#him remember just a little bit of how fun clay was as a kid and being like ‘poppy is going to LOVE him. they should be friends.’ | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bloatedandalone04 · 1 year ago

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In The Way I Need You | Part 5

Series Masterlist

➪in which you spend the night with the beresfords, and once joey is asleep, you discover that your crush on clay may not be entirely one-sided.

PSA: strongly suggested to read the warnings before proceeding.

WC; 7.5k | Do not repost this anywhere, reblogs are fine ♡

“Hi! I’m so sorry I’m late, the traffic was so bad today, the taxi driver gave me dirty looks the whole ride here,” you say as you quickly enter Clay’s house. You had an overnight bag thrown over your shoulder and he didn’t know why the sight made him so happy, but he was smiling when you added, “I got this for Joey. I saw he didn’t have it in his growing collection.”

You lift your hand and reveal the book Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Doctor Seuss. Clay’s smile grew at that as he took it from you. “You didn’t need to get him anything,” he said, still grateful for it nonetheless.

“I know,” you say with a shy smile as you shrug off your jacket. “I wanted to.”

Clay takes your jacket from you as he says, “Thank you. He’ll love it,” he hangs it up on a hook before guiding you upstairs. “Actually, he’ll probably want you to read it to him instead of me.”

You shake your head as you ascend the stairs. “I don’t think that’s true. You’re his best friend, after all,”

“I think you’re underestimating how attached that kid has grown to you,” Clay laughs as you both enter the living room. “I tried reading to him earlier and he said I don’t read as good as his babysitter does.”

You gasp and laugh, too. “He did not,”

“He did,” was all he was able to say before Joey finally caught sight of you.

“Y/n!” He said, excitement lacing his voice as he slid off the couch and ran over to you. He mispronounces your name again, but you adored the way he said it so you don’t bother correcting him. “Hi!”

You grin at him and drop your bag in order to pick him up. “Hi, buddy,”

Joey looks between you and his dad and he knew he was probably wondering why you were here when it wasn’t a school day. “Remember I told you Y/n was going to stay with us while grandma is away?” Joey nods and he continues. “She’ll be here all night and is going to get you ready for school tomorrow.”

His eyes light up as he hugs you. “All night?” He asked, his excitement to have you here for multiple days at a time radiating from his little body.

“All night,” you confirm, looking over at Clay as Joey hugs you again.

“I went out this morning and got you your diet coke,” Clay announced as he leaned back in his chair at the dining room table. He was wearing more casual clothing, casual being a white tee and khakis, and to see him not wear a suit or tie for the first time since meeting him had you feeling a bit lightheaded. “The shelves on the fridge door are all yours.”

You smile at him as you finish your pasta. “Thank you,” you say as you also lean back. “You didn’t have to do that, though. I’d be happy to just bring something with me whenever I’m here.”

Clay shook his head as he looked over at Joey, who was sitting beside him. “You take care of this guy while I’m at work, and I know how hard that can be. It’s the least I can do,” he joked and the messy smile his son gave him had your own growing.

“All done,” he says as he pushes away his plate. “Can I go play now?”

Clay nods and helps him down from the chair, watching as he runs around the table and out of the room. He shakes his head as you laugh quietly and stand up, collecting the dishes as you do so. “Oh, you don’t have to clean up, you’re a guest,” he tried to take them from you but you dodge his hand with a playful grin.

“I don’t mind,” you say as you carry them into the kitchen. “You bought me my diet coke, after all. It’s the least I can do.”

Clay laughed as he followed you. “As fun as it is, you got to stop thinking you owe me something after I do the bare minimum for you,”

You set the plates and forks down into the sink and turn to him. “I could say the same thing to you,” you tease with a raised brow and he turns away after realizing you made a good point. “That’s what I thought.”

You face the sink again and turn the water on, feeling him still looming behind you.

Glancing back at him, you offer, “How about I wash and you dry? It’ll get done quicker that way,”

“Sure,” he says as he walks over to you. “But on one condition.”

You look up at him as he stands right next to you. He was so close you could smell his cologne and the scent made you feel the smallest bit dizzy. “What is it?” You ask after a few seconds, finally able to find your voice again after zoning out a bit.

He leans in and takes a plate from you. You hadn’t been this close to him since the night you thought you were being given the chance to kiss him, but then got the message quickly when he pulled away before anything happened. He wasn’t pulling away now, though, and you felt lightheaded again. “You watch a kids movie with Joey and I,” he requested and you laughed, turning back to the sink as you washed another plate.

“You’re pushing your luck with that one,” you joked back as he laughed under his breath and set the dry plate aside before taking another one from you.

Half an hour later you were sitting beside Clay on the couch watching The Lion King. Joey was perched on his lap as he stared up at the screen with his big blue eyes as if it was the coolest movie he had ever seen. You supposed it was. It’s one of your favorites, as well, so you were quite happy with the selection.

Of course you cried when Mufasa died, and while Clay held back his laughs, Joey reached out and took your hand in his much smaller one, and you cried a bit harder at that because how a four year old could be this sweet was beyond your comprehension.

Popcorn was scattered around the carpet as the movie ended and the credits rolled. Joey had fallen asleep during the last few scenes, and had migrated half his body onto your lap. “God, Clay, your kid is cute,” you say quietly as you run your fingers gently through Joey’s light hair.

Clay smiled over at you, running his hand up and down his son’s back. “He gets it from his mom,”

You lean over so your lips are close to the side of his head, your hand moving down to cover Joey’s ear. “Bullshit,” you whisper, grinning at the laugh that escapes Clay. “He’s a spitting image of his dad.”

His face flushed a bit and he had to look away, instead focusing his attention on Joey. “You’re sweet,” he said to you as he picked him up, careful not to wake him. You blushed a bit as you watched him stand up. “I’m going to go put him to bed. Are you down for another movie? Preferably one not made for four year olds? Or are you too tired?”

Rolling your eyes, you cross your arms. “The Lion King is not for four year olds,” you defend your comfort movie, getting another laugh out of Clay. “And you’re the parent here, old man. Are you sure you’re not too tired?”

Clay shook his head, tightening his hold on Joey as he walked away from the couch. “Old man, huh?”

“The oldest,” you say as he glances back at you.

“Just pick another movie,”

He headed upstairs while you browsed through his movie collection, noting that even though he is still in his twenties, he had the film taste of a dad in the eighties.

Star Wars Episode VI, Legends of the Fall, Braveheart, The Outsiders, Uncle Buck, Ghostbusters.

Jesus Christ.

You grab The Outsiders and sit back down on the couch, picking through the kernels in the bowl as you wait for Clay to return.

“Want me to make some more?” Clay asked once he came back downstairs and entered the living room.

You hold the bowl out to him with a sheepish smile. “Since you’re offering,”

He takes it from you and walks into the kitchen, making sure to grab you a diet coke once the bowl is full again. Clay hands you the can before sitting next to you, much closer than before, and sets the bowl on his lap. “What’d you pick?” He asked just as the long opening credits of The Outsiders appeared on the screen.

“It’s one of my favorites,” you smile your pretty smile at him and steal a few pieces of popcorn, setting the diet coke aside.

“Yeah?” He hummed as he gathered a couple pieces in his own hand. “Have you read the book?”

You give him an unimpressed look and answer as you chew, “Of course I’ve read the book,”

The way you said it made it sound like that was the most obvious answer in the world, and Clay laughed as he tilted his head back to drop the popcorn into his mouth. He could feel your eyes on him the whole time, and when he looked at you and caught you staring, his smile grew at the way your face flushed.

You were so cute, and this was beginning to feel like a date rather than two adults hanging out on a professional level.

Would it really be so bad? Maybe it was time for Clay to forget about Sam and how she left both him and Joey and never looked back. Maybe it was time for him to move on and close that chapter of his life. Really, how bad could it be?

You look away and stare at the screen just as the drawn out credits finally wrap up, and Clay knew he should be focusing on the movie, but how could he when his mind was consumed with thoughts of you?

Halfway through the movie, the popcorn was eaten and you had moved a bit closer to him. Your hand was inches from his thigh as you gazed at the TV, your index finger tracing random shapes on the cushion.

Clay could not focus on anything other than the fact that he wanted to take your hand in his and how he wanted to be holding you right now.

God, was he always like this? Was he always this desperate for affection and touch? Had he really gone that long without it?

He felt a bit pathetic as he tore his eyes off your hand and tried to pay attention to the movie. Sitting through The Lion King was a lot easier as he had Joey there to break the tension, but now that Clay is alone with you, he felt a bit on edge.

He was so close to you, he could smell your sweet perfume and hear every breath you took.

Maybe he was imagining it, but Clay was sure you were slowly moving even closer to him. The amount of will-power he had to use to not take you into his arms in that second was insane. Maybe he is stronger than he thought.

As casually as he could, Clay lifted his arm and draped it across the back of the couch, and he knew he wasn’t imagining the small smile that formed on your lips as he did so.

His attention was completely off the movie at this point, and it seemed like yours was slipping away from it as well as you boldly inched even closer to him until your back was pressed against his side, and your arm was draped over his lap. He laughed as he asked, “Are you comfortable?”

He knew you were smiling as you said, “Very,”

And you stayed like that for the rest of the movie. The back of your head was resting against his chest as the end credits began rolling and now he was wishing that the movie went on for a bit longer so he could sit with you like this for a few more minutes.

He could smell the coconut scented conditioner you used and he knew he could easily become addicted to it, like he was beginning to become addicted to your vanilla perfume.

A few seconds pass before you sit up but stay close to him, and when you turned your head and looked up at him, he didn’t move away. He didn’t give you the wrong idea like he did last time. He wouldn’t.

Your eyes stay fixated on his as you lean in a bit, and Clay was powerless to stop his hand from moving to gently caress the side of your head. “I’m not the only one feeling this,” he murmured. “Please, tell me I’m not the only one feeling this.”

This should feel wrong. You were just here to look after his kid, not satisfy his need for affection and his desire to be wanted.

But as you shook your head and gave him a small, barely-there smile, he didn’t care about anything else.

It didn’t feel wrong at all, so why should he put a stop to it?

“You’re not,” you say back, just as quietly, reaching up and placing a gentle but firm hand on the side of his neck. “I feel it, too.”

Clay’s breath hitched in his throat as you brushed your nose against his, your lips not quite touching yet but still making his head spin just a bit.

“Since the first day,” you added and the amount of happiness that filled him was too much to describe. He hadn’t been imagining all of this, the spark he felt was there for you, too. All the times he caught himself feeling guilty for pining over you weren’t in vain.

“We shouldn’t,” he regretfully said, giving you an out. He was the older one out of the two of you, and the last thing he wanted was for you to feel pressured into doing or saying anything you didn’t really want to.

A smile formed on your lips. “We really shouldn’t,” you agreed before you were both closing the distance and connecting your lips.

It was a light pressure at first, with both you and Clay testing each other and seeing if you had crossed a line. When he moved closer to you and kissed you a bit harder, you didn’t stop him and instead returned the kiss with a sense of need he had never felt before, not even with his own wife.

It didn’t feel rushed with you. Didn’t feel forced.

After pressing another chaste kiss to his lips, you pull away. Slowly, your eyes open and meet his own, and you both wear matching, dumb grins. “Sorry,” Clay whispered and you shook your head.

“Sorry,” you repeated as you stood up. “It’s late, I should go to bed.”

He nodded, sitting up and taking your hand in his. You share a knowing look as his thumb traces various shapes onto the back of your hand, and he knew that you both wanted to do that again, but were trying to have some self control.

With a final squeeze, he lets you go and watches as you turn and head towards the stairs, glancing back at him once before you were out of his sight.

You ended up tossing and turning all night long and probably got no more than a couple hours of sleep.

Your body was on fire and full of energy after the kiss you shared with Clay on his living room couch, and you couldn’t shut your mind off if you tried.

Since the day you talked to him on the sidewalk not too long ago, you’ve wanted him. Bad. And he all but confirmed he wanted you, too, how were you supposed to sleep after that?

The next morning you were up before the sun began to seep into the guest room. If you could even call this a guest room. It was massive, much like how Lilith’s master bedroom is, and you found yourself not wanting to return back to your small apartment once she came back home.

You dress yourself in jeans and a tank top before leaving the room, pinning back your messy hair as you poked your head into Joey’s room. He was awake and looking up at the stickers that were stuck to the ceiling, his fingers playing with the hem of his sheets. Then he was looking over at you and smiling. “Hi, buddy,” you greet him as you enter his room.

“Y/n,” he said back and you grinned at the fact that he was already getting better at pronouncing your name. “Where is my dad?”

His dad. Your boss. The very man you kissed last night.

You picked him up when he lifted his arms. “I think he’s still sleeping,” you answer, holding him against your side as you walk over to his dresser. “Want me to help you get ready for school?”

He nodded and you were able to grab his shirt and pants with one hand before setting him down onto the carpet and helping him get dressed. After that you take him downstairs and sit him at the table before heading into the kitchen and looking for something for him to eat.

When you spot the strawberries and cream, you look over at the toddler and give him a smile. “Joey, do you want some strawberries?” You asked and watched as he lit up and nodded a few times.

You slice them up into smaller pieces and place them into a bowl before adding the cream and setting it down in front of him. Joey’s blue eyes widen before he takes the spoon from you and goes to town on the bowl.

Laughing, you make two more bowls of it, keeping an eye on Joey from your place in the kitchen. Your back was pressed against the counter as Clay walked in, and the small smirk he wore once he saw you left you feeling reassured that last night was definitely not a mistake.

He wasn’t dressed yet, his body being covered by a sinful pair of grey sweats and a white tee. It felt so casual, so normal, to get to see him during the early hours of the morning before he changed into more presentable clothing and completely woke up.

You stay still and watch as he leans down and presses a kiss to the top of Joey’s head before he is making his way over to you. Keeping the bowl pressed to your chest, you pause your chewing when he stands a few inches away from you, his hands at his sides and a teasing glint in his eyes. “Hi,”

“Hi,” he says back, leaning in and gently bumping your nose with his own, and the simple action had your heart beating loudly in your chest. It didn’t go further than that as he pulled away but stayed close to you. “You have a good sleep?”

“Oh, the best,” you answer, swallowing after as you turn and grab the other bowl. “I made you breakfast.”

Clay looks down at the bowl before taking it from you with a boyish grin on his lips. “You made me breakfast?”

Nodding, you watch as he takes a strawberry between his teeth before promptly looking away as you feel heat rush to your face.

God, he is hot.

What are you doing? You should not be this turned on when you’re supposed to be getting his kid ready for school.

Setting your bowl down, you avoid eye contact with Clay as you move around him, still feeling his gaze on you by the time you’ve made your way to Joey. “Do you need me to take Joey to school?”

Clay leans against the counter as he eats, the open concept of both the kitchen and dining room giving him the perfect view of you and his kid. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” you answer, smoothing out Joey’s hair.

“Great, you can ride with Rick,” he says as he places the bowl in the sink.

You furrow your brows, taking the spoon and bowl from Joey when he handed them to you. “How will you get to work?” You asked as you made your way back into the kitchen.

“Would it sound too privileged to say that I have more than one driver?” He asked with a grin as he stayed still, making you have to reach around him to place the bowl in the sink.

“Yes,” you say as you stand up straight. “Extremely privileged.”

Clay laughed under his breath, crossing his arms. “I’ll take a cab,” he answered your question from before, and his words were surprising.

“You’re gonna take a cab?”

Clay, too, stood up straight. “Why is that so surprising to you?” He asked, smirking a bit afterwards.

You glance back at Joey, who was distracted by the coloring book you placed on the table last night, as you step closer to Clay. “I don’t know,” you mumble, looking back at him. “I don’t know why I keep assuming you’re some stuck up rich guy who wouldn’t be caught dead in a car that isn’t one of his own. You’re different, Clay.”

His smirk turns into a soft grin as he drops his arms, his hands finding your waist as he pulls you closer to him. “Different how?”

Your face heats up a bit as you shrug, placing your hands flat on his chest. Your heartbeat was loud in your ears as you say, “You’re nice,” you pathetically answer, not being able to fight off the nervous smile that takes over your lips.

“Nice?” He smirks again, bunching up your tank top in his hands. “That’s it?”

You shrug again, unsure of what the boundaries are at the moment. “You’re not stuck up, you’re polite, you walk me to the door every time I go to leave,”

“That’s the bare minimum,” he brushed off his own actions, reaching up to tuck your hair behind your ear. “You’re pretty.”

Blushing heavily, you break eye contact and look back at Joey. “I should get him to school,”

You go to pull away but he gently wraps his hand around your wrist, pulling you back to him. “Did I overstep with that one?”

He looked so genuine and a bit worried, further proving that he is more than just a decent guy. He is sweet and kind and can become so lost inside his own head when he thinks he messed up. He’s perfect, and that scares you. “No,” you shake your head, lacing your fingers together in hopes to reassure him. “You just….you make me feel things. Good things, I promise.”

Clay’s thumb traced random shapes onto the back of your hand before he nodded, loosening his grip on you. “Okay,” he gave your hand a final squeeze before he pulled away completely and walked over to J oey. He hugged him quickly and kissed the top of his head, glancing over at you as he headed towards the door. “See you later, pretty girl.”

Your face flushed for the tenth time since you woke up and you had to take a second to compose yourself, listening to Clay’s footsteps fade up the stairs. You clear your throat, smiling over at the four year old who was oblivious to the flirting that had just taken place in the kitchen.

“Morning, Mr. Beresford,” Clay was greeted as he entered the floor that held his office. “Coffee?”

“No, thank you,” he answered, smiling at the man before walking past him and down the hall. He passed multiple offices, the walls being made of glass and not providing much privacy. That was his mothers idea, not his, and he stands by the fact that he doesn’t care to see into his employees workspaces to ensure they’re not slacking off, but she did.

When Clay made it to his own office, these walls not being see-through, he closed the door and tossed his bag onto his desk. He stands behind it, pulling at the tie around his neck that he still wasn’t able to tie on his own. Sam always tied it for him, but now that she was gone he had to do it himself, and he did a really bang up job of it today. It looked awful, and he knew he needed to learn how to properly tie one soon.

He looked out the window and at the city of New York, a small smile tugging at his lips. His friend, Jack, would tell him that he owned half this city, as if he wasn’t aware of that fact. For some reason Jack liked to do Clay’s bragging for him, seeing as he wasn’t one to brag much to begin with. Well, he wasn’t much of a bragger before Joey was born, now Clay proudly shows off just how amazing his kid is.

He even bragged about him to you during your first conversation.

The memory of that made Clay laugh as he sat down behind the desk, throwing off his tie as he reached for his phone.

Joey’s Sitter: Just got back from dropping Joey off at school. Props to Rick for getting us there on time. You should give him a raise.

Clay laughed again, reaching over with his free hand to turn on his computer as he typed out a reply to you.

I’ll think about it. What are you up to now? Any plans for the day?

He sets his phone down as he enters the password for his computer. Almost instantly he was met with countless emails, the topics ranging from meetings to updates on his placement on the transplant list.

The whole thing stressed him out, much like how it did back when he was just eighteen years old and thrown into the CEO lifestyle, and he looked back at his phone, where a text from you calmed him down a bit.

Joey’s Sitter: Not a thing planned…I was actually going to ask if I could tidy up your mansion, I mean your house. I didn’t get to clean the dishes before taking Joey to school, so I’ll start there.

You reminded him a bit of Jack, but instead of bragging about his possessions, you teased him about it. It was a nice change, and something you had been doing since the day he met you.

Unsurprisingly, his mind went back to Sam and how he so blindly missed all the signs she gave that showed she was just after his money. She never brought her wallet with her whenever the two of them went out, and then proceeded to fill her arms with things that Clay would end up buying for her. She claimed she forgot to bring her money, and that she appreciated his generosity, and that was that.

She also failed to remember that she is a mother and is required to pay child support payments since she was the one to walk out, but he hasn’t seen a single cent from her since she left. Not that he’d accept anything from her, anyway.

You were so different from her. Yeah, you are six years younger than her, but you are far more mature than she ever was.

Clay hadn’t even called her in days as he was too preoccupied sorting his life out. It was about time he did that, and he was proud of himself for not leaving her yet another pointless voicemail in almost a week.

Please, feel free, but don’t feel obligated.

He replied to you before clicking on the first email, which was just a request for a meeting with both him and his mom.

Joey’s Sitter: Cleaning is like therapy to me, Clay. I’m happy to do it. I noticed you’re a bit behind on laundry. Permission to do that, too?

Clay felt a bit embarrassed about that one. His mom was usually the one who is on top of the laundry, and she’s only been gone a couple days and it was already starting to pile up.

Go for it.

He sent that then realized he will have to pay you for it.

Oh, God, he’s supposed to be paying you right now since you’re looking after his kid.

Fuck.

How is he supposed to pay you after kissing you last night and flirting with you this morning? You’d probably feel so cheap and used if he were to hand you the money you rightfully earned for babysitting Joey and getting him ready for school, but he couldn’t not pay you, either. He is your only source of income, as far as he knew, and he was quickly reminded of all the warnings he gave himself about pursuing something with you.

He knew he should’ve kept things professional, but he really didn’t want to. He’s held off on giving himself to someone in the way he did with Sam for too long, he was ready to get back to the dating scene. But with his son’s babysitter? That was a complicated one.

Joey’s Sitter: I’m gonna have to go into your room to put your laundry away, is that okay?

That’s alright, just ignore the mess. Please. I’m working on it.

He typed out and sent his reply to you without thinking much of it, his overworked brain feeling like it had been sent into overdrive already. Clay had stressed himself out by thinking about you and what you and he currently are and how he should end things before they got too far, but as he looked down and read your text,

Joey’s Sitter: I won’t tell anyone that you’re just like any other twenty something year old guy who has questionable cleaning habits. Maybe.

he suddenly didn’t care much about the quiet voice that was telling him to stop pursuing whatever it was that is between him and you.

You balance the basket in your left hand as you use your right one to open Clay’s bedroom door. You knew you would feel like you were intruding had you not asked him beforehand, and his concerns about his supposedly messy room had you curious to see if it was as bad as he says it is.

It really wasn’t.

The door swings open and the only thing that caught your attention was the fact that his bed wasn’t made. Sure, there were a few pieces of clothes strewn around the room and the drawers of his dresser were half open, but it was nowhere near as bad as you thought it’d be.

You also found his boyish messiness attractive, and you were convinced that you would soon find everything about Clay attractive. And you weren’t even gonna mention the fact that his room smelled exactly like his cologne and how you felt a bit lightheaded as you took a step forward.

Setting the basket on the bed, you walk over to the dresser and pull open the first drawer. Soon enough the basket was empty and as you picked it back up, you debated on whether or not you would be overstepping if you were to make his bed.

You kissed last night and almost did again a few hours ago, so you were sure you were past that point, and you also didn’t want to keep texting him while he was at work just to ask.

So, you put all the clothing that was around the room in the basket and quickly made his bed. On your way to the door, you pass his desk and see a picture of him and Joey in what looked like a hospital room. Joey couldn’t have been older than a few days, and Clay looked a bit younger than he did now. He was holding Joey close to his chest, his hand looking even bigger as it caressed the back of his son’s head.

The framed picture had your heart swelling, as did the small grin Clay wore.

How did you get this lucky to have them both in your life? Sure, it wasn’t anything long-term right now, but it didn’t matter. Joey had already stolen your heart, and Clay wasn’t very far behind.

You look away and head towards the door, closing it quietly behind you despite you being the only person in the house. You kind of wanted to explore his room a bit more, but held off and hoped that he could give you a proper tour of it one day.

After setting the laundry basket down on top of the washing machine, you leave the room and make your way towards the guest room. The view from the window was amazing, and even better at night. You were too giddy to pay much attention to it last night, after kissing the guy you’ve been crushing hard on since the day you met him.

You sit down on the queen sized bed, the soft, dark teal comforter inviting you to lay back. You do, your head settling against the pillow as you look off to the right and at the tall buildings that make up New York.

You were pining over Clay, hard, and you got the smallest indication that he was feeling the same last night. But you have no idea if he is serious about you. Maybe he just thinks you’re an easy lay. God, that would probably crush you if he thinks that.

Even though you were nearing the young age of twenty one, you quickly found yourself loving the domestic lifestyle most people don’t get to experience until their late twenties or early thirties.

Really, you shouldn’t want to become a mother at your age, not when you haven’t even figured out what you want to do with your life, but getting the chance to see both Joey and Clay every single day felt like a dream. You wanted it, you wanted Clay to be serious about you, and you wanted Joey to feel safe and comfortable around you all the time.

Had you told yourself back when you first moved to New York that you would be wishing you were part of this small family, you would’ve laughed. You didn’t even have a good relationship with your own family, hence why you’re living by yourself in a massive city, so you didn’t have much experience with a normal-functioning family like the Beresfords.

Well, maybe they weren’t normal; they have loads of money, high paying jobs, and you were sure they owned multiple buildings and properties in the area. Still, Clay treated you like just another person. He wasn’t the typical stuck up rich guy who looks down on others just because he is wealthy, and that alone had you falling for him on the first day you met him.

Would he ever see you in that way? Could he?

You turn over and hold a spare pillow to your chest, wondering what was going to come from this as you waited for the hours to pass until you had to go get Joey.

You woke up to the sound of your phone going off a few hours later, and you smiled when you saw who had texted you.

Clay Beresford: Won’t be home until later tonight. I’ll have my phone on me the whole time so if you need something, just call.

You sit up, tossing the pillow aside as you rub your eyes with your free hand, using your other to text him back.

No worries. Have a good night, Mr. Businessman.

Sometimes you worried that you were being too forward with him, but he never seemed to mind it, which is why you keep doing it. It felt normal to tease each other back and forth over text, and now that you were progressing to teasing each other in real life, it only added fuel to the fire building within you.

You got up from the bed after realizing that it was nearing three in the afternoon and you had to leave to pick up Joey. Well, Rick is picking up Joey, you’re just there for the ride until you return back to Clay’s home.

When you do arrive back home, you give Joey a piggyback ride up the stairs and sit down on the couch with him. He crawls onto your lap as you set his schoolbag down and rummage through the new sheets that were in it.

You pull out a piece of paper that had today’s date written on it and your eyes widen a bit at the scene on it. In the middle of the page was a small figure that had ‘ME’ written above it in messy writing, and to the left of that figure was a bigger one, this one being labeled ‘DADDY’. It was obviously a drawing of Clay and Joey that he had done today at school, but what was a bit surprising was the third figure.

On Joey’s right side was another person with your hair color and something that resembled the outfit you wore yesterday, which was a simple black tee and jeans. Above it was the word ‘SITTER’. You bite down harshly on your lip before asking, “Joey, did you draw this today?”

You knew the answer, but wanted to hear him say it anyway. “Yeah,” he confirmed what you already knew. “It’s me, daddy and you. See.” He pointed to each figure and you realized that both you and Clay are holding Joey’s hands.

Your eyes burned a bit as you wrapped your arms around him from behind. “You’re sweet,” you tell him what you’ve been calling him since the first day you babysat him. “You’re so sweet, buddy. I love it.” You take the drawing from him and further inspect it. He even got your eye color right, and that had you blinking quickly as you set him aside on the cushion before standing up.

Joey looked up at you, his big blue eyes a copy of his dad’s. “I’m hungry,”

You laugh, ruffling his hair a bit. “Okay, we can have an early dinner tonight. Daddy won’t be home until later,” you say as you begin to walk towards the doorway. Once you are in the kitchen, you immediately put the drawing on the fridge after looking at it for a good two minutes.

Joey wasn’t aware of just how fucking cute he is, you’re sure of it. And seeing yourself, although in a drawing, with the two of them had your mind mixed up in a frenzy.

You wanted this everyday, you wanted both of them.

And, when Clay returns home later, you weren’t sure if you would be able to keep your hands off him.

Clay shuts the door behind him before practically bolting up the stairs, his bag slipping from his shoulder and landing on the floor once he reached the top.

He wasn’t sure why, but he missed Joey a lot today, and he also found himself missing you. He had gotten a taste of you last night and now he is beginning to think he will never get enough.

He also wanted to talk to you about it and get an idea of where you’re at and what you’re thinking about in relation to what you and he did last night, but he wasn’t sure how to bring it up.

Bringing his left hand up, Clay reads the time on his watch and sees that it’s nearing Joey’s bedtime. As if on cue, you walk out of the living room with a half asleep Joey in your arms and an unreadable expression on your face. “Hey,” he says, his mood lifting considerably at the sight of the two of you.

“Hi,” you say back, pausing in the doorway. “We were just heading to bed. Did you want to take it from here?”

Joey lifted his head from your shoulder and smiled at Clay, and his heart melted at the sight. “Okay,” he agreed and took his son from you, stopping just in front of the second staircase. “I’ll meet you in the living room?”

You just nod and enter the room again, leaving Clay to hurry up the stairs. After tucking Joey in, he gives him a kiss on the forehead before leaving the room and shutting the door quietly behind him.

He takes the stairs two at a time on the way down and shrugs off his jacket, leaving him in just his white button up and dress pants. He never bothered putting his tie back on after taking it off as soon as he got to his office.

Once he entered the living room and saw you waiting patiently for him on the couch, Clay made it over to you in three strides. He sat next to you, his hands aching to reach out and touch you in any way you’d allow as he stared at your pretty eyes. “We should talk about-” but he wasn’t able to finish that sentence as you leaned in and placed your hands on his shoulders, your mouths meeting in a firm kiss.

And just like that, any and all thoughts left Clay’s head as his hands reached up and caressed either side of your face. His lips meshed against yours like they did last night, but with a lot more urgency.

Your hands were a bit frantic as they gripped his shirt before pushing against his chest. Clay moved to lie back on the couch as you climbed on top of him, your fingers tangling in his hair once you were straddling his waist. “Is this okay?” You asked breathlessly, your eyes revealing your genuine concern, and he knew you were asking if his heart could take this much excitement at once.

You were far too nice and your carefulness was something that was lacking in his last relationship. He never felt this cared for before from someone other than his mother, and he was kissing you again before he knew it.

“It’s okay, I’m okay,” he answered when he felt that you weren’t kissing him back, and when you smiled at his words, you gently traced your thumb along his jaw before kissing him again.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” you say in between kisses, but show no signs of stopping. And he really didn’t want you to.

His hands grip your waist tightly and pull your body right against his own. “We shouldn’t,” he agreed and you pulled away with a big grin on your face that he was sure matched his own.

You blush a bit and he notes that he’s quite good at getting you to do that without really trying to. “I’m really glad we agree on that,” you mumble before giving him a final chaste kiss. His hands slide down your jean covered thighs as you sit up and bunch up his shirt in your fingers. “Can we have another movie night?”

Clay nods instantly, and he was sure he would say yes to anything you asked him right now. He felt like he was on cloud nine, with the prettiest woman he had ever seen sitting on top of him like he was your throne. You had kissed him again. You wanted this as much as he did.

You smile at him before getting up and walking towards his DVD collection. “What do you want to watch?”

“I don’t care,” and he really didn’t. He wasn’t paying much attention to the movie you put in the DVD player as he opened his arms and gestured for you to lay with him.

You do so with a blush coating your face, pressing your back to his chest as you settle against him. Clay wraps his arms around you and laces your fingers together as he tries to calm his racing heart.

He couldn’t believe you had this much of an affect on him, but here you are, tucked protectively in his arms as you stared up at the screen.

Clay couldn’t remember the last time he felt this content, this carefree. All the stress he had felt throughout the day and all the questions he had planned on asking you were dissolving by the second, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

It was clear that you did, too, because the next time Clay opened his eyes, he was staring at the menu screen of the movie before his gaze drifted further to the right, where he meets the cold stare of his mother, who did not look pleased to see you and him wrapped up in each other’s arms at all.

#clayton beresford #clay beresford x reader #clay beresford imagines #clayton beresford imagines #clayton beresford imagine #hayden christensen imagine #hayden christensen gif #hayden christensen #hayden christensen edit #hayden christensen icons #in the way i need you series #in the way i need you #awake 2007 #awake

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dulltoned · 1 year ago

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I know I mostly just ask random thoughts about brozone and how unbelievably angsty they are but

What about any headcannons about brozone? Individually or as brozone as a whole?

-🦦

(Also happy holidays!!)

Oh, that's a fun question. I genuinely haven't put too much conscious thought into it but I have a few that I can share off the top of my head.

There's at least one headcanon involving Branch in there for all of them but I might follow up with more headcanon posts somewhere down the line. (Excuse the funny little doodles, I wanted to see if I could make decent headers and I did... okay.)

-> He doesn't like being alone. He didn't spend the twenty-some years after BroZone broke up just on his own in the Neverglades but instead hopping around from place to place looking for new experiences and new people to meet. He'd always go back to the Neverglade Trail, though. Just in case someone needed him.

-> It was still really lonely but he never thought too much about his brothers or the Troll Tree. He's an expert at denial and avoidance.

-> He's pushy with Branch because he wants to try and help Branch be more open and direct with him but he doesn't really know how to sit down and have a serious conversation about it.

-> He's not stupid. He can be unobservant and a bit full of himself but he has a good head on his shoulders.

-> He and Branch bond over survivalist tips.

-> He was worried he was going to be a bad father. He still had a lot of stuff he was working on when he and Brandy had their first kid and he was old enough that he really didn't remember his dad. He certainly didn't want to emulate John Dory. He knew they'd be okay the second he saw his son in Brandy's arms for the first time.

-> Brandy helped him get over the toxic mindset BroZone gave him and while he can still struggle sometimes he's never been happier.

-> Amazing cook. His food is amazing. Cooking, baking, it's all divine.

-> He cooks for Branch a lot when he visits. At first it's because he couldn't get the image of his baby brother out of his head but then it was because Branch had confessed that no one really cooked for him before and he just couldn't have that.

-> Clay chose the admin building as his room back when he was still desperate to be anything other than the fun boy. He regrets it.

-> He and Viva have bonded a lot about their family traumas, especially over how much they missed their siblings. He never wanted to stay away as long as he had but after they found refuge in the Golf Course he never got the courage to leave Viva behind to go find his brothers.

-> Clay's hair just naturally changed color with age. It wasn't stress-induced or anything, it just happened. Like how some blonds change to brunette when they get older.

-> He really likes crossword puzzles and sudoku. It has nothing to do with his desire to distance himself from his fun persona. He's just a nerd.

-> He really enjoys Branch's input. Branch is an incredibly handy, if not a bit paranoid, realist who isn't afraid to share his opinions. It's really helpful when it comes to safety measures or even trying to avoid complicated emotions.

-> Floyd may be alive but he doesn't recover fast. The effects of the diamond vacuum (exhaustion, weakness in the limbs, a chill in his bones, dizziness, etc.) linger with him for years afterward and he finds it incredibly frustrating.

-> Floyd is such a smug little shit. He will give you shit and tease you to hell and back and then give you the most innocent smile immediately after.

-> He moves into Pop Village after he's rescued. It reminds him a lot of the Troll Tree when he was a kid and it's bittersweet.

-> He finds out about Branch's puzzle tradition and the two of them start doing daily puzzles together.

-> Floyd's pod is in the clearing where Branch's bunker is.

Surprisingly I don't really know what to put for Branch here but I think I'll reblog this later with additions for Branch and Poppy.

I hope you enjoy the holidays, thanks for the fun question.

#{ the sensitive one }#{ the leader }#{ the fun boy }#{ the heartthrob }#| branch answers |#| branch rambles |#( 🦦 )#dreamworks trolls #trolls floyd #trolls john dory #trolls bruce #trolls clay #trolls brozone #| Clue Board |

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tiny-vermin · 10 months ago

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I want to know more about the m9 artist au!! I remember reading a post or two about it a billion years ago (and would love to read them again) 💜

hi jess!!!! thank u for being interested hehe :")

so ever since i drew that lil thing of essek painting a frank stella inspired painting (or even before), ive been thinking of what kinds of art each of the m9 would do. essek ofc is inspired by a minimalist show that i went to here, all the big names from that movement were shown, but those really dark, sinkhole-like paintings are speaking to me. another artwork of boxes made of mirrors also seems like the thing he would do too

there's a kiln here that we visited which was huge, and surrounding it were artists' studios and some other ceramic sellers, i imagine the clay family having a place like this in the middle of nowhere amongst the trees, and caleb would do his work there

anyways because at heart im a shadowgast luver its centred around them,, they meet at an artist residency or something like that and its an incredibly slow burn that involves talking and not-talking and looking and not-looking. in the end i am but a simple wong kar wai fan so. that kinda vibes would definitely influence this, i would describe it as a quiet burning i guess?? time skipy and words that are not said

i think im gonna rant a bit more about their different mediums and styles so i'll keep it under the cut

i think caleb sculpts figures and portraits, but in a sad, kathe kollwitz charcoal vibe. maybe some funky looking animals, perhaps some pots and vases to look at the pretty glazes. he's interested in using fire to burn texture into different mediums, like ive seen it being used on shellac to make a really cool net of ink looking structure.. but yknow, just seeing the aftermath of glazed ceramic from the kiln is enough, and probably better for him to keep his distance anyways

the clay family produces most of the ceramic to sell, vases, pots, plates, cups, teapots, yknow just a whole array. and its really colourful too, depicting every family members different style. i think caduceus would do some matte glazes with a lot of different colours, theyre all a little wonky but theyre better off that way anyways. he does some really mean ink calligraphy and painting though

jester definitely does,, everything, whatever her heart desires kinda thang. she makes pastel textile installations and lighthearted cute paintings, but theyre always so contemplative and soothing. she gets m9 a lot of work cus her mom has connections, etc etc. i really love the idea of jester creating works that talk about the female body and femininity (definitely not projecting no)

beau is a printmaker and photographer who's really experimental, she loves cyanotypes and printing flowers (for yasha), idk she seems like she would put fabric and rocks into the washing machine to see what would happen. u would probably catch her in someone elses studio learning about what they do or in the library learning about what old people did

veth works in a museum as a curator, getting beau to help her sometimes with gathering artworks and artists etc. she probably organises community art projects for kids and public art installations. her house is full of m9's artworks and various other artists shes worked with.

yasha does bouquets as her post-retirement part time job, prior to that no one really knows what she did ("she probably murdered a bunch of people and is now hiding from the government"). fjord draws comics for fun but is also not a job for him, molly is a question mark for me. but these guys probably wont be in it as much anyways

im still not sure what format i wanna do this in, im actually having fun just writing it in my notebook now (digital does not facilitate the creative juices) but i do want to do some visuals like fake movie stills or storyboards. maybe they will work together well???? dunno. working on the other shadowgasty thing im doing made me realise how much easier it is to draw when there's a script already there, so im writing the script for myself

im definitely not as practiced in writing as i am in drawing, but idk im just gonna have some fun and see where that takes me, meanwhile try not to feel too bad that its fanart HAHA (very bad habit)

edit: i just saw my previous thoughts on beau being an art journalist, but i kinda like this better.. but maybe she can do both muah

#working tag for this ->#the kiln #honestly if u had any tips for writing #i'd love to hear..#i was insulted once on my writing and never wrote again HADHSFHF #oh and also emo smoking #that is somethng i want to draw more of

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blade-that-was-broken · 9 months ago

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In I’m Still Here, how does brotherly bonding go?

I assume that for branch and JD it would be more fun and maybe even easy for them than it would anyone else.

But how would everyone else fair with each other?

Okay so… I did have a mini series sequel that I partially planned but with my burn out I’m not sure if I’m going to write it. Hopefully but unclear.

Floyd and JD are still into music. Since Floyd straight up stays in Pop Village to help out with JD, they spend a fair amount of time with each other, especially in the beginning times. Floyd gets to see some of the songs he's written over the years (even the secret notebook with all of the sad songs...). Since Floyd spends more time with him, he gets to see a bit more of the memories JD and Branch have, hearing stories, seeing the things John made, even things about other troll tribes, etc. etc. Although Floyd knows about the other types of trolls, he doesn't really know anything about the tribes themselves so hearing about their music and culture IN their territory is interesting. They eventually write some songs together too as well as JD tries to teach him a thing or two; perhaps about wood carving or knitting or something.

JD and Bruce are dads in their own right. And parents... they really love talking about their kids. And since Bruce has recognized that JD came back and intentionally started parenting Branch at a young age, he has no qualms about calling it out and talking about it. It takes a while for JD to actually talk about it with Bruce because he does not want to put Branch in that position - although Bruce gets into the position of knowing how both JD and Branch feel and is sworn to secrecy about it from the both of them - but it happens. JD and Bruce talk a lot about Branch and Bruce's kids, things they did, dumb things they did, etc. etc. JD doesn't really talk about the time after what happened when he thought Branch was dead, although he's said a few things, completely off the topic of Branch in that instance (about the other trolls he's met, his life in Lonesome Flatts, etc.) but it's often very specific with no room for talking about anything else. They also cook. Bruce owns a restaurant; JD is resourceful and a pretty good cook himself, so they talk about recipes and food sometimes. When JD gets better, they cook together a bit. Bruce also teaches him to surf. JD might teach him something in return but I'm not sure what yet.

JD also makes little funky blankets and carved figures for all of Bruce's kids. He's got a lot of time on his hands doing nothing while recovering from both the talent draining and the physical injuries.

Clay and JD... this is hard. For a while after everything that happens, Clay straight up avoids John. He has come to the very real realization that he has such a hard time remembering good memories and he's ashamed of it. He is still angry and he has no idea what to do with it. Now granted, he's not JUST angry at John, he's just so angry and he has no idea how to deal with that and he's got some feelings about it.

Moment to Be Real was a WHOLE rollercoaster of emotions for everyone - but especially Clay - when it came to their relationship and history. And with the whole thinking he's dead and then him not being dead but then almost dying again and now JD has to go through a heck ton of recovery... it's just a whole thing.

So, it takes a bit for Clay to even... like have any talk with John. He's got a lot of feelings and not all of them are just him being angry AT John, either. Eventually, however, they do talk and they do start to try and rebuild memories and faith in one another. Surprisingly, Clay learns a lot of outside survival skills from him. One wouldn't think he'd be interested but considering their history, it just kind of becomes a thing. Clay isn't super outdoorsy in the way that JD and Branch are and a lot of his survivalist stuff is within the confines of the Golf Course, but JD teaches him some things. At first it's kind of accidental, little things and comments. It takes Clay a while to really wrap his head around the fact that JD isn't really being critical; he's just kind of telling Clay how things worked for him/what he's figured out over the years. And JD isn't... he's not the best when it comes to socialization and Clay figures that out. He's a smart cookie... when he doesn't have anger and bias clouding his judgement.

Otherwise, John does take up reading while he's recovering, since it's one of the few things he CAN do and since Branch and Poppy both like to read, he's got material. Eventually, he joins Clay's book club, although was a little taken back by the whole more "hugging and crying" rather than actually reading. He takes things a bit literally sometimes. The two of them become surprisingly close, but it takes a while since they both have a lot of time to get through, issues, feelings and understandings of one another.

#ask #I'm still here au #I still want to write the mini? series one of these days #i mean the holiday special #the second one cause i don't really care as much for the first

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echosong-87 · 4 months ago

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Wait if clay stay at the tree what was his excuse to not return home?

Remember within the cannon plot, Clay wanted to be taken seriously? But couldn’t because of how both John and Bruce, had labeled him and had treated him as the “Fun Kid”?… of course JD took it a tad bit too far… but yeah.

Clay did left their family pod and went to the royal pod.. where Princess Viva and King Peppy lived in… as well as little egg Poppy.

At that time he did not know that Floyd, Bruce and JD had escaped the troll tree… he thought that each of them had went off to stay in their respected friends’ pods and such…. And yes at that tome him and Viva were very close friends despite her being an actual royal.

When after he asked Viva to stay in her place for the night and just stated that he had another fight with his brothers and did assured her that his baby/littlest brother is well taken care of by his grandma…. Easing her worries for that moment.

As he settles in he saw King Peppy with a blueprint of the half complete escape tunnel… So Clay asked King Peppy what does he have in his hands….

King Peppy would secretly say and explain the tunnel and the plan to get the while billage to escape from the troll tree and the cage itself… but it was getting hard to complete due to how many trolls were already killed off… and Clay thought that this could be the best thing for him to show off to his brothers that he is not just the “fun guy” and can take things in a more serious manner…

So it’s like… in a way… both selfish and selfless… selfish of Clay to be apart of the team that helps complete the escape tunnel just to prove his brothers wrong… but it’s selfless cause of how dire the kingdom is at hand… and yeah… he was still in the dark of learning that was his grandma that was taken and killed…. Til like some point nearing the day of finally escaping is where Clay learned of his grandmother’s death.

Creek was the one that was searching for him because he did promise Floyd that IF anything that happens to him… he asked Creek to keep watch over Branch…. Which Creek did but it was extremely limited due to Branch in his grief kept aggressively pushing everyone and anyone away… so from word of mouth Creek learned that Clay was still in the Tree… just did not know where… took some time to go search for him cause Branch NEEDED Clay… but that was when Peppy sound the alarm to enter the escape tunnel NOW because the next dawn was the dreaded bergen holiday… Creek did managed to find Clay and lay in the information but it was a tad bit too late and the events became super hectic… and yeah

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archersxartxblog · 9 months ago

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Ok so recently I read the entirety of Warden Twins in the span of 4 hours (with a break in between cause it was 2:30 AM) and I just had a funny shower thought I'm gonna put here.

Basically, Arceus feels bad about the whole situation, so he gives Drayden and F!Emmet Arc Tablets or something that show the both of them Ingo, Lil' Ingo and Emmet and their misadventures. They essentially react to everything that happens in the fic as it happens.

Drayden is initially very sceptical of the whole situation, rightfully so. His nephews were kidnapped like 3 days ago (he basically got like a prologue vid showing what happened before showing him everything else), and then some stranger gives him an iPad that shows him his missing nephews being adopted by some guy who looks hauntingly similar to Lil' Ingo, with amnesia and who knows where. But he eventually warms up to F!Ingo cause hes actually not that bad at being a dad, is increasingly growing more protective over his now sons everyday (as he should be), and is looking out for them when he cant.

He invites Clay over cause his boys just became friends with Liam who ALSO looks hauntingly similar to Clay. And then the both of them bust out conspiracy boards when Akari reveals that all 4 of them are from the future. Lil Ingo and Emmet make sense, but Ingo??? If hes from the future as well, then is he some cousin they never heard about? What is this???

But they dont really care about that. Drayden swears that Ingo is now gonna be (officially) part of the family if- no WHEN they all return back to the future. Oh and so will Akari, she's a cool cousin to the boys.

This eventually just devolves into Drayden watching all of this like it's a soccer game or something : very passionately. Like "oh my dragons I'm gonna kill the Miss Fortune sisters for kidnapping my nephews", and then cheering like his team won the world cup or something when Gyarados shows up. Oh and Drayden will be so angry he might rip a tear in spacetime in order to kill Volo when all THAT happens with him and Lil' Ingo.

With F!Emmet its gonna be a bit more complicated, since he either remembers the past or not. But if he doesnt remember, then he will be panicking. His brother went missing like 5 years ago, and when he finally sees him he's with baby versions of them??? Why is Ingo a father to two kids who are named after them and look EXACTLY like him when he was also 10?!? 'AM I AN UNCLE??? DO I NEED TO BUY A BIGGER APARTMENT NOW?!??' Elesa is surprisingly taking this much better.

And then when Akari is revealed, F!Emmet is both verrrrrry happy to be an uncle and that his brother is not alone and happy, but at the same time mourning his bank account, cause hes gonna need to buy a bigger apartment if he is to house 3 new kids and like 24 new pokemon.

And then its revealed that both Ingos are one of the same. Emmet is internally having a blue screen of death moment, cause that means that Ingo literally raised him. Elesa is just treating thos like it's a certified Watchmojo top 10 anime plot twists.

But if he does remember, then he is basically just refreshing his childhood memories.

I wanted to add that maybe Emmets and Draydens tablets are connected to one another, but I've already typed WAYY too much. Can you tell that I love the Warden Twins AU?

Anyways enough from me, thank u for listening to my Ted talk. What are your thoughts about this? Really hope the fic gets updated soon and have a good whatever-your-timezone-is

Oh wow

Not gonna lie this was really fun to read. I love reading stuff like this. This is a really fun idea, i just imagine Arceus making like a YouTube channel like Gamingharry or Ladyoflore or something and just sending it to Drayden and future Emmet with a message that says "this explains everything"

I do need to get back to writing Warden’s Twins, I'm a little stuck with Lil Ingo's face off with Kamado, so I've taken a small step back for a bit to try and figure out how to go about it.

But I'm so glad you're enjoying Warden’s Twins :)

#thanks for the ask #warden's twins #submas #pokemon au

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narrans · 1 year ago

Text

The Orion's Daughter : To Lands Beyond | Chapter Six : Family Day

**~~~~~**

Chapter Six | Family Day

**~~~~~**

Two moons. It had been two moons since I began my tutoring with Mehlein Hohru, and I had to say that I was making leaps and bounds. From the beginning, Mehlein seemed like a stingy codger who had no interest in anything except returning to his life of being a hermit.

He constantly drilled me on things he taught me, repeating over and over that I needed to be able to recall everything at the drop of a hat without looking at my notes, which were not looking half bad. I learned the alphabet and how different words were supposed to be put together, so a lot of my scribblings were simple, but I would also make little sketches to jog my memory when I needed a reminder while studying by candlelight at home.

Mehlein refused to let me use my notes when he quizzed me though. He was viscous in his reminders that I needed to commit everything to memory. He had this menacing little sand glass that timed me and how fast I could write down different things. That device became the bane of my existence, forcing me to write faster and faster, making my letters wobbly and uneven, which would earn me another round of scolding and lecture.

It was only after when Steele reminded me that Mehlein was trying to not only teach me everything I would have already learned in school, but that he was trying to push me to surpass my peers and other kids my age, I suddenly felt a new form of respect for Mehlein and his teaching methods.

As frustrated as I became when I couldn’t remember something, I had to force myself to remember that it was because he was trying to make me better than the others. He was not doing this out of malice, as Steele said, but because he saw potential in me and knew I could handle the strain of work and pressure he was giving me.

That or he was able to make his cruelty seem like a helpful lesson.

I really wasn’t sure.

What I did know was that one day, while I was working, my mother came into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around me, sadly making my hand slip and smudge the letters I was practicing.

“Momma!” I cried, not meaning to whine. My mother immediately gasped, not realizing that I was busy working.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to mess up your practice. I just had a question for you, and then I’ll leave you be,” said my momma. She had on a light, flowy dress on and her thick, red curls were tied back into a low ponytail.

“It’s okay,” I muttered, scribbling through the letter I was working on, which happened to be “R” at the time. “What is your question?” There was one “R” in that sentence, and I smiled to myself thinking that I was remembering letters and was able to keep track of how many of them were in different words. It was a bit of a game Mehlein had me practicing, and it was working.

“Well, I know you have been working very hard recently, so I thought we should take the rest of the day today and have some fun. Steele made a very good suggestion and, once he is finished with his tasks, I am going to take him up on it and wanted to see if you wanted to come along,” said momma.

I looked at my countless tablets of pliable clay and leaf parchment where I was practicing my letters with charcoal. I thought for a moment about Steele and about what his sketches would look like if he were to use the same tools I was using. I thought about what a book his size would look like if I were to stand on it and how long it would take me to fill up an entire page with my piddly scratching and letter practice.

“Where are you going?” I asked her, tying back the thick hair my momma and I shared into a low set bun.

“The beach. He wants to walk along the sand and walk into the water,” said momma. The beach? The ocean? I couldn’t swim very well, but the thought of looking down into the bottomless depths and asking Steele if he knew what was really down there was too much of an opportunity for me to handle.

“Yes, I think that would be nice,” I said, smiling at my momma. “Do I need to bring anything?” She shakes her head, tossing her luscious red curls.

“Just change into some clothes you don’t mind getting wet and that won’t shrink when we dry in the sun,” smiled momma. She leaned forward, pressed her lips against my temple, and whisked herself away outside to undoubtedly collect something to eat later. I stared after her before turning back to my papers and tablets.

I decided to clean up my mess so that we could have dinner immediately when we returned and stashed everything away into my box that slid under the bed. I didn’t think I could learn anything else today anyway. The work felt busy, and I was just tracing the words and letters over and over to commit them to memory.

A break was going to be nice.

I slipped on a skirt and shirt that I knew would not shrink or weigh me down if I got wet and headed outside to wait with my mother by the garden beds. While we waited for Steele to return, I helped her weed and water the garden by going over to the well and drawing up water. I remembered what Steele said about leveling and pipes and, for a moment, thought about trying to draw up the water and making pipes like Steele did, but I would save that project for a later time.

Meanwhile, I watched as my momma used the same irrigation techniques as Steele did in the fields on one of the days I accompanied him to practice my lessons with him. She filled a barrel with water and, turning a tap on the side, let the pressure of the water in the barrel push out through pipes she created using rods and hollow reeds.

Brilliant. Ingenious. It was the kind of thing I hoped to learn how to do on my own one of these days.

*Thud*

I felt the vibrations in the ground and whipped around to see Steele approaching from the nearby field. He was being careful with each step, but seeing his easy stride and how relaxed his shoulders were made it seem like he was just coming back from an afternoon stroll. If he weren’t a giant, he would simply look like an older man striding by a field of low-cut grass.

He looked like he was so at ease – at peace.

It was an inspiring view.

Momma tapped me on the shoulder and gestured to the roof of our home. I knew what she wanted to do before she uttered the words, and I liked it. I liked being on the roof. It made me feel tall when I most certainly was not and gave a great view of the fields and distant ocean where our home was.

I scurried up the ladder quickly, grabbing one rung after the next and snagging my skirt with my shoes twice on the way up.

“Be careful sweetheart,” reminded my mother as she pinched the edges of her skirt and ascended gracefully. I wished I could be half as graceful as her on a good day. Although, what I wanted more was to just be able to wear britches or pants like the boys in the village. Wearing skirts and dresses were cumbersome and inconvenient at best, but that would be considered ��improper.”

I carefully shimmied across the sides of the roof, the shingles under my hands and feet burning warm from hours resting silently in the sun’s light and secured myself onto the ridge as I watched Steele approach. As my mother joined me at my side, Steele approached and knelt, spotting us immediately.

“Good sun’s high, Steele. Did your jobs go well?” asked my momma as she stood and balanced perfectly on the ridge of the roof. Steele’s smile was broad and thoughtful as he extended his hand toward my momma.

“Very well,” he smiled. “The lake for the Deelas is finished, so their little cows have a place to drink so they will not be bullied away from the water. The fields to the east have been tilled under, so they will have good harvests and good dirt. Finally, the last of the creek rock has been moved, so there should be no other blockages when the rain comes.”

“Excellent. You have had quite the busy day,” said my momma as she carefully stepped up onto Steele’s finger, balanced there for a moment, and then stepped further onto his hand. Steele’s eyes then flicked over to me. There was a moment of quizzical curiosity before his violet eyes brightened.

“Terrilyn, are you coming to the ocean?” asked Steele. I smiled a bit more bashfully than I wanted to, but nodded and glanced down at Steele’s massive fingers, each almost twice as tall as me. Taking a quick breath, I jumped the short distance from the rooftop to the edge of Steele’s fingers, stumbling slightly over the edge of my skirts once again, but managing to make it without falling onto his palm.

“You okay?” asked my momma. I nodded, seeing both Steel and my momma’s eyes on me. I thought for a moment that I would feel annoyed that they were fussing over me, but I really didn’t have that feeling. Instead, an unexpected sensation overtook me – the feeling of being loved and cared for unconditionally by not one but two people.

“Yes, thank you,” I said, smiling and crouching down beside my momma before she gave the signal to Steele that we were ready.

“Then we’re off!” cheered my momma. Her light bark brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight as Steele stood and turned toward the ocean. I stayed close to my momma as I leaned forward into the breath of the wind. It whipped around me as we neared the horizon where the ocean waves kept up their consistent breeze.

As the horizon neared, I saw the water cresting into wave after wave and could hear the whooshing crash of the cresting waves. The smell of the ocean invaded my nostrils, filling them with the smell of salt and the pungent scent of kelp and other sea life.

When I stayed with the Finchs while my momma was working in the city as The Orion’s Factotum, we went to the ocean only once. Usually, the cliff sides are tricky to travers because they are made of shale and other fragile stones, but locals know of a better way. There is only one safe path down to the edge of the water, and it is along the shale steps. This path is safe, but it takes most of the morning to climb down and part of the evening to climb back up safely.

For the entire day with the Finch family, I walked down the steps, slipping only twice, and walked along the damp sand and even found a couple of small shells along the edge of the water which I was allowed to keep in my box of treasures.

I didn’t really get into the water, and I most certainly did not think I could dare venture out into the water beyond the edges of the cliffs.

Now, as we approached the edge, I found my heart pounding as I looked down past the cliffs and to the horizon. My excitement for what was beyond started to seize my imagination. Would I see anything like in the stories and tales of the deep that I heard about from the schoolhouse? Would I glimpse sea monsters or other fantastic creatures?

Now, as he approached the edge, I felt my heart starting to pound with excitement. Steele evaluated the edge, which was about his height, before crouching and laying his hand on the ground.

“One moment, please,” said Steele as he tilted his hand so momma and I could step off. He carefully stepped off to the side before making the small leap down to the ground. For him, it would be as easy as descending a short step. For us, it was a rocky cliff face that would surely lead to our end if we slipped. The crashing impact of his weight against the ground shook the ground like a small earthquake before he turned around and offered his hand for us to safely descend the side of the cliff.

“Thank you,” said momma as she once again resumed her position on Steele’s hand. I joined her, smiling broadly at him and catching the youthful gleam in his violet eyes as he met my gaze.

He turned toward the ocean and, glancing at us, asked, “Are you ready?”

I saw momma nod, and so I did the same, feeling nervous and jittery all at once. Steele turned his eyes not to us, but past us as he stepped carefully across the sand and entered the water. Feeling the ground give ever so slightly, Steele sank further and further into the water, pausing every once in a while to adjust to the temperature of the water.

My guess was that he barely noticed the waves rushing across his feet as he stepped further and further into the water. It wasn’t until he was up to his hips that his body began to sway ever so slightly with the rhythm of the water.

I was nervous, but also excited. I knew it could be dangerous, but I had to look. I laid my front against Steele’s hand and peered over the edge of his palm to the ocean below.

The water was like the color of my eyes, a deep, dark blue that I knew I inherited from my dad. I could see some of Steele’s torso in the water, but I could only see a little way down in the water before his legs completely vanished into the depths of the water below.

As Steele moved deeper into the water, he created a bit of wake on his own, the water creating little waves and crests as he moved from his hips up to part of his torso. I felt him give a little shiver as he continued into the water. Then, with his left hand, he pointed toward the surface of the water a little distance away. He extended his arms and lowered them, so we were only a short distance from the water.

The deep water became clearer and clearer as I gazed down into it. My momma crouched and laid beside me as she peered over the edge. Following Steele’s still pointed finger, I glanced out and watched as something leapt out of the water, spun partially in the air, and then vanished once again below the surface.

“Woah!” I exclaimed involuntarily, covering my mouth almost immediately as if whatever I just saw could hear me.

“Steele, what was that?” asked my mother. There was a sense of curiosity and awe in her voice. Not even a trace of nerves was in her tone.

“Eh… koonyardo vi… we know them as lophind, though these are small. Your size. They are… koonyardo vi… warm. They nurse their young but are like fish. They swim up and down, not side to side though, which makes them different than fish,” explained Steele. I couldn’t help but giggle at his explanation. I knew he was trying so hard to explain what he knew, but expanding his knowledge of our tongue sometimes left him speechless.

It was charming to me. Confusing, but also charming.

I leaned back over the ledge and stared at the water when, suddenly, I saw one of them – the lophind. It had an odd, long nose with eyes that set back slightly. It was a soft light blue-grey color, and I could have sworn that it had some kind of smile on its face. It swam up and down, just like Steele said, and barely broke the surface when there was an explosion of salty mist right in front of me.

I felt the spray against my face and leapt back in surprise, yelping as I fell back. My mother, also startled, managed a laugh as she leaned further over the ledge to catch a glimpse of it.

“Steele! Is that one of them? Tzakar frenmon kavee?” My momma, practicing Steele’s tongue, was able to say one phrase and then the other with such ease. I could only hope that I would be able to do the same one of these days. I watched Steele’s violet eyes brighten instantly at hearing my momma use his language, and he responded in the same language.

“Ken. Tzakar frenmon kavar,” stated Steele, pointing again to the surface as three more of those lophinds leapt from the water and into the air. My heart, finally starting to calm, now pounded excitedly. I crouched by the edge once again and peered over the edge of Steele’s palm, once again face to face with the lophind.

I watched as Steele’s movements in the water created waves that the lophind undoubtedly found amusing because they continued to jump and leap through the water. I watched them play in the water when, suddenly, Steele’s body was completely submerged. He kept the hand we were in aloft, but there was a brief moment where I thought we were going under. The cold ocean water splashed against the heel of his wrist, spraying momma and me with the refreshingly chilled water.

When Steele emerged, he kept his left hand clenched as he reached up and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. I looked up at the shining droplets of water in his hair and highlighting the gray strands in his dark blonde hair, which is lighter than when I first met him. Is it because he is older? Or is it because of all the time he is spending in the sun?

Steele, turns his left wrist over and unfurls his fingers slowly, revealing a mess of sand. I wasn’t quite sure what Steele was doing when I watched my momma step forward into the sand, slipping off her shoes before doing so, and began to sift through it. I stared, fascinated and curious, and watched as momma brushed away the sand until a small notch stuck out from the area she just brushed away.

“Found one,” she smiled as she grabbed the edge of the notch and pulled. I sat there in awe as I watched her pull out a massive seashell. It is a beautiful off-white color which fades into different shades of pink. Speechless, I leaned forward and felt something brush against my palm. I glanced down in the sand and saw a few shells right there by my hand, and one of them still had a resident in it.

I carefully snagged the shell and lifted it up to examine the pink crustation living in the shell. It had massive pinching claws, but it shied away when I held it up by my face to get a better look. For a moment, I felt an odd kinship with the creature.

Did crustations feel? Could they be scared? Was it experiencing the same things I did when Steele held me as I held it in my hand?

I didn’t know. What I did know was that it deserved to be let go back into its home in the water. I laid it gently on the ground and continued to help my momma sift through the sand, stepping onto Steele’s left hand as he calmly dipped his head back into the water, probably to cool himself off. We sifted through the sand, kicking what we didn’t need off of the side of Steele’s hand, and ended up finding two dozen excellently preserved shells, though none quite as exquisite as the one momma found. Some of them are maroon while others look pink and others blue grey.

What kind of creatures used to live in these? I wondered quietly to myself as we stepped back onto Steele’s right hand.

“We’re good!” called momma as she managed to catch Steele’s attention. He nodded, dipped his left hand back into the water, and then submerged again, grabbing another handful of sand so we could repeat the process. This time, I managed to find a dozen teeth that Steele said belonged to a creature he called peripisci, which were evidently dangerous sea creatures.

We collected shells and teeth for the better part of an hour or so before I watched momma pull out a couple of odd-looking headbands from her side bag. I watched as she hoisted up her skirt, tied it securely to her hip, and tied the headband onto her head. Part of the headband was see through, like glass, and had something wrapped around the rim. She looked a little funny with these things on her eyes.

Then, she looked at me and smiled.

“Alright, Terrilyn. I’m going to try something. You can try it with me or stay here while I do, but I will be right back, okay?” said momma. Maybe it was just the idea of her trying something dangerous, but I didn’t want to leave her side. Still, she has a determined look in her eyes that says she is going to do something, and no one is going to tell her not to.

I was conflicted. Did I go with her? Stay?

I wanted to be brave like her, and doing brave things was the only way I knew how to do it in this moment.

“I… I’ll come with you,” I said, feeling my own hesitation. I swallowed dryly as I watched my momma smile and slip a similar headband around my eyes, securing the odd lining around my eyes as she tied the other parts tight around my head.

“Okay, we are just about ready. Now, Terrilyn, what we are trying to do is see under the water,” said momma as she finished tying the final knot.

“See under water?” I asked. “But, how? The salt in the water will burn, right?” Momma nods.

“Yes, it will burn. That is why Steele and I made these. These should keep our eyes safe. He is going to lower us into the water just for a moment and we’ll get a chance to see if these work. Remember about holding your breath? We’ll need to do that. Okay?” said momma. I loved how confident she was, and I decided to mirror her behavior.

“Yes,” I said. Steele, listening the entire time, nodded and, slowly, began lowering his hands into the water. I felt my heart starting to pound harder and faster in my chest. My mouth felt extremely dry, but I took deep breath after deep breath as I felt the water come up over my ankles, up to my knees, and up past my waist.

The chill of the water is a welcomed relief to the blazing heat of the day. I saw Steele’s hands curl ever so slightly, cupping us in order to keep us from being bombarded by the waves. As the waves came up and splashed against my back and my sides, I looked up and saw my momma confidently take a deep breath, crouch, and submerge in the water.

She looked like she would have in the bath, suspended and effortlessly weightless. I saw her head glance around from left to right before she pushed herself up and looked over at me.

“Terrilyn, you have to see this,” she said. There is a youthful gleam in her eyes as her wild red curls sag and cling to her face. She takes another breath and ducks back below the water.

Be brave.

I held my breath, knelt, and dipped my face beneath the cool waves.

Immediately, I am plunged into another world. The surface of the water looked like a silver barrier as the blue extended farther than the horizon. The depth was further down than the sky was up, and it was filled with life. Far below, I watched fish and those other odd creatures that looked like pieces of cloth drifting far below me. The waves engulfed me, and I kept hold onto Steele’s hand to keep the waves from drifting me away.

I came up for air after a short while and sputtered out a little bit of water. A little got into the weird device on my eyes, but I managed to get it out before I delve back beneath the waves.

I am completely enamored with the world below the waves that I regretted the moments I had to come up for air. My momma pointed to different things she saw in the depths below, but eventually we resurfaced and met Steele’s curious eyes.

“Did they work?” asked Steele. Momma and I both nodded eagerly.

“Yes. Ken! Yes,” sputtered my momma, spitting out some of the salt water from her mouth, as she leaned back against Steele’s fingers as if she’s relaxing in the shallows. “Very well. A few adjustments and we’ll have it perfected.”

“Good,” smiled Steele. “Are you ready to go back? Or do you want to stay?” Momma looked at me, waiting for me to respond. I think about it for a moment before looking back up to Steele.

“Could… we stay? I want to see the water some more, please,” I said. Steele smiled broadly and nodded.

“Yes, and hang on. I’m going under,” said Steele. Momma and I barely had a chance to secure our devices onto our eyes before all three of us plunged under the water. Steele managed to open his eyes and, instantly, I’m captivated by his visage. He appears other worldly with the way little bubbles line his face and how the backdrop of the ocean blue enhance his violet eyes.

He squinted around before closing his eyes and remaining there for several more seconds before standing once again. The rush of water weighed me down like immense, heavy blankets. The water poured out from Steele’s slightly splayed fingers as he lifted us out of the water entirely, leaving me feeling like a drenched kitten.

I thought about ripping my clothes off just to my undergarments since my shirt and skirt felt so heavy, but I refrained. It was the only thing protecting my skin from burning, and me staying in the clothes probably was keeping it from shrinking completely.

At least, I hoped it would.

After we recovered, Steele had us secure ourselves to his shoulder as he waded all the way up to the edge of his shoulder so the water would splash us from time to time. Every once in a while and with an amused smirk on his lips, Steele will lower all three of us into the water. I found myself laughing and leaning into Steele’s neck and my momma’s embrace.

The entire day is, in a word, fun. Between the splashing and the later walk along the beach as well as the collection of shells and teeth, I had a wonderful, perfect day.

Suddenly, I was pulled back to that day with the Finchs and realized that, in that moment, I remembered seeing them this happy. I saw them laughing and splashing about in the water. I saw Mr. and Mrs. Finch hugging and kissing their children. I watched them enjoying their time together – a family.

Was that what this was? Was that what I had now?

I looked over to my mother, who was beaming and radiant in the light of the setting sun, and then to Steele, who had on a smile that seemed untouched by his years in prison.

Were we… a family?

I looked back at them and found myself smiling, hardly able to contain the warmth spreading in my chest. A fluttering thumped in my chest, and I realize I haven’t felt happier in a long time.

Yes.

This was my family. My mother, my Orion, and me.

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Beginning

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Book One: The Orion’s Factotum

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captainsspnanon · 1 year ago

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C2E72 - Clay and Dust - reaction

Alright, let’s see how many months it’s gonna take me to watch THIS episode. I am SO desperate to get to next episode, aka livestream of all time. (not long at all, luckily!)

Matt what the fuck is up with your mic quality??? I’m assuming that’ll get fixed shortly.

I adore this ad bit so much. First of all, Sam pretending that he can’t remember his kids’ names and how many he has??? This guy is the most loving father! But honestly, it’s all Liam’s monologue. We all know it’s all Liam’s monologue! SO GOOD. (I still have not seen the movie, but I think I watched the clip from it)

I’m so hyped for ‘please don’t kill me at a liveshow’ and ‘fuck it I’m a mammoth’ that I legit forgot that this was the episode where Fjord is a badass.

Honestly I’m surprised we still haven’t gotten the new art yet. I keep seeing Fjord without his beard and I’m like – wait that’s wrong. It’s a plus side of the pre-recorded, we get the art pretty much right away.

MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP I will always and forever love this group getting a map they are SO excited! Also it’s so weird that they are sounding out Uthodurn and not recognizing it (until Travis suddenly remembers EVERYTHING without even glancing at his notes). Oh hello little note that says Ruins of Molaesmyr. (….I literally just saw it and already forgot how to spell it. FUCK the name of that place, omg, I get it wrong every time.)

Knowing how this turns out, it’s fun to watch them all get very tense about the ghosts. Even Caduceus goes to ‘punch first’, with his whole aversion to undead. Travis definitely has a point though, C2 definite has a lot more of the ‘spooky’ combats as compared to C1. I also appreciate that Travis/Fjord is the first to point out that the ghosts aren’t messing with the Nein or acting aggressive.

(I just realized this is a very good episode to be watching on October 1st)

Is there ANYTHING more Mighty Nein than them walking along a lake packed full of ghosts and reading Tusk Love to them? I love it so much!

I am surprised that Matt nitpicked that Eagle!Caleb and Eagle!Jester can’t understand each other. I do get where he’s coming from, as Polymorph only changes the form to the animal and who knows if two real world eagles would be able to communicate such complex ideas as ‘take our friend and show her the smoke that we’re seeing so that she can communicate it with our other friends who we can’t currently talk with’, but I also feel like in a magical world where you can become a giant eagle through a magic spell, that intelligent creatures of the same form would be able to communicate with each other.

Sometimes it’s really the small quiet moments that are some of the best RP moments. Nott offers to help Caduceus do something alchemical with her residuum wholeheartedly, Caduceus turns and quietly asks Caleb what alchemical means, and Caleb gives a gentle simplified (maybe not fully accurate) explanation. It’s a small beat and doesn’t take it’s time or distract from the main conversation, just a little additional life for the PCs.

Unsure if Caleb/Liam is reacting to them talking about refined residuum, or if that’s just standard Caleb face. XD

Aaagh, Mom wants to watch CR together, which’ll be the liveshow. Guess I’m doing my rewatch SLIGHTLY out of order, as I still have two hours of this left to go, but I want to watch with her. XD Also means that next episode’s rewatch post is gonna likely be limited, as I won’t be sitting down and constantly pausing to type.

I appreciate that Taliesin/Caduceus asked if Whitestone was the closest place to get the refined residuum and Matt was able to say no. As much as the players clearly would have been down for it, Matt was still trying to keep things more separate. And I really appreciate the fact that, aside from Allura really, C2 is able to stand on it’s own feet. Even Artagan is so entwined into C2 that it doesn’t matter if you don’t know him from C1.

LOL at Marisha’s sheer excitement over Beau being able to read Dwarvish.

CORE ANVIL!!! Unsurprisingly, I was actually able to understand in my first watch through that this was a reference to C1. Knowing now that it’s where VM forged the trammels is a fun shoutout, but again, me not knowing for my first watch really didn’t have impact.

……...look I’m still trying to hold my resolve about not typing anything about C3 during these writeups, but oh it’s so fun to hear all sorts of hints dropped for stuff that we now know from C3.

Love the little tidbits of Jester writing smut and Caleb being so happy from just being able to read something new.

I completely forgot that Fjord asked Jester to message Vandran!

I’m guessing Matt rolled to see either if Vandran would be willing to answer, or rolling insight or something similar.

Travis is such an amazing role player oh my fucking god. Seriously *insert he’s got the range meme here* it is pure chefs kiss. I’ve loved all his PCs, main campaigns or one shots, but the introspective Fjord moments, the moments where he is insecure and freely accepts comfort from Jester (or later from the whole team), it just tugs at all the correct places of my heart. Caleb and Beau might be my favorite PCs (of all three main campaigns, actually), but I think Travis has steadily moved to be my favorite player at the table. (though that’s actually really hard because it’s actually all of them just depending on what moment I’m watching)

HE TOLD JESTER ABOUT HIS LOSS OF POWER!!!! Oh my god I completely forgot about this. This episode, despite being something that you’d think would be 100% Caduceus, is just FILLED with amazing Fjord moments, and we haven’t even reached The Part yet! Travis really made the decision that Fjord would be having a turning point here, with Vandran, sharing his fear, talking about his loss, and then The Part! I forget if we ever find out what triggered the change in behavior.

Fjord’s panic when Jester starts raising her voice when talking about bringing him to the Wildmother being their new mission, and his FACE when she keeps talking and promises to keep it quiet. I can’t pinpoint the moment where he starts to fall for her, but he’s definitely in the thick of it now.

I forgot about the dream too!!! I don’t think Fjord would have broken his pact the way he did if not for that dream, on top of all the conversation he had earlier. It was the exact right impetus to get him moving immediately, versus trying to puzzle out a way. It makes me wonder if Matt was prompted to make the dream because of the conversation Jester and Fjord had, or if Matt already planned for this to happen this night.

YOU. NEED. ME. MORE. THAN. I. NEED. YOU. GIVE. IT. BACK.

ONE OF THE BEST LINES OF THE ENTIRE CAMPAIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!

No thoughts, no analysis, just me freaking out over one of the best moments EVER.

Fjord revealing all the truthes to the group, Caduceus being a great support, Nott making the greatest joke about Fjord’s strength EVER.

What an amazing second half of the episode, SO GOOD.

Gonna go watch the live show now with Mom, so who knows how that write up will be.

#cr c2 rewatch #critical role #mighty nein

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karlachgale95 · 5 months ago

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Hearts of the Multiverse-Chapter Nine: Do You Remember the Rain?

None of the other avatars Aang tried to channel could tell him what this place was. Honestly, he’d never heard of anyone visiting this ‘Japan.’ If there were any habitable, uncharted territory, the Fire Nation would have tried to colonize or control it. It made no sense.

Even so, at least he ended up somewhere where he could talk to the other avatars. Pearl, a little girl local to the Kurain Village, had said most of the people here, including herself, were spirit mediums who could channel the dead. They took on the forms of the dead they spoke to, like he did with Roku and Kyoshi those few times.

“Aang!”

Pearl, Sprig, King, Monster Kid (That was literally his name), Frosta, and Barry ran over to him, super excited. Aang gave them a smile, “What’s up, guys?”

“Can you do the marble trick again?” Sprig asked. “I’m gonna figure it out this time.”

Sprig was a humanoid, pink frog. He had been the first person…er…well individual Aang had come across in this strange world. One minute he’d been having a peaceful, small celebration amongst his friends, and then he woke up in this world after the ground had stopped splitting open and swallowing them all into the purple abyss below.

There was a swarm of monsters attacking the village looking for crystals. While Jotaro Kujo, a standoffish teenager with an apparently invisible spirit attached to him (to which Aang could see due to being the bridge between the human and spirit world), was doing a good job at keeping them under control. Aang was able to manipulate the clay pots back into their original form. They released some sort of evil spirit attached once defeated, almost like it was never alive. Aang didn’t know if he should feel guilt over fighting them or not. Still, he wasn’t going to let objects turned living attack innocent people. Jotaro had been a bit surprised Aang could see his ‘stand,’ but he didn’t ask too many questions about him being the avatar or what that meant. Honestly, it was a little bit of a letdown.

But at least the others liked the cool tricks he could show them!

“Oh, you mean this?”

Aang, already having the marbles in hand as soon as he saw the others, used his airbending to rapidly twirl them around in between the palm of his hands like a mini twister. It brought back memories of Kyoshi Island. Good times.

“I wish I could do that,” Monster Kid said. “But I can’t airbend…and I don’t have arms.”

“One of the world’s greatest earthbenders is blind,” Aang said, almost matter-of-factly. “Maybe you can’t do this, but I’m sure you’ve got lots of cool stuff you can do.”

“Well, I wanna be a warrior like Undyne. But she’s so much cooler than me. Taller too.”

“I’m sure you can be just as cool as her. And I’m not very tall, either,” Aang said with a small laugh.

“You sure you don’t want me to try and catch you a Starly?” Barry asked. “Seems like it’d be a great Pokémon for you, Aang. Then we could have battles, and I could show you all the ropes!”

Momo, his pet lemur-bat flew down and climbed onto his shoulder. Perfect timing. “Well, Momo doesn’t really like birds.”

“Oh, makes sense. Don’t worry. We’ll find a Pokémon that’ll get along with Momo and Appa!”

“Can we ride Appa again soon?” Sprig asks. “Doing all those loopty loops in the air was so much fun—and satiated my insatiable sense of danger!”

“If Appa is okay with it, I don’t see why not.”

“How tired does flying make him?” King asked. “Hooty tried to make me fly once, and I got tired after the fifth failed attempt!”

“Everyone,” a girl’s voice called out. This was Iris Hawthorne, one of the head shrine maidens. She had a timid and calm demeanor. “Supper is ready. It’s time to come inside.”

Everyone gathered in the common space and sat down for a meal. It was a soup made up of different vegetables. Both he and a boy just a bit older than him, Steven, were vegetarians. Iris, being a kind person, made two different food options. Honestly, he’d been treated very well by the hostesses of Kurain Village.

Aang sat next to Steven; both being pacifists, unsurprisingly became fast friends. Aang was friends with most of the people here, to be fair. Raven, Marnie, and Syaoran were a bit standoffish, but Aang chalked that up to Raven being a private person, Marnie being shy, and Syaoran being two years younger than him. Toriel and Professor Sycamore acted more like parental figures (or the monks, in his case) than anything else. Koichi was nice. And so was Yugi. Though, they kept busy with a card game Yugi had brought with him. Koichi seemed better at it than most others here, Aang included. And his friend, Rohan, didn’t really seem to like anyone. Or, he preferred the company of himself over others. It was kind of the same with Jotaro, only in a less arrogant way. He just seemed to hate people, especially girls, much to his own and definitely Steven’s distaste. But, hey! Sokka was kind of sexist, too, before he met the Kyoshi warriors. Maybe Jotaro just needed to meet Suki. The thought made Aang laugh.

Eh, Katara was probably stronger than he was, anyway.

“Thank you for your lovely hospitality, Iris,” Toriel said with a small, fuzzy smile.

“It’s quite a pleasure,” Iris said, returning the gesture. “It’s been a while since we’ve had guests. You’re welcome to stay as long as you need.”

The soup tasted delicious as always. Iris seemed to make everything without flaw, but she also shied away from compliments.

“The soup is fantastique,” Professor Sycamore marveled.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Iris said. “It’s just something I made on the spot.”

“Professor Sycamore is right,” Yugi said with a small smile. “This is great!”

As they continued to talk amongst each other, Steven turned to Aang. “So, how’d searching for your friend go today?”

“Honestly?” Aang asked. “Not well. Kurain Village is far off from the city, and a lot of people give me weird looks when I take Appa into Tokyo.”

Aang slumped over at the table. “I miss them, though.”

“I get that,” Steven said. “I can help you find them tomorrow. I mean, if they ended up here.”

“Really? That’d be great!”

There was a pause. Furious scratching noises of pen on paper could be heard as Rohan drew his new ‘manga’ chapter. It was like the drawings Sokka did but good.

“Have you found any of your friends?” Aang asked.

Steven shook his head. “But I have a feeling they’re here.”

“Same here. I get it.”

At that moment, a loud jolt of thunder echoed across the sky. Soon enough, rain poured down like waves of water.

“Well, someone made Poseidon mad,” Syaoran murmured.

“Poseidon?” Aang questioned.

“He’s the god of the seas in Greek mythology,” Yugi explained.

“Oh? Back home waterbenders derive their power from the moon. I know the moon, actually,” Aang said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Fascinating,” Rohan spoke sarcastically. “It’s been done in a million different stories—a boy talking to the stars. Honestly, it’s generic.”

Aang shot him a glare. Yue’s death was no such thing. But then, he supposed he hadn’t said anything about Yue being the moon spirit.

“Hey, I’ve been to the moon before,” Steven said.

“See? You’re proving my point,” Rohan said flippantly.

“Let’s just get back to having a nice meal,” Koichi said, seeming to sense the tension in the room.

Aang continued to glare at Rohan who merely smirked in response. Not only that, but what if the rain didn’t clear by tomorrow? How could he search for the others then?

Sister Bikini, a very tiny woman, jumped at the next roll of thunder. She shook her head and looked to her guests. “You all probably want to stay in this building for a little while. It’s going to be storming for a while.”

“Great!” Frosta exclaimed sarcastically. “Just what we need on top of all those monsters.”

“Not to worry,” Aang assured them. He posed in what he hoped was heroic. “As the Avatar, it’s my job to keep the world safe—well—I guess it’s more like worlds now.”

“Oh? And how do you plan to do that, Moon Boy?”

Sokka couldn’t draw, but at least his sarcastic quips were actually funny.

“More than draw,” Aang said swiftly. He grinned when Rohan grumbled something under his breath. “I can bend water, earth, fire, and air, and I’ve saved my world before. I just need to get to the root of this problem. I’m sure once I find my friends, we can solve this quick!”

“I’m sure you can, too,” Steven interjected.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang at the door. Jotaro, who was closest to the door, hesitantly opened the door only to have a woman fall through and collapse in a bloody heap on the ground. She had short silver hair and wore a tattered fancy dress-suit. She held a broken whip in her hand which reminded Aang of June.

“Miss Franziska!” Pearl shrieked.

Aang jumped up high into the air with his airbending and landed next to the woman. Too bad Katara wasn’t here; she could help him try and heal some of these wounds.

“Nnnngh. I n-need to speak to Edgeworth,” she groaned; shortly after, she passed out.

“Miss Von Karma,” Iris said. “Someone get a bedroll! We need to treat those injuries!”

“I can help with that,” Steven insisted.

He ran over to them and licked the palm of his hand. “Um, sorry. This is gonna be a little weird.”

He slapped his spit-filled hand onto one of the injuries, before Aang could yell at him to stop, the woman’s injuries started to heal and disappear.

“That’s disgustingly useful,” Jotaro commented. “I don’t want to know why or how you learned to do that.”

“Unimportant,” Steven said dismissively. “Can you help me get her to a bedroll?”

Jotaro scowled but nodded, nonetheless.

Who was this woman? Who was Edgeworth? Had she been attacked by monsters? Okay, dumb question. Obviously. But why did she come here? And how did Pearl and Iris know her?

Aang supposed they’d find out as soon as she woke up.

…

Evil beyond himself never ceased to impress him. Alastor knew there had to be a greater power that had orchestrated this massive dimensional shift. Though, not even the villains he came across seemed to be capable of such a feat. No. He hadn’t met the mastermind, yet.

DIO, for all his self-made grandeur, was just like the rest of hell’s population. He’d fall as he had before; that Alastor was sure. If he kept overstepping and planning a coup, Alastor may just drop a small hint of his existence to one Jotaro Kujo.

All of it was migraine-inducing. He would not be powerless—never again. He swore the last time would be against Adam. At least he’d finally found a way to get some control back on his power. Every day he felt himself grow just a tad stronger. He supposed he had Mr. Giovanna to thank for that. He really should’ve read the details of their deal closer. This would continue to happen until…well…until he was much like his Husker.

In both life and death.

But not to matter with that now! That was a bargaining chip for later, after all!

He had other deals to make.

…

Katara had just told a story about a little ghost girl from the Southern Water Tribe. They had been studying until the storm struck. To pass the time, the groups started telling each other stories. Katara’s had been the creepiest, so far.

“Does anyone else have a ghost story they’d like to tell?” Rei asked, holding the flashlight to her face.

“Or you can keep them,” Usagi said, huddling and shivering in the blankets. Miles snorted through his nose but managed to stifle his laughter…some.

“Hey!”

“C’mon Usagi,” Minako said. “Don’t be such a big chicken!”

“I’ve got a ghost story,” Josuke spoke up. “And I know it happened, too.”

“Really?” Katara asked. “Go ahead.”

“Well, it all began with a girl named Reimi. Now, Rohan and Koichi, mostly Koichi, told me most of the background, so I might not do it justice. But Reimi was sixteen when she was babysitting Rohan at her house. That night, a serial murderer by the name of Kira Yoshikage snuck through the house. He killed her dog, Arnold. When she heard the dripping of the blood onto the floor, she saw what he’d done and scrambled to save Rohan. She saved him…but she was stabbed in the back by him. Her spirit couldn’t rest—not until Kira was dead. So she haunted the streets of Morioh, looking for anyone who would help her. It’s lucky Koichi and Rohan did.”

“Whoa. That’s actually super creepy,” Miles said.

“Told you!”

“I didn’t know stand users could see spirits,” Kakyoin remarked. “I’ll have to keep that in mind in case we go ghost hunting.”

“How do you factor into this story?” Kaiba asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, that? Well, me, Jotaro, Hayato, Koichi, Okuyasu, and Rohan tracked down Kira and beat him up. We beat him up…and then his head was squished by an ambulance.”

“That’s gruesome,” Robin said.

“I mean, he was trying to explode us all, and he was a SERIAL MURDERER,” Josuke said, staring at Robin for emphasis.

“Touche.”

“I’ve got a ghost story,” Arven spoke up. “This one is also real.”

“Seems like we’re all in the mood to tell real ghost stories tonight,” Ty Lee said.

“It’s not technically a ghost story, but I think it can count,” Arven said. “It’s about my dad.”

Katara and Sokka leaned forward, giving Arven a knowing and sympathetic look.

“When I was born, my mother left us to study abroad. She never came home, and I found out she left for good when I was about five. My dad sealed himself up in his lab inside the Great Crater. It was a dangerous place, and the Pokémon who lived there could be dangerous. Then one day, he left and never came back. I tried to go to find him, but I just ended up getting Mabosstiff hurt, badly. I spent years trying to find a cure—and I did, with the help from Julianna. They’re my little buddy. Together we found the herbs guarded by legendary guardians that cured Mabosstiff. In the process, Miraidon, the legendary my dad had been studying got stronger, too. When we finished our journey, my dad asked us to come meet him in the Great Crater. Juliana invited Nemona and Penny. Truth is, I don’t have a lot of friends, so they really came through for me when I needed it most.”

“Anytime,” Nemona said with a wink. “Also, I would’ve helped you if you just asked.”

“I couldn’t bring myself to do that,” Arven said, shaking his head. “My pride wouldn’t let me.”

“You were going to miss out on meeting your dad just because of your pride?” Nemona asked.

“Well, he wasn’t my dad, was he?” Arven shot back, a little spitefully. He laughed and held his head in his hands. “Turns out, he was an android my dad had designed to keep watch over his work because my real dad was killed by one of those Pokémon who hurt Mabosstiff!”

He was in tears now and gestured around the room flippantly with a flick of his hand. “That’s why all of this is so…unnatural. I’m not used to living with a lot of people. I’ve always taken care of myself and Mabosstiff. That’s it.”

“Arven,” Katara began. She glanced to Sokka. “We know what that’s like. The Fire Nation killed my mom when I was a little girl, and then our dad had to go off to war. We didn’t see him for a long time.”

“Did you ever get to see him again?” Arven asked, in a low voice.

“We did,” Sokka said. “When we were planning the invasion in Ba Sing Se. He helped us fight against the Fire Nation.”

“That’s good,” Arven said. He laughed with a sort of bitterness that would make sour candy seem tame. “At least your dad didn’t abandon you.”

“I think,” Adora said. “I think story time is over.”

No duh. Poor Arven. Miles couldn’t—wouldn’t imagine a life without his dad.

It was quiet for a few seconds before Arven spoke up again. “Sorry for ruining the mood.”

“It was getting late anyways we should probably head to—,” Rei began.

She was cut off as someone inhaled sharply, painfully.

Giorno clutched the shirt he was wearing (a comfier shirt Yuichiro had lent him). Miles wasn’t sure what to do. His friend shut his eyes, as if in enormous pain, a green luminescent webbing coursed down his arms and legs. That must be the source. But where was it coming from? Was this a daimon…or was it…?

“DORA!”

Nothing. Giorno still looked as though he were going to pass out. He grabbed Miles’s arm. “It’s him. It’s the Radio Demon—he’s—!”

Giorno passed out before he could finish his sentence. The webbing stopped and retracted back to the center of his chest. Miles shook him gently. “Giorno! Dude! Wake up!”

Katara stooped down beside him, feeling his wrist. She sighed with relief. “He’s just sleeping. His pulse is still strong.”

“What did he mean by that?” Kakyoin asked. “Who’s the Radio Demon, Miles?”

Miles shook his head. “Not my story to tell.”

“He could be seriously hurt, and you won’t tell us?” Zuko countered.

“They’ve got you there,” Kaiba said with a shrug.

“You know about this, too?” Kakyoin asked.

“Miles knows more,” Kaiba deflected.

They all turned to Miles. It really wasn’t his place to tell Giorno’s secrets, especially about the deal with Alastor. But what if Zuko was right? What if Giorno was hurt? If he could prevent that demon from hurting him any further, shouldn’t he? With great power…

Damn it.

“When Giorno came here,” Miles said. “He was hurt—bad. He accidentally made a deal with a demon to stay alive.”

“Oh, that’s all?” Kakyoin asked with a sardonic laugh. “A demon?”

“He was dying,” Miles reiterated. “It’s not like he had a choice!”

“He should’ve known better,” Rei said.

Miles was surprised. Up until this point, the Shinto Priestess had been the most understanding. Now, she was deciding to be judgmental, at the worst possible time.

“You’ve never done something you’ve regretted?” Zuko asked.

And now the person who was most suspicious of Giorno for most of their time here was on his side. Rei looked to the floor. Kakyoin still seemed unsure. “He could be a threat to this entire group.”

“He’s not,” Miles said. If anyone was a threat by definition…it’d be him. “Giorno is a good person. He’s always helped me when I needed it.”

“I mean, he is Spiderman,” Josuke argued. “I’ve never read a comic where Spiderman was evil. It’d be a good concept, though. Point is, I think we can trust Miles, if nothing else.”

“He just looks so much like…” Kakyoin’s words trailed off.

He must’ve had problems with Giorno’s dad. What had happened? Should he ask? Or would that incriminate Giorno even further? No. He wasn’t going to do that.

“You’re basing this off looks?” Zuko asked.

“Not very sound,” Sokka agreed.

“You don’t understand,” Kakyoin argued. “That man was dangerous. Hell, he wasn’t even a man!”

Another jolt of thunder rang against the roof of the Hikawa Shrine. The moment was interrupted as a guy’s voice yelled, “Hey! Anyone home? Please, I need help! I gotta kid with me.”

Kaiba groaned. The accent was Brooklyn. Almost stereotypically so.

“Don’t let him in,” Kaiba warned.

Rei ignored him and opened the doors. A soaked blond boy ran through. He held a tiny child in his arms. They couldn’t be older than nine or ten. And the blond guy looked about sixteen, like Kaiba. Most importantly, the boy and the kid were banged up pretty bad. The boy took the brunt of the damage—he had wounds on his legs, arms, chest, and a few scrapes on his face. The child had a surface gash on their arms and legs. Their brown hair framed their face and was caked with dirt. Their purple and pink striped shirt and shorts were torn, and their sneakers were no better. The only thing intact was some heart-shaped locket they wore around their neck.

Kaiba appeared a bit surprised. “Wheeler. What did you get yourself into?”

Wheeler, apparently, glanced up to Kaiba. “Oh. It’s you, rich boy.”

He gasped and fell to his knees, “Someone please take the kid!”

Katara was quickest. She grabbed the child from the blonde before he passed out.

“Seto,” Connie started. He flinched at the name. “Who are they?”

“The child I have no idea,” Kaiba said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “The mutt is Joey Wheeler. A pain in my side.”

“Josuke, can you help me heal them?” Katara asked, using her healing abilities on the child’s wounds.

“Of course! DORA!”

“Are they going to be okay?” Pav asked.

“Yes,” Katara said with a nod. “But what could’ve done this to them? Usually the daimon don’t scratch people up like this.”

“Good question,” Zuko agreed.

“I guess we’ll find out,” Sokka said sternly.

Miles helped Katara, Josuke, Sokka, and Zuko get Giorno, Joey, and the child to a bed. Katara sat down beside them. “I’ll keep an eye on them for now. Someone can take a shift for me later, preferably Josuke since he’s also a healer.”

“Goodbye full night’s sleep,” Josuke grumbled.

Sokka grinned, as if gaining some divine intervention for brilliant insight: “That’s rough, buddy.”

Zuko shot him a look. “I only said that one time. What was I supposed to say to ‘my first girlfriend turned into the moon?’”

“Not that!”

“I’ll stay with you,” Miles offered. “I wanna make sure he’s okay.”

Katara paused and nodded. “Thank you, Miles. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.”

It was quiet for a moment before Sokka pulled Josuke and Zuko closer, “We’ll smooth things over with Kakyoin. I’m sure it’s all a big misunderstanding!”

“Yeah,” Josuke agreed. “I mean, if I saw someone who looked like Kira *or by extension Kawajiri,* I’d probably be skeptical, too.”

Sokka and Josuke walked back to the main room while Zuko lingered behind. “Kakyoin was right before all this. We all do things we’re not proud of. I don’t know what Giorno’s gotten himself into, but I can tell he’s trying. I’m not exactly Mr. Social, myself. Far be it from me to judge anyone. And I don’t think you’re a bad person either, Miles.”

With that, he left the room, leaving himself and Katara. Katara kept a constant flow of waterbending above everyone every twenty minutes or so.

“Hey Miles,” Katara spoke up, not breaking her concentration. “What is Spiderman, anyways?”

“Spiderman?” Miles repeated. Katara nodded. “It’s our duty to protect the world from people who would like to hurt it. I’m my universe’s only Spiderman.”

“That must be pretty lonely,” Katara said. “Do you have a lot of friends back home?”

Miles paused. “You’ve met Pav.”

“Yeah, well, you two interact less than you and Giorno do. Plus, he said he’s from a different universe from you.”

“Wait,” Miles said. Why was she asking all these questions? “If you know that, why are you asking?”

She continued, seemingly ignoring his question. “Why didn’t you tell us about that ‘Radio Demon?’”

“Because it was Giorno’s business. Not mine.”

“Zuko was right. He could’ve gotten hurt. We’re still not sure about all the details of this deal. If Giorno is your friend, wouldn’t it be good to help him by finding out?”

“What are you suggesting?” Miles asked.

“Let me rephrase: how many friends did you have from your own universe? The people you see every day?” Katara asked.

Miles was quiet. Ganke didn’t count. Not really. He was pretty sure Ganke would enjoy a single-person dorm. His folks were the closest people to him, and the people who he considered great friends before had betrayed him in the worst way possible.

“I didn’t,” Miles admitted. “I had me and my family, and I’d do anything to protect my family.”

“I would, too,” Katara said. “But I also have plenty of people I’d call my friend, even people here. I don’t want to see anyone get hurt. Maybe I can help you get Giorno out of this deal. I just need to know more.”

“I don’t think you want to go messing around with this guy, Katara,” Miles said. “The first and last time I saw him, I could barely breathe. It was like there was pressure on my chest. Giorno said not to go looking for him, and that he didn’t even read his contract properly. There was something that had attacked him, and the Radio Demon found him dying, unable to heal himself. So, they struck a deal.”

He didn’t dare tell Katara that he’d met Giorno’s father. No. That was putting way too much trust in someone to keep a secret.

“Then we’ll find a way to get rid of the demon,” Katara said. She gave Miles a small smile. “Thank you for trusting me enough to be honest and open like this. I’ll do whatever I can.”

And now he felt like a huge jerk, but he just couldn’t bring himself to be completely honest with her—not after Gwen.

“Thank you, Katara.”

…

“There’s not a ruddy chance in all of the Distortion World that I’d ever consider being friends with the likes of you,” Bede scoffed.

The absolute nerve of this sad sod! Asking to team up to find Chairman Rose was the absolute last thing he would help the Champion’s lackluster, little brother accomplish. He’d put his days seeking out Rose behind him. Sure, he may have his contact information on his Pokenav, but there was no way he was going out of his way to help Hop of all people.

“Those daimon attacked Mr. Wright. We…need your help,” Hop said with a sigh.

Bede smirked. The champion’s little brother asking—no—imploring him for help was quite humorous.

“Why don’t you ask your brother?” Bede spoke harshly.

“I don’t know where Lee is!” Hop objected.

“Not my problem. Now, leave me alone.”

The absolute nerve of this sniveling wimp. He couldn’t solve his own problems, so now he wanted him to do it for him. And to come to Mr. Kaiba’s offices to do it was just…sad. It was an ambush! An outrage!

“Won’t you consider it?” the girl, Shauna, asked.

She had been nice that day of the battle. She told Hop and Hau not to revel in their one, pathetic, little victory. She looked at him pleadingly. Even so, he wouldn’t give in to this request—not if it meant working with Hop.

“No,” he said simply.

“We heard they attacked Mr. Kaiba, too,” the other girl, Toph, pointed out. “Shouldn’t you be trying to be grateful and help us?”

“I don’t follow your logic,” Bede said.

“Well, he took you in, didn’t he?” Toph asked. “It’d be pretty selfish not to work with us just because you hate Hop. You could really be helping him, you know?”

It was true, Seto Kaiba had helped them. But it was also true that Bede had helped him. To be called ungrateful, however, was an insult. His…mother and father often got into fights. Before they gave him away, his mother once told him he should be grateful to be alive. He tried to be grateful, but they gave him up, anyways. He tried to be grateful to Chairman Rose for unofficially adopting him, and he was cast aside again. Why should he risk being close to anyone ever again?

“I can’t—won’t help you,” Bede insisted.

“What do you mean? Of course, we’ll help them.”

Bede flinched at Mokuba Kaiba’s voice. He and Silver entered the lobby from the elevator to their right. Bede sighed and clenched his fists, “Mokuba, you have no idea the levels of incompetence we’re dealing—.”

Mokuba cut him off. “They attacked my older brother. I’m not just going to stand by and do nothing. If helping Mr. Wright helps him, then we’re doing it.”

“Alright!” the boy, Gus, cheered. “It’s good to have you guys on board!”

“Not by choice,” Bede muttered.

Gus looked at him, almost sympathetically. He hated it. “I know you probably don’t wanna work with us, but if we get this done, then we can protect a lot of people from those monsters!”

“It might even lead us to the reason why we were teleported to this world in the first place,” Silver said thoughtfully. “Fine. We’ll help you, but don’t expect us to become pals or anything.”

“Bede?” Shauna asked. “What about you? You can disagree. It’s alright.”

“But we need him,” Hop argued.

“And if he doesn’t want to, he doesn’t have to,” Shauna argued back. She smiled at Bede. “It’s up to you.”

She was giving him the choice to help. He’d never really had much choice in anything. ‘Do this or you’re no longer useful’ is what he was accustomed to. Shauna had been nice to him, nicer than most people, despite not even knowing him that well. And Seto Kaiba, for all his yelling at employees, had never asked anything of him. Maybe he did owe him this ONE favor.

“Fine. I’ll help.”

As he relented, a torrent of rain poured down from the sky. It would be blinding to anyone who tried to walk in it. Bede sighed as he heard Mokuba speak up. “You guys can stay here tonight. I don’t think it’s safe to go out. We can get to know each other better. Seto told me he’s staying with his…friends at the shrine.”

“Yay! Sleepover!” Gus cheered.

“You sure he’s not going to regret that decision?” Silver whispered to Bede.

Bede chuckled. At least Silver was realistic and funny.

…

“You got too close. They knew you were onto them,” Jet said, propping his feet on his coffee table.

Phoenix felt his eye twitch. He only owned so many ‘nice’ things in this life. True, the coffee table was already scuffed, but why add onto it?

Ever since that daimon had attacked them, Edgeworth became a constant presence in his apartment, or he would suggest, if they happened to be with Edgeworth that they stay with him. It didn’t help when Hobie told them how daimons would keep track on their targets until they proved there was or was not a talisman hidden inside them. What kind of talisman? No one knew. What Phoenix did know is that he was tired of the attempts. So far, Hobie had beaten one down with a guitar, Eda got another with her harpy magic, and Bucciarati diced one back into a shattered vase. All of them had come looking for Phoenix.

And they were still no closer to finding Chairman Rose.

“We’ve been scouting the west side of the Juban district for the root of this ‘daimon’ problem,” Raine said. “It could be that they’ve used magic to hole themselves up somewhere we can’t reach. That’s what Belos did.”

“Tch. Typical fascists,” Hobie muttered, tossing Phoenix’s Rubix cube up and down in the air.

Someone’s phone rang. It kinda sounded like the Steel Samurai’s theme. Edgeworth quickly dove into his jacket pocket, a sort of visible embarrassment on his face and answered his phone.

“Hello?...Well, we’ve been looking…No…I promise, we’re close to cracking this…I’ve been in contact with Detective Gum…”

Audible yelling from Gideon Graves rang through the room. Abbachio grabbed Edgeworth’s phone. “Don’t get your panties in a wad, we’ll solve your case soon enough. Also, you’re already pretty much blacklisted. Hiring anyone else at this point would be moot.”

Click.

It was radio silence in the room for a full minute; Eda burst out laughing. “Oh, come on, he had it coming! That was hilarious!”

“Eda…” Raine shook their head. He looked to Abbachio who carelessly sipped on another glass of…something. Phoenix wasn’t even sure he had anymore alcohol, himself. “Please, we need to take this seriously!”

“I’m being so sincere right now,” Abbachio said with a snort.

Sasha and Guzma started to laugh along. At least the mood was lightening a bit.

“Raine is right,” Bruno said, slightly solemn. “We have too many problems building up on top of each other. We need to find some sort of clue—and soon. Lives are on the line.”

“Not with the weather being the way it is,” N said. He glared at the rain from the apartment window, like he was trying to make it go away by sheer force of will. “It’s like the world is trying to drown itself. Like an omen.”

Another uncomfortable silence, Maya clapped her hands. “Don’t worry guys! I’ve got just the thing to pass the time!”

“Maya no…” Phoenix groaned, knowing exactly what her time-passer was.

She pulled out three VHS tapes of Steel Samurai from the cabinet. “I’ll pop us some popcorn! We can crash right here while marathoning Steel Samurai!”

…

After everyone fell asleep, Phoenix dug into his cabinets for some old blankets his parents gave him a long time ago. He took a moment to breathe. He was tired. And this was even prior to any of the other-world shenanigans. He didn’t even mind that so much. But it always felt like some new catastrophe was happening to him, Maya, and occasionally Edgeworth every Tuesday.

He sat on his bed for a minute, taking it all in. He heard his door creak. He looked up to see Edgeworth.

“Edgeworth. What’s up? I thought you were asleep.”

“Couldn’t,” Edgeworth said with a slight indifferent shrug. “Everyone else is still asleep. I noticed you were gone, so I wanted to make sure…”

“That some monster hadn’t run off with me in the middle of your marathon? How sweet.”

Although, it actually kind of was, in a Miles kind of way.

Miles smirked, “I’ll know better than to worry next time.”

This time the quiet they shared was strangely comfortable. It was painfully obvious that he liked Miles. Maya knew, and she teased him about it constantly (especially when she found out he went to law school just to meet Miles again). Abbachio had made an off-hand comment ‘mistaking’ them as a couple the other day. He was sure both he and Bucciarati knew. But maybe they knew because they were a couple, or at least, Phoenix assumed they were.

“I’m sorry,” Miles said. “I insisted that we met with that sham professor. I didn’t know she…”

“How could you have known?” Phoenix asked. “It’s okay, Edgeworth. We had to start somewhere.”

“I just wanted to make sure you didn’t take anymore hits as a lawyer. I know it’s hard enough to be a defense attorney, but I couldn’t imagine a world where you were disbarred or…worse.”

Phoenix stood up and walked over to Edgeworth. He put his hands on his shoulders. “Miles, look, I’m not worried about it. It’s alright. This isn’t your fault.”

Miles didn’t seem convinced. Phoenix smiled slightly, “You wanna know what you can do to make it up to me?”

“…I’m listening.”

Phoenix bundled the blankets in his arms and placed half the stack into Miles’s arms. “Help me carry these! They’re super heavy!”

Miles blinked as though he had been expecting something else. He shook his head and scoffed. “So, I’ve been reduced to a babysitter, too?”

“Welcome to my world, Edgeworth.”

…

The former soothsayer/stand user had come to investigate the situation with Giorno. Miles was getting worried. Giorno was still unconscious, almost as if he was in a coma. Avdol had ushered everyone out except Miles, Katara, and Rei. Not even Kakyoin was allowed back inside until he’d finished his checkup.

“The deal he struck is serious,” Avdol noted. “If it’s legally binding, he’s in danger. He’ll wake up, but there’s no telling how much of his power and spirit that demon can drain if no exact terms were set.”

Avdol leaned forward. “I also sense that his paternal lineage is…unique to say the least.”

“Is it like Kakyoin thinks? Is he related to that DIO guy?” Miles asked.

Avdol’s voice became a whisper. “I’m afraid so. Which means he has the capability for great destruction, mayhem, and tyranny.”

That couldn’t be true. Giorno was a good person. Miles was sure of it. He had to be!

“However,” Avdol said quickly. “He also has the potential to be a hero, someone who never backs down in the face of great evil. He has the Joestar family birthmark right above his shoulder. I would assume he possesses traits of both DIO and Jonathan Joestar.”

“Then that’s good news, right?” Katara asked. “You said the Joestars were heroes.”

“It makes his situation all the more precarious,” Avdol explained. “That much power…it’s no surprise a demon would strike a deal with him at his weakest.”

“Can you help him?” Rei asked.

“Perhaps we all can. If we find the demon,” Avdol said. “We either convince him to revoke the deal, or we get rid of the demon.”

Miles looked at his friend. That Radio Demon might be tough, but he was Spiderman. And no one messed with the people he cared about. No one was going to die on his watch. He’d track down that demon and make sure that deal was null and sent back to the void he came from.

…

Lucifer Morningstar had been stuck in the rain. It sucked. Being trapped in torrential pools of water, almost drowning twice. He had only been trying to get back to the hotel after looking around for Stolas’s daughter.

But he guessed it was lucky he had been stuck. After all, he would’ve never found the two children who almost drowned in the muddy nature-made trenches of the park.

One was a child with long, black hair, long gray blouse, skirt and shoes. Although her outfit was plain, she had a lot of magical energy around her. Maybe bringing her to the hotel wasn’t a great idea, but he was sure Charlie would welcome her with open arms.

The other was a child with copperish, shoulder-length hair, a long-sleeve green shirt, orange vest, and blue shorts. He’d been carrying his backpack. Hopefully it wasn’t full of anything perishable; it was totally soaked.

Now, they hadn’t ended up in the trench naturally. No. There was some man Lucifer had burned the hands off of to get him to drop them. He’d been holding them by their shirt collars, yelling obscenities about carving them up into tiny pieces for injuring his left eye. It did appear to have a bullet lodged in it. As to which child had done that, well, it was a mystery to him.

Humans did need to be more careful what they chose to do with their free will. The harming of children, well, that called for repercussions, right? And he would’ve burned the man alive, had he not jumped into a blueish portal, out of harm’s way.

C’est la vie.

When he walked back in the hotel, Alastor was the first to greet them. Greeeeaaaat. Just what he needed after a hard day’s work.

“Your highness! Charlie was getting worried. She thought you’d slipped away for good!”

Lucifer heard the implied ‘again’ and swore he’d get Alastor back some day.

Alastor looked to his left and right, “And who are these two?”

“Alastor, this is Homura Akemi and Hayato Kawajiri. They’ll be staying with us for a while.”

Alastor’s mouth curled into a grin.

…

And now, Alastor had someone who could counter that silly time-stand. He’d read the files of the people who’d been teleported here. Homura Akemi, resident magical she-devil and time stopper. They’d make an excellent team against the likes of DIO.

#jjba #pokemon #pure heart crystals #ace attorney #miles morales #owl house #sailor moon #across the spiderverse #avatar the last airbender #kaolinite

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kmgkmg · 2 years ago

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“almost included a lil text abt hosh accidentally adding joshua to a gc that he meant to add vernon and gyu to....hosh wouldve sent something like "so how long do yall wanna bet it's going to be until they're engaged" and joshua would wait for everyone to place their bets and then be like "well now you all owe me money since we just got engaged" *sends a pic of his hand and an engagement ring* BUT ALAS. i settled on a dating anniversary instead. just know in that universe, they would eventually get married (an extra little epilogue just for you anon)”

ynshie….marriage…..real…..(i explode into tiny little pieces) i actually screamed and nearly rolled off my bed when i read “well now you all owe me money since we just got engaged” like i prayed for times like these FR!!! (i dont think ill ever get over ynshie ever this extra epilogue will live in my brain thank you so so much 😭😭🫶🫶)

also THERE WAS A PLAYLIST BREAKDOWN?? actually dropping everything to read it all while listening to the playlist im so excited to read it rn tysm <33

(also i just noticed that u posted a ww fic??? omw to read it rn . angst will not stop me) (i will eat my words soon)

-⛺️

put my reply under the cut so our message won't be too long on the dashboard but 😗🫳*picks up the little pieces of u one by one that have exploded*

BUT YEAHHHHH!!!! there are so many lil headcanons abt this fic anonnie!!!!!!!!!! since u like the lil nuggets.. i'll shower u in some unused photos and their What Ifs!!

1...firework/sparkler pic: remember the tweet after cabin wars when joshua realized how cute reader looked when they were happy...yeah reader would've had that realization too on the 4th!!!!! joshua probably asked vernon to take the pic and he would post it on main being kinda fuckboyish but reader and joshua would (obliviously) be flirting in the comments. like get together alr 🙄 2...vernon/josh preoccupied on their phones: reader would send this pic to hoshi and be like "they've been trying to figure out how to load a tiktok compilation vid onto the tv for the kids...who's gna tell them that i hid the remote? 😝" reader just being chaotic since hoshi would b gone that day for personal reasons or smthn 3...joshua bed pic: I WAS SOOOOO TEMPTED TO USE THIS ONE! the thing is though it looks soooooo like Professionally taken, yknow? but it would've been vernon being a little cupid, texting reader like "we mentioned your name and suddenly bro is wide awake" LIKE LOOK HOW PRECIOUS HE LOOKS???? it could pass for him being infatuated w you and UGHHH yeah!!

4...mud masks: the camp has rewarded the counselors for taking care of the campers all summer! free spa day for all of them! except nobody told joshua and hoshi where the mud bath was and the spa was nature themed so um. when they saw a pool outside of the changing rooms with mud, they automatically thought that it must be the place w rejuvenating mud for the skin! yeah no...it's just an old pool that hasn't been cleaned. so they have actual dirty mud/clay on their face. reader and vernon come back from buying snacks like ??????? how are you so muddy when we didn't even tell you where to go??? and reader takes that pic of them just utterly shocked like !!!!!! wym that pool wasn't even a part of the spa?!!??!! 5...karaoke night: again, a counselors only type of event. they would go to the local pub and have fun (maybe drink, maybe not idk!) but you and hoshi would encourage joshua to sing and vernon to rap! joshua would go after you kept whining, he's a sucker for you, and ofc start singing sunday morning. reader would tweet the video and caption it like "living up to the username i see @/sundaymorning" 6...pfp: ok this one is the most nugget of nuggets but i was considering making this joshua's pfp/icon for reader and joshua's texts! it would b for after they're together! i was gna add a bit abt how he makes funny faces to cheer reader up. he made that face one day during one of your facetimes, so you screenshotted it and always look at his contact pic when you feel down!

if you did get the chance to check out the breakdown i would b soooo interested to know which song(s) u think fits the series the best!! i def have my own picks for the ones i listened to a lot and used the most 🤭

THE WONU FIC!!!!!!!! my friend is a wonu stan and i was texting her like... yeah almost done w the wonu angst.. and she was like WONWOO?? ANGST????? 🤲 it was soooo funny bcos she's v chill but she was eating up the little sections of the fic that i was sending her hehe

i also made two mbs on my other sb for the wonwoo fic: one based more on the vibes and one based on the aes! the one w wonwoo's face kinda flopped and i'm like 👁️ interesting... @ the followers on that blog

sorry for the late reply!! but hope u had a nice day <333

#kmgkmganswers #⛺️ anon #ive been offline p much all day :OOOO which is wild consindering ive been up since 6:30 am (it's 9:45 pm my time)

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queer-whatchamacallit · 3 years ago

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Hotch headcanons except it’s probably going to mostly be regarding the tism

Hotch was diagnosed a lot later in life

He saw in Spencer’s file that he’s autistic, so he gave him the accommodations he needed but didn’t really think anything of it

By the time they’d worked together for a year or two, Hotch became very aware that Spencer was incredibly similar to the way Hotch was when he was Spencer’s age

Again, time passed and he didn’t think these two things were connected

That is until the team deals with a bomber, Hotch is a little too close to the blast of the unsub’s last hoorah, and he ends up in the hospital

Hotch wakes up and Spencer is in the room with him at the time

He quickly discovered that his injuries make it painful to walk, but pacing is way he reduces stress/ holds off meltdowns he doesn’t know are meltdowns

And so, Hotch has a meltdown but Spencer helps him through it

Later that day, when Hotch has had plenty of time to calm down, Spencer asked Hotch about considering if he was also autistic

That lead to the slow journey of Hotch discovering his being autistic and trying to be more comfortable in showing autistic traits as well as getting a diagnosis

It isn’t exactly a new concept that Hotch masks 24/7, even when he’s completely alone

All of his suits are from the same brands, and with the bit of extra weight of suit jacket, they’re super comfortable and familiar to him

Loosening his tie actually tends to make him more uncomfortable and uptight because how he expects his suit to feel is just slightly different

He likes to cook sometimes, but he’s absolutely atrocious at it

Even if he has a recipe, something often miraculously happens to go wrong

By the time he cooks whatever it was with Penelope, he’s definitely better, but that was right around the limit of his abilities to not mess it up

Penelope is also autistic, and he loves being in the same space as her

Outside of work-related things, his self esteem is a little lacking

A combination of an abusive father and undiagnosed autism definitely played a part in this

Penelope is one of the few people he feels like he can keep a fun conversation going with

Since he met Haley, he’s never not been amazed by how beautiful she is

Before Hotch became unit chief and got too sucked into his work, he’d call Haley when he woke up and when he got back to his hotel room

These were often very short because of the time difference, and some of Hotch’s fondest memories are talking to Haley for a minute or two each morning while she’s probably so close to just falling back asleep that she likely wouldn’t remember them

They were the sappiest couple you could possibly imagine

He joined the bau at 27 and was instantly dubbed the “silent killer” by Rossi because he was a pretty quiet person with horrifyingly good aim

In Ldsk, he showed off his shooting a little, but he would have been able to the same thing before he even joined the Seattle field office

He went hunting with his father a lot as a kid, and he just always had a knack for it

Jack is autistic and Hotch tries to do everything in his power to raise him how he wished he’d been raised, with support

Hotch tends to be more sensory seeking except for textures

Suede and corduroy are his least favorite of those he would predictably encounter again

He took a pottery class as a high school freshman, but dropped it after a week because the feeling of clay almost made him gag when he first touched it

His interoception is not good whatsoever

He lost a lot of weight in college because he didn’t realize that meal routines were very helpful to him, and he’d just forget to eat something for a day or two

When he was 24, there was about an hour until a trial was going to start and he passed out from dehydration

He’s really bad at telling when an injury is serious because of his sense of pain being out of whack, but he’d still keep going even if he did feel it correctly

Hotch is actually someone who feels more than he can handle about things, but it doesn’t really show outwardly

He loves hugs, and he’s very grateful that most of the team is his size so they can give hugs that have a good amount of strength in them

The only problem is that never in his life would Hotch have the courage to ask someone for a hug

Penelope often asks to hug him because she can just sense those types of things

He’s allergic to cats but he’s fully considering getting a sphinx cat

And also he has a strawberry allergy because I’ve seen it before and it just feels right

You could infer from both the show and what I said earlier, but Hotch hates hospital even if he does like the hospital smell

And that is my long list of things I’d like to believe are true about my guy

Edit: thank you so much for 100 notes guys!!

#criminal minds #cm #aaron hotchner #autistic aaron hotchner #aaron hotch hotchner #haley brooks #autism headcanon #the tism #the ‘tism #headcanons #the special interest half: criminal minds

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fandomlit · 4 years ago

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neutral, chap. 2 (dream smp x reader)

series summary (in game!au) when an exiled tommy finally rebels against a manipulative dream, he finds safety in neutral territory, a place owned and guarded by you. staying in your safe haven opens up the younger one’s eyes to your way of life, while also revealing your deeper past before neutral; a past that involved a war for your love.

chapter summary tommy learns a little bit more about your relationship with dream before spending his day with ghostbur, exploring neutral territory and learning of the war that sparked its creation.

warning mentions of war, violence, and injuries

previous | series masterlist | next

gif cred belongs to @chillcrafting

“you have a package, y/n!” ghostbur called out just as you placed tommy’s breakfast in front of him. the ghoul’s words went completely ignored by tommy, whose gaze was solely focused on the beautiful stack of pancakes placed in front of him.

y/n smiled to herself. “you can bring it in, bur. i know who it’s from.” she shuffled syrup and butter over to tommy just as ghostbur came in with the fateful package.

tommy was already half way through scarfing down the stack of pancakes when y/n managed to open the package, ghostbur gazing over her shoulder. she took out a note set atop of the contents.

she read aloud, “y/n, i’m sorry i haven’t properly stopped by in a while. my work requires much of my undivided attention right now, which i’m sure you understand. please work your magic for me with the clothes included, and i will be sure to drop by for them and a meal soon. there are a few extra gifts included for you. i hope tommy isn’t burdening you. signed dream.”

“i’m not a burden!” tommy spoke offendedly through a mouthful of pancakes.

“you’re right, tommy,” y/n hummed, handing him a napkin to wipe some syrup off of his chin. “you’re perfect company.” tommy smiled to himself as he finished off his stack of pancakes. y/n sighed to herself, “clay really knows how to ruin a good piece of clothing..”

“so you and dream are close, y/n?” tommy grumbled, picking up his glass of milk.

she shrugged. “as close as you can be with someone you barely see.” she placed his battered clothes to the side, sighing again when she saw the rest of the contents of the box. tommy didn’t realize this, continuing with his questions.

“i remember that he respected your territory when he stepped into it,” he recalled. “he was going to kill me, but then he realized he was in neutral.”

y/n nodded. “when i made claimed this territory as neutral, i made a deal with everyone: i would mend and tailor anything you needed as long as you respected my territory as neutral.” she held up a box of diamonds and a smaller box of netherite to tommy’s view, making his mouth drop open with surprise. y/n held out another napkin to him for the milk that had sputtered out of his open mouth while ghostbur laughed into his hand. “clay is the only one who still tries to pay me.”

“with netherite?!” tommy exclaimed, letting out a surprised laugh.

y/n shrugged, seemingly not phased by the generous gift. “the nether..” she shook her head, placing the valuable materials onto the table, “is not a place i like to go. and most of this will probably be going toward dream’s armor, anyway.” she sighed, placing the gifts back into the box and laying the tattered shirts on top of them. “trust me, he’s still too kind for his own good with these sorts of materials.”

“how much netherite does that man have?” ghostbur scoffed, looking at how much was contained in the box.

“probably quadruple that amount,” y/n chuckled. “he has far too much free time.”

“and he doesn’t even spend it with you,” ghostbur sighed, shaking his head with a goofy smile.

“i know!” y/n spoke sarcastically before laughing out. she closed the box and set it under the table. “i’ll deal with that later. do you want any more pancakes, tommy?”

“no, i’m stuffed,” the teen yawned. “but thank you.”

she nodded. “well, then how about ghostbur shows you around the territory today?”

the boys perked up immediately. “really?”

“yeah,” she laughed, taking tommy’s empty plate. “you two can take the day to explore and have fun. go be a kid, kid.”

tommy excitedly looked up to his ghost friend. “fancy a game of ultimate tag?”

“you’re gonna get crushed,” ghostbur laughed before they both ran out of the house, laughing. y/n smiled.

“oh! i should make them lunch..”

...

“how big is this place?” tommy laughed after a few rounds of tag. they had found their way to a pond in a forested area, tommy deciding his knee needed a break after all of their running.

“it’s bigger than you think,” ghostbur assured, making sure to keep an appropriate distance from the water as they sat along the small shore. “y/n claimed the territory before l’manberg, so there really wasn’t any need for a turf war of any sorts for what she settled.”

“how long has she lived here?” tommy questioned.

ghostbur shrugged. “almost two years, i think. she’s made quite the life for herself since.” more to himself, he muttered, “god, has it really been that long since it happened?”

“since what happened?” tommy asked, leaning closer to his friend with sparkling, curious eyes.

ghostbur sighed, “i’ll admit, i don’t remember too much.. but i know there was a fight. one of the first wars of our time, and it was all over y/n.”

“they were fighting for her?” tommy spoke with confusion. “she’s not an object.”

“very good, tommy,” ghostbur prided, patting his friend on the shoulder. “you’re right, she’s not. that’s why y/n left her original home and sought to create neutral territory; to end the fighting and create a place where peace could reign. in exchange, she’d offer her goods and services.”

“so they were fighting over her for her skills,” tommy understood. ghostbur made a face. “..or not?”

“both sides obviously wanted her skills, but i think y/n tends to neglect the fact that they were all madly in love with her,” ghostbur sighed, shaking his head.

tommy raised his eyebrows. “a crime of passion, eh?” he joked, making them both laugh out before he asked, “who was it?”

“let me think,” ghostbur sighed, tapping his chin. “i know one was dream, but the other.. i think it was-”

“boys! lunch is ready when you are!”

tommy turned back to ghostbur. “well? who?”

ghostbur shook his head. “sorry, tommy, i don’t remember that far. that’s as much as i can tell you.”

tommy couldn’t help but fel disappointed, but he knew he couldn’t blame his friend. “that’s alright, ghostbur. let’s go get lunch before y/n comes looking for us.”

...

after lunch and an insistent rematch of tag, ghostbur and tommy made their way to the organized garden area.

“y/n grows anything you can imagine,” ghostbur bragged as tommy marveled as the fluorescent, beautifully natural area. “she’s been to nearly every biome to complete her garden.”

“you can grow cocoa?!” tommy exclaimed when he finally spotted y/n, who was swinging an axe at a low jungle tree.

“y/n found a way,” ghostbur shrugged, guiding tommy over to her. “hey, y/n!”

“hi, boys,” she smiled, plucking off the plant she had loosened from the tree. “was lunch good? im sorry i didn’t stay and chat.”

“it was delicious,” ghostbur complimented, tommy nodding in agreement as his mind drifted back to the mouth watering coleslaw and toasted sandwiches she had prepared.

“that’s good!” she smiled, placing the cocoa plant on the ground. “you boys may want to step back.” they did as told as y/n swung her axe over her head, splitting the cocoa clean in half and revealing the delicious beans inside of it. “voila!”

ghostbur clapped politely. “thank you,” y/n laughed, dropping her axe and picking up the split plant. “would you boys like a sample?”

“sure,” tommy shrugged, stepping forward with ghostbur. he picked out a few beans before popping them into his mouth. breaking through the semi-tough shell, the delicious, dark taste flooded his taste buds and made him nearly moan, as y/n’s food often did. he and ghostbur shared a look of satisfaction before he voiced, “oh, y/n.. they’re perfect.”

“that’s good,” she laughed before nudging her bucket closer to her and scooping the seeds out into it. “how has your day around the territory been?”

“entertaining,” tommy spoke before asking, “how did you get into gardening, y/n?”

y/n gave ghostbur a knowing smile before she answered the younger boy’s question, “i was tired of eating only meat and bread. gardening was a way to expand my diet to more than just carbs and proteins. also, it’s very calming.” they followed when she hiked up her bucket and moved to the next jungle tree.

“is it?” tommy questioned.

she affirmed with a nod. “it’s nice to be able to spend a day tending to things you made. the fruits of your own harvest are the sweetest, they say.” they watched as she knocked down another cocoa plant.

“they are,” tommy nodded solemnly, his mind drifting to a sadder, more familiar place. “that’s why i miss l’manberg.”

y/n was barely surprised by the boy’s open confession. she tossed her axe down again, going to place a hand on tommy’s shoulder. “i know you do, tommy, and i know it’s rough right now. but what we’re playing here is a waiting game; we’re waiting for a safe opportunity to get you home, and in the meantime, i’ll take care of you, kid.”

tommy offered you another nod and a smile. “we?”

y/n gave him a kind grin. “im going to help you as best as i can from where i am. and i know that’s not much from me, but i know that everyone deserves a home that they love. and you can’t get there alone, kid.”

“you’re right about that,” tommy sighed before looking into her kind eyes. “thank you, y/n. your help means a lot.”

she squeezed his shoulder. “of course, tommy. you and ghostbur go explore some more; try to keep your mind on the things you can control.” she picked her axe back up.

tommy looked to the pitying ghoul beside him before looking back to y/n, a new thought fresh in his mind. “can you teach me how to cook?”

y/n grinned as she lifted her axe over her head again. “of course i can, tommy.”

tommy smiled as she cracked open the plant. he looked back to ghostbur. “wanna go for a swim?” the ghost shot him a fearful look. “im kidding! im kidding, let’s go use some pigs for target practice.” they both began to walk off, chatting and giggling before tommy turned and called, “y/n!” she looked up attentively. “what’s for dinner?”

she smiled. “i was thinking ribs!”

tommy’s mouth watered at the thought. “oh my god, i can’t wait to learn how to cook..”

tag list!! @vanhakirja @victory-is-here @inkyynki @airiour @sylum @kiritokunuwu @221bee-slytherin @bllatrixcarpnter @soullesstaco @stxrryb1tch comment below or message me if you would like to be added <3

#youtubers x reader #youtubers fanfic #mcyt x reader #mcyt fanfic #dream smp x reader #dream smp fanfic #tommyinnit x reader #tommyinnit fanfic #dream x reader #dream fanfic #ghostbur x reader #ghostbur fanfic

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