#i have told this bastard sO MANY TIMES to not abandon me in the evening to cover his TEN+ MINUTE BATHROOOOM BREAAAAAAAAKS!!!!!!!!

[kxllerblond]

oooh there about to be some mfing ND on ND crime at work if this fucker keeps trying me

[thewritetofreespeech]

A Whole New World

pairing: Aemond Targaryen x Reader

summary: in the wake of all the rats abandoning ship, you ask Aemond to leave King's Landing with you as well. [sort of in the vein of my tv show series?? mostly because I want to keep it seperate from the rest of my HOTD stuff that is more book related. part -X XX XXX]

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“Let’s leave this place.”

Aemond looked up at you from his table. Maps and plans littering the surface. There were not enough hours in the day to make headway on a plan to attack or thwart Rhaenyra, so they had moved into your bedroom. “We will leave for Harrenhall in a few days’ time.” He told you. “We will be off soon enough.”

“No, I mean leave this place.” You told him. “Leave Westeros.”

Your husband looked shocked at your suggestion. Understandably. “You would have me leave Westeros. Leave my birthright.”

“It is not yours Aemond.” It was a bitter truth, but a truth none the less, and you were the only one that could tell him that without threat of death.

None of this was supposed to be theirs. Aegon nor Aemond. Deep down they all knew that. Knew that Viserys had not wavered in his final moments on who his favorite child was. Who his first and only was. Alicent could have given the former king 100 sons, and it would not have made up for the one he lost with his first wife. “Rhaenyra now has 7 dragons to our 1 with her dragon mongrels taking flight. Besides which her armies.”

“I have Vhagar!” Aemond shouted in anger. Rising to his feet. “The oldest, strongest, largest dragon in all Seven Kingdoms.”

“And a pack of wild dogs can take down a lion if their numbers are great. I am not trying to upset you Aemond, I’m simply following the maths.”

The prince took a deep breath though his nose and turned from you. Annoyed that you were right, but clearly didn’t want to admit it. “You want me to abandon the city, ney? Run away and hide like the rest of those cowards!”

Aegon had left the city, for his own protection. To where, you could not be sure. That may have been by design as many whispered about how Aemond would kill him in his bed if given the chance. You knew he wouldn’t do that; if for nothing else than the simple fact that it would be dishonorable to murder a cripple in their bed unarmed. His mother had been missing for days at a time now. Uninterested in the war efforts since her dismissal from the council. Such was her right, but the fact that she wouldn’t look you in the eye these days did not grant you comfort on what the former Queen was thinking. The rest seemed to slip out under the cover of darkness. Less and less people seemed to be in the castle. The rats saw that the ship was sinking and were abandoning it quickly.

“I don’t want you to ‘run away’ Aemond. I want you to live.”

Aemond huffed and turned from you again. “Better to die in battle then wither in obscurity.”

“And if you die, and Rhaenyra takes the city, what of me then? Die an honorable suicide like the Queens of old? Be a political prisoner here until the Queen forces me to marry one of her bastard heirs as a good will gesture?”

That got Aemond’s attention. The idea that you could die not nearly as infuriating as the thought that one of Rhaenyra’s “strong boys”, or even her Targaryen brood, would touch you. “That would never happen.”

“You’re right. It wouldn’t. Rhaenyra would have to kill me. If not for the simple fact that I would not bend the knee, but also for the fact that I am a charge to her claim.”

Your hand came to rest at your stomach. Still the same, but not for long. Aemond’s eye followed your hand, and his expression turned to shock before you raised his face to look at you with your other hand. “There are more world out there, my love. Across the Narrow Sea. Beyond. We could take Vhagar and make a new kingdom like your ancestors. We don’t have to stay here and fight over this one. We could have so much more.”

Aemond’s gaze dropped from your hold, but he took your hand at his cheek and held it. “You would have me abandon my family? Turn my back on them?”

“Have they not turned their back on you?” They blamed Aemond for everything. As if he put Aegon up on that stage and gave him a crown. You weren’t naïve enough to think your husband was blameless in his actions during this war, but they were looking for a scapegoat at this point and Aemond was the convenient target. “We are each other’s family now. We are all that matters.”

“Daeron….”

“He can come with us.” You felt maddened to the point of tears. You were fond of Daeron, the few times you had met. A sweet boy who was free of this place. Though you would honestly say anything to Aemond at this point to get him to come. “Helaena too, if you wish. We will fly to some far away place like Aegon and his sisters. Just please….please…let us leave this place.”

Aemond seemed to think about it for a long moment, before he gave you his answer and that was the end of it.

In the morning, Vhagar took flight over the city. Whether she went to Harrenhall with her rider or parts unknown, no one could know then. What was sure, as the histories tell us, was that it would be the last time the great dragon, her rider, or his wife ever came back to the city.

[giddyfatherchris]

📱skz texts —how they react/comfort you (when you're going through a rough patch with a friend)

| including. bang chan, lee know

warnings. mentions of homophobia, anxiety and depression (but not going in depth with any of these subjects)

a/n. FINALLY!! channie and lee know’s part babyyyy honestly i kept procrastinating but today i decided enough is enough.😤 again, these are not in order but i cannot be 🎶booOoOoOthereeeddd🎶 so :) hope you enjoy mwah xxx

changbin, seungmin & i.n

hyunjin, han & felix

Lee Know

He knew from your texts you were not in your normal state. You were usually such a bubbly person, but when you answered so drily to his questions, he knew something was wrong.

As he waited for you to come home, he couldn't help but pace in his apartment. You weren't living together yet, but you spent so much time at his flat that you claimed it as your second home comfortably. In the 15 minutes it took for you to arrive, Lee Know had prepared himself for many scenarios, but he could have never predicted how you opened harshly the door and slammed it shut. Your ritual of crouching on the floor, calling for his three cats, was brutally ignored as you stomped to the kitchen.

"Hi, baby." He tentatively tried. Cautious, he kept his distance as you grunted in answer. You opened the fridge door, looked for a milli second before you closed it, then repeated the same process with the pantry. You made yourself a glass of water, didn't even take a sip, and grumbled as you looked in front of you, not really seeing anything. You abandoned it on the counter, ready to stomp away, when Lee Know put himself in your trajectory.

"What's going on?"

You would have kept walking if he hadn't grabbed you by the shoulders and blocked you from carrying on.

"Uh?" you looked at him as if you were just now seeing him. "Nothing, something at work, it's enraging." 

"Then please tell me so I can know who to kill," he replied in an equally angered tone. His hold on your shoulders tightened slightly at the thought someone had hurt you. 

You looked at him, surprised. "What, kill someone?" 

"Please, Y/n. I've never seen you like this. I don't know what happened, but for it to put you in that state, I'm guessing it's pretty serious." 

He had to pull it out of you, but you finally explained how you discovered one of your coworkers, who you considered a friend, was, in fact, a raging homophobic, queer-hating asshole. When you first heard him comment on someone else wearing a rainbow pin, you had laughed it off, thinking he was being dumb, but he kept adding on, and you realized, horrified, that he was being serious. 

Cherry on top, when you told him you were pansexual, he had stared at you with this idiotic air and asked if you were attracted to kitchen appliances. It ended up with you terminating that 'friendship' and leaving the office completely enraged. 

Your boyfriend listened carefully to your story. His piercing eyes set on you when he finally stated, "I have no idea how you managed not to smack him in the face." 

You let out a dry chuckle, telling the story again only egged you on, and brought up a familiar gloom you hadn't felt in a while. Immediately, he noticed the change in your demeanor, how the burning rage had simmered to a profound sadness. "Hey, it's okay, you can report the bastard, you know. He can't go around saying stuff like that."

You wrapped your arms around your middle, your lower lip softly shaking as you exhaled. "It's been a long time since I've been directly in contact with someone like that. I'm mad at myself for not seeing it maybe others knew, and they considered me badly for hanging out with him. I feel so bad."

He pulled you to him, softly resting his chin on top of your head. "Some people are really good at hiding who they truly are. He never said anything before, you never could have known."

"I know, but I somewhat feel like a traitor to my community," you covered your face with your hands before hiding in his chest. "Is that dumb?"  

He softly pushed you back and leveled his gaze with yours. "That is a little dumb because you did not betray your community, okay? You can't betray someone if you've also been fooled. And you know what's the best thing to do now? Report his ass. I'm sure if you do, there will be others who feel comfortable speaking up."

Your eyes lit up at his suggestion. "You're right. I want queer people to feel safe at work. The thought that I might have been seen as someone who would threaten that makes me sick. But if I speak up, that could change. Maybe we could even create a committee to do sensibilization about homophobia in the workplace." The gloom in your eyes was replaced with a fire. "One thing is sure, I won't let it happen again.

He gave you an adorable grin as he softly grabbed your chin. "My little fighter, I'm proud of you."

Your eyes disappeared into a happy smile as you hugged him again. "Thank you for always supporting me, although I am slightly scared of how little it took to convince you to kill someone." 

He laughed before grabbing you over his shoulder and whispered with a diabolical expression. "You shouldn't." 

Because really, there shouldn't be a doubt in your mind that this man was ready to make anyone who hurt you pay a terrible price. 

Bang Chan

The leader rubbed his hands on his face in an attempt to wipe away all the exhaustion. He looked back at his computer screen, feeling a violent cramp in his head causing his eyes to squeeze shut of their own accords. 

"Okay, okay. I get it. No more computer today."

He grabbed his phone before getting up, pleading his eyes to survive one last exposure to the light of a screen. He clicked on your name and quickly typed in, asking you what you wanted to eat for dinner but all signs of fatigue disappeared once he saw your answer. Worry replaced any feelings in his heart, his tired eyes fixed on the device.

What could have happened for you to be so down? He knew you were dealing with a difficult friend lately, but could it have gotten this bad so quickly? He wondered if he should push it, ask you more, but as his eyes started burning again he realized it would probably be of no help and he should wait for you to get home. Chan looked around the apartment, an uneasy feeling in his chest, a restlessness agitating his limbs. You were hurting and he couldn’t stay still, waiting for you to arrive. Then it clicked, he looked at your messages once again, closed the app and started dialing a number he was starting to know very well. As the line rang, a smirk slowly took place on his full lips.

You tiredly entered your apartment, welcomed with a delicious aroma. You kicked your boots off, more than ready to change into comfortable clothes and hug your boyfriend. 

Your heart melted at the sight waiting for you in the kitchen. Chan, his sleeve rolled up, showing his strong forearms, was very focused on the pots and pans burbling in front of him. He softly hummed to the soft jazz music playing in the background, completely oblivious to the world around him. You silently walked to him and wrapped your arms around his middle, loving how his strong back felt on your cheek through his clothes. 

"Jesus! You scared me," he whined, still, you could hear the smile in his voice as his hands wrapped around yours. "How are you?"

You didn't answer, feeling tears prickling your eyes and that burning sensation in your nose when you knew you were about to cry. You buried your face in his clothes, hoping it would muffle the sound of your sobs. 

"Y/n?" he quickly turned around, realizing you were far from okay. "Hey, baby what's going on?"

Violent sobs shook your body as you slid to the floor engulfed in Chan’s reassuring embrace, allowing you to let it all go. Once you calmed down enough to take a big breath, he asked again. "Baby, what happened?" 

Softly, he brushed his fingers through your hair. He was a calm and reassuring presence for you in all the chaos. You knew you could trust him, knew you could tell him anything and he would be there for you.

"You know my ´friend’, our relationship was already rocky, I knew that, but I thought it was getting better. When we studied together the other day, we talked so much, about anything and everything and even personal stuff. I thought we were getting over that petty argument, but today I heard them tell other people from my classes how I was faking my anxiety disorder and depression symptoms. They said I only did it to get attention and that I- I was an addict." Your voice broke on the last word, horrified that such words could have come out of their mouth.

Chan had to fight everything in him not to go after them right now. If there was one thing he despised it was when the ones he loved were hurt. He couldn't bear it. He knew how hard it had been for you to get a diagnosis and start taking medication. How could someone be heartless enough to make such comments? 

"I heard some of the people in the group defend me, but still... I can't believe it. I'm so stupid, I never should have told them about it."

"Y/n. You are not stupid. They are the assholes. You are not stupid for trusting someone you thought was a friend okay? I don't ever want you to think you are stupid for that."

You looked at him with teary eyes. He felt himself melt and soften, all anger disappearing when he realized how badly you needed him. "You are not stupid. You are not faking anything." he softly stroked your cheeks, wiping away the tears as he did. "I'm so proud of you for reaching out for help. I'm proud of you every damn day, and you know the people who really love you do too." You closed your eyes, relishing in his warm touch, allowing his soft voice to erase every doubt and fear. He softly kissed your forehead, "Okay?"

"Okay," you whispered. "Thank you I don't know what I would do without you."

"You would still do amazing because you are one of the strongest person I've ever met."

You chuckled at his comment. "You're so cheesy. Still, I'm pretty happy to have you." You lifted your head towards the stove. "Especially if you tell me you've been cooking for me." You took a deep breath in, finally registering what it was you were smelling. You looked back at him, already smiling, a look of surprise on your face. "Is- is that my mom’s… How, how did you do it?"

A proud and satisfied expression was printed on his features. "You wanted your mom’s spaghetti so I called and asked her to help me make it. Turns out the recipe isn’t that hard." He tucked a piece of your hair behind your ear while you stared at him like he was the most magnificent thing you had ever seen, which he was.

"I can’t believe you did that. My mother has never told anyone her recipe!"

"Yeah, about that. I might have had to make a deal with her to get it…" You rolled your eyes, ready to hear some embarrassing stunt your mother pulled on your boyfriend. "I had to explain why I wanted the recipe, and she might have made me promise we’d go visit your family in two weeks while you’re on spring break."

You squealed and wrapped your arms around his neck, asking him a thousand time if he was kidding, if this was really happening, while he promised over and over again it was. You pulled back to look at the satisfied smile growing on his lips. Chan was a sure value in your life, maybe the only true one, and as you looked at him, his dimpled smile and the satisfaction he had in preparing all this for you, you knew this was it. He was everything you would ever need.

[jasmineoolongtea]

geto suguru isn't exactly sure how he got here.

there are a lot of other things he probably should be doing on a thursday afternoon after school and waiting here in an abandoned classroom for you, like some kind of lovesick puppy, is definitely not on that list of things to do.

he entertains the thought of leaving for a second but that idea goes straight out of the window when he sees your face appear in the doorway.

"sorry for being late. i hope i didn't make you wait for too long." you apologise with a bashful smile as you stumble into the empty classroom.

you're slightly out of breath to the point where you have to take a second before speaking, your cheeks are flushed with colour and suguru thinks you've never looked more beautiful than now.

"no, it's fine. i don't mind waiting for you."

he's pretty sure that he could wait forever if he knew you were there on the other side though you don't need to know that.

when you place your hand in his and he rests his against your waist, he can't help but think about how well you fit into him like it was moulded just for him and he wonders for a split second if there's even a chance that you share a fraction of what's going through his mind right now.

your moves are awkward and unsure, 'all because of your two left feet' (in your own words, not his), and while even the most patient of people would have been on their last straw with how many times you've accidentally stepped on his feet, to suguru, they just add to your unique charm that he's certain he'll spend lifetimes searching for anything that might come close to it.

as much as he wants to pull away because you have this strange effect on him where you can render him breathless in the blink of an eye with a single touch or stray glance, he also hates each and every second he can't be in your presence and this is one of the few moments he's afforded some respite from the enormity of his feelings.

suguru isn't a masochist (as far as he's aware) however you're making him reconsider a lot of things about himself.

truth be told, he doesn't even know why he agreed to this in the first place, he damn well knows that he is probably the furthest thing from a professional dancer and there's a part of him that feels bad for lying straight to your face but when he sees how relieved you are when he agrees to your request, he's sure that lying can't be that bad in the grand scheme of things.

"you should..." he trails off, fall for me instead.

"hmm? what did you say suguru?"

you're looking at him so expectantly like you truly want to know what he's going to say next and he wishes that you would always look at him like that for if that was the case, he might just have the courage to spill the thoughts that plague his every waking moment.

"oh, no i was just saying that you should not worry so much. i'm sure you'll be fine." actually, he's sure you'll do more than fine but once again, he bites his tongue.

maybe if he was more brazen and cared less about him, he would curse out satoru for being such a lucky bastard, so lucky in fact, that he gets to be the one who can hold you in his arms. unfortunately for him, he's not that type of person, and even worse for him, he doesn't live in a world where he's the one who has your stomach in knots.

the sun is setting below the horizon and soon, the world will be plunged into a familiar darkness there's an uncomfortable feeling pooling within his gut that tells him that this moment can't last forever and you'll go running back into the arms of someone you truly belong with (no matter how much he tries to will it into existence).

nevertheless, he'll take one night of slow dancing with you in the dark over nothing and foolishly pretend that this is something that it isn't.

[anyarose011]

Bah, Humbug! {Angus Tully x Reader}

Summary: Realizing you are stuck over winter break in the school your father (with many nicknames such as: Rat Bastard, Colossal Asshole, or the most popular, Walleye) teaches at, you try to make the best of it. Or, at least the best you can make it with five other boys your age

Part 1 of ?? (Masterlist)

Warnings: Swearing, period typical sexism, feminism (abandon all hope ye who enter if this has to be a warning), sarcastic reader, Teddy Kountze, and casual racism (a subsection to Teddy Kountze)

You've heard of "Paul Hunham being a father figure" now I present to you: "Paul Hunham being a girl-dad and an academic rivals to lovers with Angus Tully". I became obsessed with this movie, and decide to add my own spin onto it. It's also my first time writing for Tumblr, so I hope you enjoy!

Word Count: 4.8k

“You said we were going to Copenhagen this year.”

The first nine words you said to your father after he told you about the predicament the both of you were in.  He sighed, sitting on the edge of your bed.

“I know.” You haven’t heard him trying to be this understanding since…you couldn’t recall. “I don’t want to be stuck here just as much as you-.”

“-So then just say no.”

He scoffed, yet still smiled. “It’s a stupid lottery, and my name got picked.”

“Bullshit-.”

“-Hey.” He warned.

Sighing, you glanced out your window. Thin specks of snow were falling onto the already pure as white ground, cascading down the roofs of houses. At least it was snowing and would resemble somewhat of a nice Christmas.

“Can we at least do something fun?” You questioned.

“I thought you said men don’t deserve to have fun the same way they think women don’t deserve rights?”

“Do the boys you teach think the same?” You looked at him.

He shrugged. “Not really in my field of work to get to know them.”

“Wonderful.” You rolled your eyes.

Your father squeezed your shoulder. “Yes, we can have little activities that children your age would consider fun. Still, I vow to enhance their intellect and schoolwork, considering that most of them are…lackluster.”

“Does this mean that I’ll get to drag their asses in mythology trivia?”

“In colloquial terms, yes.”

That brought a smile to your face, and you got up from your bed. “I think I’ll make dinner tonight if that’s alright?” You didn’t wait for him to answer as you left the room. “Maybe pie? I know Mary taught me-.”

“-Woah, woah, woah.” He followed you out into the hallway, stopping you. “We’re not eating here.”

You blinked, the only sound forming from your throat being. “Huh?”

He sighed as if going to tell you the worst news in the world (at the time, oh boy, was it). “They’re cutting the power to the faculty housing, so we’re going to be living at the school over winter break.”

Your face drops along with your heart, shock settling in. “Say that again?”

“We’re going to be living at the school-.”

“-No I heard you.”

“Then why did you ask me to repeat myself?”

“You’re telling me,” you bring on the drama, raising your voice. “I have to lodge with teenage boys?! The cursed sex?!”

He sighed. “You won’t be sleeping in the same room as them-.”

“-I can’t even look at you right now.” You pushed past him, going back into your room and tossing yourself onto your bed.

“Countess Natalya,” he taunts tiredly, knowing you hope your melodramatic attitude would wear him down. “we don’t have a choice.”

You point at him, not bringing your face up from your pillow. “Don’t you dare bring Natasha into this, she would react the same way!”

He laughed. “You get your stubbornness from your mother.”

“I get it from my father!” That’s what made you turn and bring your head up.

There’s a silence with tenseness lacing it like icing on a cake. Paul Hunham’s sigh of frustration broke it, approaching you. “Whether we like it or not, we’re stuck here. Whether we like it or not, we’re going to have to endure the attitude of pubescent boys who, I guarantee you, even when their frontal lobes form at twenty-five, will still be inconsiderate, full of themselves, and not know what true hard work is…We don’t get to do things we want all the time, that’s the reality of the situation.”

You still wore the same, spiteful look on your face as he told you this; as if you were a little girl being told, no, you can’t stay up until midnight tonight. Then, once he was finished, the look subsided only a little.

“I hate you.” Was your reply.

He ruffled your hair. “You’re the light of my life too, Jo March.” With that, he stood up with a pleasant smile. “But no worries, I don’t expect you to deal with the inadequacy of the male testosterone.” He then left the room, and you could hear his voice echo. “Now pack your things; clothes, toiletries, your books above everything, I know.”

He still continued to ramble, but in all honestly, it wasn’t important enough to this day for you to remember. All that was going through your head, was that you were going to spend almost a month in a musty, falling apart, preparatory school, with who knew how many musty teenage boys.

It was then you started planning how exactly you’d fly to Copenhagen by yourself.

That only lasted for about two minutes when you realized that your father had your passport locked in a safe with his, and you weren’t really in the mood to lockpick that day (or learn how to for that matter). So instead, you spent the majority of the time packing your suitcase, and your father was right; your books were the most important ones you’d pack.

You didn’t initially plan on socializing with the boys, so you nearly brought your entire library of books to entertain yourself; the only thing stopping you from bringing all of it was, besides your father, the copious amounts of clothing. You didn’t quite like planning out what outfit you’d wear for each day, so it was better to be safe and bring choices.

Your father had gone ahead of you to help the Boys Left Behind (a title you wouldn’t tell anyone for a few years), settle in. Settle in being him being your father and setting the ground rules whilst running that school like the damn Navy. So, there you were, walking through the ankle-deep snow with your backpack and suitcase that was meant for Copenhagen.

The school only had a few buildings; two dormitories for the boys, a small shack for the maintenance, the chapel, and one large building consisting of all the classrooms, dining hall, infirmary, and whatever else was needed for a rich, all American boy education system.

Perhaps you’d gotten a taste of what the American Revolutionists felt at Valley Forge when you heard a voice call.

“Hey!”

You looked up from where you stood and saw five boys near the courtyard by a pickup truck. Your blood, if not already freezing from the winter snow, ran cold at the sight. The same boy yelled again.

“Do you need help, are you lost?”

You shook your head, pitching our voice up a bit higher and shouting back.

“No, thank you!”

Trying to continue on your way, you looked up again to see one of them running towards you. Cursing to yourself, you tried to keep your head low and pick up the pace, but you got to see him one he was closer to you. His face was boyish, and you first thought he was a sophomore at first. His hair to his shoulders, something you didn’t expect to see for someone attending such a prestigious school. And…damn it all, he was attractive (for a boy your age).

“Hi,” he greeted you warmly with his hand out. “Jason Smith.”

You looked at it for a moment (still a bit blindsided how someone at this school could be so genuine) before shaking and giving him your name. He shook his head, chuckling as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his letterman jacket.

“You’re Hunham’s daughter?”

Oh…perhaps you shouldn’t have told him that. Still, you tried to let it roll off your back and played it cool, laughing along with him. “Yeah, I’m stuck over here with you guys.”

“Well, hopefully we won’t get on your nerves too badly. Do you want me to carry that for you?” He offered.

“Oh.” You looked down at your suitcase and handed it to him. “Go ahead, thank you.”

Jason took it, and the both of you began to make your trek up the small hill with the truck. He was being a gentleman, so you decided to keep the conversation going.

“So, why’re you here?”

He shrugged. “My family usually goes skiing for the holidays, but my old man won’t let me go until I cut my hair.”

“That’s really mean of him.” You stated.

Jason snorted “You should tell him that.”

“I will.”

“Oh yeah?”

“For sure.” You went ahead of him, turning around and walking backwards up the hill. “Give me his number and I’ll give him a stern talking to.”

That only made him laugh harder. “You should study to be a lawyer; you make a great case.”

“My father said the same thing once; I just personally have a theory that all parents tell their children they’d be good lawyers because they argue with them. As if it’s not a child’s right to argue.”

“You’re well-spoken too.”

“For a woman?”

You saw panic pale his face. “What?”

A smile couldn’t help but make its way to your mouth. “Only teasing.”

He let out an exasperated sigh. “Scared me for a moment.”

“Yeah?” You joked, turning back over your shoulder as you felt yourself at the top of the summit. “I usually get that a lot. That’s why my da-.”

Once your eyes drifted up to see the rest of the Boys Left Behind, your words fell silent. The youngest ones, who you assumed to be freshman, you did not recognize but knew immediately they would be kinder than the two whom you already knew.

Teddy ‘I only lost because I went easy on you’ Kountze, and Angus ‘I know more than you’ Tully.

These motherfuckers.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Angus groaned.

Teddy merely blinked, as if he couldn’t believe it. “What’re you doing here?”

“She’s Walleye’s kid, idiot.” Angus pointed out. “Of course she’d be here.”

Jason looked between the three of you. “You know each other?”

With whatever self-control you had (and you barely had any), you kept calm. “They’re just sore losers I met months ago.”

Teddy rolled his eyes. “Hunham wasn’t proud of us after one test, so he called in her one day, and we had to basically go up against her in some bullshit trivia match.”

“Wait,” Jason looked back at you. “so it was you versus the entire class?”

You stood proudly. “Uh huh.”

“Lost to this dickwad of all people.” Teddy slapped Angus’ back. “We couldn’t believe she met her match; she tore apart almost everyone else in class.”

 “So then why are you acting like you did any better?” You tried your best to sound as if you were joking but were also dead serious.

He scoffed. “Doesn’t matter if I did; you still lost.”

Rolling your eyes, they soon fell onto the youngest pair, staring up at you as if in study. You smiled, holding out your hand, introducing yourself. “What’re your names?”

The one with glasses and black hair shook yours first. “Ye-Joon.”

Then the boy paler than a lightbulb and cheeks turning red from the cold. “Alex.”

“And what’re you two doing here?”

Ye-Joon spoke first. “My family is in Korea, and they think it’s too far for me to travel alone.”

“I figured it was because your rickshaw was broken.” Teddy snickered.

“What’s a rickshaw?”

You shrugged, despite knowing what it was. “Not sure, I am sure that he’s an idiot though.”

Teddy acted as if you were flirting with him. “Highest compliment I’ve ever gotten from you.”

“What about you?” Jason questioned. “You’re Hunham’s kid, but do you go to school in town or…?”

“Homeschooled.” You weren’t the one who responded. All eyes went to Agnus Tully, still smoking a cigarette and averting his eyes from everyone. “Which checks out.”

You tilted your head, hiding your growing nerves with a surprised smile. “Aw, look at that; Frankenstein’s Monster does have the capacity to memorize things.”

The only one who laughed was Teddy, and you almost wanted to take it back.

Angus just shook his head. “Look, I don’t know what kind of schtick it is to be the angry girl, but it doesn’t look nice on you.”

“Hey, leave the lady alone.” Jason stepped in.

“Lady?” He said the word as if it was foreign to call you that.

“Yes,” you agreed with Jason despite how much you didn’t want to, but your desire to humble Angus Tully outweighed your morals (a reoccurring theme for the Winter of 1970). “I’m a lady.”

“For how much you start fights, I wouldn’t call you one.”

“Ladies do not start fights, but they can sure as hell finish them.”

He merely rolled his eyes and went back to smoking. Fair enough…him not engaging only made him look like the bigger person. Still, it wasn’t worth it for you to continue beating a tall, dead, dumb, horse with curly hair.

“What’s your story?” Jason asked Alex.

“Oh,” he sounded shocked. “my parents are on a mission in Paraguay. We’re LDS.”

“Mormons, right?”

Teddy asked before he could respond. “Do you guys wear some kind of magic underwear?”

You turned to Jason and whispered as Alex went into an explanation. “I’m going to slap him into next semester the next time some stupid shit leaves his mouth.”

He tried to hide his smile. “I don’t think any of us would mind, to be honest.”

“Hey,” Teddy interrupted. “what’s with the townies?”

Everyone turned to the chapel and saw two men carrying the Christmas tree out. Agnus yelled. “Excuse me! What are you doing with our Christmas tree?”

“The school sold it back to us!” He responded. “Scotch pine, still fresh.”

The other one added. “Yeah, we’re gonna put it back on the lot. Do it every year.”

“This is the most bullshit ever.” Angus shook his head, then looking at you. “Did you know about this?”

You couldn’t even respond right away, the question was so ludicrous. “I had no idea about being stuck here with you idiots until about an hour ago, so I naturally knew the townies would steal your Christmas tree.”

“Unbelievable.” He muttered under his breath, putting out the cigarette and heading towards the main building.

The rest of the boys’ gaze drifted to you, and all you said was. “Do you think he’d believe me if I told him they worked for the Grinch?”

You were more than halfway through A Christmas Carol when you were in the room you shared with your father in the infirmary. He was chatting with Mary, the head cook and the closest woman you would have to a mother figure, downstairs, leaving you by yourself.

Not exactly.

In the next room, you knew Alex, Ye-Joon, and Angus shared one, and then Teddy and Jason. They were quiet for the most part, save for Kountze tossing a tennis ball against the wall, but it stopped bothering you after a few minutes.

 You’d read the Charles Dickens’ tale a million times, but you couldn’t help and see how many similarities Angus Tully shared with Ebenezar Scrooge. It would be a lie if anyone were to ever claim you didn’t have hobbies; what would they call you assigning fictional characters to real people?

You found yourself beginning to pace around the room the more you read. Whilst voices raising in the background grew louder, you didn’t know exactly what had been happened until you wandered in on Tully and Kountze having a fight you could only summarize as it being straight out of Lord of the Flies.

You knew how that story ended, so with one look, you turned on your heel and walked away.

Finding a quiet corner outside of the infirmary, you thought you were safe when-.

Your father yelled your name. “Could you come here, please?”

Roling your eyes, you yelled back. “You told me not to deal with the inadequacy of the male testosterone, so that’s what I’m doing!”

He called for you again, and you groaned, bookmarking where you were and marching back to the infirmary. All five boys and your father stood before you, and you leaned against the doorframe, making it known you wanted to be anywhere but there.

Paul Hunham sighed. “You wouldn’t happen to know who started this ‘Not fight’ mister Ollerman described to me?”

Your eyes drifted to Tully (for reasons, you had no idea), who simply glared back at you. You could’ve done it…lied about him starting it even though you had no idea; it’s what he deserved for being an ass you to that day, and for winning months ago.

But, where you were a bitch, you were also just.

“No,” you stated. “I don’t know.”

He thinned his lips, turning back to everyone. “All right then, we’ll do it like the Roman Legions. Absent a confession, one man’s sin is every man’s suffering. For every minute the truth is withheld, you will all receive a detention.”

“And I thought all the Nazis were hiding in Argentina.” Angus mumbled.

“Stifle it, Tully.” Your father refuted.

You shrugged (this somehow being the first time you agreed with Angus Tully). “He’s got a point; you’re breaking the Geneva Convention if you do.”

“The what?” Teddy scrunched his nose.

“Well,” Your father sighed as he said your name. “if you want to have an opinion on the matter, you can join them as well.”

“I don’t even go here!”

“Well, you’re standing under the roof right now. Now in the first of said detentions, you will clean the library. Top to bottom. Scraping the underside of the desks, which are caked with snot and gum and all manner of ancient, unspeakable proteins. On your hands and knees, down in the dust, breathing in the dead skin of generations of students and desiccated cockroach assholes.”

“It was Kountze!” Little Alex pointed to him. “Kountze started it!”

While the guilty party in question’s face had dropped, you watched as your father’s brightened. “Bravo, Mister Ollerman. Bravo.”

It must’ve off put Mary how you were smiling in the kitchen when you picked up the pitcher of water and bread as she got the platters of chicken and potatoes and asparagus.

Still, she asked. “How bad of a day was it for you to be smiling as you serve the men at the table?”

“Eh,” you began. “I would rather be on a plane to Copenhagen right now, but being stuck at this hell hole with you makes it tolerable; better, even.

Mary smiled at that. “Feeling’s mutual, Jane Bennett.”

“I’m Lizzie.” You playfully whined.

“And I can’t be bothered to finish that book.” She teased, and the two of you were beginning to make your way to the dining hall.

“Speaking of books, do you have another one I could borrow?” You asked.

“Already?” Mary sounded surprised. “I gave you that book last week.”

“And I finished it in a few days, I just haven’t had the chance to ask you.”

She shook her head as you pushed through the door out into the dining hall, holding it for her. “I’ll recommend the Bible next time to keep you occupied for longer.”

“I think I’ll stick with James Baldwin, if that’s alright.” You jested, then seeing Jason’s lips move as he asked a question, Teddy responded, and then your father spoke quite loudly.

“Consider yourselves lucky. During the third Punic campaign, 149-146 B.C., the Romans laid siege to Carthage for three entire years. By the time it ended, the Carthaginians were reduced to eating sand and drinking their own urine. Hence the term punitive.”

You and Mary set down the food, and you scrunched your nose in disgust at your father’s ‘fun fact’ while sitting beside Jason and facing Angus. It took everything in your bones not to burst out in laughter to see Teddy Kountze sitting at the edge of the table like a toddler having a silent tantrum.

“Thank you, Mary.” Your father greeted as everyone began to serve themselves. “Would you maybe care to join us?”

Oh, the look of distaste on Teddy’s face nearly made you lose it. Mary took notice immediately, and she offered a meek smile. “No, I’m alright, thank you.”

The same moment the door to the kitchen closed when she left was when Teddy turned to all of you, whispering as if it would help. “I mean…I know she’s sad about her son and everything, but still, she’s being paid to do a job. And she should be doing it well, right?”

If it weren’t for the fact you were chewing on a piece of chicken, and that your father was just two seats away from you, you would’ve given him a piece of your mind. The glare in your eyes would have to suffice.

Still, he opened his dumb mouth to continue. “But I guess, no matter how bad of a cook she is, they can never fire her.”

“Will you shut up?!” Your father hit the table so hard, silverware flew. You’d seen this rage from him before…but it still made you jump. “You have no idea what that woman has been through-!”

His gaze turned to you, and saw the look that could only belong to you in moments like that; where you stiffened yourself and hardened your eyes to look as if you did not know what fear meant. Yet, there was still an undeniable amount of terror even within those eyes you tried to have been the most fearless.

He reigned himself back in. “You know, Mr. Kountze, for most people, life is like a henhouse ladder; shitty and short. You were born lucky. Maybe someday you entitled little degenerates will appreciate that. If you don’t, I feel sorry for you, and we will not have done our jobs. Now eat.”

The boys obeyed, keeping their heads low. You felt your heart go back to itself, and as you were returning to eating, you heard an irritating voice mumble.

“Not our fault her kid was one of the poor bastards to be drafted.”

It took you three seconds to find Teddy’s foot under the table, and one for you to step on it with all your weight.

He jolted, cursing under his breath before looking at you. “The hell?!”

You feigned innocence, a potato on your fork. “Oh, was that your foot? I’m so sorry.”

Teddy’s eyes tried to burn through your skin as you continued to eat, but you barely felt them. The eyes you did feel on you were soon gone when you looked across from where you sat.

There was Angus Tully, keeping his head down as if he was a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

…Interesting…

What else were you supposed to think?

You finished A Christmas Carol by the time your father forced you to turn out the lights (and then confiscated your flashlight from under your bed…had to think of a better hiding spot). It always took you a while to go to sleep (still does, some nights).

As you laid in darkness, your mind would rush with the worlds you vowed to lose yourself in through the books you read. Frodo had Middle Earth, Emma had Highbury, and you had…Barton, Massachusetts.

Not even Concord like the March Sisters, just plain old Barton.

So, naturally, when your mind had tired itself from living these fantasies, and as you were about to drift off to sleep, your father’s snoring awoke you.

You hadn’t even noticed he came into the room, only when he started snoring to wake the dead. Sighing heavily, you tossed yourself out of bed, and used what moonlight coming in from the windows as your guide. Not long after, you saw that Angus and the freshmen boys drew the short end of the stick in their room choice; there were no curtains to the windows, causing the lamplights to bleed into the room, making it an unfavorable color of piss yellow.

That’s when your eyes drifted to where Jason and Teddy were; a little light peering in from their window facing the moon, and correspondingly, the other bedroom, but still quite dark. Closest to the door…a spare bed.

Yes, it was by Teddy, but your father’s snoring being fainter in that room was enough for you.

But again…it was by Teddy.

So, swallowing your pride, your eyes darted around for a solution, and they landed on Frankenstein’s Monster right behind you. Sighing to yourself, you turned back around into his room, and after thinking of what to say, you shook him awake.

He was somehow relaxed at first when he opened his eyes to see you; but that was just shock, he nearly fell out of bed when his vision adjusted.

“What the hell?!” He gasped, sitting up.

You shushed him, sitting on the edge of his bed. “I need a favor.”

He blinked, looking around to just double check where he was; nope, it wasn’t a bad dream, yep, he was still at Barton. “You appear like one of the fucking ghosts from A Christmas Carol, what could it possibly be?”

You rolled your eyes. “Well, Ebenezar Scrooge, my dad snores like he’s trying to be the Giant from Jack and the Beanstalk, and I can’t sleep in there. So, I’m gonna go sleep in the other room, and you gotta wake me up or I’m dead.”

Angus Tully stared at you as if your head had grown horns. “I have no idea what you just said right now because you woke me up at,” he turned and looked at his watch. “oh look, 1am.”

Sighing you bit back a response only because you needed something from him. “Look; I want to actually be able to sleep, and I know I won’t at all if I’m stuck in a room with my dad all night. I’ll sleep in the extra bed in the other room, and you wake me up so that none of us will be killed if I oversleep in a room with teenage boys.”

It’s more than obvious he understood, but he then asked. “Why not just ask one of the guys in the room you’re sleeping in?”

“I don’t trust Kountze with anything and Jason…”

Damn your exhaustion for not being able to come up with a good explanation besides-.

“You like him.” Angus’ face lit up with a teasing glee that unnerved you somehow more than Teddy’s entire existence did that day.

“No!” You immediately deny. “I mean, yes, but in a way that of course I like him because he’s the only one of you assholes who are nice to me. So, I don’t like like him.”

You liar.

Angus scoffed, yet his shit eating grin was still on his face. “What are you, twelve?”

“I was about to ask the same thing since you’re so interested.” You rolled your eyes.

“So why me?” He asked. “You like the freshmen, don’t you trust them more?”

“I like them and actually want them to sleep.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Sighing you said. “I’ll give you whatever you want; not whatever you fucking perve but-.”

“-I never even thought of it like-.”

“-Sure, you didn’t.” You interrupted. “But I got a friend in town, so I can always go and get you stuff. What do you want?”

He took his time thinking; so much time you were tempted to wake Mary up and beg her to let you sleep in her room (you knew she would've let you, but you didn't want to disturb her. You also never questioned your father why he didn't initially have you sleep in Mary's room; more than likely just to give her her own space). Finally, he answered.

“Chocolate and cigarettes.” The look you gave him would’ve made you laugh if you could see it. It only made him scrunch his eyes. “What?"

“That’s it?”

“I'm running out of both, big deal." He scoffed. "Am I allowed to change my mind after each time you pay me? Besides, when will you?”

You shrugged. “I can’t go out every day. I’ll see if he’ll let me the day after tomorrow, so I can stock up then. How about…every three days you wake me up, that’s when I give you stuff. Sound good?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

Holding out your hand, you were surprised he shook it right away. You looked him dead in the eyes when you said. “If any of them try to do anything to me while I sleep, I’m using their own pillow to suffocate them; that goes for you too, clear?”

“Crystal.” He drew his hand away. “I won’t say anything either.”

You nodded in thanks, standing up. Before you could tiptoe to the other room, you looked back at him. “Wake me up at six-thirty; he’ll wake you all up at seven.”

When you turned your back again, he asked in an unsettled fashion. “How?”

You knew that he hated the light flooding the room for a different reason now; to see your smile of mischief before you left.

[ellecdc]

hear me out - a remus fic but set in come back be here, like maybe a muggle and remus is instantly smitten but has no idea how to navigate but everyone is pushing for him to actually go for it and it’s just chaos but in the best way possible… regardless come back be here was AMAZING

CBBH Remus x muggle!barista gn!reader

(Pretend they have phones for this okay? Thank you lol)

CW: just fluff, swearing, self deprecation, making a fool of oneself - you know, the remus lupin special

Remus would describe himself as many things.

He was a wizard. He was a werewolf. He was a business owner. He was an uncle. He was a friend. He was a war hero.

He was also, apparently, a coward.

He knows this to be true because he’s sat in the same spot that he’s been haunting all week – a chair in the far back corner of the café – pretending to look over ledgers in his notebook while he actually watches you work.

It’s fucking pathetic, is what it was.

He watched as you smiled politely at every customer in line – even the ones who weren’t as polite to you as Remus thought they ought to be.

He felt silly, really, watching you like a creep. He shouldn’t be here to begin with. He had stumbled upon this café completely by accident two weeks ago whilst in the city to pick up more muggle literature to add to his bookstore on Diagon Alley.

It was here he saw you, as if you were a siren calling him to this sodding caffeinated inlet to damn him to hell.

What a willing victim he was. 

But he shouldn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t get caught up with you. It was unthinkable. Most witches and wizards would have a hard time coming to terms with someone like, well, someone like him. 

He was a burden. A risk.

It was selfish to think he could entertain the thought of you.

Suddenly, as if she’d known he was talking poorly of himself, his phone buzzed.

Remus tried to steal himself as he took a deep breath. 

Right Lupin, you’ve done scarier things before. He thought to himself. You’ve run with wolves, you’ve gone undercover into enemy bases, you’ve deceived the dark lord right in front of his slimy fucking face, and you’ve even told Sirius once you thought his hair looked weird. By all means, you can talk to a barista.

Except...well...he really kind of couldn’t talk to a barista. He had made it all the way to the counter, even smiled politely at you as he stepped up to the cash register and...

And then words left him. Failed him. Completely abandoned him. He even thinks there may be a little stickie note in his brain that says ‘resignation effective immediately’ where words should be because he’s staring right at you with your gorgeous eyes and lovely hair and perfect features and for fuck sakes why isn’t he saying anything!?!?!

“Is there something I can get for you?” You asked so sweetly like this bloke wasn’t standing with his mouth agape at your cash register making a sure and utter fool of himself; like you had all the time in the world for the poor bastard.

“Uhm, uh...” He tried finally as if only now realizing he had functioning vocal chords. 

“Uhm, fuck, I’m so sorry uhm...”

You chuckled at him. Holy shit you chuckled at him. It was the most beautiful sound Remus thinks he may have ever heard. He hoped you’d do it again, though, at the rate he’s going it was really very likely. 

“I’m so sorry. I swear I’m not usually like this. Uh,” He apologized awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck. 

“I hope this isn’t too forward, but I think you’re lovely and would, uh, like to get to know you. You don’t have to say anything now!” He interrupted as you began to interject. “In fact, for my pride's sake, I’d prefer if you didn’t. But I’d like to leave my number here for you, in case you’d like to text me some time.” 

He offered you the kindest smile he could muster as you took the now crumpled and sort-of-damp-from-his-sweaty-palms note in your hand with a smile of your own.

Now, Remus wouldn’t say he ran out of the café, per se. He would describe it as more of a jaunt, or perhaps a brisk walk. But he did nearly take out a woman with a pram as he all but flung the door open in his haste to get away. 

You stupid ridiculous bastard. He scolded himself as he made his way to the closest apparition point. If Sirius could see you know, you’d never hear the end of it.

His phone buzzed and Remus nearly dropped it in his haste thinking it might be Sirius having somehow actually seen what just took place.

Then he nearly dropped it again as he saw a new text from an unknown number.

Perhaps Remus wasn’t such a coward after all.

[rebouks]

Something inside Tristen snapped, Vicky’s grating voice quivering over his shoulder almost made him want to smash his head against the pavement just so he wouldn’t have to hear it anymore. “Trissy-…” He cut her off, whirling to face her with such a crazed look in his eyes that she actually balked. “I don’t fucking want this-.. you; I never have!” Her lips twisted into a pout as she regained her composure. She didn’t like it when he was sober, her little games didn’t work so well when he wasn’t shackled to her approval, her money, her connections.

“You’re acting crazy, can we just-…” He cut her off again, getting up in her face this time. He didn’t care if he scared her, didn’t care what he looked like-.. he wasn’t backing down now, lest she get under his skin again. “You created a life you don’t even want, and what for? Out of pure pettiness, because someone dared treat me with the tiniest amount of decency-.. and you couldn’t even keep your panties on long enough to make sure it was mine!” Still intent on keeping up the charade, Vicky tried to interrupt. “But it is y-…” “IT’S FUCKING NOT!” Tristen spat. Her shoulders drooped, a tiny shift in body language that told him he’d finally won. She’d given it her best shot, but the folded wad of paper hidden in Tristen’s pocket had broken her spell on him. It wasn’t his, she wasn’t his; he was free.

He’d tried to keep it together until he was alone, but the tears had fallen long before he’d managed to reach the solace of his makeshift bedroom. Courtney had followed him shortly thereafter, speaking words he didn’t hear, offering consolation where he didn’t want it.

The shame he’d tried so hard to bury bubbled up without permission, an ugly, strangled sob suddenly muffled by her closeness. She cradled him like one of her own. Like Robin after a bad dream, like Byrd when he hurt himself doing something he shouldn’t, or Wren when she couldn’t sleep; and to her surprise, he’d let her.

He could hardly remember what she’d said, or how long she’d held him like that, but before he knew it, he was alone again; drifting off into an emotionally spent slumber like a soothed child.

Tristen had grown fond the Bay, though like anywhere else he’d been, it’d soon become tainted with failure, regret and embarrassment. Oscar had tried all morning to convince him to stay, but it was no use, he’d made up his mind. He didn’t know where he was going, he didn’t care what happened to his flat or what useless possessions lay within; he’d snapped his phone in half, he had his bag, he had his hat, his shaky sobriety and his sanity. That was enough to get by, for now.

Tristen was going to do what he did best, run away; except this time, he’d accepted the situation for what it was. So, what if he was fleeing? Maybe he wasn’t meant to stay in situ, wasn’t meant to let his rotten roots take hold anywhere. The longer he stayed somewhere, the more time there was for things to go pear-shaped. King Midas’s illegitimate bastard, turning everything he touched to shit instead of gold.

Oscar sighed. “You can’t just.. leave.” “I can’t stay either…” Tristen pleaded. He didn’t want to argue, and his resolve wasn’t infinite. Shaking his head, Oscar released Tristen’s shoulder with one last squeeze that said; okay, but you better look after yourself. There wasn’t much more he could’ve said with words. The silence between the pair was broken as Tristen straightened himself, adjusting his hat with a forced, lopsided grin; almost like he was trying to feign excitement. “Thanks for everything…”

Oscar nodded, standing helplessly at the edge of the driveway as Tristen set out. He wondered how many times he’d done this; how many places he’d abandoned, how many people he’d cut off. “Maybe I’ll see you around…” he suggested. Tristen threw a rueful smile over his shoulder. “Maybe.”

Previous // Next

[spookyjuicefiction]

Violets & Plums: Astarion/Tav, Part 4

A/N: Look at me updating and not completely abandoning a work! I literally have no plans for this chapter I'm just gonna freeball it and hope it gets where it should go. I read a really sad Ascended Astarion fic last night that I want to flush out of my brain by rambling on and on with fluff

Also Astarion and Shawdowheart are besties and helping each other work through some trauma

Masterlist Part 3

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

Astarion emerged from trance sluggishly, feeling unusually well-rested. No nightmares clung to the backs of his eyes, and he was so warm.

He froze, suddenly alert.

He was never warm.

But she was.

His eyes snapped open and he took in the scene. The room looked stark in the morning light that cascaded through the skylight above; the previously flickering candles melted to stubs that dripped over the side of the bed table. And, of course, there was her. She took up most of the bed, her arms akimbo and hair splayed messily across the pillow. Her mouth hung open slightly, and she snored a little with each deep inhale. She was still shirtless; he took inventory of each scar and freckle dotted across the expanse of her skin. His limbs were tangled in hers, and he couldn't ignore the extra heat where his leg split hers open. Fuck.

They were so wound together that she stirred at even his slightest movement; he was trying to angle his morning excitement away from her hip.

"You better not be trying to get out of this bed."

Her voice was thick with sleep, eyes still closed as she yanked the blanket back up over their shoulders.

He chuckled awkwardly, unsure of what to do. He couldn't remember the last time he woke up in bed with someone. At once the warmth was both suffocating and intoxicating; he wanted to nestle back into her so badly, but he felt exposed and vulnerable in the sunlight. He tried to deflect.

"Darling, we have a very busy day today. There are so many goblins to kill! I should think you'd want plenty of time for your breakfast."

"I can have breakfast any day. I likely won't get to share a proper bed with you again until we reach Baldur's Gate, and I intend to enjoy it."

Astarion grinned in spite of himself. "Very bold of you to assume I'd jump into bed with you again. You must think you're quite the cuddle."

Smiling, she finally opened her eyes and looked into his. His stomach flipped at the expression they conveyed, all sweetness and sleepy desire.

"You wound me. And here I thought we had something special." She let out an overly dramatic sigh. "If you'd rather room with Gale in Baldur's Gate, I suppose I can understand. Just give me some time to get over it."

He was too weak to resist her. Her charming playfulness, her nudity, and her gentle hands on his shoulders were a heady mixture that his conscience simply couldn't contend with. He succumbed to the warmth, closing the distance between them with a hungry kiss that left them both a little breathless.

"If my only lodging option is Gale in the future," Astarion told her seriously, "I'm taking a page out of Lae'zel's book and swearing off beds altogether. I refuse to be the first person that dies in a Netherese orb explosion."

Giggling, she stroked his cheek and replied, "I swear to never make you bunk with Gale if you admit that I'm the best cuddle you've ever had."

Astarion rolled his eyes with exaggerated exasperation and she playfully slapped his cheek lightly, still giggling. "You bastard."

"Very well," he sighed, leaning forward and nuzzling his nose to hers in a way so a nauseatingly sweet he would certainly punish himself for it later, "you are the best cuddle I have ever had. And it's not even close." For once in his life, Astarion was telling the complete and entire truth.

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

The saccharine mood from the morning cuddle hung over them both as they strapped into their armor, packed, and headed to the dining area to meet the others. Astarion felt he hid the giddiness better than she did by nodding stiffly to the table at large and heading to the corner to sharpen his daggers in solitude. Tav, on the other hand, greeted everyone with unbridled enthusiasm that had the entire table raising their eyebrows. Very subtle, Astarion mentally chastised her. But even he had trouble committing to the thought, warming at the idea that he might be the cause for her smile as she sat down and dug heartily into her breakfast. Mine.

It didn't surprise him when Shadowheart fell back to walk in step with him on the way to the goblin camp once they set out. She seemed determined to dig up gossip on whatever was going on between he and Tav.

"How was your evening?" she asked innocently. Astarion shot her a knowing look, and she chuckled.

"Lady Shar would be ashamed at my lack of subterfuge," she remarked. "Although I'm not nearly as bad as you and Tav."

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean." Astarion's tone aimed for dismissive, but even he couldn't hold back a smile when Shadowheart snorted in return.

They walked in companionable silence for a while, and Astarion found that he did not entirely dislike the cleric's company. He wondered if she considered him a sort of friend, the way Tav did.

"Can I ask you something?" he surprised himself by asking her quietly.

"Sure," she answered, sounding a little surprised as well.

"You surrendered your memories to serve Shar. Do you ever..." he wasn't sure how to ask the question that was on the tip of his tongue. "Are there times that you sort of.. clamp up? Like there's something you can't remember, but it... paralyzes you?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he felt Shadowheart regard him. After a beat, she answered, "yes."

He looked to her now. Her fingers were brushing the black spot on the back of her hand that she claimed was an "old injury that acted up from time to time". She continued, "it sort of feels like my brain is resetting. Like I should be able to remember something, but it's blocked. It makes me feel..." she searched for the right word. "Afraid. Outside of myself."

"Hmm," Astarion hummed in reply. He found that he wanted to confide in her further. "It happened to me last night, when Tav and I... I became afraid, quite suddenly." He frowned at the memory. "I feel... ashamed."

"Astarion, if there is anyone who would never judge you, it's Tav," Shadowheart reminded him gently. "But I'm sorry that happened to you. And I'm sorry for whatever memory caused it." He felt her hand touch his wrist, and she gave him a little squeeze. In response, he lightly bumped his shoulder against hers.

"What a mess we all are," he sighed. They were approaching the edge of the goblin encampment now, and the pair dropped to a crouch in unison.

"Well, luckily there are plenty of goblin skulls to crush as therapy."

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

"What kind of a name is Priestess Gut, anyway?!" Astarion yanked Tav behind a pillar as a flurry of arrows launched their way.

"That's what we all call you behind your back." She was panting as she chugged a quick healing potion and wiggled her fingers, willing electricity to buzz between them. The grand hall of the old Selunite temple was a mess; the group had managed to schmooze their way in and take out two leaders, but a guard had caught Karlach cracking a scrying eye against the stone wall and alerted the whole camp to their trickery.

"No no, that's what I call you after you pig out on sweetrolls after supper," he shot back through gritted teeth as he yanked arrows out of a dead body nearby. She shot him a wicked grin as the sparks between her fingers began crackling even bigger.

"Hang on, I've just had a thought!" Astarion plucked up a carafe from the ground nearby and flung it around the pillar, covering the ground with water. "Alright, sweetness, light them up."

She happily obliged, sending a current of pure electricity through the line of goblins in a chain reaction. The pair whooped excitedly as they ran forward, trying to catch up with Wyll and Lae'zel ahead.

"Watch out!" Shadowheart's panicked scream hit them too late; an arrow whizzed past Astarion's face. Looking up, he saw they'd missed a guard in the rafters, which he took out with a rapid arrow from his own bow.

"Little shit," he cursed, "come on-" but Tav had dropped to the ground next to him, slipping through his fingers as he tried too late to catch her.

"No, gods damn it, NO!" the rogue arrow was poking out of her shoulder, just above her heart. Her eyes were blinking rapidly as blood soaked her jerkin. Panic seized his heart as he tried to drag her out of the center of the room; the fight between Karlach, Gale and the last leader, Minthara, was spilling dangerously close to where Tav had fallen. Shadowheart was on the other side of the room shooting off shield spells, and Wyll and Lae'zell were rushing forward to join the fray.

What the fuck do I do? Tav was losing consciousness, and he needed to get her out of the way.

Suddenly, he remembered the ring Gale had pressed into his hand a few days before and the conversation that had ensued:

"Gale, what in the hells am I going to do with a Misty Step Ring? I don't even use magic."

"You have fey magic in you, Astarion. You never know when it could come in handy. Just hang onto it."

Astarion threw his arms around Tav and tried with everything in him to channel the power of the ring.

"Come on, fucking faerie magic," he grunted. I have to save her. He let out a scream as a white hot feeling crashed through him - and then they were gone.

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

What if she's dead?

The question wouldn't stop ringing in Astarion's ears as he paced outside the door to the room in the temple they had deemed as the hospital ward. He didn't quite know how to feel about the question. Only days ago he swore he wouldn't have cared if Tav had fallen off a cliff, but now... everything had changed. When was the last time he'd lost someone? Someone that mattered?

"It was quick thinking, mate," Wyll said for what must have been the third time. The warlock was cleaning a scrape on his leg on a bench along the wall. "You did everything you could."

Astarion picked up a piece of rubble from the ground and threw it as hard as he could down the hall. He hadn't done enough. She could be dead.

Belatedly, it occurred to him that he hadn't once been distracted by her blood as he tried to stopper the wound. It almost unnerved him that the frenzy of his thirst had been overpowered by his panic over losing her. He wanted to smack his skull against the wall. His confusion over his suddenly strong feelings for her flavored his fear of losing her with extra nausea.

Finally, Shadowheart appeared in the doorway, wiping her bloody hands on a rag. "She's alive," she assured him quickly, assessing the pure panic in his eyes. "She's lost a lot of blood and will need some time to recover, but she'll pull through."

Astarion thought his knees might give out. "Is she awake? Is she in pain?" he tried to peer over the cleric's head to get a look into the ward. "Will it be alright through the night?"

"I promise, Astarion, I've done everything I can." Shadowheart looked exhausted - depleted, even. He wanted to hound her further, but he knew she was telling the truth. He hadn't forgotten their tender conversation from earlier in the day, and he was grateful to her for that and for tending to Tav.

"Can I see her?" he asked in a small voice. Shadowheart nodded, stepping out into the hallway and holding the door open for him. Astarion understood - this was the changing of the guard for the rest of the night.

He moved into the dimly lit room to take up his post and nearly shuddered at the sight. Tav was laid stiffly out on a table in a way that reminded Astarion of a body at the morgue, covered by a loose piece of cloth. Her tangled hair was pushed back over her head, and her forehead and upper lip were glistening with sweat. He hesitated for a moment before stepping back in the hall, asking Wyll to keep an eye on her for a few moments.

He returned to the tableside with a bucket of warm water, his bergamot soap, a sponge, a comb, and a clean set of loose clothing. He spent the next hour gingerly scrubbing the crusted blood and dirt off of her pretty skin and gently working through the tangles in her hair. He sat at the head of the table and worked the strands into an intricate braid pattern that he hadn't realized he even knew how to do. Hair-braiding was an intimate act amongst elves; he briefly wondered whose hair he might have braided before to learn this design. He was glad that he didn't remember; he wanted it to be only hers.

When he had finished cleaning her, he sat and watched her for so long that he lost track of time. It felt as though he was trancing - thoughts seemed to come and go before he could catch them. They were tiny things, inconsequential. A vicious master, a putrid dungeon full of rats, a squirming parasite digging through his skull. An infernal tattoo. An army of cultists marching on the city. It didn't matter now, he knew. As he looked at her, he at last finally, calmly accepted the seismic shift in the cosmos. The center of his universe now lay on the table in front of him, dancing between life and death, the axis of the planet spinning unknowingly around the core of her being. He was but a tiny moon in her atmosphere, helpless to her gravitational pull. Perhaps it was time to stop resisting. With a sigh, he settled into orbit.

A dim light had begun to creep through the dusty windows when she finally stirred. A groan of pain, followed by a thick swallow. Astarion was at her side in an instant with a water skein, tipping it to her cracked lips. She swallowed and coughed lightly, blinking up at him.

"It smells like shit in here."

He chuckled, tucking a stray hair behind her ears. "My apologies, madam. I'm not sure I can wash away, what, months worth of goblin piss in one night? But I can certainly try if it should please you."

She huffed out a laugh that made her wince, tenderly bringing a hand to touch the wound area. "How bad is it?"

"Shadowheart says you'll live," he smiled at her crookedly, "though I had my doubts. You looked quite poorly."

"You must be disappointed she was right," she smirked up at him, although he thought he caught an unguarded flash of uncertainty. If she only knew what he now understood, she would never doubt his devotion to her. But how could he even begin to explain it?

"Not in the least," he all but whispered. Leaning down, he ghosted a kiss against her lips first, and then to her forehead. "Don't scare me like that again, please."

"Then don't forget to check the rafters next time." Tired as she was, her eyes were full of adoration as her hand clasped around his.

[katerinaaqu]

I’m nodding along with your posts cause the thunder saga ending just didn’t sit well with me at all. I feel like once again Odysseus is being characterized as a villain and a totally ruthless, selfish person when that’s just NOT who he is in the Homeric myths. I really enjoyed the start of the musical and I admire Jay’s talent for making music. But it’s missing Odysseus’ character by a long shot and it’s missing the heart of the Odyssey

It wouldn't be the first time. Many post-homeric sources depicted Odysseus as an amoral bastard who would sell anything and anyone to achieve his goals. For instance post-homeric sources have HIM instead of the will of the gods be the one to orchestrate the sacrifice of Iphigenia and leading her to the altar.

Unfortunately Odysseus seems like free game to be turned into the villain of the story since antiquity. And that is because his methods were going against what ancient Greeks considered honorable (aka direct fight) so they strifed to use Odysseus as an example of what one shouldn't be doing plus many who created anti-war plays like Eurypedes wanted Odysseus as the symbol of anything going under the table in a war. Basically the shady aspects of war. In a way it made sense in antiquity even if it was overplayed.

Romans were also divided but many depicted Odysseus as the absolute villain because he is the taker of Troy. The ancient Roman progenitor is Aeneas who runs away from Troy after the massacre. In a way Odysseus is portrayed as the villain by the romans because he took their mythological ancestral city.

However indeed what bothers me is that this musical was not supposed to be some rewrite of Odysseus's persona. It was supposed to be an adaptation from HOMER'S Odyssey and homeric Odysseus is in my opinion the most solid Odysseus. He is not a goodie guy of course. He has tons of flaws and he made many gray decisions but he was still the hero. Not the lowkey villain. He was incredibly loyal to his friends and crew and didn't abandon them before any danger.

The Musical I think ruined his potential. Not just the thunder saga but almost everything from the end of Storm till now. Odysseus does not speak his name to Polyphemus out of his fatigue anger and insult after a week of seclusion and torture. He speaks it out of spite because he just lost his friend (that same friend that was killed off for the sakes of dramatics given that Polites is mentioned only once in the homeric poems and that is on Circe's island), he doesn't sell himself to Circe to save his men apparently no price needed to be paid. He didn't remain a slave for one year close to her. He doesn't get strikes by guilt by ACTUALLY talking to his mother in the underworld or by fear by talking to Achilles or by doubt by talking to Agamemnon. He gets zero definitive answers from Tiresias. He gets no advice from Circe he gets not his experience with Sirens. He didn't gear up to protec his men from Skylla even if Circe told him not to because she was immortal and there would be no point...

Why would anyone claim that they make an adaptation if they do not follow literally anything from the plot?

I absolutely agree. I got my hopes way too high at Troy saga because I loved the way he actually used the Iliou Persis half-saved phrase and turned it into an amazing dilemma. Those first songs were amazing and spoke volumes for the characters. However the more we move in the more disappointed I get.

Yes I still feel happy that a fellow artist shows such passion over music and how he started everything by himself and all but now I feel like he just seeks to change everything from the original and I fail to see why...why must this potential masterpiece be turned into yet another "loosely based on" thing like every typical mainstream Hollywood film? I think my expectation at first increased my disappointment now.

Quite frankly I got a glimpse of Calypso too and they seem they want to turn the story of the poor man practically being raped for 7 years and held prisoner into a bubbly romcom...seriously no...

[promiscuouspomegranate]

hihi!! sorry if you already have requests or if you’re busy!

could you write a story about a poor fem reader who meets a rich noble? probably not something modern but not too ancient. idc if it’s the stereotypical “omg an injured sexy prince on the side of the road!! let me bring him back to my cottage and feed him stone soup because i am so sickly and poor!!”

thank you !! 🩵🩵🩵

Aching Autumn

Fem reader • Prince Thatcher

TWs: Abduction, Mentions of starvation, Poor living conditions, Reader gets death threats, Thatcher is rude, Violence, + Reader gets her fingers dirty.

(This is my first request I’m literally foaming at the mouth cackling crying sobbing and so HAPPY!! THANK TAHK YOU!! I worked on this a bit and I think it turned out well. If you have ivory skin or locks of gold.. my bad 💔 Feel free to let me know if you wanted anything else. Sorry if it isn’t that good… this is my first time writing in a while 😭)

Although the seasons changed, it seemed the conditions I lived in were stagnant, from the cruel, cold winters that frosted my lips and gnawed at my fingers to sweet spring days that warmed my heart and soothed my soul. It seemed I was destined to live a life of poverty and hunger. After all, what could the bastard daughter of a drunkard wanton accomplish other than lamenting on the town streets of what could have been?

On this particular autumn evening, there was an ache in my heart; no words of comfort or looks of pity could soothe, for I saw the man who was supposed to be my father holding a child with golden hair and ivory skin–something I never had. I tried to elevate myself above the town gossip, but when I heard his name, I knew I had to see it with my own eyes. I needed to see my replacement. He smiled at the child, and I could feel bitter tears streaming down my ragged face.

“My father… You are supposed to be mine. Not that stupid angelic creature who you hold so dearly,” I bit my thumb and stared into the window, “You horrible man! You are my father!”

My father glanced out the window, and I felt my heart shatter when his face contorted into pure disgust. I emptily stared at him and pressed my hand against the glass. That child of his and some refined lady had stolen my leisurely life. I gently knocked on the glass and begged to be let inside. The baby began to sob, and the curtains were drawn. The front door opened, and I was violently dragged into the streets by my father.

“I told her to keep you away from me,” He furiously whispered and tightly grabbed my arm, “You are not welcome near my home. You are no child of mine.”

“But I am! I came from you and will always be a part of you, please,” I cried and pleaded with him, “If I were given an opportunity to clean myself up and become a member of society, I swear I could–”

Before I could finish my sentence, I was thrown into the road and kicked in the stomach.

“You will have to seek your opportunities elsewhere,” My father stepped back and glared, “Perhaps you could sell yourself the way your mother does. You’ll gather enough money to raise a regret of your own.”

He abandoned me, the same way he did when I was nine, slowly and cruelly. Savoring every moment of my cries for him to stay with me and ignoring my presence like I was the wind blowing on his back.

“Horrible man,” I muttered to myself when he was gone once more, “I hope the child dies in his arms and he can feel half the misery that I know.”

I brushed the excess dirt off my dress and readjusted my crimson scarf. I ambled through the town and arrived at the front of my dilapidated building. I decided I had encountered sorrow once too many today and went to the woods bordering my home.

“What I would give, if I had anything of value, to soar in the sky with the doves,” I squinted as they fluttered by, “How lovely.”

The mourning doves called out to each other and perched on pine branches. They hid themselves from me, and I strolled deeper into the woods. I ignored posted signs and warnings to the common people to stay out of the Queen’s forest. I hardly believed it was her land; she had never stepped in the forest. What right did she have to claim what she couldn’t see?

“I suppose it must be nice to claim things as you please,” I felt myself slip into my fantasy of grandeur and smiled, “I would claim the whole world if I were Queen.”

I pretended that the trees curtseyed and bowed as I strolled by. I straightened my posture and pretended the birds were my people. I politely waved and smiled like a queen would–delightfully and regally.

“Oh, I suppose these flowers are for me? Why, thank you, little girl,” I went down and picked what I assumed were wildflowers from the forest floor, “They will look lovely in my crystal vase by the stained glass window. The sunshine yellows would make a lovely spring gown.”

I hummed to myself and stooped down to pick more flowers. I carefully selected each one, though each flower seemed perfectly grown. I selected each by how strong the fragrance was; the more robust the scent, the more I could sell them for in the town.

“I wonder what kind of flower these are? I haven’t seen anything as beautiful growing in the forest before,” I murmured and put one in my hair, “I’ll gather one to replant in front of home.”

I had only begun to uproot the flower when I heard the galloping of stallions and the blasting sound of brass horns. I paid no attention; usually, the royalty stuck to a particular path to hunt the Queen’s favorite animals–ruby red cardinals, acorn brown deer freckled with pearly dots, and soot black bears. I heard the bloodhounds howling as the galloping began to fade into the ambiance of the forest.

I finished uprooting the flower and placed it with the others. I felt something lick my hand and gasped. I saw a bloodhound lazily resting beside me, panting and stupidly staring at me. It licked my hand again, and I pulled my hand away from the dog.

“Stay back,” I demanded but looked nervous, “I’ll.. well, I don’t exactly know what I would do to you.”

I cautiously reached my hand out and placed it on the dog’s head. I began to stroke behind its ears gently and smiled.

“I suppose you’re not that scary,” I mumbled and looked for a tag, “It appears the Queen hasn’t claimed you. Perhaps I will make you my own.”

I took my scarf off and wrapped it around the dog’s neck. I felt joy when it stared at me and rested its head on my lap.

“Such a beautiful thing, aren’t you? You can be my dog since the hunters are so careless,” I squeezed it and sighed, “Yet, I fear you don’t understand a thing I am saying. You probably will run from me the second you see your owner.”

The dog began to howl, and I felt alarmed as the galloping returned. I tried my best to soothe the dog into silence, but it persisted upon howling. I turned around and saw stallions charging toward me. I scooped the dog up, grabbed a flower or two, and sprinted through the woods. I heard men shouting after me, demanding I stop in the name of the Queen. I felt terrified and ran to the frantic beat of my heart.

Yet, no matter how fast I was to run, the horses would always defeat me. I was cornered by nobility and froze in fear. The other bloodhounds were growling at me, and I set mine on the forest floor.

“What an odd combination of bird and tiger. The cowardice of a bird to take flight and the boldness of a tiger to try and outrun horses and your fate,” A man wearing a green cloak frowned upon me–he seemed repulsed by my sight, “Speak, peasant. Make your last words something interesting.”

Promptly, he aimed his rifle at me, and I began to sob in fear.

“Brother, put your rifle down. The woman is clearly lost; why else would she be in these woods? Pity the poor thing and don’t frighten her,” A man wearing a brown cloak intervened–his eyes seemed gentle and welcoming.

“Einarr, could you spare your false sympathies? Not only has she racked up enough crime to be a prisoner in hell as well as Earth, but she also trampled through mother’s flower garden,” He scoffed and put his rifle aside, “It’s either I put her out of her misery now, or mother decides to stroll through the forest and sees her garden missing flowers then makes the whole country suffer her wrath.”

“Thatcher, you seem to forget about our mother’s kind nature. How, if a flower or two went missing, she would smile and think of the beautiful creature that wandered into her garden and was able to appreciate beauty,” Einarr dismounted his horse and clutched its reigns.

“Beautiful creature? I’ve seen more beauty in war than I have her ragged face,” Thatcher dismounted his horse and approached Einarr, “I am assuming this is your attempt at humoring me, so I spare her.”

The two seem more occupied with arguing than dealing with me. I wiped my tears away and fell to the floor. I could feel their eyes burning into my skin as I weakly opened my mouth.

“Forgive my insolence, Your Majesties. I never meant to cause such trouble and ruin your hunt. It is true I wandered into the forest and got lost along the way,” I prayed nothing would ruin my lie, “It tattered my dress and face; I find myself quite weary. I never will step foot in the woods again if it means you so graciously spare my life.”

I heard chuckling from one of the princes and poked my head up. I saw Thatcher terribly trying to mask his amusement as Einarr glared at him.

“Ah! For an ill-bred lady of low rank, she manages the audacity to ask favors from us? Say, do you think you’re more nobility than we are to make such demands? I will fetch your golden crown and scepter, and Einarr will–”

“That is enough, brother. Clearly, she is more worthy of a crown than you are. Such gentleness and kindness despite the cruelty of her circumstance,” Einarr approached me and kneeled to my level, “What is your name? I must know, or I fear I will go mad.”

“Y / N,” I sputtered out and felt breathless, “I am no lady, your majesty. I am only a bastard daughter who managed to lose herself to the perplexities of the woods.

“Einarr, you should be more careful around the animal. She might be rabid and contaminate you with the unforgiving disease of poverty,” Thatcher followed behind Einarr and shoved him aside, “Besides, shouldn’t the heir of the kingdom be at a diplomatic meeting?”

“I suppose you are right about something, Thatcher,” Einarr mounted his horse again and stared at me, “Farewell, Lady Y / N.”

Einarr rode away, and the dogs followed behind him, except for the one I called my own. It was lying beside me, and Thatcher seemed unamused.

“Eris, do not lay with her. Come, girl,” He demanded and crossed his arms, “I said come!”

Eris seemed content lying beside me, to Thatcher’s dismay. He noticed the scarf wrapped around her neck and glared at me.

“You... You were going to steal my dog, weren’t you? You wretched woman,” He clenched his fists and pulled me up, “How dare you steal so much from your providers?”

“I apologize, Your Majesty! I thought the dog was unclaimed and–”

“Silence! Einarr may be foolish enough to entertain your words, but I will have none of it,” He tightly gripped my arm and frowned at me, “Not even death will be enough to punish your crimes. You deserve to be tortured among the criminals of your dastardly rank.”

I felt my lip quiver as his auburn eyes searched into the darkest corners of my heart.

“Yet, even the most painful torture is not fit for you. No, I will choose your suffering myself,” He led me to his horse and forced me to mount it, “I will decide your fate, Y / N.”

He hopped up, wrapped his arms around me, and tightly gripped the reigns. I felt my heart pound as he rode away from the forest.

“Are.. are you going to kill me? Please, just put me out of my misery now,” I begged and felt nauseated.

“I am going to give you a fate worse than death,” He whispered in my ear, “Your fate is intertwined with mine now. Enjoy the scenery of the forest, for I fear this is the last time you’ll see it up close.”

[heavy-swing]

FFXIV Write 2024 - Prompt #1 - Steer

Content Warnings: None Spoiler Warnings: Possible Bozja backstory spoilers that are revealed in the Save the Queen questline (about events that happen pre-ARR), no MSQ spoilers Summary: On one side of Etheirys, what's described as a "Garlean weapons malfunction" levels a city in an instant. On the other side of Etheirys, a young Aelita Tirasch finds her world much emptier than before. Check it out on Ao3, or read below:

“Aelita, my little star, could you come inside for a moment?” Lunya called across the field. “Your father and I have something we need to talk with you about.”

Aelita looked up from the row she’d been digging and pushed her damp, messy hair out of her face. “Sure, ma.” She started walking back towards their modestly sized farmhouse, and then paused, looking down at her clothes, which were covered in dirt. “Do you want me to wash up first, or…?”

“I think it can wait.” Lunya smiled for a brief moment before turning back inside, and Aelita wasn’t far behind, catching the door with a hand before it closed. 

“So, what’s the big news?” Aelita pulled a chair away from the table where her parents sat and flipped it around, sitting with her arms folded across the top of the backrest. “It’s gotta be something important if it can pull me away from plowing.”

Her parents gave each other a long look, as if each of them were begging the other to break the growing silence. Eventually, Jaromir spoke first.

“Aelita, I… You know how we arrived here, don’t you?”

“By ship, from Bozja. You’ve both told me about it many times.” A look of confusion grew across Aelita’s face. “What’s this about, papa?”

Lunya interjected. “We’d been in contact with some of the people we used to know, before we left, and we got some… news today.” Her pleasant smile began to crumble into something more melancholy. “Something went wrong with a Garlean weapon that had been built in the city, and…”

Jaromir picked up where his wife trailed off. “It’s gone. All of it. Leveled to the ground.” Aelita could’ve sworn she heard a ‘Garlean bastards’ under his breath.

“It’s likely Queen Tira didn’t make it either, if the reports we got are to be believed,” Lunya elaborated. Aelita looked back and forth between her two parents, mind racing ahead to try and figure out the conclusion of this conversation before they could speak it aloud.

“Your mother and I have been talking, and… we’d like to go back. Both of us. Whether to offer aid, to look for survivors, to try and mount a resistance, I don’t know… and I suppose it matters little. I’ve just had this feeling ever since we left that’s gnawed at me. Like I abandoned my post.” 

To have me, Aelita thinks, completing the unspoken part of his sentence in her head.

“Queen Tira asked us to leave, to make sure you had a life to look forward to, Aelita. I hope we’ve done that so far. You’ve grown up so fast, and you’re plenty strong enough to take care of yourself now.”

Aelita jumped up from her chair when she finally realized where this was all leading.

“So, you’re leaving me behind? I could come with you! I’m strong enough to fight, you said it yourself!” Tears started to flow down her cheeks, dampening her fur. “Do you even care about me? Just listen to yourselves!”

Jaromir got up from the table and closed the distance between them, taking Aelita’s hands in his own.

“My beautiful star, it is because we care about you that we want you to stay.”

Lunya rose to stand beside her husband. “You can build a life here, you can make this place a home. We still have some sense of duty across the sea, but you have no such obligation.”

“What if something happens to you? What do I do then?”

A moment of silence fell between them, no one wanting to acknowledge the worst should it come to pass.

“You’ll just have to carry on. For both of us,” Jaromir replied, trying to keep tears out of his own eyes. “We thought it best to leave as soon as possible, given the urgency of the situation there, so…”

“Tomorrow…?” Aelita asked between sobs.

“At sunrise,” Lunya confirmed, wrapping her daughter in a hug. Jaromir was quick to join in, offering as much comfort as he could muster. 

Aelita remained silent as they cooked and ate their last meal together, unsure of whether to be angry or despondent. The three of them settled down for the night, and though she was much too large to be sharing a bed with her parents, Aelita insisted on sleeping between them, just this one time.

---

The sun peeked in through the window, an especially unwelcome annoyance. Aelita groggily opened her eyes before she snapped awake at the realization that the bed was empty. She looked around their small house in a panic, and only relaxed when she found both of her parents busy packing their things. 

Her mother noticed and walked over to the bed. “Good morning, my little star. Worry not, we wouldn’t leave without waking you.”

Aelita wordlessly slid to the edge of the bed and padded over to her dresser. She grabbed a comfortable shirt and a pair of coveralls that she usually took fishing out of a drawer and quickly threw them on, as if worried that her parents would disappear without her noticing.

The snap of closures on leather travel bags pierced the silence, signaling an impending departure. 

“Lunya, I think I’m all ready here.”

“Then come over here for a moment.”

Aelita turned from her dresser to face both her parents, who were dressed for a long voyage. Jaromir spoke first.

“Aelita, I… I’m sorry that this is the way things had to be. It is my hope that maybe someday you can understand and maybe forgive me, but I can hardly resent you if you don’t.” His little speech was interrupted by sniffling; unwelcome tears already returning to Aelita’s eyes. “I want to promise that we’ll return to you someday, with glad news of what Bozja has become, but I don’t want to make a promise I can’t keep.” She buried her face in his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her as he’d done hundreds of times before. “I know you’ll be strong for us, my brilliant star.”

After a while, Jaromir released his hug, and it was Lunya’s turn to speak. “Oh, Aelita… Just know that no matter what happens, no matter where we are, we are always thinking of you. There are people here who you can lean on, if you need, and I hope you don’t forget that.” Lunya embraced her daughter, holding her even more tightly than Jaromir had. “Take care of yourself, my little star.”

Jaromir turned to start gathering bags from the floor, and Lunya took that as a signal to let Aelita go, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead before she backed away.

Bags were exchanged between them until the loads were about even, and then, before Aelita could even comprehend it, they had said their last goodbyes and walked through the front door. The bang it made when it hit the frame was the only thing that shook Aelita out of the haze of disbelief she’d found herself in.

Aelita lingered around the house for a while, unsure of what to do with herself. The space already felt so foreign, so empty without her parents there. She began subconsciously scanning the house as if looking for an escape route, and after eyes fell on her fishing rod and tackle, she realized she’d found one. She quickly shoved the tackle boxes in the pockets of her coveralls and grabbed her fishing rod before making a beeline for the front door.

Aelita walked down the coastline with her rod against her shoulder, taking focused strides towards the drydocks on the far side of Moraby Bay. She knew there was someone who lived near her parents’ house that kept a small fishing boat at one of the docks, it was just a matter of finding him. After a fruitless search at the shipyard, she spotted him at Candlekeep Quay, just tying off the little dinghy. 

“Raffe!” she yelled as she ran down the pier to meet him.

The hyuran man looked up in surprise, then smiled when he saw who it was. “Ay-lita! What brings you my way? Come to borrow the boat again?”

“It’s like you can read my mind,” Aelita replied with a laugh, fishing in her pockets for her coinpurse. “How much if I took it for the rest of the morning?”

It was his turn to laugh. “Just bring it back in one piece and we’re square.” He eyed the rod that occupied her shoulder. “And let me have a bite of anything half-decent you catch!”

“Sounds like a deal to me.” She climbed past him with a smile, setting her rod down in the bottom of the boat.

“Currents are a bit strange this morning, though, so beware o’ that,” he said, standing on the pier where she’d been only a moment ago. She nodded, picking up the oars.

“I’ll be careful, then.”

With that, she began to row out onto the open sea.

After she’d cleared the pier and waved goodbye to Raffe, she closed her eyes, trying to focus on anything else except her parents. She honed in on the motion of the oars, the sound of the water against the boat, the salty taste of the spray on her tongue. She heard calls of distant seabirds and chose to let those guide her. There were days for steering deliberately to a destination, but today wasn’t one of them. 

Aelita rowed and rowed, until her shoulders ached, until the feeling of the wood in her hands was all she could think about. 

It was then she opened her eyes.

And before her, as if by magic, appeared a large ship, one clearly built for crossing the great oceans of the star. And standing on the top deck she spotted two silhouettes that she knew could only be her parents. She knew the distance was too great to call out to them, but she stood up and waved her arms overhead, hoping they might notice. It took a couple minutes, but eventually she saw the figures wave back, and the tears from earlier that morning came flooding back, too.

Aelita stood a while longer and watched as the ship shrunk into the distance and disappeared over the horizon. The tears eventually slowed, and she wiped her eyes with her sleeve, trying her best to take deep breaths as she did. Once she felt calm, she bent down into the boat to retrieve her rod, turned 180 degrees from where the ship had been, attached a bit of bait to the line, and cast out into the sea. 

Aelita didn’t know if she could truly do it alone, like her parents had said, but she was resolved to catch some dinner, at the very least.

[hetalia-club]

Stark Family Tree

This is only immediate family.

House Stark

Not my favorite house at all. But they are the subject of the main character of my main story in my AU.

Why exactly does Ivan think Peter is his bastard? Well probably because Amelia told him that, why did she do that? She's not even totally sure. She also told him that he was never born and she drank moon tea to get rid of it. Which is what she was SUPPOSED to do with Arthur’s kid but she didn't really feel like it. She lives for creating unnecessary drama in her life and pinning powerful men against each other and watching them fight over her like rabid dogs a girl needs a hobby I guess. Not like she can play Nintendo or something.

Not to mention if he just thought about it logically for a second, which is asking a lot here. He would realize the time lines don't even add up. But 'not using their brains' is what got both he and Arthur into this situation. Poor Amelia just wants to go to Essos...just someone drop her off there already and forget about her she causes so many problems. Abandon her in the Dothraki Sea she would be fine. She would be married to a Khal in a week and have them all convinced she’s their moon goddess. She would be fine.

Lovino actually doesn't care about any of this and he's off at Casterly Rock dicking around. Which is his favorite thing to do.

Now I can explain this situation a little bit. Amelia was engaged to Arthur first. 2 years ago before the story starts he snuck her away one night and took her sailing, this is where Peter comes from. When he was born her father shipped him away to Pyke to 'hide her shame' assuming when they got married they could just brush it under the rug and legitimize him and then no one would care. Which she was very upset about as you can imagine. She did get to name him at least before they sent him away. She would ask Arthur about him a lot in letters. This left Arthur at an Impasse, he had zero desire to raise a kid. But allowed Peter to just exist in his house basically because he was his key to Amelia. She started showing a lot more interest in him romantically when he had her son at his house.

After Arthur broke a treaty her father called off their engagement and set her up with Lovino Tyrell. Amelia didn't want to marry him because she thinks he's boring and instead started messing around with her cousin Ivan because she really just wants to fly his dragon across the sea. So she sets up this whole murder plot to kill his sister and Ivan is dragging his feet about actually doing it afraid for you know 'getting caught' which is a very big deal and would end them both being killed. So, Irritated with that Amelia starts up sending love letters to Arthur. I mean she doesn't actually mean what she's writing in them and it's more just to get him worked up and make him mad. Again she just wants his boats. Om her side that’s all this is and all it’s ever been, while Arthur genuinely believes she is madly in love with him and revels in it. He does not necessarily ‘love’ her in the traditional sense and she is mostly a status piece for him. She very beautiful and a lot of the high lords want her as matches for their sons, so it’s like a “haha look who I have” type thing for him. He does think she’s beautiful and he does think he’s in love with her. But again it’s more of an obsession than actual love. So she sets up an elaborate kidnapping for herself by him. He takes her away to Pyke. He wants to get married basically the second she steps off the ship and she just rolls with it. But she kind of hates him a little bit because he's a prick and always drunk but he's a pirate so what can you expect. But he's also like crazy about her, like actually crazy. Like 'If you try and leave me I'll lock you in a cell, but don't worry it would be a nice cell.' crazy. So now she's stuck there. Too bad so sad, play stupid games win stupid prizes. But she is pretty happy to have her son back, so that’s one win I guess.

[shiplessoceans]

Ed is sitting on a log in front of a makeshift fire on the beach. The last sliver of sun has just dissolved into the horizon, and he's watching Stede and his crew play a fairly simple game Frenchie invented involving a rum bottle, a coconut and a balancing act where the crew loudly count how many seconds each of them in turn can keep everything suspended on their head. From what Ed can make out, Buttons is currently in the lead and Stede is up next.

Izzy wanders over from where he's been lurking at a distance and sits beside Ed, leaving a large gap. Long gone is the comfort and familiarity between them, replaced with a tense iciness a mile wide. A lot has happened and they haven't actually talked in a while now. Their last conversation had been...

Adversarial to say the least.

Ed glances as Izzy sits, but doesn't say anything, turning back to watch Stede and smiling fondly. Izzy eventually breaks the uncomfortable silence.

"Nice day for it."

Ed doesn't answer him. Let him sit if he wants, but be buggered if he'll engage the bastard in conversation.

Izzy continues talking, picking up a random hunk of wood and begins stripping the bark off it.

"You seem good... happy."

Ed abandons silence as a tactic and his response is quick and cutting.

"No thanks to you."

Izzy flinches but doesn't seem put off. He nods in the direction of the crew and their game.

"Bonnet looks happy too."

Stede hasn't beat Buttons record but he bows anyway as the crew cheers his effort. Olu is up next.

Ed's doesn't like hearing Stede's name come out of Izzy's mouth. He lets out a grunt of assent that might also be a growl. A warning.

Izzy watches him for a moment, continuing to tear strips off the timber he's whittling down to nothing.

"So it's him, then?"

Ed turns his head slowly and gives Izzy a cold stare. Daring him to start something. His next words are low and gruff and brook no uncertainty.

"Yeah. It's him."

Izzy returns the stare calmly. Ed's surprised to note that Izzy looks...tired.

Izzy nods once and drops the stick he's holding, and runs a hand through his hair before leaning forward, resting his forearms on his knees to watch the contest, hands dangling between his legs.

Olu doesn't last as long as Stede but he contributed more to the Rum bottle's emptiness to begin with so he's having trouble balancing even without any objects on his head. Stede still leads the crew in cheering his valiant effort.

Ed is surprised when some time later, Izzy speaks again.

"I suppose as pirates go... you could do worse."

Ed can't help the surprise that crosses his face, raising his eyebrows. There's a concession he never thought he'd hear in his lifetime. Izzy is surrendering. He feels himself begin to relax.

"...don't get me wrong, he's still a knob."

Ed chuckles, quietly accepting the truce he's being offered as he responds dryly.

"Guess I have a type."

Izzy huffs out a laugh and then lowers his head, taking in a shuddering breath, steeling himself.

"For what it's worth... Edward, I'm sorry...for all of it."

Ed let's his eyes close. He feels very sad all of a sudden. Izzy has broken the dam and now he can't seem to stop apologising.

"...I can't explain myself I just... I thought I was helping you, but I know now I was just trying to...help myself I guess, fuck knows. But everything I did just made things worse and you were so...miserable for so long and I just...I didn't want to hear it and..."

Ed lifts a hand.

"Iz, mate stop. It's alright. I get it."

Izzy turns to look hard at him with eyes that seem desperate and a tiny bit afraid.

"Do you?"

Ed hears the weight in the words and nods slowly, gesturing over to where Stede is currently mediating a dispute over whether the coconut can be switched for a rounder one mid-game and if doing so would trigger a do-over.

"We were gonna run off together. Him and me. I made an escape plan, Stede was sposed to meet me and he didn't show up. I'd told him...how I felt."

Ed sniffs and shakes his head to clear it before continuing. Izzy is sitting statue still, listening intently.

"You've seen all the bad shit I've been doing lately. Hell you've copped some of the worst of it firsthand. And none of its Stede's fault, but yeah it still fucked me up. So trust me, I know how it feels."

Izzy's brow furrows.

"How what feels?"

Ed blinks.

"Lovin' someone who doesn't want you."

Ed no longer needs to entertain his previously held fantasy of punching the daylights out of Izzy Hands. The look on his face couldn't possibly be anymore apt to that experience than it is now.

Izzy looks horrified and then pained, quickly looking away to hide his face.

Ed turns back to watch the crew, letting the man collect himself. The crew seem to have given up on the game and are now taking impromptu (and slightly inebriated) knife throwing lessons from Jim. Izzy clears his throat and sighs.

"Guess I have a type."

Ed laughs out loud at that, Izzy joins him and they both chuckle, wheezing laughter helping deflate the remaining tension like the last gasp of air from a balloon.

Ed sighs and they both sit in a comfortable silence, the crackle of the fire, dull rumble of the waves and distant chatter of the crew providing the ambience as the stars begin to appear in the sky.

Stede pauses what he's doing to smile and wave at Ed, who waves back with a matching fond smile.

It really is a bloody great evening, all told.

[theforgottenmcrmy]

live reactions to house of the dragon season 2, episode 7

as always, this is just for fun🖤

spoilers below the cut

Has EVERY episode’s intro been slightly different this season, or am I losing it?👀

Getting right into it.

I’m going with others on this one in saying Rhaenyra initially might have believed Laenor had returned🥲

Syrax and Seasmoke reunion is probably not what they would have imagined either…

Addam: “you gotta believe me, this dragon chose ME😅😅😅”

Alicent talking about women being cast aside or hated as though she did not facilitate BOTH of those things being done to Rhaenyra many times over🫥

So it was Seasmoke Rhaena tried to claim previously, and it “nearly devoured her”…. And yet they expected better results with someone who had even less Targaryen (AND Velaryon) blood than Rhaena?😅

“What if the rider? Do we know who he is?” YOU should know him, Corlys😂

I love you Rhaenyra but Syrax isn’t give Aemond and Vhaegar any second thoughts😅😅😅

“A common shipwright vows to serve you, while your brother seeks to destroy you.” Nothing but facts here 🫡

“Let us raise an army of bastards.” POETIC JUSTICE, IM HERE FOR IT 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

“Well done” is all Corlys has to say. Not sure why part of me expected more.

I love how Oscar Tully isn’t scared of Daemon. Tell him like it is, my lord.

The fish scale looking armor is so cool.

Ser Simon’s looking nervous as hell😅😂

“The King in the Riverlands!” “The King in the-“ oh wait, wrong show😅

Wait, what’s going on👀👀👀

Wowwwww, Daemon’s really just gonna stand by while this goes down?!?

Oh wait, it’s even WORSE, WTF——-

See, I’ve let most of the changes slide without comment, but now this is a change that I HAVE to comment on. How are we supposed to believe that House Blackwood won’t be bitter with Daemon now after what happened to Willem?! And they were one of Rhaenyra’s most steadfast supporters in Fire and Blood, no?!?!

Aegon’s looking 20+ older😅

I wish I could feel more sympathetic for Aegon. But I remember what he did in season 1, and I’m not willing to overlook it.

Alicent gave up on parenting her Aegon, so Larys is stepping up😇

“I am of salt and sea.” Isn’t that almost verbatim what Baela told Corlys the heir to Driftmark needed to be?👀

Noooooo, please don’t send the children to Pentos😭

Rhaena “time to shoot my shot” Targaryen. Just like her mother with Vhaegar.

“Mongrels.” *”really?!* look from Rhaenyra😂

“Did you think I would have dark hair?” WE CANNOT HAVE THIS CONVO RIGHT NOW, please. My heart cannot take this….

I stg if this is there last serious convo before the Gullet…

Jace begging Rhaenyra not to pursue the lowborn dragonriders in order to protect his own claim in the future… echoes to young Rhaenyra arguing with Viserys about being replaced with Alicent’s children💔

Also, Jace foreshadowing almost verbatim as to what will happen with the two Betrayers…

I’ve decided Ulf isn’t a Targaryen bastard at all, just a drunk who crafted a clever lie to keep him drinking for free.

Now Hugh, on the other hand- I’m more inclined to believe his story. Regardless of what happens.

Really? The dragon keepers abandoning Rhaenyra in her hour of need? It’s a good thing they didn’t exist in the book, because something tells me if they did, they wouldn’t have done that🤷🏼‍♀️

Rhaenyra’s outfit though👌🏻

As happy as I am to see Baela present and offering her support, Jace’s absence is even more apparent🥲

Also, and this is extremely random, I love how whenever we have Dragonstone scenes, we can always hear dragons in the background. Makes the emptiness in GOT scenes in Dragonstone heavier.

Loveeee that some of these “Targaryen bastards” have dark hair. Lends weight to Targaryen white/silver hair need not always be dominant as proof of parentage.

I wanna know how they summoned Vermithir TO the cave… or are there like different caves/“nests” for each dragon?👀 because if that’s true, that’s cool as hell and also extremely practical

RHAENYRA, THE DRAGON WHISPERER/QUEEN🖤

They really all dipped as soon as possible😅

Did Ulf just get swept away, or-

The amount of foreshadowing with Rhaenyra this season is actually insane

Oooo, calling it now, Ulf is gonna go wandering out, and find Silverwing along the way.

Damn, Vermithor really out here just having a snack until he finds who he’s looking for👀

Hugh being claimed by trying to save someone else’s life says something… still wandering what on earth goes wrong

Aw, Vermithor looks kinda happy. Do you think he’s been lonely all these years without the Old King?🥲

Silverwing really just casually nudging Ulf away from her eggs like😂😂😅

Then immediately going, “we gonna go for a flight now, or?!”

Imagine being a peasant in King’s Landing, being on the brink/in the middle of war, knowing almost all Targaryens (that you’re aware of) have dragons of their own, and all the sudden seeing the dragon of Good Queen Alysanne with a new rider, just flying about King’s Landing…

That ending shot though!!!!!🖤🖤🖤🔥🔥🔥

King’s Landing, a certain queen is coming for you🤭🖤

DREAMFYRE?!?! FINALLY?!

I will not survive next week if the Gullet is now moved to season 3. Please💔💔💔

[lostonehero]

What remains after eternity

Homage

Lazarus has been in some sketchy places. Places not meant for human eyes. Places even gods feared to tread. However, that still didn't prepare him for this. Tim's mind seemed broken, worse than before. The air was humid and cold, and it smelled of rot. The area seemed to be abandoned.

A man, no, that wasn't right he looked like he was barely 19. His hair was cut in a military style, matching the uniform he was wearing. His blue eyes seemed distant. "You.... you shouldn't be here."

"I shouldn't be many places." Laz tilted his head. He didn't recognize the uniform, but that's probably because it's after his time on earth. He left and never looked back. "What happened?"

The kid looked down at his feet. "I was abandoned."

Laz reached out, and a bullet went through his hand. He takes a breath. "Let me help you."

"I can't be helped." Blue, tired eyes stared through Laz. "You don't belong here."

Laz was staring up at mechanical eyes, watching Tim wipe his mouth.

"What the fuck was that?" Lyf stared at the two.

Laz groans laying on the floor. "That is what happens when a mind is strong enough to force me out."

"Hurt you?" Tim tilted his head.

"No, I'm just. I'm just going to lie here." Laz takes a breath. "You ok?"

"Taste funny." Tim crouched down next to Laz poking at his leaking eyes.

"You probably shouldn't eat it, but I don't care." Laz looks over to Lyf. "If Thomas asks, I'm on the floor."

"Lazarus, seriously, what happened? Tim, don't eat that!" Lyf tries and fails to shoo Tim away.

Tim chuckles. "Like Jonny's babies."

"I'm not entertaining that comment." Laz sighs. "As I said, Tim's mind is strong enough to force me out. I need a moment before I even attempt again. Now, don't get me wrong. Strong doesn't mean healed it means dangerous. I'm going to have to talk to Scratch." He groans.

"Are you ok?" Lyf suppresses the urge to taste the fluid from Laz's eyes.

"Bruised ego mostly, with how long I've been at this, it's surprising to deal with this. Also, incredibly sore being forced out is really painful, but mostly hurt pride. I'm gonna be on the floor for awhile, sorry for making a mess, Aurora." Laz, let's out a breath.

"I've already called Brian and Thomas to grab him." Aurora chirps. "You depressed bastard."

"I resent that." Laz groans. "I am an orphan."

"I dont think that's the part you should be arguing." Lyf sighs. "Tim stop poking him."

"Hurt." Tim points at Laz.

"Not hurt." Laz huffs. "I'm just sore."

"Idiot." Lyf pinched his brow.

"I help." Tim gets up and grabs Laz with his vines.

"Fuck me." Laz can't even move his arms to cover his face.

"I will inform Brian and Thomas that Tim is taking him somewhere." Aurora sounded bemused.

"I'll follow as well." Lyf shakes his head.

.......

Jonny stepped out in his boxers, carrying Trevor on his back. "No more complaining, I'm taking you to your room."

"Dad, I can walk." Trevor mumbles he was pale, and his tail drooped behind him.

"You want to try that again?" Jonny huffs. "Just because all of you brats have my stubbornness doesn't mean that good thing."

Trevor huffs back. "Not a baby."

"Yeah, yeah, a big, strong man." Jonny chuckles. "Come on off to your room."

Trevor mutters something intelegalible.

"Dad! Trevor! Are you guys ok?" Thomas rolls over. "Just go without me, Brian."

Brian nods and keeps moving forward.

"Where were you two running to?" Jonny raised a brow.

"Tommy." Trevor reached out, then dropped his hand and yawns.

Jonny smiles with a sigh. "This is why I'm carrying you." He turns to Thomas. "Are you guys ok? Trevor told me what you guys were doing, and thank you."

"It was Trevor's idea." Thomas rubs the back of his neck. "Tim is carrying Laz around, and Laz got kicked out of Tim's head, which is the first time I've ever heard that happening. Laz claims he isn't hurt but can't move because he's sore like he overworked his body. He heals fast, so I'm not worried, but I am a bit concerned about what Tim thinks help means."

Jonny chuckles. "They'll be fine. Join in taking your brother back to his room."

Thomas adjusts his chair and rolls after his dad. "I... I can tell you what happened to him."

"I don't need to know." Jonny smiles softly. "You brats have your -"

"Tommy, tell dad. Gonna tell dad." Trevor groans, hiding his face in his father's shoulder. "Dad should know. Doctors aren't nice."

"I... Trevor, that literally has nothing to do with the terminus curse." Thomas pinched his brow.

"Your brother is on a different plane of reality at the moment Thomas cut him slack." Jonny snickers. "Come on, Trevor, we'll be there soon."

"Dad I was bad." Trevor mumbles.

"So am I." Jonny hums. "You ain't special."

"Noooo!" Trevor whines.

"Thomas, tell your brother no serious conversation when he's mentally gone." Jonny sighs.

"I don't think anything I'll say will help." Thomas frowns. "Trevor doesn't talk about where he was sent to when he turned 25. I was with Mae. We had each other to figure this out. Alex, well, they were just dropped with Aiden, so they were fine even met Izzy and Laz before we did. Janet, well, you already know how that was."

"It's bad." Trevor whines. "I was bad."

"Again, that's not special, you brat." Jonny huffs. "Would you like to hear my list of crimes?"

Trevor is quiet.

"That's what I thought." Jonny sighs. "There is ain't anything you brats can do to make me hate you nor be worse than I was. Hell, even Brian has done bad things, and he's the good one out of us."

"Baba, I'm sorry." Trevor whimpers.

Jonny stops in front of Trevor's room. "Alright, alright, that's enough. We ain't talking till you rest properly."

Thomas watches his dad wrap his brother up in blankets as tight as he can manage.

Trevor relaxes almost immediately and starts to purr as he falls asleep.

"What do you want me to wrap you up to?" Jonny crosses his arms with a smirk.

Thomas blushing. "I would say yes, but my legs are fused in this position, and I'm worried about my arms. Can I have a raincheck."

Jonny chuckles and shuts Trevor's door and ruffles Thomas's hair. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, I'm going to make Trevor's favorite meal, and you'll help me."

"I think I can manage." Thomas chuckles.

........

Marius blinks, staring at Lazarus, dropped in his nest by Tim, who just left. "How can I help you?"

"Your nest is weird compared to Thomas's." Laz blinks. "Um, kind of overdid it and got thrown out of Tim's head. My body is sore all over, and I can't move. I really don't know why Tim dumped me in here."

"I am a doctor." Marius frowns. "Although he could have just put you in the infirmary. I don't understand how he gets in here. My door is locked for a reason."

"In his defense, I don't think he knows either." Laz huffs. "I don't need a doctor. I just need to rest a night or two of sleep it will fix this. It's been a very long time, but that is what fixes this." He looks away. "Scratch would tell you the same. He's the one who taught me to go into people's heads."

"It sounds like this isn't normal." Marius hums, placing a blanket around Laz. "Why do you think you were kicked out?"

Laz narrows his gaze. "I was warned about this." He sighs. "Fine, I'll play along, but none of this leaves this room. It's not good."

"Doctor patient privilege, your secrets are safe with me, or I'll just forget." Marius frowns.

"I don't envy your position either. I can look in your head when I'm up to it if you like." Laz pauses. "Nothing too bad just to see how fractured your mind is if it is even that. I won't look at any memories that would require you to be asleep. Can't get consent if you're asleep."

"That is kind of you, but I rather you didn't." Marius takes a breath. "So why is this bad?"

"It's good and bad. Good because his mind is strong, and he's in there fighting. Bad because it's incredibly unstable. He's going to have more of these reality slips before it gets better. There isn't an easy way to say this, but we will have to keep those cages and things set up for future use." Laz looks back at Marius.

Marius sighs. "I had a feeling that would be the case." He crosses his arms. "Do you want me to carry you back to your room?"

"What, you aren't going to ask more questions?" Laz raised a brow.

"I don't need to. You don't have the information and are assuming." Marius gets up as Laz flinches.

"You purposely make the others underestimate you." Laz, let's out a soft oof as he is picked up.

Marius hums softly.

.......

Lyf stops. "O-oh, when did Tim get in o-your room."

"It is ours, Lyf. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but we are bonded. It always will be ours." Marius hums.

"Like I get it, no memory and whatever, but your body remembers isn't that enough?" Laz blinks. "I mean, your hair literally triggered the heat before you got to this state."

"Why do you know that?" Marius raised his brow.

"I never said I didn't know the xeon language. I just can't speak it. It doesn't work well with human vocal cords." Laz sighs. "Look, I don't have a dog in this race, but that's just my two cents. Neither of you can predict the future, so why dance around the present like you two are strangers?"

"Because I'm not an asshole?" Lyf rolls his eyes. "Why are you such a dick?"

"Age mostly." Laz tries to shrug and fails. "Also, the fact I really don't like romcoms. Even if you don't remember Marius, you clearly have feelings for Lyf, and Lyf is so head over heels for you that he would follow you to the end of time."

Marius blushes a mix of purple and black.

Lyf matches the blush with his own.

"No wonder why everyone gets annoyed at you two." Laz sighs. "This is clearly not working, so either drop me in the infirmary you've passed twice, or I can keep going."

"I... uh...." Marius swallows.

Lyf covers his face and groans.

"Please don't use me as an excuse to spend time together. It's weird." Laz sighs. "Can you please just drop me off."

"R-right." Marius quickly rushed back to the infirmary to drop Laz off into a bed.

.......

Marius sits in the gardens next to Lyf. "I..."

"Ivy told me about what happened." Lyf rubs his arm. "I just want to go at your pace. I didn't want to make you feel unwanted."

"I don't feel..." Marius reached out, lacing his fingers with Lyf's. "I don't know what is truly me from the instincts and hormones. I know I feel safe with you. It's still so fresh in my mind, and I get thrust here. I'm supposed to be different. Myself now has long past."

Lyf sighs. "You're still Marius, and the past few centuries, I've learned so much about you, and I will learn something else new as time moves on. I look forward to eternity with you no matter what time period your mind is in." He smiles. "Also how the fuck did you get doctor from mechanical engineer? Just because you're medically trained now doesn't mean it makes any sense to me. I can handle mech pilot, I can handle your insanity, but that what the fuck Marius?"

Marius blushes, shaking in a silent story. "That's a funny story, actually."

Lyf listens with a stupid smile on his face, which is cut short when Brian trots in not human shaped. "Oh, uh, hello."

"Hello Brian." Marius smiles then gives a soft oof as Brian lays on both Marius and Lyf. "Ivy was right. You are taking advantage of your new form."

Brian chitters and yawns.

Lyf chuckles. "He is quite soft. Tell me more about your adventures."

Marius smiles. "I guess we do now have the time."

The peace was interrupted. "So this is cute and all, but I have a few questions."

A eerie yelp came from Brian's maw as he skittered back and returned to a human shape. Marius shouted in shock, and his horns grew in an instant. Lyf shrieked and stumbles back.

"Rude, anyway." Mae hops out of the tree.

Lyf takes a breath. "Have you been there the whole time?"

"No, I was following you two from the vents earlier." Mae grins. "For being an acolyte, you're not very observant. Also, I love watching Laz get annoyed with other people's romantic problems. It's the only thing that really annoys him ironically, considering how he gets with Thomas."

Marius takes a few deep breaths, calming down that his horns return to nubs. "Why? Isn't it dangerous given your older body?"

"Rude again, not made of glass." Mae rolls her eyes. "However, I was looking for dad, but you guys seemed more interesting at the moment. As much as listening in on you two falling in love again, I really don't care, so I actually wanted to interrupt to ask Lyf a few questions about his god."

"Why do you want to know about Yog Sogoth?" Brian beat Lyf to the question.

"I'm making a timeline. You see the God's realm is separate from time and space kind of so the events of Gram's murder spree happened, I want to see if it happened before or after your galaxy was eaten." Mae shrugs. "I've been working with Laz on it for ages. It's weird because it affected Laz when it happened almost immediately because Scratch picked him when he just became whole again, which was before humans even went to the moon the first time. However, thinking reality wise, the bifrost happens eons later."

"That's a question for Jonny." Marius blinks, getting a headache trying to figure out the sheer math.

"Isn't that like a paradox?" Lyf stares blankly at Mae.

"I was a doctor, now a pilot, so I can't help you." Brian sighs. "Again, as Marius said, that kind of stuff is Jonny's expertise."

"You guys are useless." Mae huffs. "It's basic theoretical mathematics and creating a timeline. You would think you guys would have thought of something." She grumbles as she walks away.

"It's like a second, Jonny." Brian blinks.

"Fuck you're right." Lyf rubs his temples.

Marius smiles. "Jonny is a really good dad."

.......

"Aha, that's where you went." Scratch appeared next to Lazarus in the infirmary. "Alright, I know you hate this, but I would like to confirm what Thomas told me and Valerie."

Lazarus was in a church, his leaking eyes were replaced with amber eyes, his black hair was brown, and in a loose ponytail. He was in priest garb and seemed to be praying. "I told you I didn't want you in my head without discussing first." He leans back in the pew.

Scratch sits next to Laz. "Never thought you would ever come back here."

"Consider it nostalgia. It's been a long time since someone was strong enough to send me out." Laz sighs. "I suppose that is why you're here."

"That's one reason. Is it too much to want to check on you?" Scratch smiles.

"Still not my father." Laz smiles softly. "Tim's mind is strong, and even with my strength, I was unprepared for how he would lash out. I don't think they filmed everything, nor was it accurate for how long he was being tortured. The first few lobotomizes failed."

"I know." Scratch crosses his arms. "I've been scrubbing over the videos, and there are purposeful sections missing. There's a reason why so many of us enjoy humanity, and it's not for good reasons."

"Anything that could help me?" Laz thinned his lips. "Anything you're willing to share?"

"I don't want you to go back in his head, not until I can have a look." Scratch sits up. "I respect your abilities and how powerful you are even compared to myself. However, I would even state a claim that my own father would be horrified at the things done, and I don't think I've ever considered him to have a limit." He sighs.

Laz frowns. "What do you want me to do? I'm not just going to sit back. Tim is important to my father in law and the entire crew of Aurora and Thomas and his siblings already consider him a second father."

"Do you still have that cloak?" Scratch looks at Laz, who grimaced.

"I do." Laz sighs.

"Keep it close." Scratch gets up. "And you have Thomas to look after. I may be able to-"

"No. That isn't my decision. As I said before, stop offering me that." Laz scowls. "Get out and let me pray to beings who never existed."

Scratch frowns. "I apologize again." He vanishes, leaving Lazarus alone.

Laz returns to softly praying as he turns his head down.

.......

"Oi fuckhead wake up." Alex crosses their arms standing over Trevor who groans.

"Fuck off Alex." Trevor huffs. "I'm comfy."

"Dad made you dinner." Alex rolls their eyes. "Get the fuck up and enjoy it. The others think it's poisoned because they don't trust dad's ability to cook." They pause. "Hasn't actually stopped Marius or Lyf, though."

"Are they disappointed?" Trevor struggles out of the tightly wrapped blanket.

"Oh, immensely, but I can't tell which one." Alex snickers when Trevor throws his shirt at them and gets a clean one.

Trevor yawns and rubs his eyes. "Alright, alright, I'm coming." He groans as he hops out of bed. "My body still hurts."

"Thomas says that's normal." Alex smirks.

"Fuck Thomas." Trevor scoffs.

"Laz is already doing that." Alex chuckles, pulling back their hair. They were always the first to go completely gray.

"I hate you." Trevor rolls his eyes.

They both playfully banter all the way to the dining hall.

"You two don't have to look so disappointed." Jonny huffs, his tail lashing behind him.

"I wanted to eat something bad." Marius scowls eating a second helping.

Jonny rolls his eyes. "Again banned from baking."

Marius puffs out his cheeks. "Damnit."

Lyf snickers. "Ignore him this is very good."

"Damn right, it is." Jonny huffs. "You two brats sit the fuck down and I'll feed ya."

Trevor nods and sits next to Thomas, who is eating quietly. Alex sits across from Marius and Lyf.

Thomas swallows his bite and puts his fork down. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm still in fucking pain." Trevor sighs. "But you already know that. I want to go back to bed." He thanks his dad for the food.

"It doesn't really get easier, but you'll get used to it." Thomas crossed his arms. "What were you talking about before?"

Trevor raised a brow. "Before what?"

"When dad was carrying you right before he bundled you up in blankets." Thomas raised a brow.

"Well, I know dad is the one who did that because you could never get it right, but we were talking?" Trevor matched the raised brow.

Jonny sits next to Trevor. "I told you so."

Thomas huffs. "Shut up."

Trevor has a look of mild confusion. "Genuinely, I have no idea what you are talking about or why dad's right. Um, where Laz? He's normally glued to your side when your legs go."

"Infirmary." Thomas sighs. "Speaking of which, where is Tim?"

"I didn't put a tracker on him." Jonny rolls his eyes. "He's a grown ass adult even with a fucked up mind he can defend himself and he's somewhere on Aurora or my mom's ship. Aurora would alarm if he left."

"Tim is currently napping in his patch of dirt in the garden. He is lying face down, and a new thing has happened flowers have grown over him like a blanket." Aurora chirps. "Also, Nastya is coming to kill the thing you cooked even though I told her it was proper food. I understand why she doesn't trust you that creature is still in my vents."

"I can fucking cook!" Jonny huffs as his kids snicker around him.

"Unfortunately, I have to agree because I was craving something burnt." Marius sighs, laying his head on the table.

Alex snickers louder.

"You burn baked goods, not an actual meal." Mae scoffs. "That's a waste of good meat."

"I can set something on fire if that will help." Janet smiles from her seat.

"I really rather you wouldn't." Lyf frowns.

"Surprise the space cop is a fucking downer." Mae rolls her eyes.

"No fun allowed." Janet huffs.

"Why are you even here?" Alex gets up with their plate.

Thomas chuckles. "Fucker can't handle a little arson."

"I'm going to flick lit matches at you." Trevor clicks his tongue.

"Jonny, control your children." Lyf looks over to glare.

"One they are adults and can do what they want and two you're being a little bitch." Jonny grins.

Marius snorts laughing.

Aurora chirps out a laugh. "I agree with your children they need a new siblings."

Jonny growls. "I'm going to say no on principal now you fucks."

"So I fucking told you!" Thomas huffs.

.......

"Lazarus wasn't wrong. This place sure is a mess." Scratch hums softly, walking through a horror scene. "You are quite strong, but you are still merely human."

"Get out! You don't belong here!" A voice shouts, and rotten vines tries to grab Scratch but go right through him.

"That is quite cute. You keep trying, but I'm not leaving till I get to your center." Scratch groans. "I sound more like my dad every day." He phases through a shut door, and the scenery changes. "Oh!"

A man with bouncing curls and coffee color skin stares at Scratch. He has a pair of broken goggles on a worn military uniform on. He was sitting in a bunk on a base that no longer existed in reality.

"It's not often I get find surprises." Scratch smiles with too many teeth. "How long have you been in here?" Are you even aware of the world around since you died?"

The man frowns. "I got stuck in here trying to get Timmy to notice me, but I just went through him. I think I realized I was dead at that point, but I ended up here. Did we win?"

"You humans are fascinating creatures. However, does it really matter if you guys won or not? The war has long been forgotten. Times a fickle bitch like that." Scratch tilts his head. "However, this is a problem. You're unknowingly blocking Tim from recovering, well, not blocking, making it harder. You really are out of the loop. I can fix that."

"Fix...? What did you do to Tim?" The man growls and gasps as he his picked up by his throat.

"Now don't get feisty, I have to figure out how this will work. A deal would suffice, wouldn't you agree?" Scratch hums. "You don't really have a choice because I will remove you either way."

"What are you?" The man growls.

Scratch smiles. "A god, for one. Two, how about I take you out and give you a form that will last just as long as Tim will, and in exchange, you'll be permanently removed from his head."

"Fine. Fine, you win. I don't buy the god thing, you bloody devil." The man vanishes with Scratch.

Scratch cracks his back, holding a glowing green flame in his hand as a black goo surrounds it, and it becomes a pair of dog tags. He places them down in the garden and vanishes.

TS finds the dog tags and assumes they're Jonny's.

.......

"Attetion, there is an intruder that has suddenly appeared in front of Jonny's door. They are wearing a male uniform from the moon war where Jonny picked up Tim. He has broken goggles on and has brown skin and big ringlet curls. They currently don't seem hostile and frankly look quite confused. However, you may use this information how you wish, and Nastya has given me permission to use my alarms until they are apprehended. Happy hunting!" The robotic female voice was the first thing Bertie heard as he got to his feet.

"Where the fuck am I?" Bertie shakes his head and pulls down his goggles. He heard shouting and decided to run would be better than to confront people who were hunting him.

"Remember we want him alive. That means no lethal force, as if any of you is capable of that." The woman laughs through the speakers.

"Found him!" A voice rings out.

"Use me at a battering ram!" A different voice shouts.

"Dibs!"

"Fuck!"

Bertie keeps running adrenaline running in his veins as he runs into an open garden. He didn't have time to dwell on the face. There is something like this on a spaceship. He screams in shock as his feet get lifted off the ground and he is hanging upside down.

"Hi Bertie!" A entirely familiar cheery voice answers.

"T-Tim?!" Bertie gasps adrenaline fading. "W-wha-" His vision went black.

.....

"Fucking second time he gets to end the hunt." Ashes growls.

Jonny froze. "Ashes shut up." He runs towards Tim and motions to his kids to stay. "Tim what did you call him?"

"You know him, it's Bertie." Tim smiles wide.

"Tim, Bertie is dead." Jonny steps back as Tim steps closer to him.

"He doesn't bleed right, but it is Bertie." Tim pulls Jonny into a hug. "He's wearing what he died in trying to save you, which was very stupid." He says while smiling. He kets go of Jonny. "His goggles are even broken from where you headbutted him to try to remove your gas mask to put on him. It was quite a stupid death."

Jonny swallows. "Tim, how about we put Bertie down? Trevor wants to talk to you."

Tim pauses his expression flickers for a moment before Bertie's unconscious body falls to the ground. "Not mad?"

Trevor is pushed in front of his siblings. "I uh no? Why would I be mad? I mean, it was bound to happen. If not you, it would be something else."

"That is a fair argument for our track record." Mae points to Janet.

"Again rude but fair." Janet shrugs. "To be fair, I was expecting you to say Alex because they always get into fights over their rigged bets."

"I mean that would work too and I'm not against it." Alex shrugs.

"Thomas?" Mae smirks looking at her twin.

"Fuck you." Thomas huffs.

"I mean, if you aren't gonna say it, you have a terrible temper." Trevor thins his lips.

"The embodiment of too angry to die." Mae snickers.

Thomas pinched his brow and sighed heavily.

Trevor realized that dad was using this to pick up Bertie and get him somewhere to be looked over. "Um, can I get a hug? I mean, as a thank you to get this over with."

Tim's lips quirked up into a smile. "Hug, baby?"

"Not really a baby, but sure." Trevor gasps as Tim runs and pulls him into a tight hug. "Actually, you know what? I'm not leaving. You have a tight hug." He starts to purr as his face gets red.

"Good baby!" Tim smiles wide.

"Tim, I think you keep doing that he's going to fall asleep." Thomas clears his throat sort of jealous.

"Fuck that I want a nap. Hug me next." Mae also caught up quickly. She also really missed being bundled up tight, but just like her dad will never admit it.

Tim looks behind him. "Jonny took Bertie." He holds Trevor in a bridal carry. "That's ok. You are very good." He turns back and smiles. "Babies are mine now!"

Trevor shakes his head out of his daze. "Wait what?"

Tim grabs the rest of them with his vines. "Naptime for clever babies."

"I mean, at least he's taking me in my chair." Thomas sighs.

"Don't wanna break legs." Tim hums as he begins to wall forward.

"Honestly, though, wouldn't mind a nap." Alex yawns.

"That's because you pulled an all-nighter creating a new betting pool with Aurora on the probability of us getting new siblings and what gender they will pick." Janet rolls her eyes.

Mae raised a brow. "And you thought I was bad about you and Laz."

Thomas blinks. "Actually, yeah, I think Alex is the worst now."

"I stand by my creations." Alex crosses their arms. "Also, everyone who knew already placed bets."

Thomas just shakes his head.

"Babies need nap now." Tim hums the tune of Tim goes crazy.

.......

"I have to say this is the first time I've ever seen something like this." Carmillia laughs. "I can't say I'm bored with my imprisonment."

"I hate to say it, but Carmillia is right. I have no idea what to make of this." Raphaella sighs. "Tests literally show nothing wrong but his blood is a different color."

"Of course it doesn't." Laz groans walking into the lab. "I know excatly what this is and who did this."

"Care to share?" Carmillia crosses her arms.

"Scratch, the god who made me their acolyte. I had a feeling a spirit was trapped in his head, but I didn't really think he would be pulled out, let alone given a physical body again. Remove his dog tags." Laz points and Raphealla does, and the body vanishes. "It's always anchored. Those dog tags are his anchor he'll reform once you put them down."

"Is this common?" Raphaella tilts her head, placing the tags down, watching with interest as Bertie reappers.

Laz huffs out a bitter laugh. "It's the closest you'll find Scratch acting like his father. It's cruel, and there is only a handful of these I've seen. Bertie has been cut off from ever moving on, and of course, he had to agree to it for it to work. The only peace he can now get is having his anchor in a place he can not reform. Those tags are indestructible. Trust me, I've seen the attempts at trying." He steps forward. "Get Jonny back in here. It would be best if you had someone he knew to explain this." He vanishes without another word.

Raphealla frowns. "How uquine, I wouldn't mind testing the limits with consent, of course." She quickly grins.

"That sounds splendid." Carmillia grins back.

.......

Jonny holds his jaw and sighs. "One, if you're going to punch me, make sure you're prepared." He raised his brow as Bertie curses, holding his hand. "Two, I can't change the fact that time has passed. Be mad, but know this is your reality now."

"Bloody fuck, what is wrong with your face?" Bertie rubs his broken hand.

"New Texans such as myself have reinforced bones for starters, and our skulls are built to take damage, hence why I headbutt." Jonny motions to his horns. "Also, why do you think New Texans are short? Our skin is padded, and our bodies are made for impacts. We have denser body mass for a reason. I can pull myself out of a sandpit being buried alive. You humans ain't the default."

Bertie sighs. "Fine, I don't have to like it, but why are you telling me any of this? Why hasn't Tim come out to talk to me?"

Jonny frowns and looks away. "That's another reason, Tim's hurt."

"You're immortal. Try again." Bertie scowls.

"We can still be hurt." Jonny mutters quietly. He takes a breath and grabs Bertie. "It would be better if you saw the truth because you're sure as shit ain't gonna believe me."

Bertie follows with uncertainty in his features. They arrive on a different ship.

A woman stood in the entrance with a raised brow. She was the same height as Jonny, her horns curled around her ears, unlike Jonny's. She looked similar to Jonny. Her arms were crossed. "What brings you here?"

Jonny sighs. "Unfortunately, this man won't believe me if I tell him the truth." He looked uncomfortable. "I need dad to show him the stuff about Tim."

The woman frowns and unhooks her watch, handing it over to Jonny. "Are you sure?"

"I won't be watching." Jonny sighs. "Bertie here will be watching till he asks for it to stop."

Bertie narrows his gaze. "How can I trust you didn't fuck with the footage."

"I wish it was doctorared." Jonny shakes his head, tossing the watch to Bertie. "Show him the truth."

Bertie rolls his eyes. "Whatever you say."

The watch comes to life, and the video starts to play. Jonny heads inside with the woman.

........

"Was it really wise to leave that man with your father watching that?" Valerie sips her tea.

Jonny frowns. "The idiot got himself killed, giving me the gas mask. I tried to save him, but he's stubborn." He shakes his head. "No, he's angry, and I don't think anything I could say would make him believe me. He shouldn't have to see Tim like this without the context."

"You've become a good man, Jonny." Valerie smiles. "I'm glad we finally got to reunite."

Jonny smiles softly. "I suppose I can't argue with ya mom." He sighs. "What did Scratch even do?"

"Well, from what he told me, he found Bertie in Tim's head. Which isn't unheard of spirits getting trapped in the living quite often, and when that living person dies, they move on together. Well, that's how it's supposed to happen." Valerie sips her tea. "Although obviously none of us stay dead for that to work. Apparently, Bertie was creating a block unintentionally and so Scratch removed him. It's his fault for accepting the deal."

Jonny nods and stops before he makes a noise when Bertie runs in, throwing the watch at Jonny, which Valerie catches.

"You're so fucked up! How the fuck did you create this?" Bertie was fuming.

Valerie puts the watch back on reconnecting it to something Bertie doesn't see. "Now, he didn't create that. You have humanity to thank for that."

"What? So you're saying... you're saying.... bloody hell." Bertie covers his face.

Jonny sighs getting up. "I tried to warn you. We can't die, but that doesn't mean we can't be hurt, tortured, get sick, and destroyed. Tim.... Tim is recovering. He should be napping with my brats."

"Oh, he is. TS sent me pictures." Valerie smiles softly.

"Wait, one, you have kids?" Bertie stares at Jonny. "Who would have your kids?"

"Me." Jonny rolls his eyes. "Why do people keep asking me that?"

Bertie pauses as something clicks. "Oh right, um, sorry.... also, isn't Tim radioactive? Shouldn't you be worried about your kids?"

Jonny snickers. "We're from a desert planet. We don't have the thing Earth has protecting it from a suns radiation." He takes a breath. "Besides, that isn't what you should be worried about. How Tim reacts to being woken should be your concern."

"What?" Bertie stares at Jonny.

.......

Tim is curled around Laz, who looked annoyed. Thomas was awake trying very hard not to laugh. Everyone else was out cold.

Bertie and Jonny stared at the scene.

Jonny opens his mouth and pauses. "How did Laz get involved?"

Thomas covers his mouth taking a deep breath.

Laz huffs, causing Tim to curl around tighter. "I made the mistake of looking for my partner."

Bertie quietly. "Is he an alien too?"

Jonny snorts. "No, he's human."

"But his eyes." Bertie motions to his own face.

Jonny starts to cackle manically. He wakes up everyone.

"I'm so glad you find this hilarious." Laz sighs as Tim hugs tighter.

"Mmmm, Jonny." Tim mutters. "Laz is a good pillow priest."

This causes Thomas to break laughing. "I'm fucking stealing that."

"I hate everyone in this room." Laz groans.

"Tim, come on, get up. Bertie wants to talk to you." Jonny sighs.

Tim unwrapped himself and got up rubbing his face, Bertie notes that he purposely avoids his eyes. "Ok we can talk."

Bertie takes in the image of his friend. Tim was skinny, skinner than even the worst times on the base. He was pale and looked exhausted. His hair was buzzed short, and he knew the man hated it when it was buzzed for the military. The vines did come out of his skin, and it looked swollen like he was tugging at them. His clothes were purposely hemmed to be shorts and short sleeved. He had a pair of goggles around his neck, and he had a feeling that was just out of comfort. There was a longer lanyard around his neck with a strange dial. He didn't know what that was. "Hey Tim, it's been a while."

"You've been dead." Tim tilts his head.

[amphiptere-art]

Ok. We're going to make it official. The au where eclipse is stuck in Sun's head with all his basic functions removed. And Sun running away from moon to protect him. Will be called-

Chased Eclipse

Moon is Hati. Sun is Sköll. Eclipse is leiðr. Kill code is bana. (All (hopefully) translated from Old Norse to mean different things.)

To go over the AU in complexity. This is going off of my idea of an eclipse that was conscious enough for Moon to notice. But the storyline goes like normal because eclipse is mannerisms don't quite change. This one has a change though. basically moon didn't trust Sun to not listen to eclipse if he ever did say anything about being sentient before.

So he decided to lock up Eclipse even harsher. Instead of just a basic firewall. He took away eclipses basic function to speak, move, and hear. He was basically tied up and gagged in the mindscape. Sun had no knowledge of him. Moon never told him of them. And Eclipse had no way to talk or fight. There was simply no way to know.

Not until kill code came back. I'm going to refer to them as kill code and eclipse separately. But kill code sees eclipse as the same as him. And refers to him as old kill code. While he refers to himself as new kill code. As in this world they are both sentient with Moon's memories.

Anyways. Kill code came back and basically untangled the web. The lie was out. Kill code had more power, plus moon didn't have a easy way out. He told Sun that he had Eclipse inside of him. And Moon being the bastard he is in this AU. Basically snapped back at killcode that he would still do the same to him. Moon of course still had power over Sun. So Sun didn't dare ask Moon why the hell he did that. So moon dragged Sun off to go to Golden's to deal with their little problem kill code.

When they got to Golden's moon was Of course all up in his head about technology. This is in a timeline where they hadn't gone to Golden for advice, and hadn't learned that technology was not his forte. Luckily kill code was fighting back though. So golden could do his little mind mess thing. Except he decided to knock them both out. Moon needed a reality check in his opinion.

Sun asked him if he could talk with this eclipse. Maybe help out with the kill code. Golden told him he can't really do anything code-wise. Other than at least for now hold back moon. Although he encourages Sun to run with eclipse while he can. Go and hide. Telling him to not go to places that Moon would likely go to. Such as friends or even his place. Although for now. He can greet eclipse.

Sun does great eclipse. And finds out very quickly that he is unstable. Eclipse of course has many mental issues from having his basic functions removed. He just sort of sees sun and doesn't even really have the Constitution to understand that he's there. He's frozen in panic. Sun tries to talk to him. But quickly realizes he can't. So instead he settles on a hug. Eclipse thrashes in panic. Not that he can move much. Sun holds out though and eclipse relaxes slowly. Happy to just have something more. Turning into a crying mess.

Sun of course can't be there the entire time. patting eclipse and saying that he has to leave. He will get them out of there. And so sun leaves. He runs around trying to find a place to live. He's too scared to live with any of the characters from the security breach show. So he just kind of hangs out and abandoned human housing. Desperately also trying to figure out a way to get eclipse out of the mindscape. Or at least to give him physical freedoms in the mindscape.

This is where I'm going to put a little tag. This is where the crossover interactions will basically happen.

I do have a little bit of after planned. Just some sort of happyish ending. Lots of people suggested that they could go dimensional hopping. But I think sun's just too scared to. The ball pit is the closest dimensional thing that they have. And that I belongs to Moon. And sun is scared of me now. Somebody is going to have to go too Sun in order to get any sort of dimensional teleportation shenanigans to work.

So instead we have Frank. Oh so lovely Frank. He's the only one who isn't necessarily friends with Moon that has some sort of coding knowledge. It's the only house of some sort of companion Sun can go to. Plus I don't think anyone realistically knows where Frank's house is. So they go with Frank. Frank helps Sun code some stuff in order to give eclipse some sort of freedom. And slowly he's working on a body.

Sun is trying to train eclipse in the mindscape how to get used to... While being able to function. Eclipse is very traumatized. And so right now he can't even really take hearing Sun, much less being able to talk and actually move to hug him. It just makes a good timeline for son to help eclipse get used to normal stuff, So he can be ready to move into the body when Frank is finished.

This is of course ignoring the side thing of kill code trying to take over Moon. Eclipse as a conscious skill code was just kind of working with Moon. They were basically twin brothers. Like Blood Moon. So he really wasn't expecting Moon to tie them up and throw away.

Kill code most definitely does. And is very much fighting against the moon for control. Moon of course is at the end of his rope like with standard kill code. He doesn't have a way out. He can't just abandon him in Sun. So he is slowly losing control to kill code. While it would be better if kill code just.. I got a new body. Moon's not willing to give it. And so kill code has decided he's going to take over moons.

And that's the basics of this AU. Have fun interacting.