#bawled cried inconsolable

[qwakque]

sunset savannah event is killing me rn tbh

[ragingbookdragon]

He’s in the middle of the checkout line when the phone in his pocket buzzes. He ignores it at first, but a glance towards the fifteen year old employee lazily scanning the items of the first of five in line, him being the sixth, tells him it won’t be any time soon before he’s there. He checks his phone, eyes widening when he sees, “SOS” written across the screen. And from Price’s wife no doubt. Three jars of pickles shatter on the floor along with a bag of chips and a pack of ground beef, and he sprints for the exit, car keys already in his hand as he prays nothing is wrong with her.

It’s about twenty minutes before he gets to Price’s flat and pulls into the driveway, already scanning for any signs of struggle or attack. There are none visible so far and he grabs the glock he has in the glove compartment for emergencies before he gets out and runs for the door, banging on it. Footsteps sound behind it followed by a baby’s cry and the door pulls open to reveal Price’s dearest wife, disheveled in dirty clothes and tangled hair (he’s like eighty-seven percent sure there’s baby vomit in it), with swelling tears in her own eyes as she holds a screaming eighteen-month-old.

She takes one look at him before breaking down much like her son, blubbering loudly, “I can’t get JJ to stop crying, Simon.” Tears are streaming down her face as she cries, “I’ve tried everything to get him to stop. I’ve tried feeding, burping, napping, changing his diaper, everything. He just won’t stop.” She reaches out with her free hand to him. “Simon, please, I can’t stop him from crying. Help me.”

SOS, indeed, he thinks and immediately puts the safety on his gun, putting it on the side table as he steps inside, takes the baby, and closes the door behind him. JJ stops crying as soon as Simon starts hushing him and muttering, “Giving your mum trouble, ay? What are we gonna do about you, Banshee?”

JJ’s cries subside as he coos at the masked man and she starts crying harder. “How’d you do that?” she bawls. “Oh God, I’m a horrible mum. I can’t stop him from crying ever. Only Jonathan can. He never cries when Jonathan is here. Only when I’m with him.” she’s almost inconsolable, rubbing harshly at her eyes as she blubbers, “He hates me. My babe hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you,” Simon sighs and gently takes her in his free arm, putting his chin on her head to calm her more; he rubs her back. “It’s okay, mum” he murmurs. “Newborns aren’t easy. Gotta take it in stride.” He looks at her. “Why didn’t you call Price?”

“Because he’s so busy,” she cries into his black sweatshirt. “He’s so good with him when he’s home and I know when he goes into work, he’s busy and I don’t wanna disturb him.”

“He’s JJ’s dad. Besides, don’t lump the old man in with other men. He’s a good one.” Simon pulls back, free hand wiping her tears. “I’ve gotta treat you like Soap, don’t I?” she only looks at him as his fingers brush her under eyes. “Go eat and shower. I’ll take care of JJ for you.”

She quietly nods, lips pulled in a upside down “U” before she leaves, disappearing into the kitchen. He starts bouncing JJ lightly, talking to him. “Bub, you gotta stop being a banshee to your mum. You’re gonna drive her crazy. And if you drive her crazy, your dad is gonna go crazy and then I’m gonna go crazy.” JJ just laughs and tugs at the strings of his sweatshirt before seeing if they’re edible.

Simon walks to the kitchen and watches as she stands in front of the refrigerator and shoves food into her mouth. He almost laughs, almost, as the memory of a drunk Soap shoving roast beef out of the pack and into his mouth comes to mind. Still though, he watches as she eats until she’s no longer hungry, then bypasses him and goes to her bedroom. The shower starts after a while. It’s almost two hours before she comes out and peeks her head from the doorway.

Simon is there with JJ, playing with a stuffed action figure Gaz had gotten him when he was born, making up stories about himself taking out enemies. JJ is enjoying it, giggling along and she smiles sadly before closing the door.

***

Price gets home around seven-thirty and when he sees Ghost’s car in his drive, he’s confused and a little concerned as he walks through the front door. Setting his things down, he walks around the corner into the den and Simon is there on his couch watching some show about ancient warriors and weapons, JJ drooling onto his sweatshirt.

“Simon?” he calls, and the man lifts the remote in a greeting. “Where’s—”

“Bed. Asleep,” he interrupts. “Been asleep since two.”

Price walks into the bedroom and sees her curled up on his side of the bed, clutching his pillow; he smiles at the sight and closes the door, walking back into the den. “How long have you been here, Simon?”

“Since eleven-forty-five.” He rubs JJ’s back. “Little guy’s been driving her crazy. Crying on her.”

“Shite,” Price curses. “She kept saying everything was fine.”

“Oh no, she’s lying. Thinks she’s a bad mum ‘cause he cries so much with her.” He looks over. “I think he just likes us soldiers, yeah?”

The old man sits beside down on the floor and gently runs a hand through the brown hair on his son’s head. “Yeah, never cries when I take him in.”

“You want me to take him for a few days so she can rest?” Simon offers. “Me and the Banshee will have a good time.”

“I don’t think she’d mind that. Well, she might. She’s awfully protective of the lad.”

“Of course. It’s her babe.” Simon inhales and exhales. “Give me a blanket, yeah? May as well stay the night.” Price nods and rises, handing him a blanket before reaching for JJ and Simon swats at him. “Hands off my godson.”

“He’s my kid,” Price argues and Simon glares at him.

“And I’m holding him. Try tomorrow if you can pry him from me.”

Price rolls his eyes but raises his hands in defeat, content to kiss JJ’s head and, “I love you, son,” before he squeezes Simon’s arm and disappears into the bedroom to cuddle his wife and sleep peacefully.

[not-a-space-alien]

Desperate Daybreak Chapter 5

In this chapter: Everyone takes a moment to regroup and figure out where to go from here.

MMSS masterpost

DD masterpost

On AO3

Warnings for this chapter: Misgendering and dehumanization throughout, casual misogyny, references to domestic abuse, talk about pregnancy (and the dysphoria of a pregnant trans man)

***

Even from beyond the grave, Priscus was finding ways to control and objectify him.

Valen stumbled out of the study, resolved to not let Eleanor and Elvira see him bursting into tears.  He knew this was going to be an ugly one.

“Valen?”  It was Lex, carefully touching his clothed elbow.  “What's wrong?  Talk to me.”

“I have to get pregnant,” he choked.  “The will says I have to bear and raise his son to inherit the estate.”

He doubled over, dry heaving–he was grateful he'd been too anxious to feed earlier, otherwise he would be spitting up blood onto the pristine carpet.  He felt dizzy, about to pass out.

“Where's the maid?”  Tessie came out, shutting the door and stifling the alarmed queries of the two women within.  “Someone needs to show us to the guest rooms.”

***

Valen hadn't cried this hard since he'd been literally tortured.

There were no bars here, no chains, no silver to hurt him.  Somehow that made it worse.  He had to choose.  He had to do this to himself.

Ari paced the length of the fancy guest bedroom, where Valen was sitting on the fine canopy bed, inconsolable.  “There's no way this is legally binding, right?” Ari growled.

Tessie grimaced.  “Unfortunately, it kind of is.”

Ari cursed, kicking a nearby ottoman.

“You don't have to do this, Valen.”  Lex sat on the bed next to Valen and took his hand.  “It's your decision.  No one else's.”

“How can I not?” Valen sobbed.  “How can I forfeit the inheritance when there are thousands of people trapped like I was?  When thousands more will be destroyed if things continue on as they are?”

“You’re being asked to make another impossible choice,” Lex squeezed his hand.  “We know that.  We'll support you whatever you decide.”

Valen ripped his hand out of hers and hid his face, bawling.  “If I don’t do it, the fate of all those people will be on my shoulders.”

“No,” Lex said.  “No, that isn’t true.  It isn’t your fault.”

“But I might be the only one on the planet who can do this.  Who can save them.”

“Take a breather,” Tessie said.  “Calm down.  Breathe.  Focus on your breathing.”

Valen followed instructions, taking shuddering breaths.

“It’d only be for nine months,” Valen told himself.  “It would be horrible, but then it would be over.  I wouldn’t have to raise his child, not really.  The nursemaids would do most of that.  And then I could–I would have to teach him–for when he’s 18–I would have to–  Oh God, if it’s a girl I have to try again!”

He burst into tears once more.

“Hey.”  Tessie knelt in front of him to force him to look at her.  “You’re spiraling.  You don’t have to take this head on right this second.  Breathe.  Look at me.  Breathe.”

Valen kneaded his hands on his thighs, choking on air.  “Sorry, I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right.”  Tessie took his hands.  Oops, now he was in love with her, too.  “It’s gonna be okay.  Focus on yourself right now.  Do you know what grounding exercises are?”

That was enough to snap him out of his spiral.  “Like… electrical grounding?”

Tessie laughed.  “No, no, it’s a therapy thing.  Focus on your physical surroundings to stop getting lost in your own head.  Three things you can see, two you can hear, one you can feel.”

Valen sniffled.  “I can see you, and Alexis and Ariana.  I can hear Lex and Ari breathing, I can hear Callidora walking around outside.  I can feel your soft hands.”

“There you go.”  Tessie patted his hands.  “Why don’t we take the evening, huh?  We should talk about this later once the shock has worn off.  We won’t make progress on anything when we’re upset.”

***

The guest suite was a truly magnificent suite.  Valen had never stayed in it before, and he found he sort of preferred it to the master bedroom.  It had three distinct rooms connected by little passways, so they could all be close by while still having some semblance of privacy.

Ari huffed as she brought the rest of their bags in.  “I think that’s it.”  She dumped the suitcases on the biggest bed.  “We’re crashing here for the next… few days, I guess?”

Probably longer than that.  Valen had no idea how long this was going to drag on, but he had a feeling it would be a while… Hopefully it would at least be within Lex and Ari’s natural lifespan, so he didn’t have to do it without support.

Valen primly moved the suitcases off the bed, to avoid dirtying the linens.  “Yes.  We should have the guest suite to ourselves.”  He glanced at Tessie.  “You are welcome to make yourself at home here, too.  Having you nearby will be useful, I’m sure.”

“Figured as much.”  Tessie winked.  “That’s why I already have a suitcase here.”

Ari stood stiffly in the middle of the room.  “Criminy.  I’ve never stayed in any place this nice.  Not even the nicest hotel I ever stayed in was as nice as this.  I feel like I’m going to mess something up.  I feel like I’m supposed to be here as hired help or something.”

Valen laughed.  “Please make yourself comfortable.  As long as you’re with me, we shouldn’t be shy about using all the luxuries available to us.”

Tessie hovered near the door.  “Would you mind, uh, helping me find my way back down to where I left my suitcase…?  Now that I think about it, I can’t actually remember how to get there, ahaha… I think it ended up in the servant’s quarters somewhere for some reason.”

“Oh!  Of course.  You two stay here, all right?  We’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Valen and Tessie left the room.

Ari flopped down on the bed, face-down.  “Holy shit,” she said into the duvet.

Lex started stripping off her silver armor, flopping it down onto the dressing table where her gloves already lay.  “Well…  I know this is probably the last thing we should be making time for, but…  There’s no way we can talk to him now about… us?  Right?”

Ari groaned.  “No way.  The poor guy’s already overloaded.  We could make it way, way worse.  And what if he says no or we make him uncomfortable?  Now we’re stuck together for who knows how long trying to… save humanity from the vampires I guess.”  She rolled over.  “Holy shit.  We could really do this.  We could come out of this situation saving all the people on this side of the border.  Valen will literally own most of them.  We couldn’t legally do anything to take the ones held by vampires privately, but he’ll get to decide what to do with all the blood farm humans.”

Lex wanted to be happy about it, but all she could focus on was the previous topic.  She let out a whine.  “Stupid timing.  What if Tessie steals him from us?  Did you see the way he was looking at her?  Aaaah!”

“Relax, you maniac.  He looks that way at everybody, including you and me.”

Footsteps pattered rapidly outside, and the door swung open.  Valen stuck his head in, looking panicked, but he immediately calmed down upon seeing them.  “Oh, good, you’re all right.  Not that you wouldn’t have been!  Nobody on staff would hurt you–I don’t think.  No, no reason for alarm at all.”  Truthfully, he’d gotten nervous after getting ten feet away from the guest suite and forced Tessie to run all the way with him to get her suitcase so they could hurry back as fast as possible.

Valen came in and held the door open for Tessie.  Tessie stepped inside, which revealed Callidora standing right behind her.  She had a heavy metal fire poker in one hand.

“I heard the mistress crying earlier,” Callidora said, sounding very severe.  “Who’s made her cry already?  She’s only just arrived.  I won’t stand for it, not with the master of the house gone.”

Valen stifled a laugh.  “That’s very kind of you, Callidora, but please don’t trouble yourself.”

“Just say the word, Mistress.”

“I’m fine on protection, dear.  But would you mind going down to the human quarters and arranging some food for my companions?”

Callidora sighed and leaned the poker upright against the wall.  “As you wish, Mistress.”  She moved off.

Valen turned towards Lex and Ari.  “Make sure you’ve gotten everything you need out of the van.  The sun is coming up soon, so we won’t be able to get the– Well, I suppose you would be able to go back out to the vehicle.  That was silly of me.  Ahahah.”

Lex stood and took his hand.  “It’s sweet of you to think of us.  Hey, why don’t you show us around the place?  We’ve never been in a house like this before, and it sounds like Tessie could use the navigation help, too.”

Valen perked up.  “Oh, that’s a wonderful idea!  The estate really is quite nice.”

Tessie brought up the rear and shut the bedroom door behind them as they came out into the hallway.  Their feet brushed against the thick carpet and rugs as they walked.

“Most of this wing is the bedrooms,” Valen said.  “Except for the servant’s living quarters.  Those are downstairs next to the human quarters.  The master bedroom is there at the end–it’s the fanciest door.  I, ah, don’t have good memories with it, so I’d rather not go in there, but it really is the nicest room in the house.  I’m positive all four of us could fit on the bed.”  He blushed furiously.  “Not that I-” he fumbled.  “It was merely a size comparison, you understand.”

“Of course,” Tessie said, bemused.

When they came to the end of the hallway, the ceiling soared upwards above a huge open room below.

“This is the ballroom,” Valen said.  “We hosted lots of grand events, since we’re one of the more…preeminent noble families.”

“I went to one of the Kithrara family balls when I was young!” Tessie exclaimed.  “It wasn’t this one, though, I remember it being bigger.”

“It must have been the one at Xavier’s manor.  His mansion is the largest and has the biggest ballroom for the big parties.”

“I was pretty young, so that party was the first time I’d ever seen a human!  Er.”  She kept glancing at Lex and Ari out of the corner of her eye, like she was afraid every little thing she was saying was offensive.

Ari stood with her hands clamped uncomfortably on the gilded railing.  “Nggggh,” she groaned.

Valen moved off, shuffling along the railing and babbling about hyper-specific details here and there.  Lex appeared at Ari’s elbow.  “Everything okay, babe?”

“All this fancy shit is giving me hives.  Keep feeling like someone is gonna tell me I shouldn’t be here.”

Lex laughed.  “You’re fine.  C’mon.”  She pulled Ari to follow.  “This would be a beautiful place to spend time if it had any windows..although obviously I understand why they don’t have them.  But imagine a stained glass window right there!  The natural sunlight would hit the chandelier–wouldn’t that be awesome?”

“Ngh.”

“There’s the study,” Valen pointed.  “Obviously you all know where that is.  That leads over to the terrace–there are metal shutters over the glass during the day, but at night you can see the whole estate.  It’s quite a nice view.  Oh, good morning!”

This last bit was directed at a servant who was in the process of shuttering the glass door.  He gave a polite nod.  “Good morning, Mistress Kithrara.”

He had a strange look on his face.  Everyone could tell he was thinking Why does the mistress look like a man and not a woman, but he was far too polite to say anything.

“Ah–keep up the good work!” Valen said cheerfully.

The servant bowed politely and rolled a cart full of laundry out of sight.

“I’m so glad everyone knows what to do without me telling them to,” Valen said, wringing his hands.  “I was never any good at managing the house… although I think it was mostly because I just didn’t want to do it.  Well, down there is the laundry room, the servants’ quarters, and the human quarters-”

“Can we go in there?” Lex said.  “I want to meet the staff and the humans.”

“No!” Valen exclaimed, with such force that everyone else stopped walking and looked at him.  No, they couldn’t see the human quarters, the evidence of the family’s heinous practices.  It was the same reason he got nervous when they looked at his fangs, or commented on his superior strength, or any other sign that he was a vampire.  He wanted to keep them as far as possible from the evidence that he was a monster.

“Is everything okay?” Tessie said, clueless.

Valen sweated.  “Yes.  Sorry.  I just–  It’s nothing–”

Lex took his hand.  “We don’t have to go in there if you don’t want to.”

Valen swallowed.  “Maybe later.  Let’s look at the gaming room instead, shall we?  It leads into the foyer, and–Oh!”

He snapped his mouth shut as Eleanor came round the corner out of the foyer.  “Valen, dear, there you are!  I was worried when you ran off like that after you got your hands on the will.”

“Forgive me, Grandmother.”

“Tell me, you and your…”  She made a dismissive gesture to Lex, Ari, and Tessie.  “...attaché aren’t going to be staying at the manor more than a few nights, are you?”

“It’s hard to tell, Grandmother.  This business with the will is very complicated.”

“I just think you would be more comfortable back where… wherever you were living before this.”

Ah.  “I do think I should be close by as we figure out the future of the estate, Grandmother.”

Eleanor fussed.  “Well–Well there simply isn’t room!”

“...There isn’t room?”  Valen glanced about at the empty expanses around him.  “The guest quarters are plenty big, thank you.”

“But it’s not proper to stay in the guest quarters!  And it’s not proper to stay in the master bedroom, of course, without Xavier and Priscus here, and the other rooms are all claimed by various other family members for when they overday here, and it wouldn’t be proper during the mourning period of course-”

“Grandmother, you worry too much.  I doubt anyone will care that we’re staying in the guest suite.”

“But Valen!  Where will I stay, then, if not in the guest quarters?”

Valen ground his teeth.  “Grandmother, surely it would be more proper for you to stay at Xavier’s manor house rather than Priscus’s?  They are plenty close by.  The estate is quite large.”  Surely nobody, no matter how spoiled, could claim there wasn’t room for five people spread out between several different mansions?  He desperately wanted Eleanor and Elvira to not be hanging around the house, and they lived at the manor–just, elsewhere on it.  He was a half second away from just snapping get out of my house.

“I just want to be here for you during this difficult time,” Eleanor fretted.

“He doesn’t need you, lady,” Ari said.  “Get lost.”

Eleanor got a look of supreme offense on her face.  “Valen!  I can’t believe you let your thrall talk like that to anyone, let alone family!”

“Apologies, Grandmother.  Humans have minds of their own when they aren’t subjected to persuasion.  Her ill manners do not hide the truth, though.  It’s very kind of you to offer, but I would prefer some space to sort out my thoughts.”

“The next time any of your humans say something like that to me, I’ll use persuasion on them myself.  I know you object to it, and I’ve been indulging you so far, but there are limits.”

“There are limits, Grandmother.  Using persuasion on either of them is my limit.  Under no circumstances are you to do that.”

Eleanor scoffed.

Valen gracefully gave a half-bow.  “Grandmother, need I remind you I am, legally, the owner of the property on which we all currently reside, and as such am entitled to choose who is and isn’t welcome on the grounds?”

“You wouldn’t dare kick me out of my own ancestral home, you low-born bitch.”

Valen spread his hands in a polite gesture.  “I needn’t dare as long as you are welcome here, Grandmother, which you will be if you abide by my limits.”

Eleanor scowled at him.  “Whatever.  Xavier’s manor is more comfortable anyway.”

She turned and walked away.  Valen prayed the upset was great enough that she’d try to leave and get to Xavier’s manor house before sunrise.  He honestly couldn’t find it in him to care if she got stranded outside during the day.  He probably would have kicked her out if being in everyone’s good graces wasn’t potentially useful right now. 

Valen turned back to Ari.  “Please let me handle talking to the family.”

Ari went red.  “Sorry.  Sorry, I just–it’s hard watching you be uncomfortable.”

Valen's heart melted.  “I do appreciate it.”

Oh, he should probably check on Elvira to lay down the law, too.  He cleared his throat.  “Elvira?  Are you also in the foyer?”

Elvira appeared in a blur, stopping on a dime from a speed so fast the momentum jostled her black gown and veil forward.  “Yes?”

Valen spun around to face her, startled.  “Are you planning to overday here?”

“If I’m welcome to.”

“You’re welcome to stay as long as you respect my human associates.  Although I do imagine you’ll be going back to Mordecai’s manor house tonight, Elvira?”

“You will call me Auntie, won’t you?”  Before Valen could react, Elvira let out a manic laugh, whose pitch and intensity could only be described as unhinged.

Valen stood frozen to the ground.  “Ah.”

“Yes, I’ll get out of your hair at sunset.”

“I see…  Ahm, for what it’s worth.  I’m sorry about Sebastian.”  He was a spoiled brat, but he was still a child.  Well… not a child.  But just barely.  “It must be very hard losing a son.”

Elvira had a glassy look in her eye.  “I appreciate the sentiment.  He wasn’t really my son though, was he?  He was Mordecai’s son.  I just gave birth to him.”

***

They met a few more servants on the rest of the tour, who scampered about their business with only minimal curt acknowledgements of their presence.  Valen explained it was polite to stay out of the way and be quiet so as not to disturb the “important” vampires in the castle, but reported it’d always made him feel like he’d done something wrong and they didn’t want to talk to him.

When they got back to the guest suite, Callidora was there with a silver tray.  She gave a curtsy.  “I retrieved a meal for your thralls, Mistress, just like you asked.”

“Thank you.”  Valen gave it a cursory glance and then moved back into the guest suite.  “Now that that’s taken care of, I think I would love a nice, warm bath.  The tubs here are wonderfully deep.”

Tessie also gave her an approving nod before moving on.

Lex and Ari, meanwhile, looked at each other awkwardly.  The meal on the tray consisted of a head of cabbage, three potatoes, a cut of raw steak, a box of dry cereal, and an assortment of fruit.  There were no utensils, plates, drinks, or napkins.

“Ah, Valen,” Lex said, tactfully reeling Valen back in from the bathroom.  “Hey, can we talk real quick?”

Valen peeked out.  “Hm?  Yes, of course.  What is it?  Oh, I should have corrected Callidora on calling you thralls.  I apologize.  It just seems like an uphill battle to do it every time-”

“No, no, it’s not that.  It’s the food.”

“Oh!”  Valen bent over to examine the tray.  “It seems balanced.  There’s a fine selection of vegetables, grains, and meat.  It has a good balance of protein, carbs, and fiber-”

“It’s just,” Ari said, struggling against that very scientific explanation of why it was the perfect meal.  “Most of this stuff–I mean, it needs to be cooked, a lot of it.”

“Oh?  Oh!  Yes of course, I’m so sorry!”

“The room service here sucks,” Ari said, and good thing she didn’t notice the defeated look Callidora took on.  “Fancy hotel rooms at least have a microwave, right?”

“Can we just go to the human quarters and prepare our own food?” Lex tried.  “It has a kitchen, right?  You don’t have to go too if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Valen stood rooted to the spot.  “I suppose,” he said slowly.  “That is the most logical option.”

“You don’t have to go too.  We just can’t–if we’re going to be here for a while, we’re going to need control over what we eat, right?”

“Yes, that’s perfectly logical.”

“You don’t have to go too.”

“No, I don’t want you to go unescorted.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.”

“I can go,” Tessie offered.

“No, no, that’s all right.  No need to trouble yourself.”

“It’s no trouble-”

“I’ll go with them!” Valen snapped.

Tessie held her hands up.  “Okay.”

Valen felt like he was going to the gallows as they walked down the hall.

“It’s not your fault,” Lex said.  “We don’t expect you guys to know about how to feed us.”

“We have veterinarians on staff,” Valen offered lamely.  “They know how to balance human diets.  And the humans themselves have some control over their-”

“No, of course, of course.”

“I just personally haven’t-”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

“I haven’t paid as much attention as I should have to the way you two eat-”

“Don’t worry about it-”

“I’ve been curious about it-”

“Don’t worry about it-”

“It just doesn’t come naturally to me at all.”

“Of course.”

They arrived at the human quarters–a metal door with a deadbolt on the outside.  Valen swallowed and unlocked it.

The inside was just as luxurious as the rest of it, except the beds were bunks to take up less space.  There was also a kitchen–something conspicuously absent in the rest of the manor.

The door opening prompted some of the humans to sit up and turn their attention towards the sound.  Their eyes were blank.  No emotion on their faces whatsoever.  Most of them had inflamed, yellow bite marks.

“Ah, hello,” Valen said.  “No need to worry.  We’re just here for some food for my associates.”

None of them betrayed any understanding of his words.  One of them shuffled forward and craned their neck to the side, exposing the soft flesh vampires preferred for feeding.

Valen’s heart dropped.  “I suppose I’ll have to decide whether the house should be allowed to continue feeding on these humans.”  He turned to Lex and Ari and his heart found a basement in his stomach to drop even further into.  They were horrified.

They’d known this is what it’d be like, hadn’t they?  They’d known?  Were they surprised?

Did they think he was a monster?  Were they rethinking this whole thing?  Were they going to abandon him forever?

“Jesus Christ,” Ari whispered.

Lex’s eyes roved the room.  Then, she smiled and gestured widely, as though nothing were wrong.  “Hey!  Somebody come show me where the good food is, huh?  I’m starving!”

She went to the kitchen and opened the big fridge.  “What’s good, huh?  What’s for dinner?”

The nearest human stepped forward to stand beside her.

“Show me the good food!”

The human reached out and pulled out a package of wagyu beef.

“There we go!” Lex said.  “The good shit!  Yeah!  We should have a dinner party, huh?”

The human’s face twitched, like they were trying to smile.

“There we go!”

Valen stood in the middle of the room, wringing his hands.  Head bowed.  Ashamed.

Lex started rifling through the drawers and taking out cutting boards, spices, and knives.  “Woah!  They’re fully stocked here!  This is awesome.  I’ve never had such a nice kitchen to cook in.”

Valen turned to Ari, who was still standing there stone-faced.  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Ari let out a deep breath.  “It’s not your fault.  We know it’s not your fault.”

Tears pooled in Valen’s eyes.

“Hey,” Ari said.  She bumped him with an elbow.  “What’s the use in crying about it?  What’s it accomplish to just feel guilty about it?”

“Nothing, I suppose.”

“Nothing.”  She wrapped an arm around him.

Valen watched Lex joyfully pull more and more of the braindead humans into cooking with her.  None of them showed any emotion whatsoever, but they still knew the motions to cook for themselves.

“I’ll do it,” he said quietly.

Ari squeezed his shoulder.

“I’ll sacrifice myself if it means I can fix this.  Someone has to.  I’m the only one who can.  I’ll do it.”

***

Taglist

@tomato-whump @dragonfireridge @taterswhump @whump-cravings

@scoundrelwithboba @pigeonwhumps @whumpsday @whumpy-writings @fuzzydarkpebble

@melodicnommer @thecyrulik @snake462 @gt-daboss @appelsiinilight

@star-rott @mottinthemainpot @corvidat @melancholy-in-the-morning @whumplr-reader

@honeycollectswhump @dragonqueenslayer6 @whumpycries @starfields08000 @scumashling

[forever-fixating]

RWRB Appreciation Month Bingo: First Family

For @rwrbsource and @rwrbmovie's RWRB Appreciation Month Bingo: First Family

First Family

Author's Note: All opinions are valid, but as someone raised by a working single mom, I find some of the fandom interpretations of Ellen disheartening. I felt compelled to write this, given all the bullshit swirling around in the news about Kamala Harris. I'm not saying Ellen is a perfect mom, that she didn't make mistakes with Alex and June, but I feel she is way better than some would give her credit for. Maybe that's just my bias showing because she reminds me so much of my mom. Plus, if we want to talk about parental neglect, I think that Catherine basically abandoning her children for years after Arthur's death deserves more scrutiny than is usually given. See my previous ficlet with Henry and Pez for more on that! (steps off soapbox)

Ellen Claremont could not sleep. Leo had taken his nighttime meds and fell fast asleep, currently snoring like a buzzsaw and making Ellen contemplate homicide. She went through her mental checklist one more time, nervous that she was forgetting something that would send the entire ceremony tumbling down tomorrow. Her baby boy was getting married. In the past week, she had gone through at least two packs of tissues from bursting into sporadic fits of tears. June gave her a one-armed hug when she started crying at the florist, confirming the delivery time and location for the arrangements.

"I'm so sorry," Ellen laughed, dabbing at her eyes. "It's just-"

"Oh, you don't have to explain, ma'am," the woman said with a sympathetic smile. "I bawled like a newborn baby when all three of mine got married. You look at them and still see the babies they once were."

"You should have seen her at the tux fitting," June said. Affecting a deep Southern accent, she mock-wailed, "Look at my little boy! He's so grown up. I remember dressing him for his first day of school and now-"

"You were crying too, as I recall!" Ellen said, smacking her oldest's arm. "Just wait 'till it's your turn. I'll be inconsolable."

The two women were joyfully involved in planning Alex's wedding. Right before her second term ended, Ellen was inundated with book deals to write about her historic presidency. After the dust settled and she returned to Austin, she finally went through her inbox and contemplated such a project. There was only one person she went to for help. She called her daughter and asked if she would be willing to work with her on the book.

June was hesitant at first, so Ellen said, "I think this could be good for us, honey. I know I can't make up for all the time we lost, but I don't want to lose anymore. You may not believe it all the time, but you and Alex have always been my greatest accomplishments."

As much as she wanted to, Ellen didn't tell Alex about her offer. She wanted June to want to do this with her. It took about three weeks, but one afternoon, June called. The first words out of her mouth were, "Warts and all, right? I don't want to leave any stone unturned."

"Warts and all," Ellen agreed. With a lump in her throat, she said, "Thank you, honey."

Working on the book with June was something Ellen would always treasure. Seeing her daughter in her element, neck-deep in research materials and pages of questions, made the older woman feel guilty for trying to force her into a box that suited Ellen's needs more than June's. There were days and nights of hard work and even harder conversations, but Ellen wouldn't trade a single second. June unburdened herself of long-held resentments. She cried over being forced to grow up too fast and pick up the slack of caring for Alex when Oscar left for California.

"I was so mad at you," June whispered, her voice wavering as she studied her manicured nails. "I was mad at you for making Dad leave, mad at you for always being busy, mad at you for putting total strangers before me and Alex."

Ellen reached out to take her daughter's hand when she cut herself off. It was difficult to hear how she failed her kids, but she knew June needed this. Their relationship wouldn't progress without addressing those hurts. June wiped her runny nose, saying, "As an adult, I realize there is more to it, but try telling that to a twelve-year-old who just wanted her mom to be like all the other moms. At home doing PTA and helping with my homework."

"I felt the same way about my momma," Ellen said, refilling their wine glasses. "Why couldn't I have new clothes instead of hand-me-downs from cousins? Why didn't she make me breakfast or pack me a lunch like Donna Reed? Never mind that she was a high school dropout and a widow working two, sometimes three, jobs just to support us. I couldn't see what she gave up, just what I lost."

June sniffled, her face crumpled. "I felt so guilty because you were out there changing the world, being this hero to so many, and all I could think was how I wanted you home with me, being my momma. I'm sor-"

"No, baby." Ellen pulled June into her arms and squeezed her tight. They were both crying now. "I can admit there were times when my job took precedence over you two. Christ, after what happened to Alex, I blamed myself and my relentless ambition. Why didn't I stay in Texas? Why couldn't I be happy there? How could I let something like this happen to my own son? But I told myself that if I did stay, he wouldn't have met the love of his life."

After tossing and turning for twenty minutes, Ellen gave up on sleeping and climbed out of bed. Immediate family on both sides chose to stay at the lakehouse before the big day. She slipped on her houseshoes and headed to the kitchen for a snack. She smiled when she saw Alex sitting at the counter, tapping away on his laptop.

"That better not be work-related," Ellen teased when she reached him, "or your husband-to-be will be mighty peeved."

Alex jumped but smiled sheepishly before closing the laptop. She took the chair next to him as he said, "I can neither confirm nor deny what I was doing, but I have a bottle of Maker's and a tub of Rocky Road to pay for your silence."

"Proceed, counselor."

Alex grinned and stood. She watched him move around the kitchen with the softest of smiles. The florist's words returned to her and never felt more true than in that moment. Though a young man stood there, pouring them whiskey and grabbing two spoons and a frosty tub of Bluebell out of the freezer, all she could see was a little boy arguing with a Seaworld employee, a lanky teen excited to drive without supervision. And now here he was, about to marry his fairytale prince.

When he caught her scrubbing the corner of her eye, he shook his head and said quickly, "No, no, no! Momma, please don't start crying 'cause if you start, I won't stop!"

"I'm sorry!" Ellen whimpered between giggles. Alex set their drinks down and put the Bluebell tub between them. As he took his seat, she sipped her whiskey and said, "You're just my baby boy, and you're getting married tomorrow. Poor Junie has been consoling me for weeks."

They clinked their glasses together, and he opened the ice cream. Each of them dug in with matching watery smiles. After a period of silence, Alex said softly, "Shit...I'm getting married tomorrow."

Ellen gave him a chocolate whiskey kiss on the cheek. "You sure are."

He ate another spoonful and said around it, "Is it weird that I'm not nervous? Like...I just want to go home with my husband and unpack our house together."

"Not at all, baby." She took another sip, relishing the burn down her throat. "Alex, when things were at their worst, your love for that boy was unshakeable. Trust in that always, and you'll be okay."

"Any other pearls of wisdom?"

Ellen snorted. "You sure you want my advice? I did get divorced."

"That's why I trust you more than most," he said, his eyes and voice so earnest. "May not have gotten it right the first time, but you got there eventually."

Ellen hummed. She thought back to her marriage with Oscar. Already pregnant, they opted for a quick ceremony with the Justice of the Peace. Neither of their families was happy about that decision, thinking they were moving too fast. All her momma could say when Ellen asked her to be there was, "You're gonna regret this, Ellie, but you're grown. I can't stop you."

"Well," Ellen sighed, leaning back into her chair, "the most important thing, especially since you're your momma's child, is to make time for him. Don't wait for birthdays or anniversaries to celebrate each other. If you see a trinket that makes you smile and think of him, buy it. The little moments are just as important as the big ones, baby."

"Is that why you and Dad didn't work?"

She gave her son a sad smile and said, "If I'm perfectly honest, I don't think your daddy and me would've made it long-term. We were both too stubborn to listen, too proud to compromise. But Alex, I wouldn't change a thing. All the mistakes I've made, the regrets I have...you two were never that."

Alex ducked his head, his long curls falling forward. "Goddamn it, Momma. Told you not to make me cry."

"Oh, baby," she laughed. Wrapping her arms around him, she kissed his head and said, "You and Henry are forever. I've never felt more certain about anything in my life."

"More than winning the Presidency?" Alex laughed.

"Especially more than that."

A/N: I tried to give space for valid criticisms of Ellen while still allowing for some grace and understanding. That she and Alex have such a good relationship in the book counts for something in my mind. Share your thoughts down below! I love getting nerdy about RWRB.

Check out this post and join the fun in celebrating the one-year anniversary of our little romcom that could being released!

[strawbbydraws]

i have GOT 2 hear abt ur shiro experience

ALRIGHT. BE FOREWARNED it’s VERY embarrassing. I was young and stupid and homophobic by extension of living in a Christian conservative household. I was very sheltered, had extremely limited internet access- only being able to google images with permission at that time. so this is a recipe for disaster since I had no way of knowing the inevitable.

I was a BIG Voltron fan back when it was new. It was was what? 2016? 2017? Who knows. I was around 11-13 and emotionally stunted so. Shiro was my favorite character ever I loved him so much he was so so cool and the best!! I had a silly little crush on him, it was a whole thing. I made him and the rest of the cast on Tomodachi Life. I was serious about him, obviously.

When I was watching the latest season, there kept being flashback sequences where Shiro was remembering things and at one point there was some other guy in his home just arguing with him over something and I was like???? Who’s that?? Why is he mad at Shiro?

My parents suddenly stopped the show and was like “Oh no. I cannot believe this. They made Shiro a homosexual. Children, we can’t watch it anymore. Shiro is a gay man.”

It was his fucking boyfriend. I was so sheltered I didn’t even know what a mlm relationship looked like.

And I was like “HE’S GAYYYY?!?!!!” and straight up started BAWLING- I ran straight to my room and started ripping fanart I made of him out of my sketchbook and tore it to pieces and threw it around my room. This took like 30 minutes to do and I cried the entire time. My younger sisters were just. Following me to see my mental breakdown. Thanks girlies.

I scrambled to find our 3DS and booted up Tomodachi life and deleted EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE CHARACTERS OFF MY ISLAND. this took at least 20 minutes to find everything and actually do that and I cried the entire time. Like sobbing and bawling because how could they make my favorite character gay. Now I couldn’t love him bc I was. A girl…

My parents tried to comfort me like “it’s ok, he isn’t real. He’s made up”

And I kept just crying. I was inconsolable. I bemoaned about how terrible Adam was (his boyfriend) for ruining my favorite character and my parents were like “ok strawbby we’re gonna get in a circle and pray for you and Shiro.” Bc they genuinely didn’t know what to do.

It was so pathetic omg I calmed down eventually but what was that about guys 😭 I found random pieces of poorly drawn Shiros around my room for a couple years after that.

I never got to finish Voltron but frankly hearing how it ended maybe it was for the best. I’m not homophobic anymore but I heard it sucked.

[anotherhumanpet]

🌈 + dennis

💤 Peek into my Character's Dreams 💤

🌈 - A dream from their childhood

There's a killer on the loose, and nobody seems to care. It's all over the news, in the newspapers, on their phones, tablets, but his mom dismisses his concerns because they're at Papa and Nani's house and nothing ever happens there. They live too far out for these kinds of things to occur! It's fine! They're safe! Dennis is worrying too much!

But then the killer is there and he has them cornered in the bathroom.

They loom over his mother.

He is bawling, inconsolable.

The police arrive, somehow, and the killer escapes; transforming into one of his favorite toys and hiding in plain sight while the authorities sweep the house, take him, take his mother.

Nobody believes him when he says its the toy. No matter how much he begs, pleads, and cries, they all look at him like he's just a dumb kid.

[newhologram]

Aliens has been one of my fav movies since I was a toddler. According to Father Hologram, I used to BAWL at the part where the xeno’s head gets run over😭 I thought it was sad I guess. I cried about animals and creatures dying in movies a lot. Ace Ventura 2 had me inconsolable.

[jackhues]

peanut definitely hates Lukes mullet, she cried when she saw it

it was worse than when jack lost his tooth. (peanut was inconsolable for nearly three days, and she only stopped crying bcz quinn told her she can make fun of jack for missing a tooth).

when luke came home, all excited to show everyone his hair, mama did her best to hide her disappointment so luke wouldn't feel bad, but peanut literally didn't give a shit. she's like that's not your real hair, ur not lukey, lukey would never do this to me. and once luke convinces her the haircut's real and that it's him, peanut just starts bawling. luke's like "wait what?" and jack's dying bcz this is so funny to him. once peanut calms down, she literally refuses to look at luke until his hair grows back bcz every time she sees his hair, she cries.

[loaflovesdoodling]

Pleiades just going through the five stages of grief when he realizes Fylass is not working up from their comatose, and that's not getting better when the doctors can't help them.

I can only imagine how relieved he felt when they woke up

He's going to have an hysterical crisis. His emotions are going to take over and he's just going to react exaggeratedly to everything. If he laughs it's going to be loud and forced, if he cries it's gonna be painful and inconsolable, if he gets angry at anyone that's out of the group he's going to have to stress a lot to just barely hold himself back from straight up physical violence. It's like he's completely unhinged. Every time he keeps on bottling up his feelings and that constantly puts more and more stress on him; Fylass' coma was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Once Fylass wakes, he'll have to restrain himself from bawling and screaming in joy, by then he'll finally get back his composure, and his emotions get locked away once again...

[astriiformes]

i have so much respect for you for your choice of original blorbo oh my god reepicheep

I was utterly obsessed with Reepicheep from ages 6-8 or so -- the first time I ever cried over a book was when my dad read the Narnia series to my sister and I before bed. We hit the end of Voyage of the Dawn Treader and that was it, I was out. Absolutely bawling, totally inconsolable. I dressed up as him for a book character day at school, and wore our copies of the couple of books he was in out completely, to the point that my dad had to track down copies that matched the rest of our boxed set because the originals were falling apart.

It's always hit me in a bit of a strange/bittersweet way as an adult. I know as a kid I loved him because he was a clever, quick-witted knight, devoted above all else to doing the right thing, but it wasn't untethered from the faith I grew up with even then, and now I have a solid understanding of what Lewis wanted him to represent -- unwavering faith in something I totally lost faith in. Usually your first favorite fictional character, who you're supposed to be able to look back on really fondly, doesn't have quite so many strings attached.

But I've mostly made peace with it. Even now, I still consider myself a very passionate and faith-driven person -- I just have faith in different things, like humanity, and the moral arc of the universe, and the possibility of a better future. I think that's the element that runs through baby Nate latching onto a brave mouse knight and adult Nate being who I am and loving other characters that better represent the things I have faith in now (thinking long and hard about Fjord from Critical Role here, whose journey towards being a paladin had to start with abandoning his misplaced faith in something else that was hurting him and others, and who I also cried and cried over when he hit some of his most important character beats).

Also in the Prince Caspian movie Reepicheep was played by Eddie Izzard (which is probably the only good thing about the Prince Caspian movie) and I have extremely transgender feelings about it. Carry on.

[woundedheartwithin]

So you finished the story then? How was that ending huh?

Absolutely devastating. Fucking destroyed me. 10/10 😭😭😭

No fr tho I cried, like, boo hoo hiccup bawling my eyes out cried. I looked exactly like Kiryu through that entire video and the drawing and Kiryu being like oh wow look at that Haruto you’re so amazing???? Complete and total destruction, no fucking survivors, I am inconsolable

So, in a word, perfect

[juuheizou]

hellooo so i'm also an autistic!juuzou truther and i wanted to know what are his trigger sounds and textures and what kind of actions or things can push him into sensory overload? also how does he act like when he's in that state and what can a partner do to help him out of it? ALSO:::: do you think he would do well w the sensory deprivation technique(squeezed in fluffy blanket, noise-canceling earbuds, dark and a bit of solitude)?

Hello, fellow sensible human being autistic Suzuya truther!

As hard as I try to have something for everyone who asks me a question, I answered the first part a little too comprehensively to even have anything else to add, if you want to check that out.

ANYWHO, to answer the rest of your question. He slowly gets more and more fidgety and irritable until he finally melts down. Believe you me, he does do the stereotypical rocking back and forth in a ball, but leading up to that point, he just gets less fun and more scary to be around. It starts with verbally snapping at people easily, being quick to get frustrated at things he's trying to use to the point of having broken a couple of work phones and (once, not his finest moment) a reporter's camera, until it gradually turns into subtly, then not-so-subtly, injuring himself.

Past that point, 99% of the times he cries in his life are during his meltdowns, and once he's at that point he's inconsolable. Bawling his eyes out, rocking, hitting himself. If he doesn't make it somewhere with less stuff around before he melts down, he is the type to trash his surroundings and destroy objects without meaning to.

When he's just getting overstimulated but might not be thinking straight enough to take care of it himself, a partner would be very helpful in physically getting him out of the situation that's causing him to get overstimulated. Just a "hey, the exit's this way," can make a big difference. As far as the overstimulated state itself, though there isn't anything anyone else can do but let it pass, and be there for him as it passes. Even just grabbing him a glass of water after he's been crying or something small like that, it's one less thing he has to struggle to think about in his post-meltdown haze or the clamor of sensory overload.

That said, being there for him is mostly done from a distance until he's feeling a little better, because he I very much see him self-soothing from sensory overload in a dark, quiet room alone, with a soft blanket to squeeze himself in and/or one of his plushies to squeeze. As much as he also likes his sensory-seeking, in a state of overload, his whole brain needs to rest.

[lassieposting]

Been thinking about that post about robots trying to repair dead humans. It occurs to me that maybe making sentient robots would be quite possibly the cruelest thing ever. Imagine that you are a sentient, self-aware, conscious being who can empathize with other, biological sentients, but they are terrifyingly fragile and temporary and you love them and care about them but every one of them will be gone, soon, and you have to remember that forever, because you are machine. Yikes.

I don't really have thoughts about AIs beyond "I Want A JARVIS" and "GTFO Alexa You Capitalist Spy" but I am so here for the emotion in this

Also you have no idea how much I cried over those little mars rover robots.

"They've left earth never to return." Sobbing

"They sing themselves happy birthday." Wailing

"My battery is low and it is getting dark." INCONSOLABLE BAWLING

[loveydive]

guys,,,, i cried like three times throughout the whole ep

[buckyalpine]

hii so im not sure if you’re taking requests but if you are could you maybe to one where readers dog is having to be put down and she’s like rlly rlly upset and bucky comforts her? just like fluff x100 Im going through this right now and idrk what to do :/ thank you if you make it and if not I love all of your other works :)

Warnings: pet loss, angst, fluff

I don't even have a pet myself (I do babysit one) and this made me bawl ffs. I'm ugly crying so hard writing this rn. I'm so sorry this is something you have to go through, I'm sending you all the hugs, every single hug imaginable.

I imagined this with beefy Bucky, where he's still uncomfortable with physical touch which is why his comfort is so significant here.

You walked into the compound with red puffy eyes, you hoped and prayed that you wouldn't run into anyone because you didn't need anyone asked you what was wrong. Your sweet baby looked at you with tired eyes from the crate, it was like they knew. They blinked before putting their head down again, resting on one of their favorite teddies to play with.

You felt another wave of tears seeing them close their eyes, too tried to stay awake till you got to your room. You tried to get there as fast as you could before the cries escaped your lips. Bucky watched you carefully as he sat in the kitchen with his coffee, distress was evident on your face but he didn't want to pry. You ran to your room and locked the door, taking your fur baby in your arm for a final day of loving and hugs.

"I'm sorry baby" You whimpered, holding them close to your chest. They nuzzled into you, their paw on your shoulder, looking up at you and licking away some of the tears. Their eyes looked happy, as if they was ready. They knew it was their time and they needed you to know too.

It's okay mama.

You spent the day doing everything you could with them, giving them all the treats you could, taking them to their favorite spot in the park and giving them all the belly rubs you could. You took as many pictures as you could; you knew it would hurt each time you looked at them but you never wanted to forget this day.

Evening rolled around and you felt inconsolable. They slept by your side while you cuddled them close, you knew they had lived a long life. You'd given them every ounce of love you could but it still didn't feel like enough. If you could have just one more day. One more.

*****

You arrived back to the compound, all their little things in a box. Their collar. A little tag with their birthday date. A little clay mold to remember their paws. You hadn't told anyone because the sympathy would have hurt more but now the silence that filled your room was unbearable.

Bucky walked by your room, hearing your soft cries and the absence of paws pattering on the floor. His heart dropped, connecting the dots, he knew you didn't say anything but there was no way he was going to leave you alone during this time.

"Y/n" He knocked your door softly, while calling for you, only getting a muffled whimper in response. He opened the door, to find you wrapped up in your blankets, your face buried into your pillow to silence your sobs.

"I'm here, its okay" He didn't second guess anything, pulling you into his lap and tucking your body against his large frame. He wrapped his arms securely around you, surrounding you with his warmth, your hear resting under his chin. He made you feel protected, like you had someone to look after you again; less untethered while he held you firmly.

You tried to bite your lip to keep your cries in but the stronger he held you the harder it was to keep everything inside. Your face was in his chest, tears soaking his shirt as you let all your emotions go, melting into Bucky's arms.

"I'm here, I'm here angel, shhh" Bucky's voice was soft, his lips pressing soft kisses onto your head. His hands soothed you, rubbing your skin while your body trembled, his heart breaking because he'd only ever seen you smile.

The night wasn't easy, you'd woken up searching for your baby, only to find their spot empty. Bucky made sure he was there for you the entire time, holding you to his chest,

"Do you want to talk about it?" He whispered when he knew you were unable to fall asleep. You swallowed thickly, your throat feeling hoarse. Had anyone else asked you, you may have said no but Bucky was different. You nodded, recalling all the memories you had from when they were a puppy and all the adventures you had along the way.

"You loved them so much, couldn't have asked for a better mama" Bucky smiled down softly at you, his hand lacing with yours. "You took such good care of them. Even if it was just for a little while, you made them really happy. Showed them so much love. That's all they ever knew, how much you loved them"

You nodded, sniffling while he continued to hold you.

"Now you have all these beautiful memories with them. Those will never go away. They'll always be with you y/n, always" He kissed your forehead while you closed your eyes, your heart feeling a tiny sliver of peace. Even if you didn't have them forever, you had the best few years with them and you wouldn't have traded that time for the world.

"You can cry if you want to, I know the pain won't go away but you don't have to hold it inside. I'm always here to listen if you need"

And true to his word, Bucky made sure he checked in with you regularly. He had no problem hugging you through the night. During nights you found it difficult to be in your room, he quickly carried you over to his. The rest of the team were surprised to see him let anyone else there but he didn't feel an ounce of discomfort.

He knew pain. He thought about all the time all he needed was a hug and how he was met with cold silence instead. He would never let that happen to one of the sweetest people he'd ever met. No. He'd make sure you got the love you deserved. He coaxed you to get out more. Small walks. Trips to the coffee shop. Anything to keep you away from locking yourself in your room.

*****

He held you close, your head resting on his chest, his heart beat lulling you to sleep. You finally felt a sense of acceptance but the warmth of his arms was something you wanted to hold onto.

"Thank you Bucky" You whispered, snuggling further into his hold, it was clear to both of you, you wouldn't be leaving his arms ever any time soon.

"Of course angel" Bucky smiled softly, stroking your hair. He'd hold you forever as long as you felt safe.

[morefandomscenarios]

Dying in his arms

A/N: Too much brainrot from fluff. I crave for angst 🙃 I've been seeing this prompt floating around and wanted to make my own version of it. Enjoy! 🥀

⛔️ TWs: (your) death, lot of tears, full-on breakdown (don't we love it when they're broken hahaha), no 'moving on' endings (well... maybe one?), angsty stuff galore (whee!)

Luffy

Denial denial denial d e n i a l

This is just a bad dream. A really bad dream.

He's had those sometimes, visions of Ace shielding him and going limp in his arms.

And now it's you.

That's all that there is, right?

And then he realizes that the sensations are too vivid to be just a bad nightmare.

The familiar scent of blood, the sensation of you going limp in his arms, the way you struggle to breathe properly...

It hits him so much harder because he's experienced someone dying in his arms once before.

If he didn't get to say goodbye to you, he would be crushed and will be practically inconsolable.

Screaming and kicking and punching everyone who's trying to coax him to let go of your unmoving body.

If he gets to say goodbye, it's even worse.

Your image overlaps with Ace, and he can't process your words, doesn't understand how and why you're encouraging him to live on and how you'll be watching him when his name spreads across the whole world as the Pirate King's successor.

How did he let this happen? Again? And to you of all people?

What kind of Pirate King can't even keep his nakama alive?

Sanji

It reminds him of his late mother, but it's an even crueler version than that.

Because he can see you slowly leaving him right in front of his eyes.

He begs and cries and presses kisses after kisses to your forehead, knowing how much you love it when he does that and how you've told him before that it makes you feel safe.

Professes his love for you over and over again, pouring all his emotions into his words and the tender touches across your skin.

You're smiling when you finally close your eyes.

Even in death, you are still so beautiful to him.

It takes him a long time until he's able to do normal activities.

He always forgets and includes your portion when he cooks for the crew.

It becomes a daily occurrence. Your snacks, your desserts, your refreshments - he still serves it to your empty seat, as if you'll somehow see it and suddenly appear in front of him.

Soon enough no one says anything when he places your favorite food and preferred drink in front of your chair. Not even Luffy tries to steal it despite how they're left unattended.

Every night he'd eat all the things he made for you, trying to memorize the taste you so loved, in fear of eventually forgetting.

Afterall, he thinks he's already forgotten the feeling he used to get whenever you called his name.

What does love feel like again?

Ace

Oh god. Oh dear. Oh no.

Full blown crying, bawling, literally a mess.

Holds you close to his body, and when he feels how cold you are he warms up his own body so you won't get cold.

Such an innocent gesture and yet so macabre.

Will literally do anything to try and keep you with him just for a little longer.

Calls out for Marco even if he's not around. He can't make sense of anything in this state.

Parts of his body are exploding and turning into flames because his mind is so unstable.

(But none of the flames touch you somehow)

Tries to hold back from sobbing and whimpering when you call his name.

Who cares if his lips bleed when his heart feels like it's been sliced open?

Hangs onto every single one of your last words while he's concentrating on your voice, your eyes, the way your lips move and whisper his name.

And when your eyes flutter to a close, he's pressing himself close to you, back to uncontrollable sobbing and yelling profanities at the cruel world. The world that scarred him and took you away.

When his own end comes, he smiles.

Not just because he's glad to have his family with him in his last moment and feel how loved he was.

But also because he's finally going to see you again.

Law

His immediate reaction, unsurprisingly, is to activate Room.

Even though he already knows from a glance that you're too far gone, that there's no hope left for you, he still does it anyway.

Inside the sphere, he can see and feel everything, and it's both a curse and a blessing in that moment.

He can feel it all. Your breathing weakening. Your heartbeat slowing. Your life, slipping away from him.

But doctors are stubborn beings when it comes to preserving life. And Law's no exception.

His thoughts going a mile a second, he's moving on autopilot: stitching everything back together, trying to stop your bleeding, removing any harmful toxins in your body, mending your broken bones - everything he could do at the moment with the very limited equipment, he does it without hesitation.

He knows all he's doing is will only result in prolonging your end for some measly extra seconds, and even though you tell him to stop, he doesn't care.

He doesn't stop even when your heart does.

The crew finds him still trying to fix you, hours later.

Eventually passes out of exhaustion from overusing his power for such a long duration. Then he's forced to stop.

It'll forever haunt him. In his dreams, in the day and at night, as long as his own heart is still beating inside his chest.

The sin of not using his Devil Fruit's ultimate power to trade your life with his.

He'll never hold anyone so close to his heart, ever again.

Kid

Loud shouting and angry yelling.

Does not understand that moving you around is worsening your condition until you manage to wheeze out a soft 'Kid, it hurts'.

Only then he freezes and as the situation dawns on him, he's utterly lost.

He can't move you, he can't get help, there's no way he's leaving you alone here like this, so what the fuck was he supposed to do now?

He only knows basic first aid and how to bandage wounds, so he does just that despite your protest.

Berates you when you tell him it's all going to be okay. You're most definitely not okay, how fucking dare you say some bullshit like that?

Never before he's this gentle and vulnerable with you, pressing your foreheads together, him rambling in panic as more and more of your blood seeped through the bandages.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck hang in there, I-I'll build you a damn heart if I have to! Just-"

His flesh arm squeezes your hand tighter when your grip weakens.

He doesn't understand why you're smiling and how you're laughing when he's literally seeing the light slowly fade from your eyes.

"I'll do anything! Fuck, you can't do this to me [name] I haven't even get to say-"

Your lifeless, dull eyes stares through his broken soul and he's unable to stop his tears from falling as he brings your blood-smeared hand to his trembling lips.

"... that... I..."

love you

Killer

Is silent. Deathly so.

But the tears are streaming through his mask, betraying how 'calm' he might have seemed.

If seeing his face is your final wish, he will gladly throw his mask away.

His hold on you is so tender and so is the hand that's wiping away the blood from your face.

Firmly shakes his head in denial when you tell him you don't have much time left.

His usually level voice is trembling as he pleads to you to stay with him.

"Not yet. Don't leave now. Not yet."

In the end, this is the only time you don't - can't - abide by his wish.

And he can't even do anything as you die in his arms.

It reminds him how he's made for slaughter, not protecting people.

That his strength is nothing in front of the grim reaper when it's insistent to take you away from him.

That he shouldn't have been overconfident, saying pretty promises to you like how he'll protect you, or that he won't let you die.

Who was he trying to fool?

In the end, he's just a killing machine.

Doflamingo

Is expressionless when he surveys the extent of damage on your body.

A mere passerby would have thought that he didn't care that you were dying in front of him.

But you know he does.

He's handling you like shards of broken glass, which you are.

Broken and just waiting for your demise, your whole body assaulted by pain.

Pulls you into his lap, doesn't even care that your blood is now all over his beloved custom made clothes, and caresses your cheek.

Removes his sunglasses. His eyes are dry, but they hold just as much pain as what you're experiencing right now.

"Do you need me to make it easier, [name]?"

You close your eyes and when you reopen them, you give him the smile he's grown to love.

Still just as breathtaking, even if it's lacking your usual vigor.

You nod. He nods back resolutely.

"Wait for me in hell."

It's the easiest and yet the hardest kill in his life.

One string bullet through your head and you're gone.

Doffy closes his eyes, allowing himself a moment of grieving before putting on his signature sunglasses and letting your body slump to the floor.

He tells his family to clean up the body and take care of your funeral.

And if they see a single tear drop down his cheeks before he launches himself into the air with his strings, they don't dare to comment on it.

Sabo

Sabo hates the stiff rules and the long protocols he has to follow sometimes, being a revolutionary and the big organization's chief of staff.

But for once he wishes he has a protocol set in place to tell him what he was supposed to be doing.

For once he wishes he has some sort of guide detailing on how to save you when you're barely hanging on to the thread of life right in front of him.

He doesn't know what to do.

Was this how Luffy felt when Ace died in his arms?

How does he do it?

How can he continue living?

How can he laugh so carefreely knowing he's failed to save someone so important?

He can't.

Locks himself in his room and doesn't come out for days.

When he does come out, it's been weeks and he's missed your funeral. His colleagues greet him carefully and he gives them a stiff nod.

They're so glad he's looking a lot better, so Koala softly suggests visiting your grave together.

He blinks and gives them a wry smile.

"[name]? .... Who's that?"

A/N: Congratulations for making this far! You're a champ! Ah, this was so much fun to write and I hope it was an enjoyable read :)