#anyway. SCS HUH.

[theminecraftbee]

Just reread the whole scs tag and now I want to see Three's first meeting with Etho (Iirc the clip of Grian being scared of Etho sneaking around and then seeming to teleport outside the ice shop is Grian's first meeting with Etho? (And it was season 7.) And I think the "two nervous animals stare at each other" vibes could fit.)

Three is nervous.

It has heard of Etho before. Etho is very high on the threat rankings it had memorized; Etho is considered more of a threat than is currently worth taking out; Etho is, apparently, a legend even around Players who do not understand quite how much of a threat he is. There are standing orders and plans still programmed into Three on how to take him out in a way that would not make a martyr of him. Three thinks many of these plans are stupid.

Three--

Three is nervous. It has heard of Etho before, and it does not know if Etho would have heard of a Blade before, or if any of that would get in the way of it conversing with Etho. Three is relatively confident it could beat Etho in a fight. For all Etho is a threat, he is merely a Player, and Three is a Blade. That had never been why Etho is a threat. That had...

Mumbo had promised Etho was not mean. Three had asked Mumbo what that had to do with anything. Mumbo had mumbled something about how, well, if Three was worried about Etho yelling at it, then Etho wouldn't. Etho would actually also worry, Mumbo assured Three. Etho seems cool at first, but he's actually kind of awkward, Mumbo assured Three.

Three had commented that 'seeming cool at first but actually being kind of awkward' is, apparently, a common problem. It can understand why.

None of that really solves why Three is nervous, but going over the ways Etho is a threat, and the plans it has to mitigate that threat is... nice. It should not use them, because Mumbo has promised that Hermitcraft is safe. Three finds it does not want to be the reason it is not safe. Three will not mitigate the threat of Etho. Three should not have to mitigate the threat of Etho.

Three is nervous because it wants something from Etho, and doesn't have anything to offer in return.

It stands in the jungle and waits. It sees Etho arrive, because it is watching for him, but Etho seems surprised, backing away nervously on seeing Three.

"Oh. Um. Hello there. You're Mumbo's scary friend. The new one he brought here. That one. That needed help? Um, I'm Etho."

"I know. Does Mumbo describe me as scary?"

"Not usually?" Etho says.

"Oh," Three says. It does not give away its disappointment. Etho is not a handler and not another Watcher, but it is best not to give away emotions like disappointment when it wants something from him anyway.

"Is there a reason you're, uh, lurking in my base?"

Three does not fidget. It is too well-trained to. "I am here to ask a favor."

"Shoot, uh, I guess I can hear it," Etho says.

"You are making your base out of interiors, you said, in the meeting," Three says. "I--I want. I want to do that. I want--I want you to show me how to do that." The words are harder to pull out of its mouth than it thought they would be. "I do not have much to offer you. I could take care of one of your enemies, but Mumbo says Hermitcraft is safe, and I do not know if I want to do that, I just know that I want..."

Three trails off.

"Apologies. I am unclear. Will clarify," Three says.

Asking for things it wants is--hard. It's still hard. It is not good at reporting on what it wants. Etho is staring at it. Three stands perfectly still, because it is well-trained.

"Most builders aren't a big fan of interiors," Etho says slowly, "let alone a base entirely out of them. That's, uh, a big favor you're asking. Can I ask why?"

Beneath the mask, Three opens its mouth. It closes it again. It does not know how to say: because I am the thing that replaced someone who built big empty shells. Because I filled one of those empty shells. Because I could have been one of those empty shells. Because I do not want to leave behind empty shells. Because if I am gone, I want the things to leave to be knit socks and cozy rooms and laughter, not a big empty temple with a farm in the middle. Because I am Three, and I am a person, and I want the world to remember that.

What Three says instead is: "I can pay you back. I am useful."

Etho looks at Three. He rubs the back of his head. "You know, normally no one is dumb enough to give me an IOU this early in the season?" He laughs almost nervously. "Sure, man, I can teach you to make a base out of interiors. Why not."

"Thank you," Three says, and its shoulders do not slump, because it is well-trained.

"No problem. Say, what do you think about pranks?"

"I would like to learn to do those too," Three says promptly.

Etho also wears a mask. This does not stop Three from being able to tell the man is smirking.

"You know what? We're gonna get along just fine," he says. Strangely, Three believes him.

[aeb-art]

most normal interaction on a subway (another earth bot has invaded my sketchbook)

cat belongs to @8um8le

[just-sticks-and-beats]

DOODLE PAGE BABY WOOOOOOOOO

[narwhalandchill]

not a comment on a r/fatuiHQ meme of all things making me finally notice that childe activating FL all the way back in the golden house cutscene actually summons those black hole/collapsing star imagery things (looking Exactly like the narwhal boss drop at a specific frame too) behind him if u look at it closely at the right frame😭😭😭

(peak subreddit btw.)

i mean its not Completely new for a motif his teleporting in the 4.2 opera cutscene is a much more clear example of the same exact visual effect but. Dang i never slowed the 1.1 cutscene down enough to see it for myself there before

what a cool detail and reccurring motif there! now let me lose my mind and credibility for a bit Thanks

(actual nonsense warning lmao its just cool black hole sfx but gone downhill)

(a Completely unrelated compilation here Surely. yes the narwhals spout attack thingy is less Obviously the same visual but its a pretty picture of my beloved. sue me. also its close enough 2 me)

anyway isnt it Curious how all these effects are ummmm black holes. like there are stars visibly collapsing here uwu. and black holes are. Collapsed dead stars. wouldnt it be funny if the narwhal boss drop archive entry somehow directly implies that the eye of maelstrom (a black hole) could simply be the echo of its prey. Which are. Yaknow. sometimes stars. for a cosmic whale. so an echo of its prey is an echo of a dead star. crazy ik. if anything like that existed i mean

oh JEEPERS. next thing youll tell me stars are archons forbid often used as a sort of allegory and very prevalent reference to some sort of an important category of people. like a descender or something. crazy ik (2: Electric boogaloo)

WHAT!!!! (and like 4 billion other examples i couldnt bother to gather and sc sorry)

and like. sure sure lets not get too crazy we need to remember skirks usage of this same power as well thats a good point. i should remain skeptical of my own insanity thats very true. we all get a sticker for responsible behavior UwU

so she indeed turned the narwhal into a black hole there yes. She Did That. so maybe its just the power from beyond thing. its void power its quantum but genshin. the black hole/collapsing star stuff is all surtalogis power okay lets consider that for arguments sake. well i guess that means its just surtalogis brand of transcendent abyss power and not about black holes slash dead stars that may or may not be dead descenders. thats fine

Whew i guess thats it then we solved it guys. okay i can accept that. its abyss power because surtalogi things and childe and the narwhal displaying it is all because of surtalogis plots and teachings and powers. something like that

and even if that may be a bit anticlimactic of a conclusion for a narwhalpilled truther like myself (with a penchant towards Theres Some Descender Shit Going On With Ajax antics as well) at the very least its good that there isnt any datamined book series in which some particularly pygmy-esque individuals Strangely fitting of our current descriptions and knowledge of of dain + the sinners band together to merk some guy from beyond teyvat with special powers that may or may not be the irminsul-proofed historical account of a particular descenders death so nothing like THAT can throw a wrench into our very confirmed conclusion of surtalogis power and by extension childe and maybe even the narwhals black hole motifs just being basic abyss element power that has absolutely Nothing to do with any descenders or... dead stars? yeah its a good thing nothing like that exists .

OH SH----

[yay-depression]

every day i set expectations and every day i’m reminded why i told myself not to do that

[brainworms-all-night-long]

This has no structure I'm just yapping honestly but all this has been sitting in me for some time and you set off the trigger lmao, Tags via @overemptyspaces

YEA NO THE THING IS THEY SOMEHOW MADE THE FIGHT BOTH DRAGGED OUT AND RUSHED AT THE SAME TIME, HOW

Ig the whole show just focused on a lot of, unimportant stuff? Like the chaos council is the biggest offender I think. There so many scene of them that could've just been completely cut, or used so differently like what the fuck was the point of having four full scenes of them either revealing something that could've been guessed on context clues (the district devide, I think that was pretty obvious in like, the very first episode come on we didn not need to learn that at the end of the show) and than three others of them completely dodging the question of what the fuck are they even to each other "we are what we are always has been always will be" bitch please explain yourselves already or shut up dhsghd

While we're at the chaos council I think like, they were not the best but not beyond saving, literally just give the bloodthirsty cruel and unreasonable characteristics from the stupid fucking baby everyone got sick off by episode three to the the main Mr Dr sir Eggman, like yes I get the angry baby because the og Eggman is a manchild thing they were going for, but this literaly just leaves the MAIN guy in the MIDDLE feel fuckinng mid, like have the baby have his tantrums, but it's MrSir that suggests the energy extractor despite the life risk to Sonic that it poses, let him hunt down Sonic with absolute tunnel vision of a mad man looking to murder instead of the fucking baby no one takes seriously, let him be in his giant mech and revel in the destruction he's causing.

I'm still not done with the council actually fuck it, you know how minster sir doctor egg man said he has to do everything himself and than we literally, don't, see, him, do anything by himself besides hunting Nine down at the end of the first season, come on. There was something there with the little interrogation scene in the second season, which was great, loved that, why is that the only breadcrumb we got why... he should've personally zapped nine on multiple ocassions

Next stop, the giant fucking hole in the Void why was that just there to eat the emerald and never be mentioned again "devours all life" my ass it's just a black splotch of ink for all we know. what if that upped the stakes, while Nine was fucking around with the Prism and everyone else being difficult that thing would just threaten to swallow EVERYTHING UP if everyone didn't get their act together in time.

The chaos emerald also, was there just so that the writers didn't have to put shadow in the story much i think. like dedass because if he got shattered oh no you would have to have a shadow in every universe too much work, put him in the Void and let him do nothing.

He WAS IN THE VOID WITH THE MOTHER SHIP IN THE SECOND SEASON HE SHOULVE TORN THAT BITCH UP THE SECOND HE SAW IT "we gonna do this together" proceeds to do nothin and just stare into the Void as the Void stares back

sigh

There was also just so much missed potential in the other versions interacting with each other and the enviroments theyre in. The begining of the third season had so much promise, you know during the second season we got little crumbs here and there and in the third season the full feast type deal. Like the bosscage gang in New yoke, the jungle bros in the dystopian city they saw only sprinkes off back home, how are they gonna react to that, with the battle bruised resistance and so on and so forth you get me, and while I did enjoy Nine being absolutely off the rails right of the bat — WHAT the fuck was that about him flipping an entire universe sir how do you have so much power and why have you not done it ever again — they were again thrusted into the big battle way too early on, and than even during the battle they kinda barely interacted. Which sad. Big sad. (Loved the fourth, third episode of the third season though that conversation between nine and Sonic done something to me on a molecular level.)

I did enjoy the scraping gears between Dread and Ren, and the way the roses immiditelygot along because of course they did amy loves people including herself, and how Nine immiditely tried to kill himself Mangey and Sails, why wasn't there more of that, and hey why the fuck did they just kill off Mangey and Sails for like, four episodes I think, what was that about, Mangey should've bitten Nine I swear. And there wasn't much reaction to their "deaths" either from anyone besides like Sonic and Rebel I think, what about IDK THE GUYS FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE WORLDS HAVING A WORD IN THEIR FOX JUST BEING KILLED????

Also you know when Nine went after the leftover pirates in no place, I was thinking what if he just took em hostage. Similar to the absolute wasted potential of shadow in the hole, just GAAAHAH I think that citadel he build was big enough to idk trap a few people in, what if we got the combo of the pirates and Shadow either trying to negotiate or just break Nine's jaw huh consider the sass Sails could've given him over this despite fearing for his life, because he is still very much held hostage by some whacko who is trying to kill his crew, how much more pissed off sonic would've been, how much more shaken the pirate crew would've been, Shadow absolutely seething at being held hostage while Nine is all high and mighty thinking he's untouchable but also deep uncomfortable that this version of himself is talking to him baNGING MY HEAD AGAINST THE WALLL WE COUDVE HAD IT ALLLL

You know I actually rewatched a bit of Sonic prime a while ago and I've been thinking that like, the entire show is just mostly pointless back and forth battles that don't really progress the state of the world whatsoever until like the last episode of the season, but unlike the 3rd reason, which was dubbed the worst offender offerder for this rightfully, it got a different environment and set of characters for a while so it tricked one's brain into thinking that things were Different and Happening when they really weren't

And like, the Grim battle could've been much more interesting too yk even if we kept it happening in one set location. Lets say, if Nine used his unlimited power for something more besides just making more robots and instead held steadfast onto his desire to create a perfect world for himself and stupid powerfull terraforming abilities of the Prism, with with which he manged to break up the shatterverse cast into unlikely groups that each had its own threat to deal with, before the big bad confrontation and the end with Nine himself (where he just gets pelted by Ren or Shadow because come on, his ass is not lasting a serious fight against fight experienced people)

Anyway thinking abou Sonic Prime wasted potential hours

[rens-writes]

･｡ Mama ｡･

You're standing in the kitchen, humming quietly to yourself as you cook for lunch. Toji sits at the little island nook in your apartments kitchen. He's reading a book and will occasionally look up at you. Megumi is in the living area playing and watching tv. "Hey, taste this." You scoop out a little bit of the food and turn to hold it out to him. He barely looks up at you as he opens his mouth. You carefully stick the spoon in his mouth. He takes the food off of it and you pull it away from him. You watch him expectantly. "Is it good? Do I need to add anything?" He sits there for a second before making a face of disapproval. You gasp at him, playfully acting like you're offended. "What? What's wrong with it?" You ask. "Ehh.." He starts to respond but he finally looks up at your face and it makes him snort. "Nothing. It's fine, I was just messing with you." You roll your eyes and smack him right on the top of the head with the spoon in your hand. It echoes with a loud 'thunk' and he looks at you in bewilderment. He reaches up to rub the spot you hit. "You've got a thick skull, huh? Didn't even sound like that hurt." He just rolls his eyes. "Love you." He waves you off and looks back at his book. "Yeah yeah." You stifle a laugh and turn back to the stove.

After a few minutes of just your humming and the cooking noises, there's the sound of little footsteps. Megumi comes running in waving a piece of paper around. "I did a picture!" He yells. You hum and look over your shoulder for a second. He shows it to Toji first. "Look!" Toji looks down at his son and the paper he has clutched in his hand. "Wow, that's nice. Did you keep the colors on the paper this time?" Megumi pulls a face and looks down at the paper. Toji just sighs and ruffles his hair. "We'll work on that." He points to you and says something to Megumi. You're too lost in your cooking to really hear what he said. "Okay!" Megumi runs around the counter and waves his paper at you. "Mama!" Megumi yells out the word to catch your attention. And it certainly does. You and Toji both freeze in your place, just letting the name hang in the air. Megumi stands next to Toji looking between the two of you in confusion. "Mama...?" He says it again, quietly like he's afraid he's said something wrong. You blink and slowly turn to look at Toji. He's already looking at you with his eyebrows raised. You've known them both for about two years. And you've been dating Toji for one of those. Megumi was only a year old when you actually started dating. And he's only ever called you by your name. You've never expected him to call you as his mother, because you're not. And neither of you have coerced him to call you that way either.

You turn to look at Megumi who's standing at the edge of the counter. He looks up at you with his big puppy eyes, holding out the piece of paper to you. "Mama." The name makes your heart swell. You turn to look at Toji, to see if he's okay with this. He's smiling softly at you. "Does it, uhm... Does it bother you if he calls me that..?" You wipe your hands off on your little apron. Toji shrugs. "Nah. I mean you basically are anyways." With his approval you squeal and hurry towards Megumi, scooping him up in your arms. This makes him squeal and giggle. "Gumi!!" You squeeze him as tight as you can without hurting him. He yells and squeezes you back the best he can. "I'm mama?" You ask him with a grin. Megumi nods and plants one of those sloppy little kid kisses on your cheek. You stifle a little laugh and kiss him on the head. "I'm mama! I'm his mama!" You turn to look at Toji who's watching the two of you with a smile. Megumi giggles and rests his head on your shoulder, holding up the piece of paper he had. It's a little crumpled now because of the squeezing. "Oh. What's this?" You reach for the paper. It's a picture he's drawn. You're assuming it's supposed to be you and him. It's really just a bunch of scribbles. He points to the little collection of scribbles on the page, and then to the larger one. "Megumi. Mama." You have to fight off the urge to squish him. "Thank you. I love it so much, it's so pretty." He grins and then reaches down for the floor. You set him down and watch as he runs off.

You turn back to look at Toji who's now at the stove since you had completely abandoned the food cooking there. Whoops. You walk over to stand next to him and lean against his shoulder. "He called me Mama..." He hums quietly in response to you. "Mhm." He turns off the stovetop and moves the pan off of the hot eye. He then turns to wrap you in a hug. "You basically were anyways." You hug him and press your cheek against his chest. "I'm just so happy that he thinks of me that way..." You say quietly. "I just didn't want you to feel like I'm replacing her..." He makes a soft humming sound, one that makes his chest vibrate. "I don't think of it that way." He squeezes you gently. "You're filling in an empty spot in his life. And mine." He kisses you on the top of your head. "And we both love you for that." You smile and look up at him. "I love you two. Like so much more than I can actually explain." He laughs softly and kisses you on the forehead. "Good to know. Now let's eat yeah? I'm starving."

divider by inklore

reblogs appreciated!

[sarrsqz]

And I'll be yours until the sun no longer shines

American Horror Story: Murder House

Post-Death Violet Harmon x Dead!Reader

Word count: 1.4k

Summary: When stuck thinking about a world you're no longer a part of, Violet's there to remind you of a world that was created just for you.

I gotta step up cause no one writes for her anymore 😔

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Afternoon sun spilled into the room and cascaded a long yellow gleam onto the floorboards. From years of sun damage -- caused by the open curtains that nobody ever fixed, and the angle of the sun at this exact time in the summer seasons -- the wooden floorboards had taken on a bleached look. Something that used to be a staple of the house's beauty now left to rot with the rest of it.

Your eyes followed the angled sun ray, watching it as it got narrower the further it went through the room. The peak of it hit the very bottom of the leather couch you laid on, which was covered in a thick plastic sheet. It was meant to protect the furniture in case of future buyers, but it's been over a decade since anyone (alive, that is) has lived here, so you doubt that it really matters now. It rustled under you whenever you shifted slightly. It reminded you of the paper sheet they use in doctor's offices, the ones that were left tattered after every patient sat on them.

Or maybe it was the squeaky sound it made that reminded you of something. Like how worn-down sneakers belonging to tired teenagers sounded when jogging through a school gym on a Monday morning.

But it didn't really matter. The only thing these comparisons really reminded you of was the fact that you thought too much about trivial things -- and reminisced about a life that you couldn't be a part of anymore.

The only thing that mattered now was the girl whose head was laying in your lap. The girl who had lightly slapped your hand when she realized you weren't paying attention to her speaking. "Are you even listening?" She asked, sitting up -- the plastic moving under you both -- and leaning on her elbow. Her pin straight hair fell over her left shoulder, framing her face that held a scowl at you for ignoring her.

You sat up on your elbows, eyes scanning over her face. She looked the same as she did when she was alive. Acted the same too. It was rare to meet a ghost who was at all similar to how they used to be. But that was Violet for you -- always the black sheep in every situation.

"Sorry." An apology came from your mouth, one of the many in this relationship. But what can you expect from fucked up dead teenagers?

"Jus' thinking about things." Your voice, again. It was difficult for your mind to catch up with your mouth sometimes, something you had grown accustomed to since dying. It never used to happen when you were alive though.

Violet's expression blanks, the scowl making its temporary exit. She glanced over at the sun beams, which were now shifted slightly due to the sun moving. "Your thoughts are more interesting than my cheesy story, huh?" She joked, the familiar sarcastic tone present in her voice. Her fingers began picking at loose strands on the sleeves of her cardigan, her nails chipped with old polish.

Right. Her story. Some cringy thing that happened when she still lived in Boston. She had been talking about it as if it was a fond memory, but you knew her. She just needed something to pass the time. It was futile though -- time doesn't stop for things like you.

You smiled anyway. "No, no. Sorry," another sorry, "keep talking." The words left your mouth, causing Violet to pause for a moment before continuing her story. Her storytelling was interesting enough. With her randomly thrown in curses and rants about people or things that annoyed her.

But what mainly caught your eye this time was the way the sun hit her face. That afternoon glow hitting the right side of her perfectly. Her brown eyes turned hazel, gold and green making appearances. Her hair looked more blond than ever. Memories of seeing her leave for school -- decades ago at this point -- back when she was still alive and had just moved here. Seeing her in the front lawn with her dad or with their old dog. Leaning on the doorframe of her bedroom, seeing her smile at you from across the room.

Making up new events as well. Seeing her at the beach, sand sticking to your skin and salt invading your nose. Walking through a music store, listening to her ramble about Morrissey and flipping through overpriced albums. Making fun of people buying mainstream music, blatantly ignoring the popularity of our own music tastes.

"Why do I even bother talking if you're not going to listen?" A frustrated voice broke through your thoughts. "Y'know, it hurts when you don't pay attention to me. I need you to be present." Her voice was softer when she said that. Vulnerable.

You shake your head slightly, looking away from her. "I was just... imagining shit." Your eyebrows raised slightly, a tight smile on your face as you looked back at her. Looking for forgiveness and for her to continue on with her stories of Boston.

But instead, you're met with concern. She seemed worried. Normally, she'd say something sarcastic, maybe cuss you out a bit, and then continue on like it's nothing. She doesn't have the energy to fight about something like this anyway. She's already not on speaking terms with some of the ghosts here, she doesn't need you pissed off too.

But no. She's worried. Your face dropped, hers narrowed. She sat up fully. Her legs were crossed, bare knees poking out from under her dark dress. "You can talk to me, you know."

You sat up. Your mind was still clouded with thoughts. Your head was a melting pot of memories and made-up fantasies. Your childhood, the high school you were never able to graduate from, the life you and the girl in front of you deserved to be able to live together.

She was back to picking at the strands on her cardigan. Tying random pieces into knots, pulling them apart, starting all over again. Her eyes shifted from her hands and back towards your face.

You opened your mouth, but this time nothing came out. You moved slightly, the plastic squeaked. Neither of you paid any mind to it. You crossed your arms, glancing down at the see-through material that exposed the old black leather of the couch.

"I just keep thinking about it." It. That's what we called the world outside of the house. The world that had forgotten us years ago. The one that wrote us off as tragic cases of teenagers in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Your voice was low. You looked up at her, seeing her face blank again. Unreadable. The sun is almost gone now. It had passed you both and was now situated in the furthest corner of the room.

"Don't be stupid." Her voice cut through the air. It was sharp but held a logical sense to it. She didn't want you to hurt yourself desiring something you can't have. "I wish I could tell you that it's going to happen, but we need to focus on what we have here." Is it obvious that we've had this conversation before?

But still, she was right. She seemed to always be right. Although it hurt knowing we'd be here forever, unable to grow up, unable to leave, we had to remain realistic. Hoping for something that was impossible would only make things worse.

"I mean, unless you found a magic spell that would bring us back to life or some shit." She laughed at her own comment. Even after everything that had happened to her, her humor never strayed.

You smiled, her laughter getting louder when she saw it. She moved closer to you, the sound of the plastic making both of you breakout in fits of laughter, unable to ignore the sound anymore.

She rested her head on your shoulder, your uneven laughs continuing to fill the semi-empty living room you both sat in. You leaned back, watching the sun finally leave the room. Violet leaned in closer, a smile on her pale face. A genuine one at that, no sarcasm in sight.

The lonely reality of being dead will always eat away at you. You'll always miss everything you once had, always resent the circumstances that took them away. You'll always fear forgetting about things that mean so much to you -- fear losing yourself to the insanity brought on by being stuck in a timeless loop of murder.

But you'll also have her by your side. The weirdest girl you've ever met that accepted her own death years before it even occurred. The girl who remained the same in death, and the girl who understands you better than anyone else in the shitty world you two share.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

this is kinda ass but it's okay for my first post lol

[onim5]

Isekai Au

Chapter 3: Realization

Portgas D. Ace x Female Reader

Warnings: Reader getting mad at Ace.

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

"Who raised you?" You asked as Ace ate with his hands. "Mountain bandits," Ace mumbled through his chewing. Raising your eyebrow, you decided to dismiss it. After all, this guy was clearly a delusional imbecile who dreamed about being a cool pirate with a big bounty. "Do you have any more questions about me?" Ace asked, looking at you like he wasn't sitting there lying to your face. "Do you have any caretaker I can call?" You asked. This guy was definitely not fit to go around unwatched. 

"Uh, you mean my captain?" Ace asked, confused. "I guess," you answered. "It would be great if we could contact him. Where's your den den mushi?" He asked, looking around, and then he fell asleep for the third time. "What even is that?" You mumbled, standing up. The information he gave you was bullshit. He was either a liar or is actually delusional. 

It took some seconds, and then he woke up again. After yawning, he looked around. "Are you some kind of noble?" Ace asked, looking around your apartment. "No, we don't have that kind of society here." You frowned. "Huh, that's rare. Anyway, which sea is this island on?" Ace asked, wondering where he ended up. Though seeing your reaction made it clear, he was supposed to know.

"Hey, look, I somehow teleported here. So I have no idea where I am." Ace explains. "You teleported?" You asked sarcastically. "I know, hard to believe. But let's just say it was a devil fruit. So which sea?" He asked, curious. "We're in Aldinomanic, in the Sunday winter nation sea." You answered sarcastically, again. "Really, I have never heard of that." Ace groaned. Did he perhaps teleport to unknown territory?

"It was a joke. We're on a continent." You finally told. Ugh, can't I just kick him out? You thought. "What's a continent?" Ace asked, confused. "Alright, do you like wasting peoples time?" You asked done with his bullshit. "Not really, why?" Ace asked, not taking the hint. "You're wasting mine!" You said in a harsh tone. "Going on about pirates. Really?! And magic bullshit." You complained madly. Ace watched as you walked around the table.

"If you think I'm an idiot, you can mess around with, then you're wrong. I'm a highly respected woman. I make £25.64 per hour. And I know that's what you want from me, money." You scoffed. "Wait, don't you mean berries?" Ace asked, confused. "What do you mean berries? I'm not talking about food here." You declared.

"Um, no, I mean the currency." Ace explained. "Are you. There's no where, in the entire world, people would use berries as money. Okay, maybe children. But if I want like blueberries, I go to the store." You said in disappointment. Ace didn't know what to say. It's like you never heard of pirates before. Ace pushed his plate forward. "Thanks for the food. But um, can you get your den den mushi, so I can try to call Pops?" Ace asked.

"What even is that?" You asked, grabbing his plate and putting it in the dishwasher. "You don't know?" Ace asks, getting a weird feeling in his chest. "No." You answered, now being tired of Ace. "Do you know what a map is?" Ace asked nervously. "Of course I do." You answered. "Can you show me one?" Ace asked politely. Rolling your eyes, you put up google Maps on your phone and then put it before him.

Ace slowly bent down his head. And then tried to read the small text on it. "Do you have a bigger one?" Ace asked nervously, already knowing you're done with him. "Just zoom in. You don't seem to have that bad eye sight." You frowned, folding your arms.

Ace had no idea what you meant and decided to just pick up the map and look closer. "Are you an idiot?" You asked, taking the phone from him, and then zoomed in so he could see. "Wow, how did you?" Ace asked as he watched the screen. "So where's the sea?" Ace asked amused. You zoomed out a lot. His eyes widened upon seeing the world, supposedly.

Ace scanned his soroundings, taking in a lot of stuff he had never seen. Did he, did he teleport to whole new world? "This is gonna sound crazy."

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

End of chapter 3.

Chapter 1.

Chapter 2.

Chapter 4.

Masterlist

[archernarbeta]

For all the moments

✴︎ pairing : Chanyeol x Reader

✴︎ genre : domestic!au, idol!chanyeol, editor!reader, angst, fluff, comfort, yearning

✴︎ summary : For all the moments, you were always by his side. For all the moments, he was always next to you.

✴︎ warning : none, maybe mild cursing but nothing else!

✴︎ word count : 4.2K

✴︎ author’s note : hii! It’s archie! This one has been hanging out on my drafts for way too long and I finally decided it’s time to take it out! Anyways, this fic was initially for Baekhyun but I felt that the scenario fits better with Chanyeol. I was highly inspired by EXO-SC’s Jet-lag and Kyungsoo’s recent birthday party where he sang Beautiful Day! I hope you enjoy this one and feel free to leave feedback or comments! likes are also much appreciated ♥ 

⁠—

The loud drizzling sounds of rain hitting your apartment window can’t help but stir you up from your deep slumber. What the hell, you thought, rubbing your eyes a little to wash away your sleepiness. The clock beside your bedside table reads 3.40am, the timing indicates that it’s too early for anyone to be awake at the moment. The sky kept rumbling, with thunders flashing every minute and you groaned at the sight of the storm rolling in front of you. Being woken up from a storm was one thing but being awake without your husband, was another thing. You knew you wouldn’t be able to sleep again so you grabbed your phone to check if Chanyeol had landed in Seoul from his recent work trip from Paris. 

Notifications 02.30am KST Yeol: > Babe? > I just landed with the worst weather ever! > I can't wait to see you > I missed you so much :(( Read 03.43am KST

Being married for 2 years to one of the most famous idol in Korea, you were accustomed to his busy schedule. Flying out here and there to attend concerts, award shows, photoshoots and prestigious events was part of the job. With you working as a fashion editor, his daily agenda was not out of the ordinary for you. The difference only being the fact that he works under the limelight, but you don’t—not that you mind at all. Nevertheless, both of you made it work. It was too easy to understand how it feels to work under a tight schedule without any time to breathe. You with your never-ending deadlines and meetings, and him with his idol life. 

However, dating him for 6 years and being married to him for three, being away from him never gets easier.

You zoned out for a while before a loud thud distracted your attention, followed by your bedroom door clicking open. Your husband was finally home, his tall frame resting against the door with a huge grin on his face. Even with the minimal lighting of your bedroom, you could make up the bags under his sparkling eyes and the sight made you frown. 

“Hii honey,” his voice soft as ever, “I missed you so much..”

You sat up beaming at him while reaching out, welcoming him with open arms. He took a step closer to the bed, engulfing your sleepy figure. You replied with a small ‘hello’ as you melted into his hug. You really can’t help but wonder how he’d smell so nice after a long-haul flight, but nevertheless, you love inhaling his scent that brings you nothing but comfort.

“How long have you been awake? The storm must’ve woken you up.” His voice was laced with worry.

You held his cheeks with your hands and he practically melt under your touch, 

“Not too long ago.”

“Please quickly shower and join me in bed, huh? Pretty please…” you pouted at his tired state. 

“Anything for you, baby. Give me a while and I’ll join you as soon as possible!” 

He didn’t close the door as he showered, not that you’d mind, at this point you were too sleepy to even think of peeking. As the water ran down on his back, he unconsciously kept you awake by chatting with you. He really couldn’t help that he missed his wife so much. 

“Babe, do you have plans tomorrow?”

“No? Not that I could think of…I might drop by the studio and the office tomorrow morning but other than that, I don’t think I’ll be booked the whole day. Are you going somewhere tomorrow?” 

“The office? Isn’t tomorrow like..Saturday? Is Saerim giving you a hard time? What about the interns? They’re not helping you enough? Are you working too hard again?” He rambled on with concern with a raised voice as the running water muffled his voice.

“I- Uh..” you stammered, “Yeol, I t-told you work is fine” you quipped. The sound of the water subsided as a tall figure emerged from the bathroom. Chanyeol dried his hair, ruffling the soft brown locks with a towel as he frowned at your response. He knew you were having a hard time at work and had asked you to quit a thousand times by now. Even without the math, anyone would know that his pay would be enough for the both of you to live comfortably. 

You looked at your golden-retriever husband in the eye, “So where are you going tomorrow?” 

A thing about Chanyeol is that he’d waive things out so easily, as easy as shifting the conversation to another topic and he won’t go back to pester the elephant in the room. 

At your question he blinks a few times, “Would you mind if I take a day out tomorrow with the boys? Baek said he needed some pointers for his upcoming solo album and Junmyeon-Hyung had things to discuss for the group.” He scratched the back of his head. 

“But that is…if it’s okay with you?” he nervously asked. 

“That’s okay, babe…” you half yawned, sleep lulled you once again as you tried snuggling inside the comforter, 

“I really don’t mind”, the drowsiness took you as the soft satin sheets came in contact with your skin. He smiled at the sight as he returned the towel to its place. Chanyeol didn’t take long to join you in bed, cuddling you in his arms. 

After his hectic schedules and weeks without holding you, being beside you was the perfect medicine to charge his tired form. He sighed, relieving all his weariness before the slumber took him out.

He knew, this was home. 

You, were home.

⁠—

Morning came faster than you’d like. The rain from last night hadn’t stopped, raindrops trickling on your high-floor apartment as the sky was still dark as ever. Beside you, a tired giant, possessively hugging you amidst his sleep. You giggled at this grown-up man’s clingy behaviour.  Chanyeol will always be the cutest, ever. 

You blamed your body clock for waking up so early on a Saturday, especially on this dreading Saturday. 

With a little struggle, you free yourself from Chanyeol’s hold and tiptoed to the kitchen. It was just 6.00am but you quickly prepared breakfast for the both of you and salad, for Chanyeol just in case he wants a light lunch. 

As you sipped your coffee, last night’s conversation went through your head. He knew you had troubles at work, he had plans and you said you were okay, you didn’t mind.

You internally sighed because mind you did.

You were far from okay.

Because even though you’d hate to admit it, you’d love to have him for yourself. In fact, you have missed him so much these past few weeks that it physically hurts. 

But no. 

You had work. 

Your useless-piece-of-a-shit-partner Yoon Saerim, will probably taunt you if you don’t come up with a better concept for this month’s pictorial. So even though you miss being around your ball of sunshine more than you’d like to admit, fate was just not in your favour this Saturday. 

You could always quit, is what Yeol usually says after your long rant about your horrible boss and the disgusting amount of workload you had to handle. Sure you have subordinates and interns working under you, but working in fashion for so long, you came to the conclusion that nothing is never ever enough when it comes to the industry. 

Thinking back, Chanyeol always loved being under the spotlight as an idol ever since his debut days and making music was as precious as that. After both of you settled down and eventually got married, you were quick to admit that Chanyeol sacrificed a lot for you, even if you didn’t ask him to. He paid the bills, every bill. He took care of the parents, dinner dates with your parents and his every other week were a staple and he’d never miss sending health supplements once in a while. You never asked him to do so but married Chanyeol just stepped up and took on the role as a caring husband so naturally. 

Even with his burning passion in music, he went the extra mile, producing countless songs by the count of months. At times he goes on an overdrive, he’d lock himself up in the studio and he would forget about everything else. Situations like this scares the shit out of you. You remembered the first time he went berserk, it took you and his members two days to figure out where he was. He’d gone AWOL and you had to call the police to track down his phone, just to find out that he’d been coping himself in the studio for 48 hours without sleep or food, only water. You and Sehun found him sitting down in front of the recording booth with a guitar in hand, music sheets sprawled on the floor. His eyes were already bloodshot red, it was clear that he was sleep-deprived, very tired and out of focus. Sehun sighed, ready to scold Yeol for his stupid behaviour before your husband quipped, 

“Please don’t take me away, not yet…” 

his eyes all over the place with brows furrowed, his forehead creasing.

“I swear if you give me more time, I’ll finish this tomorrow and I’ll go but please leave and don’t come here until tomorrow, yeah? I need to finish this song because they’ll pay a huge amount for this one… Give me more time, please?” He is disassociated as ever, you were aware that he didn’t notice you due to his state.

“Hyung…” the younger sighed again.

“S-Sehun-ah, I have Y/N now.. You might not know how it feels now but I- I want to give the world to her. We’re idols but our prime time is way past us, when the momentum is gone, we might too.” He dropped his head to the door of the recording booth as he sighed,

He mindlessly draws patterns on the floor, “I need to save up for Y/N, for our future.. and it won’t happen if I don’t work like this. So-“

In a blink you crouched down, embracing him with tears already wetting your face. Words couldn’t form but the pressure, the knot that he bear was starting to unravel. He got your message,

You’re enough. 

Moments like these, his breakdowns, were one of the things that kept you grounded. If you’re being honest, your job also keeps you on your feet. Working as an co-chief editor in fashion was always your dream and to be frank, you enjoyed the job more than you let on. But the past year has been nothing but hell, thanks to the newly appointed co-chief editor Yoon Saerim. You habitually ponder how she got the position as she wasn’t really suitable for the job, she didn’t really have the knack for fashion. But moreover, you just didn’t like the fact that she ogled Chanyeol and Sehun when they came by for a photoshoot. 

You quickly snapped out of your deep thoughts when you gulped your last drop of coffee, thinking of Yoon Saerim never fails to make you turn sour. 

Without wasting more time, you prepared yourself to head to your studio. For disclaimer, the studio was Chanyeol’s, not the office’s. Not long after you started the job years ago, both of you decided that it would be nice to rent out an old apartment in the city for the both of you to work. The studio has a built-in recording booth, production space for Chanyeol and a creative working-space for you. However, with time passing, you ended up using the space more than your husband. 

Before you left the house, you gave him a forehead kiss and stuck a post-it-note on his phone, 

‘Good Morning My Happy Virus ♡  thank you for always working so hard,  sometimes you worry me, love :( have a great time with the boys today! am out for work - it’s deadline week ◡̈   i love you 3000 —  much, much love, Y/N ‘

—

You arrived at the empty studio with your shoulders slumped, looking at the stacked paper, pictorials and mood boards around your disoriented workspace. The interns must’ve sent these yesterday, fucking hell, here we go again. 

Not long after, you succumbed to the job you love and hate at the same time. To be honest, as one of the high-ranked chief editor in your company, it wasn’t your share to do these tasks anymore, those days were over you. But reviewing each and every item, every trend that goes into the magazine is a job you love no matter how meticulous it actually is. Besides, the information you extract from all this has proven to help your career so far, making you one of the sought-out fashion editors in Seoul. However the fact doesn’t relieve you from the burden and pressure you get from your useless co-chief editor.

“She’s bossy and pushy but useless— and you’re too compliant, Babe,” Chanyeol would always joke and you’d usually tackle him back with a pillow, leaving both of you cackling in the process.

Speaking of Chanyeol, the man in question just stirred up from bed, barely opening his eyes, adjusting to the gloomy weather in front of his open-windowed bedroom. He instantly rubbed his sides, sleep evidently washed away when he realised his beloved Y/N weren’t there. He called your name out a few times to make sure that maybe, you were outside the room, just to know that his voice had filled the void of your apartment. 

As expected, he immediately sat up and grabbed his phone to call you. Before even unlocking his cell, he found your oh-so-lovely note that you stuck on this morning. Chanyeol sighed, he knew you were having a hard time but you never fail to warm his heart with your sweet note, he particularly loved the use of his favourite iron-man quote. 

He stared at the note lovingly for a while before heading to the bathroom and freshened up for the day. When he entered the kitchen to see a packed lunch box and another one with breakfast inside, he sulked further. Your puppy-like husband misses you and you doing this, made him sappier. He carefully unpacked the meals you prepared, gratefully munching your cooking. He was supposed to meet his members at 10 and so, he drove quickly as he was running late. When he parked his car in front of the company’s building, a text came from Baekhyun. 

Notifications 10.08am KST Baek: > Yeol? > the meeting’s canceled > Junmyeon-hyung said something came up > and my mom called, she wanted my help :O > Really sorry for the sudden intrusion! But have a good rest day with Y/N ^^  > Send her my love too!! Read 10.15am KST

< BYUN BAEKHYUN YOU LITTLE SHIT < THANKS FOR THE ‘HEADS UP’ < Picture sent < LOOK WHERE I AM YOU LITTLE SHIT!!! Sent 10.16am KST

Baek:  > Oh.. > The message didn’t come through 😅 I texted you way before,, must be the reception?  > But you can always have a good time with y/n!!  > I’m so sorry 🥺 Read 10.17am KST

Chanyeol couldn’t be sulkier. His ears literally drooped down as he huffed in annoyance. He didn’t reply back to Baekhyun as he slid the phone back in his pockets. He drove home in silence, even the thought of going back to bed to aid his tiredness didn’t make him feel better. He entered the foyer of the empty apartment and he shuffled inside lazily. You’d probably melt if you see him right now, his shoulder slumped slightly with a goo-goo look on his face. Especially now, with his buffier-form, compared to his pre-debut lanky state is something you’d administer as a cute change as a result of his exercising habits over the years. But it doesn’t matter because you’re not there and alas he came home to a cold, dark, empty apartment with his love nowhere to be seen. 

The sky dark, rain still pouring down, much like his mood. The thing about Chanyeol is the fact that he’s a clingy extrovert when it comes to people he loves. You love that about him. He didn’t care about the hectic schedule, it’s the ‘being away from you’ that made everything hard to surpass. That’s why after every schedule abroad, Chanyeol would love going home when he knows his love is waiting for him. There’s nothing better than coming home to a warm apartment with you snuggled on the couch. However, now, he’s the only one on the couch, alone. 

He pondered for more than an hour, zoning out, before deciding to stand up and head to the door once again. The silence is deafening, he misses you too much and he had to do something about it.

— 

In your studio, coming in your nearly fifth hour of productivity, you’re starting to break down. You were now on the verge of crying while doing your work, it’s the creativity block, you mentally cursed. You’ve been dealing with it lately but having to work in fashion, it’s inevitable and you never really told anyone about it, especially not Chanyeol. You felt that his occupation demanded more of him than yours did to you, you wouldn’t want to burden him with your problems. 

“Fuck.” 

“Fucking hell!” 

“This is so not happening right now…” tears welled as the screen of your precious laptop turned pitch black. You scoffed at the situation with the waterworks falling down your eyes. You were over this. 

You slumped near the corners of the room, hugging your knees as you stared at your now dead device, silently crying as your head whirls for other, worse negative possibilities of happening. Numb, is probably the best way to describe your current state after crying your heart out for 30 minutes straight. You end up curling yourself into a ball, hanging your head low in the corners of the room as your mind goes blank. 

As you hid yourself in the darkest corners of your office, you failed to notice the jiggling sound of the key, the clacking locks and the noise of the door opening. 

“Babeeeee?” the sound traveled from the hallway. Lo and behold, a sulked Chanyeol is here. His mood is still on the low but the idea of meeting you gets him excited like a puppy. 

You couldn’t hear him though,  your head still in a blocked-state and the room you’re in was the furthest from the hallway. 

Chanyeol entered the studio, footsteps tapping against the hardwood flooring. It puzzled him why he didn’t receive an answer back, but knowing your shoes were on the foyer, he knew you were somewhere inside. He set foot to the break room, your coat was on the couch but where were you? 

He continued peeking into his recording studio, the nearest space to the break room. The lights were out, signalling him that you’re probably not there. The bathroom and the other rooms were also empty, your office was the only place left. He slowly knocked, hoping to get an answer. To his surprise, nothing. He then gently pushed the door open, just enough for his head to peek inside. Before he could call your name, he heard sniffles from the farthest corner, he could make up your hunched, clearly crying figure and your favourite beige socks too. He exhaled as his worries washed away. Even though his heart ached more than ever, finding you with a meltdown was a relief as he initially thought you passed out or worse. 

He didn’t enter the room. He shuffled himself out as quietly as possible to grab his guitar in his recording room. This should do, he thought.

He re-entered your office, walked closer and sat on the floor near you. The cramped space barely fits his long legs. 

“Hey,” he greeted you with a hushed voice. 

Noticing his voice, you instinctively lift up your head to see your husband, sitting in front of you. In your shocked-state, you forcefully brushed off your tears in embarrassment, your skin will probably turn red later.

“Hey.. No, no, no..” he reached out, wiping your tears, caressing your disheveled hair. 

“Gently, yeah, yeah.. You’ll hurt yourself” he continued as he patted the areas under your eyes with his long sleeves.

After you calmed down, you didn’t have the courage to even say anything to the man. Deep down, you were embarrassed to be found in a silly breakdown, even if it was your husband. Besides, you didn’t know what to say to him anyways. While you were overthinking and avoiding eye contact with him, he pulled the guitar behind him and started to play a familiar song,

“It's a beautiful life 난 너의 곁에 있을게 (I'll stay by your side) It's a beautiful life 너의 뒤에 서 있을게 (I'll stand right behind you) Beautiful love”

Slowly but surely, your heart warmed up to the sound of his voice and you couldn’t help but stare at your husband. He stopped singing when your eyes met and he gave you a comforting smile. 

“C’mon, let’s get you up princess,” as he helped you stand up, circling his arms around your waist. You haven’t articulated a sound but he didn’t mind, he just let you lean into his sides as he guided you to the couch in the break room. He sat you down before abruptly standing and rummaging a brown paper bag on the coffee table, 

“I got your favourite cake and hot chocolate actually,” he grinned, facing your puffy face. “I thought you were having a hard time, well- I know you are having a hard time… But you never tell me you know, Babe?” He rambled as he unboxed a variety of sliced cakes and pastries on the table. 

“I-I get the fact that you wouldn’t want to burden me, but I’m kinda your husband and best friend too.. I wish you wouldn’t keep these things from me” he picked up the fork and scooped a piece of cheesecake to feed you, 

Before you had the chance to reply,

“I mean—open up a lil’ baby— I don’t mind you working and all, it’s your passion and I will support you either way, but you don’t get to shield your meltdowns from me… Who’s gonna hold you when you cry, huh?” he kept on chattering while feeding you, giving you no room to talk.

“I’ve said a thousand times that we’re super comfortable right now, yet I know it’s not about the money, I’m super cool with you working.. It’s about the workload a-and the pressure you get from your subs and colleagues!!” He raised his arms as a sign of annoyance. 

You gulped down the big chunk of cheesecake and shut him up with a peck. The action took him by surprise but it didn’t fail to shut him up.

“Okay, Chanyeol.” you softly replied, followed by another peck on his lips

“I get what you mean” you smiled at your husband. 

You then began on telling the troubles you had at work, silently thanking the universe that he came in the right moment and that he was your saving grace. He listened intently, even going to the measures of contacting his technician friends to help fix your laptop as soon as possible. He made jokes too along the way to lighten your mood and gave you warm touches here and there to comfort you further. 

You were his home, his ground zero.

He was yours too.

— 

Hours passed and now you were back working, Chanyeol in the other room, busying himself in the recording studio.

“Yeol?” you called him.

“Hmm? What’s up princess?”

“Uh- I just remembered, didn’t you had like- plans? You were supposed to go with Baek and the members today right?”

Footsteps were apparent as he walked closer to the opened door of your office, his head peeped through the door.

“Junmyeon-Hyung canceled, Baek too.. I was quite grumpy because I reached the office when Baekhyun texted me” He walked in further.

“Then I came home but the house wasn’t warm enough even though I cranked the heater up!” He sulked, and sulked further. 

“I was alone, I don’t want to be…I also don't want you to be alone too Y/N.

I only wanted to be around you, I really tried staying in!! But I couldn’t be alone in the house without you when you’re my home.” he pouted. 

You want to die then and there, you miss him as much and he was sad, it makes you sad too, but he was being sulky-cute… Can you turn into a putty of love?

“Come here you big baby!” you excitedly threw yourself in his arms. He buried his soft locks on the crook of your neck as he whispered ‘I miss you' s and you couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh.

“I miss you too, Yeol..

I miss you so, so much.” He hugged you tighter as he giggled too.

This was it, you thought. This was love at its finest and you couldn’t be happier that you’ve found it. For all the moments, good or bad, both of you never failed to become each other's home.  

[aeb-art]

this is so silly, i kept thinking of geo getting turned into a human (just used the design for hills' disguise) and my sona getting turned into a robot skfjjsksng

geo belongs to @8um8le as always 🙇

[phoenix-writez]

HEY! TUMBLR VERSION FOR GRIAN'S POV IS HERE!!!

I still don't know how to format as the spacing is weird. If I get rid of extra spacing, it looks too jumbled up so... Unfortunately we're gonna have to make do!

This is in first person, so if you're not a fan of such POVs, sorry! :3 I have another fic coming up that's in 3rd person! Maybe that'll be up your alley!

But anyhow, welcome to Grian's POV! Enjoy :)

—

Entry #2

[GRIAN]

We'd finally gotten him out, and I didn't know how to explain to this poor kid that he's on the borderline of humanity.

There we were, sitting at a random table outside of a restaurant. Scar swore he knew what place this was, but that it never used to look so bright before.

Gem and Scott distracted him while I figured out a way to explain his situation. I open my mouth to speak. That's when it hit me.

He probably knows.

“Scar?” I ask, and he turns towards me. “Yeah, Grian?”

“What's your opinion on, I dunno, mythology?” I smile awkwardly, not knowing what I'm doing. Scar fidgets with his hands, “Oh! Not much, honestly. What kinda mythology we talkin’? Greek? Roman? The Bible or something???”

“Let's start with Greek.”

Scott and Gem look at me with nervous expressions on their faces. I nod at them slowly while Scar giggles to himself.

“I know that Zeus is pretty bad, I mean, no one likes that guy.” He places his hand on the table, leaning forward with a smug grin on his face that would be almost attractive if he wasn't such an idiot. I look at the other two with concern, “Really? That's all?”

“Hmm… a lot of, I dunno, sibling relations? Really odd, I mean none of them care! It's just something they do! Oh, yeah! Why do you ask, by the way?” Scar continues.

“Would you think I'm insane if I said that they're real?”

“I would.” Scar blinks, “But I did just escape from a time traveling theater that's making me wonder how old I am now.”

“You'd still be sixteen.” Scott says, “You haven't grown at all since you entered or left.”

“Huh.” Scar looks down at his hands, “I haven't even cut my nails in a week and they're still short.”

“Exactly.” Scott looks at me, “Think of it as a time freeze, but the world around you continues anyway.”

“Funny… So if I can be stuck in some otherworldly place for years, who's to say deities can't exist at this point! That guy who escorted us out had one eye, for God’s sake!” Scar says with irritation. I smile, “Good! This makes this easier.”

—

We left the restaurant after a while of talking, then we took some public transit (big risk) to the nearest place to our camp.

Scar spends our entire time looking uncomfortable. Though, I guess I would be too if I was on a wheelchair and people stood in front of me on a bus crowding me.

“Are you okay?” I ask him, Scar clutches his hands near his legs. “Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.”

“Uh-huh…”

“It just reeks here.” He looks away and frowns. “I mean, yeah, public transit always does.” I giggle. “Not like that. It smells like something's rotting.” Scar glances around. Then his eyes widen.

We turn towards where Scar’s looking. “Oh!” I cover my mouth. The people in the bus were sitting and acting normally, except for this couple sitting by each other.

“Hey! Hey! Wake up, hey!” They shouted. That's when the bus took a strong and short stop. I grab onto Scar’s chair quickly as I'm still watching. “What's going on?!” The person continues.

Scar blinks, “She died as soon as I said that.”

“What?” I look at him. “She was still living.” Scar frowns, “But it smelled like–”

“Are you okay, Scar?” Scott leans over. “Can we get out?” Scar asks. “We have to anyway.” I get up, then smile at Scar. “Let's go.”

And we do, we all leave. An ambulance shows up, but Scar sighs like it's too late. I glance at him, then at Scott. Scott shrugs. Gem dusts herself off, “Eugh, thank the gods we left that bus. Dusty old man does not feel good on your shoulder.” She grimaces, then she glares at Scar.

“Something's up with you, bud. But for now, let's head off, shall we?”

“Are you mad at me?” Scar asks. “No, just concerned.” Gem says, “I have a suspicion, and I'm not liking the odds.”

“Of what?!”

I flick Scar’s head, “Let's just go, we're close to camp anyway.”

“This feels like a cult.” Scar jokes. I roll my eyes, “You've already decided to join, let's go.”

—

Camp looks eerie, especially that no one is here. I look around, “We're back! Uh, fellas?”

Not a single person answers, so I walk in further. Then I run towards the Big House, “Hello?! Hey! Martyn! Anyone?!” I yell.

Then I turn towards the others. “Where did they go?” I frown. Scar holds himself, “So, Grian, what's the story here, man?” He giggles anxiously.

I smile, though the corners of my lips seem to shake with the effort. “Greek gods, we're their children. That's all.”

“Where are you all?!” I open the doors to the house, and that's when I see it. Martyn on the ground with a broken mirror. A mist of water surrounding him falls as the rainbow fades.

“What are you doing here?” He looks at me slowly, “I thought you were on a quest…”

“We were searching for others just like us, ‘cause the satyrs are currently preoccupied with wildfires.” I say, “Martyn, what are you doing?”

“None of your business, how's the sun looking?” He stands up, then walks out the door. Pushing me aside in the process. “Good. Good.” He places his hand on his head. “Sorry, Ren just gave me one of the worst Iris messages possible.”

“Oh, what did he say this time?” I cross my arms. “He and those stupid Ares kids are close to death, Bdubs decided to go with them knowing he can't really get on their level. I… ugh.” Martyn walks away.

“Wait! Is anyone else here?” I ask. “Everyone's helping the satyrs. You should check on Taurtis.” Martyn continues onward. I watch him leave to his cabin, then I turn towards Scott, Gem, and Scar.

“Welcome home? I guess?” I frown. Scar looks at me and I feel a sharp sense of guilt. “It– it's usually better on the first day!” I say, then turn towards the forest. “We just gotta fix that.”

Scar rolls towards me. “You think it's just a wildfire?” He asks. “I hope it is.” I start walking.

—

The fire was larger than I thought it was.

I rush in, “Taurtis! What happened?!”

Taurtis bleats and splashes water on one of the trees. The tree forms into a dryad, “Thanks for the water, but I'm not the one on fire!” She says. “Sorry, Lizzie.” He groans, “I'm so tired.”

“You're fine, I think you should get some sleep. Besides, maybe this newcomer is a Poseidon kid!” She grins. “I doubt it.” I say, then gaze at everything else.

Scar rolls towards us, “Poseidon?”

“You can control water, right? Maybe breathe in it or–” Lizzie looks at him. “No.” Scar says.

“I can't even swim, if you couldn't tell.” He tilts his head. “I mean! Who said you had to swim?” She giggles.

Scott walks in and stares at the forest in horror. “Oh… oh my gods. Gem, any idea to fix this?”

“Well, first off. All dryads please turn back to your humanoid forms.” Gem says, “Scott, you're good with animals, take them and get them out of here temporarily. They can live in whoever's cabin caters to them the most.”

“Demeter’s, probably.” Scott nods, then delves deeper into the forest. I stand there next to Scar, and Gem looks at us both. “You should probably look for… survivors, maybe.”

“There's tons of those.” Scar tilts his head, “I don't think it's gotten that bad that people are suffocating.”

“Illness travels fast when you breathe in smoke.” I say, then I walk off. Scar cracks a grin, “Well excuse me, mister! I didn't take you for an expert!”

—

I found some of the others, mainly the Hephaestus kids. Surprisingly, they'd created some tools to help with the forest.

“Doc!” I yell, and immediately he turns to me. “What do you want, Grian?! We're busy!” He answers. He's so kind to me.

“Gem is devising a plan on how to fix this, but I've got something figured out.” I grin. “What do you guys got there?”

Doc gazes down at his own hands. “Oh, this. It's just an enlarged water gun. We had to go down to the river, explain to the naiads what was occuring, and get drenched in freshwater before we could finally get this made.”

“Naiads…” I groan, and Scar curiously raises his hand. “I'm real out of the loop here, guys. Also, how am I supposed to help?”

I look at Scar and smile, “Do you know what you can control?”

He shakes his head, “No-can-do. I don't have solar powers, stealing skills, master fighting skills or whatever!”

Doc hands him a piece of scrap metal, “Anything you can do with this?”

Scar stares at it, “It's just a piece of metal. It's really sharp, I could stab someone with it.” He smiles at Doc, who looks disappointed on sight. “Right, of course you can. My mistake for being too vague, can you create something?”

“Nope!” Scar gives the scrap back to Doc. “I've never actually created a thing in my life! Except for a few excuses here and there, maybe. Cat ate my homework, best line used this century!” He giggled.

I rolled my eyes, “Who believes that?”

“You'd be surprised!”

Doc crosses his arms, “You aren't very pretty, so not Aphrodite… nature. Can you assist with nature? Like farming, or whatever.”

Scar smacks his own legs lightly, as if he were playing with his hands. “I don't think so, I live in a city. We don't really have nature there. Or farms. Didn't really have a calling for it, either.”

Doc hums to himself, then he looks at me. “I'm concerned.”

“Why?”

“If he's not even just a little bit like the gods, there's only so few choices left. I'm not liking the odds.”

Scar fidgets around with his fingers, “Are you saying I might be a child of the big guys?”

“Might,” Doc stares right at Scar like he can see his soul, “is too weak a word for this occasion.”

Scar leans towards me, as much as he can in his confined space. “What is he saying?”

I shake my head, “Let's focus on the trees for now…”

And that we did. The satyrs spent most of the time asking the naiads for assistance, the rest of us hacked down broken branches that were too weak to truly thrive anymore. Then I stole someone's water gun thing and started spraying the trees.

The smoke bellowed upward and only got worse and worse till we finally asked the gods to assist.

That's when the rain came down, and Scar yelped and nearly cracked open the earth.

—

“What did he do?”

I sit down and stare at the clouds above us. “Nothing too special,” I look towards Gem. She furrows her brows, “Grian. Scar did something when Zeus gave us that storm. What was it?”

“There was an earthquake, Gem.” I shrug, “The ground broke beneath us, boohoo.”

“Why are you covering for him?! Poseidon’s quakes haven't been active in this area for years!” Gem squints. “Maybe he just decided we needed one. Maybe he was giving us a tsunami in an attempt to clear the fire. I don't know, Gem! I don't know what Scar did, I'm trying to create my own logic here!” I wave my arms frantically.

Gem sighs and sits next to me. “He broke the ground.”

“Yeah…”

“...Did anything happen afterwards?”

“It fixed itself, he panicked and tried to reverse what he did. Told everyone not to worry, casting more attention on himself. It was barely noticeable, looked like a hair fracture.” I pick up a pebble and stare at it.

“He's talking to the watcher right now.” I groan, “This is so irritating.”

“Not knowing, huh?”

“That I might be wrong?! That this was natural, and he just freaked out over something that happened right as he panicked?! Maybe! Or that I'm absolutely correct, and he's the son of Hades for the gods' sakes!” I toss the pebble and rake my hands through my hair and pull.

“He's done other things resembling that of a Hades kid, Grian.” Gem pats me on the shoulder, “Why are you stressing so much about this?”

“... Don't you get it? Any of the big three having kids is insanity. The fact that he's still alive amazes me yet terrifies me at the same time.” I look into the distance, “I'm so sure that a monster may have gotten to him before…”

“He probably survived off the same thing you did.” Gem says. “What's that?” I turn towards her.

“Stupidity.”

“Oh.”

—

Scar’s wheelchair is parked but he's not on the chair. Alarms ring in my head as I look around, “Scar?! SCAR?!” I shout, running around.

It didn't take long for me to find him. Mainly because he didn't really go far at all. There he was, trembling and holding onto a tree. “Scar?” I say.

He nearly jumps out of his skin as he turns to me. “Grian! Ah, I'm so glad you're here! I'm a little bit, uh, stuck…” He grins. “...What happened? Why aren't you in your wheelchair?” I blink.

He laughs awkwardly, “I thought I was in good enough condition to walk again. But it turns out, my brain and my legs still aren't as connected as I thought they were.”

“I'll get the chair for you, Scar.”

“Thank you so much–”

I lift my finger and stare at him, “You've gotta remember to be careful, Scar. No one cares if you walk or not. We're still figuring out who you are.” I say, then I turn away and start going for the wheelchair.

When I do reach the wheelchair, Martyn approaches me.

“Have you seen Impulse?” He asks. “Not since we left the theatre.” I place my hands on the handle of the chair, pulling it out of the mud it happened to get stuck in. “Jeez, this thing has to be cleaned now…”

Martyn rubs his face in annoyance. “He's been gone for several days. How can he just go on a quest and go missing like that?!”

A sort of revelation hits me, and I stop in my tracks. “He���s in there…”

“Huh?”

I curse under my breath and turn around, “Shoot– Scar! I've got your chair!” I run towards him. I quickly help him into the wheelchair and promptly glance around.

“Something bothering you, Grian?” Scar asks.

“Ah, nothing too serious.” I smile, “You alright?”

“Yep! Better than ever, thanks G!” He places his hands on the wheels and pushes himself forward.

I watch him leave, then think momentarily. “Shoot, shoot, shoot.” I mutter, “Impulse, we left Impulse!”

I remember Gem shouting where everyone was, I already knew where Cub had gone. Kinda. Under the theatre, but I don't really know if he's gonna be gone for long. But Impulse, he went in with us and vanished.

Just what is that theatre?

[foressfaction]

:Ticci Toby:{A Rewrite}

Chapter 7

WARNING:: This story contains EXTREMELY triggering topics such as Domestic/Child/Substance abuse, Death, harsh language, GORE and dissociation triggers. This story mentions mental illnesses and disorders such as Depression, PTSD, ADHD, and Tourette's Syndrome. !!TICS MAY BE TRIGGERING!!

Chapter seven

"Let's go out my window, they won't hear us." Lyra opened her room window that led to the roof and crawled out. Toby followed behind, slipping down the roof a little but eventually they were both able to jump off safely landing on the grass below.

The two siblings started to sprint down the sidewalk, slowly merging to the side of the road. Toby would pass Lyra immediately but the two would both slow down to a steady pace. Toby would fall behind shortly. "Where are we even going?!" Toby would yell, running behind his sister, her ponytail blowing behind her as she kept running, in the lead. Toby was getting out of breath but stayed competitive. "To the abandoned school! It's cool! I wanna show you."

The two kept running, shoes echoing off the old cracked sidewalk that has seen better days. The road was dead and it seemed no one was out at the time. The cold weather pinched at their faces, making their noses red and their faces a little pink.

About midway Toby stopped to catch his breath, bending down to hold his knees, huffing. Lyra stopped, no longer hearing him running.

Toby turned to see the woods, getting a very familiar feeling. He stayed huffing, holding his stomach tightly, he saw a figure…tall as the trees just facing him. It was all black, but definitely unnerving. This time though he felt like he was in danger…not that usual friendly feeling he got from the creature.

His eyes were locked on.

"Toby?" The girl called out. Toby snapped from his daze and looked at her. She was about 15 feet away. "You okay?" Lyra yelled out.

Toby nodded and went back to jogging, passing her who started after him.

He looked back a couple of times.

Lyra wondered why he suddenly went quiet

The two made it to the old school, both huffing to catch their breaths, especially Toby. "Wow, they painted it more since the last time I came here." Lyra hummed out, waking further inside. There was a hole just big enough for them to fit through the boarded door. Graffiti lined the walls on every corner. Almost no negative space was left. "Here!" She tossed Toby a can of spray paint. "Huh? Where did you ge-get this?" he asked, shaking it a little.

"It was laying in the corner over there, some dumb-nuts left'em." She shook her own can and tested it out on the walls. "A gift for us then huh?"

Toby laughed a little, joining her to mark up the walls. She wrote words while he painted his lil symbols, and stick people. That figure didn't leave his mind either. He started to spray paint the tall man, getting the proportions as correctly as he could. He was so concentrated that he didn't notice the girl looming behind him in confused awe. "Who is that, Toby?"

Toby turned quickly and sighed a little. "..A…a friend."

She tilted her head, concerned but played along. She was always worried about her brother. The kid was pretty slow and unique but she loved him anyway. That was one of the traits that made him so lovable. "Oh ahah, a friend? Well tell him I like his tie." She referred to the red tie that Toby painted on. The figure was in a suit.

The wind picked up suddenly. The two had been there for a while, and the sun was starting to set.

The brunette and the blonde girl were sitting against the wall playing with an old toy top they found on the ground. Toby was spinning it, trying to beat Lyra's high score of 30 seconds of pure spinning. His highest was 6..

"Hey, go see if you can find any other little things, I bet I can find one faster than you." Lyra always wanted to play a game out of something. She was a very competitive person. Toby got up quickly. "we'll see then!" He called out.

Toby ran down the hall of the old school, leaving the section they were in and entered a whole new one. His shoes echoed down the halls.

Toby really stopped to take a look at all of the halls. They were all painted on and just destroyed. People wrote satanic symbols, numbers. Some were confession letters and secrets.

'I wonder who Doug is.'  Toby thought to himself as he stood in front of a giant wall that had 'I really hate Doug' spray painted on it.

Toby finally caught the eye of a pile of boxes and bags. Bingo! "There has to be something in here!" He thought out loud as he ran over and started to dig through. There were a bunch of burned up books and papers. Toby dug deeper and eventually felt metal against his gloved hand. He pulled it out, a lighter?

He flicked it on and the flame bursted up, lighting his eyes and half of the semi-dark room up. "woaahh.."

"HEY!" A man's voice yelled out.

"What are you doing with my stuff you little twat!"

Toby looked behind him quickly and immediately scurried out of the room, taking the lighter with him.

The older boy chased him, grabbing at the boy's arm and successfully pulled Toby back violently.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Toby screamed out, kicking the other male in the shin, slipping away again and running as fast as he could.

He ran into his sister, nearly knocking them down. She huffed out and held him. Toby was practically hugging her. Lyra was in shock but saw the other guy approaching them fast. "Don't hurt my brother you asshole!" She yelled out, baring her teeth angrily.

"Oh, you're a cute one aren't ya~" The older boy cooed out.

Lyra groaned in an annoyed way and sprayed the guy in the face with spray paint. He screamed and grabbed his face, it getting into his eyes. Lyra took her brother's arm and started to run.

Toby had shoved the lighter into his pocket in the process. "Haha bozo!" Toby laughed out, being tugged away once more around the corner.

Despite that encounter, that was the most fun the two have had in a while.

After the two got home and got showers, they stayed up most of the night in Lyra's room, either reading funny stories from a book of jokes, or making a fort out of all of her blankets. It was the weekend so they didn't have to worry about school or work. Toby fell asleep on the floor in the pile of pillows and blankets. That day was really eventful. The tall man even paid him a visit in his sleep.

••••••••

[edutainer2022]

This is a glimpse of my bosom future!headcanon timeline. Just 'cause (I came across a West Wing gif-set, probably why). It also features in Timey-Wimey and Piano Practice. Though, always in flux the future is... Virgil and Kayo have a chat - they worry about Scott. A lot. That's it, that's the story. Some things, old and new, hurt.

Warning: an OC death mentioned in passing (please, read the end note*, if you kindly make it that far).

WORRIES

A gust of wind ruffled his hair - still trademark styled, but more liberally sprinkled with salt and silver now - as Shadow landed on the pad. Kayo still used her trusty old bird for errands and investigative missions, although her flightsuit was a mandatory solid black of the Secret Service now. Ms. Kyrano, Chief of World President's Security Detail, joined him wordlessly at the railings of the rooftop terrace, overlooking the magnificent vista of the Alps, crystal blue sky and the beautiful city below. Virgil sighed.

"I need updates on his BP and heart rate stats twice a day, uploaded to my comm directly. Thrice a day if there's a... situation or Ambassador Lemaire shows up, or the First Lady starts a war or something..."

Kayo suppressed a smile and leaned sideways on the railing.

"Eos gleans his stats every morning and every night before bedtime from all the residences sensors."

"Yeah, but Eos doesn't have access to the situation room. Not that Scott knows of, anyway. And I can't risk..."

Virgil was short for breath and the last words came out as a croak. Kayo squinted and squeezed his arm.

"You don't approve?"

"That he had a cardiac episode after the memorial service and then went on to take the most stressful job in the world? No, I well damn don't approve!"

Virgil's knuckles went white from the grip on the railings. Kayo stayed silent, giving room to his anguish, a hand on his bicep an unwavering anchor. When dark brown eyes next turned back to her, they were glistening with a sheen of tears.

"How does he do it, Kayo? After we lost Jeffy Jr.*? I can't breathe sometimes, it hurts so bad! And I'm just an uncle."

The pain flared readily from an ever fresh wound. Virgil's voice hitched:

"Allie felt so guilty he left for that deep space mission! I'm so scared all the time. How does Scott even cope?!"

Kayo snorted at that.

"Have you MET Scott? He doesn't."

A wide arch of the black clad arm indicated the massive World President Residence and Offices all around and below them.

"He hoisted up the heaviest mantle he could fathom and let duty consume his every waking and sleeping hour, drowning out all other thoughts. There's nothing much heavier than the weight of the actual world, huh?"

"Guess not. That's what worries me most..."

Virgil's sigh was tinged with bottomless rue this time. Keeping busy with International Rescue is the one thing that keeps me from going crazy. The echo of the words biggest brother said to him so many years ago, on a dark, dark snowy night, rippled through memory. He hoped so much they were past... THAT stretch of self-destructive coping. For a blissful while, moreso after Dad got back, they were. Jeffy Jr. and Skye were born. It went unspoken between them all, but Jeffy was their golden chance at a Scott that was happy and carefree, encouraged and inspired by legacy, but not subsumed or crashed by it. But they were the Tracies, so the universe would never let them truly catch a break. Ever, it seemed...

Kayo, ever the psy-ops, ever the bereft family like them all, sensed a need to shift the subject to something brighter.

"Did you get to see Lucy rehearse?"

Virgil's whole face lit up immediately and he beamed at her.

"Oh yes! I was at the dress rehearsal, and she asked me to accompany her after lunch today, for vocal practice before the premiere! Though I think it's more of a courtesy - she's got world class concert pianists at her disposal."

Kayo was smiling fondly in return. Virgil's kids were as much a reflection of his kind and caring nature, and talent, as Scott's son and daughter were that of his consuming drive, focus, and dedication to duty. Okay, maybe not to go there at the moment! Kayo waved the imaginary wisps of hair out of her eyes to blink away unwarranted tears and regroup.

"Have you considered you're maybe Lucy's favorite world-class concert pianist?"

Virgil's smile was impish, yet full of love. A sudden idea occurred, as his glance fell on the Shadow, and made him gasp.

"Please, tell me he's not cowboying it here in Delta-One?!"

Kayo actually let herself laugh at the implication. They certainly wouldn't put it past Scott to ditch the entourage and take his augmented Thunderbird out for a spin.

"Relax! The Joint Chiefs requested an on-the-go meeting, so it's a scenic route across the Atlantic on a GDF bus. No Delta-drive jumps for our favorite Commander today. Besides, the whole media circus tagged along from NYC. Nobody would miss the World President's favorite niece perform Carmen at the Season opening of Vienna Opera."

"Scott doesn't have favorites!"

The response was automatic, which scored another of Kayo's smile. It wasn't quite a secret the family consensus placed Scott a higher ranking Dad in the overarching hierarchy of Tracy parents. Jeff Sr., the proud Grandpa, was more of a partner in crime and a co-conspirator to everyone's endless befuddlement.

Virgil's take-away from her previous statement was, however, unexpected.

"So there IS a situation?! Kayo, I need his stats THE MOMENT they land!"

"Nothing your Casey had warranted worthy of high treason to inform me about. Virgil, it's fine. He'll be fine!"

That was true. Virgil's second youngest was currently the Deputy Chief of Communications of the World President office and, besides Kayo herself, the family's trusty person on the inside. She virtually worshipped the ground her Big Uncle walked and would flag anything potentially too worrisome with regard to his mood or health. Besides, John would probably know in advance anyway if it were Bereznik or any number of regions giving grief du jour (something the World President himself probably didn't need to know about, for plausible deniability and a semblance of restful sleep).

Kayo made a point to amend her reassurance with a shoulder squeeze. Dark brown eyes turned to her were frantic again.

"Look after him, will you?!"

Kayo gave a firm nod in acknowledgement. A pang of an old heartache flared up. But it became a well practiced, tried and true spiel between them, through the years - he was burning himself to light up the world, she was the shadow.

---------

*[spoiler alert] The relentless narrative logic and poetic symmetry part of me dictates that Scott, in the later arch of his journey, would, very likely, have to loose a son to his own legacy and footsteps. The way Jeff dodged a bullet (just barely). But the regular bleeding heart part of me screams in agony in the face of such abject tragedy and comes up with elaborate scenarios in my head how it all could eventually be okay. Dad Jeff couldn't have used up all of Tracy limit of miracles.

[harknessxo]

Chapter V ✧ Don’t Know How To Feel

Pairing: Rhea Ripley x Dominik Mysterio, Rhea Ripley x Roman Reigns

Summary: Rhea had to travel with Roman to an event in SC by themselves.

Warnings; None

Word Count: 4.1k

Playlist

Masterlist

A/n: I had to split this chapter into two cuz it was so long 😭

‘What the fuck. What. The. Fuck.’

It was all that Rhea could even think about ever since everyone, including her, left the conference room after the meeting was over. She wasn’t even able to react at all the second after she heard the last announcement. Hell, she couldn’t even bother to hear what anyone had to say about that decision- even though no one actually said anything about it, really.

However, when she was called by Triple H about the travel details to South Carolina, it was then that reality was slowly sinking in her mind.

She was going to South Carolina with Roman. Both of them alone with no one to join them.

… for five fucking days.

All because not only were they going to that event, but as well as some stupid conferences and other things that they were also required to assist as well the day after the event.

She was expected to leave along with the other champion Wednesday morning, then return Sunday night. A week before Crown Jewel.

She was leaving in three days.

‘Fuck. Why me? Why the fuck couldn’t it be someone like Raquel, Nia, Becky, or Iyo? WHY ME?’ Is what she would’ve asked Triple H if only she wasn’t too shocked at that moment when he gave her every detail regarding the event and their stay at South Carolina.

Even after the meeting was over, she walked outside along with the others still in shock in disbelief- all the while she could hear Damian blabbering whatever nonsense she was telling her about the event.

“–and also, look, you have a reputation to maintain as a champion and a superstar. I know it sucks that you’re going with Roman and not someone else, but this could actually help y—, Rips, are you even listening to me?”

“Huh?” She turned her head to him as she blinked. At that, Damian sighed before he spoke.

“Look… I know you’re shocked. And you don’t like the idea of going alone with Roman, I get it.” He told her, repeating her the same thing he was telling her earlier when she was actually listening. “You needed to get your shit sorted out, but unfortunately this came up and you can’t back out of it. But think about it- this is gonna help you a lot. More people will be in favor of you, more people having your back- hell, you get to talk to important people. If anything, this is gonna help you in many ways. And honestly, you don’t even have to interact with Reigns. Just talk to him about work and that’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. Plus, we’re all acting like nothing happened, so what’s the big deal?”

Rhea sighed deeply as she looked a bit annoyed for a second as they walked outside, until she finally spoke. “You know Priest, I would’ve liked this idea more if A, it didn’t have to be before Crown Jewel, B, if I didn’t have a date with Dom Dom coming u—“

“Oh shoot, so you and Dom are…?”

“… well, we’re taking things slow for now, but it isn’t really defined yet if we’re truly sticking together or not. Anyways, I would’ve liked it more if only I didn’t have to leave before my date with Dom and before Crown Jewel, but also the fact that Roman, out of all people, is going. I mean, come on—“ She huffed exasperatedly. “Why couldn’t it be Seth? Or Gunther? Or hell, even LA Knight? They’re rising stars right now, why don’t they get that opportunity?”

Damian tried to talk but Rhea could only keep going as she kept speaking. “Or bloody hell- why not Becky, or-or Tegan, Raquel, Charlotte? Why none of them, huh?”

“Rhea, calmate.” Damian told her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure it’s gonna be fine. And plus… knowing you, I know you know your limits at this point. So it’s gonna be fine.”

Rhea still seemed unsure as they stood outside. They were still waiting for the others to go out so that they would all leave together in the same van, especially Roman, since he was talking to Pearce as well as with Triple H about his own travel details and such. Both her and Damian decided to go with their group as they chatted with one another for a bit until they saw Roman and Paul walk out.

“So? How did it go? Authorized or denied?” Finn asked as he stood up. Roman only gave a smile while Paul looked extremely pleased behind him as he spoke.

“I’ll see y’all tomorrow night. Oh- and Damian, make sure you win against Lil Jey. I’ll be watching.”

At that, Damian grinned as he shook Roman’s hand while chuckling. “You bet your ass I will.”

“Good.” He nodded at him before they all went back inside the van as they got ready to finally leave. Rhea sighed as she took her seat with her phone in hand, deciding to get her earbuds out as she was about to listen to music when she suddenly saw Dom walking to her. Perking up, she made some space for him to sit next to her which he noticed as he took the seat.

“Thanks, I almost thought I was gonna fight Theory for the seat.”

At the comment, Rhea snorted. “I’d pay to see that.” She then handed one earbud to Dom, offering him to listen to music with her as he looked at it for a moment before he took it and placed it on his left ear.

Just like how they did all the time before Roman showed up.

Rhea didn’t want to dwell on the thought any further as she was about to put music before she turned to Dom. “Hey… we’re okay for now… right?”

Dom looked up at her, both of them looking each other in the eye before he smiled softly. “… I think we’ll be fine again, but… I’ll miss you when you leave.”

Rhea smiled softly, cupping his left cheek as he spoke. “I’ll be back in no time, okay? And… once we do, we’ll start catching up more.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

With that, they both started listening to music, all the while he placed his head against her shoulder while she let him, caressing his hair softly.

Two days later…

“It should fit- although hopefully it doesn’t damage the dress or anything.” Zelina said to Rhea, arriving at the Australian’s hotel room as she handed her a large suitcase for her to place her dress as well as all of her stuff in.

“Well, I’m carrying this one as well as a carry-on, so I should be alright.” Rhea commented as she placed her dress nearly inside the large suitcase as well as some accessories and her heels. “You’re okay with using my suitcase for now just in case?”

“Yeah, no worries, I’ll be alright.” Zelina reassured her. “You can return mine if you want when you come back, doesn’t matter to me.”

Rhea could only nod as she exchanged suitcases with the shorter woman before she finished packing up. She looked at the time and finished packing up and grabbed anything that she needed. “I gotta get going.”

“Alright. If you need anything, just call or text me- also text me when you land.”

“I’ll see you next week, mama verga.”

“What- you keep calling me that, seriously?”

Rhea couldn’t help but laugh as her and Zelina left the room. The Latina could only sign and roll her eyes before she patted the larger woman’s shoulder. “For real though, stay safe out there, alright?”

“I will.” Rhea reassured before she went and took the elevator while Zelina watched her leave and retreated back into her own room with Rhea’s empty suitcase.

Once Rhea arrived at the lobby, she saw the boys were waiting for her. Dominik was the first one to notice her as he looked up from his phone and perked up before he stood and went up to her to help her carry one of the bags.

“You’re ready?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” She gave him a nod as the four then left, walking out from the hotel to the parking area as they got to their rental car. As Damian opened the trunk for Rhea to put her stuff in, she and Dominik began to place her bags in there before closing the trunk. Finn was the one who then started the car as they all started to get in while Rhea decided to listen to some of her own music for a bit.

When they were about to exit the parking area as they talked about the events from last Monday Night Raw, Rhea took off one headphone to listen to them and join their conversation. However, when she did, she caught a glimpse of something outside and only looked up for a bit. She noticed that Jimmy and Roman were already leaving the hotel as well with Roman having his own suitcase as well as a backpack. She saw as they were approaching their own rental car before she decided to stop looking and dismiss it.

She was only going to work.

Only for work. That’s it.

After a while, the group finally arrived at the airport as Finn parked the car by the main entrance as they all got off, with Dominik helping her get her stuff out while she bid a small farewell to the three males, hugging Damian first before Finn. “I’ll see you guys- I’ll call when I land, alright?”

“Stay safe, Rips.” Finn told her as she nodded at him before she turned to her Terror Twin, giving him a small fist bump.

“Remember what I told you, alright?”

She nodded at him while he patted her shoulder. “I will. Watch over things for now, will you?”

“You know I keep my word.”

She then finally turned to Dominik as he also faced her while he gave her her carry-on bag, all the while Damian and Finn decided to get inside the car and wait until Dom finished.

“So… we haven’t decided when our date is gonna be next week.” She commented.

At that, he gave her a small smile. “I was thinking more after Crown Jewel. I mean… I know you’re gonna retain that title and it would be good if we celebrate it together.”

“So Sunday 5th?”

“Yeah. Works better.” Dominik nodded while she also smiled at him before she noticed the time on her watch. “I better get going…”

“Text me when you land, okay?” He told her as he hugged her. She hugged him in return as she closed her eyes for a second, their hug lasting a bit more compared to Finn and Damian’s. They then broke away as she then gave a small peck on the lips before she carried her stuff.

“Don’t be causing trouble without me, okay?”

“No promises.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle at his response before she turned and began to leave. Dominik watched her leave for a bit before he sighed deeply, wishing he could’ve said something more to her until he was disrupted by Damian who was telling him to get inside the car. He did so as he got in the backseat before they drove off.

They didn’t know that from six cars behind them, Roman had been watching the entire time ever since the moment Rhea and Dom hugged as he was getting his things out.

It took a while for her to check-in as well as for her to pass her suitcase through, not to mention going through TSA, but after a few minutes, she was finally at the gate waiting for her flight. She busied herself on her phone while drinking some coffee, scrolling through social media before she decided to listen to some podcasts she had saved on her phone. It was only fifteen more minutes until she would board her plane, so she still had to wait a while.

However, her peace was suddenly shifted (or more like ruined) when she heard someone approach and sit right next to her. “I’m assuming this seat ain’t taken?”

At that, Rhea held the urge to roll her eyes as she lowered her phone, trying to keep her cool before she smiled sarcastically. “Well, it had my name on it, so yes, Reigns.”

“Huh, weird. Didn’t see it.” She heard him say nonchalantly as she turned to face him while he placed his own backspace beside him on the ground before he leaned back against his chair while also scrolling through his phone as well while he was eating only a half of a breakfast protein oatmeal bar. “You want half of this?”

“No, I don’t eat sugar.”

“Ripley, this barely has any sugar on it.”

“Still, I don't want it.”

“Mmkay, don’t whine when your stomach starts rumbling inside the plane.”

At his snarky remarks, Rhea looked at him as she deadpanned. “If you’re trying to piss me off, then you’re doing a poor job at it.”

“I don’t have a reason to piss you off. But I do have a reason to turn you—“

“Finish that sentence and expect me to twist your arm in front of everyone here. I dare you.”

“Why piss you off when I can get you turned on?”

“Reigns, I swear to god-”

“Okay, okay my bad…You still don’t want some of the protein bar?”

“NO!”

At her sudden yell, some of the passengers noticed and turned to their direction which both Roman and Rhea noticed. She sent a glare at the few people who stared as they instantly looked away while Roman chuckled.

“Sorry y’all,” He apologized. “She’s not a morning person.”

“Oh, so now you pretend to know me all of the sudden?” Rhea asked him as she scoffed while Roman turned to face her.

“I offer you some breakfast and this is how you treat me? Why the sudden change, huh?”

“Let me get something straight here with you,” She told him firmly as she looked him in the eye. “We’re only going to work. Just work. That’s it.”

“I don’t remember mentioning anything else other than work.” He mumbled as he returned and leaned back to scroll on his phone. Rhea rolled her eyes at him.

“I’ll make this simple for you, just in case.” She sneered. “Rule number one, no flirting. We only interact as coworkers, and that’s it. Secondly, don’t get in my business. And C, don’t make the face.”

“… Rhea, I’m sorry but about the business thing, I thought we already discussed this when you were clearly stressed that night and I had to be the one to come for your aid.”

“… breaking rules one, two, and three.”

“I didn’t make the face though—“

“Whatever, just shut up.”

Hours later…

It had felt like forever until finally, the two champions arrived at their destination. Quickly, Rhea wasted no time in letting Finn, Damian, and Dom know that she arrived at South Carolina safely as she texted them. Once she did, she was able to exit the plane and grab her suitcase. Once she made sure she had her things, she waited outside for the other champion until he was able to grab his own stuff as well. Due to him having all the information of their rental car, she needed to wait for him as they both went all the way to the fourth floor of the airport.

Upon their arrival at the rental car center, Roman told Rhea that he would be right back as she waited for him outside by the airport’s third floor parking lot when her phone suddenly rang. When she looked at it, she saw that Dom was the one calling and almost immediately, she answered.

“Hey Dom, Dom.”

“Hey! I just got your text, everything alright so far?”

“Yeah, actually, we’re just getting the rental car stuff ready and we should be on the way to the hotel shortly.” She said as she looked around while talking on the phone with him. “But other than that, how are you guys doing?”

“We’re alright. Damian went out to the gym and Finn decided to join him. I’m just here taking a walk around the beach… and I’m not gonna lie but, it kinda feels lonely without you here, mami.”

At that, Rhea smiled sadly. “Well… I already miss you, too, if that makes you feel any better.”

“Honestly, it does.”

Both of them chuckled at that as Rhea adjusted her carry-on bag that was clinging on her left arm as she spoke. “Well… it’s a bit chilly out here. I even had to take out a jacket from my suitcase the moment I stepped out from the plane.”

“I can see that right now actually- what is it, like 55 degrees?”

“Yeah- feels like it.”

As she and Dominik continued on chatting, Roman had already walked out from the rental car center as he was carrying his stuff, as well as two sets of car keys and a few documents. He looked around as he tried to find Rhea until he turned the corner and noticed her there near the parking area, talking to someone on the phone. Perking up, he went to approach her as he was going to hand one of the keys to her when he suddenly heard her speak out loud.

“Dom…? Yeah… I know, but you don’t have to worry. I already made things crystal clear with Reigns and it will not happen ever again… I’ll be fine, Dom. I’ll make sure to call you every day while I’m out here. For now, just… make sure Priest actually takes care of Judgement Day business this time and make sure you guys have Jimmy and Solo’s backs. Okay?… good. I love you too. Bye.”

Finally, she hung up, all the while Roman pretended to act like he didn’t just hear what he just heard as he went up to her while Rhea noticed him, turning to face him. “You got the keys?”

“Yeah.” He simply told her in a neutral tone, handing her one of the keys before they went to find any car available. As soon as they did, they placed their things at the trunk of the car before they got inside, with Rhea connecting her phone with some of her music while Roman was setting up the GPS on the car’s screen monitor.

Once everything was set, he drove all the way to the hotel, which was about twenty minutes from the airport. They eventually arrived at the hotel and Roman took out their luggage while Rhea went to the front desk to check in.

“Hi, we have a reservation,” Rhea spoke to the receptionist.

“What’s the last name?”

“It should be under Reigns.”

“Yup, found it. Here are the keys for your room,” the receptionist smiled, handing the keys to Rhea.

“Room? There should be two rooms.”

“Uh, let me double check…oh I see what happened. It looks like we accidentally overbooked and unfortunately we don’t have any rooms available. We’re terribly sorry,” the lady apologized, “We can try and find another hotel that can take you in?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Rhea whispered under her breath.

“We’ll take the room,” Roman’s voice came from behind Rhea.

“Now wait a minute-”

“What’s the problem? It’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before.” Rhea groaned in annoyance, roughly taking her bags from Roman’s hands and walking towards the elevators.

“I apologize on her behalf, she’s not in a good mood.” The lady giggled, twirling her hair. Rhea watched the interaction from where she stood and rolled her eyes.

“Reigns!”

“Coming darling!” Roman winked at the receptionist before catching up with Rhea in the elevator.

Once they got to their room, Rhea barged in and went straight to where the bed was located. She took all the pillows she could find and placed them right in the middle of the bed, all while Roman watched in confusion.

“What are you doing?”

“This is my side of the bed and that is your side of the bed. If you dare try to get into my side of the bed I will dislocate your arm and murder you in your sleep, understood?” Roman just raised his hands up in surrender.

“Okay, okay, I didn’t even intend on doing shit.”

“Good.” She firmly said before she placed her things aside and opened up her suitcase. “There should be a laundry or something like that in this hotel, right?”

“Yeah- right on the fifth floor. Why?”

“Need to check if I can iron my dress before the event. Be right back.”

“Wait a minute— we leave in five hours—“

“And? I still have time. You go and get ready yourself. Go on.” With that, she took her dress out of her suitcase before she left the room as Roman watched. Blinking, he shook his head before he propped his own suitcase on the bed and got his own stuff out as well. When he took out his suit for the event, however, he noticed it was a little… rugged.

He then tsked as he looked at it before he began to consider. He should probably iron it first…

Hours had passed until it was 5 PM, two hours before the event. Both were already getting prepared, with Roman still being in the bathroom while Rhea got herself ready in the room. She even ordered some light food for them for now as they haven’t eaten anything all day. If anything, she wouldn’t prefer leaving on an empty stomach especially considering how the event might have alcoholic drinks to offer.

After a while, she managed to get in her dress after doing her makeup as well as retouching her hair as she went to look for her earrings, necklace, as well as her shoes. When she was about to, however, she suddenly heard the bathroom door slam open and a visibly annoyed Roman came out, taking the tie out from around his neck.

“Reigns, what the hell—“

“Look, it’s been years since I’ve done it, but I’m not gonna struggle making my own tie again. I’ll just go tie-less. Screw it.”

“…Reigns. It’s just a tie.”

“Okay then, you try and do it.”

“Oh for crying out loud- come here.” She rolled her eyes and stood up as she took the tie from the bed while Roman reluctantly approached her. “Now stay still.” She ordered him, fixing up the tie a little bit before she placed it around his shirt’s collar. She was able to do his tie with ease after a few seconds. “Let me know if it’s tight.”

“No, it’s okay. I—“ He wasn’t aware of the closeness that he and Rhea had when he suddenly looked down at her. Their gazes met for a few seconds as they only stood there, unmoving. He momentarily gazed at her before he instantly recovered in a low tone while Rhea looked away and cleared her throat as Roman stepped back while adjusting the tie a bit. “It’s fine. Thanks.”

Rhea watched him step back and grab his own shoes before she turned back to find her accessories. She was able to put her earrings on as well as her bracelets and watch. She went to place her own necklace on, but due to some struggle with her nails, she grunted a bit as she tried to put it on, when Roman noticed her struggling as he stood up.

“Here,” He said as he went behind her. At that, Rhea reluctantly allowed him to put her necklace on. She adjusted the necklace a bit and looked at herself in the mirror before she went to get her shoes.

“… thanks.” She only mumbled as she sat on the bed and placed her shoes on. Her low voice was still enough for Roman to hear as he looked up at her momentarily and actually began to take in her appearance.

She… she looked gorgeous.

He suddenly shook his head as he went and decided to wrap things up as he finished getting ready. After a while, both were now ready as they began to head downstairs while waiting for their food so they could eat quickly and then leave.

Taglist:

@sassginaswanmills @riptideripley @tonuitekan

[stawpny]

GUYS I AM BEGGING YOU

SOMEONE DRAW NEW YORK IN THE 1989 ERAS TOUR OUTFIT OR THE REPUTATION ONE

PLEASE I WOULD LITERALLY COMBUST AT THE SEAMS

AUGHHH

����🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

-

anyways, ik a lot of ppl go on here and see when I post, hoping it’s headcannons and I just disappoint them

so here’s some hc’s for u children

ny and the south edition! (pls I don’t know much about the south so don’t kill me 😭 I’m a new yorker)

(the quotes with names on it are southerners communicating with NY or whoever else u want, but more specifically NY)

-

- NC and SC always force NY or any other state who would hate it to sing and/or play the banjo when singing a song at a campfire. Even if they suck at singing or playing the banjo!!!

-speaking of campfires, I believe that the states usually have fires every Summer and Autumn. most get together and sing songs and stuff (u can use this idea if u want)

-New York was forced by Gov to make sure a southern party didn’t go terribly. He stood by the door while Texas wouldn’t leave him alone. He stole Texas’ hat when they all passed out, drunk and still has it to date.

-as (maybe) stated before, York plays a lot of instruments, and sometimes they force him to play the acoustic guitar, harmonica, banjo, electric guitar, etc. The NE makes fun of him for it.

-acts gay especially in front of the south just to make them pissed. he’ll flirt with them and make them uncomfortable with the high amount of gay in the room with them. Florida just goes along with it, laughing and pointing at all the southerners that turn away out of embarrassment.

-made fun of Texas and California when they were outlaws and they just joined the union. “I’m tha toughest cowboy ya will ever meet!” “Mhm.” “DONT JUS’ HUM AT ME!!” >:( -Texas

-They know better than to mess with a northerner. Texas doesn’t though, he’s just stupid. York punched him once and he swore he saw him crying to Virginia after.

-has bit many southerners, does not regret it

-

-“Gimme yer best ‘yeehaw’” “yeehaw..” “Ya can do better than that! I’ve heard ya yell at Jersey.” “yeehaw.” “York, I swear-“ “YEE- FUCKIN’ HAW!”-Texas

-“just add some ol’ bay, it’ll make it taste better.” “No it fuckin’ won’t. Keep that shit away from my brownies.”- Maryland

-played poker against Texas, won and almost got shot by him. (Sore loser)

-“what are yous gonna start growlin’?” “GRRRRR-” -Kentucky

-“nah yer good ‘ere.” “Yous are ontop of me. I dunno if I should feel turned on or uncomfortable..” -Georgia

-“off-brand me.” “southerner you, which makes better.” -also Georgia (Empire State and Empire State of the south)

- “who made you this way..?” “The man yer datin’, Y’know, Mass’.” “He would never-“ “Gin, yous even know the answer to this question, it’s an obvious yes.” -Virginia

-“get rid’a the car at this point.” “Hey! I spent my life savin’s on ol’ reliable ‘ere! I ain’t gettin’ rid o’ her if she jus’ has a leak!” “Life savin’s? Jesus, what’s wrong wit’ yous?” - Tennessee

-“ that’s ‘cause Sippi’ wants a sip of that dick.” “WHAT. I ain’t gay!” *crickets* “GUYS PLEASE-“ -Mississippi

-“are yous happy to live in this shithole?” “Hey! I work hard to make this house a home!” “Work harder next time. This looks like if a hillbilly came in ‘ere trashed the place. Y’know, that makes sense knowin’ that yous idiots live ‘ere.” *walks away* “HEY! YOU TAKE THAT BACK!” -Alabama

- “I HATE YOU!” “NUH UH! I HATE YOU MORE!” “‘nuh uh’ really proves yer point, north.” -NC & SC

- “Mais sha, ya really know how shade the south, huh?” “I’ve had enough of all of yous and I’ve seen ya at yer highest and lowest, so I know what will make yous cry later.” “Uh huh, do me then.” “Nah. Don’ get me wrong, yer barely tolerable, but ya don’ get one.” - Louisiana

(loui was upset later bc he didn’t get one 😭)

-“I swear, ya say anythin’ about me bein’ in ‘misery’ then I’m gonna-“ “Nah, I don’ care ‘bout that. What I do care about is why you like mules better than horses. Isn’t that like the whole southerner thing? Horses and idiots with hats?” -Missouri

-“are yous even apart of the south, or are you like the West Virginia of Kansas?” “JESUS IS GONNA NEED TO BLESS YER ASS SOON, WHAT THE HELL DID YA JUS’ SAY TO ME?!” “I’m Jewish.” -Arkansas

-“yer mid-atlantic, but I understand why ya don’ go to family dinnahs wit’ the Northeast. If I had an excuse, I would use it too.” “You guys are scary up there, I’m shocked you still go to those things. In the ‘contract’ they said they were optional.” “FUCKIN’ OPTIONAL?!” -Delaware

-“I will eat your face.” “Uh huh.” “PAY ATTENTION TO ME OR IM GOING TO DO SOMETHING DRASTIC!” “Uh huh.” “AAAAAAAAA-“- Florida

—

could u tell I got lazy at the end?

anyway, I hope you liked

I spent so long on the quotes, trying to come up with a good one was the hardest part.

and I know half of them are reaaally bad 😭

augh

I have no clue what to do for the next chapter of a fic

but anyways, ily guys

<3