#give Ody a hug man-

[sera8273]

Whenever I think back on Odysseus Doxxing himself to Polyphemus in Remember Them, I can’t help but feel pity for the man.

Now from an outsiders POV it just seems like Arrogance and pride which isn’t entirely wrong.

But when you look at it from Odysseus POV it’s more than that.

Polites, One of Ody Best (Childhood) Friend who was practically his light just died in an instant. He couldn’t save him, couldn’t warn him. He.just.died.

He couldn’t even process or mourn because his Second in command- his Brother is looking at him in a terrified manner because, oh yeah! He and his men (43?) are in the cave that has a Cyclops that’ll kill them off one by one who is also blocking the exit!

They can’t kill him bc he’s blocking the exit but the Lotus Fruit that Ody snuck in the wine will eventually wear off. So they have to blind him if they’re gonna escape.

But! They realize that there’s more! So now, without alerting any of the cyclops, Odysseus has to get Himself, his men, and the sheep outside the cave as quickly and quietly as possible.

Without any sort of warning however he’s thrusted into Quick Thought by his mentor, Athena, who -with no explanation- tells him that he has to kill the blinded cyclops who would most likely get more men, if not all, killed while also alerting the other Cyclops and most likely Gods and Godesses.

Now to point out. Odysseus is not keen with murder or death and chooses to avoid the most safest options available if it means the safety for his crew.

But at this point. He’s stressed, Terrifired, Tired, Sad-

And most importantly

Angry.

So him basically doxxing himself was literally just Ody saying to Athena “Look! Look! He’s not killing us! Is he? No! He’s not! Murder isn’t the solution to every little thing! Ok! Ok!” Why? Because he’s so tired and just wants to get home.

[jarondont]

odysseus appreciation post

thank you for your time

[ashtheketchum]

NSFW alphabet Daryl Dixon

A/N: I don´t really have a smut right now, so I just post this- Maybe I will write such alphabets more often, but with other characters, let's see :D

Warnings: +18 CONTENT, GN.Reader

Masterlist!

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A(ftercare: How are they after the sex?):

Daryl actually always takes care of you after you two had sex. He cleans you up, kisses you, and gives your some of his clean clothes. Sometimes he even kisses your entire body from top to bottom again before forcing you to go to the bathroom. (He read somewhere that you should always go to the bathroom after having sex).

B(ody part: Their favourite body part):

If Daryl had to choose one body part that he finds most attractive, he would choose your thighs. He loves grabbing them, he loves massaging them, and he loves when you vage his head between your thighs.

Your favorite part of Daryl's body is either his arms or his slim waist. His arms are well-trained and it feels nice when he holds you in them. Even in public, you sometimes can't help but hug his upper arms or just put your hand on them. You just love that his waist is so slim. Broad shoulders, broad chest and slim hips. Sometimes when you hug each other, you wrap your arms around his waist instead of his neck.

C(um: Everything that has to do with cumming):

Daryl doesn't come inside you (whether you're a man or a woman). He knows the risks all too well and therefore only comes on your body or in a condom. At first he always pulled out before he came, but sometimes he stole condoms from Glenn.

D(irty Secret):

I'll go with the classics and say that Daryl has often imagined fucking you on his motorcycle. He would simply drive out with you, somewhere where you are alone and where it is safe, and then he would fuck you on the motorcycle. Daryl also sometimes felt more comfortable outside of the group, after all, he spent half of his childhood outside, in nature.

E(xperience: How much experience do they have?):

I don't think Daryl has no experience at all. After all, he had Merle as a brother and he either talked about sex or drugs. (Sometimes maybe some racist things too, I don't know-). So he knows the basics, but he's open to knowing more.

F(avourite position: In which position do they like to fuck you the most?):

Daryl actually likes almost any position, but he prefers the positions where he can see your face. He wants to see your face change, twist with pleasure. That just turns him on even more. So if he had to choose, it would be either missionary or cowgirl. Since Daryl also likes to touch you, he always wants to touch your thighs or ass, massage them, or sometimes even pinch them.

G(oofy: Are they humorous?):

Daryl isn't humorous in other situations, so why is he humorous during sex? He thinks that sex is something special between two people and he doesn't want to ruin it, especially with you. Besides, Daryl would be too caught up in the lust and the feeling that he wouldn't even think about being humorous.

H(air: Are they shaved?):

Pfff, please- Daryl doesn't cut his hair, so why should he shave his body? If it really bothers you that he has pubic hair, he'll trim his hair a little, but that's all he does. He doesn't understand the point of it. And of course, Daryl doesn't care if you´re shaved or not. You should do what you feel comfortable with. "Ya think a lil' hair can scare me awa'? I kill fuckin' walker, darlin´…"

I(ntimacy: Are they romantic during the sex?):

Unfortunately, Daryl doesn't know much about how to be really romantic during sex… He once asked Carol for advice, but he didn't really learn anything from it. But he tries to make you feel good and comfortable. He kisses you passionately, sometimes lights a few candles to make the atmosphere more romantic, and he also gives you flattering compliments.

J(erk off: Do they masturbate a lot?):

Daryl never saw sex and masturbation as necessary. Before he had you, he masturbated maybe once a month, and even since he had you, you haven't had sex very often. When you were just friends, however, he had put his hand on you more often (maybe once a week, or so-).

K(ink: What turns them on?):

Daryl loves getting compliments. He may not be good at taking them, but when you compliment him on how good he makes you feel or how good he looks- dude, this man goes crazy!

L(ocation: Where do they prefer to do it?):

Even though Daryl sometimes dreams of fucking you on his motorcycle, he prefers it when you two have sex in a private room. So his bedroom or your bedroom.

M(otivation: What puts them in the mood?):

Daryl gets a turn on when you can fight or defend yourself. I think everyone can agree with me when I say that Daryl likes people who are strong and can survive in the nature, so when he sees you hunting for food or killing a walker, he feels a little tingle in his lower abdomen.

N(o: What would they never do?):

Besides the fact that he would never hurt you, Daryl would never fuck you in public. He would love to do it with you in the deep woods, but not in Alexandria behind your house or on the walls. It would be far too uncomfortable and embarrassing for him if someone caught you two. In the deep woods, Daryl can at least see everything clearly and he also knows places that hardly anyone would pass by.

O(ral: Do they prefer to give or to receive?):

Daryl prefers to give it to you. Not that he doesn't enjoy it when you give him a blowjob, but your well-being is his number one priority.

P(ace: How fast do they like it?):

For Daryl, it depends on the mood. If you had a romantic evening and everything was relaxed, you have slow and passionate sex. But if you both really want to let off steam, you have hard and fast sex.

Q(uickie: Their opinion about quickies?)

Even if Daryl doesn't enjoy them, he accepts that you sometimes have to have them. He is an important part of the group and therefore doesn't always have time for sex. But he prefers it when you can take your time with sex.

R(isk: Do they sometimes take risks?):

No, no, no, no! Be it the risk of being caught by walkers or by humans, he wants to avoid both.

S(tamina: How is the stamina?):

Daryl has very good stamina, but he sticks to your stamina when it comes to sex. He could definitely last 4 rounds, maybe more. (Depending on his mood, sometimes more.)

T(oy: Do they use toys?):

Daryl doesn't understand the point of a toy. He also doesn't see the point in risking his life for a plastic dildo or vibrator. He can satisfy you just as well, if not even better.

U(nfair: Do they tease you sometimes?):

Daryl really wants to make you feel as good as he feels, but sometimes he changes his pace from fast and hard to slow and gentle. He enjoys the way your face twists in frustration, but he also quickly releases you by changing his pace from slow and gentle to fast and hard again.

V(olume: How loud are they?):

Daryl just growls and sighs quietly. On very rare occasions he whimpers loudly, but these moments are very rare. If you want him to be louder during sex, you will unfortunately have to talk to him about it.

W(ild card: A random headcanon about them):

Daryl loves it when you give him attention. But not too much and not in public. Play with his hair, massage his shoulders, kiss his face or just sit with him and hug him tightly. He then feels incredibly comfortable and loved and very often you end up having sex. Plus points if you hold him close to you during sex or gently pull on his hair.

X(x-rey: How long are they down there?):

Nah, now... let´s be serious... I have seen many, MANY pictures where you can clearly see that he is not small! His dick is probably 8 inches long (20 cm), very thick around the base and he also has some strong veins that you can see when there is a lot of blood flow through them.

Y(earining: How high is their sexual drive?):

Not very high. Daryl has a way of accumulating everything. He could survive several months without sex and have no problems, but as soon as you become sexually active again, he lets it all out.

Z(zzz: How fast do they fall asleep after it?):

Daryl never falls asleep after sex. He takes care of you, makes you comfortable, and then watches you sleep or goes back to work.

[fangirlofallthefanthings]

heard you have headcanons on ody and dio meeting again after he returns. how does that go? how does penelope feel?

Ooooo!!! Boy, do I have ideas [insert shakey turtle of excitement here]

So, it's a little bit complicated, and I don't want to give too much away since it relates to what I'm currently working on, BUT!

I GOT YOU, FAM!

Basically: after Diomedes gets kicked out of Argos (it's very sad, the poor man), he realizes he has nowhere else to go except literally anywhere but the Eastern Mediterranean. So, he sets off for Hesperia (aka modern Italy) to start a new life there. But in this time of heartbreak, he's missing Odysseus even more (they had a sad goodbye on Crete; it's a long story), and he decides to stop at Ithaca on the way to get some supplies and maybe visit Ody. But when he gets there, he finds that Ody is MIA and Penelope is running things. So he hangs out for a while and gets to know Pen and Telemachus (who is about 11 or 12 by this point), and quickly figures out why Ody would talk about her literally any chance he got. She's beautiful, yes, but she's also just as cunning and wise as Odysseus is... The same qualities Dio fell in love with. And Pen is curious about Dio, too. She's heard many stories and news about her husband's schemes with Dio, and she starts falling for him a bit, too. But Diomedes doesn't want to dishonor the Bro Code by getting with Penelope. Ody loves Penelope! Dio could never hurt Ody like that. So... He leaves. He says goodbye to Pen and Telemachus and heads off to Hesperia. He and Penelope wonder what could have been since they believe they will never see each other again.

BUT THEN ODY RETURNS TO ITHACA!!! YIPPEE!!! Diomedes hears this news, but he has his new city to run, so he doesn't return immediately. After a few years, though, he gets usurped and kicked out again, so he's like, "Welp. I have nowhere else to go," and he goes back to Ithaca. He and Ody reunite and there's hugs all around and it's really sweet. Dio soon finds that OdyPen had another kid, a daughter (I haven't figured out a name for her yet, but she's two when Dio shows up). This part of the story is very loose, but I do know they all put two and two together eventually (Odysseus is very happy about this as you can imagine lmao!) It's little slice of life stuff from there. A little hc I have about the three of them is that Dio teaches OdyPen's daughter how to box because she's a little firecracker and needs to get rid of excess energy somehow, but she can't stay still long enough to weave (plus she's really little and doesn't have the fine motor skills for that yet). Dio and Ody also work together to hone Telemachus's and Diodotus's skills (who Diodotus is... you'll know soon enough lmao). I also hc that Pen frequently tricks OdyDio into wrestling each other so she can watch for her own entertainment. She's just sitting to the side, eating her bowl of table grapes, enjoying the show okasdfhsdugif- I also hc that... Once OdyPen passes on, Diomedes leaves again. The kids don't want him to go, but he can't stay. He wants to honor Ody's wish for Tele to be king. If he stays, people will think he wants to take over. He doesn't want a war among Ody's people so... he leaves. He establishes one last city in Hesperia and feels his life coming to a close. He climbs a nearby cliff by the sea to enjoy the view, looking east. Then Athena shows up, and he accepts immortality. Sorry... Got sort of sad toward the end there, but that's a few things! I have a lot of thoughts, but I'm very scattered rn. If you have more specific questions, feel free to ask! I don't bite, I promise! :D

[matchabirb]

"Captain! Captain!!"

The crew needed their captain. He needed to get home.

Note: It's been a few weeks (I think??) since I posted the brainrot about Ody's trauma! As promised, here's the fic about it. The original plan was for it to be put in parts but I decided to just put it all as a single oneshot!

Total word count: 13.3k words

TW: Slightly graphic descriptions, blood, vomit, panic attacks, cursing, slight religious themes(?), spoilers for EPIC: The Musical Sagas, contains references to the actual Odyssey, themes of PTSD and Trauma. Viewer discretion HIGHLY advised.

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“Captain!” A voice called out from behind. Odysseus turned around to see his men boarding the ships they’ll be taking to Troy. A simple gesture of a head was all Odysseus needed to understand what the soldier was trying to tell him, “hurry it up please.” He gave a nod and turned back to his wife and son, who was just barely a few months old. 

He mustered up a somber smile and leaned in to give one final kiss to Penelope’s lips, but she moved her head to the side, avoiding the kiss with a sly smile. “When you get home,” she said, a teasing yet loving glint in those eyes that Odysseus always loved. He chuckled and nodded, playfully pouting as he was denied a kiss from his beloved. He leaned down to press a gentle kiss to Telemachus’s forehead, and he prayed to the gods above that this wouldn’t be the last time he’d be able to do this.

“It won’t be the last,” Athena reassured him, her voice echoing through his mind. Odysseus believed his friend wholeheartedly. Together, they’ll lead everyone and win this war.

He walked over to his younger sister, Ctimene, and his mother, who had just finished sending off Ctimene’s husband. Anticlea, his mother, had a sad smile on her face with tears in her eyes as she opened her arms for a hug. Odysseus didn’t hesitate. He went into his mother’s arms, embracing her tenderly as he did his best to comfort her crying. He felt Ctimene join the hug as well and the three stayed like that together for a while. He felt his mother’s hands gently patting down his messy hair, like she always did before. “When you come home, I’ll be waiting,” the woman promised her son, the same words her daughter told her husband. Odysseus smiled and looked at his mother in earnest, “I promise. I won’t take long.”

He heard quick approaching footsteps and turned to see his father, Laertes, followed by Eumaeus, a servant that was raised alongside him and his sister as equals. Odysseus gave a smile to the man who was like his brother, “Take care of the family, will you?” He told the swineherd, who smiled back despite the worry and concern evidently displayed on his face. The two men shared a silent promise together; one will keep everyone safe in Ithaca, and the other will come back as soon as possible. 

Odysseus then turned to Laertes, who patted him firmly on the shoulder, “Don’t venture too far, Ody. We both know your mother gets a heart attack when you do.” The older man smiled at his son, the same way he always did when Odysseus would leave to go hunting; the smile that conveyed all sorts of pride and love Laertes held for his children. “I promise,” Odysseus said for the second time as he gave his father a hug, both men pulling Eumaeus in not even a moment after.

With that, he turned around and headed to the docks, boarding the ship and making sure everything was in order. As he gave the command to start leaving, Odysseus can’t help but rush back to watch the shrinking form of his wife and the island. It hasn’t been an hour and he already missed home, missed Penelope, missed Telemachus, missed his mom, his dad, his family. 

“I’ll see you soon, everyone,” Odysseus murmured under his breath; another promise to reunite with everyone when the war was over.

“Ody!” A familiar, lighthearted voice called out from behind, and Odysseus felt an arm wrap around his shoulders. He turned his head and saw Polites, his dearest friend, one he’s known since childhood. Next to Polites stood Eurylochus, Odysseus’s right hand man and brother-in-law, a friend just as valuable. After he saw the bright smile on Polites’s face and the strong expression on Eurylochus’s, the homesickness felt alleviated, even for just a few moments. 

At that moment, Odysseus made a promise to himself. He won’t lose anyone. Not Polites, not Eurylochus, not a single person in his crew. It’s his duty as king, as captain, to get them all home alive.

______________________________

“Captain!” A familiar and firm voice called out from behind. Eurylochus, Odysseus’s right-hand-man, approached, a small frown on his face. “Captain, we’ve run out of supplies to eat,” Eurylochus informed, looking at the crewmates who silently complained amongst themselves while rowing the boat. “We have all the reasons to take what we can. So captain, what’s the plan?” He asked, fully confident that the crafty Odysseus would think of something.

And think of something, Odysseus did. “Watch where the birds fly, they will lead us to land,” he said, pointing up to a flock of birds that flew above them. “There we’ll hunt for food, my second-in-command,” He smiled, giving the taller man a playful and light punch by the shoulder. He turned back to his crew, a smile on his face at the thought of getting some food to fill his and his friends’ stomachs. “Now, full speed ahead!” He didn’t even have to tell the crew twice, and all 600 men had the same motivation to get something to fill them as they rowed in unison.

“Captain!” Polites’s bubbly voice entered Odysseus’s ears as soon as he felt the man wrap an arm around him. He smiled and turned to his friend, greeting him with his name as well with a smile on his face. “Look!” Polites pointed out to the distance, a small island near the direction the ships were sailing toward. “There in the distance! I see an island, I see a light that faintly glows,” Polites gave his observations with an excited grin on his face as Eurylochus and Odysseus both followed where he was pointing. “Maybe they’re people, lighting a fire. Maybe they’ll share some food, who knows?”

A whisper of Athena in his ear made Odysseus think twice before getting excited, however, “Something feels off here. I see fire, but there’s no smoke.” Eurylochus, too, was suspicious, and became even more so after his friend’s comments, “I say we strike first.” The right-hand-man suggested, ignoring Polites’s staring at him as if he were crazy, “We don’t have time to waste, so let’s raid the place and-” “No,” Odysseus shook his head, not wanting to risk anything. Just about everyone in the ship was hungry and tired from fighting the ten-year war in Troy. Raiding the island and not knowing just what might be there would be a waste of everyone’s energy.

He turned to Polites, “Polites, gear up. You and I’ll go ahead.” Polites grinned at a chance to spend some time with his childhood friend and immediately headed to strap on some armor and bring his sword with him. He looked to his right-hand, “We should try to find a way no one ends up dead,” he said. Eurylochus would stay behind, keep everyone in line and make sure they were safe. Odysseus trusted Eurylochus to do that and so much more; Eurylochus had always been the rational-minded one, which gave Odysseus both the logic and the reasoning he needed to take note of when making decisions. Even now, Eurylochus had no fear protesting or questioning the king’s plan, “We don’t know what’s ahead.” Odysseus smiled and reassured his friend, “Give me till sunrise, and if we don’t return,” he paused to look at the island in the distance, “Then 600 men can make this whole place burn.”

“Now full speed ahead!”

______________________________

“Captain…” Polites’s weak and strained voice called out to him, a hand reaching out, his eyes begging, pleading, for Odysseus to come save him. Like he’s done so many years ago, like he’s done so many times in the war. Odysseus had never failed Polites, not once, not ever. 

So then why did he fail Polites now?

“Enough.” The cyclops’s deep voice rumbled throughout the cave, echoing through every ridge and Odysseus practically felt the vibrations of the voice from under his feet. The cyclops lost his patience, and Polites’s body is hit with a second smash, the sound reaching the depths of Odysseus’s soul and tugging on it harshly.

Odysseus stood there, looking at the battered, still, bleeding form of Polites. His glasses fell to the side, a lens cracked, the man’s bandana stained with blood. Polites’s arm fell limp just as the life left his eyes, his soul soon to be on its way off to Hades. Odysseus can’t see anything, can’t hear anything. How did it come to this? They were winning, weren’t they? He had a plan, he had a plan to make sure they’d make it out of here alive. 

Odysseus shook and trembled where he stood. He distantly processed his crewmates and men screaming, “Captain! CAPTAIN!!” just before the cyclops’s club would hit them so abruptly. The sounds of the squelching of bodies and the cracking of bones permeated through the air, piercing through Odysseus’s ears. As if that weren’t enough, splatters of blood fell and hit his skin, as if the Fates wanted to rub his failure in his face. The scent of iron and the sticky deep crimson that stained his cheek and sides clung onto him like a vice, a constant reminder of what he let happen to his comrades. 

Every breath he took, the metallic scent penetrated his lungs, his body, his everything. Not even the sight of war could have prepared him for this. Not when the blood stuck to his armor was his friends’, his people. He can’t breathe, he shouldn’t breathe, lest he wanted the fetor of the gore and horror around him to enter his system like poisoned gas. Odysseus flinched the wrong way as he heard another crack! just a few feet away, and bile rose up through his gastric tract. Tears pricked the corner of his eyes as he stumbled backwards, stomach acid leaving his mouth with a heavy cough and wheeze. He raised his hands to stop the flow of his body fluids leaving his mouth, and he felt his stomach groan in pain from hunger and disgust. A shiver crawled up his spine, he couldn't even hear what the cyclops was saying anymore. He couldn’t hear his comrades' screams anymore. Just a loud, ringing sound in his head as his eyes trained solely on Polites. 

Everything else was a blur to him. He can’t hear Athena’s words, the goddess trying to reach him through her Quick Thought, but Odysseus can’t feel it. With the fall and dimming of his light, Odysseus finally realized he was in actual danger. This isn’t something he can finish quickly and with ease. This is a monster, he finally gets in his head. A monster who took the lives of his men, his brothers, his friends. There was no such thing as mercy when dealing with monsters, Athena’s words from before echoed through his mind. Yet with each intake of the putrid smell of blood and guts in the darkness of the cave, Odysseus remembered Polites. He remembered his words, his beliefs, his ideals. 

“Just let me be your light!”

“This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms!”

“Let me be the stars you see at night! Let me be the arms that hold you tight!”

“Whatever we face, we’ll be fine if we’re leading from the heart!”

As the cyclops finally fell victim to the lotus fruits Odysseus snuck into the wine he offered, Odysseus collapsed to the ground along with the monster. The large body of the cyclops covered the entrance of the cave, blocking the main source of light from coming inside. Everything went dark, the only thing illuminating the surroundings being the torches some of the men lit up. But Odysseus didn’t want to see. He didn’t want to have to go through the darkness without his light. Without Polites. Without Penelope. Odysseus wasn’t sure if the darkness and black spots littering his vision was a blessing or a curse from the gods above, from the fates. He couldn’t see a thing, not the bodies, not his crew, not his hands that were stained with blood, sweat, and vomit.

“-tain!” He heard someone call out to him. He doesn’t move.

“-aptain!” He heard someone call out to him again. He still doesn’t move. He doesn’t dare move.

“Captain!!” Eurylochus shook him a few times, snapping Odysseus out of his wallowing and spiraling down to despair. Odysseus remembered again. His duty. His responsibility. He was their captain. He had to lead his men out of this. He was their king, their leader. “Then act like it,” The wisdom goddess urged, speaking into his mind.

Odysseus was their captain. He had to lead them. He had to lead them home.

______________________________

“Captain!” An energetic voice, Perimedes, called out as Odysseus boarded the ship after speaking with the wind god, Aeolus, “What’s happenin’?” Just behind Perimedes followed Elpenor, and both asked in unison, “What’s trapped in that bag?” 

Odysseus shook his head, keeping the bag away from their reach. He has to lead them, he has to lead them, he has to lead them, he chanted in his mind as he replied, “Something dangerous friends, we mustn't lag.” “It’s treasure!” Something in the wind whispered into the men’s ears in that moment, and Odysseus tensed up, the weight of what he just got into crashing down on him. “What…”

“Open the bag!” “Let’s see what you got!” Perimedes and Elpenor both seemed excited at the prospect of treasure, both reaching out to the bag Odysseus held tightly in his hands, before Odysseus pulled away just in time, “No do not!!” Odysseus flinched at how tense he became and took a deep breath to calm himself, ignoring the confused and concerned faces of his companions. “Everyone, listen closely. See how this bag is closed?” He raised the closed bag in his hand, making sure no one was in reach of it, “That’s how it’s supposed to be. This bag has the storm inside. We cannot let the treasure rumor fly.” He commanded, not requested, his comrades. This has to be kept under wraps. “We’ll try,” everyone agreed, or so Odysseus hoped.

For nine days straight, he had stayed awake, making sure none of his crewmates would try getting their grubby hands on the bag and open it. Thus far, he was successful in making sure the bag was closed, and that their journey home was to be as smooth-sailing as possible. He could almost hear Penelope’s voice, he could almost see that wonderful face he fell for at first sight, that smile that made his heart soar. He couldn’t wait to meet his son, now. How long has it been since he’s last seen Telemachus? About twelve years now… it’s been far too long. Did Telemachus look like Penelope, or would he have taken after Odysseus more? What did his son like? His favorite food? The games he’d play? What of his mom? Ctimene? Eumaeus? His dad? Argos?

He needed to get home now. And he’d bring the rest of his men back with him, along with the memory of those they’ve lost.

“This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms,” Polites’s voice echoed in his mind once again, and Odysseus promised to himself that he’ll do so. Lead from the heart, and see what starts. Odysseus swore to himself that he’d emulate Polites in all he did, so that he could at least keep the memory of his best friend alive.

He needed to stay awake, Odysseus shook his head when he caught himself almost dozing off. Keep your eyes open, keep your eyes open, he chanted to himself, along with his mind’s hallucinations of Penelope and what could be Telemachus, motivating him to stay awake. He had to stay awake. He had to get home. They all had to get home. They were so close now. Just a few handful of hours left of sailing and they’d dock in Ithaca, and they’d finally be home. Odysseus could already see his kingdom nearing from the distance, the outline of the palace and island just slightly covered by some fog. The gentle ripples of the waters below them slowly soothing him. Just the thought of finally embracing his family, of taking a break, getting some sleep…

He needed to stay awake, he needed to stay awake, he needed… to… sleep……… 

“Wake up. Odysseus, they’re opening the bag, WAKE UP!!” The hallucination of Penelope’s voice yanked Odysseus from the realm of Hypnos and suddenly he became hyper-aware of the overpowering winds swirling around his fleet. A few feet away from him, the bag Aeolus gave laid on the ground, winds escaping, faintly laughing carefreely as they did. Odysseus fell to his knees, his hand reaching out as if he could grab onto the retreating form of Ithaca in the distance. “NOOOOOOO!!” He screamed in desperation, his heart clenching in his chest in anguish.

______________________________

“The line between naïveté and hopelessness is almost invisible,” Poseidon’s words echoed across Odysseus’s fleet. If Odysseus thought Polyphemus’s voice was terrifying to hear in a closed space, the god’s voice was even worse, even in the open air. The sound was louder than the raging waves under the ships, but Poseidon kept them all afloat, for better or for worse. “So close your heart, the world is dark,” the god spoke, slowly raising the trident in his hand threateningly. Odysseus tensed up, and immediately prepared to command his men to… to do… something..! But what could they do? They were cornered by the god of the sea, on the sea. There was nowhere they could run, nowhere they could turn to, lest they risked angering the already vengeful god even more.

“And ruthlessness is mercy,” Poseidon suddenly slammed down his trident, the giant three-pronged spear hitting the bottom of the ocean. Fitting to the god’s title, the earth and waves started to shake from the impact, and Odysseus was sure he wasn’t the only one who felt like they were getting pulled in all four directions at once.

“Die.” The finality of the god’s tone spoke a command. A demand, one only a god like Poseidon could make. And the tides would always obey the orders of their lord, creating turbulent waves and crashing against the ships of Odysseus’s fleet. A pack of wolves surrounded by sharks indeed. It became hard to find his footing from the crashing and swinging of the ships, and Odysseus felt his heart stop when he heard a distant call.

“Captain! Captain!!” Men from the other ships screamed and called and shouted as they cried for help, before their ship capsized from the waves. “Captain!! Captain!!” Another group of soldiers shouted, from the other side this time, and Odysseus managed to run over to the side of his ship, if only to watch as another set of about 50 men fell victim to Poseidon’s wrath. “Captain!! Captain!!!” Another ship is covered and drowned under the waves, some sea creatures even jumping out of the water to snag bites out of some sailors who tried to swim away. The salty and would-be refreshing smell and feeling of the ocean slowly became accompanied with the sharp smell of the blood that stained the previously clear waters. 

“Captain!!!” More sailors called out, as they drowned and fell to the bottom of the sea, never to be found again. Once again, Odysseus found himself nonrespondent, as he watched all the ships, except for his, submerge under the sea. All the soldiers, about 580 soldiers, called out for Odysseus, for their captain. But what could their captain do? What can they do? What has their captain ever done if not watch as everything went wrong, as everything went terrible. 

He can’t breathe. He can’t breathe again. Not again. He had to do something! Anything! Suddenly, he was back in Polyphemus’s cave, blood curdling screams echoing throughout the crevices of the cavern and in Odysseus’s mind. He had to get out of here. Polites’s dead body laid before him, and his worn out voice called out to him once again, “Captain…” From Polites’s body, to the vomit-inducing cracks and squelches that were emitted whenever the cyclops would slam his club to the ground. Suddenly, Odysseus felt the blood that stuck to his skin and armor, felt the reeking of blood that he had to breathe in, felt his body get stained by the crimson that made his skin crawl and hairs raise, felt the burning feeling when he tried scrubbing every speck of blood and grime off of him and his armor. 

They needed their captain then. They needed their captain now. Yet their captain could never do anything but watch. Watch as the fates eagerly reaped the consequences of treachery and foolishness, watch as the Keres came to feast on blood and flesh and bring the souls to Hades, watch as Moros whispered and brought forth the misery that they thought they had escaped. All their so-called captain ever did was watch as beings far beyond the power of a mortal king took lives and mercilessly wrought terror and what they believed to be justice. 

Odysseus took a shaky breath, even though everything in his mind screamed at him to succumb to the suffocating waves that never truly reached his ship. He scanned his surroundings, ships broken and fallen apart, washed away by the waves, bodies of his men slowly dropping down the water and floating back up, motionlessly, there were no ships left. None except for his. From twelve ships, only one had recovered the wrath of the sea god. Odysseus trembled where he stood, but all the voices in his mind reminded him to stand tall, to be the captain he is, to be the king he is. And yet…

“What have you done?” was all Odysseus could utter in that moment. The product brought by destruction, brought by the wrath of a god, the wrath of a father whose son was harmed. The used-to-be gentle ripples of the water were nowhere to be found, and replaced instead with the waves only seen in depictions of tragedies and the punishments given by gods. A tragedy. That is what this was. Is that what this would continue to be? Odysseus prays to the gods (yet his faith fails him, and he gets an inkling that no god would even listen to his pleas at this moment) that it would not be so, that this story would at the very least have a happy ending, that the fates would finally have mercy on him and his crew. 

“Forty-three left under your command,” Poseidon smirked, as if he enjoyed the destruction and pain and suffering he just brought. He probably did, Odysseus thinks, after all, they had brought this upon themselves. No. Odysseus brought this upon themselves. He was the one who so foolishly let his name fall from his lips as he left. He should have left the cyclops as he was. Maybe then, they would have gotten the chance to get home. 

Maybe then, Odysseus could have truly acted as the captain he’s supposed to be. He was no captain. Not to his crewmates, not to himself, not to anyone.

______________________________

“Captain?” A voice carefully called out from behind, and Odysseus had to hide and hold back to urge to flinch. He immediately looked around discreetly, mentally counting the number of soldiers currently on the ship and slowly resting on the shores of the island they found themselves in. One, two, three, four, … forty-two. Forty-three, including Odysseus. They’re supposed to be forty-four. Someone is missing. Eurylochus! His mind ran just as fast as Hermes as he assessed his surroundings, trying to find the threat in the silent island. He snapped out of it when he felt a thick and strong hand rest itself on his shoulder.

He sharply turned around, his hand closing in on his sword out of reflex. Whomever this person was, had to be the reason for Eurylochus’s absence–

Eurylochus stood before him, a worried frown on his face as he rested a hand on Odysseus’s shoulder. “Captain,” the bigger man spoke again, the crease of his brows deepening when he felt the flinch of Odysseus from under his hand. “I have something that I must confess,” he continued, eyeing his friend carefully and with concern. “Something that I must get off my chest,” Eurylochus took a deep breath and looked at his brother-in-law, “Until it is said, I cannot rest.”

When Odysseus gave no reply, only despondently staring out to the distance, Eurylochus frowned and tried to get his attention, albeit reluctantly. “Captain?” Odysseus flinched again, and after a quick survey again to count the forty-three men around him, looked back at Eurylochus, a stoic expression on his face, “Eurylochus, go make sure this island is secure.” The right-hand-man, evidently not willing to prolong his internal suffering and the guilt that ate at him, protested, “But captain-” Odysseus cut him off before he could finish saying that… repulsive title he did not deserve, “There’s only so much left we can endure.” There’s only so much left he can endure at this point.

“Whatever you need to say can wait some more,” Odysseus says, ignoring the downcasted expression on his friend’s countenance. It can wait until they’ve reached home, until Odysseus has gotten some rest, until Odysseus has seen his wife. “Of that I’m sure,” that was a lie. Ever since Polites, when has he ever been sure of anything? Everything’s changed since the light went dark, since the cyclops, since Poseidon. 

And Eurylochus could see the grief that marred his dear friend’s face and relented with a hesitant sigh and nod, “Okay.” The right-hand went off to gather some soldiers to come with him to scout and survey the area. With Eurylochus, came along Elpenor, Perimedes, and Georgios. That left Odysseus with about forty or so soldiers to take care of, and what Odysseus hoped to be enough time to reflect and think to himself. He can leave his men for a while to think, right? They were grown men, for gods’ sake, they’ll be fine without him for a few minutes. 

Odysseus ended up taking what felt like the best nap of his life against a tree, facing his crew, until he heard the rustling of leaves from behind him, and the frantic pitter-patter of heavy and familiar footsteps. He woke up with a small startle, and stood up instinctively, his heart racing as he prepared for any possible dangers that may befall him and his men. When he turned to check who approached, he saw only Eurylochus running back. 

Like a protective (obsessive) shepherd, he counted his crewmates again to check how many people were here and how many weren’t. Three were missing. Eurylochus left with three people, and those same three were missing. Where did they go? What happened? He looked up to the sky to check how much time had passed; it’s only been about a little less or a little more than an hour. “Eurylochus, back so soon? Where’s the rest of your crew?” Odysseus asked as he watched the man run back to him, disheveled with twigs sticking out everywhere and small scratches here and there. The state of his brother-in-law made Odysseus frown in concern, “And by the gods, what happened to you?”

Out of breath, Eurylochus started to explain what had happened, “We came across a palace. Inside, we heard a voice that seemed to show no malice. To greet it was our choice, but nothing could prepare us for the power that awaited inside.” The man said quickly, trying to catch his breath as he tried to process what had happened. One of the crewmates walked over and handed the poor man a recently filled waterskin, to which Eurylochus took big gulps out of. “What did the palace hide?” Odysseus urged, but waited patiently until his friend was finished.

He took a deep breath again and spoke, his voice now full of vigor and the energy the soldier usually had, “Sir! Since we left home, we’ve faced a variety of foes from a wide range of places.” Odysseus raised an eyebrow at the odd start of the introduction of whomever or whatever this threat was. “Gods,” they did not really ‘face’ the gods they’ve encountered and more so just barely survived by the skin of their teeth, Odysseus remarked in his head but didn’t interrupt Eurylochus. “Monsters, you know the roster. Hostile creatures that we could resist,” Again, ‘resist’ is a stretch; they just barely survived. Not all of them survived, and that fact weighed heavily on Odysseus’s mind. 

“But this was a hell of a twist! Because we are WEAK to a power like this!” Eurylochus’s words, slightly exaggerated as they may sound, made Odysseus’s hair stand up, and he tensed up in worry. “What was it?” He asked, worried for what became the fate of the three people that didn’t go back with Eurylochus. The answer to his question wasn’t one he expected, nor anywhere at the list of the possible creatures that may have resided in an island like this.

“A woman.”

What.

“What?” Odysseus squinted his eyes in confusion. He saw a few other crewmates look over at the mention of a woman and the king had to hold back the urge to roll his eyes at them. Twelve years without their wives or lovers truly took an evident toll on most of them, it seemed. Even so, he can’t help but raise a skeptical eyebrow at the slightly anticlimactic answer, despite the buildup of this woman. Was Eurylochus simply jesting…?

Eurylochus was obviously very serious about his words, no matter how outlandish they may be. “She had us in just two words,” He spoke, and everyone listening, Odysseus included, leaned in a bit closer to urge him to continue (albeit all of them had different reasons for their curiosity). “Come inside,” a few of the sailors listening in bursted out laughing, causing some others to look over in confusion. Even Odysseus himself couldn’t hold back the snort that came out of him at the double entendre, “Damn”. For very obvious reasons, he didn’t find it very far-fetched that this woman, whoever she was, had some of his men wrapped around her finger with such words.

Eurylochus huffed out a small laugh, but continued anyway, “She welcomed us and told us to rest where we wished. She called herself, Circe. Only I stayed outside, but the other three went in. I watched them from a window, and she offered them some food. A couple nymphs went in with all sorts of dishes, more than enough for a feast’s worth.” Odysseus nodded slowly, waiting for the moment things truly got bad. Three of his men were missing doing who knows what because of who knows who, and Odysseus was not ready to lose any more of his friends because of his inattentiveness. “Yet by the time they ate, it was far too late,” were the words that made Odysseus perk up in alert. What happened? Was the food poisoned? Were they sick? Dead? Before he had the chance to ask, though, Eurylochus continued, “For inside the meal, she had cast a spell.”

A spell? So this Circe woman was a witch, then? Odysseus had heard of witches and sorceresses from his father, Laertes, who had joined Jason on his adventures. From what Odysseus knew, witches and sorceresses were fickle women. Though the sorceress that his father experiences with the sorceress he knew (Medea, if he recalled the name correctly) was actually rather nice. From what Odysseus was hearing about Circe, he doesn’t think he’d share the same experience as his father.

“They began to squeal! And grow snouts and tails,” Eurylochus described, using his hands to convey the change he saw. “She changed them!” He exclaimed, distress evident in his tone and expression. That same distress spread to everyone else, including Odysseus himself. “They transformed, and it wasn’t quick. She turned our men from men to pigs!”

Silence spread through the air as everyone processed the information Eurylochus had told them, and finally, Odysseus spoke up, his mind having been made up since the beginning. “We have to go save them.” He stood up from his position sitting on a rock nearby from when Eurylochus started telling the little “story”. He got ready to move out, when his right-hand-man suddenly held onto his arm to stop him, “No, we don’t!”

Odysseus, and a few of the men listening in, looked at Eurylochus like he was crazy. And, to them, Eurylochus did sound crazy. Was he just telling them to abandon the others? Just like that? Looking at the mortified and confused stares from the others, Eurylochus gestured at everyone, “Look at all we’ve lost and all we’ve learned. Every single cost is so much more than what we’ve earned.” He stepped closer to Odysseus, a genuinely worried expression on his face as he held the king by the shoulders, “Think about the men we have left before there’s none. Let’s just cut our losses, you all and I, and let’s run.”

Odysseus furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head, gently taking off Eurylochus’s hands from his shoulders, “Of course I’d like to leave now, of course I’d like to run. But I can hardly sleep now, knowing everything we’ve done,” he said slowly, his expression darkening as he remembered the screams, the cries, the cracks, the faces of horror, fear, and hopelessness on each of his men’s faces as they died, while they all called for him, for his help, for his plan. He looked at Eurylochus resolutely, staying by his decision, “There’s no length I wouldn’t go, if it was you I had to save.” He turned to the listening crew members, a small smile on his face, “I can only hope you’d do the same.”

These forty-three men, more important to Odysseus than his life itself, are the ones he had to keep safe. If need be, he’d gladly give up his life for them. He’s their captain, after all; what sort of captain is the last one alive of his own crew? What sort of captain would prioritize himself over his friends?

He will make sure they get home, all forty-four of them.

______________________________

“Captain!” A voice, no, multiple voices called out. Odysseus couldn’t hide his flinch when he heard those calls the moment he and his single ship entered the Underworld. The sound of chains clinking, of shades wailing and moaning in despair, penetrated the air, creating an almost grating sound to Odysseus’s ears. The atmosphere didn’t help at all with his fear, with his anxiety that something would go wrong. “Captain!” The voices called out again, and Odysseus turned to look at his men, to see who called for him. He went through a quick mental checklist of everyone there, all forty-three of them, including Odysseus, were there and present. No one seemed to have been calling him, and most of them were looking upwards for some reason. 

“Captain!!” More people called out, and Odysseus’s heart stopped for a few moments when he followed the gaze upwards. The shades of the men that died from his crew reached down at them, as though threatening to pull them to their side of the living. “Captain!! Captain!! Captain!!” The shades called out to him– no, they chanted out to him. As if the fates knew he wanted nothing to do with that damned title, and wished to play a “funny game” with him. It wasn’t funny. Not at all. 

Not when flashes of death, screaming, and agony flashed through Odysseus’s mind with every cry for ‘Captain’. Not when Odysseus could feel the bile coming back up his throat from his stomach at just the sound of the word alone. Not when Odysseus saw his hands stained red once again, stained with the blood of too many people that should not have died. Not when Odysseus felt the weight of what felt like his whole world fall onto his shoulders, a burden heavier than Atlas’s, a burden Odysseus was no longer sure he even wanted to carry anymore. Not when each syllable of the word made Odysseus feel as though he were back in Polyphemus’s cave, back on the sea confronted by Poseidon, back on Circe’s island, on the brink of losing three friends, and then having lost one. 

“558 men who died under your command!” All five hundred and fifty-eight men shouted at him, calling out for him over and over and over again. At this point, Odysseus found it too hard to breathe, to see clearly, to even hear the words properly. His hands shook at his sides and he felt the odd urge to scratch at his skin again. The feeling of the sticky blood never quite washed off, no matter how hard and rough Odysseus would scrub and scratch at his skin, until there were scratches and red marks on his skin, the numb feeling of slight burning at the strain on his body. 

“How could you let the cyclops live when ruthlessness is mercy-” Odysseus snapped out of his trance when he felt a small tug at his chiton, and he immediately looked down to see Perimedes, still dutifully rowing the boat, looking up at him with a concerned frown. “Are you okay?” he mouthed quietly, checking in on the king, who took a deep breath and summoned as much courage he could find to nod his head. Odysseus gave Perimedes a small smile, though it looked more like a grimace, “Thank you”, he mouthed back to the soldier, who only nodded with a reassuring smile. 

Odysseus took yet another deep breath, though his heart refused to slow down, and tried his best to ignore the shades above. He kept his eyes trained forward, not daring to look up anymore. If he dared to look up and heed the souls that screamed for him, called out to him, betrayal and anger and despair clear in their voices, Odysseus wasn’t sure if he wouldn’t end up becoming one with the realm of Hades, just as all the other shades here. 

He let his mind wander, anything to avoid having to listen to the desperate cries of his dead comrades. He heard the wailing of children distantly, crying for their mothers and fathers, crying for the warmth of an embrace. The sound reminded him of the infant son of Hector, prince of Troy. That same infant son Odysseus had dropped off a cliff, the same infant that was the root of all Odysseus’s guilt. Even with Zeus’s urging to kill the boy, Odysseus still doubted his decision to this day. Could there truly not have been another way? Was the only way to keep those he loved safe was to rid an innocent child of its life for something it could have never controlled? In another world, would Hector, or another warrior, have done the same to Telemachus? Gods, Odysseus can’t stand the thought of his son hurt because of him. He’s only known the boy for a few months, a little more than a year even, before he had to leave for war, yet he already owed the boy the whole world for missing more than a decade of his life. 

“This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms,” a voice, light and soft, spoke those familiar words that made Odysseus’s heart stop. He didn’t have to look to see who was speaking. He could recognize that voice with his eyes closed anywhere and anytime. “Polites…” he breathed out the name, and Odysseus sent a prayer to Hades to have mercy on his best friend, to let Polites and everyone else enter the afterlife. 

He wanted to turn around, but every voice inside him screamed NO! How could he face him now? It’s been months since Polites… oh. That’s right… he hadn’t given him a proper burial. Odysseus hadn’t given anyone a proper burial, aside from Elpenor, who had fallen to his death just before they left to the Underworld. Perhaps that was the reason why so many souls of those Odysseus had lost were here. They couldn’t pay Charon to bring them down to the judging of souls. That fact weighed down on Odysseus even more. What kind of captain was he, to not even be able to give an honorable burial to those who deserved it?

Odysseus didn’t have to make a decision whether or not to turn around to face Polites, though, since the shade simply floated about and ended up in front of Odysseus. As if the shade could tell Odysseus was there, it turned around and Odysseus felt his heart twist and churn in his chest at what he saw. Polites’s soul, bright as the light he was to Odysseus’s life, held a familiar baby in his arms. The baby from Troy. Tears rushed to the corners of Odysseus’s eyes and he let out a shaky gasp. Polites only kept looking at the baby, smiling gently as he cradled it. “Whatever we face, we’ll be fine if we’re leading from the heart,” Polites managed to hush the baby’s sobs rather easily, something Odysseus remembered having a hard time doing way back when. 

“No matter the place, we can light up the world. Here’s how to start,” The specter said gently, reminding Odysseus of how Polites was like back when they were just children together, playing around and having all sorts of adventures. “Greet the world with open arms.”

“Greet the world with open arms,” Polites’s voice echoed throughout the Underworld and throughout Odysseus’s head. It haunted Odysseus, made him feel as if his tether to reality were a single string, just mere moments from snapping. Odysseus reached out, as if to grab his best friend, to hug him, to hold him in his arms, to speak to him, but the shade of Polites and the baby were blown away like wisps of the wind. “Polites,” he breathed out desperately, wanting to call out for his light, his guide through the darkness that was this entire journey. 

As the ship continued its way through the Underworld, Odysseus spotted something that looked akin to a dock of some sort. Tons and tons of shades were all lined up for the dock, gold in their hands, ready to offer to Charon when he returned. Odysseus knew better than to look through the faces of the shades, afraid he might find someone he recognized. So he looked away.

“Waiting…”

When yet another familiar voice reached his ears, Odysseus wished he had stayed away, looked away, went away. “That voice,” his eyes widened, and Odysseus knew his soul wouldn’t manage the trip out of the Underworld when they were done with the prophet. He can’t bear the weight of another life in his hands, the grief of finding out about the deaths of others in such a horrifying way. Yet his body acted on its own, as though it searched and yearned for more suffering to take on, “It can’t be…”

“Waiting…”

“Mom?” Odysseus choked out, his knees almost giving out under him. When the boat continued forward, he walked swiftly to the back of the boat, so that he could reach his mother. There she was, standing in line for Charon’s next journey through Styx, her hair the same style he’s always seen it in, her smile as sad as the day she found out he had to leave for war. Has her hair always been that white color? Has her body always been that thin and worn out? Has her gaze always been that distant and longing?

“Waiting… Odysseus, when you come home, I’ll be waiting,” Odysseus sucked in a sharp breath at those oh-so familiar words. Twelve years ago, maybe even thirteen years now, just before he left Ithaca for that war he never wanted to participate in. He really didn’t keep his promise when he told her he wouldn’t take long. His hands held tightly to the wood in front of him, flexing and unflexing, as though contemplating jumping off the boat and onto the river Styx that they sailed through. “Even if you’re the last thing I see, I’ll be waiting.”

“I’m right here, mom,” He called out, a hand reaching out to attempt to hug his mother. She was so close, so, so close to him. His hand only phased through her shade, and Odysseus tried again, desperate to hold his mother once more, “Can’t you see?” He failed the second time, yet still, the man tried a third time, yet once again his hand only passed through, as though he were trying to hold water. 

“I took too long…” The tears finally fell from his eyes when he realized his efforts were naught but futile. His mother only continued her soulful lament, unaware of his presence right in front of her, “I’ll always love you.” Odysseus held back his sobs, praying that his men wouldn’t look back to see him like this, “And I ventured too far…” “I’ll stay in your heart.”

“While you were waiting, waiting, waiting…”

As Odysseus watched the slowly shrinking form of his mother, tears still streaming down his face, he couldn't help but wonder how many more people had he left behind without being able to give them a proper farewell. 

“Bye, mom,” Odysseus said, and he hated how he knew it would be the last time he’d even be able to say this.

______________________________

“Captain! Captain! Captain! Captain!” the voices called out, yet Odysseus knew that there was no one actually calling for him. 

Even after they had left the Underworld, those words still echoed through his head. No matter how hard he truly tried to ignore and block it out, it somehow wormed its way into his mind, a reminder of his terrible deeds, of his indirect betrayal to his people. The prophecy foretold by Tiresias the prophet didn’t make things any better either. Some murderous man would be with his wife, there may be a betrayal, his palace covered in red, and the man who gets to go home… no longer him. Upon being faced with such a future full of doom, was it not the standard human reaction to find a way to prevent it?

Odysseus forced himself to ignore the small voice in his mind, the one that told him that there was no way a prophecy could be broken. Many tales have been told about people attempting to do so, yet they’ve all but failed. Yet Odysseus can’t help but try. Now that he’s seen the error or his ways, the truth of it all, the truth that so many of his crewmates and others have tried to tell him. 

“Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves.”

So, if Odysseus became the monster he saw his foes as, if he truly put himself and his team in the highest priority rather than mercy, then perhaps they would all finally make it home. They had to do everything they could to survive. For Penelope. For Telemachus. For Ctimene, Eumaeus, Argos, and his father. For his people in Ithaca.

The ship slowly sailed towards the lair of Scylla. Odysseus learned from the sirens that the only way to get past the god of the seas would be to sail through where even Poseidon didn’t dare pass. This was their only way home. “Captain! Captain! Captain! Captain!!” the voices shouted once again, and the thought that he could at least bring the memory of those he lost with him on the way home consoled him by the tiniest margin.

In the midst of reflecting upon the wails and groans that stayed in his mind, he just barely realized Eurylochus had approached him from behind. “You’re quiet today,” he spoke softly, cutting through the air of silence that had covered the crew after what had transpired with the sirens. Not that Odysseus particularly knew why they had all stared at him strangely and checked in with him a little more often than before. In fact, after he ordered the sirens’ deaths, he can’t help but feel a small bit of his weight lifting from his chest. While he never wanted to have to kill someone again, there was that small sense of morbid satisfaction as he managed to get through an obstacle without someone from his side getting killed or murdered or compromised.

“Not much to say,” Odysseus shrugged noncommittally. There truly wasn’t much to say. He knew the cost of going through Scylla’s lair. But was he ready to pay the price?

A few beats of even more silence later, Eurylochus spoke up again, addressing the whole crew, including Odysseus, “I’ve got a secret I can no longer keep..” That made most of them perk up, and they turned a bit to the right-hand-man, to hear what he was saying. Odysseus, too, turned around from where he was watching the waters and looked at his brother-in-law.

Eurylochus took a deep breath and came out with it, “I opened the wind bag while you were asleep.”

And Odysseus’s entire world fell apart. His eyes widened, and he even heard some crew members let out a small gasp at the reveal. It was Eurylochus this whole time? The man Odysseus trusted the most? He was the reason why they were all here about to risk their lives and not in Ithaca right now. They were so close to home.

Eurylochus knew that too, for the next thing he said was an apology, “I’m so sorry.”

He let out a shaky breath and swallowed down his words. Odysseus turned around, he couldn’t bear looking at his brother-in-law now. In all honesty, Odysseus had been content not knowing the traitor who had opened the wind bag; there was no point in shifting blame and suspicion, not anymore. Plus, they had been confronted by Poseidon not even a moment after the storm was unleashed once again. There were too many things to think about, too many things to worry about, too many people to mourn for, too little people to account for. 

His mind raced with thoughts, most of which were now regarding his brother-in-law’s indiscretion a few weeks, maybe a month or two, ago. Eurylochus gently held onto Odysseus’s arm, trying to get his attention despite the man looking out to the sea, “Forgive me.” He pleaded and begged the king to give some sort of reaction, other than mere shock and then despondence. But Odysseus couldn’t find the words to reply. He couldn’t think of what to say.

Slowly, the crew went back to their own duties, rowing the ship towards the path that Odysseus had charted for them earlier. Full speed ahead, they’d tell themselves as they rowed and rowed and rowed. 

As they slowly neared the lair of Scylla, Odysseus turned to Eurylochus, his expression trained and unreadable. “Eurylochus, light up six torches,” he gave his command. This time, Eurylochus didn’t question him, nor did he say anything further; the right-hand only went to gather some torches to light, handing them to some men who weren’t doing much work at the moment. Eurylochus didn’t know what was in Odysseus’s mind, nor did Odysseus know what was in Eurylochus’s; he wasn’t sure, at least. How could he be sure now? When he was just about sure that Eurylochus wouldn’t have betrayed him until mere moments ago.

Everyone sailed inside the lair in silence, the stench of dead bodies, blood, and guts permeating the air. Yet Odysseus found himself not as averted to it as he remembered being; he’d gotten used to it, the smell of death. 

“Captain!” Odysseus snapped back to reality as Eurylochus called out to him. Almost like clockwork now, Odysseus made a mental headcount; everyone was here and accounted for. Well, all forty-three of them, including Odysseus. No one died, Odysseus comforted himself with the thought. He turned back his attention to Eurylochus, who was facing elsewhere, trying to use his torch to see something clearly. “Something approaches,” he said, though he didn’t sound too sure. Odysseus didn’t feel as confused as his comrades did, however, and only walked to a shadier part of the boat, not quite as illuminated by the torches. 

“Hello.” A throaty, raspy voice spoke from where Eurylochus was facing. There it stood. A woman. Her upper torso being the only thing seen in the dark cavern of the lair, protecting her dignity, as if she were a mere maiden taking her time in the murky waters. Her long hair cascaded down her body, floating by the tips where it hits the water. Her bones could be seen from how thin and malnourished she appeared, and her smile split her face into two parts. It was her eyes that made Odysseus sure of who she was, sunken and the darkening color of her sclera. She looked like a monster, indeed. Yet Odysseus knew this wasn't a monster he'd have to entertain for too long. 

The waters around them shook, crashing waves moving the ship side to side just slightly, and Odysseus's breath hitched for a moment. Quickly, he shook his head to calm himself, digging his nails into the skin of his palm to ground himself back. Poseidon wasn't here. He wouldn't dare follow them here. Not here, where the monsters aren't picky with the flesh and blood they eat. 

Slowly, a large head emerged from the water, like a snake ready to strike its prey. Next, another head followed, and then another. Six serpentine heads came up from the water, drool dripping down some of their mouths as they gazed at the sailors. The woman looked at the six illuminated areas of the ship, six people holding the torches, and she smiled. 

Odysseus saw the smile and he immediately became guarded. He linked further into the darkness of the ship, and took a deep breath. “Row for your lives!!” He shouted, prepared to face the storm this would be. The soldiers obeyed the command, as they always did, and rowed as fast as they could. If they could have seen Odysseus, they'd have seen the king looking out to the horizon, looking away from the carnage that he knew was about to transpire.

No matter how fast the sailors rowed, Scylla easily followed. The narrow passageway of her lair made it hard for ships as big as this one to pass through, and she certainly wasn't going to let her first meal of a couple hundred years pass through so easily. “Drown in your sorrow and fears!” She sang, her voice growling as one of her serpent heads scoops up one of the men in its mouth. 

“Choke on your blood and your tears,” She continued to sing, but Odysseus didn't give her the time of day. He filled his ears with beeswax once again, just like he had with the sirens. He turned his back to the bloodbath he knew was going on behind him. He clenched his jaw and shut his eyes tight. He won't hear anything. Not until it was over. He refused to heed the screams of his men, calling out for him, “Captain! Captain!!” 

“Captain! Captain! Captain!” The voices in his mind were determined to remind him of what he was doing. The beeswax in his ears did nothing to silence the screams of the Underworld that resonated within him still. He was supposed to be their captain. He was their captain. This was just a small sacrifice he had to take. He'll get home. He'll bring the memory of everyone he's lost home. That's compensation. Right? Right? 

“Bleed till you run out of years! We must do what it takes to survive,” the monster sang, a sadistic glint in her smile as she felt the soldiers’ fear, confusion, and adrenaline. One more sailor got eaten, and the three torches that were illuminating the ship fell to the water or to the ground of the ship. The light got dimmer and dimmer. The darker everything got, the louder the screams in Odysseus’s mind, “Captain! Captain! Captain! Captain!” His heart started beating faster, his head started screaming at him even more, “Captain! Captain!” 

“Give up your honor and faith,” Scylla growled slightly, one of the heads roaring as it lunged for another sailor. Eurylochus immediately gave the torch he was holding to another man, and ran to try to save the one the head was targeting. He failed. Blood splattered straight to the right-hand-man, and Eurylochus froze in place as he witnessed the body of his comrade become bitten into. The guts and entrails spilled all over the place, and the serpent head had to come back a second time to take the leftovers. “Live out your life as a wraith!!” Another sailor was swept up, and Eurylochus finally realized something when he saw the dimming light of the torches. Having started to notice the pattern, the man quickly turned around to save the last one holding the torch.

“Die in the blood where you bathe,” The man holding Eurylochus’s torch watches in confusion as he ran toward the light source, but Eurylochus was too late. The ship fell to darkness, Eurylochus standing in the middle of a bloodstained ship, 37 other sailors left on the ship. Odysseus, noticing the lack of turbulence over the waters, opened his eyes and discreetly took off the wax in his ears. He turned around, watching the serpent heads retreat back into the water, hunger sated. The king walked across the ship, keeping his head looking straight forward, striding past Eurylochus, who only stared at his captain in incredulity and horror. “We must do what it takes to survive.”

Odysseus stopped by the front of the ship, looking out to the end of the cave they rowed toward. Eurylochus only stood there, and looked at the other soldiers, as if asking them if they noticed what he noticed. The looks and gestures he got in return affirmed his suspicions, even though he hated what he found out when he realized the truth. 

Scylla stared at the ship leaving her lair with a sly smile, “We are the same, you and I.” Odysseus’s breath hitched when he heard the last part of her song. He cursed in his head, knowing full well that the monster was talking about him. “We are the same, you and I,” The sole lyric echoed in his head, and his breath hitched in his throat at the implications. He was a monster. He's become the monster he had to be. 

Odysseus wasn’t sure if he should take it as a good or bad thing. 

______________________________

“Captain!! Captain!!” 

“How could you let the cyclops live when ruthlessness is mercy-”

Odysseus's thoughts were interrupted by Eurylochus stomping over, footsteps heavy with anger. “Tell me you did not know that would happen,” Eurylochus demanded, his face contorted into an almost constipated expression. “Say you didn't know how that would end.” 

When Odysseus didn't give a response, Eurylochus grabbed him by the arm, forcing him to turn around. “Look me in the eyes and tell me, captain.” He flinched. He counted the people on the ship, thirty men rowing, five other men cleaning up and mourning, and then there’s him and Eurylochus. Thirty-seven of them out of the forty-three of them before they entered Scylla’s territory. “That you did not just sacrifice six men!” Eurylochus yelled, fury flashing through his expression. 

“Use your wits and try to say I'm crazy and mad!” Eurylochus tried to beg his captain, “That this is all some trick the god's have sent!” Anything, just anything that meant that Odysseus hadn't lost his kind from homesickness. “Tell me you did not miss home so painfully bad,” He paused, his expression turning to anger once again when he realized Odysseus wasn't saying a thing to defend himself. “That you gave up the lives of six of our friends!” Eurylochus’s voice cracked, the sight of even more of his friends and teammates being killed once again too jarring for him now.

“Think about the men we have left, before they’re none,” He thought back to Eurylochus’s words, and Odysseus couldn’t help but feel confused. Was this not what Eurylochus was so prepared to do not even a month or two (or three, time has eluded Odysseus’s mind) ago in Circe’s island? Why was the man mad at him now? His confusion must have been conveyed on his face, because Eurylochus grabbed a part of Odysseus’s chiton and yanked it upwards. “When we fought the cyclops, you were quick to hatch a plan!” The same plan that took so long, it gave the cyclops the opportunity to kill so many people, Odysseus retorted in his head. “And when we fought with Circe, it was you who left behind no man!” What about Elpenor, Odysseus added on. 

“Yet when we saw this monster, we didn't take a stand. We just ran!” Eurylochus scoffed, balling his hands into fists as he shook Odysseus by the top of his chiton. The king only looked to the side despondently. He didn't want to admit it. Eurylochus didn't like that, and he screamed in Odysseus's face, “SAY SOMETHING!” 

“I can't!” Odysseus finally spoke, looking back to his brother-in-law with an angry expression that mirrored the other's. 

When Eurylochus finally accepted that the man in front of him was no longer a man, but a monster, he managed to steel himself. He harshly let Odysseus back to the ground, and grabbed the hilt of his greatsword, prepared for battle. “Then you have forced my hand.” Odysseus had gone too far. He crossed the line he had been standing on for the past few years.

He hadn't noticed that the ship stopped moving, the soldiers moving from where they were to surround the two commanders. He was too focused on his brother-in-law raising his weapon against him, and the pang of hurt and betrayal that shot through him. “Lower your weapon,” he ordered, but Eurylochus only shook his head, “No can do.” 

“You miss your wife so bad, you'd trade the lives of your own crew!” Eurylochus accused, still unable to believe what his own friend had done. “Don't make me fight you, brother,” Odysseus replied sharply, a hand moving to his own sword and he went down to a defensive position, “You know you'd have done the same!” Otherwise, why had Eurylochus been so ready to abandon Elpenor, Perimedes, and Georgios as pigs under Circe's mercy? 

But Eurylochus didn't even flinch at the blame being shifted to him, “If you want all the power, you must carry all the blame!” Because what sort of leader wouldn't carry the blame of his men on his shoulders? What sort of captain would leave his friends and comrades to die? What sort of captain would turn his back to the suffering of his people? 

Odysseus was no captain, Eurylochus accepted that fact as he swung his blade at his friend, his king, his brother. The soldiers watched in worry, anger, and apprehension as the rope that held everyone together and loyal to the other snapped. Murmurs arose amongst them and most, if not all, found themselves feeling how Eurylochus did. Betrayed. 

Where did their captain go? Where did their king go? Where did Odysseus go?

“Captain, please stop this,” one of them called out, but Odysseus ignored it as he blocked a hit from Eurylochus’s weapon. He couldn't hear it among the screams in his head calling out for him already, “Captain! Captain! Captain!” He had to get home. He just had to get home now. 

Ithaca's waiting. His kingdom was waiting. Penelope was waiting for him. 

“Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves.”

Odysseus swept Eurylochus off his feet with a low kick to his ankles, and he raised his sword high. He had no need for a second-in-command who questioned him at every turn. He had no need for a brother-in-law who wasn't even dedicated to getting home. 

Odysseus's job wasn't to make sure any of them were happy. His job was simply to make sure they got home. Alive or as a memory, he didn't care at this point. 

“I am not letting you get in my way!!” Odysseus screamed as he lowered the sword down to Eurylochus, only for a dagger to suddenly stab through his stomach. He choked on his saliva, blood rushing up to leave his mouth as crimson dripped down the dagger slowly, staining the wood of the ship red. He let out a wet gasp, frozen where he stood. 

Slowly, he turned around, and saw Perimedes looking at him in anger and pain, as though Perimedes felt hurt simply having to stab his friend, but there was determination and anger in his face too. Behind Perimedes stood all the other sailors, Odysseus counted all thirty-four other angry faces full of betrayal. Betrayal Odysseus himself felt deep down as well, for the others, for Eurylochus, for himself. Behind the sailors, Odysseus saw the souls of the other five-hundred and fifty-eight men he saw in the Underworld, staring at him, screaming at him. “Captain! Captain! Captain!”

“My brothers,” he strained to speak, his eyes filling up with tears slowly. “Why?”

Perimedes kept the dagger in, and the soldiers spoke, “How are we supposed to trust you now?” From the corner of his eyes, Odysseus saw Eurylochus slowly standing up and joining the others, “Now, your time has come, your luck’s run out.” “How much longer till your luck runs out?” Odysseus remembered Eurylochus’s words previously, back when he was about to talk to Aeolus. He supposed that the seeds of doubt had sprouted and taken root faster than he could pull them out. That was the start of his chain of misfortune, the start of the incessant pattern of failure and betrayal. “I see portrayals of betrayal,” the prophet told him earlier, and Odysseus realized that there was no point in trying to avoid that prophecy. From back then with the wind bag and right now.

“Now, the time has come to shut you down,” Eurylochus and the rest said together, their faces speaking volumes of their disapproval of how their king had been acting. With how angry, betrayed, and simply exhausted his crew seemed, Odysseus couldn’t help but feel disapproval for himself too. “You relied on wit, and then we died on it.”

He couldn’t have been in the wrong could he? Not again. Not after he decided to try and change to be the right leader for his crew. “Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves,” he tried to convince himself, again. But he found himself doubting it once again. “Greet the world with open arms” was not a good way to live, and it would only cause suffering everywhere.

But this is what ruthlessness brought Odysseus, he realized. “Captain! Captain! Captain!!” the voices of his crew screamed once again. Odysseus’s mind was filled with their faces, begging for mercy, as they were drowned, smashed, and killed. At the time, Odysseus thought Polites was right; he wasn’t. Then, after Tiresias’s prophecy, he begrudgingly started to believe that Poseidon was right; he supposed he wasn’t either. 

So then who was? Who was right? How did Odysseus have to change, now that he’s realized his wrongs on all accounts? Looking at the faces of his men, the ones alive, and thinking back to those that died, Odysseus felt the urge to apologize. To say the single word all of them knew wouldn’t fix anything, the word that would at the very least let Odysseus have a better chance of redeeming himself. Of being the king he’s supposed to be.

… Gods, how much had Ithaca changed, within twelve to thirteen years? How much had Penelope changed? Telemachus?

Odysseus’s mouth opened, blood dripping from the side, as he steeled his nerves to finally hold back and swallow his pride. But before he could get a word in, Perimedes cut him off, “I’m sorry, captain.”

And he pulled out the dagger harshly. Odysseus felt a blunt force that felt like the handle of a spear hit the back of his head and he fell down, dizzy. Black spots littered across his vision as Odysseus distantly heard his men scurrying off somewhere, someone taking him up in their arms carefully. 

He blacked out.

______________________________

Odysseus woke up to the sound of cows mooing and the rustling of the grass. Wait, grass? There wasn’t any grass on his ship. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself tied with rope, leaned against some type of flat stone. His stomach wound was cleanly wrapped, and he could slightly feel the small sting of some ointment around the slowly healing stab.

His eyes squinted at the bright sun that hit him, and it took him a few moments to compose himself. His head pounded, throbbing like he was about to have a migraine. “Agh, my head,” he winced, his voice raspy from likely not having spoken in a while. A cow’s moo echoed through the area, and Odysseus frowned a bit; the noise did nothing to help his headache. He realized that he was on some kind of hill, overlooking a whole bunch of cows. There were more cows than Odysseus could even count, and much more cows here than there had been sheep in Polyphemus’s cave. 

“Where are we?” He asked the question to no one in particular. Odysseus hadn’t expected a response until Eurylochus spoke, just a few feet away, “Some island.” Eurylochus didn’t even look at the man tied up, his distant gaze focused solely on the cows, as if he were entranced at the sight of the lean meat, “The first one we found. It’s bursting with cows just roaming around, and begging us to eat.”

Odysseus watched as Eurylochus licked his lips, swallowing thickly as he watched the cows, “So much meat, and hunger is so heavy…” With another deep breath to hold in the urge to simply eat the cows raw, Eurylochus turned to something behind Odysseus, looking up, “This statue,” he spoke, and Odysseus tried to turn around to take a look, but winced when he felt his wound ache at the pressure from the ropes. He had to rely on whatever Eurylochus was saying for more information.

“The god of the Sun,” Which god of the sun, Odysseus wanted to ask so very badly. Yet he also knew that both sun gods were rather protective of their cattle, and had all the means necessary to issue a punishment should these cattle be harmed. Both Helios and Apollo were also rather demanding gods when angered, and Odysseus knew that if they made even one wrong move, they’d be done for. “Don’t know where it’s from,” Odysseus had to hold back the urge to try to shake Eurylochus out of whatever trance he’s in; what do you mean Eurylochus didn’t think to figure out which sun god this was, and where exactly they are? He never remembered Eurylochus being this negligent. “But here’s where we found all these cows to hunt, right in front.” “And hunger is so heavy,” Eurylochus repeated, the rest of the crew groaning about their hunger just behind him too, that same distant haze over their eyes. That was when Odysseus knew he had to do something. He angled his body so that the ropes that tied him to the statue’s pedestal, so that the sharp edges would give enough friction to slowly fray the ropes. “Please don’t tell me you’re about to do what I think you’ll do..” He pleaded with his friend, not exactly in the mood to raise his voice anymore. 

Eurylochus finally turned to his brother-in-law, sadness and hopelessness peeking from behind the haze that seemed to cover everyone’s eyes, “Ody, we’re never gonna get to make it home.” He spoke bluntly, tired from the long journey they’ve gone through to this point. “You know it’s true,” Odysseus’s stomach knotted into itself at the other man’s words. He shook his head, desperation gleaming in his eyes as he looked at Eurylochus’s resigned face, “You don’t know it’s true.”

It can’t be true. Odysseus could think of a way to get back home, now that he had a pretty vague idea of where he was. And even if he didn’t, he’s the Odysseus of Ithaca, the “man of many ways”, as many bards and singers have written songs and hymns of praise to him and his wits. He had to think of a way back home. He can’t handle another day, another hour, another second without his wife. But first, he had to find a way to convince his men not to do anything stupid, “This is the home of the sun god!”

“I’m starving, my friend,” Odysseus ignored the small feeling of relief when he found that Eurylochus still viewed him as a friend, and continued to try wearing down his friend’s temptation, “But if you kill his cattle, who knows what he’ll send? This is the home of the sun god!” Odysseus moved his body discreetly, making sure not to strain his injury while also doing his best to cut away the ropes that bound him to the statue. 

“I’m tired, my friend!” Eurylochus’s stomach growled audibly, and Odysseus let out a small wince as his own stomach growled as well, of hunger and pain. He rubbed the rope against the side of the pedestal harder, trying as hard as he could to escape his bindings. Meanwhile, he had to do everything he could to convince everyone else, “But we’re so close to home, this can’t be where it ends..” In reality, Odysseus wasn’t very sure how far or close they really were from home. He’s half-sure that they’ve gone beyond uncharted waters and lands, but he’s not quite sure how far he had to go.

Eurylochus only shook his head as he started to slowly and carefully walk to one of the cows nearby, “How much longer must I suffer now? How much longer must I push through doubt?” He slowly stalked toward the innocent cow, his movements that of a precise hunter, and Odysseus hastened what he was doing to try cutting off the rope. The cord started to slowly fray, each small strand getting cut off in a painfully slow manner, but progress is progress, Odysseus supposed. “Please don’t do this… I need to get home!”

“How much longer must I go about my life like this, when people die like this?” The starving man took another step to the unassuming cow. Odysseus snuck a glance to check on his progress with the ropes. He's almost there. Almost there. “Eurylochus…” He couldn't even think of anything to say anymore. After all, he knew how stubborn his right-hand was. And from the strange haze-like veil over everyone's eyes, simply at the sight of the fattened and well-taken care of cattle, no one would listen to reason. 

The other crewmates walked over too, stalking closer and closer to the resting cow. Just like Eurylochus, everyone else had a similar eerie desperation. Odysseus, realizing that something was wrong with his men, shouted and pleaded. “Reconsider! We can get home!!”

In a last-ditch attempt to get his men back into their right minds while trying to get himself out, Odysseus turned to his right-hand man. “Eurylochus,” he pleaded, praying to the gods that Eurylochus would at the very least hear him out. Yet the only response Odysseus received was the taller man reaching for the greatsword strapped to his back, raising it high in the air. “I'm just a man,” Eurylochus spoke, his stomach growling even louder as he swung down his blade. 

“Eurylochus, NO!-” Odysseus finally cut himself free from his bounds, and stood up. He reached his hand out to Eurylochus, but he was too late.

A startled moo bellowed across the island. Blood dripped down the large blade, reflecting the light of the sun shining down on them. The reflected light was blinding, oddly; red blood wouldn't reflect that bright a light-

Gold.

Odysseus felt his heart stop. The blood was gold. The cow was bleeding gold. Ichor, essence of the divine. 

“You've doomed us,” Odysseus breathed, torn between forcing himself to keep breathing or just stop altogether. His mind ran multiple miles a minute, and he finally managed to get a glimpse of the sun god’s statue he was tied to. Helios, the Sun Incarnate. “You’ve doomed us all, Eurylochus!” He screamed, his voice cracking when the true consequences of likely angering the Helios, titan personification of the sun, crashing down on him heavier than any he’s carried before.

As if his scream had finally pierced through their hunger-clouded minds, Eurylochus slowly turned around. The haze over his eyes disappeared, and all that was left was the look of someone crumbling in despair, lost in the labyrinth of confusion. “Captain?” The man sounded so disoriented, so confuddled at what he just did. 

“Captain! Captain! Captain!” “Captain?” Odysseus forced himself to shake off the uneasiness that washed over him at the sound of that word. Eurylochus needed him. They all needed him. These thirty-six men needed him right now. The king forced himself to suck in his panic and took charge. He firmly looked at all his men, who had now snapped out of whatever trance they were in. Thirty-six, he counted, including Eurylochus. “We need to get away from this island now!”

He urged, moving to the single ship docked nearby, though his legs staggered when a pang of pain shot through his torso. Immediately, Eurylochus and Perimedes ran over and took to his sides to help him quickly. Everyone else followed, rushing to the boat and getting the ship ready to leave. “Grab an oar with all the strength your arms allow,” He ordered, raising his voice as loud as he could in his injured state. They finally got to the ship, and the men by his sides left to obey the orders, doing their usual sailing duties.

“These cows were immortal, they were the Sun god’s friends,” He explained, looking directly to his right-hand-man to explain. Odysseus didn’t want a second repeat of what happened however long ago it was; with the wind bag, with Scylla, it was time to be more transparent with himself to others, he realized. “And now that we’ve pissed them off,” He added, turning to look at the herd of cattle that ran around the island in hysteria, “Who do you think he’ll send?!”

Every single one of the thirty-seven men in the ship were slowly falling apart in their panicking, hurriedly calling out to each other, “Full speed ahead! Full speed ahead!” The large oars rowed and rowed as fast as all of the hunger-panged sailors could, but Odysseus’s eyebrows furrowed in alarm when he noticed the marble statue of Helios slowly move its head in their direction.

“Faster!” He ordered, stomping on the wooden floor of the messy ship to emphasize his order. “Full speed ahead,” everyone chanted uncoordinatedly. “Faster!!” He pushed, shouting as loud as he could. “Full speed ahead!”

A blast of thunder reverberated across the sea, and upon seeing the clear skies slowly being covered in stark white clouds, Odysseus knew one thing. There was no escape now.

[catindabag]

TBOSAS on Crack short take (67)

*How Sejanus got accepted by his Capitol peers* Read [this] first.

Festus: Hi, Snow bro!

Coryo: Hi, Creed. How’s life?

Festus: Pretty great! Yesterday, my mom even gave me some sweet baby potatoes to share with my rats!

Coryo: Your mom’s weird.

Festus: She’s on her ✨me and myself era✨.

Coryo: How about your dad?

Festus: Rehab.

Coryo: Poor guy.

Festus: Don’t worry about it. I’m practically the man of the house now!😎

Coryo: Festus, you’re 8.

Festus: You’re 8 too.

Coryo: I’m an orphan.

Festus: I live in a cozy dumpster without any parental supervision. So technically speaking, I’m also an orphan-

Sejanus: *appears out of nowhere and hugs Coryo like a koala* Greetings, my love!😍

Coryo: Hi, Seji Pie.

Festus: Coryo, who’s the new kid and why is he hugging you like a giant koala on crack?

Coryo: He’s my new friend-

Sejanus: Hi! I’m Coryo’s boyfriend and future husband!

Festus: Future husband?

Sejanus: Yup! I’m Sejanus Plinth! Nice to meet you!

Festus: Um- I’m Festus Creed-

Sejanus: Do you want to be the ✨Best Man✨ at our wedding?😀

Festus: You’re already planning your wedding?!

Sejanus: Of course we are! After all, it’s going to be the ✨Royal Wedding of The Century✨!😍

Festus: But I’m too young to be your ✨Best Man✨!

Coryo: And I’m too young to have a boyfriend or fiancé, but here we are.😑

Sejanus: My Coryo is so cute and shy. I want to hug him forever!

Festus: Forever?

Sejanus: And ever and ever!

Festus: Snowy, my cabbage loving brother, are you sure about him?

Coryo: His family is rich.

Festus: Richer than Arachne?

Coryo: Yes.

Festus: Nice! *turns to Sejanus and gives him a bear hug* Welcome to the Capitol, Sej! You’re now my new best mate!

Sejanus: *hugs back* Oh, thank Panem! A new friend to keep and hide in my home!

Festus: You’ll keep me where?

Sejanus: I’m so happy, my love!

Coryo: Whatever you say, Babe.

Sejanus: We should celebrate!

Festus: Yey! Free food!

Coryo: Can we order chicken nuggets and fries today?

Sejanus: Anything and everything you want, my love!😍

Festus: Can Odysseus and Penelope celebrate with us?😀

Sejanus: Sure! Where are they?

Festus: *shows them his 2 favorite freaky pet rats instead* This is Odysseus and this is Penelope! Aren’t they cute?🥰

Sejanus: They’re rats?!

Coryo: Ugly looking rats.

Festus: Yup! But I just call them Ody and Penny for short.

Sejanus: Are they even clean?

Festus: Clean as me!😊

Sejanus: Do they have rabies?

Festus: Rabies? Is that edible?

Sejanus: Festus-

Coryo: *whispers to Sejanus* Creed is currently living in a “cozy” rat infested dumpster without parental supervision.

Sejanus: *whispers back* Why? Is his family homeless and poor?

Coryo: No. They’re rich.

Sejanus: So why the dumpster?

Coryo: His crazy mother is the current ✨Queen of Neglect✨.

Sejanus: And his dad?

Coryo: Rehab.

Sejanus: Rehab?!

Festus: Yeah.😞 My germaphobe dad was forced by my evil mom to live in a dumpster for 2 years because of the rebels.

Sejanus: That’s so sad!

Festus: More like a tragedy. He was even loved and respected by many. However, after the war, my poor dad became borderline catatonic and unresponsive.

Sejanus: But what about your mother?!

Festus: She’s on her ✨me and myself era✨.😔

Coryo: It’s the war trauma. I mean, Mr. Creed’s a germaphobe and he was forced by his crazy wife to hide in a filthy dumpster for too long.

Festus: It’s ok. I still love my dad and my darling dumpster.

Sejanus: You’re making me cry, Creed!😭

Coryo: Babe, don’t feel bad. Festus is fine. He’s doing great! Look!

Festus: *is now talking to his pet rats* Oh, you look so beautiful as always, Penny!☺️

Penelope: *happily squeaks in return*

Festus: Oh, thank you, Penny!

Odysseus: *squeaks in jealousy*

Festus: Ody, don’t be jelly. Penny is your wife.

Coryo: Yup. He’s totally fine.

Sejanus: But he’s talking to rats!

Coryo: That’s normal. It’s part of the ✨Capitol Culture✨.

Sejanus: Talking to ugly rats is a ✨Capitol Culture✨?!

Festus: And heritage!

Sejanus: Coryo-

Coryo: Talking to “sacred” animals is part of being Capitol, my love.

Festus: Except for birds. We don’t talk to birds.

Sejanus: Why?

Coryo: Birds can snitch on you.

Sejanus: That is so weird.

Coryo: You’ll get used to it.

Sejanus: Have you ever-

Coryo: Talked to animals before? Sure! I do it almost every day! I even had to bargain with an angry wild dog for some lima beans and expired ham last night.

Sejanus: You can bargain with wild animals?!

Coryo: It’s a Corso thing.

Festus: We’re both from Corso.

Felix: *jumps out of nowhere* Hi, Coryo! Hi Creed! Who’s your new friend?

Sejanus: Hi! I’m Coryo’s husband!

Felix: Snowy is married already?!

Coryo: Not yet. He’s my friend-

Sejanus: Boyfriend.

Felix: Oh, ok. Nice to meet you. I’m Felix Ravinstill!

Sejanus: You’re an evil scheming Ravinstill?!

Felix: I’m sad now.😢

Coryo: Babe, don’t call our poor Felix evil. He’s sensitive.

Sejanus: But he’s a Ravinstill!

Festus: He’s our baby!

Felix: I’m baby.

Sejanus: Oh. Sorry. I didn’t know.

Felix: It’s fine. I’m used to it.

Sejanus: Being called evil all the time by complete strangers?

Felix: Along with my family.

Sejanus: And you’re not bothered by that?

Felix: It’s a reoccurring Ravinstill problem.😞

Festus: True. I mean, the Districts already hate us for barely winning the war.

Coryo: To be fair, we only won the war because everyone on both sides quickly declared a ceasefire to mourn the death of my gorgeous father and his gorgeous looks.

Sejanus: Oh, yeah! My evil old man mentioned that tragic news to me before. He was even crying his heart out and screaming at everyone that he will never ever recover and truly love again.

Coryo: My father’s death really affected your Pa that much?

Sejanus: Yup. My scheming father and ✨Gorgeous General Crassus✨ were extremely close-

Coryo: How close?

Sejanus: They were roommates.

Coryo: You do know that my dad’s death was just an accident, right?

Sejanus: Really?

Coryo: Unfortunately.

Festus: The rebel who shot Snowy’s daddy even cried and confessed on live TV that it was just an honest mistake on his part.

Felix: True. The poor bastard was supposed to aim his rifle at the sky to signal their whereabouts, but ✨Gorgeous General Crassus✨ was such a catch that he and his other rebel friends got distracted-

Coryo: Leading to my poor daddy’s accidental death. End of story.

Felix: However, because of that incident, people from both sides began to hate my family even more.

Festus: Not gonna lie, sending ✨Panem’s Prettiest Player✨ to the front lines without any warning or explanation was our country’s biggest mistake.😔

Felix: Coryo, I’m so sorry!

Coryo: Felix, it’s fine. You don’t have to feel sorry for me all the time.

Sejanus: Even though District 13 started the war that almost eradicated all of you?

Felix: District 13? What’s that? Is that food?

Coryo: *whispers to Sejanus* His irreversible war trauma is currently protecting him from the ugly realities of this world.

Sejanus: *whispers back* So District 13 still exist?

Coryo: I’m poor. So let’s just pretend it doesn’t exist anymore.

Sejanus: Whatever you say, my love!

Coryo: But seriously, Felix is a good guy. You can rely on him.

Felix: Half of my family is either crazy or shady.

Sejanus: And the other half?

Felix: They’re just a bunch of Bichon Frisé puppy worshippers.

Sejanus: And which half do you belong to?

Felix: I’m a Bichon Frisé puppy worshipper.😔

Sejanus: By force?

Felix: Yeah. My family doesn’t even know that I’m actually a big Hello Kitty fan.

Sejanus: Do you even like dogs?

Felix: I have to like them or else my granduncle and my mother might disown me.

Coryo: His crazy granduncle is the ✨President of Panem✨.

Festus: And his mother is the ✨Vice President✨.

Felix: They’re also the leaders of the famous ✨Bichon Frisé Cult✨.

Sejanus: Your mother is the same woman who declared that eating cold spaghetti on Winter Solstice is a crime against humanity?!

Felix: Yeah. That’s my mom. She’s a true Ravinstill through and through.

Sejanus: And your dad?

Felix: Is also a Ravinstill.

Sejanus: So your parents are related?

Felix: We’re Capitol Nobles.

Sejanus: So?

Felix: That means that we’re all related to each other. Even Coryo, Festus, and I are family.

Festus: By blood!

Coryo: We’re cousins.

Sejanus: Really?! How come?

Coryo: We all share a common great great grandfather.

Sejanus: That still doesn’t add up-

Festus: He had 24 daughters and 16 sons.

Felix: And I have hundreds of cousins roaming around the city.

Sejanus: Yeah, I can see it now.

Felix: Don’t even ask me about my deadly family reunions.😞

Sejanus: So that means that my future children with Coryo will have the crazy Ravinstill blood running through their veins-

Felix: You can’t run from my ever expanding bloodline, bro. Sooner or later, your family will also be part of it.😔

Sejanus: But that’s impossible!

Coryo: Just accept the inevitable.

Sejanus: Ok! No problem, my love!😍

Felix: So can we start over?

Sejanus: Sure! You start.

Felix: Oh, ok. Um- Hi! I’m Felix and I love butterflies!

Sejanus: Hi! I’m Sejanus and I love my Coryo!

Felix: That’s great! I support you! Let’s be friends!

Sejanus: Yey! Another new friend!

Coryo: Yey. I’m hungry. Let’s go eat and celebrate, Babe.

Festus: Free food!

Felix: New friend!

Lysistrata: *slides out of nowhere* Can we be friends too?

Apollo: Let’s be friends, new kid!

Diana: Me too!

Androcles: And me!

Gaius: Do you like squirrels?

Io: Do you like cheese?

Dennis: Let’s do some business ventures together!

Persephone: Have you seen my stew?

Palmyra: Try this expired muffin! I baked it myself!😀

Vipsania: Do you workout?

Domitia: Do you like cows?

Iphigenia: You can buy your groceries at my place!

Juno: A rich District peasant?!

Florus: I’m just here for the food.

Arachne: Is your sandwich recipe better than mine?

Urban: Do you like meth- I mean, math?

Pup: Do you like to sleep upside down?

Hilarius: Do I look good in shorts?

Festus: No! Shoo! Go away! Sejanus is my new friend!

Coryo: And my boyfriend!

Felix: Can we order pasta?

Apollo: Please be my friend!

Diana: Pretty please!🥺🙏

Florus: Where’s the food?

Androcles: Let’s be war baddies!

Coryo: Do you mean buddies?

Androcles: They’re the same thing.

Coryo: No, they’re not.

Androcles: Then we shall-

Sejanus: Fine! We can all be best friends forever!

Androcles: Really?🥹

Sejanus: As long as you eat my gumdrops.

Androcles: Ok!

Livia: Ew. No.

Hilarius: By the way, shouldn’t we all be in school right now?

Arachne: Shouldn’t you?

Hilarius: Nah. School is boring.

Arachne: But-

Hilarius: Let’s go celebrate our newly forged friendship instead!🥳

Sejanus: To friendship!

Everyone: *except Livia and Arachne* To our shotgun friendship!

Florus: Free food! Let’s go!

Io: I’m so excited! This is my first time skipping school!

*Meanwhile, at school*

Clemensia: *is currently sitting alone with her pet hamster* Hercules, this is weird. Why am I the only one sitting in class today? Where is everyone?

Hercules:. . .

Clemensia: Seriously, where the heck is everyone?!

[grunge-innie]

____________☆_______________☆__________

Txt bf headcanons (choi line)

___________☆______________☆____________

Genre:fluff,headcanons

Pairings:Choi!line x GN!reader

Pronouns:none

Synopsis:just the things that they would do if you were together.

A/N:would you have guessed that my bias is Yeonjun(of course you wouldn't)

____________☆______________☆___________

⋆｡°✩ Yeonjun [🦊]

This man is so flirty.

He just straight up is a bf material.

Would give his life for you.

If you try to tease him and get him flustered,at the end you would be the one getting embarrassed.

Even if the other boys would try to tease him about being soft with you,he would just give them a savage response and continue to shower you in his love.

He likes to go out when it comes to dates,but if you would rather stay home he would gladly change his plans.

You can't tell me that this man is not a good kisser,have you seen this mfs lips.

He knows that he is a good kisser so he kisses you as much as he can.

He loves being a big spoon when it comes to cuddling because he feels like he is protecting you.

Would love to style your clothes and plan your outfits,if you are okay with that.

Would always have his hand on your lower back when you're going somewhere.

He thinks he is sly and that he doesn't show how smitten he is with you,but everyone can see the lovestruck look on his face when he is looking at you.

⋆｡°✩ Soobin [🐰]

He is a lot shyer than Yeonjun,but still not too shy

He has these moments when he is very confident in showing you his love,but sometimes he just doesn't know what to do.

Likes dates in nature.

If you are eating something he would most definitely try to feed you.

This man is tall,even for my 5'7 ass.

He would love to pick you up by holding your hips and then spin you in the air when he is happy.

Other members always make fun of Soobin so they wouldn't miss out their chance on this one.

(Un)fortunately for Soobin he has gotten used to it,so he learned to just tune them out.

He is big on cuddling.

Would try to hug you every single second.

I think he would buy you rings or some other jewelry because he thinks it would look good on you.

Soobin knew you were the one when he realized that Odi actually likes you.

⋆｡°✩ Beomgyu [🐻]

Beomgyu likes to joke around a lot and is very energetic with his friends,but when he comes home he is glad to know that he can be more calm around you.

Beomgyu thinks that home made gifts are the best ones so he likes to make them for you.

He would watch those "ways to say i love you" tutorials on tiktok and try to make them for you.

He is a nice balance between cuddly Soobin and kissy(?) Yeonjun,because he likes to do both equally.

Even when he is away he likes to call you a lot and make sure that you are doing fine.

Would prefer indoor dates rather than going out (he especially likes movie nights).

Taking a night walk with Beomgyu is a must.

He has a present for you for every holiday or celebration,no matter how small it is.

He would make you a lot of personalized playlists.

If you decide to make one for him too,his heart would melt right then and there.

He likes to cook with you,even if he isn't the best at it.

Beomgyu has a sweet tooth so cook him anything sugary and you have officially won his heart.

Masterlist

Taglist form

Taglist: @wccycc

[dadjokesbutgay]

Ok but none of the sticks would be immune to epic

(Kinda a long post, so rambles under the cut)

green starts the group obsession, he's been in his room for a few days and when someone goes to check on him he's just. full on sobbing, screaming out, "THIS LIFE IS AMAZING WHEN YOU GREET IT WITH OPEN ARMS"

within the next week, everyone on Alanspc gains a new hyperfixation

Green and Yellow notice most of the repeating motifs and melodies and love dissecting the musical to infodump on everyone else. Sec likes the animatics and all the different art styles, and will occasionally spot more details that even into Yellow and Green's theories (they're more focused on the animation part than the symbolic details, but still think all the layers and things are cool) Red's favorite songs are Ruthlessness, Remember Them, and Warrior of the Mind. The others know this because he has not stopped listening to them for weeks. Blue doesn't do the analyzing themmself, but is happy to discuss theories and observations Green and Yellow make. If either of them get hung up on what a certain repeating melody might mean, they'll often times go to Blue because of his uncanny ability to see what they've missed and give them new ideas.

they put the livestream on the big tv for a movie night and there was a full-fledged P A N I C when it went down; Yellow was trying to recommend ways to fix it through the chat, Red and Green kept screaming, "CAPTAIN!!" at the yt window as it that would make it work, Sec was just trying to help/calm everyone down, and blue was helping Sec until they smelled the burning popcorn (but afterwards, everyone was laughing about "last I checked, goddesses can't die-" being the last thing before everything stopped)

eventually, the CG get Purple and MT to try it during another movie night with everyone and they were NOT prepared, like, those two got their hearts RIPPED out

bonus - when I think everyone would cry:

MT started first during Just A Man when Odysseus mentions his son (he didn't really cry, just made a Sad Face™ and got a hug from Purple)

no one really follows suit until the Underworld Saga, when Blue hears Polities and kinda cuddles into Yellow, sniffling and saying smth like, "he just wanted Ody to be happy tho, he didn't deserve it!"

Purple tried to thug it out, but failed as soon as Odysseus's mom appeared (again, they didn't cry cry, just a few tears, but that's a lot from Purp)

Sec was sad through various points of the musical, but for some reason, the line,"every friend, I saw them die," really upset them. They can't entirely explain why, though.

Yellow got emotional during We'll be Fine at how close Athena sounded to tears

The first time he listened to it, Green sobbed almost the whole way through Thunderbringer

Red doesn't count. He cried when Polyphemus's sheep died.

[leynaeithnea]

I chose to suffer so I watched Open Arms :))) I'm not okay I love polities too much

This man was in one , maybe two songs ?? And stole all of our hearts?? How is this allowed? I would die for him fr

Someone on YouTube commented that polities is a Disney princess and I can't disagree look at him!! Singing and dancing and being silly and throwing his Captain's sword in the water, making said captain almost fall in too and then just hugging him and jumping together akkdksksjsn THAT'S TOO CUTE ACTUALLY

( and Ody flailing his little arms and his expression when he loses his balance is so good oh god hahhaha )

Also I don't know where why who came up with the idea of giving polities glasses but that's just peak character design he's so squishableeee

Then when they get out of the water Ody is so disgruntled and annoyed with polities' antics?? CAPTAIN NO ONE BELIEVES YOU POLITIES IS TOO CUTE YOU AREN'T RESISTING HIS CHARM

Then when the lotus eaters appear ( they are also SO CUTE?? AND FLUFFY?? AAAAHH) polities lowers his voice and gets kinda more serious (?) Like "yeah I've been silly up until now but this is a possibility to change , to really try, please my friend just try to greet the world with open arms "

( Also there's this little moment when we can see one of the winions' heads but then Ody says " stay back I'm warning you" and the winion steps back and for some reason the whole thing is just peak comedy to me don't ask me why it just is LOL )

The winions all loving polities and being nice to him and lifting him up and hugging him?? While Ody is all serious and studying the fruits?? Perfect actually.

( I can't point out all the little moments but, the expressions in this animatic?? THEY ARE SO FUNNY??? Love it )

Yeah I guess this is mostly incoherent but I just liked this so much akskkssj the dynamics between Ody and Poli and between Poli and the lotus eaters were just so perfect lakdnsnsbs AAAHHH POLITIES I MISS YOUUU

I think its Mircsys animatic

Its hilarious, its beautiful

Funfact, the first times I listened before i watched the animatics I assumed that polites was already high on lotus when singing the songs

...somehow i enjoyed the song a little bit less once I realized thats not the case BUT its still a grear song and the animatic!!! @mircsy s Winions! Theyre so cute!!!!

The glasses as with a lot design choices when it comes to characters are bc of Steven Dookies glasses :D

[yeonjuxine]

Txt members' love language.

#yeonjun :

when I tell you this man is just hella affectionate

will randomly attack you with kisses and hugs

will just hug you for eternity if he could

when he gets sad, he definitely needs attention

no attention means extreme sulking

loves to hold your hand be it in public, at home, at work

he also loves doing chores together

like on a random Sunday or wtv, just cooking or washing dishes together while music plays in the bg

he loves kissing your face, neck and hands

he loves it when you stroke his hair like he's CRAZY for it

just super clingy or not depending on his mood

get ready to cringe cuz he will use his cheesy pick-up lines any chance he gets

random night drives are the go-to for him

going to the park, walking around the streets at night is his vibe and he does it very often and drags you along

KARAOKE DATES YESSIR

life is never boring with yeonjun ;)

#soobin :

this boi is so soft I can't

he loves loves loves cooking together

loves doing everything together honestly

like cuddling, watching movies together, learning something new together

he's definitely shy of showing affection in public, but when he's feeling confident he will randomly hug/kiss or hold your hand

he's always caring ab you like he remembers the little things you like, supposing a thing you used to like when you were a child, he will make a mental note of that

always brings you to his home to take care of odi together and just talk ab odi for hours

he loves kissing you on your cheek, jaw and shoulders

loves it when you play with his fingers it just brings him some sort of comfort

he makes the worst jokes but it's funny cuz it's rlly bad

#beomgyu :

first of all, you can't tell me this dude ain't hella clingy

he loves hugging you like JUST YOUU

he's the type to make a bunch of playlists just for you

even makes songs regarding ab u

he's so sweet like sugary sweetttt

he also loves teaching you ab music or instruments

creating music together is his muse

late night skating yeeeee

stargazing with you is one of his favs

makes the dumbest jokes but he's funny that way + his laugh is contagious

defo loves kissing your lips and the crown of your head

mans will peck you every second he gets

gets mad and sulky when you don't give him attention ;-;

he loves it when you hug him/kiss him/call him your pretty boy

DON'T HURT THIS PRETTY GORGEOUS SWEET BOI

#taehyun :

protect this man at all costs

um gym dates with him HELLO

him helping you with your workout omgomgomg

he always has his eye on you, helps you whenever you need it without even asking

he is a man of service

will do anything for you like lich rally

he honestly loves staring at you like he will stare at you 24/7 like 👁️👄👁️

you wake up and you see him like 👁️👄👁️

always listens to what you have to say, be it ranting ab random things or anything rlly, he always listens

he loves cuddling like frfr

singing love songs with him before going to bed <3

will kiss you on your forehead, lips and the palm of your hands

he loves it when you put your head on the crook of his neck and kiss him on the neck

just full of fluff hours with this man

#hueningkai :

I JUST WANT TO KISS HIM HUG HIM PROTECT HIM HES SO PRECIOUS

ultimate Loverboy </3

he's a very shy boi but he'll do anything to initiate the conversation first

always tries to make you comfortable and knows how to keep the atmosphere lighthearted

definitely gets shy in public but he doesn't tell you to stop holding his hand or hugging him (he likes it hehe)

when you randomly kiss him on the cheek he gets so redddd like RED from his ears to his cheeks

SMILES FROM EAR TO EAR HDHFHBDH

he definitely loves gift-giving

will give you cute love letters since he can't rlly express his feelings well

will give you plushies :')

he LOVES it when you play with his hair, pinch his cheeks and showering him with kisses

he loves kissing your cheeks (not the other cheeks guys)

I want a kai 😔😔😔

[theoakleafpancake]

Star of Deltora Thoughts, in no particular order

Rodda never fails to catch me off guard with the plot twists, first of all

Vashti gives me Zoya vibes

Jewel is amazing. I love Jewel

The golden arm brace as a weapon? That’s dope

Sky of Rithmere is definitely one of my fav characters. Did not expect his little surprise

Britta needs a lot of hugs and a lot of love

Dare and Mikah…that was well-played. I did not see that coming at all. Man had to pretend to care for this random girl he never knew just to keep the wraiths at bay. He duped literally everyone.

I said this in a previous post, but Britta and Lief would get along quite well with their fathers being hated by Deltora

Every time there was some mention of Lief and Jasmine, I screamed

THEY ATTENDED LARSETT’S FUNERAL

“Nodnap” Again, Jewel is freaking amazing

The story of Tier is very sad. Justice for Tier

Following, that…Tier. A half-man, half-turtle.

How?

“Comfort and firmness” BUSTED

Illica and the two Collectors with the sons was top tier

Jewel straight up bailing from the tower? Iconic

Collin could not have picked worse wording in that letter and a worse timing to steal that pearl

Crow <<<< literally anyone else

The part with Maarie and Britta hurt

Also the goodbye hug with Britta and Margareth hurt

“She wondered why Mab had taken so long to choose an apprentice” IT MAKES SENSE NOW

MAB KNEW THE WHOLE TIME???

BRITTA WAS JUST BAIT??

Goozli beloved

I get that Mikah probably used the Staff’s power to fuse Larsett’s hand to his arm but for a moment I had this horrible image of Mikah just sewing the hand onto it

Maarie wearing the odi clip in the end

Jantsy and Brittta >>

It took so much self restraint to not pull up Google to find spoilers like I did in Deltora Quest

What if Larsett succeeded and brought the Staff to Lief

What if Lief was corrupted by the Staff

What if Lief could use the Staff against the Shadow Lord himself

What if the Shadow Lord had gained access to the Staff

“The world is wide, and full of wonders” rodda can you stop trying to break me

I have many more thoughts but these are all I can articulate right now

[yawnjunn]

TXT unboxing your album on vlives (and pulls your pc!!)

hiii ok im currently making taehyun and beomgyu's fics lol and also, TXT IS MAKING A COMEBACK WOOHOO *twerks* 😎

╰┈➤ txt x gn! reader !!

╰┈➤ pronouns used: they/them

╰┈➤ warnings: none, just txt being your personal fanboys lol

yeonjun:

•is very very careful when unboxing your album

•"MOA, have you bought (your group name's) newest album? and if you havent why havent you HMM?"

•would immediately check for YOUR pcs

•once he pulled you, he would be like "YESS i pulled y/n wooohoo"

•i think he'd probably kiss your pc 😭

•compliments your pc "y/n looks so pretty here"

•takes photos of himself with your pc and sends it to you

•would show your pc to his MOAs, "y/n looks cute in here right?"

•if theres a hate comment on you or your relationship. BLOCKED. REPORT.

•couldnt stop looking at your pc for the 100th time during the vlive

•no hate to your group, but he secretly buys that album hoping to get your pc only or anything that includes you in it 😭

•i mean yeah, he couldve just buy an individual pc of you BUT he wanted to support you and your group too so yeah he bought that album in order to support yall :(

soobin:

•would observe the packaging first or the front cover

•"theyre getting better with their packaging these days, do you agree MOA?"

•when he pulls your pc, he'd show it to moas first

•"moa look! I got y/n!!"

•he'd bring your pc close to his chest and hugs it

•would make your pc stand on the table as he continues to unbox your album and be like "y/n's photocard can be today's special guest"

•fans would ask him "odi or y/n?"

•"odi or y/n? thats a tough question...hm no no no" (obvsly hes gonna choose you since soobin said odi is not fun anymore,(odi's teen era 😟)he mentioned it on his recent vlive lol)

•another fan would comment something like "soobin got y/n's photocard?? GIVE ME THAT ONE"

•and soobin would be like "moa, i love you but i have to protect this pc of y/n at all cost, theres no way im gonna share with you"

beomgyu:

•this man would never get embarass being your fanboy

•would buy ALL versions of your albums

•would dramatically open your album like he would probably be opera singing while opening your album

•would close his eyes hoping to pull your pc

•and when he did pulled you, he would act as if your pc is fragile like he'd be so careful with it 💀

•"this pc is gonna be the newest one in my 'y/n's pc collections'"

•fans would be like "beomgyu has a collection of y/n's photocards??"

•and he would reply something like, "yeah? I even have all versions of their albums AND even their lightstick, im like the biggest (fandom name) try to beat that"

•has a whole shelf for your albums 👍🏻

•would even show his collection of your pcs

•"i have this y/n" "i have that y/n too"

•would literally pay any amount for a rare pc of yours

taehyun:

•the calmest among all

•he'd be telling his fans to support your group too by buying atleast one album from you (supportive bf vibess)

•would set the pc aside, anxious wanting to get your RAREST photocard (save the best for the last ofc)

•would lowkey skip all your members as he flip through the photobook just so he can only see ur beautiful face 😭

•would NEVER get embarass to compliment you whether its in private or not

•"wahh y/n looks so cute in here"

•"aww look at them smiling in here"

•"what do you guys think about this concept?"

•If he sees a hate comment about you. HE'D DEFEND YOU AND YOUR GROUP WITH HIS SAVAGE ASS IDC

•ok NOW time for the pc reveal

•as soon as he found out he pulled you, he'd make those tiny noises that he usually makes 🥺 (iykyk)

•would put your pc in his clear phonecase

•AND WOULD STICK ALL YOUR INDIVIDUAL POSTERS IN HIS ROOM (well maybe like 1 or 2, just posters that would match his room's vibe)

hueningkai:

• the cutest reaction fr

• takes his time to open the album ofc

• fans would comment something like "JUST OPEN THE ALBUM ALREADY I WANNA SEE WHOS PC YOURE GONNA PULL"

•but NO kai would tease tf out of moas and be like "should i open it or not? eh maybe 5 more minutes"

•after what felt like DECADES, he finally opens the album

•he'd take out all the items inside carefully and set it on the table, arranging them

•like taehyun, he'd save the pc for the last

•would do a quick review on the photobook like flipping the pages really fast

•when he found out he pulled YOUR pc, yall know he'd scream 😟

•he'd get pretty excited tbh

•AUTOMATICALLY would put the pc inside a photocard toploader (i think thats what its called)

•AND he'd decorate it with stickers!!! yay kai !!!

•after finish decorating, HE WILL SHOW YOU HIS MASTERPIECE FR

•like he'll send you a pic of it and asks for your opinion

•if you dont like it, he's gonna have to re do it :(

•BUT if you like how he decorates, he'd be smiling till his cheeks hurt

•but ofc, youre gonna say u love it anyways cause who would want to hurt hyuka's feelings? exactly. no one.

•pretty sure hes gonna put it on his bedside table so that the first thing he sees when he wakes up...is a pic of you.

[hwanchaesong]

TOMORROW X TOGETHER as your classmate turned bestfriend

Soobin:

new student that just transferred in the middle of the semester

shy af and so you were the first one to approach him

you sit next to him in your math class because you noticed that he's been alone for a while now

you introduced yourself at him and his adorable smile and deep dimples made you coo

from then on, you always sit next to him

eat with him in the cafeteria

you just basically attached yourself at his hip

and since he's not complaining then that means all is well

and that is how your friendship bloomed

has a deep voice

but that deep voice disappears when he HAS to make a point with you

literally raps when he's defensive and you have to calm him down cuz you don't understand shit

you share food with each other

copies each other's homework

you steal his hoodies bc it's big in you and it's comfy af

it also smells like him which is plus points

bought a pet hedgehog and named it odi

you are odi's mother

you talk to each other until the crack of dawn

deep talksss

"why is the letters in the keyboard not arranged alphabetically?"

"maybe because the aliens thought that it would be best that way."

first one to fall asleep would pay for tomorrow's lunch

Yeonjun:

the legendary senior

the nickname was made by his friends when he won an eating competition during their school festival

it stuck like a glue so that's fine

he loves it anyway

he met you in a bakery afterschool

trying your best to choose between blueberry cheesecake or honey glazed donut

he went to you and told to you buy both lmao there goes your money

you followed each other's social media after that and began messaging each other

you learned that he goes the same school as you

you're basically a freshman so of course, he accepted that reason when you said that you don't know him

because yes, he was bragging about his title

you also learned just how popular he is

everyone knows him and people in the hallways either greets him or hi-fives him

the man pays for your food most of the time whenever you go out chill

he brings you your favorite drink as a way of cheering you up

even after he graduates, he still maintains contact with you and constantly updates you about college life

Beomgyu:

resident handsome man of the juniors

loud and annoying tho

constantly pranking people around

detention is nothing new to him because of how much of a troublemaker he is

that is how the two of you met

when he planned on whacking his friend's (Yeonjun) with a toy hammer but he whacked your pretty face instead

apologizes like there's no tomorrow

he bowed in front of you and promised that he will make it up to you

even if you told him that it's fine

oh no!! it's not!! bc he hurt a charming adorable person like you

his way of making up to you is fetching you from your home and escorting you back home (how he got your address is still a mystery)

he gives you candies or chocolates as well

even bought you an expensive dress for god knows what for (that dress comes in handy when there are formal events)

still savage tho, he sasses you so much

that attitude has been passed down on you apparently

really nice and funny, knowing exactly what to do and say just to cheer you up

a literal bear of hugs and happiness (and anger at times)

Taehyun:

Student council president

he was elected because of how trustworthy and hardworking he is

but he doesn't have a vice president

that is when you come in

you applied for the position and you passed the interview

so now you work with him

at first you were scared of him

he's not talking or smiling much, not to mention his handsome intense facial expressions are not good for you heart

but when he opens up to you

man's a literal child

complains a lot

mainly because of his friends that keeps on bugging him about 'can you pls remove the school uniform policy'

very intelligent

popular

talented in singing and dancing

a sports man as well

is there nothing he can do?

yes. take care of himself.

you do it for him.

you give him water and towels, gets food for him, and you always remind him to rest and a get a good night sleep

he appreciates you so much that he plans to keep you by his side for like, forever

he shows his gratefulness to you by reciprocating everything that you do for him

he even went as far as take you in a vacation in hawaii (rich thingz)

he protects you with all his might

"I'm scared but I'm not a coward"

all in all, he cares for you so much and he won't know what to do if he lost you

Hueningkai:

ADORABLE LITTLE BOI

no he's not little, man child's a giant but hey, he's still cute

literally the whole room lits up whenever he enters

and flowers will start to bloom when he smiles

that's how much of an angel he is

you met him when he helped you carry those cursed boxes fillled with unused books to the library

you thanked him afterwards, but you surprised him a molang stuffie the next day to show how much you appreciate his help

he vowed to help you and be there for you anytime, anywhere, anywho-

"How did you know I like molang?"

"You have a molang keychain, molang stickers, molang socks."

he always stays by your side and sticks to you like a gum during your free time

you hang out at each others houses

your family basically adopted him and vice versa

his sisters love you to no end

he spoils you in his own little ways

like tying your shoelaces for you, opens the door before you, carrying your bag when you two walk together

such a gentleman *cries*

he shares his music with you and even creates playlists for you to listen when you have a specific mood

you two made a promise to each other that you'll race each other in wheelchairs and do sword fights using your canes when you get old

[jhynka]

TOMORROW X TOGETHER - what happens when they're drunk headcanons CW: mentions of intoxication

AN: first hcs after a while :) hope u like them

TAGLIST: @prodbyblush @flowers4riki

CHOI YEONJUN

-Sings in the bathtub

-Specifically sings there and zips his mouth shut everywhere else because of the ‘acoustics’.

-He will belt, rap, and even sing whole operas he didn't even know he knew.

-This man will completely sing in fluent German and Italian while singing.

-One stutter while he sings and he completely breaks down.

-”I WAS SINGING SO GOOD. WHAT HAPPENED TO MY MOUTH??? WHY DID I STUTTER?? MY MOUTH IS BROKEN. PLEASE. SOMEONE. FIX MY MOUTH.”

-Huening consoles him that his mouth isn't broken and that he was just enjoying singing.

-Does excessive skincare.

-By excessive, I mean squirting out a whole bottle of moisturizer and spreading it across the mirror like fingerpainting, and eventually on his face.

-Tries to make art pieces with his serum too, since its more of a yellow color compared to the cream-white moisturizer.

-He would describe his mirror art as the 'next Da Vinci', but it just looks like someone dropped their white cake onto a mirror.

-Places sheet masks on the walls and draws faces in the holes and laughs at them.

-Literally, hide all your face products because they are gone.

-Would try and give you a makeover.

-”Y/N! Here's some cream and some lipbalm that you should put on your eyes because it looks good. And this mask man I made on the wall says you're really pretty even without your lip balm eyes so remember to always forget lip balm eyes and give mask man a hug instead”

CHOI SOOBIN

-He cooks a lot when intoxicated. Cooking is the inner skill he has that only appears when he's drunk. He would make micchelen-worthy dishes and tries to replicate them the following day but triggers the smoke alarm at hybe instead.

-Complete concoctions with perfectly sauted onions, and deserts with crystalized caramel, all home and handmade in the dorms of Hybe Ent. never to be made again.

-It's always a new thing everytime he drunk cooks. Sometimes it would be a 8 course dinner, others it would be homemade deserts such as brownies and cookies. The only difference his cooking had from professionals, was that it always came out perfect. Always. Not a small burn or a slight undercook on any area of the dish. None. Always perfection on a plate, waiting to be devoured.

-He also aimlessly walks around the building.

-He would forget that he was accepted by Hybe and even debuted so he would mummer how devastated he was because he was ‘rejected’ by Hybe while banging into the walls while walking.

-On some occasions, he would just stay in the elevator, letting people get to their floors in silence but never getting off any floor.

-RM would be the responsible one, (ofc) and help him get back to his dorm room and even tuck him in.

CHOI BEOMGYU

-Tries to push Yeonjun back in the freezer.

-”Yeonjun get back in that freezer!! You belong in there!”

-Eventually gives up and passes out next to the fridge.

-Literally, all his emotions would just turn into sleepy anger towards Yeonjun.

-”CHOI YEONJUN YOU BETTER NOT BE WITH Y/N OR ILL KILL YOU”

-Becomes extremely protective of you.

-By protective, I mean clinging onto you like there's no tomorrow.

-Would be that person to cling to your leg and have you drag him around.

-The loudest out of all of them when drunk. hes going to scream, shout and even yodel.

-He's the one that would get you all in trouble with how loud he was being.

-Would try to kiss Yeonjun out of hatred.

-He will just go up to him and kiss him.

-”YEONJUN. YA. I HATE YOU SO MUCH LOOK AT MY LIPS. ILL KISS YOU WITH IT HAHAHA.”

-Yoongi would probably be walking past the dorm, and he'd sample Beomgyu's screaming for his new songs.

KANG TAEHYUN

-Drunk posts on Weverse.

-Will keyboard spam leading moas to think that Odi stepped on his phone

-Speaking of Odi, he will give Odi so much food that his playpen would just be a mess of food.

-Soobin will get silent-mad at him, but not enough to care because of his rejection-depression.

-Honestly, he seems like the type to know what kind of fics everyone is writing about him

-So 100 percent reads fanfics about himself

-”Y/N people think I'm a bad boy, hhahahahah. I don't know how to ride a motorcycle and I'm not part of the mafia, why do people say i do?”

-Is the one eating Soobin's creations

-He probably eats all of them to the point where he eats something he's allergic to and doesn't care.

-” Yeah, I'm swelling a bit but it's fine it's just a bit toasty here that's all”

HUENINGKAI

-Talks to his plushies.

-He baby talks to them and tells them that they're adorable and so soft.

-He talks about you to them and how much he likes you.

-”Y/N is so cute you know, just like you, and her personality is soft, like you, and there's also her hair that's so smooth and silky, and it smells so nice. I should borrow her shampoo and use that as plushie detergent when I clean you guys so that you smell like her when I go to sleep.”

-Probably practices his “bad boy” face in the mirror

-” Yeah, who's the cute member now? That's Beomgyu not me!! I'll wreck you so badly if you mess with me.”

-Does ASMR. He probably thinks about his Tingle Interview on M2 a lot because he really looked like he enjoyed it, so he's just going to be laying on the floor, in a fetal position, while clicking his tongue half-asleep.

-Talks super fast in Koreanglish, so no one really understands him either because he's slurring at this point or they themselves are drunk.

[violet-knox]

Opportunities

Year 7 - Chapter 70

Summary: You're anxious for your last Quidditch game, worried about your future and your relationship with Severus

Word count: 1710

Previous Chapter - Chapter 1

~

You looked so stressed. Even from the stands he could tell you were worried about the outcome of the Quidditch finals. You’d spent the last two weeks training every single day, he barely had a second to say hello. He didn’t blame you though. He knew how important this game was to you, how badly you needed to win, and he supported you. The game had kept the crowd on their toes, likely the most anticipated match in the history of Hogwarts Quidditch. He hadn’t realized how good Hufflepuff had gotten, challenging your skill and leadership on a level he didn’t think was possible. His heartbeat furiously as the score flipped between favouring either team, nearly everyone watching it carefully as they waited for the snitch to be caught. All the action was with the chasers, but everyone’s attention was on the seekers. Even Severus couldn’t help but watch Potter and wonder if he was going to let you down today or make himself useful for once.

This game had gone on for far too long, and the longer it went on, the more stressed you became. Severus could see Potter’s failure seep into you as frustration, but it didn’t surprise him. Of course Potter was someone who couldn’t be trusted, and he tried telling you not to depend on him, but you had to insist he was the best seeker you had. It didn’t matter now, you were both graduating and with any luck, you’d never see Potter again after this game.

The crowd roared as the snitch was finally caught, every player pausing in anticipation for the reveal of which team won. Severus hated himself for hoping it was Potter who’d prevailed, but he didn’t care. He just wanted you to win, to have that final victory to look back on. Gryffindor cheered and he watched as your team landed, ambushing Potter with smiles on your faces. You looked so relieved, so happy and he wanted to be happy for you, but he felt jealous it wasn’t him you were hugging. With everything that has been going on with your relationship, he really needed to find a way to show you how much he truly cared about you.

The stands began to clear out as the teams made their way to the changing rooms, but Severus felt frozen in place. He let everyone leave him behind as he sat there in the growing silence and clear skies. He looked up at the clouds and began to imagine what his life would be like if he hadn’t been sorted into Slytherin, if Malfoy had left him alone in his first year. He could never imagine a life without you, but sometimes he wondered how much easier his life would be if he hadn’t got a taste of both sides, if his life had followed one simple path instead of two. Was it silly to ask such questions? Perhaps it was and perhaps what he should be wondering about is what path he will find himself on after graduation. There were so many things up in the air, so many unknowns and dangers but he knew whatever came his way he’d manage it so long as he had you.

He stood up and began to make his way out of the stadium. The crowd had dispersed into groups, some celebrating, some simply chatting. He could see your team cheering and shouting with a large group of Gryffindors as Potter held the snitch high in the air for all to see. Lily was next to him, smiling like her world was flawless. Lupin, Black and Pettigrew all joining in with the fun as if they had anything to do with Gryffindor’s victory. Severus couldn’t take another step. He couldn’t see you and the thought of trying to mingle with those buffoons made him want to run in the opposite direction and never look back.

Unable to stand another second of his past mocking him, he turned around, scanning the rest of the crowd, his eyes finally landing on you. He stared at you as you spoke with Connor, smiling from ear to ear. Just a few weeks ago, he would have been accepted with open arms if he walked over there, but he felt like an outsider, like he wasn’t welcome to join his girlfriend in celebrating one of the happiest moments of her life.

Your eyes met his and he could see your face drop even from this distance. His shoulders dropped as he considered just walking away. You didn’t need him, you never did. It was him who gained from your relationship, it just took him a while to realize that. You waved goodbye to Connor and began walking towards him, his legs instinctively pushing him to meet you halfway.

“Where’ve you been?” As he got closer to you, he could see just how happy you were, like all that stress had evaporated. You were practically jumping with joy, unable to contain your glee as you walked closer to him. “I was hoping to see you outside the changing room.”

“Sorry.” His voice caught in his throat. He’d been silent all day, the only other words spoken from his lips were ‘good luck’ when he saw you before the game. He clapped for you of course, but he couldn’t find it in him to cheer, not when everyone else around him had much more energy than him. Still, that didn’t mean he couldn't’ support you in his own way. “But maybe I can make it up to you?”

“Oh?” You bit your lip as you took his hands in yours, smiling up at him. Finally, you felt like some of the stress that had been weighing you down ease off your shoulders. Between Quidditch, N.E.W.Ts and all the drama with Severus and Connor, you weren’t sure if you’d be able to make it through to the end of the school year. But here you were, Quidditch champion, your grades were up and you’d managed to maintain your relationships with Connor and Severus. Connor would never likely speak to Severus again, but you didn’t expect to win all your battles this week. For now, you just had to focus on your relationship with Severus.

He’d been so distant these past two weeks. A part of you blamed yourself, your Quidditch schedule completely unaccommodating. But he usually always sat in on your practices if he didn’t have class, yet he’d completely disappeared from them over the last few days. He’d barely said two words to you before your game today, and even now, he looked as if he’d gotten no sleep for a week. You squeezed his hands and stepped as close to him as you could, trying to read his mysterious, dark eyes.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered with a touch of guilt in his voice. Your smile began to fade as you realized just how much work you had to mend your relationship with him. This time apart had not done him well, leaving things up in the air after the incident with Connor like that had clearly impacted him more than you’d realized. You lunged at him, wrapping your arms around his shoulders and squeezing him in a tight embrace, hoping to remind him of just how much you cared about him.

“Ms. (Y/L/N)?” You tore yourself from Severus and looked to your side to find a man you’d never seen kindly smiling at you. You stepped back from your interrupted hug and turned towards the man.

“Yes?”

“My name is Odie Elks. I’m a recruiter for The English National Quidditch team.” It took everything you had to keep yourself composed. A recruiter was speaking with you, and not just any recruiter, a recruiter for The English National Quidditch team! “I’ve been told you lead the Gryffindor team to victory, and I must say, I’m impressed by your skill, both as a chaser and a Captain.”

The recruiter had given you a compliment, speaking to you like he was interested in you, and you couldn’t believe this was happening right now. You looked up at Severus just to make sure he could see this man too and sure enough, he wore a happy smirk on his face, his eyes landing on the recruiter.

“Th-thank you!”

“Have you considered playing Quidditch professionally?”

“I-I’ve given it some thought, yes.” You could barely find your words, your eyes wide as your heart pounded with the potential opportunity that had appeared before you. The recruiter opens his jacket and slips a hand in his pocket, taking out a small card and handed it to you.

“Well, perhaps you may consider joining us if that’s the path you decide to take.”

“Thank you! I will!”

“We’ll be in touch.” The recruiter nodded his head and began making his way towards the castle. You bit your tongue, waiting for him to get out of earshot before your internal scream leaked as a squeal. You jumped up and down, your excitement escaping your body, Severus smiling at your glee.

“(Y/N)! That’s amazing! I told you you had the talent!” Severus felt so happy for you, sharing in your excitement and incredible achievement. You inspired him so much with everything you did. Your kindness, your dedication, everything about you made him want to be better, to do better.

“Sev,” you ambushed him, nearly making him fall over as you tossed your arms back around him. “I can’t believe I hold in my hand the card from a recruiter of The English National Quidditch Team. This can’t be real. I’m dreaming!”

Severus smiled, giving you a quick kiss atop your head. “You deserve every bit of this, congratulations (Y/N).”

You smiled, pressing Severus to you as you let out a sigh of contempt. Everything seemed to be falling into place. Things were looking up for life after graduation and Severus’ mood had already begun to lift. This was only the beginning of course. You still had so much work to do. N.E.W.Ts were fast approaching and you couldn’t let anything else eat away at your relationship with Severus any longer. No more excuses, you were going to spend time with your boyfriend and iron out your relationship.

~

Next Chapter

~

[peaceoutofthepieces]

Sink Or Swim

tag list: @cleocc @feeling-kinda-so-so @hopelessromanticvirgo @dreamy-slytherin @adora8 @lockerfivethreefive @painfully-oblivious @poeticinemaa @jjustonemorething @sassy-sara @wedarkacademia @coolguyssyndrome @hischbabe @suckerforsobbe @tayspots @starmansander @theah0lt @zoenneforever @invisibleme @chibibanane @odi-et-amo85 @watermelonlover-123 @xiaomailab

~^~

Sunday, 16:38

Song: Troye Sivan - The Good Side

Jens stands at the window with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a mug of Lucas’s famous hot chocolate. He feels cosy, with the beverage and his own hoodie, freshly washed and still smelling somewhat of Lucas with the shared fabric softener. The rain outside has turned into snow, heavy enough to cover the pavement but just dusting the trees. It’s washed in orange tones under the streetlights, but there’s a frost on the window. It finally looks wintery, and cold, and it’s a little like being a kid, looking out with a vague stirring of excitement while being safely tucked away in the warmth. There are marshmallows in his hot chocolate and the lights on the Christmas tree in the corner are already twinkling. It’s homely. Cosy.

Jens can only bring himself to half-appreciate. It’s not exactly the same, when he can’t actually go home.

He’s warmed up further when a body presses up against his back. The arms that slide around his waist feel a little more familiar. He wonders if it’s possible, or okay, to make a little home of his own for a while.

Lucas presses a kiss to the back of his neck then rests his head between his shoulder blades, hugging him loosely. They’ve spent the past two days like this, in almost constant contact. Even while decorating the tree yesterday they had distracted themselves, stopping every few minutes to sidle up to the other and kiss an available patch of skin or tease them over their decorating choices. Lucas has been good at keeping the mood light, at making Jens feel somewhat okay and a lot less alone. Last night, Jens had spent more time watching him than sleeping.

“What are you thinking about?” Lucas questions.

Jens glances around at him, smiling slightly. “You.”

Lucas tilts his head up and raises his brows. “What about me?”

“Just you.” Jens shrugs, twisting around to pull the boy into his arms, careful of the mug in his hand. “That I’m lucky to have you. Be here with you.” He presses a kiss to Lucas’s temple. “In your bed.” Then his cheek. “In your shower.”

Lucas huffs, elbowing him lightly in the stomach and Jens calls a protest, quickly retreating with his mug held up in defense. He takes a sip and the marshmallows bump against his lips. He licks over his top lip when he lowers the mug and grins as Lucas tracks the movement. Lucas takes the mug and sets it on the windowsill before looping his arms around Jens’s neck and pulling him down into a kiss.

Jens goes easily, as he always does, unable to resist Lucas at any given moment. Lucas laps it up, as he always does, and provides accordingly, making Jens putty in his hands with just a few skillful brushes of lips. It’s the best way to forget. This is their little universe, just the two of them and their touch. It doesn’t matter where they are. It makes everything else in Jens quiet, too. It reminds him that he’s real, and needed, right here in this universe.

Wanted.

“Sometimes I really wish it could just be like this all the time,” Jens mumbles, mouths and noses and foreheads still brushing. “Just you and me. Is that bad?”

Lucas shakes his head, kissing him gently. “I wish for that all the time,” he whispers. “Just me and you, whole universe to ourselves, making out wherever and whenever we want.”

Jens snorts and shakes his head, squeezing Lucas’s hip. “Nice,” he mutters, and Lucas hums and kisses him again.

After a while, Lucas settles into a hug instead, tucking his face into Jens’s neck and sliding his arms around his waist. “I know what you mean, though. It’s been nice just being in our bubble.”

“Yeah. But that ends this evening. Then tomorrow, back to school and reality.”

“You don’t have to go to school,” Lucas says softly.

It would be nice if it was that simple, but it isn’t. Jens knows Lucas is definitely going to go to school, and he’ll feel weird if he has to stay in Lucas’s apartment alone. Or worse, with the boy’s father. He’ll likely fail the remaining exams, because he hasn’t even had any books to study, but he’ll have to take most of the resits already anyway.

“I should. I think it’ll be better than not going. That feels overdramatic, or something.”

Lucas leans away to look at him. “Jens, you aren’t being dramatic. In fact there’s been a worrying lack of reaction from you.”

Jens breathes out through his nose and rests their heads together, closing his eyes, wondering if it’ll be easier to say the words into the dark. “I’ve already spent a week thinking about nothing else. I just...I want to feel a little normal again. I’m so tired of having to react.”

Lucas rubs his side, unbothered by the occasional catch of his fingers against the hoodie. “It doesn’t match your usual chill vibe,” he allows. “Still. Trying to just ignore it...that doesn’t help.”

“It’s impossible to ignore. I’m not doing that.” Jens shakes his head, licking his lips. “I just don’t want it to be the only thing. I want to be able to be with you and to go to school and to sleep. I don’t want the world to stop spinning so I can wallow.”

“But would you mind, if the world stopped spinning and kept us like this right now?” Lucas bumps their heads together, and Jens pulls him closer, lips pulling up slightly. “See. It isn’t just time to wallow. It’s just time. To figure things out a little, and re-centre, and give yourself room to breathe.”

Jens opens his eyes and considers the boy in front of him, trying to figure out how to word his thoughts better. “It’s not like that, though. Whenever I’m just on my own, with too much time...I can’t breathe. It doesn’t work like that. With you, it’s different. But I definitely can’t just stay here all day waiting for you to come back.”

“Well, I could always stay with you.”

Jens shifts back and tilts his head, giving him an unimpressed look. “No, you can’t.”

“I am an adult, and I can do whatever the fuck I want.” Lucas raises his brows, smiling smugly.

“Is that so?”

Lucas jumps at the voice, and Jens’s heart quickens, but when they turn to look at the man in the doorway he finds a smile. He’s tall, probably around Jens’s own height, and a little broader, with hair the same shade as Lucas’s and a light scruff around his chin. His eyes are bright, and warm, and remind Jens of Lucas’s even though they differ in colour. The similarity is certainly present and overall there’s nothing entirely threatening about his demeanor.

Jens drops his hands from Lucas and shrinks back as Lucas flushes.

“I didn’t hear you come in.” Lucas raises a brow.

“Well, I didn’t want to interrupt,” the man shrugs. “But I couldn’t help overhearing your plans in passing and now you’ve made me curious.”

Lucas rolls his eyes, just slightly, and then grips Jens’s wrist, softly caressing the skin on the inner side. He steps forwards, towards his father, drawing Jens with him. Jens keeps just a little bit behind as the man’s eyes skim over him.

Lucas seems only slightly nervous as he says, “Dad, this is Jens.”

The man holds a hand out, and Jens takes it carefully, looking at the kind smile and searching for his voice. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr Van Der Heijden.”

The title is waved off as their handshake ends. “None of that. Just call me Hugo, alright? You’ll make me feel too old.”

It makes Jens relax a little as he nods, managing, finally, to return the smile.

“I wish we were meeting under different circumstances, but I’m happy to have you here all the same,” Hugo says. Then he gestures at his son. “And I’m happy to see this one smiling.”

Lucas flushes again, and Jens decides he quite likes this interaction as he offers Hugo a shrug. “I like that better, too.”

Hugo grins. Lucas grows redder, but said smile is working its way onto his lips. “I should’ve realised how awful it would be to put up with you both.”

“We’re excellent company,” Hugo waves him off. “You certainly didn’t seem too eager to leave it, before.”

“He was just joking,” Jens says hastily, regretting it when he earn’s the man’s attention. “We’ll both be going to school. I wouldn’t let him miss the exams.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t, but I’m not sure this one would listen to you,” Hugo gestures at Lucas with a huff, still smiling. He softens as he looks at Jens, skimming his eyes over him again, lingering on his tensed shoulders and where Lucas is still loosely gripping his wrist. His tone gentles, but loses its fond teasing to take on a more serious note. “You don’t have to be scared here, Jens.”

Jens’s throat closes up, but he shakes his head. “I—no, sorry. It’s just been a long time, since I did the ‘meeting-the-parents’ thing,” he admits, then instantly blushes.

Hugo’s smile returns and he laughs, carefully settling his hand on Jens’s shoulder and gives a squeeze. “Well, this is the first time I’ve ever done the ‘meeting-the-boyfriend’ thing. So there’s still no need for nerves, alright?”

Lucas squeezes his wrist, and Jens nods, and after another small consideration the man steps forward and captures him in a short hug. His grip is tight, but not forceful, and beyond the surprise Jens finds himself sinking into it. He closes his eyes when they start to water, after realising it’s so surprising because he has never experienced it. He can’t help but wonder if this is how it’s supposed to be, or if Lucas is just really lucky.

Hugo releases him too quickly, and Jens quickly and quietly clears his throat to get rid of the emotions clogged there. The sudden absence of contact is mended by Lucas pulling him back against his side, hand now clearly gripping Jens’s with their fingers interlocked.

“Come on, let’s sit down first,” Hugo beckons, setting his hand on his son’s arm this time as he pushes them back inside the room and lets Lucas guide the way to the sofa. Lucas sits down and pulls Jens with him and Hugo takes the armchair, leaning forward with his hands clasped between his knees. “Do you want to talk about your options, Jens?”

Jens licks his lips, leaning closer to Lucas. “My options?”

Hugo nods. “Now, before you worry, you’re staying here for as long as you need. No arguments. You were always welcome.”

Jens relaxes, nodding gratefully as Lucas sets a hand on his knee.

“I’m just talking about what could help. There are measures you could take, over what happened,” Hugo says softly.

“I don’t want anything like that. It’s not—I didn’t even think about it. I’m not doing that.”

He worries that it’s too harsh, but Hugo is already smiling and nodding again, working to put him back at ease. “Alright. Feel free to stop me, any time, if you don’t want to discuss it, alright?” He waits for Jens to nod before continuing. “I mostly want to know if you have any concerns. Lucas mentioned a younger sister?”

Jens swallows. “Yeah, Lotte. I don’t think that I have to worry. It’s never been like…” he trails off, searching for the words, avoiding both their gazes. “He isn’t violent, or anything. Not really, not like that.”

Hugo purses his lips, but accepts the explanation without pushing any further for now. “What about your mother?”

“I don’t actually know. I thought that...that she agreed with him. She usually does. But then I realised she wasn’t even aware of what he was doing, and she was the reason I got out. She doesn’t—I never actually got to tell her anything. I don’t know what she thinks.”

“Then is it possible that she’d be on your side in this?” Hugo asks gently. “I know if, like you say, she usually supports your father, it can seem like the obvious answer to everything. But this is a very specific situation. You’re her son, and very often that counts for something more.”

The back of Jens’s eyes prick, and he does his best to blink the sensation away, tightly gripping Lucas’s hand again. Jens had returned his ring, and it’s there now on Lucas’s finger for Jens to run his thumb over, a point of focus. “I don’t know. I can’t imagine she would kick him out and that’s the only way…”

“I see. When are you eighteen, Jens?”

“Uhm. Next month. The nineteenth.”

Hugo nods. “Would it be suitable, then, to work towards other living arrangements? I understand the finance can be scary, and having a job in your final year is an additional layer of stress. But there are supports available, and I could give you a helping hand.”

Gosh, no. Jens can’t be any more of a burden. He quickly shakes his head. “I couldn’t accept that. It’s kind enough of you to let me stay here for a few weeks, but I promise I won’t be that much of a bother.”

“And what happens in a few weeks?” Hugo raises a brow. Jens stays quiet. “Jens, you’re really welcome here for as long as you need. Until you graduate if necessary. I just understand that it might not be the most comfortable feeling for you. But we don’t have to worry about it right now, alright? It’s just something we’ll work towards thinking about.”

After a while of hesitation, Jens nods in acceptance and hears Lucas’s quiet breath of relief. Jens squeezes his hand and relaxes slightly as Lucas squeezes back.

“What about your belongings? I see you had some of your clothes stored for you, but I’m assuming it’s not quite a full wardrobe. What about school supplies, even?”

“I didn’t take anything,” Jens admits. “I don’t even have my phone.”

Hugo hums. “Alright. Would you like me to go collect some things for you?”

Jens’s eyes widen. “Oh, no, you don’t have to do that.”

“Well, I would prefer it to sending you on your own, or with Lucas,” Hugo points out.

“No, really. I can manage without for another few days, then maybe get another friend to come with.”

“Of course, you can do what feels best, and take someone closer,” Hugo nods. “My offer still stands. Even if you just want someone to drive you, so you have a boot for the luggage. At any time.”

Jens nods again, overwhelmed with the generosity. His gratitude has rendered him speechless, and he’s almost relieved when Hugo claps his hands against his knees and then rises from the chair.

“Alright, I’ve done enough pushing and prodding at you. Tell me when I’m too much, kiddo. How about I make us some dinner to make up for it, hm?”

“Do you still know how to do that?” Lucas asks dubiously.

Hugo scoffs, looking over his shoulder on his way to the door. “Just for that, you’re waiting longer for a gourmet meal.”

Lucas snorts as the man winks at them, then tilts his head against Jens’s shoulder once he’s out of sight. Jens sinks against him and releases a shaky breath.

“Are you okay?” Lucas questions, voice quiet even in the silent room. There’s distant movement, the sound of knocking cupboard doors and clanging pots and pans. Everything about it holds an intimacy Jens doesn’t feel entirely familiar with.

“Yeah,” Jens says honestly. “I actually can’t believe how cool he is.”

“For my sake, you’ll never tell him.”

Jens snorts.

“You’re right, though,” Lucas says quietly. “It’s good to have an actual adult who knows what they’re talking about, I guess.”

Jens hums, turning to press a kiss to the top of Lucas’s head before resting his cheek there. “By the way, the clothes thing. Does that mean he saw you in my hoodie?”

Lucas huffs. “Of course, that’s what you’d pick up on.”

“That’s kind of adorable.”

“Shut up.”

Jens laughs, about to say something else when the buzzer to the apartment sounds and he and Lucas pause to look at each other. After a few seconds, Hugo appears in the doorway with a furrowed brow.

“Were you expecting anyone?” he asks. They shake their heads, and he gestures for them to stay where they are. “Alright, I’ll see who it is.”

When he disappears into the hallway, Jens rises to his feet. He shifts his weight anxiously, staring at the door, and then Lucas is up and pulling him along. They creep out of the room quietly, though not enough to avoid Hugo’s notice, who shoots an aggravated look back at them before there’s a knock on the door. Lucas and Jens remain mostly concealed around the corner as Hugo cracks the door open. There’s a pause, and then he pulls it open fully and looks back as two boys are revealed in the entryway.

Jens steps out and Robbe barrels into him instantly, knocking the wind out of him as he winds his arms tightly around Jens’s waist. Jens comes out of his shock quickly and returns the hug, pulling Robbe into his chest with arms wrapped around his shoulders and face buried in his curls.

“Fuck, I missed your dumb face,” Robbe croaks, clinging to him, and Jens tightens his own hold with a hoarse laugh.

“I missed your dumb-ass,” Jens returns, completing the old joke. Robbe just keeps hugging him silently, pressed as close as he can get, and Jens eagerly accepts the affection of his best friend. It’s even more familiar than Lucas, and while it doesn’t incite quite the same reaction, it’s just as comforting.

“I know you didn’t invite us, but he got impatient,” Sander says apologetically, presumably talking to Lucas. “I did send you a text.”

“My phone’s in my room,” Lucas says. “Don’t worry about it.”

Robbe finally loosens up and steps back as Hugo speaks up, most of his attention on the new arrivals. “Wait, don’t tell me,” he holds a finger up to Lucas, before pointing it at Sander, still hovering in the doorway. “You’re Sander,” he guesses, leaving the boy nodding awkwardly as Hugo turns to his boyfriend. “So you must be Robbe.”

Instead of agreeing, Robbe blushes, one of his hands still curled in Jens’s hoodie. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have barged in.”

Sander hums in agreement, nodding at him. “He’s usually the polite one,” he tells Hugo.

Hugo waves them off with his already-familiar smile. “Understood. These are special circumstances, I imagine. I was just about to start on dinner, if the two of you would like to join?”

Sander’s lips part as he and Robbe share a bewildered look and Robbe quickly shakes his head. “No really, we didn’t mean to intrude—“

“Nonsense,” Hugo scoffs, ushering Sander inside along with them. “Come on, come in, sit down. It’ll be a while, anyway, so you can catch up while it’s cooking. Finally, I’m getting to meet you. I missed having a group of boys to feed.”

“Dad, you’re being weird,” Lucas says, exasperated, but Hugo merely flaps a hand at him and makes his way back to the kitchen.

“No allergies?” he calls back to them.

They all confirm the negative, and he offers a thumbs up before disappearing, leaving them all staring after in silence. Sander is the one to break it, looking to Lucas with raised brows, teasing smirk already in place. “Personally, I think he’s swell.”

Lucas groans, and Jens laughs, and Robbe beams at him before gathering him in another hug.

Jens accepts it with a growing warmth in his chest.