#eye remember this threw me off so bad bro I wasn't expecting it to be that horrifying

[soupy-sez]

VAMP (1986) dir. Richard Wenk

[worldlydesiretemple]

Losing a bet was a dangerous game, especially with high stakes involved.

And unluckily enough for Gordon Freemind, he wasn't the winner against the odds.

Here he stood in the worst possible person evers room, clad with working cat ears and a tail to match. Not technically biologically real, they were robotic and furred, but worked nonetheless.

And the worst possible person ever wasn't doing a God damn thing. His tail swayed uncontrollably, no doubt hitting the back of Benry's chair. Not as if he cared, or anything.

"God- fuck, dude. Pay attention to me." He growled, even if it seemed like a whine, pawing at the others shoulder. A noncommital hum made it's way out of Benrey's throat as he shrugged off the contact with the flick of his wrist and the click of his mouse.

"nnno can do, friend. gotta- im in the middle of. an epic conquest. fuckin peoples shits up. kinda busy." Benry mumbled, eyes not even leaving the screen as Freemind shifted his weight from side to side in impatience.

"why so bothered? huh?" Benry's gaze flitted to Freemind for the shortest of seconds. "is the feline not fine?" There was a shit eating grin to accompany what he said, and something in Freemind snapped.

"I said," Freemind frowned, and then whacked Benry's headphones straight off his head, causing them to make a dull thud on the desk when colliding and dropping to the floor, barely stopped by the cords length. "pay attention to me."

There was silence.

"what the fuck."

Benry's attention was no longer superglued to his monitor, which displayed the unfortunate loss of his video game. Freemind wanted the attention, be it good or bad, but wasn't sure if this is how he wanted it.

"You make me wear these- these fucking things and expect me to just let you play your God damn games?" His hands waving towards the cat ears atop his head let Benry watch the way they twitched realistically with annoyance. "'cause you look cute. it was parta the bet, bro."

Freemind could feel the headache coming on. "Like fucking Hell it was! It was just "Ooh, Gordon, wear these!" and you shoved them in my hands! And it's NOT cute!" His voice rose, and Benrey shook his head. "shhh. remember whos in the next room over?" He warned, and Freemind hissed.

"Who GIVES a damn who's in the next room over? I want your attention right fucking now, you piece of shit!" He stomped his foot in a huffy manner, and saw the way Benry looked like he was biting back a comment, probably wanting to point out how he's acting like a baby.

"I don't even see how you won that fucking bet, that shit seemed impossible and- I'm Gordon fucking Freeman, asshole, I NEVER LOSE." The gears in his head continued to turn as he threw a fit. "You and your fucking alien bullshittery, I wouldn't even doubt it if you cheated, that's- you..." He paused as Benry's expression changed, lips quirking upwards the smallest amount as he watched Freemind rant.

"Oh. You motherfucker. You rigged it, didnt you? THAT'S why I lost? I knew something was off. You've never won before. You were desperate to see me in this stupid get up? Is that it? You little fa-"

Freemind's eyes widened as he was shoved against the wall with a grunt, staring down at the shorter of the two. He didn't even notice Benry get up from his seat while he was on his tangent, but here he was, dangerously close to his personal space.

Benry's head tilted upwards towards him, expression still blank but something dark brewing behind his eyes. "tsk. ur bein a bad kitty." His voice was low, and Freemind swallowed. "Yeah? Why don't you do something about it?" Finally, he was FINALLY getting what he wanted, and...

There was a loud bang on the door. "Can you two cool your jets?! It's almost midnight!" Feetman yelled, and Freemind's fists clenched at the interruption while Benry cackled as the two heard the other stomp off.

God damn it. "No, please, c'mon-" Freemind whined as Benry backed off and headed towards his desk. "i warned u man!" He snickered, and Freemind was not going to have it.

"FUCK him! Get back here!"

He was going to rip Benry away from that damned computer and ruin the rest of Feetman's night if it was the last damn thing he would do.

hey anon i've been Thinking about this actually. begging you please oh please get an ao3 the people would KILL to read your writing especially if you're the same one who spilled gubby in catlokis askbox.....

[zozophoenixxx]

Serotonin Booster :D 🐉

How to train your dragon edition

Here are some things I had forgotten or little details I just noticed on my rewatch, maybe even Unpopular Opinions 🤭👀

✨Race to the Edge✨

SEASON 6

I love how the twins were basically the reason Hiccup figured out that Johan was the spy

NOOO THE WAY GOTHI WENT TO TRY AND STOP STOICK FROM THROWING AWAY HER MEDICINE AND THEN GOT THROWN OFF THE CLIFF WAS SO FUNNY [ep2]

Omg that fight between Hiccup and Stoick in ep2 was crazy whenever Stoick said "I'm talking to the expert in getting duped by Trader Johan" and THEN HICCUP WAS LIKE "but I was only duped for half as long as you were. So what does that make you?"

Awww the way both Toothless and Skull-crusher were trying to get them to talk

And also Astrid being the only one that wasn't caught by the Hunters right away, she's just superior bro

I love how both of them were right - Stoick was right to not trust the merchants and Hiccup was right about Johan's plan

Toothless is actually so strong like he's not only agile and clever, I mean he just flew up to the ballista and crashed against it and destroyed it without using his Plasma Blast 😎🤩

Mala and Dagur fighting over where the Dragon Eye lenses are gonna be hidden is hilarious. Mala is so calm I love it

I got chills when Atali was like "no, Hiccup, this is my island I will defend it"

I really want to know the origin of the Wingmaidens, like where did all these women come from? How come they're still there?

I love Minden and Snotlout's relationship, the way he tried to convince her to not give up AND SHE KISSED HIM!!!

Krogan's Singetail actually cares about him

Never gonna get over Adelaide Kane voicing Mala

Also Snotlout running when the dude had the razorwhip on him LIKE HE WAS LITERALLY FLYING AND HE WAS STILL RUNNING Y'ALL HAVE TO WATCH THAT SCENE I JUST DONT KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE IT ITS IN EP3

Generations ago Fishlegs's ancestors were dragon hunters

The Loyal Order of Ingerman - decimated the Dramillion dragons, pushing them to the brink of extinction

Grump is amazing I love him

Dramillions - have both a lava blast and a magnesium blast. Omnivores. Still being hunted.

The Hunters were founded by Ingar Ingerman

The Dramillion trying to take the manacle off his tail🥺

And when Fishlegs threw his helmet and THEN THE HAND THING 😭🥺

I love the Dramillions they're so smart they learned how to get rid of the manacles by just looking at what Meatlug and Stormfly were doing 🥺

I just realized that the twins are 19 AND I FIND THAT ABSOLUTELY CRAZY HOW CAN THEY BE THAT OLD

I really wish we knew each of their birthdays like I wanna know which one's older and which one's younger

I feel like for some reason the twins would be the oldest ones then Fishlegs then Astrid then Snotlout and lastly Hiccup. Idk I'm still iffy on this

Most Thorstons don't make it to 19

I love the twins' relationship, they love each other so much that they would rather be alone and not form part of a clan than leave each other alone and the fact that other people know this too? Plsss like the only reason Gruffnut got them back into the fake induction trials was by telling them how bad it'd be for each other to not be part of a clan.

Titanwing Zippleback HOW DO THEY KNOW ITS A TITANWING IT LOOKS THE SAME AS THE OTHER ZIPPLEBACKS

"Ughh, what's the point of winning alone? Being a Thorston means nothing without him. We are one Thorston."

I love them and also technically Ruffnut won the induction trials.

THE LAST LENSE GOSH

Love how Fishlegs cares about global warming

I'm all Snotlout, Toothless and the Triple Stryke reacting to Mala and Dagur- I'm also Mala whenever someone tickles me I'LL KILL U

UGHHH I HATE HOW SNOTLOUT MADE HICCSTRID UNCOMFY FOR HAVING A DIFFERENT RELATIONSHIP

Astrid overthinking 🥺😭

"How would you like your yak cooked?" JSHDHHA

bro I love how both Tuff and Toothless noticed the betrothal necklace

"So want to deliver some scrap metal?" Hiccup baby? Why are you so oblivious?

At least he asked her if she was alright in the armorwing's island 😩

No but if I was Astrid I'd be pissed too, the dude saw a dragon eye lens from far way and didn't notice her betrothal necklace? 🙂😤

No I can't that scene was too harsh to watch, I mean I loved to see Hiccup noticing something was wrong with Astrid but then the way Astrid compared their relationship to Mala and Dagur's and then threw him the betrothal necklace... And the way he caught it too I can't- 😭😞😖😭😓🤧

Seeing the twins trying to capture Mala was hilarious JAHDHDHHSHA

I love how when they're fighting Astrid's still there for him whenever he's expected to have all the answers. She ignored her anger and went over to him and grabbed his hand and that single thing was what gave him confidence in a moment of panic 🥺

"I'm with you"

"I know"

That final Hiccstrid scene in Mi Amore Wing was just too perfect, we have Hiccup grabbing Astrid's hand to bring her outside and talk to her, the sunset in the background, every little thing Hiccup told her about being there for her and loving her with everything he had and that he should've noticed the necklace right away AND THEN THAT KISS WAS JUST AMAZING❗️❗️❗️ it was passionate and sweet and Astrid was blushing and then Fishlegs was all uncomfortable and Mala was like "okaaayyyyy😏" and Dagur like "alrighhtttt👌🏼" ig the only thing I didn't like is that Astrid didn't say I love you back 😭 but it's ok cause yk she does I just wished she had said it.

Baby razorwhips love the water

Tuffnut named the baby razorwhip that bonded with Ruffnut, Wingnutt

Top scenes of Ruff Transition ep7

Tuffnut throwing up in Ruffnut's mouth and Ruffnut throwing up in Wingnutt's mouth just do that he could be fed- seeing the windmaiden's reactions is the best lmao

Hiccup trying to teach Ruffnut how to fly (with his dragon flight suit) and then Ruffnut losing balance but Hiccup helping her regain it BUT we still get overprotective Tuffnut jumping off of Toothless to try and help but all he did was make things worse HIS SCREAM WAS HILARIOUS nonono and the way Toothless tried to help BUT AGAIN MADE THINGS WORSE 😩😮‍💨😂

Ruffnut finally figuring out how to connect with Wingnutt and fighting the dragon hunters and saving Atali was so badass and then Atali riding Barf 😭🤩

Hiccstrid kiss count (approximately) : 6😘

The way he slightly and carefully touches her face to reassure her that he'll be fine

The Singetail's only predator is the Skrill

The Berserkers used to use metal daggers to lure Skrills into traps. The dragon is drawn to it due to its electrical properties

VIGGO JUST DID THE HAND THING THING WITH THE SKRILL WTF

If I could have any dragon it'd be in this order

Skrill - it's so badass and powerful

Nightfury - it's badass, powerful, pretty, strong and fast

Deadly Nadder - it's extremely fast and agile, has multiple attacks and the spikes

Dramillion - has multiple attacks and is very smart

Just realized that ep8 is called Triple Cross because 1st Johan crossed Viggo 2nd Viggo fake crossed Hiccup and 3rd Viggo and Hiccup crossed Johan and Kogan

That episode was basically jusr to show Viggo's arc and the way he changed for the better and learned to respect dragons

That's why the Singetails wouldn't leave in ep9 whenever they were trying tp free the Deathsong- their eggs! They're in that island.

I can't with Hiccup and Astrid sitting together just chilling but with Astrid feeling guilty and Hiccup assuring her that he was also at fault 😭

I love Narrator/Author Snotlout! The titles of the chapters of his book remind me of the ones from Pjo

Stoick and Skullcrusher acting as 1 and being worried about each other 🥺 I love their relationship

Also the way Stoick bats off the shots from the Singetails with his axe just like Astrid. They're both truly warriors

No but Toothless asking for a head scratch from Gobber bc he's worried abt both Hiccup and Stoick🥺

The way Toothless tried to make Hiccup feel better- I mean the man blamed himself for putting Stoick in "his deathbed" it was just so awful seeing Hiccup in that state and the way everyone was trying to make him feel better but it was ultimately Astrid who managed to get through to him😭

I love it when they put scenes of the movies

I love how Astrid always knows what to say without lying

Looks like it's you and me, then.

Always... was that corny or-

Probably. Nice, though.

The way Astrid is so natural at being a leader and putting everyone on their places 🤩

That lil moment they had in ep12 where he holds her face and thanks her for everything and I just love them too much 😭

I love how Spitelout is so happy when he's beating ass, this dude literally goes "I'm sure I've had more fun than this. But at the moment, I can't remember when"

Have I mentioned I love the Dramillions before? I love them way too much they're amazing and the sound they make is so 😩 I love it

The Dramillion is a distant cousin of the Changewing which means the Titanwing Dramillion shares the de-cloaking ability with its subspecies.

Stormfly's spine clone was literally so badass, my girl was surrounded and she finished every single dragon flyer with it. Badass move. Wish we had seen it more throughout the series

It really pissed me off that Hiccup had to choose between getting Tuff, Ruff and Snotlout out of that sinking ship when he could've been following Krogan. Like ofc it was the right decision but that wouldn't have happened if the twins and Snotlout didn't follow Gruff into the ship :/

I love how strong Barf and Belch are! They literally carried the a Titanwing Dramillion on their own.

That scene when they figured out that the Titanwing Dramillion is not the King of Dragons but instead the last piece of the puzzle to get to the King of Dragons

When the Wingmaidens got to the battle it was amazing

Also the way Dagur was so proud that the King of Dragons was a Berserker and how Ruff was so excited to see Wingnutt and Snotlout to see Minden🥺

THEY REALIZED THAT BBYS AREN'T AFFECTED BY THE KING OF DRAGONS BC OF THE BABY RAZORWHIPS

that last Hiccstrid Scene where Hiccup is worried about Astrid's safety- I mean his face 🥺🥺🥺 and she told him that his dad would be proud and that she's proud too and when she was about to leave he held her back and kissed her 😭😭

Ik I said this before but I simp for Astrid as a leader, she's just so natural at it

Also I love how the King of Dragons has ice powers instead of fire

WAIT SO IS THE EGG THAT HICCUP FINDS IN THE FINALE THAT THEY GIVE TO VALKA IS THAT THE KING OF DRAGONS THAT VALKA CARES FOR IN HTTYD2?!!

Valka being friends with the Wingmaidens sits absoluteky right with me

no but the way Toothless hesitated when Hiccup told him to leave him and get the egg

I love how all the dragons arrived to fight the dragon flyers, it was just so poetical to me, the dragons finally getting to fight the people that hurt them 🤩

I FINISHED IT AND NOW I'M SAD!!! I loved the end tho and I'm glad we got to see Shattermaster at Dagur's wedding, also Astrid's outfit change- we love that. And them leaving the edge is just so sad bro 😭but I love how we got to see some "insight" ig u could call it on HTTYD2 😭 also seeing Snotlout and Fishlegs's love for Ruffnut start forming was hilarious

[taliaquinn]

Why Me!? Chapter 19

Authors Note:                                                                                            Hiya peeps and geeks, I finally published chapter 19. I hope you Peeps like it. Dont forget to reblog, comment and like!! (They make me happy)

“Think about it, why would she want to talk to you,” Chloe mumbled struggling to shake off the sleepiness “Right now she only sees you as the boy who refused to stand up for her, Against the girl that threatened her in the bathroom”. 

Adrien was silent at the other end of the phone. “She told you about Lila threatening her in the bathroom?” Nonono. That was the worst thing that could happen. Now rumors are going to spread.

Chloe could only scoff in response. She knew exactly what Adrien was worrying about.

“Pfft uh yeah, Mari told us everything, gotta say Adrien I wasn't that surprised when she told us, Kagami on the other hand….”

“SHE TOLD KAGAMI!?!?!?” Adrien shouted upset. Upset at Marinette for telling everyone, even Kagami. He’s noticed that Kagamis been blowing him off and sometimes even downright refusing to talk to him at social events they both attend. 

Marinette told Kagami and Chloe everything about Lila, Adrien, and Alya when she called them a week ago. Chloe's heart broke at hearing the girl sob. Kagami was enraged, in fact, that was what spurred her into starting to plot revenge. Karma would wreak havoc on everyone who dared hurt the bluenette

“Yes Adrien Kagami Knows and before you go off and get all flustered, No we haven't spread rumors or told anyone. At Marinette's insistence." She spat. Adrien didn't deserve to be protected. But poor Marinette still refused to take any drastic actions.

“Thank you, Chloe” The Model still had the nerve to thank her and ignore Marinette's kind act. She's had enough. Sitting up straighter in bed Chloe opened her laptop and started typing an email to Marinette.

“You know who else she’s been helping Adrikins?” she said in a honey-laced voice, sickeningly sweet. 

This familiar voice caused a sense of growing dread in Adrien's stomach. He wasn't talking to P. M Chloe aka “Post Marinette” Chloe anymore, he was talking to the old Chloe Bourgeois, and Plagg help him if he somehow pissed her off. Swallowing down the sense of dread he asked.

“Who?”

“Nino, you remember him right? The guy you claimed was your best friend? But then again you turned your back on him, that seems to be a trend with you these days”

Nino. Of course, he remembered about Nino. Nino called him tearfully seeking comfort from his best friend after his breakup with Alya. Adrien could only weakly offer some comfort. HEY! He was dealing with his own stuff. Ladybug stole Plagg from him. He wasn’t Chat Noir anymore. Also, he didn't want to get dragged into the conflict. Plus he thought that Nino was overreacting. Alya deserved a second chance. Right?

“W-we’re still best friends” he stuttered out. Nino has Marinette's number!? That's great he can get her number from him!!!!

“Hmmph yeah sure whatever helps you sleep at night.” Chloe had the right to speak her mind. She was tired and grumpy. A deadly combination. If she had eye bags in the morning because of him she was going to block the boy,

 “I'm beginning to think that you’re new bestie is Lila” she mentioned

“That's ridiculous, we're just friends”

Chloe scoffed. “Your standards for friends are ridiculously low. But whatever apparently sleazy Liars are your type”

Adrien was starting to get upset at all these sly remarks he was getting from Chloe. He called her for comfort. Who did she think she was? If he wanted sly comments he would have called Marinette, but he still didn't have her number. Wait a minute. She's been talking to Nino!!! He could just call Nino and get her Number from him!!! He didn't need Chloe! 

“Fine Chloe, you know what? turns out I don’t even need your help anymore,” He said smug, happy to have the upper hand. To be honest he half expected Chloe to beg him to not hang up on her.

“Why even bother calling me then?” that....was not the response he was expecting. Fine, it was probably all an act.

“I needed Marinette's number but then I realized that my bro Nino probably has it, so yeah I don’t need your help”

“But he b-” Ha now she was going to beg him not to hang upon him. Well, he wasn't going to give her the chance. 

“Goodbye Chloe” 

Hanging up he quickly tried to call Nino. After only receiving a dial tone, he shot him a few texts, expecting Nino to respond quickly. He always has.

After receiving none Adrien couldn’t help but be slightly annoyed. Nino probably forgot to charge his phone due to him still being sad over the breakup. This is why Adrien needs to convince Nino to get back together with Alya. He was a mess without her! His phone suddenly binged. Quickly checking, he was disappointed to see it was Chloe. Probably to try and get back on his good side. Ha.

Queen Bee: Nino told me to tell you that he is uh not in “The mood to deal with you and your b.s” tonight.

What!? No Chloe was obviously lying in some weird attempt at getting Payback. Adrien NEEDED to talk to Nino right now because Adrien was going to the states for some gala for the weekend! 

Adrikins: Chloe stop fooling around

Queen Bee: Trust me I'm not kidding around, I'm here trying to get some sleep and instead I'm serving as Nino's secretary apparently

Queen Bee: Leave him alone, if you had listened to me earlier you would have realized that Nino added your number to a nice Lil ol place known as the ~block list~

Adrikins: CHLOE YOU HAVE TO TALK TO HIM PLEASE DON'T LET HIM DO IT.

Queen Bee: hmmm let me think about it

At that Adrien let out a sigh of Relief, Chloe will talk some sense into Nino and everything will be back to normal between him and Nino. Even Marinette once he got her number from Nino!!

Queen Bee: I thought about it

Hope bloomed in Adrien's Chest, everything is finally going to be back to normal again!!

Queen Bee: N o

Queen Bee: You’re getting muted for the rest of the night, consider that payback for waking me up so early, I have a trip this weekend. I need all my beauty sleep, you should consider learning about it

Wait a minute if she is going where Adrien thinks she is then there's hope for him after all!!!

Queen Bee: Toodles~

Adrikins: Wait a minute where are you going this weekend

Queen Bee: None of your business

Wayne Manor                                                                                        Gotham, USA                                                                                                8:00 a.m

“Marinette, I’m just happy you managed to leave that toxic situation before it got worse,” Dick said as he engulfed Marinette in a hug, although not as strong since his ribs were still in pain. Dick slightly grimaced in anticipation of the humongous lecture he was going to get from Bruce later.

“Trust him, Mari, here in Gotham I always see..” Jason trailed off at Dicks pointed look “I mean WE always see....uh in the news how those situations escalate quickly," Yowch talk about a blunder. He still needed to get used to having a sibling who wasnt involved in the nightly adventures. "only not everyone is lucky enough to have Batman swoop in and save the day” Jason quickly added. He threw a prayer of thanks that his adorable baby sister was now safe in Gotham, well as safe as Gotham gets anyways.

Dick racked his brain looking for something to cheer up his little sister in his arms. For once his big brother instincts were being slightly overwhelmed. All of his siblings have gone through awful stuff. This isn't the first, and he doubts it's going to be the last time that he's been there to comfort one of his siblings, or friends for god's sake.  

“Wait!!! Dick, doesn't Bruce have that trip in a few days?” Jason piped up.

Oh, Crap. Dick almost forgot about that. Oh god, he couldn’t possibly subject Mari to that disaster….on the other hand it WOULD be a good distraction for her. Hmmm. 

“Fine, Mari, pack your bags, You’re not even going to school yet so you won't miss anything,” Dick announced.

“Pack my bags?” Marinette couldn't help but get a bad feeling at the sight of Dicks smirk.

“Yeah no, you’re right. Don't pack your bags make your dad pay for new clothes.” Jason teased. It's what he always did. Billionaire Brucie wouldn't even gawk at the price of a new pair of jeans. Heck, He was paying for his New Truck!!! 

“Wait where are we even going?” She asked slightly disturbed at the sight of Dicks growing grin.

“New York City”

Authors Message:                                                                                        I hope you guys enjoyed todays chaoter. Next chapter some new characters are going to enter the fray. Can you take a guess as to who they may be ;)                                                                                           Also Happy Belated Birthday to Our Beloved Timothy Jackson Drake  Fun fact I was listening to Hamilton was writing this chapter and its given me the idea to possibly create a Hamilton AU involving the Batfam and slight Adrinette, What do you guys think?

Taglist:

@purplesundaze @silvergold-swirl @k-poplunardreams @pepelachanel @laurcad123 @maribat-is-lifeblood @kass-is-weird @another-fan-of-anotherplan @damianette-is-life @amayakans @parallelparabox @miukiiu @valeks-princess @toodaloo-kangaroo @vixen-uchiha @thezestywalru @dreamykitty25 @pirats-pizzacanninibles @mochinek0 @shamefullove @mochegato @souleateralicestein @thestressmademedoit @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @aestheticnpoetic @mysupporthyperfixations @itsmeevie01

[aestheticsuwu]

🌁Escape from the city and follow the sun ☀️

( part 2 of Okinawa trip AU)

.......

She knew her Dad planned the vacation to give her a break but she knew deep down he just wanted a new scenery just for a little bit . When he offered she instantly accepted , maybe they would make some good memories for her to look back in the future .

She was excited to tell the rest of her friends about the trip , and she wasn't expecting Robby having an interest of Okinawa . Guessing her father and Robby had that connection of the Myagi Do History . It was cute how he was rambling telling her and Demetri fun facts .

And When Robby had stayed for dinner he wanted tell Sam more of what he had learned . She was more than happy when Dad had asked Robby if he wanted come .

..... .....

" Robby would you like to come with us ? "

He knew his mouth was hanging open , the question surprised him . He wanted to say yes but he also knew that the trip was only for Mr. LaRusso and Sam .

" That would be awesome but I don't want to intrude and Mr. LaRusso you planned it for you and Sam . "

" Well I want you to go with us and I know Sam wouldn't mind . Your part of the family Robby,  you know that . And Don't worry about Johnny,  I will talk to him . So what do you say ? "

His heart always felt warmed when Mr.Larusso would remind him , He was like another Dad . He knew there was times he had to catch himself to not call him Dad . It Didn't help now that Mr . LaRusso and his actual dad were dating . Looking at Sam smiling at him encouraging him to accept , he gives them both a smile .

" I would love to , Thank you . "

And if he hugged Mr.Larusso longer than he intended and thought he could live with two dads for all his life nobody needed to know .

...... ..... ...... ...... ..

They were all at the dojo taking a break from class . He was in the middle of Sam and Miguel while Demetri was sitting in front of him . All were talking about the lesson but they noticed Demetri wasn't talking . And they all knew he constantly talked . Robby noticed that hawk was with the other students , usually he was with Demetri .

Turning to look if Sam and Miguel noticed but guessing by looks that Sam was glaring at hawk and Miguel concerned look . He guessed he wasn't the only one .

" Demetri did you and Hawk fight ? "

He asked him , Sam and Miguel begin to questioned also .

" Did he hurt you !? "

" I don't think Hawk  would hurt Demetri , Sam."

" Wouldn't be the first time , Miguel ! "

" But Hawk changed and I know he wouldn't do it again . "

He interrupts them before anyone would notice their little argument .

" Guys , let Demetri tell us . Let's not jump into conclusions , I'm not big fan of Hawk but let's give him the benefit of the doubt . "

All three watched their friend to answer patiently . They sometimes forget that Demetri didn't react well to being rushed. They had to be patient with him .

" He didn't do anything , I just i-i-i.  I'm having problems at home but it's fine .

The three watch him stand up as his Dad calls them to fall in and break was over . And he knew he wasn't the only one of the three worried and by the looks of Hawk he was also worried.

...... ...... ..

Running up to catch Demetri she ask him if he can come over to her house to help her pack . Smiling as he agrees she discreetly turns around to give Miguel and Robby a thumbs up. Giggling went Demetri waves a goodbye , and Miguel and Robby try to act discreetly as if they unaware of Sam's idea 

.It was cute , she was glad that both Robby and Miguel got along now . Realising they have stuff in common decideding to have a truce , Now they were friends . Both were big softies , funny and loyal the plus side they were Hot .

The three agreed Sam would be the one to talk to Demetri . Knowing her and Demetri was more closer , He was the one who helped her deal with her panic attacks . She helped him with his feelings for a certain Mohawk boy , although she didn't understand why him . But she guessed know one would be good enough for her Demetri . She loved him like a brother.

Don't get her wrong she loved her little brother but her and  Demetri understood each other.  Thats why she had to get the bottom of the problem .

" Is it cold in Okinawa ? ,  just in case take a couple sweaters and coats . Better safe than sorry right . "

As Demetri pulled out her clothes , she decided  it was the right time to ask .

" Dem , you know you can tell me anything right , even if it's bad . Im ... We are worried about you and its not just today that we noticed . I just want you to know that i got your back "

" I know , I just ... I been having problems with my mother . She doesn't understand why I forgived Hawk , so I tried to not bring up anything around her . She's usually not around , so I invited Hawk over , we were playing video games and catching up . Guess who decided to show up at the moment Eli tries to kiss me "

Her heart broke watching her friend struggle , he paces around the room and she knows Demetri is trying not to break down . She goes up to him and hold his hand .

" It was so embarrising , she threw a fit saying I was ruining my life . kicked out Eli , wouldn't be surprised he didn't want talk to me again . Said pretty much I'm a disgrace to keep it short . I'm sorry  "

 

She hugs him as tight as she could , she got teary eyed hearing Demetri cry . She was so thankful for having her parents , it wasn't fair people had to go through .

" You don't have to be sorry ok , She's wrong she doesn't know you the way we do . You can stay with us today , and if hawk doesn't speak to you I know Robby and Miguel will knock some sense into him . "

Later that night her Dad tells her about including Demetri to the vacation . She tells him he's the best dad ever . She goes to bed listening to Demetri talk about Hawk message and the plans to the trip .

..... ...... ....

At first it was confusing and hard to adjust to her parents being divorce but once realise she realised they  were both  happier with other people . She came to terms with it , she got to talk to Miguel and Robby about their parent dating each other .

Miguel was glad her mom was happy with someone that knew how to cherish her the way she deserved . Robby wasn't mad or bothered that his dad and her dad were now dated . He just didn't like how he would constantly see his dad flirt with her dad .

When Johnny had accidently called his father Bambi in front of the class , he saw the way the blonde tried to get her father to forgive him all day  . She thought Mr . Lawrence wasn't bad after all.

Carmen and Johnny was a nice addition to the family , she gets to spend time more with Robby and Miguel .

...... .......

 

Miguel was excited to wake up as 4 : 00 in the morning and wait for sensei to pick him up . He never thought he would ever go to the trip with Mr. LaRusso . His mom was also going with them , the best part he was going with his friends too .

Saying Goodbye one last time to YaYa , he climbs inside the car saying hi to everyone . Falling asleep while sensei drives hoping they wouldn't crash .

" Were here , Everybody out ! Let's go ! . "

Walking up to the airport , as everyone follows their Sensei guiding them and telling them to keep an eye out for Mr LaRusso  . Turning to Hawk , he was surprised that his friend had managed to have energy to do his hair .

" This is going be fucking awesome dude , only sucks that we have to wake this early . "

" Yeah , we should thank Mr.LaRusso for inviting us and try not to start any fights with anyone meaning Sam or Robby . I know you dude . "

" Right , and I'm not the only that starts them , Who you crushing on now , pretty boy or the princess , or both "

Pushing hawk , as he says his comment with a smirk , He can't remember why he was friends with him now .

" Shut up , I don't know what your talking about . "

" Yeah and that why your blushing "

It only seemed right to flip him off and maybe push him to the floor if he didn't had found Mr. LaRusso and him mom .

" Sensei their over there , Oh My mom arrived to "  He told Sensei ,  pointing at the opposite direction , they all decided to  run towards them .

....... ....... .......

He think no one would ever get used to seeing both Senseis making out . They all showed their disagreement of the PDA even Amanda and Carmen were laughing for their childish behavior . Seeing as his dad signaling to the store the class showed their excitement as they cheered remembering Mr. LaRusso promise .

Robby didn't know what to decide on , the rest of the class had money their parents had given them . And he didn't want to ask Mr . LaRusso for money he had already bought him the ticket and clothes and not to include his suitcase .

" we can share something if you want , my Yaya gave  me extra money .  "

Turning to look at Miguel and Sam , He wanted to reject the idea but he guessed it wouldn't hurt .

" Hey pup get anything  LaRusso is paying , goes for you to Miguel . Keep an eye out on them little LaRusso . "

 

God his dad always had to embarrass him , he didn't mind him calling him that but in public was big No . And by the giggling of both Miguel and Sam they could tell he was blushing . He totally deserved some Oreos for this .

...... ..... ...

Everyone was vibrating with excitement as they got off the plane . Phone filled with selfies on the plane , Laughing along the random ideas to do in Okinawa . They couldn't wait for their adventure to start .

But then they lost Mr . LaRusso who was the only one that knew the place after they all got distracted because it seemed Hawks stupid products weren't here .

" Dude calm down , I think you could get some gel or whatever you use here too . "

" Miguel , I love you bro but right now I'm trying to find my shit . Hey ! What are you all laughing about  ! "

Once sensei had enough of the bickering , he told them to fall in line to find their missing Sensei  that was once spotted outside with two other people .

Waiting for a big cab for everyone to fit wasn't the best but as they were driven to their location . They were all memorized by the beauty , it seem like no picture can capture the beauty of it . Well not to Sensei apparently he rather look at the beauty of Mr . LaRusso.

He had to admit that was the best line he had heard from his Sensei .  He liked how everyone was smiling and Laughing . He also totally noticed the blush on Hawk and Demetri as they both were sitting to close . He was totally going to tease hawk as payback .

 

Sidenote : Part 2 of the Okinawa trip AU. Sam , Robby , and Miguel Pov . Sam and Demetri sibling dynamic . Next is binary boyfriends moodboard . Excuse for my shitty writhing

[staytiny-angel]

War of Hearts

Chapter One

Rating: Mature

Main Pairing: Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch

Co-written with @riottbliss

Summary: Seth Rollins was once known as the Bad Boy Prince of MMA, now years after a career ending knee injury he's stepping into.the Octagon again not as a competitor but as his little sister's coach. Unfortunately for him the redhead across the cage from he and Paige is not only woman he'd just had a one night stand with but the younger sister and protege of the Finn Balor...the man that ended Seth's career.

Warnings: MMA style violence, Alcoholism, Implied Self-Harm (DM for details), Depression, Angst with a Happy Ending

Hunter Hearst Helmsley, or professionally known by Triple-H sighed with embarrassment, reading tweet after tweet from his youngest son Seth Rollins.

"What happened to him?" His best friend and practically brother Shawn Michaels asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Cody took him out of the press conference, Seth's hungover, blaming everyone but himself"

Shawn shook his head, "Kid is letting the hype go to his brain. He's all over TMZ, The Bad Boy Prince of MMA is what they call him"

"Seth is the best fighter in the world in his division. He's earned the cockiness but his lifestyle…." Hunter shook his head

Shawn made a disgusted sound. "Kid reminds me of me before I got my act together"

"Fatherhood is what made you get your act together. That won't work for Seth" Hunter clicked on a video of his drunken son yelling into a camera about Finn Balor that had gone viral last week.

"He talks so much shit about Balor being a low rent MacGregor, hell Seth acts more like Conor then Finn does."

Hunter sighed "He's turned this into a complete mess, I wouldn't be surprised if his team drops him."

"Hey, Dusty loved that kid, Dustin and Cody wouldn't release him until he stopped making them money"

Hunter nodded but looked nonetheless unthrilled.

"He keeps making excuses about everything. I'm this close to calling Steph"

Shawn nodded with agreement as the two entered Seth's penthouse, greeting a tired looking Cody Rhodes. "I can't do this anymore Hunter" he said in place of a normal greeting.

"You are not dropping him" Hunter said matter of factly.

"AEF is supposed to be for fighters that respect the sport, he fucks around and doesn't even show up to the gym" Cody said.

Hunter ignored him and went upstairs to where he could hear his youngest groaning in misery.

Hunter sighed as Seth looked up from the toilet he was practically hugging. "I'm twenty five, perfectly legal" he muttered, Hunter's gaze looking at the black and gold championship that laid discarded.

"While ago you would have treated that with respect" He said, Seth rolling his eyes. "Would you rather me puke on it? It's just a fucking belt' "

"Don't let anyone hear you say that" Hunter said lowly. "You're going to the weigh in today even if I have to drag you by your hair there myself"

"No the fuck I'm not, don't you see me dyin' here?" Seth whined "I'm going to fucking sleep"

"What the fuck happened to you?!" Hunter yells "Every since your Uncle Shane became your manager this is what you've turned into."

Seth looked unfazed. "Don't get angry because I'm better than you ever were" and shoved his father out of his way, flipping off Cody, and ignoring Shawn.

"What am I going to do with him?" Hunter sighed, exhausted.

"Knock his ass out?" Shawn suggested. "I'll take care of him" Cody rolled his eyes. "Britt and I will make sure he gets to the weigh in. I just need painkillers and food"

"I'm gonna go talk to Shane, I want to know what kind of garbage he's been filling my kid's head with" Hunter mutters

"I told you listening to Vince was a mistake." Shawn replies shaking his head "All of you let Vince snow you into thinking it was embarrassing that his mother managed him"

Hunter sighed. "I don't know what to do. I don't want to drag Steph back, Shane has a tight grip on him"

"Worry about that fuckface later" Shawn said. "Seth needs you, not him" Hunter nodded firmly, making his way downstairs to see Seth passed out on his couch, his dog Kevin and cat Daryl laying on him.

"This was our compromise" Cody explained. "I let him take a nap, he goes to the weigh in later"

"He isn't going to beat Balor in this condition. He doesn't spar anymore and his knee has been inflamed for weeks" Britt says quietly

"He shouldn't even be fighting. We told Shane but he says there's too much money at stake for Seth to pull out"

"Money money money"' Shawn mocked. "All he cares about is fucking printed paper"

Hunter ignored them and instead chose to brush back some of Seth's hair, his son unconsiously responding to it. "What did I do wrong raising him?" he asked. Hunter rolls his eyes at the look his older brother gave him "The truth" he says quietly

"No offense bro, but this family is a whole fucking lot to live up to and you weren't exactly shy about your expectations once Seth showed an aptitude for the sport. None of us were. I have to even ask myself, when was the last time any of us actually had a conversation with the kid that wasn't about fighting?"

"He's cracking underneath the pressure" Cody chimes in

"Yeah, he is and now Shane is filling his head with all these ideas about the image he should project" Shawn continues "Quiet guys who, play with their dogs and write poetry when their not in the Octagon don't sell tickets, but Bad Boys sure the fuck do."

*Later*

Seth scowled at his phone as Britt ushered him into the arena the weigh was taking place in. "I'm assuming you told the press he was gonna bail?" Cody growled at Shane who held his hands up. "They were gonna find out sooner or later" "Yeah yeah, no press is bad press" Seth said.

"Except the press says you're an asshole" Cody deadpanned. "Don't do anything stupid up there, or Mark is going to have a stroke" Seth didn't respond, instead heading up the stairs to the stage, where Balor had clearly made weight, despite being skinny. Seth took off his shirt per usual, standing on the scale.

"197 pounds" The announcer said, Seth smirking at Balor. The Irish man looked unfazed and rolled his eyes. Seth, in a act of annoyance, promptly flipped him off, hearing everyone in the crowd either laugh or groan

-Backstage -

"Gonna be fun beating your ass Balor, I promise not to hurt you too badly," Seth says cockily, slouching in a chair and putting his sunglasses back on.

"Oh, Rolly its almost time to give up your precious" Finn responds, "Clock is ticking boyo and your time is almost up"

"Mon roi, nous devons-oh shit" a pake woman walked up, speaking rapid French and stopping in her place when she saw Seth.

"Hey Seth" she said coldly.

"Vi" Seth responded, his attitude gone.

"He your king now?" "Surprised you even remember any French, from what I read, you've drank yourself through everything"

"It's what happens when you give your heart to someone and get it ripped in half, I wasn't enough for you, that's what you said right? I wasn't straight enough for you?! So you threw my ring in my face and left" Seth yelled "Cause Bisexual people, we're all cheaters didn't you know?"

At least according to Violet Gillath, wait I'm sorry Violet Balor now isn't it?."

"Stop it" Finn growled. "Before I knock your ass out now"

"Try it bitch" Seth snarled back.

Violet got between them and shoved Seth back. "Chaton, stop" she hissed.

Seth stumbled upon hearing his old nickname. "Why?" he choked out. "What did I do?"

Seth shook his head as if to shake his thoughts into place "Why Violet? Why did you leave me? You...you fucking broke me" he said in a small voice "I have the right to know why, just tell me. Why would you do that after everything. I was going to quit fighting for you because you didn't like seeing what it was turning me into. You get up on stage and you still sing my songs, but you said you hated me. I just wanna know."

Violet crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "I didn't want to be with you. You never signed anything so legally those songs are mine. I said what I meant, you weren't enough"

Seth looked like she had rebroken his heart.

Thankfully Britt walked in. "Hey, we gotta go"

Seth grabbed his title and held it to Finn. "This is mine. You can keep that bitch but you will never get this"

-Backstage-

"I've never known you to be biphobic, wanna explain to me why Rollins is convinced you are?" Finn said sitting down in his locker room with his wife a few minutes later.

"His uncle...manager, that bastard Shane got me my record deal in exchange for breaking Seth's heart" Violet told her husband "Seth hates fighting, he was going to quit and go on the road with me. He can't sing a note but he writes and plays guitar. We were going to be a duo. Shane was watching his cash cow walk out the door. So he threatened me and made an offer. Seth was the sweetest thing and he loved me and I broke his heart and let Shane turn him into that"

"If I could go back in time and slap him across the face I would but I can't" Violet said brokenly. "Shane has made it perfectly clear that if I ever tell him that he would ruin both our careers"

Finn hugged her to him. "I'm still gonna kick his ass" Violet slapped his arm. "Please try not to" Finn shrugged. "I'm undefeated"

"You know Seth is too. And the thing with being undefeated is that there's only one way down, being kicked off the mountain"

-Next Day-

Seth was throwing up again having had drank himself to sleep following his encounter with his ex.

Cody looked extremely tired and Britt concerned. "You have to fight in an hour!" Cody yelled out

"I don't fucking care." Seth yelled back "I don't even want to fucking fight." He muttered to himself, as he rubbed at his knee. "Come on fucking give already." He whispered to the inflamed appendage.

He knew what he was doing was dangerous but it was his only way out. If his knee would just give up the fucking ghost, he could quit this bullshit once and for all.

"Your sisters are out there tonight" Britt said, walking in, holding a brace.

"I really don't care" Seth growled, letting Britt put his knee in it.

"And your mom' Britt added. Seth took a breath when Britt touched his knee.

"Holy shit, it feels like its burning"

We're letting you go after tonight" Cody said angrily. "I don't care if you win or not, you've ruined All Elite Fighting's reputation"

"I don't care, I never wanted to be in your shitty gym anyway" Seth shrugged. "I'm going to get changed"

[soopersara]

Day 7: Easier

Read it on FFN | AO3

@zutaraweek

When Zuko arrives at the Western Air Temple, he tries to reconcile with Katara. Which involves doing lots of chores.

The first time Zuko tried to help Katara with chores, she threw him out of the kitchen. Literally. He had to admit that it was a little impressive. He was taller and heavier than her, and yet she managed to grab him by the collar and toss him out the door like it was nothing.

“Stay away from the food,” she ordered, pointing a ladle down at his nose. “I don’t know what kind of stunt you’re trying to pull, jerkface, but I’m not falling for it.”

Zuko gaped. “What could I possibly be trying to do? I’m offering to help you with supper.”

Katara snorted and crossed her arms. “Right. And I’m secretly King Bumi’s long-lost twin.”

Zuko scrambled to his feet and brushed himself off. “I know how to cook.” He wasn't good at it by any means, but he knew how to boil rice and roast meat well enough to not make himself sick. That was enough to start with. He would learn the rest as he went.

“Funny,” she said flatly. “But no. I don’t need your help.”

“You’re trying to keep eight people fed. Wouldn’t it be easier if—”

“No!” Katara snapped. “For all I know, you’ll try to poison us all.”

He threw his hands up. “With what?”

Her eyes narrowed and Zuko felt himself flush. Okay, maybe that was the wrong thing to say. But she and Sokka hadn’t exactly been subtle about searching through his belongings. She had to know how woefully unprepared he was for—well, everything.

“Listen,” he tried again. “I know you don’t trust me, but I’m not going to hurt anyone. I need to eat too. You can make me your poison tester if that makes you feel any better.”

“No thank you,” she said, planting her hands on her hips. “I already told you, I don’t need your help. Because—” she fumbled for the end of the sentence until Haru came into sight down the hallway. “Because Haru already offered to help me.”

The earthbender looked up in surprise. “I did?”

Zuko rolled his eyes, but that didn’t seem to dissuade Katara. She grabbed Haru by the arm and hauled him toward the kitchen. “Yep.”

“Okay, but what am I helping with? Because I really don’t remember—”

Katara shoved him through the door and shot a look back at Zuko. “See? It’s all under control. Now stay out of the kitchen.”

-

When he offered to help with the dishes, Katara scoffed at him and dragged Aang off toward the kitchen. When he tried to start the cooking fire for her, she pushed him aside and yelled for Teo to try his new fire-starting invention. When Sokka sauntered into the temple with three dead rabbit-squirrels in hand, Zuko offered to help clean them, and Katara shoved the carcasses back to her brother. When Appa’s saddle needed a fresh coat of waterproofing oil, Katara didn’t give Zuko time to volunteer before enlisting The Duke for the job. It was almost becoming a system. Any time that Katara had a chore to do, Zuko volunteered his services, and Katara recruited the nearest person who wasn’t Zuko to help in his place.

Maybe it would have been easier to give up. Katara clearly wanted nothing to do with him, and as much as that bothered him, he couldn’t blame her. But Zuko didn’t like being idle, and there was always plenty of work to be done around the temple. He couldn’t help that most of it fell to Katara. He wanted to help, either way.

So Zuko kept trying. Giving up wasn’t in his nature anyway.

-

Katara hauled an oversized sack out onto the temple’s main terrace. “Laundry day!” she announced. “Who’s helping?”

“I can,” Zuko said. By now, it was becoming a reflex.

“Not you.” Katara looked around.

Zuko followed her gaze, but he already knew that the terrace was practically empty. Aang and Teo had taken The Duke for a glide around the valley, and Sokka and Haru had disappeared at dawn for some “bro time,” whatever that meant.

“Toph!” Katara said, voice bright with relief. “Come on, let’s go take care of this laundry.”

Toph shoved a finger up her nose, sightless eyes staring somewhere to Katara’s right. “Nice try, Sugar Queen.”

“Toph, please. You’ve hardly done anything to help since we got here.”

Toph shrugged. “So? If you want help with laundry, you’re barking up the wrong tree, Sweetness.” She waved a hand in front of her face. “Blind girl, remember? I can’t see the stains you like to get your panties in a twist over.”

Katara glanced down at the sack of dirty clothes, and Zuko could see the desperation building in her eyes. “Please, Toph. I’ll do all the scrubbing. This is going to take all day if I don’t have help.”

With a yawn, Toph stretched and stood up. “No can do. I’ve gotta throw rocks at Aang and Haru as soon as they get back.” She bumped Katara’s shoulder on her way past. “I thought I heard someone volunteer for laundry duty. But hey, it’s none of my business.”

-

When they came to the pebbly bank of the river, Katara dropped the laundry bag and scowled at him. “I don’t trust you.”

He frowned. “I don’t see what trust has to do with laundry. What do you think I’m going to do, wash things wrong?”

Katara sputtered and scowled and made all manner of enraged noises, but in the end, it seemed that she couldn’t really argue with him. Untrustworthy cooking was one thing, but even if Zuko poked holes in all their clothes, it couldn’t cause any of them real harm. Just annoyance.

Katara didn’t yell, but she did glower. “Here,” she said, tossing a smaller bag at him. “You’re on sock duty.” That had to be progress, at least.

He gagged a little when he opened the bag. How was it possible for socks to smell that bad?

Katara smirked. “Oh, did I forget to mention? Sokka’s socks are in there too. His feet smell worse than the Foggy Swamp.” She crouched and plunged a tunic into the river.

Zuko made a face and pinched his nose with one hand while he dumped the socks out. Once they were all submerged, he finally allowed himself to take a full breath again and set to work.

Katara shot a confused look in his direction. “Wait, you’re actually going to help?”

“Yes.” He scrubbed a gray woolen sock. It would take some time to settle into a rhythm, but already he could feel himself relaxing. He hadn’t had much to do outside of training Aang since he arrived, and it felt good to work again.

For a long, quiet moment, Katara stared at him, brows lowered as though in thought. But then she huffed. “Why are you doing this? Isn’t washing clothes below your royal concern?”

Zuko shook his head. “I lived as a refugee for months. I had to wash my own clothes.”

Stooping to dig through the bag, Katara scoffed. “So that’s why your clothes were falling apart in the Earth Kingdom?”

“Yes,” Zuko answered. He’d gotten better after the first few times, but by then the damage was done, and his angry, overzealous scrubbing had worn his dingy brown outfit to rags.

There was an expression he didn’t recognize in Katara’s eyes, and for an instant, he couldn’t help but think of Ba Sing Se again. She frowned, turning her attention back to her own washing.

-

Things didn’t change immediately. Zuko didn’t expect them to. He kept volunteering to help, and more often than not, Katara found someone else to take his place. He still wasn’t allowed in the kitchen—Katara didn’t accuse him of trying to poison them anymore, but she was still wary about letting him near their food. It still seemed silly to him, but Zuko carefully stayed at least three paces away from the door at all times.

But when no one else offered to help, she gradually turned from outright rejection to grudging acceptance. Now that she finally had help—whether it came from Zuko or one of the others who didn’t run the other way fast enough—she was unwilling to part with it. Zuko helped her with laundry, then with brushing Appa, then with scrubbing the temple bathrooms. And after a few days, it turned into a sort of a rotation. For every chore Katara passed off to one of her friends, Zuko took over another.

-

“Time to wash dishes,” she declared after lunch. “Whose turn is it?”

The others all grumbled, and Zuko straightened. “I could,” he answered reflexively.

“Okay.”

Zuko hunched his shoulders, looking down. Then he actually understood what Katara had said. “Wait, what?”

-

The kitchen was much like every other room in the temple—walls of pale gray stone and high, lofty ceilings. Except for the ovens and the stoves and the sink, and the fact that Zuko had never set foot in this room before.

They both hesitated at the door, Katara staring back at him and Zuko still not sure whether it was okay to cross the threshold. He could see the hesitance in her stance, in her eyes.

“You didn’t mean to say yes to this, did you?” he asked quietly.

She shook her head slightly, then fixed her face into a scowl. “Well—the dishes need to be done. So—” She made a little noise of frustration. “—So don’t try anything funny, understood?”

He nodded, and she grudgingly waved him in.

Katara gave him a strange look when he set to work on the dishes. “Do you enjoy this or something?” She narrowed her eyes.

“What do you mean? Helping?”

“If that’s what you call it.”

Zuko swallowed, staring at the dishwater as he worked. “I don’t know. It’s easier than doing nothing.” He thought he saw Katara rolling her eyes, but she didn’t stop him. “I know how badly I screwed up. I can’t fix what I did, but helping—helps.” He shrugged.

She raised an eyebrow. “So, washing dishes? You got excited about washing dishes?”

“It’s better than washing Sokka’s swamp socks.”

Katara laughed, then clapped a hand over her mouth, wide-eyed. “I’m not laughing,” she said, words muffled by her hand. “That—that wasn’t funny.” But her eyes crinkled at the corners, and Zuko gave her a small smile in return. This wasn’t much, but it was a start.

-

Author’s Note:

A little later in the day than I wanted to have this done, but here it is! The final day of my first-ever Zutara Week! (I’m about five minutes away from falling asleep right now, so… apologies if I stop making any sense whatsoever. I proofread the story, but I make no promises for these notes.)

Yay! I really didn’t expect to finish all seven prompts, but I’m so glad I did! This was a great experience, and I’ve loved all the feedback I’ve gotten so far! You’re all amazing!

Ummm… what else? For anyone who’s curious, the only prompt that I’m actually planning on expanding into a larger fic at this point is Day 2: Speak (the Blutara one). I’m not saying none of the others will ever see the light of day again, but that’s the only one where I have something resembling an idea for a larger plot. BUT, that will be released as a separate fic, not as updates to the existing one (and I have no idea when I’m going to start it, so have patience). Otherwise, I’m going to be getting back to work on A Tale of Ice and Smoke (after taking LOTS of naps… and throwing myself a planning party to figure out the next several chapters), so if you enjoyed my one-shots, maybe consider checking that out? I’m excited about it, at least.

Yeah, that’s about all I can think of at the moment. Love you all, comments are much appreciated, and this week has been an absolute blast!

[thymika]

The Weight of a Crown 3: Bubble World

I was never fond of diaries until I wrote the first word into this notebook. A diary is something most girls carry around, it's usually a pink notebook with a bunch of notes about their prince charming. They protect their diary with their lives and lose their minds if someone reads it. I'm personally sharing this diary with all of you for different reasons. Our world is filled with heroes, those that have flashy superpowers and otherworldly strength. Many can fly, are agile, shoot arrows with perfection, and others are simply gifted. A hero isn't defined by their ability to carry a car over their shoulders or be able to destroy a meteorite. A hero can simply be an ordinary person, with an ordinary job, and with no superpowers. That's why I'm writing this diary, to possibly convey a message of inspiration.

I'm not going to lie; Yes, I also have my princess charming, and also write stupid things for no reason. I'm a mortal, what do you expect? This diary might be for inspirational purposes, but this is still my diary and I have every right to write my own nonsense. I'm just trying to be funny, bear with me...

Continuing with my story, it's time for a little bit of history. For thousands of years, our country Emerald Woodland has been divided into two sections. Recently, it has been officially stated that the North and South are separate countries, both carrying the same name with the exception of each side having the title North, or South. The North is filled with darkness because they abandoned their nature as Moon Elves. The South is where the good guys live, or that's how I used to call it. The Tree of Life is located near the Moon Lake, which is sort of in between the North and the South. My great grandfather decided that the Moon Lake belongs to us Moon Elves, therefore the Tree of Life and Moon Lake are still inside our Southern territory.

Now that I have explained some boring facts about my country, we can move on. My life was surrounded by every sort of luxury. As a royal child, my siblings and I led comfortable lives inside the palace at the Tree of Life. Suffering was something that never crossed my mind. Yes, I struggled because I am not the perfect son, but none was compared to the pain I witnessed at the young age of seven. I held tight on to Karina's hand till she stopped crying. We were exposed to some sunlight because I remember seeing Karina's damped face and reddened eyes. Her hands trembled and were cold. I felt helpless, unable to fight back or do anything to make her feel better. Uncertainty was waiting, and danger as well. I grabbed her face and quickly kissed her left cheek, close to her lips. The surprised girl widened her eyes and immediately stopped trembling. I did it without thinking, without analyzing the situation. With all the innocence in the world, she smiled at me and I couldn't resist the urge to smile back. Yes, we were scared and sad, but during those seconds, we felt happy.

The car stopped, and we felt how the sack was lifted and thrown somewhere. Our legs crashed against a hard surface, and both groaned and cried in pain. Someone opened the sack and a hand grabbed me by my hair. He pulled me up till I felt like my hair was ripping off from my head. The man threw me inside a dirty cage, Karina was treated equally and the man slammed her against my body. I felt dizzy from the impact, and slowly tried to regain my conscience. Our cage was hanging from a chain attached to the ceiling, there were other kids in cages. Some were crawling on the floor like dogs, they had thick collars around their neck. I couldn't comprehend the situation, the panic was swallowing me and taking over my body. I heard howls and screeches from the neighboring kids, the smell was pungent and triggered my stomach. I wanted to get out as soon as possible. I turned to Karina, expecting some sort of comfort, but she looked as if she had given up. "We have to get out of here," I said, pulling from her wrist, "it's too late," "what? Too late for what? We can't stay here!" "They won't let us out. These people do bad things to children."

I grasped on to the bars of the cage and shook them, "let us go!" I yelled, but nobody came to rescue us. Karina pulled me from my shirt and frowned, "no one will help us!" "Someone should," "no one cares!" "People should care! There are kids everywhere!" She stared at me for a moment and then slowly lowered her head, "not everyone does—" My world suddenly collapsed. Everything I learned at home wasn't entirely true. Not everyone was nice, not all said please and thank you. Not everyone was polite and mindful of others. That's when I realized that there were bigger things that I didn't understand despite my years of reading hundreds of books. I was living in a bubble far away from the real world.

I held on to Karina's trousers and replied, "but I care." I remember her stare, her eyes twinkled with some sort of hope. There were humans, orcs and some others which I couldn't recognize, kids from all over were stuck in cages like us. A human boy swung his cage and said, "whoever gets out from here wins." I didn't understand his words, therefore I leaned over and said, "how do we get out?" "Those guys will pick someone and take us out, eventually," "really?" "Yep. It's like being adopted, they take the best-behaved kid. We should behave." The rest of the kids smiled and stayed still. I didn't understand what he meant back then, but now I do. He was the eldest of the group and wanted to calm the younger kids who were struggling. Our situation was no game, and no one was being adopted. Somehow, we played along due to our innocence and managed to stay positive through our difficulties.

The room was flooded with smelly red and black paint; now I understand it wasn't paint, but my mind couldn't wrap the thought of blood surrounding all of us. I kept playing along with the kids and we all sang songs and told jokes. One little Orc said that he wanted to be a police officer like his father. A nightcrawler said that she wouldn't like to work, an elf like me said that he wanted to be an astronaut. The human boy who was the eldest said, "I want to be a hero," "why?" I asked, "heroes are never afraid," "heroes can sometimes be afraid," "yeah, but they do their best to keep smiling for the sake of others." I didn't think much of it, but it made me feel better, "what about you? What do you want to be?" I thought for a moment, then replied, "a strong king," "king? That's nice. What about you?" He pointed his finger at Krina, "me?" "Yeah, you," "I want to be happy," "that's a boring answer!" All of the kids laughed.

Our little moment of joy immediately vanished when a man suddenly entered the room. He had a mask over his face and wore strange-looking clothes. He approached one of the cages and abruptly took one of the kids out, the one who wanted to be a hero. I closed my eyes as I heard how he was being punched. He was dragged into the next room and his screams eventually became silent. I was petrified and tears began to roll down my face.

I looked up and stared at the ceiling. There was a ring attached to it, but the ring had a little opening. The chain that held our cage had a possibility of being tilted over if we could somehow separate the chain from the ring. I swung my body until the cage freed itself from the ceiling, we then crashed against the floor. We were surprised and got hurt, but as expected the cage opened by itself. Karina immediately ran towards the exit, I grabbed her arm and stopped her, "wait! Karina!" "What? They will get us!" "Let's help them first!" She stared at me in amazement and then agreed to help me. We opened every cage and freed the children from their cages. An Orc stepped down from his enclosure and hugged me tightly, "thanks bro," he said. The nightcrawler did so too, and some others. They weren't any different from the kids back home. I did not understand why the grownups couldn't have peace with neighboring countries, and why they hated Orcs and nightcrawlers so much. My innocent mind saw those kids as kids, and I didn't label them as anything else.

We left soon after, but I had this strange feeling hanging around, "Estes, what's wrong?" Karina asked, "I don't think I want to be king—" "why not?" "I would... like to be a hero," "hero?" "You saw how amazing that was? We saved those kids!" I was all excited and couldn't stop jumping all over the place. I really wanted to become a hero like the boy who appeared to be having fun. I won't forget that boy, he really gave me hope and cheered me up despite everything.

I fondled Karina's hair and said, "since I will become a hero, I can protect you too!" "M... me?" "Yeah, you said you are running away, didn't you?" "Mhm—" "that means... I can help you out," "how?" "Come and live with me!" "Really?" She smiled brightly, "I have this big room and a big bed and—" I suddenly remembered that she was a girl. I swallowed my words and flushed red in an instant, "and... and, well! I have plenty of space." I did stutter like a loser, but that didn't bother her at all. Karina smiled at me and I gave her a crooked grin, it seems like she noticed my funny expression because she kept on giggling here and there.