#he looks like he ate bugs. and dirt. and grass.

[waterbottlqueen]

lidl garou

[topazy]

Teen spirit

Pairing: Carl Grimes × reader, Maggie Greene × sister reader

Warnings: Swearing

Chapter: 5.05

Your eyes sting as more tears fall from them. You wipe them away with the back of your hand, then pull your knees up to your chest. You let out a shaky breath. Three weeks had passed since Beth died in Atlanta, and since then the group had tragically lost another member, Tyreese. He died when part of the group split off to see if Noah’s hometown of Shirewilt was liveable, and now your group was heading in the direction of DC.

The town was unlivable and full of nothing but rotten corpses.

Most of the group of survivors you were part of were sitting in the middle of the road, but a few of you had gone off to try and search for water and food in the woods. Since your group had hardly any left, everyone was becoming dangerously dehydrated. The group's mood was at an all-time low, and you had barely spoken in three weeks, only when necessary.

You jump, feeling a hand on your shoulder. “Hey, hey, it’s just me,” Daryl says. “I just wanted to make sure you ate something.”

If you weren’t still in so much pain from grieving, you would have found the humor in Daryl offering you a handful of worms as a meal. A few years ago, you would have run away screaming if a bug even touched your skin, and now you were getting ready to eat the slimy insects without a second thought. You let him place a few worms in your hand. “Thanks.”

“Beth, never shut up about you.”

You say nothing, and you continue to eat in silence.

—

When you returned to meet up with the others along with Daryl, you found out that someone had left bottles of water further up the road with a note saying ‘from a friend’ but nobody drank out of the bottles in case they were poisoned.

You scrunch your nose up at the smell of burning food. Four hungry dogs had run out from the tree line and onto the road, but before they could attack or run away, Sasha shot all of them, which resulted in the animals being skinned and cooked as a meal. Everyone ate aside from you and Noah.

Noah seemed to be too consumed by guilt to eat, and the thought of eating your favorite animal turned your stomach.

You sit the furthest away from the group by yourself until Carl sits down beside you on a dry patch of grass. He nudges your knee with his elbow. “Hey, I got something for you.”

You look at him through tired eyes and say, “Yeah?”

Carl pulls two bracelets made of yarn out of his pocket; they were covered in dirt, but you could still make out the bracelets were a mixture of blue and purple. “I found these while looking for water in abandoned cars a few days ago; I was just waiting for the best time to give it to you. I remember you saying, you used to make friendship bracelets with your mom for the church fundraiser.”

Your eyes become glossy at the memory of sitting on your bedroom floor hours after your bedtime, making them with brightly colored threads and sparkly beads. You hold the wrist out, and Carl puts the bracelet on before tying the ends into tight knots. “They are really pretty,” you say quietly. “Thank you.”

Once yours is securely on, Carl holds up his wrist for you to do the same. “No matter where we end up or how alone we feel, we can just look at these and remember that we will always have someone who has our back.”

For the first time in weeks, you smile.

—

Noticing Daryl going off on his own again, you get to your feet and follow him into the woods, being careful not to step on any of the skeletons on the forest floor. Suddenly he stops walking and says, “Not now, kid, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I know.”

Beth’s death hadn’t just taken a toll on you and Maggie; everyone else in the group who knew her felt her death too, just in different ways. You walk up behind Daryl and wrap your arms around his waist. At first, you think he’s going to shove you off, but he places his hands on top of yours. Daryl was tough, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t fragile like the rest of you.

“When we... after the prison... I’m glad Beth was with you.”

Despite his best efforts to hold it together, a heartbroken sob passes his lips.

You stay like that until you feel the first drop of rain hitting your skin. You let go of Daryl and ran back to the highway. Empty bottles were being placed down to collect the rainwater.

A sense of relief hit you; everyone aside from Maggie and Sasha looked happy. You smile watching as Carl takes off his hat and uses it to shield Judith from the rain; she was crying because her clothes had gotten soaked.

Hearing a loud crackle in the sky, you look up and notice the oncoming storm. “Oh shit.”

Daryl points back the way and says, “I saw a barn; let’s go.”

—

Once the barn was cleared by Rick, Michonne, and Maggie, they gave the rest of you the go-ahead to go in. It didn’t take long for a small to be made and any supplies sought out.

“Hey!” Maggie comes over to you, tucking stands of damp hair behind your ear. “It’s been tough, but we’ve made it this far.”

“I know.”

She kisses the crown of your bed and says, “Try and get some sleep.”

It doesn’t take you long to fall asleep. You and Carl chose to sleep on top of some hay, with Judith safely nestled between you. Most of the adults sit around the fire till late into the night until they fall asleep one by one.

Feeling a chill If you sit upright, it takes your eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. Everyone else was asleep aside from Judith, who was wiggling on her back. You make sure she’s tucked up close enough to her brother that she won’t roll away and get hurt.

You approach the barn doors held together by a metal chain. You weren’t surprised it was cold with the rain still lashing down. You step closer to the doors to look out and see what damage the heavy rainfall caused, and between the flashes of lighting, you see walkers coming your way.

Stumbling back, you struggled to form a sentence but managed to scream one word, “Rick!”

When the barn door starts to move, you press yourself against it. Seconds later, Daryl is beside you, then Maggie, then Rick. Soon everyone was pushing their full body weight against the doors, waiting for the storm to pass.

[hqmillioncorn]

FFXIVWrite Day eighteen: Fish Out of Water

with @windupnamazu 's Butter and Pancake and Cinnamon

Pancake looked over the clipboard that her brother had handed her. Somehow in his embarrassment he had overlooked the very obvious signs he had left behind of his newfound crush.  “Heh-heh” Pancake laughed to herself, in a mischievous manner that could have only come from a younger sister with a plan.  She looked over to her brother, who was trying his best to not look at Babycorn sitting next to him. He couldn’t have been more obvious if he tried. It was really sad. It was up to Pancake to save the day! And if she couldn’t commit regicide then this was the next best thing. “Why don’t you practice kissing Hildibrand?” Pancake stood up and turned Babycorn towards her brother, “Here! Butter can help you practice kissing so you can be really good at it.!” “PANCAKE!!” Babycorn, meanwhile, wondered when lunch was gonna be. 

 

Hi everyone! 

My name’s Chelinka! But everyone calls me Babycorn! 

You might not know it but I’m actually a mermaid!! 

Or at least that’s what I think everyone up on land calls us! Queen Lunya would know more! She knows a lot! But what she doesn’t know is that I’m up here! Hehehehehe! I snuck away onto the surface without telling anyone but Cherry! 

But it’s okay because this is for love!

You see, a while ago me and Cherry started collecting a lot of cool stuff from humans! Boring people like Queen Lunya and Tilika might call it stealing but I call it borrowing without giving it back. Where else am I gonna get cool stuff like this tasty metal from?! CRUNCH

And it’s real easy, you see. I have a light on my head that lets me…Uh Never mind!

One day me and Cherry saw a biiiig thing moving around above us. Turns out it had a bunch of people on it! Including a really really cool guy…He was handsome and strong and he’s really funny…My hearts going Ba-bump ba-bump! 

I learned his name is Prince Hildibrand!

I just have to know more about him!! He’s my true love! I just know it! 

It wouldn’t hurt to just get a bit closer.

Babycorn wrote down the last few events of the day on a small piece of paper. “Can’t forget the part where I ate that really yummy food! That’s really important!” 

She had eaten the piece of roast beef all in one bite. By the looks on Hildibrand and his family's faces they all must have been really impressed!

Her mermaid tail and lure might have disappeared with the spell Hades cast on her but her legendary appetite and sharp teeth had someone snuck through the terms and conditions that Babycorn had not bothered to even acknowledge. 

“Then after that me and Prince Hildibrand went on a walk in the garden~” 

Babycorn began to write all about how she had made a dive for a worm that she’d seen on the ground just to show it to him. Hildibrand was impressed at the speed that Babycorn had caught the worm and asked her if she had an interest in bugs. Babycorn nodded enthusiastically, she did! 

Teehee~How did he know?

‘Then let I, Hildibrand Helidor Maximilian Manderville, catch one for you as well my esteemed guest!’ Hildibrand declared right before jumping into a pile of grass. It was a while before Babycorn decided to check up on him. She was surprised to see just his two legs sticking up from the dirt. 

Then again that was how she found him on the ocean floor when she went to save him a few days ago. So she shouldn’t have been too surprised. Babycorn tried to call for help but forgot once again that she had sold her voice to sea witch Hades for the chance to even be up here. 

She was able to catch a break when Nashu, one of the castle's many servants, happened to be walking by and together they were able to pluck Hildibrand out of the ground like a freshly grown radish. 

“Ah! You have once again managed to save this gentleman’s life once again! How am I ever to repay you?” 

Nashu requested a three-course meal because oddly enough this was not the first time she had done this. 

Babycorn pointed at Hildibrand’s hair. Stuck between the strands of his luscious and gentlemanly hair was a wriggling little caterpillar. It looked very confused on how it got there. 

“Ah-ha!” Nashu noticed what Babycorn was pointing at and plucked the caterpillar right out of Hildibrand’s hair. “I think she wants this!” Nashu dropped the caterpillar onto Babycorn’s excited hands. 

“No doubt that the wonderful lady wants to return the lost caterpillar to its home!” Hildibrand mused. It was just like Babycorn had done with him, he was sure now that this was the same kind soul that must have saved him from drowning on that fateful night. And now she was doing the same for this poor defenseless creature.

Then she slurped up both the worm and caterpillar like they were noodles on a plate of spaghetti.

“You should have seen the look on his face…I think he really likes me too…” Babycorn giggled to herself, kicking her feet. The way Hildibrand’s eyes widened and how he backed away alongside Nashu. 

“That should be it I think!” 

Babycorn picked up the paper and admired her work. It was a bunch of nonsensical drawings because Babycorn had no idea how to write and especially not with such unfamiliar instruments. 

Her drawings were more sloppy than usual so she hoped that Cherrypit would be able to understand them. The one with her and Hildibrand holding hands and kissing were very important. Sure neither of those things actually happened but it was only a matter of time!

Babycorn wrapped the paper into a tube shape and walked (she still couldn’t believe it! She wasn't swimming!) over to where her friend Cait Sith was napping. She had met the cute little stray kitty cat back when she still had a fishtail so it was a big coincidence that he happened to also hang around the castle. 

“You good to go Cait Sith?” She tucked the tube of paper under his collar and gently poked him, his ear wiggled in response but he didn’t budge. “I promise to give you a really tasty snack and a paperclip later! Pleaaaase?” 

Cait Sith let out a meow and finally stood back up with a shake. 

Babycorn couldn’t understand what he was saying without Cherrypit but it was probably something along the lines of “Ay’ lass I’ve got it. Anything else ye wanna include? Mayhaps the story of your entire life while you’re at it?” 

“Aw thanks Cait! You’re the best!”

Hopefully Cherrypit was doing okay by himself…

Prince Hildibrand looked so handsome!! I really wished I could have said ‘Hi’ to him! Or to say anything to him really…I bet all it would take was one look between us for him to know that we were destined for each other!

Cherry said that it would never work but what does he know?

Everything was going great! Until it started raining a lot! 

Then something happened and the big thing all the people were on started going in the water! I grabbed Cherry and started swimming away because I was afraid he was gonna get hit by something! 

I hoped everyone was gonna be okay but then I heard someone yelling and I turned around to see Prince Hildibrand in the water. He was sinking really fast! A little too fast. I was about to swim after him but then Cherry said that what I was looking at was the statue of Prince Hildibrand. 

The real one was sinking right next to him at a much slower pace. 

“Oh no!” 

I started to swim after him but there were so many things falling that it was hard to reach him in time. It was really dark but thankfully my lantern was able to light up in front of me! So I could see where I was going. 

Me and Cherry found Hildibrand and his legs sticking out of the ground! 

I’m usually not very strong but somehow I was able to pull him right out and swim him back up out of the water. I may not know a lot about people that live on land but I do know that they can’t breathe in the water like me and Cherry! So I had to get him out of there as quickly as I could!

And I did!

Butter grabbed a bucket and flipped it over, sitting on it with a sigh. 

It had taken all morning but he had finally convinced himself that the random girl that Prince Hildibrand had picked up from the ocean was not cute and he wasn’t thinking of holding her hand and walking down the beach with her. 

‘You’re not fooling anyone doofus.’ He thought to himself. 

“I knoooow…” Butter rested his head on his hands and sighed again. He wouldn’t even be able to fool a newborn baby at this rate. Everytime he even thought about Babycorn he began to blush and his heart beat faster and faster.

Just yesterday he had been working in the garden and had seen her walking alongside Prince Hildibrand. Butter saw Babycorn digging in the dirt and thought that maybe she had an interest in gardening. The thought of gifting her some flowers crossed his mind. 

Then he saw her eat a caterpillar. ‘Oooh! She likes eating bugs! I know a place with really tasty looking bugs!’ He and Oleo had played there when they were kids and Butter knew a particular area with the most colorful bugs. 

The dress that Babycorn had been gifted was covered in leaves, dirt and had been torn up in a few places but for completely normal reasons Butter thought that Babycorn would probably look pretty in anything. 

Butter had talked with her three times now. Not that Butter was counting or anything. 

The first time was when Butter had first caught sight of Babycorn when she first arrived at the palace. She was dressed in an assortment of rags that kind of resembled the sails of a boat. Butter would know, he had helped to secure those exact ones just days before. 

Butter’s main job may have been stablehand but his official title might as well have been ‘Tiny little guy who knows how to do mostly everything and loves to help.’

When he saw Babycorn walk by he couldn’t help but look at her. 

The way her hair almost glowed in the sunlight, her eyes that were practically sparkling at him. How her braids wrapped around her cheeks, shaped almost like a line of hearts. Her freckles that almost looked like a batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on her face.

It was enough to cause Butter to drop everything he was carrying right then and there. 

He noticed Babycorn gave him an excited wave. He looked behind him just to make sure she wasn’t waving at someone else. “H-Hi!” Butter said back. His voice was quiet and for a second he wasn’t sure if she had heard him.

To his pleasant surprise, she had! Just as she walked out of view she waved back at him again. Butter wasn’t quite sure how long he had stood there with his mouth wide open. 

The second time was on the first evening that Babycorn arrived. He had been the one to knock on her door and take her to the dining room for dinner. Butter had been unusually nervous, not just because he had helped cook this dinner but also because he had no idea. 

He was never this nervous around other guests the Mandervilles had. 

“D-Dinner is ready…” He nervously said, trying not to stare at her really cute face. He just barely resisted telling her that he really hoped that she liked it. 

Babycorn gave him a big smile. The rumors were true. This mysterious girl that had saved Prince Hildibrand’s life couldn’t speak or communicate in any other way. Which was weird because Prince Hildibrand had told everyone in the castle about the mermaid with the beautiful singing voice that had saved him. That also looked exactly like Babycorn. 

Maybe she wasn’t the same girl? That could have been it. 

Butter turned around to lead Babycorn down to the dining room but stopped and turned back when he noticed that she wasn’t following behind him. 

“Is everything okay?” He asked. Call it force of habit, he knew that Babycorn wouldn’t be able to answer. That made him feel like a huge dummy. 

Babycorn nodded her hand and took a slow step forward. She looked happy when her foot touched the ground, but then on the second step she faltered and it looked like she was about to fall. If she could have screamed she would have. 

“Watch out!” Butter leapt into action without thinking. 

Babycorn had begun to fall backwards as she tried in vain to regain some sort of balance. Butter was fast enough to catch her, just barely. He managed to catch her in his arms as he held her up by her back. They stayed frozen in place for the longest, each of them looking into the other’s shocked eyes. 

“I…um…” Butter’s entire brain was failing him. Why couldn’t he think of anything to say?!

Eventually he realized what he was doing. “Right-! Right! Um!” He helped Babycorn stand up right again and took a step back. “Sorry about that! I hope you’re alright Miss….” He didn’t even know her name?! What kind of first impression was this?! 

Barring the fact that no one in this castle actually knew her name. 

“Miss…Ma’am…?” Butter looked away in shame.

Then he felt something grab his hand. 

“H-Huh?” Looking down he saw Babycorn’s hand grabbing his. 

ba-bump ba-bump ba-bump ba-bump 

Babycorn was smiling at him. She gestured at him to walk alongside her. “So you w-won’t fall? Is that why?” Butter asked. Babycorn nodded in response. That was exactly what her intentions were. 

“Yeah! Of course I’ll help you!”  

They held hands all the way downstairs and into the dining room. That’s where Butter realized that Babycorn only had eyes for Prince Hildibrand. The way she looked at him, the way she acted around him, they were all dead giveaways. The universe couldn’t have been more clearer about it unless it literally spelled it out for him. 

Butter had been so dejected he missed the part where Babycorn had cleaned off every piece of food off her plate. 

Butter tried to forget about her, but every time he tried to fall asleep he just kept thinking about how nice it was to be with her. Even if it was mostly a one-sided conversation Butter had made sure to give Babycorn enough time to respond in her own way. So he could safely say that it was nice to talk to her. 

It was probably just better to forget the whole thing even happened. 

That was until Butter decided to walk along the ocean shore to clear his head. 

There he happened to run across a familiar stray cat. “Hey you shouldn’t be out here!” Butter recognized the cat from the palace, “It’s dangerous out here! You could get eaten by a shark! Or worse!” When the cat ran away from him, Butter found he had no choice to follow. 

That’s when he tripped right over a large tail fin.

“Ow! Watch it!” Butter heard someone say. Whoever they were, they sounded young. Butter had to stand up and let them know that it was dangerous here at night too. Butter stood up from the sand, shaking some of it out from his gravity-defying hair. 

If Butter were more of an actual normal person (who didn’t have a secret fairy companion living with him) he probably would have been more shocked at the presence of a real life merkid in front of him. 

“Sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going!” Butter apologized. He hoped he hadn’t hurt him. Butter looked around to see the stray cat now resting on a rock, licking its paw. It looked like he was worried about nothing. It felt a little silly. Still it was probably a little dangerous to be out here anyway. 

“What are you doing out here?” he asked.

Cherrypit ignored Butter for the time being and focused on something more important, the message from his sister. “...Oh mean Bebe I can’t understand any of this…” He should have seen this coming. Fortunately there was one part of it that Cherrypit could understand clearly. 

‘this guy helped me walk all the way to get food with hildibrand’ 

Cherrypit looked at the drawing, then at Butter, then at the drawing, then back at Butter. They were nearly identical. 

“You!” Cherrypit yelled out to Butter.

“ME?!” 

“Did you help my sister today?!” 

“D-Did I?!” 

“She says you did!” Cherrypit held up the paper and pointed up at it. 

“T-That was your sister?!” Butter was slowly starting to place the pieces together. Could that girl really be a mermaid? Then that would mean that she was the…

“Does she have blond hair?”

“Yeah!”

“Yellow eyes?”

“Yeah!!”

“Really clumsy?”

“That’s her!!” 

Cherrypit let out a cheer. He was overjoyed that his sister was doing okay. He had been so worried about her, especially after he had to be the one to swim her up to the surface before she drowned herself. After she had been taken away by Hildibrand to the palace he hadn’t heard from her since before just a few seconds ago.

According to Cherrypit, Babycorn’s younger brother, she had made a deal with a sea witch named Hades and if Babycorn didn’t share a kiss with her true love in the next two days then she would be cursed, or something he hadn’t quite understood everything that Cherrypit was telling him. 

But it had also been a lot to drop on him at five in the morning so Butter was still a little proud of himself for processing most of it. 

“Pleease you have to help her!” Cherrypit cried, “I’m really worried and Queen Lunya keeps asking me where Bebe is and I’m running out of excuses and I’m scared that B-Bebe is gonna…she’s gonna…” 

Without missing a beat Butter reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of candy. The strawberry kind were Pancake’s favorite and he hoped that Cherrypit would like them too. “Here.” He held it out for Cherrypit to take, “It’s okay! I unwrapped it so you can eat it!” Unwrapping candy before giving it out to someone had become second-nature to him on account of Pancake. 

Just as keeping treats in his pockets was. 

Cherrypit wiped at his eyes and took the candy, looking up at Butter before putting it in his mouth.

“Woaaaah! That’s really tasty!!!” 

Butter smiled, he was glad he could help. 

Happy to help Babycorn was another matter entirely. That being said he wasn’t just going to stand around and let her get cursed! Or worse! He wanted nothing more than to keep her safe! 

This girl that he just met no more than a day ago. Cinnamon was going to call him out on it for sure but his mind was already made up. He was going to keep Babycorn safe and un-cursed as much as he could! No matter what he had to do or where he had to go! 

Even if the one true love that Babycorn had to kiss before it was too late was Prince Hildibrand 

hi diary! its me again  butter! 

today we received word that the s.s manderville sunk off the shores of the kingdom! i was really worried about everyone but a knight told me that she heard that thankfully no one was hurt thats good! 

prince hildibrand has been running around telling everyone that a mermaid was the one who saved him. apparently she had golden colored hair and the singing voice of an angel  it sounds almost too good to be true 

im glad whoever did save him  managed to save him though  they must be a really nice and strong person  i would like to meet them and thank them one day!  i’ll cook them a really yummy meal to say thank you!  

After breakfast Butter had made sure to get Babycorn’s attention before the handmaidens took her and got her ready for the planned day out she had with Hildibrand. He managed to do this by passing her a message that Cherrypit had written himself. 

It was a drawn recreation of his, Butter and Cait Sith’s meeting on the beach.

Babycorn instantly got the message and followed Butter outside all the way to the stables. 

When she got there she was surprised to see her brother there, sitting inside of a large tub full of seawater. He was talking to another child around his age. Whoever she was, she had the same large ears as Butter. 

“That’s my little sister! Pancake!” Butter explained before Babycorn’s imagination could run wild with any other possibilities. “And that fairy over there is Cinnamon.” Butter pointed at a small person with wings perched on top of Pancakes head. Babycorn hadn’t even noticed her at first. 

 As they both walked closer, the conversation Cherrypit and Pancake were having became more audible. 

“Woaaah! So is Queen Lunya like your mom?!” Pancake excitedly asked. 

“Nope!” Cherrypit shook his head, “My mama died when I was little. Queen Lunya is sorta like the queen of all mermaids that live here!” 

“Is she really gonna be mad that you and Babycorn are here?” Pancake was worried. She was glad to have new friends (especially mermaid ones!) but she was a little worried that her friends were gonna get in trouble because of her. 

“Probably!” Cherrypit answered, “But Queen Lunya is really nice! And really powerful so if we get in trouble she’ll probably just get really big to scare Babycorn again.”

“Big?”

“Yeah! Queen Lunya can get small then get really big then small again!” 

“Cool!” 

Just then Pancake noticed that her brother was back. “Butter!” She ran up to him and gave him a hug, “Butter when I grow up I wanna be a mermaid!” 

“Didn’t you tell me just yesterday you wanted to be a mail Moogle?” 

“I changed my mind!”

Once everyone was settled and introduced to each other Butter took out a clipboard on which he had written his entire plan. Alongside some hearts with his and Babycorn’s names on them but nevermind you that dear reader. 

“So here’s the plan. Babycorn and Prince Hildibrand are going out today so they’ll have most of the day to themselves to get closer to each other.” Butter explained, “We just have to figure out some way for Hildibrand to kiss her.” 

“Well it needs a perfect backdrop obviously!” Cinnamon brought up. “Something like…A beautiful sunset! Or something.” 

“Yeah! And you can hold his hand or something gross like that!” 

Butter looked down at his clipboard. “I-I guess you could do that…” He looked over at Babycorn who was nodding along at Cinnamon and Pancake’s suggestions. She looked really happy about the whole thing and considering that this was to save her life, Babycorn was having a lot more fun than someone in her position would have probably been in. 

It made Butter happy, despite everything.

“Do you have any ideas Mr.Butter?” Cherrypit asked. 

Butter was completely caught off guard. “M-Me?! Um…?!” He did have a few but none of them involved Hildibrand. “Y-You could…um…spend time with him and go on a boat ride or a picnic and maybe…?” He looked over at Babycorn who was looking expectantly at him, hanging on his every word. “And…he can…look at your…really…pretty…eyes…and then…k-k-ki…”

What was he DOING?!

Butter snapped out of whatever stupid lovey thoughts he was thinking and handed the clipboard to his sister. “Pancake. You take over.” 

“Uh-huh.”

[restlessfandoming]

“new arrivals” (chilumi oneshot)

Lumine and Childe anticipate the birth of their baby. As always, the two of them never have a moment of peace, and unexpected events arise, throwing everything in danger’s way.

//

hey friends! long time no see :p

i’ve finished my fic “the president and the troublemaker” so i’m back to writing one shots for a bit. if you haven’t read it yet, check it out on my profile :D

this oneshot is in response to this ask i received c:

[Fic Masterlist] // [AO3 Link]

* * *

“new arrivals”

Lumine hated Childe. Well, she hated Childe sometimes. She loved him, she really did, but in this moment, she hated him.

“Just because I am pregnant, doesn’t mean I can’t walk,” she nearly growled at him.

With a sheepish smile, Childe removed his hands from her arms. “Sorry, sorry. Your waddling makes me nervous.”

Lumine scoffed. “Of course I have to waddle.” She patted her swollen belly. “How else can I get around with this thing in me?”

Almost as if in retaliation, Lumine felt a kick inside her—don’t call me ‘thing.’

Instantly, Childe’s hand were resting on her bump, eagerly awaiting their baby’s movements. It truly amazed Lumine at how natural Childe’s paternal instincts were.

Their weekly spars had turned into nightly meetings, and nightly meetings had turned into...Well. Their current situation. It hadn’t been planned, obviously, it had just happened.

It had taken Lumine a whole week of nauseous morning after nauseous morning before Childe finally convinced her to visit Bubu Pharmacy where they both received the shock of their lives. Baizhu had been very compassionate, ensuring the confidentiality of the pregnancy as they left.

Childe had been the first one to get over the shock. For Childe, who had spent his life surrounded by family and younger siblings, he had easily grown accustomed to the idea of his own family—especially one with Lumine.

Lumine, on the other hand, took much, much longer. She hadn’t ever given it a thought: her own family?

She was on a quest to find her brother, of course. To regain her powers, defeat the Unknown God, and leave this world with Aether. She couldn’t just settle down and start a family.

Weeks passed, Lumine’s stomach growing, as she slipped into a dark place, thoughts of failure filling her mind—I’m never going to leave now.

Childe had spent all of his time, taking care of Lumine as she looked after herself less and less. Slowly, he was giving up his duties as a Harbinger; the Tsaritsa and his comrades were growing suspicious. Childe knew if they found out, it would only end in violence. A child between one of their strongest Harbingers and the all-powerful Outlander? They would surely want it as a pawn on their side, if they weren’t going to kill it first.

Childe found them a tiny cottage secluded in the vast mountain ranges of Liyue, with help from Zhongli, who was, of course, the most familiar with the lay of the land. He practically had to carry Lumine there, who was still deep in her depressive state, who spent her days laying in bed, staring blankly at the walls of her inn room, unwilling to move.

Once they were in the cottage, Childe again took care of her as she continued to contemplate her fate, unmoving; he made sure she ate, he cleaned her, and was always there to hold her at night, telling her that he would be with her no matter what she decided to do.

Her love for him only deepened as she saw how selflessly he helped her, how loyal he was. Because of him and his love and devotion, she slowly came to terms with their situation.

The more she thought about it, the more she wanted this life: some secluded home in the mountains with Childe and a bouncing baby on her hip. A slow, peaceful life; it would be such a luxury from what her life was before. But, there was always that pang of guilt that settled in the back of her throat: the anxious thoughts that she was abandoning Aether, her twin brother, for this.

And perhaps it was that guilt that blocked Lumine from having any real connection with the life growing inside her. She hadn’t envisioned whether it would be a son or daughter, whether it would have her hair or Childe’s eyes—she hadn’t even thought of a name. Thinking of this baby only drew up a blank slate, a missing void.

Now nearing the end of her pregnancy, she felt a lot of movement inside. She knew that those moments were supposed to be special, that mothers cherished those feelings, but Lumine’s body registered them more as just...foreign movements.

There was also the fear. The fear of not being able to be a mother in the first place. She envied Childe and his ease with parenthood: knowing all the things to prepare, the foods she should be eating, the first lessons to teach. Lumine had no clue what to say or do.

She and Aether had been abandoned, left to fend for themselves, from a very young age. She never had a solid parental figure in her life.

How am I ever going to be a good mother?

A soft touch to her cheek pulled Lumine from her ruminations.

Childe gave her a smile. “Need anything, Lumi?”

Lumine put her hand over his. “Hm, I am a bit hungry,” she said.

A light chuckle. “How about some sticky honey roast?” His hand slid down from her cheek, his thumb on the corner of her lips. “You’re drooling already.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Shouldn’t you be hurrying up then?”

Childe laughed, then kissed her forehead. “I’ll come get you when it’s ready,” he told her, exiting to the kitchen.

Lumine turned, looking out the open window, into their little garden. The earthly scent wafted through the window, the warm sunshine adding an extra tang to the air. Through the window she counted the growing vegetables, taking note of those ready to harvest.

Humming quietly to herself, she made her way to the kitchen, standing in the doorway to watch Childe flutter about the room, pulling various pots, pans, and utensils out from the shelves.

Archons, he was going to be such a good father.

!!!

There was another movement in her womb, this time sharper, a bit more painful. She let out a tiny gasp.

Childe turned, and immediately went to her, brows furrowed. “You okay?”

“Yes,” she sighed. “There’s been a lot of movement lately.”

There was a long pause before Childe spoke. “Must mean it’s nearly time.”

She locked eyes with him. “Already?”

He reached out and soothed out her hair. “Hey, no worries. I will be right here with you—always.” He smiled softly. “We’ll get through it together.”

Lumine nodded, her throat drying. “I’ll be in the garden for a bit.”

“Okay. Can you get some carrots while you’re there? We’re running a bit low.”

She nodded again, leaving the house while Childe returned to his preparations.

She walked through the tall grass, pushing open the wooden fence leading into the garden, her slippers thudding quietly against the little cobblestone path. Finding the patch of carrots, she slowly knelt down, beginning to pull the orange vegetables from the earth.

Birds tweeted, insects chirped, and Lumine again found herself in the vortex of anxiety as she thought about the coming days. Any day from now, she was going to birth a whole new life into the world—a tiny, little, helpless life she was going to have to raise, look after. Can I do it?

She shook her head.

She had helped countless lives, people of all ages and backgrounds, during her time in Teyvat. She had even formed special bonds with so many of them, this child being a result of one of those special bonds. So, surely she would find her way to loving this new life, to caring for it with all her heart, right?

And she would still search for Aether. Aether wouldn’t be angry. He would love a niece or nephew to look after. She was sure her child would love their uncle right back. So, she would have to find Aether for her child and—

BZZT.

Lumine blinked. Was that a bug?

“Found you.”

Lumine looked over her shoulder, finding a familiar blue-haired boy standing behind her. Scaramouche.

“What an annoyance it’s been looking for you,” he said, the ball of electricity crackling dangerously in his hand.

Anxiety pooled into Lumine’s veins. She wouldn’t be able to fight him, not like this. I can’t even stand up quickly right now.

!!!

Another painful movement ripped through Lumine’s body. She bit the side of her cheek in to keep quiet in front of Scaramouche.

“Not going to say anything?” he taunted, taking steps closer to her. “Not even going to raise your weapon at me?”

She dug her nails into the dirt, trying to make the pain go away.

“C’mon. What happened to the almighty Outlander?” His voice continued to drop in annoyance. Lumine could feel the electricity sparking directly behind her now.

“What do you want?” she strained out.

A sardonic laugh rippled through the air as he yanked her up by her hair.

“What I’ve been ordered to do.” He brought the electricity closer to her throat. “To kill—”

He froze, tiny flickers of Electro energy pricking Lumine’s skin. He let her go, stepping around her as she collapsed back onto the ground.

“How...interesting,” he breathed, eyes cast down at Lumine’s pregnant body. “So this is why you’ve hid all this time.” His eyes twitched, calculating what to do with the new information.

Lumine rubbed at her neck. “Are you still going to kill me? Or take me back to your Tsaritsa?”

“Who’s the father?” Violet-blue eyes met amber. “Don’t tell me…” He let out a cynical laugh, eyes growing wide with hysteria. “That idiot? Of course! Why didn’t we see it before? The two of you did disappear around the same time…”

He leaned down, bringing the Electro energy back near Lumine’s face. “Tartaglia’s nearby, isn’t he?”

Lumine glared at him. I can just pull my sword out right now. He was close enough for her to throw a quick jab at. Maybe she could disarm him and get away.

It had been so long since she had last fought, since she last materialized her sword. It was going to take some time to do it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she finally answered. She focused her energy to her palm, searching through the void for her weapon.

“Playing dumb’s not going to work.” There was a surge of power through the ball of electricity. “You should just tell me before I kill you and find out for myself.”

“You don’t even want the child? You’re just going to kill a potentially powerful weapon?” she tried to bargain. She needed more time. She could feel her sword’s particles slowly returning to her.

Scaramouche paused for a brief second to consider. “Sounds like a liability.” He glanced up at the sky. “The Tsaritsa has all she needs. I’d rather not run the risk of another filthy betrayer.”

SHING!

Lumine’s sword appeared in her hand.

Without hesitation, she stabbed up at Scaramouche, forcing all the elemental energy in her body through the weapon.

Anemo and Geo energy struck the Harbinger in his chest, sending him flying across the garden.

Lumine struggled to stand, stumbling her way back to the house, energy already quickly draining from her heavy body. She glanced back at Scaramouche.

He was standing up, his eyes twitching with rage. “You—” He launched an Electro attack directly at her.

She raised her hand, trying to charge her counter attack as fast as she could.

I can’t get it in time—!

A shield of Hydro formed in front of her, dissipating Scaramouche’s attack.

Relief washed over Lumine as she turned around. Childe—

“Mona?!” she blurted.

The twin-tailed astrologist gave her a small smile. “Didn’t expect to see you here,” she said. Her eyes flickered to Lumine’s belly. “And with child?”

“What are you doing here?!”

Mona threw up a Hydro shield as Scaramouche fired another sphere of Electro.

“The Hydro witch again,” he snarled. “You’re really getting on my nerves.”

Scaramouche charged an arc of lightning straight at them.

Mona casted a large bubble of water to surround them, wincing as the lightning collided with the shield, burning sparks deflecting all over.

The lightning didn’t disappear upon collision, instead continuously barraging against the water. Mona closed her eyes in concentration, brows furrowing with each passing second.

Scaramouche twisted his arm, amping the lightning with more energy, the Electro glow brightening.

CRACK!

Mona let out a sharp gasp; a fine line had splintered in the bubble.

Lumine raised her hands, straining her muscles, and mustering any energy in her body to charge a barrier of her own to help her friend.

!!!

She groaned as she collapsed back onto her knees, a horrible, throbbing pain rippling through her abdomen. Her eyes widened, feeling water trickle down the side of her leg.

No, no, no...not now!

“Lumine!” Mona breathed out. “What’s wrong?”

The blonde cried out as her body underwent another contraction. “I—the baby…,” was all she managed to get out before letting out another cry of pain. The baby is coming!

Mona cursed, another line fracturing in her shield.

“It’s over!” Scaramouche yelled. “There’s no use delaying your deaths!”

A smattering of blue Hydro energy rushed past the women, heading directly for the Harbinger. Just as quickly, Scaramouche withdrew his arc of lightning at Mona and Lumine, blocking the oncoming attack.

Childe locked his daggers with Scaramouche’s Electro shield. His face was twisted in a snarl, a dark, evil expression Lumine had never seen before.

“I’m going to kill you,” he said to Scaramouche, voice gravelly, but plain, as if it were just a simple fact being stated.

The blue-haired boy barked out a laugh. “You can’t. You were always the weakest one of us all.”

Childe mimicked the laughter. “I never did like you, Scaramouche.” His ocean eyes narrowed. “I’m going to enjoy this.”

There was an explosion of Hydro, engulfing the two Harbingers. The two struck each other with ultimate speed and precision, only brief glimpses of their fight visible, disembodied clashes of weapons and elements.

Mona let down her own barrier, short of breath, and knelt next to Lumine.

“I’ll teleport us out of here—to safety,” she said.

Lumine reached out, grasping onto her friend’s arm. “No,” she heaved. “Not...without him.” She looked up, eyes tracking Childe. I’m not going to leave you.

“The father?” the mage asked. She worried her lip as she stared ahead, lost in thought. Then, “Wait here,” she said.

The witch shimmered into thin air with a torrent of water, reappearing next to Childe. Both Scaramouche and Childe immediately turned their weapons at her, which she deflected.

She leapt and grabbed Childe by the shoulder, disappearing yet again, rematerializing next to Lumine. Childe and Scaramouche both let out curses as Mona grabbed Lumine’s arm.

WHOOSH!

Lumine blinked, and the three of them were in a thick forest: a distance aways from where they were before.

Mona cried out as Childe knocked her to the ground, foot pinning her arm, dagger at her face.

“Who are you?” he growled.

“Friend!” Lumine croaked out. “She’s my friend!”

Childe turned towards Lumine. He released his weapons, rushing to Lumine’s side. “Are you hurt?” he asked, gently examining her.

“It’s coming,” Lumine whispered.

She felt his muscles tense against her. “Right now?” Upon her nod, he clenched his jaw. He turned back to Mona. “Do you know anything about childbirth?”

Mona glared at him slightly, rubbing at her bruised arm. “No. I’m an astrologist, not a doctor.”

Childe returned the expression. “Could you get us to Liyue Harbor? To BuBu Pharmacy?”

A shake of the head. “It takes a lot of energy to teleport. I won’t be able to do it for a while, unfortunately.”

!!!

Another contraction pulsed through Lumine’s body. “Now,” she groaned. “It has to be now.” It’s coming, it’s coming, it’s coming. Tears gathered in her eyes, from the pain, from the fear barraging her mind.

“Okay, okay,” Childe said, tender. He stroked Lumine’s hair. “You’re going to have the baby right here, okay?”

He yanked off his jacket, laying it under Lumine. He motioned at Mona. “You are going to have to hold her leg.”

Mona came to Lumine’s side, face slightly pale, then took off her cape and folded it into a makeshift pillow under the blonde’s head. “You’re a doctor?”

Childe shook his head. His face was taut. “Lots of younger siblings. I’ve seen my mother deliver before.” He grabbed Lumine’s hand softly. “It’s mostly going to be you from here,” he said. He squeezed her hand. “And I know you’re going to do great. Like you always do.”

I can’t.

All her battles combined didn’t come close to the excruciating pain radiating throughout her body now. Her mind was fleeting, blurred—all of her previous anxieties crashing back; she was senseless, she couldn’t fight them off.

“I can’t,” she finally whispered. “I can’t do this; I can’t be a mother.”

Childe tucked her hair back, leaning in close, lips nestled on her forehead. “There is absolutely no one in this world that compares to you,” he whispered back. “It’s terrifying, I know, but if there’s anyone that can be an amazing mother, it’s you.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve seen you defeat armies of men, monsters, and gods—”

“Childe, that’s different—”

“—and I’ve seen how brilliantly resilient you are. You would stop at nothing for those you love.”

“Ahem,” Mona coughed awkwardly.

Lumine and Childe looked at her.

She looked away, bashful. “You have this strange ability to have patience, and to care for everyone,” Mona said. “Even when they’re difficult and stubborn...like me.” She finally looked back at Lumine. “I think...I think anyone would be lucky to have you as their mother, Lumine.”

Lumine sniffled loudly. “Mona…”

“Now, now,” the mage interrupted. “Let’s get this on the way. I suppose being an aunt would be fun…”

“She’s right,” Childe added. “I thank the stars everyday that I’m going to be able to love and cherish this child with you. There’s no one else that could ever come close to you, Lumi.”

Tears fully rained from Lumine’s eyes. Slowly, she began to nod.

They were right. She knew herself more than capable. And she wasn’t going to be alone. Even with her fears, she had her loved ones there to support her. Together, they would be strong enough for anything.

I...I can do this.

“Thank you, both,” she breathed. She reached out, putting her hand in Childe’s. “I love you.”

He smiled at her. “I love you too.” He kissed her before kneeling by her feet.

“Deep breathes,” Childe told her. “Then push, okay?”

She nodded, taking in a lungful of air.

Breathe, Lumine, breathe.

Breathe.

PUSH.

Lumine let out a sharp cry, pushing with every ounce of strength left in her body, nerves excruciatingly igniting all over. The trees swayed as the wind picked up around the three.

Pleasepleaseplease—

“Lumine,” Mona murmured, glancing up at the leaves. “Your energy is leaking out.”

Lumine stopped pushing for a second, forehead slick with sweat. “Wha-What does that mean?”

Mona pointed at swirls of Anemo energy forming above, leaves and branches beginning to snap off. “It may very well mean you might level this entire forest.”

Oh no… “I-I can’t control it right now,” Lumine said.

“Can you form a seal of some sort?” Childe asked.

The astrologist bit her lip. “I can certainly try.” She grabbed Lumine’s hand then nodded.

Taking in another deep breath, Lumine started pushing again. Both her and Mona winced as Lumine squeezed their hands together. A blue glow emitted lightly from her body—Mona’s magic—and she felt her elemental energy rattling in her veins.

“You’re doing great, Lumi,” Childe said over her panting. “You’re almost there.”

Almost...there!

Lumine screamed as she felt a final wave of pain, and the intense release of pressure.

Then, a cry.

Not hers, however. The pitched wailing of a baby.

She relaxed back, just listening to the crying as Childe and Mona shuffled around, checking on the baby.

It’s here.

She looked down at her feet where Childe was wrapping the baby in his gray jacket. He was smiling, his blue eyes blissfully aglow.

He carried the bundle to Lumine. “A son,” he told her. The baby was placed in her arms.

For the first time ever, Lumine looked down at her son.

My son.

“He’s so small,” she said, smoothing down his head of light hair. She held him close to her heart, and the crying quieted down. His tiny eyes opened, bleary blue hues taking in the world.

Her heart ached as it swelled with overwhelming emotion. Seeing this tiny creature, this life she carried for many months—a product of her and Childe’s love and passion—she knew she already loved him, that yes, she would give her all to protect him: her new family.

Childe wrapped his arms around her shoulders, looking down at their son as well. “You did it,” he murmured, kissing her forehead.

“Congratulations,” Mona said. “The battle isn’t over quite yet.”

Lumine looked up at her friend. “What do you mean?”

Mona raised a brow. “There is another child, isn’t there?”

…

What?

Both Lumine and Childe stared at the astrologist blankly.

“How do you know?” Childe asked.

“Oh, Archons, you really didn’t know,” Mona responded, panicked. “When I was using my magic to seal away Lumine’s elemental energy, I felt the two different life forms—it’s twins.”

!!!

Lumine felt her muscles tense as her body prepared for another delivery. She let out a gasp, looking up at Childe to confirm, yes, there is another baby.

“Hold the baby,” he said to Mona, moving back down to Lumine’s feet.

Mona gently took the baby into her arms, a look of uncertainty scrawled on her face.

BOOM!

There was a thunderous strike of lightning right next to the group; as the dust settled, Scaramouche stepped out of the fog, purple electricity crackling all over his body.

“Would you look at that,” he growled, eyes narrowing in on the newborn. “Another body to dispose of.” A wicked grin pulled at his lips. “I was going to kill you all quickly, but now I think I’m going to make it slow. And tortuous.”

Childe stood, eyes dark. “Mona, keep Lumine safe.”

Then, he launched towards the other Harbinger, becoming engulfed in electricity as well. The two impacted, an explosion resonating around them, and Childe stepped out from the smoke, his Foul Legacy transformation completed.

Over the deafening sounds of blades crashing, Mona took the cape from under Lumine’s head, laying it under her body. She spoke to Lumine, “Are you ready to start pushing?”

Lumine shook her head feverishly. “I can’t.” Not without Childe.

“You must,” her friend said. “You can’t help him until you do.”

Lumine’s body locked up in pain with another contraction. “Okay,” she strained out.

Mona nodded, conjuring a glob of water, then placing Lumine’s child on it. “It’s the only bassinet I can make right now.”

“Can you still help seal my energy?”

“Of course.” Mona knelt by Lumine’s feet. “Are you ready?”

Lumine swallowed hard, then nodded. After taking in many deep breaths, she mustered all the remaining strength in her body to push.

A labored cry exhaled from her body, every fiber in her body praying for it all to stop.

“It’s almost out,” Mona encouraged. “Just a bit more!”

The edges of her mind blurred. She imagined her and Childe, living their lives peacefully with their two children, watching lovingly as they skipped around in fields of flowers. Aether would walk up, greeting his little nieces and nephews, waving joyfully at Lumine. Her friends—Mona, Xiangling, Zhongli, and countless others—would take turns coming to visit, to see them and their happy little family in their happy little home.

It was such a lovely dream.

Tears ran down her face, and Lumine pushed just one last time.

…

The familiar sound of a newborn’s cries filled the air once more. Lumine fell back, laying down in the dirt, the sight of tangled tree canopies above returning to her vision.

“A girl,” Mona said, carefully wrapping her cape around the baby. She stood, carrying the little girl to Lumine.

BOOM!

The two women snapped their attention back to the fight, watching as Childe’s armor shattered around him. He fell, kneeling, and gasping for breath.

Despite her exhausted body, Lumine scrambled up. “Childe!”

“You’ve grown so weak, Tartaglia,” Scaramouche spat. “You’re out of practice. Too focused on your meaningless family,” he mocked.

“Run,” Childe gasped out weakly to Lumine.

Scaramouche slammed his foot into Childe’s head, cackling as the Eleventh Harbinger fell down.

Something stirred in Lumine’s body.

“I think,” Scaramouche said, turning to Lumine, “I’m going to kill your children first. Right in front of you. How does that sound?”

Something old, ancient—something she hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

“Shield everyone,” Lumine said lowly to Mona. In response, Mona gave a small nod, grabbing the two children, and making her way to Childe inconspicuously.

Scaramouche stalked closer to Lumine. “Are you going to try and fight me?” Another cackle. “You’re even weaker than Tartaglia, especially after what you just went through.”

“You threatened my family,” Lumine nearly growled. “You hurt my family.” She raised her arm, materializing her blade. Quicker than before.

“And you’re going to pay for that,” she finished, her veins ignited with ancient energy.

He smirked. “I’d like to see you try.”

There was an overwhelming ringing in Lumine’s ears as she felt the liquid power coarse through her body. The sensation extended through her back, bursting outwards, until...a pair of wings had formed. Her pair of wings.

Her skin was aglow, a golden haze enveloping her, her wings, and her sword.

It was her old power.

Her powers had come back.

“What is the meaning of this?” Scaramouche sneered.

Lumine glanced over at Mona, the two babies in her arms, hovering over Childe, who was stirring awake. A faint blue glow surrounded them—Mona’s barrier.

She turned her attention back to Scaramouche, who was charging up an Electro attack of his own.

“It’s no use,” Lumine said, echoing his words back to him. She leapt up into the air, flying far above him as he cursed below.

She closed her eyes, thinking of her friends, of Aether, her children, her one true love, Childe—her family.

The sword illuminated, crackling with golden arcs of energy. Then, she plunged down.

A sonic boom erupted around her as she landed, acres of dirt and trees uprooting in the explosion. The mountains shook, the clouds parted, and Lumine used the last bit of her energy to blast the dust away.

Laying before her, lifeless, was Scaramouche.

I did it.

She quickly looked around for her family, crying in relief seeing Mona, Childe, and the babies safely protected.

She felt her ancient power drain from her, and she collapsed on her knees as the pain and exhaustion funneled back into her body.

“Lumine!” she heard Childe shout.

“Childe…,” she responded, voice thin.

Then, her vision went black.

* * *

There was the crying of a baby. No, two babies. It sounded so familiar, yet foreign to Lumine.

She was in a black void, looking around for the source of the crying. Whoever they were, she knew they needed her. And she needed to protect them.

Lumine groggily opened her eyes, the black void from her dreams dissipating. Her vision adjusted, and she realized she was laying in her and Childe’s bed, back at their mountain cottage. Muffled through the walls, she heard the crying of her children, and the voice of Childe trying to calm them.

She slowly sat up, the bed creaking under her. At the sound of movement, Mona stirred awake from the corner.

“You’re awake!” she shouted. She went to the door, throwing it open, and yelling, “She’s awake, she’s awake!”

Lumine blinked at her, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, while Mona came to her side.

“How are you feeling?” her friend asked.

Lumine stretched a bit. “Very sore.”

“Hmph. I would expect so; you really did level that forest.” Mona looked out the window. “After exerting that kind of power, you should most certainly be dead.” She bit her lip. “But I am glad you are not.”

“Thank you, Mona. For all your help,” Lumine said with a small smile.

The astrologist flung her blue hair over her shoulder. “You are very welcome,” she said, returning the smile.

“You never did tell me why you were here of all places.”

“Ah, yes, that.” She folded her arms across her chest. “After our encounter with that Harbinger, I decided to track his movements—just to make sure he wouldn’t cause any more trouble.” She opened her hydromancy chart, looking over the sigils. “As fate would have it, I followed him here, to you.”

The wailing of the newborns drew closer, and Childe appeared in the doorway, two wriggling bundles in his arms.

His hair was rustled, dark bags under his eyes, and his usual pressed attire was wrinkled and disheveled.

Archons, Lumine loved him.

It was obvious to her that while she was knocked out cold, he had been taking care of their newborn children all on his own. Which was probably the furthest thing from easy...

He gave her a smile, tired at the edges, but filled with love all the same—and she gave him the same smile, yearning to embrace him and their new family.

Mona mumbled something about going to observe the sky for a while, and slipped out of the room as Childe sat on the edge of the bed.

Wordlessly, he placed the two babies in Lumine’s arms, and their cries were instantly quelled.

“Now that’s something I haven’t heard in forever,” he sighed. “Silence.”

“I hope it wasn’t unbearable.” She looked down at her babies, gently smoothing their little light hairs. It would never cease to amaze her, the overwhelming love and joy she felt looking at her twins. Looking at their tiny hands, their tiny feet, seeing their little breaths—any anxiety or fears she had felt before disappeared into thin air.

Childe wrapped his arm around Lumine, looking down at their children as well. “The only thing that was unbearable was not having you around,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Lumine nodded. “I couldn’t imagine doing this without you.” She leaned into Childe’s chest. “I’ll always be around,” she assured.

“And I’ll always be with you,” he answered. “Our little family.”

Lumine smiled, the happiest of tears coming to her eyes.

“Our little family.”

* * *

[aquietwritingcorner]

Whumptober 2021, Day 1: All Trussed Up and Still No Where to Go (“you have to let go”/barbed wire/bound) Word Count: 839 Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl Rating: T Characters: Riza Hawkeye, Berthold Hawkeye Warning: Implied child abuse Summary: Seven-year-old Riza Hawkeye is running from her father. Unfortunately, she encounters some barbed wire. Notes: Based of a headcanon that Berthold would go on long bouts of research, and that when he came out of them, he was more prone to anger (and at times, violence) then other times. After he slept properly and ate, he went back to “normal” AO3 || ff.net

____________________________________

Barbed Wire

“Riza! Riza Emmaline Hawkeye! Get back here, girl!”

Riza ran. Her only option right now, she knew, was to run away. Father was in one of his moods again. She was lucky he hadn’t caught her unawares. He had been locked up in his study for days, barely touching any of the food she left for him. She had, as always, dutifully left it for him and picked it up. She had also made sure that she had kept the house clean, done her schoolwork, and tended to the animals and garden.

In fact, she had been outside near the garden when she had heard him. The kitchen hadn’t been cleaned yet today, and, as she heard a glass fall and shatter, she had immediately known that her father was out of his study, and that she was about to be in trouble. She hadn’t been wrong. He had bellowed for her in almost the same instance that she had taken off running.

She still wasn’t sure if he had seen her or not. She was hoping that she had escaped.

“Riza!”

He must have seen the direction she was going in, because he sounded closer. She ran along the fence line, long since fallen into disrepair, hoping that the tall grass would help hide her from him. He sounded really angry this time, and she could only guess that his research hadn’t gone well. When he was angrier, it never did. He was always more prone to anger and outbursts after his research. She did her best not to be a target of it.

“RIZA!”

He was getting closer. Riza stopped and ducked down, glad the grass was so tall, crawling under a portion of the barbed wire fence. She felt it catch her clothes a bit, and had to wiggle, trying not to rip anything, trying to make sure she wasn’t caught by it. She managed to get out, freeing herself from it and stood up. She moved, ready to run again, but instead immediately tripped. Eyes wide, she looked back. Some of the broken barbed wire was wrapped around her leg. It must have gotten tangled around it when she was crawling under the fence.

“RIZA!!”

Panicked fingers flew to the rusty wire, trying to get it untangled from her leg. It was twisted and tangled, and it pricked her fingers as she tried to get it off. All it seemed to do was get tighter, and she panicked more. It wasn’t coming off. She could feel it digging into her skin. She needed to get away from here!

“RIZA!”

He was too close! Riza did the only thing she could think of. She pressed herself close to the ground, and got very, very still. She was in a little hollow of the grass, near one of the posts of fence. Any grass she was flattening wouldn’t look strange there. If she held still, then she wouldn’t make the grass move. If she controlled her breathing, then he wouldn’t hear her gasping for breath.

She didn’t move. She could feel the coolness of the ground, the edges of the grass around her, the biting of the wire in her leg, the places under her leg and hands where the blood was leaking out. She could see the bug crawling near her, the bits of dirt sticking on her hand, the grass moving in the wind. She could hear the wind as it moved, the rustling of the grass, the birds far off, the—

“RIZA!!!”

Her heart sped up, but she didn’t finch, didn’t move, didn’t gasp. She held absolutely still, barely breathing. She could hear the pounding of his footstep getting closer.

“RIZA!” She heard her father curse. “Where did that worthless girl go? RIZA GET BACK HERE! RIZA!”

He was practically on top of her, standing so close that Riza was sure that if she parted the grass even a little, she’d see his shoes. She didn’t try, though. She held absolutely still.

After a what felt like an eternity, her father moved on, his feet stomping, cursing her under his breath, and calling her name every so often. Riza didn’t move, counting slowly to 100 in her head before she risked it.

Slowly, carefully, she sat up, pausing once she did. She heard nothing. He must have moved on. She reached out to her leg, carefully working the barbed wire out of her leg with shaking fingers. She’d go to the pond after this, wash the wounds out as best she could there. After that, she’d see if she could at least make her way back to the barn. She could wait out her father there.  And then, later tonight, after she was sure her father had eaten some food, maybe after he’d gone to bed, she’d sneak back into the house and bandage her leg.

In the meantime, she’d work this barbed wire out of her leg and pretend that her hands weren’t shaking and that there weren’t tears falling down her face.

[halcyonstorm]

darling, meadow, soup, dragonflies, sunrise

Hange and Levi’s first date wasn’t a fancy, dressy first date like one would imagine. Levi insisted on surprising Hange.

Hange was the one who asked him out. Levi was secretly hoping she’d ask him out sooner, but it’s better late than never.

He had been preparing all the food since last night that he saw the sunrise on that beautiful spring morning. It was light pink and orange. He loved the sunrise was hoping Hange could see it too. He knew she was probably asleep, though.

-

He told her to meet him in the Maria Meadow at 12pm on the off-skirts of their city. It was a beautiful meadow: lilacs, daisies, dandelions, and peonies were scattered throughout the green grass. There was a lake nearby that’s water glistened when the sun hit it. Levi found a large oak tree and set his picnic basket underneath it. he meticulously unfolded the picnic blanket, throwing it while holding onto it, opening it up. He gently placed it in the grass.

Hange appeared around 12pm, luckily she was on time. His breath was taken away: she wore a long, beautiful baby blue dress with white sandals. She wore a big floppy white hat on her head. Levi stood up when he saw her, waving her over. He saw her chuckle and walk over.

“Wow, Levi,” she gasped. “This is the most beautiful first date location I’ve ever been to.” A soft smile creeped on his face. He hid it by leaning to the picnic basket, taking out each item. Inside, prepared, were sandwiches, potato salad, fruit, and two bottles of wine.

“Looks delicious!” she smiled, grabbing a sandwich. She took a bite, her face glowing.

“This is delicious, Levi darling!” she said, almost catching herself. “Hahah... I’m sorry. That slipped.”

Levi’s face flushed red. “It’s okay... I don’t mind it.”

She wore a less embarrassed expression, continuing to eat. As they ate, Levi noticed a particular bug buzzing around the two. It had landed on her shoulder. Levi cringed. He hated bugs.

“Hange, there’s something on your shoulder.”

“Hm?” she turned to look at her bare shoulder to find a dragonfly: it had blue and purple wings with a black body.

“Hey, little guy,” she said softly. She carefully put her sandwich down and put her finger to the fly, the fly now crawling on her index finger.

“I hate dragonflies,” Levi muttered to himself.

Hange frowned. “Why?”

“They’re gross and creepy.” Hange shrugged, admiring the bug from up close.

“They’re fascinating to me.”

“You can really find beauty in anything here, huh?” Levi asked, almost shocked at her actions. Hange nodded.

“Why wouldn’t you? Why not find beauty in everything on Earth?”

Levi shrugged, feeling silly to have criticized a stupid bug.

“What about that dirt over there by the lake? It’s like a fucking bowl of soup...”

“Hm...” she thought about it. “Well, the way I see it... the dirt is preserving the water, absorbing into the ground as needed. And if any animal needs water to drink, it’s available for them.”

Fuck. Levi thought to himself. She really does see beauty in everything.

[unholyhelbig]

We Sold Our Souls | Chloe

Read Beca's Chapter Here | Read on AO3 here

Summer 1985

The Diner on 10th and Jefferson was not an inhabitable establishment. The floor was once a glimmering white that had faded to a musty brown. You could see where the tables had been situated because underneath was still the original color- not the dingy, ketchup-stained mess. A window unit sputtered as it pulled in hot air and the sound of sheets of meat sizzled and popped on day-old grease.

There was flypaper tacked to the ceiling and they spun as the warm air shifted it. It wasn’t brown, not like the floor, it was black with squirming legs and tired wings. Chloe watched, sweat dripping from her nose, as one particularly large one tested his luck and failed.

The boombox in the corner crackled and competed with the sound of two number sevens being placed on the counter. The antenna was stretching to the sky and they only got a slight signal for KWBT, the best Rock music in the county.

Chloe perked up, her spine straightening as Brock Argent’s rumbling voice filled the small area behind the counter. She ignored the way the cook stared at her, sweat beading against his greasy forehead, as she shushed him and turned the dial. She knew what he was going to say, and he didn’t push any more than he already had.

She hadn’t stopped talking about ‘The Ramones’ New Album. It was advertised with neon yellow and orange posters all around town. No one could tell if it was from the record label or some die-hard fans that had too much time on their hands. Either way, everyone knew about it, and that everyone included Brock Argent and the KWBT team. They had made a big deal about getting their hands on a copy.

“Alright you crazy people, I know we’ve been teasing this one for a long while, but we’ve got a good one for you today!” Brock’s tone was so deep that it shook the upturned milk glasses on the counter.  “Here’s Pet Cemetery by the Ramones. Some seriously creepy stuff!”

Chloe felt the greasy diner and the sharp scent of fry oil leave her all at once. The second the first guitar chord struck the airwaves she had fallen so contently into the melody. Joey Ramone’s deep growl hissed and churned and made her stomach feel like soup. Johnny pressed down hard on the guitar strings and Tommy backed him up with a solid beat on the drum kit.

She ignored the way the cook eyed her cautiously as the steaming food on the counter attracted one of the flies that the paper hadn’t attracted. He was growing impatient as the lead belted out words about pets with their ribs crushed and their hearts gnawed pulling from the dirt. It mirrored that horrible book by Stephen King, the one that the schools banned, and the PTA moms fussed about until their veins splattered.

Finally, the song faded out and Chloe gave a grateful smile to the man in front of her before palming the cold plates and taking them to the couple that sat in the back booth. The woman slathered her pile of fries with a generous helping of ketchup and the man seemed to hate the idea of eating altogether.

Chloe didn’t’ notice when the cook turned down the radio for the rest of her shift. She was sore from mopping and wiping down all of the tables that were still sticky despite how much elbow she put into it. He watched her mount her bike and flick on the light that dawned its front despite the sun not fully being down, before he backed out of the parking lot himself and left their second lives behind, at least for a few hours.

She was mostly tipped change today and it rattled in the pockets of her apron as she took the side streets back to their run-down home. It had been nice once- at least that’s what the pictures tacked to the stained green refrigerator portrayed.

She shoved cake into her face with her vibrant mother holding her close. They all looked so clean despite the mess of pastry. There was light in their eyes and sugar in their systems and the old polaroid was a constant reminder to Chloe of the way things had been. The way she wishes they were.

The thought pulled at the back of her throat as she slowed her bike when the front tire met the Mitchell’s driveway. It gave her just enough speed to get over the dip on her own and pull the old blue contraption next to the garage. She could sandwich it between the trashcan and the side of the house. No one would take it, not in their small, rundown town. She flicked off the front light, reveling in the darkness for a few moments.

It was never silent, not here, not this close to the front door where the screen kept the lightning bugs out but no sound in. Her three younger brothers were blasting the television, all of them with their noses pressed to the static screen as MacGyver got himself out of whatever situation he was thrown into.

But over that, she heard her parents.

Her mother and her stepfather screamed loud enough for the whole block to hear them. It made Chloe’s jaw ache- how much they hated each other. They lived together out of spite, and because the boys needed a good role model.

But Rick, Rick hated Chloe just as much as he hated her mother. She wasn’t his and that had ebbed some deep resentment in him that she didn’t understand, nor did she care to. Not as she snuck in through the front door and trudged to her room. She was careful to toe her shoes off by the door, despite the pungent smell the house admitted.

It was considered rude to track mud, though no one had vacuumed in months at this point. No one had changed the lights or addressed the water stains that browned the ceiling above them. There was food on the table, most of the time, and hot water in the lead pipes. So Rick was doing his job and from the sound of the screaming match, Lauren was not.

Chloe tuned it all out.

She focused on the rifts she had heard this afternoon at the diner, and the satisfaction she got when she pulled the jar from the back of her closet, behind her 45’s and an old rolled poster of the Bay City Rollers that she had scored at an old thrift store and hung because the colors were vibrant.

As soon as Chloe could, as soon as she blew out the candle on her cupcake for her 18th birthday in front of that stupid polaroid and that puke green appliance, she would leave this tiny town. She would leave her brothers, and the dirty carpet, and stupid Rick, and even Lauren.

She would meet Joey Ramone, they would get married and she would never have to hear muffled screams and broken glass again- not unless it was at a concert that she was playing.

There was a glass of water on the table in front of Chloe Beale, but she hadn’t reached for it. There was some sinister part of her that considered it a test; there wasn’t a pitcher to refill it or anything else on the stark white surface. Just one singular cup that was free of any blemishes and water pushed to the near brim.

She was on a sofa that matched the rest of the room, stark and unfeeling. There wasn’t personality here; other than her and that stupid taunting glass, there was nothing. It could have been the waiting area in a place that detailed cars, but it wasn’t. She didn’t’ know what it was and she didn’t’ know if the water was a test- so she left it.

Her boots were the blackest thing, sharp like the night, against the white carpet. She got the sinking feeling that she should have taken them off by the door, though the secretary that lead her in here hadn’t told her to do so. Chloe wasn’t a child, not anymore, and Chloe could make her own choices. Like taking a gulp of water to quench the dry heat in her throat or taking her shoes off.

Rick would have made her take her shoes off.

Rick had killed her mother when she was at a concert in Orlando. She had saved up to get the tickets and she had had a fun, normal, road trip with the girls. They ate terribly and broke down in Georgia where they baked in the heat and splurged on ice cream cones that turned into a soupy mess in a matter of seconds. Chloe was happy then, and she had the polaroid tacked up on the corner of her apartment.

Thought the lights had been shut off a few times, and she and Beca had to eat all the ice cream and leftover pizza, and milk each time they did fade away, she kept it there. Her stomach would ache and her brow would sweat but they would fall asleep on the floor and the picture of her last happy moment would gape down at her- not mocking, but reminding.

They saw the yellow tape when Beca pulled the Monza to the edge of her driveway. Chloe let the rubber tire hit the corner of the driveway first, just like she used to do with her second-hand bike. Beca protested as she pushed the door open and flung herself towards her own home. A cop that shadowed his eyes with a large cap grabbed her by the middle and stopped her.

“That’s my house!” She had shouted, letting herself be lowered to the wet grass. “What happened? That’s my house! That’s my house!”

It had stopped being her house a long time ago when her father died of cancer and her mother met Rick, the anesthesiologist with the calm temper and the two boys from a previous marriage, and the one son that they shared together.

Chloe had spent most of her free time in Beca’s room now, staring up at the posters that weren’t of the Bay City Rollers on the ceiling. They both laid close to one another and she had memorized the features of Metallica and Stix and Beca’s breathing patterns, and the way the Charvel rested in the corner, with its off-white color.

Beca’s mother always had dinner on the table and always had enough for all three of them. Beca’s mom was interesting and kind. She was still alive when the summer of 88’ came to an end. She hadn’t heard the gunshots but she had smelt the blood- she said she was a nurse and she knew the scent of decay anywhere.

Rick shot Chloe’s mom in the head while her back was to him, and Chloe had always said he was a coward. He killed the boys too, straight shots with a gun Lauren had purchased him for Christmas because his new hobby would be hunting. As far as Chloe knew, the only shots he fired were that day, and the last when he ever did tore up his throat and painted the wall behind him.

She should take her shoes off and drink some water while she waits and wishes for wine. The secretary told her that he was running late and that she was welcomed to anything. But she didn’t’ feel welcome to the water, and really, she should have taken her shoes off, because the carpet was pristine, and the bottom of her boots were anything but.

Winter 1994

Snow fell in thick, wet drops against the pavement. It had barely started but picked up by the time Chloe ascended the stairs of the venue and tracked down Beca. The girl looked ragged, worn down, and thick with sorrow. She was moving her tongue against the edge of a cigar she had sliced with the pocket knife clipped to her jeans.

The sickly-sweet scent of weed followed the sparking of a lighter and the cold breeze that edged the nearly empty street. She leaned against the side of the van, next to a sizeable dent that had been there when they purchased it. When we’re famous she had said this won’t matter and we’ll be able to afford a van that isn’t half-totaled.

Beca pulled in a hot breath of marijuana, the tip burning hot and fast. She pushed the smoke through her those and passed it to Chloe who took it wordlessly and revealed in the sour film that coated her tongue and her teeth and her throat. A few more of those and she would be able to forget the disaster of tonight.

“Maybe I should have gone into accounting,” Beca said.

“You hate math.”

“That wasn’t my point,”

“I know. I just think that If you want to go back in time and choose MIT over your garage in the winter you should pick something you like. Not math. You’re not even good at math.”

Beca frowned and snatched the joint back. She wedged it between her teeth and gave Chloe the finger, the tattoos against her knuckles catching the red glowing light of the sign that hung above them. It buzzed like the flies Chloe had always hated- for some reason, more than spiders and moths, but she couldn’t’ recall now.

“Aubrey would have had a million things decided by now, you know? I don’t’ even need to prompt the woman before she brings up Julliard. Next thing; she’s going to be bitching about her back hurting from carrying the band.”

Chloe laughed sadly at that because she knew it was something Aubrey would say with that docile fire in her eyes. But through all of this, Aubrey was the best bass player that she had ever met and Beca had the right voice for them- but none of them ever said it. None of them ever dared that she would be better suited to part her ax down and grip the microphone instead.

“Are you?”

“What?”

She hadn’t noticed Beca was staring at her expectantly. Not only holding out the blunt, which she took and sandwiched between her lips, but with a question. Beca’s stare was dark, shaded in crimson, and glazed over because something was hitting; be the alcohol that she had consumed during the show or the slow crossfade that was humming happily through her now.

“Are you ready to give up?”

“Beca, this is all I’ve ever wanted.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

She swallowed hard and tried to dull the pain of the flames at her throat. Red and hot and a lot like the stories plastered on the news not too long ago. Her stomach felt fuzzy and her brain did too and she suddenly felt like following Beca out here was a bad idea. A terrible idea, really.

Chloe let the end of the roll hit the ground. There was no need to stomp it out. The color faded away in the puddle of dingy water that had collected as they talked. She didn’t’ mind the cool embrace of the large drops that felt more like snow and stung like an insect bite. It kept her steady and grounded.

“I heard what you asked, and I told you this is all I’ve ever wanted.” Chloe sniffed, “I don’t’ care how long it takes to get there. It’s me and you, kid.”

Beca’s clouded stare softened, and she laughed loudly because at this point- standing in the rain, the two of them, she didn’t’ know if they had much longer at all. Not as a band, not as friends, not as that odd drunken mess they escalated to when they weren’t.

The scent of weed mixed with the wet odor of Portland and beer. Chloe curled her fingers around Beca’s, both cold and clammy, and the gesture hurt. It stung the bandages wrapped around Beca’s fingers and hummed at the pain in the back of Chloe’s head, where she figured a scar would be one day.

[karlnapity]

It never gets easier to wake up.

It’s exhausting, frightening to wake up after months, to have to re-contextualize, reevaluate the entire server, what’s happening, who’s where.

But it’s fine, he’s used to it, it’s fine, when reality isn’t blurry.

George lays in bed for a bit longer than he needs to. He’s not sure exactly when he woke up, consciousness flickering in and out of his grasp for what must be hours.

The ceiling warps above his head as he traces the pattern of the wood. Everything feels coated in a layer of unreality, like time is moving at a snail’s pace.

He realizes, belatedly, that he must be dreaming. He reaches his hand up towards the ceiling, lazily flexing his hands. His motions feel slowed as well, his every sense smothered by whatever odd dream he’s been placed in this time.

His dreams usually aren’t too unpleasant, when XD decides not to show up. They’re mostly just weird, a bit off, but they still leave an unsettling pit in his stomach all the same.

He eventually brings himself to sit up. His head feels cloudy, thoughts moving so slow it takes a few solid minutes to even register that he needs to move. Distantly, he feels a bit thirsty, but that doesn’t really make sense, considering the dream state. He never eats in his dreams.

He stands, wavering on his feet. Frustration flickers for a moment before it’s smoothed by the dream. Why is this one so different from the others?

He’s pretty sure he can hear something in the other room, so he stumbles towards the door, eventually making his way out to the hallway. Somewhere along the way he finds his footing a bit more solidly, just a bit shaky.

He finds himself in the main room in Kinoko. The lights look weird in his dream, so much softer. He stares at them for far too long.

“... George? George?”

Someone is calling his name. He can’t be bothered. The lights look so pretty. It’s probably just XD trying to bother him again.

“George!” There’s a hand waving in front of his face, obscuring the pretty lights. He feels that muted frustration again. He turns to tell off the person when he’s stopped short by the expression.

There’s solid concern on Sap’s face. He’s not good with emotions, especially when he’s dreaming, but even he can recognize it.

“Are you okay?” The words take a minute to register. He nods, but he’s not quite sure he can form words.

Sap’s expression tightens, but he nods, rubs his arm comfortingly, and leaves with a, “Let me know if you need anything.”

It’s an odd dream, he thinks, as he makes his way outside. Usually something would happen at this point, something he needed to do, but it’s… quiet.

Kinoko looks so nice with the extra softness in his vision. He stares at it, not quite sure for how long. Maybe minutes. Maybe hours. He’s not sure. At some point he sits on the ground, far too tired even in his dream to stand.

He feels something like sleep pulling at his eyes, which is weird, because usually he just wakes on his own.

He can’t resist the feel, same as he can’t when he’s awake, and soon enough he feels himself drifting. He knows he’s laying in the grass, in the dirt, but he’s too tired to move, too tired to do anything at all.

The frustration has simmered into something like despair. Where is XD? He needs help.

He whimpers. The sound is pitiful. He’s glad he’s not awake for anyone to hear it.

He floats somewhere between consciousness and not. He can feel the damp grass pressing on his cheek. He can feel the knot already building in his shoulder from this position. He can feel the buzzing in his head.

What happens if you fall asleep in a dream, he wonders. Deeper sleep? A coma?

“Oh, shit, George, what the hell?” Someone exclaims, and he wishes he could open his eyes.

“George, come here, what’s going on? Shit, you’re completely- fuck-” He registers, dimly, that it must be Quackity. The man tugs at him, gently at first, then completely pulling him to his chest. He can’t move himself, limp like a corpse. George’s cheek rests on his shoulder as Quackity shifts to make him more comfortable.

A hand cards through his hair gently. It feels nice, but everything is muted by the dream. He feels tears building. He’s never cried in a dream before. Five words form in his mind, clear despite everything else.

“I want to wake up,” he rasps against Quackity, voice wrecked by the cold air from laying outside for so long.

Quackity’s hand stops. He pulls back. George is still a ragdoll; he would have collapsed if not for Quackity’s steady hands. He can barely crack his eyes open to see Quackity’s startled expression.

Quackity uses a hand to steady his head. His voice is so very soft as he shatters George.

“George, you’re awake.”

Everything comes to a stop. Usually, if he acknowledges the dream, he wakes up. Usually, if he says he wants to wake up, if he remembers to, he does. Usually, he’s not stuck sitting in the grass with someone refuting him.

“I’m not,” he says, but it’s more of a plea than anything. “No, I’m not.”

“George,” Quackity starts, gathering him back in his arms, but George cuts him off.

“I can’t be awake,” he protests, softly. He wants to wake up. “I’m not awake, this is a dream.”

His voice rises, hysterically, yelling at the sky with the pitiful energy he has left. “XD, wake me up! Wake me up, I can’t do this. Please, please…”

He starts to sob, and Quackity holds him close through all of it, rubs his back and whispers to him and doesn’t tell him to be quiet even when he’s blabbering nonsensically.

And Quackity carries him inside when it gets dark and the bugs come out, because George still can’t move.

He sets him on the couch, sitting him up. As George fights off sleep, he helps him sip at a glass of water, and feeds him a couple pieces of bread. He doesn’t even know the last time he ate or drank, and the shaking proves it.

Finally, Quackity sits across from him and fixes him with a serious expression. “What happened, George?”

He doesn’t know where to start. His brain is still muddled from sleep, still moving at a snails’ pace, and he struggles to string the words together. “I… I woke up, and I thought…”

He gestures with a shaking hand. “Everything was so weird and I felt so off that I thought it was a dream. It’s scary, Q.”

He can’t quite focus on Quackity’s face, but he can feel the concern there.

“You’ve been sleeping a lot lately- I mean, even more than normal. We’re worried for you, George.”

A mounting hysteria knots itself in his stomach. “I keep waking up, and I- I never know if I’m dreaming. I can’t tell.”

“How about… How about you ask one of us, okay? I’ll pass on the news to the others, and they can let you know. You can ask one of us.”

It’s not that simple. It’s never that simple. He’s still unsure, even now, even once Quackity has told him. He still feels drifty, still feels exhausted.

Quackity must see him spacing, because he leans forward to shake his shoulder. He grabs his hand, clings to it, traces his fingers on his palm. The action is grounding. Even as Quackity squirms as it tickles, he doesn’t pull away. It’s so hard to find his words, so hard to even think beyond abstract feelings.

“I’m scared,” he says, finally, letting it go.

“I know,” Quackity murmurs. “I know. But we’re here to help you, okay? It’s what we do.”

He nods, slowly. He yawns, and even as the pure terror courses through his body at the thought, his eyelids droop. Quackity catches him as he slumps over, and he can feel, dimly, as he tries to shake him awake. There’s no point, not now.

>

It never gets easier to wake up.

As he traces the pattern of the ceiling, he realizes, belatedly, that he must be dreaming.

[cherripeach]

Chapter 3

Little Match Maker

Summary: Your life motto is "I have the power of god and anime on my side, don't mess with me," and you stand by that with your life. No human, magician, or random creature could ever stop your firm belief in it. 

However, getting transported to this world that seemed to turn your already bad luck worse was not what you wanted to be in your life story, but you made the most of it.Making friends, enemies, and disasters, you were in your prime in this world, and so you decided to help as many people as you could flourish, at least what you believed to be.

Prologue 6-7: i’m washing me and my clothes

Chapter Summary: You have concluded that the headmaster and the cat are the same person.

Warning: jokes about death, curse words

Words: 2.3k

Relationships: Developing twst x reader

After you ordered around Grim, who surprisingly listens a little more than expected, the ghosts disappeared. Nothing was left in the hallway of their presence besides some curtains on fire and more broken pieces of floor.  Neither Grim nor the ghosts were going to ever help you with the state of this dorm. Reduced to silence, Grim froze once the ghosts left gathering his thoughts until he finally muttered, “E-eh? We..won?”

“It seems like it dude. Congrats!” You placed your hand on his head and shook your hand, hoping to present to him your feelings. He might be a little bit of a disaster, but isn’t everyone?

“Ha-hee.. That was scar… No, I wasn't scared at all!” Grim puffed up his shoulders and tilted his head up, “This is nothing for the Great Grim! How 'bout that that, ghosts? You done?” The cat even turned to the direction where the ghosts left and blew raspberries at where they used to be them and laugh at them. You wonder how much more like a child the cat can act.

His laughter rang in your ears until the doors to the lounge behind you were slammed open by none other than the mysterious headmaster who totally knows how to run a school and take care of high schoolers.

The headmaster gazed at you while you were looking your worst and decided that he could never be better, “Good evening. I have graciously brought you supper.” That is until he caught the cat out of the corner of his eye.  “You're the monster that ran amuck during the entrance ceremony! I threw out of the school, what are you doing here?” the headmaster began to point his finger at the cat just like the cat was pointing his fingers at the ghosts. You have concluded from watching both interact with others that both are indeed children and will never know how to function in the real world.

Grim sucks at reading the room almost as much as you do, “Hmph! I exterminated the ghost problem! Be grateful!” The cat folded his arms over each other to appear larger and by puffing out his chest like a weird jock.  

The headmaster’s eyes focused on you while his hand came up and did a little “explain” motion. So you did. You told him about how the cat got into the dorm and how the ghosts who seemed familiar were hunted down by the fire breath cat(you really do not know where the fire comes from). The headmaster just nodded along to your entire speech until the end where the nodding ceased and he turned to face both you and the cat.

“Now that you mention it, there were some prankster ghosts living here so students kept away from this dormitory. And that's why it is now empty. I'd forgotten that. However, hmmmm...For you two to work together to get rid of them.” He actually was more confused than you in this situation and you take that as the biggest win you have received today.

Grim was not a fan of the headmaster at all, “I'm not gonna overlook that "together" comment. They were just standing there watching. I just did this because they begged for the Great Grim the Magician to take pity on them.” he even placed his hand on his chest for dramatic effect.

“I'd like the two of you to show me how you exterminated those ghosts.” The headmaster had a plan from what you have seen and it does not want to benefit you.

“But we already gotten rid of all the ghosts! Before that: I deserve. Tuna.” The cat also had a plan.

Neither were backing down so you just went with it, and when the headmaster changed to a ghost you went with it, and when Grim protested about the entire situation, you looked at him and said that you might as well go with it to save both of your asses’s.

So you did. Grim battled the headmaster the same way he battled the ghosts until the headmaster’s ghost form changed back to his regular form. The regular form gave off the impression that he was in deep thought over something.

Even when Grim screamed, “How ‘bout that!” the headmaster did not pay attention or flinch.

The headmaster finally out of his daze turned to both of you with a speech, “I can't believe... There is a person who can command monsters.Hmmm.. Actually, my teacher's senses were telling me since the uproar during the entrance ceremony..that you have talent as an animal or wild beast trainer.But... no matter how …” The teacher even mumbled to himself more at the end of the speech.

You decided that maybe having the idiot of a cat around might offer some help if you did not want to stay in a hazardous dorm with few lights in a place you have never been to with a also huge disadvantage because of your lack of magic all by yourself, so you inquired, “Let’s say perhaps the cat can stay? I don’t know if I can.. Um make it alone here..” You muttered the next phrase hoping to not offend the headmaster in front of you, “Y’know as much as I want to die.. This is not the way I want to go out.” And you just made eye contact with him and smiled as politely as you could to someone who gives you bad vibes which probably was not a polite smile to him.

The headmaster agreed with hesitance, and the cat, overjoyed, danced around the room only turning to you every couple of rotations to cheer and wave at you.

The cat did, however, pause his party to hear the rest of the headmaster's speech about how neither of you could live here rent free and had to work and how the school could help because your soul (not the cat’s) was called here for no reason. The end goal was your new job as an handyman or cleaner whichever one he decided for the day. The cat started to throw a fit at the headmaster’s conclusion, but he shut up when you grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

The headmaster chuckled at the sight of a magic-less human controlling a fire breathing beast, but he ended his meeting with you and went on his way soon after.

You placed the cat back on the ground and clapped your hands to wipe any dirt off, and then, you made your way back into the living room only to find a light switch on the right side of the entrance.

Looking at the place covered in light, you assessed your situation and what you could accomplish to still get sleep. You set off soon after: you placed buckets under the leeks and threw away all that could not be fixed. After you finished the lounge you did basically the same for the rest of downstairs and you even found a kitchen where you ate dinner soon after and found a laundry room. Once you discovered and fixed downstairs, you went upstairs and the first room that you found on the right you claimed. You turned on the lights and threw away all that was completely broken. However, you went to the bathroom and found out that the water did not work; of course the idiotic headmaster who never care about this building. He barely cares about anyone but himself.

You decided to finally go to sleep, but you first realized that the cat was passed out on the bed before you could even lay down. You situated yourself right next to him and closed your eyes.

You thought of cake and blankets and Netflix and Disney Plus and Ice Cream and everything else that brought you comfort in this situation.

Nothing could make you fall asleep especially since there was a cat who snored as loud as an elephant next to you. So you got up; since you already explored everything inside, it might be best to go outside. You went downstairs and out through the front door and down all the stairs and out the gate.

Finally out the gate you began exploring this part of campus. Most of the trees and grass on your new patch of land looks dead, but everything else in comparison is taken care of. The rest of the campus is like a fantasy forest from a book or movie; there are not even that many bugs.

You continued to wander around the campus until something odd appeared out of the corner of your eye. From far away it was a blur of gray or maybe silver, and so with as bad as your day has been you went up to it.

While from far away it was just a blur of a color, up close, it was a gorgeous human. He had on this weird hat that you honestly don’t know how it is staying up considering he is passed out against a tree. His outfit was also odd; maybe not as odd as the cult like outfits from before that you were still wearing, but still something you would not see on the normal day. It was a green and black kinda stripper outfit but with the necessary parts of the body hidden. There were also many belts and zippers that made no sense, but nevermind the outfit. The male was gorgeous; he had this eternal beauty that just spoke to you, so why not wake him up.

You stepped closer to the male and even put a hand on his shoulder before he began to stir. “Hey….dude why the hell are you sleeping out here?” You whispered out.

Once you spoke, his eyes began to flutter open like some fairy tale scene, and as he finally opened his eyes and processed everything his eyes shifted to yours. You just waved at him and smiled awkwardly. Confusion spread over his face, and you shifted away and took back your hand.

“Hey, um sorry about that, but it’s not really the best idea to be out here??” You inquired more than you stated.

“I apologize for your concerns, but why are you all the way out here?” The male wanted a testimony from you, and as panicked as you were from social interactions, you did wake him up.

“Sorry dude, I was just exploring. You can get back to sleeping or something.” You rubbed the back of your neck and licked your top lip to make sure it wasn’t chapped.

He pushed up against the tree and stood up all the way; his vibes were immaculate, just like god like. He dusted off his pants and turned to face you; he then bowed and said, “Thank you for your help, but you must also get back.”

“Yeah, yeah, dude I know, but..” You paused because he did not seem like a bad dude, maybe a little serious at first, but maybe you could be friends, so you introduced yourself and continued, “What about you? Or could I just call you sleeping beauty from this encounter?” You laughed at your joke of the movie you watched as a child and grinned at the male.

“I would prefer it if you would call me Silver,” Silver was not the joking type, but you did catch a little smile at your comment.

“Well, Silver, it has been an absolute pleasure,” You emphasized absolute to seem more elegant and even metaphorically took off your hat and bowed to him, “But I think we must both be on our way.” You straightened up and giggled at your act; your eyes drifted off to his face only to see a slightly bigger smile until he caught your gaze.

“Agreed,” He nodded his head at his comment and turned to leave the little forest in the middle of the school. He took a couple of steps when he looked back at you and made a head motion of like ‘come on’ by tilting his head in the direction of where you two were going.

And with that you two were off to you dorms. You tried to ask him a couple of questions to get a conversation starting, but all you could get out of him was that he was a second year, his birthday was May 15, and he was seventeen. He did learn a lot about you because he let you rant about your day and how terrible some of your past classmates are and you even told him about vines. You think he likes you a little. But soon after you inspired him by introducing vines and memes, your dorm was straight ahead of you.

You deflated slightly and pouted before waving at him goodbye. He made sure that you got in your dorm before he left, so you sent him a peace sign once you were inside.

However, when you looked back at him, another figure was there standing next to him having a conversation with him. The figure was much taller with black horns like a sheep or something, but wearing the same outfit. The figure's gaze soon found your gaze, and when you locked eye contact the figure seemed curious but concerned, so you waved at him and smiled as bright as you could. He became more confused, but lightly waved back.

Then, the new figure disappeared in a sheet of green while Silver headed back to school. And so you headed upstairs to get some rest if you could. 

[springtimebat]

The Autumn Meeting (Part 1/4)

Six suns peer down from perching clouds, leaving heavy, gilded dents on the heavens. They watch with amused, greedy eyes, their eyelids soft and rusted. They sit and wait for a hymn to be sung.

The city of tomorrow arrives in the early morning, on a thousand dying legs. The crow is beginning its call as the sun sets in the east, and the queen begins to cross the old town bridge just as the sky turns pitch black. The queen is young and full of life. Her hair is dark and wild. Her eyes are electric green. Naturally, the shadows clamber over each other, desperate to touch her skin. They claw at her footprints, grasp desperately at her diadem. The Queen places a shawl, a piece of midnight, careworn and devoid of stars, around her shoulders. She places galoshes on her feet. They snap against the cobblestones. The shadows attempt to bash her brain in. The queen pulls the shawl tighter around her neck and carries on. She must begin her quest before it's too late, before she misses her window. She pulls apart the ghoulish bonds restraining her and slips into the forest, the heavy frame of her home balancing on stilts behind her.

When the clock strikes the right time, three pilgrims meet deep inside the bowels of the forest to tell stories they stole off of wanderers backs. One is skull and bones, the second is more shark than man, the last is cast in iron and gilded armour, kept together with unsteady bolts and springs. The three are old, dear friends with different destinies that lead them to separate for months on end. Still, now they gather for a night in. They gather for the stories and for listening.

The forest is a protective shield, swarming with thistles, brambles and decaying pieces of junk. Years before, during the days of the dust, a king set up booby traps in the forest, hoping to capture some kind of beast. Now spikes and barbed wire festered among the moss, weary of a world full of colour beyond the tree trunks. The queen notices flashes of silver as she races through the trees; simply shadows against the bruised sunset and the sad oaks. Her feet dance around the puddles and quicksands. She flies through the grass and the rock until she comes across the meeting place from her stories. In a clearing stands a roaring fireplace and three men, huddled together like three fates. One stands up and hurls wood onto the fire, his back muscles tensing. He is a fish-man, with silver scales framing his brow and giant saucers for eyes. He wears the same strange uniform the Queen had seen him wear in an engraving once, all frills and ridiculous trimmings. The second man sits watching the third as they recite a poem. His body is masked by a suit of metal armour. Atop his helmet sits a boar’s head, its eyes closed, bored. The final man shakes their bones and clacks their teeth. He disguises his lack of skins with a cloak, similar to the Queen’s. He is standing by the fire, whistling a strange sonnet:

“-so the little girl set off to win back her foot. But the ogre’s own pair of feet were large and heavy. He was quicker than the little girl and it took her months and months of travelling to catch up-”

“Didn’t her parents worry about her?” Interrupts the fish man from his space at the mantle-piece, “Poor girl out on her lonesome.”

His friend groans and stamps his foot.

“She had no parents Abram. She was all on her lonesome to begin with and that’s how she lost her foot. Haven’t you been listening, you knucklehead?”

“Surely she has friends who would wanna know where she is...right? I mean, surely one of you guys would wanna know about my fins being cut up? Or my scales being punctured-”

“Enough! I have a story to finish Abram. Leave questions ‘till after the workshop.”

Abram lets out a tiny squeak but speaks no more. The skeleton grins in the firelight and begins again:

“The little girl carried on, always searching for her missing foot. She asked everyone she came across and slaughtered the many who tried to take her for their own, with their nets and their traps and their cages. By the time she finally found her foot she was covered in blood and guts and body parts. Still, she had found her foot and that’s what truly matters-”

“Where’d she find it Emil?” Abram asks, his eyes widening.

“I’m getting to that! Now where was I- oh right! The little girl, all alone and bloody in middle of a winter wood, found her foot on the low branch of a great oak much like these-” The skeleton waves his arms at the trees encasing the three storytellers, “The bone was still brand new, like a new pair of shoes elastic new. It had been left there many, many moons before by someone very tall.”

“What did she do then?” 

“Well, she grabbed her foot from the oak tree and put it back, snapping it into place so to speak. Then she began the journey back home. As she did she thought to herself, “The ogre must have not needed the foot as much as I did.” The End.” Emil raises his skull to the sky, grinning proudly. 

His friends give awkward coughs.

“What happened to the ogre?” Abram asks, frowning, “Surely something interesting happened to him.”

“Unimportant.” Emil growls. 

The suit of armour gives a squeak and stretches his wiry arms. Emil rolls his head to the side in annoyance. 

“What the girl did once she got home does not matter Gus. Not in the slightest. Don’t you understand what I was trying to get across? What I was trying to convey?”

“Not really.” Abram says, poking at the fire with a stick. 

“The moral of the story, of the stanzas, was that quests of revenge, of bloodshed, are simply pointless. The journey is important and needed. All the other benign details are just...unnecessary!”

“It was good ‘till the ending. You just need to rework the ending.”

Emil scoffs, “Amateurs! Both of you! And Francis, Boris and Johnson and…all of the folding folk at the board up in the mountains! I cannot compromise my masterpiece with...amateurs!” 

“I enjoyed it.”

The three men turn to see a young girl approaching their campground, her eyes an electric green, her pupils dancing. She has an amused smirk on her face. Her hair is a dangerous dark brown. Abram just stands there, blinking, confused. Emil turns his back on the visitor, muttering some obscenities about damned fairy folk under his musty breath. Gus on the other hand, recognises the queen immediately and falls to the ground in a bow, his chest plate and helmet clinking. The queen’s smirk grows into a grin and she pats the knight on the shoulder. 

“I enjoyed the blood and the guts...and the body parts.”

“Yeah you would,” Emil growls, “You and your tasteless, tasteless people.”

Gus gasps and places himself in front of the queen, as if Emil’s words can pierce her skin. Emil simply laughs.

“Look at this old fool! This old, old fool! She doesn't care for you at all my boy! She looks at you as she looks at the bugs swarming around her feet. Learn that Gus! Learn these young girls only want to look at you in amusement and never want to settle down!” 

“I want to settle down,” The queen replies, and she strides towards a chair the men have manufactured from fallen Autumn leaves, “I am going to settle down.”

“Ah see! I knew it! I knew you were that queen I’ve heard gossip about!”

“Gossip?” The queen’s eyebrows raise, “Gossip about me?”

“Oh yes. I’ve heard quite a lot of tall tales about you. Stories about you eating babies, stabbing your own knights with their own swords-” At that, Gus swallows and sits back down on the forest floor, shaking, “-stories of you charming snakes and cobras. Stories of you sleeping in their coils.” Emil stares at the queen, goading her to respond. The queen tuts and stretches her short, stubby legs. They were tired from hours of running as their owner searched the dark places. Her skin stretches and shifts in the firelight.

“I only ate one baby. The rest is just nonsense.”

“Hmmm. All the gossip came from your kind so I never took any of it seriously. Seeing you now makes me think it wasn’t so far fetched.”

The queen furrows her brow and rolls her eyes. 

“Are you all telling stories?” She asks, focusing on the dirt beneath her leaf throne instead of the man in front of her, “ When I was little I read stories about you telling stories together. In an endless loop.” 

The men fall silent. The queen sighs. 

“I would like to join you all. For just one night.” 

Emil growls. Abram roasts a marshmallow. Gus shivers in an invisible wind. His legs make a strange croaking sound and detach themselves from his waist, stumbling about on the rocky terrain.

“What are you queen of, exactly?” Emil asks.

“All sorts of things really.”

“Like what? What do you do? What are your day-to-day ac-tiv-teees?” 

“I look after the lost ones most of the time.”

“The lost ones?” 

“Folks made of time and sand. They come to us, my husband and I, full of regrets and sorrows. They lose themselves in our corridors and become our subjects. We transform their troubled minds into something sweet.”

“Sweet for the monarchy, one supposes, but not for everyone else,” murmurs Emil, picking at his cloak,“ I heard you two aren’t married already.”

“We will be soon.”

“Once your quest is complete, I’m guessing.”

“Yes. Once I return.”

“Do you take babies?” Abram asks, sitting cross-legged on the milkwood grass, “I heard you take babies.”

“Sometimes.”

Emil clears his throat, which makes his bones rattle in a very unattractive way. He then nods to Abram, who nods back. He turns to Gus, who by now is just a bunch of scraps flailing about in the mud. Gus’ head, however, has enough time to tilt his head back in agreement.

“Very well. You may join the club for a night. A single solitary night-”

“No baby eating!” Abram shouts from his corner. The Queen tuts and crosses her heart with a wicked finger. 

“I promise. No baby eating.” She grins. 

“-And you’ll be the last to go. No cuts!” Emil growls.

“Very well.” The Queen sighs and closes her eyes, listening to the whispers in the breeze. 

Emil looks to his companions, sitting by the campfire as they always do, and shrugs.

“Now that…compromise has been met I suppose we can continue with the workshop.”

“Finally,” Abram mutters. 

And as the four take their places in the storyteller’s guild, the woods begin to shiver with excitement. 

The annual Autumn meeting was only beginning.

[auroralightsthesky]

Just as simple as can be (John x Lena)

Summary: A simple life is all John and Lena could have ever asked for

Songfic: Inspired by my favorite Florida Georgia Line song “Simple” and Taylor Davis’s amazing cover version of “Colors of the Wind which can be found here 

Pairings: John x Lena, mentioned OCs

“Thanks for coming out here man,” John said as he and Tatum drove along the dirt road that led towards his and Lena’s place. 

“Not a problem,” Tatum replied. “I needed to get away for a while and didn’t want to stay at a hotel. I would’ve stayed with Steve but I guess Maryetta’s in no condition to have people staying over.” 

“Well, Lena will be happy to see you,” John replied. “And the kids too, they can’t wait to meet their uncle.” 

Tatum couldn’t wait to meet them either. All of John’s group had married during the postwar years and all had traveled to be with each other for the occasion. When John had asked him to come out, he hated the thought of having left his beloved Mary back home, but he had promised to be back soon. Yet Tatum was excited. He hoped that his nieces and nephews would be excited to see him. 

They finally reached the house on a small plot of farmer’s land with plenty of space for critters and the kids to run around on. The barn was a bit dilapidated but Tatum figured that no one would have cared in the least. “Well, here it is,” John said. “Casa de Basilone.” 

Tatum thought the place was absolutely perfect, no crowds of people, no congested streets or litter on the sidewalks.......if he and Mary ever found a place to go this would be it. 

The front door swung open and the older Basilone children came barreling out of the house, the storm door clicking shut behind them as they charged across the lawn to greet their uncle. 

“Uncle Tate!!! Uncle Tate you’re here!! You’re here!!” 

Tatum yelped as they tackled him into the grass, throwing their arms around him and littering him with kisses. The three girls and three boys bombarded him with question after question, not having seen him since they were too small to remember. 

“Uncle Chuck did you set your hair on fire?” Francesca asked. 

“Is it true that you ate bugs when you were in the war?” Anthony questioned. 

“Did you keep a knife in your boot?” Johnny asked him. 

“I wanna learn how to shoot guns like you and Daddy, Uncle Tate!”“ Lucia blurted out. 

“Ok, ok, kids c’mon get off Uncle Tate and let him get up,” John told them. 

Anthony, Francesca, Lucia, Johnny, Michael and Aida moved aside so that Tatum could get up before he and John began herding the small children back into the house. They spotted Lena standing on the front porch with another child in her arms, a little one who was still too small to be picked up by his older brothers and sisters. 

“See you guys have been busy since the war ended,” Tatum chuckled. 

“You have no idea,” Lena laughed. “I’m grateful for all of them but they drive me crazy, they’ve even scared the drill instructor down at Pendleton.” 

Tatum laughed as he gave Lena a hug. “Who’s this little guy?” he asked. “I don’t think you’ve formally introduced us.” 

“This is the last of our bunch,” Lena said. “And your namesake.” 

Tatum couldn’t believe it. “Wait what?” 

“Yep,” Lena replied. 

“Tatum Stephen Basilone, born on the anniversary of VJ Day,” John said proudly. 

Tatum was still in disbelief as Lena handed the little one off to him. Pitch black hair and dark eyes like both his parents, Tatum thought his nephew was absolutely perfect. A few happy tears fell from his eyes as the little one lifted his head and placed a went kiss on his uncle’s cheek. 

“Aw look at that,” Lena remarked. “He loves you already.” 

“He did the same thing to me two weeks ago,” John said. 

Tatum laughed as he kissed the crown of his nephew’s little head. The years had been good to them all.......and so would be for the rest of their days. 

Hello @lewis-winters​ I promised ya’ll a sequel to “Wait for me” and here it be me friend!!!

[scary-lasagna]

Um Hey:D I loved your hc's about the slender brothers and the dumb stuff they did when they we're little, and I was wondering if you have some hcs similar to that but for Ej, Toby, and the others?

haha why’d i write so much omg i finally get to explore toby and lyra's sibling dynamic

Eyeless Jack

Jack was that cool, but also kind of weird kid that had alot of cool junk but it was all nerdy stuff.

He was really into any sort of science as a kid, and nearly exploded whenever a surprise guest brought in animals to learn about, or perhaps even a magician.

He was also a bit of a prankster around his closest friends.

Simple things and putting stuff in their hoods while they're not looking, or getting them to shake his hand that was covered in glue.

He wasn't a messy kid, but he certainly wasn't the most clean.

It wasn't a rare occurance when he came home with grass and mud stains on his knees, or some food stains on his shirt.

He keeps his clothes clean to this day, but that doesn't stop him from digging around in the dirt sometimes and letting some extra food drip onto his clothes.

Jack tried to cook a meal with whatever was in eyesight for his older cousin's birthday, and cried when he threw up bc it was so inedible.

Jack also had the best Yu-Gi-Oh cards and flexed by shoved them in everyone's faces whenever he got the chance.

Jack had a pet lizard that he named Jack, because he couldn't think of a cooler name.

He also has a 'pet' crow that he fed every day.

He left out bread crumbs and leftovers from dinner that he didn't eat on the rooftop outside his window for birds to eat.

Ticci Toby

Toby didn't exactly have the greatest childhood, but it honestly could've been worse.

It was mostly just verbal light abuse until Lyra reached her teen years.

So before that, Toby and his sister got into all sorts of antics.

Lyra has always been supportive of Toby, even from a young age.

She was always with him outside bug collecting, or helping with crafts, or just watching tv together.

Lyra was always cuddling and touch Toby, which explains why he's so touched starved later on in life.

Once time Lyra and Toby were playing tag, Toby ran straight through the sliding glass door, fell over, and then continued running as if nothing happened.

They both got a light scolding.

Lyra was very active, and Toby clung to Lyra like glue, so they both played sports.

Lyra played on the school teams, and Toby wasn't allowed to participate because of his CIPD.

But that doesn't mean he wasn't always there to cheer her on the loudest.

Remember the bug collecting mentioned earlier?

Toby and Lyra spent the entire day collecting bugs and stuffing them into boxes with wire mesh.

Toby slept with one of the boxes bc he loves bugs so much, and the top popped open and he mysteriously woke up absolutely covered in june bugs.

His older sister was basically his second mom, and usually bandaged him up when he bonks into a kitchen counter or trips over some toys in his room.

She was also always there for Tobs when he got yelled at over absurd things by his father and hugged him for hours.

Toby and Lyra always ate Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup every Thursday, so that meal really brings back a lot of good memories.

Jeff

Even as a child, Jeff was a baby bitch boy.

He always found something to get upset or cry about.

Dirty, all the time.

His mother had to constantly drag him to the sink because he was playing in dirt and bugs, or grabbing jelly with his bare, nasty hands.

Liu and him were the best kind of brothers growing up.

Pillow forts, forest exploring, camping, video games, anything a kid could want, really.

Jeff was rowdier than Liu, and tended to get into more trouble, which echoed throughout his teen years.

This meant Jeff was costly to keep around, he was always making messes, always breaking shit, always hiding shit that he broke, and by the time everything added up, Jeff wouldn't have any college money saved up.

When Jeff was first born, Liu held him and then cried about how ugly he looked.

Liu was hella jealous of Jeff and constantly tried to steal his toys.

But as Liu got older, he realized he should just be nice because he's going to be stuck with him.

Then they were best friends and convinced their parents to get bunk beds.

Jeff used to talk in his sleep, but he grew out of it once he saw that Liu was keeping a list of everything that he’s said.

Liu still has it

[littlemisslol-fic]

Summary: Two years after the events of Barviel Keep, Varian has tried to adapt to the expectations brought by being a King’s Ward, with mixed results. Haunted by ghosts, Varian is forced to face the demons he tried to leave behind in Bayangor when his abdication is forcibly stopped by a third party, out for revenge against the Bayan Royal bloodline. On the run, with few allies left to turn to, Varian finds himself chasing a ghost through a series of tests that only a true heir of Demanitus could ever hope to pass.But the shadows are ever present, looming and dark, and not everything is as simple as it might seem.

Notes: An innocent side trip ends with repercussions. Merrick makes another move.

Today marks the one year birthday of the first story in this series, Like a Rowboat, so what better time to kick it out of hiatus than now? Time to get the ball rolling again.

The road to Pincosta was a lesson in patience.

The group kept off the main roads for the most part, sticking to the backroads just as they had while making their way to Old Corona. They’d been walking for almost two days already, and Varian was starting to get tired. The backroads were quiet, the kinds of roads someone would walk if they didn’t want to be discovered- but that also meant that they weren’t exactly well maintained, nor were they the quickest option available.

Varian scowled as he tripped over a stone that had been half-embedded in the dirt path, grunting and shaking out his foot as he followed Eugene and Rapunzel through the quiet woods. He knew the logic behind not taking the main road- hell if anything it was the obvious choice- but that didn’t make sloughing through endless muddy, messy, footpaths was fun.

Eugene seemed unaffected as he led them along, idly swatting at a few large bugs that were buzzing around his head. With an exaggerated grin he slung an arm over Varian’s shoulder, gently nudging a half-asleep Ruddiger.

“Smell that, kid?” he said, taking a dramatic sniff. Varian rolled his eyes, but played along. It was nice of Eugene to try and distract him, and he was grateful to be distracted.

“What,” Varian asked, “The smell of damp forest and skunk? Cause if so, yeah, I smell it.”

“Not that, my vertically-challenged friend!” Eugene said, shaking Varian a little at the sass. Ruddiger chittered his disagreement with that, but Eugene held strong in the face of the raccoon’s ire. “That, my dear boy, is the smell of adventure!”

“Exhilarating.” Varian deadpanned, catching sight of Rapunzel smothering a laugh with her hand. “I am… just so excited. Truly, my feeble heart can’t take it-”

“I know!” Eugene cut him off, “Think of this as your chance to finally travel! That’s what you wanted, right?”

Varian looked skywards- Sun give him strength- before fixing Eugene with an exasperated look.

“You know,” Varian said, “I think the circumstances kind of changed some things.”

Eugene paused, but shrugged.

“Never happy, these kids!” he said to Rapunzel, who snorted into her hand. Even Varian couldn’t help but snicker, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter as he tried to keep a straight face. Eugene wasn’t done, however. “I’m just saying, give them an inch and they’ll take a mile, no gratefulness at all-”

“I resent that.” Varian finally broke, playfully shoving at Eugene, “Keep going on about the youths and I’ll sick Angry and Red on you-”

“You wouldn’t dare-”

“Try me.”

Eugene’s eyebrow raised, the main appraising Varian to try and find the lie. Unable to find it, he huffed out a put-upon sigh, removing his arm and instead ruffling Varian’s hair. The alchemist scowled, swatting at him, but Eugene merely took the hits with grace.

“You win this round, goggles, but I swear when we get to Pincosta-”

“Which I still don’t think is a good idea-”

“You shush. When we get you to Pincosta, you’ll be grateful for this life experience we’ve given you. Someday, we’re all gunna look back on this and laugh!”

“Like the time with the Saporians?”

“Well, no, okay-”

“Or the time with Cassandra?”

“Now that was extenuating circumstances-”

“And the time with Zhan Tiri?”

Eugene finally gave up, shaking his head with a good-natured sigh. Rapunzel seemed to dislike the direction the conversation was headed, stepping up and putting a hand on both their shoulders.

“How about we break for lunch?” she asked, “I don’t know about you two, but I’m starving!”

Varian sank down into a slouch, backing off. Eugene had just been trying to lighten the mood, it wasn’t fair for Varian to get snippy with him. When they stopped on the side of the road, he nudged Eugene in a quiet apology, which the man returned. Varian shot him a grateful smile, taking the subsequent hair ruffle with grace. All of them were on edge, it was true, but at least Eugene was the forgiving type.

Rapunzel sighed as she flopped down onto the grass on the side of the path, stretching her arms a bit and rustling around the duffle bag. The sun beat down on them, hotter out from under the canopy of the trees, and she seemed to perk up with the brighter light.

“Okay!” she said, “Let’s see what we’ve got.” The clinking of glassware echoed around her, the princess moving empty bottles and supplies around. Varian sighed and sat next to her, leaning into her side with a tired whine. Rapunzel shouldered the motion with grace, taking the brunt of her brother’s weight as he complained.

They’d been walking for days- Varian’s feet felt like they were going to fall off. It wasn’t like this was the longest trip he’d ever been on but with the horrible terrain, combined by the swift pace Rapunzel was leading them on, Varian was ready to drop. Eugene looked a little better, flopping down with a huff onto his own patch of grass. He fell flat on his back, letting out a long breath and closing his eyes. Varian snickered quietly, watching the dramatics. Rapunzel paused for a second, arching a brow.

“Okay,” she said, “Who ate the last of the apples?”

Ruddiger took the opportunity to slide off of Varian’s shoulders- hitting the grass with a thump and frantically scurrying off into the woods. The three humans watched him go, before sighing in tandem.

“You know, I think I might have a theory.” Eugene said, not opening his eyes.

“Right.” Rapunzel sighed, sorting through the bag again. “In that case, I guess it’s good we’re near a city; this is the last of our food.” She pulled out a small jar of pickled eggs, scrunching her nose at the sight of the green liquid. Varian did the same, leaning away as she undid the lid. The strong smell of vinegar and egg wafted from the jar; Varian cringed.

Eugene popped an eye open at the stench, sitting up with a sudden excitement.

“Oh, gimme!” he crowed, “I love these things!”

Rapunzel passed him the jar without question, looking away as Eugene began to shove eggs in his mouth. Varian felt himself almost gag- while healthy, pickled eggs had never really been his go to snack, per se. Eugene didn’t seem to care, shoveling them like it was his final meal. With a small muffled mrph noise he offered the jar to Rapunzel who smiled but shook her head. Eugene shrugged and went back to eating.

The princess turned away, smiling conspiratorially and shifting a little so that Eugene couldn’t see what she had. With a small grin, she held up a small bag of… something. Varian arched a brow, leaning closer as she held out her hand and poured a small cluster of hard candies into it, each wrapped in a golden foil that caught the light and glittered.

Varian’s face lit up, and Rapunzel shushed him quickly. She nudged his hand gently, tipping her own so that half the candy fell into his palm. Varian smiled, leaning against her as they unwrapped the treat. Rapunzel’s smile was warm, leaning her head on his; Varian could feel her smile on the crown of his head. The taste of maple sugar was a welcome one, something sweet and simple that was oddly grounding after the week he’d had. Something about being able to sit and enjoy a small luxury settled Varian, made him feel a little more at ease.

So, of course, that’s when the universe had to intervene.

Eugene suddenly made a noise, something that was distinguishable as distressed, but through the eggs there wasn’t much in the way of words. Varian and Rapunzel both straightened up as the man hastily gestured down the road before screwing the lid onto his jar and shoving it into their bag. The man grabbed the bag’s strap, frantically gesturing for them to move towards the thick treeline. Varian was up first, cautiously getting to his feet and watching as Eugene frantically gestured towards the road. The man finally seemed to get sick of being a mime, huffing and firmly pushing Varian towards the brush, Rapunzel hot on his heels. The three of them skid into the woods, hunkering down among the thick leaves and branches at Eugene’s insistence. The man swallowed thickly, gasping, before sinking lower in his hiding place.

“Horses,” he whispered, “A lot of horses.”

Sure enough, not a minute later, the thundering of hooves was audible over the noises of the forest. The three Coronians huddled closer to the ground, watching with tense anticipation as a large group of men- all of them wearing dark coats and a blood red sash- thundered by on horseback. Varian felt Rapunzel’s hand reach for his wrist, grabbing it tightly. He slipped his wrist up, so they were holding hands, the two siblings cringing into each other as the group of Merrick’s men passed them by.

Varian could hear his own panicked heartbeat thud in time with the horses’ hooves, scrunching his eyes closed in fear. Rapunzel was shaking next to him, her hand gripping tightly onto his. Varian was sure if she gripped any tighter his bones would snap. Eugene was the only one of them who seemed even a little composed, but Varian could feel the tenseness in the man’s shoulders next to him, speaking of experience. It set Varian on edge, to know Eugene was anxious about their situation.

The alchemist shuddered, cringing closer to Rapunzel as one of the men called something to the group in a language he didn’t understand; all three Coronians flinched when the group laughed loudly.

After what seemed like hours the patrol finally passed them, the crew of nearly twenty men finally thundering away as quickly as they’d come. Once they were out of sight Rapunzel made to stand, but stopped when Eugene held up a hand. She sank back down into the dirt, not questioning Eugene’s strange behaviour. There was a tense beat of silence between them all, the forest slowly reawakening around them. The only thing Varian could hear was birdsong and the rustling of leaves, but even he waited for Eugene’s say-so before moving. Rapunzel did the same, both she and Varian watching with interest as the man put his ear to the ground.

He held the position for a tense couple of seconds, ear touching the dirt, before looking to them and nodding, pushing up and onto his feet.

“We’re clear,” he said, “They’ve moved on.”

The three slowly crept back onto the road, still tense after the close call. Varian’s rabbit heartbeat slowly began to calm, the thud-thud in his ears abating now that the danger seemed to have passed. He stared down the trail, towards where the warriors had gone, his face sinking into a frown.

“That isn’t… great.” Varian said, looking with wide eyes down the path where the men had vanished. “If they’re already out here, then-”

“Then we’ll just have to be really careful.” Rapunzel said with her hands on her hips. “They’ll be going for Vardaros, but so long as we don’t draw too much attention to ourselves, it’ll be okay.”

“Sunshine’s right.” Eugene agreed, trying to seem positive in the light of Varian’s concern. “Just gotta make sure to stick to the side roads, and keep an ear to the ground. Like hide-and-seek!”

“We still have to go to Vardaros, though.” Varian said grimly, “Unless we want to eat pickled eggs for the whole trip.”

Eugene’s eyes lit up at that, but Rapunzel looked downright squeamish at the thought.

“Good point,” she said, tapping at her chin with her frying pan. “Maybe Eugene and I will go, Varian, and you can stay behind and-”

“And what, get attacked?” Varian argued, “Splitting up is literally the worst thing we could do right now.”

Rapunzel paused, thinking it over. Varian picked at his glove, still looking down the road. He knew that logically it wouldn’t be smart to split up, leaving him alone would inevitably end with Varian having to fend off any attacks on his own, which with his track record could only end badly. There was also the niggling feeling of patronization, that Rapunzel thought he was so useless he needed to be left in the woods while she and Eugene did all the work. It made him almost want to take back what he’d said, to be left alone just to show he could, but tactically it was a horrible plan. Rapunzel didn’t seem enthused by the idea either, tapping her chin once more.

“Well, we’ll have to see how it looks when we get there,” she finally said, tugging at her hair nervously. “Maybe they won’t even stop in Vardaros, they could just move on if they think we’re farther ahead.”

“With our luck?” Eugene laughed, shouldering their bag with a grunt. “I bet they’ve already set up shop.”

Rapunzel deflated, her shoulders slumping. Varian looked at her closely, saw the exhaustion in her spine and the despondence in her face. Something sick filtered through his gut, a tense collection of fear and anxiety and stress- but he shoved it down. Rapunzel had been shouldering his bad mood for the last two days, and had tried to be nothing but positive- but even she couldn’t deny the severity of their situation. Varian grit his teeth, standing a little straighter. The sick feeling in his stomach solidified into a determination, and he stepped closer to her, catching her eye.

“We’ll deal with it when we get there,” he said, “But we’ll deal with it like we deal with everything else- together.”

That seemed to do the trick; Rapunzel perked right back up again, nodding.

“And we’ll win together too,” she declared. “Just like we always do.” She smiled, the first real one Varian had seen from her in days. It scrunched her face in the same way it always had, full and bright and open in a way that was just so Rapunzel. For the first time since Corona burned, Varian saw his sister again. She smiled, glorious and full, and it shined lighter than the sun.

“To Vardaros, then,” she said.

Varian smiled, letting her link their arms at the elbow.

“To Vardaros.”

>>><<<

Rapunzel found that something in her refused to relax.

It had been hours since they’d last seen the patrol- nearly half a day, to be exact- but she still felt the same tenseness in her muscles that she had when they’d been right in front of her and her family. The princess shuddered- that had been too close for comfort, even if nothing had come from it. They were looking for Varian; Merrick had probably sent men in each cardinal direction in an attempt to find her brother, like dogs after a downed bird.

The thought made her sick to her stomach.

Rapunzel startled a little as Varian- fast asleep to her left, his head propped up on her leg- snuffled in his sleep, and curled tighter around Ruddiger unconsciously. Rapunzel smiled softly, something frail and affectionate; she lifted a hand up to run it through his messy hair, gently untangling some of the larger knots with the sort of unconscious ease she had from years of practice. Varian leaned into the touch, snuggling closer into her warmth. Eugene snored nearby, flung half over a log as he twitched in his sleep.

Rapunzel snickered at her husband, the man idly kicking a foot into the dirt. Varian shifted a bit at the noise- Rapunzel kept detangling his hair as he settled again. The clearing around them was well off the beaten path- Rapunzel was grateful, as they were finally able to light a fire for the first time in days. It cracked merrily in the middle of their small camp, tucked out of sight in the massive, winding roots of an ancient elm. The forest around them was calm and quiet, relaxed in a way that suggested safety.

But Rapunzel refused to let herself be caught off guard.

She idly thumbed at the handle of her frying pan. She was sitting with her back to one of the large roots, propped up against it in something almost like a slouch. It was late in the evening, the moon full and bright in the cloudless sky. Rapunzel caught herself scanning the forest in the moonlight, unable to trust her surroundings.

Not while she had her family to protect.

Ruddiger purred in his sleep, snuggling close to Varian. The boy hugged his pet close to his chest, curling into a ball around the raccoon. Rapunzel cooed under her breath- for all Varian liked to insist he was an adult, he would always be her little brother. And that was the crux of it all, wasn’t it? It was up to her to protect him from things that would do him harm; she would gladly step between him and danger no matter the cost. Rapunzel sighed, gently taking her hand from his hair. He didn’t register the change, huddling close with a sigh and relaxing a little more into her leg. Rapunzel smiled, idly slipping a hand into her dress pocket to ward off the cold. Despite the fire, it was still early spring; the evening chill was nothing if not persistent.

Rapunzel’s fingers touched parchment, and her heart sank.

She had nearly forgotten about the letter. Varian’s letter, if she were brutally honest with herself, the one she had been hiding from him. Rapunzel bit her lip, slowly drawing the wrinkled envelope out. She’d completely forgotten she’d kept it in her dress, worried that someone would find it and deliver it to its rightful owner- and by the Sun didn’t that train of thought make her feel cruel. Varian had a right to know that Aisha- his mother- was alive, that she was waiting for him to come find her. Her throat felt tight, like it was being squeezed at the thought.

Did the events of the past few days not prove that Varian was better off without any sort of connection to his bloodline? All Bayangor had ever brought him was fire and blood, chaos and death and pain- it broke Rapunzel’s heart to see her brother put through so much in such a brief amount of time. Bayangor had brought them Aldred, it had brought them Merrick, it had brought them yet another attack on Corona. Quirin had died to keep Varian away from these people, away from his history. Bayangor had given them a kidnapped child and a crown made to rip the free will away from its wearer- it had given them nothing but suffering and misery, and Rapunzel wouldn’t stand by and let Varian get sucked back into the absolute hellfire that was that bloodline. Not again.

The note was still folded in its open envelope- Rapunzel had kept it as intact as she could to keep it as inconspicuous as possible. She reached in with dainty fingers and drew the letter from the envelope. In the silence of the forest the soft crinkle of parchment sounded near damning, but she persisted. The words were identical to the last time she’d read it, the same pleas from a woman who only wanted to see her son, word for word. Rapunzel had poured over the note countless times by now, reading and rereading as if it would change the contents the more she willed them to be different. It never changed, though, remaining as damning as ever.

Rapunzel tensed as she read it again, seeing the words your mother scrawled on the bottom like a branding flame, large and obvious and nigh unmissable-

Eugene let out a particularly large snort, shattering the silence and startling Rapunzel. She felt her heart leap in her throat at the sudden loud noise, clutching the letter close and holding it tightly. Varian shifted, rolling over. Rapunzel shoved the letter into her pocket, frantically trying to calm her racing heart as Varian’s eyes groggily blinked open.

“Punzie?” he asked, his voice slurred with sleep, “Wha-happun?”

Rapunzel couldn’t help but smile- with the note safely tucked away in her pocket she had both hands to gently begin to fuss with his hair again. As much as he whined, she knew that he enjoyed the contact. Case and point, Varian leaned into the touch with a smile, his eyes slipping closed a little.

“Nothing happened,” Rapunzel assured him, “Just Eugene snoring.”

“Not again…” Varian whined, pressing his face into her knee. Rapunzel laughed quietly, biting her lip as the boy snuggled a complacent Ruddiger close.

“Go back to sleep,” she prompted him, sighing with relief when he took the advice. Within another minute he’d fallen back asleep, his breaths evening out. Rapunzel kept playing with his hair, looking around the campsite again. The dark was an inky blanket around them, thick and cloying.

Suspicious.

“You’re okay.” she whispered to him. He didn’t respond, of course, but she kept mumbling to him in the quiet of the night. “You’re okay. Nothing’s going to hurt you, not again.”

She felt her teeth grit, thinking of fire and wind and pink tourmaline, of grey stone and a burning library. She looked down to her brother, so young, so innocent, and with a history filled with so much pain. Rapunzel was through sitting on the sidelines, chasing after the evils of the night instead of meeting them head on before they could do any damage. Her gaze hardened, the women shifting to look into the fire with a newfound sense of determination. When she spoke next, her voice echoed with conviction.

“Not while I’m here. I promise.”

>>><<<

Varian had never been to Vardaros before- hell, before this disastrous week he’d never been outside of Corona save for his forced vacation to Bayangor- but from the stories Rapunzel and Eugene had told him he didn’t exactly have high expectations.

And even then, Vardaros still managed to be disappointing.

Varian huffed a little as he pulled the hood of his dad’s cloak a little higher on his head, his hair covered by the large hood. He shrank into the feeling of it, the swatch of blue-grey fabric warm and soft and feeling almost safe as he quietly followed Rapunzel and Eugene through the packed streets. Rapunzel stuck close to him, constantly looking back as if to confirm that Varian was still following them; the alchemist couldn’t help but feel a little put-upon… did she think he was going to wander off like a little kid? Get lost like a toddler in the crowd?

Varian bit the inside of his cheek, trying to push down the indignation. Rapunzel was probably just as stressed, tired, and generally shaken as Varian was. He had to cut her a little slack, right? It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, it was probably that she was just worried.

Right?

The alchemist shook himself; he was being paranoid, and this was not the time for infighting. He sank a little deeper into the cloak, pulling it closer. It was a warmer day today, thankfully, but not so warm that Varian’s cloak looked suspicious; a small stroke of luck that was blissfully received. The market was relatively quiet; Eugene had taken them to one of the shadier market centers in the city in order to keep a lower profile- and thus it was basically abandoned in the light of the midafternoon.

The stone walls that made up the canyon Vardaros sat in reached high into the sky, so high that Varian had to crane his neck to see the top. The market, being crammed into one of the smaller canyon offshoots, had multiple stories of buildings, reaching up by at least three to four stories. The higher levels were connected by a series of wooden footpaths and rope bridges, the complex network nearly blotting out the sun by the time it hit ground level. Varian was rather appreciative of it, sticking to the shadows and generally trying to stay out of the way; it wouldn’t end well if he were recognized, especially considering the search party they’d seen earlier the previous day.

Eugene led them through the market, a series of stalls and small shops manned by the kind of people who, had Quirin been around to see them, Varian would have been told to stay away from. Though Vardaros had been cleaned up in the past few years- at least according to Rapunzel and Eugene- it was obvious that a reputation as a hive of scum and villainy was harder to wash away than most would hope. Here, in the underbelly of the underbelly, it seemed that Vardaros’ use as a crime hub was still going strong.

And now, it was decidedly working to their advantage.

“We’ve almost got everything.” Eugene was saying, “But I want to see if we can get some science stuff for the kid-” Varian perked up at that, “Just in case.”

Rapunzel bit her lip, searching through the pocket of her dress. She pulled out the gold that Frederic had left in their bag, idly counting it. It was a fair handful, at least to Varian, but he’d also been raised smart enough to know how to budget. Rapunzel pursed her lips, tilting her head.

“We could probably swing for some alchemy supplies,” she finally agreed, “So long as we keep it to the essentials.”

The last bit was directed to Varian, who snapped to attention. He nodded quickly, looking between the two of them.

“I don’t need much.” he said, “Just a couple compounds for the goo-bombs, maybe some for higher caliber explosives-”

“Maybe we won’t do the explosives, bud.” Eugene cut him off, “No offence but they’re not exactly… subtle, and we need to be at least a little sneaky if we’re going to get where we need to go in one piece.”

Varian paused, thinking about what Eugene had said, before nodding.

“Fair enough,” the boy said, “I’ll just make extra goo-bombs then.”

“Deal!” Rapunzel chirped. A few people looked at her with odd expressions, seeing someone so peppy in the middle of such an… interesting group of people was probably a little strange. One of the larger men looked from Rapunzel to Varian; the boy shrank back under his gaze, shifting closer to Eugene as he did so. The man’s eyes narrowed, but he moved on, disappearing into the crowd. Varian shuddered- he didn’t look like one of Merrick’s men, but one could never be certain.

Eugene paused when Varian drifted close. The brunette followed the boy’s eyeline, just catching the strange man vanishing into the crowd. Eugene pursed his lips, looping an arm around Varian’s shoulders. Varian felt his nerves settle at the touch, breathing easier. Eugene patted at his back, comforting.

“C’mon kid,” he said, “Sooner we got the alchemy shop, sooner we’re out of here and on the road again, right?”

Varian leaned into Eugene’s side, sinking deeper into the feeble, protective half-hug. He tried to calm his racing thoughts, with limited success.

“Yeah,” the boy said, trying to sound enthused. “Yeah, of course.”

They moved on together, sticking to side streets and alleyways, keeping well out of the public eye. Vardaros had a certain feeling to it- it gave Varian the constant urge to check over his shoulder. Like the city itself might swallow him up if he wasn’t careful. Varian felt guilty by association just by walking around. Something about Vardaros made him nervous- be it the patrons or the looming, constricting walls of the canyon surrounding the city- and Varian couldn’t wait to be back on the road.

The side street they were on opened up into another large courtyard, surrounded on all sides by shoddy looking buildings. In the very center was a large fountain, long since died up and left to crumble. The cracked cobblestones shifted slightly under Varian’s boots, crumbling as he walked. Eugene’s arm was solid on his shoulders, tugging him along and keeping him away from prying eyes. Varian’s gaze drifted along the wall of a nearby building, where a large board was put up. Bounties, he realized, looking at nearly fifty different pictures all tacked up haphazardly. The board was nearly caked with wanted posters, some official from different kingdoms, some very obviously from different gangs and organizations. Varian slipped out from under Eugene’s arm, and looked closer.

He caught sight of some familiar faces, Andrew, the Stabbingtons, a few others he recognized from prison, but one bounty was painted with damning perfection and put right smack in the middle of the board.

Varian’s eyes widened when he saw his own face staring back at him.

He stumbled over a cracked cobblestone, jerking to a halt. Varian heard, more than felt, his breath hitch. How had they already- so quickly-

Shit.

“Uh. Guys?” he called softly. Both adults turned to see what he was looking at. The poster of Varian’s face was blatantly obvious, as was the ludicrously high price of eighteen-hundred gold for a live capture. Varian’s bounty hadn’t even been that high when he’d been accused of attacking the princess- and if the large stamp of bright red ink in the bottom corner was any indication, Merrick wanted Varian very badly.

“Oh. Uh.” Eugene said, shifting closer to the wall. “That is a… very high number.”

Varian nodded, stunned, biting his lip. How long had the poster been up? It couldn’t have been awfully long, the parchment hadn’t even started to degrade from being outside yet. The anxiety began to creep back in, a sick, cloying feeling. Varian bit a little harder into his lip- who had seen the wanted poster yet? He knew they had been careful, but even Eugene had mentioned that they probably had a few more days before a bounty would go out. They thought they’d have more time before word would get out, before they’d have to be overly cautious. Varian looked back to the poster, his heart sinking.

It seems their time had run out.

“What are we looking at- oh.” Rapunzel's voice cut off as she got a look at the poster. Varian’s terrified little face stared back, immortalized in ink and parchment. Varian couldn’t help but feel a little offended, at least his Coronian wanted posters had made him look scary, not like a frightened baby bunny. Eugene patted him on the back, sympathetic, before reaching forward and tearing the poster off the wall.

“Hey, at least they got your nose right,” the man grumbled, looking once at the paper before shoving it into his pocket. Rapunzel looked nervous, scanning the crowd. Varian did the same, not arguing as she reached a hand for him. The boy took her hand without question, following as Rapunzel tugged him away from the board. The three Coronians dipped into the shadow of a stall, huddling in a circle and looking at each other for a plan. Rapunzel dropped her grip once Varian was turned away, grabbing up their bag of supplies, but she shifted so that she was shoulder to shoulder with him, as if assuring herself that he was still there with physical contact.

“Forget the alchemy,” she said quickly, “We’ve got to get out of the city.”

“Agreed,” both Eugene and Varian said at the same time. Rapunzel was already moving back into the street, the boys following her lead-

A rough hand closed around Varian’s wrist.

The alchemist winced as he was forced to stop, looking over to see the man who had been looking at him oddly before. The man held up another copy of the wanted poster, gruffly shoving it in Varian’s face.

“This you?” the man asked, shaking the parchment.

The boy backed up as much as he could, nose wrinkling at the smell of the man’s foul breath.

“Nope!” he said, trying for a peppy smile, “Can’t say it is, sorry sir-”

The man reached a calloused, filthy hand up and tore Varian’s hood down, his eyes immediately going to the stripe in the boy’s hair. His gnarled, pockmarked face split into a wide grin, and the grip on Varian’s wrist got tighter.

“I think it is,” the man said. His greasy, black hair fell forwards into his face as he leaned forward into Varian’s space. “And that means I am about to be very rich.”

The boy tugged a little harder on his wrist, his other hand reaching for one of his bombs on his belt- this was exactly why they shouldn’t have come to the city, they should have just foraged for something to eat. Ruddiger hissed at the man from his place on Varian’s shoulder, growling like a little motor-

A familiar figure loomed up behind Varian, and the alchemist caught sight of a silver knife before Eugene Fitzherbert’s voice drifted between the boy and the man holding him.

“Problem, sir?” Eugene asked, the silver of his knife glinting in the weak sunlight of Vardaros’ underbelly. The man went pale, quickly letting go of Varian’s wrist. The boy clutched his hand close, rubbing at the spot where he knew a bruise was beginning to form and backing into Eugene’s chest. The man scowled, looking at Eugene with a murderous expression.

“No trouble,” he hissed, stormy grey eyes flicking from Eugene to the knife, to Varian, then back to the knife.

“Good.” Eugene said. “If that’s all, my brother and I will be going. You have yourself a nice, quiet day.”

The man’s expression darkened, but he still backed away from the Coronians. Eugene set a hand on Varian’s elbow, pushing the boy back towards Rapunzel and behind him. Varian had seen the expression on Eugene’s face a few times, the grim set of teeth and furrowed brows that only showed up when the man was furious with whatever was in front of him. Even when they’d been enemies, Varian had never seen it directed towards him- but he had seen it directed towards others before… Zhan Tiri, the Stabbingtons, Merrick.

And to Aldred.

The grey eyed thug vanished from sight. Varian saw Eugene’s shoulders slump with relief, the man’s posture sagging.

“Let’s get out of here,” Eugene said, shuffling his family forward nervously. “I don’t think we have a lot of time before nosey over there tries his hand at something else.”

Rapunzel nodded in agreement, and together the three of them hurried to gather their supplies and move on. Varian followed in her shadow, meekly hiding behind her. As they scurried off, leaving the market in the dust, none of the Coronians noticed a set of grey eyes following them, nor the scraggly, malicious smile splitting a pockmarked face.

The man turned, disappearing into the crowds like smoke in the air.

>>><<<

When Arianna met Merrick for the second time, he seemed smug. Something in the way he smiled at her and her husband put the queen on the defensive. It had been days locked away in isolation in the cold, damp, inky depths of the dungeon- and to see her jailer return in such high spirits made Arianna’s hackles raise. Her first thought was for Varian- if Merrick had found her boy, harmed a hair on his head-

“So, I’ve been thinking,” Merrick said, leaning up against the wall across from Arianna’s cell. “We kinda got started on the wrong foot.”

“Is that what we’re calling it?” she asked, crossing her arms. Merrick’s grin only widened.

“It’s what I’m calling it, sure.”

“And that’s the only thing that matters?”

Merrick paused, pretending to think before nodding with a grin.

“Yep,” he said, popping the p. “Now. Okay. So I know it’s been rough, and I do so apologize for the way you’ve been treated- our fight isn’t with Corona, it’s with the crow, after all. But since he’s got the both of you convinced that he’s innocent, or whatever, I’m afraid we’re going to have to resort to… drastic measures.”

His flesh hand waved in a complex motion, and Arianna saw toxic green eyes twitch. Sparks leapt from Merrick’s outstretched hand, flying forwards unnaturally and moving directly into Frederic’s face. The man stumbled back, coughing roughly before suddenly jerking to a stop. Arianna watched in horror as her husband’s eyes glazed over and nearly unfocused- the man almost slumped over from his own weight.

“What did you do?!” she demanded, glaring at the teenager in front of her. Merrick grinned, flexing his natural hand.

“Told her I didn’t screw it up,” the man muttered to himself before turning to Arianna. “And don’t worry, queenie-bee,” his grin went sharp, “I merely… convinced him to see things my way. Freddy, darling?”

Frederic snapped to attention, glazed eyes focusing on Merrick through the bars. Merrick stood a little taller- Arianna tensed at the look of absolute malice on his face.

“Tell me, where would your daughter take the crow?” Merrick asked, crossing his arms and looking expectant.

“I don’t know.” Frederic mumbled- Arianna felt herself slump in relief. They may not have known for sure where Rapunzel would have taken Varian, but they did have a few ideas between the two of them. Merrick’s face darkened, but he still pulled a key from his pocket nonetheless and opened Frederic’s cell.

“So, you were telling the truth then. That… isn’t ideal.” Merrick muttered. “But I guess that’s why we improvise.”

He turned to Arianna, who slowly backed away from the iron bars of her own cell. Fear pulsed through her, but she forced herself into a straight back and a stiff lip. She glared at her jailer, even as he pulled a face at her.

“Ah, well.” Merrick shrugged, shaking out both hands as if the metal one could get as sore as his original. “Guess I’ll be needing both of you. Pain in the ass, but c’est la vie!”

He did the same motion again- Arianna felt a rise of panic as she pressed herself into the stones at her back. The man scoffed as the sparks grew from his hand once more, looking her dead in the eye.

“Don’t worry,” he said, “It’s just like falling asleep… and when you wake up there’ll be one less evil in the world.”

The sparks hit her dead in the face- Arianna coughed roughly as she breathed them in. A sudden urge to sleep overtook her, clouding her thoughts like smoke in a closed room. She clenched her fists against the stone wall at her back, shaking her head. She had to fight it, if not for herself than for her children- Varian and Rapunzel would need all the help they could get…

Arianna grit her teeth, shaking her head once more. The spell pushed at her consciousness once more, the most aggressive attack yet, but then… silence. The smoke in the crevices between her thoughts dissipated- Arianna stood a little straighter as the feeling of drowsy claws trying to drag her under let go. The spell… hadn’t took? Arianna panicked a little, her mind reeling; the spell hadn’t worked, but what to do about that fact?

Thinking quickly, Arianna tried to mimic Frederic’s stance, slumping a little and unfocusing her eyes. If Merrick couldn’t tell the difference, then maybe she could escape? Or find help, at least. Arianna stared blankly at the floor, trying to school her face into a lax expression- she shoved the panic down deep into her chest and waited with hitching breath.

There was the sound of jingling keys, and a lock being flicked.

“See? Easy.” Merrick muttered to himself, “Just gotta force two innocent people into giving me information, like that’s morally justifiable.”

Arianna’s cell popped open just like Frederic’s had, and the Queen let out a small sigh of relief. Merrick grumbled to himself as he turned around, walking from the room. His whole demeanour had changed, the false pep long gone. The act, it seemed, had been dropped. His shoulders slouched, face flipping into a small frown as he waved at them to leave their cells.

“Follow me, then,” he sighed. Frederic began a lumbering gait forwards- if Arianna didn’t know any better, she would think he was sleepwalking. She mimicked his posture, silently following the two men up the stairs. Her thoughts were flying a mile a minute- why hadn’t the spell worked? It hadn’t worked on Varian either… what connected them that didn’t also connect Frederic? The halls of her home, charred but still standing at least, flew by as Arianna’s thoughts grew more and more wild.

She could see ash and burned lumber being cleared away by maids and guards alike, the entirety of Corona brought to their knees by the band led by the man in front of her. Countless members of Merrick’s group kept watch over the castle staff, keeping them in line. She felt her teeth grit, hoping that her people had at least been treated with respect during their time since the takeover… no one seemed worse for wear, but she could see the shock and fear in their eyes as their monarchy went walking past. A large part of her wanted to call out to them, to tell them it was going to be alright, but she couldn’t. She needed to be smart about this- and the opportunity she’d been given was worth too much to pass up.

Merrick led them to one of the council rooms, one that Arianna had never really used in her time as queen. It was a smaller space, only twenty by twenty meters, with a large table set in the very center. Cerise was there as well, slouching in an ornate chair with her boots kicked up on the oak surface. She looked smug, rocking her chair on the back two legs. When Merrick entered the room, she let her chair hit the polished wooden floor with a thunk- and her grin turned into a smile with too many teeth.

“So it worked this time?” she asked, her voice echoing in the chamber. Merrick scowled, shoving at her as he drew close.

“You shut it,” he said, “I don’t know what happened with the crow- but I didn’t screw it up.”

“Sounds like denial to me, but whatever helps you sleep at night.” The younger woman grinned, “And we have news.”

Arianna tensed, but followed Frederic as Merrick gestured for them to sit. She did so, holding her head down so they couldn’t see the fright in her eyes. Had they found Varian?

“Did one of the patrols catch them?” Merrick asked, decidedly more excited than Arianna would think he could sound.

“Not quite.” Cerise grunted. She pulled out a map of the nearby territories, laying it out and setting it on the table. Arianna could see countless notes and lines drawn over its old, brittle surface. Cerise pointed with a thin finger, gesturing to a large city.

“They were spotted in Vardaros,” she said, and Arianna’s heart dropped. Cerise kept going, ignoring how Merrick shoved into her space to stand so they were side by side. “About a day ago.”

“All the way out there?” Merrick mumbled, “Damn, they’ve made good time.”

“They must be walking in basically a straight line.” Cerise agreed, “But I think I know where they’re headed.”

“You just said they were in Vardaros,” Merrick said, confused.

“Yeah, were in Vardaros- they would’ve moved on by now.”

“But why would they do that? The place is perfect to hide the crow.”

“Exactly, it’s too perfect. I’m willing to bet they stopped for supplies and kept going.”

“But where? They could be anywhere by now-”

“Not exactly.” Cerise cut her brother off, gesturing with her finger. “Look, they started in Corona-” Her finger jabbed at the map. “-And made a beeline towards Vardaros, but didn’t stay.” Her hand moved in a perfect line across the map to land on a tiny, painted version of the city. “So, then what?”

“Then they ran to wherever they were actually headed.” Merrick said, scratching at the back of his neck. “C’mon, ‘Rise, I’m not good at this tactical shit.”

Cerise rolled her eyes, but began to elaborate. She moved her hand along the same line that it had been travelling before, moving past Vardaros and off into the outer countryside. Merrick followed her finger with interest, as did Arianna.

“If Vardaros was a stop,” Cerise explained as she did so, “Then they weren’t making a beeline for the city- they were aiming directly at their final destination and Vardaros just happened to be in the way.”

“Oh.” Merrick said, drawing it out. “Duh.”

“Yeah, duh.”

“Shut up.”

Cerise only snorted, her finger trailing to a stop on what looked like a coffee stain on the parchment. She cocked her head, raising a brow. Her eyes focused on the spot, and she leaned forward for a closer look.

“Looks like the only place nearby is a place called… Pincosta,” she mused, and Arianna could hear the confusion in her voice. The queen tried to keep her breath from hitching- Rapunzel had told them about her adventures once the Saporian memory wipe was over, she knew her daughter had been to Pincosta. The panic in her chest came back with a vengeance, loud and screaming-

“Never heard of it.” Merrick grunted, pushing his sister’s hand out of the way to get a better look. Cerise seemed unaffected, slapping him on the shoulder in offense. “What the hell is it?”

“Me neither.” Cerise said, “I think they have a diamond or something that’s important. I dunno.”

“Why the hell would they go there? It’s out in the middle of nowhere, no fortifications. It’s just some shithole-”

“Makes it the perfect place to hide a crow from a pair of foreigners, then, doesn’t it?” Cerise murmured, something toxic entering her voice. Merrick’s confusion slowly morphed into something smug, the two siblings looking at each other with barely contained glee.

“Think you can beat them there?” Merrick’s voice was halfway to a laugh, his teeth flashing in the sunlight.

“Oh, I know I can.” Cerise said, “And if he’s that close to the border, then he’s close to-”

“Yep.”

“How convenient for us.”

“Yep.”

Cerise laughed, something nearly exasperated. “Bless the Highers, finally something goes our way.”

“It’s about time.” Merrick said in the same tone. “What will you need?”

“Just my horse.” Cerise said quickly. “I don’t want to spook them- small and discrete is the name of the game here.”

Merrick turned to Frederic, grinning. “Freddy, darling,” The man said, “If you could order your men to saddle the horse for my dear elder sister, that would be amazing.”

Frederic nodded at the command, standing from his chair and lumbering away.

“Gods, that’s so creepy.” Merrick said, watching the man go. “Like, really creepy.”

“Yeah, but useful.” Cerise shrugged. Merrick pursed his lips but nodded, conceding the point. Cerise smiled, turning to her brother with something feral in her eyes.

“I trust you’ll be able to take care of things while I’m gone?” she asked, and Merrick nodded. He looked down to the map, and then back up to his sister.

“Oh course,” the man assured, “We’ll be waiting for you here.”

Cerise firmly clapped Merrick on the shoulder, passing him and heading for the door. She had nearly made it out of the room when Merrick cleared his throat; she paused, looking back to him with an expectant look. Merrick seemed to want to say something, but he closed his mouth with a click, smiling instead. His next words sent shivers down Arianna’s spine.

“Happy hunting.”

[smallpumpkinboi]

Sunny days

Pairing: Harry×Ron

Summary: Ron decides Harry had a boring childhood and takes him out for a surprise.

Rating: K

Warning: Mild cursing

Word count: 1,196

Authors note: short little one shot, has like zero plot but feed back is appreciated!!

---

"Harry come on!" Ron shouted up the stairs, rocking on the balls of his feet. 

"I'm coming! Maybe if you'd tell me where we're going I'd be ready" Harry ran down the stairs, shoes and socks in hand. Molly had taken them from grimmauld place for the weekend, everyone was getting cramped up in the depressing house and thought they could use some fresh air. Yesterday they had all played a game of quittage, Charlie accidentally breaking Fred's nose abruptly ended the game and any future games for the rest of their stay. 

Stumbling down Harry spotted Ron, the red head was carrying a patched up bag, a big smile plastered on his face. 

"Harry lets go!" Ron bounced towards the door, bag dangling beside him. His fingers gripped the doorknob, swinging the door open eyes beaming. Rushing Harry was dragged out the door, shoes barely on his feet. 

Walking closely the sun warmed their skin, a soft breeze tangled their hair, knotting the gentil locks. Damp dirt was pressed under their feet, dirtying their shoes as they trailed along a new path. Ron was taking Harry to a "special" spot for something, small colourful flowers littered the forest floor, clovers growing in between them and bees lazily hanging around. Their walk was mostly quiet, Ron pointing out trees he used to climb or his favorite hiding spots in hide and seek. Harry absorbed all the information, imagining playing childhood games with the Weasleys. 

"One time Ginny climbed that tree so high Charlie had to take a broom up to get her. I don't think she was scared, she seemed perfectly happy but everybody decided to freak out 'bout it." Ron laughed, patting a tree, dark moss grew up the sides, mushrooms blooming out of it as thick branches reached the sky. Continuing their walk Ron brought Harry into a clearing, large trees surrounded them, bright grass was scattered around, crabgrass and dandelions sprouted from the ground. Pulling Harry into the shade of a tree he held his arms out,

"What's this place?" Harry asked, looking at the beautiful sight. Smiling Ron started rummaging through his bag, pulling out a large blanket. 

"Charlie used ro bring me here" he laid out the blanket, crawling around and spreading it out. "During the summer, he used to tell me everything that had happened at hogwarts'' he sat crisscrossed, pulling his bag towards him. Jestering for Harry to sit he continued, "sometimes read me stories, never shut up about dragons' ' he laughed the last part. "But we'd have most fun eating lunch" he pulled out a container of food and opened it.

"A picnic?" Harry asked, picking up the food and smelling it. "You seriously brought me on a picnic" he smiled. 

"Well ya, I used to have them with my brothers all the time and you said you've never been on one" he started as if it was the most logical thing in the world. Continuing to pull out containers Ron set them around the blanket, chatting aimlessly about the forest, pointing out flowers and greeting bugs. Harry watched, amused at the sight of Ron telling off a fly for landing on some pie, he remembered when he told Ron that he'd never been on a picnic. It was in their first year, Ron mentioned how nice the weather was and wished he could eat outside, he told him he never ate outside with his family. He never really put much thought into the conversation but Ron remembering warmed his heart. 

"What's that?" He asked, pointing at an orange mash. 

"Those are supposed to be yams" Ron picked them up, smelling it and scrunching his nose. "not very good at cooking am I?" He put them down, shoving them to the side. 

"Nah, they can't be that bad" Harry grabbed a spoon, scooping up a heap and putting it into his mouth. He was met with a sour taste, mouth going dry as salt stung his tongue. "This is very nice of you but these are nasty" he tried to hide his disgust, but the dry taste lingered on his tongue. 

"They can't be that bad" Ron took the spoon from him, dipping it into the yams and putting them into his mouth. "Fuck these are god awful" Ron gagged, laughing as he sealed back up the yams, tucking them away in his bag. Grabbing a small turkey sandwich he observed the spread, choppily cut carrots, runny pudding and lukewarm pumpkin juice surrounded him. Ron obviously made the lunch himself and Harry wouldn't have any other perfect lunch. 

Smiling he took a bite out of his sandwich, the familiar taste entered his mouth, Ron made his favorite kind and even brought his favorite juice! Ron seemed pleased with himself, sun giving his hair a brassy glow, bright eyes looked at him lovingly he even had a stupid smile on his face happily munching on some carrots. He danced along to his eating, beaming wherever he looked at Harry. Butterflies flew around them, landing in their hair and resting on the blanket. A kind breeze sifted through their clothes, cooling the boys from the sun's hot glares. Their skin grew warming, their shade having moved exposing them to the bright light, Ron's cheeks were dusted with a bright red, freckles nearly hidden by the colour. 

"You should try the pudding" Ron grabbed a spoonful, shoving it into Harry's mouth. A deep chocolate taste smoothed over his tongue, he hummed at the milky dessert, pleased with Ron's cooking skills. 

"It turned out good didn't it!" He smiled, giving Harry another spoonful, "I made it last night. Pulled the recipe from one of my mum's cookbooks. Worried it was going to be too runny" he stirred the pudding, taking a bite. Picking up his own spoon Harry shared the dessert with his friend, talking about quittage and guessing who would be next year's captain. 

Minutes turned into hours as the food was finished, discarded off the blanket. Harry laid beside Ron, head resting on his stomach. Ron"s fingers were twisted in his hair, untangling and re-knotting his messy locks. Birds chirped, singing their happy song in tune with the humming of the bees and rustling of the leaves. Their conversation had died out a while ago and both boys were enjoying the quiet company. 

"Harry" Ron said, gently patting his head. "We should go before someone comes looking for us" he laughed. Sitting up he gave Ron's leg a kind pat, jeans hot to the touch. Together they packed up, throwing the empty containers in the bag and tightly rolling up the blanket. Throwing the bag over his shoulder Ron ruffled his hair, thick main a huge mess, grass tangled in some places, bright green standing out against the deep red. Reaching up Harry pulled out the weeds, throwing them onto the colourful floor. 

"Thank you" he cupped Ron's cheek, face burning his hands. 

"Ah it was nothing" Ron blushed, eyes meeting his feet.

"Lets go" Harry stood on his toes, kissing Ron on the nose. "Before we are late" he grabbed his hand, pulling him along the scenic trail.

---

Hope you enjoyed!! Thanks for reading

[agerestorybits]

Bug

The park was a lovely place. Filled with laughter and fun. Patton loved playing on the swings or running around looking at the plants.

Today however he wasn’t here to play, he was here to watch Roman, Remus, and Virgil as they ran around the playground. It wasn’t a real playground, how could they go to one of those? No, instead it was another of Roman’s creations. A mix of real and imaginary that made it more magical than a real park could be.

Janus was sitting on the other side of the playground under a tree reading a book. Patton had offered for them to sit together but Janus declined. Saying that it would be better if they spread out so they could keep an eye on the littles from both sides of the playground.

So Patton sat alone with his thoughts as he watched Remus sit on the ground picking strange plants and looking at bugs. Virgil and Roman had been on the swings and were now playing tag.

They ran past Remus almost knocking him off. Patton couldn’t see what happened from where he was but he could see that whatever happened it had upset Remus.

His lower lip trembled as he started crying. Patton was over to him in an instant.

“What’s wrong?”

Remus didn’t respond, instead he climbed into Patton’s lap and tucked his head against his chest. Patton hugged the duke, “Hey. It’s okay.”

Remus’s crying calmed after a minute. Patton looked up as Virgil and Roman came over to see what was going on.

Remus looked up as well and broke out in new tears. “They killed him!”

“Killed who Kiddo?” Patton asked.

“Stinky!” Remus said pointing to where he had been sitting. Patton looked over at the patch of dirt that Remus had pulled all the plants from. All he saw was a squashed bug. It looked like it had been a stink bug.

“Oh..”

“Sorry.” Roman apologized.

Remus turned his face away from his brother as he cried. Roman shifted on his feet and looked over at the bug. He got down on his knees and put his hands over the dead bug.

A second later he picked up a freshly not dead bug and held it out to Remus. “I fixed it!”

Remus looked up at him and then down at the bug in his hands. Remus’s face broke out in a grin. “Stinky!”

He carefully took the bug and held it in his hands.

Patton nodded in approval to Roman and he beamed before running off with Virgil.

“What’s the problem?” Janus asked as he sat down next to them. Remus crawled out of Patton’s lap into Janus’s still holding the bug.

“Stinky! “Remus said, showing Janus the bug. “Ro killed him but then he brought him back so it’s ok.”

“Oh I see.” Janus said nodding gravely. “And what do you plan to do with stinky now?”

Remus frowned, “I gotta keep him safe.” He said carefully, hugging the bug to his chest.

“How will you do that?” Janus asked, ready with the suggestion that they put stinky in a tree so that he would be safe.

He was not ready however for Remus to pop the bug in his mouth and swallow. He smiled. “Safe.”

Janus and Patton looked at each other. Silently agreeing to not explain to Remus right now that you can’t keep something safe by eating it. And that he just killed stinky.

“Can I play tag too?” Remus asked pointing towards Virgil and Roman.

Janus nodded, “That sounds like a great idea!” Remus ran off. The Caretakers looked at each.

“He...ate him.” Patton said.

“Let’s just hope he forgets before he wants Stinky to come out and play.” Janus said.

“We should probably find a backup bug for that.” Patton said.

Janus couldn’t argue that that was a good idea. He just didn’t want to go bug hunting. He sighed, “Fine. Let’s get started.”

That’s why Logan found them crawling around in the grass looking for a stink bug.

[wonderlandleighleigh]

Heyyyy! We hardly see any OT kids (Ben Skywalker, Anakin Solo, etc). Pretty please, with a cherry on top, could we have some of ur amazing content featuring these "adorbes" babies xxx💗

Embarrassingly enough, I stopped reading the the Extended Universe novels before I got to Ben Skywalker coming along, so I...don’t actually know much about him. I’ve heard he’s rad though! I feel like a bad person. But I LOVE LOVE LOVE Jacen, Jaina and Anakin Solo. And to try and sort of...mesh together the EU and the Disney Continuity, I kept Ben Solo as Han and Leia’s youngest child, and gave Luke and Mara a baby girl, Named Beru. (I’ve been in the midst of writing a big honking story about all of them that can be found here). But it would be funny if both Leia and Luke had a son named Ben.

But here! Have some adventures and grandparenting! 

“This has to stop,” Jaina says, a green, sickly look flitting across her young face. “Papa, you have to stop eating those bugs.” 

“I don’t see why,” Anakin Skywalker says. “They’re good for you. And they’re nice and salty.” 

Jaina makes a gagging noise, as her twin frowns sadly.

“Don’t eat them, Papa, they’re living things,” Jacen reminds him. “They have lives. What about their little bug families?” 

“Bugs don’t have empathy like you do, Jasa,” Anakin reminds the boy. “They live and then they die, and there isn’t much in-between for them.” 

“But they’re connected to the Force!” 

“So is the nuna we ate in the stew I made last night for dinner,” Anakin chuckles. “You didn’t seem to mind then.” 

Jacen frowns deeply. “I’m going vegetarian.” 

“I wanna try one,” little Nik says, leaning over to look at the bugs his grandfather has set on the little makeshift table. They’ve been on a hike for a few hours now, and have stopped for a rest. 

“Don’t eat them,” little Ben warns, obviously taking his older sister’s side in all of this. “They’re slimy. You don’t know where they’ve been!” 

“They’re about to be in my belly,” Nik teases, making a slurping sound. 

Anakin chuckles softly. “Stop teasing your little brother, namesake of mine.” 

Nik huffs, and reaches forward, picking up a worm and dropping it into his mouth, chewing slowly and thoughtfully. 

“Oh, Anakin,” it’s Obi-Wan’s voice, deeper than it once was, but eqaully as exhasperated as always. “Not this again. What are you teaching them?”

“To feed off the land,” Anakin responds, grinning as he spots Obi-Wan with his own grandchildren, two little girls that he grips gently by their hands. 

Rey rushes up first, looking down at the bugs with a tilt of her head. “But why eat them, Uncle?” she asks. 

“Because sometimes there is nothing else to eat,” Anakin tells her - tells them all - gently. “Sometimes you are hungry, and you cannot afford to be picky. We are all very fortunate that we don’t have to worry about food. But that wasn’t always the case for me, and it may not always be the case for any of us. Remember how lucky we are to have the things and the resources that we have, young ones. Just because you have them now, does not mean you always will.” 

Jannah steps up behind her sister. “I don’t want to eat bugs,” she admits, and Anakin can see in her dark, dark eyes that even as young as she is, she understands what he’s saying. “Not today.” 

“Me neither,” Beru says softly, from her spot lying in the grass.

“Then you will eat the bread I brought,” Obi-Wan tells her, stepping up to them all. 

“What’d you think?” Anakin asks his young namesake, grinning a little. 

Nik is still chewing, with a thoughtful look on his face. “It’s like noodles. But soggy. And with dirt on it.” He grins. “I like it!” 

“I’m gonna throw up,” Jaina announces. 

“If you throw up, I’m gonna throw up,” Ben says, a pained look on his face. 

“If there is a chain of sympathetic vomiting, I am blaming you,” Obi-Wan tells his former apprentice. “And you’re going to have to explain it to Leia.”