#he fought w/ her about family stuff probably something his dad said

[solitarysurvival]

man......... jake loves his mom but his last phonecall with her before he went missing was an argument and he regrets it so much.

[kikis-writing-world]

Passing the Test

Summary: Marcus finds a used pregnancy test in the bathroom trash... but it isn’t yours.

Pairing: Marcus Moreno x F!Reader, heavily familiar relationship between teenage Missy and Reader.

Word Count: 2.6k plus ~500 bonus scene

Rating/Warnings: Non-explicit talk of sex (parent/child safe sex discussion,) Pregnancy scares, discussions of having children, mentions of birth control, pills and doctors. Fainting. It’s tame in the sense of content rating, but I know these can be triggering topics to some. Take care of yourselves <3

It was a simple, normal Sunday morning… right up until it wasn’t.

Breakfast was wrapping up. Missy was picking at her plate, slowly finishing up her waffles as her teenage brain woke-up. Marcus had finished quickly, starving after his early morning run. You’d already eaten and were already started on washing up. Marcus dropped his plate off with you at the sink, pressing a kiss to your cheek as he thanked you for breakfast before taking off towards the bathroom to shower.

You didn’t hear the shower turn on as you expected, instead hearing Marcus making his way back down the hall to the kitchen.

“Uh… sweetheart? W-what’s this?” Your brow furrowed as you looked over your shoulder to see what your husband was talking about. His voice was small, almost panicked, and you didn’t know what would cause him to have that reaction. He was the one in the house who killed any bugs that showed up and you’d never had a rodent problem. You were wondering what he could have found in the bathroom until you saw the plastic stick he was holding.

Your breath caught in your throat, immediately recognizing the pregnancy test. As a woman, you’d taken them before. Accidents happen, sometimes stress or illness delays nature’s flow, you’d been there. However, you hadn’t been there recently.

You glanced at Missy, seeing it written all over the girl’s face. She was frozen, mortified. She looked like she’d forgotten how to breathe. To be fair, you felt like you’d forgotten how to breathe too. You looked back at Marcus, but his eyes had never left you. The loving, doting father hadn’t even considered the other option in front of him and honestly you didn’t know if you could break the news to him.

“Oh, uh.” You stuttered as you tried to wrap your brain around all the new information thrown your way.

Missy was sexually active. She was 17, it wasn’t surprising, but she hadn’t brought it up. You weren’t sure you had expected her to but you had tried to make it clear as she grew that you would be there for her if she needed a woman to talk to instead of her father. Not only was she having sex, but she’d had a scare. Was she late? Did the condom break - please lord, you prayed, let her be using condoms. Was she… You were too young to be a grandmother. A step-grandmother. Was that even a thing?

As you processed everything, Marcus crossed the kitchen to you while Missy had slunk down in her chair about as low as she could go.

“Did you think... “ He trailed off, his voice soft. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

You opened and closed your mouth, looking for the right way to answer this. You hadn’t said anything because you’d had no idea someone in the house had taken a test!

“I wasn’t sure.” You mumbled, mouth going dry as you didn’t correct his assumption. One step at a time.

First, find out what the result of that test is.

Second, have a long, long, long talk with Missy about many, many things. Safe sex and hiding things we don’t want to be found among them.

Third… make brain work again? You had no idea where to go from there, but you supposed step three would become clear from the results of steps one and two.

Then, there was the issue literally staring you in the face. Marcus. The two of you had talked about children earlier on in the relationship as things grew serious. He told you that he wasn’t ready for more and you accepted that. You loved Missy and loved having a piece of her to share as you three became a family unit. The topic never came up again, so you just assumed Marcus didn’t want another child. You’d stayed on the pill and that was that. You always thought that if he changed his mind, he’d bring it up. It wasn’t something hidden. He saw your pack of pills on the nightstand that you took daily, and you’d even mentioned aloud a few times when you needed to get them refilled. There was plenty of opportunity for him to bring it up if he thought maybe you should go off them.

“You still could have talked to me. I would have sat with you or something.” Marcus told you, setting the test down on the counter to take both of your hands in his. 

You stared at the little piece of plastic, mentally thanking whoever was listening that Missy had splurged for the digital type. The word “negative’ sprawled on the screen, and you didn’t have to try to subtly decipher whether you were hoping for one line or two. You felt like you could breathe again.

“It wasn’t a big deal.” You shook your head. “Just late, wanted to make sure.”

You saw Missy gaping at you out of the corner of your eye, clearly surprised you were taking the fall for her.

“How did you feel? About the result?” He asked gently, this thumb stroking the back of your hand. 

“Maybe we should talk about this later,” you suggested, letting your eyes shoot in the direction of the teenager at the table, hoping Marcus would get that you’d rather talk in private. You’d also rather have a bit of time to wrap your head around everything that was just dropped on you.

Marcus’ eyes moved with yours, seeing Missy slumped in her seat making herself as small as possible. “Okay. We’ll talk later.” He promised, kissing your forehead.

You nodded in agreement and he squeezed your hands before letting them drop. As he left to take that shower, the tension in the room was palpable.

Missy started to speak but you shushed her, raising a finger in her direction while still watching down the hallway. “Wait til he starts the shower. Then we’ll talk.” You instructed quietly, glancing her way. 

Part of you felt bad for the girl, she looked absolutely mortified - and you’d seen her look plenty embarrassed before by her father’s helicopter parenting and bad jokes. On the other hand however, if she was old enough to need that test, she’d have to take this talk like an adult.

Neither of you moved until the shower started. As soon as you heard the water in the pipes, you marched to the table and sat next to her.

“I’m sorry-”

“What’s going on, Missy?” You interrupted the girl’s plea. “Don’t you dare lie to me after I covered for you with your dad. Why did you take that test?”

She stared down at the tabletop, blinking rapidly as she fought the tears welling in her eyes. “I’m late.” She admitted.

“How late?”

“Just a few days.”

“And how long have you been having sex for?”

She looked up at you, face turning red.

“No, no, no.” You chided. “You want to act grown, we’re gonna talk like you’re grown. How long?”

“Couple of months.” She mumbled, shrugging as she avoided looking you in the eye.

“Are you being safe? Condoms, birth control?”

“Condoms.”

You breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank god.”

“I’m not stupid, you know.” She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Oh, I beg to differ.” You huffed. “If you were smart you would have hidden that test so your dad didn’t find it.”

“I’m sorry!” She cried, tightening her grip on herself. “I was just so relieved it came out negative, I didn’t think...”

You took a deep breath, rubbing the bridge of your nose. You knew you needed to be smart about how you talked to Missy. If you were too harsh, she wouldn’t come to you in the future. If you were too lenient, she’d think a pregnancy scare at her age was no big deal and she might continue to be careless.

“Missy,” you started. “I really wish you would have come to me about this.”

“I didn’t want you to get mad. Or tell dad.” She admitted, still staring down at the table.

“You’re lucky he’s a definition himbo.” You joked, trying to lighten the mood.

She shot you a look, brows furrowed. “Nobody says that anymore.” She grumbled, making you sigh. Teenagers.

“That’s not the point.” You shook your head. “Missy, I wouldn’t have gotten mad. I probably would have asked questions, but I would have been there for you, helped you through it. I’ve been there, I know how scary it is.”

Missy nodded as you saw a tear roll down her cheek. You reached over and took her hand in your own.

“Did you only take one test?” You asked, which she answered with a nod.

“Okay. I’ll go out later today to get another, just so we can be sure. Then Monday I think we should make an appointment about getting on you some form of birth control.” You planned.

“There’s more than one kind?” Missy mumbled.

“Oh hon, yeah there’s a few.” You smiled gently, trying not to make fun of the girl for her lack of knowledge. “I can see if my doctor has an opening if you want, she’s really great.”

Missy nodded. You reached over with your free hand to rub her arm comfortingly. “Until we get that sorted, can you try to… hold off for a bit?”

“Yeah, I can do that.” She rolled her eyes, wiping away her tears. “This whole thing kinda scared me off of... it.”

“I wish that would last,” you chuckled, “but it won’t. Teenage hormones suck.”

The silence that settled between you two wasn’t wrought with the same tension as before. The tension this time was of nerves, you scared for your step-daughter and Missy shaken up by her whole ordeal.

“Do you have any questions, anything you’re confused about?” You prompted, trying to open the floor to her.

“Are you gonna tell Dad?” She asked quietly. So quietly you almost didn’t hear her.

You took a deep breath, closing your eyes as you tried to think about it. One on hand, you didn’t want to be keeping anything from Marcus, especially when it came to his daughter. On the other hand, you knew you were lucky your mother had been around to deal with this part of your life. You would have been mortified having to go to your father for sex stuff.

“I won’t tell him,” you decided. The relief in the teen’s eyes was palpable, and she looked like she was going to cry again. “But you have to promise me that you’ll talk to an adult about things like this. You can always come to me, but if you’re not comfortable with that-”

“No, now that I know you’re not gonna tell dad-” Missy started, but you cut her off firmly but gently.

“Let me finish. I’m glad you’re comfortable talking to me now, but if you ever aren’t, please talk to your Abuela or the doctor, or a counsellor at school, okay? I know you’re 17 and you think you know everything. I was the same way, everyone is at your age, but an adult can help you with this stuff, okay?”

Missy agreed as the two of you heard the shower shut off. You fought the urge to sigh as you remembered the other side of this coin: the conversation you had to have with Marcus now.

“Why don’t you go clean up?” You offered, wiping away the rest of Missy’s tears with your thumb. “I’m already lying to your father for you, I don’t need to explain to him why you were crying too.”

Missy laughed a little at that, a small pitiful laugh but a laugh all the same. She stood, wrapping her arms around you. You were surprised, but you returned the hug.

“Thank you.” She whispered before running off to her room. The door closed behind her and it didn’t take long for loud music to start playing.

You slumped down, resting your head in your hands as you took several deep breaths. You gave yourself a pep talk in your head, convincing yourself you’re doing the right thing by keeping this from Marcus, and encouraging yourself that you handled the situation well. You went over the plan again in your head, pretty sure you had your bases covered to take care of Missy in light of the scare. Once you’d gotten her in with the doctor, you’d have a more in depth talk with her about safe sex and being responsible with her body.

You heard Marcus’ footsteps, soft against the carpet of the hallway carpet, before he paused at the entrance to the kitchen.

“Hey, is everything okay?” He asked, coming up to rest his hands on your shoulders.

“Yeah, I think I just feel a headache coming on.” You told him, which wasn’t untrue. You could definitely feel the beginnings of a stress headache prickling at the edges of your consciousness.

Marcus’ large hands started massaging your shoulders, making you groan softly in delight.

“Is it because…” He trailed off, but he didn’t need to continue for you to know he meant the test. He’d probably been thinking about it the whole time he was in the shower, and it was probably best to get this conversation out of the way rather than to let it fester. You nodded, letting him know it was - which wasn’t a lie.

His hands stopped massaging your shoulders, running up and down your arms a few times before he sat next to you in the chair Missy had just vacated.

“I’m sorry you went through that alone,” he started, taking your hand in his and kissing your knuckles. It made you smile at his sweetness.

“It was my choice. I’m sorry I kept it from you.” You knew at this point the two of you were having two different conversations, you were apologizing for keeping Missy’s secret from him but you did truly believe it to be the right decision. At least for now. Maybe someday when she’s older and out of the house, you’d tell him and laugh.

“We’ve never really talked about it. Not since the beginning.” Marcus got a faraway look in his eyes and you knew he was remembering the date you two had been on when the conversation was had.

“Yeah, but that’s okay.” You squeezed his hand, bringing him back to the now. “I like what we have.”

Marcus frowned, his deep brown eyes filled with worry not unlike Missy’s had been minutes before. “Are you sure? I saw the test and… I just suddenly felt like I was holding you back. If that’s something you want, we should discuss it.”

“And if it was something I felt strongly about, I would have brought it up.” You promised him. You knew right from the start of your relationship he was worried about holding you back. You were younger than him with the world at your feet. He was a widowed single father with a young daughter and a career in fighting supervillains and aliens. He didn’t just have baggage, he had a storage locker of issues.

“Alright.” Marcus sighed, but you could still see the trepidation in his eyes. You smiled at him, pulling him into a kiss.

“Don’t worry babe, I don’t think I could handle another teenager.” You teased. Today was probably one of the most difficult moments you’d had as a step-mother aside from the initial growing pains of your relationship with Missy, but you’d all survived it.

Marcus laughed and you were happy to see a joyful sparkle replace the worry in his eyes. “Yeah, tell me about it.” He glanced towards Missy’s room where her loud music was still blaring. He shook his head before standing, picking up Missy’s abandoned plate. You expected him to take it to the sink but he stopped behind you, leaning down to whisper in your ear.

“Although, they’re really stinkin’ adorable when they’re babies.” He confessed, shocking you into silence. He kissed the side of your head and moved to the sink to wash Missy’s plate.

Or it could have gone something like this...

You were sitting at the edge of your bed, stretching as you woke up for the day. Marcus had opened the curtains a crack before he left for his run and you could see it was going to be a beautiful day out. You stood slowly, unrolling your spine as you got your balance.

You heard the front door open and close. You must have slept in later than you’d meant to since you usually had breakfast ready by the time Marcus got back from his run. Or he’d left earlier than usual. Either way, that just meant he could shower while you were cooking. You blinked your bleary eyes as you crossed to your dresser for some lounge clothes to wear. You were in one of Marcus’ old t-shirts and your underwear and figured you’d at least put some pants on before leaving the room.

You could hear him through the hall as he made his way to the bathroom, his footsteps falling a little heavier on the carpet after exerting himself, still panting lightly. You yawned away the sleep, struggling to keep your balance as you pulled a pair of plaid shorts up your legs. You’d just gotten them over your hips when the door opened.

You looked up, seeing Marcus still sweaty and flushed from his run. He was staring at something in his hand looking completely confused. You furrowed your brows, trying to focus on the small object as you rubbed the sleep out of your eyes.

“Uh… sweetheart? W-what’s this?” He asked, holding it up for you to see. It took you a moment to register what the thin stick of plastic was.

“That’s not mine.” You defended. You were on the pill and hadn’t had any recent scares. If you had, you would have shared that with Marcus. But if it wasn’t yours...

Your eyes widened as your sleep-addled brain caught up to the real world. It felt like your heart stopped. Marcus seemed to have made the connection just before you did as he stared down at the test in terror.

“Marcus sweetie, it’s probably not what we think,” you tried to calm him as he turned bright red.

“No. N-no, no, no.” He stuttered, unable to take his eyes off it as his breathing started coming quicker and quicker.

“Marcus, you need to breathe. Relax.” You begged as you watched the emotions crossing his face at a dizzying pace. Fear, anger, confusion, hurt, anger again-

“Missy?” He squeaked pathetically, looking up at you in panic.

“She’s not a kid anymore, Marcus.” You offered pathetically. You knew Marcus would always see Missy as his little girl despite the fact that she was in her late teens. You’d had no idea she was sexually active but if she’d taken a pregnancy test that pretty much spoke for itself.

“But she-” He whimpered, shaking his head as he stared at the test. 

You bit your lip, searching for the words to help him accept this. You hadn’t even seen the test result yet, so you had no idea how big the problem was about to be.

You watched as his eyes unfocussed, nearly crossing before they rolled back. If you were awake, you would have anticipated what happened next. Since you weren’t, you watched helplessly as Marcus face planted in front of you, passed out from the shock of his teenage daughter taking a pregnancy test.

So much for a relaxing Sunday.

A/N: I ended the “first ending” there so that each reader could decide if the conversation that followed would be “wait, we want kids? Let’s go!” or “Haha, babies can be cute as long as they’re not mine!” So feel free to let your imagination wander.

Tagging @wickedfrsgrl​ @din-damn-djarin​ @dinthisisthe-wayson​ @vonschweetz​ @insideafictionaluniverse​ @driedgreentomatoes​ @computeringturtle​

[ptergwen]

you’ll still have me | p.p.

w/c: 2.4k

warnings: angst, mentions of death and a toxic living situation

summary: in a life filled with uncertainty, peter is your constant

a/n: the idea for this was sitting in my mind and writing it out made me feel better about some stuff? i hope it does the same for all of you <3

════*･ﾟ✲

you were only kids the first time you and peter met. it was the summer before fourth grade. you’d just moved in to his building because your parents wanted a fresh start. new neighborhood, new school, new family. the last one didn’t work out. they fought about the same old things in an unfamiliar apartment. you were really hoping something would change.

anything to make them go one night without a screaming match.

your mom and dad never had a great relationship, but they used to at least tolerate each other. or, they pretended to for you. you picked up on it as you got older. they also stopped hiding it as you got older. the place and people you used to call home became unlivable. you were tired of being forced to choose sides. you couldn’t take the tension between everyone.

so, you’d sit on the steps outside your apartment until the yelling stopped. sometimes, you cried. you usually brought headphones to drown them out. there were also the occasional times you roamed the hallways of your building. your parents never showed you around it like they said they would. you might as well have given yourself a tour.

may found you one day walking around her floor. she was never one to pry, but she couldn’t ignore a kid in distress. you were frowning at a wall when she came up to you. “hi, what’s your name?” she asked sweetly. you glanced over at her. “y/n.” “y/n, huh? i’m may.” there was a beat of silence that you didn’t fill. the fight your parents were having that day was worse than usual. it was about you.

“what are you doing up here all alone?” may furrowed her eyebrows, pushing her glasses up on her nose. tears filled your eyes before you could explain. her heart broke for you. she waited until you calmed down to ask what happened. you told her everything the best you could. she couldn’t let you go back home after knowing what was going on there. she invited you over to her apartment.

“you’re the same age as my nephew,” may told you on the way over with a small smile. you perked up a little. “i think you’ll like him.”

she knocked on peter’s door and said he had a guest. peter closed the book he was reading and told her to come in. when he saw you standing behind her, he gasped. a girl? in his room? he’d been shy about these types of things his whole life. may quietly filled him in on your situation, and his look of terror became one of empathy. he cleared his throat.

“do you like legos?”

-

the parker’s became part of your life after that day. may, ben, and peter. you met ben the next time may took you in. he was really funny and helped you and peter make ice cream sundaes. being with the three of them made you forget about your problems for a little while. they were the family you wished you could go home to.

peter eventually started inviting you over himself. you went to different schools, but you got out at the same time. he’d walk you up to your apartment. if the two of you heard fighting, he’d ask if you wanted to come upstairs. you didn’t even have to tell him yes.

may was right. you did like him. you became friends fast, and he was one of your first in the neighborhood. he had this lighthearted and happy kind of energy that rubbed off on you every time you came over. he’d cheer you up right away. you two laughed all afternoon long at whatever shows were playing on nickelodeon. peter made weird faces to get a smile out of you.

he really enjoyed spending all this time together. he didn’t see you as some random girl to feel bad for. you were his friend.

you got your own key to his apartment when you turned thirteen. he convinced may because you were “already over all the time. she basically lives here.” she couldn’t argue with that. plus, she loved you like her own. why shouldn’t you let yourself in?

-

ben’s passing changed everything.

you came over after the funeral. peter and may were still dressed in black. the air felt heavy. she kept on a brave face for him, even when you hugged her tight. you said how sorry you were, how incredible of a person her husband was. peter couldn’t do the same. he broke down the second you took him into your arms.

he hid his face in your neck, his tears dripping down your shirt. it was you who cried on his shoulder all these years. now, the roles were reversed. the sob he let out made you tear up yourself.

“he’s gone, y/n. he’s gone.”

there was nothing you could say. all you did was hold him close. you knew peter never had it easy. he lost his parents, then his uncle. it wasn’t fair. he had to grow up when he was little.

you both did.

-

high school was a blur. you barely spent time at home anymore, either busy with clubs or over at peter’s. you liked it that way. your parents were fighting with each other and now you. they were on you about never being there, saying you broke this family. you just took their shit, then let peter make you forget about it later.

peter turned from an awkward little boy to an awkward young man in front of your eyes. he learned to cover up his sweat stains with body spray. his voice dropped a bit. he’d actually managed to ask a girl out at one point. they went to homecoming together.

you helped him get ready. you found yourself having to choose support over jealousy. why you were jealous, you didn’t know. peter asked if you wanted to come, but you said your school was having a dance next week. that was a lie. it had already happened the day before.

you also found yourself relieved when he said there wasn’t going to be a second date. again, you had no idea where this was coming from.

it didn’t seem like it was only on your end. peter had started keeping an arm around your shoulders when you watched movies. he added your favorite snacks to the grocery list every week. he gave you his hoodies, and didn’t care if you took them home.

the gestures were sweet. sudden, but sweet. you appreciated him more than he probably knew. one day, it all just becomes too real.

-

“you know what i realized?” peter asks you, hanging upside down on the top of his bunk bed. you’re on the bottom. you poke his shoulder with a pencil. “don’t fall.” he rolls over with a huff, then hops onto the floor. he sits down perpendicular to you. smiling smugly, you close your notebook. “you know what i realized?” he asks again. “what?” peter turns his head to look at you.

“we’ve known each other for eight years, and we only hang out here.” you purse your lips. “so?” peter furrows an eyebrow with a curious smile. “isn’t it kind of weird? like, i never see you outside of this building.” you’d never thought about it before. now that you are, it does seem strange. “i guess, but we’ve never had anywhere else to go.” he looks you up and down. “not true.”

something tells you you’re not going to like what he says next. it’s getting too serious.

“i was thinking, maybe we could go for dinner?”

the corners of your mouth twitch into a frown. peter doesn’t realize. he keeps going on. “on a date, i mean. i saw this place the other day that you-“ you put up a hand to cut him off. “i can’t, peter.” he shrugs. “it doesn’t have to be today. whenever you’re free.” your throat feels tight. you start getting your things together. “no, i can’t go out with you. i... i’m sorry.”

you hurry to the door. peter shoots up from his bed. “it’s fine. we don’t have to, y/n. please stay.” a hot tear streams down your cheek before you can blink it back. you turn around and grab the handle. “i have to go.” “y/n-“

you’re out the door. he wants to go after you, but it doesn’t feel right. you need some time alone.

the second you get into your bedroom, you burst into tears. your breathing is heavy and fast. if only peter was here to hug you through it. but, that’s the whole reason you’re crying. you wish you would’ve said yes. you’d be trying each other’s food or holding hands down the street.

only, it’s not that easy. what you have going would never be the same. peter is the stability you’ve always longed for, the safe place you could always go to. you can’t lose that. even if things worked out between you two, you can’t risk it. you can’t lose him or may. a night out isn’t worth that. he’ll never be in your life the way you want him to, but at least you’ll still have him.

-

you haven’t been over to peter’s in weeks. you’ve thought about texting him, explaining why you said no. that never happened. you bump into may sometimes in the mailroom. she offers sad smiles, which you awkwardly return. peter must have told her.

there was one time he saw you wandering around his floor. it was like you were kids again, peter shy around a girl and you feeling lost without him. he tried to talk to you, but you were down the stairs before he could say hi.

he’s had enough. he needs to understand what he did. he needs to fix this. forget the crush, you’re one of his closest friends. he misses you.

-

you open your door after three knocks. you’re not sure who it could be. your parents aren’t exactly well liked around here, and you’d never invite someone over. peter is standing outside getting ready to knock again.

he lets his hand drop, clenching his jaw out of nerves. you only poke your head out. “um, hey.” his voice is soft, high. you squint at him in confusion. he takes that as his cue to keep talking. “i haven’t seen you in a while. thought i’d check in.” “yeah, i...” your eyes drop down to his feet. he’s shifting his weight. “i’ve been busy.” “everything okay over here?”

he thought maybe your parents got that divorce you were always suggesting. that would explain why you’ve been home more. you nod quickly. “it’s just me right now. i’ve been going to the library after school.” so, they didn’t. you’re just avoiding them and him. he tries not to sound hurt. “oh, okay. can i come in?”

peter can count on one hand the amount of times he’s been over. it was usually to pee or get a snack on your way up to his place. you’ve never spent much of your time here.

“uh, sure. they’ll be back soon, though.” you pull the door open fully, stepping aside so he can come in. you’re still not looking at him. “this won’t take long,” he tells you lowly.

you’re in your room. you on your bed, peter standing in front of you. you finally meet his eyes. they’re glossy. he wants to say something, blurt something out. you can tell. the longer you look at him, the closer he gets to coming out with it.

“i’m sorry, y/n. i put you in a weird place,” peter gets out, eyes pleading with you. you rub your arm distractedly. you don’t say anything. “i thought... i thought you liked me back.” shaking your head, you take in a breath. “it’s not about that, peter. i do.” “then what is it? what did i do?” he’s on the verge of tears. you can hear it in his voice, see it on his face. you have to look away again.

“nothing.” peter closes his eyes to keep the tears in. his lip quivers. “n- nothing? i don’t understand.” “what if...” you let out a shaky breath. “sit.” he takes the spot next to you. he’s not sure if you want him too close right now, so he leaves space between you two. “what if we do end up dating, and one day we break up?” you give him a knowing look. “i think that’s how relationships work,” he murmurs.

“but we’re different, peter. i’d... i’d have no where to go.” your voice gets quieter when you say the last part. he’s confused for a second, then he realizes what you’re talking about. he instantly grabs your hand. “you never have to worry about that. no matter what happens between us, you’ll still have me. may, too.” a hopeful smile pulls at your lips, but it doesn’t meet your eyes. you’re scared.

peter squeezes your hand once, then again when you turn away. he moves closer to you so your legs are touching. you need him. you drop his hand so you can wrap your arms around his neck. he holds you close, arms around you as tight as they can be.

“promise?” you whisper, your chin on his shoulder. he nods and pulls you into his chest. “i promise, y/n. i’m not going anywhere.”

-

four years later and he hasn’t broken it. you both stayed in the city for college, and now you’re moving in together. it’s your last year.

this wasn’t easy for you at first. you kept getting the urge to leave, to end things before they got messy. peter was patient. he reassured you whenever you had your doubts. he made sure to kiss you a little harder if you hadn’t seen each other for a while. he cuddled a little closer to you after the rare fights you had. you eventually started to believe it. peter loved you, and the bad days wouldn’t change that.

you’ve never felt more at home than in your cute little apartment on the upper east side. the two of you decorated it the way you’d imagined as kids when you played with barbies. only, your dream house was smaller. smaller, but definitely you and peter. may is your first guest. she brings you a cactus as a housewarming gift, which goes right by the front door. your friends and peter’s come over the next few weeks.

you don’t need to escape to peter’s place anymore, or spend every night listening to muffled yelling from your kitchen. you’re safe in his arms forever. he’s so happy he gets to hold you.

they say everyone needs a place to live, but love is what builds a home.

-

[queenofimagines]

Chocolates

Request: “can i get something for jj where he's just SUCH a softie & always wants to be held by his girl, been friends since they were lil?? & maybe he finds out that she ran into his dad in public & he recognized her & said some shit abt how she could do better than jj / deserves better & she stood up for him w/out a single hesitation. & when jj finds out he just wants to hold/be held by her & then she calls him "baby boy" or "bubba" & he just breaks & needs needs NEEDS bc he feels so vulnerable & loved”

Warnings: None

JJ didn’t have many things in his life that he cared to hold onto. His lighter? Nothing special. His hats? He could always steal more. His sunglasses? Well, he didn’t really wear them anyway. But you? Now you were something completely different. You had been there for JJ his whole life, having met at a young age in some obscure playground that he was sure was torn down years ago to accommodate the expansion that Figure 8 had undergone. He didn’t care that it was gone, not when he still had you in his life, not when he could still make memories with you at The Wreck or on the HMS Pogue. All that mattered to JJ was you, and as long as he had you, he had the world.

JJ was at the market with Kiara, picking up some supplies for a day out on the marsh. Kiara needed to run to the store for snacks and drinks while JJ had wanted to tag along to make sure that he got the exact chips he wanted. He also tagged along in order to get you those chocolates you loved so much. They were rather hard to come by in The Cut and while he definitely would have asked Pope’s dad since you didn’t want to (something about not wanting to make his job harder and not having enough money, although JJ knew Pope’s dad would have never charged you, you were his favorite Pogue after his son) Pope’s dad didn’t particularly like him very much. Pope’s dad probably would have helped JJ since it was for you but he still would have rather avoided the whole conversation, especially after the day he’d had. First, the stupid Kook family who hired him to mow their lawn had shorted him on his pay, claiming he had knocked over one of their garden gnomes, effectively scratching it and thus ruining it, apparently. He couldn’t see a scratch anywhere and he was sure that they just wanted to short him just because, maybe to flex their power or whatever. Then, his dad had tore into him just before heading to the same grocery store hours earlier. He promised his dad that he’d bring home the same amount that the Kook family had promised him, and bringing home less than what was promised definitely didn’t go over well. Shaking the memory from his head, JJ decided to focus on the task at hand.

“Kie, please! I don’t know what they’re called but they’re small and come in a bag that’s usually resealable and-”

“JJ! I don’t know what kind of chocolates you’re talking about!” Kiara sighed, “JJ I have literally never seen you work this hard for anything, not even for yourself, why would you work this hard for chocolate?”

“They’re for Y/N, she never gets to eat them because they’re so hard to find.” Kiara smiled at that. She knew how in love JJ was with you, he had been for as long as she could remember. Kie liked how you seemed to balance JJ out without restraining his wild personality and how your family had accepted him as if he was their own. She also loved that she wasn’t the only girl in the group anymore, having gained an instant best friend when you arrived.

“Just ask someone JJ, I’m sure the guy at the counter probably knows.” Nodding, JJ headed towards the front of the store while Kiara turned back towards the vegetable section, picking out some baby carrots and trying to find some ranch or hummus near by. JJ rolled his eyes, knowing that the only person who would eat them would be Kiara.

“Excuse me? Do you guys have these little chocolates that look kind of like-”

“JJ, my man! I didn’t think you’d be in today. Are you getting stuff for your dad? He came in earlier looking for some cigarettes and beer, but he didn’t end up buying anything. Instead he just caused a big ruckus that scared off my customers and left! Jerk.”

“Wait, he fought with someone?” JJ asked. JJ knew his dad had a temper but people weren’t always good at seperating JJ from his dad. He’d need more fingers if he were to count the many time he’d been attacked for his dad’s actions and he certainly didn’t need to add anymore to the list.

“Yeah, he fought with Y/N. You didn’t know? Isn’t she your girlfriend?” JJ shook his head.

“What was the fight about?” JJ asked, become agitated at the thought of you having any contact with his dad, let alone actually fighting with him. The clerk behind the counter rubbed his neck nervously, knowing JJ wasn’t going to like the answer.

“Well... Y/N was already here when your dad came in. I guess she found whatever she was looking for because she was making her way towards the counter when she bumped into your dad. Like head on, she even dropped the stuff she was holding. Your dad recognized her I guess cause he started saying something to her, I couldn’t hear what he said but whatever it was obviously didn’t sit well with her cause she looked like she was getting irritated. She said something to him about you, at least I heard her say your name a few times. Then she left, your dad leaving just a little after her.” By now JJ was on edge, knowing that whatever went down between you two couldn’t have been good. All he could think about was making sure you were okay. He quickly left the store, telling Kiara as he passed her that he needed to talk to you.

From the store to your house wasn’t very far, but at the pace JJ kept, the distance seemed even shorter. He quickly knocked on your front door, hoping you’d answer before he vibrated out of his skin. The door swung open, except it wasn’t your face he was looking at, but your father’s.

“Hey JJ, what’re you doing here? I thought you guys weren’t hanging out until later.”

“Hi, Mr. Y/L/N, you’re right but I just need to talk to Y/N really quick, can I come in?” By now JJ was practically bouncing on his toes. He loved your dad, he truly did, but right now he just needed to talk to you.

“Yeah come on in! She’s in her room but she’s taking a nap and, well, you know what she’s like when she wakes up don’t you?” Your dad laughed. JJ muttered a quick thanks before running to your room, gently closing the door when he spotted you sprawled out on top of your blankets fast asleep. He walked to the side of your bed and sat down, softly shaking your shoulder to wake you up.

“JJ?” You asked groggily, stretching before your eyes went wide as you abruptly sat up. “Oh my god did I sleep in? I was so sure I set an alarm.”

“You’re not late sweetheart, I just came early. I just needed to talk to you about something.”

“What is it?”

“The guy at the store told me you ran into my dad today.”

“Oh.”

“What happened?”

“Well, I went to the store to pick up some snacks and when I was ready to pay I ran into your dad.” You didn’t really want to keep going, you knew he’d be upset by what his dad said and he really didn’t need his confidence to be any lower than it already was.

“And? I know there’s more to it Y/N.”

“Um... H-he said that I was a quite a catch, pretty and smart, and that I could have done better than... than you. He told me I should breakup with you.” JJ looked down, gripping you blanket so tight that his knuckles turned white.

“But I told him that wasn’t happening!” You quickly addd, beginning to get angry again as you thought about the whole interaction. “You’re the best thing that’s happened to me, there’s no way I’m just letting you go.”

JJ gently took ahold of your hand. He knew that you cared for him, but he never thought you’d be the type to stand up to his dad of all people, and he definitely didn’t think that you felt the same about him as he did you. His heart swelled at the thought that you had defended him, but he also felt guilty at the thought of you having to do so.

Seeing JJ look so defeated hurt your heart, more so at the thought that you might have caused it. 

“I’m sorry, Bubba. Please don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not mad, sweetheart, just surprised is all.” He quickly pulled you to him, kissing your forehead before laying down next to you and wrapping his arms around you. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For defending me. You didn’t have to.” You moved so that you were looking at him, eyes wide.

“Of course I did! No one talks shit about my boyfriend, especially not his own dad.” You said, laying your head on his chest after having made your point. Just then your alarm went off, signaling that you both would have to leave soon if you were going to be on time to meet up with the Pogues. You tried to get up but JJ held onto you tightly, not allowing you to move much as you tried to wriggle out of his grip.

“JJ we need to go if we don’t want to be late.” You laughed. JJ shoved his head into the crook of your neck, pulling you even closer to him.

“No, forget the Pogues, let’s just stay here and cuddle.” You wanted to protest, really you did but the way JJ was holding you, as if his life depended on it, let you know that he needed you right now to just be there, so without saying a word, you turned over and held him to you, running your hand through his hair until he fell asleep, soon drifting off with him.

[navalcriminalimagines]

Being Gibbs’s wife and fighting with their daughter/son

Having a call from your kid’s school in the middle of the day is never a good sign. You answered, worried that something was wrong. Indeed, your 12 years old got in a fight at school and he got kicked out for 5 days.

You picked him up, the director of the school nor the teacher had no idea what the fight was about, Liam is refusing to talk. Instead of going to your house, you stopped by the Navy Yard and parked in front of the NCIS building. You turned off the engin and took a look at your son.

“Care to explain?” You asked.

“I fought, it won’t happen again, end of the story. You don’t need to tell dad,”

“Hell yeah I’m going to tell him. Your father and I have no secrets for each other. And he’s going to give you much hard time than me,”

“Once I tell him the truth, no he won’t,” Smart ass. Liam definitely got this from his father.

“Why would you tell him and not me?”

“Because it’s better you don’t know!”

“Liam Jethro Gibbs, don’t raise your voice on me! You got in fight at school, and by the way, your classmate has a split lip and a black eye, you are telling why.”

“That asshole isn’t my classmate,”

“Liam, watch your month!”

“I’m only talking to dad,”

“Good, cause here he is,” you pointed at your husband who was walking straight to the car. You got out but Liam stayed inside. When Jethro got close to you, you sighed defeated. He briefly pecked your lips.

“Do you know what happened?”

“Only talking to dad,” you sighed again, “I’m gonna get some coffee,” you kissed him again and left your two men together.

Jethro got inside the car, and took a look at his son to see if he had any bruises or cuts, but nothing. “I’m listening, Liam,”

Your son didn’t want to look at his father. He didn’t want to see whatever he would see in his eyes. Liam has always been a great kid, loving, caring, and funny. He is the not the kind of child to fight, for no reasons. “I’m sorry, dad,” he whispered.

“That’s a start, but you are getting grounded anyway. You better explained. This is not a stupid mistake, LJ. You started a fight, that’s not how your mum and I raised you,”

Instead of talking, Liam took his phone, unlocked it and gave it to his father. But Jethro looked at him, puzzled. “You know I don’t know how to use those things,”

Liam sighed, and opened his text messages. The ones from his classmate he had a fight with. “You may need your glasses,” he said to his dad. Jethro grabbed one pair of his glasses you always keep in the gloves compartment. Cause he always forgets them.

Then he started to read.

“Ur mum is hot, Gibbs. Can I get her number? 🔥”

“Taking your father to daycare?”

“No wonder you’re a single child, your father probably can’t get it up anymore”

“Ur mother must be so frustrated, poor thing”

“Shit, that dress she had today🍑🍆”

There was so many more of them, but Jethro got sick. How teenagers can talk like that? Some people definitely don’t do the parents job. But they are kids, can he be mad at them? Ever since he met you, the age difference has always been a concerned somewhere in his head, even more when you got pregnant. That’s the kind of stuff he’s been worried about.

You got home without knowing what was the fight about and it was passing you off.

“For once, can one of you Gibbs boys actually talk?!” You exclaimed, with your hands on your hips, waiting for explanations. Your husband told Liam to go upstairs. Gibbs made you sit on the couch.

“Jethro, I’m panicking here. Tell me,”

He handed your son’s phone, “We will have to get him a new number,”

“Why? Is someone bullying him?”

He let you go through the phone. You knew your way with technology and you found way more stuff than what Liam showed to his father.

The rest of the night was pretty silent. After dinner, you knocked at your son’s door and found him laying on the bed. You sat next to him. “Why didn’t you say anything when it started, baby?”

“Because it’s embarrassing mum,” he said, his voice muffled by his pillow.

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about! The stuff you received isn’t not on you—“

“I’m not talking about what the others send me,”

“W-what?”

“I love you and dad so much, but yeah it’s embarrassing when people think you’re my sister and dad is our father. Or sometimes, my grandfather.”

“Your father and I only have 16 years difference, come on, it’s clear I’m not his daughter,”

“Trust me, that’s what people think,”

Neither you and Liam noticed that Jethro was standing at the door frame. “And didn’t we teach you not to care about what people think?” Your husband said. “Because if we did, your mum and I wouldn’t be together. And you wouldn’t be here,”

Right now, you were very thankful for your husband to handle this conversation. Having your child telling you he’s embarrassed by his parents is tough, you wanted to cry right here on the spot.

“We are both here for you, we love you more than you can imagine and your mother and I love each other like it’s the first day. I’m not sure your classmates can all say the same things about their family,”

“Most of them have divorced parents,” Liam admitted. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said to the two of you but mostly you. Liam was smart and an observer, he noticed the tears in your eyes a few moments ago.

“You may have 5 days out of school, but you’re definitely not going to stay at home. There’s a lot to do at NCIS,”

Jethro smiled at you and took your hand. Liam buried his face under his pillows, “dad come on!” He complained.

There was a lot of things to talk about that night, but Jethro brought up something you didn’t expect, “What does a peach and an eggplant mean on the text?”

You couldn’t help but laugh. And immediately the two of you heard “DAD!!!” coming from Liam’s room. He heard it.

TAGS : @kittenlittle24 @diaryofafan17 @littlemiss3ma @sleepylunarwolf

I’m not a big fan of my work here...and that feeling sucks. 🙃

[tinyanimelover]

My World

Requested by @kk2015! Hope you like it ^.^

[Ichigo Kurosaki ; #10: “Those things you said yesterday… Did you mean them?”]

Having grown up as the Kurosaki’s neighbor’s, it didn’t surprise their families that their two oldest became the best of friends, practically inseparable. They could constantly be seen together all the time, as mere kids who didn’t understand the difference between male and female, they’d follow each other to the bathroom until they were pulled aside by their parents who explained to them as gently as they could so as not to confuse them in any way. Despite the talk, the two were still close friends, even after Ichigo’s mother died and he sort of retreated into this small bubble, she was still there for him. She was there when he’d skip school, always knowing where he was at, silently offering him consolation since she didn’t know any other way to help him, let alone find the words to say. She felt it wasn't enough, just being there for him wasn't enough, she could tell there was this wall that was beginning to form around Ichigo and it was keeping those around him at bay, even his best friend. When he finally settled into his own skin and somewhat accepted his mother’s death, the wall was still there. She didn’t mind, knowing that there was nothing she could do about it besides continue to be there for him. As they grew older and she settled into herself, she realized she could see these ghosts too, like Ichigo. She kept it to herself of course, in fear that shed be ridiculed, but one day that all changed. Ichigo became a Substitute Soul Reaper and she finally found somewhere she belonged. In a world where ghosts and horrifying creatures was a normal occurrence, she felt like she had a place in the world now, not that Ichigo would allow her to help out whenever he fought hollows and such but it was still soothing for her to know that she wasn't crazy or alone. But his restless nights working to keep Karakura Town safe and going to school as well, was taking a toll on Ichigo. His mood seemed to brighten up with the summer festival coming up, but this time around, Y/n couldn't find a reason to be happy about the festival. Her father was ill and her family was struggling with the thought that he was going to die. She kept this to herself, not wanting to worry anyone and she’d even picked up a job to help pay for the hospital bills. “Are you going to the festival, Y/n?” Orihime asked with a bright grin as they sat in her living room “i cant wait to show off my yukata!”. “Hm? Oh..I’m not going this year” Y/n mustered up a smile “I have to work”. “There’s other days you can go to the festival” Tatsuki pointed out “You can go with us then”. “I don’t think so..my boss’s son has been sick so I’ve been working extra hard at the store and I’ve been stuck with more shifts too..sorry, Orihime-chan, Tatsuki-chan. Maybe next year” she grinned as she got to her feet “Ah, I should get going now, I have the opening shift tomorrow before school”. She waved to the two, “See ya tomorrow!”. Tatsuki sighed as she watched the door close behind Y/n, “..she’s been acting weird lately, don’t you think?”. “Y/n-chan?....yeah, I thought so too” Orihime admitted with a sad smile. Ichigo raised an eyebrow, “You..want me to ask her why she’s been acting differently?”. “You've noticed it too, haven’t you?” Tatsuki asked with arms crossed “She’s hiding something and..I think she needs help but won’t ask for it”. Ichigo sighed, unable to hide his concern. He could tell something was bothering the girl but felt he should wait until she spoke to him about it rather than be invasive. “..I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll stop by her place later and see how’s she’s doing” he assured. He was relieved when he ran into her on the way home, grinning as he caught up to her. But his grin faltered when he saw her eyes were red and puffy despite trying to smile. “What’s up ichigo?” she asked, avoiding his gaze. His eyes were a bit wide “..w..were you crying?” he asked, gently grabbing her shoulders as his eyes narrowed “What happened?”. She let laughs bubble from her lips, gingerly taking his hands off of her “Nothing..long day at work, that’s all”. He stared at her, obviously not believing her lie “..we’re best friends aren’t we?..you can tell me anything, Y/n-chan..”. She hesitated, sighing deeply as she turned around “I..it’s really nothing, Ichigo. I’m fine” she smiled “Promise”. He sighed after a moment, “..if you say so..are you going to the festival?”. She shook her head as they walked beside each other “Nope. I have to work extra shifts. You going?”. He shoved his hands into his pockets “..probably not. if you’re not going then neither am I”. She raised an eyebrow, ‘Why would it matter if I went or not? Besides, I think Orihime would be sad if you didn't go. She likes you, you know~”. “Inoue’s just my friend” he shook his head, “I..like someone else anyways”. She looked away, trying to hide her sorrow over hearing that “I see..well, I’ll see you tomorrow then! Bye Ichigo!” she grinned and waved. “Y/n-chan!” he called after her “If you change your mind and want to talk, just give me a call!”. She kept waving her hand as she walked away, “Nothings wrong, Ichigo~”. 

The next couple of days seemed to go by just fine, she still wouldn't tell Ichigo what was wrong but he was a patient man, wanting her to talk when she was ready. He’d finally gathered the courage to ask her to the festival, but that day Y/n didn’t show up for school. He figured it was the late night shifts at work and she overslept, but she missed the next day as well. And the next. He was worried at this point, “Kurosaki-kun..” Orihime choked out as she entered the classroom “Kurosaki-kun...it’s Y/n-chan..”. He shot up from his chair, wide eyed “W-what’s wrong?”. “Her father’s in the hospital” Tatsuki said with a grim expression as she followed behind Orihime “..he’s been sick for awhile apparently”. It all clicked together and suddenly he felt like shit, for not pressing her harder the last time he saw, the first thing he did after school was go straight to her house. She was in the backyard on the swings they grew up on, sniffling as she cried. “..Y/n-chan..” he let out softly as he approached her. She kept her head hung low as she wiped her eyes, “Guess you heard..”. “Why didn’t you tell me? I’m your best friend..so why did you keep it to yourself?” he asked, eyes filled with concern “You didn't have to go through that alone, Y/n-chan..”. She let out a sob, “I..didn’t want to worry anyone. Especially you, Ichigo..”. He sighed softly as he brought her into his arms, holding her tightly “Y/n-chan..you mean the world to me. I’d do anything to make you happy..you should've told me, I could've been there for you”. “It..hurts” she choked out as she cried “I want him to be okay, Ichigo..I want him to be okay.”. He gently rubbed her back in circles as he held her, “I know..”. His own eyes grew watery as he knew the pain she was going through all too well, “I-I know..”. “I wanted to tell you so many times” she sobbed “But you seemed busy and..I was so alone...I had to work to help my mom pay the hospital fees..I’m so tired..”. He held her tighter, burying his face in her hair “It’s okay, it’ll all be okay Y/n-chan. I’m here for you, always..so..don’t keep hiding things from me. Alright? I..I care for you..a lot..”. “..thank you Ichigo” she let out in a muffled voice “I really needed a shoulder to cry on and I’m sorry for making you guys worry”. He shut his eyes, unsure if she caught onto his hint or not so he just held her, “..yeah..anytime”.

His hints after that weren’t missed by said girl, but with so much on her plate, she wondered if Ichigo actually liked her or if he just felt bad for her. So she decided to confront him as they walked home after visiting her father. “You alright?” he asked with a raised eyebrow ‘You’ve been quiet since we left the hospital”. “..Ichigo..do you remember when you found out about my dad? You came to see me..” she recalled with a faint frown. “Yeah, i remember” he let out a bit confused. It’s not like he could easily forget that night anyways, he’d subtly confessed to her after all. She stopped walking and let out a breath, D-do you remember what you said to me?”. ”Yeah” he said in a softer tone “..that everything would be okay”. She shook her head, trying to contain her embarrassment “No.a-after that”. His eyes widened slightly as he scratched the back of his neck in attempt to fend off the blush that threatened to crawl onto his cheeks, “W-when I said i..cared about you..a lot..”. She nodded, “..did you mean what you said that night? Or..did you say that because you felt bad for me..?”. His eyes shot open, “N-no! Of course not! I really do like you Y/n-chan..I always have ever since we were younger” he blurted out as he reached a hand out to her “I just couldn't tell you because of..well, the soul reaper stuff and i wasn't sure you’d feel the same. But after what’s going on with your dad, I want to be there for you Y/n-chan. I want to be the shoulder you lean on, I want to be the person you confide in..I want to be..your everything..”. She stared up at him with blurry eyes as the tears fell “..you mean it? because..I could really use someone right now..I’ve liked you for a long time too Ichigo..but i don’t want you to be with me because you feel bad”. He smiled, bringing his hands to her cheeks “Y/n-chan..I’ve liked you for a long time..at this point, I think i can say this without nay problems--”. She furrowed her eyebrows, “Say what?”. He grinned brightly, catching her off guard “I love you, Y/n-chan and I don’t want to live my life without you”.

[peakyblinderswhore]

req: by this lovely anon:  Hi! Pls can I request a finn x reader when he’s been left to babysit his nieces and nephews and calls you over to help him.

a/n: hey my lovies, sorry for being away for so long. my head wasn’t in the right place. so i’ve been reading a lot and trying to focus on other things, i’ve brushed up on some of my french (i was making sure i hadn’t forgotten, lol) and started learning korean cause i got tired of reading the subtitles in my kdramas :/ literally just learning it to spite the subtitles. i’ve been really at peace the past few days, ironically, i suppose, and mustered up the energy to write this. just wanted to forewarn you that i’ve set this early-esme as well :)) initially j was going to name john’s kids but i found a way around it. katie was mentioned early on so i utilised her the most.

w/c: 1.5k

“How long are you gonna be gone, John?”

John turns to Esme, smirks at her and returns his brother’s stare, “Probably all night. We got somewhere we can stay for the night.”

Finn sighs, “Alright,” and before he could change his mind he replied, “get lost then; me and my nieces and nephews got some stuff to be doing.”

Esme smiles at Finn, “Thank you, Finn, it really is hard to get a night off sometimes. It would’ve been too much hassle with the six of them anyway, family gatherings get them a little too excited.”

Finn hums in response and waves the two off from their front door as they drive off in John’s new car, one of the perks of how big the Shelby Company was getting as of recent, and even with all of that, Finn still didn’t mind babysitting.

That’s because he liked to call on you for the night.

No more than five minutes after John had left, Finn had sent Katie to your front door, asking for you to accompany their night of fun activities while their father was away for the night.

Grinning, you responded, “‘Course Katie, give me a sec.”

She patiently waited at the front door while you ran to fetch a costume feather boa that you had swiped one night at the club before stuffing it inside your coat. John’s kids had thoroughly enjoyed the random things you brought over for their evenings full of fun together. Each time it was a surprise, only on a handful of occasions had you brought over repeat items but they always loved them, nonetheless.

You walk back to the open front door and pull it closed behind you but don’t lock it, figuring your own father would come home relatively drunk and lose his key as per usual.

“Alright Katie, let’s off then,” you say and grab her hand as she wanders through the streets with you.

Most times you ran through the cobbled streets but tonight she was looking a bit more tired than usual so you walked at her pace, swinging her arm and asking questions small kids tended to chatter about for ages.

Once you reached John’s house, Katie pushed the door open, which swung to reveal an ever-waiting Finn. He smiled at the sight of you.

Katie ran to fetch her brothers and sisters to come and see you. During this time Finn walked up to you, “Can’t believe you’re still coming to these things. I was sure that I’d wear you out one of these days.”

Smirking, you reply, “Never!”

Katie walks down the stairs behind her bundle of siblings, carrying the baby in her arms.

Finn takes a step back as you crouch down with your arms wide open and get ready to be knocked over by Katie's two younger brothers and two sisters, one still toddling, proof that John and Esme didn’t waste much time between the two newest additions to the household.

When they reached you, they fought each other on who gets to hug your first but you giggled and scooped them all up in your arms, the two boys in one arm as they were younger and held the youngest girl on your hip and let the other sister cling onto your neck, swinging them all around as you greeted them officially. They all squealed as you spun around, giggles erupting from all of them when you carefully placed them back down on the ground.

You swiftly took off your coat and swaddled the kids in the costume feather boa for a little bit of fun. You danced a little with them before turning your attention to Katie who had been waiting to join in all along.

Katie slowly walked forward, holding her baby brother (courtesy of John and Esme) in her arms. She looks up to you, eyes wide, and you say, “May I?”

She nods and offers her baby brother. Slowly, you let Katie place him in your arms, making sure to support his head and held him close. You knew he was only a few months old but he was going to be a troublemaker when he was older, like his dad and uncles.

Katie began playing with her younger siblings while you doted on the baby.

“He’s so calm,” you whisper, Finn walks up behind you, a hand resting on the small of your back and the other lifting to pull back the blanket from his nephew’s face a little.

“This little one caused a fight between John and Esme ‘cause John wouldn’t go all-out gypsy. Esme didn’t like how he referred to it, oddly enough.”

You sigh, knowing that if you laughed too much, the baby sleeping soundly in your arms would wake immediately.

The children crowd around your legs, “Do you like him, auntie?”

You smile at the nickname they had given you early-on from being around Finn so much, “I adore him,” you kneel down to reach their height, “how about we go and have something to eat? We can play some games after that.”

They all grin and run off to the kitchen to help with setting everything up. Katie hangs back a bit, you notice and rub her back, “It’s alright, I’ll look after him, you go sit down for a bit.”

She skips off and Finn watches you, intently. The only reason that you knew this was because the intense stare was bruning holes in the side of your head.

Turning, you face him and smile, all the way to your eyes, “What, Finn, what could you possibly be watching this time?”

He grins and shakes his head, “Nothing.”

Smiling back, you hold the baby with one arm and lift your other to touch Finn’s face. You grab his face between your fingers and scrunch up your nose, still smiling, “One day, Finn, I will figure you out.”

Walking towards the kitchen, you find that the table had been set up appropriately, which never ceased to amaze you, and Finn calls after you, “I think you’re closer than you realise.”

After sharing a meal with all of the kids and all of the playful banter had finished at the dinner table, you announced a game for all of you to play.

“First, I’m going to put this peaceful baby to bed. I’m sure your mum will feed him later on.”

Making your way upstairs, you take into account the sound of footsteps following you. You ignore them and put the boy in his cot, stroking the small tufts of hair on his head before retracting your hand.

Finn had been the one following you; you knew it.

He was standing directly behind you, waiting for when you stood up straight again, his hands resting on your hips. From the heat of his touch, you gave in slightly, allowing yourself to push your back against his chest, breathing in his scent.

“You’re so good with them,” he said, referring to John’s kids.

“Mhm,” you respond, “I like them.”

His hands moved around to wrap around your waist, holding you close.

“Finn,” you whispered, “why do you keep inviting me over when you babysit?”

You rest your hands on his, subconsciously rubbing circles on the back of his palms, keeping you calm as well as him.

“‘Cause you’re perfect with them.”

On your heel, you turn to face him, your chest now pressed up against his. Lifting your hand, you notice him watching you as you do so, you bring it to rest on his cheek.

“Finn,” you whisper, he somehow brings you even closer to him, “I think it has more to it than that.”

He hums, “Maybe.”

His eyes are concentrated on your lips but you’re concentrated on his eyes, “Finn, look at me,” you say and tip his chin to face you properly.

He waits, patiently, for you to continue, despite his own wants rushing around his head.

“It has to be better than last time, you know that? None of that nonsense from before.”

You bite your lower lip, anticipating his response, he was watching you carefully.

“I never stopped liking you,” he murmurs.

You close the gap, and for half a second, you were blissfully unaware of the children in the doorway, watching the two of you.

Giving away their presence, one of the boys exclaimed, “Ew! Finn and Auntie are kissing!”

Finn whirled around to face the children, you remained giggling behind him, your head resting between his shoulder blades to hide the redness in your face.

Finn remained, opening and closing his mouth like a fish before you stepped out from behind him, still embarrassed but more focused on diverting the kids’ attention, “How about we go play that game now, hm?”

They quickly forget what they were all doing there in the first place and run down the stairs to start playing.

You walk past Finn but as you do, you turn to face him, “Until next time, Finn,” and smile at him before continuing down the stairs, following the children.

[okaybutlikeimagine]

(tumblr won’t let me respond to asks directly so we’re screenshotting them till further notice  🤷)(i had the WHOLE THING typed out w/ the italics fixed into the ask and i copied it so i wouldn’t have to go through and put the italics again and then my DUMBASS SELF went to copy a fucking SHRUG EMOJI and now i have to put the italics in again. good thing i do all this stuff on a separate google doc bc i’m a moron and would have lost the whole thing just now. anyway)

Hi!!! I’m crying bc you fucking KNOW that Billy would get so fucking embarrassed!!

Bc Billy is prideful!! I’m telling you, that boy has some Leo in his chart or something bc if anyone so much as smiles at a joke at his expense, he gets defensive. And that’s not to say that he doesn’t banter back and forth with Robin, and that’s not to say that he and Steve don’t give insults that sound like endearments, and that’s not to say that he and Jonathan don’t rib each other amicably… but it’s different. Pride is a very different thing.

Bc Billy is legit like a little lion cub. (AKA every Leo i know, therefore Billy has Leo in his chart, don’t @ me) it’s an almost juvenile kind of attachment to pride. Like a baby lion cub who’s just getting their mane in but holds their head like they’ve got the biggest one in the pride, it’s a little childish (as much as he may not want to admit it).

And it’s really not Billy’s fault. That’s what he’ll tell you. That’s what he’ll tell anyone. It’s not his fault he’s a brat and he’ll shrug his shoulders and he’ll continue to be rude/bratty and for some people (Steve) it’s charming and for others (almost everyone else) it’s tolerable but for Jim…. It’s…. It’s upsetting. Jim doesn’t like to be seen as “controlling” or a “hardass” or whatever but he’s not sure how he can just ignore when Billy is being disrespectful. Even if it’s only slightly. bc like…. He feels like he needs to be a good dad and good dads make sure their kids grow up to be good people, right??? Which isn’t to say he thinks Billy is a bad person but he worries because, like every parent, his biggest fear is fucking up. He didn’t get a whole lot of practice with Sara. and after her death he couldn’t help but think of every time he slipped up. Every time his wife soothed his hair and said: “We have time to get it right.” every day that passed with Sara in the hospital where he realized she was wrong.

And i’m SO sorry for getting into that but I think that really influences how Hop parents now! The man was broken and then just…. Acquired a 12 year old. And then a 17 YEAR OLD?? Like… the man would be Confused as to how to proceed. And then THIS happens…

Bc Billy has mood swings. Billy is a teenager and also the human version of a bratty little cat that puffs his chest out and ruffles his own fur and may leave a few scratches but is ultimately harmless (esp now that he has a nice, loving family!!) and so they’re at the dinner table and the boys are talking about their grades and whatnot and Billy may be a little pouty. Because maybe Billy didn’t study as hard as he should have for his last history test. He just thinks history is so stupid. He’d rather read a book or do 100 math problems. What’s history gonna teach him?? He doesn’t need to know any more about plagues.

So he says that.

Jonathan’s talking about how well he did on his essay and Will is talking about how he did on his math test and Billy’s pushing carrots around when Joyce asks: “How’s school for you, Billy?”

“Just peachy keen.” he sneers down at his plate. Hop tuts harshly.

“Hey.” Hop chastises, only serving to make Billy’s blood boil more.

“What?”

“Calm down.”

“I’m plenty calm.” Billy snaps back, but it’s quiet. He shoves a sliced carrot in his mouth.

“Have you had any tests or anything lately?” Joyce asks calmly, in that motherly voice she always gives that makes Billy’s mind swirl a bit.

“Yup.”

“Billy-” Hop warns and it makes Billy sit straight up, but give a challenging look in Hop’s direction as he says, loudly:

“Yes, ma’am.”

Joyce stops asking, but she sends a look to Hop, who’s still caught in a staredown with Billy. Billy can’t see her look, but he wouldn’t understand it if he could, because it says: Hop, cut it out.

And the conversation shifts to significant others and then Joyce is smiling kindly at El and asking about her and Mike and maybe Hop is pouting but he’s not gonna draw attention to himself bc Joyce will just hit him like she always does when he’s pouting over their kids dating (specifically El). And Jonathan is smirking a bit into his dinner but Will is visibly uncomfortable as El gushes about Mike before complaining that he doesn’t come over enough and that she doesn’t go out enough and Billy gets irritated. Why should he and Will have to listen to this when they don’t want to??

And he mutters something, darkly. Something about Mike and El and “ungrateful little brats”.

And everyone hears. He only half means it, but they don’t really think that far.

And Hop shoots a look his way before chewing on a carrot rather aggressively.

“Somethin’ to say?”

Billy gives Hop a challenging stare, but he backs down as soon as he starts it.

“No sir.” He mutters harshly.

“Then behave.”

“How about you and Steve, sweetie?” It’s Joyce. Being sweet.

“Happy as can be.” It sounds bitter the way he says it because it is. They got in a fight today. A little one, but enough to make Billy taste something sour in his mouth when he thinks about it. He figures they’re gonna make up just fine tomorrow, no flowers or empty promises needed, just another heated conversation followed by a heated make out in the front seat of Billy’s Camaro. Maybe followed by a serious talk that’ll make Billy’s face heat up because he still can’t believe this boy has Billy wrapped around his finger so fucking tight.

“Yeah, well Officer Callahan says you and Harrington have-”

“You know his name.” Billy growls, resting his fork on the plate.

“Steve. You and Steve have been running around empty fields a lot lately.”

“And?” Billy’s vision is turning red. It’s tunneling a bit.

“And what’s that all about?”

“Don’t really wanna give you all the dirty details.” Billy shoves some meatloaf in his mouth. Hop’s looking at him like he’s a hassle and Billy’s proud of it.

“You guys shouldn’t be doing that. Someone’s gonna say something.”

“And?” Billy’s getting madder. He puts his fork down with a loud clang.

“And you’re gonna cause problems-”

“For you?” Billy seethes, leaning forward a bit, just willing Hop to say it.

“For yourselves.”

“Oh yeah?” Billy asks, leaning back in his chair, blood boiling hot. “Well what about the little twerps?”

Billy nods over to El, who makes a whining noise.

“Hey!” She calls, face pouting.

“What about them?”

"I just don't think it's very fair that it's safe for them and not us." Billy growls, gritting his teeth, eyebrows low.

"That's not true."

"It's safe for everyone else but us!" He’s mad. He’s mad bc him and Steve have argued about this before. Argued about how there’s no real point in being together if they have to hide all the time. That one time when they saw Cindy and Jason being grossly affectionate in public and Billy grabbed Steve’s ass and Steve got mad. They fought for a few days and it ended with them laying in Hansen’s big empty field, on the outskirts of town, talking in dreamy, far away voices about how one day they’d move to California bc “It’s not like this there… trust me, babe. It’ll be so much better.”

Billy’s vision tunnels more. All he sees is Hop in different shades of red. He forgets where he is. He’s livid, thinking about El and Mike and Cindy and Jason and Tommy and Carol and Nancy and Jonathan and he’s going to scream. His heart is racing with disdain.

"You know it's still dangerous for El to go out." Hop warns.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Look... kid-"

"I'm not a fucking kid." Billy growls, leaning forward even more.

"Language!" Hop’s voice is booming and Billy’s had about enough of this. He resents being told off like a kid.

"Sorry! Excuse the fuck out of me!" He’s snarling and Hop seems about as livid as Billy feels.

"Go to your room!"

"Fine!" Billy yells, shoving his chair back and standing up, turning to Joyce for the first time all dinner and seeing her eyes full of… concern. He doesn’t know how to feel about it. Something in his chest heaves at the sight. His eyes flick over to Jonathan and then to El and then to Will…. And then his chest tightens. He looks away just as quickly.

He thanks Joyce quietly for dinner, mumbling it a bit but he thinks the sentiment is clear enough. He drops his plate off next to the sink and storms off to his room, slamming the door with probably too much force but everything’s on his mind and he has the right to be a brat if he wants.

It’s just that he hates just sitting here with nothing to do but think about everything. He doesn’t even have his stereo to listen to music with bc he gave his to El until she can get a new one bc hers broke and her nightmares have been bad recently. Listening to music before bed calms her down. Billy didn’t say anything about his own nightmares or his own need for music before bed. He wishes he had now that he’s laying in bed, about ready to rip his sheets to shreds bc he’s boiling. He feels like a storm but, to any outsider, he looks like a toddler- red-faced from a tantrum and fidgeting and bubbling like a shaken up soda bottle.

He’s so mad he can’t even do anything. The minutes pass in sticky but frantic moments of anger and thoughts and memories and the only thing his body will let him do is just sit there. Lay in his bed and pull at his covers and fall into thoughts and think about Hop reprimanding him like that and how awful it was and how red and angry he looked and how he sent him to his room like a kid and… and how Joyce looked so worried…. And how that same look was in Jonathan’s eyes…. And Will’s…. That same worried, concerned look. They all three have the same eyes- Lonnie be damned. Those boys share their mother’s eyes and all of the emotion that goes within them and it makes… it makes Billy mad he’s mad about it he knows he’s mad and-

And…

And he calms down a bit. Calms down enough to do what Steve told him to do when he gets angry and stressed and doesn’t know what to do with himself. Because Steve’s family is “well-traveled” and Steve knows all these weird little things from all these cool different countries.

So Billy takes out his notebook and rips a couple pieces of paper out (bc he saves the fancy paper Steve gave him for when he’s actually trying) and does some origami. Bc Steve said it’d help him to do something with his hands and this is something he can do quietly, in his room, without being destructive. ”It’ll help, I promise!”

The hardest part is making a perfect square, bc it takes too much patience and usually Billy doesn’t have that. But he’s just doing this to calm down so he eyeballs it as he cuts the paper and starts to fold what he knows, which is either a heart or a crane. Those are the only 2 things Steve has taught him that he knows off hand w/o the instructions or Steve guiding him through it.

There’s more crumpled paper on the ground than folded paper on his desk but Steve had assured him that was more than okay. It’s kind of the point, he figures. Crumpling and ripping up the paper is almost as nice as folding it to make something, and it makes actually making something feel even better when it happens.

He’s sitting there, on his 3rd heart, when there’s a small knock on the door.

“Go away.” He calls, realizing that the paper he cut isn’t a perfect square bc the corners won’t match.

“It’s Will.”

Billy pauses a bit. He goes back to folding his paper, not caring about the corners bc it’s not bad enough to start over. He doesn’t say anything.

He hears the door open.

“Do you think ‘go away’ doesn’t mean you?”

“Does it?” Will asks, voice earnest. Billy looks up to see his face matches.

Billy sighs, the harsh feeling in his chest softens a bit at the boy in his doorway. He turns back to his folding.

“What do you want? And close the door.”

“I wanted to ask if you wanna come listen to records with me.” Will says, closing the door behind him.

“I don’t think they want me out there.” Billy folds his paper with his fingernail to make it sharp. It burns his thumb a bit.

“That’s not true.” Will says, taking a few steps closer. “Mom told Hop… Dad he shouldn’t have done that.”

And that makes Billy mad. He’s not even sure why. It’s a heat in his chest and his face that feels like anger and he messes up his fold and he’s just… he’s confused and he’s red and all he can think about is Will saying “mom”. Not “my mom” just “mom” and also “dad” like he’s theirs and Billy can’t understand it still and he smashes the paper into a ball in his hand-

“I don’t need your mom defending me.” Billy says harshly, spitting the words out like he hates them, chucking the paper on the ground. He’s too aware of the way Will flinches a bit at his harshness. He takes a deep breath.

“Uh... “ Will’s fidgeting. Billy feels bad. He sighs.

“I don’t have my stereo.” Billy leans back, running a tired hand down his face. “Ask Jonathan.”

“But I wanna listen to your music.” Will says quietly and Billy believes him. Will’s been getting interested in Alice Cooper and Led Zeppelin and all of the fun bands that actually perform. Steve gifted Billy a VHS performance of Led Zeppelin and Will seemed to like the lead singer quite a bit.

“Well I don’t wanna go out there, pipsqueak.” Billy rips out another piece of paper. It’s quiet for a second, Billy eyeballing another square to cut. It’s so quiet, Billy thinks Will has left.

He thinks wrong.

“Can I still hang out with you?”

Billy puts the scissors down, exhausted, and looks up at Will.

“Alright, what’s wrong?”

Will shrugs. “Nothing. I just…. Like it in here.”

Billy’s confused, but he almost believes him for a minute.

“I don’t have music for you.”

“I can grab a book to read.” The boy’s so earnest, Billy knows he’s not gonna shake him.

So he waves him away with a nod and Will’s out and back quicker than Billy can think about how weird it is that this boy would rather sit in his room in silence than do something fun. Will’s closing the door carefully, latching it quietly and moving over to sit on the bed.

Billy has crumpled up 2 more pieces of paper before Will begins to pry.

“Are you folding things again?”

“Uh huh.”

“What’s it called, again?”

“Origami.”

“Cool.” Will scoots on his knees to the edge of the bed so he can see what Billy’s doing. “Do you need any help?”

“I’m good.” Billy mutters, unconvincingly.

“I can cut the paper for you. I’m good at making squares.”

And so Will is sitting criss cross on the bed, cutting perfect square after perfect square, while Billy sits backwards on his desk chair with his arms folding on the back rest and mind racing a mile a minute. Will’s so quiet and calm, willingly coming in here just to spend time with Billy, helping him now and… and something sick fills Billy’s chest. The only thing he can hear are his words at the dinner table.

‘Hey-uh…” His voice sounds weird to his ears and his tongue feels thick but he’s got Will’s attention now so he needs to get it out. “Sorry.”

Will’s eyebrows scrunch up. “Sorry for what?”

For being a dick? For ruining your dinner? For ruining your family?

Billy shrugs.

“I dunno. Just… not being a good example.”

“Whaddya mean?” Will asks, handing over a handful of squares before working on some more.

Billy shrugs again. “I dunno kid I just… I’m not like Jonathan. I’m not… I’m not a good example for you. It’s embarrassing.”

“What’s embarrassing?”

“Getting told off like that in front of you guys.” Billy turns back around so he can start folding again. He needs to do something w/ his hands.

“I told you, mom told him he shouldn’t have done that.”

“But he was right-”

“No, you can be upset if you’re upset. It’s fine.”

Billy falters a bit. He wonders if Will is quoting Joyce. The small boy keeps speaking.

“You’re a good example,” Will’s voice says, and he sounds so sure that Billy believes him. “You’re just a different one. You show me to stand up for what I believe and… and that it’s okay to be… to like boys…”

Billy stops folding altogether. Will’s voice gets quieter.

“You’re a good example. It’s good to let things out when you feel them.”

Billy’s mind is racing. He’s folding without thinking about it. Because the only thing he can think about is how he got accepted into this family so quickly. How Hop took him in and Joyce accepted that like she was accepting a package at the door. She took him in like he was her own son and not some bratty problem child being dumped on her. And now Hop reprimands him without his fists and Joyce chastises Hop for being too harsh even though he’s… doing his job, whatever that entails and it’s… it’s too much sometimes. It’s too much to think about but Billy knows he wouldn’t give it away for the world bc every moment like this reminds him that every passing day is a day further away from the pain he grew up surrounded by. The pain now doesn’t even compare to the pain then. This is so different bc this pain is laced with care and love.

He’s made a crane before he realizes.

“I’m glad you’re my brother.” Will’s voice sounds so far away but it crashes over Billy like a wave.

Billy nearly crushes the crane in his hand from the words. He’s so shocked at them.

He turns and gives Will the crane, not looking the boy in the eye as he gathers up the paper and the scissors from the bed.

“I don’t need any more paper. Thanks.” Billy mumbles, dumping everything on his desk.

“You’re welcome. Is this for me?”

“Yup.” Billy shoves the paper in a drawer and tosses the scissors into his pencil cup.

“Thanks!” Will’s so excited about it. Billy’s heart is fluttering.

“Wanna listen to those records now?” Billy asks, hands on his hips, fingers fidgeting bc this is a lot and he just…. He needs music now. Whatever. He realizes he shouldn’t be so scared. There’s nothing to be scared about. Will beams up at him.

“Sure!” Will gets up and rushes to the door as Billy grabs a folded heart and follows the boy out, aiming to give it to Joyce by means of apology. He thinks briefly about giving one to Hop as well, but he figures a spoken apology and a light punch on the shoulder and a promise to listen should do just fine to get the man smiling again. Bc somehow- somewhat miraculously -it always does.

[cursed-and-quirkless]

Chapter 1 - The Curse

Hello all! Welcome to my first MHA fic! This is the first part of a series about if Izuku was a quirkless vigilante, because I really love that trope.

TW: This fic, the first part especially, has some themes of injury, death/being on the verge of death, and ideas of suicide. No suicide is attempted, however. If these ideas bother you, please be cautious. To skip the first part, do not read until the first “~” symbol. There is also weird church stuff (that’ll make sense when you read), so if that makes you uncomfortable please be cautious. Thank you, hope you enjoy!

Ao3: queenofliterature

They say before you die, your life flashes before your eyes. Izuku never thought that was accurate until now.

There had been plenty of times he had almost died. When a shot rang and the muzzle of a gun flashed, the only thing Izuku thought was run, dodge, never anything about who he was, or how he got here.

Now though, now he understood.

Izuku blinked his tired eyes, focusing on the grey sky. The city was surprisingly peaceful, though maybe that was the falling snow coating the sounds of the bustling life under him. Or the ringing in his ears.

Eyes swollen with exhaustion refused to close for too long. If he fell asleep now, he would never wake up. And as much as he lied to himself, Izuku wasn’t ready for that, not yet.

Hypothermia was settling quickly into his bones, his shallow breaths obvious against the cold night. But the gentle flakes tickled his nose, and all he felt was relief when they touched his fevered skin. Besides, he wouldn’t be dying of the cold tonight, the pools of blood gathering steadily underneath him was a testament to that.

Maybe if Izuku tried hard enough, he could roll off the edge. The rooftop had no railing, and if he stretched his arm just enough, he could dangle his hand over the streets below. But that wouldn’t do, he wanted to see the sky when his body finally let go, and his eyes closed and never reopened. Besides, Izuku could barely even move his fingers, let alone roll his entire body. No… he was stuck here.

It wouldn’t be long now.

Perhaps it was the fact that his blood was sluggishly trailing out of his body this time instead of the threat of instant death but…

His mind began to drift.

~

He was happy.

The middle class apartment he lived in with his mother and father always had the drapes thrown open, rays of sun keeping the apartment a comfortable temperature and bathing the bright green house plants.

His mother would playfully yell and scream, the damsel in distress. His father and him were the heroes.

He doesn’t remember much of his father, but he remembers the warm feeling of his chest, of the hot and smoky breath that would tickle his ears and ruffle his hair.

His father’s hands would hold him in the air as he flew to rescue his mother from the villains that had taken her.

Most of his peers probably wouldn’t want to spend their 5th birthday in the doctor’s office, but to Izuku it was the best present his parents could give him. He should have had a quirk by now, Kaccan said so. But if it was taking this long, it should have been cool and powerful! Just like Kaccan’s!

Izuku buzzed in excitement as the doctor read his file and looked at the x-rays they had taken in the big machine they put him in. Maybe he’d get telepathy, or fire, or a combination! Kaccan and him would grow up and be an unstoppable team and they’d share the rank for Number One hero (no matter what Kaccan said) and they’d save people and fight villains and-

“Quirkless.”

And just like that Izuku’s world shattered. The doctor’s uncaring drawl barely pierced his mind as his stomach lurched.

“W-what?” His mother questioned tearfully. His father simply sat there, eyes clouded with something Izuku would never understand. Sure 20% of the world was quirkless, but most were old and that number was dying out everyday. Only .01% of Japan’s population remained quirkless. And Izuku was now one of them.

When Izuku awoke the next day, his father was gone, and his mother wasn’t surprised.

There was no explosion, no shouted words, no hits or screams. His father was simply gone, any traces of him lingered like a ghost. Sometimes Izuku thought he had made up his father, the only proof he had that the man existed were the pictures Mom had kept in the trunk beside her bed.

It was raining the night he got diagnosed, as if the heavens were weeping for the shattered dream of a crushed child. He sat for hours watching the video of All Might saving all those people at the factory, hitting the replay button until his fingers hurt.

“Because I am here! Because I am here! Because I am here!”

Izuku heard the door creek softly behind him, but he didn’t turn around, he didn’t need to. “S-see that Mom?” Izuku’s tiny voice cracked, and he finally turned around. His mother already had tears springing to her eyes, and Izuku would realize later that’s the moment he would never see his father again.

“He always has a smile on his face, no matter how bad things get.” Izuku’s voice was slowly breaking down along with the little boy. “Even when things seem impossible, he never gives up.” Izuku will never forget the look on his mother’s face, the pain and the sorrow.

“Do you think… I could be a hero too?” Izuku already knew the answer to that question, he saw the answer in his mother’s eyes. His mother rushed forward, gripping him tightly and nuzzling into his hair, murmuring apology after apology. Her touch burned and the ache in his chest choked him, but Izuku didn’t bother to fight her off.

Izuku doesn’t even remember his father’s last words to him.

~

Izuku and his mother went to church the next day.

His mother was aching for a sense of normalcy, and some foolish part of Izuku believed his father would be there waiting for them.

His father was half japanese, but he never told Izuku what his other half was. Hisashi’s parents and siblings chose to follow the Christian faith, though what branch Izuku also didn’t know, he never paid attention. There was a small church half an hour away from the Midoriya apartment, and Hisashi thought it would be good for the small family to have a sense of community.

His mother must have opened up that day to the pastor before Sunday Service, because that was the first time Izuku was called a curse to humanity.

The little boy sat in the pew, hunching over as every word the pastor said pierced his heart.

“The quirkless are a scourge, a curse, a remnant of the days of old. They are a reminder of the sins of man!” Izuku’s eyes pricked at the cheers coming from around him. “We must stay strong in the face of adversity!” The cheers were stronger this time. Whatever his mother told the pastor must have sunk deep into the man’s skin, because they spent the next hour listening to the talks of plagues and scourge and punishment that were the quirkless population, all while he looked at the little green-haired boy.

After the service, all Izuku wanted to do was disappear. Going home would mean facing the unnatural quiet that now suffocated the once bright household, and staying here meant facing the lingering glares and whispers. His mother was in the restroom preparing for the semi-long trip back when Izuku heard footsteps approaching.

“Hello, Izuku.” The pastor greeted with a soft smile. He supposed it should be comforting, but all Izuku felt was fear.

“H-hello.” A meek voice greeted back.

“Your mother told me of your condition. I just wanted you to know I meant every word I said. But I can help.” The pastor offered, and despite the dangerous glint in the man’s eyes, Izuku perked up.

“You can?” Izuku asked cautiously. Maybe this would make Dad come back! And he could make Mom happy again! Izuku’s heart clenched when a hand grabbed his wrist.

“Come, child, it's not your fault. The children of God are innocent, you are being punished for the misgivings of your ancestors.” The gentle words of the pastor did nothing to ease the bile growing in Izuku’s throat. The more Izuku fought, the tighter the bruising grips became.

“W-wait.” Izuku protested as he was dragged away from the restroom. “My Mom! She’ll wonder where I am!”

“It will be a nice surprise for her, don’t you think?” The pastor ignored the protests and continued dragging the boy through the church.

“What-what’s gonna happen?”

“Simple, child. We’ll get the Devil out of you. It may hurt but I promise you’ll be better for it.” The pastor reassured. Thi wasn’t right. Mom and Dad said never go with strangers! But… the pastor wasn’t a stranger, he said he could help?

“Can we ask my Mom, p-please?” Izuku gave a powerful tug, and that seemed to be the last straw.

“Foolish child! Your mother does not understand what needs to be done! I do!” The others in the church startled at the noise, but turned away when they saw what was happening.

Izuku didn’t know what was happening, but he didn’t like it! In a last attempt, Izuku lashed out and bit the man’s hand, pulling away with a gasp when the pastor yanked his hand back.

“You evil child!” The pastor screamed as Izuku ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. He remembered the way to the restrooms, he just hoped his mother would be there. He wanted to go home! He wanted to play hero and be held by his dad and be tucked in by his mom when he fell asleep on the couch!

“Mom!” Izuku screamed when he spotted green hair. The woman quickly turned around from the couple she seemed to be frantically talking too. Izuku’s own eyes matched the tears that were streaming down his mother’s face.

“Izuku!” Inko yelled in relief as her little boy crashed into her. “Baby, where were you? I was worried sick!” Inko cried.

“M-mom, the p-pastor, h-he, a-and-” Izuku couldn’t get any of the story through the spasming of his little lungs. Through hiccuping sobs, Izuku heard the frantic footsteps of the pastor approach him, and he buried himself further into his mother’s neck.

“Pastor? What-what happened?” Inko hesitated at the teeth marks on the hand of the pastor. Her little boy wouldn;t do that for anything.

“H-he said.” Izuku’s little sobs broke her heart.

“Said what, Baby?” Inko coaxed, ignoring the man above them.

“G-gonna get the Devil out.” Inko’s heart dropped, knowing the implication.

“You were gonna beat him?” The horrified whisper reached the poster’s ears and he scoffed.

“Not him, the scourge. The boy may feel pain, but it would make him better.” The pastor declared. Perhaps if Inko hadn’t already been in pieces, she would have yelled at him. Perhaps if her husband hadn’t left and her son wasn’t falling apart she would have defended her son, but for now she had enough.

“Izuku, we’re leaving.” She said to the pastor just as much as her son, and Izuku saw the glance towards his blackened wrist.

It was the first time his mother ignored a bruise, but it would not be the last.

The drive home was quiet, and Izuku didn’t think he would ever get used to the silence that now permeated his new life.

“Mom?” Izuku spoke up, his timid voice uncomfortable with breaking pure silence. “Everything is going to be okay, right?” He just needed to hear those words as his world was crumbling beneath him, ‘It will be okay’.

“Izuku, my baby, there will be many more like him. From now on I want you to walk to and from school with Katsuki. No detours, nothing.” Izuku nodded at his mom’s serious voice. “We’re gonna get you a phone, I want you to text me everyday at lunch, and before and after school, and when you get home.” Izuku nodded again, and kept doing so as more rules were given to him.

When they got home that afternoon, his mother shut down. From afternoon till night, Inko Midoriya held an empty tea cup, not having the energy to fill it. She sat at the table, and tried to remember the deep voice of her husband that floated around the kitchen like embers, and the light and airy voice of her child that bounced against the walls.

Now all she heard was the stone cold silence of a shattered household.

Meanwhile, Izuku sat at the computer. Mom didn't bother to enforce computer time. So he watched the video, over and over again until it somehow pierced the unfeeling void that was beginning to set in. It never did.

“Because I am here! Because I am here! Because I am here!”

He realized that night with a bitter numbness he was already forgetting what his father’s laugh sounded like.

~

Izuku was finally beginning to understand, he knew he was a plague on his mother and father’s life, an infestation in his own skin.

He knew he was a curse.

~~~

Disclaimer: Nothing against any religion. Just as long as you don’t use it to hurt others I don’t care what religion you are/aren’t, this specific church, however, was very radical and was based loosely on unfortunate experiences I had in churches with some personal issues of mine. I just thought it would be interesting to explore how radical groups like this would see quirklessness.

I don't usually do this, but each chapter is gonna have a song I think that fits it!

Chapter Song: i can't breathe by Bea Miller

I have a Discord, and this fic has a channel! Same with Tumblr

Discord: https://discord.gg/UpWvDzKC5R Tumblr: cursed-and-quirkless

[jloves-pp]

The Story of Merida and Hiccup part 4

Chapter 4-Tales of bears and dragons

Merida led Hiccup and Toothless to a large river, they could see tonnes of rainbow trout that swam and jumped up the small waterfall. The Night Fury's eyes lit up, on impulse he jumped into the water, splashing both teens.

"Thanks for that, I needed a morning soak" Hiccup said sarcastically while Merida laughed as she shook water off herself.

As Toothless was enjoying catching fish after fish, Merida and Hiccup sat on a log nearby, they were eating the food Elinor had given them. As the princess happily ate her sweet cake, she glanced over to see her horse drinking the fresh spring water.

"So, what's this bear incident your dad mentioned" Merida heard Hiccup ask. He was thinking to himself about what to say to Merida, then he remembered the comment Fergus had said. "I mean, if it's something you don't want…"

"No, no, it's fine. It's no big secret" Merida reassured him. She turned to face him properly and began to tell her tale.

"It all started when my mum told me that at the highland games that three suiters would be competing for my hand" she began.

"You mean to marry you?" Hiccup interrupted in shock. He didn't understand why anyone would force someone their age into marrying.

"Aye" the redhead answered clearly annoyed "You can imagine how angry I was about this; I knew talking to my mum wouldn't change a thing. On the day of the games, when mum announced that the first born on the clans will try to win my hand and the princess will choose the game, that gave me an idea"

The Viking could see where the story was going.

"I, of course picked archery and after they had taken their turns, I snuck into the field and won by shooting all the targets" Merida said, but then her face fell. "Mum pulled me away and we had the worst argument we'd ever had, she was shouting and I was shouting and I was so angry that I ripped the tapestry of own family in two, then to make matters even worse mum threw my bow in the fire. I hated her at that moment and I ran off".

Hiccup felt really sorry for her, he of course knew the feeling when something you cherish is taken from you. He noticed tears running down her cheeks, that memory was still painful. Merida almost jumped out of her skin when Hiccup gently placed his hand on top of hers.

She looked up, Hiccup gave her a small reassuring smile

"Hey it's ok, it's ok" he said softly to the princess. Normally Merida would havepulled away if a man had tried to hold her hand, but Hiccup's touch made Merida feel calm and safe. She wiped her tears before continuing on with her story.

"I rode Angus to the forest; I didn't care where we were going. We ended up at the standing stones and before we could leave, I saw something in the distance, a wisp"

"A…a what?" Hiccup asked.

"Well, Willo the wisps are spirits that look like small white flames in the forest that lead you to your fate." Merida explained "I went up to it and then more appeared, so I followed them, they led me to a cottage that belong to a witch" Merida noticed Hiccup's eyes widen. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it just back home, we're very superstitious about witches. You know, tales of them cursing people to go crazy and stuff like that" the boy told her, rubbing his neck. Merida nodded understanding and then continued.

"Even though she wanted me to leave, I asked...well demanded a spell, a spell to change my mum. I wanted her to change her mind about the arranged marriage thing and call it off. The witch gave me a cake and I headed home to give it to my mum".

"But how did you know if it would work?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Merida said raising her eyebrow.

"Well what happened if you gave your mum the cake and she dropped dead".

Merida was horrified by the thought. She would have yelled at him, but he was right, she knew what she did was wrong and selfish so she couldn't be hard on him. She took a moment before she spoke again.

"I didn't think probably, I was blinded by my anger. I gave her cake, waiting for her to cancel the marriage but mum became unwell, I took her to her room and that's when it happened.

"W…what happened?" Hiccup asked, not knowing if he wanted to know.

The princess took a big breath in and then said

"That's when she turned into bear".

Hiccup's eyes widened; fire breathing dragons was one thing but people turning into creatures was unbelievable.

"I was scared, she was scared and we tried to escape the castle".

"Why?"

"Because my dad is well known as a bear killer, he can smell them. Well unluckily for us he did smell my mum, now she was a bear, so he the lords and their men went on a rampage around the castle, they were after my mum. Luckily my brothers helped us, so desperately me and mum headed back the witch's cottage." Merida explained rubbing her hands, thinking back on everything. "We searched till we found it but the witch wasn't there. She'd left a message saying the spell may be permanent".

"Did she mention anything to reverse to spell" he was hanging on her every word, now wondering how Elinor had changed back.

"The only thing she told me was a riddle. Fate be changed, look inside, mend the bond, torn by pride"

Hiccup thought over the words but he was coming up with blanks.

"I didn't know what it meant at first. We slept in the forest for the night and next day we came here so mum could have breakfast." Merida remembered the fun she and mum had had, but then her head face changed suddenly, "But then she started acting like bear"

"Acting like ... wild?" Hiccup asked. He of course didn't know a thing about bears but knew what wild beasts were like.

"Aye, after a while she was back to normal but it was obvious, we were running out of time, the wisps appeared again and led us to a ruined castle" she added, Merida was looking in the distance at place were the path went down.

"Why did they take you and your mum there. Was there something in the castle that would help? Merida snapped out of her memories by Hiccup's question. Seeing his soft green eyes made Merida smile.

"Well, we didn't know what we'd find until we found the throne room. We discovered that someone else had use the spell before" Merida explained.

"Who?"

"A prince from a long time ago. Long story short, he wanted to rule alone, hedestroyed the kingdom and became the demon bear, Mor'Du"

"So, what happened to him" Hiccup asked, worried now for Merida and Elinor.

"He roamed the Highlands attacking whoever or whatever crossed his path, we came face to face with Mor'Du in the ruins" Merida said, she saw the boy's eyes widen once again. Hiccup felt fearful.

Then they heard a low growl next to them. The two teens found Toothless sitting near to them.

"I don't like the sound of this bear either bud" Hiccup said grinning, seeing the hate in his friend's face but it changed when Hiccup scratched Toothless's neck.

The princess let out a small laugh, seeing the blissful look of the dragon's face. After this, Merida told the rest of her story. "We managed to escape and return home, we thought that if we fixed the tapestry, that would change mum back"

Hiccup did think that maybe the tapestry wouldn't provide the answer.

"The plan was to reach the sewing room, but a huge fight had broken out between the clans while mum and I were gone, and they had barricadedthemselves in the main hall" She huffed a bit. "We didn't know what to do at first but mum came up with the idea for me to try and distract the and calm them down, while she sneaked in"

When he heard this, Hiccup thought about the time he snuck Toothless into the village to fix his tail.

"After I calmed them down and they left the room, we reached the tapestry but as I tried to fix it, dad barged in and when he saw my mum, he tried to fight her" Merida said as she rubbed her arms.

"Did you try to explain to him? Hiccup asked, worried what would happen to them.

"Yes, but he was convinced that she was a real bear that killed my mum, my dad and all the men chased after her, but not before he locked me up and gave the key to Maudie the housekeeper".

"That's...not good" Hiccup bit his lip and Toothless shook his head in agreement.

"I felt powerless, I didn't know what to do. Luckily my brothers found me and would you believe they were all bears too!".

Hiccup was genuinely shocked. He thought back the triplets and the spell cake.

"Well your brothers DO have big appetites".

Merida clutch her fists, letting out her frustration.

"I should had thrown that cake into the fire when I had the chance"

"Well, to be fair. You were a bit busy with a huge bear who happened to be you mum, plus you were hiding from men with swords and spears, its no surprise you didn't think of a small thing like a magic cake" Hiccup said showing a toothy grin.

The princess couldn't help but laugh, feeling better by his comment and his smile.

"Well, they managed to get the key and with the tapestry, we rode to the circle of stones where dad and the men caught up with us and tied mum up. I stoppedthem, but then Mor'Du showed up, we tried to fight him off. There was a moment when he was close to killing us both"

"What?" Hiccup spoked faintly. Even though it had already happened, he didn't want Merida to get hurt.

Merida could see the worried look on his face. She gave her a reassuring smile before finishing her story. "Aye but it was mum who saved us. I wish you could've seen it, she didn't hold back when she fought Mor'Du. Mum smashed him against one of the stones and half of it fell on the demon bear and killed him."

"Wow, remind me not to get on your mums' bad side" Hiccup joked and Merida giggled faintly. Understanding what he meant.

"We noticed the sun was rising, I put the tapestry over mum but nothing changed. I was crying and was so sorry" Merida's voice dropped to a faint whisper "I was telling her I loved her". Tears welled up in her eyes, the fact that she almost lost her mum was still a painful memory. The redhead was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Hiccup gently place his hand on her shoulder. She gave a slight jump and glanced up, there was that strange warm feeling again as she saw his kind eyes and warm smile. She soon felt better at this and took a few breaths.

"I thought I'd lost my mum forever until I felt her hand and saw her back to her old self" Merida said smiling at the memory. "And after that, mum and I have become closer and the kingdom is better than before".

"Wow" Hiccup said when Merida finished her story "That's incredible what you and your family been through" Toothless nodded in agreement. "But what happened about the whole marriage thing?"

"Oh, well during that time my mum and I became closer, we've listened and learned for each other. We both know we've made mistakes, it's shown me how much my mum really loves and cares for me, and she's proud of me, so she changed the marriage rule, so from now on we can choose who we marry" Merida said before she took some water.

"That's great" Hiccup said, happy for her but then asked " What about your old suitors".

"They were happy with it too, they told me later that they didn't want to compete for me, we're just friends now and one has a girlfriend too" Merida explained.

"Oh…well that's...ok" Hiccup murmured under his breath. I don't know why he was glad at this news.

"Well enough about me, let's talk about you now" Merida then said placing her head in her hands.

"Oh...ur...it just, my story isn't as interesting" Hiccup admitted starting to rub his neck.

"Oh, come on, tell me about how you and Toothless met then" Merida insisted before poking a long stick at the fire.

"Alright. Where to start" Hiccup murmured. He didn't mind talking about his and Toothless's story but he had to try not to mention about the Vikings.

"Well at little bit of background. For over 100 years, my village and the dragons didn't get along. My... leader wanted to find their nest and destroy it so they could move on. I wanted to help fight them but when you're someone like me, you're seen as a nuisance and as a joke".

Merida looked at him in shock.

"Were you bullied?" She asked hesitancy.

"Yeah" Hiccup reluctantly said "Everyone saw me as a disaster waiting to happen. Even my dad. He sighed heavily and looked down.

Merida couldn't help but feel sorry, Hiccup seemed like a good person, hearing that everyone in his village hated him made her heart sink.

"So, one night when the village was attacked, we noticed a Night Fury was among them. Knowing that no one had ever killed a Night Fury before, I was determined to be the first". Hiccup said, then saw the princess's expression of disbelief.

"What?" said Merida.

"Now I know what you're thinking but let me continue and things will be clearer" the boy reassured. Merida was willing to listen.

"I ran off to find it with a large slingshot of my own design, I waited until I caught a glimpse of it across the sky. To my amazement I actually shot it down...but my triumph was short lived".

"Why?"

"An enormous dragon called the Monstrous nightmare came out of nowhere and chased me into the village and nearly burned everything down." He answered before he continued "After getting told off in front of whole village, I snuck off to find the Night fury. I nearly gave up until I came across him. I found Toothless tangled up in ropes and... One of his tail fins was gone" Hiccup explained then he felt a thwack at the back of his head.

"Ok I said I was sorry Toothless" Hiccup apologized, rubbing his head as his dragon turned his back to him. Merida gave a small giggle as she watched the two. "Now where was I... Oh yes" Hiccup remembered where he was up to. "I was determined to prove to everyone that I could be just like them, but I could see he was scared as I was and..."

"You couldn't hurt him" Merida said.

"No. I wouldn't hurt him" Hiccup replied "Then I released him. I thought that he'd try to kill me, but he flew off". Hiccup told Merida but skipped the part where he'd fainted.

"Then what happened? did you follow him?" Merida asked as Toothless lay next to Hiccup, the young boy gave his dragon a scratch behind the ear which made Toothless purr happily.

"No, I went home. I was headed to bed when my dad wanted to talk" he said before having a drink of cool water.

"What about?"

"Well he wanted me to start dragon training, even though I'd changed my mind. I tried to tell him but he wouldn't listen, he ordered me to do it and then left to sail off to the find the dragon's nest" Hiccup explained with a small huff.

Merida couldn't help but think how similar Hiccup's relationship with his dad was like what she and her mum had before.

"The first lesson was a disaster, I was being chased and nearly fried by a Gronkles, Gobber who was our teacher told us that dragons always go for the kill. That got me thinking, was that was true? If so, then why didn't the Night Fury kill me when it had the chance? So, I decided to go back and search the last place I'd seen the Night Fury and I found him in a nearby cove. Because of what happen to his tail, Toothless couldn't fly" Hiccup continued.

They then heard Toothless growl as he lay down next to Hiccup and began eating some fish. Hiccup laughed lightly to his best friend before he continued on with the story.

"Later on, I learned that there was no information about Night Furys so I asked Gobber the next day, but he said that no one knew".

"Could you not have asked anyone else?" Merida wondered.

"No. They probably wouldn't know either" Hiccup replied.

"Oh"

"Well later that day. I snuck into the cove to find Toothless, but he found me" Toothless let out a laugh at what Hiccup said. "Anyway, I offered him some fish but he wouldn't take it because he was very nervous and threatened when he saw my knife, so I got rid of it and wearily with one eye fixed on me he ate the fish. We got to know each other, Toothless saw me drawing on the ground, he then started doing his own drawing".

Merida was amazed hearing that Toothless could draw, but was curious about Hiccup's skill, she needed to asked about his drawings later.

"It was then that something incredible happened" Hiccup said getting Merida's attention back. "Me and Toothless were face to face with each other, I wasn't sure why but I held my hand out. At first nothing happened until Toothless began to trust me and pressed his face into my hand. I felt a deep connection between us, it was amazing and that was the start of our unique friendship."

Hiccup felt his dragon pressing against his head, the boy smiled before he hugged Toothless. Merida could already see the special friendship they had;they were as close as brothers.

"Thanks bud, it was later that I learned that dragons will suffer if they don't have their wings and tails. So, I worked on a tail fin for him. I tested it out the next day, it did work but it still needed some fine tuning.

Hearing this, Merida was impressed and wanted to see how the tail was made.

"As the days went by, as I improved the tail, we learned about each other. Being around Toothless, I got to know what dragons were really like. Probably more than any human ever before" Hiccup went on.

"Well most people would've ran at first sight or ended up being it's dinner" Merida then commented. This made both teens laugh, even Toothless laughed to in his own dragon way.

"You're not wrong there" Hiccup added before he ate some bread while Merida had some of berries she picked. "Anyway, back to the story. I took what I'ddiscovered and used that knowledge in the dragon lessons, soon I was popular but...I didn't know about the attention. I had my best friend and that was the most important thing to me" he said softly as he pressed his head to his dragons who purred happily.

The princess had to smile. Even though he got admiration from the others, he'd found what he needed from of Toothless, so he didn't need the other people acceptance.

"One day after we were flying over my island. I was in sitting in the workshop, just thinking when my dad walked in without warning. It turns out he and the others returned that day and he wanted to talk to me. I was panicking because I thought he somehow knew, but he'd heard how well I was doing in Dragon training and that led to the most awkward chat we'd ever had" Hiccup sighed, burying his head in his hands.

Merida always thought her conversations with her mum were bad. Hearing this, it made hers look like small chats over cakes and drinks.

"Ok" Hiccup started after a moment. "Me and the other students did our last dragon training, it's tradition the best student gets to kill their first dragon and that ended up being me".

Merida instantly knew this was bad. She was about to ask but was before she could...

"Everyone was excited, the whole village! I was always planning leaving with that evening" Hiccup then said. Merida let out a sigh of relief,

"Just as I was about to find Toothless. Out the nowhere, Astrid appeared, she wanted answers. She got them when Toothless tried to stop her, she ran off, I thought she was probably going to tell everyone about Toothless so we stopped her by...ok we kidnapped her and showed her what dragons were like".

Hiccup had told Merida about Astrid and the other kids. She would like to meet them, even though she was wondering about Astrid.

"We flew around for a while. Toothless was suddenly distracted and flew off with us on his back with a pack of other dragons. We didn't know what would happen as we entered a mountain until we realised, we were in a dragon's nest, the same nest my dad was searching for" Hiccup said. "We barely escaped that place with all of dragons except their queen"

"Queen. Do you mean there's a dragon who rules over the other dragons" Merida asked?

"Yes, the Red death. It was as big as the whole mountain. We returned back safely but I still didn't know what to do the next day. I knew no matter what I did, it would end badly. Hiccup sighed and buried his face in his hands.

He was deep in his memories when he felt something holding his hand. He looked up to see Merida had place her hand into his. She understood how he felt confused and hopeless.

"I know how you feel, you're stronger than you think" Merida reassured Hiccup just as he had done. At first, the young boy wasn't sure what to do. He would be freaked out by a girl holding his hand but Merida's touch gave him strength and confidence he didn't expect. He also felt his heart was lighter and warmer than he'd ever felt before. It was the same with Merida, she couldn't understand what she was feeling.

"Thank you" Hiccup said, smiling sweetly at the princess. He shook off the thoughts before he said "So the dragon killing day came and everyone including my dad was happy. I had a plan. To be honest, it wasn't a great plan but I didn't know what else to do".

"Well a bad plan is better than no plan" Merida said and the two laughed lightly at this.

"Well. My plan was to show them that we could have peace between us and the dragons, but you can guess how well that turned out".

"It didn't".

"Exactly. Things went out of control, I tried to escape but the Monstrous Nightmare trapped me. I thought I was going to die but Toothless saved me. He risked his own life to save mine".

"Because he loves you" Merida said which was true and she knew Hiccup would do the same. The dragon let out a soft growl and pressed his head to Hiccup's.

"Hey me too" Hiccup said as he wrapped his arms around his dragon's neck. After a moment he pulled away, petting Toothless he said "He managed to stop the other dragon, but dad and the others ended up fighting him and then he was captured".

Merida could see the pain in his face, but didn't think things were going to get worst.

"Dad pulled me away and yelled about lying and Toothless. Then he found out about the dragon's nest and planned to use Toothless to find the nest, I couldn't stop him" Hiccup felt tears running down his face, just remembering the disappointment on his father's face.

Merida's heart went out to him, she thought back to the argument she and her mum had but Hiccup's was worse. He was protecting his best friend and his dad didn't care at all. Merida gave him a reassuring squeeze, she smiled at Hiccup to show her understanding.

He wiped his face with his sleeve and continued.

"They tied Toothless to the ship and sailed in no time, I needed to think quick, Astrid and I thought up a plan. I taught Astrid and the others how to bond with the dragons, then we flew off to the nest, luckily, we arrived in time, for the Red Death was attacking my dad and Gobber. As the others distracted the Red Death, I went to save Toothless, but by now the ship had caught fire, the Red Death had broken the ship, Toothless could free himself he was trapped".

Merida was astonished, but before she could ask. Hiccup continued.

"Suddenly the ship began to sink beneath the waves, in horror I saw my dad diving into the water and rescue Toothless, amazingly he managed it",

"Honestly?" Merida asked, he could see how surprise she was and Toothless nodded too.

"Yes. He said he was sorry and how proud he was" Hiccup answered "Me and Toothless soared up and lured the giant dragon away from everyone. We blasted it and it exploded in a ball of fire but before it was destroyed it swung its tail and hit me! That was the last thing I remember".

"Hiccup..."

"I know. It was awful, everyone filled the blanks. Toothless was the first one I saw when I woke up weeks later, it was great but then I found I'd lost half of my leg" lifting his leg "Gobber made me this one, I lost mine in the fall".

"So that's how…" Merida murmured but caught herself. "I'm Sorry"

"No. It's fine everyone else couldn't believe it either but I couldn't believe what I found. I opened my front door to see dragons all over the village and not burning the place down". Hiccup explained.

"So, the dragons and the village are at peace?" Merida asked.

"Yes, life is great now. We can't imagine life without them, sometimes it's hard but I wouldn't change that" Hiccup said as he gave his best friend a scratch underneath his chin.

"What about you and your dad?" Merida asked. Wanting to know if his relationship with his dad was like hers and her mums.

"Well dad did change, he listened to me more, he let me plan ideas to help the dragons and he trusts Toothless. We're closer than I can remember" Hiccup said smiling to the princess. Then, an idea came to him. "Wanna see something really cool?"

"Aye?" Merida said. She wondered what he was up to as Hiccup and Toothless got up, Hiccup then held out his hand to her. Merida didn't know why but she already trusted him, she slowly took his hand and stood up. Hiccup the led herto the front of the Night Fury.

"Ok, hold your hand up like this" Hiccup said softly placing her hand down. He let go and backed away, Toothless came closer, then Merida gently pressed his head against her hand. Merida realized what this was, she felt the smooth scales and the incredible feeling flowing over her. She couldn't help but smile. "So how was it?" Hiccup asked Merida.

"That's was magical" She said still amazed "Thank you Hic"

Hiccup never had a nickname before, mostly he was called by names he'd rather not mention, but it was a genuine surprise to Hiccup being given a sweet nickname.

"You're welcome...Mer" Hiccup replied. Merida didn't know what to think. No one had ever given her a nickname before but she found herself liking it.

The two teens smiled sweetly to each other. It was surprisingly how they like each other so quickly, maybe even...

They heard Toothless growling which made them both turn around; they saw him chasing a butterfly and trying to catch it. This made Hiccup and Merida laugh.

"It's getting late. We should start back" Merida said looking up to see where the sun was.

"Yeah you're right. Come on Toothless, you can chase them tomorrow". Hiccup called as Merida went to get Angus. They packed up and started the long trip home.

"If you want," Merida said "I can show those standing stones tomorrow".

"Sure, maybe you can help me mend Toothless's Tail" Hiccup suggested.

"Ok, I'll have someone set up a shed for you to work in".

"Thank you" Hiccup said. He thought how similar their stories were, Merida thought it was nice to have someone who could understand her and not judge her. They asked the other some questions about some details of their stories as they rode away.

[hey-hamlet]

BNHA AU Ideas : Darker Stains

Also on AO3 

TL;DR: 

Being a villain might run in Izuku's family, but that doesn't mean he needs to be the same type of villain as his dad. After all, the world doesn't need another All for One.

But I could do with another Stain.

AKA: Izuku, stubbornly follows Stain around until the guy warms up to him, all while he slowly poisons his gen ed class against the concept of heroes. Iida is stuck in the middle of all of this and finding himself begrudgingly agreeing with the kid who seems too sweet to be a villain.

Basically, deku is stain's apprentice

Ok less apprentice, more like "kid he cant get rid of"

izuku has afo and is sensei's kid and its kinda been his mission to get stain onside, but he just kinda started staning stain

so he said "love u dad but can i just like, follow this guy" and his dad said "you know what, its good to broaden your villainous horizons" So he makes a deal w stain: the heroes don't have to die, but izuku will take their quirks from them

in this AU izuku can "borrow" a quirk pretty quickly but needs a solid minute of contact to fully take it

izuku goes to ua, hes a gen. ed. student! he's there to get connections/blackmail but he only shows up around 3 days a week because of "family matters" but he’s holding great grades so they haven’t pushed too hard about his attendance. the only quirk izuku is listed as having is minor telekinesis, its all he uses in school but he gets pretty far in the sports festival, all the way to the tournament but has to forfeit his match because he needs to do something

(it was against bakugo. he honestly could have fought it but bakugo would be way angrier not being allowed to fight him so he left a little early)

so bakugo has always been kinda,,, scared of izuku. he lives w his dad, his mum lives in europe or something, bakugo isn't sure (afo told her it'd be safer for her to leave the country because all might vs him would be dangerous. She agreed but asked that he A, look after izuku and B, she be allowed to give her quirk to him as a gift to keep him safe. its izukus favorite quirk) and izuku has always let off a creepy aura. he had a "weak" quirk but did a lot of unexplained things, was too smart etc and his dad was creepy as all hell

bakugo would never admit it, but he was kinda glad he didnt have to fight izuku

Iida doesn’t get the call from his mum until later so he gets his medal and everything.

turns out? tensei was stopped by the hero killers, they don't "kill" people but they do kill heroes, tensei fought, lost and lost his quirk

so everything happens as in canon up till hosu (mirio has ofa) so izuku knows iida a little, was on his team with todoroki (replaced kami, his quirk was great for grabbing headbands). He actually picked iida's team because he wanted to know more about him before they took on ingenium

he wasnt 100% onboard with the removal of ingenium because he wasn't all that bad but he wasn't perfect for stains ideology because he was pretty profit-focused, had no other heroes on team but loads of sidekicks who make lower rates than heroes and give his agency a funding boost and was from a Hero Family so it wasn't super likely he wanted to be a hero just to save people

but he was a nice guy and put his life on the line for people so izuku thought he was pretty ok but stain was sticking to his guns and izuku didn't want the guy dead,,, so he said sure. so, izuku kinda,,, knows iida is going to come after stain. he saw all the people who put in internship forms, he saw where iida put down and put 2 and 2 together. but, thing is? he really likes iida! every time he's met iida the guy has been super nice to him, if a little uptight. during the cavalry battle he even took a hit for izuku he didn’t need to and izuku liked that so he’s trying to steer stain away from where he knows iida is probably going to end up because fuck endeavour and he's in Hosu

(plus izuku wants that sweet sweet fire quirk because he's not allowed to take dabi's)

also: relevant but only just, izuku has a really cutesy villain costume and isn't linked to the hero killer (like, think bunny poncho)

so izuku is wandering around, trying to work out how to lure endeavour into a dark alley and not having much luck because the nomu are L o u d and he ends up getting pushed to the ground and trampled in a person stampede

which he's a little salty about! but, iida, a knight in shining armour, stops his search for the hero killer to help izuku up and ask if hes ok and izuku blushes despite himself because even tho hes trying to steal the number 2 heroes quirk hes a big fan of heroes and iida? pushing all the heroic buttons

so yada yada, stain ends up taking native because endeavour wasnt leaving the crowds and izuku goes over to take the quirk for him and iida shows up

He steps between izuku and stain (assuming stain ment to hurt izuku) and says hes going to get revenge for his brother

and stain just fucking,,, sighs because he can see izuku's blush from here and the kid is all starry eyed over baby ingenium but like, the kid is vengeance-y and that’s not great for a hero, so he thinks the least he can do is rough him up a bit to teach him what a hero should be doing, because he’s trying to make a point more than anything he doesn’t use his quirk yet and tries to explain his point to iida

izuku is sitting off to the side with native and just watching this go down (he,,, may also be stealing native's quirk,, because fuck that guy but thats not the point)

anyway, iida is losing, and pretty badly too because the kid is angry and alone. izuku has finished taking native's quirk, who still hasn’t realized because hes stupid so he hauls iida over his shoulder from where hes a little concussed on the ground and runs off with him, leaving stain to sigh because what has his life come to

izuku talks to iida about stains ideas while patching him up, admitting that he thinks iida's brother was actually a pretty good hero and that stains a little strict. iida cant help but understand stains way of thinking, even though hes mad at himself about it. he tries to ask izuku what he was doing but he just gets shushed

izuku kinda dumps iida on todoroki and runs

(todoroki swears there was something familiar about the rabbit costumed kid)

so, izuku like comes up to iida during school, says he heard ab. stain and that it was really impressive that he did all that yadda yadda, and then leaves, 20 minutes later todoroki sees iida trying to flex his arms and grimacing. iida admits his arms are a little sore but its nbd

during hero training iida collapses a little and ochako runs over, hes trying not to scream because his arms hurt so bad.

he heads to recovery girl and hes? ok? but now also got engines where his brother did? and todoroki and ochako are so lost. todoroki turns to iida and says "i know this is off topic, but didnt your involvement with stain get suppressed from the media?" and iida freezes

iida trying to find this gen ed student but he doesnt really remember izukus name. hes just "green boy w minor telekinesis who knew too much"

i want izuku ducking behind his bestie shinso to hide from the big bad hero student. shinso is ready to throw down for izuku honestly. izuku confided in shinso ab. his villainous quirk and shinso is honestly shaping up to be his righthand man. together they'll show the world what heroes should really be, by tearing the system to shreds

iida is trying to find "green boy". short skinny green boy who hides behind his tall angry friend and is only on campus like, half the week. 

needless to say iida is having some trouble

so iida, honestly losing faith in heroics (in this au, todoroki told iida about the quirk marriage) goes looking for stain

iida: “where is izuku”

everyone in gen ed: 💪🏽👁👄👁👊🏽

iida, now in tears: “what are you  say i ng”

basically in this au izuku has managed to poison the gen ed. kids against heroics. some of them cant stand their teachers anymore, none of them want to transfer, they fake gag when they see the heroics students and some of them have even dropped out but no one suspects izuku because the kid loves heroes!!!

mic is his homeroom teacher

ooooOOOH TRAITOR MIC TOO

so mic is also the traitor

but hes like,, stupidly in love with aizawa and izuku kinda loves eraserhead so izuku makes his dad promise to not hurt 1a/aizawa so in this au? aizawa doesn't get smashed by the nomu. aizawa was trapped by stains quirk so the guy has tr a u m a but he's not in pain. afo is honestly trying to kill allmight but izuku likes all might so they fight about it but like, a soft fight? and it's disturbing even shigiraki because you should not be lightly bickering over the life of a man

shigaraki s in the corner tears in his eyes because izuku just gave afo permission to “lightly maim him” like goddamn kid what’s wrong with u

stain runs into iida and he's like "god please i dont wanna fight you again the boss' kid will cry" and iida is like ",,, so tell me about izuku" and stain fucking glares at him w such intensity iida is both 1, sure he's correct 2, scared for his life

so stain calls kurogiri and throws iida into the bar and izuku jumps like, 6 feet in the air like a cat and is clinging to the roof but he calms the fuck down and iida is so shook that the only thing he can think to say is ",,, we are too young to be in a bar"

and izuku busts a gut and hes like, crying laughing "you're right we are way too young, why don't we go to another room?" dabi wolf whistles, then has to dodge izuku's now flying milkshake iida n izuku just chat! n iida is a little creeped? because izuku is charismatic and charming and iida agrees with him 100% but he shouldn’t be? he should be nervous or angry or at least a little confused but hes just so charming and bubbly its a little odd. honestly, all the stuff izuku pointed out? iida starts to see how bakugo can get away with acting like an ass but shinso can’t even look at someone wrong without getting set upon

iida is making massive leaps in his training because his quirk has doubled in strength! but, it feels like hes stolen something from his brother

but thats not possible, right? you cant give and take quirks.

of course not

...

right?

iida starts wondering what midoriya's quirk really is, exactly. he never named it. just said "i can use telekinesis on light stuff" but, he hung around villains and seemed to be respected by them, without any visible training, weapons or strength

and shinso, when prompted, said he empathised with midoriya, which iida thought was an odd word choice?

anyway, iida doesnt feel great during hero training. all might's villain costume feels almost offensive? and the profiling aizawa has them do feels wrong, like making assumptions based off the quirk, not the person. it just feels gross and wrong and he's starting to feel really conflicted. because stain hurt people. izuku hurt people.

but he agrees with them

[mccarricks]

( brittany o’grady / demi woman ) WESLEY McCARRICK is 23 years old and is a SENIOR at thales university. SHE is majoring in FILM and is known for being THE MAVERICK as THEY can be HUMOROUS and OPEN-MINDED as well as DITZY and IMPULSIVE. every time i see HER/THEM, THEY remind me of PURPLE SKY IN THE DESERT, SKATING AS FAST AS YOU CAN TO FEEL THE WIND ON YOU, A JOKE TOLD WITH A TOOTHY GRIN.

hero’s back w character no. 2 and yet......

full name: wesley ‘wes’ elaine mccarrick

birthdate: february 2, 1997

age: 23

gender: demi woman

pronouns: she/her/they/them

zodiac: aquarius

nationality: american

ethnicity: black (louisiana creole) and white (irish)

hometown: santa fe, nm

languages: english, intermediate spanish

family:

theodore mccarrick, father

elaine barlow, mother

ruby mccarrick, older brother

delphine mccarrick, older sister

sherri barlow, maternal grandmother

many cousins

orientation: bisexual biromantic, pref. towards women/nb people but will date men

religion: agnostic

height: 5 ft 4 in

distinguishing features: eyebrows, hair, lips

character inspo: ilana wexler (broad city), harley quinn (dc comics), phoebe buffay (friends), prob more

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃

TRIGGERS: divorce, mentions of crime, drug and alcohol use

the youngest child of ted and elaine mccarrick, wes was a kid who is full of life. she’s the kind of kid who did things to make you smile, and it usually worked. she was warm and inviting, a little naive, but she had a strong support system.

her parents divorce when she’s six, she doesn’t quite understand it but her dad moves out, and her grandma and multiple cousins move in. it’s a lively household, between her mom, who works as a nurse, and her siblings, and her cousins, it was never really quiet and there was never a lot of room.

despite the split, her parents maintain that their children have a relationship with both of them, and truthfully, wes is a daddy’s girl. she and her dad were cut from the same cloth, happy go lucky, fun loving, a bit silly, he’s the one who introduces her to movies. it’s their thing, watching and critiquing them together, and it’s not whatever is in theatres either. they went for all times of filmmaking, new wave, surrealist, and more.

it really stuck with wes, who herself had begun making movies, mostly horror/fantasy/scifi stuff with her friends-- she writes and directs and occasionally, she’ll don a costume and star in them. they’re silly little things, but her family always sat down for her “premieres.”

her formative years are marked with plenty of things, sports, deaths of distant family members, a cousin or two who gets caught in the wrong crowd and ends up in jail, and throughout this, wes remains a rock for her family.

she’s in high school, and she gets into the eclectic crowd, the outcasts, the weirdos, the ones who smoked under the bridge, and partied out in an abandoned trailer near the desert. these freaks were her freaks. they accepted her with open arms, as she them.  

she chooses thales because she always wants to see the east coast, and frankly, as much as she loves her family, she wants to be free of them. and they have a fantastic film program. so!

she meets steven in their first film class together, and they’re fast friends, despite her usual weariness of YET another film bro, steven proves to be a good egg. so she thinks. she finds out through him talking that he might not be the most faithful to his girlfriend, and as much as she doesn’t like meddling, she thinks it’s only right to let clarissa, who she doesn’t really know well, know. however, before there’s a chance, everything happens-- now she’s stuck wondering if she should reveal the truth, or let sleeping dogs lie.

nana is different, nana and her dated her sophomore year, nana’s freshman year. it wasn’t serious. but they were fond of each other. they eventually break up, but they stay friendly, waving to each other in the halls, chatting at parties.

both the disappearance and the murder is weird for wes, who by all accounts, isn’t great at dealing with bad shit. she prefers to laugh about things. laugh about everything. because if she doesn’t laugh, she’ll cry.

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

wes is a mess, a free-spirit, a walking contradiction. she’s very independent minded, the kind of person who does things without thinking so much about the consequences, this leads her into trouble sometimes. like nicking something from a convenience store, or stealing a stop sign as a prank. she’s definitely the kind to goof off and not exactly dedicate her full attention to something. and while she’s in genuinely good spirits on most occasions, she has a staunch ‘no asshole’ policy. the type to defend the underdogs, and go after bullies. she’ll punch you with a smile on her face, and yet it ends up being more unnerving than you realize. she’s a bit of a ditz, as well, never the best at school, but can talk your ear off about the going ons of the world. she’s a lovable dumbass, for sure, and loyal to a tee once you get her as a friend.

𝐓𝐈𝐃𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐒

horror movie fan! her favorites are some of the oldies, like dracula and  the bride of frankenstein! and some new ones! big fan of jordan peele’s work, as well as ari aster’s! but mostly really advocates for women directors and directors of color!

also does roller derby! she picked this up her first year at thales and fell in love with it, i can’t think of a name for her yet, but she’s a blocker, won’t hesitate to elbow some dick at the bar

kinda a tomboy? she’s always been! she’s rough and tumble and not afraid to get down and dirty with someone, i.e. will join those football games on the quad or crawl through the mud for a scene to shoot

doesn’t know if she wants to be a director/writer or a cinematographer honestly.... she loves the technical aspects of film as much as the making the stories

definition of a bruh girl, says it a whole lot, but also just if you tell her you love her, she’ll just roll her eyes and be like you’re an idiot (which means she loves you too) she’ll be affectionate if she’s close to you

kinda a wh*re oops....... texts multiple girls at a time and doesn’t want to hurt any of their feelings she doesn’t know how she keeps ending up in these situations... also a bisexual disaster

a stoner as well..... always has a massive jar of weed

unclear whether she lives on campus or off campus but if she does live off campus she has a pet turtle named elsa lanchester after the bride of frankenstein actress

a drummer! she’s in a band (name tbd) she started drumming at a young age and found it was a good way to manage her aggression

doesn’t really do well with emotions, so she’ll either be like there, there, or try to make jokes.... she really said kids can you lighten up

walking meme... such a walking meme... doesn’t know so many things she’s like a cute puppy with no thoughts head empty but she’s so fun to be around

life of the party.... nana she came fr ur spot and she took it and she’s not sorry but she does miss u a lot

doesn’t rly feel like she’s allowed to be upset anyways bc some people have it...... way worse.... can u say Imposter syndrome

kind of an enabler...... will be that person to push u to try things but not in a peer pressurey way, more like if u are unsure abt sending a text she says do it

wears fun earrings and socks! think lollipops or gummy bears or found objects like she collects that shit it’s her lifeline

boxes! she’s been boxing since she was abt 12, courtesy of her older brother (who is now a doctor thx ruby) and it’s a good way to exercise and release stress

𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

best friend -- two of a feather, cut from the same cloth, or complete opposites it doesnt matter to her (the abbi to her ilana)

roller derby friends -- she’s p close to the team, margs on her

makeup artist pal -- i think it would be neat fr someone to try and teach her makeup whether its normal or sfx bc she wants to look like a monster or smthn

she’s gullible, u take advantage of that -- u just tell her lies p much and she’s like yeah ok that sounds right

party friends

classmates

fwbs (f/m/nb) -- tbh she might have one or two of these but they literally are the def of pals who bone sometimes... like v good abt being like you good? u dont want more? cool me too

exes (f/m/nb) -- mostly dated women or nb people but def cld have had a guy

she smokes you out -- p much the only reason u hang out w her is bc she has good weed

someone she’s fought -- like fully decked in the face, prob said something that rubbed her the wrong way and it just devolved from there

people who dislike her -- she could definitely be seen as annoying bc shes loud and dorky and funny so ??

breaks someone out of their shell -- p self explanatory, pushes them to have fun, w everything happening shes rly like lifes too short to not take the opportunities around u

cousins! probably on her dad’s side! i figure she has some east coast fam 

anything? truly?

[kitchai]

𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐚𝐥𝐥  !!  my  name  is  𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞,  i  prefer  either  she/her  or   they/them  pronouns  —  or  simply  𝐬𝐡𝐞/𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲  .   i  just  turned twenty  today  a  week  ago  (  she said adulthood  !! the  big  2 0  )  i'm  from  the  𝐠𝐦𝐭+𝟖  tmz .  under   the  cut  should  be  everything  y’all  need  2  know  about  kitchi .

there's  𝐤𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐚  ! i  heard  𝐡𝐞/𝐡𝐢𝐦  is  a  total  𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐬,  born  on  𝟐𝟗/𝟎𝟐  ( born on a leap year )  !  you  know,  they're  known  as  the  𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 because  they  can  be  kinda  𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭  &  𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬,  but  also  𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥  &  𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠.  i  would  say  their  biggest  let  down  is  being  𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥,  but  they  make  up  for  it  with  their  𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭.  i  heard  they  work  as  a  𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫  and  are  studying  𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧  𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧.  all  i  can  say  is  that  they  remind  me  of 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐮𝐩  𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥  𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞  𝐢𝐧  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐚𝐧  𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭,  𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐚  𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞  𝐛𝐚𝐠  𝐨𝐟  𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬  𝐟𝐨𝐫  𝐚  𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐥,  𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝  𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫  𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦  𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠  &  𝐠𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞  𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞  𝐛𝐲  𝐣𝐨𝐣𝐢.  (  vachirawit “bright” chivaaree,  cismale,  he/him,  23,  pansexual  )

* 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓����𝐎𝐍 /

𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞: kiet chaipattana

𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞: kit

𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: kiet means honour.

𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: february 29, 1996

𝐚𝐠𝐞: 24

𝐳𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐜: aquarius

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫: cismale

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬: he/him

𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: pansexual

* 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 /

𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞: amphorn sathan, residential hall, bangkok, thailand

𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧: bangkok, thailand

𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫: henry wang

𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫: (princess) sunsrata chaipattana

* 𝐁𝐈𝐎 /

kiet's  mother,  princess  sunsrata,  is  the youngest  child  of  the  king  of  thailand.  as  the  youngest,  sunny  was  adventurous  in nature  and  was  given  the  most  liberty  out  of  all  her  siblings  (  she  had  four  other  siblings ).  due  to  this  upbringing,  during  her time  in  america,  studying  for college,  the  princess  had  met  henry  chen  —  a  rising  chinese-american  designer  in  the  fashion  world  during  then,  but  had  climbed  the  industry  since  then.  (  think :  if  jacquemus  and  alexander  wang  had  a  baby,  that  would  be  henry  chen's  designs  ).  after  dating  for  three  months,  the  pair  had  married  which  led  to  sunny's  disinheritance  to  the  thai  monarchy  for  marrying  a  foreigner.  although  three  years  later,  the  pair  had  divorced  and  sunny  was  given  back  her  status  and  continued  to  live  in  thailand.  though,  the  only  complication  was  she  was  unknowingly  pregnant  with  kit  at  the  time  of  divorce.  hence,  kit  took  on  his  mother's  surname.  kit's  dad,  henry  does  not  know  of  his existence.

his  grandparents,  the  current  monarch  was  very  fond  of  kit  as  a  child,  despite  the  context  of  his  conception  and  his  foreign  father.  they  did  not  like  that  he  wanted  to  study  in  america  like  his  mother  did,  but  eventually,  being  the  favourite  grandson,  he was  given  the  same  opportunity  as  his  mother :  to  study  abroad.  the  catch  was  that  he  had  to  study  economics  in  new  york  university.  he  complied ...  for  one  semester,  but  the  following  semester  he found  himself  drawn  to  arts  and  design.  and  well  ?  he's studying fashion design now, unbeknownst  to  his  family.

*𝐓𝐋;𝐃𝐑 /

thai  prince (like ... srsly)

doenst  know  dad,  dad  doesn’t  know  him 🥴

royal  fam  thinks  hes  studying  economics  in  nyu  bc  thats  the  condition  he  was allowed  to  live  abroad

is  actually  studying  fashion

for  somebody  studying  fashion  he  rlly  wears  the  plainest  clothes  in  existence

comfort  >>>>>>  anything  mentality

dk  how  he  became  a  content  creator  considering  his  reclusive  nature  but  we also  have  that  going  for  him

talented  for  some  reason  but  doEsnt  rlly  go  out  of  his  way  to  use  them  (  he plays  a  couple of  instruments  and  is  quite  the  athlete  )

born  on  a  leap  year  so  hes  only  had  six  legitimate  birthdays

terribly  unbothered.  will  not  fuck  with  u  even  if  u  fuck  w  him.

sharp  tongue,  deffo  not  afraid  to  speak  his  mind.  water  signs  beware.  earth  signs  ??  good argument time.  fire signs ??  banter time !!

he  cares  for  people  in  his  own  ways,  things  that aren’t  obvious  !!  it’s  the  little  things  fjnfkfkf

* 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 /

model  for  his  projects  and  stuff  !!  one  of  the  few  people  he’d  actually  bother  and  pester  ,  perhaps  even  bribe.

music friend  !!  kit  has  always  been  interested  in  music,  and  holds  a  talent  for it  but has  never pursued  it.  has  stood  in  for  his  friend  once  when  they  got  sick  on  a  gig  probably.

unlikely friends !!  kit is not ...  sociable  to  say  the  least.  these  two  probably  ran  into  each  other  in   a  grocery  store,  fought  over  the  last  yogurt  drink  on  the  shelf  and  decided  to  split  it  and  share.

on  the  other  hand,  enemies/frenemies !!  same  reason ...  probabbly  fought  over  something  trivial  and  that’s  it.  “you closed the door on me!”  “you were in the way lol bye”

ex/es  !!  if  they  broke  up  it’s  def  due  to  kit  being  very  indecisive  and  lacking  any  sort  of  basic  comm  skills.  how  they  ended  up  together  in  the  first  place  ??  who  knows  !! 

friends  !!  brave  souls  but  also  very  persistent  to  pursue  any  sort  of  relationship  with  this fellow....  i  commend you.

[stuck-in-hawkins]

Next to a Broken Castle

This is a gift for @willel​ / @kirabook​  This has been a long time coming, darling. Thank you for your patience, for your gift, and all your support. ^w^

This is an alternative scene. If Jonathan had found Will by Castle Byers instead.

~

Jonathan had his music turned all the way up. He wished it could be louder. He needed to drown Nancy’s words from his head, to pull himself away from the panic at having to find another job, and the crushing defeat of having to work at some place he hated, manning a register or stocking shelves.

How was it that Nancy didn’t understand that? This job had been the gateway to a career he was actually passionate about. Where else was he supposed to get a job doing photography in this town?

He hated having all this anger built up inside him. He wanted to slam things, kick everything that was in his way. But whenever he felt like that, he’d remember his father and the way his anger would fly. He didn’t want that. So he settled for throwing his laundry in the basket, and singing/ screaming at the top of his lungs.

He almost didn’t hear the phone ring but he caught it as one song faded into the next. He bolted up and ran to the kitchen. In a matter of seconds, he’d found himself hoping. Hoping that Tom would take him back, hoping that Nancy would be calling to apologize.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Jonathan. Is Will there?” Mike asked.

Jonathan blinked and his heart skipped a beat for a second. An old fear crept up from the pit of his stomach. “No. I thought he spent the night at your place.”

“He did but… umm...”

The knot relaxed somewhat but he could hear the guilt in Mike’s voice.

Mike admitted, “We had a fight…. and he walked off. Or, well, biked off.”

Jonathan looked outside. It was pouring out and starting to get dark. “You let him go out in this?”

Mike’s voice immediately turned back to prideful, obstinate. “What was I supposed to do? Grab his bike by the handles?”

There was no denying that Mike and Nancy were siblings. The Wheeler family had a strong streak of stubbornness.

“I don’t know what you could have done but if he’s that mad at you, he’s probably not in the mood to talk.”

There was quiet on the other end. “Then, just…” he could almost hear Mike grappling with his pride. “Then, just please tell him that we’re sorry. That I’m sorry. And… just… find him, please.”

“I will.”

“Call me back the minute you do.” Mike ordered and the line clicked.

Jonathan hung up the phone and shook his head. No wonder those two fought like cats and dogs.

He opened the door to Will’s room, just in case. He looked at all the new drawings up on the wall. Will was working with charcoal now, and a fine dust had settled in parts on the floor around his desk. Will had been spending more time out of the house these days.

Will had once let it slip after an episode. “When is it gonna feel like home again?” The words had cut through him. He knew that their mom must have heard it, too. He knew that had to be why she was circling houses in the paper now, though he knew it wasn’t the only reason.

He grabbed his raincoat, flashlight, and for a moment, he thought about grabbing the rifle, just in case.

No. He thought. The gate is closed. It has been closed. “Stop thinking like that.”

He ran to his car, ducking out of the rain, and started it up. He’d drive around town first, he’d cover more ground that way. But a thought struck him.

‘Check the castle,’ he thought.

It was raining. Just like it had been that day. He got out of his car and shut the door. _____________________________

Will’s small voice asked, “Dad’s never been gone this long. What if something happened to him?”

It hadn’t been the first time their parents fought. It hadn’t been the first time their dad walked out to win an argument. He would be gone a few days but he’d come back. Things would be quiet for a while and then it would all start over again.

But this time had been bad. Things were broken. They had to wear shoes around the house because there were still hidden shards of dishes on the floor.

Lonnie had actually put his hands on their mom. She’d filed a report. Will didn’t know about that though. Will had been asleep in Jonathan’s bed. Jonathan heard their mother that night. “Get your hands off of me!!”

Jonathan ran out to put himself between them. Lonnie had let go. He was drunk and spewed out bitter words. “Turning my own son against me? Boy, she’s got you whipped.”

Then, he'd went past them into the bedroom, packed his bag, and left.

Jonathan felt for Will. He still loved their father. He was too young to understand why he left. He couldn't process that it was better for him to be gone. Jonathan had hardened his heart to survive all the words Lonnie threw at him. He’d learned to stop looking for acceptance from him. And, with more time, Will might have done that too. But this time, Jonathan knew it was for good. Or, at least he hoped it was. And that meant that all this would hurt for Will, much deeper than it would for Jonathan.

“Will, I don’t think he’s coming back.”

Will’s eyes had grown big. “What- what do you mean? Why wouldn’t he?”

“He hurt Mom. He really hurt her. If he came back, he’d hurt her again.”

Will bent his head down. Jonathan had been there when their mom explained to them. She had told them that even if she and Lonnie didn’t love each other anymore, they still loved Jonathan and Will.

But Jonathan knew that Lonnie didn’t love them. Not the way dads were supposed to. It didn't matter to him anymore, their moms love made up for that. She loved them more than enough for both.

Jonathan tried to comfort Will, as he saw his eyes brim up. “We won’t have to hear them fighting anymore. And, like mom said, we’ll still get to see him. It’ll be one on one stuff but we’ll get to see him.”

Will nodded.

Jonathan knew his words couldn’t make up for it. There was nothing he could say that would make it hurt less. There were no words that could shelter him from all the pain that would come.

“Hey. You want to build that club house?”

Will looked up, blinking. The club house their dad said he’d build. Will had spent months gathering fallen branches, picking out sturdy ones from deteriorating ones. Will had asked father their nearly every day until he snapped, “I’ll get to it when I goddamn feel like it. Stop nagging me. You sound like your mother!”

Will never asked him again. He tried to keep the good wood off the ground, so it wouldn’t rot. But he had resigned himself to the fact that it would never happen.

“I don’t know how to build one.”

“Well, that’s what I’m here for. I’ll show you.”

“You’ve never built one before.”

“Well, I’ve built enough. We’ll figure it out together.”

In that moment, Will looked at him with such love and gratitude, that Jonathan swore to himself, he’d make up for their dad’s absence. He’d fill the hole in their family. He’d do whatever it took to shelter his little brother. ________________________

Jonathan tread the familiar path. It was pouring. Why would Will come here in this? But then, he never fought with Mike, with any of them. He wasn’t the confrontational type. He avoided it whenever he could. Fights were normal things, but for Will they meant an end.

Jonathan heard a loud crack echo through the trees. He ran through the mud, his feet soaked through his sneakers. He tried not to picture what it could be as he heard more sounds of something being smashed. As he got closer, he recognized the sound as the ringing of metal and crack of tree branches.

As he came over a hill he could see Will, bat in hand, landing blow after blow to Castle Byers. The sanctuary they had built. Jonathan had stopped. He watched his brother curse and pull the front of it to the ground. He was seeing something inside his brother, beneath all the layers and guards he put up. Underneath all the quiet, the gentleness, the smiles, his brother was hurting more than he’d ever let on. How hadn’t he known? How had he missed it? Will sank to the ground and Jonathan found his voice.

“Will.”

Will turned, startled, and saw his brother soaked from the rain. He was overcome with shame. This place hadn’t just been Will’s, it had been a gift from his brother. It had been a promise of safety and love when his world had turned upside down. And he’d destroyed it… with their father’s bat.

He didn’t want to face him. He got up to run but Jonathan’s voice kept him still.

“Will, please.”

He walked up to his younger brother and couldn’t find the words. He was going to ask why. But he had intruded on the moment. It wasn’t right to ask. And that wasn’t what Will needed now. He pulled Will in and felt him crumble in his embrace. His sob shook Jonathan’s whole being. It was something visceral from a depth he couldn't fathom.

He held Will tight, and whispered, “It’s okay, Will. It’s okay.”

Will felt like a child again. He and Jonthan were now nearly the same height, yet he still felt small in his arms. It felt stupid and immature to be so comforted by this. Maybe that was all he was, a child, who would be left behind. Everyone else would grow and change and Will would be stuck, wishing for something that would be forever out of reach.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m here, Will. It’s going to be okay.”

Will cried and held his brother tighter. Maybe he just needed to get it out. Maybe he could allow himself this one last childish thing. Jonathan had carried him through the worst parts of his life. Now here he was again, on the night he felt like his world was falling apart. Picking him up, wrapping him in his arms, and sheltering him, like he’d done so many times before. He leaned on him as they walked away from the broken castle.

Jonathan wrapped an arm around Will. He would explain when they got back. That one fight did not mean the end of everything. As he thought about that, he realized he would have to follow that advice too. Sometime tonight he would have to call Nancy. It was something he needed her to know, too. Their fight didn't have to mean the end of everything. He would be there if she still wanted to work on it. He would be there for her if she wanted to see this thing through to the end.

Will looked at their house as they walked up. There was an overwhelming gratitude of being home. He remembered year ago, walking up the path, soaked, and carrying the tools from their project. The best part about building the castle had been spending the whole day close to his brother, putting something together from pieces that had been broken and cast aside. When they got inside, Jonathan wrapped him up in a blanket and put the kettle on. And Will could see he was doing it again, like he always did, fixing what felt broken. He breathed.

Even if everything else changed, he knew that would always be the same.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18285635/chapters/57007879

[thewoildis-yaerster]

Abusus Non Tollit Usum

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five: Cats

Description: We get a closer look at the theatre nerds and Medda finds out about the plan.

Warnings: Mentions of fighting, swearing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Who is Miss Medda, may I ask?” David questioned as the large group of students sped to a building that was disconnected from the high school. It was decently large, but it wasn’t as big as the school building.

“Spottie and I’s foster mom. Also, the drama teacher.” Jack answered.

“Call me ‘Spottie’ again and you won’t see tomorrow.” Spot spat out an empty threat.

“Ah, you love me.” They all skidded to a stop when they reached the doors. Jack tried to open them, but they were locked. He dug around in his pockets, only to pull them out empty-handed. “Hey, uh, Spot? Do you have your key?”

Said boy groaned and softly pushed Jack out of the way. “After that, you better be glad it’s more than just you and me. If it was just us, you’d be going in through the roof.” He pulled a key on a necklace out from under his shirt and unlocked a door, then held it open for everyone.

“It was just a joke!” Jack chuckled, his voice echoing through the large auditorium.

“’Thank you, Spot. Love you, Spot. You’re the best brother in the world, Spot. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Spot.’” Spot grumbled under his breath.

“Thank you, Spot. Love you, Spot. You’re the best boyfriend in the world, Spot. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Spot.” Race repeated Spot’s words and gave him a quick peck on the lips before following the line into the auditorium.

David hadn’t been in a theatre or an auditorium in such a long time. He did a few plays when he was younger, but he always got background roles because he couldn’t grasp the concept of acting. He always enjoyed it, though. He made so many friends and they were always like a huge family, but then his family had to move away and he never got back into it.

Everyone put their bags down in the back of the auditorium and moved to sit up front. After a few seconds, Buttons and Race jumped up at nearly the same time and dashed toward the stage. Buttons jumped and flipped onstage, whereas Race cartwheeled onstage. Romeo took off after them but disappeared backstage instead of staying up front. A few moments later, he came out brandishing a sword.

“Guys, look! It’s the sword I used in Romeo & Juliet in freshman year!” He shouted, pretending to stab Race with it. It was very reassuring to see them all in a better mood, but David knew the mood was going to be brought back down as soon as they told this “Miss Medda” the news.

Buttons gasped and ran backstage, then came back out wearing tap shoes. He also had a pair in his left hand and another in his right. “Tommy Boy! Specs! Mine still fit!”

Tommy Boy and Specs raced up to the stage and took the tap shoes, immediately shucking the ones on their feet and putting the others on. They began to perform a tap number in the middle of the stage, while Race and Romeo had a sword battle around them.

“Theatre nerds?” David leaned back and asked Katherine.

“Big time. Specs and Tommy Boy aren’t, though. They mainly participate in dance-centric shows. That number they’re doing right now is from Cats.” She responded with a smile on her face.

“You guys put on Cats?”

“Barely. We were in it when we were in middle school because hardly anyone in the high school wanted to do it. I played so many roles that it took me hours to scrub off all of the layers of paint they slapped on me in between songs. I know that dance, too, but my shoes probably don’t fit anymore.” She laughed.

“Oh gosh, wow.” David laughed as well. “Buttons seems to be really into Cats.”

“Oh, yeah. He’s always been into Cats. No one knows why, though. He won’t tell anyone. All he says is that it means a lot to him. He was begging Medda to let him audition long before she turned to the middle school students. He was ecstatic when she let him, but he cried when he got the part of Mr. Mistoffelees. That’s always been his dream role.”

“Who did you and the others play?” David had seen Cats once or twice in his lifetime.

“Ah, man, let’s see. I was Grizabella, Jennyanydots, and Skimbleshanks. Like I said, we were low on casting. Tommy Boy was Rumpelteazer. It was before he came out, but he enjoyed playing the role. Specs was Munkustrap. Race had multiple roles like me. He was Rum Tum Tugger, Mungojerrie, Rumpus Cat, and Macavity. I still don’t see how he pulled it off.”

“I’m just like Mungojerrie, Kath! A quick-change comedian!” Race shouted as he and Romeo fought across the rows of seats.

“You kids haven’t changed a bit!” A cheerful voice rang out through the auditorium.

“Miss Medda!” The theatre nerds (plus Jack, Spot, Specs, and Tommy Boy) exclaimed. They all dropped what they were doing and ran to her, hugging her at the same time.

“I’ve missed you all so much!” She hugged them all back and kissed them all on their foreheads.

“You see me and Jack every day, Mama Medda.” Spot had a genuine smile on his face.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t miss you during the day! Now, as much as I enjoy seeing all of you, I don’t recall posting auditions yet, so there has to be a reason all of you are here. Is Snyder after you all again?” Her smile fell and she put her hands on her hips.

“Not this time, surprisingly. It’s Pulitzer.” Jack answered.

“Pulitzer is after you?”

“Not…necessarily. We tried to get him to let us have a GSA.”

“It didn’t go well, I take it.”

“He called us disgusting, vile, and sickening, then threatened to give us detention if we didn’t leave.” Albert got out of his seat and joined the others.

Medda gasped. “He can’t say that!”

“That’s what I said!” Finch exclaimed.

“Do I need to march up there right now and give him a piece of my mind? Because I will.” Medda didn’t wait for an answer. She started walking toward the doors, but the group of kids held her back.

“No, Ma, don’t. We have a plan.” Jack’s mischievous smile spread across his face. Medda smirked and raised an eyebrow in response, a look that told Jack to explain. “The leader of our little revolution can explain it better. Davey, c’mere.”

“Okay, whoa. I wouldn’t call myself the leader. I’d consider myself the Hamilton to your Washington, except I wouldn’t cheat on my partner.” David rose from his seat and walked up to the group.

“Ma, this is Davey. He’s the one I told you I met over the summer.”

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, David! Jack’s told me so much about you.”

“Ma,” Jack whined.

“All good things, I hope. It’s nice to meet you, too, Miss Medda.”

“Oh, definitely. Almost all he did over the summer was talk about you.”

“Ma, please, stop.” Jack crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. David could’ve sworn he saw a light blush on his cheeks.

“Alright, alright. What’s the plan?” Medda laughed, then went dead serious in a matter of seconds. David outlined the plan and soon the entire group was gathered around Medda. “I believe you kids could pull it off, I do, but are you sure you’re all up for the task? We all know there are risks.” They all looked at each other, then back at Medda and nodded. “Well, you have my full support then. You know, I don’t think I have any pride items here, but there might be a rainbow-colored thing or two in the prop room.” They all gasped and took off backstage, but Medda made two of them stay behind. “Race, baby, you stay right there. Jack and I will be right back.” They exited the auditorium and stood outside. “Jack, do you like David?”

“…Yeah? He’s a pretty cool guy.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I…”

“You do, don’t you!?” Medda smiled brightly.

“I might! I don’t know!”

“Jack, you always get the goofiest grin on your face when you talk about him and let’s not pretend you don’t say his name in your sleep.”

“Oh my god, Ma. I’m going back inside.”

“Hey, we’ll talk about this more later. I’m not letting this go.”

“La, la, la, la, la. I’m not listening!”

“Send Racetrack out here!”

A few seconds later, Race came out of the back door with fear in his eyes. Before Medda could say anything, he began to ramble. “Did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me? Is Spot mad at me? Did I accidentally say something wrong? Did I-”

“Honey, no. You didn’t do anything wrong. Here, sit down.” She sat down on the back doorsteps and patted the spot beside her. He sat down and waited for her to speak this time. “Now, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but I’m a bit worried. I’ve known you for a long enough time to know that something is wrong when you aren’t wearing eyeliner.”

“I didn’t get any sleep last night. I…I was worried about what Pulitzer would say.” He looked down and fiddled with his fingers in his lap.

“Are you sure?”

Race looked up at her and shook his head, his eyes glazed over with tears. Medda smiled sympathetically and held her arms open. He nearly threw himself into her arms and broke down. She rocked him back and forth and rubbed his back.

“They fought all night again, Miss Medda. It w-was bad.  When I came out of my room, m-my Mama was gone and s-so was all of her stuff. My dad went off on a business trip today and he won’t be back until n-next week. I don’t know what I’m g-gonna do, Miss Medda. I don’t want to be alone.”

***

When the final bell rang, they all exited the prop room looking like a miniature pride parade. Romeo had gotten ahold of a rainbow boa, Elmer got her hands on fake rainbow eyelashes, and Crutchie had gotten into the glitter from the looks of himself and everyone else. Medda and Race came in from outside and he immediately ran to his boyfriend.

“Do you mind if I stay with you for a few days? Medda said I could, but I just want to make sure I’m not-”

“Of course you can stay with us, babe. You’re always welcome at Chateau Larkin.” Spot chuckled, then frowned. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, just, uh…family issues. I’ll tell you later.”

“Alright. Hey, Jack! Race is staying with us!”

“Just don’t moan too loud! Sound from your room echoes in mine and I really don’t need to hear that!” Jack laughed while trying to pick a piece of glitter off of David’s face that was dangerously close to his eye. Spot laughed mockingly in response and started to leave the auditorium with Race.

“If you aren’t at the truck within five minutes after I get there, I’m leaving without you. I have shit to do.”

“You wouldn’t.” Jack gasped.

“Oh, I would,” Spot called over his shoulder.

“Would he?” David questioned.

“He would. He’s done it before. I’ve done it to him, too, though, so it’s alright.” Jack finally got the glitter away from David’s eye.

“If you don’t make it, I could drive you. I just have to pick my little brother up first.” David offered.

“Ah, I wouldn’t want to-”

“Nonsense. I already know what you’re going to say. If Spot’s gone, you’re riding with me. No ‘buts.’”

“Alright, jeez. You know, I’m kind of excited to meet your little brother. From what you’ve said about him, he sounds like a cool little guy.”

“You two are just alike, believe me. You’ll get along perfectly.”

[princepriestandpirate]

Character Solidifying for Rowan!

god this is so fucking late forgive me, but anyway here u go! answers under the cut

1. How does your character think of their father? What do they hate and love about him? What influence - literal or imagined - did the father have?

oh he loved his dad, and he thinks of him with a lot of love and respect. really, the only thing about his father that was not so great was the amount of time that he spent working, and both rowan and em wished that he had more time to spend with them. at the same time though, if rowan or emilia sought their dad out he’d always try to spend time with them. he was a good guy, and rowan wants to be someone who would make his dad proud & honor his legacy.

2. Their mother? How do they think of her? What do they hate? Love? What influence - literal or imagined - did the mother have?

his relationship w/ his mother is more complicated, mostly because she died when rowan was very young (she died in childbirth giving birth to emilia, so rowan would have been about 3) so rowan doesn’t remember her well. he maybe thinks of her with a bit of longing, but that’s more about the idea of a mother rather than the woman herself. 

3. Brothers, sisters? Who do they like? Why? What do they despise about their siblings?

he has one younger sister, Emilia (3 years younger). he loves his little sister a lot, partially because he was always very attached to the role of being a “big brother” and partially because he and emilia were probably each other’s only playmates as kids? they probably fought sometimes, like siblings do, especially since em always had a lot more energy and rowan just wanted to be left alone sometimes, but at the end of the day she’s one of the most important people to him. he’s very proud of her, even if she is a terrorist probably?

4. What type of discipline was your character subjected to at home? Strict? Lenient?

it wasn’t very strict at all but i also think he was a pretty good kid who didn’t get into trouble all that often

5. Were they overprotected as a child? Sheltered?

physically yes, mentally not as much? he and em had their own personal guards, and rowan was accompanied by a group of guards + marcus after his family was attacked, so physically he was never in much danger. on the other hand, his father believed in being honest w/ the kids and not trying to hide all the stuff that was going on in the outside world, and after rowan started traveling w/ marcus they didn’t keep their plans from him and let him be involved (probably because rowan would be even more upset if he didn’t know what was going on)

6. Did they feel rejection or affection as a child?

all affection. one thing that can be said for his tragic backstory™ is that at least he was always surrounded by people who loved and cared for him

7. What was the economic status of their family?

very rich, they were nobility

8. How does your character feel about religion?

he wasn’t raised in any religion so he has no attachment to any specific religious beliefs, but he believes that gods exist and it’s probably a good idea to stay on their good side (although this is changing a bit now that he’s met a bunch of gods and some of them are dicks *cough* aengus *cough*)

in modern day he’d probably be considered vaguely agnostic

9. What about political beliefs?

very anti-new initiative and pro-hoth (obv). on a more theoretical level, he believes that there should be a government to unify, organize, and protect the people, but it shouldn’t run into totalitarianism and should have input from the people it governs.

10. Is your character street-smart, book-smart, intelligent, intellectual, slow-witted?

as a kid, very book smart, which would have continued if it wasn’t for the attack on his home. he ended up having to abandon his studies to some extent and focus much more on practical skills, so he has a good amount of street smarts as well now, although they mostly focus on his ability to move unnoticed and gather information.

11. How do they see themselves: as smart, as intelligent, uneducated?

he sees himself as fairly smart, but not super well-educated (or at least not as well educated as he’d like to be), since he’s self-taught on a lot of stuff and doesnt have a full formal education

12. How does their education and intelligence – or lack thereof - reflect in their speech pattern, vocabulary, and pronunciations?

i think the fact that he was well educated as a kid but had to quickly adapt to life on the road (w/ a bunch of guards no less) is reflected in his speech, as he goes back and forth between a more formal speaking style and more casual speech in his day to day conversations. he can switch back into more formal/well-educated speech if he needs to (see: when pretending to be a noble) but it’s not very natural for him.

13. Did they like school? Teachers? Schoolmates?

he loved it! he’s a fucking nerd and he loves to learn, so much that he kept up his studies even after he lacked a formal schooling environment. he also really like his teacher ms. alduri, even if she was strict sometimes. he didn’t have schoolmates though, he was basically homeschooled and his sister was younger than him and interested in different subjects anyway.

14. Were they involved at school? Sports? Clubs? Debate? Were they unconnected?

those didn’t really exist, he had private tutors

15. Did they graduate? High-School? College? Do they have a PHD? A GED?

he stopped his formal education at age nine

16. What does your character do for a living? How do they see their profession? What do they like about it? Dislike?

he’s a spy, basically. he doesn’t really see it as a matter of liking or not liking his work, but instead the work that he does is a matter of necessity. he’s doing this work because it’ll help him achieve his ultimate goals (bringing down new initiative/bringing back hoth) and because he has a deep loyalty to the resistance for all the help and protection they’ve given him. he likes that he’s doing useful work, and he likes seeing new places.

17. Did they travel? Where? Why? When?

all the time since he was nine. they never stopped in one place for more than a month, mostly around khajjitan (sp?) and then when he started helping out the resistance, in the desert as well, although recently he’s been traveling farther north. he travels because if he stays in one place too long he might be found by people who may potentially want to kill him, and because his job requires it.

18. What did they find abroad, and what did they remember?

this is kind of a weird question to answer, because at this point his “being abroad” encompasses… over half his life? but i would say he found his godfather, his favorite weapon, his best friend, and a lot of new skills. he remembers a lot of moving around and never really making friends or relationships that lasted, and seas of grass, and later seas of sand that go on for days. and he of course remembers marcus sticking by him and taking care of him.

19. What were your character’s deepest disillusions? In life? What are they now?

right after his home was attacked i think he realized, moreso than he ever had before, that the world was a mean and dangerous place and that he wasn’t safe, and that no one really was. i think it’s still probably something close to that, that you can’t really trust anybody but yourself and a few others.

20. What were the most deeply impressive political or social, national or international, events that they experienced?

oh boy. well, when he was very young he was in the area when the capital of hoth collapsed, and he was also present for the attack on his home where the last king of hoth was assassinated. later on, he was in the capital of khajjitan when the high councilor was killed in an attack on the city and he participated in fighting off invaders. he was also present when that one building blew up in the fishing villages. a lot of shit has happened tbh.

21. What are your character’s manners like? What is their type of hero? Whom do they hate?

he’s pretty polite to strangers, kind of a snarky shit to people he knows better. i don’t think he’s particularly taken with the ideas of heroes, but he would model his image of a hero off of his father or marcus, very kind men who always put others before themselves.

he hates a good portion of jashtall’s government. he also tends not to like people he perceives as untrustworthy which is… ironic

22. Who are their friends? Lovers? ‘Type’ or ‘ideal’ partner?

lumley + the people on his team, although to varying degrees (he probably puts lumley, maybe peitho and honeyclaw in the friend category, while he views mies and ko as coworkers, although he’s starting to get closer to mies). he doesn’t really have a lot of friends otherwise since he didn’t grow up around a lot of people his age. he also doesn’t really have ‘lovers,’ unless you count a couple one-off flings from when he was traveling by himself or his current thing with quinn.

as for ‘type’, i dont think he pursues romantic stuff often but he tends to go after people who are a bit more outgoing than him that he can have a good conversation with/match intellectually (that he can nerd out with basically). i think he also tends to go for people who are taller than him? i think that’s a thing

(i’ve also definitely decided that his taste in girls is “girls that are definitely way cooler than him” but i havent figured out his taste in guys yet, more info to come)

23. What do they want from a partner? What do they think and feel of sex?

he wants (or at least definitely needs) someone who is stable and can sort of ground him emotionally, and someone he can trust completely.

as for sex it’s…weird? because i think sex is something he wants/enjoys but he has a lot of hang-ups wrapped up in his issues with trusting others and being open with them. so he finds the experience of having to be very intimate physically or emotionally very uncomfortable and it makes sex kind of an awkward topic

24. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually?

almost none, he doesn’t interact w/ a lot of people outside of missions. when he is around people he either likes to fade into the background unless he’s put in a specific role he’s supposed to fulfill. in reality he likes to be in control of the situation and know what’s going.

25. What are their hobbies and interests?

he loves magic! so much that he studied it even after his formal schooling got cut short. he also loves history and reads non-fiction books whenever he gets the chance. and in his spare time he enjoys playing cards (which some of the guards he traveled with taught him). it’s how he developed a good poker face.

26. What does your character’s home look like? Personal taste? Clothing? Hair? Appearance?

what home lol

as for personal taste though, he tends to go for darker/duller colors that don’t stick out too much (he likes to wear shades of blue and brown especially). he likes comfortable and inconspicuous clothes, and goes for simplicity over complicated outfits, altho he’s a fan of layers. his head is shaved, but when it grows out he has dark curly hair. 

27. How do they relate to their appearance? How do they wear their clothing? Style? Quality?

he cares a lot about his appearance but more in the sense of being very careful of what kind of image he’s projecting. he doesn’t want to stick out too much, and is careful to dress in a way that will make him blend in to whatever circumstance he needs to. unless he’s wearing the very fancy clothing he obtained recently so he could dress as a noble (a situation which is very weird and new, he hasn’t dressed up like this since he was little), he tends to go for comfortable, modest clothing that he can move around in easily, usually involving layers and some way to hide his face. nothing ridiculously high quality, but he likes clothes that will last him a while.

28. Who is your character’s mate? How do they relate to him or her? How did they make their choice?

he’s not really with anyone atm, all of his recent romantic encounters have been born almost exclusively out of him trying to get info out of people

29. What is your character’s weaknesses? Hubris? Pride? Controlling?

depends on the situation and who you ask. in relationships, his tendency towards thinking of relationships strategically and hella trust issues/lying. in his job, has a soft squishy center that can lead to him getting attached, although on the other hand he also has a bad tendency towards very black and white thinking, putting a lot of emotional weight on ppl he trusts and kinda disregarding anyone who falls into an enemy category. it’s complicated.

30. Are they holding on to something in the past? Can he or she forgive?

oh boy is he! he’s holding onto his father’s death and his sister’s disappearance, and it’s not something that he’s going to be able to forgive, ever i think. it fucked up his life too much for true forgiveness to ever really be an option.

31. Does your character have children? How do they feel about their parental role? About the children? How do the children relate?

he doesn’t have kids, although he’d like to be a dad one day

32. How does your character react to stress situations? Defensively? Aggressively? Evasively?

usually evasively, if something is wrong or he doesnt want to deal with a situation his first instinct is to run or evade.

33. Do they drink? Take drugs? What about their health? 

he drinks occasionally but not often, since he doesn’t like the “lowered inhibitions” part of it that much

34. Does your character feel self-righteous? Revengeful? Contemptuous?

very revengeful and somewhat righteous towards jashtall. they killed his family and destroyed his country and his life, he’s not happy.

35. Do they always rationalize errors? How do they accept disasters and failures?

he puts a lot of pressure onto himself to live up to the roles placed onto him, so when things go wrong he tends to think of it as his fault and freak out a bit, usually trying to atone for whatever happened.

36. Do they like to suffer? Like to see other people suffering?

no, but he’ll endure a lot if he thinks its for a good reason or cause. and he doesnt like to see people suffer but there are some enemies he won’t be afraid to be ruthless against.

37. How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Worried most of the time? Living in memories?

he’s not a big daydreamer, tends to be more focused on the moment and how he’s going to approach the future. he tends more towards the latter two, worrying quite a bit but tbh his situation calls for a good bit of that, and when he’s alone he prefers to revisit old (good) memories rather than daydream.

38. Are they basically negative when facing new things? Suspicious? Hostile? Scared? Enthusiastic?

almost always very suspicious, even of things that seem relatively innocuous. he’s not very trusting and usually assumes others are out to get him or could lead to him being found out unless he has reason to believe otherwise.

39. What do they like to ridicule? What do they find stupid?

he doesn’t (outwardly) ridicule others a lot i don’t think (unless they did something really dumb), but internally he thinks people who automatically trust others are dumb, as well as people who don’t think before they act.

40. How is their sense of humor? Do they have one?

he doesn’t have much of a sense of humor. he can laugh at other people’s jokes but is very bad at making them himself. he likes wordplay and puns though.

41. Is your character aware of who they are? Strengths? Weaknesses? Idiosyncrasies? Capable of self-irony?

he’s aware of his own strengths and weaknesses on a physical level, he knows what skills he has and how he can be most useful, but he’s not super self aware internally. he’s not very introspective and probably isn’t aware of how emotional he is.

42. What does your character want most? What do they need really badly, compulsively? What are they willing to do, to sacrifice, to obtain?

right now, he wants his sister back, he wants jashtall in pieces, he wants to build his home again. he’ll sacrifice a lot of work and pain and hardship for that.

43. Does your character have any secrets? If so, are they holding them back?

oh boy does he lol. mostly the “secretly the prince of hoth” thing, along with the “currently a spy” thing, along with the several fake identities he’s using at the moment. he hold these things back from most people, but he’s becoming more open now that he has more people that he can rely on. he won’t give most of this info up unless it’s necessary to do so though.

44. How badly do they want to obtain their life objectives? How do they pursue them?

very badly, but his responsibilities come first– it’s a rare occasion that he drops everything to go do whatever he wants. he generally tries to obtain his goals through planning and slow/deliberate action, utilizing help available to him rather than just pursuing things on his own. 

45. Is your character pragmatic? Think first? Responsible? All action? A visionary? Passionate? Quixotic?

very pragmatic, much of which is learned– constantly moving and running away lends itself to making one very pragmatic about their actions, which even extends to how rowan uses magic, mostly picking up charms and illusions because they tend to be the most useful, even if they’re not what he’d prefer. he’s not very impulsive and much prefers to clearly plan things out before acting. “responsible” is also a key character trait of his, he’s very committed to the responsibilities given to him or the responsibilities that come with any role he has (whether as a brother, a prince, a leader, etc.)

 46. Is your character tall? Short? What about size? Weight? Posture? How do they feel about their physical body?

height-wise he’s very average (he’s 5′9″). i don’t know his weight but he errs on the leaner side, although he does have muscles (his build is somewhat akin to a dancer’s build, where he has muscles but they’re mostly focused on being able to move quickly and efficiently rather than pure strength). he has very good posture. i don’t think he has any problems with his body, but he’s also pretty modest and doesn’t really want to show it off at all.

47. Do they want to project an image of a younger, older, more important person? Does they want to be visible or invisible?

he wants to come off as older and more secure and in-control than he is. whether he wants to be viewed as important/visible/invisible changes depending on the situation. if he’s pretending to be someone important then he wants to project that, but otherwise he feels very uncomfortable being looked at and noticed and would much prefer to blend into the crowd.

48. How are your character’s gestures? Vigorous? Weak? Controlled? Compulsive? Energetic? Sluggish?

very controlled and deliberate.

49. What about voice? Pitch? Strength? Tempo and rhythm of speech? Pronunciation? Accent?

his voice is... tenorish maybe? idk, not terribly low but not super high either. he doesn’t have a very loud voice but knows how to speak authoritatively, and he tends to speak a bit more slowly and deliberately. 

in regards to pronunciation & accent (and also vocabulary), i think it’s somewhat apparent in his normal speech that he goes back and forth between a more “proper” and “educated” style of speech that he spoke growing up as nobility (which also would probably come with a hothean accent, whatever that is in this world), and a more casual style of speech that he picked up from years on the road (he also pronounces some words with a kajjitani accent/pronunciation), he can fall back into the more “noble” style if the situation calls for it, but his normal speaking style goes back and forth between the two. 

50. What are the prevailing facial expressions? Sour? Cheerful? Dominating?

his main facial expression is a serious one, trying to seem impassive but definitely kind of “on” at all times. if he shows his emotions his expressions tend to be kind of grumpy, although he can put up a front and appear very polite and amiable if he wants (although he finds it very draining to do so).