel of the magic on a human, or enchanted object, is a dead give away. They can immediately identify another fey in seconds.

Electra, raised human, did not understand what her feyness was sensing; Thus, Electra could tell Woodwick was a fey, but didn’t care. Some trees talked, some said nothing, and some people felt distant, and others homey. It was normal to her. Like Saturn, it all blurred together. She did not react. Woodwick on the other hand, is still a fey capable of spotting the difference. Thus, Saturn wasn’t the only one who knew Electra was a selkie. The whole time. Since they were discussing truth, and fairies have no tact, Woodwick decided to toss his chips into the pile, to back Hara.

“You make a big deal over some old research, that helped a good cause, and insult your grandson. I understand why you covered for me, when people would pay to own me. I would never have the wonderful life I do, if people knew the truth. But why do you lie about your daughter? What terrible thing would happen if everyone knew she was a selkie? Northland men marry and fall in love with fish fey all the time; Jasper is just bonkers for her!” Woodwick prompted. Jasper started chocking on his food, as Hara stared into middle distance. Saturn tensed, while sinking into his seat. Electra patted Jaspers back to help him recover. There are many ways to react to reality.

“Oh. That’s interesting.” Electra said calmly. “Maybe that’s why he didn’t say anything, Woodwick; Because there are no reproductions?” She smiled. Electra then gave a squishy selkie cuddle to her husband. Oddly, Jasper had become outraged, just as Saturn. No one thought he had it in him.

“Saturn, why? Why would you? Do you fancy trapping fey to make your family? You’d rather lie to keep Elektra from being herself, then lose her to the sea? Are you a coward like the other men, who trap their selkies on land? Is her mother off somewhere too? Woodwick, sure; Nymphs can live happy around humans, and I’d say it was a good choice. But your daughter? She could be suffering away from the sea, and I unwittingly got in a true love relationship with a fey! I trusted you! My wife is not human; At least the other lads get to know before they kiss! You took advantage of my eagerness of my heart, over my head.” Jasper ranted. “Saturn, give her coat back! It belongs to her! I refuse to be another man, holding such a precious fey against her will.” Jasper demanded. Elektra looked confused; Coat? I have another coat, aside from my pink trench?

“But Jasper, I have all my coats in the closet…” Electra said, quietly. Tugging him back into his seat gently.

Imagine three men, scrambling up a tiny staircase, to get to a locked bedroom, with a locked trunk, to fetch a McGuffin. Tearing each other down, yelling insults, and acting more like beasts then people. Dominque cleaned up the dishes with protest, while all the fey sat at the table, talking merrily about sand. Dominique started to sing for them, to keep them calm; One was a royal dragon after all. The conflict arose as Saturn wanted Elektra to stay his daughter, Jasper wanted to give her freedom, and Hara wanted his father and grandpa to calm down for a minute, and not hurt each other. Whoever possessed the pelt, had the power. After ten minutes of yelling in the attic, Electra looked into the sea. She knew exactly what a selkie was, what humans did to them, and what magic they held. Which is honestly not much aside from exquisite radiance, gullibility, passivity, and swimming skills; Maybe also talents in singing and collecting nautical memorabilia. Elektra looked around the cottage. It was built to be closer to fey, by a man who made her fish pie, and decorated it with chimes made from the shells she collected. With her coat, Electra could go to the shadow veil to meet her selkie mother, her Fish King Mother, and Fish Queen father. She could wander all the seas of the day veil, if she wished. The sea did seem enchanting, luring, and beautiful. Electra got up, and calmly went upstairs.

Jasper had possession of the coat. When Electra came in, the men were silent. Her father went pale seeing her, and Hara was sobbing. Electra was so confused. Jasper ran up to her, and shoved the soft cream and copper ross selkie skin, into her arms.

“This belongs to you, my love,” He cried. “Take it.”

“NO.” Saturn exclaimed, lunging forward. Hara immediately tackled him, then started profusely apologizing. Electra felt the soft fur, smelled it, and examined it. It looked like a big fur coat, made from plush seal skin. She put it on. Saturn started uncontrollably sobbing, at the thought of never seeing her again; Like he was burying a child.

“I’m sorry, Electra! Please don’t go. Please-” Saturn sobbed.

“I have so little respect for you, grandpa! Not even for the lying. You’re being an idiot, and acting like a child.” Hara said. Electra went downstairs, and her husband, father, and son, followed her. She calmly walked to the sea edge of the ocean. Dominique slammed the screen door, leaving the three men watching Electra gaze into the foggy evening sea. She took a deep breath. The sea always had a low hum to her, and the voices of her sisters were as beautiful as ever. Behind the screen, Hara watched his father and grandfather, throw away their dignity, as they started uncontrollably crying and banging the glass. The palpable regret, love, and fear, was touching. Hara, this whole time, had no opinion. Like his mother, and as a mage, it was all the same to him. He literally did not care that his mother was a selkie. Like he was satisfied with an answer, which explained a lot about his mothers’ behaviour. He felt really bad for his patriarchs. They couldn’t just go to the shadow veil like him, and ask the Fish King where Electra was. To a common folk, watching a fey leave, is a final goodbye.

The screen door opened, and Electra walked in and put her fur on the coat rack, then sat back down at the table and poured herself tea. In a state of comfort induced by the home, Woodwick had been brewing tea in the background. Electra was humming a soft cheerful tune. Hara went to join the fey at the table with Dominique.

“Really, Electra? The coat rack! That’s no place for an enchanted lifeline!” Jasper said.

“Why didn’t you just go? Your whole life was a lie, and I was so scared. You don’t have to stay anymore. Not for me or anyone. Worse, I know fey don’t feel hate, and you forgive us regardless. If you choose to leave, it is less then I deserve. I just love you so much.” Saturn said. Everyone waited in silence, waiting for Electra’s response.

“I like my life better then being alone in the ocean. That fur is pretty, and really soft, but I don’t think I need it for anything other then resealing. Wait is that the right word….” Electra said, drinking her tea. Saturn sat on the nearest chair, gasping. Jasper ran over to hug his wife. The bitter and comforting smell of tea, was filling the room. Nothing had changed. Electra didn’t care about the ocean. Skin or not, she still swam, cuddled, collected, sang, and hung around her favourite humans.

Leave or stay, nothing would change but Electra’s company. Saturn felt like a fool. The backlash lasted all of an hour; For a lie that worried him for over thirty years. While everyone enjoyed tea, he sat by the window, in disbelief. He felt so relieved, yet also embarrassed. The urge to grab the coat, and put it away still strong. Then, Hara sat next to him, and offered a ceramic mug of tea, that was blacker than the abyss.

“That was dumb. Mom would never leave, just like Woodwick’s not going anywhere due to life you gave him. Besides, you should have known selkies are too stupid to leave the men they love. Honestly, this answers a lot of questions. Father might take a while to process his life though… He’s really not a thinker, is her?” Hara said.

“You have no opinions? You’re not scared of loosing your mother, or seeing your family broken?”

“I am. It just wont effect me as much as a mage. Who it really hurts, is you. I can’t imagine the anxiety you put with every day, for a meaningless lie. Mother loves us, and wouldn’t leave, and I knew it. The fondness fey get for humans, can be incredibly binding in my experience. No one is going to judge you for having a sea daughter, sea wife, or adopting a fairy. Magic is everywhere, that thing is kind is normal in Isfisceard. I mean, I married a dragon princess, and no one cared.”

“Imagine Hara, what the Northlands would be like if the fish kingdom disappeared. Your mother, grandmother, and so many daughters and wives gone. It’s sad, and scary. What if we lost all the sea wives? What if y heart breaks again in my life-time.”

“We would grieve, like people do when they lose someone. Then my student Rah who is Queen in waiting, to crown Fish Prince Broc, would be the new Fish King; And restore the sea fey to our Northland shores. Even if the fey we loved will never be replaced.” Hara smiled. Saturn grimaced; Woodwick had made the tea too strong. Then he paused and turned to Hara. He hugged him, like they would never meet again. Hara may not have full selkie squish, but he felt just as good to hold.

“You are right Hara. I am an idiot. I guess I had too much pride and fear. Or had my heart above my head. To think, when I was a younger man, I feared the being the exact thing I’ve become.”

TABLE OF CONTENTS--->

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#tales of ealdan cynedom #art #short stories #fantasy #selkie #electra #hara #woodwick #dominique #firepot #fleog

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stretchjournalemerson · 3 years

Text

Give Him Space

By Fiona Murphy

My dad stands across from us. We are waiting for him to speak. It’s hard to say how long we have been waiting, how many seconds slip past—his hands splayed out on the edges of the counter like a martyr on a cross.

He hasn’t lived in this house, the Big House as he calls it, for six years and his presence is always slightly off. Years from now, I will remember him here with sunglasses on his head, to-go cup of coffee in hand, ready to leave as soon as he enters—as I will see him so many times after this.

I am the only one of my siblings who went to school today. I sat in my second grade classroom and raised my hand for morning prayer.

“I wanna pray for someone in my family who died.” I said, beaming with pride. Having someone to pray for was like a gold badge of honor.

“I heard about that,” My snippy teacher who seems to hate me for being too loud and having bad handwriting said. “Your uncle, right?”

The memory now sits heavy in my stomach, an inexplicable kernel of shame. I watch my brother’s polar bear patterned pajama clad leg kick the counter in front of him over and over, creating a steady beat.

Yesterday, in the Party City parking lot, my mom got a call and paced circles around the car for half an hour. My sister, the oldest, was pulled aside in the balloon aisle, hearing what my brother and I are waiting to hear now.

My dad’s hand scrubs down his face every few minutes punctuated with a heavy sigh. His eyes are bloodshot red. When he does begin to speak, he doesn't stop for a long while. He talks about Jack and what happened and what he did and something about the funeral and how it is our choice if we want to go. All of this will be lost to me eventually. Only the sentence, “I just want you kids to know I would never do anything like this to you” will stick.

I don't go to the funeral. I guess it’s a choice I made, but I wish someone else had chosen for me. And chosen differently.

I am fifteen in my freshly painted bedroom. The walls are dark purple, masking the light blue my brother painted it before me. I thought it would be cozy but now it makes me feel as though the room is quickly shrinking. It is spring.

“Dad wants you to call him!” I yell to my mom. We are at the Big House. My sister and my brother have ended up living with my dad in his gray one-story across town.

“What?” She asks, appearing in the doorway.

I don’t bother to pause the episode of Gossip Girl I am watching. Blair is running to meet Chuck at the top of the Empire State building.

“Dad wants you to call him,” I repeat.

She groans, reluctant like a teenager, and dials him. She rolls her eyes at me as she listens to the dial tone.

“Hello?” She answers in her phone voice, always louder and cheerier than necessary. Her face falls and she turns away from me. I pause and both Blair and I are suspended in time, her with a discarded bouquet of pink peonies in hand.

I catch snippets of the conversation. The muffled sound of my dad’s voice on the other end punctuated by my mom’s sympathetic “Okay”s and worried eyes.

“It’s Daniel.” She says when she hangs up.

My dad doesn't make a speech this time. Or if he does, it’s at his gray house and I’m not invited.

My mom doesn't say how uncle Daniel died, and I will never know.

Daniel was the youngest, like me, but he never seemed it since Conor, my dad’s other brother––died at only nineteen. He was frozen in time in my mind, though I’d never met him, an eternal teenager. I hadn’t seen Daniel in years, and to me he was frozen, too. Late twenties, always smiling, soft-spoken compared to Jack and my dad.

My mom goes to the funeral without me though again, I can’t recall deciding. I wish someone had put me in the car, someone had put their foot down. I spend the weekend alone in the Big House which seems to be getting bigger. My purple bedroom threatens to swallow me whole.

My dad was the oldest of six: two girls, four boys. By the time he is fifty, he is the oldest of three and has no brothers. My siblings and I make three to begin with. What are our odds of lasting? I wonder. Will we make it to fifty?

It is Mother’s day and I am seventeen. We are in a park downtown sitting on a bench in a meadow of purple flowers. The park is huge, spanning hundreds of acres. It’s scattered with grass fields, walking trails, and large yellow abandoned houses. It feels entirely removed from the city as if we could disappear into it.

We watch dots of people wander around the beach and the lighthouse below us. The Puget Sound extends for miles past my eyeline. My mom says something offhandedly, a casual mention, that this is where my uncle Jack died. She says it and only I hear it.

I knew he died in a park. My mom said it once when I was a kid. I think I overheard it though I can’t imagine who she was telling. The news said he didn't look like himself. She said. People thought he was a homeless man. He looked crazy.

At the time, I pictured Jack with a full beard, tattered clothes, and a crazy look in his eye. In my mind, park meant playground and he sat on a bench in front of one. Townspeople running from him, shielding their children, in disgust.

That image transforms from cartoonish to vivid.

It was spring and the park was probably filled with people. I wonder how many people heard the sound. I wonder how long the ambulance took to back down the curving dirt road. I wonder, regrettably, how he was found.

He didn't even look like himself. That stuck with me. I examined my father all through high school. When I saw him for hours at a time, weeks apart. I would inspect his face for a change, as if he would wake up one day unrecognizable and I would know and I could somehow fix it. I was trying to lessen the fear I felt, that it would happen suddenly. That the funeral would come and go too quickly to stop it.

“I think there’s a bench somewhere in the park, dedicated to him,” my mom says. I keep my eyes on the distant dots of people, they walk along the edge of the water. Close but not touching. Somewhere here there is a memorial in the form of a park bench. Some sign of remembering. But with its endless horizon and acres of dry grass, how could we find it? There’s no one to ask––no one I could build up the courage to call.

I am eighteen and I am in my father’s Denali. It’s filled with discarded paperwork and crumpled notes on yellow legal pads. It perpetually smells of cigar smoke now, the habit he picked up last year to quit drinking. It makes my stomach turn.

Somehow, it is brought up that it is the anniversary of Daniel’s death. The call in my purple bedroom was three years ago now, though it feels much longer. I don't know if he brings it up or I bring it up. I fear it’s a very me thing to do. It’s the anniversary of the death of your brother, I’d say. Suddenly unable to follow up on what I started I’d go quiet. He’d be forced to reply once the silence grew too suffocating, sticking to the seats and muffling the radio. Yes, yes it is.

Once it’s brought up, it sits in the air for a moment too long.

I remember last year when his parents came to stay at my dad’s house. I went over for dinner and after they left, he told me as he walked them to their car, his father told him he was glad he quit drinking. We were always worried about that, my grandpa had said.

When my dad told me this he smiled but scoffed. “Why would you wait until I quit to say something? Why wouldn’t they tell me they were worried?”

We are at the stop sign a block from the Big House.

“Are you okay?” I say finally, not looking at him.

“Oh,” he says wryly. “I’m okay.”

We pass the stop sign. Sunglasses on his head, coffee cup in the center console. He looks like himself. I’m always worried about you, I think but don’t say.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I say. “I’m okay.”

It’s the closest we’ve ever gotten to talking about it. Any of it.

Acknowledgements

I want to acknowledge my uncles who were filled with love. This memoir is meant to be about my experience of their deaths, but I want to acknowledge the beauty and joy they brought to me, my family, and everyone who knew them during their lives. I also want to acknowledge my dad, my aunts and my grandparents––who have felt and mourned their loss in ways I will never understand.

#stretch2021 #memoir

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the-tru-story · 4 years

Text

My Paternal Grandpa’s Genealogy Book (族譜)

How I attempted to find my family’s naming convention (字輩詩) and instead traced my lineage back to Huangdi (2711-2598 BCE).

I can explain...but where do I start?

My paternal grandpa, DaDa (爹爹), adopted a son to take care of his aging father in China, as DaDa’s mother migrated down to Vietnam with him. How they got all the way down to Cần Thơ from Taipu (大埔), I may never know. I’m not sure when the adoption happened, but this uncle of mine is significantly older than my dad, and now has great grand children. My great-grandfather also had a second wife, as many men did at the time, who also cared for him. My dad calls her 細奶 (Sei Nei).

Photos of my dad’s Sei Nei, Nei Nei (grandma), and DaDa (grandpa) in my grandpa’s ancestral home, which was also his childhood home. My immediate family also had my great grandparents’ photos framed up in our house for most of my life.

I visited this adopted uncle of mine some years ago in China. During this trip, my relatives said that we can discover our roots here, and emphasized all the attractions and accommodations for visiting members of the Taipu/Hakka diaspora from around the world. I made sure to ask my parents to ask them about our genealogy book or 族譜 (chuk pu). Many East Asian and Vietnamese clans have this genealogy book but I had never seen one for myself prior to this trip to China. When my mom asked 大舅 (Tai Kiu) and 姐公 (Jia Gong) about it, they said it was all on a computer and brushed it off as something old and uninteresting. Good job, Four Olds Campaign.

Just before making the trip to Taipu, I visited my great uncle (舅公 Kiu Gong) who is a retired professor and came from a prestigious family. Despite his Alzheimer’s and me trying to hide my tears while seeing him so fragile, he lit up when we asked about his genealogy book and promptly shuffled to his bedroom to grab it, cautiously carrying the heavy book into the living room. This book was no simple feat. My great uncle served on the book’s editing board, and it was as huge as an encyclopedia, red and hardcover. From what I remember, the pages were entirely in color, and I was pleasantly surprised to find detailed descriptions of the latter generations of women.

My dad’s paternal side on the other hand had a more modest looking book, printed in the late 90s. No pictures, no color, and unsurprisingly, no women. Still, I took a photo of every single page. My uncle said he would arrange to make a copy for us and we insisted that the pictures would be enough. At this point, even his quiet grandson pleaded for him to let us be. Traditional Chinese folks don’t take no for an answer. They eventually copied some pertinent pages of the book, and mailed it over to us. When my mom and dad went back to visit them recently, they provided a new full color edition of the book, which my uncle was an advisor for.

The book has a number of significant errors and omissions related to my family, which is not abnormal for a genealogy book, I presume. My distant uncle (related to my paternal grandma, so he also came from a prominent family) had collaborated with his siblings to put together a book honoring his parents, and he gave me a page of corrections to handwrite in the book.

Back to looking for my family’s naming convention. When my family and I visited Taipu, my mom asked what would be the next generation’s 輩數 (boi shu), or generation name. My brother’s is 明, my dad and uncle’s is 克, and my grandpa’s is 德. They said the generational names had been written in the family’s ancestral hall, located in my grandpa’s home village. Unfortunately, some years ago, they did not put out a fire after praying and making offerings to ancestors, so the hall burned significantly and the boi shu was gone.

So being who I am, I obviously could not accept this as an answer and wondered if another person within our clan had memorized my family’s generation name poem (世輩詩). How’s it possible that no one had memorized the poem? Each character in the poem is a new generation name, and of course, the poem even rhymes so that it’s easy to remember.

I examined the extended family tree in our genealogy book, just to see if I could somehow “discover” a rhyming pattern based on each generation’s boi shu. Oddly, while members of my grandpa and great grandpa’s generations used their same respective generation names for the most part, my dad and brother’s generations did not. They varied immensely, but usually siblings at least carried the same generation name. I’ve also scoured the internet for poems that contained 德克明 in that order but came up with nothing. So that’s the most recent status of this little project.

The Zhang clan’s earliest ancestors, between the first and 68th generation. Based on the genealogy book, I’m part of the Zhang clan’s 162nd generation. Zhang Hui, grandson to Huangdi, was the legendary inventor of the bow and arrow, and the progenitor of the Zhang lineage.

Oh, and because I saw that Ming Tsai could date his family lineage back to Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor, and the legendary ancestor of all Chinese people), I decided to check our genealogy book again to see if I could trace my ancestry as well. Turns out that I can, all the way back to Huangdi. Since it’s all already in print, I won’t explain too much of it, but here are a few interesting things from the book, combined with some research online:

Hua Sun is considered the earliest ancestor, or the 始祖, of all Hakka people surnamed Zhang. Originally from Ninghua, Fujian, Zhang Hua Sun migrated to Shanghang, Fujian and had 18 sons and 108 grandsons. I have no idea what this means but he was regarded as Yinjiangzhen’s (situated in today’s Guangdong) earliest ancestor.

Zhang Hua Sun’s son Zhang Xiang Yun is buried in Xianshi Village, Yongding, Fujian.

I may not have found my immediate family’s naming convention, but Hua Sun’s generation name poem is printed in the book. Yun comes after Hua. All of Hua Sun’s sons have Yun as the second character of their names. After that, the generation name is used as the first character again, and then the next name is used as the second character. Not sure if this is related to 昭穆, a concept I’m still trying to figure out.

Another forefather who is considered an “earliest ancestor” is Hua Sun’s great great great grandson, Zuo Cheng, who is buried in Guye, Taipu. More than 15 generations of Zhang Zuo Cheng’s descendents stayed in Taipu, so this may be why he is regarded as a 始祖. His descendants did not follow Hua Sun’s naming convention.

My ancestors from the Southern Song Dynasty apparently lived to be over 90 years old.

Anyway, that was a lot. I have more name-related stories for another post.

#gender #genealogy book #Chinese clan #Huangdi #paternal #maternal #grandpa #generation name #ancestral lineage #ancestors #clan name #Dabu #great grandparents

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ikonislife · 7 years

Text

Tolerable.

-Namjoon x Reader

-Angst

-When your friendship built upon a lie, one person will always hurt more.

a/n. I had this saved for awhile so here goes, something for y’all to read before i upload the Jundong, CEO!Junhoe, High school au Hanbin scenarios.

Pic Cr. X

“Did you hear? the oldest Kim kid got into the elite police academy. He’ll probably be a great detective someday.”

“Aye, I knew he’d do well. If only our Y/n was half as motivated, maybe she’d at least have a part time job by now.”

Another day, another 24 hours of enduring insults coming from your own blood and flesh. For as long as you could remember it had been this way, it was you compared against the world, more specifically, the world that revolves around Kim Namjoon.

You bit your lips and quiet yourself, shoes gently being place back into the rack as you crept along the hallway making yourself invisible, something, perhaps the only thing you had mastered in your life. You watched as your grandparents boasted about Namjoon as if he’s their grandkid while your parents endured yet another bout of passive aggressive derision. Honestly it’d have been better if they just outright insulted you because at least then, you’d have a reason to be angry. Your parents love you for who you are and never once did they force you to do anything you didn’t want to just because the neighbor kid did it, but at some point during high school you began to feel sorry for them. How awful must it be to have a kid that was and still is completely average, meanwhile their best friends had practically raised a genius. He was good with school, a great athlete yet still somehow had time to dive into the world of underground hiphop. You, what did you do... Nothing.

To everyone else, you and him were best friend. To you, he was the source of your first crush, first heartache, and hell, even first love. To him, you’re simply the girl that live next door whom the neighborhood seemed to have decided to be his future bride. Namjoon is a polite kid, never was he mean to you but he wasn’t your friend either. Growing up seeing each other nearly everyday, the friendship between your parents had lulled you into a sense of false security, of presuming your own and his was also something of best friend material but you had long found out it was all lies - you’re barely tolerable in his eyes.

You didn’t mean to eavesdrop, sometimes things float by in the air and it was neither yours nor his fault that it was you whom happened to catch it. Blissfully unaware of the boy you loved, you were heading back to the gym to change, P.E. was over and you couldn’t be more happy as you skipped along side the fence of the football field. You had ignored the chatter at first but by the time your name was brought up for the third time, you feet stopped itself without even needing you to command them.

“Hey Joonie, are you and that girl really engaged to be married or something?”

“Who?” You heard him replied with shock in his voice.

“Y/n, your neighbor.”

“OOhh, Y/n. No, people just think so cause our parents are friends. No way, man.”

“Well it wouldn’t be so bad. I think she’s cute, not the best at school but good enough for college. She’s pretty funny too if you ever bothered listening to her. I wouldn’t be mad if she’s my betrothed.”

“Man, stop bullshitting. I don’t even like her. Hell, she’s barely tolerable if I’m really honest. She’s like the annoying little sister you know, I feel like I always have to look out for her. If not, my parents would shit on me if she’s hurt. Such a burden, always Y/n this, Y/n that.”

Suddenly every precious memory you shared with him was tainted with an ominous cloud, like a beautiful paining stained by the spilled glass of paint brush rinse water. The picture perfect friendship severed in an instant with the blade of Namjoon’s word and burned by the hurt piercing your heart.

You had always remembered Namjoon as the kid that always made sure you had a part on the playground, that no game would ever exclude you even if you weren’t the best at games but now you understand why he did it. He did it because his parents made him not because he wanted you to be with him.

And so your tears brought out the memories of middle school, the small glances he’d exchanged with his buddies, the awkward smiles and the nervous stammering whenever you’d grouped yourself with him every field trip. You had just thought he was scared a girl would ruined the dynamic of his group which consisted of 7 boys but you were his best friend, where else would you be if it’s not with him.

You thought of the little snickers his 9th grade girlfriend would share with her best friends whenever you were around and how he’d tapped her shoulders with a small smile of his own that you never really could decipher...

They were laughing at you, at how clueless you were.

It was all so wrong, your whole life had been a lie and Kim Namjoon was the one orchestrated it all. Even then, you still couldn’t stay away from him. The little butterflies in your stomach would still rage whenever those dimples were prominent under a blinding smile. You couldn’t hate him, you could never hate Kim Namjoon.

That fateful afternoon happened near two years ago and since then, second by second you learned to distant yourself away from the source of your temporary happiness that was also poisoning your heart. You now know his kind gestures and sweet smiles were nothing but lies and feigned interest to please his parents. For some reason this week, the last week of your high school life, it brought back all the pain and all the hurt of standing there in the field listening to the boy you thought you knew slandering your friendship.

You stood by the living room’s door, listening in on your grandpa gushing about how cool it’d be to have a detective in the family, listening until you couldn’t anymore so you turned around and put on your shoes. The cool yet sticky air of a hot summer night left you frustrated, even more so than the snide words of your grandparents. Your feet continued to pitter patter their way down silently out the front gate before stopping short, not really knowing where to go or what the end destination was and so you stayed there, leaning against the metal gate, sighing in relief the little bit of coolness it provided. You watched as the swarm of gnats dove blindly into the light and think of yourself and Namjoon... He had always been the source of light to everyone’s life while you were a mere bothersome herd of gnats, good for nothing and annoying. Unknowingly a single tear slipped from your eyes and with it too, a bitter chuckle. What a joke.

“Y/n... You’re okay?”

Great, he has to show up.

“Yea. What’s it to you?” You couldn’t bother to face him, Mr. Perfect, burning you with his brightness.

“Oh... I... I was heading to the coffee shop for a drink. W-Wanna come? I heard you got into your 1st choice, let’s go grab a coffee to celebrate.”

“I heard you got into the academy. Impressive. Congrats, I guess.”

“Hmm, yea! Thank you! I’m glad it worked out for you too. Come on, I’ll buy.” Namjoon’s a smart man and by now he had figured out something had happened yet no matter how much he postulated on the reason why, he had never figured out why you suddenly stopped being his friend.

It started out with eating lunch together at school, you had always been excited to share lunch but then one week you disappeared and till this day he never learned of your secret spot. Then it was the weekend movie night with both your families. You had always claimed the spot next to his and although he’d rather focus on the movie, he was more than glad to share his shoulder for you to cry on whenever your mothers would chose a sappy movie, or his chest to shield you away during a horror movie that of course your fathers chose to retaliate. Although he knew you were scared shitless when your dad had chosen to put on the grudge that night, you refused his outreaching hand, planted yourself firmly on the ground and braved the whole movie on your own. That night he watched your shoulders shivered in fear and listened to your kittenish sniffles of tear but there was nothing he could do. Till this day, he never really knew what the Grudge is really about. In the end, your face would be a rare occurrence before disappearing altogether from family dinner and he saw only glimpses as you rushed pass to the confinement of your room.

“It’s okay. I’m not in the mood for coffee and plus... If you wanted to celebrate, maybe it should be with someone a bit more special than just barely tolerable.” With a sigh, you finally said it, you said your least favorite combination of words and Namjoon felt himself stiffen. He looked up from the spot where his foot had been kicking nervously for the past five minutes awaiting your answer, sincerely hoped you’d accept his invitation only to meet your cold and empty eyes. That’s another thing that was gone along with your smile and appearance, the warmth and wonder behind your glistening eyes. These days they resembled the pitch black sky of a moonless night rather than the stars filled one he had grew accustomed to from growing up with you. Your lips neither frowning nor smiling but rather this uncomfortable nonchalantness, pressed tight into a line before you scoffed with the roll of the eyes, looked back up at the sky above.

“W-What?”

“Nothing. Don’t mind me. I’m just spewing nonsense again.” Hands shoving deep in the pocket of your sweat, you straighten yourself and with one last look, you walked off into the distant but not before muttering another congratulation.

That was the last time Namjoon really saw you, as he stood there under the yellow streetlight watching you walked into the darkness away from him. His fists balled up at his side and his heart shattered at the thought of you suffering from his words. those words “barely tolerable”, those were his exact word and he’d bet all the money and his future away you heard him that day. How could someone so smart be so stupid as to not realizing it sooner. For two years you looked at him with dejection clouding the once brilliant glint in your eyes and he was too goddamn into himself to understand why. He broke you.

You moved away soon after, silently and without even a goodbye. Namjoon had returned home that day, beaten from a long physical at the academy only to find his mom sobbing hysterically. Panic engulfed his body when his dad explained your family had bid adieu that morning before leaving for college. If only his instructor could see him run now, he’d be so proud of the speed Namjoon was tearing out of the house leaving a trail of smoke behind him despite the aching of his bone wanting nothing more than to collapse onto the ground.

“No...”

He muttered repeatedly like a fool staring at that for sale sign hung in front of your gate, hand rasping at the door hoping you’d answer but it just flung open lifelessly, the sight of your empty home pulverized the last bit of his heart. He was too late... You’re gone forever, still believing he hated you...

#BTS #bts scenarios #bts imagines #bts drabble #bts namjoon #kim namjoon #namjoon scenario #namjoon imagine #rap monster #rap monster scenarios #namjoon #bangtang boys #bangtang #namjoon scenarios #RM

55 notes · View notes

missingverse · 7 years

Text

Missing Chapter Thirteen

Thank you all once again for the reviews I've gotten. I am a very busy person at the best of times, and this time of year is especially hectic, but every review I get reminds me that someone is waiting for another piece of the puzzle and it is very powerful motivation. Thank you for reading thus far and thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me.

…..

Three days until:

The rainy season had well and truly hit, and Helga's stomach ached as she trudged down the road, pushing her bike beside her. She was muttering darkly to herself, as if that would do any good. The mystery illness was having a relapse since she'd been home and the baseball diamond was rained out so she couldn't go burn off some anger there all week.

And then, because misery comes in threes, her front tire was flat.

She had about fifteen minutes to get to school before the bell rang, and it was still a half hour walk. She'd probably get detention, and that meant navigating around the hills in the dark once she was finished. That's if she didn't stop for food somewhere first.

“Need some help there, sweetheart?”

The voice made her jump, just a little, because as pleasant as it was she hadn't heard a car come up behind her. It was a quiet back road, there wasn't anyone else around. Where did this guy come from?

“Let me guess, your tire's flat and you're late for school?”

Cautiously, she nodded and moved closer to the road bank, near the trees. The stranger was keeping the car at an easy glide, matching her pace. He was an ordinary-looking guy; if you'd asked her to pick him out of a line-up, she probably couldn't. His accent wasn't Hillwood, not even rural Hillwood. His presence dug into some uneasy space inside of her but she didn't quite know why.

“Why don't you hop in, I'll take you there...”

He smiled when she shook her head, but it didn't reach his eyes.

“My friend's mom is coming this way to pick me up, I'm just going to meet her,” Helga explained, gesturing with her cellphone. “Thanks anyway.”

It was a lie and he knew it, she could tell.

“Smart girl,” he laughed. “You know better....well, how's about I fix that tire instead?”

Before she could refuse, he'd stopped his car and taken out a pump and some rubber solvent. He patched up her tire, and as he worked she surreptitiously dialed 911 on her phone, just in case.

“There you go, good as new,” he said after a moment or two. Then he was back in his car and driving away just as suddenly as he'd arrived.

“You take care now,” he called from his window as he left.

…..

“...did Helga ever lose any teeth?”

Phoebe abruptly stopped eating and fixed Arnold with a baffled look.

“You mean permanent teeth?” she asked. “No, I don't think so...”

He said nothing, just went back to miserably stirring his uneaten pudding. The gap in Helga's mouth had been tiptoeing around in his brain ever since he saw it.

“Why, is she missing some now?” Phoebe asked, quietly, leaning over the lunchtable to him. They'd been overheard once, by Rhonda, and they didn't want to risk it again.

“Sort of,” Arnold said.

“Arnold,” Phoebe growled low. “We went through this already...”

“Well, I don't know? Who's to say she didn't lose them before she went missing?”

“How many?” Phoebe asked, frowning. “And where?”

“Two, I think. On the bottom row.”

“Then no, I would have noticed,” Phoebe answered.. “She was careful about her teeth, you know? Her dad wouldn't put her on the dental insurance so she only ever saw a dentist once, when my mom brought her in for a filling. She played baseball with a mouthguard in.”

They lapsed into another unhappy silence. The cafeteria was unusually quiet that day too, so the silences lingered on for what felt like hours.

“I've been thinking,” Phoebe began again after a while. “Black Gulch Ripper or not, the person who took her would have to be someone who got her picture from the internet. Is there any way we can get a list?”

“Why do you figure that? There's just as much chance it was an opportunist....”

“No, there's not. Whoever it was got hold of one of her pictures and asked Rhonda about her. He picked her because he knew Bob wouldn't call the police until he'd gotten rid of the evidence, which would give him a head start on getting her out of Hillwood.”

“Bob didn't call the police,” Arnold said. “You did.”

“Not until two days later,” she told him. “At that point I just figured her cellphone was off, I was worried but not that worried. Maybe he thought Bob would never call the police because he couldn't without getting himself in trouble.”

“The Black Gulch Ripper's victims were all runaways and prostitutes,” Arnold wondered out loud. “People who wouldn't be missed right away.”

“Exactly,” Phoebe said, pushing her glasses up on her nose. “He targeted her, for whatever reason. And he had to get her picture from somewhere.”

For a moment, Arnold was hopeful. It felt like a breakthrough, but it was gone again a moment later.

“No,” he sighed. “From what I've heard, those kind of pictures get traded around a lot. Like, one person buys them and then passes them on to his contacts, and then they do the same...it makes them almost impossible to fully trace.”

Phoebe dropped her apple on her tray and folded her arms, dismay etched all across her face.

“If we want to get on the right track, we need to focus on Pocaselas,” Arnold offered.

Phoebe snorted and rolled her eyes, a gesture that reminded Arnold of Helga and caused a little stabbing sensation in his heart.

“The Ripper's been giving the police the slip for nearly two decades, Arnold. What makes you think we can do any better where they failed?”

“We have Helga,” he answered. “They didn't.”

…..

He knew it was a dream, straight away. It had that stillness to it, that sluggish air and the colours were tinted as if by a photo filter.

Knowing it was a dream didn't help.

She was standing in the middle of the road, cars rocketing past her, clutching her skirt with her hands and nervously looking around. She was younger than she was when she vanished, about five or six years old.

Why weren't the cars stopping? Why weren't any of the people on either side of the road trying to get to her? They didn't seem to see her at all.

He tried to reach her, but for all his steps towards her he didn't get any closer. He tried to call for her, but he was mute. If he didn't reach her, she would be hit by a car; he knew that much.

And then just as he was getting frantic, she looked up at him.

She tried to speak, but a torrent of blood came rushing out of her mouth instead.

And just as she took a step towards him, one of the cars finally got her.

…..

Arnold woke with a full-body spasm, his muscles seized, his hands still outstretched to try and pull Helga away from the road. As he blinked and focused, gulping in shaky breaths, he could feel the fabric of his own t-shirt on Helga's body clutched in his fists.

“...Arnold?” Helga's voice spoke quizzically into the dark. Just hearing it put him at considerably more ease.

“Bad dream, nothing to worry about,” he mumbled.

“Are you sure?”

He drew in one deep breath, held it, and sighed it out.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” he said. “Sorry I woke you.”

“That's okay. I've been sleeping too much lately anyway.”

She was warm beside him. He remembered when she first appeared to him that she had been cold to the touch, barely there. Now she was practically alive again.

He was already covered with a thin film of cold sweat, and now a new dread occurred to him.

What's going to happen to her if we find her killer?

She would vanish. The only reason she was back at all was to find some closure, or so they thought anyway, and once she had it there would be no reason for her to stay.

Eleven-year-old Helga, distant as she was, left a hole in Arnold's life when she disappeared. This Helga, this warm, solid phantom who lived in his house and did his homework and wore his clothes to bed every night would tear a much bigger hole, one he wasn't sure he could recover from.

For the first time, he questioned whether he really wanted to find her killer.

“Hey, I had a thought...” he began.

“Wow, one whole thought. Congrats.”

Her snippy wit will be gone forever.

“Very funny,” he half-laughed. “Things have been kind of heavy lately, I think we need a break. How would you like to go to the movies this Saturday? They have a run on those old horror movies you like.”

“Sounds good to me,” she agreed, sounding half-asleep again already. “And you don't have to buy me a ticket, win-win.”

“Yeah, you make a cheap date,” he laughed.

He could feel himself blushing at the idea that he had called it a date, and then he was sad again because it wasn't a proper date and she would never have one.

“I'll have to finish your English paper first,” she said, punctuated by a yawn. “Tell Mr whatever to stop giving you the crappy plays.”

“Did you go off-topic again?” he said, trying to sound stern but failing because he was smiling too hard.

“Yep,” she answered, and then she was asleep again.

…..

Friday was boring, a long stretch of nothing. Arnold was tempted to pass on Helga's disdain for the plays Mr Coveny was assigning them, just to liven up the day. He and Phoebe ate lunch together, but didn't say much. He was tempted to invite her along on their cinema date, but decided against it. He'd just end up relaying messages between the two of them.

The only oddness throughout the day was that his phone kept ringing from numbers he didn't recognize, and when he did answer between classes nobody was there, just the background echo of traffic and people on the street. He passed it off as a crank caller.

But on his way home, he spotted the police car's flashing lights before the boarding house even fell into his line of vision.

Grandpa.

Another stroke, or a heart attack. They had been waiting for this. It didn't stop Arnold's heart thumping painfully.

But Phil was on the stoop, talking to the officers, hands waving around and clearly distressed. He looked worried, but that was a damn sight better than dead.

“Grandpa?” he said, tossing his bike to the side. “What's going on?”

“Oh Arnold, thank God,” Phil gasped. “Your Grandma's gone AWOL. The police are putting out an alert...”

“Son, did you notice anything off about your grandmother's behavior today?” an officer cut it.

No more than usual.

In a way, it was a miracle this had never happened before. Arnold stole a worried glance at Phil. He was pale, wheezing.

If anything happens to Grandma...

“Grandma gets mixed up sometimes,” he told the officer. “But she's never wandered off before...”

“She left her coat behind,” Phil said quietly, almost to himself. “And her shoes.”

“Is she taking any medication we should know about?” the officer asked.

“Yeah, hang on, I'll get you a full list....” Arnold answered.

Rummaging around in the important documents box for Grandma's prescriptions, he felt eerily calm. Grandma was a tough old girl, and the weather wasn't that cold, and she only wore shoes when it suited her anyway...

She's nearly eighty-five. It's getting dark.

Or maybe Arnold was just so used to disaster that he was finally numb to it.

Just as he was staring helplessly down at a handful of medical receipts, his phone rang again. Another unrecognizable number. He answered it anyway.

There was a tapping noise, and very faintly he could hear someone muttering, along with distant traffic sounds. But the muttering sounded familiar, he strained to hear it.

“...Grandma? Grandma!”

She wasn't at the phone, but just beside it. He could hear her, but she couldn't hear him. And then suddenly, there was a sound of breaking glass and a shop alarm going off. He could hear his Grandma fretting, and the tapping on the receiver again.

Oh.

Someone had been trying to message him. All day.

…..

They found Gertie almost five miles out of town, standing beside a furniture store with a broken window. She was cold and she had cuts on her feet, but she was otherwise fine.

The payphone the call had been made to was nearby, but checking CCTV footage from nearby showed that Gertie had neither made the phone call or broken the window. The officers were baffled, but they were just glad to have the old lady safe and with her family. They drove Arnold and his grandparents to the hospital where Gertie was checked in to wait for a consultation the next day. Phil sent Arnold home.

He took the bus, gripping the seat in front of him hard enough to tear the fabric. That had been a very close call.

Once he was home, he went straight upstairs.

“I'm so sorry, I couldn't get the phone to work and I didn't know what to do....” Helga began.

She was cut off with a surprised grunt when he grabbed her in a fierce hug.

“Thank you,” he sobbed into her hair.

#hey arnold fanfiction #hey arnold #TW:Crime

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jolienjoyswriting · 5 years

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Mortem In Contumeliam FFVI, Ch. IX

Chapter 9 of "Mortem In Contumeliam Final Fantasy VI," a Final Fantasy VI fan fiction story.

After I redid the previous chapter (three times), I ended up having to redo this one, as well. It didn't get quite the attention of the other one, but I still felt like my execution was lacking, up to the final revision. Hopefully, you guys'll like what I came up with!

Word count: 5,927 – Character count: 33,907 Originally written: July 22nd, 2019 Significantly revised on: July 24th, 2019 Further revised on: July 31st, 2019

In the wake of an unsuccessful search, secrets are revealed and a soldier's trust is broken.

Final Fantasy VI, Wedge, Biggs, and related characters, scenarios, and properties created by Square Soft, Inc. and © Square Enix Co, Ltd. Significant contributions and feedback provided by Tessa and Anonymous D

[ ← Prev. Chapter | Next Chapter → ]

“A-Team. Do you have anything to report, so far?”

After spending the day and part of the night searching for any trace of the Eidolons who had made their way to Greater Triangle Island, General Leo Christophe and his party decided it was time to set up camp. Wedge set up a deluxe, military-grade tent, then watched the two generals confer before General Chere handed her mobile radio over to Leo.

“Nothing, so far,” called a male voice from the device. “This town is weird, though… Everyone’s real insistent about ‘not knowing anything,’ and they don’t seem to like us, much. Then again… I’d probably be suspicious if strangers wandered into my town with a ninja following ’em, too!” “Funny,” a deeper voice said, sounding somewhat far away. “Anyway, the elder pointed us toward some short, old guy… but, that was a bust. I’m pretty sure he knows what an Eidolon is, considering the way he acted when we mentioned it… but, just like everyone else, he immediately changed his mind and pointed us to the door.” “The elderly gentleman,” a feminine voice added, “has a granddaughter.” “Tina? No offense, but why’d you mention that? She was even less helpful – and, more rude than – her grandpa!” There was a pause before Tina skittishly said, “Sh-she mentioned magic…” “Oh! Oh, yeah! She did say that, didn’t she?” “Listen,” Leo butted in, “is there a point to this report?” “Calm down, soldier boy,” Lock sighed through the radio, “I’m gettin’ to it.

“So, anyway… after we bumped into Old Man Stragos and his granddaughter–” “Lilum,” Tina added. “Right. His granddaughter, Lilum, and they told us what they ‘didn’t’ know, we decided to look around a little more. Other than being snubbed by the shopkeepers, we didn’t find anything good, but we’re–” “That’s… not entirely true!” the young lady interrupted. There was a pause before she said, “U-um… what I mean is… I saw a little boy using magic. He was trying to summon fire…” “Wait, what?” Another blank spot filled the airwaves. “Tina, why didn’t you say something, earlier?” “Remember who you’re talking to, thief,” the other man said, sounding much closer. “Treasure hunter!” Lock countered. “And, what are you–?” “Tina grew up in Vector, a place where they’re known to research and replicate the concept of ‘magic’ through machines,” he explained, sounding like he was choosing his words carefully. “Elemental magic… curative magic… It’s all manufactured, in Vector.” “What are you getting at, Shadow…?” the “treasure hunter” impatiently asked. “What she thought she saw probably wasn’t magic. The kid was probably just playing with some flint and lighting leaves on fire or something...” “I… guess that’s possible…” Tina could be heard sighing. “I’m sorry.” “Well, any lead is a good lead… That Lilum girl mentioned ‘other’ magic-users, so–” “There is no ‘magic,’ in this village,” Shadow flatly stated, out-of-the-blue. “We’re going back to the ship, tomorrow. Get some sleep.” With that, the radio went silent, leaving Leo and his companions to wonder…

“I guess we should head to that village, tomorrow.” “Agreed, Celes,” Leo said with a nod. “For now… let’s just get some rest.” “Um…” Both generals turned, looking at Wedge as he made a noise.

“Wedge?” the male general greeted. “Is something on your mind?” “Yeah, actually…” The soldier frowned as he asked, “Biggs is at the boat, right?” Both he and Leo looked at Celes. She stared… then, she quickly looked away. “He is at the boat… yes?” the latter asked his companion. “Do I look like his keeper?” the lady snapped. “Yes,” both Wedge and Leo told her, the latter joking and the former knowing that part of a general’s job was to keep track of their units. “W… well, I… H-he wasn’t with me, when I left, so…!” Wedge gave a blink… then, he turned to General Christophe, gesturing for the radio.

“This is Magitek Soldier Wedge A–” “What?” a voice called from the other side of the communicator. “Hey, who the hell–” “Wedge!” he repeated. “One of the soldiers with General Leo and General Celes!” “You’re gonna have to speak up! The signal’s kind’a weak!” “Is this the captain of our ship…?” Wedge asked in a louder voice. “Hey, there’s no need to yell!” the other man countered. “Yeah, it’s me. What the hell’d ya wake me up, for?” “Sorry. I was just wondering… is Biggs around? I just… I wanna say ‘goodnight.’” The radio went quiet for a moment… “You want me to get outta bed and go look for him? Is that it?” “Look, Captain… I just wanna know if he’s on the ship. General Celes said he ‘wouldn’t be joining us,’ so I assumed he’d be there.” “Then, yeah, he’s probably here! Am I gonna go find him? Hell, no! Now, don’t call me unless it’s important! I’m tired…!” The soldier was tempted to yell back, but, instead… “Right. Sorry,” he responded, politely. “Thank you, Captain. Goodnight.”

After setting the radio to one side, Wedge stood up and gave a stretch. “Hey, General Celes…” he said after a moment. When she looked his way, he asked her, “Did Biggs give a reason for staying behind?” She squirmed before saying, “He… he didn’t say anything.” “Okay…” The soldier scratched his helmet. “So… you don’t know if he–” “He won’t be joining us,” she repeated from earlier, her face showing slight anger. “Yeah, I got that. But, why?” “How should I know?!” the lady-general suddenly roared. “Stop bothering me!” Wedge narrowed his eyes. Again, he considered saying something impolite, but… “Sorry, General,” he replied, deciding not to instigate, again. Unfortunately… “Celes…?” General Christophe seemed like he had something to say, himself.

“W-what?” “Are you feeling well?” he asked the testy woman-in-gold. “You seem a little on edge.” “Wouldn’t you be if your traveling companions went ahead without you, leaving you in a strange place full of strange creatures?” “I take it that you were attacked?” When Celes didn’t respond, Leo told her, “There’s blood on your scabbard and on your vest.” “And, there’s blood on that soldier’s chest plate,” she countered. “What’s your point?” “I simply wanted to know if you were alright. That’s all.” “I’m here, aren’t I?” Celes said with a labored sigh. “I survived.” “Are you… upset with us for pulling so far ahead of you?” “Yes…? No…? I– I don’t know!” She hesitated, rubbing her arm… then, she spun around, hopping onto one of three cots. “I just need some sleep,” is what she finally said. “S-sorry for being so rude…” “Ah.” Leo gave a nod. “We could all use a little sleep, I imagine. Wedge, if you’d please douse the lantern?” After giving some confused looks, the soldier reached up and turned off the lantern’s fuel supply. The light slowly faded from the tent, leaving the trio on their cots and in the darkness of the tent. It wasn’t long after that they let the night take them into a peaceful rest…

The next morning, Wedge was tasked with packing up. While he broke down the cots, General Christophe cooked the party breakfast while laying out his plan for the day. “We’ll head to the distant village of Samasa,” he told his companions. “A-Team didn’t have much luck, but we may be able to find something of interest.” Celes was about to say something… when a voice called from the radio. “G’mornin’, B-Team? Anyone awake over there?” Almost immediately, she handed the radio to Leo, still wanting nothing to do with Lock. “We’re here,” he told the Returner. “Go ahead, A-Team.” “So, yesterday was, more-or-less, a bust… but, we have a solid lead, now!” “Go on?” “We’re gonna search the west mountains for some place called the ‘Eidolon Holy Land,’ or something? I dunno – Old Man Stragos was kind’a vague about it. But, he’s preeetty sure that if the Eidolons are here… they’d be there.” “Understood.” General Christophe paused before asking, “What should my team do?” “Uh…” The radio went silent. A moment later… “Head back to the ship, I guess? If we all went, the Eidolons’d probably freak out, again – especially if they saw Cheese Wedge and Big Man with their Imperial muenster armor!” Wedge scowled, but he didn’t say anything. Leo was smiling at him, clearly amused. “Understood,” the general repeated. “Thank you.” “Sure, sure! Oh! And, uh… Shadow bailed on us.” “He did?” “Yeah. He said he’d ‘search in his own way,’ or something… Good riddance, I say! That guy gave me the creeps!” “Lock, that’s not very nice…” a soft voice called from a distance. “Anyway, that’s all we got! See ya at the ship, B-Team! Lock for A-Team, out!”

“General Christophe,” Celes said after the radio conversation. “What are your orders?” “Well… I think that’s pretty obvious, Celes.” He smiled her way before saying, “We return to the ship and patiently wait.” For some reason, the lady-general glanced over at Wedge… who just happened to be looking her way. She was giving him a somewhat-odd look… “Lead the way…” she quietly said as she looked back to Leo. “Why don’t you lead the way, this time?” he suggested, catching her by surprise. “This way, we won’t get separated, again.” “I… Yes, Sir,” she said with some hesitation. “And, Celes?” “Y-yes…?” His smile turned into a small grin. “We’re the same rank. There’s no need to address me so formally.” Again, she hesitated for a moment before saying, “Y– yes… Leo.” “That’s more like it,” he laughed. “Please, break down the tent, Wedge. We’ll move out as soon as we’re packed.” “Yessir!” the soldier said with an over-the-top salute. Celes didn’t find it amusing, but Leo just laughed all-the-more. Soon after, the trio headed out.

The journey started in high spirits, that day. With General Chere in the lead, Leo and Wedge were left to chat, again… which, they did. “Can’t argue with the results of a good night’s sleep,” Wedge said with a bright smile. “I must admit…” Leo started with a grin, “I feel quite refreshed for having slept on a flat, hard cot.” “How’d you sleep, Cele– ah, General Celes?” “On my side. Quietly,” she shortly answered. For a moment, both the soldier and the other general just stared at the back of her head. But, after the moment had passed… they both burst into laughter! “I didn’t think you had it in you to jest, Celes!” Leo commented as his laughter calmed. “I know, right? She’s always so stiff-and-serious!” Wedge added. “I don’t think I’ve even ever seen her smile!” “I did, once.” The soldier tilted his head. “You did?” “Yes…” His grin faded as he told his companion, “Right before decimating some rebel forces of on the outskirts of Tzen.” Wedge paused… before cracking another a smile as he said, “So, what you’re saying is…” “If you ever see her smile…” Leo commented, “run.” “You know…” Celes suddenly chimed in, “I can hear you, back there…” “We know,” was the soldier’s response to that. “That’s why we’re talking so loud!” “‘That’s why we’re–’ ha hah!” Leo started laughing, again, which caused Wedge to do the same. Celes, however… “Oh, grow up, you two!” But, that only made them laugh even harder. Not even the lady-general’s serious personality could sour their dispositions, it seemed, and before long… she just went quiet and let them do what they would… until something interrupted them.

“Aw, crap! Not you, again!”

As they made their way back through the woods, they were ambushed by another chimera. And, unfortunately… it had brought reinforcements.

“I thought these things were harmless!” Wedge said as he kept his back to the backs of his companions. They were surrounded by two chimeras and three braireus – which they’d previously viewed roaming the plains and doing everything they could to avoid human contact. “I guess these ones are hungry…” Leo commented in a way that made the soldier wonder if he was joking. “Why aren’t they attacking…?” he asked as he noticed the monsters slowly circling… “They’re probably sizing us up… waiting for one of us to do something stupid…” Celes said, undoubtedly aiming that comment his way. “Then, let’s get smart! Any ideas, Generals?” “One, but…” Leo paused before looking to his side. “Celes?” She hummed… then, she gave the two men her analysis.

“If we attack any one of the beasts, the others will come down on us. They’re all too large to fight as a group, and with them circling us, running doesn’t seem like a viable option… I could cause a distraction with my magic, but there’s an equal chance that it may-or-may-not work. We could also try and use a smoke bomb, but it would be to that same end…” Wedge chuckled. “So, what you’re saying is… ‘I have no idea?’” “Don’t get smart with me, soldier!” the woman snapped, keeping her voice down. “Do you have any better ideas?” “Actually, I might… Hear me out.” The two generals went quiet. The monsters were drawing inward, though still acting cautiously… It seemed like they were biding their time, just like Celes had said.

“What we do…” Wedge started to explain, “is, we slowly draw our weapons… right?” “Right…?” Leo acknowledged as everyone did exactly that. “Then, we grab them with both hands…” “Okay…?” the general said as they all double-handed their blades. “Then… on the count of three… we run in, swinging, and we don’t stop until these mangy bastards are all dog food.” There was a long pause before anyone spoke, again. “Are you cracked…?!” Celes squeaked, trying her best not to raise her voice but, clearly, having trouble restraining her temper. “Do you want to get us all killed…?!” “Hey, if you have a better plan…” “I do,” Leo suddenly chimed in, “but I didn’t want to do this. Close your eyes.” “Close our–?!” Wedge scowled, giving the general a baffled look. “Trust me,” he reassured, “you don’t want to see this.” “I… do trust you.” The soldier sighed, then he gave a nod. “Alright, they’re closed.” “Celes?” “The same,” she responded. “Go ahead, General.” “Alright. Keep them closed…”

An uneasy silence filled the air, punctuated only by the sound of snarls and footsteps from all sides. Wedge, true-to-his-word, kept his eyes closed. Even when he heard General Christophe inhale, then exhale, he refused to look. When he heard one of the creatures give a loud growl, he tensed… but, he kept his vision impaired. “Flash of light…” Leo said, getting his attention. “One-thousand strikes…” A sudden roar almost made Wedge open his eyes. Something had leaped at them! But, not a half-second after the roar, Leo gave one of his own. “Shock!!” The amount of sound that followed was almost overwhelming, for the soldier. He could hear metal-on-stone, he could hear what sounded like several blades rending flesh, and he’d even heard the sound of dozens of footsteps – both human and not. Then… everything went alarmingly silent.

“Open your eyes,” General Christophe called after a moment. “The battle is over…” Wedge did slowly follow the suggestion… only to go completely wide-eyed! “What did you do?!” The trio was still standing within the forest… but, the foliage surrounding them had been greatly thinned. In addition, all five beasts that had been lingering were nowhere to be found. Pieces of them, however… “That smell…!” Wedge covered his mouth as he repeated, “What did you do…?!” “What he always does,” Celes told the soldier as she put her weapon away. “His job.” “What’s that supposed to mean…?” He scowled at Celes, not appreciating the dirty look she was giving him. When he looked back toward General Christophe, though, he noticed that the general looked a bit worn out.

“Oh!” he cried as he walked the few steps over to Leo. “You alright, Le– General…?” “The technique that I used,” the general panted as he stayed on bent knee, supporting himself with his crystalline sword. “It’s one passed down through my family for generations.” “Okay, but… what did you do? And, how?” “That combat technique is called ‘Shock,’” he said as Wedge helped him up. ��What it does is allow the user to move and attack with blinding speed for a small while. If the right weapon is used – such as my Crystal Sword – it may also generate a blinding flash of light.” “So, that’s why you said to keep our eyes closed…” “As you can imagine, this burst of speed is extremely draining to the user… I won’t be able to do that, again for a few minutes. Not without hurting myself, at least. Let’s try not to get into another situation like that, again, shall we?” Though Leo had smiled, Wedge was still too much in awe to return the favor.

“General Leo, you’ve gotta teach me how to do that!” he told the general as he stood on his own two feet. “How long does it take to learn?” “Longer than we have here on this island. Perhaps, after this mission, we can–” “We should head out,” Celes suddenly said. “That much noise is sure to draw attention.” “Ah. Right, as always…” He gave a nod. “Come on, Wedge. Let’s go.” Wedge was quick to follow as Leo followed Celes, the trio setting out on their return trip through the forest on that strange island.

By nightfall, the generals and their escort soldier had returned to the ship. Wedge, in particular, seemed thrilled to be back. “Man, I can’t wait to tell Biggs what he missed! He’ll be so jealous!” “Yeah… you do that.” He looked over at General Chere, tilting his head. She’d definitely said that to him… but, she was walking away, heading toward the bow of the ship. Ultimately, he just gave a shrug and speed-walked over to the stairs leading down into the ship’s hold.

“Biggs! Hey, Biggs!” he called with a smile on his face. “You missed it, man! General Leo did this cool trick! I think he’s gonna teach me how to do it when we get back!” The soldier grinned as he went from-room-to-room, looking everywhere for his partner. “Hey, where are you? C’mon, don’t hide from me! Look, if it’s about yesterday,” he said, referring to that awkward comment he’d made about Tina’s father’s Magicite, “don’t sweat it! I’m totally over it! Now, c’mon! Let’s have a beer and kick back!” But, no matter where he looked… no matter how loudly he shouted… no matter how badly he wanted to find Biggs… the other Magitek Soldier was simply nowhere to be found.

“Hey, Captain…” After searching for ten minutes, he decided to visit the captain of the ship. Luckily, he was right up on the front deck, smoking near the Magitek Armor. “Ah, Biggs!” he greeted. “Wedge was looking for you!” “No, I am Wedge,” he laughed. “Have you seen Biggs? I can’t find him.” “All you soldiers look alike…” He shrugged before informing the soldier, “Yeah, he was with that lady, last time I checked.” “General Celes?” The soldier smiled. “Thanks! Hey, General Celes!” As luck would have it… Celes hadn’t moved from her spot at the front of the ship.

“General?” he called, still smiling. “What?” was her cool response. “The Captain said Biggs was with you. Buuut…” He looked around. “I don’t see ‘im. Where’d he go?” Celes didn’t reply. “Well, wherever he is… he’s gotta come back here, sometime! If you see him, tell him–” “He won’t be joining us,” she suddenly told him. “What, again?” Wedge gave a blink, his smile finally fading. “Did he run after Tina and Lock, or something?” “He won’t be joining them, either…” “Well, wait… if he’s not with them and he’s not here with us… then, where is–” “He’s… he’s dead.” “Hah. That’s…” He was about to compliment her joke. But… “Oh, gods…” He knew she wasn’t the joking type.

“H-how and when…?” he asked, his voice quivering as realization set in. “On our way to meet you…” Celes started, “he… he met his end.” “Heh… Heh, wait… How come you didn’t use your magic and–” “Because, he didn’t want me to!!” “What…?” Wedge gave a hard blink. The general had spun around, giving him an angry, horrible frown with wet eyes. He wasn’t sure if she was mad at him, or upset with herself, or what. But, either way… he had to ask her… “General, what… what happened…?”

“I didn’t mean for it to happen!” she excitedly told him. “Things just…!” “S-so, he’s really dead…?” The soldier gave a hollow laugh. “He’s not coming back…?” The guilt on her face could not have been more obvious… or, more telling. “I don’t know how to explain it…” she whimpered. “I just… lost my cool, and–” “Wait.” He blinked, then flatly asked her, “What do you mean?” “I…” She looked away. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she admitted… “I killed Biggs… I’m sorry…” “Heh. Heh… you killed… heh…” “I… I thought I could trust him,” she started. “When he told me he was the one who–” “I’m gonna kill you.” “What…?” “Protocol be damned,” he said through gritted teeth, “I’m gonna kill yooou!!”

Celes went wide-eyed as the soldier suddenly whipped his blade at her. As he took a second swing, she rolled away and brought her sword out just in time to stop his third attack. “W-Wedge, wait…!!” she shouted over the clash blades. “L-let me explain…!” “You killed my best friend!!” Wedge yelled as he slashed and swiped at the general. “H-he called me a traitor!” she told him, spinning to swipe at the air under his boots as he dodged a slash aimed at his legs. “He was the reason I ended up being detained! I–” “Liar!!” Wedge brought his blade down onto hers, grinding the sharp edges sparking as they ground together. “I-I’m not lying…!” she shouted, keeping her sword defensively held overhead. “S-something wasn’t right with Biggs! He said something about having a ‘master,’ and–” “Shut up!!” The soldier was in no mood for talk, anymore. He didn’t care what she had to say or how skilled she was supposed to be with a blade. All he wanted was vengeance for what was, in his mind, a completely unjust, cold-blooded act.

“P… please…!” she pleaded as he brought his sword down onto hers over-and-over again. “You have to listen to me!” “I don’t have to do anything for you, traitor!!” “S… so be it, then!!” The lady-general gave a mighty war cry as she thrust her foot right into Wedge’s midsection, throwing him a small distance away. Not long after, she began chanting…

“If you think I’m gonna let you do that…!” Celes suddenly found herself dodging a sword that was hurled right at her head. She tried to re-focus on her magic as it flew overboard, but before she could, she was forced to duck and dodge his flying fists! Eventually, she stopped trying magic and, instead, focused on blocking his attacks with the flat of her sword.

“You’re the worst kind of traitor, blondie!!” he shouted as he tossed a barrage of punches her way. “I never meant for– you’re not giving me– Wedge!!” she grunted as he made her sword rattle and chime with each solid punch. “I’m trying to tell you, Biggs was– ah!” As she tried to take another disabling swing at the enraged soldier, she found her sword knocked out of her hands. It landed hilt-up, a few steps away, but she couldn’t retrieve it! Wedge simply would not let up with his avenging assault!

“Don’t think I haven’t heard the rumors, lady!” Wedge continued as he swung-and-swung-again, not caring where his fists landed so long as they connected. “You’ve been questioning the Emperor! Ever since that mission in Maranda–” “Shut up!” she shouted as she gave him a roundhouse kick to the head, knocking off his helmet. When she tried, again, he grabbed her leg, then she snapped her body around, clobbering her with her other foot and crashing to the deck with a heavy thud just before he did the same.

“What is wrong with you, Celes…?” the soldier huffed as he got back to his feet, preparing for another attack. “The thing in Narshe… the Devil’s Lab… now, Biggs?! Where’s it gonna end?!” “I told you!” she said as she retrieved her sword and stood ready for him. “His–” “What’s next? You gonna change sides, again, and hurt Lock? Or, Tina?” he spat as he picked up some rope and started whipping it at her. “Why can’t you just stick with a side?! No, forget it– I don’t even care if you’re an Imperial or a Returner! Just… just…!” “His death was an accident!” she shouted as she shredded the rope, standing her ground. “You attacked him after he called you a traitor!” He finally let up for a moment as he shouted, “What kind’a general does that?!” She started to answer… only to look down and whisper, “Not a very good one…” And, that momentary distraction was enough for her to get punched in the face.

“We all know you’ve been planning… something, Celes!” Wedge told her as he tried to stomp on her chest. “I mean, the Maranda thing was the start, then all the Returner crap…!” When she rolled out of the way, he leaped at her. One brief struggle later, he had her pinned and restrained by the wrists. “Why’d you even come back to the Empire, Celes?! You’re not welcome, here… especially after murdering my friend!” She glared right into his eyes, still furiously crying. She was just so frustrated with it all… “Do you really want to know?! Or, are you just looking for more reasons to hate me?!” “I…!” He paused, then he unexpectedly said in a calmer tone, “I really wanna know.” The general went quiet, looked away. After a moment, she told him something she’d been keeping to herself for a long while. “I came back… for Doctor Marquez.”

Wedge gave a blink. Something about the way she’d said that made him drop his guard. “What… does Doctor Cid have to do with any of this?” he asked, keeping her pinned. “Doctor Marquez… Cid… He…” She closed her eyes. “He means the world to me.” “Oh, yeah? Well…!” The soldier scowled as he said, “Biggs meant the world to me!” “I…” She gave another pause before quietly whispering an apology. “‘Sorry’ don’t bring Biggs back, Celes.” The blond-haired woman angrily jerked her head his way. He didn’t care that she was still crying or scowling. What he did care about… was what she said – and, did – next.

“Then, just kill me!” “Wuh…?!” Wedge gave a sharp blink as Celes broke free, throwing him off. A second later, he found himself blankly staring as the woman threw her sword to him. Then… she got to her feet, standing straight with her arms wide, practically inviting him to attack. “Get up, Wedge!” she ordered. “Strike me down!” “C… Celes?” He nervously chuckled as he stood up, “I know what I said, b-but��” “Stab me through the heart, just as I did to your friend!” she interrupted. A pang of anger shot through him. He actually considered doing that… briefly. “You’re insane– absolutely insane…” he whispered, shaking his head. “If this is what will make things right, then do it! I have nothing to live for, anyway…” “Oh, yeah, sure…” He rolled his eyes from under his helmet. “Big, fancy general of the most powerful army in the world has no reason to live… Uh-huh.” “You don’t know me!” she shouted, letting her arms drop as she leaned forward. “You don’t know what I’ve been through! The mistakes I’ve made… The people I’ve let down…” “No. I don’t. And, frankly?” He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. “I don’t give a damn.” “You don’t know what it’s like to not fit in anywhere…” she said, shaking her head. “Yeah, no. I, actually, kind’a do!” She gave a blink, then. Wedge still looked angry… but, he seemed to be listening.

“I joined the army because my dad pushed me into it,” he explained to the general. “I didn’t fit in, but I tried my best. When I met Biggs – you know… the guy you murdered?” Celes winced. She knew she deserved that… but, it still hurt. “When I met Biggs, he made things easier for me. I had someone I could chat up… someone to ogle the local barmaids with… someone that… that liked me for who I was. He… he was my best friend, Celes…” He sniffled, bringing a hand up to his face. “I… never thought he’d die before I did… I know I joked about it, a lot, but he was the sensible one and I was the reckless one! Heh, it was a perfect synergy! But… I guess no one can predict pissed-off, traitorous generals with an ax to grind, huh?” The soldier gave another sniffle… then, he practically collapsed as he sat down right where he was, his knees elevated and elbows resting atop while his hands crossed under his chin.

“It’s surreal… thinking that I’ll never see my best friend, again… I’ll never get to hear him berate me or tell me what an idiot I am… I’ll never get to split another bill at the pub or share another laugh with him… I’ll… I’ll never get to hear him tell me how glad he is that we’re partners, ever again, and I’ll never get to make fun of his helmet hair or tell him not to work so hard… I… I’ll never get to do anything with him, anymore…” He looked up at Celes with a scowl. “All because some blond chick decided that he was a threat to her position…” She rubbed her arm and tried to avoid eye contact… but, she’d noticed that he’d finally broken into tears. “Maybe, I should kill you…” Wedge shook his head before looking down. “But, that won’t bring Biggs back, now will it?” The general remained silent, at that. She couldn’t think of anything to say. “Do me a favor…” he said as he looked up, a moment later. “Take me to his body. At the very least, I can give him a proper burial – provided you haven’t, already… which I doubt.” Without a word, Celes walked over to the engine blocks and retrieved a spare lantern. Then, she headed down the gangplank and led Wedge back into the woods.

“I’m sorry…” she told him after a few minutes of walking. “I’m so sorry…” “‘Sorry’ doesn’t bring my best friend back to life!” he shouted, making her wince. “It was so strange… We were having a perfectly pleasant conversation, then he–” “Shut up, blondie… I’ve had enough of your excuses for one night.” “It– it’s not…” she quietly stammered before trailing off. “Don’t care. I just want you to find my friend’s body.”

Fifteen more minutes passed as the two walked through near-pitch-black woods. Both of them searched for any signs of a body, but neither of them could find anything. At least… not until they heard an animalistic noise in the distance. “Oh, I am not in the mood for this!” Wedge growled, drawing his borrowed sword from its scabbard. “Shine that light over there!” Celes gave a nod and did as requested. The two then noticed… it was just a single briareus chewing on something.

“There… may be more of these creatures around,” she warned as the creature turned to face them. “We should be careful…” “You! Scat!” Wedge shouted before stomping at the creature. It dropped whatever was in its mouth, hissed, and ran off, leaving the two alone. “Heh. Like a housecat…” the soldier mused. “What was it doing here, anyway…?” “E-eating something, from the look of… Wedge! Look!” “No,” he impatiently responded. “Let’s keep looking.” “No, really! Look!” Celes shined the light on the leftovers. “It’s… my gods! An arm!” “An arm…?” When Wedge looked for himself, he had to gasp. “A human arm! Could it be…?” Then, he ran over and immediately collected the object from the ground.

“This is Biggs’ arm!” the soldier told his escort. “H… how do you know…?” Celes cautiously asked as guilt crept up her spine. “Well…” Wedge started, “my first clue would be the shredded Imperial Army glove that’s still on his hand. It has that lightning bolt thing on the back. Also, it’s orangeish-red, not unlike my own. Ergo… he’s beast chow, you stupid bitch!!” Celes covered her mouth and closed her eyes, clearly unsettled by what that revelation. “Well, that’s just dandy…” he sighed, dropping the limb. “We came all the way out here, looking for Biggs’ body, and all we found was a flipping arm. What a waste of–” “Wait… what’s that?” “What’s what?” Wedge asked, giving her another look. “Something’s… Hold– hold on.” He blinked as she knelt and retrieved the detached limb. She seemed rather intent on examining the hand of the arm, of all things…

“Wedge… if you don’t mind my asking,” Celes said after a moment of investigation, “were you aware of any markings on your friend’s body?” The soldier jolted and faintly blushed. “W-why would I know about things like that…?!” “I’m not sure how I noticed, but there’s a shiny mark on the palm of his hand,” she told him as she removed what was left of the glove. “It’s… No, that can’t be!” Despite not really caring, Wedge felt obligated to ask, “What..?” “Look at this tattoo on his palm!” Wedge did. It was covered in monster slobber, dried blood, and a lot of dirt and debris… but, he did notice something unusual on the palm of Biggs’ hand. Some sort of symbol… After looking, he gave an unimpressed “So?” “Wedge… That’s General Pal– uh, Kefka’s insignia!” she told him. He shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I keep as far away from that lunatic as possible.” “Wait!” Celes looked at the symbol a little more… then, something clicked in her head.

“Biggs mentioned something about a ‘master’ when he was tearing me down…” “Oh, that, again?” The soldier sighed, losing further patience. “Look, lady… If Biggs was serving someone other than the Empire, I’m pretty sure I’d know!” “Okay, but… what if he was serving someone within the Empire?” she theorized. “I… don’t follow.” “What if Biggs was serving Kefka, directly?” “Impossible,” the soldier said with a shake of his head. “Kefka never interacted with us ‘grunts.’ Not usually, anyway. Just our C.O.” “Maybe so… but, what if…” She looked him right in the eye. “What if Biggs secretly kept in contact with Kefka when you weren’t around? I’ve heard rumors of a secret regiment of soldiers, hiding in plain sight, who–” “This is idiotic, and I’m leaving!!” Wedge shouted, finally having enough of her crazy theories. After taking several steps away, he paused… then, he turned back and told her, “We’re leaving. I need your light. Or, you can just hand me the lantern and stay here. In fact, maybe you should do that. I doubt General Leo’s gonna be too happy when I report this to him.” Celes deeply frowned… but, she gave a nod and hesitantly followed. As remorseful as she was, she knew that everyone would benefit more from her jailing than her becoming “beast chow.” Besides… in her head, she deserved to be punished for Biggs’ unjustified death…

#fan fiction #Final Fantasy VI #Mortem In Contumeliam #commercial characters #Leo Christophe #Magitek Soldier #Wedge #Celes Chere #Lock Cole #Locke Cole #Shadow #Tina Branford #Terra Branford #fantasy #slice of life #drama

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brightlycoloredteacups · 7 years

Text

Oh Mother

Take a wild guess at what happens after this.

You’re thoroughly enjoying the attention Ivar is giving you. You’re both on your sides, and he’s holding you tightly to him, kissing your shoulders. Despite how cold it is in the room, you have the blankets off, too hot after your lovemaking to keep them on. “Can I ask you a question?” Ivar asks. You give him a sleepy, “Hm?” wanting him to be silent so you can drift off to sleep. “How come I’ve never met your family.” Ivar immediately pulls back as you stiffen in his arms.

“You don’t want to meet my family.” You mutter. “Yes, I do.” Ivar insists. “You’ve met my family.” You huff and turn to face him. He looks at you, hurt evident in his features. “How about just my brother then?”

“All of your family,” He insists. “My grandmother and my brother.”

“All of your family.”

“Maybe my sister too?”

“All of your family, and I want Siggtrygg to be there too.”

“Ivar,” You groan. You turn to look at the ceiling. “We’ll be on our best behavior,” He promises. “Why is it important to you?”

“I want to know all about you,” He says, resuming his open mouth kisses on the shoulder he can reach. “I want to know where my love comes from, what make her the amazing woman she is.” You purse your lips together, feeling your resolve breaking. “Love?” He whispers. You finally look at him, sighing. “Fine,” You grumble. “But you can’t get mad at me, remember, I tried to save you from them.” Ivar chuckles and rolls on top of you, he isn’t done with you yet.

You fiddle with Siggtrygg’s tie. “Mother,” He groans. “Mother please.” He grabs your hands and pulls them from his tie. You’re all in the limo, sitting outside of your grandparents house. It seemed like neutral territory, but now, you weren’t so sure. “It’s going to be fine.” He says. You let out a sigh and kiss his forehead. “No matter what happens tonight.” You say, bringing Ivar in for a forehead kiss as well. “Remember that I love you dearly. And that’s all that matters.”

“I’m sure they’re lovely people.” Ivar says. You can’t help the harsh laughter that erupts from your belly. Sliding out of the limo, you wait for Siggtrygg and Ivar to follow you. You console yourself with the memory of trying to warn your boys about your family. Your mother and father weren’t like Aslaug and Ragnar; they didn’t keep their opinions to themselves.

Your mother loved nothing more than picking apart your life. She was dissatisfied with everything you did. Baking, becoming a teacher, having pets, anything you loved, she automatically hated. Your father was just plain distant. Not knowing how to raise girls, he simply ignored you and your sisters. Your brother’s he had all the time for.

As you rang the doorbell, you give a mighty gulp, looking to Ivar and Siggtrygg. You can’t help but look at them through your mother’s eyes. With as handsome and wonderful as Ivar was, he was haughty, and a cripple. With as beautiful as Siggtrygg was, he wasn’t your son, and it wasn’t your job to raise another woman’s child. You feel relief flood through you as your grandmother is the one that opens the door. “Oh my word!” She says, looking at the three of you. “Hi grandma!” You say, stepping around Siggtrygg to give her a hug. “Hello my little bird!” she says, returning it with a kiss on the cheek.

You step back and motion to Ivar and Siggtrygg. “Grandmother, this is Ivar, my boyfriend, and our son, Siggtrygg.” Your boys beam when you say ‘our son’, but you don’t notice it, on the lookout for you mother. “Well, just look at these two handsome boys!” Your grandmother coos. She embraces them both warmly. “I’ve always wanted a great-grandbaby.” She says, looking fondly at Siggtrygg. “Come on in, let’s go meet your grandpa.” Ivar and Siggtrygg give you a smile, they’re eyes saying ‘see, this isn’t so bad’. You can’t return their happy gazes, unfortunately, you know what the evening entails.

You all find your grandfather in the living room, sitting in his lazy boy, talking with your sisters and brothers. You have two of each, being planted firmly in the middle of them. “Everyone, this is Ivar,” Your grandmother explains. “And Siggtrygg.” For a long moment, they simply stare at your boys. “My boyfriend and son.” You finally say. “It’s about damn time you brought a boy home!” Your grandfather stands to greet them.

Ivar and Siggtrygg give you another look. As if to ask “What were you worried for?” But they don’t know the absolute misery your parents can bring. Your grandparents get chairs for you and Ivar while your sisters make Siggtrygg sit next to them. The conversation flows easily enough, new people tended to generate questions. Plus, your boys are practiced in being charming. So, in no time, they have the entire room laughing and engaged.

You’re clutching Ivar’s hand tightly when you hear it. The front door open and close. “Mother?” Siggtrygg asks, catching onto your unease. “The devil,” You brother says dramatically. “She’s here.” Your boys shift nervously. Everyone has gone quiet and extremely still. “It would’ve been nice to be greeted at the door.” You wince at your mother’s shrewd voice. “And I don’t see my daughter’s car outside. Probably late. What is the point of gathering us all here, if she’s late?”

You stand as your parents walk into the room. Ivar stands as well. Siggtrygg scrambles to your side. Already, they’re faces are turning into a nasty sneer. “Mom,” You start, grabbing Ivar’s arm for support. “Dad, this is Ivar, my boyfriend, and our son, Siggtrygg.”

“Hello ma’am.” Ivar say, sticking out his hand. “Sir,” Neither of your parents move to take it. Ivar returns his hand to his side awkwardly. “I think,” You mother begins. “That I would remember if my mother had a child.”

“Mother, please,” You beg, you don’t want things to start this early. You know how lippy both Ivar and Siggtrygg can get. “Please what?” She asks. “It isn’t your job to raise some other woman’s child.”

“Wow,” Siggtrygg says, looking up at you. “You got the voice right and everything.” Everyone in the room chuckles, but you nudge him, urging him to be silent. Your mother ‘hmphs’ and looks about the room. “Well, isn’t anyone going to greet us?”

“I feel Baby Bird is doing a wonderful job.” Your grandfather says. Your brothers and sisters mumble in agreement. Your mother lets out another hmph. “I’ll get some chairs,” you say quietly, dreading how this evening is going to go.

Ivar understands now why it was your parents you specifically didn’t want him to meet. He had watched all evening as you got smaller and smaller the more cutting your mother’s remarks got. He wanted nothing more than to smooth the frown from your face, but didn’t know how without making you more uncomfortable. Why she zeroed in on you, he had no clue, she had four other children to make miserable. To his credit, he said nothing, though his jaw hurt from the effort of keeping silent. He could tell it was wearing on Siggtrygg too. They both had a mission though, so they tried to stay as pleasant as possible.

As for the rest of your family, they were enjoyable. Your brothers grilled him, but seemed satisfied with his answers, and your sisters cooed over Siggtrygg the entire night. Your grandparents insisted on treating him and his boy like family. “Do you all have to be anywhere anytime soon?” your grandmother asks as dinner finishes. “Not that I’m aware of.” You say, looking to Ivar. He shakes his head. His own family was waiting at his house, preparing it for tonight. He would take all the time he could get. “Not at all.” He said, smiling the old woman, “Wonderful. I was thinking we women should make cookies for desert.”

“Can I join?” Siggtrygg asks excitedly. “Mother and I make cookies all the time, but I’ve never done it with an aunt or a grandmother before.”

“Of course you can join.” You say, kissing his hair. Your mother harrumphs. “Waste of time if you ask me.” She mutters. It seems, you have a breaking point. “Mother, enough.” You say. “Everything I do you think is a waste of time, you don’t have to keep reminding me.”

“I just can’t understand why you have to be so…traditional.” She argues. “Traditional?” You bite back. “Is that another way of saying trapped?”

“You’re so smart,” she continues, trying to state her case. “You could be anything you want, but you settle to be a teacher? Not only that, a teacher that has settled to be chained to a cripple and to raise someone else’s son?”

You stand up, fury on your face. As you speak, your tone is deadly calm. “I think you’re confusing us mother. You’re the one that settled. I have exactly what I want. I love being a teacher, I love Ivar, and I love being Siggtrygg’s mother. They’re my boys, and this is my life, and I’m quite happy with it. Believe it or not, not everyone is a miserable old hag like you.”

You don’t wait for your mother’s response, before turning and stomping out of the room. Everyone winces as they hear a door slam. The table is quiet. “So,” Siggtrygg says. “I guess this is a bad time for father to ask permission for mother’s hand in marriage.” Ivar groans. “Yes, Boy,” He hisses. “This is a very bad time.”

“Absolutely not!” Your mother’s tone is shrill, horrified. “Of all the incredibly stupid mistakes my daughter has made, trapping herself with a cripple and his child is the one I won’t allow her to make.”

Ivar clamps Siggtrygg’s mouth shut with his hand, knowing the boy has something smart to say. They don’t need to antagonize anything else. “You have my permission.” Your father says. The entire table goes still. “You can’t be serious!” Your mother’s voice is now a shriek. Ivar can’t help the triumphant smile come over his face. “I haven’t been as involved as I should be in my daughter’s life,” You father admits. “But one thing I’ve noticed is how utterly miserable she’s been. Tonight, I’ve seen my girl in love and happy. I can’t find it in me to deny her that. So yes, you have my permission for my daughter’s hand in marriage.”

“I like him well enough.” The brother sitting closest to him says, clapping him on the back. The rest of the family agrees. Ivar feels on top of the world. He brings Siggtrygg in for a tight hug. He’s going to get married, and he’s going to give Siggtrygg a mother. He might have that daughter after all.

“Well then,” Your grandmother says, getting up. “Why don’t we make those cookies?”

So...Ivar meeting mean mothers....Didn’t know he could behave himself to be honest.

#ivar's heathen army #ivar the boneless #ivar ragnarsson #i hear the wedding bells #they're getting closer #dad ivar #safe for work

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