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dragonwitch77 · 5 years ago

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Death’s Flower: Ch 4, When?

“UNCLE C! UNCLE C! UNCLE C! UNCLE C!” The little goddess squealed with delight as she ran towards Coriander, jumping into his open arms and hugged him tightly as much as her thin arms could squeeze around his thick neck.

“Good ta see ya little lass!” Coriander laughed, smiling down at the young goddess in his arms. “Look at ya! Have ya grown some the last time Ah visit ya? Yer almost as tall as a wee sproutlin’ little tree!” He tossed her up in the air slightly, making the young girl laugh. “N’ heavy too.” The older god put her back on the ground, poking her stomach. “Is yer mother puttin’ some pounds on ya? Or is Caitlin over stuffin’ ya with her cookin’ again?��

The tiny god laughed, pushing Coriander’s hands away and stuck out her tongue.

“Oh Ho! You little cheek!” Coriander laughed, ruffling the young god’s hair. “Ya may be small n’ cute now, but soon you’ll be big n’ str-r-r-rong!” He flexed his muscles, showing off his broad arms. “Jus’ like the rest of us!”

The little goddess giggled again, poking the arm. “Why do you keep doing that?”

“Doin’ what?”

“The r-r-r-r noise! You did that while saying strong.”

“Ah. That.” Coriander chuckled, scratching his chin beard. “It’s nothin’ really lass. Jus’ r-r-r-r-rollin’ me r’s. Somethin’ Ah picked up spendin’ time with other gods up in Norse. Nice bunch of sorts they are there.”

“Tell me about them!” The young goddess latched onto Coriander’s arm, which the older god laughed and stood up to full height, lifting the younger god up with ease.

“No no. That’ll be a tale fer another time lass.” Coriander shook his head. “I’ll tell ya later when yer older.”

“That’s real soon! My birthday is coming up and I’m going to be a big girl!” The little goddess chimed, kicking her legs about as she struggled to climb up Coriander’s arm.

“Oh ya are? Well that’s some big news!” Coriander reached over and grabbed the young goddess, pulling her up into his arms before setting her on the ground again. “N’ how old are ya goin’ ta be big girl?”

“Seven! Grandpa says that I’ll have extra luck this year because he said that seven is a lucky number!” The young goddess held up seven of her fingers, smiling brightly.

“N’ it will be!” Coriander smile grew. “Once ya hit lucky seven, good things are sure ta come yer way lass!” He sighed, looking off to the distance. “Ah remember when Ah was young. Ah was so full of energy n’ such a wild boy. Heh heh.”

The little goddess tilted her head. “Umm… how old are you anyway?”

Coriander, taken off guard by the sudden question, sputtered. “Gahuh?!”

“YOUNG ONE!” The young goddess flinched, looking over her shoulder as Zaman came over with a disapproving look on his face.

“We do not ask others their age! It’s very rude and inconsiderate!” Zaman placed his hands on his hips as the young goddess looked down on the green grass below her bare feet.

“Yes grandpa.”

Zaman continued to give her a disappointed stare before sighing and turning to Coriander with an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry about her Corian. She lacks the understanding of being mindful around others.”

“It’s no trouble.” Coriander cleared his throat, adjusting his helmet slightly and smiled. “Me own kids would ask the same thin’ when they were growin’. Been so long since anyone asked me age in a while.” The God of War chuckled. “Oh, n’ a, lass?” The young goddess looked up at him. “Ah can’t give ya the numbers, but Ah’m older than that no good Grunde. N’ certainly younger than yer grandfather that’s fer sure!”

Zaman punched Coriander in the shoulder, making the War God and the young goddess laugh a bit.

“Are you coming to my birthday party Uncle C? You are going to come this time right?”

“Yes, surely this time you could attend. Surely there won’t be any wars or anything important that might drag you away from enjoying my grandchild’s birthday. You’ve hardly ever attend all her other birthdays with your duty, but surely you will have time for this one old friend?”

“Can? WILL!” Coriander puffed out his chest, slamming his fist against his armor. “No war will be able ta drag this god away on the lasses special day! Especially not her special number seventh birthday!” He ruffled the young god’s hair again, making her giggle and squeal.

“That’s good to hear! It’ll be nice for you to attend. Some of the others have agreed to come as well.” Zaman wrapped an arm around the shorter god’s shoulder, leading him with the young goddess following after them. “Hephaestus will be there, and Phlegon, and Caitlin, and Grunde—” The shorter god groaned at the name. “And I convinced Lyvia to invite a special guest to the party.”

“Oh yeah? Who?”

Zaman smirked, leaning closer to Coriander’s ear and whispered. “Dionysus.”

“… Nnnnnoooo!”

“Yes! Though I did promise Lyvia will be on his best behavior at the party. Wink.” Zaman winked his left and upper eyes, making Coriander grin and drool a little.

“O-oh-oh-oh! You snake! Yer goin’ all out on this party ain’t cha? Ya hear that lass?! Yer party is goin’ ta be…” Coriander paused, slowly coming to a halt as he gazed behind himself.

The older gods looked back at the young child. She was standing at a distance where the garden ended at the temple door, looking down where the grass ended in smooth white stone. Her face was in a deep frown, looking between the green grass and the white marble stone floor, gripping the front of her clothes tightly.

Coriander frowned, turning to Zaman and dropping his voice into a low hush so only the Time God could hear. “She’s still not allowed out the garden eh?”

Zaman nodded slightly. “Yes, unfortunately.” He replied in his own hushed voice. “Despite my many talks with my daughter, she refuses to let her own daughter out of the garden. No matter what promises I make to her, she will not budge.”

Coriander sighed heavily. “Yer daughter is as stubborn as a mule Zaman!” The God of War spun around, placing two fingers in his mouth and whistled. “OI! Lass! If ya want ta step inside, nothin’s stoppin’ ya! This is yer home after all!”

The young goddess shook her head. “Mommy said I’m not allowed outside of the garden. She says that the evil shadow monster will get me if I even take one step outside!” The girl’s face twisted in fear, taking a few steps back.

Coriander looked at Zaman in confusion. The older god mouthed ‘What Lyvia calls you-know-who’ and the god understood fully what the child meant.

“Lass, no shadow monster is gonna get ya! It’s alright ta come out of the garden.”

But the child shook her head again. “I don’t want to make mommy angry…”

“But lass y—”

“How about you go chase some of the rabbits, sweetheart?” Zaman butted in, placing a hand on the shorter god’s shoulder. “I bragged to your mother how you caught five last time on your own and she was very impressed. So how about you go catch some more and make your mother even more proud of you?”

The young girl smiled, nodding her head before running off into the garden. Both gods waited a moment before sighing and turning to one another.

“That was foolish of ya.”

“I know.” Zaman shook his head. “I know.”

“Zaman. Ah know it’s not my place ta say this, but yer daughter may be a wee bit overprotective of her lass.” Coriander pinched his thumb and finger together. “It’s been years since that peckin’ spook showed his face up here n’ he hasn’t even done a single thin’ ta harm the little lass! Sure Ah know what he’s like n’ all, but he usually would have done somethin’, oh Ah don’t know, years ago!” He threw his arms up high, sighed heavily. “Ah don’t even think he would concern himself with the lass anyway! He’s more focused on that missin’ piece of fabric than a little goddess.”

Zaman looked at his old friend in surprise. “He still hasn’t found out who took it?”

“Not a hint or clue.” Coriander shrugged. “At least that’s all Ah can get out of him when Ah spot him along the sidelines. The spook didn’t look too happy the last Ah saw of him.” He scratched his beard. “Normally he’d be shoutin’ insults or watchin’ it all while eatin’ eh… ‘popped corn’ Ah think he called it? Whatever that is.”

“Well, he is a very unusual god. Even on different standers.” Zaman shook his head, having long since stopped questioning the Death God’s strange quirks and habits long ago. Though, he was growing ever worried.

If what Coriander said about the God of Death still missing that piece was true, then it did not bode well. For one thing, if Snatcher still hadn’t found the missing piece for this long, then it was clear that a mortal hadn’t taken it. That cape he wore was very powerful. Too powerful for a mere mortal to handle, even in the smallest of pieces or tinniest of threads.

Zaman had seen countless foolish mortals who had dared enter the Underworld and managed to survive escaping the place go mad within days with just even a small string of Snatcher’s cape in their hands. The power that cape had could make any mortal go mad, even at great distances. He never touched that cape, it gave off an eerie energy that made him feel weak and sick to the stomach.

Thankfully Snatcher never stayed around too long for any long term effects to take hold, but now Zaman was concerned that one of the other gods might have indeed been the culprit of theft. And who knew how long it would be before the Death God took matters into his own hands.

“Enough about him for now. He hasn’t done anything that should concern us yet.” Zaman’s three eyes turned to his friend, putting on a hopeful smile. “What we should discus is what you’ve managed to find.”

Coriander frowned, gazing at the floor. Just seeing that already filled Zaman with dread and defeat. “Nothin’.” He replied quietly after a moment of silence. “Ah’m sorry Zaman, but there was nothin’ ta be found. Not even Alvis could help.”

Zaman drew in a deep breath, held it for a moment, and let it out slowly. “… I see.”

“Ah’m sorry Zaman, Ah really tried ta find yer answer but there’s jus’ nothin’ there that can help. Norse n’ Roman gods hardly mingle with each other since the old days.”

“And the Sisters would hardly allow any magic or knowledge mix knowing it could make chaos in the process.” Zaman finished, shaking his head sadly. “By the Sisters, what am I going the do?”

“What can ya do? Zaman, yer very wise in some days n’ nights, but even you know ya can’t know everythin’ fer every little thin’.” Coriander patted his friend’s shoulder. “N’ not everythin’ is meant ta be known or fixed.”

Zaman looked at his friend with a sad smile before it fell away. “I just want to know why my granddaughter is so weak in her powers.”

“Give her time lad. My youngest didn’t get their powers until they hit their teen years.”

“Your children showed progress with age old friend. But she still can’t make a single bud bloom without feeling great strain and exhaustion. I just… don’t understand it. She should be getting stronger but no matter how many times the sun sets and rises again, she shows no sign of gaining her powers…”

The pair were quiet a moment, standing there as the winds blew by.

“… She should be getting stronger.” Zaman looked at his hands. “She should be showing… some sign of godhood in her. But she has… nothing.” His arms dropped to his sides, sighing deeply. “Not even a tiny speck of gold in her blood.”

“Hey now! Chin up!” Coriander moved in front of his old friend, placing both hands on Zaman’s shoulders. “Ya can’t get hung up over this. Everythin’s goin’ ta be fine. Jus’ give the lass some time. Look on the bright side! She’s alive n’ healthy n’ happy n’ she’s got you n’ everythin’ that she needs—”

“B҉U҉T҉ ҉S҉H҉E҉ ҉D҉O҉E҉S҉N҉'҉T҉ ҉H҉A҉V҉E҉ ҉H҉E҉R҉ ҉P҉O҉W҉E҉R҉S҉!҉” Coriander was suddenly pushed back, landing on the ground and staring up at Zaman with wide hidden eyes. “M҉Y҉ ҉G҉R҉A҉N҉D҉C҉H҉I҉L҉D҉ ҉I҉S҉ ҉A҉ ҉G҉O҉D҉!҉ ҉A҉ ҉G҉O҉D҉ ҉L҉I҉K҉E҉ ҉Y҉O҉U҉ ҉A҉N҉D҉ ҉I҉,҉ ҉Y҉E҉T҉ ҉S҉H҉E҉'҉S҉ ҉W҉E҉A҉K҉ ҉A҉N҉D҉ ҉P҉O҉W҉E҉R҉L҉E҉S҉S҉ ҉L҉I҉K҉E҉ ҉A҉ ҉M҉E҉R҉E҉ ҉M҉O҉R҉T҉A҉L҉ ҉B҉E҉I҉N҉G҉!҉”

Sparks of energy surrounded Zaman, casting electricity all around him that he was glowing brighter than the sun. Lightning bolts shot off, scorching and destroying items they landed upon, reducing then to dark ash and soot. The Time God’s eyes glowed with an unnatural blue, cracking with sparks. Coriander averted his away from the God of Time’s eyes, knowing those foolish enough to even gaze upon them would spell disaster.

“S҉H҉E҉ ҉S҉H҉O҉U҉L҉D҉ ҉B҉E҉ ҉P҉O҉W҉E҉R҉F҉U҉L҉!҉ ҉G҉I҉F҉T҉E҉D҉ ҉W҉I҉T҉H҉ ҉A҉ ҉B҉L҉E҉S҉S҉I҉N҉G҉ ҉O҉F҉ ҉O҉U҉R҉ ҉K҉I҉N҉D҉!҉ ҉Y҉E҉T҉ ҉S҉H҉E҉ ҉H҉A҉S҉ ҉N҉O҉ ҉G҉I҉F҉T҉!҉ ҉S҉H҉E҉ ҉H҉A҉S҉ ҉N҉O҉ ҉P҉O҉W҉E҉R҉!҉ ҉S҉H҉E҉!҉ ҉H҉A҉S҉!҉ ҉N҉O҉T҉H҉I҉N҉G҉!҉”

A bolt of lightning shot out, bouncing around so wildly it could almost be mistaken as a lively phoenix. It shot down the halls and out the frost of the building, shooting up into the clouds and disappearing among them.

“Now! W-Wait wait wait wait! H-Hold on a moment!” Coriander slowly sat up, holding his hand to eye level to avoid looking into Zaman’s eyes. “Ya can’t say that Zaman! The lass doesn’t have nothin’! She’s jus’ late bloomin’!” He stood up slowly, trying to stay strong against the power the older god was exserting. “Ya can’t say that she’s got nothin’ when ya ain’t even sure if she doesn’t have anythin’ yet! N’ ya have ta remember, she’s not normal born like you or Ah.”

He could feel his words were reaching the older god as the power he was casting was slowly diminishing. The light was fading away as well, but Coriander still kept his vision covered.

“So what if she doesn’t show any sign of power now? What ‘bout later? Yer not sure if she’ll get it tomorrow or the next day. That doesn’t mean she’s weak! Far from it! Ya keep braggin’ how she keeps climbin’ up tree like a monkey n’ reachin’ the top fast like a bird! N’ how she races the fish in the pond up streams n’ round the lake like nothin’! N’ how she runs with rabbits n’ leopards n’ falcons’ fer hours! No mortal can do that! Most would only be pale compared ta that!”

The light kept dimming, as well as the power as Coriander kept talking till everything was still again. Taking the risk, Coriander removed his hand. Zaman stood there, standing on scorched marble stone with a shadow over his face. Taking an even bigger risk, the younger god stepped forward with a vigilant step.

“She’s not weak Zaman. N’ she’s not powerless. She may not show it now, but one day she’ll get her powers. N’ ya got ta remember she wasn’t born under normal circumstances. We don’t know much of gods who were born the way she was.” Coriander inched closer, reaching out with a tentative hand. “So ya don’t really know if she will ever get her powers or not. But ya have ta admit, she’s got some godhood in her.” His hand touched Zaman’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Jus’ give the lass some time. It’s what yer good with ain’t it?”

Zaman stood there motionless for a long time. Long enough for Coriander to wonder if his words reached him. “Zaman? Do ya hear m-OOF!” Coriander barely had time to catch the time god as he pitched forward, landing on Coriander heavily.

“Och! Been packin’ on the pounds have we?” Coriander grunted through his teeth, easing the old god down to the floor. Zaman blinked lazily at him as the God of War set him down on the ground, his three blue eyes looking up at his old friend questionably.

“Alright, there we go.” Coriander sighed, wiping his brow, clinking the metal band around his arm against his helmet. “Ah got ta say Zaman, fer bein’ one of the old ones, ya might want ta think ‘bout keepin’ yer emotions in check. Ya know what happens if ya let yer emotions get the better of you.”

Zaman was silent, but nodded. “… ‘m sorry.”

“Ahh don’t be. Jus’ glad ya didn’t brin’ the whole buildin’ down.” Coriander gestured to one of the many still fresh scotched spots. “Though Lyvia will sure have a few cows when she sees her pottery in pieces.”

Zaman groaned, hitting his head against his knee. “Blast it pecking… I-I’m sorry Coriander. I shouldn’t have exploded like that.”

“N’ Ah said it was fine.” Coriander waved it off, kneeling to eye level with his friend. “Though ta be honest, Ah didn’t think ya would get so worked up over this.”

“I don’t.” Zaman sighed, rubbing his face and feeling the years piling up on him. “I shouldn’t. I really shouldn’t be feeling so worked up about this. I should just be satisfied knowing that my granddaughter is alive and happy and content with just as she is… but…” Both gods looked out at the doorway into the garden.

The little goddess was chasing a white rabbit, smiling brightly with her eyes glistening with joy. Her hair trailed behind her like silk waving in the wind, her skin glowing like a star in the night sky. Her fits of laughter sounded as if music was dancing in the air.

“… But why do I feel that… it’s not enough?”

“… Look. Ah might not be wise as you are, or really all that nice of a god, but ya jus’ have ta have some hope that yer grandkid will get her powers one day.” Coriander gazed sympathetically at his moping friend. “Maybe not now… but, Ah’m sure one day she’ll get them. Ya jus’ have ta wait n’ see.”

)*(

𝔖𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔰. 𝔗𝔢𝔩𝔩 𝔪𝔢. 𝔚𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔡𝔬 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔰𝔢𝔢?

𝕀 𝕤𝕖𝕖. 𝕀 𝕤𝕖𝕖. 𝔸 𝕕𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤. 𝔾𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕒��𝕤 𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕤.

𝐼 𝓈𝑒𝑒. 𝐼 𝓈𝑒𝑒. 𝒜 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇. 𝐹𝒶𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓊𝒹𝓈. 𝐼𝓉 𝓉𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝒻𝓁𝓎 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓎𝑒𝓉 𝑔𝓇𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝒻𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝓈.

˙uʍouʞ ǝq ʇı ʇǝl oʇ ɥʇɓuǝɹʇs ǝɥʇ puıɟ ʇou uɐɔ ʇnq 'pɹɐǝɥ ǝq oʇ ɓuıuɹɐǝʎ 'ǝunʇ sʇı suɹoɯ ʇI ˙uʍouʞun ǝɥʇ uıɥʇıʍ ʇso˥ ˙ɓuos ∀ ˙ǝǝs I ˙ǝǝs I

ℑ 𝔰𝔢𝔢. ℑ 𝔰𝔢𝔢. 𝔄 𝔣𝔩𝔬𝔴𝔢𝔯 𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔭𝔭𝔢𝔡 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔯𝔫𝔰. ℑ𝔱 𝔟𝔲𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔰 𝔦𝔱𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔣 𝔦𝔫 𝔴𝔢𝔢𝔡𝔰, 𝔥𝔬𝔭𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔬 𝔤𝔯𝔬𝔴 𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔩𝔢𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔦𝔱𝔰 𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔨 𝔦𝔫 𝔞 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔩𝔡 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔰𝔬 𝔪𝔞𝔫𝔶. ℑ𝔱 𝔴𝔦𝔰𝔥𝔢𝔰 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔰𝔢𝔢𝔫 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔦𝔱𝔰 𝔟𝔢𝔞𝔲𝔱𝔶, 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔦𝔱𝔰 𝔠𝔞𝔭𝔞𝔟𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔶. 𝔄𝔫𝔡 𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔱𝔥.

𝕊𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤. 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕕𝕠𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕟?

ℑ𝔱 𝔪𝔢𝔞𝔫𝔰 𝔞 𝔫𝔢𝔴 𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔶 𝔦𝔰 𝔞𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔫 𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔯 𝔰𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯.

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝒾𝓈 𝒶𝓁𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓎 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓅𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓉𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻. 𝐼𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒.

¿sɹǝʇsıs ǝɔɐld ǝʞɐʇ ʇı llıʍ uǝɥM ¿ʎɹoʇs sıɥʇ ɟo ʇɐɥʍ ʇnᙠ ˙sɐǝs sʇı uı ɹǝʇɐʍ ʎʇuǝld sɐɥ uɐǝɔo ǝɥʇ sɐ ʇsnɾ 'ɟo ǝɔuɐpunqɐ uı ǝʌɐɥ ǝʍ ʇɐɥʍ sı ǝɯı⊥ ˙ǝɯı⊥

𝔓𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢, 𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔯 𝔰𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯, 𝔭𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔶 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔞𝔱 𝔦𝔱𝔰 𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔭𝔞𝔠𝔢. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝔦𝔰 𝔞𝔩𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔶 𝔰𝔭𝔲𝔫 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔦𝔰 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔶 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔫 𝔟𝔶 𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰. 𝔄𝔩𝔩 𝔴𝔢 𝔫𝔢𝔢𝔡 𝔫𝔬𝔴 𝔦𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔶 𝔱𝔬 𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔯𝔱.

𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓉? 𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓀𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓈𝓊𝓂𝑒? 𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇 𝒻𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓈 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓊𝒹𝓈? 𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒹𝓈 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑒𝓃𝑔𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒹? 𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓈 𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓂𝓅𝓉𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓀 𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒?

𝔏𝔬𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔢𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔶 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔯 𝔰𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯. 𝔅𝔲𝔱 𝔰𝔬𝔬𝔫. 𝔖𝔬𝔬𝔫 𝔦𝔱 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔢. 𝔉𝔬𝔯 𝔫𝔬𝔴, 𝔴𝔢 𝔰𝔥𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔴𝔞𝔦𝔱.

𝕎𝕖 𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕨𝕒𝕚𝕥 𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕦𝕤.

˙uodn pıɐl uǝǝq sɐɥ ʇı ʇɐɥʇ ɥʇɐd sʇı sʇɹɐʇs ʎɹoʇs ǝɥʇ llıʇ ʇıɐʍ llɐɥs ǝM

𝒲𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓌𝒶𝒾𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 ��𝓊𝓇 𝓈𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒶𝓁𝑒𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓊𝓃𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒽𝒸𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔.

𝔚𝔢 𝔰𝔥𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔴𝔞𝔦𝔱 𝔱𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔴𝔢 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔫𝔢𝔢𝔡𝔢𝔡. 𝔉𝔬𝔯 𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔢𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔫𝔞𝔩 𝔰𝔢𝔯𝔳𝔦𝔱𝔲𝔡𝔢 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔫𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔠𝔢𝔞𝔰𝔢 𝔞𝔰 𝔩𝔬𝔫𝔤 𝔞𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔶 𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔫𝔢𝔢𝔡𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔫 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔬𝔩𝔡. 𝔒𝔲𝔯 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔨 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔫𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔣𝔞𝔡𝔢, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔴𝔢 𝔰𝔥𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔫𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔡𝔢𝔫𝔶 𝔰𝔲𝔠𝔥 𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔰 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔩𝔬𝔰𝔱. 𝔉𝔬𝔯 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔞 𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔶 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔱𝔯𝔲𝔩𝔶 𝔩𝔬𝔰𝔱 𝔦𝔣 𝔦𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔫𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔬𝔩𝔡?

#death's flower au #conductor #tim ceo of time #hat kid #Roman Gods

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find-the-eyes · 5 years ago

Text

I’ll Try Anything Once: Chapter 31

Written by: Sol Edited by: Allegra, Beth

The sun was barely above the horizon as Alex walked to Bob and Paul’s flat, warming his hands in the pocket of his hoodie, thoughts of the last few hours running through his mind.

After waiting for hours only to be told that he couldn’t visit Nick yet, Alex had driven home to attempt to get some rest. The flat was silent. Empty. Alex stared into the darkness. Purple and green speckles danced across his vision as his eyes adjusted. Nick was certainly not a loud flatmate by any means, but the lack of his quiet shuffling around the flat and the sight of his soft form curled up beneath the blankets was noticeable.

Once Alex had kicked off his shoes, he staggered to the bathroom using the dim glow of his phone to light the way. When he flipped on the bathroom light, it was as though Alex was staring directly into the sun. He grimaced as his eyes readjusted to the light. He stared at himself in the mirror. Fuck, he looked like hell. The dark circles under his eyes stood in stark contrast to his pale skin. It was only then that Alex noticed that his hands were trembling - from cold or from nerves, he couldn't say. He felt exhausted to the point of numbness from the day's chaos. He held his hands under the warm water for a few moments, then splashed some on his face, staring blankly ahead all the while.

When he entered his bedroom, Steckrübe was still curled up in a ball in the indent on the bed where Nick usually slept. If Nick were here right now, he would be asleep next to Alex, snug against his side, mumbling random German words against Alex's shoulder...but he wasn’t. He was gone.

Alex threw himself face down onto his side of the bed and squeezed his eyes shut, praying he would fall asleep. He didn’t. Every time he would come close, his body beginning to feel that familiar weightlessness, Nick’s choked sobs echoed in his mind, startling Alex back into the present. He tossed and turned, trying to talk himself down from his anxiety. Nick will be fine. They’re just keeping him for the night to make sure he’s okay. He’ll be home tomorrow. They would have told me if he wasn’t fine. He’s fine.

Alex stumbled out of bed as soon as he saw the faintest pink hint of sunrise. He couldn’t stay. He’d slipped back into his shoes and set out for Bob and Paul’s flat.

Bob was surprised to open the door to find a disheveled Alex, still slightly damp from the rain, standing outside the entrance to the flat. “... Alex? It’s not even 6 AM yet…”

“I’m sorry...I just needed to get out.”

“Oh…” Bob welcomed him into the flat, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Alex plopped down on the couch. “Can I tell you and Paul something? And will you promise you won’t freak out?”

“Go on…” Paul, awakened by Alex’s knock at the door, popped out from the bedroom and sat on the couch with Alex and Bob.

“I had to rush Nick to the hospital a couple hours ago. And he’s still there. And they don’t know if he’ll make it, and we can’t visit until he’s stable.”

Bob clapped his hand to his mouth and gasped. Paul’s eyes widened. He cursed under his breath and ran his hand through his hair. “Shit, Alex. What happened?”

“They don’t know yet. We just know he wasn’t breathing.” A few hours earlier, saying those words out loud would probably have brought Alex to tears. Now, though, he didn’t feel anything. Desensitized already.

“Oh…” Bob clasped his hands behind his neck, unsure of what to say.

“I knew I should have taken him earlier…” Alex sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “But he wouldn’t let me.”

“Hey, it’s alright. You tried your best.” Paul offered Alex a smile and a hug. “And we’re going to make sure everything ends up okay.”

Alex nodded and leaned back against the couch. “I need him to be okay.” Alex thought about Nick’s reaction earlier that night. “I don’t think I’ll be able to live with myself if he doesn’t make it.”

“He’s going to be fine, Alex. It’s never as bad as you think it is, y’know?”

Alex sighed. “But I was there, and…” he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

“Want to come with me to take Alvy on his morning walk?” Bob suggested. He immediately regretted this decision, feeling his anxiety rising - oh god, he was going to have to be alone with Alex. But he didn’t like seeing Alex in this state, and he knew Paul didn’t either. He got up from the couch and called Alvy from the bedroom. He pulled Paul aside into the kitchen. “Make him some breakfast. We’ll be back in an hour. Maybe even less.” Paul nodded and squeezed Bob’s hand.

Bob and Alex returned to find Paul putting the finishing touches on breakfast - scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee. “Sorry, I know it’s not much,” Paul said sheepishly as he pulled three forks out of the drawer.

“It’s lovely,” Bob smiled up at Paul as he scooped some eggs onto his toast and took a big bite.

Paul gently placed his hand on Bob’s shoulder. “I’m glad,” he said, returning Bob’s smile. Alex kept his head down as he ate, ignoring the pang of jealousy in his stomach.

After breakfast, Paul volunteered to wash the dishes while Alex and Bob sat in the living room, watching TV and playing with Alvy.

“Is it okay if I stay with you guys until Nick comes home?” Alex asked. “Sorry, I just… I don’t want to be in the flat without him.”

“Yeah, of course,” Bob answered. “Do you want to go get your stuff from your flat?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah. And Steckrübe.”

Paul walked into the room, his phone open in his hand. “I have to go run some errands,” Paul interrupted. “Mind if I go do that while you two are out?”

“Yeah, no problem,” Bob said, noticing Paul’s inbox open on his phone screen. He felt a momentary flash of panic - who was Paul texting at this hour? - but the matter at hand distracted him. “You’re sure you want to go now, Alex?”

“Yeah, I… I’m sure.”

“Alright,” Bob stood and headed for the door, Alex right behind. “See you later, Paul.”

As Bob walked Alex to his flat to start packing, Paul headed for the opposite side of town. He soon arrived at a familiar warehouse disguised as a flat building and rang the doorbell.

Dino opened the door, looking a bit disheveled, a brown rat on his shoulder, and nodded at Paul.

“Hey,” Paul said. “Thanks for letting me come over. And sorry for being so cold the other night. My friends don’t really like you.” You’re lying to yourself. Go home.

“Why’s that?” Dino welcomed Paul into the building. Paul took off his jacket and laid it on a stray table.

“They don’t get the rats. Or the setup of your...flat.” Go home to Bob. You don’t like Dino.

“Ah,” Dino said with a nod. He flopped down onto the couch and set his shoulder rat on the floor. “I’m sorry to hear that. Glad you don’t mind, though.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Paul sat down beside Dino on the lumpy sofa. A different rat, this one black, immediately darted up Paul’s leg and torso, settling on the top of his head.

“Wow, he really likes you!” Dino said with a grin.

Fuck fuck fuck FUCK! “Oh, okay!” Paul said, sitting on his shaking hands, trying to smile back but mostly grimacing. He winced at the feeling of tiny paws rustling through his hair. “What’s this one called?”

“Shadow!” Dino beamed with pride. “He loves popcorn and rat football!”

“Oh…” Shadow had found his way down to Paul’s shoulder and was now nuzzling Paul’s neck. Paul hesitantly reached up to pet the top of Shadow’s head. He wanted to ask Dino to elaborate on what on earth “rat football” was, but decided he was probably better off not knowing.

“He must think you’re really cute,” Dino said, moving subtly closer to Paul. He lifted Shadow off of Paul’s shoulder and placed him on the table. “I do, too,” he said with a toothy grin. He pushed Paul down by the shoulders and straddled his lap, giving him a wink.

Paul wrapped his legs around Dino’s and grabbed the back of his head, pulling Dino into a forceful kiss. Dino returned it hungrily. Paul clenched his hand in Dino’s hair as things became more and more heated, their tongues tangling together. Kissing Dino was nothing like kissing Bob, Paul thought. Kissing Dino felt passionate, but somehow too rough, too cold. But Bob...Bob was so gentle, so warm and soft. It was like night and day. And Paul knew where he should be right now.

Go home. Go home. Go home.

Paul looked up at Dino with a devilish grin and unzipped his trousers.

Alex opened the door to his flat and found it, as expected, empty. Although Steckrübe was home, probably napping on a windowsill somewhere, the flat seemed lifeless. Bob went to search for Steckrübe as Alex packed some of his belongings into a backpack.

“Does Steck like going on walks?” Bob asked Alex when he returned to the living room, empty-handed.

“Yeah, I think so…” Alex replied.

“I think I have an old leash at home from when Alvy was about his size. We can take him out later if you want.”

Alex laughed as he zipped up his backpack. "Yeah, alright."

They eventually found the cat, which took longer than expected considering he was just a few feet away from them, perched on the bedroom door. Bob helped Alex put Steck into his usual bag and the three of them left the flat, heading back to Bob and Paul’s.

They walked in silence for a while. Alex looked over at Bob, whose hands were jammed into his pockets, his face looking quite red, either from the cold or from embarrassment, or both.

“Fine. Let’s talk about it.”

Bob looked up, looking somehow both shocked and relieved. "Talk about…?"

“Our hookup, Bob. I know we’ve both been thinking about it.”

Bob laughed nervously. “Oh...yeah...” He didn’t want to admit just how much he had.

“So, I had an argument with Nick last night before I took him to the hospital.”

“Oh…” Bob said, unsure of where this conversation was headed. “What does that have to do with our hookup?”

Alex drew a deep breath. “I want to stay with him.”

“Oh.” You don’t even know if Nick is alive, Bob thought, he could be brain dead for all we know, how could you say something like that right now? He shook his head to clear that thought out of his mind.

Alex looked over at Bob and frowned. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I, uh…” Bob sighed, trying not to let his heart completely shatter. “Why did you hook up with me, then?”

“I don’t know. Something got into me, I guess. Maybe I ate pasta with horny sauce for breakfast that morning.” Alex looked at Bob and raised his eyebrows playfully with a smile. Bob smirked in return, but kept his guard up. “I mean, it happens to the best of us, right?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Bob muttered under his breath.

“...What?”

“Nothing,” Bob said quickly

Alex’s eyes widened. “Wait...you mean...that was your first time?” Bob bit his lip and nodded. “Oh...I...oh! Ok. Wow. I would never have guessed. You were great.”

Bob’s cheeks grew red. “Really?”

“Really.” Alex grinned at Bob, who was now fully smiling himself. “Look, I’m sorry, Bob. I didn’t want to...lead you on, you know?” Alex’s voice faltered, but Bob could tell that he was being genuine. “You’re a great friend, though...and I hope we can stay friends.”

“Yeah,” Bob said, idly rubbing a dry patch of skin on his palm. He smiled over at Alex. “I want to stay friends.”

“Great,” Alex said, rubbing Bob’s shoulder. “You are cute, though.”

Bob blushed again despite himself. “So are you.” They walked in silence for a few minutes, Alex switching Steck’s bag onto his other shoulder, before Bob spoke up again. “So I was thinking that you could sleep in my bed while you’re staying with us, if you want. The couch is kind of crap for sleeping.”

“Yeah?” Alex asked, tilting his head quizzically. “But I don’t want you to have to sleep out there either…”

“I’ll sleep with Paul,” Bob replied, immediately mentally smacking himself for his choice of phrase. “Not...like that...you know…”

“Okay,” Alex laughed. He nearly continued with a joke about not doing that while he was in the room, please, but his brain couldn’t put the words into a coherent sentence.

Bob couldn’t help but notice how exhausted Alex looked. “Want me to hold Steck for a bit?” Alex nodded and passed him the bag. “You alright?”

“Yeah…” Alex murmured. “Just thinking about Nick.”

“Yeah.” Bob looked over at Alex. “I’m sure he’ll be fine soon, yeah? In a couple of days?”

“I guess so.”

“I think he will,” Bob said with a faint smile. Alex stared straight ahead as he walked, but he was smiling, too.

#franz ferdinand #allfanfic #illtryanythingonce

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