#guest oc: alex | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

skekdris · 11 months ago

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Sketch of my OC/Species graciously brought to life by @aryeonos , The Arhulian. Needless to say, a huge, six-eyed, badger-centipede is both intimidating and hard to depict visually. Thanks to Ary again for assisting me with editing and proof reading. I don't think my story could have reached this level of polish if I did not have my love to bounce it off of. <3 Down below is a short story of them meeting the Amaranthine characters by @kwillow and @chocodile . They are in for a surprising house guest, that's for sure! Seems like a good way to get a feel for a character is to put them up against some "knowns" to see how the character would react in those circumstances. Acts as a good backdrop to flesh them out from there. As for right now, I'm still 'sculpting' out a lot of the Arhulian lore and worldbuilding. Initially the story was supposed to be with Hyden, Alex, and Theo, interacting with my Arhulian character 'Niadris' - but the way things were written out and flowed - it turned out to be Alex, Theo, and Ridge instead. I really wanted Hyden to meet them in this story, but then again, Hyden being deadass asleep while all the interesting stuff happens sounds like a pretty Hyden-y thing to do. Anyways, onto the story. It's somewhat of a long read, at ~7k Words. There's a lot of character interaction, so I hope stayed close to how the three would react in such a situation!

The Visitor

It was an afternoon in middle spring - which for this area of the continent meant that if the weather was good, temperatures would rise above freezing. The cool air with the humidity of melting snow seemed pleasantly mild compared to the long, bitter winters. In the study of a large manor on the outskirts of a town called Northcrest; an older, corpulent, Rabbit with a cracked gem embedded in his forehead was gripping the sides of his hair in frustration. "A person of my mind, MY intellect should have solved this weeks - no - months ago!" Hyden snarled to himself.

"You sure you aren't just stalling for time to enjoy your little 'vacation' here?" A Bat leaning in the doorway chided.

Hyden put on a despondent look. "I am trying, Ms. Solokov. Really, in earnest. The faster I can put an end to this disaster, the faster I can rebuild my oh-so woefully maligned reputation!" He said, crumpling up another paper of scribbled equations of arcane theory, tossing it into a waste basket.

Alex wanted to retort, but it would just be another fight, another exchange of barbs like all the other times before. She rolled her eyes, then stood up to wander out of the office. "Hopefully Ridge gets back soon. I want someone I can actually talk to." She thought, returning to her room to take stock of her things.

Hours later, as the sun was setting - casting the hillsides in an amber glow, a brawny teal Shark bundled in a heavy coat returned. In both of his arms were large crates, as well as canvas bags hooked around his arms. The door was opened by a short, roundish fancy Rat. "Oh, do make sure you remove your filthy boots at the entryway, I don't want any melting slush being tracked all over my estate." They sneered in their shrill voice.

"Yes, of course Theo. I wouldn't want to sully your pristine hardwood floors." Ridge responded dryly. Before the Rat could retort, the large Shark added. "Anyways, here's everything you had on your shopping list, these supplies should keep us stocked for a few weeks before another trip." Preemptively cutting off Theo again, Ridge blurted out: "Oh, and I trust 'ya have the perfect spot to put everything. I wouldn't want to scramble 'yer pantry, after all."

Theo scowled at the bulky outsider, their constant pokes and attempts at wit got under his skin. He knows Ridge was trying to get out of putting away the groceries after a long walk - but he was also right. "Yes, of course. As the sole keeper of this venerable estate, it is my duty to tend to all it's functions, right down to it's inventory." Theo stated. There would have been more words to shoot back, but Theo's duty as a host kept him from slipping any further into banter with his guest.

After dropping off the groceries for Theo to tend to, Ridge went off to search for alex. The manor contained more rooms and floors than any “house” he had ever set foot in. It irritated Ridge to no end that the little rich Rat insisted that the doors remain closed at all times, so he had to peek into half a dozen rooms and three closets before finding the reading room his friend was residing in. The weary Shark entered, flopping down on a chair; glad to be able to finally sit down on something soft and cushy after his trek. Alex smiled, welcoming him. "Your shopping trip took a long time Ridge, I know he asked you to grab a lot. Is everything alright?" The Bat queried.

Ridge sighed. "Yea... well maybe. Just some things 'goin on." He added before continuing. "I know you don't get out much since you 'gotta keep an eye on them two, so I figured I'd go around town and pick up a little news for ya. See what's happening. There's been talk of some strange things going on. Livestock vanishing, hunting season has been looking a little sparse, and strange tracks out in the snow. People said they look like ski pole marks, I dunno what to make of it, I figured you uh - you have gotten out more than I have, so you'd have an idea."

Alex frowned. "Well, unless we are dealing with a roaming pack of wolves with skis, it's probably another one of those magic, twisted monsters that appeared ever since this whole catastrophe began." Alex sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yet another thing I ought to give that fat Rabbit a piece of my mind about." She said, her voice lowering, oozing with contempt.

Ridge gave Alex a concerned look. "Yeah, well, if it was just that, that wouda have been one thing. But I saw those funny tracks near the path to the mansion... I don't have a good feeling about this."

Alex nodded. "I see. As much as I want to see that guiltless loaf ripped apart and eaten like cheap, stale bread by the very monsters he's created; we need him. I'll keep my eyes and ears out for anything strange." The following nights were uneasy for Alex. Each night, she'd take station and perch herself on one of the roofs accessible via a second story window, scanning the horizon for activity. Her large ears would catch whispers of something roaming in the distance, but she never could locate the source of the sound or what direction it was coming from. It always vanished just as she felt like she was homing in on her target.

She felt an uneasy tingle in her veins as her frustration mounted. If it was just wildlife, or even a monster, she surely should have spotted something by now. "Is anything really out there?" She thought to herself. After another uneventful evening watch, Alex swallowed her worries long enough to get some rest. She already has Hyden to keep watch over, she doesn't need whatever this is stealing her attention.

During the late evening; an hour past midnight, the manor was quiet, save for the crackle of the evening fireplace, as well as the stirring of but a single person; Theo. Between his duties as host, the sole caretaker for an entire servant-less manor, as well as his intense suspicion of everybody - save for his living historical idol Hyden - Theo was often the last person to go to bed, and the first to rise. This truncated sleep schedule, the bags under his eyes; they were merely the cost of business to keep everything in order. During the final rounds of his estate, a knock came from the door just as theo entered the foyer. The ears of the diminutive Rat twitched, his shoulders jerking at the sound of the knocking, which in the dead of night was as clear as his crystal wine glasses.

Tap tap tap. Another knock came. Theos' ears were not deceiving him. "Who in their right mind would visit at this godsforsaken hour?" Theo thought to themselves. This was abnormal. Tap tap tap. He rarely had visitors, ever. Let alone at a time like this. As he neared the door, he hesitated. The magical crystal embedded in his left hand felt strangely warm, and his hand was flush with blood flow. This was never a sensation he had experienced before - something was off. Tap tap tap. Before Theo could ponder any further, the fancy Rat scrunched his nose and bared a snarl as they heard more knocking pickaxing through his inner monologue. Whatever was going on, it was a terribly rude hour to be disturbing anybody, let alone him. Arming himself with some choice verbal barbs for his unwanted visitor, Theo opened the door.

As the door swung open, he was greeted by a silhouette of something massive - even taller than Hyden - though much of it's form was obscured by the evening darkness and their ebony fur, but what could be seen was not the body of a person. It was of some kind of beast. The fuzzy forelimbs of this creature ended in large, gently curved, off-white spikes, similar to that of a praying insect that Theo had only seen depicted in a historical encyclopedia. He looked up; his eyes met with the pairs it had on their badger-like head. The creature's triangular ears flicked, then it looked down at the Rat; the creature's three pairs of eyes were arranged above one right after the other - like the pips of the six side of a die. The eyes were pure black, save for the iris that shone like a purple ring in the light of the lantern. The words Theo had prepared found themselves lodged in his throat.

Aghast, the fancy Rat stumbled backwards, but his heel snagged on the edge of a floor rug, causing the Rat to land on his posterior, painfully pinching his tail. "Eek! M-monster... Gnnnk! Demon! Hng Aberration!" Theo exclaimed in a shrill voice as his rapid breathing caused him to fumble over his own words. He wanted to call out for help, to Hyden; even to the outsider, Alex. But he could not utter anything beyond sharp gasps as his breathing went to disarray.

The imposing creature looked at the panicked Rat and spoke to them. "Oh? Is that so? Would a monster choose knocking over divorcing your door from its frame?" The creature's voice was deep, coarse, and multitudinous as if three separate beings were speaking in unison. The creature remained in the doorway, peering at the quaking Rat, examining them and their actions closely. All six eyes were locked onto Theo, and the gaze made his fur stand on end. Theo already hated being stared at by just one pair of eyes.

Theo sat on the floor, his whole body feeling flushed and trembling from his pounding heart. That thing had just spoken to him. In fluent dialect no less! Theo had heard of monsters before, but never an intelligent one - let alone one capable of speech. Something about this creature disturbed him to his core. His mind raced at kilometers a minute trying to process just what he was witnessing.

The creature's lips tensed as if it were about to speak; but then it stopped, before looking to its left. "It seems your sentry has been roused." The creature spoke aloud.

"Ess... Sentry?" Theo questioned. Then it clicked; it was referring to Alex. She always kept watch. How did they know about her? "Was this thing spying on us?" Theo exclaimed in his mind. The Rat felt dread bubbling up within him.

In one of the manor's guest rooms, Alex was sleeping. The tension of the last few nights had made deep sleep an impossibility. Thus, when the sound of Theo's raised voice came from downstairs, it was enough to wake her. She rubbed her eyes as she rose from the bed. "Was that Theo shout-" Her large ears flicked as they heard the sound of something unearthly and her fur stood on end. Without any further thought, her body reacted and she grabbed her hunting rifle, sprinting to the location of the sound. Fortunately, her eyes were fully adjusted for the night, and she made it to the foyer without a stumble despite her scramble.

She sprang into the foyer, stopping herself with the guard rail of the grand staircase. Alex laid eyes on the huge beast in the doorway, it's six met with hers. Alex was prepared to shoot, but the violet irises of the beast were staring right at her the instant she rounded the corner into the foyer; as if it already knew she was going to be there. The sight made her freeze. "Theo! What in the hells is that!?" Alex exclaimed.

"A monster!" Theo shouted.

"A visitor." The creature stated, it's baritone, stentorian voice matching Theos' shouting in volume.

No longer half asleep with no obstructing walls to deaden the sound, Alex heard the creature's course, multitoned voice clearly. "Did that thing... just speak?" She said aloud.

Before either Theo or Alex could interject, the creature filling the doorway spoke to the two startled people in the foyer of the manor. "Yes. I did. Your language is relatively simple compared to my native tongue." The beast stated flatly.

"Meh Ms. Solokov! It's egk dangerous! It's bee been spying on us!" Theo said, his chest still struggling to steady itself.

Alex kept her rifle leveled at the beast in the doorway. She wasn't sure if Theo was speaking the truth, or was just in shock. "Okay, who and what the hell are you?" The Bat said, keeping her focus on the creature.

They replied. "I am Niadris. I am what your tongue would call... an Arhulian."

Alex looked at Theo in bewilderment. Theo glanced back at the Bat. "Are-rule-lee-an?" Theo said aloud, sounding out the word by each syllable. "In all my eghk studies. I've never heard of such a species!" Theo said. The Rat's eyes glanced back to the creature in the door with fear and revulsion. "More like 'arhulian'." Theo muttered under his breath. One of the Arhulian's pairs of eyes shifted it's gaze back to the Rat.

"After knocking on your door and introducing myself, you suggest that I am a feral beast?" Niadris queried, in their deep, hellish voice causing the Rat's fur to stand on end as they swallowed nervously. The 'Arhulian' did not just speak their language, but had an advanced understanding of their grammatical structure. The implications of this rattled Theo as he shuffled back to get further away from this creature.

Alex took a deep breath as she maintained composure, interjecting before the situation escalated any further. "Alright, 'Niadris', why are you here? Theo said you were spying on us." She questioned, her rifle planted firmly in the direction of the unplanned visitor. The Arhulian was unfettered by her brandishing a gun right at them. Did it really not know what a gun was, or worse - did it not care?

"Spying? Given that your kind have responded to me with either fear or hostility on sight, I must carefully select when I reveal myself and to whom. It is no act of subterfuge. It is a necessity. Even now; you have your armament at-the-ready just from me knocking on your door and speaking to you. I wanted to speak to an individual, then have them inform the rest of my presence. Do you really imagine this going any better if I had been more bold in my approach? Depicting myself as non-threatening would be an order of magnitude harder with gunshot wounds." Niadris snorted, all three pairs flicking their gaze to Alex before one of them returned to Theo. The multiple pairs of eyes looking in different directions at the same time perturbed them both.

"I eghk do agree that your appearance ehm elicits revuls-" A second pair of eyes locked onto him again. " -ghn a response." Theo said, catching himself. The Arhulian did not speak a word, yet the message was clear; it tore Theo up on the inside to even dare admit, but so far this 'visitor' has shown themselves to be quite capable of not letting verbal barbs go unnoticed.

Alex lowered her rifle, still keeping both hands on it. "I suppose that's... a pretty good point actually." She sighed. "But still, why are you here?"

Niadris spoke calmly. "We share a common enemy. Despite my imposing stature and prowess, physical might is all but meaningless against a foe that subsumes and absorbs all flesh that it touches." Alex's eyes widened as the creature continued explaining. "All my strength and ability are merely tools to avoid becoming a hearty meal in the wake of such a lurid foe." Both Theo and Alex became less defensive as Niadris continued. "...It is a terrible entity that digests without need or moderation. It is a blight upon this world."

Alex and Theo knowingly looked at each other.

"Yeah. We call it the Shadow." Alex said. Her mind feeling a slight amount of guilt over her hostility, her rifle lowered completely.

"Hrm Yes. In that regard we do have a commonality..." Theo relented, stopping before adding too much.

The fancy Rat composed himself enough to stand back up, and brush himself off. "So, that brings us to the matter at hand. How did you find out about our mission? I don't think anyone would have snrk told you about Rising Dawn."

The Arhulian stared with no reaction. "Rising Dawn? Is that a title?" They paused before adding: "No, I sensed that this place had an anomalous aura, so I studied you from afar before approaching."

Theo raised an eyebrow. "What is this urgh 'aura' you speak of? What do you mean by sense?" He asked, his voice dripping in incredulity.

"My kind - Arhulians - have a 7th sense if you will. We can see the 'aura' of living things." Niadris explained. "This place caught my attention because I observed a strange aura much further than I would normally be able to; I was at the crooked sign above the red roofed well when the aura became detectable to me. My normal range is about three-fifths of that."

Theo and Alex raised both their eyebrows. "That's half a kilometer!" They both exclaimed in their minds.

"As I approached and could resolve things in detail, I noticed five distinct auras." Niadris raised their scythe-like forelimb and pointed in various directions. "Two crimson auras; one that luminesces brightly." Niadris pointed to Theo before continuing. "Crimson auras? Is it referring to our catalyst stones?" Theo thought to himself as the creature explained. The Rat was still skeptical, as him being a witch was public knowledge after all. As the Arhulian continued narrating, they mentioned: "The second crimson aura seems faint - as if it were hibernating or asleep." Theo's face twitched in shock as the creature pointed to the direction of the room Hyden was currently residing in - an interior room with no visibility from the outside, nevermind the fact Hyden's presence was supposed to be hidden. Niadris, still speaking: "Then there are two mundane auras - one of them with a notable a tendency to perch from a defensive vantage point." The Arhulian stated, pointing their bone-tipped forelimb to Alex.

"Is that how he snuck past me? He knew I was on watch and avoided me?" Alex pondered.

"Then lastly, the fifth aura. A writhing, squirming mass of discordant signals, that seethe and roil like water itself harboring anger, yet cannot move freely. As if it were sealed away." Niadris pointed in the direction of where the shadow sample was.

Alex and Theo were at a loss for words. There was no way this thing could have such intricate knowledge of Theo's manor without ever having set "foot" inside.

Before either could speak up, the Arhulian spoke again. "Another one of your kind has roused. It is the other mundane aura, and a voluminous one at that. They are to the northeast, and heading in this direction. Could you inform them of my presence before another outburst happens?" Niadris asked with a dry tone.

Alex was stunned in disbelief. They must be talking about Ridge!

Theo butted into the conversation: "I'm not sure what kind of feh fool you take me for, but I highly doubt you really have such a fantastical ability. Really, you can 'see' us through solid walls?" Theo's mind was a whirlpool of doubt and skepticism. The creature's claims seemed too extraordinary to be true. Theo was not sure how, but it has to be some sort of ruse! In the depths of the Rat's mind, the idea of this creature being able to observe him constantly, undetected was a soul-chilling prospect that fundamentally violated his privacy. It has to be a ruse.

"Yes." Niadris bluntly responded.

"Hmph Well, it was a cunning deception, but I'll have you know, our guest is residing in the southwest portion of my manor. And even if they were where you claimed to be, you aren't even looking in that direction..." Theo scoffed. As he was monologuing, the Bat's large ears flicked as she picked up the sounds of footsteps... coming from the northeast.

Niadris did not care to let the Rat finish before speaking, their baritone, multitudinous voice overpowering the Rats' in the conversation. "You have previously admitted to having no information about my species, yet you are presuming knowledge of my capabilities?"

Theo was incensed at being interrupted. "How dar-"

Ridge entered the foyer, scratching his back with a pillow in the other hand. "Hey, uh, is there a barbershop trio here, who are you talki-" The large Shark froze in place as his eyes met with the strange, badger-like creature filling the doorway. "Ah! uh! What in the goddamn...?!" Ridge dropped his pillow and adopted a boxing pose as best they could as their limbs still felt heavy from their evening nap. The Arhulian's eyes devoted a pair to focus on each individual in the foyer.

"Calm down, Ridge! This thing isn't... being dangerous. It wanted to talk to us." Alex blurted out with as much composure as she could muster.

Theo's face was flush as he exclaimed. "What are you doing there? Your room is on the other side of the manor!" The Rat's entire body tingled as any shred of doubt he could summon was scalded away by the unfolding situation.

The muscular teal Shark stammered, as so much was happening all at once for him. "Uh, well, I wandered around and dozed off in one of the book rooms. I got up because it was cold, then I heard this guy... thing?" Ridge said, glancing at Niadris, reluctantly dropping their boxing pose and grabbing their pillow.

"Well, at the very least, Niadris isn't lying to us." Alex said exasperated. Though she too, had her doubts about this 'visitor', she did not appreciate Theo antagonizing them openly. Theo glared at her. So far the Rat has shown hospitality to the outsider, but this jab from her really rubbed him the wrong way. In the uncomfortable silence of the foyer that was now getting cold due to the door still being open, Alex's mind sparked with an idea. "Wait a minute. Your special 'sense' is omnidirectional? And it works through stuff?" The Bat thought aloud, raising her voice as her ideas congealed before her. "You mentioned exactly where our sample of the Shadow was earlier too... Theo! They can detect the Shadow long before any of us can see it coming! Don't you realize how insanely useful that could be?"

The fancy Rat stammered as they choked on the shreds of their ego. "Hhhhnngh I'll... take that into consideration... Eugh if we are going to board this creature. I just hope it's civilized enough to behave as a guest." Theo sneered.

The Arhulian made a grin, showing off their sharp, carnivorous fangs to the Rat, as well as the deep plum hue of their interior flesh. "Considering your kind have reacted negatively to my being - often with violence - my exposure to 'civilization' has been quite limited. If my lack of knowledge bothers you so greatly, perhaps you could take some time to elucidate on the matter of guest-hood~" Niadris smirked.

"Grrrr... Perhaps I will." Theo scoffed. “But I hope you know, we do not have the culinary erk inventory for something of your dietary needs.” Niadris nodded. “I am more than capable of procuring my own food, so you will not have to worry about my nutrition. In fact, I had eaten a deer a few days prior. I should be satiated for several days at least.” The fancy Rat raised an eyebrow. “You have, egh ‘eaten’ ’a’ deer? I think your grammar is a touch underdeveloped. Don’t you mean you caught a deer? hmph What did you do? Swallow it whole?” Theo sarcastically remarked. “I had to break off those meddlesome antlers, but yes, I devoured it whole.” The Arhulian responded nonchalantly. The foyer was stunned. “A-an entire deer?” Alex said incredulously. Theo’s face contorted with disgust. The thought of a creature this size ingesting prey whole - and possibly alive - summoned dreadful imagery in his mind. “So… that would uh... ‘splain the missing animals without a trace. Heh, we thought that was the Shadow ‘fer a moment there.” Ridge chuckled nervously. Theo did not relish being in the room with this lurid creature any longer than he had to. He turned up his scrunched nose before walking off. He was ready for this evening to end. “As I was stating; ehm your first lesson on etiquette will be on closing the door. You're letting all the warm air escape!" Theo spoke as he slinked to the other room, pulling out a cigarette and a lighter from his suit pocket, needing something to take the edge off. As he puffed on his cigarette, the tingling in his hand faded.

Niadris scuttled forward into the foyer, bowing their head to ensure they cleared the door. As the Arhulian entered, their full figure and size was apparent to Alex, Ridge, and a distant Theo peeking from a doorway. Though superficially resembling a badger from the neck up, from the neck down; the Arhulian had a long, Myriapodic form with six pairs of pointed, centipede-like legs. The limbs started off fleshy, covered in fur, then transitioned to softly curved limb spikes that were off-white in color, like bone or horn after the third joint. The Arhulian's body was long and arranged like that of a large, furry millipede or caterpillar, albeit with no segments. Despite their body arrangement, the Arhulian was mammalian - bone clad in flesh - yet clearly centipede-like in their silhouette and locomotion. Niadris closed the door with a light slap of their long, tapered, heavy tail.

"Holy shit. That's... not somethin' you see everyday." A tired Ridge said, not entirely sure if they were still dreaming or not.

Alex looked at Niadris and saw that they had the strap of what appeared to be some kind of homemade rucksack across their chest as their only article of clothing. "Yeah, I was about to ask about the lack of clothes... but I guess there's nothing in your size." She remarked lightheartedly, trying to break the tension in the air.

"No. There is not. My metabolism can vary to maintain body heat relative to the environment, so clothes would be unnecessary. In addition, they would both limit my range of movement, and be unlikely to hold up to the kind of abuses my hide experiences." Niadris responded earnestly.

The teal Shark spoke up once there was a gap in the conversation. "So, uh... How do I say this? I don't see nothin' down there, and yet your voice is deeper than an Ironfrost coal mine. What are ya? A guy or girl?" The Shark asked.

Alex's face went wide with shock before scrunching back down into a glare at the Shark. "Ridge! That's terribly rude to just go and ask someone a thing like that!"

Niadris interjected. "There is no need to chide him. It is a perfectly legitimate question. After all, that den keeper did state there appears to be no documentation whatsoever of my kind in their knowledge base - and given the encounters I have had - neither do the rest of your kind for that matter. To answer the first question, my reproductive organs are housed internally to protect them from the rigors of life. Likewise, the answer to the latter question is that your binary terms are insufficient to describe me. Arhulians possess both the ability to fertilize a mate, and sire children. We are hermaphroditic." Niadris explained. "Your language is... limited in expressing my form, so gender neutral terms will be adequate."

Ridge's face was flush with embarrassment as he realized how personal and blunt his question was. "So yeah, on that... if 'yer talkin' about mates; doesn't that mean there are more of 'you' out there?" The shark said sheepishly, trying to adjust the course of the conversation away from his prying faux pas. He clutched his borrowed pillow tightly. Talking to this thing still seemed like a surreal dream to him.

The Arhulian was silent for several seconds. Up until now, they had been immediate to respond to questions. Alex and Ridge glanced at each other. "My kind are not native to this land. In addition, I have traveled a substantial distance. It is highly unlikely you will encounter another Arhulian." Niadris stated, with a briskness to their voice.

Alex looked down at Ridge from the second floor and gave Ridge a gesture to "Cut it out." Ridge gave a small nod. Alex sighed. "Well, it's safe to say your arrival has been quite a surprise. I think we all should get some rest and continue your introduction properly tomorrow." The Bat said, waving her arm for Ridge to come over to her.

Ridge added: "Oh, uh, I don't think we have any beds that'd fit you. 'Fer now you'll have to stay in the reading room I was in. Theo's got a big cushy rug in there. The fire is dyin' down, but I'm sure it's better than out there, heh.``

Niadris gave an acknowledging nod while their triangular ears perked up. They then pointed in the direction of the room Ridge came from with their uppermost arms, that had regular - albeit large, clawed - hands instead of a fang-shaped spike like the rest of their limbs. The shark raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, uh, how do ya know what room I came from?" Ridge asked, confused.

Alex sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah... I'll explain that in a minute, Ridge. I think Niadris here wants some space, they need a moment to relax after the 'welcome' we gave them." She said, physically pushing on the Shark to usher them out of the foyer.

It was true that they wanted to be left alone. Niadris had little experience dealing with people. They felt exhausted having to keep their composure on total lockdown to appear as non-threatening as possible. Niadris was eager to find this "reading room" Ridge had mentioned. Spatially, they knew exactly where it was based on the Shark's location in their mindsphere. On the other hand, their mindsphere did not consider walls, thus the Arhulian had to take a few moments to figure out how to navigate the interior of the manor to the reading room.

Despite their size and bulk, the sound of the Arhulian's centipede-like legs scuttling across the floor were much quieter than one would anticipate. Niadris made it a point to take light steps, and maneuver on rugs and carpets to minimize sound. Not out of etiquette, but as a means to hone their stealth. Never before Niadris had such an opportunity to interact and maneuver around people in close proximity in a safe environment.

The Arhulian noted a single aura tailing him; it was the bright, crimson one of Theo. Not desiring further drama, Niadris elected to ignore the Rat's presence as they made their way to the "reading room" Ridge had spoken of. The comforts of fire and shelter were secondary to the Arhulian; what had piqued their interest was the very title of the room itself. Alex and Ridge were returning to their rooms, trying to process the evening's events. "They were... quite the visitor." Ridge said, his tone unsure. Alex looked down at the floor as she walked. "Yeah. Something about them makes my fur stand on end. It's like a creeping feeling going up my back." The tall Shark looked down at his troubled friend. "Are... are ya afraid? They give me the creeps somethin' fierce too." The Bat exhaled. " I... I don't know Ridge. I had my gun pointed right at their head, but they were unfazed. Niadris seemed to know what guns are, yet they treated me like an afterthought. They don't seem dumb either; they gave Theo a good run for their money in a debate. So either they got a damn good poker face, or... this 'Arhulian' might be even tougher than it looks." Alex trailed on, the confidence in her voice gone now that she was in private with the one person here she could truly consider her friend. "...I'm a soldier. A hunter. I've had scraps with big game, I've fought people bigger than me. Even gave ol' lard chops a bloody face." Alex said, referencing her brawl with Hyden. "But that creature, it isn't like anything my training could have prepared me for. I don't fancy getting into a fight with them." Ridge scratched his fin. "So, was letting 'em in really a good idea?" "Personally, I think their alibi passed the sniff test. They could have attacked any time and hit us when we couldn't see it coming. If they wanted to make a move, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be playing mind games like a certain someone I know. We have that going for us at least." Alex paused. "Even so, I feel like they aren't telling us everything." Ridge nodded. As they reached their bedrooms, the two parted ways, then closed the doors to their rooms.

In the other portion of the manor, the Arhulian arrived at the reading room; their three pairs of eyes widened in delight. Wall to wall shelves lined with books! Niadris had very limited experience with books from their fleeting encounters - or spoils - from outsiders. Most of those books contained relatively uninteresting data like logs or journals, or completely fictitious tales. Here however, had an assortment of books on a large variety of subjects and organized quite neatly. The Arhulian removed their handcrafted backpack and pulled something out. It was a thick leather-bound book. It was plainly covered, with the sole word "Dictionary" for the title.

Niadris' chest seemed to squirm and writhe all on its own, followed by the faintest of popping and cracking of stiff joints. With a sound of flesh being pulled taught, numerous pairs of spindly arms came slinking out from in between the creature's ribs on the sides of their chest! These arms were very thin; near-skeletal in appearance. The hands on them were clawless, and consisted of three vaguely conical digits - two fingers, one thumb. These limbs were much slower and deliberate in their movements, and the leathery skin they had was a very deep plum color, almost black. In their travels, Niadris had quickly learned that the pages of books often were too delicate for their stronger, clawed, "normal" arms.

After tenderly putting away their dictionary, the creature's three pairs of eyes darted all across the room, scanning the spines of each book for topics of interest. The low-light conditions of the dying fire was more than enough for the Arhulian to discern the titles. Then, the Arhulian scuttled across the perimeter of the room, picking out a dozen books before returning to the center of the reading room by the smoldering fireplace. The huge, badger-centipede-like being then rested their long form on the floor, their body and abdomen landing on the carpet with a plompf. Niadris laid out three books with the covers open, while each pair of eyes scanned it's own book.

Theo had been quietly observing the beast from a hidden spot in another room through a peephole; and totally-not-a-hole that he had not gotten around to patching yet. The Rat monitored them carefully, shuddering at the sight of the numerous lanky arms protruding from the Arhulian's chest, and those arms touching his books. Yet, his attention was stolen when he witnessed this creature reading three books at a time! Was this creature really that capable of absorbing knowledge? Then, another thought crept into his mind. "Wait, who taught them to read in the first place?" As his mind contemplated, Theo's eyes widened when the creature looked up, and peered straight at him. Eye to eye contact, as if the wall parting them was not even there. Niadris gestured "come over here" with one of their their large, scythe-like forelimbs that were mounted below their exterior arms. Theo ducked down from the footstool he was standing on - nearly falling off in the process - then he covered his face in embarrassment. It seemed like there really was no hiding from this damned creature.

Letting out a sigh, Theo came to the reading room. The warm tingling sensation in his left hand returned. Was his catalyst stone reacting to this creature? The fancy Rat took slow, cautious steps forward. "It is remarkable. A wealth of knowledge at my fingertips." Niadris spoke aloud. They continued. "For so many years, I had to learn matters in direct fashion. I knew your kind stored information on physical documents, but I never could have imagined this place being lined to the ceiling with this treasure." When Theo was up close to Niadris, and composed enough to listen clearly, the Arhulians stentorian voice seemed to be composed of multiple octaves speaking in perfect unison. The scholarly Rat recalled the Arhulians' comment on their native language... “If the multiple octaves can be modulated separately, the grammar of this species could be phenomenally intricate!” However, Theo had more pressing things on his mind than appealing to his inner linguist, and set aside that tangent in his mind for later. The voice had strong projection, and the beast seemed to be making a concerted effort to whisper - which was speaking volume to Theo’s delicate ears.

Theo initially had some words for the Arhulian prepared, but the "treasure" comment gave him pause. The Rat stood there in silence for several minutes as the Arhulian continued reading what appeared to be volumes from an encyclopedia series, watching their thin ribcage arms turn the pages of each book. The hands were slow, deliberate, and delicate. Near by was a cloth that seemed to have been borrowed to wipe the oils from the creature's hands before interacting with his books. The rat let out a swift, small exhale. This monster treated his things better than some people he's hosted. Theo then spoke up. "At least someone else besides His Grace sees my library for what it is, and not eguh ornamentation. Though, I am surprised you would have any academic interest at all." Theo's words trailed on. Niadris shot a glance at him. "However, I presume it is not a completely irrational observation; a thing like you just can't sceh scuttle into a library. Which begs the question at hand, just who would teach you to read?"

The Arhulian paused, before giving Theo their full attention. "I... am not sure." They responded.

"What." Theo said, the word seemingly having spilled out of his mouth in disbelief. "What do you mean you don't know? How ek! How is that even a facsimile of an answer!? Didn't your moth-er well, parents teach you?" Theo said, his voice raised in frustration.

Niadris explained. "I do not know how I came to this knowledge. My earliest memories were of me being carried in my brood lord's abdomen. In my cradle of flesh, I would see and hear the world as they would. They would make demonstrations for me to observe as I nursed inside them. Their past memories would come to me in my dreams." As the Arhulian narrated, Theo shuddered at the prospect of being entombed alive and conscious in writhing, moist, undulating flesh from all sides. The fancy Rat took a deep breath and persisted in wading through the graphic descriptions from the beast - he wanted answers for the trouble he had gone through this evening.

Theo waited for an opening in the creature's explanation to jump in. "Your kind- urk Arhulians, have hereditary memory? If so, how is it you do not know where your knowledge came from? Perhaps a past ancestor?" Theo questioned, only half seriously.

The Arhulian shook its head in disappointment. "If only the answer was that simple. It is far more complex, and I am uncertain of the details. I will tell you what I know." Theo rubbed his brow, adjusted his glasses, and nodded. "When I dream, I see fragments of memories; but these memories are abnormal. I see... a settlement, a school, memories of a life not only not that of my ancestors, but not of my kind entirely... and our biology cannot interbreed. That I do know."

Theo gestured for the creature to get on with it. It was unconscionably late.

"I do have one possible hypothesis. There is another way our kind can exchange memories and experience. A ritual called Arhel-vāl." The strange word was accentuated by the Arhulian's multitudinous voice. "In your tongue, the closest word to it and what it means is amalgamation. Two mature specimens of our kind, typically one larger than their partner, subsumes the other into their flesh..." Theo's stomach churned at the vexing, visceral, possibly even vulgar imagery the Arhulian had verbally illustrated to him. "...but unlike ordinary cannibalism, the subsumed being is absorbed alive, mind intact, and two, become one." Niadris described, sparing no detail, much to Theo's revulsion.

The fancy Rat's tail quaked as his analytical mind began to put together a picture his sensibilities did not want to see. "You're hnnngh suggesting you have Esss assimilated a person?" He said, his mind racing as fast as his heart. "Oh heavens! Is that why it is here? To consume our minds and seize our knowledge?!" Theo's mind screamed.

The Arhulian peered down at the Rat. "Your luminant aura is flaring and seething. Do you find this knowledge troubling?" Niadris asked. Theo looked at the beast glaring down at him, his eyes wide with terror. "I see. You imagine me as your would-be predator." The beast let out a hushed, hellish chuckle with their deep, multitudinous voice. "Worry not, Theo. The ritual of Arhel-vāl is strictly between my kind; the 'donor' in question must be of the utmost certainty in their union - lest their knowledge be torn apart in a maelstrom of panic and fear. Your kind were never even considered a possibility due to the mental fortitude required to uphold the ritual. The being that amalgamated with me - whomever they were - must have been exceptional in their conviction."

The trembling Theo swallowed. "Well, erf I suppose that is good to know. Hrf Well, if you'll excuse me, egk I need to be getting some rest.” He stammered. “It is dreadfully late. And do take care to return my books exactly as you have found them. hgn It was painstaking to order them all as I have." With an abnormal spring in their step, the fancy Rat wheeled around and left the reading room with haste.

"By the gods, what is that thing? How does it exist? And why did it show up to MY manor, of all places?" Theo cogitated. Their attempt to seek out answers seemed to have only made the question mark hovering over this mysterious creature even fatter. Theo paced around the manor, and passed by the room Hyden was sleeping in; him blissfully unaware of all that had transpired this evening. Theo raised his gloved hand, as if to knock on the door, but he stopped himself. "I can't disturb His Grace during his rest... but I must inform him of this aberrant thing as soon as I can."

Theo, anxious and jittering, sat down on a cushioned chair outside of Hyden's room, fumbling with a pack of cigarettes. Alone with his thoughts his mind began to wander; all trains of thought leading back to that enigmatic creature. A particular moment from the Arhulian’s behavior stood out to Theo. The way they retreated to the library, and found refuge in books where they were not judged for their appearance or the mannerisms that others found odd... Theo shivered as he felt what was quite possibly a degree of familiarity with this creature. He did not want to fancy such feelings. The Rat shook their head and calmed their mind enough for exhaustion to take its toll; his head bobbed down, and the unlit cigarette in his hand fell onto the floor beside him as he lapsed into sleep right in his chair. The heavyset Rabbit snoozing under their blanket on the other side of the door was the only person in the manor to have had quality sleep that evening.

#theo #alex #fanfic #verse: amaranthine #my ocs #arhulian #original species #niadris #original character #short story #furry

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gumnut-logic · 7 months ago

Note

Hello! I'm wondering what happens when Alex finds out Virgil plays the piano?

Sweetapple Piano

Alexander Sweetapple Series | Alexander Sweetapple and the Volcanic Island

Apologies for the delay in answering this lovely ask. This is part of Alexander Sweetapple and the Volcanic Island, but because we are writing it out of order, I'm thinking probably chapter four.

Also, it is all fluff, complete fluff. Virg is a maestro and Alex is the fanboy.

This is m/m romance, so if that isn't your thing, this isn't the fic for you. The very beginning was posted yesterday as a WIP Wednesday (actually on Wednesday for once), so it may look familiar, but there is plenty more. I am soooo happy to be writing again.

Many thanks to the wonderful @onereyofstarlight and @womble1 for the readthroughs and amazing support. And I big thanks to those of you who continue to support our engineering geeky fanboy OC. Oh, and special thanks to @sailing-on-a-puddle for both asking this question in the first place and for writing her Glitter fic which sparked me to write more of Alex and Virg :D You guys spoil me rotten and I'm truly blessed to be part of the amazing Thunderfam ::hugs everybody and squishes for all::

I hope you enjoy the fic.

-o-o-o-

Virgil and Mrs Tracy set Alex and his mum up in two of the guest rooms in the Tracy villa that second night on Tracy Island.

It was an early one after a massive day and Alex was exhausted. Virgil kept him company, but it was obvious the rescue operative…his rescue operative…was also exhausted.

Regardless, it appeared they didn’t want to separate from one another. Virgil escorted him to his room, an amazingly spacious apartment with a view to die for, but instead of leaving, ended up sitting on the couch beside him just talking.

About anything and everything.

Sure, they had Siliwrap to discuss - it was their default topic, after all and a means to spend time together for so long. But now things were different, more open, with more possibilities.

Alex couldn’t help himself. He watched every movement of Virgil’s facial expression. His smile, his arched eyebrow, his concern, his lips…

His hands, which so often he found holding one or more of his. He should be alarmed. This was Virgil Tracy after all, Alex’s hero worship was a thing. But it seemed Virgil was just as attached to him. Ever so polite, always checking to make sure Alex was okay, and with a hesitancy that proved that this was as new to Virgil as it was to Alex.

And just as cherished.

But exhausted they were and both Mrs Tracy and and Alex’s mum checked up on them and mothered them enough to make sure they went to bed.

It was stupid to have his mother, now hopping around on crutches, tucking him into bed. He should be looking after her, not the other way around. But her smile and her kiss to his forehead, reminiscent of young nights now so long ago, it was obvious she had been as scared and as worried as he.

Yet, out of horror and disaster, Alex’s world had changed so much, and as she brushed hair off his forehead, with the murmurs of Virgil and Mrs Tracy in the rooms beyond, all he could feel was love.

“Love you, mum.” His voice was little more than a whisper.

She smiled down at him. “Thank you, Allie, for today.” She placed a quick shushing finger across his lips. “Sleep, honey, you need it. We can talk tomorrow.”

A brush of a finger to his cheek. “Sleep well, Allie.” Again with that all-seeing and amused smile, she turned and hobbled out of his room, shutting the door behind her.

He should be looking after her.

But the thought was overtaken by the exhaustion in every cell he possessed, and despite everything, he fell asleep before he could worry any more.

Which let to this morning.

The sun was bright in tropical latitudes and the morning early. He slept soundly and rose with less of the headache from yesterday. There were still protests from various parts of his body, but he felt energised, as if the sun was injecting energy directly into his system.

He padded down stairs in bare feet, dressed only in a borrowed t-shirt and long pyjama bottoms. He suspected he owed John Tracy a new wardrobe.

One aspect of the Tracy villa was accessibility. There were stairs, yes, but for each stairwell there was an accompanying lift. There was engineering in the design he couldn’t help but admire. The building was glued to the volcanic rock face, but used the rock in ways that maximised it as a building material, and the mechanical infrastructure meshed into it just as smoothly.

Whoever designed it was a bloody genius.

Finding himself staring at one of the lifts nested into basalt, he shook himself. Okay, Alex, you’re a fanboy. Stop with the catatonia. You’re amongst…Tracys. Genius was likely the norm.

Of course, that was the moment his feet landed on the hardwood of the main comms room and music floated into the stairwell.

Piano music.

He frowned. He had noted the grand piano the previous day, but with a day of so many other thoughts, he hadn’t questioned it.

Alex stopped just behind the wall that curved and supported all the portraits of the family. The music was lovely. Light and melodious, just floating gently on the air with happiness.

He shook himself. No coffee, day after a disaster that could have killed him, somehow that had him waxing poetic.

But the moment he stepped into the room and discovered who was playing the piano like a siren, he understood why.

It was Virgil. Of course it was Virgil. Dressed in a grey t-shirt and blue jeans, the man was lost in his music. His eyes were closed and he was just playing.

Realising he hadn’t been noticed, Alex crept forward, thankful for his bare feet, and sat down quietly on the floor, legs dangling over the edge of the sunken lounge. He watched those gorgeous hands dancing over the black and white keys, the shift of Virgil’s body as his weight moved with the music.

Alex had to admit that he had a thing for piano music. Mostly because his sister, Janie played, and played a lot. Janie had moved to Sydney, Australia, to further her musical studies (and possibly a fellow Aussie soloist who had more than caught her eye - his mother still liked to stir her about it every now and again). Alex did miss the sound of her playing. It had been a background to his homework and engineering studies for a good part of his learning years.

And this? It wasn’t enough that Virgil was a brilliant engineer, but also a pianist of calibre. Alex could understand that much. Janie came with many a recital and Alex had learnt good from not so good simply by osmosis.

And Virgil was good. Very good.

But then, he was a Tracy.

Alex’s fanboy heart fluttered.

But the man who had been kissed, just yesterday, so, so thoroughly? His heart swelled with just so…much.

The music suddenly stopped. “Alex?” Virgil was standing up from the piano.

Alex held up a hand. “No, no. Sit down.” Virgil’s eyes widened a little, but he obeyed and sat back down as Alex scrambled to his own feet and padded over. “That was beautiful.” He wanted to place his hand on Virgil’s shoulder but couldn’t work out if that was an okay thing, or where to place his hands really at all.

Virgil overrode everything by wrapping a strong arm around him and drawing him close. “Good morning.” He drew Alex down for a gentle kiss.

Oh.

That was never going to lose its thrill.

Alex found himself sitting on the piano seat beside Virgil, very much ignoring the piano completely.

No, definitely never going to lose its thrill.

Coming up for breath. “Hey, good morning to you, too.”

That brought a grin to Virgil’s face followed by a chuckle that was obviously in reaction to whatever was on Alex’s face.

But the grin eventually shifted to a gentle smile with enquiring and medically scanning eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty bloody good.”

Virgil snickered, and was that a blush?

Oh, god.

Alex swallowed and attempted to straighten himself out into something socially acceptable. “So, you play?”

Virgil blinked as if he had forgotten he was seated in front of the piano. “Oh, um, yeah.”

“That was amazing.” At Virgil’s arched eyebrow. “Your music, I mean.”

Virgil’s lips twisted into a lop-sided smile. “Thanks.”

“What were you playing?”

“Nothing in particular. Just felt like a bit of piano.”

“That was improvised?”

Virgil shrugged. “Yeah.”

Alex stared at him a moment longer. “Bloody amazing.”

And there was that gentle blush again.

Alex’s arm tightened around Virgil’s waist, drawing the big man closer until their temples touched. “I’m sorry. You’re just…” Amazing? Unbelievable? Beautiful? “…you.”

Another snort of laughter and they were kissing again.

Alex could so get used to this.

“Oh, god, my eyes!”

Alex felt rather than saw Virgil roll his eyes and their kiss suddenly changed to something far more performative.

Alex followed his lead and there were hands and wow, this was…his mind blanked.

There was another gasp of horror and disgust followed by stomping feet on stairs that disappeared into the distance. A plaintive ‘Grandma!’ was muffled by the house.

Virgil broke off the kiss. “Sorry, brothers.” His smile turned into a grin and Alex found himself giggling with him. They were like a pair of school boys into mischief.

“Which one was that?” By process of elimination, there was only a possibility of two…though the thought of Mr Scott Tracy’s reaction had Alex’s stomach roiling with a mixture of excitement and down right terror.

“That was Allie.” Virgil blinked at Alex. “Alan.”

Alex just smiled at him. “Play for me?”

A stare full of thought behind those gorgeous dark eyes. “Okay.”

Virgil turned towards the keys and Alex shifted enough to give him room, letting his hands free. “Any requests?”

“What ever you like.”

Another glance at Alex, before Virgil’s fingers touched the keys and notes filled the air.

Alex breathed in as music wafted up from the strings deep inside the barrel of the instrument, sent by the brilliant man beside him.

He let the breath out ever so slowly.

So bloody amazing.

-o-o-o-

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #virgil tracy #alexander sweetapple #virgil tracy/alexander sweetapple #nuttyfic

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imagoddamnonionmason · 2 months ago

Text

Holidays At The Mason Home - Chapter 5: Slice Of A Nicer Life

Fandom: Call Of Duty: Cold War

Word Count: 6358

Character(s): Alex Mason, Frank Woods, (Toddler) David Mason, Female OCs: Sarah Mason, Female OCs: Jodie "Bell" Hall

Author Note: a big chapter, sorry guys! Basically, chaos and adorableness are in this chapter, so please enjoy!

NO TRIGGER WARNINGS APPLY

It had been a few days since their arrival and it had been easy for four of the five people to settle into a pattern, one they had done for many years before when Frank had come to visit. As for Bell, she had been finding it difficult to sleep easy in a new place and by the time she would fall asleep it would be the early hours of the morning; then, she’d find herself sleeping in against her will.

That morning, there were four people in the kitchen-dining room and sitting at the table was David, Alex and Frank. A pot of freshly done, steaming hot black coffee was nestled in the centre of it, pushed further to the side of the men. There were also the remnants of breakfast, crumbs and a spare slice of toast on a plate, while David still held onto his empty bowl of porridge. He had eaten most of it, while the dregs were around his mouth and dripping down the side of the bowl - he showed it to his Mum, proudly, and then to his Dad and Uncle Woods. All three had praised him in their own ways, causing the child to beam at them with a toothy grin.

“Oh, you do like to make a mess,” Sarah commented as she took a damp, clean cloth and started to wipe her son’s face. At first, he wriggled and writhed in her motherly grip.

Alex, who sat across from his son, a half eaten slice of toast in his hand, raised his brows at David, a silent order to stop misbehaving or see what would happen. Beside Alex, Frank was sitting with a newspaper in hand. He was idly reading the articles, not entirely taking in their information, but rather giving himself something to wake him up. He peered over the top of the newspaper to see David still causing a slight ruckus, then sidelong at his friend to see the stare become a glare. Woods chuckled, “oh, kid, you better start behaving.”

David stilled, nodding affirmatively, as Frank took a sip from his newly poured cup of coffee. Above the boy, Sarah mouthed ‘thank you’ for their help, managing to finish cleaning him up. Sarah ruffled her son’s dark hair, lightly prodding the tip of his nose before she collected the pots and cutlery from the tabletop, most of which had been dirtied by the mischievous toddler. As she carried the collection into the kitchen side of the room, placing them down by the sink, she turned back to the men, “either of you want anything else before I start cleanin’ up? I’ve saved some breakfast for Jodie once she comes down.”

Lifting his coffee-filled cup, Woods said, “got what I need here.”

“Not for me, honey,” Alex added, “need any help?”

He had asked this as he rose from his seat, coming to stand behind his wife as she started to run the tap, hand under the mildly warm water to gauge when it was the right temperature. His hands rested on her hips and she leant back into him, as she replied, “nope. All good here.”

Sarah started to wash the pots once the basin was filled with hot water and sufficient suds of soap floated along the water's surface. Usually, Alex would help with things like this, but when guests were around he knew better than to interfere with her process without asking. Given she didn’t want his help, he returned to the table, hovering at the edge as his knuckles wrapped on the surface, “so, plan for today, Sarah and I are going to the store to pick up a few things. After, we go out to the usual spot, take the rifles, take out a couple of cans.”

“We can watch David while you’re out,” Frank offered, meaning himself and Bell. He then nodded in agreement with the latter part of the plan. He and Mason often went out into the woods by his home, rifle in hand, and talked about anything while shooting the shit out of some unsuspecting bottles and cans. It was a habitual pastime and it would likely never change.

“Don’t you two do anything other than shoot things?” Sarah appeared as though she was complaining, but really she was having a good natured jab at the two men. The smile she wore on her face proved so.

Woods scoffed, “sometimes we shoot people.”

“Frank.” She gasped, turning to him to offer a chiding look, though it was betrayed by the smile on her features and the look of laughter in her eyes.

Alex laughed, before he gave his wife a lovingly amused look, “it’ll only be for a couple of hours.”

“Can I come?” David asked, looking at his Dad pleadingly. Alex shook his head, and Sarah firmly said, “absolutely not, David, you are three years old.”

In all honesty, David didn’t know what they were talking about, he just wanted to go with them. But, his Mum had spoken and what she said was always final. Alex placed his hand on top of his son’s head, keeping it there for a little while, “there ya go, buddy, Mom says no.”

The little boy huffed, then placed his head in his hands as he sulked against the table. Frank watched him amused, but said nothing.

David’s sulking did not last for long, however, and as Alex took his seat back down next to Frank, the boy excitedly chirped, “Uncle Woods! Uncle Woods!”

Without looking up from the paper, folded over onto itself so he could hold in one hand, Woods hummed, “what is it, kid?”

“Is Dodie my auntie now?” the boy asked, standing on his chair, causing Alex to give him another stern look to sit back down. But David was too excited, having remembered what his parents had said some nights before. Uncle Woods was married to Dodie and that meant he had an auntie now.

Frank narrowed his eyes on the boy, tilting his head to the side as he shifted in his chair. Sometimes Frank noticed that kids often spoke about or brought up the most random of topics and this topic had left him quite confused, “uh… I don’t…Jodie isn’t…”

“Have you ever? Um, thought that. That you, um, that you, would you,” David heaved a sigh reserved for men three times his age and everyone was surprised with his exasperation, “you wanted- you want. That you want her to do you so much you were married?”

Hot coffee spilled over the edges of the cup, running over Frank’s fingers, as he felt some of the liquid catch in his throat, causing him to snort and splutter. The liquid scalded his chin, his lips, his hand, and it had splashed onto the table; Frank couldn’t recover as smoothly as he wished, as the coffee caught in his throat continued to rob him of air. He choked, as he fought to place down the cup slowly.

Alex could not help the laughter that escaped him, a hand slapping Frank’s back in an attempt to help him out, but it was weakened by his amusement. It was not every day that Alex got to see something make his friend lose his composure and the mere fact it was his toddler son made the situation all the more funny. Sarah rushed over with some paper towels, wiping down the table and offering some to the spluttering man, though she bit down on her lip to stop herself from laughing alongside her husband.

David watched on, innocently, as Sarah then came to him and picked him up, saying “I think it’s time I got you dressed.”

Sarah made a quick exit from the kitchen with her son, exchanging her presence with a fully dressed Bell. The brunette had entered with a yawn, hand covering her mouth as she tiredly murmured ‘morning’. The sentiment was returned hurriedly by Sarah, which caused Bell to pause in her movements and watch after her for a moment. Then, she pointed in the direction of the stairs from her position in the kitchen doorway, a frown on her features, “is everything alright?”

Alex’s laughter was still present but less rowdy and he waved Bell down to the seat at the end of the table. He attempted to tell her what had happened, as the woman then let her wide-eyed gaze land on Frank; his white vest had small stained spots of brown, a cough still rattling in his throat, and his hand clutching a paper towel for his life, like it would help in any way to gather much needed oxygen into his lungs. Alex failed to speak, however, as each attempt was spoiled by a new bout of incessant laughter, caused when he turned to look at Frank and was immediately reminded of the image of coffee coming out of his nose.

Another burst of a laugh came out when Frank barely managed to force out, “fuck off, you prick.”

Although Frank would like to have the room think he was furious that he was being laughed at, it was difficult to believe when the anger was lost in translation by the interrupting coughs and splutters from his heaving chest. He eventually caught his breath, leaning forward on the table with his head resting in his hands comically, “where’d the hell that come from?”

Alex Mason, for the life of him, could not begin to explain to the woman what had actually happened, unsure as to whether he would be able to accurately reenact what his son had said or even do the scene justice with his words. It truly had been a situation you had to be there to witness and he found it criminal that she had been a few mere moments late and missed the spectacle. Instead, he opted for slapping Frank on his shoulder in a light friendly manner, a sort of apology for laughing at him in a time of critical need, then mentioned, “my son thinks you’re married.”

“Ok,” Bell replied, shrugging.

“To him.” Alex jutted his thumb towards his best friend.

Bell sighed.

Alex offered, “he must have heard me mention what happened the other night, to Sarah.”

Her eyes settled on Frank again, who was rising out of his seat to go and pour the coffee into the kitchen sink. After that, he rinsed out the cup, gave it a quick wash, then put it to drain with the rest of the pots on the side.

“And the stains on Woods’ chest are coffee, right?” She asked, having assumed what had happened, though the image in her mind was not enough to portray the amusement of the actual event. She added, sly smile on her face as she poured herself a coffee, “I thought David was the toddler here.”

Behind her, Frank shot her an incredulous glare, biting his bottom lip to stop himself from replying.

A brief pause passed.

“Hey, you don’t mind watching David for a few hours?” Alex asked, rising out of his chair and heading towards the kitchen door - he was going to join his wife in getting dressed for the day.

She had frozen on the spot, much like a deer would have in the blaring headlights of an oncoming car, except she was the deer and the car was the simple question that now hovered around her. Bell could do nothing but stare at Alex, eyes wide, unblinking, as her cup hovered just in front of her lips, coffee teetering at the rim. There were twangs of worry that shocked the core of her gut, electrifying the nerves and short circuiting her brain.

The woman did not feel as though she had earned the trust Mason was placing in her; she did not deserve it. But, there he was, asking for her to care for his child while he was out in the simplest of ways to showcase that trust.

Through her mind were the racing thoughts of anxiety, merging into multiple voices and faces of people she had come across in her life, from those she had been forced to trust herself, those she had betrayed, those she had come to trust and had been betrayed by - they all seemed to speak to her, haunting her with the same rhetoric.

They can’t trust you. You’re a woman with blood on your hands. You shouldn’t be anywhere near children. Why does he trust you?

“Woods is sticking around,” Alex added, once he could see that she had faltered. Did she not like kids? Maybe he hadn’t thought about whether she’d be comfortable with it, it should have crossed his mind. Bell didn’t really know David, perhaps it was that.

“He’s a good kid,” Frank said, coming to stand by her right, fingers lightly brushing over her shoulder. She found herself leaning into his touch, comforted by it, but murmured through a thick swallow, “won’t he be scared of me?”

The two men chuckled, before they realised she wasn’t joking.

Alex reassured her, “hey, that kid has already asked Uncle Woods if you’re his Aunt.”

Wait, what?

“Why would I- oh, because of,” she gestured between herself and Frank and they all silently nodded, “alright, that makes sense.”

A beat.

“I’ll look after him,” she said, choosing to ignore the anxious voices in her head.

They retreated, for now, but she knew they would be back at some point, haunting her for a different purpose, at a different time.

With that being said, Alex thanked her, then made his way upstairs to start getting ready; it was only half an hour later that the Mason family appeared downstairs, all dressed and ready to tackle the day ahead. Frank took his leave, heading to go shower and dress, as Alex and Sarah said their goodbyes and headed through the front door and into the snowy outside.

There was the sound of Alex’s pickup truck starting and then it really was just her and a little boy stood next to each other in the hallway. Bell looked down at David and he looked up at her, hand in his mouth as he chewed on his fingers. She offered the boy a tight-lipped smile, before gesturing at him half-heartedly, “they probably don’t taste very nice.”

“Uh-huh,” he replied, wiping his soggy hand down his shirt. Her smile softened and then he was waving his hands out at her, “up!”

Staring at him, she stood in a pause, before he wiggled his fingers and demanded, “up! Up!”

Gently, as though she feared she would snap him entirely in two, Bell lifted him up and into her arms. He snuggled into her side and wrapped his tiny arms around her, resting his head in the crook of her neck before giggling, “Auntie Dodie.”

Her heart swelled, guiltily, unable to bring herself to correct the little boy that she was not such a thing to him; it caused a softness within her, something she had not felt for such a long, long time and she selfishly grasped onto it, even for a moment. But, now he was in her arms, she wondered exactly what she should do to keep him entertained - she couldn’t walk around with him for hours on end. With that in mind, she hummed, “what would you like to do, David, while Mum and Dad are gone?”

“Hmm,” he pulled his head from where it had been laid against her neck, then put his hand on his forehead as he thought to himself. As he spoke, Bell made note that he hadn’t quite gotten the hang of saying his ‘r’s yet, instead the consonant being replaced with a ‘w’ sound. It made him all the more endearing, “radio! I want radio.”

With an affirmative nod, she replied, “alright, radio it is.”

Bell had remembered, when Sarah had ushered her around the house in a bid to show her where everything was, the radio was in the living room. The room itself was small and cosy, carpeted, and in the centre of the room was a low oak coffee table - surrounding it on two sides were a patterned, aged sofa and armchair, but clearly comfortable. There was one spot that dipped lower on the sofa, meaning it was someone's favourite place to perch. Beside the arms of the sofa were two, small side tables, hooded desk lamps nestled atop them, and picture frames of the Mason family.

Against the wall opposite the sofa and armchair was a large cabinet, filled with records, tapes and ornaments in the top section, whereas the middle section was taken up by the TV. Below that, the cabinet had doors and behind them were two shelves, of which one housed the radio. There were some toys, crayons and colouring books that were kept there for safekeeping. Bell reminded herself to keep note of that, just in case David eventually got bored of the radio.

The radio was a small black and silver box, with two circular dials on the left upper corner signalling FM and AM; the upper right corner had two knobs, one to swap between channels and the other to dictate tone, treble and bass.

She had set David down on the carpeted floor next to the cabinet, whilst making sure he didn’t bump into the coffee table, and she picked up the radio. Her thumb hovered over the text in the top centre, Zenith, then switched it on and fiddled with the knobs. Bell did this until a station came through loud and clear, setting it down on the cabinet.

There was a man talking for a little bit first, but David didn’t seem to care that music wasn’t playing just yet, instead already clapping his hands together and laughing delightfully. Bell watched, fondly, as the speaking then gave way for the beginning of a song. It was one she hadn’t heard for a while, but instantly recognised it as one of her favourites: These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ by Nancy Sinatra.

At the time of its debut, Bell remembered being based somewhere in the north of Vietnam, tucked away from the war, but close enough to track radio signals and decode any military messages that would dance along the radio waves. She also recalled how she had stolen her own little radio, disappearing from time to time to tune into the westerner’s radio stations and listening to their music.

A smile grew across her lips, as she watched David’s eyes light up and his body begin to move to the beat of the song. He bobbed up and down on the spot, occasionally jumping, before he reached out to Bell. Her hands caught his and she guided him in a small side-to-side dance, quietly singing along with the words on the old radio. It would crackle every now and again, but its signal remained strong and the volume stronger.

After a moment, David pulled away from her, jiggling around on his own before he fell flat on his bottom. For a moment, she thought he might cry, but then he burst into laughter, the kind that captured you and dragged you in to join. Bell let a chuckle bubble in her throat, a genuine smile resting steadily on her features.

“Sing!” David giggled, and Bell did, a little louder for him, even going as far as to put some flare into her movements. He was clapping, giggling, enjoying the show.

You keep lyin’ when you ought to be truthin’

You keep losin’ when you ought to not bet

The woman scooped David up into her arms, holding him close as she began to jig around the coffee table, bouncing him to the beat on her hip.

You keep samin’ when you ought to be changin’

Now what’s right is right, but you ain’t been right yet

By now, David was making noises in an attempt to join her singing, which caused Bell’s vocals to be disrupted by laughs, soft, endeared. She then paused in her singing to place the toddler on the sofa, making sure she treated him with care, still afraid that she might snap him in half with a strength she didn’t know she had. Of course, this did not happen, but her anxieties were high and the last thing she wanted was to accidentally hurt the adorable boy.

The song was now in the last leg and she picked up the lyrics.

These boots are made for walkin’

And that’s just what they’ll do

One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you

David was bopping his head along now. For the last lines of the song, Bell stood with her hands on her hips, blowing a piece of hair from her face, before she dramatically acted out the words.

Are you ready, boots?

Start walkin’!

As the song came to an end, she finished up her performance with one last lap around the coffee table, before she sunk into the seat next to David and feigned going limp. He pushed at her arm, at her head, giggling as he said, “you tired? No!”

“I am,” she sighed, emphatically, “so tired. It’s all that dancing!”

“Again, again!” He yelled excitedly, hopping off the sofa to go over to the radio, dialling up the volume a little more. By now, the radio host had mentioned how it was time to cycle through the hits of the year, and another song had been started; she started to rise out of her seat, amused by the boy's antics, consequently spurred on to continue her current train of entertainment for him.

It was keeping him happy and that was enough for her.

The song was Abracadabra but she hadn’t caught who it was by - still, that didn’t matter much, and she focused on the drums, the guitar. Just as she was about to take David’s little hands in hers with the intention of dancing with him again, she caught a shadow of a figure in the corner of her eyes, a figure that she had failed to notice there moments prior.

Her body felt like it had been shocked and she jolted upright. In an instant, she had turned to where she had seen the movement, hands beginning to ball into fists, though they remained at her side despite her mind telling her to have them up guarding her.

“Woah,” Woods had been leaning against the doorframe, unnoticed for pretty much the entire time she had been dancing, hands hidden in the pockets of his jeans, “only just noticed me, huh?”

He had been standing there, watching as Bell came out of whatever constantly guarded state she was in, letting loose. His eyes had trailed across her features, noticed how there wasn’t that fogged look of worry, of being lost, and he wished that she could always look so genuinely happy. But, as soon as she had noticed him, the stony features had returned, the mist of apprehension had come over her eyes, and she was once again guarded.

“Do not do that,” she seethed, as she forced her fists to relax. Then, she turned away from him, embarrassed, “how long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to know you can’t dance for sh- nothin’,” he pulled a face in the presence of his almost-error, eyes darting to the boy, who was now holding onto the leg of Bell.

“Like you could do better,” she scoffed, then directed her question at David, “you think your Uncle Woods can dance better than me?”

David looked at her, then at his Uncle Woods, then back at her with large unblinking eyes - he then grinned, “I don’t know.”

Bell gave Woods a thin stare, eyes narrow, “maybe he should try.”

“Uh, no.”

“Yeah!” David howled, jumping up and down, “Uncle Woods should dance!”

The look that Bell received from the other caused a mirthful, but mischievous smile to grow on her features, as she felt the young boy move from her side to grab at the jeans of Woods. He tugged and tugged, until eventually Woods peered down at him, “yeah, kid?”

“Please,” David drawled, elongating the vowels.

Bell joined in, much to Woods’ chagrin.

For all of thirty seconds, Woods took his hands out of his pockets, hanging them in the air stiffly, as he then moved on the spot - just as quickly as he had started, he grumpily went back to his original stance, except he had his arms over his chest as he looked away to the side. David pouted, turning to Bell, as she stared at the other with her mouth agape, “what was that?!”

Woods shrugged.

“You’re my favourite,” David murmured into Bell’s leg, as he had begun to hide his face against it, not wanting to let Woods see the impish smile on his face. If there was one thing David knew how to do, it was how to get Uncle Woods to do as he wanted; Woods quickly straightened up, eyebrows raised as he asked, “sorry, kiddo, I didn’t hear ya.”

David turned his head so that he could peer up at Woods, his eyes round and watery, and forced another pout. He made sure he was heard loud and clear, “Auntie Dodie is my favourite.”

Bell kept quiet, unsure of what to do; was he misbehaving? Or was he just playing? She thought the latter, but couldn’t be sure.

“I see, that’s how it is, huh?” Woods used his thumb to itch his chin, feigning an image of being incredibly offended by the boy’s words, “she’s your favourite, now, and you’re just gonna forget about me? Uncle Woods?”

“Yup!”

Woods quickly hopped into a stance ready for a chase and a shrill screech devolved into a fit of giggles, as David began to run away, rushing around to one side of the coffee table. Woods set upon him, allowing the boy to run just that little bit ahead of him, whilst saying, “come here, come here and say it to my face!”

Eventually, Woods had caught up with David, scooping him up; he had him dangling upside down, held securely with the boy's legs against his side, “who’s your favourite?”

“Dodie!”

“Who?” Woods swung him gently, “come again?”

David could only laugh and between the giggles he cried happily, “it’s you!”

Woods turned the boy the right way up, then set him down safely on the floor, grinning victoriously, “knew it, I’m always the favourite, don’t you forget it, kid.”

He then ruffled the kid’s hair, as he turned to face the woman, who had been watching the whole thing unfold with a fond look in her eyes. Once he had turned around and his eyes were on her, she steeled herself, forcing that look away and offering a small, tight smile. He faltered, somewhat, disappointed that she had seemingly become stiff and closed off now that he was in the room. Woods sighed, inwardly, unwilling to let his disdain show.

“I, uh, I’m gonna head out for a smoke,” he murmured, “don’t steal him from me while I’m gone.”

Bell nodded and soon David was back in her arms. Another song had been playing, now just passing the first chorus. Neither of them had been listening to the host and as Woods left the living room, moving to the back door in the kitchen, the song faded to a low buzz in the background. Occasionally the lyrics would drift through to him.

And my life’s lookin up

I think I’m in love

He pulled the packet of cigarettes that had been hiding in the breast pocket of his flannel shirt, hitting the bottom of it to pop out a singular cigarette. He placed the end between his lips, then pulled it from the cardboard packet. It hung loosely, as he opened the door and then stepped outside. As part of his routine, he’d gone and put his boots on, but his laces were not tied - he wouldn’t be spending too long outside anyway.

It controls me

Makes me do all the things I do for you

He lit the cigarette.

You’re on my mind, babe

Thinkin’ about you now

Woods drowned out the song by closing the door behind him.

Drawing in a deep, long drag of the cig, he let the smoke fill his lungs and held it for a second. On the exhale, he let his eyes close, thoughts heading back to the image of Bell acting goofy for the kid. Shaking his head, he found himself amused by her antics, yet yearning for that opportunity to see it for himself, without the need to hover and witness it from the outside.

Who was he kidding, though, that woman would never casually let herself be unguarded around anyone, no matter how much they could prove they would never be a threat to her. Betrayal had followed her like an old friend, to every corner of the world she had gone to, through every experience. He supposed it was hard to expect that anything else could happen - maybe, she was counting down the days until he and Mason did the same as everyone else.

He wasn’t great with words and even worse with comfort, so there was probably nothing he could say or do that would sufficiently convince her that her current team were not like the rest.

He was not like the rest.

Then again, if he was in her position, he’d have wanted to watch the world burn; he’d have thrown his trust in anyone away, watch it circle the drain and descend.

God fucking damn it, Frank, he thought to himself, this ain’t like you gettin’ caught up on someone. So what if she doesn’t trust you? She’s a colleague. A soldier.

He took another drag of the cigarette, as a chill breeze blew over the snowbanks, wrapping itself around his body. Flashes of the other night filtered into his head, how her body felt against his, how her touch had caused a rippling sensation of heat to wave over his body. His thoughts were entirely consumed by her, distracting and incessant.

There was a slight burn at his fingertips and he found that he’d neglected to keep his eye on the burning cigarette, which had now come towards the end of its life. It singed the skin of his fingers and he quickly tossed it into the snow. His tone was seething, as he moved to take another cigarette, “fuck.”

To his right, Maximus padded up to him, sitting at his feet and staring up. He whimpered a little before he nuzzled Woods’ hand, causing the man to sigh and relent; Woods crouched down, discarding the want for another smoke, and decided to fuss Maximus.

“You got any advice for me, buddy?” He asked the dog, receiving nothing but silence, “nah, didn’t think so.”

Maximus stared at him for a little bit longer, eyes squinting in enjoyment caused by the scratching of his ears by Woods, before he jutted his nose right into the man’s face. He bumped his nose against his features a couple of times, finally finishing by licking his cheeks adoringly. Maximus did not know what was being said, but he could sense that Woods needed a little comfort and Maximus was good at that.

“Alright, alright,” Woods chided, gently pushing the dog away as he rose to his feet, having almost been knocked over by Maximus’ sheer strength, “I already had a shower this morning.”

After a few more minutes of hanging around outside, Woods ventured back into the warmth of the home, kicking his boots off so that he didn’t trudge melting snow through to the living room. Once he was back there, he noted how the radio was now quieter and there was a colouring book splayed out on the coffee table. Crayons were also askew its surface, some broken and others barely even usable with how small they were, but David was managing to colour the pages well enough. He was so occupied with his work, his tongue sticking out in concentration, that he hadn’t noticed his elder walk back in.

Bell was sitting in the armchair, one leg over the other, with the newspaper that he’d read earlier. It was resting on her knee, as she leant forward to fill in the blank spaces within the puzzles.

As she came to a stop mid-writing, the end of the pen came to rest against her lower lip, tapping the same spot gently as the thoughts moved in her head. Bell didn’t necessarily like crosswords, but she had already finished the sudoku puzzle.

Woods enjoyed watching her work, taking in her appearance. Her brows were furrowed gently, the smallest of creases working its way into the centre of her forehead. Her eyes were narrowed on the page, irises unmoving as she stared at the words intently, as though willing them to reveal information to her. Woods noticed how her lips were slightly pursed, as the pen rested against them. A strand of hair had come out of place from her hair tie, framing the left of her features.

Sitting on the sofa adjacent, he decided not to disturb the peace by saying anything, but his presence was acknowledged and sought after when Bell questioned, “Clue, they come in last. Three letters. Any ideas?”

He tilted his head, as he adjusted his position, leaning further back into the sofa, “what have you thought so far?”

“Words that are too long to fit,” she admitted, “this is quite a hard one.”

There was a little bit of silence, then she hummed something unintelligible to herself; she quickly tutted at the thought and threw it aside with a disconcerted shake of her head. Then, she was looking at Woods, as though scrutinising him, but he soon realised that she was giving her sight a break from staring at the page. There was a hint of looking through him, rather than at him, as a fog drifted over her gaze and he noticed the familiar look of being lost again. Part of him wanted to click his fingers, clap her back into reality, but he had learnt the hard way that doing that to someone like her, like Mason, was not a good idea.

So, he waited patiently for her clarity to return, and after that brief moment of being lost had passed, her eyes blinked and focused on him. It was like she hadn’t just checked out of the room, as she quickly said, “so? Got anything?”

“No, I don’t,” he replied. Bell sighed, rubbing a hand down her features as the sounds of angry scribbling filled the room; they looked at David, who was currently colouring in enlarged images of the alphabet. He had gotten as far as the letter ‘W’ and was getting annoyed with the crayon - it was pretty small to begin with, but had snapped in half making it even smaller. This is what had caused him to scribble furiously.

The two adults shared a look with each other, one that was entertained by the little boy’s behaviour, and Woods found himself enamoured with the slight upturn of her lips as they curled into a furtive smile. There was that light again, that relaxed air about her, and he could see the guard slip a little. He willed it further, but it didn’t, though he found himself unable to be entirely disappointed.

After a moment, he saw her eyes drop back down to the pages, focusing on the bubbled artwork of the alphabet. The smile then dropped a little and that intense, thoughtful stare returned to her features. If a lightbulb could have gone off above her head for all to see, it would have been glowing bright, almost blinding; Woods then witnessed, as he had done many times before in their line of work, how the cogs sunk into place and whirred into life inside her mind.

The pen was then to paper, as she scribbled down the three letter answer.

Curiously, Woods murmured, “you figure it out?”

“X, Y and Z.”

“What?”

“They come in last. The last three letters of the English alphabet.” She offered a shy smile, then kept her gaze down on the paper. Part of her felt a little childish, showcasing her excitement for having figured out something as simple as a crossword puzzle. She needed to reign herself in, to harden herself and keep up her walls.

“Huh, that’s…” Woods nodded slowly, then shifted in his seat. It was actually a very clever little thing and would have had him running around in circles for days, yet she’d clicked on as quickly as ever. He shouldn’t have expected any less, as it had only taken her a few days to crack the floppy disk decryption - she was a meticulous mind.

“Sneaky,” she finished his sentence for him, “it’s sneaky. But he helped.” Bell gestured with the pen towards David and his colouring book. Woods leant forward, peering at the now haphazardly coloured letters. As he peered over the boy's shoulder, his hand absentmindedly ruffled his hair. David swatted at his hand, trying his best to keep his eyes and attention solely on the task of furiously colouring.

“Slow down, kiddo, you’ll tear the pages,” Woods chided, gently.

Then, there was the sound of the front door opening and a sweet, huffing voice called out, “we’re baaack~”

David stopped his scribbling, then tried his best to get up as quickly as possible to greet his parents. Woods followed him, just to make sure that he didn’t take a tumble in his haste, and Bell was left alone in the room. She watched after them, as a swelling feeling in her chest grew warm. She supposed, if she allowed herself to think about it for any length of time, that this kind of life was really nice. Bell could only wish for it, though, and reconciled with the fact that this snippet was good enough for her.

#cod fanfic #call of duty #black ops cold war #frank woods #jodie hall #alex mason #sarah mason #david mason #oc x canon #alex mason x oc #frank woods x oc #frank woods x bell #bell oc #cod bell oc #my writing #holidays at the mason home

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soulofapatrick · 2 years ago

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Starstruck - Pedro Pascal x reader/OC

Summary: Y//N plays Eleanor Winchester in Supernatural and is on the red carpet for season 13 where she spots her heartthrob: Pedro Pascal.

SORT OF LINKS TO Terrible at Secrets

Words: 1.3K

Warnings: anxiety (?)

Notes: request by @princessmermaid1289 and photos of dress and hair at the bottom.

Y/N’s POV:

Being part of such a big show like Supernatural is always breathtaking, especially getting to meet all the other big stars and my fans. I never expected to have such an impact or make a family with J2M. Jared and Jensen immediately took me under their wings when I joined in season seven as Sam and Dean’s little sister - Eleanor aka. Nell

Being anxious and an actor is always something interesting but I have such an amazing family backing me and getting rid of any awkward questions aimed my way during conventions. I love conventions and red carpets, being able to meet my own idols of which I have plenty. I find it so much fun talking to them and getting the fans opinions on everything. My fans are my biggest critics and they’re how I improve.

Tonights a red carpet for our season 13 with Alexander Calvert. He’s very cute and bubbly and I love him like a little brother and the fans seem to love him even more. He’s going to be big, I just know it, especially when the fans scream at him wrapping his arms around my waist and hugging me as the cameras flash.

“Heyyy Y/N,” Jensen appears at my other side, elbowing me and leans down enough he can whisper quiet enough the cameras and paparazzi don’t catch it, “Your man crush is over there, go say hi.”

I follow his gaze to see the one and only Pedro Pascal. He guest starred in an episode but sadly I never got to see or meet him as it wasn’t with me. My character was off with Kelly and Castiel while Pedro was with Jensen and Jared and I will admit it broke my heart a little as I have always had a huge crush on the sweetheart. He looks drop dead in that crisp white suit and black bowtie. His hair is so fluffy and I just wanna run my hands through it from here.

“Go!” Alex is agreeing and I’m being pushed in Pedro’s direction so lightly jog over, trying not to trip over my dress. It’s a beautiful thing, not my personal choice but I have to admit it looks beautiful and it makes me feel beautiful when I’m quite a rough and tough person having been around J2M for pretty much eight years. It’s black and flows, making me feel like a character from a fairytale, the sleeves off the shoulder and it sparkles in the flash of the cameras. I think it’s made from a mixture of satin and lace with how light it is despite how heavy and full it looks. It seems my stylist was going for a vintage look as my strawberry blonde hair is pinned back in light curls, it reminds me a longer version of Susan Pevensie’s hair from the last movie where Lucy becomes Susan. I feel beautiful.

“Hi,” I place a trembling hand on Pedro’s shoulder, causing him to turn to see me. His face breaks into that contagious grin as he looks me up and down with no abash. It has me flushing a bright red, especially when he makes room for me, wrapping a large hand around my waist.

“Hi there mama,” Pedro’s voice is like velvet and has me weak at the knees. He’s pulling me flush against the side and begin to pose for the paparazzi again, a huge grin on his face so I compose myself and do the same, putting my arm around his back. He’s a lot taller than I realise so it’s easy for me to rest my head on his shoulder and I think I’m going to go deaf at the sound that erupts from the fans as Pedro glances down at me with a look that makes me balling his jacket in the hand that’s around his back. He lips are suddenly near my ear as he whispers “Easy darlin,” while his thumb rubs soothingly at my hip.

We have move on so Jared and Gen can take our stops and I prepare to go back to Alex as Misha has Vicki and Jensen has Danneel but Pedro grasps my hand in his calloused one. I stumble slightly but he steadies me and my mind races because this is going to be big news and everyone is going to realise I have the biggest crush on Pedro Pascal… who is leading me to the next photo spot.

The cameras continue to blind me and I have to grip Pedro’s hand tighter as I can feel my anxiety bubbling. I usually try to do the red carpets quickly and usually Jensen; Jared and Misha there to ground me. This beautiful man beside seems to understand what’s happening and is sending one last wave at the cameras before he’s leading me towards the Entertainment Weekly interviewer.

“Hello there mommy and daddy,” She greets us and feel myself flush again as this never happens to me. I can’t remember her name as I was meant to only talk to a tiktoker turning interviewer as I’m not as big as my on screen brothers.

“Hey there,” Pedro sends her an amusing smile, keeping a tight grip on my waist.

“Well this is a nice surprise, I’m a little star stuck right now,” The interviewer turns her attention to me, “I have to admit I’m a huge fan of you and your character, Eleanor Winchester for those who don’t know.” She glances back at the camera and I’m subconsciously grabbing Pedro’s free hand, hoping the camera doesn’t pick up on.

“Oh! Well, thank you.” I’m laughing nervously, “I’m also star stuck!”

“You’re the star here,” Pedro nudges me and I can just hear all the fan edits about to be spamming my social media feeds in the morning but I don’t care because I’m currently pressed against the Pedro Pascal and he’s acting like I’m the big star, not him. Somehow I feel like royalty, even when the interviewer gets on with her planned interview with Pedro and I’ve never felt like this. I just alternate between watching the way Pedro throws his head back in a hearty laugh every time the interview flirts with me and the way the cameras are flashing blindingly. I should be panicked and breathless right now but that hand on my hip is flexing every so often and somehow it keeps me grounded and this is probably the first red carpet I’ve been able to breathe.

“Well, here’s the question I think most will be asking in the morning, is there something here?” The interviewer is asking, her question making my head snapping round so fast I’m surprised I don’t get whiplash, watching Pedro to see what he says as I try to slow my breathing.

“I wouldn’t mind having a date with miss Y/N here but we’ll have to see.” He’s sending her wink then pulling me even closer to him and I just look at the camera and fake swoon, laughing lightly in shock.

“I think I’m hallucinating,” I tell her and it causing everyone in earshot to break into laughter as Pedro presses a kiss to my cheek, the light drag of his beard taking the air from my lungs, “Definitely hallucinating.”

“She says yes,” Jared’s towering frame appears behind us both, patting Pedro on the shoulders, “Of course she wants to go on a date with Pedro.”

“A date it is it seems.” Pedro’s grin seems to get wider and I’m not really sure what’s happening right now. I might have a date with the Pedro Pascal and my two older brother figures may have set me up it seems, especially from the way Jared and Jensen high five as they walk away and the way Gen sends me a wink.

Oh my fucking god. I’m going on a date with Pedro Pascal.

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tessa-liam · 1 year ago

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Smoke and Mirrors

9-Hidden in Plain Sight

Book: The Royal Romance Finale, AU

Series Premise: Hidden in the shadows, poised to challenge the status quo are enemies of the state. The loyalties and honesty of family and friends will be tested. ‘Keep your friends close, your enemies closer’.

Smoke and Mirrors Masterlist

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks-Rys, OTP ‘LiRi’

2nd Pairings: Leo Rys x Amalas, Drake Walker x F!OC Delaney Leigh, Olivia Nevrakis x M!OC Alex Cossoy

*Most characters belong to Pixelberry.

*Not Beta’d, please excuse all errors

Rating: M🔞*Series Warnings: NSFW material, sexual innuendo, adult language/swearing/drinking/gun violence. Not recommended for anyone under 18 years of age.

Category: Alternate Universe/on-going series/angst/fluff

Words: 2394

Chapter Summary: It’s the evening of the Celebration Ball and the big reveal of the Royal twins. Lena is interrogated by Interpol. Liam and Leo discuss a potential threat to the kingdom.

Smoke and Mirrors

9- Hidden in Plain Sight

Music Inspiration: Sway, Michael Buble; Claire De Lune, London Symphony Orchestra; Late Night Talking, Harry Styles

A/N2: My submission for @choicesseptemberchallenge2023, @midnightmelodiz , Day 6 – Dreams, Day dream, “I’m in love with you?”

A/N1: My submission for @choicesflashfics @jerzwriter Week #49, Prompt 1- “You take my breath away every time I see you.”

The King’s chamber was illuminated only by the soft light of the full moon where the King and Queen lay together. Riley was fast asleep, her head resting on Liam’s chest, her very pregnant belly snuggled safely against his side. Liam looked over at his sleeping wife, his heart swelling with love for her and their sons. In three short weeks, his family will grow to five; that time coming very quickly now.

Cordonian Royal Palace

He lay awake; sleep eluding him again for another night. Mentally organizing his schedule for the upcoming month, his thoughts eventually returned to that conversation with Drake that they had on the beach the day before. His confession...

‘Watching you with Brooks, all these years... I want that too.’

‘Pretending to be happy is pretty damn exhausting.’

Sighing, Liam was pleasantly surprised when he heard a soft voice.

No one else would have caught it, but Liam did. He ‘read between the lines’ of what Drake had said, like he was remembering a bad dream. Did Drake just admit that he still had feelings for his wife? Were those feelings that he had years ago still present and relevant to him?

“How long have you been awake?” Riley whispered.

He kissed her forehead and placed his hand on her baby bump. Stroking her belly, he could feel the soft kicks under his palm.

“Not long, love” he murmerred.

“What are you thinking about?” Liam hesitated before answering.

Riley turning her head to look up at him, “you think too much sometimes.”

“A conversation that I had. I am not quite sure if it was real or if it was a daydream.” Liam kept his answer opaque on purpose, not wanting to divulge too much detail to her.

Liam chuckled, “Are you complaining?”

“Never,” she replied, yawning. “I love you,” she added sleepily.

His body relaxed, as he closed his eyes, “I love you more.” he murmured, tightening his arm around her protectively.

Cordonian Palace Ballroom

The Ballroom was filled with guests awaiting the King’s announcement scheduled for later in the evening.

Royalty from neighboring kingdoms, nobility, politicians, and ambassadors from allied countries came from long and short distances to partake in the black-tie festivities. Music filled the air as waitstaff circulated amongst the crowd with glasses of wine and flutes of champagne.

“I’m glad you decided to attend this event with me,” Olivia said smiling at Alex.

“I must be honest with you, Livvie. I usually attend these functions as the enforcer. I am not used to wearing a ‘monkey suit’,” Alex smirked. He seemed to be comfortable among all the guests, nonetheless.

Olivia grinned back at her partner, but her smile quickly faded when she spotted Amalas and Leo huddled together on the other side of the dance floor. They appeared to be deep in conversation and were not paying any attention to their surroundings.

Alex noticed Olivia’s expression change. “Everything okay?” he asked with concern. She nodded, trying to force the smile back onto her lips.

“I thought that Leo was coming on his own tonight.”

“Liv, that doesn’t mean that he can't talk to anyone once he gets here,” Alex rebutted. Olivia sighed loudly and continued to watch the couple from afar.

A waiter approached, carrying a tray of hors d’oeuvres. Alex accepted a small sampling as Olivia continued to study the couple without saying another word. Alex shook his head; he knew what was bothering her. He also wished, he was mistaken.

As the orchestra began to play the first few notes of the Cordonian national anthem, the press began to gather around the dais waiting for the King to enter the ballroom.

The King’s guard fell into strategic positions when the herald announced the arrival of the Royal family.

Liam strode up to the lectern that was atop the dais wearing his full military regalia. Riley, walking with Eleanor, joined him and stood next to his side. Regina and Leo stood close by next to the dais.

The crowd hushed in anticipation. Clearing his throat once before speaking, Liam began, “Good evening, everyone,” he proclaimed.

“It is my pleasure and honor to welcome you all here tonight. I know many have been waiting patiently for the queen and I to make an official announcement concerning our ‘additions’ to the Royal family.” Liam turned to wink at Riley.

The ballroom attendees erupted in whoops and cheers.

Liam acknowledged his delighted guests with a broad smile and waited a few minutes for the accolades to subside. Continuing with, “thank you, thank you!”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to have my princess here to help me....” Liam turned and beamed, chuckling as Ellie clapped her hands with a peal of laughter as her uncle Leo scooped her up and joined his brother.

“Well, Ellie, what do you think?” Leo asked, smirking at Liam.

“Daddy, look.” Ellie exclaimed and pointed to a bevy of blue balloons filled with helium that were being released behind the crowd overtop the dance floor.

“Everyone, our twin boys, our princes, are expected to arrive at the end of this month.” Liam lifted Riley’s hand tenderly to kiss.

Riley joined Liam as he took her hands and led her to stand beside him at the lectern.

Thrilled at the excitement, Liam continued once the audience returned their attention back to him.

Liam waited for the crowd to settle down after the announcement.

The applause was deafening as everyone celebrated.

After posing for pictures by the press, Liam led Riley to the dance floor as the orchestra began to play the beginning notes of ‘Clair de Lune’. As they danced, it felt like time stood still; as guests formed a circle around them, Liam kissed Riley’s hand and placed it atop his chest over his heart as they swayed together in time to the music.

“It must have something to do with the love of my life in my arms,” Liam simpered.

“How is it, that.... Liam,” as she smoothed down his lapels, “you take my breath away every time I see you.”

“Always the charmer, Your Majesty." Riley whispered, kissing his lips sweetly.

***

Drake held Delaney close to his chest as they watched the King and Queen move together in the center of the dance floor.

“They look so perfect together,” Delaney sighed. Her voice was laced with envy.

“Don’t worry, you’ll find someone special someday.” Drake answered sarcastically.

Delaney laughed. “That’s so easy for you to say.” Slapping his arm.

Drake grinned, “you'are damn straight, Leigh. When I first met you, I had no idea what my future would hold. You showed me things that I had only dreamed of having with someone. … and I have treasured every minute of your love.”

Growling, he leaned over and kissed her fiercely on the lips. Just as Riley and Liam walked past them. Delaney noticed the look on Drake’s face when he locked eyes with Riley. It gave her an uneasy feeling. He seemed to be lost in thought.

Smiling playfully at him, Delaney asked in jest, “I’m in love with you too?"

She frowned. “Something wrong?”

His eyes shifted away from Riley, and he shook his head.

“No, nothing at all.”

But he didn’t fool her. Delaney, now was positive that her concerns were justified, stepped back.

“Good evening, you two.” Riley beamed as she turned towards Delaney and Drake.

“You two are getting married! Congratulations...I am so happy for you both.” Riley put her arm around her shoulder for a side hug.

“Thank you so much,” Delaney replied, hugging Riley in return.

“Yes, congratulations you two,” Liam reached over to kiss Delaney’s cheek.

“I am impressed, Walker.” Riley snickered as she hugged her friend.

“Wow, settling down and saying goodbye to the bachelor life.” Liam smirked, shaking Drake's hand.

“Who would have thought,” Riley chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah, Brooks, get your shots in now.” Drake responded, not making eye contact.

Interrogation Room A, Interpol Headquarters, Lyon, France

Lena sat back on her chair with her hands folded in her lap. She was flanked by two men in dark suits. One of the men was a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair. His name was detective Lefebvre, and he had been assigned by Inspector Ryerson to investigate her case. The other man was the head of Psychiatrics and was assigned to conduct an evaluation of her psychological state by King Liam Rys of Cordonia.

Across the table, sat Lena’s legal defense attorney, assigned to represent her by the Royal estate of Vallenheim.

Detective Lefebvre cleared his throat.

“Miss Runarsdottir, I understand you are familiar with the Cordonian Royal family?”

Lena nodded. “Yes, I have met King Constantine Rys, my father. My stepmother, Queen Sigrid, raised me when my mother Eleanor Rys was murdered. I know of but never met my brother Liam or my stepbrother Leo.”

“And what do you know about them?” he asked.

Lena’s mouth went dry. She felt like she was trapped in a nightmare.

“I don’t have any other information about them,” she lied.

“Do you mean to tell me that you knew nothing about your brothers even though you were caught outside the buildings they were in this past summer?”

Lena stared at him unflinching.

“How did you know where to go?” he asked again.

“I’m sorry, I can't help you.”

Lefebvre slammed his fist against the table, making Lena jump in surprise.

“Don't play with me. You’re either lying or delusional.”

Lena bit her lip. She sat stoically and kept her emotions hidden.

“I am not playing around. I have no information.”

Feeling frustrated, Detective Lefebvre changed his strategy.

“Miss Runarsdottir, who is Bastien Lykel?

“Who?”

“Bastien Lykel,” he repeated.

Lena’s face paled. “I don’t know anyone named Bastien.”

“Are you sure?” he pressed.

“We have CCTV evidence of your conversation with him in the holding cells at the Cordonian Palace.”

“I-I-” she stammered.

“You were seen talking to him at least three times before you escaped those holding cells in Cordonia. Is that correct?”

Again, Lena sat in silence.

“Choose wisely, Miss Runarsdottir, and answer my questions. What is the nature of your relationship with Bastien Lykel?”

Lena’s breathing quickened and her hands began to shake. If she told the truth, she was dead.

“Let the records show that Miss Runarsdottir is not cooperative.”

Cordonian Ballroom

Leo was speaking to Rashad at the bar when Liam approached after having a debate with an American ambassador.

“Hey Li, I see you survived your conversation with Smithfield.” Leo smirked as Liam ordered a scotch and shot it back quickly.

“Barkeep, another round for my brother and I’ll take the same.”

“Why, thank you Leo.” Liam clapped his back.

“Where is your beautiful Queen?”

“Riley is upstairs with Ellie. Being so close to her due date, she needs to be off her feet to rest from tonight’s festivities. She is exhausted.”

Leo nodded. “Totally understandable, but Li, why are you still down here?”

“Because I need to talk with you and apologize about the other day.” Liam responded.

“No apologies needed. I was being an asshole and you called me out.” Leo grinned.

“Well, I overreacted. You pressed a nerve when you mentioned father.”

Leo smirked, “good, because I agree with you and I believe you are ‘right on the money’.

Liam chuckled, shaking his head.

“Again, that’s what makes you the better King,” Leo winked

“I do have information for you." Leo continued. "Amalas gave me an update on Interpol’s case on Lena and Bastien.”

‘Liam winces slightly at the mention of Lena, but he does not interrupt.’

“Lena is being uncooperative when questioned by the detectives. Nice touch, by the way, for assigning a psychiatrist to oversee her testimony.”

“Well, it’s the least I could do knowing what father did to her, and her future.”

“’Amalas has uncovered a few suspicious ‘coincidences’, but nothing damning enough’ to help shed light as to what her motives are.”

“So far, the information that he divulged on the estate of Vallenheim has been verified as true. It was uncovered that he has affiliations with members of the Vallenheim royal guard.”

“Has there been any progress on Bastien’s involvement?” Liam inquired.

“Director Ryerson has scheduled an official update for Monday morning with me. Apparently, Interpol has uncovered a black ledger. It was 'hidden in plain sight'."

“Care to join me, Leo?”

Leo responded, “I will be here.”

📌 @ao719 @txemrn @queenmiarys @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @alj4890 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @harleybeaumont @busywoman @karahalloway @kingliam2019 @imjusthereforliam @lovingchoices14 @kyra75 @tinkie1973 @emkay512 @malblk21 @kristinamae093 @jared2612 @irisk12 @thesvnsins @walkerdrakewalker 📌

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lsdoiphin · 2 years ago

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@chocodile's Ridge and Alex scheming on their smoke break

#chocodile #guest oc: alex #guest oc: ridge #guest verse: amaranthine #anthro #furry #shark anthro #bat anthro #smoking//

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dazzlingqwq · 4 months ago

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intro posts my beloathed.. alright, time to make this.

DAZ'S INTRO POST WOW WOOHOO!!! ☆

✧ Hi! As you can see, i'm Daz (masc, he/ae), but i also go by...

~ Cas! (masc, he/ae)

~ Jazz! (fem, she/they/ae)

~ Alex! (fem+masc, he/ae/any)

~ Flow! (fem, she/ae)

~ Shady! (masc/gn, ae/aem)

~ Saki! (masc/fem/gn, she/he/ae)

~ Zee! (gn, ae/any)

(theres more, but these are my mains!)

Now, you might be going "Daz, why is there pronouns and term thingys by names?" (or you might not idfk), and i have an answer for you!

My brain does this thing where, when i get called by a certain name, it also wants to be called by certain terms, and certain pronouns. No idea why, just please respect that.

Anyway, continuing on!!!

Current fandoms:

~ Coroika (Splatoon manga)

~ Splatoon

~ Owari no Seraph

~ Pokemon

~ Parkour Civilization

~ Object shows (mainly II and BFDI)

~ Zettai BL

☆★☆★☆★☆

Past fandoms:

~ Omori, Undertale, FNAF, TD, umm.... ion remember...

☆★☆★☆★☆

Other things:

~ Minor, but im fine w/semi suggestive asks n shit. just no intense nsfw!!!!!!

~ i use brainrot slang ironically i swear

~ more active on discord!!! ask to add me!!

~ either "^_^ !!!!! :3" type person or "🗣️🔥❗💪" type person

~ if i meow its because its a very common vocal stim of mine!!!!! im not a discord kitten i swear

~ i run @rimzzy (half rim coroika ask blog :3)

~ i ALSO run @aurelius-tmf (emf parkour civilization ask blog !!)

~ I don't really have a DNI (other than basic crit, look it up if you dont know it :p), just don't be weird

☆★☆★☆★☆

Tag guide:

~ #dazzling talks : just me talking :3

~ #late night shows : long posts!!

~ #guest star celebrity : asks answerwd ^_^

~ #sparkle tool : art tag

~ #reblog : reblogz

☆Special Tags☆

~ #agent-marusankisser : a tag dedicated to my moot that goes under the same user. she used to spam my inbox enough that she became her own tag! there are still some untagged maru posts, but like. barely any.

~ #nova's oc files : a tag dedicated to my moot @/novatheassholeofacat !! they came to me to ask for interactions (specifically the rp blog kind, since their main has kinda turned into a rp blog!), and i obliged. All of the posts under this tag have some relation to Nova's oc(s)! All posts about this have been tagged!

~ #dazzles oc shenanigans : the tag name describes itself! It's a tag dedicated to all of my oc posting and shenanigans! I tried scrolling back to tag as many oc posts as i can, but im sure theres some out there that are currently untagged. This tag will get more used in the future >:)

☆★☆★☆★☆

Custom made userboxes!

(box no.1 : THIS USER CANT PLAY SPLATOON!!! and is SUFFERING!!!!!! (no nintendo online))

(box no.2 : this user is EXETREMELY normal about coroika. Trust me. please.)

(box no.1 : this user is stuck in a BL...)

#dazzling talks #late night shows #guest star celebrity #sparkle tool #intro post #pinned post #coroika #splatoon #owari no seraph #pokemon #parkour civilization #bfdi

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doumekiss · 4 months ago

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I'm reading the Welcome to The OC book, and it is frustrating how many times the writers wanted to turn some of the guest characters on the show into regulars but that would mean giving the actors a regular cast pay rise and Fox was having none of that so because of this we had to say goodbye to Anna, and Luke, and Alex, and Zach, and Lindsay and other characters that could have had really interesting storylines after they stopped being love interests. Like I don't get why were they being so stingy giving that at least on the first two seasons the show was a hit and that aspect made it hard to care about some of the characters presented knowing that whatever new character would be gone in a couple of episodes at most, like they even had to fight to make Rachel Bilson a part of the regular cast and I can't see The OC working without Summer, and the reason why Taylor became such a fan favorite in later seasons was because she was allowed the time and the storylines to grow, and with those other characters the show could have turned into something even greater

#the oc #thoughts

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miasmat · 3 months ago

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💙 and 🌊 for Seth :D !!

💙 Describe their bedroom! Is it personalized, unchanged? Messy, neat? We'd have three stages here, childhood bedroom, guest room at Beckett's house and later their shared bedroom (which stays unchanged by Seth cause Beckett is very particular about his living space). The childhood bedroom is very much a typical 90s metalhead den, cleaned only on holidays, posters covering most of the walls, a TV, lots of 'trash' his parents told him to throw out countless times like a street sign, old bike turned into a clothes rack, a couch with many broken springs, stacks of books next to his nearly holy pile of CDs. And there is one very special drawer hiding a very special box with all the photos of him and his ex, Alex. This vibe for sure (well, minus the obvious ruin):

When he lives in the small room in Beckett's—rather ancient, by Seth's standards—house, he doesn't see it quite fit to claim it as his own. He is aware that it became his only home, but still he feels too much respect towards the old vampire to give it the same makeover as his childhood room received. Though over time Seth's residency becomes obvious, there is a completely new, though definitely smaller stack of CDs, many books, and yellowed tomes nibbled out by moths. There is also a growing collection of postcards, neatly lined on the wall next to the bed; one that Beckett has once described as amusing, though Seth never managed to decipher what his mentor meant by that.

🌊 Does this oc have a secret or repressed desire?

After the whole fiasco that was the 2004 L.A. events, after trying his stay at the Pyramid and then lone wolfing archaeology until he does archaeology with the lone wolf, he does have a secret desire. He's not proud of it, in fact remembering his state of mind from that time makes him physically cringe. Seth spends a lot of energy, resources and time to find a way to reverse his embrace. The more time he spends alone after ditching the Pyramid, the more bitter he grows over time, the loneliness becomes unbearable, and it's almost laughable to him how, with hindsight, his old life seems preferable to what it is now. Cowering in the night, feeding on people just as unfortunate as he was not too long ago, trying to come to terms with his not-quite-death by acting like he can still have a hobby, still can occupy himself as if nothing happened, seems ridiculous at the best of times. He really is not proud of it—when the renowned Gangrel, by either sheer luck or lapse of judgement, takes him under his wing—Seth uses his resources by extension to further his goal. It all comes to a rather cacophonic halt when Beckett finds him, late into the noon hunched over his desk, looking more-so like a Malkavian at the verge of a breakdown. Scattered about were many papers of varying colours; old manuscripts and ripped book pages, more or less created before Beckett's birth, to handwritten notes and prints seemingly containing rumours and young blood superstitions. Some few weeks passed after that event, filled with silence and shame, but since then Seth had, with lots of hardships, managed to come to terms that his old life will remain buried in the past.

#thank you so much for the ask!#I'm sorry it took so long #I kept gathering ideas and then forgetting or getting occupied #genuinely had a lot of fun writing it <3 #miasmat says #oc: seth trenton

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inspired-aspiring-artist · 3 months ago

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I think people would love to read the story cooking up in your head!! I never really wrote either beside one cringey 'horror' story.

Things that can help (imo) is imagining things that happen in real life, whag would their reaction be?

Ex: How would they react if someone was sick?

And i would read it 1 goptillion times over!!

Would love to learn more about this/nf!!!

And my golly was that axolotl royalty?/sj (silly joke)

Alexander Jacob Thunderberkin Kippensquire sounds fancy!!!!

Thanks for the ask @bigsillyyy , let the yapping commence!

Okay so the general premise is that after the events of Ruin, Fazco recovered the pizzaplex animatronics from the ruined plex and built a new pizzaplex with updated animatronics using the programming (and memories) from the old animatronics to save some money. They also decided to separate Sun and Moon into two different animatronics, both would be daycare attendants, but after hours Sun would clean the daycare, and Moon would be security. Fazco wanted to increase the daycare size without having to hire a bunch of people to supervise, which is why they split the dca. To avoid new lawsuits, Fazco made sure to code more secure boundaries on how the animatronics are allowed to interact with staff and guests. As a result, Moon is more of a prankster than a threat to your health (you will be inconvenienced, not dead :3).

I haven’t decided whether to make my oc the main character or just have a y/n; but the plot is that you/oc were hired to be the daycare assistant as the daycare needs at least 1 human supervisor for safety (in actuality they wanted a human so that parents could complain to you directly and not the animatronics). You/oc are trying your best to do your job and befriend the animatronics; but it’s more complicated than you thought it would be.

Both Sun and Moon are dealing with having separate bodies and the fact that they were essentially brought back from the dead, they have an antagonistic relationship with each other and don’t particularly trust Fazco personnel, which makes befriending them tricky (but rewarding!)

Answering your axolotl question: He was royal to me, but I always named my Mudkip starter Alex or Alexander when I played Pokémon alpha ruby/omega saphire, and when I played pixelmon on Minecraft. The Jacob Thunderberkin is a parody reference to a character from Over the Garden Wall, who Greg names the frog after in the last ep (Jason Funderberker) and Kippensquire is a reference to Mudkip and from Pokémon and the fact that Axolotls are eternal youth (they stay in the adolescent stage their entire lives) and so he would never be a adult (knight) and would stay a squire.

#mutuals my beloved #asks #stella speaks #the YAPPER #friendsim the dca while they deal with trauma YIPPEEE!#thanks for the ask! I appreciate it so much!

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hockeylvr59 · 2 years ago

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I Got You || Nathan Mackinnon

Authors Note: This is my entry for @antoineroussel‘s winter fic exchange 2k23. I wrote for @raysofcrosby who requested an OC fic and left most things open to my creative process after we agreed that it would be Nate. This was a concept that I dug out of my ‘someday I’ll write’ pile and I’m so glad I did. Song inspiration is I got you by Leona Lewis but the overall concept comes from season 8 of SYTYCD with Marko and Melanie’s lyrical hip hop (linked under the tag 047 on my page). This one got a little away from me and even changed a bit as I was writing it but I really hope you enjoy it.

Warnings: angst, minor cursing // Word Count: 4,747 + song lyrics

~~~~~~~

A place to crash

I got you

No need to ask

I got you

Just get on the phone

I got you

Come and pick you up if I have to

Emily Bowers learned one thing a long time ago. She would do anything for Nathan MacKinnon. And she was fairly confident that he knew it. Their meeting had felt inconsequential at the time and yet somehow they’d managed to become friends.

But friends were all they’d ever be because when they’d met he’d already had a serious girlfriend. Alexandra was fine, Emily had met her and had absolutely nothing against her, she was easy to like. She seemingly adored Nate and put up with him even when he was being difficult, often providing Emily the chance to be the one to call him out and tell him when he was seriously being a moron. And Nate adored Alexandra. Emily could only hope one day to find someone who looked at her like that.

Of course the couple had their fights like all couples do, but lately those fights seemed to be occurring more frequently and didn’t blow over as easily.

So when Nate called her around 2am one night Emily already knew what had happened before she picked up the phone.

“Hey Em…” He mumbled, “Sorry for calling so late…”

Before he could even finish she was replying with a sigh.

“Where are you? The airport?”

Nate’s soft ‘yeah’ filled her ears and though Emily was worried, she didn’t hesitate, staying on the phone with him as he grumbled softly about how cold it was while she threw on sweats, a hoodie, and boots and grabbed her wallet and keys to head to her car.

Following Nate’s directions to the private charter side of the airport, it wasn’t long before she pulled onto the empty lot where Nate was standing talking quietly to someone who appeared to be part of security. Unlocking her doors, Nate approached her vehicle and opened the backdoor, tossing his bag inside before opening the passenger door and folding himself into the seat.

“Hey.” He whispered gruffly and tiredly. “You’re the best.”

“And don’t you forget it.” She couldn’t help but tease softly, feeling proud when that drew the slightest smile onto Nate’s face. “I take it you want my couch?”

Nate’s nod as he turned to lean against the window answered her question and so Emily drove home with her unexpected overnight guest. She didn’t need to know what had happened to know that this had been a rough fight but like always she was sure that after a night of space (though she could never understand how they needed more space after Nate had just been on the road) things would settle.

Arriving home, Emily pulled out extra pillows and blankets from a closet and as she sat them beside where he was sitting on the couch he reached for her hand, his palm warm against her own.

“Thanks Em.”

“I got you. You know that.”

What's weird about it

Is we're right at the end

And mad about it

Just figured it out in my head

I'm proud to say

I got you

Go ahead and say goodbye

I'll be alright

Go ahead and make me cry

I'll be alright

Emily knew that Nate was planning on marrying Alexandra. After all, he’d been sending her pictures of rings for the past two months soliciting her opinion on what she thought Alex would like since she was a girl and all. Still, knowing it was coming didn’t make it sting any less when her phone dinged with a photo of Nate kissing Alex as she showed off that brand new extravagant engagement ring Emily knew Nate had spent a small fortune on.

I’m so happy for you. Enjoy the moment.

Though she sent the words, Emily knew the meaning behind them was hollow if not a lie and she couldn’t help but wonder if Nate did too somewhere deep down.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be happy for him, because she did, he deserved to be happy. It was just that in a way, that picture signaled a further shift in their friendship, one that she wasn’t sure was sustainable looking forward.

After all, do friends ever last long when one has their heart broken by the other?

Grateful that she was at least at home alone and not out in public, Emily pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed softly letting the past three years of emotions finally wash over her after being bottled and shoved deep down for so long.

It wasn’t fair for her to feel like this. She knew that. She knew that Nate had done nothing but stay within the boundaries that had been set back when they first met. This wasn’t his fault.

It had been her fault that she’d fallen a little bit in love with him knowing that those feelings would never be returned. It was her fault that she continued to let him use her as an emotional backstop when things had gotten hard in his relationship. It was her fault for hoping that someday maybe things would be different. It was her fault for wanting more than he could ever offer.

But knowing it was her fault and not his didn’t make it hurt any less.

So today, today she’d let herself cry and mourn what was never to be. And tomorrow, tomorrow she would get up, rebury all of those feelings, and support Nate through the craziness of wedding planning with his bride to be.

And it might not happen quickly but someday, someday she’d be alright.

And when you need a place to run to

For better for worse

I got you

Ain't falling apart, or bitter

Let's be bigger than that and remember

The cooling outdoor when you're all alone

We'll go on surviving

No drama, no need for a show

The sun was shining, it was warm but not overly hot, it was a perfect day for a wedding. Entering the church that Alexandra had picked, Emily felt a swirl of emotions. Today was the day that Nate would officially be married. Dipping off towards the groom’s room, Emily knocked on the door before smiling as Gabe opened it, waving her into the room.

“He’s a little anxious. Maybe seeing you will settle him down.” Gabe whispered, motioning to where Nate was standing looking out a window, the tension visible in his body. Nodding, Emily moved across the room toward her best friend. When Nate noticed her he opened his arms and Emily stepped into them wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

“Big day.” She whispered. “And it’s beautiful out, which is perfect.”

“Yeah.” Nate agreed, squeezing her tight. “You look pretty.”

“Thanks.” Though she knew it was just an offhanded polite comment, Emily banked it in her mind nonetheless. “You look dapper, and you’re still sober, which I suppose are both good signs.” She could feel him roll his eyes at her even without looking up at him and after a moment he pulled away ruffling his hair until she had to reach up and fix it.

“I should go get to my seat but I just wanted to check in first.” She added. “Next time I see you, you’ll be a married man.” There was a twinkle of excitement in Nate’s eyes but also an undercurrent of nerves which she assumed were only to be expected at this point.

***

It wasn’t long after she settled into her seat that Nate and his groomsmen appeared at the front of the church for the ceremony to begin. As he stood there, Emily could see how uncomfortable he was at the venue and she bit her lip remembering how contentious that decision had been. She hoped Alex was happy to have gotten her way.

Emily had figured that it would only be a few minutes after Nate took his place before the bridesmaids would start filtering down the aisle followed by Alex. But she couldn’t help but peek at her phone in her purse noting that the wedding was supposed to have started already. Seeing Nate fidget, Emily quickly slipped out of her seat and out the back of the church going in search of the missing bride. Instead, she found the bridal room completely empty. There was scattered trash signaling that people had been here but there were no people and no bags of personal belongings. Stepping further into the room Emily saw a ring box sitting on a table with a note tucked under it and keys beside it.

Peeking at the ring box revealed Emily’s worst fear as it contained the ring that had been on Alex’s hand for the last year. She had left. Just up and left him standing at the end of the aisle. Grabbing the items, Emily raced back to the side entrance of the church the groomsmen had come through. Once there she cracked the door open trying not to draw the attention of the entire guest list.

“Gabe.” She whispered quietly drawing the groomsman’s attention. “You gotta get him out of there.”

Seeing the panic on her face, Gabe nodded and announced that there must be a dress mishap or something and that they’d be right back.

Leading the group out of the church Gabe mouthed to her asking what was going on and Emily glanced around before mouthing back ‘she left’. With wide eyes, Gabe looked at Nate who was completely befuddled but still relatively calm as he followed the rest of the groomsmen back to the room.

“She left?!” Gabe whisper yelled, his face turning angry.

“Left her engagement ring, house keys, and a note.” Emily whispered, waving the items in her hand. “It’s not our place to read the note but considering there is literally no one and nothing else over there I think it’s safe to say she’s gone.”

“Fuck that.” Gabe murmured, snatching the note and unfolding the simple piece of paper. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. This wasn’t what she expected, my ass.” He continued, rubbing at his face before handing the note back. “Fuck. What’s the plan?”

Swallowing hard, Emily rubbed her sweaty palms on her dress. This was not how today was supposed to go and while a part of her thought maybe she’d be relieved, she wasn’t. Nate didn’t deserve this.

“Get him out of here. I don’t care where you take him so long as it isn’t here or home. Get him drunk if need be.” Emily started. “And turn his phone off.”

“I’ll take care of that I guess.” She continued, tipping her head toward the still full church. “And then I’ll go pack up all of her things at the house, he’s not going to want to see that. And I’ll text you when that’s done.”

After ensuring that she had his cell number and he had hers, Gabe disappeared into the groom’s room upon her direction to just hurry and get Nate out of there.

Emily knew that Nate was going to be confused and hurt and she hated that but all she could think about right now was doing as much damage control as possible. With Gabe texting her that Nate was reluctantly out of the building, Emily took a deep breath and stepped back through the church’s doors.

“May I have everyone’s attention?” She said with as loud and strong of a voice as she could. “I know Nate and Alex appreciate everyone coming today. However I regretfully inform you that the bride has decided there will not be a wedding today.” Gasps went up throughout the church and she let her eyes meet those of Alex’s family who seemed just as surprised by that news as everyone else.

“I cannot speak any further on behalf of the bride, but Nate requests that everyone please give him the time and space to process these developments. He also requests that you please feel free to proceed to the reception venue as the food and drink has already been paid for. Again thank you all for coming.”

Stepping down from the front of the church, Emily took a few deep breaths trying to calm and focus herself. A moment later Nate’s parents and sister raced through the doors she had just exited and she approached them with a sad smile.

“He’s with Gabe and the groomsmen. I told them to take him anywhere that wasn’t here and feel free to get him drunk.” She murmured softly. “I’m going to head over to the house now and pack up all of her things.”

“What the hell happened?” His mom Kathy questioned, already close to breaking down herself.

“I didn’t read the note because it’s not my place but Gabe did and murmured something about ‘this not being what she expected.’ So I don’t know.”

After talking between themselves for a moment, Graham murmured that he was going to text Gabe about where they’d gone and Kathy asked if she could come to the house. Nodding because a second pair of hands would make things go faster, Emily asked Sarah if she could go pick up some boxes and packing tape and bring them to the house.

****

It was dark by the time everything that screamed Alex in Nate’s house had been packed up and loaded into Sarah’s rental car to take over to a storage unit for Alex to pick up whenever she was ready.

With Sarah and Kathy gone, Emily moved to change Nate’s sheets after texting Gabe that if Nate wanted to come home he could. With Gabe replying that they were on their way only a few minutes later, Emily sent a thumbs up and settled down at the island with a bottle of water, again breathing deeply to keep all the bubbling emotions under control.

Though Nate was drunk when he walked through the door, he wasn’t quite as drunk as Emily had been expecting. Still, Gabe urged him up to bed and as he did so, she got water and pain meds ready to be at his bedside when he awoke. Heading upstairs, Emily watched as Gabe settled Nate into bed and frowned as mumbles of ‘I don’t understand why she did this?’ filled the room.

“No one does.” Gabe murmured back softly. “But get some sleep man you’ve had a hell of a day.”

With Nate seemingly on his way to sleep, the two stepped out of the room and closed the door.

“I’m gonna stay with him if you want to head home.” Gabe declared with a yawn.

“Gabe, you have a wife and kids. Go home. I’ll stay with him.” Emily insisted. Eyeing her for a moment, Gabe nodded and murmured softly that she was a good friend and Nate was lucky to have her.

“I could say the same for you.” She replied. “Now go.”

With the house finally quiet, Emily sunk into Nate’s couch tugging a throw blanket she had gotten him over her legs as she tried to settle down to sleep for a few hours.

When she awoke she was a little surprised to hear Nate in the kitchen, the smell of eggs filling the air.

“Hey…” She whispered cautiously, not sure how he was going to be feeling this morning. Though he looked tired and a little worse for wear, he also seemed relatively stable considering.

“Eggs?” He asked, voice a little gruffer than usual.

“Sure.” Emily replied, honestly starving as she had been so focused on doing whatever she could for Nate last night she hadn’t eaten since lunch the previous day. Sitting up at the island counter, she just let Nate cook not wanting to interrupt him.

“Was thinking…” Nate started out of nowhere making Emily jump a little. “You don’t start your new job for a couple more weeks right?”

That was not a topic that Emily was expecting Nate to bring up but it was true that she was off for a few weeks between jobs.

“Want to come to Fiji with me?”

Nate had glanced over his shoulder with the question and Emily could only meet him with a blank look.

“I mean the honeymoon was already booked and paid for and I’m not going to not go…” Nate mumbled. “Thought maybe you’d want to come…drink, eat, tan, swim, just chill.”

Though it seemed a bit taboo to go on someone else’s honeymoon, Emily could tell that Nate really didn’t want to go alone and when else would she get a chance to go to a beautiful resort in Fiji.

“You know what…sure. I’m in.” She declared. The way Nate’s whole body relaxed told Emily it was the right decision and as he slid a plate of eggs across the island to her there was even the smallest trace of a smile on his face.

“Awesome. Eat up and go pack. Flight leaves at 3 so I’ll swing by at noon to get you.” Blinking a few times, Emily tampered her surprise because of course the flight was leaving today. She definitely needed to rush to get ready though because she certainly hadn’t planned on going anywhere.

But now, now she was just going to go with the flow.

****

Three things popped into Emily’s head when they arrived at their villa on Royal Davui Island in Fiji. First…the travel had been a complete bitch and she was exhausted. Second, she had never seen a view this beautiful in her entire life. And third, though she should have expected it, there was only one bed. At least the couch looked comfortable enough.

“Nate…this is stunning.” She declared immediately opening patio doors to step outside onto the balcony. It was truly paradise in every way. She could literally just spend the next week sitting here and staring at the view.

First though she needed a shower, a change of clothes, and possibly a nap.

Checking the first two off the list, Emily saw Nate sitting in a chair off on the living room patio and she moved over to him, surprised to see drinks and food waiting there already.

“Figured it had been awhile since we ate.” Nate declared motioning for her to sit. Everything looked absolutely delicious and Emily couldn’t wait to dig in. But Nate was holding up his drink in toast and she wasn’t going to leave him hanging. “To new chapters.” He murmured softly.

“To friendship.” Emily echoed clinking her glass against his before taking a sip. If the drinks were this good she was about to spend this whole trip more than a little buzzed.

Enjoying their lunch, Emily just gazed out at the view once again amazed at how stunning this place was. There was a certain peace that came from being here, to finally be still after all the chaos.

Deciding that that nap sounded like a great idea, Emily moved to lounge on the couch under the cool ceiling fans and though the room was bright, sleep came easy.

Her nap was followed by a trip down to the white sand beach with Nate and exploring the rest of the amenities on the island before they settled back at their villa for a private dinner.

When it came time for bed, Emily moved to settle on the couch once again and though Nate looked like he wanted to say something, he kept his mouth shut.

Overall the next few days were similar, Emily and Nate dined together but they didn’t always spend the whole day attached to each other’s sides. Nate used the fitness center on the island while Emily curled up on a lounger tanning and reading. Nate went hiking while Emily enjoyed the plunge pool at their villa.

They did go on a scuba excursion together and there were the couples’ massages Nate had arranged which had been slightly awkward but for the most part they just relaxed whether they were together or off on their own.

On the fourth morning, with Emily having awoken while Nate chose to sleep in, she sunk into the plunge pool just relaxing and looking out at the ocean as the sun rose. After about twenty minutes she heard footsteps before Nate’s voice softly asked if he could join her. Nodding, Emily shifted along the edge and Nate approached her, sinking down beside her.

Neither said anything, just watching the new day start. Shifting, Nate’s leg brushed against hers under the water and Emily startled a bit not expecting the skin to skin contact. It wasn’t unpleasant, just unexpected. And though he apologized, Nate’s energy felt like it had shifted. Over the course of the past few days he’d been pensive which made sense given the way his life had just been upended and Emily couldn’t help but wonder a bit what he’d been thinking.

“Are you sleeping okay on the couch?” He eventually asked. “Because it’s a king sized bed. It wouldn’t be that awkward to share it. You know if you wanted to…”

Emily had known Nate long enough to know that while he may have phrased it in a way that put the ball entirely in her court, he wouldn’t have said anything if it wasn’t something he wanted at least a little.

“I mean I guess I could be sleeping better.” She admitted leaving it at that and knowing that he’d draw the rest of the conclusions for himself.

Sharing Nate’s bed that night after spending the day paddle boarding and snorkeling once again had been surprisingly comfortable and it wasn’t a surprise to Emily when she ended up tucked under Nate’s arm with his chest pressed against her back. It likely wasn’t a surprise to Nate either and if it was he played it off easily getting up to go get a morning workout in.

While he did that, Emily soaked in the jacuzzi tub before settling down with another book. She was 100 or so pages in when Nate flopped down beside her on the other lounger.

“So Alex texted asking if I had gotten the ring, keys, and her note.” Nate stated.

“They’re uh on your dining room table.” Emily murmured, peeking over at him.

“I know.” Nate sighed softly. “I saw them.” He paused. “I told her I didn’t understand why she had walked away. Or why she had waited until we were literally getting married. She hasn’t responded yet. And I don’t know what to expect if she does or if she even will. Was it my fault Em? Was it something I did? Something I didn’t do?”

Closing her book, Emily sighed and twisted to sit up and look at Nate. It was clear that this had been bugging him for more than this morning but that he had finally worked his way through it enough to talk about it.

“I can’t answer that Nate. I’m not Alex so I don’t know what it was that she was expecting or why she waited so long if she wasn’t happy and didn’t say something first. But regardless of her reasons, the way she went about it was shitty. I know that and I know you know that. You deserved better than to be stood up at the altar with just a flimsy note of excuse and no warning.”

Nate mused over that for a second before murmuring that Alex had also inquired about getting her things.

“Your sister already sent her the info for the storage locker.” Emily replied. “So you can just ignore all of that, it's been taken care of.”

Looking lost in thought, Nate sat there for another fifteen minutes before murmuring that he was going to go take a nap. Knowing that he needed as much space as he wanted to sort through it all, Emily returned to her book just basking in the backdrop knowing that they were leaving in the morning and not wanting to waste a second of the view.

Just wanna say

I got you

After spending most of the day sitting and reading, Emily decided to go for a walk and when she returned another private dinner was set up.

“God I’m going to miss this food.” She declared calling out to where Nate was leaning against the balcony.

“Yeah.” He agreed though it was clear that he was as lost in his thoughts now as he had been earlier.

It was another quiet meal with her not pressing him to talk about whatever it was on his mind. While he took the dishes outside for the staff to retrieve, Emily leaned against the balcony as the sun started to creep lower in the sky.

And though she heard Nate’s steps return, she expected him to lean against the railing beside her. Instead, he stepped behind her, sliding his arm around her waist in a reverse hug.

“You’re gonna be okay Nate.” Emily whispered. “I know it’s hard now but you’re going to get through this.”

“Did you read it?” Nate asked, his voice low in her ear.

“Read what?”

“Alex’s note.”

“No Nate. That wasn’t my place.” Emily insisted. “That was a note meant for you.”

“Except it had your name on it.”

Before she could insist that no it hadn’t, Nate had placed a crinkled piece of paper into her hand. There plain as day in Alex’s handwriting was Emily, not Nate written on the front. How had she not noticed that? Unfolding the paper Emily started to read the message that had been intended for her eyes not Nate’s.

So that was where Gabe had gotten his mutterings and he’d stopped reading right there. Continuing on, Emily found herself biting her lip.

By the time she had finished, Emily had practically stopped breathing. That was…a lot. Her brain was spinning and her legs felt weak. Thankfully Nate’s arm secure around her waist held her up. He’d obviously read the letter a few times even if it was never met for him and Emily couldn’t help but feel guilty. Alex had left because of her. This was her fault.

With her legs collapsing completely, Nate’s grip tightened even more and he shifted them back to the couch, pulling her onto his lap.

“I got you.” His words were muffled by the press of his mouth against her bare shoulder but she heard them loud as day. How many times had she said those same three words to him in the past four years? And yet coming from his mouth they felt completely different.

They sat there with his nose just teasing against the skin of her shoulder until the sun had sunken fully in the sky and her breathing had regulated.

“Em…” He started softly, his voice vulnerable. “I know it might not be time just yet but when it is….I think I want to take that chance. Will you take it with me?” Her nod was instinctual, there was no other explanation for it, but it was enough for Nate’s shoulder’s to relax. “Yeah?” He questioned.

The kiss that followed could barely even be called a kiss but it held a promise. As Nate cupped both her cheeks, his lips grazed against hers faintly before his forehead pressed against her own communicating without words.

I got you.

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