#ember x wade child

[chipmunkfanno1love]

Headcanons for Ember and Wade’s Steam Child

It was confirmed by writer’s of the movie Elemental, John Hoberg and Kat Likkel that they were originally going tease the idea of Ember and Wade having a steam child in the end credits and open the possiblity of a sequel. In the end, they scrapped this idea in favour of Ember and Wade leaving together on the boat for Ember’s internship and Ember’s mutual bow with her father, Bernie.

https://thedirect.com/article/elemental-sequel-exclusive

While I agree it was smart that they ended the film on where it was for the sake of Ember and Wade’s relationship developing more slowly and naturally, plus opening up more possiblities on where they could go and what adventures they could have, I still hope that their steam baby becomes canon in a sequel and/or some short films. 

I have a link to some deleted storyboards by Nira Liu depicting Ember and Wade’s steam baby:

https://youtu.be/IxOSNVbYzDo?si=Ka-OjRiulvnLKkWY

There’s potential they may follow the same design and features for the child as shown in the storyboards here, but I’m hoping that the steam child won’t look too similar to an air child and hopefully adopt physical features from both their fire and water parents. 

So far I’ve seen some amazing OC’s and fan-art on the potential steam child/children that Ember and Wade could have in the future. I myself have a number of headcanons about one of their potential children. I’m basing my ideas mainly off @cyndavilachase’s fan art storyboards and her OC, Misty, mainly because not only do I love the character’s design but to me the name Misty just sounds like the perfect canon name of a potential daughter of Ember and Wade. 

Note: I encourage you guys to give @cyndavilachase and her artwork some love as she’s going through a hard time right now and I’m sure she’d appreciate your support. 

Misty’s name and how she gets it:

Considering both Wade and Ember have elemental names linked to their own personal element, it makes sense that their child also has a name that links to their element...but...that doesn’t mean we can’t get creative with how their daughter gets her name.

I imagine the first time Wade sees his daughter he weeps over how “perfectly beautiful” she is. Ember herself admits holding their beautiful daughter in her arms is making her “all misty”. Inspired by her own words and by their daughter’s misty complexion, Ember suggests that they name their daughter Misty, which Wade whole-heartedly agrees is perfect. 

Misty’s design:

I’ve added links to @cyndavilachase’s design of Misty for reference. I give her all the credit for the drawing and design.

https://www.tumblr.com/cyndavilachase/721079532719931392/misty-wade-and-embers-daughter-steam?source=share

I’ve seen designs of steam children, even one from Peter Sohn himself (of which I can’t remember where I saw it) that look more like air elements in the shape of poofy clouds. While these designs are cute, I actually prefer that a steam child doesn’t look exactly like an air child (though steam may be mistaken for “wispy air” at times, much to the offense of Misty and her parents) but instead their head and body moves in an upwards motion like fire does. Like real steam she’s also light grey in colour. 

Misty’s elemental functions:

My thoughts about how Misty’s elemental functions is based off what I’ve researched online, but I’ve also added a little creative input to her elemantal functions as well. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geyser

Being that Misty is part water like her dad, I imagine her body leaves “steam marks” in the shape of tiny water droplets like you’d see on mirrors after you have a hot shower. Misty herself enjoys making “steam drawings” on mirrors and some of her mum’s thrown out prototype glass figurines. She can also use her body to clean dirty surfaces, such the chimney at The Fireplace. 

Being part fire like her mum, Misty’s body is most comfortable when she’s at a hot or at least a warm temperature. If she gets too cold she starts to thin out or may even be at risk of evaporating completely. Therefore in winter weather her parents are extremely careful to make sure she’s rugged up for going outdoors and they also make sure she drinks plenty of hot liquids or maybe a hot steam drink they make themselves just in case she starts to fade away.

Because she copes so well in heat, Misty has a higher tolerance to hot food than Wade does. She can blow out smoke rings as result, but unfortunately cannot produce a flame herself.

Like the air elements, Misty has the ability to float and leviate in the air, but is more limited on how high she can get as her body will start to evaporate if she gets too high and perhaps her breathing becomes more shallow much like someone with asthma (which causes her some problems when she tries to join the Junior Air Ball team). Perhaps she uses her steam breath to lift herself into the air. Though limited in how high she can float, Misty takes pleasure in this ablity as it’s so unique from her parents abilities. She’s not afraid to test it out and see where limitations are. 

One of Misty’s most powerful and at times most dangerous functions is her ability to turn her whole body into a hot geyser. While this function often explodes instinctively when she loses her temper, with time she learns control this ability and use it in a controlled manner. I imagine if they do make sequel, it would be amazing for her to use her ability in a herioc manner, after making this hero’s speech about her loving and accepting herself in all she is

“Who am I? I am Misty Lumen-Ripple. Daughter of Ember and Wade, a fire person and a water person. I am fire AND water, but I am so much more than that. I’m a daughter, a granddaughter, a niece, a cousin, a friend...and even a great-graddaughter. I’m an element all to myself. I’m me! I...AM...STEAM!”

Personality:

I personally see Misty taking after both her parents in her personality traits. Like her dad, Wade, I imagine she’s energetic, extroverted, enthusiatic and very fun-loving and in touch with her goofy side. Like her mum, Ember, she’s very passionate, driven, creative and at times hot-tempered. Like both of them she’s adventurous and can be very competitive. I imagine she’s a total tomboy. 

Like the element steam itself, I would describe Misty’s temperament as temperamental. One moment she can be calm and joyful, the next moment she’ll either exploding into a geyser of steam or getting weepy in a puddle of tears (she becomes more wet and weepy when she’s sad). 

She’s incredibly compassionate and is not afraid to stick up for those she loves, though it’s sometimes a struggle to stand up for herself at times. She can be stubborn on things she cares about most and once she sets her mind on something it’s hard to change her mind. 

From what I’ve seen of @cyndavilachase’s storyboards, I get the feeling that her version of Misty may be quite an athlete. Perhaps she takes an interest in air ball after going to a few games with her parents and perhaps even her “Aunt” Gale and “Uncle” Fern (she has their permission to call them that). She develops a huge passion for the sport after playing a few games with Gale and realising that she has a natural talent for it. As I mentioned before I imagine she’s very competitive and even headstrong when it comes to winning the game itself. Let’s just say she definitely proves herself to be her mother’s daughter and Gale’s protégé when she’s playing the game she loves. :D

In terms of similarities to other Pixar children and their storylines, I could see her being adventurous and gutsy despite her physical limitations like Nemo from Finding Nemo and much like Riley from Inside Out I can see a playful and goofy child struggling with a lot of angst and emotional baggage and finding it hard to open up about it to her parents as well as herself. Plus Misty’s athleticisim and competive drive may mirror Riley’s. 

I also imagine she has a lot of similarities to a young Judy Hopps' in her fearless determination, her high energy and her desire to acheive a seemingly impossible dream to become the first steam person on an air ball team and perhaps someday becoming an air ball (or in her words steam ball) champion, much like Judy’s unyielding desire to make it as the first bunny police officer. Like Judy, I definitely see Misty being a victim of bullying and prejudice due to being part fire/part water, though with encouragement and unconditional love from her parents it gives her the strength to keep going, even if she sometimes feels insecure and believes herself to be a “freak”. With time and growth, she learns to love and accept herself for who she is and to block out the hurtful, cruel things others say about her.

https://youtu.be/rNCDpTd_j3Y?si=8Tcx6gEIzBCDixR7

Relationship with her parents:

Misty has a very loving, playful and affectionate relationship with her dad, Wade, who is her rock, best friend and is the one she can turn to for a listening ear. Wade loves his baby girl (his nickname for her) with all his heart and will do all he can to let her know that he’s there for her when she needs him. He won’t hesitate to cry with her and hug her when she’s upset or scared. Misty herself adores her dad and always looks to him for support or even a game of wave ball. I imagine Wade as a stay-at-home dad as he wants to prioritise spending time with his family and doesn’t mind doing most of the household chores like cleaning dishes and anything that involves water (Ember will help out with all the other chores that don’t involve water). 

I imagine that Misty’s relationship with her mother, Ember being a loving but at times a little tense as I imagine the mother and daughter clash a lot due their similar hot-tempers and stubborn personalities. The two often get into fights, but with Wade acting as the cool-headed third party, both girls do make up after their spats and do their best to talk things out.

For awhile though, I imagine they possibly go through a rough period where Ember struggles with trying to support and understand Misty in her internal struggles and even starts to question her own abilities as a mother. With Wade’s support and encouragement though she finds ways of learning to better communicate and understand her little girl. 

One of the areas where Ember and Misty do bond is over their shared love of creative hobbies. One of Misty’s favourites (especially when she’s little) is doing steam drawings on glass. Misty enjoys watching her mother work in her workshop. As a career mum, Ember sometimes struggles with balancing the stress of a successful career with being there for her family. Overall though, Ember always puts her family as her first priority and tries her best to make her talent of glassmaking as fun as possible so she can bond with her daughter

Ember is definitely a mama bear when it comes to her little girl. If anyone bullies or discriminates against Misty for being half-fire and/or half-water she won’t hesitate to flare up and protect her daughter. She wants Misty to be proud of her maternal fire culture and teaches her about fire traditions like the importance of the Blue Flame to fire people and it’s involvement in traditional ceremonies, but she also struggles with the fact that Misty is limited in her fire ablities due to her being made of steam and therefore it’s a physical struggle for her to be a part of the same fire traditions that she herself was involved with as a child. It takes some growth and flexiblity on her part for her to help and support her daughter in her physical struggles while also helping her to embrace her fire culture despite the dismissal and prejudiced views of some old-fashioned fire people who don’t believe a “half-fire/half water” child (or as they cruelly call her watered down fire) should be allowed to participate in fire people traditions. With help from Wade, Ember does learn to find ways to allow Misty to be involved with fire ceremonies. In times she learns how to balance out her love and respect for her fire culture, all while supporting and loving her child for her own uniqueness. 

Ember teaches both Misty and Wade (who wants to learn for both his wife's sake and for the sake of communicating with those non-English speakers in the Fire community) how to speak Firish. Wade's Firish is still rusty due his watery tongue, but he's eager to learn and a good listener. 😊 While not quite as fluent in Firish as her mum, Misty is a bit quicker at picking up Firish than her dad. She can hold a conversation fairly well, but may need assistance from her mum and maternal grandparents at times.

Misty calls her father “dad” or “daddy” (though the latter more when she’s younger) and her mother “mum”, “mummy” (when she’s little) and at times her Firish name Ashka.

Relationship with the rest of her family and family friends:

Brook absolutely adores her steam grandchild and always tries her best to make her feel loved, welcome and accepted into her home whenever she visits or she has time to babysit her. At her son and daughter-in-law’s request, she makes sure to adjust the temperature of the living room pool to a warm (but not boiling hot for the sake of the rest of water members of the family) temprature so she can comfortably swim with her two cousins (though being made of steam means that bits of her body float along the surface and bubble up the rest of the pool). Misty makes fun out of this by pretending to be a steam monster to scare her cousins. Though they do tease her and get on her nerves at times, they nonetheless love each other and the boys will often act as protective older brothers to her against bullies and anyone who discriminates against her. 

Alan and Eddy often take her on outings with their boys, Marco and Paolo, which are enjoyable for Misty...until people mistake her for Marco and Paolo’s “wispy little cloud friend” rather than their cousin and their parents niece. This leads to awkward moments for the pair, but they always correct others for their mistake and try their best to reassure her that she’s always a part of their family no matter what. 

While she doesn’t spend much time with Lake (I’m not sure if she calls her Aunty Lake, just Lake or something else perhaps) and Ghibli due to their commitments to their studies, she has gone to a few of their college art exhabitions and admires their artistic talents. 

Cinder is extremely excited when she finds out she’s going to be a grandmother and isn’t hesitant to offer her daughter and son-in-law whatever advice and help they need in order to prepare for the birth of their daughter Misty. Once Misty is born she dotes on her completely and at times spoils her. She and Bernie enjoy babysitting for Misty when Ember and Wade are busy or perhaps going out for a date night (she’s very encouraging that her daughter and son-in-law keep their romantic spark alive). 

When Bernie finds out that Ember is pregnant with Misty, he feels torn in his feelings about it. Part of him is happy for his daughter and proud of the fact he’s going to be a grandfather, but the other half is hesitant about having a “half-water” grandchild, mostly because he’s not sure if the child can properly connect to fire due to them being made up of two different elements. It’s only when he meets his granddaughter for the first time that he immediately falls in love with her. The moment he sees Misty sneeze is moment he realises that she is “her Ashka’s daughter”. 

He and Ember herself share the beauty of their fire culture with the young girl and she (and even her water father) can’t help but be enthralled by the beauty of fire and the fire culture itself. While Bernie wants Misty to take pride in being part fire, he is also wary of Misty’s limits around fire due to being unable to produce a flame. He is also wary of the prejudice that a number of fire people have against the child for being part water. Though he’s proud of his culture and being a fire person, his love for his granddaughter is far stronger and he won’t hesistate to turn himself into a raging inferno if anyone discriminates against her (e.g. calls her hurtful names like “watered down fire” or they prevent her from being involved in fire ceremonies, etc). 

Misty’s name for Brook is either “Grandma” or “Nana”, while Cinder and Bernie she refers to them by their Firish names for Grandma and Grandfather/Grandpa. 

I imagine that Misty has a strong bond with her “Aunty Gale” She considers the air woman, her dad’s (possibly former) boss and family friend to be like an aunt to her, and Gale herself adores the “little steam ball” (an affectionate nickname that only Gale is allowed to call her). Both girls are huge Wind Breaker fans and air ball enthusiasts. In fact, it was all through playing airball with Gale that Misty realised she had a natural talent for it. Gale encourages the young steam child to try out for the Junior Air Ball Team, and doesn’t believe the girl should let the fact that she’s not technically an air element stop her from playing the game she loves. Gale is so supportive of Misty and her talent she’s even willing to coach a junior air ball team herself, in which she’ll include steam players (though Misty is currently the only known steam element in Element City) as well as air players. Gale is willing to make technical adjustments to the court so Misty doesn’t lose too much steam (no pun intended) and play along fairly with the rest of the air players. 

Misty’s relationship with her “Uncle Fern” is a bit tentative as Fern’s slow-talking and rather sarcastic personality tends to weird Misty out a bit. Overall though they are on relatively friendly terms and they share their bond along with Gale over their love of the Wind Breakers. 

She gets along well with Flarry and Flarrieta, her grandfather’s protégé’s and the current owners of The Fireplace. She enjoys joking around with them and always tries her best to outwit them with a few playful puns and innocent jokes.  She also enjoys helping them out with chores in the store, her personal favourite being the cleaning chimney as she can test out her physical abilities in cleaning, levitating and squeezing through tight spaces. Though her parents aren’t too impressed when she gets her clothes dirty, but luckily they aren’t that hard for her to clean herself with her steam breath. Flarry and Flarrieta believe she could possibly open successful cleaning business someday, but Misty is more interested in persuing her dream to be an air ball/steam ball champion.

I could see her looking up to Clod and his little fire girlfriend as older sibling mentors. Maybe when they're a bit older they babysit Misty (and perhaps some future siblings) from time to time. Though I imagine Ember feeling very nervous at this prospect at first, worrying that Clod and his girlfriend aren't old enough or mature enough to babysit the young steam child. It takes a bit of convincing from Wade for Ember to give Clod and his girlfriend a chance. Hopefully they prove themselves responsible.

Her storyline in a potential sequel:

I would like to go into more detail about possible sequel storylines in another post, but overall I’ll go into minor details about what Misty’s role would be in the story. 

I imagine Misty’s storyline will be mostly about finding her own identity and value for herself as a whole person. For most of the movie she struggles with this, seeing herself as “not fire enough” to fit into her mother’s culture and to be part of their fire traditions (due to she can’t produce a flame) and she also isn’t “water enough” to fit in with the rest of her father’s family as she not only looks different to them but she also can’t completely immerse herself in water. She spends most of the movie focusing on what she’s not rather than what she is. Only with emotional growth and self-discovery does learn to embrace all sides of herself in her culture and parentage while she also learns to value herself as her own person and elment to herself. 

I could also see Misty struggling in her relationship with her parents, particularly her relationship with her mother. Perhaps she may come to have resentments of her parents as she feels she doesn’t belong in either side of the family and even feels like outsider due to how different she looks and functions as an element. I imagine both her parents (especially Ember) struggle themselves with trying to be there and support their child, but ultimately they realise the only thing they can truly do right is to love and support their daughter for exactly who she is. It’s only with her parents unconditional love and their support does Misty have the wisdom and guidance to grow as a person and comes to love and accept herself for all she is and more.

I hope you like my theories so far. Be sure to see more from me once they’re finished. 

[witchyariii]

Just watched Elementals and you KNOW i had to jump in on this. So.. uh.. wade x ember child!! Yippieeee

[arti-mess]

I’m in love with elemental. I wish someone would just fall in love with me already. :\ it’s fine. I just enjoy the romantics. 💙❤️‍🔥

[quidell-fics]

New Chapter for "A Tale Painted with Blood" out now!

A Black Myth: Wukong Fanfic

Sun Wukong x OC/Reader

Destined One x OC/Reader

(New cover)

Chapter 2 summary: That Time I Became His Friend

Ember can't seem to catch a break with Monkey Boy—better known to others as the "Destined One." Every time she tries to talk to him, she only ends up embarrassing herself, certain she's convinced him she's completely unhinged in his eyes. How’s a girl supposed to befriend a magical, sentient monkey anyway? Especially one with a habit of killing anything that crosses his path...

Snippet: We were by this tranquil pool of water, cradled by towering rock walls. While Monkey Boy was lost in some deep, cosmic headspace, I found myself wading through the shallows, chasing after frogs like some carefree child--not that I cared at the moment. That’s when I stumbled upon a little frog-man—a lesser Yaoguai, if the grumpy old Keeper of Black Wind Mountain was to be believed.

He, for whatever reason, still didn't like me…

They weren’t exactly threatening. Even someone like me could handle them. So, naturally, I grabbed a stick sticking out of the mucky part of the pool of water and gave the little creature a solid whack on the head. Knocked it out cold.

I didn't even hit it that hard, but I still somehow managed to knock it out!

Which, let’s be honest, was a far kinder fate than what Monkey Boy would've done. He had this charming tendency to slaughter anything unlucky enough to cross his path.

Much to my displeasure…

When the little frog-man flopped into the water, I couldn’t help but notice how his froggy little face was far too adorable to be beaten to death by a pole. So, in a stroke of brilliance—or madness—I decided to drag him off to some hidden spot where Monkey Boy wouldn’t stumble upon him. 

I scooped him up, arms wrapped awkwardly around his belly, and hobbled forward like I was making some grand escape. It occurred to me then, as I waded through the water, that I probably looked utterly ridiculous. Like I was… frog-napping.

The sheer absurdity of it all had me stifling throaty giggles as I trudged along, barely holding back cackles when I glanced over and—

Oh.

Monkey Boy was staring at me from where he sat in front of the shallow pond. Both eyebrows shot up, mouth slightly parted in what I could only describe as utter disbelief and worry. Worry for what, you may ask?

…probably my sanity.

I froze mid-waddle, the frog-man still in my grasp, before dropping him face-first into the water. He sank slowly, like a little stone of shame. Little bubbles popping up as he sank…

[otomiyaa]

Hi all! 31 fics are finished for this year's Tickletober: Miya & Mia's Tickletober, prompt list together with @ticklygiggles! An overview of my finished fics can be found below. Thank you to everyone who participated and used our list. I hope you didn't struggle too much, or curse our names like a certain @lovelynim did 🤭

Special SPECIAL thanks to precious @wertzunge 💕 for helping me retrieve my fics after I lost my account. I didn't back them up, and thanks to his help I could get them back and post them on AO3.

Note: not all fics are uploaded on tha tumblrz.

Day 1: Trap | Rengoku x Tengen (Demon Slayer) AO3 | Tumblr

Day 2: Claws | Josh x Lucy (The Hating Game)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 3: Villain | TodoBaku (BNHA)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 4: Mask | Itto x Heizou (Genshin)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 5: Disguise | Rei x Kazuki (Buddy Daddies)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 6: Movie | Sawako x Kazehaya (Kimi ni Todoke) AO3 | Tumblr

Day 7: Playtime | Miyo x Kiyoka (My Happy Marriage)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 8: Haunted | Dani x Jamie (The Haunting of Bly Manor)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 9: Mirrors | Hobie & Miles (Across the Spiderverse)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 10: Cloak | Peter 1 & Peter 2 & Peter 3 (MCU)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 11: Pumpkin | Beidou x Ningguang (Genshin)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 12: Wolf | Garu x Eiden (NU: Carnival)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 13: Prank Call | Enola x Tewkesbury (Enola Holmes)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 14: Roleplay | Lyney x Wriothesley (Genshin)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 15: Babysitter | Sengoku & Miyamura (Horimiya)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 16: Sweets | Ariel x Eric (The Little Mermaid 2023) AO3 | Tumblr

Day 17: Closet | NSFW - Yiyoung x Daehyung (Work Love Balance)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 18: Spiderweb | Jean x Marco (AOT)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 19: Dark | Tokoyami x Shoji (BNHA)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 20: Cursed | Suzume x Souta (Suzume no Tojimari) AO3 | Tumblr

Day 21: Horns/Fangs | Sariphi x Leonhart, King of Beasts (Niehime to Kemono no Ou)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 22: Tail/Wings | Tighnari x Albedo (Genshin)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 23: Party | Momose x Shirosaki (Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 24: Spell | Maleficent & Aurora (Maleficent)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 25: Boo | Reader x Solomon, Barbatos, Simeon (Obey Me) AO3 | Tumblr

Day 26: Thunder | Scara x Childe (Genshin) AO3 | Tumblr

Day 27: Monster | Link x Zelda (TOTK) AO3 | Tumblr - Collab with @dokidoki-muffin

Day 28: Silence | Wade x Ember (Elemental) AO3 | Tumblr

Day 29: Zombie | Hinata & Miya Twins (Haikyuu)  AO3 | Tumblr

Day 30: Fantasy | Simeon x Solomon (Obey Me) AO3 | Tumblr

Day 31: Halloween | Neuvillette x Wriothesley (Genshin) AO3 | Tumblr - Collab with @ticklygiggles

[soallover]

*A whole new*

•WORLD•

Ember x child YOU x wade

(Don’t hate me fire this it was just what I could come u with in such a short time span I will be posting these while I’m at school)

Ember woke up on a beach she looked around and saw that she wasn’t in elemental city anymore but in a town of some sort people with different elements walked past white tones tan tones pink tones brown tones pale tones of different colors and dark reds mixed with browns. She stood up and walked on the sand noticing how it melted under her steps turning into a more transparent yellow white she ignored this in favor of running into a sign that read ‘Welcome to starfell valley!’ A rather welcoming and old sign it looking as if nails had been stuck in the sign and taken out for years but she still heard the chatter of elements talking “Ember?” Ember jumped before turning around and seeing Wade she calmed down and took a breath “you scared me don’t do that.” She held a hand up to her head in exasperation “Sorry about that, but do you know where we are?” Wade asked in confusion “Apparently we’re in starfell valley” Ember and Wade continued to talk unaware of the Eyes that peered at them from inside the town. “Ohh! New people!”

[ere-the-sun-rises]

If you want a Disney/Pixar movie that deals more directly with oppression (here, specificially, race/ethnicity and immigrant life/community) then the movie you're looking for is Elemental. It deals with:

Consequences of emigrating (both leaving original home and trying to make a new one in a foreign place)

The expectations that come with being second generation (ei. "We did this so you would have a better life")

Trying to carry on a family business that means a lot to you and your family but that you don't actually want

Trying to be who and what your family wants you to be so you can make them proud and prove that you were worth all the struggling and effort

Immigrant communities bringing life back to delapidated sections of cities but still not getting much/any infrastructure help

How bureaucracy can be weaponized and how "just doing my job" can play into that weaponization, intentionally or otherwise

Racism from both perspectives (both casual "You speak the language well!" and explicit "You can only date an X, like us!")

Introducing a different ethnicity partner to your family

Gracefully letting go of your child so they can fulfil their dreams even when you weren't given the same support (breaking the cycle)

The benefits and drawbacks of living in semi-contained communities of a shared identity

Wealth/resource and connections disparity between the established ethnicity and the immigrant ethnicity, even when the established people are also working class

Stereotypes vs individuals

Learning to value the perspectives another's experiences bring

Making adjustments in your life for another's needs and being conscientious of them

Maintaining your ethnic identity/practises/culture even when you're leaving them behind or taking your life in a different direction

Now, I'm not an immigrant, so I'm sure there's plenty of details I missed. It's not a direct one-to-one with racism/immigrant struggles simply due to the conceit of the movie, but I think it did a a really good job of getting the social justice points across while still being entertaining and PG enough to actually get released.

I think the themes are also nicely tailored to children, both straightforward and subtle enough that they can understand and identify the bigotry, from micro-aggressions to outright statements. It won't be subtle to adults, but it's a much better example of ethnic disparity impacting one's life and options than Zootopia is. (I also think it's a better movie for girls'/women's empowerment, since Ember solves her issues herself with Wade's emotional support as opposed to Judy, who relied more heavily on Nick's assistance to succeed. Ember also has to learn to put aside guilt and shame to pursue her dreams instead of putting her family first all the time, something a lot of girls and women struggle with.)

I think you fundamentally have to understand the cars from cars (2006) as furries. Questions about anatomy or how they function realistically doesn’t matter. They are human people telling a human story with abstracted, anthropomorphized car bodies. Them being cars is incidental. I would say it is more a furry movie than zootopia is, in which you fundamentally have to understand these anthropomorphized animals as, on some level, functioning like the real life animals they represent.

[recallingrealities]

Aligned - Chapter 8 (Zelda x Reader - NSFW)

For Chapter 1, click (here) 

Chapter 8:  Singe

When you and Zelda had enjoyed that moonlit night together - the memory felt full and quiet, spilling with magnetic attraction - it resonated between your bodies. Vibrant and vibrating; what magic had originally felt like to you, in the way you had sensed limitless as a child.

 It felt so much thicker, more vast. Beyond possible comprehension without entering it completely. This awareness arose, that you yourself: searching, identifying the electricity building between young minds as their thoughts connected across your classroom, in minutes during introductory lecture. Their identification of concepts known yet unknown, in that indescribable sensation of the everchanging present that you so adored finding recognition in.

You had not expected most of your nights to follow in this way. After the rendezvous in your office, you would have expected nearly the opposite from Zelda. Perhaps you were assuming she'd be one to hold her distance in winsome glances towards you. That the two of you would stare, amongst the witnessing presence of your Coven. Aloof, as so many things were, entranced in their community of magic. Yet, she and you, had grown in intimacy. Across the halls, past shoulders and nods, beckoned in silence for more from her. Things were shifting. You had adjusted to read her, with the way she held her stoic composure, experiencing her words, and her thoughts unspoken. 

You were sculpting in new habits of your nights proceeding dinner - in spending your evenings together. Consumed by the time that would pass, you would make your way back towards your study, and she towards her own. Moving like your life depended on the coolness of your collected composure, the stillness you felt it setting, cooling and settling between your muscles and with each and every aching step. You had to allow the excitement to shiver in bliss within your muscles fibers, awakening you rush of happiness. Otherwise you were sure you’d tremble in anticipation, unable to get much of anywhere with an aching center and a driven, heating need. It felt like the inevitable was drawing closed like the heavy velvet curtains drawn at every window when the sun held betwixt the air and  Earth. This anticipated, simple action, came swift and known in its proper unspoken timing.

 The woman would wait exactly thirty three minutes before teleporting to your door. Rather than appearing inside. She found profound pleasure in the formality of knocking - as if it was merely an excuse to cease your breath with her entrance - as it never failed to do so.

You never spoke directly about your night of passion, but the two of you would play with it, in quiet fleeting references. In toying words or the craning shapes of her body language, she would play upon it. Even in the way she would eye over your face, then hands; when sending hot embers scoring the brim of the ashtray - your skin, with her heated and wildfiring, passionate bond. It was as if she knew it erupted you in goosebumps, the ashes reflecting visions of her hot kisses charring your flesh. She would send you a smirk or a knowing look, as her hand brushed against your leg - your trembles, as if she knew it would blur you between a vision and the presently jarring reality. It made you feel… drunk. It was as if the hunt was what pleased her especially. Knowing full well you were practically hers, wading in silent bated breaths - to be caught in grip of her jaws once more. 

Tonight, that specific thought felt prolific, like foresight, but you never took stock in assuming. Assumption would be the bane of anyone's true knowing.

 You had taken up in advising the Directrix in her personal journey towards the Goddess. It felt humbling. What an honor, and to some, a bafflement that a young woman and such new member such as Y/N being illicitly chosen to advising the High Priestess, at her personal request, for guided practice.

There were ways in sculpting her that you knew would be more useful. To help her build the relationship on her own. It felt like you had done this a thousand times with yourself. In the beginning, constantly feeling yourself waver in and out of connection with the Goddess. It had only been when you realized you were the one that had lost touch, disconnected from such an eternal internally expanded force, that you felt you could reach her in an instant, as if nothing had ever happened. Nothing has been disconnected or out of reach or place at all. This was when you had felt, what you could now detect as, unconditional love, for the very first time. A love that had never left you, or stung with resentment. In a force far greater than the collection of everything, and everything in between it.

When Zelda had asked you, she had no idea where to start. She had confided in you the vulnerable expectancy of her role, but that it was not that which had urged her to ask you. It was her own sense of yearning for Lilith, for Hecate - Astarte, Inanna, Ceridwen, and the rest of the Goddess in wholeness. She was raised to expect Lucifer to present himself to her. To wait and become whatever he wanted for task or pleasure. To know her and be known in return felt ineffable. She would have never thought in her lifetime that she would move humbly towards an entity, in hopes to understand an ancient force such as the Goddess, or source of life, and existence, a boundless Source. In magic. Let alone the option; to know her personally, as a friend and confidant and living love. Zelda was beginning to see in your lessons that the Goddess, Source, was a hidden face in every tiding. A piece in everything no matter her form. The pieces in shatters always fit, the web weaved in perfect collection of all of it. 

The coven was in fact, indebted to Hecate - but Zelda's yearning to thank her entirety, beckoned, and called to her very core. 

There had been none other that came to mind, to be better in guiding her than you. You felt blessed, remembering the Goddess's words that all was as in alignment. All was as it should be - in your choosing to embrace it.

A silent shiver courses through your shifting body. You had instructed Zelda to begin writing, whatever so moved her or felt intuitively natural. You urged her to write whether it made sense in the moment, or not - wherever the inclination came from. That her intuition was a tie, and if she came to trust it, she would come to realize that her ability to commune to the Goddess was just that, listening. In choosing to embrace it.

 The redhead was already capable of prayer. It was the learning to listen that was the ticket for anyone's mastery. Of course, it can feel strange praying or writing to someone, something you do not feel you know. You suggested she write anything, even words in random that arose in her intuition - and that by writing them, she could dedicate whatever the product, to Hecate, despite satisfaction, for this was doubt. That an offering in genuineness, there could be none greater. You had explained that this was the intended act of honoring your experience: that in releasing control to the Goddess, whatever would come of it would be Aligned. Not only that, it was another form of offering - something much less conventional than the blood of a virgin or soul of the unborn. If there was anything Zelda had known about Lilith, it was her keenness for the unconventional. Something personal to this version of her, that she connected, she could resonate as personal. An attribute Zelda had become pleasantly familiar with, in her time knowing her.

She confessed, sacrifice hadn't been like that in Satanic witchcraft. This didn't require blood, or pain, or sacred items. It felt unsettling. It only required the intention that it was for her.

 "A Goddess who believes that all we desire on our own, is truly what she desires for us". 

This was a level of worthiness Y/N had mentioned recurrently, without the confession of your breathtaking awakening in the forest a few steps away - before sharing with the woman. You explained that you felt no human or witch knew how to handle such a concept, until now.

"How do you even begin to talk to someone like that..?" 

Zelda confessed one evening, bewildered that such a Deity or concept, in selflessness could exist.

 "I’ve learned that it's as much about talking - as it is about listening.

It is perfectly valid to begin with ‘I’m not sure what to say…’ and to let your thoughts flow in honesty from there. If you are ever unsure, take the time to listen. Take the point in pen hitting paper to release even the blotting smear of ink from the pen. It is the concept that you are consciously there in her presence”.

The silence seemed to stir those embers like before, except rather than in you, in herself. 

"It is within all of us" 

You comforted her, before returning her to the task of writing, the warm glow of your heat embering with the soft confident brush of your index against her forearm.

It was now, like many nights, that you read through the entries of her journal alongside her. You had insisted the first time, that you need not read it in order for it to be a valid sacrifice to the Goddess - but she had insisted in sharing the strangeness of the exploration with you. You found her words to be beautiful. Her handwriting, as smooth and sweeping, and divine as the way she entered each room and stole each gaze. Her words were unexpected, beautifully honest, and vulnerable. Shaken like the trembles responding to her voice and will. It was in reading her dedications, that you felt for the first time, your heart pang in adoring admiration, for anyone aside from Source herself.

Tonight as you were reading, as you had forsought - her lips met your heartbeats in the nape of your craning neck. You had grown so lost in her words that the impact of her warm flesh had startled you - like a snapping twig in the silent wood outside the Academy's grounds. Your body trembles like layered leaves, interrupted by her gust of wind, lifting up and guiding your movement towards her figure. You feel yourself sway and mark the page with your index as her fingers now clasped your cheek, leaning into it as the tides lean towards the moon. Natural. Surrender. You feel it deep within you and remember that by embracing your experience, as the Goddess had prompted you before, was a way you could honor both her and yourself, in utter pleasure… and desire.

"Z- elda…" you swallow breathlessly, not wanting her to stop as your heart flutters helplessly in your throat. You witness your tangled muscles relaxing at her touch, as your voice returns faltering at the preface of your lips "these entries are stunning"

The redhead lifts her mouth towards your ear, and the tenderness of your flesh shivers beneath it with careful urgency.

"As are you, little seer"

You feel your hands lift the book towards your desk, before releasing it on its surface to turn yourself quickly towards her. Your heart patters in racing tandem to the sudden burst of rain tapping rhythmically at your windows pane.

You turn yourself to face her before meeting your hands to hers, resting on your cheeks before pulling her into a swelling kiss. The way her hips press against you, brings you to sudden awareness of the natural rhythm in the way you moved together. The braiding together of instances in harmony, the progression of the prior lessons collecting towards this very  moment, in apex - like the building of each rain cloud, erupting in release over Greendale.

 You turn, she moves. You press, she shifts. It was as if every movement was as synchronized as the pendulum on the grandfather clock, well tuned and cadenced in its natural precession. The goosebumps you had felt before were now spread across your entire form as your body shivered against her touch. The collecting swells of the raindrops met as the touch of her palm. One of her hands immediately shifts to support the small of your back, which trembles and softens against it. The base of her palm meets your flesh, gentle, yet firm, warm and reassuring as she slips effortlessly beneath your blouse. Taking you in another breathless kiss. Her lips part, to allow her tongue to request meeting your craven taste on her pallet. It was clear to you more than ever, that she had wanted you. This every moment she spent with you beneath her gaze had been that of undeniable desire, and building pressure. 'Of…. course', you think to yourself, but in just the manners of her movement, you now know for certain.

"I think that's enough lessons for tonight" 

Zelda's voice mulls softly, as her words feed into the vibration building at your teeth. You can't help but moan as your lips meet her shoulder in nipping, mewing desperation. Your hands pull needingly to have her closer to you, your whimpers in guiding gasps before your palms meet her breasts, clasping with a secured certainty that the trembling had seemed to release. Beckoning, your lips whisper a few words against her skin before she suddenly falls deep into your bed. The mix of desire between you both teleports you without notice to the safety of your quarters. The weight of your push and the sudden shift in location knocking her off her feet into the pillowing plush of crushed velvet. You climb it's preface, drifting to straddle on top of her, far more forward than encounters before. You press your lips to the seam of her blouse, aching her to remove it in the swiftness of her own enthralled passion. Seeing her sprawled across your bed, shifts a knowing in you. Your heartbeats together panged in your ears, your jaw guided in hungry kisses to meet her accented collar bones. Their beauty is like porcelain sweeping to meet her sculpted breasts. Her breaths rising and falling erratically, draw you closer into the nest of her arms. Pulling your weight towards her, you feel your legs tangle, aligned with the meeting and sharp pressure of your clits connecting. 

The shock.

 The connection is prevalent, like lighting's fire - tangible in the release of her harmonious moans linking with your own. Your desire so tangible, Zelda can hardly feel embarrassed with the rouge rising in her face. Her hands pull you close towards her hips, urging you to grind against her and provide little relief towards your building passion. Your kisses begin to grow as they travel across, and down each breast. Your hungering wetness, dampening her skin. With your breathless moans tracing her - Zelda is caught completely off guard and vulnerable the moment your soft lips draw, to bite her. Her pale breast purpling beneath your sucking lips, she gasped, in delicious ecstasy. The gorgeous yearning that devours her, tearing at the peak of her need for you. Zelda's skin rippled in goosebumps as her exposed abdomen tightens, a smirk attending to your hunger's liking. You find yourself growing far more exposed and domineering with her than ever before - and you can tell how completely off guard she has become, finding herself whimpering against your confident smirk. 

What a shift.

You had never imagined you'd hear her whimper. The woman who seduced you with growing need, using just her eyes to send electricity through you, was beginning to tremble. Her fingers gripping your back, your teeth assist in removing and unclasping her lace bralette. Nothing with her was as you'd expected, you find yourself even more satisfied with the result unfurling before your eyes, her breasts spilling over, gaze hungering and desperate for your thighs movements up to grind against her precious heat.

Abridged and supported by her crying, frustrated moans, you remove her bra with a keenness, causing it to flutter against the dresser's surface, across the room from the two of you. The mirror reflecting your candlit bodies, she unzips the back of your dress, your swift, defiant movements pulling her delicate fingers away from the zipper as your lips take her breast in peaking proposal. Your tongue flits her nipple, the warm dampness of your tongue beckoning her to arch against it, as you take her sweet flesh into the hold of your mouth. Suckling in pleasurable hunger, your thigh draws down her covered core with gruesome, fracturing friction. You find the lace of her panties fits in perfect contrast to the soft ageless touch of your skin against her. The firm pressure in contrast to the delicate flesh that scathed her form, drawing her breaths inward - her energy enveloping you in gorgeous enthrall to pull you as close to her as your bodies can bare. You shift your mouth in time with her breaths, drawing inward towards the honest wetness of her fabric, closing in on her. 

It is only then, that you pause for a brief moment to touch her thigh, your breath warm and tangible against her, your l fingertips, tweaking her nipple, sucking deeper to pull her breasts fullness towards your mouth. Her gasping moans echo your chambers as if they had longed to reverberate her sound.

The pleasure you feel in unbelievable, your own heat gasping in needing waves as you grind just as needily against the mattress in return to the response of her bucking mound.

It is then, that she flips you, your lips a moment away from capturing her craving heat. You are shocked, by the power burning within her. Her eyes are sharp and daggering, your dress splitting open as she lifts your hips to plunge her fingers into your dripping cunt. Dazed, your mouth trembles - unable to utter the "FUCK"  sitting gutteral in your throat, her firm graising thumb streaking from your entrance to your clitoris. Her fingers spread then curl inside you, before her free hand grounds firmly next to your ear. You can feel your waves of panting met only by the slapping wetness of her palm at your core, her curling fingers pushing you quickly towards a blistering climax. 'So… soon…' you think, contracting her cunt against the pressure of her relentless fingers. It is now that your eyes meet hers, her needing eyes connecting to a depth within you never searched. The moans spilling from your lips in tongues unfamiliar. Your desperate hands grip the sheets and wrist at your crown, grinding back in restless tides. Your jaw tightens with baited breath, using everything in you not to come immediately. It is then that gloss covers your sweet dark eyes, erupting you in waves of pleasure as you spill out uncontrollably across her fingers. 

Zelda licks her lips, pleased, and surprised at your body's response, slowing her thrusts to meet her upper lip to your bud, sliding her tongue between her digits inside, to taste you.

Her moan is earth shattering. The way it echoes up inside you enough to make you burn with intensity, in sensuous waves as your hips meet her to ride out your orgasm.

[seokmingiggles]

transmarinus.

(from beyond the sea)

Prompt: "I like the way your hand fits in mine."

Pairing: Lee Seokmin x female reader

Genre: fluff, slight angst, slow burn, mermaid!au, kinda magical overall(?), probably set in the same universe as Ponyo.

6.03k words

Warnings: some alcohol consumption (everyone is of legal age), swearing, the reader has a phobia of the ocean, allusions to drowning (nothing explicitly mentioned).

Beyond the sea, within the sea—both are places you have no desire to explore. You have lived nearly your whole life with an intense fear of the ocean, yet something about it keeps haunting you.

Alternatively, in which you are afraid of the ocean, yet Seokmin shows you that you no longer have to live in fear.

A/N: I don't have much to say about this little passion project; perhaps that Seokmin is one of my main bias wreckers in Seventeen. In my notes prior to determining a pairing for this fic, I had written: "All three have this kind of magical wonder to them that I want to capture," about my possible choices of a protagonist (you’ll find out the other two contenders later on). I hope I have captured this feeling. Furthermore, there are some loose ends for a possible part two if I feel the desire to continue this au. Enjoy!

The lyrics (bolded) are from Somewhere Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin.

•• Somewhere beyond the sea,

You've never liked the ocean: the seemingly endless dark depths and rushing currents that could pull you below. No, rephrasing your thoughts—you are afraid of the ocean. Sure, it can be pretty to look at on a calm and sunny summer day, and sure, the sea breeze admittedly feels pleasant brushing through your hair and clothes on occasion, but you refuse to give in to its temptation, to even go near it if you can help it.

Somewhere waiting for me,

It can be lonely sometimes, being the only one of your classmates growing up who refused to go swimming on field trips to the beach nearing the end of the semester. You often found yourself alone and listening to the fun they would be having in the shallow tides: a shimmering, azure blue. You learned to bring things to accompany you when your friends would prefer to enjoy their time swimming. A book and a beach towel resting on the silky sands was often your set-up. Not much has changed since then.

My lover stands on golden sands,

You've become better over the years at handling your fear. When before, you used to hesitate to even step foot onto the sand, now you have become comfortable with the squishing feeling between your toes. However, boats are another story. Your mom once took you on a cruise when you were a child, and honestly, you enjoyed it. Well, for the most part, only until the last night of the tour. Frankly, that's the trip that made you develop your fear of the ocean in the first place. Since then, you've refused to step foot on any watercraft. It's a bit ironic, really. You've grown up on a decently-sized island apart from the mainland—the only way to get across is by a ferry. You're not sure if you'll ever be able to regain your trust with the water.

And watches the ships that go sailin'.

•

"I dare you to go skinny-dipping."

"Oh, hell no. That's a hard pass."

"Really, Gyu? You think she'd do that?"

"You're gross, dude."

"What? Do you want me to go instead?"

"Not really. None of us need to see that."

Being friends with Mingyu, Jungkook, and Hansol—your best friend—is a recipe for no dull moments. You four have a tradition; you'd all take a trip to the Jeon family cabin near the island's peninsula as a way to start your summers. You've all been going for the past few years since your final year of high school, continuing the tradition into your college years.

It's where you find yourselves now, splayed out in drunken messes (some more than others) on the semi-private beach. To your right, there's a small fire pit in the center of your beach chairs. A cold drink is in your left hand to counter the heat in your cheeks from the flames.

"Sorry, (Y/N), I'm an idiot," Mingyu admits after finally realizing what he'd dared you to do. "You don't have to go into the water."

"I wasn't planning on it, but thanks," you reply and take a sip of your drink.

The four of you stare at the fire beginning to diminish. Orange embers glow in the ashes.

Hansol swirls the remains of his beer bottle around. "Why do I suddenly want to go swimming now?"

"Dude, no. It's nearly midnight, and you're drunk," Mingyu retorts, "None of that is a good combination."

The younger boy is about to quip back, but suddenly, a loud splash interrupts his thoughts, heard near the row of rocks separating this property from the next.

The tallest boy stands to try to see the source of the noise, but it's much too dark. "Okay, you're definitely not going swimming now. I don't want to be responsible for your death."

The splashing continues. It isn't as loud as the first time, but it's more constant as if something is struggling by the rocks.

"I'll go check it out," Jungkook puts his bottle down and slips on his sandals, already heading closer to the water.

"Not by yourself, you're not," Hansol is quick to jump to his feet and follow the elder.

You remain seated, and luckily, Mingyu remains at your side too.

•

Somewhere beyond the sea,

Seokmin adores the ocean. Well, he sort of has to since it's been his home for nearly nine decades. He loved playing in the currents with his brothers when he was younger—and now—appreciating how the colour of the water changes the closer he gets to the surface. The ocean makes him feel free. It's like he can go anywhere or see anything. Seokmin can't say he's ever felt love before first-handed, it's not a feeling he can define, but he considers the ocean to be the closest thing that he loves.

She's there watching for me,

He has breached the surface before. It isn't a forbidden action to his people, but it is to be taken carefully; however, there are different rules when you're one of the sons of the merking. There are countless cautionary tales of merfolk who have been spotted by sailors, more on what happens when they get too close to shore. Merpeople are supposed to live for centuries as they slowly age, but most of those tales abruptly cut their lives short. Seokmin feels like the only one who isn't afraid of those stories and wants to see for himself what would happen if he met a land-dweller. He's optimistic that they're not as cruel as the fables portray them to be.

If I could fly like birds on high,

Seokmin is a graceful swimmer. With decades of practice, it's a given talent. He used to struggle when maneuvering through the waves, especially when compared to his two brothers. Yet, with great perseverance and will, Seokmin trained himself to become better. Much stronger and significantly more elegant—he can now soar with ease through the water, quite speedily, too. In his younger days—what would be equivalent to teenagehood in humans—Seokmin would travel for days across the wide ocean, simply feeding his desire to explore.

Then straight to her arms—

Being a part of the royal family means Seokmin is eligible for arranged marriages. Soonyoung, his elder brother coming up on a century old, is already engaged to a beautiful mermaid, Tzuyu; the boy suspects he's next as the second-eldest in their family. Seokmin knows it's to benefit his kingdom, but he also knows that the chance of being in line for the throne is incredibly slim as the second brother. All he wants is to find someone he loves as much as he loves the ocean.

I'd go sailing.

•

"No way," Hansol whispers, breaking the silence between him and Jungkook as they've reached the rocky barrier.

Sure enough, the splashing sound is caused by distress. A boy, looking to be around Hansol's age, is stuck between a few large rocks that have fallen from the wall. It's shallow enough that his torso remains above the surface, but the position looks painful, nonetheless, with one of his arms twisted beneath the collapsed rocks.

"Here," Hansol approaches the stranger slowly, "we can help you."

The boy has a fearful look in his eyes as the human approaches. It's only when Hansol has rolled the legs of his joggers up and is wading into the shallows that he notices the lack of legs the panicking boy has, or rather, the glimmering tail he has instead.

He shrugs off the unusual sight and tries to move the rock, but it's much too large for Hansol to budge by himself, staggering slightly on the uneven ground. He calls Jungkook over to aid him, and the two of them together are able to lift the stone out of the way, freeing the trapped boy.

The stranger slips away and back into the depths before anyone could say anything.

"You saw him too, right?" Hansol asks his friend, pointing out to the vast sea and trying to find some evidence of what was next to him moments ago.

"Yeah," Jungkook is nearly speechless, drying his hands on his shirt.

"He didn't even say thank you."

•

"I fucked up. I fucked up big time!" The youngest brother rants to his siblings upon arriving back to his home safely.

"Alright, Chan, it's time to calm down now-"

"No, Soon, you don't understand! This time was different." Chan continues to ramble, "I would have really been in danger if I was stuck there until morning. The rising sun would suffocate me, no doubt. My precious sixty-one years would be down the drain in an instant!"

“So dramatic,” the eldest chirps. "It's a good thing that those humans found you when they did."

Soonyoung has heard enough of Chan's stories about always venturing off to the shore. He's somewhat jealous. Lately, the eldest has had to spend more time planning for his wedding and preparing to become the next-in-line for the throne. He wishes he could join his brother on an adventure like they used to a couple of decades back.

"Please, Seok, you'll listen to me then, won't you? You're a hopeless romantic."

Seokmin isn't sure if he should be offended by his brother's comment.

"And what if I am?" he asks with his hands fidgeting in his lap. "What does that have to do with this?"

"You're the one who enjoyed exploring the most years ago. I know you've done your share of people-watching before." Chan ponders, then adds more quietly, "Well, and also, the boy who first approached me was kind of cute."

"Oho, does our Channie have a little crush on a human?"

"Great, now you're listening, hyung."

Seokmin sits back and listens to his brothers playfully bantering. He admires them both fondly, sometimes wishing he could be as responsible as Soonyoung, or as free-spirited as Chan. Instead, Seokmin becomes more reserved around his siblings, despite not considering himself to be shy. But the three are well-balanced when they're together.

Noisy, but well-balanced.

"Why do I feel like I need to see him again?" Chan asks Seokmin as they're lying in their shared bedroom. Their older brother has a room to himself, being the next-in-line.

"Maybe you really do like him," Seokmin suggests, not quite knowing what to say. He's never before been enamoured by a particular human, nor any merfolk for that matter. "You're making me curious now. It's been a while since I've seen the surface," he sighs, struggling to remember what dry sand looks like.

"Then you should come with me!" Chan doesn't hesitate to suggest, "I can't guarantee he'll still be there, but it's worth a shot. Right?"

Seokmin hums in thought. As much as he would like to comply with his brother's request, part of him knows how they're not supposed to venture to the surface so freely. Especially with it being so close to Soonyoung's wedding, nothing detrimental should happen to them before the upcoming celebration.

"Besides, I should probably return... this... whatever this is."

Seokmin eyes the strange-looking object with a puzzled expression.

"You know, Chan, it's not very nice to steal things that aren't yours."

•

"Are you sure you checked your suitcase?" you ponder, trying to rack your brain of other locations the missing sandal could have gone. "What about by the hose in the back? Maybe you left it there after rinsing the sand off them."

"No, I've gone through my bags twice already, and I don't think I bothered with the hose last night," Hansol replies. "I have a feeling they're on the beach somewhere. Although, I can't remember if I walked up the path in bare feet or not."

"You were quite drunk, Han."

"Oh, hush. We're on vacation, aren't we?" the boy lifted his eyebrows at the question. "I'm allowed to get drunk. Anyways, will you come with me down to the beach? It's not like my shoe could have walked away on its own," he snickers at his joke, "it's bound to show up somewhere."

You try to ignore the rising uneasiness in your chest. "Do you really need me to go with you?"

"Two sets of eyes are better than one, (Y/N). And I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you. You don't even have to step foot into the water or even go close to it, for that matter."

You sigh and reluctantly agree, slipping on your own pair of sandals for the short walk down to the beach. You know Hansol would have asked one of the other boys to venture with him near the water, but Jungkook and Mingyu had left to get more groceries (and drinks) for tonight, so you were the only option.

"Where did you find the other shoe?" you ask as you scan the area around the fire pit. "Isn't it strange that you only lost one?"

"It was outside the front door. But as you said, (Y/N), I was quite drunk last night."

You giggle at your friend's comment, adding, "Maybe a bird flew off with it this morning," and continue to scan the sand.

"Wait, now that I think of it, I don't think I had that other shoe after we went to the rocks," Hansol considers and begins to walk to the familiar barrier.

The short wall looks smaller in the daylight, but you know the rocks are unstable despite their compact appearance.

You cautiously follow the boy as he ventures closer to the tide.

"You and Kook never did mention what you saw last night over here," you state, trying to create conversation to distract you from being so close to the water.

"Didn't we?" Hansol tries to recall, "I guess we didn't. Maybe because we knew that you and Gyu wouldn't believe us."

"Believe what?"

"Believe-"

You and Hansol turn the corner at the first large rock.

"-that."

Your stomach drops at the sight. There are two boys in the shallows; one is casually sitting and looking around, while the other is floating on the surface.

His rosy, fish-like tail is hard to miss.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Chan exclaims upon seeing the familiar figure, now sitting upright like his brother. "I believe this is yours."

The mermaid holds up Hansol's lost slipper while sporting a beaming smile on his face.

You're in shock. You've read about mythical creatures when you were a child, as most kids do at that age, but never have you thought that their existence is real. Let alone that you would ever come face-to-face with one.

"Thank you," Hansol mutters and carefully approaches the younger male.

Chan introduces himself along with his brother, and Hansol does the same with himself and you.

But you're beginning to panic. The feeling is bubbling up in your throat, and you don't want to break down. So instead, you excuse yourself and run back up the pathway to the cabin.

You miss the way the older merman's eyes remain on your figure as you retreat away.

•

It's far beyond a star,

Seokmin feels strange. It's not the first time he's seen a human-being that close, let alone speak with one, but there was something odd about your behaviour; the unusual feeling seems to stem from seeing you.

"Did you see the way she looked at us?" the second-eldest speaks, recalling your tense expression.

It's near beyond the moon,

"Why? Do you think she's pretty? That would be convenient because I still think Hansol is pretty. I thought he was charming in the moonlight, but now, I can say he's even prettier in the sunshine," Chan hums, repeating the boy's name for the nth time upon their return home. "I never knew humans could be so lovely."

I know beyond a doubt,

"No," Seokmin begins, "I mean, yes, she was pretty too, but she looked afraid of us. Of... me. Didn't she?" He pauses. "I've never had someone be afraid of me before."

Chan glances at his brother's concerned expression. "She was probably just surprised, Seok. Maybe she hasn't seen a merperson in-person before."

"Maybe," Seokmin mumbles, not entirely convinced.

The merman's peculiar feelings about you only fester as the days pass by. When Chan would return to that same beach almost daily in the hopes of seeing Hansol again, Seokmin would remain at his home.

He is strangely impacted by you. Not that you even said a word to Seokmin that day, but the way you reacted threw him off.

He longs to know why you ran away.

My heart will lead me there soon.

•

Not that you needed it, but you now have yet another reason to avoid the ocean.

Hansol ends up journeying down to the beach every time he sees the familiar crimson tail splashing in the shallows from the large cabin window facing the ocean. The other two boys have begun teasing their younger friend about his new fishy pal.

You have tried to express your concern about Chan to Hansol, explaining that he may be dangerous, but your friend has only dismissed your worries and encouraged you that Chan isn't a threat.

"He's a fun guy to talk to. You're welcome to join me down on the beach sometime, (Y/N)," Hansol says as he slips his notorious pair of sandals on. "Actually, Chan has been asking about you lately. If you're doing alright."

You look up from your bowl of cereal with a confused expression. "I don't think I even spoke a word to Chan. Why would he be asking about me?"

Hansol shrugs. "Apparently, one of his brothers has been worried about you. I'm assuming that's why he keeps asking, but that's all I know."

You remain puzzled in your seat at the kitchen table as Hansol closes the front door behind him, wandering down the familiar rocky path towards the water.

"Is (Y/N) coming?" Chan's posture perks up at the sight of the boy approaching.

He shrugs his head, "I don't think so. I'm sure you know by now how apprehensive she can be. Stubborn, too." Hansol takes a seat in the sand. His shoes are off quickly once again as he dips his legs into the water, the gentle waves lapping up to his knees.

Seokmin frowns. He's been accompanying Chan on his near-daily visits in the hopes of seeing you again. With all of the stories Hansol has been telling about the human world and his friends, Seokmin has convinced himself that he wants to properly meet you.

Just to make sure she's doing alright, he tells himself. There's no other reason.

Seokmin takes pride in helping people. As the middle child, he'd often take it upon himself to sort out his brothers' issues, especially on the rare occasion he found them arguing. A mood maker, his mother told him in his youth when she'd noticed the way he always seemed to strive to help others feel better. So when Hansol briefly mentioned your fear of the sea, there's nothing that the boy decides he wants more than to help you see that the ocean isn't something to fear.

However, it is a difficult task to accomplish when you wouldn't even venture down to the beach anymore.

There's part of Seokmin that feels guilty about your recent reluctance. From what Hansol has said, it seems like you were making gradual progress in becoming comfortable near the water. In fact, you hadn't always been afraid of the ocean. Yet, it all seemed to backfire the moment your eyes landed on him and Chan.

It makes Seokmin feel even more responsible for your fear.

•

It's raining today, a stark contrast to the previous perfect blue-sky, sunny weather that you've all been experiencing for the past week on your vacation.

You're the first one up this morning, making your way quietly down the stairs and into the kitchen to make some coffee.

You examine the horizon as the aromatic drink brews. The rain is only spitting down now, but you have a feeling it will pick up later with larger clouds slowly rolling in. It looks like the sun is trying to peek out from behind, although unsuccessful in its attempt.

You pour yourself a cup of coffee when enough fills the pot, hearing the sizzle onto the element when you impatiently remove the container as it continues to drip.

Making your way to the dining table nearby, you take a seat in front of the large window, holding your mug between your hands.

The coffee is too hot to drink right now.

Your mind begins to wander as you wait.

•

(Y/N), age seven.

You wake to a faint ringing sound.

"Mom?"

No response.

You shuffle to the edge of the bed to turn on the lamp. As your eyes adjust to the sudden brightness, you're met only with an empty room.

"Mom?" you say louder, just to once again, unsurprisingly, be met with nothing.

Maybe she's still at the party on the deck, you think to yourself. That would explain the sound. Maybe it's from the music.

You slip out from beneath the duvet and make your way to the cabin door.

You take a deep breath, not knowing why you're so nervous, and open the door.

There's no music. It's an alarm.

You suddenly feel the ship lurch to the side, throwing you off balance and into the side of the doorway.

"Mom!" you cry out, for someone, anyone.

You don't want to be alone.

Tears are prickling beneath your eyes, and immediately, panic rises to your throat.

"Are you (Y/N)?"

A young male rushes down the hallway in your direction.

You nod your head in response, not finding your words.

"Your mom said you'd be down here, come on. She's already up in the rendezvous spot." His nametag says Seungcheol.

You accept his outstretched hand and follow him as he hurries down the corridor back the way he came.

The boat sways again, but Seungcheol stands his ground, keeping you steady on your feet too.

"What's happening?" your voice crackles.

Seungcheol continues to guide you through the interior of the ship. "There was an unexpected storm suddenly. Captain didn't even see it on our radars, it came out of nowhere. We're taking precautions and gathering everyone in the lounge while he works on getting us to shore."

The two of you make it above the cabins where the wind and rain are pelting down stronger than you've ever seen before. You're having a hard time keeping your balance on the rocking boat, your hand slowly slipping out of Seungcheol's grasp.

A giant wave hits the side of the ship, effectively removing your small hand from Seuncheol's as you're thrown to the side.

You scream as the wave seems to drag you away and pulls you off the edge of the ship.

You hear someone else yell; maybe it's your mother, maybe it's Seungcheol, but before you know it, you are doused in the cold ocean.

The instant your body falls into the depths, you're frozen, petrified, unable to move. You try to struggle your way to the surface, but your clothes weigh you down, only making you sink further below.

Your lungs burn. Trapped in the darkness, you can barely see the moonlight above anymore.

You succumb to your watery grave, eyes closed and arms wrapped around your small figure in a final effort to gain warmth.

Suddenly, you are hit by a feeling of serenity like your mother is cradling you once again. You lean into the tender touch and begin to drift away into unconsciousness.

She belongs to the sea.

You seem to hallucinate a raspy voice hiss out the strange remark.

And then you're gone.

•

Each time you see the familiar grey, gloomy clouds in the atmosphere brings you back to that one fateful day from your childhood.

You know something else happened to you after you fell into the water, but you can't for the life of you recall what.

You know you somehow made it back to the shore safely in one piece. Could it have been that kind staff member who collected you from your room? Or perhaps your mother who dove in after seeing you fall overboard?

You've kept that day to yourself; the only one who knows the full story is Hansol. Not even Jungkook nor Mingyu are aware of all the details; they only know the gist of the origins of your fear of the ocean.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

Hansol's voice brings you back to reality. He's come from the kitchen and is currently standing next to you. Now brought back to your senses, you feel the slight sting from the hot cup of coffee resting between your palms.

"Nothing," you mutter out, removing your hands from the ceramic. You keep your gaze out the window at the hazy horizon; the tide seems to be rising with the weather getting progressively worse. "Are you seeing Chan today?"

"No," he answers, taking a sip from his cup. "Not that I know of, at least. I doubt he'll come if it's raining like this."

The wind looks like it's beginning to pick up. You can hear it howling on the other side of the windows.

"Right, of course."

The boy takes a seat across from you. "Are you sure you're doing okay?" he pushes, "You know you don't have to stay here for the full two weeks with us, right?"

"I know," you reply, "I've just been feeling more anxious recently, but I'm not entirely sure why." You take a sip of your coffee, burning the tip of your tongue slightly. "But I'll be okay."

Hansol's concern for you doesn't waver despite your words or the smile you’re presenting.

"Some storm, huh?" Mingyu's voice is heard from the staircase as he treks down to the main floor. His hair is still damp from his shower.

Hansol makes a noise of acknowledgement and takes another sip of his coffee.

Mingyu prepares a cup of coffee for himself. "Do you think the water will rise all the way up to the deck?"

You involuntary freeze at the thought.

"No, it shouldn't," Hansol says confidently.

And it doesn't, but it does come close. As the rain continues to pour, the entirety of the rocky path becomes submerged beneath the saltwater.

The sound of the storm keeps you awake as you lie in bed that night, picking at a loose thread on the duvet cover. You think you can feel the cabin sway with the heavy wind, but you blame it on your imagination.

She belongs to the sea.

You blame your imagination for the husky voice you hear too.

The sea.

The shutter on your bedroom window flies open; it's certainly not your imagination this time. You immediately stand up and make your way to the adjacent wall to close it, only to see just how high the tide has risen since you've retreated to bed.

Now you must be dreaming.

The sea level appears to be just below your window. Being on the upper floor of the cabin, that's more than concerning.

"(Y/N)?"

You back away from the window at the sound of your name spoken from the other side of it.

A vaguely familiar mop of damp brown hair appears outside your windowsill.

"Seokmin?" You squint your eyes at the face you see in the moonlight. Panic laces your voice, "What the hell is happening?"

Yeah, you really must be dreaming.

The merman reaches his arm through the threshold of your window with his hand open for you to take.

"Do you trust me?"

Every part of you screams no. No! You've lived your whole life in fear of the ocean and what resides within it. Taking this creature's hand would contradict your entirety.

"Please," he adds.

You feel yourself being drawn towards him, one foot after another taking you closer until your hand brushes against his. His fingertips are pruned, a sensation slightly rough against your smooth ones.

When he closes his hand around yours, you hear the rain abruptly stop.

Everything becomes silent, like the drops of water have stopped with time.

"It's okay," Seokmin whispers, warmly smiling at you.

Before you know it, his lips connect with your forehead.

And you suddenly remember that night you fell into the abyss.

•

The instant your body falls into the depths, you're frozen, petrified, unable to move. You try to struggle your way to the surface, but your clothes weigh you down, only making you sink further below.

Your lungs burn. Trapped in the darkness, you can barely see the moonlight above anymore.

You succumb to your watery grave, eyes closed and arms wrapped around your small figure in a final effort to gain warmth.

Suddenly, you are hit by a feeling of serenity like your mother is cradling you once again. You lean into the tender touch and begin to drift away into unconsciousness.

She belongs to the sea.

You seem to hallucinate a raspy voice hiss out the strange remark.

And then you're gone.

No, you think you're gone, but the burning sensation in your lungs is alleviated.

You open your eyes once more to find your small body enveloped by another being. It has a tail: a long, dark violet tail extending beneath you. Your fear hasn't left you completely, but the way you're cradled so carefully eases you.

"It's okay," a gentle voice whispers, causing you to look up to meet a pair of brown eyes and a warm smile. "You're safe."

"What's happening?" you hear your voice ask for the second time that day, unsure of how you're able to speak beneath the water.

"Your father wants you home," is the boy's response, "but I've tried to tell him it's not your time yet."

"My... father?"

You can't picture a face to the name you speak. Each time you've asked your mother about him, she's only said how he was a wonderful man. Was.

"Yes, (Y/N). Sorry about the storm. He gets emotional when thinking of you." One of the merman's hands supports the back of your head to his chest as he dashes through the water. "It's because he misses you."

"Are we going to see him now?"

"No, not yet. One day I'll find you again, and we will see him. Together."

Before you know it, your heads break through to the surface where the weather is much clearer than before. Your rescuer moves slowly towards the beach near the dock, continuing his hold on you until your feet can touch the ground.

You cough up some of the water that infiltrated your lungs before asking, "May I know your name?"

The merman smiles once more, the apples of his wet cheeks reflecting the moonlight. "You will, one day, little jellyfish."

•

Your eyes open only to find you still stood by your window with a familiar set of arms around you.

You take note of his purple tail extending below.

"You," you whisper, taking a step back from the windowsill to get a proper look at the boy residing on the other side, "We've met before."

Seokmin chuckles at your realization, "Yes, many years ago."

"You saved me."

"Kind of," he ponders. "You wouldn't have drowned; your father wouldn't have let that happen. I only made sure you wouldn't sink to the bottom of the ocean."

"Right, my father." The title still sounds alien from your mouth. You gesture to the flooded outside, "Did he do this too?"

Seokmin sheepishly scratches the nape of his neck, "Word may have gotten around that you were visiting the oceanside. You know how excitable Chan can get."

You smile at the idea of the youngest royal brother bragging about seeing you. "If my father's a merman, then why am I human?"

"Who said your father's a merperson?" Seokmin counters, "He's less of a merman and more of a sorcerer who resides within the waves."

"No shit."

The boy giggles at your remark.

"But if I technically come from the sea, then why have I been so afraid of it?"

"Are you still afraid of it now, jellyfish?"

You open your mouth, about to say your habitual response, but only to find yourself lacking one life-long phobia.

"No," you furrow your eyebrows.

"It was a spell I placed on you, back when you were a child," Seokmin fiddles with your hand; his is now dry. "It was to prevent you from returning when you weren't ready."

"Am I ready now?"

"My goodness, so many questions."

But Seokmin takes the time to answer them all for you.

You pull up a chair to the window as he remains in the raised tide.

That night, you learn that you're less human than you originally thought. You're not a merperson like Seokmin and his brothers are, but you do similarly come from the ocean.

Your father had unexpectedly met your mother one summer's day, the two falling in love faster than either party had expected. You weren't necessarily planned, but the two were ecstatic, nevertheless. Your father had to return back to the depths—his home—leaving your mother alone for the rest of her pregnancy. Yet, after she had you, she was significantly less lonely. She seemed to have the whole ocean supporting her, despite her lover unable to return to the surface.

When you were an infant, you were drawn to the water. Perhaps you could hear your father calling out to you for you to return home at sea with him, where he thought you belonged more-so than on land.

Seokmin had placed the spell on you to give you the opportunity for a normal youth on the surface. He recalled the way he so strongly loved being free of stress and confinement before his royal responsibilities became more prevalent and only wished the same for you.

Practicing magic under your father's teaching made Seokmin create a spell strong enough to last for over a decade.

He refrained from telling your father what he'd done that night when he found you. He knew how powerful the man was; a tsunami or hurricane could have easily been a product of his emotions.

Although now, the spell has worn off. Once more, you find yourself inexplicably drawn to the water and arguably even-more-so to the boy with his hands encased in yours.

"Will I get to meet him one day?" your eyes examine the way Seokmin's thumb grazes across your knuckles, tracing every crest and trough on your skin.

"Yes," he says, "though only when the tides lower again. I don't want him flooding the entire island out of happiness."

You hum out an "Okay" and catch the beginnings of the rising sun in the distance, illuminating Seokmin's already-glowing silhouette.

•

We'll meet beyond the shore,

"(Y/N), could I try something?"

Seokmin's ears are tinted a pretty pink as he examines your form sitting in the shallow water.

You shift your attention from feeling the silky sand beneath the waves lightly lapping against your ankles and to the merman sitting next to you. His hair is slowly beginning to dry from being in the summer sunshine.

We'll kiss just as before,

Seokmin takes your hand tenderly and brings it to his lips. It's a gentle touch, but the act sends a flurry of butterflies straight into your chest. The boy smiles brightly, his eyes slightly crinkling at the corners, and laces his fingers between yours.

Happy we'll be beyond the sea,

"I like the way your hand fits in mine, jellyfish."

Your eyes meet Seokmin's, who are trained on the pair of your intertwined hands.

"I like it too," you admit, smiling as his gaze lifts and meets yours.

He slowly leans in.

And never again I'll go sailing. ••

[bits-bobs-and-barnes]

Wet {Tony Stark x Reader}

This is part five of the Stark Internship series, read the previous part here!

{Author’s Note: Hope you enjoy the newest chapter of the Stark Internship! As always, like and reblog to help the blog grow! Leave a comment or an ask if you like, I always love to hear from you guys! Also, let me know if you’d like another part, or want to be added to the tag list!}

Warnings: mentions of alcohol, mentions of sex

Tags:  @vxidnik @madampomfrcy @rebeccaitsnotwhatyouthink@sbmarvel @can-you-actuallynot  @thevanishedillusion@classyunknownlover @thatisthemagic @httphiddlestan @ur-honey-child@queenylime@ggclarissa @bethanylaw @godohammers@kasiarella@thebabewithoutthearms @jilldsumner@bellamyblakemorley @ariyafromonline @jewelswrites-ish @tony-stank3@sparkling-gayyyy @bukoandcoconutsarelife @mcueveryday @spn-marvel-nerd @wecantgiggleitsafandom @chonisberonica @yosoymuyloca @mixedfandxms @badboysdoitbetter2 @the-professional-procastinator

It wasn’t difficult to find Tony, it was much harder to avoid him. You made your way down to the extremely lush and extravagant leisure area the Wakandan royals had created for the Avengers (and of course, their use). You made a beeline for the enormous pool, and found him. 

Tony was floating on a large inflatable, his eyes closed beneath sunglasses as he carelessly drifted across the surface of the pool. Sunlight filtered in through glass-panels on the ceiling, and gave the room an ethereal glow. 

You two were alone now, no other Avengers to speak of. 

You were still clutching the metal flip-phone in one hand, careful not to misplace your lifeline as you approached the edge of the pool, waiting for a moment before speaking. “Tony,” you were nervous, almost, fiddling with your hands. 

He cracked a small smile, but didn’t open his eyes. “Y/N,” his hand dropped to the water, skimming his fingers across the surface. “Did you get my present?”

“I did,” it was hard to hide the trace of happiness in your voice. It had been months of lonely isolation, and speaking to Peter brought a ray of light through the overcast your fugitive life had become. “I came to thank you. It means a lot that you would... arrange something like that for me.”

“You’re welcome,” he continued to drift, his expression neutral, aside from the growing smirk. “He’s exactly like you, Y/N. Just as smart and just as much of a pain in my ass.” He continued to create ripples in the pool with his finger, and used his free hand to lift his sunglasses, easily finding you in the room. “The water’s fine, if you want to join.” 

You rolled your eyes, but paused. You had nowhere to be, and the crystal clear blue waters did look appealing. Biting your lip, you stood and approached one of the chairs beside the side of the pool, shrugging off your shoes, shirt, and shorts. It was nothing he hadn’t seen before, and it was harmless. You dropped the phone on top of the pile, and approached the edge of the pool, slipping in without a second thought. 

The water engulfed you and quickly soaked the fabric, and true to his word, it was cool, but not cold, and very comfortable. You pulled back your hair to keep it out of the water, and waded over towards the raft, the water nearly reaching your waist. Your fingers traced shapes on the plastic inflatable, considering what you could say. You didn’t owe him an apology, you hadn’t done anything he didn’t deserve, but you had missed him. “Why are you here?” You asked, your voice soft as your eyes traced the intricate wiring of the arc-reactor inlaid in his chest.

“At the pool?” He sounded relieved at the lack of hostility in your voice, and his eyes admired your lack of discernible clothing. You still wore the same bras you did back then-- with the tiny black bow between the valley of your breasts. “It’s a thousand degrees outside, and I--”

“Tony,” you interrupted, your eyes lifted to his, your brow knit together in a complex blend of emotions, “I’m serious. I need you to be honest with me. Are you here to win me back?” You weren’t sure what you wanted to hear him say. You missed him, and Peter, and May-- you missed your friends, and New York, but you needed answers.

He considered what he could say, shifting on the inflatable raft and working his jaw. “Yes, and no.” He answered honestly, wanting nothing more than to touch the delicate swell of your knuckles, but deciding it was safer to keep his hands to himself. “I needed Steve, and the Avengers for a mission back in the states, and you were here, so I decided to make the trip.” 

Some part of you was disappointed, but you shoved it down and focused on the task at hand. That was what your life had become. Tackling things one at a time, trying to tread water to keep from drowning. Steve was nice, Wakanda was beautiful... but you didn’t belong here. You were an engineer, not a superhero. A few months ago, this would’ve been enough for you to take the next flight home with him-- but not now, not after everything he’d said and done. “I don’t understand,” you said finally, “why.” You retracted your hand from the raft, and crossed your arms, physically withdrawing and leaving a visible divide between the two of you. You said you loved me. The words couldn’t leave your lips. 

He was at an impasse. This was where the two roads divided. He could say something callous, and lose you forever, but protect you from men like him-- men who would say whatever it took to get you back, and treat you with as much reverence as a discarded toy. Or he could apologize, embrace you, and steal you for himself-- knowing that you’d always wonder whether or not his affections were genuine. It was the same one he’d crumbled at all those months ago, when he saw you in his bed and felt so satisfied for the first time in his life-- and he’d sent you away. Nights spent drinking, lamenting his selflessness, his cowardice, and most of all-- how he couldn’t stop loving you. “I don’t either,” he responded, his breathing shallow and painful. How could he be stupid enough to let you go? “I never meant to hurt you.”

Your short scoff was soaked in pain, heartbreak, and lost naivety. “Really? What message did you hope to portray by sending Happy to throw me out the morning after?” It was barbed, venomous, and hurt. 

“I--” he sighed, wishing you weren’t so very far from him. He wanted to touch your face, let his thumb gently caress your cheekbone, see those pretty eyes look at him again. “I was afraid.” He let his legs dangle off the edge of the inflatable, water touching his skin. “You’re young, and smart, and you scare the hell out of me.” With a inward breath, he slid off the raft, sending out a wave of ripples through the pool. “I loved you, and I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“So your solution was to hurt me?” You denied how his words appealed to you, like ointment on an intense burn-- it cooled your anger, but it didn’t appease you. “Tony, I would’ve understood! If you had just talked to me, I would’ve understood!”

“No, you wouldn’t have!” He snapped, his eyes locked on yours as he took a small step towards you. “You would’ve kissed me and told me that you didn’t care what people said about you-- and that you loved me-- and I wouldn’t have been able to let you go!” It was a confession wrenched from his sealed lips, the situation that he’d imagined a thousand times since he’d sent you away-- the only thing that reassured him that he’d made the right choice. He nearly winced as he saw the hurt cross your expression. 

“And this is so much better?”  You asked, your eyes dropping to the gleaming blue waters. “We’re both so happy?” 

“No,” it was easier to tell the truth now, “we’re miserable.” He crossed the short distance between you with little hesitation, and gingerly wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into an embrace. “I’m sorry,” he murmured into your hair, his eyes squeezed closed, reminding himself to savor this moment, the last moment he had you in his arms. “For everything.” 

You enjoyed the moment more than you cared to admit, and allowed your arms to wind around his waist, resting your forehead against his chest. “What now? Will you go home, and tell Pete I miss him?” The words were painful to say, but it was clear that this was the last hurrah-- the last embers of a dying fire. 

God, he was so selfish. “I want you to come with me,” he admitted. “I want you to come home." He withdrew, his hands lingering on your biceps, reading your expression. “Peter misses you,” and then, more quietly, “I miss you.” 

You were silent, peering up at him with those shining eyes. 

He touched your cheek, and smiled-- though it was hollow and cracked. “I love you.” He offered, his chest swelling at the admission he’d been thinking for the past five months. “I want you.” His index finger hooked below your chin, tilting your face up, and laying a kiss on your lips. 

It was soft, and sweet, and it carried the weight of months apart. It was everything you’d wanted. So much wasted time. You melted into the embrace, hands sliding up the plains of his chest, and looping around his neck to pull him closer. 

His hands slid lower, past your waist, and effortlessly lifted you off your feet-- lips still attached to yours. His breathing was heavy now, and he carried you to the edge of the pool, depositing you on the stone ledge. His skin had flushed a lovely shade of scarlet, and he was panting as his eyes darkened. “Can I...”

“Yes,” you interrupted, “please, God, yes.” 

[themadlostgirl]

Not Dead Yet (Part 32)

*Meant to have this up last week. Mainly set up. Next update quick to come!*

Pairing: Reader x Peter Pan

Warnings: language

The problem with being woken up in the middle of the night is that things that happen during that time have a tendency to be easily forgotten in the morning. You would think the fact that Peter and I made up last night and what almost happened after would have been better etched into my memory. I was so tired though and everything Peter had said last night was too good to be true. So when I woke up I thought that it was just a hopeful dream.

I left my tent and the sun was shining, the island was warm and the little birds were chirping happily. Neverland is actually acting like a paradise. After all the rain and cold wind this was heaven on earth. I met with the boys and talked them into going swimming while the weather permitted. We raced to the nearest lagoon. I was getting a lead on them when I was frozen in my spot. The others saw that I was stuck and merely laughed and kept running. “You jerks! Come back here!”

“I don’t think they’re going to listen to you.” Peter turned around a tree and walked up to me. “Sleep well?”

I didn’t respond. Peter’s eyebrows knit together. “Okay, very funny. Is it because I froze you?” He waved his hand and I was free to move again. “Better?”

I moved to go around him and catch up with the boys when Peter froze me again. “I’m sorry for freezing you. Was that what you wanted to hear? After last night I would have thought you’d be a little more lenient.”

“Oh right. I kinda thought that was all just a dream.” So I was wrong. Last night had been in fact very real.

“Not surprised, girls often say I’m a real life fantasy.”

“Nightmares are fantasies too.” I quipped and he smirked at me before wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me alongside him. “You missed me.” I poked his chest.

“I believe we covered that last night. No need to bring it up again.”

“Well I believe that it does. I don’t let you near me for over a month and you bailout the second you realize you’re not getting laid? If you really missed me you would have taken what you can get.”

“You know the old saying, leave them wanting more.”

“Like I do with you?”

“As I said before, I could have you wanting me anytime.”

“Then how is it nothing has happened? Hmm?”

He dropped his arm from around me, “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“You could come with me. How often do you really spend time with the boys?” I tugged on his hands.

“Hard to spend time when they’re all so annoying.”

“You spend a lot of time with me.”

“Yes I do. But I don’t think the boys would appreciate me pinning them to a tree trying to seduce them.”

“You are such a prat.” I pulled on his arm, “Let’s go swimming.”

“Maybe another time. I have something I need to do first.” He pulled a small pouch from his hip and withdrew the seer eye I had stolen.

“You haven’t used that yet? What’s wrong with you?” he’s had the answer to escape death for over a month and he hasn’t done anything about it? Does he have some kind of death wish?

“I had other things to worry about.” he put the eye back. “I’ll find you when I learn the face that goes to the heart.”

“You had better. See you later.” I turned to follow the boys.

“Hold on,” Peter spun me back around and pressed a kiss to my lips. “I’ve missed being able to do that. Now you can run along.”

“I may?”

“Get out of here.” he gave me a playful shove before disappearing in a blink. I like him but he will never not be an a complete and utter arse.

I ran to catch up with the others who were already down to their skibbies and swimming happily. They made some cheeky comments about what held me up. I rolled my eyes and started pulling off my boots and coat before jumping in as well. I noticed Devin had tagged along with the group and was wading by the far end of the pond.

I swam up next to him and apologized for being kind of a bitch the other day. “So, do you forgive me?” I asked.

“I’ll have to think about it,” he dunked me under so fast I breathed in a heap of water through my nose. I broke the surface wheezing and coughing. “Yeah, I forgive you.”

“You are so gonna pay for that!” I tackled him. We wrestled pushing each other under the water. The others joined in and soon it was an all out huddle of bodies trying to dunk everyone else. I settled for stripping Devin of his trousers when he was busy keeping Nick at bay and fleeing. It took him about five seconds to realize what had happened and broke away from the group to chase me. I had already pulled myself out of the pond and was pounding through the jungle by the time he got to the edge.

Everything was finally starting to feel normal again. I had my boys back, terrible terrors were ringing through the jungle, and life was nothing more than a crazy game as it should be. That was for all of about ten minutes.

As I was running with a partly nude Devin chasing after me something seemed off. I slowed down as I caught a whiff of the air. Devin finally caught up and demanded his pants back. I handed him the pants as I sniffed at the air. Smoke? Devin smelled it now too. We exchanged an uneasy look. I climbed up one of the trees and saw a large column of black smoke billowing from camp. Our fires never smoked like that.

I jumped from the tree and informed Devin as to what was happening. We ran to camp and found it engulfed in flames. Several boys were running from the scene covered in soot. I stopped one of them and asked what happened. No one was sure. One minute the camp was same as ever and the next everything was catching fire and smouldering.

Peter can sense when there is unease like this on the island. This fire should have been put out the moment it started just with a wave of his hand. “Devin, grab the boys and try to put out this mess before it spreads further.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“Find my idiot.”

~~~

Peter’s head was splitting. Using the eye had proved much harder than he had initially thought it would. It showed him many flashes of incoherent events yet to come. Faces he had yet to meet. There was no time to sort through them all. He focused on the Heart of the Truest Believer. Every scene was connected as if by shining spider silk, one affecting the other. One spindly line glowed brighter than the others. Peter followed it.

He saw a heart pure red and wrapped in tendrils of gold. This was it. Who was the boy? He saw a face morph from that of a cherub little baby to a child. The boy. The Truest Believer. Peter memorized every detail of his face he could. He tried to probe further for more details, a name, a year, anything.

The strain was too much. It felt as if his very skin was bubbling with the power of the eye. He closed the connection. The heated tingle in his skin still burned. Voices were echoing in his head but instead of fading they grew louder and louder. One above the others was shrieking through the hot white pain that threatened to make him cry out loud.

After a sharp blow to his cheek he realized that it wasn’t an echo of the eye at all still haunting his ears but Y/N hovering above him yelling at him to wake up. His eyes popped open which was a mistake as they immediately began to water with the sting of smoke constricting the air.

“--Idiot will you get up! Get up!” Y/N screamed at him. He coughed through the haze. “Make it stop! Make the fire stop!”

“Fire?” he rasped, “What are…” he could sense it now. A large fire all around him. Focusing through the pain Peter forced the smoke up above the trees. The flames died down into nothing more than faintly glowing embers among the charred camp.

“Oh thank goodness,” Y/N sat back on her haunches next to him. Peter inspected her more carefully and saw that she was covered in a fine layer of soot from the ends of her hair to the tips of her toes. Her shining eyes bloodshot from the smoke. Tears streaked through the grime on her face revealing clean lines in their wake.

“What happened?” Peter turned to the camp. The trees were blackened, tents had been turned to ash and Lost Boys lay about hacking up their lungs.

“A fire started. We don’t know how.” Y/N was quick to explain. “We tried to put it out ourselves but it was spreading fast. I went to find you since I knew you were the only one that could put it out. I found you sitting in your tent sleeping calmly among the flames. I had to pull you out so you didn’t get roasted.”

“Thanks,” he muttered as he dusted himself off. Peter winced as he moved. Despite Y/N’s rescue he had seemed to suffer quite a few burns as a result.

“You shouldn’t be moving so much.” Y/N forced him to stay still on the ground, “Half your body is blistered. We’re trying to help everyone that got hurt but everyone’s still in a bit of a frenzy.”

“Don’t worry about me.” Peter waved an aching red hand over his burns. The flesh evened out into fresh and healthy skin without so much as a scar in its place. “Go help the others and find Felix. I want to know how this fire started. I have something I need to put down on paper before I forget.”

Y/N nodded and ran off to help the other injured boys. Peter quickly grafted his skin back to normal and disappeared someplace quiet. This whole fire incident reeked of pirates but he couldn’t be bothered with them right now. He picked up a piece of parchment and let memory take over as he drew the face he had seen in the vision.

~~~

After everyone was properly tended to I found Felix and told him that we were in charge of finding out what or who caused this mess. We had just moved camp, it couldn’t have been the pirates. There’s no way they could have tracked it.

Felix and I questioned the boys that were in camp when the fire started. They all had the same story. They were playing around or sleeping when a large burst of flames erupted from one of the tents. The fire quickly spread from one tent to the next before anyone had time to react.

“Which tent did it come from?” Felix asked.

“The far one over there.” one of the boys pointed to where the biggest damage was.

“Of course it was,” I sighed when I saw the tent was mine, “Why is it always me?”

“What the hell did you have in there? Gunpowder?” Felix snapped at me.

“How is this my fault? The only thing capable of causing a spark is my lantern and I blew that out last night before I went to bed. Besides, it was an explosion of fire how could…” something in the pile of ash moved.

I bent down and dusted the ash away. Underneath the pile was the tiny face of a naked baby bird blinking a pair of sapphire blue eyes back at me. “Now where did you come from sweetie?” I carefully picked it up.

“What is that?” Felix stared at the baby bird in disgust.

“I’m not sure.” the little naked bird studied me for a moment longer before nestling against my chest. “It likes me.” I blew more of the dust off the little thing. I noticed that some of the tiny feathers gleamed white underneath with little hints of red. It also had a golden beak with matching thin legs that tried to stand in my hands.

“That’s just spectacular.” Felix rolled his eyes, “The rat thinks you’re its mother.”

“It’s not a rat. It’s some kind of bird.”

“What bird can start a fire?”

I shrugged. “Cubby knows a lot about animals, we’ll go ask him.” we found Cubby and showed him the bird.

“Yes, that would most definitely be the cause of the fire. It’s a phoenix. Phoenixes self combust into flame near the end of their life and are reborn from the ashes. Must of been what happened with this little thing.”

“But it was in my tent and I think I’d know if a nearly dead phoenix was nesting on my cot. Do you know where it could have come from?” I asked.

“It could also be that it just came into life. Although that could only happen if you had part of a phoenix and mixed it with some kind of life giving magic.”

I stared down at the small bird in my arms. “Oh crap…”

“What did you do?” Felix glared at me.

“I didn’t do it on purpose! I had a phoenix feather I got years ago and my emergency bottle of spring water must have fallen over and dripped onto it. I had no idea this could have happened.” I snapped back at him. “What am I going to do with it?”

“Well from what I know phoenixes have a tendency to imprint on the first face they see which I’m guessing from how fond it is of you, it saw you first.” Cubby gave the bird an affectionate scratch on the top of its head. The bird pecked at his finger in annoyance. “Yeah, she’s all yours.”

“How do you know it’s a girl?”

“The white feathers. Male phoenixes are all red and orange and gold. This beauty has mainly white feathers with reddish golden tail feathers.”

“So I have a pet phoenix now? Great!” I smiled at the little fuzzy bundle cuddled against me.

“Just be careful.” Cubby warned, “Phoenixes are unpredictable and independent creatures. Once it gets old enough who knows what it’ll do. There are tales that say phoenixes kill those with impure hearts. Keep an eye out in case that’s true.”

“I don’t think she’d hurt anybody.”

“She almost killed half of our remaining boys.” Felix reminded me.

“She didn’t know.” I defended my new pet, “She’s just a newborn.”

“A dangerous new born.”

“Well Neverland is a dangerous place. She’ll fit right in.” The phoenix gave out a small melodious chirp. “I think I’m gonna call her Candace.”

“You just become the mother of a powerful phoenix and the best name you can think of is Candace?”

“I don’t need your two cents, Felix. She’s my phoenix.” I took her away to find something to eat. What do phoenixes eat?

As it turns out phoenixes really like the blue berries that grow on the island. For us they make your tongue swell up but to my little Candace she gobbled them up without a problem. After the ash had been swept from the camp and the destroyed trees cleared we began to rebuild the camp. I went back to the remains of my tent and sighed. Everything was gone. My blankets, my cot, my extra set of clothes, even the drawing Peter had drawn for me. It was all gone. The only thing that remained was my little cracked mirror but even now it was too damaged to be used. I never used it much to begin with but still.

“I hope you’re happy.” I grumbled to Candace who was flitting around in the remaining ash, “Everything is gone which means that someone is going to have to leave to get all new supplies. And I just know it’s gonna be me because it started with you and you’re mine so that’s that. You don’t even care. You’re just gonna flap around in the ashes of my tent without a care in the world.”

“Talking to yourself again?” Peter gave a low whistle, “This place is a mess.”

“It’s always a mess and I was not talking to myself. I was talking to Candace.” I pointed to the baby phoenix, “She’s my new pet...she may have also started the fire.”

“Where did you get a phoenix?” he asked looking between Candace and I.

“Long story. Can I keep her?”

“You’re gonna even if I tell you no just make sure she doesn’t start anymore fires.”

“I make no promises.”

“I expected as much. Also you were right, your phoenix did this so you can go get us more supplies.”

“Great.” I looked back at Peter, “You wouldn’t want to come with me, would you? Some time off the island. We could ride horses again.”

He smiled, “That does sound nice. But I need to start bringing in more boys now that I have this.” He held out a roll of parchment. I took it and unrolled it. Inside was a detailed drawing of a young boy. The Truest Believer. “Can’t waste a moment. He could be out there right now.”

“Peter,” I gave him the drawing back, “Now you have to come with me. As a celebration for learning the identity of your saving grace. You, me, steal a couple horses, have a few drinks at the tavern, it’ll be fun.”

“You just want me drunk. I can see it in your eyes. You want me drunk so that you can harass me in the morning when I’m hungover.”

“That obvious?” I mirrored his smirk.

“Just know that if you end up drunk I am going to take advantage of that.”

“That’s the only way you’re getting any from me anytime soon.” I hooked my arm with his as we left to grab a magic bean.

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