#cause i always forget how little time i have outside of making comic updates

[deoidesign]

I've been... Busy 👀

Trying to get all 4 arcs from season 1 into books!

(not available for sale, these are print proofs. I'm planning a Kickstarter early next year!)

[hollandsmushroom]

Lost In My Brain

Hello everyone, so this concept came from the very very depths of my brain as I went into a deep dissociative episode and I wrote this to pull myself out by imagining semi mob tom comforting me. 

REBLOGS AND COMMENTS MUCHLY APPRECIATED 

Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: You aren’t replying to Tom’s texts so he is really worried, he finds you in a state of trauma and unable to really communicate. 

Warnings: Please read this at your own comfort, I wrote this to help me cope and I thought someone else might want to read it. I have written about extremely personal topics in this and I am not talking about stuff that I don’t know anything about, I suffer from dissociative PTSD. So warnings really include mentions of an unidentified trauma, Dissociation, Dissociative PTSD, Loss of recognition of faces, mentions of Mob Tom, missing person?, Trauma that happened at night, intrusive thoughts, thoughts that you are actually dead. 

Masterlist

Request Here

Word Count: 1577

Tom’s meetings had run late, he had messaged you throughout the discussions to keep you updated and so you wouldn’t worry but it was him who worried as his phone remained void of any response from you. He began to grow antsy as the conversations just dragged on. He gave his input whenever he had to but most of his time was spent trying his hardest to seem as if he was paying attention and then checking his phone to see if you had responded, and every time his phone screen was blank. His worry was beginning to overtake his body, he worked in a dangerous profession and people knew that the best way to get to him was through loved ones, you being the main one. The thought of something bad having happened to you made his heart break, the thought of someone hurting you added to that made his blood boil. It wasn’t like he was overreacting, you were always very attentive to responding to him when he was in meetings, you knew that under his hard mobster outside he worried about you a great deal and if you could do anything to ease that, you would, and that is why he was freaking out to this extent. As soon as the meeting came to a close he left immediately, ignoring the people who tried to catch his attention on his way out, focused only on getting home to you. 

  Tom walked into the house, calling out your name and receiving no response in turn his heart beginning to pound as the silence reverberated in his ears. With an urgency he began making his way through the rooms of your shared house. He started in your bedroom, eyes landing on the perfectly made bed, signalling to him that you never went to bed, he made his way through the guest rooms, your office, the living room, by the time he reached the kitchen he was on the verge of tears. Hands grabbing on to the counter as he faced the empty living room, retrieving his phone from his slacks pocket and quickly dialing up his mate Harrison. 

“Mate?” Tom asked as he heard the phone be answered on the other end of the line. 

“Yeah?” His friends tired voice answered, clearly having been woken up by Tom’s call

“I can’t find Y/n, I don’t know where she is” At this point Tom felt like he was on the verge of breaking down, the idea that something had happened to you and he wasn’t there to protect you made him see red.

“Wait? You can’t find her?” there was a rustle from the other line, Harrison having sat straight up in bed, shock over taking him. 

“Yeah, mate and I am kind of starting to freak-” Tom spun around, leaning his back against the cool marble countertop when his eyes caught on the open sliding glass door leading to your backyard, a dark figure sitting on the cement ground rocking slightly. 

“Mate, I'm gonna have to call you back” he ignored his friend's words of worry as he hung up, placing the glowing screen face down on the counter and making his way outside. As soon as he passed the threshold of the door sniffles reached his ears. The weather wasn’t freezing but it definitely wasn’t warm enough for you to be sitting there in nothing but one of Tom’s shirts, bare thighs on the cool ground. 

“Love?” Tom called as he made his way to your quivering figure, shoulders throwing themselves back and forth as you attempted to rock yourself in comfort. He reached a hand out to your shoulder, but you flinched away from his touch causing his heart to shatter. With the jerk of your movement his eyes caught your face, tears staining your cheeks. 

“Love it's me” Tom assured, once again reaching his hand out to you, and this time you let him, his hand soothing over your shoulder causing it to cease its shaking as you eased into his touch. He did this gradually, progressively enveloping you further into his hold, a protective embrace, your face tucked into his chest as his hand rubbed up and down your back, trying to warm your body as you began to shiver from the night air. 

“Let's get you inside, darling” Tom’s soothing touch helping you off the ground. He grabbed your hand, gently moving you into the house, and led you to the bathroom. His hands grabbed your hips, placing you onto the bathroom counter, you sat there, eyes trained on the wall ahead as Tom dampened a washcloth, moving back to you to wipe the snot and tears off of your cheeks, he stood in your view for the first time, his hands reaching towards you as you examined his face, causing you quickly push him away, hurt flashing across his unknown feature as you distanced yourself from him, scooting back on the counter curling further into your own body. 

“Y/n?” His voice sounded defeated, reaching out again only for you to have the same reaction. His voice, you knew his voice, and his face didn’t seem completely unknown, something about him was familiar. It was so close to the face you loved so much but your eyes were distorting his features.

“I...I don’t know who you are?” He could have sworn he broke when you said that. 

“Baby, it’s me, it’s Tom” he cooed, trying to understand what was happening, fear bruning through his chest and all the way down to his gut, feeling as if his world was slipping from under his feet. 

“No, I-I know it’s you but..but I look at your face I don’t recognize it, it’s off, it’s not quite right and I don’t know who you are, you look like I stared at you for too long and you lost all feature, Tommy, I don’t know who you are and I don’t know who I am” your tears began to flow again as you looked in the mirror, your face was just a little bit off till it wasn’t your face anymore. You closed your eyes and shook your head violently causing Tom to gasp, reaching out and grabbing your shoulders to halt your movements. 

“Stop, baby, please stop, it’s me, it’s Tommy, I’m right here” his voice soothed you, peeling your eyes back open, you saw his face, it was right, it was your Tommy. 

“Tom?” His name but a question on your tongue as he cupped your cheek. 

“Yes it’s me,” the pad of his thumb brushed away tear streaks. “What’s happening, sweets, talk to me please” he pleaded, eyes begging you to let him know what was happening. 

“I’m dead Tommy” you explained but it only made it worse, yes widening comically as fear shot through his body. 

“W-what do you mean you’re dead?” His mind was racing, had someone put a hit on you? Did you need to go into hiding? He felt like he was falling into every possible issue that you could be having but he was cut off by your voice again. 

“I was thinking earlier and what if I died that night? What if I didn’t get out of the way? This is the after life” you mumbled, fully convinced that you had lost your mind. 

“You are not dead” Tom demanded 

“How do you know that” you whispered 

“Because I’m here, dusting with you, I can touch you and trace every mark in your body, I have my own life, I would have that if you were dead, and if you were why would it just be a continuation of your day to day, why are you freaking out if this is heaven” he tried to explain and something must have worked because your body eased, eyes drawing from your hands to his face. 

“This is real?” your voice sounded weak, so lost in your mind as your eyes seemed to glaze over. 

“Yes,  love this is real” he hummed, finally being able to wipe the tears from your face, his touch drawing you back from the farthest depths of your brain that you kept spiraling into “Now let’s get you to bed” Reaching past you he grabbed your toothbrush and toothpaste, preparing it for you to brush your teeth. You took your toothbrush from his hand as he leaned in and kissed your forehead lovingly, a tear slipping from his eye as he took in your defeated state, brushing it away before you could see and brushing his teeth as well. 

Moments later you fell into your bed, Tom’s arms wrapped securely around you as your back curved into his chest, you shook your head as you closed your eyes seeing everything you wished you could forget. 

“Tommy, I feel so lost in my brain, its like its yelling and every new thought just adds to the noise, continuing to bounce around with everyone else” You whispered as you shuttered. 

“I know it's not okay, my love, but I am here and I will be here, I will help you come back” he kissed your temple and held you as you fell asleep. He vowed to himself that he would be there for you, he would never let you go, give you a life that distanced yourself from that pain that haunted you. He would remind you everyday that you are alive. 

[chasingpj]

𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞

"Bye, for now, puddles."

pairing: percy jackson x child of hecate!reader

words: 6,220

warnings: a little angst, missing a meal, death of a parent, i believe that is all.

timeline: post sea of monsters

if you want to be tagged every time I update this story, click here

a/n: hi hi! I'm so excited to finally get this chapter to you guys. I'm sorry this literally took a month. i was taking two writing-intensive courses this summer and i was just burnt out. i hope you enjoy it!

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten

A grunt escapes you; your contorted body weighs down the top of your suitcase as your damp fingers slip off the metal zipper. The unforgivingly humid weather provokes the heat of your efforts, adding to your discomfort. There’s urgency in your fingers, your frustration growing at each failed attempt to close your suitcase.

“Y/n! Hurry up!” Atticus shouts from outside of the Hermes cabin. As the zipper slips out of your grasp once again, you throw your head back in annoyance, hand coming up to push away wisps of hair that fall on your face. A familiar chuckle comes from the corner of the room, grabbing your attention from the wooden ceiling. Connor sits on the side of his bed; his comic book forgotten beside him as you fussing over your suitcase seems to be more interesting to him.

“It’s not funny,” you grumble, sitting onto your heels.

Connor rises from his bed, shrugging his shoulders with a smirk. He kneels by your suitcase, “It’s kinda funny.”

The corners of your mouth almost curve up, but you stop yourself, opting for a roll of your eyes instead.

“What the hades do you have in here?” The tips of his fingers turn white as he pulls on the little piece of metal. You shift your weight to the corner he works on, but it helps him as much as it helped you earlier.

“My brother’s left a bunch of books behind, so Lou Ellen and I split them up. She’s taking half, and I take the rest. We’ll study them and then exchange notes.” A hum of acknowledgment comes from Connor’s lips as he inches the suitcase closed.

“You guys are a bunch of nerds.” You squint at the other with a playful offense, and he laughs at your hardened features. “I bet you guys study more than the Athena Kids,” he teases.

“There’s a lot to learn,” you say simply, watching as he brings the zipper to the end. He leans back on his heels, and you move to take in the half-empty cabin.

The sight of the Hermes cabin being this tidy was foreign. There aren’t any sleeping bags on the floor; the belongings of your many cabin mates didn’t clutter the walls or the corners of the room as they usually do. It’s funny. There are always complaints of the cabin being too small, but it appears bigger without the mess.

“Will you and Atticus visit throughout the year?” Connor’s expression is hopeful. As the last day of camp approached, Connor’s wishes of a full cabin all year round became more apparent. The shift from a max-capacity cabin to a half-empty one must be a tough transition for social people like Stoll Brothers. If it were you, you’d be counting down the days of everyone’s departure.

You ruffle his brown locks, “we’ll probably stop by for, maybe, spring break?” Connor’s hopefulness begins to sag, and you frown. Spring break is pretty far from now, huh? “Depending on how mortal life treats us. You know, we might be back soon,” you add on quickly, hoping to lift his smile.

Though you wish to go home, you’re dreading all the supernatural activity you’ll have to deal with once you leave. Your father works tirelessly to protect the house, but entities always manage to get in. And if they can’t, they don’t mind hanging outside.

The hopefulness that faded from Connor’s face restores, and he gives you that famous mischievous smirk. “Well, I hope the ghosts bother you guys enough to come to visit early.” His tone is playful, but you can tell he meant some of his words. You laugh hesitantly and nod, rising from your suitcase.

“I’m glad you’re that eager to see us again.”

You thank him as he leans down, lifting the heavy suitcase from the ground for you.

“Y/n!”

“I’m coming!” You tug on the handle, glancing at Connor. “The year will go by fast, and soon this cabin will be bursting at the nails with new unclaimed people. Atticus, Lou, and I included. Anyways, you have your brother. You guys will find something to entertain yourselves.” You nudge him as you make your way outside.

“Yeah, you’re right. You will write to me, yeah?” Connor asks.

“Of course. I’ll send you snacks that you can’t buy at the gas station.” Connor’s arm pumps back to his side, hand in a fist as he hisses a “yes.”

The corners up your mouth hesitantly pull up as you push open the cabin door, finding Atticus and Travis talking on the porch. For the past week, the anticipation of your departure was killing you, but now that it was time to leave, you feel gloomy.

You knew the cause of your heavy heart was the uneasy tone of your going. Living day by day with the intention of moving on was hard. Because every time you look at their newly occupied beds, the sinking feeling in your chest returns. Every time you find yourself wandering in the forest, the memories of your often chaotic magic lessons flood your mind. You remember when Alice misaimed her wind spell, shooting Alabaster far into the trees. While you all rushed to check on him, Alice burst into tears because she was convinced she killed him only to approach a laughing Alabaster who shouted, “Right on!”

Every time you were in the Arts and Crafts center, you remember how you, Sage, and Lou would do Tarot Readings for the campers and how you would argue with the Apollo kids when they insisted your tarot cards are as honest as fortune cookies.

At the armory, you remember how Ambrose ran into James so hard, he stumbled and knocked down half of the shelves of weapons.

In the courtyard, you remember how Ernest, horrified by heights, produced the highest pitch scream he possibly could as he rode a pegasus for the first time under the persuasion of Alabaster.

All these memories, whether hilarious like your spell mishaps or bittersweet like when you and your sibling’s group hugged around Sage when she cried about her abusive stepmother, held a special place in your heart. Because the times where you laughed and cried together reminded you of the genuine bond, the family that was ripped away from you overnight.

“We'll see you guys soon. We should go. Argus will leave without us," Atticus says, relieved that Argus is still waiting for you on top of Half-Blood Hill.

“Have a safe trip, guys,” Travis says, patting Atticus’s shoulder before reaching out his arm and giving you a short side hug. You grab your things, hastily saying a final goodbye, and soon, you and Atticus are trudging up the hill.

Your free hand pats the pocket of your shorts, calming your worry of forgetting the necklace at the cabin. What rests in your pocket is a raw tourmaline crystal, now smooth with the help of Beckendorf, encased in a silver spiral cage.

You and Atticus carry protection crystals all the time, and they help with staying out of the radar of monsters and entities. After hearing Percy’s many stories of monsters bothering him, you figured he couldn’t be too cautious. Then after finding a spell in Alabaster’s many books that can dim down a demigod scent for a while, you decided to make him an enchanted necklace to wear.

You pack into the truck with Atticus right on time. Atticus sits in front of you, chatting away with Cecil as you make yourself comfortable in the back row with Ambrose. You frown; among the three other campers in the van with you, Percy isn’t one of them. Argus peeks into the back, doing a rough headcount. Great, now you’ll have to wait until next summer to give it to him.

Right, when you were going to chastise yourself for not giving him the necklace yesterday when you were done with it, a distant voice shouts, "wait!"

Argus halts in the middle of closing the sliding down and turns around. He shakes his head with disapproval while opening the door all the way, revealing out of breath Percy.

A smile widens across your face as he gets into the back seat with you, and you nudge Atticus’s seat.

"See, I told you we wouldn't be the last ones here.” You side-eye Percy, seeing the corners of his mouth pull up in amusement.

“Some people just don’t know how to get to places on time, huh?” Atticus says, and his eyes flicker to Percy before giving you a wide grin.

“Didn’t sleep in today, firefly?” There is a playfulness in Percy’s voice, and you smile proudly,

“Nope, not today.”

“It’s a miracle,” Percy mutters, loud enough for you to hear, and you scoff. Atticus snickers and nods in agreement.

“We were supposed to gang up on him, not you two on me.” You stick your tongue out at Atticus, and he returns the action.

“It’s more fun making fun of you,” Atticus teases.

“Rude,” you mumble with a slight smile on your face. The two boys chuckle, Atticus turning more into his seat to tell Percy something about a new Marvel movie. Excited voices fill the van as the other boys join in the conversation, and soon they are debating if Batman is really a superhero or just a rich guy in a suit.

You had to admit, as the conversation became more passionate, you were pretty entertained, but as you catch sight of Camp Half-Blood growing farther in the distance, you’re reminded of the ache in your chest. It’s only a temporary leave, but when you return, things will never be the same, and the false hope of your siblings returning has been proven to be foolish.

☆’.･.･:★:･.･.’☆

Following a ghost dog while weaving through the hustle and bustle of Grand Central is almost impossible. Atticus’s hand is latched to the straps of your bookbag as you move through people, trying not to roll your eyes at the way Ambrose turns to bark as if he was reprimanding you for being too slow. Easy for him to say when he can walk through walls and people.

“Track 28,” Atticus reminds you as your eyes find the number written on the tan bricks of the high walls. You make a sharp left towards the entrance of another hallway, ignoring the groans of a grouchy bystander that you may have cut off. The next hallway you enter is a lot less crowded than the main floor, and you slow down your pace.

“Where do you guys live again?” Percy asks as he jogs up beside you. He had insisted on walking you guys since his train departs in the same station.

“Sleepy Hollow.” Percy scrunches his face as if he recalls something, and you smile, waiting for the question everyone asks when you say you live there.

“Have you seen the headless horsemen?” Percy asks, half-joking. A snort leaves your throat, and you look at Atticus, who’s equally amused.

“Oh yeah, plenty of times.”

“Really?” Percy asks, his eyes wide with surprise, and you laugh.

“No.” Your response makes his face drop comedically fast, and Atticus bursts into laughter. “It’s just a story, but there’s a lot of history there, so the place is crawling with ghosts. We’ve met the guy who wrote the story, though,” you mention.

“No way,” Percy squints his eyes in disbelief.

“I’m serious! Atticus and I take walks in the cemetery sometimes. We leave drachmas on the graves of newly passed people, so their venture into the underworld is smooth, but some people like to wander.” You shrug. “Washington Irving is one of those people.”

“Cool,” Percy says with such enthusiasm that it makes you smile. Ambrose turns around and barks again, standing at the golden entrance that leads to the grey tunnel lit with fluorescent white lights where your train waits beside the concrete platform.

“He always rushes us,” Atticus complains, and Harvey lets out a coo that sounded close to a groan as if he agreed with him.

The marble floors turn to concrete as you enter the tunnel. The blue and silver train on your left hums as it sits dormant in its station. Ambrose trots ahead, peaking into the doors and windows to find an empty cart to occupy.

As you follow a few feet behind him, your fingers fiddle with the necklace resting in your pocket. You’re regretting not giving it to Percy earlier because, for some reason, the idea of giving it to him now was more intimidating than if you had done it earlier on the bus.

Ambrose decides on a cart, and Harvey jumps off Atticus’s shoulder, squealing happily as he follows the hound while completely ignoring a worried Atticus trailing close behind.

"I, uh, made this for you," you sputter, the words coming out fast like vomit. Your fingers pull out the crystal necklace abruptly, and you put it in the palm of his hand. "It's black tourmaline. It has protective qualities; good at keeping negative energy, negative auras, things like that. I put a spell on it to dim down your demigod scent for a while, so you catch a little bit of a break. It'll last for a few weeks, maybe a month or two if the spell caught on well."

You bite your lip as Percy studies the necklace resting in his hand. "Wow, really? Thank you, Y/n. This is great.”

Nervous, you shift on your feet under his bright, smiling orbs. "It's no problem. After everything that happened at camp, I think it’ll be good for you to have one.”

Percy nods, his features softening all of a sudden, and he shifts. “Thanks for protecting me,” he says, and you feel heat rush to your cheeks. “Getting rid of that thing became more than you expected. I felt bad that I couldn’t help. Swords aren’t really useful when it comes to demons, huh?”

A small laugh of agreement leaves your lips. “It was nothing. I wasn’t going to let you be tormented by that thing if I could help it.”

An announcement echoes in the hall, reporting the departure of your train in a few minutes. You glance over, catching Atticus, Ambrose, and Harvey with their noses practically pressed against the window as they witness your interaction with Percy. The amused smirk on Atticus’s face makes you roll your eyes; he’s definitely going to tease you when you get on the train.

"I should go.” You face Percy again, catching him securing the necklace around his neck. The stone rests a few inches under his camp half-blood necklace. "Thanks for walking us here. Be careful getting home."

"You too…” he trails off, noticing your brother looking out the window. For a second, he seems as embarrassed as you do and a nervous chuckle leaves his lips. “Your brother is waiting."

“He’s so annoying,” you complain, and Percy’s next chuckle doesn’t sound as hesitant this time. "Well, uh, bye, for now, puddles,” you tease, butterflies dancing in your stomach.

"Bye, for now, firefly."

You both awkwardly wave at each other before you turn around, getting on the train with Atticus. With your gaze fixed on the floor, you plop into the seat next to him. You don’t even need to look to know he is smiling teasingly at you.

"How cute,” he teases, nudging your shoulder repeatedly with his own.

"Ew, shut up.” You shove at his shoulder, your nose scrunching as he flails his arms against yours as if you were fighting. Atticus chuckles and a string of sounds come from your familiars as they join in to tease you, and you couldn’t help but laugh too.

☆’.･.･:★:･.･.’☆

The suburban streets of your neighborhood are filled with the chirps of birds and bugs and the sounds of cars that pass every once in a while. There isn’t much conversation between you and Atticus as you trudge up the hill leading to your dead-end street.

“Gods, I hope we can get inside without being seen,” you manage to say through your heavy breaths, lazily holding on to the handle of your suitcase as it rolls behind you. Ambrose’s nose nudges the back of your knees as if to encourage you, but it’s more cute than helpful.

“There’s no way that we are. Janie and Celia are always sitting on the neighbor’s porch.” You grunt in acknowledgment, knowing that Atticus is right. The neighborhood ghosts are friendly enough, but their company can be annoying.

As if on cue, you hear a delighted squeal from ahead the moment you reach the top of the hill. Two ladies wave their handkerchiefs in the air a handful of houses away.

Celia, the tallest of the two, wears a steel blue dress with a high neckline and a big bow tied on the base of her neck. She has a jacket button closed over her corset with a frill at the end of her sleeves. Her skirt is floor-length and complete, with ruffles cascading down its entirety. And, of course, no one can miss the high-crowned hat decorated with fake flowers, bows, and crimped fabric as it all sits on top of her blonde hair in an intricate updo. Janie, her sister, wears the same style of dress and headpiece only in a burgundy red. The resemblance between the two makes it clear that they’re siblings close in age. They have the same high pinched noses that jut in the air; both of their faces are regal like those in renaissance paintings.

You’ve seen them around for as long as you can remember. They were two sisters who died of scarlet fever a year before their first courting season, which was a big deal according to their constant moaning and groaning about it.

You look ahead, your expression blank as if their high-pitched voices didn’t fill the streets and they weren't racing toward you with their skirts in their hands.

“My word! It’s the end of summer already?”

“Atticus, you’ve grown taller!”

“What a handsome boy! Y/n, your shorts are too short, don’t you think?”

“It’s quite bizarre how such clothing is acceptable these days.”

“How beautiful you’d look in a gown like ours!”

“Where’s Alabaster?” Janie asks, attempting to circle her arm around Atticus’s, but he raises his arm to push back his damp hair to avoid the contact. She scoffs at his rejection and sighs.

“Alabaster was sweeter to us than you guys!” Celia pouts. Your heart sinks a little at the mention of him. Of course, they’d ask about him, and of course, your father will ask too.

Gods! Your father will ask about him.

You had forgotten you’d have to break the news today. These past few weeks, you debated whether or not you should do it by letter, but it felt wrong. It was only right that he’d find out in person.

“We know you can hear us,” Janie huffs.

“I hope dad doesn’t work late tonight. Do you think Grandma will be waiting for us?” You ask. As annoying as it was having spirits follow you, it was a little fun ignoring them when convenient for you. Atticus nods,

“Probably-”

“No one’s home,” Celia cuts in, and Atticus pretends to shoo a bug away to conceal that he paused from her interruption.

“But I don’t think dad is going to take long. He said his last lecture ended at three,” Atticus continues, and you nod.

‘I hope grandma came by to visit. I missed her.”

“I just said no one’s home.” Celia snaps, and you press your lips together to hide your smile.

Atticus sighs. “I know, I’m dying for those moon cookies she makes us.” At the mention of those cookies, your stomach grumbles. You hope Celia was wrong because you’re suddenly craving your grandmother’s cooking and her company. Her funny stories and voice that’s always a little too loud for the indoors never fails to cheer you up. As short and frail as she is, her voice and personality could fill a room.

“Me too,” you say shortly.

“Hello?!” Celia waves her handkerchief in your face, and you persisted in ignoring her. Suddenly, a sound of disgust comes from Janie as she brushes off her skirt.

“Y/n, retrieve this monster of yours!” She squeals as Ambrose bites the fabric of her dress, tugging on it with a growl.

“Damn this dog,” Celia shouts, attempting to shoo him away, but yelps in surprise as Ambrose snaps his jaw shut near her hand. “Get this thing under control! Y/n!”

Your hand comes up to cover your smile even though the two are shuffling behind you and a stifled chuckle comes from Atticus. The sound of Janie’s heels on the concrete becomes louder as she rushes beside Atticus again, and your smiles drop. The sight of your house comes into view, and you tilt your head confused; your father’s car is parked in the driveway.

“You said no one was home?” You say out loud, and Celia gasps beside you,

“Now you speak to me?” She snaps, halting as you approach the fence. She stands tall, hands folded in front of her elegantly as Janie’s expression is gleaming like a child on Christmas. “Your father requested to keep it a secret, so I obliged his wishes. He canceled his last lecture today to make you both a meal. What a lovely man.”

Your hand finds the latch for the white picket fence as you smile at the familiar narrow victorian-style house ahead of you. A path of cobblestone leads you to the brick steps of the small porch.

Your home sticks out from the more modern American houses that surround the area. It’s an antique, a snippet of history, as your father likes to say. The house is a russet brown only because the bricks are so old they’ve darkened in color. The house accents such as the window trims, porch overhang, and columns are copper, and the hipped roof has brown tiles that look like fish scales. Beside the porch, the bay windows from both stories stack on top of each other, and above the porch roof is the dormer that’s a part of your bedroom.

Gods, you’re yearning to be in your room. You just want to pull out your Murphy bed from the wall and bury yourself in your sheets. The idea of being in bed puts a pep in your step, and you are careful to avoid the salt ring that surrounds your house.

A butterfly passes by your face, flying to the bunchberry bushes your father has planted in the front garden. Among the grass, there are various flowers and herbs that your father grows in the summer. You’ve inherited many things from your father, but his green thumb isn’t one of them. He takes his gardening seriously while you can barely keep the cacti in your room alive.

“Enjoy your meal! Come talk to us one of these days. We missed you two!” Janie shouts after you as you make your way up the stairs. You turn around, Atticus smiling at them.

“We missed you, girls, too,” he says as if he didn’t want to admit it. Janie squeals something about how handsome his smile is, and you scoff, amused as you grab the doorknob.

Once you push the door open, you're hit with a rush of deja vu. The history channel plays faintly in the next room as you take in the home you’ve missed dearly.

There are two bookshelves against the wall on your right, a wide ledge with pillows under the bay windows. A messy coffee table filled with letters and stacked with books sits in front of the comfy reading nook, letting you know that your father was recently hanging out there.

There is a brown mahogany staircase that ascends upstairs to your left, and right beside it is the altar for your mother. A statue of her rests in the middle of the rectangle table covered in a black table cloth. On top of it lies the many offerings for your mom. Herb-dressed candles burn beside bowls of fruit, bouquets, a crystal enamel wine glass filled with alcohol, feathers, and other things. You ignore the altar as you put down your stuff beside the door, following Atticus as he takes off his shoes.

“Kids?” You hear your father call enthusiastically from beyond the foyer, and you persist forward into the entryway ahead of you.

“We’re home!” Atticus announces as he enters beside you. Ambrose barks making a beeline to the right and behind the kitchen counter. He jumps on your father with so much force he stumbles back.

“Gods! Why does he look even bigger?” Your father exclaims through a laugh, fixing the round glasses that threaten to slip off his nose as his other hand grips Ambrose’s paw. He yelps in surprise as Harvey's claws rest on top of his head, clinging to his hair to steady himself.

The warmth and smell of home fill your senses as you catch your dad’s gaze. “Well, come here! Are you going to hug your pops or what?”

You rush over with Atticus. Both of you hug your dad tightly on either side of him, and you smile as he presses a kiss on your temples. “I missed you guys so much!”

“We missed you too!” The smile on your face falters as he looks up, scanning the archway as if he was waiting for someone else. You shift, not ready to be faced with the question, and you peer around his body to look at the food on the stove behind him.

Your father notices your interest, and he chuckles. “Come on, let’s eat. You guys came right on time.”

You shuffle through the kitchen with Atticus, making your way to the rounded table at the end of the kitchen.

“Dad, what have you been up to?” Atticus asks teasingly, and your father perks up.

“I've done a lot of things to keep me busy. I volunteered to teach summer classes while you were gone. I’m reading this book with a fascinating perspective of the shift from Paganism to Christianity in Rome. It’s an amazing read; I highly recommend it. Though, I don’t quite agree with it.” Your father hums thoughtfully. “Oh! And I bought gnomes for our garden! And the thrift store had this little house and this old lady figurine! I put it on the porch. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but she’s the official guard of the door," he declares proudly. "And…” He twists and turns before heading to the bookshelves in the living room area. He grabs something from the shelf then he showcases a cartoon Dobby bobblehead with wide arms. A high-pitched cackle leaves his lips. “It completes our collection!”

“Woah! Where did you get it? We went to three different places for it, and we couldn’t find it.” Atticus matches your father’s excitement, and you snort at the two.

“I went to a mythology convention in Boston a few weeks ago. There was a game stop across the street from the center, and I thought, ‘why not?’ I went in, and I saw this little guy by the register.” Your father is giddy as he nudges the head and watches it jiggle in his hands.

You think of what your grandmother’s reaction would be if she saw all the things he bought on his trip to the thrift store. She’d definitely complain. She always said that even growing up, your father had a liking for knickknacks. On your shelves and counters, there are always little trinkets lying around. It even extends to the walls, a variety of paintings and diagrams are neatly hung beside each other. From the state of your house, it’s clear your father is a maximalist in its purest definition.

“Wow! That’s awesome!” Atticus reaches out his hand for it as your father brings over his entire collection of Harry Potter bobbleheads, the toys huddled in his chest before he places them on the dining table. “The whole gang can hang out with us for dinner.”

“I hope they like pasta,” Atticus comments, lining them up as your dad retrieves the pan of food.

Your stomach grumbles at the sight, and you’re quick to serve yourself as Atticus and your Dad talk about anything and everything. You guys discuss what your grandmother has been up to, how your father’s classes were going, which led your father to ramble so much he formed a tangent on top of another. The conversation was going so well that you were sure he wouldn’t ask about your summer, but you had assumed too soon.

“So enough about me! How was Camp?” Your father chirps, and you shift in your seat.

You smile with confidence to hide the wariness you felt. “It was great!” You figured if you keep your answer short, you could move past it quickly.

“Yeah, the usual. Fun as always,” Atticus adds.

Your father’s eyes flicker between the two of you, and the first thing he notices is the way your smiles don’t reach the rest of your face.

The clanging of metal utensils on glass plates fills the room as the both of you fixate on your food but neither take a bite. The camp was never a touchy subject. The sudden unwillingness to speak about it makes his eyebrow cock up in suspicion. His eye averts to the empty dining chair beside you and the dinner place settings that remained untouched. Alabaster was supposed to join your return home. At least, that’s what he had assumed.

“Did Alabaster decide to stay at his foster home?” There’s caution in his tone, and he’s taken aback at how both you and Atticus tense up. The clings of metal halt abruptly, and slowly, you move to glance at your father.

“Dad, something happened at camp this summer.” Now, it was your turn to have a tone laced with caution. Alabaster lived with you for months and quickly became a part of the family. Your father saw him as his second son, and you were afraid to break the news that he may never see him again.

“What happened? Did he get into trouble?” You frown at the sudden edge in his voice. Atticus shifts beside you,

“He took the others to go fight for the Titan Lord.”

“What?”

“Mother came to speak to him and told him that it was best to fight for the other side since their chances are better,” you say slowly. “They left at the end of July. Only Atticus, Lou Ellen, and I stayed at camp.”

Your father’s expression darkens, grief written all over his face. “And you haven’t seen them since?”

You shake your head, not wanting to delve into the details. “I don’t think we’ll be seeing them again in a while and not in the best circumstances.” Your father nods, understanding the implication in your words. “Mother promised that she’d take care of them if they fight for the other side. I didn’t want to go; it wasn’t right.”

“That must be why everything is rotting,” your father mutters more to himself. You furrow your eyebrows.

“Rotting? What’s rotting?”

“Our offerings to your mother,” he clarifies. “All the fruit I leave on her altar goes bad in a few days. The flowers wither quickly too. The garden, in general, hasn’t been doing well either. I didn’t understand why.”

Your focus returns to your plate. Suddenly, you weren’t that hungry anymore.

She must be angry, you think to yourself. A part of you wanted a sign from her to let you know if she was bothered you didn’t join. When the sign didn’t come, you assumed she didn’t care; that, in a way, you were dead to her. It didn’t dawn on you to ask how the altar or the garden your father dedicated to her was doing.

“Can I be excused?” You strain, your face a little hot, and you’re not sure if it was from your anger or from the tears you’re blinking away.

“Of course.” The warm smile on your father’s face fails to budge the dread you’re feeling. “You can be excused as well, Atticus.”

You miss the way your father and Atticus exchange looks as you stood up. There wasn’t a verbal agreement, but Atticus stands up tall, determined to make you feel better. He trails behind you, and suddenly, he slings his arm across your shoulders. “You know what’s one of the things I missed at camp?”

“What?” You ask, trying to ignore the heavy feeling in your chest.

“Beating you at Tekken,” Atticus teases. Your lips curve slightly; his playful nature manages to brighten up your mood a little bit. “Let’s play. I’ll go easy on you, but I’m sure you’ll still lose regardless.”

“You’re on,” you nudge him, and Atticus chuckles, walking ahead of you and up the stairs. Your hand grips the railing, and you walk up a few steps before halting, and your eyes find the front door.

“You don’t get it!”

“I don’t.” You shrugged, amused at the way Atticus’s eyebrows knitted in disbelief. He ignored you, grabbed the remote, and played the Star Wars movie again. You groaned, seeing the slanted letters move up the TV screen. “Atticus! I can’t watch this!”

“Why not?!”

“Well, first off, my dyslexia won’t let me read that quickly, and if a physically written prologue is needed before a movie… it’s not a good movie!”

“How dare you!” You threw your head back as a laugh bubbled in your throat. The exasperated look on his face was too funny. You had no desire to watch these movies, and you figured if you bothered him enough, he’d give up trying to show them to you. The shrug of your shoulders made him scoff. “Just watch it!”

A huff left your lips, and unwillingly, you returned your gaze to the screen. Suddenly, a hollow knock came from the front door.

“It’s late,” you said, but Atticus was too caught up in the beginning battle of the movie to pay any mind to you. Rarely did you get visitors, definitely not past midnight on a Friday. Cautiously, you rose from the couch and moved toward the door.

Rain erratically hit against your curtain-covered windows; the wind and cold made the walls around you creak as they adjusted. Whatever waited for you at the door, you just wished it was a person, not a weird ghost or monster. Your finger latched on the side of the curtain, allowing you to peek through the glass of your front door.

A gasp left your lips. Alabaster, soaked from the ruthless rain outside, was the last person you expected to see. But even though you didn’t expect him, you had an inkling as to why he was here.

Hastily, you unlocked the door and flung it open. “Al?” You sputtered; his green orbs were surrounded by tired eyes and puffy skin.

“He died this morning,” he strained. Your expression softened, and before you could say anything, Alabaster stepped forward and hugged your shoulders tightly. The raggedness of his breath, the shutter of his body, sent your chest a weight of sorrow. You couldn’t imagine being in his shoes and losing your father to a long battle with cancer at 14. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes; the person you looked up to the most was breaking down. You never thought he would need your help for anything, but it seems that you were wrong. “I’m sorry. You guys live the closest to me, and I didn’t know where to go-”

“It’s okay,” you interrupted. “Oh, Al, I’m so sorry,” your voice cracked, hands rubbed his back as a sob left his lips. A creak of a floorboard caught your attention, and you turned to see a confused Atticus emerging from the living room. With a sad look, he understood what happened, and soon his expression was mimicking yours.

“I’ll wake dad and get clothes,” he said, then rushed upstairs.

Your father didn’t even hesitate to help Alabaster, opening the doors of your house to him. In his greatest time of need, the three of you stood beside him, and overnight, he had a place in your home and in your heart. The three of you spent so much time playing video games, getting into trouble around town, learning magic. All the good times you and Atticus shared with him, were they really worth throwing away to fight with Kronos? You realize now that his departure was never only a betrayal to the camp but to you, Atticus, and your father, and you couldn’t help but think perhaps, you guys didn’t mean as much to him as he meant to you.

A shaky sigh leaves your mouth at the thoughts persistent to ruin your mood. The desire to leave camp was to avoid all the things that reminded you of your siblings, but now that you returned home, you realize that running away isn’t as easy as you thought.

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[sashi-ya]

{+18} - Law x Fem Best Friend ♥ CH.2

♥ Daily living with the Heart pirates crew AU  ♥ Spoilers after Dressrosa Arc. Law´s backstory.  ♥ Female reader. Little physical description. Everybody is 18+, canon ages.  ♥ TW: Nightmares related to PTSD. Little NSFW. no further warnings. If you think I should include some feel free to tell me ♥Thank you for the likes and follows, I appreciate it them so so much! If you wanna know when I’ll be updating the next chapters, you can follow me on Twitter @LawIsMyWaifu, come interact I love to have mutuals that love Law and One Piece as much as I do ♥

Word count: 4.1K

» List of parts: {CH1}  {CH2}  {CH3}  {CH4} {CH5} «

Chapter 2.

The sound of his low, raspy voice resonated all over my head, making my body react instantly. I gasped as I felt a strike of pleasure travelling down my stomach to in between my legs. Closing my eyes, unable to move, I didn’t want to move, I wanted him to keep whispering, to kiss my neck… “Hahahaha, I’m sorry, I’m just fooling around, your face, you look astonished Y/N-ya”, he said while laying back on the bed, laughing. I chuckled as I stood up brushing my clothes as if I was trying to fix them. “Stop it, I’m not into that you ass. Goodnight”, I said trying to dissimulate how agitated and embarrassed I was.

Almost running, I left the room, directly to mine, holding on my hand my underwear. I jumped to my bed resting violently on my back. “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?” ... a little time passed until I passed out.

Hard knocks on my door woke me up. “Vice-Captain!! wake up! breakfast is ready!!!” Clione shouted from the corridor. “God damn how many times I have to tell this whole crew I fucking hate being awakened with shouting?” I mumbled annoyed, covering my face with the sheets.

I was brushing my hair when I remembered my “memory box” for some reason. Opened my drawer and found the little velvet red box that holds my “treasures”. Inside, there is a photo of my parents with me when I was 7, happy, eating some ice cream with them. It was taken during one of “the white parades”, on Flevance, before everything turned into hell. A little blue bow that my little sister used to wear, some photos of Law, Bepo, Shachi, Penguin and me when we were the only members of our crew. And, a necklace Law made with some seashells as a gift for my 15th birthday, were also inside.

I got watery eyes while looking at it, “I must be getting old”, I thought, “I got emotional over the memories” ... laughed and put everything back to its place.

“Morning..” I said, greeting the whole crew that was already devouring their breakfast. I noticed Law wasn’t there, so I had to ask. Uni told me he was in the control room preparing for the arrival at the next island. I took a few pancakes and some tea and headed to the control room to ask my captain if he needed help.

“Good morning, doc”, I saluted him. Law that was seated facing the controls, turned the chair to look at me nodding. He has more dark circles as always, so I asked him, “Oi, did you sleep last night? are you feeling sick again?”. “I’m ok, I didn’t get much sleep last night. I got caught up with the book I was reading”, he answered with his usual unfriendly tone. “Yeah, right” I answered back, rolling my eyes, and proceeded “Let me know if you need something before we get to the island”.  Left the control room and went back to my room.

I knew him well to know he hadn't slept because something was worrying him, and not because he was reading the old comic book of “Sora, the warrior of the sea against the evil Germa 66”. But hey, Law never shows any emotion besides annoyance if he is not sick.

A few hours later, the submarine got to the shore of some winter island, and we all got ready to accomplish our assigned tasks.  “Ok everyone, we will meet here at 7 pm, is that clear?” told my crew members, everybody agreed and headed to the island.

The temperature was pretty low, and it was snowing. Law was wearing the long black coat with yellow dots and our Jolly Roger that he used to wear at Punk Hazard, his hat and of course the Kikoku over his shoulder. I love when he wears warm clothing, he looks so cozy, hiding his mouth behind the collar. (He does it so his lips don’t get chapped with the cold breeze, haha).  I don't like to wear the boiler-suit when we get to explore islands, so I decided to wear a long yellow coat with a hood, also with our crew's Jolly Roger emblazoned on the left side of the chest.

We asked a few civilians where to find a pharmacy and headed to the destination following their instructions. Law didn’t say much during the walking, as he normally does.

The island seemed a little bit deserted, yet it had picturesque streets, full of colour that stand out from the snow.  It has cobbled lanes, some canals of crystallized water, there were wooden houses and shops with little lights that garnished their architecture giving the place a romantic aura. The scenery behind the city center included big snowed mountains and a big castle over one of the highest peaks.

I saw a boutique with some cute sweaters on display that caught my eyes and I wanted to try them on. “Law, would you mind if I enter here? I want to buy a new sweater.”, I said. Law looked at me and made a gesture with his hand as he was saying to go ahead.

While searching for the sweater I like on one of the clothing racks I saw through the shop window that a few kids approached the captain. The seller asked me if I needed some help, so I stopped looking at him and l directed my gaze to the girl in the shop. So, I forget about him.

After buying two cute pullovers, we continued walking through the picturesque streets.

When we finally arrived at the pharmacy shop, it seemed like it was closed, but the door was open, so we entered. I rang the bell over the counter and waited for someone to show up. Law walked in front of me and had his hand over his sword. I knew he was alert and trying to protect me even if he didn’t say a word. I didn’t think we could be in danger, yet he never fully relaxes when we are outside. After all, he is one of the most wanted pirates of our generation, so it's understandable he trusts no stranger.

After a minute or so, an old lady approached the counter from the inside of the store. She seemed a little weak and perhaps a little sick. She coughed, covering her mouth with a handkerchief, and then greeted us. “Good afternoon, how can I help you?”, she asked. Law handed her a list of supplies we needed, and we waited. “Oi, don’t you think she looks bad? I mean, she is probably sick, should I ask if she is ok?”, I told Law who gave me a disapproving sight. I rolled my eyes, and said, “Fiiiine…”, “You know that I hate you rolling your eyes at me, you did it yesterday and now too. Stop it.” I looked at him with an “excuse me?” face and while I was about to spit an insult to him the granny appeared. “I’m sorry, I put on the bag some of the supplies, but I don’t have everything you need. We are short on medicines'', she informed us and started coughing harder. “Excuse me, Mrs. Are you alright? are you sick?”, I asked as she seemed to lose composure from all the nagging coughing. Law, that hated when I don’t give a fuck about what he had just said, gave me the look of death. “Oh young lady, we are pretty much sick, a strange illness is hitting the island. Even the only doctor in town fell ill. The orphanage, though, is getting the worst part. All of the kids are bedridden”, as she said, the memories of Flevance and the amber lead disease hit me.

Law's expression changed to a more compassionate one and asked about the symptoms they were experiencing. He might be serious, he might not want to get involved in a lot of things, but he is a true doctor. And he can't let people die if he can help.

We decided to visit the orphanage in hopes of helping the sick people, so we asked the old lady to give us directions to it. She said it was pretty far from the city center and told us her husband would take us there with his cart.

"Thank you so much for offering your help, young doctors", said the old lady's husband that later told us his name was Gerald. The cart was pulled by two brown percheron horses that opened their way through the white landscape.

We had a small talk during the journey, until Gerald asked, "how long have you been together? Are you already married?". Despite the freezing cold weather, my cheeks turned to fire, and I could sense Law hiding his head even more into his coat and hat. Almost as if clarifying that we were no couple was a life or death situation I said, "WE ARE JUST BEST FRIENDS!". I realized I almost shouted and felt mortified. Gerald looked at us with a little smirk and kind eyes, excusing himself for the mistake.

A few minutes after we arrived at the orphanage. It took us almost 30 minutes to get there and the sun was starting to set on the horizon.

When we entered the place, the situation was worse than we thought. There were kids and adults lying on the ground, some of them shivering, others coughing while others were straight unconscious. A few nurses were working in order to maintain them, but the situation had clearly surpassed them.

Immediately Law and I started working. While I helped the nurses, Law used his ope ope no mi power to scan the bodies of the sick people.

We got to the conclusion that what they were suffering was a type of bacteria that caused the respiratory symptoms and the fever.

During our duty, there were times when our eyes interlocked, and we smiled at each other. I wouldn't say we like people suffering, but, we certainly enjoyed working to save lives together.

A few hours passed since we arrived there, the sun was already set, and outside it seemed as if a snowstorm was beginning. I've lost track of time until my portable Den Den Mushi started to ring. "Oi, y/n, where are you? Is Law with you? Are you alright? We've been waiting for you on the shore! It's 9 pm already and we were supposed to meet at 7!", shouted Shachi from the other side of the line. "Oh my God I'm sorry I forgot to tell you!... you see …" I explained to them what we've been doing and that we were probably not going to return to the submarine in a few more hours.

The kids and the other people began to get better and those who were helping there offered us some food that we accepted happily.

While we were having dinner, Gerald got back from outside, who's been in the forest collecting some firewood. He informed us that the weather was getting really bad so coming back to town would be pretty dangerous.

Law and I agreed that staying there for the night was the safer choice.

One of the nurses, Sister Alley, told us we could spend the night in the cabin next to the orphanage. "I'm really sorry guys, I wished we had a better place for you, we owe you so much. The cabin has a fireplace, Gerald would start a fire to keep you warm”, she said. We both smiled at her and thanked for it.

We walked some meters through the forest until we started to catch sight of a wooden cabin. Despite being a strong pirate, I’m the queen of the clumsy people, so I slipped off with what I assume was an ice patch on the already snowy ground. I was about to hit the ground when Law grabbed me by the waist and saved me from a few bruises. His face in front of mine, the feeling of being safe on his arms, I wished it has been eternal. But the romantic moment was destroyed by Law mocking me. “It must be the devil fruit; how come you are so clumsy? Be careful”, he said, and I told him to shut up, this time I wasn’t embarrassed, but I was almost angry at him.

“Here we are, let me help you with the fire”, Gerald said, opening the wood door that creaked as it moved. The inside felt cozy, there were a few cushions and pillows on the ground next to the fireplace. There were no separate rooms, so in the middle of the lounge there was some kind of mattress with a few blankets over it. Our “host” asked for forgiveness about the lack of separate beds, but Law intercepted him and said, “It’s ok sir, we are grateful to have a warm place to stay until tomorrow. If you need help with any patient during the night, just please tell us”. It might be ok for you, damn Law. Was I supposed to sleep with him? - I mean, I wanted to, but, he was still my best friend, and those thoughts should have been erased.

Gerald wished us a good night and returned to the main building.

I hung my coat and as I love to explore, I started to do so around the little wooden house. The kitchen seemed really equipped, so I grabbed a kettle and some cups. Gerald was kind enough to give us some tea bags, so I thought making some tea was a great idea.

Law was next to the fireplace, wearing only a sweater and his jeans. Apparently he has already hung up his coat and his white spotted hat. I saw him once more with a lost sight that seemed to contemplate the firewood.

Looking at him with my face resting on my arm that was over the breakfast nook, I got lost worshiping his profile. I’ve always adored his upturned nose, his spiky black hair, his facial hair, the contrast between his grey eyes and the tanned skin. How come he has always been so handsome, but I’ve never seemed to fully realize?.

The whistle of the kettle intensified as the water started boiling, but I was so into admiring my best friend's beauty that I didn’t notice. Law turned to me and woke me up from my reverie shouting “Oi, Y/N, the kettle!”. My stupid smile quickly erased from my face, and my whole skin turned red. “Sorry”, I said straight away and turned off the burner.

I served two cups, noticing that the tea has an amazing scent. I believe it was hibiscus mixed with some other spices, perhaps some cardamom and maybe a little hint of clover. The smell of the tea mixed with the slightly one from the logs burning, was wonderful.

I walked to where my captain was, “Here, I think you may like it”, I said and handed him a cup. Our fingers brushed softly when grabbed the tea, he looked at me and said “Thanks”. I sat not so near him over one of the cushions and sipped a little bit of my tea. Law looked at me and stood up from his place. I could sense how awkward he felt when he made a little pause, and then walked away.

Why is he leaving? Did I make him feel uncomfortable?, I asked myself trying to hide little stings of pain on my chest that traveled to my throat. Somehow I felt like crying, and when my eyes started to get slightly watery, Law approached me placing his hand over my right shoulder.

I turned my face to him, looking up with a slightly pouty face. I was about to cry, and I didn’t even know why when I noticed a blue little box on his hand.

He sat next to me and said, "Do you remember when we were 15?, that day when I gave you that necklace I made myself for your birthday? I looked at him confused but I answered, "yes, of course, I got it on my memory box, I'm afraid to wear it outside the polar cause it might get lost and I wouldn't forgive myself if I lose it". He was now looking at the little box moving it around nervously and finally said "I got you a better one". He handed me the little box still not looking at me.

"A present?? OMG Law, thank you very much!" When did you buy it??" I almost shouted in excitement while opening the box. Inside there was a fine rose gold necklace that has a little anatomical heart figure as a pendant. I grabbed it and admired the beauty of the jewelry I had in my hands. The heart had a little red stone crimped on it, that shined with every movement.

"Law, this is too much! It must have cost you a lot of Berries, I don't deserve such a fine jewel!, thank you so much", I expressed with a big smile on my face.

"You do deserve more than this, you know. I'm glad you like it", he said, a little embarrassed. “When you were buying the sweaters, I asked some children there if they knew a jewelry store, turned out it was just around the corner”, he confessed.

“Thank you so much, it is just perfect! You know how I adore hearts; they remind me of you.. “Doctor Heart Stealer”” I almost shouted, realizing I have said too much…

I tried to put it on my neck, but I couldn’t clip it right, so I asked him for help. He stood up, kneel at my back and passed from behind the necklace around my neck.

Some branches hit the window violently as they were suffering the merciless wind of the snowstorm outside.

He struggled a little and finally fastened the collar and when he did, the electric power went off. The fireplace was the only source of light, the dance of the fire created figures with shadows and highlights all around the walls of the cabin. We remained silent, maybe a little scared or even surprised, but enjoying the sound of the weather and the creak of the fire.

He was still behind me, and after a few seconds he placed a soft kiss on my back that sent a shiver through my spine. Once again I was unable to speak, did he… did he just kiss my back?.. Before I could say or do something Law stood up and headed to one of the windows. “The storm seems to be even worse than earlier; don’t you think?”, he said, trying to device something through the window.

I couldn’t focus on anything else than the kiss he softly planted on my nape, minutes ago.  He suddenly yawned and walked to the mattress that was in the center of the room, on the floor. He then took his jeans off and hopped inside the bed, naturally. I remained on my spot, contemplating his actions. “How could he be acting so normal?, I’m right here. He just gave me a necklace, kissed my skin and now he just goes to sleep?” I said to myself, still with a confused expression on my face.

“Oi, aren’t you coming to bed?”, he asked me, freely. “Yes… give me a second”, I said, and ran to the bathroom. The toilet was pretty tiny and basic, but enough for me to hide for a few minutes. “Come on, Y/N you slept with him two nights ago, it’s ok, he is like your brother, it’s ok…” I thought, trying to calm myself down.

I finally left my hiding place and headed to the mattress. Law was lying there, he took off his sweater, probably while I was in the bathroom, so he was only using a white tight undershirt, that molded his torso anatomy. Some blankets were covering the under part of his body from his hips. He had his forearm over his eyes, covering them with his neck stretched back.

I bite my lip, as a reaction for such a tempting scene. I was enjoying it, watching him breathe peacefully. I started feeling hot, so I took off the sweater but not my jeans and approached the “bed”.

I thought Law was already asleep, so I got in bed trying not to wake him up. I muffled myself up with the sheets. I remained still, hearing the snowstorm, fixing my eyes on the wooden ceiling, as the memories of my childhood flooded my mind. It must be the snowstorm, the wind, the cold that triggered these memories. eventually I fell asleep.

“No, stop it, my family, leave us alone!!!!”, I screamed. “Y/n-ya! Y/n-ya!, wake up!” said Law, pulling me out from the terrific oneiric world I was submerged in. I got lost into his eyes, and remained there with tears streaming from my eyes, rolling into my cheeks. Law was holding me close to his body around his arms. “Are you having those nightmares, again? why didn’t you tell me?”, he asked, worried. “This is the first time in ages, I think it must be the storm, perhaps the orphanage, the children…”, I expressed amid tears. My best friend brushed his tattooed fingers through my hair, moving it out of my face, and then wiped the tears from my cheeks.

“Oi, do you remember what happened when I gave you the first necklace?” he asked, trying to distract me. A feeling of warmth invaded my insides, suddenly I felt happy. “I do...” I said, laughing timidly, and continued, “It was my first kiss”. He smiled back at me, and said, “Mine too”.

For a second we both closed our eyes. I was grabbing the pendant with my left hand cherishing it and the memories of our younger days when we kissed for the first time. We haven't had much time to think about love while striving to survive so we forgot about it, letting the days, months and years pass, leaving the experience as a mere child’s play.

Suddenly we started laughing, Law didn't let go of me, and our faces were pretty close. “Everything's better when you laugh, I hate it when you cry, it makes me so sad…” he said, rubbing his thumb over my right cheek. I stopped laughing, as he got even closer. Almost as if the point of our noses were about to touch. I could feel the warmth of his breath over my lips, and he did too. My heart started racing, and the only thing I could hear was the blood pumping on my ears. I wasn’t moving, I wanted him to kiss me, I wanted to kiss him… I just didn’t care that he was my best friend, I just needed him to kiss me.  What is taking him so long? Why am I not moving if I wanted this more than anything?. After a good minute, that felt eternal, he exclaimed “Fuck it”, and plant the sweetest kiss over my lips. A feeling of happiness filled my insides, I’ve never been so joyful in ages, it felt the same way as the first time. I was like a teenage girl experimenting love for the first time. Both smiled still with our lips pressed. I doubted for a second if succumbing to my deepest desires was the right thing to do until he decided to turn the cute kiss into a more passionate one. From then on, the desire I’d been accumulating inside of me took control of my body…

We kept on kissing; Law slid a hand under my shirt timidly caressing the skin of my tummy. The kisses migrated from my mouth to my neck, mixed with little bites that surely would turn into hickies tomorrow.

“Law…” I gasped when his hands reached my breasts. “What?” he replied, whispering next to my ear and pinching one of my nipples in between two fingers…

Chapter 3

Ch1: Link

[dabatcavebyhonie]

Marvel's Runaways- an example of a BAD idea

So imagine you wanted to a great comic book show. You buy a great cheap comic so you break the bank. But then you feel the pressure to have your loved characters appeal to a more modern audience. But there is a rift between the movie universe and the TV universe. So now you are left with a half baked story filled with holes and it is almost unrecognizable to the comics. Let us also not forget their horrible idea of re-writing the perspectives for the mass audiences. This is how you get the "cringy" monster that is the Hulu's adaptation of Runaways.

The first thing you must understand before tackling Runaways is that this Marvel property is heavily ingrained into the Marvel universe. In fact, one character from the comic book cast is the son of Ultron. Ultron, who MCU wrote off as someone short series of events.  Then that means that most of the events that occur in the comics become void. This leads to a rewriting of the events that occur in the TV show.

I broke the aspects of this ongoing show into three parts : Angst- the teen and the parent, stereotypes- I promise we're different,  dialogue- Who am I?

“I had choosen the path of the black sheep rather than that of the unicorns and puppies.”

― Magenta Periwinkle, Cutting Class

Angst- The teen and the parent 

     When you are first introduced to the nouveau-rich families of PRIDE  you see  parents with a wide range of jobs. This includes tech mongers, bio-chemists, and even spiritual leaders. By each family you see various color schemes graced across the screen. I assumed this TV show would be promising. Until you meet the children. I first became frustrated by the dynamics of the children. They're all stereotypes written out of a high school rom-com. At least for shows that Have stereotypes like  Daria you understand they're there to be unrealistic and mellow-dramatic. However this idea isn't valid for Runaways. The show is supposed to be relatable and fanciful at the same time. They're also not stereotypes in the graphic novel they're just themselves. This adds angst to the angst . Which this edgy behavior is supposed to replace the depth in their character. Take the biggest example of this: Nico. Her stereotype is that she's a goth so she's mean and does witchcraft and always cries about dead sister. Then in the later seasons she's hopelessly devoted to Karolina and this is supposed to add depth to her one dimensional personality.Her senitive love for Karolina is supposed to add depth- I just...No,no, no, UGH, Stop, please. I  can't with her. The big thing that makes her DEEP is that she's actually sensitive and gay. They use queer-bating to have her be more appealing. Then her stereotypical goth-ness solidifies the Goth norm-perception, it says,"Yes all goths are this way. They're all tortured and filled with teenage melodramatic behavior.".Her Wicca worship is another Goth stereotype. As a goth myself I do not condone the stereotypes that aren't accurate. I wish her character was more inspired like Abby from NCIS. The actor wantesd the  character to be more authentic and not just a stereotype like numerous other shows have.   Just no. Every time she slams her door a front of her mother's face or steals her mother's staff I'm just dumbfounded.   

   Karolina is the church girl stereotype. She waltzes across your screen in all white and reads Her bible-I-mean-her-religious-texts-that-don't-sound-like-Christianity-at-all. Then when she's tempted by the flesh of the witch! Oh no will they, Won't they? Spoiler alert: They will as we assumed with horrible LGBTQ+ characters as always. Her depth is her love for Nico. To the amount that her dreams while she's trapped in the first two episiodes of season three was her wedding with Nico. Granted it was goregous but her love is her character depth which is dissapointing since their relationship ends in season three.  They're both always moody and mad at each other but it's fine they love each other even though they only give each other a few pecks once in a while. Like don't make the mass audience mad cause we can't have too much gay! HAHA! For me it's less for the LGBTQ+ masses or to show representation it's written to sound and look pretty for the male gaze but hey! 

That's just me spreading my SJW bias like Gert does 24/4! Like is there an off button. Introducing the liberal complete with crippling anxiety and even "NO! I can't love a Lacrosse Jock! I hate the Patriarchy!". While no one shows up for her rally or her bakes sales she crushes over Chase who is rude to her. My father being heavily left-leaning said "Gert needs to go. Like she doesn't stop talking and ruins the show!". Like when I told him I was watching the new season he frantically asked why and asked if I was okay.

I'm getting off track. Anyway, The point is the only ones that love their family to start is Molly, Gertrude and Chase. But don't worry the only one that still loves her parents after is Molly (in some twisted way I guess Karolina.....ehhh). After seeing their parents kill a kid and shove them into a magical space tube instead of calling the police or rationally acting. They gain this amazing attribute called teenage angst. Except for Molly cause she doesn't get it. Granted the first season isn't that bad but the show only gets worse the farther you go into it. I especially have been carrying a special amount of disdain for season two. But I think that maybe the new season has promise since the teenage angst doesn't smell as bad so far but I'll give you guys an update on Tumblr. What was I saying ...So if you don't understand what I mean by the heavy angst take a new scene from season three when Dale (her dad) Has Gert hostage in their cottage. She goes on numerous rants on How much she hates him when like a year ago she was being somewhat rational by trying to think before she shouts and finger wag at her parents but now-speak your mind child! I find the teen vs. parent atmosphere.

However  This idea of teenage angst isn't unrealistic. But how general it is over every character is what makes the angst unrealistic. The original hesitation of Gert makes it feel more natural. Karolina's almost disregard to what they saw originally felt more real. The small responses from characters separates their personalities and makes season one much more entertaining.

Stereotypes- I promise we're different 

Now that you understand the edgy personality of the show as a whole let's move on to the content. You're introduced to a runaway teenager named Destiny she's mugged but "rescued" by the Church of Gibborim. Little do we realize these muggers were trying to save her. Six months later we're introduced to Alex Wilder, a stereotypical nerd, who loves coding. Nico Minoru the person Alex has a crush; her  sister died who was Alex's best friend, so now Nico's a goth. Okay, that's a lot. You then meet Gert, Chase and, Molly. Molly is younger then everyone else so she is disregarded when she tells everyone to become friends. Chase is a lacrosse jock but he's different cause he's smart I guess. Chase loves his family but his dad is emotionally abusive to him and his mom. It gives Chase a leader mentality and he tends to think he knows the right answer.

 Gert is a social justice warrior who tries to make her school a better place. But she's different cause she has anxiety. Tell me if my point isn't getting across, tell me. This show's "thing" is that everyone's a stereotypes but, they're different, I guess;Which would usually be fine if it wasn't apart of such a big intellectual property: Marvel. Granted when it comes to movies and TV I never said Marvel story-lines were ever complex but the shows always Go outside the prior assumptions, it's not all stereotypes. 

Take for instance, Agents of Shield.  Take Coulson who literally was resurrected fro the dead. He is hard and stern like he was depicted in the movies but we learn about his strife and how he worked alongside Nick to build S.H.I.E.L.D. to what it is. He has control issues so he has to adopt the mindset that Nick has. It's new and interesting to the MCU audience. Melinda May, is an Ace pilot and personally my favorite simply due to her character writing. Her divide between her reputation versus who she is. She's known as " The Calvary" after all. She has trauma from a mission that killed a civilian which leaves her emotionally scared. This isn't a new concept but seeing her grow and becoming better emotionally gives the audience connections to the characters.

 Every character is written with steady care and good character writing. We feel sad When Coulson dies yet again. We feel the inner turmoil Skye and May feel. The connection isn't there in these hollow stereotypes. The connection to the audience in Runaways is what's making the show stale. The TV show characters are pale imitations of the comic book characters. It's hurts the show in the long run.  

dialogue-Who am I?

The most important thing that makes this show salvageable is the dialogue. No, I don't only mean the words coming out their mouths but the story-line that's surprisingly controlled by the parents. The superficial cold teenagers that only show disdain towards their parents and easily toppled by their Parents beckoning and call. For instance in season 2, Chase betrays his whole team to have his family back after his dad dies. He thinks they'll lose so quickly when  he's left alone with them. You see their guard come down so quickly around their providers. Yet they can never forgive them. This is obvious in Alex's case. His hatred towards his parents lead him to the arms of his father's enemy become's angry when his mother retaliates and kills Darius, but is vexed when his father is calling him. Responds just by his mother threatens him from jail in season three. Why does Nico stop to talk to her Dad in season three, episode "Lord of Lies". I'm going  to keep watching just because of the dynamic of the kids and parents. Especially as the parents are inhabited by parasitic aliens it's changes this complex dynamic yet again. Along with Nico's inner turmoil involving her magic and the forces that are utilized with her staff headlines the dialogue and plot I love so much. I will continue to watch as this tale unfolds.

Conclusion: This show is complex recycling heap. I find it hard to watch and a grotesque figure I can't move away from. I find it a good surface level adaptation. I find it messy but it's not entirely predictable! I appreciate how invested the actors are in their characters! I hope to continue watching the show to see how  the plot moves.  

[cloudchaserandflitterexplain]

A “brief” talk about the future of CaFE

I’m sure several of you are probably wondering, or maybe have wondered, why did CaFE go on such a long, unannounced hiatus? they’ve existed before, much to my embarrassment, but never this long, and usually I’d at least say something after a few months. But this time, well, it’s been over three quarters of a year. That’s a long time. So what happened? Well, a number of things. There was, of course, my little tiff with CiM. Which has been long since resolved and we’re all friends again, even if I don’t work directly for them any more, which is currently for the best (though maybe I’ll return someday, who can say? It’s not in the foreseeable future, however). Then, well, there was just a lot of little things that affected my mental health as I was recovering from that. Nothing to cause a monumental delay, mind you, but a lot of stuff that just made me not want to, or just incapable of writing about cute ponies talking about card games. I did manage to write half of the next CaFE early in the year, but I never did manage to finish it. Then, well, the big thing happened. And, fair warning, it’s not good. How bad is it? Well, even Pinkie Pie knows there are some things that no amount of parties and balloons and cheer can help you with, and this is one of those. My father died in March this year. To make matters worse, it happened just about a week before my sister’s wedding (which was lovely, though very bittersweet considering the circumstances). And I did not take it well at all. Writing was close to impossible for a long time. And every time I thought about saying something about CaFE, I just couldn’t. I tried many times. I really did. I was not myself for months. I still managed to go to BABS and Everfree and put on a good show and enjoy myself, though I had to work harder for it. I’m not 100% I managed to mask everything entirely, and I’m sorry if I affected anyone negatively. For what it’s worth, I really did try my best not to. But let’s get back to the writing. It was hard. Very hard. I kept starting things I wanted to write about, then abandoning them. The best I could manage was the Surprise’s Cards that Beat the Odds series (which I think I did a decent job with, though it’s pretty close to over) and barely managing Silver Spanner (which I honestly think helped keep me sane as it was something I could do for everyone that involved very little effort on my part. Though there have definitely been more mistakes in the past few months than I’d have liked). The fact that I managed to finish two thirds of the Bichromatism mini series is, quite frankly, astounding to me as it has been about five times harder to write than something like this normally would be. But progress is progress, and I’m glad to have been able to make it. Bronycon has also helped a lot. I spent a lot of time with my non-CCG friends at the con, one of whom used to be a fanfic writer who published a book with a collection of her short stories from Fimfic and sold it at the Bronycon Bookstore, along with many other writers. It was a thing someone helped organize and push through for them all, and I couldn’t be more proud. Though, admittedly a little jealous since she was having so much fun with her writing stuff and I was just unable to write at all recently. But mostly, I was definitely proud, and enjoying her success alongside her. And, of course, I also did a lot of CCG stuff! I played a silly deck I made with Grand Pause (though we admit it needs a little tuning stil), hung out with people, chatted with people, and so on. I went to the “fire”side chat and asked questions about the next set, a few of which I think were actually pretty good! I even had the impromptu idea at about 90 minutes before Meticulous Talks started to join them in talking about those very same questions, completely surprising cursedchords and Hithroc and, honestly, myself. And overall, I managed to really connect with many CCG players again in a way I hadn’t really done since, well, since too long ago. Being the last Bronycon, of course, there was a lot to see, and do. I looked at all the cute costumes. Hugged Vikingerik’s Scootaloo suit twice.Bought a lot of stuff at the vendor hall (well, 5 things is a lot for me, anyway). Went to a couple panels. Told some jokes. Talked with a random stranger or three. Played board games. And overall, just had an incredibly and unbelievably good time. I even joined an impromptu sing-a-long of Smile Smile Smile (my 100% favourite MLP song, though I’ll easily admit several others are better). Bronycon’s healing process was incredible, and I think it happened at just the right time for me. The MLP fandom, as a whole, is just deeply, truly incredible. It is a community of love, understanding, and tolerance. And it is one of the most wonderful things I’ve ever been a part of (despite not really being much of a brony myself, outside the CCG. I know, it’s surprising considering how much I do for the CCG, but true). Which brings us back to CaFE. I’ve been thinking a lot more about CaFE lately, even before Bronycon. A couple weeks ago, I even thought to myself “it’s time to say something. It may not be time to write CafE again, but you should at least say something!” I didn’t, of course, but just thinking that was a good sign that I was on the right track again, even if still a bit away from the station. CaFE is incredibly and exceptionally special to me. It is legitimately the thing I am proudest of making or doing ever. No joke. I don’t know how well I can express this considering how emotional I’m getting typing these words (I’m tearing up on the plane home from Bronycon), but I think it needs to be put in to words. It’s the longest running project I’ve ever had, aside from my first job. I’ve had many people come up to me and praise how much they like it, even to this day. Folks have made fan art for me, including fan animations and comics! I’ve been asked to sign cards featuring one or both of the girls for people, which has always made my day (though it doesn’t happen much anymore). I’ve been told by more than one person it was their favourite pony blog period, despite being 90% just text! I’ve had players new and old tell me they’ve learned about the game reading my blog, and that they love the format of two cute pegasi talking to each other. Cloudchaser and Flitter have become practically synonymous with “competitive player” and “casual player” in this game, and almost everyone who’s read CaFE and seen how well they get along (despite their occasional fight) knows that they too can get along with the kind of player they’re not (granted, that could just be because we;re all MLP fans in general, heh). The girls’ expressions are used both on the official MLPCCG reddit and the official MLPCCG discord, and even in CiM’s Slack! Bots have been named after them by multiple people across multiple platforms. They were the first outside of Enterplay to give spoilers, and they’ve done so every set. And, most importantly, a girl at Nightmare Nights 2014 gave me a spontaneous hug when she learned I wrote that blog, she loved it so much. In short, CaFE hasn’t just touched my life, it’s touched all of yours. And many who don’t read it any more or even play the game any more. Heck, some people who stopped playing the game still read the blog (when it was updating, anyway)! Somehow, CaFE was even influential enough that I was invited to a panel at Bronycon 2016 to talk about them and how they managed to impact you all (along with several other panelists), and it truly is a time I’ll never forget (thanks Teej!).So there was no way I could let it end here. Cloudchaser. Flitter. You may be minor characters in the show, but to the MLPCCG community, you are beacons shining across us all. Bronycon may be over, and Season 9 may be ending soon, but the card game’s still going strong, even if not as strong as it was in years past. You’ve both got work to do. And, well, so have I. So, for those who missed the announcement at Bronycon and/or Meticulous Talks, I’ll say it here, and I’ll say it proudly. CaFE is coming back! In September or even late August. And I couldn’t be more excited. And I hope you all are too. See you all soon!

[scribemallow]

kirburbia ch. 19 - the perfect plan

second update to kirburbia post-hiatus is here! this one was super fun to write, and i hope you like it as much as i do.

full text is available below, or accessible on ao3 here!

Take a deep breath. Now take another.

Holding Kirby’s hand outside of the daycare they’ve been to before, Dedede struggles to process the way he feels. The sudden rush of adrenaline, anxiety and fear caused just by the thought of having to interact with someone while he has a child next to him sends a wave of confusion through his mind.

Am I going to have to explain my relationship? They’ve seen Kirby with Meta Knight, so will they judge me? Judge him? We don’t look related at all, and if Meta Knight needs a friend to bring the kid he’s lookin’ after to daycare then it’ll make him look like a shitty.. dad? Uncle? Whatever he told them. Shit.

Why does this feel so wrong? Is it so scary?

Thoughts running fast and wild, Dedede only notices Kirby squeezing his trembling hand after a hot second. Snapping back to reality, he squeezes it back, and takes a final deep breath.

“Sorry, kid. Your old Dedede just has some nerves about going in and, y’know, dropping you off. You sure you’ll be okay in there without me or Meta around?” Dedede says, trying his hardest to not trip and falter over the words that are hardest to say. Still, he can feel Kirby nodding, and a sense of humoured satisfaction from being able to call Meta Knight Meta again without him there to complain.

“Debebe! Okay! Yes!” squeaks Kirby, voice high pitched and excited. When Dedede looks over, he can see Kirby’s eyes glowing with stars in a fashion that reminds him of how they were before this strange planet. The memory of Kirby’s strength, his perseverence and independence, hits him with a force.

Of course he’ll be okay. It’s not fair to push my own issues onto the kid! Gah, I should have just taken that step and I wouldn’t even be thinking about this right now.

“Just makin’ sure, bub. I know we haven’t always gotten along in the past, but I think you can do anything. Be a good kid, and make Meta proud, okay?” Dedede exclaims, holding out his little finger as punctuation. “Pinky promise.” Kirby holds out his own as well, linking it with Dedede’s. Shaking their hands together for a second, Dedede presses his other hand onto the opening of the door. Closing his eyes, he pushes it forward, hoping to avoid any immediate eye contact with the staff or other kids if he can.

“Hey, are you here to drop off.. Kirby, right?”

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

The sound of tires on tarmac alerts Meta Knight to Dedede’s return, a while after he left. The anxiety he had over Dedede offering to drop Kirby off, which seemed remarkably out of character for Dedede, subsides as he hears the familiar jingle of Dedede’s keyring-laden keys hitting the door and sliding into the lock smoothly.

For all his problems, he’s at least got unlocking a door well down. It always takes me two tries.

Sliding out of the yard chair he was drinking lemonade on, Meta Knight walks slowly to the door so as to greet Dedede. A little disappointed by the lack of bag-sound (which always meant that Dedede had bought back some kind of dessert for them to enjoy), Meta Knight stood in the hallway regardless and waited for Dedede to turn his head towards him.

“Hey, Dedede. You manage to get the kid locked up in baby jail safely?” jokes Meta Knight. Dedede huffs and turns in his direction.

“For the record, Daycare ain’t “baby jail”. The babies are well taken care of. It’s more of a farm pen for babies. Who are not babies. Kirby’s a kid, you know.”

Meta Knight shrugs. “Eh, the distinction doesn’t mean much.”

“The distinction means everything,” mutters Dedede “because if Kirby was a baby he wouldn’t do what he does. But he’s a kid, and kids can do anything if they put their minds to it. Including beat me up. Several times. Because at least I admit it.” His voice getting louder as he reaches the end of the sentence, Meta Knight almost laughs under his breath.

“Well, I’m glad we’ve cleared up the semantics.”

“Ain’t semantics that stuff they put on the roads?”

Meta Knight rolls his eyes. “No. Let’s just forget I said anything.”

“Already have, buddy.”

The heat rises to Meta Knight’s cheeks again.

Fuck. I’m in love with an idiot, and I get flustered when he’s completely platonic towards me. Good job, Meta Knight.

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

Dedede promised Meta Knight that he’d have the trap set up after he came back, and looking at the strange contraption that he’s constructed in the fairly sizeable backyard, Meta Knight can’t fault him for telling the truth. Even though it looks like some kind of elaborate comic joke.

“…Remind me again how this thing is supposed to work?”

“Well, it’s simple.” Dedede grunts as he hoists himself up from the ground, where he was making final adjustments to a rickety mouse trap that constituted the grand finale of the scheme. “The grill scent draws the cat towards the backyard, and when he comes in he’s going to be frightened by this little statue here.” He points to a small stone statuette of two kittens, possessing the approximate realism of a surrealist painting, and gives Meta Knight a thumbs up. “Then it’ll back into this pool of water and fall in.”

It’s a kiddy pool.

“Why do you even have a kiddy pool?”

“Neighbours had a garage sale. I felt bad for not buying anything.”

“Okay. Continue?”

Dedede squats on the ground again and points to the pool. “So, cats hate water. He’ll flip out so bad, and because he’s a cat he’ll instinctively run away, but also he’ll run in the direction of the treats I’ve laid out on the stone pathway. And at the end of the pathway…” Dedede looks at Meta Knight encouragingly.

“Is the mouse trap?”

Dedede snaps his fingers. “You got it, bud! We’ll have him in no time.”

“So… Not that I’m doubting you, or anything like that, but what if the trap doesn’t work?”

“Are you kiddin’ me? This thing is perfect. Nothing can go wrong at all.”

Subtly, Meta Knight gets the feeling that Dedede needs to feel confident right now, so he shuts his mouth and nods in agreement.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

⚔️🏰🐲 - DMODT 31 update

Levi had the feeling Eren was keeping something from him. They hadn't been physically intimate since getting drunk together, but he'd expected that. Eren had said he wasn't ready, and Levi respected his omega's needs. No. There was something else that was wrong. The way Eren's smile didn't quite meet his eyes. The way Eren seemed to drift out during conversations, and the way he'd wake with a start and whimper in the middle of the night, only to roll away from him when Levi tried to ask what was wrong. He knew Eren wasn't feeling all that great about the clutch, but this felt as if something else had happened and he had no idea what. The alpha could only think that it had happened while staying at the military barracks, when he'd been forced to talk to Petra about her completely unacceptable behaviour. Petra had been in a position of power while at the port barracks, her words and her actions carried a lot of sway, so when her engagement to him dissolved and he appeared with a new lover, the soldiers had all looked to Eren in disgust... which Petra has encouraged. She'd encouraged them to ignore Eren completely, as he simply Levi's whore. Having heard all about the fight the alpha had had with Mikasa, Levi had thought Petra might pull her head in. Mikasa may have been mad at Eren, but she still loved him, and hadn't taken too kindly to Petra trying to manipulate her against the teen. Petra hadn't appreciated being talked to in such a manor by Mikasa, and it'd very nearly turned into a sword fight over Eren's honour. Levi had been mid conversation when a scratch had appeared on his cheek, Eren's magic had healed it the moment it appeared, and when he'd asked Eren, Eren had said he'd punched himself in the face as he'd pulled the blankets. Which was honestly a very Eren thing to do... yet... What if it hadn't been? The stomach ache that had felt like a knife to his gut, he blamed on possible lasting cramping from after the birth... but once again, what if it hadn't been? He didn't want to mention the cramping, in case he upset Eren over the clutch, or in case it was related to Eren's coming heat. Now that they were on their way back home, he really felt as if he should have. He was sure the moment had passed, and he'd been left behind. The matter weighed heavily on Levi's mind as he carried out his duties. Erwin had organised a series of visits for them, and even a trip to the theatre to see some play that hadn't made a lick of sense to him. Eren had played his part beautifully on Levi's arm. The teen smiled, waved and was polite to everyone who spoke to them. Levi very much the proud alpha as his omega did, yet none of it felt right. When Eren fell asleep on his shoulder at the theatre, the teen had flinched and jumped away when Levi shook him awake. Mumbling out an apology, Eren moved to sink into his side, with a clear stiffness in his form. Maybe this was all too much too fast? He'd grown used to the pageantry of royalty and aristocracy, but Eren hadn't. He'd spent his crucial years in a sanctuary, then spent most of his time at the castle studying, before leaving to live with dragons. He hadn't had manners drilled into him, or every aspect of high society interactions. Talking to Erwin, they agreed he needed some form of lessons. At least in dancing, and dining. If Eren could hold his head high for both those tasks, than everything else could be covered. It was also decided that Armin would return home with them, Mikasa and her squad to return after all their duties were transferred back to Petra and her squad, though he'd promoted squad member Eld to leader, in a petty move to punish Petra for her pettiness. Whatever was going on with Eren, he could only pray that the teen would either break down completely, or open up and dump everything on him, as at the moment, it hurt to watch him silently suffering. * After Eren's run in with Zeke, he'd forced himself back together and reassigned himself his original self gifted mission of finding Armin. Again he'd walked through the barracks, and again he'd found himself ignored... until he finally found a semi-familiar face. He could never forget horsefaced Jean, his beard had made him somewhat better looking, but in Eren's eyes, he was still a braying arse... so, he turned his attention to Sasha. Smiling the best he could, he jogged over to the pair who engaged in conversation with their friend Connie. He liked Connie. Connie managed to always ruin his own arguments over how smart he was, yet it wasn't in an obnoxious way. It was because he was always talking big and bolstering his own ego, that he pushed himself much harder than most people. Reaching them, Sasha gave a bow with a giggle "Your majesty" "I'm not the prince" Giving him a wide grin, Sasha nodded "I know, but you're like sleeping with him... which means you can get me more food, right?" Snorting, Eren shook his head "I doubt I have any kind of power there, but I can ask" Jean crossed his arms with a huff "I don't know what he sees in you, and those freaky scales" "I'd rather my scales than your horseface. Sasha, have you seen Armin?" Sasha hummed, raising her hand to her chin as she tapped her jawline with her pointer finger "I think he was in the kitchens with Mikasa. All the meals have to be triple checked... I don't know why they wouldn't let me do it..." "Probably because you'd eat the whole meal" "I joined the military to eat new and yummy foods... but it's always rations. When are we going to get meat!?" Sasha was practically drooling "Sasha, can you show me to the kitchen's, please? I have no idea how everyone finds their way around here" "We're not your soldiers. We didn't agree to give our lives for you" Eren raised an eyebrow at Jean, reminding himself he needed to be strong and couldn't show any possible kind of weakness "I'm not asking you to give your lives, I was asking Sasha if she could please help me find the kitchen" "Will there be food?" Was it so hard to do one small favour?" "I can ask" Sasha grabbed his arm, Eren forcing himself not to tear it out of her hold. Sasha wasn't about to beat the shit out of him just to make herself feel better "You're the best!" The cook refused to give Sasha extra food, as she was man handled out the kitchen. It was a rather comical sight as she clung to the steamed potato she'd stolen. Sitting at the kitchen table, Armin brightened at the sight of him "Eren, come sit with me" Ignoring the unhappy cooks, Eren did just that. Armin seemed so very happy "Did everything go well with Levi last night?" "You have no idea. After what happened with Mikasa, Levi walked both of us home. He stayed for tea" "The way you make it sound, it sounds like there was more than tea" Armin blushed "It wasn't like that. We talked about all sorts of things, until we both realised we talked all night" "Oh, Armin. I'm so happy for you" "I... I have some of his hair. I found it once he left, on the back of the chair that is. I didn't just take it. You can do a test right? With some of his hair?" "How do you know it's not yours? You're both blond" "I don't... but no one else in the house has blond hair. It... won't cause an explosion, will it?" The twinkle in Armin's eyes was filled with hope "No. But I do need a few things for it to work" Armin let out a kind of muffled squeak, before taking a deep breath "What do you need?" "A bowl of milk. Some blue ink, and a piece of chalk. As well as some of your hair and his" "That's all? No crystals or herbs?" "If I was using Eldia magic, it would be a whole lot more complicated. Historia taught me this, because she thought I could use it to make money if living at the castle didn't work out" "Really?" "I didn't know if I'd be allowed to come back, or even move back in. Now, do you think you get everything?" "I have chalk and inks in my bag... I just need a bowl of milk" "Do I want to know why you have chalk and ink?" "Sometimes you have to draw out things for dock workers to understand. Not all of them can read, then you need the ink because you have to fix the invoices" "Armin, I was joking. You need to calm down. We don't know the outcome. It could say anything" It was also a little bit late to be wondering if Erwin had any spells on him like the ones Eren placed on Levi. Though his were prayers, and Eren's healing came through the brooch his boyfriend wore, and their bond. But if there was something in place, it should have been activated when Obsydin infected him... "Don't say that. Eren, he's so smart. He has so many ideas of how to improve things..." "Ok. Ok. I know. I just don't want you to be hurt" "How accurate is this?" "Fairly. Most of the time. Things can affect it, like your friend dying of old age before you get me everything I need" The cook didn't want them messing up her table, but Eren promised to clean it with magic. Drawing a medium sized circle in front of them, he drew a small series of symbols inside of it "What's that?" "Purely decorative" Armin elbowed him "Then why are you drawing them?" "Because I'm teasing you. I only need the outside circle" Armin pouted at him, holding out his hand until Eren returned the chalk. Placing the bowl in the circle, Eren poured the milk in "Why milk?" "We all start our lives feeding on milk. Now, I need the hair" Handing over the few hairs he'd collected, Eren dropped them in the bowl. Armin a little enthused as he pulled out way too much. Plucking out a few strands, he dropped them in "Now the ink" "What does the ink do?" "It tells me what the answer is" Adding three drops, it hardly looked like anything other than a mess "Now what?" "Now you let me work" The spell worked by reading people, like Historia did when she healed someone. His magic didn't work that way, so he was kind of reading more the intentions of Armin and Erwin. He didn't totally get it, but when he'd tried with Historia and Ymir it'd worked. Gently letting his magic seep into the bowl, the milk and ink began to boil "Eren" "It's fine" Slowly the boiling settled, the ink still swirling. It was all very simple, and made for even the stupidest person to read. A heart if they were meant to be, and a split heart if they weren't, so when it just came back as two separate little circles, Eren was confused "Well?! What does it mean?" "I don't know. I've never seen this before" "Ereeeen" "I don't know... maybe it means you're not meant to be together just get? I mean, there's like two circles... and they're two of you..." "Nooo. You were supposed to tell me" "I'm sorry" Armin sighed dramatically "How will I ever know?" "I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm not as good as Historia. She'd be able to do this with her eyes closed" "This means I'll have to ask her" "You still talk to her?" "No... I want to though... I miss Draecia" Sliding the bowl over to Armin, Eren cleaned the table down as he'd said he would. The whole mess dropping it's self in the scrap bucket, as he'd done a proper job of cleaning off everything ever spilt or soaked into the wood "I miss it too, but I told you..." "Yes, yes. Rod lost his shit and we got kicked out" Eren hated having let Armin down. He'd been so hopeful that he'd be able to give his friend good news... He wasn't supposed to write to Historia... but... he couldn't let Armin be broken hearted like this. He wouldn't be responsible for another person he loved being hurt because of his actions. He'd rather take a hundred thousand beatings, than risk pissing Zeke or Rod off. Rod had a whole country of dragons at his disposal, while Zeke had the whole of Marley, and the Marley royal family who'd no doubt seek revenge if anything was to happen to the prince. This being nice and meek thing pissed him off. He was a dragon. He had powers that mages could only dream of... Powers that could erase Rod and Zeke from existence with just the click of his fingers, but it just wasn't worth it... Yet, seeing Armin's pain... he had to do something. Armin deserved love and to be happy. Writing to Historia, Eren erased the tiny royal insignia from the leather pouch of the pigeons leg that would carry his note to Historia. With a little bit of magic on her end, the tiny two inch, by half an inch note would grow to a full standard page. He'd explained everything in it. From the clutch, to being Levi's public lover and then to the compatibility spell. Fuck, he missed her, and Ymir. He missed playing in his dragon form, and chasing those stupid boulders over the hills. More and more people were learning he was a dragon, which meant those less than desirable were bound to find out too. It was even more important that he didn't make any grand shows of his lineage or with his magic, lest he find himself chopped up into tiny pieces... Draecia was now feeling more and more like a dream, and longed to return. Trying his hardest to forget he'd written to Historia, the next few days were spent entertaining Zeke until they left. There were a great number of things he got to see as he walked at Levi's side, but the worst experience was their trip to the theatre. He'd never been to one before, so hadn't expected it to be so boring. The story was weird, jumping all over the place, with random singing that sent him to sleep. He'd been so excited for it, only to fall asleep against Levi. His boyfriend scaring the crap out of him as he shook him awake. It'd been months since he'd had a nightmare about his mother's death, and now he'd had three in the space of 4 nights... none of which were appreciated, and all of which left his magic sparkling in his fingers as he tried to save his mother from her death. Not even having Levi by his side calmed him down, which was unusual. Historia's reply hadn't come until after Zeke and his party had left for Marley. The pigeon landing on the window ledge of the commander's room and cooing until Eren climbed out of bed to let it in. Returning to bed, Levi shuffled closer. His boyfriend nuzzling into his lap as he sleepy wrapped an arm around his waist, while Eren unfurled the small reply, before his heart dropped and his stomach flipped. He had no idea how to deal with the contents of the letter, and could only pray that no one in Zeke's party had intercepted it before he'd had the chance to read it. If Historia was to be believed, he needed to seek Erwin out immediately, for Armin was in danger from outside forces. Well, all of them always were, but that's what the magic reading had said, and Historia would know best. She'd preformed the reading hundreds of times for her and Ymir "Mmm, Eren? Everything ok?" He couldn't just up and leave with Levi cuddled into him "Yeah. It's ok. Go back to sleep" "' smell worried" "I'm fine. Get some more sleep" "'k" Stroking Levi's hair, Eren felt bad over hiding the contents of the letter from his boyfriend, but as it contained information about the curse, he couldn't just show him the slip of paper. Historia was worried that the clutch had come so many weeks before his heat, and felt it was most likely because the spell hadn't worked the way they wanted. He wouldn't know for sure until Levi's rut hit, but she did warn him to be prepared for the worst. He didn't know how he'd deal with everything if the spell didn't hold. He didn't know how to tell Levi he'd done something incredibly desperate and ruined everything for them. He could only pray that it was because he was mostly human that that was why his heat hadn't come. The teen didn't have a chance to speak to Erwin until after breakfast. Slipping the note into Erwin's hand while at breakfast had been an quiet feat. The alpha somewhat perplexed as to why Eren's hand was resting on his leg, until he finally looked down to see the paper. Taking the note, Erwin pocketed it. Eren's heart was racing the whole time, even after he saw that Erwin was making no move to open it. God. It was all so much more complicated than he'd ever imagined it could be. When breakfast ended, Erwin excused himself, only to return a few moments later to ask for Eren's "help". Following the man out the dining room, he was shown into a small office of sorts, his nerves starting to betray his new "there's absolutely nothing wrong with me attitude", especially when Erwin produced the note and waved it in his face "What is this?" "What does it look like?" "Don't test me Eren" "I'm not aiming to. I wasn't going to contact her, but with the clutch and the weird reading..." "You stole my hair?!" "I didn't steal anything. Armin found them on the chair. He's been in love with you, since before I returned. I was trying to be a good friend" "A good friend..." "Yes! God. Do you think I knew you two were related?! Let alone..." Erwin shoved his hand over his mouth "This can't be true. I would know if I had a brother" Raising his right hand, Eren pulled Erwin's hand off his mouth "But would you? Really? Because as far as I remember, it was common practice to send children away to be raised as commoners, where they were safe" Erwin glared at him coldly "The royal advisors never mentioned anything" "It's not my fault. I didn't know either" "Does anyone know about this?!" "What? No. I told Historia I did a test between two friends using their hair and got that result. She doesn't know it was you" "Right..." "I'm serious here. He is my best friend. We grew up together. He's more like a brother than a friend... and he's in love with you" "I don't give a fuck. Did you tell Levi?" "What?" "Don't play stupid with me. Did you tell him?!" "No! Why would I? I didn't know what to do, and I could hardly show him that letter. He has more than enough to worry about" "About your failed spell. I knew..." "You knew what? That I wasn't trust worthy. That's what you're thinking, isn't it? I know better than to run around spreading state secrets, especially with the way things are. So no. You're the only one who's read that, other than me. Armin is your little brother. I don't know if it was by magic, or whatever, but I can't change that" "You're not to tell him. I command you not to tell anyone about the contents of this letter" Eren growled "Stop with the fucking commands! Whenever you're scared, that's what you default to and I'm sick of it" "Know your place..." "My place?! Ha! You and Levi both decided my place needed to be made fucking public, when I was more than happy in the shadows. I've been following your charade and do you know how much pain you've caused Levi!? His whole life is dictated as playing the prince you're too much of a coward to be" "Shut your mouth" "No. I'm doing everything I can for Levi, and all I ask is that you keep Armin close and safe" "What you're doing is hardly good enough" Slapping Erwin, Eren's eyes widened at his own actions. The alpha looked murderous "I... I'm sorry" Pushing past Erwin, Eren ran. He couldn't believe he'd lost his temper, but at the same time, this was Armin's life. His best friend... he'd never thought his reading would turn out like this. He never would have done anything if he'd suspected... how could he have suspected? It wasn't like every blond person in existence was related, and Armin's parents were supposed to have been adventurers who's hot air balloon had crashed. That was why he'd grown up with his grandfather. Had Grandpa Arlert know? And had Armin's mother really been his mother? With magic, a whole new person could be brought forth in the womb of another. Maybe the woman herself hadn't known? But no. Semen and blood were needed... as were highly trained mages. He couldn't fucking breathe. Blind to where he was running, he crashed right into Levi "Eren!" Starting to cough, he half collapsed into his alpha's arms "Eren, what's wrong? Is it your lungs?" Nodding, he felt miserable for lying. Especially when Levi lifted him "You're ok. We'll get you down to the kitchen and get the kettle steaming" Nodding, his lungs continued to protest oxygen. Levi kept him on his lap as Eren breathed in the kettle steam. When the towel was removed, he collapsed back against the man "Eren?" "Better. I panicked, and couldn't breathe" That bit was true "I noticed. Do you know what set it off?" "Yeah, but it's ok. I'm sorry for making a scene" "No. Your lungs aren't your fault... as long as your ok now" Why did Levi have to be so kind? "I'm ok... just a little sleepy" "We'll be leaving soon, do you want to head back home a little earlier?" Eren shook his head, coughing lightly as he curled further into Levi. He had to be ok. He'd had a shock, but he'd covered it with a few carefully constructed words "No. Don't cut your visit short because of me" "We've fulfilled our duties, and honestly, I miss the cleanliness of the castle" "Trust you to miss that. I bet what you really miss is your tea" "You can't be too ill if you can tease me like that" "I'm just sleepy" "I noticed you've been having nightmares" Of course he had... "It's fine. They're old dreams of my mother. I don't know why I've dreamt so much of her of late" "Do you know where she's buried?" "Probably in one of the pit graves of Shinganshima..." It hurt to think of how many people were just piled into them to prevent disease spreading. Each and every one of them deserved a proper funeral, but it wasn't possible. In some cases, who families had been wiped out, so even if there had been a funeral, there was no one left to identify them or to grieve for them "I'm sorry" "It is what it is. I think I just need to take a nap" "I'll come with you. I know these small episodes take a lot out of you" "I'll be fine on my own. Make sure everything here is truly fine before we leave. It'll mean less paper work" Levi nuzzled into his hair, sighing softly as he did "Trust you to be thinking of the kingdom. At least let me take you back to our room" "I'll be fine" "This is for my sake. I can't concentrate if I don't know for sure" Why couldn't he have crashed into someone else?! Not Levi... almost anyone but Levi would have been better than this "Fine, but you need to go to work" "I will" After that, they'd left earlier than scheduled. Erwin was avoiding him, and refused to meet his eye, while Armin was confused as to why he was coming home in the royal carriage with the three of them. On the way back to the castle, Eren practiced locking down his emotions. He went about all his new duties as gracefully as he could, though more than once his mask nearly slipped. He was an unknown element in the lives of those in Eldia. The Prince they so looked up to, was now walking around and sleeping with a scaly freak. Despite how widely he smiled, or how loudly he laughed, most of the population really wasn't sure about him. By the time they reached the castle, he'd hit his limit. Excusing himself and Armin, he dragged his best friend off to his tower, only to find it ransacked. Most likely by a master or two who were still loyal to Marley. Armin insisted they needed to tell the prince out of concern for Eren's safety, yet how could he go running to Levi over something so minor? He'd take one look at the destruction and know straight away that the perpetrator was looking for his clutch. Eren was so fucking tired of conflict. He just wanted Eldia safe. Lying and promising to tell the prince later, he and Armin then spent most of the day cleaning through the tower. The worst of the damage was in his bedroom, though he was lucky they hadn't stolen the gifts Levi had gifted him in Draecia. Well, gifted him after they'd returned from Draecia. Somehow they'd survived everything, and now we're hiding in a small alcove behind the picture frame that hung above his fireplace. Everything Levi gave him was his most precious of possessions, including his tower. If his boyfriend thought he was leaving his safe space, he had another thing coming. Once the tower was clean, Eren cooked a small dinner for himself and Armin, before the pair of them showered and headed up to bed. He didn't even think to lock the door, which lead to a very awkward wake up when Levi found him in bed with Armin. He didn't know who was louder, Levi as he demanded to know what was going on, or, Armin when promptly screamed at the sight of Levi at the end of the bed. Dobbed in by his best friend, Armin had explained how they'd spent the day cleaning the tower after finding it trashed, then both passed out from exhaustion. Never would Eren have guessed Levi would calmly accept Armin's words, then decide he was joining them. That was how Eren found himself sandwiched between Levi and Armin. Armin kind enough to sleep on his back so Eren could cuddle into his, they never would have fitted otherwise. Despite the awkwardness and way Armin was trying not to laugh out of nerves, Eren fell asleep between the pair.

[davidcarner]

Buy More High Ch 8, What To Do About Mary

A/N: It's been a month since I updated this fic…I have a good excuse…I'm sure…I'm looking for it…would you accept, I forgot? Didn't think so. Not only has it been a month but I left you on a cliff…I'm terrible and I'm so sorry. Let's fix this mess, shall we? Welcome to Ch 8, What To Do About Mary.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, and he doesn't appear to own his house any more either.

Last time on Buy More High

"Welp, looks like she's back," Chuck said.

"This is my fault, I told you to talk to her," Sarah replied.

"No, that nut decided to act that way just because," Chuck replied. "Now, what is your great idea that will fix this." She grinned and bounced a shoulder.

"Simple, you move in," she said. Chuck wasn't sure what to say.

Chuck looked over at Ellie who was sitting there vibrating. He glanced at Devon who was nodding with a knowing smirk. He quickly looked away before Devon wanted a high five. He looked over at Sarah. She had just put herself out there, in front of his family. He was absolutely touched by the offer. He reached over and took her hand.

"I can't thank you enough for the offer, but I need to say this, and I need you to hear me," Chuck said. She nodded, and Ellie looked worried. "It means the world to me you offering this. I want nothing more than to spend all my time with you, but you're being forced in to-" He never got to finish, because she grabbed him by the shirt, and pulled him in for a searing kiss that made his brain fry and words turned into colors. She pulled away and looked at him.

"I want you to move in with me," Sarah said, staring into his eyes.

"Me too," me mumbled, brain still not functioning at 100%.

"I told you, I need you near, I've been with you almost every night, even when we weren't…together," she said, raising an eyebrow. Chuck's ears went red as he swallowed, and Ellie was vibrating again. "Don't let her win, Chuck, move in with me."

"Okay," he said. "If that's what you want."

"It is," she said, letting go of his shirt. Ellie squealed.

}o{

"Should we get a rental unit for some of this?" Sarah asked later that evening. Chuck was still trying to get over what had happened. His mother showed up, basically telling him he was getting thrown out of his own house if he didn't break it off with Sarah. Sarah told him she wanted him to move in, and Ellie had squealed. He was sure the vets throughout the city were dealing with the dogs who had their eardrums pierced with the squeal. They hadn't got thrown out of the restaurant, but the waitress who always waited on them approached the table to make sure everything was okay. Sarah apologized and said the two of them were moving in together. The waitress high-fived her and brought her desert. Chuck asked where his was, and the waitress walked away giggling. "Chuck?"

"Sorry," he said, turning to her. She slipped her arms around his waist, pulling him in. "Lot on my mind."

"I put you in a bad spot," Sarah began.

"No, no, no, no, no," Chuck replied. "My mother put me in a bad spot, and you know what, she got what she deserved. She tried to break us up and it only drove us closer together so good on us. Right?" She nodded and laid her head against his chest. "You don't want any of my furniture in your house do you?"

"None of it," she replied honestly. "It just doesn't go with the style of my house."

"We have the exact same houses," Chuck countered.

"Nope," Sarah replied, running her finger up his chest, distracting him. "They may have the same floorplan, but they are nothing alike."

"You just prefer your decorating to mine," Chuck said, pulling apart, and looking down at her. She shrugged.

"I have no problem with all your nerd stuff, but your furniture…" she trailed off shaking her head. Chuck's eyes lit up.

"Wait, you have no problem with my posters or comics, or anything?" he asked.

"No, Chuck, that's you," she replied, looking around. "This furniture though, it's like.."

"We raided a used furniture store," Chuck said, rubbing his head and grinning. Sarah turned to him.

"That would explain so much," she said. "I mean I didn't get it. Your clothes match, I've seen you do things with patterns and stuff, but this," she just looked around her hands out. "This is a travesty." Chuck threw his head back and laughed.

"God, I love you," he blurted out, not realizing what he said. He had tears in his eyes, when suddenly he felt two hands grab his head and pulled him into a kiss that made him forget his name. When she let him go, he was having trouble focusing.

"Did you mean that?" she asked softly.

"Mean what?" Chuck asked, confused. Her face showed disappointment. He replayed what he said, and snapped his head toward her. He swallowed, and scratched the back of his head. "I mean, that really wasn't the way I wanted to say it, and with everything that has happened I didn't know if it was too much, or," he paused, unsure what to say, but by the look in her eyes, he was pretty sure what he said was okay.

"Chuck," she began. He took her hands.

"Sarah, it's okay," he said. "Your actions show me how you feel." She smiled and put her hands on his waist.

"I have some more actions to show you," she said, leading him out the door, to their home.

"Actions are good, so good," he mumbled following along.

}o{

"So, I have some bad news," the dentist said.

"No," Chuck muttered.

"The wisdom teeth really need to come out." Chuck slumped forward. "There's a surgeon who's really one of the best just next door, and he has an opening on Friday, that would give you all of fall break to recover," the dentist said. Chuck looked ready to cry. "Hey, it won't be that bad."

"It's not that, it's just my girlfriend and I were looking forward to the time off together, you know," Chuck replied. The dentist nodded.

"Is she out there?" he asked. Chuck nodded. "What's her name?"

"Sarah," Chuck replied. The dentist left Chuck alone for a few minutes, when he came back, Sarah was with him. "Hey," he said, looking up at her.

"So we need to take Friday off I hear," Sarah said sympathetically.

"You don't have to," Chuck began. He then processed the look he was being given. "But it is so nice of you to offer, I don't know what I would do without you." Sarah smiled.

}o{

"Miss Walker," the surgeon said. She stood up and headed back.

"That didn't take too long," she said. The surgeon smiled.

"So, here are the instructions, make sure he takes the pain pills," the surgeon said. "You're gonna want to drive the car around and we'll help you load him." Sarah thanked the surgeon, headed outside, and pulled the car up at the back exit to the building. Two nurses helped walk Chuck, still out of it, to the car. They got him gently into the car and Sarah clicked the seatbelt shut. "Listen, he's going to be out of it for a bit. It may get a little crazy." She thanked them again, got in the car and started to drive them home. Everything seemed fine, and she was listening to the radio, singing along softly, when she heard him start smacking his lips together.

"Tastes awful," he muttered.

"It's the gauze, Chuck," she said, grinning. He started messing with the seat belt. "That's the seat belt, Chuck, it's mean to keep you safe." He quit messing with it, his eyes never having opened. He suddenly opened his mouth and pulled out a piece of gauze. "CHUCK BARTOWSKI! You put that back in there right this instant." Chuck shoved the gauze right back in. "I'm sorry to yell, Chuck that's to control any bleeding."

"We should go to the Ellie," Chuck muttered.

"Go to the Ellie?" Sarah asked, trying to hold in the laugh.

"The Ellie works," Chuck muttered.

"The hospital?" Sarah asked.

"That's what I said, do you not understand?"

"She said to go home, and stay with me," Sarah said, shaking her head.

"I like that idea," he said, and was back asleep. Sarah shook her head and got them home, incident free. She parked the car, turned it off, got out, walked around, opened his door, and reached across, unlocking the seat belt. She bent down, turned him and pulled his legs out. She began to help him up, when he clanged his head off the roof and fell back, flopping across the console over to the diver's side, laid out. She put her hands to her face. She bent in, got him to a sitting position, ducked his head and got him to stand up. She was quite proud until she realized she couldn't get the door shut the way he was. She maneuvered him around until he was free of the door, leaning against the car. She shut the door, and turned, just in time to see him pitching face first toward the ground. She grabbed him around the waist, and buried her head into his back, taking a breather.

After a second, she started guiding him as he walked. She was afraid she was going to have to pick his legs up. They got to the steps, and she couldn't maneuver his legs. "Chuck, we're going up stairs, I need you to pick up your feet, one at a time." He lifted his leg high into the air, the foot coming level with his other knee. They took all three stairs that way. When they got to the top of the stairs, she leaned him against the wall as she hunted for her keys with one hand and steadied him with the other. She found them, opened the door, and realized the door seal on the ground was going to be just high enough to cause him problems. "Chuck lift your foot one last time." Sure enough he lifted it as high as his other knee. She didn't care, he had cleared the last hurdle. She directed him to the couch and deposited him there. She took a break for a second, winded from lugging him everywhere. She went and got a glass of water, and came back to the chair beside the couch. She turned the TV on and it was on a movie station. Some movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jessie Venture was on. They appeared to be hunting something. Chuck had been going on about it last night while she was grading papers, but she had ignored it and him. She wanted to get all the grades in today before the kids left for the break.

For the next hour she sat there and watched the movie, checking on Chuck every so often. She felt her eyelids getting heavy, the whole day and week, catching up to her. She had just started to drift off, when Chuck sat straight up, eyes wide open, hair wild, looking scared.

"I'm supposed to have my teeth taken out today," he said through cotton. She couldn't stop the amused smile that lit up her face. He reached in and began to remove the gauze, making a face each time he saw it. "Is it over?"

"Yes, Chuck, it is," she said. She handed him his pain meds. "I expect you to take them the first four days, regardless of how you feel. Do you know how many stories I've heard about people hurting because they were too stubborn to take them?"

"Ellie got to you, huh?" he asked. She nodded. "She's coming by later, isn't she?" Sarah nodded again. "I'm sorry," he said softly. She gave him a confused look. "We were supposed to have a week together, off in Napa Valley, or maybe a trip to Hawaii, or something, but instead you have to babysit me." She took his hand.

"Chuck, I'm not babysitting, I'm taking care of you, something I enjoy doing," Sarah said with a grin. "Something you do for me when I need to be taken care of. It's what people who love each other do for each other." Chuck grinned. "Now, quiet time, you need to rest your mouth." She led him to the bedroom, got him to get into bed, and soon he was asleep, or at least she thought he was.

"Love you too, Sarah," he said as she left the room. She smiled, never turning around.

}o{

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Ellie screamed a few days later. Sarah was sitting beside her on the porch, watching Mary's stuff get moved in.

"I hope her walls are soundproof," Sarah muttered into the glass of lemonade she was drinking. Ellie turned to her, not sure what Sarah meant by that. "He's quite…vocal." Ellie burst into laughter as Sarah sat there with a saucy smile on her face.

"While I didn't need to know that," Ellie began. "I'm not really sure where to go with that and I'll just leave it that way." Awesome pulled up in his car with Chuck in the passenger seat. He got out of the car, saw his mom on the porch of her house, who waved at him, and he rolled his eyes.

"Honey, love of my life, I'm home!" he yelled to Sarah. Mary shot daggers at her.

"Hey Man O' Mine," she yelled back. "I've missed you." Ellie was laughing.

"Chuck, can we talk?" Mary asked. Chuck stopped midstride, and looked at Mary. "I meant in private?"

"No," Chuck replied. "You got me kicked out of my house," he began.

"That was your decision, not mine," Mary retorted. Chuck rolled his eyes, turned, and headed toward the house. "Don't you dare walk away from me," Mary yelled.

"Why, you walked away from us," Ellie said. Mary stood there, not knowing what to say. Chuck sat in the swing on the porch beside Sarah.

"How are you going to deal with this?" Ellie asked.

"You know what would make her really mad?" Chuck asked. Ellie shook her head. "A big backyard dinner. Hamburgers, hotdogs, and the works."

"It's October, Chuck," Sarah reminded him.

"Okay, we'll have pumpkin hamburgers," Chuck replied. Sarah and Ellie looked at him, shook their heads, got up, and went inside. "Did I say something?" Chuck asked Awesome.

"I'm not convinced it wouldn't be good," Devon admitted.

"See," he replied.

}o{

There was a knock on the door and Chuck answered it, saw it was his mother, and shut the door. He returned to the living room.

"Who was it?" Sarah asked.

"A soul sucker," Chuck replied. "If you invite it in it has power over you." Sarah gave him a look, and headed to the door. "Didn't you ever watch Lost Boys?" Sarah opened the door and saw it was Mary.

"Mary, come in," Sarah said, stepping out of the way and inviting her in. Mary looked at her skeptically and came in.

"I must say your house is decorated much nicer than the one I moved into," Mary said.

"Chic used furniture," Ellie said as she overheard Mary enter the living room. "He used all of his money to get a down payment on that house."

"That's actually why I'm here," Mary said. "I will be buying the house, from you, and I want to make sure that you get the difference in what you originally gave and what I'm financing it for."

"That's very kind of you, Mary, isn't it Chuck," Sarah said, giving him a pointed look. Chuck's eyebrows went up.

"Yeah, very kind," Chuck said, wondering what was going on.

"Thank you, Mary," Sarah said. "That will help Chuck make his rent payment." Chuck lowered his glass, and looked at her, his eyes dancing. "You were going to help pay half the bills weren't you."

"I am," Chuck said. "I just assumed it would be something we speak of in private," Chuck replied.

"Nonsense, Chuck, we're family," Sarah said, batting her eyelashes. Chuck took a drink with a smirk on his face. Mary had stiffened at the family comment. Sarah turned to Mary. "I really owe you, if you hadn't of forced him to make a grown-up decision I don't know how long it would have taken us to get together, so it's really all because of you, so thank you." Mary looked strained.

"Well, you're erm, welcome," she said, unsure of how to respond. "I don't want to disturb you."

"Don't run off, you're here, you're family," Sarah said. "I mean that, the Bartowskis are my family." Mary gave a tight smile and nodded.

"I really have a lot to do, but thanks," she said, and she fled. Sarah watched her go, shut the door, came back into the living room, and got met by a crushing hug from Chuck.

"I do love you," he said. She chuckled into his shirt.

"I was being honest with her," Sarah explained. Chuck nodded.

"Oh, I know you were," he replied. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"That was a dangerous move, Sarah," Ellie said. "I liked it though." Sarah shrugged.

"She's Chuck's mother, it's his life, and it's time she stops thinking she controls it, it's his choice about what he does," Sarah replied.

"I think he made the right choice," Ellie said.

"Me too, Sis," Chuck said, pulling Sarah into a side hug. "Me too.

A/N: So that was not my dentist story….but it might have been my wife's…thank God she doesn't read this or she'd murder me….til next time…hope you enjoyed it! Reviews and PMs are always welcomed!

DC

[fanfictionconnectionwordpress]

Mystic Messenger Fanfiction | JuminxMC Good Ending Continued | Ch. 13 Man In Charge

***This is it! This is the end of the JuminxMC character arc. I hope you've enjoyed it despite my infrequent postings thanks to the real life issues I was having. There also weren't as many hidden scenes because of that, my apologies, and the usual of them raising their teenagers might not come out for some time as I'll be focusing on getting to Seven's Good Ending Continued series to give regular updates there as well as a Vanderwood fanfiction, but it will come out once I feel like my regular posting abilities are back. So sorry T_T,

Next week is prep week for Seven so there will be no Good Ending Continued posts!

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"I've told you. I'm asking your brother to step into the position." Jumin simply placed another document to the side before starting to read through the next, but our eldest daughter crossed her arms, the cat at her feet walking in circles around her. "Father. It's incredibly unfair. You just wish to give him the position because he is male even though he has no interest in it at all." With that, she and her cat left my husband's in home office. I simply closed the door behind her calmly before approaching him and wrapping my arms around him from behind his chair.

Jumin put his hands up to hold my arms and leaned back against my shoulder, his ever graying hair still dark but not in the way it had once been. His retirement was getting close, and it had made the entire household into somewhat of a mess of late. "Who am I really supposed to choose, MC?" I nuzzled his hair. "That's not really my decision to make." Of course, he would know that. My husband was as practical as ever, and I knew he wasn't seriously considering giving the position of chairman to our son.

Out of our six children, our son was the youngest child and he had always been a sensitive thing from the very beginning. Jumin found it irrational how emotional he tended to be, but loved him every bit as much as our daughters, but it had been clear that there was no way he would ever succeed at C&R, and Jumin desperately wanted to hand the position on to one of our children. Each of our daughters was currently a head of a department, except for our eldest whom he refused to allow into the business despite how badly she wanted it.

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh on Kyung, though? You know how badly she wants to be a part of the business, but she's always been babied thanks to her sight." It was true, our daughter was blind, but she got around the house so easily, partly thanks to her cat, the eldest kitten of Elizabeth the 3rd, otherwise known as Philip, and she was the most like my husband in her practicality and business sense, but he had always been sensitive with her. Jumin had even stiffened at my question and now his voice almost dipped into that same business tone it would with others when he didn't want to deal with them. "She's not fit to work in such an environment."

I let go of him and he let go of my arms reluctantly as I stepped away. Jumin pushed his chair back to get a look at me as I tilted my head at him. "Are you really going to shut down your emotions towards your own wife?" At this point it was almost impossible for him to get away with such a thing and it seemed he was already fully prepared for what I said, because he'd already shook his head. "My apologies, darling. Allow me to try again. I am worried for her. She's blind, and knowing how fast-paced that environment is, someone I trust implicitly would have to be her advisor to read her everything that couldn't be transferred over into braille and help her through the meeting and business trips. There is no such person."

That was more like it, a practical analyzation still, but at least he was expressing his real feelings about it. "All of our younger daughters are wonderful, but they aren't strong enough to lead an entire company. Their plates are at their maximum capacity as department heads, we both know this." I was trying my hand at reasoning back to him, even if it wasn't my forte', but over the years I'd learned how his mind processed things, and I would do just about anything to help our children and their relationship with their father knowing just how happy family made him. "You really can't think of anyone you trust? How about Zen and Jaehee's son? He's a fantastic young man and his mother was an excellent assistant for you before she left the company to start her cafe'. Surely he's looking for an internship by now."

It was pretty clear to me that Jumin had been planning to negate whatever suggestion for a person I made at first, but that he had actually started to think about it once I explained. He was playing with his cuff links like he had a tendency to do from the moment I had met him. "Perhaps...but that doesn't solve the issue completely. She hasn't ever worked in such an environment." This made me giggle just a little before I responded. "Isn't that somewhat the fault of her father for not letting her? She's nearly as old as you were when we met and she's never had a position in the company, but she was always delegating tasks to her younger siblings and she's been making great strides managing my work with the RFA as well. You can hardly say she isn't mentally prepared for running a business if she's done so well from a young age and is even managing a charity organization."

If that didn't convince him, I didn't know what would, but just at the moment, there was a knock at the door. Jumin didn't break eye contact with me for a few more seconds, his eyes the same dark gray as always, before he turned towards the door. "Come in." Kyung pushed the door open, her pale gray eyes looking straight forward, unseeing, as her dark black hair cascaded down her back. She held out a manila file, stepping forward exactly seven steps before placing it on the table. "I brought a list of my skills and relevant experience in a full resume' as well as a list of the benefits and negatives of hiring me. I've also included arguments and solutions for the negatives. Please excuse me, father."

Her keyboard had the braille letters on them, and she'd gotten quite good at typing, but it must still have taken her an excruciating amount of time to complete this task, so I was completely floored, as was my husband, as she simply left the room, closing the door behind her. Philip had waited for her patiently in the doorway, and once again we were alone in my husband's home office. I heard him start to chuckle, a low sound that slowly became louder as he picked up the documents. "I guess she's made my decision for me. So much for being the man in charge." I had to admit, it was pretty comical. Really, I hadn't needed to bother having this discussion with him in the first place, because of course Kyung would find a way to properly appeal to him in the end.

***

So, Kyung became the successor to the C&R company while her sisters continued to lead four of the main departments. Their youngest child and only son soon after took over MC's place in the RFA, which he'd inherited from Kyung who had originally manned it. This was far more his style.

It wasn't long after Jumin's retirement that he and MC decided to move to a home outside of Korea. The other RFA members were all remaining where they'd always been, Yoosung working as a vet while Seven taught their son how to build games, Zen acting while Jaehee took care of their cafe' and their son worked as Kyung's personal assistant. The RFA was continuing to flourish and even doubled the numbers of MC's last party.

All in all, MC and Jumin had helped raise billions of the twenty or so years since MC had joined the RFA initially and fell in love with the elusive 'Korea's most eligible bachelor'. Their life was one well-lived and well-loved. Their family was far from lonely, and that was probably the one thing they had missed when they'd moved to the vacation home, having their children running around in the house even if they mostly had their noses in paperwork.  After a year or so in their new home, Jumin started to forget little things here and there, which eventually became more and more prominent. It was somewhat because of the fact that he wasn't exercising his brain in the way he'd used to with all of the information he had to soak up in a matter of moments before meetings and phone calls, but they were also concerned that it was a symptom of the dementia that had caused his father to go crazy towards the end of his life. They had access to great medical care and invited a caretaker/nurse into their home once it seemed like that was really what was happening.

MC was by Jumin's side even as he forgot who she was and constantly told her she was the prettiest and most honest woman he'd ever met, expressing how impressed he was that she wasn't simply after his money. The birth of their first grandchild wasn't something he could quite process, but he still played with the little one almost constantly when Kyung would visit. After a few years of this, his body gave out and he passed peacefully in his sleep.

It wasn't long after this that MC caught pneumonia, and not wanting to fight it, she simply asked the doctors to make her as comfortable as possible. At first, the children weren't fans of this idea, but after meeting with their mother and having her explain just how lonely she was without their father, they understood a little better, and recognized that sometimes when you've lived a long and happy life and achieved everything you ever dreamed of and more, there comes a moment when there's simply no more to do and when your time comes after that, why try to fight the inevitable.

Jumin and MC were buried in the Han family graveyard not far outside of the city of Seoul and visited often by their children, grandchildren, the new RFA, and the old RFA alike. As much as Zen had once hated Jumin, he had to admit that the man had changed from their younger years, and even he missed the once seemingly cold and unfeeling man that they'd all come to know as a heartfelt and honest individual. He had mattered a lot more to other people than he'd ever thought he could thanks in part to MC's help in tearing down his emotional walls and barriers.

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JuminxMC Good Ending Continued Chapter Directory

[losttalongthewayy]

I’ve been meaning to do this forever, and kept forgetting stalling lol! I really wanted to do it before the end of May tho, because...

 H E L L O this blog turns one year old in May! 

I can’t exactly remember the date, but I know it was around May that I finally threw the towel, gave up, and created this mostly OUAT/CS sideblog! SO HERE WE ARE! ONE YEAR LATER! And while I can still qualify to ‘professional lurkers of Tumblr(dot)com’ I wanted to take a moment to give a shoutout to some of my favorite peeps that I follow around here! Y’all make the Tumblr experience for me, with your writing (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), your art, your gifs, and everything in between, meta, FANGIRLING, etc etc etc.

I do not know many of you, but I definitely know of a bunch of you through my dash and every time a new fic is posted or an awesome piece of art or words about JUST HOW CAPTAINSWAN IS THE BEST OTP ON THE PLANET (lol), it totally makes my day!

So without further ado (aka, my endless rambling lol) here’s this….whatever this is, but I think it’s my APPRECIATION POST to you beautiful beans!

(I like this pic all right?! lol))

-First,  THE WRITERS! THE WRITERS THAT MAKE ME WISH I COULD STOP TIME JUST SO I COULD GO READ WHATEVER THEY’ve written!!!! I have a handful of you that I simply absolutely L O V E! The way you write, the way you bring the characters to life, the way you imagine them in such different scenarios SO SO SO perfectly! I went from working a mere 100 hours every month last year, to well over 50 every week this year, so clearly my ability to read and gush over fanfic has been compromised, but y’all should know I would read ALL OF THE FANFIC if I had the time.

Still, honorable S H O U T O U T S!

      @startswithhope !!!! You’re THE BEST! and I LOVE HOW MANY DIFFERENT WAYS YOU MANAGE TO HAVE THOSE TWO IDIOTS FALL IN LOVE (Or, really, GIVE IN TO THEIR LOVE at last, more often than not!!) You’ve got a precious gift, and I hate it so much when I miss a one shot, I’ve missed A BUNCH lately, I think, but you still should know you’re one of my favs in the fandom and you’ve made TONS of my days SO SO much better!!

     @mahstatins why, hello! You’re *ALSO!* THE BEST!!! Few stories have made me laugh as much as I did while reading Ready To Believe You, like, I REMEMBER VIVIDLY reading that story for the first time and how much fun it was! RENEGADES got me at the edge of my seat every single chapter and I’ve been my happiest every time there was an update! if I were much less of a prude I’d dig into those probablysodamnawesome fics from your porn extravaganza, but alas, I’m me and anyway, YOU ARE AWESOME! and I thank you so much for sharing your work!

       @peglegsjones You are (TOO!) THE BESTEST ONE OF ALL!!!!!! I don’t think I can even put into words how much I truly LOVE your universes and characters! IAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT ABSOLUTE BALL OF LOVE AND LIGHT IS BY FAR MY FAVORITE FAVORITE CS KID EVER! (I totes love him FAR MORE than I love my own cs kiddos LOL!) You have SUCH A WONDERFUL WAY WITH WORDS! it’s the way you can make the most normal and regular moments especial and PACKED WITH EMOTION that keeps me reading your stories time and time again! it’s been a joy to get to know you and gush and read your fic! THANK YOU!

Obviously I’m TRASH for SO SO SO MANY MORE OF YOU, and I’m sure there are still SO MANY authors I haven’t even discovered yet, but these three are the three that write something and truly make me want to drop whatever I’m doing just so I can read their words! They are the best!!! GO READ THEIR STUFF y’all!!

MORE SHOUTOUTS, because really, if I’ve ever read your words and have you on my rec list ( H E R E ) than you should know I love you and you’ve made my day/night/evening at some point FOR SURE!

—     @xerxesrises , @katie-dub (you’re the sweetest bean and I still remember gushing over Never Let Me go with you once upon a time lol!) , @spartanguard  (ALL THE CAPTAIN CHARMING! YOUR LOVE IS CONTAGIOUS AND I LOOK FORWARD TO FRIDAYS cause of you!), @amagicalship (EVERYTHING YOU WRITE! BLESS YOU!!!), @bleebug (I BELIEVE I’m STILL EMOTIONALLY COMPROMISED BY EVERY LETTER! You damn emotional genius! ALSO YOUR ART! You’re awesome!!!!), @wheres-your-rum, @sambethe, @seriouslyhooked (THANK YOU FOR ALL THE FLUFF!!!), @thegladelf, @laschatzi, @the-reason-to-sail-home, @princess-emma-of-misthaven (I MISS YOUR STORIES A LOT! every day! lol), @hook-come-back-to-me (your tiny little bits of pure cs love are everything!), @nothingimpossibleonlyimprobable (I’ve cried because of your angst and somehow loved every second of it! ALSO, thank you for Beta’ing that one story for me once upon a time! You ARE SO KIND!!!), @canwetalkaboutcaptainswan (THE FLUFFIEST FLUFF ON THIS PLANET! THANK YOU SO MUCH!), @acrobat-elle (KITTIES! but also, your writing is THE BEST!!!!),  @high-seas-swan (ALL OF THE PRECIOUS MODERN AUS!!!!! I remember fondly that snow ball fight they had once, OR that time he came to her window and then crashed, OR Emma buying that little lounge chair thingy from him! OH MY HEART!!!!), @lifeinahole27 ……AND MANY MANY MORE, truly, I just have a sucky sucky memory! but you’re all the very best!!!!

ALSO, special shoutout to @shady-swan-jones because….LISTS!!! You’re the best!

Also, FOLLOWERS! HA! that sounds terrible when I call ya that, right!?! but this is just a tiny shoutout to those peeps I always see on my activity page but we may or may not have had an actual conversation ever, so yeah, here….YOU GUYS ARE (ALSO) the very best and I thank you for existing! (especially @themrandmrscaptainswan and @ihavelovedthestarstoofondly99)

 OH MY! AND TO ALL YOU WHO HAVE READ ANY OF MY STORIES! I don’t even know how to properly thank YOU for that! I DO NOT think my stories are on par AT ALL  with the quality and talent we are SO DAMN lucky to have here in CS fandom, but every once in a while I’d get the nerve to post my stuff and it’s so lovely to receive such positive feedback as I have in this fandom. I hope one day I’ll get better and post that one story y’all deserve, but for now, if you follow this dork and have ever read anything I’ve written, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I love you and thank you a very whole lot from the bottom of my heart! LOL! HOW IS THAT FOR MUSH!?!??!

but whatevs, I’m a mushy mushy me and even as a semi-lurker I’ve enjoyed my time in this fandom a very whole lot!

 Year O N E HIGHLIGHTS!

-          S5 finale filming — when we all thought Killian was proposing to Emma outside of Granny’s! I literally dropped my phone at the gym and almost had a heart attack so there’s that! lol

-          COMIC CON LAST YEAR  — I mean, that day was SOOOO much fun and I loved being able to be on tumblr that day with y’all!

-          S6 premiere PROMO! THAT COUCH SCENE AND OH MY GOD HOW DIDN’T WE DIE THAT DAY!

-          MOVE IN WITH ME —I remember being out and about that day, but checking Tumblr for spoilers of the peeps who were seeing the Screening at the time!

-          WATCHING “PAGE 23” with the peeps at VanCon! Honest, this is one of my favorite memories of that weekend (AND I MET JMO THAT WEEKEND!LOL) but just getting to watch the episode with SO MANY Fans, actual FANS of the show was the absolute BEST! I was borderline having a meltdown crawling on the floor in front of the TV that day with y’all, but you know, that’s just me lol! it was just SO MUCH FUN, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

-          THE PROPOSAL! THE COUNTDOWN TO THE WEDDING! PANCAKES PANCAKES PANCAKES PANCAKES!!!!!!!!THE WEDDING!! THE WEDDING!! THE WEDDING!! it’s been a FUN ride so far y’all! I really thank you a lot for being on my dash and making my days happier!

You all are the best!!!!!

 So yeah, THIS HAS BEEN A TUMBLR APPRECIATION POST!!!!! THANK YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here’s to Year 2 in this fandom being so much fun as well! :DDD

[fanwarriorsunite4life]

So my bad anon, I totally ended up screwing up your ask and shiz by accident but i promise i got it- you wanted me to answer all questions so you got it:

lets get personal.

1: 6 of the songs you listen to most?

Its been varying a SHIT ton over the last two months especially, but ATM i currently love:

Body on Fire by Maggie Rose

Too Many Love Songs by Maggie Rose (notice a trend?)

B-A-B-Y by Carla Thomas

I Don’t Believe You - Pink

Life of the Party - All Time Low

Little Do You Know - Alex and Sierra

2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

um, all the people I’m gonna meet at ClexaCon in April! Celebs, other fans, and all! IM SO EXCITED ITS GONNA BE THE BEST FUCKING WEEKEND.

3: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

There isnt a book next to me? theres random magazines on the kitchen table. page 23 is an add for Poise Impressa bladder leakage shit lol

4: What do you think about most?

I kinda really want to plead the fifth on this, but probably two things: how I want to make my work ethic better and make a better difference and how I dont feel I can do that until I get my personal shit together. And how I really want a certain someone to be at my side while I do that so I can be on theirs too. guess thats 3.

5: What does your latest text message from someone else say?

From my lil sis: “Okay, np”

6: Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

lmao it depends. If im really exhausted, then i may sleep without a shirt. If im with a SO then I will sleep naked, but I dont ever do that myself unless I’m just that hungover or something. So clothes it is. 

7: What’s your strangest talent?

I honestly dont know lol. erm... let me get back to you on that. Does it count if my left leg is wayyy more flexible than my right? dont ask me why. i have no clue 

8: Girls… (finish the sentence); Boys… (finish the sentence)

girls are a gift to the world. boys are a gift to the world. 

9: Ever had a poem or song written about you?

Not that I am aware of. Fun (not fun) fact: I’m way more afraid of not being spoken of than being spoken of poorly. idk man. if anyone has written a poem or song about me, plz feel free to share

10: When is the last time you played the air guitar?

holy shit, i have no clue. usually im more of an air drums person. in that case, yesterday. 

11: Do you have any strange phobias?

I HATE SPUDS ON POTATOES SPUDDY POTATOES SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF ME DONT PLAY 

12: Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

not that i reminder? maybe a coin or something as a kid? its very possible.

13: What’s your religion?

if i identified with anything, it would be an agnostic universalist.

14: If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

hanging out with friends and family

15: Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

behind, but i do have a secret desire to be in front of it. my insecurities currently outweigh my ego in putting myself in front of it, but if someone asked me to do it, i prob would. people just dont ask.

16: Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

Halestorm. Without a doubt.

17: What was the last lie you told?

oh god. I probably told one while canvassing today. I said i donated to one of the organizations that i represent but i dont. oops. did it to convince people that they are good orgs to donate too (in my defence, they ARE and they are wonderful orgs, i just dont have the money to donate)

18: Do you believe in karma?

yes, but i dont really use karma for consistent rationalization

19: What does your URL mean?

WE ARE ALL FAN WARRIORS OF OUR OWN FANDOMS AND WE SHOULD ALL FUCKING UNITE IN OUR AWESOMENESS

20: What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

Greatest weakness? I’m loyal to a fault and will fight for what I want till the bitter end. I’m recently admitting that I have the martyr complex, im pretty sure. Strength? You get me passionate about something, you gain my love, then I’m all in. I’ll work my ass off for whatever that is. 

21: Who is your celebrity crush?

Kat barrell and Natasha Negovanlis, as of rn. but i love so many others

22: Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

nope

23: How do you vent your anger?

i dont. i bottle it up and try to avoid it. I’ve been trying to go to the gym tho; that helps when i actually do it. writing helps too, when i do it. Definitely need to find a better way to deal with my emotions. its harder to find time during adult life mayn.

24: Do you have a collection of anything?

comics, poetry books, my own writings, quarter collection... probably something else im not thinking of

25: Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

FACETIME IS WHERE ITS AT

26: Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

Yes and no. 

27: What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

Sound I hate? loud city noises, particularly construction shit. Love? ... I hate myself, but the sound of people I love telling me they love me too. SHUTUP ITS A SOUND I SAID NOTHING WHAT

28: What’s your biggest “what if”?

Usually its “What if I didn’t fuck up?” or “What if I was reincarnated into something?”

29: Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

I wanna believe in ghosts but i cant say i do. Aliens: hell yeah.

30: Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

Right - kitchen towel and my ECU bag and keys. Left - magazine and table

31: Smell the air. What do you smell?

my house’s normal smell. and food i just ate.

32: What’s the worst place you have ever been to?

My own mind at its worst. Or, physical place, probably a mental hospital.

33: Choose: East Coast or West Coast?

I cant say; I’ve never been West. So East for now until I see the West.

34: Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

I like never think about this. um. Zayn is cute?

35: To you, what is the meaning of life?

Finding a reason to breathe. Sometimes its family, friends, work, money, power- I think everyone’s meaning of life is different.

36: Define Art.

anything you make to express yourself or help yourself heal.

37: Do you believe in luck?

I kinda have too, I was an athlete.

38: What’s the weather like right now?

dark and cloudy.

39: What time is it?

7:07 pm and im totally running late to pick up my sis. (update - finishing this around 11:11 ooo make a wish cause i had to go get my sis so)

40: Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

Yes. Never “crashed” but have hit someone before and have been hit.

41: What was the last book you read?

A poetry book by Lauren Zuniga. That counts.

42: Do you like the smell of gasoline?

No, but I like the smell of paint. 

43: Do you have any nicknames?

Laur-Laur, jiggles, cheesecake, Lo-ren, bean-bean.. others I dont think I should name i guess

44: What was the last film you saw?

Baby Driver

45: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

Injury? Concussion. worst fucking thing of my life. it really was my fault though.

46: Have you ever caught a butterfly?

no

47: Do you have any obsessions right now?

oh god yes. if you know me, you know i always obsess. right now, carmilla and wynonna earp are my top two. easily.

48: What’s your sexual orientation?

bisexual, preference for women, fight me

49: Ever had a rumour spread about you?

I honestly dont know

50: Do you believe in magic?

I want too.

51: Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

yeah. Well, yes and no. i dont hold a grudge to never have them apart of my life usually, but i never forget what they did to me. never.

52: What is your astrological sign?

Leo

53: Do you save money or spend it?

lol spend. i need to save. so bad.

54: What’s the last thing you purchased?

groceries

55: Love or lust?

I know this may shock people that know me, but love. lust isnt any good without it. thats what i would pick if i had to choose, but i rather like the idea they exist together. they can exist separately, but they go best together for me personally.

56: In a relationship?

no, but i hope things will get better.

57: How many relationships have you had?

ones I actually really loved being in wholeheartedly? 1. total? 4. I’d say 5 but im not really counting one of them lol.

58: Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

hell yeah

59: Where were you yesterday?

work and then home feeling down. then i played my video game, Just cause 3, till midnight

60: Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

magazine

61: Are you wearing socks right now?

yes

62: What’s your favourite animal?

kangaroos and zebras

63: What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

... be a huge fucking dork and hope they dont fucking hate me

64: Where is your best friend?

.......the ones talking to me? charlotte, greensboro, greenville, raleigh (NC), texas... the one not talking to me? ... virginia/dc area

65: Give me your top 5 favourite blogs on Tumblr.

any of the ones with funny text posts/memes on wynonna earp and carmilla

66: What is your heritage?

im a white asshole with some native american in me. Choctaw. I need to learn more about my family history AND remember it.

67: What were you doing last night at 12AM?

finishing up playing my name

68: What do you think is Satan’s last name?

angelface

69: Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?

BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA dear fuck yes. duh. oh my fucking god im laughing so hard at this.

70: Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

loyal to a fault and there at your beck and call? yeah. not always the best listener? nah

71: You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

I’m gonna save the fucking dog and my boss can kiss my damn ass.

72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

I’d definitely tell people. At first I wouldn’t know how, and id contemplate if its important enough to tell or not, but eventually i would. id start with those close to me. idk if id want to tell everyone. id want to travel a damn lot with those i love. go new places, try new things, build as many memories as possible. because hell yeah id be afraid. I’m terrified of death and the afterlife; not knowing what happens after we pass. 

73: You can only have one of these things; trust or love.

I think love is built on trust, so love. trust isnt always built on love.

74: What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

love on top, beyonce. literally saved my life freshman year of college.

75: What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?

F8ME

76: In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

kinda a big one, especially for myself lately. um. I think a great relationship has a good foundation. because in the end, every relationship faces struggles and is gonna be “tested”, for lack of a better word. and what can we turn back to when we feel things arent where they need to be? the foundation. its like a house; if somethings wrong with it, but the foundation is still sturdy, its probably possible and worth fixing. if the foundation is cracked, its more risky; if the foundation is completely crushed, then its probably not a great relationship anymore.

77: How can I win your heart?

Unless you’re the person who currently has my heart right now, you can’t. or if you’re a dog. dogs win my heart. if you’re a dog, congrats. the person who has my heart has to share. sorry, i dont make the rules.

78: Can insanity bring on more creativity?

how is this a question? the craziest fucking people in the world are the most creative. Yes, yes, and more yes.

79: What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

this is intense. hmmmm. making a tumblr and going back on it in college. yeah. it led to my last relationship. best damn thing that ever happened to me.

80: What size shoes do you wear?

10 or 11

81: What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

I’d want someone else to write a poem or something about me. i dont want to be buried. cremation bitch (after taking my organs out for science of course)

82: What is your favourite word?

currently i really just like cussing. fuck.

83: Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.

the name of my current ex. 

84: What is a saying you say a lot?

We accept the love we think we deserve.

85: What’s the last song you listened to?

i legit am trying to look at my iphone to see what last played in my car, but its being an asshole. I wanna say the last i remember is Craving you by Thomas Rhett. im already listening to wayy more country than i usually do lately.

86: Basic question; what’s your favourite colour/colours?

in order: purple, blue, red

87: What is your current desktop picture?

A quote that says: “i know you’re sad, so i wont tell you to have a good day. Instead, I’ll simply advice you to have a day. Stay Alive, feed yourself well, wear comfortable clothes, and dont give up on yourself just yet. it’ll get better. until then, have a day.”

88: If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

Can I make an entire building explode? preferably -cough- a building that houses certain gov officials i am not happy with -cough-?

89: What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

Any question that I know would upset someone. I’m working on trying to not be honest to a fault. to be honest when need be, and to know when i dont need to be brutally honest. im terrified of being too honest again in general.

90: One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?

honestly, scream and be frozen in fear. idk man. wheres my baseball bat when i need it? idc if they arent doing anything, they need to GTFO of my room.

91: You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

teleportation

92: You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

holy crap. wow. a half hour? idk. theres a lot. a recent one is the hayley kiyoko concert though. that concert was just absolutely phenomenal. 100/10

93: You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

I wouldnt erase any horrible experience, because they made me who i am and helped me learn what i know. if i hadnt experienced what i experienced, that one thing not happening can change my entire life.

94: You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

Honestly, right now, I wouldnt. and i dont think i ever would. i get too starstruck easily and have way too much respect and awe for the celebrities i like. i honestly do think of them as higher beings than me (not gods but like, ya know, out of my league lmao) so nah. now if we become friends and theyre a cuddler? then yes i will SLEEP next to them. SLEEP.

95: You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

i have that crazy urge to travel like a crazy person rn, so if i only had one free plane ticket, i’d go somewhere i otherwise couldnt right now, like italy. i really want to go to italy one day.

96: Do you have any relatives in jail?

not that im aware of, but who knows

97: Have you ever thrown up in the car?

...actually yes! I was severely dehydrated once and my mom had me drink 3 bottles of water back to back. then we got in the car and as she started driving, i got sick, so she pulled over and i sat there getting ready to vomit when a cop pulled over and was like “hey, you okay?” and my mom just explained i was sick, and as he walked over to look at me thats when i threw up ALLLLL that water. he stepped back so quick and was all like “do you want me to call an ambulance?”. it was great. thats how you get rid of cops. throw up in front of them (sarcasm)

98: Ever been on a plane?

Yup! ive flown to new hampshire and kansas before.

99: If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?

probably some long ass rant about how fucked up the world is and how we need to turn around our governments and get them to work back for the people, not for fucking corporations and capitalism, or the capitalistic aspects of socialism. 

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

🏰⚔️🐲 - DMODT- 31 update. I'm off to bed

Levi had the feeling Eren was keeping something from him. They hadn't been physically intimate since getting drunk together, but he'd expected that. Eren had said he wasn't ready, and Levi respected his omega's needs. No. There was something else that was wrong. The way Eren's smile didn't quite meet his eyes. The way Eren seemed to drift out during conversations, and the way he'd wake with a start and whimper in the middle of the night, only to roll away from him when Levi tried to ask what was wrong. He knew Eren wasn't feeling all that great about the clutch, but this felt as if something else had happened and he had no idea what. The alpha could only think that it had happened while staying at the military barracks, when he'd been forced to talk to Petra about her completely unacceptable behaviour. Petra had been in a position of power while at the port barracks, her words and her actions carried a lot of sway, so when her engagement to him dissolved and he appeared with a new lover, the soldiers had all looked to Eren in disgust... which Petra has encouraged. She'd encouraged them to ignore Eren completely, as he simply Levi's whore. Having heard all about the fight the alpha had had with Mikasa, Levi had thought Petra might pull her head in. Mikasa may have been mad at Eren, but she still loved him, and hadn't taken too kindly to Petra trying to manipulate her against the teen. Petra hadn't appreciated being talked to in such a manor by Mikasa, and it'd very nearly turned into a sword fight over Eren's honour. Levi had been mid conversation when a scratch had appeared on his cheek, Eren's magic had healed it the moment it appeared, and when he'd asked Eren, Eren had said he'd punched himself in the face as he'd pulled the blankets. Which was honestly a very Eren thing to do... yet... What if it hadn't been? The stomach ache that had felt like a knife to his gut, he blamed on possible lasting cramping from after the birth... but once again, what if it hadn't been? He didn't want to mention the cramping, in case he upset Eren over the clutch, or in case it was related to Eren's coming heat. Now that they were on their way back home, he really felt as if he should have. He was sure the moment had passed, and he'd been left behind. The matter weighed heavily on Levi's mind as he carried out his duties. Erwin had organised a series of visits for them, and even a trip to the theatre to see some play that hadn't made a lick of sense to him. Eren had played his part beautifully on Levi's arm. The teen smiled, waved and was polite to everyone who spoke to them. Levi very much the proud alpha as his omega did, yet none of it felt right. When Eren fell asleep on his shoulder at the theatre, the teen had flinched and jumped away when Levi shook him awake. Mumbling out an apology, Eren moved to sink into his side, with a clear stiffness in his form. Maybe this was all too much too fast? He'd grown used to the pageantry of royalty and aristocracy, but Eren hadn't. He'd spent his crucial years in a sanctuary, then spent most of his time at the castle studying, before leaving to live with dragons. He hadn't had manners drilled into him, or every aspect of high society interactions. Talking to Erwin, they agreed he needed some form of lessons. At least in dancing, and dining. If Eren could hold his head high for both those tasks, than everything else could be covered. It was also decided that Armin would return home with them, Mikasa and her squad to return after all their duties were transferred back to Petra and her squad, though he'd promoted squad member Eld to leader, in a petty move to punish Petra for her pettiness. Whatever was going on with Eren, he could only pray that the teen would either break down completely, or open up and dump everything on him, as at the moment, it hurt to watch him silently suffering. * After Eren's run in with Zeke, he'd forced himself back together and reassigned himself his original self gifted mission of finding Armin. Again he'd walked through the barracks, and again he'd found himself ignored... until he finally found a semi-familiar face. He could never forget horsefaced Jean, his beard had made him somewhat better looking, but in Eren's eyes, he was still a braying arse... so, he turned his attention to Sasha. Smiling the best he could, he jogged over to the pair who engaged in conversation with their friend Connie. He liked Connie. Connie managed to always ruin his own arguments over how smart he was, yet it wasn't in an obnoxious way. It was because he was always talking big and bolstering his own ego, that he pushed himself much harder than most people. Reaching them, Sasha gave a bow with a giggle "Your majesty" "I'm not the prince" Giving him a wide grin, Sasha nodded "I know, but you're like sleeping with him... which means you can get me more food, right?" Snorting, Eren shook his head "I doubt I have any kind of power there, but I can ask" Jean crossed his arms with a huff "I don't know what he sees in you, and those freaky scales" "I'd rather my scales than your horseface. Sasha, have you seen Armin?" Sasha hummed, raising her hand to her chin as she tapped her jawline with her pointer finger "I think he was in the kitchens with Mikasa. All the meals have to be triple checked... I don't know why they wouldn't let me do it..." "Probably because you'd eat the whole meal" "I joined the military to eat new and yummy foods... but it's always rations. When are we going to get meat!?" Sasha was practically drooling "Sasha, can you show me to the kitchen's, please? I have no idea how everyone finds their way around here" "We're not your soldiers. We didn't agree to give our lives for you" Eren raised an eyebrow at Jean, reminding himself he needed to be strong and couldn't show any possible kind of weakness "I'm not asking you to give your lives, I was asking Sasha if she could please help me find the kitchen" "Will there be food?" Was it so hard to do one small favour?" "I can ask" Sasha grabbed his arm, Eren forcing himself not to tear it out of her hold. Sasha wasn't about to beat the shit out of him just to make herself feel better "You're the best!" The cook refused to give Sasha extra food, as she was man handled out the kitchen. It was a rather comical sight as she clung to the steamed potato she'd stolen. Sitting at the kitchen table, Armin brightened at the sight of him "Eren, come sit with me" Ignoring the unhappy cooks, Eren did just that. Armin seemed so very happy "Did everything go well with Levi last night?" "You have no idea. After what happened with Mikasa, Levi walked both of us home. He stayed for tea" "The way you make it sound, it sounds like there was more than tea" Armin blushed "It wasn't like that. We talked about all sorts of things, until we both realised we talked all night" "Oh, Armin. I'm so happy for you" "I... I have some of his hair. I found it once he left, on the back of the chair that is. I didn't just take it. You can do a test right? With some of his hair?" "How do you know it's not yours? You're both blond" "I don't... but no one else in the house has blond hair. It... won't cause an explosion, will it?" The twinkle in Armin's eyes was filled with hope "No. But I do need a few things for it to work" Armin let out a kind of muffled squeak, before taking a deep breath "What do you need?" "A bowl of milk. Some blue ink, and a piece of chalk. As well as some of your hair and his" "That's all? No crystals or herbs?" "If I was using Eldia magic, it would be a whole lot more complicated. Historia taught me this, because she thought I could use it to make money if living at the castle didn't work out" "Really?" "I didn't know if I'd be allowed to come back, or even move back in. Now, do you think you get everything?" "I have chalk and inks in my bag... I just need a bowl of milk" "Do I want to know why you have chalk and ink?" "Sometimes you have to draw out things for dock workers to understand. Not all of them can read, then you need the ink because you have to fix the invoices" "Armin, I was joking. You need to calm down. We don't know the outcome. It could say anything" It was also a little bit late to be wondering if Erwin had any spells on him like the ones Eren placed on Levi. Though his were prayers, and Eren's healing came through the brooch his boyfriend wore, and their bond. But if there was something in place, it should have been activated when Obsydin infected him... "Don't say that. Eren, he's so smart. He has so many ideas of how to improve things..." "Ok. Ok. I know. I just don't want you to be hurt" "How accurate is this?" "Fairly. Most of the time. Things can affect it, like your friend dying of old age before you get me everything I need" The cook didn't want them messing up her table, but Eren promised to clean it with magic. Drawing a medium sized circle in front of them, he drew a small series of symbols inside of it "What's that?" "Purely decorative" Armin elbowed him "Then why are you drawing them?" "Because I'm teasing you. I only need the outside circle" Armin pouted at him, holding out his hand until Eren returned the chalk. Placing the bowl in the circle, Eren poured the milk in "Why milk?" "We all start our lives feeding on milk. Now, I need the hair" Handing over the few hairs he'd collected, Eren dropped them in the bowl. Armin a little enthused as he pulled out way too much. Plucking out a few strands, he dropped them in "Now the ink" "What does the ink do?" "It tells me what the answer is" Adding three drops, it hardly looked like anything other than a mess "Now what?" "Now you let me work" The spell worked by reading people, like Historia did when she healed someone. His magic didn't work that way, so he was kind of reading more the intentions of Armin and Erwin. He didn't totally get it, but when he'd tried with Historia and Ymir it'd worked. Gently letting his magic seep into the bowl, the milk and ink began to boil "Eren" "It's fine" Slowly the boiling settled, the ink still swirling. It was all very simple, and made for even the stupidest person to read. A heart if they were meant to be, and a split heart if they weren't, so when it just came back as two separate little circles, Eren was confused "Well?! What does it mean?" "I don't know. I've never seen this before" "Ereeeen" "I don't know... maybe it means you're not meant to be together just get? I mean, there's like two circles... and they're two of you..." "Nooo. You were supposed to tell me" "I'm sorry" Armin sighed dramatically "How will I ever know?" "I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm not as good as Historia. She'd be able to do this with her eyes closed" "This means I'll have to ask her" "You still talk to her?" "No... I want to though... I miss Draecia" Sliding the bowl over to Armin, Eren cleaned the table down as he'd said he would. The whole mess dropping it's self in the scrap bucket, as he'd done a proper job of cleaning off everything ever spilt or soaked into the wood "I miss it too, but I told you..." "Yes, yes. Rod lost his shit and we got kicked out" Eren hated having let Armin down. He'd been so hopeful that he'd be able to give his friend good news... He wasn't supposed to write to Historia... but... he couldn't let Armin be broken hearted like this. He wouldn't be responsible for another person he loved being hurt because of his actions. He'd rather take a hundred thousand beatings, than risk pissing Zeke or Rod off. Rod had a whole country of dragons at his disposal, while Zeke had the whole of Marley, and the Marley royal family who'd no doubt seek revenge if anything was to happen to the prince. This being nice and meek thing pissed him off. He was a dragon. He had powers that mages could only dream of... Powers that could erase Rod and Zeke from existence with just the click of his fingers, but it just wasn't worth it... Yet, seeing Armin's pain... he had to do something. Armin deserved love and to be happy. Writing to Historia, Eren erased the tiny royal insignia from the leather pouch of the pigeons leg that would carry his note to Historia. With a little bit of magic on her end, the tiny two inch, by half an inch note would grow to a full standard page. He'd explained everything in it. From the clutch, to being Levi's public lover and then to the compatibility spell. Fuck, he missed her, and Ymir. He missed playing in his dragon form, and chasing those stupid boulders over the hills. More and more people were learning he was a dragon, which meant those less than desirable were bound to find out too. It was even more important that he didn't make any grand shows of his lineage or with his magic, lest he find himself chopped up into tiny pieces... Draecia was now feeling more and more like a dream, and longed to return. Trying his hardest to forget he'd written to Historia, the next few days were spent entertaining Zeke until they left. There were a great number of things he got to see as he walked at Levi's side, but the worst experience was their trip to the theatre. He'd never been to one before, so hadn't expected it to be so boring. The story was weird, jumping all over the place, with random singing that sent him to sleep. He'd been so excited for it, only to fall asleep against Levi. His boyfriend scaring the crap out of him as he shook him awake. It'd been months since he'd had a nightmare about his mother's death, and now he'd had three in the space of 4 nights... none of which were appreciated, and all of which left his magic sparkling in his fingers as he tried to save his mother from her death. Not even having Levi by his side calmed him down, which was unusual. Historia's reply hadn't come until after Zeke and his party had left for Marley. The pigeon landing on the window ledge of the commander's room and cooing until Eren climbed out of bed to let it in. Returning to bed, Levi shuffled closer. His boyfriend nuzzling into his lap as he sleepy wrapped an arm around his waist, while Eren unfurled the small reply, before his heart dropped and his stomach flipped. He had no idea how to deal with the contents of the letter, and could only pray that no one in Zeke's party had intercepted it before he'd had the chance to read it. If Historia was to be believed, he needed to see Erwin out immediately, for Armin was in danger... at least that's what the magic reading had said.