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lvnleah · 23 days ago

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viv’s last match.

bit of a long and kinda emotional one! <33

You didn’t wake up happy.

The sunlight peeked in through the window, tickling at your face and making you scrunch up your nose. You tried to hide under the covers, squeezing your eyes shut. But then Beth’s voice drifted in, soft and gentle.

“Roo… time to wake up, baby.”

You didn’t budge. Your bottom lip stuck out in a pout as Beth’s footsteps got closer. Then the edge of the covers lifted, and she peeked in with a soft smile.

“Rory, it’s Mamma’s last match. We’ve got to get you ready, sweetheart.”

You huffed, a little too loudly, and her smile turned soft and understanding. Her hand reached under the covers to ruffle your hair. But you didn’t move, keeping your face hidden.

Today was the last game of the season and also Viv’s last-ever game for Arsenal. Ever since Beth and Viv had broken the news to you that she was leaving you’d been in a complete grump.

You now hated going to training with Beth and Viv because despite you only being five, you were Jonas’ biggest hater alongside Buddy and Monkey.

You’d gone from loving every Arsenal training day to absolutely hating them. Before, you’d spent most days cheering with Buddy or giggling with her as you watched the players run around. But now, everything felt different. Now you sat with a big scowl on your face, arms crossed, and made sure everyone knew you weren’t happy.

Every time Jonas would say hi or wave, you’d just frown harder, turning your back and sticking out your tongue when he wasn’t looking. Buddy and Monkey would laugh at your grumpy face, and even Viv would smile and shake her head, but it didn’t make the bad feeling go away.

You didn’t want her to leave Arsenal.

And most importantly you didn’t want her to leave you.

Beth’s hand rubbed your back gently as you snuggled into your pillow and Twix.

“I know it’s hard, Roo,” she murmured, her voice soft and soothing. “But you don’t want to miss Mamma’s game, do you?”

You shrugged, keeping your face hidden. But even as you did, you knew Beth was right. You wanted to see Viv play, even if it was for the last time in an Arsenal kit.

“C’mon,” Beth coaxed again. “I bet Mamma’s hoping to see her biggest fan out there today.”

After a moment, you peeked out and saw her waiting, her face soft and patient. Beth knew better than to rush you, so she just stayed there, giving you a gentle smile.

You finally let out a big sigh and slowly sat up, rubbing your eyes. You knew it was silly to pout so much, but the thought of Viv leaving still made your chest feel tight. Beth helped you out of bed, and after a few minutes of cuddling, you made your way into the kitchen with her and Twix clutched tightly under your arm.

The kitchen smelt of toast and strawberry jam, Viv was standing at the kitchen island already with Myle sitting at her feet.

“There she is,” Viv smiled as you walked over to her, Twix still in a tight grip in your arms. “Morning, meijne miesje.” she smiled.

“Up please, Mamma.” You mumbled, lifting your arms up to Viv.

Viv chuckled and bent down to scoop you into her arms, settling you comfortably on her hip. The familiar warmth of her embrace made the tightness in your chest ease just a little, but the grumpiness still lingered.

“See, isn’t this much better?” she asked as she kissed your forehead.

You nestled your head against her shoulder, not quite ready to answer. The smell of toast was tempting, but you were still too wrapped up in your own feelings.

“Mamma’s right, Roo,” Beth chimed in, plating a piece of toast and spreading jam on it. “You know Mamma wants to see your smiling face today.”

You pulled back just enough to pout at her. “But I don’t wan’ her to go away. I wan’ her to stay.”

Viv’s expression softened as she looked down at you, her fingers brushing your hair back from your forehead. “I’m not going anywhere, Roo. I’ll always be your Mamma, no matter where I play.”

“But I don’t like that you’re leaving Arsenal,” you said, your voice a little louder than intended. “What if I don’t see you anymore?”

“Munchkin,” Beth interrupted gently, “You know we’ll always find time to see Mamma, right? We can visit whenever you want and she’ll be home a lot anyway!”

“But…but Mamma will still be away,” you stumbled over your words as tears began to build up in your eyes. “I don’ like Mamma…being away.”

Viv’s face softened as she held you closer, “I know, Roo. It’s hard to understand, and it’s okay to feel sad about it. But I promise, we’ll find ways to make it work. You’re my baby, aren’t you? I’ll never stay away for too long.”

You sniffled, resting your cheek on her shoulder. “I just wan’ you here all the time.”

Beth came over, rubbing your back gently. “We’re all going to miss Mamma around here,” she said softly. “But she’ll still be with us for all the important things. And hey,” she gave you a little nudge, “You can even cheer for two teams. You’ll be the biggest Arsenal and whatever club Mamma goes to fan around.”

You wrinkled your nose at that idea, and Beth laughed, leaning down to kiss your cheek. “Think about it, yeah?”

Viv lifted your chin gently so you were looking at her. “And guess what, Roo? You and I can make a special plan—just for us. How about every time I’m off and I’m home we’ll have just us time? Just Mamma and Roo day.”

Your pout started to fade as you thought about it. “Promise?”

Viv nodded. “Promise. And I’ll even let you pick some of the places.”

Beth, seeing your spirits lifting, handed you the toast with jam. “How about we finish up here and get you into your kit, eh?”

With a little more energy, you took a big bite of the toast, nodding. “Okay.” You glanced up at Viv with a determined look. “I’ll cheer the loudest.”

Viv grinned, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world, meijne miesje.”

For the first time that morning, you felt a spark of excitement in your chest.

When you arrived at Meadow Park, it was buzzing with people in Arsenal shirts. You clung to Beth’s hand as you walked in, feeling both excited and sad at the same time.

As you climbed out of the car, you noticed Steph getting out of the car beside you. While Viv grabbed the bags, you took Beth’s hand with Twix tightly in your arms still.

Steph spotted you immediately and came over with a smile on her face, “Hey Roo! You excited for the game?”

You clinged onto Beth’s hand and shrugged, “Roo’s a little grumpy and upset aren’t you, munchkin?” Beth laughed, playfully shaking your hand in hers.

“Aw that’s okay, Roo,” Steph reminded you, crouching day to your height, “But you get to be Mummy’s mascot, remember?”

“Yeah! And I get to walk out with baby Lux!” You reminded Steph.

Lux was the little boy of one of Viv’s and Beth’s, he was only nine months old and you found him funny. You found all babies funny.

Steph chuckled, “That’s right! And I bet you two will be the cutest mascots out there.”

You made your way inside with Beth and Steph, and Viv followed closely behind you. Leah, Lia, Buddy and Monkey were already in the reception area when you, Beth, Viv and Steph walked through the doors.

“Roo!” Buddy smiled, running over the second she saw you, “We match!”

Buddy was right—you both wore matching Arsenal kits, and her grin was infectious. But you still felt the grumpiness hanging on a bit as you glanced over at her and gave her a small nod.

Leah chuckled as she held Buddy’s hand, “You a little sad?”

“Roo’s still a bit grumpy,” Beth explained to Leah with a grin, “but I think seeing her best friend might help, eh Roo?”

Monkey bounced over and ruffled your hair playfully. “Come on, Roo. Don’t tell me you’re too grumpy to cheer for your Mamma!”

You looked up at her, clutching Twix tighter, and gave her a stubborn little frown. “Mamma’s still leaving Arsenal,” you muttered, just loud enough for Viv to hear.

“I know it’s sad, but well, think about it this way, at least she’s not joining a club on the other side of the world, right?” Monkey told you, getting a funny look from you. “She’s stayin’ in the wsl! Just dunno where yet..”

“That’s not helping matters at all, Menace,” Leah told her while giving her a knowing look.

Monkey exhaled a dramatic huff, “Geesh you try an help and you still get it in the neck, honestly, forget I said out– Oh! Kyra! You’ll never guess what…” She didn’t bother finishing her sentence, as she walked off to catch up with her Australian pal.

“And there she goes,” Viv murmured, shaking her head in amusement.

“Monkey’s on one today, huh?” Beth wondered.

Leah shrugged as she shook her head, “I don’t know what she’s on honestly, she’s all over the shop. I thought she’d still be moping like she’s been pretty much all week,” She mentioned gesturing to the rest of the week prior where Monkey had been dwelling over the news of Viv leaving Arsenal.

Leah had also been dealing with Monkey and Buddy being sad and down with the news, she even had to go as far as stopping the hate posters Monkey was prepared to make for Jonas.

“Monkeys’ crackers!” Buddy giggled, repeating familiar words that she had heard.

“That she is,” Beth joked in agreement. “Right you, shall we take you out to Grandad so me and Mamma can go get ready for the match?”

You nodded reluctantly, holding tight to Twix as Beth led you out to find Rich, who was waiting just outside the changing rooms. As soon as you spotted him, you let go of Beth’s hand and ran over, and he scooped you up with a grin.

“Grandad!” You finally smiled, running over to him as fast as you could.

“There’s my little troublemaker!” he smiled, kissing the top of your head. “Ready to cheer on Mamma?”

You wrinkled your nose, “Yeah, but I’m still sad Mamma’s leaving.”

He gave you a nod, “I know, kiddo. But that’s what makes today so special, right? We get to send her off with all our love!”

You gave him a little smile, “How about we find our seats and get ready to make some noise, eh?”

You nodded as Beth smiled at the both of you, she tickled your stomach before kissing your forehead, “Be good for Grandad, yeah? Me and Mamma will see you in the tunnel.”

“Okay, love you, Mummy!” You said as Rich placed you down on the floor.

You found your seats and you sat beside Rich with Twix on your lap, waiting for the match to start. Your seat was right behind the dugout with all of the other players' family and friends. The seat was right beside Buddy and Leah’s family, meaning the two of you could stand on the seats together and cheer away.

Cheers rang around Meadow Park as the team entered the pitch for their warmups. As the players clapped their hands in the air in response to the cheers, Beth and Viv spotted you in the stands and blew you a quick kiss and wave.

You grinned and waved back, the excitement bubbling up and momentarily pushing away the sadness. Beside you, Buddy bounced on her seat, waving both hands in the air as Leah blew her a kiss too.

“They waving at us!” Buddy squealed, turning to face Amanda, “Nana! Mummy’s waving!”

As kickoff grew closer, more people started to fill Meadow Park. Lots of them had signs for Viv and the Netherlands flag, you found it fun to look around and see what they say.

Once warmups were over, you made your way down to the tunnel Viv’s friend, Nathalja, as she carried her little boy Lux down. Beth was near the front, right behind Leah, and instantly smiled as she saw you.

“How’s my little munchkin doing?” She asked, crouching down to you. “You ready?”

You nodded, your fingers anxiously going to your mouth as your other arm her Twix. “Take those fingers out, little miss!” Beth joked, pulling your hand down.

You lowered your hand with a sheepish smile. As the line began to move, you walked out holding Beth’s hand as she held Lux on her hip.

You held onto Beth’s hand tightly as she walked you over to where the teams were lining up. Cheers rang out around Meadow Park as everyone lined up. You looked over and saw Viv at the subbench with Rich standing behind her in the stands.

"C'mon, munchkin!" Beth smiled as the line began to move, "Remember to high-five everyone!"

You anxiously shook your head as you got closer to the referee who were all crouched down, ready and waiting. “Are you going to be shy?” Beth chuckled.

Once you reached the end of the line, Beth let you over to where the team photo was going to be taken. “Wanna be in the team photo, Roo?”

You nodded before following Beth over to where the team were now lining up. She crouched down and stood you in front of her while she positioned Lux to face the front. You made sure that Twix was facing the front too.

After the photos were taken, Beth stood up, “Okay, let’s go over to Mamma.”

You ran straight over to Viv, crashing right into her chest as she scooped you up, “Well done, Roo! Let’s take you to Grandad, yeah?”

You shook your head, “No! I wan’ sit on the bench with you, Mamma.”

“You wanna sit with me?” Viv double-checked, getting a nod in response from you. “That’s fine, mijn meisje.”

Viv took you over to the subbench and sat down with you on her lap. Settling onto Viv’s lap, you clung to her tightly, your arms wrapped around her neck and your cheek pressed against her shoulder.

“Comfortable, Roo?” Viv asked, her voice soft as she adjusted you slightly to make sure you were settled.

You nodded against her shoulder. “Mhm. Can I stay here the whole time, Mamma?”

Viv chuckled, brushing her hand over your back. “I think you’ll have to go back to Grandad after a little while. But for now, we can sit here together, okay?”

As the others joined the bench, you peeked up to see them smiling at you. “Hey, Roo!” Teyah greeted you with a big grin, reaching over to gently tickle your side as she sat down beside Viv. “You’re keeping Mamma company, huh?”

You giggled softly, nodding, though you tighten your grip on Viv.

The match soon started and by the seventeenth minute, Alessia had scored a goal assisted by Emily and another soon followed in the twenty-fourth. You jumped up from Viv’s lap and started to cheer, feeling a bit more happier.

After that, the first half flew by quickly and before you knew it half time was over and the girls were back on the pitch. The first twenty minutes went by quickly, and Arsenal were given a penalty which Kim ended up missing.

In the sixty-first minute, three changes were made and Viv was brought on. You were sad about her leaving you on the bench but it meant that you got to sit with Steph instead. Kyra, Steph and Alessia left the pitch, hugging Viv tightly as Frida, Laia and Viv took their places.

“Hey, Roo!” Steph smiled, lifting you up off of the seat before settling you on her lap. “You enjoying the match?”

You shrugged, snuggling into her as you held Twix close to you, “Mamma leaving…”

Steph sighed, brushing a stray hair away from your face, “I know, it’s sad, isn’t it? But let’s cheer so loud for her, yeah?”

You nodded your head before moving your attention to Viv and Beth on the pitch. Cheers and chants once again rang out around Meadow Park. You watched as Leah kicked the ball to Beth who then passed it perfectly to Viv, giving her the chance to score her last goal. With a swift touch, she sent the ball flying into the net.

You screamed so loud Steph thought your voice might give out. “She scored! Mamma scored!”

Steph laughed as she tried to calm you down. “Alright, alright, settle down, little champ!”

After that, the last thirty minutes flew by and by the end, the girls had won 5-0. Once the final whistle blew, Steph carried you onto the pitch and over to Beth and Viv who we’re currently hugging.

As you were carried across the pitch by Steph, the crowd’s cheers and clapping seemed to fade into the background. You could see Mamma and Beth in the middle of the celebration, surrounded by their teammates. Beth was laughing, her eyes a bit watery, and Steph set you down gently just a few steps from them, you rushed forward, legs carrying you faster than you could have imagined. The moment Viv saw you, a smile grew on her face, and she crouched down, arms open wide. You collided into her, squeezing her tightly as if she might disappear if you let go.

“Did you have fun?” Viv said softly, her voice full of affection as she kissed the top of your head.

Beth lifted you up onto her hip, “You did so well today, munchkin!”

You looked at her with a soft frown still tugging at your lips. “I still don’t want Mamma to leave.”

Beth’s hand moved to your hair, brushing it softly as she nodded, her eyes a little misty. “I know, munchkin. I’m going to miss her too, but we’ll always be able to see her!”

Viv smiled and lifted you into her arms from Beth’s, cradling you against her chest. “Yeah, think about how many fun sleepovers we’ll be able to have and all of the fun stuff you’ll be able to do!” Viv said, trying to lighten your mood.

The team gathered for their final round of hugs and goodbye and Viv held you a little tighter, her eyes scanning the pitch, knowing this was her final moment at Arsenal. You nestled your head against her shoulder, holding Twix tightly against your neck.

“Mamma needs to go get ready for her speech, are you gonna go with Mummy?” Viv told you as your head rested on her shoulder.

Beth held her arms out to you, a soft smile on her face. “Come on, Roo. Let’s go wait for Mamma while she gets ready.”

You reached for her, your small arms wrapping tightly around her neck as Viv passed you over. She pressed a kiss to your temple before walking off with a reassuring smile, though you could see the hint of sadness in her eyes.

Beth guided you towards where the team was starting to form a guard of honour. Vic was already there, waiting for you as Beth placed you down on the ground.

“You play football with me, Vic?” You asked tugging on her hand. “I don’ wanna stand here!”

“How about we play after Mamma’s speech yeah?” Vic said as she picked you up with ease, settling you on her hip. “Look, Sabs and Kaylan are gonna do their speech then it’s Mamma’s turn!”

You frowned slightly but nodded, resting your head against Vic’s shoulder. The crowd was still buzzing with excitement, and you could hear Beth’s voice behind you, laughing softly as she chatted with Steph and Leah.

As the speeches began, you stayed tucked against Vic, her hand lightly rubbing your back. Sab and Kaylan went first before it was Viv’s turn. The crowd erupted in applause as she walked down the guard of honour.

You didn’t really pay attention to any of the speeches, you just rested your head on Vic’s shoulder and fiddled with Twix’s ear. Beth stood a few steps away from Steph, her arms wrapped around Steph as she tried to hold it together. You noticed the way her lips pressed tightly together, and even at your young age, you could tell she was feeling sad.

“Mummy?” you whispered, leaning slightly toward her.

Beth looked over, her expression softening as she met your eyes. “Yeah, Roo?”

“You’re sad?” you said matter-of-factly, your small voice full of concern.

Beth blinked, caught off guard, and then let out a soft laugh as she stepped closer to brush a hand over your hair. “A little bit, munchkin”

The speeches ended and the team began gathering for a photo with all the staff. Vic carried you over to join the group, Beth reached out to take you, settling you into her lap as the staff and players arranged themselves.

“Smile, Roo,” Beth whispered, tickling your stomach, her voice soft and encouraging.

You looked up at her, noticing the way her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. Reaching up, you gently placed your hand on her cheek. “Don’t be sad, Mummy. I love you.”

Beth’s eyes filled with tears, but she managed a shaky laugh. “I love you too, munchkin. So, so much.”

The photo was taken, and after a few more pictures, you joined Beth and Viv for their lap of thank-yous. Viv carried baby Lux in her arms, while Beth held your hand tightly as you walked around the pitch together. Fans cheered and waved, and you waved back shyly as they called your name, though you stayed close to your mums.

Afterwards, Viv hoisted you onto her shoulders, letting you take in the view from up high. You giggled as she bounced you gently, her hands securely holding your legs. “This is fun, Mamma!”

Viv laughed, her voice full of warmth despite the bittersweetness of the moment. “I’m glad, Roo.”

Eventually, you spotted Buddy and Monkey playing nearby, and you wiggled excitedly. “Can I go play, Mamma?”

Viv nodded, “Just stay where we can see you and if you’re not with us stick with Monkey or one of your Aunties okay?”

You nodded as Viv set you down, “Okay, Mamma!” You chirped, running off with Twix tucked under your arm still.

You darted off towards Buddy and Monkey, your laughing soon ringing out as you joined their little makeshift game with Kyra. Beth and Viv stood off to the side, keeping an eye on you as they chatted with a few of their friends and family.

When it was finally time to leave, you started to grow tired. You waited outside with Rich while Beth and Viv got the bags before heading home.

“Mamma? Up please?” You yawned, holding your arms up, “Don’ wanna walk.”

Viv turned around at the sound of your small voice, she quickly scooped you up into her arms, cradling you against her chest. “Of course, Roo,” she said softly, adjusting her hold to make sure you were comfortable. “You’ve had a big day, haven’t you?”

You snuggled into her, your small body already relaxing in her embrace. “Mhm… I love you, Mamma,” you mumbled sleepily, your voice thick with drowsiness.

Viv smiled, brushing your hair back from your forehead. “I love you too, Roo. So much.”

Beth, who had just finished gathering everything, walked over with a tired but content smile on her face. “You ready to go home, munchkin?” she asked, her voice soft as she looked at you in Viv’s arms.

You nodded slowly, your eyes barely staying open. “Yeah… home…”

Beth reached over and placed a gentle kiss on your forehead before looking at Viv. “I think it’s time we get you to bed. You’ve had a long, exciting day.”

Viv nodded in agreement as she carefully adjusted her grip on you. “Let’s get you home, Roo. Time for some rest.”

Beth led the way to the car, Viv following closely behind. As soon as you were settled in your seat, Viv leaned in and buckled you in, her heart aching at how small and fragile you seemed at that moment. “We’ll be home soon, sweetheart, okay?”

You gave a soft nod, clutching Twix to your chest as your eyelids fluttered shut. Beth and Viv exchanged a quiet, loving glance before getting into the car and driving home, the soft hum of the engine lulling you to sleep in the backseat.

It had been a day full of joy, emotion, and change, but as long as you were all together, everything felt just right.

#lvnleah #rory miedema #our little love #beth mead x vivianne miedema

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luna-loveboop · 5 months ago

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I started playing Wind Waker! Y'all want some thoughts?

-Why is the first thing I learned how to do with Link crawling on the ground like a sneaky sneak?

-Why is the SECOND thing I figured out how to do Link sidling along a wall like a sneaky sneak?

This kid is a sneaky sneak sneak!!!!

-Why is Link instantly jumping on people's tables? Get down please sir

-Wind and his family are so sweet I love them so much- and Aryll got kidnapped noooo TT

-Tetra has shot Link from a catapult

**I'm just gonna keep editing this post and adding random thoughts as I go does that sound cool? I wanna do that @hero-of-the-wolf

-Tetra's winking at Link has my heart forever she's so cute I swear

-love the glowy blue talking rock btw yesss stalker pirate girl

-Link why do you yell so loud every time you jump this is a sneak mission I thought you'd be good at this

-the game grumps on YouTube saved my life tho bc im a coward and get way too nervous in places like the forsaken fortress and watching someone else swear through the area before I do it helps ok

-Wind is such a gremlin but he's actually so polite? Like he instantly bowed to the sword trainer and then to the guy on windfall island after paying for breaking his pots- before running out of the house at breakneck speed. He's such a sweet and polite boy you can tell he's grandmas kid- yet he's such a menace what a wild yet polite lad ridndkkfkdg

-the people of windfall island are way too judgy stop being condescending to Link he's my baby. 'The Tipsters' girls have my heart tho because they.. they... well they give you tips. Tip you off you could say

-I think the King of Red Lions just legally adopted Link

Ok so small rant section but this game is so tragic. Like the art style is so goofy and fun but it hits you so hard that these are KIDS. Link is freaking twelve and his sister was kidnapped on his birthday, leaving him to follow in hot clothes because of higher defence I'm guessing (new hero clothes are more suitable for an adventure than casual loose ones but still!). But he's literally like half the height of DOORKNOBS- he has to stand on his tiptoes anytime to open doors. He is so very small.

My mom was like 'I love this animation style - does it help with your nerves that it's lighter?' And I was like 'honestly it makes me feel more deeply the tragedy of what should be a happy childhood being torn apart' but she's used to me saying weird shit like that so it's fine

-I think we as a fandom are severely underestimating how much of a gremlin Wind waker link can be and that's saying a LOT

-I got the Wind Waker!

-WHY IS IT SO HARD TO CONTROL DONT YOU LECTURE ME ON RHYTHM IM LITERALLY A MUSICIAN WHAT THE HECK

-K learned the Wind Waker

-Ok I like got to dragon roost island on the first day and FINALLY got an empty bottle my beautiful baby where were you??

-I cleaned- like actually fully dusted and cleaned- my wii u for the first time after it was inactive for years and holy mother of improved game pad controls

-is it wierd that I'm more excited about the empty bottle than the wind waker?

. . . .

-ya know in hindsight gabon looked pretty shady. I mean he was standing in the shade but what kind of asshole stands there and tells a giant bird to throw a child in the ocean

-I think ganodonk is dumb I can't wait to get the sword and bitch slap him

-'we cANt set SaiL aGain Until you geT a GLowY thiNgy' well mr boat man sir have you considered that I realised there was most definitely a heart piece or two I forgot on windfall island and I'm doing another dungeon with three hearts? At least I got a bottle ig

-why am I trading with rats for potions this doesn't seem hygienic. I know rats are in fact very clean animals but this dungeons isn't and why do the rats want rupees anyways?

-WAIT WHY CAN LINK TALK TO RATS

-so there's this like steamy glowy pot that teleports me to the start/end of the dungeon? I'm questioning all existence in this world why is that a thing. Honestly think Twilight princess's bald teleportation chicken made more sense but whatever

. . . .

-I saved the dragon! By riding on his tail? What a boss fight that was fun. Got a shiny thingy Yayy

-So the wind waker! I learned to change the direction of the wind which is so cool and also to change whether it's night or day. Which is wayyy too much power for this kid how come no one told me he could change night and day?

-That said I love how musical Link is. Like when he looks so happy waving the baton playing to the wind it's just really cool

- Why is the God of Wind a like. Toad surfer dude. Whatever, I like him.

-So apperently there's these little dudes called fish-men who are talking fish who fill out your sea chart- I am still questioning why link can talk to animals but that's fine

-I missed out on pawprint isle before apparently, so I'm gonna do that before whatever the red lion king tells me next

-Also I love Beedle in this game so far he hasn't threatened me like the other beedles in games I've played

. . . .

-I GOT MY SECOND EMPTY BOTTLE

-Sailing through the ocean is really fun

-I went back to windfall and got a 'swift sail' that lets me go faster but I still like the blue one better

-I reached the great deku tree! He had monsters for pimples and I couldn't figure out how to get them off 'what are you doing?!?! go help him!!' IM TRYING ADOPTIVE BOAT FATHER. Turns out I needed to roll into him and not use the grappling hook which makes sense but still

-He. Grew me a leaf. A magic blowy leaf. Which is great it's an awesome gift and means a lot but the Deku tree grunted and grew a leaf for me and that's kinda wierd right?

-Reaching said leaf was a PAIN and I am very impressed with Wind Waker Link.

Hang on rant session. Bro's tiny little grandmas boy but flipping through the air to reach an unspeakably high up leaf is chill. He flipped through leafy child cannons a billion times to reach the Deku leaf and didn't get dizzy or give up even after falling. And that's saying nothing of how he picked up a sword for the first time and swings his way through EVERYTHING thrown at him. Gosh he's so cool I love this Link

-I HAVE MAGIC NOW!!!!! With like a little meter and stuff tidkkfdjfnkdjfkd I'm very excited that I have magic

-Reaching this high shelf with my path forward was a pain but I have to save and quit rn so if it puts me back at the start of this room I will be. Upset.

-It put me back at the start of the room.

-I ordered a game guide! I'm gonna try and play through with it- this'll be my first time using one. But I haven't updated for a few days bc I'm waiting on it :)

This whole post is a bunch of random thoughts jumping around which my adhd self appreciates- that said I really love that we can grab an enemies weapon and use it against them. Increases my respect for ww Link even more- when he had no weapon in the forsaken fortress he grabs a literal wooden stick from an enemy and kills it with. A big twig. Kid's brutal and does what it takes which is so crazy. Also using an enemies sword is great hehe shiny

. . . .

-Got game guide. Yayyyy

-The forbidden woods are scary but they remind me a lot of the forest temple in twilight princess. A lot. The mechanics are also very similar. I love Zelda games

-Maybe it's because the only time I've had free to play rn has been at night, but I find myself constantly thinking this game is creepy. It's so unsettling for a cartoon style- the boko babas freaking eat link! And chew on him like no!! Fisnfjskfkfk *shudder* aaaanyways I am NOT looking forward to redeads in this game but that's a later problem right?

-I figured out how to get the treasure chests from the sea!! And got a piece of heart :DDD

-Ok game guides are really helpful

-Apparently the 'warp pots' are a consistent thing- I guess that's just how Link teleports in dungeons in this game. The second pot is generally hidden a bit but then you can teleport to the beginning of the dungeon and back- then the third pot is near the end... I think. This is only my second dungeon in this game with the pots but it's going great! I'm learning a lot hehe

-I love the grappling hook so much. I can farm spoils/materials from monsters with it before I kill them and I love that. Also it makes me feel cool swinging it.

-WDYM I CAN GET FREE BLUE POTIONS FROM A KOROK USING EASILY ATTAINABLE (with the grappling hook) MATERIALS FROM BOKO BABAS THIS IS JOY THIS IS LOVE IT GIVES ME HEALTH A N D MAGIC FJDKFJFK

-Also the title screen theme and animation play around outset is very satisfying. Watched it replay three times tonight before starting the game. Time well spent.

-I appreciate the items so much. The Deku Leaf is great like I can F L Y with magic and also blow wind at enemies and make them look silly <3

-The look of Link's spoils bag has grown on me and I love it. Purple.

. . . .

-I got the boomerang!!! Oh my gosh it's so cool I love it.

-I've been trying out the switch mechanic for targeting rather than hold. It's going interestingly bc I've only ever held for targeting before. But I think I like it

-The evil flower ate Makar- the Korok I'm TRYING to save GIVE HIM BACK

-That was the prettiest boss fight ever. I couldn't even be intimidated, I don't think I've ever been more relaxed during a boss fight lol. They should make all of them purple and blue sparkly- it was legitimately beautiful.

-I finished the forbidden forest dungeon!! :DD yayyy

-Link's hopping up and down in celebration after the boss fight was so cute he's so happy!!

-Have I mentioned I'm excited about the boomerang

-Makar is so cute?!?! I love him with his little violin and- the Koroks oh my heart that was the cutest ceremony ever

. . . .

-Ok so I went around the great sea, for now avoiding the big octos I am uhh terrified interested to meet, went to a place that got 'corrupted by gannorks power' so now I'm following the pirates back to windfall island

-The pirates are stealing bombs and I think this is illegal.

-My girl Tetra's here!! :D also doing illegal stuff! And Link is just watching them rob the bomb shop lol these cutscenes are the best sometimes also I love the pirate banter

-Tetras little smile and wink when she saw Link was so cute I love her. Also the little hints that she was concerned about his island and not just treasure?? Sweet

-I stole the bombs that the pirates stole from the pirates. And getting there was a PAIN with swinging on the ropes the tiny pirate (Niko) made Link do

-TETRA is a STALKER she was watching Link through the glowy rock thingy- probably cause he was just sneaking around watching her rob a shop but still that thing scares me sometimes when her voice just comes screaming out of it

-Btw why do the pirates want the god pearl thingy anyways? Just cause it's really shiny orrr

-ok we're headed to outset! I'm so excited to get back to Link's home hehe. Also I think Tetra just dared Link to a race bc she was like 'we'll get there first we still have bombs' so yeah anyways she's spending the night here tho so I'm sure it'll be fine.

-I don't like the great sea as much when it's raining and thunderstorming all over :/ I hope it doesn't stay like this? Because that would suck

-I got sucked into a cyclone and was panicking cause it threw me across the great sea BUT then it threw me onto outset!! :D so that was uhh. Handy I guess.

-Ohhh ok so like. time is frozen from ganad's current curse, which means it's gonna stay night for right now, so tetra won't be coming in time to get the treasure from the god dude first. Nice.

-The Lion King just kindly told Link to visit his family and chill for a second and check on his island?? Sobbing yes thank you sir

-Grandma's sick oh no this is the saddest thing I've ever seen ima cry. I healed her with a fairy but she was so sad link and aryll were gone im- and then grandma blamed herself for not being there for them like no it's literally cold and rainy all the time it's frozen right now you have every right to get sick- and then she made Link soup and she'll remake it for him which is great and I LOVE LINKS GRANDMA SO MUCH it was so sad she was sick I'm glad I could heal her :))

-Link smiled and nodded so enthusiastically when Grandma told him to stay out of trouble/stay safe like Link you are a liar I just watched you steal from pirates

-I sparred with Orca and I like him. It's cool how he trains Link on his home Island with like formal training because Link definitely needs it with what he's facing

-Controlled a seagull for the first time. That was fun they can fly for such a long time like. Forever?? Idk I eventually stopped

. . . .

-Ok so I talked wait no. The king of red lions talked with this guy who's a god named Jabun (I think that's how it's spelled I'll check) and he gave us a THIRD glowy thingy. I'll give more thoughts on that conversation later I gotta look up the translation. The sea is back to being sunny :))

-I spent a bit just sailing around. I need to place the shiny pearl thingies from the gods in special places marked on the map to 'reveal the place where my courage will be tested' or whatever

-I have found several great fairies and gotten my rupees and wallets upgraded twice. I like the fairies in this game.

-I FOUGHT A BIG OCTO I'M SO PROUD

-it was scary.

-But my magic meter has been doubled!!! :D *slaps wind waker link* this bad boy can fit so much magic and blessings inside of him

-I've placed two of the fancy shiny orbs. Its wierd... I put them in old looking statues and they glow. That's fine I guess.

-the fishmen are my best friends. Kind of. Every square on the map I go to one is there and they'll give me lil hints and tips while they fill out my map. Nice guys.

-beedle sent me a beedle chart! :D which. Is a map of where his shop appears so handy!

-there's these maps called 'treasure charts' everywhere that mark places in the sea with rings of glowing light that I can bring up treasure from. Generally a purple rupee but a lot of times other things :)

-there's this one square with beedles shop ship that has an empty bottle and heart piece and treasure chart for sale 00 I got the empty bottle immediately ofc (now I have three!!) and saved up the money and got the rest :) it was all like. Five to nine hundred rupees each yeesh

-Link sure does rely on maps and charts a lot in this game

. . . .

-THE GODS JUST FURKIN YEETED LINK ACROSS THE BIG BLUE OCEAN WHAT THE SHELL WAS THAT

?!?!?!?!

Ok (storytime) so I was placing the last pearl of the gods that I've been collecting in the ancient statue and a cutscene starts right?

So Link places Farore's pearl and the ancient statue starts glowing. and Link kinda startles and runs away, but then he comes back and the statue EXPLODES with light and Link goes FLYING like Farore just bitch slapped Link with power across the ocean WHY?!?!

And so you have this big dramatic cutscene where the ancient statues become really pretty and form a map of the triforce on the ocean and a big freaking TOWER comes rising out of the water and it's really cool- and then at the end Link SPLATS INTO THE FREAKING TOWER AFTER BEING SENT FLYING INTO IT LIKE GIVE THE KID A BREAK ALREADY

Of all the things I was expecting in wind waker, a cutscene of Link being sent hurtling across the world to slam face first into the literal 'tower of the gods' was not it. like forget a concussion how is Link ALIVE?!?!

-k so anyways. I'm good. Wasn't expecting that. This 'tower of the gods' is the place the King of red lions keeps telling Link he'll be tested/have to prove himself to the gods as a hero or something

-Oooo this dungeon seems cool so far! Riding in, it's just risen out of the ocean, so I'm entering the dungeon on my boat dad

-so it's like we can do it together! Not really, but King Red is how I get around the first bit at least. It's crazy how Link doesn't have a companion for in dungeons. Boat dude has just been dropping Link off at dungeons like a kid at school.

-So the tides come in and out of this dungeon. The floor will be filled with water when it's up and I'm only able to walk when tide is low and the waters gone. This is dangerous because Link, although he can survive being yeeted across the sea, can in fact drown.

-also I've just realised I haven't died so far in this game yet!! Go me :D

#wind waker post #personal #loz #zelda #Loz ww #wind waker #this'll be fun :D #an archival effort I guess #:))

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airenyah · 1 month ago

Text

A LOOK AT STYLE'S JOURNEY | Ep 6

(Overview | Ep1+2 | Ep3 | Ep4 | Ep5 | Ep7 | Ep8 | Ep9 | Ep10)

I meant to post this on January 1st since we didn't get a new episode that day, but then I got distracted making gifsets and writing other meta. Oh, and I was also busy finally watching the show with my mother. Whoops. But my thoughts on episode 6 are finally here! ENJOY <3

Pronoun situation: As usual, just assume Fadel and Style use the rude guu/mueng with each other unless I point out a significant pronoun switch.

To recap: Style has spent all of last episode coming to terms with the fact that he was falling in love with someone who regularly kills people. By the end of the episode he has come to a conscious decision that he wants to be with Fadel no matter what. Fadel ends up spending the night in Style's bed where they have a significant conversation about trust before they make love. "Making love", because love is finally most definitely involved in the act.

No. 1: Morning Cardio

It's the morning after and probably the very first morning in their relationship that they wake up together. They bicker and Style finally gets his morning cardio in. All is good, all is well, everyone is happy, no one is sad. I desperately try to repress any memories of how this episode ends in order to get through this scene without sobbing. I end up crying anyway as I think about how the first time they hooked up Fadel abandoned Style on the floor of a cold, dark room after punching him in the gut and now Fadel is lying on top of Style, cuddling and kissing him in a warm room filled with the brightest sunshine.

Anyway, so Fadel wakes up Style who really doesn't want to get up yet. Fadel chides Style for not setting an alarm. But Style won't lie there and get scolded again and so he immediately scolds Fadel back: "I told you to hold back and you didn’t listen to me, either." And since everyone loves the language tidbits so much, here is the literal translation of the "I told you to hold back" part:

Last night I told you to stop เมื่อคืนอ่ะ กูบอกให้มึงหยุด [mêuua keun - àh • guu - bòk - hâi mueng - yùt] last night - [particle] • I - tell - for you to - stop

As grumpy as Style is about being woken up and having to get out of bed, there's a lot of amusement in his voice when he says this and his facial expression is also warm as he looks at Fadel. But then he closes his eyes again and immediately goes back to being a little morning grump as he dramatically laments that his body is sore and that he oh so sadly can't go to work. Fadel is now so relaxed around Style that he finally starts cracking jokes and playing along with Style's antics, offering to take Style to the hospital while trying to scoop Style up bridal style (haha. style. 🤭) in order to take him just there. But it's too early in the day for these games and Style really does not wanna leave the bed just yet. And so he impatiently complains about Fadel trying to carry him, and then explains: "I was just being overdramatic." In Thai, the word that was translated as "overdramatic" is สำออย [săm-oi] which my native speaker friend defined as "pretending to be weak about something" and explained that it's a negative word that is mostly used to make sarcastic remarks. That would certainly fit with Style's slight morning grumpiness. I also looked up the word on thai2english which defines the word as following:

[to] look for sympathy (by acting excessively sad or crying)

Style wasn't exactly crying when he complained about his body being sore, but he sure was looking for sympathy. So he clarifies that he was only pretending and that Fadel didn't need to maneuver him out of bed and then goes on to say: "I know you’re like a block of walking ice, but you should learn to read between the lines." In Thai Style uses the word อารมณ์ [ah-rom] here which translates to "mood" or "feeling" or "emotion":

An ice wall like you should learn to read other people's mood/emotions. กำแพงน้ำแข็งแบบมึงอ่ะหัดอ่านอารมณ์คนอื่นบ้าง [gam-paeng náam kăeng - bàep - mueng - àh - hàt - àan - aa-rom - kon èun - bâang] ice wall - like - you - [particle] - practice - read - mood, emotion - others - some

And Style's current mood is "staying in bed" and "wanting to be babied". The message finally reaches Fadel and he pushes Style back onto the pillow. He props himself up above Style and comes back to what Style was saying about his muscles being sore. "They say we should hit it right where it hurts. It’s like exercising. That’s how your body builds stronger muscles." Style responds with a challenge: "Thanks for the trivia, but I don’t see why you’re telling me this." In Thai he actually phrases it like a question:

[...] but what are you telling me this for? แต่บอกกูเพื่ออะไรเนี่ย [dtàe - bòk - guu - pêuua à-rai - nîia] but - tell - I/me - what for, why - [particle]

(Alt. translation: But why are you telling me this?)

I personally prefer it phrased as a question because it makes the challenge a little more direct. With the exception of rhetorical questions, a question encourages a response. With Style phrasing it like a question, Fadel is pretty much obliged to respond because a question is expected to be followed by an answer. And the answer is? "You need to exercise daily."

Fadel leans down and starts pampering Style with kisses. By now Style's morning grumpiness has faded away completely and is replaced by contentment instead as the lyrics "And now I'm yours / All yours, baby / Now I'm yours" play. Now they are officially each other's. They are officially in love.

No. 2: Awkward Encounters

Unexpectedly, Style's dad returns from his fishing trip just in time to catch Fadel leaving the garage. Style walks in on his dad having a very awkward interview with Fadel and comes to Fadel's rescue. By now Style is much more awake and in a considerably brighter mood than he was right after waking up. His dad immediately starts teasing him about Fadel, but Style isn't having it. He shoots his dad down by calling Fadel his "friend" (part of me wonders if he does that because maybe Fadel and Style haven't really discussed how open/official they wanna be with their relationship outside their inner circle of KB/FS and he doesn't just wanna drop the news to his dad without checking in with Fadel first), he lets his dad know he is being embarrassing and then gently sends Fadel away, releasing him from this very uncomfortable situation that he was suddenly trapped in. And I just adore the way Style stares after Fadel, watching him leave without tearing away his gaze:

Even when his dad starts making a teasing sound, Style takes a moment to fully process that his dad is talking to him while he himself is too busy looking at Fadel and having his attention and thoughts fully on his boyfriend. It's only when his dad starts speaking properly that Style finally turns his head towards him. His dad continues to tease him but even with Fadel gone, Style still isn't in the mood for it and quickly changes the topic to his dad's fishing tip. And their ensuing banter is very endearing because you can just clearly tell how important Style's dad is to him and how much they genuinely like each other. And a little detail I also love is how Style's dad wears a vest similar to the one Style wears later in this episode.

(Btw, y'all, Style stares after Fadel for so long that I had to go with using only every 3rd frame to make the gif fit in the 8mb size limit. That's how long Style stares for jgkdkjfdg)

Side quest: To Play or Not to Play

Now, if you read my previous metas and especially my ep3 meta you'll know that I've been arguing for Style not actually being into sleeping around all that much. Now, you could take Style's dad asking Fadel "Are you his one-time thing or are you taking him seriously?" as confirmation that Style is a player after all. However, I still don't think so. First of all, I'm not gonna believe it until Style has said it himself and even more importantly his actions and behavior also convince me otherwise (considering how many lies all the characters in this series constantly tell) and second of all, I'm not sure Style's dad himself actually knows whether his son sleeps around or not. After all, this is the same man who only the other week said "I forgot you like men". And also the way he was so surprised about seeing an unfamiliar face coming out of his house lets me think that Style usually doesn't have any random over-night visitors. Not to mention his dad being surprised about Style's type ("Oh, well, who’d have guessed that’s your type?").

And all that isn't to say Style never has a one-night stand. I'm just saying, I don't think it happens on a regular basis. As I said in my ep3 meta, I think Style makes very deliberate choices of who he sleeps with and that is also confirmed in episode 5 when Style mentions how his dad tried to set him up with some mechanics but Style wanted to be able to choose for himself. If Style does have one-night stands, it seems like he either never brings them home or he simply just doesn't sleep around often enough for his dad to be in any way used to it. Personally, I think it's the latter. I think Style gets picky about who he sleeps with, because to him sex matters (as discussed in my ep4 meta as well).

Oh, and also in Thai the dad uses the expression หลอกฟัน [lòk fan] which is a colloquial phrase which my native speaker friend explained as "to trick someone into sex". And by the way, Style himself uses that exact expression in episode 4 at the Rise Up meeting when he bitches about getting nailed and bailed. And now I'm a bit angry at myself that I felt too awkward to ask about this phrase back when I was writing my ep4 meta, because the "tricking" connotation of this phrase definitely adds some nuance to Style's anger in episode 4. But coming back to episode 6, I think Style's dad isn't necessarily saying this because of his son's potential love life habits and it's more him being a bit of a protective dad who wants to make sure the people his son keeps company with aren't gonna cause heartbreak to his son.

No. 3: Make the Most of It

Style and Kant meet for a drink and Kant gets right to the point: "If they really decided to carry out their operation tomorrow, and got arrested by Captain, what should we do?" Style doesn't like the thought of Fadel (and Bison) being arrested and suggests a solution: "Let's stop them." Kant reminds him that he can't just walk up to Bison and outright tell him to abandon the mission and Style agrees that Kant would not make it out of that situation alive. "Unless you leave him right now", Style says. Or more literally:

Unless you get out of his life from now on. นอกจากมึงจะออกจากชีวิตไบซันตั้งแต่ตอนนี้ [nôk jàak - mueng - já - òhk jàak - chii-wít - Bison - dtâng-dtàe - dton-níi] apart from, except - you - will - depart, leave - life - Bison - since, from - (right) now

It's not like the literal translation is a big difference from the official translation, but I just thought "leave his life" sounds more dramatic and I'm sure some of you will appreciate this little tidbit of info as well.

Style doesn't know if Kant can simply just just get out of Bison's life or not but what Style does know is that he himself certainly can't just drop out of Fadel's life to never see him again: "But as for me, I’m getting kinda attached to Fadel". Or what he actually says:

But to be honest, I've already begun to worry about Fadel. แต่เอาจริงๆ กูเริ่มเป็นห่วงฟาเดลแล้วนะ [dtàe - ao jing jing • guu - rêum - bpen hùuang - Fadel - láew - ná] but - honestly, seriously - I - begin - be worried - Fadel - already - [particle]

Thai doesn't have verb tenses, so I think a possible translation would also be "I'm beginning to worry about Fadel". Personally, I think present perfect tense is more fitting, since last episode Style already told Kant "I’m beginning to worry about him now", which – something I missed it in my ep5 meta in my hurry to finish before episode 6 dropped and have since added to the post – but what Style says in reality in episode 5 is:

I'm worrying about him now. ตอนนี้กูเป็นห่วงฟาเดลแล้วว่ะ [dton-níi - guu - bpen hùuang - Fadel - láew - wâ] now - I - be worried - Fadel - already - [particle]

(Alt. translation: I'm worried about him now.)

In episode 5 Style says nothing about "beginning to" worry, no, in episode 5 he clearly states that he is already worrying about Fadel and so I think it makes sense to interpret his statement in episode 6 as "I've started to worry about Fadel", since it's something that began in the past (episode 5) and is still ongoing as of this point.

Anyway, so Style questions if Kant would be able to get out of Bison's life and lets him know I myself can't get out of Fadel's life now that I've started to worry about him. We immediately see proof of his worry as he practically begs Kant to hurry up with getting the boss behind everything arrested so that this mess can finally come to an end. And once again we see that Style is quite the optimist: "Those two will be free, and we can go on with our lives."

I think it's not just optimism that led Style to say this words, but also bit of wishful thinking and most importantly, a lot of hope. He is well aware that the situation is messy and difficult, but he still hopes, hopes for the best, hopes for a happy ending for them all. There's gotta be a way, right? If Captain Christ only wants their boss, then everything will be fine, right? But Kant reminds him of the bitter reality: "You think Captain would let them walk? They kill people for a living. If they ain’t shot dead on the spot, they’d at least get a life sentence."

I think deep down Style already knew this, but actually hearing it out loud hits different. I think it's only now that it truly sinks in for him that it will likely be the very last time he'll get to spend time with Fadel. Style sinks back into the bench, looking miserable. Kant moves over to Style's bench to comfort him: "We can only make the most of what we have now." For once, Style isn't in the mood to talk. He grabs his drink, clinks cans with Kant, and they both try to wash away their worries with beer. It's not helping. Style stares dejectedly into the air.

No. 4: Please Don't Be Mad

(Side note: in my ep3 meta I couldn't quite tell if Style went to the bar to purposely seek out Fadel or not, and well, I have my answer now hahaha)

Just like Style already mentioned to Kant and to us, him and Fadel are spending their evening at the heavy metal bar. Fadel tells him that this is the first time that he didn't come to the bar alone and Style tells him "Happiness shared is happiness doubled". Style is serious, he really means it. He is here because he wants Fadel to be happy, wants them to be happy together. Fadel makes heart eyes at him. Style gives a little smile back. Fadel gets the tickets. The ticket seller informs them that the band will be playing for the last time. Style looks serious again. The band isn't the only one having a last time. The ticket seller continues: "It’s gonna be a memorable night." Style looks towards the ground. This hits different for him. "You’re right," he finally says, "for me, tonight is certainly going to be a memorable night." And again, his tone is serious. His words hold a certain weight to them, he really means what he says with all his heart. Then he looks at Fadel. Style was speaking to the ticket seller as he was saying this, but really, it's a message to Fadel. I'm going to remember this night, he says, I'm going to remember you. Style may not be able to tell Fadel about how this will potentially be their last night together, but at least he can be honest about his feelings. This night matters to Style, and it matters a lot. The knowledge of this possibly being a goodbye weighs on him and we can tell by the way just how serious Style has been throughout this short sequence. Not the loud, bubbly boy that we've all grown to love. I think Fadel can also tell that something is off about Style, because he raises his eyebrows at him and stares at him quizzically for a moment before he turns to enter the bar. Style follows him.

Once inside, Style is looking rather tense. There is something on his mind that he needs to confess but that he struggle to say. In the end it does burst out of him. "I don’t really like heavy metal," he shouts in the middle of a heavy metal bar. It makes for a funny moment, but Style is clearly distraught. Fadel says he already knew that and Style is relieved that Fadel isn't angry. Now, I've had some thoughts about this.

I'm not sure this confession was really about Style's music preferences at all. It kinda reminds me of how, remember episode 5 of Bad Buddy when Pat "confessed" to Ink, but it wasn't really about his feelings for her at all but rather Ink and that confession served as a stand-in so that he could get the weight off his chest without having to open the real can of worms? Yeah, I think we have something somewhat similar happening here. Now I do very much think Style was absolutely telling the truth when he said he doesn't like heavy metal music. After all, we did see him jamming out to a song that was very much not heavy metal music, so the content of his confession definitely wasn't a lie. But I do think it served as a bit of a stand in for all the things Style CAN'T confess to right now. And there is a lot that Style could and should and probably also kind of wants to be confessing to: the fact that he knows of what Fadel does, the fact that Kant has informed the police of Fadel and Bison's next mission, the fact that said police will be awaiting the brothers there, the fact that this will likely be Style and Fadel's very last night together. Not to mention the fact that Style hit on him for a car before he fell in love for real. But as Kant pointed out earlier that day when they were having a drink together... It's not like they can just walk up to the brothers and just say it. The brothers are killers after all. And in a way, I think Style's confession serves not just as an attempt to be more honest with Fadel but also as a way to assess how Fadel will react if he learns that Style actively lied to him.

Style looks almost a bit too upset and guilty for it to be just about his music preferences after the truth is out of his mouth.

The situation is a bit awkward, because he ends up yelling it loudly in a room full of heavy metal fans, but I don't think he really cares about that more than a whoops in this moment, because what really matters is: "You’re not mad at me, are you?" There is so much urgency to it, his expression kind of pleading:

I'm sorry that I wasn't being honest with you. You're not mad at me, right? You're not mad that I lied to you, right? Please don't be angry with me. Style is so very stressed about this. Fadel's reaction is important.

And Fadel? Is not angry that Style lied. In fact, to Style's surprise, Fadel actually already knew the truth about him (foreshadowing, anyone? 👀). Style is veeery relieved about this:

มึงไม่โกรธอ่ะ กูก็สบายใจแล้ว [mueng - mâi - gròht - àh • guu - gôr - sà-baai jai - láew] you - not - angry - [particle] • I - [sentence link] - happy, pleased - already

In the subtitles Style says "All I want to know is that you’re not mad at me" here. I checked the original line with a native speaker friend who translated it as "You're not mad, then I'm relieved" (and if you put the Thai line into Google Translate it also spits out "If you're not angry, I'll be relieved") which I think matches what Dunk is portraying here through his body and his facial expression a lot better. However, the official English translation summarizes the whole point of the confession very nicely: all Style wants to know is how Fadel will react to the fact that Style actively lied to him and he's desperately hoping that Fadel won't be angry to find out the truth.

And then Fadel isn't angry. And tells him that he wants to see the real Style. Style tilts his head at him, not looking entirely convinced despite the huge relief just now. There is still a lot Style is currently keeping from Fadel, things that are a much bigger deal than his music preferences. Style is still keeping truths from Fadel, still lying to him. And then Fadel drops: "But still, liars should be punished." This has Style genuinely stressed again. There is almost a bit of fear in his voice when he inquires what the punishment will be as he reluctantly lets Fadel drag him away. Style now knows that Fadel won't be angry at him for lying, but there will be consequences (a punishment) (again: will this be foreshadowing? 👀).

No. 5: Fake Fan

Turns out Fadel's punishment isn't all that scary after all, even if Style isn't too hyped about it. Nevertheless, he patiently sits there and lets Fadel paint his face without stopping him. But no matter his patience, Style still can't let Fadel do this without at least a verbal protest. He points out that that Fadel isn't wearing face paint either and is almost kind of offended. YOU aren't wearing any so why are you making ME do it? Style then questions if Fadel even has the skills for what he's doing. Unlike before, Fadel now easily gives up information about himself to Style without hesitation: "I used to wear the same makeup as my favorite band."

A major running theme that we've had going on over several episodes now is how Style keeps trying to get Fadel to loosen up and to have fun. We saw this happening in episode 1 already when Style tried to get Fadel to play along when he made him get the pin off his shirt himself (which actually happened even before Kant made Style hit on Fadel). We saw it in episode 2 when Style pretended they were on a cooking show and provided commentary while Fadel was preparing a customer's food. We saw it in episode 3, when Style follows Fadel to the heavy metal bar for the first time and tried to get Fadel to party and to scream a little. We saw it in episode 5 when Style convinced Fadel to wear the matching couple shirts, pulled him into a dance, and even got him to sing karaoke. And what's more, we've also seen Style trying to get Fadel to socialize. And yeah, of course a lot of what Style was saying and implying about Fadel doing things with Style specifically he said because he was actively hitting on Fadel, but I do think he genuinely meant it when he said things like "But some things are better done together" (episode 2, sports field) or "How’d [having a good time all by yourself] even work? You need someone to 'scream' with" (episode 3, heavy metal bar).

So Style has been trying to coax Fadel out of his shell pretty much since the beginning, has been trying to get him to just enjoy life, has been trying to pull him out of his loneliness. And he's doing it again here: the moment Style learns of Fadel's old hobby, Style immediately suggests Fadel paints his face too. Matching make-up for the two of them. It's something that Fadel clearly enjoys and also they'll do it together. Obviously. Because some things are better done together. And happiness shared is happiness doubled. But Fadel refuses, because he never lets anyone see him with band make-up on.

Edit: There is so much going on here in this scene that I totally forgot to mention a very important language note (and I'm really mad at myself that I didn't catch my mistake before publishing this meta): the word for make-up/putting make -up on is แต่ง [dtàeng] which also means "to marry". So when Style says "Then you should put some makeup on, too" it actually also sounds like he is saying "Will you marry me, then?", which is why Fadel suddenly stops and looks up at him. Make of that double meaning what you will 🤭

After that we get even more running themes: only moments ago Fadel said "I want to see the real you", but this is something that goes vice versa for Style as well. In episode 5 he told Fadel "I promise that no matter who you are, I’ll still like you" and while this was mostly in reference to Fadel's secret hitman identity, this sentiment counts for everything else about Fadel too. And if Fadel enjoys wearing his favorite band's make-up, then Style will also like him for that. Style wants see Fadel's real him and he wants Fadel to be the real him, to live the real him. "How long are you going to live someone else’s life?"

And it's not just that. After episode 5 I was discussing the double date scene with @secriden in our DMs and she talked about how Style was giving Fadel a safe space to participate in all that socializing by being even sillier than Fadel so that Fadel didn't have to be embarrassed about dancing silly dances or wearing silly couple shirts. And I think the very same thing is going on here. Fadel never lets the public see his painted face, whether it's out of fear or embarrassment or something else. And Style offers for them to wear matching make-up. "Try just being someone you want to be," he says, "We’ll do it together." Fadel isn't alone in this, Style is right here, by his side, with him. A safe space. "There’s nothing to be afraid of." Not if Fadel is with Style. Style will support whoever Fadel is underneath his thick, icy walls no matter what. Style is set on it. And tonight, potentially their very last night together, Style will gladly wear make-up for Fadel and Fadel will wear make-up too for his own happiness. They'll do it together and there is nothing to fear when Style is with him. Well? How about it?

Fadel is quiet. He lets Style grab his face and paint on him. Style gives Fadel an encouraging nod, like See? It's not that bad. It's not that scary. I'm right here with you. Be happy. Be you. I love you.

Now, the tear tracks that Style draws on Fadel's face are obviously foreshadowing to how this episode is going to end with Fadel crying because of Style's "betrayal". But honestly, the very first time I watched it? This foreshadowing went right over my head. Admittedly, I was also running on just 3h of sleep that day because I'd been up all night finishing my ep5 meta so I could post it before the new episode dropped and took a 3h nap around noon, so that might have also been a factor in that, but yeah, it totally didn't occur to me that the episode could end in Fadel's real tears (not sure if that made the last scene better or worse tbh). No, the thought that I had instead while watching the episode for the first time was: "Are those the tears that Fadel never got/gets to cry?" And to be honest, I do hope later down the line we'll get a scene where Fadel finally lets it all out, let's out all the pain from all the trauma(s) he's been through while Style is right by his side, supporting him through it, is there for him. Because they'll do this together and Style will always be ready to happily offer and create a safe space for Fadel, just like he did in episode 5 when he was asking Fadel about his parents or when he was trying to get Fadel to let lose and dance a little in the bowling alley or now when he's offering to wear matching make-up with Fadel. And when Fadel cries (and I hope he will cry, and not just from Style's "betrayal"), then Style will offer a safe space for Fadel to cry in, too.

No. 6: (Bitter)Sweet Happiness

Both in make-up, they now proceed to have the time of their lives at the concert, smiling the brightest smiles. They even get to take selfies with the band. Fadel is happy, and so is Style. I think this may actually be the most carefree we've seen Fadel in the entire series so far and it's all thanks to Style.

After the concert they end up standing by a glass window. "Thanks for coming with me," Fadel says and Style looks at him with the warmest, most loving, most adoring expression.

Of course Style accompanied him here. He had promised Fadel in episode 3 already that he would make Fadel 'scream' at some point (that is to have fun, basically) and now they're both here, Fadel is having a good time, and Style is happier and more in love than he could ever have imagined. Fadel continues his little thank you speech: "If it weren’t for you, I’d probably have sat alone over there." Style knows this very well. He saw him sit all by himself last time, refusing to have fun with Style. He saw Fadel stand by himself in the crowd. And even then he was of the opinion that "You’re supposed to have fun with your friends at a place like this". And now Fadel is here. Having fun with him. And there is absolutely no need for Fadel to thank Style, because just getting to see Fadel smile makes Style happy already.

However, as the night is coming to an end the happiness Style has been feeling is overshadowed by the knowledge of what is about to happen next. It's overshadowed by the knowledge that this is almost certainly the last time they'll get to spend time with each other like this. "You wanna come over tonight?" Style asks, "I want to cuddle you to sleep." He doesn't want this night to end. He wants to hold on to Fadel just a little longer, wants to hold him for as long as possible before all of this is over. And best case-scenario, he also manages to stop Fadel from going on the mission like he suggested when he was getting drinks with Kant.

He looks at Fadel with hopeful eyes. But Fadel declines. Style's dad is home and besides, Fadel's got work tomorrow. Work? This has Style listening up. He seizes the opportunity, just like he did back in episode 5 on the floor of the garage. He starts subtly grilling Fadel: "Grocery shopping? I’ll help." Which, by the way, is actually: "The market? I can go with you."

ตลาดหรอ เดี๋ยวกูไปด้วยได้นะ [dtà-làat - rŏr • dĭieow - guu - bpai - dûuay - dâai - ná] market - ? • moment - I - go - too, with - can - [particle]

And that makes me cry a little, because the market one of their spots by now. Like, of course Style would gladly go to the market with Fadel. But Fadel isn't going to the market. He tells Style he's doing something else. But Style already knows exactly what Fadel is doing and where he's going. Once again Style tries to get Fadel to spill the truth: "You’re doing a lot of second jobs, aren’t you? What else do you do besides working as a host? You can tell me. I won’t judge." I promise you I won't judge you for being a hitman. I already know this and I'm cool with it. And if you would just SAY it out loud already then I could tell you not to go through with the mission tomorrow. Then I could keep you by my side just a little longer. Please tell me. Style looks at Fadel with big eyes, full of hope and encouragement.

But Fadel does not say what Style wants him to say. Style is disappointed.

He leans back against the glass wall, upset. In the gif on the right it actually almost looks like he could start crying any moment now:

Fadel is confused, but amused, assuming Style is probably just being his usual overdramatic self. He laughs and asks Style what's wrong. Style side-eyes him, still upset and pouting.

This is potentially the last time they'll be together. Tomorrow Fadel will probably get arrested. Tomorrow Fadel will probably be taken away from him. And he can't even talk about it. Can't even stop him from going.

Fadel continues on:

You act like we're not going to see each other again just because we won't be spending the night together. แค่ไม่ได้นอนด้วยกันเองทำอย่างจะไม่ได้เจอกันอีก [kâe - mâi dâai - nawn - dûuay gan - eng - tam - yàang - jà - mâi dâai - jer gan - ìig] only - not - sleep - together - just - do - like - will - not - meet/see each other - again

Style might not be able to outright tell Fadel that he's acting like that because they actually, for real may very well never see each other again when the night is over, but at least he can try to be as honest about his feelings as possible: "It’s been a good night. I don’t want it to end." I don't want to say goodbye. Fadel tries to console him. "When I’m back, there’ll be more nights like this." Style so badly wants to believe him.

He looks at Fadel with big, hopeful eyes. You promise? Fadel nods. And I think, despite Style knowing that the police will interrupt Fadel's mission and that it won't go smoothly and will likely end in his arrest, I think despite all that deep down Style holds Fadel to that promise. And we can once again see how optimistic and especially how hopeful of a person he is. Now matter how bleak the situation seems right now, Fadel has promised to come back and Fadel has promised that they'll have more nights full of happiness together. And a promise is a promise, right? You can't simply just break it. And so Style hopes for the best. He might not be able to get him to stay but at least Fadel will be back. Because he promised.

They seal that promise with a kiss. And it's interesting, because Style doesn't immediately close his eyes when Fadel goes to kiss him but instead looks at him for a moment longer. And then his eyes keep fluttering open for a moment. It's almost as if he can't tear his eyes away from Fadel, as if he can't help but use every opportunity to look at Fadel, to catch every last glimpse of Fadel while he still has the opportunity to do so. They break apart and Fadel tells Style that he's (also) very happy tonight and Style (re)confirms his own happiness. They lean their foreheads against each other. And again, Style can't really close his eyes and fully sink into the moment the way Fadel can. It's like he tries to close his eyes but they keep fluttering open a second later because he just can't keep his eyes away from Fadel, is compelled to keep looking at him while he still can, while Fadel is still right there with him. And even when they break away from each other and turn to look out of the window towards the stage, it takes Style a couple of seconds to tear his eyes away from Fadel, who is already looking elsewhere:

After they've turned around, their hands find each other. And I think in that moment Style really needs that support through his distress and I think Fadel can feel it, even if he can't figure out what exactly is up with Style and why he is acting the way he's acting.

No. 7: Moving On

Fadel and Bison's mission has passed. Kant's brother nearly got caught in the crossfire. Kant wonders if Bison saved Babe. Kant guesses that Bison saved him. With that he also implies that if Bison was the one saving Babe (since Bison is the one who actually knows and recognizes Kant's brother), the one taking the shot must've been Fadel, implying that Fadel would have injured or killed Babe. But Style, who has been spending a lot of time with Fadel and has slowly been getting to know the real Fadel underneath all those walls, just can't imagine Fadel would shoot a random kid. When he asks Kant "You think Fadel would shoot Babe?" it's definitely in defense of Fadel. And that's interesting, because so far he's always been supportive of his bestie and his investigations. He hasn't always been happy about it, but he still never fought Kant about it. This is the first time we see Style actively go against Kant to stand on Fadel's side instead.

Style continues: "You think he knows you’re a snitch?" I think this is partly still a bit of an attack on Kant in his defense of Fadel in the sense of What, does Fadel to have a reason to kill your brother because you did a shitty job staying undiscovered? and partly a genuine question to find out if Fadel would actually have a motive to shoot Babe on the off chance that he did mean to do that. Not that Style actually believes that, though.

Kant says no and says that his work is over and that he's done being a snitch. This should be good news to Style, but Style doesn't look very comforted. In fact, Style barely acknowledges Kant's words. His mind is somewhere else, is with someone else. "I want to see Fadel." Once again we aren't simply just told through text that Style worries about Fadel but we are also shown. And on top of worrying, Style also misses him.

As so often when Style expresses genuine care and attachment to Fadel, Kant immediately disapproves: "Style! You have to get over it. You can’t ever get together with him. Move on." In Thai, Kant uses the word ตัดใจ [dtàt-jai] when he says "get over it". Thai2english defines this as:

to part with something, to give up something (somewhat unwillingly)

Style is unwilling to give Fadel up. He can't part with Fadel, no matter how much he knows he should if he wants to get out of that mess of a situation. "It’ll become a funny story," Kant says, but Style isn't laughing. He is miserable.

No. 8: Will They or Won't They (Come Back)

Fadel and Bison's mission hasn't gone to plan (neither for them, nor for the police), they've gone completely MIA and our two remaining love struck boys that were left behind now stop by the restaurant in the hopes of meeting them there in person if they're already not picking up their phones. However, Style and Kant find the restaurant abandoned as well. Style looks a little disappointed when he states that the diner is closed, but he's not necessarily all that surprised and he is definitely very concerned. Kant walks away from him to check the inside through the windows just in case and Style follows him. They run into the black cat and end up having a little chat.

And what's interesting about it is that during that little chat Style isn't even all that depressed, despite still not having any clue whatsoever about Fadel's whereabouts. In fact, he actually sounds kind of cheerful when he asks and talks about the cat, unlike in the scene before where he was simply just miserable. Style's tone as well as his expression do both get more serious when he says "I guess [the cat] misses Bison, then. He’s a food source, after all", but no matter how troubled he is about the whole situation, no matter how worried he is about Fadel's well-being and no matter how much he misses him, he won't let himself wallow in misery.

Kant says "Why do I have a feeling that this isn’t over? They can’t run forever, that’s for sure. If they haven’t completed their mission, they will definitely come back" and once again we see Style's optimism and bright outlook on life when he replies "I guess you’re right. Before things went down, you saw how attached they were to us". But similarly to the scene in the beginning when they were having drinks, Kant comes back with some realism: "No matter how much you love someone, you gotta prioritize saving your own butts, right?" Style thinks about it for a moment and raises his eyebrows like Yeah, I guess that's true...

Once again, his expression gets more serious and his smile fades but we know he's not giving up any hope of meeting Fadel again whatsoever, because he'll be back in a week to check on the restaurant again. And let's be real, the series might not have shown this to us but we all know Style went to the diner every single day of that week. Possibly even multiple times a day.

No. 9: Something Special to Eat

A week later and we see Style checking on the restaurant again, this time without Kant. And to his surprise and utter joy, the lights are on! Fadel is back and he looks well! Style stares at him through the window, breathes a small huff of relief, then shakes his head a little like he can't believe his eyes, like he can't believe that what he is seeing is real. As I mentioned before, I'm absolutely convinced Style went to the restaurant every single day for the past week and now it turns out that he was right not to give up, not to lose hope, to stay optimistic like he always is. Style's joy about Fadel's return manifests in his whole entire body as he hops and skips through the restaurant doors.

Once inside, Fadel doesn't seem surprised to see him. He doesn't even say hello, but immediately opens up with the words: "I was thinking of going to your place. But you were more impatient than me, huh?"

Language side note, for all you language nerds out there... In Thai the "you were more impatient" is actually only implied, not explicitly stated:

I haven't gotten round to go see you yet. กูยังไม่ทันไปหามึงเลย [guu - yang - mâi tan - bpai hăa - mueng - loiie] I - yet - not be able to (do sth in/on time) - go visit - you - [particle] You came running to see me. มึงมาหากูซะละ [mueng - maa hăa - guu - sá - lá] you - come visit - I/me - [particle] - [particle]

(For the second sentence I decided to translate it as "you came running" because the particle ซะ [sá] can imply that the action should be done quickly. And Style did come running very quickly the moment Fadel was back.)

And when Style replies "Where have you been?" his words are also a little more dramatic in the original, as is fit for his personality:

Where did you disappear to for so long? มึงหายไปไหนตั้งนานอ่ะ [mueng - hăai bpai - năi - dtâng naan - àh] you - disappear - where - for a long time - [particle]

(It's basically "Where have you been for so long?")

A whole week is a long time to not see your boyfriend, especially when you know something bad has happened and you have no idea if he's alright or not. And so Style rightly complains. Fadel says that his phone broke and that he had to change both his phone and his number. Style throws him an almost disappointed look. He knows that this is a lie (or at least the "my phone broke" part probably is. Fadel might have had to change his number for real when he went into hiding). And more importantly, it only explains why Fadel wasn't replying to his texts. It does not answer Style's question of "where have you been?" and so Style is left none the wiser. Fadel says that he was busy and Style continues to complain: "And you didn’t think to contact me a little? I was worried sick about you, you know?" And we saw that. We got to see how Style was worrying when he was longing to see Fadel after hearing how Babe nearly got injured and we saw it when Style checked the restaurant at the very least two times, once with Kant and once by himself (and let's be real, he definitely went more than twice, we just didn't get to witness it). We see it even now in the way he complains to Fadel about him ignoring Style for a full week. Style thought he was saying goodbye to Fadel at the concert because the police would be ripping Fadel away from him but then that didn't actually happen because Fadel managed to escape and Style spent a full week worrying about him, missing him, longing to see him. And then Fadel is back and he's doing well and he didn't even think to tell Style about it. Style has every right to complain and Fadel should know it, too.

Fadel complains about Style's complaining and then offers to make him food like a peace offering and/or an apology. And fun fact, when he says "Anything you'd like to eat?" in Thai it's:

Anything special you wanna eat? อยากกินอะไรเป็นพิเศษป่ะล่ะ [yàak - gin - àrai - bpen pí-sèt - bpà - lâ] want - eat - anything - that is special - ? - [particle]

I'm telling you, when I heard Fadel say the words "eat" and "special" in the same sentence I immediately expected Style to say "you". I think I even said the word "you" at my screen when I watched the episode for the first time. And then Style DIDN'T. He just... didn't say it. When it was literally right there. I'm truly disappointed in him ngl.

Style does not say "you", instead he sits down and let's Fadel decide on the menu and compliments his cooking. Fadel is immediately sus about the sweet talking and asks: "Did you do something wrong?" Style doesn't know that this is a very pointed question, has absolutely no idea that Fadel is currently suspecting him of snitching to the police. "No," Style replies, but his voice doesn't sound entirely genuine. It's not a full lie but it's also not entirely sincere. Did he do anything wrong? It's hard to say. Technically he isn't the one to tip off the police so technically this isn't something he's done wrong. Style also knows a lot more than he should and that's also not something that he's necessarily doing wrong per se, but it's still something he's keeping from Fadel which could be considered wrong. And one could also say that not explicitly warning Fadel about how the police would be at their mission wasn't right. So technically there is something he did do wrong and that he could be feeling guilty about. No matter whether he really did do something wrong or not, Style chooses to deflect and distract anyway. And he changes the topic to something that really is completely true this time: "I just really missed you." Although, when he says "Is it so weird to get a little affectionate?" it's almost a bit of a challenge. Tell me again how I'm doing something wrong. Style continues: "You know, all this time apart really frustrated me." And there we finally have it. The "I want to eat you" bit.

I think at this point it's pretty obvious that Style is being genuine about his flirting, but I just wanna point out that what I noticed before about how Style acts when he truly wants Fadel continues to hold up: instead of being loud and performative, Style gets quiet, goes almost into a whisper by the end of the sentence. And he also gets handsy with Fadel. He reaches for Fadel's nipple specifically and it works. Fadel is very much distracted. But he stops Style because this is not something Fadel wants to do in the middle of his restaurant in front of a wall of glass windows (probably? Who knows with them 🤷🏼‍♀️). Fadel decides on making spaghetti for Style who approves and fondly smiles at Fadel. They keep holding on to each other's hands for as long as possible as Fadel turns around to walk off and I cry and then I cry some more about the way Style once again can't tear his eyes away from Fadel.

No. 10: Oh, I Wish That You Hadn't Pulled the Trigger

It's later in the evening, Style has presumably finished eating (and maybe Fadel, too?) and now they're both wiping down the restaurant. And once again we see something that I've been talking about for the last few episodes now: Style likes helping. Fadel explicitly tells him that he doesn't have to help and that Fadel will do it himself, so likely Style just grabbed the cloth and started wiping without a second thought while Fadel had his back turned. Because helping people is something that comes to Style naturally. He wants to help. And so he insists on continuing to help with the cleaning and, if it makes Fadel feel better about it, offers Fadel to think of it as payment for the free food.

And I know this meta is actually about Style, but I see Fadel watch Style for a moment after Style said that and I can't help but remember how Style was there in episode 3, helping Fadel out at the restaurant when Bison was nowhere to be found and now Style is here again, helping Fadel out at the restaurant without hesitation and of his own free will and I can't help but think that this is probably one of the things that Fadel has come to love about Style. Style is here and he helps and supports Fadel no questions asked. Which make the news he is about to hear even more painful. And right on cue, Fadel's phone rings.

Fadel steps outside to talk to Bison. In the meantime inside, Style moves on to wipe the next table. He lifts his head just in time to catch Fadel looking at him through the window. Style smiles at him fondly.

Style is so happy that Fadel is back, is so content to be around him. The night of the concert wasn't a goodbye after all. He had bid farewell to Fadel internally already but now he gets to have a new beginning after all. Style is overjoyed.

Then Fadel comes back inside, proceeds to turn on some music and Style is confused as to why he would do that. Fadel asks if he can't get romantic and Style calls him out for scolding him earlier about Style being too sweet and cheesy only to turn around all of a sudden and wanting to be romantic after all. Style has absolutely no idea that Fadel sees him in a completely different light now, but I think he can tell that something is kinda off and that the phone call might have had something to with Fadel's sudden change of mood. So Style asks what Bison said. And Style being Style who cares about his loved ones also wants to know if Bison is with Kant. Fadel confirms. Style comments that Bison probably missed Kant. And right after the sentence is out of his mouth, for just a split second before it cuts back to Fadel we can see a very pleased smile form on Style's face.

Bison wasn't the only one missing someone. Style was too. He was missing Fadel so very much and he was worried sick about him and now Fadel is back, Fadel is standing right in front of him in the flesh and everything is all good in this world. Of course, Style is pleased.

And then Fadel says "I also missed you". Style's eyes widen in surprise, his expression serious now. Ever since they officially started dating Fadel has been saying things like "we're on trial" and "I won't ever trust you 100%" and while he did admit to being very happy earlier in the episode at the concert, I think Style wasn't really expecting Fadel to suddenly be so open about his feelings, almost out of nowhere without any obvious triggers. But then Fadel continues his confession by telling Style that there is no one messing with him when Style isn't there. Ah, there he is, that old nagger that Style has come to love. A compliment that comes in the form of an insult. That's more like him. Style is amused and in a lovingly teasing, but also slightly serious tone asks if he's just an annoyance to Fadel and whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. Fadel is quick to assure him that it's a good thing: "Having someone to miss is good. It makes me want to go to the market and go jogging with the hopes of running into you."

Did you notice that I changed something in Fadel's wording just now? Because the official subs wrote "grocery shopping" instead of "the market" and once again I just don't understand the decision to translate it like that because the market is literally one of their spots!! It's not the action of grocery shopping that's important here, it's the place!!! Because Fadel is likely doing some of his grocery shopping at a supermarket too, but it's when he shops at the market place specifically where he has memories with Style!!!

In fact, let me just share Fadel's exact wording of the whole bit:

Having you to miss is a good thing. การมีมึงไว้ให้คิดถึงเนี่ยมันดีนะเว้ย [gaan mii - mueng - wái - hâi - kít-tĕung - nîia - man - dii - na wóiie] having - you - to - miss - [particle] - it - good - [particle] It makes me want to go to the market, มันทำให้กูอยากไปตลาด [man - tam hâi - guu - yàak - bpai - dtà-làat] it - make that - I - want - go - market go jogging in the morning, ไปวิ่งตอนเช้า [bpai - wîng - dton cháao] go - run, jog - in the morning because I'm hoping I'll get to meet you. เพราะหวังว่าจะได้เจอมึง [próh - wăng wâa - jà - dâai - jer - mueng] because - hope that - will - get to - meet - you

And also a little bit earlier when he tells Style "I’ve got no one messing with me when you’re not there":

Without you, there is no one messing up my life. ไม่มีมึงอ่ะ ไม่มีใครมาป่วนชีวิตกู [mâi mii - mueng - àh • mâi mii krai - maa - bpùuan - chii-wít - guu] without - you - [particle] • no one - come - be chaotic - life - I/my

This confession is a parallel to his "I hate that I don't hate you" confession: In episode 4 Fadel said "I don't like you messing up my life" and now in episode 6 he says "Without you, there is no one messing up my life". In episode 4 Fadel said "I don’t like myself when I look for you on the morning jog or at the market" and now in episode 6 Fadel says "It makes me want to go to the market and go jogging in the morning with the hopes of running into you". In episode 4 Fadel said "I don’t like that I miss you." and now in episode 6 he says "I've missed you. Having someone to miss is good."

It's his confession from episode 4 but this time it's romantic and Style even points it out very amusedly, but is also very happy about it: "Are we officially entering romantic territory?" Fadel says that he wants to do what lovers do and Style tells him "I don’t want you to do what you don’t want to do". Or in his exact wording:

I don't want you to do anything that isn't you. กูไม่อยากให้มึงทำอะไรที่ไม่ใช่ตัวเองนะเว้ย [guu - mâi - yâak - hâi - mueng - tam - arai - tîi - mâi châi - dtue eng - ná wóiie] I - not - want - that - you - do - anything - that - not - yourself

Fadel told him at the concert that he wanted to see the real Style, but the same goes the other way around. Style wants Fadel to be the real him, too. And he doesn't want him to do anything that isn't the real him. But Fadel replies:

But I can be like you want me to be. แต่กูสามารถเป็นอย่างที่มึงอยากให้กูเป็นได้ [dtàe - guu - săa-mâat - bpen - yàang - tîi - mueng - yàak - hâi - guu - bpen - dâai] but - I - be able to - be - like - that, which - you - want - for, to - I/me - be - be able to (cont.)

It's a loaded statement. And it has Style confused.

It's the exact opposite of what Style wants. Style wants Fadel to be himself, Style doesn't want him to live a life that Style tells him to live. Style doesn't understand and while there are questions written all over his face, he doesn't ask any of them out loud. He stays quiet and smiles a little in uncertainty (He's currently living through a happy little romantic moment with his boyfriend, right? Right?? That's definitely what's happening here, isn't it???) as he waits for Fadel to continue and to maybe elaborate. Fadel takes a step towards him and says:

I think... I already love you. กูว่า...กูรักมึงแล้วว่ะ [guu - wâa... guu - rák - mueng - láew - wâ] i - think... i - love - you - already - [particle]

(Alt. translations: "I think... I love you" or "I think... I love you now")

Style is delighted to hear these words. Distracted from his bemusement from only seconds ago he smiles a satisfied smile. He's been so open and honest about his own feelings and finally Fadel is opening up too and giving back. Style happily kisses Fadel in response.

He, too, loves Fadel. He loves him and he's missed him and he's been worried sick about him when he didn't hear from him for a full week and didn't know how he was doing and now Fadel is back, Fadel is well, they get to have more nights like the night of the concert together, they get to be together for longer than Style thought they would. Life is great.

After they part, they lean their foreheads against each other. When they did it at the concert, Style's eyes kept flickering to Fadel's face. Here at the diner Style can sink into the moment and into the touch a lot more now that he knows this isn't gonna be the last night he'll be together with Fadel. (I've hit image limit, but here's a parallel gifset.) He does look up at Fadel at one point, almost as if to check if Fadel is still there, that he is real, that this is not a dream. And maybe it's also to check on him, since he's been acting a bit weird since the phone call. But then Style closes his eyes again and sinks into the moment one more time, just like when Fadel leaned into him. The two move into a hug as they sway from side to side. Style can neither see nor feel Fadel's tears dropping onto his back.

Of course I'm gonna have to wait to see what future episodes bring before I can say for sure, but honestly speaking, I do think Style can kind of tell that something is off about Fadel after his phone call with Bison. Style immediately clocks that Fadel is behaving strange the moment Fadel turns on the music, Style calls Fadel out for suddenly being romantic when only shortly before that he was telling Style off for being sweet, he gets confused when Fadel goes "I can be like you want me to be" when that's the exact opposite of what Style has been asking for and there is also something in the way Style really sinks into the forehead touch but then his eyes open and flicker to Fadel as if he's checking on him (almost as if he was also checking that Fadel was still there and hasn't gone away again, as if Style can feel that Fadel is in the process of saying goodbye to him). Fadel is in a weird mood and that mood probably does reach Style. But the thing is, Style is missing a key piece of the puzzle and even if he can tell that something is off, to Style it still looks like a happy picture. To Style it still is a happy picture. And what Style doesn't know, but what we, the viewers, can very much see coming is that this happy illusion will burst soon enough.

(Overview | Ep1+2 | Ep3 | Ep4 | Ep5 | Ep7 | Ep8 | Ep9 | Ep10)

#the heart killers #thk #fadelstyle #stylefadel #thk ep6 #thk meta #thkmetamine #my meta #adrm #HIIIII GOOD MORNING MY META IS FINALLY OUT #i'm glad there was no new episode for once bc i didn't have to stress out about this meta and i'm STILL making it in time before ep7 #i'm already dreading the next three weeks bc my semester is about to end #i have a presentation at the end of the months and a few (time consuming) assignments to do rip #watch me pull several all-nighters again just to get my metas out before the new episodes

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blingblong55 · 1 year ago

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Friendly games-141

Based on a request:

Hi! I’m not sure you would be interested, can I make a request of whole Tf141 x Gn!Reader playing badminton 🏸?

Just a little bit of fun ☺️ ---- GN!Reader, platonic!relationship, fluff??? ----

A/N: I love these kinds of ideas….so lets do this and also…it's short…sorry

Charity events, what a fun way to raise money for those who need it. Well…it's fun until Kate Laswell makes you be a part of the event and play a stupid game in front of your stupid colleagues. Soap, I'm talking about you, Ghost thinks the whole way to the court. Task Force 141, all in shorts, stretching and giving each other stares. You were smiling, this being the first time you could play your favourite with a reason behind it. The day before there was a three-hour-long debate with Laswell to make someone else play instead of the task force.

It didn't work of course since you all were already stretching and glaring at those in attendance. The selection for a teammate was easy and Soap got lucky that Ghost was already tired of his bullshit compliments or else he'd be in your place. Gaz was chosen by Price, Ghost chose you and Soap was a backup for you or anyone who got injured. You and Ghost gave each other a stare, "Don't let me down, R/N." You chuckle, "If you let me down, Soap will take your place." "Hurting me, mate."

Once the game begins, Soap starts making some jokes about Gaz's ass and Price's, occasionally he would roast Ghost and those comments made Laswell laugh. Military families all enjoyed the match as Price and you became more competitive, so much so the match was just you two, Gaz and Ghost just walked around the court, pretending to help or even be involved for that matter. You made it your point to make Price feel old. This all started as an inside joke between the task force and more so when you were called the kid/ baby of the team.

It was worse when Gaz would do a baby voice and try to feed you mashed food. So now, this was you showing off and having fun. After much fun and a pat on the shoulder by Ghost, you walk off and hand the racket to Laswell. "Call Chimera tomorrow, I'm fucking done." You sit down next to Soap and lean on him. "'least you won, mate." You groan and Gaz chuckles. "How much do want to bet Ghost and Price are talking to Laswell to not include us in another charity event?"

"Three pints at Old Man's pub," Soap says with a grin. You all stand up and leave the event. "Where are you guys going?" "Roach, you either join us or stay with the old grumps." Gaz comments as he walks through the doorway. He nods and gladly follows along, it was always an adventure when all of the young ones of the task force went out for drinks. "So, how come you knew the sport so well?" Soap asks you. "I used to play it when I was younger." Gaz lets out a chuckle, "You were one of those kids?" "I'll stick the racket up your ass if you make a joke." You jokingly threaten and he switches places with Roach who is furthest from you.

With one too many pints and jokes, Price found you all laughing at impersonations of the lieutenant and himself. Ghost was about to walk to you all and scare you but then Price stops him. "Let them have this day, they don't get moments like this."

For the entire evening, the younger members of the team all laughed and Ghost watched from afar with Price. "R/N will never stop with the old man jokes." Ghost chuckles. He knows how much you'll enjoy the nicknames you'll eventually call out. He also knows you keep a list for when you finally get to call Price some nicknames that correlate to being old. "I'll let them," Price shrugs. Price too knows this is you just being comfortable around and although no one says it, he sees you as a little sibling and you see him as a trusted older brother.

Tags:

@liyanahelena @imasimpsowhat06 @thisistotesnotspam-heart @luvecarson @aliceinwondwonderland @rhaenryawhore @vincentthe-moneymaker @anonymuslydumb @johfaam0 @goldenmclaren @froggy-anon @frazie99 @spicypicklesoh @tiredmetalenthusiast @jinxxangel13 @enarien @willowaftxn83-87 @saoirse06

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royal-chandler · 4 months ago

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Got my writing mojo back after four years and just thought I'd share some WIPs to keep the spirit from sagging. *throws some kidfic into the void*

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy,” Bianca grumps, stomping into Henry’s office with her high ponytail of curls swinging behind her.

“Bianca, Bianca, Bianca,” Henry says back, his own arpeggio.

“I’m so bored.” And with that statement, she collapses onto the loveseat that sits against the wall adjacent to his desk, flinging her arms out with all the exasperation a six year old can muster. Which is plenty. She laments, “And it won’t stop raining! I can’t even go outside now.”

Henry turns fully to her, putting aside his manuscript and the neon orange highlighter he’d be using for edits. “I’m sorry, kit. Is there anything else you’d like to do?”

“I wanted to play with Arturo but Papi said I’m not allowed to wake him up from his nap because he’ll be fussy and then Papi would get in trouble with you. Summer’s just a drag,” Bianca says, out of school for all of two and a half days. She stretches her words out like taffy, in perfect imitation of Alex. Despite his daughter’s pressing predicament, it smuggles a smile onto Henry’s face. He hides most of it behind his hand, leaning on his elbow as he considers her.

“Well, a fussy Arturo wouldn't be much fun, yeah?”

“I guess.”

Bianca continues to pout and truthfully it’s hardly a crisis, this case of the Mondays, but she plucks at Henry’s heartstrings even so. Then and there, he decides that he’ll be devoting his mid-morning to her.

“I’m sure that we can think of something.”

“Like what?”

“A board game?” A headshake. “We could watch that new robot movie.” Another headshake. “Or we could paint with the new brushes that your gigi got for you?” After some internal debate, Bianca ultimately shakes her head in the negative.

She’s set to start day camp in a couple of weeks but Henry sees no harm in borrowing from the activities that had been listed on the calendar sent to the parents. The first thing he remembers is, “A scavenger hunt?”

This suggestion lights up Bianca’s face, her dark eyes going wide as she pops up in her seat. “To find hidden stuff?”

“Sort of,” Henry answers because he’s hidden nothing but he’s sure can figure out a creative workaround. “I’ll make a list of things to check off—”

“Chores?” Bianca wrinkles her freckled nose.

“No chores,” Henry tells her solemnly. “I promise.”

“Pinky promise?” She asks.

He holds his finger out for her and she hugs it with her own.

“Perfect! We should start now, Daddy.”

So, Henry jots down items for her to complete, switching between highlighter colors and different pens to ornate the sheet of paper while Bianca, distractedly browsing the library and knickknacks, recounts her dream from the night before in which she had been bowling with pineapples. For pins, bowling balls, or friends, Henry doesn’t find out for another five or so winding and twisting minutes.

“A silly face? What does that even mean?” Bianca asks, baffled, looking down at her tasks and then up at Henry. “Where are we going to find that?”

“Well, darling, you have to use your imagination.”

“Hmm, a silly face, a silly face,” Bianca says, tapping at her chin. She walks around her room where they’ve come to retrieve her turquoise polaroid camera to take pictures as they go and scans their surroundings with investigative eyes. A range of teddy bears, her penguin, her unicorn, and Doc McStuffins don’t make the cut. Instead, curiously, she pauses at her vanity, making a noise of triumph. “I’ve got it.”

Henry expects her to make a goofy face in the mirror but instead she pushes away some of her scrunchies and headbands, picking up a mini plastic square with various glittering pink hues from her makeup set, also a gift from Ellen.

“Daddy, no moving, please,” Bianca chides him, the two of them perched on the edge of her bed. At his side, her knees dig into his lap and her tongue peaks out as she uses a brush on his cheek and and then on half of his nose. A small dust cloud of purple powder emerges from her flourishes. “I’m almost done. These polka dots are going to look really, really cool with the silver eyeshadow.”

“I’m sure you’re doing a fabulous job,” Henry says.

“Definitely,” Bianca nods. “You’ll see soon. You have the silliest face ever.”

“Well thank you, Bianca.”

“You’re welcome!”

Bianca reaches for her camera when she’s finished, instructing him to smile and Henry contorts his expression into something ridiculous just to hear her windchime laugh. She grabs the photo the second it prints out and says, “We have to wait a minute.”

The grey of the polaroid vanishes slowly and the photo fills with colour. In it, Henry sees himself presented as somewhat of an art project. Where there aren’t purple circles, are soft triangles in the rosy pink tint that Bianca had dipped an applicator into. Heavy metallic silver covers his eyelids all the way up to the line of his brow and a messy bolt of hot pink glitter bisects his face from crown to chin, paints his lips.

“Do you like it?” Bianca asks, watching him closely.

“It’s absolutely brilliant, love,” Henry praises, pressing a careful kiss to the top of her head. He still manages to get a swatch of colour on her skin that he has to lightly rub off.

“We should go show Papi,” Bianca suggests, beaming with excitement and a tooth missing from the front. “He’s gonna lose it.”

Henry heaves a great sigh but she’s so bloody adorable he has little choice but to oblige.

Henry gently reminds Bianca to knock on the closed door of Alex’s office and wait for his okay before they enter.

From the inside, Alex calls out, “What’s the secret password?”

Bianca answers back, “Kookaburra!”

“When did the password change?” Henry asks, cracking open the door.

“Yesterday,” Bianca informs him before barreling in.

“Hey, Binks,” Alex greets happily, behind his desk and computer. With a shit-eating grin, he adjusts his glasses and sing-songs—because some things never change, “Henry.”

“It’d be useless to tell you to ignore my new look?”

“Oh, you know it, hubby. What’s going on here?”

“We’re on a scavenger hunt,” Bianca says, making her way over to Alex and slipping under her father’s arm when he raises it, nestling into his side.

Laughing, Alex lightly tugs on a wayward curl of Bianca’s hair. “And you had to find a man with psychedelic measles?”

“Uh-uh, I had to find a silly face. What’s psychedelic?” Bianca wonders, always inquisitive. “And what are measles?”

#rwrb #red white and royal blue #firstprince #alex x henry #rwrb fic #kid fic #my fic #wip #bianca!verse #my writing

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toasttt11 · 8 months ago

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back to back

April 8, 2024

Octavia stayed in the hotel lobby waiting for her twin to pick her up to spend the night with Jack and Luke.

She got a text from Luke that he was here and she picked up her duffle bag and slipping her back pack onto her shoulders, she walked out of the front door smiling seeing Luke leaning against the car, she quickly walked over dropping her duffle bag onto the floor pulling Luke into a tight hug. Luke wrapped his arms around his twin sister tightly swaying slighty.

“Hi Win!” Luke smiled kissing the side of her head.

“Hi Lucky.” Octavia smiled relaxing into the hug, the two hugged goodbye other for a good few minutes before reluctantly letting go, Luke grabbed her and and set it in the back seat letting Octavia jump in the passenger seat.

The two chatted for the whole car ride to Luke and Jack’s apartment before they parked the car and headed up to the apartment.

Luke unlocked the apartment door letting them in seeing Nico and Jack on the couch watching a game, they both looked up hearing the door open.

Jack smiled and slowly jumped off the couch quickly walking over to them gently pulling Octavia into a hug having not seen her in almost two months, “Hi Moony.”

Octavia smiled very slightly hugging her brother back before pulling away, “Hey Rowdy. You’re not playing tomorrow?” Octavia questioned as she knew his shoulder has not been getting any better and has been waiting to have surgery, Luke said they were planning it soon.

“No, we’ve decided i’m heading out tomorrow to Colorado and the day after i’m getting the surgery.” Jack grimly told his sister, he hates that he missed playing against Quinn once and now would miss two games against his sister but he was glad he was finally going to get his shoulder fixed.

Octavia nodded and gently pulled him back into another hug before letting go and Octavia looked over waving softly at Nico, Nico smiled waving back.

“Alright she my twin.” Luke grumped throwing his arm over Octavia, Jack just fondly rolled his eyes knowing Luke has just missed his twin and wanted to spend time with her.

Luke led his two down the hallway to his room letting her put her bags down and Luke jumped onto his bed and patted the spot next to him, Octavia slid her shoes off and sat on the spot laying her head on Luke’s shoulder, as they began to talk about everything for the next hour.

Octavia felt her phone buzz and she pulled it out her pocket knowing she only gets notifications from certain people, she softly smiled seeing a text from Simon.

Luke smirked seeing the sappy look on her face and read the text rasing an eyebrow, “Oooooo!” Luke seemed to want Simon and Octavia to get together more now as he relized Simon is his teammate. Luke has also been teasing her more once he found out Simon was his teammate.

Octavia just rolled her eyes at her brother, “Really L-“She was cut off from Jack yelling there names.

Octavia and Luke shared a rolling eye look but walked out of his room to the living room and kitchen, Octavia saw Jack pulling out ingredients and saw chopped up vegetables on a cutting board, “Are you guys hungry?” Jack looked at his twin siblings, Nico having left a few minutes ago.

“Always.” Luke shrugged.

“It’s not broccoli is it.” Octavia smirked slightly towards Jack, who just stuck his middle finger at his sister making her snicker slightly, “Yeah i could eat.” Octavia nodded, sitting in the bar stool with Luke sliding in the seat next to her as Jack finished up dinner.

Octavia replied to Simon’s texts while Luke pulled out his phone.

A few minutes later Jack was done and the twins got up and plated the food, Jack made chicken rice bowls with different vegetables.

The three all started eating talking about anything, Octavia and Luke thanked Jack and cleaned up the plates and washed the dishes for him while Jack picked out a movie for them to watch for the rest of the night.

Jack looked over on the other side of the couch and couldn’t help but smile seeing the twins all cuddled up and fast asleep.

Jack felt terrible for them knowing how much the two have always hated being separated and he had a feeling that Octavia was having a harder time then Luke has been having, Octavia moving to new a city alone and away from her twin at least Luke moved in with Jack and had some family with him.

Jack knew Luke has been taking it terrible as many nights Jack will find Luke asleep with tears on his face and Luke seems to hate sharing a seat with anyone on the bus so use to always sitting with his twin and Jack noticed that Luke will look to his side a lot like he is expecting Octavia to be there. Jack hoped one day the twins would be able to be on the same team again.

April 9, 2024

Octavia hugged Jack tighter than she usally does, “It will go well.” Octavia mumbled reassuring knowing Jack is stressed about his surgery happening really soon.

“Thanks Moons.” Jack appreciated the comfort from his baby sister something she doesn’t give often.

Octavia stepped back and let Luke walk over and hug Jack tightly as well before they watched Jack pick up his duffle bag wave at them and head out of the apartment.

Jack was heading to Colorado for his shoulder surgery.

“Come on you have practice.” Octavia pushed Luke towards his shoes and they headed out of the apartment

Octavia didn’t have practice with her team but Luke did so she decided to join and sit in the stands.

“You’ll be okay?” Luke looked worried at his twin sister as they walked down the hallway towards the locker room.

“I’ll be fine Lucky.” Octavia softly reassured him and gently pushed him to his locker room and waved softly before continuing walking down the hallway until she got to the ice and she sat at the top of the seat section.

Octavia pulled out her headphones and sketchbook and started drawing while listening to her music.

She was so focused she did not realize the Devils were already on the ice and practicing until she felt a pair of eyes on her and she looked up seeing Simon staring at her with a soft smile.

Octavia waved and watched as Simon quickly waved back before Luke bumped into and he must of said something because Simon was suddenly bright red and Octavia smiled slighty seeing them interact.

Octavia stayed drawing until she saw the team getting off the ice having finished practice and heading back down the ice.

Octavia headed back to the locker room and leaned on a wall near the entrance to the room.

Simon was one of the first to come out of the locker room after practice and perked up seeing Octavia waiting outside the room he walked right over to her.

“Hi Octavia.” Simon soflty greeted smiling happily at her.

“Hi Si.” Octavia softly greeted back and willingly let him pull her into a soft hug, she held on a little tighter having missed Simon not that she would admit to anyone before reluctantly pulling away.

Luke walked out a few minutes after Simon and found Simon and Octavia chatting and both of them smiling as they looked at each other and standing pretty close to each other.

Luke couldn’t wait until they finally get together.

He walked over to them making them stop the conversation and turn to him.

“Bye Si.” Octavia mumbled and bit her lip and decided to lean up and press a gentle kiss to Simon’s cheek before quickly walking away with Luke following her.

Simon blinked owlishly blushing bright red as he brought his hand up to his cheek beaming as he watched her walk away.

The Maple Leafs beat the New Jersey Devils that night 5-2. Octavia had one goal and one assist.

April 11, 2024

Octavia and Luke have thoroughly enjoyed the last few days being able to spend quite a lot of time together, it was fun for them to spend a night together in both of their apartments.

Luke was actually kinda excited the season was ending for him because he would been able to spend more time with his sister, and if the Leafs get out of the playoffs Octavia told Luke she would join him at Worlds and Luke was really excited by that possibility.

The second game of the Devils and Leafs back to back games was alot closer than the first and the score let going back and forth.

Octavia turned around in the ice at the sound of whistle being blown and saw Max and Simon getting into a fight and she raised an eyebrow having not seen Simon drop his gloves yet, she let out a little chuckle as she had eye contact with Simon as he was guided to the penalty box and he just smirked at her.

Octavia shook her head pursing her lips not wanting to admit how hot that was, even if he did not fight that well.

Matthew scrunched up his nose in disgust seeing Octavia staring at her lover boy, something he never wanted to see.

Octavia had an amazing game getting two goals but it was not enough and the Leafs still lost 5-6 to the Devils.

Octavia and Luke saying goodbye this time wasn’t as sad as usual because they knew they would be seeing each other very soon and then would have the whole summer together.

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shima-draws · 6 months ago

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Okay so. I'm like, 99% done with V3 and I realized I've barely shared like any of my thoughts here so. SPOILERS AHEAD

-The fact that Ryoma wanted to die and was fighting to find something to live for only to find out that he had NOTHING...that shit was sad bro

-Was NOT expecting Kirumi at all but in retrospect it's the least suspicious ones that you should be the most suspicious of. Also her execution was p brutal

-ANGIE WITH THE CULT...the fact that she managed to brainwash half the group had me terrified. Also her Atua worshipping got real old real fast. I hate religious cults lmao I was literally sitting there like "I REALLY hope she's the one to die this chapter" bc if I had to read one more sentence of her being like "Atua will save us all <3" I WOULD have gone to play in traffic.

-Angie needed to go but TENKO 😭 She was just a hopeless lesbian in love with Himiko she did not deserve what happened to her

-Speaking of Himiko I was kinda meh about her at first but after the chapter 3 trial her character developed so wonderfully...it was so nice to see her grow and change and learn to express herself 🥺

-TRAINING TRIO MY BELOVED FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER I would kill for them genuinely.

-My hatred for Kokichi only grew as time went on but after forcing Gonta to kill. MAN. That trial was so heartbreaking Gonta was just trying his best to protect everyone :"( Kokichi's such a little shit

-Kaito brushing off his illness as just him being afraid of ghosts AGGHHHH I knew there was something wrong from the start but seeing it progress and get worse was just 😭 I was literally sitting there like. Does he have a terminal illness. Oh my god he's going to die isn't he. NO HE'S MY FAVORITE PLEASEEEEE

-Was NOT expecting the space colony twist but even more so was the fact that the world ended...not once, but TWICE

-Me during chapter 4: How much you wanna bet next chapter Kokichi's gonna get killed and Kaito's gonna be the one who kills him Me during the chapter 5 trial: FUCKING. CALLED IT!!!!!!

-MAKI FALLING FOR KAITO and admitting it right before his execution.......my heart can't TAKE this shit please!!!!

-Kaito dying from his illness before the execution was even over...Monokuma being pissed about it...everyone looking at him and going HA BITCH YOU THOUGHT! Kaito beat you!!

-Also me during all this: NOT KAITO THAT'S SHUICHI'S EMOTIONAL SUPPORT BOYFRIEND

-Keebo going off the rails was not on my 2024 bingo card but here we are

-KAEDE DIED FOR NO REASON?? She didn't actually kill Rantaro. My girl was innocent after all huh 😔

-Me, 3 chapters in: Tsumugi is so boring she literally brings nothing to the plot whatsoever. She's just...there Me, during the chapter 6 class trial: OHHHH. THAT WAS INTENTIONAL. I KNEW they wouldn't just have a useless character that should have been my first clue honestly

-Also me: Why do the Monocubs even exist. They've done nothing but comedy routines and die this entire time. They're literally pointless?? I've been watching Game Grumps play V3 and every time they come on screen Dan and Arin collectively sigh together. LMAO

-Imagine me with my jaw on the FLOOR once everything was revealed to be fictional. It's all a lie?? They Truman Show'd this shit?? Neither of the first two games MATTERED?? (A friend explained that DRV3 is in a separate universe than the first two games so that calmed me down a little lmao I would have been so pissed if it were actually the case that everyone from the first two games were just. Not real. Didn't actually exist. It was all faked)

Anyway I'm not completely done with the game yet I'm at the tail end of the chapter 6 trial so we'll see how things go from here 😬 This has been a wild ride. An emotional rollercoaster for sure

#Shima speaks #Danganronpa #DRV3 #Danganronpa V3 #Danganronpa spoilers #DRV3 spoilers #Also. SAIMOTA. AAAAAAAAAAAAA #AND Saiharumota. I'm a training trio OT3 truther #Anyway I'm probably going to watch the anime next since I haven't seen it yet!#Friends warned me it was Dark. I must tread carefully...LOL #Long post

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tveitertotwrites · 26 days ago

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Hey! I saw this and it inspired me and left me yearning for content! :) If it inspires you, can you create something (fic/edit, etc) for one of your pairings? It could be HC or AU - before they meet or after - just have fun with it! I want crazy parties! :)

Hey! Thanks for the ask! I had planned on making it longer but I got stuck on where to go so after the last sentence so I left it where it is. I also wasn't able to work on this until recently so it's a little late (almost a month past christmas but idc)

Christmas Party Shenanigans

Book/Series: Open Heart (Post Series)

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Claire Evans)

Rating: General

Word Count: 705

Summary: Claire makes Ethan go to the Edenbrook Holiday party.

Claire is finishing getting ready by putting on perfume. Ethan comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her waist. He puts his hands on her small baby bump. She leans her back against his chest as he decides to slowly run his hands up and down her sides.

“You know, we could just skip and have more fun here.” Ethan said.

Claire sets down her perfume and turns around to look at him. She wraps her arms around his neck. “While I like the idea of us having fun in that way, we’re going to the party.” She gives him a quick peck on the lips.

Claire grabs her coat and starts to try and put it on. Ethan sighs, feeling defeated that his plan didn’t work. He then helps her put on her coat before putting his on.

Ethan and Claire leave their bedroom and head into their living room where their kids, Oliver and Sienna are playing with their toys on the floor with Alan watching them.

Alan looks at them. “Well, don’t you two look pretty.” Claire smiles as both her and Ethan look at their kids playing. The kids look up at their parents and stop playing and hurry over to their parents for a hug.

“Thank you Alan.” Claire says as she and Ethan hug their kids and give them each a kiss on the forehead. “You’re welcome. You both deserve a night away from the kids.”

The couple finish saying their goodbyes and leave their apartment, walking hand in hand. They head to the garage and Ethan holds the door for Claire to get in. They smile at each other as she gets in the car and he closes the door.

Ethan then gets in the driver’s side and drives towards the hospital, having one hand on the wheel while the other holds Claire’s hand. He parks their car close to the hospital and gets out to help Claire out.

They walk into the hospital foyer to red and green balloons and gold and silver lights all around. Many staff members are dancing on the makeshift dance floor, others near the bar.

Ethan sighs. “Alright I’ve seen enough. We can go now.” He starts to turn around when Claire grabs his shoulder and turns him back around. The pair glare at each other before walking over to the bar.

“Two waters please.” Ethan asks the bartender. The bartender hands Ethan the waters. “Thank you.” Ethan turns to Claire and hands her one of the waters. They both take a drink when Adelaide and Tobias come up to them.

“Well, look who actually showed up. I thought Mr. Grump would have found a way to tie you to your bed so he could avoid this.” Tobias says to Claire. Ethan grumbles, “Unfortunately she told my dad about this and he insisted on us coming.” Adelaide and Tobais chuckle, “It’s not that bad, I mean everyone’s having fun.” Adelaide says as she looks around the room.

On the dance floor is Elijah, Jackie, Aurora, Sienna, and their partners, dancing to the music a little bit as they hold their drinks. Rafael and Bryce play one of the holiday themed games in the corner of the foyer. Zaid, Inez and Baz sit and chat with each other. Some other doctors dance, play games, and sit at the bar as well.

“Anyways, we’re heading to the dance floor. Just don’t spend the whole time here by yourselves.” Tobias tells Ethan but also to Claire a little bit as well. Adelaide and Tobias head onto the dance floor.

Claire is about to head onto the dance floor as well when Ethan gently grabs her waist. “Wait a minute.” Ethan looks over at the nearest closet then back at Claire. She playfully glares at him, “We’re not going into the closet.”

Ethan gently grabs her hand and guides her over to the closet. She rolls her eyes and heads into the closet. Ethan closes the door and gently pushes Claire back against the door before kissing her with a lot of desire. He lifts her up into his arms as they kiss. “So, you said we weren’t going into the closet?”

“Shut up.”

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tags: @crazy-loca-blog @driverstveit @rookiemartin @zahrachoices

OH Only: @coffeeheartaddict2 @jerzwriter @liaromancewriter @rafasgirl23415

Ethan Only: @cariantha

#choices #open heart #ethan ramsey #claire evans #ethan ramsey x mc #ethan ramsey x claire evans

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rrenzwrld · 1 year ago

Text

if you catch my drift II

i added on to this.. a lot so here’s another part! read the first part here

The end of the week rolled around and it was Friday. Luckily, Sasha hadn’t mentioned Reiner this whole week up until now.

“Bae, I have an idea.” When Sasha started off anything by calling you “bae”, you knew she was up to trouble.

“Hm?”

“We’re going to the football game tonight.” And there it goes.

“What? Why?” It’s not like you had anything to do, you just wanted to get some studying in while you had no classes or anything.

“So you can actually see Reiner play. And didn’t I tell you that yall were gonna get together? I meant that.” You pinched the bridge of your nose and exhaled in frustration.

“Sasha.. it’s not that serious.”

“It is, it is that serious. You’re missing out on love and it’s disgusting,” She went over to your side of the room to rummage through your closet and drawers. “Ouuu you got some hoe stuff in here—“

“Sasha, can you not? I don’t even feel like going out tonight.” Especially if that meant only going out to have a chance at embarrassing yourself in front of your crush. Yeah, you were good on that.

After a bit of searching, Sasha finally found an outfit for you to wear

Which wasn’t that bad at all because you thought she was gonna pull out something a lot more revealing. Once you did all you needed to do to get ready, you and Sasha prepared to leave.

“Are you excited?” You didn’t know if it was excitement or just plain nerves with the way your belly did somersaults inside of you. Because what if you did get to talk to Reiner tonight? What if you ruin the interaction by being awkward or weird? What if you push him away? What if he pushes you away? All kinds of things went through your head.

“I guess…”

You saw Sasha roll her eyes. “Y/n, you gotta give me something to work with here! I can’t play matchmaker if you being miss grumpy grump.” She pouted.

“I’m sorry, Sash. I just really don’t wanna get my hopes up if nothing—“

“We’re here! And we early too? C’mon.” You felt like the car was barely parked the way Sasha got out so fast. The stands still had a decent amount of people and the line for tickets were long so you don’t know how early Sasha thought you were.

“Um, Sash?” She hummed as she stood happily in line beside you. “How early are we?” She checked her apple watch.

“15 minutes. Better than being late or we’d never get in.”

When you two did eventually get in, it was easy to enjoy the game even if you didn’t completely understand what was going on. Although you were cheering whenever everyone else cheered, it was a nice experience for your first game. And it became really easy when you finally found Reiner’s jersey number so your eyes were glued to his figure for the night. From the time you first saw him on the field, until the game was over.

“You see your bae?” Sasha teased as the two of you made your way down the stands.

“My bae? Now you reaching…”

“I’m telling you, it’s going to happen like you can’t run anymore at this point.” You loved her enthusiasm but you really didn’t feel comfortable having as much confidence as she did.

She held your hand and lead you to the gate in front of the stands and you saw that the players were still on the field.

“Sasha… the fuck we standing here for?” All she did was look at you and smile happily. You would’ve left but she was your ride so you just had to bare whatever shit she had for you.

“Reiner!” Sasha yelled so that not only Reiner heard, but the entire team heard and made them all turn around in curiosity. She continued calling his name until he began to walk over. You started to walk away from Sasha as Reiner got closer to the gate.

“Y/n! Where are you going? You can’t run anymore.” She whispered as she brought you back. The sad part was that she was right, you couldn’t run anymore even if you wanted to. Sasha was gonna make sure of it.

“Hey~ we just wanted to say that you played so good tonight.” You tried to be polite and hold eye contact but it just wasn’t happening.

“Yeah? Thank you..” But you weren’t the only one with wandering eyes. Sasha noticed the tension and made up some lie on the spot. She walked away from you two, pretending to answer her phone for an important call. You looked up into Reiner’s eyes for a second but you didn’t know what you wanted your eyes to say. Reiner didn’t know what he wanted his to say either.

“Hey, boo…” Sasha walked back over. “Something came up so I won’t be able to take you home…” She winced in advance, knowing you were about to blow up.

“The fuck you mean you can’t take me home? You made me come to this fuck ass game and you’re just gonna leave?” Maybe Sasha knew what she was doing, maybe she didn’t but she was taking a risk for you that you’d realize later.

Reiner jumped over the fence. “It’s cool, I’ll take you back ,” Sasha could almost smile. “If you don’t mind ridin’ sweaty.”

“I’m sorry, Y/n..” You rolled your eyes in response as you watched Sasha hurry away into the darkness like she actually had somewhere to be.

You and Reiner were left standing awkwardly before one another until Reiner broke the uncomfortable silence. “I’m gonna go, uh.. get my things. Wait here.” You watched him as he left to wherever to go get his stuff. You were thinking that maybe it was a good idea that you and your crush were left together but the biggest part of you knew that nothing would come of it. To you, Reiner was doing nothing but a good deed when he could’ve left you to fend for yourself.

#aot x reader #black reader #aot x black reader #reiner braun #reiner x y/n #reiner x black reader #reiner braun x black reader #college au #college athlete au

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exhaustedpirate · 3 months ago

Text

my mom is dating a vampire

another entry for the CS Spooky/Autumnal Bingo, this time the prompt was 'bats' - once again, i got a little carried away with it and this turned out more emotional than i expected (but also i'll never apologise for providing yall with some captaincobraswan) a million thanks to @ultraluckycatnd for betaing!

rated T | 9059 words

also on AO3

summary: Emma Swan is dating Killian Jones. Which Henry is completely fine with.

On a completely unrelated note, how does one get rid of a vampire?

Emma Swan is dating. Henry is sure of it.

There’s a significant increase of flowers in their home - significant because there hadn’t been any before. Anything from red roses to buttercups fills every available surface in improvised vases. They are running out of space.

“Who’s giving you all of these?” Henry asks as his mom fills an empty can of soup with water to put half a dozen forget-me-nots in.

“Just a friend.” But there is a decidedly smitten smile on her face as she tries to push the other occupants of the kitchen windowsill aside to make space for their new friend.

“Maybe your friend should relax on the flowers before our apartment is filled with bees.” So maybe Henry is brooding. He’s 13, he’s allowed to brood; it’s part of the job requirement even.

“Don’t be a grump, kid.” Emma taps his nose with her index finger and stands next to him to look at the flowers surrounding their living space. “Aren’t they beautiful?”

Henry only groans in response.

During her days off, Aunt Ruby babysits - it mostly involves eating snacks and watching movies or playing video games together - while Emma obsesses over her looks. She never did that before. Ruby has to give her a hushed pep talk to get her out of the house.

Ruby knows. But he doesn’t. He learned long ago that his aunt is impossible to interrogate.

When she comes back, Ruby leaves after securing a promise to hear all about it the day after. Henry doesn’t get those promises, he only gets evasive answers. And when she kisses his forehead in greeting, she smells differently. A spicy scent that he knows is not hers. She’s been smiling into her phone and talking late into the night - either texting or calling.

She looks…happy.

---

“The usual, Swans?”

It was tradition. Every Sunday night, they would go to Granny’s for dinner and talk about the week before.

They had had a “monkey problem” three years ago - Walsh Ozman had appeared to be a great attentive guy, helping Henry with homework and playing video games. But only when his mom was watching. When she was gone, he was dismissive and rude, always making him feel like an obstacle in his mom’s life. In his gullibility, he had kept it from his mother until she caught him crying in his room. He told her everything.

While Walsh Ozman got berated in his place of work as well as a broken nose, Henry got closer to his mother. Emma had felt guilty for not having seen the signs before, especially considering he had also been cheating on her. And while Henry didn’t blame his mother for having been in love, he wasn’t complaining about getting more of her time - especially without monkeys around.

So Sunday nights became their time to talk - about nothing, about everything, about their week, about the upcoming week, or about Henry’s unrequited crush on Violet or when his crush became requited. It was their time for honesty.

But his mom is keeping a secret.

When she jumps at Ruby’s customary greeting, Henry frowns. Emma’s quick to pretend as if nothing happened. “Uhm, not yet, Ruby. We’re, uh,” she glances towards Henry, “we’re waiting for someone.”

They must share a sign that Henry wasn’t made aware of because Ruby seems to know who that someone is. His frown only deepens when his aunt Ruby leaves without further questions.

“We’re waiting for someone?”

“Well,” his mom wrings her hands nervously and takes a deep breath. “I met someone.”

“A boyfriend?” He raises his eyebrow.

Emma tucks her hair behind her ear and a blush crosses over her cheeks. “Yeah, a boyfriend.” There’s a quick smile on her lips at the label. “We started dating a month ago. I, uhm, thought it was time that you two met.”

There’s a hopeful expression on Emma’s face and Henry is finding it hard to breathe. His mother hasn’t dated since the monkey disaster, at least nothing serious enough to reach the “meet the son” stage. He should have expected this - considering the flowers, the dates, the smiles, all the evidence - yet all he can see is Walsh’s cruel smile and hear his hurtful words.

“Henry?”

Maybe it’s just the unexpectedness of it all. It’s sudden, right? Why is it so hot?

“Henry.” His mom takes hold of his hand and his wide eyes focus on hers. The hope is gone and there’s only nerves there. “Are you ok, kid?”

“I, uh, I need to go to the bathroom.” Henry jumps out of his seat.

“Henry, a-”

“I’m fine.”

He rushes through the arch at the back of the diner before he sees his mom’s concerned expression again, passing through the bathrooms towards the back door. The night air is cold but he takes a deep breath in and it releases the weight on his chest. He focuses on breathing, on feeling and loosens his fists when it doesn’t feel like he’s going to suffocate anymore.

The night sky is littered with stars and he’s happy to live in a small town instead of the city. A colony of bats flies through the sky and Henry frowns - he’s never seen bats before. They disappear over the next building - an ice cream shop - and he looks up at the sky again.

“You can see Cassiopeia from here.” Henry startles at the voice of a man crossing the alley behind “Any Given Sundae” towards the diner. “Apologies, lad, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Oh, uh,” the strange accent has him blinking repeatedly. “You didn’t.”

As the man approaches him with a friendly smile, he picks up a familiar cologne. He seems to recognise Henry as he gets a closer look at his face.

“You’re Henry.”

Bats, a strange man, and a scent he recognises. It’s all too much for him. “You’re British.” The man has a nice laugh. Henry regains his focus. “You know me?”

“Well,” the man scratches the back of his neck in a nervous move, “I know of you.” Henry frowns. “Emma’s told me a lot about you. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

Mom’s new boyfriend. Of course.

“Henry!” His mom’s panicked voice echoes from the other side of the door and the man - her boyfriend - frowns, stretching an arm around him to open the door.

“Swan?”

Emma appears at the door and spares only a surprised look towards the stranger before crouching in front of him. “What are you doing out here? I thought you were in the bathroom.”

He notices, out the corner of his eye, how the man takes a step back, an attempt at privacy. He remembers Walsh’s overbearing presence everytime his mom tried to talk to him, or if they wanted a moment together. “I just needed some air.” He shrugs.

His mom glances towards her boyfriend again before she turns to him again with a serious look. “Do you want to go home? We can order in and watch a movie, just the two of us.”

He had seen the hope on her face when she had talked about the man now standing a couple of steps away, had seen that hope fall when he rushed out. Henry shakes his head.

She cups his face and looks into his eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I want Granny’s fries.” His smile is soft but genuine. He trusts his mom.

And when she smiles brightly at him and kisses his forehead, he knows he made the right decision. She stands up straight and they turn towards the man who looks at them with a fond and patient expression, hands stuffed in his jacket.

“This isn’t exactly what I envisioned your meeting would be but,” Emma chuckles before gesturing for the man to approach them. “Henry, this is Killian Jones. Killian, this is my son, Henry.”

He has a nice smile too, it reaches his eyes, makes his face softer and younger. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Henry.”

He takes his outstretched hand. It’s cold. “Same.”

“Now that that’s out of the way,” Emma claps her hands and the delighted smile on her face is infectious. “Let’s go back inside, it’s freezing out here.”

Right, it’s cold. Cold hands.

Henry follows them back to their table and watches as Killian keeps a respectful distance from his mother. Ruby struts her way to their table with a wide grin on her face and his mom sighs in defeat.

“I guess you don’t need to see the menu, girl, you already have such a fine dish here.” Killian blushes up to his ears and Emma hides her face in her hands. “I’m Ruby Lucas, you?”

“Uhm, Killian, Killian Jones.” He nods in greeting.

“I’ve heard a lot about you.”

His mother groans from her hideout and he smirks, he’s never seen his mother acting so childishly. “Didn’t Granny warn you about being professional once before?” Henry sasses towards his aunt.

Ruby leans towards him as she keeps her eyes on the bashful couple on the opposite side. “She makes an exception for you guys, especially when it makes your mother act like a teenager.”

“Alright, alright,” Emma gestures with her hands as she glares at the other woman whose grin only widens in response. “We’ll have the usual. Killian?”

“I’ll take whatever you recommend, lass,” he answers towards Ruby. “Just nothing with garlic.”

“Hope you like surprises,” Ruby sweeps up all the menus in a fluid move. “Be right back.”

“That was my best friend,” Emma explains. “I’m sorry, she can be a bit much.”

Walsh hadn’t liked Ruby, and went so far as to manufacture an argument between the two in order to pull them apart, as they learned later. He remembered the string of muffled curses - that he had not meant to hear, of course - coming from the living room the day Emma told Ruby everything. He imagined that his aunt had wanted to rip Walsh apart limb from limb. But, just like with his mom, it brought them all closer.

“Nonsense,” Killian waves away Emma’s excuse with an amused smile. “She’s delightful.”

His mom’s shoulders deflate and he wonders if she had the same thought as him. The movement has Henry noticing the scars on Killian’s left hand.

“Wow, what happened to your hand?”

“Henry!” his mom scolds but Killian just keeps smiling.

“It’s alright, Swan.” She bites her lip and Killian’s smile softens. “It’s natural for the boy to be curious.” He turns to Henry, pulling up his sleeve so that Henry can see how the scars continue up to his forearm. “It was an accident in the navy.”

“You were in the navy?”

“Aye.” His grin is proud and Henry finds himself smiling back. “We were attacked and I got caught in an explosion.”

“Cool,” Henry breathes out and the man chuckles. “I mean, it’s not cool that you got into trouble but cool that you survived an explosion.”

There’s a shadow that crosses Killian’s face and Henry’s chest tightens at the thought of having put that expression on his face. “I didn’t lose my arm but,” he clenches his fist, a slow movement that has his hand shaking until it finally closes and Killian winces in pain, “it’s little consolation.”

“Okay,” Emma takes hold of his mangled hand and Killian’s face clears as he looks at her. The pain seems to leave his body at her touch. Interesting. “I can’t believe we’re starting with tragic backstories.”

Henry and Killian share a laugh. He does have a nice laugh. “What? Did you plan the whole dinner, Mom? Did we go off script?”

Emma covers his face with her hand and pushes on it until his back hits the back of the chair and his laughter intensifies. “No,” she scoffs in faux indignation. “I just thought we’d start with the basics.”

“Apologies, Swan.” Huh, they have nicknames. “We’ll follow the rules.” He winks and she rolls her eyes and it looks like he’s used to it.

And that’s how, with some delicious food in front of them, he learns that Killian is 32 to his mother’s 30, has been in Storybrooke for a year after travelling the world all his life, loves the sea and has a boat.

“Ship, my boy,” he corrects.

“I’m sorry, Captain,” Henry mockingly salutes and Killian narrows his eyes at him even as he is fighting a smile. “Maybe we can go out on your ship together sometime?” He looks hopeful between his mom and Killian. “It’s your birthday soon, Mom, we could celebrate on Killian’s ship!”

Emma bites her lip and Killian smiles.

“You’re always welcome aboard my ship, love.”

She nudges his shoulder with a smile. “It’s still two weeks away, we’ll see.”

“I’m counting that as a ‘yes’,” Henry grins victoriously. “What about your birthday, Killian?”

“Oh.” The man frowns and scratches behind his ear. “Well, I don’t know the exact day but it’s sometime in Summer. Late July?”

Henry frowns. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

He chuckles nervously. “I lost my birth certificate when my house burned up when I was young. The foster family I was with for years after that didn’t care much for birthdays so all I have to go with is a vague memory of a hot day, a picnic in a garden and a delicious strawberry cake.”

“Wow,” Henry breathes out. “That’s crazy. Why haven’t you tried to get another copy?”

“He says he forgot,” Emma answers instead. “Can you believe it?”

Killian shrugs, even as his cheeks turn crimson. “I kept putting it off and I haven’t needed it yet.” He puts on a charming smile that doesn’t affect his mom the way he intended.

“If someone comes along to arrest you over that, I’m not bailing you out.” She crosses her arms and raises her eyebrow at him.

Killian winks surreptitiously at Henry before draping an arm over the back of the booth inching closer to Emma. “If my punishment is being parted from you, I shall fix it.”

His mom rolls her eyes but he can see how charmed she is by his words and the way he plays with a strand of her hair. Henry had never seen her act this way with anyone. “Yeah, yeah, you think you’re so charming with your blue eyes, your smile and your antiquated vocabulary.”

“I mean, it’s working.” Henry smirks and it grows into a grin when Killian turns to him with a conspiratorial smile. And there’s something to the fact that he’s not restricted from their moments, to how he doesn’t feel like he’s intruding.

They laugh together when Emma huffs. “If I knew the two of you would get along so well, I would have thought twice about introducing you.”

Killian raises his left hand to high-five Henry which he does gladly. And he gets some satisfaction from the fact that the man isn’t hiding his injury from him. Even more when Emma rolls her eyes once more.

“Any desserts, Swans?”

Ruby stands next to their table with a self-satisfied smile and he thinks she likes to see them together. Henry doesn’t hate it.

“What do you say, kid?”

“We could go for ice cream…” Henry puts his best puppy-dog eyes and isn’t distracted by the way Killian chuckles at it.

Emma fumbles. “It’s October…”

“And we could take a walk to the docks,” Killian supplies.

“It’s October.”

“You can always huddle for warmth,” Ruby smirks.

“Guess we’re eating ice cream and walking close to the cold sea air,” Emma sighs in defeat and Henry shares a grin with his partners in crime. “How much do we owe you, Rubes?”

“My treat, Swan.” Killian hands over his credit card to Ruby before she can reply. His aunt winks at Emma and struts back behind the counter.

“Killian, y-”

“No use arguing, Swan.” He leans back with a self-satisfied smirk. “This is a special occasion and I want to treat my girlfriend and her son to dinner.”

Emma blushes even if she tries to hide it, crossing her arms and looking into his eyes. “I’m paying for ice cream then.”

Killian shares a wink with Henry. “We’ll see.”

Emma huffs but there is a smile on her face.

Henry remembers when they went to the zoo 3 years ago. He had missed the class trip because of the flu and had cried for a whole day. His mom then planned a zoo trip for the weekend, just the two of them. Walsh had weaselled his way into coming with them, claiming that it was supposed to be their weekend together. So it became the three of them.

He had refused to pay for his ticket since it wasn’t his initial plan and Henry still remembered the way Walsh had accused him of ruining their weekend on purpose, of being spoiled, when his mom wasn’t around. Henry didn’t let his mother see him cry when they got home. He felt a little vindicated when, at the monkey exhibit, one of the monkeys threw their poop at the exhibit glass, aiming towards Walsh’s head - and caused a teenager to throw up in his shoes.

And if he paid for anything, there was an expectation of retribution.

Unlike Walsh, Killian looks genuine with his offer. No ulterior motives in sight.

It is in fact cold when they leave the diner. Emma tightens the scarf around his neck to protect him and digs into her coat for their gloves. She fusses over Killian’s unseasonal outfit choice - from the couple of buttons he left open on his shirt, to his flimsy leather jacket, to his exposed ears - over the few steps it takes to reach “Any Given Sundae”.

Killian’s smile is wide as she argues with him over his choices. He enjoys the way she expresses her care for him, her concern, and allows her to button his shirt and hold his hands in order to warm them with her own. And Henry knows that, for all that Emma has been happier and free with her feelings, she still hides it through her fussing. He thinks Killian knows too.

Emma abandons all concern when they reach the door to the ice cream shop. She all but locks the business’ door in both their faces to keep him from paying for them. It’s a good thing they know the owner and that his mom is the Sheriff.

“Get me some red berries ice cream?” Killian pouts as he speaks through the glass and laughs when his mother blows him a kiss from the other side. He chuckles when she turns to the counter. “She’s stubborn.”

“You say that like you’re surprised,” Henry chuckles.

“I’m just always amazed by your mother,” Killian shrugs with a smile as he leans against the wall. “And very thankful to have met her.”

“She looks happy.”

“She makes me happy too. And I’m very happy to have met you too.”

Henry blushes and can’t help but wonder if he’s just putting up a front for him, despite the fact that Killian hasn’t shown to be prone to that sort of behaviour. Then again, neither did Walsh. “I didn’t thank you for paying for dinner, you didn’t have to-”

“Nonsense,” Killian interrupts with a disarming smile. “I already said that I wanted to do it.”

“Yeah, but-”

“No buts.” Killian smiles as he places a hand on Henry’s shoulder and it feels less heavy and more comforting than it felt before from a man who had claimed to want to join their family. “You deserve to be cared for, my boy, and I’ll aim to remind you of that. You and your mother.”

The door to the ice cream shop opens and Henry is glad for the distraction. He feels tears prickling the corners of his eyes and he knows that these are happy tears. That his coat isn’t responsible for the warmth in his chest and that he doesn’t have to look into the face of a man who looks and feels too good to be true.

A bird flies overhead as Killian helps Emma balance the small cups. Henry is reminded of the bats. Of the cold hands. Of the unknown date of birth.

“Here you go, kid, rocky road.” His mom hands him the small cup, distracting him.

They walk in a line, thankful that there aren’t many people around to be annoyed by them taking over the whole sidewalk. Henry walks between Killian and Emma as they all chat about their weeks. He learns Killian works as a bartender at the Rabbit Hole and that Sundays and Mondays are his nights off.

“That means you can join our weekly dinners.” Henry exclaims.

Emma whips her head towards him and her mouth is parted in surprise. Killian is suspiciously quiet on the other side. “A-are you sure, kid? I mean, these dinners-”

“I mean, you don’t have to,” Henry backtracks as he glances between the two adults before focusing on his half-eaten ice cream and shrugs. “I-I just thought that you might like to join our traditions or something.”

There’s his hand again. And when it goes from his shoulder to his back and back up in a revering and comforting move, Henry has to swallow through the lump in his throat before looking up at Killian, who waits until he does to nod. “I would be honoured, my boy.”

Is it too early to have a favourite word from a man you just met?

His mother sniffs from his other side and clears her throat. “That damn sea air,” she grumbles when they turn to look at her.

The tension vanishes as they share a conspiratorial smirk before they change subjects. Henry tries not to mourn the loss of that damn hand on his shoulder as they return to their ice creams.

He learns that Killian doesn’t have any family left alive, the fire taking his brother and mother from him, and they tell him that they only had each other for years until they moved to town 4 years ago. Henry thinks that maybe they can be a family together before quickly pushing down the thought. Too soon.

They walk slowly along the docks, the sea at their left dropping the temperature around them but Henry can barely feel the cold as he walks between the two adults. He tells Killian about how Star Wars is his favourite movie franchise and clutches his imaginary pearls when the man tells him he hasn’t watched any of the movies. Emma joins the teasing over him not having watched “Princess Bride” either - Henry guesses her lie detector doesn’t work on omissions because there’s a glint in Killian’s face that reveals the truth. But it’s not his secret to tell.

“It’s definitely time for a movie night.”

And if the adults share a hopeful look over his head, Henry is distracted by thoughts of a movie night where they share popcorn and hot cocoa in the warmth of their living room. Where the Swans share a part of themselves through the movies they love and hope to be accepted.

They stop at the end of the docks, the presence of the enormous ship looking straight out of a pirate movie effectively putting all thoughts and fantasies to the back of his mind.

“Wow…” Henry breathes out, looking from one side to the other, inspecting every inch.

“Behold,” Killian holds out his arm in a grand gesture as he takes a couple of steps to stand in front of the gangplank. “The Jolly Roger.”

Henry looks back towards the man, mouth parted. “This is your ship?”

“Aye, since we were here, I thought you might like to see it.” Killian reaches up to scratch the back of his ear.

Emma leans towards Henry and pretends to whisper in his ear. “I think he is trying to win you over, kid.”

Despite it being dark, he can see the way Killian’s cheeks darken at being caught. The man stammers a response and Emma exchanges a conspiratorial look with Henry.

“Is that why you named your ship that?” Henry looks at him with a searching look, the one that Uncle David called his “detective look”. He watches as Killian fumbles before sending a mock glare towards Emma who is trying very hard not to laugh.

“It’s a pirate ship,” Killian holds out his arms as if it made his point. “It should have a pirate name.”

“There it is,” Emma nudges his side and Henry presses his lips together to avoid laughing. “We found the reason for the old-timey speech, kid. Killian is actually a time travelling pirate.”

They both lose their battle against laughter when Killian huffs and crosses his arms at them. “I’m revoking your rights to board my ship, both of you. And I was even going to let you have a try at the wheel.” He raises his eyebrow and Henry sees it as a challenge.

If Killian wants to be dramatic, so can he.

“Please, Killian,” Henry grabs onto his crossed arms and looks up with an exaggerated pout. “We were just kidding.” There’s an uptick at the corner of his lips and Henry is ready to admit victory. “Your ship is so cool and the name is so original and you should let us aboard.” He is really laying it on thick and both adults know it by the looks on their faces.

“Come on, how can you say no to that face?” Emma points out, her voice wobbly from laughter.

“Fine, fine,” Killian sighs and uncrosses his arms. “That is a dangerous face.” Henry is ready to whoop in excitement when Killian touches the tip of his nose. “Stay close to me.”

Henry shares a grin with his mother who holds his hand before he takes Killian’s left hand. There’s a stumbling pause in the man’s steps before he starts walking. They are ordered to wait at the centre of the deck while Killian’s boots echo across the deck while he lights up lanterns around them. The faint light makes the ship look even more out of this world and Henry feels like they are about to set sail on an adventure to fantastical realms.

Henry looks around with a parted mouth and when he finally finds his mother’s eyes, he sees her smile at him, a soft smile that he knows is a reflection of her love for him. “It is very cool, huh, kid?”

He nods and her arm wraps around his shoulders as they watch the deck light up in the warm colour of the lanterns. “This would be a good spot to do some star gazing.”

“With a picnic,” his mom supplies.

“I could teach you about the stars,” Killian finishes, standing to his mom’s side as they look around. Henry sighs.

He can imagine cosy nights learning all about the position of the stars and their stories while they lie in comfy blankets and drink hot cocoa. And in the warm months, after a day of swimming, they could see how different the sky looks in summer. He realises he’s expecting Killian to stay until the coming year and it brings him out of his fantasies.

Despite the man’s promises and assurances, Henry can’t help but feel like there’s something more. Something about Killian Jones that feels…wrong. That’s not the right word…

“Would you like a tour below deck?”

Killian’s offer startles him out of his spiralling thoughts. He pushes them away - let’s himself believe that he’s not as deeply screwed as he actually is. Henry nods quickly, what is he gonna say? No? It’s a pirate ship!

They follow Killian as he lights the way below deck. They see the galley - retrofitted to look modern and with a large table in the middle of the room - the storage room with shelves full of food and other non-perishables, and the officers’ and crew’s quarters.

“Or it would have been had I any crew or officers,” Killian chuckles, gesturing towards the doors. “Maybe you can choose one of them for yourself?” There was a hopeful look on his face and Henry felt his mother’s hand tighten its hold on his shoulder.

The fast beating of his heart is dangerously fast and he wonders if she can feel it in her palm.

So much for putting away those thoughts.

“Maybe we can talk about that another time,” his mother suggests, sparing him an answer.

“Of course, of course,” Killian is quick to dismiss his idea.

Henry is glad for it and even more glad when the adults act as if the question was never posed in the first place. They all ignore the hint of tension below the decks of the ship as Killian shows them where the pirates used to store their guns and where the crew would row the ship if the sails didn’t work.

“And last but certainly, not least,” Killian’s bright grin is back and Henry tries to ignore the warmth in his chest at seeing it. “The Captain’s quarters.”

He opens the door to a large room, helping them down the few steps before hooking the lantern on an overhead hook. A large bed takes up the back wall, perfectly placed under the rectangular window. There are trinkets strewn about in a precise way in the window sill. A book shelf takes over the left side of the room while a table and a high-winged chair take over the right side. It’s all meticulously clean and tidy, so much like its Captain.

“Do you live here?”

“Aye,” Killian leans on his desk with a proud smile. ”A home fit for a pirate Captain.”

Emma chuckles before she crosses her arms to look at him. “Don’t know how well you’ll do when winter comes along, Captain.”

“Yeah, but at least he’ll be sleeping on a pirate ship,” Henry points out and beams when Killian smiles proudly at him as well as pointing a finger in his direction. He takes another look around. “Why is it so dark in here?”

Henry notes the drawn curtains just like he’d noticed it in the other rooms. Despite the bright full moon outside, none of its natural light made its way inside the ship.

“Oh,” Killian immediately stands upright to open the curtains, letting the moonlight filter in.

“Our Captain is a bit of a nocturnal creature,” Emma teases and Killian scratches behind his ear.

“I sleep during the day,” he explains. “I can’t have that pesky sun ruin my plans.”

Henry chuckles with them even as a thought tries to worm its way into his mind. The moonlight reflects on a globe with a strange town inside it and he takes a closer look at it.

“Are these from all the places you’ve been?”

“Aye.” Killian stands at his side as he carefully straightens a ceramic bowl. “Some of my prized possessions.”

A small frame stands between a colourful seashell and a cross made of a soft light brown grass. There’s a young boy with curly hair next to what he thinks is a person. The being is blurry and burned, the only thing visible is an arm wrapped around the man’s shoulders.

“Who’s this?”

Killian clears his throat next to him and when he looks, a muscle is popping on his cheek due to the clenching of his jaw. “That was my brother, Liam.”

“Oh.” Henry looks back at the picture, giving Killian some privacy with his emotions. Emma’s presence is silent behind them but, from the corner of his eye, he sees her place her hand on Killian’s shoulder. “You have the same eyes. Who’s next to him?”

“That’s me.” Henry frowns and leans forward to look at the picture better. Killian chuckles at the movement and the weight on Henry’s chest lightens at the sound. “Well, it was me. Water damage.”

“You don’t have any more pictures?”

“None that depict my devilishly handsome looks.” The smirk on his lips is softer than it had been before but it still brings a lightness to his bearing.

“Not that this one does you much justice.” Emma grins and there’s a heat to Killian’s eyes when he looks back at her.

“I’ve never gotten complaints before.”

“You never forget your first.” She winks and Henry marvels at how light she looks. No matter how happy his mother has always looked when it’s just the two of them, this is a side of her he hasn’t seen before. It’s good.

They stay for another hour. They talk about music - he discovers Killian knows how to waltz and watches while his mother is being led around the cabin to the sounds of “A Thousand Years” from his phone - about sweets and how Killian has never tried a Pop-Tart much to Emma’s shock. Henry even secures some sword fighting lessons for himself, under the assurance that no actual blades will be used.

“Not for now, at least,” Killian adds with a wink that is covered by a cough when he notices Emma’s narrowed eyes and hands on her hips. “No actual blades, Swan, deal.”

Henry giggles at his mother’s exasperated huff. “I made a big mistake,” she mumbles with no real heat behind it.

They say goodbye to Killian after they descend the gangplank. His mom shares a quick kiss with him - in a way that shows their affection but without making him feel like he wants to disappear. Killian ruffles his hair and promises that they’ll start their lessons soon. Before they leave, Emma invites him for dinner at their place the next day. The other two try to hide their surprise, Killian’s morphs into delight whereas Henry tries to simply express his approval.

His mother wraps an arm around his shoulders as they walk away from the ship, feeling Killian’s eyes on them as they do. She smiles down at him when he looks up at her.

“So, kid,” She starts, trying to hide the concern he can see in her green eyes. “What did you think of Killian?”

“He’s cool,” Henry shrugs even as he smiles at Emma’s beaming grin. “He’s good.”

Too good.

---

Henry enters the bus to school after a kiss to his head from his mother and a wave. Just like every morning he has to go to school, Emma will head to the station for her shift while he goes to school and then takes himself home at the end of the day and waits for Emma to get back.

Despite the opinions of most 13-year-olds, Henry likes school. He likes learning, likes the friends he’s made since they’ve moved to town and he especially loves to have Violet around.

But he is, for the lack of better word, distracted.

His teachers call his attention more times than they ever had to - which is significant when they have never had to - and his notebooks are littered with nonsensical scribbles or doodles as opposed to his usual meticulous notes. Violet’s exasperated huff in the middle of her retelling of her weekend of horse riding with her father finally brings everything to a halt.

“I think my mom’s new boyfriend is a vampire.”

Henry tells Violet his Sunday activities - promising to listen to hers afterwards - and he begs for her to use her all-knowing vampire knowledge to prove him right or wrong. He doesn’t tell her that he hopes he’s wrong, he really wants to be wrong.

But Violet presses her lips together when he’s done and his heart feels like it’s going to burst out of his chest, like that alien from that movie he promised his mom he didn’t watch during a sleepover at Ava and Nicholas’ for their birthday - their dad is new at this but after Nicholas almost puked from fear, he got better at it. But that’s not the fear that’s making him almost puke all over the lunch table.

“What?”

“You need to be careful,” Violet bites her lip and he sucks in a breath. “Your mom must already be in his thrall, did you know vampires can hypnotise people? But you are not.”

“She needs my help.” Henry’s eyes are wide and panicked and Violet takes hold of his hands. “What do I do?”

“Take a deep breath, you can’t panic.” Henry does as she says and she rubs her thumbs over his knuckles. “If he hasn’t done anything until now, you’re probably in luck, he’s taking his time.” Violet’s shoulders set in determination and he sees the awesome girl that impressed him when they first met. “I have a plan.”

---

After school, safely at home, Henry is prepared and waiting.

He didn’t dare distract himself with video games or books, simply rehearsing what he wanted to tell his mother as soon as she arrived. There was probably a dip in the carpet due to his pacing route back and forth in the living room.

The door opens and he startles despite the fact that it’s exactly the time his mom usually gets home. Come on, Henry, get your head in the game.

“Okay, I-Shit!” his mom huffs from the door as she stumbles. There are two thumps against the hall before the door closes from taking her boots off. “I got us food from Bella Notte for dinner, it’s too late to cook anything and you know how I love their-”

Emma startles when she sees him standing in the middle of the living room, hair probably a mess from how much he ran his fingers through it and pulled. His mouth is parted and his eyes are wide and he must look like he’s seen a ghost.

“H-hey,” she says carefully, putting the bags down on the kitchen counter without taking her eyes off him. “Are you okay?”

Henry takes a deep breath and she looks even more worried. “No.” He shakes his head when she tries to put her hands on his shoulders and points to the couch in front of him. “You need to sit down.”

She does so in a worried daze, putting her hands on her knees and he sees the panic in her eyes that he saw the day she caught him crying in his room. “Okay, I’m sitting. What’s going on?”

He takes another deep breath, letting it fill his chest before letting it out. “Killian is a vampire.”

That wasn’t what Emma was expecting, clearly, and she shakes her head with her brow pulled low in a frown. “What?”

“Killian is a vampire,” Henry repeats and resumes his pacing back and forth on the living room floor. “You probably don’t realise it because he has you in his thrall, probably because you kissed,” His nose scrunches up in displeasure now. “But he is dangerous and I need to keep you safe.”

“Henry,” Emma sighs and starts to stand from the couch. “Kid-”

“No.” Henry carefully pushes her back down to sitting, his eyes wider as they look into hers and she is taken aback by the resolve in his eyes. “I need you to come out of it, Mom.” He sighs and takes a step back putting his hands on his hips. “You’re a cop so you care about proof; I’m going to give you proof.”

“Henry-”

“First, he doesn’t eat garlic.” Henry ignores her and starts ticking off fingers. “Vampires don’t eat garlic either. Second, he doesn’t know his birthday. Yeah, he has an answer for it but it’s still suspicious.” Emma frowns and opens her mouth but he carries on. “Because now he can’t prove he’s not from, like, the 18th century! You even noticed the way he talks, he was clearly turned like centuries ago.

“Then we have the dark room. He didn’t even notice until I pointed it out because he’s so used to avoiding the sun!”

“He has a tan.”

Henry continues, not noticing her mumble, focusing only on her concerned eyes and parted mouth. “And then, and then his hands! They were cold when we shook them, and yeah, it was cold, but they were really, really cold. There was also the picture, Mom,” His voice grows desperate without him noticing, high pitched and he isn’t sure when he took a proper breath. “How is it possible that only his part of the picture got ruined? And he doesn’t have more? He clearly can’t be photographed, Mom!”

“Henry!” He sucks in a breath, effectively shutting up, when Emma stands in front of him, hands heavy on his shoulder and frightened eyes on his. “Do you hear what you’re saying, kid?”

“I’m right, Mom, I promise.” His voice is quiet, the desperation in his making his mother’s eyes grow more panicked. “There were bats!”

“What?”

“Before he showed up at Granny’s, I saw bats! They flew behind the ice cream shop and not a second later, Killian appeared!” Her hands cup his cheeks and he grabs her wrists tightly. “It’s true, you need to get out of his spell.”

Emma sighs and he clenches his fists over her wrists. “Henry-”

A knock on the door startles the two of them and they both look towards the door.

“That’s him, Mom,” Henry whisper-yells, tightening his grip when her hands slacken. “You didn’t invite him in already, right?”

“He’s been here before, kid.” She sighs and cups his cheeks again before turning to the door. “It’s open!” The door opens.

“No, no!” Careful shuffling at the entrance masks his quiet begging he feels for his back pocket.

“Shh, kid, it’s okay,” she soothes, thumbs caressing his cheeks.

“I hope I’m not too early, I got-” Killian quiets himself as he finds the two of them in the living room. “Is everything alright?” His eyes go from Emma to Henry and his frown grows.

“Yeah,” Emma nods, glancing back at Killian before returning to Henry. “I just need to talk to my son. Think you can go to my room and-”

But Henry doesn’t let her finish and pulls out the wooden stake Violet helped him make after school. He couldn’t let Killian get out of his sight. He ignores Emma’s calls of his name and focuses only on Killian’s wide eyes. He needs to stop this!

He takes a few steps towards the vampire before a crash and a curse behind him diverts both his and Killian’s attention to Emma. There are flowers on the floor and his mom’s hand is quickly pulled back from the broken glass of a tall cup she’d used as a vase - she ran into the table in her efforts to get to him. Emma is holding her wrist and he sees the red blood in her palm.

“Mom! A-Are you bleeding?” His eyes are wide in panic and he holds up the stake even higher when Killian takes a step towards them, eyes on her hand.

“Yeah, kid,” she sighs. “But it’s going to be okay, I promise.”

Killian starts walking around Henry. “Swan, let me-”

“No!” His frightened yell causes them both to stop and look at him. “You’re not getting close to my mom. If you hurt her, I’ll-I’ll stake you!” His hand shakes as it grips the wooden stake.

“Henry, please.” Emma takes a couple of steps towards him and Henry sees how Killian can’t keep his eyes on him, looking instead at Emma’s wound. “Killian is not a vampire.” There’s a startled expression on the man’s face, looking between Emma and Henry now. “He is just trying to help me.”

“A-aye, lad, I have a first aid certification,” he explains in a dazed tone, surprised at being caught, he’s sure. “That’s all.” He raises his hands in defence.

“No.” His voice wobbles and his vision gets blurry. He feels a tear run down his cheek. “There’s something wrong with him, Mom, there has to be!”

Emma sucks in a breath and Killian’s eyes widen impossibly more. He can’t look away from the understanding in the eyes of the man in front of him, the way his shoulders tense in a different way and Henry feels something loosen inside him. As his mom moves in front of him, Killian takes a couple of steps back, almost like a coordinated move. She easily takes the stake from his trembling hand with her uninjured one and drops it to the ground.

“Henry,” she breathes out and that’s all it takes for him to bury his face in her chest, sobbing as his arms wrap around her waist.

They move to the couch between his loud hiccuping sobs and when they calm down into sniffles. Emma’s hand moves slowly, reassuringly, up and down his back and she speaks low in his ear, comforting, patient words. His arms tighten around her and he hides his face on her neck when his breathing calms but none of them move beside that.

“Henry,” Emma tries again, speaking calmly, and when he doesn’t interrupt, she pulls away so she can look into his eyes. “Do you think we can have a conversation now?”

He nods and feels his chest tighten in shame when he notices how Killian sits patiently in a chair parallel to the couch, his right hand slowly caressing through his short beard. He is giving them a sense of privacy, not reacting to Emma’s voice and not looking at them, lost in thought. He needs to apologise.

His mom’s hand on his cheek brings his attention back to her and he notices how there’s a bandage around her previously injured hand. He guesses Killian must have taken care of it during his tantrum and he feels the weight in his chest grow heavier.

“Kid,” Emma’s voice is quiet as she urges him to look back at her, her eyes are understanding and calm despite the pain beneath them. “We could not have known that Walsh was such a horrible guy. You could not have known and it wasn’t your job to protect me.” Her words are final, without a chance for debate, and he can only nod. “He hurt us, he was a horrible guy but he is gone. Not everyone is going to hurt us like he did.” Henry nods again, he remembers his mother saying how she was going to be more careful with the people she brought around them.

“I-I’m sorry,” he whispers and closes his eyes in shame.

“You’re forgiven, kid,” Her fingers rub against his cheek and he leans into it unconsciously. “I thought we could just leave all the shit he did to us in the past but I forgot to talk to you about it. To make sure you were ready.”

“I kept comparing them,” he confesses and his mother’s brow furrows in sorrow even as she nods. “I think I liked the time we spent together so much that I remembered when we first met him. How it was all too good to be true, how Killian was too good to be true.”

Emma glances towards the man in the chair and Henry feels his eyes on him but he can’t look back. Can’t bring himself to face how much he screwed up their relationship.

“Actually, kid?” His mom lets out a small, ironic chuckle and Henry looks up at her in surprise. “I know exactly how you feel. I actually put my gun to Killian’s head when we first met.” There’s a soft chuckle from the couch and Emma’s cheeks turn pink. “That’s why it took me so long to introduce you two, because he was too good to be true. Even if I knew by, like, the third day, that I was in love with him.”

A sharp intake of breath comes from the couch this time and his mom’s cheeks turn a deep shade of red. But mother and son keep looking at each other. “You did? Weren’t you scared?”

“Terrified,” Emma confesses, a soft smile on her face. “But sometimes we have to put fear behind us and let people in. We have to allow ourselves the chance to love and be loved.”

Henry’s nose scrunches up. “That sounds like something Aunt Mary Margaret would say.”

Emma laughs and his chest doesn’t feel as tight or heavy. “Yeah, I might have asked for her help on this.”

Henry sighs. “I’m really sorry, Mom, I didn’t mean-”

“I think you’ve apologised enough to me, kid.” She stops him gently with an encouraging smile before gesturing with her head towards the man still quietly sitting on the chair.

He takes a deep breath before turning on the couch, wringing his hands on his lap. Killian looks at him with a patient look on his face. “I’m sorry, Killian.” He is looking so kindly at him that he feels his eyes watering, how can he deserve this? His mom resumes her caresses on his back. “This didn’t have anything to do with you but I hurt you and that was wrong of me, I’m really sorry.”

Killian stands from the chair and crouches in front of him. His hands are holding each other with his elbows on his knees. “A long time ago,” Killian starts in a calm tone before chuckling and correcting. “20 years ago, not centuries.” Emma snorts next to him and Henry feels his cheeks burning. “My father abandoned both me and my brother in the middle of the night. There was a short circuit in the fuse and it caused our house to burn down.”

“I lost my brother and my father on the same day.” His tone is quiet, mournful and he can’t look away from the pain reflected in the blue of his eyes. “I had the chance to reunite with my father a few years ago and I let my hurt stop me from trying. I know how it is to sabotage your relationships because of your wounds.

“But,” Killian’s lips curve up in a small smile and he takes hold of Henry’s hands. His hands are so warm. That remaining weight on his chest vanishes. “I can promise you that it’s going to take a lot more to push me away.”

“I’m sorry that I tried,” Henry whispers and Killian nods.

“You’re forgiven, my boy.” Henry feels his eyes water and his shoulders relax at his words. “I know what that man did to the two of you and, while I never thought to be compared to a vampire, I knew I had to take that into account when I met you.” Killian’s cheeks turn red and he scratches at the back of his ear. “I just think I got too ahead of myself yesterday. Truth is, I’ve always wanted a family,” he confesses, his eyes glancing between his and Emma’s. “Meeting you two made it all too real and I think I got too desperate so if I-”

Henry doesn’t let him finish what he thinks is going to be an apology to his own apology and lunges at him for a hug. Killian stumbles and ends up falling on his butt. But he doesn’t care, he simply tightens his arms around his neck and relaxes when he feels Killian’s arms just as tight around him. “I want you to be part of our family too,” he confesses and hears a sniffle from behind him. “Especially now that I know you’re not a vampire.”

His words make them all chuckle, like he hoped they would, even as there are tears gathering at their eyes. “It’s an honour to be a part of this family, my boy.” His hand running up and down his back feels just as good as his mother’s and he grins.

“Okay,” His mother’s voice is watery and they separate to watch as she wipes under her eyes with the back of her hand. “Now that it’s all solved, we should eat.”

“Aye, I’m starving,” Killian grins. “There’s not that many people in Storybrooke who let me drink their blood.”

Emma rolls her eyes with a smirk while Henry laughs embarrassedly. “I’m never leaving this down, am I?”

“Not likely, lad.” Killian ruffles his hair and even though he huffs and puffs, Henry thinks he might like the idea of being teased by the man, especially if it means he’ll stick around for a long time.

“Come on,” Emma helps them both up from the floor and while Henry lets go of her hand as soon as he’s standing, Killian doesn’t. “Let’s eat.”

“Actually,” Killian glances towards Henry asking for permission and for some reason, Henry thinks he just might know what he wants. He nods. “There’s something I need to do first.”

Emma frowns confused. “Huh?”

Before she can get an answer, Killian pulls her to him for a kiss. He keeps it soft but it’s clearly full of love and his mom lets out a hum. Henry thinks he should look away but he basks in the sight of their love.

“What was that for?” she mumbles when they separate.

“I love you too,” Killian confesses in a quiet tone, eyes on hers, and Henry feels that last piece of the puzzle slot into place.

Her smile is wide and she kisses him again, a press of lips due to how wide both of them smile. His phone buzzes on the table, no longer full of glass shards, and it catches all of their attention.

“Your phone keeps buzzing, kid, what’s that about?”

Henry frowns in confusion before a metaphorical lightbulb flashes above his head and his eyes widen. “Oh crap!” He dives for his phone and starts tapping at it frantically.

“What is it?”

“That was Violet,” he answers, pressing his lips together to stop from saying more. His mother raises an eyebrow to incentivize him. “She was my second line of defence.”

Killian seems to understand before his mother and he can see how he is seconds away from bursting into laughter. “What do you mean?” his mother asks.

“Well, she was going to bring holy water…”

There’s a moment of silence before they all succumb to hysterical laughter.

Maybe Killian is too good to be true. But as Henry laughs with his family, he thinks his aunt is right - he’ll put the fear behind him and allow himself to be loved.

#carolina writes #cs spooky bingo 2024 #killian jones #emma swan #captain hook #captainswan #henry mills #ouat ff #cs ff #captaincobra #captaincobraswan #vampires #mentions of psychological abuse

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glamangel3766 · 2 years ago

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Just got into the Ace Attorney fandom/franchise 🏛🏵⚖️

I have a question(or 2)(I tend to ramble) for the veteran fans followed by a few theories/ headcanons/ observations I made as I delved into the rabbit hole that is my shiny new addiction/obsession. (*Please note I'm awful at spelling. Spellcheck can only do so much for my jelly brain)

Question:

Is shipping WrightWorth just a natural part of the initiation/transition into the fandom or is that just the fujoshi in me getting a bingo on a card with all my fave shipping tropes?

These 2 lawyers act like rivals, claim to be friends since childhood, but are desperately in love with each other in reality and anyone with even half a brain cell can tell. This ship gives me strong vibes of "I hate how much I love you but won't say a thing because I believe you deserve better and I'm not ready to deal with the truth of how much I value you" Miles Edgeworth x "I will sing your praises if you'd just let me and alter my whole life to be within your presence because I don't want a life where you aren't a part of it" Pheonix Wright.

Theory/headcanon/observation(s):

I totally agree with the fandom that Pheonix would openly love Legally Blonde. However, I think Miles would secretly love it more after Pheonix forces him to watch both the movie and musical, but only deny his love for it because the song "Gay or European" calls him out too much and he feels offended by that. How DARE a song from a musical based on a movie call him out like that in front of his dearest-childhood-friend-totally-not-first-love-now-turned-husband and their adopted children like that!?!

I feel like even the homophobes can see Miles Edgeworth has the vibes of a bitter old gay man, but this prosecutor is so far in the closet that his shipping address is Narnia

How can anyone say Wrightworth isn't legit/canon? They're either a bickering old married couple or a newly divorced couple that's too proud to admit they still love each other and want to get back together. You cannot convince me otherwise. Either way they still always find things to argue about, but end up aggressively making out in a violent and heated passion then(if divorced) just as aggressively deny that they ever locked lips.

FOR CONTEXT: I watched the Game Grumps do a let's play of it and I'm currently playing through the Trilogy game(s(?)*) on the Switch and know bits and pieces through repeating themes in fan-made content. (I also want to watch the anime but haven't decided if I should finish playing before starting.)

* I'm still not fully used to how the story is structured like a book series, but I'm close. I'm at around 90% used to it. Like I understand it in my head but when I need to put it into actual words it makes my brain hurt.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk

#ace attorney #miles edgeworth x phoenix wright #wrightworth #miles edgeworth #pheonix wright #phoenix wright #bad spelling #new obsession just dropped #yay #I swore this was supposed to be a short post #why must everything I post turn into a novel/essay?#please send help #it's becoming a problem #pray for me #I might be beyond saving

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mintyisms · 4 months ago

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The Game Grumps Play Danganronpa V3

Chapter Two Starters

"I absorb nutrients through my hate."

"Oh, no, my HP warranty expired!"

"You're anti-goth girl, dude."

"I am a layered, nuanced character!"

"Everyone, come with me. Except you."

"That's the biggest saw I ever saw!"

"Could you imagine hanging out with someone who, after everything you say, just randomly says, 'That's not true!'?"

"Somebody's going to be found dead in one of those."

"Look at all these games!"

"I see you, but I'm not going to talk to you."

"If you're into it, then I'm into it, and I know you're into it."

"I know you want that big win before you stop, but. . ."

"That was the song of my people."

"It comes off as banal, but it actually has a lot of interesting things to say."

"Dude, you're dying in like forty minutes."

"I chose not to eat spaghetti anymore, a fate worse than death."

"Just let me get to my laptop and delete a few files."

"What, do I have Stockholm Syndrome? Why would I want to stare at my fucking captor?"

"I feel like I should get drunk before I watch these."

"Hey, man, did you get a video about my grandparents?"

"I'm about to sleep like nobody's business."

"Become the pervert that you were always meant to be."

"Good morning. Many are dead."

"It usually takes two days for muscles to get sore, but whatever."

"I'm tired of fraternizing with these weirdos."

"She reminds me of a Muppet."

"Am I having a stroke?"

"Didn't know this would turn into a screaming party."

"Did you invite us over to Netflix and chill?"

"I didn't realize I liked him until just now."

"We should check just in case there's a boombox in there."

"What you're saying is if someone had to die, it's best it was him."

"Maybe we should have fed him a little more."

"That would be a paradigm shift in our thinking of the world, so I'm going to stick with magic isn't real."

"It's not just about the trick. It's about the treat."

"Of course I was up to no good, but I wasn't going to tell her that."

"I was up late and I ran into a maid. We got into an argument and then she chased me for about an hour."

"It's plain to see I like plain bagels."

"Everyone's dying inside."

"Someone really should clean up all this drama."

"Strangle the small man. Throw him in the tank."

"I'm gonna vote for Mitt Romney!"

"Were you too busy being chased by a maid?"

"Wow, someone doesn't believe in the power of imagination."

"Those who use the word 'oft' are oft annoying."

"I levitated before I hit the ground using my magic."

"We're all gonna die, and I'm gonna murder someone."

"His hand was up in the air. I got the impression that he didn't care."

"You made donuts?"

"I'm about to drop my latest album on Soundcloud. Would anyone like a download link?"

"Bitchlet? Like the gum? Did you mean Chiclet?"

"Must have been an accidental handcuff piranha drowning."

"I can't think too much. The doctor told me it was bad for my skin."

"Do you think murderers obey rules?"

"Please, just let the rapture take me."

"The window, the wall, and something, something, something, my balls."

"On three, we turn and duel with finger guns."

"Why are we friends, again? We've known each other since like Monday."

"Those gloves were really holding the whole outfit together."

"She makes really good pasta."

"It was supposed to be bleak, but it was kinda funny."

#roleplay meme #rp meme #sentence meme #sentence starters #roleplay starters #rp starters #[ quote ]#[ meme ]#[ yt2 ]#[ dangan ]

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deadlygronkle · 5 months ago

Text

Ancestors Legacy Chapter 18

The Desert: Chapter 8

word count: 7064

Ao3 Prev

Time was pacing back and forth in front of the small spring. It had been hours since Twilight and Warriors left on their hunt. Since they left the others had woken up and have been getting progressively impatient at the fact they were stuck in here.

To alleviate that boredom Four and Wind have taken to playing a game of tag, bouncing over the lying bodies of Wild and Hyrule. The latter two originally played with them but after nearly stepping on Four, it was quickly deemed that they couldn’t actively play with the otter and mouse.

Legend was near Time, drinking from the spring and watching Sky try to fly. It was going well for the most part, in the beginning it was a lot more falling than flying. Now however Sky could glide down from the top of the stairs to the spring with ease. Actually flying was another matter altogether given how there was no wind draft for Sky to practice with.

“You are doing remarkably well for someone who has only recently achieved this form,” The Great Fairy commented as Sky landed after his most recent attempt.

“Thanks! Training with Loftwings since I was young definitely helped,” Sky answered as he righted himself, out of breath, “I still can’t fly properly though,”

“All things take time,” The Great Fairy smiled softly, “Go and rest, you will need energy for the fights to come,”

Sky nodded, quickly getting a drink of water before hopping over to the other Links. He laid down in between Hyrule and Wild, his feathers puffing up slightly as he tried to nap. Wind and Four took to being extremely careful not to fall on him while they were jumping.

“Stop your pacing old man,” Legend grumped, hopping over to the wolf, “It isn’t doing anyone any good,”

“I am not pacing,” Time huffed, his ears going back.

“Sure you aren’t,” Legend rolled his eyes, “Just like Warriors isn’t causing any problems, and Wolfie is protecting him despite the problems he is causing,”

“That’s not what I’m worried about. Who knows what those ‘interlopers’ would do if they caught them? Especially since Warriors accidentally saved one of them,” Time’s good eye narrowed slightly at the pink rabbit.

“Like that overgrown mutt wouldn’t allow that to happen,” Legend scoffed, adjusting his small red tunic, “He could probably smell a needle out of a haystack if given the chance,”

“The interlopers have magic on their side,” Time argued, “Who knows what they are capable of?”

“Ok, you got me there, Although,“ Legend started to hop away, glancing over his shoulder, “You’ve been worrying too much. Who knows what kind of tricks that mutt has up his sleeves here?”

With that Legend went over to the others, watching as Four used him as a barrier from Wind. This didn’t work as intended as Wind barreled into Legend, knocking both of them to the floor. Wind and Four laughed as the rabbit shoved the otter off, complaining loudly as he did so.

Still, there was something nagging at the back of his head while he watched the others have fun. That poe was enraged at him for no reason he knew of. Did he do something in the future for that poe’s fate to be his fault? Why was it here in the Zone of all places?

“The pink rodent is correct, you worry so much,” The Great Fairy’s voice made him jump, “Why?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? There are just too many unknowns to not worry,” Time shook his head as he sat down, his head swarming with everything.

“Concerns like that are unnecessary. Worrying will not help you prevent what is to come or what could come. Only action can prevent it,” The Great fairy had her arms folded in front of her, watching the Links play.

Time sighed, “Easy to say, harder to do,”

“You are the Ancestor of this Era’s hero,” The Great Fairy’s eyes looked away at something Time couldn’t see, “Just because it was hard, never stopped you before. Even now it hasn’t,”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Time felt himself unconsciously bristle at her words.

Her words struck him as odd. She was talking to him, yes, but her words sounded like she was addressing someone else. It was like a threat, that she knew his fate, that she knew far more than anyone here could fathom.

The Great Fairy simply tilted her head and looked down at him, “You are the ancestor of the Hero of the era are you not? Or have I mistaken you for someone else?”

“Well- no that’s accurate- but that isn’t what I was referring to,” Time floundered slightly, his voice gaining a hint of frustration towards the end.

“I have been alive for many years, and seen many things in my time,” The Great Fairy responded in a gentle, calm tone, “Your allies will be entering soon,”

Almost as if on cue, Legend perked up, his pink ears swiveling. Time could hear light thumping as Warriors came into the view. He looked no worse than he did when he left, in fact he seemed a lot more chipper than when he left.

“I’m baaack!” Warriors called out, jumping down the stairs easily.

“Cap!” Wind squeaked, abandoning his game to skitter over to the lion, “What did you two find out there? Was it dangerous? Where is Wolfie?”

“Food. No, not really. And he is up stairs dragging the corpse down a flight or two of stairs,” Warriors answered, his ears flickering slightly.

As if on cue there was a loud crashing noise that came from above. Silence followed it before the crashing noise continued until it stopped suddenly . Warriors shook his head, almost in a fond way as they others looked at eachother with confusion.

“Okay back up,” Legend stood up, “What the hell did you bring, a bear? Also why are you so happy? Last I saw you you were ready to tear Wolfie apart,”

Warriors did his best to shrug, “Things change, now everyone get up there and eat. It took a while to find something for everyone,”

“And do you even know what floor it's on?” Four asked, scurrying up on Wild’s head.

“I left after we got it down to the second floor,” Warriors thought for a moment, “So probably the third floor if anywhere, you can’t exactly miss Wolfie,”

Everyone then began to make their way up the stairs to the next floor. Warriors lagged behind, and rather than leading the others up to Twilight, stared at Time, his expression a mix between grave and sadness. Time, in turn, froze, tilting his head with confusion.

The other seemingly didn’t see that this was happening behind them as they finished climbing the stairs. The sound of their talking slowly faded into the distance as the two continued to stare at each other.

“Do you need something Captain?” Time asked after a moment.

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice….” Warriors murmured, Time just being able to hear the words.

“What?” Time, letting out a small confused whine.

“Nothing,” Warriors sighed, giving the wolf a sad smile, “Say Time? Mind doing me a favor?”

“What is it?” Time padded over to where Warriors was in confusion, “Did something happen out there? Did you and T-Wolfie fight?”

“No nothing like that- well sort of,” Warriors winced a little bit, “Just… if you have any issues, or get any lingering regrets or whatever, mind telling me? I hear it’s better to talk about them rather than keeping it all buried,”

Time nodded along, “What brought this about exactly?”

“I just realized you're there for the others, but no one is there for you,” Warriors walked towards the stairs, “So just…. Let me know if you need to talk about something alright? Just like when you were apart of the war in my world,”

“That was decades ago for me Cap,” Time responded with an amused huff, “But ok, I’ll tell you if something is bothering me,”

Warriors looked back, letting out a relieved chuff, “Thanks. Now let’s go get food shall we?”

“Sure Cap,” Time let himself try and grin in his wolf form.

In reality, despite the smile he had on his face he was concerned. Just what happened out there to bring this up so suddenly. He didn’t like how Warriors was keeping something from him and the group. Maybe it wasn’t as serious as Time was thinking, and just his hungry brain making everything seem more serious.

The two walked up floor after floor, hearing the sound of the others get closer and closer. The two reached the fourth floor seeing the others surrounding a pile of plants and a giant boar. Time saw dried red sand clinging to the stringy hair of the best along the gaping holes on its neck.

Twilight, apparently hearing them enter, looked up from the other, smaller Links and croaked out, “Ah, looks like everyone is here. Now shall we dig in?”

Twilight looked a bit more worse for wear from the last Time saw him. His fur was a lighter color due to all the sand in it. The fur around his mouth and paws were stained a deep crimson, probably due to the giant boar that laid before him. Though he seemed in high spirits despite it.

Time didn’t quite understand why Twilight chose to make his voice sound so forced and gravely. It hid his identity, yes, but it sounded painful to even speak like that. There could have been so many other voices Twilight could have chosen rather than sounding like he ate a mound of gravel and sand.

“Are we going to have to eat this raw?” Sky asked, a talon going to poke at the corpse.

“Yep,” Twilight confirmed, “No one here has opposable thumbs for a fire, and we are underground. Should be fine though, your bodies have digestive systems meant for this,”

“Should?” Sky’s feathers puffed out slightly, “What if it doesn’t work like that?”

“Then pray to the goddesses that The Great Fairy’s spring still has some healing properties,” Twilight retorted dryly, earning a small snort from Warriors.

Time looked over to the herbivores of the group. Legend was examining the plants on what appeared to be a torn up saddle with Hyrule standing over him. Four had accepted his fate and took a fruit, using his small claws to open it and ate the flesh inside. Four even offered some to Hyrule who very gently took it and awkwardly ate it.

“Where did you even find this?” Legend asked, his nose wrinkling as he sniffed some of the plants.

“With the Bullbo when we killed it. Finding plants is harder than meat out there,” Twilight responded.

“Took us a while to even find that beast,” Warriors added, walking over to the boar with Time in tow, “though how exactly are we supposed to eat it?”

“You just… eat it?” Twilight tilted his head, his ears flopping slightly, “Have you never dealt with an animal carcass before on what’s good and what isn’t?”

“No? Why would I?” Warriors asked in equal confusion.

“City boy over here has never needed to before,” Legend snorted from where he was eating the middle and not the ends of the plants, “Always had someone else to do it for him,”

“Oh like you are one to talk buck teeth,” Warriors tail flickered with mild annoyance, “I doubt you ever even cooked for yourself during your adventures,”

“Like you wou-” Legend started to retort.

“ENOUGH!” Time found himself barking it out, coughing, and looking to Twilight, “Humor us please,”

“Follow Wild’s lead: Grab a leg and go to town, mind the bones though,” Twilight nodded down to Wild.

Wild had already dove into the large bull, taking a front leg and ripping it off. Currently Wild was eating the meat from the leg a little away with practise ease. Honestly, Time would not be surprised if this wasn’t the first time he did something like this.

“....What?” Wild asked, looking up from the leg, a bit of meat hanging from his mouth.

“Nothing, just go back to eating,” Twilight spoke, managing a surprising amount of softness despite forcing his voice to be that gravely.

Once Wild did just that Twilight looked down at Wind- who was unsuccessfully doing just that- saying, “Not you, your teeth are much too small- just- here,”

With that Twilight went over to the back of the Bullbo, where claw marks made holes in the flesh, and took a large chunk out of it. With a sickening tearing sound, he tore it out and dropped it at Wind’s paws. The small otter looked surprised by the hunk of meat twice his size.

“There, the most tender piece of meat boars or pigs can have,” Twilight said after a moment, “You and Sky can share that, just let me know if you need more,”

Wind nodded, starting by taking a nibble, diving in eagerly afterwards. Sky did much the same thing, albeit a bit more composed. Perhaps it was the hunger, but Time found himself ripping out a hind leg and digging in. Warriors did the same after a moment of giving Twilight a look of slight confusion.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Warriors asked, everyone else already halfway through their meal, while Twilight hadn't even started his.

“I’ll eat once everyone else has their fill,” Twilight responded, not taking his eyes off of the exit to the upper floor.

“No,” Time side eyed the larger wolf, “You need to eat. Now,”

“I will wait until y’all have had your fill,” Twilight snapped, a small growl following it.

“Have you even eaten while in here Wolfs?” Wild joined in, noticeably frowning.

“Yes. The ‘night’ before I found you all,” Twilight answered snippily, “You all need it more,”

“You are bigger than anyone here-”

“I SAID I’M FINE!” Twilight snapped, snarling without a hint of remorse.

Everyone stopped eating, turning to look at Twilight with a shocked expression. Twilight, much less wolfie, never snapped at the others. Getting annoyed was common, but never full blown yelling at anyone. Even if they did know about how bitter he was after his journey.

It only took a moment for Twilight to realize what he did. His tail and ears went down, as his eyes widened. The gray wolf opened and closed his mouth before letting out an audible sigh.

“I- Sorry…” Twilight spoke slowly after another minute of complete silence, “I shouldn’t have snapped,”

“You’re good,” Wild almost unconsciously replied, “But like what was that? You’ve never done that before,”

Twilight’s ears were still flat against his head as he looked around the waiting Links. Time almost thought that Twilight would continue to be secretive. Though that was quickly pushed away as Twilight sat down with a deep sigh.

“... I heard the interlopers talking while they thought I was asleep. Part of the side effects of my larger form is being more ‘volatile’” Twilight finally managed to say, “That with enhanced senses, strength, and speed make for a dangerous combo,”

“Interesting,” Time tilted his head, “How long will you be like this?”

Interesting would not be a word Time would use alone, he was enraged. Twilight was captured and from the sounds of it, only recently escaped when they found him. No wonder the other wolf was blinded by rage and nearly harmed Warriors. It probably brought him back to the beginning of his journey, when he was forced into a cell.

Time found the manacle hard to not look at.

“Yeah, is there anything else with this curse we need to know?” Warriors added, pawing at the Bullbo leg he had.

“One of the interlopers said a week, and…” Twilight looked away, “...He told the others I will probably need more food than a typical wolf,,”

“Oh so you are just a dumbass then,” Legend groaned, “Why are you so determined to be a martyr?”

“You all need it more than I,” Twilight spoke, still looking away, “Transformations take a lot out of people, especially if you aren’t prepared,”

“All the more reason you should be eating,” Warrior coughed, “I mean- your body is now not only fighting the Zone’s corruption, but this spell and its’ side effects,”

As Twilight shot Warriors a slight glare, Time felt himself tense up. Did Warriors know Twilight’s secret? When did that happen, if ever? Twilight was decent about not slipping up, so how?

“Wait, what do you mean ‘corruption’?” Legend pointed out, now fully turned around.

“We saw a Bulbin corrupted by the Zone. According to Wolfie here it happens to all the monsters in the zone. We are protected because of our triforces, but he says it has never affected him,” Warriors explained, shooting a not so conspicuous stink-eye at Twilight, “That’s gotta use more energy than we do,”

“Animals aren’t affected by the Zones,” Twilight managed to growl out, “Not the cats in Castle Town, nor the chickens in Kakariko. I don’t know why, but that’s how it works,”

“Huh, well at least the triforce comes in handy for something,” Legend spoke sarcastically, raising a mock eyebrow while he looked at the pink paw that held his triforce, “That being said, you need to eat. We can’t have our guide passing out mid fight or something,”

“I said I would eat,” Twilight defended, “Just… after everyone else has their fill,”

“Nope, you gotta eat now,” Legend shrugged, “Everyone but you agree that you need to eat. So eat now, or we will tie you up and force you to,”

Twilight tilted his head, a small grin on his face, “Now how would you go and do that? Last I checked none of you are bigger than me,”

“Shouldn’t wolves know all about strength in numbers?” Warriors butted in, smirking, “Now fucking eat, or else the old man will butt in, and I know you- you do not want that,”

Twilight looked over to Time, his eyes wide and ears down. Time could not find it in himself to feel pity for the other wolf, not when he was purposely ignoring his own health. He needed to eat, just like the others said.

So, Time tilted his head slightly, giving Twilight a pointed look from where he sat across the Bulbo. Twilight huffed in defeat, and using his giant maw, Twilight took a chunk from the Bullbo’s shoulder.

Twilight flopped overdramatically a few feet from the corpse, the only noise coming from him was the noise of him eating the chunk of meat. The other Links went back to eating, the carnivores of the group going faster than the herbivores.

Time was finished quickly all things considered, looking up to see Warriors about done too. He needed to talk to Warriors about what he was saying earlier. Even if it leads to nowhere he needed to know.

“Captain,” Time spoke, waiting for Warriors to look up, “I need to speak to you. Alone.”

“Oooo,” Wind grinned, his tail wagging, “Cap is in trooouubbllleeee,”

Warriors scoffed, gently pushing Wind over, “Yeah right, I’ll be back in a minute,”

The two went down to the floor below them, the sound of the others talking fading into the background. Once on the lower floor, Time turned to look at Warriors, seeing the lion’s confused look on his face. Time held eye contact for as long as he could in this silent standoff.

“So why did you want to talk to me?” Warriors finally spoke, his head turning away from the staring contest.

“Do you know?” was all Time asked.

Warriors had a look of confusion before realization, “What- OH, yeah I know,”

“Know what exactly?” Time specified, hid nose wrinkling slightly.

“Probably more than you do,” Warriors walked up to Time, circling him teasingly, “Like how Twi’s a wolf in goat clothing, who exactly that Shade is, the magic that allows him to transform, and how CREEPY shadow Bulbins look,”

“What was that middle one?” Time asked, widening his one open eye.

“How he transforms? Yeah, it's that crystal that he wears on his neck. There is a whole traumatic story behind it. Though I have reason to suspect the stone gets lodged into his skull, cause of what Dusk did at the castle,” Warriors shrugged.

Time felt a headache coming along, “Not that- I already know how it works- You know who that poe is?”

“Oooohhhh yeahhh,” Warriors drawled out, his tail twinkling slightly as he came to the front of Time, “That was an interesting conversation- say did you know Twilight can actually hear the bastard when he talks? It was very confusing only hearing half of what was said between them,”

“Well who is it?” Time asked.

“Well, that’s the thing,” Warriors sighed, “You know I hate to lie to you, but Twi asked me to keep it a secret. Sorry squirt,”

Time let out a huff or irritation. So much for learning who that malicious spirit was to find out why it hates him so much. At the very least he now knew that Warriors actually knew Twilight’s secret. Though calling him by that nickname was unwarranted.

“So, we good? Or are you still going to put me through the ringer like the over protective wolf that you are?” Warriors teased, a grin showing off his large teeth present.

“I am not-” Time started.

A loud angry bark echoes through the chamber. It was followed by a loud pitched scream. A loud pitched human scream. The two Links shared a look, there was only one person that could make a bark that loud upstairs.

The wolf and the lion ran up the stairs, Warriors leading the way, and bounding up 4 stairs at a time. Time was close behind, trying his best to hear what was going on. The screaming had stopped but that didn’t mean whatever was going on stopped.

Once they were back in the chamber with the dead Bullbo, two things gained Time’s attention. First Twilight and Wild were gone, all that was left in their wake was cleaned off bones. Secondly there were crossbow bolts littering the floor, the only place being spared was the area underneath the stairs and the entrance.

“By the goddesses what happened here?!” Warrior yelled, his fur raising as he spoke.

“The interlopers came and started firing crossbow bolts,” Legend replied, hopping over from where he was hiding, “Wolfie drew their fire and chased those fuckers out. Wild went after him right before you two came back up,”

“Is everyone alright? Did anyone get hit?” Time demanded, his muscles tensing.

“We were all lucky,” Hyrule spoke up, sniffing an arrow as he got up, “Wolfie got nicked while distracting them, got real mad about it too,”

Time’s eye widened, smelling the air only confirmed what Hyrule said. The scent of blood was thick in the air, and as he looked around the room he saw the drying droplets on the stone floor leading up the stairs and out of sight.

Warriors saw the same thing, cursing as he asked, “What was the screaming about?”

“Wolfie got a hold of one of them on the upper floor,” Wind skittered in between Hyrule’s legs, only stopping because he ran into them, “He ran up those stairs faster than I’ve ever seen him move,”

“Like a bat out of hell,” Legend agreed, nodding as he stood on his hind legs, “Anyway, better go after the mutt before he does something he regrets. I’ll get the others down to the Great Fairy incase one of them comes back,”

“Good idea, but-” Warriors frowned, his ears pinned backwards, “How many did you see?”

“Two, a tall one and a short one,” Legend answered, “Don’t know where the third is, but I don’t think that matters at the current moment,”

“Right,” Warriors nodded, turning to Time, “Let’s go find him shall we?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were lost. A sandstorm had appeared so suddenly the wolf and lion had no chance to try and avoid it. The droplets of a bloody trail that they were following disappeared as the Sandstorm got worse. Neither could even smell the distinct iron scent that the blood had anymore, all of it lost to the wind.

“DO YOU SEE ANYTHING?” Warriors yelled, his voice quickly disappearing into the wind.

Time’s good eye squinted through the storm. He could barely see Warriors who was walking shoulder to shoulder with him, much less a foot away. That, paired with the darkness that the Zone was constantly in, made it nigh impossible to properly see anything.

It wasn’t like they could retreat back to the Cave of Ordeals if they wanted to anyway. All sense of direction was lost when they entered this sandstorm. Left and Right became foreign with how everything looked the same, even their pawprints disappeared soon after they were made.

“NO,” Time hollered at the top of his lungs, “LET’S GO STRAIGHT, MAYBE THEN WE CAN GET OUT OF THIS AND REGROUP,”

It was grueling in that sandstorm. It was like the wind was fighting them specifically, trying to keep them from getting out. Eventually though the sandstorm slowed down enough that Time and Warriors could escape.

Warriors and Time, now that they were no longer in the sandstorm, took to searching the endless twilight looking for their lost companions. They weren’t having much luck however. The trail of blood and paw indents in the sand had long since disappeared thanks to that storm. Nor could either hear anything over the howling wind.

It wasn’t like the two could go back to the cave and wait for Twilight and wind to come back either. They were just as lost as Twilight and Wild were to them. With no prior experience in this desert, everything looked the same. Even the small amount of cacti that could be seen all seemed to merge together.

That sandstorm ruined any and all trace that Twilight and Wild left in their wake. For the same reason they couldn’t even go back to the Cave of Ordeals to wait it out. Time couldn’t even track their scents, granted he was wildly inexperienced in such things, but that didn’t bode well for either of the links.

What Time would give for Twilight to start glowing again.

“Man, wouldn’t it be incredible if Rancher had a bell on him?” Warriors huffed, his tail twinkling as he surveyed the area, “The noise would help us find him at the very least, and then we could use his nose to find Wild,”

“Like Wild would leave Twilight’s side,” Time shook his head, a puff of sand leaving his coat, “Still can’t believe you found out his identity,”

“I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to put everything together,” Warriors sighed, his eyes squeezing shut for a moment, “It should’ve been so obvious. When one leaves, the other appears,”

“It does help that he had a few others covering him,” Time nodded, looking out, “That hardly matters now though. We either need to find them, or get back to the Cave. Either is extremely difficult without someone who knows this place,”

“Knows this place?” Warriors' eyes widened as he bared his teeth in lieu of a smile, “I have an idea, Come on!”

“What is it?” Time trotted after Warriors, tilting his head as they went to the top of a nearby sand dune.

“So do you know about the guy who taught Twilight all his fancy sword moves?” Warriors asked, looking around the top of the dune.

“Yes, the Hero’s Shade. But how do you know of him?” Time asked, his ears flicking as the sand picked up.

“Never mind that,” Warriors turned to look at him, his blue eyes bright with excitement, “Turns out that prick of a poe? Yeah that’s Shade, and being such a hardened old bastard, he HAS to know where those two are!”

Time blinked with confusion, “Why would he know that?”

“Think about it old man,” Warriors used one his paws to gesture to the desert expanse, “That bastard has been following us around for ages now. Twilight specifically, but he knew exactly where we were in comparison to Twilight and pointed us there. Therefore it stands to reason that he knows where Twilight is and where we are!”

Once again, Time was left wondering what exactly did Warriors see on his hunt out with Twilight. It made sense, but yet there was an odd look lingering in Warriors’ eyes. A knowing look that was muted just enough so that Time couldn’t understand why he looked at him like that.

It had been happening far too often for his tastes.

“That is a stretch by all standards Captain,” Time did his best to raise an ‘eyebrow,’ “How do you know that this will work?”

The lion had a somber look on his face a brief second before he went back to grinning, “Well you're here aren’t you? From your last encounter we know he HATES you with as much hate as his undead self can! So he might just do it out of spite or something,”

“....Really?”

“Yup! Don’t think too much about it right now!” Warriors cleared his throat before letting out a loud roar.

Time winced, leaning away as he heard Warriors roar out:

“SHAAADDDEEEEE I KNOW YOU'RE LISTENING! HELP US FIND WILD AND TWILIGHT!”

Silence overcame the two as they waited to see if anything would happen. Nothing did, but the air held an expectant note to it. Honestly it wouldn’t surprise Time if that poe was just waiting for Warriors to say please. It’s what he would do in this situation.

“.....Please?” Warriors added once the silence became too much.

Like clockwork, a soft glow appeared in the distance. It was the same golden color that radiated off of the poe before, but was much softer than what came off of Twilight during his rampage. It wasn’t too far away, but far enough that Warriors and Time would’ve taken ages without the soft beacon.

“See? Told ya,” Warriors looked smug, his tail twitching, showing just how smug he was, “Come on before Shade gets tired of waiting!”

Time shook his head, following at a slower pace over to the light. It was somewhat difficult for him to gain footing on the sand, he slipped every couple of feet. Eventually though he made it up to where Warriors was, and saw a peculiar sight.

Time could see Wild easily. The younger Link was pacing back and forth around a large hole that seemed oddly Twilight shaped. Time couldn’t see in the darkened hole from his position above it. From Wild occasionally sticking his head in the whole, Time assumed that’s where Twilight was.

The oddest thing was that across from Wild was a stag. An ancient one at that with unbelievably large antlers with vines and moss hanging from the end of each of the points. The fur was golden and white, it had a similar pattern to Time’s own fur, the difference being how the white on the stag was far more connected than it was on Time. Said fur was practically see through for Time, showing a hollow skeleton if he looked hard enough.

Time felt himself freeze as the Stag looked up at him and Warriors. It had one ‘good’ eye that glowed bright red as it looked at him, the other socket was completely black and hollow. It did not breathe, the only sign of life was its one eye that slowly filled with hate as it looked at him. It lifted up one of its cracked hooves, stomping it harshly against the ground.

The sand didn’t even stir at this movement.

Time’s hackles raised slightly. This was the shell of a man that Twilight was afraid of disappointing? A thing that Time has only seen with hate in its eyes, someone who used to be his descendant before Twilight? What a stain on the title of Hero that it bore even in death.

Blue met red as the two had this silent staring staring contest. The deer’s ear ever so slightly twitching at the sound of Wild’s voice. Out of the corner of his eye Time could see Warriors watching this with a frown, looking in between the two. Captain, after a moment, loudly sighed, shaking his head as he looked on with pity.

Wild’s ears perked up, turning around and looking up at the two, “Hey! When did you two get here?”

Warriors started to slide down, saying “We just got here a minute ago, say what’s with the hole?”

Time slowly followed, his eye never leaving Shade. He didn’t feel dread pooling in his gut this time but rather a feeling of uneasiness overcame him. During their last encounter he had never gotten so close to it. Now though, as Time shivered slightly, something in him told him that this poe would do nothing, not while Wild, Warriors, and Twilight were nearby.

“No clue,” Wild bent down slightly to peer into the hole again, “Wolfie started to dig, told me to stay up here to keep watch. That’s when the ghostly deer over there showed up,”

“Have you even heard anything from that damned Goat lover?” Warriors asked pointedly ignoring how Wild went slack jaw in favor of also peering down into the hole, “That had to be a cavern before he dug his way down there. Wonder what's down there that made him go down,”

Wild looked frantically between Warriors and Time, his eyes wide. The stag, for this first time, huffed with amusement, the one glowing eye now looking at Wild. Time frowned at the deer before looking back at Wild.

“He knows Cub,” Time grunted, ignoring how the Stag’s eye slowly turned back to him.

“Really? How did you find out his secret?” Wild practically demanded, his attention fully turned to Warriors, his ears perked.

“Eh, something just clicked after seeing how Twi and ‘Wolfie’ reacted the same to stuff,” Warriors briefly glanced up at the Stag, “Have you heard anything from that guy?”

Time stared at Warriors. He was lying, or at least partially. He used that tone of voice in the war to lie to Artemis about his plans. Not to mention how Warriors immediately changed the subject to something else. Something that was usually connected to the truth, but how?

Wild shook his head, not picking up on the lie, “I’ve heard Twi say some things, But deer has uttered a word since it got here. It has just been standing there, staring,”

“I can believe that,” Time tilted his head slightly, “How long have you two been waiting?”

“Not too long,” Wild noticeably frowned, “In fact, this is the quietest he has been,”

“Should we go after him?” Time glanced down for a second before looking back up at Wild.

“I don’t think we should,”

Both Time and Wild turned towards Warriors. He was staring at the Stag, his head tilting ever so slightly. Shade, in return, tilted his head slightly, the red eye softening slightly. Time shook his head at the sight, it seemed like this ‘Hero’s Shade’ just hated him in particular.

“What?” Wild tilted his head, looking in between the two, “Why?”

Warriors flinched slightly, his head quickly turning to survey the area, “I mean- he told you to stay up here for a reason. And he might need us up here to help pull him out of there,”

Time took this chance to actually look into the hole. The entrance was straight down, a limestone like wall lined the side Shade was closest to. The other side had a well worn passage down, like it was carved specifically for travel. If Time had to guess, this tunnel was made back when the Gerudo were still around. But how or why did Twilight find it?

“How would we even do that?” Wild nodded to the hole, “We don’t have hands anymore to help drag him out. Not that he would exactly let us do that,”

“Well, maybe he will find something down there, like a rope or something,” Warriors’ fur bristled ever so slightly, glancing at the deer.

Before Time could reply, Twilight’s slightly distorted voice echoed up to them:

“Everything still good up there Wil- What the fuck?!”

Shade had actually moved, far too quickly for Time’s liking, at the sound at Twilight’s voice. Its antlers were far too large for the entrance, so the stag’s head was hovering just above the hole, looking down into it. It even went so far as to lower its front half down to properly look at Twilight.

“Shade?! How did you- Time and Warriors are up there? Also why are you- Ah, right. Still doesn’t answer why you are here,” Twilight paused for a moment, “I got distracted and lost them,”

Time watched as the stag was motionless as it looked down, not a peep was coming from the poe. So this is what Warriors meant when only Twilight could hear the poe. But if this was the case, what was that voice he heard before?

Wild spoke up, his ears going straight back, “You lost them?! They SHOT you, what could have distracted you after that??”

Twilight’s voice was defensive, “I just got nicked, but I found something far more important. Just… give me a second to get out of here and we can continue this conversation,”

Time could hear the scraping of claws against stone, the manacle rattling as Twilight cursed. A light thud could be heard before the manacle rattled against the stone, picking up pace as the sound of scraping continued. Shade briefly lifted its head out of the entrance, as Time saw Twilight’s ear reach the top before descending back down with a loud thud.

“Pup are you alright!?” Time almost ran to the hole, but was frozen by the glare Shade sent him.

Time growled at Shade, hackles fully raised. Yet he did not walk any closer. It was just a poe, just what could it do to help? Time had a better chance of helping that it did.

“Fuck- Yeah I’m fine! Looks like it's going to be harder to get out then I thought,” Twilight voice was a relief to Time’s ears, distracting him from glaring at the poe.

Time watched as Shade slowly tilted his head, carefully adjusting until a large antler went through the hole as far as the Stag could manage. Its head was still out of the hole though, staring silently at the group. Its hooves now made an imprint into the sand, shifting slightly like it was preparing for something.

“Are you sure about this?” Twilight asked, his voice shaking ever-so slightly, “Ok, ok- give me a second for a running start,”

The sound of Twilight’s manacle grew quiet before the sound grew louder and louder. The sound of the manacle quieted as Shade’s head jerked down abruptly, a loud thud and whine echoed. Shade snorted, slowly pulling his head back up, its hooves digging in the sand as it backed up.

Soon after Twilight’s ears slowly became visible, then the rest of his head. Twilight was biting down on the antler with intense focus as his front paws managed to find a grip in the sand, pulling the rest of him up. He didn’t let go of Shade’s antler until he was completely clear of the hole.

“Thanks,” Twilight spoke as Shade bent down to sniff at the top of his head, “Yeah, I’m fine, just got the air knocked out of me,”

“See what I mean,” Warriors whispered to Time, “Confusing to hear only one side of the conversation isn’t it?”

Time didn’t respond, but he couldn’t help but agree.

As Shade stood back up fully, Time was surprised by the tender look in Shade’s one red eye. Despite the gray wolf’s large size, he was still easily dwarfed by the stag, only barely reaching up to the base of its neck. Time could now see a healed cut on Twilight’s shoulder.

The Stag looked at everyone one more time (sending a bone chilling glare at Time) before running up over a nearby sand dune. The golden stag’s light disappeared as it went over the dune. Twilight shook his head, a small smile on his face as he looked at where it disappeared to.

“Well, what did you find?” Wild asked, making Twilight jump and look around.

“Where are they…” Twilight mumbled, going back to the edge of the hole.

Time felt himself bristle as he spoke, “What are you doing? Get back from it!”

“Give me a second,” Was Twilight’s response before his voice softened, “It’s safe to come out,”

A soft pink light emanated from the hole as two small fairies floated out from it. One dragging a tied up paper, and the other a shard of pottery. Twilight gently took the paper from the fairy, placing it on the ground in front of the other 3 links. The small fairy then floated over to the other, helping to lift the pottery shard onto Twilight’s back.

“So you got distracted with a pot?” Warriors shook his head, “Where would you even put the rupee?”

“No, I didn’t,” Twilight glared at the smirking lion as he pawed open the map, “I found one of the containers The Great Fairy’s power, some captive fairies, and this map of their hideouts in this Zone,”

“But you still broke it?” Warriors said smugly, “Sounds to me like you were still distracted by a pot,”

“Captain…” Twilight growled, his ears slowly going back.

“Rancher…” Warriors replied, sounding like he was about to start laughing.

“Enough you two,” Time warned, earning a huff from the lion and wolf simultaneously.

“How are you sure this map is the real deal?” Wild asked, staring down at the map.

“I don’t,” Twilight nodded to the map, “The Great Fairy might though. Let’s head back and regroup,”

“What will we do after that?” Wild asked, helping to roll the map back up with his paws, gently grabbing it with his maw.

“Simple,” Twilight grinned, it looking more like a snarl, “We take those bastards down,”

#ancestor's legacy #lu twilight #linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu hyrule #lu legend #lu time #lu sky #lu wild #lu fic #lu wind #lu fanfiction #lu four #lu warriors #lu wolfie #Hope you enjoy!

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