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thran-duils · 3 years ago

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Lost In Your Current (P.3)

Title: Lost In Your Current (Part Three) Summary: Fem!Reader x Dark!Tony Stark. After the snap, the team realizes that certain males were given Alpha status and certain females were assigned as Omegas, all across the galaxy, as a way to control procreation. Only Omega can give birth now. Both are marked and their DNA is tied through their marks. Tony lost Pepper and fell into depression after being rescued by Carol. Even the information that he could have happiness again could not pull him out. Until the loneliness and his new Alpha gene got to be too much. When Steve contacts him that his Omega had been found, Tony cannot resist to collect her. Words: 2,052 Warnings (for the whole fic): Dub-con, a/b/o elements, smut, forced mating, 18+ as always

Part Two || Part Four || Masterpost (mobile) || Fanfic masterpost

Tony held her in place on the stairs. She was still, panting heavily and sniffling. Tony reveled in the feeling of his knot filling her up as he emptied.

“Not the best position to be in,” Tony murmured under his breath, laying possessive kisses along her shoulder. “Maybe you’ll behave better from now on though so you don’t find yourself here again. The bed would be far more comfortable…”

He sucked at her mating mark again before giving it a soft kiss.

Tony adjusted slowly with her, bringing her back off the stairs and laid down with her on the floor, an arm wrapped protectively around her. She was being good, letting him cuddle her close, not pulling at his knot to get away. Tony nuzzled into her neck, seeing that her eyelids were fluttering. She was sleepy. Well, thankfully this rug was plush and comfortable enough. He could settle down here too, keeping her tight against him.

He awoke from slumber sometime later to her fidgeting. Not just fidgeting, she was trying to press back onto him. His knot had released, and he had slipped out during his sleep. She let out a pathetic whimper and he got up on his elbow to peer over her shoulder at her.

“Alpha…” She begged, locking eyes with him.

He saw the haze in her eyes. She smelled sweeter than she had before, it flooding him as he shook the sleepiness. Tony felt her cheek. Her skin was hot, hotter than normal. Tony sensed it now that his head was a little clearer. And a smile broke out across his face. He had done it; he knew he would be able to. He had tripped his precious Omega into her heat.

“Help.” Her lip warbled.

Oh, he was going to.

His fingers slipped between her thighs, and he shuddered feeling – and smelling – how wet she was. She welcomed his fingers, rubbing herself against them for friction. He was tempted to slip fingers inside of her and play with her nub.

But that was not what he needed – or wanted – to get her off with. He was not going to do it down here again either. No, he was going to take her proper in his king size bed. He pulled away and her eyes followed him worriedly as he pushed himself up with a small grunt and got to his feet. She was propped up on her elbows, staring up at him.

“But, Alpha—” She looked rejected.

“Come on,” he encouraged her, beckoning her with a hand as he ascended the stairs.

She scrambled up, followed him eagerly, a mixture of anxiousness and arousal on her features. Like she was afraid he was going to leave her. He adored how she followed him like a lost puppy, just wanting to be close to him. It set his desire on fire to take her again, his cock twitching at the thought of knotting and marking her all over again.

He pulled her to him at the top of the stairs and ravaged her with kisses as he walked with her, half stumbling. He kept a tight grip on her to make sure she did not trip over her own feet and fall.

Tony tore her shirt over her head as they made their way into the bedroom, his hands running over her bare form, grasping and needy. He was losing himself again, growing rougher in his movements.

She was following his lead though, letting him man handle her onto the bed, positioning her. She waited, ass in the air for him as he undressed himself as quickly as he could. His eyes were drawn to her wet sex, and he inhaled deeply, drowning in her scent. His breath was coming now in short pants as he lined himself up with her entrance and slid in with ease. He sighed in contentment with her tight walls constricted around him and she keened in shared satisfaction.

As he drove into her repeatedly, he was encouraged by the sweet sounds and mewls his Omega made for him and him alone.

“You need me, Omega?”

“Yes, Alpha!” she answered breathlessly, her fingers wrapped up tight in his comforter.

“Like to feel me filling you up, don’t you?”

“Yes! Need you!”

He was getting close but first, he wanted to feel her come undone around him.

“Touch yourself, Omega,” he ordered gruffly.

She did as he asked immediately, her fingers caressing at her sex. She worked herself up to the point she was moaning obscenely, and she shook as she tightened. Tony praised her, thrusting faster, fingers digging in at her hips. He pressed in, locking himself in, his cock engorged. Waves of pleasure rolled over him as he emptied himself into her. He leaned down, his teeth sinking back into his target. She was pleased beneath him, used and spent.

When he had caught his breath, he hooked an arm around her and rolled with her to their sides.

“Wanna face you,” she complained pathetically.

“Not yet, Omega,” he told her gently, his nose nuzzling. “Just sleep for now. You’ll be up again in no time wanting more.”

<><><>

You woke up, curled into Tony’s side. You blinked, pulling away enough to look at his face, finding him sleeping soundly. It was daytime, the room lit with natural light.

How long had you been in here in the bed? You were sore all over, your chest, between your legs, your thighs, your neck. You felt like you were hung over. And you swallowed sharply feeling the two of you were both naked underneath the sheets. You were scented all over from him, you could sense it. The whole room smelled of sex mixed with both of your scents.

You remembered then.

You had run outside, and he had gotten his hands on you at the bottom of the stairs when you had tried to escape back up them. You had slipped underneath the fog then and everything else was a blur.

Hand coming to your neck, you winced when you felt the bite.

It was done.

There were traces of memory of him inside you, him only leaving the bed – much to your dismay especially when he ordered you to stay put – to bring you water. You had refused food, you remembered that.

Your eyes landed on Tony’s face again and you took in the features of your mate, examining differently now that you were this close to him. It was a new feeling, feeling his touch, the warmth of his body against you. It felt… right. You felt safe.

But you were craving a small space and a plush place to rest. The room seemed too big. Even with your Alpha here.

Tony’s arm was positioned underneath his head, and you were free to move.

You were deliberately slow, making sure to not rock the bed too much. You slid off the bed, keeping a wary eye on him. You wanted to do this without being caught. Your feet sunk into the carpet and your eyes searched the room. Your eyes fell on the blanket at the end of the bed, and you picked it up gently along with the other one that had fallen onto the floor. Shooting another look at Tony, you found him still asleep, and you moved towards his closet.

Drawn to the clothes he wore most often – the detergent did not remove him completely – you took some of them off the thick wood, curved hangers.

Silently, you left the closet, your arms full of the blankets and a collection of his sweaters and t-shirts. To your relief, the door did not creak when you opened it and slipped out.

<><><>

Tony shifted and half awake, he moved his arm, expecting to wrap it around Y/N who had fallen asleep tucked into his side.

Instead, he was met with an empty bed.

His eyes shot open, and he sat up quickly, seeing her side of the bed was indeed empty. Tony looked around the room wildly in panic as he threw his blankets back and got out of bed. The door to the patio was still locked and the windows were all closed. FRIDAY had not notified him that any of them had been opened either. His eyes shot to the bedroom door, finding it ajar.

Not again, he thought agitated. She should be obedient now!

He spared a few seconds to snatch his boxers off the ground and pull them on. Taking some steps around the bed, he noticed that the throw blanket that had been falling off the end of the bed and the one that had fallen to the ground during their passion were gone. He was confused about that but he did not waste any more time before he left the bedroom.

“Y/N?” he called out, keeping his voice devoid of the dread quickly seeping in.

As he came to the staircase, he heard a bump come from the guest bedroom behind him, causing him to come to a stop and face it. He walked into the room, finding the bed made. His eyes slid to the closet, and he saw the door was closed. He never left the closet doors closed. Coming over to it, he opened the door. He could make out the outline of a figure sitting on the ground further into the walk-in closet and he turned the light on. Y/N was sitting in a nest made of a mixture of his clothes and the missing blankets.

Tony knew about this too and he let out the tension in a long exhale seeing she was still in the cabin and was only building a safe space for herself.

<><><>

You were like a deer in headlights. You bit your lip, hoping he would not get mad that you had taken some of his clothes down off their hangers along with ones that had been in his hamper, and tucked them into your blankets. You were sure they were all expensive; you had seen some of the tags: Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Fendi.

“I’m sorry,” you said in a hoarse whisper when he did not move.

“For what?”

“Taking your clothes… and putting them on the ground.”

“You don’t have to be sorry about that. They’re just clothes. And plus, if it makes you feel safe, have at it.”

He was brushing it off without much concern, which set you more at ease.

“Why didn’t you just stay in my closet though?” he questioned, and even though he tried to hide it, you picked up on his apprehension. Staying in his room made sense, it kept you close where he could be sure you were more protected.

“I… my space,” you tried to explain but it sounded silly.

Tony contemplated for a moment before he shrugged, “Right. Okay.”

You could not tell if he was displeased or not. You shifted in the blankets and asked, “How long were we…”

“A few days,” he answered, catching what you were asking. His eyes ran over your body, resting on your abdomen for a few moments before meeting your eyes again.

As if on cue, your stomach rumbled. And it was loud. You felt heat creep.

“I was wondering when you were going to get hungry,” Tony said. He straightened up, his hand leaving the door handle of the closet door. “I’ll make you something to eat.” You nodded and he drug his eyes from you and turned, leaving you.

You craned your neck, watching him leave the room. He was in full protective mode. You could have it way worse than having Tony Stark as your Alpha. He was a superhero for godsake and rich to boot. He was established and you would be safe up here in the mountains. You sunk back into the blankets and picked up at one of his t-shirts, rubbing it in between your fingers.

The feeling you were going to get lonely without your friends and family though was eating away at you. You would have to deal with that as it came. Forcing the thought from your mind, you reached forward, grabbing another shirt from the pile still waiting to be assembled. You focused and looked to where it would fit best.

~~~

Marvel tags: @coconutqueen21 @undecidedsworld @holl2712 @agustdowney @biiskuitx @buttercupfangirl

#tony stark x reader #dark!tony stark #dark tony stark #dark marvel #my shit

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starsfic · 4 years ago

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Smoke and Gold, Chapter 1: Love Potion Mishap

AO3

Summary: Red Son goes to do a task. It...doesn't work out as planned.

Notes: @fosermi

-_-

Life was good.

Qi Xiaotian was enjoying life. He was the delivery boy of one of the greatest (in his biased opinion) noodle shops in the city. His best friend was the greatest (again, in his biased opinion) street racer. He was the future successor and adopted son of the Monkey King, his idol.

Truth be told, the last one's charm had worn off when he was fifteen, a year after he had run away from his parents, met the Monkey King, and had been brought to Flower Fruit Mountain. The teenage angst phase had hit then and he had kinda realized that Sun Wukong was depressed. And lazy. And kinda selfish. And that had killed the awe of it.

But he had also realized that he also loved him. Enough to try. It was slow going and there were bumps in the road but at twenty-one, Xiaotian was happy at how his family had turned out. Sometimes, that love and awe bubbled in his heart and the world turned brighter.

Like now.

It was Xiaotian’s last delivery of the day. He was on one of the city’s high roads and, from his angle and with the sun setting, the city was golden. It was so pretty that he wanted to take out his sketchbook and draw the scene. Unfortunately, he was driving.

And also had a stalker.

Xiaotian parked and got out, ringing the doorbell. The exchanging of food and money went smoothly and he was soon heading back to the noodle cart. He pulled out his phone as he walked. As he pretended to be fiddling, he sneakily caught a picture.

The image loaded easily on the screen: a robot, wearing armor, and wearing the crest of the Bull Demon family. He sent the picture to Wukong before hopping in.

He wasn’t sure why these servants of Princess Iron Fan had started stalking him. Xiaotian hadn’t even noticed until Xiaojiao had pointed it out, two weeks ago. He and his dad had sat down, debating the possibilities. Ultimately, they came up with nothing because, as far as anyone not in Xiaotian’s circle of trust knew, he didn’t have any connection to them.

Who was interested in a simple delivery boy?

The ride back to Pigsy's was tense, ready for something to happen. Nothing happened. But he didn't relax until he was parked in front of the shop with the logo he designed himself.

A bird call made Xiaotian look up, right before entering the shop. He grinned when he saw a familiar bird, flying around, the sunset reflected on golden wings and a clear monkey tail. After a quick look around to confirm the street was empty, he held out his arm. After another circle around, the bird flew down and settled on, careful to not dig his claws into skin. Xiaotian couldn't help his smile.

"Hey, Dad."

-_-

The Bull Clone, hiding on a nearby roof, watched as the bird settled onto the delivery boy's arm. After what appeared to be a one-sided exchange, the boy took the bird into the little hole in the wall. The robot watched this all.

A few miles away, in another part of the city, Iron Fan watched the scene. It was oddly domestic, her new enemy clearly having experience with holding her old enemy. She hissed in distaste. But, the scene would soon be ruined.

She tore her eyes away from the screen to the bottle in her hand. Iron Fan turned it, considering it.

For all purposes, it was a simple glass bottle. The only decoration was a purple ribbon wrapped around the end and the characters written carefully on top of the cork: LOVE. Inside, a purple potion glittered.

This love potion had been part of a scheme of one of her husband's old advisors. They kept the court in order while Iron Fan worked on freeing their king. But this advisor had wanted more. He had been executed a few days ago.

But, despite his betrayal, he had presented a solution to her problem. The door behind her opened. “Yes, Mother?” Red Son said, sounding annoyed. He didn’t understand her desire for petty vengeance, busy as he was. She was so glad she had such a dedicated son, but it would work out.

“I want you to take this,” She handed him the bottle. “And make Sun Wukong’s successor fall in love with a demon.” Red Son adjusted his glasses before looking over the bottle. When he looked up, he was frowning.

“Mother, not to question your judgment, but...wouldn’t it be easier to kill him?”

Iron Fan smiled, reaching out to squeeze her son’s cheeks. “My dear, stupid boy,” she cooed. “If we simply do that, Sun Wukong could track that back to us. We aren’t prepared for that.” She released him to turn back to the screen, considering the shop. “But, if he falls in love with a random demon, he’ll either be dead or kidnapped. Either way, Wukong never tracks it back to us and we’ll have one less obstacle.”

“But-”

“Go.”

She didn’t even have to let out a warning breeze. Red Son groaned but stuffed the bottle in his pocket and marched off. Iron Fan didn’t watch him leave. She was more focused watching Qi Xiaotian leave.

Heading to his doom.

A smirk spread on her face. Victory had never been closer.

She couldn’t wait.

-_-

It was late when Red Son landed on the beach of Flower Fruit Mountain. He had sent Bull Clones to spy months, making sure what was the right hour and path to do a late night attack, if it was ever required. He took off on the back path his robots had marked for him. The bottle of love potion was warm in his pocket.

He walked for what felt like hours, the jungle heat making him sweat, before reaching the second, smaller back path that led to the Monkey King’s cabin. Red couldn’t help but smile at the thrill as he took off down it. Sun Wukong didn’t know he was here.

And he wouldn’t until the trap slammed shut on his so-called successor.

Red finally entered the large cave inside the mountain. Moonlight bathed the cabin, but that wasn’t what he was looking for. He walked around the standing stone the cabin was on until he found what looked like cellar doors.

Nobody knew this, but the manor that the Monkey King had found when he first jumped through the waterfall was still around. The cabin was an entrance to it. The mansion itself had been sunk under the earth to hide it and the treasure it kept from prying eyes.

Unfortunately, prying eyes had found it.

Red opened the doors. There was a creak of rusty hinges. The demon froze. But nobody came out looking at the noise, so he continued down. He entered into a warm dirt and stone tunnel. Red followed the instructions of the Bull Clone that had been brave enough to go down here and went right.

The tunnel this way, straight down, led to a set of gauzy curtains. Red pushed them aside.

A skylight filled the room with moonlight. The bedroom was warm, the floor decorated with multi-colored carpets and the stone walls decorated with artwork. Red had to pause when he noticed one. The little Red Boy depicted on it made him grin. He shook off the happy daze and returned to his task.

He pulled out the bottle as he approached the nest that was made of large rocks, blankets, and pillows, another set of curtains hiding the occupant. Red pushed aside the curtain...and froze.

Dark hair was spread out on the pillow. Dark eyelashes rested on the cheeks of a lovely face. Whatever he was dreaming about had made him pout, revealing soft lips that would be perfect to kiss. Red swallowed before looking away.

No. Nope. Yes, the mortal was lovely and yes he was kinda curious about what his eyes looked like. But there were more important things to do. Like revenge.

Still, he hesitantly swallowed before uncorking the bottle.

Then there was a sudden snort and something else and Qi Xiaotian sat up. Red bit back a yell, the bottle flew out of his hands as he scrambled back, and he landed on his butt. He barely had a moment to wonder where the love potion was before something spilled over him. He groaned as something purple and smelling of orchids rolled over his face.

“Oh no-”

And then he was looking into Xiaotian’s eyes.

They were a beautiful dark brown that reminded him of the dirt that grew Guanyin’s private bamboo grove, warm and full of life. Despite them being open, they were glazed over, clear that he was mostly asleep. Red couldn’t help but wonder what they would look like when bright with excitement. Xiaotian sat up a little longer before falling back down to his bed.

Red stared, feeling his hair give off sparks.

...oh no.

Oh no, he liked him. The love potion had pushed him over that cliff into the horrid fate. He was in love with Qi Xiaotian. Red groaned, moving to collapse on his butt, back against Xiaotian’s nest.

His mother was going to kill him.

#Spicynoodleshipping #my writing #Eros and Psyche AU #Monkie Kid #Lego Monkie Kid #au #Qi Xiaotian #MK #Princess Iron Fan #Sun Wukong #Red Son

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hopingforcoordinates · 5 years ago

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what was jean and neil's dynamic in the nest actually like? does andrew have the right idea when he thinks that neil acted as a shield while jean cowered? how do neil and jean see their own relationship? jean obv got frustrated w neil for breaking rules, did neil ever resent jean for never standing up for himself or neil? did they have any Inside Jokes or special habits?

Jean didn’t cower exactly, he was just too depressed/numb to do much in the face of Riko’s anger. His defense mechanism was to shut down while Neil’s was to fight back. Neil did feel more responsible for Jean’s well-being than Jean did for Neil’s, but that was more because Neil’s temperament kinda naturally put him in the role of protector. It also helped Neil to have someone to look after and focus on; Jean was his reason not to self-destruct or burn the whole place down.

In the beginning, Neil taught Jean everything that his mother taught him about how to cope and how to “send his mind away” (Jean is very familiar with Neil’s imaginary cabin in the mountains). In those days, they’d talk about anything and everything and they had their own little games. They took an Exy ball back to their room and made a makeshift bowling lane between their beds, using empty toilet paper rolls for pins. They tied some string to a few paper clips, hung them from the shower rod in their bathroom, and tried to shoot them with rubber bands. Sometimes when the Nest was fairly empty, they would go snooping through the Ravens’ rooms. They mocked Riko and Kevin’s TV interviews and snickered privately together when Riko and Kevin failed to get the ball past them on the court.

As they got older and the abuse got worse and the reality of we’re never getting out of here sank in, they stopped playing around. Their teasing got sharper and their arguments escalated more quickly. They were trapped together and Jean wanted to give up, but Neil was determined to keep going. Jean resented Neil a little because Neil wouldn’t let him die. Neil was too terrified of losing Jean to really be bitter or resentful about anything.

#anon #asks #abuse mention #suicide mention #depression

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lifeinahole27 · 6 years ago

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CS ff: “On the Two” (Chapter 1/9) (au)

Summary: He’s one bad trip from ending up in AA, and she’s one performance away from a solid job and moving closer to home. Their paths were unlikely to cross until Camp Hope brought them together. How and why they meet and intertwine is against the odds, and definitely against the rules, but will that really stand in their way? A Dirty Dancing inspired modern au.

Rating: E

Content Warnings: Borderline alcoholism, very brief mentions of past relationships, mentions of the loss of a limb - this fic is primarily tame but I’ll do my best to tag anything that might need tags.

Chapter Specific Warnings: Alcohol use, past injury mentions

A/N: Holy. Shit. I’ve finally found a minute to post chapter 1. Hoping to stick to a Thursday schedule for posting, and I can’t wait for you all to see this unfold.

I have to give shoutouts and love to three very important people to this process. @initiala sent this over a year ago: look i know you're busy and have a lot of fics, but just hear me out: CS Dirty Dancing AU. So. Now you know who to blame/thanks, like I’ve been doing! To @phiralovesloki for the heaps of emotional support and handholding when I needed it. I can’t imagine my life without you in general, let alone my writing process. And of course, my beta, my dancing expert, my sanity: @captainstudmuffin. Thanks for all you do for me, from proofreading to slapping me into action. I’m sure we’re even on boob punches... for now.

Catch it on FFN & Ao3!

Welcome to Camp Hope!

About Us

Years ago, Ruth Nolan operated these camp grounds as a haven for children to explore the fruits of the Earth and come into their own. For fifteen years, she oversaw the summers of thousands of children, all in need of the room to grow and eager to learn the skills of the outdoors.

In honor of Ruth’s hard work, we’ve re-opened the camp to those who still want to learn about the wilderness, explore the rich terrain that this coastal Maine property has to offer, and take the classes you’ve maybe not had time to take in the past. It’s not all outdoors, either! Our staff is composed of very talented individuals that are available to teach you almost anything, from dancing to the arts, yoga and fitness routines, as well as anything you’d expect from the average camp of summers past. You’ll enrich your body and mind and connect in ways you never have before!

A summer camp for adults may seem like an outdated or unconventional thing, but here at Camp Hope, we aim to improve the memories you may have of summer camps long past, or make new ones if this is your first time. Plus, now is your chance to try things like zip-lining without getting a consent form signed! There are plenty of perks to trying new things when you’re old enough to decide for yourself.

Please check our FAQs and pricing packages; your stay can be as short as a week or as long as the whole summer. Our accommodations range from your own private cabin to our brand new, hotel-style lodgings. We welcome you, and hope you’ll enjoy your experiences!

Sincerely,

Snow and David Nolan

Owners, Camp Hope Ltd.

-x-

Sifting through the mail on his table, Killian tosses the pamphlet for some kind of camping place into the stack to be thrown away. It joins the myriad of advertisements and coupons that he doesn’t bother to look at or ever use. Besides, if it’s a camp marketed towards adults, it’s likely something religious or a thinly veiled addiction recovery facility, and while he’s probably edging along the lines of alcoholism, he’s damn well not there yet.

There’s roughly a week’s worth of mail here, as it’s been a couple days since he’s even thought to check his mailbox, but he’s sure Liam will be up his arse any day here to go over his finances. If he makes it look like he’s been keeping things in order, Liam is less likely to give him his Worried Brother speech this month.

He sips at his coffee, pausing just a moment to pop two painkillers before resuming his sorting. When he’s hungover, the phantom pain where his left hand should be is stronger, and today is no exception to that. He hasn’t bothered to put on his prosthetic, content instead to leave it off until he has to go into public.

Days like this, though, he has nothing but time to mindlessly sift through his queue and get day-drunk. It’s been ages since Killian can remember going more than two or three days without a drink. That doesn’t stop him from unscrewing the top of his favorite brand of rum when he pours the second cup before he settles in to watch Netflix. He sprawls across the couch, happy as he ever can be to live off the settlement over the accident that cost him his hand.

There’s a bar down the street that he visits when he needs personal interaction, and if he’s lucky there might even be a woman willing to help with even more personal interactions. That’s what last night had been – him in the bar until closing, a brunette that he can’t remember the name of giggling as she pulled him towards her car. A short while later, a cab brought him home, alone, with a little less dignity than he had before.

The sound of a key in the door announces Liam’s arrival before the man himself calls out a greeting, and Killian is minimally glad for the distraction from the road of self-pity and/or loathing that he was about to embark down. He knew there was a good reason to starting his sorting today. He stashes the bottle of rum beneath the coffee table again, running his fingers through his hair real quick to tame it down.

“Ah, you are awake. Excellent. I thought we’d set your bills straight, and maybe head out for some lunch. Breakfast? What meal are you on?”

“Let’s just call it brunch. Eat first, bills second,” Killian declares, sending his spiked coffee one forlorn look as he realizes he’ll have to go get dressed and act like a responsible adult for a few hours. He takes one more gulp before taking the mug to the kitchen to dump it out.

He’s in his room for just over five minutes, using food as a motivator to get him out the door sooner. The shirt is mostly wrinkle free, and he thinks the jeans he slides on are clean, so he’s at least presentable and won’t have to deal with Liam’s tongue-clicking. He makes sure to snag his sunglasses off the entryway table before ushering his brother out the door. Had he taken much longer, Liam surely would’ve declared that the bills looked quick or manageable, and they’d take ‘just a minute more’ to complete. As it is, he can see his piles have been tampered with, straightened and organized to his brother’s preferences, as he glances back on his way out; he timed it just perfectly.

Halfway through eating, Liam takes a sip from his water before placing it back on the table, steepling his fingers as he rests his hands on the table. “I’ve just had a thought,” he says in a way that really gives away that he’s been sitting on this for a while now. “How would you like to get out of town for a while?”

“When? How long?” Killian asks, preoccupied by the task of trapping all the toppings on his sandwich. He hates using his prosthetic to eat, doing his best instead to wrangle the whole thing with his right hand while his left arm stays beneath the table.

“Over the summer? We could make an adventure of it. Maybe go back home, visit the relatives. It’s not like you’re doing anything here. As my own boss, I can afford to take some time off. We go, we live a little, return in the fall as new men. What do you say?”

The prospect of getting out of the city, away from everything that holds painful memories for him, does sound appealing. Spending the whole time with his brother, however, tarnishes it just a touch. It’s not that he doesn’t love his brother, but Liam has a tendency to be… a little overbearing.

Of course, for a long time after Killian’s accident, Liam probably had every right to be. He’d just lost a hand, for fuck’s sake. Coming just after the loss of his fiancée probably didn’t help, either, but Killian was deep in a hole of depression for so long he wasn’t sure he was ever going to see the surface again. Now, he’s not so much depressed as he is resigned to this life, unemployed due to disability, living off the accident settlement, and drinking away his feelings as often as possible without officially becoming an alcoholic.

The thing is, Liam’s overprotective shadowing of Killian’s life is nothing new. He’s been this way for as long as Killian can remember, and since Killian can only half remember a handful of instances with either their mum or their dad, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibilities that Liam feels more like Killian’s father than his older brother. Still, every bird has to fly the nest sometime.

And Killian did for a bit. He flew, and was so close to having everything he wanted in his life – a job doing a craft he loved, a woman that he intended to marry and grow a family and home with, and still the taste for adventure on the tip of his tongue if he ever chose. But all good things come to an end, in his experience.

First was Milah’s passing. Her brief but destructive illness soaked up all their life savings, leaving Killian with a broken heart and empty pockets. He didn’t care about the money, and why should he? He lost the reason he was saving it in the first place. He could earn it all again, but he’d never have Milah back. And then, shortly after, as he helped wrap up a custom boat build for a wealthy client, something went wrong. He still doesn’t remember exactly what happened, just that one minute he had a left hand, and the next he didn’t; it really was that simple.

“I’ll think about it,” Killian finally says, abandoning the hand-held option for his food and dropping it back into the basket it came in. He stabs at the pieces of it with his fork and considers the offer. He will think about it, too; he’s not just saying so to change the conversation back to footy and traffic patterns. It’s been a long time since he’s gotten away. He’s set for life on a permanent vacation if he so chooses, but a change of scenery would be welcome at this juncture of his life.

The idea marinates all while they finish their meal, and the whole walk back to Killian’s apartment. He’s so hung up on the possibilities involved that he doesn’t even complain as they sit down with his meager stack of bills. He signs when he’s told to do so, with no remarks about the tedium of the task while they work.

By the time the afternoon is wrapping up, Killian has made up his mind. As Liam stamps the last of the bills and puts Killian’s checkbook back where it resides, Killian speaks up. “I’ve thought about your offer to get away for the summer. Might not be such a bad idea, after all.” He keeps his tone light, nonchalant, hoping that Liam won’t catch on that it’s something he might genuinely be excited about for the first time in longer than he can recall.

“Excellent. Leave all the planning to me,” Liam says as he stands and throws the trash into the bin. “I’ll send you a packing list when I’ve finalized the plans and we can meet up again to get everything squared away for a couple months out of town.”

With a shrug, Killian extracts himself from the couch in order to see his brother out since all their business is complete. In his distracted state, he misses the gleeful look on Liam’s face; it’s an expression his brother was infamous for as they were growing up and meant that Killian was about to be served a life-lesson, and he likely wasn’t going to enjoy it very much. But he’s so lost in his thoughts about all the places they may go – both familiar and new – that he bids his brother goodbye and settles back in for his slightly interrupted day of Netflix.

He doesn’t even slip more rum into his glass until after he’s had his dinner.

-x-

Emma Swan is just as much a part of Camp Hope as the camp is part of her. For the last fourteen years, Emma has been making the journey of varying lengths back to the campgrounds; it’s something a lot like flocking home for the summer, and she’s made the trip from right in Storybrooke – the tiny town closest to the camp – and from as far as Tallahassee, all those years ago.

This year, she’s traveling from just outside Boston along with her roommate, Ruby. While the stories of their upbringings are vastly different, Emma and Ruby have been two peas of a pod since Emma’s first trip.

Back then, she was journeying to Camp Hope as part of a foster kid outreach program. It was two glorious weeks that she and twenty-some other foster kids got to go to someplace new, rather than waste away in a group home or get shipped off to bible camp again. She was fourteen, and while some of the crafts and activities were aimed at kids much younger than her, she still sat at the table and made bracelets, tie-dyed a shirt and bandana, and participated in capture the flag with water balloons like it was her first time, but that’s mostly because it was.

At the campfire that night, Ruby plopped down next to her, showing her the “right” way to toast marshmallows and offering to put red streaks in Emma’s hair so they could match.

Emma passed on the streaks, but the next day when Ruby dragged her to a special meeting for future counselors, it was all history from there. More than just finding a way to spend her summers that didn’t involve wallowing in her own loneliness and isolation, Emma met David Nolan during the counselors program. Upon picking up bits and pieces about her, David decided to introduce Emma to his mother. As soon as Ruth met Emma, she was set on bringing her on as a permanent fixture in their lives.

Having previously thought that she’d never find a place that wanted her, a place that wanted someone old by foster standards and jaded beyond reason, Emma was shocked. Not only was she wanted, she was loved. Despite the three year age difference, and the short time they’d been together, David became her best friend and brother, with Ruby a close second.

There was a shared passion of dancing between Emma and Ruby, and when they weren’t raking in the volunteer hours during the summer, they were saving every penny they earned from their respective guardians to take dance lessons one town over. And that’s the way it went until they graduated.

Remembering what happened after graduation always leaves Emma with a pit of shame in her stomach that feels a lot like indigestion, so when she wanders to the kitchen, she pops two antacids before starting up the coffee maker. It used to be worse, but time heals all, even wounds that don’t feel like they’ll ever scab over.

It’s time for their annual trip back, just two days away, and Emma has too much to do to spend her morning in a guilt trip over things that happened in the past. Instead, she wanders down the hallway to get Ruby up. There’s a whole list for her friend to complete today, and she’s pretty sure she’s also battling with a hangover from being out too late the night before.

She knocks, only twisting the knob and entering the room after hearing the faint groan of invitation. “Hey there, champ. Good morning!”

Ruby groans again, struggling to push her eye mask off her face and groping for the pain killers and water on her nightstand. She’s one of those drinkers that’s always considerate to her morning self – something Emma has always been in awe of. “You’re not the morning person, stop sounding so chipper,” Ruby instructs after drinking down half the water. She hauls herself to sit up, patting the edge of her bed for Emma to sit down. “What’s on your Snow-style agenda for the day?”

“I’m going to clean. You’re going to wrap up the sub-let on the studio space. Graham is supposed to be down there around noon, so you’ve got time, but I need you to grab the costumes we’ll need for performance nights.” She leaves Ruby to get herself out of bed, and calls out that she’ll get breakfast started.

“Don’t break the toaster!” Ruby calls from behind door that Emma closes on her way out, and while Ruby can’t see Emma rolling her eyes, she knows her friend will sense it. It was one time.

Leaving for Camp Hope has always been a little tumultuous for them, but after this many years, Emma thinks they’ve gotten a little better at it. There were a few years where they weren’t going back to work camp, and those are the years that make Emma’s heart ache most – more than the year she refuses to think about.

They closed the camp when Ruth’s health suddenly declined the year after the year-that-shall-not-be-named, and Emma and David only made the journey every week to tend the growing weeds and mend the deteriorating buildings the best they could. With Ruby’s help, they were able to keep the camp from falling apart, but the same couldn’t be said for them. Ruth passed the winter after Emma turned twenty, and she lost the closest thing to a mother she’d ever found.

Luckily, they had one more to hold their family unit together. A year after Emma met him, David met Mary Margaret Blanchard, better known to her friends as Snow, and Emma got to witness fairytale levels of Love at First Punch between them. Down the road, the wedding was a bit rushed, so that Ruth could watch her son get married. Years after the quick engagement and marriage saw them going stronger than ever.

For two years, the camp remained closed, but David and Snow, thanks to an off-hand comment from Emma, decided to reopen the beloved summer camp as an experience for adults. It took a whole other year until they could renovate everything up to standards, but it was worth it. The first year they opened again, it was so profitable and the waitlist was so long that they were easily able to expand and enhance the experiences.

Shaking her head, Emma realizes she’s spending way too much time reflecting and not enough time moving. Down the hall, she hears Ruby’s water start up, and knows she has until the time the taps shut off to get that woman some hangover worthy breakfast. Pouring herself a large mug of coffee, she takes three deep, scalding gulps to get herself going.

She’s just plating up some eggs and bacon, snatching a bagel from the toaster so Ruby can construct her own breakfast sandwich when the roommate in question comes ambling into the kitchen.

This is Emma’s favorite version of Ruby. Stripped of her makeup, without a product in the world in her hair post-shower, wearing an old t-shirt and boxers for her pajamas. Her usual persona is an elaborate mask, with the heavy makeup and killer manicure, flirtation just as exposed as her long, lean legs normally are. The short shorts and low-cut tops are standard everywhere but at home. That’s the Ruby that will likely crawl into her car bright and early in a couple days, but today she’s happy to spend time with average Ruby, and she’s happy when she does not break the toaster again. There are small miracles, after all.

When both of them are settled at the breakfast bar with their food, they start talking strategy, both in prep for leaving and for camp itself.

“Are the costumes for the Waltz demo here or at the studio?” Emma asks as she alternates sips of coffee and bites of her pop-tart.

“The studio, I think. I’ll grab them when I meet with Graham and lock up everything else of ours.”

“Good. Don’t sleep with him this time, okay?”

“No promises,” Ruby says, a wicked grin spreading across her lips even as she tries to hide it behind her coffee mug.

At the very least, they might get a deal on the rent again, which is the only consolation Emma can think of. The rest of their day is a whirlwind, with Ruby taking care of the studio and Emma tidying up their apartment. She packs the bulk of their non-perishable foods to take with them, cleaning as she goes, until the whole kitchen is spotless. She also takes the time to write down the instructions and emergency numbers for Aurora, their downstairs neighbor that’s been kind enough to take care of their plants and fish while they’re gone.

It’ll be weeks until either one of them can make it back to the city, if they do at all, but Emma doesn’t mind. While she loves Ruby and living in the city, she gets her own cabin for the summer. They converted one of the old lodges into a dance/yoga studio, located just a short walk along the west trail from the main lodge. Behind said studio, they relocated one of the cabins and refurnished the whole place to act as the dance director’s housing for the summer. Thankfully, Ruby likes to throw herself into a multitude of activities, so she bunks in the staff cabins up the hill and leaves Emma to have her solitude.

Mostly, all that means is that no one will know that she’s in the studio putting in extra hours. Maybe this will be the year she can quit hunting down bail skippers and be able to focus on nothing but dancing. She can always dream, at least.

Ruby stops in only briefly to drop off a case of their costumes and check in, taking the time to change into a date dress and do her hair and make-up. She gives Emma a wink before she leaves and tells her not to wait up, before disappearing in a flurry of stiletto clicks and perfume. She doesn’t get home until late, when Emma is already tucked in her bed hoping to fall asleep. Her friend is humming and heads straight for the shower.

Emma’s not a bit surprised two days later when Ruby announces that Graham decided to pay more than they originally negotiated, and laughs at the wolfish grin on Ruby’s face as they throw their bags into the backseat and boot of the Volkswagen Bug that Emma’s had for years. They’re actually running on time for once, but Emma doesn’t expect that to last long, especially when, after only an hour, Ruby announces that she’s famished and starts calling out the name of food places they pass.

The trip to Storybrooke, on the coast of Maine, is one of Emma’s favorites. The scenic views from Boston onward are ones she’s familiar with, but that still lift her heart. The trip is only four hours if they don’t stop, but with Ruby’s pea-sized bladder, and her bottomless stomach, it’s more likely they’ll get there in five hours… if they’re lucky.

One year, it took them almost twice as long to make the journey because Ruby was chasing down the International Cryptozoology Museum and her cheap-o GPS meant that the museum (which was on the way) eluded them for hours until Emma screeched that they were done looking and if Ruby really wanted to see it, they’d find it on the way home.

They found it on the first try on their return drive, and Ruby bought her the biggest cone of Rocky Road ice cream they could find at a nearby ice cream stand, to make up for the original disaster.

This job that they do, this ability to go up and demo and teach dances to the souls that will wander through the paths of Camp Hope, is only possible because of the popularity of the camp. The first year, Emma and Ruby would switch off every two weeks, with Ruby piling all her lessons into the two weeks she was home and Emma trying to catch ask many bail skips as possible in between her own lessons and classes. When the popularity of the camp became apparent, they were able to rent out their studio space to a few other dance teachers in the area while they took the whole summer to attend to the camp. It helps that David is able to pay them, and pay them well, for their time and energy.

Along the way, Emma has met the heartbroken and the heartbreakers, she’s met dreamers and lovers, she’s taught cynics and optimists, and she’s danced for every person in between. The two of them together have dealt with perverts and assholes, handsy men and women who don’t take “no” for an answer, and people who have gone on to contact them once the summer ends to continue their lessons in the city. It makes it all worth it, these months away from all the comforts of home, to spend their summers in another version of home.

Plus, thanks to an excellent network of friends in Boston, they never want for anything from home if they forget it. It’s all just a PayPal and overnight shipping away, really.

As Ruby climbs back into the car from their third rest stop, this thought comes in handy. “I left my favorite performance shoes by the door,” Emma groans out as her friend seatbelts in and starts the car.

“Good, because I forgot to grab my sleeping pills off my nightstand,” she says, grinning quickly and dropping the sunglasses back onto her nose.

“I’ll text Aurora now.”

With the promise of a package imminently to be sent their way, Emma relaxes as the last of their journey passes by outside the windows. She zones out to the sights, not perking up again until they hit the Storybrooke town limits. They’ll top off the tank and stop in to see Granny for lunch (second or third lunch by Emma’s count) before heading up to the campgrounds. Her car crawls by each familiar sight, and Emma smiles at the simplicity of it all – the never-changing nature of their sleepy little town. While she only officially lived in Storybrooke for three years, it’s still the only place she’s ever called home.

Granny is already outside by the curb when they pull up, and Emma takes a minute to let Ruby climb out of the car to reunite with her grandmother. It’s only after she sees their hug loosen up that she opens her door, languidly stretching as she unfolds herself from the passenger seat. Then it’s her turn for Granny to gather her up and hug her so hard that Emma’s back cracks. She won’t complain, it definitely eases the travel tension to get a hug from Granny. They’re ushered inside the small diner the elderly (and boy, would be lose her shit if Emma said that term out loud) woman has run for the last billion years.

“When should I expect the first package from your neighbor?” Granny asks after their lunches have been set in front of them.

Ruby laughs, not even ashamed of the fact that they’re so predictable that her grandmother knows they’ve already left something behind.

“We’ll be back in town over the weekend to get it,” Emma answers.

“I already saw one of the trucks of shipment head up to the campgrounds,” Granny remarks as she refills Ruby’s coffee cup. “Your brother has been up there for weeks getting everything ready.”

“Please tell me he’s at least eating.”

“Snow has badgered him back home a couple times now to eat and sleep, and she picks up meals on the days they decide to stay up there. Sounds like you’re gonna have a full camp most of the summer.”

“That’s the plan,” Ruby says, beaming before she takes the last bite of her sandwich.

Emma waves them both off when they move to go into the back for more family time. It’s not that she and Ruby don’t get to visit ever, it’s just that the stretch between Christmas and camp time can sometimes feel like much longer. The same itch resides just below her skin – the need to see her brother and sister-in-law so strong that she almost slips away before she’s done eating and leaving Ruby to hitch a ride out later with one of the counselors that lives in town.

Instead, she idly swirls her onion rings through her ketchup, taking her time with making sure every crumb is gone from the plate while she waits. She glances around, waving to the familiar faces in the booths and at the counter beside her, and she grins at the large board already propped near the entrance that loudly welcomes the campers to town. Since the grounds are two miles north of Storybrooke, many will pass through on their way. Some will stay overnight in the bed and breakfast while others will stop for a bite and a fill-up before continuing on to Camp Hope.

Thankfully, the business that the camp brings to the town will mean that the owners of most, if not all, of the establishments will have their pockets lined for months to come, making the onslaught of guests and visitors worth it when the summer ends and they go back to something less than a speck on the map of Maine.

Ruby and Granny are back a short time later, while Emma is idly catching up with a sweet yoga teacher that goes by Tink. The name is fitting of the cherub-faced woman with the perfect curly bun of blonde hair on top of her head. She’s new to the staff, but not to the town, so Emma is happy to listen to her excitement bubble over as she discusses all the classes she’ll be teaching for the next few months.

“A little help?” Ruby asks, and Emma finally glances up to see her friend’s arms laden down with several bags of what Emma assumes are home-cooked meals, prepared in advance and packaged for the crew that’s already working on getting the grounds ready for the summer. She moves around the counter to take a few of the cloth totes, waving farewell to Tink as they head out.

The rest of the afternoon passes quickly; they use the main entrance to deliver the food to Snow, who’s waiting for them beneath the welcome sign when they pull up. Emma hugs her tight before transferring two of the bags to her. They make the short trek down to the main lodge where Emma gets to give her brother his own hug, tight and bracing and full of the warmth she misses when she’s away from him for so long. With lunch delivered, Ruby and Emma head back up to the car to move it to the staff parking.

The lodges they’ll each be staying in are much closer to their hidden lot than they are the main entrance, which works out well when they’re unloading enough luggage for four months, and maybe a kitchen sink or two. It takes them three trips up and down the steps leading to the lot: one to Ruby’s space in the staff lodges, one to Emma’s private lodge, and one to the studio itself.

Emma wastes no time turning on all the lights and stepping up onto the vast wooden floor. There are mirrors lining one wall, floor to ceiling, and another has all the cabinets where they store their costumes and gear. The wall opposite her reflection has windows spaced evenly apart, which she immediately starts working open even as Ruby brings in the last tote of their stuff. The air is a little stagnant, but flipping on the overhead fans will get it moving again.

Ruby drops the last container with their gear, rushing out to choose her space and start unpacking as soon as she can and promising to come back later to help get the studio in order. Emma waves her off, already itching to have the space to herself. Her muscles are practically begging to be warmed up, to take advantage of the wide open space that calls her name.

She knows she needs to clean first; the mirrors and windows all have that faint tinge of grime that comes from a long winter of neglect. The air conditioning unit needs to be tended to, as well, and tested to make sure it’s in working order before the summer starts in full. Then there’s the cleaning and organizing and stocking and… and Emma doesn’t care. She rips open the first bag she finds and pulls out leggings and a sports bra – they’ll do in a pinch. She changes quickly before skipping along the path back to the studio.

It’s only a matter of time before she’s selected something with an upbeat tempo, thankful again for the auxiliary port that allows her to play her own music from the impressive sound system. She sits on the dusty floors for a moment to slip on a beat up pair of practice shoes and lamenting again how she’ll have to turn her focus to cleaning next.

She takes her time stretching, making sure to work out all the kinks from the drive up and getting her muscles and body all warmed up. As soon as she’s on her feet, she’s running through swing patterns that she can do on her own. Through lines of sailor shuffles and slides, she dances using the whole dance studio, going from one end of the spacious floor to the other. She doesn’t get this much room in Boston. She doesn’t get this solitude. She doesn’t get this freedom. Maybe this is the real reason she loves coming back to camp so often, and there’s probably something in her psyche to deal with in those regards but it’s nothing she’s willing to look too closely into.

By the time the playlist switches to something for cooldown, Emma has worked up an impressive sweat. She grabs a towel from the same bin she found her shoes in, wiping down her face and neck before dropping back to the floor for final stretches. Placing the towel on the floor, she stretches out briefly, staring up at the ceiling and watching the fans whirl peacefully above her. This is it. This is home for the next couple months. And nothing will change how happy she is to be here.

With that thought, and a beatific smile, Emma changes back to her tennis shoes and hauls herself off the floor. There’s hours of cleaning ahead of her, after all.

Chapter 2

#cs ff #cs ff au #captain swan ff #cs multichap #sarah writes ff

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thatsecondsalemboy-a · 6 years ago

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Drabble (magicalmusesandwheretofindthem)

@magicalmusesandwheretofindthem liked this for a drabble

Newt Scamander first noticed that he wasn’t alone on the second day of his boat journey back to England. He’d been out on the deck, surveying the waves (always the chance of getting a glimpse of some aquatic creatures) for most of the morning, and when he’d returned to his cabin, he’d immediately known that he wasn’t alone. That thought had been confirmed when he’d raised his gaze and spotted the swirling dark mass in the corner, pulsating slowly.

“Hello Credence.”

The obscurus swirled a little faster, flickers of red and white dancing through it and every now and again, he could’ve sworn he could see a pair of eyes looking back at him. Either way, the obscurus actually seemed fairly relaxed, and so he had no qualms about throwing open his case and beginning to climb down into it, gesturing for the other to follow.

“Come along then, you can stay down here if you’d like. Less chance of getting walked in on by anyone.”

To his surprise, it followed.

*******

For the next few days, the obscurus dwells perpetually in the uppermost corner of the shed in his case. Sometimes it will creep down the wall slightly, flickering, but it always retreats eventually. He talks to it while he goes over his notes, editing them down, rambling on about the different creatures in the case, the others he’s encountered. He tells it about what’s going on on the ship, his plans for when they get back to London. He doesn’t know if it can understand him at all, if Credence will remember any of this if….when he returns to a human form, but it just seems like the right thing to do.

And then one day he comes down into the case, and Credence is gone. Credence is gone, but the door into the habitats is ajar, a door he never intentionally leaves open, and he darts out through it, glancing around. Nothing seems particularly out of place that he can see, as he races through the habitats one by one. Still nothing. Had Credence left the case? It was as he checked over the occamies that he realised that Dougal’s nest was empty, the depression that usually indicated the presence of the demiguise absent.

“Dougal?”

It takes a few calls of Dougal’s name before he hears a soft snuffling, and he follows the noise, leading him back into Frank’s habitat. He hasn’t had the heart to get rid of it just yet, even though it doesn’t suit any of the other creatures. And when he looks over, he can see a silver head rising out of the nest, staring at him with huge eyes before it dips down again, the soft cooing continuing.

Slowly he climbs over a few rock formations, until he can look down into the nest and his eyes widen in surprise. There, seemingly fast asleep, with Dougal petting his hair and making soft reassuring noises, is Credence. The suit he’d been wearing is tattered and has seen better days, and his hair is already beginning to grow out of its harsh cut, and he is undeniably alive. Like this, he looks peaceful, not much more than a kid. How old even is Credence anyway?

Shrugging off his coat, he drapes it gently over the sleeping boy. For now, the boy can sleep. After everything that’s happened, he deserves a rest.

Newt moves back to the shed with a smile on his face.

#ooc #drabble #my writing #magicalmusesandwheretofindthem

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sanderssidesstuff · 7 years ago

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Hecate's Fate - Chaper 4

Summary: Patton's Chapter! He gets his weapon and you get understand how his powers work. Plus actual plot!

Warnings: Food, weapons (tell me if I missed anything)

Words: 4,037 (I didn't even realize it was this long)

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Tags: @kitsuneprideleader @captainswan618 @freepaperie081 @migraine-marathon @lexboydfandompanda (can't tag you? Contact me) @what-even-is-thiss @bubblycricket @hamilspntrash

Notes: Uh so like I'm friends with a lot of optimistic people so Patton is like the easiest to write, also like side characters are great

Patton woke up the opposite of Logan. When he awoke, the entire cabin as up getting ready. Patton was in a set of grey silk pajamas that one of his new siblings gave him. His new glasses were on a little nook by his bed, the colors threatened to overwhelm him, before he put on the glasses. Patton stretched and got off his bed with a smile. Last night flashes through his mind, getting claimed was interesting, but the colors disappearing was amazing. He never thought of seeing the colors as a curse, but they did tend to overwhelm him sometimes. He silently thanked his mom for the gift and got out one of the Camp Half-Blood shirts and tan pants that he was given yesterday. He looked around for somewhere to change and saw nothing.

"Hey!" Someone above him shouted, "Patton, right? Are you looking for somewhere to change?" He nods and the person jumps down, "You can either change on your bunk or in the bathroom. We have two so take your pick. I’m going to look for our head councilor, bye." The person grabs a blue bracelet along with a white beanie and walks into the crowd of kids getting dressed.

Patton finds the bathroom empty and changes. His face still looked like it had on makeup and his hair was perfect despite the fact it almost always looked like a rats nest when he wakes up. He takes off his glasses and stares at the blurry shape that is him.

Without his glasses, Patton is legally blind, the main reason for that is the colors. The colors, or auras as they are more commonly called, had been in Patton's life as long as he could remember. No one else in his family had this power and no one but his mom knew that he could see the colors. After a few years, Patton figured out what the colors were and how to use them as an advantage.

The colors were what people felt, most people had red, blue and yellow on a daily basis. He saw pink sometimes with couples and black with people who had depression. Patton figured most of it out himself, but some colors still confused him, colors like gold, sliver, and periwinkle specifically. After that major revelation, he had quickly learned he could influence other people’s emotions. Patton didn’t do it often, he just made people happy, but the cost of changing their emotions was great. He’d get whatever he’d change, if he gave someone happiness, he’d get the sadness. He only changed emotions in moderation, and the emotions he changed were ones he could deal with. Staring at himself, Patton saw no colors, he knew that he couldn’t see his own emotions, but he still hoped he could, eventually.

Knock! Knock! Knock!, "Hey hurry up we’re heading to breakfast soon." Patton quickly put back on his glasses and changed his shirt. He walked back to his bunk and put the pajamas back in the chest he was given. Looking at the chiton in the chest, Patton thought about his new mom. Aphrodite didn’t have the best stories about her, she was often jealous and only really had relationships because of lust. Having two moms wasn’t a surprise to him, his mom is pan, but his mother falling in love with such a women like Aphrodite was new. His mom looked for kind women and looking at all the people around him, which totaled to about 15 kids, he didn’t think that it was the type of person he wanted to be related to.

"Hey Patton," someone says, snapping Patton out of his musings, "You good?"

His smile was back on when he answered, "Yes, of course. Did I send mixed signals? Do I need to change the channel?"

"Ok, most half-bloods have a hard time adjusting to having a nice bed and food all the time. I don’t know your living situation, so I had to ask. Oh I’m Gretchen by the way, CC said I could lead you around today. I’m using they/them right now, but that could change so just ask if you have any questions." Gretchen held out their hand and Patton shook it. "We have breakfast first, after we will get you a weapon. You have to have a weapon, before you say anything. Monster will find you and kill you if you don’t kill it first. Now let’s get to breakfast." Gretchen leads Patton to a table and leaves him with the rest of his siblings. Gretchen runs off to another table and kisses a person with glasses. Their aura turns pink and spreads to to other people, then some one pushes them over and says something to them that Patron can’t hear. Gretchen walks back over, still pink, and sits next to Patton.

"Who was that?" Patton questioned after they had sacrificed some of their food to the gods.

Gretchen glances in the direction of the person they kissed and blushed, "Oh yeah. That’s my boyfriend, Joseph. People have been shipping us for years before we got together, he just makes my life complete." Their pink aura grows pinker and Patton realized something. He could see the aura with his glasses on.

"Whoa, you’re pink! How cool!' Patton squeals, "Is it because you love him so much? Because that is sooo cute!"

Gretchen looks down at their hands, "Sorry, usually I can reign it in. Yeah, downside of our mom is that, when I experience extreme emotions, I glow. I can control it sometimes, but I guess Joseph distracted me today. Is that all you’re eating?"

"That’s usually what I say! Does it drive you bananas? Did I catch your grape?" Patton grabs an apple along with some eggs. With the two new things added to his plate, the oatmeal he’d been eating looked small.

"Good." Gretchen musied his hair, then sighed, "Forgot about Aphrodite's blessing. For the next two days up to a week, you won’t be able to mess any of that up. Mine lasted three days and it was terrible. I hate having my hair styled. How about you?"

"It was weird to not wake up with my hair in my face, but I look so pretty! I how the eye shadow makes my eyes pop! And the fact that mom mad my freckles glow! Did you see that yesterday? These new frames also match up perfectly with Logan's! This is all so cool!"

"Wow, I don’t think anyone has said that about their first day of camp. Most are still scared and really want to leave." Gretchen had finished eating by now and was messing with a knife that had appeared out of no where. All around people start to stand up and walk back over to the cabins.

"Is breakfast over?" Patton questions as Gretchen stands up.

"Yep." The p popping. "Now to get you a weapon, judging by your build and height. I think you’d be good with a small weapon, maybe a short sword or a dagger? You’ll know your weapon when you see it. Follow me." Gretchen leads Patron towards the cabins and behind a grey building to a small shack. They open the door to show weapons lining the walls. Bows were near the back now, swords were near the front. Looking at all of them, Patton attempted to grab a spear that glowed sliver. Gretchen stretched out their hand and stopped him.

"Not that one." Their eyes wetted a little, but no tears fell, "That belonged to a brave man and I can’t see anyone else, but him wielding it."

"Who?" Patton stared at Gretchen as a dark blue light started to radiate from them.

They wiped their face and the glow recedes, "No one that you need to worry about right now. Anyway let’s get you a weapon. How about this one?" They point at a sword that was shaped like a leaf. Patton shook his head no and kept looking. After a while of Gretchen pointing out different weapons and Patton saying no, he saw it. It was bronze with a leather hilt. On the side was some writing,

"Loloi" Patton read.

"It means there is always love. It’s fitting for you, as a son of Aphrodite, we always try and find love everywhere." Gretchen translates.

"I love it! This is my weapon. I’m sure of it." Patton looks over at Gretchen who’s face showed that they didn’t think it was the best idea.

"It is a nice dagger, but if you were to fight, you’d have to get in really close to your opponent. You’d have to be quick and agile. Are you sure you want it?"

"Yes." Gretchen sighs and gestures Patton to walk out the door. "

"Put that in the sheath that it came with and strap it to your pants, you got it? Ok, let’s go back and see what the rest of the cabin is doing. Only the Athena cabin really sticks to a schedule, the rest of the campers just go wherever.

Patton stares at everything as they walk over to the basketball courts. He sees some fields in the distance, a few kids making the strawberries grow and goat men playing what looked like a bunch of sticks tied together. Some campers were playing volleyball and Patton saw Roman with a sword, fighting a person with two swords. Roman was not doing well and fell. Patton winced as the sword Roman was holding, cut his arm slightly. The other person stopped automatically and gave Roman an arm to help him up. Gretchen was getting father away so Patton couldn’t see the rest of the exchange. Patton thought he saw Logan talking with Joan when they passed the building that Thomas said was the crafts hut. Gretchen waved at a little girl who was tending to a fire in the middle of the he cabins and led Patton over to Big House. Gretchen stopped suddenly and turned around.

"Oh right! Sorry I forgot I was taking you somewhere." Gretchen says nervously and touches rubs their wrist. "Uh, guess I’ll do my thing later. Let’s go find the rest of our siblings and stand next to me, I get a little scatter brained when I’m left with my thoughts."

"Are your thoughts that a-maze-ing?" Patton asks.

Gretchen snorts, "No it’s more along the lines of… uh. I don’t know what I was going to say, lost my train of thought."

"It fell off the tracks?" Patton giggles while Gretchen just sighs, smiling.

"Are you known for your puns? No don’t answer that, I love puns. I’m not very good at them though." More people pass by and Patton hears a sound, "Looks like it’s time to rotate." The person who checked Patton over yesterday walks by and Gretchen asks him a questions, "Hey! Will, do you know where the Aphrodite cabin is supposed to go?"

"Uh I think you are learning first aid today? Wait Patton, why aren’t you wearing the brace I gave you? Did Aphrodite make it vanish? Here wear this for the next few days," Will pulls out another brace out of nowhere, "if you don’t I will find you and force you to wear it." Patton nods and puts on the brace. "I think Austin will be teaching, with the new kid, other Roman. Unless he’s pouting, he’s really mad that he can’t use a sword. He wants to attack, but his build makes him a perfect archer."

"Ah, where are we going to be, you know the girls will want to sit outside." Gretchen replies helping Patton to make sure the brace is on properly.

"I know, that is why you are learning by the strawberry fields. Austin knows and is waiting. I just dropped off the supplies." Will looks directly at Gretchen and smirks, "You are learning how to treat burns."

"You are such a gorgon. Come on Patton, I’ll show you the strawberry fields." Gretchen walks briskly away from Will and Patton, after he waved goodbye, follows, practically running to catch up with them.

"Why are you so mad about burns? What did they ever do to you?" Patton questions once he catches up with Gretchen.

"They made me miss three weeks of practices and it still hasn’t healed. I walked with a limp for about 18 of those 21 days. I know how to treat burns and Will knows it." They mumble some words that Patton would never repeat. They give Patton an apologetic smile and start to speak, "Sorry, it’s just embarrassing to think about how I got my own burn." They lift up their leg and point at a part of their leg that was discolored. "We’re not going to discuss this ever unless I bring it up. Ok? Coolio, Let’s go!" Gretchen led Patton to where the rest of the Aphrodite cabin was next to the strawberry fields.

Patton focused some what on the lesson, but mostly he was focused on making sure he was smiling. He knew he had a problem with feelings, despite the fact he couldn’t see his own feelings, he would always bottle up the 'bad' feeling of sadness and anger and only feel the one he though were good. He didn’t do it in purpose, he just hid his feelings. When Virgil, Roman, and Logan found out, they had an intervention. They would help him learn to actually express his emotions, and he would tell them if he had a bad day. The only thing was now that he was at this new place, surrounded by all theses new people, he was sure if he could. Emotions were never his strong suit and, despite his wonderful mom helping him, he still wasn’t sure what he felt half the time. He was snapped out of his thoughts when someone tapped him on his shoulder. He looked up to see Gretchen telling him something.

"Whatcha say, Gretch?" Gretchen’s face darkens and they pause for a second.

They growl back, "Don't call me that. That is not my name and no one calls me that." Patton shrinks back and Gretchen realizes what they just say, "Sorry, that is not my name. If you want to call me by a nickname, Goober is a good choice. Anyway time for lunch come on."

"Okie Dokie, then! What are we having for lunch? I hope pizza! I’m a vegetarian, but I love cheese pizza! Are there going to be cookies? Also what are we doing after lunch, anything special?"

"We are going to sit and talk about our feelings for the next hour." Gretchen said with a straight face.

"Well, I’m gonna need a lot of cookies then." Patton started to mentally tally how many cookies it would be, however before he got to one he heard laughter.

"Sorry, dude. Wait are you cool if I call you dude, bro, brother, man, or anything stereotypically masculine." Gretchen looked concerned for a second.

Patton answers with a smile. "I’m ok with it, kiddo!"

"Ok, good, gotta ask. Anyway, do I need to work on my sarcasm again? I thought I was getting better at it. To actually answer your question, we have the crafts hut, lava wall and/or training then a break before dinner. We might not have cookies at lunch, but I know a guy who can get us some." They wink and hand Patton a cookie that they made appear.

"Amazing! You should always eat a cookie when you get stressed, and when your are super stressed," Patton whispers in their ear, "eat a second cookie."

"Whoa, slow down there getting a little excited. Let’s go and eat." They lead Patton to the dinning area and sit down. To Patton’s delight there was pizza and it was vegetarian! Patton at two slices before he got too full to eat.

After the lunch he ate, Patton was ready to sleep, however it was time to go to the craft huts and he was inspired to make some art. The entire Aphrodite cabin walked as a group, gossiping about who’s dating who and the newest fashion trends. Patton focused intensely on everything they say. Apparently, Thomas and Joan were really close friends, but most people thought they were dating, the thing is Talyn and Joan were also being shipped together, so some wars were happening (what boats had to do with people, Patton had no idea). Some kid named Connor, son of Hermes, had a crush on a girl named Katie, daughter of Demeter and Chiron was considering reinstating three-foot races. Patton tried to keep track of each name that was mentioned and decided to figure out what name went to each face. One of the boys, Micheal, kept pushing Lacy to ask out a girl she said she liked, but Lacy just wanted to go slow. Lacy pushed Micheal back and asked him why he wasn’t asking out Karolin, apparently the girl he was obsessed with. CC, the head-camper, put the two of them on opposite sides of the group (somehow they ended up right next to each other again and gossiped some more).

Eventually they made it to the crafts hut and everyone split up to do their own projects. Patton floated to and from each group to see what they were doing. Korbin was painting a portrait of his dad, a famous actor that Patton had never heard of, and Sam was making a clay sculpture of a dragon, she giggled the entire time she painted it (purple, white, grey, and black). Patton saw everyone working on their own projects, so he walked around staring at all the different types of materials that went into each masterpiece. Patton eventually walked over to a desk full of art supplies that no one was working on. He sat down and started to draw, he didn’t know exactly what he wanted but that didn’t matter, he’d find someone to give it to.

He heard a sound that was similar to the conch he heard last night. CC tapped him on his shoulder and directed him towards the exit. She stuck her left hand out, put out her index finger and rubbed it with a fist, her face scrunched up in a questioning expression. Patton gave her a confused look and looked around at everyone else, hoping for someone else to explain. CC sighed and grabbed the closest person to her. She pointed at Patton and moved her hand away from her face, her index finger hooked. Korbin nods, looks at Patton and starts the speak.

"Do you want to climb on the lava wall or do you want to train with your dagger? Sorry, we forget that not everyone knows sign language."

Patton nods energetically, "I’ll train! That’s so cool! Does everyone know sign language here? Or is it just this cabin?"

CC laughs and Korbin answers, "Everyone knows enough to talk to her, but all of us knows more than the rest of the camp so we can talk to her without her staring at out lips."

"Amazing!" Korbin directs Patton towards the arena where someone was stabbing a dummy with a sword that was glowing gold, "Who is going to teach me to use Loloi?"

Korbin pulls out a sliver dagger and slashes at a dummy that wasn't being used, "I am. We'll start with the basics and then go on from there. Let’s start with holding it, first you…" Patton focused on everything Korbin taught and quickly got down the basics.

By the time the conch sounded, Patton was tired and just wanted to sleep. He walked with Korbin back to the cabin and saw Gretchen was grabbing something off their bed.

When they saw Patton they put on a smile, "What’s up? Did you have a nice day? Sorry I had to disappear after we got to arts and crafts, I just needed to do something. He/Him by the way."

"It’s cool, kiddo! I made something really awesome in crafts, I can’t show you it yet, it’s a surprise." Patton’s voice had dropped when he said that last part. "What about you? Doing anything interesting?"

"Nah, just practicing." Gretchen faced Patton and stared before speaking, "You look dead on your feet. Sleep, someone will get you up when it is time for dinner." Gretchen pushed Patton on to his bed and tucked him in. He also took off Patton's glasses and put them on the nook by his bed.

He quickly fell asleep and dreamt about something weird. In his dream, a young lady stood over a cauldron whispering something in a langue that Patton couldn’t understand. A second lady, who looked to be pregnant, came over and put something in the cauldron and waved her hands around it, speaking in the same langue as the lady before her. An old lady came over and did the same as the one before her. The three ladies looked over at Patton and spoke in unison.

"Young one beware, your gift will be needed soon and you must be prepared."

The younger one spoke, "The path my son chose will not be easy, do not despair.

The old lady spoke next, "You and the others will play an important factor in the battle." The pregnant one disappeared and the other two looked worried, "The mother has gone missing and you must search for her." The old lady explained

The two spoke together, "Chiron will get the news in a fortnight and you must be a part of the quest. You will be given time to train, use it wisely. Now wake and warn my son, the son of Athena, and the son of Apollo. Wake up. Wake up! WAKE UP!" Patton snapped up and hit someone in the forehead.

"Ow!" The person exclaims, "Patton, man, you are so hard to wake up." Patton searches for his glasses, his eyes shut so he doesn’t overloads his brain. He put them on and opened his eyes to see how he hit.

"I am so sorry, Lacy! You surprised me! Is it time for dinner?" Patton asks stretching.

"Yes! I’ve been trying to wake you up for the past ten minutes, you kept whispering something about a missing lady. Are you ok?" Lacy looked genuinely concerned, but Patton pasted a smile on his face.

"I’m okie dokie! Let’s eat dinner!" Patton hoped out of bed, thanking Aphrodite for her blessing, making it easier to leave the cabin quickly.

"Ok? Dinner already started, but if we hurry, we can still get some good food." Lacy spoke, leading Patton to the mess hall. Patton keeps the smile on his face despite the inner turmoil. He guessed the lady was Hecate, he also knew that Vigil would freak out if he told him, Roman would want to rush off and do the quest, and Logan would want to analyze everything that Patton saw. He was conflicted, if he said something, he’d ruin any joy that the other three had found, but if he said nothing, he’d mess up any advantage that they would have. Gretchen must have noticed something on Patton face, because he sat next to Patton and stared.

After a few minutes of staring Gretchen spoke, "Patton, something is wrong. What is it?"

Patton mentally debated wether or not to tell him anything, "I had a dream and now I’m worried. I have no idea what to do and it’s stressing me out."

"Ok, what was the dream about? Most half-bloods have prophetic dreams, is the end of the world happening again? That would suck, we just finished a war like 6 months ago."

Patton's eyes widen, "Nope, not saying anything. Please stop asking." Gretchen looked at Patton surprised, but didn’t say anything. Patton stood up and walked to the cabin, determined not to tell anyone till he needed to. When everyone came back from dinner, he pretended to be asleep. Someone poked his shoulder, but he didn’t respond. Eventually the chatter died down and everyone went to sleep. Patton fell asleep and didn’t have any dreams like .

#patton sanders #logan sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #ocs #pjo au #angsty boi #i love my sons boi #smart boi #extra™ boi #food #joan writes

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