#daughter and darling little girl and they're SO happy and crying

[dairyfreenugget]

The second hand gender euphoria from talking about my blobro's gender and self-expression is so real

[xiao-come-home]

Genshin + HSR men as dads;

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✰ Characters:

↳ Genshin: Ayato, Itto, Alhaitham, Kaveh, Zhongli, Xiao.

↳ HSR: Blade, Jing Yuan, Luocha.

✰ Words: 3,5k.

✰ SFW ; afab!reader, because pregnancy mentions. fluff.

Warnings: established relationship, the characters are reader's husbands, mentions of pregnancy, babies, ayato always ends up kinda horknee????? slight spoilers about blades past, not beta read THERES NO TIME FOR THAT

A/N: this is my first time writing for hsr and kaveh, but I tried my best </3 also I have work in 2h and I haven't slept yet. this is more important. pog also give me feedback if you like hsr pieces ;q;

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Ayato Kamisato:

he's such a girl AND boy dad you can't convince me otherwise. i just can't get that out of my head: imagine just chilling with your husband, you two enjoying some tea or coffee, while watching your children happily yell and play outside; ayato plays with your palm slightly, switching between rubbing it with his fingers and interlocking it, giving you occasional glances and tiny smiles.

ayato's definitely a strict parent, but wants his children to feel freedom - he does not force them to practice something they don't like, but teaches them necessary stuff they need to know if they are to be the future of the Kamisato clan.

he DEFINITELY had a boy first. and his son DEFINITELY looks like a perfect mixture of you two - he has ayato's eyes and hair type, but your hair color and smile.

your daughter, on the other hand, is exactly like ayato's copy, except with your personality - and he's extremely whipped for her. his little girl wanted to practice a new hairstyle with multiple pink hair clips? oh well, looks like he goes like this to his important meeting.

though, your son is just as mischievous as his father, if not worse - has probably trolled Itto more than once by the shy age of just three. he's also definitely interested in ayato and ayaka's battle styles, like hello??? HOW DO YOU JUST DISAPPEAR LIKE THAT??? AND TURN INTO SNOW??????

even though some fights between his children happen, as it's a thing you can't avoid - the big brother is very protective of his little sister and would do anything to make her happy! even if it means princess tea time. it reminds ayato of his, though not as fortunate, childhood memories with ayaka before she grew up to be the strongest woman and best auntie we know.

ayato probably teases you about wanting a third one, so they look like you this time. "say, darling, how about we get another little one?" feeling his smile, ayato whispers into your ear, "think about it, love," he wraps his arms around your waist from behind, "you just look so perfect I can't resist you."

Arataki Itto:

i do nOT care, his child is just as hyper as him. they're his absolute best buddy, partners in crime, you name it. but there's a plot twist - thank god your child thinks more often than their father AND stops him sometimes.

listen. absolute boy dad. his son is his pride and joy,he bragged so much about his boy to the point that Raiden Shogun herself heard about him.

so, remember itto being severely allergic to beans as an oni? his son absolutely loves beans and could eat them with no side effects. but itto being itto, prepares him meals with beans and takes it as a challenge. he just might cry, or throw up at worst. but hey, everything for his little sunshine.

^^your son absolutely cheers when he's making him dinner and suffering like?? "go dad! you're so awesome!" "yummy!" and itto's screaming back with tears dripping down his cheeks, "yes, YES!! THE BEST COOK OF INAZUMA, ARATAKI ITTO!"

itto prides himself in creating the most perfect small person to ever exist. your son inherited itto's golden heart and your brains (thank god). he's truly a ball of sunshine, and possibly the happiest and polite boy in Inazuma. with a pair of red horns just like his dad, red streaks in his hair and markings, itto's pupils and your eye color.

hear me out: total best pals with ayato's son. they love playing board games and battle onikabuto with each other, and much to itto's delight, his son is usually the winner, but the boys always politely thank each other for the game and move on.

your son is actually such a smooth talker to ayato's daughter to the point that he considers giving them a blessing and suffering being in-laws with itto.

he's also (great)grandma oni's favorite child now... he loves baking, cooking and sewing with her, and showing her his favorite onikabuto that you and itto let him keep as a pet!

itto's actually VERY down to have a few more kiddos if your pregnancy went well. he'd love a little girl to spoil his long hair, or maybe two. and two more sons so he wouldn't be lonely..

that time itto caught ushi sound asleep with his ball of sunshine next to him was the day he'll never forget. with tears in his eyes, he covered them in a warm blanket and let them snooze for a little more before bedtime.

Alhaitham:

literally no one, not even one soul knew that alhaitham has a child until they saw him walking a three-year-old. and the said child is probably the most behaved child that has ever been born.

seriously, your son is probably the smartest child ever. alhaitham, despite some worries, did and still does very well as a father - he began teaching him to talk earlier, he also seemed to have taken a liking to some instruments when he got older. the scribe's little one also enjoys it when his dad reads with him! be it alhaitham's books or fantasy ones, they have a special routine just for reading.

your son absolutely looks up to his father. when he sees him drafting some documents, his eyes shine with curiosity and adoration. alhaitham, can't help but smile slightly when he isn't looking.

nahida promoted alhaitham as the Acting Grand Sage. he promoted her as his babysitter.

^^but in a more serious tone, I genuinely think Nahida would be somewhat interested in your child - not in a negative light in any way, but.. it does make her wonder how a small child could be so smart. though his son has a long way to go and grow up, each year he manages to surprise her.

when his son is too bothered by the attention of other people, alhaitham gives him his noise-canceling headphones; they're a bit too big on him, but he appreciates it anyway.

alhaitham makes sure your son remembers his late grandmother, despite having not met her. even if the scribe does not consider himself a very emotional person, he wants the memory of her to live on.

he encourages his child to make his own decisions, too - just like he had that choice as well; if his son wants to break the ice and become more outgoing - alhaitham will not stand in his way. he wants him to grow up as the person he truly wants to be.

he definitely explained some god-tier science to his toddler son while holding him in his arms, receiving only some confusing "blah blag bwwwug" in return, watching him bite his tiny hand in happiness. he continued.

if there's something that alhaitham shares with his son, it's his love for naps. sometimes you all sleep together, and when it's time to wake up - both of them whine and your son snuggles up to his dad, to which your husband responds by getting his arm over the little one and giving you a small chuckle with one eye open, shortly before falling back asleep.

kaveh is your child's godfather. no, it wasn't his choice.

after a bit of hesitation and a lot of thoughts, he wouldn't mind to have another one; genders don't matter to him by any means, but I see him with yet another son :)

Kaveh:

kaveh and his twins could rival itto and his son's enthusiasm - it's what kaveh wants his kids to always remember - he wants them to enjoy every single bit of life, even if it's something simple.

the famous architect has decided to work hard to provide for you and the baby when you told him about the pregnancy- or, rather, about his future children; some of his work truly shone and got him quite a bit of attention, and therefore - a bunch of well-paid commissions.

kaveh has fought his empathy many times and tried not to overly spend money, which resulted in him being able to create and build your house that you share together; each of the twins has their own room, decorated according to their tastes.

your children have great emotional intelligence, just like your husband; if there's ever any conflict, they rather talk about it, than pout for hours, similar with you two. kaveh teaches them to always be honest, especially to themselves. they're also talented, but in different ways - your daughter seems to be fascinated by the role of the architect as well, but your son, regardless of what he's doing - he always makes sure it's perfect and polished as much as possible.

you cannot tell me this man doesn't do some kind of weekly family time - kaveh loves his family to the bone and would risk his life to protect you and your children with no hesitation. he's very involved in his children's lives and wants to be considered as their friend as well, not just a father; kaveh wants to know what they are interested in the moment, who they had their last beef with and who their crush is. he just really wants to gossip with them lol.

contrary to what a lot of people think, the twins and alhaitham's child(ren?) get along very well, and are aware they're just mirrors of each other. they can't however, understand how they managed to live together under one roof for so long... they never complain if they visit uncle alhaitham though, as he lets them search through his library so they can find out more about their interests.

in revenge, alhaitham is the godfather of the twins, just so you know.

Zhongli:

not only did he fall in love with you, but after hearing the cry of his little girl after she took her first-ever breath - zhongli fell in love once again.

he's so, so overprotective of his baby, regardless of her age. he's swooned by her - how tiny her fingers are compared to his when she finally grips them for the first time, how every month she looks even prettier than last one - he's always by her side, making sure she's the happiest she could possibly be.

since he has to sleep only once for a few days, he's willing to spend every second with her, especially after birth - zhongli also wants you to rest as much as you can, so you can both create memories together.

he most certainly takes her on a lot of walks with you when she gets older; not only around liyue harbor, but places dear to him and her only, if they discover one.

when your daughter grows up and begins to show interest in zhongli's hobbies, he smiles at her gently and sits her in his lap, only to start explaining it and feeding her curiosity; sometimes he has to stop himself for a moment to admire her twinkling eyes.

oh he DEFINITELY does her hair every morning. he's practiced on you before, having learned many new hairstyles to later on perform on your daughter; he carefully strokes her hazel hair with golden tips with a brush, feeling as he's almost watching his own in a mirror. sometimes, he adorns her hair with his own hairpin.

xiao was definitely the first person to know about your daughter. knowing that archon blood runs in her veins, he's less worried about being around her, therefore always more willing to spend time with her. both grow from this interaction - the little one knows how to protect herself (or to call uncle xiao when she's in trouble), and xiao understands small humans just a bit better.

zhongli's thrilled to know what her favorites are - no matter if it's tea, food or fabric, he has to know! perhaps they share the same favorites?

with the help of kamera, he's now able to immortalize the sight of you and your daughter. each birthday, he takes a picture and cherishes the young years of your baby, knowing they won't last long; erosion be damned, as long as he has the pictures - he'll always remember.

Xiao:

xiao was clueless. clueless and frightened. he wasn't supposed to have a child - with a mortal on top; albeit he tries to stay calm for your and baby's sake, he wants both of you to heal well.

it took quite a bit of time for xiao to fully embrace that he's a parent - and he adapted very well, having you by his side; the only worry that hasn't gone away is the thought of harming his daughter with his karmic debt.

but so far, the little one hasn't shown any signs of it, which makes xiao more than happy. she's yet another reason to warm his cold heart up, which he always compares to being engulfed by comfy scarf in the winter.

he automatically turns his head around whenever he hears her tiny little "tap taps" with her feet; not only does he find it adorable, but he knows she once again managed to lose her slippers and socks.

listen. she inherited the same diamond mark on her forehead - and he finally understands why you always insisted you liked kissing it for no reason.

he always. ALWAYS shares his almond tofu with his baby girl.. and she always makes a mess while eating it.. but it's worth it.

your daughter seemed to have taken a liking to watching finches from a distance; they always look for a nice spot in liyue plains, make a small picnic and feed the leftover bread to the birds. she finds them so adorable to the point that xiao was looking for a finch plushie for WEEKS. that made her good friends with qiqi, whom she tries to remember as "the finch friend."

Zhongli never says it out loud, but thinks of Xiao as his son. therefore, he finally earned a title of a grandpa (though unofficial). he's very proud to see Xiao stand up in a role of not only a protector of liyue, but the ones closest to him.

yes, your daughter actually calls morax himself, grandpa. (he doesn't correct her. ever)

imagine xiao with baby carrier. now you don't have to imagine it anymore.

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Blade:

don't even say he isn't a girl dad. HE IS.

he thinks he's a mere blade whose humanity has been lost hundreds of years ago - it's nothing more but a delusion in his mind. if that was the truth, why would he stay near his daughter's crib and watch her sleep peacefully, flinching when he saw her stir in her sleep?

she's absolutely not afraid of his cold, death stare, in fact - she looks at him back, waiting him to break first. just imagine a tiny baby eating a rice waffle, blade next to her and he just.. stares at her. but she stares at him back and eats the waffle like it's nothing.

your baby girl inherited blade's hair- or rather, yingxing's pearly white hair. he often pats her head gently and goes his hand through her hair, his eyes holding a tinge of bitterness and anger; not at her, however, but at the one he's after.

since blade spends most of his time on various missions with the stellaron hunters, he tries to make it up to your daughter by giving her gifts; hairpins, stickers (ekhem, silver wolf), coloring books, you name it. he slowly warms up to the idea of spending more quality time with her - after so many missions and the thought of his family waiting for him at home, his heart longs to see you again.

sometimes.. you can catch a faint smile on his lips when he plays with her. it's a sad smile - a smile yearning for it to happen back in simpler times, before getting reduced to a weapon, or perhaps in another lifetime.

he never admits it out loud, but he gets used to the new routine a bit too comfortably. before, when it was just you - in contrast to now, when he barely closes the front door and hears his daughter sprinting to him and clinging to his leg; he picks her up and feels her squishing her cheek against his while grinning. "welcome home, daddy!" are the first words he hears - and hopes to hear until it's his time to leave.

at times, blade becomes genuinely terrified - terrified of no longer craving death and wanting to stay. it sends him in so much emotional turmoil he starts to shake; how else do you process this? after so many years of attempting to look for that one thing that finally stops your breath, only to get swarmed by the thoughts of not wanting to leave your daughter behind? what if something happens to her and there's no one to help her?

there's a thing that I can't stop thinking about: I want to leave it up to you how you name your daughter, but I feel like blade would truly like the name Mari.

he lets her decorate him with stickers. it was silver wolf's idea.

Jing Yuan:

he was blessed with a daughter, as well. and then again. and then... again.

he absolutely adores his three little girls, hellO?!?!? but if you think about it, it makes sense - almost all of them took after his personality.

there is a mandatory nap for him and his girls that no one can disturb, unless the planet is on fire or someone got you mad. they all snore quietly while cuddling their dad, one of them on his chest, second on his stomach, and last one has her face somewhere next to his hair. makes you wonder how they got in these places, considering they started sleeping beneath a pink blanket decorated with lions.

speaking of lions, mimi claims your daughters as her cubs and does not let jing yuan take them away. she loves being pet and getting small kisses from them, there's no way she gives him that amount of attention back.

jing yuan loves your daughters to death and spoils them with absolutely EVERYTHING. new plushie? will be here in a few hours. a damned rock that's stupidly expensive, holds no value but one of them liked it? he'll take five. hell, he might even buy them a dog or another lion and hope for easy consequences from you.

he's slightly scared of how fast his oldest got so good at chess.

the girls get very upset when someone mentions they have no older brother - after all, how could they forget about yanqing?

there is a high chance of him losing one of them at home. they're walking, he turns around and.. suddenly the math doesn't add up..

if it's princess tea time, it is princess tea time. fu xuan either becomes a princess or comes back later.

even though they sometimes bring a lot of trouble, jing yuan always tells them to appreciate you - when it's mother's day, they all sit down and prepare a gift for you, same for your birthday; your special days will never go unnoticed.

probably wouldn't mind having another child, but is fully prepared for another girl lol.

Luocha:

he fathered a beautiful boy and girl a few years after. none of them were planned, but very welcome by both of you.

he's.. such a doting father. he always takes care of his children well, shows them affection - especially as small babies, he can't get over their chubby cheeks and peppers them with kisses, so he could hear them giggle.

in general, I think he just. can't get enough of them when they're toddlers or even younger. he loves holding them. he loves seeing his tiny babies get curious when he prepares medicine. he loves when they extend their hand to him for seemingly no reason, so he has an opportunity to give it a kiss. ARGH

he's thrilled to share his medical knowledge with his kids, if one shows interest in it!

luocha's definitely the one to style his babies' hair, I mean have you seen this man's gorgeous locks???? he's also the one to cut it if they don't like it long.

this isn't really about the children themselves, but.. he's just so grateful that you brought them into this world?? and he makes sure you know it every day, be it through actions or words. when you gave birth to your daughter, he held her in her hands and approached you from behind, leaning down and planting a chaste kiss on your cheek. "love, she's so wonderful, thank you for your hard work. I can't stop looking at her, and I wouldn't have that opportunity if I didn't meet you. I've never been more happy to meet such a person like you."

just like kaveh, he wants to be very involved in their lives. he always asks them about their day in school, if they made any friends. luocha also tries to be stern and has only one expectation as a father - he wants them to have a good, comfortable life, in which he'll assist in achieving as long as they need.

your son is very, very talkative with his dad and they could converse for hours. like for real. he's so smart, luocha is more than happy to broad his horizons, even in topics of lesser importance.

[whore-ibly-hot]

How strong is Joey? You said previously he has big man tatas

And how’d he treat his sons vs daughters? I feel like he’s accidentally lovingly misogynistic. Especially given his conservative religious upbringing. Like he doesn’t believe that darling should labor in the sun, but he doesn’t believe that darling is lesser than him because she’s a woman. Does this make sense?????

Joey's actually very good about beating back any unintentional misogyny. He has a lot of family members, but Betty Jo, one of his sisters, is probably the biggest and strongest laborer in the family. She's huge, and could probably hog tie a cow and carry it into the next field if she needed. He's no stranger to women working just as hard if not harder at traditional masculine activites than men.

He tends be more gentle and allow darling to stay in the house and do stereotypically feminine chores because he just loves them so much! He thinks they're delicate, and their from the city. He doesn't want them to overwork themselves!

As far as kids, Joey is thrilled at whatever his little guy or gal is into! More of a home chores kid? Great! Wants to help on the farm? Awesome. Doesn't really want to do anything but sit and play with rocks? A little odd, but he's more than happy to join in.

The only real difference in how Joey treats kids is age. Until the kid is about eight or so, Joey will treat them like glass. Gently holding them, extremely slow and careful piggyback rides, and baby proofing the house even if they're old enough to ride a bike and swim. Once they're over eight? All bets are off. Play wrestling, swinging the kid around over his head, or throwing them into a big bale of hay from the hayloft. All if the kid is okay with it, of course.

He's excited is his kiddo is good at something he isn't. If Joey's little boy comes up to him and talks about how much he likes cooking or baking, Joey's thrilled! He's always had someone too make meals for him, and he can't cook to save his life. He's so excited that his kiddo has a hobby he can learn with them. Regardless of what his kid is into, he'll sit and listen with fascination.

Joey has had a lot of siblings, but as the youngest boy he doesn't have a ton of experience with babies. Because of this, you'll have to tell him off from time to time, as well as his other family members because of the odd things he may do. He's only ever been around baby animals, so you'll have to explain why human babies can't be held by a scruff, or why they won't start walking within a few days like a baby cow. He's a little disappointed he won't be able to have a conversation with his kid for a few years, but that doesn't stop him from talking to them.

"Mhmm, there's my big healthy lil' dumpling'. What're you gigglin' at, huh? You happy to see daddy? Are ya?"

Joey is thrilled that his family uses hand me downs so much now that he has kids of his own. Seeing his little girl in his old red truck shirt of his little boy in some big green rain boots is enough to make him cry. Expect to see him showing the kids and the rest of the town old family photos of him in the same clothes when he was little.

He's a great dad, especially in the early years. Diapers need changed? He's dealt with grosser. Babies hungry? You stay in bed, he'll feed them. You honestly don't even need to purchase a crib, because his baby is not leaving his broad chest.

"Cmon, darlin'! I'm big and soft, I'm just as good as any old crib, and Joey Jr. Here agrees. Let him stay a lil' longer? Please?"

[kissorkill16]

Fill My Empty Heart: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: After Mya's death, Aaron committed suicide. Mr. Peterson, desperate to have a family again, kidnaps the depressed and heartbroken child across the street, Nicky Roth.

Chapter 18

Trinity was listening to the radio in the kitchen.

"Good afternoon, Raven Brooks. Lovely weather we're having today! No more rain, just cloudy skies."

"That's nice.", thought Trinity.

It's been weeks since they've continued their plan of making Mr. Peterson go crazy, and nothing seemed to be working! All of their attempts failed when he just kept a calm demeanor.

And not only that, but his rules were getting out of control too. Not only were the kids not allowed to go outside, but he wouldn't allow the kids to open the curtains so they wouldn't even think about going outside.

It's been really rough for the kids.

"It's been three weeks since a group of kids went missing in Raven Brooks. The kids names were Trinity Bales, Enzo and Maritza Esposito, and Ivan Torre. Their parents said that the children told them that they were just going to a sleepover and would be back in the morning, but they never returned. Police continue to search for the children as we speak."

"Trinity, honey! Is that the radio?"

Trinity jumped up and immediately shut off the radio as Mr. Peterson stepped into the kitchen.

"Sorry, Dad. I was trying to play music.", she said.

"It's alright, dear.", said the man. "But why don't we turn off the radio for a while until they're done with the news."

The girl nodded and walked out of the living room, stomping her foot on the floor as she walked up the stairs.

Later that night, Mr. Peterson was tucking Nicky into bed, and then Nicky asked a question.

"Why did you take me?"

Mr. Peterson stilled in place. "What do you mean, darling?", he asked.

"Why did you take me?", Nicky asked again. He knew he was probably risking his freedom right now, but he just wanted the man to answer him honestly. "I had parents, and I had friends, and you just took me away from them. Now you took them away from their families. Why?"

Mr. Peterson looked at Nicky for a minute, and Nicky hid himself under the blanket. But instead of scolding or growling, Mr. Peterson just sat on the edge of the bed.

"Because...Nicholas, you were so close with my children.", he said. "Aaron and Mya loved you like you were their brother. Everywhere I saw them, you were with them.", he let out a small laugh. "Diane almost saw you as her own son, and I remember her asking me once if I ever thought about having a third child."

Nicky laughed a little and sat up.

"When I lost them all, I was beyond destroyed. My wife, my son, my daughter, they all died. Taken from me and leaving me all alone.", said Mr. Peterson, "My family was very important to me, Nicholas, and I could see that Aaron and Mya were very important to you too."

Nicky furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Mr. Peterson sighed and put a hand on Nicky's shoulder, "Aaron's funeral, you screamed and you cried. You didn't want to believe that he was gone, and neither did I. No one understood the pain you felt, no one except me, because I felt it too.", he said. "I isolated myself from the outside world, I was scared of lashing out at others and hurting innocent people. But you were already so broken inside, and you were already lashing out at the people you loved."

Nicky's eyes widened as he flashed back to all of the times where he was angry at the world for taking Aaron and Mya away, where he lashed out at his parents, his friends, and other people at school.

He was a nightmare out there.

He thought that they were all pretty happy that he killed himself.

Nicky felt tears fall down his cheeks.

"Nicholas?"

Before he knew it, Nicky began to cry and bury his face in his hands.

"They're all happy to know I'm dead.", said the boy, "I was a monster out there, and now that I'm gone, they're all probably -"

Mr. Peterson gently pulled Nicky onto his lap and wrapped his arms around him.

"Stop it. Don't say that, young man.", he said sternly. "Your family and friends still love you. If they didn't, do you think that your disappearance would've made it to the news? Do you think that your friends would be trying to drive me crazy just so I'll throw you all out?"

Nicky began to relax in the man's hold.

"You are loved, Nicky. Even if you haven't been the easiest to deal with, your friends and your family still love you very much.", said Mr. Peterson. "And I know it'll be hard for me to do this, but to prove it to you...tomorrow, I'm letting all of you go."

Nicky's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Really, Nicholas.", said the man. "Your family would be so happy to know you're alive, and the same goes for all of your friends."

Hearing this, Nicky smiled and wrapped his arms around Mr. Peterson.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Peterson!"

Mr. Peterson smiled warmly and gently patted the boy on his back. He knew it would be hard, but he knew he had to do this. It was the right thing to do, and Nicky needed to know that he's still loved.

"You're welcome, Nicholas."

[noisyquokka]

hii i’ve just found you acc and i’m inlove with your fairy tail kisses story. i cant get out my head the thought of y/n and jisung telling her cousin they are together and her being abit like ew but also like happy cuz she’ll see ji more.

could you write like a short epilogue or something of them telling her? you don’t have to but the thought just has me crying 🥺

lots of love ❤️

Epilogue

PAIRING - Jisung x F!Reader

WORDCOUNT - 2.2k

WARNINGS - Fluff, basic cute s/o interactions, we on babysitting duty again, also kids say the craziest things 😭

A/N - My GOSH!!! You don't know how much I kicked my feet as I wrote this, thank you for the request! Fairly certain that Fairytale Kisses is my favorite fluff piece on my Masterlist so it was lovely to add a little extra to it! I hope you enjoy, Darling! 💛

Part 1 || Part 2

Your ears perk at the sound of the front door swinging shut, little squeals accompanying the dull pitter-patter of bare feet. The shadow that whizzes past the kitchen is tiny, a flash of cerulean blue fabric and dark, bouncing braids. She doesn't even notice you, too busy scouting out someone else.

"Honey, please no running in the house!" It's your Aunt's voice; that gentle motherly tone that borders on a warning. You offer up a smile when she appears in the hall, the woman sighing as she places multiple bags on the counter. "I come bearing gifts."

Jisung peeks his head up from behind the counter, eyes darting to the Tupperware tins that she pulls from one bag. Dark brows arch in a knowing question and your Aunt chuckles.

"Yes, they're your favourite cookies, Jisung. Take your pick."

"Sung Sung?!" That mousey voice. Little feet scampering back toward the kitchen.

He's quick about it, slipping behind your spot at the counter, resting a hand at the small of your back. Reaching for a smaller tin of freshly backed cookies, he leans in and presses a quick kiss to your cheek when you spare a glance over your shoulder to him. And just like that, he's darting for cover again. And you're standing there shaking your head, clamping your hands over your burning cheeks as your Aunt chuckles at the antics between you and your boyfriend.

The scampering halts at the doorway to the kitchen, doe eyes settling on you with a newfound determination. You raise your brows, bringing a finger to tap at your chin as you glance toward the opposite end of the counter. She must've picked up on it, because little feet are heard pattering over the runners in the kitchen until…

"Sung Sung!!"

She lunges for him, tiny arms wrapping around his neck. You hear a grunt, the cookie tin sliding onto the counter as the man has no option but to embrace the little girl that clings to him like a koala. You chuckle at the sight of his finger tips gripping the edge of the counter, an attempt to keep himself upright. His free arm wraps around her, pulling her up and away from the floor with ease.

"You found me!?" He sounds surprised, the words muffled behind a whole cookie between his teeth. But you know he saw your not-so-subtle gesture that tipped her off to his location. Your cousin continues her clinging, her head tucked under the crook of his neck. She nuzzles her face into his t-shirt, soft sounds of contentment leaving her little body.

"I missed you," She mumbles quietly, as if just admitting such a thing turns her into a shy bean. Jisung chuckles, his hands moving to place her on one of the nearby stools.

"I missed you, too! How's my little Princess been?" He's gentle when he smooths out the tulle of her dress, the fabric having rode up on her legs as she raced through the house and clambered all over her favorite person.

Your Aunt catches your attention with a soft tap of the shoulder, and you turn your head.

"I'll be back around eight. Text me if you need anything." She says. You nod, watching as she turns to her daughter with a mock seriousness in her eyes. "Be good for your cousin and Jisung!"

All the woman gets is a fit of giggles and a coy nod.

It's been a few weeks since the kiss between you and Jisung. Since you gave in and both of you confessed in your own bumbling ways. After that, you agreed to a date, although the details didn't matter much to you. Just the idea of going out on a date was enough to keep you content. Jisung, however, planned everything to a T. You had scoffed at the sight of the empty arcade, rented out for the full day so the two of you could enjoy whatever games you wanted without interruption. Safe to say, he had more than outdone himself. The only thing you had yet to cross off your list was telling your little cousin the news.

Your eyes settle on the bundle of affection that has buried herself into Ji's side. The child is nuzzling into his torso, mussing her braids with not a care in the world. Jisung looks down at her with a grin, lightly patting her head before she springs off the stool and races around the counter to get to you. Her arms wrap around your legs as she looks up with curious eyes.

"I missed you!" She giggles, squeezing tighter as if she can bleed her love and affection into you through her sheer belief. You chock it up to some kind of kid magic because you swear her antics only make you smile broader. You lean down, balancing on the balls of your feet as you hook your hands under her arms.

"My goodness, you're getting so big!" You huff, placing her on the edge of the counter. "I won't be able to pick you up if you keep growing like this."

"King Sung Sung is strong! He can pick me up!" She exclaims, brown eyes darting over her shoulder. Jisung chuckles, biting into the cookie he'd pulled from the tin.

"Speaking of, the king needs his crown, doesn't he?" You ask, patting the out of place strands on her head. She nods eagerly, kicking her feet against the cabinet below. "Why don't you go get it for him. You remember where you put it, don't you?"

Another eager nod. You grin, slipping her off the counter top and watching as her little legs carry her off towards the hall once more.

"You're so good with her." You'd heard the footsteps to your right a moment prior, anticipating the warm hand that comes to rest on your hip. The corners of your mouth quirk up, and you turn around to face your boyfriend.

"That's humble coming from you. She ran through the entire house in search of you. Not me." Jisung rolls his eyes, waving away your words as he takes another bite of his cookie.

"Obviously! I'm the fun, humble, strong King Sung Sung!" He wisps his hair back like one of those movie characters, shooting you a smug grin.

"Oh my god, never do that again." You laugh, softly smacking the side of his face. That earns you a laugh as well, hands following the swell of your hips upward as he leans in.

"So we should probably tell her about us at some point, huh."

You bite at your bottom lip, nodding. It's something you've been thinking about a lot, even as you know she'll be over the moon to have Jisung around more often than he was before. But at the same time, you don't know how to tell her. For some reason, this seems more intimidating than the idea of meeting the parents (if you hadn't already known them for years) or even telling your friends.

"Hey," Jisung's brows furrow, noting that look in your eyes. He's known you far too long to not know where your head is. "She's smart, she loves you, and she loves me-" He chuckles into your hair, your forehead connecting with his chest. Ever the jokester! "I love you, and I know you're worried, but I don't think she's gonna care too much when she's got more time with the both of us." Warm hands find your jaw, pulling your face back up so he can capture your lips with his. It's delicate and sweet, not only from the cookie he'd bitten into. It eases your racing mind, the curve of your back leaning into the counter.

"I got it!"

You jump at the sound of that mousey voice, the palms of your hands shoving at a sturdy chest. You're quick, and yet, not quick enough.

Your cousin stands in the doorway, one of her costume tiaras adorning her head. Jisung's crown is grasped carefully between her fingers, those orange silk flower petals fluttering with every movement of her arm. You pivot on the balls of your feet, jutting a hip into the counter's edge as you cross your arms, bringing a hand up to your mouth. The little girl sways from her mad dash through the house, her cheeks pink from exertion.

"There you are, Muffin!" You clear your throat, sparing Jisung a glance. He's pressing his lips together, a hand at the base of his neck as he, too, leans against the opposite counter. The look on his face is both smug and embarrassed.

When you look back to the child standing in the doorway, it seems that she's already connecting dots. Doe eyes flit between the two of you, narrowed and analyzing until her nose is scrunching like that day three weeks ago.

"Hey~" She drawls out the word, tone going higher, it's almost accusatory. She bounces on her tip toes as she twirls in the doorway, pointing the crown in her hand at the two of you, her eyes wide with excitement.

Jisung's lips quirk as he watches her, taking note of her mannerisms. She's a little too giddy. Much more than usual. His eyes narrow as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"Someone's been sneaking…"

Your brows furrow, but as you glance between the two, you begin to see the signs. Her feet shuffling as she now looks at the ground, that flush on her cheeks turning pinker. The dead giveaway for you is the exaggerated shrug she gives Jisung, suddenly too shy to answer either of you. The little stinker was right outside the hall for who knows how long.

Jisung is the first to move, taking the few long strides to the doorway only to kneel down so he was eye level with the child. She keeps her gaze on her wiggling toes, the tiara atop her head sliding forward. He tilts his head to the side, catching her gaze before she turns away with a pout.

"C'mon, Peanut. Why don't you tell us what you heard." He offers, attempting to gently coax her back into a playful headspace. He brings his hands up to his cheeks, rests his elbows on his knees. And when she looks up, that shy gummy smile returns.

"You kissed the magical moo cow again." She blurts, promptly covering her mouth with a squeak. Those brown eyes are wide, almost animated as she stares between the two of you. Jisung turns his head to lock eyes with you, trying to maintain his composure. That's obviously not what either of you were expecting.

"I did." He replies, eyebrows arching as he clears his throat. "Do you remember why?"

She blinks, brows furrowing as she thinks back through your little fantasy playtime sessions.

"To break the curse?"

"That's right, Sweet Pea." Jisung adjusts the tiara on her head, reaching down for the handmade crown in her grip as she glances up at him with stars in her eyes. He settles the crown atop his head, the woven branches fitting perfectly as he picks her up with a grunt.

"Does that mean you love each other?" She asks, fiddling with the tulle of her dress. You can't help but grin at the way she's going about this, almost like she's interviewing you for a school presentation. Jisung turns to you with the softest smile, and you note something akin to relief swimming behind glowing irises.

"Yeah... yeah, I love your cousin a lot." He murmurs, and there goes your heart fluttering again. Absolutely hammering against your chest. He's back over to you in a few careful strides, giving you a peck on the cheek. The gesture earns a squeal from the little girl on his hip, her cheeks a light pink.

"Are you gonna get married?"

"Alright," You clap your hands together, trying to remember which drawer holds the utensils as the giggles resume. "why don't we dig in to some of these sweets and watch a movie, hm?" You feel your face burning from the question, which is quite innocent coming from a child. But oh boy, does it throw you for a loop. Jisung's clearly amused by it, his brown eyes watching you search through the drawers until you give up and settle on just cookies. You reach for the Tupperware containers on the counter, filling a small plate for your cousin as Jisung puts her back down. He hands her the plate and she runs off toward the living room, leaving the two of you.

"I've gotta hand it to her, that was bold."

"Ya think?" Fingers find your nose bridge as you listen to the sound of your boyfriend's jovial laughter. Your ears perk at the sound of a drawer opening, silverware clinking together with the help of deft fingers. Jisung settles against the counter beside you, holding a fork up between the two of you as you bring your gaze up. You mutter a thanks, taking it from him and reaching for the cheesecake slices in one of the containers. You're just about to ask him if he wants some when he speaks first.

"I kinda like the idea though…"

You pause in your actions, fork dangling from between your fingers as you attempt to comprehend what he just said. Kinda like the idea!? You huff in disbelief, wondering where this newfound confidence has come from. Perhaps your little cousin's bold remarks have rubbed off. But you can't even ask him because the pitter-patter of feet closes in on the kitchen.

"Sung Sung, come get the movie ready!" She says, and no one is allowed to object when the six-year-old is already pulling him by the arm. Little hands like a tiny vise around his wrist. 

Psst!! If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read my work 💕 I appreciate you!

[doverstar]

Err actually, I was talking Disneys DTV sequels (wel a few of them were theatrical) to their animated canon films.

YES! I enjoyed all of those. I grew up with them. I know they're not all high-quality, I know they all had much lower budgets, and in some cases, completely different tones or poorer writing, but when you're watching them you can genuinely see that the people making them did their research and were big fans of the source material. (I think the sequels to Hunchback and Atlantis were both straight-up garbage. But I love the concept of Madeline, and I like that Atlantis got to be revisited; the original deserved that!) My nostalgic favorites are Lady and the Tramp 2, Patch's London Adventure, Stitch Has a Glitch, The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time, and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. I have seen every single Disney animated sequel there is. All of them. I have seen them all. And I love them all. The thing is, these live action remakes are absolutely cash-grabs. 100%. They are only made to make money or to "clean up" some sort of 'political' thing that modern-day Disney would like certain vitriolic crowds today to forget from the originals, and they are terrible. The remakes are crap. The old, direct-to-video-ish sequels of the animated Disney films may have been monetarily-motivated, sure. Maybe. But when you're watching those, they are obviously, clearly trying to continue a story that they loved. They're doing their best to animate and recreate the magic with what limited funds and tools they have. Everyone is (usually) in-character, and the progression of the stories all make sense. Plus there is no need for the music to go as hard as it often does in these sequels, but graciously, it does! There's so much heart in the DTV sequels. So much. I can forgive lots of mistakes, or lacking animation, and I can forgive awkward writing, even, because often I can see what the Disney teams wanted and how excited they were to be revisiting those beloved Disney stories, and I applaud them. They were just playing pretend! Writing fanfiction! But they got to actually make movies while they did it, and call them canon. Give me that- Don't get me started on the new characters and concepts these sequels introduce. Who among us didn't love Melody as kids? Or Scamp, or Angel? Madeline is a doll, with darling character design, in spite of being part of arguably the worst Disney sequel. Did you see Anastasia get together with the baker?! Did you see them make an entire third Cinderella film based on that one concept?! Please tell me more about Lilo's mother! Please tell me about the girl Kenai used to play with, Nita, who is bound in an innocent love to him forever in the eyes of the ancestors because of a wooden necklace! Give each of Ariel's sisters personalities and for the love of Pete, tell me everything about her mother and why Triton hates humans! Jane Darling, from the very last chapter of the original Peter Pan story, brought to life in war-torn London and sent to Neverland to learn she is still a child and should be a child while it lasts? The opposite of what her mom needed to learn in the original? Wow, the Emperor of China has three daughters and they long to have normal lives and they fall in love with Chian Po, Yao, and Ling - yes please! Bernard proposed to Miss Bianca! SIMBA HAD A DAUGHTER AND SHE MET AND FELL IN LOVE WITH A BROWN LION NONE OF YOU SHOULD HAVE CRUSHED ON? TELL ME MORE. Bambi 2 made me cry, Tarzan 2 made me cry, Stitch has a Glitch made me cry, Cinderella 3 made me cry, I am telling you that John Rolfe is ten times better than John Smith even if Pocahontas 2 was awful, why yes, I did want to learn about how Timon met Pumba, how did you know? Who doesn't want to see more of Tod and Copper being happy as children before it all fell apart? Shanti gets more screen time! Stitch has 625 cousins! Kronk! Fell! In love! I said don't get me started- Yes, huge difference between these sequels and the live action remakes. And I will go to my grave supporting them.

[idiotwithanipad]

Gore Au: The Deal

(A part 6 to this: https://www.tumblr.com/idiotwithanipad/754120512986300416/gore-au-first-meeting

(Ft a mention of @moonah-rose 's OC Silver)

(In my Gore AU, all the ghosts memories and mental states are warped due to trauma and time. They're constantly in the mindset they were in moments before their deaths)

(TW: Threats, Stabbing, Blood)

The witch had gotten the facts from both her ally and her daughter. Cold hard facts, no lies or woven deception. She'd seen the memories of both, and each told a seperate story. While her daughter's interaction had been brief, it had been the most compelling evidence that the dark haired girl meant no harm.

Her ally had gathered the truth that hid behind the walls. The dark haired girl was coddled and swaddled by the cloaked one, not hurt or threatened, but she seemed lost and miserable. Trapped inside and forever forced to hide.

Her darling girl was happy, the happiest girl she ever did meet, but her happiness sometimes slipped away. Faded slim like coming down from a high, her blind eyes seeing the bleek reality of her situation. If only she could see that this is how it was meant to be. Better to be with her true mother than that other woman who took her away.

Her daughter's happiness meant the whole world, the witch would gladly be bound to another steak if it meant her darling girl would forever smile and dance. Maybe the dark haired girl would be another key to keeping her daughter happy, never again would she risk having to convince the teen that she was in safe hands during her moments of panic and wishing to leave again.

Her daughter had taken to her slumber, and would be waking in a week. Now is the time. The witch trailed her burned knuckles along the girl's cheek as she blissfully slept, smiling at her with the tenderness of a true mother. She rose from her spot and walked to the edge of the woodland, towards the lake, where she always found him.

"Dear ally. The time hath come"

The creature rose from his rock and pressed his knuckles to the soil.

"Thou remembers thy task? Wait till the cloaked one does make his rounds of the house, then bring the dark haired child to me. I will then sees for myself who she really be"

The creature gave a huff of understanding and started on his way towards the edge of the treeline before the witch stopped him.

"Makes it quick. If she be gone from her chambers too longs, the cloaked one will panic so. T'would be cruel to make a father panic and cry for his girl so. I would'st not wish that upon any parent" The witch explained, her crispy throat catching with a shadow of relatable vulnerability; she could sympathize, it had happened to her all those years ago.

The creature gave a slow nod and left his mistress, stalking through the trees. The creature slunk skillfully over the green and ducked beneath a window, the occupants inside blissfully unaware of his eerie presence.

Though a particular window, the creature could see the staircase, the cloaked one would have to leave this way to get outside to the grounds to conduct his search for danger, and as soon as he does, the creature will be ready. Just make it through this mission and you will be rewarded, the madness will go away for a little while again.

The creature waited and waited, until finally, the red cloak came into his sights beyond the windowpane. It's time.

The creature passed through the brick, avoided any sharp corners, remained hidden from the occupants, living and dead, crawled up the wooden staircase, stalked quietly through the halls, keeping his nostrils flared for that scent.

It got stronger and stronger, the corridor seemed to go of forever; the lack of uneven ground and tightly spaced trees made this short walk feel like a marathon. She was in there. He could smell it.

The creature passed through the door and spotted the girl huddled up on the bed, her back to him, hood up over her head, knees drawn up to her chest, arms tightly wrapped around her shoulders. She isn't your child, just grab it and get out, then your reward will come.

The girl barely got the chance to wipe away the fresh stream of bloody tears from her cheeks as a foul, dirty, swift hand came out from behind her. It's thumb and forefinger squeezed her nostrils shut while the rest of the disgusting paw clamped heavily over her mouth. No sound could or would escape her. Not like this.

The girl was wrenched off of the bed and her back was harshly forced against a figure. To the best of her ability, she struggled and writhed, desperate to free herself from the tight grip. From the corner of her wide eye, she could see the wild frame of brown hair and an equally untamed beard drift closely to her.

She watched in horror as slowly, the creature lifted it's free hand up and pressed it's finger to its lips before it clamped it's arm around her stomach, hoisting her off the floor and hauling her out of the room.

With the creature's hand still pressed firmly against her nose and mouth, the girl could only kick and thrash to get away, but the creature's body seemed to be as solid and unbreakable as concrete.

Out onto the grounds he staggered with the girl in his grip. Halfway to the woods, so close to your reward. Keep going.

A sharp, sudden pain brought the creature to a standstill, and the warm sensation of blood running down past his clavicle caused him to avert his gaze down towards the girl.

Without him realising, the dark haired girl had removed the spiked choker from around her neck with her free hand and clutched it in her fist. The inch long spikes sat erect against her knuckles, which also dripped with blood; she had used her own choker as a weapon, jabbed the accessory into the creature's neck. Smart girl, could've used those in tribe. Work with what you have, always taught that as a boy.

The creature's bleeding stopped and his stabbed neck healed up, as though nothing had happened to him at all, and the choker materialized itself back around the girl's neck. He had no time for altercations, he just harshly tightened his grip around her skull and pressed on. Into the forest.

"You doth bring the girl, dear ally?" That voice again? The girl recognized that voice.

The creature approached a semi-collapsed tree, underneath the snapped trunk sat the witch, her skeletal face dipped down towards the dirt, hidden by a slouch.

The creature all but shoved the girl from his arms and down into the leafy carpet at his feet, causing her to collapse to her knees roughly. A gargling squeal left her lips along with the congealed remnants of the drink that killed her. The girl brought her hands up to grip her mouth shut in a mixture of embarrassment and pain.

"Thank you dearest ally. Exactly as I's asked. You did do so well. Go now. I will'st bring you your reward in due times. But first, I must have a little chat with this here dark haired girl" The witch praised, her gentle tone slowly switching to one of sinister authority.

The creature gave a soft growl and turned on his heel, leaving the collapsed tree and heading back to his rock. The girl, hand still pressed heavily to her concealed mouth, rose her teary gaze to the witch who now stood above her like a giant.

"Get up, girl" The witch sneered.

The girl shuffled back through the leaves and stumbled to her feet, lowering her hands to her sides stiffly. The witch took a step closer and regarded her with an air of mistrust and scepticism.

"You be kept silent by this venom, girl?" The witch asked coldly, gesturing to the quickly disappearing puddle of finding liquid on the leaves below. The girl nodded meekly and trembled.

The witch gave a slow nod in return and rose her dry eyes to the girl's.

"You looks to be a little'en" The witch confessed.

Her skeletal hand rose towards the girl faster than she would've liked, as the girl coward away and accidentally grit her teeth beneath her parted lips. More of the vile fluid dribble from between her teeth and down her chin like a grotesque water feature. The witch drew her hand back in slight shame for subjecting a child to such embarrassment.

"Be still, child. Thou cannot run thy tongue. But I's hath my ways" The witch spoke, the charred bones of her hand taking the form of glowing embers before transforming into plumes of black smoke.

"Stay still"

Thick clouds of dark smoke drifted up from beneath the witch's freyed skirt and circled around the girls frame. They got thicker and thicker, darker and darker, until it seemed like they encased the girl's body completely and prevented her from fleeing.

The girl watched in horror as the witch's smokey hand reached forward through the billowing boarder around her and passed through the flesh at her throat.

The girl couldn't move and was forced to watch in horror as the skeletal face of the witch drifted through the black cloud of smoke around her and glared at her, inches from her face. In her head, the girl heard the witch's voice.

"Tell my thy name, girl. Speak in in thy mind"

The girl, unaware of what else to do, uttered her name.

"... Amy.."

The witch ahead of her, nodded slowly.

"How old be thou?"

"... Nineteen..."

"A little'en indeed" The witch spoke, moving closer, but Amy couldn't move an inch away.

"My darling girl's age also. Thou did'st not bring down any threats so far, girl. My girl may hath been right about her judgements of thou" The witch confessed.

Amy struggled to the best of her ability and her eyes twitched in frustration.

"I just wanna go home! Why can't any of you see that?!"

The witch drew closer, tightening her smokey hand around Amy's larynx.

"Watch thy attitude, girl"

The witch threatened.

"My darling girl does like you, she did speak of wishing to be a friend to you. I hath gathered all the proofs I need, and now I has you right where I want you. I did ask my ally to bring you to me, girl, and here you be. You is just a frightened little girl kept by the cloaked one. But if my darling girl asks for you, than she shall gets you" Despite being a grown woman, the witch couldn't help but feel a burn of jealousy over the concept of her darling girl asking for someone other than herself.

Amy's bloody tear slipped from beneath her eyeball and trailed down her cheek.

"I will grant my darling girl the freedom to converse with you, girl. But this be the last time you will set foots into these woods. You understands?" The witch asked, her dried eyes staring into Amy's soul.

Amy gulped against the witch's smokey palm and nodded fast.

"Good" The witch's hand retracted from Amy's throat and the billowing boarder of smoke around them faded away in a faint crackle.

"You go home now, girl. Have your father tend to you as he does see fit" The witch suggested, turning on her heel and heading through the trees away from Amy.

Amy took the opportunity to flee towards the light beyond the woodland, before the raspy voice of the witch spoke again.

"We'll be seeings you soon, Amy"

[myshredda]

Oh my god I come back to your blog to get my heart ripped out—

GOD THE IDEA OF PINK HAVING NO IDENTITY AND SEEING HERSELF AS ONLY A MARRIAGE TOOL IS SO HEARTBREAKING.

Though I do definitely want to explore the angst side of things, I just can’t stop giggling at the idea of Red and Duck slightly panicking b/c they are like “we’ve only had sons how do we do this” only to find out it isn’t too different and it’s actually quite the same b/c all three kids are equally rabid

if you had told me literally 12 hours ago I would be in the throws of an emotional breakdown over a bit character from one of the youtube eps I would have been like 'yeah I guess that sounds like me' but I REALLY didn't expect my stuff about Pink to blow up the way it did with the rest of you!!!!

Literally at first thought I was like 'oh Special One is a sad character ☹️' and then I thought about it more and was like 'oh Special One is a character that is so fucking tragic and heartbreaking if I don't write an AU where she's happy and healing I'll fucking throw up blood and cry on my bathroom floor for the rest of the night'

AND THE BEST PART! Red and Duck being girl dads! Not to say that they would raise any of their weird ass yellow kids separately, quite the opposite, they treat their kids exactly the same when it comes to gender shit bc gender is fake to them anyway bc they're puppets and Duck's trans and literally WHO GIVES A SHIT about society's gender roles when you lived through your own death like 15 times and came out the other side alive.

I just love the idea of Duck and Red being like 'this is my baby girl. this is my most special little wonderful angel meow meow of all time. this is my darling gumdrop daughter' and said daughter is knee-deep in mud laughing maniacally as she pulls nightcrawlers out into the open air and chases Green around with it while he screams loud enough to break the sound barrier

[avatar-anna]

Are you taking a requests? If so can I replace one with single dad h and y/n maybe a cute bonding moment between Harry and one of the girls and then y/n and the other girl then meet up for dinner together and then head home and watch movies together till the girls fall asleep?

not quite what you asked for but something a little different to change it up!

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yourinstagram

harrystyles, kaykaystyles, and 210,321 others liked this post

yourinstagram: Vi is all smiles because dad let her have dessert before dinner

harrystylesfan4: BAHAHA HARRY'S A PUSHOVER LMAO

harrystylesfan6: can you blame him? look at that face🤏🏼🤏🏼🤏🏼

harrystylesfan2: she's so cute, but i feel like this is disrespectful to the styles family. like she should respect their privacy

harrystylesfan7: harry literally liked the post??

harrystylesfan1: i know ppl are always looking for reasons to hate on Y/n 🙄🙄

harrystyles: don't act like i'm the only one who can’t resist her charm

harrystylesfan4: so vianna runs the house basically

yourinstagram: pretty much 😂

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yourinstagram

harrystyles, kaykaystyles, and 322,243 others liked this post

yourinstagram: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAYA!! lots of x’s and o’s to this absolute GODDESS of a human being. you are so strong and so beautiful and so intelligent, just like your mama. can’t wait to see you grow and live and love. xxx

annetwist: happy birthday darling❤️

gemmastyles: happy birthday kaya!!

harrystyles: happy birthday to my baby. kissies xx

harrystylesfan10: SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP😭😭😭

harrystylesfan3: they’re such a cute little family but still being respectful to h’s first wife🥹🥹

niallhoran: happy birthday kay kay!

onedirectionfan5: NARRY

harryfan6: niall really is THE uncle to all the one direction kids

kaykaystyles: thank you, Y/n. best photographer ever:))

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hsupdates

hsupdates: harry via instagram stories tonight!

harrystylesfan4: aww so cute!!!

harrystylesfan7: i love dadrry so much 🥹🥹

harrystylesfan11: i know i bet him and vianna and Y/n made it together 🥹

harrystylesfan8: oh to be harry's daughter *sigh*

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kaykaystyles

harrystyles, yourinstagram, and 98,374 others liked this post

kaykaystyles: kinda gross but cute i guess

yourinstagram: KAYA

kaykaystyles: what? it’s true!

harrystylesfan8: lmao she called them out😂😂

harrystylesfan1: they're so cute tho 🥺

harrystylesfan4: i know i'm happy to see him happy again!!

harrystyles: i thought we talked about not posting embarrassing pictures of us🤨🤨

harrystylesfan3: harry using emojis just doesn't seem right to me

kaykaystyles: doesn't seem right to me either tbh. he's too old for that

harrystylesfan7: LMAO KAYA GET HIM QUEEN 💅🏼💅🏼

harrystyles: violet is now my favorite

harrystylesfan5: poor harry😂

harrystylesfan2: poor kaya has to put up with all of that

kaykaystyles: if you can't take a joke just say that. tpwk💕

harrystylesfan10: YES KAYA HERE YOU GO QUEEN👑👑👑

harrystylesfan7: i want to be her so bad😭

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harrystyles

yourinstagram, kaykaystyles, and 1,348,898 others liked this post

harrystyles: my girlsss🥰🥰 it's not always been easy, but I am lucky to have each of you in my life xx. #internarionalwomensday

yourinstagram: why do you always try so hard to make me cry?? also why do my eyes look like that lmao

harrystyles: love youuu kissies☺️☺️

harrystyles: and you look beautiful by the way xx

harrystylesfan12: stooop they're so cute🥹🥹

harrystylesfan6: my parents😍😍

kaykaystyles: love you😚

harrystylesfan13: his girls🥺🥺

annetwist: three beautiful ladies❤️

harrystylesfan4: ANNE

harrystylesfan10: she's so sweet

harrystylesfan1: i'm so happy for all of them

[stopbeingrude]

Hi guys. Happy Gruvia/ Greige day. I wish all of you wonderful time.

That's gonna be the first one shot , i have ever published here, feedback is welcome. I hope It's not that bad and you'll somehow like it lmao.

,,I think I would rather have a plushie as a Christmas gift…., but I guess I shouldn't be too picky."

-Dad? - called 6-year-old Greige, on one December afternoon, when both him and his father were decorating a christmas-tree in the living room . December 24th was slowly approaching. It was Greige's favorite time of the year , because he was able to spend Christmas with all of his family, including all of his uncles , aunts and friends. Not forgetting about grandpa Makarov . Even Uncle Gildards would show up, bringing something for the kids. -I was wondering what would happen if Santa's reindeer suddenly wanted to pee while flying?- asked seriously little boy. No one wanted to tell him that. When he asked big bro Romeo , he just started laughing and then he called him silly. "How could he do that?" -thought heartbroken Greige after. -Heh , where did that come from? ... you know ... they'd have to stop somewhere by, right? Daddy doesn't know much about it- said Gray, trying to keep himself from laughing. He couldn't laugh, he knew it would offend his little angel. Their son hated when someone made fun of him . After all, he was already a big boy, and everyone knows that such must be taken seriously. - So maybe Mommy knows? I will go and ask her,- said the little boy, putting down Christmas decorations . Speaking of mom, he had recently noticed his mother's strange behavior. She had been getting tired very easily lately, she often took naps. He also noticed that she spent an enormous amount of time sewing ,mostly clothing. Well.. he was aware of his mom's hobby, but usually it was limited to sewing plushies, sometimes socks or fixing their clothes. - You know, I don't think mommy knows more than me - said Gray after hanging the last Christmas-ball. - Besides, you know that mommy is sleeping now, right? She hasn't been feeling well lately, so she mustn't be disturbed. Something was off, even Daddy acts differently- thought little Fullbuster Now, that got the boy worried. - Is something wrong with Mommy? - asked slowly Greige He loved Mommy and Daddy most in the world and the very thought of them suffering hurt him deeply. "No, I won't start crying…Boys my age don't do that..." He had often been told that he should stop being such a crybaby (mostly by Yajeh or Nasha . Shutora would never. She was always trying her best to cheer him up,while reminding her twin and little Dragneel that if they won't stop with this stupid teasing, she would make sure both of them would regret it later). Unfortunately Greige could not help it. Whenever someone was hurt or something went wrong, he would usually cry. Turns out he inherited his mom's sensitivity... "Mommy…..something was definitely wrong with her.." The thought of something happening to his dear Mom filled him with great terror once again. He started shaking What if she's ill, or even worse..she's gonna….. "No , no , that's not possible..." - he shook his little head full of dark , curly hair. - I'm overreacting, just like Yajeh told me - No, no.. don't worry, Greige, Mommy's fine, it's nothing serious,"-Gray said quickly, trying his best to calm his son down, giving him a hug and then kissing him on forehead He knew exactly what was going on with his beloved, in fact, when an excited Juvia came back home one evening and informed him of the pregnancy, he was overjoyed. Soon he will be holding his son or daughter in his arms. Then it hit him. The baby might turn out to be a girl, and Gray had no idea how to take care of girls...Dear God….Ok ,ok.. he still has plenty of time to learn. He can always ask Gajeel about it..yes Gajeel or Alzack...even Elfman ( he would never ask Natsu, even if he's life depended on it, that would be too humiliating for him). Wait...it wasn't his top priority right now. After all, he needs to inform his son about the news first. Neither of them was quite sure how to do it. They remembered very well the situation from a few months ago when the Redfox twins got into an argument. Horrified, Greige stated that being an only child is not that bad, since having siblings meant constant war. Although being honest , Greige never

directly told them that he hates the idea of having a sibling . Considering how much time he spent with Nasha and Elfman and Ever's daughter Ember, or year-old Reiki Fernandes, it would seem that he's perfect for the big brother role. Besides, they can't hide it forever, sooner or later he would notice Juvia's belly. However, the biggest concern for Fullbuster was the fact that such news could lead to a longer conversation, which again could lead to uncomfortable questions that Gray was not ready to answer. He is not going to tell his son about the birds and the bees. No, no, hell no… None of them are ready for this! "Come on Gray, what's wrong with you, you just have to tell him. You've been in worse situations….after all, you've fought with all sorts of criminals, weirdos and monsters ,compared to what you've been through, it's nothing''- thought the ice mage But how to start such a conversation? How about …. -Hey Greige, have you written a letter to Santa yet? "Yes, just ask him what he wants for Christmas and make a few innocent suggestions." -Oh no i didn't, thank you for reminding me Dad. - And tell Daddy, what would you like to ask Santa for? The boy was silent for a moment, most likely to think about the answer, but after a while he called out in a loud voice. -I'D LIKE TO ASK HIM FOR PEACE IN THE WORLD AND FOR EVERY POOR PERSON TO GET A BETTER LIFE AND FOR EVERYONE TO BE HAPPY!..... It would also be nice to get a new plushie……but it's not as important. Do you think Santa can do that?-he asked hopefully Gray stood there for a moment, stunned. His baby was truly an angel...wishing happiness upon the entire world, it nearly made him tear up…. but no... he needed to explain to his son that he should wish for something more....... attainable. -Ooh... really..that's....very nice of you, but...I think that such a wish...yym...takes a bit of time and Santa w-won't be able to do it…., why don't you ask him for….. for example a toy like a teddy bear, figurines....or new books or something else...I don't know.......sibling?... Greige looked at him, like he had just proposed to him to take a walk on the rooftop. Where did that come from? What is dad talking about? S-sibling...?? -Sibling? You mean like a little brother or sister? A baby?- asked the little boy loudly. -Yes, that's exactly what I meant, but well you'll need to wait for a while, because it takes time for a baby to….be ready.- mumbled out Gray - So that's not really a Christmas present- stated boy still visibly shocked -...Well y-yes , but... -But didn't you say mommy has been feeling unwell lately?...If we had a baby, wouldn't it be tiring for her?....Besides, do you think we need a new baby? - asked seriously Greige Why would they need a baby? They were living happily in this house , just three of them. It's not like he dislikes babies , they're cute and all…..but it's just simply weird.. -Well... I wouldn't say it's necessary , but it would be nice to have one at home.. don't you think?....- asked his dad Maybe? -And don't worry about mommy, I am sure that she will be so happy with the new baby , it will make her feel better.- stated Gray , this time with a smile -Hello my darlings- Juvia's voice said suddenly They both turned their heads toward the bedroom's door, finding Juvia's tired but smiling face there. Greige quickly got up and ran toward his mother. -Mommy, are you feeling better? Do you need anything?- said the little boy, hugging her legs. Juvia kissed her son's cheek. -Hi sweetheart, Mommy is fine- she answered while taking a seat next to her precious Gray, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. -Did I hear you talking about babies?- Juvia asked, pretending to be surprised, while giving Gray a tiny smirk. - Daddy said it would be nice to have a baby and that it would make you feel better... - he began. - I don't think a baby is necessary, because it would be a little strange that there will be more of us in the house, but if you really wish for one ,then that's fine with me. -Really? Mommy's glad to hear that.-

replied a happy Juvia , giving her husband a big smile. Gray gave her the same smile, but just when he thought everything had been taken care of, there came the soft voice of his baby boy. - Mommy....Daddy...but you won't love the baby more than me, will you? - asked Greige, with his head lowered and tears in his dark eyes. Both Gray and Juvia stood there very surprised, neither of them had even thought of such a scenario. -Greige, what makes you think that?- asked older Fullbuster. -Sunshine, no...- Juvia hugged her son quickly- You mustn't think like that, we would never stop loving you. Remember darling, parents love all their children equally. - You know, its true that we'll have to spend a lot of time taking care of your brother or sister, but you have to remember that they won't be able to do anything on their own. You were like that when you were born too.- said Gray - I'm sorry. I won't do that again- said Greige seriously. -Do you think I offended the baby? I don't want the baby to think I don't want him or her,- said the terrified boy .What if the baby will always remember this and he will never be forgiven. - Don't worry, honey, I'm sure she won't mind,- said the water mage, stroking her belly. -She?-Gray thought. Turns out his wife wasn't telling him everything... -Wait a minute! -said suddenly Greige after a moment of silence -The baby will be in the tummy, just like Reiki was in Auntie Erza's , right? - Well baby is already there, but your right - answered Gray -Daddy? - Yes buddy ? - How did it get there? Shit. -Yyyy… Horrified, Gray turned his gaze to his wife, silently pleading for help. -You know what, angel? It's almost 8pm, I think it's time for you to take a bath, okay?- proposed Juvia, saving her husband from very uncomfortable talk. - Ok Mommy. Will you read me a bedtime story after we finish? - Of course They were already moving towards the bathroom when Juvia quickly turned towards her husband, gave him a kiss on the cheek and whispered : -You're welcome. Has Gray already mentioned how much he loved his wife?

Bonus!:

( ok I swear it was funnier in my head...Once again Happy Gruvia day !!!)

[everysongineverykey]

alright motherfuckers! time for me to exert all my effort in order to overcome my ✨✨✨crippling dislike of talking about my more obscure interests✨✨✨ and tell you all about one of two SUBLIME webcomics i read this year that i am completely in love with! i’ll make a post about the other one later but for now, let me tell you about the beautiful, beautiful story that is author sarah jolley’s the property of hate and why everyone needs to read it! let me explain:

the property of hate is a delightful, whimsical, fantasy-type webcomic that you can read for free online or buy in book form for 25 bucks! i'll admit, i'm a teensy bit confused about the plot, but the basic gist is that a little girl is offered the chance to become a hero by a mysterious, cheerful monster that shows up in her room one night- she accepts, and the monster- a british, suited humanoid creature named RGB with a tv for a head- takes her away to a confusing, somewhat magical land of characters that have yet to find their stories, among other things. but there are as many if not more enemies as friends- fears, doubts, nightmares, given form- and the girl soon finds out that her television-headed guide's intentions may not be as simple as they first seemed. that's a shitty synopsis, but there's world-saving and gorgeous art, as well as these significant perks:

art and storylines that play beautifully with film and art techniques such as chiaroscuro (art technique concerning light and shadow), dolly zooms (type of cinematic shot intended to disorient the viewer), and many other niche words- and it does it so that it's interesting and suspenseful!!!

PAIR OF MARRIED LESBIAN MONSTER WIVES!! "but liberty," you cry, "if they're monsters, that's questionable gay rep, isn't it?" i remove you from the premises immediately. that is not a valid argument because there is exactly one (1) human in this story. stan julienne the candy monster and her music wife or perish💙

genderfluid side character!! it's only a small detail, but it's there plain as day! ("and what are we today?" "female, darling.")

precocious small poc girl protagonist who takes NO shit from anyone. she's still adorable and likable, though, and she has short hair!! that's not important to the story but we stan young female protags with short hair💙

rgb!!! rgb the tv man who initiates the journey and guides the hero on her way so that she may save this world between worlds of sorts. dapper, british, infuriating at times, and- i kid you not- CANONICALLY PANSEXUAL, he is absolutely wonderful to read, and his character development is just *chef's kiss*. i love him a lot

an absolutely showstopping found family story. rgb and the hero are the single best father-daughter duo in fiction, contemporary or classic. they get off on the wrong foot, and they get on each other's nerves a fair bit, but they're family by the end (keep in mind that to my knowledge, the comic is currently ongoing and unfinished) and there are these amazingly heartwarming scenes between them that just make my sad scared heart go dhfssgjjfhjhiggjdhfxhd

THERE'S A PRAYING MANTIS CHARACTER WHO SPEAKS ONLY IN MORSE CODE. PULL UP AN ONLINE MORSE TRANSLATOR, THEIR REMARKS ARE TOO GOOD TO BE MISSED

genius worldbuilding.... imaginative and ingenuitive characters and worlds and concepts... honestly everything's practically perfect from a storytelling standpoint and just plain fun to read

comedy

a wonderful cast of side characters,

exquisite art,

meaningful and true morals about emotional health and good versus evil (among other things),

and so! many! other! incredible! things!!

i could go on and on about this comic but the whole reason i made this post was to persuade other people to read it, so go do that! the link to the first page is here:

http://www.jolleycomics.com/TPoH/The%20Hook/1

and you can also follow the author on tumblr if you want! she's @modmad .

THANK you for reading this post. it is MUCH more structured than my normal posts and has a ton of information in it, uncommon for me and my pea brain, but i love this webcomic and hyperfixation go brrr💙 happy reading!!

[marciego]

34 👀

thank you!! used this as an opportunity to write one of my favorite ships i never got a chance to write <3

34. Remember when you were a kid and you ______ (insert memory)

"Darling, you're so beautiful."

Angélica's hands squeezes Angie's shoulders lightly. Angie looks back at her reflexion in the mirror, at the happiness on her face, at her mother's glistering eyes looking at her too, at Violetta's reflexion, looking at them with fondness on her face, at Olga trying not to cry too obviously.

"Okay stop everyone," Angie says, feeling the tears gathering behind her eyelashes. "I don't want to cry already, at least not before the actual wedding."

"But it's just..." Angélica's voice is shaking a little, but she looks happier than ever. "Do you remember when you were a kid and you used to run everywhere, without a care in the world?"

"You even ran into our Christmas tree," Olga cries out from her spot on the couch, making Violetta laugh as she hugs her.

"I never thought the day would come when I'd see you get married, I'm so happy," Angélica says before kissing Angie's forehead. Angie closes her eyes and feels all the love her family has for her, she hasn't been this happy in a long time.

"Can I come in?" A familiar voice asks as the door opens softly.

"Dad!" Violetta calls out, a small pout on her lips, "I thought we said men weren't allowed in this room."

"Your daughter is right Sir," Olga reprimands, sniffling. "You're supposed to be waiting outside with Leòn and Ramallo!"

"I was!" Germán defends himself. "But Ramallo said that since I wasn't the groom I could probably come to see Angie, and I wanted to talk to her."

"Ramallo did what." Olga says, her voice cold before heating up again. "See that's exactly the problem with this man, he thinks he can do whatever he wants! Come with me Violetta, we have to talk to him!" She says as she gets up and takes Violetta by the arm, bringing her along without asking first. Germán, Angélica and Angie laugh at the scene with fondness in their eyes.

"Well," Angélica laughs, getting up herself, "I should probably make sure Olga and Ramallo don't tear apart our little girl." She turns towards Angie, "I'll see you at the altar."

"Thank you, Angélica," Germán smiles at her as she passes before him.

The door closes behind Angélica, and silence falls on Germán and Angie, but it's not heavy. They're looking at each other, and Angie only feels happiness. It never felt this good to have him in her life, she thinks, now that his sight brings her joy instead of dread.

"Where's Esmeralda?" She asks after a few seconds.

"Well, the bridesmaid has to help the bride, right? And I believe Jade had a little trouble putting on her dress." Germán answers with a fond smile on his lips. He pauses for a while, lost in thought, and says, "I saw her, she looks happy."

Angie's throat tightens with the emotion. "I hope she is."

"You look happy too," Germán smiles, reassuring.

Tears begin falling down incontrallably. "I am," she chokes out, laughter and giddiness in her voice.

Without saying anything, Germán smiles brighter at her and comes closer, taking her in his arms. "Then I'm glad, you both deserve it."

The hug seems to linger in time until the door bursts open once more, this time revealing Pablo.

"Germán, Angie," he smiles at them.

"You're here!" Angie says as she gets closer to him. "I thought you got lost or something."

"Oh so when I come in 'men are not allowed' but when it's him it's fine?" Germán jokes as Angie and Pablo hug.

"The man of honor gets a special treatment," she jokes back.

"And the man of honor was doing last minute arrangments with Esmeralda," Pablo says. "I came to tell you Jade is finally ready, so it's whenever you want now," he smiles, bright and comforting.

Angie laughs, loud and strong, feels the happiness spreading out in her chest, making the world shine brighter. She looks at Germán, then at Pablo, and appreciate the comfort her family is bringing her.

"Well," she laugh, free and finally happy, "I wouldn't want to make my wife wait any longer."

[notfeelingthyaster]

Imagine (Son of Hades! Percy; Godswapped! Big Three's kids (6/7) or (11/12)

House of Hades Pt.2 - In the Argo II

Hello darlings! Before reading this, there's at least other 11 parts - and I almost had to divide this into two - check on the masterpost - but don't be sad is ending :(

First - I have no idea if I'll divide Blood of Olympus in two because I hate the climax Rick wrote - so probably? Also not sure if I'll need an epilogue - we're not delving into TOA, though.

Second - I'll keep writing! I have a handful of ideas that I want to do next - and the next AU will have Female! Percy - so keep logging in!

Check on the warnings before proceeding, and good reading :))

To say that things are tense in the Argo II is downplaying the major depression the ship seemed to be sunk in since Perseus fell.

Leo and, surprisingly, Nico are the only ones who are able to get anything done in the first couple of days, but they aren't fooling anyone - the white eyes of the son of Zeus seem to be every day a little more bloodshot, and more than one fire happens without no explanation.

Annabeth didn't stop crying for a second - even throughout Will's examination of her and her brother - for at least 12 hours. Then she crashed for another 12 hours - and when Annabeth woke up, she was enraged.

She is going to bring the damned statue back to Camp - and then she will kick her mother's ass. That's her best friend, not collateral damage.

And when her dumbass of a best friend comes back, Annabeth is going to kick his ass too. How dare he fall - for her, not even his closest friend - into freaking Tartarus?

Frank is devastated - he and Piper are coping by planning the future - how they can spend the summer at Camp and live in Nova Roma, how they'll visit Perseus if he decides to go to college in the mortal world. It feels a little like denial.

Hazel and Jason are coping in the totally opposite way. Where Leo and Nico are fueling themselves with determination, Annabeth is anger personified and the other two went in the road of negation - they're both in a deep state of panic.

The sea became too dangerous to travel - the tides answering to Jason's turbulent emotions - and any metal on board keeps exploding or becoming so fueled with energy that no one but Nico and Hazel can touch it.

They pray together - for Neptune, Jupiter, Pluto, Letum, any god that Perseus ever helped (a lot of them) - for his protection. Jason holds evening prayers - just like in Nova Roma - and they offer anything, everything, for Percy to be alive. Everyone goes.

Except for Will, who is in a whole other league. The moment that he arrived at Camp, Percy was the one to settle him, and calm him, and take care of him. It was a side of him no other person in this ship had ever seen - Nico got in Camp in the worst timing possible, and all the others were pretty independent when they met Perseus.

But Will remembers - the nights with hot chocolate, Percy's warm sweaters, a pair of blue gloves messing his hair, the anxiety when the boy left for school, just for him to keep IMing Will every evening - and he misses Percy.

After the Labyrinth, the war, the losses, they reconnected - the prejudices against Percy's parentage long gone - and it felt like nothing ever changed.

It was Percy who helped him coming out for his mother. It was Percy that held Will after he lost Sibele - a daughter of Momus - to her injuries. It was Percy, always Percy.

Percy is much more of a father then Apollo - and much better as a brother then some of Will's siblings. So Will just locks himself up in his infirmary - and grieves. It's weird in such a hard mission to remember that Will is just fifteen and that he is a veteran of war.

The mood lingers, even when they start fighting regularly against the Apennines - and isn't this a whole other mess.

The mountain spirits are pissed - because Hades/Pluto and his wife are really pissed. It's Malcolm - the only one with a phone and a good connection to the internet - that tells them that the world started having earthquakes every few days.

The mortals are confused because most of these are not even close to the tectonic plates - and none of those cause turmoil at the sea. It's just Hades - mightly pissed his only son is beyond even his reach.

Three days in fighting the Ourae - who don't like having their mountains shaken over and over again - the sky also starts thundering. Coincidentally, it's July 30th - they've been traveling for twenty-two days - which also marks Thesmophoria - the greek festival of harvest.

But, alas, nothing is blooming. Persephone is as dangerous as her husband - and Demeter seems to follow her daughter's lead. With the Earth corrupted - the crops aren't growing.

Jason doesn't blame his matron - he is not really happy himself. Besides praying for Perseus' safety, he spends most of his days in patrol against boulders and rocks of all things.

Leo barely sleeps - too busy keeping the ship from falling apart - and Nico is, most of the time, right behind him keeping the ship steady. They try using canons and fail miserably. There's no way to fight against mountains - it's like Dom Quixote fighting against the windmills.

The others, even Will, rotate between fighting rocks and sleeping. Four days after Thesmophoria, Leo decides it's enough, turns the ship around, and solves to not cross the Apennines.

He just hopes Perseus can last another seven days.

Hazel - the only one awake, because this is supposed to be her patrol and Leo finds her the most reasonable out of all their friends, who would probably insist on keep fighting the freaking mountains - is praying. Like always.

Leo doesn't know how he feels about praying. His extended family was very catholic - they prayed for a god that they couldn't see or touch. But Leo met the gods - or, if Annabeth is to be believed, one set of them - and he doesn't like them.

They're petty children who have no care for the fate of their children - the ones who fight for them, go on their errands, keep them alive, y'know. Leo doesn't want to praise them. He doesn't think they deserve it.

But Hazel's prayers are answered when her venti, Tempest, appears aboard. Hazel tells Leo to go on without her - she'll be back soon.

He is concerned for her - like always. Of all new people, Leo seems to be the closest to her - his overall cheeriness and electric behavior are endearing to her, a light in these dark times. Sometimes, his smile makes her flush - just like Frank's did and still does.

Hazel mounts Tempest and the venti takes her, through mountains and hills, to a door. There's mist curling at her ankles and a chill in her spine.

She isn't very thrilled by meeting Trivia - Hazel heard stories of her greek son by Perseus, who seemed to hold the guy in high standard, but she knows gods. The goddess of magic wants something.

Trivia is an imposing woman - taller than Hazel, she has the same midnight skin as Perseus, though hers looks purple-ish, and her eyes are entire universes - stars bloom in her irises and twin moons rise in her pupils.

The goddess is fickle - she seems to be there and not, at the same time. Ghostly. There's three of them, then one, then five.

Trivia beacons to the daughter of Jupiter and she follows, the cursed little girl she is. The goddess offers her three options: Perseus, prone in the ground as she, Leo, and Annabeth battle an invisible foe, the two demigod installments at war, or the Argo II.

Hazel chooses the Argo II, but she promises herself, and the goddess, that she will save Perseus, and that no demigod blood will be spilled by other demigod's hand. Not again.

She will learn how to control the Mist. But Trivia is very mistaken if she thinks Hazel is going to become her acolyte. She remembers well what happened last time - she died.

The Argo II is traveling without much hassle - when they're crossing Monte Falterona, in the Campigna National Park, they are attacked by a new mountain spirit - and this one talks.

"Get Pluto his brat back, you useless halflings!"

Like the boulders the immortal is throwing at them will help. Leo screams this back at the mountain, who is not impressed at all.

Their next foe is in San Marino - a chimera. Most popular knowledge is wrong about those monsters: chimeras are not just goat-lion-snake mixes. They are an amalgamation of any three or more animals.

This one, in particular, is a very... candid mix of a Pyrenean chamois, a monk-seal, a mouflon, and a goose. Not very lethal or hazardous - just very angry. It's the first time they hear Annabeth laugh since Perseus fell.

While Malcolm is chasing and being chased around by an evil goat-goose-seal-weirdass deer chimera that he is fending off with an encyclopedia, the others can't even bring themselves to help. It's ridiculous - the thing is not even big. It's just ugly and it sounds like a honking clown.

Eventually, they get around to killing the clown chimera - it honks as it vanishes - and following route to Bologna. Frank tries to mutate to the chimera during the travel - to different levels of failure - which makes everyone laugh.

Thanks to their two encounters, the crew gets to Bologna at two in the afternoon.

Frank can't help counting the days as they pass him by. He is not the only one - he can see Annabeth muttering the time every now and then - but it feels like a countdown. Can Perseus survive one more week in Tartarus?

Even with the pressing worry for his lost friend, he can't stop thinking about Hazel and Leo. The two of them are thick as thieves - and Frank wants in.

But he knows it's wrong - Leo is a boy. Hazel is younger. Leo bares a power that could kill him. Hazel is his best friend. They're two people. - but he sees them flirting and can't keep his eyes to himself.

It's wrong. Soldiers aren't supposed to date men. Men who dated men are prostitutes, entertainers. Less. And two people at the same time? Outside of a bedroom? Preposterous.

Frank wishes he was more like Perseus. Perseus is all about duty: he would eventually marry Reyna. Or Annabeth, or other pretty and intelligent warrior, and have two point five kids with a picket fence.

But no. Here he is - midday, they are stopping for lunch, and he can't keep his eyes off Leo and Hazel - who are quietly chatting in the other end of the long table.

Frank ponders what would they think. Would the two be repulsed? Would they laugh at him? He can deal with laughter. Their disgust, however, would cut his heart in half.

Nico is in a very similar, and yet completely different, situation. He has been in love - or as close as love could be when you never dated the person - with Perseus Jackson.

He knows it's okay to be gay - he is friends with Will and Jake. He lives on CHB since he was a pre-teen. Perseus himself was - is - queer.

But the thing is, he'll never have a chance with him. Not the chance he is longing for gods know how long. He failed Perseus yet again - he let the demigod fall.

Perseus can have anyone. Perfect Annabeth Chase, Shrewd Reyna Arellano, Magic Alabaster Torrington, anyone. And he wouldn't have a problem with that - no. The problem is that he can't make a choice. Because he is in Tartarus.

Because Nico. Let. Him. Fall.

He isn't even sure if he let Perseus fall on purpose. A part of his mind knew someone would have to go. It was always meant to be Perseus. Did he purposefully let him go?

The rational part of his mind knew that if he tried to fly them off, all he would accomplish is falling into Tartarus with Perseus, probably dragging Annabeth with them.

But the guilt creeps into his heart - again, yet again, Perseus suffers for something he did or failed to do. He can't sleep. He doesn't know how anyone can eat.

A rock for him in these difficult times has been Jason. The son of Neptune seems to be as affected as Hazel or Annabeth - but Nico would never be able to rely on them.

Hazel has her own problems - a lot of them since Trivia appeared - and Annabeth is a painful reminder of everything Nico is unable to have.

Jason, however, is different. They had dreams of each other - something about their conquests, Nico didn't pay attention - and that apparently brought them close. Jason, differently from Annabeth, isn't a competition. He isn't vying for Percy's attention and love.

He is just a close friend - like Nico pretends to be most of the time - incredibly worried about the son of Hades. Nico would tell Jason about how he feels - but the militar roman's sensibilities might not be adjusted to the greeks' freedom yet.

Nico, however, is also not the only one with heart problems. Piper finds himself entranced by Annabeth Chase - even when she knows, she knows because of her powers, that Annabeth is painfully straight.

And Piper knows it's not love - it's the heat of the upcoming war and the hormones of being cooped up with just other teenagers for twenty days. She sees the blossoms of young lovers everywhere.

The yearning between Leo, Hazel, and Frank; Nico and Jason unconsciously sharing long-term crushes on Perseus; Will missing Jake and his parental figure;

She wishes she was more like Malcolm. Malcolm is asexual - besides being the only other transexual person on board.

Before this war spiked from nothing, the boy was just back from his mission for Hermaphroditus - a two-month search for a missing choker. He is still adapting to his body - it's bigger and broader and he doesn't have to wear a binder. Piper thinks it's amazing - he tells her it isn't that easy.

It's not a slow transition. One second your body is something - and then it isn't. One morning, the demigod caught him holding a red binder in his hands. Sometimes, she sees a shot of testosterone tucked in his pocket.

One day, he was a boy stuck in a girl's body. Then, he wasn't anymore. He has the body he dreamed of for forever - and it's difficult accepting it. Malcolm tells her is not exactly body dysphoria - is just difficult to conciliate.

Piper thinks after this, she'll get her body. After all of this, she deserves it - her body, all hers, with boobs and a killer jawline. Maybe then, it'll be easier to like girls as well. Maybe then, she'll shave half of her head and get a piercing. And maybe, a couple of tattoos.

But while this doesn't happen, she is whining to her asexual friend about her crush in his sister. Malcolm crushes her with logic - "Annabeth has only shown interest in men. She might be bi or pan or even a lesbian, but the odds aren't on your favor" - and she tries to put the blonde out of her mind.

Lunch, however, is a little ridiculous for her. As a daughter of love herself, that table is such a mess of yearning and pining and infatuations.

Malcolm seems to be the only rational - but even he is a little flushed. Piper totally saw that picture of Mitchell in his drawer last week.

She couldn't blame him really - her brother is hot. All demigods are - in very different ways of course, but their godly blood made them more or less otherworldly compared to mortals. Didn't matter their ethnicity, their gender, if they're disabled or not - they are all hot.

Piper, however, doesn't spend all her time freaking over hot people. She is a teenager with a friend who has a good connection to the internet, so she does that a lot - but most of her time these days is looking at Katoptris.

She's waiting for a vision of Perseus. Anything - just proof that he is alive, that he hasn't curled in a ball on whatever is the ground down there and went mad.

It doesn't come. She is looking at this ridiculous lunch table, eating vegetarian burgers, and waiting. Just as it seems like her dagger starts glowing gold - two monkey twins sweep down and steal it. And Leo's tool belt and Archimedes' Sphere.

Piper is really pissed. She wants this mission to end - she wants to find Perseus and stop Gaea, and that's her magical item. It's important. So she and Leo go after the twin monkeys.

Using one of the armory's javelin - for lack of a better option - they sprint over roofs and marketplaces. Bologna is a beautiful city - but they have no time.

They corner the twin monkeys, get their things back - and some things pertaining to a god of harvest - Triptolemus. Perhaps if they make an offer to him, Demeter and Persephone will be more cooperative. Maybe Persephone will be able to calm her husband.

Piper really doubts it. If she learned anything in the nineteen days she traveled with Perseus, is that he calls Persephone "Kore" or "Mater". The only other person he refers to with such open childish joy is his own mother, Sally.

The guy IMed both of them twice a week - enough that Piper knows their voices. While Hades isn't high in the demigod's list of people, his wife seemed to be at least number #2.

But they go back to the ship and relay their plan anyway. They set route to Venice. In the hour that it takes them to get there, they're delayed twice: once by the personification of River Ádige - which enabled them to pass until Jason helped with a small problem - and then by a couple of ventis - which Hazel sent off.

Frank, Annabeth, Hazel and Nico venture into the drowned city - Piper declines to go, saying that she is waiting for Katoptris to cooperate - being Nico the only one who actually speaks Italian in the ship.

The city is infested with anteater-like herbivorous monsters called katoplebones, which are pointedly not from the Greek pantheon. It's pretty rare for monsters to cross pantheons - and the Egyptians are pretty good in keeping them under lock and key - but sometimes, this happens.

They aren't capacitated to deal with those. Annabeth has half a mind to call the Kanes and demand an explanation. Pretty sure they were possessed by the gods to avoid this kind of situation.

She doesn't have much time to think - Hazel is quickly overwhelmed by the poisonous breath of the cows. Of course - is there anything in Egypt that isn't connected to snakes?

They find Triptolemus - who is not thrilled with their presence. Demeter - his mistress - and her daughter are distraught by Perseus' missing status - and he blames Annabeth and Nico for it.

Annabeth tries to persuade him - after all, they have Jason on board, and he is blessed by Ceres. Triptolemus - a very greek god - is not swayed.

"Your trickster words shall not fool me, daughter of Athena."

That's how Annabeth became a rosemary bush - good for memory and brainpower. Nico, when he tried to fight back, became a corn crop.

Mars is whispering in Frank's mind - he is not really fond of his father but uses his help to kill the evil Egyptian cows and get a python for the god's chariot.

He can't let Hazel die. He can't see the light go off her eyes - to see the same pain reflected in Leo's eyes. But Frank is so using Nico's stunt as a corn plant as blackmail material later. Not with Annabeth thought - she would stab him.

Triptolemus, pleased, turns Nico and Annabeth back to human and heals Hazel. Then, he tells them they have to eat barley cakes - so they can survive the poison needed to enter the house of the dead.

Proceeding south down the Adriatic toward Greece, a journey that should take about half a day, the crew of the Argo II is first accosted in Koper - a city on the coast of Slovenia - by four monocerus in the middle of the night.

Monocerus, in Leo's very succinct explanation, are "evil unicorns with big feet that can't fly and shouldn't be in a flying ship".

Whoever, the monsters apparently don't care where they should or not be - and Annabeth - still reeling for her time as rosemary - takes two of them out, keeping the horns as a prize. Nico takes one, who is so beat that leaves nothing, and Malcolm kills one with a handgun.

It's not the most practical weapon, because celestial bronze is not that easy to fabricate/find/obtain - so to use it in bullets that will explode and render it unusable it's kind of a desperate - but it's the first thing he could get - Malcolm's double tessen was being repaired by Leo.

Because yes - not only was the twenty years old able to fight with normal blades, he also fights with freaking fans made of iron.

After the run-in with the evil unicorns - Annabeth looks really cool covered in gold blood and curved silver horns in her hands - they proceed across Croatia.

It goes well for about thirty minutes - in Zadar, they cross paths with Sciron. Sciron is a bandit and outlaw, who - for some reason, is assisted by a giant predatory sea turtle.

While Hazel tricks him into throwing himself off the cliff using her new-discovered Mist, Jason talks to the turtle. It says its name is Chelone - that it's the turtle who took Aphrodite Ourania from the depths of the sea to the shores of Cythera - when she was still young, with remains of other goddesses in her anima - Innana and Ishtar.

He convinces the turtle to stop killing people - mainly by saying that he should hunt elsewhere, deeper onto the sea. It may become a problem for his father, but Jason has bigger issues right now.

They go to sleep, and Hazel dreams. She expects any god to come - but who comes to her is none other than Pluto and his wife, Proserpina.

Proserpina is shrouded in black, and her eyes are not green - but yellowish, like dead leaves. She talks - and tells Hazel that the Doors of Death are in the bottom of the Necromanteion - her powers over metal energy would guide her - and will be guarded by Pasiphae, vengeful of Pluto - and, by default, Perseus - for the lack of punishment for Minos.

Her husband is a silent presence by her side. He is not in mourning... probably. It's difficult to tell, as he is always in black. But his eyes hold a weight easy for Hazel to understand - he just lost a son to the abyss. No matter that Perseus might be alive - he wouldn't get back whole and safe.

Proserpina ends her dream by telling her to wake up Piper - the goddess is putting all her strength to send a vision of Perseus to Katoptris - they need one much more than her, seeing that they are able to interfere.

What Piper sees don't tell them a lot - Perseus seems mostly okay, with some sort of companion that Nico says it might be Iapetus, a brand new scar over his face and a bad limp.

It's the last they'll see of him until their eventual meeting face to face, but it gives them hope.

Annabeth herself has a dream - a dream that the Romans give the statue to the greeks. She sends an iris message to Rachel - so she can meet personally with Reyna.

Reyna, on the other side of the world, mounts her pegasus, Scipio, and leaves. Not only her co-praetor is in freaking Tartarus, but they are on the verge of two simultaneous wars. They need peace.

As soon as she is out of the roman range, however, she sends an iris message to Jason - telling him to go to their hero's place of rest - she had a vision from Mars. That she will meet them in Greece. Jason tells Leo to set course for Split, in Croatia. There's a roman scepter there.

Of all of them, the most capacitated for this mission are Frank and Jason, who are both educated Romans, and Nico, who can fly - a very good power to have in unstable ruins.

They're confronted by Favonious, who takes them to his master, Cupid, in Dalmatia. Nothing good can come of talking to the personification of love - such an old concept that the god has been reborn twice.

"Well, well, well"

"What do we have here?"

Jason falls onto the ground - "You think you found true love, haven't you? But alas, I was where you last expected me" - and he hates love, for that single moment.

"I shall give you what you want, Romans, if each of you is able to tell me - who do you love the most?"

Nico trembles - guilt is a difficult pill to swallow - and Frank visibly wants to bolt out of there.

"Oh, are you afraid? But there's no hiding in the face of true love"

Jason - always the brave one - gives a look at Frank. His friend never met the greeks. He might hate Jason after this.

But they need this scepter.

"Perseus Jackson"

Two heads whips in his direction - one unbelievingly, and the other distressed.

"Ah, love crafted in dreams - the perfect mix between me and my wife. Tell me, Jason Grace, was it bad when he looked upon you and saw naught but a myth?"

A laugh creeps upon Jason's spine, and he turns around. His blade hits something hard, and he is on the floor again.

"Such luck, to be able to even graze love. Perhaps yours is the purest of all - not yet tainted by failures and mistakes. On that note, why don't you go next, Nico di Angelo?"

Nico shivers - he... they have no time for that. That is unnecessary drama - to cause unnecessary problems.

A memory rushes to the front of Jason's mind - that quick chat with Reyna in Nova Roma. "The blond girl, Di Angelo"

Nico loves Perseus. It rushes to Jason now - the way that the younger boy stared adoringly at the son of Hades. The drunkness of his lovesick gaze. The despair when Perseus fell.

"Tell them Nico di Angelo" Cupid prompts "Tell them all about your guilt, your mistakes, the way you let him down, again and again, and again."

Nico floats a little off the ground. It's years of pain and sorrow that won't bring Perseus back.

"Will you fly off yet again, in the face of rivalry? Will you be my next servant - just like Favonious, consumed by jealousy, Nico di Angelo?"

Jason sees the memories. Nico screaming at Perseus. Grover reluctantly telling him about their adventures. The way he betrayed Percy - and a dozen more scenes he never saw from Nico's perspective, only Percy's, that made him unable to speak.

"It's okay Nico... I.... I get it."

It's painful to utter these words - it's almost like he is giving up Perseus. But they have a war to get through - and then, when the other demigod is back, they can figure this out.

"P-Perseus Jackson"

And then it's Frank's turn. But Frank is as pale as a ghost - he seems to be close to vomiting.

"It's a costly thing isn't it, looking at the true face of love. Now it's the turn of the brave son of Mars. Will you tell your friends easily, or shall you be a coward like the son of Zeus?"

Frank doesn't talk. Jason doesn't understand why - it's Hazel, isn't it? Is it because of Nico? He mentions talking to the son of Zeus, but Di Angelo doesn't look at him - the Cupid knew very well how to play his game.

"Come on. Tell them - tell them of whom you think before you sleep and who dominates your first thoughts every morning."

"You don't scare me"

"Oh, I scare you very, very much. Face me. Be honest."

"H-Hazel. Levesque."

"That's just half my question, little half-blood. If you want to lead the roman legions, you must answer it fully."

"I love H-Hazel. She is the one I think before I sleep and when I wake up."

"Still hiding. You're not strong enough, Frank Zhang."

Frank tries to charge at the wind, but it just mocks him. It's weird seeing Frank crying - it looks like the world is crumbling at his feet.

Jason, yet again, doesn't understand. Nico is also confused - he looks between the Romans as if he never saw any of them before. But then it dawns on the son of Zeus.

"Not only my sister. That's why you keep gazing at them, isn't it?"

All the fighting and denial leave Frank at once. His sword clangs in the ground.

"I love both Hazel and Leo. Together." He spits out, still trembling. "That's the truth. Are you happy now?"

"I wouldn't say Love always makes you happy. It can make you incredibly sad, sometimes. But you have faced it now. It's the only true way to conquer me."

Cupid appears - in a flash of white wings. It might be the god Jason hates the most - his eyes seem to penetrate his very soul. There's a scepter in his hand.

"Only a true child of Mars Ultor can yield it. It's your destiny, Frank Zhang."

Then he promptly disappears. The demigods look at each other - there's a flurry of emotions deep inside their chests. Frank looked at both of them, waiting for an attack, or for them to start fighting.

"No one has to know" He starts "I'm s-so-..."

He doesn't end. There are copious tears rolling through his face - his cheeks are a deep shade of red. A sob escapes his throat.

"P-please, p-pleased-don't t-te-tell anyone." Frank sobs, and it's such a jarring sight that both Nico and Jason rally to reassure him, leaving their own issues aside.

"There's nothing wrong with loving two people at once. No one will have a problem with it, Frank - fuck, this isn't Nova Roma. Most of us are greek."

"Hazel would hate me though. This is unnatural- I- I can't."

"You don't know that. Hazel loves you, Frank"

But the son of Mars just keeps crying until they both promise not to tell another soul what they saw. It's enough for the weird atmosphere to return.

Midway in the trek back to the ship - a six-hour walk - Nico is too riled up to safely fly with two people and none of them being too fond of air right now - Frank summons enough power to ask the question.

"So... uh... hm... Perseus?... like, uh, I can see the appeal-... but... both?... forget I asked, just....uh oh, sorry."

Jason and Nico pointedly avoid looking at each other. It's very bizarre - Jason knows a lot about Perseus, but now he knows Perseus also from Nico's perspective - and this is all messy.

They go back to the ship, relay to Annabeth that they got the scepter, and immediately go back to their cabins - to cry, to scream, to think.

It's been a day and a half - and they're still eleven hours off Epirus. Leo is pissed - because not only their three heavy-hitters are pissed at something and won't communicate, and they're of course.

Emerging from the infirmary for something other than to eat and mend people is finally Will - at least. He takes patrol in place of Nico - the boy quietly mumbled at his friend that they had a run-in with Cupid. Will can imagine how that went.

He doesn't have a clue about Frank - but Jason and Nico? They have the same long-lasting crush on Perseus - everyone on board knows that. Except, apparently, for each other. And Perseus - because his mentor/kind of brother/bother figure is a dumbass.

When they're passing through the coast of Albany, they're attacked by Khione - who is still very pissed her ex-lover's son doesn't want to spend eternity frozen with her. Leo ends up being sent away - for the distress of both Hazel and Frank and the anger of his best friends, Piper and Jason.

Piper ends up stabbing Khione - while Frank transforms into the giant dragon and burns her - making her unable to freeze them. Eventually, she runs away.

Leo, however, wakes up on an island. There's a sad girl at his side - she is using a modern blue dress, and there's a crown of black flowers upon her head.

"You were not the one I was expecting."

The son of Hephaestus wants to scream. Well, he didn't want to be whatever here is either! But her face is so sad - her gaze down to her bare feet. She seemed to be crying. He settles for asking who is her.

"I... I am sorry. My name is Calypso. This is Ogygia."

It startles him. Mainly because he has heard this name before around camp - wasn't she supposed to be freed?

"What happened to you?"

The immortal girl relays her tale - how she got freed for a year, and then the war started. The gods - Zeus - didn't trust her not to turn against them. So they locked her up - she was not the only one. Leto, Themis, Rhea - good titans or their offspring. Locked away.

She, after a year of freedom that Perseus got her, was back into her old shackles. Calypso is waiting for him for months now - but she thinks he forgot her.

So Leo tells her what happened - the bits he knows anyway. Juno/Hera, Nova Roma, the mission. Calypso seems calmer. They stay together for a while - friends it seems.

Calypso tells him about her year - about how she wanted to explore the world. She tells him she wanted to join Artemis' hunt - but, courtesy of Odysseys, she is no maiden.

He tells her about Hazel and Frank, Perseus, and the love hexagons he doesn't even know he is in - omitting the part that he is now in Tartarus. They talk about Festus - Calypso tells him about how his father is good to hear - how he came to visit, sometimes.

A week passes, maybe a week and a half. Leo vows to take Calypso off the island once the war ends, and she believes - once, a hero as brave as Leo made her the same promise, and stuck with it through the end.

In Cancun, Africa, Jason and Nico are having daily audiences with Auster, the Roman god of the south wind, in connection with the Seven being able to proceed on their way to Epirus - seeing that their ship is all broken and they have no Leo.

Auster is indolent and seems increasingly disinclined to cooperate with Jason and Nico: he dislikes the son of Zeus, and the wind never had a good relationship with the sea. Annabeth also tries her hand at it - but it's rebuffed at every turn. Piper is prohibited from entering the palace because of her magic voice.

Jason and Nico - even though they aren't speaking to each other - have for a long time admitted they don't fit completely at either camp. Jason is still too militar for CHB. Nico is too old for CHB. Both are too free with their personal lives for Nova Roma.

Auster agrees to meet with them and tells them to commit to one side - greek or roman. They deny it - they're both. The gods are both, they have been thrust in a war of both sides, they commune with gods on both aspects and they ask them to run errands for both pantheons. They have the right to be both.

Auster is not happy with this - mainly because he believes they should keep the sides separated. But it's the first time Nico and Jason agree on something - and they fight together for it. No god has the right to define those petty things when the demigods are fighting their war.

Auster merges with his greek counterpart Notus - an amalgamation of both his carefree and his militar side - and sends The Seven on their way when coerced by the threat of a hurricane and a typhoon.

He sends them to Valletta, Malta, where they find the Argo II fully repaired and in the harbor. In the port, on a small cafe, there's Leo - sitting and raging internally against the gods, who once again, fucked up something.

They trade stories, and Leo just rages more. He isn't sure how Perseus didn't ally himself with Kronos in the first war if that was the bullshit he had to deal with every day.

First Khione, then Zeus locking Calypso up, then this Notus guy - they are a week and a half late. Is Perseus still alive after nineteen days in the Pit? Is he sane? Did he tried to get out - and they weren't there?

It's with a shocking gasp from Annabeth that they realize that Perseus's birthday is in three days. They have been traveling together for thirty-seven days now - and they have to get Perseus out of Tartarus before the 18th, at least. Is the minimum.

It takes them a day to get to Epirus. There are enough monsters in their way to start a menagerie - Gaea is actively trying to stall them, so there must be a reason. Perseus might be alive.

Arriving at the Necromanteion, which they learn is just a very fancy name for catacombs, Hazel, Frank, Leo, Annabeth, Will, and Piper descend into the ruins, leaving Nico and Jason - who are both completely useless under the earth - behind with Malcolm - who, since Arachne, is pretty much claustrophobic.

They eat the barley cakes to protect themselves against the toxic potion they must drink in order to enter the temple. It's difficult to swallow poison - it burns as it goes down.

The mist tries to confuse them at every turn - Hazel diverts it. Her power over metal energy guides them - she can feel the basis of the building, way down where they are.

Katoptris burns in Piper's hand. It shows her Perseus' face - he looks cadaveric, shrouded in death. Sometimes he flickers, like a ghost - but he is alive, and heading to the Doors just like they are.

It's enough to spur them forward. Perseus is doing the same journey - from a much difficult side. They will meet in the middle.

Earthquakes strike the caverns, making part of the floor collapse. In a side, Piper and Will, surrounded by monsters in all sides. In the other, Frank, Leo, Hazel and Annabeth. The son of Mars doesn't think twice - the scepter.

He uses the Scepter of Diocletian to summon ghostly Roman soldiers, and as a Legatus Legionis, he does have the power to command all of them. It would be more controlled if he was Praetor, but the actual Praetor is Perseus, and so, in his absence, Frank will have to do.

The tunnel collapses. Hazel. Leo. They might be dead - but Frank can't panic right now. They are alive. They will protect each other, they have Annabeth Chase with them. Hazel controls the mist - everything will be just fine.

Anger grew in his chest. Those are his friends, his... his loved ones. This freaking ruin don't get to kill them before Frank summons enough courage to submit himself to the ridiculousness of telling them.

Hazel wants to cry - they left Frank behind. He might be dead - they might be all dead. Leo isn't much better. For all that Zhang seems to hate him, his infatuation with the Canadian never disappeared.

Annabeth however, is practical. She tells them Frank will be fine - the guy can transform into a dragon. Or a chimera. Probably a poisonous one, after the stunt in Venice. He has an army - it's okay.

Pasiphae is a bitch. Leo hates the woman - she reminds him of Aunt Rosa. Or Juno. Or Lady Muddy herself. He and Annabeth let Hazel do the majority of the talking - but both of them bristle as the Doors shake.

An unauthorized presence. Perseus actually did it - they have twelve minutes, in accord to Annabeth - who Leo knows better than to doubt - to open the Doors. Or he is dead, lost forever.

"It's a pity Gaea needs a son of the Earth and a daughter of the Sea... But none of you are children of the Underworld or the ocean, are you? Not even the acolyte of Trivia."

Everything indicates that she'll open the door herself - but Annabeth can't risk she whisking Perseus away to Gaea before they can reach him. So she sneaks past with her cap while they fight.

Pasiphae goes down to Hazel's illusions. Annabeth opens the Doors, before cutting the chains as Hazel and Leo distract Clytius. Perseus stumbles out, a giant tiger in his heels.

Leo didn't think he would ever see a harsher picture. The tall boy was still muscular - but gaunt as if he hadn't eaten since the fall. There were scars everywhere.

He couldn't look more - Clytius is threatening Perseus, but both Annabeth and the tiger stay in his way. Trivia appears - but they aren't truly winning until Piper, Will, and Frank are able to reach them through Hazel's magic.

Will goes immediately to Perseus' side - there's panic in his eyes. Leo can't see much this far - he hopes the son of Hades isn't dead. Piper and Frank fight alongside them. Annabeth is still hovering protectively over her best friend's prone body.

There's not much need for help - between Hazel and Trivia, the bulk of Clytius powers are unusable. The shared power of Piper (love is never where you expect it), Frank (and his undead soldiers), a very angry Annabeth, and Leo is just overkill.

They win. Will is feeding Perseus ambrosia - there's something really wrong because there are tear tracks in the blonde's face. Leo comes closer - their friends follow.

Perseus is destroyed. He looks like he has been through hell - there's a scar crossing his face and his eyes are sunken in. But that's not where it stops.

Leo's gaze goes down, to the ragged clothes that are barely recognizable - the sweatpants he was convinced to wear to go underground, the once-green sweater - and sees what is missing.

Where Perseus' leg once was, there's a metal one. The boy is curled in the fetal position - his metal leg sticks out like a sore thumb, and it looks like he might cry if he wasn't so dehydrated. The tiger nudges its head against the boy's leg and growls at them, but it doesn't attack.

"I... I can't touch him. I touched him and he started panicking... I... We have to take him back to the ship. He is stable, but..."

Frank picks up Perseus in a bride-carry - a month ago, he wouldn't be able to do it. But now, he is stronger - and Perseus must weight ninety pounds wet.

The tiger follows - when they cross to the daylight, they can see it's not a normal tiger. Annabeth - with a distraught look in her face - tells them it's a skeleton tiger. Probably a saber-tooth.

They go back on board - Piper goes up to call Nico, so he can fly Perseus into the ship. He does, but the expression in his face is so crushing Leo almost wishes they had delayed it by destroying property and landing the ship on the street.

The mood of the ship is yet again somber. No one wants to leave the infirmary - but Will forces them to rotate, so as to not overwhelm Perseus. Hypocrite - he is living in there.

Leo, Malcolm, and Piper - the least close to Percy, even though they are friends - let the others take the bulk of the shifts. Annabeth, Nico, and Jason almost get into blows about it - she wins on the fact that she knows Perseus longer.

It's difficult to IM both Rachel - who is a minute away from depression since he fell - and Lady Persephone. It's even harder to tell Sally - they leave the task to Annabeth.

They harbor for two days, waiting for Reyna. She appears from the sky during dinnertime - her horse has to be euthanized almost immediately after a run with the spirit mountains.

They talk - and end up deciding that she will take the statue back to Camp with Malcolm, the most resourceful out of them. Percy would be the logical solution - taking him out of Gaea's reach - but the son of Hades would probably be unable to shadow travel so soon.

While this happens, the others will set course to Athens - to stop Gaea and destroy the Giants. For now, they eat.

Midway through their meal, Will comes into the board - everyone knows what it means. Perseus is awake - on his birthday to boot. They take their food to the infirmary - to see the boy looking at the ceiling.

He gives them a faint smile, but no one misses the way he curls into himself any time there's someone a little too close. Perseus relays his tale - it's heavily edited, Annabeth can tell.

But he tells them about the leg - but not how he lost it - about the tiger - the name is Small Bob, but he doesn't talk about Bob - and about the firewater - but not how he got the injuries.

Small Bob never leaves Perseus's side. The demigod insists that he wants to go outside - he ate enough ambrosia and drank enough nectar that even some of his scars are gone. Not the one in his face though. Will let him go - but Annabeth thinks that he just asked out of courtesy.

He doesn't have green eyes anymore - they darkened to a point they can't distinguish his pupil. They observe as he sits calmly in the deck, metal leg sticking out, and strokes the head of the tiger, who is acting more or less like a giant house cat.

None of them miss the tracks of tears across his face, or the look he gives the night sky - it's bittersweet.

"Bob says hello"

[arthurflecksgirl]

Could I have reader x Arthur. Reader's the only one who has a car, and luckily she gets off from work before Arthur does so she drops him off n picks him up each day Both are always exhausted but one day reader is supper exhausted. Reader pulls into a parking lot and Arthur asks them whats wrong. They tell Arthur they think they're abt to pass out right before they slump over, out cold. Arthur notices that reader's burning up and he drives them to the house. He cools them off n stuff. THANKSILY

Hi :) Here it is and I really, really hope you like it :) <3

The  lights of Gotham  seemed to rush by like you were on some kid`s carousell, even though you drove as slow as it was possible on these dirty streets. This city never slept. It was late in th afternoon and  this avenue would still look the same ,hours from now. Just a little more dangerous as soon as the sun set. You have moved here half a year ago to finally live with Arthur in his apartment. Gotham was still a stranger to you. Knowing that Arthur spent his whole life here, without ever seeing something different, something beautiful made your heart cry from pain. He deserved better than that. Better than concrete, dirt and  the absence of kindness. There was danger on every corner. When you first moved here Arthur warned you about certain alleys and places. Places you shouldnt visit, even on a bright summers day in the noon. You still tried to get used to this. But he was all worth it. Some day you would  get him out of here and move somewhere nice. You dreamed of owning a little house with a garden to plant your own food and flowers. But up to this point it was just dreams. Both of you were short of money. Sometimes it was a struggle to even pay rent and keep the car. But despite all the crazyness out o the streets, apartment 8J felt like home. More than that, it felt like it was your destination. As much as you wanted to get Arthur out of this place where he had to spent his whole life, to you it felt like it had to be. Like every desicion you have ever made lead you here. To finally be with him. And you would never let him go again. No matter where you will end up living. It will be the two of you. That was all that mattered. You stopped at the traffic light, taking a deep breath. Your headache got worse again. Work was getting more and more exhausting with every day. But you desperately needed the money. Arthur was working a lot of hours per week,too. He loved his job as a party clown but he also came home just as exhausted as you did. Mostly from people who hated on him. For being a cown, for being nice, for being different. Sometimes it brought tears to your eyes to see how many hate a loving and warm hearted person like he got. You asked yourself if it was just Gotham or people in gerneral. Maybe you should move into a cabin in the woods and start a new life in the nature. You felt like Arthur would appriciate being one with the nature. He always got really excited when he saw something simple like a beautiful flower. He was in love with the colors and the smell of the blossoms. His heart was pure. You looked at the necklace hanging from the rearview mirror. Arthur gave it to you when you had your third date together. He knew, he just knew that this is going to be a  great love. It was a liitle heart that can be opened. He put a photo in it you took on your first date when you were at the donut shop. Arhur looked happy on that picture. Real happiness. The kind that he wasnt even able to feel before you met. The traffic light turned green .Somehow you didnt felt very well. Your sign started to get blurry. Just for a second but it somehow concerned you a lot. You suffered from burn out before and knew the signs. But there was no time to waste. You got to pick up Arthur from work. Luckily you came back from work a little bit earlier than he did. Otherwise he must have taken the subway, which was always filled with violent people who gave him dirty looks for being in his clown costume. It just didnt felt right to let him take the subway when there was any chance to pick him up by yourself. You coudlnt wait to get home, to the comfort of your bed and just relax. You felt drained, achy muscles and tired bones. A tired mind. But full of love when you thought about Arthur sitting in the passanger seat in a couple of minues. You missed him a lot when you were working. It was like missing a body part. He should be there all the time. Soon you arrived at HaHa`s. Arthur was already standing in front of the building. All alone, with his hands in his pockets, looking down, smoking a cig. His big hoodie was hiding his beautiful hair and half of his expressive face. All his clothes looked kinda big on him. Your heart broke for a second as you once again realized how lost and tiney he looked out there on the streets. Like he shouldnt be here. An angel of light caught in the cold. He deserved better. You noticed that Artie  was still holding an baloon animal in his left hand. Always waiting to get the chance to make a kid smile. Right before you pulled over a mother with his three year old passed him by. Arhur immediately flipped away his cigarette and kneed down to the little girl. You couldnt hear what he said but he usually asked them if they like baloon animals. His face lighted up as the kid reached for the baloon cat, but just a heartbeat later her mother yelled at him and pulled her daughter away from him. The way she grabbed the little girls arm was alarming. Arthur seemed shocked but not surprised. Just another day as a party cown. You let down the window "Hey Artie, c´mon , get in the car!" the traffic was too loud for him to hear you. He still looked after the little girl. She cried from disappointment.  Arthur pulled his hoodie deeper into his face. You knew him well enough to know that sadness took over him. Seeing that little girl crying her eyes out hurt his heart. "Artie?" now he heard you. Arthur looked up and nodded before he walked across the streets, the hand in his pockets again, sad eyed. He almost stumbled. "Hey sweetheart" he got in the pessenger sea and gave you a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "I missed you" he mumbled. "Missed you more, Artie. What was that?" His big puppy eyey were focused on you. "That little girl. I saw it. Such a rude lady." "Yeah....I dont know why people act like that. Do you think it was because I wasnt in my make up? Could be....but on the other hand. I got beaten down before because I was wearing make up, so I am not sure what people want." "Arthur. They dont even know what they want for themselfs. They should wnat someone who makes them laugh, right? And they still act like freaking bullies. " "I felt so sorry for that little girl...I just wanted.....just wanted to make her smile..." "I know..." you said as you re started the car. Arthur seemed just as exhausted as you. And you knew why. It was the kinda exhaustion that was caused by mental pain. His work mates kept calling him names and gave him a hard tme. Espacially this guy called Randall. "Did Randall bully you again?" Arthur watched out the window "Oh well...it wasn`t that bad today". He didnt wanted to concern you. "Everytime they make fun of me  I just think of you and I feel better." he smiled. It was a sad but honest smile that hit you right in the heart. The dizzyness was coming back. You just hoped it wouldnt get any worse before you made it home. Arthur leaned back on the seat and closed his eyes.  His forehead was glimmering with sweat "I`m so tired. I cant wait to fall right into bed as soon as we get home. You dont mind me closing my eyes for a second?" You rubbed your dimples with one free finger "Of course I dont. Go ahead. I know you`re working hard, darling." "Mmhh...yeah. You know, I still love my job.  Especially when I`m at the hospital, helping to brighten up their day with a little dance." You smiled. Arthur was the most adorable dancer in the world. And his performance as Carnival was  the cutest. "So you were at the hospital today?" "Yeah" his eyelids fluttered under the lights that fell through the window "Y/N?" "What Arthur?" "I still feel bad for not having my own car. Or a driver license even." You looked over on him "Oh, don`t feel bad abot this. We both know you are not allowed to drive because of your medication. " He agreed. You started to feel worse and decited to drive into a parking lot. Anderson ave wasn`t far but you just felt that you wouldnt manage to drive home. Arthur looked surprised, realzing you stopped the car. "Baby, whats wrong?" You grabbed the handlebar with both hands "I`m not sure....I....think I´m going to pass out..." your voice cracked right before you slumped over. Arthur reacted as fast as he could and supported you. He checked your forehead. "Oh my god! Y/N? Can you hear me? You`re burning up!" You heard his voice but your reaction was so minimal, he didnt noticed it. You felt his hand touching your face, brushing your hair out of your eyes. Arthur kept calling your name. It sounded like he was about to panic. "Artie?" you were finally able to talk "I dont feel so good". Arthur supported your head "Can you get in the passenger seat? I`ll drive you home. We have to cool you off. You`re burning up. I´m kinda worried about you. Arthur helped you to get in the pessenger seat and placed a kiss on your cheek. "You`re comfortable?" You nodded while your body felt weaker within every minute. "Arthur" you muttered "Are you sure you can drive?" "Yeah, I was driving a car before. I will make it come savely, I promise." You felt kida worried about knowing Arhur had to drive hom by himself. You didnt even knew he was familiar with how to drive.  But your mind kept drifting away into a feverish state. You didnt even noticed you were already home. Arhur helped you to get out of the car. Thank god he managed to drive home. He lifted you up in his arms and carried you all the way into the elevator. You blinked at him "Artie?" "Yeah sweetheart, I am here. I am right here with you. It´s okay, we`re already home. Just a second and you will lie savely on the couch." Artie managed to unlock the door while still having you in his arms and carried you over the doorstep right on his couch. You were only half awake but to feel the familar fabric of his furniure awake you, at least for a bit. "We`re home" you whispered. Your bones felt even heavier than before. "We are. Juts relax, sweety. I think you are suffering from exhaustion. Arthur got into the kitchen and came back with a hot chocolate. "Here" he handed it to you in the most caring way possible. You couldtell from his face that he hated to see you like that. Even though he was exhausted,too, he still cared about your own health more. He touched your skin "You`re still burning up. I will get you some cool towels too cool your skin off a bit". Arthur went to the bathroom and held the towels under the cold water while you waited for him , drinking the cocoa. It was heartwarming to see him being worried about you. So heartwarming it alreadymade you feel better. You just knew that he would be there for you no matter what. He came back, sat down on the couch with you and slowly took your shirt off to let the cool towels slide down your arms. The wet fabric felt so good on your burning skin, you could feel the dizzyness fading like smoke.  "This feels so good Arthur". "Yeah? I´m glad to hear that. You`ll feel better soon." The way his hands let the towels stroke up and down your arms was soothing. Just to watch him doing it calmed you down a lot. You stll felt weak but more in a way of wanting to crawl in his arms to fall in a peaceful  sleep. You closed your eyes and focused on his touch. The way you could feel his fingers through the fabric of the towels. Each one of them. He let it wander over your collarbones and chest as you too a deep breath in. "Better, sweetheart?" "A lot" you smiled. "Thank you for taking care of me. For driving home. I know that you`re exhausted from work,too." "Thats what I´m here for" he whispered in his sweetest vouce "To take care of you, remember?" "And so am I, Arthur" "I know" he replied, not without placing the softest kiss upon the tip of yoir nose. He put his forehead on yours and pressed his smile on your lips. It was little gestures like that, which filled your heart with a warmth only Arthur was able to create. He lay down beside you "`Come here, sweetheart. Use me as a pillow" he giggled as you placed your head in his lap. Arthur started to stroke your hair. There was no music playing, no tv. The only sound that filled the apartment was the two of you breathing in and out. His breath becoming one with yours. Two hearts beating for one another. The only dizzyness left was the one caused by the undeniable certainty of being in love.

[imagineclaireandjamie]

Since the Radford family is having another baby .... imagine Jamie and Claire having such a big family! I mean they're very sexually active so why not? ; )

This is not quite Radford Family big, but six is still a brood. :) Merry Christmas, anon. 🎄

Faith was crying.  Fat, hot tears positively bubbled out of her huge blue eyes.  The effect made Claire’s stomach clench, but also made her smile.  Their darling six-year-old with her penchant for reading chapter books again and again, the capacity to charm the grizzled ball of grey fur that Claire had named Adso into a drooling lover of a beast, and the warmest, most sensitive heart that a parent could hope for.

“He willna care if ye scratch it out, lass,” Jamie said evenly, inspecting the letter.  “Even Santa Claus kens that it’s no’ an easy task tae make an ‘F’ in cursive when ye’re just a wee thing.  And ye have two ‘F’s’ to make, no’ just one.”

This only made Faith cry harder, taking the card back from her father.  Claire pet down her daughter’s curls, smiling up at Jamie.  “Overtired,” she mouthed, reaching for the red glittered glue stick.  Jamie simply rolled his eyes.

The rest of their brood had long since fallen asleep.

Oliver, Samuel, and Evangeline, the post-IVF triplet surprise, had gone down early in their row of three identical cribs. It was the triplets’ first Christmas and their interests still dwelled on things that flashed when they caught the sun, their Da’s face appearing unexpectedly from behind his hands, and ripping out not insignificant chunks of their mother’s curly hair.  

After putting the finishing touches on cards for the triplets, five-year-old Brianna and three-year-old Henrietta had fallen asleep beneath the Christmas tree in the living room. A born storyteller like her Da, Brianna was babbling away with some Christmas story she claimed to have heard at her nursery school, but Jamie and Claire suspected was an amalgamation of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol from Netflix, and her own florid, roving imagination about the North Pole.  Staring up at the lights, chattering back and forth to one another, they had talked themselves to sleep.  

After a time, the “F” in “Faith” was formed into something more closely approximating what Faith had hoped and the “F” in “Fraser” was salvaged by Jamie’s able hand, Claire carried their eldest daughter up the stairs to her room.  Jamie gathered Bree and Henri up and slipped them into the beds in the room they shared and was standing at the kitchen pass through with two glasses in hand.

The entire house was spicy when Claire came down the stairs.  

Cloves.  Cinnamon.  Star anise.

“Six,” she said, a little exhausted.  “How in the hell did we end up with six kids?”

Jamie gave her the kind of smirk that made her roll her eyes, but also preceded a number of those six children.  She knew precisely how, if she was being honest with herself.  

“Mulled wine?” Jamie asked, indicating to a foggy clear mug with a cinnamon stick balanced on the edge.  She accepted it, a grateful smile passing over her lips.  

“What do you think the damage will be?”

“Weel, I told Bree that she wasna to put ‘puppy’ on her list three times, so I would wager that Bree’ll want a puppy, a horse, or a lion.”

Claire snorted.  “Stuffie it is, then.”

Jamie took the small stack of letters to Santa from the Christmas counter and followed his wife into the living room.  He sat first, beckoning her to sit next to him.  Without more invitation than that, Claire sat next to him, slipping her legs over his lap and resting her head against his shoulder.

“Who first?”

Smirking, Claire picked the extra glittery card out of the pile.  Bree had taken care of dumping half of a bottle of glue onto the card.  Not to be outdone, Henri had spilled enough glittery onto the card, the white paper barrier they’d put down to protect the table, and the dining room rug.  It was enough glitter that Claire was sure they’d still be finding it glistening on the bottoms of their feet when the girls were old enough not to believe in Santa any more.

“The triplets.  I’m quite interested to know what eight-month-olds want for Christmas.”

Snorting, Jamie took a long sip of his mulled wine as his wife read aloud.

“Dear Saint Nicholas, we have been rotten this year.”  Claire’s eyes bulged, her brow furrowing.  “Where in God’s name did your daughter learn the word ‘rotten’?”

Jamie, laughing openly before kissing her on the temple.  “It’s even spelled correctly, Sassenach.”

Claire continued, “We do not want any presents this year.  Bree and Henry –– she can spell ‘rotten’ but not her own sister’s name, Jamie! –– should have the presents.  Faith two, like the number.  Not t-o-o.”

“She’s six,” Jamie chuckled, folding the card.  “We’ll get a good laugh when we trot these out when they’re older.”

Claire snorted.  “Okay.  Henri’s turn.  Bree did most of the work, so I don’t expect it will be much more than ‘Bree deserves a pony.’”

Jamie’s hand found his wife’s thigh, running an absent-minded line from hip to knee over and over as Claire attempted to fight through the half dozen layers of scotch tape on the seal.  Eventually, she managed to extract a card covered with a green triangle tree drawn by Jamie and a series of black, red, and yellow scribbles from the envelope.

“Santa, my name is Faith Fraser.  I hope that you are having a nice holiday.  As you know, Christmas will be here soon.  My little sister is named Henrietta.  She is too small to write to you. She has some Christmas wishes.”

Claire’s eyes burned with tears as she read the card.  Jamie gave her a slight squeeze.  

“My Da and my Mama said we should each list three things.  Please tell your elves that Henrietta would like one of the following: 1. An Elmo doll. 2. A Barbie dream house. 3. A puppy.  Thank you very much.  Have a safe trip from the North Pole.  Very truly yours, Faith Fraser.”

Mopping her tears with the glitter-caked sleeve of her sweatshirt, Claire added the first two items to the shopping list.  “Okay.  Bree’s list.”

Jamie pulled the card from the envelope.  He immediately smirked, turning it over for Claire to see.  “You’ve got to be bloody kidding me,” she ground out, rolling her eyes.  True to form, and predictable as death and taxes, Bree had listed: puppy (“1 of the 101 dalmayshuns” or “Golden Doodle”), horse, and tiger.  “This child completely skipped the terrible twos. What is it when you’re six and an absolute pill?”

“Ye ken that she’s you through and through, aye?” Jamie chuckled.  “It’s payback for what ye put yer puir Mam through all those years.”

Claire snorted, shoving the card back into the envelope.  “We can get her a stuffie and some other things.  Next year I’m sure she’ll wise up and note that she means a real live, breathing animal, but we can ward off a puppy at least until the triplets are mobile enough to wear the thing out.”

Making a quiet ‘hmmmm’ noise of agreement, Jamie held up the final card.  Claire’s heart soared at the letter.  With each Christmas, she felt herself a little more worried that the magic of the process of writing to Santa would be over.  That someday Faith would come home, drop her book bag on the front landing, and say that she no longer believed in Santa Clause.  The childish chub had faded from her fingers, her knees gotten knobbier, and her face slimmed down in the last six months.  Claire knew that it was only a matter of time until some kid brought the entire dream to an end.

“Dearest Santa Claus.  My name is Faith Fraser and I am six years old.  I live in a house with my mum and my da, my little sisters Henrietta, Brianna, and Evangeline. My little brothers Samuel and Oliver live here with us.  For Christmas, I am happy to spend my school holiday rehearsing in our church nativity and playing with my sisters and brothers.  For Christmas I would like some new chapter books or a pencil pouch.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are good, have you read them, Santa?  Also, I would not mind a puppy.”

Claire sighed against Jamie’s chest, hand absently tracing up his flank.  “Is this puppy thing a conspiracy?” he chuckled, taking another long sip of his mulled wine.  She pressed her lips over his breastbone.  “We’re far outmatched.”

“Do we do it?  A Dalmatian or a Golden Doodle?”

“I dinna ken what a Golden Doodle is exactly?” The emphasis he put on golden and doodle made Claire laugh.  Picking up on the slight teasing, he tickled her sides. “Can ye rescue a Golden Doodle?”

“I think it depends.  It’s not like they’re commonly showing up in shelters, I bet.  Maybe tomorrow you and I go look? We can keep it at my parents’ place for a bit? Just until we’re ready to ruin our lives on Christmas morning?”

Snorting, Jamie pressed his lips into her hair, turning off the table lamp. “I would guess so.  Henry and Julia will love us.”

“They’re used to it,” she mumbled against the fabric of his shirt, curling her fingers into his shirt.  “Brianna is me and I am Brianna through and through.  Seems like something she’ll do to us one day.”

After a time, Claire’s breathing evened out in the way that told him she was fast asleep.

Lifting a piece of her hair, he looked down at his slumbering wife.  The one who had made him a husband and a father six times over, and felt a feeling of love draw him tight.  They had created traditions and a home for an entire brood.  He could not have imagined a more perfect evening than making cards with their kids and enjoying the quiet review of them with his wife.

He kissed her, careful not to rouse her, and whispered, “I dinna ken what Christmas story Brianna was tellin’ Henri, but I like the idea of fallin’ asleep by this tree wi’ ye, Claire.”

She mumbled a quiet, sleepy noise against his chest.  Pulling a blanket from the back of the couch over their neatly joined bodies, he leaned back into the belly of the couch and drew her closer.

[write-it-down-or-dont]

Jean opened the little attic door to find a small room filled to the brim with dust, spiders, and mouse droppings. There was an old desk, a big, broken trunk with a few old sheets inside, and a small toy chest with worn paint.

Inside were three porcelain dolls.

In the dark armed with only a flashlight, Jean's heart skipped a beat, but they brushed a cobweb off the most intact one and decided that in the daylight with some fresh paint they were probably quite pretty.

The box came down the stairs to the nursery, not yet occupied, but Sylvia was due to give birth in a month or so. Plenty of time to fix up the old toy chest.

Sylvia hated the idea.

"They're probably possessed, just toss them out."

"But they could be pretty, and the toy chest is charming," Jean pleaded.

Sylvia agreed, but they had to live in the garage until Jean finished the repairs.

That night, the lights in the garage wouldnt turn on, and Jean simply huffed, not wanting to think anything of it, she grabbed the box of dishes she'd gone out for and went back into the house.

The following night, Sylvia woke Jean up, freaking out.

"Don't you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"The crying! There's a little child sobbing, in the house! Its those dolls. I told you they were possessed. Put them outside. Now."

Jean was used to odd requests throughout Sylvia's pregnancy, so with a heavy footstep and half-hearted, "yes dear," they wandered to the garage to find the toy chest.

Except the sound of crying, which Jean slowly realized she could hear, grew louder.

In the garage, a little girl, maybe eight? hovered over the toy chest, absolutely bawling.

Jean's immediate response was comfort.

"Hey, its okay, I was just going to clean them up and freshen up the paint. Some new dresses are in order don't you think?" She knelt by the chest and the little girl looked up, tears stopped pouring and Jean was able to make out a rash on her face and neck. A ghost. A real ghost, a scared, sick little girl from ages ago.

"Fix them?"

It was barely a whisper, and she seemed to be mouthing more words, but Jean nodded.

"Fix them." She echoed.

The little girl disappeared in the blink of an eye, but the garage light turned on, nearly blinding Jean in the process.

Sylvia was still upstairs.

Jean decided to leave the dolls where they were and spend the next day fixing them up.

"Ive taken care of it," Jean half-lied as she crawled back into bed.

The next day she washed the doll dresses and cleaned their bodies. After digging around for her paints, she patched their faces and brushed their hair until they looked like new.

"I thought you said you took care of it."

"I did. You might think Im crazy, but she was here. Crying over them. Just a little girl. No different than ours will be. She didnt want them to be thrown away. I'm going to fix them up, then redecorate the attic. Remember how we wanted it to be a library? The dolls and toy chest can stay up there, on display."

Sylvia pinched the bridge of her nose and rested her other hand on the prominent baby bump, "you promised a dead little girl to fix her dolls."

"She was crying, I couldnt just throw them away!"

"Our daughter is going to be spoiled rotten isnt she?"

Jean grinned and kissed Sylvia's cheek, "yes darling she is."

For years, their daughter, Harper, loved to play with the dolls. Sometimes she would talk to an imaginary friend, who Jean wasn't sure was imaginary or not. All those early years, if something was lost, it was quickly found, and if Harper was in danger of something, she miraculously avoided it. Everything from a misplaced screw on the floor to a falling iron mysteriously avoided the ever curious little girl. Jean just thanked the heavens the little ghost girl was happy enough to lend a hand, whether Sylvia really believed in her or not.

When Harper was sixteen, Sylvia told the story of how they found the dolls. And one quiet evening, Harper managed to find the historical records of the house. In the late 1850s, the house had been used to treat children with Scarlet fever. Little Miriam has been one of the many victims. Her mother had been running the sick house and left her dolls in the attic, untouched for over a century before Jean decided to fix them up.

Harper insisted her mothers leave flowers after finding the location of her grave.

They left flowers for Miriam, and Miriam's mother and two brothers. After that day, there was no sign of any ghost in the house, but every once in a while a doll would move a hand as if waving hello to and old friend.

As opposed to getting rid of the creepy dolls in the attic, you decide to clean them and fix them up. This made the little ghost girl very happy.